BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
e Douglas County School Board unanimously approved a policy to help guide school closures, including the planned closures of three elementary schools in Highlands Ranch in 2026.
No schools in Highlands Ranch have yet been named as part of the merging of six schools into three. e district is expected to announce which schools will be recommended for consolidation in March before the formal recommendation is made to the school board in April.
e board will vote on school consolidations at the April 22 meeting, and then there will be a transition year before the schools are merged for the 2026-27 school year.
e approved policy for school closures outlines the community engagement process, considerations and timelines to create a standardized district process.
Criteria listed in the policy include preserving the “student, sta and community cohorts as much as possible,” while accounting for tra c management, safety, walkability, building quality and limitations, maximizing school programs, enrollment andnancial sustainability.
Superintendent Erin Kane said the recommendations will weigh all of the criteria listed in
2025 VOTING STARTS MARCH 1!
Girls wrestling teams thrive in year one, send local athletes to state tournament
Conifer, Ponderosa girls programs start strong with high numbers, higher goals
BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
As girls wrestling continues to sweep the country as the nation’s fastest-growing high school sport, local programs are wasting no time making a splash in Colorado.
Quali ers for the state wrestling tournament at Ball Arena on Feb. 13-15 (after press deadline) were announced, and many schools are sending rsttime representatives on the big-
Parker is in the rst season of its girls wrestling program. In year one, a whopping 19 girls signed up for the team. After a strong season, four quali ed for state.
“We were kind of shocked, because, in your rst year, girls wrestling is a tough sport,” Head Coach Frankie Sanchez said. “So, we gured we’d maybe have a couple of state qualiers, but having four was pretty good. And then the two regional
e Mustangs quali ed Arianna Sanchez (regional champion), Presley Pearson (regional runner-up), Elizabeth Sandy (regional champion) and Abriella Deitz (regional third-place) to state, each representing four weight classes.
To have that many sign up for the program’s rst year is impressive, but maybe not that big of a surprise, Sanchez said. Until Ponderosa had its own team, in-
terested girls would wrestle for
But now, the Mustangs can proudly wear their own uniforms and have adopted some wrestlers from Lutheran and Legend high schools.
It’s not enough to just be happy to be there, Sanchez said. e girls are hungry as they go into the state competition.
For Sandy, the Mustangs’ senior quali er and commit
Ponderosa senior and Adams State University commit Elizabeth Sandy poses with coaches John Foirdalas, left, and Frankie Sanchez at her signing day ceremony. Sandy is one of four state qualifiers for the Mustangs eager to finish her high school career with a trophy.
Dougco legislators push bill on immigration enforcement
Baisley, Brooks want local policing agencies to be able to take part
BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Douglas County o cials are hoping to repeal state laws that limit how local law enforcement can interact with federal immigration agencies to allow cooperation between the agencies when an immigrant who is undocumented is in custody.
Colorado state Sen. Mark Baisley and Rep. Max Brooks, who both represent parts of Douglas County, introduced Senate Bill 25-047, which would allow local law enforcement to report immigrants they believe are illegally in the country to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
e bill would also remove the prohibition on arresting or detaining immigrants at courthouses and prevent local governments from enacting laws that would interfere in immigration enforcement or cooperation.
At a Feb. 12 press conference, Baisley, Brooks, Douglas County Sheri Darren Weekly, 23rd Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler and former ICE director John Fabbricatore advocated for the bill’s passage, while acknowledging the uphill battle it faces.
Weekly said the bill eliminates “unnecessary barriers” and clears up guidance to law enforcement, which he said is currently interpreted di erently by di erent agencies.
“ ere’s so many laws on the books now about immigration that it’s very convoluted, so this (bill) puts us in the right direction,” Weekly said, noting that he is “one of the few sheri s that will actually contact ICE if we believe that somebody is in this country illegally.”
Last year, Baisley brought forth a similar bill with former Rep. Richard Holtorf, of Akron, but it was unsuccessful.
Baisley and Brooks said they are more hopeful about the fate of the bill this year
since the recent investigations into Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that has been linked to some crimes in Denver and Aurora.
Baisley said that though the bill “does not have a good chance of passing this time,” he believes it has broad support.
“ e awareness of the public is rising quite a bit and the sheri s are going to show up (in support),” he said.
Brooks added that the bill aligns with recent comments from Gov. Jared Polis
and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, who said in interviews they support deporting violent criminals.
“I’m very hopeful that because of their stance that they have taken publicly in admitting this is a big problem and something we need to address, that perhaps will in uence some of their Democratic colleagues in the legislature,” Brooks said.
SB25-047 has its rst hearing on Feb. 25 in the State, Veterans and Military A airs Committee.
Resignation plan moves ahead for federal workers
Je
erson County has about 6,000 federal employees; Colorado attorney general’s next steps remain unclear
U.S. District Judge George O’Toole has reversed his earlier ruling to delay the deadline for President Donald Trump’s administration’s resignation o er, known as a “Fork in the Road,” after determining the unions who brought the lawsuit didn’t have legal standing to challenge the order. e program is now closed. According to McLaurine Pinover, spokesperson for the O ce of Personnel Management, around 75,000 federal employees accepted the o er.
According to reporting by NPR, “Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, one of the plainti s, called the decision a setback but not the end of the ght.” e judge didn’t rule on the legality of the program.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser had joined a coalition of 21 state attorneys general in ling an amicus brief challenging the controversial directive issued by the U.S. O ce of Personnel Management. e lawsuit argued that the directive violates federal ethics regulations and labor laws.
It’s unclear what, if anything, Weiser’s next step will be. Colorado Community Media has reached out to the AG’s o ce since the judge’s ruling. e initial directive issued on Jan. 28
gave federal employees until Feb. 6 to choose whether to accept a legally questionable “deferred resignation” or potentially face termination.
Employees who opted for resignation would continue to receive pay and bene ts through Sept. 30 without having to report to work. However, unions representing federal workers argue the plan is coercive, illegal and has caused widespread confusion.
“Approximately 40,000 federal employees live and work in Colorado, and they deliver important bene ts and services to the American people,” Weiser said in an earlier news release. “A change in the federal workforce must be planned according to the law and with public input. By joining this court brief, we’re sending the message that we stand with federal workers who are committed to public service.”
e amicus brief also argues that the plan has led to an “extreme information imbalance,” forcing employees to make signi cant career decisions under duress.
Weiser argued that the potential loss of federal employees is especially concerning for Colorado’s veterans. e Department of Veterans A airs, which already faces sta ng shortages, could see further strain on its ability to provide medical care and bene ts.
E ect on Lakewood e Denver Federal Center, home to
more than 28 federal agencies, employs thousands of workers whose roles range from managing public land to disaster response.
“Any impact on the federal employees who work at the Federal Center in Lakewood would also impact our economy and community. ere are about 6,000 federal employees who work in Je erson County,” Je erson County Commissioner Lesley Dahlkemper said. “We are advocating for our county at the state and federal levels as well as monitoring the situation closely. We will continue to provide essential services and resources to our community.”
According to the Department of Veterans A airs O ce of Inspector General’s report, “Determination of Veterans Health Administration’s Severe Occupational Sta ng Shortages Fiscal Year 2024,” VA facilities nationwide reported nearly 3,000 severe occupational sta ng short-
ages in 2024, with medical o cers and nurses among the hardest-hit roles. Social Security o ces could also be a ected, exacerbating existing service delays. e lawsuit noted that the Social Security Administration’s workforce was already at a 27-year low before the directive, raising concerns that further reductions would leave the most vulnerable populations struggling to access bene ts.
Legal and ethical challenges
e directive has also raised alarms about the potential for politically motivated purges of the federal workforce. e amicus brief cites the history of civil service protections designed to prevent political interference in federal employment.
e brief argues that the directive undermines these principles by pressuring employees to resign under ambiguous terms.
Douglas County Sheri Darren Weekly speaks in favor of a proposed bill that would remove limitations on local law enforcement’s ability to cooperate with federal immigration agencies at a Feb. 12 press conference at the Douglas County Justice Center. Colorado state Sen. Mark Baisley, Rep. Max Brooks and 23rd Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler, from left, stand behind Weekly in support.
PHOTO BY MCKENNA HARFORD
Denver Federal Center’s main entrance in Lakewood, CO.
PHOTO BY SUZIE GLASSMAN
who deporting their in someperhaps Democratic said. 25 airs
If You Don’t Find the Home You’re Looking for, We Have the Tools to Find On e That’s Not on the MLS
I took a class recently in which I learned to use a tool for searching public records in the same way that agents can search the MLS, using criteria that even the MLS doesn’t have. Now, if you can’t find a home for sale that meets your needs, we know how to conduct a search of all homes using those same criteria and reach out to the home owners to see if they would sell to you.
whether the home is owner occupied or a rental, and other criteria, including:
Deck
Swimming Pool
Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)
By the way, this tool is only available to agents who are Realtors — that is, members of the local and national Realtor association. Only about half of Colorado’s licensed real estate agents are Realtors.
Here’s how it works. Although not always up-to-date because of homeowners who did not get permits for certain improvements to their homes, the public records do contain extensive information that can be searched using this tool.
We can search not only for style, square footage, bedrooms, bathrooms and lot size, but also for finished or unfinished basements,
Barn
Workshop
Corner lot or cul-de-sac
Fireplace
Estimated value
The estimated value is not the assessor’s valuation which is often inaccurate and, at any rate, not current. The assessor’s valuation is as of June 30th of the previous even numbered year (2024). This tool’s valuation is based on recent comparable sales from both the MLS and off-MLS transactions.
Last, but definitely not least, we can search for homes that were purchased over 5, 10, 15 or 20 years ago. Owners who purchased their home less than five years ago are least likely to be interested in selling, so we don’t bother. By the way, this same tool can also be used instead of the MLS itself to search MLS listings using those same search criteria above, many of which are not available on MLS
searches. Also, we can add any other search criteria that is important to you, not just the ones listed above, using a key word search. These can include anything — sauna, walk-in bathtub, or you-name-it (literally).
Another important criterion for any buyer is location. You can specify any area, city or subdivision — or multiple areas and subdivisions.
So, let’s say, hypothetically, that you would like us to solicit owners of two-story homes with Littleton addresses but not in Douglas County that were purchased over 10 years ago. The home must have 3-4 bedrooms and 2 or more bathrooms, and it must have a 3-car garage, a finished basement and a workshop. You will consider homes with a valuation up to $900,000. The house should be not more than 30 years old, and it must be owneroccupied.
Working with those criteria, we come up with an Excel spreadsheet which includes the address and name of the owner. Using a separate app, we could add to the spreadsheet the landline and cell number of each owner .
Using a mail-merge program, we could send individually printed letters in individually printed envelopes saying that we have a
Have You Heard of ‘Pig Butchering’? It the Latest, Most Dangerous Kind of Scam
We all know someone who has been scammed. My own sister lost $15,000 to a scammer. Since starting this column/ad in 2003, I have warned readers at least ten times about rental scams, and a few months ago I described how a scammer listed a parcel of land he didn’t own with us, and we only found out that was the case when the title company sent a FedEx letter to the owner of record to verify the transaction before it was “sold” to a neighbor.
In my April 6, 2017, column I wrote about a Golden man whom I met because he wanted to buy a million-dollar property once his “inheritance” arrived from his Nigerian scammer. I couldn’t convince him he was being scammed, and he died penniless and homeless, still clinging to his dream.
You and those you know probably have your own stories about scammers.
Recently I came across of an 8-part podcast by Economist Podcasts called “Scam, Inc.” I strongly recommend listening to it.
(It costs a couple dollars per month to subscribe to all Economist podcasts, but this one is worth every penny by itself, and you can cancel after you’ve listened to it.)
“Pig butchering,” I learned, is a Chinese term. Pork is their most precious meat, and the scam entails finding the “pig” (you), building a pig sty (messaging by text or on WhatsApp), feeding it (building rapport, and eventually guiding the person to invest in crypto), rewarding it (showing phony paper returns on the crypto investment), and ultimately butchering it (taking all your funds before you realize the investment was a hoax). Pig butchering take a lot of time.
It sounds a lot like what Bernie Madoff did, doesn’t it? But this is done by Englishspeaking Southeast Asians, mostly in Myanmar, who find a reason never to betray themselves by speaking to you on the phone, where you would recognize they’re not who they pretend to be.
Sometimes, but not always, these are ro-
Just Listed: 2-Bedroom Townhome in Lakewood
mance scams, where the scammer gradually convinces you of their love and provides pictures which are stolen off the internet. The first example in the Scam, Inc. podcast, however, was of a Kansas bank president who was conned into investing his bank’s reserves in crypto by a non-romance scammer who simply appealed to the banker’s desire for self-enrichment. He lost $42 million of the bank’s money. The bank was ultimately forced out of business. No one who knew the president could believe what he had done.
Here’s a bit of advice I learned. Take the picture you received from a possible scammer and go to the search field of Google.com. At the right of that field next to the microphone icon is an icon which says “Search by image” when you float your cursor over it. Click on that icon, drag or upload a picture, and it will instantly show you everywhere that picture appears. I uploaded my own picture and, fortunately, it only showed my own websites.
Again, please listen to the “Scam, Inc.” podcast. You’ll learn a lot you need to know.
buyer who is looking for a home like theirs. We could also call the owners or give you the list and let you call them after you’ve signed a buyer agency agreement with us. (This would require that the home is not listed by another agent, which we can confirm.)
This tool can also be used to search expired listings without the use of lead generation services which often provide faulty or out-ofdate data and don’t verify that the home has not been relisted by another agent.
Although the inventory of homes for sale is much greater than it has been, this tool allows us to open up the whole universe of homes, whether for sale or not, which match your specific desires. If this sounds like something you’d like us to play with on your behalf, call me or any of our broker associates (listed below) and we’ll get to work for you.
Is Your Home Wildfire Ready?
My January 13, 2025, column described ways in which homes could be made fireresistant. If you read that article on our blog, http://realestatetoday.substack.com, you saw multiple links to articles and reports from Colorado to California on how to harden you home against wildfire. Since then, I became aware of a website, www.RotaryWildfireReady.com, created by the Rotary Clubs of Evergreen, Conifer, Boulder and Mountain Foothills, in cooperation with fire departments, community leaders and Fire Adapted Colorado. You’ll be impressed, as I was, by how comprehensive this website is, providing a wide array of advice and resources, not just on hardening your home but on preparing for the eventuality of an evacuation order.
Environmental Film Festival
The Colorado Environmental Film Festival runs this weekend, Feb. 21-23 at the Green Center, 924 16th Street, Golden, on the campus of the Colorado School of Mines. I wrote about the festival in last week’s column.
You can study the three-day schedule at https://ceff2025.eventive.org/schedule and buy tickets at https://ceff.net/tickets
If you go, look for our booth in the EcoExpo, where you can browse the display of current solar-powered homes and let us know if you’d like to see any of them.
Don’t miss this remodeled two-bedroom, one-bathroom townhome at 3355 S. Flower #59, in the quiet Jefferson Green subdivision northeast of Highway 285 and Kipling Street. Features include new luxury wood-look vinyl flooring throughout the first floor, new lighting fixtures, new stainless steel sink and range. The fully tiled bathroom has a new vanity and lighting. The bedrooms have new carpeting, ceiling fans, and the primary bedroom has a walk-in closet. There are newer windows throughout. The LG washer and dryer are included. Also included is one space in the 2-car shared garage, with a storage area included. A second designated parking spot is in the parking lot. This home is move-in ready! Listing agent David Dlugasch has created a narrated video walk-through which you’ll find along with lots of magazine-quality pictures at www.GRElistings.com. He’ll be holding it open this Saturday, February 22nd, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Or call him at 303-908-4835 to arrange a private showing.
maintained with
$785,000
home at 2601 S. Kipling Court is ready for new owners. Located in a private gated community, it is two blocks from Bear Creek Park. The large main level has vaulted ceilings and south facing windows that provide plenty of natural light. The spacious main floor is 1,911 square feet and features an updated kitchen with quartz countertops, gas range and stainless steel appliances. The living room is open to the kitchen and dining areas and has a stacked rock gas fireplace. The large primary bedroom with a 5-piece bath has a sliding door to access the outdoor patio. The main level also includes a second bedroom, a 3/4 guest bathroom and an office space. Quality wood flooring, lighting, handrails and paint add to the cozy ambience. There is a large main-floor laundry with built-in cabinets and utility sink (washer and dryer included). The basement is professionally finished with 9-foot ceilings, family room, bar, pool room (with custom pool table included), a 3rd bedroom and 3rd bath, and a large 350-sq.-ft. storage area. There is a newer furnace and A/C, as well as new garage door and opener. The seller is open to selling any furniture in the home. Find additional photos and view a narrated video walk-through at www.GRElistings.com. To arrange a showing, call listing agent Jim Swanson on his cell phone anytime, 303-929-2929.
Golden Real Estate lists and sells residential properties across the entire metro area.
Meticulously
many quality upgrades, this turnkey patio
Just Listed: 3-BR/3-Bath Patio Home in Lakewood
Colorado tied for most educated state
Massachusetts pulls even for residents’ credentials
BY JASON GONZALES CHALKBEAT
Colorado residents are still the most educated in the nation, but Massachusetts now shares the top spot, according to a report released in January.
is year’s Stronger Nation Report found that 63% of Colorado residents age 25 and older had an educational credential beyond a high school diploma in 2023, matching Massachusetts. at’s above the national average of 54.9% of residents who have earned college degrees or certi cates or an industry certi cation.
e gure is mostly unchanged from 2022, when about 62.9% of Colorado’s residents held a college credential. However, the percentage of Native American Colorado residents with college degrees or credentials has fallen, a troubling sign after years of steady increases.
e annual report from the Lumina Foundation aims for a national goal of 60% college attainment. (Lumina is a funder of Chalkbeat.)
Having an education beyond a high school diploma matters because it is crucial for state economic growth and individual nancial success, as high-wage jobs typically require a college credential.
Disparities persist
Colorado has long been among the most educated states, but racial disparities persist. While most racial group data remained steady, Native American college attainment fell for the second consecutive year.
About 30.5% of Native American residents in 2023 held a college credential — a 3.2% decline from 2022. e drop stems from fewer college graduates aged 25-34.
Only 22.3% of Native American residents in that age category have education beyond high school, now the lowest of any racial group in Colorado.
Hispanic residents had for years been the least likely to have a college education, but steady gains have changed that. Now, 30.6% hold a postsecondary credential.
Meanwhile, 41.7% of Black, 63.1% of
CLOSURES
the policy to make the best decisions.
Kane added that the decision will be more complex than just merging the schools with the lowest enrollment.
“We’re really looking at the totality of all of these criteria and that’s why they’re in no particular order,” she said.
Other considerations listed in the policy include the “careful consideration of the needs of impacted sta ,” class sizes, additional programming accommodations and accessibility to local resources such as parks and emergency services.
An online dashboard created by the district shows data for each of the 16 elementary schools in Highlands Ranch, including current and projected enrollments.
e district has also released a sta ng plan to detail the process for impacted sta to transition into new positions. District o cials have promised that all impacted sta will be o ered commensurate jobs.
Kane said the district is able to promise jobs to impacted sta while still being
white, and 66.1% of Asian American residents have a credential or higher. Reprinted with permission from Chalkbeat, a nonpro t news site covering educational change in public schools. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.
able to achieve nancial savings in the future because of attrition.
“Because we are not waiting to (consolidate schools) until we’re about to fall o a scal cli , we have a little bit of exibility to do this slowly and do it well for our sta members,” Kane said. “We will still realize that savings in the long-run.”
e district plans to use the closed schools for student or sta programming. e district will not sell the buildings or use them for charter schools.
Kane said the decision about the future uses for the schools will come after the recommendation on which schools to close.
“We aren’t in a position to say, ‘here’s our recommendations including what the closing schools are going to become’ because that is a whole other process,” Kane said.
In preparation for the transition year, the district is bringing on sta support and family support liaisons and additional human resources professionals.
Douglas County Chief of Sta Steve Colella said that once the recommendation for closures is made, district o cials are ready to support students, sta and families through the merging process.
The Stronger Nation report evaluates the number of residents who have a college degree or certificates or an industry certification. CHALKBEAT PHOTO
House cats with bird flu could pose risk
Some pets died after drinking raw milk, midnight prowls
BY SARAH BODEN KFF HEALTH NEWS
More than 80 domestic cats, among many other types of mammals, have been con rmed to have had bird u since 2022 — generally barn cats that lived on dairy farms, as well as feral cats and pets that spend time outdoors and likely caught it by hunting diseased rodents or wild birds.
Now, a small but growing number of house cats have gotten sick from H5N1, the bird u strain driving the current U.S. outbreak, after eating raw food or drinking unpasteurized milk. Some of those cats died.
e strain of bird u currently circulating has not adapted to e ciently spread among people. And there have been no known cases of cat-to-human transmission during the current outbreak of H5N1.
Still, there’s always been the risk that cats, which are arguably only semi-domesticated, could bring home a disease from a midnight prowl.
“Companion animals, and especially cats, are 100% a public health risk in terms of the risk of zoonotic transmission to people,” said virologist Angela Rasmussen, who studies disease progression in emerging viruses at the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization.
is is because we snuggle with and sleep in bed with our cats. When we’re not looking, cats drink from our water glasses and walk on kitchen counters. So, cat owners should be aware of the ongoing spread of bird u. “By reducing the risk to your cats, you reduce the risk to yourself,” Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen doesn’t think pet owners should be afraid their cats will give them bird u but said taking precautions is good for pets, and for public health.
Signs of bird u in cats include runny nose and discharge around the eyes, explained Michael Q. Bailey, presidentelect of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
H5N1 also causes neurological problems like dizziness and seizures, which are symptoms of rabies, too. Rabies is almost always fatal, and it poses a threat to human health, so any animal suspected of having the viral disease must be euthanized. Bailey encourages people to ensure pets are up-to-date on their vaccinations.
Veterinarian Jane Sykes, who special-
izes in infectious diseases in cats and dogs at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, said people should not assume it’s bird u if their cat is sick — even if their animal spends time outdoors or eats a raw diet. Upperrespiratory illnesses are common in cats, while H5N1 is “still pretty rare.”
Sykes gives her indoor cat, Freckles, regular kibble exclusively. She told NPR and KFF Health News she has no concerns about Freckles getting H5N1 because the heating process of making dry or canned pet food kills viruses.
More cases in cats, more risk to humans
Some people feed their pets raw meat or unpasteurized milk because they think it’s a more nutritious or natural diet.
e American Veterinary Medical Association’s website discourages this due to foodborne pathogens like salmonella and listeria, and now the highly pathogenic H5N1.
State and local public health agencies, including those in Los Angeles County and Washington state, have issued similar warnings against raw food diets for pets.
Concerns for human health are partly why the FDA announced last month it is now requiring cat and dog food companies to update their safety plans to protect
to allow cats unsupervised time outside as there’s the risk of them getting H5N1 by interacting with other animals that might carry the disease.
“ is is a very scary virus, given that it can infect so many di erent host species,” said Bruce Kornreich, director of Cornell University’s Feline Health Center.
At least one instance of a cat infecting a person with bird u occurred in 2016.
As NPR reported, a veterinarian in New York City caught the virus after having close contact with infected cats. e vet experienced mild symptoms and quickly recovered.
ere isn’t a lot of research on transmission of bird u from companion animals like cats or dogs to humans, though Rasmussen agreed it’s de nitely a concern: e more infections you have in animals, “the more your luck is potentially going to run out.”
Most people who have caught H5N1 are agricultural workers who had direct contact with infected poultry or cattle. Of at least 67 con rmed human cases of H5N1 in the U.S., there’s been one fatality in an immunocompromised person who had contact with birds.
Chances for mutation
Part of the concern with this H5N1 outbreak is that bird u viruses change. Just a few mutations could make this strain adept at spreading between people. And the more people who catch H5N1, the more likely it would adapt to be more e cient, said Suresh Kuchipudi, a virologist at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, where he researches zoonotic diseases. Kuchipudi has studied H5N1 in cats.
Another concern is something called reassortment. If an animal or person is infected with two viruses at once, the viruses can trade genetic material, creating something new. is is common in in uenza, so virologists are on the lookout for a case in which the bird u reassorts to make a virus that’s far more contagious, and potentially more virulent.
Kuchipudi said that reassortments are relatively rare events, but the outcome is completely unpredictable. Sometimes
the results are benign, though it was likely a reassortment that involved an avian virus that led to the 1918 u pandemic, which killed an estimated 50 million people. In the century since, virologists have established a global surveillance network to monitor in uenza viruses. Scientists say continued investment in this network is key to preparing for and hopefully preventing another pandemic. Rasmussen and Kuchipudi caution there isn’t enough research to know for sure how much virus cats shed, or even how they shed the virus.
e Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was poised to release a new study about H5N1 in cats, but that was delayed when the Trump administration paused the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. at investigation, revealed through emails obtained by KFF Health News in a public records request, found that house cats likely got bird u from dairy workers. Scientists and public health agencies should question previously held assumptions about bird u, Kuchipudi urged. He noted that 20 years ago nobody would have predicted that bird u would infect dairy cattle the way it is now.
Dogs seem to fare better
e FDA says other domesticated animals, including dogs, can get bird u infections. ere are no con rmed cases of H5N1 among dogs in the U.S., though in other countries they have died from the virus.
ere’s very little people can do about the H5N1 circulating in wild birds. As Rasmussen explained, “It’s ying around in the skies. It’s migrating north and south with the seasons.”
But she said there’s a lot people can do to keep the virus out of their homes. at includes limiting a pet’s exposure to H5N1 by not feeding them raw food or unpasteurized milk, and trying to keep them from interacting with animals like rodents and wild birds that could be infected with the virus.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism.
Cats are at high risk of transmitting bird flu to humans because owners snuggle with and sleep with cats. When we’re not looking, cats drink from our water glasses and walk on kitchen counters. SHUTTERSTOCK
Continuous Flow Intersections will be implemented at three major crossings around Highlands Ranch
Newly constructed tra c patterns are an element of the U.S. Highway 85 Widening Project
BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
As the U.S. Highway 85 Widening Project inches towards completion, drivers can expect changes to three major intersections in Highlands Ranch.
Highlands Ranch will be the rst to have partial Continuous Flow Intersections in Douglas County.
Included within the U.S. 85 reconstruction project — which involves widening the roadway from four lanes to six lanes — three intersections will be recon gured to improve tra c operations and handle additional tra c volumes.
e new intersections will permanently relocate high volumes of left-turn movement to allow left-turning tra c and through tra c to move simultaneously. It’s called Continuous Flow Intersections, also known as CFIs.
ese types of intersections displace leftturning tra c to the outside edges of the road, allowing through tra c to continue to move through the middle of the intersection at the same time.
e goal of the intersection is to increase the number of vehicles that can make it through the intersection in a single tra c light cycle, according to Douglas County.
Starting with Highlands Ranch Parkway, the intersections will open one at a time along U.S. 85. e intersections at Town Center Drive and C-470 will follow.
More speci cally, the new left-turn alignments will be:
• Southbound U.S. 85 to eastbound Highlands Ranch Parkway tra c
• Southbound U.S. 85 to eastbound Town Center Drive tra c
• Northbound U.S. 85 to westbound C-470 tra c
Douglas County will announce tra c impacts at a later date.
How to navigate CFIs
Before turning left at the intersection signal, drivers will cross through tra c using a new signal and proceed to the far left side of the road.
Drivers will then make a left turn at the main intersection while through tra c proceeds as it normally would at a typical intersection.
Drivers turning right will use new dedicated right turn bypass lanes, which will allow right turns on red while the displaced left-turn movement proceeds.
A visual explanation of how the intersections will work is on the Douglas County website at tinyurl.com/dougco-c -intersections.
U.S. Highway 85 Widening Project
In addition to the expansion from four to six lanes on U.S. 85, the bridge that carries U.S. 85 over C-470 is also being widened.
Various multimodal improvements will be made as well, including bus stop en-
hancements, a new shared-use path for bicyclists and pedestrians on the east side of the highway, a crossing for the C-470 Trail and a crossing for the High Line Canal Trail.
A new pedestrian link from the Wolhurst
Senior Community to the C-470 Trail will also be made. e new trail and underpass are anticipated to open in March. To nd more information or sign up for updates from the county about the project, visit douglas.co.us/us-85-construction.
An animated video shows vehicles going southbound on U.S. Highway 85 planning to turn left onto eastbound Highlands Ranch Parkway shifting into the turn lanes before the intersection. COURTESY OF DOUGLAS COUNTY
Strong Mamas, Thriving Babies marks anniversary
You Are Not Alone
is support group for moms with children of all ages
BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Nikki Brooker assumed there was nothing else she would do besides be a school teacher.
But once she saw the heartbreaking ripple e ect in the community after two moms took their children’s lives in Highlands Ranch, she knew she had to do something.
Tears still come to her eyes when she thinks about how her husband supported her in her e ort to make a change.
“He’s the one who said, ‘go do this, go do good in the world,’” Brooker said.
Brooker established the nonpro t YANA — which stands for You Are Not Alone — in April of 2017. And almost eight years later, she is part of a new ripple e ect — one that supports the mental health and needs of moms in Douglas County.
“We’re supporting the people who create the people,” Brooker said.
How it all started
Having been a teacher for nearly two decades, Brooker was working in north Denver as an assistant principal in 2016 when her family noticed the job was taking a toll on her.
She left that position, and began substituting at Bear Canyon Elementary in Highlands Ranch, where her son attended school. November 2016 was coming to a close when Brooker got a call from the principal saying she was needed in the building the next day.
Ushered into a room with other adults, Brooker and the others were told that a mom had picked up her 3- and 5- year olds from the school the day before, and ended up shooting and killing them and herself in the family minivan in what used to be the Sports Authority parking lot in the Lone Tree area.
Brooker was at the school providing support when she noticed a sixth-grade boy sobbing. When she asked what was the matter, he replied, “Ethan was my reading buddy. How am I supposed to be OK with the fact that his mom murdered him?”
She later went into a kindergarten classroom where the children were making artwork for the surviving father.
“I was like, so this is going to be your kindergarten core memory,” said Brooker. “It just broke me.”
A few months later, still unable to shake
o what she had experienced that day, Brooker’s heart broke even more when she heard of another Highlands Ranch mom who took her 10-year-old daughter’s life and then her own.
Brooker met with the surviving family members from both incidents and asked them if she could use their stories to help make people understand that moms need better support.
With their permission, Brooker made a post on Facebook and within two weeks, she had a location and established a nonpro t focused on peer-to-peer support.
YANA o ers weekly gatherings for moms with kids of any age. Additionally, there is someone who facilitates the meetings who is trained on recognizing red ags so proper referrals can be made to moms.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to support more moms and a ect generational mental health change,” said Brooker. “Because when kids see their moms supported, they feel OK to ask for help.”
Celebrating a milestone
Over time, Brooker realized that moms needed support before their children reached preschool ages.
She began researching what other countries in the world do to support moms, and found that in many places in Europe, such as France, women automatically receive multiple physical therapy appointments to rehabilitate their abdominal and pelvic oor muscles after childbirth.
In the U.S., “if you have a knee replacement, you get physical therapy; if you get a shoulder replacement, you get physical therapy,” said Brooker. “But you have a baby cut out of your body or you birth it through a canal the size of a golf ball, you don’t get any physical therapy after that.”
Learning that many women don’t know about some of the resources available to them after childbirth, Brooker started a new program through YANA called Strong Mamas, riving Babies.
It’s a hospital program that provides every mom in select hospitals with a full year of wraparound support for free. With the help of a grant from Douglas County, Brooker started by partnering with UCHealth Highlands Ranch in January of 2024. She walked into the room of every new mom and presented the program to them.
One year later, the program has expand-
ed to AdventHealth hospitals in Parker and Castle Rock, and has nearly 2,300 moms in the program.
Once moms leave the hospital, they can go onto the app called Strong Mamas — which is made speci cally for moms of the program — to plan playdates, ask questions and browse the events calendar. ey can also attend weekly in-person gatherings at each of the hospitals.
“We literally hand them a village of moms and we say, ‘you’re all going through it, so let’s talk about it,’” Brooker said, adding that the meetings include tips and advice from community experts. e program also includes phone calls made by volunteer moms to check in with others throughout their postpartum journey. rough these calls, YANA started an evening gathering, hosted family events and is working to create a program for dads.
e peer-led program has a 96% acceptance rate and a 70% engagement rate of the moms that are enrolled.
“We present to every single mom who is taking a live baby home,” said Brooker. “Nothing matters except that you’re a mom, and you deserve this support.”
Nikki Brooker, the founder of the nonprofit organization YANA, celebrates the one-year anniversary of the organization’s program called Strong Mamas, Thriving Babies, in which moms who deliver babies at UCHealth Highlands Ranch, AdventHealth Parker and Castle Rock receive a yearlong wraparound service.
PHOTO BY HALEY LENA
Violent crime fell in 2024 to pre-pandemic levels
National report says biggest jump in homicides was in Colorado Springs
BY AMANDA HERNÁNDEZ STATELINE
The number of homicides across the United States declined by 16% in 2024, continuing a recent downward trajectory, according to the latest crime trends report from the Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan think tank. Homicides spiked during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and crime became a central focus of President Donald Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign.
Trump insisted that FBI crime data showing declines was “fake” and claimed that crime was “through the roof.” The second Trump administration is expected to adopt a tough-oncrime approach.
State legislatures nationwide also are expected to prioritize a variety of criminal justice measures this year, including prison oversight, illegal immigration, retail theft and policing standards and procedures. Polls show most Americans see crime as a significant problem, though fewer than in recent years.
The Council on Criminal Justice, known as CCJ, gathers data from individual law enforcement agencies for its biannual crime trends reports, meaning the data is more recent than the FBI’s annual report. Both the think tank’s and the FBI’s reports, however, show a
similar turnaround in violent crime.
In 2023, criminal homicide — which the FBI defines as murder or non-negligent manslaughter — was down by 11.6% from the previous year. It was the largest single-year decline in two decades, according to the FBI’s annual crime report published last year.
The CCJ report shows that the downward trend appears to be continuing, with homicides in 2024 dropping by 16% compared with 2023. That drop equates to 631 fewer homicides in the 29 cities that provided data for the category, according to the council’s report.
If this decrease holds as more jurisdictions report their data to the FBI later this year, 2024 would rank among the largest single-year homicide drops since at least 1960, the start of modern record-keeping, according to the report.
Despite the recent decline in homicides, crime remains a politically salient issue. A majority of Americans — 56% — believe that national crime has increased or consider it an “extremely” or “very” serious problem. But public concern about crime has lessened over the past year, according to Gallup’s annual crime survey.
Perceptions of crime are heavily influenced by political affiliation. The survey found that 60% of Democrats believe crime has decreased over the past year, whereas 90% of Republicans think it has increased.
Some crime experts say that media reports, political messaging and viral social media posts may exaggerate Americans’ worries about disorder, making crimes such as shoplifting and public
drug use appear more prevalent than they actually are. Still, some individual cities and neighborhoods may be experiencing higher crime rates, which could further explain these concerns.
“We still have problems with crime, still have problems in the criminal justice system, and even though the crime rates are improving, we should not take our focus off crime and criminal justice,” said Ernesto Lopez, the report’s co-author and a senior research specialist with the council, in an interview with Stateline.
The council analyzed crime trends in 40 U.S. cities, although not all cities had data available for every type of offense.
Among the cities studied, 22 saw a decline in homicides last year, with Chandler, Arizona, and Little Rock, Arkansas, recording the largest decreases at 50% and 43%, respectively. Six cities experienced increases, with Colorado Springs leading the way with a 56% jump.
When comparing homicide rates between 2019 and 2024, the council’s study sample saw a 6% decline, largely driven by cities with traditionally high homicide rates, including Baltimore and St. Louis.
Homicides are still above pre-pandemic levels in some cities, including New York City and Washington, D.C. In New York City, for example, there were 382 homicides in 2024 compared with 319 in 2019. In Washington, D.C., there were 187 homicides in 2024 and 166 in 2019.
The CCJ report also examined trends in other violent and property crimes, including gun assault, carjacking, motor vehicle theft and drug offenses.
Most of these offenses were lower in 2024 than in 2023, with shoplifting being the only exception, showing a 14% increase. Shoplifting also was 1% higher in 2024 compared with 2019.
Researchers were surprised that shoplifting rates increased last year despite retailers taking more measures to combat it, such as locking up merchandise behind glass. Some experts say that the rise may reflect improved reporting efforts rather than an actual spike in theft.
Last year, state legislatures placed a strong emphasis on tackling retail theft, and this momentum is likely to continue into this year, with Maryland lawmakers already considering a bill aimed at addressing large-scale organized retail theft.
From 2023 to 2024, incidents of robbery dropped by 10%, carjackings fell by 32%, and motor vehicle theft decreased by 24%.
Violent crimes such as sexual assault, domestic violence and robbery are now below pre-pandemic levels, but aggravated assaults, gun assaults and carjackings remain higher than in 2019, according to the report.
Property crime trends over the past five years varied. Residential burglaries and larcenies decreased, while nonresidential burglaries increased. Motor vehicle thefts rose by 53%, and drug offenses fell by 28%.
This story from Stateline comes courtesy of Colorado Newsline and was made available via the Colorado News Collaborative. For more, and to support the news organization, visit coloradonewsline.com.
Outlook positive but subdued
WFINANCIAL STRATEGIES
e have been talking for several months now about a slowing economy, which is now coming to fruition. is economic slowdown was originally based on the natural progression of the business cycle. Recent events, however, may speed that up.
e rst place we look for help in guring out where we are in the business cycle is the Federal Reserve Board. Jerome Powell’s recent testimony may have caught some investors o guard, as the Fed chose to do nothing and hold steady. is concerned the pessimists, who think that mortgage rates could remain high while their savings accounts earn less. Also, the economic growth measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been slowing, so a decline in interest rates could have boosted growth.
e optimists are happy because the Fed’s neutral stance could mean everything is good and there is no need to make any changes. e Fed admits, however, that we are not yet down to their 2% target for in ation.
e U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that shelter, or housing, makes up the largest sector of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures in ation. Shelter makes up 32% of the CPI with a year-over-year increase of 5%. is is the largest driver behind stickiness in the
Life is meant to be more than simply checking o boxes on a list. It’s meant to be lived with passion, fervor, and enthusiasm. Yet, time and time again, I see people, whether at work or in their personal lives, fall into the trap of routine, where daily habits become ruts. ese ruts, if left unchecked, can lead to stagnation and even feelings of emptiness or depression. When life becomes about punching in and punching out, whether on the job or at home, we miss the point entirely.
In my work, helping organizations with sales training, management coaching, and leadership development, I’ve witnessed both ends of the spectrum. On one hand, some companies approach training as just another task to be done. ey participate in programs not because they believe in their value but because they want to check the box and say they’ve done it. ere’s no energy, no passion, and, unsurprisingly, little to no impact.
VOICES
current in ation rates, according to William Greiner, chief economist at Mariner. All other items excluding shelter had an in ation rate in 2024 of 1.9%, so perhaps the Fed thought we were getting close to their target.
en enter the new administration in
Washington. No matter where your political allegiance lies, every day is a whirlwind of new information. It is too soon to see how tari s will a ect everything, but at rst glance, they could lower economic growth and increase in ation. While the Fed does not have an economic growth
target, it does consider growth rates when determining where interest rates should be. After in ation, the second mandate of the Fed is that unemployment and jobs creation remain strong.
SEE KUMMER, P11
Finding fervor and zeal in everyday moments
WINNING
ment from the top down. Senior leaders engage with the content, understanding its transformative potential for their teams. at enthusiasm trickles through the organization, sparking interest, energy, and a shared commitment to growth. e results are staggering in business performance, employee satisfaction, and morale.
On the other hand, some organizations view professional development as an investment in their people. ese companies approach training with excite-
is contrast illustrates the bigger picture: Checking the box might give you the illusion of progress, but true growth and ful llment come from investing yourself fully, mind, heart, and spirit into what you’re doing. is same “check-the-box” mentality that I see in workplaces can also creep into our personal lives. ink about it: Are you “checking the box” with your spouse? Maybe the once passionate goodbyes have been replaced by a quick, obligatory peck on the cheek. Are you “checking the box” with your kids or grandkids? You may be sitting in the
same room with them while they watch a movie or play on a tablet, but you’re not truly engaging because you’re scrolling through your phone.
Are you “checking the box” at the gym, going through the motions of a workout without really pushing yourself or enjoying the process? Are you “checking the box” in your spiritual life, saying a quick, rehearsed prayer, or attending a house of worship but not truly paying attention to the music or the message?
e good news is that it’s never too late to reignite your passion for life and break free from the monotony. Here are a few steps to get started:
Try something new. Create a fresh workout plan that excites you. Explore a new hobby or take on a challenge that pushes you out of your comfort zone. Put the phone down. Play an active role in your children’s or grandchildren’s lives. Instead of passively sitting in the same room, play a game, have a conversation, or share a meaningful experience together.
Bring back the little things that made your relationship special. Start with a passionate kiss, a thoughtful gesture,
or a meaningful conversation. Whether professional training or personal development, embrace the chance to grow. Be grateful for the opportunity to learn something new and consider how it can bene t your life.
Life isn’t about simply completing tasks; it’s about living. It’s about tasting, experiencing, and embracing each moment’s richness. If you feel stuck in the “check-the-box” mindset, ask yourself: What can I do today to return to the redup express train?
Bring back the zeal, curiosity, and passion that fuels growth and connection because life is much more than just checking a box. It’s meant to be lived fully and with purpose. So what are you waiting for? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com. And when we go beyond just checking a box, it really will be a better-than-good life.
Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.
Things to do in the south metro area
Meet the author: C. J. Box
e Douglas County Libraries is inviting the community to an event with C.J. Box, the New York Times bestselling author of the Joe Pickett series.
e event takes place at 7 p.m. March 1 at the DCSD Legacy Campus, 10035 Peoria St., in Lone Tree.
ere will be a discussion on his new novel, “Battle Mountain” and a book signing will follow the author’s presentation.
A general admission ticket costs $35 and includes a hardcover copy of the book, a seat for the presentation and a place in the signing line. A companion ticket costs $20 and includes a seat for the presentation only. It is available only with the purchase of a general admission ticket.
Co ee, tea and deserts will be provided. e book will be available for purchase at the event.
Learn more at www.dcl.org.
Colorado Pint Day
e Colorado Brewers Guild, a nonpro t trade organization for independent craft breweries, has announced the return of the 10th annual Colorado Pint Day. It will be on March 5.
Colorado Pint Day is a time-honored tradition that has developed a following, with beer lovers ocking to participating breweries to pick up the limited edition glassware. is beloved fundraiser supports local craft breweries and is always takes place on a Wednesday during a typicallyslower season for breweries. One dollar of each pint glass sold is donated to the Colorado Brewers Guild to support its mission of promoting, protecting and propelling its members through advocacy, education and public awareness.
A list of the 215 plus participating breweries, which includes several from Arapahoe and Douglas counties, can be found on the CBG website: coloradobeer.org.
Acrylic painting collage workshop
e Heritage Fine Arts Guild invites artists of all skill levels to an engaging, hands-on workshop with Christa MacFarlane.
Participants will experiment with a variety of acrylic application techniques while integrating collage elements to
KUMMER
Unemployment sheds a bright light on immigration and potential deportation. As our labor force shrinks, we may see a higher cost of housing and labor-intensive services such as food processing. Consumers will foot the federal de cit bill through higher cost of goods and services, higher taxes or both. ere is a theory that tari s could help reduce the federal de cit better and faster than raising income taxes. How this plays out will be interesting, but I believe we will feel some negative e ects of these changes, at least initially.
create dynamic and unexpected compositions. is workshop is designed to showcase the versatility of acrylics and inspire creative expression. Participants should bring their own supplies, including acrylic paints, brushes, college materials and a support board for their work. A full supply list is available on the Heritage Fine Arts Guild website.
e workshop will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 15 at Ascension Lutheran Church, 1701 W. Caley Ave., in Littleton. Cost is $50 for Heritage Fine Arts Guild members and $100 for non-members. To register, visit www. heritage-guild.com.
Celebrate freedom through film in Englewood
e I Love Independence Mini Film Festival, will be held from 2-4 p.m. on Feb. 22 at Englewood Arts, 10901 E. Winner Road.
e free event will showcase winning lms from entries that focused on telling stories that raise awareness of the historical signi cance of independence. e aim of the contest and festival is to encourage lmmakers to showcase their creativity and passion for history, foster community and civic engagement in the city’s historical heritage, and connect the community and visitors to the city’s history and cultural sites, according to provided information.
For all the details about the festival, visit www.iloveindependence.org.
Board game swap in Littleton
Drop o gently-used board games at the Bemis Library’s Information or Children’s desks between Feb. 26 and March 4 for tickets to the Board Game Swap Shop, which will take place on March 5 between 4-6 p.m.
Board games for all ages will be accepted. Ensure that all games are in good condition and have no missing pieces.
Related, the library’s Board Game Night will take place from 5-7 p.m. on March 5. is family-friendly envent will o er the opportunity to play with the library’s board game collection. Pizza and snacks will be provided. Learn more at www.library.littletonco.gov.
Investors can see this uncertainty in the stock market volatility as the markets try to grasp how these changes affect corporate America and stock valuations. I suspect most companies will be weaning themselves o of high pro t margins, which could bring down some valuations. We are already seeing some of the high- yers from previous years, such as Nvidia, declining. is could be a challenging year for investors who do not have a strong but exible strategy in place. Ask your advisor about how to plan around these new policies and how to diversify properly in the changing economy.
Patricia Kummer is managing director for Mariner, an SEC-registered investment adviser.
James R. “Toddy” Todd
September 21, 1947 - February 3, 2025
It is with a broken heart that we announce the death of our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, James R. Todd Jr., on February 3rd, at the age of 77. e highlight of Jim’s life was his marriage to the love of his life, Elsie (Tomlinson). ey shared their deep love for each other for over 54 years.
Jim was born in 1947 to Jim and Lois Todd in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. After high school, he attended Parsons College and Millersville State College to play baseball. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1969. Jim played ve years in the minor leagues and six years in the major leagues for the Cubs, A’s, and Mariners. He had his best season with the A’s in 1975.
After his baseball career, Jim worked in the business world and started his own real estate appraisal company. Jim was also a mentor and coach to his daughters and grandchildren, who all share a similar love for the game. His 15 years of coaching impacted
JANUARY
Martha Carolyn January, 80, of Parker, Colorado passed away peacefully on January 25, 2025 following a prolonged illness and complications from an orthopedic injury. She was a resident of Morningstar Assisted Living in Parker, after living for more than 35 years in the Pinery South, and for many years before that as a long-term resident of Severn, Maryland.
Martha was preceded in death by her parents, Lionel and Virginia (Blanchard) Prescott, her mother and father-in-law William and Eileen (Buckley) January, her beloved husband of 50 years, Michael Joseph January, her brother-in-law Terrance Charles January, and her nephew Brooks William January. She leaves behind brothers Frank (Wanda) Prescott and Lionel (Kelly) Prescott, and sisters-in-law Susan Cole January, Karen January and Mary (Ken) Siddall.
the lives of many young athletes.
In retirement, Jim and Elsie enjoyed golf, travel, music, dancing, and mostly each other with their never ending zest for life. ey were devoted to their two daughters, Natalie Odette-Baxley and Ashley Buttshaw and their ve grandchildren Grant, Hailey, Makayla, Mikey, and Jimmy. He is also survived by his son-in-law, William Baxley and his siblings, Cindy Gebhard and Don Todd.
Jim will be missed beyond words by everyone who knew him. We love you Toddy.
A Celebration of Life will be held on ursday, February 13th at 1 pm at the PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue Parker, CO 80138. Reception immediately following. In Lieu of owers please send donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital at www.stjude.org in memory of James Todd, send e-card to jamesrtoddjr22@gmail.com.
Martha also cherished her long friendship with her dear friend and
Jan Watson, as well with many other neighbors, colleagues and friends from Virginia, Maryland and Colorado.
Martha enjoyed a long career at the Rouse Company in Columbia, Maryland and as a ReMax Agent in Aurora and Parker, Colorado. She enjoyed spending time with friends, eating out, reading, watching the news, watching NFL Football, and spending holidays with family. She loved a special treat of a frozen caramel co ee with a side of french fries as one of her favorite indulgences! And, she enjoyed a little retail therapy, just for fun.
She will lovingly be remembered as “Aunt Martha” by nieces and nephews Neil Shea, Stephen and Michelle Prescott, Caroline Prescott, Ashley (Mason) Ailshie, Sean Marsh, Stephanie January, Taylor, Cameron and Kendall January and great nephew and nieces Brantley Chase and Delilah and Briella
Martha will be remembered by all for her spunky personality and trademark sassiness. She was ercely independent and took great pride in doing things her way. She never failed to bring a smile to all who loved her, and her signature sign-o was always a quick “Love you, Bye” at the end of each call or visit. Arrangements are being handled by All Veterans Mortuary in Westminster, Colorado. Services will be Tuesday, March 4th at 10 a.m. at Fort Logan Cemetery in Denver.
TODD
Ailshie.
fellow realtor,
Martha Carolyn (Prescott) January October 18, 1944 - January 25, 2025
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Continuous Flow Intersections are set to be implemented in Douglas County
Newly constructed intersections are an element of the U.S. Highway 85 Widening Project
Parker Chronicle
A legal newspaper of general circulation in Parker, Colorado, the Chronicle is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 115 Wilcox St., Suite 220, Castle Rock, CO 80104.
Send address change to: Parker Chronicle, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110
CLARIFICATION
Email linda@cotln.org if you notice a possible error you would like us to take a look at.
In the article on the INSPIRE program in the Feb. 13 edition, the group’s organizers would like to clarify that while care for participants may cost as much as $20,000, no family pays that much to attend. The charitable foundation Active 4 All provides financial support.
BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
As the U.S. Highway 85 Widening Project inches towards completion, drivers can expect changes to three major intersections in Highlands Ranch. Highlands Ranch will be the rst to have partial Continuous Flow Intersections in Douglas County. Included within the U.S. 85 reconstruction project — which involves widening the roadway from four lanes to six lanes — three intersections will be recon gured to improve tra c operations and handle additional trafc volumes. e new intersections will permanently re-
WRESTLING
to Adams State University, it’s about revenge. She lost in last year’s nal. Her determination is rubbing o on the rest of the squad.
“We tell them to not be satis ed,” Sanchez said. “A lot of these girls get satis ed with just being a regional champ or getting down to Ball Arena. But, you know, we try to tell them that, you know, the show is not over yet. You still got a medal to go pick up.”
Conifer High School is also in year one. According to Head Coach Nick Adamson, there has been growing interest in developing a girls team in recent years. Last season, one girl who attended Conifer wrestled for Evergreen.
Now the Lobos have 11 wrestlers.
“I got the boys program started a few years ago,” Adamson said. “ is was our fourth season bringing the boys program back. It had been defunct for about ve years prior. So really, over the last couple of years, there’s been a lot of interest with individual girls and parents approaching me about when we were going to get a girls team going.”
locate high volumes of left-turn movement to allow left-turning tra c and through tra c to move simultaneously.
It’s called Continuous Flow Intersections, also known as CFIs.
ese types of intersections displace leftturning tra c to the outside edges of the road, allowing through tra c to continue to move through the middle of the intersection at the same time.
e goal of the intersection is to increase the number of vehicles that can make it through the intersection in a single tra c light cycle, according to Douglas County.
Starting with Highlands Ranch Parkway, the intersections will open one at a time along U.S. 85. e intersections at Town Center Drive
and C-470 will follow.
More speci cally, the new left-turn alignments will be:
• Southbound U.S. 85 to eastbound Highlands Ranch Parkway tra c
• Southbound U.S. 85 to eastbound Town Center Drive tra c
• Northbound U.S. 85 to westbound C-470 tra c
Douglas County will announce tra c impacts at a later date.
How to navigate CFIs
Before turning left at the intersection signal, drivers will cross through tra c using a new signal and proceed to the far left side of the road.
Drivers will then make a left turn at the main intersection while through tra c proceeds as it normally would at a typical intersection. Drivers turning right will use new dedicated right turn bypass lanes, which will allow right turns on red while the displaced left-turn movement proceeds.
A visual explanation of how the intersections will work is on the Douglas County website at tinyurl.com/dougco-c -intersections.
U.S. Highway 85 Widening Project
In addition to the expansion from four to six lanes on U.S. 85, the bridge that carries U.S. 85 over C-470 is also being widened.
Various multimodal improvements will be made as well, including bus stop enhancements, a new shared-use path for bicyclists and pedestrians on the east side of the highway, a crossing for the C-470 Trail and a crossing for the High Line Canal Trail.
A new pedestrian link from the Wolhurst Senior Community to the C-470 Trail will also be made. e new trail and underpass are anticipated to open in March.
To nd more information or sign up for updates from the county about the project, visit douglas.co.us/us-85-construction.
Before rebooting the boys team, Adamson had been bolstering the youth club in the area, establishing a group of youth wrestlers — boys and girls — who would develop into high school athletes.
Ponderosa wrestler Arianna Sanchez beams after winning the regional championship in her region in girls wrestling. Sanchez is one of four state qualifiers for the Mustangs in year one of the girls wrestling program.
“It’s just something that I’ve always felt really strongly about, just what the sport o ers kids in general,” he said. “And it’s awesome that we can now have that available for the girls too. I would have been happy with four or ve (girls wrestlers), just out of the gate rst year. So, to get that many was great, and I think we should be well up over 15 to 20 next year.”
Conifer is sending Sierra Nordwald (third at regionals) and Penny Dickinson (third at re-
gionals) to Ball Arena.
ere’s a lot of pride among the teammates as they craft the culture that will shape the program’s foundation.
“Being the inaugural girls team, it’s really a point of pride for them. I think it means a lot to them, even the ones that didn’t necessarily see a lot of individual success or individual accolades throughout the year. I think that’s kind of the feather in their hat is that, ‘I was a part of creating and being a part of that the rst girls program and establishing it hopefully generations to come.’”
e Lobos only have one senior, so Conifer is returning nearly the whole team. is year was a building block, and the wrestlers are eager to return to the mat next season with a better grasp of the sport and higher goals for success.
High school girls wrestling is blooming in Colorado, and it’s here to stay.
“Women’s wrestling right now is the fastestgrowing sport in high school sports,” Sanchez said. “I mean, it’s huge. e NCAA just announced in January that it was the 91st o cial championship sport for college. So it’s now sanctioned for Division I, Division II and Division III ... is is us building a program we only started in November. So, imagine giving us another six months, or even a year. I think we’re going to be pretty dominating.”
View an updated version of this story online at coloradocommunitymedia.com/sports
COURTESY PHOTO
An animated video shows vehicles going southbound on U.S. Highway 85 planning to turn left onto eastbound Highlands Ranch Parkway shifting into the turn lanes before the intersection. COURTESY OF DOUGLAS COUNTY
Images of a forgotten America brought ‘back to life’
BY MARC SHULGOLD
SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
As he leads a visitor along a row of ancient sepia-tone photographs hung in the lobby of the Lone Tree Arts Center, Paul Unks pauses at each one to o er a personal note about the subjects captured by Edward S. Curtis more than a century ago — a young Indian boy gazing blankly at us, a woman sitting under a tree weaving a blanket, a distant group on horseback moving easily below the rocky grandeur of Canyon de Chelly, an Indian chief with full feather headdress perched patiently as his white horse drinks from a stream.
Unks is curating an exhibit of 39 beautifully framed portraits by Curtis (18681952), the greatest photographer of Native America. Walking along, one feels his obvious passion after he described the lengthy, intense labor involved in reproducing each of these precious images for public purchase. Learning about that complex process, however, is not nearly as dramatic as hearing the remarkable story behind Unks’ discovery of 250 photographs by Curtis that had lay hidden for nearly 60 years — right here in Denver.
Like most kids, Unks grew up playing cowboys and Indians, a normal boy raised in the suburbs of St. Louis.
“Except that my respect was with the Indians,” he said.
Later, at the University of Missouri, he pursued his true passion — football, serving as quarterback until getting clobbered during practice by monster teammate John Matuszak. Time for another career. A class in photojournalism o ered possibilities.
After settling in Denver, Unks worked as a counselor, helping people through career transitions. at all changed in 1997 when he learned that 500 of Curtis’ original photographs had remained in storage, unknown and forgotten — in the basement of the University of Denver’s Library.
“ e Boettcher Family had donated the collection in 1938,” he said. “ ese were all printed on Japanese tissues and carefully stored for all those years. I began a series of negotiations that would take a year. My goal was simple. I told them, ‘Let me bring (the photographs) back to life.’” ere was “some resistance” in completing the agreement, he admitted — lawyers on both sides were involved, of course — but Unks had found a close ally in Steve Fischer, curator of special collections at the DU library.
ere were 500 pieces in storage, with Unks awarded 250 (the remaining photographs, he said, “went out there somewhere.”). e task ahead was to “bring to life” the lost art of Curtis by making high-quality prints of each photograph, with percentages from their sale going to DU and to a Native American scholarship fund. Small problem: Unks had to start from the beginning and learn a very difcult art. It would take seven years, for starters. With his life now changing, he created Mountain Hawk Fine Art in 1999 and began his apprenticeship, with help from a number of mentors and the gift of time, patience and discipline. By the way, for his e orts, Unks has been given a Native American nickname: “Little Mountain Hawk.”
Curtis used a process known as intaglio photogravure, one that produces images with a remarkable sense of depth, light and realism. e process has earned the highest rating of any print type — and it requires a master’s touch. Completing a single print requires three to four weeks ( ree to four are made simultaneously
“Oasis in the Badlands” is among photos in
— building some of their gorgeous frames can require months). Unks was up to the task of learning the technique and utilizing it with every print, guided by a lifelong love for photography and his deep respect for the subjects in those centuryold prints.
“As I work, I imagine Curtis looking over my shoulder,” Unks said.
Learning yet another technique, adding gold tone, the subtle sepia coloring, would take another year.
In researching Curtis, he discovered that the photographer was deeply respectful of those who patiently posed for his camera.
“He earned their trust, and was allowed to visit 80 tribes, which was very rare for a White man. Chief Joseph (one of the most famous of tribal leaders) actually came to his house and knocked on his door, wanting to pose,” Unks said.
As an indication of Curtis’ reputation among the Indians, he earned “ e Shadow Catcher” as an honored nickname.
“Curtis spent nine months with the Indians,” Unks said. “He had an assistant, John Andrew, to handle the (copper) plate making. He collected 2,200 photographs in 20 volumes, out of around 40,000 photographs in all. When he felt he had completed his work, the Indians heard him say, ‘ at will do.’ And that was it.”
is coverage comes courtesy of a grant from the Littleton Arts and Culture Program. As a matter of policy, funders exercise no control over editorial decisions.
IF YOU GO
“Preserving an American Legacy: Images of Native America” by Edward S. Curtis will be on exhibit in the Lone Tree Arts Center’s lobby hallways through March 23. The arts center is located at 10075 Commons St. in Lone Tree.
provide the most accurate results by geographical area, Colorado Community Media does not require, but does encourage readers to
Photos in the Edward S. Curtis exhibition at Lone Tree Arts Center include “Canyon de Chelly.” PHOTOS COURTESY OF LONE TREE ARTS CENTER
the Edward S. Curtis exhibition at the Lone Tree Arts Center.
BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Friday mornings during ski season, a lot of kids in Clear Creek County will wake up before the sunrise to check equipment, snowboards, skis, helmet, goggles and gloves in preparation of hitting the slopes.
After they’re dressed and with a quick breakfast, they wait in Idaho Springs or Georgetown for the school bus to take them to Loveland Ski Area for a day of lessons or just fun with friends.
e program Snow Dodgers has been teaching local kids from kindergarten and up the con dence and skills to ride the mountains on skis or snowboards since 1963, according to board members.
“If they’re good enough, they can just be free-range skiers and do their thing all day,” rst-year Snow Dodgers volunteer Chelsea Dendegna said. “It sets them up with lessons if they need it and just supports them on their journey as skiers or snowboarders.”
Many of the students who started early in the program are now in the sixth grade and riding doubleblack diamond trails at Loveland.
“I’ve learned a lot by watching other people and my family teaching me things, so I’ve improved a lot,” Carlson Elementary sixth-grader Maddie Hinojos said.
A team of volunteers and board members keep Snow Dodgers going each year, piling equipment
into pickup trucks and checking names as kids get on the bus to perpetuate what generations before them had done.
“Everybody works hard to make things come together for a project like this. It’s just a nice community,” Hinojos said.
According to state records, Snow Dodgers is one of the longest-standing ski clubs in Colorado, and many locals can attest to parents and grandparents who learned to ski with its volunteers throughout the years.
Some of the organization’s mottoes on the website clarify goals and motivation: “Take Risks and Reap the Rewards,” “Be Prepared To Experience New Adventures” and “Overcome Your Fears and Master Your Skills.”
e organization’s long-standing relationship with Loveland Ski Area in Dillion is seen as mutually bene cial, according to Loryn Roberson, director of marketing for Loveland Ski Area.
“For Loveland, our community is everything and it’s so important to support these new skiers and riders and give them a space to not only learn but also to enjoy the slopes,” Roberson said.
Snow Dodgers typically runs from the second weekend in January to the second weekend in March.
“Having a program like this in place really allows
them to familiarize themselves with the sport and it really grows the next generation of skiers and riders which is incredibly important to Loveland,” Roberson said.
Ongoing education in ski industry
Opportunities for mountain youth to learn and excel in the sport of skiing and riding don’t end with Snow Dodgers.
High school and middle school programs in Clear Creek County o er hands-on experiences in the manufacture, maintenance and business of the ski industry.
“Creek Craft” is a new name in the ski and snowboarding industry, and Clear Creek County high school students, mentors and teachers aim to make it pro table.
Students in the Clear Creek High School Entrepreneur II class are taking their business education to the next level by creating a sustaining model for manufacturing and marketing, according to Career Connections coordinator Dacia Kelly.
“ e students in this class are learning how to start a business and they’re doing it through a real-world project rather than a hypothetical,” Kelly said.
MOUNTAIN KIDS
Meanwhile, outdoor rec and tech instructor Ben Shay at the high school and middle school in Evergreen gives students the hands-on experience of building a board or skis starting with plywood, laminate and an idea.
“It gives kids an outlet to do creative work with their hands and bring something to fruition. I like to tell the story, ‘Kids used to go home and give their mom a wooden spoon they made in wood shop.’ Now they get to show up with their own pair of skis or snowboard,” Shay said.
Several rec and tech students were eager to show o their one-of-a-kind creations they made just for themselves when the Courant visited the class in November. e art of creating a board or ski is dependent on the individual creating it; thick or thin tails and tips, shaping and tapering you create your custom ride with graphics you’ve designed, 11th-grade student Johannathan Scott said.
“It’s really a surreal kind of feeling when you get to make something that you’re going to use.., it’s just a really good feeling,” Scott added.
Another advantage to the rec and tech program is local students are learning the skills in high-demand at local ski areas and shops, according to both Shay and Roberson.
“It’s such a unique program. ese other communities and these other schools have things like woodshop and home economics; but for our community, the thing we all live and breathe is skiing. So, to be able to modify it and have this program that allows them to learn that skill set is invaluable,” Roberson said.
“ ey learn a lot of the woodworking skills here that they would in a wood shop, but then they get something that they actually get to strap on their feet, go to Snow Dodgers, ride the hill and say, ‘Look, I made this,’” Shay said.
The pinnacle of skiing skills: Alpine Rescue
Based in Evergreen, Alpine Rescue is an all-volunteer, mountain search-and-rescue team that’s been operating, free of charge, for more than 60 years.
Alpine Rescue is one of 13 Colorado teams accredited by the Mountain Rescue Association in technical rock rescue, wilderness search, avalanche rescue and winter technical rescue, according to its website.
“In the last few months we’ve had some pretty intense rescues and our pick of the rst to go in are usually pretty tough skiers and they have had to go miles in
sometimes very deep snow that is not easy to ski in. So, there’s a lot of physical endurance and strength,” Alpine Rescue volunteer and public information o cer Dawn Wilson said.
“To have kids learn how to ski and not just ski but be ‘mountain aware’ is idyllic. I’m jealous of those kids,” Wilson said.
Programs like Snow Dodgers instills early education and muscle memory in kids that are critical to working and playing in the mountains, according to Wilson.
“If those kids grow up and they want to give back to their community and volunteer for re or a mountain rescue team they’ve got that ingrained in their body and soul, they don’t even have to think about it,” Wilson said.
PHOTO ON PG8: Ski lift at Loveland Ski Area takes Snow Dodgers to top of the mountain Feb. 7. PHOTO BY CHRIS KOEBERL TOP PHOTO: Clear Creek Snow Dodgers at Loveland Ski Area. PHOTO BY TIFFANY DALTON
Catch this Conifer family on new survival TV show ‘Extracted’
BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
How long could you watch your family struggle to survive in the wild before pulling the plug? What if there were $250,000 on the line?
at’s the premise of the new show “Extracted,” which premiered on Fox on Feb. 10 with new episodes being released weekly. Conifer resident Sarah omas will watch her husband, Ryan Willis, battle extremely grueling conditions, perilous terrain and the threat of predators in the Canadian wilderness.
From the stressful safety of the family HQ, omas and other contestants’ relatives will watch with bated breath to determine if and when to remove their loved ones from the situation. Family alliances can be formed to allocate which contestant or contestants get helpful supplies, and who is left to their own devices. e last remaining contestant in the wild will win a quarter of a million dollars.
“Someone from casting reached out to me, and kind of pitched the idea of the show,” omas said. “And so basically, all we knew was that we needed a family group of three, and one of us had to go into the wilderness, and then the other two would be left somewhere else to kind of facilitate supplies for the person in the wilderness. I pitched it to Ryan after I heard about it, and he was like, ‘Heck yeah, that sounds amazing.’ “
e Conifer family (one of 12 selected to be on the show) didn’t have to draw straws; Willis was thrilled to be the one taking on the elements.
Growing up outdoorsy in Colorado, Willis took to the competition with a hungry excitement to test himself and his limits. He explained how he’d always loved survival shows like “Alone” or “Survivorman,” but admitted he didn’t carry any polished survival skills himself.
while others, like Willis, grew up recreationally roughing it in the Rocky Mountains.
“Yeah, sweet. I’ll go into the woods,” Willis said on his reaction when omas pitched it to him. “I went out one night and camped without anything to prepare for it. But other than that, no (other training) other than just general camping, you know, in Colorado, stu like that. But the point they wanted was that we didn’t actually know how to do anything.”
omas said despite the contestants having a varying array of skills, it was still a group of 12 amateur survivalists. Some had never slept a day outside before,
But things got real pretty quickly when Willis was picked up in a helicopter, only allowed to bring the clothes on his back; a T-shirt, light hoodie, hat, socks and boots.
He was given a canteen with 12 ounces of water and some camera equipment. at was it … until the rst supply drop hit. at’s where omas, and Willis’ brother, Sean, came in.
“We kind of expected that in the rst day to be able to do a supply drop, but he literally went over 24 hours without any tools, any extra water, nothing for over a
day,” omas said. “He was not fazed. He was just hanging out, building a shelter, you know, piling sticks and stu . He was getting ready for the supply drop, but he had a good attitude about it.”
Willis took it in stride, but at the HQ, omas said she was starting to worry.
“We had no idea what to expect from the HQ experience, and so it was super stressful to sit there that whole rst day and just watch and not be able to do a single thing to help him,” she said. “He would come on camera and be like, ‘Yep, I could really use a re,’ or ‘It’d be really nice to have some tools.’ And we were just kind of stuck without being able to do anything for so long … . Ryan was hav-
ing the best time of his life, and we were stressed in HQ, wondering when we were going to be able to help him.”
omas said the rst few days were tame, but tensions ared as families had to decide who got what supplies.
“ ere was just that stress of, did you pick correct, or are people going to be mad at us because we got Ryan this amazing supply box, and other people didn’t do as good under pressure and didn’t get as many supplies as we were able to send to Ryan,” omas said.
Catch “Extracted” weekly on Fox and streaming on Hulu to watch Willis battle the elements as his family cheers him on and helps straighten his course.
Conifer couple Sarah Thomas, left, and Ryan Willis, center, along with Ryan’s brother, Sean Willis, are featured on a new survival TV show called “Extracted” on Hulu.
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1. TELEVISION: How many castaways are on “Gilligan’s Island”?
2. GEOGRAPHY: Which Asian nation’s nickname is “Land of the under Dragon”?
3. LITERATURE: What is author J.K. Rowling’s real rst name?
4. SCIENCE: What is a type of material that can’t carry an electrical charge?
5. U.S. STATES: Which state’s nickname is “ e Last Frontier”?
6. MEASUREMENTS: How many quarts are in a half gallon?
7. MOVIES: Which famous landmark is featured in the movie “Rebel Without a Cause”?
8. ANATOMY: What does the cerebellum control in the human brain?
9. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Where is the late Jimmy Carter’s presidential library located?
TrIVIa
10. HISTORY: When did the Great Fire of London occur?
Answers
1. Seven.
2. Bhutan.
3. Joanne.
4. An insulator.
5. Alaska.
6. Two.
7. Gri th Observatory.
8. Movement and balance.
9. Atlanta, Georgia.
10. 1666.
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
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affected. (This publication can be viewed in its entirety on the state court website at: www.coloradojudicial.gov) CASE NUMBER 2025CW3001 RANGEVIEW METROPOLITAN DISTRICT, 34501 E Quincy Ave, Bldg 1, Ste D, Watkins, CO 80137. THE STATE OF COLORADO, BY AND THROUGH THE COLORADO BOARD OF LAND COMMISSIONERS, 1127 Sherman St, Denver, CO 80203. Matthew S. Poznanovic, John D Buchanan, Hayes Poznanovic Korver LLC, 700 17th Street, Suite 1800, Denver, CO 80202.
APPLICATION FOR FINDING OF REASON-
ABLE DILIGENCE IN ARAPAHOE AND EL-
BERT COUNTIES. The State Land Board is the owner of the conditional water rights at issue and the land on which the water rights
are located. Rangeview is the Lessee of the water rights and rights of way on the land pursuant to the 2014 Amended and Restated Lease executed July 10, 2014, Lease No. S-37280. DESCRIPTION OF CONDITIONAL WATER RIGHTS: Name of Structure: Rangeview East Water System. Original decree: Consolidated Case Nos. 94CW191, 88CW253, 88CW254, and 87CW033 (“Consolidated Decree”. Subsequent diligence decrees: Case Nos. 08CW313 and 18CW3036. Location/ point of diversion: Box Elder Creek Diversion: the diversion structure will be located in Box Elder Creek at a point located in the SW 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of Section 34, Township 5 South, Range 64 West of the 6th P.M. at a point located approximately 2,600 feet from the east section line and approximately 50 feet from the south section line of said section. Source: Box Elder Creek, tributary to the South Platte River. Appropriation date: October 13, 1986. Amount: 250 cfs (conditional) and limited to a maximum of 6500 acre-feet per year not to exceed 53,900 acre-feet in a 20-year period. Name of Structure: Rangeview West Water System. Original decree: Consolidated Decree. Subsequent decrees: Case Nos. 03CW173 (alternate point of diversion), 08CW313 (diligence), and 18CW3036 (diligence). Location/point of diversion: Coal Creek Diversion: The diversion structure will be located in Coal Creek at a point located in the SE 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of Section 36, Township 5 South, Range 65 West of the 6th P.M. at a point located approximately 3,200 feet from the east section line and approximately 2,200 feet from the south section line of said Section. Pursuant to the decree in 03CW173, applicants may withdraw 450 gpm of this water right from the alternate point of diversion located in the NE 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of Section 33, Township 4 South, Range 65 West of the 6th P.M. at a point approximately 600 feet from the north and 1,050 feet from the east section lines of Section 33. Source: Coal Creek, tributary to the South Platte River. Appropriation date: October 13, 1986. Amount: 150 cfs (conditional) and limited to a maximum of 1,625 acre-feet per year not to exceed 12,320 acre-feet in a 20-year period. Name of Structure: OAR Reservoir A. Original decree: Consolidated Decree. Subsequent diligence decrees: Case Nos. 08CW313 and 18CW3036. Location/point of diversion: In the W 1/2 and SE 1/4 of Section 26, E 1/2 and SW 1/4 of Section 27, N 1/2 of Section 34, and NW 1/4 of Section 35, all in Township 5 South, Range 65 West of the 6th P.M. in Arapahoe County, Colorado, whence the left abutment of the dam will be approximately located at a point on the west section line of Section 26, Township 5 South, Range 65 West, at a point approximately 600 feet south of the NW corner of said Section 26. Source: Coal Creek, Box Elder Creek, and Denver Basin groundwater described in paragraph 12 of the Consolidated Decree. Appropriation date: June, 1984. Amount: Active storage – 6,200 acre-feet. Dead storage – 998 acre-feet (all conditional). Name of Structure: OAR Reservoir B. Original decree: Consolidated Decree. Subsequent diligence decrees: Case Nos. 08CW313 and 18CW3036. Location/point of diversion: In the S 1/2 and SW 1/4 of Section 11, E 1/2 and the NW 1/4, W 1/2 of the NE 1/4, and SW 1/4 of Section 14, and the E 1/2 of the E 1/2 of Section 15, and the NW 1/4 of Section 23, all in Township 5 South, Range 65 West of the 6th P.M. in Arapahoe County, Colorado and whence the left abutment of the dam will be approximately located at a point on the west section line of Section 11, Township 5 South, Range 65 West, at a point approximately 600 feet north of the southwest corner of said Section 11. Source: Coal Creek, Box Elder Creek, and Denver Basin groundwater described in paragraph 12 of the Consolidated Decree. Appropriation date: June, 1984. Amount: Active storage –10,200 acre-feet. Dead storage – 1,545 acrefeet (all conditional). Name of Structure: OAR Reservoir C. Original decree: Consolidated Decree. Subsequent diligence decrees: Case Nos. 08CW313 and 18CW3036. Location/point of diversion: In the S 1/2 of Section 19, and the W 1/2 of the NW 1/4 of Section 29, and the N 1/2 of Section 30, all in Township 5 South, Range 64 West of the 6th P.M. and the E 1/2 of the SE 1/4 of Section 24, and the NE 1/4 of
Elbert Legals
the NE 1/4 of Section 25, all in Township 5 South, Range 65 West of the 6th P.M. in Arapahoe County, Colorado and whence the left abutment of the dam will be located at a point in the west section line of Section 30, Township 5 South, Range 64 West of the 6th P.M., at a point approximately 700 feet south of the northwest corner of said Section 30. Source: Coal Creek, Box Elder Creek, and Denver Basin groundwater described in paragraph 12 of the Consolidated Decree. Appropriation date: June, 1984. Amount: Active storage –4500 acre-feet. Dead storage – 819 acre-feet (all conditional). Name of Structure: OAR Reservoir D. Original decree: Consolidated Decree. Subsequent diligence decrees: Case Nos. 08CW313 and 18CW3036. Location/point of diversion: In the SW 1/4 of the NW 1/4, and the W 1/2 of the SW 1/4 of Section 36 and the SE 1/4 of the NE 1/4, the SE 1/4, and the S 1/2 of the SW 1/4 of Section 35 in Township 5 South, Range 65 West of the 6th P.M., in Arapahoe County, Colorado, and the N 1/2 of the NW 1/4 of Section 2 in Township 6 South, Range 65 West of the 6th P.M. in Elbert County, Colorado and whence the left abutment of the dam will be approximately located at a point approximately 1,980 feet south of the north and 150 feet east of the west section lines of Section 36, Township 5 South, Range 65 West.. Source: Coal Creek, Box Elder Creek, and Denver Basin groundwater described in paragraph 12 of the Consolidated Decree. Appropriation date: June, 1984. Amount: Active storage – 4,000 acre-feet. Dead storage –1,000 acre-feet (all conditional). Use: Municipal, irrigation, augmentation, domestic, piscatorial, commercial, industrial, recreation and storage, within Applicant’s service area in all or parts of Sections 33 and 34, Township 4 South, Range 65 West of the 6th P.M., Sections 3, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 34, 35, and 36 of Township 5 South, Range 65 West of the 6th P.M, and Sections 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, and 34 of Township 5 South, Range 64 West of the 6th P.M., as shown on Attachment A to the original decree.. Claims for changes of water rights for certain conditional water rights included in this application and amendment of an associated augmentation plan are pending in Case No. 20CW3214. Additional details regarding those claims are available in Case No. 20CW3214. Case No. 20CW3214 is still pending before the Water Court for Water Division 1 as of the date of this application. CLAIM FOR FINDING OF REASONABLE DILIGENCE. This Application for Finding of Reasonable Diligence is filed pursuant to the Water Right Determination and Administration Act of 1969, C.R.S. § 37-92302.During this diligence period, in continuing the development of the conditional water rights, the State Land Board and Rangeview, and Rangeview’s service provider, Pure Cycle Corporation, have been engaged in the legal defense and protection of said water rights and have diligently worked toward making the conditional water rights absolute. The work and expenditures listed herein are illustrative and not exhaustive. Additional work and additional or revised expenditures may be claimed in support of this application. These activities include, but are not limited to, the following: Rangeview: Rangeview continues to develop surface water, augmentation supplies, and storage facilities through continued engineering, site specific and system-wide diligence work. Rangeview’s activities and expenses during the diligence period include: Infrastructure and Capital Expenses: $22,446,567. 11.1.1.1 – Box Elder Creek Infrastructure. Installation and maintenance of a surface water stream gage in the Box Elder Creek basin in the vicinity of County Line Road.. Installation of five monitoring wells in the Box Elder Creek drainage basin. Installation of equipment allowing augmentation water to be delivered to Box Elder Creek at the location of Box Elder Creek alluvial well 1. Construction, operation, and maintenance of Box Elder Creek alluvial wells 1-4 along with the associated pipeline, appurtenances, and measuring devices. Construction of the Lowry Ridge Storage Pond and ancillary facilities. 11.1.1.2 – Augmentation Supplies Purchase into the WISE system and pro rata share of associated infrastructure. Construction of three
Denver Basin wells and installation of pumps, motors, and appurtenances. Purchase of five groundwater rights in the Lost Creek Designated Ground Water Basin. Redrilling two alluvial wells in the Lost Creek Designated Ground Water Basin. Purchase and installation of pumps, motors, and well equipment in five alluvial wells in the Lost Creek Ground Water Basin along with installing interconnected piping. 11.1.1.3 – Operation and Maintenance Expenses. Replacement of multiple pump and motor sets in Denver Basin wells. Continued operation and maintenance of the Lowry Ridge Storage Pond for blending of groundwater and surface water diversions. Engineering expenses: $1,219,501. Engineering analysis and support for the preparation, filing, and prosecution of the application in Case No. 20CW3214 for changes of the conditional water rights described in paragraphs 2-9 (“Subject Water Rights”) and an amendment of the augmentation plan adjudicated in the Consolidated Decree to allow more efficient diversion and use of the Subject Water Rights. Engineering analysis and support for acquisition of five groundwater rights in the Lost Creek Designated Ground Water Basin, including applications to change the use of the groundwater rights to allow use in Rangeview’s municipal system and in the amendment to the Consolidated Decree augmentation plan requested in Case No. 20CW3214, among other claims. Engineering assistance with opposition to applications identified as potentially injurious to the Subject Water Rights. Engineering analysis and permitting for proposed Box Elder Creek alluvial wells 5-8. Legal expenses: $556,929. Review and support associated with acquisition of five groundwater rights in the Lost Creek Designated Ground Water Basin to be used for augmentation. Prepare, file and prosecute applications to change the use of the groundwater rights in the Lost Creek Designated Ground Water Basin which includes use in Rangeview’s municipal system and in the amendment to the Consolidated Decree augmentation plan requested in Colorado Groundwater Commission Case Nos. 21GW02, 24GW02 and 24GW04 and Water Court Case No. 20CW3214. Prepare, file and prosecute application in Case No. 20CW3214 for changes of the Subject Water Rights and an amendment of the Consolidated Decree augmentation plan. Review of water court resume to identify applications that could adversely affect the Subject Water Rights and filing and prosecution of statements of opposition to said applications. Total for Rangeview during diligence period: $24,222,997. State Land Board: During the diligence period, the State Land Board has conducted diligence activities in the development of these conditional surface and water storage rights, and has expended funds for staff, legal, and operations in support of those activities including: Filing statements of opposition in water court for the protection of the conditional water rights and ground water rights associated with the Lowry Ranch; Hiring a full time water manager to oversee the State Land Board’s water assets, including those identified in this application; Reviewing water court resumes for applications potentially affecting water rights and ground water rights associated with the Lowry Ranch; Developing surface use of the Lowry Ranch, including issuing leases for grazing, oil and gas development, recreation, and military training; Updating the Lease Agreement with Rangeview for the development of these water rights to include the permitting and construction of a measurement structure on Box Elder Creek as a part of the Rangeview East Water System, permitting and construction of new wells, permitting and construction of pipelines and a water treatment complex, and entering into an option agreement for future use of existing water assets on Lowry Ranch; Participating in the development of a comprehensive area plan regarding oil and gas development relating to the reservoirs identified in this application; Participating as a co-applicant in Case No. 20CW3214, for changes of the conditional water rights and an amendment of the augmentation plan adjudicated in the Consolidated Decree, including participating in trial. Name and addresses of owner or reputed owner of the land upon which diversion and storage structures are located or proposed
to be located: The State Land Board owns the land on which all structures are located or are proposed to be located. WHEREFORE, Applicants request that this Court enter a decree finding that Applicants have exercised reasonable diligence in the development of the conditional water rights, continuing the conditional water rights, and for such other and further relief as this Court deems just and proper in the premises. 8 PAGES.
THE WATER RIGHTS CLAIMED BY THESE APPLICATIONS MAY AFFECT IN PRIORITY ANY WATER RIGHTS CLAIMED OR HERETOFORE ADJUDICATED WITHIN THIS DIVISION AND OWNERS OF AFFECTED RIGHTS MUST APPEAR TO OBJECT WITHIN THE TIME PROVIDED BY STATUTE OR BE FOREVER BARRED.
YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that any party who wishes to oppose an application, or an amended application, may file with the Water Clerk, P. O. Box 2038, Greeley, CO 80632, a verified Statement of Opposition, setting forth facts as to why the application should not be granted, or why it should be granted only in part or on certain conditions. Such Statement of Opposition must be filed by the last day of MARCH 2025 (forms available on www.courts. state.co.us or in the Clerk’s office), and must be filed as an Original and include $192.00 filing fee. A copy of each Statement of Opposition must also be served upon the Applicant or Applicant’s Attorney and an affidavit or certificate of such service of mailing shall be filed with the Water Clerk.
Legal Notice No. ECN 1626
First Publication: February 20, 2025
Last Publication: February 20, 2025 Publisher: Elbert County News
Notice to Creditors
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Alice Fern Halbrook, also known as Alice F. Halbrook, Deceased Case Number: 2025PR030007
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Elbert County, Colorado or on or before June 13, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.
Wendy Kaye Simpson Personal Representative 4319 Olivewood Lane Johnstown, CO 80534
Legal Notice No. ECN 1623
First Publication: February 13, 2025 Last Publication: February 27, 2025 Publisher: Elbert County News
Public Notice
District Court, Elbert County, Colorado 751 Ute Ave., Kiowa, Colorado 80117 Telephone: (303) 621-2131
In the Matter of the Determination of Heirs or Devisees or Both and of Interests in Property of: DELIGHT VERDENIUS KOLAR, Deceased
Attorney: Courtney L. Kelley, #54248
Kelsi B. White, #55170 Holland & Hart LLP 555 Seventeenth St., Suite 3200 Denver, Colorado 80202 Telephone: (303) 295-8000 Email: clkelley@hollandhart.com kbwhite@hollandhart.com Case Number: 2025PR30000
NOTICE OF HEARING BY PUBLICATION TO INTERESTED PERSONS AND OWNERS BY
