Freestyle rapper Harry Mack makes a visit to UCHealth Hospital Highlands Ranch
How
BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNTIYMEDIA.COM
“Disinfect” and “bowel movement” aren’t words commonly strung together in a rap lyric. But churned from the mind of freestyle rapper Harry Mack, the words were part of a song that brought smiles to patients and sta at UCHealth Hospital Highlands Ranch.
“One of my missions as an artist and freestyler is to use that sort of collaborative element of human connection to spread joy to other people,” Mack said during a re-
cent tour of the hospital.
Establishing himself as a freestyle rapper, Mack aims to promote positivity and connectivity through his unique style. He rose to fame by rapping to strangers on the streets of Venice Beach, eventually working with known artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Soulja Boy and Jennifer Hudson.
Mack’s latest collaboration is a partnership with the University of Colorado Hospital system. It’s his second year lming a YouTube series called, “Freestyle Medicine: Harry Mack and UCHealth,” where
he writes songs based on people’s lives. Meeting patients and sta at di erent UCHealth hospitals and learning about their experiences have been inspiring for Mack.
“Doing it here for people who I feel like could really use a dose of joy in their lives is really rewarding,” said Mack.
More than 2.7 million patients received care at a UCHealth facility in the last year. Part of the hospital system’s mission is to showcase the “extraordinary” stories of their patients.
local amateur radio enthusiasts in Colorado assist with public safety
BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNTIYMEDIA.COM
Given our dependency on the internet, communicating with amateur radios may seem old school, even quaint. But imagine if bad weather or a solar storm hit and disrupted the internet and cell phones. At that moment, a network of amateur, or ham, radio operators could spring into action, playing a major role in keeping the public safe through communications.
“It’s kind of old technology, but it’s old technology that never fails,” said Debrah Schnackenberg, Douglas County’s emergency management director.
Whether it’s a natural disaster like Hurricane Beryl, which struck the Caribbean, the Yucatan Peninsula and Gulf Coast this summer, knocking out power for millions of people or the more recent Microsoft and CrowdStrike outage that impacted computer systems throughout the country, an amateur radio can become an important community tool. Amateur radio frequencies are the last remaining places in the usable radio spectrum where people can experiment with wireless communications, according to the American Radio Relay League.
It’s not just hurricanes or internet outages where amateur radio can be useful. Many outdoor enthusiasts use it while backpacking or camping as many parts of the country — including swaths of Colorado, from the eastern plains to mountainous areas — don’t have reliable cell coverage.
SEE SAFETY, P11
Freestyle rapper Harry Mack speaks with patients and sta at a UCHealth hospital. He would ask them for a few key words and within minutes produce personalized songs on the spot.
PHOTO BY HALEY LENA
Castle Rock postpones vote on regulations for psychedelic mushroom businesses
BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Castle Rock delayed voting on new laws regulating psychedelic mushroom businesses after local practitioners advocated for more leniency.
Town council is considering an ordinance to limit natural medicine businesses and healing centers that facilitate the use of psilocybin or other natural medicines. e ordinance would restrict the businesses to light and general industrial-zoned areas and require them to be at least 1,000 feet away from schools, childcare facilities or residences.
e ordinance would also restrict business hours to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
e council decided to delay voting on the ordinance after hearing from a few local practitioners who said the law would prevent them from treating existing patients.
Beth Jauquet, an owner and coun-
selor at Primalized Health Consultants, said the proposed ordinance would hurt her clinic’s business. Jauquet said her clinic is in compliance with state laws and providing facilitated use of natural medicines.
“Further restrictions on location and hours would prevent us from being able to serve our community and would make this medicine prohibitive to those who really need it,”
Jauquet said.
Council members have been supportive of restrictive regulations, with some saying they would prefer to ban natural medicine businesses in town.
“I don’t want it here at all,” Councilmember Tim Dietz said.
However, unlike the legalization of marijuana, municipalities can’t prohibit natural medicine businesses, but they can regulate where the businesses are located and some operational elements, like setting business hours.
State law allows for natural heal-
ing centers, where people use natural medicines under facilitation, and natural medicine businesses for cultivation, manufacturing and testing. Selling psilocybin or other natural medicines is still illegal.
Jauquet and Richard Myers, another owner of Primalized Health Consultants, told the council about the bene ts they see when facilitating natural medicine, such as helping veterans heal from post-traumatic stress disorder and allowing others to address substance use issues.
Myers also spoke of his own experience with natural medicine.
“ is medication saved my life and allowed me to be a contributing member of society in a way that I love,” Myers said.
After hearing from Jauquet and Myers, council members asked sta if they could adjust the ordinance to grandfather-in existing businesses.
“I don’t love the idea of being — for lack of a better word — the guinea
pig,” Castle Rock Mayor Jason Gray said. “But I also don’t want to be shutting down businesses that are legitimately going to open in Castle Rock and legitimately help people.”
Councilmember Max Brooks said he was con icted about the regulations and concerned that the town is being too reactive.
“We’re talking about micro amounts under the supervision of a licensed physician for therapeutic reasons, not somebody setting a hookah appointment to come get blasted,” Brooks said. “I wonder if we are being a little too sensitive and we’re not being sensitive to some of the bene ts.”
Dietz and councilmember Laura Cavey opposed continuing the vote or softening the proposed restrictions.
“ is feels like a stepping stone, like medical marijuana, to something else that’s not legitimate and things we don’t want in this community,” Cavey said.
District attorney files charges against juvenile in alleged Castle Pines arson
BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
e local district attorney’s o ce has led a charge of fourth-degree arson, a felony, in a suspected case of arson in Castle Pines.
e charges stem from an incident in which a juvenile allegedly started a brush re near a residential area.
e defendant is not being named because they are a minor.
Because of “a quick call to 911 from a resident and the immediate response from re crews, no structures
were damaged,” Deborah Takahara, a spokesperson for the Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce, said of the June re.
A fourth-degree arson charge applies when a person is accused of knowingly or recklessly starting or maintaining a re that places another person in danger of death or serious bodily injury or places any building or occupied structure of another person in danger of damage, according to Eric Ross, a spokesperson for the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Ofce. e speci cs of the charge mean
only property was allegedly endangered, valued at $100,000 or more but less than $1 million.
Charges are an accusation of a crime, and the court process would determine whether a suspect is guilty and convicted.
e 18th Judicial District covers Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties.
e re was reported at about 11:30 a.m. June 18 near Bristolwood Lane and Monarch Boulevard, not far from Castle Pines Parkway. Fire o cials estimated its size at about 1 1/2 acres, between homes along a pathway.
It was located behind homes along Stonedale Drive to the north and Bristolwood to the south, and between Monarch to the east and Timber Trail Elementary School to the west, according to South Metro Fire Rescue.
Investigators determined that the re was intentionally set, Takahara has said. No one was injured, she said.
An arrest a davit — a document that could o er details about a crime
— wasn’t available, Ross said.
“Because this case involves a juvenile, there is not (a) publicly available a davit or summons,” Ross said.
e Castle Pines News-Press sent a request for an incident report to the sheri ’s o ce regarding the re. e sheri ’s o ce did not release records in response to the request, saying it declined to do so “in order to preserve the integrity of an ongoing investigation and/or subsequent prosecution.”
e incident “serves as an important reminder that re season is upon us,” the sheri ’s o ce said in an earlier news release.
“We urge all residents to exercise caution and to educate their children about the dangers of re,” the o ce said in the release. “Proper awareness and preventative measures can help keep our community safe.”
“ is is a good reminder that with hot and windy weather conditions, any ignition can spread quickly,”
South Metro Fire Rescue wrote on social media platform X.
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Costco
Is
Building
800 Apartments Over New Store in Los Angeles. Could Denver Be Next?
When I first read about this project in an email newsletter called “The Briefcase,” I checked the calendar to make sure it wasn’t April 1st. Disbelieving what I read, I Googled the topic and found countless trade and general audience publications about the project (none of them in Denver), and none saying it was a joke.
Yes, Costco has acquired a 5acre site in South Los Angeles that was formerly occupied by a church, and they announced last year that they were partnering with Thrive Living to build a Costco warehouse store on the site with 800 apartments, many of them “affordable” above and around it. The parking will be in two underground levels.
addressing the country’s and Colorado’s extreme shortage of affordable housing.
With many low-income areas being “food deserts,” bringing a Costco to the Baldwin Hills neighborhood south of downtown Los Angeles sounds like it helps to address that problem as well. Here in our own metro area, I can think of several lower income neighborhoods that could benefit from a project that brings both affordable housing and affordable food shopping to the same location. And I suspect that some developer could assemble a 5-acre parcel to carry that off — and that we have developers committed to
affordable housing to replicate the Los Angeles project if Thrive Living isn’t ready to do it themselves.
In the L.A. project, 184 of the 800 apartments are to be set aside for lowincome families. It could be expected
On its website, Thrive Living describes itself as a national brand currently pursuing a mission of building workforce housing in markets experiencing severe affordability gaps. They are an affiliate of Magnum Real Estate Group, “a vertically integrated real estate company which has developed $5.5 billion of real estate, including a wide range of ground-up residential rental and for-sale apartments, adaptive re-use and historic conversions, student housing, community facility development, retail, and light office.”
It was coincidental that I read about their Los Angeles project with Costco on the same day that Governor Gavin Newsome announced a statewide plan in California to crack down on homeless encampments.
Here in the metro Denver area, we have seen a real surge in the construction of multi-story “transit-oriented developments” but it never occurred to me that Costco or other “big box” stores on multi-acre site could also be a venue for
that many of the residents will be Costco employees, whether or not they qualify as “low income.”
According to CoStar, the site is in the “Inglewood / South L.A.” retail market,, where the apartment vacancy rate is 4.4%, and the average rent of $1,650 per month is considerably lower than the Los Angeles average of $2,191 per month.
As usual, I will publish links to this project in the posting of this column at http://RealEstateToday.substack.com.
We Now Know How Buyer Agent Compensation Will Be Handled in Colorado
The much discussed NAR Settlement of March 15, 2024 requires that Realtorowned MLSs, of which REcolorado is one, remove all mention of buyer agent (or “co-op”) commissions from listings by August 17th, and REcolorado has announced that they will comply even earlier — on August 6th. Buyer agent compensation fields will disappear from listings, and no mention of buyer agent compensation can be included in public remarks or other text fields.
The sharing of commissions between listing agents and buyer agents may be banned, but the settlement specifically says that sellers can still offer to pay buyer’s agents. Listing contracts, buyer agency contracts and the contracts to buy and sell listings had to change, and revisions to those documents were released in mid-July by the Colorado Real Estate Commission, for use starting in August. Signed contracts are “grandfathered,” but all new contracts must be written using the new forms.
Price Reduced on This Twin Lakes Home
The new forms no longer state that the listing brokerage will share the listing commission with a buyer’s brokerage. Instead, a 2nd paragraph states that the seller will offer x% or x dollars compensation to a licensed broker who represents a buyer. A 3rd paragraph then states that the listing commission stated in the 1st paragraph will be reduced by the amount of the compensation paid to a buyer’s broker.
It’s a simple and logical work-around. At right is a sign rider I created which complies with this change. I have printed several variations of this sign rider with different percentages to accommodate whatever compensation the sellers we work with want to offer, including
one that doesn’t specify a percentage.
The brochures in the brochure box and the web pages we create for each listing will also have this information, so buyers will know what’s being offered.
How to Avoid Home Repair Scams/Disappointment
First of all, do not hire someone who solicits you, either at your door or by phone/text/letter/email.
$722,000
This 3-bedroom, 2-bath home at 48 Lang Street is in Twin Lakes, 20 miles south of Leadville at the foot of Independence Pass. It could be your escape from the Front Range rat race! This is a year-round mountain home, not a vacation home — unless you enjoy twelve months of vacation each year! Enjoy the quiet mountain life of Twin Lakes Village (population: 204). In summer, enjoy the drive over Independence Pass to Aspen. In winter, drive over Fremont Pass to Copper Mountain. Escape those I-70 traffic jams, too! Closer to home, enjoy hiking the Colorado Trail, which passes through town. This home was built in 2000 with all the modern conveniences, including high-speed internet, yet you're in a historic and charming mountain town. If you've been hankering for a slower lifestyle, this mountain home may be your escape. Visit www.TwinLakesHome.info to take a narrated video walk-through of this home and see lots of photos, then come see it! Open Saturday, August 3rd, 11 to 2. Or call me to request a private showing.
You’ve seen TV ads, no doubt, for Angi.com, and I like them as a resource because they survey every client about the service provided and price charged by the vendors they recommend. Those vendors are incentivized to do good work, because they want to get more referrals from Angi.
I also recommend calling your trusted
Realtor (me, for example) to get referrals and, importantly, to tell the vendor that you were referred. That way, they will, just like the Angi vendor, want to make you happy so they get more referrals.
The most risky thing you can do (other than what I described in the first paragraph) is to do online searching for vendors. Without a focus on getting repeat business or referrals, the vendor you find on-line could disappoint you.
RTD marks 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act with a newly designed bus wrap
BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
e Colorado Regional Transit District commemorated the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with a bus wrap contest. On July 20, the agency announced the contest winner and unveiled the winning design on a bus operating right now in the Denver Metro area.
In a previous interview with Colorado Community Media, RTD Director of Civil Rights Carl Green Jr. explained that the Civil Rights Act deeply a ected public transit in the U.S. over the past 60 years.
“I’m a fervent believer in you got to know your past to know where you’re where you’re going,” Green said. He described the relationship between public transit and civil rights as going back further than 1964. He talked about the bus boycotts of the 1950s and women who were instrumental gures in the movement.
“We had the Montgomery Bus Boycott, or thinking about whether it’s Rosa Parks, or Claudette Calvin, Mary Louise Smith, and there are folks that came before the Civil Rights Act,” Green said. “And that’s something that I think it’s highly important to remember. Claudette Colvin, she was about 15 or 16. She actually refused to give up her seat prior to Rosa Parks.”
He went to name others who affected change in civil rights through their use of public transit.
About 200 people attended the July 20 celebration at e Studio Loft in Denver. e event included local youth performers and a panel of RTD sta and partners who talked about promoting equity and inspiring change.
en, the winning bus wrap, designed by Dez Merworth of Denver, was unveiled.
“I’m really excited the bus art is going to be something that so many people can access and see, especially communities that don’t necessarily always get to go to art galleries. It makes art accessible,” Merworth said.
“Dez Merworth did a phenom-
enal job at capturing all aspects of what the contest was about: the impact the Civil Rights Act has had on our community, recognizing the many individuals and groups nationally and in Colorado that championed equity and accessibility for all, and creating a lively, vibrant design to recognize and celebrate our diverse communities and inspire action,” Green said. “I thank her for her astute detail to the work and to all our community partners who participated.”
Merworth’s design will be on a bus that will circulate throughout the RTD’s 2,342 square-mile district. It will operate through the end of 2024. For more information on the Civil Rights wrapped bus, go to rtd-denver.com/60th-anniversary.
Denver artist Dez Merworth created the winning design for RTD’s 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act Bus Wrap Design Contest. COURTESY OF RTD
Dez Merworth’s winning design for the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act Bus Wrap Design Contest includes national activists on the street side of the bus. The side of the bus that faces the curb features portraits of individuals in Colorado.
design on the back of
Let’s come together to celebrate the beauty that our local communities have to o er.
SHARE YOUR TRAIL TALES 5K
is a new event that celebrates Colorado’s walking/running trails within our local communities.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 24 Clement Park–Littleton
Our 5K Run/Walk will mark the culmination of members sharing their stories about the great places they go for a run or a walk.
Church gets injunction to keep providing shelter
The Rock Church is in legal fight with Castle Rock over helping people in need
BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
e Rock Church will be allowed to continue o ering temporary shelter on its site while its lawsuit against the Town of Castle Rock proceeds in federal district court.
e church sued Castle Rock in May, arguing the town is violating the church’s religious freedom by prohibiting it from o ering shortterm shelter to people in need.
e church has used an RV and a trailer on its property since 2019 to temporarily house people who otherwise would have nowhere to stay. Last year, town o cials shut down the arrangement, arguing it was not permitted by the church’s zoning.
e church hasn’t provided shelter since and asked the courts for an injunction that would reopen its temporary shelters.
the Church at this point, regardless of how idiosyncratic or mistaken the Town may nd its beliefs to be,” Domenico wrote in the injunction.
Domenico also found that the town didn’t have a compelling reason to prevent the shelters because there have been no safety issues reported and the church is taking safety precautions, such as background checks.
Domenico said the church demonstrated there would be irreparable harm if the injunction was not granted, noting the town hasn’t argued it would be materially harmed by allowing the temporary shelters.
“ e fact that the Church has already had to turn away homeless families in need, in violation of its sincerely held beliefs that it must serve and house them on its property, makes this harm all too clear,” he wrote.
Domenico said the injunction is narrow and doesn’t apply to other kinds of housing the church may want to provide. e Rock Church had been planning to develop income-restricted housing on its site, but that project was paused after the Douglas County Housing Partnership ended its role in the project.
U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Domenico granted that injunction on July 19. Domenico found that the town’s zoning enforcement may violate the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act by creating a substantial burden on the church’s religious belief that its ministry includes providing shelter to people in need on church property.
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Lace up your shoes, and after you hit the path, share your story with Colorado Community Media. We will be publishing your fan letters in our local papers.
e town had argued that the zoning is neutral and generally applicable, noting the church could nd other ways to satisfy its religious obligations to provide for those in need, such as by providing hotel rooms or housing in other areas that are zoned for residential use.
Domenico said it’s not up to the town to de ne the church’s religious beliefs.
“To the extent there is a dispute about whether the Church’s stated beliefs actually require it to provide shelter on its own property, there is no reason to second-guess
“ is injunction is limited to the facts of this case, which show that the Church has a large lot and the concomitant ability to keep its shelter at a distance from nearby residential areas, that its shelter only consists of two vehicles, and that it has received no complaints about drug use or experienced any crime as a result of its ministry,” Domenico wrote.
Jeremy Dys, an attorney for the Rock Church from First Liberty Institute, said in a statement that the church is pleased with the court’s decision.
“ e court reopened the door of a caring church whose mission has always been to o er a warm environment for the homeless living on the cold, hard streets,” Dys said. e town has previously said that it doesn’t comment on ongoing litigation.
Silverdale Trailhead
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Call first: 115 Wilcox St., Suite 220, Castle Rock, CO 80104
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South metro briefs: Celebrate Colorado’s birthday and more
Concerts on the Fly Denver International Airport concerts will take place on the Park on the Plaza, DIA’s 82,000-square-foot open-air park. e six-week concert series began July 28 and runs through Sept. 1. e location is at Denver International Airport Plaza, between the Jeppesen Terminal and the Westin Hotel. For more information, visit FlyDenver. com/concert.
RTD has added live look-in equipment
is hosting a free-day celebration for the state’s birthday that is worthy of the Centennial State and the Mile High City. e carnivalesque celebration will include arts and crafts, live music, snacks, alpacas and much more. It takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 3 at the History Colorado Center, 1200 N. Broadway, Denver. To learn more, visit historycolorado. org.
2024 Parade of Homes Denver
Columnists & Guest Commentaries
Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Herald. We welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.
Email letters to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Deadline Tues. for the following week’s paper.
Highlands Ranch Herald
A legal newspaper of general circulation in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, the Herald is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 115 Wilcox St., Suite 220, Castle Rock, CO 80104.
Send address change to: Highlands Ranch Herald, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110
e Regional Transportation District (RTD) completed a major technology project by installing live look-in equipment on its bus eet — a substantial safety and security update that supports the agency’s Welcoming Transit Environment strategic initiative. e new system enables RTD’s public safety dispatchers to both view and hear individuals, situations and events occurring on a vehicle in the moment. Light rail vehicle installations are in progress.
Speeding was state’s top cause of fatal crashes in 2023
As the summer season brings increased tra c to interstate corridors through Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Nevada, the National Highway Tra c Safety Administration and the Colorado Department of Transportation are urging all drivers to heed the speed limit and remain focused behind the wheel. Drivers will see digital message signs reminding them to slow down, and in some locations, law enforcement will be issuing citations for speeding.
History Colorado to host the state’s birthday celebration
On Aug. 3, the History Colorado Center in Denver
e Home Builders Association of Denver is o ering three weekends of self-guided home tours in August. e homes are located throughout the Front Range. e tours are also available virtually. e tours are a chance to “Explore the latest trends, innovative designs, and cutting-edge technology shaping new homes and communities across the region,” according to the announcement. Tours run Aug. 8-25. For more information, go to paradeofhomesdenver.com.
Road work in Centennial
Overnight road work is scheduled on County Line Road between Interstate 25 and Inverness Way to minimize impacts on travelers. Work will occur from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. July 28 through Aug. 3. Access will remain open during construction but Centennial o cials advise using an alternate route. is project is a collaborative e ort led by Centennial, in partnership with the City of Lone Tree and Arapahoe and Douglas counties. For more information, visit centennialco.gov/mycentennial.
Zoom Room dog training business opens in Littleton Zoom Room, a national indoor dog training business, is scheduled to open its rst location in Littleton, which
will be its second Colorado location. Located at 8023 S. Broadway, Zoom Room Littleton is hosting a grand opening party from 4-6 p.m. on Aug. 3, during which members of the community and their pups can check out the new space, meet the business owners, enjoy food and drinks, and have their dog participate in fun games and enjoy some delicious treats. e event is free, and on behalf of each attendee who RSVPs ahead of time, Zoom Room Littleton will donate $10 to Soul Dog Rescue. To RSVP, go to https:// zoomroom.com/littleton/ grand-opening-of-zoomroom-littleton/
Arapahoe County backs electric vehicle charging, more New electrical, solar and EV charging building codes now apply to new construction and some remodeling projects within unincorporated Arapahoe County, according to the county’s website. Every three years, the National Electric Code is updated to re ect the newest installation rules and practices used by the electri-
cal industry. e July adoption incorporates changes to state law made by the Colorado Legislature, including rules for non-gender speci c restroom accommodations, electric vehicle charging station provisions and accommodations and other code changes.
DCSD is home to additional National Merit CollegeSponsored Scholarship Winners e National Merit Scholarship Corporation released the names of the nal group of winners in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. ese awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution nancing the scholarship. Congratulations to the following DCSD graduates: Shioka Kandukuri, Rock Canyon High School, who plans to study computer science at Purdue University; and Aryav Rastogi, Rock Canyon High School, who plans to study computer programming at University of Texas at Dallas.
“At UCHealth, patients are our rst priority,” said Kim Vecchio, senior director of brand and advertising. “ ey are the heroes, and so we work really hard to focus on the patient and their stories.”
Vecchio said health care can seem boring at times and straightforward. So, nding ways to creatively bring patients’ stories to life required some out-of-the-box thinking.
UCHealth’s Video Production Manager Mike Mazzanti has been a fan of Mack’s music for years and was inspired by the rapper’s improvisational skills.
inking about how patients are often faced with having to make unexpected plans when they are diagnosed with an illness or su er an injury, he realized there was a common theme.
“We thought it would be a cool opportunity to marry in a similar fashion a person that has to improvise o the top of his head to create his art with people who have to improvise their life when it comes to a setback,” said Mazzanti.
Mack sat down one-on-one with patients in a studio, but told the team that he wanted to be at the hospital and engage with the patients and sta directly.
With a camera crew around him and a small speaker strapped around his shoulders, Mack went to the Highlands Ranch hospital and visited di erent units – including the labor and delivery oor – to speak with patients, learning a little
bit about their lives.
Mack walked into these patient rooms with no preparation, said Vecchio. He didn’t know the patient’s stories ahead of time, but within a few minutes of meeting them and asking them for a few key words, Mack was able to create personalized songs on the spot.
Smiles emitted from the patients as their heads nodded to the beats.
“ ings like this are so upbeat,” said patient Jean Lundberg. “It can take a day that’s been di cult and
make all the bad stu go away.” e songs weren’t just for patients. Mack visited the emergency room, food and nutrition department and found himself with a group of nurses, nursing assistants, physical therapists and housekeepers. He told the sta that his main goal was to bring them joy, but he also wanted to challenge himself.
Mack went around the group and asked for words to incorporate into his rap. Little did he know that he would be getting a lesson in medi-
cal vocabulary. He learned what each word meant, even the di erence between catheters, like a PureWick.
“It was just really aligned with what I’m all about,” said Mack. “To be able to interact, not only with the sta who are doing amazing work to help people, but also with some patients who have gone through really challenging things and to be able to include them in what I do and promote that concept of human connectedness.”
Popular freestyle rapper Harry Mack partners with UCHealth hospitals to bring patients’ stories to life in a positive and creative way. Mack recently visited the Highlands Ranch hospital to film a second season of a UCHealth YouTube series.
PHOTO BY HALEY LENA
e technology is used throughout Douglas and Elbert counties by rst responders and the licensed enthusiasts who want to be of assistance to them in matters of public safety. Brad Tombaugh represents Amateur Radio Emergency Services of Douglas and Elbert Counties, one of more than two dozen Amateur Radio Emergency Services districts in the state.
“Our goal is to be able to use our radio skills to support our community during disaster situations,” said Tombaugh.
A tool for the community
e Amateur Radio Emergency Services of Douglas and Elbert Counties donate time at community events, such as the county fair, bicycle and motorcycle events, where they monitor checkpoints and report accidents, injuries or changing weather conditions.
“Amateur radio is often one of the rst means of communication that can be established in order to see what kind of damage (there is) and what kind of help is needed,” Tombaugh said.
With partnerships with the Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce and the O ce of Emergency Management, the group is often called on to provide additional communication. ey also have radio facilities set up in most of the regional hospitals like AdventHealth Parker and Sky Ridge Medical Center.
If a wild re causes an evacuation or a blizzard strands people on the roads, the group’s services are useful when the O ce of Emergency Management opens emergency shelters.
“Anytime we establish an emergency shelter, what we try to do is put one of those ham radio operators into the emergency operations center with us,” said Schnackenberg. “ en we ask them to put a team of two at all of the emergency shelters that we opened.”
When a bomb cyclone hit the area in the winter of 2019, about 700 people were rescued o the roads and highways and brought to various emergency shelters, said Schnackenberg.
Braving the storm, amateur radio operators went to the shelters and established communications with the emergency operations center to relay how many people were there and how many people they anticipated having. is gave o cials an idea of what was needed in terms of care, food and more, so the shelters would be properly supplied.
“Understanding what it was going to take to keep all those people safe until we could get them back to their cars,” said Schnackenberg.
e importance of amateur radio operators goes beyond local needs.
For instance, during a solar storm or even in the event of a nuclear attack, some radio operators become part of what’s called the Military Auxiliary Radio System. If phones, computers and vehicles don’t work, these operators can reach out via radio across the nation to ask questions about locations and to assess damage and what is needed from rst responders and aid agencies.
Practicing their skills
ousands of radio amateurs gathered across the United States and Canada in late June to take part in the annual Field Day event. Dozens of Douglas and Elbert County participants set up just north of the RueterHess Reservoir, in the southwest part of Parker.
e event is a way for amateur radio operators to practice establishing connections and be organized in the case of an unspeci ed emergency. It’s also an informal contest to see who could contact as many stations as possible within 24 hours.
is year, the group did better than the prior year, making over 2,000 contacts.
Several antennas were operated from three separate stations, said Tombaugh. About two-thirds of their contacts were made using a microphone to talk to others. About a third were made using Morse Code.
“We also did some digital modes,” said Tombaugh. “We had a computer connected to the radio and it could talk to another radio or computer.”
Four pieces of information are enough to count as a contact. Operators indicated what size their group was, what class they were in, their designation for the region, and a “signal report,” which indicated how well they could hear the other party.
As operating an amateur radio in the U.S. requires a license from the Federal Communications Commission, the Amateur Radio Emergency Services of Douglas and Elbert Counties members also ran a “Get On e Air ‘’ station where the public could try amateur radio without
Several American Radio Emergency Services of Douglas and Elbert Counties members stand up a multi-band vertical antenna on Field Day in late June. The day is a way for amateur radio operators to practice establishing connections in the case of an unspecified emergency.
needing a license.
While there are other radio services, like Family Radio Service and walkie talkies that can be used without a license, Tombaugh said it requires some studying to get a license for an amateur radio.
“It’s something that takes advanced planning,” said Tombaugh.
COURTESY OF BRAD TOMBAUGH
Douglas County expands law aimed at halting migrants from exiting buses
Sheri ’s o ce says it still has not issued any citations or warnings under the policy
BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Fearing that vehicles carrying migrant people will stop in Douglas County, local leaders have expanded restrictions on the unloading of bus passengers, though the sheri ’s ofce says the law has not been used since it was created in April. e move comes as the in ux of new migrants coming to Denver has slowed “to a crawl,” a city spokesperson said. In expanding the policy, Douglas County commissioners voted to widen its scope beyond unincorporated parts of the county and include
some cities and towns.
at means the law, which originally included Highlands Ranch and other areas outside of municipalities, would be enforceable in cities or towns that agree to allow the Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce to enforce it.
e law also automatically applies in Larkspur and Castle Pines, as the sheri ’s o ce is the law-enforcement agency for those municipalities.
e county’s three elected commissioners all voted to approve the expanded law in a preliminary vote and Commissioners George Teal and Lora omas made the law ofcial in a nal vote in late July. Commissioner Abe Laydon was absent. “ is was initiated at the request of our municipalities in order to better protect all of Douglas County,” Teal said at a July meeting.
Among cities and towns in Douglas, only Castle Rock so far has taken
EQUIPMENT
action to allow the sheri to enforce the busing ordinance within its boundaries, county sta said in early July. County sta didn’t immediately respond for comment in late July.
County o cials have framed the policy as safeguarding the “community’s overall well-being.” Douglas County Sheri Darren Weekly has suggested that migrants moving south from Denver into the county are to blame for increased crime, though his remarks appear unsupported by evidence, Colorado Newsline reported.
County o cials have acknowledged that they aren’t aware of any migrants being dropped o in the county by commercial vehicles.
Je Garcia, Douglas County’s attorney, said in early July that to the county’s knowledge, since December 2022, no government or organization has brought migrants out of Denver into shelters in Douglas. Asked whether Douglas County knows of any migrant or migrants being dropped o anywhere across the county by commercial buses, vans or trucks since December 2022, Garcia said: “I’m not aware of any.”
County sta did not immediately respond for further comment after the nal vote.
Meanwhile, the sheri ’s o ce said it has not seen enforcement activity under the rst version of the ordinance.
“We have not issued any citations or warnings under (this) ordinance,” said Deputy Cocha Heyden, a spokesperson for the sheri ’s o ce. “We have also had no calls for service related to this ordinance since it became e ective.”
What’s in the law
e law the county expanded to at least some municipalities does not mention migrants or any other groups, only mentioning “commercial passengers.”
It prohibits commercial passenger vehicles from stopping to unload passengers other than at a “planned and scheduled documented destination.” e law applies to any vehicle where payment is involved for transportation, including buses, vans and trucks.
It does 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, ride-sharing services, or taxi cabs.
Denver influx slows
Jon Ewing, a Denver spokesperson, said the rate of new migrants being served by the city of Denver has slowed “to a crawl.”
“We’re seeing around ve people arriving per day, and we haven’t received a bus from Texas in over a month. Not a single person arrived yesterday,” Ewing said in late July.
Asked what appears to be driving that decrease, Ewing said:
“I think it’s twofold. We did change our shelter strategy, which involved closing hotels used for long-term sheltering while also helping people inside those facilities gain housing and reach better circumstances. e other factor is the situation at the border itself.”
Arrivals have slowed “tremendously” since President Joe Biden’s policy change at the southern border, a move to limit claims for asylum at the border, Ewing said.
A wall in the Douglas County commissioners’ public meeting room in Castle Rock is pictured here in July 2023.
PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD
BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Following a two-week long jury trial, Casey Childers has been found guilty of kidnapping and murdering Rachel Holeman in 2021. Childers was sentenced afterwards to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“ is was not a hastily committed crime,” 18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner said in a statement. “It was deliberate, calculated and cruel.”
e initial missing persons report on Holeman, 29, was handled by Fort Collins police. Witness statements and a preliminary investigation indicated that Holeman had been with Childers, 42, and an alleged co-conspirator “for the purpose of distributing drugs,” accord-
man gets life Unbeatable Savings
ing to a press release.
Fort Collins police turned the investigation over to Aurora police, indicating the investigation led there.
Investigators believed that Holeman was kidnapped in early November in a Chevrolet Malibu near Colfax Avenue and Victor Street by Childers and co-conspirators.
On Nov. 7, deputies with the Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce were responding to an unrelated burglary call when they drove past a Chevrolet Malibu near South Parker Road and Russellville Road. A deputy ran the car’s license plate, which helped investigators connect the car and the location of Holeman’s disappearance.
Over a month later, on Dec, 29, police in Sheridan, Wyoming, conducted a tra c stop on the same car, arresting the occupants, includ-
ing Childers, on suspicion of drug o enses.
Based on dashcam footage and statements made by a car occupant, the Aurora Police Department, Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce and the Douglas County Search and Rescue Team ew a drone over the area where Holeman went missing and found her body along an embankment o Colorado Highway 83, also known as South Parker Road.
An investigation concluded that Holeman had died from a gunshot wound to the head.
Childers was identi ed as the shooter.
“ e evidence shows this defendant senselessly murdered and left her body in a remote part of the county where he thought no one would nd her,” Senior Deputy DA Corrie Caler said in a statement.
A co-conspirator, Shantel Edlund, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit second-degree murder and was sentenced to 18 years in state prison.
Lee VanBuskirk also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit second-degree murder in addition to second-degree kidnapping. VanBuskirk’s sentencing is set for later this year.
Childers was convicted by a jury of rst-degree murder after deliberation, second-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit seconddegree kidnapping.
In addition to life in prison, he was also given 32 years on the second-degree kidnapping charge and 16 years for conspiracy to commit second-degree kidnapping. Both sentences will run concurrent to the life sentence.
Cultivating gratitude in every pursuit
In a world obsessed with instant grati cation and quick wins, conviction and commitment often seem like relics from a bygone era. However, it’s precisely these qualities that can transform our relationship with our careers, vocations, hobbies and pursuits, fostering a deep sense of gratitude and apprecia-
Conviction and commitment are not just about sticking with something; they’re about pouring our hearts into our endeavors and nding fulllment in the journey, not just the destination. Let’s explore how these powerful qualities can elevate our lives and infuse our daily pursuits with gratitude.
Conviction is the unwavering be-
lief in the value of what we’re doing. e inner drive fuels our actions, propels us forward and sustains us through challenges. When we approach our work, hobbies or personal projects with conviction, we engage with a sense of purpose that transcends mere obligation. We become passionate advocates for our own endeavors, and this passion is contagious.
Consider a professional who believes deeply in their company’s mission. eir conviction is evident in their dedication, willingness to go the extra mile, and resilience in the face of setbacks. is belief infuses their work with meaning, making even the most mundane tasks feel signi cant. Similarly, a hobbyist who pursues their interest with conviction nds joy in the outcomes and the process itself. Every stroke of the brush, note played, and word written expresses their inner passion. While conviction is about belief, commitment is about action. It’s the sustained e ort over time that turns dreams into reality. Commitment means showing up, day after day, even when motivation wanes and obstacles arise. It’s the tenacity to keep going when others might give up.
Free-market success vs. bureaucratic overreach
In Colorado policymaking, a stark divide emerges in how economic issues like education, healthcare, and taxation are approached. On one side, there’s a commitment to fostering a free market where businesses and individuals can thrive. On the other, there’s a strong tendency for bureaucratic micromanagement that sti es innovation and growth. is divide was glaringly evident in last session’s liquor law reform e orts.
Regulating the sale and distribution of liquor in Colorado is necessary, but the manner in which it is done exposes the underlying philosophy of lawmakers. HB24-1156, the Chamber of Commerce Alcohol Special Event Permit bill, exempli es a trust in individuals and businesses.
For 15 years, the Parker Chamber of Commerce sponsored an immensely popular Wine Walk event, drawing thousands to Parker’s Mainstreet businesses, serving as both a community event and an economic boon. However, last year the Colorado Liquor Enforcement Division informed organizers that the event was not in compliance with state liquor licensing laws, causing signi cant nancial loss for Parker’s small businesses and disappointment for its residents.
In response to these concerns, HB24-1156 was introduced. e bill modi ed state law, creating a new Special Events Permit and updating existing regulations to ensure such events could take place legally and safely. is change addressed the Liquor Enforcement Division’s concerns while allowing small Mainstreet businesses across the state to attract new customers. It was a clear win-win for everyone involved, showcasing how sensible, cooperative legislation can bene t communities and the economy.
In the same spirit of cooperation, SB24-231 implemented recommendations from the Alcohol Beverage Liquor Advisory Group, which includes representatives from every segment of Colorado’s liquor in-
dustry — brewers, restaurants, distributors and retailers. ese industry insiders, who understand the complexities of liquor laws, worked together to modernize the state’s liquor, beer and wine codes. eir collaborative e ort resulted in legislation that bene ts businesses and consumers alike, modernizing the liquor code to work for everyone. Contrast this with HB24-1373, which had extensive bureaucratic overreach that dictated to industry how they would conduct business. is bill would have dismantled several existing laws and regulations and would have speci cally revoked Proposition 125, which was passed by a majority of voters in 2022.
COLUMN Anthony Hartsook and Lisa Frizell
SEE NORTON, P20
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dubious about tax proposal
e Town of Castle Rock is considering a sales tax increase of 0.2% to fund added public safety personnel. It is said to generate an added $3.75 million annually. I do not live in Castle Rock but I do shop there and I do not get to vote on the proposed tax increase but will be affected by it.
Castle Rock has grown from 4,700 residents in 1979 when our family moved here to about 85,000 now. is is a staggering 6.6% annual growth rate. We all wish our 401(k) s grew like this. In addition we have just experienced a period of high ination. As your grocery bill increases so does the sales tax on that bill as Castle Rock taxes your groceries. Interestingly, Monument and Lone Tree do not tax groceries. Castle Rock’s largest source of tax revenue by far (80%) is sales tax, projected at $75 million this year, and it has increased substantially due to population growth and in ation. Castle Rock also bene ts from substantial tax revenue at the Outlet Mall and Promenade mostly from nonresidents. is is very unsual high source of revenue for a town this size.
needed. Do they reward employees that come up with cost-saving ideas? Perhaps they could employ someone to operationally audit the town and recommend places to cut costs?
I know many folks in town government and they are responsible folks who will not leave people to die without an ambulance because we turned down a tax increase.
Peter Smith, Castle Rock
Petitioner pain
I just came from my favorite King
e point here is that Castle Rock revenue has increased substantially over the years and with proper management should be plenty to accomplish the fundamental functions. Have you noticed that governments always point to public safety as the group that will take the hit versus maybe the legal, human resources, development or other departments? It is a scare tactic, plain and simple. I challenge the town to tell all of us where they have reduced costs or eliminated a program no longer
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Soopers — everyone has their favorite grocery store — where the petition carriers were swarming around the entrance doors, each one carrying several petitions. I asked two di erent carriers about the issues we were supposedly wanting to put on the ballot in November, and if that person was a paid circulator. e issues needed a lot more than the minute or two that most shoppers had time to discuss, and both of the circulators admitted they were being paid to grab signatures. Scam alert! People who want to dictate to Colorado what our laws should look like have paid these slightly interested people to harvest your and my signature, hoping I will just be nice and accommodating to get it on the ballot. But is it really such a good idea if someone must be paid to try to get it on the ballot?
Please be willing to read the Blue Book sent out by the state before the election, and try to be an informed and “educated on the issues” voter. Our overactive Colorado legislature passed more than enough new laws to last me for several years. We must be wise about what laws we want.
Mary Ann McCoy, Lone Tree
posted on websites or social media. Submitted letters become the property of CCM and should not be republished elsewhere.
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FINDING A WAY
A guide to metro Denver’s streets
BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
You might be headed for a destination on 17th Avenue, put an address into your phone app and then discover you mixed up that road with 17th Street.
Likewise, you might wonder: Why do some addresses have no
directional letter — no “N” or “E” after the number?
Why are the streets diagonal in downtown Denver? And what drove how Denver streets are named?
Answers to these questions and more come from local historian Phil Goodstein’s book, “Denver Streets: Names, Numbers, Locations, Logic.” What’s more, the book sheds light on how the broad-
er metro area was uni ed — mostly — under one street grid.
“Compared to cities such as San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, and New York, Denver roadways are a model of clarity,” Goodstein’s book says.
An understanding of the system and “the evolution of Denver streets not only re ects much of the city’s past, but is also literally a way
where an individual can nd where (they are) going,” Goodstein’s book adds.
Here’s a small guide to making sense of the map, mostly based on information from the book and some input from Goodstein himself, not necessarily listed in historical order.
People walk at the Broadway and Ellsworth Avenue intersection on July 23 in Denver. Each street sign
Basics of the metro Denver grid
Whether you’re on a certain part of a road — West or East Alameda Avenue, or North or South Wadsworth Boulevard, for example — depends on which side of the map’s dividing lines you’re on.
You can think about the Denver metro area as a grid with four quadrants. Broadway is the dividing line for avenues running east and west, so if you’re on West Colfax Avenue, that means you’re west of Broadway.
Likewise, the lesser-known Ellsworth Avenue, while not a major road on its own, is the dividing line for streets running north and south. To help you picture its location: Ellsworth sits next to 1st Avenue.
ose two axis lines, Broadway and Ellsworth, generally determine the number in addresses based on how far away a place is from those roads. And the metro area’s numbered avenues — 1st Avenue, 120th Avenue and so on — easily tell you how far a place is from Ellsworth.
Each full block on the map counts up by 100 in the address numbering system. For example, 1300 Broadway means a building is on Broadway at 13th Avenue.
If you stand at the Broadway and Ellsworth intersection, you can see each street sign display a “000” number, indicating it’s at the grid system’s center.
Avenues south of Ellsworth in Denver’s grid generally don’t include the handy numbers like “6th” in their names, but the system still applies, with each road carrying a number. Tennessee Avenue, 10 blocks south of Ellsworth, is the road marking 1000 south.
Technically, when writing addresses, the “N” for north and “E” for east are sometimes ignored. A street not having “South” in its pre x is assumed to be north of Ellsworth, and an avenue not having “West” in its pre x is assumed to be east of Broadway.
But “modern Denver practice has generally been to add pre xes to the east as well as to the west avenues,” Goodstein’s book says.
(When putting an address in an internet map system, pay attention to whether the directional pre x is correct.)
A quick note if you’re confused: West Colfax doesn’t mean you’re go-
ing westbound on Colfax. You can head east or west on that road. It just means you’re on the portion of that road that’s west of Broadway.
A crooked grid
But if there’s a simple north-south, east-west grid, why are there diagonal streets in downtown Denver?
e history goes back to the Auraria community, the place that now houses the campus that includes the Metropolitan State University of Denver o Colfax Avenue and Interstate 25. Auraria’s streets parallelled the Cherry Creek, and the nearby early Denver streets were laid out parallel to the Platte River.
e result is today’s somewhat messy diagonal grid system in the downtown area with its own separate numbering system from the rest of the surrounding area. Driving to 11th Street in the downtown-area grid — as opposed to 11th Avenue outside of it — will land you in very di erent locations.
‘Streets’ and ‘avenues’
You may notice that in the metro area, “streets” generally run north and south and “avenues” east and west.
“Originally, ‘street’ and ‘avenue’ had no speci c meaning in the Mile High City,” Goodstein’s book says. “ ey were products of local custom and what developers, real estate agents, and residents named the roads in their areas.”
Eventually, “street” and “avenue” were given precise de nitions that indicated which way they ran.
( ere are some exceptions to that rule outside of Denver — more on that later.)
Despite that tidy order, in the downtown-area grid, generally, everything’s a “street.” And that diagonal grid is based on old Denver boundaries.
e original southwest corner of Denver at Colfax Avenue and Zuni Street near the Platte River was dened as “ground zero” for that grid in 1873. First Street was the rst street northeast of Colfax and the Platte. 16th Street downtown is the 16th street from that point.
If a system with two grids is confusing, it’s helpful that something links them. e numbering system of the diagonal streets eventually also determined the numbers of the east-west avenues in the regular grid. 16th Street and 16th Avenue hit Broadway at the same place, as do 17th Street and 17th Avenue, which connect at that point.
A sign marks 17th Street in the downtown Denver area on July 23 near where the street meets 17th Avenue.
A sign stands at Colfax Avenue along a tiny part of Morrison Road near downtown Denver on July 23.
STREETS
“ is is not coincidence, but a product of e orts to rationalize Denver street names and numbering,” Goodstein’s book says.
What that means is that a road in the regular grid wasn’t arbitrarily chosen as 1st Avenue. Rather, 1st Avenue was determined because the east-west numbered avenues started with 17th Avenue and counted down block by block until a rst avenue was reached, Goodstein’s book says.
at brings things back to Ellsworth. e road one block south of 1st Avenue, Ellsworth, was consequently de ned as the dividing line between the north-designated and the south-designated streets.
Straightening out
What locals today know as the regular east-west, north-south grid became dominant long ago.
Real-estate businessman Henry C. Brown pushed for a street system that naturally followed the compass, laying out the streets of the future Capitol Hill neighborhood on an east-west, north-south basis.
“Such a grid followed federal land policies and was seen as the most e cient means of pro tably developing real estate,” Goodstein’s book says.
Setting order
With the coming of the railroad in 1870, Denver’s population spiked, and as it did, new sections emerged around the area.
“Only the barest of a building code and municipal supervision regulated new developments,” and a “chaotic street pattern” arose, Goodstein’s book says.
“By the 1890s, it was estimated that there were 832 names for 414 designated roads,” the book adds. “Often the same name referred to more than one street.”
It caused confusion. e problem “especially irritated Howard Maloney, a bookkeeper for the water company,” Goodstein’s book says.
“Maloney su ered much of the criticism when (people) complained about being double-billed or not getting service as ordered and promised. Messengers for the water company often could not nd customers to deliver bills,” Goodstein’s book adds.
With the support of the water company, the city passed Ordinance 16 of 1897, paving the way for placing an alphabetical order on streets.
street names in the new system. ough street names don’t always follow an alphabetical pattern, one of the places the Maloney system comes into play is in streets east of Colorado Boulevard, in a “double alphabet” pattern. Here, for example, the name of the rst street in the series, such as Clermont or Dexter, was a personal name or a geographic location, “ideally of British origins,” the book says. e next street, such as Cherry or Dahlia, was a plant or a tree. at continued east to Yosemite Street.
Denver’s initially chaotic street pattern wasn’t an anomaly compared to other major U.S. metro areas, Goodstein told Colorado Community Media.
“It was typical of cities everyplace at that period,” Goodstein said, speaking generally. “Every developer in every community would seize the land and try to develop it as they wish.”
Beyond Denver, in the suburbs
At the same time e orts were underway to de ne avenues with Ellsworth as the “zero” road, Broadway, which partly ends the downtown-area diagonal grid, logically emerged as the axis dividing east and west.
“Broadway is a generic term for a big important street by the time Denver has emerged,” Goodstein said.
By the 1890s, a vague idea of metro Denver had arisen. Arapahoe County collaborated with Je erson
outside of the greater Denver-area grid, even though Golden and Brighton generally fall within the Denver
porated Je erson and Arapahoe counties changed the names of their streets in 1906, Goodstein’s book says.
“ e 4800 east block east, in other words, would always be Dahlia Street whether it is in the City and County of Denver or in one of the suburbs,” Goodstein’s book says of the grid system.
Separately, Littleton developed its own numbering system based on Main and Prince streets as its zero lines.
“In December 1960, over a good deal of local opposition, Littleton joined the Denver street numbering system and renamed many of its streets, e ective 1961,” Goodstein’s book says.
Suburban streets often seemingly follow no speci c pattern, but they are still generally part of the Denver numbering grid.
North metro residents may know that although it is the east-west dividing line, Broadway often disappears north of downtown Denver.
“Given that Broadway had originally ended at 20th Avenue, it never became a dominating arterial in the northern suburbs,” the book says. (“Arterial,” as in artery, means a major road.) “Especially north of 88th Avenue, I-25 follows what would have been the path of Broadway.”
Suburban quirks
In Boulder, Golden and Brighton — old, historic cities — roads exist
In parts of Golden, “streets” run in both directions of the grid, and in parts of Brighton, “streets” run east and west, and “avenues” run north and south.
Castle Rock, far outside Denver but still technically in the metro area, also has its own street grid. Some major diagonal roads in the Denver area are named for the communities they lead to. Brighton Boulevard goes toward Brighton, Parker Road toward Parker. While less cohesive, Morrison Road goes toward the Town of Morrison. It originally began at Colfax Avenue, the book says, where a tiny section of what is dubbed Morrison Road still runs near Federal Boulevard.
“Much of the original Morrison Road, the old county road 8, was lled in by subsequent urban development,” the book says.
In Denver and beyond, o cial logos on street signs re ect which city or county you’re in. See CCM’s previous story on street signs and some history at tinyurl.com/DenverMetroStreetSigns.
Other map features
Between the full blocks of the Denver street grid are “half blocks,” with roads that do not cut completely through the grid. ese small roads include “courts,” “places” and “ways.”
On the other hand, “boulevards” and “roads” are generally major roadways.
For more on history of Denver streets, see Goodstein’s book at the Denver Central Library.
Signs overhead direct tra c on 17th Street in the downtown Denver area on July 23 at Broadway, where 17th Street meets 17th Avenue.
PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD
Thu 8/01
Phat Daddy @ 5pm
René Moffatt Music @ 6pm
ViewHouse Centennial, 7101 S Clinton St, Centennial
JaySilenceBand: Jay Silence live at the Wide Open Saloon @ 6pm
Wide Open Saloon, 5607 US-85, Sedalia
Russell Dickerson @ 6pm
Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre, 6350
Greenwood Plaza Blvd, Greenwood Vil‐lage
LOS CAFRES
@ 9:30pm / $50-$80 Stampede, Aurora
Teague Starbuck @ 5pm Brewability Lab, 3445 S Broad‐way, Englewood
Bush w/ Jerry Cantrell @ 5pm Fiddlers Green Amphitheatre, Englewood
Amelia Ransom: Private Event w/ Thunder and Rain @ 6pm
Private Event, Lakewood
The Last Dinner Party @ 7pm Gothic Theatre, Englewood
Wed 8/07
AS: Learn to Bike Program: Athmar @ 2pm
Aug 7th - Aug 9th
Denver Parks and Recreation (ATH), 2680 W Mexico Ave., Denver. 720-913-0654
Jessey Adams @ 5pm
Sinners & Saints, 221 Perry St, Castle Rock
HRCA Wildcat Circuit @ 5pm / $30-$40
11033 Monarch Blvd, Highlands Ranch
Thu 8/08
Denver Broncos Training Camp @ 9am
ALO: Breckenridge Brewery Summer Series @ 2pm
Tue 8/06
Denver Broncos Training Camp @ 9am
Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit, Englewood
Levitt Pavilion Denver, 1380 W Florida Ave, Denver
Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit, Englewood
Eric Golden @ 5pm
Tailgate Tavern & Grill, 19552 Mainstreet, Parker
Farm House Restaurant at Breck‐enridge Brewery, 2990 Brewery Ln, Littleton
Dear Marsha,: DM at Brewability @ 5pm Brewability Lab, 3445 S Broadway, Engle‐wood
The Last Dinner Party @ 6pm
Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Englewood
Lowdown Brass Band @ 6pm
Levitt Pavilion Denver, 1380 W Florida Ave, Denver
"Hedwig and the Angry Inch" with Pre-Show by Jessica L'WHor @ 6pm
Herman's Hideaway, 1578 S Broadway, Denver
WHL U.S. Development Combine: Denver - Skater @ 11pm / $399
Aug 8th - Aug 11th
South Suburban Family Sports Center, 6901 South Peoria St, Centennial. 888844-6611 ext. 3354
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.
powered by
NORTON
Commitment brings a sense of structure and discipline to our pursuits. It teaches us the value of perseverance and instills a sense of pride in our accomplishments. e feeling of having worked hard for something and being truly committed to it can amplify our gratitude for the eventual rewards. Marathon runners don’t just appreciate crossing the nish line; they cherish every grueling mile
that brought them there. A musician doesn’t just relish the applause after a performance; they treasure every hour of practice that made it possible. When we invest our time, energy and passion into our pursuits, we cultivate a profound gratitude. is gratitude is multifaceted. It encompasses appreciation for the progress we make, the skills we develop, and the obstacles we overcome. It also extends to the people who support us, the opportunities we encounter, and the journey itself.
Conviction and commitment can be game-changers in our careers.
ey di erentiate those who are merely employed from those who are truly engaged. When we believe in our work and commit to doing it well, we enhance our performance and derive greater satisfaction from our achievements. is satisfaction fosters a sense of gratitude that can transform our professional lives. Conviction and commitment can profoundly impact our personal growth. ey encourage us to set meaningful goals, pursue our passions with vigor, and develop a deep sense of self-worth. By committing to our own development, we cultivate
a sense of gratitude for our abilities, progress, and the journey of becoming our best selves.
I would love to hear your story of conviction and commitment at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can connect with what drives our purpose and fuels our passion, 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.
By adopting a micromanaging approach, HB24-1373 would have imposed regulatory and nancial burdens on grocery stores and small retail liquor stores that had planned renovations and product expansion to meet consumer needs based on existing rules. e bill proposed to discard these rules, thereby disrupting the stability that business owners depend on. Notably, none of HB24-1373’s provisions were agreed upon by the Liquor Advisory Group. Our society is built on the principle of the rule of law — rules that apply to everyone and provide predictability, security, and stability.
HB24-1373 would have undermined this principle, undoing years of negotiation and hard work, injecting chaos into the liquor industry with potentially serious economic consequences and fostering a culture of non-compliance.
Fortunately, HB24-1373 failed to pass based on numerous objections. is bill’s attempt to favor certain special interest groups over the broader community was evident. Parts of the bill, such as the removal of the cap on the amount of liquor that can be purchased between retailers, were bene cial. However, other parts were questionable as they favored speci c interests over the will of the people. e contrast between the two approaches to regulating the alcohol industry — one that collaborates with those who
work within it and another that dictates terms — could not be clearer. is dichotomy extends beyond liquor laws, re ecting a broader policy debate in Colorado about how best to foster a thriving, free-market economy while ensuring fair and effective regulation.
e choice is clear: Colorado can either embrace a cooperative, freemarket approach that empowers businesses and individuals or succumb to bureaucratic micromanagement that hampers economic growth. e success of HB24-1156 and SB24-231 demonstrates the bene ts of the former, while the failure of HB24-1373 highlights the pitfalls of the latter. Lawmakers must recognize that collaboration and trust in the private sector lead to better outcomes for all Coloradans.
Parker-area resident Anthony Hartsook is a Republican representing District 44 in the Colorado House of Representatives. He served 26 years in the Army and retired as a lieutenant colonel.
Castle Rock resident Lisa Frizell is a Republican representing Colorado House District 45. She had previously served two terms as the Douglas County assessor, and currently serves on the Commission on Property Tax for the Colorado General Assembly. Colorado Community Media wants to hear from you. We run opinions and letters from people in the two dozen Front Range communities we cover as a way to further conversation about important issues. Go online to coloradocommunitymedia.com for more information.
5 tips to dip your toes into fly fishing in Colorado
BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Driving past almost any body of water at this time of year, it’s common to see people standing in it, knee-deep, with a rod in hand and a net sticking out of their pack.
Many Coloradans are heading to the water to go y shing, a method that uses an arti cial y to try to imitate a sh’s food source. In Colorado, people can y sh on streams, rivers, lakes and ponds.
“ is time of year, almost every waterway in Colorado is shing well,” said Blake Katchur, a manager at Anglers All, a y shop in Littleton. “It’s a great time of year to get out and explore.”
Although y shing can be done year-round in Colorado, the late summer is an especially good time of year to go, Katchur said. After high water levels during mountain runo season, many rivers are returning to safer levels and becoming prime spaces for insects and sh to thrive, he said.
For amateur anglers or those wanting to try y shing for the rst time, Katchur recommends these tips.
Visit your local fly shop
Local y shops, Katchur said, are centers of expertise for anyone looking to dip their toes into the sport.
“ e guys and gals that work at your local y shop sh every chance that they get,” he said. “ ey know the waterways and the areas better than anybody, and they can help
guide any kind of beginner into … the type of shing that they want to do or the places that they want to go.”
While some beginners may want to go out for a dedicated day of y shing, others may be more interested in shing a little bit on a family camping trip or a mountain hike.
Fly shop employees will be able to give advice on the best equipment
and destinations no matter what a person’s needs are, Katchur said.
Anglers All has a location in Littleton and one in Denver, Katchur said. In Golden and Castle Rock, Golden Fly Shop o ers similar services. Front Range Anglers in Boulder, Charlie’s Fly Box in Arvada and Arbor Anglers in Lafayette are other local shops across the Front Range.
Katchur said many mountain towns also have their own y shops.
Take a class
Many local y shops will o er classes for beginners, Katchur said, which can be a great way to learn the basics of the sport.
FLY FISHING
ose classes can include knot tying, bug entomology — the study of insects — rigging a rod, casting and more.
“Casting is one of the biggest hurdles when you’re beginning to y sh,” he said. “Learning the basics of casting will really help you have a fun day on the water without the frustration and tangles that you might have otherwise.”
Casting in y shing is di erent from other shing methods, as it often uses a longer and heavier line and focuses on casting the line, with the y following. In other kinds of shing, Katchur said, the focus is on casting the lure or bait.
Many nd the rhythmic motion of a y shing cast to be relaxing and even therapeutic, according to a y shing training video from outdoor gear company Orvis, and it takes practice to get it right.
Many beginner y shing classes don’t take students out to the water — there’s a lot you can learn without needing a shing permit, Katchur said. e beginner class at Anglers All takes place in a classroom and outside to practice casting on the lawn, he said.
People who are 16 or older need a shing license from Colorado Parks and Wildlife to sh.
Keep it simple
As a person advances in the sport, y shing can become a complicated activity with many strategies
and types of gear, Katchur said. But as a beginner, it’s best to keep things simple.
He recommends starting with a beginner y shing kit that includes a rod, a y reel, a y line and a case. ese kits are a good way to start o without spending too much money, he said.
Although many more advanced y shers may wear waterproof boots and waders, Katchur said a lot of shing can be done with tennis
shoes, sandals or hiking boots.
“In a complicated sport, if you do it right and you work with your local y shop, you can keep it simple and without a huge expenditure,” he said.
Consider hiring a guide
After taking a class and learning
the basics, Katchur said, hiring a guide can be a great way to put what you’ve learned to practice. Many out tters in Colorado o er guided y shing trips, Katchur said.
“It is your day on the water,” Katchur said of hiring a guide. “You should ask a lot of questions about and make sure that the guide and the guide service knows that you’re a beginner and that you really want
“You’re going to learn from somebody that’s on the water 100 days a year or more,” he added.
Guides can help teach you how to tie knots, cast, pick the right kind of water to cast into and more.
Get out on the water
Finally, Katchur said to just get out there and practice.
“Even if you’ve been doing it most of your life and you are trying a new technique or a new place, it’s a lot of trial and error,” Katchur said. “Fly shing is about being outside and being on the water and connecting with the place that you’re in, and there’s no substitute for just being on the water.”
For Katchur, the sport is about being outside as much as it is about the sh — if not more.
“ e places that a lot of these sh live are beautiful places, and experiencing those places, and experiencing the scenery and being on the water, is the best part for me,” he said. “Catching the sh is the bonus.”
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