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Week of October 6, 2022
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
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VOLUME 39 | ISSUE 11
Varenyky, borscht and roulade, oh my!
Unsealed affidavit provides account of fatal shooting Domestic dispute to blame BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Chef Bo Porytko gives an example of how to wrap a varenyky at the Ukrainians of Colorado’s cooking class.
PHOTOS BY ANDREW FRAIELI
Ukrainians of Colorado host cooking class BY ANDREW FRAIELI AFRAIELI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
“Now whenever you see ravioli, you can call it Italian varenyky,” joked Chef Bo Porytko, at Ukrainians of Colorado’s cooking class fundraiser. Hosted on Oct. 2, the fundraiser was filled with 42 students, three cooks and the smells of pletinka, bigos varenyky and borscht. Ukrainians of Colorado is a nonprofit that formed eight years ago in response to the war starting in SEE CLASS, P10
The finished pletinka with poppy seeds rolled out and braided by the Ukrainians of Colorado’s cooking class.
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 26
An affidavit filed by Arvada Police Detective Julie Glynn regarding the events of Sept. 11 that led to Officer Dillon Vakoff’s murder was unsealed on Sept. 26, shedding light on the events led to Vakoff’s death and the gunshot injuries of Mercedes Lopez and suspect Sonny Almanza, who is in custody. The affidavit describes a contentious custody dispute that led to a fight which escalated into exchanges of gunfire. According to the affidavit, at about 1:45 a.m., Officers D. Garibay and Dillon Vakoff were dispatched to 6753 West 51st Avenue in Arvada on a report of a disturbance over the custody of two children. Destiny Medlock — Sonny Almanza’s sister — contacted APD for assistance because the mother of the children, Lexis “Lexie” Lopez was on her way to the location to take the children back and Medlock suspected that Lopez was intoxicated. Officers Vakoff and Garibay arrived on scene and contacted Lopez, who was explaining what was going on to the officers when another vehicle arrived. After that vehicle arrived, a fight broke out in the apartment’s parking lot. During the fight, Sonny Almanza retrieved a rifle and came out to the parking lot. Almanza fired a round from the rifle which struck Mercedes SEE AFFIDAVIT, P2
GREEN THUMB, CALM MIND Neuroscientists and gardeners know the benefits of houseplants P16