For 25 years, Happy Hikers have blazed a trail across Arvada and beyond
In-N-Out opens in Arvada
BY LILLIAN FUGLEI
SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
To most people, Tuesday is just the second day of the work or school week.
To the Happy Hikers of Arvada, Tuesday means it’s time to hit the trail.
For the last 25 years, the Happy Hikers — a tightknit group of seniors —
e group evolved out of a summer hiking group run by the Senior Center of North Je co Park and Recreation District — now known as Apex Park and Recreation District. As the summer came to a close, several hikers decided they wanted to keep the party going, this time organizing hikes themselves. ey passed around a piece of paper, writing down their names and numbers, and the Happy Hikers group was born.
“We had enjoyed each other’s company during
“I think we just kind of knew we wanted to continue hiking, and we wanted to hike with people that we already knew.”
e hikes, which are organized by members of the group, have rules. Members take turns organizing the hikes. Members take turns driving to the hike together. Members can’t meet at the trailhead, they meet up somewhere in town and drive together — a way of building camaraderie in the group.
“Following the hike, we stop and have some kind
of treat,” said McGo . “We talk over the hike and laugh and enjoy things.” e Happy Hikers treks extend outside of Colorado. Members of the group have organized trips to several national parks, including Yellowstone, Glacier and Grand Canyon. ey’ve visited cities — like New York City or Washington DC — trading their mountain hikes for an urban setting. Some hikers have even taken their treks abroad — visiting Australia, Africa, England and Switzerland.
BY LILLIAN FUGLEI SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
After months of anticipation, In-N-Out has opened in Arvada.
On Sept. 5, Arvadans lled the parking lot of Arvada Marketplace to feast on Double-Doubles and animal-style fries — signatures of the popular Californian late-night dining export.
Opening morning was a quieter a air than past Colorado In-N-Out openings. As the restaurant opened for the rst time, the drive-through line snaked through the Arvada Marketplace parking lot—but didn’t spill out of the lot. By lunchtime though, lines grew longer.
e In-N-Out — Arvada’s rst — is located at 7494 W.52nd Ave. and will be open 7 days a week, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sundays through ursdays, and from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
“We’re super excited to be here in Arvada,” said In-NOut Vice President of Operations George Charlesworth.
For 25 years, the Happy Hikers of Arvada have met nearly every week for hikes organized by members of the club.
COURTESY OF MARK MCGOFF
Arvada Center’s 2024-25 season opens with ‘Waitress’
Musical brings a slice of life — and pie — to Arvada
BY LILLIAN FUGLEI
SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Mix sugar, butter, our, 35 fake pies, a live band and one diner-inspired set. Combine with an all-female creative team, sprinkle in the music of Sara Bareilles. e result: Arvada Center’s “Waitress.”
“Waitress” — a musical based on a lm of the same name — follows Jenna, an expert pie maker and waitress in her small-town diner. When Jenna is faced with an unexpected pregnancy while trapped in a rocky marriage, she turns to her fellow waitresses — and a handsome doctor — for help.
e Arvada Center kicked o its 2024-25 season on Aug. 30 with the pie- lled musical, which runs through Oct. 13 at the venue, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd. in Arvada. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, as well as at 1 p.m. on Wednesday and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
“It’s the story of a woman trying to nd her true self, using her arch, which is baking, to try to unlock her life and nd her way,” Director Lynne Collins said. “It’s very much a story about friendship, especially female friendship, and how women help and support each other in their lives.”
e show — which features a book by Jessie Nelson, and music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles — has always been steeped in telling women’s stories. However, the Arvada Center’s production takes it one step further with an all-female creative team.
“It’s great to have an all-female creative team,” Collins said. “When you direct a musical, it’s a real collaboration with your musical director and your choreographer. And in the case of this show, it’s a team of three women, which is correct for this particular piece.”
“Waitress” tells Jenna’s story through what she knows best — pie. Many scenes feature Jenna concocting a new pie as she describes her problems to the audience, pouring ingredients into the bowl and whisking it together on stage. Of
our and sugar that we had to gure out with the show,” said Director of Scenic Design and Properties Brian Mallgrave. “None of it’s actually the real stu , because food doesn’t look good on stage. We had to gure out how to make formulas that are mostly oil-based so that when the batter ows it all looks really pretty
After “baking” the pies onstage, the nished pies appear — sporting names that re ect Jenna’s mood, like “I Don’t Want Earl’s Baby Pie.” ese nished pies were carefully sculpted by the props department, using materials like foam so they could be danced across the stage during performance after perfor-
“It’s really funny to nd out how intriguing fake food is,” said Mallgrave. “ e more realistic you make it, the more interesting it is for people because everybody kind of relates to food, especially these sweets and desserts like pie.” With sweet treats aplenty, the show has something for everyone.
“ ere’s some people who love to laugh,” Collins said. “ ere’s great laughs. ere are people who want to weep a little bit. ere’s some nice weeping. It’s just got a lot of emotional notes that I think makes it accessible and interesting to most any audience. It’s a little sexy, too.”
course, since real food doesn’t have a place on stage, it was up to the props department to create some
enticing fake pie.
“ ere are tons of di erent kinds of batters and liquids and eggs and
At its core, Collins believes that what makes the show so great for any audience is its humanity.
“I feel like these characters are relatable and human,” Collins added. “For musicals, sometimes that’s hard to nd, and I feel like this fabulous cast has really brought that (human-
For Collins and Mallgrave — along with the rest of the cast and creative team — the show opening means months of work paying o .
“What we do takes a great team of artisans, and it’s always quite challenging, and people are seeing the nal product,” Mallgrave said. “It’s so exciting to know that we’re being supported by the community through our challenges and all of the craziness that it takes to put a big, huge show like this together. It’s just nice to know that people in the community will be a part of the audience.”
More information and tickets can be found at https://arvadacenter. org/events/waitress.
In the Arvada Center’s “Waitress,” the diner comes to life as patrons and waitresses dance across the stage, toting pies and menus. PHOTOS COURTESY OF AMANDA TIPTON PHOTOGRAPHY
“Waitress” follows Jenna as she navigates life working at her small town diner.
With the Market Shifting in Buyers’ Favor, Selecting the Right Listing Agent Is Key
Last week, I wrote about what skills and knowledge you should expect your real estate agent to possess. This week, with the shift from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market, I want to write about the importance of selecting the right listing agent.
You’ll probably want to know their level of experience, competence and success in selling homes similar to your own, hopefully within your city or neighborhood.
agents to list their homes? Many, I suspect are friends and family every agent’s biggest “competitor.”
Like you, I monitor the real estate activity where I live. The best way to do that is to ask an MLS member like my broker associates or me to set up a “neighborhood alert,” whereby you receive an automated email from the MLS whenever a home in your area is either coming soon, newly active, price reduced, newly under contract, newly sold, or even newly withdrawn or expired without selling. Send an email to info@GoldenRealEstate.com and I’ll make sure the most appropriate broker associate (or me) responds to set up an alert like that for you.
In my own neighborhood, I’m always astonished how many homes are listed by agents I’ve never heard of. As I write, there are 36 active or coming soon listings within 2 miles of my home, represented by 33 different agents from 27 different brokerages! No agent has more than two listings. And despite practicing real estate here for 22 years, I only recognize the names of 10 of them. This is typical of every city. Where did the sellers find all those different
In some cases, the seller had already gone under contract for their replacement home elsewhere and was convinced by the listing agent of that home to list their current home. If that agent is on the other side of the metro area, that is not the best decision, because that agent will be unfamiliar with your neighborhood, lives far away, and is unable to show the home on short notice, answer questions from buyers, or keep your brochure box well stocked.
Every homeowner, it seems, gets letters or finds a note taped to their door from a broker claiming to have a buyer for their home. That tactic may earn him or her an interview in your home, but I’d bet dollars to donuts that the broker then says, “That buyer found another home, but I’m sure I can find you another buyer if you list with me. Sign here.”
Let’s say, however, that you want to interview listing agents and make a rational hiring decision. Good idea! Let me suggest some questions you might want to ask, some of which might not be obvious or that you know you could ask.
First, however, you need to choose the agents to interview. I suggest basing your search on their location and experience in your neighborhood or city. Second, study their active/sold listings to see (1) their geographic distribution and (2) how well their listings are presented on the MLS.
Since this column is printed in 24
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weekly newspapers around the metro area, my broker associates and I may not be the best choice based on that first question, but, with my access to the MLS, I can identify the best candidates to interview. Full disclosure: that costs you nothing, but I will get a referral fee if you choose an agent I recommend.
You can also do this on your own by visiting www.Nestfully.com, the consumer-facing website of Denver’s MLS, where you can search for active listings in your area. Click on one or more of them to see how well the listing agent described the home on the MLS. Did they list all the rooms, not just bedrooms and bathrooms, and did they provide dimensions and descriptions of each, or just enter the mandatory fields?
Always keep in mind that the best indicator of how a listing agent will serve you is how they have served previous sellers.
Looking at those listings will answer the most important questions which you’d ask in person, but you won’t have to take their word the truth is there in front of you. You’ll learn, for example, whether they did point-and-shoot pictures or had a professional photographer shoot magazine quality photographs, and whether they created a narrated video tour or just a slide show with music.
Having chosen who to interview that way, ask these questions of those you invite into your home for an interview:
What commission percentage do you charge? Keep in mind, there is no standard commission. It’s totally negotiable, and the industry average is in the mid -5’s, not 6%. It used to be that that commission included the co-op commission paid to a buyer’s broker. As I explained in a previous column (which you can read at JimSmithColumns.com), that has been reworked so that the seller offers whatever buyer agent compensation he or she wants, and that amount, if paid, is deducted from the listing com-
mission same net effect, just reworked to comply with the NAR Settlement prohibiting shared listing commissions.
See whether the agent volunteers that they reduce their commission when the seller doesn’t have to pay the offered compensation to a buyer’s agent. That’s standard with my broker associates and me. If you have to ask for that provision, consider it a red flag. They hoped you wouldn’t ask.
Ask the agent whether he or she will discount their commission if you hire them to represent you in the purchase of your replacement home. That, too, is standard with my broker associates and me.
Hopefully the brokers you interview will have researched the market and will make a well-supported recommendation of listing price. Beware of agents who inflate their suggested listing price so you will list with them.
When setting the appointment, ask the agent to bring a spreadsheet of their sold listings with dates, days on market, listing price and sold price. They can produce that spreadsheet quickly on the MLS. (If they don’t know how, that’s a big red flag!) Here’s an example (mine):
That’s to show you what it looks like. If you want to read it, it is bigger at http://RealEstateToday.substack.com
The group hikes rain or shine, not even snow can keep them o the trail.
HIKERS
“We got around to all the tourist places,” said McGo , who organized the New York trip. “ e Statue of Liberty and Central Park. So we did a lot of walking, lot of hiking within the city.”
On their trips, the Happy Hikers have toured many landmarks of different cities, all while making sure to get their steps in.
“We don’t track (our miles),” said member Joan Wallace. “We just know we walked. A lot.”
e Happy Hikers are a tight-knit group — capping their membership at 15. Membership is exclusive — prospective members are invited by current hikers to join in on a couple of hikes. After that, current members take a con dential vote to let them into the group.
to the group.
“We want to make sure that they understand what we’re doing,” McGo said. “ at they’re going to have to share in the driving responsibility. ey’re going to plan hikes periodically, and that they’ve got the right kind of attitude.”
we did about four miles. But we’re still with the group.”
On Aug. 15, Apex Park and Recreation District issued a proclamation recognizing the Happy Hikers of Arvada for their years of dedication to health and wellness.
“I think what has made the group really successful is that we have a process where if somebody wants to join, they can come as a guest,” said McGo . “ at person hikes a few times with the group over a period of time, so that everybody gets to interact with the prospective.”
McGo added that the process ensures that all members are dedicated
Even as members age and may not be able to keep up with the group, Happy Hikers has a place for them.
“(Some of us) can’t keep up with the group anymore,” said member Pat. “Yesterday, we went with the group to Hermans Gulch. ey all went all the way up to the lake, a seven-mile round trip. Well, we only went up to the meadow and back —
For 25 years, the hikers have been drawn and kept together by their friendships and their love for nature.
“You see Colorado in a completely di erent light than if you’re just driving through the hillside,” said McGo . “Seeing America at three miles an hour to walk, you see things really di erently. For me, it’s really the beauty of Colorado and the camaraderie.”
SEPTEMBER 18TH - 6-9PM
Q&A Topics for 2024 Je erson County Commissioner
State Senate & House Candidates
Board of County Commissioners Candidates:
Charlie Johnson (District 1)
Natalie Menten (District 2)
Rachel Zenzinger (District 1)
HD24: Lisa Feret
HD27: Ed Cox
Brianna Titone
SD19: Lindsey Daugherty Sam Bandimere
An opportunity to listen and speak with several candidates regarding issues a ecting you. Watch the live stream on:
youtube.com/@RVC-YT or coloradocommunitymedia.com
IN-N-OUT
“Everyone’s been very warm with their greetings to us. It’s exciting to get our 407th store open.”
In Arvada, In-N-Out has chosen to settle next to one of the state’s busiest intersections — creating some concern for potential trafc. e intersection of 52nd and Wadsworth is one of the two busiest in the state, according to Ar-
vada Planning Commission Chair Michael Gri th and CDOT data.
“For tra c, we’ve worked with the city and law enforcement on a plan,” Charlesworth said. “We don’t want to cause any interruptions to local businesses. We want to try to be good neighbors to everyone in the community.”
On the same day, across the metro area, another In-N-Out opened in Parker. e Arvada and Parker locations mark In-N-Out’s 10th and 11th locations in Colorado.
Eager Arvadans came out early to be among the first to feast on Double-Doubles and animal-style fries at Arvada’s first In-N-Out.
PHOTO BY LILLIAN FUGLEI
Arvada-based amp maker Henriksen Amplifiers moves into new manufacturing facility
New 8,500 square foot facility will allow the acclaimed amp maker to expand its operations, products
BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
When Peter Henriksen used to visit his dad at the family’s telecommunications manufacturing facility in Arvada as a kid, he didn’t expect to one day become one of the leading guitar ampli er makers in that same facility — much less to become so successful that his business would outgrow the family factory.
Yet that’s exactly where Henriksen nds himself 18 years after his company, Henriksen Ampli ers, shipped its rst product. e company will now move into an 8,500-square-foot facility located at 5545 West 56th Ave. in Arvada, which will allow the company to expand its output and diversify its product line.
Henriksen Ampli ers has seen its success come entirely from direct-toconsumer sales. After 2020, Henriksen decided not to use retailers any longer — a bold wager, to be sure, but one that seems to have paid o . “At rst, that dropped our business down signi cantly, but I just had this gut feeling that it was the right move for us and gave us a better direct connection with our customers,” Henriksen said. “And since we started focusing on reaching customers directly — instead of relying on stores — we increased our marketing e orts, and that has really paid o .” e payo has been so staggering that Henriksen and his small sta — he had ve employees at the time of press deadlines but was looking for a few more to man the new facility — need a bigger space to meet the newfound demand.
“Now that we’re in the larger facility, we have more space for engineering design projects and a much higher capacity for output, so we will be able to develop more products and ll more demand and develop a wider a wider array of products that appeal to an even larger audience than our current
one,” Henriksen said.
Henriksen said his ampli ers are designed to have a clarity in sound that jazz players seek out, though he has also noticed that acoustic and classical players have also been using the amps. Cellists and viola players have also caught onto the amps, further diversifying the company’s customer base.
While typical “rock style” guitar ampli ers are designed with some midrange frequencies scooped out, according to Henriksen, his namesake ampli ers simply aim to make the player louder.
“For jazz, for acoustic, for classical, those instruments you want a full
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Henriksen Amplifiers new manufacturing facility in Arvada.
Two of Henriksen’s guitar amps. The company will expand to o er a bass amp in the near future. PHOTOS COURTESY PETER HENRIKSEN
Colorado to boost the cash-for-clunkers program
The program helps income-qualified buyers
purchase a new EV
BY MICHAEL BOOTH THE COLORADO SUN
Colorado is boosting its popular cash-for-clunkers EV buying support by nearly 60% with a $9 million fund for 2024-25, after retiring more old, dirtier cars than expected o the road during the rst year. e state exhausted $5.7 million for the rst year of the fund, which helps income-quali ed buyers with an extra $6,000 rebate at the cash register if they turn in an older car when buying a new EV. Turning in an old car and buying a used EV can bring an exchange rebate of up to $4,000.
Stacked with other federal, state and utility EV rebates, the extra state boost can cut the cost of some EVs by far more than half.
Formally dubbed Vehicle Ex-
CommonSpirit
change Colorado, or VXC, the program pulled 879 old or emissionsfailing vehicles from highways in the year beginning Aug. 31, 2023, state o cials said in a release.
“Expanding the use of electric ve-
hicles is an important part of our work to improve air quality and achieve our climate goals, and we look forward to seeing this funding support more Coloradans,” Gov. Jared Polis said in the release.
“ e way Coloradans have embraced this program shows the momentum the EV market is having in Colorado, and we’re extremely excited to continue building on its success with additional funding,” said Colorado Energy O ce Executive Director Will Toor.
e program issued a total of 1,301 rebates from old car exchanges in the rst year, and consumers redeemed 68% of those vouchers. at was more than six times the number of rebates the Colorado Energy O ce expected to provide, state o cials said. e second shot of $9 million is for the scal year starting July 1, 2024, running through June 30, 2025.
e total two-year funding of $14.7 million has come through the Community Access Enterprise. It is overseen by the energy o ce, and paid for through a retail delivery fee that began in 2022.
is story was printed through a news sharing agreement with e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonpro t based in Denver that covers the state.
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A car charging at a Tesla charging station.
PHOTO BY SUZIE GLASSMAN
range of sound, you want a more piano-like response coming out of the ampli ers,” Henriksen said. “A Marshall or Fender is going to be an ingredient in your sound; the way the amp sounds is part of your tone. Our approach is more just making the instrument and the player louder.”
at trademark clarity is what gave Henriksen Ampli ers its start. In the ‘90s, Henriksen’s father Bud began playing guitar and couldn’t nd a guitar ampli er that he liked. Experienced in manufacturing from his time running Henriksen Data Systems, the elder Henriksen made his own amp and sent it to guitarists he admired, including his guitar teacher.
Following rave reviews for the prototype, Bud and Peter began
making their own ampli ers in 2002. Four years later, they were shipping their rst product. Now, after almost two decades in the industry, expansion is in the cards for the family business, which is now just run by Peter after Bud’s passing in 2009.
Next on his docket, Henriksen said, is to make a bass guitar amplier — a tting evolution for a company whose employees are by and
large bass players.
“It’s a big entry into a totally new marketplace for us, and we’re really looking forward to that,” Henriksen said. “Interestingly enough, everyone who works here is a bass player now, like ‘Why aren’t we a bass company?’”
REVERSE MORTGAGES
Henriksen added that other new products might be on the horizon.
“We’ve got some ideas for pedals and some accessories as well,” Henriksen said. “But nothing’s nished yet.”
The front o ce at Henriksen Amplifiers new manufacturing facility.
Henriksen Amplifiers owner Peter Henriksen. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PETER HENRIKSEN
Golden supports RTD’s ballot measure to keep current revenues
Voter approval needed for indefinite TABOR exemption
BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
e future of the Denver metro area’s public transit system is in the voters’ hands this November, as RTD seeks to keep all the revenues it currently collects.
e Golden City Council recently declared its support for the ballot measure, encouraging Goldenites
to vote “yes” on Nov. 5. Other organizations have endorsed it as well, including the Denver and Boulder chambers of commerce, the Arc of Je erson County, and Bicycle Colorado.
According to the Keep Colorado Moving campaign, voters exempted the Regional Transportation District from the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights cap limitations in 1999. However, the exemption only lasted until the debt for the southeast and southwest light rail lines was paid o , which will happen this year.
Without voter approval this November, RTD will have to refund some of its revenues based on TA-
BOR limitations.
Marjorie Sloan, who represents the Golden, Lakewood and Wheat Ridge areas on the RTD Board of Directors, said losing those revenues will have major repercussions on the 3 million people in RTD’s service area.
At an Aug. 27 Golden City Council meeting, Sloan described how RTD is funded by a 1% sales tax. She said individual taxpayers might see a $25 rebate per person if the ballot measure fails, and sales taxes in general are harder to refund than property taxes.
“It doesn’t seem logical,” Sloan told the councilors.
Sloan, Golden’s former mayor, said her community is “hyperaware of the importance of transit.”
Compared to some municipalities in the RTD service area, Sloan said Golden is “very transit-rich.” It has the W Line running out of the Je erson County Government Center, RTD bus routes, RTD’s Accessa-Ride and FlexRide services, and the Ore Cart shuttles — a partnership between the city and Colorado School of Mines.
Subsequently, Goldenites are “extremely active in their support for transit,” Sloan described. In a recent comment period, Sloan said ZIP codes 80401 and 80403 combined accounted for 14% of all comments, out of the 132 ZIP codes in the RTD service area.
Sloan said now would be the
worst time to cut RTD funding, as it seeks to improve services and o er more innovative programs like Zero Fare for Youth.
Mayor Laura Weinberg said the Metro Mayors Caucus, which is composed of nearly 40 mayors from north-central Colorado, also supports the RTD ballot initiative. She said that includes mayors from communities that don’t have as many RTD services as Golden. She hoped that, if the ballot measure passes and RTD can keep its current revenues, it will be able to expand its services to underserved communities and populations.
“Something like this, that would be a nancial hit, would only be a disservice to folks in Golden who rely on transit to get to work, to get to school, and could result in cuts to service,” Weinberg said.
Councilor Don Cameron said he and his colleagues didn’t make the decision to support lightly, especially with tax dollars involved. However, he said, the RTD ballot initiative is in line with the city’s policy document and RTD “provides service to Golden to a greater extent than our small population justi es, in some ways.” us, the councilors drafted and approved a resolution supporting the ballot measure, with Cameron saying, “We decided on balance that it’s good for the citizens of Golden that RTD be able to retain these taxes.”
Crews work on light rail infrastructure at the Je erson County Government Center station in March 2023. RTD will have a question on the Nov. 5 ballot asking to retain all revenues it currently collects so it can maintain all its services and programs.
FILE PHOTO BY CORINNE WESTEMAN
Answering your questions about voting security
A look at the election process as November balloting approaches
BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
With a whirlwind of claims about election security swirling since the 2020 election, it’s no wonder that some Colorado voters are feeling a bit skeptical about the fairness of the process. But before those doubts take root, remember that the folks tasked with handling your ballots are the same ones you might bump into as you run your errands.
ey’re “the people that you’re standing next to in line at the grocery store,” said Tom Skelley, a spokesper-
son for the Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder’s O ce, the team that oversees elections in that county.
Skelley recently spoke at a Denverarea gathering of county elections sta ers in an e ort to get ahead of the suspicions by some voters in recent years surrounding voting processes. Some of those suspicions stem from misinformation — and some voters may simply not be familiar with how the process works.
at’s where the election sta ers working for clerks, who are elected o cials and typically Republicans or Democrats, come in. ey provided an up-close look at ballot counting processes and election security in Colorado.
ey gathered at the Je erson County elections facility in Golden to give a tour of the rooms where ballots are processed. ey spoke about
how they keep the list of registered voters up to date and how the vote tallies are done. In the weeks after Election Day, though the winners are often apparent, teams are still working to o cially con rm the results in a rigorous process.
Here’s a look at what counties had to say ahead of the November 2024 election, along with information from the Colorado Secretary of State’s O ce — the state’s lead elections agency.
How does your ballot get counted?
In Colorado, the way elections run is standardized in state law and in rules
issued by the secretary of state’s o ce. All Colorado counties are required to abide by those laws and rules.
Among other standards, one common theme is the involvement of bipartisan teams — Democrats and Republicans working together to carry out the process.
“No one person is ever alone with a ballot,” a Je erson clerk’s explainer sheet says. “We do everything in teams, and speci cally bipartisan teams, to ensure the security of voters’ ballots and the entire election process.”
Sarah McAfee, a spokesperson for the Je erson County Clerk and Recorder’s O ce, stands in front of a ballot envelope sorting machine during a gathering of Denverarea county elections sta ers.
PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD
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VOICES
Town Hall Arts Center starts new season with ‘Jersey Boys’
Music is such a fast-moving artform, always celebrating the new thing, that it can be easy to forget that musical history is built on the artists and genres that came before.
So, that means that while many young people don’t know it today, Frankie Valli and e Four Seasons had hits. And those hits mattered when they were being made and they still matter now. e stories behind songs like “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes O of You,” are explored on Littleton Town Hall Arts Center’s stage by the musical “Jersey Boys.”
“I want to get audiences as close to the story as possible,” said director Matthew Dailey. “ e bene t of a space like Town Hall is you can put the audience right there in the booth with the musicians and make them part of this incredible rags to riches story.”
“Jersey Boys” runs at the theater, 2450 Main St., through Sunday, Oct. 6. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. ursday through Friday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Told in a docu-musical format, the show follows Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Nick Massi and Tommy DeVito as they make their way from New Jersey to the peak of the music world. Each band member gets the opportunity to tell their side of the story, providing a window into what it takes to make it as a musician.
TCOMING ATTRACTIONS
e show is one Dailey, a Colorado native, is very familiar with — he played DeVito in the Broadway National Tour for three years and as such, understands just how to tell the
“It’s really a show about sound. It’s about four guys struggling to nd their sound and what they’re willing to sacri ce to hold onto the sound when nd it,” he said. “ e group we’ve put together is great and it’s an almost out-of-body experience to work on a show I’m so close to.”
While the songs that made Franki Valli and e Four Seasons superstars may be decades old, that doesn’t lessen the impact of their story, nor does it mean that “Jersey Boys” will only appeal to older audiences. e show has everything, from a history of pop music and dancing to great characters and elements of a mob story.
“Younger people know this music, even if they don’t know they know it,” Dailey said. “It’s a real experience that will give younger people an appreciation of a time gone by, and for older generations, it’s an opportunity to sit back and analyze the soundtrack of their life.”
Information and tickets are available at https://townhallartscenter. org/event/jersey-boys/.
High West Oyster Fest returns to Jax Fish House
Colorado might be the last place you’d think of to hold an oyster festival, but Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar has been hosting the High West Oyster Fest for years.
is year’s festival, which is held at Town Hall, 1535 Spruce St. in Boulder, on ursday, Sept. 19, marks the restaurant’s 30th anniversary and will support local charity ere With Care. e festival includes unlimited oysters, curated beverage stations, live oyster shucking and eating competitions, live music and entertainment and more.
Find all the details at https:// www.jax shhouse.com/hwof/.
JAAMM Festival hosts Ari Melber e Neustadt Jewish Arts, Authors, Movies and Music Festival (JAAMM Festival) at the Mizel Arts and Culture Center, 350 S. Dahlia St. in Denver, kicked o on Sept. 2 and is bringing all kinds of fascinating events to the metro area throughout the fall.
One of the most exciting is also the perfect pair for the autumn of an election year: MSNBC journalist and author Ari Melber will be at the center at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14. Melber is an Emmy-win-
ning journalist, news anchor, writer and attorney and will be discussing the election, current events and more.
Find information on the whole festival and tickets for Melber athttps:// www.jccdenver.org/arts-culture/festivals/jaamm-festival/.
Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Kacey Musgraves at Fiddler’s Green ere’s a lot to love about Kacey Musgraves, beyond just her stunning discography. ere’s her sense of humor (check her social media for that), her willingness to go against the grain of country music and embrace diversity and the LGBTQ+ community, and her ability to add ourishes of other genres to country. Her latest album, this year’s’ “Deeper Well,” is lovely and searching, and blends all of the above into a wonderful listen.
In support of the record, Musgraves is coming to Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, 6350 Greenwood Plaza Blvd., at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15. As a testament to the many musical genres Musgraves embraces, she has two killer openers – folk/bluegrass legends Nickel Creek and dynamic songwriter Father John Misty. Get tickets at www.ticketmaster. com.
Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail. com.
September could be turning point
his could be a pivotal month for our economy. Will the rst interest rate cut since the COVID-19 pandemic be announced this month?¹ Turning to October, what will third-quarter earnings look like? What about projections for the last quarter of the year? Whatever happens in the next few weeks may paint the picture for the history books for all of 2024. Investors may be wondering how to navigate all the economic news that is likely to ood our eyes and ears in the coming months. Oh, and
don’t forget, there is also an election.
We may have forgotten that many thought the rst interest rate increase in March 2022 after the pandemic would throw the economy into recession. Remember that the 10 rate hikes that followed were designed to curb in ation, much of
which was caused by clogged supply chains and other shortages that sent prices up.
Headlines over the last two and a half years have often been about a “soft landing.” In other words, could the Federal Reserve pull o interest rate hikes without dampening economic growth to the point of recession? Well, so far we have made it all the way through the interest rate hiking cycle with no recession. Now Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is talking about beginning to lower interest rates now that in ation is
under control. He may also see indications that the housing market and the job market have cooled o a bit. I caution investors to be prepared for stock market volatility when rates do start to go back down, even though we should think that would fuel the economy in a positive way. e reverse psychology that often plagues the stock market could be based on the theory that if we need to cut rates, the economy must be worse o than we think.
Clarke Reader
23rd Annual Arvada Art Studio Tour set for Sept. 21 and 22
CRAMER
Carol Ann (Couchman) Cramer May 21, 1938 - August 29, 2024
Carol Ann Cramer passed away on ursday August 29th in her Bloomington, Minnesota residence. Carol was a beloved mother, grandmother, sister and friend to many. Carol was born in 1938 in Lake City, Iowa and subsequently moved with her family to Dubuque, Iowa. She attended the University of Dubuque where she received a teaching degree in elementary education. Carol started her 35-year teaching career in Dubuque but spent most of her adult life living and teaching in Arvada, Colorado. Carol was recognized by the Rocky Mountain News and Denver Channel 4 in 1990 as a Teacher Who Makes a Di erence in Colorado. Carol frequently heard from her former students and their parents about the positive impact she made in the classroom. While living in Colorado, Carol was active in the Democratic Party, volunteering for elected o cials including Senator Gary Hart and Senator and Congressman Tim Wirth. In retirement, she also dedicated her time supporting the Arvada Police Department. Carol moved to a Presbyterian Homes independent living
apartment in fall, 2019 to be closer to her immediate family. Carol was a lifelong fan of the Minnesota Twins, recalling listening to games on WCCO radio during annual family vacations at Lake Ada near Pine River, Minnesota and attending games at Metropolitan Stadium, the Metrodome and Target Field. She kept meticulous records of every game to make sure the local paper printed the correct statistics the following day. Carol is preceded in death by her parents Gaylord and Esther Couchman, and sisters Barb French and Mary Beerling. Carol is survived by her two loving sons, Steve (Debbie) and Scott (Leigh Ann and stepson Kyle). Carol treasured her granddaughters Anna Cramer (Des Moines, IA) and Maggie Cramer (Minneapolis). Carol is also survived by her brother John Couchman (Peggy) as well as many nieces, nephews and their families. roughout he life, Carol always supported organizations that focused on helping those in need. Memorials can be sent to YouthLink in Minneapolis, www.youthlink.org, 41 North 12th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55403.
Every fall, artists and studios across Arvada open their doors to the community so that folks can experience the creative endeavors of the community’s painters, photographers, sculptors and other
visual artists. is year’s iteration is set for Sept. 21 and 22 and will be open from noon to 5 p.m. each day. Admission is free to the public. More information about the participating artists and a map can be found at https://www.arvadaart.com/.
Do not base long-term decisions on the mindset of less-educated investors or try to follow the herd. You and your advisor can rise above the noise and look at the fundamentals to make a good strategy going forward.
Fixed income investors who have been enjoying nicer interest rates recently will also be in for a change as interest rates decline. While your income may be reduced, it is most likely that your bond values will in-
crease. Work with your advisor in determining what term is best for you during this pivot on rates by the Fed. ere may be a good reason why the 10-year Treasury is paying less than a two-year bond. is is giving us a peek into the future of where rates are expected to be. So, beware when you try to reinvest that shorter-term bond in two years. You need patience with both the equity and the xed income side of your portfolio during these exciting times.
1. Forbes: Federal Funds rate history
In Loving Memory
Patricia Kummer is managing director for Mariner Wealth Advisors.
The 23rd Annual Arvada Art Studio Tour is Sept. 21 and 22. COURTESY IMAGE
BY THE COLORADO
In recent months, we asked readers to take surveys asking what they think candidates for political o ces should focus on as they compete for their votes. e top answer from Colorado Community Media readers across the metro area sounded like something from a civics class: “democracy and good government.”
Our readers said they want the candidates to focus on solutions, even if it means compromises.
As Lisa Anne Bresko, a self-described moderate and business owner from Evergreen, told us, democracy and good government are foundational if our leaders are going to solve the many pressing problems facing our communities.
“I feel there’s very little respect and no more compromise,” Bresko said. “It’s ‘My way or no way’ on a lot of topics. at’s not the way to run a country or get anything done. I feel all of the name calling, the pointing of ngers, the disinformation
about the people you’re supposed to be working with toward common goals is hurting the ability to get things done.”
More than 400 (and counting) Colorado Community Media readers have lled out our Voter Voices surveys using links in our newsletters and stories or QR codes from newspapers and yers. Our reporters and editors have been using the results to help form the questions we ask politicians in the two dozen Denver-area cities, towns and suburbs we cover.
We are partnering with 60 newsrooms across the state in this endeavor. Overall, there are some 6,000 responses.
In the surveys, voters are asked to rank their top three issues among 13 categories, revealing their importance. e surveys also allow voters to elaborate in their own words on what they think candidates should focus on.
Additionally, our Colorado Community Media reporters reached out directly to many survey
respondents of all political persuasions to speak to them about their surveys and more. We also went into the community to connect with younger voters, an underrepresented category in the data.
More than 37% of our readers who took the survey cited democracy and good government as their top issue. More moderates and liberals cited it as a top issue than conservatives, but the surveys revealed that it is an important issue regardless of political inclination. Readers’ other top issue was the economy and cost of living, which was cited more by conservatives as their No. 1 issue, yet readers across the political spectrum said it was a top issue.
Phillip McCart, a liberal from Littleton, told us that candidates should focus on ways to help people who are struggling. One way candidates can do that, McCart said, is to work to reduce housing costs by creating more housing density.
Colorado Community Media’s newsroom has already used the results of the Voter Voices surveys we have received so far.
During the primaries, we incorporated readers’ concerns about democracy and good government and the economy into questions we asked Republican and Democratic candidates for Congress in our primary forums for Colorado’s 4th District. e forums were co-sponsored with the League of Women Voters Colorado and KUNC public radio.
We plan to do the same for more forums we’re co-sponsoring this fall.
And, our Question and Answer surveys of candidates, which are widely read in print and online ahead of the November elections, will include Voter Voices-inspired questions and themes.
We also got to speak directly to voters and our reporters were met with appreciation in their e orts. is is just the start. We intend to keep the conversations with you going and we’re looking for ways to localize our connections with survey respondents. Watch for that.
Readers also told us they appreciated the opportunity to elaborate on their views and see our journalists as advocates for getting their voices into the process, given our unique access to leaders and candidates.
We have more work to do in terms of outreach, especially when it comes to younger voters and another category underrepresented in our results – people of color. Watch this space for future stories about them as we consider Voter Voices a starting point.
COMMUNITY MEDIA NEWSROOM
VOTER VOICES
“Housing costs are destroying the hopes and dreams of everyone,” McCart said. at view was echoed many times in the surveys we gathered. For instance, one moderate Je erson County voter – who wished to remain anonymous – wrote in her survey, “We have a severe lack of a ordable and workforce housing in the metro area, and it is not improving.”
Evergreen resident Norm Sherbert, a conservative on scal issues and moderate on others, told us that everyone, regardless of income, should be concerned that many people across the metro area are struggling.
“I think it a ects us all,” he said. “I see it in my utility bills, the price of gas, grocery bills — and it just keeps climbing.”
Sherbert worries that the Social Security system might not be intact for future generations and believes strong, bipartisan leadership is needed to
tackle such problems. He is not impressed by President Biden or the Democratic and Republican nominees for president, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
“I’m not a Trump fan, and I’m surely not a Biden or Harris fan,” Sherbert said. “It’s a shame we do not have the candidates out there that can really make something happen in the country. I hope we come back to the center and realize it’s not the candidates that are going to drive this country, it’s the issues and how they’re solved.”
Similar views were espoused around our coverage area, which spans from Fort Lupton, Brighton and Commerce City in the north to Je erson County in the west, Idaho Springs in the mountains, Arapahoe and Douglas counties in the south, and Parker and Elbert County in the east.
About half of the readers who responded to our survey consider themselves moderate. About a quarter identify as conservative and another quarter as liberal. About 60% of re-
spondents are women and 40% are men.
Many readers told us that partisanship has become a never-ending soap opera – with sides squaring o against each other leaving compromises, and the potential solutions to long-standing problems, in the dust. Many shared a feeling that the country has an urgent, almost desperate need for candidates who will talk about issues, especially divisive ones, calmly instead of attacking and dismissing each other. e stakes, readers say, are just too high given a long list of concerns, from crime to climate change to in ation to immigration to national security. One of the most eye-opening insights from readers is their disdain for grandstanding by candidates, bitter attacks and empty promises.
Michael Wilson, a 65-year-old conservative in Je erson County, said he would like political candidates to talk about what they will do if they are elected.
“I don’t need to hear them try to run down their opponent,” Wilson said. omas Gibbons, a
moderate who lives in the Highlands Ranch area, said property taxes, local crime and reducing gun violence are important to him, but the problems associated with them can’t be solved if elected leaders are not focused on good governance.
“Elected o cials must nd a way to work together in bipartisan cooperation,” said Gibbons.
Littleton resident Porter Lansing, who identi es as liberal, said he would like to see candidates address the wealth gap between the metro area’s richest and poorest residents, citing concerns about unemployment and in ation. Lansing, who is 70 and disabled, said he lives mainly on his Social Security income.
“Everything’s so expensive, and everything’s going up,” he said. “I don’t want politicians to forget people way down here just because we don’t have money to contribute to their campaigns.”
It’s not just Coloradans who feel the government must improve.
VOTER VOICES
Across the country, positive views of political and governmental institutions are at historic lows, according to the nonpartisan Pew Research Center. Many Americans say they are underwhelmed by candidates and 28% of Americans express unfavorable views of both the Democratic and Republican parties, the highest share in three decades of polling, with a comparable share adding that neither party represents their interests well.
In Voter Voices surveys, newsrooms across Colorado received strikingly similar ndings to ours, with good government and the economy coming out as top issues, closely mirroring the results of our readers. Other important issues cited by survey respondents included the environment, climate and natural resources, immigration and abortion.
e vast majority of respondents identi ed as older than 45.
at prompted Colorado Community Media to reach out to younger people directly. A reporter and our summer reporting intern used social media to promote the Voter Voices survey on Instagram, tweeting on X and even texting friends and colleagues for help reaching more voters in their 20s and 30s online and in person. Many of the younger voters shared the same concerns as older voters, particularly regarding good government and the economy.
Ben Warzel, 25, of Littleton, was at a Denver restaurant as he expressed frustration over how can-
didates attack each other.
“(Candidates) can have their little pageantry, but we know that they’re not really doing anything,” Warzel said. “It’s just becoming dangerous, the people that we’re having to choose between.”
Some young people spoke about the intersection that the high costs of college and wages play out in their lives.
“I would like to see candidates talk about pay wages, especially with degrees and the cost of college,” a 24-year-old Voter Voices respondent from Arapahoe County who wished to remain anonymous wrote. “I think the cost of college is becoming una ordable even for people who are more well o .”
“Cost of living has not gone down at all over the years,” a 24-year-old respondent to our survey wrote.
Joshua Glenn, 28, of Aurora, said he hopes candidates will focus on a raft of issues – from the economy to the safety of all Americans.
“I would like candidates to focus on climate issues, economic future, abuse of power and the environment,” Glenn said. “Social justice is very important to me as well. As an African-American, and a contributing member of society, I want to feel safe in all parts of the country.”
Kamara Maxie, 24 of Denver, said the cost of living and abortion are the most important issues she wants candidates to address this election. Maxie also said gun safety is an issue that candidates should address.
“I believe having legal guns is important for protection reasons, however, I don’t think we should have weapons of war,” Maxie said.
ere were also familiar divisions among conservatives and liberals. For instance, many conservative readers, like Eric Tyrell, who lives in Douglas County, cited immigration and tax policy as important issues. He would like to see candidates close the southern border and cut government spending.
“Government is too big and is still getting bigger every year,” he said.
Meanwhile, many liberals, like Kathy Mendt in Adams County, said abortion policy is important.
“Politicians need to keep their laws o women’s bodies,” Mendt said.
She also wants to see candidates who care about the environment.
“How willing are they to address climate change?” Mendt said.
Mary Wylie, an Arvada voter who identi es as a liberal, said climate change is a pressing problem.
“I think climate change is essentially the ballot, depending on who ends up winning the presidency and has control of the government,” Wylie said.
Many survey respondents have similar litmus tests for candidates. For instance, they want to know: Does a candidate support the overturning of Roe v. Wade? Does a candidate support U.S. funding for Israel? Does a candidate believe that Donald Trump won the 2020 election?
Our readers also listed a hodgepodge of local issues. ey included inadequate roads and cell phone “dead zones” in Je erson County, a desire to see more conversation around local control issues, the e ects crime has on businesses and how safe people feel in certain parts of the metro area, among other issues.
And, some said perceptions of communities as conservative or liberal doesn’t provide an accurate re ection of reality.
“Douglas County is a red county, but it’s growing a little more blue, especially where I live in northern Highlands Ranch,” Alex Miller, a 60-year-old Highlands Ranch man who identi es as a liberal, told us. “Based on the yard signs in the last election, my neighborhood had as many Biden signs as Trump signs. I think it’s a mistake to write o the county as lost to Republicans.”
Candidates can improve by focusing on the issues instead of attacking each other, many survey respondents said.
“ e negativity and the bashing, I think, is just very divisive and drives us further apart,” Wylie said.
Jane Dvorak, a moderate from Je erson County who listed democracy and good government as top concerns, said, “ e lack of respect for di ering opinions/ideas is scary.”
“It’s time to take a hard look at how we talk to each other, make decisions and what is best for the whole, not one person/group,” Dvorak wrote.
To voters like C. Michael Litzau,
a 65-year-old moderate Adams County voter, the integrity and ethics of political candidates matters as much as their stance on issues.
“What has their experience been like working with groups during di cult circumstances, and how do they resolve con icts?” Litzau said. “A priority for my evaluation of candidates for elected o ce is their ability to act civilly, even in a time of disagreement.”
RESULTS
A big next step for us will be to work with groups of survey respondents to create a Voter Voices Citizens Agenda for our newsroom that helps guide our every interaction with public ofcials and candidates for political o ce.
Until then, tell us what we’re missing by adding your voice to our Voter Voices survey. Here’s the link: https://tinyurl.com/ mv6jxw7w or scan our QR code below with your phone.
Our door is always open.
Michael de Yoanna, editor-in-chief
Thu 9/19
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Little Trips @ 8pm
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Tony Medina Music: Tony Medina and Friends @ 6pm
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SECURITY
For example, in Je erson County, here’s how your ballot moves from the drop box to be tallied:
• Teams of mixed partisanship collect ballot envelopes in sealed bags and deliver them to the election facility
• Envelopes pass through a large sorting machine to verify voters’ signatures, and envelopes that need special handling are separated
• Signatures that can’t be automatically veri ed by the sorting machine are reviewed by trained election workers. Ballot envelope signatures are compared to signatures in voter les
• For signatures that can’t be veried — either because they’re missing or don’t match — voters are contacted and asked to “cure” their ballot by sending proof of identi ca-
tion
• Shortly after 7 p.m. on Election Night, the rst round of uno cial results is posted online, followed by later updates.
After 7 p.m., when polls close, is when results are rst seen — even by the county clerk’s sta , according to the secretary of state’s o ce.
Sometimes those early tallies of votes, as they’re released, o er a skewed picture of the results. A clearer picture emerges as more updates of the tally are posted online during Election Night and, in close races, into the next day(s).
On camera
Pursuant to a Colorado election rule, cameras record all areas where the election management software system is used at least 60 days before Election Day to at least 30 days after, according to the Colorado County Clerks Association.
( is year, ballots for the November election are expected to be mailed to
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voters starting Oct. 11.)
For counties with 50,000 or more registered voters, cameras also record all areas used for signature verication, ballot opening tabulation, and storage of voted ballots at least 35 days before Election Day through at least 30 days after, the association’s website says.
Many counties have cameras recording year-round, the association says.
e presentation in Golden on Aug. 26 involved Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Denver, Douglas and Je erson counties.
“ ere’s badge access that limits what rooms anyone can get in,” Skelley, with Arapahoe County, said.
Does internet security factor in?
Voters who follow the news may be familiar with the question of whether voting systems can be hacked.
“No vote counting machines in Colorado are connected to the internet,” said Sarah McAfee, a spokesperson for the Je erson County clerk’s o ce.
She added: “In larger counties that have multiple vote counting machines, these machines may be networked together, but it is a closed network, not accessible from outside the room the equipment is housed in.”
receive information from the state’s Department of Public Health and Environment.
Earlier this year, Douglas County detailed how its elections o ce also gets notices from the state Department of Corrections for people who are imprisoned because of a felony conviction. In Colorado, it’s illegal to register to vote or to cast one while in prison on a sentence for a felony.
Moving to a new home can also trigger changes to voter registration.
When “you update through the National Change of Address registry to the U.S. Postal Service, we receive that information,” Jack Twite, Douglas County’s deputy of elections, has said. “In addition, any undeliverable o cial election mail that is returned to us will result in an update to the voter’s registration as well. We inactivate that registration.”
Colorado also participates in ERIC, or the Electronic Registration Information Center, a partnership across many states to help maintain accurate voter rolls. It’s aimed at identifying voters who appear to have moved from one state to another and voters who have died.
What about people without U.S. citizenship?
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County elections o ces transmit results to the Colorado Secretary of State’s O ce, McAfee said.
“I believe it’s accurate to say that every county has at least one, but probably not more than two … internet-connected computers that are used to upload election results,” McAfee said. But “these computers are never connected to the counting machines or the closed network the counting machines may be a part of. ey do upload the results le from the counting machines through an internet connection to the secretary of state’s o ce.”
But even if the internet connection to the state election o ce were somehow tampered with and unofcial election results reporting to the public was a ected, the original voting results le would still be intact, McAfee said.
What about inaccurate voter registration?
You may have heard concerns about voter registration issues. How do o cials guard against those? Several mechanisms are at play, including cross-checking death records, updating addresses and more. If a voter on the rolls dies, o cials
is year, politicians have stirred up concerns about noncitizens and voting.
Often, voting is tied to having a driver’s license or other Colorado identi cation card.
But a person who does not have a driver’s license, state-issued ID or Social Security number may still register to vote, according to Colorado’s voter registration form information.
Asked about the ID requirements, McAfee said: “ e very large majority of Colorado voters are registered at the DMV or online, where their citizenship is con rmed through government-issued IDs, such as passports, Social Security numbers and driver’s licenses. ose that aren’t still have to show ID, which could be any of the valid forms of ID, but everyone must sign an a davit swearing the truth of their application.”
Knowingly lying on that a davit would be perjury, said Jack Todd, a spokesperson for the secretary of state’s o ce.
At the top of Colorado’s voter registration form is the question, “Are you a citizen of the United States?” and the instruction, “If you answered ‘No’, do not complete this form.”
SECURITY
e form also says: “Warning: It is a Class 1 misdemeanor to swear or afrm falsely as to your quali cations to register to vote.”
Federal lawsays, generally, that “it shall be unlawful for any alien to vote in any election held solely or in part for the purpose of electing a candidate for the o ce of President, Vice President, Presidential elector, Member of the Senate, Member of the House of Representatives, Delegate from the District of Columbia, or Resident Commissioner.”
e law also says: “Any alien who has voted in violation of any Federal, State, or local constitutional provision, statute, ordinance, or regulation is deportable.”
( e term “alien” means any person who is not a citizen or national of the U.S. e Associated Press Style-
book, a guide for journalists, has advised against using the term “alien” except in quotations.)
Anders Nelson, a spokesperson for Arapahoe County, noted that people applying for citizenship who attempt to vote put themselves at risk of legal punishment and could complicate or end their pathway to citizenship.
Cases of suspected voter fraud are reported to district attorney’s o ces for investigation, Todd said.
Every month, the secretary of state’s o ce receives a list from the Colorado Department of Revenue of all the people who have been given a “Not Lawfully Present” or “Temporarily Lawfully Present” driver’s license, Todd said.
“People who have been given these licenses are not citizens, generally speaking,” Todd said. “We compare that list to the statewide voter registration database (SCORE). If there are matches to any of the individuals with NLP/TLP licenses, we then lter those names through SAVE, which at
times will con rm that an individual has achieved citizenship status.”
“SAVE cannot tell us conclusively whether someone is not a citizen, as that database is only updated with the latest information provided by either the individual or a wide variety of government agencies partnered with the federal government,” Todd said. e state also checks the full list of voters against data received by the Colorado Department of Revenue daily, and federal Social Security Administration monthly, Todd said.
“In scenarios where there are questions about an individual’s citizenship, the (state) sends a letter to that individual informing them that it is a felony for noncitizens to cast a ballot in a Colorado election and that they must withdraw their voter registration if they are not a citizen,” Todd said. “ is happens on an as-needed basis.”
McAfee, with Je erson County, pointed to analysis by the libertarianCato Institute think tank, which has
calledclaims about widespread noncitizen voting fraud “bogus.”
Other fraud concerns e presentation in Golden also touched on the fear of what some call “ballot harvesting” — e orts to collect voters’ ballots and drop them o . If someone puts a bunch of ballots into a drop box, do those count? A key question is whether the ballots are valid or not.
Fraudulent ballots would come up invalid, Twite has said, because of how they’re tracked.
“We use that barcode that’s on your return envelope — it’s one per voter per election and never repeated,” Twite has said. He added: “And if somebody made copies of those envelopes and tried to put them back, if we receive two, only one gets counted.”
And ballots still go through signature veri cation as a guard against fraud, according to the Golden presentation.
SPORTS
Arvada West softball piles up the hits against Pomona
BY DENNIS PLEUSS
JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ARVADA — After a lightning delay of nearly an hour, Arvada West softball brought the thunder with the bats.
e Wildcats hammered out a 11-1 home victory over area-rival Pomona on Wednesday. Every AWest batter recorded at least one hit in the 18-hit attack a day after the Wildcats su ered a 7-3 loss to Conifer.
“We just kind of lacked some energy and focus yesterday. One inning got away from us,” A-West coach Brenna Millikan said of the loss to the Lobos that featured a 5-run third inning by Conifer. “It was good today to see if we allow
a hit or couple of walks we could close that back up. We had some good plays on defense that helped ignite that energy back up.”
Back-to-back 3-run innings for AWest in the rst two frames allowed the Wildcats to quickly erase an early Pomona 1-0 lead. Pomona senior Lia Martinez scored on an error to give the Panthers the lead.
“ ere is two ways to go about it,”
A-West junior pitcher Morgan Farr said of Pomona taking the lead.
“You can either fold or get angry and be like, ‘Let’s go.’ Get excited.”
A-West responded with ve singles in the bottom of the rst inning to grab a 3-1 lead. Farr drove in the rst run and fellow junior Vivyanna Dycus nished o the inning with a 2-run single.
It was more of the same in the bottom of the second inning. Senior Hallie omas had a 2-run triple and Farr drove in her second run to push the lead to 6-1.
“We are coming together,” said omas, who drove in three runs in the win. “ is is a new team from last year. We are trying to nd our spark.”
Last season, A-West had a 22-5 record and lost in the second round of the Class 5A state tournament to eventual state champion Chat eld. e Wildcats graduated seven seniors, including the majority of their pitching sta — Sophia Finney, Mac Ferguson and Brooklyn Burgess — that logged 158 innings on the mound last year.
Farr — 1.58 ERA over her 13 in-
nings pitched last season — will likely be the workhorse on the mound for the Wildcats.
“Morgan is ready to go. She has really worked hard this o -season,” Millikan said of the Wildcats’ new ace. “Last season we really didn’t need her because the (pitching) depth we had, but we always knew she was there.”
Farr’s teammates are con dent she can handle the increased load.
“Of course she can handle it,” omas said of Farr being leaned on heavily in the pitching circle. “She is a strong girl. She is good with what she done. We are behind her too on defense. We trust her and she trusts us.”
Arvada West junior Vivyanna Dycus, left, tags out Pomona senior Grace Kerr at third base during the non-league game Wednesday, Sept. 4, at Arvada West High school. The Wildcats took an 11-0 victory.
PHOTO BY DENNIS PLEUSS JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Arvada West junior Morgan Farr will be the workhorse in the pitching circle for the Wildcats. Class 5A Jeffco League play begins for A-West on Tuesday, Sept. 10.
SOFTBALL
A-West (6-4 record) dives into 5A Je co League play next week. With the conference shrinking to seven teams the league schedule grows to 12 games playing each league foes
twice. e Wildcats open at Columbine on Tuesday, Sept. 10.
“Je co is super competitive,” Farr said about entering conference play next week. “It is exciting to know every team we face from here on out will be a good, hard game. We are locked in and ready to go. I’m excited.”
Pomona (2-2) is coming o a
Pomona senior Erica Rivera fouls o a pitch during the first inning Wednesday, Sept. 4, at Arvada West High School. The Panthers are coming o a 20-win season in 2023 that saw Pomona return to the state tournament for the first time since 2017.
season where the Panthers found themselves back on the state stage.
Pomona had a 20-win season, advancing to the 4A state tournament where they lost to eventual state champion Lutheran in the opening round.
Coach Je Nealon returns a good core of last year’s team that gave the Panthers their rst state appearance
since 2017. Pomona will head to Greeley to play in the Northern Colorado Softball Showcase on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 6 and 7, later this week.
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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‘People need to understand just how rewarding education is’
Kevin Vick takes reins of Colorado Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union
BY JASON GONZALES CHALKBEAT COLORADO
Kevin Vick moved to Colorado in 1993 and quickly found the ski slopes. Six years later, he was skiing 100 days a year and in the summers went mountain biking and rock climbing.
He loved being outdoors, but he felt like something was missing from his life.
“I didn’t feel like I was having a real great purpose,” he said. “Or I was really making a di erence.”
He turned to teaching and found his purpose helping students as a social studies teacher and prep football coach. He also taught other educators to advocate for themselves and organized them to better their work conditions.
Now, in his 24th year as an educator, Vick, 55, who has taught at Doherty High School, has taken over as president of the Colorado Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union. He wants to use his platform to make sure Coloradans know how much hard work and dedication educators put into their jobs.
He also wants to share his belief that teaching is full of purpose and teachers make a di erence every day.
“I think people need to understand just how rewarding education is and how admirable the people that are in it really are,” he said. “ ey’re trying to make students better, Colorado better, and, ultimately, the world better.”
Vick recently talked with Chalkbeat Colorado about his new position as president.
Vick is stepping out of the vice president role
As the former vice president of CEA, Vick worked closely with former President Amie Baca-Oehlert.
“You kind of serve at the pleasure of the president,” Vick said. “So whatever Amie needed, I was managing.”
He doesn’t plan big changes to the priorities of the union, which has 40,000 members statewide. As a former Colorado Springs Education Association president, Vick says he cares about empowering teachers to have a voice and bargain at the local level.
Vick also cares about how testing and state accountability impact teachers and students. He feels accountability has created a one-sizets-all approach. More consideration should be given to the challenges that happen in classrooms.
“Schools are threatened by sanctioning from the state to produce results, regardless of what the students
may be experiencing in that environment,” he said. “ is creates a lot of disconnect for the teacher, because of their expertise, they know where a student should be. But they’re not able to because of the larger policy pressures.”
Vick will also have to tackle new issues in education that his predecessors did not, such as technology such as cellphones and arti cial intelligence.
Both are tools that can help teachers, but both must be used responsibly, he said.
For instance, Vick understands the debate around cellphones and that they can be disruptive. But many teachers have innovative ways of using cellphones in the classroom, he said.
Districts should consider how teachers teach before making broad policies, he added.
Workplace conditions are especially important to Vick
School is a workplace, Vick said.
Vick believes better work environments start with pay, and many teachers have a hard time making ends meet on their salaries. Educators can barely a ord to cover their health care, he said. Colorado and other states have struggled to keep teachers in the classroom because of pay, and many educators end up working multiple jobs because they don’t earn enough teaching.
“Educators do get better every year
of their career,” he said. “ ey just get a higher skill level every year. And so we need to keep them in as long as possible.”
Vick will continue to push for more state education funding is week, Vick appeared before lawmakers this week during a special session to help secure a deal that could avoid two ballot initiatives that many predicted would devastate schools and government services.
e special session called by Gov. Jared Polis was meant to help preserve education funding while also striking a deal on property tax relief.
Vick defended the property tax deal to fend o the ballot initiatives.
And for years, CEA has been a constant in legislative committees, especially when it comes to calling for increased school funding. is year, Colorado lawmakers ended the practice of withholding money from schools to pay for other priorities.
Not much will change there with Vick. He said he supports a statewide ballot initiative to boost school funding.
“We feel that the timing is pretty good right now to make that case to voters that our schools do deserve better and our kids deserve better,” he said.
is story was printed through a news sharing agreement with Chalkbeat Colorado, a nonpro t news site covering educational change in public schools.
