Road safety improvements coming to Regis, Berkeley and Highland neighborhoods
PAGE 2
City compost projects prioritize quality over speed PAGE 3
Benefit concert to support Bienvenidos Food Bank on Sept. 28
PAGE 5
TRANSPORTATION
New app for low-stress bike routes in Denver
PAGE 6
ARTS & CULTURE
After-school arts programs near North Denver
PAGE 7
Jamming on the Jetty returns Sept. 21
PAGE 8
What’s a good neighbor?
PAGE 10
By Sandra Fish
ew York-style pizzas and spaghetti and meatballs will again be on the menu when Pizza Alley reopens in West Highland later this month or in early October.
The pizza joint, which has operated at the corner of West 32nd Avenue and Irving Street since 1976, closed suddenly in late December with a handwritten sign on the door citing mechanical issues. That was followed by notices demanding back rent and taxes owed.
Khagendra “K.G.” Gurung, owner of Himchuli Indian and Nepali restaurant next door, stepped in to buy the business in April. Since then, contractors have been remodeling the interior and making significant repairs to the plumbing system, including tearing up the parking spots in front of the business.
Gurung told The Denver North Star that he’s replacing the kitchen equipment and remodeling the dining room. He said he hopes to get a city permit to reopen in late September or early October.
$46,000 in unpaid bills. Court filings indicate the food company’s legal team has been unable to locate Sargent.
Another business owned by Sargent, TJ Street Tacos in Aurora, closed in 2022. A mortgage lender got a $294,000 judgment against Sargent the following year, according to a city of Denver filing.
Michael Brackett told The Denver North Star that he sold Pizza Alley to Sargent in 2021. Brackett and a Pizza Alley coworker bought it in 2007.
“We were 18 and 20 years old,” Brackett said.
“We just put our heart and soul into it, and really got it going, and spent a lot of time and effort doing it.”
Brackett bought his partner out at one point, then decided to sell after getting married and starting a family.
“He had worked at Chick-fil-A before as a manager, and wanted to do his own thing,” Brackett said of Sargent. “And seemed like it could be the right fit.”
A spectrum of diversity and greatness
By Jill Carstens
Astately Beaux-Arts building on the hill near the intersection of Speer and Federal draws the gazes of those passing by.
Denver North High School.
Entering the historic structure, a varied past seems to echo through storied hallways.
“North Side High School,” as it was originally called, has experienced many changes over the 130-some years since graduating its first class of six students, all women, in 1886.
In 1913, Golda Meir left her parents’ home in Milwaukee for a life in Denver. She attended classes at North, recording in her autobiography, "It was in Denver that my real education began."
North, situated in what had been Denver’s working-class neighborhood, has boasted a wonderfully diverse student population, producing graduates who went on to equally diverse occupations, from science to education, writing for local papers, founding restaurants and more. Many North Denver families boast a legacy of generations attending the school. Some families, priced out of North Denver, commute across town to continue a family tradition of attending North.
Kimberly Eggers (class of 1998) reflected that attending North gave her grit and a deep awareness of and sensitivity towards others’ history and cultures. A third-generation alum, her great-grandparents immigrated to North Denver from Italy in the 1920s. Eggers’ grandparents graduated in the 1940s, her mother in 1966.
“Everything is the same,” he said. “The same recipe, same employees and same name.”
The previous owner, Paul Sargent LLC, owes more than $42,000 in back taxes, according to the Colorado Department of Revenue. Shamrock Foods is suing Sargent in Denver District Court for
Brackett moved out of state after the sale, but he said he still stopped by the business when returning to visit family. “Every time I went in, the place looked dirtier, and the things looked not kept up,” Brackett said. “It was really tough being in there.” Sargent still owes him money too, Brackett added. Gurung, meanwhile, is looking forward to reopening the landmark pizza place in the West Highland neighborhood.
“I try to do best for this community, best pizza, best service from the Pizza Alley,” Gurung said.
“The teachers during my time at North were amazing,” Eggers said. ”They were dedicated and committed. They stayed late, came in early and gave us their home phone number so we could call them if we needed help on our work. … Many lived in the community and some were even North graduates themselves. It seemed everyone knew everyone. A couple went to school with my mom. That dynamic helped to
learned a new word recently, courtesy of Meryl Phair’s story this month about Bike Streets’ new app. Sharrows. These are the bike-plus-arrow graphics painted on streets across Denver. They’re meant to indicate a stretch of road shared between cars and bicycles, with no separate bike lane. They’re a bit controversial, largely because some wonder if drivers in cars even notice them.
Now that I know the word, I see sharrows everywhere. And not just when I’m riding my bike. Beyond the obvious safety benefit of noticing road signs and being careful around bicyclists, I can’t stop pondering all
the ways we “share lanes” with one another –with strangers – in this world. A stretch of road in front of a beloved bagel shop, a struggling lake, the neighborhood newspaper. Things we each have a stake in, but often for different reasons. I’d like to get better at sharing – and curiosity toward others. And why not now, leading up to an election.
I have some personal news. This is my last month editing The Denver North Star
I’m grateful to every one of you – readers, organizers, businesses, PR folks, elected officials and candidates, writers and columnists, and many behind-the-scenes professionals, all I’ve “sharrowed” the work (yes, I took it too far) of putting this paper out with and for every month.
It has been an honor, Kathryn White
Have you wondered what those white painted bikes are when you are passing by a busy intersection in the Denver Northside? Those are called ghost bikes; they are installed at locations where a bicyclist was killed or severely injured by a motor vehicle.
Within the last five years, our community has installed three ghost bikes to memorialize gruesome deaths. Dave Martinez’s ghost bike lives on West 33rd Avenue and Zuni Street. Logan Rocklin’s ghost bike is chained to West 38th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard. Ainslie O’Neil’s ghost bike is installed on West 35th Avenue and Federal Boulevard. Martinez and Rocklin were victims of hit-and-run drivers.
O’Neil was struck by a driver while crossing the intersection.
There have been at least 60 fatalities from traffic violence in the Northside since 2017. All were preventable deaths.
When the Denver Department for Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) attempts to implement projects like the West 29th Avenue protected bike lane, Clay Street and Dunkeld Place diverters, and Lowell Boulevard protected bike lane, the goal is to prevent traffic violence and reduce the need to install one more ghost bike.
When our elected officials decide to side
See TRAFFIC, Page 11
DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL AND AUDIENCE: Linda Shapley
EDITOR: Kathryn White
ART DIRECTOR/ GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Melissa Levad-Feeney
ADVISORS:
David Sabados and Emma Donahue
MARKETING CONSULTANT: Erin Addenbrooke
OPERATIONS/CIRCULATION
MANAGER: Lindsay Nicoletti
NEWS INQUIRIES:
For news inquiries, email news@cotln.org
ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: For advertising inquiries, email jill@cotln.org
DISTRIBUTION:
The Denver North Star prints over 34,000 copies each edition and is mailed free of charge to homes and businesses in North Denver. Additional copies can be found at local businesses in the community. New editions are published on the 15th of each month.
By Allen Cowgill
The Highland, Regis and Berkeley neighborhoods are slated for safety and slow streets improvements, and Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) is soliciting public input. The goals are to slow down drivers and increase visibility and safety for all road users at key intersections.
In Regis and Berkley, proposed plans call for a new protected bike lane on Lowell Boulevard from West 46th Avenue to West 49th Avenue. It would be the first protected bike lane in these neighborhoods, with parking removed along this section of the street. While there are bike markings known as sharrows on Tennyson, currently there are no north/south dedicated bike lanes that cross under I-70 in these neighborhoods.
call flex posts and pinch points.
In Highland, Clay Street and West Dunkeld Place between West 32nd Avenue and Valdez Elementary School would also be upgraded. Clay Street would receive a hardened center line at the curve in the road just south of West 32nd Avenue so that drivers can’t cut the corner, and parking would be eliminated at that corner to reduce the blind spot. An all-way stop sign is proposed for the intersection of West Caithness Place and West Dunkeld Place to allow greater ease for pedestrians crossing the street.
The current proposal calls for a neighborhood bikeway on West 48th Avenue that would go west to Meade Street. Neighborhood bikeways are not dedicated bike lanes, but rather lower-traffic, lower-speed roads where bicyclists share the road with drivers. The bikeway would then go north on Meade Street to the city and county line at West 52nd Avenue. Riders could connect to the Clear Creek Trail just north of West 54th Avenue on Meade Street in Adams County.
Also proposed is a new traffic circle at Meade and West 49th, along with other intersection safety upgrades, including what street designers
A neighborhood bikeway would be added between the new stop sign and West 32nd Avenue. DOTI would also add bike path markings to the sidewalk so people know they can walk and bike on the wide sidewalk south of the new stop sign. Folks biking on this section who want to connect to or from West 29th Avenue could use the wide sidewalk that borders the western edge of the Valdez parking lot. A new hardened center line would prevent left turns out of the northern exit from the Valdez parking lot, restricting cars to right turns only.
Outreach to determine the locations and goals for these projects took place in 2020 and 2021. To learn more or provide feedback, visit bit.ly/DenverActiveSafeStreetsProjects.
Colorado of surplus age American food per year. is headed?
Most of that dences; the other food retailers. less for people and a waste of the first place. And generate soil-enriching
The waste is paigns coordinator der nonprofit.
Closed Loop Partners, focused on the a blueprint for implement composting.
The blueprint ies like Denver waste from landfills.
Currently, curbside gle-family homes waste district in fice of Climate siliency (CASR) outlined in the More ordinance ing to apartment grocery stores. but progress has
Composted carbon, is more landfill waste said. But making fordable and effective of infrastructure, investment that trying to navigate.
“Less than 10% access to organic
you mention this ad Call now: 720-772-7565
It's not just news.
neighborhood.
By Natalie Kerr
Colorado generated 1.5 billion tons of surplus food in 2022. The average American eats roughly 1 ton of food per year. Do you see where this math is headed?
Most of that excess, 62%, came from residences; the other 25% from restaurants and food retailers. Food sent to a landfill means less for people experiencing chronic hunger and a waste of the resources that grew it in the first place. And it misses an opportunity to generate soil-enriching compost.
The waste is tragic, said Ryan J. Call, campaigns coordinator at Eco-cycle, a Boulder nonprofit. Eco-cycle collaborated with Closed Loop Partners, an investment firm focused on the circular economy, to develop a blueprint for municipalities to successfully implement composting.
The blueprint details best practices for cities like Denver to divert the majority of food waste from landfills.
Currently, curbside composting for single-family homes is expanding to a fourth waste district in Denver, while the city’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency (CASR) is working to meet the goals outlined in the 2022 voter-approved Waste No More ordinance intended to bring composting to apartment complexes, restaurants and grocery stores. The two initiatives aim high, but progress has lagged.
Composted soil saves water, sequesters carbon, is more productive, and reduces landfill waste and methane emissions, Call said. But making composting accessible, affordable and effective is a complex strategy of infrastructure, education, regulations and investment that cities across the country are trying to navigate.
“Less than 10% of Americans today have access to organic collection,” said Paula Luu,
senior project developer for Closed Loop Partners. “We're at the very beginning of this infrastructure transformation and change, so we felt like the municipal blueprint was a very timely and necessary tool in order to empower time-strapped, resource-strapped municipal leaders to scale infrastructure and collection programs.”
CURBSIDE COMPOSTING
Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) is delivering green compost carts and information to residents who opted into the program in District 8, which encompasses Bear Valley, College View-South Platte, Fort Logan, Harvey Park, Mar Lee, Marston, Overland and Ruby Hill. DOTI previously delivered carts to all residents, unless a resident specified they didn’t want one. This led to a high concentration of materials besides food scraps and yard trimmings ending up in compost bins, said Nina
Waysdorf, the waste diversion and recycling manager for the city.
“We found a lot of contamination, the audits took a long time, there was a lot of continued education, which we’re still doing in that area,” Waysdorf said. “After that, we said, ‘OK, we need to pivot a little bit and re-evaluate this.’”
Those in waste districts 2, 4, 5 and 8 can opt in to the program at any time after rollout begins. Participation is high, with about 24% total participation across Denver, including households composting through the city’s subscription-based compost service, Waysdorf said.
Education is a priority for DOTI, which is now focused on increasing participation and reducing contamination.
DOTI also partners with Denver Urban Gardens’ Master Composter certification program, in which participants complete 10 sessions on the biology and chemistry of
composting. The Master Composter program is highlighted in Closed Loop Partners’ and Eco-cycle’s blueprint as a great resource for launching a community-wide cultural shift around compost.
To foster that culture shift, the blueprint encourages consistent education beyond an initial rollout phase, encouraging people like the Master Composters to be community champions for compost, and framing compost bins as a step toward producing soil, rather than another trash receptacle.
The slow rollout, which is expected to be complete in 2025, has frustrated some residents who are eager to begin composting. But DOTI said the pace allows them to make sure composting is done correctly and that people’s questions are answered.
“If we can go faster, we will, but this is where we're at currently,” Waysdorf said. “We're always looking at, how can we move faster, how would we do that and still provide good service and control contamination.”
Though Waste No More, which requires apartments, restaurants, grocers and other large waste generators to provide recycling and composting services through private waste haulers, has been in effect since June 1, 2023, CASR has no current means of requiring compliance.
Jacob B., a general manager at Devil's Food Bakery in Washington Park, heard about the compost requirement through customers interested to know if the bakery is composting.
“A flier dropped off would even suffice, but there has been no real announcement that it was going into effect,” Jacob said.
Brooke Garcia, who’s on the HOA board
By Natalie Kerr
When Zach Martinucci discovered bread baking, it was in a college apartment at UCLA.
He would mix, knead, fold and bake by himself, sharing the finished product with friends who loved his baking so much they encouraged him to enter in a campus baking competition. Martinucci found himself surrounded by dozens of other student bakers, and even more surprising to him, his bread won a prize.
“Baking often just happens in your own kitchen, it can be lonely, or at least not a natural source of connection,” said Martinucci, owner of Rebel Bread. “To be a part of a community and to get this validation from other people that they loved what you were doing really gave me the push to make this my career.”
Rebel is both a bakery and a bread school, and Martinucci said he hopes to foster connections throughout the process of bread making and enjoying. Rebel Bread’s food festival, Denver Bake Fest, returns for its second year on Oct. 5 with familiar offerings like the baking competition and several new additions including live music, baking, cooking demonstrations and tours of the Rebel bakery.
Tickets to sample competitors’ offerings will benefit Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness (CHOW), a Denver nonprofit that supports the mental health of workers in the food, beverage and hospitality industries.
CHOW’s programs are free, and support like what Rebel is doing through Bake Fest helps to keep those programs available and spread the word to people who might benefit from CHOW’s support, said Jas Parks-Papadopoulos, CHOW’s chief growth officer.
CHOW’s resources are available to anyone in the food and hospitality industries, including grocery store workers, who often work in taxing environments where they are expected to always be serving other people — sometimes at the expense of themselves, Parks-Pa-
Kids can participate in any of the contest’s six categories. Prizes will be awarded separately for kid participants. This year’s categories are brownies, fougasse, gluten-free cakes, quick breads, sandwich cookies and whole-grain savory.
padopoulos added.
“We have this guest-focused mentality where we're constantly thinking about someone else,” she said. “That, plus the physical component of the work we do, can be such a burden to hold, and we want to make that lighter.”
Bake Fest in itself is about supporting Denver’s local baking community by connecting people in the industry, Martinucci said.
This is something Zoe Deutsch, owner of Moon Raccoon Baking Company, felt last year when she was a judge at the competition.
Moon Raccoon is planning to open a brickand-mortar location in Sunnyside next spring after several years of offering goods at farmer’s markets. The support of other people in the industry who were able to answer questions, offer advice and cheer their team on helped them grow their business, Deustch said.
“A lot of us own bakeries in town, but we can
all come together and just have a good time and talk about what's going on for us, our struggles and our triumphs,” Deutsch said. “That's super valuable for people to know the realities of what's going on with people's lives.”
Martinucci was shocked by the turnout last year — approximately 85 contestants and 500 attendees — and was so happy to see a positive atmosphere of supportive competition and celebration, he said.
“What we watched take place was just so beautiful to know, like we provided a space for that, and that everyone that showed up chose to show up in that way, and that they really took advantage of having those community moments,” Martinucci said. “So many of us love our hospitality industry for that reason, that we get to help foster and witness those moments all the time.”
Miles Odell, owner of Odell’s Bagel and
tasting tickets
tasting sample give attendees the chance
partake
winner of the “Rebel Staff Favorite” with his heirloom tomato bagel last year, said he loved presenting side by side with both professional bakers like himself and home bakers because the passion and creativity in the presentations was strong.
Odell’s new location at 3200 Irving St. in West Highland opens in late September, and milestones like that and getting recognized at Bake Fest are important for him to celebrate even in the midst of the intensity of his work, he said.
“There's a lot of pressure that can happen, and it's a very demanding job, and I feel like you don't always get the recognition for how demanding it is,” Odell said.
To learn about attending or competing in the 2024 Denver Bake Fest on Oct. 5, visit Rebel’s website at rebelbreadco.com. Applications, due Sept. 27, are open to bakers of all ages and skill levels.
By London Lyle
An attempt to rezone a 31-acre property at 3821-3897 Steele St. and 3800-3840 York St. in Denver has, after much discussion at the city’s Land Use, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (LUTI), moved on for consideration by Denver City Council. At stake is the future of a proposed LGBTQ+-affirming, affordable, senior-housing development and a new, mixed-use zoning designation for York Street Yards.
The rezoning, if approved, paves the way for a land swap between York Street Yards and Fred Glick, an adjacent resident and property owner, to free up space for an approximately 75-unit housing development on the northeastern-most portion of what is now York Street Yards.
At its Aug. 27 and Sept. 10 meetings, LUTI members discussed at length the drawbacks of the rezoning, with City Council President Amanda Sandoval citing concerns that approving an I-MX-5 rezoning – which opens the entire York Street Yards property to future residential development, despite no plans by current owners to pursue it – could short-circuit City Council’s long-term equity goals of mitigating displacement and gentrification.
The proposed housing project has received overwhelming community support, with 76 of 78 letters sent to the city endorsing the proposal.
Glick, who serves as vice-chair of the Denver Planning Board but recused himself from decision-making when the rezoning was before that entity in May, expressed surprise at the repeated delays and the issues being debated during LUTI discussions. He clarified that the proposed rezoning involves a small area, about 23,000 square feet, transitioning from a planned unit development (PUD) to an industrial mixed-use zone (I-MX-5).
This change aims to align the property with current zoning codes, particularly addressing
outdated parking requirements under the old system, which Glick said are largely inefficient.
“Under the old zoning, the parking calculations are cumbersome and outdated. Each tenant’s needs are computed differently, making it difficult to manage parking effectively,” he said. The rezoning proposal aims to integrate the property into the current zoning code, which could alleviate some administrative issues and enhance overall functionality.
But Sandoval and Council Member At-Large Sarah Parady took a long-term view on the proposal, probing with city planners on why other zoning options weren’t considered and what types of conditions would trigger opportunities for the community and the city to influence future plans for the 31-acre site.
The LGBTQ+ senior housing proposal was developed in collaboration with Penrose Properties, which has built similar properties in other states, and The Center on Colfax, the largest LGBTQ+ community center in the Rocky Mountain region. Supporters assert the housing proposal addresses a critical need within the community.
in Denver. A recent community needs assessment, conducted in collaboration with the Denver LGBT Commission, identified housing and financial security, safety and mental health as top concerns.
“For LGBTQ+ seniors, finding affordable housing is compounded by concerns about security and safety within their own homes,” Fuller said. “Many individuals worry not only about the high cost of living in Denver, but also about the possibility of feeling insecure or unwelcome in traditional senior housing environments.”
The need for LGBTQ+-affirming housing is backed up by data from a 2018 AARP study, Fuller said, which revealed significant concerns among LGBTQ+ seniors about living openly in senior housing environments, including safety concerns and fears of discrimination in their care.
The need for LGBTQ+-affirming housing is backed up by data from a 2018 AARP study, Fuller said, which revealed significant concerns among LGBTQ+ seniors about living openly in senior housing environments, including safety concerns and fears of discrimination in their care.
The study revealed that over half of LGBTQ+ seniors feared being unable to live openly in a senior housing setting, with a significant percentage worried about facing harassment or being denied services altogether.
ing residents have access to essential services, like healthcare clinics and grocery stores.
"Gentrification is a complex issue with both positive and negative effects. Our goal is to ensure that development doesn’t displace vulnerable residents and that essential services remain accessible to them," he said.
If the rezoning does not proceed, Glick said the project will be looking at significant challenges. Relocating the project would mean loss of current momentum and compromises around the types of amenities a smaller property could accommodate.
“If this rezoning does not go through, I think we all have some questions to ask,” Glick said. “This project has progressed to a point with the new space that makes it hard to go back.”
Community support for the proposal remains strong, with local neighborhood steering committees, numerous nonprofit organizations and individuals alike expressing frustration over the delays. Glick made the point that despite City Council acknowledging the need for more affordable housing, they are “obstructing affordable housing efforts like this one.”
The project is also a personal one for Glick, who grew up with many LGBTQ+ friends he met during his time in the theater and managing modern dance companies, some of whom he said could benefit from such a project.
“Assuming the zoning change is secured and the land is all set, we are planning to work with the developer to create a satellite location for the services we offer here at The Center on Colfax, specifically for older adults," said Rex Fuller, CEO.
Fuller highlighted that the initiative is part of The Center’s West of 50 program, which addresses the unique needs of LGBTQ+ seniors
"The extension of our services to this new housing project would be a way to address some of those fears and create a safe and welcoming atmosphere," he said.
For Glick’s part, broader social issues such as gentrification and community impact are significant components of the project. He stressed the importance of balancing development with preserving the existing community and ensur-
“People coming out of the arts don’t retire with great retirement packages, generally speaking, and many of them live in affordable housing,” he said. “There’s a lot of LGBTQ+ people in the arts. For me, it really resonated thinking that a lot of the people I call friends and mentors are about to face these housing challenges that we can help mitigate with this project.”
A public comment period at City Council is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 14.
By Ernest Gurulé
For the majority of her life, Denver’s Mollie O’Brien has made her living with her voice. The team of O’Brien and her husband, Rick Moore, is a well-known musical act in Denver and well beyond.
O’Brien and Moore have played all over the world. But their artistry is not their only gift. It’s a single facet of who they are.
The pair’s philanthropy, while not nearly as well known as their music, is as important to them as their soul-touching songs. They regularly perform for causes in which they believe, including Bienvenidos Food Bank.
Bienvenidos has been around since 1976 providing food assistance to North Denver families and countless others who find themselves in need. The Bienvenidos mission, O’Brien and Moore said, is something they want to lend their time, energy and name to.
The pair will perform at a Sept. 28 benefit to raise money and awareness for Bienvenidos.
O’Brien, whose name adorns a Grammy and has supported Bienvenidos for years, said the benefit and the money it raises are for a good cause at the right time. There are scores of people living on the edge, and North Denver – despite its creeping gentrification – is home to many, O’Brien said. She sees them regularly.
“I delivered food to a woman getting kicked out of her apartment,” O’Brien recalled. It was sad, she said. “But the food was one of the few things that kept her going. It’s a harsh reality for so many people.”
Moore is also a Bienvenidos volunteer. When he’s not rehearsing, working around their North Denver home or caring for the pair’s two grandchildren, “I’m over at the
building usually working in the pantry,” a place that buzzes with “constant deliveries.” He also helps assemble food boxes for delivery.
O’Brien and Moore have been North Denver residents since 1989 when, they said, a young couple with a reasonable income could buy a home in the neighborhood. Prices today where they call home, said O’Brien, “are astronomical” and out of reach for younger people.
But despite the rocket-launch real estate that surrounds them and includes their own property value – a matter of luck and timing, they said – they truly believe and are committed to the mission of Bienvenidos.
The nearly half-century old food bank serves 25,000 metro area residents annually and provides more than 400,000 meals each year. The mission is achieved almost exclusively through generous volunteers like O’Brien and Moore. But the pressures of meeting its goals, said Bienvenidos Executive Director Greg Pratt, grow more challenging each year.
worth of food.”
Bienvenidos’ food boxes are filled through the generosity of local grocery stores, farmers donating unsold or surplus produce and ordinary people who simply support the mission. But nothing would be possible, said Pratt, without volunteers.
“Mollie and Rich are amazing volunteers,” Pratt said. The pair are physically present at Bienvenidos like clockwork.
Pratt added that “Rich is here nearly every week,” stocking shelves, prepping and delivering. O’Brien, he said, “delivers food bags to our homebound and elderly clients,” and drops food off to low-income seniors.
“For every dollar donated,” Pratt explained, “we can provide more than $10 worth of food.”
Besides serving North Denver residents, said Pratt, “We are also seeing hundreds of new immigrant families in desperate need of food assistance.”
As the seasons change, Pratt said the pantry could use hearty soups, canned chili, canned meats and toiletries. Of course, cash and check donations are always welcome.
“For every dollar donated,” Pratt explained, “we can provide more than $10
But the Sept. 28 event would not even be possible without the largess of many.
Merritt House is opening its space free of charge, and a sound engineer is also donating his time for the evening.
September is designated nationally as Hunger Action Month. But Moore and O’Brien aren’t depending on the calendar to give. “It’s just the right thing to do, and we’re able to do it,” Moore said.
The benefit for Bienvenidos will take place on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. at Merritt House (formerly Merritt Memorial United Methodist Church), 2246 Irving St. To purchase tickets or support the effort with a donation, look for the concert under “Shows” at mollieobrien.com.
Bienvenidos’ list of items most needed for donation can be found at bienvenidosfoodbank.org.
Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 to celebrate the independence of numerous Hispanic countries and honor the contributions of Hispanic and Latinx Americans.
“There is a Rio Grande in Heaven: Stories” by Ruben Reyes Jr. is a brilliant and beautiful collection that illustrates the immigrant experience with striking language and stark realities.
Eclectic in genre, the collection is tied together thematically around immigrants and human rights. Violence, hunger and exploitation are present whether the story is about a robotic father or an amnesiac Reggaeton star.
In “He Eats His Own” and “The Myth of the Self-Made Man,” the perpetrators of harm are generationally removed immigrants who overlook the humanity of marginalized communities in favor of wealth.
“Variations on Your Migrant Life” is a choose-your-own-adventure story wherein the reader is a migrant child who has to choose the path to a happy ending. The caveat is that a happy ending is nearly impossible.
“Quiero Perreari! And Other Catastrophes” and “Try Again” revolve around the theme of heteronormative expectations and gender roles often found in older generations.
The collection also includes five stories titled “An Alternate History of El Salvador or Perhaps the World.” In one of these the Pipil, the indigenous people of El Salvador, conquer the Spaniards who land there. The battle is a mere blip in their history rather than the reality of centuries of violence and colonization. Another “Alternate History” gives Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla an alternative life to her young and tragic death. The final “Alternate History” tells of a heavenly Rio Grande, where those who have passed on can finally put to rest the barriers and traumas the river represented in their time on earth.
Eloquently crafted and emotionally evocative, the stories provide literary fare and thoughtful social commentary. This is one short-story collection that is not to be missed. Visit the Denver Public Library branch near you to check out this and other great titles by Latinx authors!
Celebrate Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month with the Smiley Branch Library on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 2-3 p.m. for an author talk by Dr. Julia Roncoroni and food tasting of fare from her cookbook “Cocina Libre: Immigrant Resistance Recipes.” Then, join us on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 2-3 p.m. to paint your own cantarito, a small clay cup. Finally, decorate your own sugar skull on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 2-3 p.m. and explore the history and stories surrounding this tradition that celebrates the lives of the deceased.
Wendy Thomas is a librarian at the Smiley Branch Library. When not reading or recommending books, you can find her hiking with her dogs.
The community-led project works to fill gaps in the city's evolving cycling infrastructure
By Meryl Phair
Many Denver streets are marked by “sharrows," white bicycle figures with inverted V-shaped arrows above them that are painted on the pavement along routes shared by motorists and cyclists. For the uninitiated, navigating cars on these shared routes can be a stressful and unsafe experience.
“There are studies that have been done where getting passed by a car raises your blood pressure,” said Avi Stopper, founder of Bike Streets, during a bike ride with this reporter.
As if on cue, a Rivian whizzed by. Continuing down the street, Stopper said that many more people in Denver would utilize cycling as a mode of transportation if they weren’t deterred by speeding cars and buses.
To reach those folks, Stopper and Bike Streets have led the charge on establishing a 500-mile Low-Stress Denver Bike Map that has been used about 1 million times since 2018.
Relying on a network of 45 "neighborhood captains" these cycling enthusiasts use local knowledge of neighborhoods to build out a network of quiet streets.
This June, Bike Streets launched an app in which users can plug destinations into a map that yields "low-stress" routes around the city.
Rather than taking Stopper down a busy avenue, the blue lines on the Bike Streets app directs him along a route of quieter streets, broken up occasionally by red lines for major intersections.
“The idea behind Bike Streets is that we can as a community become organized to ride the same streets and make it possible for even more people to ride bikes wherever they want to,” Stopper said. “Nothing is worse than sitting in traffic and nothing is better than being active, outside and seeing different neighborhoods.”
The Bike Streets app offers special features like weekly challenges and surprise adventures, a wheel-of-fortune randomizer that selects a unique bikeable activity. Open to all ages and abilities, Bike Streets also hosts monthly group bike rides and runs the Bike Streets Club that offers raffles, workshops and merch. Its goal is to get thousands of people to ride to destinations all over Denver until the city constructs more protected bike lanes.
“The city, to their credit, has built a lot of biking infrastructure, but often it doesn't work for the average cyclist,” Stopper said. “There's not enough, and they're working on it, but it's a 10-, 20-year project to make a complete network. What we’re doing is trying to fill in the gaps based on the world as it exists today.”
Denver has built 137 miles of new bike infrastructure in the last five years and has announced plans to install 230 new miles of bikeways, many on busy arterial roads, as part of its 20-year vision for developing a network of accessible bikeways. A recently published map
shows the type and location of bike lanes the city hopes to roll out over the next two decades, providing an opportunity for the public to make comments and suggestions.
Proposed changes include installing protected bike lanes on Speer Boulevard, Leetsdale Drive, Park Avenue, West Evans Avenue, South Monaco Street Parkway, Quebec Street, 17th and 18th avenues, 13th and 14th avenues, and Colorado Boulevard. By placing permanent structures like concrete blocks on these protected lanes, the routes would help accommodate more cyclists on the road and longer trip distances.
“This core network of high-volume streets should be wide enough for people to pass, should be direct and generally speaking, protected and separated,” said June Churchill, the 2024 “bike mayor” of the Denver Bicycle Lobby, an advocacy group working to make Denver a more bikable city. While the map focuses on major throughways, Churchill said it’s comprehensive throughout the city.
The working plan also builds off existing infrastructure, with plans to extend bikeways in some areas such as lengthening the protected bike lane on Broadway, one of the city’s well-traveled routes; changing some bikeways, such as converting the painted bike lane on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard into a protected bike lane; and installing safety measures like bike signals and crossing lights. This would address issues with neighborhood bikeways that end without safe or easy ways to cross high-traffic roads.
In addition to improving safety for bikers, the city is also tackling improving safety for drivers, particularly on arterial roadways and intersections where accidents are more highly concentrated.
“We think a lot about who we are designing these routes for,” said Churchill. “It’s the parents with kids, the risk-averse and the cautiously optimistic about biking in the city. Safety along with time are the key factors in making decisions around transportation.”
Changes to major roadways could mean
fewer parking spaces for cars or slower travel time, to which Churchill notes slower cars are safer cars. Balancing parking for residents and businesses has been a significant challenge in bikeway infrastructure, such as a plan in 2020 to install a protected bike lane on Washington and Clarkson streets, which was quickly shot down by residents due to the loss of parking spaces.
Despite challenges, the benefits of increasing biking infrastructure in cities extend beyond a safer transportation environment. Protected bike lanes and neighborhood bikeways can create more green infrastructure throughout the city by reclaiming roadway space. Replacing car trips with biking helps fight climate change by reducing a major source of carbon pollution, another way Bike Streets is seeking to create change from within communities.
“We have been taught to think that bike commuting is biking to work, and we have missed the opportunity on all of these other trips,” Stopper said.
Bike Streets hosts free group rides, such as their upcoming North Denver community ride departing from Prodigy Coffeehouse, Globeville, on Sept. 21 at 9 a.m. Visit bikestreets.com for details and a full schedule of events.
Denver wage
During Month, na Equal light the severe women, who lar that white, This gap is ity, but also a both equality Scholarship Foundation of our scholars na – we are dedicated ties through Recognizing cial lever for mitted to providing overcome barriers from accessing lege graduates over their lifetimes school diploma. degree is a ing better-paying stability. DSF’s are essential ensuring that these talented ademic and Beyond scholarships, hensive support after college, unique needs stationed in schools, guide ties of college providing essential we help students college, but also skills necessary
After graduation, with career readiness
Denver Scholarship Foundation role in helping close the wage gap for Denver's Latinas
By Kimberley Villegas, Marketing & Communications Manager, Denver Scholarship Foundation
During Hispanic/Latinx/a/o/e Heritage
Month, the United States marks Latina Equal Pay Day on Oct. 3 to highlight the severe wage disparities faced by Latina women, who earn about 57 cents for every dollar that white, non-Hispanic men earn.
This gap is not just a sign of economic inequality, but also a systemic obstacle that undermines both equality and prosperity. At the Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF), where over 60% of our scholars are Hispanic – many of them Latina – we are dedicated to addressing these disparities through focused educational support.
Recognizing that higher education is a crucial lever for economic mobility, DSF is committed to providing resources to help students overcome barriers that often prevent them from accessing and succeeding in college. College graduates generally earn significantly more over their lifetimes than those with only a high school diploma. For Latina students, earning a degree is a transformative step toward securing better-paying jobs and achieving financial stability. DSF’s targeted scholarship programs are essential in breaking down these barriers, ensuring that financial constraints do not stop these talented students from pursuing their academic and professional goals.
Beyond scholarships, DSF offers comprehensive support services before, during and after college, specifically tailored to meet the unique needs of students. Our DSF advisors, stationed in DSF Future Centers at 15 DPS schools, guide students through the complexities of college applications and financial aid. By providing essential knowledge and resources, we help students not only gain admission to college, but also succeed and graduate with the skills necessary to excel in the workforce.
After graduation, DSF’s commitment continues with career readiness programs facilitated by our
DSF campus advisors at the Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver and the University of Colorado Denver. These programs equip our scholars with real-world experiences crucial for professional success. Initiatives such as resume workshops, internship placements and networking events bridge the educational and employment gap. These are particularly crucial for many Latina students, giving them the tools needed to launch their careers and secure positions with competitive salaries, thereby directly impacting the wage gap.
Community support and mentorship form another aspect of our strategy. DSF fosters a network of peers and professionals who share similar backgrounds and experiences, providing both inspiration and practical advice. This community not only supports students academically, but it also provides them with the resources to navigate and overcome the systemic challenges that perpetuate the wage gap.
Moreover, our efforts extend beyond individual scholarships to influence the policies and conditions that sustain wage disparities. By advocating for policies that support equitable education and employment opportunities, DSF contributes to a broader societal shift toward fairness and equality.
Latina Equal Pay Day is a call to action to address the systemic barriers that limit Latinas' earning potential. Through its comprehensive programs and services, DSF demonstrates how investing in the educational and professional development of Latinas can lead to greater economic security and justice, benefiting both individuals and our entire Denver community.
Kimberley Villegas holds a degree in business administration from the University of Colorado Denver and serves on the Communications Committee for the Colorado Coalition for the Educational Advancement of Latinxs (CoCEAL).
By Jacqui Somen
Alot of parents think that a child banging on drums behind closed doors won't get them into the college of their dreams, but they needn't be so quick to judge. Researchers at University College London have found that participation in arts programs has many developmental benefits, including improvements in memory, problem-solving and executive function.
If North Denver parents want to tap into these developmental treasures or just allow their children a chance to nurture self-expression, after-school and weekend arts programs in the area are plentiful. Here are some programs within reasonable driving distance of Northside neighborhoods: THEATER AND ACTING
The Arvada Center for Performing Arts and Humanities offers playmaking and act-
ing classes for ages 6-18. 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada, CO 80003.
Apex Performing Arts Collective offers improv, acting, broadway dance and other classes for children and teens in grades K-12. 209 Kalamath St., Unit 16, Denver, CO 80223.
Denver Center for the Performing Arts has acting classes, musical theater, improv and more for children and teens. 1101 13th St., Denver, CO 80204.
DANCE
Lakewood Dance Academy hosts a variety of dance classes from creative movement for ages 3-4 to ballet, tap, contemporary, modern and acrobatic for older children and teens. 9635 W. Colfax Ave., Lakewood, CO 80215.
By Basha Cohen, vice chair, Sloan’s Lake Park Foundation
The Sloan’s Lake Park Foundation (SLPF) is rowing into its ninth annual Jamming on the Jetty on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 1 to 8 p.m., after a busy year of community involvement to #SaveSloansLake.
The feel-good music fest on the jetty features four live bands, including North Denver favorites Los Mocochetes, and a kids’ zone with singalongs, Little Man’s bouncy castle and ice cream, water tables and face painting. Drinks, desserts and food trucks all benefit the foundation and its mission.
Throughout 2024, the foundation has built stronger community connections to raise awareness through its quarterly newsletter, “Sloan’s Lake Deep Dive,” and a wide variety of events including an Earth Day celebration with a volunteer clean-up, educational lake walk and special guest appearance by David Forsyth, who shared some lost history from his fascinating book “The Amusement Park at Sloan’s Lake.” SLPF also hosted the second annual Sloan’s Lake Wide Open Putt-Putt Pub Crawl, a Memorial Day meet and greet with neighbors, and educational forums at the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival and West Colfax neighborhood festival to bring the lake’s issues to the surface.
The beloved lake continues to gasp for air, as do the thousands of dying fish that simply can’t take the heat. In late July, a week of scorching 100-degree days took their toll as fish floated belly up and acted as a visual reminder that the lake needs help. Increasingly shallow depths, rising heat and algae blooms have continued to plague Sloan’s Lake with no end in sight unless the lake is dredged. But that takes serious money and the political will to raise it.
Kurt Weaver, executive director of SLPF noted, “Prompted by the fish kill we were able to inspire community action, as hundreds of residents responded to our call to action by
contacting Mayor (Mike) Johnston in support of long-term solutions for the lake.”
SLPF is partnering with Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR) and outside consultants to explore options to resuscitate the lake. This summer, SLPF helped launch DPR’s installa-
tion of 36 small “floating wetland islands” that hold live plants that grow hydroponically. The plants are intended to absorb an overabundance of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus from the lake water while providing a habitat for aquatic life. A team of Lake Middle
School students helped set the islands afloat. Unfortunately, the first batch didn’t survive, but DPR and its partners at Ferguson, Beemat and Pinyon Environmental went back for a second try.
According to Jessica Andersen, DPR’s urban ecology supervisor, a second batch of wetland plants were installed on July 23.
“The new plants have had a 75% survival rate over the past five weeks,” Andersen said, “and they are soaking up nutrients from the water in the southwest corner of the lake. We have seen a lot of ducks, turtles, fish and insects hanging out on and around the wetlands. So it is definitely a small habitat improvement.”
SLPF is tirelessly advocating for dredging the lake, although it’s a costly option. While dredging could fit into DPR’s long term plans, Anderson said that the current and short-term plans “will not include significant sediment removal. The lake needs a holistic approach blending at least some aspects of all of the different water quality interventions to ensure a sustainable future for the lake.”
DPR, along with Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure and Mile High Flood District, will begin developing a blend of short-term interventions this fall – with opportunities for community participation in 2025 – with the goals of stabilizing degrading banks, capturing sediment before it enters the lake and adding green infrastructure to help treat stormwater.
Join the North Denver community effort to #SaveSloansLake by coming out to Jamming on the Jetty and celebrating the lake that was the home of the Manhattan Beach amusement park and swim club from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Help reimagine a future where swimming in the lake is once again a safe harbor.
Visit sloanslakeparkfoundation.org to learn about other ways to support the lake, such as making a donation and volunteering.
Afamily years zarella
two nieces that their shares worthless, has On Aug. announced peal from one bringing the close. The state’s panel to consider James Leprino. “We are Colorado Supreme decisions of said Michael togenarian.
Sean Connelly, rino, declined James Leprino’s grant who ran nyside until out of business. Leprino Foods emphasis on dominates the the largest mozzarella The company and family-owned. children control The other 25 daughters of who died in In the years no feuded with had cheated his children Leprino Foods roles with the
Decision ends billionaire cheesemaker’s legal family drama
By Justin Wingerter, Businessden
Afamily legal drama that began six years ago, when the billionaire mozzarella magnate James Leprino told two nieces who had fallen out of his favor that their shares in the family company were worthless, has concluded in Leprino’s favor.
On Aug. 19, the Colorado Supreme Court announced it would not consider an appeal from one of the nieces, Nancy Leprino, bringing the headline-grabbing case to a quiet close. The state’s high court is the third legal panel to consider the matter and side with James Leprino.
“We are pleased with the decision of the Colorado Supreme Court, as well as the decisions of the jury and the prior courts,” said Michael Hofmann, a lawyer for the octogenarian.
Sean Connelly, an attorney for Nancy Leprino, declined to comment on the conclusion.
James Leprino’s father was an Italian immigrant who ran a small grocery store in Sunnyside until 1958, when large grocers put it out of business. James Leprino then turned Leprino Foods into a cheese company with an emphasis on pizza cheese. Leprino Foods now dominates the U.S. pizza cheese market and is the largest mozzarella producer in the world.
The company remains based in Sunnyside and family-owned. James Leprino and his children control 75 percent of Leprino Foods. The other 25 percent is owned by the three daughters of Mike Leprino, James’ brother who died in 2018.
In the years before his death, James Leprino feuded with his brother, who he believed had cheated him in business. So, James and his children removed Mike from the board of
The dispute came to a head when, in 2018, James Leprino told his nieces to tell the Internal Revenue Service that their stock in Leprino Foods was worth zero dollars. Because the stock can’t be traded and Leprino had decided to stop paying out dividends, the shares were worthless, he told his brother’s daughters, despite a valuation of $340 million.
Two of the three nieces, Nancy and Mary Leprino, sued their uncle and Leprino Foods in 2020, accusing them of rendering their shares worthless. They called for the company to be dissolved and asked jurors to award them at least $600 million during a 10-day trial.
“After your brother died, you told your nieces that their stock was worth zero. Isn’t that true, sir?” James Leprino was asked in a deposition video that was played at the trial.
“Yes,” the Leprino Foods CEO said.
Attorneys for James Leprino and Leprino Foods acknowledged that their client had called the shares worthless but argued they were not actually worthless. They noted that Mike Leprino and his daughters had received $135 million in dividend payments in 2017 and tens of millions of dollars each year between 2013 and 2016 — proof that their stock had value.
Jurors sided with James Leprino and Leprino Foods. When Nancy Leprino — but not her sister Mary — appealed their verdict to the Colorado Court of Appeals, it also ruled against her, finding that “no one — and certainly not the plaintiffs — actually believed the shares were worthless” and that James Leprino’s “declaration that the shares are worthless does not make them so.”
Nancy Leprino tried appealing that ruling to the Supreme Court, which declined to hear it.
By The Denver North Star Staff
Aging advocacy organizations will host a series of forums across Colorado in which candidates running for election to the Colorado Legislature will be asked to address issues affecting older Coloradans.
Two forums will cover east and west sections of the Denver metro area:
Denver Metro East (East of I-25 from Adams County to Arapahoe County)
Wednesday, Sept. 25, 4:30 to 6 p.m.
https://actionnetwork.org/events/denver-metro-east-candidate-forum-on-aging
Denver Metro West (West of I-25 through Jefferson County)
Tuesday, Oct. 8, 11 a.m to 12:30 p.m.
https://actionnetwork.org/events/denver-metro-west-candidate-forum-on-aging
All forums will take place online, with login available after an RSVP using the links above. For more information, contact Andrea Kuwik at kuwik@bellpolicy.org.
By The Denver North Star Staff
By Rebecca Wells
DOWN: 1. Historic ____ Theater
2. TV partner of Hutch
3. Park north of Empower Field
4. School located in Baton Rouge, LA
5. Soul maker
6. 1982 Steven Spielberg movie
7. Not online, for short
8. Brainiac
12. “__ Catherine,” church on Federal Blvd.
15. Brand
16. Something seen at the Denver Performing Arts Complex
18. New City Council president
20. Dad joke humor
21. Before, poetically
23. Type of 33 DOWN
25. 1970s genre
29. Retail chain “Urban Outfitters,” for short
31. Sunnyside Music Festival’s park
33. Product of Empourium, or Odell Brewing
35. Bud
37. Tough class for high schoolers
38. Denver’s diagonal drive
39. D.C.-based news org.
40. Fruit from Palisade
41. Like the sun, or a celebrity
42. Like fine wine
44. CA airport, NW of DIA
46. North Star’s Denver region
48. District Attorney, for short
To see how you did on Lingering days of summer, Northside style, see page 11. Rebecca Wells has headed back to Occidental College, where she is studying economics and politics and working for The Occidental Newspaper. Wells contributed three crosswords for The Denver North Star this summer and can be reached at rebecca.r.wells4@gmail.com.
What does it mean to be a
Study shows that being one is good for your health
By Jacqui Somen
Your favorite TV sitcom probably has one — the nosy man peering over their fence or the goofy guy across the hall who turns into a lifelong friend.
These characters are often exaggerated personalities, but portray a piece of reality. The people who live next door are central characters in our lives, and they have the potential to be co-stars or villains.
What does it take to be one of the good ones? Being good or bad at anything is highly subjective, so we asked Denverites what it means to them to be a good neighbor.
“Different ages, ethnicities, experiences. Coming together and laughing and sharing. That’s a community for me,” said Ashly Ligouri, a resident of Whittier/Five Points, after describing a recent multigenerational, after-school, garden-picking-turned-water fight experience.
David Portillo, of the Strengthening Neighborhoods program at The Denver Foundation, said being a good neighbor is about “giving people the opportunity to tell their story.” According to Portillo, asking questions and getting to know people better creates a “neighborliness that allows you to be friendly, but also to explore and count on each other.” He went on to describe his neighbor who helps straighten the trash bins in the alley to ensure they get picked up on time.
One Sloan’s Lake Nextdoor channel respondent said, “Be kind & caring, being both intentional & random. Let them know your [sic] looking out for them and that they can call on you if needed.” Another respondent from the same platform had a different opinion: “Mind your own business unless asked for your opinion. Never assume your opinion is law of the land.”
Being a good neighbor might also mean following the rules, whether determined by the city, HOA or community. Good neighbors are likely to keep the noise down, the trash in the right place and maintain their spaces within public view.
While the definition of a good neighbor is mostly subjective, the benefits of having a kind neighbor are clear: According to a 2014 study published in the The Journals of Gerontology, people who had little contact and perceived lower support from their neighbors over time showed decreases in their perceived purpose in life, personal growth, autonomy, positive relations and self-acceptance.
But being a good neighbor isn’t just about residents being kind to each other; it can also include taking action to make the community
albums. Simpkins’ band teacher, Tana Knopf, was instrumental in shaping his path.
Being neighborly can involve grand gestures or small acts of kindness. This West Highland resident’s adorned fence could be considered both.
better. These actions don’t just build stronger neighborhoods, but stronger individuals as well. Research published in the journal Health & Place documented that high levels of collective efficacy, “the link between mutual trust and a shared willingness to intervene for the common good of the neighborhood,” has also been shown to decrease the prevalence of health conditions such as asthma, obesity, risky sexual behavior and premature mortality.
In Denver, small-business owners are also leading the charge to bring communities together to enhance safety, inclusion, and physical and mental well-being.
Sara Bechen, owner of Jefferson Park Pub, described a good neighbor as being “kind to current neighbors and businesses, and welcoming to new ones.”
“Communication is vital in keeping each other informed and watching out for the safety of our community” Bechen continued.
“Being a good neighbor also means being a place where people can come find community, see themselves represented in the books on our shelves and feel safe in our space,” said Charlotte Merritt, manager of Petals & Pages in the Santa Fe Business District.
Strong leaders can help uplift their own neighbors and those from surrounding neighborhoods.
When asked about the grants that Strengthening Neighborhoods provides to Denver communities, Portillo said the foundation looks for “neighbors doing something on their own,” community leaders who are already putting energy and money into a program. When these programs are successful, he said, there’s what he called a “ripple effect.” When one neighborhood begins to thrive, surrounding leaders take similar actions to benefit their own communities.
Continued from Page 1
create a strong sense of community.”
Eggers went on to undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Denver and now works as an investment analyst.
The 1980s and ’90s were wrought with rumors of gang activity, but when asked about it she remembered great teachers, working hard and participating in sports, music and student government.
Gang culture was more than a myth to Mike Solano, who attended North in the mid-1980s.
“My dad was the famous ‘Fruit Man’ of North Denver, selling fresh fruit to his neighbors out of his old Chevy. He knew everyone and told me who not to hang out with,” said Solano, who had to fight off pressure to join a side in the gang scene. Considered a troublemaker by most North administrators at the time, Solano said a North security guard helped him “not to fight, to walk more of a straight line.”
Solano later joined the military, serving in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and was honorably discharged in 1993. He went on to a career in security and police service. When an accident in 2013 left Solano paralyzed from the waist down, he turned to volunteering to support veterans with spinal cord injuries. His advocacy for veterans in the spinal cord injury community has taken him to the U.S. Congress, where he has shared his concerns on both sides of the aisle.
Joe DeRosa (class of 1966) called his class “The Best Class,” noting that many of his peers donate to the school’s scholarship program.
DeRosa’s time at North, influenced by the baby boomer era, meant about 800 students in his graduating class. At the University of Colorado Boulder, DeRosa was not intimidated by the theater-style classrooms holding up to 1,000 students.
“Relationships,” said DeRosa. ”I had the great fortune to have built lifelong friendships and relationships at North, and I continue to network with my North community.”
Elisa Cohen, who taught at North and other area schools, relayed a similar sentiment.
“It was our community school,” Cohen said, “so you had no choice but to know your neighbors, who at that time [the 1980s] were from all walks of life. And that was a beautiful thing. North prepared me to be comfortable going out into the world.”
John Simpkins (class of 1999) jump started his career playing trumpet in band at North and in his brother’s jazz band, Askimbo, which blossomed into a Denver staple, boasting over 2,000 performances and four
“Her unwavering support transformed my dreams into reality.” Simpkins said. “She instilled in me the importance of hard work, perseverance and believing in myself. She connected me with opportunities, guided my audition preparations and encouraged me through challenges.”
After North, Simpkins studied under renowned Denver trumpeter Ron Miles, and then went on to earn a degree at Metropolitan State University. He continues to perform with his band Muchly Suchwise and teach music lessons. He’s worked at Flesher-Hinton for 24 years.
The list of notable Denver North grads goes on and on, like any good legacy story. It includes the likes of Rhoda Krasner (class of 1960), who inherited Lakeside amusement park from her parents who had acquired it in the 1930s; Bobby LeFebre, who became Colorado’s youngest poet laureate in 2019; and current Denver City Council President Amanda P. Sandoval.
And then there are:
Don Wilson (late 1910s), show announcer for “The Jack Benny Show.”
Florence Taylor (class of 1922), the highest-ranking female officer during World War II.
Ruth Wiberg (class of 1925), author of “Rediscovering North West Denver,” which earned her an award from Historic Denver in 1977.
Nick Perito (late 1930s), composer, arranger and longtime collaborator of singer Perry Como.
Theodore Maimen (class of 1944), inventor of the Ruby Laser.
Gene Amole (class of 1955), longtime Rocky Mountain News columnist.
An accomplishment North graduates can be particularly proud of is the North Side High School Alumni Association, founded in 1901.
The group operates out of a museum-like room in the school that is filled with photos, yearbooks, trophies and all manner of treasured memorabilia. In 1993, the association launched a scholarship program, beginning with a $500 donation from the class of 1937.
The alumni association now awards up to 50 scholarships annually, ranging from $2,000 to $10,000, to students who are preparing to launch out into the wider world, ready to pursue their dreams and extend the legacy of a treasured institution.
You can catch some of these alumni in Denver North’s homecoming parade on Wednesday, Sept. 25 – including Rhoda Krasner of Lakeside Amusement Park as this year’s Grand Marshal. The parade takes off from the school at 5:30 p.m. for a round-trip around nearby Highland Park.
Tana Knopf, path. transformed said. “She hard work, myself. She guided my encouraged me under reMiles, and Metropoliperform and teach Flesher-Hinton North grads legacy story. Krasner (class amusement acquired it became in 2019; President announcer the highduring World author of Denver,” which Denver composer, arof singer inventor longtime graduates can North Side founded museum-like with photos, of treaassociation beginning of 1937. awards up ranging from are prewider world, extend the alumni in DenWednesKrasner this year’s from the around
Continued from Page 7
Arvada Center offers a variety of dance classes from creative movement to ballet, jazz, tap and hip-hop for ages 3 to adult. 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada, CO 80003. TaDa in Highland has hip-hop classes for ages 4-10. 4433 W. 29th Ave., #103, Denver, CO 80212.
Colorado Ballet Academy has ballet and tap classes for children of all ages. 1075 Santa Fe Dr., Denver, CO 80204.
VISUAL ARTS
Sweet Ridge Studios provides stop-motion and mural classes for teens and tweens at their Wheat Ridge studio this fall. They also provide after-school programming at many schools in the area. 7530 W. 38th Ave., Wheat Ridge, CO 80033.
Arvada Center offers instruction in various visual arts methods including clay, anime and digital arts. Class ages vary and range from ages 6-18. 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada, CO 80003.
Swallow Hill Music hosts music classes in various disciplines for ages 1-18. 71 E. Yale Ave., Denver, CO 80210.
Altitunes offers music lessons for children 3-7-plus. With locations in Wheat Ridge and Lakewood; nearest to North Denver is 5630 W. 29th Ave., Wheat Ridge, CO 80214.
Musical Life Denver provides private lessons plus jam sessions and rock concerts for children and teens. 2842 S. Broadway, Englewood, CO 80113.
CREATIVE WRITING
Denver Writes hosts a number of after-school writing clubs and workshops on the Regis University campus and other locations around Denver.
Lighthouse Writers Workshop has workshops for young people ages 9-18 at 3844 York St., Denver, CO 80205.
Denver Public Library hosts writing workshops for teens at least once a month at Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales Branch and Smiley Branch as well as at other branches.
Continued from Page 2
with businesses to preserve parking and water down protection for bicyclists and pedestrians, they are wielding their influence to say that our lives do not matter.
When Northside residents do not hold our officials accountable, we are complicit in past, present and future deaths caused by traffic violence on our streets.
It should not take deaths for our community to take bicyclist and pedestrian safety seriously. Denver Northside has so much to offer such as our burgeoning business corridors on Tennyson Street and West 29th Avenue, gor-
geous historic neighborhoods like the Potter Highlands and iconic parks such as Sloan’s Lake Park. We should be able to bike and walk to these places without the fear of being immobilized or worse by speeding vehicles.
There is action to be taken. You can start by talking to your social circles about supporting safe streets projects. You can continue the conversation by emailing your city and state representatives. You can join the Denver Bicycle Lobby on a bike ride and advocate for equitable streets. Instead of shaking our heads in disapproval when we read the news about a watered-down, safe-streets project, what if we speak up and say we do not tolerate valuing profits over lives?
– Huong Dang, Highland neighborhood resident
Continued from Page 3 for her condo in Capitol Hill, said she had no idea her building needed to comply with Waste No More. She personally contracts Denver Compost Collective to pick up her compost, but she is the only resident in her building doing so.
Building maintenance costs, insurance rates and existing trash collection challenges mean the HOA is not interested in paying for additional compost services to the building. Existing problems feel higher priority than composting, Garcia said, like trash in the alley behind the building from encampments.
“When they finally left, we had to hire multi-thousand-dollar hazmat cleaners, and that was on us, that was not the city doing that,” Garcia said. “I personally am a supporter of compost and use something like that, but there are just so many other things that I would love, either support for or letting us financially manage other issues that we have.”
Some HOAs are successfully composting, like Martin Percival’s building in Cheesman Park, which has two communal bins for compost collection. Composting at the 31-unit residence began six months ago to comply with the ordinance.
Percival brought Waste No More to his HOA’s attention, and because they tend to be proactive the group was receptive, but Percival said the process was confusing.
“There wasn't a huge amount of information out there,” Percival said. “Luckily, my board, the HOA, were receptive to it, because I don't know where the official stuff would be in order to compel the HOA to provide [compost].”
Wompost, a compost hauler in Aurora that can be contracted privately by Denver businesses, noticed little change after Waste No More was enacted, said owner and CEO Carolyn Pace. Most people cite a personal desire to compost as their reason for signing up for services, with only around 10% citing Waste No More and a few citing national requirements that apply to their entire business chain.
“Businesses currently are not compost-
ing, and I think for the most part, they're not aware of the rules, and if they are aware, they're aware that there is no enforcement and that they haven't been finalized,” Pace said. “I do anticipate it to pick up at some point when the city actually puts some teeth into the rules, but for now it's still very sparse.”
In part, CASR’s hesitation on strict enforcement comes from the acknowledgement that it could impact different businesses and residences unequally, said Emily Gedeon, director of communications and engagement.
The 2023 Waste No More task force met with stakeholders to assess potential challenges and provide recommendations around equity and financial support, but CASR is still investigating how to implement Waste No More equitably. The ordinance includes stipulations for businesses and apartments in low-income communities, including a potential one-year exemption from the requirements based on economic hardship, negligible organic waste, self-hauling of materials and space constraints.
“We do hear from folks who live in rental properties and other folks around the city that they're really interested in having access to these services, and so we're trying to figure out, as a city, a way to meet Denver’s interest in recycling and composting and waste disposal and ensuring that the implementation lifts all sails,” Gedeon said.
Public interest in composting is what makes Waste No More attractive to businesses, Call said. The ordinance passed with 70% voter approval, meaning roughly 70% of customers would be pleased to know a business is being responsible about its waste.
Ultimately, Waste No More and curbside composting measures are relatively new and need time to gain momentum. But it is worth the benefits that composting brings to the community and establishing Denver’s status as a leader in zero waste initiatives, Luu said.
“We see Colorado as such an important market to scale composting infrastructure and the opportunities to do that,” Luu added.
4
