Closing the gap to quality mental health services
BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Every organization has to start somewhere.
For Southeast Counseling Center in Parker, it started in an old janitor’s closet with one therapist, two interns and a couch.
Today, it’s a nonpro t with more than 25 licensed therapists and serves at least 700 families.
“Our desire (is) to provide high-quality mental health services that (are) affordable and accessible for people who desperately need it,” said Peter Barber, board member of the counseling center.
Barber was a pastor at Southeast Christian Church in 2010 when he noticed a gap between the need for high-quality mental health care and people having access to such therapy services.
He added at that time, mental health services and pastoral care rarely worked in cooperation with one another.
But believing it could work together, he helped implement a counseling center
at the church and in 2018, it established itself as its own separate nonpro t. Although the center still maintains a referral relationship with the church, it’s no longer connected to the church and Barber no longer serves as the church’s pastor.
While many of the therapists at the center are of Christian faith, Barber said it’s not evangelical or proselytizing, and that they are there to bene t everyone in the community.
“We don’t hide the fact that we’re Christian, but we’re also not pushing our beliefs onto clients,” said Barber. “We’ve (served) atheists, Buddhists, witches.”
Working to fill the gap
Involved with the organization since the beginning, Jason Bell, the center’s counseling executive director who also serves as a counselor, said they have further de ned why this type of organization is needed. One reason being the growing gap between those who qualify for governmental assistance like Medicaid and those who earn su cient in-
come to pay for services.
“ e gap means you’re cutting something out,” said Bell. “Most often, that’s some form of healthcare.”
e center has partnered with di erent organizations in Douglas County to pool resources to fund care for people in the gap.
e Douglas County Community Foundation, the Parker Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Aloha Fund have provided funds to support the center’s erapy Subsidy Program, which provides nancially subsidized sessions each month to those who are in the gap between self-su ciency and qualifying for government support.
e center subsidizes “about 40% of the client base who are living in the gap,” Bell said.
Barber added that if individuals cannot pay the full rate, therapists will oftentimes o er a sliding scale, meaning the therapist will slide the fee down to make it a ordable for the individual.
Expert tips for Colorado winter driving
BY ELISABETH SLAY ESLAY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
With colder temperatures comes snow blanketing the streets, and roads can get slippery and dangerous for Colorado drivers — new and native to the state.
Experts say it’s important to be prepared for the di cult task of driving in the winter, and Colorado AAA o ers a few tips that can help keep drivers safe when traveling in the harsh winter climate.
“ e rst sustained major weather event is always a useful reminder to Coloradans — regardless of whether you grew up here or if you’re new to town — to brush up on winter driving fundamentals. Slow down, don’t tailgate and don’t slam on the gas or brakes,” said Skyler McKinley, regional director of public a airs.
Prepare the vehicle
Colorado AAA urges drivers to ensure their vehicles are ready for winter. is includes checking the battery and electrical systems, testing all uid levels — such as antifreeze, transmission uid, brake uid and engine oil — and making sure all lights are functioning properly.
Additionally, drivers should inspect their tires, brakes, windshields and windshield wipers and windshield wiper uid.
“Remember, too, that four-wheel drive does not mean four-wheel stop. We’ve had to winch out many top-of-the-line trucks and SUVs — many equipped with winter tires — simply because their drivers were going too fast for the conditions,” McKinley said.
Mckinley continued to say most issues the Colorado AAA deals with are related to dead batteries, at tires and engine issues.
Keep an emergency kit
Ensuring the vehicle is prepared is another way drivers who may end up stranded, whether by sliding o the road or getting stuck in tra c during a closure, can help themselves.
“Keep an emergency kit in your car with tire chains, abrasive material such as sand or kitty litter, a small shovel, ashlight with extra batteries, ice scraper, rags or paper towels, ares or other warning devices, booster cables and a rst aid kit,” Colorado AAA said on its website.
Additionally, drivers should bring items to help keep them warm, such as blankets, jack-
Southeast Counseling Center in Parker is a nonprofit organization that provides accessible and personalized therapy services for children, couples, adults and addiction or trauma services.
PHOTOS BY HALEY LENA
Nine Colorado education stories to watch in 2025
BY ANN SCHIMKE CHALKBEAT
For Colorado schools, 2024 was a year of big changes in funding, continued concerns about declining enrollment even amid the arrival of thousands of new immigrant students, and the growing popularity of a free preschool program that faces big legal challenges.
Here are some of the issues we’re watching in 2025.
How might Trump’s immigration policies a ect migrant students?
In 2024, at least 85 Colorado school districts enrolled more than 8,000 migrant students combined. Many came from Venezuela and other South American countries. State lawmakers sent districts an additional $24 million to help serve new students who arrived mid-year.
Migrant students boosted enrollment in districts where there had been declines, including Denver. Teachers scrambled to support them, both academically and with basic needs like housing. Some of those e orts were beautiful. Others were hard. And some were both.
“ e bright spots are the growth of our kids and our community,” Valdez Elementary Principal Jessica Buckley told Chalkbeat in February. “ e challenge is resources.”
It’s unclear how President-elect Donald Trump’s promise of increased immigration enforcement — and potential mass deportations — will impact migrant students, their families, and the schools that serve them. Some Colorado school district leaders are already preparing: e Colorado Association of School Boards recently invited a Nebraska superintendent who had experienced an immigration raid to talk to state leaders about his experience. His advice?
“Be prepared,” former Superintendent Steve Joel told Colorado school o cials. “Your community, your parents, your leaders, your state, they’ll appreciate you for it.”
Appeals court could decide
Colorado’s Catholic preschool case
A federal appeals court could decide in 2025 whether religious schools in Colorado’s state-funded preschool program have to abide by non-discrimination rules protecting LGBTQ children and families.
at’s the issue at the heart of a lawsuit brought by two Denver-area Catholic parishes that run preschools. e Catholic preschools wanted to join the state preschool program, but didn’t want to admit LGBTQ children or children from LGBTQ families. e lawsuit is one of several cases involving the state’s universal preschool program.
A lower court judge largely ruled against the Catholic parishes in June, but they’re now appealing. Experts say the case, which pits religious liberty against LGBTQ rights, could wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Colorado faces budget challenges that could impact education
In November, Gov. Jared Polis released a proposed budget that showed the state could have less revenue during a time when its financial obligations for programs like Medicaid have gone up. Recent revenue projections have improved, but the state is still facing a budget hole.
Polis’ budget calls for cuts, including a big change to how the state doles out
funding to school districts based on student enrollment and scaling back a new funding formula passed last year. (More on that new formula below.) Meanwhile, Polis’ budget calls for higher education to get a modest $12.1 million increase.
Lawmakers on the powerful Joint Budget Committee have the most say in crafting the budget. ey will have plenty to sort through in the coming months.
How much is adequate education funding in Colorado?
Colorado lawmakers approved a brand new funding formula last year — the rst major revamp since 1993. However, the formula didn’t say whether the new funding levels were enough.
So how much money do school districts need to adequately teach students?
Colorado commissioned two “adequacy studies” to understand the answer. ose studies are due at the beginning of the year.
Colorado could require more emphasis on climate science
In recent months, numerous Colorado high school students have told the State Board of Education they’ve learned little or nothing about climate change during their K-12 careers.
In December, the board took a preliminary step to address those concerns by asking education department o cials to recommend changes to the state science standards that would put more emphasis on climate science.
e science standards — basically a big list of knowledge and skills Colorado students should have in various areas — are due to be revised in 2025.
e state’s current science standards reference climate change in middle school and high school, but not elementary school. If the standards change, teachers will have to adapt their lessons
over the next few years to match the standards.
School closures will prompt decisions about vacant buildings
Seven Denver schools will close in the spring of 2025, and three more schools will partially close, due to declining enrollment in Colorado’s largest school district. at decision was controversial, and a parent group has led a lawsuit to try to stop it.
e Je co and Aurora school districts have also closed schools recently because of declining enrollment, and Douglas County School District is expected to do the same in 2025.
e school closures will leave districts grappling with another big question: what to do with the vacant buildings. Denver has promised not to sell any schools and to consult with the community on future uses. Meanwhile, Je co is in the midst of several sales that could be nalized next year, and Aurora is still deciding what to do with at least one building.
Low-income
families face child care hardship
Many Colorado families who qualify for state child care subsidies could be out of luck next year. at’s because the program is facing a funding shortfall and state o cials expect most counties to institute subsidy waitlists or freezes by June. ese measures won’t cut o families who currently receive subsidies. But it will limit the number of new families who can join.
So far, at least seven counties have already instituted a subsidy waitlist or a freeze: Adams, Boulder, Douglas, El Paso, Gunnison, Je erson, and Larimer.
Some communities that have passed lodging taxes or tapped other local funding may be able to ll the gap created by subsidy waitlists or freezes. But that will be a partial x at best.
Future of DACA teachers unclear as Trump takes over
During his rst administration, Trump tried to end a program that protects undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children, a group known as Dreamers, from deportation. But his e ort to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program stalled in the courts.
Now, there are signs Trump has had a change of heart. In a Dec. 8 interview on Meet the Press, when asked if he wants to let the so-called Dreamers stay in the country, he said, “I do … I think we can work with the Democrats and work something out.”
But given his promise of mass deportations and his past vacillation on whether Dreamers deserve protection, some immigrants rights groups are skeptical. Colorado has about 12,000 DACA recipients and some are public school teachers.
Colorado’s career and college readiness programs hit crossroads
In 2022, Colorado lawmakers commissioned a report on how to improve postsecondary and workforce readiness. Released in late 2023, it o ered 13 recommendations for streamlining a fragmented system of state programs meant to prepare students for college and careers.
State lawmakers then commissioned a study, released this month, that called for big changes, including bringing the disparate programs under one roof. e report also recommended either ending or reworking a popular fth-year high school program called ASCENT. Jason Gonzales and Melanie Asmar contributed to this article.
Reprinted with permission from Chalkbeat, a nonpro t news site covering educational change in public schools. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.
Students from Thimmig Elementary in Brighton test a hydro flume that demonstrates how electricity can be made by moving water.
PHOTO BY BELEN WARD
Statistics Confirm That the Seller’s Market Evaporated
by the End of 2024
Now that 2024 has ended, we can see quite clearly that the seller’s market created during the Covid pandemic is now a thing of the past. December was a particularly slow month in a year that saw a great increase in the number of active listings, but little or no corresponding increase in sales, plus some other negative metrics, as shown in the charts at right.
As always, I derive these statistics from REcolorado, the Denver MLS, within a 25-mile radius of downtown Denver instead of using the multicounty “metro Denver” stats reported by the Denver Metro Association of Realtors.
that there were now more homebuyers than homes for sale, which fostered competition and drove home prices to unforeseen levels.
From the start of the pandemic in March 2020 until the Federal Reserve began hiking rates in March 2022, home prices grew 37%, per Case-Shiller.
The most obvious indicator of a slowing market is how many listings expire without selling, and that number reached nearly 3,000 in December, about triple the figures for the first two Decembers of the pandemic, 2020 and 2021.
“In late 2022, home sales activity came to an abrupt halt when mortgage rates climbed from about 3% to above 7% in a matter of months. Buyers are still facing higher mortgage rates than they've seen in recent memory – on top of that, home prices are still staying stubbornly high after the pandemic housing boom. For many, especially first-time homebuyers who lack tappable equity, monthly mortgage payments have become too expensive at these new interest rates.
The ratio of closed price to listing price is another key indicator of a seller’s market. It peaked at 106.1% in April 2022, but has been as low as 92.0% since then.
The median sold price has leveled off but is still higher this December than all previous Decembers. It’s just that sellers are still overpricing their homes when they first put them on the market, producing that lower ratio.
The median time on market stayed well below 10 days throughout the pandemic, but has risen steadily since the fall of 2022 and is at its highest level in recent history now — 39 days. The average days on market is at 56 days. This compares to 30 days and 47 days respectively a year ago.
A big factor in the real estate market is always the cost of mortgage loans. At right is a graphic from USNews that charts the impact of interest rates on home prices from 1987 to present. Here’s that website’s interpretation of the chart:
“The housing market is in a mortgage rate stalemate: Homebuyers are priced out, and homeowners are reluctant to sell and trade in their low mortgage rates.”
So what should we expect in 2025?
Whenever there’s a market slowdown, it produces pent-up demand later on. And I foresee that pent-up demand expressing itself this month and this year in a more balanced market. The big increase is inventory shows that sellers are accepting that interest rates
“With mortgage rates at 3% or even lower, more homebuyers could afford to enter the market in the early 2020s. Home sales activity picked up, but housing inventory was insufficient to keep up with demand. Decades of housing underproduction in the U.S. meant
will stay at present levels, so they are no longer waiting for them to go down before sacrificing their current low interest rate loan to purchase a replacement home. Likewise, I see buyers accepting current interest rates as the “new normal” and getting off the fence.
Open House at 2-BR Condo in Downtown Golden
Nearly one-quarter of Americans say local and national politics highly influence their decision about where to live, according to a recent survey from Realtor.com. In some age groups, that percentage is even higher.
“With both local and national politicians making decisions that impact daily life, both socially and fiscally, it makes sense that many would prefer to live in areas where the politics align with their own beliefs,” according to Danielle Hale, Realtor.com’s chief economist.
Many of the respondents to a Realtor.com survey said their political views do not align with those of their neighbors, and 17% have considered moving for that reason.
That percentage was 28% for the millennial generation, who are also the most likely –at 33% - to report that their decisions about where to live are highly influenced by national politics. Among Gen Z respondents, 25% say politics influence their decisions, and among Gen X, it’s 21%. Only 16% of baby boomers felt that way.
Now a company called Oyssey has entered the home search business with an app that includes all the usual criteria plus neighbor-
hood politics — even block-by-block.
Calling Oyssey an “app” minimizes the company’s intention, which is to replace Zillow as the go-to real estate search engine by providing more information about listings — including neighborhood politics.
Currently, the app is sold to individual real estate brokers who can invite individual buyers to access it. It’s strictly a buyer’s tool, and brokers will still be using their current MLS for listing homes for sale. The idea is that Oyssey would replace buyer tools, such as email alerts, built into the MLS, and that the buyer agency agreements now required by the NAR settlement would be built into its functionality.
Ultimately, the company wants to partner with the nation’s MLSs to have their app be an included feature of that MLS instead of something brokers need to purchase on the side.
The app was introduced last month in south Florida and some New York cities, but should be available elsewhere, including Colorado, by the end of March 2025.
I am the first Colorado broker to have signed up for it when it comes to our market.
Condos in this building at 722 Washington Avenue (called Washington Station) are in great demand because of its location right in downtown Golden. This listing is Unit 201, which has a great corner location directly above the unit’s deeded parking spot. Moreover, the stairs to the parking garage are right next to the door to this unit. (There’s also an elevator.) This is a mixed use building, with commercial units on the main floor. The unit itself features an open floor plan, with slab granite countertops and cherry cabinets with handles, and an island with breakfast bar to complement the dining area. There’s a balcony outside the living room. It an all windows have mountain view. The bathrooms and kitchen have ceramic tile floors, and the rest of the unit has carpeting in like-new condition. There’s a 7’deep storage room and laundry closet with vinyl flooring. Take a narrated video tour at www.GoldenCondo.info, then come to the open house this Saturday, 11am to 1pm. Or call Kathy Jonke at 303-990-7428 to request a private showing.
$650,000
Originally listed for $750,000, the price is now $100,000 less! There’s so much to love about this home at 7085 W. 32nd Pl.! For starters, it’s a handyman’s delight with an oversized 2-car garage that is heated and has 200 Amps of power, including two 240-Volt circuits! Also, one of the basement bedrooms has been converted into a sound studio with professional soundproofing such that neighbors and the people upstairs wouldn’t be aware of it! Altogether, including that studio with its ensuite bathroom, this home has five bedrooms and three full bathrooms. And it has a full-size bar with bar stools next to that studio in the basement that is to die for. Under the new state law, the basement could be adapted into a 2-bedroom/1-bathroom accessory dwelling unit (ADU) to provide extra income for the owner. To fully appreciate this impressive home, which has been owned and lovingly maintained by the seller for 43 years, take the narrated video tour at www.GRElistings.com, then come to the open house this Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Or call Kathy at 303-990-7428.
NOTE: All prior “Real Estate Today” columns are archived at www.JimSmithColumns.com
Big Price Reduction on
BY MEGAN VERLEE CPR NEWS
AG Weiser declares for 2026 governor’s race
As Coloradans returned from the New Year’s holiday, the state’s top elected lawyer announced a major resolution: to run for governor in 2026.
Democrat Phil Weiser is midway through his second term as attorney general. Over his six years in o ce he made a name for himself ghting the rst Trump administration in court, as well as suing opioid manufacturers and social media companies.
Attorney general is Weiser’s rst elected o ce. He previously served as dean of the University of Colorado law school. He also held posts in the Obama administration, including deputy assistant attorney general in the anti-trust division and as an advisor to the national economic council.
With Gov. Jared Polis term limited, political watchers expect a long list of Democrats to enter the race to replace him.
e left-leaning group Healthier Colorado, and rightleaning Magellan Strategies recently surveyed 630 Democratic and una liated voters on four of the potential primary candidates.
Twenty percent of those polled said they’d support congressman Joe Neguse in a theoretical Democratic primary,
16% went for Secretary of State Jena Griswold, 11% for former Interior Secretary and U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar and 8% for Weiser.
On the Republican side, state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, and outgoing 4th Congressional District Rep. Greg Lopez, who was selected to ll out the last few months of Ken Buck’s term, are potential contenders.
Other than Weiser, none of those potential contenders has yet con rmed they’re interested in the o ce. is story is from CPR News, a nonpro t public broadcaster serving Colorado. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.
MENTAL HEALTH
e center’s goal was to create a model where therapists didn’t have to make that sacri ce in their pay.
“Every therapist gets their full takehome pay regardless of who they see and the center then subsidizes the di erence,” Barber said.
e center’s client base also expanded in the fall of 2024 to serve those who are on Medicaid.
Tailoring to the needs of patients
With numerous mental health agencies across the county, Barber and Bell believe their counseling center stands out because of its intake process.
When searching for a therapist through insurance, a list of who’s in the network comes up and individuals hope they pick one that’s a good t, Barber said. e center, on the other hand, has an intake team that conducts a full comprehensive assessment, which includes a personal interview.
“When they do that, they’re able to tailor the kind of service that the clients need in a way that’s far better than, like, a 30-minute phone interview or nding someone in your insurance database,” Bell said.
Aiming to provide a therapist that best ts a client’s personality and needs, Barber said they may reach out to other providers in the community.
“At the end of the day, it’s not about you needing to come here, it’s what is best for you, the client, (and) what you need,” Barber said.
e center has various speciality teams, including addiction counselors and Eye Movement Desensitization and Repro-
cessing (EMDR) certi ed trauma therapists. It o ers a same sex domestic violence treatment group, and the domestic violence and forensics team also provides services for court-ordered treatment of o enders for the 18th and 23rd Judicial District.
e center also has teams for all aspects of the family, including therapeutic groups for parenting. e child and adolescent team provides services for children as young as 3, and because it’s difcult for young children to stay sitting for a period of time, the center has play therapists to provide age-appropriate services. e center does not provide medication or inpatient treatment, instead, it partners with psychiatrists and other agencies in the area.
“ is organization is now situated … straddling communities of faith and healthcare and law,” said Bell. “All of those di erent institutions, in one way or another, help to make treatment accessible.”
The Southeast Counseling Center has more than 25 licensed therapists and serves more than 700 families across Colorado to find wholeness and hope.
PHOTO BY HALEY LENA
Democrat Phil Weiser is midway through his second term as attorney general. 2023 FILE PHOTO BY CHRIS KOEBERL
In a file photo, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is seen speaking to reporters at a news conference in 2020.
PHOTO BY JESSE PAUL/THE COLORADO SUN
Ice,
Colorado feels brunt of crisis in home insurance
fire, ‘wildly di erent market’ come together to squeeze
owners
BY ISHAN THAKORE CPR NEWS
A homeowners insurance crisis fueled by escalating natural disasters has arrived in the Centennial State.
Home insurance now costs $818 more per year on average compared to 2020, and Colorado now has the fourth-highest insurance premiums nationwide, according to a July research paper by Benjamin Keys and Philip Mulder. In places like Philips County, home insurance is now 55% more costly than just four years ago, the data show.
Even ling a single claim can now be a permanent scarlet letter, agents and insurance o cials say.
“ ere is a real risk right now that insurance companies will not renew you if you le a claim,” said Michael Conway, Colorado’s insurance commissioner, during an October insurance town hall.
“Does it make sense for people to be non-renewed if they led one claim in 20 years?”
Places like Grand County have seen insurance nonrenewals increase by around 77% in 2023 compared to 2018, according to new data from the U.S. Senate Budget Committee.
Colorado homeowners are also scrambling to stave o cancellation notices and keep their mortgages.
In October, Trevor Donahue and Trish Krajniak bought their mountain dream home in Nederland and moved from Littleton with their children. e couple bought homeowners insurance from Allstate — the only major carrier that would insure them. ey needed insurance to close on the home and for their mortgage; Donahue was surprised by how cheap the rate seemed.
An Allstate agent told them there was “nothing incredibly serious” to x after their home inspection, according to an email shared with CPR News.
A few weeks after closing, an insurance cancellation letter arrived from Allstate. Initially, the company gave them until Jan. 11, 2025, to conduct extensive wildre and hail mitigation on their property, or risk losing their insurance, defaulting on their mortgage and losing their home.
“None of it was outlandishly unreasonable, what they were asking,” said Donahue. “ e biggest problem is that they gave us a 60-day deadline from when we closed. We’re covered in snow, there’s ice on the roof, and they’re making no exceptions for an extension whatsoever.”
Colorado lawmakers will debut two major bills to rein in home insurance. e state will also begin selling insurance plans to homeowners who are no longer o ered insurance in the private market, likely in the rst few months of 2025.
For Donahue and Krajniak, having an “insurer of last resort” can’t come fast enough.
“We have a gun held to our head right now,” Krajniak said. “I have no guarantee if we complete all of these steps, and spend the several thousand dollars, that
[Allstate] will actually continue to insure us.”
severity of those events, too.”
In mid-December, after the couple led a complaint with Colorado’s Department of Regulatory Agencies, the company offered them an extension to complete their mitigation, allowing them to hold onto their insurance for the time-being. e couple’s Allstate agent did not return a request for comment about their policy, and Allstate’s corporate o ce did not answer questions about cancelling homeowner policies before mitigation work is complete.
Fire and ice — and climate change
Colorado is facing both insurance affordability and availability challenges, which means that carriers are issuing fewer home insurance policies in certain areas, while policies now cost more per year on average.
“Our market in Colorado is wildly di erent than what it was at the end of 2022,” Conway said during a July insurance town hall with residents struggling with insurance availability.
In March 2023, the state released an industry report, which showed that small and medium-sized insurance carriers were issuing fewer policies. But the top ve insurers – Allstate, State Farm, Liberty Mutual, USAA and American Family — were picking up the slack. at has now changed.
Colorado “has seen some of those top ve insurers start to write fewer policies. And we do have little pockets of availability concerns popping up,” Conway said. Areas that are now seeing insurers pull back include corners of Je erson County, like Evergreen, and the Boulder and Colorado Springs foothills.
While availability issues are primarily driven by wild re risk, insurance unaffordability is being driven primarily by hail damage.
“Hail is by far the biggest driver of losses in most years for the homeowners insurance market,” Conway said. “In 2023, [hail reports] went up dramatically over the previous highest year … both in the overarching number of events, but also in the
Conway estimates that 55% to 70% of home insurance premiums on average in the state are driven by hail. Colorado recorded nearly $2 billion in overall losses from a single hailstorm that pelted the Denver metro area in May. Brief and violent hailstorms can cause hefty damages to roofs and cars, and occur several times a year. Since 1980, the number and severity of all types of billion-dollar disasters have dramatically increased in the state.
Third-party modeling and reinsurance add to woes
Insurers rely on “reinsurance” — basically insurance for insurance companies — to help companies o oad some of their risk. Reinsurance costs have roughly doubled since 2017, which is partly driven by higher rebuilding costs after catastrophes and high interest rates, Keys said during a July town hall.
“A lot of these challenges for insurance companies will continue, and that they’ll be passing these costs on in the primary market to homeowners,” he said.
Insurance companies also rely on analytical models to map out risky areas. An insurance carrier is more likely to ratchet up rates, or call it quits altogether, in high risk areas.
On a state and community level, mitigation e orts to reduce wild re risk involve pruning trees, prescribing burns, and grazing grassland. Mitigating for homeowners involves installing hail-resistant shingles, delimbing nearby trees and sealing homes so embers can’t waft in. Structural adjustments, and clearing nearby vegetation, can reduce a home’s wild re risk by up to 75%, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
But Conway worries that models — which assign wild re risk scores — are not actually reducing rates even after mitigation e orts.
“If [models] are not sophisticated enough to incorporate mitigation work
Trish Krajniak and Trevor Donahue outside the home they recently bought in Nederland. After closing on the home, they suddenly had their home insurance cancelled on them, and at first had until January to conduct extensive mitigation on their property. They were just granted a reprieve by Allstate, but they worry about their insurance being cancelled in the future. Trish is holding Declan, 3, and Trevor holds Arlo, 1.
PHOTO BY HART VAN DENBURG/CPR NEWS
INSURANCE
that both individual property owners are doing, that communities are doing, we’ve got a signi cant problem in our market,” Conway told CPR News. He was more blunt to homeowners. “ ird-party companies are doing a terrible job of building mitigation into their models,” he said during a separate October town hall. “And it really pisses me o . And it should really piss you o too.”
Playing defense on the front lines
Chris Dirolf cased the perimeter of a large, wood-paneled home in Nederland, trudging through a foot of snow to tag trees to cut down.
For two hours on a frigid Wednesday, Dirolf used an iPad to tick through a 50 question assessment prepared by Wild re Partners, a Boulder County program that mitigates wild re risk. Since 2014, Wildre Partners has o ered a homeowner certi cation program, which starts with an assessment, leads to property-level mitigation and ends with a certi cate that homeowners can send to insurers.
Wild re Partners hopes the certi cation can drive down insured losses and save homes using the best available science, according to a July presentation by program manager Jim Webster. e program can be laborious – on average, a homeowner will spend thousands of dollars and over a year to get certi ed. Certi cation is only o ered in the foothills and mountainous parts of Boulder County, though the county does o er other mitigation inspections in urban areas.
But it does save homes. In 2016, the Cold Springs Fire ripped through Nederland and destroyed eight homes and seven additional structures. Within the burn zone, eight homes were certi ed by Wild re Partners, and all eight survived.
e re came within a few dozen feet of Darrin Harris Frisby’s home, leaving a giant burn scar, a thinned canopy and sweeping views of the Indian Peaks. Frisby, a Boulder realtor, called Partners to assess his home after attending a training for realtors.
Dirolf pointed out numerous areas for improvement, like patching and caulking holes in Frisby’s siding, which could let in embers, and pruning smaller lodgepole trees. e two rounded the corner to potentially the biggest issue, an open shed near the house, which Frisby called a “bomb lled with wood.”
“I’m not going to sugarcoat it, but yeah,” Dirolf said.
e certi cation may not lower a homeowner’s insurance premium, or guarantee them a renewal. But that may be besides the point, at least until the market accurately re ects mitigation in prices.
“People in our community aren’t mitigating for any discount,” Webster said during a July townhall. “ ey’re doing it to save their homes.”
Looking for a fix
Conway expects lawmakers to introduce two bills during this upcoming legislative session to x the market. One, sponsored by Rep. Kyle Brown (D-Boulder) and Rep. Brianna Titone (D-Je erson), would nudge models to better account for mitigation performed at the homeowner, community and state level.
e bill would also allow homeowners
to appeal their wild re risk score so they can get credit for mitigation work they’ve done, and release more information to homeowners about insurance discounts.
Another bill would set up two major programs in the state. One would help homeowners install hail resistant roofs so they can qualify for insurance discounts. Eventually, Conway hopes the program will drive down hail claims and make insurance more a ordable statewide. e second program would set up a state reinsurance fund in order to oset wild re insurance costs embedded in premiums.
“If [insurance companies] want to be part of that reinsurance program, they’re going to have to o er coverage in the highest wild re areas of the state,” Conway said.
e bill would also require a “loss-ratio” for insurance companies, so that they spend a certain percentage of each dollar they earn paying out claims. Conway said the requirement could help balance out the models, and make sure insurers don’t o oad all of their risk, in the form of higher bills, onto homeowners.
“A loss-ratio requirement will really spread the risk back, so that the insurance companies are carrying part of that risk,” Conway said.
In 2023, Colorado lawmakers passed the FAIR plan to provide insurance for homeowners and businesses shut out of the regular market. But the coverage is limited, and premiums may still be exorbitant because the plan is not meant to compete directly with the private market.
Still, Conway estimates that tens of thousands of homeowners and businesses are eligible for the plan and may enroll next year.
‘It just feels like a money grab’
When Donahue and Krajniak received their cancellation notice, they said Allstate o ered to help them nd other insurance on the “excess market.” But Allstate, and a broker the couple found through the state, could not nd another option, they said.
State law requires insurance companies to give 60 days notice before cancelling a home policy. e couple feels that Allstate insured them for the minimum time before cancelling — and incentivized them to purchase auto insurance — even as other insurers declined coverage upfront.
“It just feels like a money grab,” Krajniak said.
e couple’s Allstate agent did not return a request for comment about their policy, and Allstate’s corporate o ce did not answer questions about cancelling homeowner policies o ered as part of a policy bundle.
With their deadline extension, the couple no longer have to spend Krajniak’s vacation time raking pine needles buried beneath feet of snow. But they worry about whether they’ll be able to secure insurance in the future, even after they complete mitigation work. Risk seems everywhere – their house in Littleton was technically in a oodplain and required ood insurance.
“ ere’s massive relief that we don’t have this looming deadline,” Krajniak said. “But I am very concerned if Allstate decides to drop us in the future, we’re in the same place. It’s scary.”
is story is from CPR News, a nonpro t public broadcaster serving Colorado. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.
Sheri s raise alarm about burglaries of Asian business owners’ homes
O cials also point to ‘dinnertime burglaries’ at expensive houses
For months, thieves have burglarized the homes of Asian businesspeople in Arapahoe and Douglas counties, and the local sheri s came together to urge the public to take steps to protect against the crimes.
“You could be the hero that solves all of these cases just by making a call to law enforcement,” Douglas County Sheri Darren Weekly said.
Flanked by a longtime cop and an ofcial from the local district attorney’s ofce, the sheri s encouraged the public to contact law enforcement and report suspicious activity in their neighborhoods.
O cials are also concerned about a string of burglaries at high-value homes during the hours when people normally eat dinner.
Collectively, the burglaries may have cost victims a total of millions of dollars, according to law enforcement.
At a sheri s’ town hall event in December, o cials focused especially on the burglaries of Asian residents’ homes, speaking to Asian community members in the audience. Brian Sugioka, a chief deputy district attorney, mentioned his own heritage as he discussed the issue.
“Of course, there’s a general sense of unease that certain ethnic groups may feel” and “as a person of Japanese descent myself, I understand,” Sugioka said.
Although the incidents have been thefts, the crimes still present the risk of violence, Sugioka said.
“One of the things that makes home burglaries so dangerous is the possibility that perhaps the suspects think nobody’s home but they’re wrong, and before you
know it, there’s gun re,” Sugioka said.
O cials are concerned that not all victims are reporting the crimes or aren’t reporting in a timely manner, Weekly said.
For those who may struggle with a language barrier, law enforcement can use a translator to help, Weekly said.
Even small details that seem suspicious might help o cials if the public reports them, according to the Arapahoe County Sheri ’s O ce.
It’s OK to “be suspicious of people loitering around your home,” Arapahoe County Sheri Tyler Brown said, adding: “We would rather drive by and have it be absolutely nothing than be investigating a burglary.”
Burglaries pile up
e Douglas County sheri ’s jurisdiction in mid-December listed 13 reported burglaries of Asian business owners’ homes in 2024, with seven of those having occurred since September.
e sheri ’s jurisdiction includes unincorporated Douglas County — areas outside of city and town boundaries — along with Castle Pines and Larkspur.
At least about a dozen burglaries of Asian business owners’ homes have occurred from October 2023 through early December 2024 in the Arapahoe County Sheri ’s O ce jurisdiction, according to the o ce.
e Arapahoe County sheri ’s jurisdiction includes unincorporated Arapahoe County areas, along with Centennial, Bennett, Fox eld and Deer Trail.
‘Taking advantage’
Asian business owners could be the target of burglaries because thieves have recognized some apparent cultural di erences, such as the idea that Asian people may distrust banks and instead keep large amounts of money at home, Brown said. “ ey’re taking advantage of that,” Brown said of the burglars.
Along with that string of crime, o cials also have their eye on a separate pattern of burglaries that took place at high-value homes in Arapahoe County during the hours when people normally eat dinner — incidents that have been dubbed the “dinnertime burglaries.”
e nine dinnertime burglaries took place at homes in Cherry Hills Village, Columbine Valley, Littleton and unincorporated Arapahoe County from February to October 2024, according to the sheri ’s o ce. e homes hit in the Arapahoe dinnertime burglaries back up to a greenbelt or an open area, Cohn said.
O cials said the nine thefts total almost $1 million in stolen goods.
e Douglas sheri ’s o ce is only aware of one case of a dinnertime burglary, Weekly said.
Arapahoe sheri ’s Sgt. Brett Cohn noted that dinnertime is usually when people are home — but, he said, thieves are taking steps to make sure people aren’t there.
“We’re talking about groups of people that are working together to hit these homes,” Cohn said.
Arapahoe County Sheri Tyler Brown, left, speaks next to Douglas County Sheri Darren Weekly at a December town hall event at the Arapahoe County Sheri ’s O ce that focused on burglaries and how the public can protect against them.
PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD
Popular black license plates power disability programs
BY JENNIFER BROWN THE COLORADO SUN
Colorado’s throwback license plates — especially the cool black ones — are powering a new state o ce created to help people with disabilities get jobs and live independently.
e Colorado Disability Opportunity Ofce, called the “C-Doo” among government o cials, will give out $5 million this scal year to organizations working to support people with disabilities. e o ce was created by the legislature in June and its inaugural director, Danny Combs, is the father of a son with autism and founder of a trade school in Englewood that teaches young people with autism how to become auto mechanics, welders, carpenters and electricians.
e o ce gets $25 per retro license plate sold. ose include the long-popular green mountains on a white sky, as well as the reintroduced white COLORADO on a solid blue background, on a red background, and the most popular, on a black background. e three plates, dating to 1914, 1915 and 1945, had been retired and were brought back into circulation in 2021.
About 20% of Coloradans have one or more disabilities, according to the new ofce. And programs that provide assistance are spread across multiple state agencies, including the state education department, the health and human services department, and the state agency that oversees Medicaid government insurance. e goal of CDOO is to coordinate all those e orts to create more e ciency and less overlap, as well as ll in the gaps where services aren’t covered. It’s telling that the state selected Combs, who started his new job Nov. 12. In 2016, Combs founded Teaching the Autism Community Trades, or TACT, the rst trade
WINTER DRIVING
ets, hats and gloves for themselves and passengers. People should also pack water and snacks, such as energy bars, and bring pet food if they’re traveling with their animals.
“Finally, remember that an ounce of preparation is worth a pound of cure. Your battery likely tried to warn you it wasn’t up to the task of starting your engine in sub-zero temperatures, likely through dimming headlights or sluggish starts in warmer weather,” McKinley said.
Driving on icy roads
When navigating icy roads, Colorado AAA urges drivers to slow down and exercise caution when accelerating, turning
school in the nation speci cally for young people with autism. He said he wanted more for his son, who has an interest in rebuilding cars and writing, and would not be satis ed with a job bagging groceries or washing dishes. It’s also signi cant to note that the new o ce is housed within the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, which signals a focus on helping people gain self-su ciency.
“Traditionally, solutions to disability issues are often considered from a human services and poverty approach,” the ofce said in announcing its opening a few months ago. “Disability policy will be framed through an opportunity lens with the goal of helping those with disabilities get on a path to self-su ciency, so more people with disabilities can prosper.”
e Department of Labor and Employment also houses the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, which helps people with disabilities get job training and operates under the motto that “anyone with a disability who wants to work, can work, regardless of the type or severity of their disability.”
Combs reports directly to the governor’s o ce, as well as to Joe Barela, executive director of the labor department. His role is to make recommendations after gathering input from disability advocates, boards, committees and state agencies that run programs in schools or support people with disabilities living at home.
“ ere are leaders that are working so hard but they are unaware of what others are doing,” Combs said.
So far, CDOO has just one other employee besides Combs but the plan is to hire two more as soon as possible.
e o ce recently announced a new round of $2 million in grants, which is in addition to $1 million distributed earlier
or braking. Each action should be gradual.
“Adjust your speed to the road conditions and leave yourself ample room to stop. Allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you,” the company advises on its website.
Tailgating should be avoided, and drivers should remain alert to the tra c ahead of them. It’s also important to avoid unnecessary lane changes and be particularly cautious on bridges and overpasses.
“Black ice typically forms rst in shaded areas of the roadway and on bridges and overpasses that freeze rst and melt last,” McKinley said. “Although the road leading up to a bridge may be ne, the bridge itself could be a sheet of ice.”
For more information and tips, visit https://www.nhtsa.gov/winter-drivingtips.
this year and another $2 million planned before the end of the scal year on June 30. e awards are determined by the Colorado Disability Funding Committee, which was transferred to the new o ce from the state Department of Personnel and Administration. e committee has 13 governor-appointed members, more than half of whom must have a disability or “have rsthand experience working with someone who does.”
is for nonpro ts or county human service agencies that are helping people with disabilities navigate the complex process of applying for state and federal bene ts. Combs believes many Coloradans with disabilities are unaware that they qualify for services and unsure how to get them. “ ere are so many agencies doing great work but it can be kind of tricky,” he said.
His long-term goals as director include improving transportation options for people with disabilities, as well as increasing access to services, particularly in rural areas. “Being a statewide agency, we will be able to start supporting not just the Front Range corridor but all of Colorado,” he said.
Combs said New York is the only other state he is aware of with a similar disability o ce and that he is meeting with that state’s Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera said in a news release that the grants re ect Colorado’s “unwavering commitment to empowering Coloradans with disabilities to achieve inis story was printed through a news sharing agreement with e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonpro t based in Denver
An image of Colorado’s increasingy popular license plain background plate design. FILE PHOTO
Driving in the snow can be scary if drivers don’t take precautions.
PHOTO BY ELISABETH SLAY
A positive outlook for the new year
It’s no secret that the world has seen its fair share of chaos and confusion in recent times. With constant upheaval, many of us have become conditioned to approach life with a sense of cynicism, keeping our guard up as a natural self-defense mechanism.
It’s an understandable response when life throws curveballs, it’s easier to expect the worst and shield ourselves from disappointment.
But what if we chose a di erent approach?
Imagine if, instead of defaulting to skepticism or negativity, we intentionally shifted our initial reactions to focus on the positive. What if we looked for potential and opportunity rather than questioning, challenging, or seeking out aws? is isn’t about ignoring reality or pretending problems don’t exist. It’s about approaching life with trust, abundance, and optimism.
The glass is always refillable
We’ve all heard the debate: Is the glass half full or half empty? Some argue that it’s neither, it’s simply re llable. is perspective is powerful because it reminds us that our outlook isn’t static. We can choose how we see the world and, more importantly, how we respond to it.
Choosing to see the glass as re llable requires vulnerability. It asks us to trust again, even when past experiences have left us burned. It means embracing a mindset of abundance, where we believe that goodness and opportunity are not nite resources but are available to us if we’re willing to look for them.
From scarcity to opportunity
e shift from negativity to positivity starts with reframing how we perceive change and challenges. Too often, new products, services, or initiatives are met with harsh criticism, not because they lack merit but because the people evaluating them have experienced change fatigue. e skepticism isn’t rooted in the o ering itself but in an emotional exhaustion from adapting to constant ux.
But what if we approached these situations di erently? What if, instead of immediately looking for what’s wrong, we asked, “What’s possible?” is shift in perspective opens the door to creativity, collaboration, and innovation. It helps us see potential solutions rather than dwelling on the problems.
The courage to be vulnerable
Changing our outlook requires courage. Positivity is not about naivete, it’s about being brave enough to hope, trust, and believe in the possibility of good outcomes. It means lowering our defenses and embracing the idea that not every change or new idea will hurt us. is vulnerability doesn’t make us weak; it makes us resilient. When we choose to trust, we free ourselves from the fear and scarcity that cloud our judgment and limit our potential. Positivity doesn’t guarantee success but fosters the environment needed to grow, learn, and thrive.
A resolution for the new year
As we enter this new year, let’s set a simple yet powerful goal: to adopt a positive outlook. is isn’t about pretending everything is perfect; it’s about choosing to see the good, even in imperfect circumstances. Here are a few ways to start:
Pause before reacting: When faced with change or challenges, take a moment to look for the potential before responding. Ask yourself, “What’s the opportunity here?”
Celebrate wins, big and small: Acknowledge progress, even if it’s incremental. Positivity grows when we focus on achievements rather than shortcomings.
Practice gratitude: Regularly re ect on what you’re thankful for. Gratitude shifts our focus away from scarcity and toward abundance. Encourage others: Be a voice of support for those around you. Positivity is contagious, and encouraging others helps create a culture of optimism.
Finding the good in the world
Choosing positivity doesn’t mean ignoring the bad; it means not letting it de ne us. It’s about recognizing the goodness, opportunities, and potential that coexist with the challenges. Focusing on the good makes us more likely to nd solutions, build stronger connections, and live a more ful lling life.
As you enter this new year, challenge yourself to see the glass not as half empty or half full but as endlessly re llable. Look for the good, embrace opportunities, and trust in the possibility of positive outcomes. I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com and when we live a life viewed through the lens of positivity, it is a life lled with potential, a resolution worth keeping, and one that will make it a betterthan-good life.
Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.
What brightens you?
Igrew up in a family where stories were a nightly part of our meals. My father, a great storyteller, came from a family of nine, seven boys and two girls. His baseball team-sized family gave him a huge volume of tales to share on seemingly endless topics. While my father told many stories around the dinner table, there were moments when the storytelling would come from my mom. Mom had tales of her father’s work as a traveling salesperson, her time in high school and many “neighborhood” stories. When Mom told us her favorite story, her face would light up and she would talk about dancing. In that story, she did not spend much time talking about speci c performances, her attempts to make every child born into the extended family a dancer, or even her time learning from and eventually teaching for Colorado Ballet founders Lillian Covillo and Freidann Parker. What she talked about was her love of motion. She would explain that as a teenager her favorite game was to walk quickly through a crowd of people without touching any of them but coming within a few inches of every person she passed. She would describe feeling the air as she passed individuals, appreciating the uidity of her motion and the fact that so many people were gathered, allowing her to play her game.
I loved the story partly for the vision it created of Mom as a teenager, but more for the absolute passion you could feel in the words she shared. When she told this story, you gained an insight into the way she viewed the world. You under-
stood that she saw things di erently than others. at the daily mundane physical tasks most people muddled through were, in her mind, a dance; a beautiful dance to be appreciated. e joy in Mom’s face is still fresh in my mind even though it has been more than 35 years since I last heard her share the story. is memory will never fade for me.
We all need things in our lives that ll us with such joy that it is re ected on our faces whether we are engaging in the activity or telling the story of it. We need things that color our vision, helping us to see the beauty that surrounds us.
Take time this week to think about the things that are so exciting to you that they light your face when you mention them.
During struggles, unmitigated joy is a tonic that will help each one of us.
If you would be willing to share, I would love to know what creates joy for you, I can be contacted at jim.roome@gmail.com .
As always, I hope that you will nd inspiration in my words and share those words of encouragement with those who need it. ank you to all who have shared stories with me so far, I love hearing from you as you nd helpful morsels in these columns and nd ways to encourage those around you.
Jim Roome lives in Arvada with his wife Beth. He spent 34 years in public education. Lessons learned from the one two punch of being diagnosed with MS shortly before his best friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer led him into a new pursuit as a freelance writer and speaker. He uses his life experiences and love of stories to inspire, educate and encourage local, national and international audiences.
What you need to know about Douglas County’s leash laws
Many areas require restraints on canines
BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Even the most obedient dogs can be tempted by sounds and wildlife when outdoors, potentially putting themselves, the handler or wildlife at risk. is is why dogs in Douglas County are required to be on a leash when on public property.
“Dogs are required to be physically restrained by a 15-foot leash when on public property within unincorporated Douglas County,” said Bryanna Munns, an animal law enforcement sergeant with the Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce. Unincorporated areas are those outside of city and town limits. Cities and towns within Douglas County also have leash laws. For example, Castle Rock requires leashes, cords and chains to not exceed more than 10 feet in length.
Munns added that dogs must be physically restrained by someone who is capable of maintaining control of the dog to ensure that the dog is not approaching other animals or people without permission. Dogs found o the owner or handler’s property are called “strays,” according to the Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce website, and may be impounded.
If owners fail to properly control their dog or allow it to run at large in the community, they are in violation of Douglas County’s Resolution 019-029.
Enforcement of the resolution consists of the option for an educational conversation, a formal written warning and a payable ne.
e sheri ’s website also states that nes for violations begin at $50 per animal, and increases with additional violations. A summons for the dog owner to appear in court may also happen. “ e enforcement action that the responding o cer takes is dependent upon the previous history of the dog owner,” said Munns. “And whether the individual is receptive to our contact.”
Why Douglas County has leash laws ere are multiple reasons why leash laws are put in place.
Not only does having a dog on a leash allow the owner or handler to more eas-
ily break up any negative encounters with other animals or people, but it also helps prevent dogs from roaming into unsafe areas, such as onto icy ponds.
With coyotes being a frequent sight throughout Douglas County, the Highlands Ranch Metro District says having dogs on a leash can help protect them, as coyotes and other wildlife might see an unleashed dog as prey or a threat to their territory.
Where can I allow my well-behaved dog to run free?
Dogs are allowed to run o leash in nearby designated o leash areas that are fenced in. ese include Chat eld State Park, South Suburban’s David A. Lorenz Regional Park, Bayou Gulch Regional Park, Fairgrounds Regional Park, Glendale Farm Open Space and Devon’s Dog Park at Greenland Open Space.
e Highlands Ranch Metro District also has four o -leash dog parks, which are open daily from 7 a.m. to sunset. e parks include:
• Digger’s at Dad Clark Park, 3385 Astrobrook Circle
• Fido’s Field at Foothills Park, 1042 Riddlewood Road
• Hound Hill at Highland Heritage Regional Park, 9651 S. Quebec St.
• Rover’s Run at Redstone Park, 3280 Redstone Park Circle
In Parker, a dog should be on a leash 30 feet or shorter in all parks and trails, except for the USMC CPL David M. Sonka Dog Park.
Every park requires the owner or handler to put a leash on their dog when entering and exiting the park, and to pick up after their dogs. Owners or handlers must carry a leash at all times and be present in the park with their pet.
Additionally, dogs must be vaccinated, and aggressive dogs and dogs-in-season are not allowed.
Are dogs allowed on local walking trails?
In terms of taking dogs on walking trails, dogs are not allowed on the Wildcat Mountain Trail System or the Highlands Point Trail system. However, if on a leash, they are allowed on the Rocky Gulch Trail and the Douglas County East/West Trail.
More information about leash laws and owner expectations in Douglas County can be found on the Douglas County website at tinyurl.com/bde4a48k.
Keeping dogs on a leash allows the owner or handler to break up any negative encounters with other animals or people and helps prevent dogs from roaming into unsafe areas. SHUTTERSTOCK
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Elizabeth Fire achieves banner year
District, chief both take top statewide honors for 2024
BY NICKY QUINBY SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
For the Elizabeth Fire Protection District, 2024 was a banner year. In September, EFPD was awarded the statewide J. Evan Goulding District of the Year Award, and in October, Fire Chief T.J. Steck won the George Mazzotti Fire Chief of the Year Award. e award, issued by the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, was presented at the Colorado State Fire Chief’s Leadership Challenge the week of October 21-25 in Keystone.
According to Division Chief Kara Gerczynski, the Fire Chief of the Year Award “honors an individual’s positive contributions to leadership, innovation, professional development, integrity, service to the public and contributions to the Colorado Fire Service as a whole.”
Steck has worked for the re district for over 30 years and is an Elizabeth native. “ is is an incredible honor to be recognized among so many other great leaders in the Colorado re service,” he said, “but none of this could happen without the stellar performance of our sta and crew members every day. is is a very easy job when you have a team like ours.”
Gerczynski nominated Steck for the award, which can only be awarded one time over an individual’s career. “He has focused his organization on value-based operations with customer service as the highest priority,” she said. “Outside the Elizabeth community, he has been the voice for the `little guy,’ helping the smaller districts in rural Colorado have a voice on a state level. He began his service in 1990 as a volunteer re ghter and, in 1994, he was hired as the re prevention and training chief. In 2009, Chief Steck was appointed as the re chief for the Elizabeth Fire Protection District.”
Battalion Chief Nick Carnesi has worked under Steck’s leadership for nearly 25 years.
“During this time,” Carnesi said, “Chief Steck has been a mentor to me, and he has taught me the true importance of what this job is all about. Providing the best service to our community has been the de ning theme under
Chief Steck’s leadership. With our focus on customer service, we have been able to maintain a positive relationship with our community.”
Carnesi continued: “Chief Steck has been a strong advocate for rural re agencies and has played a vital role in passing key legislation to provide funding and tools for these agencies to continue to provide service to their communities. e George Mazzotti Fire Chief of the Year Award honors service to the public, and contributions to the Colorado re service as a whole; we are all extremely proud of Chief Steck for receiving this award.”
Gerczynski speci cally cited several of Steck’s accomplishments over the years, including creating a mission statement and core values, spearheading a successful mill levy and actively pursuing grants. “Chief Steck’s accomplishments do not end in Elbert County but have reached re districts across the state,” she added.
In 2011, Steck created a health-care group
to leverage the cost of health care for EFPD and other state government agencies. In 2016, he began working with the Special Districts Association, chiefs across the state and the Colorado General Assembly to successfully pass HB-1088 to allow re districts to collect impact fees. He also started a monthly, virtual leadership series and more than 200 people have been attending these training courses.
For more information on the Colorado State Fire Chiefs, visit co rechiefs.org. e organization’s vision is to “partner with the re service and supplier partners across the State of Colorado in their e orts to protect all of Colorado’s life and property from re and other disasters.”
e award is named in honor of George Mazzotti, one of the original founders of the North Washington Fire Department in Adams County. Mazzotti passed away in 2018.
More information about the Elizabeth Fire Protection District is available at elizabethfpd. colorado.gov.
Elbert County libraries boost local involvement
Community Co ee & Chat is opportunity for connection
BY NICKY QUINBY SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
In the new year, Pines & Plains Libraries will have a new event — the Elizabeth Community Co ee & Chat. e library district describes it as the “perfect chance to connect, share ideas, and build friendships in a relaxed, welcoming environment.”
people together and encourage them to get out into the community and get involved.
Community Conversations, a more in-depth program, is scheduled once a month and revolves around a speci c topic of conversation.
e upcoming January conversation topic will be resilient schools, February will focus on the media and polarization and in March the discussion will be about public health.
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e Co ee & Chat is a successful existing program in other library districts, including Douglas County Libraries. Kim Miller, manager of the Kiowa Library, is excited about the opportunity.
“All these programs are to help promote community and bring people together. I know I have met so many wonderful people through the programs,” she said.
Miller is referring not only to the Co ee & Chats but other events like Community Conversations.
e goal of both Community Conversations and the Co ee & Chat is to help create community and opportunities to meet other people. e Co ee & Chat, Miller said, is designed to bring
e rst Elizabeth Community Co ee & Chat will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 14 from 10-11 a.m. at the Elizabeth Library, 651 Beverly St. Attendees are welcome to have a cup of co ee, doughnut and great conversation.
e co ee will be straight from Dancing Jaguar, a family-owned co ee roasting business based in Kiowa. ey’ve been growing co ee for four generations. To learn more about Dancing Jaguar Co ee, visit their website at dancingjaguarco ee.com.
Future Elizabeth Community Co ee & Chats will be on the second Tuesday of each month at 10 am. Simla Library also holds a Co ee & Chat on the second Wednesday of every month at 10:30 am. For more information about these and other upcoming events, visit pplibraries.org/03activities.
Division Chief of Fire Prevention and Administration Kara Gerczynski, left, and Fire Chief T.J. Steck stand in the Elizabeth Fire Protection District Administration Building at 146 N. Elbert St. Steck is holding the prestigious George Mazzotti Award.
PHOTO BY NICKY QUINBY
TikTok and timeouts: How I took my life back from social media
“Hold up! You’ve been scrolling for way too long now. Maybe get some food, get some water, and then come back later.”
Annoyed, I rolled my eyes at the TikTok Man and kept scrolling. TikTok’s algorithm will occasionally interject one of these “time to take a break” videos into your feed, supposedly when you’ve been on the app for over an hour. But I thought the algorithm to be a bunch of baloney. I hadn’t even been scrolling for that long! Or… had I? I closed the app to check my “screen time,” a feature on the iPhone that monitors your usage of di erent kinds of apps. e apps are grouped into categories such as “social media,” “productivity” and “navigation.” Feeling smug, I was certain the majority of my screen time that week was spent on something worthwhile. Something in the “productivity” category, surely.
“TikTok: 3 hours 53 minutes,” my phone read. I had been scrolling on that darn app for almost four hours. Four hours! My most used category? Social media. e Information and Reading category came next. Navigation was third. (I am 100% dependent on Google Maps so this came as no surprise.) e Productivity category didn’t even make my top ve. My average daily screen time was 8 hours, 27 minutes, over an hour longer than the average Gen Z-er, and I already knew my generation spends an absurd amount of time on screens. We’re not quite iPad kids (that’s Gen Alpha) but we are absolutely “chronically online.”
I was stunned. Was it true? Was I doomscrolling my life away?
Desperate, I quickly devised a plan. In my Notes app. Hopefully doing so would raise my daily average in the “productivity” category. at felt important. To be frank, the amount of time I was still spending on X (formerly Twitter) despite it being a terrible app ever since Elon Musk bought it, was downright embarrassing.
I decided to name my plan “No More Brain Rot”. “Brain rot,” ironically, is a term I learned on Xitter. Urban Dictionary denes brain rot content as “the various ‘short’ type-videos (typically a YouTube short, a TikTok, an Instagram reel etc.) that swarm social media feeds. It’s very easy to get sucked in and watch one short after another without even noticing. is lack of stimulation (or more correctly, empty stimulation) ‘rots’ the brain because of its self-repetition and low quality.”
As I began to draft my plan, I was reminded of something my dad used to tell my brother and me when we were kids. He told us that watching too much TV can turn your brain into soup. I fear he was on to something.
While Urban Dictionary and dad jokes are great in their own right, they’re not exactly reputable sources. So I did a little bit more research. I could spend hours on TikTok or Instagram without even noticing, let alone remembering any of the content I took in. When I watched a movie, however, or read a long-form article, I retained virtually all of it. Why is that? I wondered.
It turns out that short-form content like TikToks or reels on Instagram and Facebook give us an instant dopamine release in the brain’s reward pathways. Scientists say this makes dopamine levels spike to way above baseline. When you watch a movie or read a book, the dopamine release is a slow burn. You have to practice delayed grati cation to get the most out of the experience.
We live in an attention economy, mean-
ing human attention has been commodi ed. Modern marketing tactics aim to “buy” your attention. Social media companies know this, and have designed their algorithms in a way that keeps you scrolling. And scrolling. And scrolling. As a result, young Americans’ attention spans have gotten shorter over time. ere is a growing amount of popular books, documentaries and TedX Talks on the subject, such as Atomic Habits, Scroll Zombies, e Social Dilemma, Dopamine Nation and more.
Not to be dramatic, but my reliance on those little dopamine hits throughout the day felt a little bit like an addiction in its own right. I was worried about what my “withdrawals” might look like. So as I put together my plan, I knew I needed to nd other things to do when I craved these digital drugs.
I thought back to what I used to do before social media. Tapped into my inner child. I used to spend more time outside. I used to read more books. I used to call my grandparents more often.
Suddenly, the prospect of a digital detox seemed a little less scary.
No More Brain Rot was a minimalistic program. It only had three steps.
Step one: Delete, Delete, Delete e rst step was deleting all of my social media apps. Not my accounts, just deleting the apps o of my phone. While I had worries about missing the next “demure” joke, “Moo Deng” video, and other viral moments, I put my pride aside. What’s more important, being up-to-date on all the latest lingo and online trends, or improving my mental health and quality of life? If I had to be out of the loop for a beat, so be it.
Step two: Timeout Timeline
e next step was to come up with a timeline. I had no idea how long a digital detox should last. I decided to shoot for 70 days because that’s how long Amy Winehouse said rehab takes, and this is basically the same thing. (Also, fortunately, I do have 70 days to work on this!) I also decided to make a goal of cutting my screen time in half. at meant I would allow myself 4½ hours of screen time a day. is step was important because without setting goals related to my screen time, I risked replacing my social media usage with Reddit or Candy Crush. Sticking to it for 70 days ensured I had enough time to form new, healthier habits.
Step three: Touching Grass
Once I had a clean (app-free) slate and a rough timeline to work with, I was ready for step three, which I called “touching grass.” I thought of things I’d like to do more in my day-to-day life, and then when I wanted to go on my phone, I did one of those things instead. Reading, calling a friend, working out, meditating, journaling, pondering over the meaning of life … there are endless possibilities. I didn’t do all of these things every day, but it helped to have a lot of options.
My Takeaway
One of my goals for 2024 was to read ve books. It might sound like a low bar to clear, but up until I began this challenge in late September, my 2024 book count was a whopping two. And one was an audiobook, so does that really count? Determined to avoid yet another failed New
My average daily screen time was 8 hours, 27 minutes, over an hour longer than the average Gen Z-er, and I already knew my generation spends an absurd amount of time on screens. We’re not quite iPad kids (that’s Gen Alpha) but we are absolutely “chronically online.”
Year’s resolution, I picked out a stack of books and got to work. I couldn’t believe I had abandoned my love for reading for hours of doomscrolling on social media. And while I still have one to go, I can condently say it was a success.
One of the interesting things about giving up social media is you remember who your reallife friends are. My real friends and I still texted and hung out like normal. Sure, they couldn’t send me funny TikToks or memes for 10 weeks, but we still communicated. is made me examine the people on my social media. I realized I was following so many people I don’t talk to anymore, which made my social media experience all the more overwhelming at times.
Whether it was a classmate from high school, or someone I met at a party during undergrad, it all felt like unnecessary clutter. It’s nothing personal; it’s just that I don’t need to know Chad from eta Xi’s thoughts on cryptocurrency. I vowed to unfollow quite a few of these folks once my digital detox ended.
I wasn’t perfect every day, but I was reminded of one of my former editor’s favorite quotes, “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.” Focusing on the good, the results of my 70-day digital detox are pretty rad. I got back into reading, learned how to do a pulI-up, spent more time outside, and felt more present in my day-today life. I even inspired my stepdad to join in on the challenge with me. It was helpful to have someone else to go through the process with. And he’s actually still going!
So, what now?
While part of me thought I could keep going forever, it didn’t feel realistic for me to never return to social media, both as a young reporter and an Enjoyer of Memes. But the process has changed my approach to social media. I don’t use it as a distraction from real life anymore. Instead, I try to use other habits for escapism, like listening to podcasts, going out for a walk or getting lost in a book.
Since I’ve unfollowed a lot of people, I notice that spending time on social media doesn’t make me feel bad about myself the way it used to. Comparison is the thief of joy, and comparing myself to in uencers was not serving me in any way. rough my research while on the break, I learned about a lot of tools people use to limit their social media usage. Once I returned, I set up controls on my
phone that “time me out” of social media usage. It’s like using parental controls on a kid’s iPad, except I’m doing it for myself. ere are tons of apps out there that can help you limit your social media use. I’m proud to say that if you look at my screen time report today, the ‘productivity’ category has taken rst place.
London Lyle is a freelance reporter for the Denver North Star and La Ciudad newsletter.
LONDON LYLE
London Lyle
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
new kind of social scene is quietly brewing in the Denver metro area, one that’s less about the buzz of alcohol and more about the calm of connection. Across the city’s vibrant neighborhoods, kava bars are emerging as popular alternatives to traditional bar scenes.
O ering a range of holistic, non-alcoholic beverages, calming atmospheres and a focus on plant-based medicinal drinks, these venues are rede ning what it means to “go out” in Denver’s metro area.
Once a niche concept relegated to tropical destinations like south Florida, where they are widely popular, kava bars are now nding their place in Colorado’s social landscape.
Rooted in the ancient South Paci c tradition of drinking kava for relaxation and social bonding, these bars have become gathering spaces for those seeking refuge from alcohol-infused spaces.
Central to this experience is the tradition of saying
“Bula” before drinking kava. Derived from Fijian culture, “Bula” is more than just a toast. It’s a wish for good health, happiness and a long life.
Many kava bars also o er wellness-centric community spaces, often featuring activities like yoga, meditation sessions and social events, link bingo or trivia, providing new ways for people to connect without the haze of alcohol.
e appeal of alcohol-free spaces is clear. As health consciousness grows, particularly among millennials and Gen Z, so does the demand for spaces that promote relaxation, self-care and authentic connection.
For some, it’s about living a “sober curious” lifestyle; for others, it’s a preference for experiences that prioritize well-being over intoxication. Whatever the reason, the rise of these venues signals a shift in the social habits of Denver area residents, o ering fresh options for those looking to unwind without the side e ects of a hangover.
The Karma House — Lakewood’s spiritual hub
Just past the entrance of the Karma House in Lake-
wood sits several cozy couches ahead of a long bar busy with patrons sipping kava, herbal teas or plantbased beverages like kratom or other adaptogenic drinks believed to help the body resist stress. e space is warm, friendly and packed with the sounds of social chatter, even in the middle of the afternoon.
With a “zero tolerance” policy for alcohol and illegal substances, e Karma House identi es as a welcoming alcohol-free space vs. a sober bar. is distinction re ects its focus on o ering natural, mood-altering beverages like kava and kratom, which, according to research, promote relaxation, focus and pain relief.
“It’s de nitely not a sober bar,” said Deonna Lupola, who is one of the Karma House’s three owners, adding that their goal is to maintain a safe, transparent space for patrons seeking a calm, mindful, alcohol-free experience.
“A lot of people that come here are in recovery. ey’re looking for an alternative place to hang out and get the bar atmosphere without the booze,” she said.
Kava is a plant-based drink made from the roots of the Piper methysticum plant, which is native to the South Pacific islands. SHUTTERSTOCK
CONNECTION
“I’ve been coming here since 2021, and it’s become a vital part of my support system,” said Tanner O’Leary, a frequent patron who is six years sober. “ e community here is like no other. Everyone’s looking out for each other. It’s a place where I’ve found real connections and friendships.”
Operating as a nonpro t, Lupola said the Karma House uses revenue from its beverage sales to support community events, wellness programming and fundraising initiatives. It hosts daily activities like yoga, Reiki and cultural workshops. Lupola said the owners also prioritize harm reduction and education, o ering patrons guidance on the safe use of plant-based substances. Its “Harm Reduction Hive” teaches customers how to identify and navigate risky situations, empowering them to make informed choices.
Patrons can also attend “Self-Care Sundays” and
TOP PHOTO: Patrons at That’s Kava in Englewood enjoy a relaxed hangout where they can socialize, work or play games.
BOTTOM: “Bula” (pronounced boo-lah) is a Fijian word meaning “life” or “to live” and is often used as a toast, similar to “cheers” in Western cultures. PHOTOS BY
other wellness events o ering practical tools for daily life.
“ e idea is that you have the best tools to succeed each and every day, no matter what obstacles come your way,” Lupola said.
That’s Kava — Englewood’s plant-based social scene e atmosphere at at’s Kava in Englewood reects its open-minded philosophy. With a tropical motif re ective of kava bars popular in Florida, its brightly painted walls invoke a party vibe meant to welcome people who might initially come in looking for a “regular bar” experience but are curious enough to stay.
Owner Ryan Gieski is quick to state that his place isn’t as recovery-focused as others.
“I don’t care what you do on the weekends, as long as you’re chill when you walk in,” Gieski said. is philosophy ensures that everyone, from those in recovery to those just seeking a new experience, feels at ease in the space.
at’s Kava is designed to be a true social space, not just a beverage counter. As one visitor explained,
“ is place feels like a social hangout. You might see bingo or trivia once a week, but most nights, it’s just a space to chill, work on a laptop or have a conversation.”
Gieski’s place emphasizes conscious consumption, focusing on education and transparency. Sta are well-versed in the properties of kava, kratom and other botanicals, and they actively educate customers on how to make informed decisions.
New patrons are often walked through the di erent types of beverages and their e ects.
“I’m big on education,” Gieski said. “Our bartenders go through days of training to ensure they understand the products they’re serving and how to best help serve our customers.”
e beverage menu is larger than most, featuring not just traditional kava and kratom but also teas and kratom alternatives like velvet bean. Gieski believes the range of o erings showcases the di erent properties of each drink while accommodating diverse preferences.
He is proud that customers can try unique blends incorporating natural spices like turmeric, ginger and black pepper for added health bene ts and improved taste. Gieski also regularly tests his products to ensure they’re free from contamination.
“We tested all commercially available kava in the market and 78% of it came back contaminated,” he said. As a result, he continues to test all of the products he buys and urges consumers to buy from only reputable sources.
at’s Kava isn’t a nonpro t, but Gieski said he doesn’t take a paycheck, and customers regularly raise money for friends and community members in need.
Why are kava bars becoming the new social haven?
Gieski and Lupola believe their establishments o er a sense of community and connection that can be hard to nd in traditional bars.
When Lupola quit drinking, she discovered how much she disliked being around people who were. “ en I found Kava bars,” she said. “And I stopped wanting to go out and party. It was a natural transition.”
Gieski said while there are around seven or eight kava bars in the Denver area, he expects that number to grow exponentially in the coming years.
What’s driving this shift? According to a 2022 report by the Food Institute, the rise of non-alcoholic alternatives re ects broader social trends around reducing alcohol intake and cites improving mental health as the main reason adults are limiting their consumption.
With their focus on mindful consumption and meaningful interactions, kava bars o er a clear solution for those wanting to socialize without the booze.
e market shows no sign of slowing down, either. e global demand for kava root extract is expected to grow from $1.4 billion in 2023 to $4.6 billion by 2031, according to market research. Analysts attribute part of the increased interest to a greater concentration on mental health and wellbeing.
So, whether you’re raising a cup of kava, served in a traditional coconut shell, with old friends or sharing stories with new ones, many say there’s no better way to end the night than with a communal wish for well-being.
Bula!
What is kava?
Kava is a plant-based drink made from the roots of the Piper methysticum plant, which is native to the South Paci c islands. Traditionally consumed in ceremonial and social gatherings, kava holds signi cant cultural importance in places like Fiji, Vanuatu and Tonga. e drink has a long history of being used to promote relaxation, ease anxiety and foster social bonding.
e active compounds in kava, known as kavalactones, are responsible for its calming e ects. Unlike alcohol, which impairs cognitive function, kava induces a state of relaxation and mental clarity without a ecting alertness. is unique e ect makes it an appealing choice for those seeking a mindful way to relax or socialize. Kava is legal in Colorado and is not classi ed as a controlled substance at the federal or state level, but you must be 21 or older to consume it.
Kava doesn’t come without risks. According to the Cleveland Clinic, kava works similarly to alcohol and some anxiety and Parkinson’s medications, and it can be dangerous to combine them. Some components of kava are also known to be toxic to the liver.
Talk to a healthcare provider before trying kava or any other plant-based medicinal drink.
SUZIE GLASSMAN
FRIGID FUN
Evergreen’s annual lake plunge returns to kick o the new year
BY TIM WEIGHART SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
New year’s day at Evergreen Lake this year had the perfect weather to bundle up and celebrate the holiday on the lake: blue skies, a vibrant sun and just a bit of chill in the air. However, for roughly 400 people from across the state, bundling up was only a temporary luxury as they prepared to jump into the ice-cold water.
e annual Evergreen Lake Plunge is a longstanding tradition run by the nonpro t Active4All to raise money for its INSPIRE program, which aims to provide inclusive recreational activities to kids with disabilities. Last year’s plunge hosted a record number of jumpers who collectively raised over $40,000 dollars for INSPIRE.
John DuRussell, president of Active4All, said INSPIRE hopes to use donated funds to build an ADA accessible playground and work on a skate park and amphitheater.
While a few bold souls have been taking the yearly plunge since long before Active4All started running the event, many more experienced the grueling waters for the rst time in 2025.
“ is is just one of the rst challenges we’ll overcome this year,” said rst-timeplunger Jeremy Salter from Strasburg. Jeremy and his daughter wore matching Bluey shirts as they jumped, getting in on the trend of wearing matching out ts or costumes when jumping into the lake. Other attendees wore onesies portraying animals or ctional characters, in-
cluding Emily and Leo from Parker, who dressed as Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc., and Rosalie from Denver, another rst-timer, who dressed as a shark.
“I just really love sharks, and I gured a shark might be a good thing to get into chilly water with,” Rosalie said, laughing. “ is seems crazy, but also like a really fresh way to start the new year.”
Second-time plunger PJ Holtz from Evergreen was also looking for a fresh start through the plunge.
“It was a little warmer last year,” Holtz said, bouncing up and down to stay warm in his singlet and shorts. “I do triathlons, and this is the start of my March tri season — my rst open water swim of the year.”
Regardless of whether you do the plunge once or do it annually, it’s guaranteed to leave an impact, something that DuRussell knows all too well thanks to his friend and long-time plunger Paul Regan pressuring him into it six years ago. “I only did it one time, and it was ve degrees and windy,” DuRussell recalled. “I told Paul that I wasn’t going to do it again, and he told me ‘You either do it again, or you run it!’ So I said, ‘Okay, I’ll run it.’” And the event has been a yearly staple for DuRussell and Active4All ever since.
As the event began, plungers stored their towels and belongings in plastic crates before lining up behind the jumpo point. e rectangular hole cut out of the ice had a ladder on the opposite end, meaning everyone had to swim about ten meters across the dark water before they could get refuge from the brutal cold.
Regardless of their con dence or their nerves, most plungers looked shocked and ready to get back on land as soon as they hit the water.
Exposing so many people to such cold water would be impossible without the supervision and safety practices implemented by the Evergreen Fire/Rescue squad, ensuring that everyone got in and out of the water safely.
“It’s always exciting to see so many people join, and to see their facial expressions,” said Doug Matheny, a volunteer captain who has overseen the event for nine straight years. “ e department’s here to help out the community, make sure it’s safe, and get the ice ready for them.”
e Fire/Rescue squad is always on standby to keep the ladder out of the pool steady, watch out for each person
currently in the pool, and stay ready to jump in to help out anyone who is too shocked by the cold water to swim out on their own.
“We’ve pulled a lot of people out. Once you get them out, they’re ne, but the shock in that cold water can get you in the moment,” Matheny said.
Even though more and more people from across the Denver metro have come up to the lake in recent years, the Evergreen Lake Plunge still feels like a vibrant celebration of the local community. e sponsors, rescue team and the skate park company where the plunge is located are all locally based and dedicated to helping Evergreen be the fun and welcoming town that it is.
Cheers to everyone who makes the plunge possible, and for many more plunges in the years to come.
Emily and Leo from Parker took the plunge in matching “Monsters, Inc.” onesies.
Thu 1/16
Man Cub & MEDZ
@ 7pm Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St, Denver
Secret Recipe Music
@ 8:30pm
Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom & Other Side, 2637 Welton St, Denver Luci
@ 9pm / $14.95
The Church Nightclub, Denver
Fri 1/17
Patrick Dethlefs
@ 7pm
The Thin Man, 2015 E 17th Ave, Denver
party iconic presents: LONG LIVE ERAS - 18+
emalkay @ 9pm Club Vinyl, 1082 N Broadway, Denver
Sat 1/18
Wild Love Tigress: Album Release Show @ 7pm
Mon 1/20
Beyond Laser Light Experience @ 12pm Denver
Lana del Rabies @ 7pm
Hi-Dive, 7 S Broadway, Denver
Tue 1/21
Free Castle Rock Business Networking Rockstar Connect Event (January, CO) @ 4:30pm
@ 8pm / $17-$23 Marquis, Denver
Jono Zalay: Don't Tell Comedy @ RINO
@ 8pm
RiNo District, 2700 Block of Larimer St., Denver
Bellakeo - 2000's Reggaeton Night - 21+
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Summit, Denver
Dechen Hawk
@ 9pm
BurnDown Denver, 476 S Broadway, Denver
Lost Lake Lounge, 3602 E Colfax Ave, Denver
Broadway Rave @ 8pm
Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St, Den‐
Ashes Fallen @ 8pm
Skylark Lounge, 140 S Broadway, Denver
High Altitude @ 9pm Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St, Denver
Benny Benassi (21+ Event) @ 10pm
Temple Nightclub Denver, 1136 Broadway, Den‐
ver
Sun 1/19
Ben Barnes @ 7pm
Summit Music Hall, 1902 Blake St, Denver
Kevin James Doyle: After Endgame @ 7pm
Chaos Bloom Theater, 70 S Broadway, Denver
Vampires Everywhere @ 8pm HQ, 60 S Broadway, Denver
The Of�ce Co. Bar & �itchen, 230 Third Street #Ste 100, Castle Rock. sde@ rockstarconnect.com
Continental League Honor Music Festival @ 7pm
Finney Fan Page: Interrogation:
Crime Stories @ 7:30pm Comedy Works South, 5345 Landmark Pl, Greenwood Village Jesus Christ Taxi Driver @ 8pm
Theatre, 1621 Glenarm Place, Den‐
Thu 1/23
glaive @ 8pm Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave, Denver Beyond Laser Light Experience @ 4pm
Boettcher Concert Hall, 1400 Curtis Street, Denver
Natalie Jane @ 7pm
Bluebird Theater, 3317 E Colfax Av, Denver
Wed 1/22
Beyond Laser Light Experience @ 4pm Denver
Back to the Future - The Musical @ 7:30pm
Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre, 1400 Cur‐tis Street, Denver
DJ Rockstar Aaron @ 8pm Bout Time Pub & Grub, 3580 S Platte River Dr
@ 9pm / $14.95
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BURGLARIES
Persons of interest
One question at the town hall asked whether the burglars are part of a “South American theft group,” a term that has circulated in news media coverage.
“We don’t have any indication or any evidence in our dinnertime burglaries that the suspects are coming from one particular nation or another,” Brown said.
When asked whether there is any evidence that suspects in the burglaries of Asian business owners’ homes in the Arapahoe sheri jurisdiction are coming from one nation or demographic, Ginger Delgado, an Arapahoe sheri spokesperson, said: “ is is something investigators are still working together to gure out.”
For his jurisdiction, Weekly said, “In Douglas County, we believe they are Colombian nationals.”
Asked why o cials believe that Colombian nationals are involved, Weekly referred to “people that have been identi ed in relation to the investigations” of Asian business owners’ home burglaries.
“We have several people identi ed that we believe are persons of interest in the cases,” Weekly said, adding: “We are closer than we’ve ever been to making arrests and cracking this (case) wide open.”
Asked whether the alleged Colombian nationals are believed to also be U.S. citizens or legal immigrants, undocumented immigrants or migrants who are seeking asylum, Deputy Cocha Heyden, a spokesperson for the Douglas sheri ’s o ce, said: “Until we make arrests, we won’t know all those details.”
She added in a December statement that it is “hard to know” the number of 2024 burglaries of Asian business owners’ homes in Douglas County that Colombian nationals are believed to have committed.
“In regards to our belief that the suspects may be from (Colombia), this is still part of the investigation and we can’t release anything else on that right now,”
Heyden said. Sugioka, the chief deputy district attorney, said “we should not assume” that every burglary is committed by one group. He noted the concept of “copycat” crimes.
“It could be one group with add-ons, it could be multiple groups, but certainly when you’re looking at (this) speci c pattern, there’s at least a group,” Sugioka said.
‘Minutes count’
O cials also described how the crimes appear to work.
In burglaries that a ected Asian business owners, the suspects may employ “sophisticated tactics” to track their victim’s activity before the burglary by placing hidden cameras in the area to determine when the homes are unoccupied, according to the Douglas sheri ’s o ce.
Weekly urged the public to report suspicious activity, adding that “we can catch these people in the act.”
“ ese suspects are trying to look like cable guys, repairmen, phone repairmen,” Weekly said, adding: “If it’s a legitimate person working on the line, that’s ne, but let us get out there. We’ve been close to catching these guys (before).”
“You don’t even have to give your name. You can give the address” and hang up, Weekly added. “Minutes count when these things are happening.”
Cohn, the Arapahoe sergeant, said ocials believe criminals are also watching the businesses.
“If a vehicle is following you, take two left turns,” Cohn said, adding: “If you’re an Asian business owner, talk to your neighbors (and say) ‘I need your help.’”
Other states are being hit as well, Weekly said.
“We’re working with other states as well, and we may (involve) our federal partners,” Weekly said.
Tips on staying safe
O cials also o ered advice on how to guard against burglary.
“You want to make your home an unattractive target,” Sugioka said. “ ese guys
are opportunists.”
“Install cameras not only on the exterior of your home, but put them on the interior,” Brown said, adding that it’s important to keep homes lit up outside.
Dogs can act as a deterrent, Cohn said, adding that criminals “don’t want to be bit.”
ieves also burglarize garages. Don’t put keys and valuables right by your door, Cohn said.
“Make sure your garage door opener is hidden,” Cohn said, adding: “Keep your cars clean. Keep any identifying information out of your vehicles” because criminals can use it to target your home.
Other security tips from the sheri s include:
• Lock doors and windows when you’re leaving home.
• Install motion-sensor lights outdoors.
• Talk to your neighbors.
• Hide jewelry or place it in a safe secured to the oor.
“Put those valuables in a bank,” Weekly said. “ e reason they keep hitting is because it’s lucrative.”
O cials emphasized talking to law enforcement.
If you report about a car that seems not to have a reason to be in the area, that may not be a crime — but if the car pops up again, that may be relevant information to law enforcement, Sugioka said.
O cials have victim’s advocates who can provide services to victims of crimes, Brown said.
“You can come to us, and you can share what happened, and it’s (a) judgmentfree zone,” Brown said.
Elbert Legals
PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD
