SHINING FALL-STARS
Top athletes and moments in Aurora’s 2024 fall football and girls volleyball season
It’s not too late to partake in the the most tree-mendous part of Colorado holidays
Pity the Gulf Coast families who gather around the green-plastic toilet brush or warm-weather “pine” tree to open gifts as the last few needles of their summer-cut Christmas bushes beg to become kindling.
In Colorado, Christmas means trees. Real trees, dammit, that look like they faithfully guarded a rugged mountainside before being selected as the chosen few to move into one of the millions of living rooms to sport twinkling lights and big glass balls. They are, Guardians of the Presents.
The fact is, most people here like gorgeous, perfect fake trees just like everyone else. And those who drag real, dying trees into their homes usually get them from Christmas tree lots or home improvement stores, which get them from farms in places like Oregon — in July.
So how Colorado is that?
If you want a real Centennial State holiday high, go get your own tree.
It’s not too late. Permits for some nearby tree-cutting sites are still available, and tree-cutting at some sites is available through Dec. 31.
For far less than what even the scroungiest bush costs at a tree lot, you can help thin local forests ripe for wildfire. You, too, can live the yule-tide dream, and bring home the Christmas tree of your sugar-plum-infused visions.
For years, select national forests — mostly out here in the West — have encouraged people to come up for an experience most folks only hear about.
Now don’t grab the chainsaw and start the car yet. There are rules, but they’re pretty easy ones. You can’t just go anywhere up in the hills and snag a fir. Tree cutting is limited to particular areas in the state. Near Aurora, there are two choices this year: Buffalo Creek, which is fairly close, between Pine Junction on U.S. 285 and Deckers; and Fraser, just down the road from Winter Park.
It really is as romantic and nostalgic as you think it is. It also can be real work. Even for native Aurora residents. The elevation is higher and everything is either up or down a hill. Be prepared. But the scenery is beautiful, and a tree doesn’t get any fresher than cutting it down the same day you put it up.
Experience talking here: If you’re new to this, or old and tired like me, walk up the hill to find a tree, so your friend, gravity, helps get it back to your day camp of chili, brownies and
friends before you tie it to the roof of your car.
The official rules vary some, but generally, you must use a hand saw or an ax, not a chain or power saw of any kind. Save your energy and digits for the ride home; don’t use an ax or hatchet.
The Forest Service does this to get people to clear out younger trees that can fuel a forest fire. You’re not coming home with the Rockefeller Center tree. All of the areas require permits, and some dates sell out in October. Others are available only on-site or nearby. Read the rules, check the dates and save yourself serious disappointment.
Be prepared for anything. Balmy weather and short pants, or something like a blizzard and deep snow. No one recalls anyone getting into serious trouble during these Christmas tree hunts, and you don’t want to be the first. Each site has a list of suggestions about tires, clothing and food that are wise to heed.
Tips
• Take water, it can be hard work.
• Go uphill to hunt for a tree. Dragging your kill downhill is eminently easier than dragging it uphill. If you want a very large tree, carry a strong, lightweight, slick, plastic tarp with you to help make it easier to drag back and limit damage.
• Dress right. There is often deep snow, even in Elk Creek. On warm days, Buffalo Creek can be downright slushy.
• Trees look much smaller in the forest than they are when you get them home. Don’t be fooled.
• The trees are fresh, which means they can be sticky with sap, but they don’t lose their needles or feel like they might spontaneously combust. They smell extravagant in your home when they warm up, and they may be thirsty.
• They are often filled with dirt and dust, either from the mountain or from the road trip home on top of your car. Spraying them briefly at the manual car wash does the trick to get them clean. Just shake them good before bringing them inside.
U.S.ForestServiceTreeCuttingdetailsforPikeandSanIsabelForestsisat:https://buff.ly/49FopmU
Follow @EditorDavePerry on BlueSky, Threads, Mastodon, Twitter and Facebook or reach him at 303-750-7555 or dperry@SentinelColorado.com
DAVE PERRY
Local horse patrol volunteers at the Buffalo Creek Christmas tree cutting area in December. The patrol checks on participants as they wander across the region for trees.
PHOTO BY SENTINEL COLORADO
Aurora ‘rolling gun ght’ on Havana linked to 2 other shootings among Venezuelan nationals, police say
“THEY CONFRONTED A MAN THEY BOTH KNEW, TELLING HIM, ‘WE KNOW YOU, SO WE WON’T KILL YOU’”
BY SENTINEL STAFF
Three Venezuelan national men accused of opening gunfire between two vehicles driving down Havana Street and injuring a bystander this summer are linked to two other shootings hours apart, police records show.
ABOVE: A still shot from security video depicts a man leaning out of a car window brandishing a gun as it pursued another vehicle. SOURCE AURORA POLICE ARREST AFFIDAVIT
NEXT PAGE: In October, police arrested Jose Daniel Gimenez-Chacin, left, Alonzo Lara, center, and Yilbert Fransua Maldonado-Moncada, 29, in connection with a July 28 shooting on Havana Street.
PHOTO VIA AURORA POLICE DEPARTMENT
After weeks of investigation, Aurora detectives determined the melee was connected to three shootings within 24 hours, stolen vehicles and a scuffle during an infamous flashmob at an Aurora shopping center connected to the results of the July 28 Venezuelan presidential election.
The special Aurora police investigative unit interviewed numerous people, some as far as Salt Lake City, analyzed bullet casings poured through hours of security video and analyzed cell-phone and GPS data to track suspects over weeks, according to the Arapahoe County courts affidavit.
Arrested and facing a bevy of charges, including several counts of attempted first-degree murder, were Jose Daniel Gimenez-Chacin, 23, Alonzo Lara, 29 and Yilbert Fransua Maldonado-Moncada, 29.
All three men are Venezuelan nationals, and all three acquainted with each other, police said in court
records.
None of the three men were tabbed as members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, according to court documents.
Some crimes linked to the TdA gang members in the region have created a firestorm of controversy in national media over the last few months.
After weeks of investigation, police offered this account of what happened.
The three men were acquainted with each other as friends connected by a variety of social and alleged criminal activity during the last few months, detectives summarized in court documents.
The men told police that they, as do many local immigrants, communicate with each other directly and in groups using WhatsApp.
At about 3 a.m. July 28, an Aurora man called police to say he’d been threatened by another man with a gun while in a remote, unlighted Aurora park after he stopped to check on a flat tire.
The man had pulled his car over at Great Plain Park, 20355 E. Jewell Ave., near Buckley Space Force Base, and noticed a crowd of about 30 people apparently partying in the
park, the man told police.
The park has been the location of a variety of crimes and incidents, some involving immigrants gathering for late-night parties, according to police records and witnesses interviewed by detectives in the case.
Multiple witnesses called the park “the dark place,” according to the affidavit.
The man told police the people in the park appeared to speak in Spanish and were intoxicated.
“He observed a male approaching his vehicle by the driver’s side who pulled out a black handgun from his waistband and pointed it down to the ground,” the investigator relayed in the court affidavit. “Upon seeing the handgun, he felt like his life was in danger, so he left the parking lot immediately.”
He said he heard gunfire as he drove away, but that he didn’t think he was being shot at. He pulled over a short distance away and called police.
As he was telling his story to an officer, they both heard nearby gunfire coming from the park.
The officer rushed to the park, but shooting suspects had left the scene.
Witness statements, review of
cell phone data and a forensic investigation of shell casings persuaded investigators weeks later that Gimenez-Chacin was one of or, possibly, more gunmen in the park, according to the affidavit.
Later that afternoon, as national news stated that initial results from the hotly contested Venezuelan presidential election indicated that dictator Nicolas Maduro would be ousted by opposition, cars filled with revelers began packing the parking lots of the Gardens on Havana shopping center, especially west of the Target store in the plaza.
Within a few hours, the revelers overwhelmed the parking lot, creating consternation among store owners and employees. Some stores, still open Sunday evening, closed down because of the crowd.
The event marked the beginning of local and national focus on Aurora and the Venezuelan immigrant community, culminating with then GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump holding a political rally in Aurora. Trump has focused on Aurora for months, repeating a wide-range of anti-immigrant rhetoric, especially about Venezuelans.
Police have repeatedly said the Gardens on Havana mob was unruly,
that there were shots fired into the air during the afternoon and evening, but there were no arrests from the event. Police and city officials have said they were in control of the event until it ended at about 9 p.m.
At one point in the early evening, during the revelry in the Target parking lot, witnesses said there was some kind of confrontation between Gimenez-Chacin, his new girlfriend and a former girlfriend, witnesses told detectives, according to the affidavit. One woman said the dispute was about money.
Eventually, the woman who said she formerly had a relationship with Gimenez-Chacin, began leaving the parking lot by about 8 p.m.
She would be linked to another shooting allegedly involving Gimenez-Chacin hours later.
A few hours, after the flash mob had broken up at the mall, an Aurora police officer was patrolling Havana Street near East Idaho Avenue at about midnight, according to the affidavit.
“…an on-duty Aurora police officer in a marked unit, reported over the radio he was driving south on Havana Street when he heard gunfire and believed his vehicle had been struck by a bullet,” Aurora police spokesperson Joe Moylan said in a statement released Tuesday.
The officer was not injured by the gunfire.
A few minutes later, officials at a nearby hospital called police to say a man had come to the emergency room suffering a gunshot wound to the scalp.
“The man later told officers he was on the sidewalk near the 1500 block of South Havana Street when he heard several shots and realized he had been struck,” Moylan said. The man was with a woman and they were standing outside after being involved in an unrelated traffic crash.
Investigators at the time recovered a host of shell casings, but no information about suspects in the shooting.
“Investigators also identified four additional victims who were in the crossfire,” Moylan said in the statement
None of those people were injured.
In the weeks after, the Aurora Police Department Crime Gun Intelli-
gence Unit collected security video from different locations in the region, piecing together what happened, police said.
“A rolling gunfight had taken place on South Havana Street between a black Land Rover SUV and a white Ford F150 pickup,” Moylan said.
Investigators said that the fight was over the pickup-truck, which Gimenez-Chacin’s acquaintance had allegedly stolen from an Aurora apartment Lara shared with the man. The pickup truck, according to witnesses talking to police, was owned by Gimenez-Chacin, but it was later determined to have been stolen.
The roommate accused of taking the truck said the keys were left in the apartment, according to the affidavit.
When Gimenez-Chacin realized the pickup had been taken, after the flashmob event at the Gardens on Havana, he contacted Lara and Maldonado-Moncada, to go find and retrieve the truck.
Driving in a stolen, black Land Rover, the three men, armed with guns, spotted the truck and chased the driver into a gas station, police said in the affidavit.
After a confrontation there, the driver of the white truck sped away and the three men in the Land Rover gave chase, police reported.
Lara drove the car and Maldonado-Moncada and Gimenez-Chacin allegedly shot at the driver along Havana Street as they sped away.
Lara said that Maldonado-Moncada and Gimenez-Chacin were hanging out of car windows as he drove, firing their guns at the pickup truck as they sped down Havana Street.
The affidavit contained security camera photos of the chase and the gunfire.
That’s when stray gunfire hit the officer’s car and injured the man standing along the street, according to the affidavit.
The squad car struck by gunfire became a controversy itself. Hours after the July 28 flash mob, Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky claimed on a social media post that a police car had been fired on during the melee. Police said it was unclear until after the weeks-long investigation
what had struck the car. Initially, police said there was a “white smudge” on a car window and what appeared to be a bulge in the metal door frame. Initial tests for bullet fragments were negative, however, according to arrest affidavit. It wasn’t until further tests were complete that police determined the car damage was from gunfire, and the gunfire came from Gimenez-Chacin’s gun.
Jurinsky continued her insistence that it was a firearm round. It wasn’t until the release of this investigation that it is now clear the a police squad car was struck that night, but it was after the flashmob had dispersed, and not directly releated to that event, police said.
“At the time of the initial post, we knew SOMETHING hit the police car, but couldn’t at that time confirm that it was a bullet,” Aurora police spokesperson Agent Matt Longshore said in an email Wednesday.
Lara, Gimenez-Chacin and Maldonado-Moncada went back to the shared apartment and “shot up” the Jeep of the roommate who’d stolen the white pickup, witnesses told police.
The truck was later found, damaged by gunfire rounds, and impounded.
About two hours later, the former girlfriend of Gimenez-Chacin was at a party outside the Harper Apartments, 8680 E. Alameda Ave. in Denver.
A fight broke out, involving people with guns, and the woman called Gimenez-Chacin for help.
At about 3 a.m.Gimenez-Chacin, Lara and Maldonado-Moncada arrived at the Denver apartment party with guns, according to the affidavit.
The three men, brandishing a handgun and a long-gun, began confronting people at the parking-lot party, frightening people, police said.
At one point, Gimenez-Chacin handed a rifle to another acquaintance “and instructed Juan to “cover him,” according to the affidavit.
They confronted a man they both knew, telling him, “we know you, so we won’t kill you,” according to Aurora and Denver police reports.
The man told his wife they must leave the parking lot. As they were driving away, they were stopped by Gimenez-Chacin and the other man, pointing guns inside the car, wit-
nesses told police.
Both Gimenez-Chacin and the other man “pointed their firearms at (the victim’s) face, and he put his hands up to cover his face,” according to the affidavit. Gimenez-Chacin “began shooting at (the victim) and he was able to drive out of the parking lot and go to the hospital for treatment.”
The man suffered gunfire wounds to both hands and his leg, police said.
Gimenez-Chacin and others left the scene before Denver police arrived.
The three suspects remained at large until Aurora police began piecing the events together.
Crime scene investigators said an analysis of the shell casings were linked to all three shootings.
“Ultimately, investigators were able to identify three suspects, including the suspected driver of the Land Rover and two passengers, who are the suspected shooters,” Moylan said.
In October, police arrested Jose Daniel Gimenez-Chacin, 23, and Alonzo Lara, 29 in connection with the shootings.
A third suspect, Yilbert Fransua Maldonado-Moncada, 29, was in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, police discovered in November.
All three men are Venezuelan nationals, according to the arrest affidavit filed in an Arapahoe County court.
“Last Thursday, Maldonado-Moncada made his first appearance in Arapahoe District Court where he was formally advised of the charges against him for the July 28 shooting on South Havana Street,” Moylan said.
All of the suspects have been charged with six counts of attempted first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree assault and one count of first-degree assault, Moylan said.
Gimenez-Chacin is being held in the Arapahoe County jail in lieu of $750,000 bond. Lara is being held on $500,000 bond. Maldonado-Moncada is now at the Arapahoe County jail and being held in lieu of $250,000 bond, according to jail records.
AROUND AURORA
Aurora police academy graduates largest class in years. Here’s what they say.
From working as Aurora Police recruits through being maced in the face and the challenge of navigating the city without GPS, the most recent graduates are among a growing number of those looking for a badge and an opportunity to help their community, recruits and police said during a graduation ceremony Dec, 12.
The Aurora Police Department Training Academy just celebrated one the largest class sizes in years, and officials say they are seeing steady growth.
Training chief Lt. Justin Shipley said he has seen classes as small as five or six recruits over the past three years, but this year, the class expanded to the most recent 37 graduates.
Mayor Mike Coffman said there are more than 40 candidates signed up for the next academy.
The department is authorized to employ 748 sworn officers. According to the department’s staffing report in October, there were 609 sworn officers, another 28 in field training and 41 in the academy.
“We’ve seen a steady increase in academy sizes, which is a promising sign for the department and the community,” Shipley said.
Locally, and across the country, police departments have reported recruitment and staffing shortages, leading to big increases for cities in overtime pay and officer fatigue.
The Aurora department attributes this growth to competitive pay and benefits for recruits, who receive a full-time salary and benefits from the beginning of their training. Officers earn $119 thousand after five years on the force. Recruits at the Aurora Police Academy are also paid during their training.
“You get hired, and we’ll put you through the training,” Shipley said.
The academy offers a challenging 26-week curriculum that meets state standards and community needs. Recent enhancements include integrated communications and active bystandership training, which focuses on de-escalation and peer accountability.
The academy also incorporates community-focused programs, such as the Standing Against Violence Every Day (SAVE), which trains officers to engage with local youth and address gang prevention. Recruits participate in community events to foster positive relationships with residents.
For recruit Alex Hay, a city native, the academy was an opportunity to serve the community he loves.
“I grew up in Aurora. I love the city, the people, and the culture,” Hay said. “Becoming a police officer gives me a chance to give back and make a difference.”
Hay praised the academy’s instructors for their dedication.
“They do everything they can to make us better than we were yesterday,” he said.
New officers come to the department with a variety of backgrounds and motivations. Riley Evans, a former professional dog trainer from California, was inspired to join law enforcement by her brother-in-law, who is also an Aurora officer.
“I wanted a career where I could make a real impact,” Evans said. She is particularly eager to join the department’s K9 unit.
Army veteran Ryan McCallian, another recruit, emphasized his commitment to service and integrity. After serving in the military and taking time to raise his two daughters, he felt ready to pursue his dream of becoming a police officer.
“Everyone I’ve met here puts others before themselves, and that’s exactly who I am,” Ryan said after his badge-pinning ceremony.
While the job comes with challenges, ›› See METRO, 17
Blue on you?
BY DEVNA BOSE, AP Health Writer
Bells are ringing. Snow is glistening. But you’re bummed out.
You could be suffering from a case of the holiday blues, which experts say is not uncommon.
A strained relationship with family, for example, can make this time of year pretty lonely. The holidays are expensive, and financial woes can cause major stress. Anxiety about holiday anything can fuel depression and worsen existing mental health concerns.
“A lot of people at certain years can find the holidays to be more challenging than they have experienced in past years,” said Shilagh Mirgain, a psychologist at UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin. “It’s important to recognize the common humanity that others, too, are struggling.
“You’re not alone.”
Here’s what experts say you can do to make your holiday season a little more bearable, if not cheery.
If family time isn’t super fun, set boundaries
Spending an extended amount of time with family is hard to avoid around the holidays, Mirgain said, but there are ways to make it a little easier.
“Certainly this year, I think with the recent election, there’s a lot of divisiveness and discord, and you’re probably having to interact with family members that have really opposing beliefs,” she said. “That can bring up strong emotions.”
Think about the boundaries you want to set: What kind of contact do you want to have with your family and how long are you prepared to be around them?
It’s also important to give yourself permission
HERE ARE SOME WAYS TO FIND PEACE IF YOU’RE CATCHING HOLIDAY BLUES INSTEAD OF CHEER
to exit the event — and have some strategies in place, she said. For example, if you need some space, go on a walk or run some errands.
And if stressful conversations come up, have some language ready to go to draw your boundaries quickly and firmly.
“You could say, ‘Gosh, thanks for asking, but I don’t talk politics over the holidays,’” Mirgain suggested.
If you have grief or are lonely, connect with others
The holidays can be difficult for people who are grieving or don’t have anyone nearby with whom to celebrate.
“Loneliness and isolation can feel exacerbated during the holiday season when you look around and it seems like everyone’s getting together and you don’t have plans, or you’re not looking forward to your plans,” Mirgain said.
Find ways to connect with people if that’s something you’re craving, like scheduling calls with people across the country or volunteering in your community.
“There’s so much opportunity to give back during this time, and I think generosity is one of the best things we can do for our own well-being,” she said.
And if you’re grieving the death of someone close to you, the holidays can be the perfect time to reflect on that person’s legacy, said Dr. Ellen Lee, a geriatric psychiatrist at UC San Diego Health.
“Try to honor that person by visiting their grave site or doing something they really loved to do, and then find people to share those memories with,” Lee said. She also advises people not to tamp down feelings but let yourself grieve.
If money is making you anxious, reach out
Gifts, dinners, decorations — it’s all a lot to keep track of around this time of year, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Those extra expenses and get-togethers can put more stress on your mental health.
For milder symptoms of depression, anxiety or mood issues, lean on tried-and-true methods of self-care, experts said, such as spending time doing something you love or watching a movie.
But it’s important to reach out for help if you start to feel mounting financial anxiety or intensifying symptoms that impair your ability to function. Early intervention can keep them from intensifying, Mirgain said, adding that if you have suicidal thoughts, reach out to your provider. You can also call or text 988 or chat at 988Lifeline.org.
If you are overwhelmed, set realistic expectations
Remember, your holidays don’t have to be a Hallmark movie. Give yourself permission to do it differently this year, Lee said.
“We have so many goals, so many targets,” she said. “Getting all the gifts, decorating the house perfectly … sometimes it’s helpful to sort of focus on the most important part of it.”
That can look different depending on who you are: The most important part may be spending time with people you don’t get to see often, or having a nice meal with your favorite foods.
Lee emphasized that it is fine to have a lowkey celebration.
“I ask people, ‘What’s the best part of the holiday?’” she said, “It’s not usually about the decorations or all these extra things that we all spend a lot of time worrying about.”
A person views lights in front of the New York skyline at The Shops at Columbus Circle, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in New York.
AP Photo/ Julia Demaree Nikhinson
Robinson Dance has received international acclaim for its professional dance ensemble, youth programs and community engagement. This concert will feature highlights of the full production, showcasing the vibrant music, dance and storytelling that embody the holiday spirit.
IF YOU GO:
scene & herd
Santa’s Big Red Sack Celebrates 22 Years
Santa’s Big Red Sack says they have been skewering the holidays since 2002.
Rattlebrain Productions created Santa’s Big Red Sack 22 years ago. The non-traditional holiday comedy with sketches and musical parodies became an annual tradition for thousands across Colorado.
This year, that tradition continues with a sleigh full of new sketches that guarantee more laughter for new attendees and those who have made this their annual tradition.
IF YOU GO:
Event: Santa’s Big Red Sack
When: 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 4 p.m. on Sundays, Dec. 5-23
Where: The People’s Building, 9995 E. Colfax, Aurora
Tickets: $31 online or by calling 303-218-7315
www.rattlebrainproductions.com/ santas-big-red-sack
“Granny Dances” a free holiday teaser with Cleo Parker
The metro area’s largest and longest-running multicultural concert series returns with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance’s iconic “Granny Dances” to a holiday drum.
For decades, “Granny Dances” to a holiday drum has enchanted audiences as Granny’s memories come alive through the eyes of her grandchildren.
The production celebrates global holiday traditions, including the African Harvest, the Native American Winter Solstice, the Celtic Yuletide, Las Posadas in Mexico, Kwanzaa in the United States, the ancient Hebrew Festival of Lights, the Chinese New Year and the Caribbean’s Junkanoo Day.
“We want school kids and the public to have the opportunity to enjoy this delightful seasonal tradition,” said Brenda Gurule, CHAC executive director.
Presented as part of the Cultural Concerts on Colfax series, this showcase is a collaboration between the Colorado Folk Arts Council, the Aurora Fox Theater, Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Journey Through Our Heritage and Chicano Humanities and Arts Council.
Founded over 40 years ago by Cleo Parker Robinson—renowned artistic director and choreographer—Cleo Parker
Show: “Granny Dances” with Cleo Parker
When: Noon -1 p.m. Dec. 17
Where: Aurora Fox Theater, 9900 E. Colfax, Aurora
Tickets: Free and open to the public
Who’s Holiday
An (adults only) comedy that tells the story of Cindy Lou Who. She’s throwing a Christmas party in her trailer with a tell all. As she recalls the Christmas Eve she first met the Grinch, the audience will learn the twisted turns her life has taken.
IF YOU GO:
Event: Who’s Holiday
When: Through Dec. 31
Where: Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St.
Tickets: $24
https://www.vintagetheatre.org/ performances/whosholiday
Black
Nativity
A joyous holiday musical, is a modern retelling of the traditional account of the Nativity story from an African American perspective. Using gospel music, African beats, dramatic dance and a biblical narrative Black Nativity opened for a limited run of 57 performances at Broadway’s 41 St. Theatre on Dec. 11, 1961. It was written and conceived by one of the legendary leaders of the Harlem Renaissance: Black playwright, poet, novelist, and social activist Langston Hughes.
IF YOU GO:
Event: Black Nativity
When: Through Dec. 29
Where: Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St.
Price: $20 - $38
https://www.vintagetheatre.org/ performances/blacknativity
Aurora Fox debuts Wild West twist on Dickens’ holiday classic
The Aurora Fox Arts Center is trading Victorian London for the Wild West of the 1880s in its re-imagining of “A Christmas Carol. It’s all about “Ebenezer Scrooge’s Big Aurora Fox Christmas Show!” The event is comedic adaptation of Charles Dickens’ iconic tale and opens Nov. 30. Directed by Steven J. Burge, the production promises a lively blend of humor, creativity, and heartwarming holiday spirit.
Written by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen, the show takes a decidedly unconventional approach to the wellloved story. Featuring a cast of five female actors who take on dozens of roles, the play blends fast-paced action with imaginative storytelling. The production aims to offer audiences a new perspective on Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey of redemption, swapping snowy London streets for a dusty Wild West town.
Burge describes the show as a comedic breath of fresh air for holiday theatergoers. “Forget the kid with the BB gun, the green fuzzy guy, or even Will Ferrell,” he said, referencing other holiday staples. “This version has three ghosts, a chain-rattling dead guy, and a whole lot of laughter.”
With its innovative staging and unexpected twists, the production maintains the timeless themes of Dickens’ original work while injecting fresh holiday humor and wit.
IF YOU GO:
Show: Ebenezer Scrooge’s Big Aurora Fox Christmas Show!
When: Fridays and Saturdays 7:30 p.m. curtain. Sundays 2 p.m. curtain and a Dec. 9 industry night. Through Dec. 22
Where: Aurora Fox Arts Center, Mainstage, 9900 E. Colfax Ave. Tickets and details: $17-$42 available at AuroraFox.org
Christmas In Color Drivethru Animated Light Show
A dazzling drive-through holiday light show synchronized to festive music straight through your car radio. Cruise past giant candy canes, towering snowmen, glowing arched pathways and more as millions of lights illuminate your route. Enjoy the season’s magic at your own pace.
IF YOU GO:
Through- Dec. 29
Arapahoe County Fairgrounds, 25690 E. Quincy Ave.
$44-$58 https://christmasincolor.net
The Pond Ice Rink
Southlands’ popular ice rink, The Pond, reopens on Nov. 8, kicking off the holiday and winter season. Advance tickets for skating sessions will be available soon. Group rates are also offered; contact (303) 928-7536 for details and reservations or email southlands@icerinkevents.com.
IF YOU GO :
The Pond is open Southlands, 6155 S. Main St. $14 Family-friendly shopsouthlands.com/
“Where The Wild Things Are” Package
In collaboration with Denver Art Museum’s brand-new “Where The Wild Things Are” exhibit, honoring the cherished children’s book, The ART Hotel Denver, has launched a Wild Things package. The package will include a hardcover edition of “Where the Wild Things Are” book. Two tickets to the “Wild Things” exhibit at the Denver Art Museum, truffles and a personalized note from the book’s main character, Max.
IF YOU GO: Through Feb. 17 The ART Hotel Denver 1201 Broadway, Denver Free www.thearthotel.com/special-offers/wild-things
Clyfford Still and Community: A Talk and Conversation
The exhibition Dialogue and Defiance: Clyfford Still and the Abstract Expressionists explores Clyfford Still’s connection to the late 1940s and 1950s artistic community despite his resistance to the idea. Scholar Allan Antliff will present on Barnett Newman, Clyfford Still, and Romanticism, followed by a discussion inspired by “The Club” gatherings of that era with curator Valerie Hellstein and CSM’s Bailey H. Placzek. The program is $5 for the public and free for CSM members, with limited space and registration required.
IF YOU GO: Clyfford Still Museum Doors open at 6 p.m., galleries open 6-6:30 p.m. and talk in the lobby 6:30-7:30 p.m.
1250 Bannock St.
720-354-4880
https://clyffordstillmuseum.org/ events/clyfford-still-in-community-talk/
Cirque: Frost
Young Jack discovers his destiny as the legendary winter spirit, Jack Frost. Through a 50-minute show of high-flying stunts and breathtaking feats, witness the heartwarming tale of a dreamer who brings enchantment and wonder to the world.
IF YOU GO:
Show: Cirque: Frost
When: Through Jan. 1
Where: Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, 6700 Gaylord Rockies Blvd.
Tickets: $45 and children three and under are free. Children must be with an adult.
https://christmasatgaylordrockies.marriott.com/
ICE! Featuring the Polar Express
The holiday attraction features scenes from the movie “The Polar Express”, brought to life in ice sculptures hand-carved from more than 2 million pounds of ice. All part of Christmas at Gaylord Rockies.
IF YOU GO:
Event: ICE! Featuring the Polar Express
When: Through Jan. 1
Where: Gaylord Rockies Resort, 6700 Gaylord Rockies Blvd.
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FALL-STARS SHINE
State championships eluded city teams, but All-Aurora football and girls volleyball teams were fun to watch in fall
The sounds of pads popping, palm-smacking spikes and boisterous crowds rang out throughout Aurora during the regular season in 2024, but was a little too quiet late for local liking.
The city exited the Class 5A state football playoffs in the second round — extending the championship drought on the gridiron to 17 seasons — while the city’s lone girls volleyball team to earn its way to the Denver Coliseum for the 5A state tournament (Cherokee Trail) got stopped after just two matches.
Despite the end results, both sports were strong as usual throughout the campaign and the Aurora Sentinel finishes off its weeks-long look at the best of the best in Aurora prep sports by shining a light on the best and brightest in those two large sports.
The last state football championship for an Aurora area prep program came all the way back in 2007 for Grandview, while a few other local programs have gone home with second-place tro-
phies in recent years. Five city programs — Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest, Grandview, Overland and Regis Jesuit — all qualified for the postseason in 2024, yet none were able to get past higher seeded opponents in a season dominated yet again by Cherry Creek.
Yet there was nothing insignificant about the efforts of those Aurora area programs, each of whom had to conquer various degrees of adversity and revealed a lot of character down to the very end of their respective seasons.
So, too, was the journey for girls volleyball teams in the area, which were once fixtures — and real contenders — at the state tournament, but in recent seasons have found the path to just getting there filled with obstacles.
Here’s a look back at the most eye-catching and determined athletes that made the 2024 prep football and girls volleyball seasons fun to watch around Aurora.
On The Cover: Grandview senior Xay Neto led Aurora area passcatchers for a second straight season and is again a member of the 2024 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Football Team.
Photo by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel
Playoff qualifiers populate much of the 2024 All-Aurora Football Team
The 2024 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Football Team, which is picked by the Sentinel in conjunction with balloting of city coaches, has talent from far and wide.
Heavily present are members of the three programs that earned first round playoff victories and then were stopped by higher seeds in the second round (Cherokee Trail, Grandview and Regis Jesuit).
Veteran coach Danny Filleman’s Regis Jesuit team got an infusion of young talent that began to come into its own late in the season and gave them a chance to unseat rival Valor Christian in the playoffs before coming up a touchdown short. The Raiders took their cues from its senior standouts, however, who filled a variety of key roles on both sides of the ball.
Grayson McPherson made a big impact on his team with his hands as well as his toughness as a key component on both offense and defense. As a tight end, the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder was an All-Southern League first pick as he had 40 receptions for 372 yards and he had touchdown catches in each of Regis Jesuit’s two postseason games in addition to a 100-plus tackle performer at linebacker. Additonally, the Raiders had an All-Southern League first team performer on the line in senior Jack Larson, a 6-2, 240-pounder who recently committed to Hamilton College.
The Raiders were particularly stout on the defensive side with seniors in key places in Jace Filleman on the line, Kai Shelton in the linebacking group and JoJo Hernandez on the back end. All three were All-Southern League first teamers as Filleman (who missed the postseason due to injury) tied for fourth among linemen with 6 1/2 sacks, while Shelton racked up 106 tackles and Hernandez tied for city-high honors with four interceptions (all while playing nearly every down as a wide receiver and kick returner).
Special teams also favored Regis Jesuit, which had players secure All-Aurora positions at both punter (senior Jackson Large) and place kicker (junior Jack Manthey).
Large was a first team all-league selection after he averaged just a shade under 40 yards per punt and had a remarkable 13 of his kicks get downed or go out of bounds inside the 20 yard line. Manthey, meanwhile, tied for the most made field goals in all of 5A with 11 (headed by a long of 46 yards) and combined with 35 extra points produced 68 points to finish just four points out of the top spot among all players in the city.
Like Regis Jesuit, Grandview had to dig itself out of an 0-3 hole to start the season and coach Tom Doherty’s team did so to make the postseason for the 19th time in 20 seasons. The major change for the Wolves on offense came at quarterback, where a new starter was in place for the first time in three seasons with the graduation of Liam Szarka, who headed off to the Air Force Academy.
Junior Blitz McCarty earned the role under center and had plenty of talented players in place to ease the transition. That included the area’s most dynamic passcatcher in senior wide receiver Xay Neto, whose speed, elusiveness and hands were unrivaled. The All-Centennial League first team pick led Aurora area players in receiving yardage (748) as well as receiving touchdowns (10).
The Wolves also had a reliable ground game as well that served to give them nice balance with the tandem of senior Caleb Llamas and junior Chris Blanks. Llamas, who played previously at Cherry Creek, brought a physical running style in a 6-foot-1, 215-pound frame. He earned his way onto the All-Centennial League first team with a season in which he rushed for 941 yards and nine touchdowns, which included a 163-yard performance with a score in a first round playoff win over Denver East. The running game was helped by a strong offensive line that had a pillar in sophomore Daniel Buckeye, a 6-foot-3, 280-pounder who earned allleague first team distinction. Defensively, Grandview had the area’s sack leader in junior linebacker Brody Flores, who took the quarterback down nine times on his way to All-Centennial League first team accolades. The defensive backfield had a few anchors, including all-league second teamer Brandon Kahre. Cherokee Trail played its best football at the end of the season when it pulled off the biggest upset of the playoffs in the opening round when it defeated Castle View, then traded blows before it fell to Columbine in the second round. Coach Justin Ja-
jczyk had a hungry group of seniors that included Cade Brook, the only Centennial League player to make all-league first team on both offense and defense. Brook was as tough as anybody in the trenches and he finished with eight sacks and was responsible for much more pressure. The Cougars also had one of the area’s most effective defensive
Eaglecrest also had a new coach in Jesse German, who came over after a winning run at Green Mountain and took over a group that was used to success under former head coach Mike Schmitt. Easing the transition for German was the presence of a senior at quarterback and who came into the year
Senior Kassie Cooley played four varsity seasons for the Cherokee Trail girls volleyball team and played more than 300 sets with the program. The last seven of those sets came at the Class 5A state tournament, where Cooley — a member of the 2024 Aurora
Sentinel All-Aurora Girls Volleyball Team — had 16 of her career-high 267 kills in her final prep match. BELOW LEFT TOP: Regis Jesuit senior outside hitter Sophia Capra played several important roles for the Raiders, as she was the only Aurora area player to finish with more than 200 kills and 200 digs during the 2024 season BELOW LEFT MIDDLE: Grandview senior Sajal Glunz earned a spot on the All-Aurora first team with a total of 309 kills that were the high for any city player with teammate Savannah Adams next with 294. BELOW LEFT BOTTOM: Rangeview senior Maddie Kilmer earned a utility spot on the All-Aurora first team for a second straight season due to her dual effectiveness as a hitter and setter, while she was also the city’s most effective server.
Several area programs represented on All-Aurora Girls Volleyball Team
The 2024 girls volleyball season was more challenging than usual around Aurora, as only four of the city’s 11 program finished with winning records.
Only one city team — Cherokee Trail — touched the floor at the Denver Coliseum as one of the 12 teams to qualify for the Class state tournament, but there was quality play in a lot of spots, however. Eight locals earned all-league first team honors, while 14 more were on second teams and several more were honorable mention.
The 2024 AuroraSentinelAll-Aurora Girls Volleyball Team — picked by the Sentinelin conjuction with balloting of city coaches — includes good representation from a variety of the area’s winning programs (Cherokee Trail, Regis Jesuit, Rangeview and Grandview).
Cherokee Trail turned the page again with coaching, as Amber Cornett moved up to the top spot after helping out with the program last season and oversaw a senior-led group that finished 18-8 and was the Centennial League runner-up.
The Cougars were affected heavily by injuries early in the season and shuffled starting lineups frequently, but remained competitive no matter who was missing and ultimately returned to the state tournament after they missed out in 2023.
Thankfully, senior Kassie Cooley didn’t miss much action in her fourth season on varsity, during which she played more than 300 sets for the Cougars. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter/middle — who is committed to Cal State San Marcos — played at a level that earned her All-Centennial League first team accolades for a third straight season. Cooley racked up a career-high 267 kills (up 68 from last season in 11 fewer sets) during a campaign in which she had 16 double-digit matches with a high of 22 in a four-set loss to Fruita Monument. Cooley capped her prep career with 16 kills in a four-set loss to Legend at the 5A state tournament.
Joining Cooley on the All-Aurora team is junior outside hitter Ella No-
theisen, who was also an All-Centennial League first team performer and made CHSAA’s 5A All-State honorable mention list. In her second season as a starter (and third on varsity), Notheisen piled up 260 kills (just seven fewer than Cooley) with help from 13 double-digit efforts and three matches in which she had 20 or more kills. Her season-high of 21 kills came in a five-set win over Ralston Valley in the season opener and she matched that in a sweep of Cherry Creek in Centennial League play. Notheisen added 170 digs and 25 aces for good measure.
The player who benefitted from those weapons at Cherokee Trail was junior setter Avery Krause, who led the city with an average of 8.9 assists per set. The All-Centennial League second team pick had 673 assists, which put her one off the pace among Aurora setters, and 85 of them came on the biggest day of the year when the Cougars won two four-set matches at regionals to earn a spot in the state tournament, For the entire month of October, Regis Jesuit — which also had a new head coach in Celeste Barker — was Aurora’s hottest program with a 13-match winning streak, which followed a 5-7 start. During that run, senior outside hitter Sophia Capra turned up her game with eight double-digit kill efforts. The Raiders (16-9) lost both of their regional matches, but Capra did her best to help them make it through with a combined 43 kills in a five-set loss to Rocky Mountain and three-set loss to Cherry Creek. That gave her 262 kills for the season — fourth-most among local players — while she also had 200 digs and 34 service aces on her way to all-second team honors in the loaded Continental League.
For the full 2024 Aurora SentinelAll-Aurora Girls Volleyball first and second teams plus honorable mention, visit sentinelcolorado.com/preps
Coach Rob Graham had two of the area’s top singular talents, however, in senior outside hitters Savannah Adams and Sajal Glunz. Glunz — a University of Hawaii at Hilo commitment — finished in the top 10 in Class 5A in kills with 309, which also put her 15 in front of Adams for the lead among locals as well. The 5-foot-11 hitter and team captain had 19 matches with 10 or more kills (plus three others with nine), topped by a 22-kill effort in a four-set win over Mullen. Glunz — who also sprinkled in 40 service aces — made the All-Centennial League first team as well as the Colorado High School Activities Association 5A All-State honorable mention distinction. Those aforementioned accolades also applied to Adams, a three-year varsity player and team captain who had a diverse set of skills that Grandview relied on heavily. The athletic 5-10 outside hitter was the team’s second-most prolific offensive player in terms of kills with 294, which was just outside the top 10 in 5A and was more than double the 145 she had in 2023. Adams — the team’s most efficient hitter with a percentage of .231 — had 16 double-digit kill matches, plus four others with nine, with a season-high off 22 in just three sets in a sweept of Eaglecrest Oct. 8. She was also responsible for 57 points via service aces, which put her second among area players (Rangeview’s Maddie Kilmer had 61).
Grandview experienced some significant losses to graduation from the previous year and adjusted during strong periods of play, but it wasn’t enough to continue the program’s streak of state tournament appearances. The Wolves swept Erie in its final regional match to finish the season 13-12.
Speaking of Killmer, it wasn’t coincidence that coach Desarae Powell’s Rangeview team qualified for the regional postseason for the first time since 2019. Kilmer and fellow senior Anika Davison were pillars of a group that went 14-11. Kilmer followed up an outstanding junior year with an even better senior year in which the All-City League first team pick and CHSAA All-Star honorable mention selection piled up 220 kills, dished out 300 assists and made 193 digs (which put her in the top eight of all three categories among local players) and also paced Aurora with the 61 service aces. She plans to sign with Valdosta State in February.
ABOVE:
PHOTOS BY COURTNEY OAKES/AURORA SENTINEL
To use a football analogy — appropriate on game days — Kelsey Goodson called an audible and her team took it to the house.
With just a couple of months left before the state spirit championships, the Cherokee Trail cheer coach felt that changing course from entering the traditional cheer category (in which it was the defending state champion) to Game Day would be wise.
The Cougars pivoted and made the move look like genius, as they crossed the finish (or goal) line of a short sprint with consecutive outstanding performances Dec. 12 at the Denver Coliseum that landed the Class 5A/4A Game Day state championship.
to ask how they each felt about taking a different path to state.
The consensus came back positive, so Goodson employed every resource inside and outside of the program to get her team ready in the ensuing weeks.
“Once we made the decision, everyone was all in,” Roush said. “We did video review, Coach got us journals and we’d watch our routines every day to nitpick ourselves. ...We really went very deep into it.”
Goodson applauded the all-out effort she saw and when she saw her 26-member team in the moments before their first performance at state, she knew it was ready. A score of 93.55 in the semifinals got the Cougars into the finals as the top seed and they dethroned Valor Christian with a 94.15 in the finals.
Spirited title runs
“Honestly, I couldn’t be more proud because we proved ourselves (as a program) in more than one category,” Goodson said. “We showed that we’re not just a traditional team, but we truly are both. I would argue that nobody in the state could have done what we have done.”
BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor
What Cherokee Trail did was decide against a run at defending last season’s 5A Cheer title and dedicate itself to compete in a category in which Valor Christian had created a dynasty with five consecutive state titles coming into the season.
It wasn’t a decision taken lightly, but one that the team — which graduated 10 key seniors from its championship-winning group — arrived at when a variety of obstacles popped up.
“We’ve always been a traditional kind of team and we won state in it last year, so we were planning on it and working on it in the summer,” senior Allix Roush said. “But then there was a concussion here, a torn ACL there, another concussion and things like that. We just kept getting knocked down and we were rechoreographing our routine every week. It just felt like we weren’t going to be reaching our full potential with the circumstances we were under.”
Roush recalls Goodson calling each team member over individually during an away football game
“It was such a fun day; we knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I could tell in the warmup room that we were ready,” Goodson said. “They put in all the hard work and we were really, really ready to put our best on the floor. There’s nothing I could have said or done to make it any better.”
The Game Day championship was the sixth for the spirit program at Cherokee Trail, but that total increased two days later to seven with its fourth alltime jazz state championships.
Coach Mia Brown’s team earned the top score of 86.125 among eight teams in the Dec. 14 semifinals and were significantly better in the finals with an 88.75 to lock up the state crown.
Eaglecrest also carries an elite spirit tradition and furthered it with another state championship in the hip-hop disclipline. The Raptors have become the state’s preeminent power in the category and extended their winning streak to four consecutive years. The group for coaches Kayla Warneke and Mistelle Jimenez had the highest score of any of the 20 teams that competed in the semifinals (90.475) and once part of the five-team finals — a group that also included Smoky Hill — earned the title with a 91.5.
Smoky Hill didn’t come away with any hardware,
had a strong showing as a whole as it qualified for
but
the finals in both the Game Day and Hip-Hop categories. Vista PEAK Prep also made the Game Day finals (and finished 9th), while Grandview was a 5A Poms finalist and secured fourth place.
TOP: Coaches and team members on the Cherokee Trail Game Day team celebrate the Class 5A/4A state championship they won on Dec. 12 at the Denver Coliseum. A season after they won state in the traditional cheer category, the Cougars scored 94.15 points in the finals to win the discipline for the first time. (Photo courtesy Brad Cochi/CHSAANow.com).
BELOW
TOP: Eaglecrest earned a spot in the final of the Class 5A Cheer state championship final and finished in fifth place in competition Dec. 13. BELOW BOTTOM: The Smoky Hill Game Day team qualified for the finals of the 4A/5A event on Dec. 12 and placed eighth. (Photos by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)
WEEK PAST
The week past in Aurora prep sports
MONDAY, DEC. 16: There were no scheduled contests for Aurora teams.
SATURDAY, DEC. 14: The Rangeview boys basketball team claimed the championship of the Mullen Christmas Classic with a decisive 89-56 win over previously unbeaten Kent Denver. Aurora Central finished eighth at the same tournament after a 49-31 loss to Fruita Monument. ...The Eaglecrest boys basketball team had a trio of double-digit scorers in Lucas Kalimba (14 points), Garrett Barger and Kris Coleman (12) in a 62-54 win over Broomfield in a dropin game at the Chaparral/ThunderRidge Tip-Off Tournament. Grandview played in the entire tournament and finished in seventh place thanks to a 61-47 victory over Rocky Mountain. ...The Eaglecrest girls basketball team defeated Marina (California) 37-31 to win the championship of the Pacifica Mariner Mayhem tournament. Jada Bobb received Most Valuable Player honors and was joined in the all-tournament team by Adaure Ozor. ...The Overland girls basketball team gave up zero points in two quarters on its way to a 76-6 win over Pueblo South at the Fountain-Fort Carson Tournament. Michaela Halton poured in 20 points for the Trailblazers. ...The Regis Jesuit girls basketball team picked up a 76-62 road win at Arapahoe as Tiana Rogers poured in 30 points. ...The Grandview boys wrestling team finished 5-0 to win the championship of its Grandview Duals tournament that also included Regis Jesuit Charlie Herting (175 pounds) finished with five pins in five matches for the Wolves, while JR Ortega (120) and Braxton Widrikis (144) wrestled five times and also finished 5-0 and several others were 4-0. Grandview defeated Regis Jesuit 65-12 head-to-head. ...The host Vista PEAK Prep boys wrestling team won the nine-team Benedict Memorial Tournament with 244.5 points, which put the Bison in front of Cherokee Trail (217.5) in the team chase. Ian Bacon (126 pounds), Denzel Womely (132), Marcus Johnson (175) and Gavin Platt (190) won their respective brackets for the Bison, while other local weight winners were Elijah Van Horn (106), Julian Breedlove (150), Collin Lofland (157) and Eliot Ming (165) of Cherokee Trail, plus Jaivyn Hawkes (144) of Eaglecrest and Carter Davis (215) of Hinkley Jovani Galvan of the Smoky Hill boys wrestling team won the 132-pound championship to lead local players at the Harold McCray Invitational. ...The Eaglecrest girls wrestling team finished third at its own Eaglecrest Invitational, which spanned two days. Emma Roberts won the 235-pound weight class for the Raptors — who had eight top-six finishers in all — while Amelia Bacon (125) won a championship for 11th-place Vista PEAK Prep FRIDAY, DEC. 13: The Smoky Hill boys basketball team picked up its first win of the season with a 78-74 road win at Legend. Lorenzo Contreras paced the Buffs with 23 points, while Carter Basquez added 20 and Kaylan Graham 18. ...The Eaglecrest boys basketball team earned a 71-45 victory at Monarch. ...The Cherokee Trail boys basketball team rolled to a 74-41 win over DSST: Conservatory Green. ...The Rangeview boys basketball team had four players in double figures — led by Kenny Black-Knox with 19 points — in a 78-47 championship semifinal win at the Mullen Christmas Classic. ...The Eaglecrest girls basketball team moved to 3-0 at the Pacifica Mariner Mayhem tournament with a 52-32 defeat of Torrance. ...A 23-point outing from Michaela Halton helped the Overland girls basketball team to a 49-37 win over Fountain-Fort Carson at the Fountain-Fort Carson Tournament. ...The Smoky Hill girls basketball team recorded a 49-8 victory over Adams City in a consolation semifinal at the Centaurus
Warrior Invitational. ...Parker Brinner had two goals — including on that triggered the Teddy Bear Toss — in the first period of a 5-0 win for the Regis Jesuit ice hockey team over Ralston Valley at Family Sports Center. Brinner had three assists, while Vincent Cieslak had a goal and two assists to back goalie Easton Sparks, who had a 21-save shutout.
THURSDAY, DEC. 12: The Rangeview boys basketball team’s stifling defense posted a shut out in the second quarter and the Raiders went on to a 58-28 win over Fruita Monument to open the Mullen Christmas Classic. Archie Weatherspoon V poured in 18 points, while Kenny Black-Knox and LaDavian King had 12 apiece in the victory. ...The Lotus School For Excellence boys basketball team defeated host Meeker 54-42 at the Meeker Tournament. ...The Eaglecrest girls basketball team rolled to a 66-28 win over Trabuco Hills (California) at the Mariner Mayhem Tournament. ...The Smoky Hill boys wrestling team swept a tri-dual meet with wins over Northfield (44-32) and Rangeview (64-17) as Hunter Meredith (132 pounds), Jovani Galvan (138), Mathis Charity (150) and Taeku Um (190 & 285) each wrestled and won
two matches. Besides the loss to Smoky Hill, Rangeview defeated Northfield 4830 and got two wins on the day from Mahki Ellison (144 pounds) and heavyweight Christian King. ... Wins by fall from Blake Saddler (106 pounds), Cade Picone (126), Dane Sims (132), Ramzi Noorzai (144), Dominic Scocchera (157), Cain Gutierrez (175) and Nakhai Miller (215) helped the Eaglecrest boys wrestling team to a 59-24 Centennial League win over Arapahoe. ...Anthony Rodriguez (113 pounds), Cole Redmond (120), Ryder Jeromchek (165), Marcus Johnson (175) and Gavin Platt (190) earned wins by fall. The Trailblazers piled up pin points from Apurva Adhikari (138), Illia Fialkov (144) and Yamuel Torres (157). ... Emma Roberts (235 pounds) earned a win by fall to get things started for the Eaglecrest girls wrestling team in a 66-18 home win over Arapahoe that also included pins from Sofie Ghasabyan (100 pounds) and Sydney Babi (110). ...The Vista PEAK Prep girls wrestling team topped Overland 49-18 in a match in which just four bouts were contested. Amelia Bacon (125 pounds) had a win by fall for the Bison. ...The Cherokee Trail girls swim
team won 10 of 12 events on its way to a 137-49 Centennial League win at Eaglecrest. Grace Peterson won two individual events to pace the Cougars, who also got wins from Ella Drakulich, Ava Zadigan, Lillian Wilson and Lily Rosh, while the Raptors’ first place finishes came from Xuan-Nguyen Do and diver Lily Grigorian. ...The Grandview girls swim team defeated Mullen 146-37. ...WEDNESDAY, DEC. 11: In a rematch of last season’s 6A state final, the Regis Jesuit girls basketball team fell to Valor Christian 69-43. Tiana Rogers led the Raiders with 10 points. ...The Eaglecrest girls basketball team opened the Mariner Mayhem Tournament with a 67-23 win over El Toro. ...The Grandview boys wrestling team shut out Adams City 82-0 on the strength of 11 pins and two wins by technical fall. ...The Rangeview girls swim team earned a 161-24 dual win at Hinkley with help from two event wins apiece from Daveah Archibeque, Hailey McDonald and Shemiah Turner TUESDAY, DEC. 10: Led by Siraaj Ali with 21 points, the Overland boys basketball team rallied for a 72-68 win at George Washington. Isreal Littleton added 19 and TJ Manuel 15 for the Trail-
blazers. ...Despite 27 points from Kaylan Graham, 25 from Lorenzo Contreras and 24 from Carter Basquez, the Smoky Hill boys basketball team fell to Kent Denver 97-95 in double overtime. ...The Grandview girls basketball team pulled away in the second half on its way to a 62-53 win over Riverdale Ridge in a battle of ranked Class 6A teams. Sienna Betts scored 19 of her game-high 26 points in the second half, Ava Chang had 15 and Deija Roberson 11 as the Wolves outlasted the Ravens and star Brihanna Crittendon. ...Behind the double-digit duo of Michaela Halton (17 points) and Ilaisaane Davis (14), the Overland girls basketball team defeated ThunderRidge 44-39. ...The Rangeview girls basketball team earned a 36-20 win at Bear Creek. ...The Regis Jesuit girls wrestling team took a 36-30 Continental League dual win from Ponderosa as Remington Zimmerer
and Jordynn
...The Grandview
(125 pounds), Evy Vera (135), Marisol Shukie (140)
Shannonhouse (170) earned wins by fall.
girls swim team claimed first place in all 12 events on its way to a 141-45 win over Eaglecrest. Ella Kozlowski won twice individually for the Wolves.
ABOVE LEFT: Players and managers on the Regis Jesuit ice hockey team clear an avalanche of stuffed animals from the ice at Family Sports Center during the Raiders’ Teddy Bear Toss event as part of its game against Ralston Valley Dec. 13. ABOVE RIGHT TOP: Grandview’s Sienna Betts (51) scores two of her 26 points over Riverdale Ridge’s Brihanna Crittendon (3) in the Wolves’ big 62-53 girls basketball win Dec. 10. ABOVE RIGHT BOTTOM: Grandview’s Charlie Herting, left, holds down Regis Jesuit’s Colt Jones during a victory at the Grandview Duals Dec. 14. Herting and the Wolves went 5-0. BELOW LEFT: Jalen Dourisseau (5) of the Grandview boys basketball team contests a shot by Rocky Mountain’s Mateo Valencia during the Wolves’ 61-47 win in a Chaparral/ThunderRidge Tip-Off tournament game Dec. 15. BELOW RIGHT: Rangeview sophomore Archie Weatherspoon V throws down a dunk during the Raiders’ 58-28 win over Fruita Monument at the Mullen Christmas Classic Dec. 12. Rangeview went 3-0 and won the tournament championship. (Photos by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)
recruits are optimistic about the changes within the department, including the leadership of the new police Chief Todd Chamberlain.
“He has a fantastic track record, and I think he’s going to make great changes in our police force,” Evans said.
Despite an 8-10% dropout rate, which Shipley describes as typical for law enforcement academies, the Aurora Police Academy remains a pipeline for the city’s growing force. Shipley said that he will probably lose an additional 10% during the 16-week field training, before the new officers are fully on their own. Shipley said a 10% drop during field training is also common.
Police officials credit renewed and expanded recruiting efforts for helping fill slots in the police academy.
That recruiting recently drew criticism and controversy after the Sentinel reported that APD recruiters were sent to a Donald Trump political rally in Aurora Oct. 11. Critics said the optics of looking for police recruits at a rally essentially created from anti-immigrant sentiment reflected poorly on the department. Chamberlain has repeatedly defended the decision, saying such efforts bring diversity to the police force.
As the department continues to expand its recruitment efforts and refine its training programs, both recruits and instructors said they were optimistic about the future.
“Seeing these recruits graduate after 26 weeks of hard work is incredibly fulfilling,” Shipley said. “It’s a testament to the commitment of everyone involved.”
— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer
Former Denver mayoral candidate Kelly Brough tabbed CEO of Aurora Fitz development group
Former Denver Metro Chamber chief and Denver mayoral candidate Kelly Brough was appointed as CEO of the Aurora Fitzsimons Innovation Community project, sealing a three-year, $320,000 annual contract, Aurora officials announced Monday.
“The CU Anschutz Medical Campus and FIC have been catalysts for economic growth in Aurora, and Kelly Brough’s leadership will only enhance our city’s standing as a national leader in bioscience,” Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman said, who sits on the FIC board. “Her experience and vision make her the right person to drive this community into its next chapter of innovation.”
The appointment was made by the FIC board of directors.
The project is a joint effort between Aurora and the Anschutz Medical Campus to expand bioscience industry growth and innovation on the undeveloped north side of the sprawling medical and hospital campus.
“The Fitzsimons Innovation Community is already home to some of the most exciting advancements in life sciences, but its untapped potential is what truly excites me,” Brough said in a statement. “With 50 acres of prime development space and a multi-year growth plan, this campus is poised to make life-changing discoveries that will shape the future of health care.”
Brough brings a variety of high-profile appointments and experience to the position. Besides being CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber, she was chief of staff for former Mayor John Hickenlooper. Last year, she was a top contender for Denver mayor, and she was most recently chief strategy officer at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
The campus boasts 410,000 square feet of research facilities, with an additional 230,000 square feet under construction, all infusing the region with a $13 billion local economic impact, according to city and FIC officials.
Brough replaces Steve VanNurden, who said he will retire at the end of the year, closing out a 12-year tenure in the position.
“Steve has set an incredible foundation for the future of FIC, and we are
deeply grateful for his leadership,” Don Elliman, chancellor of CU Anschutz and vice chair of the FIC board said in a statement. “With Kelly at the helm, we will build on this momentum, further establishing Aurora as a go-to city for groundbreaking life sciences research and emerging companies with the potential to change the world.”
City officials said Brough will be charged with focusing on expanding FIC’s infrastructure, strengthening partnerships, and fostering innovation.
“This is not just about building facilities,” Brough said. “It’s about creating an environment where scientists, entrepreneurs, and innovators can come together to tackle the most pressing challenges in health care.”
— Sentinel Staff
COPS AND COURTS
Aurora ‘sextortion’ ring investigation, prompted by school newspaper, yields arrests
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story discusses mental health care and suicide. If you or someone you know is in need of services, contact the Colorado Crisis Center at 844-492-8255 or text “TALK” to 38255.
The national suicide hotline number is 988.
An 18-year-old Aurora man faces charges of child exploitation and extortion in connection with a nearly yearlong “sextortion” investigation by Aurora police.
The Aurora Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit announced Dec. 12 they arrested 18-yearold Jamir Deante Bright in connection with the investigation, along with two accomplices who are minors, and not identified.
Bright was taken into custody Dec. 6 by Aurora police and was later released in lieu of $10,000 bond.
The Aurora “sextortion” scheme of minors was initially brought to light after the student-run newspaper at Rangeview High School, the Raider Review published a report last January about multiple Instagram accounts posting explicit photos of minors, some of which might have been generated with AI, without their consent.
“Sextortion is a form of exploitation where children are blackmailed most often through the threat of publishing an explicit image,” Aurora police officials said in a statement. “Sextortion could also involve sharing sexually explicit images with others in exchange for money. The investigation determined victims were targeted with both types of sextortion in this case.”
People using multiple Instagram accounts were accused of asking students for money in exchange for removing explicit posts and also soliciting money from people to enter private groups to show explicit pictures, police said.
The high school newspaper reported Jan. 17 that this affected at least a dozen Rangeview students and students in other school districts.
“The explicit images and videos that were shared through these “exposed” Instagram accounts included both males and females,” said Joe Moylan, APD public information officer. “We were only able to identify a few victims through their cooperation with the investigation.”
The issue of sextortion and social media has been a centerpiece of recent efforts in Australia to ban social media for use by anyone under 16.
Mac Holdsworth died last year at his Melbourne family home at the age of 17 after a 47-year-old Sydney man who purported to be an 18-year-old woman demanded money for an intimate image the boy had shared, according to a story by the Associated Press.
Since then, the grieving father has taken his tragic story to around 20 schools to warn students of the risks of social media.
“I saw firsthand the damage that social media could do. I saw Mac, my son,
get sexually extorted on social media,” Holdsworth said. “His mental health deteriorated at a rapid rate.” Online predators began approaching the teenager before his 16th birthday and his father believes such a ban could have saved his life.
In the Aurora case, the two minor accomplices, a 17-year-old and a 14-yearold from Denver, were also identified and face charges in Aurora Municipal Court.
The investigation involved a collaborative effort between Aurora police, Homeland Security Investigations, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Denver District Attorney’s Office. Authorities executed numerous search warrants, filed court orders and analyzed electronic devices to uncover evidence. They also extensively reviewed social media profiles, ultimately leading investigators to identify Bright as the primary suspect.
The police department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit is part of the Colorado Cyber Guardian Task Force, which brings together local, state and federal agencies to combat child exploitation and trafficking.
Authorities have urged anyone with information about the case to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720.913.STOP (7867). Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for
a reward of up to $2,000.
— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer
POLICE: Man, 19, fatally shoots girl, 1, woman 20, then himself inside Aurora apartment
Police said an Aurora man apparently fatally shot a 20-year-old woman and a 1-year-old girl before killing himself Dec. 14.
A 44-year-old woman inside the apartment on the 10300 block of East Evans Avenue was also injured when she was shot in the hand.
Police said the shooting occurred shortly before 10 a.m.
“When officers arrived at the scene, they located the suspected shooter, an Aurora 19-year-old, with an apparent, self-inflicted fatal gunshot wound,” Aurora police spokesperson Joe Moylan said in a statement.
Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said at a press conference, broadcast by 9News, that the 19-year-old was a male, and everyone involved in the shooting were linked, possibly as family.
Chamberlain said someone inside the house called 911 and dispatchers reported hearing arguing inside the home.
Shortly after, someone in the apart-
ment called dispatchers back to report a shooting, Chamberlain said.
When police arrived, they encountered the young woman and girl suffering gunshot wounds.
“The girl and the woman were rushed to local hospitals, where they later died from their injuries,” Moylan stated.
The older woman was treated at the scene, police said.
As police worked their way into the apartment, they encountered a man, suffering what appeared to be a fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Chamberlain said.
“It appears to be, unfortunately, an act against family members,” he said.
He said it appeared the younger woman was mother of the baby, and the older woman was the baby’s grandmother, “but we’re not 100% certain,” Chamberlain said.
He said it was unclear at the time how the male was linked to the family and the shooting.
“We have an immense amount of sympathy for what happened here to the families and the community as a whole,” Chamberlain said.
The identity of all the shooting victims will be released by coroner officials at a later date.
— Sentinel Staff
Editorials Sentinel
Aurora, the nation can weather Trump’s
threats by relying on a strong and accountable press
The nation has certainly seen difficult times before this and prevailed in the end. We have no doubt the dark political clouds building over Washington and spreading across the nation will, eventually, end well for the nation.
The United States, and its citizens, have weathered a civil war to end slavery, the Great Depression, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the abhorrent detention of Japanese-American citizens, the McCarthyism abuses, the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, a recent pandemic, and the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol.
All of that is a testament to the nation’s unique Constitution, and, just as importantly, the mettle of the majority of Americans who believe in honesty, freedom, integrity and that all people “are created equal.”
The signs are unmistakable that the nation’s democratic tenacity is about to be tested again as Donald Trump prepares to take control of the most visible of the nation’s — equal— branches of government.
For months, as a presidential candidate, Trump said that, if elected, he would use the government to investigate and prosecute his political rivals, journalists, media companies, tech company leaders, former Republican congressional leaders, federal prosecutors, U.S. intelligence workers, the nation’s former U.S. military chief and other politically progressive Americans.
During the past two years, Trump has repeatedly, in public or on social media posts, said he would seek to use the U.S. military to enact revenge on or punish American citizens he’s angry with or dislikes. He said he would try to invoke military tribunals in an effort to convict former GOP Congressperson Lynn Cheney and former Democratic President Barack Obama, of something.
Trump has said that former U.S. Army General Mark Milley, his own appointed chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was treasonous for using back channels in 2023, during a crisis at the end of Trump’s first term, to assure the Chinese government that the United States was not planning a direct attack on China. Last year, Trump said Milley should be executed.
Now, as Trump tries to load the U.S, administration with people stating they are willing to use the government to enact revenge on whom he deems a political opponent or personal adversary, or people who openly use pseudoscience to make life-and-death national healthcare decisions, or people who demean women in the military, and seek to lead it, a source for facts and veracity will become critical.
Here in Aurora, Trump has threatened to unleash “Operation Aurora.” He’s yet to define what that actually is, but he has repeatedly said that it will involve “mass deportations” and insinuated that he would compel military and local police to somehow round up undocumented residents and send them out of the country.
That mass round-up and deportation are being invited and cheered by a small but vocal minority of local political leaders. Aurora Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky is greatly responsible for drawing Trump’s attention and wrath toward immigrants in Aurora and Denver. Jurinsky regularly has made unsubstantiated and repeated claims on national right-wing TV shows that parts of the city and some apartments have been overtaken by Venezuelan immigrants who are gang members.
At the same time, Denver and Aurora have been overtaxed by a flood of immigrants from Venezuela and Latin America during the last two years. And police have made clear there have been isolated crimes by immigrants linked to South American gangs. They point out, however, that those and other apartments, and others all over Aurora and the metro area, have seen a vastly larger number of gruesome and distressing crimes committed by American citizens.
Trying to discern what’s fact, politicized puffery or outright lies is critical to how the nation will navigate the next few years.
The Sentinel is making a commitment to provide as much direct fact-checking of statements and assertions made by political and community leaders as possible.
Residents in the Aurora region, the state and across the nation must not only hold local and national leaders accountable for not being truthful and factual in their official roles, readers must hold the media equally accountable. Media channels and sources that do not clearly identify opinion content and material as opinion content or material, such as this Sentinel editorial, or media that permits political leaders to make unsubstantiated claims without identifying them as such, increase confusion and provide dangerous credence to exaggeration, misinformation and deception.
The Sentinel challenges readers and the community to lean into credible, trusted media striving to provide facts and valid information and hold all government and community leaders accountable for deceptive behavior, as well as the media complicit in misleading the public.
A clear account of what the government does moving forward, and an engaged citizenry, will ensure that Trump — and all elected officials and community leaders — is held accountable for any unconstitutional, illegal, deceptive or dangerous plots, stunts and schemes.
Ideally, an attentive, engaged community and nation, aided by strong, determined national and local media, will thwart nefarious political leaders from carrying out their illegal and dangerous threats. Almost all of these officials and leaders are beholden to their electorates in efforts to maintain their power or positions. Public opinion can drive most of these leaders to positions that benefit the entire nation.
If that’s not the case, the media will offer accurate documentation of what’s to come so that the next wave of American leaders, and the public, can reflect on any impending disaster just as the nation has in the past.
This
ain’t your father’s Colorado
If you’re 40 or older, today’s Colorado is very different politically than the state where you grew up – assuming you grew up here.
Except for Lyndon Johnson’s landslide win over Barry Goldwater in 1964, no Democrat won more than 45% in Colorado between 1952 and 2000.
When Bill Clinton won Colorado in 1992 (with 40% in a three-way race), we became a “swing state” in presidential races through 2008. Three of those elections were decided by less than 5%.
Republicans’ most decisive win in that era was George W. Bush by 8.4% in 2000. Ranked by margin of victory, Colorado was then 19th most-Republican state, darker red than Ohio, Missouri, Tennessee, Florida or Iowa.
Oh, how times have changed.
Although Bush won again in 2004, his margin slipped to 4.7%, bucking the national trend. Colorado fell to 26th among red states. In hindsight, that election was a warning to Republicans who haven’t won a presidential contest here since.
The narrowest of those Democrat wins came in 2016 when Hillary Clinton defeated Donald Trump by 4.9%. Clinton’s margin of victory made Colorado the 17th most-favorable state for Democrats.
Then came the deluge.
Trump lost here by 13.5% in 2020, and Colorado moved up to 14th among blue states – more blue than New Mexico or Minnesota.
This year, Trump narrowed his margin here to 11%, but that modest improvement paled next to gains in New Jersey (from 16% in 2020 to 5%) and New York (23% to 11.8%). In fact, Colorado gave Democrats their 11th-best margin of victory, equal to solidly-blue Illinois and barely behind New York
Why does Trump attract persuadable voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin but seem to repel them in Colorado?
Following the 2016 election, Magellan Strategies, a local polling firm, sought to answer that question. Examining large counties in Michigan and Wisconsin, Magellan found that in counties where the economy was struggling and median incomes were lower, Trump out-performed Mitt Romney’s totals from 2012. But in large counties where median incomes were higher, Trump under-performed Romney.
The same holds true in Colorado, but our heavily-populated counties tend to be more prosperous and so less fertile for Trump. Yet even in Colorado, the exception proves the rule. Pueblo County, the blue-collar former Democratic stronghold, voted narrowly for Trump in both 2016 and
2024. In Adams County, with the lowest median income in the Denver metro area, Trump lost by far less than in more affluent counties.
That trend applies in two of the largest Republican counties, Douglas and El Paso:
Douglas has the state’s highest median income, and Romney won there by 26% in 2012; Trump won by 18% in 2016 and 7% in 2020 and 2024. Population growth contributes to this trend. From 2012 to 2024, Democrat candidates for president gained 49,000 votes in DougCo while Republicans gained just 23,000.
In El Paso, Trump out-performed Romney, winning by 22% in 2016. But his margin slipped to 9.8% by 2024. Since 2012, Democrat votes for president have grown by 54,000, compared to Republicans’ 34,000.
Another Colorado peculiarity: Trump’s message resonates less here with the very same groups that lean his direction nationally. Those making $50,000-$99,000 a year favored Trump by 7% nationally, but in Colorado, they favored Kamala Harris by 10-12%. Married voters in the U.S. preferred Trump by 11%, but married Coloradans preferred Harris by 8%.
White voters in Colorado present an even larger disparity. Nationally, white voters comprise 75% of the electorate and favored Trump by 22% among men and 7% among women. In Colorado white voters increase to 83%, but white men prefer Harris by 1% and white women voted Harris by 19%.
Harris won Colorado unaffiliated voters (UAVs) 58% to 38%. Ironically, in the statewide race for CU Regent where voters knew little about candidates other than party affiliation, Republicans lost by just 3.9% statewide and 3.8% among UAVs, demonstrating that some voters who won’t vote for Trump will vote for other Republicans. By contrast, three of four Coloradoans who voted Republican say they identify more with Trump than with the traditional Republican Party. That’s not surprising after three elections with Trump as the face of the GOP. The challenge for Colorado Republicans is to stop driving away those deemed insufficiently MAGA and instead to unify center-right voters who can’t stomach the progressive agenda that dominates Democrat politics.
General elections, after all, are contests for popularity – not purity.
Mark Hillman served as GOP Senate Majority Leader and State Treasurer. To read more or comment, go to www.MarkHillman.com.
MARK HILLMAN, GUEST COLUMNIST
