Highlands Ranch Herald March 21, 2024

BY MCKENNA HARFOD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

After seventh-grader Alex Mackiewicz in Highlands Ranch was killed by a driver that ran a red light, Master O cer Tom O’Donnell responded to the call. He didn’t show up at the intersection where Mackiewicz had been riding his “onewheel” scooter. Instead, he went to Mountain Ridge

Middle School to console students and sta . And, he brought along his new partner, Buddy, an eightmonth-old English labrador.

Students and sta at the school stroked Buddy’s soft fur, gave him hugs, and let him ease a hard day in a way that no human could.

“He was a very big help,” O’Donnell said of his partner. “One girl who was petting him said he took her grief

away for a moment.”

Gone are the days when police dogs were only used for searching and apprehending suspects.

Castle Rock Police Department is pioneering the development of a therapy dog program, and Buddy is Colorado’s rst canine community response team member.

Castle Rock Police O cer Tom O’Donnell and therapy dog Buddy at Festival Park in Castle Rock. They are part of the department’s growing therapy dog program, which is part of the school resource o cers program and community response teams.

PHOTO

Douglas County district poised to buy school in Parker for special education students

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Douglas County School District may spend $4.3 million on a school property to house its special education programs for students with disabilities.

e site, in Parker, is the former Colorado Early Colleges charter school. It has 16 classrooms and 100 parking spaces across a roughly 24,000-square-foot campus. It would become the new location for Parker area students in the district’s Bridge Program, which helps students with disabilities transition out of high school and into independent living.

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Kane said the district has been planning to move the Bridge and Child Find programs into a permanent building for two years and had included $7 million in the 2023 bond for construction of a 10,000-squarefoot building. Since the bond failed, the district has been looking for other solutions.

“ e impact for taxpayers is pretty remarkable because it’s a big savings,” Kane said. “You can see what a better deal $4.3 million is over what would have ended up closer to $10 million to build a building that’s half the size.”

Money for the purchase will come from the sale of a surplus school site in January that netted the district $4.9 million. If the deal is approved, the district plans to have the site operational for next school year.

“We’re not sitting on some kind of magic pot of money,” Kane said. “It won’t take operational resources away because of we just closed in January on a surplus school site. I also want to say that our surplus school sites should not be expected to raise $4.9 million each.”

e school site includes a cafeteria,

kitchen, science labs, a basketball court, room for bus circulation and a much larger parking lot than the current site for Parker’s Bridge Program.  Director of Special Education Liza Meier said the school would provide a huge improvement for the Bridge and Child Find programs.

“We’ll have opportunities and space to enhance our special ed programs,” Meier said, adding that the space could also help expand programs in the future.

Kane said sta have been doing their best in conditions she nds unacceptable and believes this could provide relief.

“I really want to do a tremendous shout out to our sta at the Bridge Program and the Child Find Program because they are the ones who have absolutely been making lemonade out of lemons,”

Once the Bride Program in Parker is relocated to the new school, the district is planning to sell the old site. School board members expressed a lot of support for the plan. Board president Christy WIlliams said she plans to schedule a special meeting on March 26 to vote on the purchase.

Douglas County School District is considering purchasing the former Colorado Early Colleges school building in Parker for $4.3 million. It would house some of the district’s special education programs. COURTESY DOUGLAS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

What’s Behind the Buzz About ‘Indoor Air Quality’ & ‘Sick Building Syndrome’?

I remember decades ago, back in New York City, first hearing the term “sick building syndrome.” It had something to do with the chemicals from materials such as new carpet outgassing negatively affecting the health of office workers and home occupants.

More recently, we began hearing about “indoor air quality,” an issue that was addressed by HVAC and other vendors.

Next we started hearing about “volatile organic compounds” which was the name given to those chemicals that were out-gassing not just from carpeting but even from the paint applied to your walls. Merchants started advertising “low-VOC” products, not just paint and carpeting, that had less or none of the chemicals which could be harmful to human health.

In recent years, Americans and others became aware that plastic is not being recycled nearly enough, and in the past year we discovered that microplastics are even in bottled water. Fish in the ocean, it appears, have now consumed so much plastic that micro plastic is even in our sushi. Add that to reports of mercury contamination.

ever a gas burner is on, not just when your food is smoking. And let’s not forget the ever-present risk of home explosion in a home plumbed with natural gas. Now, that would be unhealthy!

But I digress. This is a real estate column, not a political column, and not a nutrition column, so let’s talk about the “healthy home movement” and how it’s expressed by different home builders and renovators.

That’s quite a list of health-impacting hazards added to the out-gassing from carpeting and wall paints of volatile organic compounds.

Since some of these hazards, unlike lead pipes and lead-based paint, are still legal, there’s a space in the housing market for builders who go to great lengths to reduce any and every possible hazard that could contribute to an unhealthy home. I’ll mention a couple below.

home cleaner.”

ERVs and HRVs are easy to install in new construction, but difficult to install as a retrofit, because they require the installation of extensive new ductwork of their own. Indeed, introducing such an appliance might be impossible in many homes. In such cases, an air scrubber would be an ideal solution, because it is simply installed within existing ductwork.

It has all culminated in what we know as the “healthy home movement.” Some home builders now promote the homes they build as healthy, not just efficient.

I appreciate this focus on making our homes healthier, especially for those with compromised immune systems.

Flint Michigan’s 2014 crisis involving lead in the water drawn from the Flint River and leaching from that city’s lead pipe service lines brought that issue to our consciousness and saw cities all around the country, including Denver, invest in replacing lead service lines in their older housing stock. Nothing epitomizes an unhealthy home quite as much as when the water from its faucets poisons those who live there, especially the children.

It was back in 1935 — before even my oldest sibling’s time — that DuPont introduced the advertising slogan “Better Living Through Chemistry,” and we all remember that one-word advice to Benjamin Braddock in the 1967 movie, “The Graduate” — “Plastics.”

Founded in 1992, the National Center for Lead-Safe Housing reflected the awareness of more wide-ranging in-home hazards when it changed its name to the National Center for Healthy Housing in 2001. (Its website is www.nchh.org )

One very serious home health hazard that was not recognized until 1986 was toxic black mold. Its scientific name is stachybotrys chartarum. Mold spores are all around us, including in our homes, but black mold can kill. The public became more aware of it following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. As the waters receded from homes, black mold soon covered the walls that had been underwater or experienced water intrusion.

In the real estate business, we are used to inspecting for lead and mold, but also for radon gas (which can cause lung cancer) and asbestos, which can be in drywall from China and in popcorn ceilings. It’s even in some of the glues that have been used to lay vinyl flooring.

Just within the last year, there has been new attention to the hazard of methane and carbon monoxide emissions from gas cooking ranges. You are advised to always run the exhaust fan (assuming it’s ducted to the outdoors, not just recirculating through a filter) when-

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Increasingly, home builders in America (and elsewhere) are taking to heart the need to look more deeply at the components and materials they put into the homes they are selling.

In the profiles of homes featured in the Metro Denver Green Homes Tour last October, there was frequent mention of Heat (or Energy) Recovery Ventilators (HRV or ERV). The best of these devices not only condition fresh air for temperature as it is brought into the home to replace air being exhausted, they also test for high levels of carbon dioxide (which is considered a pollutant at high levels), and also for VOCs in the home’s air.

From studying high performance homes including those in the green homes tours (both Denver and Boulder), I personally view an HRV, ERV or even a CERV (which contains a heat pump), an essential appliance in any modern home intended to be both energy efficient and healthy.

A fellow cruiser just told me about the air scrubber which he installed in his house. He reported that he and his wife felt the difference in just one day. I googled the phrase “air scrubber” since I hadn’t heard of this appliance, and they do exist as either an inline unit for your forced air ductwork or free-standing if you don’t have ductwork (such as in a home with hot water heat).

I have not seen a lot of progress among Denver area home builders when it comes to sustainability, so I’m not real hopeful for progress in addressing indoor air quality. When I represented a buyer in Jefferson County last year, I attended the meeting at which upgrades were discussed. All the homes were being outfitted with high-efficiency gas furnaces and A/C units. An upgrade to a heat pump system was simply not available.

Builders are also fighting laws which would require all-electric homes — that is, no natural gas lines serving new subdivisions. Such laws are being passed in other states or cities.

The US EPA has a program called “Indoor airPLUS” which sets a standard for achieving a healthy home by addressing all the contaminants mentioned above. Colorado-based Thrive Home Builders builds only Indoor airPluscertified homes and has won the EPA’s Leader Award eight years in a row. They are currently building homes starting at $449,900 in Broomfield, Lone Tree and Denver’s Loretto Heights. Call me or one of my broker associates below if you’d like us to show you those homes and represent you in a purchase.

Meritage is another Colorado builder of Indoor airPLUS-certified homes, but I was unable to get more information.

This week’s topic was inspired by an article I read on Probuilder.com titled “Breathe Easier — Healthy Homes Go Mainstream.” You’ll find a link to it at http://RealEstateToday.substack.com.

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To quote RhoadsEnergy.com’s blog post on air scrubbers, “It removes air pollution, VOCs, surface contaminants, pet dander, odors and dust. It provides a cleaner, healthier and more efficient home. This low maintenance device uses proprietary light waves along with a specialized catalytic process to keep your

Archive of Past Columns Is Online

Over the past two decades this column has appear in the Denver Post, and during that time I’ve written about every conceivable topic related to real estate, You can search that archive, listed by headline, and downloadable with a single click at www.JimSmithColumns.com

Jim Smith

Broker/Owner, 303-525-1851

Jim@GoldenRealEstate.com

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Deputies arrest driver in connection to crash that killed Highlands Ranch teen

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

About a week after 13-year-old Alexander “Alex” Mackiewicz died in a fatal car crash in Highlands Ranch, the driver who hit him was taken into custody.

e Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce said that Ruben Morones was arrested March 13 on several charges associated with the crash at Highlands Ranch Parkway and Venneford Ranch Road that sparked an outpouring of sadness in a vigil last week.

Morones, 52, is facing charges of “careless driving” that caused

serious bodily injury to a vulnerable road user and death. He also “failed to obey” a tra c control signal, according to charges.

At 6:48 a.m. on March 6, Mackiewicz was on his way to school when he was struck by Morones’ vehicle and died at the scene, according to the sheri ’s o ce.

e Douglas County Tra c Team was called in to conduct an investigation, which determined Morones was driving eastbound on Highlands Ranch Parkway, in the far-right lane, and failed to stop at a red light, hitting Mackiewicz.

With the walk signal activated, Mackiewicz was crossing the

street, in the crosswalk at Venneford Ranch Road, riding a “onewheel,” a single wheel electric board.

Mackiewicz was ejected and landed against the curb line, east of the intersection.

Authorities stated in a social media post that nothing has been found to indicate Morones was speeding.

Sheri Darren Weekly said in a press release that the sheri ’s ofce stands by its investigation.

“ is was a tragedy that has impacted not only Alex’s family but the entire Highlands Ranch community,” said Weekly. “As the sher-

i , I take tra c safety very seriously, and we will continue to work hard to make our roadways safer through public education and trafc enforcement.”

A day following the crash, hundreds of people gathered around Mackiewicz’s family at a candlelight vigil by the side of Highlands Ranch Parkway.

As the memorial continued to grow, family, friends and classmates took turns sharing stories about him. Although a very private person, his mother pleaded to parents to join her in trying to make a di erence in kids’ safety as well as all pedestrians.

Deputies investigate roadside death in Highlands Ranch

Incident occurred March 7 along Venneford Road

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e Douglas County Sheri ’s Ofce is conducting a death investigation after a body was found on Venneford Ranch Road recently.

Deputies blocked o Venneford Ranch Road from Colorado Boulevard on the afternoon of March 7 at the site, across the street from JD’s Market.

Witnesses on the social media

platform Nextdoor reported that there were dozens of police vehicles in the area. e nearby elementary school, Cougar Run, was placed on lockdown.

e deceased person and their cause of death have not been released publicly. e sheri ’s o ce said on social media there is no threat to the public.

e Douglas County Coroner’s O ce has told the Highlands Ranch Herald that the person was a 31-year-old male, but as of press time it had not released the name, citing an open investigation by the sheri ’s o ce.

Buck upends CD4 calculations

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In another step that cements her move away from representing Colorado’s Western Slope, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert has o cially quali ed to appear on the Republican 4th Congressional District’s primary ballot. But as soon as that news came, outgoing U.S. Rep. Ken Buck did something surprising – he announced he would retire early this month, sparking frustration, anger, and confusion among his fellow Republicans.

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert looks at a map while on a tour in the 3rd Congressional District.

Buck’s move forces Colorado to hold a special election to replace him on June 24, the same day as the GOP primary. So, as Republicans candidates step up to ll the remainder of Buck’s term, possibly gaining an advantage in what could be a confusing ballot, Boebert will not be in the mix

as a special candidate. She said she would not step down from the 3rd Congressional District seat she currently holds. To do so could possibly hurt Republicans in Washington, whose slim majority in the House got smaller with Buck’s early departure.

e Colorado Secretary of State’s O ce veri ed that Boebert collected 2,594 signatures to petition onto the ballot, well in excess of the 1,500 valid signatures needed.

PHOTO FROM REP. LAUREN BOEBERT’S WEBSITE

Colorado Community Media owner purchases printing press, o ers lifeline to local news

BY SUZIE GLASSMAN

SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Colorado Community Media’s two dozen newspapers will get a muchneeded lifeline in the form of a printing press, allowing it to bring printing needs in-house while reducing costs and providing a longer-term solution for other publishers along the Front Range.

e National Trust for Local News, which owns Colorado Community Media, purchased the press after raising $900,000 in grant funding toward the project. e donations came through the Colorado Media Project and its coalition of funders: the Bohemian Foundation, Gates Family Foundation and the Colorado Trust.

Amalie Nash, head of transformation for NTLN, said the hope is to start printing CCM’s newspapers on the press, located in northeast Denver, by the end of May. By summer, the Trust plans to o er printing services to other newspapers seeking a more a ordable solution.

e e ort to buy the press began after Gannett Publishing Co., which owns the USA TODAY Network, an-

nounced it was closing its plant in Pueblo last August. With few places left to turn, more than 80 Colorado publications that relied on the Pueblo press, including those at CCM, scrambled to nd alternative solutions.

“We were faced with a decision point and had to gure out where to print instead,” Nash said. “So we started seeking bids and trying to gure out how we were going to continue to provide print products that people want.”

CCM wasn’t alone. e Colorado Media Project, a nonpartisan philanthropic initiative dedicated to supporting and sustaining local news, surveyed publishers impacted by the Gannett press closure and found that one publication was forced to close. Several others were wrestling with whether to go digital-only, and at least three publishers of multiple papers opted to consolidate titles.

In October, e Colorado Sun reported that the ndings of a working group on the future of printing in Colorado, published by the Colorado Press Association, Colorado News Collaborative and the Colorado Media Project “underscored

the blow of the Pueblo closure and highlighted the nearly exhausted printing capacity statewide and ‘unsustainable’ cost increases. e report voices concern that continuing those trajectories could lead to the demise of a ‘sizeable number’ of publications.”

Nash said CCM ultimately chose to contract with e Denver Post for printing, but did not consider it a long-term solution.

“Since the National Trust for Local News purchased Colorado Community Media in 2021, our printing costs have gone up 60%, which was obviously very signi cant for an operation of this size,” said Nash, adding that “we started having discussions around these larger commercial printers closing and the fact that there aren’t very many options in the Front Range. So, we asked: what if we came up with an option. What would that look like?”

NTLN began researching, talking to funding partners, and putting together a plan to buy a press.

“It’s heartening to think that we have an opportunity that helps us regulate our press costs better and that we have a real opportunity to

help the media ecosystem in that way,” CCM Publisher Linda Shapley said.

While the print newspaper and magazine market has steadily declined since the mid-2000s, it’s still projected to earn $123.5 billion in the U.S. this year. Many communities still lack reliable internet access, and some people continue to prefer printed news, according to Nash.

And getting a paper copy to commemorate an event is still meaningful for many. Recently, parents whose children were featured in a bilingual newsletter dedicated to Commerce City reached out to Shapley, asking if there were printed copies available.

“You can show the story on your phone or a computer, but it’s just not the same,” she said.

At the same time, CCM has focused on its digital transformation, relaunching its websites last fall and introducing new newsletters. Shapley said it’s important to give people news in all the formats they want it.

“As much as people talk about how print is going away, the fact of the matter is that it’s still here, and it needs support,” Shapley said.

Deputies seek pickup driver after report of sexual assault

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

violent sexual assault that occurred in the Pinery subdivision,” the sheri ’s ofce said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

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e Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce has released images of a pickup truck whose driver it believes may have information about a recent sexual assault on a woman in a south Parker area neighborhood.

e images are blurry and appear to depict a neighborhood setting. Detectives said the images may show a darkcolored, “newer model” Ford F-150 truck.

A woman was “severely attacked” in the subdivision in February, the sheri ’s o ce said, leading deputies to step up patrols in the area.

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home in her neighborhood in the Pinery area. While walking home, she was sexually assaulted by a male she did not know, she told deputies.

More than one suspect could have been involved in the incident, Heyden said.

this happen, so we just want to make sure we nd who did this.”

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“While we understand that the pictures are not of great quality, detectives believe that the driver may be involved with or may have been a witness to a

It appears the truck may be “lifted,” meaning its suspension has been modi ed to be higher o the ground than a typical vehicle, according to Deputy Cocha Heyden, a sheri ’s o ce spokesperson.

e sheri ’s o ce also called attention to fog lamps that sit below the truck’s headlights.

e woman alleged that she was attacked around 9 p.m. on Feb. 13 near a

As of March 11, the sheri ’s o ce had not released to the public a description of a suspect.

A couple days after the incident, Heyden urged people to report anything that appears suspicious and advised those who go out to “stay together.”

“We’re just encouraging people to use common sense if they’re out and about,” Heyden said at the time.

She added: “It’s very unusual to have

e sheri ’s o ce had asked people in the area with outdoor security cameras — such as doorbell cameras — to check them to see if they recorded the incident. ey also asked anyone who believes they saw someone or something suspicious to contact Detective Adam Cummings at 303-814-7631 or acummings@dcsheri .net.

People could also call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP and remain anonymous, the sheri ’s o ce had said.

“Call us, reach out,” Heyden said at the time. “Even if they think it’s nothing, it certainly could be something.”

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He joined in December, teaming up with O’Donnell and a clinician. eir mission: help people facing traumatic events, like the death of a beloved classmate, and work to providde comfort during mental health crises.

O’Donnell said Buddy has been crucial to providing de-escalation and emotional regulation assistance on scene. De-escalation aims to quiet tensions and calm emotions.

“ ey take de-escalation from 15 minutes to 15 seconds,” O’Donnell said.

O’Donnell and Buddy aren’t alone.

ey’re the fourth team in the therapy dog program in Castle Rock, which started in spring 2021. Castle Rock was the rst department in Colorado to permanently pair a therapy dog with a school resource o cer. Before O’Donnell and Buddy, Castle Rock Master O cer Scott Gillespie was paired with Buttercup, a golden retriever mix.

“She set the tone for the state,” Gillespie said. “Overnight, she was a sensation. e interventions were beyond anything we had hoped from a mental health lens.”

Gillespie said Buttercup’s success at the schools led the therapy dog program to expand to other departments in Castle Rock.

Castle Rock Police o cers, from left, David Knight, Tom O’Donnell and Scott Gillespie pose with therapy dogs Roo, Buddy and Buttercup at Festival Park in Castle Rock. The three pairs are part of the department’s growing therapy dog program, which is part of the school resource o cers program and community response teams.

PHOTO BY MCKENNA HARFORD

“We’ve now seen it hundreds of times where we see a change and can’t gure where it came from except for the interaction with the dog,” he said.

e dogs are trained to maintain a calm demeanor and provide a stable presence. ey are certi ed through the American Kennel Club, a national therapy dog organization, and as service animals.

In addition to Gillespie and Buttercup, O cer David Knight and Roo, a husky mix, are assigned to Castle Rock

Middle School and Master O cer Luke

Godfrey and Rocket, also a husky mix, work at Mesa Middle School.

“Having the dog brings people in and lets them see us as human beings instead of a badge,” Knight said.

Gillespie said the therapy dogs have had over 100,000 interactions with community members, students and school sta since the program began.

One of the biggest bene ts the ocers see from partnering with pups is that the dogs act as a bridge to overcome barriers like police stigma, mistrust, fear and anger.

“People’s eyes light up when they see the dog, it really makes the uniform disappear,” O’Donnell said.

e dogs also assist with the county’s victim advocate program and provide emotional support to police sta during a di cult case or stressful day. Gillespie said the department is even considering a permanent therapy dog for the building.

“ ese dogs are meant to make you smile,” Gillespie said.

Castle Rock’s therapy dog program is getting noticed across the country and the o cers and canines have traveled all over to help other departments create their own programs.

“I think one of the big hopes in launching ahead of the curve is that we’ll in uence the trend across the state, especially when it comes to mental health,” Gillespie said.

FROM PAGE 1 POLICE DOGS

Douglas County leaders look to target ‘sanctuary’ policies

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

As buses of migrant people continue to arrive in Denver, Douglas County’s leaders are poised to implement a measure to limit the unloading of bus passengers south of the capital city, which is struggling to contend with the surge.

Even though o cials are not aware of any migrants being dropped o in Douglas County, the county’s elected leaders are mulling an ordinance to prevent drivers from unloading passengers in “unplanned locations.”

e proposal comes as immigration takes a national spotlight as a top issue in a presidential election year.

Douglas County o cials framed the proposed policy as safeguarding the “community’s overall wellbeing.” e text of the proposed ordinance states that any “unplanned” unboarding of passengers in the county, which includes Highlands Ranch, south of Denver, “creates a danger situation for the unloaded commercial passen-

gers, and is detrimental to the health, safety, and welfare of the community.”

e proposal follows a move months ago by the Douglas County Board of Health, which adopted an order with requirements for any entity that might send migrants to the county for shelter. County o cials called the health order regarding migrants “preemptive.”

A county spokesperson was not aware of any violations of the public health order as of March 13.

In addition to the proposed policy, the county commissioners also voted on March 12 to take legal action so that local law-enforcement o cers can “fully cooperate with federal immigration o cials,” according to a news release.

“ ere is an immigration crisis in America,” county Commissioner George Teal said in a prepared statement. “While we empathize with the people who want to migrate here and enjoy the freedoms we are so grateful for, our rst responsibility is to our citizens who are already here legally.”

e county move comes as the number of migrant people who have come to or through Denver approaches 40,000, though Denver says it hasn’t sent any migrants to be sheltered in the county.

What new law would do

Douglas County’s new proposed law would prohibit commercial passenger vehicles from stopping in unincorporated parts of the county to unload passengers other than at a “planned and scheduled documented destination.”

“Unincorporated” parts of Douglas County — like Highlands Ranch and several other areas — are outside of cities and towns.

e new law would apply to any vehicle where payment is involved for transportation, including buses, vans and trucks.

It would not include vehicles rented or leased by the driver, vehicles operated by the Regional Transportation District, or RTD, or any government body of the State of Colorado, ridesharing services, or taxi cabs.

Douglas o cials have no record of any migrants being dropped o anywhere across the county since December 2022, county sta said.

e county’s three commissioners, all Republicans, unanimously voted in favor of the new proposed law on a preliminary vote, or rst reading.

e measure is set for a second, and nal, vote on March 26 and, if passed, will take e ect immediately, according to the county.

“From a commonsense standpoint, it would be impossible for 40,000 people to come to … Denver and not anticipate that there (would) be some bleed into neighboring counties,” Commissioner Abe Laydon said in late February. But he acknowledged he did not know for sure whether any organization or local government has brought migrants into Douglas County.

Asked whether the City of Denver sent any of the roughly 39,000 migrants to be sheltered in Douglas County since December 2022 — when the city’smigrant data tracker timeline starts — Jon Ewing, a city spokesperson, said no.

Asked whether any organization that the city works with sent any migrants to be sheltered in Douglas County, Ewing said: “Not to my

knowledge, but I don’t speak for nonpro ts.”

Yet, the county says a small number of migrants have sought county services.

Fewer than 20 migrants sought services — primarily shelter — during the weeks of Feb. 26 and March 4, according to county sta .

A county spokesperson said some of the people told the county they were from Venezuela, but others came from other countries.

No dedicated shelters for the unhoused exist in Douglas County, aside from shelter space for domesticviolence survivors, a county spokesperson said.

But the county works to provide shelter through partnerships with churches and municipalities — including Aurora and Colorado Springs — and by providing motel or hotel vouchers, the spokesperson said.

Taking aim at ‘sanctuary’ policies

During the meeting, the Douglas County commissioners also voted unanimously to take legal action regarding how local law enforcement can cooperate with federal immigration o cials.

Laydon has criticized so-called “sanctuary” actions, an uno cial term for policies seen as pro-immigrant, particularly in limiting cooperation with federal law enforcement.

He, Teal and Commissioner Lora omas voted to approve a resolution to direct the county attorney to challenge state laws that limit the county’s ability to cooperate with federal law enforcement.

e text of the resolution cites that in 2019, the state legislature enacted House Bill 19-1124, prohibiting local governments from cooperating with the federal government in immigration enforcement and prohibiting state judicial o cials from sharing information with the federal government.

In 2023, the state legislature enacted House Bill 23-1100, e ective Jan. 1, 2024, generally prohibiting local government involvement in immigration detention, according to the county’s resolution.

Asked when since December 2022 Douglas County o cials have needed to cooperate with the federal govern-

ment in immigration enforcement, share judicial information with federal o cials, or be involved in immigration detention but were blocked from doing so by the 2019 and 2023 laws, the county did not address the question.

O cials air crime concerns

Douglas County o cials have referenced the 2023 kidnapping of a 25-year-old man in Highlands Ranch and the arrests of two individuals who were previously known to the victim, according to the sheri ’s ofce. O cials have said Venezuelan migrants were involved.

e incident, which allegedly occurred at an RTD Park-N-Ride, ended when the victim was able to escape, according to the sheri ’s

o ce. Detectives believed the incident stemmed from a debt the victim owed to the suspects.

Douglas County Sheri Darren Weekly recently suggested that migrants moving south from Denver into the county are to blame for increased crime, though his remarks appear unsupported by evidence, Colorado Newslinereported.

vide data to show that — a sheri ’s spokesperson said: “We will have to get back to you on this one.”

Asked about the claim that migrants who came to Denver are coming to Douglas County “more and more,” as Weekly has said, the sheri ’s o ce did not provide evidence.

Asked to con rm whether the suspects were migrants from Venezuela, the sheri ’s o ce did not directly address the question but said: “ ey are non-citizens.”

Weekly has said his patrol personnel are encountering “undocumented migrants” on tra c-related contacts.

Asked whether patrol personnel have been seeing undocumented people during tra c-related contacts more since December 2022 compared to before then — and whether the sheri ’s o ce can pro-

Influx of migrant people slowed e rate of migrants newly arriving in the City and County of Denver each day has decreased in the past two months, said Ewing, the Denver spokesperson.

“Up until mid-January we were seeing on average 200 people a day. Today that number is between 20 or 30,” Ewing wrote in a March 12 email. “Arrivals have picked up slightly, though. In February we received 7 buses total and in March we’ve already received 8. Still, there’s no comparison to December, when we received 144.”

The vital role of ER teamwork

Ski resort hospital emergency rooms stand at the intersection of adventure and safety, catering to the needs of winter sports enthusiasts who seek thrills on the slopes.

ese unique medical facilities face a distinct set of challenges, from treating skiing and snowboarding injuries to managing cold-related conditions. In such an environment, teamwork emerges as a cornerstone of effective care delivery, ensuring that patients receive prompt and comprehensive treatment to enjoy the snowy playground safely.

In the midst of snow-capped peaks and bustling ski resorts, hospital emergency rooms serve as vital hubs of medical care. Skiers and snowboarders ock to these facilities for treatment of injuries ranging from minor bruises to severe fractures and head traumas. In this fast-paced and dynamic setting, teamwork is not just a luxury but a necessity. Healthcare professionals from various disciplines collaborate closely to address the unique medical needs of winter sports enthusiasts.

One of the primary bene ts of teamwork in ski resort hospital emergency rooms is the ability to respond swiftly and decisively to skiing and snowboarding accidents. Winter sports injuries can occur suddenly and unpredictably, requiring immediate attention and intervention. rough e ective teamwork, emergency room sta can triage patients e ciently, prioritize treatments based on the severity of injuries, and mobilize resources to provide timely care. is coordinated approach is essential for minimizing delays and optimizing patient outcomes in critical situations.

Moreover, teamwork fosters a culture of communication and collaboration among healthcare professionals in ski resort emergency rooms. Clear and open communication is crucial for ensuring that everyone is aligned on treatment plans, sharing pertinent information about patient injuries, and coordinating care seamlessly.

Whether it’s consulting with orthopedic surgeons about complex fractures or collaborating with radiologists to interpret imaging studies, effective communication enables the entire team to work together cohesively, enhancing patient safety and satisfaction.

In addition to communication, teamwork promotes mutual support and shared accountability among emergency room sta . Ski resort hospital emergency rooms often operate under chal-

lenging conditions, including extreme weather, high patient volumes, and limited resources. In these demanding environments, team members rally around each other, o ering assistance, encouragement, and empathy. Whether it’s assisting with patient transfers, helping colleagues navigate complex cases, or simply providing emotional support during stressful situations, the camaraderie among emergency room sta strengthens their resilience and ability to deliver exceptional care under pressure.

Beyond its immediate impact on patient care, teamwork in ski resort hospital emergency rooms also fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement. rough regular training sessions, simulation exercises, and debrie ngs, emergency room sta have the opportunity to enhance their skills, re ne their protocols, and stay abreast of the latest developments in winter sports medicine. By sharing experiences, analyzing case studies, and identifying areas for enhancement, the emergency room team can continuously elevate the quality and e ciency of care delivery, ultimately improving outcomes for patients on the slopes.

Teamwork is the linchpin of ski resort hospital emergency rooms, enabling healthcare professionals to provide prompt, comprehensive, and compassionate care to winter sports enthusiasts. From triaging patients and coordinating treatments to communicating e ectively and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, teamwork is essential for navigating the unique challenges

of winter sports medicine. By working together seamlessly, emergency room sta can ensure that skiers and snowboarders receive the care they need to enjoy the thrill of the mountains safely and responsibly. In ski resort emergency rooms, teamwork isn’t just important—it’s indispensable.

I wrote this column because recently I was a patient at the Vail Valley Hospital. And this past week, I actually had to go twice in three days. I watched in amazement as the team in the ER handled all types of serious injuries with professionalism, compassion, speed, and accuracy. e teams that cared for me, Kacy, Laura, Mary, Ashley, Brandon, Megan, Emily, Chris, Jason, Becca, and Drs. Stone and Zeller were beacons of all took amazing interest in my care and getting me released. A huge shout out to you all, I appreciate you so much.

Sometimes when we are the patient, we lose our patience, and I would just ask you to try and understand the bigger picture. I would love to hear your story of hospital ER appreciation at gotonorton@gmail.com and when we can understand the levels of stress these terms work under to deliver exemplary care, it really will be a better than 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.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Democrats’ truck nonsense

“Like A Rock.” “Built Ford Tough.” “Guts. Glory. Ram.” ese taglines have come to represent America’s truck industry over the decades. Unlike these pickups that have built Colorado from the ground up or bring joy to countless families with campers and boats, Democrats are content to put down the middle class even more.

Enter Senate Bill 24-036. In a desire to hoard more tax dollars, Colorado Democrats have devised another tax for us to pay on vehicles we’re already taxed on. Known as the “Vulnerable Road User Protection Enterprise,” Colorado’s middle class, whose only fault is owning a large SUV or pickup truck, now get to pay more for the pleasure of living in this eroding paradise.

Funds generated from this new tax will go toward “pedestrian and bike lanes” overseen by the state under the guise of saving lives.

Who knew F-150s were on a killing spree?

At its core, this bill penalizes hardworking, blue-collar residents and gives insult to injury by piling on small businesses that rely on these vehicles — the same businesses grappling with rising costs in the highest in ationary metro area in the country. is tax hike will erode pro t margins, hinder growth, undermine our entrepreneurial spirit and sti e economic mobility.

en there’s the “common sense” factor. For rural and mountainous communities, these vehicles are not mere luxuries — they’re essential tools for navigating challenging terrain and weather conditions.

ey serve as lifelines for business owners, contractors and families who depend on their utility for transportation, hauling goods and enjoying the outdoors. But that requires common sense.

Here we are, once again, faced with more taxes from Democrats. All with the goal of building some leftist utopia using other people’s money — without their consent. Maybe the preferred tagline for Democrats to truck owners is “Truck You.”

Stephen J. Collier, Highlands Ranch

Flawed analysis? In Southeast Asia, Laos is still a Communist country and Cambodia had the infamous Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge extend a murderous rule over Cambodia in the years after the Vietnam War. As for the threats to the Ukraine and the Baltic countries, the threats there are very real. Putin is bent on reestablishing the USSR. Your analysis is awed because you think Putin will stop at the Ukraine, China is looking at annexing Taiwan and controlling the South China Sea, and North Korea could threaten South Korea.

Learn from history

In response to Raoul De Chant’s March 7 letter, “Flawed analysis”:

A more accurate analysis would be Neville Chamberlain’s failed attempt to have peace in our time with his appeasement of Hitler. Appeasement will just make the dictators more aggressive if we do not have the backbone to stand up to them. We lost 58,220 in the Vietnam con ict. How many have we lost in the Ukraine? How many would we lose if you are wrong about their aggression?

ere was a spunky country trying to fend o the superpower of its day and without the support of France, the USA would not exist today. Our Founding Fathers knew we had to have France to aid us in throwing o the shackles of British rule and now the Ukraine is looking for the same help. We were the arsenal of democracy in World War 2, and you want to abandon countries because you think they do not matter. I am glad France did not feel that way about us.

Ed Moore, Highlands Ranch

Think again

In response to Raoul De Chant’s March 7 letter, “Flawed analysis”:

Mr. De Chant’s analysis is indeed awed. Rather than looking to the Domino eory and Vietnam as a reason for the United States not to support the Ukraine, the proper historical parallel is the Sudetenland crisis of the late 1930s. e Sudetenland was part of Czechoslovakia with a German-speaking population. Hitler, with the acquiescence of the rest of Europe, ended up annexing the Sudetenland to Germany. After meeting with Hitler the British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, returned to England and gave his infamous quote, “ ere will be peace in our time.”

Gary Lee Arter

February 20, 1941 - March 6, 2024

Beloved husband, brother, father, grandpa and great grandpa, Gary Lee Arter, 83, of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, passed away on March 6, 2024, after a long, valiant battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Gary was born to Sid and Katherine Arter on February 20, 1941, in Glendale, California. Gary graduated from Hoover High School, where he was a founding member of many clubs and was a friend to all. Even up to his last days, Gary was still talking with some of his Hoover High classmates! Gary attended Idaho State University and then began his career in sales and general management. He spent many years of his career in Redding, California working for Foothill Distributing, Cressey Beverage and Redding Distributing and was known in the industry as “the Bud Man.”

At a dance in Glendale, California, Gary met his wife of forty-three years, Carole Lynn Hirr. Together they had two sons, Steven Gary Arter and Donald William Arter, who were their whole world!

After the death of his wife, Gary moved to Highlands Ranch, Colorado where he spent his remaining years with his partner, Trisha Tedesco. Gary was a very active member of his retirement community where he enjoyed competing, and winning, various pool tournaments, singing in their choir, playing golf, gardening, and cheering on his team the Denver Broncos!

Gary was preceded in death by his loving wife Carole Lynn Hirr Arter, parents Sid and Katherine Arter and his beloved sister Joan Arter Guy. He is survived by his devoted partner Trisha Tedesco, big brother Allan Arter (Mickie Arter), son Steven Gary Arter (Corinne Arter), son Donald William Arter (Shanna Arter), his nine grandchildren: Kyle Arter, Jesse Arter, Garret Arter, Hayli Arter Norton, Hunter Arter, Hanna Davis, Jordan Smith, Emma Charles, Madyson Arter and fourteen adored great grandchildren.

To know Gary was to love him! Gary spread kindness and joy everywhere he went! He was the king of all grandpa’s and will be greatly missed!

obituaries@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Unique desserts hidden across the metro area

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

ere’s something nostalgic about going to the local ice cream shop or bakery when in the mood for a sweet treat. Let’s face it, everyone has their go-to dessert shops and local businesses they like to support.

But sometimes, it’s fun to explore. And there are places across the Denver metro area that serve up delicious desserts for anyone’s preference.  With unique desserts being discovered all over the area, it would be nearly impossible to list every dessert shop. Here are a few that have made their way into people’s hearts and stomachs over the years.

Bahama Buck’s

8204 S University Blvd., Centennial, CO 80122 3003 W 104th Ave., Suite 500, Westminster, CO 80031

ere are not many dessert spots in the metro area that specialize in shaved ice, making Bahama Buck’s unique, especially with the original avor pairings the business plays with.

It’s more than a place to get a brightly-colored sweet treat. It’s a place for people to leave their troubles at the door, enjoy themselves in a lowpressure atmosphere and hang out with friends, said Adam Cotton, owner of the Centennial location.

“It’s kind of a mini vacation for all our guests,” Cotton said.

Bahama Buck’s encourages people to get creative by choosing from over 100 original gourmet avors and toppings. e company’s avor team has even worked with di erent companies to incorporate Oreo’s and candies such as Nerds with their desserts.

Staying true to the island vibe, common avors include mango, peach and blue coconut. One of the signature “snos” is the Shark Attack Sno, which is a berry colada avor with Sour Patch Sauce in the middle.

Just as guests can get creative and build their own by choosing what avors and toppings they want, the Centennial employees have the authority to play around and come up with di er-

ent concoctions, which often become avors of the week.

Bahama Buck’s can’t share its secrets to its perfectly smooth shaved ice, other than the fact that the ice is made on site and there was a lot of time put into the shaving process, Cotton said.

Bahama Buck’s encourages friendly gatherings by o ering card and board games to play. e

business also has island smoothies in which guests can choose from a variety of cream blends, or if they want a healthier substitution, fresh fruit blends.

Other menu items include Acai Bowls, Red Bull Infusions and Bahama Sodas.

Yonutz! is a dessert shop that smashes ice cream and donuts together. It opened its Greenwood Village location March 15.

PHOTO FROM YONUTZ INSTAGRAM

SWEET TREATS

For Cotton, what makes Bahama Buck’s successful are the people who help make the island experience come alive.

“What makes our product excellent and what makes our place excellent are the people we have working for us,” Cotton said.

Heaven Creamery

6955 S York St. #420, Centennial, CO 80122

7181 W. Alaska Drive, Lakewood, CO 80226

Heaven Creamery rst opened its doors in 2020 on the Streets at SouthGlenn in Centennial and has gained millennial and Gen Z attention. Since then, the store has expanded to include locations at Cherry Creek North, Five Points, Lakewood, Avon, Boulder and coming soon to Arvada.

With over 500 avors in constant rotation for customers to try, Heaven Creamery aims to educate and introduce people to healthier frozen desserts, according to its website. Heaven Creamery doesn’t use processed sugar or arti cial colors, avors, additives or ice cream llers, according to its website.

Instead, stevia, monk sugar, agave, cane sugar and/or honey are used as sweeteners for the ice cream, gelato, fruit pops, vegan gelato and sorbet.

“Our gelato, ice cream and sorbet is made with 70% less sugar than traditional ice cream,” the website states.

Each Heaven Creamery location has unique specialty desserts, including ice cream served with crepes, in a pineapple or coconut and more.

Mochinut

7530 S. University Blvd., Centennial, CO 80122

2222 S. Havana St., Unit A2, Aurora, CO 80014

At Mochinut, it’s about bringing diversity to American desserts.

e Mochinut franchise originated in Los Angeles and is popular for its Korean hotdogs and bubble tea, but it is also known for its mochi donuts. e franchise came to Aurora nearly three years ago and recently opened a second location in Centennial.

“I think that they’re a little bit more special than other donuts because they’re made with rice our,” said Erin Chung, manager of the Aurora location. “If you taste it, it’s very chewy like mochi, but then you can also feel the donut as well.”

A mochi donut is a fusion of the Japanese rice cake, also known as mochi, and American-style donuts.

Constructed with eight small, round dough balls in the shape of a circle, the mochi donut has a crisp exterior, but a soft and chewy inside due to the main ingredient: sticky sweet rice our.  ey are then coated and glazed with rotating avors and toppings such as cookies and fruits.  One of the most popular avors is Ube, which is a sweet potato base, topped with fruity pebbles. Other popular avors are the caramel churro, chocolate churro and the strawberry funnel.

are so many to choose from.

“A lot of people like to try di erent avors every week,” Chung said.

Customers can get a single mochi donut or a box of three, six or a dozen. Additionally, the Aurora location serves mochinut balls as well as soft serve in a cone or bowl.

Mango Mango Desserts

1133 S. Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO 80246

From a classic tiramisu to wa es to hot desserts, Mango Mango Desserts’ mission is “to make edible incredible.” Mango Mango Desserts in Denver is a franchise from New York’s Chinatown.

While dining in an elegant store, guests can partake in sophisticated desserts utilizing the mango. Some of the most popular dishes include Mango Mochi, Durian Dessert Bowl, Green Tea Mille Crepe and the Coconut Mango Infused Smoothie.

In addition to uniquely layered crepe cakes, Mango Mango Desserts have traditional avors mixed with modern desserts.

Mango ice cream can be paired with snow white mango juice sago and pomelo or strawberry mango juice sago and lychee jelly. Other dishes include a rice or watermelon ball, herbal jelly, mustang king durian, black rice and more.

Yonutz!

7939 E Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village, CO 80112

Having to choose between ice cream or donuts won’t have to be an option thanks to Yonutz!, a colorful dessert shop that smashes the two desserts together. Yonutz opened its Greenwood Village location March 15.

e now-viral sensation, Yonutz SMASHED Donut, was created in 2018 in South Florida when

someone asked Tony Bahu how he was going to

“We ended up creating the smashed donut,” said Bahum Founder and CEO of Yonutz. “We’ve done donuts and ice cream before, but we never did it like this. It’s so decadent and fun and grand.”  It’s simple. You slice it, ll it, smash it, top it and eat it.

e donuts are made fresh in the store and then sliced in half. Guests can choose which avor of ice cream they want inside the donut before it’s smashed in a hot press and topped with any toppings such as chocolate sauce or candy.

“We know that people are looking for an experience, looking for something di erent, something fun, and so it just kind of all came together,” said Bahu.

After winning multiple Dessert Wars – even winning the national championships – and being featured on CNN’s Great Big Story, Bahu said the store was on people’s bucket lists, inspiring them to continue to expand their brand.

Some of the most popular avors are the Nutella Crunch, which was the creation that helped them win Dessert Wars, as well as Strawberry Shortcake and Bisco Cookie Butter.

Bahu wanted to come up with something more simple and recently came up with the Simple Smashed Donut. It is a smashed donut with any avor of ice cream inside, but instead of cutting it in half and decorating it with toppings, the donut is rolled in cinnamon sugar.

Although the ice cream is not homemade, Bahu said Yonutz! typically nds something that’s local or regional and works with that brand. e menu also includes Yonutz SMASHED Shakes and mini donuts.

“We’re really excited to be able to expand in Colorado,” Bahu said. “ ere’s so much liveliness and action going on there.”

Bahama Buck’s is a tropical hang-out that serves up airy shaved ice in over 100 flavors with a variety of toppings, island smoothies, Bahama Sodas and more. Guests can choose from crafted menu items or get creative and mix their own flavors.

PHOTO BY HALEY LENA

LETTERS

FROM

We know how well that appeasement of Hitler worked out.

e situation in the Ukraine is very similar. Vladimir Putin is known to long for the glory days of the Soviet Union and a desire to rebuild a Soviet empire. Putin’s rhetoric about Russian speakers in the Ukraine parallels Hitler’s on German speakers in the Sudetenland. e Western Alliance must do everything it can to enable the Ukrainians to turn back Putin’s aggression and drive the Russian military back to Russia.

Note that Russia is already causing problems in Moldova with Russian troops in the Transnistria region, on the border with the Ukraine. Russian agitators there are already stirring up trouble and calling for either secession or to become part of Russia. Putin’s desires do not end with the Ukraine.

e only long-term solution is a de nitive defeat of the Russian military and Putin’s ambitions. e West must provide all aid including military equipment, ammunition, medical supplies, food, and yes, cash to assist the Ukraine. Failure here cannot be an option.

We must also note that Xi Xinping in China is watching the situation in the Ukraine and the response by the West. Weakness by the West that allows Putin to succeed in grabbing territory from the Ukraine, even in the form of a negotiated settlement, would embolden Xi to take Taiwan by force. If we want less war and aggression, the West, including the United States, must have a complete

and total victory over Putin’s and Russian aggression in the Ukraine.

Robert White, Highlands Ranch

Shaw is best choice

I rst met Wynne Shaw more than 10 years ago, when we were both volunteers in a local women’s political club. I quickly became so impressed with her leadership and organizational skills, and her admirable understanding of how government works at the local, state, and national level, that I became one of many who encouraged her to run for a Lone Tree City Council seat, and in May 2016 Wynne was sworn in as the new District 1 city council member, a position she has held now for the past eight years. Although my neighborhood is not in her council district, since beginning her council service, Wynne has always been immediately responsive to all questions or concerns my neighbors and I have had, always giving us a better understanding of both the power and the limitations that our city has in any given situation. ere is no one more responsive, conscientious, honest, ethical, hardworking, dedicated, and level-headed than Wynne Shaw.

Because of the leadership by Wynne and others and our outstanding city sta , it’s my opinion that there is no better place to live in Colorado than in Lone Tree — and we all want our city to remain the shining jewel of the south metro area that it currently is. But like some residents in surrounding municipalities, I, too, worry that future nancial challenges from attening sales tax and other revenues and increasing expenses may impact our high-quality city services, and that increasing region-

al crime and transportation issues may a ect our safety and well-being in future years.

erefore, now more than ever, Lone Tree needs a mayor who: 1) possesses a considerable depth of local and regional knowledge and experience and a strong nancial background, 2) will be both creative and innovative in working collaboratively with sta and council to nd new sources of revenue, 3) has a proven track record of successfully collaborating and solving issues with leaders throughout the Denver metro area, and 4) has continued willingness to devote the many, many hours required each week to e ectively serve our city and our residents. at person is Wynne Shaw.

To learn more about Wynne, please visit: cityo onetree.com/departments/city-clerk/elections/2024city-council-candidates

When our ballots arrive in our mailboxes in mid-April, I urge you to join me and many others whom Wynne Shaw has served over many years by voting for her to be our next mayor of Lone Tree.

Jeanette Newville, Lone Tree

Cast your vote for Harmon

I am a private person; I don’t ll my schedule or my family’s days with practices and activities, dinners and social engagements. I’m an artist who loves a calm home with the windows open to breezes and birdsong, my kids content while I paint my day away. I’m happy … but I’m not doing anything great for my community in my quiet little pocket.

I’ve watched Marissa Harmon be the heads to my tails for years — she is out in the world meeting people, asking questions, nding out how to

make this town better. She seeks out quiet, private people like me and invites us out into the world to events, parties and committees. At rst I thought Marissa was a social buttery, the kind of person recharged by being with other outgoing people. In the years that I’ve known her it’s become clear that while she is having fun, her energy comes from knowing she can make things around her, around here, better. She is enacting change, she’s doing when so many other people are talking.

I want someone like that in charge, someone who is so enthusiastic about what she can do for this city that she enters every interaction with a smile and a re inside her that keeps her going until the job is complete. I want to know that while I sit in sunshine and paint, my mayor is making sure that our city is not only safe but that it is a cultural and educational hub. I know that with Marissa as my mayor, this city will be vibrant, current, clean and well run. I want my mayor to hear me and everyone else who has an opinion or a need.

As a business owner, a mother and wife, a civil servant and person who wants ideas to become reality Marissa uses every moment she has to do something important. She is a woman who needs the reigns to be put in her hands so she can lead us all into what comes next. And she will. She will take Lone Tree from the wonderful place it already is into a new level of growth and community contentment. I want Marissa Harmon to be my mayor. Please mail in your ballot before May 7 or drop it o at the Lone Tree City Municipal Building in person.

Thu

Neil Meadows @ Earls Meadows René Emily @ Swallow Emily @ Swallow ver Sam @ The Denver The Featured Featured Greenwood Village To advertise your place of worship in this section, call Erin at 303-566-4074 or email eaddenbrooke@ColoradoCommunityMedia.com Serving the Southeast Denver area Call or check our website for information on services and social events! www.cbsdenver.org 303-505-9236 Congregation Beth Shalom Serving the southeast Denver area Castle Rock/Franktown WORLD MISSION CHURCH (KOREAN CHURCH) 7249 E. Park Dr. Franktown, CO TIME: 10:30 PM PHONE: 303-688-1004 ENGLISH TRANSLATION EVERYONE IS WELCOME! Sunday Services - 10:00 a.m. Meditation before service - 9:30 a.m. Cimarron Middle School 12130 Canterberry Pkwy, Parker, CO 80138 www.CSLParker.org • (303) 805-9890 Parker Parker Join us in respecting & honoring all lives and faiths 10:45AM Sunday Services Check out our website for events and information prairieuu.org Advertise Your Place of Worship HERE YOUR AD HERE

out inevents, I butterby In behaving knowher, enacting many charge, enthusiastic city interaction that comsit is only eduMabe run. eva and who Marisdo womin into She wonnew conHarmon your at BuildTree

Thu 3/21

Neil Z at Earl's in Park Meadows @ 5pm

Earls Kitchen + Bar, 8335 Park Meadows Center Dr, Lone Tree

Fri 3/22

René Moffatt Music: Opening For Emily Barnes @ Swallow Hill @ 6pm

Swallow Hill Music, 71 E Yale Ave, Denver

Emily Barnes @ 7pm

Swallow Hill, 71 E Yale Ave, Den‐ver

Sam Divine @ 8pm

The Church Denver, 1720 S Alcott St, Denver

Sat 3/23

Wild Faith @ 6pm

Moe's Original BBQ, 3295 S Broadway, Englewood

Erik Stucky @ 7pm

Swallow Hill Music Association, 71 E Yale Ave, Denver

Sun 3/24

C U R S E @ 6pm

Herman's Hideaway, 1578 S Broadway, Denver

Moab Photography Trip (Teacher Approval Required)

@ 11pm / Free

Mar 24th - Mar 28th

Valor Christian High School - Academic Building, 3775 Grace Blvd., Highlands Ranch. 303-471-3000

Mon 3/25

AP US History Review @ 8am / Free

Mar 25th - Mar 27th

Valor Christian High School - Academic Building, 3775 Grace Blvd., Highlands Ranch. 303-471-3000

Health @ 7pm

Gothic Theatre, 3263 South Broadway, Englewood

Featured Featured

PIXEL GRIP

@ 7pm

Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Englewood

Tue 3/26

Pickleball

@ 8am / $25

Mar 26th - Mar 28th

Valor Athletic Building, 3775 Grace Blvd, Highlands Ranch. 303-471-3000

AP Literature and Composition Review

@ 8am / Free

Mar 26th - Mar 28th

Valor Christian High School - Academic Building, 3775 Grace Blvd., Highlands Ranch. 303-471-3000

Disc Golf

@ 8:30am / $10

Mar 26th - Mar 28th

Valor Athletic Building, 3775 Grace Blvd, Highlands Ranch. 303-471-3000

Wed 3/27

Geology at Red Rock Canyon

@ 7am / $10

Mar 27th - Mar 28th

Valor Christian High School, 3775 Grace Blvd., Highlands Ranch. 303-471-3000

ARTS: Pottery @ Platt Park @ 3pm

Mar 27th - May 22nd

Platt Park Recreation Center, 1500 S. Grant St., Denver. 720-913-0654

Teague Starbuck

@ 5pm

The Pint Room, 2620 W Belleview Ave, Littleton

DJ Rockstar Aaron: Forbidden Bingo Wednesdays - 'Bout Time Pub & Grub @ 7pm

Bout Time Pub & Grub, 3580 S Platte River Dr A, Sheridan

Thu 3/28

ARTS: Mini Picasso @ Harvard Gulch @ 3pm

Mar 28th - Apr 25th

Harvard Gulch Recreation Center, 550 E. Iliff Ave., Denver. 720-913-0654

Teague Starbuck

@ 5pm

Brewability Lab, 3445 S Broadway, Engle‐wood

ARTS: Pop Art Trends @ College View

@ 9:30pm

Mar 28th - May 23rd

Denver Parks and Recreation (CGV), 2525 S. Decatur St., Denver. 720-913-0654

Acting Shakespeare: Shakespeare's Forests (10-14yrs) @ 11pm

Mar 28th - May 2nd

PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker

Calendar information is provided by event organiz‐ers. All events are subject to change or cancella‐tion. This publication is not responsible for the ac‐curacy of the information contained in this calendar.

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Rock Canyon marks 15 years of wishes coming true

2024 Wish Week

raised record $95K

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Rock Canyon High School was Princess Kiki’s castle for an entire week during the school’s annual Wish Week, which helped raise funds for Make-A-Wish Colorado. Over the years, the school has raised enough funds to grant 110 wishes for children with critical illnesses and this year, that number increased.

Princess Kiki, Katerina, is 5 years old and was at the school as this year’s wish kid to help Rock Canyon mark its 15th year of making wishes come true. e school hit a record, raising $94,921, the most ever, while granting 11 wishes.

Katerina was born with half a heart, called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, and has undergone four open heart surgeries and will need a heart transplant in the future.

“It feels like they thought of every possible way to make her feel special and, in the process, made our whole family feel really special,” said Desiree, Katerina’s mom.

e student council spent months

preparing for the week — which ran from March 1 through March 7 — and meeting Katerina and her family gave them more motivation to make the week special.

At the opening assembly, students

and teachers waved their phones’ ashlights in the air as they sang “Let it Go” with Katerina.  Katerina’s wish of having a tea party with mermaids and princesses in Hawaii was met in the rst

minute of wish week during their annual miracle minute.

Every hallway was decorated with a di erent Disney princess, includ-

Katerina, also known has Princess Kiki, was Rock Canyon’s 15th wish kid. Rock Canyon High School was Princess Kiki’s castle for an entire week during the school’s annual Wish Week, which helped raise funds for Make-A-Wish Colorado. PHOTO BY HALEY LENA

SEE WISHES, P21

ing Ariel from “ e Little Mermaid,” and the iconic “RC” school letters were decorated to represent Katerina’s favorites.

It was one of many events throughout the week. Students and their families participated in events like Walk for Wishes, Dare to Share Your Hair, a movie night, blacklight dodgeball and more. From wearing their best hat on Mad Hatter Monday to dressing in Hawaiian clothes, the students kept the spirit alive all week.

As Katerina entered the closing assembly in her mermaid out t, she was greeted by the sea of blue shirts in the gym, with pops of pink as members of the student council shed their classic blue shirts for her favorite color.

“Seeing her face light up when we

walk into the gym… nothing can beat that really, “ said Student Body President Abigail Williams.

Katerina led the school choir in singing “Part of Your World” from “ e Little Mermaid,” shoved a pie a math teacher in the face and watched as pink and white confetti showered onto the gym oor. Tears came to her mother’s eyes watching her daughter as cheers rang out.

“To everyone at Rock Canyon, we want to say thank you,” said Desiree. “We had a really wonderful week and it was much more than we could have ever expected.”

Desiree said it was a great experience to see Katerina celebrated. She added that kids who have heart disease don’t tend to look sick, so oftentimes, people don’t know that they have something serious going on.

“I think that she has felt very seen and very appreciated and that’s meant the world to me,” said Desiree.

Surrounded by her family, Katerina speaks with some of Rock Canyon’s student council who wore her favorite color, pink. PHOTO BY HALEY LENA

Chaparral’s Rob Johnson named 5A Athletic Director of the Year

Colorado Athletic Directors Association to honor Johnson at April 29 banquet

BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In the often thankless, year-round slog that is an athletic director’s routine, there’s a perk – some recognition for all the hard work. But just one gets the honor of being named Athletic Director of the Year.  In the 5A category, Chaparral

High School’s Rob Johnson will be honored at the Colorado Athletic Directors Association’s 51st annual awards banquet in Breckinridge on April 29. Johnson has been the athletic director for Chap for nine years but began as a boys basketball coach and math teacher in 2000.

“It was humbling (to win) because there are so many good ADs (in the area),” Johnson said. “You feel like anybody could have gotten that award. But I was de nitely humbled and excited and surprised. It was great.”

Chaparral, in Parker, was only two years old when Johnson arrived, and he said he could tell immedi-

ately this was a place where the culture was being built the right way.

From the community to the teachers being hired, this was a place he could see himself for a long time. Now 24 years in, that’s truer than ever, he said.

“I came here as soon as I could,” he said. “It was just a great t, a great community. You can’t get any better than this area and this place. Chap was de nitely a place where I knew my career would be lasting and hopefully, I’ll retire from here.”

Johnson admits he misses coaching and teaching, and the connections that come with being involved in both.

“I still have connections with kids, but not like I used to. So, I miss that part,” he said. “But having an opportunity to work with all the programs and especially the coaches, it’s very rewarding. It’s great. ere are obviously moments where it’s heavy … it’s tough to manage some of that, but overall it’s a great experience working with all the programs.”

An average day for an athletic director is tough. With constant moving parts from scheduling to logistics to sports seasons eclipsing one another, Johnson said it’s di cult to ever feel caught up.

But that also brings constant rewards in seeing teams succeed and players develop.

“It took me a long time to gure that out and get used to it because I was so used to teaching and coaching,” Johnson said. “You’re always on.”

A big factor at Chaparral is an emphasis on family, he said. Despite being a school of over 2,000 students, there’s a focus on togetherness and staying as familiar as possible.

“All my teachers and fellow administrators are close friends,” Johnson said. “We’ve all been here quite a while and worked well together. Our kids started going to school together. I’m from a very small school called Soroco High School (South Routt County, in Oak Creek near Steamboat Springs), like, 100 students total.”

But despite being a huge 5A school, the students and sta are all close.

“I’ve always wanted Chaparral to kind of have that sense of family,” he continued. “You can’t recognize every face here with over 2,000 kids here, but it almost feels like people try. Relationships is a huge, huge cornerstone for this school. It’s probably the number one thing that attracted me: help the kids grow up, being a part of their lives and doing it together as a sta . It really is a big family, and the community feels that way, too.”

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Date

Reception

DOT

terms thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

The property described herein is all of the property encumbered by the lien of the deed of trust.

Legal Description of Real Property: LOT 17, BLOCK 4, HIGHLANDS RANCH FILING NO. 17, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO.

Which has the address of: 1744 E Brookside Dr, Littleton, CO 80126

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust described herein, has filed written election and demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that on the first possible sale date (unless the sale is continued*) at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at the Public Trustee’s office, Philip S Miller Building Hearing Room, 100 Third Street, Castle Rock, Colorado, I will sell at public auction to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will deliver to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law. If the sale date is continued to a later date, the deadline to file a notice of intent to cure by those parties entitled to cure may also be extended.

First Publication: 2/22/2024

Last Publication: 3/21/2024

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Dated: 12/28/2023

DAVID GILL

DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee

The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

CARLY IMBROGNO

Colorado Registration #: 59553 1391 Speer Boulevard, Suite 700 , DENVER, COLORADO 80204

Phone #: (303) 350-3711

Fax #:

Attorney File #: 00000009738550

*YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE

DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/

Legal Notice No. 2023-0210

First Publication: 2/22/2024

Last Publication: 3/21/2024

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

PUBLIC NOTICE

Highlands Ranch NOTICE OF SALE

Public Trustee Sale No. 2023-0205

To Whom It May Concern: On 12/19/2023 8:32:00

AM the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in Douglas County.

Original Grantor: SEUL KI CHOI

Original Beneficiary: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as beneficiary, as nominee for Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, Inc.

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt: Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, Inc.

Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 12/22/2022

Recording Date of DOT: 12/23/2022

Reception No. of DOT: 2022078293

DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt: $587,920.00

Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $583,019.89

Pursuant to C.R.S. §38-38-101 (4) (i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust and/or other violations of the terms thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

The property described herein is all of the property encumbered by the lien of the deed of trust.

Legal Description of Real Property:

Lot Sixty-Eight (68) of Hunting Hill 1, 9th Amendment, recorded September 16, 2019 as Reception No. 2019060094 of the Official Record of the County of Douglas, State of Colorado.

Which has the address of:

2220 Santini Trl Unit A, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust described herein, has filed written election and demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that on the first possible sale date (unless the sale is continued*) at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at the Public Trustee’s office, Philip S Miller Building Hearing Room, 100 Third Street, Castle Rock, Colorado, I will sell at public auction to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said

real property and all interest of said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will deliver to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law. If the sale date is continued to a later date, the deadline to file a notice of intent to cure by those parties entitled to cure may also be extended.

First Publication: 2/22/2024

Last Publication: 3/21/2024

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Dated: 12/19/2023

DAVID GILL

DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee

The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

ARICYN J. DALL

Colorado Registration #: 51467

216 16TH STREET SUITE 1210, DENVER, COLORADO 80202

Phone #: (720) 259-6714

Fax #: (720) 259-6709

Attorney File #: 23CO00483-1

*YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/

Legal Notice No. 2023-0205

First Publication: 2/22/2024

Last Publication: 3/21/2024

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

A LETTER TO OUR READERS AND ADVERTISERS

To our loyal supporters,

We’re excited to tell you about a major expansion of our Colorado operation. We are launching a printing press to serve our publications, along with many other newspapers across the Front Range.

is unique project is a crucial step toward stabilizing our costs and ensuring you can continue to receive our news in all the ways that you want.

When the nonpro t National Trust for Local News purchased our 23 news brands in metro Denver in 2021, no one imagined we’d establish a new printing press. Our focus was squarely on digital transformation e orts that have included relaunching our websites and adding a series of new news products in the communities we serve.

However, rapidly rising costs associated with printing and distribution le us and many other publishers across the Front Range in a perilous position. While we know digital is our future, we also know many of our subscribers and advertisers still greatly value the printed newspaper, especially in areas where digital access may be limited.

Funds from the Colorado Media Project, Gates Family Foundation, Colorado Trust, and Bohemian Foundation enabled us to purchase a community printing press and secure a facility in Denver to begin operating it. We’re excited to kick o soon, with our newspapers set to be printed starting in May. We’ll bring on other publishers by the summer.

e new press should allow us to lower manufacturing costs – for ourselves and for other small local publishers – that will stabilize the bottom line and ultimately lead to reinvestments in our reporting resources and digital expansion. We’re strengthening our own business while supporting our fellow publishers.

We believe every community deserves a strong local news source. Your continued support fuels our passion and drive to innovate, adapt, and thrive in an ever-evolving media landscape. Together, we are shaping the future of local journalism in Colorado and beyond.

ank you for being part of this exciting milestone with us.

Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro CEO National Trust for Local News

Linda Shapley Publisher Colorado Community Media