Clear Creak Courant February 6, 2024 by Colorado Community Media

Idaho Springs promotion board spotlights past and future in pitch to make city a tourist destination

Members of Denver media, broadcast, radio and print toured the Mighty Argo Gold Mill and Tunnel for a look into the past where local historians say gold was rst discovered in Idaho Springs in 1859. e local mines no longer produce gold but members of the Idaho Springs Business and Community Promotions Board

and its director Sadie Schultz believe there is still money to be made in the mountains from tourists, attractions, local merchants and the sales tax generated.

“Most of our revenue comes o sales tax and most of that sales tax is paid by visitors so it helps maintain our quality of life and certainly drives up property values but we’ve seen that anywhere in the mountain communities,” Idaho Springs

City Administrator Andy Marsh said.

Bundled in coats and hats, executives and sales associates from media outlets including iHeart media, Denver 7, Fox 31, Paramount and Comcast dawned hard hats and started the tour of the Mighty Argo on a very chilly morning Jan. 22.

Argo owner Mary Jane Loevlie and Schultz were there to answer questions from the media and tout what is planned for the

Harris reﬂects on Sheri job one year in

BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Clear Creek County Sheri Matt Harris tells the Courant after a year on the job, signi cant advances have been made in the department, but budget constraints stall forward motion.

In a letter sent to every resident in Clear Creek County with a postal box or address, Harris reiterates the new policy of the sheri ’s department to put “public service rst and public safety always.”

However, Harris said current county budget constrictions leave him “trying to do the job with one hand tied behind his back.”

One of the biggest di erences from taking o ce, Harris said, is the department approaching full sta ng for patrol and detention deputies in the jail, eliminating the need for overtime which he said taxes personnel and budgets.

“ at means a lot of money in overtime and a lot of people working ridiculous hours which isn’t safe, you can’t have people

future of Idaho Springs and a 1.2 mile gondola under construction at the Argo site.

e Mighty Argo Cable Car is set to open to the public in late 2025 or early 2026, according to promotional material.

Loevlie said the gondola is planned to take visitors on a 10-minute ride, gaining 1,300 feet in elevation to the top of the mountain where visitors nd a

Members of Denver media tour the Mighty Argo Mill in Idaho Springs Jan. 22.

PHOTO BY CHRIS KOEBERL

panoramic view of surrounding 14ers and access to hiking and biking trails at Virginia Canyon Mountain Park, which is currently under construction with the Colorado Mountain Bike Association.

Loevlie told attendees the initial cost of the gondola ride is still being worked out but the trip will cost visitors approximately $35. Idaho Springs residents can take the ride for free, sans blackout dates, Loevlie added.

e Argo tour was followed by a video presentation at the Majestic o ce spaces at 1636 Miner St. in downtown Idaho Springs.

e recent push to create the BCPB and focus on attracting tourists to Idaho Springs is both forward-thinking and reactionary to what several local businesses say is a recent downturn in sales revenue.

Sluggish sales are a direct correlation to infrastructure improvements by the Colorado Department of Transportation on the I-70 corridor through Clear Creek County, according to information outlined during the presentation.

e construction and delays for rock blasting and remediation along I-70 “have signi cantly impacted local businesses with many reporting revenue declines of up to 20% in recent months,” Schultz explained.

Partnerships with Idaho Springs small businesses, the Argo, COMBA and city government will be key to future success, Schultz said.

“We’re under-represented in many ways. I think a lot of people view us as a stop o the highway or just pizza or a place to get gas,” Schultz said during the event. “I think

Weather Observations for Georgetown, Colorado

Week of 20 January 2025

Each day at about 8 a.m. a local National Weather Service volunteer observer makes temperature and precipitation observations at the Georgetown Weather Station and wind observations at Georgetown Lake. “Max” and “Min” temperatures are from an NWS digital “Maximum/Minimum Temperature System.” “Mean daily” temperature is the calculated average of the max and min. “Total Precipitation” is inches of rainfall plus melted snow. “Snowfall” is inches of snow that accumulated. T = Trace of precipitation or snowfall. NR = Not Reported. “Peak wind gust at Georgetown Lake” is the velocity and the time of the maximum wind gust that occurred during the 24 hours preceding the observation time. Historic data are based on the period of record for which statistical data have been compiled (about 56 years within the period 1893-2024). Any weather records noted are based on a comparison of the observed value with the historical data set for that speci c date.

Day and

observation (2025)

Media buying power with a collaboration of business and government can be exponentially more bene cial and coste ective, according to Loevlie.

“As we combine all of our marketing budgets we’re going to get a much bigger bang for Idaho Springs in general,” Loevilie told the Courant.

Sales and advertising executives were invited to the tour and pitch from the BCPB in an e ort to in uence their clients to take notice of Idaho Springs and hopefully steer dollars to target the largely tourist town, Schultz said.

“Today was very informative, like all of us for whatever reason, we’d pass by and not stop other than to get a pizza or gas. So to come in and get a ground-level view of what’s happening was very informative,” iHeart media representative Bruce Coney said.

Other media representatives echoed the traditional view of Idaho Springs as being a pass-through town on the way west.

“I thoroughly enjoyed learning the history of both the mill and the mine because it put it all in perspective how the project of the gondola is all working together to make

the historic district align with tourism,” Fox 31 Sales Representative Allison Klein said.

Several local business leaders also stepped up to support the movement toward making the mountain town a destination rather than a blur for tourists on I-70.

“I’m community-centric, so I think it’s great for the community and we’re happy to help promote the community. I think our branding is on-point with Idaho Springs,” Tommyknocker Brewery & Pub owner Steve Indrehus said while providing lunch to the group.

Of course, marketing, promotion and advertising for the gondola, proposed parking garage and city roundabout for tra c ow reminds some locals of a line from the 1989 movie “Field of Dreams:” “If you build it they will come.”

City leaders like Marsh, pledged council members and planners are committed to responsible growth for the mountain town and its residents, however, the “genie is already out of the bottle.”

“As much as we all sometimes would like to keep things the way they are and certainly like to preserve our historic assets, we know people are just going to keep coming and we gotta manage that,” Marsh said.

Members of Denver media, broadcast, radio and print toured the Mighty Argo Gold Mill and Tunnel Jan. 22 in Idaho Springs.

PHOTO BY CHRIS KOEBERL

Artist conception of future Miners Point at the top of Mighty Argo Mill in Idaho Springs.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MIGHTY ARGO MILL

Real Estate Commission Says Clients, Not Their Brokers, Should Choose Settlement Service Providers

The Colorado Real Estate Commission (CREC), whose mandate is to protect consumers, has made it clear in Position Statement #18 that we brokers should not dictate the settlement service providers utilized by buyers and sellers. Instead, the client should make that decision, influenced perhaps but not dictated by their real estate broker. Here’s the verbiage from that position statement: “When assisting a Consumer in finding a settlement service provider, a Broker must ensure the Consumer plays an active role in the process and is ultimately responsible for making the selection.”

A “settlement service provider” is defined as any provider of a service required in the execution of a real estate transaction: lenders, title companies, inspectors, surveyors, appraisers, home warranty providers, and lawyers. Another position statement (#3) echoes a federal law that prohibits us and any of those other service providers from receiving a kickback or “something of value” (such as dinners or even charitable gifts) in return for referring our client to them.

common practice for the buyer to assign that responsibility to the seller and to specify the title company named in the MLS listing — and for the buyer to use the same title company to purchase the “piggyback” title policy for the buyer’s lender. To choose another title company for the lender’s policy would always be more expensive and serve no purpose. Based on the CREC’s position statement, it would seem that we should tell each buyer that they may choose to hire a different title company for the lender’s policy than the one being used by the seller, but doing so would add hundreds of dollars to the cost of closing.

The exception to that is when the buyer is planning to flip the property (with or without making improvements) to another buyer and has an agreement with their preferred title company to “hold open” the policy for the resale, thereby saving the cost of a new title search and title policy.

There is a website to which we refer clients who want to do their own comparison shopping for title companies. I’ve promoted it in the past: www.CompareTitleCompanies.com

There’s another aspect of this matter which I have written about before which deserves repeating, and that’s the topic of “affiliated business arrangements” (ABAs). A service provider is considered an ABA when the brokerage has an ownership or profit-sharing interest in the provider. Virtually all the big brokerages and some smaller ones have their own mortgage companies, title companies and other service providers which bring additional revenue to the brokerage. Their ABAs must be disclosed to their clients, so they are aware that the use of one of the services (which the broker will invariably recommend) benefits the brokerage financially.

Golden Real Estate does not have any affiliated business arrangements, because I feel that having such relationships introduces an

ethical question of whether we are, as required by law and by the Realtor Code of Ethics always to put the client’s interests ahead of our own.

This ethical issue is amplified when the managing broker takes note (as he surely does) of which agents are “playing the company” game by “capturing” clients for their mortgage company and their title company.

Before I launched Golden Real Estate in July 2007, I was with two large brokerages which had those captive service providers, and it was clear to me that the managing broker was favoring associates with high “capture rates” for their affiliated businesses.

That is not only unethical, it constitutes “something of value” given to the associate in return for a service provider referral.

BTW, you’ll notice that we list Wendy Renee below as our “in-house loan officer.” She rents desk space in our storefront, but we earn nothing from the business she does.

In Memoriam: Our Free Moving Truck Has Bit the Dust

That law is the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 (RESPA). It was written to penalize persons or entities that are paid a fee (i.e., a kickback) for referring a client to a settlement service provider when the transaction includes a federally backed loan. As a practical matter, it has been assumed to apply to all real estate transactions.

RESPA’s primary focus is on lenders, to prohibit them from paying an “unearned” fee to a real estate broker, for example, in return for referring buyers to them. An “unearned” fee is one paid for doing nothing more than making the referral. If the person performs actual work, such as an attorney assisting on the transaction, that’s not a kickback, because it was earned

In this week’s column, I want to focus on the selection of title companies, since they, unlike those other service providers, are involved in virtually every real estate transaction.

Although the contract to buy and sell real estate allows the buyer to specify whether the seller or the buyer is to select the title company and pay for the owner’s title policy, it is a

I was reminded of this requirement that the seller actively participate in the selection of the title company when I was brought to task for my January 16th column in which I referred to First Integrity Title as our “preferred title company” because of a new service that they offer regarding HOA documents. Indeed, a complaint was filed against me by another service provider for violating the rule that the client, not the broker, must select the title company.

That complaint was dismissed by the Real Estate Commission’s investigator, but it inspired me to remind our readers — which includes real estate brokers and other service providers as well as prospective buyers and sellers — that this rule exists and that we should be diligent about obeying it. It’s not that hard to comply.

Henceforth, we will make it a practice to provide each client with a handout which, in addition to listing two or more lenders, inspectors, title companies and other settlement service providers, states in bold type (as suggested in Position Statement #18), that “the decision to hire a specific settlement service provider is completely at the Consumer’s discretion, and Consumers are not limited to service providers listed by the Broker.”

Back in 2004, I took delivery of our first box truck. After putting 150,000 miles on it, we bought a second truck and put another 100,000 miles on it. For a while, we actually had two trucks, and they got a lot of use, mostly by non-profits like BGoldN, the International Rescue Committee, Golden Chamber of Commerce, and Family Promise of Greater Denver. At right and below are pictures of volunteers from the Golden Relief Group who used the truck to transport donated furniture and furnishings for resettled refugees from Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere.

At right is our final truck, a 2012 Ford E350, which we purchased after it had logged 120,000 miles for Penske. The engine needs to be replaced at a cost of over $10,000, and it also needs a brake job.

We really enjoyed having a free moving truck to offer buyers and sellers, but you will notice in the box at left that now we only

provide free moving boxes and packing materials — still a nice benefit. We have decided not to replace the truck but to rent U-Haul trucks when the need arises. We are sorry that so many worthy nonprofits are losing access to a free box truck, but I’m hopeful they’ll find another company which can lend them one. Many self-storage companies have free box trucks for clients to use. Maybe one of them will do what we did.

Just Listed: 5-Bedroom Brick Ranch in SE Denver

$665,000

Don't miss out on this well maintained brick ranch with finished basement at 2677 S. Newport Street in southeast Denver, with easy access to I-25 and the Denver Tech Center. The 66-acre Bible Park, with its biking and walking trails, including the Highline Canal trail, is a half block away, along with numerous ballfields, tennis courts, exercise stations and a new playground. Inside on the main level there are hardwood floors throughout and a living room with brick fireplace, 3 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms. A sliding patio door takes you outside to the covered patio and a large, dog friendly backyard with artificial turf area. The basement is finished and features 2 more bedrooms, a nicely updated 3/4 bathroom and a recreation room with a second wood-burning brick fireplace. The front yard and backyard are both professionally xeriscaped. The home has an updated kitchen, double-pane windows, a newer roof, and a high efficiency furnace. More information including photos and a narrated video tour are on the MLS and at www.GRElistings.com. Listing agent Chuck Brown will be holding it open this Saturday, Feb. 8th, from 11 am to 1 pm. Or call him at 303-885-7855

Douglas, Je erson among the top counties for speeders

BY MONTE WHALEY MWHALEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e Colorado State Patrol has, once again, pinpointed the state’s ve counties that attracted the most speeding citations in 2024 and two are right here in the Denver-metro area.

Troopers say drivers in El Paso County got the most speeding tickers last year with 2,161. Douglas and Je erson counties are ranked number two and three respectively, with Douglas collecting 862 citations followed by Je erson with 831. Rounding out the top ve is Fremont County with 727 and Mesa County with 684, according to a CSP news release.

El Paso, Douglas and Je erson counties have remained the top ve counties for speeding citations for the past four years, the CSP states. is is the third consecutive time in four years that Fremont County has entered the top ve and this is the rst time in four years for Mesa County.

e top ve roadways in 2024 for speeding charges by highest speeding intervals issued by the CSP were:

I-70, I-25 followed by state highways 50, 24 and 285. e top four roadways have held their respective top positions for six consecutive years, the CSP states. Highway 285 broke into the top ve in 2022 and has held that spot for the last two years.

Col. Matthew Packard, chief of the CSP, said drivers in 2025 need to lighten up on the accelerator and be more aware of their speeding habits in the new year.

“ e temptation to speed may be all around you, but you won’t get out of a ticket if you violate the law and get

pulled over, “ Packard said in a press release. “Our goal isn’t to go out and ticket everyone; we want drivers to do the right thing and drive like a trooper is a passen-

ger in their vehicle. Citations are meant to correct poor driving choices, and you are literally in the driver’s seat to determine the likelihood of a tra c stop.”

Tra c travels between Frisco and Breckenridge on Colorado Highway 9.

FILE PHOTO

Trial in shooting death of Idaho Springs man to move forward

Sergio Ferrer of Georgetown admitted in an indictment that he shot Paul Peavey to death in August

BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Sergio Ferrer of Georgetown is charged with six criminal counts including firstdegree murder, felony murder and aggravated robbery in the shooting death of Idaho Springs resident Paul Peavey in August of last year.

At a preliminary hearing Jan. 24 in the 5th Judicial Court District of Clear

SHERIFF

working 80 hours a week, plus it kills our budget,” Harris said.

e county budget is the nemesis to moving the department forward into what Harris described as the modern era of law enforcement and he acknowledged the sheri ’s department is the largest portion of that budget.

Earlier this year, Clear Creek County Commissioners announced employees are moving to a four-day, 32-hour work week as an incentive to retain and attract employees in lieu of a raise in pay.

“Instead of giving them the raise they deserve, we’re putting them at 32 hours so we’re giving them some time back. at’s basically to defer giving them raises,” County Commissioner George Marlin said in an article in the Courant from Dec. 17, 2024.

e dichotomy of e orts to bring county law enforcement into the modern age while facing budget constraints Harris said feels like trying to get the job done with one hand tied behind your back.

“I’m not asking for the biggest shiny object, I’m asking to run a modern-day law enforcement operation,” Harris said in his interview with the Courant. “We did not invest in a lot of technology in the previous administration and we didn’t invest in our people so we’ve fallen signi cantly behind where a traditional and modern day law enforcement operation should

Creek County, Judge Cynthia Jones ruled there was enough evidence presented by prosecutors to move the case forward to trial.

Peavey was found shot to death on the property where he lived in Idaho Springs on Aug. 24.

A subsequent search warrant issued for Ferrer’s Georgetown apartment revealed at least four metal detectors, which matched ones missing from Peavey’s property, a bag of jewelry, phones, an air rifle, a handgun and a safe containing an antique derringer handgun.

Peavey’s body was found in a wooded area of the property, down a steep incline from his trailer. Part of his body was covered with brush and rocks, according to Colorado Bureau of Investi-

Late last year the sheri ’s department agreed to take on an additional role of law enforcement for Georgetown following the departure of the newly hired police chief Dan Trechter who quit after two weeks on the job, according to town records.

According to the Intergovernmental Agreement signed with the Georgetown Board of Selectmen, sheri ’s deputies will provide at least three days of patrols a week to the town and administrative sta to le and record reports at an hourly overtime rate.

In January, Harris’ o ce led an invoice with Georgetown for $14,676, representing $3,866 in records services and $10,810 for patrol in December of last year.

“I think the citizens are happy, they’re seeing us on the streets,” Harris said.

According to the agreement’s language, it is set to expire in May of this year. Harris said he’s not clear if the current setup will be canceled, extended or modi ed at that time.

“My mindset is they either need to have a fully-sta ed police department or they need to not have one because then it becomes the burden of my sta by necessity,” Harris said.

gation agent Gregg Slater, who testified at the preliminary hearing.

Forensic anthropologist Diane France testified part of the front of Peavey’s skull was missing, and bone fragments had been found near his trailer.

France said she was able to piece together many of the bones and found an “entry defect” on the back top part of his head, indicating a bullet wound.

Based on damage to the front of the skull, France said she believed that the bullet had exited the front of his face.

During multiple interviews with investigators, Ferrer admitted he shot Peavey to death with a 9mm handgun, which belonged to Peavey, according to court documents obtained by the Clear Creek Courant.

Investigators told Ferrer the 9mm

handgun, recovered with the search warrant, matched the weapon used to kill Peavey. Ferrer responded, “Then I took the wrong fu**ing 9mm and I’m really fu**ed,” according to the affidavit. Peavey was well known by locals for breeding Dobermans. They said he had a real passion for his puppies, which were missing when his body was found.

On the stand, Clear Creek County Sheriff Sgt. Joel Buehrle said he spoke with people who had previously purchased Doberman puppies from Peavey who confirmed the purchase price for a Doberman puppy was $4,500.

Only a couple of the missing puppies have been recovered, according to investigators.

Ferrer is set to be in court for a Disposition hearing on the charges March 10.

When Harris rst took o ce in January of last year he stated “transparency” would be a priority as he believed it was not a priority in the last administration. e recent letter to residents, Facebook posts and the hiring of full time Public Information O cer Jennifer Fulton is

evidence the department is moving forward in communicating with the public.

“We are just going to be honest with

people you know, the good, the bad and the ugly, people deserve to know what their sheri ’s o ce is doing,” Harris said.

National School Choice Week highlights progress and inequities in Denver metro area schools

BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Colorado has long been a pioneer in school choice, o ering families various educational options, including public, charter, private and magnet schools, as well as open enrollment across district boundaries since 1994.

According to the Reason Foundation, data from the Colorado Department of Education showed that more than 199,000 students, 28% of those enrolled in traditional public schools statewide, used open enrollment during the 2023-24 school year.

While National School Choice Week, which was celebrated this year from Jan. 26 – Feb. 1, showcased these opportunities, it also raised questions among some policy advocates about the equity of access to these options. Director of the National Education Policy Center Kevin Welner, explained that while school choice was initially designed to decouple educational opportunities from residential zip codes, meaning that where you lived no longer had to de ne the quality of your education, that doesn’t always play out in practice.

“Unconstrained school choice programs… often add a layer of strati cation on top of the existing residential strati cation,” Welner said. “Parents with more social capital or exible resources are better positioned to research options, meet application deadlines and provide transportation, giving their children a signi cant advantage.” is concept, which Welner called “parental e cacy,” can lead to a system in which the “rich get richer” and the “poor get poorer.”

“In a fair system, we wouldn’t want to allocate educational opportunities to kids based on parents’ education, wealth or ability to work the system,” he said.

School choice racial diversity across Denver-area districts

Student enrollment in Denver Public Schools and Adams 12 Five Star Schools reects their communities’ racial and cultural diversity. DPS reports that 74% of its students are from communities of color, and Adams 12 shows a similar trend, with more than 70% identifying as Hispanic, Black, Asian or multiracial.

In contrast, Je erson and Douglas County public schools are far less diverse. In Je erson County, students of color make up just 40% of the population, while in Douglas County, the gure drops to 25%.

ese disparities grow even larger in private schools, where white students account for more than 75% of enrollment in both districts, leaving Hispanic, Black and Asian students signi cantly underrepresented.

Charter schools, intended to be a more accessible alternative to private schools, show mixed results. In Je erson County, some charter schools re ect the diversity of public schools, but in Douglas County, many charter schools have predominantly white student populations, resembling private schools more than the communities they serve.

Yet, Dan Schaller, president of the Colorado League of Charter Schools, said that it’s important to “zoom out” and look at the aggregate picture when analyzing the demographics of charter schools rather than just focusing on individual situations.

According to statewide data, charter schools serve a higher percentage of students of color and English language learners than traditional public schools, Schaller said.

He also referred to a new report from the Keystone Policy Center that highlights the strong academic performance of Colorado

charter schools, particularly their ability to support students and recover from pandemic-related challenges.

Barriers to access

Even charter schools, which are publicly funded, sometimes create hurdles for families. Welner points to practices such as narrow enrollment windows, in-person registration requirements or the need for extensive application materials, all of which disproportionately disadvantage lower-income families.

“Sometimes it’s sneaky; sometimes it’s just careless,” he says of these barriers. “But it does play out in ways that disadvantage some students and advantage others in a way that’s entirely predictable in terms of who’s advantaged and who’s not.

“For students with disabilities, there are a whole host of additional issues about nding a school that has the resources that the child needs and that is willing to accept the child,” he continued. “If you’re talking about voucher systems, private schools have enormous discretion on which students to accept, and we see that with other school choice systems as well. Some schools will provide the resources that a child needs to address the child’s disabilities, and some schools will either deliberately or carelessly, simply not have those resources available.”

Transportation is another critical factor. Private and charter schools rarely provide busing, limiting access for families without exible schedules or reliable vehicles.

Schaller acknowledged but challenged the perception that charter schools lack diversity or focus only on select populations.

“Charter schools are, generally speaking, re ective of the communities in which they are founded,” he said, adding that they often intentionally serve underserved populations.

Seeking solutions

Welner suggests that addressing inequities in school choice requires thoughtful system design with equity at its core. Federal magnet school programs, he says, are a successful example, promoting socioeconomic and racial diversity through transportation assistance and weighted lotteries.

Charter networks like DSST Public Schools (formerly known as Denver Schools of Science and Technology) are often highlighted for their success in improving academic per-

formance and graduation rates.

According to DSST’s website, its eight campuses, which serve middle and high school students, are committed to “ensuring that the outcomes of DSST students are high-achieving and do not correlate with any predictable social or cultural factors.”

Elena Mascarello, a junior at DSST’s Aurora Science and Technology, said she started attending the school after her parents saw a meeting notice. Her eyes lit up as she talked about her teachers and their dedication to providing whatever resources their students

Mascarello also said the school’s diverse group of students is one of her favorite things

“Our school is very diverse, and I think that’s very good for education,” Mascarello said. “I like knowing that every time I go into a DSST school, or when all of the DSST schools meet up, I can meet new people from di erent backgrounds, and they all have di erent sto-

Aleisha Garcia, a senior at DSST Conservatory Green High School, also loves her charter school’s strong support system, its resources and opportunities and the diverse environment that allows her to learn about di erent cultures.

“I appreciate learning about other cultures,” Garcia said. “I think it’s very important to gain mutual respect for each other and to be more open-minded. It expands our knowledge and lets us see things from a di erent point of view.”

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Finding resilience after a stumble

AWORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

short time ago I fell and skinned my knees. Falling is not particularly unusual for me. Since being diagnosed with MS, I have found my relationship with gravity to be a doubleedged sword; I appreciate the fact that this unseen force keeps us from hurtling o into space. But at the same time, gravity can be a pain when I drop item after item and it can be painful when the thing that falls to the ground is not a fork, but me.

I fell while walking into a school, and the public nature of that misstep was challenging. As I struggled to get up, three thoughts raced through my mind: “Ouch, my knees hurt,” “I hope my pants didn’t rip,” and “How many people saw me fall?”

While I was not injured beyond a couple of skinned knees in my tumble, it took me time to reach a spot of resilience. Interestingly, as I struggled to recover mentally from the fall, I was embarrassed about the fact that I write so much about resilience but in that moment, could not nd it in myself. I played over and over in my mind the look of the three people who rushed to help me. I perseverated over why I had to fall in that location, why there had been so many people around, and most of all why I could not shake o my feelings of frustration, embarrassment, and defeat surrounding that moment. Eventually, I found my footing, and soon after reached the conclusion that struggling to nd resilience does not make me a hypocrite; it makes me human. While they were not easy lessons, here is what I learned from that experience:

• Being resilient is not for the vain. After “ouch,” my initial reactions centered around vanity. oughts of how many people saw me fall and how many people would be able to know that something happened, occupied my brain rst. If we are going to be resilient, we must be OK sometimes looking like we have been in a struggle. ere is immense power in embracing our fallibility, our humanity, our stumbles.

• Part of being resilient is accepting help. As I mentioned, there were three people who ran over to support me, and honestly, without their help, standing up could have been a struggle. All of them asked me if I was OK, and one of them said to me, “ e

nurse’s o ce has Advil. I’m sure that will help you.” Before they left my side, each of the three gave kind sentiments of support. In our struggles, part of what we must do is get beyond our embarrassment about needing help and move to see help as a blessing. Too often feeling like a burden is a personal problem not a reality. We are beings that were born to help each other; we do not wander this earth separately like the polar bears of the Arctic; we live in a community so that we can help each other. is is how we were made, embrace it.

• Striving to overcome our struggle leaves us open to scraping our knees and getting bruised. at is not a bad thing, if we are not striving, we are living too safely. To live, to truly live means to step out into the experience. We can sit at home in our chairs watching TV, reading books, doing puzzles, and be safe from scrapes and bruises. To what end?

• Being resilient is signicantly easier when we spend time striving to help others. When we struggle because we want to make a di erence, our scrapes have a purpose, our bruises have a reason, and our ability to bounce back grows exponentially. We are not wallowing in the di culty of our struggle when we are striving to make a di erence.

Most importantly, I learned being resilient does not mean instantaneously shaking o the scrapes and bruises we experience, but it does mean striving to move outside of the mindset that will hold us captive, a prisoner afraid to move forward, afraid to strive.

In the struggles you face, whatever the challenge may be, I sincerely hope that when you stumble and cannot nd your resilience, you will re ect on these lessons and rediscover your strength.

I hope my words inspire you, and that you will share them with those who need encouragement. ank you to everyone who has shared their stories with me so far; I truly enjoy hearing how you nd valuable insights in these columns and use them to uplift those around you. You can reach me at jim.roome@gmail.com.

Jim Roome lives in Arvada with his wife Beth. He spent 34 years in public education. Lessons learned from the one two punch of being diagnosed with MS shortly before his best friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer led him into a new pursuit as a freelance writer and speaker. He uses his life experiences and love of stories to inspire, educate and encourage local, national and international audiences.

VOICES

We’d like to know about events or activities of interest to the community. Visit www. clearcreekcourant.com/calendar/ and post your event online for free. Email ckoeberl@ coloradocommunitymedia. com to get items in the newspaper. Items will appear in

UPCOMING

Full Moon Shoe Shoe Excursion: 5:45 p.m. ursday, Feb. 13. Clear Creek Library District holds a snowshoeing guided tour under the moon. Tickets and information at holly@cccld.org. Must be at least 18 years old.

Clear Creek County Board of Commissioners meeting: 8:30 a.m. Feb. 17, 405 Argentine St., Georgetown.

Devil’s Gate presentation: 7 p.m. Feb. 21 Georgetown Community Center 6th and Argentine St. “150 Years of the First Presbyterian Church of Georgetown” presented by Pam McCoy. Free event but donations accepted.

Pond Hockey Tournament: Saturday, Feb. 22, Georgetown Lake Cabin Creek Brewing. Information: jenn@ccmrd.com.

ONGOING

the advocacy e orts of trained CASA volunteers. Be the difference and advocate for the youth in our community. e o ce can be reached at 970513-9390.

Clear Creek EMS/Evergreen Fire Rescue Launch Mugs for Rugs Campaign: Bring an old throw rug and you’ll leave with a bright green mug! You can bring them to Station 1A in Dumont, 3400 Stanley Road, or you can email captains@clearcreekems.com and CCEMS will come to you to make the trade. Clear Creek EMS also o ers fall-risk assessments by bringing someone from the re department to make sure smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly. To request a visit, ll out the form at clearcreekcounty.us/1388/Community-Outreach.

Idaho Springs Lions Club meetings: 7:30 a.m. every rst and third ursday of the month at Marions of the Rockies, 2805 Colorado Blvd., Idaho Springs. Come join us and help to serve our community. For information – www.islions.org, email info@isLions. org or call 720-608-1140.

Clear Creek Democrats:5-7 p.m. “ irsty 3rd ursday” at the Vintage Moose, 12 16th Ave. in Idaho Springs. Nonalcoholic options and snacks are provided.

CASA of the Continental Divide seeks volunteers:CASACD promotes and protects the best interests of abused and neglected children involved in court proceedings through

Medicaid. Sliding scale/lowcost options are also available. No appointment necessary. is is a mobile dentist that comes once a month. Call program manager Lauralee at 720-205-4449 for questions.

Clear Creek Rotary 2000 meetings: Clear Creek Rotary 2000 meets at 7:30 a.m. Wednesdays at Marion’s of the Rockies. 2805 Colorado Blvd., Idaho Springs. For more information, email loe er806@ comcast.net.

Support after suicide loss: A safe place to share and learn after losing a loved one to suicide. is group meets every fourth Wednesday of the month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. via Zoom or in person at the Resilience1220 o ce. For ages 14 and up. Suggested donation for this group is $15. Register at resilience1220.org/groups.

Blue Spruce Habitat volunteers needed: Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity is looking for volunteers. A variety of opportunities and exible schedules are available on new construction sites as well as for exterior minor home repairs. No previous construction experience needed. Contact volunteer@ bluesprucehabitat.org for information.

ABOUT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Resilience1220 counseling: Young people 12 to 20 can get free counseling through an Evergreen-based organization called Resilience1220. Composed of licensed therapists, Resilience1220 serves individuals and groups in the foothills including Clear Creek County. ey also facilitate school and community groups to build life skills in wellness and resilience among youth. For more information or to schedule a counseling session, visit R1220.org, email Resilience1220@gmail. com or call 720-282-1164.

Dental clinics: Cleanings, X-rays, dentures, tooth extractions and more. Most insurances are accepted including

Colorado Community Media welcomes letters to the editor. Please note the following rules:

• Email your letter to letters@coloradocommunitymedia. com. Do not send via postal mail. Put the words “letter to the editor” in the email subject line.

• Submit your letter by 5 p.m. on Wednesday in order to have it considered for publication in the following week’s newspaper.

• Letters must be no longer than 400 words.

• Letters should be exclusively submitted to Colorado Community Media and should not submitted to other outlets or previously posted on websites or social media. Submitted letters become the property of CCM and should not be republished elsewhere.

Storytime with Miss Honeybun: Storytime with Miss Honeybun is at 11:15 a.m. Tuesdays at the Idaho Springs Public Library and at 11:15 a.m. ursdays at the John Tomay Memorial Library in Georgetown.

Sensitive collection: Resilience1220 strives to inform and support highly sensitive people to live healthy and empowered lives. It meets the third Wednesday of each month from 6-7 p.m. and is o ered via Zoom or in person at the Resilience1220 o ce. Register at resilience1220.org/ groups.

Public Health o ering sexual health and family planning: Clear Creek County Public Health is now o ering Sexual Health and Planning Services at the Health and Wellness Center in Idaho Springs. Public Health o ers counseling, emergency contraception, pregnancy testing, STI and HIV screenings, basic infertility services and birth control options and referrals.

SEE CURRENTS, P9

• Letters advocating for a political candidate should focus on that candidate’s qualiﬁcations for o ce. We cannot publish letters that contain unveriﬁed negative information about a candidate’s opponent. Letters advocating for or against a political candidate or ballot issue will not be published within 12 days of an election.

• Publication of any given letter is at our discretion. Letters are published as space is available.

• We will edit letters for clarity, grammar, punctuation and length and write headlines (titles) for letters at our discretion.

• Please don’t send us more than one letter per month. First priority for publication will be given to writers who have not submitted letters to us recently.

Jim Roome

Colorado inﬂation was

less than U.S. overall

State’s numbers for 2024 end year up 2%

BY ELYSE APEL

THE CENTER SQUARE

Colorado reported lower than average year-over-year change in prices in 2024, according to a new report from the state’s Legislative Council Sta .

While the national average at the end of 2024 was 2.7% in ation, Colorado’s was 2%. Colorado in ation was measured using prices in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metropolitan area.

Housing was the biggest reason for the di erence in national and state in ation numbers. While nationally housing made up 1.8% of the contribution to in ation, in Colorado it made up just 0.4%.

at is down signi cantly from the peak in housing in ation in 2022, when overall in ation also peaked in Colorado at almost 10% year-over-year.

at could partly be due to a decrease in home prices in Denver in 2024, down 3% from 2022.

Still, Coloradans are seeing a signi cant overall rise in costs.

CURRENTS

ese services are con dential. Public Health can also now bill Medicaid and most private insurance. However, if you do not have insurance, fees are based on a sliding scale — and no one will be turned

According to a report from the U.S. Senate’s Joint Economic Committee, Colorado ranked number one in the nation for increased costs compared to 2021.

“ e average household in Colorado is paying $1,332 more per month to purchase the same basket of goods and services as in January 2021,” stated the report. “Cumulatively, the average Colorado household has spent $42,079 more due to in ation since January 2021.”

Overall, unemployment rates are beginning to tick up, both nationally and in Colorado, the state’s report found. Down from the pandemic’s 12%, Colorado’s unemployment rate is currently 4.1%.

Government jobs had one of the highest gains year-over-year in 2024 from 2023, with a 4.1% increase. e only other tracked sectors that ranked higher were “mining and logging” and “other services.”

Real personal income growth in Colorado (2.5%) was above the state’s historical average of 1.7%, but lower than the national average of 2.8%.

Republished from e Center Square, a national news service that is the project of the nonpro t Franklin News Foundation, headquartered in Chicago.

away if they are unable to pay.

Clear Creek County Lookout Alert: e CodeRED alerts have been replaced by the Lookout Alert. Residents can sign up for emergency alerts county-wide by signing up at www.lookoutalert.co. e new site replaces CodeRED following the switch to Je Com911 for emergency dispatch earlier this year.

HRUSKA

Helen Ruth (Young) Hruska

November 7, 1927 - December 13, 2024

Longtime Idaho Springs resident, Helen Ruth (Young) Hruska, passed away December 13th with her loving family by her side. She was born in Walker, South Dakota November 7, 1927. She married Joe Hruska October 16,1950. ey were married 73 years and raised seven daughters.

years. She volunteered at the local Senior Center and for Mt. Evans Hospice. She was preceded in death by her husband, Joe, daughter eresa Bagwell, grandson Patrick Mullen, two sisters and four brothers.

Helen was an active member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church, the Columbiine Garden Club and the Social Ethics Club. She received the Democratic Lifetime Achievement Award for political involvement and served as an election judge for fty

She is survived by daughters Joyce Snyder, Diana Spann (David), Susan Mullen (Pat), Mary Salisbury (Bill), Caroline Hruska, and Kristi Haider (Mike), 18 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren. Her life was a true example of faith, generosity, and loving hospitality. She will be truly missed.

PRESERVING THE MAGIC

BY RYLEE DUNN

Over 50 years since Pong burst onto the gaming scene and 30 years since the Sony PlayStation changed the trajectory of the eld, small independent arcades featuring scores of vintage games continue to thrive throughout the Denver metro area.

In many cases, unassuming exteriors give way to dimly lit interiors with memorabilia-adorned walls, locally sourced libations, and, of course, the ashing lights, exclamative sound e ects and controller clatter of the arcade’s reserve of classic games. ere’s something, perhaps, a bit more impersonal when the venue gets scaled up in a corporate chain setting.

To its credit, many Denver-area locales have managed to preserve the magic of these establishments.

Jason Ungate, owner of e Tabletop Tap in Englewood, credits the

thriving local arcade scene with the renaissance of interest in classic games.

“ e Denver-metro area has a handful of very unique arcades which all o er something a little bit di erent,” Ungate said. “( e) 1Up (Arcade Bar) has a thorough lineup of arcade games that invoke the feeling of the ‘80s via their classic game lineup. Akihabara (Arcade and Bar) gives locals the chance to experience a Japanese-themed spot with candy cabs and other games you’d never see in an American arcade.

“We at Tabletop Tap marry board games with video games and console games, a mishmash of multiple nerdy elements,” Ungate continued. “ ese places and more o er unique experiences, both for the generations that may have grown up with them, and the younger generations who are just encountering them for the rst time.”

While Akihabara and 1Up both keep Westminster’s gaming community satiated, the metro area abounds

with unique shops in other locales as well. Up in the foothills, Wild Game Entertainment Experience in Evergreen has everything from bowling to arcade games, while Blizzard Mountain Pinball specializes in the kind of wizardry e Who immortalized in 1969.

Over in Arvada, dueling Olde Town arcade establishments Secret Level and Super Zoom Bang Bang cater to di erent demographics; the former includes a bar and is generally open a couple of hours later than its counterpart, which primarily caters to younger kids and doubles as a toy story.

Holly Nikolich owns the Colorado Pinball Pub in Littleton (with another location in Monument) and opened the shop with her husband as an outgrowth of sorts of their annual pinball festival, the Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown and Gameroom Expo, which is entering its 21st year this year.

The Tabletop Tap’s decor features nods to the past, like this classic Pizza Hut light ﬁxture. COURTESY OF THE TABLETOP TAP

rado Pinball Pub as a year-long home for the folks who enjoy our annual pinball festival.

“ e once-a-year festival brings together the pinball and gaming community from across Colorado, neighboring states, and beyond,” Nikolich continued.

A longtime love of games seems to be a common thread with shopkeepers.

Ungate said he and his wife, Kristin, had been collecting classic games like Joust, Battlezone and Frogger, and eventually set out to combine their love of classic games with their love of board games in what would become Tabletop Tap.

ARCADES

“We’re long-timers in the pinball and gaming world and are proud to bring the arcade and whiskey community together with the Colorado Pinball Pubs,” Nikolich said. “My husband and I opened Colo-

“We wanted to create a place that was clean and welcoming, but also full of nostalgia for the ‘80s and the ‘90s,” Ungate said. “We o er over 250 board games, a small but rotating collection of arcade games.”

Ungate also said that he, like many other arcade owners, seeks to foster community at the arcade, even going so far as to host community nights such as a monthly Mario Kart tournament, a “nerdy book club,” and a video game book club.

he says caters to both gaming veterans and young people looking for community.

Velasquez also said that the advent of arcade chains — such as Round One in Littleton, Immersive Gamebox in Den-

ver and Main Event in Highlands Ranch, ornton, Colorado Springs and Windsor — has allowed corporations to gain a foothold in the industry, though he posits that these establishments are more focused on alternative revenue streams

“(Arcade) chains are more focused on making money in other ways, like through drinks and food sales,” Velasquez said. “I think local shops put more of an emphasis on the games and keeping up the games over time.”

Nevertheless, the independent arcade scene in Denver seems to be thriving, and hopefully won’t be ceding way to its corporate competition anytime soon.

Channel 3 Retro Gaming Center in Lakewood o ers classic arcade fun for all ages. COURTESY OF CHANNEL

Tetris is just one of the many arcade games o ered at The Tabletop Tap. COURTESY OF THE TABLETOP TAP

COURTESY OF THE TABLETOP TAP

The 1985 arcade classic Gauntlet at The Tabletop Tap. COURTESY OF CHANNEL 3 RETRO GAMING CENTER

State’s graduation rate rose and dropout rate fell in 2024

BEST OF THE BEST VOTING STARTS MARCH 1!

BY MELANIE ASMAR CHALKBEAT

Colorado’s class of 2024 had a higher graduation rate and a lower dropout rate than the previous class — a trajectory that the state education commissioner called “promising progress.”

Statewide, 84.2% of students graduated in 2024 within four years of starting high school, according to data released Wednesday by the Colorado Department of Education. at’s 1.1 percentage points higher than in 2023 and 3.1 percentage points higher than in 2019, before the pandemic.

e statewide dropout rate fell to 1.9% in 2023-24, from 2.1% in 2022-23. However, the dropout rate remained slightly higher than the state’s historical low of 1.8% in 2019-20.

Students in the class of 2024 were in eighth grade when the pandemic shuttered school buildings in 2020. Most of them missed out on a typical start to high school due to remote learning.

“I am encouraged by the momentum of our state’s multiyear improvements, especially in the gaps that are closing, and we also must do more to keep students engaged in meaningful learning experiences that prepare them for success after graduation,” state Education Commissioner Susana Córdova said in a statement.

e gaps refer to the di erences in graduation and dropout rates based on characteristics such as students’ race, disability status, and whether they are multilingual learners, which means they are learning English as a second language.

In 2024, about 89% of white students graduated within four years. e fouryear graduation rate for Black students was about 78%, and the rate for Hispanic students was about 77%.

White and Hispanic students posted higher graduation rates in 2024 than in 2023, but the gap between them remained the same. e graduation rate for Black students fell 0.3 percentage points from 78.6% to 78.3%, widening the gap between Black and white students.

e graduation rates of multilingual learners, students with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, and students in the foster care system improved from 2023 to 2024, though the rates for those student groups remained below the statewide rate.

At a press conference Jan. 22, state education o cials highlighted two school

districts — Greeley-Evans and Ignacio — for signi cantly improving their graduation rates. Ignacio’s four-year graduation rate jumped more than 11 percentage points from the previous year to 87.3% in 2024.

Ignacio Superintendent Chris deKay said partnerships, including with the Southern Ute tribe, are important for his small rural district in southwestern Colorado. About a third of Ignacio’s 650 students are Native American, he said.

“When we developed our mission statement, we started with this word: Together,” deKay said.

Greeley-Evans leaders cited a focus on ensuring ninth graders stay on track academically, which puts them on a solid trajectory toward graduation. e district has also increased the number of activities, such as band and theater, that it o ers to keep students engaged, and boosted its career and technical programs so students can see the real-world value of their education, leaders said.

“Something I often say here in District 6 is that we are educating our children out of poverty,” Greeley-Evans Superintendent Deirdre Pilch said, “and that is what we do when we ensure children are college and career ready and graduate on time.”

State o cials also spotlighted the small metro-area Englewood district for decreasing its dropout rate by 2 percentage points. Englewood leaders credited the work of the district’s alternative school, Colorado’s Finest High School of Choice, which serves students from Englewood and surrounding districts.

Among the 10 Colorado school districts with the highest percentages of students of color and more than 1,000 students, seven posted higher graduation rates in 2024 than in 2023. e Adams 14 district saw the biggest increase, from about 69% of students graduating within four years in 2023 to about 76% in 2024.

Denver Public Schools’ four-year graduation rate grew from 79% to 79.9%. Graduation rates in the Mapleton, Sheridan, Harrison, Pueblo City 60, and East Otero districts also rose.

Aurora Public Schools, Westminster Public Schools, and Weld Re-8 had lower graduation rates. Aurora’s four-year rate dropped from 74.9% in 2023 to 73.4% in 2024.

Reprinted with permission from Chalkbeat, a nonpro t news site covering educational change in public schools. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

As the wind blows the Colorado state ﬂag, Golden High School graduates stand in line to receive their diplomas during the May 17 graduation ceremony at Marv Kay Stadium. Aside from the slightly windy conditions, the weather cooperated for the outdoor ceremony.

FILE PHOTO BY CORINNE WESTEMAN

Clear Creek High School ski team doubles numbers from last year

Golddiggers poised for stronger

at state in 2025

BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

At the beginning of the 2023-24 high school ski season, Brian Inman was desperately searching for skiers to join the Clear Creek High School team.

“I’ll take anyone. If they’re willing to spend some time learning how to ski, I’ll teach them how to ski,” Inman said before the season last year. “But I need them to start early, so we have time. But anyone who wants to try it, we’ll work with them.” Inman only had four returners for the Golddiggers last season, with a few new skiers coming up from middle school. e teams struggled at state, with the girls nishing 15th (out of 15) with 106 points and the boys nishing 13th with 222 points.

is season, it’s a di erent story.

“We doubled our size, so our numbers are good,” Inman said. “We’ve got some really good racers and some kids that are learning how to race, that are going to carry on and give us some depth here in the future. We’re still pretty young. We have some seniors, but most of the team is freshmen and sophomores.”

e team boasts a solid 18 racers, plus two team managers that Inman thinks he can convert to racers next season.

Clear Creek is led by senior Addyson Scott, who nished eighth last week in the giant slalom event at Keystone Ski Resort on Jan 24. She was also the only Clear Creek skier to score at state last year.

Inman said Scott has nished in the top 15 in each event this season. So has sophomore Merrell Harvey, whose “raw talent” brings a lot of promise to the Golddiggers of the future.

Both Scott and Harvey are quali ed for state.

“It’ll be tough to replace Addyson, but we’ve got some young kids coming up,” Inman said. “We’ve got a new girl, Laney Seratch, who moved here from Pennsylvania, and she is a junior, so she’s going to kind of take over that leadership role. And then we got Maggie Gothman and Hannah Royer, both leaders in the school and are doing really well on the girls’ side of things. And then Merrill is only a sophomore, so he’ll be able to step up next year and he’ll be able to lead all these freshmen and sophomores.”

en there’s freshman Ski Hall, wellnamed for his sport, skiing well this season. Sophomore Isaac Murphy has been consistent as well.

Converting snowboarders to skiers has also proved to work.

“We’ve had a couple of foreign exchange students that said they were snowboarders but they wanted to learn how to ski, and so we taught him how to ski. And by the end of the season, they

were really good skiers,” Inman said. “Jaden Ramirez, who’s a senior, he was a convert. He was a snowboarder when he came to us as a sophomore. He knew how to ski, but he preferred snowboarding. Now, I think he likes them both equally.”

Plus, Inman said the team expects another eight or nine eighth-graders set to join next season, which could mean the team could grow even further.

e trajectory is on the right track.

“We should do a lot better as far as how we nish and our boys ... we had at least one boy crash every time last year. So this year, I think they’re more experienced. And we’ve been doing a better job of not disqualifying or crashing on the course. So that gives us a better chance to score at state. I’m encouraged. I think we’ll do much better this year at state.”

To keep up with Clear Creek’s schedule on the team’s quest for state, visit the Colorado High School Ski League at this link.

Clear Creek junior Laney Seratch is new to the team from Pennsylvania. Head Coach Brian Inman said she will take over the dominant leadership role held by senior stand-out

Addyson Scott.

Clear Creek sophomore Merrell Harvey carves down the mountain at a recent event. Head Coach Brian Inman said Harvey will lead the team in the future as an upperclassman and his raw talent sets him up for success.

Members of the Clear Creek High School ski team prepare to race down the mountain at a recent event. Head Coach Brian Inman said the team has nearly doubled its participation numbers from last season.

Lawmakers seek limits on cell phones at school

Bill aims to eliminate distractions that hinder learning

BY JASON GONZALES CHALKBEAT

On Jan. 29, legislators unveiled a new bill that would require school districts to enact policies to limit cell phone and smartwatch use by July 2026. e bill also requires school boards to spell out exceptions, such as for health emergencies or to report a safety concern.

e legislation aims to eliminate distractions within the classroom that hinder learning, lawmakers and others said during a news conference ahead of the bill’s ling. ey said they hope devicefree classrooms will foster better mental health among students.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser,

who supports the bill, announced seven statewide grants to support school districts in their e orts to revamp cell phone use policies.

“Every metric you can look at underscores what the Surgeon General has called a youth mental health crisis,” he said. “Over the last decade, the widespread adoption of smartphones is one of the main causes of why young people are su ering, why bullying is on the rise, why self-harm is on the rise, why distraction is on the rise, why kids are not sleeping at night.”

Recent research has shown that kids who spend more than four hours a day on social media experience signi cant mental health concerns, including anxiety and depression, Lauren Henry, a Children’s Hospital of Colorado clinical psychologist, said.

e bill has bipartisan support and three of the sponsors are former educators. Bill sponsors include state Sens. Janice Marchman, a Loveland Demo-

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crat, and Lisa Frizzel, a Castle Rock Republican, as well as state Reps. Meghan Lukens, a Steamboat Springs Democrat, and Mary Brad eld, a Colorado Springs Republican.

Lukens, who chairs the House Education Committee, said 19 other states have cell phone policies such as the one introduced in the bill. While many Colorado schools might have a policy, some are outdated or aren’t districtwide, she said.

However, an increasing number of school districts have started to adopt stricter cell phone policies in the last two years, according to a Chalkbeat survey of the 20 largest school districts in Colorado. e policies vary, but most restrict use in middle and elementary schools during the day while high school students have more access. Students and parents have varied reactions to the changes.

e goal of the legislation is to respect the independence of districts, but also create statewide policy that reduces distractions and promotes better student

mental health, Lukens said.

“We all want our students to succeed in the classroom, and this bill sets us on the right path forward,” Lukens said.

Superintendent Brian Hill of Mesa County Valley School District 51 in Grand Junction said his district recently revamped its cell phone policies to prohibit cell phones in elementary and middle schools altogether and in high school classrooms. Some high school principals have even gone as far as banning cell phone use during lunch and in hallways, he said.

e bill would allow districts to gure out what works best for their schools, such as in District 51, he said.

“Our teachers actually were the ones that were most vocal,” he said. “ ey were saying we want something consistent across the board. We want it to come from the district, because I’m tired of being the one teacher that’s restricting cell

NEW YEAR, NEW PLAYS

CROWSSUPDRO ELZZ

1. TELEVISION: What is the name of the spaceship on the TV drama “Fire y”?

2. GEOGRAPHY: What is the only tropical rainforest in the United States?

3. LITERATURE: What is the title of author Oscar Wilde’s only complete novel?

4. MOVIES: What is the name of the killer in the movie “Silence of the Lambs”?

5. SCIENCE: What are the three branches of science?

6. AD SLOGANS: Which fast-food chain’s slogan is, “What you crave”?

7. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: How many NFL teams are named after animals (including birds)?

8. U.S. STATES: In which state is the U.S. Naval Academy located?

9. ASTRONOMY: How many constellations are visible from Earth?

10. ART: What is the Japanese art of arranging owers called?

TrIVIa

Answers

1. Serenity.

2. El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico.

3. “ e Picture of Dorian Gray.”

4. Bu alo Bill.

5. Natural Sciences, Social Sciences and Formal Sciences.

6. White Castle.

7. 14 (Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks).

8. Maryland.

9. 88.

10. Ikebana.

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CELL PHONES

phones and the other teacher isn’t.” District 51 has lockers for cell phones and some schools have purchased pouch locks, Hill said. e bill doesn’t say how schools should store the phones because the bill’s authors said they don’t want to create extra costs not funded by the state.

“We have a duty to take immediate action to ensure the situation is addressed appropriately,” Brad eld said.

Although the bill doesn’t provide funding for any policy work by boards, some schools will get support through the attorney general grants to identify practices that work for their communities. Here’s a list of the schools and their intended goals for the funding:

• Aurora Public Schools plans to host educational opportunities for students, educators, and parents about healthy smartphone usage.

• Denver Justice High School wants to create an incentive-based system to support student compliance with smartphone policies. e school will also hold

engagement sessions with families about cell phone use.

• Eastlake High School will use the grant to expand and improve existing smartphone storage policies.

• Englewood Schools plans to buy smartphone lockers for classrooms and create a yearlong campaign that talks about the challenges of cell phone use.

• Mesa County Valley School District 51 intends to develop learning tools that focus on digital literacy and the impact of technology on students.

• Pueblo County School District 70 will host digital literacy presentations and

student-led awareness campaigns to teach students how to use smartphones responsibly.

• Trinidad School District 1 plans to teach students and teachers about the challenges of cell phone and social media addiction. District leaders also want to purchase smartphone storage containers and review its policies.

Reprinted with permission from Chalkbeat, a nonpro t news site covering educational change in public schools. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

CITY OF IDAHO SPRINGS SEEKING BOARD AND COMMISSION MEMBERS

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and particularly to the electors of the Evergreen Fire Protection District (“District”) of Jefferson and Clear Creek Counties, Colorado.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a regular election will be held on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

At that time, three (3) directors will be elected to serve a four-year term.

Self-Nomination and Acceptance forms are available from Micki L. Mills, the Designated Election Official for the District, via email mmills@cegrlaw.com. Self-Nomination and Acceptance forms must be filed with the Designated Election Official for the District by 5:00 p.m. at the above email address not less than 67 days prior to the election (Friday, February 28, 2025).

decides on requests to conduct work on a historic structure for the purpose of determining if the proposed work is historically appropriate. HPRC has 2 open seats for alternate members. Members of the HPRC are not required to live in Idaho Springs but are required to be knowledgeable in history or architecture. Members of the Planning Commission and Variance Board are required to be residents of the City of Idaho Springs. Please submit your letter of interest to Deputy City Clerk Wonder Martell at City Hall, 1711 Miner St., PO BOX 907, Idaho Springs, CO 80452 or via email at cityclerk@idahospringsco.com. If you have any questions on the various boards, please call (303) 567-4421, option #4 for the Community Development Planner.

Legal Notice No. CCC1010

First Publication: January 30, 2025

Last Publication: February 13, 2025

Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

The City of Idaho Springs has several vacancies on its City Council-appointed boards and commissions. The City is seeking individuals who are interested in serving on the Planning Commission, Variance Board and the Historic Preservation Review Commission (HPRC). The Planning Commission is a recommending body to the City Council that reviews and revises the Comprehensive Plan, reviews subdivision requests, recommends annexations and final development plans for new developments, and amends the zoning map. The Planning Commission has 1 open seat for an alternate member. The Variance Board decides on requests for variances to the Zoning Code and on appeals to staff interpretations of the adopted codes The Variance Board has 2 open seats for regular members, and 2 open seats for alternate members. The HPRC decides on requests to conduct work on a historic structure for the purpose of determining if the proposed work is historically appropriate. HPRC has 2 open seats for alternate members. Members of the HPRC are not required to live in Idaho Springs but are required to be knowledgeable in history or architecture. Members of the Planning Commission and Variance Board are required to be residents of the Cityof Idaho Springs Please submit your letter of interest to Deputy City Clerk Wonder Martell at City Hall, 1711 Miner St., PO BOX 907, Idaho Springs, CO80452 or via email at cityclerk@idahospringsco.com If you have any questions on the various boards, please call (303) 567-4421, option #4 for the Community Development Planner

NOTICE

FURTHER GIVEN

tions for absentee ballots may be filed with the Designated Election Official of the District at the above email address during normal business hours, until 4:30 p.m. on the Tuesday immediately preceding the election (Tuesday, April 29, 2025). All absentee ballots must be returned to the Designated Election Official by 7:00 p.m. on election day.

EVERGREEN METROPOLITAN DISTRICT

By: Jennifer Guy

Designated Election Official

Legal Notice No. CCC029

First Publication: February 6, 2025

Last Publication: February 6, 2025 Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

Public Notice A CALL FOR NOMINATIONS TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and particularly, to the electors of the Chicago Creek Sanitation District of Clear Creek County, Colorado.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an election will be held on the 6th day of May 2025, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. At that time, 3 directors will be elected to serve 4-year terms. Eligible electors of the Chicago Creek Sanitation District interested in

serving on the board of directors may obtain a Self-Nomination and Acceptance form from the District Designated Election Official (DEO):

Sheri Karner, ccsd_103@yahoo.com, 303567-2855

The Office of the DEO is open on the following days: Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The deadline to submit a Self-Nomination and Acceptance form is close of business (5:00 p.m.) on Friday, February 28, 2025.

Affidavit of Intent To Be a Write-In-Candidate forms must be submitted to the office of the designated election official by the close of business on Monday, March 3, 2025.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN, an application for an absentee ballot shall be filed with the designated election official no later than the close of business on Tuesday preceding the election, April 29, 2025.

Sheri Karner /s/ Designated Election Official

Legal Notice No. CCC1013

First Publication: February 6, 2025

Last Publication: February 6, 2025

Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that applications for absentee ballots may be filed with the Designated Election Official of the District at the above email address during normal business hours, until 5:00 p.m. on the Tuesday immediately preceding the election (Tuesday, April 29, 2025). All absentee ballots must be returned to the Designated Election Official by 7:00 p.m. on election day.

EVERGREEN FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT

By: /s/ Micki L. Mills

Designated Election Official

Legal Notice No. CCC 030

First Publication: February 6, 2025

Last Publication: February 6, 2025

Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

Bids and Settlements

Public Notice

NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT ACCESS LIMITED CONSTRUCTION AGREEMENT BETWEEN OWNER AND CONTRACTOR FOR RC 24-03 STEEP-SLOPE IMPROVEMENTS FOR FALL RIVER ROAD CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT (STIPULATED PRICE)

place of final settlement with Access Limited Construction for Agreement Between Owner and Contractor for RC 24-03 SteepSlope Improvements for Fall River Road Construction Contract (Stipulated Price), County of Clear Creek, State of Colorado. Any person, co-partnership, association of persons, company or corporation that has furnished labor, materials, sustenance, or other supplies used or consumed by such contractor or his or her subcontractor in or about the performance of the work contracted to be done or that supplied laborers, rental machinery, tools, or equipment to the extent used in the prosecution of the work, whose claim therefore has not been paid by the contractor or subcontractor, at any time up to and including the time of final settlement for work contracted to be done, may file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on account of such claim with the Clear Creek Board of County Commissioners, Clear Creek County, P O Box 2000, 405 Argentine Street, Georgetown, Colorado, 80444-2000. Failure to file such verified statement or claim prior to final settlement will release the County and its employees and agents from any and all liability for such claim and for making final payment to said contractor.

George Marlin, Chair Board of County Commissioners Legal Notice No. CCC 031 First Publication: February 6, 2025 Last Publication: February 13, 2025 Publisher: Clear Creek Courant. Public Notice

NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT AMERICAN WEST LLC CONTRACT FOR RC 24-04 LARGE-DIAMETER CULVERT REHAB FOR UPPER BEAR CREEK ROAD AND FALL RIVER ROAD CONSTRUCTION OF A SMALL PROJECT

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN in accordance with the notice provisions contained in 3826-107, C.R.S., the CLEAR CREEK BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS has established Tuesday, February 18th, 2025, 8:30 am, at the Board of County Commissioners hearing room, located at 405 Argentine Street, Georgetown, Colorado, as the date, time and place of final settlement with American West LLC for Contract for RC 24-04 Large-Diameter Culvert Rehab for Upper Bear Creek Road and Fall River Road Construction of a Small Project, County of Clear Creek, State of Colorado. Any person, co-partnership, association of persons, company or corporation that has furnished labor, materials, sustenance, or other supplies used or consumed by such contractor or his or her subcontractor in or about the performance of the work contracted to be done or that supplied laborers, rental machinery, tools, or equipment to the extent used in the prosecution of the work, whose claim therefore has not been paid by the contractor or subcontractor, at any time up

LEAP ayuda a los residentes elegibles de Colorado a pagar una parte de sus gastos de calefacciòn de invierno.