The Lost Creek July 5, 2023

“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”

Supreme Court Strikes Down Biden’s Student Loan Cancellation

Ruling keeps estimated $430 billion in debt principal with borrowers

By Casey Harper | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Cancelling hundreds of billions of dollars in student loan debt cannot be done by President Joe Biden and his administration, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday.

In a 6-3 opinion, the court said Biden’s administration did not have the authority to unilaterally cancel student loan debt, blocking the president’s plan to cancel $10,000 per borrower.

Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented in the case known as Biden v. Nebraska.

“The issue presented in this case is whether the Secretary has authority under the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act of 2003 (HEROES Act) to depart from the existing provisions of the Education Act and establish a student loan forgiveness program that will cancel about $430 billion in debt principal and affect nearly all borrowers,” the court said.

The court ruled that the previous legislation allowed for tweaks to student loan forgiveness but did not allow for the sweeping forgiveness Biden tried to enact.

“The authority to ‘modify’ statutes and regulations allows the Secretary to make modest adjustments and additions to existing provisions, not transform them,” said the majority opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts.

The court also ruled that the state of Missouri, a lead challenger in the case, would suffer injury from the plan and therefore had standing to challenge the forgiveness program, which was a key legal question in this case. Missouri was one of six states that sued.

In the dissent, written by Kagan, the justices argued that during COVID-19 both Republican and Democratic administrations used the HEROES Act to delay student loan repayment, signaling a universal understanding of the legislation’s broad power.

“The plaintiffs in this case are six States that have no personal stake in the Secretary’s loan forgiveness plan,” the dissent said. “They are classic ideological plaintiffs: They think the plan a very bad idea, but they are no worse off because the Secretary differs. In giving those States a forum – in adjudicating their complaint – the Court forgets its proper role. The Court acts as though it is an arbiter of political and policy disputes, rather than of cases and controversies.”

Federal student loan repayments had been put on hold. The Department of Education said last year that repayment would resume 60 days after this court ruling.

As The Center Square previously reported, Biden announced last year that his administration would cancel $10,000 in federal student loan debt for those making less than $125,000 per year. For those who have received Pell Grants, the debt forgiveness could total $20,000. The administration also said debtors would be allowed to cap repayment of their loans at 5% of their income.

Biden said in the original announcement that his plan and the delayed repayments were “to give working and middle-class families breathing room…”

The U.S. Congressional Budget Office estimated that Biden’s debt plan would cost taxpayers about $400 billion. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget released an analysis last year predicting it would take only a few years for debt levels to return to the precancellation levels.

Biden’s student loan announcement has been a highly political fight since it was announced.

House Republicans voted in May to overturn Biden’s student loan forgiveness under the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to undo federal rules. The Senate then voted in June, with the support of a few Democrats, to also overturn the plan.

Although the plan had little chance of becoming law since the president would have had to sign the legislation, it showed the student loan forgiveness was far from a highly popular plan. In fact, several Senate Democrats turned against it as criticisms piled up that it is unfair to those who worked to pay off their loans or who never took them out in the first place.

“President Biden’s student loan transfer scheme shifts hundreds of billions of dollars of payments from student loan borrowers onto the backs of the American people,” Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., who led the House effort, told The Center Square earlier this year. “I am proud to lead the fight against President Biden’s reckless, unilateral, and unauthorized action that would unfairly penalize those who worked hard to pay off their loans or who never took them out in the first place.”

Thomas Jefferson

Adrienne Sandoval Announces Candidacy For Weld County Commissioner District 3

“District 3 deserves a full-time county commissioner who actually shows up for work every day.”

PLATTEVILLE -- Mayor Adrienne Sandoval of Platteville today announced her candidacy for the Republican nomination for Weld County Commissioner in District 3.

“Weld County has a rich history of supporting our agriculture and natural resources, defending our water, promoting our small businesses, and balancing our county budget every year,” Sandoval said. “But continuing that tradition of leadership requires a full-time commissioner from District 3 who actually shows up for work every day.”

“I pledge to be that county commissioner.”

A fifth-generation resident of Weld County, Sandoval has served as mayor of Platteville since 2018.

I’m running for County Commissioner because the communities of Weld County District 3 deserve a fresh, optimistic, and principled voice on the Commission,” Sandoval said. “ I want to protect our Weld County Way of life by being accountable to you in every single day of public service.”

She has been endorsed by Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams, Weld County Commissioner Mike Freeman, Weld County Commissioner Kevin Ross, and former Weld County Commissioner and County Clerk Steve Moreno.

WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE

Page 2: Way of the World

Page 3: Liberty the Loser in Colorado’s GOP/Libertarian Alliance

Page 6: Barr Lake Update

Page 7: Proposition HH Commentary

Page 8: South Platte Valley Historical Society Update

Page 10: Weld Central FFA at State Convention

Page 11: Defending Female Athletes

Page 16: Ben’s Brick Oven Pizza 2023 Car Show Pictures

Box Elder Creek Flood

Way of the World

by Bob Grand

Another two weeks have passed, and I am still proud to be an American, a third generation American. I remind you all there are no native Americans if you go back far enough. I am proud of our Constitution, our military veterans, our current servicemen, and all of the folks that protect our rights and safety. Why are there so many, on both extremes of the left and right, who seem to not be proud of anything. Where is the concept to respect the rights of others and their right to be proud of what they want to believe in? Things our constitution is based on. I do not understand the current State of Colorado Chair of the State Republican Party Dave Williams’s ongoing effort to what appears to be alienating as many people as possible while appealing to his ever increasingly smaller core base. A base that is not sufficient to win any statewide offices. Many Republicans have shared with me the lack of enthusiasm about Dave Williams’s approach on how to win elections. Yet how many are willing to publicly express their views? The answer is not many.

I understand that in Russia, the latest victim of falling out of her 11th story apartment window was a 28-year-old bank vice president who had the audacity to question the actions of the Russian government. It is kind of like the rash of careless fires that seem to be appearing all over Russia, attributed to careless smokers, as maybe some people are trying to send a message. The latest blurb from Moscow is that they are not planning to blow up the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant complex, which has six reactors. The Chernobyl accident involved only one nuclear reactor. Many reporters are worried as the Russian government has a history of saying one thing and then doing the opposite.

The Supreme Court issued several rulings this week. Most not well received by the Biden administration. Our Constitution calls for the separation of powers with three branches representing legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government. This was done to promote a checks and balances system where the power of the government is not concentrated in only one branch as a means of sustaining our republic. Some people seem to forget that is how our government is supposed to work, for the best interests of the American citizen.

Vladimir Putin’s excursion into Ukraine is rewriting the book on warfare. The use of unmanned drones for surveillance and targeting coupled with long range targeting has altered the landscape of warfare as has been historically known. What Putin thought was going to be a two-week effort is now approaching its 500th day. The resolve of the West to support Ukraine was totally underestimated by Putin. The reality is that the NATO countries have viewed Putin’s excursion as a precursor to his next steps. In 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea no one stood up. The writing was on the wall. I am afraid that the Russian people will pay an extraordinarily high price for Putin’s mistaken opportunism.

President Biden has a problem that will not go away. Hunter Biden’s activities are beginning to see the light of day and they are not pretty. What is perhaps worse is that it appears the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice, and the Internal revenue Service may have aided and abetted Hunter Biden in his attempt to conceal his activities. Where is our sense of justice and fairness? Whether you like Joe Biden or Donald Trump should not matter if you’re a government official charged with protecting the interests of the American taxpayer. The truth should be uncovered whatever the consequences are for those involved. If you have done wrong and are convicted, you need to pay the price. People need to understand there are consequences for their actions. Arbitrary and biased decisions by government employees, of either party, should not be tolerated. We have a system of inspector generals that are supposed to provide oversight and protect the American taxpayer from abuses of power by all employees of the government be they elected or appointed. Where is that oversight? We pay our officials, both elected and appointed, a lot of money to do their jobs. Is it unreasonable to expect them to do what they are paid for? Our fault as voters and citizens is by not holding elected and appointed officials accountable. Do they really believe they are above the law because they have tenure or a degree from a prestigious school? We need to send a message that no one, be it either Joe Biden or Donald Trump, is above the law. Let us get the facts out. If we have people who obstruct that then they should be exposed and where applicable be terminated with loss of pay and pension for violating the trust the American people have given them. As the people of the State of Colorado among others are finding out, when criminals figure out there are no penalties or accountabilities for committing crime, crime grows unabated.

It is Fair season please support your local fair board efforts as it is a great life learning experience for our young people.

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

The LosT Creek Guide, LLC

Bob Grand - Publisher 303-732-4080

publisher@lostcreekguide.com

editor@lostcreekguide.com

www.lostcreekguide.com

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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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Letter To The Editor Re: Box Elder Creek Flood

I would like to correct the misinformation that is circulating in the community concerning the flooding of Box Elder Creek. Even 9News misreported on the cause of the flooding.

The storm front that generated the tornado in Highlands Ranch continued on a southeastern path into Elbert County where the town of Elizabeth is located. Heavy rains of two inches plus fell in the area on Thursday, June 22nd. Elbert County is where Box Elder Creek originates. Due to the abundant rain that has been received since mid-May, the soil is saturated and cannot absorb a large rain event.

The Henrylyn Irrigation District has taken advantage of the increased flow rate of the South Platte River and has filled their 2 main reservoirs – Horse Creek Reservoir and Prospect Reservoir – to near capacity. After the rain event in the Box Elder basin occurred, the diversion of water from the South Platte River was turned off and the Denver Hudson Canal which carries the water to the reservoirs was allowed to drain. The canal, when built, spans Box Elder Creek.

The flood water from Elbert County arrived at the canal about noon on Friday, June 23rd. The early flow – 100 CFS – was diverted thru a structure that is used to send augmentation water down the creek. As the flow rate increased, the canal was breached with a 15-foot-wide cut to accommodate the increasing flow rate – now 300 CFS – to prevent the canal from overflowing at several points and causing more damage to the canal. The large flow arrived at 7PM and increased the breach from 15 feet to over 100 feet wide. The maximum flow rate has been estimated at over 1000 CFS. The capacity of the canal is only 400 CFS when delivering water to the reservoirs. The canal when built in the early 1900’s crosses Box Elder Creek and has experienced being breached during past flood events of Box Elder Creek.

In summary, no water was released from Horse Creek Reservoir into Box Elder Creek during this flooding. The floodwater came from the drainage basin that starts in Elbert County and was kept in Box Elder Creek. It is unfortunate that the flow of the creek was large enough to damage roads and private property, but this was a flood caused by a natural rain event miles away from our community.

Joe E. Amen President of Henrylyn Irrigation District Board of Directors

School to Work Alliance Program (SWAP)

The School to Work Alliance Program (SWAP) is a partnership between the Weld County School Districts RE-8 and RE-3J, and the Colorado Department of Vocational Rehabilitation.

What is SWAP?

The School-To-Work Alliance Program (SWAP) assists young adults with mild to moderate needs in employment to become competitively employed and to achieve successful community outcomes.

SWAP is a collaborative initiative between:

• Colorado Division of vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)

• Local school districts and Boards of Cooperative Education Services

• Colorado Department of Education

• Area Businesses

• Young Adults wanting to participate in today’s workforce

Is SWAP Right for Me?

If you have asked yourself:

• What is next?

• What do I do with my life?

• What is the right career for me?

• What jobs match my skills, interest and abilities?

• Who can help me get ready for a job and find employment?

• What tools will help me to be successfully employed?

• Why do I have difficulties keeping a job?

• Do I need additional training?

And you are:

• Between the ages of 15 and 24

• Working with or interested in working with DVR

Then you have a desire to begin taking responsibility for your future!

SWAP and DVR can help you begin that journey!

What can I Expect?

While in high school:

• Career awareness, exploration and preparation

• Work readiness skills training

• Self-advocacy training

• Guidance and counseling on career training and education

• Work experiences

After exiting high school:

• Job-seeking skills training

• Job-search activities

• Job placement

• Assistance with workplace accommodations

• Job coaching

• On-the-job training

• Job retention skills training

CONTACT INFORMATION

School to Work Alliance Program

Joetta Vallejos-Forsyth Office - 303-857-7295

Cell - 303-598-1601

jvallejos-forsyth@weld8.org

Armstrong: Liberty the Loser in Colorado’s GOP/Libertarian Alliance

by Ari Armstrong, Complete Colorado Page 2

The Libertarian Party of Colorado is now committed to electing . . . Republicans. That’s provided those candidates are sufficiently “pro-liberty.” Apparently, then, we’re going to start seeing Republican candidates run on a platform of legalizing all drugs, keeping abortion legal, expanding immigration, protecting LGBTQ freedoms, reforming criminal justice to reduce police abuses, and repealing zoning laws, right? Of course not.

What neither today’s Libertarian nor Republican party cares about is liberty by any robust conception of the term. Granted, the newly allied parties want to preserve gun rights and lower taxes—important issues. Beyond that, what they mostly seem concerned about is conspiracy mongering.

The standards by which Libertarians will judge a Republican candidate sufficiently pro-liberty remain murky. Judging from a conversation in which Libertarian chair Hannah Goodman falls all over herself praising Republican chair Dave Williams, such candidates will look a lot like . . . Williams himself.

The spoiler effect

My question for Libertarians content to elect Williams-like Republicans to office is this: Why not just become Republicans? Activism would be a lot more effectively spent working within the Republican Party to push (or become) pro-gun, low-tax candidates. I think all Libertarians, including those with a more-robust understanding of liberty (i.e., actual libertarians), should quit that party and work within the major parties. But if you’re not even ideologically distinct from today’s Republican leaders, there’s zero point in registering Libertarian—unless you just get a thrill out of being a medium-sized fish in a very small pond.

On paper, a Libertarian strategy of not acting as “spoiler” makes a certain amount of sense. I have long advocated approval voting (vote for as many candidates as you want) to eliminate the “spoiler effect,” and I think that should be a top priority especially for minor parties. In our winner-take-all system, absent approval voting or ranked voting, candidates with similar views tend to draw from the same pool of voters. So, in a three-way race, the least popular candidate is most likely to hurt the contender with the most-similar views. As I’ve reviewed, Libertarians plausibly cost Republicans some races in the last election cycle.

However, Libertarian candidates do not only pull votes that otherwise would go to the Republican. Some of the votes otherwise would go to the Democrat or other third parties or not be cast at all. In the last cycle Dan Ward may have cost Barbara Kirkmeyer her Congressional seat, yet Ward cast himself as a “Libertarian Socialist” and campaigned among the heavy metal crowd—hardly a Dave Williams clone. (Despite this, Williams suggested to Goodman that Kirkmeyer would be an appropriate candidate for Libertarians to run against if she tries again.) Years ago, when I was active in the LP, a candidate for governor led with legalizing marijuana (a goal since largely achieved) and intentionally aimed his message largely at unaffiliated and Democratic voters.

Since I left the LP, I’ve spent hours arguing with Libertarians about the “spoiler effect.” What Libertarians used to tell me is that the only wasted vote is one cast for a candidate you don’t believe in and that Republicans have no moral right to Libertarian votes. Times have changed.

Now, by explicitly working with Republicans to protect Republican candidates, the Libertarian Party has positioned itself as a de facto wing of the GOP and allied itself with social conservatives. This, to my mind, is a complete betrayal of libertarianism. Libertarianism is supposed to be neither left nor right, to be liberal in the classical sense, to be “fiscally conservative and socially liberal,” to be as opposed to conservative variants of statism as to progressive variants. Now the Libertarian brand is just Republican Lite.

Williams’ anti-libertarianism

Dave Williams is a social conservative, not a libertarian. Let’s start with LGBTQ issues. The libertarian Cato Institute was on the forefront of fighting for equal rights for gay couples, including equal protection under the marriage laws. Williams took the anti-liberty side, signing onto a bill to ban gay marriage and even ban adoption by gay couples. Bluntly, for the LP to openly ally itself with such an anti-gay bigot as Williams is despicable.

What about immigration? Recently I interviewed Matt Zwolinski, co-author of The Individualists, arguably the most important book on libertarian history ever published. Zwolinski as a “bleeding heart libertarian” has many disagreements with economist Bryan Caplan, another leading libertarian of our age. Yet the two agree that among the most important policy reforms for libertarians today are (as I summarized): “1) remove legal barriers to building more housing and 2) expand immigration.” The most important libertarian intellectual in Colorado, Michael Huemer, has written an important essay defending open immigration.

Does that sound like Dave Williams? No. Rather, Williams wrote to Trump asking him to “increase ICE raids and enforcements.”

As for housing reform, most Republicans opposed Jared Polis’s proposal to preempt rights-violating local zoning restrictions that forcibly prevent people from building higher-density housing on their own property if they wish to do so.

Libertarians are split on abortion. Some take the religious conservative view that a fetus is a person with rights, so government can forcibly stop a woman from getting an abortion or at least punish her for getting one. The dominant view within libertarianism, though, is that generally a woman has a right to get an abortion, perhaps excepting some late-stage cases. (That’s my view.) Anti-abortion “libertarians” tend to look more like intrusive-government conservatives in this regard.

Williams sponsored a bill to outlaw abortion from the moment of fertilization, which would ban even some forms of birth control and most cases of in vitro conception. By my lights, Williams’s bill is radically anti-liberty and extremely oppressive. Yet now the LP apparently has committed itself to the position that a candidate who wants to ban all abortion from the moment of conception—and to impose the Orwellian government mechanisms required to enforce such a law law—nevertheless can be “liberty minded.”

Again, some of Williams’s positions overlap standard Libertarian positions, especially on guns, taxes, and some economic regulations. But Williams is hardly consistently pro-liberty from a libertarian perspective, and in important ways he is

anti-liberty. You’d think that would matter to a group calling itself the Libertarian Party.

Conspiracy mongering

One thing Williams and today’s LP have in common is a penchant for conspiracy mongering.

Recently the state LP publicly claimed, without any evidence, that “a bio-weapons lab is being installed in our state.” The source for the claim is an anti-vax conspiracist. (Notably, Heidi Ganahl, who destroyed her campaign for governor by such nonsense as her anti-furry crusade, was quick to join this new round of conspiracy mongering.) For a non-delusional take on the facility in question, see a 9News report or a media release from CSU.

Williams too comfortably spouts bullshit conspiracy theories, saying, for example, “Joe Biden is not a legitimate president” and “legitimate concerns regarding election fraud have been raised by President Donald J. Trump.” That’s the sort of dangerous nonsense that encouraged the Capitol assault of January 6, 2021. (That said, there was a bit of election fraud in Colorado last year—and it was allegedly committed on behalf of a Republican candidate.)

For today’s Libertarian Party, neither Williams’s betrayals of liberty nor his betrayals of reality matter. Today’s LP leaders would rather whine for scraps from the GOP’s table than ring a clear and consistent voice for liberty for all.

Ari Armstrong writes regularly for Complete Colorado and is the author of books about Ayn Rand, Harry Potter, and classical liberalism. He can be reached at ari at ariarmstrong dot com.

More Coloradans Carrying As Concealed Handgun Permits Climb Above Pre-Pandemic Levels

by Sherrie Peif, Complete Colorado Page 2

DENVER — Despite the practice being targeted for restrictions by some municipalities, the number of Coloradans obtaining concealed handgun permits (CHPs) in 2022 still climbed above pre-pandemic levels.

Such local gun rights restrictions are possible after Gov. Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 256 in 2021. The new law unwound decades of state preemption and allows local governments to manage their own gun laws, but only so long as they are more restrictive than those at the state level, meaning the law only allows for a one-way ratcheting up rather than true local control.

To date several communities have been successful in passing laws prohibiting concealed carry in public-owned buildings or parks, including Denver, Boulder and Broomfield. The City of Edgewater originally included such a ban in a broader package of potential ordinances but backed off after a large public outcry.

Such a patchwork of laws make it tough on gun owners to know where they can and can’t carry as they travel the state, and is one of the reasons the legislature originally passed preemption around gun laws.

However, except for a surge in permits issued in 2020 and 2021 at the height of the COVID lockdowns and in the wake of the George Floyd riots, the number of new Colorado residents who have chosen to go through the process to lawfully conceal a weapon is still rising.

According to recent data recently released by the County Sheriffs of Colorado, 27,031 new concealed carry permits were issued statewide in 2022, with another 26,622 existing permits renewed. That is down from 2020 and 2021 when permits skyrocketed in Colorado and around the country, but it is 14 percent increase over 2019 (23,250) and a 6 percent increase over 2018 (25,643).

According to the Crime Prevention Research Center, just over 15 percent of the Colorado population 21 or older holds a carry permit.

Training a growth industry

Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Fort Lupton said he is not surprised by the increase considering Colorado’s crime rates are among the highest in the nation in several categories including violent offenses and car thefts.

Evans, who is a former Arvada police lieutenant and a concealed handgun permit instructor said the demand for classes has been so high, the company he works for part-time had to hire an additional full-time instructor at his location.

“They had to hire someone just to keep up with the demand from people who are scared to death because Colorado’s violent crime is just not going down,” Evans said, adding a “substantial” number of new trainees are women, and in particular female realtors. “Think about it,” Evans said. “Who is vulnerable? A female meeting a strange person she met over the internet, alone, in an empty house.”

All this comes even as Colorado’s laws around concealed carry permits are stricter compared to many other states. Twenty-five states do not require a permit for concealed carry, as long as the carrier is an adult who can lawfully possess a handgun.

In Colorado, which is what is known as a ‘shall issue’ state, permit applicants must pass both a criminal background check and a firearms training class by a certified instructor, and it must be taken in person. Sheriffs are allowed some leeway for denials or revocations if they believe the applicant is a danger to themselves or others.

Permits are usually issued by the individual elected county sheriffs, though in Denver it’s the through the police department, and depending on where you live the process could be completed in a few weeks to many months.

For example, in Denver, there are long waits because applicants must make appointments for fingerprinting and then wait longer times for the application to be processed. It is sometimes as long as 9 months or more before the permit is issued. Whereas in Weld County where there are no appointments required and the sheriff processes applications much quicker, a permit can be issued in just a few weeks. As result, Denver, with a population of 711,000 reported 2,613 applications submitted in 2022, while Weld County at half the size, 340,000, reported nearly double the applications submitted at 4,254.

Likewise, the cost can also be prohibitive. In Denver, a permit is $152.50, while in Weld County it is $52.50. Weld County, which is the ninth most populous county, issued the third most permits in 2022 (4,254), only behind El Paso and Arapahoe counties.

The law-abiding

More Coloradans Carrying As Concealed Handgun Permits Climb Above Pre-Pandemic

Levels continued from page 3...

In an open letter to the Denver City Council prior to the passage of the city’s parks ban, David Kopel, research director at the Independence Institute* and adjunct professor of advanced constitutional law at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law, noted that concealed handgun permit holders are among the most law-abiding citizens, presenting data that showed an adult with a permit is about 39 times less likely to be arrested for a crime than an adult without one. “The only people who bother to go through the onerous process are people who are so concerned about legal compliance that they spend significant resources just to obtain a card from the government allowing them to legally do what they could done anyway for free, and with very low risk of being caught,” said Kopel.

Evans said as long as Democrats in the legislature continue to hold a supermajority, as well as the Governor’s office, he believes it will only get worse, citing the past few years of legislation that has led to higher crime rates and at the same time an increasing desire to disarm citizens.

“It’s the same emotions I had when I was a police officer,” Evans said about feeling helpless to stop his colleagues. “I can’t do my job because of how the legislature is handcuffing me and handcuffing public safety. But with the numbers how they are at the state capitol, they are going to vote how the governor dictates and unfortunately that results in a less safe Colorado.”

* Independence Institute is the publisher of Complete Colorado.

Migrant Youth Advocate Program

Weld Re-8 School District in partnership with Centennial BOCES’ mission is to help students and families in the following areas:

◦ Helping Youth Improve their Academic Success

Youth Advocate Program provides:

Support for students:

• Advocate to represent migrant youth

• Academic support with classes, scholarships, and college applications

• Leadership development, trainings, and conferences

• Assistance with obtaining and transferring student educational and health records

• Help as needed to ensure equal participation in school activities and programs

◦ Support for families:

• Information and referrals to community agencies for food, clothing, adult education, health care, and other social service needs

• Parental Involvement Meetings

• School-Parent Liaison contact

◦ Support for the Migrant Education Graduation Advocate (MEGAS) & school staff:

• Training on the Migrant Education Program and teaching strategies for migrant students

• Technical assistance with identification and support of migrant students

• Coordination with Regional, State and Federal Migrant Education program to support migrant students

◦ Weld Re-8 Schools MEGAS

• Elementary MEGA: Susie Tijerina - stijerina@weld8.org

• Middle/High School MEGA: Gabriela Rivera - grivera@weld8.org

◦ The goal of the Migrant Youth Advocate Program is to help all students graduate on time from high school.

Participating Schools

• Little Trappers Preschool

• Butler Elementary

• Twombly Elementary

• Kenneth Homyak PK-8

• Fort Lupton Middle School

• Fort Lupton High School

• For more information on Centennial BOCES, please visit their website at cboces. org

A New Reality For Downtown Denver’s HalfEmpty Buildings: ‘The Value’s Not Gonna Go Back To What It Used To Be’

by Sarah Mulholland, Colorado Public Radio

It’s pretty apparent that most office workers enjoy the perks of working from home and are loath to go back to a daily commute, leaving a lot of downtown Denver’s skyscrapers half-empty on any given weekday.

What’s less clear is exactly what that means for the future of those office buildings. There’s a lot of real estate that isn’t being used, but not a lot of solid plans for what to do with it. Intuitively, converting some of it into apartments makes sense, but that’s easier said than done.

The one thing that is all but certain is that many office buildings are worth significantly less money now than they were before the COVID pandemic. Republic Plaza — the largest office tower in Colorado and an icon of the Denver skyline since it was built in the 1980s — is worth less than half of what it was valued at in 2012, according to loan documents for the property. That loss equates to hundreds of millions of dollars.

Appraisals aren’t an exact science, and the building could eventually recover some of that value. But even so, it’s definitely not worth what it was just a few years ago, according to Vivek Sah, director of DU’s Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management. The same holds true for much of the office real estate downtown, he said.

“The value’s not gonna go back to what it used to be,” Sah said. “We are seeing [that] across all the markets in the country. It’s not ever gonna be the same .… If you add what’s happening in our downtown in terms of homelessness and crime and other concerns, the downtown market is going to shift.”

Indeed, it’s hard to see a turning point for the office market in downtown Denver anytime soon. Nearly a quarter of the office space downtown is vacant, meaning the landlord doesn’t have a paying tenant, real estate services firm CBRE said in a recent report. On top of that, companies that are paying rent are trying to offload a record amount of space because they aren’t actually using it.

“Availability has shown few signs of plateauing,” CBRE analysts wrote in the report.

Similar to home prices, commercial real estate prices tend to be cyclical, moving in tandem with economic conditions. To that end, the slowdown in the technology sector is taking a toll on Denver’s office real estate market. At the same time, commercial landlords are heavily reliant on borrowed money, making the sector especially vulnerable to rising interest rates.

But the current downturn – spurred by a fundamental shift in how offices are used – runs deeper than those kinds of cyclical issues. It could have far-reaching consequences for the future of cities that have long relied on a busy hive of office workers to bring energy and commerce downtown.

Another big thing office buildings bring to cities is tax revenues. Denver’s bottom line will eventually take a hit if millions of dollars in property value evaporates.

“The city has to budget for that because it’s gonna happen .… The city has to not rely on whatever that contribution was towards their revenues and go from there,” DU’s Sah said. “For anybody relying on those values to go back up to the … levels a few years back … it’s not realistic.”

Property taxes are a critical component for city budgets, helping fill the coffers for everything from schools and police pensions to libraries and affordable housing initiatives. Office buildings accounted for roughly 20 percent of the $1.8 billion in property tax revenues collected by Denver County in 2022, second only to singlefamily residential properties, government data show.

Just like Colorado homeowners, the state’s commercial landlords recently received an updated assessment of their property values. Unlike the state’s homeowners, many office landlords aren’t facing steep tax hikes. The value of downtown office buildings didn’t really budge since the last time the numbers were run two years ago, according to Keith Erffmeyer, the Denver County assessor.

“We didn’t have a lot of confidence, I think for obvious reasons, that things had rebounded significantly downtown,” Erffmeyer said.

That’s a big change from historical trends. Downtown office values rose 14 percent in the two years leading up to 2019 assessments, according to Erffmeyer. In 2015, they were up nearly 40 percent.

“Denver was kind of discovered, I guess is the best way to put it. We had just an incredible number of sales at very high prices in downtown Denver, where it seemed like money was just flowing into Denver,” Erffmeyer said.

If office values crater dramatically, city officials could eventually be forced to either come up with the money somewhere else or cut the budget to plug holes.

For now, it’s difficult to say where values will eventually shake out. A lot of businesses are in a freeze frame as executives struggle to figure out the best way forward. The picture will crystallize as more leases expire over the next couple of years, according to DU’s Sah. A lot of companies won’t renew their space, he said. That’s when landlords will be forced to lower rents more broadly to attract new tenants.

Some buildings will fare better than others. Newer properties with modern amenities are picking up tenants that are leaving their outdated spaces.

Still, there are plenty of outdated office buildings in Denver, including some of the most recognizable features of the Denver skyline, like Republic Plaza. It’s not clear what will happen next at the 56-story tower. The owners of the building, a partnership between MetLife’s investment arm and property company Brookfield Properties, have run into trouble with the mortgage on the property. Neither firm responded to questions from CPR about whether there’s a plan to reverse the slide in value.

Erffmeyer is hopeful Denver will be able to come out OK on the other side of the remote work revolution.

“I haven’t seen signs of a complete collapse or a complete cave-in,” Erffmeyer said. “It just seems to me like it’s still transitioning and kind of looking for the right new normal.”

With Shortage Of Local Labor, Farmers And Advocates Want Congress To Create Incentives For Migrant Farmworkers

by Caitlyn Kim, Colorado Public Radio

Loera-Brust with United Farm Workers, the union that represents agricultural labor. “We believe that the undocumented farm workers who have been the backbone of the American agricultural industry for many decades deserve the chance to obtain legal status.”

One of those undocumented workers is Marisela Juarez, an undocumented worker from Georgia, who has spent the past 15 years in the U.S.

“We know that we are feeding millions of people. Even though we don’t know them, it’s a way we feel connected with them,” said Juarez at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in December, where she and the UFW urged lawmakers to pass a compromise bill that would reform the H-2A program and provide a pathway to legal status.

“If you happen to eat anything today, it’s thanks to farm workers. This is why I think it’s just to have a legalization for farm workers,” she went on.

Congressional immigration inaction

To find a solution to the labor problem — to either open up the H-2A program to allow more workers or to give guest workers hope for permanent residency — would require Congress to take action on an issue it’s long struggled to deal with — immigration.

While comprehensive immigration reform might be the hottest of political hot potatoes, lawmakers have shown little interest in tackling even this limited aspect of the issue.

In the last Congress, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet tried to get the Senate to come to agreement on the Farmworker Modernization Act — a bill that passed the Democratic controlled House twice. It would have expanded the H-2A visas to allow some workers to stay in the country year-round. It also offered protections for undocumented farm workers.

“These people literally are breaking their backs to put food on the table of the American people. And I think that we should approach this negotiation with a generous view about their contribution to our country,” Bennet said.

The Farmworker Modernization Act passed the Democratic-controlled House twice, but stalled in the Senate.

With little indication that a now-divided Congress wants to take up the policy again, some producers are hoping that perhaps their concerns could be addressed by one of few must-past bills out there — the Farm Bill.

Tuxedo Corn’s Harold brought that idea up with Bennet at a recent Farm Bill listening session on the Western Slope.

Coloradans are about to enjoy the bounty of the summer: Rocky Ford melons,

But the farmers who grow that produce have a big problem. There just aren’t enough workers.

“I cannot find domestic workers who want to work seasonally at any price,” said David Harold of the Tuxedo Corn Company in Olathe. He and his father grow a variety of crops on their 1,300-plus acre farm, including the sweet corn that’s put Olathe on the map.

The tender kernels on those cobs require some delicate handling. In fact, those cobs have to be hand-picked. And the lack of labor is a constant worry.

“I don’t see how we will be able to continue to operate how we have traditionally operated,” said Harold. “But what scares me is not operating. Not being able to continue.”

The problem may be especially acute with a crop like sweet corn, but across the state, agricultural producers are struggling to find people to do the hard work of planting, weeding and harvesting. It’s a problem many believe only Congress can fix, if it can get past long-standing roadblocks.

The visa workaround looks to foreign labor

Like many other farmers, Harold relies on the H-2A visa program to bring in temporary agricultural workers. Some have been coming to work for Tuxedo Corn since he was a child.

“For them it’s relatively great pay. And for us it’s a relatively good deal because we are getting access to a labor pool that if we had to use domestic labor might cost us five times as much,” said Harold.

The federal government sets the minimum pay rate for H-2A workers in each state, to prevent farmers from offering such low wages that they automatically exclude domestic workers. In Colorado, that rate is just under $17 dollars an hour.

Still, Harold said the program is hard to use. The applications are cumbersome, farmers must provide temporary housing, and sometimes the visas are late, causing extra stress and headaches.

In addition to addressing those problems, farmers also want Congress to make some bigger tweaks, such as allowing some visa holders to stay year-round and changing how quickly minimum pay rates rise.

For workers, a life in permanent limbo

Even for the workers, the H-2A program has some downsides. The biggest one for many is that they can spend decades working in the country, without any hope of being able to permanently make it their home, at least not legally.

Juan Francisco Chavez Santana from Chihuahua, Mexico, is one of those temporary agricultural workers. He’s worked in Paonia for five seasons now, spending eight months at a time away from his wife and three daughters.

“My motivation is for the family, to get them ahead,” he said in Spanish. And he added, he’d be interested in a pathway to citizenship. Unlike the H-2A visa, permanent residency would mean his family would be able to join him.

“It would be a way to be closer together” as a family, he said.

The H-2A program has also at times left visa holders vulnerable to abuse. Most recently in Georgia, where dozens of people were indicted for human trafficking, allegedly defrauding the government out of thousands of H-2A visas while exploiting, threatening and abusing the workers.

Farm worker advocates aren’t investing a lot of effort into reforming the H-2A program, but do see supporting changes as a way to get leverage on an issue they see as more pressing: protecting workers who are here without visas.

While the H-2A program brings in tens of thousands of workers each year, it’s estimated that almost half of the agricultural workforce in America is undocumented. Advocates want to see them protected from deportation and, most importantly, given a chance for legal status. They argue it’s only fair compensation for helping secure the nation’s food supply.

“If you feed America, you deserve the right to stay in America,” said Antonio De

“I asked him, “Can we work on labor in the Farm Bill?’ I mean, traditionally, I don’t think it ever has been done,” recalled Harold. “The response was, ‘Yes, but…’”

While he may not have wanted to get Harold’s hopes up, Bennet, who serves on the Agriculture Committee, has looked into whether the issue would fit the purview of the Farm Bill, but said he’s still waiting on a firm answer from the Senate Parliamentarian.

“If there is a way to address this in the Farm Bill, to discuss it in the Farm Bill, to have a debate about this, I certainly would love it for us to do it. Because even if ultimately it can’t be addressed there, we have to keep this issue in front of the American people,” he said.

Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington is less sanguine about this approach. He’s been a leader on the issue of agricultural labor in Congress and has been willing to break with his party to support compromises. But he doesn’t think the Farm Bill is the right vehicle to get something done.

“[The] Farm Bill’s already difficult to get passed… This might even make it more complicated,” he said, noting that the Judiciary Committees are the proper place to bring up immigration policies.

The Republican House has passed a border security bill that includes provisions to study the agricultural labor issue, as well as a “Sense of Congress” — basically nonbinding guidance — that the country, in using the E-Verify system to check for undocumented workers, should consider and address how it would impact the nation’s agricultural workforce.

As a farmer himself, Newhouse knows the importance of solving the agricultural labor issue. But he said in the end, public pressure might be the only thing that will push lawmakers to finally act.

“If you can’t find the labor, it doesn’t matter what it costs, the work is not gonna get done. People have to make sure that members of Congress understand how serious this is,” he said.

Explore the Farm Bill series

• When it comes to the next Farm Bill, Colorado producers have a lot of opinions, and concerns

• Farm Bill must address western priorities, Colorado growers, ranchers tell Congress members

• As D.C. fights over food aid, need in Colorado stays high

Just this week, the House Agriculture Committee formed a bipartisan working group to look at workforce challenges, with Colorado Rep. Yadira Caraveo as one of its members. Its main focus is on the H-2A visa program, with the aim of making recommendations to address the flaws.

Caraveo said in a statement that she looks forward to working on this issue “to find common ground solutions that support industry needs and address the labor issues our farmers and producers face.”

Even if the Farm Bill can’t truly tackle the challenge of agricultural labor, some farmers hope it could at least include some labor-related tweaks. For example, help with housing or even set up something to cover lost wages for farm workers due to extreme weather or failed crops.

Or use it to beef up an ongoing effort to highlight fair labor practices.

Harold is working to get into the Fair Food Program, a partnership between workers, farmers and retailers to improve conditions for farm employees. He thinks it incentivizes good outcomes without more regulations or enforcement, which is a route many states, including Colorado, are starting to take.

It’s a way to “engage with our employees and provide them — even encourage — them to speak up about what problems they have or what they would want,” he said. He’d like to see the program expanded through the Farm Bill.

“Instead of me telling you I’m a good employer, it’s my employee saying he’s a good employer,” he added.

And unlike immigration reform, this is one goal he has more hope of seeing included in the final Farm Bill.

Stephanie Rivera contributed to this story

William Woody/For CPR News Migrant workers with the Tuxedo Corn Company of Olathe harvest the first ears of the 2021 Olathe Sweet Sweet Corn crop from a field west of Olathe in the Pea Green area Saturday morning, July 17, 2021.

Palisade peaches, and Olathe sweet corn.

Barr Lake Update

There’s something for every type of outdoors person - from the fishing enthusiast and boater to the naturalist - at Barr Lake State Park, a short drive northeast of the Denver area.

Bicyclists of all ages and abilities, nature hikers and horseback riders enjoy the level 8.8-mile multi-use trail that circles the lake, passing by several wildlife viewing stations and the park’s wildlife refuge. More than 350 species of birds have been spotted in the park. Numerous bald eagles winter at Barr Lake and one pair stays to nest and raise its young every year. Barr Lake’s Nature Center has displays about the park’s wildlife and you can have your questions answered by a naturalist.

Fishing enthusiasts and boaters, including kayakers and canoeists, enjoy the lake’s calm waters as powerboats are limited to electric trolling or gasoline motors 10 horsepower or less. Channel catfish, small and large-mouth bass, rainbow trout, walleye, bluegill, wiper and tiger muskie are among the species that inhabit the waters of Barr Lake. Get Colorado boating registration and regulation information.

Featuring gazebos and benches overlooking the quiet lake, the boardwalk offers the perfect perch for birdwatching and photography. Although the walk is peaceful, there’s never a dull moment if you’re paying attention: splashing carp, diving grebes and hundreds of bird species offer endless entertainment. Gather educational materials online or at the nature center, or ask a park naturalist about all you see!

Get on board!

The Eagle Express—a motorized 13 passenger cart—takes bird watchers on naturalist-guided tours on Barr Lake’s trails weekends from mid-May through September.

Remember to Leave No Trace

Always remember the 7 Leave No Trace principles. Please stay on designated trails and be courteous to all. #CareForColorado

Make it an Event!

Groups of outdoor lovers can now make their next outing an event at Barr Lake’s new Meadowlark Picnic Pavilion, which can handle 100 people and has easy access to the trails.

Boardwalk

Barr Lake features an ADA accessible fishing pier, which gives people of all abilities the chance to catch that BIG fish. Thank you to our sponsors for making this project happen- Adams County Open Space, Cabelas, Colorado State Foundation and Friends of Barr Lake.

Archery Range

Located just 20 minutes northeast of Denver, Barr Lake offers 12 shooting lanes with heavy-duty targets. The targets vary from 10 to 100 yards, giving novice and advance shooters alike the opportunity to develop their skills. Only field or target-tips are permitted, but hunters who are prepping for the big-game seasons may shoot broadheads in designated lanes. Shooters may also provide their own targets on broadhead and “open” lanes.

Try our new 3-D target course! Bull elk, dinosaurs and epic sunsets are just a few of the attractions you’ll find at Barr Lake State Park’s archery range. Barr Lake is the latest state park to offer archery to its visitors as part of an ongoing effort by Colorado Parks and Wildlife to develop more public shooting ranges across the state.

The Barr Lake boardwalk is situated over the park’s beautiful wildlife reserve, where green tree canopies and glittering waters overwhelm the senses. Its level wooden surface makes it easily traversable for young children, and any wildlife enthusiast who prefers a smooth path!

Accessible Fishing Pier

Great Snowpack, Frequent Rains and Full Reservoirs Means Conditions are Ripe for a Good Rafting Season for Colorado Rafting Companies

Bustamante: Proposition HH is Deceptive, Devious, and Unconstitutional

by Paul Joshua Bustamante, Complete Colorado Page 2

Politicians are like Scooby-Doo villains. Outwardly friendly but secretly cold and devious.

June 30, 2023 – Denver, Colorado

This year’s winter snowpack combined with slow early summer runoff and near record-breaking additional rainfall have helped fill reservoirs around the state to capacity. Colorado’s ongoing cooler temperatures means there is still plenty of snow left in the mountains, and combined with late-season reservoir releases, rivers throughout the state should experience very good flows late into the season. This is great news for Colorado river outfitters, as well as for families and adventure-seekers alike looking to enjoy a rafting excursion this summer.

“We predict that river flows going forward this summer will make for fun rafting on many rivers until at least Labor Day. Groups and families can choose trips now to suit their level of excitement and should be able to do so for many weeks to come,” said David Costlow, CROA Executive Director.

Based on current conditions, CROA forecasts the following outlook for rivers across the state:

Arkansas River: The Arkansas River has been experiencing very good flows along all stretches of the river. The popular Browns Canyon and Gorge sections will be favorite destinations throughout the summer as the water levels will hold steady and the rafting will remain at a fun level. The season will be much longer than usual.

Colorado River: The Colorado near Kremmling is a very popular section that is experiencing steady flows. Combined with warmer temperatures, rafting will be ideal. Some outfitters will run into September given the current flow projections. Rafting on the Colorado near Glenwood Springs is currently occurring downriver of Grizzly Creek. The season should go into October.

Roaring Fork and Eagle: Trips on the Roaring Fork and Eagle and very popular right now. The current water levels make for good rafting. The Eagle water levels will begin to drop over the next few weeks, and the Roaring Fork should have fun rafting levels for a while. These are not usually late season runs so book soon.

Blue River: The Blue River doesn’t run every season. It is running this season and projections are that it will run into late July. Catch this one while you can.

Clear Creek: Clear Creek is currently running at fun rafting levels. The peak has occurred and the river is anticipated to run through the end of July and perhaps into early August. If the weekly late afternoon rains continue, the flows should remain unusually steady for most of the season.

Western Slope (Taylor & Animas): Good water levels will last for weeks to come. Outfitters are expecting great family runs throughout the full season.

Poudre: The Cache la Poudre has had very fun flows over the past few weeks and will continue with these flows for a large part of the summer. All sections are running. Reservoir releases later in the season will help maintain water levels.

Animas: The Animas River at Durango has very good family-friendly water levels. July and August should have family flows and with the snowpack that remains, it may be September before the river enters low water season.

Residents of Lochbuie Oasis Night

Calendar Date: Saturday, July 29, 2023 - 6:30pm to 8:30pm

But instead of robbing people with hair-brained schemes, politicians manipulate ballot questions to swindle voters out of their hard-earned money. And that’s exactly what they are doing with Proposition HH.

The architects of the measure advertise it as property tax relief. It is—sort of. But its primary function is to end taxpayer refunds.

Putting these two unrelated topics into the same bill may seem strange, but it was a calculated political move. Politicians inserted property tax reform into Prop HH as a bait-and-switch to win consent for ending taxpayer refunds.

And they would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for a meddling lawsuit.

Last month, a group of citizens and Colorado counties sued the state, arguing Prop HH and the bill that put it on the ballot—Senate Bill 23-303—violate the state Constitution. This summer, they will make their case before the Colorado Supreme Court.

The suit highlights two primary constitutional infringements.

First, the Colorado Constitution has a provision that requires bills to address only one subject. This prevents a party from “logrolling,” or lumping an unpopular policy in with a more popular one to help get the former adopted.

Prop HH violates this rule in textbook fashion.

After increasing property taxes by around 40%, politicians have offered a slightly smaller tax increase with Prop HH. But Coloradans will only get that relief if they vote to give up taxpayer refunds forever.

In 2019, lawmakers tried to end taxpayer refunds on its own merits. They referred Proposition CC to the ballot, asking voters to give up their refunds—just as HH does. But when it appeared as a stand-alone measure, voters resoundingly rejected the proposal.

Because voters initially rejected giving up their taxpayer refunds, politicians have married the same policy with what they’re calling “property tax relief” to logroll the elimination of taxpayer refunds.

This is exactly what the constitutional provision was designed to prevent!

In a 1997 ruling, the Colorado Supreme Court explained that the purpose of the provision was “to make each legislative proposal depend upon its own merits.”

Dissenters of the lawsuit will argue that this issue doesn’t apply to Prop HH.

The district judge who first heard the case ruled that reducing property tax rates and taking away refunds to fund state priorities is not “so disconnected and incongruous” as to be “constitutionally impermissible.”

For the judge, because eliminating taxpayer refunds adds money to the budget while property tax relief subtracts it, the two fall under the same subject.

However, as the Colorado Supreme Court explained in the same 1997 ruling, “[T]he fact that there is a ‘single common feature’ in the sense of finding additional moneys, or reducing expenses, to fund certain priorities, doesn’t qualify as ‘one subject.’”

The multiple components of Prop HH are not related simply because they fund one another. It’s no surprise the Supreme Court took up the appeal after a district judge disregarded the higher court’s precedent.

The lawsuit also argues the measure violates the Constitution’s clear title mandate, which requires every bill’s single subject to be “clearly expressed in its title.”

But the bill’s title is a convoluted mess that doesn’t give voters the faintest clue what the law would do. It drones on about the reduction of property taxes for hospitals, businesses, and so on. It never mentions taxpayer refunds, except in the obscure phrase “permitting the state to retain and spend revenue up to the proposition HH [sic] cap.”

The ballot title voters will see for Proposition HH does the same thing.

For example, the bill writers used the vague synonymous phrase “state surplus” instead of commonly used terms like “taxpayer refunds” or “TABOR refunds.” They clearly hope to hide the measure’s effect from voters.

Nobody is surprised to see politicians insert bias into ballot language, but there’s a limit to this manipulation. That limit is voter deception. The lawsuit rightly argues that Prop HH is not just standard political fare; it’s deceptive, devious, and unconstitutional.

We should know whether the Supreme Court will rule on the side of the state Constitution and Colorado taxpayers or choose to play politics by upholding this unconstitutional tax hike.

Paul Joshua Bustamante is a junior at Hillsdale College double majoring in Economics and Mathematics, and is part of the Future Leaders Program at the Independence Institute, a free market think tank in Denver.

Dive into fun this summer at the Brighton Oasis Family Aquatic Park! We’re thrilled to announce our free community event, Oasis Night, exclusively for the residents of Lochbuie. This splashtastic event is happening on Saturday, July 29th, 2023 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm.

Starting June 5th, you can pick up your FREE entry voucher at the Lochbuie Town Hall. But remember, there’s a wave limit of 350 attendees, and once we’re full, there will be no more tickets available. So, make sure to grab your tickets early to secure your spot in this aquatic adventure!

When you come to collect your entry voucher, please bring proof of residency, such as a driver’s license or utility bill. We’re excited to make a splash with you at this year’s Oasis Night!

For more information about the Brighton Oasis Family Aquatic Park facility please visit: https://www.brightonco.gov/1722/Brighton-Oasis-Home-Page

South Platte Valley Historical Society, the Best Kept Secret in Fort Lupton

by Jackie Smith, President, South Platte Historical Society

Located in Fort Lupton’s backyard along the river is the South Platte Valley Historical Park; a hidden gem for most because it is undiscovered yet. It sits quietly to the West unnoticed, but it is far from quiet. This gem turns green in the spring with the foliage along the river like a gorgeous emerald and in the fall a lovely golden amber. When we are open the park comes alive and when re-enactors are in the park it becomes something special to see. We have two events a year we “pull out all the stops” for and give a fantastic show. In May, the Heritage Fair dazzles, and delights with re-enactors from our heritage and in September, it is Trapper Days where the mountain man and trapper become our main focus.

Members of the Tallow River Trappers put on Rendezvous 7-8 times a year. So, if nature and history is your gig, you can become a member and camp under the sparkling stars. The only catch is you must live and dress in period clothing, and yes, the public can visit when they are rendezvousing. Upcoming rendezvouses are Trapper Days (Thursday to Sunday) September 7th–10th and Hunter Widow’s Rendezvous just for the ladies (Friday to Sunday) September 15th17th. If you are visiting, do not forget to bring your cash so you can shop for that sheik designer skunk or coon hat you have been wanting.

In June, the Independence Schoolhouse fills up with pioneer students. They learn what it is like to be a student in a one room schoolhouse during the late 1800’s when Colorado was just a territory and early into statehood when Colorado became the 38th State. The program is extremely popular and has repeat students. New this year was an ole time washing display where the pioneer children participated in “laundry day” at the Donelson House. Scrub a dub, dub; hey, you missed a spot.

First Mondays of the month are membership meetings and usually are with a potluck. They are great fun. The Society has interesting speakers, games, demonstrations, and unusual guests. In the last three months we have had a of couple historical talks, one on “Patriotic Holidays” and the other on “Civil War in Colorado.” The Civil War historian, Gary Mitchell, brought in his collection of both Confederate and Union artifacts. He arrived in as a soldier in a grey uniform (Confederate) and left in a blue uniform (Union). On July 3, we had a special guest with feathers. A majestic bald eagle sat just feet from everyone. Thrilling! The membership meeting is free and open to the public. Come and check us out.

The park is open the first weekend of the month, both Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM-4 PM, but if you have a group of people, a club, a large family, or a school class and would like a private tour, you can schedule a visit to the park by contacting us on the website www.spvhs.org.

In the works are new programing that will be coming to the park so like us on Facebook and watch our Calander on the website. So, take the time to come discover the gem in your backyard; we look forward to seeing you all.

We are not just a Fort, but a living history historical park.

South Platte Valley Historical Park is located at 2001 Historic Parkway, Fort Lupton. On highway 85 on the north side of Fort Lupton turn West at fourteen and half at the stoplight.

Drive Smart Weld County Has Positive Impact On Thousands Of Young Drivers

WELD COUNTY, CO — For years, the DRIVE SMART Weld County program, which was created to reduce vehicle injuries and deaths among teens, has worked to make positive changes in young drivers. Those changes, according to the 2022 Weld County Community Health Survey, are resulting in less risky behaviors, which translates to safer roads.

“According to the 2022 health survey, more than 92% of Weld County drivers reported always wearing their seatbelt,” said Weld County Health Department Director Jason Chessher. “That number is up from 89.9% in 2019. That’s certainly good news for everyone!”

The survey also revealed fewer Weld County drivers reported they participated in risky driving behaviors such as texting, emailing, or talking on the phone while driving compared to 2019 (the time of the last survey).

“Changing behaviors in people can take time,” said Kelly Martinez, Weld County’s Coordinator for the DRIVE SMART Weld County Program. “This program has a long and consistent tradition – over 20 years – of working with high schools countywide to educate young drivers on safe driving.”

In fact, in 2022 alone, the program reached approximately 16,500 Weld County students through educational programming that addresses the dangers of unsafe driving. “This program works with first responders, law enforcement officers, semitrailer drivers and others to talk honestly and frankly about the perils of unsafe driving,” said Martinez.

State Farm, a longtime supporter of the program, recently awarded the DRIVE SMART program a $10,000 grant in the form of their “2023 Good Neighbor Citizenship Award.” Funds from this grant will help ensure the program continues into the next year and further helps teach teens about safe driving.

“State Farm has awarded this grant to Weld County for the past 20 years,” said Martinez. “They are a great partner that has donated more than $165,000 to the DRIVE SMART programs over that time. We truly appreciate their commitment to this cause.”

To learn more about the DRIVE SMART Weld County program and how your teen driver can participate, please visit drivesmartweldcounty.org or call (970) 400-2325.”

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W e l o o k f o r w a r d t o c o n t i n u i n g f u t u r e - p r o o f i n g f i b e r h o o d s a n d p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n l o c a l e v e n t s l i k e : H o u s e o f t h e M o n t h , F i s h i n g D e r b y , T r u n k o r T r e a t S t r e e t , H a r v e s t F e s t i v a l , a n d T h e H o l i d a y P a r a d e OUR FIBER LIGHT SHINES BRIGHTER

BECAUSE OF YOU, THANK YOU.

Democrats Plan to Send Coloradans $2 Billion in Taxpayer Refunds through a System They’ve Blasted as Inequitable

Ahead of the 2022 election, Jared Polis and Democrats in the legislature sped up TABOR refund checks and made them flat. This year, they’re reverting to a default system. by Jesse

Paul, The Colorado Sun

The Colorado legislature is on track to issue about $2 billion in taxpayer refunds through a system that the Democratic majority at the state Capitol has previously blasted as inequitable.

State lawmakers have broad authority over how to refund money collected above the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights cap on government growth, which is calculated annually based on population and inflation increases. But this year, lawmakers are choosing not to exercise that power and instead rely on a default refund mechanism adopted by the General Assembly in 1999, when Republicans were in charge.

The default mechanism links refund amounts to each taxpayer’s income, based on six income tiers. Under the system — called the six-tier sales tax refund mechanism — people who make more money get bigger refund checks in the mail. The approach is meant to refund more money to people who pay more in taxes.

The checks are expected to arrive after people file their tax returns each spring following fiscal years in which there is TABOR surplus.

However, in 2022, ahead of the November election, Gov. Jared Polis and Democrats in the legislature made a one-year change, sending out TABOR refund checks much earlier — in August and September — and in amounts that were the same for everyone as opposed to tied to income. Each Colorado taxpayer received $750 or $1,500, depending on whether they were a single tax filer or a joint filer.

Democrats argued that the flat refunds were more equitable because they ensured people who most needed the money received more than they would have gotten under the six-tier system.

The governor and Democratic state lawmakers celebrated the refunds — branding the checks a “Colorado dividend” — even though the party has in the past pushed to end TABOR refunds and generally loathes TABOR, the 1992 constitutional amendment approved by voters.

This year, however, Democrats have decided to revert to the six-tier system.

“That’s the plan right now,” Senate President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, told reporters last week.

And with about a week left in the 2023 legislative session, which ends May 8, there’s not much time for lawmakers to reverse course.

“I think we want to find something that’s equitable,” Fenberg said, “but in the long term.”

Two sponsors of last year’s bill that made the refund checks flat and sent them out earlier told The Colorado Sun they would have preferred the legislature continued the flat-rate system.

“It was the most equitable solution,” said Sen. Robert Rodriguez, D-Denver.

Sen. Tony Exum, D-Colorado Springs, said he thinks the six-tier refund mechanism is unfair. But, he said, “it’s not my decision.”

That’s a nod to Capitol leadership’s view of how TABOR refunds should be handled. But Senate Majority Leader Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City, was the most blunt about his feelings on the six-tier mechanism.

“I think we’ve demonstrated that the six-tier sales tax rebate system is not equitable,” Moreno said earlier this year. He argues that if Colorado is refunding taxpayer money, people who need the dollars most should get more benefit.

Republicans, meanwhile, are calling Democrats hypocrites for reverting to the sixtier mechanism. “It’s not an election year,” observed Rep. Rod Bockenfeld, R-Watkins.

The governor’s office didn’t respond to requests for comment. Polis said late last year that he wanted to use the TABOR surplus to lower Colorado’s income tax rate, which is how money was refunded before voters approved a 2022 ballot measure slashing the rate so low that a reduction was no longer automatically triggered.

Michael Fields, a conservative fiscal activist who leads the political nonprofit Advance Colorado, said he’s OK with Democrats using the six-tier system. “I think the important thing is that TABOR refunds are going back to taxpayers instead of the government keeping and spending (the money),” he said.

But the Bell Policy Center, a liberalleaning fiscal policy nonprofit, has called the six-tier system unfair. It pointed out in 2021 that 79% of Colorado taxpayers fell into the bottom three tiers.

“While the income amounts in each tier has changed over time, the percentage of Coloradans in each tier and the percentage of the dollars available that go to each tier has not,” the organization wrote in a policy paper.

The exact amount of money the legislature will have to refund is in flux. The Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting forecast in March that the state would collect $2.7 billion in excess of the TABOR cap in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. (That’s money that would be refunded in April 2024.)

That amount is subject to change based on economic conditions. The legislature is

also planning to tap into potentially hundreds of millions of dollars of the surplus to expand tax breaks for families and lower-income Coloradans and to offer people relief from what is expected to be a sharp rise in property tax bills. And, finally, about $150 million of the TABOR refunds will automatically go to local governments to account for any property tax exemptions claimed by local seniors and disabled veterans.

In the end, the surplus available for refund checks may be closer to roughly $2 billion, according to Colorado Sun estimates.

Nonpartisan Legislative Council Staff projected in March that, under the six-tier system, Colorado taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of less than $50,001 in 2023 would get a $480 TABOR refund check if they are a single filer and a $960 if they file jointly.

LCS projects that people in the top income tier, who have an adjusted gross income of $279,001 or more, would get a $1,514 refund check if they are a single filer and a $3,028 check if they file jointly.

There was talk among some Democrats earlier this year about asking Colorado voters to forgo their TABOR refunds and direct the money to K-12 education funding. That plan, however, was never formally pursued.

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

Got a Colorado driver’s license? Expect to run into problems with TSA at the airport.

The Transportation Security Administration says it doesn’t yet have a timeline for when its database will be updated so that Colorado IDs are recognized by Elliott Wenzler, The Colorado Sun

But the TSA database needs to be updated to allow for Colorado IDs, Dankers said. There are more than 2,000 CAT units in 223 airports nationwide, including in Denver International Airport.

“We are looking to integrate technology into our security processes,” she said. “The use of CAT, credential authentication technology, should be our primary way of verifying the identity of the traveler and their travel plans. But that doesn’t mean it’s the only way.”

The Colorado Department of Revenue, which manages the state’s ID production, has been alerted to the issue, but says they have no reason to believe their technology is the problem.

Thales, a French IT company, is the producer of Colorado IDs. That company purchased a smaller organization that previously made the IDs, called Gemalto.

“We’ve gone through this process and we’ve found nothing on our end to suggest it’s our error,” said Daniel Carr with the Colorado Department of Revenue. “Everything is up to date and functioning as it’s supposed to.”

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

Weld Central FFA has Two State Winners at the Colorado State FFA Convention

As Coloradans scurry through security checkpoints in airports across the country this summer, they may notice one consistent hiccup: their driver’s licenses being flagged.

That’s because the Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, has a glitch in its new security system that’s only affecting Colorado IDs.

“Our folks who manage the database are aware of this,” said Lorie Dankers, spokesperson for the TSA.

Dankers said TSA couldn’t provide any specific detail about why their system has issues with Colorado IDs or when the issue would be resolved.

If a traveler’s license is stopped by a TSA machine, however, they need only show their boarding pass to be allowed through, she said.

“I think one thing is people in Colorado have falsely come to believe that it could prevent them from traveling, and that’s absolutely not the case,” she said.

Dozens of Coloradans responded to social media posts from The Colorado Sun sharing their stories of Colorado IDs being denied, with many stating the issue has only happened at airports other than DIA.

“It can take around five to eight attempts before the machine will finally accept my license. Each time they run it through the machine, it takes awhile for it to process and decide if it wants to accept it or not,” said Shawn Taylor, a Denver resident. “It’s a pain, especially when I’m running a little late. I also feel bad for the people waiting in line behind me.”

Several people also reported that TSA agents seem to expect the issue the moment they see a Colorado ID.

“The TSA personnel were nodding and chatting to themselves, ‘yep, a Colorado license, happens every time,’” said Denver resident Kim Konkel.

While some people said they only needed to show their boarding passes to enter the terminal, others reported more significant delays, such as being told to step aside for additional security measures or to return to their airline counter.

That’s what happened to Carla Donelson, a Littleton resident, when traveling back to Denver from Corpus Christi, Texas, with her 92-year-old father. After TSA couldn’t scan their IDs, they were denied entry, even after securing a new boarding pass, she said. They were told there was an issue with their IDs even though they hadn’t had any problems in their outbound Denver flight.

“In the end, with our flight being called for boarding, they did some sort of manual override that allowed us to proceed through security so that we could run to make our flight,” Donelson said.

Mark Repsher, a Lafayette resident, has run into the issue several times as he travels once or twice per month for his job as an energy consultant.

Repsher, who has TSA precheck, has had his ID rejected in multiple cities other than Denver, including Chicago and Detroit, he said. Most of the time, he simply shows his boarding pass to the agent but in one instance, he was asked to present his passport. Several other travelers also reported being asked to present their passports, even for domestic flights, when their ID wouldn’t scan.

“It’s usually the TSA agent and myself kind of laughing because we both know what’s happening because it happens a lot,” Repsher said.

by Sarah Madsen

Weld Central FFA took 27 FFA members to the State FFA Convention in Pueblo, CO on the days of June 5-8, 2023. FFA members were able to compete, attend sessions and workshops and connect with other members from around the state. The following students attended the convention: John Howard, Garrett Hall, Rylie Malocsay, Charlotte Goodman, Courtney Bydalek, Cody Bydalek, Breanne Dowdy, Brielle Bange, Hannah Auer, Citlali Calixto, Kennedy Cardillo, Peyton Witzel, Abby Stannard, Kayla Kitzman, Emily Spayd, Kashley Hayden, Tanner Rupple, Tessa Schutter, Cyler Troutner, Frederick Weisenborn, Jacob Turner, Aaron Rodriguez, Gavin Kitzman, Aubree Klausner, Sydnee Klausner, Leah Rupple, and Sydney Patrick.

Hannah Auer competed in the Extemporaneous Speaking Contest. She received Gold and was the State Winner. Citlali Calixto competed in the Agriscience Fair. She received Gold and was the State Winner in Division 3 of the Plant Systems category. Both members will represent Colorado at the National FFA Convention this fall. Garrett Hall competed in the Employment Skills contest and received Bronze. Weld Central FFA was recognized as a Gold chapter for the National Chapter Award contest.

Emily Spayd and Kennedy Cardillo were selected to be the delegates to represent the Weld Central FFA Chapter. They attended business meetings and were placed in committees to vote on different topics that impact Colorado FFA. John Howard volunteered his time to be a part of the Courtesy Corps where he helped Colorado FFA with the various contests offered at the convention. He received a state leadership pin. Peyton Witzel was recognized for receiving a scholarship through the Colorado FFA Foundation. Her scholarship was awarded from Occidental Petroleum Company for $1000.

Ten members from Weld Central FFA received their State FFA Degrees. This is the highest degree that Colorado FFA can confer on a member. Congratulations to Hannah Auer, Brielle Bange, Cyler Troutner, Sydnee Klausner, Sydney Patrick, Emily Spayd, Kayla Kitzman, Leah Rupple, Cody Bydalek, and Hannah Culp.

Abby Perez, State Executive Committee Member, retired from her Colorado FFA State Officer position at the convention. She did a wonderful job representing the Weld Central FFA chapter during her year in office as she traveled around the state and country serving the thousands of members in Colorado FFA.

Overall, the Weld Central FFA members had a successful convention. Congratulations to those who competed or received awards!

People process through security at Denver International Airport on April 27, 2022. (Hugh Carey, The Colorado Sun)

Passengers enter TSA security at DIA on October 27, 2021. (Jeremy Sparig, Special to the Colorado Sun) The problem began when TSA introduced a new system called Credential Authentication Technology, or CAT, that allows travelers to only show their driver’s licenses when going through security checkpoints, rather than having to also show a boarding pass. Their system then checks the ID with a database of ticketed travelers over that 24-hour period.

Riley Gaines: Defending Female Athletes

by Ambassador Callista L. Gingrich

This week marks the 51st anniversary of the enactment of Title IX, the historic federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex at federally funded educational institutions.

The passage of Title IX in 1972 significantly expanded opportunities for women in education and in competitive sports. As a result, participation in female sports greatly increased. During the 1971-1972 school year, just 294,015 girls participated in high school sports, compared to 3.67 million boys. By contrast, during the 20212022 school year, 3.2 million girls participated in high school athletics, compared to 4.4 million boys.

Similar increases occurred in women’s sports at the collegiate level. The number of female athletes at NCAA schools grew more than seven-fold from 1971 to 2020, with 215,486 women playing college sports in the 2020-2021 school year.

Today, these advancements are under threat as the Biden administration works to expand Title IX by putting forward a new Department of Education regulation requiring that schools allow biological males who identify as females to compete in women’s athletics.

As Heritage Action describes, “Biden’s regulation creates an almost unclearable hurdle – for every women’s sport, every school will be forced to demonstrate the risk of a ‘sports related injury’ to females in order to prevent the participation of males.”

As these threats to opportunities for women in sports continue, Riley Gaines, a 12time All-American swimmer with five SEC titles and a former athlete at the University of Kentucky, has emerged as a steadfast defender of female athletes.

Gaines began her advocacy work after competing against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, who swam for the University of Pennsylvania men’s team for three years before becoming the first openly transgender woman to win an NCAA swimming title in 2022.

At the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming Championship, Riley and Lia tied for fifth place – within one-hundredth of a second – in the 200-meter event, and Lia became a swimming champion after beating University of Virginia’s Emma Weyant by more than a second in the 500-meter freestyle.

The biological advantages that Thomas had over the other female competitors sparked immense criticism. But despite so many female athletes being pressured to stay silent and accept the infiltration of women’s sports by biological men, Riley spoke out against the injustices being forced upon female athletes.

Shortly after the championships, Gaines said, “I have realized there are so many girls who feel the exact same way as I do but are told they can’t say anything… But what I’ve realized is if we want a change, you have to use your voice. We have to let people know as a group that a majority of female athletes — or females in general — are not okay with this.”

Gaines has continued to speak out, standing in solidarity with female athletes across America. She recently shared some of the messages she has received from young athletes on Twitter.

One young girl wrote to Gaines, “The same biological male who I raced in [cross country], I also raced in track. It all just feels unfair, I have absolutely no power to do anything.”

Another female athlete wrote to Gaines, “You’re a huge inspiration to me. Today, I found out that I didn’t qualify for [cross country] state because a transwoman took my spot. It’s my senior year in high school, and I’ll never get that chance again. Thank you for what you are doing.”

Gaines has not only used her voice and her platform to offer encouragement for young female athletes but also to call for political action.

On June 21, Gaines testified before the US Senate Judiciary Committee and recounted her experience competing in the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming Championship.

“I know that I don’t speak for every single person who competed against Lia Thomas but I know I speak for many because I saw the tears,” Gaines said in her opening statement. “I saw the tears from the ninth and 17th place finishers who missed out on being named an All-American by one place. I can attest to the extreme discomfort in the locker room from these 18–22-year-old girls when you turn around and there’s male eyes watching in that same room. And I can attest to the whispers and the grumbles of anger and frustration from these girls who just like myself worked their entire lives to get to this meet.”

As the Biden administration seeks to expand Title IX protections to biological men, the advocacy efforts of Riley Gaines to defend female athletes are a source of hope and inspiration for women striving to achieve their dreams.

2. Parts Smart Carquest Stage

1. Rival Services Stage

3. Morgan County REA Stage

5. Vap Construction Stage

4.

Glenn Miller Park, Downtown Fort Morgan

Colorado Democrats Want To Ax Social Studies From State Standardized Tests. Here’s Why.

A bill introduced last week would end state testing for fourth and seventh graders, and save the state more than $1 million per year by Erica Breunlin, The Colorado Sun Elementary and middle schoolers could stop taking state standardized assessments in social studies starting next year under a bill introduced last week by a group of Democrats, who want to spare Colorado teachers and students the time and stress of testing and save the state more than $1 million each year.

Scrapping social studies would be the latest change to standardized state tests, which have ignited fiery debates among parents, educators and lawmakers, especially in recent years as state testing was paused in 2020 during the pandemic and modified the following year.

The change would also hit a subject that has sparked its own controversies across the state and country, with some parents and critics questioning the ways social studies teachers talk to students about history and the groups of people whose history is covered in class.

In November, the Colorado State Board of Education voted along party lines, 4 to 3, to adopt more inclusive standards for social studies and bring back references to marginalized groups, including Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, Colorado Public Radio reported. The vote came after both public support and opposition, including a failed attempt to instead use the conservative American Birthright social studies standards.

In proposing to do away with social studies tests on state assessments, Sen. Janice Marchman, a Loveland Democrat, aims to ease testing burdens on kids and educators and save the state money for what she sees as more pressing education needs — including paying teachers more and keeping class sizes low.

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“It’s hard to do that when we have so many commitments to pay for things like tests,” said Marchman, a prime sponsor of Senate Bill 61. “In my mind, this was lowhanging fruit.”

The state pays Pearson, a global company that provides textbooks, assessments and other education materials, more than $1 million per year for social studies state tests alone, according to Marchman.

Social studies is the only subject that the state mandates students be tested on. The federal government requires students to be assessed on the other subjects that are part of the Colorado Measures of Academic Success — English language arts, mathematics and science.

The state originally required that all students take a state exam in social studies in elementary, middle and high school, according to Jeremy Meyer, spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Education. In 2015, lawmakers passed legislation scaling back social studies testing on state standardized exams, changing the state’s approach to testing so that only a sample of schools would test students in elementary, middle and high school in social studies. The state used a staggered schedule, dividing schools into three groups with each group facilitating social studies state testing once every three years. A 2020 bill passed into law further reduced testing by eliminating social studies state exams for high schoolers altogether.

Students in fourth and seventh grades still technically are required to take state assessments in social studies when their school is up for testing every three years, but the state has halted social studies testing since 2019, in part because testing was paused in 2020 during the pandemic and modified in 2021. The state has continued to suspend testing in social studies in light of social studies standards having to be updated, which was completed with the State Board of Education’s vote in November. All state academic standards are evaluated on a six-year cycle.

Meyer noted that should the state stop testing elementary and middle school students if Senate Bill 61 passes, there would be no impact on school accountability as the exam results are not incorporated into Colorado’s school accountability system.

Marchman, whose career has included working as a middle school gifted and talented teacher and remediating small groups of middle schoolers who need extra help in math, sees an opportunity to lighten students’ testing load and even free them up from a day of exams. Schools often try to spread out testing to help students feel less pressure on state assessments, she said, noting that often means schools devote an additional day to social studies exams for fourth and seventh graders.

Mark Sass, who taught high school social studies for 26 years, most recently at Legacy High School in Broomfield, supports the end of state social studies testing so long as lawmakers are thoughtful about how they spend the savings. He’d like to see at least part of the money directed to CDE to help them find ways to increase participation on state assessments in other subjects, especially science, which has a low participation rate.

“We have to prioritize resources right now,” said Sass, who is executive director of Teach Plus Colorado, which helps teachers inform education policies. “And participation rates with math, English and science as well as social studies were down, and so … if we take this off the table and this then allows districts and schools to be able to increase participation rates in the other exams, then I would say, let’s prioritize that, let’s do that and let’s get rid of the social studies exam.”

But one question hovers top of mind for him.

“How does the state ensure or monitor that districts indeed are using standards that meet or exceed those standards that were set by the state?” Sass asked.

Marchman is confident that district assessments can effectively measure how well students are meeting state standards in social studies. District assessments will have to be tweaked after updates to the state’s social studies standards, and Marchman believes districts can show through their own assessments that they are meeting the revised state standards.

She added that educators have more control over district-level assessments and can better use the results to inform their instruction. Whereas teachers don’t receive CMAS results until the summer after students are tested in the spring, district assessments are graded much quicker. Teachers can use the results to adjust their instruction throughout the school year as they see immediately what concepts students grasp and areas where they lag behind, Marchman said.

Teachers, not outside testing organizations, should take the lead in determining what each student should know by grade level, she said.

“Who better to do that than the teachers who are held accountable to the standards of that grade level?” Marchman asked.

But Sass said that should social studies state tests be pulled, it will be up to each district to decide how they want to test their students. Some districts may not prioritize testing in social studies since it would not be a priority for the state, he said.

State Rep. Meghan Lukens, a Democrat from Steamboat Springs who is cosponsoring the bill, said tests are an important part of measuring student learning but is adamant that students can benefit long term from other ways of engaging with class material through debates, simulations, mock trials and civic-based projects.

“Social studies is essential to the success of our democracy, and we will still be teaching social studies,” said Lukens, who previously taught social studies for eight years, last at Steamboat Springs High School. “Students will still be learning social studies, and just because students aren’t being tested by a state-mandated assessment doesn’t mean that there won’t be engagement in social studies. In fact, there’s a lot of evidence that there are more effective and authentic ways to maximize student engagement in every subject.”

Other lawmakers, however, worry that doing away with social studies state tests will lead Colorado classrooms astray.

“Certainly we’d be moving in the wrong direction,” said Minority Leader Sen. Paul Lundeen, a Monument Republican. “I care deeply about democracy. I care deeply about understanding social studies because that helps us understand who we are as a state and as a country and as a people.”

Lundeen noted that this year’s state education budget will total about $15 billion, and that the amount the state would save by axing social studies state exams would be “minuscule” in comparison. Those funds are “well spent,” he said.

Testing is also a critical part of helping students know that they’re actually learning what they set out to, Lundeen said, adding that social studies is one of the “core elements” of education that warrants assessments.

“Testing on social studies demonstrates our commitment to civil society, to understanding civics, to understanding the Constitution, to understanding the rights we have as people,” Lundeen said, “and to turn our back on that is an error.”

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

They’re Not Victims

by Bill O’Reilly

The United States has lost its way. But you knew that. We are living in a time where personal responsibility means little. And a vivid example of that is people who consume hard drugs.

How dare you? Your behavior has led to millions of deaths. You, yourself, are at grave risk and, depending on your addiction level, are worthless to society.

By buying narcotics, you fuel lethal domestic drug gangs and the ultra-vicious Mexican cartels. When you pollute yourself with intoxicants, you harm those who depend on you. Most child abuse and neglect is caused by substance abusers.

Often, you are so screwed up you can’t earn an honest living. So you have to steal, sell poison to others, or prostitute yourself to buy drugs. You sometimes live in the streets, crashing civility and causing hard-working taxpayers to spend millions cleaning up after your “lifestyle.”

You have literally destroyed entire neighborhoods in San Francisco, Chicago, Baltimore, and other chaotic places that consider you a victim.

Of what? Nobody forced you to become a drug addict and lawbreaker. Yes, you may have an addictive personality, but so do millions of others who do not devote their lives to intoxication. The Constitution does not give you the right to “pursue happiness” by hurting people or walking around stoned all day.

The hard truth is you should be isolated from society, given “treatment”, and, if you continue your druggie ways, isolated for a longer period of time.

You, Mr. and Ms. drug user, contribute nothing to this country. You cause pain by committing crimes and ignoring your responsibility as productive human beings.

You are not victims. Only fools believe you are. Clean up before you die in a drug haze. Stop hurting innocent people in your selfish pursuit of inebriation.

It is long past time to call these drug addicts out, alcoholics as well.

Enough. Stop the excuse-making. These people have to be confronted. Not coddled.

Retiring Workers Find New Life Through University of Colorado Denver Program

by Jason Gonzales, Chalkbeat

Superstar Talent is Disappearing

by Bill O’Reilly

Geraldo Rivera will be 80 years old on July 4, which is very hard to believe. I’ve known the Long Island icon for four of his eight decades. We were rivals, colleagues and presently teammates in raising money to help autistic Americans.

As Dennis Miller might say ‘Geraldo is a different kind of cat.’ Driven, energetic, determined to stick up for the underdog. Geraldo and I had one of the most intense debates in cable news history over illegal alien criminals. You should Google it.

Now, Geraldo is leaving Fox News where he toiled for 23 years. If you follow the TV News industry, you know profound changes are taking place. The golden age is over for both broadcast and cable. Things will never again be what they were.

I was incredibly fortunate to know the titans: Mike Wallace, Peter Jennings, Barbara Walters, Ted Koppel, Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford, Tom Snyder, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Brit Hume, Charles Krauthammer and, yes, Geraldo.

Because of woke and cancel culture as well as greedy, incompetent news managers, super star talent is disappearing. To dominate, you have to take risks. Not happening anymore. Too much danger. Better to play it safe.

So, sorry to see Rivera go. Just about last legacy man standing. As Bob Hope once sang, “thanks for the memories.”

More Missteps from the FBI

by Bill O’Reilly

Donald Trump caught a significant break this week when the Senate Homeland Security Committee issued a report that said the FBI received information in advance about the January 6th attack on the US Capitol and did nothing about it.

The report is striking because it’s bipartisan and clear, once again, the Bureau violated its own guidelines by ignoring information that, obviously, should have been passed along to the public.

In analyzing the report, it is clear (but not stated) that the FBI had assets inside the far right Proud Boys group, some of whom have already been convicted for crimes on January 6.

But, apparently, the FBI ignored the information gleaned from its own spies.

Retirement can be about more than pickleball and world

For some retirees, winding down a career could mean transitioning to other work or dedicating part of their time to passion projects, said Todd Matuszewicz, 60, who plans to retire soon. Figuring out which is next, however, is the hard part.

“After working for 35 years, at the end of it, there’s no exit strategy,” said Matuszewicz, a neon sign maker and former educator. “That’s not taught as part of education. They say here’s chemistry, here’s your history, but there was no one saying: We’re going to help you on the back side.”

But Matuszewicz found help through the University of Colorado Denver Change Makers program. The pilot program, which started this year, joins a growing list of programs nationwide that are helping older adults prepare for how they want to spend the next phase of their lives.

The program is a priority for school leaders who want to serve older adults because they want the school to be “a university for life,” said Anne Button, the program’s founding director.

Here and nationally, schools also have looked for new ways to bring in students. Some schools have faced declining enrollment since the pandemic, and lower birth rates will mean fewer college-age students to teach in the future.

While many people retire in their 60s, some live well beyond retirement, Button said. Many will also continue working, but don’t have a direction on how to use their skills without working full-time, Button said.

“Many people feel there’s a lot more productive time left,” Button said. “People at 60 really could have three decades left of productive years.”

The Change Makers program graduated its first class of 17 students in the spring, including Matuszewicz. The program, which costs about $3,200, has students meet two nights a week over four months. Students can audit classes, reflect on their accomplishments, and hear from guest speakers on topics such as aging, socialemotional health, and volunteering.

The program culminates in participants writing a 90-day plan on how to transition into their next job, wind down their careers, or find another purpose.

Terri Harrington, 66, said she’s tried to come up with a plan for what’s next. The program didn’t inspire a great epiphany for her, but allowed her to map out how she would begin to slow down.

“It set aside time for me to think about it,” she said. “They also had us do different projects like look back on your life and chart out the significant events.”

One of her happiest memories is cooking at the family farm in Nebraska, and she said that helped her realize how much she wants family to play a role in her retirement. Harrington said she wants to still work as an attorney, but also spend more time helping with her granddaughters and contribute occasionally at the family farm in Nebraska.

“I can spend more time there and spend more time with my family,” she said “I can work as little or as much as I want.”

For Matuszewicz, the class inspired him to try to find flexibility in his work schedule while still using the skills he’s acquired.

His goal is to step away from making signs and start a nonprofit that helps preserve Denver’s historic neon signs. The change would mean less hard labor, but would allow him to still be connected to the neon sign work he loves.

“I’m hoping to transition into more of the public face of it,” he said.

Matuszewicz plans to submit a grant proposal to the National Trust for Historic Preservation to help him start his nonprofit. He has plenty of work ahead of him figuring out how many neon signs need to be saved in the Denver area. He wants to ensure neon sign makers continue the tradition — he estimates there are only six sign makers in Denver — and that the city can keep its history.

It’s a busy but fulfilling retirement plan, Matuszewicz said. And he’s happy pickleball isn’t a part of it.

Jason Gonzales is a reporter covering higher education and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat Colorado partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Contact Jason at jgonzales@chalkbeat.org.

Special Prosecutor Jack Smith is still investigating whether former President Trump committed crimes by “instigating” the Capitol riot. Now that allegation becomes very hard to prove if extremists crafted a conspiracy weeks before January 6.

It is no surprise that the corrupt corporate media has largely ignored the Senate report, just as it ignored Trump’s overture to the Pentagon on January 5th to alert the National Guard.

Nice, honest press we have in this country, right?

So Donald Trump should have one less legal thing to worry about. But you never know what will come out of the swamp.

Todd Matuszewicz, 60, a neon sign creator, poses in front of a neon sign he restored. Matuszewicz participated in the University of Colorado Denver’s Change Makers program to help him figure out what he wants to do when he retires. Photo courtesy Todd Matuszewicz

travel.

- ObituaryKenneth Donald Lange

Kenneth Donald Lange, 19252023, 97 of Tucson, AZ formerly of Hudson, CO went home to his Savior on Saturday, June 3, 2023. Kenneth was born in Siebert, CO. In 1948 he moved to Brighton with his family where is worked as a dairy farmer. In 1957 he moved his dairy farm to Hudson, CO. In March of 1958 he married Edna Zoch of Harrold, Texas. In 1972 he opened up a jewelry store, Lange’s Jewelry, in Brighton, CO until his retirement in 1992. He served as an elder and Sunday School Superintendent at Grace Lutheran Church in Hudson. He also served as an elder at Lord of Life in Thornton, CO. A memorial service will be held on July 8, 2023 at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Tucson, AZ at 11:00 AM.Kenneth is survived by his wife, Edna Lange, his sons: Mark (Juanita) Lange of Tucson, AZ and Roy (Andrea) Lange of Boise, ID and his daughter: Joan (Kent) Ford of Mineola, TX. Six grandchildren: James, Abby, Ollie (Julia), Cody, Jacob, and Cooper. His sister, Ruby Kunkel. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Arthur and Minna Lange, sister, Ruth Stewart and brother, Dale Lange. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Kenneth’s memory to Redeemer Lutheran Church, 8845 N. Silverbell RD, Tucson, AZ. Memorial service will be held on July 8, 2023 at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Tucson, AZ.

United Power Announces Request for Proposals for Next Round of Planned Power Needs

Brighton, Colo.—United Power, one of the nation’s fastest growing electric distribution cooperatives, issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) on June 23 for additional wholesale electric power products. The RFP seeks projects of up to 300 MW to supplement the general wholesale power contracts the cooperative has already secured in advance of its exit from its current power supplier next May.

Resources sought through this RFP are targeted for deployment and/or purchase in 2025-29.

“This newest RFP continues our commitment to building a comprehensive power supply, not just for when we exit, but as we grow into the future,” stated Mark A. Gabriel, President and CEO of United Power. “We are very interested in not only purchasing power, but in developing new, cleaner generation that is sourced locally. This will help to assure we continue to provide the reliability our members expect, while keeping costs as low as possible.”

Open to both new and existing resources, the RFP is soliciting power sources that will help the cooperative meet longer term environmental goals as well as the expected system growth. Additionally, the RFP seeks strategic partnerships with developers who can plan and execute distributed energy resources on United Power’s local distribution system.

United Power serves nearly 110,000 meters and maintains and operates over 6,500 miles of distribution line. The 900-square mile service territory wraps around the north and west borders of the Denver International Airport and includes the north metropolitan development corridors along Interstate 25, Interstate 76, State Highway 85, and E-470. As a result of its geographic location, United Power’s system is experiencing significant demand and energy growth, averaging approximately 6% annually.

United Power has contracted with The Energy Authority (TEA), a national energy marketing and risk management services provider, to issue the RFP and administer the RFP process. Commitments of intent to participate in the RFP are due by July 10. Respondents must submit proposals via TEA’s RFP Marketplace (rfpmarketplace.teainc.org) by July 24.”

“Questions about the RFP or RFP process may be directed to UPIRFP@teainc.org.

Premier Farm Credit Seeking Capital Markets Analyst

We are seeking a self-motivated individual to help us grow and manage our Capital Markets participation portfolio. The position may be located in Sterling, Fort Morgan, or Yuma CO with options available for remote or hybrid work once fully trained. Responsibilities include analyzing audited financial statements of complex worldwide industries, evaluating industry trends and forecasts, preparing recommendations on credit packages which includes writing credit narratives, evaluating credit risk by analyzing financial, operational, and industry factors for new and existing customers, and recommending loan related actions for approval. Other duties include monitoring accounts noting compliance with financial covenants, performing portfolio trend analysis, assist with credit administration and preparation of Association reports. The successful candidate will be detail oriented, have knowledge of credit and financial analysis, including cash flow analysis, balance sheet analysis, profitability, liquidity, and solvency analysis, possess a high level of accountability for work performed, possess excellent communication and analytical skills, be proficient in Excel, have the ability to quickly develop high competence in company loan system programs, ability to work independently with minimal guidance, as well as collaboratively in a team environment, excellent organizational and time management skills, with the ability to meet deadlines and adjust to changing priorities. Bachelor’s degree preferred in Business, Accounting, Finance, Agriculture, Economics or a related field along with one year of related experience. Grade and salary commensurate with experience with base salary range of $45,000-$75,000 plus team bonus opportunity. Excellent benefit package includes 401(k) with 3% employer contribution and up to 6% matching, 12 vacation days, 15 paid sick days, 10 paid holidays, medical, dental, life, and vision. Position will be open until filled. Send your cover letter, resume, and application to Recruiting@PremierACA.com or to PO Box 1785, Sterling, CO 80751. EOE/AA/M/F/V/D

Seeking New Team Member

We are looking for someone who is willing to learn a trade in furniture building and we also do spray foam insulation. This position is 40 hours per week

Starting pay is $15

Call us at 970-518-2883

We are a team here and we want to grow as a team Raised in a Barn Furniture

Ben’s Brick Oven Pizza 2023 Car Show

Pictures by Pat Lentell

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