Westsider WESTSIDER 3/7/13
North Jeffco
POSTAL PATRON
March 8, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourwestminsternews.com
North Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 12, Issue 9
PRSRT - STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID BROOMFIELD CO PERMIT #101 EDDM
Longtime comedy club closes
John Bauers sits onstage at Wits End Comedy Club Thursday, Feb. 21, in Westminster. Wits End closed its doors after 22 years. Photos by Andy Carpenean
By Ashley Reimers
areimers@ourcoloradonews. com Wits End Comedy Club in Westminster is no more. The last weekend of shows was Feb. 14-16, when more than 20 comics took the stage. “Closing night there were a lot of tears,” owner John Bauers said. “The staff is a really close-knit group and they are just amazing.” Bauers took over Wits End, at 92nd Avenue and Harlan Street, two years ago after being approached by the property owners to try to pull the business out of a
financial hole. Over the next two years, Bauers said he was able to bring the business out of debt, but it was taking too much time and energy. He also owns the Impulse Theater in Denver. “We are right at a breakeven point,” he said. “But I’m working 40 hours a week running this place and 40 hours a week running Impulse.” Cathy Cooke and Carol McKelvey opened Wits End in 1991. David Testroet was a headliner comic at Wits End for 22 years. He said the club helped launch several careers, including his own. He is an established comic, open-
ing for Jeff Foxworthy and Ron White over the years. Testroet also works as a booking agent and professional photographer. He said Wits End was comfortable for blue collar and white collar people. “I was the last person on the stage that last night and it was tough,” he said. “Here is this fat, white guy trying to hold in his emotions, while trying to be funny. At the end I got a standing ovation, but it wasn’t for me, it was for the all-star group of comics brought in that weekend.” Bauers said Wits End is for sale.
A section of a mural near the entrance at Wits End Comedy Club depicts comedic characters such as George Carlin, Bob Hope, Curly Howard (from the Three Stooges) and Charlie Chaplin. Wits End closed its doors after 22 years.
Capitol marijuana task force wraps up work Recommendations will be sent to Legislature By Tom Munds
tmunds@ourcoloradonews.com The Amendment 64 Implementation Task Force’s final meeting focused on taxation to develop recommended tax levels for commercial marijuana sales. The recommendations made on Feb. 28 suggest a 15 percent excise tax that stores would pay at the wholesale level. It was also recommended that a special sales tax be implemented for
recreational marijuana, with an example of a 25 percent sales tax customers would pay when making purchases. Any special voter-approved taxes would be in addition to the state’s 2.9 percent sales tax as well as any local sales taxes. The task force discussed the issue and generally agreed that, if the state-imposed taxes were too high, users would turn to the black market for marijuana. One member suggested that keeping the total cost, including taxes, of legal recreational marijuana less than the black market cost could bring an end to illegal pot sales.
However, members repeatedly noted that because of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, no tax could be imposed without voter approval. As they wrapped up their discussions, it was noted that recommendations will be assembled into a report that, in the next two weeks, will be forwarded to the General Assembly to use in establishing rules and regulations for the new recreational marijuana industry. Colorado voters created a whole new industry in November by approving Amendment 64, which legalizes recreational use of marijuana by those 21 and older.
When Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the voter-approved amendment into law, he created the 24-member task force to establish recommendations for regulating the new industry as guidelines for state legislative action. The governor spoke at the Feb. 28 task force meeting. He thanked the members for the thousands of hours they put into developing their recommendations. “We are entering a new and different world,” Hickenlooper said. “No matter how thoughtful we are, not every area will be adequately addressed. I think there will be unanticipated negative
consequences.” He stressed the need for education and safeguards to keep marijuana out of the hands of those under 21. “We need to let our children and young people know that, just because it is now legal doesn’t mean it is safe,” the governor said.
Printed on recycled newsprint. Please recycle this copy.