Arvada Press April 25, 2024

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Arvada City Council votes to change Liquor License process, hears updates from APD

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Council also honored Arvada history with National Preservation Month

BY LILLIAN FUGLEI SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Arvada’s city council had a busy meeting on April 15, which included voting to switch from a Liquor License Authority to a hearing ofcer and a workshop on public safety.

e meeting began with a proclamation for National Preservation Month. e proclamation — accepted by the Arvada Historical Society — honored the preservation of history in Arvada.

Liquor License Authority

During a public hearing, city council voted 7-0 to transition from a Liquor License Authority to a hearing o cer.

Previously, applications for a Liquor License were approved by the Liquor License Authority — a veperson citizen board. e board was also responsible for addressing violations of the liquor code.

However, with this change, license approval and violations will now be addressed by a hearing ofcer who will be appointed by the city. ough the hearing o cer has not been chosen yet, one of the city’s appointed judges will be selected to serve as the hearing ofcer.

According to Assistant City Attorney Kylie Justus, the change will save the city money and resources but also provide further insulation from legal liability.

“Having someone with a legally trained background who knows the narrow bounds in which these decisions need to be made would reduce the city’s legal risk,” Justus said.

“ e No. 1 reason we’re doing this is to minimize legal risk to the city,”

added council member Bob Fifer. “( e other bene ts) are nice, but at the end of the day I support this request based on the fact that it reduces our risk from a legal perspective.”

Public Safety

Council then moved into a workshop—hearing a presentation from the Arvada Police Department that covered crime statistics, sta ng and training.

According to the presentation, the Arvada Police Department has seen a downward trend in citizen calls for service over the last few years, with 73,567 calls in 2019 versus 71,374 calls in 2023. e department saw 2,528 arrests in 2023 — with 36% of those arrests being unhoused people.

Arvada Police Department is still struggling with sta ng issues following the deaths of o cers Gordon Beasley and Dillon Vako . e department sits at about 17% vacancy —or about 35 positions still open.

e department has seen a steady decline in applications since 2017, with 706 applications in 2017 and 197 applications in 2023. In addition, the department has seen an increase in resignations since 2021, with 29 resignations in 2021, and 23 resignations in both 2022 and 2023.

“Sta ng is the number one issue facing this department,” said Police Chief Ed Brady, who noted that the department was working to increase applications through social media outreach, adding a third recruiter and sending o cers to job fairs. ey also lowered the degree requirement for lateral o cers — police o cers who would be hired from other police departments in the state.

e presentation also focused on training for the department. While Colorado Peace O cer Standards and Training — or P.O.S.T — requires 24 hours of training annually, the Arvada Police Department completed 72 hours of training, which included some time spent learning about de-escalation techniques.

Arvada City Council declared April to be National Preservation Month, honoring the preservation of Arvada’s history.

PHOTO BY LILLIAN FUGLEI

Improvements in Laundry Machines Is Unending. Introducing Heat Pump Dryers

Over the last 20 years, I have listed many homes on the MLS, and when doing so it’s important to list the energy and water-saving appliances of the home in the MLS. Advertising a “high efficiency washer and dryer” became more and more common.

But now there are three generations of high efficiency that I can think of.

20 years ago, high efficiency meant front-loading. This reduced the amount of water needed compared to the old top-loading washers. New detergents were introduced for them.

Then, unexpectedly, a top-loading machine with no agitator took the title. Who knew that you could clean clothes that way? The washing machine saved water because it sensed the amount of clothes in the machine and adjusted the water use accordingly.

But what about the clothes dryer? Over the years you really could only choose between gas dryers and electric dryers, although I loved to point out the “solar dryer” in the backyard — a clothesline for drying clothes outdoors.

Meanwhile, it has always bothered me

how much hot air a dryer exhausts to the outdoors in the dead of winter instead of using that heat inside the house. An analog solution to that is the indoor lint trap. It is filled with water which traps the lint, and the warm air is exhausted into the room. The device is typically used when a vent to the exterior of the house is unavailable, but you might choose to use one because you want to capture the dryer’s heat instead of sending it outdoors. Remember, too, that the air which your home exhausts must be replaced by outside air coming in through cracks, bathroom/kitchen exhaust piping, etc. So you are not only losing that heat in the winter, you are drawing in cold air from outside. There are multiple solutions to this dilemma. In addition to using the lint trap described above (in which case you’ll want to seal the exhaust pipe to outdoors), you can replace your existing dryer with what’s called a condensing dryer, typically using a heat pump instead of gas or traditional resistancebased electrical heating.

A condensing dryer has the ability to keep the heat within your house through

This & That: Other Topics for Your Consideration

Preparing a Home for Inspection

Before putting your home on the market, there are things you can do, not only to help it show better, but to prepare it for the inevitable buyer inspection.

My friends at Alpine Building Performance, LLC, offer this short checklist:

 Gather maintenance records, receipts and service manuals

 Replace inoperable light bulbs

 Change furnace filter if dirty and vacuum the cabinet which holds the filter

 Clean the home

 Ensure smoke detectors & carbon monoxide detectors are in place and operable

 Clean roof gutters

 Check for plumbing leaks and water damage

When the time comes to show your home, here are some basic staging principles to adopt.

 Clear kitchen counters of all but essential items, including small appliances

 Remove all refrigerator magnets, etc.

 Thin all storage cabinets and areas, including closets, preferably to half full.

 Hire a listing firm like us that provides a free staging consultation

Broker associate David Dlugasch, 303908-4835, is a certified staging consultant. I hire him to provide that free consultation to my sellers. Call him for “free advice.”

Reducing Cement’s CO2 Output

The manufacture of cement, the binding component for concrete, is reportedly responsible for 8% of the earth’s carbon dioxide emissions, the main contributor to climate change. Next month, a company in California will begin shipping bags of cement which were manufactured creating 10% less CO2 emissions.

An Associated Press article on April 11 reported on Fortera’s innovation, which “intercepts carbon dioxide exhaust from the kilns where cement is made and routes it back in to make additional cement,” according to the article, for which I provided a link on our blog, http://RealEstateToday.substack.com

According to the article, “Initially Fortera will produce enough to mix with about one-fifth of CalPortland’s product in a blend that reduces carbon by about 10%. [Fortera CEO Ryan] Gilliam said there is a strong demand for higher blends that reduce carbon by 40-50%, and for a pure product the company makes, which has 70% lower carbon.”

Because Fortera’s technology can be applied to every cement factory on the planet and uses the same material the industry already uses, they claim their technology is an economically competitive option to quickly reduce carbon emissions that are warming the planet.

internal processing. It’s also called a ventless dryer. Google it to learn more and to see where you can buy them (everywhere) and what they cost.

Heat pump dryers use less electricity than conventional dryers because they use an evaporator to remove the moisture and then recycle the warm air so they don't have to heat the ambient air again.

Because a heat pump dryer is ductless, you don’t have to worry about lint buildup in the vent pipe, which could lead to a fire. There are 13,000 household fires caused by clothes dryers every year in the U.S.

Because heat pump dryers are ductless, they can be installed in any room. Perhaps you’d like to have one in your walk-in closet or ensuite bathroom.

A secondary benefit is that because heat pump dryers operate at a lower temperature, your clothes will last longer.

If you want to save space and don’t like stackable washers/dryers, you can buy an all-in-one machine that does both.

TheCoolDown.com offers other suggestions for saving energy and water, and reducing your personal carbon footprint. The single biggest savings is by using cold water unless absolutely necessary.

Also, dryer sheets and fabric softeners, they say, work by adding petroleumbased chemicals to your clothing, which can cause eczema. Dryer balls are a onetime purchase that work better. (We use them.)

We buy detergent in gallon-size plastic jugs, but they suggest buying powder instead since it’s questionable whether that jug, made from petroleum, will be recycled, even if you put it in the your recycling cart.

This article and the one below appeared in last week’s Denver Post column.

You’d be amazed how many older building materials included asbestos. If you disturb asbestos, making it airborne, you endanger the health of yourself, your workers and your children.

Because asbestos doesn’t burn, it was used to wrap pipes and ductwork in older homes, and in other less obvious materials. If your home has popcorn ceilings which you want to remove, you should definitely test for asbestos first.

Asbestos is also present in older adhesives used with vinyl flooring. Older gas fireplaces had inserts made of asbestos. It is also found in older roof shin-

gles and siding, in certain Chinese drywall boards, in vermiculite insulation, and in some ceiling tiles.

Although asbestos materials are safe when left alone, disturbing them can be hazardous. See my post of this at http:// RealEstateToday.substack.com for useful links on this topic.

Archive of Past Columns Is Online

Over the past two decades this column has appeared in the Denver Post, and during that time I’ve written about every conceivable topic related to real estate, You can find and search that archive online at www.JimSmithColumns.com

Sherwin-Williams Paint

Store robbed; multiple car thieves caught in Candelas

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A Sherwin-Williams Paint Store located at 15220 West 64th Ave. was robbed after someone broke a glass door and took merchandise from the store. No suspects have been found, according to Arvada Police. e incident occurred around 5:40 a.m. on April 9. Additional ofcers arrived on scene to search the building and nearby area but were unable to nd a suspect. e investigation is ongoing.

Two car thefts in Candelas

Around noon on April 9, APD ofcers responded to a reported motor vehicle theft in the Candelas area when one o cer noticed that a vehicle on the side of the road matched the description of a sus-

pect car believed to be involved in an unrelated robbery nearby.

O cers located a juvenile male suspect in the car and determined that the vehicle was stolen. He was arrested for motor vehicle theft.

At the same time, other o cers located the car described in the rst call in a nearby shopping center. One juvenile male and one adult male were found in that car and arrested for motor vehicle theft and vehicle trespass.

Bomb threat on pedestrian trail

At around 6 p.m. on April 14, ocers were conducting a welfare check on the pedestrian trail that runs under the Wadsworth Boulevard overpass near where Ralston Creek runs under the thoroughfare. A suspicious object was found at the site, which prompted Arvada Police to call the Je erson County Sheri ’s Department Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team.

Once EOD arrived, they cleared the suspicious device and found no evidence of explosives.

Arvada Visitors Center searching for Board of Directors member

Applications to fill the three-year at-large term due on May 3

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e Arvada Visitors Center is seeking to ll a vacancy on its Board of Directors in the coming months, with the chosen candidate to be approved in July.

Interested folks must complete an application by May 3, with the current board of directors set to review applications by May 15. At that point, the board will select threenalists, and Arvada Visitors Center Director Jean Gordon will hold nal interviews during May, and the new board member will be noti ed in early June.

Finally, the board member will be approved at the July 17 board meeting.

“We are looking for someone that

views Arvada as a must-see, mustvisit city in the metro area, while also realizing the value that tourism can bring,” Gordon said. “Visitors generate sales tax revenue, which helps to pay for our police, city parks, improvements to infrastructure, and many other services that bene t the entire community.

“When tourism grows, our businesses stay strong and vibrant and our residents reap the bene ts. It is a win-win,” Gordon continued.

Gordon also said that with Arvada’s growing population makes working on the board an appealing

“Arvada has grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade,” Gordon said. “ ere is such an opportunity to further promote this community as a destination for tourists. e Arvada Visitors Center Board is an important part in leading that charge and is excited about welcoming a new Board member to the team.”

Applications can be found on the visitors center website, visitarvada. org.

Arvada crime statistics from April 8 to April 14.

COURTESY ARVADA POLICE

Google, Rewiring America and Gov. Polis announce a new energy savings tool for Colorado households

BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Gov. Jared Polis recently announced a collaboration with Google.org and the nonpro t Rewiring America. ey launched a tool to help Coloradans calculate their energy savings, the Colorado Energy E ciency Upgrade Savings Calculator. e tool is funded by a $5 million grant from Google.org.

“With this new tool, Coloradans can easily access discounts on heat pumps, electric vehicles, solar power and more. ese clean energy upgrades save Coloradans money, potentially thousands of

dollars, and will help Colorado achieve our climate goals to help future generations,” said Gov. Polis. e calculator was created to help families calculate their savings from upgrading to a more energy-e cient lifestyle. ose savings come from the many incentives and credits available from federal, state and local sources, according to the governor’s press release announcing the project.

“Tens of thousands of dollars in local, state, utility, and federal incentives make these zero-emission technologies more a ordable and accessible,” said Colorado Ener-

gy O ce Executive Director Will Toor. “ is easy-to-use tool will help Coloradans maximize these incentives to pay the lowest possible cost for home energy upgrades, which reduce pollution and save them money on utility costs.”

e calculator was the brainchild of the nonpro t Rewiring America and the Google.org Fellows. Rewiring America is an organization that promotes electrifying communities. According to the governor’s announcement, the Google.org Fellows are a team of engineers, program managers, and other IT experts who work on pro bono projects.

“Collaborating with Rewiring America enabled our Google.org Fellows to support the creation of a cross-country impact by helping American households take advantage of these new electri cation incentives,” said Bhavna Chhabra, senior director of software engineering and Google’s Boulder ofce lead. “It’s a great example of how advanced technology, like AI, can be leveraged in a bold and responsible way. As a Coloradan, I’m proud that our state is leading on climate solutions at the household level.”

How Columbine can reshape news media to better serve the public

BY RYLEE DUNN AND ELLIS ARNOLD RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA AND EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Nearly 25 years after a mass shooting plunged Columbine High School into the national consciousness, a former principal and two current teachers sat down for interviews with news reporters ahead of the tragedy’s anniversary.

Media Day, organized by the Jefferson County School District as a way to shield teachers and students from a barrage of reporters, o ered them a chance to re ect on where journalists went wrong in covering the shooting.

One frustration that still sticks in their minds: News coverage can amplify rumors and misinformation, including the narrative that the two students committed the shooting because they were bullied.

“I think a lot of times, the narrative that was given was not accurate,” said Frank DeAngelis, who served as Columbine’s principal at the time. “And unfortunately, 25 years later, that narrative is still out there.”

In the years since the attack, few events have stopped America in its tracks like that day.

e intervening years have seen school gun incidents on the rise and, in turn, a rise in the frequency in which such events are covered in the news media. And while mass school shootings haven’t necessarily become more common, they’ve taken on a higher death toll.

e way that media covers traumatic events has been debated by readers, scholars and journalists alike, but a few lessons have become clear, as highlighted by those who study coverage of shootings and by those in the Columbine community like DeAngelis: Don’t make the shooters into legends. Don’t unwittingly inspire future killings. Don’t turn the tragedy into myth and misinformation.

University of Colorado Boulder professor Elizabeth Skewes, a media scholar, posits that people have become desensitized to news of

mass shootings, and survivors and those impacted indirectly have been retraumatized.

Unfettered access to news at America’s ngertips through smartphones “can make it so that when everything feels dramatic, nothing is dramatic,” Skewes said.

“Any mass shooting is awful,” she said. “Unfortunately, we have so many that they have become almost routine.”

Shooters in the years after the 1999 attack emulated the Columbine killers. University of Connecticut assistant professor Amanda Crawford said that is partly because reporters, whether they meant to or not, glori ed the killers. She said journalists should avoid that.

“You can’t underestimate the impact of that news coverage — of that media attention — on our larger ideas about mass shootings, about school shootings, about youth perpetrators, about this ongoing mass shooting crisis,” Crawford said.

Covering the Columbine shooting

e Columbine attack remains a singular event in the canon of mass shootings in the United States, due to a number of factors: the advent of 24-hour news, police protocols of the time period and news coverage that sensationalized the shooters, Skewes said.

“Columbine was really the rst televised mass shooting,” Skewes said, adding: “I think a lot of journalists didn’t quite know what to do, even though there had been other mass shootings to some degree.”

Skewes added that the police protocol of the time was to assume criminals take hostages and wait, meaning that news outlets had time to mobilize to the scene but lacked concrete information — leading to rampant speculation.  “ is unfolded over hours,” Skewes said. “News organizations could be there to see it unfold and to photograph it as it unfolded too … ere was so much misinformation initially.”

John McDonald, formerly executive director of Je co School Security from 2008 to 2022, now the chief operating o cer for the Council on School Safety Leadership, said the rush to get information out led to the dissemination of faulty narratives, such as incorrect theories about the killer’s backgrounds, becoming widespread.

“ e other problem with Columbine is the facts and circumstances surrounding it and the narrative out of the media was so di erent from the truth because everybody was trying to make sense of the unimaginable,” he said.

Tom Fildey, who was a senior at Evergreen High School and a photojournalism intern at Evergreen Newspapers — which published the Columbine Courier, the area’s local paper, at the time — said that while he rushed to cover the attack, radio stations provided spotty information.

“I raced down the hill, listening to the radio the whole way,” said Fildey, who now works in the production department in our newsroom, which produces two dozen metro area newspapers, including the Littleton Indepen-

dent.

“No information was really becoming available; every station you listened to was telling you something di erent. It was one person or two shooters, or many shooters and the body count was three, eight, whatever. Everything was all over the place.”

Graphic images circulated widely, while cell phones enabled a urry of calls to local stations from people promising information to journalists who needed to ll airtime and newspaper pages. at included callers who told TV news stations they were on campus as the incident unfolded, according to a case study by Alicia Shepard, who wrote for the American Journalism Review. One caller who had claimed to be a student at the school turned out to have called from Utah, where he was a 25-year-old snowboarder.

ings were reported “breathlessly” without being properly factchecked, Skewes said.

In the days and weeks following the shooting, some of the coverage turned toward the shooters —

Tom Fildey, a graphic designer at Colorado Community Media, flips through old Columbine Community Courier newspapers from when he was an intern at the paper 1999. The newspapers include reporting and photos from his team from the day of the Columbine shooting and the weeks that followed. PHOTO BY NINA JOSS

the cover of Time magazine shortly after the massacre and the corresponding spread centered the perpetrators, not the victims.

“All of the focus was on the shooters,” Skewes said. And “then I think as the days unfolded, there was such an attempt to explain the actions of (the shooters) by who they were — they were goth, they were trench coats, they were this, they were that — and they were none of it.”

e portrayal of the shooters as victims of bullying, ampli ed by news coverage, may have helped inspire more killings. In his manifesto, the 2007 Virginia Tech shooter referred to the Columbine killers as martyrs.

“Shooters and attempted school shooters followed the Columbine model, so it created this social script,” said Crawford, the assistant journalism professor.

“Of the 12 documented school rampage shootings in the United States between Columbine in 1999 and the end of 2007, eight (66.7%) of the rampagers directly referred to Columbine,” Ralph Larkin of the City University of New York wrote in a 2009 study.

And of the 11 rampage shootings outside the U.S. in that time, six had direct references to the Columbine shooting, the study says.

News outlets like the Rocky Mountain News and Washington Post wrote about bullying, or a culture of mistreatment, at Columbine as a motivation for the shooting. But mental health experts from an FBI summit focused on the conclusion that one of the shooters was a psychopath, according to Dave Cullen, who wrote the book “Columbine,” an examination of the shooting. DeAngelis, Columbine’s former principal, said he viewed the so-called “basement tapes” — home videos made by the shooters — and said they talked about being “superior.”

“ e reality is that lots of people are bullied who don’t commit a mass murder, so that’s not a real answer as to why the shooting happened, right?” Crawford said.

Mass shootings by the numbers

e history of modern mass school shootings in the U.S. stretches back at least to the 1966 University of Texas tower shooting, and a number of school shootings occurred in the 1990s before Columbine.

“But Columbine was really the inci-

dent that brought this phenomenon into the public consciousness,” Crawford said.

And the way news media covered the Columbine shooting likely fueled imitators.

“A lot of these shooters are trying to become famous. For instance, even with the Las Vegas shooter, the FBI found no motive for the shooting other than a quest for infamy,” Crawford said. “Why do they think mass shootings make you famous in the media? Because it made the Columbine gunmen famous in the media.”

U.S. school gun incidents have become more frequent in the past 25 years and are now at their highest recorded levels — and school mass shootings, although not necessarily increasing in frequency, have become more deadly, according to a March 2024 study in the

journal Pediatrics. An initiative called e Violence Project, with support from the U.S. Department of Justice, created a database of mass shootings from 1966 to 2019.

Some main takeaways include:

• e database spanned more than 50 years, yet 20% of the 167 mass shootings in that period occurred in the last ve years.

• e death toll has risen sharply, particularly in the last decade. In the 1970s, mass shootings claimed an average of eight lives per year. From 2010 to 2019, the end of the study period, the average was up to 51 deaths per year.

Of mass shootings in the database, about 8% occurred at a K-12 school, with about 5% happening at a college or university.

RESHAPING

The impact of covering mass shootings

e advent of smartphones has made it so that large numbers of people are noti ed when a mass shooting happens — whether it directly impacts them or not. But the rushed-out, breaking stories aren’t always the best versions of the stories. And, though news organizations have learned lessons since Columbine, initial accounts of stories can still be wrong, or triggering.

“I think slower journalism is better journalism,” Skewes said. “I teach at CU and if I get an alert on my phone that says ‘Something is happening on campus, you need to lock down’ and I’m on campus, that’s helpful information because then I know it’s a safety issue.

“But if I get an alert on my phone

that is about something at (another CU campus), I can’t do anything about it,” Skewes continued. “All I can do is worry and speculate.

Skewes said she would instead prefer well-vetted information about what happened that a reporter has taken their time to discern and fact-check.

She also discussed the impact that the Columbine shooting and the mass shootings that have occurred in the wake of it may have had in creating more such events.

“ ere’s two things they talk about in the literature: One is the contagion e ect and the other is the copycat e ect,” Skewes said.

Skewes said the “contagion e ect” is the noticeable increase in mass shootings in the wake of a prominent one — “a ripple e ect, if you will,” she said.

Copycat e ects typically refer to imitation of a person’s behavior, while contagion is based on the idea that behaviors can “go viral”

and spread through society like diseases, according to an article in the journal American Behavioral Scientist.

McDonald said the fascination with the Columbine shooting still follows the school around, 25 years later.

“Every media story about a school shooting is a Columbine-style shooting,” McDonald said. “So, we have struggled for years to try and get o the radar and it’s a big lift.

ey still come from around the world, they want to come to the school, it’s a place of fascination for people and all we want to do is educate kids.”

Less emphasis on perpetrators

At Media Day by the Je erson County School District in early April, Je Garkow, a Columbine social studies teacher who was a student at the school from 2002 to 2006, said it seems like there’s less emphasis on perpetrators in media coverage of school shootings now, which he thinks is “hugely positive.”

DeAngelis, who served as Columbine’s principal at the time of the shooting, is glad to see more caution in news coverage of tragedies.

“Media are saying ‘we can’t conrm this,’ and they’re waiting for information,” DeAngelis said.

Sam Bowersox-Daly, another current Columbine teacher, expressed concern that today’s media coverage of shootings often becomes tied to a political issue and what politicians are doing.

“Focusing on Washington after it happens, does that take away from — these are still people,” Bowersox-

Daly said.

Garkow remembers the fth anniversary of the shooting, when MTV News reporters o ered to pay for Qdoba burritos if students would do an interview, he said.

“ e media was chasing kids around, like trying to corner us at lunch,” Garkow said.

DeAngelis and Christy, the current principal, both sighed with relief when asked whether Media Day helps them. DeAngelis said the phone used to ring o the hook, especially during the 20th anniversary. is year, he’d only received one call from a national reporter as of Media Day. For Christy, it’s helpful for keeping reporters away from the campus and preventing them from interrupting the school day.

‘A time for extreme sensitivity’

“Back then, it wasn’t the same as it is now,” Fildey said. “I think (journalists) bring a lot more empathy to our work (now).”

Fildey recalled being at a memorial service shortly after the massacre when a group of about 12 survivors huddled together in a moment of solidarity. In the center of the circle, a photographer lay on the ground, wide angle lens pointing up at traumatized teens.

“Great photo,” Fildey said. “But man, that’s kind of an invasion.”

Skewes is working with University of Dayton Professor Katie Alaimo on a book about media coverage of mass shootings, and said she was prompted to do so after the 2012 Aurora theater shooting.

BY SUZIE GLASSMAN

Je erson County trans community rallies to back district’s student policy

MEDIA

Members and supporters of the Je erson County transgender community are praising the school board for the second time in two months for its support of the district’s transgender student policy. e policy protects students from genderidentity-based discrimination and directs sta to use a student’s preferred name regardless of whether their name has legally changed.

e community’s show of support comes amid calls from two organizations, Gays Against Groomers and the Alliance Defending Freedom, to

rescind or change the policy. e policy also allows for caseby-case consideration of the sleeping arrangements of transgender students attending overnight activities or athletic trips with the goals of “maximizing the student’s social integration, providing equal opportunity to participate in overnight activity and athletic trips, ensuring the student’s safety and comfort, and minimizing stigmatization of the student.”

Richard Guggenheim of the Gays Against Groomers Colorado Chapter issued a press release last month calling for “all media and concerned parents to make their voices heard

to bring an end to these abusive policies” during an organized rally outside the school board meeting.

According to Guggenheim, the policy “manipulates federal law to create unsafe spaces for students under the guise of LGBTQIA+ ‘rights.’” e March rally was postponed until April after a snowstorm caused the board to switch to a virtual meeting.

Attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom representing the parents of a Je erson County female student assigned to room with a transgender classmate during a summer trip to Washington D.C. sent a demand letter to the district

in December asking for immediate clari cation on whether district parents will receive noti cation regarding the sex of their children’s assigned roommates before the trip and if they can “opt their children out of any policy that rooms children by gender identity rather than sex.”

According to reporting by e Denver Post and other media outlets, a private travel organization made the room assignments, and the district claims it didn’t know about the student’s transgender status at the time.

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Operations Assistant

Colorado Community Media is hiring an Operations Assistant to work with managers and staff to ensure tasks are completed as needed.

We believe that a creative, learning environment staffed with talented people who want to grow and utilize the newest and best tools will result in a dynamic and successful culture that has a positive impact on our clients’ businesses and our community. Our brand is one of the most trusted in the communities we serve. We’ve built this reputation by providing award-winning news coverage and top-notch customer service, and by being engaged in our communities at all levels.

The ideal candidate will possess the following:

• Be an excellent multi-tasker working on several projects simultaneously.

• Be deadline oriented.

• Possess an understanding of all Microsoft Office products.

• Perform administrative tasks i.e. updating reports, delivering items as needed and more.

• Excellent customer service and communication skills.

Join our team, working from our Englewood office and remote. This position offers competitive pay starting at $17.50/per hour and a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision. Life and paid holiday, vacation, sick and personal time.

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We’re committed to building an inclusive organization that represents the people and communities we serve. We encourage members of traditionally underrepresented community to apply, including people of color, veterans, LGBTQ people and people with disabilities.

Interested applicants can submit a resume and cover letter with references to VP of Sales and Advertising

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POLICY

FROM PAGE 9

Despite the attention brought to the policy by the lawsuit and Gays Against Groomers, April’s rally only gathered around 10-15 protestors, according to Morgan Richards from Wheat Ridge for Equity. She also said an equal number of people gathered in support of the district’s policies for trans students.

“To the people here to argue against board doc JBR (the transgender student policy), I’m sorry that my son is nothing more to you than a political pawn in some game of morality that you’re playing that seeks to erase his existence,” said Nicole, who didn’t give her last name when speaking to the board.

“School board, thank you for prioritizing the rights and the life of my young son,” she continued. “ ank

SAVINGS

FROM PAGE 5

e savings calculator also has language translation capabilities and is designed to be easy to operate. e collaborators hope that the tool helps households reduce their climate impact without economic compromises.

“We’re thrilled to launch this new tool in a state that is truly leading the way on residential electri ca-

you for caring more about his right to an education than making your job easier. ank you for doing the work we know is necessary to protect the lives of a group of students all too prone to suicidal ideation.”

Zephyr James Orr, a parent of two Je erson County students and a representative of Wild Child Parenting, where he works with LGBTQ youth, also urged the board to keep the policy intact and to consider increasing sta training around protections for trans kids in the face of such attacks.

“Removing protections from trans youth does not erase trans people. It simply puts this vulnerable population at higher risk and undermines Je Co’s mission of preparing all students for bright and successful futures,” Orr said.

e school district did not respond to a request for comment regarding attacks against its transgender student policy.

tion, thanks to Gov. Polis’ leadership and the e ort of so many advocates,” said Ari Matusiak, CEO of Rewiring America. “We look forward to continuing to work in partnership to make these important home upgrades more a ordable and accessible to all. With this calculator, households in Colorado are only a few clicks away from the next steps on their electri cation journey.”

To access the calculator, go to https://homes.rewiringamerica. org/calculator.

Zephyr James Orr speaks at a recent school board meeting. SCREENSHOT

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If you are old enough you grow to realize that most everything in life ebbs and ows. Markets of all sorts rise and fall. Teams that were winners one season can be losers the next. It is the same in politics. Back in 1937 after Roosevelt’s reelection landslide, there were 105 Republicans in total in both houses of the United States Congress. Republicans were in a super minority status. ey barely had 20 percent of all the seats. Ten years later they were in a majority for the 80th Congress. Fortunes rise and fortunes wane.

What happened from 1937-1947 was that some dedicated action on the part of volunteers and donors occurred to turn the tide. It was intelligent action that persuaded others to help the GOP gain a majority in Congress to push good policy. It did not happen overnight, but happen it did. When I wrote the rst draft of this column out last week, my intention was to state that I have every belief that the Colorado GOP will rise again and gain seats.

After Saturday’s State Convention in Pueblo I cannot say that honestly

JOE WEBB

What does it mean to be a true ally? Like many people, Denver playwright Je rey Neuman found himself pondering this question following the 2020 murder of George Floyd and the ensuing Black Lives Matter movement.

“I always thought of myself as a really strong ally, but I began to wonder what does true allyship mean and look like,” Neuman said. “I started thinking about how I could tell a story about this and kept feeling the pull of Greek mythology. When you’re thinking about white saviors, what white saviors are more problematic than the Greek gods?” at’s how Neuman came to write “ e Road to Lethe,” which makes its world premiere on Friday, April 26 at the Benchmark eatre, 1560 Teller St. in Lakewood. e show

Columnist

VOICES

Parting words

or keep a straight face being optimistic about the future of limited government in Colorado.

e Republicans in the 1930s and 1940s were intelligent and dedicated about getting out of the minority. If today’s Colorado GOP is intelligent about getting out of the minority, as a rst step they should avoid ejecting reporters from their conventions.

Many think the mainstream media has bias and there are ample amounts of tangible evidence in that regard. But if you have nothing to hide then you certainly do not get sheri ’s deputies to eject a reporter from the Colorado Sun who is reporting. is should be common sense. It was for me. I let MSNBC into one of my assemblies and did not bother them. Nothing bad happened. It is an unsavory image ejecting someone that gives rise to the worst thoughts in those who read

about it. Among those thoughts are thinking the worst about Republican or conservative candidates.

It was thinking the worst about Republicans that led to the beginning of this little column. I wrote a letter to the then-editor of the Columbine Courier, Michael Hicks about the shooting at the Capitol Baseball Game in 2017 that wounded Steve Scalise. Michael invited me to write for the Canyon and Columbine Courier after we met. It has been an enjoyable and interesting experience.

is is my last column. For a few reasons, I need to turn the page on a few chapters in my life. I have enjoyed it immensely. When I was rst asked to write, the best advice I received was from my great friend Joy Ho man. She told me to keep it positive and I think I have. My reason for soft selling was that I wanted those who read me to see conservatives as people rather than the harsh unfeeling troglodytes that some would make us believe we are. I got personal and shared stu with the readers because conservatives have hard times too. We care about

our communities and our neighbors. We wish to make them model places in which to live. We are real people.

I ended my rst column by paraphrasing former Speaker Paul Ryan’s quote about conservatives and Republicans. Here is something that I would like for everyone to remember about conservatives and Republicans. We are young, old and in-between. We have all sorts of religious beliefs and some of us have none at all. We are male and female. We encompass every sociological de nition imaginable. We are your friends, coworkers and neighbors. You know us. We are Americans just like you and we have a right and duty to in uence the future of our country. We do this because we want what is best not just for ourselves and those we love, but everyone in our community.  anks for listening to me, Je co. ank you Colorado Community Media (support it!) and thank you to editor Kristen Fiore.

Joe Webb is the former chairman of the Je co Republican party.

Benchmark takes ’The Road to Lethe’

COMING ATTRACTIONS

runs through Saturday, May 18, with performances at 8 p.m. on ursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Directed by Betty Hart and featuring Arthur McFarlane III, eden origin, Jennifer Condreay, Christine Kahane and Barbara Porreca, the show is based on “ e Judgement of Paris,” also known as “ e Golden Apple,” a famous story in Greek mythology, but given a contemporary twist. It follows what happens when a mysterious Amazon package arrives at the home of three white women and they hire a black man to assemble what’s in-

side.

Audiences don’t need to be familiar with the myth to connect to the story, which explores issues of systemic racism and white saviorism in a thoughtful and challenging way. And while it may sound very heady and heavy, there is also humor and a tender heart beating beneath it all.

“What theater does so powerfully is allows audiences to go on a journey and move their perspective from seeing someone as ‘the other’ to putting them in the actor’s shoes,” Hart said. “ eater is an amazing tool for sparking increased empathy, which audiences are able to feel viscerally, instead of just intellectually.”

Watching a play he’s written come to life for the rst time is a profound experience for Neuman and he enjoys being part of the collaborative

process, while at the same time giving the director, actors and designers plenty of room to create as they see t.

“Every single production of your play is going to look and feel different,” he said. “ ere’s something alchemical about the theatrical collaboration process. I’m creating a blueprint for a structure that may not look how I thought it would in the end.”

One of Hart’s favorite things about theater is its ability to create and foster conversations, and she believes “ e Road to Lethe” will leave audiences with plenty to discuss.

“I want people to have conversations about how ordinary interactions can be much more than what they seem on the surface.

Clarke Reader

150 minutes

The reminder I got from my doc to get 150 minutes of weekly exercise was a wakeup call. By my standards, I had been slacking. Oh, I’d get in workouts here and there, but not on a regular, dedicated regimen. I could feel the results in my body, and it was beginning to a ect my frame of mind. I was increasingly feeling tighter in both, which, in my belief, are indistinct from each other. e reminder from my doctor, who specializes in sports medicine, prompted me to think about how I primarily used to get my cardio-vascular workouts: running.

I had abandoned running over a considerable time ago because I had thought it was putting too much stress on my system. But that really wasn’t the case. e truth was I was rationalizing, justifying giving up something that was becoming increasingly strenuous. I had begun to look at running as a chore rather than a delight, and as a result, I was becoming sedentary, less active, in short, lazy. “Wow!” I thought as I mulled over my doc’s point. I turned my computer o , slipped into my running attire, laced up my shoes and headed out the door.

A few weeks later, a New York Times article extolling the bene ts of exercise and how it can strengthen the brain reinforced something that had been taking root in my mind: Due to my rediscovered running routine, I was not only feeling stronger physically but also sharper mentally and more upbeat emotionally.

at validated for me the evidence that shows regular moderate —150 minutes per week — exercise has salutary bene ts not only for the body but also for working memory and other executive functions. e reason is believed to be movement increases the release of neurotransmitters in the brain, particularly epinephrine and norepinephrine, which are necessary for being attentive to tasks and information gathering. And regular exercise is proven to help increase mood-enhancing serotonin and dopamine, which is the reason that despite aching muscles, we tend to smile after a hard workout. At least I do.

Another bene t of regular exercise is increased blood ow delivers

JERRY FABYANIC

Columnist

vital molecules to the brain. ey in turn act in concert with a hormone called B.D.N.F. — brain-derived neurotrophic factor — which is essential for creating synapses between neurons. One expert called B.D.N.F fertilizer for the brain. at is especially important for seniors to understand given how the brain, including the hippocampus that controls memory and mood, shrinks with age. Evidence shows those su ering from dementia have decreased size in their hippocampus. Exercise can mitigate or counteract that decline.

Following on the heels of reading that article, I read another about the dearth of reading among American adults. I couldn’t help but see a correlation between the two pieces.

According to a You.gov poll, 54% of Americans read one book in 2023, which means almost half read none. at was especially true among those without college degrees with nearly 60% saying they didn’t read one. e good news is, however, that among those who have read at least one, the gap between college and non-college graduates in the number of books they read was considerably narrower.

Book — novel — reading, though, might not be an accurate measure of literacy. Friends and other readers have shared with me they like reading essays like this because they nd them thought-provoking, yet not lengthy or time-consuming to ingest. And therein lies the holy grail to a sharp, agile mind into elderly years: a nutritious diet supplemented by daily exercise both of the body and of the brain by reading works that challenge and strengthen those synapses and neurons. Acting in combination, they create fertile ground where worthwhile thoughts can take root and thrive. After all, why till and fertilize the soil if you’re not going to grow some luscious vegetables or gorgeous owers in it?

BREDESON

Theron Dean Bredeson

May 4, 1943 - January 23, 2024

eron Bredeson, 74, passed away at the end of a life of love and service on January 18, 2024.After graduating from Arvada West High School in 1968, eron embarked on an extraordinary life, including careers in the United States Air Force and Je erson County Public Schools-–as well as dedication to Colorado Automobile Racing Club (CARC), and Warm Hearts Warm Babies, an organization dedicated to caring for Colorado’s tiniest citizens.

eron is remembered by his devoted wife of over 50 years, Glenda Ann (Patton), and his children eresa Butler; Jennifer

Morris-Hayes and her husband Marshall; and Jim Bredeson and Nick Alder. His legacy continues through the lives of his grandchildren Meghan and her husband Bobby, Shelby, and Eleanor. He is also survived by his brother Jim. He was preceded in death by his parents Odward and Helen, and his son David Butler. A celebration of eron’s life will be held on Saturday, May 4, 2024 at 1:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall of King of Glory Lutheran Church, 10001 W 58th Ave. All are welcome. His wife, Glenda, will relocate to Virginia soon after to be nearer her children.

In Loving Memory

Our ‘Columbine at 25’ project

Last week, our newsroom released the rst part of our two-week series “How Columbine changed us.” It looks back on the 25 years since the tragic shooting at Columbine High School, where two armed students took the lives of 13 people before ending their own. e narrative often repeated in the media focuses on the killers and victims, but, as we reported in week one, it overlooks Columbine’s journey of re-

covery, resilience and triumph. In week two, we touch on the issues of safety in “How Columbine changed response.” In the aftermath of Columbine, schools across the country have increased security measures. ese include classroom doors that lock from the inside, single-point entry systems, security cameras, metal detectors, scanners and drills. And, rst responders have changed how they communicate.

Our biggest nding is that the de ning aspect of Columbine is not the shooting, but the response of the community. It is the indomitable spirit that has emerged and evolved at the school and surrounding area since 1999. is spirit is evident in the school’s Day of Service, held every April 20, the anniversary of the shooting. As teacher Mandy Cooke, a survivor of the 1999 incident, puts it, “We have turned that day into some-

thing so positive… making sure that our current students know how to be better humans in the world, instead of this awful, tragic thing that happened to us.” us, inclusive school culture is perhaps the most critical way Columbine changed us.

View the whole project online at coloradocommunitymedia.com/ columbine-at-25.

– Michael de Yoanna and Kristen Fiore, editors

The Columbine High School yearbook, one of many points of pride for students and the community and part of the culture that those close to the school say is also a part of what makes it safer.

COURTESY OF KELLEY KELLOGG

BY HALEY LENA AND SUZIE GLASSMAN

Today, it’s common across the country for children as young as 4 and 5 to participate in active-shooter drills and shelter-in-place lockdowns about as often as they take standardized tests. at includes the Je erson County School District, where Columbine High School resides.

e Columbine of today has classroom doors that lock from the inside and a single-point entry for students, sta and visitors. It’s equipped with many visible and invisible ways to prevent and/or limit the impact of a mass-scale emergency, a kind that had not been on the national radar before the mass shooting.

While many people may believe school security is about physical barriers and policing threats, those working in the building today, including principal Scott Christy and social studies teachers Sam Bowersox and Je Garkow, say safety at Columbine is also about culture. As a result, the sum of those safety measures is far greater than the parts.

“Kids can’t learn if they don’t feel safe, and teachers can’t teach if they don’t feel safe. And so it’s everything. It’s incredibly important,” said Christy. “I think Columbine is the safest school in the world. My hope is that sta and students don’t think about what happened 25 years ago. ey see it as they see their school as a home, a place that they’re proud to be a part of, and a place that they know that they’re loved and cared for.”

Still, security has changed since the April 20, 1999 shooting.

John McDonald wasn’t at Columbine that day, but like countless others, his life was forever changed by the tragedy. Nine years later, he became the executive director of school safety for the Je erson County School District, including Columbine, and, since moving on, has continued to work to make schools safer.

“I hate to say good came out of it,”

said McDonald. “But what came out of (the Columbine shooting) was the commitment to protect kids.”

Before the tragedy, school o cials and security o cers focused on the potential dangers outsiders might in ict on their buildings. Overnight, they had to shift their thinking to consider that students could be threats, too, and how that might impact school safety plans.

Doing so took its toll. Between 1999 and 2008, the school district had multiple executive directors of school safety.

“ e job was di cult,” said McDonald, who held the position for 14 years starting in 2008. “It was overwhelming for people.”

McDonald, who is now the chief operating o cer for the National Council of School Security, was recognized internationally as the architect of the Columbine High School security and emergency management plan.

In April 1999, with no incident command structure in the district, school security consisted of a handful of cameras outside the school and a few school resource o cers. ere was a disconnect with local law enforcement agencies, who were unfamiliar with the insides of the school, critical information that would be useful for saving lives during an incident.

According to a 2018 Federal School Safety Commission report, there was a rush by leaders across the country to add security o cers and speed up response times, among other measures. Security experts also began considering how students, who often hear rsthand about planned attacks or suicidal ideations, might help tip them o . As a result, the Colorado Trust awarded a $375,000 grant to establish the anonymous 24/7 hotline Safe2Tell.

It’s di cult to know precisely how the immediate security changes impacted students. Walking into Columbine in August 1999, Kelley Kellogg said she didn’t focus on the

added security or the changes to the school other than being relieved that the library where the majority of the deaths occurred had been walled o .

Instead, she felt the typical nerves and excitement of any student on their rst day of high school. As a freshman, she hadn’t been there on the day of the shooting, but she knew several classmates who had, including one whose sibling had died.

“Mostly, we didn’t talk about it, even my friend who’d been directly impacted,” said Kellogg. “But I felt incredibly safe. Everyone was super vigilant and protective. Frank DeAngelis (the principal at the time) and all of the teachers took such good care of us, shielded us from the media attention and made us feel loved and cared for.”

A 2021 Students’ Reports of Safety and Security Measures Observed at School published by the National Center for Education Statistics indicated four measures became more prevalent in the ensuing years, from 2009 to 2019.

Students saw an increase in the use of one or more security cameras, a locked entrance or exit door during the day, student identi cation badges and security guards or assigned police o cers.

e sitting Je erson County School District Executive Director for the Department of School Safety, Je Pierson, said that in addition to more alarmed doors, secure classrooms, and vestibules to check identi cation, more information and security is coming with added cameras and security guards.

“I think it sends a message to our kids and our parents that we’ve got an additional set of eyes that are highly trained individuals watching out for and keeping an eye on what’s going on in our buildings,” said Pierson.

Six years ago, McDonald hired Pierson as the district’s director of safe school environments. In this role, he focused on enhancing part-

Columbine High School Principal Scott Christy stands on April 4 outside the Frank DeAngelis Community Safety Center in Wheat Ridge. He spoke to reporters there as part of the Je co Public Schools “media day” in connection with the 25th anniversary of the Columbine shooting.

nerships between schools, district leadership, and the Department of School Safety, seeking to establish a more proactive approach.

Before taking on this role, Pierson was the principal at Standley Lake High School in Westminster and trained in federal and police safety and policing programs. Pierson said having rst responder training and the lens of an educator has helped him break down barriers to how schools should operate.

Far more than the enforced wearing of student IDs and the additional patrol cars posted outside, Kellogg said safety came from a sense of belonging.

“I feel like everyone just kind of tried to get along,” she said. “Because even though this really tragic thing happened, I felt like we were a part of a family. Kids are kids, and stu still happens, but I felt like everyone tried their best to take care of each other.”

PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD

After more than 25 years of build-out, Colorado’s Digital Trunked Radio System has made a di erence, first responders say

BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY DGRIGSBY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In the years before the shooting at Columbine High School, Colorado had already started to address challenges within its radio communications system for rst responders. Primarily directed at helping rural and mountainous towns mitigate dead spots in coverage, these e orts were a promising step forward, particularly during wild res, when aid spanned multiple jurisdictions.

But on April 20, 1999, when more than 40 separate agencies descended upon Columbine High School, communication broke down.

As police, re and medical personnel responded to the shootings that took 13 lives, radio frequencies overloaded because so many di erent agencies were all trying to talk at once.

At one point, radios had become so useless that messengers on foot had to relay critical information between agencies, as then-chief of the state Fire Safety Division Kevin Klein told e Denver Post in 2011.

“Go back to Columbine — di erent responding agencies on di erent radio systems that couldn’t talk to each other,” Klein told the Post. “You had paralysis in the initial phase of the incident. We had to use runners to go back and forth to talk about what we’re going to do.”

But a quarter of a century later, many rst responders say that challenges aside, the state’s Digital Trunked Radio System (DTRS) has made a di erence.

Experts describe DTRS as a “system of systems” that connects re, law enforcement, medical, military

Colorado’s interoperable radio communication system for first responders has undergone continuous build-out over the past 25 years since Columbine. More commonly known as the digital trunked radio system (DTRS), this “system of systems” connects firefighters, law enforcement and other responders across a network of radios, both handheld and vehiclemounted. While it has seen its share of problems from inconsistent funding to technology glitches, Larkspur Fire Protection District Fire Capt. Chad Campagnola says he’s confident in the system and in its ability to perform in the event of a largescale emergency.

and federal assets with a network of radios, antennas and specialized software patches to bridge gaps between newer hardware and legacy equipment.

And even school districts can be part of the DTRS system.

“Any agency within the state can go to the system and connect with any other law enforcement or rst responder group that is on the scene of a critical incident,” Jacki Kelley, spokesperson for the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce, said of the DTRS.

Fire Capt. Chad Campagnola said the Larkspur Fire Protection District has been a part of the state’s DTRS systems since Douglas County transitioned to it in the early 2000s.

Campagnola, who has been with the department since 1992 and styles himself as the “district radio guy,” said that although the DTRS system added more capabilities for his team, the early roll-out was not without frustrations.

As in most jurisdictions, Campagnola cites the standard funding and technology challenges as the most troublesome.

Not only is the radio expensive, but there are also fees for each radio to be on the system and for certain types of software upgrades.

However, with more than two decades of build-out complete, Campagnola says he’s con dent in the system and feels it has evolved into a dependable asset that can help save lives and protect property.

Prior to DTRS, Larkspur had often experienced radio communication di culties due to its local geography and terrain.  ings are much better now.

“It’s de nitely an improvement from 24 years ago,” said Campagnola. “It’s also an improvement from two years ago. In our district speci cally, Douglas County has added more (radio) towers in the past ve years and that’s made an impact, especially for responders in the southern part of the county, as it a ects not just re but law enforcement, but roads and bridges, and the Douglas County School District — anyone operating within the DTRS coverage area.”

PHOTO BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY

PROGRAM

The Columbine Commission Report

Nine months after the Columbine massacre, then-Gov. Bill Owens signed an executive order creating the Columbine Review Commission in response to public outcry for answers. e 10-member board, chaired by retired Colorado Supreme Court Justice William H. Erickson, was charged with identifying lessons learned and how those lessons could prevent future tragedies.

e Columbine Review Commission Report was released in May 2001, nearly a year and a half later.

Anger and accusations ensued in the days after the report’s release as parents, school o cials and others demanded answers, saying the 174page report completely “glossed over” the events that led up to the attack and failed to properly investigate police response.

e commission o ered its recommendations but made no requirements for mandatory implementation. e commission was disbanded after its report was released, further infuriating the public.

However, among the commission’s top recommendations was the need to improve communications and, as a byproduct, more coordination among emergency response agencies. It recommended continuing development of the Digital Trunk Radio System.

Speci cally, the Columbine Commission recommended that “agencies in parts of the state not yet within the statewide system receive funds for the purchase of TRP 100 or similar systems, enabling them to be available in the event of a serious catastrophe in any part of the state.”

While much has changed since 1999, improving the rst responder radio system has been di cult in the decades since. e challenge in building out — and sustaining — Colorado’s interoperable communication system seem to be consistent among agencies and falls

into three distinct buckets: funding, planning, and training.

Colorado amply followed up with heavy investment in the DTRS program.

Putting a nger on exactly how much has been invested in Colorado’s DTRS program year-to-date is complicated as multiple sources of funding have been and continue to be employed. A  2016 memo from the Colorado Legislative Council provides an insight into the program’s early nancial history, nearing $250 million at the time.

But piles of money aside, what most didn’t realize is that this project would be far more than just buying new radios and issuing them to rst responders.

Building a statewide interoperable radio system would include the construction of multiple antenna towers — some of them in hard-toget-to mountainous terrain — to bridge growing technology gaps between new and legacy systems. State technology experts would also have to identify and manage radio frequencies, as well as convince jurisdictions to collaborate and share resources.

Legislation to provide interoperable communication funding for schools

In 2011, more than 10 years after the mass shooting, then-Gov. John Hickenlooper signed into law Senate Bill 11-173. e bill addressed the lack of interoperable communications between schools and rst responders during an emergency. It augments the Colorado School Response Framework, created in 2008, to improve school crisis response by clarifying that interoperable communications are included in a school district’s school safety, readiness, and incident management plan.

Senate Bill 18-158 created the School Access for Emergency Response program, which provides schools with grant funding to purchase interoperable communication hardware and software, pay for equipment maintenance and provide training. e goal was to facilitate “seamless communications between existing school communications systems and rst

responder communications systems.”

e state placed the SAFER program within the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and initially funded it with a $5 million transfer from the Department of Public Safety for the 2018-19 scal year. Subsequent years were funded by State Public School Fund transfers through July 1, 2023.

Colorado’s O ce of Information Technology currently oversees the state’s public safety communications network and the DTRS.

But even with millions in local, state and federal dollars invested in the DTRS program, completing — and sustaining — a statewide interoperable radio system still has a few bugs.

While most emergency management and public safety experts say the state’s system has improved dramatically and local governments are more organized and collaborative since the Columbine shooting, there is still work to do.

Other jurisdictions have a similar take.

e Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce — an early adopter of DTRS, joining Douglas County and Arapahoe County in the program in the late 1990s — was among the rst to arrive on the Columbine scene in 1999.

e agency understands, rsthand, what can go wrong when rst responders are unable to communicate. Brad Ingermann, a commander with the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce Patrol Division, said that while the state’s DTRS still has its challenges, his agency is far better o than it was at the time of the Columbine shooting and now clearly believes it has an interoperable radio system that works.

“While large-scale incidents such as Columbine are far more common than they used to be, they are still very rare compared to events such as wildland res,” he said.

Mobile data terminals or MDTs as they are known, are computers used in vehicles operated by fire, law enforcement and other fields to connect mobile units, such as this fire engine operated by the Larkspur Fire Protection District, to a central dispatch or communications center.

PHOTO BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY

A Day of Service: Columbine teacher assists with reshaping narrative

BY ELISABETH SLAY ESLAY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Every day Je rey Garkow frequents the halls of his alma mater.

Garkow graduated from Columbine High School in 2006 and now works there as a social studies teacher.

He is one of the rst people to help reshape how the school honors the 13 lives taken on April 20, 1999.

Prior to 2017, the school wouldn’t hold classes on April 20.

“My experience with April 20 on the professional side of things was that it was just a day o ,” Garkow said. “I think that was hard for a lot of people, especially for the sta who were here on April 20, 1999.”

So, in 2016, Garkow said he and other Columbine educators decided to reimagine the day o and launched Day of Service.

“ is, I think, is kind of giving us the chance to control the narrative a little more about what Columbine has been through and what we are now,” he said.

e rst Day of Service was held in 2017. Garkow said about 400 students volunteered to participate. Last year around 1,500 of the school’s 1,700 students participated in the event.

Students, alumni, sta and community members participate in various projects on the Day of Service including volunteering at nursing homes, spending time at animal shelters, cleaning up parks, working with younger students in the district and cleaning up the campus.

In 2019, Gov. Jared Polis signed a proclamation declaring that Colorado will observe a Day of Service and Recommitment on April 20 each year.

Over the years, more alumni have gotten involved with the day and even planned their own versions of the event at other schools or their places of employment.

Frank DeAngelis, former Columbine principal, said people have participated in the Day of Service from beyond the state — even as far

away as Tanzania.

“It’s stu like that that I think is so important,” he said. “Because here’s the thing. ere are kids now that weren’t even born, but there’s certain messages — kindness, saying thank you … How do we make the world a better place?”

Mandy Cooke, a Columbine High School employee and survivor of the shooting, said the Day of Service reects the school’s current attitude of moving forward with hope.

“We have turned that day into something so positive,” she said. “And that is what I am most proud of — is making sure that our current students know how to be better humans in the world, instead of this awful, tragic thing that happened to us.”

For Garkow, the best aspect of Day of Service is the reactions from students who he says have loved participating in the celebration and carry that impact long after they graduate or leave.

“It’s just a really cool thing to hear students talk about that and how much of an impact that made on them and how much they continue to want to do that now,” Garkow said.

Garkow was in fth grade at Governor’s Ranch Elementary School on April 20, 1999. All he really remembers is learning the impact that day had on the community.

Sometimes students ask him about the shooting and Garkow said he is as open as possible with them and does his best to answer their questions.

“ ere is so much misinformation online and on social media or on ReddIt or in news articles about our school and the culture of our school that I think students pick up on,” Garkow said.

Garkow feels protective of his students. He feels they should not have to answer to people who are curious about the school.

“What responsibility do our kids have to own that story when they weren’t even alive during it?” Garkow said. “I think a lot of our kids

have a di erent take on it now because they didn’t experience any of it.”

As a student himself, Garkow didn’t fully comprehend what had happened but did witness how tight-knit the community became.

“I came into the school already as a kid with a lot of pride in seeing what the community did after that and seeing how the community responded,” Garkow said.

He said DeAngelis became the center of that community in many ways.

“I think so much of why we are the community we are today is because of Frank,” Garkow said. “ at guy absolutely gave up everything for himself to take care of the community and made sure every kid felt valued and welcomed.”

Garkow said DeAngelis later hired him to teach at the school. He worked with DeAngelis for a few years before DeAngelis retired.

“I absolutely love being in the school,” Garkow said. “ ere’s 20plus alumni who I think work in the building and I think that speaks a

lot to the strength of the community (and) how much the school means to people.”

Garkow said the community of the school feels almost like a family.

“I think it’s rare to work in a place where so many of the people you were with are just dear friends,” Garkow said. “It’s pretty rare that I feel like I’m coming here just to work.”

Garkow works with a lot of his own former teachers.

“( ey) are mentors and friends and people who I hope I can model myself after as an educator just because they meant so much to me when I was a student here,” Garkow said.

Garkow said he hopes more stories about where the school is now are told rather than only re ecting on the past.

“

ere is so much tragedy but there have also been so many beautiful moments that’ve come out since, that I think it gives a much better picture of who we are now and where we are as a school,” Garkow said.

Social studies teacher and alumnus at Columbine High School, Je Garkow stands at his old locker from his time as a student. Garkow has pride in the school, which he shows each year at the school’s Day of Service on April 20. He assists with coordinating the event and feels it reshapes the narrative of Columbine as a school and community.

PHOTO BY ELISABETH SLAY

As Ingerman points out, wildland res can quickly spread across multiple jurisdictions and require a medley of rst responders and mutual aid partners — all arriving on the scene and many operating on di erent radio systems and channels.

DTRS helps solve this.

It does so by connecting rst responders by the use of pre-coordinated channels assigned to both day-to-day and emergency operations. Speci c talk groups are allocated based on responder function and assignments, freeing up channels and organizing incident information among multiple agencies and partners.

Hardware alone does not create interoperability

the purchase of equipment hardware: things like handheld radios, car radios, repeaters, antennas and tower systems.

Some experts in the eld recall “radio spending sprees” to purchase the 800-MHz radios — quickly spending grant money to avoid getting caught up in product shortages and back-order delays.

Fran Santagata, a retired U.S. Department of Homeland Security regulatory analyst and former Douglas County emergency manager, said the same was true for Colorado.

But interestingly, over the past 25 years, much of the federal dollars made available to states and local jurisdictions initially went toward

SECURITY

Evolving approach to safety and security

McDonald noted that school districts across Colorado struggled to create cohesive security plans until 2008, when state lawmakers passed a law creating the Colorado School Safety Resource Center “to assist schools in preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies and crisis situations and to foster positive learning environments.”

“But equipment alone doesn’t create interoperability,” she said. “ ere is a speci c element of coordination and planning required, as well as training. Prociency and comfort in using the equipment are just as important.”

For most jurisdictions, Larkspur included, a signi cant portion of their daily radio tra c occurs over the DTRS, as designed.

emergency channels.

“I think the DTRS got built out, the towers have helped tremendously, and all of the training has helped, but I think we still struggle at every event with the lowest common denominator, which is the individual rst responder only being comfortable using the frequency they use day to day,” she said. “Almost every after-action report usually has a paragraph — or a chapter — on how communications broke down.”

But, as Santagata suggests, many rst responders tend to be more comfortable with their daily comms channels than they are with their

energy at Columbine is relaxed and playful. e school’s 1,668 students walk the halls with ease, chatting with friends and making their way to class.

Additionally, the Standard Response Protocol, created by the I Love You Guys Foundation, was released in 2009 and is now used by countless districts across states. e guidelines made a di erence for the school district because they were an “emergency prepared, not emergency scared program” that everyone understood.

Columbine today

On a bright Tuesday morning, mere days before spring break, the

“I think there’s de nitely truth to that,” said Campagnola. “Dealing with, like, a uni ed command with three agencies where we are, we are very comfortable with our primary work zone or operational zone.”

But Campagnola notes the solution to that is not just the responsibility of the individual radio user.

He said agency leadership also plays an important role in developing good muscle memory for users, looking at the bigger picture and developing relevant training exercises to reinforce those skills.

ey aren’t worried about potential threats or the possibility of something terrible happening. at’s because safety is baked into the very fabric of the school’s culture, and the students know it, explains Columbine SRO Eric Ebling.

Columbine is the only school in Je erson County with two SROs, Ebling and Dan Wonner, who have been there since 2017 and 2019. SRO Joella Gallegos works at one of the feeder middle schools and communicates constantly with Ebling and Wonner. Because of its storied past, Columbine also has more unarmed campus supervisors than others in the Je erson County School District.

recruits in the county’s law enforcement academy and continues with day-to-day use as the recruit enters the force, and with annual exercises that help reinforce radio competency.

“But we are a think-outside-ofthe-box agency,” said Jacki Kelley, spokesperson for the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce. “We have an initial plan and a backup plan, but as you know, emergencies don’t always go the way you plan or the way you train.”

For the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce, DTRS training for its personnel begins as early as with new

(Wonner) and me, the sheri ’s o ce or even campus security. If you’re on this property, your job is safety and security.”

Yet, safety doesn’t come only from the number of o cers.

“It’s people. It’s communication, and it’s philosophy,” said Ebling. “It’s not mind-reading technology or drones. e only reason we can make this work every day is with the mindset that everyone’s job is safety and security. Security is not just Dan

But as communities continue to expand and population density increases, more funding will obviously be needed to support and maintain the state’s program.

Overall, most users seem to agree the DTRS system has made a di erence.

Is it perfect?

Not really.

“But I think it’s all good,” said Campagnola. “Like, I have no complaints about anything with our system. We’re continually improving it as a county and as a state, which is allowing for better interoperability.”

Pierson adds that “culture is one of the biggest mitigators.”

“If you have a culture that embeds safety, connections, knowing your student by name, strengths and needs and making sure they have a reporting mechanism for when they hear or see something, those things are easy to implement, and they’re free,” Pierson said.

Columbine sophomore Madison Price sees the school’s security measures but also feels safe because, like Kellogg, who graduated long before her, there’s a sense that everyone in the school is dedicated to taking care of them.

“I do feel safe at school,” Price said. “ ere’s people here to protect us.”

Today, the district’s Department of School Safety, which has over 100 security sta working round the clock, continues to work directly with law enforcement and speak with other districts. It established a group of school safety administrators who meet once a month to discuss hot topics and are also part of a group

that gives feedback to legislators.  Part of the culture is balancing the ne line between having too much of a physical environment that creates a prison-like mentality and keeping the physical presence there while maintaining a calm, inclusive and safe atmosphere.

“It has to be completely controlled internally,” said Pierson. “Which means student voices, teachers’ voices, parents’ voices, all those stakeholders have to be completely involved and not just involved but invested in what looks like a safe school environment.”

e measures in place at Columbine are “night and day from what the security measures were back then,” said Pierson. “But our job is to continue to stay up with the times and keep our buildings as safe as they can be.”

e Columbine tragedy forever changed school safety and security measures as we knew them. Yet, the one thing the massacre couldn’t change was the unbreakable spirit of the Columbine community, which continues to embody former principal DeAngelis’ rallying cry: “WE ARE COLUMBINE.”

RESHAPING

In the immediate aftermath of that shooting, Skewes turned on the local news and saw an anchor say that out of respect for the families of the victims and survivors, the network would not talk about the shooter unless there was some major court case and development that necessitated coverage.

“I was caught by that in the sense that I thought it made perfect sense in many ways,” Skewes said. “And then I kind of thought, ‘Well, except that if we can’t talk about the shooter, we can’t talk about the systemic failures that occurred and what prevented people from reporting concerns that they had.’”

Journalists may not want to entirely avoid a shooter’s name since it can provide a reference point for

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tends the trauma of the event.”

Skewes recommends giving the families of victims time in the aftermath of shootings but keeping them in the loop about a news outlet’s future plans for coverage.

“In the immediate aftermath, or coming up on an anniversary of a shooting, is a time for extreme sensitivity,” Skewes said. “Beyond that, when you need to do these kinds of stories (about the shooter), reach out to victims’ advocacy organiza-

tions and say ‘We’re going to do this, do you want to be a part of the story?’ And if not, that’s OK.

“But we want to let you know we’re doing it so that when you see it when it comes out, you’re not surprised and you’re not caught o guard,” Skewes continued. “Give them as much of a heads up if you can, because I think there’s kind of a gut punch to picking up a paper and nding your life in it again, or seeing something on the news.”

The front page of a Columbine Community Courier newspaper from 1999 reads “Columbine mourns its lost children” and shows a photograph of people hugging and crying. Tom Fildey, who was an intern at the paper at the time, rests his hand next to the page as he reads it.

PHOTO BY NINA JOSS

I also hope they think about language and how we treat each other,” she said. “I think this show really wants us to get together by showing how far apart we currently are.”

For information and tickets, visit www.benchmarktheatre.com/.

JCC Denver hosts Queer Seder

e holiday of Passover is one of the most important events on the Jewish calendar, one that brings people together to celebrate the Jewish people’s escape from Egypt. e Staenberg-Loup Jewish Community Center, 350 S. Dahlia St. in Denver, is using the holiday as an opportunity to bring in even more of the community with a Queer Seder from 3 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 28.

According to the provided information, the seder will be led by local Rabbis and LGBTQIA+ leadership, and will feature “a mix of Passover traditions and relevant readings, songs and prayers to celebrate our LGBTQIA+ community.”

Get tickets at https://www.jccdenver.org/portfolio-items/queer_seder/.

Comedy fans ‘Can’t’ miss Daniel Sloss in Denver

In my estimation, real comedy legends do more than just chase

FABYANIC

ere are, of course, many who are incapable of regular, outdoor exercise. Despite their diminished physical capabilities, many of them still undauntedly push on and do what they can within the con nes of their limitations. On the ip side are those who self-sabotage by refusing to get up and get out. en they wonder why they ache and su er so many ills. e same is true about those who pollute their minds by ingesting mind-altering nonsense, primarily through cable,

punchline after punchline. Scotland’s Daniel Sloss is one of the best out there right now because not only can he have you in hysterics, but he’s also interested in humanity and connection. His specials — like “Dark” and “SOCiO” — are true examples of how great modern comedy can be.

Sloss is bringing his latest show, “Can’t,” to the Paramount eatre, 1621 Glenarm Place in Denver, at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1. Buy tickets at www.ticketmaster.com.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit at Mission Ballroom

Not many musicians can deliver searing wordsmithing and true classic rock musical chops album after album, but Alabama’s Jason Isbell has an uncanny ability to do this with almost every release. Last year he and his band, the 400 Unit, released “Weathervanes,” one of 2023’s best albums, full of storytelling that both moves and invigorates. In support of the album, Isbell and the 400 Unit will be stopping by the Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St. in Denver, at 7:30 p.m. on ursday, May 2. A venue of this size is a great place to see someone like Isbell, so purchase tickets at www.axs. com.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail. com.

the internet, and social media. No wonder they often become neurotic, uptight, short-tempered, and socially myopic. Garbage in, garbage out.

Imagine how much better we’d be as a culture and society if everyone, or at least more than 54%, dedicated themselves to a minimum of 150-minute regimens of both mental and physical exercise, the kinds that don’t make your blood pressure rise but, instead, cause you to smile when you’re done.

Jerry Fabyanic is the author of “Sisyphus Wins” and “Food for ought: Essays on Mind and Spirit.” He lives in Georgetown.

CONTEST Cute Pets

Historic night of boys lacrosse at Lakewood Memorial Field

BY DENNIS PLEUSS JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LAKEWOOD — For the rst time in nearly a decade, boys lacrosse returned to Lakewood Memorial Field on Wednesday night.

Lakewood Memorial Field will host more than 60 varsity girls soccer games this spring season. F the rst time since March 2016 the historic eld at 10th and Wadsworth, it was all about boys lacrosse with a tripleheader of action.

“It’s cool. It’s a little di erent, but it’s got a good vibe to it,” Poudre School District senior Colton Pawlak said of LMF. “It brings me back to my childhood. Playing on grass. Playing at the park. It’s cool.”

Fittingly, Lakewood hosted twotime defending Class 5A League #2 champion — Poudre School District Stars — to start the three games at LMF. Poudre is coached by 2005 Lakewood High School graduate Will Cantwell who played lacrosse for Golden High School and is still the Demons’ career leading goal scorer.

“As a Lakewood native, it’s pretty cool to play on this eld,” Cantwell said. “It’s one of the last places with grass. It’s nice to play on grass. It’s a nice venue. Very happy to be here for sure.”

e Rebels (4-6, 1-1) had dropped their league opener to Monarch last

“ is was a really big win for us, especially after the loss against Monarch,” Columbine senior Chase Pacenta said. “It red up the guys a little bit. It was good for us.”

Columbine and Fairview (3-5, 1-2) were tied 3-3 early in the second quarter, but the Rebels outscored the Knights 5-0 for the remainder of the game to take the win.

“We have a special group and seniors and they fought hard,” Columbine coach Nick Lewis said. “It was Senior Night tonight and we told them to go out there and not let any setbacks outweigh their passion. eir passion

e Rebels’ defense was outstanding shutting out Fairview in the second half. Columbine senior goalie Max Stadelmaier got the win in net for

“Max is outstanding. I’ve got a great defensive coordinator in his dad, Marty Stadelmaier,” Lewis said. “We’ve got great leaders down there with Cruz Maynes, Elijah Lamb, Trey Minch and Reilly Bruzas. ose are four really, really good defenders.”

Poudre grabbed an 8-1 victory over Lakewood. It was the fourth straight victory for the Stars (6-4, 2-0 in league). Pawlak led the way with three goals for PSD as the Stars look to go undefeated in conference play for the third straight year.

“We’ve gone back-to-back. Obviously, we want to do it again,” Pawlak said. “We are just looking to the next step ahead. We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves.”

Lakewood (2-8, 0-2) has dropped six games in a row, but the Tigers showed positive signs against PSD. After trailing 6-1 at halftime, Lakewood allowed just two goals in the second half.

“To hold (Poudre) to two goals in the second half was great,” Lakewood coach Darin Denton said. “We have some great plays by individuals. As soon as we put it all together for four quarters we are going to be a force.”

e Tigers are a young squad that

is anchored by junior goalie Ethan Branscom. Sophomore Murphy Shanley scored the lone goal for Lakewood in the loss.

“We are really young,” Denton said. “We have a bright future for sure. It seems like every week we are learning, but the other teams are learning too.”

PSD is clearly focused on the now and winning another league title despite graduating seven starters from last year’s squad that advanced to the 5A state semi nals.

“ at is our sole focus,” Cantwell said of the Stars winning a third straight league title. “We got o to a tough start playing some of the best teams in the state. We always want to measure ourselves against them. We know we have aways to go.”

e Stars took losses to Valor Chris-

all-time

tian, Cherry Creek and Grandview before going into league play.

Cantwell, who was also Lakewood’s starting varsity quarterback for four years on the Tigers’ football team two decades ago, is excited to bring his lacrosse team to Je co Stadium in a few weeks.

“It is de ntely a little bit nostalgic for me for sure. It feels a bit full-circle,” Cantwell said about his team playing at Je co Stadium against Chat eld coming up May 3 in the Stars’ league nale. “I always thought you should play lacrosse at Je co Stadium. It’s such a cool venue. I’m looking forward to that.”

Columbine 8, Fairview 3

In the second game, Columbine got a much-needed 8-3 victory over Fairview.

Pacenta, senior Spencer Houle and freshman Lucas Gwinner all had two goals each in the victory. Pacenta was also a big fan of the natural grass playing surface of LMF.

“I like the grass. It’s soft,” Pacenta said. “It is nice on my knees. It’s nicer on the body.”

Columbine has another big conference game against Poudre School District to wrap up the week.

“Ton of respect for Poudre and Will Cantwell, a great coach and a good guy,” Lewis said of the Rebels facing the Stars up in Fort Collins on Friday. “We’ll see what happens.”

e nal game at LMF on the night featured a massive comeback win for Dakota Ridge. e Eagles trailed Evergreen 6-3 at halftime. Dakota Ridge outscored seven unanswered goals in the second half to pull out a 10-6 victory.

Dennis Pleuss is the sports information director for Je co Public Schools. For more Je co coverage, go to ColoradoPreps.com and CHSAANow.com.

Poudre School District boys lacrosse coach Will Cantwell roams the sidelines during his Stars’ 8-1 victory over Lakewood on Wednesday, April 17, at Lakewood Memorial Field. Cantwell is a 2005 Lakewood High School graduate where he was the Tigers’starting quarterback for the football team for four years. Cantwell also played lacrosse for Golden High School during his prep career and is still the

leading goal scorer for Golden.

PHOTO BY DENNIS PLEUSS / JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Ralston Valley girls soccer gets revenge on Chatfield

BY DENNIS PLEUSS JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

ARVADA — A double-overtime

2-1 loss to Chat eld last season cost Ralston Valley’s girls soccer team the Class 5A Je co League championship.

“ at loss in overtime was brutal,” Ralston Valley junior Holly Engelking said of last year’s loss to the Chargers. “Part of our pregame speech was we had to get on them early.”

e Mustangs got a measure of revenge Tuesday night on a windy pitch at the North Area Athletic Complex. Ralston Valley took a 3-1 victory to stay undefeated in conference play heading into likely the biggest league game of season.

“We have been right in a running,” Ralston Valley coach Kamee Morwood said of the Mustangs’ decadelong drought from their last league title in 2013. “ ey want it really bad.”

e Mustangs captured six straight Je co 10 (4A Je co) girls soccer titles from 2002 to 2007, but have just captured one league title since moving up to the 5A classi cation more than a decade ago.

Ralston Valley (8-2-1, 3-0 in league) will have a huge 5A Je co showdown against Valor Christian (6-1-1, 3-0) at 8 p.m. Friday, April 19, in Highlands Ranch. e winner will be in the driver’s seat for the conference title heading into the nal two weeks of the regular season.

Valor and Ralston Valley played to a 1-1 double-overtime draw last season. e Eagles staked claim to their third straight 5A Je co League title with a 5-0-2 conference record in 2023.

“I’m just super excited to play Valor,” Ralston Valley senior Raleigh Greason said of the monster league game Friday. “ ey are a really good team.”

Ralston Valley has some good momentum with a 5-game winning streak and kept the good vibes going early against Chat eld. Engelking gave the Mustangs a 1-0 lead 39 seconds into the game when her direct free kick bounced into the top far corner of the net.

“I’ve scored o a few of them this season,” Engelking said of her goal on the direct free kick from near mideld in the opening minute. “I was hoping one of my teammates could get a touch on it. It took a big bounce

Ralston Valley junior Holly Engelking (18) is all smiles while being congratulated by her teams after Engelking direct free kick found the back of the net 39 seconds into the Mustangs’ game against Chatfield on Tuesday, April 16, at the North Area Athletic Complex. Ralston Valley won 3-1 to stay undefeated in Class 5A Je co League play.

Chatfield senior Ava Erickson (11) and Ralston Valley senior Taryn Messingham (12) battle for the ball during the first half Tuesday, April 16, at the North Area Athletic Complex. Ralston Valley won 3-1 ahead of its huge Class 5A Je co League showdown against Valor Christian on Friday, April 19, in Highlands Ranch.

and went into the upper nine. I actually hit it toward the front post and it shifted all the way to the far post.”

Greason sealed the victory in the second half with her 22nd and 23rd goals of the season. e leading goal scorer in 5A used the wind to score back-to-back goals to push Ralston Valley’s lead to 3-0.

e junior beat Chat eld goalie Aly Green in almost the exact same spot on hard shots that edged inside the far post.

“I just knew I had to hit it as hard I could,” Greason said of her back-toback goals three minutes apart in the second half. “I was trying to get it to that back post.”

Chat eld (3-6-1, 1-2) prevented the shutout with junior Harper Roser scoring in the 78th minute for the lone goal for the Chargers. Chat eld will try to end its 2-game league losing streak when it faces Pomona (110, 0-3) on Friday night at Lakewood Memorial Field.

Dennis Pleuss is the sports information director for Je co Public Schools. For more Je co coverage, go to ColoradoPreps.com and CHSAANow. com.

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PHOTOS BY DENNIS PLEUSS / JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

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Water damage cleanup: A small amount of water can cause major damage to your home. Our trusted professionals dry out wet areas & repair to protect your family & your home value! Call 24/7: 1-888-872-2809. Have zip code!

Replace your roof w/the best looking & longest lasting material steel from Erie Metal Roofs! 3 styles & multiple colors available. Guaranteed to last a lifetime! Limited Time Offer up to 50% off install + Additional 10% off install (military, health & 1st responders.) 1-833-370-1234

Become a published author

We want to read your book! Dorrance Publishing trusted since 1920. Consultation, production, promotion & distribution. Call for free author`s guide 1-877-7294998 or visit dorranceinfo. com/ads

Aging Roof? New Homeowner? Got Storm Damage? You need a local expert provider that proudly stands behind their work. Fast, free estimate. Financing available. Call 1-888-878-9091

Miscellaneous

Wesley Financial Group, LLC Timeshare Cancellation Experts Over $50,000,000 in timeshare debt & fees cancelled in 2019. Get free info package & learn how to get rid of your timeshare! Free consultations. Over 450 positive reviews. Call 833-308-1971

Don’t let the stairs limit your mobility! Discover the ideal solution for anyone who struggles on the stairs, is concerned about a fall or wants to regain access to their entire home. Call AmeriGlide today! 1-833399-3595 Prepare for power outages today with a Generac Home Standby Generator. Act now to receive a FREE 7-Year warranty with qualifying purchase* Call 1-855-9486176 today to schedule a free quote. It’s not just a generator. It’s a power move.

“My overall experience was great. I love the window, and from sales to scheduling, the experience was very good. The installers are highly skilled professionals and I would recommend Renewal by Andersen to all my contacts.” – LYNN F. | RENEWAL BY ANDERSEN CUSTOMER 4.7 OUTOF 5 BASED ON 95,000