The Spirituals Project revitalizes African American traditions
Through community choir, educational outreach, University of Denver group preserves the teachings of the musical practice
BY MERYL PHAIR
SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
During concert performances of e Spirituals Project, director and choir conductor M. Roger Holland II invites the audience to sing in unison with the choral members – their voices melding together in a collective sonic experience.
e audience is also invited to learn about “spirituals,” melodies
VOICES: 8
that were sung by enslaved Africans in America during the 18th and 19th centuries and are now being preserved through active performance by the multigenerational, multiracial University of Denver a liated group. With a mission to revitalize the music and teachings of these sacred hymns, the interactive aspect of e Spirituals Project’s concerts has made them a cherished organization in the Denver community and beyond.
“People appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the music-making,” said Holland, an associate professor of music and religion at DU’s Lamont School of Music. “Historically, much of this music has been sustained and perpetuated through oral tradition. If these songs aren’t sung, they fade from memory and existence.”
In the same way the choir keeps the music of spirituals alive through song, the teachings of the musical practice pulse through the choir community through its commitment to social justice and education.
“ e messages and lessons of the music are acted out almost automatically in the way the choir members relate to each other,” said Dr. Arthur C. Jones, e Spirituals Project founder and a professor emeritus of music, culture and psychology at Lamont. “It’s almost a microcosm of the kind of coming together that could happen outside in the community because we have people that come from di erent backgrounds, educational levels, racial backgrounds and political perspectives.”
Cost of animal care has Colorado pet owners barking
BY KEVIN SIMPSON THE COLORADO SUN
Richard Charles and Amy Adams sat in their truck queued up with dozens of others awaiting a slow roll through the meandering line at an outdoor pet pantry, a pop-up operation in the parking lot of a food bank in southwest Denver.
One by one, more than a hundred vehicles opened their trunks or hatchbacks to accept free donated dog and cat food, plus other accessories of pet ownership — part of a program fueled by Colorado Pet Pantry that brings relief to 103 locations across the state. Charles and Adams, who live in nearby Englewood, registered with a volunteer to take advantage of the monthly event, though visitors are only eligible for the free food every other month.
Still, it’s a budget bu er against the sledgehammer costs of pet ownership, especially during the lean days for these seasonal food workers who cater festivals and farmer’s markets. Food and veterinary care, they estimate, run them roughly $5,000 a year — and that’s just basics aside from any unforeseen issues.
e expenses are challenging, but like many Coloradans, they would rather do without small luxuries such as dining out — or even extra portions of their homecooked meals — to provide for the two dogs and ve cats that are more than just pets or companions.
“Before the (work) season starts, we de nitely have to prioritize,” Charles says, noting that savings from the previous season can run low. “And they get the priority. ey’re part of us. Part of our family.”
“Our kids,” Adams adds.
e couple are anything but outliers in a state that loves its pets. Poll after poll reveals Colorado’s love a air with its (mostly) dogs and cats — including one that ranks the state highest on a sevenpoint survey with regard to residents’ devotion to their canine companions.
SEE PET CARE, P2
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Starting as a solo venture by Dr. Arthur C. Jones, The Spirituals Project is now incorporated into the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music..
PHOTO BY MICHAEL FURMAN
SEE TRADITIONS, P4
ON THICK ICE For winter anglers, ice fishing is cool P10
Some of the results revealed attitudes impacted by economics: 43.5% said they would spend $4,000 or more to save their dog’s life; and 11% said they’d stayed at a job they didn’t like because it was dog-friendly.
But it’s getting harder to absorb the costs that come with those pets that mean so much to so many Coloradans. And the problem extends across the country. And while precise costs can vary even from one ZIP code to another, the overall impact is consistent. Consider one survey that found 91% of respondents have felt some degree of stress over the costs of pet care, with two-thirds reporting that, like Charles and Adams, they have cut back on personal spending to accommodate their pets. One-third have sought to ease the crunch by taking a second job or exploring other ways to increase their income.
One analysis ranked Colorado 37th in annual expenses for dog ownership at $1,568.72, covering food, pet insurance, veterinarian o ce visits and vaccines plus spay/neuter. Prices can vary widely depending on a number of variables, but virtually all the analysis and surveys done on pet care — and there are a lot — point to a common theme: It ain’t getting cheaper.
In July of 2021, total pet-related costs hovered slightly below the national Consumer Price Index, which measures the average change in prices paid by urban consumers for a variety of goods. By July of 2023, not only had the CPI risen 19%, but total pet costs had surpassed the index by nearly 3 percentage points. Food and veterinary costs, in particular, had spiked — with food nearly 4 percentage points higher than the CPI and veterinary care nearly 9 percentage points higher.
Eileen Lambert, who founded Colorado Pet Pantry in 2013, notes the rapid rise in the numbers of dogs and cats served since its inception, when it helped feed 858 pets. And she says that while part of the increase re ects the organization’s overall expansion, the exponential explosion — in 2023 the nonpro t served an estimated 150,000 animals — also tells a story about the intersection of high costs and greater need.
And at the same time pet food prices have spiked, she adds, it has also become harder for her to obtain the surplus food that manufacturers often donate for reasons ranging from torn or mislabeled packaging to imminent “best by” dates. Although Colorado Pet Pantry doesn’t purchase pet food to distribute, that could change as donations scale back — in part, Lambert
own, but we’re doing what we think is the right thing to do. Obviously we still have a business to run and you have to have balance. But I hope prices come down. ey’ve de nitely leveled o .”
Cathy Hamlin, 65 and newly retired on Supplemental Security Income, drove to the pet pantry from Englewood to collect some food for Rihanna, her Labradoodle, and Chappie, her Basenji and Australian cattle dog mix (she did the DNA test). She can split a big salad with her 5-year-old iguana, but the dog food strains her budget.
“Your money doesn’t go up but the food prices do — same as humans,” she said. “Every time I get a bag of dog food it’s a couple bucks more. You know, it’s crazy.”
Veterinary care
says, because the pandemic led manufacturers to discover e ciencies that result in less surplus product.
“ e need is exceptionally high right now,” she says. “We’re seeing about 50% more people coming this year than we did last year because the cost of living is so high.”
In large part the problem for pet owners is that food costs have outstripped the usual in ation-driven average. Last April, Veterinarians.org, a pet research and publishing organization, analyzed price histories for 100 of the top wet and dry dog foods among Amazon Bestsellers and found that on average, prices were up 45.5% compared with 2020. e roughly 15% annual increase was three times higher than the usual bump.
More than half of those surveyed said they’d canceled pet food subscriptions that automatically re ll and deliver orders. Nearly a quarter of respondents found the economics so daunting that they at least thought about rehoming their pet or surrendering it to a shelter.
Michael Meyer, CEO of the I and Love and You “ultra premium” pet food brand based in Boulder, says that in ation impacted food prices — animal or human — inordinately owing to multiple factors: cost of ingredients, labor costs, interest rates, fuel costs and others. But the good news, he adds, is that after spikes in 2022 and ’23, costs seem to be leveling o .
“And I think we’re seeing a leveling o on people food as well,” he says. “So for all of our brands, it’s about navigating that and how do we manage that together? Because we want to make sure our food continues to be affordable. It’s premium, but it has to be a ordable at the same time.”
e I and Love and You brand — yes, music a cionados, the name was inspired by the Avett Brothers song of the same name — is one of the companies that have partnered with Colorado Pet Pantry as a means of giving back. But it has also employed other strategies in the marketplace, such as packaging cat food in 12-packs at a discounted price and o ering dry dog food in bags up to 23 pounds rather than 4 pounds.
“We’re looking at our cost structure now and talking about one line of products where we’re exploring reducing prices,” Meyer says. “We’re going to absorb some of that on our
e waiting areas at the veterinary hospital — one devoted to cats, one to dogs — lled with a steady stream of clients on a crisp Saturday morning as two workers, one of them slipping easily between English and Spanish, welcomed the animals and their caretakers.
Catherine Lopez, 19, settled into a chair while Pabu, a 4-month-old male Chihuahua, curled up in her lap. ey discovered an oasis of low-cost veterinary care in this sparkling facility tucked between the low-income Globeville and Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods of Denver — a haven of relief from the burden of caring for the newest addition to Lopez’s family. e Dumb Friends League Veterinary Hospital at CSU Spur, near the Stockyards Events Center, o ers a wide variety of donor-subsidized services — everything from urgent care to surgery to spay and neuter procedures to the reason that has brought Lopez. Pabu, just adopted from a family friend, was due for his rst round of vaccinations. Lopez, who nds herself at the intersection of the housing crisis — she lives with her dad while working in human resources for a construction company — and rising costs of pet care, budgets about $200 a month to feed and otherwise look after both Pabu and her 2-year-old cat, Nyx.
“To give them the best care possible so that they have a long life is kind of challenging,” she said, “especially when it comes down to food because food has gone up — especially food that’s bene cial for them, it’s kind of expensive. And for my cat the litter is expensive. e treats are expensive.”
Everything, it seems, is expensive.
When the attendant called Pabu’s name, Lopez carried him to an exam room where, in short order, vet techs administered the vaccinations and Lopez proceeded to a check-out area. She pulled out her credit card to pay the $25 charge — signi cantly less than she might pay at most private vet clinics.
Part of the reason the DFL set up the facility here is that it sits in the midst of a “veterinary desert,” says Rachel Heatley, director of advocacy for the organization. It seemed like an area where they could make a big di erence, and 18 months after its opening, the response has con rmed that.
“We open at 7 a.m. every day by 7:30, our day is completely full,” Heatley says. “And that is every single day that we’re open. So there is need there, and there’s need speci cally for the subsidized care that we provide.”
March 14, 2024 2 Denver Herald
FROM PAGE 1 PET
CARE
Volunteers distribute free pet food and supplies to individuals in need Dec. 21 in west Denver at a Colorado Pet Pantry event. Around a dozen volunteers distributed thousands of pounds of food and supplies to pet owners via drive-thru.
SEE PET CARE, P3
PHOTO BY OLIVIA SUN THE COLORADO SUN VIA REPORT FOR AMERICA
PET CARE
Other data underscores the impacts of pet health care. When Colorado State University launched e Animal-Human Policy Center last spring, it dove into two detailed surveys: One asked more than 700 veterinary professionals for their perspectives on providing care and workforce challenges; the other polled pet owners to explore barriers to care.
“From some of our conversations with policymakers and stakeholders here in Colorado,” says Rebecca Niemiec, the center’s director, “one of the rst things that rose to the top as a key animal-human challenge is
this issue of access to veterinary care and ensuring that people can care for their pets in the way that they would like to.”
e survey results didn’t de ne the rising expense of companion animals in dollars and cents, but it often saw those costs re ected in the responses — for instance, the prevalence of something known as “economic euthanasia.” e survey revealed:
72% of veterinarians and technicians reported their team has had to euthanize an animal in the past year because the owner couldn’t a ord recommended treatment — a choice they would not have made if they’d had greater nancial resources. 55% of vets/techs said that, on average, at least once a week they’d had to decline care for animals because of
the caretakers’ inability to pay. 57% of those responding said inadequate access to veterinary care is a moderate or signi cant problem in their practice area.
Pet owners’ responses de ned the economic di culties even more sharply, most notably among the nearly 300 respondents surveyed at pet food pantries and shelters for low-cost veterinary services:
About 28% of respondents said they’d had to give away one of their pets to another person or a shelter, most often citing the costs of veterinary care as the reason. About 14% had never taken their pet to a veterinarian, again citing expense as the reason. And roughly 51% reported trying — unsuccessfully — to access veterinary care over the past
two years. Una ordable costs and unavailable appointments were the most common reasons given.
“One thing that is important to highlight here is we did nd 8% of pet owners have never obtained veterinary care,” Niemiec says, “and for those pet owners, a veterinarian being too expensive was the primary reason why they had never obtained veterinary care.”
On top of that, 28% of pet owners had experienced a time in the past two years when they’d tried to see a veterinarian but couldn’t, most commonly citing no available appointments, clinics not being open at times they could come in and, of course, high costs.
SEE PET CARE, P12
Here’s How to Play the Inspection Game on Both Sides of a Residential Transaction
A common strategy for winning a bidding war — and I’m seeing more bidding wars nowadays, including on our own listings — is to “waive inspection.”
Another is to waive appraisal objection, but I’ll deal with that in a future column.
There are three inspection fields in the state-mandated contract to buy and sell a home: inspection termination, inspection objection and inspection resolution
use other termination deadlines (such as for title, HOA documents, insurability, etc.) to terminate for an inspection issue identified later on.
In composing a contract to purchase a home, the buyer might decide to sweeten his or her offer by eliminating the inspection contingency. This is obviously attractive to the seller, but “buyer beware!”
First of all, realize that the buyer can exercise one or the other — inspection termination or inspection objection, but not both, even though deadlines can be entered for both. (Inspection resolution only applies if there’s an inspection objection.) If a buyer submits an inspection objection with a list of requested repairs, he can’t change his mind later on and decide to terminate. At that point, if the seller submits an inspection resolution agreeing to every demand you made, the buyer is bound (in my non-legal opinion) to sign it as a matter of good faith (which is embodied in the contract), and once both parties have signed it, they are “past inspection.”
That good faith provision of the contract (Section 28) says that both buyer and seller must act in good faith with respect to sections of the contract, including inspection, which have termination provisions, and the Colorado Real Estate Commission has instructed us that this means you can only use an opportunity to terminate if you are terminating pursuant to the stated provision.
In other words, while you can terminate for any reason (including buyer’s remorse) under the inspection termination provision, which merely states that the buyer has found the property’s condition unsatisfactory “in Buyer’s sole subjective discretion,” the buyer cannot
(Given the recent increases in home insurance costs, however, a buyer could reasonably defend terminating on insurability, which again is at buyer’s “sole subjective discretion,” without revealing that it was really buyer’s remorse, or because of a newly identified inspection issue.)
Let’s say that a buyer has waived inspection objection but not inspection termination. Both buyer and seller need to recognize that this does not mean that the buyer can’t get the seller to fix a serious issue. The buyer still has the right to inspect every conceivable component or feature of the property — even whether there’s an externality such as a noisy neighbor or construction project nearby. If he finds that there’s a major problem (such as a structural issue or sewer line collapse), the buyer’s agent can notify the listing agent that the buyer intends to terminate because of it and, guess what? The listing agent will explain to the seller that this issue exists and will have to be disclosed to a future buyer, likely convincing the seller to say, “I’ll fix that problem if you don’t terminate.”
Upon receiving a purchase contract which waives inspection objection but not termination, a good listing agent will warn his seller about this possibility, just as a good buyer’s agent might advise the buyer that waiving inspection objection isn’t as final as it may sound.
One way to make a contract which waives inspection objection but not termination more attractive to the seller is one that was included in the purchase contract on our own Arvada listing featured a couple weeks ago. The buyer included an earnest money deposit that was higher than the minimum specified in the MLS and stated under additional provisions that $10,000 of it would be non-refundable upon acceptance of the contract by the seller. I wouldn't advise this strategy without a detailed inspec-
tion (perhaps with a professional inspector) during a scheduled showing prior to submitting a contract with this provision. The buyer could still terminate but would be out $10,000, and it might reduce the incentive for the seller to say, “Hey, I’ll fix that!”
Another common provision in a competitive bidding situation is for the contract to limit the extent of demands to be included in buyer’s inspection objection. For example, “health and safety items only,” or “only issues requiring over $2,000 to mitigate or repair.”
In responding to a list of inspection objections, it’s increasingly common, especially among elderly sellers, to offer a financial concession or a price reduction instead of fixing certain items. One drawback of this approach, however, is that if the buyer is financing the purchase with a mortgage, the lender won’t want to see that a serious problem is not being addressed prior to closing. This is completely understandable. And it’s hard to keep that information from the lender without being guilty of mortgage fraud, which is a federal offense.
A strategy I favor in that case is to have the seller pre-pay for the repair at closing, with the title company writing a check payable to a vendor for the repair out of the seller’s proceeds from the transaction. Alternatively, the title company might escrow the money for said repair, giving the buyer an opportunity to shop for the best vendor.
Sometimes not all inspections can be completed by the objection deadline. The buyer could ask for an amendment to the contract changing the deadline, but there’s another, simpler solution that I have employed. Let’s say you don’t have the radon results prior to the objection deadline. I would insert in my buyer’s inspection objection the following sentence: “In the event that radon is determined by the inspector to be above the EPA action level, seller agrees to mitigate it using a licensed radon mitigation company.”
The purpose of inspections is to discover “hidden defects,” but sometimes a buyer will want to ask for something that wasn’t hidden at all, such as a
cracked driveway or old carpeting. My suggestion as the seller’s agent is to deny those requests outright, since they should have been (and probably were) taken into consideration when the buyer chose to submit their contract.
Now let’s say the seller submits an inspection resolution that ignores too many of the buyer’s demands. If both parties don’t sign a resolution prior to the resolution deadline, the contract automatically expires. Remember, this is a negotiation, just like the negotiation which got the home under contract. Either party, not just the seller, can write the inspection resolution, so the procedure for “countering” an unacceptable inspection resolution is to write another one, back and forth if necessary.
Getting a backup contract has a role to play in handling inspection demands. With a backup contract for the same price, my seller can share the buyer’s demands (plus the full inspection report) with the backup buyer and ask if they would accept the house as-in without those demands for repairs. This creates a no-lose situation for my seller. I can tell the buyer that our backup buyer will accept the house as-is if they terminate. The buyer will then likely withdraw their inspection objection, but if they decide to terminate, that has the same effect. Either way, it’s a win for my client, which is what I’m hired to get.
This long column reflects over two decades of experience dealing with inspection issues for both buyers and sellers — and I have not covered all the scenarios one might encounter. If nothing else, I hope this article convinces readers that having an experienced agent, such as those of us at Golden Real Estate, on your side in a real estate transaction is the best way to assure the optimal outcome for you.
Inspection Is Buyer’s Responsibility
Now and then I see an inspection objection which calls for the seller to hire a specialist, such as an engineer or electrician, to inspect this-or-that and to fix any problem discovered, but the contract specifically says that inspection is the responsibility and expense of the buyer.
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FROM PAGE 2
TRADITIONS
e Spirituals Project choir hosts about 10 performances a year, the majority happening o the DU campus in the community at churches, retirement homes and public community venues like public libraries and parks.
e choir is open to anyone who can commit to the practice and performance schedule, and everyone is encouraged to audition. While there is no requirement for formal music or vocal training, participants need to understand the mission of e Spirituals Project as it is an essential part of the choir’s purpose, said Holland.
Preserving the cultural heritage of spirituals is to preserve the power these songs have in uplifting individuals and communities during times of crisis, inspiring and instilling hope. Spirituals became integral to the survival of enslaved Africans in America by helping them form community and by serving as a tool for freedom ghting. Holland explains that spirituals served as a mechanism for strategizing and communicating through encoded messages.
“In a state where the oppressor dehumanized slaves, this music helped to a rm their humanity, encouraged them when they were discouraged, and contributed to their belief in freedom,” said Holland.
Jones said there is still misunderstanding about the music form, particularly con ating spirituals and gospel music.
“A lot of people in the Black community are almost ashamed of the music because they think these were slaves passively sitting around thinking about going to heaven,” he said. “ is music has a long tradition of bringing people together in healing wounds – psychological, spiritual and
emotional.”
In 1993, Jones published the book, “Wade In e Water: e Wisdom of the Spirituals,” which explores the tradition of values associated with spirituals. Now in its third edition, published in 2023, the most recent installment includes discussion about why the music resonates with so many people today.
“Given all of the factions happening in our country right now, spirituals are a resource that facilitates people coming together and celebrating our shared humanity,” said Jones.
Since its start, e Spirituals Project has evolved organically with a focus on education and community building as a constant focal point. e project was pre-dated by a series of solo concerts, lectures and workshops by Jones. One of the earliest programs took place at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science in February 1991 for Black History Month, at the invitation
documentary, “I Can Tell the World” by lmmakers Larry Bograd and Coleen Hubbard, and receiving a 2010 Denver Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, e Spirituals Project was o cially incorporated into DU’s Lamont School of Music in 2016. A national search for the rst Lamont faculty director of e Spirituals Project was launched, and that brought Holland to head the program. Today, DU students can participate in the choir for credit, and sta and faculty members have also been closely involved through the years.
In addition to the choir, the educational focus of the project has led to the creation of tri-annual programming, rotating through a symposium, a choral festival and a national conference, where guest speakers are invited to speak on a particular facet of spirituals.
of the museum’s community outreach coordinator.
Eventually, more local concerts were organized and Jones began to receive invitations to host solo lectures and concert programs all over the United States. As interest in the work grew, Jones formed e Spirituals Project in 1998 as a local organization that would initially serve as the fundraising arm for a proposed documentary lm, and the community choir was established in a more formal capacity to serve as ambassadors for the project’s mission. e project operated fully through volunteers between 1998 and 2003 until its rst executive director was hired. Due to Jones’ connection with DU, the group had an o ce on campus and would perform annually at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts, while still operating as an independent nonpro t. With an incredible response from the community, including the 2008
“It’s nothing I would have predicted (that) would have happened to me professionally, and it’s such a privilege to still be able to do this,” said Jones, who still sings in the choir. “ is legacy has an in nite future because now it’s institutionalized.”
e Spirituals Project will be performing a few concerts this spring that take place across the Denver metro area. Details on the upcoming concerts and tickets can be found on e Spirituals Project website. To learn more about e Spirituals Project, visit https://liberalarts.du.edu/lamont/ spirituals-project.
The Spirituals Project will be performing a few concerts this spring that take place across the Denver metro area. Details on the upcoming concerts and tickets can be found on The Spirituals Project website. To learn more about The Spirituals Project, visit https://liberalarts.du.edu/lamont/ spirituals-project.
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FROM PAGE 1
Starting as a solo venture by Dr. Arthur C. Jones, The Spirituals Project is now incorporated into the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. PHOTO BY MICHAEL FURMAN
Talking news disinformation at Front Range panel
Reporters and editors encourage more media literacy this election season
BY MONTE WHALEY MWHALEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Practicing journalism is not easy these days, a panel of local reporters and editors said.
ere are biased sources and charges of bias to grapple with as well as a world dominated by self-serving social media and the rise of less-thentrustworthy AI content. ere are also fewer journalists out there gathering the news, due to massive cutbacks.
e four panelists o ered no real solutions to all those problems. Only a vow that they and others like them will continue to seek out relevant news and viewpoints to help enrich the communities they serve.
It’s especially vital to give a voice to those who often are often ignored, said Stefanie Daniel, senior editor, and reporter for KUNC Radio for Northern Colorado.
“It’s really important that we don’t keep going to the same person as a source,” Daniel told the audience at the Westminster campus of Front Range Community College on March 5. “How can we cover our communities if we leave out one speci c demographic or group?”
e public – and the media – also shouldn’t expect social media companies to act responsibly and eliminate biased and questionable content from their platforms, said Lucas Brady Woods, statehouse reporter, KUNC Radio for Northern Colorado.
“I have little faith in social media
companies implementing things that will x this problem,” Brady Woods said. “I haven’t seen any e orts on social media to stop this misinformation.”
e onus should be on news consumers to be savvier about what they read and listen to, Brady Woods said. at’s especially true when it comes to suspected computer-generated content.
“At the end of the day the only thing that can counter misinformation is media literacy,” Brady Woods said. “Eventually people will look at a video and think, is that AI or not?”
Daniel and Woods were joined by fellow panelists Bente Birkland, public a airs reporter for Colorado Public Radio News, and Linda Shapley, publisher of Colorado Community Media.
e panelists were part of a program sponsored by FRCC’s e Front Page student newspaper and the FRCC’s
fessor and student newspaper advisor.
“It’s really important to get our students engaged and be vital members of the community,” Le said. He also wants students to pay more attention to local news and those local issues that will a ect their lives.
“We truly need to increase media literacy, that’s going to be so important in the coming years,” she said.
Drowned by drama
Too often good information that voters need is often drowned out by dramatics on national news shows, Birkeland said.
“ e opening comes and then the shouting starts,” Birkeland said. “But
it’s working for many shows because they get the clips that are shown. at drives ratings, what’s missing is the Politicians on both sides of the aisles are also polarized on nearly every issue except when it comes to the media, Birkeland said. “It’s very easy to be anti-media. No one is going to be upset with you if you bash the media.”
As media outlets shrink, fewer reporters are around to report on local communities and that cuts into the trust people have in the media, Shapley said.
“You’re not seeing a journalist at an event, and you are not seeing a journalist at your city hall. e only time you see a journalist is when they are coming in, parachuting into a big news event,” Shapley said. “ at will continue to build that antitrust narrative.”
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Local reporters and editors talk journalism at Front Range Community College panel MONTE WHALEY
From Brighton to Budapest for ‘Sparrow Street’ Independent film that
mind on a man, an expectant wife, and their unborn child,” Jack said. e lm begs the big question and
the great reveal, he said; What happened on Sparrow Street and what is eating the neighbors?
Crews lmed ‘Sparrow Street’ in Brighton over ten days in June 2021 during the COVID pandemic. Justin Cole is Sparrow Street Films executive producer, a writer and an actor
“It took place in summer and winter, and we had to wait until November to pick up more shoots. We also did some pickup shoots in January 2022 involving a snow day in one of our shoots,” Cole said.
“We wanted to make sure it was a perfect snowstorm to get the shots we wanted, with snow on the ground. e weather worked for us that day,” Cole said. “It was one of the coldest days on record. I won’t forget that day as an actor in the lm. My costume was not weather-
Cole said tracking the weather and planning was a long process, lming 11 days in June, spreading about ten months of the shooting
“We wrapped the lm in the heart of the pandemic in 2022. With the snow days, a few months after that, we started the post-production. We wanted to maintain the momentum,” Cole said. “It was our rst lm working together as a company. It was Billy Jack’s rst lm as a director. We learned so much from this rst lm.”
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Justin Cole, Sparrow Street films executive producer, writer, and actor films a scary scene in the house. COURTESY PHOTO SEE SPARROW, P7
genre in their attempt to create a fun experience for the audience as they try to gure out what is eating the neighbors.
“How is everything unied and tied together behind this? What do you want to see, environmental or natural, as a piece?” Cole said. “But it’s not natural horror; it’s something entirely di erent, something new, original, innovative, and has not been told before, it is outside-the-box thinking.”
Feedback showed that almost 80% of the audience enjoyed the lm.
“It was pretty impressive for the rst lm, not bad for the micro-budget,” Jack said.
Jack said after the test screening, they went back into the editing room, took the notes from the test screen, and made some more tweaks based on the audience feedback.
speaks for itself starting to develop our grassroots here locally.”
Cole said that a low-budget lm, unique and di erent, will get its legs with a grassroots e ort.
“We are seeking a distribution deal and a sales agent. So, we are currently dipping our toes into the market and, hopefully, before too long, within weeks, if not months. We will have our distribution deal and want to get a grassroots effort built,” Cole said.
Jack said the team is starting to build a social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
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his house.
Names and Easter Eggs
way to tell the story, so we changed it,” Cole said.
“All the great feedback was good to get a perspective because you get so focused and set in your ways to expand to let others tell you what they’re seeing versus what you were focused on at the time,” Jack said.
Going international
Jack said once they had wrapped up, they hosted two private screenings at north Denver’s Bug eater for their friends, family and colleagues to showcase what they had done. Afterward, they had a Q&A session with a panel. e next step was getting the word
“We submitted our lm to di erent festivals and won awards in three continents. It’s doing well internationally, which I always thought the lm had that type of feel to it,” Jack said.
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Before post-production on Sparrow Street had wrapped, Jack and Cole had started pre-production for their second feature, called “What We Don’t See.”
“We were back up and running, and we were lming once again one year later, in June of 2023, in Denver, this time at Billy’s house,” Cole said.
Jack said “What We Don’t See” comes in the wake of a domestic assault charge against a man and his ensuing self-isolation. He’s bothered by an otherworldly force, however, trying to creep into his mind and into
Filming in “What We Don’t See” is continuing, but the next step for distribution of “Sparrow Street” was in the screen testing phase, gathering audience feedback and making some subtle changes.
One not-so-subtle change was the lm’s name. e production was originally titled “Locust Rising,” but was given a working title of “Green Grass” during the test screenings.
“With the unanimous feedback, they did not like the name ‘Green Grass’,” Cole said. “Someone oated the idea of using the name Sparrow Street, the name of our company, as a better
As fans of the horror genre, Jack and Cole said they hid many Easter Eggs and injokes in their lm. Some of those didn’t land on the rst viewing, Jack said, but they fared better on subsequent viewings.
“ ey could bring a friend along to enjoy that journey with them,” Jack said. “So, it’s fun. Now, people are going back to seeing it again, with a di erent mindset, trying to piece together this puzzle and gure out what this meta-cognitive piece that Justin was talking about.”
Cole said it’s an environmental horror lm and they feel they are testing the boundaries of horror and
“Sparrow Street” has won the Hollywood Indie Film Award for best Indie. It was also a semi- nalist at Art Gira e Film Festival in, Nice, France; the best feature lm at the Tuesday of Horror in Unna, Germany; and the best feature lm at the Horror Underground Film and Screenplay Festival, Montreal, Quebec.
e lm also won an exceptional merit award and a best actress award at the Nature without Borders International Festival in Lewes, Delaware and picked up six awards at the Depth of Field International Festival in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. e lm was shown at the Budapest Movie Award Festival in Hungary, and at the Kosice International Film Festival, in Kosice, Slovakia.
“ ere is a lot of saturation here in the States, so we wanted to play the international card, not that we are missing out on what’s going on the stateside, but it
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Denver Herald 7 March 14, 2024
Sparrow Street Films, left Billy Jack, director and executive producer, Kara Lane and Justin Cole, executive producer, writer, and actor.
FROM PAGE 6
Camera crew on top of the production truck filming an actor performing a scene. Courtesy photos
SPARROW
MAZING DENVER WITH WARREN STOKES
Food for thought?
This maze
A guide to making better choices
Last week I shared thoughts on what happens when we postpone decisions. Many of you asked how to make good and better decisions. So here are some ideas I hope that you will nd useful.
Decisions permeate every aspect of our lives; from the mundane choices we make at home to the high-stakes decisions we face in the workplace. e quality of these decisions directly impacts our personal satisfaction, professional success, and overall well-being. While decision-making can be challenging, mastering this skill is essential for navigating life’s complexities e ectively. In this article, we’ll explore strategies for making better decisions both at home and at work.
Before diving into speci c strategies, it’s essential to understand the underlying dynamics of decisionmaking. Decisions are in uenced by a variety of factors, including
emotions, biases, cognitive limitations and environmental context. Recognizing these in uences is the rst step toward making more conscious and deliberate choices. By fostering self-awareness and understanding our decision-making tendencies, we can begin to overcome inherent biases and make decisions that align with our values and goals. Whether at home or in the workplace, e ective decision-making begins with clarity around goals and priorities. Take the time to articulate what you hope to achieve and identify the factors that are most important to you. By establishing clear objectives, you provide a framework for evaluating options and making decisions that
are aligned with your overarching goals. is clarity also helps in distinguishing between urgent and important tasks, enabling you to prioritize your e orts accordingly.
Informed decisions are often better decisions. Take the time to gather relevant information and consider a range of options before making a choice. is may involve conducting research, seeking advice from experts or colleagues, or simply brainstorming alternative solutions. By exploring di erent perspectives and considering various possibilities, you expand your decision-making toolkit and increase the likelihood of making a well-informed choice.
Every decision involves a degree of uncertainty and risk. Before committing to a course of action, carefully evaluate the potential risks and bene ts associated with each option. Consider both shortterm and long-term consequences,
as well as the likelihood of success or failure. While it’s essential to be mindful of risks, don’t let fear of failure paralyze you. Instead, focus on mitigating risks where possible and embracing calculated risks when necessary to achieve your goals. Intuition can be a valuable guide in decision-making, particularly in situations where time is limited, or information is incomplete. And as we all know, sometimes our gut knows before our head knows. However, it’s essential to balance intuition with rational analysis and veri cation. Trust your instincts, but also take the time to validate your assumptions and intuition with evidence and logic. is approach helps in avoiding impulsive decisions driven solely by emotions or gut feelings, ensuring greater clarity and con dence in your choices.
March 14, 2024 8 Denver Herald
represents the homeless youth in Denver. To solve, start at either ‘S’ found in the top left and right corners, and maze-out to the sign the children are holding.
SEE NORTON, P9
WINNING
Empowering futures: DSF’s vital role in enhancing FAFSA completion rates
he Denver Scholarship Foundation, a nonpro t helping to make college possible for thousands of Denver students, is actively addressing the issue of historically low completion rates for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and as a result, unclaimed funding among students.
Nationally, the FAFSA serves as the long-placed gateway application to a substantial $112 billion provided annually by the federal government in grants, work-study programs and loans. ese student aid types are headlined by the Federal Pell grant, which is a needbased gift funding entitlement for students who qualify.
e stark reality is that the low FAFSA completion rates in Colorado, alone, leaves roughly $30 million in unclaimed nancial aid and ranks 45th in the nation for FAFSA ling, according to the latest gures from the Colorado Department of Higher Ed. is concerning trend disproportionately impacts low-income and rst-generation students, not only during an often unfamiliar application process, but also in a resulting “veri cation process” to often hinder student aid award processing for this underserved group. is underscores the pressing need for support and timely intervention. While there are many reasons
NORTON
E ective decision-making often bene ts from input and collaboration from others. Whether at home or in the workplace, don’t hesitate to seek feedback from trusted advisers, colleagues or family members. Di erent perspectives can offer valuable insights and challenge assumptions, leading to more robust decision-making outcomes. Additionally, involving others in the decision-making process fosters buy-in and commitment, enhancing the likelihood of successful implementation.
Finally, remember that decisionmaking is a skill that improves with practice and re ection. Take the time to re ect on past decisions, both successes, and failures, and identify lessons learned. What worked well? What could have been done di erently? By embracing a growth mindset and continually seeking to improve your deci-
GUEST COLUMN
state.
many rst generation families fail to ll out the FAFSA each year, a report from the National Center for Education Statistics sheds light on this issue. e most common factors for not lling out the FAFSA include doubts about aid eligibility, reluctance to take on student debt and lack of knowledge about the complex jargon of higher education and application processes.
Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Education has made signicant e orts to simplify the FAFSA application process and this year, launched an updated version of the FAFSA that was hoped to be easier to complete. Beginning with a late launch, the application has continued to be riddled with technical difculties for a signi cant population of eligible applicants, especially those with mixed-status parents.
e Denver Scholarship Foundation recognizes the signi cance of these challenges and stands at the forefront, leveraging its expertise to address these barriers head-on and provide hands-on support for Denver students, as re ected in the compelling statistics within the
sion-making abilities, you position yourself for greater success and ful llment both at home and in the workplace.
Making better decisions is a skill that can be cultivated and re ned over time. By understanding decision-making dynamics, clarifying goals, gathering information, evaluating risks, trusting intuition, seeking input and re ecting on experience, you can become a more e ective decision-maker both at home and at work. Ultimately, mastering the art of decision-making empowers you to navigate life’s complexities with con dence and clarity, enabling you to achieve your goals and aspirations with greater ease and satisfaction.
Hopefully this was helpful. Since life is full of decision-making points, we must couple that with a solid decision-making process. I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can embrace a process that helps us make good and better decisions, it really will be a good life.
Michael Norton is an author, a
e rami cations of a lagging FAFSA application rate, relating to ultimately proportional college enrollment rates and unclaimed student funding, are profound, particularly for low-income and rstgeneration students who become 63% more likely to attend college upon completing the FAFSA. In a state where demand for bachelor’s degree holders is high, Colorado paradoxically ranks near the bottom in FAFSA completion — a crucial step toward pursuing a credential after high school and getting a good paying job.
e Denver Scholarship Foundation, through its nancial aid training, workshops and DSF Future Centers strategically placed within Denver Public Schools high schools, takes a proactive stance and plays a pivotal role in bridging this gap. e DSF Future Centers provide vital resources and guidance beginning in ninth grade, explaining the FAFSA process for students and families.
Furthermore, the foundation collaborates with Denver Public Schools and numerous community partners – and more recently, Capital One and the National College Attainment Network – to broaden its support for nancial aid applications through free community workshops accessible to all members of the Denver community.
personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and busi-
ese workshops o er drop-in and hour-long, one-on-one appointments where individuals and families can receive assistance with their nancial aid applications, for both the FAFSA and the Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (CASFA), which allows Colorado ASSET (Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow) students to apply for state aid. is inclusive support aligns with the Denver Scholarship Foundation’s commitment to breaking down nancial barriers and facilitating access to higher education by providing equitable resources to students and families. Last year, the foundation organized 16 similar workshops across Denver, assisting 454 students and their families in submitting 290 FAFSA and CASFA forms.
As the Denver Scholarship Foundation continues its mission to break down nancial barriers and facilitate access to higher education, it is not merely changing individual lives – its e orts have the potential to boost the uptake of nancial aid applications in Colorado as a whole, elevating the state’s national FAFSA completion rankings and ultimately elevating its economic vitality.
Nathan Cadena is the chief impact o cer for the Denver Scholarship Foundation.
nesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.
Denver Herald 9 March 14, 2024 Sign up for Colorado Community Media’s bilingual newsletter, La Ciudad Language should not be a barrier to trustworthy news about your community. Our La Ciudad staff offers news in both English and Spanish. El idioma no debería ser un obstáculo para acceder a noticias confiables que te interesan. Nuestro equipo de La Ciudad ofrece noticias tanto en inglés como en español. La Ciudad ¡Hola! To sign up for La Ciudad newsletter: Scan this QR Code or go to coloradocommunitymedia.com/newsletters PORTABLE OXYGEN FOR YOUR ON-THE-GO LIFESTYLE CLAIM YOUR RISK-FREE TRIAL1 14-DAY Call us toll-free at 1-844-823-0293 14-day risk-free trial- Return within 30 days of purchase for a full refund of purchase price. PM230469 EN_EX_USA Rx Only. © 2023 Inogen, Inc. 301 Coromar Drive, Goleta, CA 93117 Inogen® is a trademark of Inogen, Inc. The usage of any Inogen, Inc. trademark is strictly forbidden without the prior consent of Inogen, Inc. All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners or holders. T
FROM PAGE 8
Nathan Cadena
BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Ice fishing creates and continues bonds between friends and families in Colorado
e Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife estimates shing in Colorado generates $2.4 billion in economic output each year, and ice shing is quickly becoming a major source of that revenue, according to CPW.
If you don’t know how or are intimidated by trekking out on the ice for the rst time, CPW has everything you need.
“We provide the gear, we provide the demonstrations, and those that are our experts just love to o er up their opinions and their services to show o the fun things that you get to do outside of work and getting into Colorado,” Staunton Park Manager Zach Taylor said.
CPW constantly updates where and when shing clinics are held across the state, including one held recently at Staunton Park in Pine.
Promoting ice shing serves several roles.
“We as a community and a culture don’t talk much as a community anymore when we can get people outside, maybe outside their comfort zone, but (we want to) show them how easy it is and how fun it can be,” Taylor said.
Volunteers are a critical part of CPW’s goal and mission to get people outdoors in Colorado around the year and their contributions and considerable.
Each year 4,000-6,000 volunteers engage with CPW — some who connect for one day, and some who engage daily. Volunteers contribute over 320,000 hours per year with an annual economic impact of $9.4 million, according to CPW.
“I was brought up in a culture with my mom and dad that man is put on this earth to serve other men, and so how we make other people better is how we relate with them,” Longtime CPW volunteer Michael Hedgpeth from Elizabeth said. “ is gives me the opportunity to relate to people every time I come out here.”
March 14, 2024 10 Denver Herald
COURTESY OF SPORT FISH COLORADO
Sport Fish Colorado based in Lake City is one of dozens of guide services across the state that o ers to “take care of everything,” according to co-owner Aimee Withrow.
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other
Hedgpeth said he’d been coming out to Staunton Park for so long CPW asked if he would want to volunteer and share his knowledge of ice shing with others. He quickly accepted the unpaid position.
“I feel like I’m honestly serving a greater purpose from helping to give back to mankind to help us be better people, better at what we do,” Hedgpeth said as he reeled in a nice trout from his small hole in the ice during the Staunton Park clinic.
Strong friendship bonds solidified on the ice
Al Jaramillo and Archie Garcia consider themselves brothers, not by birth, but from more than 40 years of friendship.
e pair shed through several feet of ice at Georgetown Lake in early February.
“We’re ice shing today and it’s going to be a nice day,” Jaramillo said. “You know, you can’t beat it with the sun shining down on us, the sh are biting… it beats going to work every day.”
ese guys have the modern technology and tools of the sport, including a power auger to dig through the ice and several sonar “ sh- nders.”
e sport can be as basic or as high-tech as you want to make it, the two men said. It also means you can spend as little or as much as you want to get into the sport.
“It depends how you want to out t yourself, but you can spend a lot of money,” Garcia said. “ ese are $100 boots, a $75 jacket $75, the sleds are another $50, the reels are $100, the sh nders are around $300. It’s not a cheap sport, but you could come out here with a stick with a string tied to it and might get lucky.”
eir drill-powered auger was equipped with a frisbee near the drill,
“If augur falls into the hole it won’t sink oating on top of the hole,” Garcia said. So, even with their hightech gear, simple solutions can be the best.
Pop-up tents with propane heaters are also popular to stay warm and out of the wind. According to one angler on the ice at Georgetown Lake, you’re also looking at between $400 and $1000 to buy the comfortable set-up.
However, it still doesn’t guarantee more sh.
“It’s a little luck and a little skill,” Drew from Longmont said.
On the opposite end of the lake, two ice shers cut through the solid frozen lake with a hand-operated auger.
Rik Ramunno from Lakewood and his good friend Kyle, of Denver, twisted their way into the ice an inch at a time.
Ramunno, who grew up in Eagle, has been ice shing his entire life, but this was the rst outing for Kyle.
“You can’t learn how to do something new unless you do it. I think ice shing is something that people look at and say ‘that’s kind of cool’ but I have no idea how to go about it,” Ramunno said. “Doing it with Kyle, now he can do this whenever he wants.”
e pair also enjoyed the connection between ice shing and history, when the “sport” was a necessity.
“You know a man used to have to come to the ice to get food, I think it’s important to remember where we come from,” Kyle said.
Guided ice fishing tours: leave the work to the pros
Sport Fish Colorado based in Lake City is one of dozens of guide services across the state that o ers to “take care of everything,” according to co-owner Aimee Withrow.
A mix of shing areas in Antero Reservoir, Tarryall Reservoir, Blue Mesa Reservoir and Taylor Reservoir draw clients from Denver and Colorado Springs for ice shing, Withrow said.
If you’re 16 or older, all you need is a state shing license, warm clothes and a desire for the experience.
“ e guides would have all the gear they would set everything up for you. ey know the spots they like to sh so generally they’re getting on sh right away,” Withrow said.
Sport Fish Colorado o ers three and six-hour guided experiences at any of the lakes they cover.
e cost for a three-hour excursion for two is about $400, Withrow said. e guides will do as much or as little as the customer wants, including taking the sh o the hook or cleaning, appropriate sh, to take home for dinner, Withrow added.
Denver Herald 11 March 14, 2024
Rik Ramunno from Lakewood and his good friend Kyle, of Denver, twisted their way into the ice an inch at a time at Georgetown Lake. PHOTOS BY CHRIS KOEBERL
Longtime Colorado Parks and Wildlife volunteer Michael Hedgpeth from Elizabeth lands a trout while showing others the basics of ice fishing in Stanunton Park in Pine.
FROM PAGE 10
Colorado Parks and Wildlife held an ice fishing introduction session at Staunton Park in Pine in February.
REELING
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As a leading lottery app in other countries, Tulotero has a proven track record of success. Over the years, TuLotero has awarded countless prizes to lucky winners, turning dreams into reality and changing lives in the process. Their commitment to excellence and innovation has made them a trusted name in the industry, with millions of satisfied users worldwide.
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PET CARE
Lower-cost options like SpayToday — a Lakewood specialty clinic that focuses on spay/neuter, vaccinations and microchips — uses donor funds to keep their prices affordable or in some cases free. eir philosophy leans into the idea that the human-animal bond is crucial to a healthy community, especially among the most vulnerable populations.
“ ose pets are an integral part of their family and help with their own mental health,” says Amira Watters, the executive director. “So it’s really heartbreaking if somebody has to decide: Do I feed my kids or do I get vaccinations for my pet?”
Even operations like SpayToday are at the mercy of market forces for vaccines, anesthesia drugs and other medications. For instance, Watters says, the cost of a heartworm test has doubled. “And so we really have no other choice,” she adds. “ ere’s only so many vendors that provide them. So it’s a challenge for sure.”
Rachel Heatley, director of advocacy for the Dumb Friends League, sees the impact of veterinary costs in her own home. Her cat su ers from kidney disease and asthma, and she pays about $500 every two months for medication. And that’s going the discount route through a Canadian pharmacy. She estimates those same drugs would cost her over $1,000 in the U.S.
“Which I cannot a ord,” she says.
Heatley says veterinary costs are similar for dogs and cats, though with most cats being on the smaller side, that alone can reduce costs somewhat. Another consideration when it comes to expenses, she adds, is longevity. Pet owners who take full advantage of veterinary care — and Colorado’s tendency to treat their animals as family members is well documented — can also naturally count on a longer timeline of costs.
“How lucky we are to live at a time where we have such great veterinary medicine,” Heatley says. “But that is a double-edged sword because now there are all of these opportunities to help your animals — but they’re highly una ordable for the majority of people. So those people are still facing the very di cult decision of turning over their animal to a shelter or a family friend, or opting for economic euthanasia.”
The worrisome shortage of vets
Driving some of the concerns about availability of veterinary care is a projected shortage of both veterinarians and techs. A study released in August estimated that by 2030, the U.S. will need up to 55,000 additional veterinarians and tens of thousands of veterinary nurses and techs to meet the demand for services to companion animals.
A move to create a new mid-level position — a veterinary equivalent to a physician’s assistant in human medicine that could perform certain procedures — as one means of increasing access to care so far hasn’t found legislative support in Colorado. ( e president of the American Veterinary Medical Association has pushed back on the idea of a projected veterinarian shortage, blaming COVID for disrupting the
usual supply and demand, and has opposed the idea of a mid-level position.)
Veterinary care can notably be even harder to access in rural portions of the state. Anecdotally, the Dumb Friends League needed two years to ll a position in its Alamosa clinic and a year and a half to nd a vet tech.
CSU’s Niemiec notes that while much of their Colorado survey results mirrored national ndings, there was one area of wide discrepancy: pet insurance. For instance, one national study found 4% of dogs are covered, while in the CSU study 25% of Colorado respondents said they carried pet insurance.
“Maybe there is something unique about Colorado,” she says, “but that’s still like 75% of people who don’t have insurance. When we ask them why, the most common reason selected was they can’t a ord the monthly cost, followed by they don’t think it’s worth the monthly costs, and then followed by, they haven’t heard about it or don’t know enough.”
Does pet insurance make sense for you? Forbes Advisor listed the monthly cost for a range of seven providers for plans with $5,000 annual coverage maximum, a $250 deductible and 90% reimbursement level.
Other barriers to pet ownership
Other expenses associated with keeping a pet can be embedded in the cost of rental housing. e Dumb Friends League notes that the number one reason animals are brought to the shelter has to do with housing situations — speci cally, nding pet friendly housing that’s also a ordable. Security deposits and other fees charged to tenants with pets can combine with the usual expenses to force some pet owners to surrender the animals.
“People are facing insurmountable costs when they want to move with their pets,” said DFL’s Heatley. “Finding pet friendly housing that is also a ordable is out of this world. And so as a result, we end up with a lot of those pets.”
e issue attracted legislative attention, which resulted in a law that went into e ect Jan. 1 limiting pet security deposits to $300 and additional pet fees to $35 or 1.5% of the rent, whichever is greater.
At the Colorado Pet Pantry event in southwest Denver, founder Lambert watched 63 clients cycle through the line in the rst 40 minutes, heading toward the usual total of between 100 and 150. On average, each client cares for three animals, with about a 2-to-1 ratio of dogs to cats. On this day, the nonpro t distributed about 4,000 pounds of pet food.
Inching forward in the line of vehicles, Richard Charles framed the reason behind his search for a ordable pet care in the simplest terms: “One of my favorite parts about being alive,” he says, “is having dogs and cats.”
is story was printed through a news sharing agreement with e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver that covers the state. is story is also part of the Sun’s ongoing series talking to Coloradans about their challenges, their fears and their solutions to the rising costs of living. More at www. ColoradoSun.com.
March 14, 2024 12 Denver Herald
Paid Advertisement
FROM PAGE 3
Dumb Friends League Veterinary Hospital at CSU Spur is donor-subsidized and o ers a ordable vaccines, spay and neuter services, and other assistance for pets.
PHOTO BY OLIVIA SUN THE COLORADO SUN VIA REPORT FOR AMERICA
Thu 3/21
Jacob Westfall: Sofar Sounds Broadway! Address TBD day of! @ 7pm
Broadway Smoke Shop, 108 S Broadway, Denver
Featured
Rainbow Girls @ 8pm
Cervantes Other Side, 2637 Wel‐ton Street, Denver Lee Fields @ 8pm
Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, 2637 Welton St, Denver
Fri 3/22
Riddim University: Spring Break 2024
@ 7pm / $15
Kulture Music Hall, Denver
LCC and Performance Now Theatre Company presents The Music Man
@ 7:30pm / $25
Mar 22nd - Apr 7th
Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 South Alli‐son Parkway, Lakewood. tickets@lake wood.org, 303-987-7845
Jay_Martin @ 8pm
Goosetown Tavern (w/ Rocky Burning), Denver
Sat 3/23
Sora: KAYZO Presents: Unleashed
XL @ 7pm
Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St,, Denver
Mon 3/25
A Killer's Confession with special guests Mike's Dead @ 6pm / $17
Moon Room at Summit, 1902 Blake Street, Denver
Mike's Dead @ 6pm
Summit Music Hall, 1902 Blake St, Denver
Midwife @ 7pm
Squirm Gallery, 3553 Brighton Blvd, Den‐ver
Featured
dot @ 8pm Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St, Denver
Sun 3/24
TLooP Artist @ 11am Broadway Roxy, 554 S Broadway, Denver Lord Nelson @ 2pm
Goosetown Station, 514 9th St, Golden
Deva Yoder: Seth Beamer @ 4pm Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St, Denver
Featured Featured
Steve Kimock: All You Need Is Love @ 7:30pm
body/negative @ 7pm Squirm Gallery, 3553 Brighton Blvd, Den‐ver
Tue 3/26
Mark Masters Comedy: Carmen Lynch headlines LoDo Comedy Show - early, English language show @ 6:30pm
The Black Buzzard, 1624 Market St, Den‐ver
Featured
North By North @ 8pm
Skylark Lounge, 140 S Broadway, Denver
Wed 3/27
Jenny Shawhan @ 4pm
Harry's at Magnolia Hotel Denver, 818 17th St, Denver
Featured
Black Belt Eagle Scout @ 7pm
Paramount Theatre, 1621 Glen‐arm Place, Denver
Offset - Set It Off Tour @ 7pm / $55.50-$75.50
Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St, Den‐ver
Ryan Caraveo @ 8pm
Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, 2637 Welton St, Denver
Fillmore Auditorium (Denver), 1510 Clarkson, Denver
Sarah and the Sundays @ 7pm / $20
Marquis, 2009 Larimer St, Denver
Offset @ 8pm
Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson St, Denver
The best place to promote your events online and in print. Visit us @ https://jeffcotranscript.com/calendar powered by
Denver Herald 13 March 14, 2024 powered by
Calendar information is provided by event organiz‐ers. All events are subject to change or cancella‐tion. This publication is not responsible for the ac‐curacy of the information contained in this calendar.
March 14, 2024 14 Denver Herald Crossword Solution Solution © 2016 King Features Synd., Inc. NEVER WILL I EVER... BY MARC VARGAS • ZAZ@CAMPVARGAS.COM ...TRY TO OUT FIREWORK MY UNCLE ON JULY 4, AGAIN.
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Come check out our open houses which are 1) Happy Hour Open Houses Fridays 4-6PM and every Sat and Sunday in March from 10AM to 2PM. 4360 Marshall St, Wheat Ridge CO 80033. alandavis@levelengineering.com
March 14, 2024 16 Denver Herald
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PUBLIC NOTICES
303-566-4123
LLC
Legals
Summons and Sheriff Sale
Public Notice DISTRICT COURT, DENVER COUNTY, STATE OF COLORADO
Denver County District Court 1437 Bannock St Denver, CO 80202
Plaintiff: TOWNE SQUARE LOFTS HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, a Colorado nonprofit corporation v.
Defendants: JOHN BANAHOSKI; STATE OF COLORADO - DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE
Attorneys for Plaintiff:
Orten Cavanagh Holmes & Hunt, LLC
Hal R. Kyles, #23891
1445 Market Street, Suite 350 Denver, CO 80202
Phone Number: (720) 221-9780
Matter ID #2299.0012
Case No.: 2023CV033230 Division: 424
SUMMONS [BY PUBLICATION]
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF COLORADO TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANTS:
You are hereby summoned and required to appear and defend against the claims of the complaint filed with the court in this action, by filing with the clerk of this court an answer or other response. You are required to file your answer or other response within 35 days after the service of this Summons upon you. Service of this summons shall be complete on the day of the last publication. A copy of the complaint may be obtained from the clerk of the court.
If you fail to file your answer or other response to the complaint in writing within 35 days after the date of the last publication, judgment by default may be rendered against you by the court for the relief demanded in the complaint without further notice.
This is an action of foreclosure pursuant to Rule 105, C.R.C.P. to the real property situate in Denver, Colorado more particularly described as Condominium Unit 213, TOWNE SQUARE LOFTS, City and County of Denver, State of Colorado.
Dated: February 6, 2024.
ORTEN CAVANAGH HOLMES & HUNT,
By:/s/ Hal R. Kyles
Hal R. Kyles, #23891
This Summons is issued pursuant to Rule 4(g), Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure.
Legal Notice No. DHD 272
First Publication: February 15, 2024
Last Publication: March 14, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Misc. Private Legals
Public Notice
SYNOPSIS OF ANNUAL STATEMENT FOR PUBLICATION
Required pursuant to §10-3-109(1), C.R.S FOR YEAR 2023
FAILURE TO FILE THIS FORM BY MARCH 1 WILL RESULT IN PENALTIES PURSUANT TO §10-3-109(3), C.R.S.:
If any annual report or statement from any entity regulated by the Division of Insurance is not filed by the date specified by law or by rules and regulations of the commissioner, the commissioner may assess a penalty of up to one hundred dollars per day for each day after the date an annual statement or report is due from any such entity.
Corporate Name: Securian Casualty Company
NAIC Number: 10054
Address: 400 Robert Street North St. Paul, MN 55101-2098
Assets: $644,417,933
Liabilities: $430,588,905
Capital and Surplus/Policyholder Surplus: $213,829,028
DIVISION OF INSURANCE CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORITY
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
THIS IS TO CERTIFY that the Securian Casualty Company , organized under the laws of Minnesota, subject to its Articles of Incorporation or other fundamental organizational documents and in consideration of its compliance with the laws of Colorado, is hereby licensed to transact business as a Property & Casualty insurance company, as provided by the Insurance Laws of Colorado, as amended, so long as the insurer continues to conform to the authority granted by its Certificate and its corporate articles, or its Certificate is otherwise revoked, canceled or suspended.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto
set my hand and caused the official seal of my office to be affixed at the City and County of Denver this first day of February 2024.
Michael Conway
Commissioner of Insurance
Legal Notice No. DHD284
First Publication: February 29, 2024
Last Publication: March 21, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
TO: ASHLEY GONZALES:
You are notified that you have 10 days after publication for this notice of levy to file your claim of exemption with the District Court of DENVER, 1437 Bannock, Room 256 Denver, CO 80202, in Case 2022CV032514 entitled: URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD MILE HIGH, LLC, d/b/a VESTY PARK, d/b/a LARAMAR, f/d/a THE OVERLOOK @ MILE HIGH vs. ASHLEY GONZALES, a/k/a ASHLEY JUSNITA GONZALES, a/k/a ASHLEY J. GONZALES, a/k/a ASHLEY L. GONZALES $589.12 garnished at Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 9000 E. Colfax Ave, Aurora, CO 80010.
Legal Notice No. DHD113
First Publication: February 15, 2024
Last Publication: March 14, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Storage Liens/Vehicle Titles
Public Notice
Broncos Towing, 303-722-3555
( Office ) will be applying for title to the following vehicles, Abandoned.
1) 1984 boat & trailer blue & white 218059
2) 1975 pop up camper white 921628
Legal Notice No. DHD401
First Publication: February 22, 2024
Last Publication: March 14, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Notice to Creditors
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Vera Durfee, Deceased
Case Number: 24 PR 84
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before June 30, 2024, or the claims may
be forever barred.
Charles Durfee, Personal Representative 882 Sunridge Place Erie, CO 80516
Legal Notice No. DHD2044
First Publication: March 14, 2024
Last Publication: March 28, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Stanley J. Weddle, also known as Stanley Weddle, also known as Stan Weddle, Deceased
Case Number: 2024PR30130
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before Monday, July 8, 2024 or the claims may be forever barred.
Jane Langenberg, Personal Representative 7074 Lexington Cir. Brooksville, FL 34602
Legal Notice No. DHD 2038
First Publication: March 7, 2024
Last Publication: March 21, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Benita Marie Guzman, a.k.a. Benita M. Guzman Deceased
Case Number: 2024PR30047
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 8th, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Douglas Guzman, Personal Representative 3238 Arapahoe Street Denver, CO 80205
Legal Notice No. DHD2036
First Publication: March 7, 2024
Last Publication: March 21, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Ann F. Andersen, Deceased Case Number: 2024 PR 031040
Denver Herald 17 March 14, 2024 Denver Herald Dispatch March 14, 2024 * 1 www.ColoradoCommunityMedia.com/Notices
call legals2@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Public Notices
Public Notices
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 10, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Todd Mackintosh PO Box 200782 Denver, Colorado 80220
Legal Notice No. DHD285
First Publication: February 29, 2024
Last Publication: March 14, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Maureen Walsh, Deceased
Case Number: 2024PR30200
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before Monday, July 8, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Eldon E. Silverman, Personal Representative 334 South High Street Denver, Colorado 80209
Legal Notice No. DHD2039
First Publication: March 7, 2024
Last Publication: March 21, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Antonio Felipe Salazar, a/k/a Tony Phillip Salazar, a/k/a Tony P. Salazar, a/k/a Tony Salazar, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 30040
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 7, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
John G. Salazar
Personal Representative
1526 S. Sherman St. Denver, CO 80210
Legal Notice No. DHD247
First Publication: March 7, 2024
Last Publication: March 21, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Patrick Anthony King Dizon a/k/a Patrick King Dizon a/k/a Patrick Dizon a/k/a Patrick A. Dizon a/k/a Patrick A. K. Dizon, Deceased
Case Number: 2024 PR 30073
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to pres-
ent them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 15, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Joyce Del Rocio Dizon
Personal Representative
2921 Fulton Street Denver, CO 80238
Legal Notice No. DHD292
First Publication: March 14, 2024
Last Publication: March 28, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Audrey B. Medina, also known as Audrey C. Medina, also known as Audrey Medina, also known as Audrey Bertha Medina, Deceased
Case Number: 2024 PR 03011
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 14, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Suzanne E. Gillmore_and Lorraine E. Ferstle
Co-Personal Representatives
c/o Pearman Law Firm
4195 Wadsworth Blvd Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
Legal Notice No. DHD294
First Publication: March 14, 2024
Last Publication: March 28, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of ALYCE MARIE BRAMER, Deceased
Case Number: 2024PR30155
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before Monday July 15, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Julia M. Bramer, Personal Representative
3946 Saint Johns Avenue, #1006
Jacksonville, FL 32205
Legal Notice No. DHD2043
First Publication: March 14, 2024
Last Publication: March 28, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Sesaria Patsy Flores, aka Sesaria P. Flores, aka Cesaria P. Flores, Deceased
Case Number: 2024PR30192
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before Monday July 8, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Tamra A. Palmer
Attorney to the Personal Representative
c/o 6060 Greenwood Plaza Blvd #200 Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Legal Notice No. DHD3020
First Publication: March 7, 2024
Last Publication: March 21, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Daniel Leigh Smith, aka Daniel L. Smith, and Daniel Smith, Deceased Case Number: 2024PR30141
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before Monday, July 15, 2024 or the claims may be forever barred.
Charles Lee Wathier
Personal Representative
1403 E. Iris Place
Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57103
Legal Notice No. DHD2045
First Publication: March 14, 2024
Last Publication: March 28, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Virginia R. Abblett, Deceased
Case Number: 2023 PR 31487
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 1, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Don E. Watson, Attorney for Kathleen Beatty, Personal Representative 5753 S. Prince St., #637 Littleton, CO 80120
Legal Notice No. DHD3010
First Publication: February 29, 2024
Last Publication: March 14, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Rebecca Jean Saxton, Deceased
Case Number: 2024 PR 030096
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the personal representative
or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 14, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
John Nicoll
Co-Personal Representative
3331 Thistlebrook Circle Highlands Ranch, CO 80126
Gabriel Nicoll
Co-Personal Representative 21845 E. Ninth Place Aurora, CO 80018
Legal Notice No. DHD289
First Publication: March 14, 2024
Last Publication: March 28, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Justin Hughes Rush, Deceased
Case Number: 2024PR30005
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 1, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Charles William Carroll
Personal Representative
c/o Weikel Law Firm LLC
1901 West Littleton Boulevard, Suite 208 Littleton CO 80120
Legal Notice No. DHD 2090
First Publication: February 29, 2024
Last Publication: March 14, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of JANET S. SITZMANN
aka JANET SUSAN SITZMAN
aka SUSIE SITZMANN , Deceased
Case Number: 2024 PR 30252
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 14, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Donald W. Knoop
Personal Representative
4302 W. Union Avenue Denver CO 80236
Legal Notice No. DHD293
First Publication: March 14, 2024
Last Publication: March 28, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Eileen R. Lerman, Deceased
Case Number: 23PR31554
All persons having claims against the
March 14, 2024 18 Denver Herald Denver Herald Dispatch March 14, 2024 * 2
As more Colorado students get free meals, state may cut back
BY YESENIA ROBLES CHALKBEAT COLORADO
In the rst year that Colorado is paying districts to give students free meals at school, more kids are eating than expected.
at has left the program $56.1 million short this year. And lawmakers are working on how to close the funding gap.
Colorado voters in 2022 supported creating limits on tax deductions for the state’s highest earners as a way to fund free school meals for all students. Advocates at the time said that there were families in Colorado who, due to the state’s high cost of living, were struggling nancially even though they didn’t qualify for subsidized meals under federal poverty guidelines.
In calculating the cost of the program, analysts expected that about 25% more children would eat a school meal, including students who would have quali ed for free meals already and those who wouldn’t.
Instead, schools this year have seen a more than 35% increase in breakfast participation, and a more than 31% increase for lunch compared with last year.
e higher-than-expected participation — and program cost — is due largely to students who previously had to pay for a school meal. In most cases, the federal government doesn’t reimburse the districts for any part of those children’s meals, leaving the state to cover those costs alone.
In the Cherry Creek School District, district leaders said they are serving about 32,262 meals a day on average, up from 23,317 a day last year — a 38% increase.
e state legislature’s Joint Budget Committee this week agreed to ll the $56.1 million gap this year. About $31.5 million can be covered with additional revenue that has come in from the new tax provision, but the rest will likely need to come from the state’s general fund.
e committee is also providing $100,000 this year, and $150,000 next year, for the Colorado Department of Education to hire a consultant to help come up with solutions that might keep the program on budget next school year. at e ort could involve guring out how to maximize how much money districts get from the federal government.
But lawmakers said the state will
Public Notices
above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 21, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Alisa Lerman, Personal Representative
1107 Lancaster Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15218
Legal Notice No. DHD2046
First Publication: March 14, 2024
Last Publication: March 28, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of BEVERLY MARIE MOORE, aka BEVERLY M. MOORE, aka BEVERLY MOORE, Deceased
Case Number: 2024 PR 30191
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 14, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Myles Moore
Personal Representative
c/o Katz, Look & Onorato, PC
1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 1100 Denver, CO 80203
Legal Notice No. DHD290
First Publication: March 14, 2024
Last Publication: March 28, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
consider all options. at includes cutting the program, changing the eligibility rules for free meals, or nding new ways to pay for it, such as pulling money from the education budget.
Committee lawmakers said that changing the eligibility rules would be a last resort.
“ ere are a lot of families that technically don’t qualify for free or reduced lunch, but man is it a huge help to them making rent,” said Sen. Je Bridges, a Democrat from Greenwood Village. “I would be really uncomfortable with anything that puts a means test back into this program.”
Bridges also said a goal of the program was to remove the stigma of eating free school meals by making them available to everyone, not just to students from low-income families.
Advocacy groups are also working on possible solutions. Anya Rose, director of public policy for Hunger Free Colorado, said the group is considering how to make the program more sustainable, including the possibility of a new ballot measure.
Without any changes to the meal program, state analysts predict Colorado will come up short by $27.8 mil-
TO§ 15-12-801, C.R.S. NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Betty Jane Monaghan, a/k/a Betty J. Monaghan, a/k/a Betty Pappenheim Monaghan, a/k/a Betty P. Monaghan, a/k/a Betty Monaghan, Deceased.
Case Number: 2024PR30162
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado, on or before Monday, July 8, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Katz, Look & Onorato, P.C., Personal Representative
1120 Lincoln St., Ste. 1100 Denver, CO 80203
Legal Notice No. DHD 2042
First Publication: March 7, 2024
Last Publication: March 21, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Richard Carlson, a/k/a Richard H. Carlson, a/k/a Richard Hogarth Carlson, Deceased
Case Number: 2024 PR 30046
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 28, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
/s/ David F. Steinhoff
Estate of Richard Carlson
c/o Stephen G. Carlson & Diane E. Vyhnalek, PRs
Attn: David F. Steinhoff, Esq. Solem Woodward & McKinley, P.C.
750 W Hampden Ave, Suite 505 Englewood, CO 80110 dave@solemlaw.com
Legal Notice No. DHD291
First Publication: March 14, 2024
Last Publication: March 28, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Anthony Joseph Gagliardi, Deceased
Case Number 2023PR483
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before June 29, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Frederick “Rick” Gagliardi, Personal Representative of the estate of Anthony Joseph Gagliardi
c/o Atty Megan Jury Robinson & Henry PC 7555 E Hampden Ave #600 Denver, CO 80231
Legal Notice No. DHD2070
First Publication: February 29, 2024
Last Publication: March 14, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of JANET K. TAYLOR,
lion next year.
In addition to the universal free school meals, voters approved three grant programs that were supposed to be rolled out in the coming school years. e grants were meant to help districts with things like buying Colorado-grown food for meals, providing stipends for kitchen employees, and paying for training or equipment.
For now, those grant programs will be on hold.
Lawmakers on the Joint Budget Committee debated this week over whether they had a responsibility to keep the voter-approved program going, regardless of the additional cost to the state.
Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, a Brighton Republican, said that cost calculations have changed and the state has to deal with that.
“All of these warnings were given to us before, and we ignored them,” she said.
Before the plan was put to voters, lawmakers defeated a plan to o er free school meals to all, in part because of concerns about the cost.
Chalkbeat is a nonpro t news site covering educational change in public schools.
a.k.a. JANET KILGORE TAYLOR, a.k.a. JANET TAYLOR, Deceased
Case Number: 24PR30108
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 7, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Brian Ward, Personal Representative c/o Werth Law LLC, P.O. Box 808 Brighton, CO 80602
Legal Notice No. DHD286
First Publication: March 7, 2024
Last Publication: March 21, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Barry K. Wallace, Deceased
Case Number 2023 PR 616
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 15, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Donna G. Wallace, Personal Representative 8015 E. Byers Ave. Denver, CO 80230
Legal Notice No. DHD3011
First Publication: March 7, 2024
Last Publication: March 21, 2024
Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch ###
Denver Herald 19 March 14, 2024
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Denver Herald Dispatch March 14, 2024 * 3
March 14, 2024 20 Denver Herald Real news in real time. Visit us online for breaking news and more.