BY TEAGUE VON BOHLEN SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Denver author Cynthia Swanson has strong roots in the city — and so does her new novel “Anyone But Her.” e book, which takes place in 1979 and 2004 Denver, is about East High and Colfax Avenue, violence and memory — and what lingers in their aftermath.
Luckily, Swanson’s personal story is far less dramatic. She grew up in Wisconsin and spent some time on the east coast before falling in love, as so many do, with Colorado’s Front Range. She moved to Boulder in 1993, and then to Denver in 2000, where she lived in the Berkeley neighborhood for a time before nally landing in Wash Park, where she’d write and raise a family.
Swanson’s kids didn’t go to East High, despite the book being set there. “It’s just so iconic for the city of Denver,” she said.
“But when I started doing research for the book, I asked friends who went to East in the 70s and 80s what they remembered. People came out of the woodwork to share stories and o er up details. eir continued passion for East was remarkable.
“So many great details didn’t make it into the book, because in the end I just had too much material. But I still loved hearing those stories of the stoners hanging out on the south lawn near Colfax or the preppie kids on the Esplanade,” Swanson continued, laughing. “Little funny things like that. It was so great to hear people’s stories.”
Place plays a major part in “Anyone But Her,” and with a speci c purpose, according to Swanson. “I wanted that neighborhood, I wanted Cap Hill,” she said. “I love that part of town. I’d love to live there someday.”
Indeed, Swanson said she includes walks in Cheesman Park as part of her writing process. “I tend to do my writing at home, where I can hole up and just get to work,” she said. “But sometimes I have to get out of the house. I love the Botanic Gardens, and when I go I’ll also usually walk around Cheesman Park since it’s right there.”
Swanson admitted to having
something of a minor obsession with Cheesman Park. “I have such a draw to that place,” she said. “I don’t really know what it is. It’s just this place that I keep coming back to.”
Despite the major role of a ghost in “Anything But Her,” Swanson claimed to have never seen a ghost at one of Denver’s notably “most haunted” locales. “But I’ve gone looking!” she laughed.
“And setting is so important to me when I’m writing a book. I need to be out there, feet on the ground, walking.”
Not that the process of writing “Anyone But Her” was a walk in the park. “ is one took a long time,” Swanson said of her third novel (she also edited the award-winning collection “Denver Noir”), which is also her rst to be self-published. She had a complete draft she considered almost nished when she met with another writer friend at a national conference.
“I described the plot to her,” Swanson recalled, “and she said it all sounded great…but who’s the villain? She was totally right. I was completely inspired all over again and rewrote the whole book.”
But nothing is ever easy, especially in publishing today. With the maelstrom caused in part by the
post-pandemic year, Swanson and her agent parted ways. She found a new agent for her work, but at the same time fell in love with indie publishing.
“I just trust in this book so much,” she e used. “I trust in the characters. Sometimes it’s best to go through the standard protocols in publishing, but for this project, in the end, I just didn’t think it was.
Now it’s exactly what it wanted to be from the beginning, and it’s near to my heart.”
And, it must be said, to Denver’s as well.
Cynthia Swanson’s “Anyone But Her” o cially launches at e Bookies Bookstore in October. For information on that event and Swanson’s other work, visit cynthiaswansonauthor.com.
Wash Park writer Cynthia Swanson set her upcoming book “Anyone But Her” in Capitol Hill. PHOTO BY GLENDA CEBRIAN PHOTOGRAPHY
“Anyone But Her” takes readers through familiar haunts of Cap Hill as its protagonist tries to solve a decades-old murder. COURTESY OF CYNTHIA SWANSON
BY LONDON LYLE SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Denver voters will face many key ballot initiatives this November, a number of them brought forth by Denver City Council.
Opening city positions to noncitizen legal residents
Council Bill 24-0849, a measure to remove the citizenship requirement for Denver police o cers and re ghters, would open these highly understa ed positions up to noncitizens residing legally in the U.S. Currently, these positions are restricted to U.S. citizens, a limitation that supporters argue is doing a disservice to a city with a signi cant immigrant population. On July 15, the City Council voted to send the measure to November ballots.
Key supporters of the bill include Council President Amanda Sandoval and Councilwoman Jamie Torres. Torres has made the argument that barring noncitizens from these public service roles not only harms the community, but also violates employment discrimination laws, citing a Denver Sheri Department $10,000 settlement agreement in 2016.
People who would become eligible for employment as re ghters or police o cers, should 24-0849 pass, are legal permanent residents in the United States. ey are not undocumented, and there is a signi cant distinction between the two under Colorado law. However, there has been misinformation surrounding the bill, something that Torres is eager to clear up before Denverites cast their votes on Nov. 5.
“ is bill put before the voters in November is a question of whether to change the charter to allow the police and re department to consider applications from immigrants with legal status,” Torres said. “ ese are legal, permanent residents. Some are DACA recipients. ese are members of our community who have graduated from our high schools, maybe even our colleges, who are making lives for themselves here in Denver, and who may want to consider this as their future job, but haven’t been able to because our charter restricts it.”
is move aligns with broader
trends seen across the country: California recently passed an almost identical law, which led to the rst DACA recipient to become a police o cer in the state. Washington, North Dakota and Maryland all allow noncitizens to work in these roles as well.
Both the Denver Police and Denver Fire departments have come out in support of the measure. Denver Police Chief Ron omas noted that a priority of his is making sure the police force represents the diversity of the city. Denver Fire Chief Desmond Fulton expressed the same desire for the future of the re department.
e Denver Immigrant and Refugee Commission has also backed the bill, with hopes of positive outcomes such as more diverse and inclusive workforces.
Others to endorse the measure include the Denver Latino Commission and the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC).
“ e current citizenship requirement perpetuates discrimination against noncitizen residents, depriving them of the chance to pursue their chosen career paths based solely on their immigration status,” CIRC wrote in a statement of support.
Despite the endorsements, Council Bill 24-0849 has not escaped social media discourse unscathed, with commentary coming from selfdescribed DACA recipients noting barriers to citizenship and the right to vote. Some online opposition has been rooted in misinformation, including the false belief that the policy would apply to undocumented immigrants.
Other opponents claim that if passed, noncitizens serving as police o cers and re ghters would pose a security risk. However, supporters say the measure simply removes an arbitrary barrier that prevents qualied people from serving their community.
Collective bargaining for city employees
If passed by voters in November, a city employee collective-bargaining measure, Council Bill 24-0716, would extend collective bargaining rights to 7,000 additional municipal workers, such as librarians, social workers and more. Police o cers, teachers and re ghters already have this right,
allowing them to negotiate new labor contracts with union representation, according to Parker Yamasaki at the Colorado Sun. e initiative is backed by Teamsters Locals 17 and 455.
Sales tax to support Denver Health Council Bill 24-0717 proposes a 0.34% sales-tax increase to support Denver Health, which is considered Denver’s social safety net hospital. e tax is intended to shore up the hospital’s nances and ensure continued access to essential health services for Denver residents. Council voted in June to bring this initiative to city voters in November.
SCAN NOW
VIEW JOBS
SEE BALLOT, P11
Peppi, the yellow labrador, works with Dr. Susan Ryan of Congress Park. Ryan recieved the Frist Humanitarian Award for her work with Canine Companions, including at Rose Medical Center. Story on page 10.
PHOTO BY LONDON LYLE
BY XAVIER BARRIOS
SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
For students, graduation season marks the completion of one chapter and the start of another. But this season also began a new story of diversity, equity and inclusion as one group of students, adorned in caps and gowns, walked across the stage at Regis University.
is chapter was written by the inaugural class of ve graduating GLOBAL Inclusive students, the rst to complete the university’s program
designed to give students with intellectual or developmental disabilities an opportunity to have a traditional college campus experience. In 2022, e Denver North Starreported on the GLOBAL Inclusive program’s launch, and then again in 2023 for a year-in report.
e unknown of post-graduation was waiting for GLOBAL Inclusive student Jordan Stewart, who said the milestone was thrust upon him whether he wanted to graduate or not.
For Stewart, the hardest part of his
graduation was that he would no longer see his friends and peers daily. His routine switched from saying, “See you later,” to the harder, more formal, “Goodbye,” Stewart said. Navigating this unknown isn’t an easy feat.
Stewart said he quickly realized his “bad thoughts” didn’t provide him much guidance, so he turned to “positive thoughts” to help him avoid anxiety. To provoke these happy thoughts, he said he turns to the movie theater as a source of positivity.
Stewart said the unknowns of graduation were also easier to navigate with the familiarity of his internshipturned-job at Booyah Advertising in downtown Denver.
While in the GLOBAL Inclusive program, students can participate in an internship or an on-campus job, according to their career development coordinator Lauren Gray. Stewart’s internship was through the digital advertising company that
manages over $100 million in media each year for brands like Western Union, Unilever, Discover Card and Aspen Skiing Company, according to the company’s website.
Dr. Jeanine Coleman, associate professor and the program’s director, said people with disabilities have been historically rejected from higher education, the workplace and other institutions.
“Nationwide, 16% of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are competitively employed,” Gray wrote in an email to e Denver North Star. “In Colorado, that number is above average at 26%, but that number is still very low.”
“[People with disabilities] are part of our community,” Coleman said. “ ey want all the same things that anybody else wants, they want to go to college, they want to make friends, they want to get a job — they want these experiences.”
Coworkers Devin Ra erty and Jordan Stewart enjoy a break outdoors near Booyah’s downtown o ce. COURTESY OF BOOYAH ADVERTISING
BY MERYL PHAIR
SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Washington Park’s East Florida Avenue is marked by “sharrows,” white bikes accompanied by two arrow lines painted on the pavement along routes shared by motorists and cyclists. While these routes might be a breeze for an experienced twowheel commuter, for someone new to biking, using the mode of transportation to meet a friend or a kid biking to nearby Merrill Middle School, navigating cars on shared bike routes can be a stressful and unsafe experience.
“ ere are studies that have been done where getting passed by a car raises your blood pressure,” said Avi Stopper as he crossed the street on his bike. As if on cue, a Rivian whizzed by. Continuing down the street, Stopper said there is a signi cant population of people in the Denver area who would utilize cycling as a mode of transportation if they weren’t deterred by speeding cars and buses.
To reach those folks, the founder of Bike Streets has led the charge on establishing a 500-mile Low-Stress Denver Bike Map that has been used a million times since 2018. Relying on a network of 45 “neighborhood captains” these cycling enthusiasts use local knowledge of neighborhoods to build out a network of quiet streets. is June, a Bike Streets app was launched where users can plug destinations into a map that yields “low-stress” routes around the city.
Rather than taking Stopper down East Florida Avenue, the Bike Streets app directs him down Josephine and then Iowa. Blue lines on the app indicate quieter streets, broken up occasionally by red lines for major intersections where users may want to hop o their bikes and walk.
“ e idea behind Bike Streets is that we can as a community become organized to ride the same streets and make it possible for even more people to ride bikes wherever they want to,” Stopper said. “Nothing is worse than sitting in tra c and nothing is better than being active, outside and seeing di erent neighborhoods.”
e Bike Streets app o ers spe-
cial features like weekly challenges and surprise adventure, a wheel of fortune randomizer that selects a unique bikeable activity. Open to all ages and abilities, Bike Streets also hosts monthly group bike rides and runs the Bike Streets Club o ering ra es, workshops and merch. eir goal is to get thousands of people to ride to destinations all over Denver until the city constructs more protected bike lanes. Currently on the app about 4,800 miles have been logged by users this summer, a growing number users can see in the top left corner.
“ e city to their credit has built a lot of biking infrastructure but often it doesn’t work for the average cycler,” Stopper said. “ ere’s not enough, and they’re working on it, but it’s a 10, 20-year project to make a complete network. What we’re doing is trying to ll in the gaps based on the world as it exists today.”
Denver has built 137 miles of new bike infrastructure in the last ve years and has announced plans to install 230 new miles of bikeways, many on busy arterial roads, as part
Bike Streets hosts free group rides to get community members on the streets and excited about cycling.
Ride the RiNo
Sept. 8, 5 to 7 p.m.
Meets at 2945 Larimer Street
Something Inspirational in NW Denver with Bike Streets and the Library
Sept. 14, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Woodbury Branch Library
Free Rockies Game and Slow Roll Sept. 17, 5:45 to 10 p.m.
Cheesman Park Pavilion
North Denver Community Ride with The Field Academy and Bike Streets
Sept. 21, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Prodigy Coffeehouse, Globeville
Visit bikestreets.com for a full schedule of events.
of their 20-year vision for developing a network of accessible bikeways. A recently published map shows the type and location of bike lanes the city hopes to roll out over the next two decades, providing an opportunity for the public to make comments and suggestions.
Proposed changes include installing protected bike lanes on Speer Boulevard, Leetsdale Drive, Park Avenue, West Evans Avenue, South Monaco Street Parkway, Quebec Street, 17th and 18th Avenues, 13th and 14th Avenues and Colorado Boulevard. By placing permanent structures like concrete blocks on these protected lanes, the routes would help accommodate more cyclists on the road and enable bikers to travel longer distances.
“ is core network of high volume streets should be wide enough for people to pass, should be direct and generally speaking, protected and separated,” said June Churchill, the 2024 Bike Mayor of the Denver Bicycle Lobby, an advocacy group working to make Denver a more bikable city. While the map focuses
on major throughways, Churchill said it’s comprehensive throughout the city. “ e intention is to make it possible for anyone in Denver to get where they need to go,” she said. e working plan also builds o existing infrastructure, with plans to extend bikeways in some areas such as lengthening the protected bike lane on Broadway, one of the city’s well-traveled routes; changing some bikeways such as converting the painted bike lane on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard into a protected bike lane; and installing safety measures like bike signals and crossing lights. is would help current connectivity issues as many neighborhood bikeways end without safe or easy ways to cross high-tra c roads. In addition to improving safety for bikers, the city is also tackling improving safety for drivers, particularly on arterial roadways and intersections where accidents are more highly concentrated.
“We think a lot about who we are designing these routes for,” said Churchill. “It’s the parents with kids, the risk-averse and the cautiously optimistic about biking in the city. Safety along with time are the key factors in making decisions around transportation.”
A group ride organized by Bike Streets meets up for a spin around the Washington Park neighborhood. PHOTO COURTESY OF AVI STOPPER
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Noticing sharrows
IFROM THE EDITOR
“See the Light” Solve this illuminating puzzle by starting at the bottom with “S” and winding your way to “E” at the top. Hindered? Call on your inner brilliance.
CORRECTION
Kathryn White
learned a new word recently, thanks to Meryl Phair’s story this month about the new app by local advocacy group Bike Streets. Sharrows. ese are the bike-plusarrow graphics painted on streets across Denver. ey’re meant to indicate a stretch of road that is shared between cars and bicycles. ey’re a bit controversial, largely because some wonder if drivers in cars even notice them.
Now that I know the word, I see sharrows everywhere. And not just when I’m riding my bike. Beyond the obvious safety bene t of noticing road signs and being careful around bicyclists, I can’t stop pondering all the ways we “share lanes” with one another – with strangers – in this world. e noticing has turned into a game for me: every time I see a sharrow, I try to think of something that’s shared in a community. Something we each have a stake in, but often for di erent reasons. e corner grocery store, a school, the library.
So in addition to a story to help you navigate the upcoming ballot (brace yourself for a very long one come Nov. 5), be on the lookout in this edition for stories about neighbors sharing their talents and local businesses creating a sense of belonging in their industry or in the community. I’m inspired by Denverites who mind all the di erent types of “sharrows” on the paths we all share.
ank you for reading – we appreciate you,
Kathryn White kathryn@cotln.org
Last month’s newspaper misidenti ed the name of Alameda Avenue in the story about the city’s e orts to curb speeding.
Accidents happen! Understanding urinary incontinence in women
We all know the feeling of when you got to go, you got to go. When you experience urinary incontinence, stressing about your next bathroom break or where the closest bathroom is can start to control your habits, thoughts and life.
More than 50% of women over the age of 50 experience urinary incontinence daily, according to the Mayo Clinic. As women get older, their bodies begin to change, creating needed life adjustments, habits and proper education. Accidents happen – but as an adult woman, it can feel embarrassing. It’s more common than you think and there are many di erent reasons for experiencing urinary incontinence. For women, urinary incontinence is caused by a few di erent things, including stress, diet, pregnancy, age and bladder over ow. Other than be-
WOMEN’S WELLNESS
ing pregnant, these factors can be hard to distinguish from one another.
Dr. Terry Dunn
Urinary incontinence caused by stress happens when unexpected pressure –like coughing, sneezing, laughing, intense exercise and heavy lifting – is put on the bladder.
After pregnancy and as women get older and go through menopause, the body’s production of estrogen is decreased. Estrogen helps keep your bladder lining, muscles and urethra healthy and strong. When your body gets less estrogen, your muscles become weaker, causing more leakage and accidents to happen.
Curating family mealtime with ease
Schools are back in session and with that comes a shift toward more routine. It is no secret our lives have become busier than generations before. ere are more challenges and distractions than ever (hello, smartphones and seemingly endless activities), which can prevent us from meeting at the table for time together as a family. e ritual of family mealtime has declined by more than a third in the last 20 years, despite research demonstrating its bene ts. Children who share regular meals with their family perform better academically, struggle less emotionally and enjoy closer relationships with parents. Here are some suggestions for easing your family back into the mealtime habit:
Turn o the devices
It’s no surprise that etiquette for a proper place setting does not include a spot for a smartphone. If there is one time in the day to set your phone in a basket or simply power it o , it is during dinnertime. Try to nd at least 15 to 30 minutes to set aside technology and engage wholeheartedly with your family.
Remove mental clutter
Urgent urinary incontinence happens when the urgency to urinate comes at frequent unexpected times. is can be caused by infections like urinary tract infections, neurological disorders, a family history and obesity. Usually happening at night, the bladder can lose control causing leakage and discomfort. Foothills Urogynecology recommends having a doctor run urine tests to understand if an infection or disorder is present, stopping any future issues.
Talking to a doctor about your experience with urinary incontinence can help determine why you are experiencing symptoms and can provide you with ways to handle and prevent future accidents and discomfort. Medications like Myrbetriq, Gemt-
essa, Oxybutynin and Vesicare can be prescribed to calm and reduce incontinent bladders. Beyond medication, there are other treatments available to minimize symptoms.
By training your bladder and lower abdominal muscles, maintaining a healthy diet, monitoring uid intake, and reducing ca eine, drug and alcohol intake, you can take control of your bladder so you can worry less about your next bathroom stop.
To learn more about urinary incontinence, visit Foothills Urogynecology at www.urgyns.com.
Dr. Terry Dunn is the owner of Foothills Urogynecology, a Denver-based practice specializing in women’s health.
Consider if there is mental clutter you bring with you to the table. Wrap up lingering work communication, send something from your task list to TULA or take a 5-minute predinner meditation break to clear your mind. We can’t truly connect until our minds are clear and free.
Set achievable goals
Take a baby step in the right direction. is could be as simple as turning the TV o during meals or deciding on two family meal times per week. Once you accomplish a small goal, scale up to something more. Remember the phase your family is in. Children will grow and mature. It won’t always be a dinnertime circus, but it’s never too early to encourage good habits.
Megan Trask and Cody Galloway
BY ASHLEY LOVE
Mid-September marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month and one great way to celebrate is to read some Hispanic literature.
Angie Cruz’s novel, “How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water” follows the story of Cara Romero, a 56-yearold Dominican immigrant in New York City who lost her job during the Great Recession of 2008.
Romero has signed up for a workforce program for older adults in order to obtain unemployment
bene ts and nd a new job. e program requires her to meet with a career counselor for twelve sessions that are intended to teach various job skills such as how to create a resume and how to ace an interview.
e sessions inevitably expand beyond the boundaries of simple
5th
career counseling to reveal rich narratives from Romero’s past. e reader is swept along in the current of her story, written as a conversation from Romero’s perspective with her counselor. Interspersed is “paperwork” from her workforce program pro le.
Over the course of the twelve sessions, we learn about Romero’s history growing up in the Dominican Republic, the fragile relationships she has with her sister and her son and the deep friendships she has cultivated with other women in her apartment building.
“How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water” highlights the poignant di culties of being an immigrant in the U.S. while also touching on other topics like nancial struggle, abuse, grief and identity.
e innovative conversational style utilized by Cruz to convey Romero’s story made for some delightfully funny reading amidst rather painful moments. Cara Romero and her antics will have you laughing and crying in this novel that is full of humor, sorrow and ultimately an abundance of hope.
“How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water” can be found at your closest Denver Public Library location or as an eBook at denverlibrary.org. Already read it? Check out these readalikes: “Family Lore” by Elizabeth Acevedo or “Olga Dies Dreaming”
BIKE STREETS
Changes to major roadways could mean fewer parking spaces for cars or slower travel time, to which Churchill notes slower cars are safer cars. Balancing parking for residents and businesses has been a signicant challenge in bikeway infrastructure such as a plan in 2020 to install a protected bike lane on Washington and Clarkson streets which was quickly shot down by residents due to the loss of parking spaces. Despite challenges, the bene ts of increasing biking infrastructure in cities extend beyond a safer trans-
by Xóchitl González. Interested in more Hispanic literature? Try out Denver Public Library’s Personalized Reading List service at denverlibrary.org/reads and a librarian will email you some suggestions. e Central branch will fully reopen to the public in November. Visit denverlibrary.org/explore-central to see what’s in store.
Ashley Love is a librarian at Denver Public Library’s Central branch. She spends her free time gardening, hiking and reading long fantasy books.
portation environment. Protected bike lanes and neighborhood bikeways can create more green infrastructure throughout the city by reclaiming roadway space. Replacing car trips with biking helps ght climate change by reducing a major source of carbon pollution, another way Bike Streets is seeking to create change from within communities.
“We have been taught to think that bike commuting is biking to work and we have missed the opportunity on all of these other trips,” Stopper said. Denver’s Map of Safe & Slow Streets with Bikeways is currently open to community feedback. Visit denvergov.com or contact the program at denvermovesbikes@gmail.com or 720-865-9378.
BY LONDON LYLE
SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
If you ever pay a visit to physician Susan Ryan, chances are high you’ll have the pleasure of meeting her most trusted con dante: awardwinning “Dogtor” Peppi, a yellow labrador who works as a permanent facility dog in the emergency department at Rose Medical Center in Denver.
Dr. Ryan’s contributions to the medical eld and extensive philanthropic work with nonpro t Canine Companions have led to her winning the Frist Humanitarian Award for HCA Healthcare’s Continental Division. Ryan is among only 15 Americans to win the award in 2024. e Frist Award, created in 1971 and named after HCA co-founder Dr. omas F. Frist, is given to those who “demonstrate a level of commitment and caring that goes beyond everyday kindness. eir sel essness serves as both challenge and inspiration to others to nd a way to do good in this world,” states HCA HealthcareMag.
Ryan’s sel essness certainly stands out in conversation. Re ecting on the day she received the award, Ryan recalled, “In truth, I was walking out of a patient’s room, and I saw a whole bunch of administrators. I turned the corner the other way to hide. I was like, what are they doing?” she said. After being assured that she was not getting red, but instead was receiving an award for her 34 years in medicine and philanthropy, Ryan was shocked.
“I was thinking, humanitarian? I’m not Mother eresa,” she said. Mother eresa or not, Ryan’s career has always revolved around helping others. When she’s not sporting a pair of scrubs, you might nd the Congress Park resident lecturing at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where she has twice been named Teacher of the Year; serving on Canine Companions’ Southwest Region Board of Directors, or practicing mindfulness techniques at equine therapy.
As CarePoint Health CEO Mark
Kozlowski put it in the organization’s press release, “When I think of philanthropy, I think of Dr. Ryan. Her dedication and compassion have not only helped her receive this award but have also made a positive and lasting impact on our clinicians, our healthcare partners and most importantly, our patients.”
Peppi is not the only one of Ryan’s dogs to earn celebrity status.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, it brought a wave of uncertainty along with it, hanging over rst responders like a dark storm cloud. Ryan was raising her third Canine Companions puppy at the time, 1-year-old Wynn. (Fun fact: Wynn is the daughter of Winnie, the rst ser-
vice dog Ryan ever raised, and was selected to be a breeder instead of a service dog.)
One particularly draining day in early April 2020, Ryan posted a photo of herself and Wynn sitting on the oor at Rose ER. e photo quickly went viral, appearing on Good Morning America and the Today Show. e image of an exhausted Ryan in a mask and a face shield with Wynn by her side resonated with many nurses, ER doctors and hospital sta across the country during a time when hospitals were overwhelmed with patients and highly understa ed.
It also led to a surge in popularity for little Wynn, who became a source
of comfort to many in the hospital. “ at photo that went viral of me in my headgear with Wynn beside me … I was experiencing anticipatory fears and cranial ight. We thought we were all gonna die. Resources were so limited. ere were times we had to reuse our masks – we literally used Hefty bags as protective equipment at one point. It was a weird time,” Ryan said. “We were heroes for a little bit, maybe two months. Next thing you know, we had a country divided and people coming into the ER full of hate and violence. I never anticipated in my career that science would become so politicized.”
Peppi listens intently to Dr. Susan Ryan at Rose Medical Center ER.
PHOTO BY LONDON LYLE
DOGTOR
Today, Ryan’s approach to care is largely informed by those early experiences during the pandemic. erapy and support meetings have become integral parts of a healthy work environment at Rose ER. And seeing how Wynn boosted the ER sta ’s morale and improved their mental health, when it was time to turn her in for advanced training, she applied for a permanent facility dog from Canine Companions.
Enter our friend Peppi. At 4 years old, or 28 in dog years, the yellow lab has become a sort of mascot for the hospital, providing relief, comfort and happiness to patients and sta alike. Peppi is a facility dog, not a therapy dog, meaning she doesn’t make individual rounds to patients’ rooms. Rather, she mostly hangs out with the sta , often perched on an unoccupied bed, receives pets and makes everyone’s day a little brighter.
Rose ER nurse Kara Nelson noted that Peppi’s presence alone raises sta ’s dopamine levels, and lowers their cortisol levels.
“Having Peppi is great. She’s just a zero-judgment being,” said ER nurse Kellie Kenly.
ER paramedic Angela Rice takes Peppi on her afternoon walks, which she said gives her a much-needed break from calls.
Peppi o ered no comment, but her tail wagging seemed to a rm the sta ’s assertions.
For Ryan’s part, she plans to continue her work as a philanthropist and a physician. In true humanitarian fashion, she would like to dedicate more time to her role at CU School of Medicine in the next few years, noting that while she loves practicing medicine, it exhausts her more than it used to.
“I love teaching the residents and the med students,” she said. “ at, to me, is our salvation – investing in the next generation.”
BALLOT
raises each year, the measure would create annual salary increases based on in ation.
A city o ce for human rights
housing co ers
How salaries are set for the city’s elected o cials
Council Bill 24-0360 is a charter amendment that would change the way salaries for City Council members are determined. Instead of council members giving themselves
Council Bill 24-0715 would establish a dedicated Department of Human Rights, which would focus on reducing discrimination and promoting inclusivity across Denver.
Denver voters will determine the fates of these ballot initiatives on Nov. 5. ese measures will be joined by other statewide proposals created through citizen initiative and referred by the state Legislature. e upcoming ballot is expected to be lengthy in an election that is not just about individual candidates and bills, but also about how they all t together to shape Denver, Colorado and the United States. FROM PAGE 3
Sales tax to increase city’s a ordable-
Mayor Mike Johnston has proposed a 0.50% sales tax to generate additional funds for Denver’s a ordable-housing budget. is measure faced scrutiny and multiple attempts at amendments before an amended version passed by a nal city council vote of 9 to 4 on Aug. 19. Council members Alvidrez, Flynn, Gilmore and Sawyer voted against bringing the measure to this fall’s ballot.
A bulletin board dedicated to Peppi in the lobby of Rose Medical Center ER.
“Dogtor” Peppi’s o cial hospital badge.
PHOTOS BY LONDON LYLE
GLOBAL
Booyah CEO Troy Lerner got involved with Regis’ GLOBAL Inclusive through his wife, a professor at Regis who was having a positive experience working with the program and its students. Lerner said he is
better place,” and this is one of the ways that provides growth to Stewart, other Booyah workers and himself, as well as society at large.
“ is just feels like a natural t,” Lerner said. “It doesn’t feel like we are trying to force something to meet a mission statement or a mandate. Instead we have found somebody that ts in our community.”
During the rst year of the program, Gray teaches a career development class, in which she asks students their career goals and interests. From there, Gray said she takes the information and tries to nd the best individualized pairing through on- and o -campus internship opportunities. Students, Gray said, have interests in opening their own business-
es like restaurants, coaching sports teams or working in paleontology. Once a placement has been found, Gray works alongside the company to develop the student’s role.
“I reach out to employers that are in the industries that our students are interested in,” Gray said, “and explain what our program is, explain the internship structure and ask if they would be interested in collaborating.”
Working at Booyah Advertising has been “pretty easy” for Stewart, so far. He said he enjoys his work and his schedule — two days of four-hour shifts per week working on animated in-house announcements such as community engagement opportunities and company outings.
e GLOBAL Inclusive program, Stewart and Booyah are opening doors in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion. While these community members are marking history — the chapter on inclusion is just beginning.
Xavier Barrios is an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago majoring in political science and English. He is a writer and former editor of e Loyola Phoenix, Loyola Chicago’s student-run newspaper. Born and raised in the North Denver area, Barrios is honored to be writing for e Denver North Star for the summer. For inquiries or to stay up to date on his writings, Barrios can be found on Instagram at @ barrxavi.writes.
Nick Capocelli and Jordan Stewart, colleagues, getting work done at Booyah Advertising. COURTESY OF BOOYAH ADVERTISING
BALANCE
Prep ahead
After a long day of work, caring for children – or both, the prospect of preparing a meal can be overwhelming. I don’t know about you, but when 4 p.m. rolls around, I’m my least energetic self. e kids are usually wound up, our house feels like chaos and I am sometimes on the brink of sensory meltdown. If you know this is how your evenings go, consider regular slow-cooker meals or dinners prepared in the morning or over the weekends. My favorite – freezer-to-slow-cooker meals – combines the two. Dump your bag of frozen ingredients into the slow cooker and voila! Once kids are older, plan a menu for the week together. en you’re sure to
have options everyone will enjoy.
Cook together
If you have the energy to cook in the evening, set aside time to cook with your children. Embrace the mess. A helper not only lightens the workload but also gives your child ownership over the meal. When picky eaters see, touch and feel the ingredients, they’re more inclined to learn about and try new foods. If the mess is too much for you or if it feels like your child is slowing down the process, involve them in simpler tasks like setting the table or peeling carrots.
Serve meals family-style
Mealtime discontentment can come from stressing about what our kids will or will not eat. Consider lowering your expectations and trying family-style or a deconstructed meal. Children love autonomy. In-
vite them to pass bowls of food and even a child-sized pitcher for serving their own beverage. is gives your child the freedom to choose what they want to eat and takes the pressure o of forcing your child to eat. If you have a super picky eater, include a few wholesome staples you think they’ll select. At our table, this might mean fruit, carrots or even a healthy(ish) peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Incorporate a dinnertime conversation ritual
In our family, we take turns saying something nice about a family member. Another popular format involves each person sharing a “highlight” and “lowlight” from their day, sometimes embellishing with a “bu alo” for that funny, weird or interesting thing that happened. Conversation rituals are a great way to boost self-esteem and
family connection.
Hopefully these tips can help you enter the dinnertime scramble from a place of ease. e most important mindset with any change to your family routine: grace, grace, grace. If your carefully curated plan implodes one night, that’s okay. Sometimes our job as parents is to survive, surrender and mitigate stress. Especially when our children are young, we cannot expect perfection. Having everyone at the table for ve minutes might be a huge win. Try again the next night. And remember: as long as you remain dedicated to trying, there will be many fun, connected and memorable meals ahead.
Megan Trask and Cody Galloway are Denver residents and co-founders of TULA Life Balanced. Learn more about their business at tulabalanced.com.
PRECISE REPAIR, GENUINE CARE
Worrying about your uneven or cracked concrete can make owning a home very
By investing in concrete
Announcements
NOTICE OF HEARING ON PROPOSED 2025 BUDGET AND 2024 BUDGET AMENDMENT
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the proposed budget for the ensuing year of 2025 has been submitted to the Colfax Business Improvement District ("District"). Such proposed budget will be considered at a meeting and public hearing of the Board of Directors of the District to be held at 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 at UMB Bank, 1635mE. Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80218 and via zoom. Information regarding public participation by videoconference will be available at least 24 hours prior to the meeting and public hearing by contacting Sandy Brandenburger, by email at sandy.brandenburger@clacon nect.com or by telephone at 303-265-7883.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that an amendment to the 2024 budget of the District may also be considered at the above-referenced meeting and public hearing of the Board of Directors of the District. A copy of the proposed 2025 budget and the amended 2024 budget, if required, are available for public inspection at the offices of
CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, 8390 E. Crescent Parkway, Suite 300, Greenwood Village, CO 80111. Any interested elector within the District may, at any time prior to final adoption of the 2025 budget and the amended 2024 budget, if required, file or register any objections thereto.
COLFAX BUSINESS
IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
By: /s/ Anna Jones, District Manager
BY JUSTIN GEORGE THE COLORADO SUN
People convicted of felonies who have served their entire sentences can vote in Colorado. So can people on probation and parole. ose convicted of felonies who are imprisoned or con ned to detention as part of their sentence
cannot vote. ey regain their voting eligibility after they have completed their “full term of imprisonment,” according to the Colorado Secretary of State.
“ e day you are released from detention or incarceration is the day your eligibility to register to vote is restored,” the o ce stated on its website.
Defendants facing criminal charges in jail who are pretrial detainees or out on bond awaiting trial can vote. In May 2024, the General Assembly passed a law requiring county clerks to work with county sheri s to allow voting in jail for at least one day, give detainees information on voting eligibility and provide them with instructions on
how they can verify or change voter registration. is story was printed through a news sharing agreement with e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonpro t based in Denver that covers the state. e Colorado Sun partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-size fact-checks of trending claims.
On Aug. 1 the city announced that the city and county of Denver’s minimum wage will increase from $18.29/hour to $18.81/hour beginning on Jan. 1, 2025.
e hourly wage for tipped food and beverage workers who earn more than $3.02/hour in tips will increase to $15.79.
Denver City Council passed a minimum wage ordinance in 2019 that requires the wage be adjusted
annually to keep up with costs of living. The annual adjustment is based on data from the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), which for 2025 indicated a 52cent increase. e wage ordinance is enforced by the Denver Labor Division of the O ce of Denver Auditor Timothy M. O’Brien, CPA. Learn more at DenverWages.org.
Unbeatable Savings on HVAC Services!
BY NATALIE KERR
SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
When Zach Martinucci discovered bread baking, it was in a college apartment at UCLA.
He would mix, knead, fold and bake by himself, sharing the nished product with friends who loved his baking so much they encouraged him to enter in a campus baking competition. Martinucci found himself surrounded by dozens of other student bakers, and even more surprising to him, his bread won a prize.
“Baking often just happens in your own kitchen, it can be lonely, or at least not a natural source of connection,” said Martinucci, owner of Rebel Bread in the Baker neighborhood. “To be a part of a community and to get this validation from other people that they loved what you were doing really gave me the push to make this my career.”
Rebel is both a bakery and a bread school, hoping to foster connection throughout the process of bread making and enjoying. Its food festival, Denver Bake Fest, returns for its second year on Oct. 5 with familiar o erings like the baking competition, and several new additions including live music, baking and cooking demonstrations and tours of the Rebel bakery.
Tickets to try samples from the competitors will bene t Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness, or CHOW, an international nonpro t started in Denver that supports the mental health of those working in the food, beverage and hospitality industries.
CHOW’s programs are free to access, and support like what Rebel is doing through Bake Fest helps keep those programs available and spread the word to people who might bene t from CHOW’s support, said Jas Parks-Papadopoulos, CHOW’s chief growth o cer. eir resources are available to anyone in the food and hospitality industries, including grocery store workers, who are often working in really taxing environments where
they are expected to always be serving other people — sometimes at the expense of themselves, ParksPapadopoulos added.
“We have this guest-focused mentality where we’re constantly thinking about someone else,” she said. “ at, plus the physical component of the work we do, can be such a burden to hold, and we want to make that lighter.”
CHOW will have an information table at Bake Fest and a green room where competitors and event workers can take a break, recharge with food and drinks or get a massage, Parks-Papadopoulos said.
Bake Fest in itself is about supporting Denver’s local baking community by connecting people in the industry, Martinucci said. is is something Zoe Deutsch, owner of Moon Raccoon Baking Company, felt last year when she was a judge at the 2023 Denver Bake Fest.
Moon Raccoon is planning to open a brick-and-mortar location in the Sunnyside neighborhood in the spring, after several years of offering goods at farmer’s markets.
Having the support of other people in the industry who were able to answer questions, o er advice and cheer their team on really helped them successfully grow their business, Deustch said.
“A lot of us own bakeries in town, but we can all come together and just have a good time and talk about what’s going on for us, our struggles and our triumphs,” Deutsch said. “ at’s super valuable for people to know the realities of what’s going on with people’s lives.”
Martinucci was shocked by the turnout last year — with approximately 85 contestants and 500 attendees — and was so happy to see a positive atmosphere of supportive competition and celebration, he said.
“What we watched take place was just so beautiful to know, like we provided a space for that, and that everyone that showed up chose to show up in that way, and that they really took advantage of having
those community moments,” Martinucci said. “So many of us love our hospitality industry for that reason, that we get to help foster and witness those moments all the time.”
Miles Odell, owner of Odell’s Bagel who won “Rebel Sta Favorite” with his heirloom tomato bagel last year, loved presenting side by side with both professional bakers like himself and home bakers because the passion and creativity in the presentations was so strong.
Odell’s will be opening a new location at 3200 Irving Street in the West Highland neighborhood in September, and milestones like that and getting recognized at Bake Fest are important for him to celebrate even in the midst of the intensity of
his work, he said.
“ ere’s a lot of pressure that can happen, and it’s a very demanding job and I feel like you don’t always get the recognition for how demanding it is,” Odell said. ose interested in attending or competing in the 2024 Denver Bake Fest can learn more on Rebel’s website at rebelbreadco.com. Applications are open to bakers of all ages and skill levels, and are due by Sept. 27.
Martinucci is excited to be back for another year and looks forward to seeing what people bring to the competition, he said.
“ at’s a piece I hope will continue to grow and make it feel just like a festival to celebrate baking,” Martinucci said.
Kids can participate in any of the contest’s six categories. Prizes will be awarded separately for kid participants.
