The Lost Creek Guide July 6, 2022

Our thoughts and prayers are with you both.

Volume 15 • Edition 13

July 6, 2022

Delivering to over 17,000 homes & businesses including all of Fort Lupton and Lochbuie.

“Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains taken to bring it to light” George Washington “If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed” Thomas Jefferson

Colorado June 28th 2022 Primary Results Race United States Senate Michael Bennet (D) Ron Hanks (R) Joe O’Dea (R) U.S. Congress CD4 Ike McCorkle (D) Ken Buck (R) Bob Lewis (R) U.S. Congress CD8 Yadira Caraveo (D) Barbara Kirkmeyer (R) Jan Kulmann (R) Lori Saine (R) Tyler Alcorn (R) Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) Hedie Ganahl (R) Greg Lopez (R) Colorado S. of State Jena Griswold (D) Pam Anderson (R) Mike O’Donnell (R) Tina Peters (R) Colorado Treasurer Dave Young (D) Lang Sias (R) Colorado Attny. Gen. Phil Weiser (D) John Kellmer (R) CO Brd of Ed at Lrge Kathy Plower (D) Dan Moloit (R) Regent CU CD8 Rhonda Solis (D) Peggy Propst (R) Cody LeBlanc (R) Regent CU CD8 Yolanda Ortega (D) Rosanna Reyes (D) Eric Rinard (R) Mark VanDriek (R) CO State Senate 1 Byron Pelton (R) CO Hse District 19 Jennifer Parenti (D) Dan Woog (R) CO Hse District 48 Spring Erickson (D) Gabe Evans (R) Tery L.R. DeGroot (R) CO Hse District 50 Mary Young (D) Ryan Gonzalez (R) CO Hse District 63 Richard Holtorf (R) Jessie Vance (R) CO Hse District 65 Lisa Collet (D) Mike Lynch (R) Weld Cty Com. At Large Kevin Ross (R) Elijah Hatch (R) Weld Cty Com. Dist.2 Scott James (R) Weld Cty Clk & Rec. Carly S. Koppes (R) Weld Cty Assessor Brenda Dones (R) Weld Cty Sheriff Steve Reams (R) Morgan Commissioner Jon Becker (R) Morgan Cty Clk & Rec Kevin Strauh (R) Val Loose (R) Morgan Cty Treasurer Robert (Bob) Sagel (R)

State Wide

Weld County

Morgan County

443,873 258,564 310,209

13,580 15,797 16,664

833 2,224 2,079

39,856 84,499 29,100

2,328 7,218 1,992

768 3,300 1,081

32,053 19,403 11,008 9,906 8,003

8,999 19,403 3,231 4,970 3,005

449,432 304,356 264,356

13,584 17,349 15,166

797 2,112 2,215

438,223 242,072 159,709 158,460

13,229 12,114 10,306 9,204

815 1,571 1,598 1,004

428,871 452,586

13,187 27,253

792 3,650

433,208 453,945

13,119 27,222

806 3,671

420,016 449,171

12,724 26,931

787 3,622

34,634 24,189 19,248

9,127 10,815 8,852

19,109 15,326 19,541 21,743

4,867 4,084 8,729 9,939

22,038

Reclaiming the Spirit of 1776

By Callista Gingrich and Newt Gingrich On Independence Day, we reflect on a remarkable moment 246 years ago, when 56 courageous leaders from 13 colonies gathered in Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence.

There, our founders declared with one voice: “We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

This act of political and moral courage changed the course of history. Since 1776, the values and ideals enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution have been exported to democracies around the globe and have lifted millions of people out of tyranny, poverty, and oppression.

Today, however, many seek to devalue America’s founding, rewrite our history, and undermine the spirit of independence that guided our founders to create the greatest, freest, and most prosperous nation on Earth.

Regrettably, the Biden administration has let millions of Americans down this Independence Day. Across the country, hardworking families are struggling due to inflation, receding markets, and rising costs.

So, this year, perhaps more than ever, we must remember and preserve our remarkable American story. The great experiment our founding fathers initiated in 1776 necessitates that each generation safeguards its freedom for the next. As Benjamin Franklin cautioned, we have “a Republic – if you can keep it.”

The lessons of America’s independence were not meant to be left behind in 1776.

Our freedom is priceless, and it must not be taken for granted.

Our founders vowed to each other their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor on the principle that government must derive its power from the people. As Americans, we must honor their great courage and continue to defend life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans.

We hope you have a happy Independence Day!

3,707

6,081 6,340

4,618

3,464 5,395 2,255

1,316 2,872 1,346 A really big hit at the Fort Lupton 4th of July event 2022

2,574 3,368 11,556 4,614

2,730 1,455

4,923 10,391 20,029 11,384 10,394 28,437 26,908 28,986 3,775 2,653 1,698 4,017

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WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE

Way of the World High Plains Bank Groundbreaking in Keenesburg Healthy Kids in Colorado Survey An American Majority, not a Republican Majority How Safe is Spreading BioSolids?

Aristocrat Ranchette Water Named as 2021 Water System of the Year Page 9: Hispanic Students Made Huge Gains in High School Graduation Rates Page 10: Weld County Council Vacancies Page 10: America’s Violence Problem Page 11: 97.8% of Mass Shootings Have This in Common

2

Lost Creek Guide

Way of the World

by Bob Grand, Lost Creek Guide The primary elections are over. Now if we can only get the candidates to pick up their roadway signs, many of which were illegally placed on road right of ways. We should have a $100 fine for every sign that is illegally placed, that might get them to pay attention to the rules!

Voter turnout, overall, still hovered around at the state level at about 30% level. Nothing to brag about, but what is interesting is the unaffiliated turnout which appears to have shown a strong participation in the Republican primary. I have had few folks ask about my comments on the “old guard” in the Weld Republican party. There probably is some clarification required. The term, as I meant it, also includes a new breed of the “old guard” that thought it could just inherit the past and ride on to glory. Well now Lori Saine and her cohorts, will realize you really do have to attempt to talk to all the people you expect to vote for you. She and several other of her “old guard” thinking politicians experienced the same thing this election cycle. They all lost. Now the real question is will the base that supported these “old guard” thinking candidates vote in the November election, or stay home and nurse their bruised feelings? If you look at the election results on the front page there is an interesting pattern in the numbers. If you add the combined totals for both Republican candidates in most races, they significantly exceed the sole democratic candidate by a substantial number. Not good news for the Democrats, at all levels. That works for the Republicans if all the voters turn out for the election in November. I guess we will see.

If you frequented the morning coffee shops in your area, I believe you would have heard a common thread. Folks are plain sick and tired of professional politicians, either Republican or Democratic. They are sick and tired of $5 gas, inflation in general, crime, illegal immigration etc. Not high philosophic issues, plain common sense, kitchen table issues, as some smart politicians say. In 2020 many people voted against Donald Trump, personally, not because of his policies but him as an individual. They just did not like him as a person. The victory that the Democrats received was by no means an overall endorsement of their policies but just as the only option to Donald Trump as a person. By valuing their 2020 victory as an overwhelming endorsement of the policies at the federal and state level the groundwork has been laid for the great red wave that is coming. I do not know if the Republican party can effectively unite their party base to focus on winning in November, but I am pretty comfortable saying the unaffiliated, and many Democrats and Republicans are looking to find a home that supports their desire for good, common sense government representing all the people.

Speaking of voting, the latest film on election fraud by Dinesh D’Sousa titled “2000 Mules” has stoked the fires on the stolen election issue. I hate to break the bubble, but I have to ask, how long has the voter harvesting process been going on in major city elections? If people are honest, they will have to say an awfully long time. This film just documents the how. Was the 2020 election ballot harvesting issue significantly higher than what has normally gone on, no one knows. What we do know is that a large number of people voted against Trump the person. People who had enough of Trump personally and voted accordingly. A large number of those folks are now going through buyer’s remorse.

The Democratic party West and East Coast extremists have hijacked their party. They only represent a fraction of the American electorate. I believe, for many of them, November elections are going to be a very ugly experience.

This has been a significant week at the Supreme Court. People have to focus on the basic issues that is at the basis. The Supreme court did not outlaw abortions. It said it is up to the states to decide. The 10th amendment to the United States Constitution, in the Bill of Rights, very succinctly, says that unless specifically stated and authorized in the United States Constitution issues are left to the states and the people. Over the last ninety years or so we, the people, have allowed the government in Washington to grow larger and larger, and have much greater control over our lives than any of the original writers of the United States Constitution ever imagined would be allowed to happen.

Now it is much easier for a group wanting to control our lives if this is allowed. The Supreme Court is saying wait, what was the original intent? This is not a bad thing. Let each individual state decide those things that are in its area of responsibility. This forces you as a voter to make sure you elect state officials that represent what you want accomplished.

Requires you to participate a little. Not a big price to pay for a representative democracy.

I cannot speak for you, but I am tired of over educated, overpaid, unaccountable bureaucrats telling me what I should do on about everything that effects my life out of Washington, supported by local state government officials who forget who they are supposed to represent, their constituents, all of them. I am proud to be an American. Are we perfect, no, but if we are so bad why are people beating a path to our doors, which are wide open. Mr. Putin or Xi Jinping do not have that issue. We need to remind all our politicians that being elected to serve is a privilege and if you are not willing to do it, do not run for office.

We need to see the Washington bureaucrats’ numbers in Washington significantly reduced. The bad news is that many of them will probably want to come to Colorado. Life is never simple, is it?

As always, your thoughts and comments are appreciated: publisher@lostcreekguide. com

July 6, 2022

High Plains Bank Breaks Ground for New Building in Keenesburg New Branch Location to be Built by Buildings By Design

June 7, 2022 (Keenesburg, Colorado) - High Plains Bank, an employee owned and community driven bank, will be breaking ground on a new full service location in Keenesburg, Colorado on Monday, June 13, 2022, 11:30 a.m. -12:15 p.m. (MDT) at the future branch site, CR 18 and Market Street.

High Plains Bank opened in Keenesburg in October 2021 serving Keenesburg, as well as the Roggen, Hudson, Kersey, Fort Lupton, and Fort Morgan communities to meet their financial needs, from small business to home loans to Ag Lending, to online and mobile banking.

“Breaking ground in Keenesburg is a day we have been looking forward to for over two years,” says Krista Gibson, Keenesburg Market President. “The employees of the Keenesburg branch are thankful for the support and encouragement we have received from the community and are excited about the future opportunities this facility will allow us to provide for our friends and neighbors in Southeast Weld county.”

Keenesburg is located along the growing I-76 corridor in Weld County, 20 miles away from Denver International Airport and 30 miles south of Greeley. The town was founded in the early 1900s by farmers and ranchers, which remains the foundation of this growing town. Keenesburg is home to just over 1,200 residents and is a thriving small town rich in modern amenities, agricultural traditions, and strong community involvement.

The new building will be constructed by Buildings By Design, a full-range general contracting firm located in Brush, Colorado who also is building the new High Plains Bank Wiggins location, opening later this summer.

“At Buildings By Design we like to say we build buildings that matter, and nothing matters more to us than building an institution that will help support rural communities,” says Travis Lefever, Buildings By Design Managing Member and Business Development. “The High Plains Bank Family does just that. We appreciate the opportunity to again work with High Plains Bank on another facility that will be servicing rural Colorado communities for years to come.”

The new Keenesburg branch will feature approximately 3000 square feet with considerations to both the internal and external aesthetics, featuring a spacious lobby, state-of-the-art teller stations, drive through lanes and a canopy, as well as accommodating parking. The current branch, located at 165 North Market Street, Unit B (just west of the gas station), will remain open until the completion of the new location, anticipated to be open in late 2022/early 2023.

“We are very happy to have added the Keenesburg community to the High Plains Bank family, an area where there is so much positive growth occurring,” says John Creighton, High Plains Bank CEO. “We are excited to break ground on our new building. Our Keenesburg location, in operation since October, has a dynamic team led

by Krista Gibson, Isabel Granados, Heather Huck, Lindsey Skinner, and Kristine Bell, who bring strong individual and collective civic, business, and family connections.”

The Lost Creek Guide, Llc

Bob Grand - Publisher 303-732-4080 publisher@lostcreekguide.com

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Our deadline is 7 working days before publication

105 Woodward - PO Box 581 Keenesburg, CO 80643

Letters to the Editor are encouraged. Letters may be edited for length, libelous, or inappropriate content. All letter submissions should include name, address, & phone number for verification purposes. Letters are published at the editor or publisher’s discretion. Opinions expressed in letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Lost Creek Guide or staff.

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John Creighton, Kristine Bell, Krista Gibson, Sam Creighton, Lindsey Skinner, Brooke Bostron, Isabel Granados and Heather Huck

July 6, 2022

Lost Creek Guide

Joe O’Dea Victory Speech

DENVER — Construction CEO Joe O’Dea was selected by Colorado Republican and Independent voters as the Republican nominee for United States Senate tonight. In O’Dea’s victory speech, he lays out how he will take the fight to President Joe Biden and Senator Michael Bennet, while explaining his vision for helping working Americans.

Joe O’Dea’s Remarks: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I’m humbled beyond words. What a moment.

What a team. WHAT. A. VICTORY! Are you fired up?

It’s a great night to be an American.

And it’s a terrible night to run a Democratic Super PAC here in Colorado. It’s been a wild ride these last 3 weeks, hasn’t it?

All of these shady SUPER PACs controlled by Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer and Michael Bennet have spent millions upon millions of dollars trying to take me out… trying to make sure this moment never happened.

Me. Joe O’Dea. A carpenter and a contractor who has never run for any office in my life.

All of that money spent coming after me. It’s just UNREAL. There’s an old football expression that feels really appropriate tonight. “You are what the scoreboard says you are.” And you know what the scoreboard says tonight?

Joe O’Dea – ONE Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden and Michael Bennet – ZERO. How sweet it is!

To all of you and everyone across the state who did so much to make this victory possible, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

We have such an incredible team. It’s more like a family. To all of you who rallied in the face of such adversity. Celeste, Tayler, David and I are eternally grateful.

I also want to thank Representative Hanks for running a tough race. He worked hard and had an incredible grassroots following. Beating Biden and Bennet is going to take a united effort, and after a tough primary, I’ll work especially hard to win the support of Ron’s many voters. Ron deserves a round of applause for his willingness to run and to serve.

I gotta tell you, this multi-million-dollar campaign by Democrats in the Republican Primary is everything that the American people hate about politics. It is pure cynicism and deceit.

All of the millions of dollars, all of the scheming, all of it, to shield a single politician – Michael Bennet – from the accountability of the voters. It is the worst in our politics.

But that is the great thing about our political system.

The politicians can scheme, but in the end, it’s the voters that get final say.

Our victory tonight is proof “we the people” can still call the shots here in Colorado.

We took their punch.

We shocked the world.

We beat ‘em once.

We’ll beat ‘em again in November.

Are you with me?

And so now we have it, the election Michael Bennet did not want.

Let there be no doubt… the Colorado Senate race is a referendum on Joe Biden’s policies and Michael Bennet’s rubber stamp.

America is struggling and moving in the wrong direction, and Joe Biden is to blame.

Michael Bennet has been Biden’s wingman at every turn. Bennet votes with Biden 100% of the time.

Look, I love my wife Celeste more than life itself. But I don’t even agree with her 100% of the time.

Let’s just look at the record: On inflation, spending, and the debt… on energy policy and gas prices … on rampant crime and a broken border … on all of it … every single time… when the chips are down … Michael Bennet does whatever Joe Biden wants him to do.

Michael Bennet is Joe Biden’s Senator, he’s not Colorado’s Senator. Colorado wants its leaders to be independent. Michael Bennet is not independent. I am.

That’s why so many independents showed up to vote for me in this primary. And we are going to work hard to keep them in our coalition this Fall. Our coalition is what made this victory possible.

It’s Trump Republicans, GOP Republicans, Log Cabin Republicans, pro-life Republicans, pro-choice Republicans, Independents, parents, police, seniors, veterans, unions, farmers, rural, urban, and suburban voters and, yes, even disenchanted Democrats.

Our campaign has a big tent and there’s room for more.

It’s a coalition of people who don’t agree on every issue every time, but we ARE united in a deep and abiding love of our country, and a profound belief that America is so much better than what we’ve become.

These are the voices I will fight for in the Senate. Trust me, I’ll be a different kind of senator. That’s probably an understatement.

The first time I went back to Washington, DC, I had a well-known official tell me I probably shouldn’t wear blue jeans and cowboy boots when meeting with United States Senators.

We’ll see about that. I am who I am. But know this, none of THIS will change ME. I’m an outsider, not a politician.

I’m a contractor, not a slick talker.

I’ll listen to the people.

I’m a man who loves this country, and I don’t have a lot of patience for those who live to tear America down.

I will represent Colorado because my heart and soul is here in Colorado.

I’m a person who isn’t afraid to walk into a room of people who disagree with me – and say “we don’t agree on everything, but let’s find a way to work together”.

I did that many, many times in this primary. And I’ll do it in the senate as well.

I’ll work with reasonable people on both sides of the aisle and stand up to the extremes.

I won’t vote the party line. Michael Bennet votes with the Democratic Party every time. I’ll be more like a Republican Joe Manchin – I’ll vote my conscience, I’ll make tough choices, I’ll ruffle some feathers, and I’ll always put America and Colorado first.

No political party will own me. My agenda is common sense.

I’m running to be a voice for working Americans. I am one of you, I will fight for

3 you. I’m running to cut the debt and reduce wasteful spending.

The debt is a moral issue. And I’m not worried about the next election. I’m worried about what we are leaving to the next generation. I’m running to keep America safe and secure. At home, that means supporting our police and law enforcement – I will back the blue.

Overseas, that means standing by our military and pursuing a foreign policy in the tradition of Reagan – Peace through Strength.

Above all, I am running to move America forward. America is the greatest nation in the history of humankind. We are so much better than what we have become.

You know it for yourselves, and we do too. It is the only place in the world where a story like mine and Celeste’s is possible.

Celeste cleaned homes with her mom. She waited tables when she was 13 – both to help her family cover the bills. I never met my biological mom and dad – I was adopted by a Denver cop and raised in a middle-class Denver home. My parents loved me like their own. They made me wash dishes to pay for Catholic school. That’s Love.

Celeste worked at the Aurora Mall to help pay her way through school, then went to work as a microbiologist and – she started her workday at 4 AM for years and years.

I left Colorado State a semester early to start a construction company – 30 years later after several recessions, we are still going strong. We’ve employed thousands of families that helped build this great state.

All of these things were made possible through hard work and through opportunities provided by this great country. I am running for the senate because I want that formula – hard work and a country with endless possibilities – to be alive and thriving for generations.

You know, nothing in life has ever been given to me. I was sort of hoping this primary wouldn’t turn out to be World War III, but that’s just my luck – nothing given, only earned. And I’m ok with that.

I won all these personal battles the same way I will win this one. By working. By fighting. By taking zero for granted.

We are up for the fight. I’m not afraid of Chuck Schumer are you? We beat him in the primary and were gonna beat him again in the general.

God Bless you and thank you for being on TEAM JOE!

Message from President Jennifer Bell: Dear Fellow Chamber Members, It is with mixed emotions of sadness and understanding that I announce Cody LeBlanc contacted the Board on June 15th to share that he will no longer be able to serve as the Chamber’s Executive Director after June 30, 2022. Cody’s 89 year-old grandmother has began requiring more time and attention due to medical issues and will be stepping down to assist his family in her care.

Of course, we all know what it’s like to have a family member who needs extra attention and I cannot fault Cody for wanting to help his Grandmother. In fact, I admire him for taking on the task and being such a loyal grandson.

Cody has done so much for our Chamber in the year he has been our Executive Director. I’m not sure most of our membership knows the depth at which he has helped our Chamber and I know he would never brag about himself. I would like to be sure everyone knows how great he is.

He researched and integrated new technology to help run the Chamber in an efficient manner. This has brought us to a point that helps make the transition seamless. Cody has cleaned up loose ends on many things we were not clear about. He has worked countless hours and donated his time to get the new Chamber Office up and running. Along with Lindsay, Cody is creating a training and tracking system so that whoever comes next will know what they need to do on a day-to-day basis.

I just don’t think many Chamber members get to see all that I see Cody do behind the scenes.

I personally am very grateful to Cody for all of his dedication to our Fort Lupton Community. He loves his town and he loves the people in it. He is always working to better Fort Lupton and bring the community together. I hope my kids can grow up to be as hard working and responsible as Cody.

During this transitionary period, Lindsay will continue to be in the Chamber Office on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm through July 21st. Francis and I will take turns manning the Chamber phone number (303-857-4474), so please use number to contact the Chamber. Please be patient with us. We each have our own businesses to run in addition to the Chamber office. Various other Chamber Board members will also be helping so you might hear from Mariann Johnston, Mary Ellen LeBlanc, Kristel Acres, Chris Cross, Matt Houston, Gabriel Saucedo, Gloria Carpenter or Brian Blehm when you leave a message or send an email.

If you need to reach me personally, the best way to do so is with a text message. You can call or text my cell phone at 720-626-6524. If you send me an urgent email, please text me that I have an email I need to address.

Thank you so much for your patience during this transition period. We hope to have a new staff member in place very soon.

Sincerely, Jennifer Bell Fort Lupton Chamber of Commerce President Insurance Agent LegalShield Independent Associate www.JenniferBellBenefits.com 720.626.6524 jen@jenniferbellbenefits.com

4

Lost Creek Guide

An American Majority, Not a Republican Majority: Part Four – The Opportunity

If conservatives can build a performance-based message on the themes of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, we can govern with a long-term, stable American majority rather than a smaller and shorter-lived Republican majority.

by Newt Gingrich I wrote this four-part series on creating an American majority, not a Republican majority for a reason. I am convinced the radicalism of the Big Government Socialist, woke politicians and their performance failures create a unique opportunity to propose a dramatically different future for our country. This future is based on different principles and focused on unifying all the American people who reject leftism and are fed up with failure.

There is a chance to create an America that works. We can replace the Big Government Socialist woke world that fails.

Moving forward to a new renaissance of a successful, working America requires winning the simple performance argument – and the more complex policy-values arguments. The importance of winning both arguments is captured in Claire Berlinski’s invaluable book, “There is No Alternative: Why Margaret Thatcher Matters.”

Berlinski describes how Prime Minister Thatcher set out, from her first days as opposition leader, to destroy the moral legitimacy and performance promise of socialism. She did such an effective job of discrediting socialism as a moral force that no openly leftwing leader has been elected Prime Minister of Great Britain for 40 years.

It was during this period of intellectual and moral hammer blows against the left that Thatcher said “first you win the argument, then you win the vote.”

Thatcher is as important a leader as President Ronald Reagan for those who want to understand how to win cultural arguments and move America from Big Government Socialism to a more rational, work-oriented, success-based policy of creating a better future through free enterprise and entrepreneurship.

Before Thatcher, the Conservative Party in Britain had been dominated by elitists who were used to accepting the core attitudes of socialism. They were comfortable operating within a framework slightly right of the Labour Party – but nothing too bold. Thatcher had come from a solid middle-class background and grew up with Winston Churchill as her hero. She saw herself fighting to save Britain from the moral and economic decay of socialism fully as much as Churchill had fought to save Britain from the mortal threat of Adolf Hitler.

Thatcher had the toughness and firmness of a wartime leader. For a woman to express these characteristics in 1975 Britain was astounding. Even through a modern lens, her determination is astounding regardless of her sex.

She once pulled F.A. Hayek’s “The Constitution of Liberty,” a nearly 800-page classic work on freedom, out of her purse and slammed it on the podium at a party meeting and declared, “this is our platform. This is what we are fighting for.” And she won.

Her greatest achievement may have been Tony Blair’s development of New Labour built around Thatcherian principles. Paul Johnson called Blair, “Thatcher’s adopted son.”

Like Thatcher, we have an opportunity in 2022, 2024, and 2026 to win both the performance and policy-values arguments.

If the American people conclude that the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris-Chuck SchumerNancy Pelosi team has only failed on performance, they might be comfortable replacing them in a few years with other similar Big Government Socialist leaders.

However, if, in the Thatcher tradition, the American people conclude that the woke policies, beliefs, and values are the ultimate cause of the Biden-Harris-SchumerPelosi team’s failure, then they will be reluctant to return them to power for decades – and possibly even generations. Look at how long Republicans remained a minority in the Rooseveltian revolution after 1932. Republicans really only began to achieve parity under Reagan (himself a former FDR Democrat) after nearly 50 years.

It is impossible to win victories on this scale if we are solely focused on trying to create a Republican majority. There are millions of Americans who are deeply (and increasingly) unhappy with the current system. But they are not ready to become Republicans. The Reagan Democrats became a halfway step for conservative Democrats, who gradually transitioned into being Republicans. Similarly, there must now be an American focus to make it as easy as possible for people to be allied without having to repudiate their own identities.

Consider some of the massive American majorities that are already out there. They can potentially become a movement that focuses on a better life for all Americans.

There is a great amount of this data available to everyone at AmericanMajorityproject. com, but here are a few examples.

Most Americans agree on our historic core principles.

• By 59 percent to 16 percent, Americans favor Free Market Capitalism over Big Government Socialism. When undecided voters were asked the same question without a “no opinion” option, the split was 82 percent for Free Market Capitalism to 18 percent for Big Government Socialism.

• 78 percent agree the United States is the greatest country on earth, while 18 percent disagree.

• 84 percent believe the founding ideals of America are something worth fighting for.

Only 9 percent disagree.

• 79 percent believe that people who believe in the values found in the Bible have the right to express them publicly, only 12 percent disagree.

• 77 percent believe that canceling or blacklisting people over their opinions is wrong.

Only 13 percent see it as helpful.

Most Americans agree about limiting government.

• 73 percent agree that the federal government is a special interest group that looks out primarily for its own interests.

• 80 percent think big government and big business work together against small businesses. Additionally, 74 percent of voters think they work together to harm individual citizens.

• A majority of Americans say federal government spending is wasteful, corrupt, and badly prioritized. There was little partisan or ethnic difference in this perception.

Democrats agree (57 percent to 26 percent), Independents agree (53 percent to 32 percent), Republicans agree (63 percent to 25 percent), Blacks agree (61 percent

July 6, 2022

to 15 percent), Whites agree (55 percent to 23 percent), and Hispanics agree (55 percent to 23 percent). Those who agreed also said that cutting wasteful spending and corruption would be enough to balance the federal budget.

• By 67 percent to 19 percent, Americans believe limiting federal spending and balancing the budget will reduce inflation, with 74 percent of Latinos offering the strongest support.

Most Americans agree on education issues.

• 84 percent of voters believe that parents should be able to see all curriculum plans and materials for classes their children take. This would mean that parents would have access to teacher lesson plans, book excerpts, and videos shown in class.

• 68 percent believe that public schools are lowering standards, rather than expecting stronger performance from students.

Most Americans agree about gender issues.

• 75 percent of American adults agree that there are only two genders, male and female. That total includes 63 percent who strongly agree. Only 18 percent disagree.

• 67 percent do not want teachers in kindergarten through third-grade discussing gender identity with their students.

• By more than 2:1, Americans believe transgender athletes should compete on teams aligned with their birth sex.

• Fewer than 10 percent of Americans want gender removed from a child’s birth certificate.

Most Americans agree about border security and immigration.

• 71 percent believe legal immigration is good for the United States. Just 15 percent disagree.

• 73 percent believe illegal immigration is bad for the nation. Just 13 percent disagree.

• 70 percent believe the drug cartels operating at the southern border should be designated as terrorist groups.

• 67 percent believe the border should be secured and illegal border crossers returned to their countries of origin.

• 66 percent would support eliminating all government payments to people in the country illegally, while 22 percent disagree.

A majority of Americans agree about the importance of work and independence.

• 74 percent approve of requiring able-bodied adults to work for taxpayer funded benefits such as food stamps, health care, or welfare, while 16 percent oppose.

• 59 percent believe people should be encouraged to work and be less dependent on the government, while 33 percent favor taking care of people even if they may become dependent on government.

Most Americans agree about discrimination.

• 91 percent agree with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr that the content of our character should matter more than the color of our skin. Only 6 percent disagree.

• 91 percent also support equal treatment regardless of race when it comes to education, jobs, health care, and government services. Only 6 percent favor preferential treatment.

• The majority in favor of race neutrality is strong among all demographics, including 78 percent of Blacks and 89 percent of Latinos. It also includes 87 percent of Democrats, 89 percent of Independents, and 97 percent of Republicans.

Most Americans also agree about health care issues.

• 87 percent support health care price transparency to control costs and increase access to health care.

• 75 percent believe we should fix health care by putting patients and doctors in charge instead of insurance companies and big government.

An American majority agrees on domestic energy production.

• 63 percent agree that America can further develop domestic natural gas and oil production without putting the environment at risk. Only 28 percent disagree.

• Finally, Americans are clear about the importance of honest elections: • 85 percent support requiring all voters to show photo ID before casting a ballot.

• 80 percent support a requirement for states to remove people who have died or moved from voter registration lists.

• 82 percent support requiring all ballots to be received by Election Day. In every one of these examples the majority is much larger than the Republican Party – and usually includes a majority of Independents and a significant minority of Democrats. They are truly American issues.

The consistent scale of these majorities should be a road map for those who want to build a long-term, stable American majority rather than a smaller, and shorter lived, Republican majority.

CDPHE Releases Latest Healthy Kids Colorado Survey Data

Responses show youth find accessing drugs and alcohol is harder and are consuming less DENVER (June 15, 2022) — Today, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment released the latest statewide and regional results from the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, the state’s only comprehensive survey on the health and wellbeing of young people. More than 100,000 youth responded to the voluntary survey in the fall of 2021, and the results provide a snapshot of what young people were experiencing at that point in the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Not surprisingly, the data indicate that youth have been struggling during the pandemic, as we all have,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director, CDPHE. “But, there are many positive aspects, including a reduction in substance use and perceived access to drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. Importantly, the survey points to the need to support and increase protective factors for youth of color and LGBTQ+ youth.”

Significant key findings from the 2021 statewide high school results include: • 40% of youth experienced feelings of depression in the past year, up from 35% since the last Healthy Kids Colorado Survey was administered in 2019.

• 51% of youth felt daily stress more often during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The percentages of youth who currently use substances decreased—including alcohol (24%, down from 30%), marijuana (13%, down from 21%), cigarettes (3%, down from 6%), electronic vapor products (16%, down from 26%), and prescription pain medications without a prescription (6%, down from 7%).

• Youth felt it is harder to access substances, like alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes, CDPHE Releases Latest Healthy Kids Colorado Survey Data continued on page 5...

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CDPHE Releases Latest Healthy Kids Colorado Survey Data continued from page 4...

electronic vapor products, and other drugs, than in prior survey years.

• Youth reported increases in the perceived risk of harm by the daily use of substances.

The presence of protective factors—such as trusted adults who can help with problems, clear family rules, and feeling safe and connected at school—are associated with protecting youth from substance use and poor mental health. Ensuring all youth have access to protective factors can help them thrive. However, research shows that generations of social, economic, and environmental inequities result in some youth experiencing negative health outcomes and have a greater impact than individual choices. Healthy Kids Colorado Survey data are consistent with those findings and illuminate disparities for youth of color and LGBTQ+ youth in Colorado.

While the percentage of youth who have seriously considered (17%), planned (13%), and attempted suicide (7%) in the past year has not changed since 2015, disaggregated 2021 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey data show: • 23% of genderqueer/nonbinary youth attempted suicide in the past year, compared to 8% of their female peers and 4% of their male peers.

• 20% of bisexual youth, 18% of gay/lesbian youth, and 11% of asexual youth attempted suicide in the past year, compared to 4% of their heterosexual peers.

• 26% of transgender youth attempted suicide in the past year, compared to 7% of their cisgender peers.

• 10% of Multiracial youth attempted suicide in the past year, compared to 7% of their white peers.

While the percentage of youth who were exposed to secondhand smoke or vapor at home in the past week decreased from 19% in 2019 to 16% in 2021, disaggregated data reveal that: • 23% of genderqueer/nonbinary youth were exposed to secondhand smoke or vapor at home in the past week, compared to 16% of their female peers and 14% of their male peers.

• 24% of bisexual youth, 22% of gay/lesbian youth, and 20% of asexual youth were exposed to secondhand smoke or vapor at home in the past week, compared to 14% of their heterosexual peers.

• 27% of transgender youth were exposed to secondhand smoke or vapor at home in the past week, compared to 16% of their cisgender peers.

While the percentage of youth who experienced hunger in the past 30 days due to lack of food at home decreased from 15% in 2019 to 12% in 2021, disaggregated data reveal that: • 18% of genderqueer/nonbinary youth experienced hunger in the past 30 days, compared to 12% of their female peers and male peers.

• 18% of gay/lesbian youth experienced hunger in the past 30 days, compared to 11% of their heterosexual peers.

• 20% of youth unsure about their transgender status experienced hunger in the past 30 days, compared to 12% of their cisgender peers.

• 24% of Black/African American youth, 20% of American Indian/Alaska Native youth, and 15% of Hispanic/Latino/a/x youth and Multiracial youth experienced hunger in the past 30 days, compared to 10% of their white peers.

Similarly, 65% of youth felt like they belong at their school (a new question in 2021), but disaggregated data reveal that: • 37% of genderqueer/nonbinary youth felt like they belong at their school, compared to 63% of their female peers and 69% of male peers.

• 49% of bisexual youth, 48% of gay/lesbian youth, 48% of asexual youth felt like they belong at their school, compared to 71% of their heterosexual peers.

• 38% of transgender youth felt like they belong at their school, compared to 66% of their cisgender peers.

• 61% of Hispanic/Latino/a/x and Multiracial youth feel like they belong at their school, compared to 68% of their white peers.

The Colorado School of Public Health Survey Team within the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus administers the survey in the fall of oddnumbered years. In 2021, the Colorado School of Public Health Survey Team surveyed 106,799 students in 340 public middle and high schools in 51 Colorado counties.

CDPHE and the Colorado Departments of Human Services, Education, and Public Safety support this survey. For more details—including results that are disaggregated by geography, age, grade, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity— visit healthykidscolo.org.

months. As research continues, we will be certain to find many connections between sunlight and health conditions.

On the other hand, increased exposure to the sun brings thoughts of harm such as melanoma, an idea perpetuated by conventional medicine and a majority of healthcare providers. Research has shown a higher prevalence between melanoma and individuals that work indoors. As a whole, we should be concerned about melanoma since it is the most common and deadliest type of skin cancer but you are less likely to increase your risk for melanoma if you are receiving adequate sunlight.

This association has created fear in our culture and ultimately, prevented us from receiving the benefits our bodies need from the sun as well as hindered our ability to make smart sun exposure decisions. However, we must each weigh the risks and benefits of adequate sun exposure. Most individuals only need 5-15 minutes a day in the sun with their arms, legs and face exposed to allow their bodies to intake the daily value of sunlight needed. In doing so, in order to fully allow our skin cells to intake the rays we need, we must limit or not wear sunscreen for that duration of time. Sunscreen has altered our perception of sun exposure time and allowed us to believe we can be out in the sun for substantial amounts of time – this is an incorrect assumption. Sunscreen blocks our bodies ability to detect when we have received too much sun exposure and prevents our skin from absorbing many of the benefits of the sun. Most of the sunscreens found on the market today carry carcinogenic and hormone disrupting ingredients causing more harm than good to our health. If you are searching for a safer, more natural sunscreen option look into sunscreens with non-nano zinc oxide based mineral sunscreens to protect you and your family.

As you continue to enjoy the summer months in Colorado, I encourage you to make smart sun exposure decisions and contact your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns. This information is not medical advice but merely the approach my family and I take. Below you can find some tips on how to spend the remainder of your summer sun time reaping the sun’s benefits.

How to spend time in the sun correctly: - Check your UV Index score for the day prior to planning outdoor activities.

Individuals need to consider safe sun exposure options for days when UV indexes are over 3.

- Avoid receiving the bulk of your sun exposure time during the peak hours of the day, specifically between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm. Morning and late evening sun is your best option. If you must be outside during these times, limit the time to 15 minutes at most and have 60% of your body covered by sun protectant clothing.

- Avoid sun burning. Any pinkness or redness should be considered a burn.

- Choose sun protectant clothing over sunscreen to avoid the harmful chemicals in sunscreens.

- If your job prohibits you from getting adequate sun exposure each day, ask a healthcare provider about the benefits of taking a Vitamin D supplement pill.

Researchers and medical professionals have stated that a daily intake of 40-60 ng/ mL is sufficient.

SUMMER 2022

Continuing Education IN FORT LUPTON

Staying Sun-Safe While Reaping the Sun’s Benefits

by Brook Nighswonger As we call upon warmer months, many of us will find the majority of our days outside. As Colorado sees higher temperatures and sun exposure times lengthening, we need to be cognizant of our exposure, the methods we are using to combat UV rays and how ultraviolet rays are contributing to our overall health. With an infinite amount of information and research at our disposal we need to best prepare ourselves for our time outdoors and how we can make the most of it. There is a common misconception in our culture that sun exposure is harmful to our health. However, mentally and physically the sun is healing. For example, when we are having a rough day at work and need a break from our office space, do we not reach for our sunglasses and take a few minutes of fresh air outside? Of course, our body is programmed to need it!

According to Environmental Health Perspectives, our best-known benefit of sun exposure is the boost we see in Vitamin D supply. Research shows that getting our optimal amount of Vitamin D from sunlight has reduced individuals’ prevalence of having diabetes and cardiovascular disease along with decreased incidents of organ cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis and mood disorders. It has also been said that the time we spend in the sun curbs our appetite reducing our risk for obesity.

Individuals that expose themselves to direct sunlight or even artificial light earlier in the day will see added sleep effects at night. This earlier exposure to sunlight allows our bodies to produce melatonin earlier in the evening and therefore see increased satisfaction with our sleep at night. With the longer summer days and lengthened exposure to UV rays, our bodies see a climb in serotonin levels. This could explain why many often feel calmer, more relaxed and driven or energy focused in the summer

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Lost Creek Guide

Colorado has been Spreading Biosolids with “Forever Chemicals” on Farms, Records Show. How Dangerous is It?

Environmental groups say there is no safe level for toxic PFAS chemicals in drinking water or on farm land. State regulators say they are studying it.

by Michael Booth, The Colorado Sun Metro Denver’s wastewater treatment system is spreading sewage biosolids laced with toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” at its farm in eastern Arapahoe County and on private farms that buy the material as fertilizer, according to test records obtained by the Colorado Sun. The likely presence of the ubiquitous and dangerous chemicals on Colorado farmland, placed there through biosolids spread by Metro Water Recovery and more than 100 other municipal waste agencies, adds to a growing list of potential health threats and underscores the need for widespread testing, researchers and watchdog groups said.

No agency requires Metro Water Recovery or other Colorado municipal waste handlers to test the soil or groundwater where biosolids are spread to determine if the chemicals used to make nonstick pans and waterproof hiking clothes are creating the type of human health threats routinely documented by local and national researchers. Study after study shows detectable levels of PFAS in nearly all humans, in all the fish captured in one Colorado test, and in other living creatures.

Wastewater agencies say they are taking PFAS in as runoff from industry, food containers, plastics and waterproofed consumer goods, meaning metro areas are delivering PFAS contamination to rural areas in the form of biosolids.

Metro Water Recovery did testing in 2019 for its own research purposes and found occasional spikes in some types of PFAS chemicals before the biosolids were spread on farms. Metro Water Recovery officials say their 2019 testing showed that overall PFAS levels in biosolids are “low,” and “not far above the detection level in most samples.”

Outside researchers say some of those levels are disturbing evidence that soil, water and crops at farms need comprehensive testing. State water quality regulators have now formed a working group on PFAS in biosolids, saying they plan to begin requiring testing at some point.

After inquiries by The Sun, Metro Water Recovery (formerly Metro Wastewater Reclamation District) said it is considering water testing in the area of its 52,000-acre Metrogro farm about 65 miles east of Denver. Tainted biosolids have contaminated water with PFAS in other states.

University researchers and environmental watchdog groups say tainted biosolids spread as fertilizer by most major cities across the nation — in part because there is no disposal alternative — pose the next major question for local health officials already confronting PFAS contamination in Colorado and nationwide.

Municipal sewage handlers across the nation, including Metro Water Recovery, have known about the presence and potential risks of PFAS chemicals in their effluent and biosolids since at least 2010, when a group of studies came out, said Christopher Higgins, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Colorado School of Mines who has co-authored multiple studies on PFAS and testifies for both plaintiffs and defense in contamination cases.

A series of studies co-authored by Higgins published beginning in 2011 demonstrated versions of PFAS chemicals in soil, earthworms and crops where municipal biosolids had been spread from Chicago waste. The studies called for much more testing of soil, crops and water in areas where biosolids are spread.

“The broader wastewater community, including people at the Environmental Protection Agency and in the biosolids community, knew about this by 2010, that this would be an issue,” Higgins said. He recalls warning national wastewater trade groups about accumulating study results, and offering to help, and hearing back, “no one’s going to care about this.”

Levels are low, concerns still high Research regularly uncovers new dangers to humans from PFAS, said Elsie Sunderland, professor of environmental science and engineering in the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard’s School of Public Health.

“What we’re finding is that very low levels are associated with some toxicological impacts,” Sunderland said.

The group of chemicals known as PFAS, encompasses thousands of compounds used in consumer and industrial products ranging from stain-resistant carpet and nonstick kitchenware to firefighting foam and waterproof clothing. Produced since the 1940s, some versions do not break down over time and have been shown to contribute to human health problems including low birth weight babies, high cholesterol, compromised immunity, increased cancer risk and infertility.

“Metro’s preliminary sampling results indicate there are low levels of PFAS in biosolids,” a fact sheet on the chemicals posted on Metro Water Recovery’s site says. The utility manages the sewage of 2.2 million people in Denver and parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas, Jefferson and Weld counties, and has spread biosolids on agricultural land since 1982. Like other wastewater and clean water agencies, Metro Water Recovery says local and state officials should be working to eliminate PFAS from products in order to stop them at their source.

A lawsuit by the Colorado Attorney General’s Office filed in February against DuPont and other PFAS manufacturers says exposure to high levels may cause liver damage; lower effectiveness of vaccines; increase the risk of high blood pressure in pregnant women; lower infant birth weights; and be associated with a higher risk of kidney or testicular cancer.

Without a rigorous new testing regime for biosolids, crops and farm-area water, regulators won’t know if the PFAS they have already measured coming out of Metro Water Recovery in north Denver are tainting eastern Colorado, experts said. Wheat, corn and sorghum are raised at the Metrogro location.

Municipal waste handlers around the nation already test treated effluent and biosolids for presence of heavy metals, said Harvard’s Sunderland. “If they’re selling and spreading this on farmland, there has to be a quality-assurance process.”

Health studies have already detected PFAS accumulations in most humans, while the number of products using more than 5,000 variants is difficult to track, environmental researchers said.

July 6, 2022

The Colorado AG’s lawsuit says the chemicals have been detected in soil and water in 50 of Colorado’s 64 counties, and cites studies showing that firefighters exposed to PFAS chemicals have higher levels of the agents in their blood than other residents. Researchers looking into biosolids have detected similarly high levels in the blood of those living on tainted farms.

Perfect fertilizer, forever chemicals Metro sewage agencies have long touted biosolids as a perfect fertilizer, the researchers note, but it’s also true that they spread it on U.S. farms because there’s nowhere else to dispose of millions of tons of sludge except landfills — which also leak.

“Saying there is nothing else to do with it sounds like giving up. And that is not a solution,” said David Andrews, a chemist with the nonprofit pollution watchdog Environmental Working Group.

Maine was the first state to ban spreading municipal biosolids on agricultural land after farms there showed high levels of contamination. Some Maine farmers were shocked to learn of toxic levels of PFAS variants in their soil, drinking and irrigation water, crops, chickens and their own blood samples.

Maine and Michigan are among the first states to require testing of biosolids and farms for PFAS. Denver’s Metro Water Recovery officials acknowledge there is a growing number of questions about PFAS in treated liquid effluent, which is returned to the South Platte River just north of Denver’s city limits, and in biosolids it uses in eastern Colorado.

They say they are joining a working group on the questions, set up by the Colorado Department of Public Health’s Water Quality Control Division.

They add, however, that municipal water and wastewater agencies can only work with what they take in, and that PFAS variants that are turning up everywhere need to be shut off at the manufacturing level and distribution level. The Colorado legislature began that effort this year, they note.

Their analysis shows that most of the PFAS variants come into metro Denver wastewater not from large industrial users, but residue from the thousands of household and business items using PFAS. Industries have produced and used thousands of variants of the chemicals, and states are only now starting to regulate their sales while researchers look for health effects from versions not previously known to be in consumer products.

“We abide by regulations that come our way,” said Liam Cavanaugh, chief operating officer of Metro Water Recovery. “At this point in time, there is no regulation associated with PFAS for biosolids. Whether or not that happens in the future in Colorado … I think it’s something that (state health) would have to respond to as well.”

State water and wastewater regulators say they have the authority to require biosolids PFAS testing by local sewage handling agencies, and plan to do so after their working group gathers opinions and recommendations. They said they plan to let the working group play out for much of the rest of this year.

“We don’t have any information to show that PFAS in biosolids poses a risk to human health or drinking water quality in Colorado, but we’re committed to staying Colorado has been Spreading Biosolids with “Forever Chemicals” on Farms, Records Show. How dangerous is it? continued on page 7...

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July 6, 2022

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Colorado has been Spreading Biosolids with “Forever Chemicals” on Farms, Records Show.

How Dangerous is It? continued from page 6... on top of these contaminants of emerging concern,” said Nathan Moore, clean water compliance and enforcement section manager at the state health department’s Water Quality Control Division.

Moore acknowledged, though, that Colorado PFAS testing has focused on drinking water sources so far, and that for biosolids and the surrounding land and water, the state doesn’t have data.

“We need data from Colorado to understand if PFAS is occurring in biosolids in Colorado,” Moore said, in an interview. “Coupled with the existing effort we have to start gathering effluent data from wastewater treatment plants. That will give us an idea of where we are in Colorado right now.”

State regulators note there are rules on where biosolids can be spread, and how thickly, and that most crops grown with biosolids help are used for animal feed.

Studies have shown accumulation of PFAS in farm animals in the same way humans have accumulated the chemicals, the state acknowledged.

“So there is a missing piece in our knowledge there,” Moore said.

‘Afraid of my ski jacket’ On June 7, in the first state-organized working group meeting to develop policies on PFAS in biosolids, regulators pointed to how states like Michigan are requiring extensive testing of all biosolids, and then searching up the chain for sources of PFAS contamination. But Colorado regulators also acknowledged the science on detecting PFAS, and how the chemicals affect human health, is “moving quickly.”

“I always kind of just point out the fact that I didn’t know I was supposed to be afraid of my ski jacket until a few years ago,” one state water regulator said in the meeting. “I hate nonstick pans, but I do like my Gore-Tex jackets and clothes.”

Metro Water Recovery’s Metrogro farm is on 52,000 acres near Deer Trail in eastern Arapahoe County, nearly twice the size of Denver International Airport’s footprint.

About 120 entities, mostly municipal sewage treatment operations, also produce biosolids and spread them on farms in the state, health officials said during the first working group meeting on PFAS. About 53,000 dry metric tons of biosolids are spread on Colorado farm fields each year, according to previous statistics from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

In Colorado, PFAS runoff from firefighting foam used at military bases and at other fire stations has contaminated drinking water, resulting in a full-on emergency drinking water replacement for the Fountain community and a statewide drinking water testing program looking for further contamination. In April, The Colorado Sun reported on a state health study of three popular fishing ponds showing PFAS contamination in 100% of the fish sampled, sometimes at elevated levels.

Last fall, The Sun reported on a PEER database acquired from federal records showing Colorado may have more locations that have handled PFAS than any other state, with about 21,000 state locations documented, heavily concentrated in oil and gas production regions.

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While the EPA says it is in the middle of a deep scientific review of PFAS toxicology and policy, its national guidance for a drinking water standard sets PFAS limits at 70 parts per trillion for two of the variants. It is only a guideline for municipal water, though, not an enforceable regulation. Colorado officials said in October they were considering moving forward on their own drinking water standard, as other states have done, if the EPA does not toughen its limits, but the state has not announced any such change.

Other states are pushing for much tighter restrictions on PFAS. California health officials are considering a sharply lower drinking water standard of .007 parts per trillion for the variant PFOA, and 1 part per trillion for PFOS. Massachusetts set its standard at 20 parts per trillion for six PFAS variants.

EPA, state and local officials say there is not a direct comparison between drinking water standards for PFAS and levels of PFAS in biosolids. Without more testing, they say, it is unclear whether versions of PFAS in biosolids spread on the ground will contaminate the surrounding area, or at what levels of harm.

Metro Water Recovery’s sampling of biosolids in 2018 and 2019, which was not required by the state but done as part of the agency’s research into PFAS handling, showed occasional high levels of chemicals in the PFAS family, according to outside researchers who looked at the reports.

The Metro Water Recovery test results include one reading, on Jan. 28, 2019, for a PFAS variant in biosolids at its Northern Treatment Plant in Brighton, which translates to 9,300 parts per trillion, said Kyla Bennett, science policy director and Massachusetts state director for PEER. The particular variant measured is not yet singled out by EPA guidelines, but Bennett and other researchers say many of the substances found by Metro Water Recovery can later break down into more dangerous forms of PFAS. Though there may not be a direct correlation established yet between parts per trillion in biosolids being spread on the ground, and contaminants that may end up in area crops, animals or water, any level of PFAS or its precursor chemicals should be worrisome, Bennett said.

The 2018 and 2019 benchmark testing by Metro Water Recovery included searching for PFAS chemicals in influent, the raw sewage and runoff taken in by its two treatment plants; effluent, the treated water from which solids and contaminants have been filtered and that is returned to the South Platte River; and biosolids, shipped to Metrogro or other locations.

Metro Water Recovery’s influent testing records reflect the agency’s contention that they have no control over what substances enter their treatment areas, and that PFAS runoff from consumer goods is everywhere. Some days show influent tests not rising above the detectability threshold set by the lab. Other days show influent with PFAS Colorado has been Spreading Biosolids with “Forever Chemicals” on Farms, Records Show. How dangerous is it? continued on page 12...

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July 6, 2022

ARISTOCRAT RANCHETTE WATER PROJECT

2021 WATER SYSTEM OF THE YEAR Dateline: Fort Lupton CO 5/13/2022 — On May 4, 2022, Administrator Brian Filkowski, on behalf of Aristocrat Ranchette Water Project, accepted the 2021 Water System of the Year award while attending the 41st Colorado Rural Water Conference & Exhibition in Loveland Colorado.

The distribution water system, located northeast of Fort Lupton, serves 462 residences in Aristocrat Ranchettes with treated water obtained from Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, piped in by Central Weld County Water District. The system has gone through considerable reorganization and is currently undergoing a complete system rehabilitation with funds obtained through the USDA loan and grant program. The system has recently completed the required CDPHE Sanitary Survey and has been recognized by CDPHE for its successful Lead & Copper Monitoring program.

The future looks bright for this small water utility.

Holes In Our Life

by Master Trooper Gary Cutler One of my favorite movies is Groundhog Day. In the movie, Bill Murry has a line in one of his reports that is also a favorite of mine. “Well, it’s Groundhog Day… again.” That resonates with me more than you know. Well it’s pothole season… again.

After a Colorado winter we see an influx of potholes around the state. This is not the fault of road crews, its just our weather tearing into the roads as it does every year. So why bring up these axel killers? They can also be dangerous for drivers.

Often, I see people driving along the roadway and suddenly slam their brakes on to try and limit the pothole experience. Where I understand the urge to avoid the pothole, there are other ways to accomplish it.

A pothole can be seen prior to coming upon it if you are doing that scan beyond the hood I talk about. If you slam your brakes just prior to getting to it you may end up knowing the driver behind you more than you wanted. Even though they should be giving you enough distance in case you have to use your brakes, often they aren’t and we end up with a crash. Scan your lane so you can see the potholes in time and slow gently.

The other situation I see with potholes is the swerve. When swerving, most times the vehicle hits the pothole anyways, so it didn’t do any good. When a driver swerves, especially when it causes the vehicle to go into the oncoming lane it can be deadly. Even if you don’t go into the other lane, the swerve may cause you to lose control and crash especially if you still hit the pothole.

If you do happen to come up to a pothole and didn’t see it in time, it is best to hit it straight on. I understand you may have damage in the way of a flat tire, bent rim, or possibly some axle damage depending on the speed it was hit, but you will be around to get it fixed.

No matter what I discuss here, it always comes down to keeping control of your vehicle and letting other drivers know what your going to do prior to doing it.

As always, safe travels!

Auto, Home, Farm & Commercial

Agents Mark Kinnear Devon Kitchell 303-732-9700 20 S. Main Keenesburg, CO

July 6, 2022

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Lost Creek Guide

Driving a Decade of Progress, Hispanic Students Made Huge Gains in High School Graduation

by Yesenia Robles, Chalkbeat When Rosa Beltran was going through high school in the late ’90s in a small town in southern Colorado, she never expected to graduate.

“My parents were very concerned about just working and trying to put food on the table. I don’t think I ever had that support from the school either,” Beltran said about her high school in Center, a predominantly Hispanic farming community in the San Luis Valley.

Beltran dropped out and became a teen mom. But she determined her children would finish school.

“It was always instilled to me, I’m going to graduate, I’m going to go to college,” her oldest daughter Marisa, now 25, said. “There was no ifs, ands, or buts about it.”

Before ninth grade she learned she could take college classes as a student in high school. The school bused her to and from the college campus.

“It was a very small, supportive school,” she said.

Marisa Beltran graduated from Pueblo in 2015, during a decade when Colorado’s Hispanic graduation rate rose nearly 20 percentage points, double the gain for all students, and faster than for any other demographic.

Hispanic graduation rates rose dramatically for multiple reasons, including new school strategies, improved economic conditions, and the fierce determination of families. Still, Hispanic graduation and college completion rates lag behind those of white students. And with the pandemic exacting a high cost on Hispanic families’ welfare, many worry it will also chip away at recent gains in education.

Chalkbeat examined high school graduation rates as a part of Chasing Progress, a Colorado News Collaborative project on social, economic, and health equity among Black and Latino Coloradans. High school graduation holds the key to advanced education, better jobs, and higher salaries.

From 2010 to 2020, high school graduation rates for Hispanic students, who now make up more than a third of Colorado’s K-12 students, rose from 55.5% to 75.4%, a marked increase.

“Certainly they better have gone up, there was a lot of room to move up,” said Jim Chavez, executive director of the Latin American Educational Foundation.

In the same period, Hispanic dropout rates decreased by almost half to 2.8%, and the rate of Hispanic college students needing remedial classes dropped.

But Hispanic students are still less likely than white students to go to college, and nearly twice as likely as white students to require remedial classes.

So even when students graduate high school, they often face a difficult path, Chavez said.

And the pandemic threatens a decade of gains, as Hispanic families have been hard hit by job losses, death and severe illness from COVID, and disrupted learning.

Hispanic graduation rates dipped 1.2% last year even as the rate for white students rose. Declines could continue as younger students who were more impacted make their way through high school.

To understand the changes, Chalkbeat talked to more than a dozen educators, activists, parents, and students and analyzed school district data to look for districts where Hispanic students now have a higher graduation rate than the state average for that group. Hispanic graduation rates dropped in only one large district between 2010 and 2020: District 49. The district did not grant an interview.

State and federal policies boosted graduation In pinpointing causes for recent gains, some credit policies set more than a decade ago in Colorado. When former Gov. Bill Ritter was elected in 2006, he set a goal to cut the dropout rate in half in 10 years. Then in 2008 Colorado lawmakers set new goals for public education and in 2009 began rating high schools in part on their graduation rates.

That pressured districts to boost achievement and graduation rates, and spawned a system of nonprofits and consultants to help.

Social factors also contributed. For example, in the decade ending in 2020, Colorado’s pregnancy rate for Hispanic girls ages 15 to 19 dropped dramatically from 66.8 per 100,000 to 24.4 per 100,000, helping more girls to stay in school.

Hispanic families made economic gains in the last decade that may have eased pressure on teens to work while in school. The median household income for Latinos, according to Census data, was $57,790 in 2020, a 26% gain when adjusted for inflation.

Chasing Progress is a Colorado News Collaborative-led multi-newsroom reporting project examining the social, economic and health equity of Black and Latino Coloradans over the last decade. The project builds off 2013’s “Losing Ground,” an I-News/RMPBS series that tracked similar measures from 1960-2010. We welcome stories of your experiences last decade as well as suggestions for future Chasing Progress stories at chasingprogress@colabnews.co.

Additionally, a federal reprieve from the threat of deportation may have boosted the value of education for students who are undocumented. As of December, Colorado had 13,720 recipients of what’s known as the DACA program, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

In the Beltran family, mom Rosa has noticed her children’s schools are more supportive than what she had experienced. She has seen her kids talking to college recruiters and getting multiple opportunities to think about a future after high school.

Still, daughter Marisa said she and her brother needed more help.

“We had to find tutoring, help each other, and ask for outside help,” Beltran said.

“We did find it, but we had to figure it out ourselves.”

Rosa Beltran, left, sits with daughter Marisa. Rosa said schools have offered her children more encouragement and support than what she received as a student years ago.

Carl Glenn Payne II for Chalkbeat Ninth grade is a critical year Steve Dobo, the founder and CEO of Zero Dropouts, credited the graduation gains to schools’ ability to dissect data — previously not a common practice.

He said nonprofits helped districts separate subgroups of struggling students — by race, gender, grade level, or other factors — to devise targeted solutions.

“The districts that we worked with really started to understand you really needed to do better in ninth grade,” Dobo said.

Several districts targeted students entering high school. After Superintendent Rico Munn arrived in Aurora in 2013, he found many freshmen weren’t receiving full schedules with required classes.

“If you start getting off track in ninth grade, that’s a problem,” Munn said.

The district examined data to identify problems and students who need help, and then worked to change systems and school culture, Munn said. Aurora also opened a college and career center at every high school. The newest ones opened last fall.

Aurora had a mere 34.2% Hispanic graduation rate in 2010, but that rate more than doubled, the greatest jump among Colorado’s larger districts, to 76.4% in 2020, before dipping slightly last year.

Aurora Public Schools opened a college and career center at every high school in the district. Its Hispanic graduation rate nearly doubled from 2010 to 2020.

RJ Sangosti / The Denver Post Intervention often looks like “teaching them how to be a high school student” — staying organized and asking teachers for help — said Susannah Halbrook, a ninth grade interventionist for Zero Dropouts.

In Greeley, early intervention means tracking ninth graders to create individual plans to ward off failure.

“Years ago most of our resources went to students who had three or four F’s already on their transcript,” said Deirdre Pilch, superintendent of Greeley-Evans District 6 schools.

Now, she said, “as soon as a grade starts to drop to a D, we’re intervening.”

Help where it’s needed Andy Tucker, director of postsecondary and workforce readiness at the state education department, said he’s seen districts be “far more intentional” about equity work — “about engaging those students that maybe fall into those gaps.”

Greeley, for instance, touts its summer program targeting Hispanic boys — the subgroup least likely to graduate.

Saul Sanchez, 18, was invited to join after failing some classes freshman year. He doubted he would finish high school.

“I didn’t like school at all,” said Sanchez, who just graduated from Greeley’s Northridge High School. “I hated the fact that I got homework.”

Counselors and others tried to ask him how things were going when he was getting off track, but Sanchez didn’t believe they cared.

But the Student Recovery Program got through to him. He got help to catch up on credits. Counselors tracked his progress.

“They were always on top of me,” he said. They would ask if he remembered to turn in his assignments, or study for tests. “Back then I thought it was a pain they kept insisting.”

Somewhere along the way, Sanchez realized it all was for his benefit. And he bonded with the other students, who helped each other. Sanchez became a go-to resource for math help. The mutual aid paid off. Nearly all the seniors in the program graduated.

Preparing for the future Another factor may be the increase in students taking courses offering both high school and college credit. Courses can be offered on a college campus or at high school. School districts pay the bill.

Known as concurrent enrollment, the program replaced more limited options in 2009. Data shows more students of all groups are taking concurrent enrollment, but Hispanic students are less likely than white students to take advantage of the program.

Alexandra Reyes Amaya, who graduated from Aurora’s Hinkley High School in 2020, said the program gave her confidence that she was prepared for college. But she only learned about the program from a friend’s older brother — barely in time for her senior year. She took night classes to fit more in her schedule.

Now in college, she’s on track to graduate a year early.

But college is only one path to success, and districts eager to keep students interested in coming to school are also increasing opportunities for career and technical education.

Chavez of the scholarship foundation cautioned that the messages that college isn’t for everyone are holding Hispanic students back.

“It’s being targeted and heard very disproportionately at the Black and Latino youth,” Chavez said. “They may make a good salary, but it’s cutting them short from a career of greater earning potential. It’s really cutting them short from earning a decision-making position — a position of leadership.”

Changing definitions of success The rise in graduation rates also reflects a re-evaluation of how schools define success. Several districts have been reconsidering what it takes to pass a class. Known as standards-based grading, new guidelines encourage teachers to consider all evidence of student learning.

Mark Cousins, a regional director for Zero Dropouts and formerly a high school principal in Greeley, said he’s often talked with teachers who award no credit for late work. He believes giving partial credit is less likely to lead to a spiral of failure.

“You’re telling me that homework assignment has no value?” Cousins said.

Some districts have created pathways for students that set a different, sometimes lower bar for graduation. Colorado doesn’t require students to take an exam to graduate, as some other states do. Instead, districts can each set their own graduation requirements.

For the Class of 2022, the state raised the bar by requiring that districts show that students mastered English and math. Districts can use many measures, including SAT scores, passing a college class, or a student project as evidence.

Thompson and Pueblo created new diploma options. Since last year, Thompson has allowed students to graduate with fewer elective credits if they have passed core requirements including English, math, and science.

“We still know we’re providing a strong diploma,” said Theo Robison, Thompson’s director of secondary education.

Pueblo’s diplomas require the same number of credits, but different classes, such as a technical math course, for certain career fields.

“They’re just different avenues that lead to the same road,” said Pueblo Driving a Decade of Progress, Hispanic Students Made Huge Gains in High School Graduation Continued on page 10...

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Driving a Decade of Progress, Hispanic Students Made Huge Gains in High School Graduation Continued from page 9...

Superintendent Charlotte Macaluso.

Some people, however, worry that schools pass students without educating them well, just to boost graduation rates.

“Lowering the bar is something that has been done throughout time,” said Joe Molina, a Latino advocate in northern Colorado. He says that when he graduated in 1992, he only had a third grade reading level, and then taught himself more. “Are we really providing more opportunities?”

One measure school leaders look at to ensure their gains are real are remediation rates. In Colorado, the percent of Hispanic students needing remedial courses dropped 16 percentage points to 43.8%.

Enabling students to see various possibilities for their future helps keep them engaged and on track, said Jordan Bills, an adviser at Aurora’s career centers. She has taken students on college tours, connected them with professionals or with military recruiters, and helped families understand ways to pay for college.

“Our job is to bridge the gap of knowledge,” Bills said. “There has to be a little bit of autonomy and choice — giving them more autonomy to be the driver for their life.”

Jordan Bills, an adviser at William Smith High School in Aurora, works with seniors Eli Garcia, center, and Jeffrey Forbis as they prepare to attend the University of Colorado next fall.

RJ Sangosti / The Denver Post The pandemic presents new challenges Looking ahead, district leaders are most concerned about missing and disengaged students.

“The biggest thing now that we are trying to understand family by family, is why a student is chronically absent,” said Munn, Aurora’s superintendent. “We’re hearing more and more, ‘they are working,’ or they’re providing care for someone while other family members are working.”

Mapleton Superintendent Charlotte Ciancio is considering online or hybrid learning for students who no longer see the value in spending most of their day sitting in a classroom.

“Is a school day the right number of hours?” Ciancio said.

In Pueblo, Superintendent Macaluso said students who were living in poverty are now also grappling with isolation, trauma, grief, and loss.

“When you’re experiencing hardship already, those things have a big impact,” she said.

Molina said, “Everybody’s been touched, some way somehow,” which affects how students engage with education. “There are a lot of people out there feeling hopeless and just trying to live in the moment.”

Two of the Beltran children have gone to college, including Marisa, who is now studying for a master’s degree.

Carl Glenn Payne II for Chalkbeat Pushing forward Amid that daily struggle, the overall steady gain in academics is hard to see. But it’s evident in individual stories.

Rosa Beltran said that she is proud of her three children, including two who have gone to college.

“My mother was the one that pushed my father to come to the United States; that was her sacrifice for us,” Beltran said. “I sacrificed a lot of not being able to be with my kids a lot because I had to work.”

“Now it’s just this proudness that you carry with you. My hopes for them are that they have a career so that they can provide for their families and not have to worry,” she said. “To have a stable job and have insurance. My parents always had to worry.

My husband and I always had to worry.”

Those sacrifices and hopes drive what students refer to as ganas — their will.

“If it weren’t for my parents’ sacrifices, I wouldn’t be here,” Marisa Beltran said. “So I’m going to make sure all their work was not for nothing.”

Yesenia Robles is a reporter for Chalkbeat Colorado covering K-12 school districts and multilingual education. Contact Yesenia at yrobles@chalkbeat.org.

July 6, 2022

2023 Weld County Council: Vacancies

GREELEY, CO – The Weld County Council will have vacancies for the District 2, District 3 and an At-Large position beginning January 1, 2023.

Here is some information pertaining to instructions for Weld County Council Nomination Petitions.

The first day to circulate petitions is 125th day prior to the day of the election (July 6, 2022). Petitions may be obtained at the Weld County Election Department.

Must be signed by at least one hundred (100) qualified electors residing in the County for a candidate for Councilman-at-large. Charter 13-9(2)(a).

A qualified elector may sign more than one nomination petition for Councilmanat-large. Charter 13-9(5). Must be signed by at least one hundred (100) qualified electors residing in the candidate’s district for a candidate Councilman from a specific geographic district. Charter 13-9(2)(b).

A qualified elector may sign more than one nomination petition for a Councilman from a specific geographic district. Charter 13-9(5). The entire signature line must be completed; a post office box is NOT sufficient for PLACE OF RESIDENCE. Must have attached thereto an affidavit of the circulator of the nomination petition stating that each signature thereon is the signature of the person whose name it purports to be and that each signor has stated to the circulator that he is a qualified elector of the County or the County and geographic district, as the case may be, for which the nomination is made. Charter 13-9(3).

The circulator and the affidavit must comply with the requirements of C.R.S. § 1-4905. May be circulated and signed beginning on the one-hundred and twenty-fifth (125th) day (July 6, 2022) and ending on the seventy-fifth (75th) day (August 25, 2022) prior to the day of the election. Charter 13-9(2). Must have endorsed thereon or appended thereto the written notarized affidavit of the candidate accepting such nomination. Such acceptance of nomination must contain the full name (as it will appear on the ballot) and place of residence of the candidate. Charter 13-9(6).

C.R.S. § 1-4-906.

For more information, please visit our web site at: https://www.weldgov.com/files/sharedassets/public/departments/clerk-andrecorder/documents/elections/candidate-information-c-2022.pdf Created by the Weld County Home Rule Charter in 1976, the County Council consists of five nonpartisan elected members, one representing each district and two at-large members. ​The Council meets at 6:30 p.m., at the administration building, 1150 O St., the third Monday of each month, except February on which the third Monday is President’s Day and county offices are closed.

Weld County residents are welcome to attend Weld County Council meetings to discuss ideas or concerns regarding Weld County Government. For more information, contact the Council via email at countycouncil@weldgov.com or by phone at 970-400-4780.

America’s Violence Problem

By: Bill O’Reilly The mass murder of children last week in Texas will haunt us for a while. America does have a violence problem, and every fair-minded person knows it. We live in a rather chaotic society where standards of civility are dropping to dangerous levels.

Barbarians have breached the gate. And there are some very vivid reasons why.

First, parenting, about 40 percent of children in the United States are now born out of wedlock. Many are abandoned by their fathers and raised in poverty by troubled mothers. The government can do little but remove children from dangerous homes.

Often, the child finds no relief in foster care, and the derelict parents avoid any kind of legal sanction. Abused and neglected children can turn into violent monsters.

Second, crime and no punishment. The justice system has collapsed in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. It’s now easy to commit violence because punishment is scant. Heavily armed drug gangs run wild, murdering at will. Banning weapons will not stop these criminals as they don’t purchase legal guns anyway. With more than 300 million firearms in circulation, the black market gun trade will thrive if legal firearms are banished. The solution is to federalize all gun crimes, including illegal possession, and harshly punish offenders. But Congress will not do it. No explanation is ever given.

Finally, the political parties. Liberal Democrats seek to ban almost all firearms.

Conservative Republicans want the legal option to arm themselves against criminals and, possibly, an out-of-control future federal system. There will be no compromise here.

Now to a partial solution. States should individually regulate guns. That means if ARs are deemed a public safety menace in Philadelphia, they can be banned within the city limits. But in very rural Wyoming, citizens might approve of those guns. The Second Amendment allows Americans to use firearms for protection. But bazookas are illegal. Public safety must be defined by individual states, not the feds.

Finally, “Red Flag” laws are desperately needed. Nineteen states currently have them. Law enforcement must be able to act if an unstable person is issuing violent threats. Those situations should be aggressively investigated, with the legal authority to confiscate weapons from miscreants. Armed loons threaten every one of us.

The truth is we can do something about gun violence in this country. But not with phony ideology and Constitutional violations. We need discipline and compromise.

July 6, 2022

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97.8 Percent of Mass Shootings Are Linked to This

by Joseph Mercola, Epoch Times • While many have bought into the simplistic idea that availability of firearms is the cause of mass shootings, a number of experts have pointed out a more uncomfortable truth, which is that mass shootings are far more likely the result of how we’ve been mistreating mental illness, depression and behavioral problems • Gun control legislation has shown that law-abiding Americans who own guns are not the problem, because the more gun control laws that have been passed, the more mass shootings have occurred • 97.8 percent of mass shootings occur in “gun-free zones,” as the perpetrators know legally armed citizens won’t be there to stop them • Depression per se rarely results in violence. Only after antidepressants became commonplace did mass shootings really take off, and many mass shooters have been shown to be on antidepressants • Antidepressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are well-known for their ability to cause suicidal and homicidal ideation and violence An article written by Molly Carter, initially published on ammo.com at an unknown date1 and subsequently republished by The Libertarian Institute in May 2019,2 and psychreg.org in late January 2021,3 noted: “According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a mass murder occurs when at least four people are murdered, not including the shooter … during a single incident …

Seemingly every time a mass shooting occurs … the anti-gun media and politicians have a knee-jerk response — they blame the tragedy solely on the tool used, namely firearms, and focus all of their proposed ‘solutions’ on more laws, ignoring that the murderer already broke numerous laws when they committed their atrocity.

Facts matter when addressing such an emotionally charged topic, and more gun control legislation has shown that law-abiding Americans who own guns are NOT the problem. Consider the following: The more gun control laws that are passed, the more mass murders have occurred.

Whether or not this is correlation or causation is debatable. What is not debatable is that this sick phenomenon of mass murderers targeting ‘gun-free zones,’ where they know civilian carry isn’t available to law-abiding Americans, is happening.

According to the Crime Prevention Research Center,4 97.8 percent of public shootings occur in ‘gun-free zones’ – and ‘gun-free zones’ are the epitome of the core philosophical tenet of gun control, that laws are all the defense one needs against violence …

This debate leads them away from the elephant in the room and one of the real issues behind mass shootings — mental health and prescription drugs.

Ignoring what’s going on in the heads of these psychopaths not only allows mass shootings to continue, it leads to misguided gun control laws that violate the Second Amendment and negate the rights of law-abiding U.S. citizens.

As Jeff Snyder put it in The Washington Times: ‘But to ban guns because criminals use them is to tell the innocent and law-abiding that their rights and liberties depend not on their own conduct, but on the conduct of the guilty and the lawless, and that the law will permit them to have only such rights and liberties as the lawless will allow.’”

The Elephant in the Room: Antidepressants Thoughts, emotions and a variety of environmental factors play into the manifestation of violence, but mental illness by itself cannot account for the massive rise in mass murder — unless you include antidepressants in the equation.

Yet even when mental health does enter the mass shooter discussion, the issue of antidepressants, specifically, is rarely mentioned.

The fact is, depression per se rarely results in violence. Only after antidepressants became commonplace did mass shootings take off, and many mass shooters have been shown to be on antidepressants.

Prozac, released in 1987, was the first selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) to be approved for depression and anxiety. Only two years earlier, direct-toconsumer advertising had been legalized.

In the mid-1990s, the Food and Drug Administration loosened regulations, direct-to-consumer ads for SSRIs exploded and, with it, prescriptions for SSRIs. In 1989, just two years after Prozac came to market, Joseph Wesbecker shot 20 of his coworkers, killing nine. He had been on Prozac for one month, and the survivors of the drug-induced attack sued Eli Lilly, the maker of Prozac. Since then, antidepressant use and mass shootings have both risen, more or less in tandem.

In the two decades between 1988 and 2008, antidepressant use in the U.S. rose by 400 percent,5 and by 2010, 11 percent of the U.S. population over the age of 12 were on an antidepressant prescription.6 In 1982, pre-Prozac, there was one mass shooting in the U.S.7 In 1984, there were two incidents and in 1986 — the year Prozac was released — there was one. One to three mass shootings per year remained the norm up until 1999, when it jumped to five.

How can we possibly ignore the connection between rampant use of drugs known to directly cause violent behavior and the rise in mass shootings?

Another jump took place in 2012, when there were seven mass shootings. And

while the annual count has gone up and down from year to year, there’s been a clear trend of an increased number of mass shootings post-2012. Over time, mass shootings have also gotten larger, with more people getting injured or killed per incident.

How can we possibly ignore the connection between rampant use of drugs known to directly cause violent behavior and the rise in mass shootings? Suicidal ideation, violence and homicidal ideation are all known side effects of these drugs. Sometimes, the drugs disrupt brain function so dramatically the perpetrator can’t even remember what they did.

For example, in 2001, a 16-year-old high schooler was prescribed Effexor, starting off at 40 milligrams and moving up to 300 mg over the course of three weeks. On the first day of taking a 300-mg dose, the boy woke up with a headache, decided to skip school and went back to bed.

Some time later, he got up, took a rifle to his high school and held 23 classmates hostage at gunpoint. He later claimed he had no recollection of anything that happened after he went back to bed that morning.9 The Risks Are Clear The risks of psychiatric disturbances are so clear, ever since mid-October 2004, all antidepressants in the U.S. must include a black box warning that the drug can cause suicidal thoughts and behaviors, especially in those younger than 25, and that:10 “Anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility (aggressiveness), impulsivity, akathisia (psychomotor restlessness), hypomania, and mania have been reported in adult and pediatric patients being treated with antidepressants for major depressive disorder as well as for other indications, both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric.”

SSRIs can also cause emotional blunting and detachment, such that patients report “not feeling” or “not caring” about anything or anyone, as well as psychosis and hallucinations. All of these side effects can contribute to someone acting out an unthinkable violent crime.

In one review11,12 of 484 drugs in the FDA’s database, 31 were found to account for 78.8 percent of all cases of violence against others, and 11 of those drugs were antidepressants.

The researchers concluded that violence against others was a “genuine and serious adverse drug event” and that of the drugs analyzed, SSRI antidepressants and the smoking cessation medication, varenicline (Chantix), had the strongest associations.

The top-five most dangerous SSRIs were:13 • Fluoxetine (Prozac), which increased aggressive behavior 10.9 times • Paroxetine (Paxil), which increased violent behavior 10.3 times • Fluvoxamine (Luvox), which increased violent behavior 8.4 times • Venlafaxine (Effexor), which increased violent behavior 8.3 times • Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq), which increased violent behavior 7.9 times Depression Is Vastly Overdiagnosed In her article, Carter also reviewed the clinical determinants for a diagnosis of clinical depression warranting medication. To qualify, you must experience five or more of the following symptoms, most of the day, every day, for two weeks or more, and the symptoms must be severe enough to interfere with normal everyday functioning:14 • Sadness • Feeling hopeless • Feeling helpless • Feeling guilty • Fatigue • Loss of interest in hobbies • Restlessness • Abnormal sleep patterns, whether sleeping too much or not enough • Thoughts of death or suicide 97.8 Percent of Mass Shootings Are Linked to This continued on page 13...

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July 6, 2022

Colorado has been Spreading Biosolids with “Forever Chemicals” on Farms, Records Show.

How Dangerous is It? continued from page 7... contamination of 8.7 or 10 or 27 parts per trillion.

Effluent measurements range from undetectable, meaning they fall below a calibration threshold set by the lab, to 3.7 parts per trillion, to 13 or 15 parts per trillion on some days, the records show. There are occasional spikes far higher, as in 100 parts per trillion at the Northern Treatment Plant on Aug. 8, 2018. That particular reading, Metro Water Recovery said, was for a PFAS version or “analyte” that does not have a federal advisory limit.

As a general response to high reading days, Metro Water Recovery officials said, “it is important to stop PFAS chemicals from being introduced into the water cycle by removing PFAS from consumer products.” Furniture companies, clothing manufacturers and fast food retailers have pledged to remove PFAS chemicals from their products and packaging, though there are thousands of variants of fluorinated chemicals that are hard to track.

As part of the Metro Water discharge permit renewal from state health, Colorado began regular testing of PFAS in the effluent only, as of January. All those results so far have been well below state guidelines for environmental accumulation of PFAS, Metro Water Recovery officials said.

Biosolid readings in 2018 and 2019 range from undetectable, to 870 parts per trillion, to 4,100 parts per trillion, to 12,000 parts per trillion.

In states such as Massachusetts and Maine, where biosolids have caused contamination, some municipal water providers can add PFAS cleanup technology to filter it out of drinking water, but outlying farms and other users with private wells don’t have that option, Bennett noted.

“So the bottom line is they need to stop spreading this,” she said. “But in the meantime, they should make absolutely sure that this stuff is not applied anywhere near a drinking water source, near a private well, on a farm where there’s going to be vegetables, or meat or eggs or milk consumed. It shouldn’t be spread anywhere, but at the very least in those places.”

Metro Water Recovery said readings in the thousands of parts per trillion for biosolids are not comparable to the EPA’s 70 parts per trillion guideline for drinking water.

They added that the sample highlighted by Bennett was for a version of perfluorinated chemicals, NMeFOSAA, that is not included in EPA’s advisories for drinking water.

Researchers have identified thousands of variants of perfluorinated chemicals in the PFAS family, and continue to seek information from the manufacturers on all variants.

Researchers responded that many of the PFAS versions now being detected are “precursors” to the most toxic forms already identified, and can mix or break down into the more toxic versions while in water treatment plants or in the environment.

They also note that many farms, including in Colorado, have been spreading municipal biosolids for decades, and that PFAS levels in previous years might have been higher.

Calling levels in biosolids irrelevant to the levels in drinking water “is a lame argument,” said Harvard’s Sunderland. “You know you are going to get a run off of some of these PFAS into drinking water sources, from the biosolids. That’s how they first detected the problem in Maine,” she said.

While the EPA advisory doesn’t yet include versions like NMeFOSAA that are part of the thousands of chemical compounds in the PFAS classification, “it absolutely does not make exposure safe or less worrisome,” Andrews, of the Environmental Working Group, said. The compound is considered a precursor of one of the regulated PFAS chemicals included in EPA guidelines because it will eventually break down into the more toxic version, he said.

Higgins of the Colorado School of Mines agreed, saying studies have shown precursor versions of perfluorinated chemicals breaking down into the more toxic substances while at a sewage treatment facility, or while applied on farmland as biosolids.

“If one were to do a risk assessment, you could basically look at that chemical and say, I’m gonna assume all of that gets converted to PFAS,” Higgins said.

Some more recent sampling of biosolids has shown a decrease in levels of two of the earliest hazardous PFAS variants abbreviated as PFOA and PFOS, Higgins said, after manufacturers slowed their use of those versions. But that doesn’t account for either the long-term or “forever” presence of those chemicals applied in biosolids going back decades, or for other versions of the chemicals that can break down into more toxic substances.

Colorado should be testing animals and milk at farms that have used any municipal biosolids, Sunderland said.

PFAS concerns keep piling up Concerns about PFAS in biosolids follow other news about the “forever chemicals” in Colorado, and across the nation: • The state health department study of fish focused on three popular fishing holes where anglers often eat their catch, in order to zero in on pathways where the dangerous chemicals may reach humans. The highest concentrations of the forever chemicals were in fish from Willow Springs Pond, fed by Fountain Creek, the location of drinking water contamination from military base runoff in 2016 that forced the town of Fountain to find alternate sources.

In wildlife, the state measures nanograms per gram, and found up to 241 nanograms per gram of PFAS in the fish pulled from Willow Springs Pond at Fountain Creek Regional Park. The state study says that “In states that have fish consumption guidelines … the ‘Do not consume’ level ranges from 50 ng/g to 300 ng/g, with most advisories set at around 200 ng/g.”

Willow Springs Pond also had by far the highest concentration of forever chemicals in samples of the water itself, well above the EPA’s current drinking water guideline of 70 parts per trillion. “The project has a number of limitations and was too small to determine whether PFAS in the fish sampled are high enough to harm human health,” the study said. “People who are concerned about PFAS in fish caught in Colorado waterbodies may want to limit the amount of recreationally-caught fish they eat.

However, fish is part of a healthy diet,” said State Toxicologist Kristy Richardson, in summarizing the study.

• The Colorado Attorney General’s Office in February sued 15 makers of firefighting foam that contains PFAS, alleging the companies caused contamination found in

water samples taken across the state and endangered public health.

The lawsuit filed in Denver District Court says the companies, including five related to DuPont, knew or should have known their products harm the environment and public health, and asks the court to require these manufacturers to pay for all costs to investigate, cleanup, restore and monitor contamination at all sites, the AG’s office said. The investigation into PFAS contamination is continuing, Weiser’s office said, along with settlement negotiations with other producers.

• Colorado lawmakers passed a ban on sale of certain consumer goods containing PFAS during the 2022 session, after extensive negotiations with trade associations on what goods to include in the ban. The first sale ban would begin Jan. 1, 2024, for products including stain-resistant carpet, cosmetics, some food packaging and other goods. Sales of nonstick kitchenware, one of the most common uses of PFAS, will not be banned right away.

Through 2030, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment would be charged with identifying more categories of goods, and those would be added to the banned list.

The Colorado Attorney General’s lawsuit and many more like it around the nation point to one of the big lingering questions about the future of PFAS contamination, and the liability fears that a word like “forever” raises for public and private officials.

Remediation of drinking water sources contaminated with PFAS even in modest-size communities runs into the millions of dollars for each location.

For sewage effluent and biosolids, there is no clear remediation technique for municipal agencies.

Metro Water Recovery officials said they already have more than $600 million in capital spending scheduled over the next 15 years to improve quality in effluent, the cleaned water discharged back into the South Platte River. That amount does not include spending for PFAS removal, “which would undoubtedly involve significant additional cost,” Metro Water Recovery said.

In an interview, Cavanaugh said, “It’s important the public understands the cost associated with what we’re talking about, in terms of the potential limits that may come down.”

And, consistent with the PFAS reputation as the “forever chemical,” Metro Water Recovery’s director of environmental services Jennifer Robinett said even removing PFAS from sewage is not a final step.

“There’s not a technology that destroys the PFAS,” she said. “So if we remove it, if drinking water facilities, remove it, it still exists. And it has to undergo some sort of disposal.”

The Colorado Sun is a reader-supported news organization that covers Colorado people, places and issues. To sign up for free newsletters, subscribe or learn more, visit ColoradoSun.com

July 6, 2022

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97.8 Percent of Mass Shootings Are Linked to This continued from page 11...

Anxiety Feeling worthless Feeling ’empty’ Irritable Lack of energy Slow talking and moving Trouble concentrating Abnormal weight changes, either eating too much or having no appetite The reality is that a majority of patients who receive a depression diagnosis and subsequent prescription for an antidepressant do not, in fact, qualify. In one study,15 only 38.4 percent actually met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria, and among older adults, that ratio was even lower.

Only 14.3 percent of those aged 65 and older met the diagnostic criteria. According to the authors:16 “Participants who did not meet the 12-month MDE criteria reported less distress and impairment in role functioning and used fewer services. A majority of both groups, however, were prescribed and used psychiatric medications.

Conclusion: Depression overdiagnosis and overtreatment is common in community settings in the USA. There is a need for improved targeting of diagnosis and treatments of depression and other mental disorders in these settings.”

What Role Might War Games Play?

Aside from antidepressants, another factor that gets ignored is the influence of shooting simulations, i.e., violent video games. How does the military train soldiers for war? Through simulations. With the proliferation of video games involving indiscriminate violence, should we really be surprised when this “training” is then put into practice?

As reported by World Bank Blogs, young men who experience violence “often struggle to reintegrate peacefully into their communities” when hostilities end.17 While American youth typically have little experience with real-world war, simulated war games do occupy much of their time and may over time color their everyday perceptions of life. As noted by Centrical, some of the top benefits of simulations training include:18 1. Allowing you to practice genuine real-life scenarios and responses 2. Repetition of content, which boosts knowledge retention 3. Personalization and diversification, so you can learn from your mistakes and evaluate your performance, thereby achieving a deeper level of learning In short, violent mass shooter games are the perfect training platform for future mass shooters. Whereas a teenager without such exposure might not be very successful at carrying out a mass shooting due to inexperience with weapons and tactics, one who has spent many hours, years even, training in simulations could have knowledge akin to that of military personnel.

Add antidepressant side effects such as emotional blunting and loss of impulse control, and you have a perfect prescription for a mass casualty event.

On top of that, we, as a nation, also demonstrate the “righteousness” of war by engaging in them without end.19 When was the last time the U.S. was not at war someplace? It’s been ongoing for decades.

Even now, the United States insists on inserting itself into the dispute between Russia and Ukraine, and diplomacy isn’t the chosen conflict resolution tool. Sending weapons to Ukraine and calling for more violence against Russians are. Sen. Lindsey Graham has even called for the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Showing just how serious such a suggestion is, the White House had to publicly disavow it, stating Graham’s comment “is not the position of the U.S. government.”20 Graham, meanwhile, does not appear to understand how his nonchalant call for murder might actually incite murder. In the wake of the Uvalde school shooting, he now wants to mobilize retired service members to enhance security at schools, and while that might be a good idea, how about also vowing never to call for the murder of political opponents? Don’t politicians understand that this could translate into some kid thinking it’s acceptable to murder THEIR perceived opponents?

As far as I can tell, mass shootings have far more to do with societal norms, dangerous medications, a lack of high-quality mental health services, and the normalization of violence through entertainment and in politics, than it does with gun laws per se.

There are likely many other factors as well, but these are clearly observable phenomena known to nurture violent behavior. I’m afraid Americans are in need of a far deeper and more introspective analysis of the problem than many are capable of at the moment. But those who can should try, and make an effort to affect much-needed change locally and in their own home.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Reprinted with permission from The Epoch Times (www.theepochtimes.com)

CDBG COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS SELECTED

WELD COUNTY, CO — In an effort to continue facilitating improvements in municipalities across Weld County, the Board of Commissioners approved the 2022 Annual Action Plan along with three community improvement projects presented by the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Advisory Committee on June 20, 2022. CDBG funds will aid in implementing safe, accessible walking paths for low-income older adults and persons with disabilities around Hudson’s Prairie View Apartments. Currently, there is no safe way to get to the local grocery store, post office, Town Hall, library and other services from the apartment complex via foot unless residents walk on the side of Highway 52 and cross the busy street via a non-ADA compliant crossing area. CDBG funds will be used to construct a sidewalk along the north side of CO-52 as well as an ADA compliant crosswalk at Beech St. so Hudson’s older adults will be able to safely access all services Hudson has to offer. The project totals $160,500. Within the older residential neighborhoods of Keenesburg, older adults and persons with disabilities cannot currently access a clinic, post office, park, and a variety of other services without the use of a vehicle due to sidewalks being non-existent or too narrow. There are two assisted living facilities within the

13 proposed project area plus Timberwood Apartments, a low-income housing complex.

CDBG funding of $212,500 will aid in the construction and reconstruction of ADA compliant sidewalks and ramps in these neighborhoods.

Finally, Firestone will partner with Brothers Redevelopment Inc. to implement a Single-Family Housing Rehabilitation Program. The program will help correct health and safety issues in 18 to 56 low-income owner-occupied homes. The goal of this project is to aid Firestone residents who have limited resources repair or maintain their homes. $250,000 will go toward this venture. “By facilitating these projects, the CDBG Program is helping Weld County communities and the county become better,” said Weld County Commissioner Chair Scott James. “It’s been exciting to see the improvements in progress from the projects selected last year, and we know these four will add more richness, efficiencies and vibrancy to our county.” The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded $1,036,722 to the CDBG program to help fund these projects and pay for CDBG administrative costs now to March 31, 2023. For more information about Weld County’s CDBG program.

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- Obituary -

Donna Lee Dunham Donna Lee Dunham, of Greeley, CO passed away peacefully at her home in Greeley surrounded by her family on June 8th, 2022. She was born November 13th, 1934, in Snyder, Colorado to Walter Gettman and Katherine E. Kress.

Donna is survived by her loving husband, Deryl D. Dunham, her children; Denise Johnson (Lonnie) of Greeley, Dawn Ritchey (Grant) of LaSalle, and Daren Dunham (Tosha) of Keenesburg, her grandchildren; Drew Johnson (Stephanie), Jared Thomson (Ali), Jessie Zook (Alex), Cole Ritchey, Lacy Ward (Josh), Tearsa Martinez (Timmy) and Cord Dunham, her great grandchildren; London Martinez, Ruby Martinez, Ryatt Martinez, and Jack Johnson, her siblings; Kenneth Gettman of Greeley, Deanna Weber (Keith) of Wiggins, and Kathleen Northrop (John) of Greeley, and several nieces and nephews.

A visitation will be held Friday, July 1st, 2022, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. and a short visitation at 10-10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 2nd at Adamson Life Celebration Home.

A Life Celebration service will be held Saturday, July 2nd, 2022, at 10:30 a.m., at Adamson Life Celebration Home to celebrate the 87 years of life Donna L. Dunham lived.

Please visit www.AdamsonCares.com to view full obituary and share condolences, memories and photos with Donna’s family.

ATTENTION ALL PAST SOUTHEAST FAIR QUEENS!!

Come celebrate the 100th anniversary of the fair and join us on a wagon ride through the parade and BBQ!!

For more details RSVP to schreibvogel123@gmail.com

Saturday, August, 13th 2022

July 6, 2022

July 6, 2022

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Lost Creek Guide

SERVICE DIRECTORY Computer Support Repair, Service & Sales

Reliable, Local, Professional Roggen Telephone Company

303-849-5260

Thomas J Croghan DDS Family Dental Practice

Appointments: 303-377-8662 Appointments Available in Keenesburg and Denver

New Patients Welcome

Dave Haney Painting & Dry Wall Interior - Exterior Cabinets, Fence Staining Located in Platteville 720-217-2089

Open Mon. - Fri. 8am - 5pm Family Medical are for All Ages

Keene Clinic 190 So. Main St., Keenesburg

303-732-4268

McCarthy Trucking

Recycled asphalt, concrete Great for driveways & parking areas. Also sand & gravel.

Reasonable Prices Call Kevin for free quote 303-901-5034

Wiggins Lineman Challenge

Today was the 7 vs 7 and Lineman Challenge (or Big Men) championship at Dove Valley. This is the first year Wiggins has had a Big Man team. There were 53 schools at the start of the season. 12 went to the championship. Wiggins was the only 1A team to make the championship. They competed against 4A and 5A schools today.

They took home 4th place. They also broke the agility course record. They are now the record holders for that part of the competition. We came with 3 seniors (Laith Ibraham, Pepper Rusher, Leo Mundez); 2 juniors (Americo Lorenzini, Grant Reed); 3 sophomores (Stevie Linton, Jorge Mendez, Tyler Dilka); and 1 freshman (Santiago Diaz). We competed mostly against seniors and juniors. If you have any questions please call Coach Mike Linton at 970-768-9275.

There is also “pickle/pull tabs” available everyday!

Please come join us for some fun and socializing!

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Lost Creek Guide

July 6, 2022

2022 City of Fort Lupton July 4th Celebration

Thank you to the City of Fort Lupton, The Fort Lupton Fire Department, the Fort Lupton Police Department, all the sponsors and hard working members of the organizations that helped make this event a great city happening!