Clear Creek Courant February 13, 2025

RETRIAL IN CHRISTIAN GLASS CASE UNDERWAY

A new set of jurors in Clear Creek County are deciding if a former Clear Creek County Sheri ’s deputy will be convicted of second-degree murder in the June 2022 death of Christian Glass, who was shot while sitting in a locked car after he called 911.

Opening statements were heard Feb. 7 in the retrial of Andrew Buen, who was convicted of reckless endangerment last April. In that trial, the jury couldn’t reach a verdict on the murder charge or o cial misconduct so a judge declared a mistrial. Follow the proceedings at

‘It was like a nightmare’ Former town administrator details what led to his departure

BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e former Georgetown town administrator has broken his silence after leaving o ce amid an exodus of o cials last year.

In November, the Georgetown Board of Selectmen accepted the resignations of former Town Administrator Rick Keuroglian and former Town Treasurer

Mary Sims, the latter of whom had been in the position for 23 years. Town Clerk Jennifer Yobski quit shortly thereafter.  Keuroglian, who came into the position in April 2022, walked away with $70,000, or half of his yearly salary, and three months of town-supported health care under contractual obligations, according to Assistant Town Administrator Kazia Hart following a Colorado Open Records Act request.

e Courant repeatedly tried to contact Keuroglian during the tumultuous times, but he did not respond.

en, on Jan. 30, the town of Cape Charles, Virginia, put out a statement: “ e Cape Charles

Town Council is excited to announce the selection of Dicran (Rick) Keuroglian as Cape Charles’ next Town Manager.” e Courant again tried to reach Keuroglian to comment. is time, he picked up.

“I really have tried to stay out of this. I just don’t want to slander or make any negative comments on previous (Georgetown) sta or board members; I’d kind of just rather go away,” Keuroglian said.

Keuroglian stated his time in o ce had become untenable working with other members of sta and the Board of Selectmen.

“ ere were, like, eight executive sessions, and you’re never

going to get that information ... and it was really, really bad,” Keuroglian said, “It was horrifying. It was like a nightmare of going through personal attacks and accusations that were unfounded.”

He also stated the payout when he left came with a caveat.

“I signed the six-month severance agreeing to not slander the town or anything like that, but (that) I would also not sue the town,” Keuroglian said.

He also repeatedly said, “ ere is another side to the story,” but he declined to elaborate or how it contributed to his departure.

“(Georgetown) was a great

Child care enrollment freeze leaves families in the cold

BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

For thousands of working parents in Colorado, child care is more than a service — it’s the key to economic stability.

But as counties across the state freeze new enrollments in the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program due to funding shortages, families who rely on this crucial support are left in limbo.

“We need an additional $70 million just to maintain where we are at with CCCAP,” said Heather Tritten, president and CEO of Colorado Children’s Campaign. “And right now, CCCAP only serves 10% of the families that qualify.”

Across the state, counties including Denver, Arapahoe, Douglas, Je erson, Larimer and Weld have paused new CCCAP enrollments, citing a budget shortfall fueled by rising program costs and the end of federal pandemic relief funds.

“We knew this cli was coming,” Tritten said. “ e pandemic relief funding allowed many child care providers to stay open and helped families a ord care, but without sustainable investment, we’re now seeing the consequences.”

Why is CCCAP enrollment frozen?

CCCAP subsidizes child care costs for low-income families, allowing parents to work or attend school while their children receive licensed care. However, a combination of expired federal funding, increased provider wages mandated by the federal government and growing program costs has left counties unable to support new families.

In 2023-24, nearly 25,000 children bene ted from CCCAP, according to data provided by the Colorado Children’s Campaign. But with funding stretched thin, many counties have shut the door on new applicants.

“To put it simply, the cost of providing

Weather Observations for Georgetown, Colorado

Week of January 27, and Month of 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.

Weather Observations for Georgetown, Colorado

Week of January 27, and Month ofJanuary 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 specific date

Day

(2025)

care for each child is going up, but our funding has not increased to go along with that,” said Tara Noble, Je erson County Human Services program manager.

e freeze is devastating for families already struggling with the high cost of care, explained Paula Smith, chief impact o cer with Clayton Early Learning in Denver.

In 2023, the average cost of child care in Colorado was $12,750 per year for infants and toddlers, according to Child Care Aware of America.

e U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that families spend no more than 7% of their income on child care. Yet in Colorado, a family earning the median household income of $133,443 would need to spend 30.2% of their earnings to care for two children.

e nancial strain on single-parent households is even greater.

Families trapped in the cycle of poverty

“Making child care a ordable to families directly impacts their ability to work and earn a living, Smith said. “Without a support system like CCCAP, we risk eroding the economic foundation for the entire state, weakening the workforce and stalling future growth.

“When families don’t have a ordable child care, they can’t work,” she continued. “And when they can’t work, they become more reliant on government assistance just to survive.”

is disruption has a generational impact as well. Research from University of Chicago economics professor James Heckman shows that children in highquality early learning programs are likelier to succeed in school and have higher lifetime earnings.

“Child care isn’t just about parents. It’s also about giving kids the early learning foundation they need,” Smith said. “When kids lose access to care, we’re widening the achievement gap before they even reach kindergarten.”

According to data from the Colorado Information Marketplace, the state already faces a shortage of licensed child care slots, with only enough capacity to serve 65% of children under ve whose parents are working. With CCCAP enrollment

paused, even fewer families will have access to a ordable care.

“If you’re an employer and your workers don’t have child care, they can’t come to work,” Smith said. “ is isn’t just a family issue. It’s an economic issue.”

Is there a solution?

“We need a long-term funding solution,” Smith emphasized. “ e state has recognized the importance of early childhood education, but we can’t make progress if families can’t even access care.”

Tritten echoed that urgency.

“ e state legislature needs to invest more in CCCAP to address the funding shortfall and expand access to the program, as the current ‘status quo’ isn’t good enough,” she said while acknowledging the state’s nancial situation makes it challenging to nd an immediate x.

“We have TABOR (the Taxpayer Bill of Rights), which makes it even more dicult, so the state legislature can’t appropriate funds the way other states might be able to, so as we’re looking at it, it’s a bit of a puzzle right now in terms of how we address the need.”

In the meantime, families a ected by the freeze are left with few alternatives.

“ is is an issue that impacts all of us, whether we have children or not,” Smith said. “Without access to a ordable child care, we risk weakening the workforce and stalling future economic growth. It’s time for policymakers to step up.”

“If we can support families with highquality child care that’s a ordable, then we start solving some other problems for that family,” Tritten added. “We want families to be stable and thriving, and we want children to be in a place where they are being prepared for school.”

Tritten stressed the importance of prioritizing child care assistance in state discussions.

“We need to encourage our legislators to think about this and to invest in child care assistance and recognize that this is a program that helps solve bigger problems for families and helps create stability,” she said. “If we can help create stability through child care, then we are helping promote work and school and all of these other things as well.”

Counties across Colorado are freezing enrollment in the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program due

Colorado Environmental Film Festival Returns to Golden on February 21-23

There’s excitement building about the possibility of the Sundance Film Festival coming to Boulder, but we already have a nationally renowned environmental film festival that takes place every February right here in Golden.

The Colorado Environmental Film Festival (CEFF) is a juried film festival that lives up to its name, bringing all kinds of film — long-form, shorts, children’s films, and animated films — for a weekend run that includes awards, filmmaker Q&As, and more.

I recommend the All Access pass for $99, because it not only includes entry to all screenings but also includes streaming access for most of the films for seven days after the festival. Buy it at https://ceff.net/tickets. There are three screening rooms at the Green Center on the Colorado School of Mines campus, so that’s the only way to see your favorite films which might be scheduled simultaneously. Go to https://ceff2025.eventive.org/films for a complete list of the films.

Denver which manufactured the plutonium triggers for thousands of nuclear weapons.

As an aside, one of our broker associates, Kathy Jonke, was an environmental geophysicist for the contractor working onsite at Rocky Flats during the cleanup. She recommended this film before I saw it was on CEFF’s schedule. Ask her sometime about her work.

are family-friendly and free. Bring the kids!

Opening night is Friday the 21st at 7:00 in the Green Center’s auditorium, featuring an 86-minute feature film, “Bring Them Home” about a small group of Blackfoot people who established the first wild buffalo herd on their ancestral lands. It is followed by a discussion with Executive Producer Melissa Grumhaus.

My choice of screenings at 10 a.m. on Saturday is the one which includes “Our Movement Starts Here,” a documentary about the fight against a toxic landfill in North Carolina.

At Sunday's 12:15 p.m. Lunch & Learn session, hear from members of the Denver Electric Vehicle Council and get the inside scoop on a variety of electric vehicles. Talk to the owners about their real life experiences driving an EV in Colorado and check out several models in the Electric Vehicle Roundup outside the Green Center from 9:15 to 3:30.

For the 1 p.m. screenings on Sunday, I have chosen the set which has five films focusing on sustainable home construction. This includes the “Heart of a Building” PBS program about John Avenson’s net-zero home in Westminster which was aired in January on Channels 6 and 12.

The closing set of screenings starting at 3:30 on Sunday includes the “Half-Life of Memory” mentioned above, plus two other films: one about lead poisoning of birds and

Attendees will have plenty to choose from at this year’s CEFF, including 9 films with ties to Colorado, 60+ feature-length and short films from 17 countries, and ten world premiere screenings. The weekend also promises thoughtful discussions with filmmakers, panels, and a vibrant Eco-Expo in which to connect with environmentally conscious brands and organizations.

Golden Real Estate has been a sponsor of CEFF for most of its 16 years, so you’ll see our ad in the program inviting you to visit our nearby office in downtown Golden. We’ll also have a booth at the Eco-Expo in the lobby of the Green Center where we’ll have an up-to-the-minute display of all the active solar powered homes in the Denver MLS. We’d be happy to take you to see any of them!

It makes sense that we’re the only real estate brokerage sponsoring CEFF, because we are experts in all aspects of “green” building, and half of us drive electric cars. We have also become experts in “hardening” homes to resist wildfires, so please ask us questions or read some of my previous columns on those topics at www.JimSmithColumns.com

CEFF groups films by several categories, including Activism & Environmental Justice; Adventure; Consumption & Waste; Energy & Climate Chaos & Fossil Fuels; Health & Food; Land Use & Conservation; Wildlife; and Water, Rivers & Oceans

Among the films at this year’s festival, I’m personally looking forward to a few particular films. First on that list is “Half-Life of Memory: America’s Forgotten Atomic Bomb Factory,” a 55minute documentary about the sloppy operation and incomplete cleanup of Rocky Flats, the government’s plant between Boulder and

My choice of screenings at 1 p.m. is the one with three films about forests in Canada, Tasmania and on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.

Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. screening of four different films includes “Way the Wind Blows,” a short documentary about one family’s journey of recovery from the 2022 Marshall Fire in Boulder County, which destroyed 1,000 homes. That set also includes two interesting films about glaciers.

Between the 3:30 screenings and the 7:15 screenings on Saturday will be an “Evening Soiree,” a party with drinks and plant-based foods. Tickets for either of those screenings (or the All Access pass) includes an invitation to this party. This is when the awards for the best films will be presented in the Green Auditorium, along with the world premiere screening of “The Snake and the Whale,” a 90-minute investigative documentary that uncovers antiquated dams on the Lower Snake River that are driving the extinction of fish and killer whales.

I’m going to attend the 7:15 set of three films, one of which is “Responsible,” about the interplay of capitalism and environmentalism. The subtitle of the film is “There Is No Business to Be Done on a Broken Planet.”

On Sunday morning, I have chosen the screenings which include an animated short about invasive fauna and flora in Hawaii, a bird oasis on an abandoned golf course, overgrazing versus regenerative grazing in Nevada, a Tibetan nomad with a camera, and a threatened wetland between the banks of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Both of the Sunday morning film screenings

animals who feed on the carcasses of animals killed with bullets containing lead; plus one about the large amount of water consumed in the manufacture of computer ships.

A big part of CEFF’s mission is to educate, with a yearly focus on young filmmakers and films aimed at school age children from grade 4 through high school. These programs are always free, too. So, starting at 10 a.m. on Friday the 21st, prior to the festival’s opening, there is a “CEFF 4 Classrooms Field Trip” in the Bunker auditorium at the Green Center. It is for schools, youth organizations, home schools and more, designed to share a variety of youth-friendly environmental films. In addition to showing nine short films, two of them by young filmmakers, it includes a Q&A session with filmmakers and other field experts related to the film topics. Register at info@ceff.net,

ADU Law Enables Homeowners to Invest on Their Own

Beginning in July, homeowners in Colorado will be able to create an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) within their home (preferably a walk-out basement), over their detached garage, or by building a tiny home or casita in their backyard.

The enabling law was HB24-1152. Until this law was passed, local zoning regulations made it difficult to get approval to build an ADU; but now local governments can not block ADU development using zoning regulations, although other local laws, such as building codes, still apply.

Many homes, such as single-story homes with no basement on a small lot with no detached garage, will not be able to take advantage of this law, but many others can, and that’s the purpose of the law — namely, to increase the housing supply through increased density. Before this new law, there wasn’t much that Colorado homeowners could do to increase the housing supply. Now they can, and increase their wealth in the process.

In September Colorado Biz had an article that described how the law works: “ADUs add housing units with minimal impacts to infrastructure and with increased compact infill development. They provide intergenerational living options and enable child or eldercare and aging in place. Because they’re small, ADU rents are typically low.”

The financial information for a specific ADU varies greatly, dependent on the particular ADU and site costs. That makes the numbers used in the article only rough estimates. The cost of an ADU is dependent on choices made by the homeowner who is installing the unit. It can be very expensive, but there are ways to keep it reasonable. Regardless, the article is a helpful summary.

One of the many reasons cited for expanding the use of ADUs is to increase the availability of affordable housing, although this rationale has been questioned. There are many things that can make ADUs costeffective, thus increasing affordability (both for purchase and rent).

Two of the factors that contribute to affordability are the size of the units and the cost of the land. ADUs are small but not uncomfortably small, and day-to-day life is unchanged. They tap into a trend of smaller living spaces.

Lot

For a homeowner considering putting in an ADU, it’s one real estate investment that includes no cost for land. ADUs use space that is, at best, underutilized, and already owned. This is a big plus where the value of land is high.

As part of the new law, the legislature appropriated money and tasked the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) to develop programs to enable homeowners with moderate means to afford construction of an ADU. The idea is to jump-start ADU finance in the private sector.

Finally, units assembled off-site (referred to as manufactured, modular, or prefab) can reduce cost significantly, and have other advantages such as shorter lead times, far less on-site construction, environmental benefits, etc. A Colorado company that specializes in manufactured detached ADUs is Verdant Living (www.verdantliving.us). The owner of that company, John Phillips, is happy to discuss ADU options with you. Because of the huge variety of situations where ADUs are possible, he tries to recommend options that might work, often not involving his company. He can be reached at 303-717-1962 (voice or text).

His is a Denver business. Another player in the field of manufactured housing on the national level is Boxabl (www.boxabl.com), which specializes in factory-made homes that literally unfold after being delivered on a standard width flatbed trailer. Its “Casita” is a 361-square-foot modular home, offering a stylish, efficient living space with a kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. It’s delivered with all-electric appliances (including laundry) and 100-amp electric service. It is currently priced at $60,000. It must be installed on a foundation prepared with electrical and plumbing hookups. It is built to meet building codes.

Recently, the company introduced the “Baby Box,” a 120-square-foot living space built to RV standards. Easy setup, no special equipment or foundation needed. The MSRP of Baby Box is $30,000 with introductory pricing of $19,999. It comes, like a mobile home, on a frame with permanent wheels. It too has a bathroom and kitchen, but with water tank and waste tank like any RV. It is intended for delivery to mobile home parks.

Parents: New tax credit could net you thousands

Find out what you need to know

BY ANN SCHIMKE CHALKBEAT

A new state tax credit worth thousands of dollars is now available to many Colorado families with children under 17.

It’s called the family a ordability tax credit and is expected to help hundreds of thousands of cash-strapped families across the state. Lawmakers and advocates who championed the credit during last year’s legislative session see it as a chance to address Colorado’s high cost of living and pick up where the federal government left o when its expanded child tax credit expired in 2021. at expanded tax credit helped cut child poverty in America nearly in half to a historic low of 5.2% in 2021. By 2023, child poverty rates jumped to 13.7%.

Since then, several states have expanded or created their own child tax credits. Colorado, which already had a child tax credit for families with young children, created the family a ordability credit to provide more nancial help to families already getting the child tax credit and give new aid to lower income families with older children.

Here’s what you need to know about the new credit.

What is the family a ordability tax credit?

It’s a new state tax credit for lower income Colorado families with children under 17. It was created during the 2024

legislative session and is now available for the rst time to families ling their 2024 tax returns.

Eligible families can get a tax credit of up to $3,200 for each child who was 5 or younger as of Dec. 31, 2024, and up to $2,400 for each child who was 6-16 years old as of Dec. 31, 2024. e size of the credit goes down as family income goes up, eventually phasing out when single tax lers hit an adjusted gross income of more than $85,000 a year and joint tax lers hit an adjusted gross income of more than $95,000 a year.

How is it di erent from Colorado’s child tax credit?

e family a ordability tax credit is much bigger than the state’s child tax credit and includes families with older children. For example, a single mother who earned $30,000 in tax year 2024 and has a 4-year-old and 7-year-old would receive a family a ordability tax credit of $4,445 and a state child tax credit of $600. ( e state child tax credit is only available to lower income families with children under 6.)

It’s also worth noting that, unlike the state child tax credit, the family a ordability credit may not be available every year. at’s because lawmakers decided to o er it only in good economic times when the state collects enough surplus tax revenue to fund it. During bad years when the state collects too little surplus tax revenue, the state will reduce the amount of the credit or refrain from o ering it at all.

How do I know if I’m eligible for family affordability credit?

Use the tax credit calculator from Get Ahead Colorado, which is run by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. e online tool asks a few questions about your income and the number of kids you have and spits out a list of state and federal tax credits you may be eligible for, including the family a ordability credit.

e tax credit calculator is available in dozens of languages by clicking on the “Select Language” button in the top right corner.

I don’t make enough to pay income taxes. Am I still eligible?

Yes, the family a ordability tax credit is refundable. at means that even if eligible families owe nothing in taxes, the state will pay them the amount of the credit as long as they le a state tax return.

Families who earn enough to pay income taxes may still get money back if their family a ordability credit exceeds the amount they owe the state.

I don’t have a Social Security number. Am I still eligible?

Possibly. Parents who don’t have a Social Security number may be eligible for Colorado’s family a ordability tax credit if they have an Individual Taxpayer Identi cation number — or ITIN — and their eligible children have a Social Security number.

ITIN numbers are available from the Internal Revenue Service to certain individuals who are categorized as resident aliens or nonresident aliens, regardless of

immigration status.

Will getting the family a ordability tax credit reduce my SNAP benefits?

No. Tax credits are not considered income and will not negatively a ect most bene ts, including SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid.

Are there other tax credits for Colorado families with children?

Yes. Both the federal government and the state have earned income tax credits, which are available to lower income families with or without children. Both also offer child tax credits, with the federal version available to qualifying families with children under 17 and the Colorado version available to qualifying families with children under 6.

How can I get help filling out my tax returns?

You can use myfreetaxes.com, an online program o ered through United Way. It’s also available in Spanish.

Another free option is getyourrefund. org/en, which allows lers earning under $67,000 a year to get online assistance from certi ed volunteers. It’s also available in Spanish.

For free in-person help from certi ed volunteers, consider the Colorado Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, also known as VITA. Check this list for VITA sites, hours, and other details.

Finally, Get Ahead Colorado has a variety of other tax ling resources available. 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.

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

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. Non-alcoholic 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 the advocacy e orts of trained CASA volunteers. Be the di erence and advocate for the youth in our community. e o ce can be reached at 970-513-9390.

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 fallrisk 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.

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.

Brought to you by:

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 720-2821164.

Dental clinics: Cleanings, X-rays, dentures, tooth extractions and more. Most insurances are accepted including Medicaid. Sliding scale/low-cost 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.

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.

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.

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. 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 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.

BEAT THE WINTER CHILL!

MindFest of the Foothills is a great way to spend a cold Saturday morning. It is a FREE, FUN family event with new interactive activities, awesome speakers and amazing vendors who would be happy to talk to you about mental wellness!

Saturday February 22, 2025 10 AM - 2 PM

Our Lady of the Pines

CO 80433

Thank you to our sponsors:

Clear Creek Schools Superintendent issues guidelines on potential ICE visits

Superintendent Tom Meyer announces ‘points of emphasis’ on potential immigration agents

BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Recent raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents across the county and in Colorado have prompted Clear Creek County Schools Superintendent Tom Meyer to releaseguidelines and procedures if agents show up at school.

“I think it’s challenging as educators, as parents, as kids of the unknown, what could happen that way. I think it’s going to be a big thing in Clear Creek County,” Meyer said. “Most people do not believe that, but we have to have a plan in place, in case.”

Veri cation of any warrant or agents is at the top of the list of procedures set to policy by Meyer and school sta .

• If ICE agents want anyone to talk to or come with them, they must have a court order, warrant, etc.

• ICE agents would not be admitted into the building until their credentials and the warrant/court order are veri ed.

• Use people skills. Keep this situation as calm as possible. “Even though entry is legal for ICE members (and related groups), our attorney and others believe this is not likely to happen (somewhat

based on public relations and perceptions that would likely be very negative).” Meyer’s directive reads.  e district directive goes on to explain how Idaho Springs Police and the Clear Creek Sheri ’s Departments will divide responsibility for the middle/high school in Evergreen, Carlson Elemen-

tary in Idaho Springs and King-Murphy in the county.

“It’s going to be a process and that will take awhile,” Meyer said. If all protocol is followed and conrmed, the directive explains, “If this is a proper warrant, the school/district would need to allow the ICE representatives to speak with the student and or sta members.”

Meyer said he’s been In touch with superintendents from across Colorado, none of whom said their district has been visited by ICE.

According to a federal ICE website:

“Securing our nation’s borders and safeguarding the integrity of our immigration system is a primary focus of ICE o cers and agents throughout the country.”

e Courant recently led a Federal Freedom of Information Act request with ICE requesting notice of any intention or plans to visit Clear Creek County now or in the future.

At the time of this publication ICE representatives had not responded to the FOIA request.

“Going into a school for kids, whether they are 17, 18 or 6-year-olds, the parents want them at school. School is a safe place.” Meyer concluded.

Schools outline plans amid ICE enforcement

Districts seek to balance compliance, student needs

BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

As federal immigration policies evolve and schools are no longer o limits for immigration enforcement operations, districts across the Denver metro area are facing di cult questions about how to respond if Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrive on campus.

As a result, Colorado Community Media reporters reached out to the school districts in our coverage area to ask how they’re addressing these concerns with their sta and the communities they serve. While the approaches vary, a common theme emerged: school leaders are seeking

to balance legal compliance with their responsibility to protect students and maintain trust with the communities they serve.

Je erson County Public Schools

Je co Public Schools updated its website on Jan. 28 to include a statement acknowledging heightened fear and anxiety in the community, with some parents and educators worried about what will happen if federal immigration agents visit schools.

“Over the past week, America’s federal immigration policies and practices have been changing rapidly,” the statement reads. “Sensitive places, including schools, are now no longer insulated from immigration enforcement.”

In response, Je co has compiled several resources for families, including: – “Know Your Rights” sessions o ered by local community organizations.

– An FAQ page addressing common immi-

gration-related concerns.–– Family ambassadors to help immigrant families navigate district and community resources.

– A Family Emergency Preparedness Plan to help parents outline steps in case of an unexpected

Je co also guided principals, emphasizing the importance of minimal disruption and calm, professional interactions if an enforcement situation arises. e district’s legal team will require federal agents to provide proof of identity, agency a liation and a legally valid warrant before granting access to district property.

“If agents visit a school, a Je co district administrator will support the school and meet the agency on behalf of the district, with guidance from our legal team,” the district said.

School board member Erin Kenworthy said the board is drafting a resolution regarding its commitment to protecting all students for an upcoming board meeting.

Adams 12 Five Star Schools

e Adams 12 school board unanimously adopted a resolution at its meeting on Jan. 15 a rming its commitment to protecting students and families regardless of immigration status.

e resolution states that the district will continue its practice of not inquiring about the immigration status of students or families and will follow all legal guidelines for protecting con dential information.

It also establishes speci c procedures if immigration o cials attempt to access school campuses or student records.

“ e Five Star District shall utilize its lawful powers to protect our students and families, regardless of immigration status,” the resolution states.

Among the key provisions, according to the district:

– e district will not voluntarily provide information about students or families to federal immigration authorities.

– Any immigration o cial’s request to

enter a school or district property must rst be forwarded to the District’s Legal Department.

– e same applies if an immigration ofcer seeks to communicate with a student while under the district’s supervision. e board also emphasized that it would continue to support families in updating emergency contact information and in creating emergency plans in case of sudden family disruptions.

Littleton Public Schools

Littleton Public School’s Chief Communications O cer Diane Leiker said she appreciated the opportunity to participate in a story on this issue but respectfully declined.

Adams 14 School District

Adams 14 Superintendent Karla Loría took to Facebook on Jan. 23 to con rm the district’s commitment to safeguarding students and protecting their educational rights.

“No one is allowed on our properties, inside our schools, or is allowed to have access to information without lawful justi cation and approval of the district,” she said. “Law enforcement is required to have a warrant signed by a federal or state judge in order to enter our properties, our schools or to gain access to data.”

Referring to a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision determining that all children, documented or not, have an equal right to an education under the United States Constitution, Loria said, “Adams 14 stands behind these absolute truths. We are here to safeguard the constitutional rights of our students and those who bless our schools. Our district will remain a safe place for learning, particularly as that is our constitutionally endowed mission.”

Loria encouraged families to know their rights and directed them to resources on the district’s website.

Clear Creek Schools Superintendent issues guidelines on any potential visit from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Jan 29.

PHOTO BY CHRIS KOEBERL

Cherry Creek Schools

Cherry Creek’s Superintendent Christopher Smith sent a message to sta and families on Jan. 24 rea rming the district’s commitment to supporting all students and ensuring schools remain safe spaces amid growing concerns over federal immigration policies.

“We remain consistently and steadfastly committed to serving all students and ensuring our schools are safe places where all students feel loved, valued, invested in, and seen,” Smith wrote. “Every student is welcome; every sta member is welcome in Cherry Creek. at doesn’t change, no matter what the future holds.”

Cherry Creek Schools outlined speci c protocols already in place to protect students’ rights and privacy, including:

– Right to free public education: e district emphasized that all children residing in the U.S. have a right to public education, regardless of their immigration status. Smith referenced the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Plyler v. Doe, which rea rmed this right.

– Student information protections: Cherry Creek follows the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which safeguards student records. All requests for student information from agencies, including ICE, must be submitted to the district’s O ce of Legal Services.

– Handling ICE Requests on School Grounds: If ICE agents approach a Cherry Creek school seeking access to a student, they will be directed to the district’s legal o ce before any action is taken.

– Mental health and safety resources: e district’s mental health sta is available to provide support for students and sta who may be experiencing anxiety or fear.

– Community partnerships: Cherry Creek Schools is working with local and state agencies, law enforcement, and community groups to prepare for scenarios that may impact students and families.

Smith also emphasized that keeping sta informed about legal and policy changes remains a district priority. However, the district didn’t provide speci c guidance on what steps schools should take if federal agents arrive on campus without notice.

“I don’t have all the answers for you today, but my commitment to you is clear,” Smith said. “We are a community that values all people.”

Englewood

Schools

Englewood Schools Superintendent Joanna Polzin said the district is committed to student safety and is ensuring families have timely access to resources on the district’s website.

“I have communicated with my leaders on this topic,” Polzin said. “Our sta is dedicated to the well-being of our students. As we navigate these changes, student safety will remain our top priority.”

She emphasized that all school sta have been directed to follow district procedures, which include:

– Only releasing students to individuals listed in the district’s student information system and requiring proper identi cation before any release.

– Contacting the Superintendent and Director of Safety and Security immediately if an immigration o cer arrives at a school.

– Verifying the agent’s credentials and documentation before taking action and seeking guidance from legal counsel.

“Englewood Schools will continue to provide safe learning spaces for our students and sta ,” Polzin said.

Douglas County School District

Douglas County o cials have been vocally supportive of Trump’s deportation plans and are suing the state over its laws that limit law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration agencies.

Superintendent Erin Kane emailed sta earlier this month to say the district would continue to

allow law enforcement to detain students only if they are accused of a dangerous crime or are considered a potential danger to other students.

Kane said that if law enforcement needs to detain a student, they communicate ahead of time with the district, and the Safety and Security Department is contacted for guidance.

If o cers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are at a school, sta is directed to contact the Safety and Security Department and the Legal Department. e Legal Department will verify and review removal orders “to ensure the student may be legally released to the agency.”

In a Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce statement, Sheri Darren Weekly said the sheri ’s o ce collaborates with federal law enforcement agencies but does not “actively engage in immigration enforcement at this time.”

“Regarding schools, our school resource ocers are dedicated to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for students,” Weekly said. “While they collaborate with other law enforcement agencies on matters of safety, their primary responsibility is to ensure the well-being of students and sta .”

However, in a shift from Kane’s and Weekly’s statements, Douglas County Commissioner George Teal said on Facebook that he supported ICE o cers removing children from schools “if needed.”

Weld Re-8

In Weld RE-8, school o cials strongly opposed cooperating with immigration enforcement agents without a court-ordered warrant.

“Our protocol right now is that we will not allow ICE personnel to have access to the buildings,” said Assistant Superintendent Johan Van Nieuwenhuizen. “If they don’t have a warrant signed by a judge and veri ed by our legal counsel, then we will not allow them access to the building at all.”

e district’s policy states that:

– Immigration agents will not be allowed to speak to students without parental permission.

– No student or sta records will be shared with immigration authorities.

– School Resource O cers will verify any warrants presented by immigration o cials and consult with legal counsel before taking action.

Weld RE-8 sent a letter to parents emphasizing that the district remains committed to protecting students and families, regardless of immigration status. e letter also directed parents to community legal resources and encouraged them to update emergency contact information to ensure their child’s safety.

Denver Public Schools

In a letter sent to families on Jan. 17, Denver Public Schools rea rmed its commitment to ensuring that all students feel safe and supported, regardless of immigration status.

“Denver Public Schools is committed to providing equitable and inclusive environments where all students feel safe and supported, regardless of immigration status, said Superintendent Alex Marrero.

e state’s largest district said the district’s policies require all visitors, including immigration o cials, to report to the school o ce upon entry and prohibit federal immigration law enforcement activities on school property without proper legal authorization.

DPS also developed a Family Resource Toolkit in English and Spanish to support immigrant families. e toolkit contains information about rights, current DPS policies, training, mental health support and community resources.

e district encourages families to update emergency contact information and advises that each student should have at least two trusted adults authorized to pick them up if necessary.

Marrero assured families that DPS will continue to monitor developments closely and provide updates as needed.

“We want to ensure that all of our students and families feel safe and supported in our schools,” Marrero said.

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Districts across the Denver metro area are grappling with how best to respond to community concerns about the possibility of immigration enforcement o ers showing up at schools. SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

Watch the di erence 100 days can make

Alittle more than 16 years ago, I faced an interesting situation at work. e most outgoing and social member of our leadership group was taking a di erent job and leaving. is meant there was no one on the team who was comfortable striking up conversations with total strangers and building relationships with those unknown members of the school population. It was obvious to me that the team needed someone who could be that outgoing extrovert.

WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

On the pursuit of beautiful plain roads

One of my earliest childhood memories is walking down Federal Boulevard in Denver with my parents, older brother and a group of people as they all chanted “¡Sí se puede!” (“Yes we can!”) It was a hot summer day, and I remember my feet hurting and feeling fatigued from the scorching sun. As a little girl, I didn’t understand why my parents had brought me and my brother to this marcha that led all the way to Civic Center Park. I kept telling my parents to just get in the car and drive alongside the people, but I was clearly missing the point.

GUEST COLUMN

forward.”

I am not sure why, but I decided I should become that outgoing person the team needed. So, this reserved, quiet with strangers, most comfortable with family, pseudo introvert decided that he was going to become an expert at interacting with strangers.

I decided that I would call my experiment “100 days of Smiles” in a nod to my youth when AM radio stations like KIMN would mark summer with “100 days” promotions. I determined that over those weeks, I would go out of my way each day to talk for even a few minutes with someone I did not know. It would mean taking chances that were uncomfortable. I simply was not the kind of person who would out of the blue say something to a total stranger. But I stepped into it and started intentionally nding new people to talk with each day. e rst two weeks were painful. I often felt awkward and ill-equipped for such an undertaking. But I plodded on. It got easier as the weeks progressed, and then one day, near the end of my experiment, my wife, Beth, and I were on a walk around our neighborhood. Because it was close to Halloween, there was a family out decorating their front yard. I stopped walking and struck up a conversation with the parents as they worked on the decorations. I told them how much I appreciated seeing their tombstones each year and talked about the decorations that I liked most. We stood there talking for three or four minutes, said goodbye, and continued walking down the street.

We had gone maybe 10 steps when Beth, still looking straightforward, said quietly but loud enough for me to hear, “Who the hell are you and what have you done with my husband?”

I had done it! In 100 days, I had moved from a person who struggled to strike up conversations with strangers to someone who quite enjoyed acknowledging other people and engaging in conversation. Since that day, when I struggle with something related to my MS, I think about those “100 days of Smiles” and remember that we have within us the ability to shape ourselves, to remake our perspectives, to change our path. Struggles are not fun, but when we understand our transformative personal ability, we unlock so much.

is week I hope you will take some time to consider your own initiative, your “100 days of whatever it is you need to reshape.” You can do it; I did. Take the step and commit to the 100 days. Make a di erence for yourself and those around you. You’ve got this,

I would love to hear about your “100 days” goal. I truly appreciate hearing about the ideas you nd valuable in these columns and how you use them to uplift those around you. ank you to everyone who has shared their stories with me so far. 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.

I would ask my parents “Why are we marching?” “What is this for?” and they would explain, but in my mind I couldn’t grasp the concept. I couldn’t understand that people from a di erent country were considered “bad people” or “criminals” because they immigrated to the U.S. for a better life. I didn’t see the problem. To me it was as simple as moving from state to state here in the U.S.; to me they were my parents, my brother and my friends. However, as I tried to grasp the idea, to this day I remember hearing my mother’s voice as clear as day telling me, “Just say it with us: Sí se puede.” ose words have stayed with me since then. As my dad hoisted me up to his shoulders, I remember waving a little Mexican ag and chanting with everyone, and after that, the road seemed better. e burning sun didn’t feel so bad anymore.

It’s a bit ironic to say that I, a U.S.born citizen, am more scared of what’s to come than they are, but I think that’s a true testimony of how resilient they have become. It shows that no matter what, their spirit will never be crushed. I’m not thanking this system for making them resilient; I think they have always been resilient, and these are just the kind of people they are. Who wouldn’t want a kind, resilient and brave person on their team?

But I guess that doesn’t matter.

“It just feels like it’s never enough,” said State Rep. Elizabeth Velasco during an immigrant voices press conference at the state Capitol on Jan. 22.

Velasco mentioned that she is co-chair of the Democratic Latino Caucus, vice chair of the Energy and Environment Committee and has been a re ghter.

“And I have still been told to go back to my country,” she said at the event. “ is is the reality for many of us, that we are told again and again that we don’t belong when we are making our nation better, when we are working in Colorado to make everyone’s lives better.”

Over the years, I began to understand the concept more and more as I saw how it a ected the lives of my parents and my brother.

I saw it when my parents had to work every night, come home to get me and my brother ready for school and then go back to work with no hours of sleep. I would wonder why they couldn’t get di erent jobs with better work hours. en, when my dad was working in a toxic environment, I wondered why he couldn’t get a job that didn’t mistreat him.

As an undocumented person, the options were and are very limited. Even if you are trying to do the “right thing.”

And by the “right thing,” I mean living the American Dream of working until you have nothing left to o er, providing a good life to your children and yourself, and simply just working to the success and family values that this country preaches.

I saw it when my brother was in high school, as he was approaching graduation. He had a job o er that he was more than quali ed for. He went to the interview, and they thought he was the perfect t, but then the di cult question came: “Are you a U.S. citizen?”

e answer was no.

Despite the challenges, that didn’t stop my brother or my parents from moving down the road. During a time like today, where I hear attacks on my immigrant brothers and sisters, friends and family members, I nd myself more worried than they are. ese days, I am often comforted by my immigrant parents who say, “Don’t worry. We can’t let fear rule our lives. We have to keep moving

ABOUT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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

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• 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.

We are not just a workforce; we are people who are trying to do the “right thing.” Perhaps people can say, “You are trying to do the right thing through the wrong way,” but that’s not true. Even if you try to do everything the right way, it’s not possible for everyone, because the system presented to us is not for us, sometimes.

I recently attended a community information session where people came seeking answers for their immigration cases and status adjustment cases. At the end of the day, as someone who has been there and done that, I saw people simply asking, “How can I have a better life, without hurting anyone, without bothering anyone? A life where I can work, study and live in peace without being afraid?”

While it may feel like the future is bleak and that this feeling of dread will never leave until we get an answer to those questions, I have hope, thanks to the protests that have happened and are still going.

“May they not fall on the descent nor on the ascent of the path, may they nd no obstacles behind or ahead of them. Nor anything that strikes them. Grant them good roads, beautiful plain roads.”

I saw this quote from the Mayan text Popol Vuh at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. It’s a poetic but powerful way to describe the hope that perhaps things can change.

Perhaps we can nd some answers, but until then, I hope that one day we can eventually come across beautiful plain roads, and that we don’t lose hope amid the uncertain roads ahead.

Jackie Ramirez is editor of the bilingual newsletter La Ciudad.

• 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

Public media outlets express concern over FCC threat

BY ROBERT DAVIS COLORADO CAPITOL NEWS ALLIANCE

Public media leaders in Colorado expressed concern about the possible impact of a new federal investigation launched by the Trump administration.

Trump-appointed Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr sent a letter to the heads of National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service on Jan. 29 notifying them that the agency’s Enforcement Bureau is investigating the programming of their roughly 1,500 member stations for allegedly running commercial advertisements. e FCC does not regulate NPR or PBS, but does regulate the broadcasting licenses of individual stations that use public airwaves to transmit radio and television programming.

Federal law prohibits public media outlets from airing commercials that ask audiences to buy, sell, or lease products and services from for-pro t businesses. Instead, these outlets air what’s known as corporate underwriting announcements. An underwriting announcement sounds like, “Support for this station is provided by …”

Each station also has its own rules guiding underwriting announcements. NPR prohibits sponsors from using “overly promotional language,” scripts that could be interpreted as endorsements, or “references to political candidates.” PBS prohibits sponsorships from including “comparative or superlative language” and discount o ers or other pricing information.

In the letter, Carr said “it is possible” that NPR, PBS and their a liate stations are airing commercials, but he did not provide speci c examples. Carr included his personal opinion in the letter, stating that Congress should not send taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS “given the changes in the media marketplace since the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.”

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia who leads the new House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, added some speci cs in two letters she sent to PBS CEO Paula Kerger and NPR CEO Katherine Maher on

KEUROGLIAN

proving ground for me, and I’m excited about the next journey,” Keuroglian said.

As news of his departure reached his new employers, Keuroglian wrote an “open letter to the community” on Feb. 4 to explain what happened in Georgetown.

“I encountered signi cant challenges in e ectively managing the organization due to an unfortunate dynamic among certain long-time sta members that wasn’t discovered until after my arrival at the town,” he wrote. “ is included open insubordination and resistance to change, including all e orts to correct this dynamic to develop a healthier work environment. Despite my repeated e orts to address these issues, progress was consistently hampered, sometimes with the assistance of elected board members.”

Keuroglian goes on to detail actions from the governing board, including

Feb. 3.

Greene said PBS falsely characterized a gesture by Tesla CEO Elon Musk as a “fascist salute.” She also said NPR’s decision to not report on the Hunter Biden laptop story was evidence of bias.

Greene said in the letters that both news organizations “should provide reporting that serves the entire public, not just a narrow slice of like-minded individuals and ideological interest groups.”

e announcement also riled other members of the FCC. Commissioner Geo rey Starks said in a news release that the investigation gave him “serious concern.”

“Any attempt to intimidate these local media outlets is a threat to the free ow of information and the marketplace of ideas,” Starks said.

Underwriting is audited regularly

Public media leaders in Colorado told e Colorado Sun that they can do little right now since the investigation is still in its infancy. However, they expressed condence that their sponsorship and underwriting practices meet federal guidelines.

Rocky Mountain PBS CEO Amanda Mountain told e Sun in an email that her outlet has not received any direct communication from the FCC about the investigation. e Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides funding for NPR and PBS, also conducts regular compliance audits. Mountain said audits of RMPBS have found no issues with its programming or corporate underwriting practices in the 70 years that the station has held a broadcast license.

“We are always standing by to engage appropriately to answer any questions they may have,” she added.

Stewart Vanderwilt, CEO of Colorado Public Radio, said CPR has not directly communicated with the FCC about the investigation, and no audits have found issues related to its programming or underwriting practices. He added that it remains unclear how the investigation will be implemented nationally or locally.

“ ere’s still a lot to unpack, but for now it’s public service as usual here at CPR,” Vanderwilt told e Sun.

holding private meetings to circumvent authority, that undermined transparency and hindered his ability to do his job. He wrote that his appeals to the board went unaddressed.

e disfunction, he wrote, reached a breaking point after the hire of police marshal Daniel Trechter, who Keuroglian described as dissatis ed with his contract and made unreasonable requests and threats to resign. Trechter left after only two weeks in the position.

“As a result, when the chief quit, he and certain sta members attempted to blame me,” Keuroglian wrote. “All I’ll say about that is that I acted in the best interest of the town. If given the same circumstances, I’d do the same thing again.” Ward I Selectmen member Amanda Cooper told the Courant the board “has been and continues to be committed to ensuring that current posted vacancies are lled as quickly as possible and we look forward to updating our stakeholders on next steps as the application process continues.”

BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Sarah Cooprider was born with an intellectual disability, autism, a severe speech/language disability, and a naturally happy disposition. Her mother noticed during elementary school that Sarah was most happy when she was busy and social.

Annette Cooprider, who lives in Golden with her husband and Sarah, tried several metro area programs for people with special needs. None gave Sarah the level of activity she needed to thrive. en Annette found INSPIRE, a program run through the Evergreen Park & Recreation District.

“My daughter can have behaviors, but she’s an angel when she’s in INSPIRE,” Annette said. “It prevents her from being isolated, which can be common with kids like mine. She gets to go horseback riding, learn archery, play basketball, go bowling and all these things that are available to typical young people. She’s busy and moving. It gives her a much more well-rounded lifestyle.”

Sarah is now 20 years old and a student atJe co Transition Services, a post-secondary program for young adults with special needs, during the school year. While she has limited time to participate in INSPIRE now, her summers are all about the program.

“I get nervous about getting her signed up because it’s so important for both of us — for her to have the experience and for me to have some time,” said Annette, who works full time. “I cherish the time in the summer when she is busy and I know she’s safe.”

INSPIRE stands for incorporating opportunities for social, physical and inclusive recreational experiences for individuals with disabilities. e 31-year-old program was developed and is led by its supervisor, Maren Schreiber, a beloved and well-known member of the Evergreen community.

e program’s weekly events include swimming, bowling and climbing. INSPIRE also partners with other programs for regular skiing and therapeutic horseback riding, and hosts golf, track events, theater outings, Rockies games and a wide range of other physical and social outings.

e program today has 137 participants, who have varying disabilities, from ages 5 to 53. Some of them have been with Schreiber for the entirety of the program.

“You would be surprised how much people with disabilities know and can do,” Schreiber said. “People just don’t really give them a chance. ey are amazing. “ ey’re de nitely better skiers than me. I would never want to race them.”

Filling a need

In 1995, Schreiber was working as an Evergreen Park and Recreation Department (EPRD) swim coach and personal trainer when the mother of a young boy with Down syndrome approached her.

“She said there’s nothing for people with disabilities up here,” Schreiber said. “My boss at the time was you can try (creating a program), but she wasn’t sure if we had enough people. en people came from Stapleton, Morrison, Bailey, Pine, all over.”

Today’s participants come from throughout the metro area, including Aurora, Arvada, Lakewood, Littleton and Golden. One former participant who now lives in Illinois returns regularly to go on INSPIRE outings.

“ ey make the trip because of how special it is and the connections they make,” EPRD Executive Director Cory Vander Veen said. “It changes their world.”

INSPIRE is funded partly through EPRD and supplemented by the New Year’s Day Evergreen Lake Plunge, the Evergreen Ice Melt contest and other fundraisers and individual donations.

e bene ts for Schreiber, her sta and volunteers, the participants and their families are priceless.

For Evergreen physician Todd Wisser and his physician wife, Kate, INSPIRE has been a gift for the family. Fifteen-year-old Cambria has cerebral palsy, autism and epilepsy, and had previously been in special needs programs in Michigan. When the family moved to Evergreen in 2017, they were astounded to discover INSPIRE.

“We didn’t know the high level of service we’d be getting here,” Todd said. “INSPIRE’s service to the special needs population is unsurpassed. ey have been immensely wonderful and supportive and thorough, just o ering tons of opportunity.

“Cambria’s done whitewater rafting, ziplining, skiing, gold mine tours, the Georgetown Loop railroad. It’s a profound, wonderful connection she has with that group.”

INSPIRE and Schreiber also provide needed respite for the family, which includes two other children.

“Cambria can be a challenge at times with those diagnoses,” Wisser said. “She can be emotional. And she’s a teenager. So that brings with it a lot of e ort and energy that needs to go into her. Having the opportunities for respite that Maren and her team provide has been amazing. Not only is it valuable for Cambria, it’s hugely valuable for our other two children, and my wife and I.” Further extending the bene ts, Wisser’s other two children have volunteered with INSPIRE.

Lakewood resident Lisa Arnold’s now 24-year-old daughter, Grace, who has Down syndrome, discovered the program 16 years ago. It’s been part of their lives since. “Services vary between states, and we had moved from Ohio,” Lisa said. “It was really terri c to move to a small community and nd this absolutely amazing program that has such a variety. We’ve moved down the hill since, and we drive back for INSPIRE.”

Grace recently graduated from college with a science certi cate and is applying for a job with the Denver Zoo, but INSPIRE remains part of their lives.

“All these kids grew up together,” Lisa said. “And I’ve made some really great connections with other families. e disability world is kind of its own thing with Medicaid and all the processes and procedures. It’s nice to talk with other people that have some tips, and we’ve been able to share in our kids’ frustrations and successes.”

Rebecca Sobolevsky, a single parent who lives in Aurora, was desperate to nd a program for her now 20-year-old son, Ethan, when they moved from Chicago to Colorado in 2017.

“He’s tried a few other programs; Evergreen is always his favorite,” she said. “Some programs, it feels like it’s just a job for the sta . But the INSPIRE sta are super respectful, positive and fun. And I know they enjoy him, too. We drive some distance to get there, but it’s worth it.”

INSPIRE

Communitywide benefits INSPIRE and similar programs have improved the quality of life for participants.

And positive e ects of programs like INSPIRE radiate far beyond those who are directly impacted. Spending time or just being around people with disabilities helps others, giving them a fresh perspective on life and a sense of compassion and appreciation for others, according to information compiled by ALSO, an Oregon nonpro t that advocates for people with disabilities.

“I very rarely see kids like mine in the community,”

Annette Cooprider said. “I think that can be isolating for families.

“For those people who are not part of this community, I think INSPIRE helps them to see these people are capable. ey are able to ride horses, zipline, climb a climbing wall, and all of those things.”

Community inclusion of people with disabilities evenimproves the economy. Research published by Nature. com shows employees with disabilities have high employer loyalty and motivation to work, and they remain at their jobs much longer than the general population with higher levels of job satisfaction.

INSPIRE’s participants are proof of what people with disabilities can accomplish.

“I have one young man who has autism who’s since graduated from Rutgers and is a lawyer,” Schreiber

said. “I have four girls who’ve gone on to college, one with Down syndrome. We have people who work at King Soopers. We have the whole gamut.”

Keeping the program nancially a oat is an ongoing challenge, Schreiber said. e average cost for each disabled person to participate is $20,000 a year, and the adaptive equipment required for some activities is expensive. It’s the only EPRD program that hosts fundraisers to o set its costs.

Finding funding is a necessary part of the job, but it’s not Schreiber’s overriding concern. What she cares about most are the individuals INSPIRE serves and the experiences it provides them.

“ ey get to have a quality of life doing all these different activities,” she said. “I always like to nd the next craziest thing to do. I’m all about pushing the envelope.”

INSPIRE volunteer Gerry Dewil hangs out in the Buchanan Recreation Center pool with Will McCarthy during one of INSPIRE’s weekly outings.

INSPIRE supervisor Maren Schreiber assists Travis Ewen during a January 2025 bowling session at The Wild Game.

Bowler and INSPIRE participant Alex Teleaga focuses as he gets ready to bowl during an INSPIRE outing at Evergreen’s The Wild Game. PHOTOS

Weld County commissioners seek to crack cage-free egg law

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Weld County Commissioners are throwing their weight behind e orts to repeal Colorado’s cage-free chicken rules for egg producers in an e ort to help lower the cost of eggs.

“We support our ag community,” said Commissioner Chair Perry Buck. “ e constraints of the bill approved in 2020 have not only had a negative impact on producers but also Colorado families. It’s something that we as a state can x and should x.”

Weld County Commissioner Scott James said he plans to testify in the state legislature to repeal the 2020 law that requires egg producers to use cage-free systems. Weld County Commissioner are unanimously supporting House Bill 251074, which also be reviewed by the Agriculture, Water, and Natural Resources Committee.

House Bill 25-1074  reads, “Colorado’s cage-free egg law is driving up prices at a time when families can least a ord it; with in ation pushing grocery bills to record high amounts, forcing producers to shift to expensive cage-free systems only adds to the nancial strain on consumers.”

According to the Department of Agriculture, Weld County is the largest producer of poultry and eggs in the state. It is home to 43 egg-poultry facilities, three of which are extensive commercial facilities that provide eggs across the country.

e Colorado Egg Producers Association estimates that the cost of producing cage-free eggs is roughly 16%-18% higher than the cost of producing eggs in a caged environment due in part to the labor involved, the cost of reconstructing hen houses, and the potential spread of illnesses in a larger environment.

Cage free or bird flu?

e Bureau of Labor Statistics shows egg prices increased 39.6% between September 2023 and 2024, which was the largest increase of any food tracked.

Since January 2022, the average national cost of a dozen eggs rose 75% from $1.92 to $3.37 in October 2024, peaking at $4.82 in January 2023. As of December 2024, a dozen large white eggs at a grocery store cost $5.49.

Olga Robak, director of communications for the Colorado Department of Agriculture said Colorado’s cage free law

was not the most signi cant factor, saying the H5N1 Avian u was a bigger factor.

“We know that the Highly Pathogenic Avian In uenza outbreak has impacted egg pricing and availability since it rst began in 2022,” Robak wrote in an email.

“Prices hit an all time high between November 2022 and February 2023, in January 2023, a dozen eggs cost $4.83. In November 2024, the average price was $3.65. Additionally, other states that have cagefree laws, notably California, were hit with a wave of HPAI detections in the past two weeks.”

According to United States Department of Agriculture data, Weld has been especially hard-hit by the bird u outbreak. e USDA began tracking bird u outbreaks among poultry operations in Jan. 2022, showing 145 million birds infected with the disease nationally across 1,464 outbreaks since 2022.

Colorado had 42 H5N1 bird u outbreaks reported between April 2022 and Dec. 2024 a ecting 9.7 million birds across 17 counties: Arapahoe, Bent, Boulder, Delta, Je erson, La Plata, Larimer, Mesa, Mo at, Montrose, Morgan, Pitkin, Prowers, Pueblo, Routt, Weld and Yuma.

Weld County accounted for a third of all

H5N1 bird u outbreaks in Colorado, with 14 of the state’s 42 reported outbreaks. Weld County also accounted for 98.5% of all Colorado infected birds reported in that time period, 9.6 million. Most of were reported in commercial egg facilities.

Larimer and La Plata counties each reported four outbreaks, infecting 102 birds in Larimer County and 120 in La Plata. Delta County had a single outbreak with 66,500 infected birds.

Among Metro Denver Counties, Arapahoe County reported two outbreaks affecting 30 birds, Boulder County reported one outbreak a ecting 600 birds and Jefferson County reported two outbreaks affecting 60 birds.

By comparison, Minnesota had the greatest number of outbreaks during that time period, with 184 instances of the virus a ecting 9 million birds. Iowa had the greatest number of birds that tested positive, with 29.9 million birds infected across 63 outbreaks.

Minnesota requires cage-free eggs. Iowa does not.

West Virginia, Rhode Island, Louisiana and Hawaii all had the least number of outbreaks, two. e number of infected birds from those states totaled 508, all of

them from non-egg producing broods. Puerto Rico reported a single outbreak during that same time, infecting 380 nonegg producing birds.

Weld County Commissioners are backing the repeal of a Colorado law that requires egg producers to use cage-free systems. BELEN WARD

On Jan. 1, Colorado saw the full rollout of its cage-free law. However, the change is not to blame for rising costs and supply issues.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SUMMIT DAILY

LIFESTYLES

AN ADVERTISING SECTION OF COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

FEATURE OF THE MONTH

In 1875, Dwight Wilmot requested that the federal government place a post o ce in our community. When asked what it should be named, Dwight responded, “Evergreen” because he loved the beauty the evergreen trees around him provided. is was the rst o cial time the name Evergreen was used and thus our “beginning”. Being an unincorporated community, there is no other start to “Evergreen”. While Evergreen as a location and a place that we call home, has existed much longer than 150 years, 2025 is the year of our 150th anniversary. So Happy Sesquicentennial, Evergreen!

e Evergreen Chamber of Commerce and other organizations will be celebrating our birthday all year long. Look for annual events to incorporate some new fun to celebrate and look for new events to pop up celebrating our heritage. One such event will be on July 3 at Buchanan Park. It will be called “Illuminate the Past”. Bring a picnic dinner and join us on the elds to stroll through pop up displays spotlighting our heritage. Hear stories from community members who grew up in Evergreen, learn more about the lives of the original settlers, and visit displays that share the past and the path as our community has grown, all to better understand Evergreen today. We will end this evening with a beautiful glow from hot air balloons, something new to our community, to welcome in the next 150 years.

Local businesses are joining in on the fun too. ere will be merchandise sporting a new logo that has been created to celebrate what we love about Evergreen: the mountains, the elk, our streams and lake, and what we see every day that Dwight Wilmot also loved, the evergreen trees. Soon a commemorative coin will be available with the proceeds going to help some of our historic places that need some tender love and care.

Look for opportunities to learn more about the heritage of historical places in our community. On the rst Saturday of each month, a di erent location or area of our community will host an “open house” or tour that will provide more information on the history of the area. Long-time residents and historians will be the hosts of those sessions and all will be free and open to the public with some locations having speci c programming for children. Do you think kids today would enjoy playing the games that kids play in the late 1800s to the early 1900s? How about the school lessons…do you think they are harder or easier now? ese events kick o on Saturday, March 1 from noon to 2pm at the Bergen Fire Station Administration building. is session will focus on North Evergreen, the native tribes who were here before the white people arrived, Evergreen

HapPy BirThDaY EverGreEn!

150 YEARS

From Page 13

Fire and Rescue and some of the families who have played an integral role of this part of the community.

April 5 noon – 2pm join a walking tour of downtown Evergreen lead by John Steinle. Park in the large lot downtown (we will assist with providing free parking) and meet across the bridge from Baskin Robbins.

May 3 noon – 2pm we will meet at the Evergreen Lake House for a discussion on Dedisse park, the Evergreen dam, lake and lakehouse led by Stuart Collins from the Evergreen Mountain Area Historical Society.

June 7 noon – 2pm the focus will be on Bear Creek Cemetery. is session will take place at the cemetery and led by Elaine Hayden and Rose Smith. Many of the original settlers of Evergreen are interned here.

July 5 noon – 2pm all are welcome to gather

at Congregation Beth Evergreen for a presentation from CBE and Mountain Area Land Trust on CBE’s 50th anniversary and the saving of Noble Meadow in Elk Meadow Park.

August 2 3-5pm join us for an old-fashioned ice cream social in e Grove at the Hiwan Homestead Museum. e Museum is also celebrating 50 years and will be debuting a new tour of the buildings and grove that weekend.

September 6 noon – 2pm we will meet in the parking lot of the Church of the Trans guration for a walking tour of what originally was the Evergreen Conference Center led by Tom Scripps and Tara Emch. is includes the Church, its outer buildings and labyrinth, Center Stage and Lariat Lodge.

October 4 noon – 2pm join us at Wilmot Elementary School for some history on the one room school of Bu alo Park School and the Wilmot House.

You can keep abreast of all these events

Please see 150 YEARS, Page 18

February 1st Chill Out Winterfest on Evergreen Lake

A ‘Heartfelt’ Message from Any Lab Test Now® … Take Care of Your Health in this 2025 New Year

By Jo Ann M. Colton Special to Lifestyles

February is synonymous with matters of the heart. But no matter if we are talking about Valentine’s Day, or any day, Any Lab Test Now® of Lakewood urges everyone to take care of their health in 2025.

Any Lab Test Now® at 7650 West Virginia Avenue, Suite C in Lakewood o ers uninsured/ self-pay individuals private/a ordable and convenient medical tests. So, whether you

need to take active steps to manage a chronic condition, monitor new medication dosages, or engage in a diagnostic process, Any Lab Test Now® of Lakewood can help you meet your New Year’s goals.

“We o er thousands of tests, including DNA/TB/Celiac/Chron’s/IBS, A1C, STI (sexually transmitted infections), and Single/Bundle Nutritional B12 Injections, and we’re sure to have the test for your speci c situation,” said Dr. Drew Scarbrough, the Lakewood franchise owner who moved to Colorado from Florida

where he worked as a Veterinary Doctor. “We provide the doctor’s order; no insurance needed,” stated Dr. Scarbrough who also announced the February 3rd opening of his Any Lab Test Now® Littleton location at 6770 W. Coal Mine Avenue.

For lab hours/test information/fees and appointments, contact Any Lab Test Now® of Lakewood (720-543-2280/https//www. anylabtestnow/lakewood-80226) or the new Littleton o ce (720-993-4141).

Grant Brewster Believes in Building Good Working Relationships with his Customers

By Jo Ann M. Colton Special to Lifestyles

Edge Home Finance Corporation mortgage broker and foothills native Grant Brewster believes that when buying a house, everyone deserves more than a lender who simply checks boxes. Because he values good working relationships, for over thirty years he has consistently provided his customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Mortgage brokers are not lending institu-

tion employees/a liates so they can o er you limitless products. Grant seeks the best lending package tailored to your particular situation, whether it’s with a national wholesale, private funds, or second mortgage lender or Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) lender.

“If you have high-interest credit card debt or need funds for education/home improvements or unexpected expenses, a HELOC loan o ers exibility and relatively low borrowing costs,” said Grant Brewster.

Let’s say your home is worth $300,000, and you owe $150,000 on your mortgage. If the lender allows you to borrow up to 85% of your home’s value, you could potentially access up to $255,000 in total. Since you owe $150,000, your available HELOC balance would be $105,000 ($255,000 - $150,000).

Conveniently located at Flow eory Coworks, 3540 Evergreen Parkway, contact Grant Brewster today (720-668-4183/grant. brewster@edgehome nance.com/www.grantbrewster.com) for more information about HELOC loans and for all your nancing needs.

ArborRx Family Tree Service: Here to Serve You Through Winter’s Snow Season

By Jo Ann M. Colton Special to Lifestyles

can decrease snow-related accidents, improve post-snow road service levels, and reduce storm clean-up costs.

Snowy days and extreme temperatures might persist in our weather forecasts throughout winter, before springtime arrives; but don’t despair. ArborRx Family Tree Service provides snow removal services and two popular snow removal strategies to help you plow through this snowy season with ease.

Deicing utilizes snow-melt products applied to the ground to break the snow/ice bond and eliminate the buildup a er the snow has fallen. Anti-icing, (pre-icing), applies the products before the snowfall if time permits equipment to do so; along with a deicing plan as needed as an e ective preventative maintenance measure. is action not only makes subsequent bonded snow/ice easier to remove, but also it

“ArborRx Family Tree Service in Evergreen has been providing tree and plant services, storm damage repair, and  re/pest mitigation to our residential/ business/commercial customers in our foothills and all surrounding areas since 2010,” said Certi ed Wild re Mitigation Specialist Bryan Nash who coowns/operates his business with his wife Jennifer.

ArborRx Family Tree Service operates Monday-Saturday/8:00am-6:00pm (hours may sometimes vary). Cabling/emergency services are available 24/7. For more information/appointments, phone ArborRx at 720-629-7033. Visit the website (https://arborrxfamily.com) and follow them on Facebook.

Do You Know Your Fireplace’s Love Language?

Are you familiar with Gary Chapman’s wonderful book, e 5 Love Languages? ey are: Acts of service

Quality time

Gi s

A rming words

Physical touch

“Speak” those love languages by giving people love in ways that are meaningful to them; and by receiving love in ways that are meaningful to you.

Your Fireplace Has a Love Language Too e humble replace pushes our love buttons in all the ways that we humans appreciate! is applies to replaces, replace inserts, and stoves - but we’ll use “ replace” as a catch-all

A replace serves you with reliable heat

A replace is the perfect spot to spend quality time with loved ones

A replace can’t shop online but it gives the gi of ambience

A replace doesn’t say much but the dancing ames say “peace and relaxation”

A replace o ers physical warmth and comfort

A replace is a centerpiece and a workhorse. All it asks in return is regular service so it can continue to serve you reliably and safely for decades to come.

Show Your Wood-Burning Fireplace Some Love

If you burn wood, the Chimney Safety Institute of America and National Fire Protection Association recommend annual cleaning to remove creosote buildup, boost e ciency, and prevent chimney res.

Signs that your wood-burning replace needs service: visible soot and creosote deposits inside the re box and on the chimney cap, smoke that lls the room when you start a re, and di culty starting a re.

Our CSIA- and NFI-Certi ed chimney sweeps will inspect the replace and chimney and scrub the chimney and rebox clean while protecting your home with our No-Mess Guarantee. A er the service, your replace will be ready for whatever Mother Nature has

in store!

Gas Fireplaces Need Love Too

Gas replaces need regular maintenance too! Annual service includes a thorough inspection where our NFI-certi ed technicians look for faulty pilot lights, malfunctioning thermocouples (safety devices that sense the pilot ame), clogged burners, gas supply issues, gas leaks, loose wiring, dead batteries, broken blowers, soot or dust buildup, or damaged gas valves.

Signs that your gas replace needs service: the pilot won’t light or stay lit, your replace randomly goes out a er burning for some time, the ames are uneven, you smell burning dust, or there is soot build-up.

We also clean the logs and glass media, refresh the burner media, and clean the viewing glass. When we’re done, your gas replace will look and perform like new!

Don’t Forget Yourself!

If your home is missing a cozy and romantic atmosphere… if you have cold rooms you never use… if you want to lower your heating bills...

or if you want to boost your property value…  Treat yourself to a new replace, stove, or insert!

Whether you love the aroma and crackle of a wood re or the push-button convenience and safety of gas - or the panache of electric replaces that add ambience year-round - adding a replace to your home says “I love you”!   February is the Month of Love!

We make annual service super easy for you by scheduling a year in advance. You’ll never be le scrambling for last-minute chocolateoops, sorry… never le waiting in the winter service queue.

For world-class replace service or quality products from top replace companies, get in touch with us at (303) 679-1601.

Need some inspiration? Browse our portfolio at https://www.mtnhp.com/portfolio or stop by our showroom at 7001 Highway 73 in Marshdale (just a few miles south of Evergreen Lake) to see our 70+ models of wood, gas, electric, and pellet replaces, stoves, and inserts.

From Page 14

by visiting the events calendar on evergreenchamber.org, downloading our community app “Everything Evergreen”, or following the Evergreen Chamber’s social media accounts.

Even having lived in Evergreen for almost 28 years, I still feel new. ere are places, organizations and stories that I hear about that make me wish I lived in Evergreen in the 1970s.

ere are excellent resources that have been written by members of our community to guide your understanding of our past that I would highly recommend to anyone looking to learn more details: “Evergreen” by John Steinle, “Evergreen Our Mountain Community” by Barbara and Gene Sternberg, and recently Evergreen Fire and Rescue released, “Evergreen Fire/Rescue Burning Bright: 75 Years of Valor and Service: 1948-2023” by Peter Anderson and Kim Marklund (not pictured below). e Je erson County Historical Commission also publishes a magazine called, “Historically Je co”. e current edition of this magazine is focused on mining, mysteries, and monuments. I know the holidays just passed, but these are easy reads that any lover of history will greatly appreciate.

As we turn the page into a new year, here is just a small list of the groups celebrating anniversaries in 2025: Center for the Arts, Congregation Beth Evergreen and the Hiwan Homestead Museum

and Heritage Park all celebrate 50 years. Evergreen Players celebrate 75 years of providing local theater. ere is so much activism and planning that happened in the 1970s to be grateful for as these organizations enrich our lives and our community.

It is o en said that history is our guide to the future. 2025 will be the year that we all learn so much more about this community we call our home. Join us and be part of the conversation guiding our future.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

A womanizing US president. Gin-drinking, poker-playing, skirt-chasing Cabinet members. And a plot from the inside to usurp control of the Navy’s oil reserves. Wild and juicy stuff this. And all of it a true chapter of America’s history.

There may not be another US scandal that is so heavy with corruption and criminality that weighs so lightly on our collective consciousness as the Teapot Dome Scandal. From 1920 to 1922, power-hungry politicians and corporate tycoons boldly schemed to steal the nation’s newest energy resourcel. In so doing these crooks put a black mark on the pioneering work of those who gave birth to Wyoming’s incredible bonanza.

With a deft researcher’s hand and the heart and attention of a creative writer, Constance Bierkan has written a rst-of-its-kind ctionalized recounting of what led up to this nearly forgotten nugget from the past, the Teapot Dome Scandal. Like No Place on Earth is a spirited coming-of-age story set in Wyoming at the start of the madcap Roaring Twenties and the birth of the oil industry. As much a love story as it is a historical deep-dive, Like No Place on Earth will be irresistible to book clubs and history buffs alike.

Competitors in the Chill Out Winterfest ‘Rad as Ice Bike Race’

Colorado tied for most educated state

Massachusetts pulls even for residents’ credentials

BY JASON GONZALES CHALKBEAT

Colorado residents are still the most educated in the nation, but Massachusetts now shares the top spot, according to a report released in January. is year’s Stronger Nation Report found that 63% of Colorado residents age 25 and older had an educational credential beyond a high school diploma in 2023, matching Massachusetts. at’s above the national average of 54.9% of residents who have earned college degrees or certi cates or an industry certi cation.

e gure is mostly unchanged from 2022, when about 62.9% of Colorado’s residents held a college credential. However, the percentage of Native American Colorado residents with college degrees or credentials has fallen, a troubling sign after years of steady increases.

e annual report from the Lumina Foundation aims for a national goal of 60% college attainment. (Lumina is a funder of Chalkbeat.)

Having an education beyond a high school diploma matters

news site covering educational change in public schools. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe. at/newsletters.

REVERSE MORTGAGES

The Stronger Nation report evaluates the number of residents who have

certification.

FCC THREAT

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN EXPECTING A NEW KITCHEN?

By Jason Harris of Foothills Kitchen & Bath

As Spring nears, customers appear to be thinking about more than cleaning their houses — they’re often considering wholesale changes. Whenever they say they’re contemplating a kitchen remodel, many know they’d like shiny new cabinets and counters, but have the usual suspect of questions that they don’t have any idea how the process works, nor how much it will cost.

Let’s get the painful part over with first. Unfortunately, there is often sticker shock. For most of us, shopping at the Big Boxes is our baseline, but we’re usually buying supplies for maintenance, and those generally cost less than what’s used for remodeling. There’s a reason why.

If stores carry inventory, manufacturers give them better pricing. However, even warehouses don’t have unlimited space, so they have to choose what items to stock — meaning what to buy in bulk at discount — or which to Special Order at higher pricing. The Big Boxes are designed to move thousands of products daily, so their goal is selling quantity. Consequently, they stock products used more for repair than remodel; further, they focus on lower price points. To use a car analogy, it’s like the warehouses will stock all the compacts (plus maybe a couple of colors in mid-size); in contrast, smaller dealers know their pricing advantage is on the mid to full-sizes, so that’s what they display.

You need to be aware, however, that differences between products can be internal; sometimes it’s not as easy to compare the quality between faucets or cabinets as it is between car models. In other words, car buyers know an Accord is larger and has a more powerful engine than a Civic, so they understand the price difference. That’s harder

when the boxes on the wall look the same. Consumers are effectively thinking, “Wow, why are these Accords so pricey?? I just saw a bunch of them at the Big Box for much less,” when the truth is they had seen Civics.

If you know your budget, it will save time. Imagine walking into an auto dealer and telling one salesman you want to spend $20K, while to another you say you can afford $30K; they’ll show you different models. Same with us. We know some manufacturers give more bang for the buck, while others offer more finish. If we have an idea where you’d like the overall cost of your project to fall, we’ll show you the products we think will help you hit that number.

Regarding the process, the first thing you need to be prepared for is this will take time. Whatever you pick will be in your house for 20-30 years, so don’t rush your decisions. If someone has never done a kitchen remodel before, we’ll spend time explaining each product category to help them understand the range of quality and prices among the various cabinets, counters and flooring. We’re pretty sure the customer will rinse and repeat this research at another two or three stores, before deciding where they felt most comfortable.

Maybe on the first visit, the homeowners had brought in dimensions and photos that we’ll use to begin a CAD drawing, while others will bring them along on a return visit; or perhaps we’ll go to their house to take our own measurements. Depending on how busy we are, we’ll generally be able to email first renderings within a few days. These are free services for us, but bear in mind that some stores will charge for this.

While this sounds quick enough, it’s actually just getting started. Maybe the homeowners discover the cabinets will cost more than they were expecting, so we’ll make a new drawing in another brand; maybe they’ve decided they want us to upscale.

Finally, one day they’ll say, “Let’s go ahead,” which starts a more rigid calendar. Cabinets take about 4-8 weeks to arrive; so most contractors would probably tear out the old kitchen maybe two weeks earlier and begin installing new flooring, electrical and plumbing. Hanging cabinets goes fairly quickly, so in 3-5 days the fabricator should be able to measure for counters. But it could take a week or more before they are installed, so you might want to consider keeping the old sink and having it reinstalled temporarily over plywood.

Even in a perfect world, be prepared for delays. There could be shipping damage, misorders or warranty issues; even more often, though, are change orders. Once we’re in the bustle of the project, clients will ask, “What if we replace all the doors or windows or lights or….?” It’s for these reasons that we suggest homeowners establish a slush fund of both time and money — it helps decrease the angst.

CHSAA legislative council talks golf, appeals process changes

State-qualifying golf tournaments will remain despite majority vote

BY STEVE SMITH

e days of state-qualifying tournaments for boys and girls golf will continue. Over half of the Colorado High School Activities Association’s legislative council (33-28 with ve abstentions) voted to amend the CHSAA golf committee report and remove the regional tournaments. However the amendment required a twothirds majority to be approved, so the tournament will remain.

Adam Baumgartner, chairman of CHSAA’s golf committee and the district athletic coordinator in the Pueblo District 70 School District, said his committee faced three issues in discussing regional tournaments: availability of o cials, availability of host sites and availability of golf courses.

“We thought we should have some requirements when you’re hosting a qualifying tournament, a minimum of ve rounds at 18 holes per round, some yardage veri cation and some max rounds on a certain course,” he said. “We’ve done our due diligence to gure out how we can move forward facing these issues.”

Instead, schools must participate in

a minimum of ve qualifying rounds to earn spots in the top 84 in IWanamaker rankings. ose 84 golfers will be chosen before the state tournament. It takes effect in the fall.

Je erson County School District Athletic Director Mike Hughes, a former golf committee chairman, had some concerns with the ratings platform, speci cally the ve minimum rounds.

“Are we going to take an average of the ve rounds? How do teams qualify?” he asked. “Everything we do at CHSAA is a team concept, and now we’re going to something that’s just about getting indi-

SEE YOURSELF

ON STAGE

Chatfield junior Wyatt Montoya watches his drive on the second hole Tuesday, Aug. 20, at Lake Arbor Golf Course. The Chargers got out to a great start during the Je co League tournament season with a team total of 272 to take an early lead in the race for the 5A Je co League team title.

vidual quali ers. I know we have individual quali ers for wrestling. I don’t think this is the right move for us.”

Chad Eisentrager, athletic director at Mead High School and a former soccer coach at Frederick High School, disagreed. He said the proposal included a provision that full teams qualify for state if three of their golfers are in that list of 84.

“ e removal of the regionals saves time and money,” he said. “(Iwanamaker) takes into account all of these things: slope, rating, once the person who manages the course uploads yardage and pin location. It’s not ‘good kid, bad course, he gets a

good score.’ People will say kids will try to manipulate their scores if they are close to that cut line. Kids already manipulate their scores at regional and state events. ese scores are not being manipulated if the rounds and scores are entered correctly.”

Basketball

e council declined to reopen the CHSAA basketball committee report. e hope of Cameron Wright, Twin Peaks Charter School athletic director, was to discuss the arrival of the shot clock in Colorado high school basketball next season.

Legal stu

ere are some changes to appeals. It now can’t come from parents or students but can come from the schools. Alex Halpern, an attorney for CHSAA who cited a case involving an ineligible student who wanted to transfer schools, said this was part of a process to make the appeal process easier.

“You have the right to an appeal. at’s an important policy,” Halpern said. “As (CHSAA Commissioner Mike Krueger) said, otherwise, any parent who didn’t like the decision could put us into an appeals process. It does put more responsibility on the member school to make a decision whether they think a proposed appeal has su cient validity that it should go to the CHSAA level.”

For more from CHSAA, visit CHSAANow.com.

PHOTO BY DENNIS PLEUSS/ JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Conifer girls basketball holds fundraiser following death of beloved coach

Lobos raise money for V Foundation in honor of Assistant Coach Scott Deem

BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e Conifer Lobos girls’ basketball program is mourning the loss of Assistant Coach Scott Deem, who passed away from brain cancer on Jan. 14. Deem had been with the Lobos for the past three seasons and had long been a coach at both Conifer and D’Evelyn high schools.

An event honoring Deem is planned for the Conifer game against Evergreen on Feb. 19. A presentation will be held before tipo at 7:30 p.m.

“His dedication to girls basketball in general was second to none,” said Head Coach Connie Ireland. “He worked so diligently on and o the court; behind the scenes, preparing, planning, scheduling, doing everything he could. He assisted me in ways that are just unmeasured to help make this program better, and it’s paying o . I couldn’t have done it without him, and it’s difcult moving on without him, but his dedication and him being basically my mentor meant a lot.”

e team is also selling T-shirts for the event to raise money for the V Foundation, an organization dedicated to cancer research founded by the late Jim Valvano.

Valvano was a legendary North Carolina State University basketball coach,

ESPN commentator and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

e foundation has raised nearly $400 million for life-saving cancer research in North America.

Ireland said the players are feeling the loss, and they should because his impact on the team was immeasurable. One of Deem’s mantras was “End on a good one.” at message is printed on the shirts the team made for the ceremony.

“His loss is profound, but we’re nding ways to move on and learn from what he taught us,” Ireland said. “He cared so much about basketball, but he cared about these kids in this program … I think the kids have responded well and are putting everything they can into, out of respect for him, getting better and helping build the program.”

ose interested in purchasing a shirt can visit happyllamainc.com/product/ coach-deem-memorial-shirt/. For every sale made, $5 will be donated to the V Foundation, and fans can have their shirts shipped or pick them up.

Pickup is available at Conifer High School on Feb. 13 from 4-7 p.m. in the main gym at the “chuck-a-duck” table or on Feb. 18 and Feb. 19 from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Commons (main entrance) area.

“He was always positive to nish a practice or play hard through a game to the very end, and it always came down to ‘end on a good one,’” Ireland said.

For more on Deem, read his obituary at www.evergreenmemorialpark.com/ obituaries/scott-deem.

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Scott Deem, longtime assistant girls basketball coach for Conifer and D’Evelyn high schools, recently passed away after a battle with brain cancer. Conifer is honoring him with a pregame ceremony on Feb. 19 before the Lobos play Evergreen.

COURTESY PHOTO

AdventHealth Parker fights human tra cking

Facility trains nurses in ways to spot victims

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

As the FBI continues to monitor the rise of human tra cking in Colorado, particularly cases involving youth, various agencies and organizations across the state are working to combat the crime.

But one sector is on the frontlines.

“I think healthcare workers come across human tra cking victims more than any of us,” said Janelle Goodrich, founder and executive director of From Silenced to Saved, a nonpro t organization that supports victims of sexual exploitation.

Research, including studies published in the National Institute of Health, shows that more than 60% of those being trafcked had visited an emergency room while being exploited.  at reality was brought to Mary Marnell’s attention during the COVID-19 pandemic while working in the emergency department at the Medical Center of Aurora.

While working outside alongside a coworker, two young girls approached them. After they walked away, Marnell’s coworker told her that those two girls were likely being tra cked — sparking Marnell to want to learn more about human tra cking in the area.

When Marnell began working as an emergency room nurse at AdventHealth Parker shortly after, she wanted to bring more awareness to human tra cking, but noticed there weren’t a lot of resources that were easily accessible.

“ e sheer number of people that are seen by healthcare sta members — and that’s including registration, EMTs, not just nursing — aren’t o ered resources,” Marnell said.

rough training with Goodrich with From Silenced to Saved in Castle Rock, Marnell learned that the amount of knowledge that her sta didn’t know about human tra cking was huge.

Whether it’s the dentist, an OBGYN or an emergency room nurse, the average victim is seen in a healthcare setting about nine times before they are discovered or disclosed, said Goodrich, adding that sometimes the emergency room or an urgent care serves as their primary care.

To further train emergency room nurses on how to identify and support potential victims, AdventHealth Parker has teamed up with From Silenced to Saved.

From Silenced to Saved

For about a decade, Goodrich, a certied family trauma professional, has focused on victims and survivors of human tra cking, sexual exploitation and other related violent sex crimes. Six years ago,

e nonpro t is a third-party case management organization that provides assistance to government agencies in domestic sex-tra cking investigations. Additionally, it’s the only non-governmental agency currently approved to respond on scene alongside local, state and federal law enforcement in Colorado.

“We are referred and brought in by law enforcement only,” said Goodrich. “(We) start from recovery all the way through the case with the named victim, and help them kind of weave through the court process and make sure that they’re getting all their needs met.”

Goodrich, who also serves on the Colorado Human Tra cking Council, works with community partners to help bridge the gap with law enforcement to provide needed services to victims.

“A majority of victims are not disclosed, they are discovered,” said Goodrich. “You show up to what’s happening to them.”

Disclosed means to make information known while discovered means to nd something previously unknown.

Janelle Goodrich, founder and executive director of the nonprofit From Silenced to Saved, speaks with emergency room nurses with AdventHealth Parker to learn how to identify and support potential human trafficking victims that come into the hospital.

PHOTOS BY HALEY LENA

WHAT IS HUMAN TRAFFICKING?

The FBI defines human tra cking as the illegal exploitation of people.

There are three main kinds of human trafficking listed on the FBI’s website. They are:

• Sex tra cking: A person is compelled by force, fraud or coercion to engage in commercial sex acts.

• Labor tra cking: A person is compelled by force, threats or fraud to perform labor or service.

• Domestic servitude: A person appears to be a nanny, housekeeper or other type of domestic worker but is being controlled and exploited.

According to the latest Common Sense Institute Colorado report, Colorado had the 10th highest overall number of human tra cking incidents nationwide in 2023.

Having helped nearly 300 victims and survivors since its inception, From Silenced to Saved provides trauma informed mentorship, and helps fund housing, food and transportation for victims. Goodrich also attends court appearances and trial preparation sessions.  e organization also partners with FBI Denver’s Child Exploitation and Human Tra cking Task Force, which includes sheri ’s o ces across the metro area. Since the task force formed in 2012, it has recovered nearly 700 minors.

Recognizing human tra cking

Human tra cking is not blurred by gender or any type of sexual identi cation, and is a crime that hides in plain sight, Goodrich said.

“Any type of vulnerability that’s compounding, such as poverty, homelessness … just adds to that vulnerability for them to be tra cked,” Goodrich said.

She said if nurses could learn only one thing from the training, it would be that

Parker attended a training session to gather information, tools and resources to help identify and support potential human tra cking victims.

the movies aren’t reality — that human tra cking victims might look like every other person who walks into the hospital.

And, if it’s a minor, it’s a mandatory child abuse report.

Nurses learn about what needs to be reported, as well as how and when. e nurses are given tools to help identify youth who are at high risk for commercial sexual exploitation and what necessities emergency departments should have.

Another important topic is what to say versus what not to say to potential victims, Goodrich said. One example of what not to say is “why don’t you just leave?,” she added.

ere are many situations, often complicated, for which those being tra cked stay. It could be because of a concern for

While some might think that human trafficking primarily results from being kidnapped or the use of physical force, many tra cking situations result from psychological means and threats. For example, tra ckers may convince their victims that they are in love with them, or make them dependent on their tra cker for basic needs.

Human tra cking di ers from human smuggling as tra cking does not require any movement and victims can be tra cked within their town.

The average entry age into human trafficking is 12-14 years old, according to the National Human Tra cking Hotline’s 2021 polaris review. This entry age is why local law enforcement encourages parents to monitor their children’s phones and social media, as sextortion and child exploitation can lead to human tra cking.

You can report tips to the Colorado Human Tra cking Hotline to 1-866-455-5075.

their safety, manipulation and more, Goodrich said.

Understanding that not every victim is ready to make a report during a visit to a healthcare professional, Goodrich emphasized the importance for nurses to take detailed notes, photographs, encourage the preservation of evidence and provide them with useful resources.

“ ose types of pieces of evidence that can be preserved for minor and adult cases to make sure that a case can move forward and that law enforcement o cers and district attorneys can do their job,” Goodrich said.

During the training with AdventHealth Parker, one nurse brought up the fact that there is a blurred line between what nurses can and cannot do, and felt that they were not properly trained on human trafcking before meeting Goodrich.

“In nursing school and hospital onboarding education, they give you just the tip of the iceberg with ‘this is what mandatory reporting is, this is not necessarily mandatory reporting,’” Marnell said.

To learn more about From Silenced to Save, visit fsts.org.

Emergency room nurses with AdventHealth

CROWSSUPDRO ELZZ

1. GEOGRAPHY: What is the highest mountain in Canada?

2. TELEVISION: Who is the host of the long-running reality series “Survivor”?

3. LITERATURE: Which animals represent the Communist Party in “Animal Farm”?

4. U.S. STATES: Which state is the birthplace of the singer Elvis?

5. ASTRONOMY: How long does it take the moon to orbit the Earth?

6. MOVIES: What is the score Elle receives on her law school admission test in “Legally Blonde”?

7. AD SLOGANS: Which product’s slogan is “Is It In You?”?

8. LANGUAGE: What is an eraser called in the United Kingdom?

9. SCIENCE: What are the four primary precious metals?

TrIVIa

10. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Valentine’s Day arose from which Roman ritual?

Answers

1. Mount Logan.

2. Je Probst.

3. Pigs.

4. Mississippi.

5. 27.3 days.

6. 179.

7. Gatorade.

8. A rubber.

9. Gold, silver, platinum and palladium.

10. Lupercalia.

(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.

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CITY OF IDAHO SPRINGS SEEKING BOARD AND COMMISSION MEMBERS

Location: Lot 8, Unit 3, of the Winterland Subdivision,

corner of Fall River Road and Alice Drive.

Existing Zoning: Residential One (R-1).

Request: To rezone the subject property from (R-1) to Planned Development (PD) for the purposes establishing a 3,990 sq ft two story structure and parking area that would allow restaurant and retail uses.

Acreage: Roughly .9 acres

cbright@svwpc.com 303-770-2700

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 is close of business 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 28, 2025 (not less than 67 days before the election).

TheAffidavitofIntent To Be A Write-In-Candidate formsmustbesubmittedtotheofficeofthedesignatedelectionofficialbythecloseofbusinesson Monday, March 3, 2025 (the sixty-fourth day before the election).

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN, an application for anabsenteeballotshallbefiledwiththedesignated electionofficialnolaterthanthecloseofbusiness on Tuesday preceding the election, April 29, 2025.

/s/ Catherine T. Bright DesignatedElectionOfficialSignature

and the Historic Preservation Review Commission (HPRC). The Planning Commission is a recommendingbodytotheCityCouncilthatreviewsandrevisestheComprehensivePlan,reviewssubdivisionrequests,recommendsannexationsandfinal development plans for new developments, and amends the zoning map. The Planning Commission has 1 open seat for an alternate member. The Variance Board decidesonrequestsforvariancestotheZoningCodeandonappealstostaffinterpretationsoftheadoptedcodes. TheVarianceBoardhas2open seatsforregularmembers,and2openseatsforalternatemembers. The HPRC decides on requests to conduct work on a historic structure for the purpose ofdeterminingiftheproposedworkishistoricallyappropriate. HPRChas2openseatsforalternatemembers. MembersoftheHPRCarenotrequiredtolive inIdahoSpringsbutarerequiredtobeknowledgeableinhistoryorarchitecture. MembersofthePlanningCommissionandVarianceBoardarerequiredto beresidentsoftheCityofIdahoSprings. PleasesubmityourletterofinteresttoDeputyCityClerkWonderMartellatCityHall,1711MinerSt.,POBOX907, IdahoSprings,CO80452orviaemailatcityclerk@idahospringsco.com. Ifyouhaveanyquestionsonthevariousboards,pleasecall(303)567-4421,option #4fortheCommunityDevelopmentPlanner.

LegalNoticeNo.CCC1010

FirstPublication:January30,2025

LastPublication:February13,2025

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

Public Hearings: The Clear Creek County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on February 19, 2025 at 6:30 pm to consider the rezoning application before recommending approval, approval with conditions, or denial to the Board of County Commissioners. The public hearing will be held virtually via Zoom. Information can be found on the County website.

Priortofinalaction,theBoardofCountyCommissioners will hold a public hearing on March 4, 2025 at 8:30am to consider the rezoning application. The public hearing will be held at the Commissioners’ Hearing Room in the Clear Creek County Court¬house at 405 Argentine Street, Georgetown CO, 80444, and virtually via Zoom. Information on the virtual hearing can be found on the County website.

(All Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioner meetings are subject to change, without further notification. Please contact the planning department (see below for contact information) closer to the meeting dates for definitive information on the meeting location and/or web links if the meeting is held via online internet meeting.)

Written testimony may be submitted via email to Garrett McAllister at gmcallister@clearcreekcounty. us or via mail to the Clear Creek County Planning Department, P.O. Box 2000, Georgetown, CO 80444.

Legal Notice No. CCC1019

First Publication: February 13, 2025

Last Publication: February 13, 2025 Publisher: Clear Creek Courant Metropolitan Districts

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR CENTRAL CLEAR CREEK SANITATION DISTRICT

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and particularly to the electors of the Central Clear Creek Sanitation District of Clear Creek County, Colorado: NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an election will be held on May 6, 2025, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. for the Central Clear Creek Sanitation District’s Board of Directors. At that time, two directors will be elected to serve a four-year term and one director will be elected to serve a two-year term. Eligible electors of the Central Clear Creek Sanitation District interested in serving on the Board of Directors may obtain a Self-Nomination and Acceptance Form fromtheDistrict’sDesignatedElectionOfficial(DEO):

Natalie M. Fleming 8480 E. Orchard Road, Suite 3650 Greenwood Village, CO 80111 nfleming@erblawllc.com 303-626-7125

TheofficeoftheDEOisopenonthefollowingdays: Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

- Denver Linen

The deadline to submit a Self-Nomination and Acceptance Form to the DEO is at the close of business on February 28, 2025 (no later than 67 days before the election).TheAffidavitofIntenttoBe a Write-In-CandidateformsmustbesubmittedtotheofficeoftheDEO by the close of business on Monday, March 3, 2025 (no later than 64 days before the election).

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that an application for anabsenteeballotshallbefiledwiththeDEOnolater than the close of business on the Tuesday preceding the election, April 29, 2025.

CENTRAL CLEAR CREEK SANITATION DISTRICT

By: /s/ Natalie M. Fleming

DesignatedElectionOfficial

Legal Notice No. CCC1018

First Publication: February 13, 2025

Last Publication: February 13, 2025

Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

Public Notice

A CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

ST. MARY’S GLACIER WATER AND SANITATION DISTRICT

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and, particularly, to the electors of the St. Mary’s Glacier Water and Sanitation District, 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, three (3) directors will be elected to serve 4-year terms and one (1) director will be elected to serve a two-year term. Eligible electors of the St. Mary’s Glacier Water and Sanitation District interested in serving on the board of directors may obtain a Self-Nomination and Acceptance form fromtheDistrictDesignatedElectionOfficial(DEO):

Legal Notice No. CCC1015

First Publication: February 13, 2025

Last Publication: February 13, 2025

Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

Public Notice CALL FOR NOMINATIONS ST. MARY’S GLACIER METROPOLITAN DISTRICT

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and particularly, to the eligible electors of St. Mary’s Glacier Metropolitan District (the “District”) of Clear Creek County, Colorado.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the District will conduct a regular election on the 6th day of May, 2025, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. At that time, (3) three directors will be elected for a 4-year term and (2) two directors will be elected for a 2-year term.

In order to be a candidate for one of the director positions,aqualifiedindividualmustsubmitaSelf-Nomination and Acceptance Form. Eligible electors of the District interested in serving on the Board of Directors may obtain a Self-Nomination and Acceptance form fromtheDistrict’sDesignatedElectionOfficial(DEO): Katie Miller, DEO kamiller@spencerfane.com Spencer Fane LLP 1700 Lincoln Street, Ste. 2000 Denver, CO 80203 Phone: 303-839-3703

The Self-Nomination and Acceptance Form must be returnedtotheDesignatedElectionOfficialbyclose of business (5:00 p.m. MST) on Friday, February 28, 2025. The form should be emailed to kamiller@ spencerfane.com Ifthedesignatedelectionofficial determines that a self-nomination and acceptance formisnotsufficient,theeligibleelectorwhosubmitted the form may amend the form at any time prior to the close of business on the day of the deadline.

AffidavitofIntent To BeAWrite-In-Candidateforms mustbesubmittedtotheofficeoftheDesignated ElectionOfficialbythecloseofbusinessonMonday, March 3, 2025.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that an application for anabsenteeballotmaybefiledwiththeDesignated ElectionOfficial,atthecontactinformationreferenced above, no later than the close of business on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.

ST. MARY’S GLACIER METROPOLITAN DISTRICT KatieMiller,DesignatedElectionOfficial

Legal Notice No. CCC1017

First Publication: February 13, 2025

Last Publication: February 13, 2025 Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

Public Notice

NOTICE OF OPEN MEETING FOR HEARING ON PETITION FOR INCLUSION OF REAL PROPERTY IN THE EVERGREEN FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to all interested persons that a Petition for Inclusion of real property has been filedwiththeBoardofDirectorsoftheEvergreenFire Protection District.

TheBoardofDirectorshasfixed Tuesday, the 18th day of February, 2025, at the hour of 5:30 p.m., at 1802 Bergen Parkway, Evergreen, Colorado, as the date, time and place of an open meeting at which such Petition shall be heard.

The name and address of the Petitioner is: John C. Buchanan Observatory Holdings, LLC P.O. Box 1420 Evergreen, CO 80437

The property to be included in the District is generally described as follows: 29259 and 29339 US. Highway 40 Jefferson County, Colorado, also

All interested parties may appear at such hearing to show cause in writing why such Petition should not be granted.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE EVERGREEN FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT.

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