Rep. Crow says immigration detainees won’t be kept at Buckley Space Force Base, at least for now
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Time to resolve the Colorado gun lobby’s detachment attachment
Jan. 22 last month was packed with headline news.
Colorado joined 21 other states suing the nascent Trump administration for an executive order attempting to do an end run around the Constitution and end so-called birthright citizenship.
Also, the Trump administration announced it would permit ICE immigration raids at schools, hospitals and churches. Top headlines included continued death amid the Gaza War and Panama officials were irate over unexpected Trump talk about taking back the Panama Canal. There were stories about Pete Hegseth, a possible Costco strike, the aftermath of Trump pardoning Jan. 6 insurrectionists and plenty about the weird weather.
Do those stories ring a bell?
One story that slipped into obscurity Jan. 22 even before it made significant headline traction was how a beloved Baltimore teacher’s aide was fatally shot after watching her grandchild play basketball in a school game. A fight broke out at the Tunbridge School. The game was called, and the gymnasium cleared. A short time later, as Anntoinette Tunstall-Jennings and others drove away, someone drove up to the car and opened fire, killing Jennings and injuring others inside the car, including children.
Many people remark about the tragedy that we live in a nation where school-related shootings no longer capture or keep the attention of the American public.
Even less memorable for many people are shootings unrelated to schools.
The Brady Center reports that:
Every day, an average of 327 people are shot in the United States. About 23 of those people are under 18.
Among those:
• 117 people die from their gunshot wounds
• 210 survive gunshot injuries
• 95 are intentionally shot by someone else and survive
• 42 are murdered
• 65 die from gun suicide
• 10 survive their suicide attempt
• 1 is killed unintentionally
• 90 are shot unintentionally and
survive
And amid the fading headlines about tens of thousands of Americans injured or killed by guns is a country awash in political leaders who gaslight the nation by insisting that it’s not the guns.
Of course it’s the guns.
Science and data makes it clear that the uniquely American crisis of gun violence is caused by guns, the lack of mental health care, the lack of education, the poverty and our national obsession with violence.
But more than anything, the easy access and promotion of handguns, assault rifles, tactical gear and more are what have led to the shooting of more than 117,000 Americans each year and become the leading cause of death among children and teens in the country.
Once again, Colorado lawmakers are faced with yet a new gun bill that hopes to at least reduce some of the stories about people shot dead that fade from headlines and memories before the next shooting occurs.
Prime sponsor state Sen. Tom Sullivan, a Centennial Democrat, says that Senate Bill 3 has a real chance at reducing gun deaths in Aurora and across Colorado.
The bill would ban the sale of semi-automatic guns that have detachable magazines.
Gun industry officials say it would force the closure of most Colorado gun shops and intrude on the constitutional right to own a gun.
It’s nonsense.
These so-called assault weapons serve no practical purpose for anyone who buys them. They are essentially deadly toys created to soothe some unmet psychological need or criminal exploit. These are weapons designed for military use.
The utter nonsense people like former U.S. Rep. Ken Buck promoted about these weapons, that they are an important tool for farmers and ranchers, used to shoot “raccoons,” is bizarre to any sensible farmer or rancher. Real ranchers don’t need a replica assault rifle to put down an ailing cow or scatter coyotes hovering around a
flock of sheep or calves.
Coming from ranchers and farmers in the Arkansas Valley in southeast Colorado, I can tell you firsthand how ridiculous and dangerous real agricultural workers would appear wielding the same gun they used in Afghanistan or Vietnam.
These are places where gun racks in the back windows of pickup trucks have real guns that serve a real purpose. They don’t fulfill any psychological need or make you feel safe from other people driving pickup trucks with guns in the racks.
There’s no real getting around that there will always be people who believe that if they stash their gat in their skivvies or socks they can outgun bad guys out there itching to rob or terrorize them.
Just ask the cops. It almost never, ever happens like that. That’s why cops wear their guns in holsters.
Besides the oddballs that like to hold and shoot a rifle that goes “pow pow pow” fast and then reloads with a fresh magazine for more “pow pow pow,” the real menaces that just love these weapons are real-live criminals and mentally ill shooters.
Sullivan’s bill doesn’t shut down gun shops. It doesn’t outlaw assault-style weapons, which should be outlawed.
It just pushes Colorado further down the road of sensible gun control by removing a weapon that serves no legitimate business, self-protection or even sportsman-like purpose.
Gun violence is far worse in Aurora, the state and the nation than the credence we give it in headlines. Only by pressing ahead with needed gun reforms can we get to a point where seriously enforcing these needed laws moves the needle and saves lives.
As an American, you are 26 times more likely to be shot and killed than anyone who lives in another westernized nation. That’s what you need to know.
Follow @EditorDavePerry on BlueSky, Threads, Mastodon, Twitter and Facebook or reach him at 303-7507555 or dperry@SentinelColorado.com
Rising from the blight
AURORA PURSUES URBAN RENEWAL FOR 109 ACRES AND LIGHT-RAIL STATION NEAR FITZSIMONS CAMPUS
BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Staff Writer
Aurora lawmakers are poised to complete designating 109 acres and a light-rail station near the Fitzsimons campus as blighted in an effort to win grants to create infrastructure for housing and business developments.
The January blight designation by the Aurora Urban Renewal Authority, made up of city council members, focuses primarily on the Tollgate Creek area north of the medical campus, but includes the RTD light-rail station at East Colfax Avenue, according to city planners.
A lack of sidewalks, pedestrians being required to cross high-speed light rail tracks, homeless encampments, graffiti, illegal dumping, crime, asbestos in the soil, multiple environmental spills were among reasons given for the blight declaration, according to city urban renewal records.
The proposed $8 million urban renewal plan would support the extension of Dillon Way and construction of a bridge over Tollgate Creek, addressing long-standing development infrastructure deficiencies in the corridor, officials said.
Aurora has already secured two, $2 million grants from Colorado’s Department of Local Affairs to fund infrastructure improvements in the Fitzsimons-Colfax and 13th Avenue Station area. The grants, awarded in April and July 2024, require local matches of $350,000 and $583,000.
The city hopes to use grants and other funds to extend Dillon Way and construct a multimodal bridge over Toll Gate Creek, paving the way
for more than 900 workforce and mixed-income housing units near the 13th Avenue RTD station.
Infrastructure costs are estimated at $8 million, with the grants covering about half. To bridge the funding gap, the Aurora Urban Renewal Authority would loan the city up to $5 million, to be repaid through some kind of a tax-increment financing district over 25 years.
Any additional costs could be covered by Bach Homes, a Florida-based home developer of adjacent properties, according to city planning documents.
In a study session Jan. 27, council reviewed the findings of a newly commissioned blight study for the East Colfax 13th Avenue Station RTD Light Rail Corridor along Toll Gate Creek.
The study, conducted by Matrix Environmental in late 2024, was commissioned to update a 2019 assessment that had previously declared the area blighted and suitable for urban renewal. The recent analysis confirms that significant blight factors persist, meeting the legal threshold required for redevelopment under Colorado’s Urban Renewal Law.
The 108.5-acre study area spans Adams and Arapahoe counties, including five parcels in Adams County and 18 in Arapahoe County. The area includes an RTD bus depot, light rail platforms, a Park-n-Ride lot, commercial properties, Interstate 225, Toll Gate Creek, and vacant land.
“The city has long-envisioned the transformation of 13th Avenue Sta-
tion into a multifaceted neighborhood with diverse transit-oriented housing choices,” the study said.
There are 12 factors that can qualify an area as blighted, and only five are required for eminent domain, according to the study.
According to the report, six key indicators of blight affect the area:
• Defective or inadequate street layout
• Faulty lot layout related to size, adequacy, and accessibility
• Unsanitary or unsafe conditions
• Inadequate public infrastructure or utilities
• Environmental contamination
• High levels of municipal services required due to vacancy or underutilization
The study said that these conditions make the area eligible for urban renewal programs, including the creation of a Tax Increment Financing District, a taxing district that can generate revenue to pay for public infrastructure projects.
City Council has scheduled a public hearing and vote to finalize blight designation details at a March 10 city council meeting.
If the blight designation is approved, city staff will negotiate intergovernmental agreements with taxing jurisdictions and finalize an urban renewal plan, setting the stage for redevelopment efforts in the 13th Avenue/Colfax Station area. A timeline for funding, tax district creation, and breaking ground on construction weren’t specified.
ABOVE:Evidence of graffiti, homeless encampments and debris, under I-225 near East Colfax Avenue.
PHOTO VIA CITY OF AURORA BELOW:Fitzsimons and Tollgate Creek urban renewal S tudy Area Boundary
Aurora lawmaker’s campaign website linking to 2022 Sentinel story about ‘racist’ videos
The web address of Aurora Councilmember Steve Sundberg’s campaign website is directing people to a 2022 Aurora Sentinel story about racist trope videos he made during the pandemic.
Sundberg, whose term expires in November, alerted the Sentinel Monday to what appears to be a redirect from Sundberg4Aurora.com to a story where Sundberg acts out a variety of racist tropes as a Latino, an Indian, and a Middle Eastern Muslim in a series of videos hawking his Aurora restaurant, Legends.
The Sentinel emailed Sundberg, and all city council members, Monday asking about an unrelated city council meeting matter. He responded, alleging the Sentinel was connected to the redirect and threatening to preclude any comments unless the Sentinel reacted.
“I see someone, or your newspaper, attached my former campaign address “Sundberg4aurora.com” to a disparaging selective outrage, out of context article your newspaper wrote on me,” Sundberg said in an email. “I would ask you to disassociate that article with that website. Otherwise, I will never answer a question from your newspaper again.”
It’s unclear when and how Sundberg purchased the rights to the website address, but website registry records show that Sundberg4Aurora. com was purchased by an undisclosed entity Oct. 27, 2024.
Sentinel Editor and Publisher Dave Perry said the newspaper had no part in creating the redirect and has never been contacted by anyone about the website or website address.
Repeated requests by the Sentinel to Cloudflare.com, which holds the registry to the domain name, to reveal the owner went unanswered as of Tuesday. Web technology would allow only the owner of the website to control where the web address points to.
The videos no longer appear on Sundberg’s personal or restaurant Facebook pages. The Sentinel extracted those videos at the time, and they remain in the 2022 story.
The political universe is rife with stories about hijacked and misleading websites and redirections, sometimes for political gain, but also to re-sell lost website addresses for monetary gain. Numerous website address brokers negotiate contracts for purchase.
The Sentinel was tipped off about the controversial videos in 2022 and broke the story, which garnered national and international play.
At the time, Sundberg said the series of videos were intended to drive business to his restaurant, Legends of Aurora Sports Grill, during the pandemic, by performing mocking impressions of various ethnic people.
Although he later apologized for making the videos, he said they were not intended to be racist, nor did he
residents.”
Lewis was fatally shot by Aurora police last May during his arrest at an Aurora apartment complex. Investigators and local police have cleared the SWAT officer who shot Lewis, prompting months of protests.
Monday’s meeting was moved to “virtual” status, where lawmakers use web-based meeting software to convene, and the meeting was livestreamed via the city’s YouTube channel.
Multiple city sources, asking to remain anonymous, said the council meeting was moved from city council chambers after “credible” danger was posed to the city. Neither police nor city administrators would offer details about the reported threats.
consider them racist.
Massive backlash from regional minority community leaders disagreed, resulting in calls for his resignation from city council.
The 2022 article focused on Facebook videos of Sundberg performing stereotypical impressions of various ethnic groups in promotional skits for his business, Legends of Aurora Sports Grill.
In one video, Sundberg wears a turban and robe, exclaiming “haram” after being offered bacon. In another, he dons a Mexican blanket serving as a pancho and mimics a Mexican accent, making racist trope jokes about an employee. Other videos include Sundberg imitating Asian and German accents in skits criticized for perpetuating offensive stereotypes.
Community leaders said the videos undermined trust in Aurora, a city known for its diversity, where 21.8% of residents identify as foreign-born, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and more than a quarter of the city, 30.7%, identify as Hispanic or Latino. Around 15.8% of Aurorans are Black, 6% are Asian, and 15.6% are two or more races.
“It’s disrespectful, and it’s insulting to our city,” said Lucy Molina, an Aurora community organizer, in the 2022 Sentinel story. “Aurora is a very multicultural city. What’s his intent, just to get people to go to his business? That’s not the right way.”
Critics also pointed to Sundberg’s record on the Aurora City Council at the time, including his role in cutting positions from the city’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and reducing funding for police oversight.
“If he wants to make jokes about diversity, maybe he ought to fund that office so it can do the work of educating our city and our council members that Aurora is a diverse city,” Omar Montgomery, president of the Aurora NAACP, said in the article.
Sundberg has not publicly stated whether he will run for re-election to his Ward II seat this November. No candidate in the ward has filed paperwork.
— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer
Protesters hijack Aurora City Council meeting with end run on commenting scheme
“Mike Coffman, somebody’s going to rezone your ass, and when they do, it’s going to be a good day,” one speaker said. Justice for Kilyn Lewis protesters trolled and disrupted most of the city council meeting Monday night after city lawmakers had tried to prevent them from making any public remarks.
“All they had to do is keep the meeting and give us our public comment hour,” said Auon’tai Anderson, a regular speaker and member of the protest group. “Instead of addressing this tragedy and the systemic issues facing our city, the council majority has chosen to silence the voices of its
“I don’t know if you guys are tired. We’re tired,” one speaker said. “Justice for Kilyn Lewis.”
The quagmire came two weeks after city lawmakers changed rules regarding public commenting, prompted by months of public haranging by the Kilyn Lewis protesters. While lawmakers and city officials cited a link between the security threat prompting them to shut down Monday’s public meeting, they did not detail how that was linked to permitting open public commenting.
Officials said that city staff had not yet completed a vetting process for people calling in to comment when meetings were virtual.
Lawmakers added that the “public invited to be heard,” or public comment segment, was canceled because the city had yet to develop a protocol for vetting virtual comment, and that security threats were somehow linked to potential comment, multiple Sentinel sources said.
“I was in support of going virtual. However, it is not a threat to our safety and security to listen to our community members speak,” Councilmember Alison Coombs said.
At the beginning of the meeting, the city council endorsed canceling of the “public invited to be heard,” with three members opposing.
A heated encounter in council chambers two weeks ago between Anderson and Mayor Mike Coffman was a harbinger of Monday night’s chaotic city council meeting. Coffman had confronted Anderson in the city council lobby about the death of a Denver Public Schools student while Anderson was on the Denver school board. The two exchanged allegations and ad hominem attacks in the news and on social media.
Anderson and others said that encounter and city lawmakers completely precluding their ability to comment to the city council prompted his group to retaliate by filling all of the public comment portions of the meeting with pleas for Lewis masked as relevant comments for unrelated council measures up for discussion.
“I’m back,” one speaker said before satirically trying to speak relevantly about zoning while tying in social justice, inequality, and the death of Lewis.
What appeared to be more as coordinated scripts became improvised trolling with occasional insults flung by protesters as they commented on issues related to zoning, fence heights, and other sometimes mundane council business.
On two occasions, Anderson imitated the famous speaking style of former President Barack Obama as he filled his allotted time to comment.
“Mike Coffman, somebody’s going to rezone your ass, and when they do, it’s going to be a good day,” one speaker said.
“Done,” Coffman said quickly while gesturing to hang up on his call.
The interruptions took more than an hour out of the meeting before the council got past public hearings for a zoning project. There were multiple recesses to reconvene for the adjustments.
After numerous trolling calls, council members spontaneously approved a shortened 90-second public comment from the original three-minute time allowed.
City Attorney Pete Schulte addressed questions from lawmakers and said the council should go along with the scheme or risk violating state open meeting laws and public hearing regulations.
The interruptions caused the meeting to devolve into disarray as city staff, council members, and presenters became flustered and frustrated with comments and the disruption. The interruptions continued until closer to the end when council voted to cancel the rest of all public comments for the night.
been near the top of the city’s wish list for decades. The effort is preliminary, without a site or even a firm idea of what kind of entertainment venue is possible.
The feasibility study, led by consulting firms Johnson Consulting and MIG, is taking a comprehensive look at the market potential, stakeholder engagement, facility requirements, financial analysis, and economic impact of a potential entertainment venue.
“The study will cross a broad range of areas to study the possibility of an entertainment venue for Aurora,” said Laura Perry, deputy city manager.
According to Sentinel sources, Schulte emailed council members early last week, relaying the police department’s safety concerns and asking them to respond individually about whether they would want to cancel public comment.
City council rules require a public vote to make changes to agenda, and precluding public comment would take a super-majority of council members, according to city documents.
While city lawmakers had already decided in advance to cut the public commenting segment on Monday, the vote to change the agenda was needed, officials said.
“City council can provide direction to staff before their meetings and then vote to suspend the rules,” said Ryan Luby, Aurora deputy director of communications. “Two-thirds of the council members individually have indicated to staff they will do so at the upcoming meetings – the required threshold in Council Rules to do so.”
The move raised questions as to whether the solicitation for mail votes by the city attorney’s office among city lawmakers violates state open meeting laws.
Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition Executive Director Jeff Roberts said the maneuver shadowed a “serial meeting,” where individuals weigh in on legislation singularly so not to violate open meeting laws, but there is no case law in Colorado regarding such schemes, Roberts said.
“But they still made a decision outside of public view,” Roberts said in an email Monday. “The open meetings law prohibits decision-making in executive session and it prohibits the use of secret ballots to adopt “any proposed policy, position, resolution, rule, or regulation” or to take “formal action.”
Roberts said that the Colorado open meetings laws intend for such discussions and decisions to be public.
City officials said the maneuver was made as a courtesy to potential public speakers so they could plan ahead of Monday’s meeting.
At the end of Monday’s meeting, lawmakers agreed to hold another “virtual” city council meeting, apparently related to the undisclosed security threat. Lawmakers agreed, however, to allow 30 minutes of resident-only public comment in the beginning, and 30 minutes of full public comment at the end.
“We can’t just hide behind these screens forever,” Councilmember Angela Lawson said. “We’ve got to figure this out.”
— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer
Aurora explores possibility of building a multi-purpose entertainment venue
Aurora is looking at the possibility of building a multi-purpose entertainment venue, city officials announced at a Jan. 27 study session.
“This is an ongoing effort by the city to investigate the potential construction of a multi-purpose entertainment venue in the city,” said Councilmember Curtis Gardner. “There’s been a lot of work done and a lot more work to do, but tonight is an update on that process.”
A large entertainment venue has
This includes a market analysis, a facility and site analysis and a stakeholder engagement, which Perry said was done late last year, where they conducted a consumer preference survey and conducted a variety of focus groups and interviews with various stakeholders.
“I think this was one of the most well-responded to surveys from the city,” said Ryan Johnson from Johnson Consulting. “I just wanted to point out the high level of interest from the community.”
The stakeholder engagement process included nearly 2,000 survey respondents who revealed strong community interest and preferences, said Mark de la Torre, director of Denver operations MIG.
Concerts, dance performances, festivals, and events were some of the more popular priorities the community said they preferred in the survey. Concerts were the highest priority overall, and sports and high school events were also noted as possible interests, de la Torre said.
Concerts were almost more than double some of the other top-performing activities, and they would do well with the other top-performing activities the community had preferences for, Johnson said.
“There’s a lot of synergy and coalescence around concerts and all those other theater, dance performance, as well as festivals, which can happen at the venue potentially or also around the venue while an event is happening,” Johnson said.
The consulting team also presented case studies of successful multi-purpose entertainment venues and entertainment districts from around the country, such as the Toyota Music Factory in Texas and Fourth Street Live in Louisville, Kentucky.
The examples included indoor and outdoor seating opportunities, venues with capacities between 2,000 to 8,000 seats, historical districts that reuse older buildings, and pedestrian malls. They also presented public-private partnerships with tax increment financing districts where the sales tax of surrounding hotels and retail businesses would be reinvested into the venue.
Johnson Consulting said that these examples highlighted the importance of flexible design, public-private partnerships, and unique funding mechanisms like tax increment financing districts.
The team will finalize a recommended program and location, develop cost estimates and initial renderings, and conduct economic and fiscal impact analyses to inform the city’s decision-making process.
“How is this facility going to get paid for? Who’s going to own it and operate it? These are some of the key questions that we’ll be answering there,” Johnson said.
— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer
Rev. Reid Hettich announces candidacy for Aurora Ward I Council seat
Aurora church and community leader Rev. Reid Hettich, a city resident for more than three decades, has
See METRO, 9
Aurora City Councilmember Steve Sundberg imitates an Arabic individual while advertising a meal special at his bar, Legends. The bar’s Facebook page is filled with a bevy of similar videos. Screengrab from a Facebook video.
announced his candidacy for the Ward I City Council seat.
“Now is the time to reimagine Northwest Aurora,” Pastor Hettich said in his campaign announcement.
“Ward 1 holds the roots of our city, and together, we can transform it into a thriving, vibrant community. The challenges we face today are opportunities for positive, lasting change.”
Hettich is currently the sole candidate who has officially filed to run for an open Aurora City Council seat. In the upcoming November election, positions in Wards I, II and III, along with two at-Large seats, will be contested. Incumbent Ward I Councilmember, Crystal Murillo, who is serving her second term, did not respond to inquiries from The Sentinel regarding whether she intends to seek a third and final term.
Hettich brings more than 20 years of dedicated service to Aurora, focusing on community revitalization, equity, and public safety.
Known as Aurora’s “historic heart,” Hettich said Ward I faces significant challenges, including boarded-up buildings, substandard housing conditions, and a reputation for crime along East Colfax Avenue.
He said he has traveled nationwide with community groups, elected officials, and business leaders, researching and learning about successful urban revitalization efforts. His campaign will address those issues while fostering revitalization without gentrification and displacing long-term residents.
“Reid Hettich is a trusted and proven leader who has dedicated his life to serving this community,” Arapahoe County Commissioner Rhonda Fields said in a statement endorsing Hettich. Her foundation is partners with Hettich in a Colfax community center.
“His deep understanding of Ward 1’s needs, combined with his vision for unity and revitalization, make him the right choice for City Council.”
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, and 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 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 led to an 80% on-time graduation rate for participants. The 2021 story previously appeared in the Sentinel.
“The reason I love that story is it was a hands-on way for the community to engage with a challenge,” he said in the article. “I love those kinds of projects where you bring the community together to do what they really want to do — to make a difference in other people’s lives.”
Hettich moved to Aurora in 1985 to start a church and later founded Mosaic Church, a multiethnic congregation dedicated to serving the diverse communities in Ward I. Through his work, he has addressed critical needs in the area, including housing, food security, and access to healthcare. The Dayton Street Opportunity Center, which Hettich co-founded, has become a cornerstone of support for local residents, offering resources ranging from free medical care to job training.
“I’ve spent decades working alongside the people of this community, and I understand what it takes to make meaningful change,” Hettich said in a statement. “Ward I deserves leadership that listens, acts, and delivers. I’m ready to work on day one.”
— Sentinel Staff
Ruff on crime: Aurora cops raise cash for canine partner safety vests
The Aurora Police Department is
raising cash to provide bullet-resistant vests for its six canine officers — Bill, Cyrus, Jax, Loki, Martigan, and Neko.
One of those officers, Loki, has been on the force for more than six years and joined when he was just a pup.
Loki is certified in both patrol apprehension and narcotic detection and has received the Aurora Police Department’s Distinguished Service Cross for apprehending an armed individual who shot at the police, said Aurora Police Agent Matthew Longshore, public information officer. Longshore said Loki was instrumental in stopping a man with a knife who was trying to attack people on an RTD bus.
“Loki is not invincible though, as he one time lost a fight to a raccoon,” Longshore said in an email.
Loki’s partner in justice, Officer Robert Wong, intends to keep safe for work so they can continue doing what they love in their free time, hiking and summiting Colorado “fourteeners.”
Longshore said that when the special occasion arises, Loki is awarded his favorite treat – a pup cup.
Police say the highly trained working dogs play a crucial role in law enforcement, assisting in the pursuit of violent offenders, narcotics detection, article searches, and building clearances.
To ensure their safety in the line of duty, the department is partnering with the nonprofit organization 30×30 Fundraising. The total cost for all six vests and leashes is $21,660. With 30×30 Fundraising’s nonprofit discounts, the department saves $1,938 — funds that the department says would otherwise be unattainable to law enforcement agencies.
The vests protect the dogs against stabbings, shrapnel, impalement, environmental hazards, and handgun bullets, police say. Fundraising efforts would ensure all six dogs receive the gear.
Donations can be made online at Vest Aurora PD K9s. Contributions are fee-free, and any excess funds raised beyond the $21,660 goal will be directed to providing vests for additional canine officers.
To donate by check, contributions should be made to “30×30 Fundraising” and mailed to:
30×30 Fundraising, 635 Clark Rd Exec Suite, Bellingham, WA 96225, Include “Aurora PD K9s” in the memo line.
— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer
Students rally to boost gun control bill sponsored by Aurora theater shooting victim’s father
More than 100 students rallied at the Colorado Capitol Jan. 30 to show support for a bill that would ban the sale of semiautomatic firearms that can use detachable magazines.
The rally was only the second Students Demand Action event at a U.S. statehouse, according to organizers. The students planned the entire day, including meetings with lawmakers and Gov. Jared Polis’ administration.
The day was a way to have student voices heard on school shootings and measures to address that threat, which they said they live with on a constant basis. They said Senate Bill 3 would make it harder for someone to commit a mass shooting.
“We really do look for the exits in every classroom that we walk into,” said Cherry Creek High School senior Kimaya Kini, 17. She said she’d spent the week at the statehouse testifying on behalf of the legislation and meeting with lawmakers, because she and other students live in constant fear.
Supporters say Senate Bill 3, which cleared its first committee hearing on Tuesday, would help enforce the state’s 2013 ban on magazines that can hold more than 15 rounds.
The bill would ban the manufac-
County offices closed All County offices will be closed Monday, Feb. 17 in observance of the Presidents Day holiday.
Cottage Food Safety
Learn food safety guidelines and the specifics of operating a home-based cottage food business. The next class will be held Tuesday, Feb. 21, 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Visit https://bit.ly/CSUCottageFoods or scan the QR code with your smartphone to register.
HURRY! Limited number of discount tickets still available
May 3 & 4
Support Local Art, Music, Wine
Early bird tickets are now on sale for Arapahoe County’s annual wine and chalk art festival, held May 3 and 4 at the Fairgrounds. To keep our guests extra comfortable, we are holding the event indoors! Enjoy wine from local wineries, chalk art, live bands throughout the day, fun activities, shopping and more. Early bird tickets are just $30 for Saturday / $20 for Sunday—hurry, limited supply! Tickets and information at arapahoecountyeventcenter.com.
The Magazine
Meow this
DENVER’S MEOW WOLF ROLLS OUT NEW AND DIFFERENT FOR 2025, INCLUDING “TRASHION” RUNS AND A DIFFERENT SLICE OF PIZZA
BY ELISABETH
Meow Wolf Denver, the immersive art experience known for its blend of interactive installations and storytelling, is introducing new features in 2025 — including “trashion shows” and a secret pizza vault.
The Denver location at 1338 First St. offers visitors a chance to engage with new creative concepts and technologies.
“One thing I always tell people about Meow Wolf is that Meow Wolf itself is almost like a sentient being that lives off in the hillside, and it comes down from the hillside and attaches itself to parts of your soul and then follows you around wherever you go,” said Ru Johnson, Meow Wolf Denver’s public relations manager.
Johnson explained that when people visit Meow Wolf Denver, there is always something new to see as it’s a vast immersive experience exploring four different worlds.
“You can never really see the whole thing,” Johnson said. “I get lost here ... But feature-wise, what we have done is we have created multiple opportunities for visitors, we call them travelers, to immerse themselves deeper into the narrative.”
Johnson explained those opportunities include quests which can be accessed by QR codes
placed throughout the exhibits and allow people to go down different rabbit holes within the exhibit.
The most recent quest offered is Plotzo’s Heist, which takes place in a secret Pizza Vault in the alley on C Street and Plotzo.
“So it’s like the quest takes you to newer parts of the exhibit, but not everybody finds the quest, and that makes sense,” Johnson said. “It really connects to the deeper divers in that way.”
Along with the quests, Meow Wolf Denver General Manager Hans Vollrath said there will be new bar services, a summer-long celebration among the converged worlds and the yearly Cosmic Howl during Halloween.
“We are excited to build on the successes of 2024 through enhanced guest experience offerings, new seasonal programming, world-class special events and concerts, and the continued popularity of our annual Portal Pass,” Vollrath said.
This year, Meow Wolf Denver will continue its “deep engagement and support of local artists and the arts community through various activations.”
Vollrath said these activities include the Meow Wolf Makers workshops, the in-exhibit Gal-
leri Gallery and the Absolute Rubbish Trashion Shows, which celebrate local fashion designers using upcycled materials.
Johnson said the next featured artist of Galleri Gallery will be Denver-based photographer Shadows Gather, which will be on view in February.
“It’s an ode in homage to the club,” Johnson said. “It’s going to be sound, it’s going to be conversation, it’s going to be photographs, and it’s going to be photos of people that Shadows has captured throughout their time of being here in Colorado.”
Meow Wolf Denver is also partnering with Shadows Gather for an event during Denver’s Month of Photography, a biennial festival in March that celebrates the art of photography with exhibits and events throughout the region.
The Shadows Gather Month of Photography event at Meow Wolf is Adulti-Verse Shutter Up and Smile: A Shadows Gather Takeover! It takes place at 5 p.m. March 5. Meow Wolf’s AdultiVerse events are 21+ only and a valid ID must be presented.
FormoreinformationonMeowWolfDenver, visit meowwolf.com/visit/denver.
The cathedral in one of the four worlds that make up Meow Wolf Denver’s Convergence Station. There are many new quests people may embark on this year while exploring the vast immersive exhibits of Meow Wolf.
Credit: Photo by Elisabeth Slay
SLAY, Colorado Community Media
IF YOU GO
Event: Medusa 7 p.m. curtains
Feb. 8 - Feb. 22 Sunday curtains at 4 p.m.
Venue: The People’s Building, 9995 E Colfax Ave.
Details: www.thepeoplesbuilding.com
scene & herd
Breaking Boundaries: New Art Exhibition Explores Creativity in Aurora
Downtown Aurora Visual Arts (DAVA) invites art enthusiasts to experience “Breaking Boundaries: The Future of Creativity,” a group exhibition curated by Alyssa Williams. The show shines a spotlight on the collaboration between emerging artists and their mentors, offering a glimpse into the future of creative expression.
The exhibition features a lineup of creators working across a wide range of mediums. Ceramic artistry by Prisila Vazquez-Nava, Joey Kerlin, Jessica Gerome, and Bambi Hernandez brings a tactile exploration of form and texture. Alternative material experimentation by Erica Rawson, Kayli Cottonwood, and Jasmine Maldonado Dillavou challenges traditional art-making methods. Meanwhile, drawing, painting, and two-dimensional works by Sunny Zheng-Herb, Raymond Gabriel, Faith Williams Dyrsten, Mike Hanson, and Tim Ulrich deliver vivid reflections of personal and societal narratives.
The show also includes innovative approaches to jewelry and metalwork by Xtina Nelson, Madeleine Adair, and Dianna Miguez, alongside Macey Boren’s integration of technology and art, which blurs the boundaries between physical and digital mediums.
“Breaking Boundaries celebrates the transformative role of collaboration between educators and emerging artists,” said Williams, a curatorial intern at DAVA and a student at Metropolitan State University of Denver. “It’s about innovation, pushing the limits of materials, and rethinking traditional approaches to art.”
DAVA, a cornerstone of Aurora’s art scene, is dedicated to engaging diverse youth in arts education that fosters creativity, opportunity, and community strength. The exhibition exemplifies this mission by encouraging dialogue and exploration among artists, educators, and audiences.
IF YOU GO
When: Gallery is open
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. weekdays. The show is on exhibit through Feb. 24
Where: DAVA 1405 Florence St.
Tickets: The show and gallery are free
Details: www.davarts.org and 303-367-5886
A new make on Medusa
At the start of this dynamic dramedy twist on the classical myth of Medusa, she is alone in a cave on an isolated island, surrounded by the stone bodies of men she has killed. Suddenly, the hero Perseus arrives, announcing that he has come to kill her. Despite Medusa’s pleas and demands for him to leave her alone, he declares that he has come equipped with the weapons required to safely slay her without being turned to stone. Medusa, however, is not quite the monster Perseus imagined. The Tragedy of Medusa tackles themes of queerness, consent, power, and allyship by interrogating the relationships between gods, mortals, and monsters.
Produced by the resident Two Cent Lion Theatre Co., telling “stories that feed artists, audiences, and the community at large with LGBTQ+ theatre and film.”
Tickets: $15-$35
She Kills Monsters, in Aurora
Action-packed board-game theater production? Critics say yes to “She Kills Monsters” opening this weekend at the Vintage Theatre in Aurora. Based on an episode of Dungeon’s and Dragons, “Qui Nguyen’s clever drama-comedy weaves together spectacular adventure with genuine emotional depth, using the framework of tabletop gaming to explore love, loss, and the parts of ourselves we hide from those closest to us,” Vintage officials said. “Through a blend of comedy, action, and heart, ‘She Kills Monsters’ reminds us that sometimes the greatest quests are the ones that lead us home.”
“It will slash and shapeshift its way into your heart,” a New York Times critic said.
IF YOU GO
She Kills Monsters runs weekends through Feb. 23
Tickets: $20-$36
At the Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St, inside at the Bond-Trimble Theatre
Details and sales: www.vintagetheatre.org
“Gee’s Bend” at the Aurora Fox
Building on a lauded Fox show from last season, “Gee’s Bend” runs through Feb. 23 at the venue’s main stage.
Written by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder and directed by local theater and documentary icon donnie l. betts, the show focuses on issues surrounding the Southern Freedom Movement.
Set in the isolated town of Gee’s Bend, Ala., the play spans the years 1939, 1965, and 2002, following Sadie and her family as they navigate segregation, family struggles, and the Southern Freedom Movement. At the heart of the story are the family’s extraordinary quilts, which serve as symbols of comfort, creativity, and resilience. Ultimately, the recognition of these quilts as art empowers the women and honors their legacy.
“Gee’s Bend” builds on the Fox Theater’s exploration of Black American history, continuing the conversation begun with August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean” in 2024.
Recommended for all ages, “Gee’s Bend” offers stories of perseverance, artistry, and the enduring power of family.
IF YOU GO
Event: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through Feb. 23 with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. and Friday and Saturday curtains at 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Aurora Fox Arts Center
Tickets: $17-$52 with details at www.AuroraFoxArtsCenter.org or call 303-739-1970
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
Rough and Roses
This Valentine’s season, the Symphony of the Rockies, formerly the Arapahoe Philharmonic, invites you to embark on a musical journey at “Epic Love: From Shakespeare to Superheroes.” The concert seeks to capture the essence of love in its most dramatic and heroic forms.
Under the direction of conductor Devin Patrick Hughes, the orchestra will bring to life a program that spans centuries and genres. Tchaikovsky’s lush and emotional Romeo & Juliet Suite anchors the evening with its depiction of Shakespeare’s classic tale. From there, the music leaps into the 20th and 21st centuries with John Williams’ iconic Superman Love Theme and Michael Giacchino’s exhilarating Thor: Love & Thunder – Mama’s Got a Brand New Hammer, showcasing how love continues to inspire even the most modern of stories.
Opera lovers are treated, too, in highlights from Verdi’s La Traviata and Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, as well as the musical theater classic “Oklahoma” by Rodgers & Hammerstein. Operatic voices soprano Dawna Rae Warren and tenor Miguel Ángel Ortega Bañales are on tap for the performance.
The Arapahoe Philharmonic, now Symphony of the Rockies, has been a cornerstone of the metro arts scene for more than seven decades.
IF YOU GO
One show only: Feb 8 with curtain
at 7:30pm Tickets: $10-$50 Venue: Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St. in Lone Tree
Details: lonetreeartscenter.org and 720-509-1000
Art Inspired by Frida Kahlo: Visions of the Self
The artworks featured in this show draw inspiration from Kahlo’s distinctive style and subject matter, reinterpreted through a diverse range of mediums and artistic approaches. From surreal self-portraits to colorful celebrations of Mexican culture, the pieces pay homage to Kahlo’s enduring legacy while offering fresh, contemporary perspectives. In their exploration of the self, the body and the intersection of the personal and political, the artists in this exhibition capture the raw emotional power and unapologetic authenticity that defined Kahlo’s artistic voice. Their works invite viewers to peer into the artist’s inner world, confront their own experiences and find connection in the universal truths that Kahlo’s art poignantly reveals.
This Chicano Humanities and Arts Council exhibition is a testament to Frida Kahlo’s continued influence and the enduring relevance of her artistic vision. Through its diverse interpretations, viewers are reminded of art’s transformative potential to illuminate the human condition and celebrate the beauty in shared struggles.
IF YOU GO
Show: Art Inspired by Frida Kahlo: Visions of the Self
When: 5 p.m. - 9 p.m., through Feb. 14
Where: Chicano Humanities and Arts Council at 40 West, 7060 W 16th Ave.
Tickets: Free and open to the public
Details: www.chacgallery.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 the “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
Where: The ART Hotel Denver 1201 Broadway, Denver
Tickets: Free Details: www.thearthotel.com/ special-offers/wild-things
The Danish One of the world’s most renowned string quartets, The Danish returns to Denver for the third time on The Newman Center Chamber Series. Musical America’s 2020 Ensemble of the Year, the quartet will perform works by Mozart and Shostakovich, as well as folk music from around the world.
The program includes Dmitri Shostakovich: Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Op. 73, and, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Divertimento in F Major, K. 138, and, Igor Stravinsky: Three Pieces for String Quartet, and, Turlough O’Carolan: Three Melodies.
“As a string quartet, we find ourselves at the core of the classical music world. On a daily basis, we delve into works by great masters such as Beethoven and Mozart, but we also play the occasional folk music gig,” quartet members said in a statement. “We are three Danes and one Norwegian cellist, making this a truly Scandinavian endeavor. Being relatively bearded, we are often compared to the Vikings. However, we are only pillaging the English coastline occasionally.”
IF YOU GO
Event: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 6
Location: Newman Center for the Performing Arts, Gates Concert Hall 2344 E Iliff Ave.
Tickets: $15-$65
Details: www.newmancenterpresents.com
MASS DEPORTATION POSSIBILITY
BRINGS MASS CONFUSION REALITY
When and if mass deportations hit Aurora still unclear, but Congressperson Jason Crow says detainees won’t be kept at Buckley Space Force Base, at least for now
BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Staff Writer
Following growing speculation and conflicting reports regarding the use of Buckley Space Force Base in upcoming federal immigration enforcement operations, Rep. Jason Crow said last week he has confirmed that the base will not be used to detain immigrants during mass deportation efforts.
“I have been told that it will not be used to house immigrants and detainees,” Crow said. “It will only be used as a staging location for law enforcement and a coordination center for ongoing operations.”
Denver region Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said they did not immediately have a statement.
Crow, who represents one of the most diverse congressional districts in the nation, said he will continue his ongoing oversight of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense to ensure the mission of Buckley remains aligned with national security interests and not political agendas.
Crow did not address leaked rumors from last week insisting that Trump administration agencies were imminently ready to descend on Aurora for some type of mass immigrant round-up or raids.
During the presidential campaign, Trump claimed that Aurora was overrun by a criminal gang from Venezuela and used the rhetoric to drive home his plan for mass deportation. He named his mass deportation plan, “Operation Aurora.” Aurora officials said Trump’s statements were overblown.
Despite saying he felt reassured about what the real mission for Buckley would be in Trump’s mass deportation plans, Crow said he remains concerned about a lack of transparency in how federal immigration enforcement is being planned and executed.
“A mass deportation is different by definition,” Crow said. “The word ‘mass’ means they’re going after a larger category of folks, otherwise law-abiding people. These are our business owners. These are families. These are mixed-status families in many cases.”
Crow pointed to Trump administration Border Czar Tom Homan saying on multiple occasions that even parents of mixed-status families, including those with children receiving medical care, could face detention.
“Let’s not be fooled about what the President and the administration is talking about doing,” Crow said. “Nobody I know has any problem with enforcing against violent criminals to keep our communities safe. But using our military to do something that is, in my view, immoral and counterproductive to actual comprehensive immigration reform will gut our economy and remove a significant portion of our workforce. That’s not what Americans signed up for.”
News last week about possibly holding arrested immigrants at Buckley angered immigrant rights groups in the region.
“The Administration’s announcement it will utilize Buckley (Spaceforce) Base is an affront to our Constitution and an insult to the commitment service members have made to protect it,” Colorado Rapid Response Network said in a statement last week.
Buckley officials said military personnel would not be involved in any immigrant operation on the base.
The project will “enable U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to stage and process criminal aliens within the U.S. for an operation taking place in Colorado,” according to a statement issued by Buckley officials.
“Military personnel are not involved in this operation.
As a combat veteran and former veterans advocate, Crow said he remains concerned about misuse of the military by the Trump administration and the impact of law enforcement operations on troop morale and recruitment.
“I’ve heard anecdotally from various service members,” Crow said. “Folks are very worried about the politicization of the military. What that means for the separation between politics and the military, but also what that means for the morale of our troops.”
Buckley is a tier-one national security facility handling critical intelligence and missile warning operations, and any diversion of resources could jeopardize military readiness, Crow said.
“This is a facility that does no-fail missions for our national security,” Crow said. “Our troops around the world rely on what happens behind this fence line. Americans rely on what happens behind this fence line.”
Crow said he is committed to returning to Buckley for regular reviews and check-ins to ensure federal immigration operations remain lawful and ethical.
“We will make sure our service members and military are being used properly and that no unlawful activities occur,” Crow said. “The best thing to do when there are reports and rumors in a community is just to show up, start poking around, and get information for yourself.”
Worry about imminent raids in and near Aurora
News about Buckley coming off the block as a site for detaining or transporting people arrested for immigration law or other offenses followed a chaotic last week rife with rumors about imminent raids.
After earlier reporting that Aurora was expected to be a target for an immigration operation Jan. 30, NBC News and other media outlets reported that the effort has been postponed by federal officials because of media leaks.
Requests by the Sentinel for clarification from three federal agencies were unanswered or declined last week.
“The agency temporarily called off the operation due to media leaks, NBC reported, citing two sources familiar with the planning,” NBC News reported online Wednesday. “One of the sources told NBC that the leaks posed an operational security risk for officers.”
Officials with Gov. Jared Polis’ office told the Sentinel they had never not received any notice about any federal operations in the state.
“Colorado has no information about this rumored operation in Aurora at this time,” said Shelby Weiman, press secretary for Gov. Polis.
Crow said the Trump initiative is off base.
“Law enforcement should be targeting violent criminals, not raiding churches and schools to target families,” Crow said. “Aurora is one of the most diverse districts in the country. Immigrants live here, work, and pay taxes in our community. They are our neighbors, own small businesses, and go to school with our children. Surely we can fix our broken immigration system while having a humane and orderly immigration policy that does not target families and children.”
That’s when news about the use of Buckley SF Base drew swift criticism from Crow and other officials.
Aurora city officials addressing the news about looming immigrant raids said that local law enforcement is not
U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., talks to reporters after the congressman toured Buckley Space Force Base following reports that the base would be used by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to process and detain immigrants Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Aurora, Colo. AP Photo/David
involved in planning or executing the Aurora DHS operation.
“We are not involved in the development and activation of such plans,” Aurora spokesperson Ryan Luby said in a statement. “As we have said numerous times previously, Colorado state law prohibits local governments from engaging in typical immigration-specific enforcement or detention. We focus on enforcing state and local law.”
The city added that while it will cooperate with federal partners as required by law, its role remains limited under state restrictions.
“As we always have, we will work with our federal partners and follow federal law and directives as they apply to our community and as we are allowed. We will always follow state and federal law,” Luby said in the statement.
Aurora Public Schools officials have sent letters to parents explaining how schools would handle encounters with immigration officials.
Aurora Public Schools told parents in a letter sent home with students Wednesday that families should be prepared in case of any type of immigration enforcement, inside or out of school.
“School leaders will follow clear procedures to protect students and their information. We will contact our legal office and follow the proper legal steps before sharing any information. Immigration officers would only be allowed in a school building if they have a judicial warrant. Parents and guardians will be informed if any requests are made regarding their child. Please know that school staff do not know students’ immigration status and we would never ask for their immigration status,” the letter states.
From the APS Letter:
If immigration officers come to our schools —
School leaders will follow clear procedures to protect students and their information.
We will contact our legal office and follow the proper legal steps before sharing any information.
Immigration officers would only be allowed in a school building if they have a judicial warrant.
Parents and guardians will be informed if any requests are made regarding their child. Please know that
school staff do not know students’ immigration status and we would never ask for their immigration status. If you are looking for more information on how to prepare for potential changes to immigration enforcement, please carefully review the following information:
Cherry Creek School District officials said they were committed to ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for students amid potential uncertainty.
“We continue to have conversations with local, state and federal agencies and partners as we plan for a variety of scenarios that could impact our students, staff and community,” Lauren Snell, public information officer for Cherry Creek Public Schools, said in a statement. “As a public education institution, we remain fully committed to do everything we can to ensure our students and schools are safe and welcoming spaces and that all students have equal access to quality education.”
Immigration rights organizations in the region said the news of operations is divisive and causing dangerous fear across several communities.
“Reports of planned ICE raids in Aurora targeting immigrants under the guise of public safety are deeply alarming,” officials from the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition said in a statement. “These operations are not about safety — they are about criminalizing immigrants, tearing families apart, and fueling the private prison industry’s profits at the expense of human suffering.”
Other Aurora immigrant news spread from New York on Tuesday.
An operation in the the New York City Bronx last week snared Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 26, who authorities said was one of several men, including members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, who entered an apartment in Aurora last summer and were recorded on a widely viewed video. Several of the suspects were previously arrested in Colorado and New York.
The incident caught President Donald Trump’s attention during the presidential campaign, and he announced a plan called “Operation Aurora” to target migrant gangs. The video led Trump to claim that Aurora had been taken over by the gang, which city offi-
cials denied.
In an arrest warrant, Aurora police said Zambrano-Pacheco was also wanted in a kidnapping in which at least 20 armed men abducted and threatened two people in late June. In addition, police said Zambrano-Pacheco was with a group of armed men before a shooting occurred shortly after the apartment incident that was caught on video.
Two arrest warrants accused Zambrano-Pacheco of kidnapping, burglary and felony menacing. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer or if he was a member of Tren de Aragua.
Local and federal authorities, including Aurora police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, investigated the apartment incident for months beginning when Joe Biden was still president.
DEA agents rush into a vacant building on the 6600 block of Federal Boulevard in Adams County early Jan. 26 as part of a drug raid officials say involved “dozens” of members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang.
DEA officials said the raid came after months of investigation and was not part of a new direction in enforcement dictated by the Trump administration.
DEA agents, working with unnamed local police officials, ATF agents and Homeland Security officials said the gathering was an “invite-only” event, and that guns and illegal drugs were confiscated during the arrest, according to the social media post.
On Saturday, hundreds of protesters turned out to Aurora’s Fletcher Plaza on a cold and snowy January day to rally against Trump administration threats of mass deportations.
The rally drew as many as 700 immigrants, activists and allies determined to challenge national and local anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies affecting Aurora’s diverse population.
“When we stand together organized in resistance, we can break the machine of fear and greed that these billionaires are building,” said Moira Casado Cassidy. “The world that we actually deserve is possible.”
—TheAssociatedPresscontributedtothisstory
Zalubowski
Forty-seven individuals and 15 relays teams from six Aurora programs head to the Veterans’ Memorial Aquatic Center for the Class 5A girls state swim meet.
The final ranks for the Feb. 6-7 meet were solidified by performances at “A” League championship meets over the past weekend, as Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest, Grandview, Overland and Smoky Hill competed in the Centennial League meet, Regis Jesuit swam in the Continental League meet and Hinkley played host to the City League meet that also included Rangeview, Gateway and Aurora Central.
Grandview and Cherokee Trail — which finished third and fourth, respectively — at the Centennial “A” League Championships, both head into the state meet with 10 individuals and three relay teams apiece.
In the swim
Regis Jesuit — last season’s 5A runner-up — again expects to be in the hunt for hardware as coach Nick Frasersmith’s team features an area-best 17 individual swimmers and divers and a full compliment of relays. The Raiders come in off a seventh-place showing in the Continental “A” League meet in which very few of their top line swimmers were in the water.
BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor
In pre-meet psyche sheets put out Feb. 3 by the Colorado High School Activities Association, Regis Jesuit goes into the prelims (scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Feb. 6, which follows the full diving competition at 10 a.m.; swim finals are slated for 5:15 p.m. Feb. 7) with major point potential.
The Raiders are seeded in the top three in all three relays, which will be a boost as they seek to catch rival and defending state champion Cherry Creek.
Leading the way individually is sophomore Natalie Daum, who enters the meet as the No. 1 seed in both the 200 yard individual medley and 100 yard breaststroke. Daum’s top time of 2 minutes, 5.27 seconds, in the individual medley puts her only slightly in front of Valor Christian’s Elliana Wiesen, while her 1:03.31 in the breaststroke is more than a second faster than Boulder’s Hazel Huilman (1:04.42). Fellow sophomore Ava Terella is headed for high steps on the medal podium if she swims up to her seeding in the 100 butterfly (third) and 100 backstroke (fifth). Juniors Lexi Stramel and Jamie Young are seeded to make the championship final (top 10) in at least one event, while a variety of others are just on the cusp of making the championship finals in a variety of other events.
The Wolves had a pair of league champions and both — senior diver Addison Campbell and sophomore Makenna Dyk — look to follow up those performances on a bigger scale at state. Campbell not only won her second straight Centennial League crown on the diving board, but she did so with a score that was 90 points higher than in 2024. She finished fourth in 5A as a sophomore and ninth as a junior and 11th as a freshman. Dyk, meanwhile, captured a league title in the 50 yard freestyle and goes into state seeded third in the event (with a top time of 23.95 seconds), while she is also sixth in the 100 freestyle.
Campbell and Dyk are the lone two individual point scorers to return from last season’s sixth-place state squad for coach James Boone’s Wolves, who are seeded fourth in the 200 yard freestyle relay to boot.
Dalton Tainter-Paar has taken over at Cherokee Trail, which finished ninth at last season’s state meet, and has a number of returning state scorers in the lineup. Leading the way for the Cougars is senior Ava Zadigian, who claimed the Centennial “A” League title in the 100 yard backstroke and sits third in the seeding going into state with her top time of 57.32 seconds.
Fellow senior Ella Drakulich finished 10th in the 200 yard individual medley at last season’s state meet and she is seeded seventh in the same event going into her final state championship. Cherokee Trail also has four sophomores, two juniors and a freshman qualified and has the potential to score in all three relays.
Coach Scott Cohen’s Smoky Hill team has a host of seven individuals qualified for state and that group includes two swimmers who scored in two individual events apiece last season at state in juniors Cameryn Walkup and Mya Noffsinger.
Walkup has built quite a resume in two seasons thus far and she claimed two Centennial “A” League championships for a second straight season. She repeated in the 500 yard freestyle and owns a season-best time of 5:07.89, which puts her as the fourth seed in the event at state, while she is one place higher in the 200 yard freestyle with a 1:53.66. Noffsinger, meanwhile, scored in the 200 yard individual medley and backstroke last season at state and is in position
to repeat that feat, as she is seeded No. 5 in the IM and 12th in the backstroke. Sophomore Caroline Kaiser could join the scoring ranks for Smoky Hill if she holds both of her seeding positions and the Buffaloes hold top-15 seeds in all three relays to boot.
Eaglecrest has taken a step forward this season and will be represented by two individuals and three relay teams at the state meet. Coach Jillian Fehringer’s Raptors haven’t scored a point at the state meet since back in 2021 (when diver Caitie Rodocker placed third) and they will seek to break that drought with senior Lin Naraoka in the pool and junior Lily Grigorian on the diving board. Eaglecrest would need to move up six spots in both the 200 yard medley and 400 yard freestyle relays in order to make a consolation final.
Rangeview has a lone individual qualifier in senior Hailey McDonald, who has made it in diving. Diving last put the Raiders on the scoreboard at the state meet in 2019 — when Sarah Mortenson placed 13th — and McDonald (who is coached by Mortenson) could make it happen again. She is a four-time Aurora Public Schools champion and added a City League crown this season with a score of 405.55 points. For a full list of Aurora’s Class 5A girls state swim meet qualifiers by school with events and seed times, visit sentinelcolorado.com/preps.
GIRLS SWIMMING
Big time Buff: Smoky Hill junior Cameryn Walkup, center, has some fun as she enters the starting area ahead of the 200 yard freestyle championship final at the Centennial “A” League girls swim meet Feb. 1 at Arapahoe High School. Walkup won the event as well as the 500 yard freestyle and enters the Feb. 6-7 5A state meet at the Veterans’ Memorial Aquatic Center seeded in the top four of two events for the Buffaloes. (Photo by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)
Back at it: Cherokee Trail senior Ava Zadigian claimed the 100 yard backstroke championship at the Centennial “A” League girls swim meet Feb. 1 at Arapahoe High School. Zadigian holds the elevated seeding of third in the event going into the state meet as she seeks to help the Cougars better last season’s ninth-place team showing. (Photo by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Grandview’s Sienna Betts picked for McDonald’s All-American Game April 1
Sienna Betts has earned just about every top honor possible for an elite basketball player and she can now add McDonald’s All-American to the list.
The 6-foot-4 post player at Grandview High School — which is currently ranked No. 1 in Class 6A in the Colorado High School Activities Association Seeding Index — was among the 24 senior players across the country picked for the prestigious game, which is scheduled for April 1 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Through games of Jan. 31, Betts is leads 6A lead in rebounding at 16.6 per game to go with a 24.1 points per game average that ranks fourth in the classification. The two-time defending Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year also ranks third in blocked shots per game at 3.6 per contest and tied for fourth in assists at 4.6 for coach Josh Ulitzky’s Wolves, who she seeks to lead to a third state championship in four seasons.
Next year, Betts will join older sister Lauren — another former Grandview star — at UCLA, which is currently the top-ranked women’s basketball program in the country. As a junior, Lauren Betts is coming off a week in which she was the national player of the week and she is a national player of the year candidate.
The Betts sisters and Michaela Onyenwere give the Grandview program three McDonald’s All-American selections in the past seven years, as Onyenwere became the first in 2017. Lauren Betts was next in 2022 and now Sienna Betts. The Aurora area’s other McDonald’s All-American selection all-time is Regis Jesuit grad Fran Belibi in 2019.
Sienna Betts is also one of two Colorado players picked for this season’s McDonald’s All-American game, as Alexandra Eschmeyer — a 6-foot-5 forward at Peak to Peak Charter School and Stanford commitment — is also slated to be part of the West team. Six Colorado girls players were nominated, a group that also included Tianna Chambers, Gianna Smith, Brooklyn Stewart and Quinn VanSickle. There were no boys McDonald’s All-American nominees from Colorado.
The McDonald’s All-American Games festivities begin March 31 with the Sprite Jam Fest — a 3-point competition — and continues April 1 with the girls game at 4:30 p.m. MT followed by the boys at 7 p.m. The games will be broadcast nationally on ESPN and ESPN2.
FOOTBALL
Rangeview hires Chris Lopez as new head coach
Chris Lopez will be a head football coach for the first time, but he certainly will not enter his new post at Rangeview High School needing introductions.
Lopez — who was officially announced as the program’s new head
coach earlier this week — was the defensive coordinator last season on the staff of former coach Chris Dixon and a defensive assistant the year before that, which, coupled with two years as a physical education teacher in the building, gets him off to a huge start.
“It’s a huge advantage, knowing the kids and spending the last two years in the classroom with them as well,” Lopez told the Sentinel. “Knowing the community and administration is a big help. …I’m excited for the opportunity and excited to build up the program with our kids.”
Athletic director Erick Swanson announced back in December that Dixon had decided not to return as head coach “to concentrate on his responsibilities as Dean and Athletic Director at Columbia Middle School and his family commitments.” Swanson also thanked Dixon— who had a record of 10-20 over three seasons, including a 4-6 mark in 2024 — for his “dedication, effort and commitment to our program.”
The school’s coaching search landed on Lopez, who will be the fourth coach for the Raiders in a six-season span following Brandon Alconcel, who left after the 2019 season and is
still around locally at Smoky Hill, Mike Holmes (who coached in the spring and fall of 2021 and Dixon.
Lopez will turn 39 years old before the 2025 season begins in August and is ready for his first opportunity to lead a program. Lopez has coached in some capacity with a variety of prep programs in the Metro area and counts some of the most impactful figures during his stops as former Brighton coach Patrick Sandoval, former Westminster coach Kerry Denison and former Overland coach Steve Sewell. He also lists time as an offensive graduate assistant at the University of Northern Colorado.
Locally, Vista PEAK Prep (to replace Mike Campbell, who resigned midway through the season) and Hinkley (to replace Dennis York) remain in the search for new head coaches.
FOOTBALL Broncos announce plan to give new helmets to all Colorado prep teams
A massive initiative announced by the Denver Broncos plans to provide new, state-of-the-art helmets to all of the state’s 277 prep football pro-
grams. The announcement of the “ALL IN. ALL COVERED” initiative came at the conclusion of the Colorado High School Activities Association’s Legislative Council meeting held at the Douglas County School District Legacy Campus Jan. 28.
CHSAA Commissioner Mike Krueger provided the details on its partnership with the Broncos and helmet maker Riddell with plans to outfit the state’s prep football teams (from the largest in Class 5A down to sixman programs) with 15,516 Axiom helmets, which will be portioned out to programs over the next four years. The helmets carry a price tag of roughly $750 apiece.
“This initiative will have a lasting positive impact on high school football programs and athletes across Colorado for years to come,” said Krueger, who recognized the efforts of Broncos owners Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner to make it happen. Cherokee Trail head football coach Justin Jajczyk said 9-10 players on his team this past season had
their own Axiom helmets,
bought
including
LEFT: Grandview’s Sienna Betts (51) has been picked to play in the McDonald’s All-American girls basketball game April 1 in Brooklyn as one of the 24 senior players from across the country. Betts joins her older sister, Lauren, and Michaela Onyenwere as the Wolves’ all-time selections to the prestigious McDonald’s All-American Game. RIGHT: Cherokee Trail senior Noah Collins, top, had his own Riddell Axiom helmet during the 2024 football season, the same kind the Denver Broncos plan to provide for all Colorado prep football programs in the state over the next four years. The Broncos announced the “ALL IN. ALL COVERED.” initiative on Jan. 28. (File photo by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)
Returning Raider: Chris Lopez has been hired as the new head football coach at Rangeview High School after he served as defensive coordinator last season (when the Raiders went 4-6) and as an assistant the season before that. Lopez, who will turn 39 by the time the 2025 season begins in the fall, is eager for his first opportunity as a head coach. (Photo by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)
senior Noah Collins. Collins was one of a number of players featured in a announcement video put out by the Broncos, which was narrated by Peyton Manning.
“It’s absolutely tremendous that the Broncos are doing this, especially with all the talk over the last decade about the need for more player safety,” Jajczyk told the Sentinel. “Helmets are not cheap and the thing many people don’t understand is that they have a shelf life of 10 years and then they are done. To buy new ones or get some reconditioned is an ordeal, so this is a big deal.”
Local programs and those around the state were scheduled to have visits from Riddell representatives to get measurements taken for 25 returning players. In a press release, the Broncos said the first set of helmets would be delivered in May, ahead of the start of the football season.
The Broncos said the Riddell Axiom helmet in particular was picked for its features, which include: “the TRUFIT™ SYSTEM, which uses 3D imaging of each athlete’s head for a personalized fit and protection system to improve impact response. It also comes standard with InSite Smart Helmet Technology for impact sensing and reporting.”
Jajczyk said he got a chance to experience the technology through players who used the helmets last season and that it can be invaluable to himself and training staff to monitor player safety. The helmets also are adjustable, so they can be refitted for a new group of players each season.
The idea to provide the helmets came out of a Denver Broncos Foundation Board Meeting in August as the organization continues to be very involved in the progression of youth sports in the state.
HALL OF FAME CHSAA Class of 24 includes Aurora trio
The Colorado High School Activities Association had its annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony Jan. 28 and it included some Aurora area greatness as former Smoky Hill High School girls cross country stars Megan Kaltenbach Burke and Katelyn Kaltenbach Conlon and former Aurora Central boys basketball coach Bob Caton were among eight inductees honored at the Douglas County School District Legacy Campus.
Kaltenbach Burke won a combined 15 individual and team state championships in track & field and cross country — winning four cross country titles in as many seasons — and was a three-time Gatorade honoree as Colorado’s top girls cross country runner. Her sister, Kaltenbach Conlon, won the prestigious Foot Locker National Championship race in 2003 and won eight state titles of her own. Both went on to run in college at the Unviersity of North Carolina.
Caton has amassed 556 career victories at a variety of stops as a head coach and picked up 90 of them in a four-year span with Aurora Central, which also included a run to the Class 5A state final in 2006-07.
David Hall, Kevin Land, Darryl Miller, Nate Solder and Jessika Stratton Caldwell rounded out the Hall of Fame honorees.
SCHOOL NEWS
West hired as athletic director at Regis Jesuit Ryan West had the interim dropped from his title at Regis Jesuit, where he has been hired officially as the school’s athletic director.
West is a former principal at Englewood High School and he is in his second year as president of the Colorado High School Activities Association Board of Directors.
“When I started over the summer and got to know the culture here, I was hoping this would be a long-term position,” West told the Sentinel “This place is absolutely amazing. It
has great tradition and it’s an honor to serve these families and hopefully continue to move the athletic program forward into the future.”
LEGISLATIVE NEWS
Golf regionals eliminated among changes at Legislative Council
The Colorado High School Activities Association’s Legislative Council met Jan. 28 at the Douglas County School District Legacy Campus and made a few changes to some prep sports.
The biggest change comes in boys and girls golf, where the Legislative Council voted to accept the golf committee’s report, which included a proposal to eliminate regional qualifying rounds that have long been the standard for state qualification. With more challenges to find course officials as well as the need to find courses and host sites for the regional tournaments — especially with a new classifi-
cation of play that has been approved — the request appealed to a majority of the voters.
In its place, the 84-player field — which is the same size as it has been previously — will be decided by a formula that includes the results for players who play at least five rounds during the course of the regular season.
Minor changes to the calendar and seeding in baseball, football, softball and boys volleyball also were passed among a number of bylaws approved.
WRESTLING
Regional tournaments to determine state fields
The biggest tournament of the season thus far has arrived for Aurora area boys and girls wrestlers, who will head out to regional competition Feb. 7-8 as they attempt to earn coveted spots in the field what will compete a week later in Ball Arena.
The largest concentration of Auro-
TOP: Overland junior Mehki McNeal, right, ducks under the basket in midair to avoid the defense of Eaglecrest senior Garrett Barger during a Centennial League boys basketball showdown Jan. 31 at Eaglecrest High School. The host Raptors held on for a 65-59 overtime victory over the rising Trailblazers. (Photo by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel) ABOVE: Colorado High School Activities Association Hall of Fame inductees Megan Kaltenbach Burke, left, and Katelyn Kaltenbach Conlon, center, pose with former Smoky Hill girls cross country coach Greg Weich at an induction ceremony on Jan. 28, 2025, at the Douglas County School District Legacy Campus. The sisters were part of the eight-member Class of 2024 honored by the state’s governing body of high school athletics. (Photo courtesy CHSAA) LEFT: Cherokee Trail’s Delainey Miller, right, goes through the heart of the Cherry Creek defense for a layup during the Cougars’ 49-48 road loss Jan. 31. (Photos by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel) FULL PHOTO GALLERIES CAN BE FOUND AT COURTNEYOAKES.SMUGMUG.COM
ra area boys teams is in the Class 5A Region 3 tournament at at Broomfield High School, where Grandview, Smoky Hill and Vista PEAK Prep will be in the field. Rangeview and Regis Jesuit take part in the Region 1 tournament at Fruita Monument High School, Cherokee Trail and Eaglecrest are bound for the Region 2 tournament at Ponderosa HIgh School and Overland is the lone local squad in the 5A Region 4 tournament at Denver North.
In 4A competition, Aurora Central heads to Canon City for the Region 3 tournament, while Gateway and Hinkley take part in the Region 4 gathering at Windsor High School.
Aurora’s five girls programs are divided between two 5A regionals with Regis Jesuit, Smoky Hill and Vista PEAK Prep bound for the Region 3 tournament at Poudre High School and Eaglecrest and Overland on the way to Fountain for the Region 2 tournament.
WEEK PAST
The week past in Aurora prep sports MONDAY, FEB. 3: The Regis Jesuit ice hockey team piled up six goals in the seven period alone on its way to a 7-5 matinee win over Chatfield. Parker Brinner and Harry Sorensen scored two goals apiece, while Liam Lynch had three assists and Easton Sparks made 21 saves in the goal. ...SATURDAY, FEB. 1: The City League Championship boys wrestling tournament saw Rangeview and Vista PEAK Prep finish fifth and sixth, respectively, while each had a champion. Christian King of Rangeview claimed the 285-pound weight bracket, while Ian Bacon of Vista PEAK Prep won at 120. ...The Vista PEAK Prep girls wrestling team won the City League Championship tournament by two points with help of a hand-
See PREPS, 16
ful of champions. Anastasia Smith won the 110-pound bracket and was joined by Amelia Bacon (125), Maylin Morales (135), Parice Jones (190) and Khloe Yizar (235) as champions for the Bison, who have won three straight league titles. ... Liam Corcoran, Harry Frangiskakis and Ari Gelfand scored goals for the Cherry Creek ice hockey team in a 3-1 win over Monarch. ...Kyle Golas had two goals and two assists, while Aidan McGinty scored a goal to go with three assists and Emilio Kukic and James Lembke added two goals apiece as the Grandview ice hockey team beat Dakota Ridge 12-2. ...FRIDAY, JAN. 31: The Rangeview boys basketball team had five players score in double figures in an 88-59 road win at Northfield as Marceles Duncan led the way with 24. ...The Eaglecrest boys basketball team held off Overland 65-59 in overtime behind Garrett Barger’s 19 points, plus 16 from Kris Coleman, 15 from Anthony Nettles
and Lucas Kalimba’s 11. Siraj Ali tallied 22 and Dontae Graham 20 for the Trailblazers. ...The Smoky Hill boys basketball team downed Mullen 78-48. Breven Anderson scored 19 points, Trevor Thomas had 16 and Cole Holtman 14 as the Grandview boys basketball team topped Arapahoe 64-54. Mitchell Oliver’s 21-point effort pace the Vista PEAK Prep boys basketball team to a big 73-63 win at Denver South in which Noah Adkins added 13. ...Eric Fiedler scored 18 points for the Regis Jesuit boys basketball team, but the Raiders saw Chaparral rally for a 62-51 win. ...Sienna Betts poured in 31 points to pace the Grandview girls basketball team to a 66-41 win over Arapahoe. Ava Chang added 15 points, while Leiava Holliman & Deijah Roberson had 10 apiece. ...The Regis Jesuit girls basketball team won 56-34 at Chaparral. Jada Bobb’s 16 points and 11 from Amaia Jones helped the Eaglecrest girls basketball team top Overland (which got 15 from Ilaisaane Davis) 46-38. ...The Vista PEAK Prep girls
LEFT: Hinkley’s Carter Davis, right, picks up Rangeview’s Biram Griffey during the 215-pound match of a boys wrestling dual on Jan. 29 at Rangeview High School. Griffey managed to escape and ended up with a victory in the match, which was won by the Raiders. BELOW LEFT: Regis Jesuit’s Eric Fiedler, left, attempts a jump shot over Chaparral’s Jack Jenkins (15) during the second half of a Continental League boys basketball showdown Jan. 31 at Regis Jesuit High School. Fiedler scored 18 points for the Raiders, but the Wolverines rallied to win the contest. ABOVE: Rangeview’s Royce Edwards, center, splits through the heart of the Vista PEAK Prep defense on his way to a layup during the Raiders’ 70-57 City League win over the Bison Jan. 28. BELOW: Eaglecrest’s Amaia Jones (1) goes up for a putback during the second half of the Raptors’ 46-38 Centennial League home win over Overland Jan. 31. (Photos by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel) FULL PHOTO GALLERIES CAN BE FOUND AT COURTNEYOAKES.SMUGMUG.COM
basketball team rolled past Denver South 78-42. ...Despite 14 points from Madeline Gibbs and Delainey Miller’s 12, the Cherokee Trail girls basketball team fell at Cherry Creek 49-48. ...Felix Morales, Federico Amezquita Lara, Fabrisio Nunez and Andrew Pelenkahu won individual tiles to help the Aurora Central boys wrestling team to second place at the Colorado League Championships. ...At the Greeley West Duals, the Eaglecrest boys wrestling team went 3-2 with wins over Prairie View, Rock Canyon and Sterling against losses to Fort Lupton and Greeley West. ...The Eaglecrest girls wresting team won the Greleey West Duals with a 5-0 record that included defeats of Sterling, Prairie View, Fort Lupton, Greeley West and Thornton. . ...Aidan McGinty scored twice as the Grandview ice hockey team snapped a losing streak with a 3-2 win over Lewis-Palmer. ...Payton Mills had a 17-save shutout, while Bronson Bulatovic, Liam Corcoran, Ari Gelfand, Davis Ritter and Carter Sharkey scored goals as the Cherry
Creek ice hockey team blanked Denver East 5-0. ...THURSDAY, JAN. 30: The Aurora Central boys basketball team got 23 points from Alex Flores and 12 from Deon Davis Jr. in a 54-44 win over Skyview. ...The Eaglecrest boys wrestling team swept a tri-dual with wins over Horizon (47-33) and host Legacy (60-23). ...The Cherokee Trail boys wrestling team got pins from Mateo Garreffa, Youdas Aghoulies, Mason Carr and Chance Mathews in a 48-26 dual win over Poudre. ...WEDNESDAY, JAN. 29: Garrett Barger, Kris Coleman and Lucas Kalimba had 11 points apiece as the Eaglecrest boys basketball team topped Cherry Creek 55-48. Siraaj Ali hit the game-winner to lift the Overland boys basketball team over Arapahoe 68-66. Ali had 21 points and Dontae Graham 17. ...The Regis Jesuit boys basketball team prevailed over Legend 88-83 in 3 overtimes as Eric Fiedler had 28 points, Alec Roumph 27 and Lucas Dickinson 21. ...Carter Basquez’s 14 points, plus 12 from Kaylan Graham helped the Smoky Hill
boys basketball team top Cherokee Trail 58-56. Jordan Mitchell’s 13 led the Cougars. ...The Grandview girls basketball team used a 27-point effort from Sienna Betts on the way to a 5134 win over Mullen. ...The Aurora Central boys wrestling team earned a 71-6 win over Denver West. ...The Rangeview boys wrestling team topped Hinkley in a match with just a handful of bouts contested. ...TUESDAY, JAN. 28: The Rangeview boys basketball team downed host Vista PEAK Prep 70-57 as Marceles Duncan and LaDavian King had 15 points apiece, while Archie Weatherspoon V added 14. Mitchell Oliver had 19 and Larry Mosley 12 for the Bison. Ahmed Mohammed scored 20 points for the Gateway boys basketball team in a 49-39 win over Adams City. Bryan Lozano added 12 and Nickalus Smith 11. ...Amirah Pena tallied 18 points and Knakai Starks 16 for the Vista PEAK Prep girls basketball team in a 61-54 OT win at Rangeview. ...The Gateway girls basketball team topped Adams City 34-21.
ture, sale, purchase, and transfer of guns that have detachable magazines, including shotguns and rifles. Requiring all guns to have an attached magazine would prevent gun owners from buying high-capacity detachable magazines in other states and using them on compatible guns in Colorado. The bill would only affect future sales. It would not forbid the possession of a firearm or require changes to guns residents currently own.
Opponents of the bill say the measure would outlaw a large share of guns available and have argued it would impact a resident’s ability to defend themself.
Previous versions of this type of legislation have failed in past years.
Bill sponsor state Sen. Tom Sullivan, a Centennial Democrat, joined the rally and said he’s saddened and happy to see student activism at the Capitol. Sullivan’s son was one of the 12 people killed in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting.
He told students that they have lawmakers’ attention in the building. “Be sure to use it,” he said.
Moms Demand Action Executive Director Angela Ferrell-Zabala, who showed up to support the students, said she’s proud to see them taking a stance and that a record number are getting involved by telling their stories.
The national Moms Demand Action group has sought to mobilize parents and families to advocate for public safety measures to protect people from gun violence.
Students were expected to meet with about 30 lawmakers throughout the day, a list that included mostly Democratic lawmakers. Students also were scheduled to speak with Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie and Senate President James Coleman. Stella Kaye, a 17-year-old East High School senior, said she planned to tell lawmakers this is an issue they should care about even if they haven’t been impacted by gun violence. Kaye serves as East’s Students Demand Action vice president.
She said part of why she advocates for gun violence measures is because of several shootings that happened in her sophomore year at East High, including a 2023 shooting on school grounds where two administrators were wounded. She doesn’t want anyone else to face what her community has gone through, she said.
“You see it on the news and think it can’t be me,” she said. “And then one day it becomes you.”
— Jason Gonzales, Chalkbeat Colorado
COPS AND COURTS
Employee seriously injured in shooting at Aurora restaurant
An unidentified man was seriously injured during a shooting Feb. 2 at a west-central Aurora restaurant where he worked.
Police were called to the Panda Buffet, 12597 E. Mississippi Ave., at about 9:30 p.m. after reports of a shooting inside the restaurant.
“The victim is an adult male who was transported to the hospital,” Aurora police spokesperson Sydney Edwards said in a statement. “His injuries are serious and non-life threatening.”
No one else was injured in the shooting, police said.
“Officers are currently looking for one suspect that fled the scene,” Edwards said.
Police gave no details about the motive behind the shooting, other than to say the investigation was preliminary as of Sunday night.
“It is unclear how the incident started and if the victim and the suspect knew each other,” Edwards said.
— Sentinel Staff
DEA and local police arrest alleged gang member at notorious
Aurora
apartment complex
Regional Drug Enforcement Administration officials said the agency and an area police department made a “gang-related arrest” Jan. 29 at the infamous Edge at Lowry apartments in northwest Aurora.
“We arrested Henry Vargas on extortion charges in relation to an incident that occurred at the light rail (Tuesday) morning,” said Joanna Small, Commerce City police public information officer.
The Rocky Mountain Division of the DEA posted the arrest on their X account at 5 a.m., saying Wednesday, “Local law enforcement officer partners continue hitting streets day/ night, pursuing drug criminals.”
Joe Moylan, the public information officer of the Aurora Police Department, said that Aurora police assisted the Commerce City Police Department with the arrest.
Details of the arrest and allegations against Vargas were not released. DEA officials did not say where Vargas was taken or being held. Neither the Adams County nor Arapahoe county jails list him as an inmate.
In the post, they said that Vargas is a member of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua, and he was taken into custody in the Denver area overnight. Vargas was arrested at the Edge at Lowry apartments in Aurora, Aurora police said.
For months, the apartment complex has attracted national media attention and the Trump presidential campaign last year after armed alleged members of a Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, were caught on video entering a unit last summer.
Aurora city officials recently outlined their plan to close the Edge at Lowry apartment complex, citing ongoing criminal activity and neglect from poor property management as the driving factors behind the decision.
— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer
Altercation in Mission Viejo leads to woman being shot, injured
Police said some kind of skirmish in the Mission Viejo neighborhood among several people Jan. 27 led to a woman being shot and injured.
Police were called to a home on the 3900 block of South Nucla Street at about 5 p.m. after reports of a shooting.
“When officers arrived at the scene, they located a woman with an apparent gunshot wound and provided life-saving actions until medical responders arrived at the scene,” Aurora police spokesperson Joe Moylan said in a statement. “The woman was taken to a local hospital for treatment of what appear to be non-life-threatening injuries.”
Investigators said the shooting was an isolated incident and the result of an undetailed altercation “among known parties involving multiple suspects.”
Police said anyone with information can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and still be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000, police said.
— Sentinel Staff
Gunman shoots, injures man in northwest Aurora
An unidentified man told police he was injured Jan. 27 after being approached by someone with a gun and shot while in northwest Aurora.
Police said they learned about the shooting after being called to a local hospital reporting that a man with a gunshot wound had come to them seeking treatment at about 4 p.m.
“The victim told police he was approached by an armed person near the intersection of Peoria Street and East 33rd Avenue and shot,” Aurora police spokesperson Joe Moylan said in a statement. “The victim
self-transported to the hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.”
Police said there was no suspect information available Monday evening, and no arrests had been made.
Police said anyone with information can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and still be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000, police said.
— Sentinel Staff
Agents arrest man reportedly seen on viral gang video entering Aurora apartment
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joined federal agents in New York City on Jan. 28 to announce the arrests of immigrants wanted on criminal charges, including a man accused of kidnapping who was seen on a viral video entering an Aurora apartment with reputed gang members.
Noem was the latest high-ranking official from President Donald Trump’s administration to tout the president’s ramped-up immigration enforcement in a city where arrests were being made. Border czar Tom Homan and acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove were in Chicago on Sunday as federal agents made arrests there.
“Arresting some criminal aliens this morning in NYC — thank you to the brave officers involved,” Noem posted on X. “Criminal alien with kidnapping, assault & burglary charges is now in custody — thanks to @ICE. Dirtbags like this will continue to be removed from our streets.”
An operation in the Bronx early Tuesday snared Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 26, who authorities said was one of several men, including members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, who entered an apartment in Aurora, last summer and were recorded on a widely viewed video. Several of the suspects were previously arrested in Colorado and New York.
The incident caught President Donald Trump’s attention during the presidential campaign, and he announced a plan called “Operation Aurora” to target migrant gangs. The video led Trump to claim that Aurora had been taken over by the gang, which city officials denied.
In an arrest warrant, Aurora police said Zambrano-Pacheco was also wanted in a kidnapping in which at least 20 armed men abducted and threatened two people in late June. In addition, police said Zambrano-Pacheco was with a group of armed men before a shooting occurred shortly after the apartment incident that was caught on video.
Two arrest warrants accused Zambrano-Pacheco of kidnapping, burglary, and felony menacing. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer or if he was a member of Tren de Aragua.
Local and federal authorities, including Aurora police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, investigated the apartment incident for months beginning when Joe Biden was still president.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said Tuesday’s arrests did not appear to be part of a “wholesale raid,” but rather an operation targeting specific people accused of crimes.
“I want to be clear, there’s always been ICE raids in the state of New York, even in the past. This is not a new dynamic,” she said.
Zambrano-Pacheco is the fifth person to be arrested in connection with the Aurora apartment incident. The video shows six armed men, including at least some members of Tren de Aragua, entering the apartment shortly before a fatal shooting outside the complex.
— Dave Collins,,
Associated Press and Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer
Unidentified man injured in northwest Aurora shooting, police say
Police said an unidentified man was shot and wounded early Jan. 27 in northwest Aurora, possibly nearby where officers encountered the man.
Officers were called to the 1900 block of Macon Street at about 12:30 a.m. after reports of a shooting victim there.
Police provided first aid for an 18-year-old man until medical rescuers arrived and transported the man to a local hospital, according to the police department.
“During the investigation, officers located evidence of a shooting scene in the 1600 block of Beeler Street,” police said in a statement, referring to a location near where the man was found.
Police said one person was questioned and arrested in connection with an outstanding warrant.
“Investigators think the shooting involved multiple people,” police said.
Police said anyone with information can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and still be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000, police said.
— Sentinel Staff
AURORA
BEYOND
Denver, other hospitals pause gender-affirming care to evaluate Trump order
Hospitals in Denver, Virginia, and the nation’s capital said Thursday they have paused gender-affirming care for young people as they evaluate President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at cutting federal support for such care.
Denver Health has stopped providing gender-affirming surgeries for people under age 19, a spokesperson confirmed Thursday, in order to comply with the executive order and continue receiving federal funding. It is unclear whether the hospital will continue providing other gender-affirming care for youth, including hormone therapy and puberty blockers.
In Virginia, VCU Health and Children’s Hospital of Richmond said they have suspended gender-affirming medication and gender-affirming surgical procedures for those under 19 years old.
In Washington, D.C., Children’s
National Hospital said the hospital had “paused prescriptions of puberty blockers and hormone therapy to comply with the directives while we assess the situation further.” The hospital already did not perform gender-affirming surgery on minors, a spokesperson said Thursday.
Trump’s order, signed Thursday, is part of a push to reverse Biden administration policies meant to protect transgender people and their care. It ordered agencies to take steps to make sure that hospitals receiving federal research and education grants “end the chemical and surgical mutilation of children.”
Other hospitals told The Associated Press that their current practices would continue. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago said hospital officials are reviewing the order and “assessing any potential impact to the clinical services we offer to our patient families.”
“Our team will continue to advocate for access to medically necessary care, grounded in science and compassion for the patient-families we are so privileged to serve,” the statement said.
The language in Trump’s executive order — using words such as “maiming,” “sterilizing,” and “mutilation” — contradicts what is typical for gender-affirming care in the United States. It also labels guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health as “junk science.”
WPATH said in a statement that restrictions and bans on “access to necessary medical care for transgender youth are harmful to patients and their families.”
Gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth isn’t common. A new study shows that fewer than 1 in 1,000 U.S. adolescents with commercial insurance received puberty blockers or hormones during a recent five-year period, and the bulk of gender-affirming surgeries are not performed on youth.
The Denver hospital said Trump’s order would affect the mental health of its transgender patients and that they would continue to receive primary and behavioral health care.
“Denver Health is committed to and deeply concerned for the health and safety of our gender diverse patients under the age of 19,” the hospital’s statement said.
— Carla K. Johnson, AP Medical Writer
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Editorials Sentinel
Before ‘Operation Aurora,’ we must have transparency and accountability
As with so many issues, the nation, and much of Colorado, is divided about whether rounding up and deporting undocumented immigrants is wise, practical or even humane.
Regardless of where everyone in the state and nation falls on answering those questions, every American can agree that it’s critical that everyone is apprised of the facts about round-ups and deportations. And it is critically necessary that every level of government is absolutely transparent in their operations.
Given President Donald Trump’s indisputable record of dispensing misinformation, disinformation and deceit — along with many of his allies and supporters — accountable transparency around “Operation Aurora” is crucial.
All Americans must clearly see and understand how people are identified as being in the country illegally, who they are, what else they are accused of, how they are adjudicated, where they are kept and where they are sent.
That’s absolutely not the case right now.
Despite nearly Herculean efforts, the press and public have little ability to inspect arrest records or other legal and court documents linked to people accused of being undocumented immigrants in the Aurora region.
Two recent immigration and police operations involving immigrants serve as prime examples of the problem.
Last week, regional Drug Enforcement Administration officials stated in an “X” social media post that they had made a “gang-related arrest” at the Edge at Lowry apartment complex.
This is one of three northwest Aurora apartment complexes made notorious because of stories about being operated by what Mayor Mike Coffman says are “slumlords.” The apartments are rife with public health hazards, crime and despair.
Despite the news released by the DEA, on an obscure social media account that virtually registers fewer users daily, the announcement did not make clear that the arrest was not drug-related. Instead, it turns out the arrest was apparently conducted for the Commerce City Police Department. The suspect, Henry Vargas, 18, was accused of some type of extortion crime at a light rail facility the day before. Complicating the case was additional news that Aurora Police also had some part in the arrest of Vargas, likely because it was at an Aurora address.
Despite three police agencies being involved in some kind of investigation that resulted in the arrest of Vargas, it’s unclear where he is. As of Feb. 3, he was not in either the Adams County nor Arapahoe County jails, which is where anyone else accused of an extortion crime would be held.
DEA officials, in the social media post, accused Vargas of being a member of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan prison gang. So far, neither the DEA, Commerce City Police nor Aurora Police have provided information about how someone determined Vargas was a member of TdA, or even how they would determine his involvement.
Equally ambiguous is why the DEA would even be involved in the arrest, and announcement, given there has been no mention of Vargas being accused of any drug-related crimes linked to the arrest.
More worrisome, is any information about where he came from, how long he’s been in the area, and where he is. Repeated requests for information about whether he is being held at Aurora’s GEO ICE prison have provided no answers.
Multiply that by nearly 50 to make clear how non-transparent and accountable the problem is even before mass deportation operations begin.
Nearly 50 people were arrested at some type of party in Adams County two weeks ago by DEA agents. Officials there said dozens of people are accused of TdA links and are also now accused of drug, weapons and other crimes.
Yet none of their identities, locations nor individual charges have been made clear or public.
Such clandestine criminal justice systems are the hallmark of banana republics and nations like China or Iran. The very nature of American criminal justice is based on, and thrives on, transparency and accountability.
Colorado members of Congress, and state lawmakers, must press immediately for the treatment and handling of immigrants accused of crimes or missing credentials that reflect the foundations and requirements of American courts and justice.
It does not matter that some political leaders question the limits of rights of immigrants, American citizens have the right to expect that everyone in the United States handled by any police agency is a matter of public interest and records.
With so much already obscured about these cases and the treatment of “suspects” who could well be legal immigrants or even citizens, only strict guidelines for transparency, with a mechanism of accountability, is acceptable to all Americans, regardless of their immigration politics.
Iran, the never-ending soap opera
The Islamic Republic isn’t just a regime — it’s a high-stakes soap opera starring corrupt officials, power-hungry warlords, and a whole lot of offshore bank accounts. Each faction runs like a mafia family — some in turbans, some in tailored suits — but all masters of corruption. While the Iranian people suffer from inflation, droughts, and crises, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard generals are busy securing their luxury villas and foreign assets.
When a commander gets caught? No problem — they just snitch on a rival, sacrifice an underling, and walk away clean. Their biggest fear isn’t revolution — it’s losing their five-star retirements in Dubai, London, or Vancouver. And while sanctions target the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on paper, their families are quietly buying up real estate in Canada, thanks to a conveniently blind system.
Iran’s leadership has turned diplomacy into a marketing gig. With smooth-talking salesmen like Javad Zarif, they convinced Western diplomats that keeping the regime afloat was the ‘safer bet.’ And then there’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s “tighten and loosen” strategy — just enough fake reforms, just enough secret deals to buy another decade of chaos, repression, and economic collapse. Meanwhile, the opposition is too busy fighting itself to pose a real threat.
A friend once told me: “The Islamic Republic might be bad for Iranians, but many in the West prefer it this way.” Translation: “If it ain’t broken (for us), why fix it?”
Khomeini’s golden rule? “Preserving the regime is the most sacred obligation.”
Which really means: “We’ll do whatever it takes to stay in power—even if it means turning opposition activists into Twitter warriors.”
While many Iranians dream of unity, the regime is busy planting agents, fueling rivalries, and igniting online feuds to ensure no real movement ever materializes. But honestly? The exiled opposition doesn’t even
need infiltrators—it’s fully capable of self-destruction. And so, we get the diaspora Hunger Games—activists chasing clout instead of freedom, celebrity-backed fundraisers turning resistance into a Hollywood red carpet event, and extremists drowning out the real voices. The result? Many Iranians aren’t just disillusioned—they’re horrified at the thought that SAVAK could make a comeback.
For those who missed the ‘70s, SAVAK was the Shah’s infamous secret police, known for spying, torture, and executions. But then the Islamic Republic came along and said, “Cute. Watch this.”
Enter: The Islamic Regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and IRGC Intelligence — the overachievers who took SAVAK’s tactics, modernized them, and turned murder and repression into a global operation. They’ve abducted journalists, assassinated critics abroad, and perfected the art of exporting fear—all while pretending to negotiate in Vienna.
And just when a serious opposition coalition was about to form in 2023, some mysterious figures torpedoed the effort. Why? Because unity threatens dictatorship. The coalition collapsed, and the only people celebrating were Iranian Revolutionary Guard generals sipping tea in their Dubai penthouses, while their children enjoy luxury in Vancouver.
A friend once said: “Watch out for the recipients of the generals’ generous bitcoins… where do they land? It’s hard to track crypto.”
Some people mine Bitcoin with hydropower. Others cash in by mining chaos.
So the real question isn’t how long the opposition will keep falling for the same trick — it’s whether anyone is finally willing to break the cycle.
NikKowsarisanaward-winningIranian-American journalist,cartoonist,andwaterissuesanalystbasedin Washington,D.C.HewasexiledtoCanadaandtheU.S. afterhisarrestforacartoonsatirizingapowerfulcleric.
NIK KOWSAR, CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST
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