Hitting the dusty trail: Arvada students’ camaraderie through mountain biking
Arvada City Council takes another look at upcoming water rates
raise
Members narrow options, will decide
on Oct. 21
BY LILLIAN FUGLEI SPECIAL TO THE ARVADA PRESS
Arvadans are in for another raise in water rates, but city council still isn’t quite sure what that raise will be.
In a meeting on Sept. 23, Arvada City Council looked again at potential water, stormwater and sewer rates for 2025. Council had previously heard three di erent options for next year’s rates during a workshop on Aug. 24.
For years, students from Ralston Valley and Arvada West high schools competed on the same Ralston Valley mountain biking team. But last season, A-West had enough riders to start its own team. But both teams still train together regularly.
Ralston Valley, Arvada West teams train together, compete separately
BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
At the Bird’s Nest Disc Golf Course in Arvada, students largely from Ralston Valley and Arvada West high
schools meet in a gravel parking lot before a 20ish-mile mountain biking practice run on a hotter day than they’d like in late September. e two teams have always trained together. In fact, Arvada West didn’t have its own team or uniforms until this season. Before then and even still, students from several Arvada high schools — including Pomona, Standley Lake, Arvada, etc. — held a spot on Ralston Valley’s mountain biking team.
“I love biking and I love that we can
PHOTO BY JOHN RENFROW
come up here and just do 20 miles in the mountains. It’s so beautiful,” said Arvada West sophomore Bergen Sands, who is leading the sophomore girls category in the state.
Mountain biking is not a CHSAAsanctioned activity but is run by the Colorado High School Cycling League. Ralston Valley and Arvada West are just two of over 90 teams in the league.
At the Sept. 23 meeting, council had cut one of the options — Scenario A, which was a 0% increase in rates. is scenario would have left sewer services only 92% funded and would have required a much larger hike in rates in 2026. is left council with two options for the rate raises.
Scenario B, referred to as the “Budget Book” option, includes raises to all rates in order to meet the city’s budget needs. is includes a 10% increase to water fees, a 10% increase to sewer fees and a 5% increase to stormwater fees.
Scenario C fully funds all Capital Improvement Projects for the city in 2025, meaning it has a larger rate increase.
BIKING
More than 2,000 riders across Colorado, along with bikers from Wyoming, New Mexico, and South Dakota, participate in the league each year. Ralston Valley joined the league in 2010 with just two coaches and six male riders. Now, there are close to 80 riders between the two teams and around 30 coaches.
“It’s the fastest-growing high school sport,” said Coach Troy P tzer, who has been with the program for 11 years. “It does reach that kid that doesn’t t the mold of team sports, necessarily. ey can nd their place here.”
When the teams practice together, they consider themselves one group. But on race day, the Arvada West team competes in a lower division. Still, everyone is welcome, no matter their skill or experience level.
“ e Colorado High School Cycling League is the largest no-cut sport in the state,” said Jake Davidson, head coach of both Ralston Valley and Arvada West teams. “We had a race in Eagle last weekend and there were probably 450 kids. at’s about a
Mountain bikers from Arvada West and Ralston Valley met at Bird’s Nest Disc Golf Course in Arvada on Sept. 25 ahead of a 20-mile practice run along the mountains. Both teams practice together but compete separately.
quarter of the (entire) league.” e typical mountain bike race season is from late summer into fall with a four-race series (every other weekend in Colorado mountain town venues) culminating in the Colorado State Championship Race that riders must qualify to participate in. A small number of o -season training rides and camps are allowed over the spring and summer, with the o cial race season beginning July 15.
To qualify for the state championship, riders must compete in at least three races during the season and then meet minimum ranks within their level (varsity, JV, sophomore, freshman).
But riders don’t have to compete; it can all just be for fun. It’s all about enjoying the sport and providing an extracurricular activity and a vehicle for students to ride.
According to the league website, the purpose of the Colorado High
School Cycling League is “to build strong minds, bodies and character, guided by the principles of inclusivity and equality. Together we foster healthy habits in youth, develop selfcon dence, cultivate leadership and strengthen family bonds one pedal stroke at a time.”
Leading up to the state championship on Oct. 19 and 20 in Glenwood Springs, there are two more races on the calendar for the 2024 season. e North Fruita Desert Classic in Fruita and the Chalk Creek Stampede in Buena Vista kick o the weekend of Oct. 5.
“I think we’re going to be really good (going into the state championships),” Davidson said. “I think Bergen is going to carry that leader’s jersey into the state championships, meaning she’ll start in the front row with all the other three leaders from the three other regions, and she’ll have a good chance to win the race there for sure.”
More information on the Colorado High School Cycling League, including past race results, upcoming races and more can be found at www.coloradomtb.org. To read more about Ralston Valley and Arvada West’s mountain biking teams, visit www. rvmtb.com.
Bergen Sands of Arvada West High School’s mountain biking team carves a trail during a race in Frisco on Aug. 24.
PHOTOS BY JOHN RENFROW
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Visiting Other Countries This Year Gave Me New Insight on What’s Possible in Society
Tuesday evening Rita and I returned from completing our world tour. It took us from Los Angeles to Hawaii, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, South Africa, Senegal, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, France, England, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Greenland, and Canada. From Montreal, we drove through northern New England at peak foliage, before flying home from Boston on Tuesday. In addition to daily lectures by distinguished diplomats and professors, we went on shore excursions in each port, learning how life differs from country to country.
Crime rates, especially gun violence, is so much lower everywhere we visited, because gun ownership is so rare compared to America, where there are more guns than people.
Don’t Miss Saturday’s Green Homes Tour!
In Copenhagen, over 50 percent of workers commute by bicycle, helped by winters which are milder than in Denver. Montreal, however, is recognized as the most bicycle-friendly city in the world, with more separated bike lanes than Amsterdam.
Being a Realtor, I naturally was interested in how people were housed, and, being committed as I am to sustainable living and saving the planet from the ravages of climate change, I paid attention to how sustainable their energy grid is, and how water and waste are handled. As a longtime owner of EVs, I also noted whether the places we visited were more or less on board with the shift to EVs than here at home.
Altogether, Rita and I were away for over five months, with a 3½-month break back in Colorado this summer. I posted my observations every day at http://wherearejimandrita.substack.com.
We were most impressed with the Scandinavian countries — Sweden, Denmark and Norway. As I reported on my blog, every bus and truck in those countries is equipped with an breathalyzer interlock device. The vehicle will not start without the driver proving through that device that he has zero alcohol in his bloodstream. That’s right, not below a legal limit but zero. Passenger cars don’t have such a device, but the penalties for driving with even a low alcohol level are severe. The result is a huge decline in alcohol-related accidents and deaths over the past decades. Here in America we have photo radar units which generate speeding and red light tickets for drivers, but the tickets do not result in points against your license. In Sweden the secondary roads have photo radar units every few miles, and if you are captured on camera going more than 15 kilometers per hour over the speed limit, your driver’s license can be suspended. (Fortunately, even the rural highways have bus service.) On my blog you’ll find a video showing one of these roadside radar units. Here’s a screenshot from it:
As far as we could tell, homelessness was not a significant problem anywhere we visited, unlike in America. In Sweden and Norway, most middle-class people live in the city but have a summer cottage, so statistically there is more than one home per family overall.
Single-family homes are much rarer in these other countries. Most people either rent or own an apartment in a multi-family structure. In Montreal we were shown the six-family homes constructed following World War II to house returning soldiers. In America, the post-war pattern was set by Levittown: subdivisions of one-story homes, typically with a garage, made possible, of course, by all the empty land here.
Levittown is also famous for not selling to black soldiers, which brings up another observation. In one of the lectures we attended about why Scandinavians regularly ranked as the happiest people in the world, it was pointed out that those countries have no history of serfdom or indentured servants, as one of the reasons. There’s less ingrained fear among populations.
Regarding EVs, there was a vast disparity in the adoption rate of electric vehicles from country to country. In Norway, effective Jan. 1 of this year, every taxicab had to be an EV, and in Bergen all city buses and most tourist buses are electric. In Montreal, the EV adoption rate is similar to here, but the trucks and buses are all diesel and the street noise level is unpleasantly high.
I encourage you to check out my blog for other insights.
Now is the best time to create a more sustainable home. The benefits are huge, and the savings are tempting. But how do you start? The easy first step is to experience the annual Metro Denver Green Homes Tour, of which Golden Real Estate is a co-sponsor.
Join the self guided tour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 5th for just $15 per adult or $25 per couple. Follow the maps in the guide book to see some fantastic homes, all at your own pace. Explore creative older home retrofits and exciting new homes. See how your neighbors are enjoying beautiful, comfortable and healthy homes that benefit their communities and take on the changing climate, all while saving significant money over time.
Get some great ideas for your home. The tour features post-Marshall-fire homes rebuilt with unique sustainable and energy efficient designs; a Washington Park 1920s Craftsman-style green remodel; a 1950s home with a ground-source heat pump, solar power, and xeriscaping; the latest energyefficient all-electric townhomes; an updated 1979 solar home; and more.
Learn about current government and utility incentives. Learn how to harness free energy with dependable solar power and battery systems that shield you from brownouts and blackouts while dodging expensive utility timeof-use rates. Discover the latest heat pump technology; passive solar strategies; induction cooking; effective insulation; electric lawncare equipment; accessory dwelling units; and state-of-the-art construction materials. After the tour, plan to attend the free Reception & Green Expo: 4:30 to 6:30pm at Jefferson Unitarian Church (JUC), 14350 W. 32nd Ave., Golden Enjoy free appetizers, local beverages and live music. See renewable energy & sustainable living exhibits, a mobile container home unit, and electric bikes. From 3 to 5pm check out the electric cars in our annual EV roundup Bring your questions. Talk to homeowners and gain from their experiences and advice. Talk to builders and suppliers and learn about the latest techniques, technologies and money saving incentives. You can purchase a ticket at www.NewEnergyColorado.org
Je co Senate, House and Commissioner candidates address voters at Ralston Valley Coalition forum
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Je erson County Senate, House and Commissioner candidates expressed their views on government transparency, housing development, county infrastructure, property taxes and civil discourse at a candidate forum held in Arvada on Sept. 18.
e forum, co-hosted by the Ralston Valley Coalition and Colorado Community Media, included Senate District 19 candidates Lindsey Daughtery and Sam Bandimere; House District 24 candidate Lisa Feret; House District 27 candidates Rep. Brianna Titone and Ed Cox; Je erson County Commissioner District 1 candidates Charlie Johnson and Rachel Zenzinger; and District 2 candidate Natalie Menten. House District candidate Gwen Henderson and Commissioner District 2 candidate Andy Kerr were absent.
Colorado Community Media Director of Editorial and Audience Engagement Linda Shapley and McIntyre Neighbors United member Anne La oon moderated the free event.
Good governance and transparency e candidates addressed their thoughts on recent legislation passed by the 2024 Colorado legislature that limits government transparency. An amendment to the Colorado Open Meetings Law allows lawmakers to have private conversations through emails and texts and to discuss public business in small groups.
Titone said she supported the law, likening it to a football team having
a huddle before a play.
“We have a team, and other people have a team. We need to be able to communicate with each other,” Titone said. “Is that going to be open all the time? It’s a di cult answer, and we may need to have more discussions about it.”
Feret and Daugherty said the law was out-of-date and needed to be updated. Both believe transparency is vital in government and that plenty of policies, like the Open Re-
cords Act, ensure the public has access to information.
On the other hand, Cox said that while he understood some changes needed to be made to update the law, he was disheartened by the bill’s passing. “If I were to pick between striking deals behind closed doors, I would rather have it open to the public so they can digest it and make educated decisions,” Cox said.
Bandimere said he’s in favor of open communication and transparency.
ose running for commissioner addressed whether, based on a 2022 provision passed in Arvada, Je erson County elected o cials should also decide speci c administrative land use issues rather than leaving it to county sta .
Menten supports adopting a similar provision stating voters need to be able to trust that land use issues are decided by someone who represents them. Johnson and Zenzinger said it would depend on the question, and both would expect elected o cials and sta to work together and communicate openly.
County Commissioner District 2 candidate Natalie Menten and District 1 candidate Charlie Johnson. SCREENSHOT RALSTON VALLEY CANDIDATE FORUM YOUTUBE
GREEN HOMES TOUR
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Self-Guided Tour 9am–4pm • $15/adult $25/couple
Beautiful, Comfortable, Healthy Homes
Register online at: MetroDenverGreenHomesTour.org or register in person at Jefferson Unitarian Church (JUC) • 14350 W. 32nd Ave • Golden, CO 80401
Electric Vehicle Roundup
3pm–5pm
JUC Parking Lot: 14350 W. 32nd Ave • Golden, CO
Reception & Green Expo
4:30 – 6:30pm at JUC
FREE Appetizers & Local Beverages
Live Music! • Renewable Energy & Sustainable Living Exhibits
“Real people telling real stories about their path to electrification.” – Mark N.
“There’s simply nothing more inspiring than seeing green homes features in person!” — Angela K.
“The tour gave me a lot of ideas for improving my older home.” — Kelsey Z.
• $2.5 million for health;
• $1.1 million for food security;
• $838,000 for housing;
• $623,700 for workforce development
• $345,500 for early care and education; and
Je co nonprofits receive $5.7 million in grants for housing, education and more Colorado Gives Foundation provides extra $1.7 million after higherthan-expected requests
BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Almost 200 Je erson County nonpro ts are starting autumn with a little more money in the bank.
Arvada’s Colorado Gives Foundation — formerly called the Community First Foundation — has awarded $5.7 million to nonpro ts across Je co, helping with food security, housing, workforce development and other causes.
According to a recent CGF press release, the organization initially planned to award $4 million, but grant requests totaled more than $8 million. So, the organization “found a way to do more and provide an additional $1.7 million in funding,” it stated.
CGF o cials added how they hope the grants would “support efforts that enhance quality of life for everyone in Je erson County.”
e $5.7 million was awarded across six focus areas:
• $208,000 for convenient neighborhood projects.
In total, 184 Je co nonpro ts will bene t, with some receiving grant funding across multiple focus areas.
Several recipients described how the grant funding is exactly what they needed right now to expand or maintain their work to help Je co residents.
One example is the Golden-based CAG Food Pantry, which received a $15,000 CGF grant. at money directly translates to more food on the shelves and more clients served, Executive Director Britni LeRoux said.
“With this grant, we’ll be able to … serve more families and o er a greater variety of nutritious and culturally relevant options,” LeRoux continued. “ … Beyond the immediate impact, the grant will also strengthen our outreach and engagement efforts, enabling us to o er more comprehensive and responsive support to those who rely on us.”
Sustainable development and housing crisis
House candidates discussed a recent open house hosted by the Colorado Department of Transportation regarding a potential new rail station in Arvada and a rail line expansion through the county to provide service to Steamboat Springs and Craig and whether they support those plans.
Cox said he prefers to prioritize maintaining and improving existing infrastructure, such as roads and is skeptical about the e ectiveness of rail systems in reducing congestion.
Feret supports multi-modal transportation, including passenger rail, citing safety and environmental bene ts. She also believes in creating more diverse housing options, such as townhomes and condos, to allow residents to downsize while staying in the community.
Titone also supports the mountain rail concept, noting the bene ts of reducing road congestion, improving safety, and meeting greenhouse gas reduction goals.
County Commissioner candidates each weighed in on balancing highdensity development while preserving semi-rural areas in Je erson County, focusing on transportation and housing policies.
Johnson strongly opposes the overreach of state interference in local matters and believes highdensity housing is out of control.
“I think we vote for things like transportation, which sounds great, but then years later, we get another bill that forces those high-density housing units within a mile radius of where we live,” Johnson said.
Zenzinger said she is also against a new state law, HB24-1313, requiring transit-oriented communities like Arvada to meet set housing opportunity goals because it undermines local government authority. She stressed the importance of preserving the rural aspects of Je erson County while encouraging responsible development in high-density areas, particularly around transit stations.
Menten criticized the shift from incentivizing density to forcing it, describing it as a heavy-handed approach that undermines local autonomy.
Infrastructure, roads and trails
Senate candidates Daughtery and Bandimere shared their views on balancing increased water demand with
plans for growth.
Daughtery stressed the need for updated water infrastructure and suggested balancing development with the concerns of local residents. She advocated for conducting thorough studies and hosting discussions with a ected communities before deciding on the use of water resources, like with the plan to expand Bear Creek Lake.
Bandimere agreed and emphasized the challenge of building reservoirs in areas where communities don’t want them and said thorough studies should be made before committing to major projects.
Zenzinger, Menten and Johnson then shared their views on developing and preserving integrated trail systems. Each supported the bene ts trails provide but had di erent priorities regarding their funding.
Menten believes implementing a property tax volunteer credit system would incentivize residents to volunteer time in exchange for property tax reductions to help fund and maintain trail expansions.
“Our open space is the Crown Jewel of Je erson County,” Zenzinger said. “We have a separate tax that goes to support our open space, and when you have trails interacting with our open spaces, it’s important to have a robust, connected system.”
Zenzinger said she would advocate for stronger zoning regulations and recommends meeting with developers to set aside land for trails.
Cox said the county should prioritize roads over bike lanes and trails. “Once we have our roads xed, we can talk about bike lanes,” Cox said. He also said they must be safe to use at night.
living, Daughtery emphasized her work in a recent bipartisan special session that cut property taxes by $255 million for residents and businesses.
She explained that the special session was necessary to prevent ballot initiatives that could have harmed schools and essential services.
By contrast, Bandimere questioned the need for a special session and suggested that tax relief should have been handled during the regular session. Drawing from his experience as an entrepreneur, Bandimere emphasized the importance of managing government nances e ectively to address economic challenges.
When asked about a 2024 state law meant to curb abuses by Metropolitan Districts and HOAs that lead to home foreclosures over small amounts of unpaid fees and if they would take further steps to regulate them, Bandimere said no.
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303.278.7575 FoothillsAnimalShelter.org info@fas4pets.org
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SEE FORUM, P9
County Commissioner District 1 candidate Rachel ZenzingerHouse and District 27 candidate Rep. Brianna Titone.
SCREENSHOT RALSTON VALLEY CANDIDATE FORUM YOUTUBE
WATER RATES
is scenario includes a 12% increase to water fees, a 14% increase to sewer fees and a 13.75% increase to stormwater fees.
e increase in rates would allow for more funding for the city’s aging water infrastructure. All of the city’s Capital Improvement Projects are meant to address this aging infrastructure and accommodate the growth Arvada has undergone. “All the projects we’re talking about and all the operational work we’re doing is keeping the lights on,” said Arvada Utilities Business Manager Christine Gray. “We don’t have any projects in this proposal that would be gold plating. is is all to keep our system structural, keep
it sustainable, keep it reliable.”
At the end of the meeting, Gray surveyed council to see which of the two scenarios they would like to see presented to be voted on. is was not a nal vote, but an indication of the rates that council will vote on in their Oct. 21 meeting, when they hold a public hearing on the rate increase.
Scenario B was supported by councilmember John Marriott, while Scenario C was supported by councilmembers Shawna Ambrose and Lisa Feret.
Councilmembers Randy Moorman and Sharon Davis, alongside Mayor Lauren Simpson, voiced support for a split between the two plans — supporting Scenario B for water rates, and Scenario C for stormwater and sewer rates. Councilmember Bob Fifer was absent.
City council is set to vote on the rate increases during their meeting on Oct. 21.
On Oct. 21 Arvada City Council is set to vote on water rate and fee increases to help address aging infrastructure. Courtesy of Arvada Utilities
FORUM
“When you buy a home, you know whether it’s in an HOA or not,” Bandimere said. “ at’s a personal choice.”
Daugherty said that with limited housing options, not everyone has a choice but to live in an HOA-free community. She believes the most signi cant issue is transparency, and the solution for these organizations is to communicate where they spend money and how they make decisions.
House candidates addressed the passage of a deal during the recent special session that limited the property tax rate. While it does back ll a signi cant amount for school districts and nearly 100% for some re, ambulance and water districts, it doesn’t back ll all special governments.
Titone said she was concerned about the impact on re districts, which she believes are most impacted.
“We want to make sure our re departments are prepared with the best resources and re equipment we can to protect our homes, property, and lives,” Titone said. “So I’ll be working on a policy to alleviate some of that.”
While acknowledging the challenges municipalities and local entities face due to reduced revenue, Cox emphasized that the government should control spending, highlighting that government expenditures have risen signi cantly in recent years.
Feret suggested that savings from improving Medicaid could be reallocated to alleviate property tax burdens. She emphasized the importance of reviewing state expenditures, particularly in healthcare and reallocating funds to other critical areas.
Civil discourse and voter participation
County Commissioner candidates discussed their views on ensuring community input in land use code development, particularly in light of delays over the Together Je co project and the need for transparency.
Zenzinger said these decisions must be made locally and involve the public while acknowledging that the Together Je co project will likely be completed before new commissioners take o ce. If it limits citizen participation, she said she would work to address that.
Menten expressed concerns about using private consultants in county decisions, noting that it often removes the decision-making process from the community and those responsible for hearing citizens’ input.
Johnson said he prefers greater community engagement rather than relying heavily on expensive consultants and that local government should focus on listening to residents and act accordingly.
Regarding promoting respectful discourse, challenges to our democracy, balanced stewardship and bipartisan solutions, Bandimere said that the U.S. is a republic, not a democracy, based on Article 4, Section 4 of the Constitution.
His priority as a state senator would be to bring more openness to government operations to foster support and engagement from the public.
Daugherty re ected on the challenges of maintaining decorum and respect in the political environment, particularly over the last four years. She emphasized the importance of seeing people as humans rst, nding common ground, and fostering bipartisan collaboration to create meaningful policy.
Caring for Colorado Energy Workers
Senate District 19 candidates Lindsey Daughtery and Sam Bandimere.
SCREENSHOT RALSTON VALLEY CANDIDATE FORUM YOUTUBE
NONPROFITS
Meanwhile, Center for the Arts Evergreen will use its $27,000 grant in 2025 to host a free after-school program for middle- and high school students. e funds will also go toward scholarships for next summer’s mural camp.
Executive Director Lisa Nierenberg said the after-school program will be one day a week for seven or eight weeks, ending with an exhibit of the students’ work. She said the students will be able to explore whatever medium they want as part of an “open studio concept.”
Nierenberg emphasized how this after-school program is so important because it’ll bring in students from all over the mountain area, not just Evergreen.
Students from Conifer, Bailey and beyond can attend thanks to CAE’s new transit van, which Nierenberg said was purchased thanks to an anonymous donor. CAE will use the van to transport the students to and from their schools during the eightweek program.
“ e (grant money) we can use for the actual programming, so it works perfectly together,” she said of the CGF funds and the new van. “ … We’re so excited.”
If any students are interested in participating, Nierenberg encouraged them to call CAE at 303-6740056 for more information.
Meanwhile, Friends of Dinosaur Ridge received an $80,000 CGF grant as part of the “convenient neighborhoods” category. e park site and museum — which is perfectly wedged between Golden, Lakewood and Morrison — welcomes thousands of visitors each year to learn about the area’s natu-
Center for the Arts Evergreen hosts young performers from the Evergreen Dance Center Performance Team during the 2021 Day of the Arts. CAE recently received a $27,000 grant from the Colorado Gives Foundation for after-school programming next semester and a mural camp in the summer.
A Dinosaur Ridge summer camper looks over an informational sign June 7 along Golden’s Triceratops Trail. The Friends of Dinosaur Ridge, which is based near Morrison, organization recently received an $80,000 Colorado Gives Foundation grant for scholarships for low-income summer campers, among other items.
ral history and recreate among its ora and fauna.
Je Lamontagne, executive director of Friends of Dinosaur Ridge, said the $80,000 will go toward various endeavors, including:
• Scholarships for its summer camps and other educational programs;
• Providing guided tours for school groups at no cost to the students;
• Enhancing visitor and volunteer opportunities for seniors; and
• Protecting dinosaur fossils, footprints and other archeological resources.
“Colorado Gives Foundation’s investment in Friends of Dinosaur Ridge’s missions is helping one of the most iconic prehistoric sites in the world continue to be an easily accessed place for amazement and scienti c discovery in a welcoming and inclusive way,” he continued.
For more information, including a full list of the grant recipients, visit ColoradoGivesFoundation.org.
CONVERSATIONS WITH THE AUTHOR
FILE PHOTO BY CORINNE WESTEMAN
At far right, a volunteer helps at the CAG Food Pantry in downtown Golden on July 2. The nonprofit and almost 200 others across Je erson County recently received Colorado Gives Foundation grant funding, totaling $5.7 million.
Guanella Pass o ers spectacular fall colors
Aspen leaves turn brilliant shades as cool weather comes
BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
e changing temperatures and shorter days in the mountains create a once-a-year spectacular show of colors in the high country.
Colorful leaves of the mountain aspens draw thousands of people from around the world and across the country to Colorado to witness
nature in its splendor, and Guanella Pass in Georgetown is its epitome, according to visitors.
“Growing up we spent a lot of time in the mountains. My grandparents lived in Evergreen so we were up here a lot, we used to sh the creek with my grandpa all the time and he passed away last year so it’s very special to be able to come up here still and have all of the memories,” Colorado native Dru Ogg said while walking with her 2-year-old son Hudson along the trails at Clear Lake o Guanella Pass.
SEE COLORS, P13
Dru Ogg walks with her 2-year-old son Hudson along the trails at Clear Lake o Guanella Pass in Georgetown.
PHOTO BY CHRIS KOEBERL
Maureen Blackford and her sister Carol Black at Guanella Pass in Georgetown on Sept. 23.
PHOTO BY CHRIS KOEBERL
COLORS
According to the U.S. Forestry Service trees at altitude, especially the aspens, begin a natural cycle in which chlorophyll production slows and eventually stops. Chlorophyll is the pigment that gives leaves their green color, so when it breaks down, the green color disappears.
e technical de nition and explanation of what takes place every fall is one thing, the technicolor results of the phenomenon are what dazzles visitors every year.
“I love seeing the aspens changing colors like the yellow
Colorado
and the orange. It’s pretty cool mixed in with all the evergreen trees. It’s a pretty cool sight,”
Courtney Montgomery of Denver said alongside her husband Alex.
e pair shared a day o from their vocation as youth ministers at the Denver Church of Christ to visit the 10,000 foot mountains in Georgetown.
“It’s just nice and peaceful out here,” Alex Montgomery said. “Yeah, it’s a gem.”
Visitors to the mountains of Guanella Pass witnessed the steady and constant rush of trafc heading into altitude to see the show “free of charge” provided by nature and available to all.
“No place else I’d want to be,” said Colorado native Maureen Black-
ford with her sister Carol Black.
“ is is a favorite playground, you can’t ask for better nature, wildlife, blue skies,” Black said. “You got such a beautiful palette of greens and yellows and oranges and reds. Not too many states have this array of colors.”
“You gotta get out and enjoy it while you can, you blink and you’ll miss it,” Blackford added.
According to Georgetown ofcials, the economic impact of this yearly phenomenon is difcult to quantify but the tra c alone with license plates from California, Texas, New York, Oklahoma and overwhelming Colorado are evident of the tourist dollars owing into the town.
“I just think they’re just breathtaking every year,” Ogg said.
workers have questions about paid family and medical leave.
Here’s what you need to know.
Colorado’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program allows eligible Colorado workers to get up to 12 weeks of paid time off each year.
By Tracy Marshall
(DENVER) – Coloradans no longer have to choose between caring for themselves and paying the bills.
The new Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program gives Colorado workers pay replacement when they need to step away from their jobs to care for themselves or a family member.
It’s a benefit available to almost everyone who earned at least $2,500 in Colorado in roughly the last year – including self-employed and gig workers. Workers in Colorado can now get up to 12 weeks of partial pay replacement per year after certain life events, such as the birth of a child or a serious medical condition.
But many Coloradans don’t know about this new benefit and how to get it. Here’s a quick overview, so you know that when life happens, FAMLI has you covered.
Where did FAMLI come from?
Colorado voters approved FAMLI in 2020. We’re actually the first state in the country to enact paid family and medical leave through a ballot initiative.
How does it work?
Employers and employees in Colorado
have been paying into the FAMLI program since January of 2023. Premiums are set to 0.9% of the employee’s wage, with 0.45% paid by the employer and 0.45% paid by the employee.
Nearly every Colorado employer is required to comply with the FAMLI Act’s requirements – by either participating in the state program or providing a private plan of equal or greater benefit.
Only local governments have the option to vote to opt out of participating in the program. (Employees of opted-out local governments can still participate if they wish; they simply agree to pay the employee portion of the premium for three years.) Federal employers and some railroad employers are fully exempt from the program.
Family and medical leave isn’t new – the national Family and Medical Leave Act, which took effect in 1993, grants 12 weeks of job-protected leave for many. But it’s unpaid leave and excludes many part-time workers, workers at small-sized businesses and those who have worked less than 12 months.
What life events make someone eligible for paid leave?
Colorado’s FAMLI program covers workers who need to temporarily step away from work for the following reasons:
• Bonding with a new child (including adoptions and foster care/kinship care placements)
•Managing a serious health condition
• Caring for a family member with a serious health condition
• Making arrangements because of a military deployment
• Dealing with the immediate needs and impacts from domestic partner violence, sexual assault or stalking.
How much does FAMLI pay?
Employees can receive up to 90% of their wages, based on a sliding scale. So if you make $500 a week, your FAMLI benefit would be $450 a week. Benefits are capped at $1,100 per week.
This cap is proportional to the average weekly wage for Colorado and may increase over time. We have a calculator on our website (famli.colorado.gov) to help families get a rough estimate of both their paycheck deductions and potential benefit payments.
What
if my employer won’t let me go?
Colorado voters made sure that employers can’t fire people just because they need to
take FAMLI leave. The law prohibits employers from interfering with your right to take paid medical leave, and it says they have to keep your information confidential.
Even better, the law includes important job protections that kick in after you’ve worked somewhere for 180 days, or roughly six months. After that, employers are required to reinstate workers on FAMLI leave to the jobs they had before (with some exceptions, such as seasonal work that was scheduled to wind down anyway.)
We’ve got lots of resources on our website to explain exactly how FAMLI job protection works.
What are my next steps?
Supporting Colorado workers who need FAMLI leave is our passion. You can file your claim online, with lots of how-to guides and videos to help you through the process.
For personalized assistance, you can call us any weekday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. at 1-866-CO-FAMLI (1-866-263-2654).
Tracy Marshall is the Director of the new paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) Division at the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE). Tracy has been a Registered Nurse for over 30 years and holds her Bachelors in Nursing from the University of Wales.
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Courtney Montgomery of Denver alongside her husband Alex at Clear Lake in Georgetown.
PHOTO BY CHRIS KOEBERL
It was intriguing to listen to two friends jocularly engage in an exchange about being opinionated. While their back-and-forth was in context of their discussion group, I was hearing it through a philosophical sense. Like what is an opinion? Why have one? When should it be shared? And more.
Someone once asserted that opinions are like personal atulence: Everyone has them and they all stink except one’s own. Of course, that’s an opinion since the assertion hasn’t been — thankfully — empirically tested.
Essentially, an opinion is a person’s interpretation of information. It could be about food, religion, social-political issues and a host of others. Opinion is not about truth, which resides in an elevated place. Instead, opinion is common, pedestrian.
With regard to everyone having an opinion, I’ve learned that’s not necessarily the case. I’ve talked with people who won’t take a stance — express an opinion — about substantive issues, despite them o ering one about the social-political environment in their defense. Ironically, they generally consider themselves to be good citizens. Seriously?
Publicly expressing an opinion is a recent phenomenon. Prior to the Enlightenment, people almost always
VOICES
Opinionated
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Trees
lived under tyrannies. Whether in state ones like emperors, kings, and caliphs or ecclesiastical ones like popes, bishops, and ayatollahs, the ruler’s word was law. Other than in the Greek city-states where democracy ourished and Rome where the republican form of government was devised, expressing an opinion could be a dangerous enterprise. It didn’t become safe until the post-Guttenberg (printing press), post-Reformation era. Even then, expressing an opinion often resulted in unpleasantries, like being excommunicated, burned at the stake, or stretched on a rack by Torquemada, the Spanish Inquisitor.
By the late seventeenth century, most notably in England and the Dutch Republic, it was becoming safer to express an opinion, albeit within certain bounds. It wouldn’t become part of the American ethos, however, until decades later, primarily because of the people we celebrate at anksgiving — the Puritans at Plymouth Rock — who were as tyrannical as the authorities they ed. Recall the Salem Witch Trials. Same story, di erent place. It’s good we’re periodically reminded
about our rights delineated in the Declaration of Independence: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness among them. But it’s also important to be reminded that with rights comes responsibility, especially during election season. Like being informed, thoughtfully forming an opinion, and expressing it in a variety of ways, from engaging in constructive debate or intelligent conversation — not a shouting match — to writing a letter to the editor.
Prior to forming and expressing an opinion, it’s good practice to research and build a credible, fact-based case about why you believe such and such so you can explain your positions without embarrassing yourself. Another is to trace your past to understand how and why your point of view evolved to what it is now. e reason is an opinion is not based solely on recently acquired information. It’s an outcome of a lifetime of experiences. e foundation of democracy is an educated, informed, involved citizenry. It’s the reason omas Je erson and crew worked to establish public schools where critical thinking skills could be taught, and the early twentieth-century reformers enacted compulsory attendance laws for children. (Plus, to keep them out of the coal mines and factories.)
Free and fair elections are a community e ort
For me, every election is about community power — the power we hold when we come together. Our vote is that power. is is my fourth election now as your Jefferson County Clerk, and what I’ve come to learn about our community is thatwe cherish and protect the power of our vote, not because we have to, but because it’s who we are.
Let me explain. In the last presidential election, the U.S. had a record voter turnout of 66%. Here, however, about 90% of you voted. Je co, when the ballot box is open, you show up. Around the country, election o ces are scrambling to ll their hundreds or thousands of temporary worker roles. But not here. Because when we needed
to hire 900 election workers, thousands of you applied.
I used to run the state’s largest nonpartisan election protection e ort, and I learned a lot about what it looks like when voters care about and are engaged in their democracy. A clear sign is whether they’re asking questions. Not just easy ones, like where and when, but harder ones, like why and how. Over the past year, you’ve sent us thousands of messages and questions,
and several hundred of you have come out and toured our facilities to make sure you understand the election process.
Our elections are in good hands because they’re in your hands.
As Clerk, I’m committed to free and fair elections, ensuring that every eligible voter has the opportunity to cast their vote and have it counted. And when you show up, we’ll show up for you. Here’s how we’ll protect: Your right to vote: If you’re eligible, you can vote. If you’re 18, a Colorado resident for at least 22 days, a US citizen, and are not currently serving a felony sentence in jail or prison, you are
I see that the city has removed mature, healthy trees from 59th Street behind the Post O ce and planted new trees in their place. How ridiculous to take out mature trees in order to plant saplings. It’ll be decades before these new trees provide the shade of the ones they took down.
Robin Zimmerman, Arvada
ABOUT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Colorado Community Media welcomes letters to the editor. Please note the following rules:
• Email your letter to kfiore@coloradocommunitymedia.com. Do not send via postal mail. Put the words “letter to the editor” in the email subject line.
• Submit your letter by 5 p.m. on Wednesday in order to have it considered for publication in the following week’s newspaper.
• Letters must be no longer than 400 words.
• Letters should be exclusively submitted to Colorado Community Media and should not submitted to other outlets or previously posted on websites or social media. Submitted letters become the property of CCM and should not be republished elsewhere.
• Letters advocating for a political candidate should focus on that candidate’s qualifications for o ce. We cannot publish letters that contain unverified negative information about a candidate’s opponent. Letters advocating for or against a political candidate or ballot issue will not be published within 12 days of an election.
• Publication of any given letter is at our discretion. Letters are published as space is available.
• We will edit letters for clarity, grammar, punctuation and length and write headlines (titles) for letters at our discretion.
• Please don’t send us more than one letter per month. First priority for publication will be given to writers who have not submitted letters to us recently.
JERRY FABYANIC Columnist
SEE FABYANIC, P15
GUEST COLUMN
Amanda Gonzalez
FABYANIC
You’d think that given the history of tyrannical governance, the current oppressive tyrannies in Russia, Iran, and elsewhere, and our history of courageous individuals, like omas Paine whose “Common Sense” propelled the irteen Colonies toward independence, Americans would value and protect their right to express an opinion. But that’s often not the case anymore. A new form of tyranny has taken hold over the past decade: Self-enforced silence when it comes to a healthy exchange of ideas in the public square. Many have become fearful of speaking their minds outside their bubble. at’s frightening and dangerous.
Although freely expressing an opinion had an inauspicious beginning in America, it’s become and remains the American way. Our democracy depends on citizens having conversations not just about which team will
GONZALEZ
eligible. And you can register right up to and including on Election Day. Your ballot: From drop boxes to vote centers, every ballot is protected by layers of security, from our bipartisan teams of workers to video surveillance to chains of custody. We account for every ballot from when it’s cast through Election Day and for 25 months after each election.
Voter rolls:We conduct near-daily maintenance to update voter lists with data from o cial sources and meticulously match signatures on ballot envelopes to those we have on le. If there’s any question about whether it’s you who signed your envelope, we’ll reach out. We also work with the District Attorney to investigate, and prosecute if necessary, anything agged for review. Your vote: Our machines are tested by party representatives before every election to ensure they’re counting accurately. ey’re never connected to the internet, kept in a restricted area, and are under constant surveillance. We audit the results after every single election to ensure accuracy.
Elections are a community e ort. ey’re powered by your neighbors, friends, the customers at your grocery store, the hikers you wave at on the
win the Super Bowl but also about issues like immigration, reproductive and voting rights, and whether we value our democracy so much that we’re willing to put ourselves on the line by voicing our opinions publicly and forthrightly.
Try it. You might ru e a few feathers, but you might also prompt another to reconsider an untenable position. And in the process, maybe make a new friend.
My friends’ back-and-forth was, of course, in context of the standard meaning of opinionated, which means being stridently vocal about one’s point of view. But it made me wonder about which is worse: being opinionated or not speaking one’s mind at all.
When my friends’ exchange waned, I chimed in with, “You know, I wish more people were opinionated.”
But that’s just my opinion.
Jerry Fabyanic is the author of “Sisyphus Wins” and “Food for ought: Essays on Mind and Spirit.” He lives in Georgetown.
trail, and the people you sit next to in church. Every ballot is handled with care by people like you who believe in fairness and transparency.
It can be easy to feel anxious about elections. You may hear things that stir up doubts or fear. I believe that our democracy is built on trust and that the foundation of trust is transparency. We’re here to earn that trust by making our elections as open to your examination as we possibly can. Whether the results go the way you want them to or not, I want you to feel con dent we got them right.
We’re prepared for this election. While we don’t expect any interference, we’ve got generators to keep operations running smoothly during a power outage, protocols for addressing mystery substances returned in ballot envelopes, election workers trained to de-escalate confrontations, law enforcement partners briefed and ready to support us, and more.
At the end of the day, our elections are about shaping our future, together. So let’s show up for each other. Let’s trust our process, our neighbors, and the collective power of our voices. Come take a tour. Send us your questions. Get engaged. is election is in your hands, and we’ll protect it with all we’ve got.
Amanda Gonzalez is the Je erson County Clerk & Recorder.
BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Jace, a four-year-old terrier mix, could barely contain his excitement inside the shop of the Dumb Friends League shelter as his new family stocked up on supplies for him. Denver residents Eliorah Abramowitz and Azi Hanssen said they came to the shelter looking for an older, but still energetic dog that would be as happy chilling on the couch as playing fetch at the park.
After meeting with a few dogs, Abramowitz and Hanssen said they were drawn to Jace.
“It was just a perfect match,” Abramowitz said.
Similarly for Sandra Brande and her daughter Ashley, who live in Centennial, they quickly fell in love with the wiggly Husky puppy Laika. e Brande family knew they wanted to adopt because they found their Husky Daisy at the shelter two years ago and have loved her presence in the family ever since.
“ ere are so many animals who need loving homes,” Sandra said as Laike squirmed in Ashley’s arms. “It’s so nice to have the liveliness in the house that a pet brings.” at sentiment was echoed by many new pet parents and sta at the Dumb Friends League, an animal shelter with locations in Denver, Castle Rock and Alamosa.
“It’s always hard to say who rescued who,” said volunteer Michelle Schneider, of Highlands Ranch.
Jace and Laika are some of the hundreds of lucky pets to nd families through the Dumb Friends League during its month-long Clear the Shelter
campaign, which wrapped up on Sept. 10.
Alyssa Putzer, communications manager for the Dumb Friends League, said 1,161 animals were adopted during the Clear the Shelter count, surpassing the shelter’s original goal of adopting out 1,000 pets across its three locations.
Mary Sarah Fairweather, vice president of operations at the Dumb Friends League, said participating in the Clear the Shelter campaign helps the shelter not only nd homes for pets but also care for more animals.
“Clear the Shelters is an amazing opportunity to showcase the wonderful pets in our care,” she said. “With ongoing challenges like overcrowding in shelters, this event is an essential opportunity for our community to connect with animals that are ready to bring joy and companionship into their lives.”
Even with all of the adoptions in the last month, the Clear the Shelters campaign only accounts for a fraction of the adoptions that Dumb Friends League facilitates year-round. Last year, the shelters brought in over 20,500 animals and are on pace to serve a similar amount this year, Fairweather said.
Dogs, cats and small animals, like guinea pigs and bunnies, come to the shelter as surrenders or strays and 86% are rehomed.
“ ey come to us from the community, owners who can’t keep their pets, and as strays,” Fairweather said.
Most animals stay at the shelter for an average of 10-15 days, heading to new homes as soon as sta can help pair them with the right family. Fairweather said another bene t of the Clear the Shelters campaign is that it helps animals who have been at the shelter longer or require special care get adopted.
Fairweather said the adoption process is like dating with the goal being to nd the “perfect match.”
“It’s really a conversation-based process, so we want to get to know what the families are looking for and we share what each individual animal needs,” she said.
Richard Myers, of Denver, said he volunteers at the shelter because it’s like working in a “bubble of love.”
“ ere’s so much care for the patrons and for the animals,” Myers said. “One of the greatest joys of working here is having someone come in who looks sad, maybe they lost a pet a few months ago, and 45 minutes later, they’re going out the door with a pep in their step and the dog is looking like a newly caught marlin, jumping around so much.”
In order to encourage as many adoptions as possible, Fairweather said the shelter looks to reduce barriers to pet ownership like cost or lack of resources.
All of the dogs and cats that are adopted out are vaccinated and spayed or neutered. e Dumb Friends League also partners with some local veterinarians to waive the cost for the rst visit, as well as Fetch Pet Insurance to provide health care support for furry friends.
Another resource the shelter o ers is a free behavioral helpline to support pet parents through training or care adjustments.
“Our goal is to help pet owners keep their pets at home and out of the shelter,” Fairweather said. “We’re lucky to have such beautiful facilities with a team of volunteers and sta who take incredible care of (the animals), but it’s not a home.”
With the current overcrowding in shelters, Fairweather said it’s more important than ever to adopt animals instead of turning to a breeder.
“It gives pets in the shelter system a second chance,” she said. “Whether you’re looking for a little guinea pig or a giant couch potato dog, there’s somebody for everybody.”
Sandra and Ashley Brande, of Centennial, cuddle their new puppy Laika, which they adopted at the Dumb Friends League shelter. This is the second dog the Brande family has adopted from the shelter.
A mom and her son watch a litter of orange kittens up for adoption at the Dumb Friends League. The shelter served more than 20,500 animals last year. PHOTOS BY MCKENNA HARFORD
Denver residents Eliorah Abramowitz and Azi Hanssen love on Jace, their newly adopted dog. Abramowitz and Hanssen said shelter sta helped match them with the perfect pup.
Human tra cking bill focuses on massage parlors
Rep. Lauren Boebert bases measure on Douglas County ordinance
BY CAITLIN KYM COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO
Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert got the inspiration for her latest bill from the district she hopes to represent next term.
Boebert’s Human Tra cking Fingerprint Background Check Protection bill, introduced earlier this week, would require massage parlor
owners and employees to undergo ngerprint background checks in an e ort to crack down on human trafcking.
“We’ve already introduced it at a state level and I think it’s time to bring it at a federal level. I think it’s a good piece of legislation,” Boebert told CPR News. “I was talking with the Douglas County commissioners about it and happy to get the ball rolling on it.”
It’s based on a 2023 ordinance enacted by Douglas County, in the 4th Congressional District, and a Colorado bill passed and signed into law earlier this year.
e Douglas County ordinance sets
license requirements for massage facilities and requires background checks for the people working in them. e state law requires all other communities with these businesses to ensure they’re background-checking employees and owners.
Boebert’s bill also has additional requirements, including having law enforcement agencies report any criminal activity found during a background check and requiring owners and employees to take training on how to recognize and report signs of human tra cking.
Douglas County Commissioners issued a joint statement saying the congressional push is “vital.”
“Human tra cking is an issue that touches every corner of the nation, and this legislation provides important tools to combat it, ensuring the safety of our citizens,” wrote Commissioners Abe Laydon, George Teal and Lora omas.
State Sen. Bob Gardner was one of the prime sponsors of the legislation at the state Capitol that originally enabled local licensing of massage parlors, as well as the more recent bill
around background checks.
Conceptually, he thinks having the background check requirement is important, but the conservative from El Paso County added, “I have a little question in my mind about, ‘Well, does the federal government need to tell state and local governments that they need to do this?’”
He’s pleased that others see Colorado as a good model, but he’d prefer to convince other state legislatures to enact this type of legislation rather than have it come from Washington.
Boebert, however, said that the ght against human tra cking should be addressed at all levels of government.
e House will be out from ursday until November 12, so the bill, which currently has no other cosponsors, is unlikely to advance in the remaining ve legislative weeks of the 118th Congress.
Still, Boebert said if not this Congress, she hopes for it to gain traction in the next one.
is story is from CPR News, a nonpro t news source. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.
Thu 10/10
Very Cool Race 5k @ 9am / $30 9661 County Highway 73, Conifer
The Aces @ 7pm
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W Alameda Pkwy, Morrison
Fri 10/11
ARTS: Tots in Motion @ Scheitler
@ 10:15am Oct 11th - Nov 8th
Denver Parks and Recreation (SCH), 5031 W 46th Ave., Denver. 720-913-0654
Alison Wonderland @ 6pm
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morri‐son
Hunter James and the Titanic @ 8pm
Trio Con Brio Copenhagen
@ 7:30pm
Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S Allison Pkwy, Lakewood
Midland Band w/ Jackson Dean
@ 6:30pm
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morri‐son
Sun 10/13
The Woodcellar Bar & Grill, 1552 Bergen Pkwy #101, Evergreen
Dead Alive @ 8pm
Cactus Jack's Saloon, 4651 County Hwy 73, Evergreen
Sat 10/12
BARKtober Fest
@ 12pm / Free 439 S Upham St, 439 South Up‐ham Street, Lakewood. info@bel marcolorado.com
EThEL + Robert Mirabal: Red Willow Suite @ 7pm
Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S Allison Pkwy, Lakewood
Chris Irvin and Friends Cookout @ 3pm / $5-$10
Kulture Music Hall, Denver
GEL @ 7pm
Oriental Theater, 4335 W 44th Ave, Denver
Tue 10/15
AOA: Presentation: Dynasties of China @ Highland @ 2pm
Highland Recreation Center, 2880 N. Osceola St., Denver. 720-913-0654
Wed 10/16
Aquatic WRC 30 Minute Private Lesson JB SIGN UP ONLINE @ 4:10pm
Wulf Recreation Center, 5300 S Olive Road, Evergreen. 720-880-1000
Jordan Yewey @ 6pm
Miners Saloon, 1109 Miner's Alley, Golden
Porter Robinson @ 8pm
Hamilton @ 7:30pm Buell Theatre, Denver
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W Alameda Pkwy, Morrison
ericdoa @ 8pm
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W Alameda Pkwy, Morrison
Fall for these autumnal metro-area activities
If you’re not a fan of autumn in Colorado, you just may not be doing it right. With the explosion of colors, cooler weather and range of new avors, it’s difcult not to argue that it’s the best time of year in the Centennial State. And now that we’re properly in fall, we can really immerse ourselves in all the autumnal treats. I’ve picked ve events from around the metro area that highlight the joys of the season.
Foothills Art Center o ers range of exhibitions
Early October is a great time to satisfy your artistic appetite, with three shows on display at the Foothills Art Center’s Astor House, 822 12 St. in Golden:Ed Hansen, Joel Swanson: Orderings and Decomposing/Recomposing.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
Each show allows visitors to explore a di erent medium and thematic subject. e Hansen exhibit features realism in oil with western themes and runs through Sunday, Oct. 13. “Orderings” runs through Sunday, Nov. 3, and allows Swanson to use a diverse range of works to challenge the way people order information and how it impacts their perception of reality. And “Decomposing/ Recomposing” opens on Saturday, Oct. 5 and runs through Sunday, Feb. 2. It’s an exhibition by Gayle Gerson, Jean Hultkrans, and Kirsty Saalfrank, all
ST. JOANOF ARC CATHOLICCHURCH
Proclaiming Christ from the Mountains to the Plains
www.StJoanArvada.org
12735 W 58th Ave · 80002 · 303-420-1232
Daily Masses: 8:30am, Mon-Sat
Confessions: 8am Tue-Fri; 7:30am & 4:00pm Sat
Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:00pm
Sunday Masses: 7:30, 9:00, 11:30am, 5:30pm
“Find Connection…Discover Faith” All Are Welcome
Sunday Worship 10:00AM
Green Mountain Presbyterian Church 12900 W Alameda Pkwy Lakewood, CO 80228 303-985-8733 www.gmpc.net
of whom use found and original photography to create original compositions exploring the themes of memory, value and time, according to provided information.
Find all the details at https://foothillsartcenter.org/.
Denver Bake Fest returns with topnotch treats
Who can say no to freshly baked bread? You won’t have to at the second annual Denver Bake Fest, held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, at Rebel Bread, 675 S. Broadway in Denver.
Open to bakers of all backgrounds and ages, the festival and contest will feature a wide range of categories, including brownies, glutenfree cakes and whole grain savory treats. Competitors are aiming for awards like Best in Show and People’s Choice, but while they’re doing all the work, visitors can sample delicious baked goods of all kinds. ere will also be live music, co ee, baking demonstrations, games and kitchen tours.
Go on a Día de Muertos adventure in Northglenn
Día de Muertos is one of the most eagerly anticipated days in the fall calendar, and Northglenn is celebrating early withMexico Beyond Mariachi’s Sugar Skull! Día de Muertos Adventure.
Co-produced by Rhythm of the Arts with Mexico Beyond Mariachi, the bilingual/bicultural, familyfriendly musical uses traditional regional music and dance from Mexico to tell the story of 12-yearold Vita Flores and Sugar Skull, and their adventure to learn the real meaning of Día de Muertos.
Performances are at 1 and 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6. at theParsons eatre, 1 E. Memorial Parkway in Northglenn. Information and tickets can be found at NorthglennARTS.org.
Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Michael Kiwanuka & Brittany Howard at Mission Ballroom
Funds from this year’s event will go to Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness. For all the details, visit https://rebelbreadco.com/bakefest.
Advertise Your Place of Worship
Living Water Spiritual Community (Unity) LGBTQ+ SAFE
We meet in person with extraordinary live music on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month from 10:30a.m. to noon at: Activity Options, 7401 W. 59th Ave., Arvada, 80003. All other Sunday meetings are on zoom from 10:30a.m. to noon.
Please phone: 720-576-9193, or email: livingwaterspiritualcommunity@gmail.com
Our website is: www.livingwaterunity.org
To advertise your place of worship in this section, call Erin at 303-566-4074 or email eaddenbrooke@ColoradoCommunityMedia.com
Learn about the Sand Creek Massacre from a di erent perspective
e Sand Creek Massacre is one of the darkest entries in Colorado’s long history, but one that is important to remember. To that end, the Tesoro Cultural Center is presenting “Mochi’s War: e Tragedy of Sand Creek,” at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 at the Good Recreation Center, 8615 S. University Blvd. in Centennial, and at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6 at the Buck Recreation Center, 2004 W. Powers Ave. in Littleton. e “Mochi’s War” presentation is a lecture led by author Chris Enss about hisbookof the same name. e book focuses on the repercussions of the Sand Creek Massacre from the perspective of a Cheyenne woman who survived the 1864 massacre.
Tickets can be purchased at www. tesoroculturalcenter.org/tesoro-historic-lecture-series/.
Never let anyone tell you that soul and R&B music isn’t as vibrant and alive as it was in its 1960s and 70s golden era. Today there are more musicians than ever taking the genre and exploring its limitless potential, and two of the best are Michael Kiwanuka and Brittany Howard.
A British musician, Kiwanuka has made a name for himself over more than a decade of releases, which show a prodigious talent that can’t be con ned to traditional soul sounds. And Howard got her start in the great band Alabama Shakes, before moving on to solo releases that see her stretching her voice and pen.
e two are a truly inspired pairing and they’ll be coming to the Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St. in Denver, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8. ey’ll be joined by the luminous Yasmin Williams. For a night of masterful modern soul, get 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.
Clarke Reader a
King Soopers gunman gets 10 life sentences
Ahmad Alissa, 25, is found guilty on all 55 charges
BY OLIVIA PRENTZEL THE COLORADO SUN
A judge sentenced Ahmad Alissa to 10 consecutive life sentences plus more than 1,300 years in prison Monday after a jury found him guilty of 10 counts of rst-degree murder and 45 other felony counts in the March 2021 attack at a Boulder King Soopers where he killed 10 people, including a police o cer.
District Attorney Michael Dougherty asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence, requesting the defendant be ordered to spend 1,334 years in state prison on top of the life
sentences, after he was found guilty on all 55 felony counts he faced in the rampage, including 38 attempted murder charges.
“It’s just a number, but to me, that number means a lot about what he did and the violence and trauma he in icted upon so many people,” Dougherty said about the sentencing request.
Twentieth Judicial District Court Judge Ingrid Bakke imposed the sentence, capping a two-week trial. e jury deliberated for roughly six hours over two days.
As the judge read the guilty verdicts, Alissa, who was wearing a striped long-sleeve dress shirt and darkframed glasses, talked with his attorneys, took notes and chewed on his ngernails. Some of his family members stood behind him, resting their
heads on each other’s shoulders.
After the verdicts were read, the judge stepped out of the courtroom to talk with the jury before moving to sentencing, which began around 2:15 p.m. with victim impact statements from the family and friends of those killed or impacted by the shooting. ose lasted for more than two and a half hours.
Alissa, who has schizophrenia, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and his defense attorneys argued his delusions, including loud voices telling him to kill, prevented him from distinguishing right from wrong.
Before his sentencing, Alissa changed into a white-and-orange striped jail jumpsuit, and he appeared to exchange notes with one of his attorneys, showing no emotion, as victims’ families and friends shared memories of those lost in the shooting.
Boulder police o cer Eric Talleywas among 10 people killed in the shooting. e others killed were Denny Stong, 20, Neven Stanisic, 23, Rikki Olds, 25, Tralona Bartkowiak, 49, Teri Leiker, 51, Suzanne Fountain, 59, Kevin Mahoney, 61, Lynn Murray, 62, and Jody Waters, 65 were also killed.
“My dad didn’t want to go. He had so much more life in him. I never could have imagined that he would have had to run for his life in the parking lot of King Soopers,” said Erika Mahoney, Kevin Mahoney’s daughter, who was six months pregnant when she learned her father was one of the 10 victims in the shooting.
She said she feared she would lose her baby amid her intense grief after learning her father was killed.
SEE SENTENCES, P23
Arvada West flag football completes sweep to win 5A Je co title
BY DENNIS PLEUSS
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ag football is in a class by itself when it comes to the Class 5A Je co League.
e Wildcats (8-2 record, 5-0 in 5A Je co) completed their undefeated conference run Sept. 25 at Lakewood Memorial Field with a pair of dominating victories to claim the 5A Je co League title.
“Not nervous, more excited,” AWest coach Lacey Abell said of the nal night of league play. “I wasn’t worried about the game these girls were going to bring. When I put these girls on the eld I trust what they can bring to the table. I wasn’t
18 non-league loss to Cherry Creek back on Sept. 14.
Last season — second year of the pilot season for girls ag football in Colorado before it became a CHSAA sanctioned sport this season — AWest was a perfect 25-0 record last season on the way to a state title.
“I think we are extra motivated,” A-West senior quarterback Saylor Swanson said with having lost to Mountain Vista and Cherry Creek this season. “We aren’t complacent at all. We know there are good teams out there. We have to be bet-
umbine (4-6, 2-3) on Wednesday night. e Wildcats jumped out to a 20-0 halftime lead, including Swanson throwing a pair of touchdowns to senior Molly Schellpeper. “It was all about the team. ey supported me through all of it,” Schellpeper said of her eventual 3-touchdown night thanks to a pick-6 defensively in the third quarter. “Saylor made the perfect throws. e other receivers ran the right routes to set me up.”
Swanson nished the night with four touchdown passes, hitting se-
“We have so many playmakers on our team. I love watching them play together,” Abell said of four di erent A-West players nding the end zone against Columbine. “ ey play for each other and they play so hard.” Schellpeper’s interception returned for a touchdown induced a running clock with the 30-point mercy rule midway through the third quarter. Junior Santana Pena added a short touchdown run in the fourth quarter to make the score 39-0.
JEFFCO
Arvada West’s girls flag football team celebrates with fans at Lakewood Memorial Field after a 39-6 victory over Columbine on Wednesday, Sept. 25. The Wildcats captured the Class 5A Je co League title with an undefeated conference record.
PHOTO BY DENNIS PLEUSS/JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
SENTENCES
“Destroyed, gutted, heartbroken are words that don’t even begin to explain my emotions. I thought I was going to lose my baby,” Mahoney said.
She described the two-week trial as “brutal” but also “beautiful,” referring to the acts of heroism as people panicked and tried to help others escape the gun re.
“ ose stories will stick with me for the rest of my life,” Mahoney said. “I think of the woman who made my dad laugh before his nal moments on Earth. She is my angel.”
Teri Leiker, who was one of three King Soopers employees killed in the shooting, had worked at the store as a clerk for 32 years, said her mother, Margie Whittingon.
Leiker was born with mild brain damage, which made it di cult for her to comprehend abstract concepts like time and money, her mother said, but it never stopped her from having a smile on her face “most of the time.”
“Teri’s accomplishments, overcoming mild cognitive issues, did not stop her from being happy, becoming a
model citizen, owning her own condo and having many friends. Her issues certainly did not make her evil,” Whittington said. “ e shooter has not won. We will not live the way we would have if Teri was still with us, but we will go forward with our love for her and cherish the great happy memories we have of being with her for 51 years.”
Eric Talley’s mother, Judy, remembered the last phone call with her only son, minutes before he rushed into the supermarket as one of the rst police o cers on the scene.
Talley told his mom how he was looking forward to spring and complained about the banning of Dr. Seuss books in a local school, before he told her he was being dispatched. She told her son to be careful and he responded, “always.”
Another call came from one of her son’s seven children screaming, “Nana, daddy’s dead.”
“I beg you, your honor, to lock Ahmad Alissa up in prison for the rest of his life with no possibility for parole. Send this message to all the wannabe murderers out there that troll the internet to see the consequences for those that have committed the acts that they’re thinking about doing,”
Judy Talley said.
“Let them see that justice can still be served.”
Alissa nor his attorney declined to address the judge ahead of sentencing.
e verdicts and sentencing came after nearly two weeks of testimony
from survivors of the March 22, 2021, attack who described what they saw and heard as they hid for cover or tried to escape the supermarket as the horror unfolded. Among the people who testi ed was a pharmacist who recountedhearing the gunman repeat “ is is fun, this is fun”as she hid from gun re.
e rst eight victims were killed within 69 seconds and all but one were shot multiple times, investigators found. Everyone who was shot died.
Testimony also came from Alissa’s parents and siblings, who said they watched his mental health deteriorate in the months before the shooting.
Prosecutors argued his actions were intentional and well researched, citing the gunman’s phone records that showed searches for most lethal ammunition and public targets to carry out a mass shooting.
Alissa, then 21, surrendered after he was shot in the leg by a police o cer. He was charged with 10 counts of murder, 38 counts of attempted murder and other o enses in the shooting, including felony possession of six high-capacity ammunition magazines that are banned in Colorado. Neither Alissa’s attorneys nor anyone else has disputed that Alissa was the gunman. 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.
PHOTO BY LUCY HAGGARD / COLORADO SUN FILE
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TITLE
Columbine scored on a touchdown run by junior quarterback Jordyn Washington in the nal minute to prevent the shutout.
“ is was the rst step on the ladder,” Abell said of winning the league title. “We have more goals, but this was the rst goal of the season. We’ve got some higher goals with some more things coming. ese girls are hungry for it.”
A-West will likely grab the top-seed for the 8-team Je co Tournament scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 5, and Wednesday, Oct. 9, at Je co and Trailblazer stadiums. e mixed classi cation tournament will have 4A Je co League champion Green Mountain (9-1, 6-0), along with Valor (9-1, 4-1) that nished second to A-West in the league standings.
“I was super excited,” Swanson said of nish o a perfect league record. “Honestly, I wasn’t too nervous at all because I’m so con dent in our team and what we are capable of.” Dennis Pleuss is the sports information director for Je co Public Schools. For more Je co coverage, go to ColoradoPreps.com and CHSAANow. com.
The application was submitted on July 28, 2024.
For further information call Sarah Walters, Deputy City Clerk, at 720-898-7544.
Dated this 3rd day of October 2024
/s/ Sarah Walters Deputy City Clerk CITY OF ARVADA, COLORADO
Legal Notice No. 419082
First Publication: October 3, 2024
Last Publication: October 3, 2024
Publisher: Jeffco Transcript
Public Notice
NOTICE OF HEARING UPON APPLICATION FOR A NEW BREW PUB LIQUOR LICENSE OF DENVER BEER CO ARVADA, LLC
D/B/A: DENVER BEER CO 5768 OLDE WADSWORTH BLVD. ARVADA, CO 80002
Notice is hereby given that an application has been presented to the City of Arvada Local Liquor Licensing authority for a Brew Pub liquor license from Denver Beer Co Arvada, LLC, d/b/a Denver Beer Co located at 5786 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada, CO, whose controlling officers are: Patrick Crawford and Charlie Berger; 4455 Jason St., Denver, CO, United States.
The license would allow sales of malt, vinous and
spirituous liquor by the drink for consumption on the premises at 5768 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada, CO 80002.
Said application will be heard and considered by the City of Arvada Liquor Licensing Authority at a virtual meeting to be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, October 14, 2024. The application was submitted on July 31, 2024.
For further information call Sarah Walters, Deputy City Clerk, at 720-898-7544.
Dated this 3rd day of October 2024
/s/ Sarah Walters Deputy City Clerk
CITY OF ARVADA, COLORADO
Legal Notice No. 419081
First Publication: October 3, 2024
Last Publication: October 3, 2024
Publisher: Jeffco Transcript
Metro Districts Budget Hearings
Public Notice
NOTICE OF ELECTION
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and particularly, to the electors of the Golden Overlook Metropolitan District (“District”) of the City of Golden, Jefferson County, Colorado.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an election will be held on November 5, 2024, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. regarding the submission of the proposition of issuing general obligation bonds or creating other general obligation indebtedness or any questions necessary to implement the provisions of Article X, Section 20, of the Colorado Constitution as applied to the District.
The election is being conducted as a mail ballot election by the Designated Election Official, Catherine V. Will, c/o McGeady Becher Cortese Williams P.C., 450 E. 17th Avenue, Suite 400, Denver, Colorado 80203, telephone number 303-592-4380. The place of deposit for mail ballots and walk-in polling place for voting at the election will be at said office.
Not sooner than October 14, 2024 and no later than October 21, 2024, the Designated Election Official shall mail to each active registered elector of the District a mail ballot packet.
The walk-in polling place shall be open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. beginning not sooner than twenty-two days prior to the election, October 14, 2024, and from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the date of election.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that an eligible elector of said District for the purpose of said election is a person registered to vote pursuant to the “Colorado Uniform Election Code of 1992”; and (i) who is a resident of the District, or (ii) who, or whose spouse or civil union partner, owns taxable real or personal property within the District,
whether said person resides within the District or not. A person who is obligated to pay taxes under a contract to purchase taxable property within the District shall be considered an owner of taxable property for the purpose of qualifying as an eligible elector.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that applications for absentee voter ballots may be filed with the Designated Election Official at the address set forth above no later than the close of business on the Tuesday immediately preceding the election. Return of absentee voter ballots and replacement ballots may be received by the Designated Election Official at the above address, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00
Arvada West senior Saylor Swanson (18) stretches the ball across the goal-line for a successful extra-point conversion during the Wildcats’ 55-0 win over Lakewood on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at Lakewood Memorial Field.
PHOTO BY DENNIS PLEUSS / JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
