CHECKS AND UNBALANCES
Aurora city budget appears stretched to the point of cuts or new taxes
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DAVE PERRY Editor
Trump and Musk can be president, but there is no ‘royal we’ in the US
Now this is a place I didn’t see finding myself as I was growing up and growing old. I’ve never been one for sticking to all the rules and clenching my jaw when others strayed.
I’m a scofflaw, however, but not a criminal. I carry generations of Catholic and Jewish guilt like thorns on my chromosomes. I never ski out of bounds. I don’t cheat on my taxes. I shovel my walk every time it snows.
If, however, I can do 85 mph on I-70 across Kansas, I will — until I see what looks like it might be a cop in the bar pit. Those fancy antibiotics you’re supposed to take at the exact same time every day? I’m good through maybe Day 2, then I try to get them in whenever.
I’m an unapologetic liberal kind of guy, though. I find it really easy, and rewarding, to forgive people. I would much rather like someone than not, and with very few exceptions, I pretty much find something to like in everyone.
So it’s bizarre to me that I, and people like me, are suddenly hoisted into a position to be the voice of law, order, rule and reason.
The guy who was duly elected to run the country, in just three short weeks has broken a drawer full of laws, and he’s pissed as hell because he’s being held accountable.
• President Donald Trump unilaterally, and outside the Constitution and rule of law, nuked a variety of government agencies and programs, funded by Republicans and Democrats in Congress. The U.S. Impoundment Act, which he violated, controlling how the president gets to cut Congressionally approved programs, is court-tested and true.
• As president — when playing by the rules is supposed to park and step aside from his financial interests to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, let alone risks of committing fraud or treason — said he wants to buy land in Gaza and open a golf resort.
• Trump and his bro-boss Elon Musk broke into secure government computer systems in several parts of the government in an effort to glean
personal and government information to use in other illegal efforts to usurp the power of Congress. Does “separate but equal” not ring even a faint bell with any of these people?
The list of lawlessness is as long as the stack of papers Trump signed with his Sharpie to skirt the Constitution.
After victims of Trump’s antics went to the courts and were granted orders to make the Trump administration stop violating the law, his team pulled a Richard Nixon and hinted that they would do what they damn well please, because, “who’s gonna stop me?”
It’s as if a herd of people elected to and appointed to run the country not only never took a high-school civic class, but they are unaware that there is such a thing as constitutional law, and how that is how we run the country.
After federal courts told Musk to stop violating the law by breaking into government computer systems and pretending to fire all kinds of federal employees, he and Vice President JD Vance had public temper tantrums, which appears to be the Gen-X alternative to lawyering up.
“If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal,” Vance huffed on his social media post Sunday. “If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal. Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”
This guy is a Yale law grad. Clearly, he never tried or won a case. He certainly won’t win this one.
Musk is not a lawyer, but he is an expert at having tantrums over anything to do with ethics, accountability, reality or honesty.
“A corrupt judge protecting corruption,” Musk howled with smarting knuckles. “He needs to be impeached NOW!”
Musk is a modern incarnation of Marie Antoinette channeling her inner Queen of Hearts in a nation that’s been turned into a Lewis Carroll nightmare. Some day, when this is all over, the musical version will be called
“Trumperwocky.” This very anti-conservative, lawless, dishonest duo of Tweedle Don and Twaddle Scree are just part of the nightmare.
As Team Trumpster made good on threats last week to send in the ICE brigade and demand “papers, please” from anyone they encountered in Aurora apartments with brown skin and Latino accents, their D.C. bosses had whiny melt-downs when forced to follow the law.
Border bros Tom Homan and Michael Banks told the Fox News TV people following them around across Denver and Aurora that they were shocked, shocked and dismayed that they were unable to make good on Trump’s promise to fill buses with immigrants and drive them straight to Guantanamo Bay, or someplace.
Banks blamed media leakers for tipping off immigrants and their supporters about the raid Trump and the Trumpettes have been talking about in detail every day since he was elected. They walked away with one unnamed person who supposedly is a gang member. Nobody from ICE, the DEA, the ATF or the White House Press Office has released the identities of the handful of other people whisked away, violating all kinds of Constitutional laws and court precedents precluding the United States from becoming one of the banana republics that so many legal refugees risk their lives to escape from.
Trump won the election, not a crown and scepter. Sure, the way this works is that he gets to do whatever he wants now, within the confines of the law and Constitution.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve smiled politely at the herds of political conservatives who have unloaded long and detailed lectures to me about our “Constitutional Republic” and the critical foundation of “the rule of law.”
America needs those conservatives more now than in its entire history.
Follow @EditorDavePerry on BlueSky, Threads, Mastodon, Twitter and Facebook or reach him at 303-7507555 or dperry@SentinelColorado.com
People along with members of congress protest during a rally against Elon Musk outside the Treasury Department in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
WITHOUT EVIDENCE, TRUMP OFFICIALS SAY MEDIA LEAKS TO ACTIVISTS HINDERED AURORA IMMIGRATION RAIDS
President Donald Trump’s border czar last week blamed local news media leaks for hindering a large-scale operation in Aurora that President Trump has held up in his efforts to link violent crime with immigration.
Border Czar Tom Homan offered no evidence to support his claim, made earlier in the day by the U.S. Border Patrol Chief.
More than 100 members of the Tren de Aragua gang were targeted Wednesday at apartment buildings and other sites in Aurora and Denver, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
It was unclear how many people were arrested. Fox News, which was embedded with the operation, said 30 people were detained, including at least one person accused to be a member of the Venezuelan gang. But White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said more than 100 members of Tren de Aragua were deported from Colorado on Wednesday. She offered no details or evidence.
No local official from the federal agencies has released information about the operations. Rocky Mountain DEA spokesperson Steffan Tubbs told the Sentinel last week that his agency would not release details because Homeland Security led the effort.
It was not clear where more than 100 people would have been sent since Venezuela does not currently accept its citizens back. The Defense Department said Wednesday that 10 people sent to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were Tren de Aragua members.
ICE, which promoted the operation on social media shortly after it got underway, referred questions about the raids, including arrest totals, to the Department of Homeland Security, which did not immediately respond to a Associated Press requests for comment Feb. 6.
Requests from the Sentinel beginning Feb. 5 have gone unanswered.
Dozens of heavily armed officials from several federal agencies, many wearing masks and arriving in armored vehicles, swarmed locations across the metro area in the daylong operation that had been anticipated since
Trump took office. They knocked down doors in at least one apartment building and provoked outrage among activists, who were on scene at some of the operations and taunted agents as they worked.
Homan, told reporters Thursday that details on the operation had been leaked, putting officers at risk. Media reports leading up to the raids said they were imminent.
Numerous immigrant rights activists told the Sentinel on Thursday they have been preparing for months for raids, and have for the past several days been taking “shifts” among volunteers and staying at apartment buildings previously targeted by local and federal officials. They were the same apartment complexes where raids occurred.
“This isn’t a game,” Homan said.
“We know that TDA is dangerous,” he added, referring to the Venezuelan gang. “Everybody can agree to that, but when they get a heads-up that we are coming, it’s only a matter of time before our officers are ambushed. Their job is dangerous enough. So we are going to address this very seriously.”
While speaking to Fox News, Homan said he would consider withholding information from the media in a “blackout” effort.
While campaigning in Aurora last year, Trump said he would target migrant gangs nationally, calling it “Operation Aurora” after a widely circulated video showed some armed members of Tren de Aragua entering an apartment in the city of 400,000 people shortly before a fatal shooting outside.
Hannah Stickline said six heavily armed officers knocked on her door in Denver’s Cedar Run apartments around 6 a.m. Wednesday and demanded to see her identification. After she showed it, they asked which of her neighbors were in the country illegally. She refused to answer.
“It’s insulting and it’s infuriating because I would never snitch on my neighbors,” she said.
Fernando Martinez, who stayed the night at a friend’s apartment in the complex, said Drug Enforcement Administration agents knocked on their door and then used a battering ram
to open it. He said a stun grenade landed at his feet before the agents threw him to the ground. He was not detained after showing identification.
Three people have died because of fentanyl at the complex in the last month, the DEA said.
Trump’s campaign promise of mass deportations has raised expectations of large-scale operations. ICE averaged 787 arrests a day from Jan. 23 to Jan. 31, compared to a daily average of 311 during a 12-month period ended Sept. 30 during the Biden administration. ICE has stopped publishing daily arrests totals.
Homan, who was in Colorado for the operation on Wednesday, said arrests will increase once “the aperture opens up beyond criminals.” ICE, which has been publicizing arrests with the caption, “The Worst First,” has said people with criminal histories are their immediate — but not only — priority.
“I’ve made it clear that if you’re in the country illegally, you’re not off the table,” Homan said.
Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said “more than 8,000” people in the country illegally had been arrested since Trump’s inauguration through Wednesday, with 461 later released for reasons that included medical conditions and lack of detention capacity.
Wednesday’s operation included the largely empty apartment complex where the viral video was taken in August. Residents have been moving out because all but one of its buildings is set to close Feb. 18 after a judge said it was a public safety threat.
In December, police say a group of people that included seven suspected Tren de Aragua members tied up, pistol whipped and terrorized two fellow immigrants from Venezuela at the complex. Nine people, initially put in ICE custody, are being prosecuted on state charges and transferred to the local jail.
Aurora and Denver immigrant rights activists say weeks of preparation made them ready for Operation Aurora Immigration rights activists say that, at least for the Aurora raids, federal officials appeared to be targeting residents potentially in violation of immigration law, not for crim-
inal offenses.
“This action, taking place in Aurora, a focal point of Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric, is a direct attempt to criminalize immigrant communities,” Colorado Immigration Rights Council officials said in a statement. “ Aurora Councilmember Alison Coombs, who has been critical of local and federal efforts to round up immigrants solely on suspected immigration application status, lambasted the raids on Wednesday.
“It is both predictable and despicable that ICE raids are targeting places in Aurora and Denver where Venezuelans are known to live immediately after the current administration revoked Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans,” Coombs.
She referred to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ending protections that shielded roughly 350,000 Venezuelans from deportation, leaving them with two months before they lose their right to work in the U.S. President Joe Biden has extended the TPS designation for Venezuelan immigrants and refugees for 15 months, just as he was leaving office. Noem’s move reverses that decisions, putting tens of thousands of immigrants at risk for deportation.
Coombs said she agrees with a local effort to ensure immigrants know their rights.
“Always ask for a warrant signed by a judge, ask to talk to a lawyer, and maintain your right to silence by not answering any questions,” Coombs said. “When living under fascism, we must do all that’s within our power to resist.”
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman said the raids illustrated a larger problem.
“I think these raids are a symptom of a broken immigration system where it has been far too easy to come into the United States illegally and far too difficult to come into our country legally,” Coffman said in a statement. ” As a former member of Congress, this should be a wake-up call for the members of both parties to come together and pass a comprehensive immigration reform that secures our borders, helps grow our economy, and is compassion-
BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Colorado, and COLLEEN SLEVIN, THOMAS PEIPERT, JESSE BEDAYN AND MATTHEW BROWN, Associated Press
ate to those seeking an escape from persecution.”
The Aurora raids were garnering outright support from some residents and community leaders in the area being targeted for raids.
“If you come into our community to commit crime and sell drugs and prostitution, kidnap and torture people, and you come immigrated without documentation, you should be deported because you’re here actively committing crimes, not only against citizens but also other people who are undocumented immigrants,” said Stephen Elkins, who lives in a neighborhood of one of the raided apartments and is preparing to run for Aurora City Council in Ward I.
He said he’s sympathetic to immigrants in the community, but he thinks the raids are a net benefit for Aurora.
“I think it’s all happening so fast, and people are confused,” Elkins said. “My heart goes out to people who are confused and afraid that they may be deported, but at the same time, people who are committing violent crimes in our community against other people, other Venezuelans, against other American citizens, and they need to be held accountable.”
Some neighbors agreed with those comments.
Northwest Aurora resident David Bottoms, who lives on the same block as the Edge at Lowry, said he’s relieved the raids are happening, and that the Edge is being shut down. He said his car was stolen, and when the police returned it, the car was trashed and had instructions on how to use fentanyl.
“Watering my lawn twice last summer, I walked out into the middle of a gunfight,” Bottoms said. “So yeah, get them out of here.”
Bottoms and other neighbors started a neighborhood watch safety group last summer to be proactive, saying that they felt abandoned by their city and state leaders when crime soared after people were moved into the Edge. He said he doesn’t have a problem with immigrants, but he wants the criminals out, which includes people who entered the country illegally.
“That used to be a pretty decent, quiet neighborhood for the most part,” Bottoms said. “These people
AROUND AURORA
Denver and Aurora schools see dip in attendance amid ICE raids
As news spread over the last two weeks about the potential for immigration enforcement actions across the Denver metro area, anxious parents and students stayed home from school in greater numbers than usual.
Both Aurora Public Schools and Denver Public Schools saw slight dips in attendance on days when immigration officials were rumored to begin raids.
In Aurora, about 79 percent of students showed up for school on Thursday, Jan. 30, when reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement were planning a mass deportation effort first surfaced. Earlier in the week, attendance had hovered around 90 percent.
This week, when those actions actually happened on Wednesday, Feb. 5, attendance at Aurora Public Schools had rebounded again to around 90 percent. Denver saw a lower decline in atten-
showed up, and we have random shootings all week long for no reason. There’s trash all over the place. Nobody really seems to care about your next-door neighbor. No respect for anyone.”
City officials have laid blame for the crime and slum-like conditions on the owners of the Edge apartment complex, citing absent and poor management for the dilapidated conditions and lack of security.
Statewide, Democrats stepped up criticism of raids that swept up immigrants not accused of or linked to crimes.
“Reports that ICE was blocking school buses picking up kids and preventing families from leaving their homes are deeply troubling,”
Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper said in a statement. “We all want criminals off of our streets. Securing our border doesn’t require targeting children and families who have committed no crimes.”
Aurora Democratic Congressman Jason Crow said public safety is critical.
“If someone, regardless of their immigration status, is committing violent crimes, they have no place in Colorado,” Crow said. “But I do not support rounding up our peaceful neighbors, family members, and small business owners who live, work, and contribute to our community.”
ARAPAHOE COUNTY
State lawmakers also jumped into the fray, telling immigrants and their families they would continue to push back against efforts to link documented and undocumented immigrants with criminals.
Aurora Democratic state Sen. Iman Jodeh said immigrant rights activists groups and others appear to have been successful and helping immigrants from being unlawfully carted off by instructing them on their rights and how to handle immigrant police confrontations.
She said the day filled with news about immigration arrests was unnerving.
“Martin Luther King said, ‘We must commit to what is said on paper, that all men are created equal.’
And then he continued to say that, ‘we must understand the urgency of this moment and today,’” Jodeh said. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that because right now, all people are not equal, but the allies of those who are targeted understand the urgency of now.”
dance figures with a little over 84 percent attendance on Thursday, Jan. 30 — closer to its average attendance for the week than Aurora — and 87 percent on Feb. 5.
The last couple weeks have brought uncertainty and fear for many students, families and staff in the Aurora and Denver school districts.
The Trump administration has said it will focus on detaining and deporting immigrants in the country illegally who commit violent acts, but the Wednesday raids saw agents knocking on random apartment doors asking residents if they knew where any “undocumented” immigrants were.
ICE didn’t show up at any schools in Aurora or Denver, according to both school districts. Still, schools have been on pins and needles after guidelines were rescinded that prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement from carrying out immigration enforcement in “sensitive locations” such as schools, hospitals, and churches.
Some reports put the number of school-aged children in the country illegally at between 733,000 and 850,000. County offices closed
But all students, regardless of immigration status, have a constitutionally protected right to access free public education. The arrests trigger fear in children about their parents being deported.
Hinkley High School social studies teacher Bryan Lindstrom, who saw one of the raids on his way to the school, said his attendance was slightly below average Wednesday but it was much worse Thursday, Jan. 30 when there was warning about a raid, which was eventually called off.
“I had students on Wednesday in tears worried about what to do,” he said.
That Thursday, about a third of his students showed up to the Aurora school. Lindstrom said he’s educated himself on his rights as a teacher, and educators at his school keep “Know Your Rights” cards in their rooms if a student feels they need one.
“Our principal has been very clear on our willingness to make sure that students in our building are safe,” he said.
Some students know warrants are needed for agents to enter school and home but “most people in the community realize if they are undocumented, the most dangerous point of it is the transition from home to school.”
Early Wednesday, social media amplified the fear and spread false rumors such as a family being apprehended at a bus stop. What actually happened was the ICE raid at the Cedar Run Apartments complex forced buses to reroute, missing a stop.
DPS Superintendent Alex Marrero was on his way to a school Wednesday in the area of the action and stopped by when he heard that a DPS bus had to be rerouted due to a bus stop that was blocked by a law enforcement barricade.
“He was there to ensure DPS students had the opportunity to get to school,” the district said in a statement.
Some students are fighting back. On
Wednesday, students from high schools across Denver joined a large protest around the Capitol.
— Jenny Brundin and Andrew Villegas, CPR NEWS
Children’s Colorado halts gender-affirming treatments for minors, citing Trump order
Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora has stopped giving all gender-affirming medical treatment to patients 18 years old and younger.
The decision, announced in a memo to all hospital staffers Feb. 5, comes in response to the Trump administration’s executive order last week directing hospitals that receive federal research and education grants to “end the chemical and surgical mutilation of children.”
Children’s Colorado is a safety-net hospital. Because “nearly half” of its young patients are covered by Medicaid, according to the memo, the executive order threatens its “ability to receive federal healthcare funds that support the care of hundreds of thousands of patients.”
The hospital’s decision means new gender-diverse patients will no longer be given puberty blockers and other hormone-based gender-affirming medical treatment. Those already on such medications will have access only until their prescriptions expire. After that point, Children’s will continue to provide those patients with behavioral and emotional supportive care services, but not medical treatment toward a gender identity that differs from the sex they were assigned at birth.
“Unfortunately, we may need to make additional and/or sudden changes to this path if additional external factors arise,” the memo added, seeming to anticipate further executive orders from the Trump administration.
Newsline obtained the memo from a hospital staff member who received it. Patrick O’Rourke, the hospital’s chief legal officer, confirmed its authenticity.
The hospital noted in a statement to the news media later Wednesday morning that it “has never provided gender-affirming surgical care for patients under the age of 18.” It did perform some surgeries for patients 18 and older until the summer of 2023, when it started referring surgical patients to other hospitals.
Many families of young patients turned to Denver Health, which is also a safety-net hospital. But because Denver Health receives more than half of its revenue from the federal government, it announced after President Donald Trump’s order last week that it has stopped providing gender-affirming surgeries for people under the age of 19.
“The loss of this funding would critically impair our ability to provide care for the Denver community,” reads a Jan. 30 statement in which Denver Health explained its leadership’s reasoning.
That statement goes on to say, “We recognize this order will impact gender-diverse youth, including increased risk of depression, anxiety and suicidality.”
As for hormone therapy and puberty blockers, Denver Health spokesperson Jacque Montgomery said Wednesday that, at least for now, prescriptions for people 18 and under are “being handled privately with each individual patient and provider.”
Physicians, legal experts and civil rights advocates told Newsline that, because all hospitals that provide some sort of gender-affirming medical care to minors are evaluating their response to Trump’s order, it is unclear which besides Denver Health might continue to do so.
Flu cases most intense in 15 years. Colorado and Aurora see spikes, too
The local and national winter virus season is in full force, and by one measure is the most intense in 15 years.
Across Colorado, including Aurora, public health officials report a noted uptick in cases of influenza reported and flu virus detected in regional sewer systems.
“Positivity” test results among about 20 wastewater collection systems across the state show a 24% increase over results from one week ago. Colorado state health department results show that Type A Influenza is virulent and prominent in the Aurora region.
One indicator of flu activity is the percentage of doctor’s office visits driven by flu-like symptoms. Last week, that number was clearly higher than the peak of any winter flu season since 2009-2010, according to data posted Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Of course, other viral infections can be mistaken for flu. But COVID-19 appears to be on the decline, according to hospital data and to CDC modeling projections. Available data also suggests another respiratory illness, RSV, has been fading.
So far this season, the CDC estimates, there have been at least 24 million flu illnesses, 310,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 deaths — including at least 57 children. Traditionally, flu season peaks around February.
Overall, 43 states reported high or very high flu activity last week. Flu was most intense in the South, Southwest and western states.
U.S. health officials recommends that everyone 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccination.
Police say boy, 15, shot himself in the hand in Aurora park, not robbers
A 15-year-old boy who told police two unknown men attempted to rob him late Feb. 7 inside a northwest Aurora park apparently shot himself in the hand.
The shooting happened in Montview Park near East Montview Avenue and Chester Street at about 11:30 p.m.
“The victim said that two unknown males attempted to rob him at gunpoint when he fought back,” Aurora police spokesperson Agent Matthew Longshore said in a statement. “The boy was shot in the hand and was able to run home.”
After investigating the shooting, police said Sunday night that the boy shot himself in the hand.
Someone at his home drove the boy to a local hospital for treatment, police said.
Police said anyone with information can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and still be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000, police said.
— Sentinel Staff
Police say man who claimed being shot on the street was injured in apartment
A man who told police he was shot Jan. 7 afternoon by an unknown gunman while walking down a west-central Aurora street was actually shot by someone he knew inside a nearby apartment, police said.
Police and rescuers were called to South Galena Street south of Mississippi Avenue at about 1:30 p.m. to investigate a man who had been shot in the leg.
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Such care for transgender youth is statistically rare. As The Associated Press has reported, a new study shows that fewer than 1 in 1,000 U.S. adolescents with commercial insurance received puberty blockers or hormones during a recent five-year period, and most gender-affirming surgeries are not performed on youth.
Trump’s executive order labels gender-affirming care as “sterilizing” and “maiming,” dismissing guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health as “junk science.”
Colorado has drawn families from other, largely conservative states where hospitals have not offered gender-affirming surgical or hormone treatment to minors. It is unclear how, if at all, recent decisions by Children’s Colorado and Denver Health will affect the state’s reputation as friendly to gender-diverse people of all ages.
— Susan Greene, for Colorado Newsline
About 44% of adults got flu shots this winter, the same as last winter. But coverage of children is way down, at about 45% this winter. It’s usually around 50%, according to CDC data.
About 23% of U.S. adults were up to date in their COVID-19 vaccinations as of late January, up from about 20% at the same point in time the year before. COVID-19 vaccination rates for kids were about the same, at around 12%.
— MIKE
STOBBE AP Medical Writer and Sentinel Colorado
COPS AND COURTS
Teenagers injured in parking lot ‘shootout’ at Aurora Skate City
An unidentified teenage boy and girl were injured Feb. 8 during what police described as a “shootout” in the parking lot of Skate City in Aurora.
The shootings occurred at about 5:30 p.m.in the southern part of the parking lot of the skating rink, 15100 E. Girard Ave. police said in a statement Saturday.
The teenage boy, whose age was undetermined, was driven to a nearby hospital after the shooting. His injuries were described as “serious.”
The girl,14, was treated by rescuers at the scene and rushed to a nearby hospital. Her injuries were described as non-threatening.
“Numerous shell casings of different calibers have been located in the parking lot, and additional evidence was discovered nearby,” police said. “No suspects have been positively identified, and no arrests have been made.”
Police said a preliminary investigation revealed that the victims knew the shooting suspects.
Police said anyone with information can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and still be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000, police said.
— Sentinel Staff
The man said he was walking along the street when an unknown person opened fire and hit him in the leg.
“After detectives spoke with the man, it was learned that the shooting actually occurred inside of an apartment following a confrontation between known people,” police said in a statement. “No arrests have been made, and no other information about suspect(s) will be released until they are arrested.”
— Sentinel Staff
Police arrest suspect in November double shooting at Aurora apartment
Police arrested an 18-year-old Denver man Jan. 4 in connection with the double shooting of two unidentified men in late November at an east Aurora condominium complex.
A police SWAT team arrested Javaris McClain while he was at the 24600 block of East Applewood Circle, according to Aurora police spokesperson Agent Matt Longshore.
His arrest is in connection to the shooting of two men who were injured Nov. 29 at an east Aurora condominium complex, police said.
Police were called to the Foxdale Condominiums, 18400 block of East Kepner Place, at about 6:15 p.m. after multiple residents in the area called dispatchers to report gunfire, according to Aurora police spokesperson Agent Matthew Longshore.
The men were not identified by police, other than one is 20 years old and the other 18 years old.
When police arrived, they located one of the men in the area, who was seriously injured. He was transported to a nearby hospital, suffering life-threatening injuries.
“The other man self-transported to a local urgent care before being taken to the hospital with serious injuries,” Longshore said. “Detectives responded and have begun their investigation into the incident, but it does not appear that there are any outstanding suspects.”
Potential charges against McClain were not available, and McClain was not yet booked into the Arapahoe County jail.
— Sentinel Staff
The Magazine
Black History Month explained:
ITS ORIGINS, CELEBRATIONS AND MYTHS
BY SENTINEL
Schools, community organizations and cultural centers across Aurora, the region and the nation are marking Black History Month — a celebration of Black history, culture and education.
The history of the month dates back almost a century, and the way it is celebrated and evolved has created history in itself.
The origins of Black History Month
Black History Month wasn’t always a month-long celebration. In February 1926, historian and author Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week. It was a week-long celebration in an effort to teach people about African-American history and the contributions of Black people.
This effort was made under the umbrella of an organization he founded in September 1915 called the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, or ASALH.
“I think Black folks understood what they had contributed to America’s historical narrative, but no one was talking about it,” said Kaye Whitehead, the organization’s president. “No one was centralizing it until Dr. Carter G. Woodson was in 1926.”
After he passed away in 1950, the members of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, which Dr. Woodson was a member of, did a lot of groundwork to encourage celebrating the week. The fraternity was also responsible for the push to extend the celebrations to a full month. Eventually, in
1976, President Gerald Ford became the first president to issue a message recognizing the month.
Since then, presidents have made annual proclamations for National Black History Month, a tradition that President Donald Trump plans to continue, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Celebrating Black history
The Association for the Study of African American Life and History releases a theme for each year, which is a practice Woodson started.
This year’s theme is African Americans and Labor. The organization plans to use the month, and the rest of the year, focusing on the role of Black labor in building the nation through industry or community work.
Black history is also celebrated within communities and families.
Worth K. Hayes, an associate professor of history and Africana studies at Morehouse College, said some families may use the month to explore their genealogy, learn about their ancestors or come together to eat a meal and make family trees.
“We may be more familiar with the more public ways, but there are also a lot more intimate ways in which these messages are spread and the way that the holiday is propagated,” Hayes said.
At some schools, assemblies or gatherings are held to honor Black leaders, according to the nonpartisan organization the Center for Racial Justice in Education.
“Some schools invite elders to share their wisdom and lived ex-
periences, allowing young people to learn from them, ask questions, and build meaningful connections across generations,” the center said in an email to The Associated Press. “Additionally, some communities select specific topics or principles for in-depth exploration during the month.”
Aurora and Cherry Creek schools officials point a wide range of events across the month.
Myths about Black History Month
Myths around Black History Month continue, Whitehead said, including the idea that the U.S. government purposely chose the shortest month of the year. In reality, Woodson chose February because two prominent figures in the civil rights movement — Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass — had birthdays in the week he chose.
Whitehead also stresses that Black history shouldn’t just be taught for the month of February, but rather taught and celebrated for the entire year.
Celebrities, including actor Morgan Freeman, have criticized it being just a monthlong celebration. But Hayes argued that the month isn’t just about celebrating African-American history, but Black history as a whole.
“I think that there is this desire to make this point that African-American history or Black history is so integral to the American story, American history,” Hayes said.
“But that reduces Black history to African-American history, and that’s not how it is and is celebrated from its origins to this day … So if you’re
talking about Black History Month, you’re not only talking about Nat Turner, you’re also talking about Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution. You’re talking about many of the women and men who led the independence movements on the African continent.”
Whitehead added that Black history is not just for Black people, it is for all people.
“If you’re in an environment and everybody in the environment is white, you need Black History Month more than ever because you need to understand that the world, even though you like to believe it fits into this box, it does not,” Whitehead said.
Black history doesn’t rely on a presidential proclamation, Whitehead and others said. Whitehead said Black people don’t need permission to mark the month.
“It doesn’t happen because we’re waiting for a statement to be released. We proclaim it, We celebrate it, we uplift, we center it and we help people to understand that this is our history,” she said.
Black History Month in 2025
At least one government agency has paused celebrations of cultural or historic events, including Black History Month. But at the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the decisions of the new Trump administration around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives will not affect how Black History Month is celebrated.
“Negro History Week started in
1926 without any proclamation from anyone other than the people,” said ASALH executive director Sylvia Cyrus. “The president of the United States has his views, and certainly we assume that he understands the contributions that African Americans and other people of color have made.”
A White House spokesperson has said that they intend to celebrate the month.
Some believe how Black history is taught could be affected by the new administration’s outlook on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs.
The Center for Racial Justice in Education said educators may be more encouraged to teach Black history in their classrooms throughout the year. “Resistance takes many inspiring forms, and those dedicated to celebrating this essential history are employing creative and strategic approaches to share and further develop it,” the organization said in an email.
Hayes agreed and said it could encourage others to teach communities about the contributions of Black people.
“African Americans, Black folks throughout the world, just like all cultures throughout the world, have taken ownership of their history,” he said. “And these various political developments may shape the contours of it. But this story is going to be told regardless of the political dynamics of the particular time.”
Atlanta Postmaster Kevin Helmer, second from right, and Clark Atlanta University professor Carol Mitchell-Leon, second from left, unveil a poster of the postage stamp with the likeness of Gone with the Wind’s Hattie McDaniel, as Keisha Simmons, left, and Kevin Hill, look on during a ceremony to honor her at the Margaret Mitchell historic homeplace in Atlanta, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2006. AP Photo/John Amis
COLORADO STAFF WRITERS AND HAYA PANJWANI Associated Press
Black history events in the Aurora region
“Gee’s Bend” at the Aurora Fox Building on a lauded Fox show from last season, “Gee’s Bend” runs through Feb. 23 at the venue’s main stage.
Written by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder and directed by local theater and documentary icon donnie l. betts, the show focuses on issues surrounding the Southern Freedom Movement.
Set in the isolated town of Gee’s Bend, Ala., the play spans the years 1939, 1965, and 2002, following Sadie and her family as they navigate segregation, family struggles, and the Southern Freedom Movement. At the heart of the story are the family’s extraordinary quilts, which serve as symbols of comfort, creativity, and resilience. Ultimately, the recognition of these quilts as art empowers the women and honors their legacy.
“Gee’s Bend” builds on the Fox Theater’s exploration Black American history, continuing the conversation begun with August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean” in 2024.
Recommended for all ages, “Gee’s Bend” offers stories of perseverance, artistry, and the enduring power of family.
IF YOU GO:
Event: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays Through Feb. 23 with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. and Friday and Saturday curtains at 7:30 p.m. Venue: Aurora Fox Arts Center, Tickets: $17-$52 with details at AuroraFoxArtsCenter.org or call 303-739-1970
We are Black History: Our Legacy Lives On panel
Colorado Black Women for Political Action will be hosting a program that will feature a panel discussion on the proposed Colorado Voting Rights Act (SB25-001), moderated by CBWPA President Bianka Emerson. The panel speakers include
Javon Brame, a Justice for Black Coloradans commissioner, who brings insights into equity and representation in voting rights. Aly Belknap, representing Common Cause Colorado, offers expertise on voter advocacy and the legislative process. Terrance Carroll, president of the Sam Cary Bar Association, contributes a legal perspective on voting rights and policy. The evening will also feature a reception and DJ, creating a lively space for networking and community engagement. This event is supported by organizations such as Colorado Common Cause, Colorado Black Women for Political Action, Traillionaires, and Collaborative Healing in Communities, highlighting a collaborative effort to address critical issues affecting Black and other marginalized communities and advocate for fair voting practices in Colorado.
IF YOU GO:
Event: Black History Month, Our Legacy Live On panel When: 6 p.m. Feb. 13
Where: The Clayton Hotel, 233 Clayton St. https://docs.google.com/ forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjB-yFCd5ixDQL15imRpMASS7_Hc5ZzSd3HvnFJ34y9IalTw/viewform
From Cameroon to Colorado: Chocolate tasting and talk
Patrick and Mara Tchenuou, the husband-and-wife duo behind Bibamba Artisan Chocolate, will share their journey of love, culture, and chocolate with the community. Guests will enjoy a guided five-piece tasting of their Cameroonian-sourced chocolate while learning about the mission of their business and its connection to Colorado. The event will feature a Q&A moderated by Rachel Waugh from the Museum of Food and Culture, and attendees will receive a gift bag from Bibamba Artisan Chocolate — just in time for Valentine’s Day.
mance will transport audiences to the birthplace of jazz, celebrating one of America’s most iconic musical traditions. Soulful melodies, infectious rhythms, and top-tier musicianship as Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra pay homage to the city’s legendary jazz scene.
IF YOU GO: When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21
Where: Parson’s Theatre, 1 E. Memorial Parkway Entrance Tickets: Online at NorthglennARTS.org or call the box office at (303)450-8888
DREAMCATCHERS:
The Untold Stories of the Americas
An evocative and moving dance production, “DREAMCATCHERS: The Untold Stories of the Americas” brings to life narratives that have been overlooked or forgotten. Through powerful storytelling, music and dance, this production explores the resilience, struggles, and triumphs of Black and Indigenous communities throughout history.
IF YOU GO:
School Show: 10 a.m. Feb. 27
Public Show: 7:30 p.m. March 8
IF YOU GO:
When: 6:30 - 8 p.m. Feb. 6
Where: History Colorado Center, 1200 Broadway
Rosenberry Lecture: Hattie McDaniel: A reflective life
Actress, singer-songwriter, and Colorado Women’s Hall of Famer Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win an Oscar for her role in 1939’s “Gone with the Wind”. A trailblazer in every sense of the word, McDaniel left an undeniable legacy through her work, including receiving two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and being credited as the first Black artist to sing on radio. Join McDaniel’s great-grandnephew, filmmaker Kevin John Goff, as he discusses new scholarship and personal family stories that shed light on her historic Oscar win and bring a fresh perspective to a history many know, but not many know well.
IF YOU GO:
When: 1 and 7 p.m. Feb. 19
Where: History Colorado Center, 1200 Broadway, Denver
Tickets $5 - $15
Parson’s Theatre honors Black History Month with music, dance and storytelling
The Parsons Theatre is celebrating Black History Month with a lineup of performances that celebrate the rich cultural contributions of Black artists. This February, audiences can enjoy the vibrant sounds of New Orleans jazz, a dynamic dance production showcasing untold stories of the Americas and a moving tribute to the legendary Queen of Soul.
The Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra: A Night in New Orleans with Tatiana LadyMay Mayfield
The Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra Ensemble brings the spirit of the Big Easy to Northglenn in A Night in New Orleans with Tatiana LadyMay Mayfield. This perfor-
Black People Know Things Trivia
Join the library for a robust in-person community event for Black people in Denver and elsewhere. Ideal for ages 18 and older.
When: 2-4 p.m. Feb. 15
Where: Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, 2401 Welton St.
Community Circle
A discussion-led event centering on the themes of elevation and education. Join the library for a facilitated conversation on personal growth, community activism and collective responsibility in a welcoming and respectful space. The capacity is 20 attendees, and the space opens 30 minutes early.
When: 6 - 7 p.m. Feb. 18
When: Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, 2401 Welton St.
Dearfield: Founding a Black Colorado Town
Enjoy a multimedia presentation in honor of Black History Month and learn about Dearfield, the largest and most successful African American town in Colorado history, founded in 1910. Ideal for ages 15 and older.
When: 4 - 5 p.m. Feb. 19
Where: Parson’s Theatre, 1 E. Memorial Parkway Entrance Tickets: Online at NorthglennARTS.org or call the box office at 303-450-8888
Portrait of Aretha Starring CeCe Teneal
Aretha Franklin taught us how to “Think” and demand “Respect” all while ridin’ on the “Freeway of Love!” InPORTRAIT OF ARETHA, CeCe Teneal honors the legacy of the Queen of Soul with personalized interpretations of both popular and niche songs from this 18-time Grammy Award-winning icon’s 50-year career.
IF YOU GO: When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28
Where: Parson’s Theatre, 1 E. Memorial Parkway Entrance Tickets: Online at NorthglennARTS.org or call the box office at (303)450-8888
Celebrate Black History Month at the Denver Public Library offers a bevy of events across February
Genealogy Drop-In Help
Get help with your family history research and answer questions about the library’s genealogy databases and collections by dropping in for help using library tools to explore family history or genealogy questions.
When: 1:30-3:30 p.m. Feb. 13
Where: Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, 2401 Welton St.
Teen Open Mic
Celebrate Black History Month with an open mic shoutout to Black creators of all types, current and past. Light refreshments provided. Ideal for ages 13-19.
What: 3 - 4:30 p.m. Feb. 16
Where: Central Library, Floor 2, Teen Space, 10 W. 14 Ave.
Where: Ross-Cherry Creek, 305 Milwaukee St.
Teen Block Party
Join the library for a block party celebrating Black heritage in Denver with music, food, vendors, and a Black heritage gallery walk. Ideal for ages 13-18.
When: 3 - 5 p.m. Feb. 21
Where: Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, 2401 Welton St.
Black History Month Art Exhibition Reception
Join the library for a reception honoring the Colorado artists featured in their Black History Month Art Exhibition, on display February-April.
When: 2 - 4 p.m. Feb. 22
Where: Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, 2401 Welton St.
Black Americans in the West
Learn more about Denver’s Black American West Museum, which highlights local stories and history spanning from the 1850s to the present day. Ideal for ages 13 and older.
When: 2 - 3 p.m. Feb. 22
Where: Park Hill, 705 Montview Blvd.
Skylark Reels: Abar
Join library patrons for a Kanopy screening of the recently restored blaxploitation superhero movie Abar: Black Superman (1977). Ideal for ages 21 and older.
6:30-8:30 p.m. Feb. 25
Where: Skylark Lounge, 140 S. Broadway
Black History Live
Black History comes to life in this presentation as acclaimed scholars/ actors portray significant historical figures like Louis Armstrong and speak about their lives and answer questions in character. All ages welcome. Limited accessible parking near the south entrance.
When: 10:30-11:30 a.m. Feb. 27
Where: Decker, 1501 S. Logan St.
Hattie McDaniel, left, was given the Motion Picture Academy award for the best performance of an actress in a supporting role in 1939 for her work as “Mammy” in the film version of “Gone With the Wind” on Feb. 29, 1940 in Los Angeles, Calif. The presentation of the award was given by actress Fay Bainter, right. AP Photo
LESS THERE BE MORE
City budget experts warn of likely budget cuts or tax hikes
BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Staff Writer
Amid sluggish city sales-tax revenues, a repealed employee tax and lingering inflation, city budget officials are predicting an $11.5 million shortfall in the city’s 2026 estimated budget that must be addressed.
The deficit is the calculated shortfall between estimated revenues for 2026 and preliminary city budget expenditures.
“What we’re talking about is revenue changes outside our projection,” said Greg Hays, the budget director for the City of Aurora. “Expenditure changes outside our projection, the 2026 projection is based on assumptions and math, and those assumptions can and will change.”
City lawmakers were briefed on the current and future fiscal picture for Aurora at a Feb. 1 workshop and what they might do to address a bleak budget outlook. There are essentially two choices, city administrators said: cut city workers and services, or raise some kind of taxes or fees.
The 2025 adopted budget calls for $1.4 billion in appropriations for all funds, $125.2 million more than the 2024 Original Budget of $1.3 billion. Of this, $91.8 million comes from increased operating costs over the previous year and a $33.4 million increase in capital spending. Much of the 2025 increase is linked to city water department costs, up $36.6 million in the department’s operating budget and $21.8 million for capital improvements.
The projected 2026 revenue deficit comes despite the 2024 general fund operating budget ending the year close to projections, Hays said.
The city’s budget is essentially divided into two types of expenditures: capital expenses, such as those linked to construction and materials, and operating costs, which consist primarily of city personnel.
Hays said current revenues dedicated to capital expenditures could be $5 million less than what was initially projected for the city to glean in 2025.
“We’ve got a five-year capital plan. So if you miss revenues in year one, that means you’re probably missing revenues in years two through five,” Hays said.
In short, what looks worrisome for 2025 capital improvement revenues could get worse, he said.
The anticipated $11.5 million shortfall in the city’s general fund includes the recent loss of the Occupational Privilege Tax or the “head tax” revenue of $6.1 million and other revenue shortfalls of $5.4 million, coming from taxes and fees.
Aurora’s Occupational Privilege Tax, or “head tax,” was a $2-a-month tax levied on each employee and employer in Aurora. It was introduced in 1986 and was projected to generate $6.1 million in revenue this year. The tax was repealed by city council last year amid controversy and
ended in January.
To address the 2026 project shortfall, city staff pointed to a few top issues that could affect the city’s need to cut expenses or raise taxes. City lawmakers voted last July to transfer Aurora domestic violence cases from city courts to country courts, ending prosecution costs as well as costs for public defense. The change is estimated to save Aurora up to $3 million annually. But the change won’t start until July, and it’s unclear how much firstyear savings will be during the transition, officials said.
For decades, Aurora has handled their own misdemeanor domestic violence cases in their municipal court.
This decision to end local control of those cases created controversy within the city council and the community, with some lawmakers arguing that funding the service already came with county responsibilities, while others expressed concerns about delayed court dates and cases would be mishandled by a county legal system already overwhelmed.
The cost of governing going up
Although Aurora’s sales tax revenue has increased over the last three years, city operating costs have also increased. While those tax receipts, approaching $300 million annually, have risen, they’re $2.1 million, under what the city initially projected for this year.
Aurora Sales tax revenues each year, according to city budget records, were:
2021: $245,602,264
2022: $268,778,704
2023: $282,127,085
2024: $292,675,825
Among the possibilities of creating a 2026 balanced budget, mandated by the city charter, are cuts in the city workforce, especially in unfilled positions. The city has about 3,500 fulltime, part-time and seasonal employees.
City officials said that while just keeping vacant positions open may be attractive, it comes with consequences.
The problem for Aurora is two-fold. Over the last several years, the number of city workers compared to the city’s population has waned, stretching services thinner, Hays said. Also, there are a number of unfilled city employee vacancies that are integral to city departments and services.
But stressing the current level of services is a real problem, city officials say. As the population has grown in Aurora over the last 20 years, the number of employees hasn’t kept pace.
“We’re down about 17% over the 20 years,” Hays said. “The population keeps going up. We’ve sort of flattened from a non-public safety perspective,” referring to employees outside of the police and fire departments.
Cutting $11 million from the 2026 budget will inevitably impact services, as employee costs make up 64% of the general fund, Hays said. Even if all the vacant, non-public safety positions were eliminated — creating a savings of about $8 million — it would not be enough to cover the shortfall.
“And that’s assuming that all those (positions) are unnecessary, which is not the case,” Hays said.
More money as an alternative to less spending
The city is also considering potential revenue increases. Options include increasing sales or property taxes or eliminating tax exemptions for items like food for home consumption and prescription drugs, which could generate more than $50 million a year.
“De-Brucing” city property taxes have also been mentioned and could add around $17 million in 2025, according to Hays.
The term refers to voters creating an exception to the state’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights constitutional amendment. The so-called TABOR measure requires voters to approve all tax increases. In addition, the law caps government revenues based on what was collected in previous years. The measure was promoted by Douglas Bruce, a Colorado Springs tax-protester, hence the reference to “Bruce.”
Aurora voters agreed to “DeBruce” sales and use tax revenues in the early 2000s, according to Hays. It essentially lifted a cap on how much sales and use tax can be collected each year. Aurora is currently not “DeBruced” for property tax.
It would require voter approval, and selling it to voters would be difficult. Aurora, like almost all metro homeowners, has seen substantial property tax hikes already in the past two years as property values have skyrocketed.
Other budget cuts on the table
One of the last places mentioned as a possible cut was removing $2.5 million for staffing and other operating costs for a new fire station in 2026. Hays clarified that he and staff were not suggesting it as a cut but were mentioning all the places the city could cut. The costs to build a permanent or temporary new fire station will come out of the Capital Projects Fund, according to Ryan Luby, communications deputy director.
Expansive housing growth
on the eastern side of the city, especially northeast in Aurora Highlands, hasn’t come with new fire-stations, critical for public safety response times and linked to homeowner insurance rates.
Fire Chief Alec Oughton said the Aurora Fire Department is seeking federal grants to help fund staffing for the two new fire stations. Officials are applying for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants, which could provide up to $5 million per year for three years to help cover payroll expenses.
The timing may be inopportune as the Trump administration has made a concerted effort to stall or cut billions in federal grants like these.
This funding would give the city time to identify long-term revenue sources to sustain the fire stations while navigating the ballot and funding processes.
No members of the city council backed cutting the fire station. Councilmember Françoise Bergan said her constituents, who live in the area that would be served by a new fire station, say they are even more concerned after the devastating wildfires in California.
The needed fire station resparked the ongoing city council skirmish over repealing Aurora’s employee “head tax.”
City lawmakers have argued and reversed itself on ending the $2 per employee tax for almost two years. In November, lawmakers filled the dais, and personal texts, with threats and political drama, as council members argued whether to follow through with plans to repeal the tax Dec. 31, 2024. The fireworks began when Bergan sponsored a postponement in the repeal, saying that expansive growth in the city’s northeast and southeast areas warrants new fire stations as a matter of public safety, and Aurora needed the head-tax money to pay for it.
After intense squabbling, Bergan’s proposed change failed, and the tax was ended in December, leaving multiple council members frustrated with finding a new way to fund the fire stations. Only one of the fire stations’ staffing is budgeted for 2026. The city plans to pay for construction of the new fire station from within the city’s capital improvement fund, according to Luby.
Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky told fellow lawmakers she is exploring a possible ballot measure to raise Aurora’s lodging tax by 1% or 2%.
Sales taxes, lodger taxes and similar levies on specific industries or services are traditionally strongly opposed by the tax
targets. Councilmembers Steve Sundberg and Jurinsky said Aurora has one of the lower lodging taxes in the state compared to most other cities. They did not detail where Aurora falls in the list, and against which cities.
“As of 2024, we have 6,471 available rooms subject to the lodger’s tax,” Randi Morritt, CEO of Visit Aurora, said in an email. “This is not the total number of available rooms in the market but rather the reliable supply of overnight rooms. Several exemptions from lodger’s tax factor into this number.”
Aurora lodging tax revenue from the last three years: 2022: $8,317,787
2023: $9,139,825
2024: $8,543,112
Jurinsky said she plans to negotiate with Ryman Property Group, the current owner of the Gaylord Rockies Resort, to “voluntarily” contribute an amount matching any approved tax increase. If voters pass a 1% to 1.5% increase, she said she hopes the Gaylord will provide the equivalent revenue to the city.
Gaylord officials did not return requests for comment as to whether they would volunteer to pay money to Aurora on their receipts at the 1,500-room conference center. Rooms at the Gaylord go for anywhere from about $300-$700 a night, according to the hotel’s website. Collecting an average room rate of $500 with 50% vacancy for the year would cost Gaylord owners upwards of $3 million a year — netting Aurora about the same — if it volunteered to “match” a 2% hike in lodger’s tax.
Ryman’s 2023 annual report stated that, companywide, Gaylord resorts saw an occupancy rate of about 65%, and the company showed near-record revenues and profits on about $2.2 billion in revenue for that year.
Financing of the Gaylord hotel has been a sore subject with many local and statewide elected and business leaders. In 2015, the hotel was given $300 million in Aurora tax credits and $200 million in state and other grants to build the $800 million conference center. Aurora still grants the tax exemptions for the hotel, which was touted as being able to prompt a tourism boom in Aurora.
Last weekend, some Aurora lawmakers bristled at the complicated and difficult job of asking voters to sanction new taxes targeting themselves or city businesses when lawmakers just ended one, the employee head tax.
“To be clear, we had a tax in place that the majority of this
council voted to get rid of, and now the idea is to replace it with literally another tax, and we have to go to the voters for it, to do exactly the same thing we could have accomplished three months ago,” Councilmember Curtis Gardner said.
Not just operation expenses, Aurora is eyeing $700 million in citywide improvements
The City of Aurora has $700 million in essential city capital improvement needs identified by a grassroots effort. This includes roads, parks, buildings and more. Although they haven’t identified precisely how they plan to fund the infrastructure needs, it would most likely require some kind of voter-approved tax hikes.
“We have a lot of needs,” Councilmember Curtis Gardner said in January when the city rolled out plans to solicit comments — and ultimately support — for a massive building program. “I think our staff has done a good job of winnowing that down to the most critical needs, which that number alone is nearly a billion dollars.”
An initial list of road, parks, public safety and cultural projects was identified by staff and City Council based on a number of factors, including, in part, significant need, the condition of the asset and readiness for construction,”city spokesperson Julie Patterson said in a statement.
Tier one projects include $24 million for a traffic management center, $18 million for Americans with Disabilities Act sidewalk compliance, $21 million for Fire Station 8 replacement and $54 million for a new police evidence storage warehouse.
Tier two projects include $35 million for bridge widening of Alameda Avenue over I-225 and $42 million for Utah Pool/Recreation Center improvements.
Tier three projects include $50 million for a new park on Alameda Avenue and Airport Road, $47 million for the City of Aurora Public Safety Training Center expansion and $17 million for a pickleball court in Ward V.
“We’re looking for monies through grants and everything to supplement, but that’s never enough.” Councilmember Bergan said. “We’ve talked about this the whole time I’ve been on council, about going out for a ballot initiative, and then we’ve never made it happen because it takes a lot of education to get to that point.”
Details about the city’s strategy surrounding public input have not yet been released.
Sentinel Colorado File Photo
For the third straight season, the Regis Jesuit girls swim team came home with the runner-up trophy from the Class 5A state meet.
The Raiders saw the state title slip away to Cherry Creek in the final event of the 2024 meet at the Veterans’ Memorial Aquatic Center, but they and the rest of the field entered the same pool Feb. 7 knowing another title for the Bruins was all but a foregone conclusion.
While Cherry Creek cruised to a fifth straight state championship, coach Nick Frasersmith’s young Regis Jesuit team performed well enough to again bring home hardware.
2013 with a time of 4:39.89, while the Cherry Creek’s 400 yard freestyle relay team surpassed the 3:22.42 of Hillary Thomas, Alex Todd (Martinez), McKenna DeBever and Franklin (Johnson) with a 3:21.52.
Smoky Hill earned 111 points for its highest point total since way back in 2011 (when it scored 121 in a sixth-place team finish) and was boosted by juniors Cameryn Walkup and Mia Noffsinger, who appeared in a championship final apiece.
State of pool
The Raiders didn’t have an individual champion, but the performances of junior Lexi Stramel and sophomores Ava Terella and Natalie Daum helped them accrue 312 points, second-most only behind the Bruins’ 456.
BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor
Smoky Hill racked up 111 points to place 12th, Grandview finished 14th with 104.5, Cherokee Trail collected 87.5 to take 17th and Rangeview tied for 28th with eight points accrued Thursday from diver Hailey McDonald.
The top individual finish among Aurora area swimmers came from Regis Jesuit’s Terella, who finished in second place in the 100 yard backstroke. Heritage’s Elise Ramsden swam a time of 56.11 seconds and touched out the 56.45 of Terella, who also placed fifth in the 100 yard butterfly.
Walkup — coming off a Centennial “A” League Championship meet in which she won two events and was named the league’s Swimmer of the Year — finished in fifth place in the 200 yard freestyle, while she also garnered 12th in the 500 free. Noffsinger, meanwhile, secured fourth place in the 200 yard individual medley and won the consolation heat of the 100 yard backstroke for coach Scott Cohen’s Buffaloes.
Grandview turned the page from several impactful seniors that graduated after last season and its point total went from 205 (when it was sixth) to 104.5, but that came with some strong performances from a young group.
Coach James Boone’s Wolves were led by sophomore Makenna Dyk, who tied for fifth in the 50 yard freestyle, the event she won a league championship in a week earlier. Dyk and freshman Paige Gust were the Grandview swimmers who placed in two events, while its relay performances were led by the sixth-place result of the 200 yard freestyle team.
For full 5A state team scores and results, visit sentinelcolorado. com/preps
Cherokee Trail — in the first season under Dalton Tainter-Paar as head coach — found points tougher to come by than the previous season, as the Cougars earned 87.5 after they had 155.5 the previous season.
Stramel and Daum each finished in third place in a pair of individual events to help boost the Raiders, who also claimed top-five results in all three relays. Daum came into the state meet as the top seed in both the 200 yard individual medley and 100 yard breaststroke, but she finished third in both. Stramel took third in the 200 and 500 freestyles.
Two of Regis Jesuit’s long-standing entries in the Colorado state recordbooks were erased during the two-day meet, both that involved former star and Olympian Missy Franklin (Johnson). Pine Creek star Madison Mintenko eclipsed her 500 yard freestyle record of 4:41.72 set in
Big performances for Cherokee Trail came from seniors, however, as Ava Zadigian (the Centennial “A” League champion in the 100 yard backstroke), placed eighth in the event as well as 12th in the 200 yard individual medley, while fellow senior Ella Drakulich placed 13th in the 200 IM and 14th in the 100 yard breaststroke.
Sophomore Felicity Meijer also placed in two events for the Cougars, whose top relay finish came from the 200 yard medley team, which finished sixth.
Rangeview got on the state scoreboard for the first time since 2019 with the 13th-place showing of McDonald in the 1-meter diving competition the previous day.
GIRLS SWIMMING
ABOVE: Members of the Regis Jesuit girls swim team pose with the Class 5A state runner-up trophy that the Raiders secured on Feb. 7 at the Veterans’ Memorial Aquatic Center. BELOW TOP: Regis Jesuit’s Jamie Young punches the water after winning the consolation heat of the 50 yard freestyle. BELOW MIDDLE: Cherokee Trail’s Olivia Jisa, left, Ella Drakulich, center, and Ava Zadigian react after their sixth place finish in the 200 yard medley relay at the 5A girls state swim meet. BELOW BOTTOM: Smoky Hill junior
Mya Noffsinger leaves the wall on her way to 11th place in the 100 yard backstroke.
PHOTOS BY COURTNEY OAKES/AURORA SENTINEL
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Grandview’s Sienna Betts becomes Colorado’s alltime leading rebounder
Sienna Betts has long stood out with her play over four seasons with the Grandview girls basketball team and statistically — at least in one category — she stands alone in Colorado history.
In the first half of a Feb. 5 Centennial League home contest against Overland and on Senior Night — where she was celebrated along with fellow seniors Leiava Holliman, Deija Roberson and Maya Smith — the 6-foot-4 Wolves’ star snared the rebound that put her on the top of the state’s all-time list for a career.
Betts needed eight rebounds to get in front of Discovery Canyon’s Ashton Prechtel, who had 1,336 in a four-year career at Discovery Canyon between 201519. With a defensive rebound in the late stages of the second quarter of Grandview’s 72-22 victory, Betts surpassed Prechtel in the 18th game of her senior season. She was credited with 20 rebounds in all to go with 21 pointsascoach Josh Ulitzky’s Wolves won their ninth straight game.
“Honestly, it’s not like I’m going out and trying to get all these rebounds,” Betts said. “I think I get lucky with my positioning or I read the shot and I’m in the right spot. I feel like it’s just a part of my game and something I pride myself on. … It’s a big honor.”
Among the players Betts passed on the list were her own sister, Lauren — who had 980 between 2018-22 — as well as another former Wolves star in Michaela Onyenwere, who had 1,061 between 2013-17. Sienna Betts was credited with 243 rebounds as a freshman, 429 as a sophomore, 374 as a junior and she had 283 coming into the game against Overland.
Ulitzky noted how few other players from large classifications were in CHSAA’s all-time top 20 for rebounding and that Betts had done it against a high level of opponents.
“I think it’s a pretty special accomplishment,” Ulitzky said. “This kid has done it against national competition because we’ve traveled every year and gone against some of the best teams around. …Rebounding is a tough job, but it’s something she prides herself on.” Sophomore Ava Chang added a game-high 25 points.
BOYS WRESTLING
City sends 28 to 5A state tournament at Ball Area, plus four in 4A
Thirty-two wrestlers from nine Aurora area programs earned the chance to compete in the Feb. 13-15 Class 5A & 4A boys wrestling state tournaments.
At least one wrestler from Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest, Gateway, Grandview, Hinkley, Overland, Regis Jesuit, Smoky Hill and Vista PEAK Prep made it through regional tournaments Feb. 7-8 to advance to the big stage at Ball Arena.
The Colorado High School Activities Association issued the official state tournament brackets Feb. 10. Visit sentinel-
colorado.com/preps for full state tournament pairings and brackets.
Grandview — ranked in the top three in Class 5A by On The Mat for the entire season — had the top performance, as the Wolves won the Region 3 tournament at Broomfield High School with 307.5 points and had 11 state qualifiers.
Sophomores JR Ortega (113 pounds) and Braxston Widrikis (144), juniors Jonathan Montes Gonzales (150) and Gunner Lopez (157), senior Charlie Herting (175) and sophomore Leland Day (285) all won regional championships to earn automatic state berths. Grandview’s state contingent also includes regional runners-up in sophomore Kyle Menuez (113) and freshman Ryder Hoffschneider (190), third-place finishers in sophomore Pearce Christensen (106) and senior Graeson Streit (132).
Next in volume is Cherokee Trail, which had a trio of champions from the Region 2 tournament at Ponderosa in sophomore Cooper Mathews (120 pounds), senior Chance Mathews (138)
and junior Ryan Everhart (150). Regional runner-ups in sophomore Charlie Rider (113) and senior Mateo Garreffa (190) also advanced, as did freshman Elijah Van Horn (3rd at 106) and senior Michael (Noah) Collins (4th at 175 pounds).
Vista PEAK Prep has a trio of state qualifiers that are led by junior Ian Bacon, who won the Region 3 title at 120 pounds. Fourth-place finishers at 106 pounds (junior Adrian Pacheco) and 132 pounds (junior Denzel Womely) also made state. Rounding out Aurora’s 5A boys wrestling state contingent are the Eaglecrest duo of senior Alijah Gabaldon (126) and junior Nakhai Miller (285), the Overland tandem of seniors Jarrius Ward (215) and Silver Velasquez DeLao (285), the Smoky Hill pair of senior Dashawn Jenkins (106) and freshman Tagg Charity (113) and Regis Jesuit junior 113-pounder Richard Avila.
The 4A boys tourney will have two
wrestlers apiece from Gateway (Daniel Anaya Sanchez & Juan Campos) and Hinkley (Marco Duran & Carter Davis).
WRESTLING
GIRLS
Twenty-four area wrestlers make 5A girls state tournament
For the first time, girls wrestling will have two classifications at the state tournament at Ball Arena.
All of Aurora’s programs reside in Class 5A, which will run concurrently with 4A for the first time at Ball Arena. Among those in the 5A tournament will be at least one qualifier from all five city programs — Eaglecrest, Overland, Regis Jesuit, Smoky Hill and Vista PEAK Prep — and 24 entrnats in all.
Eaglecrest finished in third place at the Region 2 tournament at Foun-
tain-Fort Carson and had nine wrestlers make the state tournament. None were regional champions, but juniors Sydney Babi (105 pounds) and Jordan Heibult (125), senior Bailee Mestas (130) and freshman Maxime Lentz (140) were runners-up. Junior Sofie Ghasabayan (100), freshman Tatum Debelak (115), junior Alaysia Ornelas (135), senior Natalie Replogle (145) made it with third-place finishes and sophomore Brenna Brummet (190) made it when she took fourth. Vista PEAK Prep claimed second place at the Region 3 tournament at Poudre High School and came away with an all-time high of seven state qualifiers. The Bison were led by junior Amelia Bacon, the regional champion at 125 pounds and a returning state finalist. Junior Parice Jones (190) won the other regional crown for the Bison, senior Anastasia
TOP: Cherokee Trail sophomore Cooper Mathews, left, engages with Ponderosa’s Jeremiah Waldschmidt during the 120-pound championship match at the Class 5A Region 2 boys wrestling tournament on Feb. 8 at Ponderosa HIgh School. Mathews won a 2-0 decision to
All-time best: Grandview senior Sienna Betts holds a ball to commemorate the rebound that secured that made her Colorado’s all-time leader in girls basketball in the category. Betts achieved the feat Feb. 5, at Grandview High School. (Photo by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)
PREPS
with third-place finishes and junior Hailey Brown (105) and sophomore Maylin Morales (135) made it with fourth places. Sophomore Remington Zimmerer won the Region 3 title at 120 pounds to pace four qualifiers for Regis Jesuit, which also had fourth-place finishers advance in junior Hannah Pramita (125) and sophomore Jordyn Walker (235) along with freshman Heidi LaTourrette, who was a wrestleback winner at 140. Overland has a trio of qualifiers in senior Ruth Worknhe (who finished second among just three wrestlers at 235), sophomore Jacklyn Torreblanca Oseguera (170) and junior Dureti Abdulkadir, who won a wrestleback to advance at 140. Smoky Hill sophomore Hailey Torrez (155) rounds out the city’s state contingent.
The Colorado High School Activities Association issued the official state tournament brackets Feb. 10. Visit sentinelcolorado.com/preps for full state tournament pairings and brackets.
WEEK PAST
The week past in Aurora prep sports
SATURDAY, FEB. 8: Cooper Huang and Logan Samador had a goal and an assist apiece for the Cherry Creek ice hockey team in a 4-1 victory over Ralston Valley. Harry Frangiskakis and Jack Linville had the other goals for the Bruins, who got 20 saves from Payton Mills (Overland) in the win. ...James Lembke completed a hat trick with an overtime goal to lift the Grandview ice hockey team to a 5-4 win over Colorado Springs D11 at Big Bear Ice Arena. Emilio Kukic had a goal and an assist and Linkin Alisasis made 27 saves for the Wolves. ... Despite two goals from Vincent Cieslak and Easton Sparks’ 33 saves, the Regis Jesuit ice hockey team fell to rival Valor Christian 5-2 in a rematch of last season’s Class 5A state championship game won by the Raiders. ...FRIDAY, FEB. 7: The Rangeview boys basketball team secured the City League championship with a 61-51 home win over George Washington. LaDavian King paced the Raiders with 15 points and was joined in double figures by Kenny Black-Knox with 11 and Marceles Duncan with 10. ...The Eaglecrest boys basketball team wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the Centennial League Challenge with an 80-45 home win over Mullen. Garrett Barger’s 16 points led the Raptors, while Kris Coleman added 15 and Anthony Nettles 14. ...The Regis Jesuit boys basketball team got a 31-point outburst from Eric Fiedler on its way to an 82-69 Continental League win over Highlands Ranch. Lucas Dickinson also had 22 points and Mason Marshall 10 for the Raiders. ...Carter Basquez scored 26 points as the Smoky Hill boys basketball team held off a challenge from Grandview for a 57-48 Centennial League home victory. ...Siraaj Ali scored 21 points for the Overland boys basketball team, which defeated Cherokee Trail 72-47 with five players in double figures. Mehki McNeal scored 12, Demetrius Lambert 10 and Dontae Graham and TJ Manuel 10 apiece for the Trailblazers. ...A 27-point performance by Sienna Betts — plus 16 from Leaiva Holliman — paced the Grandview girls basketball team in a 65-15 Centennial League win at Smoky Hill. Yamani Perez led the Buffaloes with four points. ...The duo of Delainey Miller (19 points) and Alliyah Broadus (16) helped lead the Cherokee Trail girls basketball team to a 60-46 Centennial League road win at Overland. The Cougars overcame a Trailblazers team that got 14 points from Emma Davis 13 from Ilaisaane Davis and 10 from Malia Relford. ...The Regis Jesuit girls basketball team picked up a key 55-39 Continental League road win at Highlands Ranch behind 18 points from Jane Rumpf plus 14 from Iliana Green and 11 from Alice Lynett Knakai Starks poured in 22 points for the Vista PEAK Prep girls basketball team in a 7265 City League road win at Northfield. Amirah Pena added 18 points, Eianna Jackson 13 and Amaya Nance 12 for the Bison. ...Despite Jada Bobb’s 15 points, the Eaglecrest girls basketball team dropped a 40-38 Centennial League
contest against Mullen. ...The Rangeview girls basketball team suffered a 44-43 non-league road loss at Skyview. Brian Kopeck and Jack Linville had two goals apiece for the Cherry Creek ice hockey team in a 7-6 overtime loss to Chatfield. ...Goals by Parker Brinner and Andrew Fete in the second period were not enough for the Regis Jesuit ice hockey team in a 3-2 loss to Denver East. ...THURSDAY, FEB. 6: The Aurora Central boys basketball team held off a rally by Adams City for a 54-51 Colorado League road win that gained the Trojans a split in the season series, Deon Davis Jr. led Aurora Central with 19 points, while Christ Tah added 16 and Alex Flores 15. ...Jamaea Johnson-Gonzalez finished with 30 points and 17 rebounds for the Aurora Central girls basketball team in a decisive Colorado League win over Adams City. ...WEDNESDAY, FEB. 5: The Eaglecrest boys basketball team used a 24-7 advantage in the
fourth quarter on its way to a 66-47 Centennial League road win at Cherokee Trail Lucas Kalimba paced the Raptors with 20, while Jason Noone added 13 and Anthony Nettles 10, while Jordan Mitchell had a game-high 21 points for the Cougars. .. Breven Anderson and Trevor Thomas scored 15 points apiece for the Grandview boys basketball team in a 65-53 Centennial League home win over Overland Colt Holtman and Noah Sevy added 12 points apiece for the Wolves, who overcame 16 from Demetrius Lambert and 15 from Dontae Graham Abinabi Goitom scored 19 points for the Lotus School For Excellence boys basketball team in a 63-54 win over Arvada. Kirubel Lemma added 15 and Yai Ayany had 10. ...The host Cherokee Trail girls basketball team outscored Eaglecrest 39-10 in the second half to pull away for a 59-30 Centennial League victory. Aaliyah Broadus tallied 17 points and Madeline Gibbs 14
TOP: Cherokee Trail senior Talia Strode, center, is hugged by teammates after she scored an uncontested layup during the Cougars’ win over Eaglecrest Feb. 5. Strode is out for the season due to injury LEFT (TOP): Gateway’s Ahmed Mohammed, center, rises to the basket between Aurora Central defenders in the Olys’ 79-53 loss Feb. 4. LEFT (BOTTOM): Eaglecrest’s Garrett Barger, right, is swarmed by Cherokee Trail defenders during the Raptors’ Centennial League boys basketball win Feb. 5 at Cherokee Trail High School. ABOVE: Grandview’s Noah Sevy, right, rises to contest a shot by Overland’s Demetrius Lambert in the Wolves’ Centennial League home win over the Trailblazers Feb. 5. (Photos by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)
for the Cougars, who had injured starter Talia Strode suit up and score the first points of the game as the Raptors allowed her to make an uncontested layup. Jada Bobb had 14 points for Eaglecrest. ...The Smoky Hill girls basketball team rallied late and came away with a 49-47 overtime non-league home win over Douglas County.Yamani Perez scored 17 points to lead the Buffaloes, who also got a 15-point outing from Poli Fifita TUESDAY, FEB. 4: The Rangeview boys basketball team earned a City League sweep of Denver South with a 50-42 win with two players in double figures in Marceles Duncan (13 points) and LaDavian King (12). ...The Regis Jesuit boys basketball team rolled past Castle View 78-58 in Continental League play as Lucas Dickinson (18 points), Alec Roumph (13) and Deion Cesario-Scott (11) all reached double figures. Devontay Bursey’s baseline basket on a pass from Noah Adkins in the fi-
nal seconds lifted the Vista PEAK Prep boys basketball team over Denver East 59-57 in City League play. Bursey had a game-high 21 points and Marquilos Mata added 12. ...Up just three points at halftime, the Aurora Central boys basketball team pulled away in the second half for a 79-53 Colorado League home win over Gateway Alex Flores poured in 29 points and Deon Davis Jr. had 18 for the Trojans. ...The Regis Jesuit girls basketball team allowed single digits defensively in each quarter of its Continental League visit to Castle View in a 5620 win. Iliana Greene scored 13 points and Jane Rumpf added 12 for the Raiders. ...Devyn Davenport tallied 10 points, while Maddie Kilmer and Zania Romero-King contributed nine apiece as the visiting Rangeview girls basketball team downed Denver South 51-42 in City League play. ...The Aurora Central girls basketball team earned a 46-29 Colorado League road win at Gateway
Editorials Sentinel
Ambiguous talk about immigration will clearly lead to bedlam
Confusion, misinformation and disinformation surrounding Aurora immigrants and three dilapidated apartments where many of them lived is creating a dangerous situation for everyone who lives here.
The surfeit of mixed, ambiguous or outright misleading messages coming from federal and some local and state officials about whether Aurora, and the state, will or won’t cooperate with federal mass deportation policies and efforts has, by itself, created a great deal of mistrust and fear among the city’s large immigrant community.
For those who would like to see everyone in Colorado, and the nation, who is not a citizen or holding a valid “green card” expelled from the United States, the growing chaos, fear and confusion among immigrants won’t lead to that.
Two weeks ago, Aurora city lawmakers gave nearly unanimous support to a resolution supporting the city’s large community of “documented” immigrants and their families.
Those on the Aurora City Council who call themselves supporters of President Donald Trump said they back his threats of mass deportation, dubbed “Operation Aurora,” because Trump had said he would target “criminal” immigrants in a massive federal effort to deport “millions” of people.
Trump has already outed himself in the news media, exposing the contradictory local claims of justice or fairness amid growing threats of roundups and expulsions.
First, it’s unclear whether Trump will by caveat try and change the rules of who is and isn’t a “legal” immigrant. Just before leaving office, President Joe Biden extended important immigrant and refugee programs that millions of immigrants depend on to live and work in the United States “legally.”
Thousands of El Salvadoran immigrants, in line for the green card process or even citizenship, have lived in Aurora for years, legally, under a Temporary Protective Status, allowing them residency and work permits. Similar programs have been created by Congress and past administrations for Venezuelans and other refugees
If Trump were to find a way to reverse and end those programs, tens of thousands of refugee immigrants in the metro area would immediately become “illegal,” and subject to deportation.
Some of these immigrants have lived here for many years and have built lives and families in the region, depending on a slow-moving system that promised to reward them for their hard work and playing by the rules.
Congress has already created a Trump-friendly bait-and-switch piece of legislation that, no matter how well-intended, runs against the very foundations of the nation’s system of justice: due process.
The Laken Riley Act, signed by the president this week, would require the detention of unauthorized immigrants “accused” of theft and violent crimes. The bill won bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.
The flaw in the bill is “accused.”
American history, and recent American history, too, is rife with stories of people wrongfully accused.
Many of those who support the Laken Riley measure do so because they believe it’s an easy way to rid the nation of “criminal” immigrants. Everyone’s safety depends on police agencies being able to stop real crime and help the justice system hold real criminals accountable. Under the U.S. Constitution, that role belongs solely to the courts, not ICE, the DEA or local police.
The very nature of the bill elevates the provably false narrative that many or even most immigrants are criminals.
They are not. Repeated studies reveal that immigrants commit far fewer crimes per capita than American citizens do.
Most important, however, is that a federal police force, having to swear allegiance to Trump to keep their jobs, cannot be trusted to faithfully apply the law where it’s obviously needed. Only the courts, even under normal circumstances, can decide whether anyone is guilty of a crime in the United States.
By design, police cannot.
Not only does such a system fail under a corrupt federal government, it would entice anti-immigrant residents and others to make false claims against immigrants, invoking a mechanism for deportation.
This week, the Drug Enforcement Agency raided what they described as an “invitation-only” party in Adams County, packed with more than 40 members of the notorious TrenDeAragua prison gang. Hours after the raid and mass arrest, DEA officials said the majority of those detained were immigrants.
Some, many or even all of those involved in the party, allegedly rife with illegal drugs and weapons, may be actual members of TdA or may have committed crimes, at the party or elsewhere.
But only a thorough investigation can provide enough reliable evidence to charge suspects. And only the courts in the United States can impose a conviction.
So far, neither the DEA nor ICE have released any details about these suspects, but it’s clear that some, or possibly all, could be subject to deportation under this new, imminent, law, and probably others.
All of this double-speak and confusion has made law-abiding immigrants fearful. Many report losing work hours or even jobs as false narratives make others in the region open to reacting to fictitious claims, tropes and memes.
Besides being grossly unfair and patently un-American to our lawful neighbors, confusing messages about whether local police and political leaders will fold in with federal officials only creates desperation.
It will result in children missing school for fear of raids and deportation. It will result in immigrants becoming easy crime victims because they will not call police under any circumstances. It will result in disaster.
Local and state leaders and police must be confident, transparent and clear that they will protect lawful immigrants by adhering to state law and promises that local police agencies are here to protect everyone, regardless of citizenship status.
The history of executive orders
What do the Peace Corps, desegregation of the military, and the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II have in common?
They were all established by presidential executive orders.
Executive orders are all over the news of late, as President Trump uses his presidential authority to undo many of President Biden’s EOs and to establish a slew of new ones.
Paris Climate Agreement? His EO pulled the U.S. out of that.
Gender transitions for minors under the age of 19? His EO banned those.
Birthright citizenship? His EO says that children of undocumented immigrants born in the U.S. shall no longer become U.S. citizens.
Though the term “executive order” is not in the U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 1 grants the president executive power, but does not define it in detail, and Article II, Section 3 requires the president to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.”
These clauses provide the legal foundation for executive orders, allowing presidents to direct government operations.
It’s important to note, however, that EOs must be based on existing laws or constitutional authority to be legal — a president cannot create law, only the Congress can do that.
Thus, if an executive order oversteps legal boundaries, it can be challenged in court or overturned by Congress through legislation.
Which brings us to the very first EO ever issued by a president.
That was signed by George Washington in 1789 to direct federal agencies on how to handle official correspondence.
For the most part, early presidents rarely issued executive orders, and their EOs were generally issued to bring routine changes to government operations.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt sure did change that tradition!
As he expanded the federal government massively — and later as America entered World War II — he used his executive order authority
to implement New Deal programs, economic reforms and war mobilization directives.
In 1933, he issued an executive ordes to confiscate the American people’s gold. You could keep $100 worth of it, but, with few exceptions, you had to turn the rest of your gold over to the government in exchange for cash.
In 1935, he used an executive orde to create the Works Progress Administration, one of the largest government job programs in U.S. history. And in 1942, he issued one of the most controversial executive ordes in history. That order demanded that 120,000 Japanese-Americans (70,000 of them citizens) be forcibly rounded up and relocated to camps in the desert — camps surrounded by barbed wire and staffed with armed guards.
From 1933 to 1945, he issued a whopping 3,721 executive orders!
How do recent presidents compare?
Trump has issued 53 executive ordes in his second term — so far. During his first term he issued 220.
Ronald Reagan issued the most executive ordes with 381. Bill Clinton had 364. George W. Bush issued 291. Barack Obama issued 276. George H.W. Bush issued 166. And Biden issued only 162.
That brings us to the boldest executive order in history: The Emancipation Proclamation, signed by Abraham Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863. Using his war powers as commander in chief, he freed all enslaved people in Confederate states.
His reasoning was that it was a military necessity that would weaken the Confederacy.
Lincoln’s proclamation did not permanently end slavery — that required the 13th Amendment, which was ratified in 1865 — but it was still one of the greatest executive ordes in U.S. history.
–See Tom Purcell’s syndicated column, humor books and funny videos featuring his dog, Thurber, at TomPurcell.com. Email him at Tom@TomPurcell.com.
TOM PURCELL, CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING PUBLIC HEARING A CENTRAL COMMUNITY PARK MASTER PLAN APPROVAL
You are invited to attend a public hearing seeking approval of the Central Community Park Master Plan from the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board.
PUBLIC NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME OF A MINOR ARAPAHOE COUNTY COURT, COLORADO Case No. 2025CV4
PUBLIC NOTICE is given on January 10, 2025, that a Petition was filed for a Change of Name of a Mi- nor has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.
The Petition entered that the name of Zina Mae O’Farrell Ustyan be changed to Zina Mae Cruz O’Farrell.
/s/ Judge
First Publication: February 13, 2024 Final Publication: February 27, 2025 Sentinel
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING PUBLIC HEARING B RED-TAILED HAWK PARK MASTER PLAN AMENDMENT APPROVAL
You are invited to attend a public hearing seeking approval of the Red-tailed Community Park Master Plan Amendment from the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board.
Project Description The city of Aurora is proposing an update to the current master plan for Red-tailed Hawk Park, a 35-acre community park located at 23701 E. Hinsdale Way in southeast Aurora. The master planning process included three public meetings and surveys, a thorough review of the current park features and the creation of a cohesive park master plan to guide future improvements to the park. This community park will provide active and passive outdoor recreation activities and spaces for residents. The master plan includes a multipurpose synthetic turf field, pavilions, basketball courts, shaded plaza, updated drop off area and small parking lot, a skate spot, additional accessible playground area, a pump track (bicycles), informal butterfly gardens, pickleball courts, updated concrete trails and enhanced landscaping. To view the plan and master plan process, visit: www. EngageAurora.org/RedTailedHawk.
Approval Process
For community park master plans and major amendments, both the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Planning and Zoning Commission provide advisory opinions with City Council as the final approving body.
Public Hearing
This public hearing is a part of the regular meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. It will be held virtually online via Microsoft Teams at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
A public comment period will be offered by the Board during the public hearing portion of the meeting.
Microsoft Teams www.aurorapros.org/2025ParkMa sterPlanPublicHearing (link is case sensitive)
Meeting ID: 270 464 422 618
Passcode: 37dk2ZP2
Dial in by phone
720-388-8447 Phone conference ID: 212 382 504#
For additional information, contact: Trent Woolley at mwoolley@auroragov.org or 303.739.7174
Publication: February 13, 2025 Sentinel
Project Description The city of Aurora is master planning a new park near the Central Recreation Center, located at 18150 E. Vassar Place, Aurora, CO 80013. The master planning process for this 12-acre park included three public meetings and surveys to gather feedback from the community. The park will provide active and passive outdoor recreation activities and spaces for residents. The master plan includes a grass play field, large group picnic pavilion, playground with bouldering area, restroom, lighted pickleball, basketball, and tennis courts, several small picnic shelters, wetland area with natural landscaping and small pools along the Hutchinson Channel, concrete trails and public art. To view the plan and master plan process, visit: www.EngageAurora.org/CentralPark
Approval Process For community park master plans and major amendments, both the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Planning and Zoning Commission provide advisory opinions with City Council as the final approving body.
Public Hearing This public hearing is a part of the regular meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. It will be held virtually online via Microsoft Teams at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
A public comment period will be offered by the Board during the public hearing portion of the meeting.
Microsoft Teams www.aurorapros.org/2025ParkMa sterPlanPublicHearing (link is case sensitive) Meeting ID: 270 464 422 618 Passcode: 37dk2ZP2
Dial in by phone
720-388-8447
Phone conference ID: 212 382 504#
For additional information, contact: Trent Woolley at mwoolley@auroragov.org or 303.739.7174
Publication: February 13, 2025 Sentinel
Obituary
Gaylia Nadine (Wilson) Ostrander
October 11, 1930 - January 28, 2025
Gaylia Nadine (Wilson) Ostrander, age 94, passed away peacefully on January 28, 2025 in Westminster, Colorado near Arvada where she resided since 1960. She is remembered as a person who gave back to the community and made this world a little better place. Gay was born in Belpre, Kansas October 11, 1930, the first born of Celestine Wilson (deceased) and Irvine Floyd Wilson (deceased). Brother Ronald Wilson (deceased), sister Donna Quinn. Hayes, Kansas (through 10th grade); Denver, Colorado (South High graduate 1948). She played piano, clarinet and sang. Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana majoring in science because music degree not offered. Worked at Purdue University bookstore where she met love, Dale Randolf Ostrander (deceased); married September 24, 1950. They enjoyed dancing, music, and singing throughout their lives.
Relocated to Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, children: Steven Dale Ostrander (1953), Karen Ostrander Krug (1955) and Jodi Lynn King (1958). Moved to Arvada, Colorado in 1960. Played bridge, pursuing masters status, playing duplicates and on-line until the end.
After her fourth child, Douglas Ronald Ostrander (1962; deceased) she went back to school for B. S. in Elementary Education from Colorado University at Denver. Taught 4th grade at Vanderhoof Elementary in Arvada until she retired (17 years).
Gay was a member of Arvada United Methodist Church. A second generation member of P.E.O., President of Chapter ET two times. Award recipient for 40 years volunteer usher at the Arvada Center for Arts and Humanities. An avid learner and educator, Gay traveled to 29 countries across 4 continents.
Gay is survived by son Steven Dale Ostrander (Sherry, deceased), Elephant Butte, New Mexico, daughters Karen Ostrander Krug (Jack), Langley, Washington and Jodi L. King (Jesse), Evergreen, Colorado, sister Donna Quinn (George, deceased), Chandler, Arizona, granddaughter Aven King (Kelly), Everett, Washington, step-grandson Jacob A. Krug (Lindsay), Langley, Washington, step-grandson Benjamin Krug (LaRena), Burleson, Texas and other relatives in an extended family.
A celebration of life will be held on June 7, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. at Arvada United Methodist Church.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities: Scholarship Fund: Chapter ET, CO Scholarship Fund, c/o Debbie Rutherford, 1 Rangeview Circle, Wheat Ridge, CO 80215.
