Sentinel Colorado 6.22.23

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The forces behind Aurora’s mayor-king scam

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman isn’t talking about a clandestine plan to make his job supremely powerful in the city.

So allow me.

If you’ve missed the latest on just how weird the state’s third-largest city can be, I’ll fill you in.

A month or so ago, readers started calling the Sentinel, saying they thought they’d been hoodwinked by petition gatherers.

With no notice at all, canvassers were popping up at local grocery stores and a post office, asking people to sign a petition for a ballot initiative petition collectors said would strengthen the city’s term-limit regulations.

Several phone calls and emails from reporters here turned up little detail about why, out of the blue, someone was interested in city council term limits.

the idea as a referendum when former City Manager Jim Twombly announced his resignation earlier this year. Those in a closed meeting said the mayor was loudly told to “go fish.”

Looks like he did.

After weeks of digging, every sign points back to Coffman and his political pals, and they all refuse to talk about their involvement.

I can see why. Not only is the bait-and-switch petition drive a scam — a growing list of voters who got swindled into signing the thing want their names stricken but can’t figure out how — but it’s even worse than what Coffman’s elected Aurora peers say about the scandal.

opinions out of Aurora’s political business.

Even the Colorado Springs Gazette employees have their families helping out with Coffman’s mayor-king caper. Besides offering gushy editorial praise for Coffman and his outlandish scheme, the son of ColoradoSprings Gazetteeditorial page editor Wayne Laugesen, Huey Laugesen chipped in to deliver paper and petitions to the Aurora City Clerk’s office, according to city records and sources. He works for Colorado Springs Republican strategist Daniel Cole of Colorado Springs, principal of Cole Communications. Cole is also the CEO of Victor’s Canvassing, according to state records and social media.

DAVE PERRY Editor

Normally, that kind of detail about a ballot initiative — which is the term for the law that allows residents to write legislation and enact it with a majority of voter approval — is easy to find. That’s because, normally, any group who wants to get an initiative passed is anxious to make their case to the public.

That’s absolutely not the case here.

The more reporters from the Sentinel tried to find out who wrote the so-called “Term Limits for a Better Aurora” legislation, who was behind promoting it and who was paying to write it and pay canvassers to get the proposal on the November ballot, the more everybody loosely connected to the scheme refused to talk.

It took only hours after city lawmakers and others saw the text of the proposal that everyone figured out the “term limits” ploy was a ruse. The real purpose of the ballot question is to undermine Aurora’s city council form of government and create a mayor-king who would run pretty much everything in the city, with virtually unilateral authority.

I’m old, and I’ve been doing this Aurora journalism thing for a long, long time, and I’ve seen some things.

But I have never seen anything as dubious as this colossal scam.

There are virtually no records at city hall about who’s behind this swindle, and it’s pretty sure the backer of this bogus bill wants to keep it that way.

Besides the copy of the whopping 22-page rewrite of city government structure, making the mayor into Aurora’s Decider, few other facts exist. There’s a treasurer of the campaign, who works with a Denver lawyer who reportedly filed some paperwork associated with the proposal, and three people who signed the originating petition, to get the eight-ball rolling.

At the top of the list is Garrett Walls, a member of the Aurora Planning and Zoning Commission. As soon as The Sentinel and other metro reporters started calling, Walls backed away from the scheme, deferring to, ummm, others.

Walls told the DenverGazettethat he talked about it with Coffman. Same thing for Elizabeth Hamilton and Paul Mitchell. When Sentinel reporter Carina Julig went to their home to find out who asked them to sign and why, they volunteered that Coffman bought them lunch and asked them to sign.

Sources on city council say Coffman pitched

“This is extremely deceptive for the people of Aurora, and whoever is behind this, shame on you,” Conservative Republican Danielle Jurinsky said during a press conference about a month ago, where just about every other elected official, current and past, the police, the fire department and more appeared for a rare bipartisan dog-pile on this “shameless power grab.”

Coffman repeatedly says he will only talk about it when and if the measure makes the ballot.

So here’s the deal, this is not just Coffman single-handedly trying to ram this thing down the throats of Aurora voters. He’s getting help from an eclectic gang of Colorado far-right Republicans.

First, there’s Suzanne Taheri. She’s the Denver lawyer who city officials say filed paperwork for the term-limit scam and a former GOP candidate for a state Senate seat in Denver.

Her associate is Steve Ward. He and Taheri also worked together on the effort to ask voters to lower the state’s sales tax. He’s listed as the treasurer of the Aurora term-limit scam committee.

If he sounds familiar, it’s because he’s an Englewood city councilman and the only private citizen who joined in a recent lawsuit by a far-right Republican group that tried to keep the Democrats’ Proposition HH off the ballot this fall.

If you press hard enough among those who are desperately trying to gnaw their legs off — trapped-coyote style — to get away from this thing, they’ll point you to Tyler Sandberg.

If you don’t remember, Sandberg was Coffman’s campaign manager back when he lost his congressional seat to current Democratic Congressman Jason Crow. Sandberg has been tied in tight with a variety of GOP groups and causes, including Republican stalwart Josh Penry’s partisan machine.

Sandberg won’t talk either, other than to offer “go-team” word salad, without disclosing who’s asking him or paying him to say it.

Same goes for the guy behind the fraudulent petition drive in Aurora, which got booted from a local Post Office after The Sentinel started asking questions.

That would be Victor’s Canvassing of Colorado Springs, the nexus of the self-immolated remains of the Colorado Republican Party.

The GOP takes a lot of “sign here” business to Victor’s, run by Republican Daniel Fenalson. He isn’t talking either right now, despite the growing list of complaints about how his collectors tell people they’re signing up for stricter term limits, not to create an Aurora mayor-king.

For some weird reason, Colorado Springs is enamored with calling the shots in Aurora. The land of Focus on the Family, Douglas Bruce and Phil Anschutz can’t keep their cash or their

You can’t keep following the stale Republican bread crumb trail on this thing without asking why the Colorado GOP is so interested in changing Aurora’s government. Surely they have access to county voting records that reveal Aurora, already home to a large left-leaning-and-voting majority, just keeps getting more that way?

National and regional pundits make it clear that in popular states like Colorado, where extremist Republicans decimated their party among rational voters, there’s a push to grab power in “non-partisan” governments like school boards and city councils.

But if voters pay attention to party affiliation from now on? Coffman and the GOP could seal themselves out of Aurora politics for good.

All this is a gamble on the fine print in Coffman’s caper. If you read closely, you’ll see that the change to creating an Aurora mayor-king takes effect almost immediately after this November’s election.

Whereas credible, vetted city charter changes go through months, even years of review, public scrutiny and vetting, this scheme was cooked up secretly and would allow whoever wins the mayor’s race in November to take over the city in January. Wham, bam.

Of course with everyone in Aurora other than Coffman screaming “oh hell no” already, the chances for this hot mess to make it to ballot without a big fat lawsuit — let alone make it past voters — shrivels more every day.

It’s a shame this has cast a shadow on efforts to modify the city’s charter, because there are several changes with merit that deserve public scrutiny. Aurora should consider the roles of the mayor and city council members. Perhaps it would be better for the council to appoint the police and fire chiefs, not the city manager.

It’s certainly time for Aurora to provide for runoff elections, rather than handing power to people sometimes with far less than majority-voter support. And if the city council is going to behave in clear partisan fashion, why not make it a partisan organ?

That’s not what this covert mess is about, however. With everyone associated with this thing already scuttling away as the media lights come on, who among the influential in Aurora would want this scarlet letter on their resume and conscience for the rest of their lives?

Perhaps we’ll see. But they aren’t filing any paperwork in the city clerk’s office, and they’re certainly not returning phone calls from us or anyone in the media.

won’t come out of the dark, so here’s some light

Editorials Sentinel

Cherry Creek schools can shine a light on itself by streaming meetings

This perfectly describes a fixable community problem: Cherry Creek schools is the largest district in Colorado that does not livestream or broadcast its school board meetings.

If you’re like many parents, students, teachers and taxpayers who want to know what issues the school district is facing and what elected leaders and top administrators are doing about them, the lack of watching from home is a real problem.

School districts for Denver, Douglas County, Jefferson County, Aurora and bevy of smaller and rural school districts livestream, broadcast or at least video record school board meetings. It’s not just for the convenience of school district stakeholders, it’s often a necessity for those interested enough in all or part of a school board meeting to observe what takes place — and in the best scenario — even participate in the meeting remotely.

The Cherry Creek school community knows this is possible, because the school district did it during the pandemic.

While the entire world was turned upside down the pandemic, virtual government meetings — a byproduct of necessity and technological progress — have been a boon to transparency, accountability and public engagement in what is often obscure government business.

Cherry Creek district officials broadcast the meetings along with just about every other school district in Colorado for more than a year.

Then they stopped.

While most school boards have a permanent home for regular public meetings, Cherry Creek, for years, has purposely moved the meetings across and around the school district. The school board meets in the gym, cafeteria or other common space in schools all over the district.

Proponents say that having school board meetings “in everyone’s corner” of the district brings the governing board of the district closer to everyone.

Not really.

By moving the meetings all over the sprawling school district, the relatively few people willing or able to turn out for the meetings have to trek all over southeast Aurora, Centennial, Glendale and Greenwood Village to find where in a school — not set up or equipped for large public meetings — they can observe what their elected officials are doing.

It’s because Cherry Creek keeps their school board show on the road about twice each month, that school officials say it would be too difficult to stream or broadcast the meetings.

It’s time to make a change for the good of the school board, the public and the employees, find a place to meet and stay there. The benefits of allowing not just the district, but the entire region to tune into these meetings, and hopefully participate remotely in comment, far outweigh the actual hassle and perceived benefit in schlepping the board meetings all over the region.

In a clear parallel to mail-in voting at home, the convenience of not having to leave home to vote has been a huge boon to public participation. Watching government meetings remotely has the same potential to increase engagement and participation.

The students themselves could harness the amazing power of and prowess of the school district to broadcast the meetings, held, permanently, from one of the district’s larger and more technologically equipped schools, or perhaps from the dais of a city hall or the school district headquarters itself.

There is no debating that the district has the resources, and certainly the need, to provide remote access to the school board meetings.

If the school board insists that having roving confabs somehow benefits the district, then the school board should also ensure Cherry Creek goes the distance in ensuring all of the meetings are made public via streaming.

After initial criticism of the lack of remote public access, the school district agreed to post audio recordings of the board meetings on its website. It’s somewhat helpful to some, but not at all the same as virtual, live access.

Stream the meetings and allow anyone in the district interested or concerned about the school district to see for themselves what’s going on

CARL GOLDEN, CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST

But why did Trump take the docs?

While the internet continues to dissect the 37-count federal indictment against former President Donald Trump for retaining highly classified government documents after leaving office, one of the more intriguing questions is why anyone would do this in the first place.

What was the point in filling 300 cartons with secret official papers and spiriting them off to Florida, where they were stacked haphazardly in a storage room at Trump’s resort in Palm Beach?

In the waning days of the Trump administration, when presumably the material was gathered, was there no one in the room who spoke up and warned it was a bad idea to carry out the plan?

Did all involved agree to it or were those who had doubts fear speaking up and incurring Trump’s wrath?

The notion promoted by some that Trump intended to sell the documents to a foreign power is beyond absurd. The indictment does not allege that nor has the Department of Justice suggested it. Even Trump’s most fevered supporters would have quickly abandoned him if dealing the material in some sort of international clandestine blackmarket was under consideration.

The answer to the why of it can likely be found in Trump’s personality, an individual whose turbo-charged ego matches his turbo-charged libido. Call it self-absorption or uncontrolled narcissism, but Trump is obsessed with being someone no one else can be, knowing something no one else knows and possessing something no one else possesses.

He has placed his name on everything from office buildings, hotels, gambling casinos and airlines. The brand and the man have merged into a single entity.

Given his history, it is logical and likely he retained the documents to triumphantly pull out of a desk drawer and wave them around to visitors while bragging they contained some of America’s most closely held secrets. There is some evidence that he did exactly that on more than one occasion.

Bragging rights mean a great deal to him and what better to brag about than personal possession of material involving nuclear war, international intrigue, intelligence gathering, insight into foreign leaders and national security.

The Department of Justice indictment is a damning list of allegations, an existential threat to Trump that far outweighs the wafer-thin indictment for business fraud brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in April.

Trump, according to the indictment, stored the cartons of documents in an unsecured area, potentially exposing them to anyone without need or authority to view them.

He also is accused of refusing to return the material to the government and of lying to the FBI concerning their whereabouts.

His defenders, including some in Congress, argue that President Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence kept and stored classified material in their homes or offices while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stored classified material on a private e-mail server in her home.

Those, however, are arguments to be made in the court of public opinion rather than a court of law. A defense that concedes one’s client may have broken the law but others committed similar egregious acts without consequence will not travel well before a judge and jury.

Biden and Pence returned the material once it was discovered, and while the FBI accused Clinton of gross carelessness in her handling of sensitive material, her transgressions were not criminal.

Despite what appears to be a rock solid case against Trump has not, however, impacted the support of his Republican base which continues to stand firmly behind him in his quest for the presidential nomination.

He’s maintained a lead of as much as 40 points in polling and appears to be holding steady. His claims of a hyper-partisan band of prosecutors determined to destroy him has resonated with his base, to the dismay of Republican leaders who fear he is so deeply wounded by his legal troubles and criminal accusations that his defeat and those of the congressional ticket in 2024 is assured.

His ego and his desire to be, know and possess what no one else has or does has brought him to the brink of decades in prison.

Carl Golden is a senior contributing analyst with the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University in New Jersey. You can reach him at cgolden1937@ gmail.

Accusations and investigations continue

MOURNERS MARCH FROM AURORA CITY HALL WITH BODY OF BOY, 14, KILLED BY POLICE

BY MAX LEVY, Sentinel Staff Writer

Police reform activists marched down Alameda Avenue and demanded the resignation of Aurora police interim Chief Art Acevedo on June 16, preceded by a hearse transporting the body of Jor’Dell Richardson, 14, who two weeks earlier was shot and killed by an Aurora officer.

The march began with a somber series of speeches on the west steps of city hall as light rain fell — “Clearly the sky is crying today,” said Richardson family attorney Siddhartha Rathod.

Richardson was killed June 1 after police say the boy fled the scene of an armed robbery while in possession of a pellet gun that looked like a semi-automatic handgun.

Once he was tackled by officer James Snapp, a struggle ensued, and Richardson was fatally shot by a second officer, Roch Gruszeczka.

Acevedo, primarily through two news conferences, has painted a picture of a chaotic arrest, where police rushed into the aftermath of an armed robbery. Since then, the chief has been criticized for inaccurately describing events, with critics saying he has tried to manipulate the narrative to justify the shooting. Acevedo has said he was not being deceitful.

Rathod said June 16 to those gathered on the steps of city hall that the best outcome would have been Jor’Dell surviving his encounter with police but that the next best thing would be holding police accountable for the shooting.

He said the group was demanding the

release of all footage of the fatal shooting held by police as well as an apology and letter of resignation from Acevedo.

So far, police have released the bodyworn camera footage shot from the perspective of the two officers who confronted Richardson. It’s unclear what other video exists.

“What we can get is accountability,” Rathod said. “[Acevedo] misled you. He lied to you. He lied to this family.”

He and others said they were primarily there to support Richardson’s family, who described the void left by Jor’Dell’s death to those present.

Laurie Littlejohn, the boy’s mother, criticized Acevedo for characterizing Jor’Dell as a “thug” and said she was still struggling with the knowledge that she would never see her son go to prom, graduate from high school or start a family.

“I loved my baby with everything in me,” she said. “I have to live with an empty room.”

Jor’Dell’s older brother, Anton, also spoke and called Jor’Dell a “beautiful soul,” saying that he didn’t think police were justified in firing at him, regardless of what the 14-year-old had been doing.

Many called on the police chief to resign, including Rev. Thomas Mayes, who said the group could tolerate the discomfort of marching in the rain but not the consequences of more officer-involved shootings. He encouraged those assembled to remember the events of the shooting.

“Sometimes you die twice,” he said.

“You die again when your name is no longer called. So for this community and for this family, let’s never forget Jor’Dell Richardson and never stop calling his name.”

The crowd of about 200 people chanted Jor’Dell’s name and other slogans — including “Black lives matter,” “jail all killer cops” and “up with the people, down with the police” — as they marched west from City Hall to Abilene Street, before turning around and marching back the way they came.

A hearse carrying Jor’Dell’s body and a pickup truck full of protest organizers led the procession down Alameda, while police vehicles shadowed the march and blocked traffic to accommodate the procession. Some passing drivers honked to show support, while others gestured angrily at the crowd.

Signs carried by the group bore the name of the Denver chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and organizers wore T-shirts with PSL logos. Activist Tim Hernandez told the crowd that the march was organized jointly by a “variety of a coalition of folks.”

Responding to comments made during the march, the police department noted in a statement that there are multiple open investigations concerning the incident, which it described as “tragic.”

“The department continues focusing on leaving no stone unturned to determine the facts surrounding the use of deadly force by a member of our Department, and whether or not the force was objectively reasonable and lawful,”

the agency wrote in an email Saturday.

“Due to these investigations, the department continues to be unable to make additional statements and encourages others to refrain from making further comments as well.”

The march capped off a week of questions from community members and the media concerning the shooting and how it was initially described by Acevedo. For several days after the incident, the chief told the public that Richardson was in possession of a firearm rather than a pellet gun which only resembled a firearm.

He corrected his previous statements June 9, later saying that he identified the item as a gun while looking at it and that he was not told Richardson only had a pellet gun until he asked investigations division chief Mark Hildebrand for an update June 8.

Activists accused the chief of lying to deflect criticism from officers and negatively characterize Richardson. Acevedo has said he would have had “nothing to gain” by lying to the public.

Neither Acevedo nor other police officials previously shared that Gruszeczka was the subject of a lawsuit settled for $100,000 in February. The officer was accused of racially profiling and wrongfully arresting a Black man last year during an arrest in an apartment parking lot.

Police have also said they are limited in the amount of information and evidence they can release while an in-

Community members gathered at the Aurora Municipal Complex, June 16, to mourn and pay respects to the family of Jor’Dell Richardson.

Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/ Sentinel Colorado

vestigation into the shooting is being conducted by the 18th Judicial District’s Critical Incident Response Team, along with an internal affairs probe led by the department itself and the armed robbery case involving the other youths who were allegedly with Jor’Dell.

At a community meeting Wednesday, some members of the public asked how many independent entities were monitoring the police department’s response to the shooting and questioned the role of IntegrAssure, which was hired last year to monitor the department’s compliance with a

list of mandatory reforms drafted following the death of Elijah McClain.

Jeff Schlanger, the founder and president of IntegrAssure, later wrote in an email to the Sentinel that the actions of the police department would be evaluated by the firm as the probes into the shooting were completed.

“Once the investigations into the tragedy of Jor’Dell Richardson’s death are concluded, the Monitor Team will critically evaluate not only the internal investigation conducted by APD and the use of force itself, but also the Department’s efforts in continuous

improvement and transparency,” he wrote.

“The relevant findings and recommendations will be published in an upcoming report. There will, no doubt, be valuable lessons to learn from this tragic incident that will serve to better the Department as we move forward.”

Schlanger said the department needed to learn as much as possible from the incident and question what could have been done differently to have potentially avoided the shooting. He also said the department needed to “strive for maximum possible transparency” when sharing information about officer-involved shootings.

While representatives of IntegrAssure were scheduled to meet with Richardson’s family as well as local elected officials and others at a community meeting Wednesday, the meeting was postponed at the last minute due to an incident near the start of the event.

Before the meeting began, city officials screened the body-worn camera footage of the shooting of Richardson while the family of Richardson, who had opted not to watch the footage, were waiting in a nearby room.

During the screening, around the moment in the video when Richardson is shot and starts crying out for help, a child opened the door to the screening room, which led to the family unexpectedly hearing the final words of Richardson, according to Mai-

sha Fields, daughter of state Sen. Rhonda Fields.

Fields said the family became upset and decided to leave, after which most of the officials also left. A few, including Aurora Rev. Reid Hettich, co-chair of the Auror Community Advisory Council and lead pastor of Mosaic Church of Aurora, stayed behind.

The council was created last year to act as a liaison between the community and the police monitoring team, though Hettich said the group has come to see its responsibilities as including evaluating the conduct of police and the monitoring team.

When asked how the council was ensuring that the response to the shooting was being handled transparently, he said the group had met with police department representatives the night before, asked questions about the incident and was “fairly critical” of the response by police.

He also said he viewed the council’s role as helping police communicate information to the public as well as facilitating cooperation between police and city management. However, he described the shooting as “outside of the consent decree,” even though it has generated criticism related to transparency and bias.

“But I know for a fact that the consent decree monitor team has been very engaged in this, and they have identified it as one of the key issues that they will be

watching and investigating as this moves forward,” Hettich said. He said police have told the council that the internal affairs probe could be completed in as little as a few months but pointed out that the official response to other high-profile cases, such as the officer-involved death of Elijah McClain, is still underway.

Activists who attended the meeting took the opportunity to criticize the response by APD, describing the Richardson shooting as part of a pattern of misconduct by Aurora police.

Jenny Hill, a public health worker active in the Aurora area, said officer Gruszeczka’s agitated behavior during his encounter with Richardson was representative of a culture where officers aren’t encouraged to regulate their emotions.

“On this video, that law enforcement officer was just absolutely over the top, and training isn’t going to fix that,” she said. “And consent decrees don’t fix that. We have law enforcement that is much more likely to shoot you than to get facts and let you live.”

While Acevedo has not explicitly described the shooting as justified, during the department’s June 9 news conference, he showed reporters a still photo from officers’ body-worn camera footage that he said showed Richardson reaching into his waistband for the pellet gun before he was tackled.

Community members gathered at the Aurora Municipal Complex, June 16, to mourn and pay respects to the family of Jor’Dell Richardson.

Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado

METRO

AROUND AURORA

After rains, water limits, city ready to ask Aurora lawmakers to scale back restrictions

Aurora Water representatives say water conservation measures introduced by the City Council earlier this year and ample rain have put the city in the position to again allow residents to water their lawns as often as three times per week.

Aurora City Council members voted in February to limit lawn watering to twice per week starting in May, reflecting the least serious level of drought restrictions described in a schedule of restrictions used by the city.

The trigger for Aurora Water to recommend the restrictions was the finding that, between the city’s reservoirs and the snowpack at the time, the city only had enough water on hand to meet its needs for 25 to 30 months. Water storage less than 30 months’ supply has traditionally been a trigger for considering water-use restrictions.

Regardless, some members of the public and council members were critical of the decision by the council as a whole to recognize a drought in the city, arguing that it was unnecessary and that the city should wait to gauge the impacts of other changes like raising water rates before limiting outdoor irrigation.

Greg Baker said the utility has seen the outdoor use of water decrease by about 20% compared to average use since May, which along with recent rainfall has left Aurora’s reservoirs about 75% full.

While Baker said the city is still encouraging residents to conserve water by upgrading their irrigation systems with weather sensors and landscaping using drought resistant plants, Aurora Water plans to ask the council on June 29 to restore the three-day watering schedule.

“We need to remember that drought is an event, and we have things like limited watering days to meet that temporary water shortage, but sustainability in arid Colorado and the arid West means that you always need to be water-wise and be a good steward of your water,” he said.

The rollback of restrictions was welcomed by those who believe Aurora shouldn’t have declared a drought in February. Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky previously invited members of the public to criticize the drought rules during the public comment portion of council meetings.

On Thursday, she said she had received “non-stop complaints” about the rule change from constituents and that she was glad the city was dialing back the restrictions, which she said are “heavy-handed.”

“It’s long overdue,” she said. “We voted on all of these things that are essentially natural conservation measures, and then voted ourselves into a drought without even giving any time to see how everything we just voted on was going to work.”

Baker said that, while the utility has received complaints about local

rainstorms invalidating the need for drought restrictions, it wasn’t until the rains reached the mountainous parts of the state where Aurora actually collects its water that the weather offset the ongoing water scarcity.

Despite opposition to the rules, Baker said he believed the majority of Aurora residents want the city to err on the side of caution and that the overall reduction in water consumption was a major part of why the utility is recommending the change.

“I’m actually very happy with the way this all turned out, and we’re frankly glad that we can come out of it now too,” he said.

Assuming the restrictions are lifted, residents will be again able to water their lawns as often as three times per week, though watering will still not be allowed between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. until Sept. 30.

— MAX LEVY, Sentinel Colorado Staff Writer

Cherry Creek Schools looks at training after antisemitism complaints

Following reports of antisemitic incidents in Cherry Creek Schools, Superintendent Chris Smith said Monday that the district is working this summer on implementing r esources and training to combat the issue.

A group of about 100 people came to the district’s May school board meeting to draw awareness to the issue of what one parent described as “systemic, rampant antisemitism.”

Jewish parents who spoke at the meeting described incidents including other students making Nazi salutes, drawing swastikas and making antisemitic comments and remarks to their children.

“Our kids are scared to say they are Jewish for fear of retaliation,” said parent Rikki Mor, who also coordinated an open letter to the district, at the May meeting.

Local officials denounced the incidents.

“Our schools must be free from hatred and division. Full stop,” Aurora state senator Rhonda Fields said on Twitter in response to the news. “It’s on all of us, in our families, and in our communities, to fight bias and hate by creating more acceptance.”

At the district’s Monday school board meeting, Smith said the remarks at last month’s meeting had been “extremely difficult to hear” but he was grateful to the community for sounding the alarm.

Over the past month, he said the district has been meeting with parents about how the district can improve and has also had several meetings with the ADL. Over the summer, the district will be reviewing resources around combating antisemitism from a handful of organizations and meeting with parents to talk about what next steps to take, he said.

During the August staff work

week, time has been scheduled for West Middle School, Campus Middle School and Cherry Creek High School to go through a training around antisemitism, he said. The new teacher orientation will also include a course on antisemitism.

Smith thanked the community for their partnership on this issue and described the district’s work as a facet of its ongoing commitment to equity.

“While we are not perfect, I do think we always strive to be excellent,” Smith said.

— CARINA JUILIG, Sentinel Colorado Staff Writer

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ARAPAHOE COUNTY

Supporting older adults

The Arapahoe County Council on Aging (ACCoA) advocates for the older adults in our community by supporting funding opportunities and promoting programs and services for our residents. Check out upcoming events and programs at accoa.info

June 30, 2023 | 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Arapahoe County Fairgrounds East Hall

Veterans and those currently serving in the military, bring your families to the Stand Down event. There will be food, resources, a job fair, and more. Scan the QR code with your smartphone for details.

Questions? Call 303-738-7892 or 303-738-8047

›› See METRO, 8

BEYOND

AURORA

More than 1 million dropped from Medicaid as states start postpandemic purge of rolls — 41% at risk in Colorado

More than 1 million people have been dropped from Medicaid in the past couple months as some states moved swiftly to halt health care coverage following the end of the coronavirus pandemic.

Most got dropped for not filling out paperwork.

Though the eligibility review is

required by the federal government, President Joe Biden’s administration isn’t too pleased at how efficiently some states are accomplishing the task.

“Pushing through things and rushing it will lead to eligible people — kids and families — losing coverage for some period of time,” Daniel

Tsai, a top federal Medicaid official recently told reporters.

In Colorado, state officials have launched a public campaign to ensure the state’s 1.69 million Medicaid recipients update eligibility data to continue coverage or seek other health-care options.

All Medicaid recipients are enouraged to go to www.healthfirstcolorado.com/renewals to ensure coverage.

Already, about 1.5 million people nationwide — possibly tens of thousands in Colorado — have been removed from Medicaid in more than two dozen states that started the process in April or May, according to publicly available reports and data obtained by The Associated Press.

“The end of continuous coverage will be the beginning of the review of eligibility for tens of thousands of Coloradans who have Health First Colorado as their health insurance, and members will need to take action to continue their health coverage,” Annie Lee, president and CEO of Colorado Access said in a statement. “Some will no longer qualify and need to connect to health insurance through other means, others will automatically re-qualify through processes established by the state, and others will no longer qualify for Health First Colorado, but will qualify for Child Health Plan Plus. Regardless of the scenario, we are here to navigate this process with each of our members. Please call, we are here

to help.”

The state-funded health insurance and Medicaid exchange is at www.coaccess.com.

— The Associated Press

Gov. Jared Polis’ veto pen got a workout this year like never before.

In 2019, his first year as governor, the Democrat vetoed five measures. In 2020, he vetoed three. He vetoed four bills in each 2021 and 2022.

This year? Polis vetoed 10 bills passed by the General Assembly, which is controlled by Democrats.

“We look at each bill individually,” Polis told TheColoradoSunon Wednesday. “Every bill that passes, our team does a policy analysis, a fiscal analysis and a legal analysis.”

The governor brushed off a question about whether his record number of vetoes this year, first reported Friday in TheUnaffiliated, the politics and policy newsletter produced by TheColoradoSun, reflects communication problems between his office and the legislature. Instead, he pointed out that he signed 473 bills passed by the legislature this year as a way to play down the high number of vetoes. (He’s signed more in previous years.)

›› See METRO, 9

The nays had it — Gov. Polis vetoed more bills this year than he ever has before

Democrats enjoyed expanded majorities in the House and Senate this year, and some more progressive lawmakers tested the governor’s will to reject their bills. Polis has been more active in lawmaking than governors before him, and sometimes that has led to clashes with representatives and senators.

Polis’ predecessor, John Hickenlooper, also a Democrat, vetoed 14 bills in his first seven years as governor. He didn’t veto any in 2013.

But in 2018, Hickenlooper’s eighth and final year as governor, he vetoed nine bills as he prepared to launch an ultimately unsuccessful presidential campaign. Hickenlooper was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2020.

Then-Gov. Bill Owens, a Republican, vetoed 47 bills in 2005, setting a record.

“I don’t think 10 is an inordinate amount,” said Senate President Steve Fenberg, a Boulder Democrat and close ally of the governor. “But when he has concerns, clearly they’re real. At the end of the day, he has final say whether a bill becomes law.”

Fenberg said many more bills passed by the General Assembly this year were changed during the legislative process to address the governor’s concerns and avoid a veto.

“There’s always next session to figure out the differences and still get something similar across the finish line,” he said. “I think with a lot of these bills, that’s going to happen.”

Some lawmakers were on the receiving end of more vetoes than others.

Polis vetoed two bills each that were sponsored by Democratic Reps. Lindsey Daugherty and Andrew Boesenecker, Democratic Sens. Faith Winter, Dylan Roberts and Robert Rodriguez and Republican Sen. Mark Baisley.

Boesenecker, a Fort Collins Democrat, said the governor’s vetoes of bills he sponsored were unexpected. He said it will change how he negotiates with the governor’s office in the future.

“It really does impact the ability to work in good faith,” he said.

Typically, the governor’s positions on bills are clear from the outset, Boesenecker said. That changed this year. He pointed to House Bill 1190, which would have given local governments a right of first refusal to purchase certain multifamily properties listed for sale. Boesenecker was a lead sponsor of that measure, which was vetoed by Polis.

“We’re not always clear about when the governor changes his mind, who is influencing that decision and how the public can engage in that process,” he said. “I’ve had conversations with the governor’s office before, they’ve threatened to veto before, and we’ve always made the policy changes that mitigate that risk wherever we can. This year, and in particular around 1190, [was] very different.”

Business interests asked the governor to reject the bill. “I support local governments’ ability to buy these properties on the open mar-

ket and preserve low-cost housing opportunities, but am not supportive of a required right of refusal that adds costs and time to transactions,” Polis wrote in a letter explaining his veto.

Winter, who was also a lead sponsor of House Bill 1190, is concerned that veto could set a precedent for special interest groups that don’t want to get involved in the legislative process. They could instead just make their case directly to the governor.

“The people asking for a veto didn’t participate in the process,” she said.

Winter added that she plans to bring the bill back next session.

Daugherty said she also didn’t hear from the governor’s office that there were concerns about the bills Polis vetoed.

“It’s just disappointing that we didn’t hear anything until basically it was too late,” she said, adding that the governor’s concerns could have been addressed through simple fixes.

Polis won’t have an opportunity to veto any more bills passed during the 2023 legislative session. Wednesday was his deadline to sign or veto measures or let them become law without his signature.

What Gov. Jared Polis vetoed this year:

— Senate Bill 60, which aimed to boost consumer protections for event ticket sales. Online ticket retailers would have been required to show buyers all ticket fees up front as opposed to at checkout. The measure also would have banned speculative ticketing, which is when

ticket resellers set prices for tickets before they go on sale. It would also have banned tickets from being sold by websites with deceptive names that make patrons believe they are buying directly from a venue. In a letter explaining his veto, Polis wrote that while he supported some elements of the measure, there were “significant problems” that could upset the state’s entertainment ecosystem. The bill had the “potential to discourage competition in the sector, ultimately harming consumers,” the letter said.

— Senate Bill 256, which would have prevented wolves from being reintroduced on the Western Slope by Colorado Parks and Wildfire, as directed by a 2020 ballot measure, until the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had completed a so-called 10(j) assessment about whether the gray wolf population is a nonessential experimental population. The classification offers an exemption to protections under the Endangered Species Act that allows for lethal management. “The Parks and Wildlife Commission has already invested significant resources into this process and, due to their hard work, Colorado is on track to secure the 10(j) before the end of the year,” the governor wrote in a letter explaining his veto. “The management of the reintroduction of gray wolves into Colorado is best left to the Parks and Wildlife Commission as the voters explicitly mandated.”

— Senate Bill 259, which would have allowed Colorado casinos to offer lines of credit to their patrons under this measure that barely passed the legislature. “Anyone of

sound mind has the legal right to enter into a financially disastrous loan or transaction, but I am skeptical of the ability of a person with a gambling disorder to provide meaningful informed consent while engaged in gambling,” the governor wrote in a letter explaining his veto.

— Senate Bill 273, which would have allowed agricultural land to be included in urban renewal areas under certain circumstances. Polis said in a veto letter that he understood the bill to be targeted at only one urban renewal plan but that he was concerned how it might impact others. He added that the changes would create more uncertainty and discourage investment in housing.

— House Bill 1146, which would have prohibited most Colorado businesses from stopping an employee from accepting a cash tip from a patron. “A one-size-fits-all policy on how employers must handle gratuities across industries and across the state does not make sense for Colorado,” Polis wrote in a letter explaining his veto.

— House Bill 1147, which would have imposed new fees — which the governor estimated to be $10 and the sponsors tried to limit to $2 — on driver’s licenses to pay for vouchers discounting driver’s education courses for Coloradans whose income is less than 200% of the federal poverty guideline. “While I commend the goal of the sponsors and stakeholders, I am deeply concerned about the increase in cost for driver’s licenses that the creation of a new enterprise and

›› See METRO, 31

Up

Totally free lunch

The line was beginning to form 15 minutes before the APS Nutrition Services food truck arrived at Del Mar Park, June 8.

And once it did arrive, more than 15 families made their way to take advantage of the free lunch program Aurora Public Schools is offering to families in the metro area this summer.

Elizabeth Ramirez and Sarah Win spent the next 30 minutes handing out slices of Domino’s pizza, water or milk, and pre-packed paper sacks of fruits and vegetables.

The Free Summer Food Service program is running through Aug. 3, and information on the stops and times can be found at www.aurorak12.org/summer-food-service/.

Close-up by Philip B. Poston, Sentinel Colorado Photo Editor

Preps

Right: Smoky Hill junior Daniel Yi came up just short of winning a Class 5A boys swimming state championship, but he earned Sentinel Colorado All-Aurora Boys Swim Team honors in the 100 yard breaststroke and 200 yard individual medley.

Middle: Sophomore Oliver Schimberg became only the second 5A state champion in the history of the Grandview boys swim program when he won the 100 yard backstroke. He earned two spots on the All-Aurora team.

Below: Regis Jesuit senior Truman Inglis won the 5A state championship in the 50 yard freestyle and played a key role as the Raiders held off rival Cherry Creek to win a second straight 5A boys swimming state title.

Something was in the (pool) water this spring in Aurora and it showed from start to finish.

When the final race of the Class 5A boys state swim meet concluded at the Veterans’ Memorial Aquatic Center, city individuals and relay teams had collected a team title, three individual event crowns and 57 top-20 finishes.

While Regis Jesuit earned a second straight state championship — and 24th all-time — not all the power was concentrated with the Raiders.

Inglis also was the last in the water for Regis Jesuit’s other event championship, which came in the 200 yard freestyle relay.

The Raiders rolled during the season in relay events and that kept going at the state meet with three top-10 performances, which were highlighted by the 200 freestyle crown from the all-senior crew of Inglis, Wendt (a Seattle University recruit), Anderson and Ronan Krauss.

Regis Jesuit was the top seed in the event after its fantastic performance at the John Strain Memorial meet and it held that spot through to the medal podium with a finals time of 1 minute, 23.47 seconds, which was a half-second swifter than Monarch.

Pool powers

The composition of the 2023 SentinelColoradoAll-Aurora Boys Swim Team — which is determined by performance at the Class 5A state meet — is reflective of that depth. Regis Jesuit is heavily represented, however, Grandview, Smoky Hill and Overland swimmers and divers also earned spots.

BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor

Coach Nick Frasersmith’s Regis Jesuit team put two defeats to rival Cherry Creek during the regular season behind it with a senior-led performance that completed a repeat.

The Raiders were dominant in a few events, most notably the 50 yard freestyle, as they earned three of the top six places on the medal podium. At the top was senior Truman Inglis, who won the championship by a mere 0.12 of a second over Legacy’s Tegan Barrier.

Inglis — who signed a national letter of intent to play water polo at Chapman University — came into the meet seeded fourth with a top time of 21.23 seconds, but turned in a 20.79 in the championship final, with teammates Carter Anderson (fourth) and Hawkins Wendt (sixth) close behind. Inglis earned a second All-Aurora individual spot in the 100 freestyle with a third-place finish (in a time of 45.78 seconds) after he was seeded fifth coming into the meet.

The same relay group — with another senior, Charlie Klein, in place of Anderson — also finished an Aurora-best third in the 400 freestyle relay. Krauss earned another individual All-Aurora honor in the 200 yard freestyle in which he came in seeded fourth and finished in that exact spot in the championship final. The time improved significantly, however, for the Georgetown University signee as he came in with a best of 1:42.36 and finished in 1:41.

The other state championship from Aurora came from Grandview sophomore Oliver Schimberg, who claimed state honors in his specialty, the 100 yard backstroke.

A Grandview boys swimmer hadn’t captured gold at the state meet since way back in 2011 when John Martens — a future standout at the University of Texas — touched the wall first in the 200 freestyle, but Schimberg became the second.

Continuing his upward trend as the season went along, Schimberg — who said his goal is to swim 70 percent of the race underwater — achieved his goal of swimming under the 49 second barrier in the championship final. He came in with a top time of 49.59 seconds that made him the No. 2 seed behind Monarch’s Gavin Keogh. Both went under 49 in the final with Schimberg prevailing with his 48.87.

ALL-AURORA BOYS SWIMMING

PHOTOS BY COURTNEY OAKES/SENTINEL COLORADO

Right: Sophomore Kaleigh

Babineaux earned a spot on the Sentinel Colorado All-Aurora Girls Golf Team for a second straight season with her eighth-place finish at the Class 5A girls state golf tournament.

Below right: Smoky Hill freshman Sophia Stiwich was on the cusp of winning the 5A girls state golf title before she settled for second place after one playoff hole.

Middle right: Vista PEAK freshman Sophia Capua, left, and Cherokee Trail senior Bead Boonta, right, both placed in the top 11 of the 4A and 5A state tournaments, respectively, to earn All-Aurora honors.

Bottom right: Grandview junior Caroline Ryan moved into the top 20 of the final 5A state standings to secure a spot on the All-Aurora team for the first time.

An individual girls golf state championship hadn’t come home with a player from an Aurora area program since 2018, but that drought nearly came to an end this season.

ALL-AURORA GIRLS GOLF

Smoky Hill freshman Sophia Stiwich waged a 36-hole battle with Valor Christian’s Brenna Higgins over two days of the Class 5A state tournament at Black Bear Golf Club before errant tee shots on the first playoff hole forced her to concede.

Part of a Cherokee Trail team that won the Northern Regional championship — by 20 strokes over eventual 5A runner-up Castle View — and finished second in the final Centennial League standings, Babineaux had several highlights to her season. She won the league tournament at Saddle Rock with a 2-under par 70 and tied for first in the league match at Kennedy G.C. cut to nine holes by weather.

Making the cut

Stiwich headlines the 2023 Sentinel Colorado All-Aurora Girls Golf Team, which is based in results from the 5A and 4A state tournaments. Joining Stiwich are two Cherokee Trail players in sophomore Kaleigh Babineaux and senior Bead Boonta, plus Vista PEAK freshman Sophia Capua and Grandview junior Caroline Ryan.

BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor

Stiwich arrived at Smoky Hill midway through the school year, which she began at Lemon Hills High School in Englewood, Florida. She finished sixth in that state’s Class 2A state tournament, then came to Colorado, where golf is played later in the school year.

As the only golfer for veteran coach Laurie Steenrod — who called Stiwich by far the best player she’d had in nearly a quarter century with the Buffaloes — Stiwich fit in well among the best players in the Centennial League. She won the nine-hole league tournament at Meadow Hills G.C. and finished no lower than third in any tournament during the regular season or at regionals.

Stiwich then proceeded to shoot a scorching round of 5-under-par 67 to open the 5A state tournament (a round that included eight birdies). She and Higgins (who shot 66 in the first round) both slowed a bit in the second round in terms of scoring, but both shot 1-under 143 over two rounds to force the playoff. Two out of bounds drives ended Stiwich’s title hopes.

Babineaux made the All-Aurora team for the second time in as many varsity seasons and was the other local placer in the top 10.

Babineaux then collected five birdies on her way to a 66 to win the Northern Regional title and tallied a two-day total of plus-11 155 that put her eighth in the 5A standings. Babineaux’s second round 74 was the second-lowest among any Aurora player over two days behind only Stiwich’s opening round 67. Babineaux will not return next season to Cherokee Trail as she is moving to Texas. The Cougars also lose Boonta, who finished with three All-Aurora selections in three seasons.

Boonta won the Centennial League tournament at Aurora Hills G.C. and tied with Babineaux atop the nine-hole league match at Kennedy, while her season-low score of 70 (2-under) came in a runner-up finish at the Denver East Invitational.

Sixth at state as a sophomore in 2021, Boonta finished 11th as both a junior and senior, as she shot plus-15 159 over two days in her final tournament.

Capua made headlines while in eighth grade when she qualified for the national finals of the annual Drive, Chip & Putt competition held at venerable Augusta National Golf Club. She made a sparkling debut for Vista PEAK as a freshman.

During the regular season, Capua won two City League tournaments (one by 14 strokes) and placed second in the other four, while she was also runner-up at the 4A Region 4 tournament at Bookcliff G.C. She became the first player to represent the Vista PEAK program at the state tournament since 2019 and once there, shot rounds of 79 and 80 at Thorncreek G.C. to tie for ninth, though a quadruple bogey on her final hole kept her out of the top five.

Ryan made the All-Aurora first team for the first time with a two-day total of 163, which put her in 17th place in the 5A standings. She shot seven strokes better in the second round with a 78 that was fourth-best among city players in the field. In the regular season, Ryan’s top finish was third in a nine-hole league meet at Meadow Hills and fourth in regionals.

PHOTOS BY COURTNEY OAKES/SENTINEL COLORADO

Still in its young stages as a sanctioned prep sport, boys volleyball continues to grow by leaps and bounds in Colorado and Aurora. New programs were established, the level of play across the city rose noticeably on returning teams and programs that were already well established such as those at Eaglecrest and Cherokee Trail raised their own high bars.

The 2023 Sentinel Colorado All-Aurora Boys Volleyball Team, which is picked by the Sentinel in conjunction with balloting of city coaches, has plenty of representation from Aurora’s two state qualifiers in the Raptors (the state runners-up) and the Cougars.

Left: Junior outside hitter John Clinton was one of the most dangerous weapons for a Cherokee Trail team that won the Centennial League Challenge and earned another trip to the boys state volleyball tournament. The All-Centennial League first team pick also earned a spot on the 2023 Sentinel Colorado All-Aurora Boys Volleyball Team.

Middle: Eaglecrest senior outside hitter Ayden Shaw — a signee with Division I Dominican University — tied for first in the state in kills with 430 and is the lone local player to make CHSAA’s AllState first team.

Below: Freshman Dillan Ancheta thrived at setter for Eaglecrest as he finished second in the state of Colorado with 841 assists.

Ancheta — brother of senior Dennis Ancheta — played in 105 sets and racked up 841 assists, which ranked him second in the state of Colorado. Only Legend’s Reece Lindstrom (927) had more assists, while Ancheta had 162 more assists than Centennial League runner-up Tucker Shearn of Valor Christian (679).

The All-Centennial League second team selection averaged 8.0 assists per set and also finished fourth in the league in service aces with 34.

Volley Ballers

Coach Chad Bond’s Eaglecrest team had plenty of veteran components from previous state tournament runs, but had to work in a variety of new faces due to graduation of some key figures.

BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor

The Raptors had one of the most reliable offensive weapons in Colorado in senior outside hitter Ayden Shaw, who has signed to play Division I men’s volleyball at Dominican University.

With Eaglecrest playing so far in the postseason — all the way to a four-set loss to Discovery Canyon in the state championship match — Shaw saw action in 101 sets and piled up a whopping 430 kills, which tied him with Legend’s Paxton Wright for tops in the state. The All-Centennial League first team performer finished with 90 more kills than the next-closest league player.

In addition, Shaw was vital in the passing game and registered 267 digs (2.6 per set) to rank in the top 16 in the state and he also recorded 52 blocks to rank eighth in the league standings. He was voted onto the CHSAANow.com’s All-State first team.

Shaw could only be effective on the attack if he got the chances, however, and he was looked for often by Eaglecrest’s new setter, freshman Dillan Ancheta.

Dennis Ancheta was a CHSAA All-State second team pick as a libero and his 388 digs ranked him fourth in the state in that category. The All-Centennial League first team pick had the same number of service aces as his brother to tie for fourth in the league. Cherokee Trail also had a veteran team and coach Mike Thomsen’s group rolled through the regular season with just three losses, captured the Centennial League Challenge tournament and reached state on an 11-match winning streak.

Helping to fuel the run for the Cougars — who lost to Eaglecrest in the opening round of state and were eliminated with a loss to Legend in a match where three of the four sets needed extra points to decide — was junior John Clinton. The dynamic outside hitter’s play earned him a spot on the All-Centennial League first team as well as CHSAA’s All-State second team.

Clinton was Aurora’s second-most prolific offensive player in terms of kills, as he racked up 334 to rank sixth in the state. He averaged 3.8 per set — third-highest in the league behind Shaw and Valor Christian’s Gabe Repplinger — ranked ninth in his conference with 185 digs and added 39 blocks.

Vista PEAK had three All-City League first team performers and qualified for the regional postseason for the first time. The Bison fell to Douglas County and Coronado in regional play and remain in search of the program’s first trip to the state tournament.

Among the key figures for the Bison was sophomore Tristan Rowley, who was the City League leader in kills with a total of 221 — 2.9 per set — while he also ranked fourth in the league with 53 service aces.

ALL-AURORA BOYS VOLLEYBALL

PHOTOS BY COURTNEY OAKES/SENTINEL COLORADO

Schimberg also was the city’s top performer in the 100 yard butterfly in which he made a big jump. The No. 9 seed coming into the meet, Schimberg finished third in the championship final and was just .04 of a second out of second. Grandview claimed city-best honors in the 200 yard medley relay when the team of Schimberg, his brother William, Matthew Scicchitano and Evan Higgins finished in fifth place. The Wolves shaved nearly a second off their seed time with a 1:32.53 in the final to finish in front of teams from Smoky Hill and Regis Jesuit, which were eighth and ninth, respectively.

Smoky Hill’s rise continued this season and coach Scott Cohen’s Buffaloes made it all the way to the No. 5 spot in the final 5A team standings.

Junior Daniel Yi came into the meet in search of an elusive state championship in the 100 yard breaststroke, but Chatfield’s Joshua Corn again proved to be the obstacle he couldn’t overcome. Yi set a number of pool records in the event over the course of the season and it took a state record-breaking performance by Corn to beat him. Corn swam a 53.73 to better former Regis Jesuit star Will Goodwin’s 2019 standard of 54.67, while Yi touched the wall in 54.86 to claim All-Aurora honors for a second straight season.

Yi also topped Aurora in the 200 yard individual medley, in which he finished in third place. His season-best time of 1:51.76 had him seeded second coming and he swam faster in the final (1:51.19), but Arvada West’s Drew Ravegum (1:50.09) and Highlands Ranch’s Mason Kajfosz (1:50.63) got to the wall just before him.

The Buffaloes were particularly outstanding with internal competition in the 500 yard freestyle and sophomore Ian Noffsinger and junior Jake Baker continued to push each other to new heights. Noffsinger won the Centennial “A” League championship in the event for a second straight season and was the No. 2 seed in the event with a time of 4:41.46.

Columbine senior Chase Mueller smashed the standing state record in the event by more than five seconds with his time of 4:21.21, while Noffsinger dropped nearly five seconds with a 4:36.96, but had Highlands Ranch’s Vladislav Kazakin sneak past him to finish second. Baker finished fourth and Krauss — Aurora’s top state finisher last season — came in fifth.

In stark contrast to past years, divers were incredibly scarce around Aurora. Overland had one of the few on the board in sophomore Chad Hamilton, who was a state qualifier. Hamilton got the Trailblazers on the scoreboard at the state meet with a point as he made the finals and finished 20th with a score of 343.85 points.

Raiders ace All-Aurora Girls Tennis Team

Colorado’s classically unpredictable weather made for a challenging spring season for Colorado girls tennis players. The disruption of schedules likely contributed in part to an atypically small contingent of state qualifiers for Aurora, which saw Regis Jesuit as the lone program to get anybody into the Class 5A individual state tournament.

The Raiders — in their first season under Jenn Armstrong as head coach — qualified for the inaugural 5A state team tournament (which included 16 teams) and had all three singles players and four doubles make it to the individual state tournament. Those players form the entire 2023 Sentinel Colorado All-Aurora Girls Tennis Team, which is based on season and state results.

BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor

Leading the way for Regis Jesuit was the No. 1 doubles team of senior Quinn Binaxas and junior Mary Clare Watts, who finished as the 5A state runners-up. The duo earned the Raiders’ lone win in a 6-1 5A team quarterfinal loss to eventual state champion Cherry Creek, won a regional championship and made it to the final before they fell in three sets to a veteran team from Fairview.

Watts appeared at state for a third straight season and placed in the top four for a second time, while Binaxas — who played at No. 2 singles last season — placed for the first time.

Two other Regis Jesuit doubles teams won their first round state tournament matches — the No. 2 duo of junior Brenna Radebaugh and sophomore Ebba Svard and the No. 3 tandem of junior Elise Holt and freshman Otilya Martino — before they lost in the quarterfinals to teams that went on to the state championship matches in their respective brackets. Weather disruption eliminated the playback brackets in 5A, however, which prevented

both teams from coming back with a chance for third. The No. 4 team of sophomores Cait Carolan and Lily Beebe — which won a regional championship — lost in the opening round.

Regis Jesuit’s singles contingent of senior Madison Wei at No. 1 (a three-time state qualifier who has signed to play at Hope College in Michigan), senior Paige Wolf at No. 2 (who was back at state after missing last season due to injury) and junior Lucy Fillipini (also a three-time state qualifier who teamed with Watts to place fourth at No. 1 doubles last season) all were defeated in the opening round of the state tournament.

NOTE: An Aurora program did have a state qualifier in 4A in Vista PEAK freshman Francesca Johnson, who made it at No. 1 singles. She was the Bison’s first-ever state qualifier and the first for an Aurora Public Schools team since 2011.

ALL-AURORA GIRLS TENNIS

No. 2 at No. 1: Regis Jesuit’s No. 1 doubles team of senior Quinn Binaxas, left, and junior Mary Clare Watts finished as the Class 5A state runner-up and leads the way on the 2023 Sentinel Colorado All-Aurora Girls Tennis Team. (Photo by Courtney Oakes/Sentinel Colorado)

GRAY SCALE

Reflecting the nation, Aurora’s average age reveals a graying community

BY MAX LEVY, Sentinel Staff Writer

The United States grew older, faster, last decade, and Aurora aged along with it.

The nationwide share of residents 65 or older grew by more than a third from 2010 to 2020 and at the fastest rate of any decade in 130 years, while the share of children declined, according to new figures from the most recent census.

The declining percentage of children under age 5 was particularly noteworthy in the figures from the 2020 head count released in May. Combined, the trends mean the median age in the U.S. jumped from 37.2 to 38.8 over the decade. Over the same time period, Aurora’s median age climbed from about 33 years to 34.8 years.

The decline stems from women delaying having babies until later in life, in many cases to focus on education and careers, according to experts, who noted that birth rates never recovered following the Great Recession of 2007-2009.

“In the short run, the crisis of work-family balance, the lack of affordable child care, stresses associated with health care, housing, and employment stability, all put a damper on birth rates by increasing uncertainty and making it harder to decide to have and raise children,” said Philip Cohen, a sociologist at the University of Maryland.

ABOVE: Albert Maghbouleh, far left, and Miles Santamour, 89, with Amigos de Jaibalito Foundation (ADJ) share lunch outdoors guarding social distancing, overlooking the skyline of Los Angeles on Jan. 11, 2021. America got older last decade. The share of seniors age 65 or older in the U.S. grew by more than a third, while the share of children declined.

America’s two largest age groups propelled the changes: more baby boomers turning 65 or older and millennials who became adults or pushed further into their 20s and early 30s. Also, fewer children were born between 2010 and 2020, according to numbers from the once-a-decade head count of every U.S. resident.

There are important social and economic consequences to an aging population, including the ability of working-age adults to support older people through Social Security and Medicare contributions.

The Census Bureau calculates a dependency ratio, defined as the number of children plus the number of older adults per 100 working-age people. While the dependency ratio decreased for children from 2010 to 2020, it increased for older adults by 6.8 people.

AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

BELOW: Lizzie Chimiugak looks on at her home on Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, in Toksook Bay, Alaska. Chimiugak, who turned 90 years old on Monday, was scheduled to be the first person counted in the 2020 U.S. Census.

AP Photo/Gregory Bul

At the top end of the age spectrum, the number of people over 100 increased by half, from more than 53,000 people to more than 80,000. The share of men living into old age also jumped. Buddy Lebman, a 98-year-old in the St. Louis area, said the key to longevity is good genes and staying active. He plays bridge twice a week, leads a discussion on current events at his retirement community, and is still involved with his synagogue and a school he helped found. Up until five years ago, he went on regular bicycle rides.

“I just recently had my pacemaker checked out, and the doctor told me it’s good for 4 1/2 more years,” Lebman said. “So I have to live at least that amount.”

People reaching age 100 benefited from a century of vaccines and antibiotic developments, improvements in surgery and better treatment of diseases, said Thomas Perls, a professor of medicine at Boston University.

“Many more people who have the genetic makeup and environmental exposures that increase one’s chances of getting to 100, but who

would have otherwise died of what are now readily reversible problems, are able to fulfill their survival destiny,” Perls said.

The Census Bureau released two earlier data sets from the 2020 census in 2021: state population figures used to decide how many congressional seats each state gets and redistricting numbers used to draw political districts.

The May data release was delayed by almost two years because of pandemic-related difficulties in gathering the information and efforts by the Census Bureau to implement a new, controversial privacy protection method that uses algorithms to add intentional errors to obscure the identity of any given respondent.

This was the first census since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015. The tally showed that more than half of U.S. households contained coupled partners or spouses who lived together, and same-sex households made up 1.7% of those households. Since the census didn’t ask about sexual orientation, it didn’t capture LGBTQ+ people who are single or

don’t live with a partner or spouse.

The median age varied widely by race and ethnicity. Non-Hispanic whites were the oldest cohort, with a median age of 44.5. Hispanics were the youngest, with a median age of 30; and a quarter of all children in the U.S. were Hispanic. Black Americans who weren’t Hispanic had a median age of 35.5. The number was 37.2 for Asians.

Utah, home to the largest Mormon population in the U.S., was the youngest state, with a median age of 31.3, a function of having one of the nation’s highest birthrates. The District of Columbia’s median age of 33.9 was a close second due to the large number of young, working-age adults commonly found in urban areas. North Dakota was the only state where the median age declined, from 37 to 35.8, as an influx of young workers arrived to work in a booming energy sector.

Maine was the oldest state in the U.S., with a median age of 45.1, as more baby boomers aged out of the workforce. Puerto Rico had a median age in the same range, at 45.2, as an exodus of working-age adults left the island after a series of hurricanes and government mismanagement. Older adults in four states — Florida, Maine, Vermont and West Virginia — made up more than a fifth of those states’ populations.

Sumter County, Florida, home of the booming retirement community The Villages, had the highest median age among U.S. counties, at 68.5; while Utah County, home to Provo, Utah, and Brigham Young University, had the lowest at 25.9.

As one of the youngest baby boomers, Chris Stanley, 59, already lives in The Villages. She said her mission in later life is to let younger generations know they can change things despite perhaps not having the same economic opportunities she did.

“I want to impart the urgency that I feel,” she said. “They can make it better.”

While people 65 and older made up 16.8% of the 331 million residents in the U.S. in 2020, the share was still significantly lower than it was in countries like Japan, Italy and Greece, where the age cohort makes up between more than a fifth and more than a quarter of the population. However, their share of the U.S. population will continue to grow as baby boomers age.

“In the long run, immigration is the only way the United States is going to avoid population decline,”

Cohen said.

ABOVE: Ann Sorrell, 78, left, and Marge Eide, 77, of Ann Arbor, a couple for 43 years, embrace after exchanging vows in Ann Arbor, Mich., following a ruling by the US Supreme Court that struck down bans on same sex marriage nation wide on June 26, 2015. The 2020 census was the first census since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015.

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

BELOW: Rows of homes, in suburban Salt Lake City, on April 13, 2019. America got older last decade. AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

Aurora reflects the nation, prepares for that future

Colorado’s State Demography Office estimates the proportion of older adults in Arapahoe County will grow by 2030, with those 65 and older making up about 17.9% of the population compared to 14.4% in 2021, and adults 45 and older making up 41.1% compared to 38.9%.

Aurora city officials said the city has gotten more intentional about catering services toward older adults and is in the middle of two planning processes that will help it gauge the needs of its older residents.

Currently, the city’s Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department is creating a master plan that will encompass its network of recreation centers and other locations and programs in Aurora. Department director Brooke Bell said part of creating that plan is asking for feedback from older residents.

“We have a good understanding of how the community uses our spaces, and our programs,” she said. “What we’re now working on is the second phase, and that is to understand where the gaps are.”

Bell said the city expects the plan will be finished by the end of the year. Some of the feedback that she said she has already received from older adults is that they’re interested in spaces set aside for them and unique programming hosted as rec centers across the city and not only at the Aurora Center for Active Adults.

ACAA’s supervisor, Lori Sanchez, said that, since the COVID-19 pandemic, which tended to be more dangerous to adults over the age of 50, the city has seen a resurgence of people looking for community at city recreation centers.

“Certainly we have more people that are wanting to become active, and part of that is coming to the center to participate in the variety of activities and programming that we do have here so that they can remain active, whether it be through fitness

or some other kind of leisure program that allows them to stay healthy, mind, body and soul,” she said.

Sanchez was formerly the supervisor of Aurora’s Morning Star Adult Day Program, which closed during the pandemic after more than 30 years of offering meals, activities and some health care services to adults over the age of 55 suffering from memory disorders and other health problems.

The closure of the program was scrutinized last year, after city officials said they were not kept informed about the decision-making process that led to the final decision to end Morning Star.

While Aurora’s City Council didn’t choose to restart the program, they did direct staffers and the Aurora Commission for Older Adults to undertake an assessment of the unmet needs of the city’s older adults.

During the past year, the commission drafted a scope of work for the assessment, which is supposed to be completed by mid-2024.

Jeannie Davis, the chairperson of the commission, said the commission will continue to lead the work on the assessment this year, adding that the closure of Morning Star meant more people are looking for activities that are accessible to the visually impaired and people with coordination problems.

The commission also recently created a housing commission that plans to educate older adults on housing-related topics. Davis talked about how older adults face unique housing challenges, like limited accessibility in older homes and being priced out of their homes of many years as they subsist on a fixed income.

“Their circumstances are changing. They are older now, property taxes have risen to an astronomical level, and many of them can’t afford it,” she said. “Even in multiple living communities, for example, even in Heather Gardens, their maintenance fees are going up, and up, and up.”

She said transportation is another unmet need for Aurorans who are uncomfortable or unwilling to drive a car. Other goals for the commission over the next year include working with PROS and city libraries on programs for older adults; presenting seminars and workshops on topics such as healthcare education, wellness, mental health and advocacy; and overseeing celebration of Older Aurorans Month every May.

Increasing needs for older Aurora residents

Aurora Mental Health and Recovery have also expanded their programming in response to the city’s increasing population of older adults. Carol Reszka is the program manager for AMHR’s older adult counseling center, which she said has doubled its staff since the start of the pandemic.

“We recognize that the population is growing and want to be there for them,” she said.

The team members provide outpatient mental health care to older adults as well as going into nursing homes and assisted living facilities, she said. Providers also do family therapy, which can be helpful for multigenerational households. They are specifically trained on the ways that depression and anxiety manifest in older people, as well as how mental health issues interact with physical health problems and cognitive decline.

Older adults are more aware of mental health concerns than they may have been in the past, but there’s still more of a stigma around seeking treatment than there is among younger people, she said. AMHR has been working to try and help people understand that mental health issues can have as much of an impact on quality of life as a physical illness, and encourage people who are curious about their services to just give them a call, she said.

Reszka said that the team’s work includes helping older adults understand that while their lives may be different now than they were when they were younger, that doesn’t mean that they can’t still find meaning and happiness.

“I think there’s a myth that depression and anxiety are a normal part of aging — they are not,” Reszka said.

Older adults and particularly susceptible to struggling with grief and loss, she said, both grief from the deaths of loved ones or over losing a former lifestyle they once enjoyed. The mental effects of isolation were also a significant issue during the pandemic, along with anxiety.

Reszka said that some of her clients have expressed the feeling that it is “too late” for them to seek mental health treatment at their age, but she counters that retirement can be the perfect time to focus on yourself, after the demands of work and raising children have gone away.

“Being older does not mean being unhappy,” she said.

Residents drive golf carts through the Lake Sumter Landing Market Square on Aug. 12, 2021, in The Villages, Fla. Sumter County, Florida, home of the booming retirement community.

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

SUMMER SIMMER

YOU CAN EAT LIKE A KING IN YOUR BACKYARD OR A CAMPGROUND

If your idea of a meal while camping is something quick and bland — maybe a power bar, a can of beans or some instant noodles — food writer and critic Chris Nuttall-Smith suggests something else, just as quick but also tasty.

An avid backpacker, hunter, skier and wilderness paddler, Nuttall-Smith has devised ways to bring a gourmet experience to the outdoors. With minimal fuss around a fire, he prepares spice-kissed lamb kebabs, restaurant-quality risotto, fire-baked pecan sticky buns and more.

He’s put it all in “Cook It Wild: Sensational Prep-Ahead Meals for Camping, Cabins, and the Great Outdoors,” from Clarkson Potter, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. There are 75 recipes for lunches, dinners, desserts, snacks and, necessarily, cocktails, published just as the summer outdoor season kicks off.

“My goal in making this book was to develop, to create, to share recipes that didn’t need to be eaten outside. They’re great enough that you can eat them at home, but when you’re out there, man, they just make your trip,” he said.

Nuttall-Smith’s hack is to do much of the prep work at home before setting out — toast the nuts, pulse the sauce, caramelize the shallots and open a can of beans to pour out exactly what you need.

All that not only gives you correct portions, but means a lighter pack and less waste to worry about in the outdoors. Plus you don’t have that awkward feeling of balancing a cutting board on your knee while you chop vegetables. More than half the recipes take 10 minutes or less at camp.

“All these little tricks were things that either I came up with or, thank God, I’ve got a lot of friends who work in food who say, ‘Why are you doing that? Why don’t you do this super-easy thing?’ And you just kind of slap your forehead.”

Nuttall-Smith freezes as much as he can to reduce spoilage and carefully packs a cooler with early-trip items at the top to prevent churn.

“There are so many things you can freeze that you’re not harming the flavor or the texture or the cooking properties,” he said. Even olive oil: “It tastes exactly the same. You just shake it up. It’s great.”

The book’s recipes contain everything from Negronis and a mac and cheese — the pasta is cooked at home — to several ways to use aluminum foil to make food packets that just need to be heated up. And being Canadian, Nuttall-Smith had to include a poutine recipe.

Jennifer Sit, executive editor at Clarkson Potter, has made a bunch of the recipes and says the quality is so good that readers may just want to start cooking them at home, even if they have no intention of going camping.

“The depth of knowledge and experience he brings from his love of the great outdoors is what takes this book to the next level,” she writes.

One of the book’s triumphs is a recipe for campfire paella which calls for prepping squid, sofrito and green beans at home and is finished at camp with shrimp, rice, onion and saffron threads. He also includes alternate versions with chicken and a vegetarian option.

“There’s an old saying, everything tastes better outside, and I think there is some real truth to that,” said Nuttall-Smith, who is a judge on “Top Chef Canada.” Outdoors paella takes the dish back to its roots — field workers in Spain used to cook it on shovels.

Nuttall-Smith approached the book hoping to interest campers at every level. “Can I have a book that is going to be inspiring and delicious for backpackers and as inspiring and delicious for paddlers and for RVers and for backcountry skiers and beach rats?” he said. “There’s very

few that try to reach out to a whole cross-section.”

The layout is very clear, with each recipe divided into “at home” and “at camp” sections, how many people each dish serves, the weight, how long it will keep and symbols for his recommendations, like dishes best for paddlers or ones needing a camping stove.

“At some point you just realize how rewarding it is, how special it is, to eat something really good when you’re in one of the most beautiful places you’ve ever been to. It just caps the experience,” he said.

Nuttall-Smith even designed the book so that each recipe could be photographed. He has no desire for readers to add the weight of his book to their packs.

“Who the hell wants to go camping with a cookbook?” he said, laughing. “Even if you’re car camping. Like, when I’ve been car camping, my car’s just loaded to the gunwales. I don’t want a cookbook.”

This image released by Clarkson Potter shows “Cook It Wild: Sensational Prep-Ahead Meals for Camping, Cabins, and the Great Outdoors” by Chris Nuttall-Smith. Clarkson Potter via AP

BY MARK KENNEDY, AP Entertainment Writer

scene & herd

Havana Street Global Market at the Havana Exchange Shopping Center

July 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 2802 S. Havana St. Aurora, CO 80014.

Visit http://alturl.com/4f6ij for more information.

Tis the season for outdoor markets and bazaars — and right around the bend is the second of the monthly Havana Street Global Markets. This event plays host to the rich diversity that our city boasts so proudly. We are, as you well know, the most diverse city in our fine state.

Vendors from all around the world offer tasty delicacies, complimented by a bevy of music and entertainment, including some new faces to the markets.

And don’t forget about those night markets, to which we will keep you attuned.

Southlands Summer Events at Southlands Mall

Times vary throughout the Summer. 6155 S. Main St. Aurora, CO 80016. Visit shopsouthlands.com for more information.

Southlands is always buzzing with special events, and the upcoming summer and fall will hold true to tradition. Running mid-May through October, the Southlands Farmers Market will be a fine place to not only pick up local produce, but you’ll find a bevy of other local goods like pasta and baked goods. The Farmer’s Market is every Saturday from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

The outdoor shopping center also plays host to an evening bazaar with the Southlands Sunset Markets. And if the minor alliteration doesn’t excite you already, the offerings from local jewelry makers, crafters and other artisans surely will. This weekly event runs from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., every Wednesday.

4th of July Spectacular at Aurora Municipal Center

Tuesday, July 4 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. 15151 E. Alameda Pkwy. Visit www.auroragov.org/things_to_do/ events/4th_of_july_spectacular for more information.

We’re almost there folks. Time really does move at a rapid clip, and July 4 is nipping at our heels.

You can already hear the Sousa thinking about another great Fourth of July night taking in a spectacu-

lar fireworks display on the Great Lawn of the Aurora Municipal Center. There’s more on tap than just the beautiful gunpowder filled explosives, which will be launched from Bicentennial Park at approximately 9:30. Live music is slated from 6 p.m to 9 p.m. and there will be a variety of vendors on site.

So grab the family and the blankets and celebrate the country’s independence. The fireworks show will last 30 minutes.

Lavender Festival at Chatfield Farms

June 23-June 25 at the Denver Botanic Gardens: Chatfield Farms. 8500 W. Deer Creek Canyon Road. Littleton, CO 80128. Visit www.botanicgardens.org or call 720-865-3500 for more information.

Can ‘ya smell it? That sweet floral, but somehow, herbal scent that is immediately recognizable after the first time it blesses your senses. The beautiful light purple bundles, a hue so fine the plant got its own color named after it. It can only be Lavender. It should come as no surprise this heavenly scented herb has its own festival. Lucky for all of us, it’s in Littleton at Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms. At this heady festival, not only will you be able to meander through the grounds and take in the beauty, but there will also be dye demonstrations, local music and performances, local artists and artisans, barrel train rides and a craft area where kids can plant their own flower and decorate the pot to take home with them. It’s certainly a great event

for a family day, and the activities will tucker the little ones out, which is something all the parents can likely appreciate.

Cherry Creek Arts Festival in Cherry Creek North

July 1-July 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. Visit https://cherrycreekartsfestival. org/ for more information.

One of the metro’s long-standing arts festivals returns for another year, with the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. More than 250 juried artists will showcase their talents as the festival fills the streets of the Cherry Creek North neighborhood.

To compliment the bevy of art, festival goers will be treated with live music, art education, kids activities, food and a litany of other exciting events to keep you entertained throughout.

Admission is free, so head on over and get yourselves some extra culture.

Denver Fan Expo at the Colorado Convention Center

June 30 - July 2 with times varying depending on the day. 700 14th St. Denver, CO 80202. For ticketing and event times visit http://alturl.com/ neg8j.

Denver Fan Expo returns for another year, and this hack is as excited about it as the rest of you mega fans. We’re talking three days of fun and

fan-filled pop culture overload. A weekend full of shopping for your favorite fandom items, panels with big-name celebrities like Hayden Christensen, Chevy Chase, Christopher Lloyd and Christina Ricci, to name a few — all of which you will have the chance to meet and accrue autographed memorabilia. And the panels! Oh the panels. They’ve even scheduled an evening with Anakin Skywalker himself, Hayden Christensen.

It’s truly a fun-filled weekend oozing with pop culture excitement, and we will see you there.

Take Advantage of the Summer Days with Horseback Riding at 12 Mile Stables

Aurora’s 12 Mile Stables located within Cherry Creek State Park. Visit horserentalsdenver.com for information.

For those equipped with their own equine, there’s no shortage of places to have a trot in Colorado. Along with a lot of plains trails in Cherry Creek State Park and some “mountain track” in nearby Jefferson County, even some metro-area trails are down with horsin’ around. Locally, 12 Mile Stables in Aurora or Chatfield Stables in Littleton can put you in the saddle and on the trail in no time. Those who want the full cowboy experience might look into one of many “dude ranch” vacations in the Centennial State. VHS copy of “City Slickers” not provided.

HURRY, GET THESE CD AND MONEY MARKET RATES TODAY

Seeking lean as a teen

TEENS WITH SEVERE OBESITY ARE TURNING TO SURGERY AND NEW WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS

BY JONEL ALECCIA, AP Health Writer

John Simon III was a hungry baby, a “chunky” toddler and a chubby little boy, his mother said. But by age 14, his weight had soared to 430 pounds and was a life-threatening medical condition.

Nine months after weight-loss surgery that removed a portion of his stomach, John has lost about 150 pounds, boosting his health — and his hopes for the future.

“It was like a whole new start,” said John, who will start high school in California this fall.

In Minnesota, Edward Kent was diagnosed with fatty liver disease. The 6-foot, 300-pound high school sophomore started using the obesity drug Wegovy in January — just a month after federal regulators approved it for children 12 and older — and has lost 40 pounds.

“It’s a huge deal and it will affect him for the rest of his life,” said his mother, Dr. Barbara Van Eeckhout, an obstetrician-gynecologist. “This is about his health.”

John and Edward are among a small but growing group of young teens turning to treatments like body-altering surgery and new drugs that rewire metabolism to lose large amounts of weight. Critics urge caution at intervening so early, but the kids and their parents say the aggressive — and often costly — measures are necessary options after years of ineffective diet and exercise programs.

“John has tried with all of his might,” said his mother, Karen Tillman, 46, an accountant. “It’s not because he couldn’t try. It was getting harder and harder.”

Eighty percent of adolescents with excess weight carry it into adulthood, with potentially dire consequences for their health and

longevity. Obesity was first classified as a complex, chronic disease a decade ago by the American Medical Association, but meaningful treatments have lagged far behind, said Aaron Kelly, co-director of the Center for Pediatric Obesity Medicine at the University of Minnesota.

“It’s a biologically driven disease. It’s not a behavioral disease,” Kelly said. “We need to get on it early. Don’t wait until later in life because it’s too late.”

In January, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued guidelines that call for considering obesity drugs for kids as young as 12 and surgery for those as young as 13. The recommendations were immediately controversial.

Mental Health America, an advocacy group, called them “dangerous” and “disheartening,” saying they would increase eating disorders and perpetuate harmful stigma regarding weight. Some on social media accused doctors and parents of taking the easy way out, blaming things like junk food or video games — or accusing parents of “child abuse.”

Dr. David Ludwig, an endocrinologist and researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital, warned that the “justified excitement” over new weight-loss medications shouldn’t eclipse non-drug options.

“Especially for children, diet and exercise must remain at the forefront of obesity prevention and treatment,” he wrote in JAMA.

But medical experts who treat kids with severe obesity say research is clear: Diet and exercise alone aren’t enough. More than 240 diseases are associated with excess weight — including liver problems, diabetes and inflammation — and the signs show up early, said Dr.

Janey Pratt, a Stanford University surgeon who performed surgery on John Simon.

“It’s already affecting major organs by the time they get to me,” Pratt said. “You’re dealing with a train that’s headed over a cliff.”

Starting in elementary school, John struggled with joint pain, shortness of breath and sleep apnea so severe that, at age 12, he needed coffee to stay awake. He developed anxiety triggered by daily bullying at school and was hospitalized as a sixth grader for two months with post-traumatic stress disorder.

“They call me names, hit me, push me, all of the above,” John said. “It was a lot of hardship I had to go through.”

He tried diets and exercise, losing up to 40 pounds. But intense food cravings meant the weight always came back — plus more. By the time John met Dr. Callum Rowe, a pediatrics resident in a public health clinic at Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, John had a body mass index of 75. It was way off of the charts that measure body-mass index, or BMI, which is regarded as a flawed tool but widely used by doctors to screen for obesity.

John, who has a shy smile and a soft voice, asked for help. He said he wanted to go on a “journey to wellness,” Rowe recalled.

“I found that very profound for a 13-year-old. He’s an old soul to have that level of insight about what can I do to change my situation?” said Rowe, who referred John to the Stanford Medicine Children’s Health weight-loss program.

It meant traveling to Palo Alto, 350 miles north, but Karen Tillman said she was ready to do anything.

“His weight was just going up by the minute,” she said.

Sign-ups for the Stanford surgery program have doubled since the release of the AAP guidelines, Pratt said. It’s among the busiest sites in the U.S., performing more than 50 of the 2,000 pediatric weight-loss surgeries logged each year.

John was fortunate; fewer than 1% of children who qualify for metabolic surgery go through with the procedure. Doctors can be reluctant to refer, and families either don’t know it’s an option or it costs too much, experts said. Fees run upwards of $20,000 and can be as much as $100,000.

John’s surgery was covered by Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, which paid for 47 operations for kids ages 11 to 17 last year, according to state health records. Across the U.S., Medicaid coverage of weight-loss surgery for kids varies significantly by state.

On average, children who receive weight-loss surgery lose about a quarter to a third of their body weight, studies show. But about 25% of kids regain the pounds and need further treatment, Pratt said.

With Wegovy, adolescents lost about 16% of their body mass over nearly 16 months in a clinical trial. Those who take obesity drugs — requests for which have soared at Stanford and nationwide — regain weight once they stop, research shows. Some taking the drugs see potentially serious side effects like gallstones and inflammation of the pancreas.

Edward Kent has responded well to the obesity medication, which has turned off his ravenous appetite “like a light switch,” his mother said. At a recent exam, Edward’s liver function had returned to normal.

John Simon has lost about 35% of his body weight in less than a year. His liver function and insulin resistance have both improved, Pratt said. His arthritis is receding. He’s sleeping better and moving more easily.

John’s struggle still extends past conquering cravings and improving his health. Attacks by bullies got so bad at his middle school, teachers were assigned to walk with him between classes.

“He’s going to come out with some type of hurt,” said John’s pastor, Charles Griffin III of DaySpring Christian Church. “The prayer is that when he does come out of this, he will be stronger.”

John graduated this month from his middle school, where officials wouldn’t comment on steps they took to address the bullying. He’ll go to a charter high school next year that will be smaller and, his mother hopes, more compassionate.

John, now 15, is focused on the future. He has learned to cook healthy meals, like a recent dinner of sauteed shrimp and chard. He works out at a local gym, puts 18,000 steps on his pedometer every day and hopes to study hard to land his dream job as an automotive engineer.

“I just want to live a happy, healthy life,” he said. “Without the pain. And just without the weight.”

John Simon, a teenager who had a bariatric surgery in 2022, takes a short break while exercising at El Workout Fitness in Los Angeles, Monday, March 13, 2023.

AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

HEALTH & FITNESS

Popular ‘low T’ treatment is safe for men with heart disease, but doctors warn it’s no youth serum

BY LAURA UNGAR, AP Science Writer

Testosterone replacement therapy is safe for men with “low T” who have heart disease or are at high risk for it, a new study suggests.

But doctors warn the popular treatment is no “anti-aging tonic.”

The research, published Friday in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that heart attacks, strokes and other major cardiac issues were no more common among those using testosterone gel than those using a placebo.

That implies the gel is also safe for men without cardiovascular problems who have low T, said Dr. Steven Nissen, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic and senior author of the study. But, he added, it doesn’t mean the treatment should be used by men without low T — a condition also known as hypogonadism that’s measured by levels of the sex hormone in the blood.

“What we’ve shown here is that for a very specific group of men, testosterone can be given safely,” Nissen said. “But it is not to be given as an anti-aging tonic for widespread use in men who are aging.”

More than 5,000 men ages 45-80 at 316 trial sites through-

out the U.S. were randomly assigned to get the testosterone gel or the placebo, which they rubbed on their skin daily for an average of about 22 months.

“Major cardiac events” occurred in 182 patients in the testosterone group and 190 patients in the placebo group.

The testosterone group did have a higher incidence of less severe problems, such as atrial fibrillation, acute kidney injury and issues from blood clots in veins.

The large study helps address “a gap of understanding” about how testosterone treatment affects cardiovascular outcomes for men with true low T, said Dr. Alan Baik, a cardiologist at the University of California-San Francisco who was not involved in the research.

But he’d like to see more research, he said, on whether testosterone therapy can actually reduce cardiovascular risk factors in men with low T, who seem more likely to have conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes.

Treating low T has been a big business for many years, largely driven by advertisements for pills, patches, gels and injections. Online sites and clin-

A screen displays a patient’s vital signs at a hospital in Baltimore on Nov. 28, 2016. Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Friday, June 16, 2023, suggests testosterone replacement therapy is safe for men with “low T” who have cardiovascular disease or are at high risk for it. But doctors say men shouldn’t view the treatment as an “anti-aging tonic.” AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

ics across the nation offer the treatment, and many tie low T to common issues such as fatigue and weight gain.

The new study, led by the Cleveland Clinic and funded by a consortium of drug companies, was done in response to a 2015 mandate by the Food and Drug Administration for makers of

testosterone products to carefully examine the risk of heart attack or stroke. A previous FDA review had shown that many men got low T treatment even though their testosterone levels hadn’t been checked.

Nissen said while low T is a “very common disorder,” aging men also want to feel like they’re

18 again and “have the sexual performance they had when they were young,” he said.

But the treatment, he added, “should not be used by bodybuilders. It should not be used by athletes. The concerns about the misuse of testosterone are quite high. And I think we have to be very cautious.”

Next round of COVID-19 shots in fall will target latest omicron strain

BY MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer

The next round of COVID-19 vaccines will target one of the latest versions of the coronavirus, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.

FDA’s decision came one day after an agency panel of outside advisers supported the recipe change. The agency told vaccine makers to provide protection against just one omicron strain, known as XBB.1.5.

Today’s shots include the original coronavirus and an earlier version of omicron. They do still help prevent severe disease and death even as XBB variants have taken over. But protection gradually wanes over time and

was short-lived against milder infection even before the virus, inevitably, evolved again.

The three U.S. companies that make COVID-19 shots said this week they had geared up to make the formula change, in anticipation of making many millions of doses available for the fall. One company, Pfizer, said it could have at least some doses ready as early as next month.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will eventually decide whether to recommend the shot for nearly all Americans or just for certain high-risk groups.

Because the people must know

COMBINED NOTICE -

PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103

FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0137-2023

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:

On March 31, 2023, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s)

Celeste Trevino

Original Beneficiary(ies)

MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. AS NOMINEE FOR CHERRY CREEK MORTGAGE CO., INC., ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt

COLORADO HOUSING AND FINANCE

AUTHORITY

Date of Deed of Trust

September 24, 2009

County of Recording

Arapahoe

Recording Date of Deed of Trust

October 21, 2009

Recording Information (Reception No. and/ or Book/Page No.)

B9115545

Original Principal Amount

$158,574.00

Outstanding Principal Balance

$124,791.45

Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the deed of trust and other violations thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

SEE ATTACHED LEGAL DESCRIPTION.

LEGAL DESCRIPTION

CONDOMINIUM UNIT NO. 7, BULIDING 24, WINDSONG CONDOMINIUMS, IN ACCORDANCE WITH AND SUBJECT TO THE DECLARATION OF COVENANTS, CONDITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS OF THE WINDSONG CONDOMINIUMS RECORDED ON JULY 12, 1983 IN BOOK 3912 AT PAGE 441 AND MAP RECORDED ON JULY 12, 1983 IN BOOK 65 AT PAGE 47, IN THE RECORDS OF THE COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, TOGETHER WITH THE RIGHT TO THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF PARKING SPACE NO. 443, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO

Also known by street and number as: 7474 East Arkansas Avenue #2407, Denver, CO 80231.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST. NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 08/02/2023, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication 6/8/2023

Last Publication 7/6/2023

Name of Publication Sentinel

IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE

A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED;

DATE: 03/31/2023

Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado

By: /s/ Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

Alison L Berry #34531

N. April Winecki #34861

David R. Doughty #40042

Nicholas H. Santarelli #46592

Lynn M. Janeway #15592

Janeway Law Firm, P.C. 9800 S. Meridian Blvd., Suite 400, Englewood, CO 80112 (303) 706-9990

Attorney File # 21-025965

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

©Public Trustees’ Association of Colorado

Revised 1/2015

COMBINED NOTICE -

PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103

FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0148-2023

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:

On April 7, 2023, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s)

CHERI M CRAWFORD

Original Beneficiary(ies)

MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. ACTING SOLELY AS NOMINEE FOR QUICKEN LOANS INC.

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt

ROCKET MORTGAGE, LLC F/K/A QUICKEN LOANS, LLC F/K/A QUICKEN LOANS INC.

Date of Deed of Trust

December 20, 2016 County of Recording

Arapahoe

Recording Date of Deed of Trust

December 23, 2016

Recording Information (Reception No. and/ or Book/Page No.)

D6149891

Original Principal Amount

$202,730.00

Outstanding Principal Balance

$179,744.03

Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the deed of trust and other violations thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN. LOT 22, BLOCK 3, OLDETOWN SUBDIVISION FILING NO. 1, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO. Also known by street and number as: 293

S NOME ST,, AURORA, CO 80012-1212.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 08/09/2023, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication 6/15/2023

Last Publication 7/13/2023

Name of Publication Sentinel IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED;

DATE: 04/07/2023

Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado

By: /s/ Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

Anna Johnston #51978

Ryan Bourgeois #51088

Joseph D. DeGiorgio #45557

Randall M. Chin #31149

Barrett, Frappier & Weisserman, LLP 1391

Speer Boulevard, Suite 700, Denver, CO 80204 (303) 350-3711

Attorney File # 00000009761586

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

©Public Trustees’ Association of Colorado

Revised 1/2015

COMBINED NOTICEPUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103

FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0170-2023

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:

On April 14, 2023, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s)

Alejandra Gomez AND Jessica A Gomez

Original Beneficiary(ies)

MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. AS NOMINEE FOR FAIRWAY INDEPENDENT MORTGAGE CORPORATION, ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt

COLORADO HOUSING AND FINANCE

AUTHORITY

Date of Deed of Trust

December 09, 2021

County of Recording

Arapahoe

Recording Date of Deed of Trust

January 19, 2022

Recording Information (Reception No. and/ or Book/Page No.)

E2006869

Original Principal Amount

$476,215.00

Outstanding Principal Balance

$469,093.25

Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the deed of trust and other violations thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

LOT 35, BLOCK 1, HIGHPOINT SUBDIVISION FILING NO. 4, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO. PARCEL ID NUMBER: 031600588

Also known by street and number as: 4102 S Andes Way, Aurora, CO 80013.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 08/16/2023, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication 6/22/2023

Last Publication 7/20/2023

Name of Publication Sentinel IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED;

DATE: 04/14/2023

Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado

By: /s/ Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

Alison L Berry #34531

N. April Winecki #34861

David R. Doughty #40042

Nicholas H. Santarelli #46592

Lynn M. Janeway #15592

Janeway Law Firm, P.C. 9800 S. Meridian Blvd., Suite 400, Englewood, CO 80112 (303) 706-9990

Attorney File # 23-029685

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

©Public Trustees’ Association of Colorado

Revised 1/2015

COMBINED NOTICEPUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103

FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0172-2023

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:

On April 14, 2023, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s)

MATTHEW ROHDE

Original Beneficiary(ies)

MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. AS NOMINEE FOR GUILD MORTGAGE COMPANY, A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION, ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt

GUILD MORTGAGE COMPANY LLC

Date of Deed of Trust

October 24, 2016

County of Recording

Arapahoe

Recording Date of Deed of Trust

October 25, 2016

Recording Information (Reception No. and/ or Book/Page No.)

D6122278

Original Principal Amount

$278,260.00

Outstanding Principal Balance

$244,918.83 Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the deed of trust and other violations thereof. THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

LOT 68, BLOCK 11, MEADOWOOD FILING NO. 1, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO.

Also known by street and number as: 15610 E HAMILTON PL, AURORA, CO 80013. THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 08/16/2023, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication 6/22/2023

Last Publication 7/20/2023

Name of Publication Sentinel IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED;

DATE: 04/14/2023

Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado

By: /s/ Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

Erin Croke #46557

Steven Bellanti #48306

Holly Shilliday #24423

Ilene Dell’Acqua #31755

McCarthy & Holthus LLP 7700 E Arapahoe Road, Suite 230, Centennial, CO 80112 (877) 369-6122

Attorney File # CO-23-955810-LL

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

©Public Trustees’ Association of Colorado

Revised 1/2015

COMBINED NOTICEPUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103

FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0174-2023

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:

On April 18, 2023, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s)

Thongchai Sorawet

Original Beneficiary(ies)

MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. AS NOMINEE FOR PARAMOUNT RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE GROUP, INC., ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt COLORADO HOUSING AND FINANCE

AUTHORITY

Date of Deed of Trust

December 07, 2021

County of Recording

Arapahoe

Recording Date of Deed of Trust

December 10, 2021

Recording Information (Reception No. and/ or Book/Page No.)

E1187458

Original Principal Amount

$448,725.00

Outstanding Principal Balance $442,014.38

Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the deed of trust and other violations thereof. THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

LOT 8, BLOCK 2, RED WILLOW SUBDIVISION FILING NO. 1, AMENDMENT NO. 1, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO.

APN #: 1975-07-4-30-008

Also known by street and number as: 138 S. Granby Court, Aurora, CO 80012.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 08/16/2023, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication 6/22/2023

Last Publication 7/20/2023

Name of Publication Sentinel

IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO

A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE

A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED;

DATE: 04/18/2023

Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe,

who has filed a petition.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For more information, you may review the Application, which was sent to you with this Notice. You may also contact the Applicant at the phone number or email address listed below.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if any party requires special accommodations as a result of a disability for this hearing, please contact Margaret Humecki at Cogcc.Hearings_Unit@state. co.us, prior to the hearing and arrangements will be made.

OIL AND GAS CONSERVATION COM-

MISSION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO

By Mimi C. Larsen, Secretary

Dated: June 2, 2023

Renegade Oil & Gas Company, LLC

c/o Scott M. Campbell

Robert A. Willis Poulson, Odell & Peterson LLC 1660 Lincoln St., Suite 1500 Denver, CO 80264 303-861-4400 scampbell@popllc.com rwillis@popllc.com

Publication: June 22, 2023

Sentinel

DISTRICT COURT, ADAMS COUNTY, COLORADO

NOTICE OF HEARING BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-1-401, C.R.S.

Case No. 2022PR133

In the Matter of:

Diane Kae Hill, Deceased.

To: Shawn Wetzbarger and Attorney General

Last Known Address, if any: 9064 Orleans Street, Federal Heights, CO 80260

A hearing on the Petition for Breach of Fiduciary Duty and Removal of Personal Representative, filed into the abovenamed case will be held at the following time and location or at a later date to which the hearing may be continued:

Date: July 28, 2023

Time: 9:30am

Courtroom or Division: T1

Address: 1100 Judicial Center Drive, Brighton, CO 80601

The hearing will take approximately ONE

HOUR

Attorney for Daisy Hill:

M. Kaitlyn Davis, Esq., #55908 Gendelman Klimas, Ltd. 517 East 16th Ave Denver, CO 80203 720-213-0687 Kaitlyn@GendelmanKlimas.com

First Publication: June 22, 2023

Final Publication: July 29, 2023

Sentinel

GREEN VALLEY RANCH EAST METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 6

NOTICE OF FINAL PAYMENT

Re: Public Works Construction/Improvement Contract Tributary-T General Improvements Project Tezak Heavy Equipment Co., Inc.

CONTRACT DATED: January 11, 2022

Notice is hereby given that the GREEN VALLEY RANCH EAST METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 6 (the “District”), in the City of Aurora, Adams County, Colorado, will make final payment on or after the 2nd day of July 2023 to Tezak Heavy Equipment Co., Inc. (the “Contractor”), for all work done by said Contractor for the abovereferenced project concerning construction work performed.

Any individual, corporation, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, limited liability company, partnership, association, or other legal entity that has furnished labor, materials, sustenance, or other supplies used or consumed by such Contractor or its subcontractors, in or about the performance of the work contracted to be done or that has supplied laborers, rental machinery, tools or equipment to the extent used in the prosecution of the work, and whose claim therefor has not been paid by the Contractor or its subcontractors, at any time up to and including the time of final settlement for the work contracted to be done, is required to file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid, and an account of such claim, to the GREEN VALLEY RANCH EAST METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 6, c/o Schedio Group, LLC, 809 14th Street, Suite A, Golden, Colorado 80401, Attn: Timothy McCarthy, with a copy to: Icenogle Seaver Pogue, P.C., 4725 South Monaco Street, Suite 360, Denver, Colorado 80237, on or before the date and time hereinabove shown. Failure on the part of any claimant to file such verified statement of claim prior to such final settlement will release the District, its Board of Directors, officers, agents, and employees of and from any and all liability for such claim.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

GREEN VALLEY RANCH EAST METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 6

First Publication: June 15, 2023

Final Publication: June 22, 2023 Sentinel

INVITATION TO BID

SECOND CREEK RANCH METROPOLITAN DISTRICT STREETLIGHT DESIGN & INSTALLATION TIBET ROAD PHASES 2 & 3 PROJECT

Notice is hereby given that the Second Creek Ranch Metropolitan District (“District”) seeks bids from qualified contractors for the design, procurement, and installation of streetlights and related improvements for roadways located (i) immediately north of the Tributary-T Crossing and (ii) immediate south of 52nd Avenue, all within the City of Aurora, County of Adams, Colorado (“Project”) as outlined in the Second Creek Ranch Metropolitan District – Streetlight Design & Installation Tibet Road

Phases 2 & 3 Project: Bid Documents, dated June 22, 2023 which can be obtained by contacting the District as follows:

Bram Paikuli

Clayton Properties Group II, Inc, Construction Manager 4908 Tower Road Denver, CO 80249 BPaikuli@OakwoodHomesCO.com (808) 989-3548

Sealed Bids are due by July 7, 2023 not later than 3:00 P.M. MT to the District at 4908 Tower Road, Denver, CO 80249 and/ or via e-mail sent to BPaikuli@OakwoodHomesCO.com. Bids not received by 3:00 P.M. MT will not be considered. Bids will not be publicly opened and read.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: SECOND CREEK RANCH METROPOLITAN DISTRICT

Publication: June 22, 2023

Sentinel

LEGAL NOTICE IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF DOUGLAS COUNTY, NEBRASKA

TO: Robert Minnick, whose whereabouts are unknown and upon whom personal service of summons or notice cannot be had, Defendant in said proceedings:

You are notified that on the 23rd day of March, 2023, Julie Thomas, as Plaintiff, filed a Complaint to Establish Paternity, Custody and Support in the District Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, Case Number CI 23-1460, the object and prayer of which Complaint is to establish paternity, custody and support of the minor child; and providing such other and further relief as may be deemed just and equitable.

Said Defendant is required to Answer said Complaint within thirty (30) days.

Dated this 8th day of June, 2023.

JULIE THOMAS, Plaintiff

By: Augustine C. Osuala, #25809 Nebraska Legal Group

Two Old Mill, Suite 240 10855 West Dodge Road Omaha, NE 68154 (402) 509-7033

First Publication: June 15, 2023

Final Publication: June 29, 2023

Sentinel

NOTICE OF ASSUMED NAME FILING IN MINNESOTA

ASSUMED NAME: JOSEPH RICHARD

HART JUNIOR PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS: In Care of 4473 South Hannibal Way, # 439, Aurora, CO. United State of America

NAMEHOLDER(S): Joseph-Richard: Hart-Junior., Authorized Representative, Joseph Richard Hart Junior, Joseph R Hart, Joseph Richard Hart, Hart Joseph Richard Jr

Minnesota Secretary of State Original File # 1388123300022

Date: April 23, 2023

NOTICE OF FINAL PAYMENT

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the AEROTROPOLIS AREA COORDINATING METROPOLITAN DISTRICT of Adams County, Colorado, will make final payment on or after July 10, 2023, to:

JHL Constructors, Inc. 9100 E Panorama Dr, Ste 300 Englewood, CO 80112 for all work done by said Contractor for the Aerotropolis Area Coordinating Metropolitan District, THE AURORA HIGHLANDS PRAIRIE WATERS PIPELINE INSTALLATION WORK ORDER #16, all of said work being within or near the boundaries of Aerotropolis Area Coordinating Metropolitan District, in the City of Aurora, State of Colorado.

Any person, co-partnership, association of persons, company, or corporation that has furnished labor, materials, provisions, team hire, sustenance provender or other supplies used or consumed by such Contractor or its Subcontractors or Suppliers in or about the performance of the work contracted to be done and whose claim therefore has not been paid by the Contractor or its Subcontractors or Suppliers at any time up to and including the time of final settlement for the work contracted to be done, is required to file a written verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on account of such claim with Aerotropolis Area Coordinating Metropolitan District, Attention: Denise Denslow, 8390 East Crescent Parkway, Suite 300,Greenwood Village, CO 80111 with a copy to McGeady Becher P.C., 450 E. 17th Avenue, Suite 400, Denver, CO 80203-1254 at or before the time and date hereinabove shown. Failure on the part of any claimant to file such written verified statement of claim prior to such final settlement will release AEROTROPOLIS AREA COORDINATING METROPOLITAN DISTRICT, its Board, officers, agents, and employees of and from any and all liability for such claim.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Aerotropolis Area Coordinating Metropolitan District

First Publication: June 22, 2023

Final Publication: June 29, 2023

Sentinel

NOTICE OF HEARING AND FILING OF PETITION FOR DISSOLUTION OF SOUTHSHORE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 1

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that there was filed with the District Court in and for Arapahoe County, Colorado, a Petition for Dissolution of the Southshore Metropolitan District No. 1 (the “District”) along with relevant documents.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the Court has set a hearing on the question of dissolution, which hearing is to be held on the 7th day of July, 2023, at 11:30 a.m., at the Arapahoe County Justice Center, 7325 South Potomac Street, Centennial, CO 80112.

The purpose of the Court hearing shall be to consider the sufficiency of the Petition for Dissolution.

The District no longer provides services to the residents and property within its boundaries. The Petition for Dissolution provides that the District has no financial obligations or outstanding bonds, and that any remaining funds after payment of all costs associated with the dissolution and final administration of the District shall be transferred to the Southshore Metropolitan District No. 2. In accordance with the procedures set forth in Part 7, Article 1, Title 32, C.R.S., any interested party may appear and be heard on the sufficiency of the Petition for Dissolution and the adequacy of the applicable financial and service provisions therein.

BY ORDER OF BY THE ARAPAHOE COUNTY DISTRICT COURT

Publication: June 22, 2023

Sentinel

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

Notice is hereby given that PODS Enterprises, LLC, located at 3500 N Windsor Dr Suite 300, Aurora, CO 80011, will sell the contents of certain containers at auction to the highest bidder to satisfy owner’’s lien. Auction will be held online at www.StorageTreasures.com starting on July 13, 2023 and ending on July 20, 2023. Contents to be sold may include general household goods, electronics, office & business equipment, furniture, clothing and other miscellaneous personal property.

First Publication: June 22, 2023

Final Publication: June 29, 2023

Sentinel

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

Security Self Storage, in accordance with C.R.S. 38-21.5-103, hereby gives Notice Of Sale, to wit: On JULY 20, 2023 at 2 P.M. at 4480 S Buckley, Aurora, CO 80015 will conduct a sale on Lockerfox.com prior to the sale date for each storage space in its entirety to the highest bidder for cash, of the contents of the following units to satisfy a landlord’s lien, Seller reserves the right to refuse any bid and to withdraw any property from sale, The public is invited to bid on said units.

Jordan Marie Crawford: totes. Jared Putnam: tires, furniture, AC unit, microwave, toolbox, TV, boxes, misc. Daniel Leroy Taylor: boxes, aquarium, cooler, misc. Rebbecca Lea Cooper: clothes, bags, totes.

First Publication: June 22, 2023

Final Publication: June 29, 2023

Sentinel

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

Security Self Storage, in accordance with C.R.S. 38-21.5-103, hereby gives Notice Of Sale, to wit: On JULY 20, 2023 at 2 P.M. at 2078 S Pontiac Way, Denver, CO 80224 will conduct a sale on Lockerfox.com prior to the sale date for each storage space in its entirety to the highest bidder for cash, of the contents of the following units to satisfy a landlord’s lien, Seller reserves the right to refuse any bid and to withdraw any property from sale, The public is invited to bid on said units.

Jeff Tong: tools, totes, mini fridge, boxes, bike tires, misc. Bernard Katz: furniture, boxes, lamps, misc.

First Publication: June 22, 2023

Final Publication: June 29, 2023

Sentinel

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

Security Self Storage, in accordance with C.R.S. 38-21.5-103, hereby gives Notice Of Sale, to wit: On JULY 20, 2023 at 2 P.M. at 2025 S Holly, Denver, CO 80222 will conduct a sale on Lockerfox.com prior to the sale date for each storage space in its entirety to the highest bidder for cash, of the contents of the following units to satisfy a landlord’s lien, Seller reserves the right to refuse any bid and to withdraw any property from sale, The public is invited to bid on said units.

Amy Frace: boxes, totes, shelving, misc. Robert Vega Jr: tools, kid bike, totes, furniture, canvas bags, luggage, misc. Leslie Schelhaas: tools, wheelchair, bike, camping gear, coolers, fishing equipment. Nikkole Kyser: TV, clock, boxes, totes, fishing poles, misc. Marissa Vasquez: boxes, artwork, bags, misc. Jamal Page: furniture, boxes, printers, keyboard, mini fridge, totes, file cabinet, TV, misc. James Hall: boxes, luggage, toolboxes, totes, misc.

First Publication: June 22, 2023

Final Publication: June 29, 2023 Sentinel

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

Security Self Storage, in accordance with C.R.S. 38-21.5-103, hereby gives Notice of Sale, to wit: On JULY 20, 2023 at 2 P.M. at 9150 Pierce St., Westminster, CO 80021 will conduct a sale on Lockerfox.com prior to the sale date for each storage space in its entirety to the highest bidder for cash, of the contents of the following units to satisfy a landlord’s lien. Seller reserves the right to refuse any bid and to withdraw any property from sale. The public is invited to bid on said units.

Justin Pflipsen: ski’s, books, shop vac, misc. Jarian Liggens: ladder, saw horses, boxes. Mary Derenzo: saw horses, desk, boxes, blower, ladder, fishing poles, misc. Debbie Trzos: desk, aquarium, totes, boxes.

First Publication: June 22, 2023

Final Publicaiton: June 29, 2023

Sentinel

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

Security Self Storage, in accordance with C.R.S. 38-21.5-103, hereby gives Notice Of Sale, to wit: On July 20, 2023 at 2 P.M. at 10601 E Iliff Ave, Aurora, CO 80014 will conduct a sale on Lockerfox.com prior to the sale date for each storage space in its entirety to the highest bidder for cash, of the contents of the following units to satisfy a landlord’s lien. Seller reserves the right to refuse any bid and to withdraw any property from sale. The public is invited to bid on said units.

Lonnie Daniels: bed set, bags, cooler, misc. Christy Grecu: boxes, totes, luggage, bags, misc. Soad Kherelsed: boxes, bags, misc.

First Publication: June 22, 2023

Final Publication: June 29, 2023

Sentinel

NOTICE OF SELF STORAGE SALE

Please take notice StoreLocal Storage Co-Op Englewood located at 3411 S Irving St Englewood CO 80110 intends to hold a public sale to the highest bidder of the property stored by the following tenants at the storage facility. The sale will occur as an online auction via www.storagetreasures.com on 7/5/2023 at 12:00 PM. Lawrence Castor unit #0352; Tara Banes unit #0652. This sale may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Certain terms and conditions apply. See manager for details.

First Publication: June 15, 2023

Final Publication: June 22, 2023

Sentinel

/s/ Steve Simon, Secretary of State

First Publication: June 15, 2023

Final Publication: June 22, 2023

Sentinel

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

Notice is hereby given that PODS Enterprises, LLC, located at 21110 E 31st Circle, Aurora, CO 80011, will sell the contents of certain containers at auction to the highest bidder to satisfy owner’’s lien. Auction will be held online at www.StorageTreasures. com starting on July 6, 2023 and ending on July 13, 2023. Contents to be sold may include general household goods, electronics, office & business equipment, furniture, clothing and other miscellaneous personal property.

First Publication: June 15, 2023

Final Publication: June 22, 2023

Sentinel

Security Self Storage, in accordance with C.R.S. 38-21.5-103, hereby gives Notice Of Sale, to wit: On JULY 20, 2023 at 2 P.M. at 9750 W. JEWELL AVE. LAKEWOOD, CO 80232 will conduct a sale on Lockerfox.com prior to the sale date for each storage space in its entirety to the highest bidder for cash, of the contents of the following units to satisfy a landlord’s lien, Seller reserves the right to refuse any bid and to withdraw any property from sale, The public is invited to bid on said units. Linda Fedrick: shop vac, propane tank, floor jack, ladder, car seats, clothes, misc. Anthony Skaggs: velvet chair, furniture, totes, bedframe, luggage, mattress, misc. Frank Ipodaca: car parts, AC unit, kids wagon, kids bike, furniture, misc. Christopher Baker: totes, clothes, misc. Enrique Vera: pallets, tires, misc. Salim Nasser: totes, luggage. Mark Mostek: file cabinet, boxes, exercise machine, entertainment center, misc. Mark Mostek: furniture, vacuum, TV, boxes. Kayla Hills: art, hangers, totes, boxes, printer, misc. Jeffrey Nolte: fishing poles, toolboxes, furniture, coolers, boxes, totes, rims, misc.

First Publication: June 22, 2023

Final Publication: June 29, 2023

Sentinel

ACROSS

1) Powdered beverage

5) Word before "numeral" or "candle"

I 0)Soaks color into fabrics

14)Shaving cream additive, perhaps

15)Supreme Court Justice Kagan

16)"The Bridges of Madison County" state

17)Star of the original "The Nutty Professor"

19)Hands on deck

20)_tai

21)Overly obsessive fans

23)Major inconveniences

27)"Smart" guy?

28)Dinner crumb

29)"The Blackboard Jungle" author Hunter

31) Muslim greeting

35) Collaborative coalition

37)Chapters in history

39)"Inferno" writer

40)Actor Lugosi

41) Balsa vessels

43)Numbered hwys.

44) Dead to the world

46)"Now!" in the emergency room

47)New Zealand parrots

48)Some electric vehicles

50) Word in a magician's phrase

52)_ as directed

53)Suffix meaning "stone"

55) Blanketlike shawls

57) Ritz's owner, e.g.

61)Vienna's land (Abbr.)

62)Say it's so 63)Star of"Gone With The Wind" 68) Raja's mate

Fish Called Wanda" Oscar winner 70) Angler's need

Grande, Arizona

18th June

1) _Mahal

2) Publican's serving

3)Postal creed word

4) Mouthwash victims

5) Bullpen figure

6) Grand-Opry

Answers on page 30

concerned about the increase in cost for driver’s licenses that the creation of a new enterprise and subsequent fee would impose,” the governor wrote in a letter explaining his veto.

— House Bill 1190, which would have given local governments a right of first refusal to purchase certain multifamily properties listed for sale. “I support local governments’ ability to buy these properties on the open market and preserve lowcost housing opportunities, but am not supportive of a required right of refusal that adds costs and time to transactions,” Polis wrote in a letter explaining his veto.

— House Bill 1214, which would have changed the clemency application process. It would have required the governor’s office to appoint an “executive clemency representative” to notify applicants that their clemency request has been received and if it’s missing any information. It would also have required the governor to consider

an applicant’s good character before their conviction, good conduct during incarceration, and statements and supporting materials from the prosecuting district attorney. “The bill unconstitutionally infringes on the governor’s exclusive authority to grant clemency,” Polis wrote in a letter explaining the veto.

— House Bill 1258, which would have created a task force to study the costs associated with enforcing drug laws, as well as the effects of investigating drug crimes and rehabilitating those convicted of drug crimes. Polis wrote in a letter explaining his veto that he rejected the measure because he said such a task force should also study the costs and risks of reducing such enforcement. He added that the study would have been an appropriate project for the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, which the House Judiciary Committee voted this year to disband. Polis said in his letter that he will soon take executive action to continue the commissions’ work and may pres-

ent a request similar to what was in House BIll 1258 to that new panel.

— House Bill 1259, which would have changed how open meetings law violations related to executive, or closed-door, meetings are handled. Typically, when a court finds a government entity in violation of Colorado’s open meetings laws, the person who brought a lawsuit challenging the actions is entitled to costs. House Bill 1259 would have created an exception so that plaintiffs who represent themselves in open meetings challenges aren’t awarded such fees. Polis wrote in a letter explaining his veto that the bipartisan bill could impede legitimate challenges to open meetings. “We should strive for increased transparency and accountability,” he wrote. The bill appeared to be aimed at addressing issues around school board executive sessions across the state, he added.

— JESSE PAUL, Colorado Sun

Obituary

Eleanor H. McKeeman

November 13, 1922 - June 16, 2023

Eleanor (Ellie) Heydrick McKeeman died peacefully on June 16th at Sunrise Assisted Living facility in Westminster, Colorado.

She was a long-time resident of Aurora, Colorado having moved there with her husband and young family in 1954.

Eleanor was born and raised in the multi-generational family home in Philadelphia, PA. She graduated Temple University in 1943 and had a long career as an elementary school teacher and as a pianist.

While playing the piano for the USO in downtown Philadelphia she met her future husband, James (Jim) McKeeman while he was stationed there by the U.S. Army. They married in September of 1950 and soon after were reassigned to Vienna, Austria.

Following three years in Europe, the McKeemans, now with two daughters in tow and a third on the way, settled in Aurora, Colorado. She remained in Aurora for the rest of her life, save for two years in Puerto Rico while her husband was still on active duty in the military and her last 18 months in Westminster.

As soon as her young family would allow, Eleanor resumed her teaching career at Cunningham Elementary School in the Cherry Creek School District. She was known as a gifted educator and eventually assumed leadership positions in both her school and the district especially in developing elementary science curricula. She was named one of the district’s Teachers of the Year in 1983 and went on to be a finalist for Colorado Teacher of the Year.

A well known pianist, Eleanor played the organ at Parkview Congregational Church, UCC in Aurora from 1960-1987. She was the piano accompanist for weddings, choral groups, individuals and school children her entire career. In the late 70’s and early 80’s she was the regular pianist for HInkley HIgh School musicals.

In retirement she and her husband, Jim, enjoyed traveling. Ellie also volunteered for many years at Channel Six and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, staying active by working with school groups at both institutions.

Eleanor’s husband of 49 years passed away in 2000. She is survived by her four children, Louise McKeeman of Aurora, Kathleen McKeeman Kallhoff of Broomfield, Joyce McKeeman of Corinth, Vermont and Jim McKeeman of Aurora, and her four grandchildren Kyle and Chris McKeeman, and Dana Kallhoff Harrison and Matt Kallhoff.

A memorial service will be held at Parkview Congregational Church, UCC, July 7th at 1 pm. Memorial contributions may be made to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science Educational Programming or to Parkview Congregational Church, UCC, 12444 East Parkview Dr., Aurora, CO 80011.

COPS AND COURTS Man shot in central Aurora, offers no suspect information

Police released few details about a shooting June 17 night that occurred in central Aurora and left one man suffering multiple gunshot wounds.

Police say the man walked into a nearby hospital at about 10:45 p.m. after having been shot.

The shooting reportedly took place somewhere near East Alameda Avenue and South Peoria Street, according to an Aurora police social media post.

The man told police he had no information about the shooter and that his injuries were not life-threatening.

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 Writers

Hoffman Heights shooting leaves 1 man injured, police say

An unidentified man was shot June 16 while somewhere in the Hoffman Heights neighborhood, sending the man to the hospital with “non-life-threatening injuries,” police said.

Aurora police were called to a home somewhere near East 11th Avenue and Scranton Street at about 9:45 p.m. by “family members” saying, “someone was shot.”

“The victim, an adult male, was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries,” police said in a social media post. “Unknown what led up to the shooting.”

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 Writers

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An F-16 takes off from Buckley Space Force Base, March 31, as J.P. and Maj. Joseph “Stinger” Valdez look on during J.P.’s Top Gun experience wish granted by Buckley and Make-A-Wish.

Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/ Sentinel Colorado