NEXT IN STORE FOR AURORA
Sales tax revenues are declining across the city. Aurora experts are looking for ways to get you back in the stores
Ted Del Duca, President Carolyn Renaud, Secretary
Luis Contreras, Treasurer Leaza Silver, Board Director
Mark Maryak, Board Director Jrace Walker, Board Director
Seen enough? e line to say you really messed up voting for King Trump starts here
Probably the most important quality, and the rarest, of people I know and respect is the ability to not only admit when they’re wrong, but volunteer it without even asking.
I’ve been wrong a lot in my life, in fact, pretty much every day. So I’ve had a lot of practice in fessing up my mistakes.
Besides being the self-proclaimed king of the United States, Donald Trump is also the king of never admitting his mistakes, nor his lies, nor his shortcomings, nor...Well, you get the picture. We all do.
Psychiatrists agree that the inability to admit even simple mistakes is generally linked to poor self-esteem or a heightened perception of being vulnerable.
Maybe. Often, as is the case with Trump, it’s a classic symptom and case of narcissistic Personality Disorder.
Which brings us to leaning in to everyone you know who supports Trump, voted for Trump or couldn’t be bothered to find out whether he really was the guy in the White House we have there today. For all those people, the line to say, “Boy, was I ever wrong about voting for Trump,” starts here.
DAVE PERRY Editor
You know who you are, or you know who they are.
These are your friends, relatives and neighbors who for years have been slurping up the FoxNews Kool-Aid like it was real news for far too long.
You’re the ones who agreed with Fox and Friends that Trump’s many, many, many opponents and critics, many of them Republicans, or now former Republicans, who said the hype against Trump was just mainstream-media hysteria.
No one I know who voted for Trump or supports Trump believed the endless warnings about His Highness sucking up to Putin and Russia.
That was before he came right out last week and this week and lied about Russia not starting the war with Ukraine. That was before he forced his beholden cabinet sycophants to back him up on that bull.
Trump forced his brand-new-out-of-the-box ambassador to the United Nations to join the league of terrorist states in voting with Russia and against every free, honorable and democratic nation on the planet determined to push the undisputed truth onto the world stage. Granted, if you’re not among the handful of Ukrainian refugees and immigrants living in the Aurora metro area right now, the urgency of Trump’s newest Big Lie may not seem so pressing. It’s far more so if you have friends or
relatives still living in any of the nations surrounding Ukraine that live in constant fear of what the ruthless dictator of Russia might do to their homeland next.
It may be months, years or even generations before we know why a populist like Trump, who craves the worship of his friends and and ignores the indifference or disdain of his detractors would cave to Putin and risk mass-rejection from his, once, adoring, fans.
But some day, soon I hope, the mystery will be solved.
Until then, however, Trump has dragged the United States into the global cesspool with a man who poisoned his political opponents and claimed that as king, he would Make Russia Great Again.
The reason all this matters so very much here in Aurora is, if Trump would lie and sell out his friends and admirers for this, what else will he lie about?
Even more important, with Trump and his supporters desperately and constantly trying to undermine and outright destroy real journalism across the nation, and right here in Aurora, how will anyone know anything close to the truth?
If you’re trying to convince yourself that the “lame-stream-media” are the liars, I can point you to hundreds of undisputed fact checks, made with real facts you can even check for yourself.
Just last week, the man who lies nearly as much as Trump, Elon Musk, told his massive audience on Twitter that hundreds of millions of dead people far past the age of 100 are illegally collecting Social Security payments.
If you were among the many of his minions who believed him, including Trump, you can no doubt expect a series of emails and calls from people in South Africa or Bangladesh desperate to share tens of thousands of dollars with you, just by providing your bank information so they can deposit it.
Musk’s lie was debunked in hours.
So, too, have been the lies about already finding hundreds of billions of dollars in waste that have been suddenly reversed into positive U.S. budget cash flow. Pro Publica investigative journalists and others can’t find even close to what Musk and Trump are clearly falsely claiming.
This goes beyond the fact that Musk is trying to cut the money out of everything from desperately needed veterans benefits right here in Aurora to money for critical scientists and others who keep our medicines, food and even surgical devices safe.
No, no one voted for that.
And you wouldn’t know about any of this, or any of the other growing piles of lies and worries if you got your information from FoxNews or any of the other Trump propaganda organs that don’t even bother with some half-assed
version of he-said-she-said “journalism.”
People in China and Russia can only find out what’s really going on inside and outside of their countries by depending on real journalism from free countries.
It’s pretty easy how that starts. Someone in power, like the president, or in Trump’s case, the king, makes an edict, because he can. Say, naming the Gulf of Mexico, the “Gulf of America.”
And anyone who doesn’t do the king’s bidding, gets cut out of seeing and hearing for themselves, what the king does. By upending the First Amendment, we would no longer be free from what destroyed freedom of information in China and Russia.
That actually happened to the Associated Press last week. It’s pretty much the largest real-news organization on the planet, which scrupulously strives for all the facts, all the time.
For most Americans, maybe all, the whole thing is just silly. Who cares what Trump calls the gulf of anywhere or his favorite poo-poo paper, or ketchup bottle?
But everyone should care that Trump would go to great lengths to keep the world’s largest, American source of White House news from finding out what he’s up to.
If you’re not too far gone, you know you have to ask yourself, if Trump would lie about these kinds of things, if he would go to his much trouble over seeming trivialities, what would he do to lie, or cover up really serious gaffes, which we all know he would never admit to, and he would be compelled to hide?
No doubt, if you voted for Trump, you primarily voted for cheaper gas, fewer immigrants and better interest rates.
But did you vote to promote the party of Putin? Did you vote for someone like Elon Musk to decide what government services you need, want or will get? Did you vote for JFK Jr. to turn the entire nation into a measles-infested hellhole like the one festering in Texas?
I didn’t think so.
Time to man-up, or woman-up, and admit the mistake. It’s not too late.
And if I’m the one who’s wrong, and gas hits $1.25, mortgage rates go to 3% and I can afford to buy lamb chops again? You’ll read my mea culpa right here.
In the meantime, if you want to know the facts and real details about what goes on in Washington, the Capitol in Denver and Aurora’s city hall, invest in real journalism today. It’s the only real way to know who’s right and who’s wrong. Just ask the Russians.
Follow@EditorDavePerryonBlueSky, Threads,Mastodon,TwitterandFacebookor reachhimat303-750-7555ordperry@SentinelColorado.com
Elon Musk speaks as the chainsaw presented to him by Argentina’s President Javier Milei sits on the ground at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)AP Photo/Ben Curtis
Aurora closes notorious Edge at Lowry apartments a er months of controversy
BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Staff Writer
The infamous Edge at Lowry apartments that started a national conversation about a Venezuelan gang in Aurora is finally closed.
Aurora officials said they finally shuttered the last of six buildings after the final residents were forced to leave last weekend. Aurora city officials held a press conference in one of the units June 19.
“The people that were here were treated fairly,” Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said. “They were given a new opportunity to move out of this blight-ridden location to another venue, somewhere in Aurora. Again, we have hundreds of complexes, apartment complexes in Aurora. This is the only one that has caused the major commotion and the major problems and the major crime that we are dealing with.”
The city closed another nearby complex last year, but cited unlivable conditions as the reason for virtually seizing it from the same company that owns the Edge at Lowry.
The Edge at Lowry complex first attracted attention from the national media and the Trump presidential campaign last summer after armed alleged members of a Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, were caught on security video entering an apartment unit. Aurora city officials outlined their plan to close down the Edge at Lowry apartment complex, citing ongoing criminal activity, including a recent “torture” situation, and poor property management as the driving factors behind the decision.
The emergency closure was approved by an Aurora Municipal Court order Jan. 10, citing the buildings as “an immediate threat to public safety and welfare,” according to a statement by the city. Property Solutions Colorado was hired by the city to oversee tenant relocation, which posted closure notices that tenants had to vacate the property by 8 a.m. on Feb. 18, with those remaining subject to trespassing charges.
A temporary building administrator has been working at the complex for weeks, since the end of January, according to city officials. The administrator reported relocating 85 people from 23 units in the complex. The last residents were relocated last week, and the building was empty of tenants when it was closed Tuesday.
Finding homes for people still inside the ramshackle apartment complex was difficult and filled with controversy to the last minute, according to city officials.
Chamberlain said that when the police department and the city arrived to assist people with housing options, resources and assistance, local activists from different groups caused “moral hysteria,” making it difficult to work with residents and assist them. He said the group tried to dissuade residents from working with the city for fear of deportation.
“They were trying to sow distrust in people who are living here,” city spokesperson, Ryan Luby said about the activists. “Our property administrator and her people had to come in and build rapport with folks to say, ‘look, we can work with you but you have to be able to work with us too at the same time.’”
V Reeves, the spokesperson for Housekeys Action Network Denver, said that there was a lot of frustration with the city because they and a local group assisting residents at the location, East Colfax Community Collective, asked the city for help.
The city said they were able to relocate 85 residents across 23 apartment units by Tuesday, assisting them with a total of $94,375 in direct assistance via Property Solutions Colorado. City officials said they were prepared to assist residents across all 50 apartment units who appeared to still be occupied as apartments when the complex was shuttered.
Luby said the funding spent on residents differed for each person. Some was for plane tickets to send people to live with friends, and some was spent on relocating somewhere else in Aurora or Colorado.
Reeves said the organizations, along with East Colfax Community Collective, worked to relocate 127 residents with a $50,000 grant from the Colorado Health Foundation and an additional $26,000 from a GoFundMe, where they detailed the amount of money the organization has spent relocating residents from each property previously owned by CBZ Management.
HAND spent $47,176 on 24 families at the Edge of Lowry, HAND officials said, offering to allow the Sentinelto review expenses and books. Reeves said there are still families displaced from the closure of all three previously owned CBZ buildings.
“We estimate at least 40 people from Dallas Street (26 adults, 14 children), but also 44 from Helena St. aka Whispering Pines (24 adults, 19 children, one pregnant woman) and 20 from Nome St. (11 adults, nine children),” Reeves wrote in a text. “These numbers are just from the folks who have made contact with us about it.”
The one thing city officials, police and local housing activists agree on was what they say is an unfair and cruel treatment of residents by landlords CBZ Management after they abandoned the residents to live in squalor.
CBZ did not immediately return requests for comment.
“Condemning these buildings prematurely without enough time or resources to help these families has launched a number of them into a cycle of poverty, so we are still supporting at-risk folks from that time, and the anti-migrant rhetoric perpetuated by this slumlord has only worsened the situation and resulted in many people losing their stability,” Reeves said.
City spokespersons Luby and Joe Rubino said the funding for relocating residents, along with somewhere between $300,000 to $500,000 in resources the city has spent on CBZ-owned properties, will be billed back to the company through building leans.
The city will continue to provide security at the Edge at Lowry apartments to ensure no one tries to break into the building as squatters, and that expense will also be added to a building lien for CBZ Management.
A photo depicting an apartment complex common area going to the first floor apartments and then the mechanical room. Ice layer on floors made it additionally hard to pass, according to city officials. PHOTO VIA CITY OF AURORA
There was no working heat at the apartment complex. Residents where using kitchen stoves were possible. Pipes were broken everywhere, creating ice in side, as seen in this bathroom. PHOTO VIA CITY OF AURORA
THE PRICE OF RETAIL SUCCESS
Aurora sales tax revenues are falling. City officials and experts are looking at ways to get consumers to dig deeper in their wallets, more often
BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Staff Writer
Aurora, like many urban Colorado cities, is fueled primarily by sales taxes, and those revenues increasingly aren’t meeting the city’s demand.
Aurora lawmakers studying the budget last month were apprised of a looming budget shortfall next year, with a grim outlook for retail sales taxes increasing on their own. The problem is complex. Retail sales are weak. Businesses are closing and new ones are filling enough vacant storefronts. Competition among the metro area is fierce.
All that has prompted Aurora city officials to develop a retail strategy aimed at bolstering the local economy and maintaining a steady stream of sales tax revenue, which currently accounts for 57% of the city’s general fund.
“Just to be clear, we are not waiting for the adoption of the retail strategy. We are already boots on the ground, doing work,” said Jeanine Rustad, Aurora’s director of planning and business development.
City budget officials are predicting an $11.5 million shortfall in the city’s 2026 estimated budget that must be addressed. While tax hikes and budget cuts are on the table, the city is looking at ways to generate more tax revenue by helping businesses generate more sales.
The plan focuses on attracting new high-volume retailers, enhancing existing shopping centers, and getting consumers to dig deeper in their wallets and more often in Aurora.
“Retail is important to provide not only shopping but also gathering spaces,” Rustad said, quoting The Future of Cities: Adapting to Changes in the Retail Landscape, National League of Cities.
“In addition to creating jobs and economic vitality, retail provides an essential piece of social infrastructure.”
The strategy aims to improve the city’s economy and livability by increasing merchant profitability, enhancing shopping centers, and providing engaging shopping experiences. Additionally, Rustad emphasized that the goal is not only to keep shoppers in Aurora but also to attract outside visitors. With online shopping on the rise, Aurora must compete nationally for retail dollars.
• Aurora officials outlined key components of the city’s involvement in retail:
• Building relationships between city officials, property owners, and businesses
• Offering financial incentives to attract retailers
• Engaging with local business improvement districts and downtown development associations
• Providing small business counseling and training
• Adapting to changing retail trends
Sales tax incentives have successfully at-
tracted companies like Nordstrom Rack to Aurora, and the Restaurant Incentive Program has brought new restaurants such as Mason’s Dumpling Shop, Leezakaya and the newly opened Alpaca Chasqui Grill. The city is also working with the Havana Business Improvement District and planning a downtown development association for the Colfax Corridor to support neighborhood businesses. Rustad said the city also offers small business counseling and training through city staff and the Aurora South-Metro Small Business Development Center.
Rustad said the city retail team plans to study specific shopping centers across the city to identify opportunities for intervention and redevelopment. Factors such as occupancy rates, sales tax revenue per square foot, and tenant mix will guide decision-making regarding which areas need urgent attention.
Healthy retail centers generate $300 in sales tax revenue per square foot of retail space, according to city officials. Anything below that may indicate economic trouble for the business, and ultimately, the city. A healthy shopping center occupancy rate is 90-95%. Anything below 90% may require intervention, Rustad said.
Michael Burayidi, an urban planning professor at Ball State University, and the author of multiple books and studies about revitalizing urban areas, said that Aurora’s metrics are all valid factors to understand the “health” of a retail center. He said that 30% vacancy rate is usually when a shopping area will begin to “spiral.”
A strong retail mix is essential. An excess of service-based businesses, such as gyms, medical offices or churches, over traditional retail can signal economic decline, Rustad said. The presence of an anchor tenant or a large national retailer is critical for attracting foot traffic in Primary Retail Centers. In recent years, Aurora has lost several strip-mall anchor tenants, most recently Big Lots and some Walgreens.
Burayidi said service-based businesses and residential units above retail also helped reduce crime rates in areas because it creates constant foot traffic, which can prevent criminal behavior.
Center appearance can also affect foot traffic with signage, lighting visibility and overall upkeep. This can be affected by management and property ownership.
City staff has categorized Aurora’s retail centers into four classifications:
Primary Centers – Strong anchor tenants, high sales per square foot, and modern upkeep. They draw people in.
Shadow Areas – Smaller retail hubs located near major shopping centers or big-box stores like Home Depot, close to anchors.
Micro Centers – These are standalone lo-
cations targeting niche markets in surrounding communities. Niche locations for targeted communities like Walmart.
Secondary Centers – Increasingly struggling areas with low consumer traffic and fragmented ownership. Varied maintenance or appearance.
From more recent studies, Burayidi said he did not think “big box” stores were as necessary for foot traffic as long as there were central activities to drive people to a location. He said aspects like ice skating rinks or adding a pickleball court to a strip-mall could drive people to the locations and encourage them to shop after.
Burayidi said legacy businesses — longstanding, often family-owned establishments — are key to community identity and foot traffic. He said cities need to take proactive measures to prevent closures when younger generations choose not to continue the business. Aurora officials said they make extra efforts to support those legacy businesses. The city works to prevent redevelopment from displacing businesses and collaborates with the Small Business Development Center to assist struggling establishments, offering resources to help them grow and remain in Aurora.
“The other thing to keep in mind with respect to these shopping malls now is that retail is no longer the draw, and so you have to have an experience,” Burayidi said. “Experience is now the draw. People go to a mall for the experience, and then they stay to do the shopping.”
Challenges facing retailers
Rustad acknowledged the external, operational and low-consumer traffic challenges Aurora’s retail centers face.
External challenges can include homelessness, crime and economic factors.
“The city has some role to play in homelessness and crime prevention,” Rustad said. “We cannot, unfortunately, control the economic factors.”
Operational challenges can include poor strip-mall management, which leads to poorly maintained parking lots, buildings and landscaping. There could also be a lack of appropriate lighting or signage for visibility and a deteriorating landscape. Rustad said that when the city enforces building and landscape codes, instead of collecting fines, it should consider offering incentives.
“Tenants may also come together and decide they want to chip in,” Rustad said, mentioning that the city has seen tenants get together to replace bad lighting.
Low consumer traffic challenges include a weak tenant mix, poor external marketing and extensive intervention is often required. Rustad said the Aurora often sees this third category and much of the second category in Sec-
ondary Centers.
“What staff is doing now is coming up with specific implementation tools and a way to rank those tools so that we can come back to (business owners) in the near future and find out what the city priorities are,” Rustad said.
Public safety, and perception, are paramount Rustad went on to list some general retail strategies they have already looked into for Aurora.
“First and foremost, we need to address crime. It is expected from retailers that there’s 2% attrition through retail theft. When it gets to 4%, that’s a red flag. Some of the retailers we’ve lost in the city have seen as high as 7%,” Rustad said. “When crime rates rise and theft becomes excessive, businesses leave,” Rustad said. “We need to address these concerns proactively.”
Theft can impact a retailer’s decision on whether to remain open, while the presence of homelessness or nearby drug activity may contribute to a sense of insecurity or feeling unsafe, Rustad stated in an email.
Naomi Colwell, Aurora Chamber of Commerce CEO, said that many of the businesses she works with also have a problem with crime, or at least the perception of it. She said the East Colfax Corridor used to have parades with all of the schools and flower pots lining the street. It was a lively place where people wanted to hang out and have fun.
Mayor Mike Coffman also said he is actively working to bring the Colfax Corridor back to that vibrant place without gentrifying it. While Aurora is often touted as the most diverse city in Colorado, northwest Aurora, is the most diverse part of the city.
Colwell and the Aurora Police Department said they hope that with time, they can get back to having police foot patrol in areas around the city, especially on Colfax in the art district.
Burayidi said that crime or even the perception of crime, can deter shoppers. Although most serious crime in Aurora is down according to Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain and Commander Michael Gaskill, many people don’t realize the work the city of Aurora has been doing to reduce crime.
Burayidi said that one city he studied began posting crime rate comparisons to actively show crime declining. It needs to be continuous and persistent.
“It is hard to change people’s perception,” Burayidi said.
Aurora’s overall crime in 2024 declined to numbers below 2020, after a spike in 2022.
Sentinel
File
Photo
Theft also spiked from about 7,500 incidents in 2022 to 8,100 incidents in 2022 and back down to 7,300 incidents in 2024.
Year-to-date, year-over-year, city crime statistics for the beginning of February showed a 9.6% increase in shoplifting reports.
Aurora Police and private security can help build on crime reduction, experts say. Rustad said business improvement districts can merge to provide that private security. The best solutions include increased police presence, private security collaborations and business improvement districts to enhance safety.
Visible law enforcement assures most shoppers and acts as a real deterrent to shoplifters, scofflaws and other criminal behavior.
The Gardens at Havana has been working with Commander Michael Gaskill in District One to bring more of a police presence to the area. Chance Horiuchi, executive director for the Havana Business Improvement District said On Havana has constant community engagement events where they have the police department attend to allow shoppers and Aurora businesses to engage with the local officers and get to know them on more personal levels.
The Gardens at Havana shopping center recently added a police store-front. While officers are not stationed full-time, the store-front creates a place they can stop during the day to potentially bring more police presence to the area.
Online shopping is another area that affects local retail businesses, large and small. Whether it is people shopping online for items to pick up at a brick and mortar or people online shopping to have it delivered to their homes, it does still bring sales tax revenue to the city but it doesn’t build the retail and business community.
“I would say that that is going to continue to be the trend,” said Greg Hays, the budget director for the City of Aurora. “More and more people are shopping online.”
Rustad told the Sentinelit is difficult to identify on-line sales metrics completely and they cannot be broken out by ward.
When it comes to city planners making the city’s retail more competitive, the city staff actively works to attract retail and restaurants, talking to developers and retailers, Rustad said.
“I like to think of our retail team almost as matchmakers,” Rustad said. “They have access to data of what’s available. They know the brokers out there and can help center managers.”
The city’s small business counselors also provide training and incentives, such as restaurant programs, to encourage local entrepreneurs to thrive.
Officials are also encouraging existing businesses to expand within Aurora rather than relocate. The loss of Liberty Justice Brewing on East Colfax Avenue to Denver is an example of what the city hopes to prevent in the future.
One opportunity officials identified is tailoring retail options to local needs. For example, a convenience store primarily selling alcohol and tobacco products could pivot to providing grocery essentials for nearby residents as new housing developments emerge.
City staff are finalizing a comprehensive retail strategy report to strengthen Aurora’s economy, stabilize retail centers and attract new businesses. The report, currently in its final stages, aims to provide council members with detailed insights into citywide demographics, ward-specific retail conditions and best practices from other cities.
Staff are also evaluating funding options and prioritizing redevelopment efforts based on need. The final report is expected to be completed in
April, with a presentation to the Planning and Economic Development Committee in May and full council approval by June.
Council members will receive regular updates, which will be incorporated into community discussions. Rustad said it is important for the city council to give feedback to refine the strategy before finalizing it.
Ward I: Northwest Aurora
Ward 1 has $14.6 million in annual sales tax revenue and 3 million square feet of retail space, with a 3% vacancy rate. The median household income in Ward 1 is the lowest in the city at $52,000. Rustad said there needs to be a possible look into getting mixed-income to generate the consumer base to support retail. Challenges include low spending per capita and a lack of strong anchor tenants, leading to low consumer traffic. Rustad said even getting a grocer in the area would help a lot.
Ward II: Northeast Aurora Ward 2 has $21.6 million in annual sales tax revenue and 1.3 million square feet of buildable retail space, with a 1.5% vacancy rate. The median household income in Ward 2 is relatively high at $89,154. A challenge is that the area is rapidly developing, so the city needs to strategically plan for appropriate retail locations, Rustad said. But the opportunity is developing very rapidly.
Ward III: West Central Aurora
Ward III has $37 million in annual sales tax revenue and over 5.2 million square feet of rentable retail space, with a 4.6% vacancy rate. With a high vacancy rate, Rustad said it is something they are already looking into addressing. The median household income in Ward 3 is around $60,713. Challenges include the largely undeveloped city center and the low-performing Town Center Mall, or the Aurora Mall as many call it. Rusted said the underdeveloped city center is also an opportunity because it’s the “heart of Ward 3.” I-225 can be an opportunity to bring shoppers into Ward 3.
Ward IV: East Central Aurora
Ward IV has $38 million in annual sales tax revenue and 5.3 million square feet of retail space, with a 2.9% vacancy rate. The median household income in Ward 4 is the lowest in the city at $67,940. Challenges include car dependency in this area, which means people need to get in their cars to serve their needs, Rustad said.
Ward V: Central Aurora
Ward V has $24.7 million in annual sales tax revenue and 3.9 million square feet of existing retail space, with a 3% vacancy rate. The median household income in Ward 5 is almost $81,000, the highest in the city. Challenges include older strip centers and micro centers that lack strong anchors. There will probably be future conversations of redevelopment, Rustad said. There are aging and outdated centers that are underperforming. Some centers are also having challenges with access and visibility and need help with signage and other maintenance.
Ward VI: Southeast Aurora
Ward VI has $24.2 million in annual sales tax revenue and 3.1 million square feet of existing retail space, with a 4.5% vacancy rate. The median household income in Ward 6 is the highest in the city at almost $130,000. “This is somewhere we can help through marketing, making sure we’re getting strong retail and restaurants that are desirable and will bring people,” Rustad said.
from 7
Maeleen, 9, shops with her aunt Miranda at Zumiez on Dec. 28 at Town Center at Aurora. Data released this week showed holiday shoppers spent more this year than last year. Aurora Sentinel File Photo
A movie theater is seen on April 19 at Southlands shopping center in Aurora.
The Aurora Sentinel File Photo
A lone shopper with her child entertains the idea of going into Dilards department store, Jan, 7, 2020, at the Town Center at Aurora. Sentinel Colorado File Photo
The Aurora Sentinel File Photo
Aurora Sentinel File Photo
AROUND AURORA
Aurora police team up with retail center at storefront in push to curb shoplifting
Aurora Police and a large outdoor shopping center last week unveiled a collaborative effort officers and retailers hope will take a bite out of shoplifting crime.
“Community engagement is huge,” Aurora Police District 1 Commander Michael Gaskill said at an opening ceremony Feb. 13 at the Gardens on Havana shopping center. “We have to be able to partner with not just the community, but the businesses, and especially the ones who are feeling it the most with the retail theft.”
Police joined city and retailers at the large mall at East Mississippi Avenue and South Havana Street in opening what police officials are calling a substation in a vacant retail space, provided rent free by mall owners.
The new space will not have on-site staff or officers but will serve as more of a stop-off location for patrol officers in the neighborhood to take a break and hold occasional meetings. The presence of the station and an outside emergency callbox is an attempt to deter shoplifters with an increased police presence without funding the staffing of an entire police station.
Police officials said that while they currently do not have the resources to staff the facility nor programmatically provide officers for regular patrol in and around stores at the shopping center, increased police funding could bring the substation to life.
Retailers, city officials and investigators say the need for more police presence in stores is critical.
“This is one of Target’s worst stores for retail theft,” Gaskill said. “The more we can have cops in the area, it’ll help the shoppers feel more safe.”
City crime statistics showed a 6.6% decrease in shoplifting across police District 1 — the northwest part of the city and area of most recorded crimes — during 2024 compared to 2023. Shoplifting across the city increased last year by 22.7%, showing a 50.7% spike in District 3, the city’s southeast area.
Aurora city lawmakers have increased penalties for shoplifting over the past few years, including mandatory jail time.
Police have not released any analysis of legislative or law enforcement impact on local or regional shoplifting rates, which put the metro area among the top of the list of worst shoplifting cities. Other regional shoplifting rates, including Denver, reveal shoplifting incidents were about the same or slightly higher last year than in 2023.
Police said some of the increase in Aurora could be attributed to a push for retailers to report theft online, but no analysis substantiated the reason for an increase in shoplifting reports.
Kevin Coppola, regional property manager for AmCap Incorporated, the company that owns the Gardens on Havana, said the idea of donating retail space to help increase police visibility has been kicked around for a few years but never materialized.
Coppola said when he took over management about two years ago he reached out to police officials and created a plan.
“We had a space available if they were willing to make it happen,” Coppola said. “Shaker jumped on the opportunity, and the project to renovate the space started a year ago.”
The station is a smaller storefront location in the center of the shopping center, next to the Dick’s Sporting Goods store.
The facility has six cubicles, a private conference room, a bathroom, a water bottle filler, two parking spaces out front, security cameras and a police callbox outside.
Although police will not be stationed there, multiple officers said
they were excited to have a spot to stop in the middle of town.
Gaskill said officers can use internet access to write reports and dock their body-cameras. He said he planned to hold private and community meetings there as well.
“It can only go up from here,” Commander Gaskill said. “We’ll develop it more, and depending on staffing, I would like to try different things.”
Community interaction with officers can also help police educate retailers, Gaskill said.
While local retailers meeting with a variety of officials have regularly asked for more and regular police patrols, and better police response to calls about shoplifting, Gaskill said online reporting is efficient for both police and store officials, when there is no suspect or the suspect has already left the store.
“If there’s not someone in custody or someone that could be arrested immediately, there’s no rush in recording the theft itself,” Gaskill said.
— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff
Aurora City Council began new public comment rules
After weeks of meeting remotely, city lawmakers are back on the dais Feb. 24, beginning a new format for how the public is allowed to address the city council.
After months of regular protests, disruptions, ad hominem attacks and city hall hijinks, city lawmakers will meet in a “special session” to take public comment, and possibly clear council chambers of disrupters.
The new rules were adopted two weeks ago and take effect tonight after months of heated council meetings with outbursts, primarily one group of protesters.
Councilmembers Françoise Bergan and Danielle Jurinsky proposed the new resolution to restrict public comment during city council meetings by proposing to shorten “public invited to be heard” to 40 minutes with 2-minute speaking times.
For months, most of the meetings have been dominated by, and even taken over by, regular protesters and commenters focusing on the police-shooting death of Kilyn Lewis last May. Lewis was fatally shot by an Aurora SWAT officer while being arrested.
The city council has met remotely for over a month because of an undisclosed threat reported by Aurora police.
Police officials refused to offer details about the threat, and it’s unclear whether the threat has passed.
Not all city lawmakers were on board with the new commenting protocol.
“This council wants to continue to limit, limit until it goes away,” Aurora Councilmember Alison Coombs said before opposing the changes. “That’s the message we’re sending, is (that) we want to change public comments until you just go away, and I think that’s unfortunate and harmful.”
The new system could allow city council members to turn the volume down or off on their computers while “listening” to “the public invited to be heard” portion of the meeting, critics said.
“(The measure) is taking the public invited to be heard off the council agenda to make it its own special session. It’s actually the same thing Denver does,” City Attorney Pete Schulte told the Sentinelbefore the meeting. “There may be council members who won’t have their video on, and they’ll be muted because they won’t be speaking, but if the public thinks that there are certain council members who aren’t interested in hearing public comment, then those members of the public might try to make that an election issue.”
Although the public comment segment will now be separate from the city council agenda, it is still con-
sidered a meeting, requiring proper public notice, and there’s still going to have to be a quorum present, Schulte said.
“So it’s not like they can all just decide not to listen,” Schulte said. “They’re going to have to be present, and they’re already going to be there because it’s going to happen right after study session concludes.”
The change will give city staff, including the city manager and city attorney, the ability to not be present for the public invited to be heard, and it will require the city clerk or the clerk’s designee to run the session instead of the mayor.
“It’s a way to streamline the process,” Schulte said.
The other rules in the resolution will give Aurora residents priority in speaking as long as they show proof of residency through an ID, utility bill, or something similar. An approved friendly amendment from Councilmember Curtis Gardner also changed the times, having “Public Invited to be Heard” from 6 p.m. to 6:40 p.m. and the city council meeting to begin at 6:45 p.m.
— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff
CROW: Proposed
Medicaid cuts would be a ‘cruel act’ against Aurora area children, disabled
Proposed Medicaid cuts would have devastating consequences for families, children and vulnerable individuals in the Aurora region, Democratic Congressman Jason Crow said Feb. 21 at a press conference held at a community clinic.
“115,000 people in our district rely on Medicaid, over half of whom are children,” Crow told a small group of community health activists and reporters at a STRIDE community clinic in north Aurora.
“Republicans want to end medical coverage for sick kids, people with disabilities, and other Coloradans to finance tax cuts for the richest Americans,” Crow said. “This is a truly cruel act. Billionaires and corporations line their pockets, and you lose your healthcare.”
Republicans are weighing billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid, threatening health care coverage for some of the 80 million U.S. adults and children enrolled in the safety net program.
Millions more Americans signed up for taxpayer-funded health care coverage like Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace during the Biden administration, a shift lauded by Democrats as a success.
Colorado was among states showing a big boost in Medicaid recipients, paid in part by state dollars.
But Republicans, who are looking to slash federal spending and offer
lucrative tax cuts to corporations and wealthier Americans, now see a big target ripe for trimming. The $880 billion Medicaid program is financed mostly by federal taxpayers, who pick up as much as 80% of the tab in some states. And states, too, have said they’re having trouble financing years of growth and sicker patients who enrolled in Medicaid.
To whittle down the budget, the GOP-controlled Congress is eyeing work requirements for Medicaid. It’s also considering paying a shrunken, fixed rate to states. All told, over the next decade, Republican lawmakers could try to siphon billions of dollars from the nearly-free health care coverage offered to the poorest Americans.
“There are people who want us to be afraid they can do what they want, and I refuse to give them that power,” Crow said. “I don’t do fear well, and I’m not going to do it here.”
Crow, an outspoken advocate for healthcare access, said that federally qualified health clinics like STRIDE are the front lines of care for many in the community. He warned that Medicaid cuts would lead to fewer appointments, longer wait times, and reduced access to essential services like preventative care, mental health support and chronic disease treatment.
“Medicaid is a lifeline for the pa-
ARAPAHOE COUNTY
Water Bath
TOURNEY TIME
With regular season in the books, state tournament brackets in 5A & 6A feature total of 10 boys, eight girls teams from Aurora
BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor
The best, most pressure-filled time of year is here in Colorado high school basketball — the state tournament — has arrived.
For some programs, making the postseason has become old hat, but for others, it is a coveted experience.
A new format instituted by the Colorado High School Activities Association this season expanded the playoff field from 32 to 40 teams, with the top 24 — based on the organization’s seeding index — passed through to the second round and the other 16 set for play-in/first round contests.
That opened up possibilities for teams such as the Aurora Central girls, which hadn’t qualified for the postseason in 15 years. Not only will the Trojans — who are in the first season with Braden Hammond as head coach — get a playoff game, but it will come at home Feb. 26. As the No. 31 seed, Aurora Central will welcome No. 34 Niwot Feb. 26 in the first postseason girls contest at the school since 2010.
“It feels different for me in my third year here,” junior Jamaea Johnson-Gonzales said. “We didn’t make it to the playoffs my freshman and sophomore year, sadly, so it’s exciting that we get to experience things like this. We feel good about it.”
Hammond arrived in Colorado from Texas, where he was an assistant boys coach, and took over a team that finished 8-15 last season. He gradually overcame the trepidation of returning players, part of which was helped by a winning start.
The Trojans won their first three games of the season, which included a 34-18 win over Regis Groff, which had dealt them a 50-12 defeat the previous season. Aurora Central made it to winter break with a 4-2 record and haven’t had a losing streak longer than two games at any point in the campaign.
Aurora Central is lone Aurora girls team in the 5A playoffs, while the 6A bracket includes top-seeded Grandview, No. 10 Regis Jesuit, No. 11 Cherokee Trail, No. 25 Eaglecrest, No. 28 Overland, No. 34 Vista PEAK Prep and No. 36 Rangeview. Eaglecrest and Overland have home play-in games Feb. 26, while Rangeview and Vista PEAK Prep go on the road. Winners of those games along with Grandview, Regis Jesuit and Cherokee Trail play second round games March 1. League champs Rangeview, Eaglecrest own top two seeds in 6A boys state tourney Rangeview and Eaglecrest both won league championship games Feb. 22 and sealed their positions as the top two seeds in the Class 6A boys basketball state bracket when it came out Feb. 23. Coach Shawn Palmer’s Raiders completed a 23-0 regular season with a 70-54 victory over Denver South to win the City League title in a game played at Manual’s Thunderdome, while coach Jarris Krapcha’s Raptors held off rival Smoky Hill 56-52 to win the Centennial League Challenge title in a game played at Mullen High School.
For full state hoops tournament coverage, visit sentinelcolorado. com/preps
“At first, it was pretty rocky, but I think as the season went along, they realized that expectations might be different, but that this guy really cares about us and cares about us improving,” Hammond said. “After we won our first three games, there was less pushback and as the year went on, I’m feeling really good about how they’ve improved.”
The Trojans lost to 4A powerhouse Skyview in Colorado League tournament championship game Feb. 22 and finished the regular season 13-8. Even playing a schedule that’s two games less than the allowed maximum, that puts them one win shy of the 14-9 mark of the 2010 team that last played host to a playoff game, a loss to Grand Junction. Aurora Central’s last postseason win came prior to 2003.
The fulcrum of what Aurora Central does is Johnson-Gonzales, a three-year varsity player who has averaged 16.1 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. She is one of only three Aurora area girls players to average a double-double along with Grandview senior star Sienna Betts (23.8 points, 17.0 rebounds) and Vista PEAK Prep junior Knakai Starks (12.8 points, 10.3 rebounds).
Aurora Central players have worked to change the perception of the program and the school in general when it comes to athletics. They feel like they’ve made inroads.
“We’re showing that Central isn’t the worst school in sports,” sophomore Andena Torres said. “We go to other schools and they think they beat us last year, they’re going to beat us again. But us doing what we’re doing now is proving to other schools and everybody else that there are kids, students, teachers and coaches that help the players do better.”
A historic win over a 10-13 and 34th-seeded Niwot team would send the Trojans to a March 1 matchup with No. 2 Mead.
Rangeview returns a number of key figures from last season when it lost in the first round of the state tournament, but has been transformed by new additions. Senior LaDavian King, Eaglecrest’s leading scorer last season, transferred and has been a major difference maker all season, while Marceles Duncan has likely been as impactful as any freshman in the state. The Raiders are the tournament’s top seed for the first time since the 2020-21 season when they were undefeated through the semifinals until the coronavirus pandemic canceled the rest of the tournament, Eaglecrest made up for the loss of King midway through the season when senior transfer Anthony Nettles was cleared. Nettles is a defensive tone-setter and fearless shooter in key moments, which blends in excellently with standout seniors Garrett Barger, Lucas Kalimba and La’Quince York and a core of other capable contributors. The Raptors earned Krapcha his 200th career victory (achieved with stops at Mitchell and Doherty prior to Eaglecrest) in the league final.
Rangeview and Eaglecrest both will be at home Feb. 28 for second round contests, as will No. 9 Regis Jesuit and No. 14 Smoky Hill, while No. 22 Overland will be on the road. Hoping to join those teams in the second round will be No. 25 Grandview (which played host to a Feb. 25 play-in game) along with road warriors in No. 33 Cherokee Trail and No. 39 Vista PEAK Prep. For the Cougars, it is the first postseason appearance since 2019, while the Bison were a Final Four team in 5A last season and qualified for the playoffs after moving up to 6A.
Also playoff bound is the Gateway boys basketball team, which went into the Colorado League tournament with five teams in front of it in the seeding index. Coach Nicholas Dixon’s Olys could only qualify for the playoffs — where the program last appeared in 2023 — by winning the league tournament, which they did with a one-point victory over top-seeded Thornton. That guaranteed Gateway a postseason spot in the 5A boys tournament, where it is No. 40. Aurora Central broke a three-season postseason drought and also made it into the 5A tournament as the No. 38 seed.
ICE HOCKEY
Regis Jesuit, Cherry set to meet in Class 5A state quarterfinals
The third installment of the Cherry Creek-Regis Jesuit ice hockey rivalry will come with much bigger stakes.
The teams played twice in the regular season and Regis Jesuit won once, while the other
game finished in a tie, but the third meeting will decide which area program heads to the Frozen Four round of the Class 5A playoffs.
Fifth-seeded Regis Jesuit earned a 3-1 win over No. 12 Lewis-Palmer Feb. 21 at Family Sports Center behind two goals from Avery Osgood and another from Harry Sorensen in addition to a 14-save effort from Easton Sparks. Osgood scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal on a power play with assists from Parker Brinner and Nolan Williams — with 3:19 remaining in the second period.
The win pushed coach Terry Ott’s team into a quarterfinal matchup at 5:10 p.m. Feb. 25 at South Suburban Ice Arena against coach Jeff Mielnicki’s No. 4 Cherry Creek team, which had a first-round bye. It will be the first postseason meeting for the programs since Cherry Creek reinstated its program in 2013.
The quarterfinal winner heads to Ed Robson Arena on the campus of Colorado College for a March 1 semifinal against the winner of the quarterfinal between top-seeded Poudre School District and No. 8 Mountain Vista.
FOOTBALL
Kyle Reese hired as Vista PEAK Prep’s new head football coach
After just one season away after he stepped down at Overland after four sea-
sons, Kyle Reese has returned to the coaching ranks in Aurora.
Reese officially was hired as the new coach at Vista PEAK Prep, which functioned for the last half of the 2024 season with an interim coaching staff. Mike Campbell left the program midway through the season and Jalin McKinnon guided the Bison for the remaining five games.
Reese had 5-5 records in three of his four seasons with Overland, falling just short of the postseason. He becomes Vista PEAK Prep’s fifth head coach all-time, as he follows Campbell, DaVaughn Thornton Sr. (2021-2023), John Sullivan (2015-2020) and Pat Rock (2011-2014).
SPRING SPORTS
Spring sports practices begin
The final prep sports season of the 202425 school year got underway Feb. 24 with the start of practices for all sports ahead of spring season. Boys swimming and boys volleyball began Feb. 17, while those were joined by baseball, girls soccer, track & field, boys and girls lacrosse, girls tennis and girls golf. Competition in boys volleyball, boys swimming, girls tennis and girls golf can begin Feb. 27, while the rest of the spring sports have a March 1 opening date.
by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)
tients we serve at STRIDE. It ensures that our patients can access essential healthcare without financial hardship,” said Dr. Megan Adamson. “Without it, many in our community would face worsening health and higher costs due to delayed care.”
Crow said that the broader impact of healthcare funding on the entire community would cause untreated illnesses to spread, increase overall healthcare costs, and strain the economy.
“Healthcare is community health,” he said. “Depriving healthcare to somebody in our community, regardless of who they are, will be felt. It will inflict pain in our community in some way.”
Crow and other critics of the Republican proposal say that cutting Medicaid will shift costs elsewhere.
“If somebody can come here and get preventative care, stop a disease from spreading early, everybody pays less,” Crow said. “It is an investment that helps everybody.”
— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff
Aurora Ward I city council race crowding fast as candidates line up for 5 council seats
It’s turning out to be a crowded field this year in the Ward I city council race while slots for other council races are beginning to fill in.
So far, five candidates have made official or announced their intention to run as representative for the city’s oldest, most diverse and often most troubled part of town.
The Aurora City Council races are non-partisan, but partisan politics have, for the last several years, played a large role in city council politics and its operation. A measure seeking to require ballots to reveal political party registration failed.
Every elected county, state and congressional office representing Aurora — but one — is held by a registered Democrat. The Aurora City Council, however, is governed by a majority of registered Republicans, former Republicans or members aligning with the Republican Party.
Election Day is Nov. 4. The election is a mail-ballot election, standard in Colorado.
Ward I in Aurora encompasses the oldest parts of the city, and is sometimes referred to as the heart of Aurora. The ward includes the Colfax corridor between Yosemite Street and Chambers Road and from East Sixth Avenue to Interstate 70.
Incumbent Councilmember Crystal Murillo, a Democrat, has not publicly announced whether she will seek a final term, but five other people have filed with the city their intentions to run.
Candidates so far include Rev. Reid Hettich, Stephen Elkins, Gianina Horton, Christopher Belila and Leandra Steed.
In Ward II, Gayla Carrier has made public her intent to run for the seat
currently held by Councilmember Steve Sundberg, a Republican. Sundberg has not publicly announced whether he will seek a second term.
Former Aurora Councilmember Marsha Berzins, a Republican, has made public her intent to reclaim the Ward III council seat, currently held by Councilmember Ruben Medina, a Democrat, who has not announced whether he will seek re-election to a second term.
In the city’s two at-large council races, only incumbent Danielle Jurinsky, a Republican, has signaled she will run, seeking a second term.
Ward I, north and northwest Aurora
Rev. Reid Hettich
Hettich, an unaffiliated voter, is a well-known pastor and community leader in Aurora, and he brings more than 20 years of community and church service to Aurora, focusing on community revitalization, equity and public safety. According to Hettich’s campaign website, he plans to “focus on community-driven leadership and delivering real results.”
Hettich is executive director and founder of Mosaic Unlimited, a churchbased organization, co-owner of the Dayton Street Opportunity Center, chairperson of Aurora’s Key Community Response Team, a member of the Community Advisory Council for Aurora’s Consent Decree and a host of other community boards and programs.
One notable point of pride for Hettich was the work he did with Aurora Public Schools to connect mentors with at-risk students to help improve their chances of graduating. The mentors he helped connect the students with lead to an 80% on-time graduation rate for participants.
Stephen Elkins
Elkins, an unaffiliated voter and a former planner for the City of Denver is a resident of the Jewell Heights neighborhood. He regularly attends city council meetings, making frequent public comments.
“I think I’m really looking more towards solutions rather than a more hard-edged ideology,” Elkins said, calling himself a centrist. “Most people in this country are toward the middle of things, and I think we need leaders who reflect that as well.”
Elkins currently works for a data center company which he says frequently collaborates with local governments on permitting and project management. He held a variety of positions as a city planner for the City of Denver for more than seven years.
He said his experience working with municipal bureaucracy will help him effectively represent Ward I residents and improve communication between city officials and the public, he said.
“I enjoy connecting people with government, explaining complex processes, and making sure that people are heard and connected,” Elkins said.
Elkins said, if elected, he would focus on public safety, economic development and government accountability.
Christopher Belila
Belila, who is an unaffiliated voter, is the founder of Beer Bodega in Denver, a partnership business model that offers small Denver metro-based breweries the opportunity to expand their business into new markets, according to Belila.
“Excited to share that I’m running for Aurora City Council, representing Ward I, known for its rich cultural diversity, making it a vibrant community in Colorado,” Belila said in a post on LinkedIn. “Despite its current reputation, Ward I is home to kind-hearted individuals deserving of a positive image.”
Belila said that Ward I faces challenges such as infrastructure investment and public safety, but solutions are within reach.
“By utilizing governmental tools and taking essential steps, we can strengthen the Ward’s foundation and pave the way for a revitalized Ward I and Colfax corridor,” he said on Linkedin. “As a candidate, my priority is to lay the groundwork for a thriving future. I am committed to empowering city professionals with the expertise to drive meaningful change and supporting initiatives led by experienced leaders to restore and strengthen Ward I. Together, we can create a brighter, more vibrant community.”
He said he aims to champion city professionals with the expertise needed for impactful changes and support initiatives led by experienced individuals to rejuvenate Ward I.
“Together, let’s work towards a brighter tomorrow for our community,” he said in the statement.
Leandra Steed
Steed, a Democrat, is a director of Equity Matters at Great Education Colorado. She grew up in the metro Aurora area and attended Denver and Aurora Public Schools. She attended the Community College of Denver and received a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from the University of Northern Colorado.
Steed has served on various community organizations, including as the chairperson for the NAACP Aurora Education Committee.
Gianina Horton
Horton, a Democrat, currently serves as the state’s coordinator for reducing racial and ethnic disparities. She previously served as a co-executive director for the Denver Justice Project and a project manager for the Denver Office of the Independent Monitor. Horton received a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College in political science and government and went to high school at Denver Center for International Studies.
Horton also served as a member of Aurora’s consent decree Community Advisory Council.
Ward II, central-east
Aurora
Gayla Charrier
Charrier, a Democrat, is running for the Ward II seat. Incumbent Councilmember Steve Sundberg, finishing his first term, has not made public whether he will seek re-election to the seat. Sundberg owns and manages Legends Bar and Grill. Carrier works in the field of government security for United Launch Alliance, Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
is a business owner and continues to serve on multiple community boards and commissions, according to her website.
She said that, if elected, she plans to act as a “unifier and to serve everyone in Aurora,” according to her website.
Ward III is essentially encompassed by East Sixth Avenue and East Mississippi Avenue, as well as South Airport Boulevard and East Alameda Parkway.
Two at-large city council seats
Danielle Jurinsky
Jurinsky has made public that she is running for a second term at-large. The other at-large seat is currently held by Amsalu Kassaw, a Republican. Kassaw was appointed to the at-large seat last fall after former Councilmember Dustin Zvonek, a Republican, resigned. Kassaw made assurances during his interview for the council vacancy that he would run for the position in November, but he has not yet made his campaign public.
Jurinsky owns and operates JJ’s Place bar and restaurant in Aurora and describes herself as a pro-business city lawmaker.
During her first term, Jurinsky garnered national media attention and that of the Trump presidential campaign, promoting the narrative that immigrant gangs had “overrun” or “taken over” parts of Aurora. Jurinsky’s critics say the false and exaggerated claims she made were for the benefit of a national election season narrative. Jurinsky is a single mother, and she said on her campaign website that she is “fighting for a stronger, safer Aurora while bridging the gap between Aurora citizens and our local Aurora law enforcement.”
— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION
Black history: Colorado lawmakers want to create standards to ensure it’s taught amid attacks on DEI
Colorado lawmakers are seeking to ensure that Black history is taught in the state’s public schools at a time of escalating efforts by the Trump administration to squash diversity and inclusion in America’s classrooms.
A bill under consideration in the Colorado legislature would require the State Board of Education to adopt academic standards related to Black historical and cultural studies. Academic standards play a key role in what Colorado students learn in school.
The bill, HB25-1149, passed the House Education Committee Feb. 20 in an 8-5 vote along party lines, with Democrats voting yes and Republicans voting no. The bill now moves to the House Appropriations Committee.
Bill sponsor Rep. Regina English, a Colorado Springs Democrat, said it is not only an educational need but a moral imperative to teach Black history.
“It is our obligation to make sure we are teaching not only our students, but all students, true history and what that looks like for Black Americans,”
“Colorado can set the example that we will not tolerate that foolishness here in Colorado, and we will not allow people to divide us and divide our students,” she said.
Colorado’s social studies standards were last updated by the State Board of Education in 2022. The standards say social studies lessons must include the experiences and contributions of several diverse groups, including African Americans, Latinos, Indigenous people, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, religious minorities, and LGBTQ+ people.
Opponents of the bill said the state doesn’t need specific Black history standards because the current social studies standards already include it.
Priscilla Rahn, a Denver Public Schools teacher who testified against the bill, called the proposed Black history standards “redundant.” Rep. Lori Garcia Sander, an Eaton Republican, held up a printed copy of the state’s social studies standards and said, “All of the things I heard people say, ‘This is what we want, this is what we wish for,’ it is in here.”
Rep. Jarvis Caldwell, a Colorado Springs Republican, said his two children came home from elementary school during the week of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and shared what they learned about Jim Crow laws and the civil rights movement.
“The important aspects are being taught,” Caldwell said, adding that teaching more than that would be “a capacity and time and resource issue.”
Rep. Jennifer Bacon, a Denver Democrat, pushed back against that argument. There are other instances of “overlaps” — or topics that are covered more than once — in the state’s academic standards, she said. She wondered what it would hurt for Black history to be among them.
“I don’t necessarily disagree that Black history has been a part of our curriculum,” Bacon said. “But the things I consistently hear — I only hear about two time periods: slavery and the civil rights movement. The point of this was to talk about comprehensive Black history. … We are a part of the Revolutionary War history. We are a part of the Civil War history.”
The bill, which is also sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Tony Exum, would create an advisory committee of teachers, librarians, historians, Black history experts, and others to recommend standards. It says the standards should feature “factual accounts of the struggles and contributions of Black Americans in all fields of endeavor” and reflect “Black agency and resistance against oppression.”
Parents, educators, and community members testified at Thursday’s hearing about the importance of teaching students about the contributions of Black Americans.
Anette Bowser, president of the Urban League Young Professionals of Metro Denver, listed several inventions by Black Americans, including the clothes dryer, caller ID, “and even the Super Soaker we love during the summer time.”
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Ward II is the largest ward, geographically, in Aurora, including vast tracts of land extending to and beyond Denver International Airport and east to Watkins.
Ward III, central-west
Aurora
Marsha Berzins
Berzins is running for city council of Aurora in Ward III. Incumbent Ruben Medina has not made public whether he will seek a second term to the seat. Berzins previously served as the Ward III representative from 2009 to 2021. After stepping down from the city council, she ran unsuccessfully for Arapahoe County treasurer. Berzins
English said at a press conference before the bill hearing Thursday. “There is more to Black people than slavery and oppression. We are inventors, we are entrepreneurs, we are creators, we are educators, we are doctors, we are attorneys, we are judges, and the list goes on and on.”
President Donald Trump has issued several executive orders aimed at remaking K-12 education in a conservative image, including by ending federal programs that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion and seeking to root out “radical indoctrination” in classrooms.
English said the Black history bill is important at a time when “Black voices are threatened with being silenced through executive orders that are coming down from the national level.”
Cathy Lees, a Douglas County resident who described herself as a longtime education advocate, referenced a recent debate in the Douglas County School District over an Advanced Placement African American studies course. The school board eventually approved the course after delaying a vote on it because of community concerns.
“Some might call this a victory for educational equity,” Lees said. “I say the damage was done. What message did this send to the white students in Douglas County? The message was clear — Black history, the Black experience, is up for debate in Douglas County.”
Lees said the bill would help ensure Black history is taught, even though Colorado school districts retain control over the specifics such as what curriculum and textbooks to use. Supporters and opponents of the bill both noted that there is little accountability
The Magazine
You’re never too bold
GET MOTIVATED TO EXERCISE REGULARLY LIKE THESE GYM RATS IN THEIR 70S AND 80S
BY STEPHEN WADE, AP Sports Writer
You know you should develop a regular exercise routine, but you lack motivation. Promises to yourself are quickly broken, and you never establish enough of the workout habit to experience any rewards.
Exercising as you age is important. It’s not only good for physical health to help prevent falls or enable you to do basic tasks — exercise is also superb for the mind.
“If you want to be cognitively active, it is so important to be physically active,” explained Dr. Amy Eyler, a professor of public health at Washington University in St. Louis. “There is a such a strong connection between these two behaviors.”
Why make exercise part of my routine?
First, regular exercise helps maintain bone density and muscle strength. It also lowers the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer.
For older people, regular exercise helps maintain strength and balance and allows them to live independently. Research also suggests the immune system may get a bump from physical activity.
There is also a psychological component. Successfully completing a daily exercise can improve one’s mood and sense of self-satisfaction.
How
to get started
Getting into the habit of doing regular physical activity can be difficult for some. The motivation to get moving is different for everyone.
Initially you’ll need external motivation — I want to be able to play with my grandkids or keep driving the car — until you see results and the motivation shifts to internal, Eyler said.
“When you set a goal, you should ask yourself on a scale of 1 to 100, how confident am I that I can do this?” Eyler explained. “It has to be over the 90% level of confidence or you’re not going to do it. Lots of people set these goal too high and then fail.”
Build to your goals.
“Just walk whenever you can,” Eyler said. “You can walk for 10 minutes pretty much anywhere — indoors, at work, at home.”
And, if you’re trying to encourage others, look for positive reasons rather than nagging.
“Telling someone they will be more independent if they take their blood pressure medicine is better than — take your blood pressure medicine,” she said.
Here are some tips about how to start — and how to stay with it — from three gym rats between the ages of 77 and 86. All got started late and have stayed with it. All three work out with Dr. Irv Rubenstein, an exercise scientist who runs STEPS Fitness in Nashville, Tennessee.
I always hated gym class
Kathryn Dettwiller, 77, got pushed into exercising 34 years ago by her husband.
“I always hated gym class,” she said. “I always hated getting down on the floor.”
She works out in a gym twice a week with a trainer, which she said gives her added discipline and motivation.
“The external has become internal because I realize I need it,” she said. She cautioned beginners to expect some setbacks — minor injuries — and not to be discouraged.
“Try it as soon as your body starts playing out on you,” she said. “It’s like a game of Whack-A-Mole. One time your leg hurts, the next time it’s your back.”
It added structure to his life
Rick Bolsom, 82, enjoys the structure of having a trainer. In his case, his wife got him started almost two decades ago and he’s into a three-times-a-week routine.
“I kept doing it because I had a sense of feeling better,” he said. “The key to me was probably doing it with a trainer. The structure really helped me to continue with it. Now it’s just become part of my life.”
“I couldn’t imagine quitting it,” he added. “I work out as
vigorously as I did 15, 18 years ago. It turned out to be the smart thing to do.”
Bolsom also added in the social aspect to training in a gym or studio.
“I retired a few years ago. You do miss the connectivity with people.”
Flattery will get you everywhere
Dr. Grover Smith, a retired radiologist, is 86 and still going strong. He attributes this partly to training regularly in a gym three times a week, a habit he didn’t start until he was 74 and well into retirement. He was coaxed to go after several visits to his cardiologist.
He said he went after the fourth time his cardiologist suggested it, although he was not having any specific heart problems. His plan was to go once to appease the cardiologist and that would be it. That was more than a decade ago.
“Medicine was basically my life and it was very time consuming,” Smith said. “It was sometimes seven days a week and I didn’t have time for a lot of other things.”
He’s not only fit, but now he also gets flattered.
He tells the story about a recent visit to a doctor who, after looking at his charts, told him: “Dr. Smith, you look 15 years younger than your age.”
Smith laughed as he added the punchline.
“I would have told her to get her eyes examined — except she’s an ophthalmologist,” he quipped.
Dr. Grover Smith, left, works out with exercise scientist Dr. Irv Rubenstein, right, at STEPS Fitness, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. AP Photo/George Walker IV
morial Parkway Entrance
Tickets: $25-$30 online at NorthglennARTS.org or call the box office at 303-450-8888
Portrait of Aretha Starring CeCe Teneal
scene & herd
Guys and Dolls
Back from the past, some of the most memorable favorites of the stage will run through March 23 at the Vintage Theatre in Aurora.
Guys and Dolls and all the favorites, including “Adelaide’s Lament,” “I’ve Never Been in Love Before,” “If I Were a Bell,” and “Luck Be a Lady,” and all the classic characters from the legendary Broadway musical are on tap.
IF YOU GO
Dates: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through March 23. Evening curtains at 7:30 p.m. and matinees at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets: $20-$39
Venue: Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St.
Details: vintagetheatre.org and 303-856-7830
Black History Month Music Series
Stanley Marketplace is collaborating with a variety of local Black artists for Black History Month. The Stanley is hosting a Black History Month Music Series with live performances by every Saturday. Guests include Catch Kid Astronaut, Jae Wes, Kayla Marque, and DNA Picasso.
IF YOU GO
Time: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Saturdays in February
Venue: The common area at the Stanley Marketplace. 2501 Dallas St.
Tickets: Free
Details: https://stanleymarketplace.com/
Alexa Wildish and Connor Garvey
Colorado singer-songwriter Alexa Wildish grew up in a musical family in the horse country of Southern California, where her father collected vintage guitars and she studied classical voice from age seven. Wildish released her self-titled debut EP in 2020, staking her claim as one of Americana’s most compelling new voices and making it easy to see why she took home first place at Planet Bluegrass’s emerging singer-songwriter competition in 2019. Connor Garvey is an award-winning singer-songwriter from Portland, Maine, with the amiable presence of an entertainer, the lyrical depth of a poet, and the enchantment of a storyteller.
IF YOU GO
Time: 8 p.m. March 1
Venue: Swallow Hill, 71 E. Yale Ave.
Details: https://swallowhillmusic.org/
Tickets: $25
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
Where: Parson’s Theatre, 1 E. Me-
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: $25-$30 online at NorthglennARTS.org or call the box office at 303-450-8888
Pig and web
The Mizel Arts and Culture Center’s Denver Children’s Theatre presents “Charlotte’s Web,” offering both in-theatre and in-school performances.
School group performances will take place at the Mizel Arts and Culture Center.
Based on E.B. White’s beloved story, “Charlotte’s Web” follows the friendship between Wilbur the pig and Charlotte the spider, celebrating kind ness and sacrifice. As Wilbur faces the fate of the farm, Charlotte weaves her magic to save him, proving that love, friendship, and sacrifice can create the most miraculous changes. The play is suitable for kids ages 4 and up.
IF YOU GO
Date: 10 a.m. March 2, 9, 1n 16
Venue: Mizel Arts and Culture Center 350 S. Dahlia St.
Tickets: $13-$16
Details: 303-399-2660 and jccdenver.org
Vaudeville meets ventriloquism in “The VOD Villains” Variety Show
It’s a world of mischief and melody as “The VOD Villains: A Vaudeville Va riety Show” takes center stage at. “This adults-only performance re vives the scandalous charm of classic vaudeville with a lineup of sultry songs, eccentric comedy, and spectacular va riety acts,” production creators said. Leading the show is “Joshua the Ventriloquist,” a Colorado native known for his blend of ventriloquism, juggling, magic, music, and comedy.
IF YOU GO
Date: 7 p.m. March 1
Venue: Wonders HUB Stage at 40 West Arts Hub, 6501 W. Colfax Ave. Tickets: $16.66, “not recommended for children.
The performance unites two musical virtuosos, Larry Bellorín, a Venezuelan Llanera music legend, and Joe Troop, a Grammy-nominated bluegrass artist. Their collaboration fuses traditional instruments, including the harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, guitar, and maracas, to create a unique and electrifying musical experience.
IF YOU GO
Date: 2 p.m. March 2
Venue: Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway
Tickets: Start at $29
Details: Lakewood.org/LCCPresents and 303-987-7845
SCFD Free Day at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum
Walk among the iconic aircraft and discover the stories that have shaped aviation and space. Engage in handson activities as you learn all about space in our limited-time exhibit, Space: A Journey to our Future.
IF YOU GO
Date: Beginning at 10 a.m.
Feb. 27
Cost: Free
Location: Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, 7711 E Academy Blvd.
Details: 303-360-5360 and
The Life and Art of Tokio Ueyama
The Life and Art of Tokio Ueyama features more than 40 paintings loaned to the museum by the Japanese American National Museum and Ueyama’s family, whose combined efforts to preserve his work have allowed the story of this accomplished and cosmopolitan artist to be told at the Denver Art Museum for the first time.
Born in Japan, Tokio Ueyama moved to the United States in 1908 at age 18, where he made a home until his death in 1954. This exhibition tells the story of Ueyama’s life, including his early days as an art student in San Francisco, Southern California, and Philadelphia; his travels abroad in Europe and Mexico; his role as artist and community member in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles; and his unconstitutional incarceration during World War II at the Granada Relocation Center, now the Amache National Historic Site, in southeast Colorado.
IF YOU GO Through June 1
Where: Denver Art Museum, 100 W 14th Ave Pkwy Tickets: Included in general admission, which is free for members and for all visitors 18 and under.
Details: www.denverartmuseum.org
“Where The Wild Things Are” Package
In collaboration with Denver Art Museum’s brand-new “Where The Wild Things Are” exhibit, honoring the cherished children’s book, The ART Hotel Denver, has launched a Wild Things package. The package will include a hardcover edition of “Where the Wild Things Are” book. Two tickets to the “Wild Things” exhibit at the Denver Art Museum, truffles and a personalized note from the book’s main character, Max.
IF YOU GO Through Feb. 17
The ART Hotel Denver 1201 Broadway, Denver Free www.thearthotel.com/ special-offers/wild-things
Details: 303-909-6266 and magicisavanishingart.com
Baroque Splendor: “Fanfares and Flourishes”
As part of the Lakewood Cultural Center Presents 25th anniversary season the center offers a showcase with violinist Cynthia Miller Freivogel and Kathryn James Adduci on Baroque trumpet. The program includes “Handel’s Suite in D for trumpet and strings, Telemann’s “Don Quixote.”
IF YOU GO
Date: 7:30 p.m. March 7 and 2 p.m. March 8
Tickets: $29 -$44
Details: 303-987-7845 and Lakewood.org/LCCPresents
Venue: The Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway
Latingrass: A musical fusion like few others
Don’t miss this groundbreaking blend of Venezuelan folk and Appalachian bluegrass as “Larry and Joe” and their signature “Latingrass* concert to the local stage.
Editorials Sentinel
Time for Aurora to fix problems with slumlords and immigrant lies
After months of horror and controversy, the infamous Edge at Lowry apartment complex has been shuttered.
The critical problems that led to the disaster are now ripe, and long overdue, for a solution.
Aurora was unfairly dragged into the national spotlight last summer by local and national political schemers hoping to cash in on growing anti-immigrant sentiment for what never was an immigration problem.
The quandary of three appalling apartment buildings that became centers of squalor and crime were the result of apartment owner malfeasance and local government negligence.
The landlord for all three northwest Aurora properties is the same. New York CBZ management has purchased and held The Edge, Aspen Grove and Whispering Pines apartments for the last few years.
All three apartments became critical public health and safety nuisances after they purchased the complexes and mismanaged them into disasters, according to documented city records.
Mayor Mike Coffman and others have accurately called the buildings “slums” and the owners “slumlords.”
This all exploded into national controversy when Aurora Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky falsely blamed Venezuelan immigrants living in these slums for drawing what she tried to paint as an army of Venezuelan gangsters running amok in northwest Aurora.
It was a political lie, told repeatedly on local far-right radio stations and far-right Fox News shows. Beginning in August, it fed into the false narrative of Donald Trump and Colorado right-wing extremists seeking to gain political momentum among voters by demonizing primarily Venezuelan refugees and making Aurora voters, and all Americans, fearful of immigrants.
No one ever doubted legitimate police claims that there were shocking crimes occurring in these apartments, or that some of the crimes were committed by immigrants.
Aurora, Denver and much of the metro area has been a place where horrific crimes have long been committed in poor and wealthy communities alike. Aurora police answered more than 250,000 calls for service last year.
In 2011, the city recorded 12 murders, 186 sex assaults and 754 aggravated assaults among 1,467 major crimes. In 2020, there were 39 murders, 324 sex assaults and 2,264 aggravated assaults, long before Venezuelan immigrants began arriving in the metro area.
Last year, major crime statistics looked much the same. Venezuelan gangs were not the force driving more than 2,100 aggravated assaults, of which, more than 300 were linked to a number of gangs.
Police and city officials have been relentless in insisting that none of these complexes, nor any Aurora community, has ever been “overrun” by immigrant gangs or any other gangs.
What clearly happened is that unscrupulous landlords allowed these buildings to deteriorate for the last few years, drawing vermin and opportunistic criminals that preyed on desperate people.
City records show that as long ago as 2023, some of these three buildings were already in critically dangerous condition. They were so dangerous that city lawmakers at the time proposed legislation boosting the city‘s power and ability to force either critical living condition improvements at the buildings or imposing meaningful fines and ways to force changes.
The bill was disregarded by a majority of city lawmakers who saw the measures as too unfriendly to commercial property owners.
The Aurora City Council must change course now siding with and protecting commercial rental owners, and so many other businesses, over the safety, health and well-being of the public and city residents.
It is not unreasonable to expect that city and county health, building and fire officials regularly inspect public places, such as restaurants, stores, apartments and hospitals, to ensure compliance with reasonable regulations and ensure compliance.
That didn’t happen at these three apartment buildings.
Because of that, innocent and vulnerable renters were subjected to a vast list of health and safety atrocities.
Because of this calamity, every business in Aurora has been tainted and hurt by the false narrative of Aurora being a slum-ridden town overrun by Venezuelan gangs.
Nothing could be worse for all and every Aurora business and the nearly 400,000 people who live here and never deserved any of this.
It doesn’t mean that there problems weren’t inflicted on immigrants and other residents at these notorious apartment complexes because non-profit agencies placing residents did not or could not vet CBZ and the rental units, or follow-up on their welfare. But only commercial apartment owners can and must be responsible for the safety and health of all renters.
Rather than fight against common-sense, responsible regulation of commercial apartments, Aurora lawmakers must ensure the city has the authority, staffing and legal resources to ensure this kind of debacle never happens again.
Aurora lawmakers should begin by revisiting the 2023 legislation, now being able to test the bill against the city’s unfortunate past and current reality.
Being
a principal just got harder. Here’s why.
There is a squeaky old merry-go-round in my neighborhood that my own children play on from time to time. Years of kids riding on it have loosened its joints so it spins more freely and quickly. The last time they played on the merry-goround, my children learned the important lesson that the closer to the center they sit the more stable and in control they feel.
While being a school leader has always felt like being on a spinning piece of playground equipment, leading since the inauguration of President Donald Trump has made me feel as if I moved from the center to the edges in this merry-go-round metaphor. Immigration raids and attacks on civil liberties have made the work feel blindingly fast.
The school I serve has a large population of immigrant students. Teens who just weeks ago felt like our school was a safe and secure place now carry a new level of concern into our classrooms and hallways. My school has seen a significant drop in attendance since January with parents and guardians citing the desire to keep their children home instead of sending them to school and putting them in harm’s way as ICE raids happen across the city.
Our staff feels the impact of the rhetoric and policy shifts out of Washington as well. They fear for the physical and emotional safety of our students when they leave the school.
For my part, I wonder if my decisions that prioritize equity and inclusion will make me the target of criticism — or worse, an investigation. This year, we have had ongoing professional development opportunities to teach staff how they can better support our queer students and employees. Each time we engage in these discussions, I find myself worrying about the repercussions.
But I am determined that the programs and people in place to support and protect our most vulnerable students will not go away. Rather, they will be reinforced. My role as a school leader is to create an environment so safe and accepting that students and staff never feel like they must look over their shoulder while they are at
school. We want them to breathe easily knowing that, at least during the school day, they can be seen, safe, and successful.
To be sure, this job has always been a juggle, which includes instructional leadership, behavioral support, budgeting, staffing, and — in my case — fighting the stigma of historically being identified as a low-performing school by the Colorado Department of Education. But the changes out of Washington have taken things to the next level. As I navigate it all, I do my best to be energetic, optimistic, and reliable. Each day is an exercise in finding joy in my interactions with students and staff. I find joy in seeing students cheer on their peers at basketball games. I find joy in watching a teacher sit with a student until they grasp a challenging concept. I find joy when I see staff members step in to teach a class for a colleague who is sick or just needs a break. I find joy and hope in my daily interactions with students and staff; they are the core of my work and are the bravest people I have worked with in my career.
When I push my children on the merry-go-round, I tell them to get to the center because the spinning seems to slow down and the noise decreases. This is the same advice I would give to school leaders right now. Get right to the center of your work by being with students and staff as much as possible. Even at the center, the spinning does not stop. The raids, political attacks, and fear tactics do not decrease, but the challenge of facing them becomes a little more manageable. While every force out there may be pushing leaders away from the center of their work, prioritizing that values-based work reminds us exactly why we do what we do.
Dr.ChrisDeRemeristheprincipalofManualHigh School in Denver. He has been teaching and leading schoolsintheDenvermetroareaforthepast15years. Whenheisnotworkinginorthinkingaboutschools,he canbefoundrunningorplayingoutsidewithhiswife andthreekids.Thiscolumnwasoriginallypublishedby Chalkbeat.Chalkbeatisanonprofitnewssitecovering educationalchangeinpublicschools.
CHRIS DEREMER, GUEST COLUMNIST
Puzzles
Obituary
Richard Stephen
April 16, 1946 - November 22, 2024
Richard Stephen, age 78, passed away on Nov 22, 2024 in Aurora, CO. He was a kind and independent man who loved music, spirituality, and animals. As a dedicated dog trainer and animal lover, he touched many lives. He is survived by family and friends who cherish his memory. This notice serves as official notification for any estate matters.
METRO, from 12
for whether school districts follow the standards, especially in subjects like social studies.
The State Board of Education reviews each set of academic standards every six years, and it’s scheduled to revisit the social studies standards in 2028. If the bill passes, the State Board would review the Black history standards at the same time.
— Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat Colorado
Colorado legislators mull asking voters to boost taxes for free school meals
In the first year the program kicked in, it fell short by $56 million dollars.
Less than three years after Colorado voters approved a ballot measure to provide all students with free school meals, state lawmakers are considering asking voters for more money to keep the popular program afloat.
A bill introduced this week in the state legislature proposes putting two measures on the ballot in November that would allow the state to collect and keep more tax revenue to cover a funding shortfall for the meals program.
Colorado voters in 2022 supported a move to make breakfast and lunch free for all students regardless of family income. The program was funded by lowering a tax credit for taxpayers making more than $300,000 a year, which has meant they pay more in taxes.
But that funding hasn’t been enough. More children have been eating school meals than budget analysts expected — and more students than expected don’t qualify for federal subsidies.
In the first year the program kicked in, it fell short by $56 million. Lawmakers covered the gap. This year, the program is expected to fall short again — by $27 million, according to figures from a year ago.
Because of Colorado’s TABOR amendment, the state is not allowed to keep revenue that exceeds what they tell voters will be collected without explicitly asking for permission. Without that permission, the state has to return money it already collected.
Second, voters would be asked to lower the deductions that taxpayers earning more than $300,000 or more can get to $1,000, so that the state can collect more money. The bill estimates this would generate an additional $95 million each year for the school meals program.
In December, a group tasked with coming up with possible solutions to the funding shortfall presented 27 options. But about a third of those options would limit which students get the free meals, something key lawmakers have said they don’t want to do.
Two lawmakers sponsored the bill: Rep. Lorena García and Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, both Democrats from districts covering parts of Adams county. A spokesperson for Hunger Free Colorado, a nonprofit that advocated for the original program, said leaders with the group have been involved in helping draft the bill.
According to the bill text, the free school meals are “reducing stigma, improving student physical and mental health and well-being, boosting academic success, and saving families money.”
— Yesenia Robles, Chalkbeat Colorado
POLICE AND COURTS
Soccer coach charged with sexually assaulting female student at Aurora school
An Aurora Public Schools soccer coach faces charges of sexually assaulting a female juvenile over a period of months at Aurora West College Preparatory Academy.
The solution proposed in House Bill 1274, introduced this week, would ask voters in November’s election two questions.
First, voters would be asked to approve letting the state keep the more than $26 million that the program has collected over what it expected — instead of having to issue that money back in refunds to those taxpayers who make more than $300,000.
Investigators said soccer coach Ulrich Dahm, 67, assaulted an unidentified girl “in a position of trust” between Sept. 6 last year and Feb. 7 of this year. Dahm was being held at the Adams County jail Friday, and no information was available about a potential bond.
To protect the privacy of the alleged victim, prosecutors have asked Adams County courts to seal the case and all details.
— Sentinel Staff
