Hail, no, we can keep paying those kind of car and house insurance rates around here
Now that the 2026 campaign races are on for real, candidates for the state legislature, statewide offices and congress will all be talking the talk about lowering the cost of living.
Voters should insist they move beyond slogans and detail how they would reduce the costs that state government can actually influence.
Yeah, groceries are stupid expensive. Gas prices are painful. Housing remains a near-liability for too many people. But the inability for families to keep up with all that is mostly driven by national forces that Colorado lawmakers can’t control.
There are, however, three major household expenses that are linked to state government: car insurance, homeowner insurance and car registration fees. Those costs are consuming larger and larger portions of family budgets, yet they receive only passing mention during political campaigns.
Working families, retirees, young professionals and workers alike are finding that simply maintaining a middle-class lifestyle has become a fading American dream.
Insurance costs are now competing with mortgages and car payments for huge chunks of workers’ paychecks.
Colorado homeowners pay some of the highest insurance premiums in the nation. According to recent reporting in the Colorado Sun and Denver Post, average premiums now exceed $4,000 a year and have risen dramatically over the past several years.
Colorado insurance and other state officials acknowledged that premium affordability has become a serious problem and that traditional market forces alone, like competition, are unlikely to solve it.
Meanwhile, state data shows insurers generally target so-called loss ratios between 65% and 75%, meaning roughly one-quarter to onethird of your insurance premium dollars go toward administrative expenses, company overhead and profit, not paying for claims of fellow insurance clients who file for them.
There’s no disputing that Insurance companies certainly face legitimate challenges. Colorado’s hailstorms, wildfires and rising construction costs make the state a difficult place to insure property. Companies deserve an opportunity to earn reasonable profits while maintaining adequate reserves for catastrophic losses. But “reasonable” is the operative word, and reasonable needs to be operative for customers, too,
If lawmakers and the insurance industry cannot develop meaningful ways to reduce homeowner insurance premiums, Colorado should
Quidnunc, whose name comes from the Latin “what now,” is out and about as often as possible to bring you news overheard in elevators, rest rooms and spied in various e-mail boxes.
seriously examine creating a public insurance option. A state-sponsored insurer operating without shareholder profit expectations or excessive corporate bureaucracy could introduce genuine competition into the marketplace while providing consumers with a desperately needed choice.
The same candidate debate should focus on spiraling car insurance rates.
Colorado drivers pay some of the nation’s highest premiums despite repeated promises that relief is on the way. Gov. Jared Polis recently unveiled an administrative strategy aimed at reducing rates by lowering vehicle thefts, preventing hail damage and addressing uninsured motorists. Those efforts may help over time, but drivers have heard promises before while watching premiums climb.
Candidates should explain what additional steps they would support if rates don’t go down.
Hope is a lousy state government policy.
Vehicle registration is another growing burden that deserves far more scrutiny and is absolutely under the control of state lawmakers and execs.
Many Coloradans are shocked when they register a new or newer vehicle and discover that license plate costs can reach into the thou-
sands of dollars. Much of that expense stems from the state’s Specific Ownership Tax, which is calculated using the manufacturer’s suggested retail “dream” price when the car was still on the lot, rather than what the vehicle sold for or is worth today.
That approach ignores real-world depreciation. Someone who purchases a used vehicle that originally carried a $50,000 sticker price can still pay taxes reflecting that original value rather than the bargain purchase price. Meanwhile, owners of much older vehicles contribute relatively little despite using the same roads.
State residents just don’t have the cash they once did, and candidates looking for a state position need to prove to voters they get it. Too many people who live here are at a financial breaking point, and the last thing the state needs is fewer people having car and house insurance.
Like taxes, these are mandatory costs imposed by laws or regulations requiring everyone to pay to be able to drive or own a home.
QUID HAS HEARD that given the tenuous condition of democracy from the gilded White House to Aurora’s marginally humble city hall, we’ve turned to public shaming to get things done. Seems Hizzoner Mike Coffman created a Facebook firestorm last week when he posted a photo of part of the front lawn of Rangeview High School in Aurora. Hizzoner pointed out the lawn was a shocking shade of what appears to be green. The hue, he said, was a cue to search for clues. Why so green? Aurora’s impromptu Watergate scandal in-
vestigator and now leader of the Aurora Pigment Police relayed the details in his spell-binding social media missive. A quick call to Aurora Public Schools officials from hacks at this rag, however, offered the rest of the story. APS flipped Coffman the Rain Bird and offered a breakdown of how some school lawns may have gotten an occasional extra dose, but overall, the district has worked with the city to reduce outdoor water usage by 20%, which is what the city asked. Your faithful affiant has since motored by a variety of schools, parks, medians, and office buildings, also seeing a wide variety of shades of brown, hazel, umber, beige, buff, tan, fawn, biscuit, camel, mushroom, sorrel, dun, brindle, chestnut, russet — and sometimes sage. Yours truly loves the idea of publicly shaming any business, government, resident or caretaker who dares to irrigate their grass beyond a Pantone Shade of Decayed Palm Leaves, No. 15035. In fact, your scribe insists Aurora take this to the next level, mud-plastering clean cars or sling-
ing bags of non-recyclable garbage at humans playing golf or putting those who leave undrunk water on their tables at restaurants into public stocks. Once we get our drought-dodgers in line, we can move the Shamus Show onto other public problems. Quid recommends a publicly published Miles Per Gallon registry for all drivers, with those under 18 MPG being read aloud on local TV news each night. From there, we can move on to making public how much time elected officials and adults spend on Instagram and TikTok. The list of needed changes and goals is endless, just like the fun. AND THAT’S ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS
In this photo taken with a slow shutter speed, a torrent of water created by a heavy rainstorm packing hail races down South Holly Street, Monday, May 14, 2018, in southeast Denver.Colorado has some of the highest car and home insurnace rates in the nation, partially becuase of hail storms here. AP Photo/David Zalubowski
DAVE PERRY Editor
Mayor Co man seeing red over green Aurora school district lawns amid sustained drought
“WE WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT ONE PHOTO FROM ONE SCHOOL SITE DOES NOT REPRESENT OUR DISTRICT’S OVERALL WATER USAGE.”
BY MCKENNA HARFORD, Sentinel Staff Writer
Green lawns at some Aurora schools have provoked threats of a water shut-off from Mayor Mike Coffman.
In a Facebook post last week, Coffman accused Aurora Public Schools of violating drought restrictions to irrigate school properties and having to pay fines for the alleged violations. Coffman said he is considering shutting off water for outdoor irrigation for the district if it continues to violate restrictions.
“While driving past Rangeview High School, I noticed that all of their lawns were very green meaning that they were being watered in defiance of Aurora’s current Stage I drought water restrictions,” Coffman’s post says. “The following morning, I drove by six other schools in the Aurora Public School system, and their lawns were also all very green.”
Coffman said he plans to meet with Aurora Public Schools Superintendent Michael Giles on Friday and will seek a commitment from the district to comply or else “immediately shut off supplying all water, used for outside irrigation, to the school district until all drought restrictions are lifted.”
However, the school district pushed back against Coffman’s claims. A district spokesperson said APS has a specific irrigation plan that was approved by Aurora Water and which reduces the district’s annual water usage by 20% and limits outdoor watering to two days per week.
“We take the ongoing drought very seriously, and know that we, like all Aurora organizations and residents, must wisely use our limited water resources,” said APS spokesperson Corey Christiansen.
Christiansen said the district has not received or paid any fines for violations. He said the district learned of Coffman’s concerns on Monday and plans to continue working with Aurora Water to comply with restrictions.
“We want to emphasize that one photo from one school site does not represent our district’s overall water usage,” he said. “We are proud of our extremely dedicated maintenance team that works hard to keep our school grounds in the best shape possible for our community. We look forward to continuing to work with Aurora Water as engaged environmental stewards.”
Shonnie Cline, deputy director of Aurora Water, confirmed the school district is part of the irrigation user variance program, which allows large water users more flexibility in when they can irrigate, while still limiting irrigation to two times per week and not during 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“They can pick any day of the week they want to water on, but they can’t water any single zone more than two days a week,” Cline said.
The variance program also sets irrigation performance efficiency standards and requires an overall 20% reduction in annual demand.
Cline also confirmed that the school district has not been fined nor received warnings, though the district does have nine properties, including Rangeview High School, which Coffman called out, that are increasing in water use and at risk of noncompliance. Cline said water department staff are working with the district to bring the sites back into compliance.
“For those nine sites, (the district) is getting notified … and what will happen is, once they’re outside of the variance program, they’ll receive a warning and they’ll have three days to correct it, and if they don’t make the corrections then they will be subject to a violation and fines,” she said.
The other sites include William Smith High School, East Middle School, an elementary school, Aurora Academy, Vista Peak Prep and three administrative buildings. The district has 61 total sites on its account.
Cline said the district has been a good partner and she believes they will address the issue swiftly.
“We are not concerned that they won’t address it,” Cline said. “All things are pointing to that they are eager to be able to get those systems back into compliance.”
In general, violations of drought restrictions first trigger a warning that residential users have seven days to address, while multi-family and commercial users have three days. If the issue is not resolved, then violators face an escalating series of fines.
For multifamily and commercial users, fines start at $250 and go up to $2000. Residential fines range from $125 to $500.
For persistent violations, Cline said the city can shut off the water supply.
“That means we have absolutely gone through every possible option to get them into compliance,” she said.
Cline said Colorado’s water supply situation is “bad,” but officials are hoping to avoid increasing drought restrictions, though it requires “everybody doing every single possible thing that they can to conserve water.”
“We’re taking it so seriously because we don’t know what the future holds,” Cline said.
The front marker of Rangeview High School in central Aurora. Mayor Mike Coffman, who said the school’s green grass in this part of the campus indicates they’re out of compliance with city drought water policy. Both school and city water officials dispute Coffman’s allegations. SENTINEL SCREENSHOT OF MAYOR MIKE COFFMAN’S FACEBOOK POST.
Health Department says officials not forthcoming on tuberculosis case at Aurora GEO ICE jail
The Adams County Health Department is investigating a confirmed case of tuberculosis in a detainee at the GEO Group detention center in Aurora, but says the facility has not provided all of the information necessary to determine whether more cases might exist.
A statement provided by the health department Tuesday says it has confirmed one case of tuberculosis, adding the GEO facility has not notified the department about other confirmed cases.
“ACHD continues to seek the information and access necessary to complete this legally required public health investigation,” Dr. Kelly Weidenbach, executive director of the Adams County Health Department, said in a statement. “This includes access to medical records, the patient, and information necessary to identify individuals who may have been exposed. Because ACHD has not yet received all of the information necessary to complete its investigation, the Department cannot independently verify reports regarding additional cases or determine whether additional individuals require or determine whether additional individuals require evaluation or follow-up.”
The health department said the facility did not voluntarily provide the information it needed to investigate the tuberculosis case and the department issued a Public Health Order on June 25 to require the facility to comply with Colorado laws around tuberculosis investigations.
Colorado law requires facilities and healthcare providers to notify local and state public health authorities on a strict timeline and requires the local health departments to investigate every confirmed case. It is illegal to “willfully violate, disobey or disregard” a public health order.
The Sentinel reached out on Tuesday to a media representative for ICE, but has not received a response.
The county health department said its investigation is incomplete and the full scope of cases is unknown. The Guardian reported Tuesday that at least 12 detainees had tested positive for tuberculosis, citing information from an unnamed detainee.
Tuberculosis is an airborne, bacterial disease, and the department says those potentially exposed include other detainees, facility staff, contractors, visitors and people who have since left the facility.
While tuberculosis is preventable and curable with treatment, the health department says untreated active disease can cause severe lung damage, spread to other organs, and may result in permanent disability or death.
“Prompt identification of exposed individuals is critical to preventing additional illness,” the statement said.
Aurora’s city council recently passed two ordinances that will require the facility to report communicable diseases to the fire department and submit to regular health and safety inspections, but those ordinances have not yet gone into effect.
Councilmember Gianina Horton said she’s frustrated by the actions of the GEO facility, which she said “completely disregards the safety and well-being of Aurorans.”
“I really appreciate (the health department’s) boldness to let the public
know that the GEO facility is resisting the need to share information about a serious airborne disease in a potential public health crisis,” Horton said. “The GEO facility in particular continues to choose resistance to cooperating with the Adams County Health Department and it doesn’t bode well for trust that they’re doing due diligence to protect the safety of everyone in their facility, much less everyone outside.”
State legislators also passed a new law this year to allow additional health and safety inspections at immigration facilities, with facilities facing financial penalties of up to $50,000 for denying inspectors access. The GEO Group is suing the state over the law.
The facility was most recently inspected by Congressman Jason Crow’s staff in March, who reported at the time that there were more than 1,200 people detained. Crow’s report says the facility said there were no communicable diseases, but staff spoke with a man who was visibly ill and who said others had similar symptoms.
In a statement to the Sentinel, Crow said for-profit prisons, like the GEO facility, have “perpetuated ICE’s lawlessness and endangered our communities.”
“I’ve led the charge to end this broken and humane system. Until we do, I’ll continue to conduct oversight to hold ICE accountable,” Crow said.
The GEO facility has a history of not properly reporting disease outbreaks or cooperating with health department investigations. Earlier this year, the Adams County Health Department reported not being able to get information to investigate potential widespread illness.
In 2019, the facility didn’t fully report information about detainees with chickenpox and mumps.
— McKenna Harford, Sentinel Staff Writer
Aurora considers expanding accessory dwelling units to boost housing options
The city is considering new guidelines to allow more accessory dwelling units and expand housing options.
City council discussed the proposed guidelines at its July 13 study session and asked staff to draft changes in city regulations.
The changes would allow accessory dwelling units, including internal, attached and detached styles, to be built on most single-family home lots, which would significantly expand where the units can be located.
Currently, the city only allows accessory dwelling units on lots that are zoned Original Aurora and are served by an alley, as well as in the Painted Prairie development. Only detached accessory dwelling units are currently permitted.
Since the city implemented the ADU regulations in 2018, nine units have been permitted and five units have been constructed. From 2023 to June 2026, the city received 262 requests to construct an ADU from property owners outside of the approved zoning.
The proposal would allow one ADU on all single-family detached lots in the city, including internal, like a basement or upstairs unit, attached and detached styles. However, homeowners associations would still be able to enforce stricter rules for ADUs.
It could also potentially speed up
the permitting process for ADUs by reducing the requirement for a public hearing if standards are met. The existing process for an ADU requires a conditional use permit, which includes a public hearing and needs approval from the planning commission.
Council members at the June planning and economic development committee meeting were largely supportive of expanding ADUs, as long as the units meet robust standards.
“I think for me, the most important thing is architectural integrity, so that you don’t have something that looks like a shed that’s supposedly an ADU and it doesn’t match what’s already there,” Councilmember Amy Wiles said.
If the council is supportive of allow-
ing more ADUs, then city staff will present a draft ordinance of the changes, including unit standards and an outline of the permit process.
— McKenna Harford, Sentinel Staff Writer
Aurora traffic enforcement cuts crashes by 86% at crashprone I-225 and Parker interchanges
Aurora Police officials say a targeted traffic enforcement and public education campaign reduced crashes by 86% at one of the city’s most crashprone locations.
The department’s Special Operations Bureau recently completed a
study analyzing two years of crash data and identified the Interstate 225 and South Parker Road interchange — including its on- and off-ramps, loop, nearby traffic lights and stop signs — as Aurora’s busiest location for vehicle crashes.
Police said 14 crashes were reported in the area during a six-week period from April 5 through May 15.
So the department’s Traffic Section launched a high-visibility enforcement and education campaign that included signs urging motorists to drive safely. The department’s Motorcycle Enforcement Team conducted traffic safety operations on June 3 and June 15, fo-
›› See METRO, 6
cusing on traffic signal violations, speeding and careless driving, which police say are the three leading causes of crashes in the area.
Police said the number of crashes fell from 14 between April 5 and May 15 to just two between May 15 and June 26.
“Our traffic officers’ focused enforcement and high-visibility presence have played a key role in reducing crashes in the I-225 and South Parker Road corridor,” Aurora police Commander Scott Pendleton said in a statement. “These efforts are about more than writing tickets; they’re about changing driver behavior, preventing crashes and keeping the community safe. Given the results we’ve seen and the positive feedback we’ve received from residents, this work will continue.”
Police said officers dedicated about 48 hours to the two enforcement operations, issuing 126 citations. Of those, 102, about four out of five, were for speeding or traffic control device violations.
— Sentinel Colorado
SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION
Colorado to restore financial aid tracking tool for high school counselors
Six months after state budget cuts left Colorado high school counselors without access to a financial aid application tracking tool, the state is poised to get it back.
Colorado has received a two-year, $177,350 grant from the Statewide Internet Portal Authority to reactivate the Colorado Financial Aid Portal. The tool helps counselors track individual student progress on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The form opens up free college aid and scholarships to students.
“We saw a need to really address this important step in the process of Colorado students accessing higher education,” said Noah Kaplan, director
of the Colorado SIPA GovGrants program.
Lawmakers cut funding for the administrator who oversaw the portal as part of efforts to close a $1.2 billion shortfall in the 2025-26 budget year. The Colorado Department of Higher Education said counselors would lose access to the tool in December due to the cut.
College advisors said losing the portal would quadruple their workload because they would have to return to asking students one by one about their FAFSA progress instead of using data to identify those who needed help.
In the SIPA grant application, groups such as the Denver Scholarship Foundation said losing the tool left educators “scrambling to gather information through time-consuming investigating.”
National College Attainment Network experts, who track and advocate for FAFSA progress and policies, said the statewide tool’s demise was unheard of during a time when states, including Colorado, want to increase financial aid application completion.
The NCAN FAFSA tracker shows a record 58.6% of students completed the form this year. Experts attribute the increase in part to a simplified federal application.
Colorado’s FAFSA completion rate also increased, but the state once again ranked near the bottom of the nation, with only 46.3% of high school seniors filling out the form.
— Jason Gonzales, Chalkbeat Colorado
State scrutinizes 42 homeschool enrichment programs amid new law, one from Aurora
Responding to recent changes in state law, Colorado officials are scrutinizing 42 homeschool enrichment program applications submitted by a controversial education group whose past practices spurred the changes.
The Colorado Department of Education last week sent a four-page letter to the group — Education reEnvisioned Board of Cooperative Educational Ser-
vices, or ERBOCES — requesting additional details so a six-member review team can determine if the enrichment programs comply with the new rules.
The department’s letter provides a glimpse into the state’s new harder line on publicly funded programming for home-school students. It also illustrates ERBOCES’ effort to maintain its stable of enrichment programs around Colorado in the face of state efforts to crack down on the group.
Homeschool enrichment programs typically offer six hours of class a week and are meant to give home-schooled students socialization opportunities or access to courses that are hard to offer at home.
The state’s tougher stance on homeschool enrichment comes after lawmakers passed strict limits this spring, aiming to curb rapid growth fueled by ERBOCES, increase transparency, and bar certain kinds of offerings, such as ski passes, karate lessons, and sports camps. Last year, the state spent around $100 million on homeschool enrichment programs.
The law change requires homeschool enrichment authorizers like ERBOCES to get approval from the state or a local school district if they want to continue operating an enrichment program outside their boundaries. As of Thursday, the education department had received 45 applications for outof-boundary enrichment programs, according to a department spokesperson.
Forty-two of the applications came from ERBOCES for programs operating outside the group’s only member school district, District 49 in northeast Colorado Springs. One application came from the Aurora school district and two came from charter schools: Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Denver and Colorado Military Academy in Colorado Springs.
ERBOCES does not have to get state or school district approval for homeschool enrichment programs operating within District 49.
Ken Witt, executive director of ERBOCES, said by email on Friday that the education department’s review of his group’s 42 applications “encom-
passes a significant number of our wildly popular programs.”
He said the review will require some back and forth with the department, and he expects it to be completed in the next few weeks.
During the 2025-26 school year, ERBOCES had more than 50 homeschool enrichment programs around the state. Some offered math, reading, and electives like music and physical education. Others had a specific focus: outdoor adventure, career training, aviation, golf, or horsemanship.
Witt has declined to provide Chalkbeat a full list of its homeschool enrichment programs, some of which have dozens of sub-campuses and subcontractors.
In last week’s letter, education department officials warned ERBOCES that its 42 applications were incomplete and would need to be resubmitted.
Items missing include:
• Information on whether homeschool enrichment applicants are located on private school campuses. Such co-locations are no longer permitted.
• Information on whether homeschool enrichment applicants are located at the same place as private feebased programs. Such co-locations may not be permitted because the new rules bar the state from subsidizing private activities or purchases for home-schoolers.
• A full list of sub-campuses or subprograms operated by a single applicant.
In the letter, education department officials cited specific problems with some applications. For example, it noted that Enrich Colorado, a homeschool enrichment program based in Pueblo, had not included information on a contractor operating in 28 locations around the state. That contractor is Forging Education, a group that operated a now defunct “public Christian school” that created a storm of controversy last school year.
The letter also cites discrepancies in application paperwork for a program called Colorado Homeschool Enrichment, with one form saying the group has 68 campuses across Colorado and another form saying the number is 75.
In June, ERBOCES provided a partial list of Colorado Homeschool Enrichment campuses to Chalkbeat.
Most of the 30 items on the list simply say “Micro-Campus” with an individual’s name next to the entry. Others have names like St. Stephen Catholic School, Global Ex Academy, and Adventure Learning.
Several homeschool enrichment programs that last year operated under the ERBOCES umbrella have discontinued their offerings in Colorado, according to their websites. They include programs such as Front Range Construction Academy, Alpine International Prep Academy, and Colorado Agribusiness and Equine Sciences Academy.
— ANN SCHIMKE, Colorado Chalkbeat
BEYOND AURORA
Colorado primary sees record voter turnout with 35.9% participation
Turnout in the recent Colorado primary election, with executive-level offices up for grabs and a competitive congressional primary, was 10 percentage points higher than in 2024.
As of July 13, turnout for the June 30 primary was around 35.9% of ac-
tive voters, compared with 25.5% in the 2024 primary election, according to the secretary of state’s office. In 2022, the most recent midterm year, the turnout was about 32%.
That means nearly 1.5 million Coloradans voted in the primary this year.
In Denver County, site of Colorado’s most populous city, turnout, at about 38.4%, was slightly higher than the statewide rate, according to the Denver Clerk and Recorder’s office. That is much higher than the approximately 18.2% turnout rate in the city in 2024 and 24.5% rate in 2022.
In Arapahoe County, voter turnout was 34%.
There were partisan primaries this year in the governor, secretary of state and attorney general races for the first time in many years. There were also competitive Democratic races for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. John Hickenlooper and in Denver’s 1st Congressional District, where democratic socialist Melat Kiros ousted longtime incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette.
The number of Democratic ballots returned this year outpaced either party since 2022, and the Republican turnout lagged behind 2022 numbers for both parties and was similar to the trends in 2024.
There were also significantly more Democratic ballots than Republican ballots returned by unaffiliated voters this year, who can choose which party’s primary to vote in. Unaffiliated Coloradans represent the state’s largest voting bloc. About 64% of the ballots returned by unaffiliated voters were for Democratic races, versus about 24% for Republican races.
Older voters turned out in higher numbers, as is typical, but there was an increase in voters between 18 and 44 years old. This year, a little over 414,000 people in that age range voted, compared to about 245,000 in the 2024 primary and about 301,000 in the 2022 primary.
There were still about 68,500 ballots to process as of July 8. Those will likely not alter the results but could alter margins of victory.
—
Sara Wilson, Colorado Newsline
Victor Marx faces big challenge uniting GOP after winning Colorado’s Republican primary for governor
After winning a tight race to become the Republican nominee for governor, Victor Marx faces an uphill climb, not only in trying to become the first Republican governor elected in Colorado in 24 years but also persuading leaders of his party to support him after being shunned.
The political newcomer has garnered outsized national attention due to his extraordinary, albeit mostly unprovable, life story that includes unverified claims of saving people, a fatal shooting and even an air strike.
The back story raises questions he has refused to answer while also generating viral attention on social media platforms and late night comedy shows. But his odds are long in an increasingly blue state that hasn’t elected a Republican to a statewide office since 2016.
Political observers say that if he can now turn his focus away from those questions and toward policy, he could appeal to unaffiliated voters and at the
very least help boost other Colorado Republicans running in a midterm election year when GOP candidates face having to defend President Donald Trump, whose popularity has reached the lowest levels in his two terms.
“Like it or not, the Republican at the top of the ticket often becomes the standard bearer that year,” said Kristi Burton Brown, the chair of the Colorado Republican Party from 2021 to 2023.
Marx lost 60% of votes in the primary, underscoring how much work he needs to do to consolidate Republican votes just to mount a challenge to Democratic nominee Phil Weiser, Colorado’s attorney general.
In a video statement Thursday after his victory, Marx said life in Colorado had gotten too expensive and less safe under the current system, which he said Weiser was part of. Marx leaned into his outsider status as he urged voters to support him.
“So if you are frustrated, skeptical or wondering if anything can change, I just proved it by winning the primary,” he said.
Neither of his opponents in the GOP primary say they will support Marx, the founder and CEO of All Things Possible Ministries, a nonprofit humanitarian organization.
He describes himself as a “high risk humanitarian” who has helped orphans and widows in places like Iraq, North Africa and Southeast Asia. At a debate last month, State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, who was narrowly edged out by Marx, called him “unfit” and “unqualified.”
In a statement Thursday after Marx was declared winner, Kirkmeyer didn’t mention him by name but alluded to the controversy about him.
“Now the voters will make the final decision in November, and I hope they choose the path that is best for Colorado,” she said. “I’m still proud of the campaign we ran … and, for the record, I still haven’t killed anyone.”
Meanwhile, state Rep. Scott Bottoms, who finished third in the primary, has described Marx as a “con man.”
Instead of endorsing Marx, Bottoms plans to focus on making sure fellow Republicans fill out their ballots in other races this November in part to try to keep his party from returning to the status of a super minority in the Colorado House of Representatives, Bottoms’ campaign spokesperson Trent Leisy said.
The GOP needs to hang on to some statehouse seats it narrowly won in 2024, he said. That will be hard to do if GOP voters opt not to vote at all because they can’t support Marx, he said.
“I believe the Republicans, with Victor Marx being on the ballot, are going to suffer big time,” Leisy said.
Marx’s problems within his own party don’t end with the lack of support from Bottoms or Kirkmeyer.
Some GOP voters are at risk of being siphoned off by former U.S. Rep. Greg Lopez, who says he has collected enough signatures to be on November’s ballot as an unaffiliated candidate.
Lopez, former mayor of Parker, had planned to seek the GOP nomination for governor for a third time but switched his affiliation to unaffiliated in January because he said neither Democrats or Republicans are doing enough to help families and small businesses.
“All they want to do is stay in power and get elected,” Lopez said.
Brown, the former GOP chair, expects that most Republicans will support the party’s nominee as they have in the past. But in order to appeal to unaffiliated voters, who comprise about 52% of the electorate, and also help other Republicans running this year, Marx needs to talk specifically about what he would do about issues like affordability and crime if he were elected, she said.
“Be a solid leader and don’t push policy to the side. It does actually matter,” Brown said. She also said that Marx must be ready to answer questions about his past even if security concerns potentially limit what he can say.
Marx has released the “Colorado Works Better Plan,” a general framework for how state government could operate more efficiently with less waste rather than a specific list of proposed changes. It promises to use “secure AI” combined with human judgment to do things like review contracts. Weekly reports about any waste, fraud and abuse that have been discovered would also be issued.
Marx, a 61-year-old Marine veteran who lives just north of Colorado Springs, has spoken about being forced by his abusive stepfather to kill a man as a child. He declined to say in an interview with 9News’ Kyle Clark whether he had killed anyone as an adult or how many women and children he had rescued through his ministry work. The claims and lack of transparency became fodder for “The Daily Show” and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”
Through a campaign spokesperson, Marx declined to be interviewed about the election results. The campaign also did not respond to a request to provide more details about his back story.
Kelly Maher, a veteran Republican strategist who supported Kirkmeyer in the race, echoed Brown’s analysis.
If Marx can provide more clarity about his positions and why he’s running, it’s possible that he could end up helping other Republicans running for statewide races, like 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen who faces Secretary of State Jena Griswold in the attorney general’s race.
“It is mathematically a really heavy lift that any Republican could win in a general election but could it be beneficial to others down ticket if he makes a real run for it? Potentially,” said Maher, executive director of Restoring Standards, a political action committee aimed at elevating character in politics.
Marx entered the political world after hinting he would run for governor at a Colorado memorial service for Charlie Kirk shortly after the conservative activist was assassinated in September. Kirk wrote the foreword to Marx’s book, “The Dangerous Gentleman,” calling him a “dear friend” and praising him for his courage, determination and compassion.
Marx shared during the service at Brave Church in Englewood that he traveled to Phoenix to comfort Kirk’s widow, Erika, after Kirk’s death.
Marx has energized evangelical Christian voters in a way that hasn’t been seen in about two decades in Colorado and motivated them to vote, Maher said.
While questions about Marx’s past could end up hurting him, Maher said, she was wary of predicting what voters would do at a time when more of them are connecting with political outsiders and their stories.
“It does seem like this is the season
of the insurgent,” she said, pointing to democratic socialist Melat Kiros’ surprise victory over U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in the 1st Congressional District’s Democratic primary in Denver.
Paul Teske, professor at the University of Colorado Denver public affairs school, said conventional wisdom, which he acknowledged hasn’t been so reliable lately, suggests that Marx would need to move toward the center to attract moderate voters in the general election, which will have greater numbers of unaffiliated voters turning out than in the primary.
He also thinks voters would want to see Marx show up to debate Weiser.
During the Republican primary race, Marx only appeared in one debate with the GOP candidates.
“Independent voters, I think a lot of them are going to want to see the candidate out there arguing and fighting and explaining what they support,” Teske said.
— Colleen Slevin, Colorado Capitol News Alliance
DOJ’s immigrant voting letter to Colorado election officials labeled as intimidation tactic
Colorado’s secretary of state and voter advocates say they stand by Colorado’s election system and workers following the Trump administration’s latest attempt to target election officials.
The U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter earlier this week that threatens criminal prosecution of election officials who allow noncitizen voting. The department confirmed to Democracy Docket that it sent similar letters to all 50 states and Washington, D.C., last week.
“This is another thinly-veiled attempt by the Department of Justice to intimidate election officials and coerce compliance with their efforts to unlawfully inject the federal government into States’ constitutional duty to oversee elections,” Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a statement. “We stand ready to defend the rights of ev-
ery voter and protect our elections.”
The letters are part of the administration’s “desperate attempt” to get states to hand over private voter data, Aly Belknap, executive director of Colorado Common Cause, said.
“Basically they’re trying to intimidate our election officials,” Belknap said. “At the end of the day, we know that our voter rolls are kept accurate and only people who are eligible to vote are on them.”
Christo Luna, deputy state director at Mi Familia Vota in Colorado, a nonprofit that advocates for Latino voters, said it’s already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, and secure state and local systems exist to keep them from voting. The threats in the letter represent another attempt by President Donald Trump and his allies to purge voters and deny eligible citizens their right to vote, he said.
“It’s part of a broader effort to intimidate minority voters and suppress our voices, along with gerrymandering, the SAVE America Act, and an executive order that a court already voided that would have the federal government interfere with mail ballots,” Luna said in a statement.
The SAVE America Act would implement a nationwide requirement that voters show documents proving their citizenship. In March, Trump signed an executive order attempting to restrict voting by mail, which a federal judge blocked.
Claims of widespread noncitizen voting in U.S. elections have been repeatedly debunked. While the Trump administration wants people to believe that noncitizen voting has changed election results, their efforts lead to elections that are skewed by eligible voters being unable to participate, Belknap said.
Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s civil rights division, sent the letters to Griswold and other election officials around the country. They highlight federal election law that requires state and local officials to maintain voter records to ensure only eligible U.S. citizens vote in federal elections. The
letter sent to Griswold’s office asks it to tell the division how Colorado plans to ensure compliance. Anyone who knowingly allows noncitizen voting could be charged criminally, the letter says.
The Colorado County Clerks Association outlines the safeguards already in place that ensure only eligible voters participate in elections. Some records are updated daily: That includes voter registrations made automatically when an eligible voter receives or updates their driver’s license or identification card, voter records for people serving felony sentences in state prison, and possible duplicate records flagged by the state.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment provides monthly lists of deaths among registered Colorado voters. The Election Registration Information Center, known as ERIC, allows participating states to compare voter registrations and avoid duplicate records in multiple states.
The Department of Justice announced plans this week to send election monitors to jurisdictions in six states with competitive elections. The department could similarly target Colorado, site of a competitive congressional race and to which Trump has also shown a “vendetta and ideological opposition,” Belknap said.
Trump’s ultimate goal is to seize control and cast doubt on future election results, Belknap said. But Trump’s voter intimidation efforts have repeatedly been defeated, and those losses will continue in Colorado, she said.
Mi Familia Vota works to educate voters, provide accurate up-to-date information, combat misinformation and help voters choose the voting method that works best for them, Luna said.
“People are motivated to defend our rights and our vote,” Luna said. “Our Democracy is strongest when everyone who is eligible participates and votes, and that includes Latino families committed to making our voices heard at the ballot box.”
The Department of Justice is suing
›› See METRO, 8
Griswold over her refusal to supply sensitive voter information to the Trump administration. The case is ongoing in U.S. District Court in Denver. Griswold, Gov. Jared Polis and Attorney General Phil Weiser all submitted comments to the U.S. Postal Service opposing a proposed rule that says the agency won’t deliver mail ballots in states that refuse to turn over lists of voters. Two courts blocked the Postal Service’s rulemaking process, but it appealed the decision and asked the court to allow the rulemaking to continue throughout the appeal process.
Every active registered voter in Colorado receives a ballot in the mail.
— LINDSEY TOOMER, Colorado Newsline
Lawmakers seek solutions for Colorado’s Medicaid budget, red tape
The future of Colorado’s Medicaid program is getting an in-depth look and that could lead to reforms. That’s the job of the Colorado Commission on Medicaid, which met this week. Its arduous task? Come up with
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strategies to manage rising Medicaid costs and prepare for sweeping new federal policies.
Von Limbaugh, from Aurora, is the father of 24-year-old Andrew who has intellectual and developmental disabilities. He’d like to see lawmakers “cut through some of the bureaucracy so that it’s easy to navigate, easy to understand and predictable. And then making sure that they’re protecting people.”
“We’d like to see a system that’s focused on the members, not the bureaucracy,” he told lawmakers.
“I hope that they will continue to hear real stories from real families. We’re a diverse population,” said Michelle Limbaugh, Andrew’s mom.
Another parent, who also has a child who is enrolled in Medicaid, said she was glad lawmakers formed the 10-member commission and hoped its efforts would be the start of a dialogue.
“After two years of testifying, writing and attending meetings, the JBC (Joint Budget Committee) was starting to listen to the people of Colorado,” said Kathy Fieber of Littleton, the mother of 26-year-old Ben, who has Down syndrome and autism. “I am hoping what comes to light is the areas of wasteful spending, where staffing
17
can be trimmed and accountability for the mismanagement.”
The agency that manages Medicaid, the Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing, has come under intense scrutiny, over the handling of its surging budget and controversies, like an overbilling mistake that cost Colorado tens of millions.
About 1.3 million Coloradans get health care that’s covered by the state’s Medicaid program, called Health First Colorado. It has a roughly $20 billion budget, a third of state spending. But its budget has grown sharply, by double digits annually for the last several years.
“The legislature is trying to grapple with a budget for the state where we can’t keep up with the needs of Coloradans and in particular Coloradans’ health care needs and those growing costs,” said Rep. Emily Sirota, a Democrat from Denver, who chairs the state’s powerful Joint Budget Committee.
She noted that the cost of health care is growing much faster than TABOR, the state law limiting revenues the state can keep and spend, allows.
She says Colorado’s social safety net is in distress.
That could describe the state’s budget as well, with a billion dollars in cuts this year just as major federal cuts, and new work requirements, start to unfold — part of H.R. 1, or the One Big Beautiful Bill.
ability communities.
“Why, in their opinion, had the cost grown so dramatically? And maybe there’s more questions than that, but I think that would be helpful from the very beginning so that we can actually dig in early,” she said. “I’d rather hear what we’re going to do to move forward from people who are involved in it, implementing it, boots on the ground.”
Other lawmakers on the panel said they’d like staff to find out how other states are handling their own tough Medicaid budgets, which ones are doing things right and where Colorado is unique.
Another advocate, Maureen Welch, the founder of Navigating Disabilities Colorado, sparked a back and forth when she told lawmakers she gets calls in her role as a consultant from families considering a move to Colorado. It has a reputation for being more generous with benefits than other states, she said.
“I think Colorado should look at that,” said Welch from Littleton. who is the parent of a 19-year-old son with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “We need to serve the people that are already in Colorado and make sure that we protect those services.”
The GEO Group is the company’s first public confirmation of those plans.
Located about 30 miles northeast of Denver and formerly known as the Hudson Correctional Facility, Big Horn is a 1,200-bed prison that operated for a span of just five years after its 2009 opening. It’s owned by the Chicago-based Highlands Real Estate Investment Trust, which also owns several apartment complexes in Denver and other U.S. cities.
In a press release, The GEO Group confirmed that it has leased the Big Horn facility from Highlands REIT and entered into a five-year contract with ICE to operate a detention center there. The company says its contract is “expected to generate approximately $85 million in annual revenues in the first full year of operations.”
Together with CoreCivic, another large private-prison company, The GEO Group is expected to be the prime beneficiary of a multibillion-dollar windfall for expanded immigration detention services authorized by Republicans’ 2025 spending and tax cut law. Last year, GEO chairman George Zoley spoke during an earnings call about the “attractive opportunity for investors” presented by “the unprecedented growth opportunities we anticipate will materialize over the balance of this year and next year.”
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As the discussion amongst the commission unfolded, they discussed what should be part of the scope of the effort. The work in front of the commission was described by one participant as “behemoth.”
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The state legislature’s Commission on Medicaid begins work inside the Colorado State Capitol. July 6, 2026.
The state legislature’s Commission on Medicaid begins work inside the Colorado State Capitol. July 6, 2026.
“We have challenges coming from many different directions, but what we see is that those challenges are probably overlapping,” Sirota said, in an interview before the meeting.
Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, a Republican who ran for governor and whose seat is in Weld and Larimer counties, said she’d like to hear from both the public and major groups involved with Medicaid, like hospitals, family caregivers, county governments and the dis-
“I think we’re taking on just a gigantic amount of things,” said the chair Sen. Judy Amabile, a Democrat from Boulder and another member of the JBC. If its members can agree on a few key changes “that would be a huge success. If we can come up with just even a handful of things that make this system work better.”
The commission plans to have a report with detailed recommendations ready in December. Those will go to the new governor and is expected to be a key issue for the candidate who wins office in the fall.
— Tom Hesse, CPR NEWS
GEO Group to open new ICE detention center at dormant prison in Hudson, north of Denver
A dormant, privately-owned prison in Hudson is set to become Colorado’s second Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detention center, The GEO Group, a private prison company, announced Monday.
The Big Horn Correctional Facility has been eyed by ICE officials to expand Colorado’s immigrant detention capacity since last year, and documents obtained by the ACLU previously showed the facility was under contract to operate as a new detention center. Monday’s announcement by
In a statement Monday, Zoley said his company is “ready to continue to assist the federal government in meeting its immigration enforcement priorities,” and that the Big Horn facility “will play an important role in helping meet the need for increased federal immigration processing center bedspace.”
In his second term, President Donald Trump has pledged to carry out the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” aiming to remove all of the estimated 12 million immigrants in the country without permanent legal status, regardless of how long they have been in the country, the legal status of their family members or whether they have criminal records.
Colorado is currently home to only one ICE detention center, a 1,500-capacity Aurora facility also operated by GEO, which has long been the target of criticism from activists over allegations of inhumane conditions and dehumanizing treatment.
Immigration advocates and Colorado Democrats have been staunchly opposed to the Hudson facility’s potential use as an ICE detention center since last year. In a social media post, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet said he was “extremely disheartened” by Monday’s announcement.
“This new facility will not only nearly double the number of detention beds, but is in a rural location, far from the organizations that offer resources and oversight,” Bennet said. “I will continue to push for necessary guardrails, critical reforms, and work towards preventing the opening of this facility.”
— Chase Woodruff, Colorado Newsline
Honest Journalism
Right: Recently graduated Grandview High School ace pitcher Ethan Wachsmann (9) got taken in the third round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Minnesota Twins. Wachsmann has until July 27 to sign with the team or he will go on to play in college at Wake Forest.
Middle: Recently graduated Regis Jesuit senior midfielder William Wilson received All-American recognition for the 2026 boys lacrosse season from USA Lacrosse.
Below: Recently graduated Grandview attackman Mason Kelly scored more than 100 points in the 2026 season to earn a spot on the USA Lacrosse Boys Lacrosse All-American team.
PHOTOS BY COURTNEY OAKES/AURORA SENTINEL
Recently graduated Grandview senior pitcher Ethan Wachsmann went in the third round of the Major League Baseball Draft, as the Minnesota Twins tabbed him with the No. 79 overall pick July 11.
The hard-throwing right-hander — who signed with Wake Forest — had a gaggle of scouts watching every time he threw in the 2026 season. Riding a fastball that reached triple digits on the radar gun at times, Wachsmann posted a 6-2 record with a 2.10 ERA and 66 strikeouts in just 36 2/3 innings.
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Gausman was originally taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth round of the draft after a standout season in 2010. He instead went on to play at Louisiana State, where dramatically increased his profile and two years later went with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2012 draft to the Baltimore Orioles.
The last player drafted out of Grandview as Gausman’s former batterymate in Greg Bird signed with the team that took him, as he passed on a chance to play at Arkansas. Bird made his debut with the New York Yankees in 2015 and played in 186 games in parts of four seasons before injuries curtailed his professional career.
Summer salutes
The Colorado High School Activities Association Class 5A All-State first team performer, Centennial League Pitcher of the Year and Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora first teamer helped coach Scott Henry’s team win the Centennial League championship by defeating rival Cherry Creek.
BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor
The Wolves’ season came to a close, however, the next week with a loss to Broomfield with a spot in the 5A Baseball Championship Series at stake.
In three varsity seasons, Wachsmann finished 15-5 with a 2.59 ERA and 173 strikeouts in 108 innings pitched. He threw seven-inning no-hitters in his junior season (against Cherokee Trail) and his senior season (against Mullen).
MLB’s website projects the 79th position in the draft to yield a contract worth approximately $1.05 million. Teams have until 3 p.m. MT on July 27 to come to terms with their draftees before their window closes. Wachsmann — a Wake Forest commit — can sign or go on to play in college and be eligible to be drafted again in the future, a strategy that worked for former Grandview ace Kevin Gausman.
Wachsmann is the highest drafted Aurora area prospect since 2017, when former Regis Jesuit ace David Peterson got taken No. 20 overall by the New York Mets out of the University of Oregon. Peterson, who also improved his original draft stock after he played in college, spent seven seasons with the Mets and was just traded to the Chicago Cubs June 25. Peterson will be a free agent at season’s end.
Hudson Alpert, who helped Regis Jesuit win the 5A state championship and is signed to Vanderbilt, did not have his name called in the draft. Alpert, who made a successful comeback from “Tommy John Lite” surgery and helped the Raiders with his arm and with his bat, has signed with Vanderbilt.
Two other Colorado prep prospects went on July 12, as Mountain Vista pitcher Keaton Maiorana went to the Milwaukee Brewers in the 15th round (461st overall) and Eaton pitcher Gunnar Garrison got picked by the Baltimore Orioles in the 18th round (530th overall).
Grandview’s Kelly, Regis Jesuit’s Wilson named USA Lacrosse boys All-Americans
Two of the three most high-scoring offensive players from the Aurora area in the recently com-
pleted 2026 boys lacrosse season played their way to All-American honors.
Recently graduated Grandview senior attackman Mason Kelly and recently graduated Regis Jesuit senior midfield William Wilson were among 12 players from Colorado recognized as All-Americans by USA Lacrosse.
A four-year starter for the Grandview program, Kelly — who is headed to play collegiately at Rutgers — was one of only four players in Colorado (including two others who made the All-American list) to score more than 100 points for the season. With a combination of 62 goals (second-most in the state) and 43 assists, Kelly amassed 105 points to help coach Greg Mellinger’s team to a 10-7 record before a loss in the second round of the 5A playoffs.
Kelly was a member of the Colorado High School Activities Association’s 5A All-State first team and also had a spot on the 2026 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Boys Lacrosse Team, which were also accolades earned by Wilson.
On a 15-3 Regis Jesuit team that scored the second-most goals of any team in Colorado — 267 in 18 games — Wilson finished second in point production. He led coach Ross Moscatelli’s Raiders with his 53 goals, while he added 33 assists for 86 points. Wilson is headed to the University of Massachusetts.
Two players from the Cherry Creek team that eliminated Regis Jesuit made the list along with one from Valor Christian, which defeated the Bruins in the 5A state title game. Arapahoe, Fairview, Legend and Mountain Vista also had at least one selection.
Regis Jesuit’s Phillips makes USA Lacrosse girls All-American list
Nine girls lacrosse players from Colorado earned All-American honors from USA Lacrosse and that group included one from the Aurora area.
Recently graduated senior Lainey Phillips, who helped Regis Jesuit make it to the Class 5A state championship game before falling to Valor Christian, earned a spot on the list as a defender. Phillips was the only defensive player on the list of Colorado honorees.
With Phillips’ help, coach Crysti Foote’s Raiders — who finished 15-4 — allowed just 135 goals in 19 games, which was one of the lowest totals in the state. Phillips was a member of the Colorado High School Activities Association’s 5A first team all state team and also achieved All-Aurora first team honors.
ment and this season 120 girls teams were honored and broken down into Gold (3.75 or higher), Silver (3.5 or higher) and Bronze (3.34 or higher).
Smoky Hill girls finish top 11 in country in GPA, claims another NISCA Gold Scholar team award
The Smoky Hill girls swim team exceeded its strong season in the water with its performance in the classroom during the 2025-26 season.
Coach Scott Cohen’s Buffaloes — seventh place at the Class 5A state meet in February — finished with a sparkling 3.921 Grade Point Average that ranked 11th in the country among teams that applied and achieved Gold Scholar status from the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association, which released its nationwide list July 9.
Since 2002-03, NISCA has recognized boys and girls teams from across the country with 12 or more members for elite academic achieve-
Three players from the Valor Christian team that defeated Regis Jesuit in the state championship game played at Peter Barton Stadium — and the only team to score in double figures against the Raiders all season — also earned All-American honors, while 4A state champion Evergreen plus Arapahoe, Colorado Academy, Fairview and Golden were represented.
Bolstered by the presence of four Academic All-Americans in the Class of 2026 — Kaiya Ricketson, Greta Smolenski, Mia Waleski and Cameryn Walkup — Smoky Hill was the only Colorado girls team to make the Gold category, while D’Evelyn earned a 3.741 GPA to garner Silver status.
Rangeview set to host annual Hog Wars linemen event July 22
The annual strength and teamwork competition for Aurora area linemen and select others is set to be contested July 22, slightly later than usual on the calendar.
For more on these stories, visit sentinelcolorado. com/preps
Smoky Hill has won Gold Scholar team awards for three straight seasons and six times overall, including the 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons as well.
NISCA has recognized Academic All-Americans as well, while swimming All-Americans — the top 100 performers in each event from across the country — have yet to be announced.
The originator of the event — Rangeview — will again play host to athletes from a variety of local programs who will compete for bragging rights and a trophy. A maximum of seven players per teams is allowed.
The lone non-Aurora team in last season’s competition was Pomona, which defeated Cherokee Trail in a relay race to win the event.
This season’s competition will consist of bench press for reps, monster tire flip relay, sled push, farmers walk, “log” press and 4x100 relay along with a fire truck push and bracketed tug-o’-war.
Denver Summit FC’s set to play Centennial Stadium debut July 18
The area’s professional women’s soccer franchise — Denver Summit FC — has played home games during its inaugural season at various places, but will take the pitch at its new home July 18.
Centennial Stadium — created with the partnership between the city of Centennial, the Cherry Creek School District and CommonSpirit Health and located at 13740 E. Freemont Ave. — is set to see its first action when Summit FC meet the Portland Thorns in a noon contest.
The stadium and the CommonSpirit Performance Center sit on a 43-acre site that will be the team’s home until a new stadium in Denver is built. The facility will then be downsized and become a permanent facility for Cherry Creek School District teams.
Denver Summit FC has a 4-5-4 record thus far on the season.
TOP: Former Regis Jesuit standout Lainey Phillips — who helped lead the Raiders to the Class 5A girls lacrosse state championship game — received All-American accolades from USA Lacrosse. ABOVE LEFT: Academic All-American Greta Smolenski and the Smoky Hill girls swim team earned a Gold Scholar award from the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA). ABOVE RIGHT: Rangeview will play host to the annual Hog Wars competition July 22. (Photos by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)
The Magazine
Aurora hosts diasporic lm festival to foster cross-cultural dialogue
NDOYE SAID THAT A COMMON EXPERIENCE FOR PEOPLE FROM DIASPORIC BACKGROUNDS WAS A “FEAR OF BEING JUDGED AND LIMITED.”
BY OWEN SWALLOW, For The Sentinel
AURORA | The world regularly comes to Aurora, this time on the silver screen.
The third Colorado Diasporic Film Festival is coming to Aurora in August. As an initiative of the Askkanwii Filmmaking Incubator Hub, another Colorado-based nonprofit, the festival seeks to foster cross-cultural understanding and connection.
Askkanwii was founded in 2013 by Ousmane Ndoye, a Senegalese-born filmmaker and educator. Ndoye has spearheaded the Diasporic Film Festival and stewarded it into partnerships with the Sundance Institute and the Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media, as well as other film and media affinity groups in Colorado.
Ndoye said he was inspired to create both Askkanwii and the Diasporic Film Festival as a means of facilitating cross-cultural dialogue.
“I came here 29 years ago as an immigrant, and as a content creator,” Ndoye told the Sentinel. “My perspective was always to do films, write books, to tell stories. Then, when I came here, I realized that America has people from all over the world.”
Ndoye said that a common experience for people from diasporic backgrounds was a “fear of being judged and limited.”
“They stay in their comfort zone rather than coming out and sharing with our neighbors their own stories,” Ndoye said. “When I started college in 1999, to hone my English, I just wanted to write stories and films. That’s when I really observed networking… and realized that this country is built on a lot of immigrants, the diaspora, people from all over the world.”
Ndoye said it was then he considered us-
ing the arts, and film specifically, as a means of community building and allowing people to “tell their own story”.
“That way, maybe we can build more healthy communities, more understanding, and more bridge building,” Ndoye added.
Ndoye’s first non-profit, Askkanwii, takes its name from the Wolof word for community. Ndoye said he wanted to use filmmaking, art, and storytelling to build a community.
(Courtesy of the Colorado Diasporic Film Festival)
“That’s how [Askkanwii] came about, because I grew up in a village,” Ndoye said. “I always think, ‘What made a village strong?’ The village is strong because of its people living together in harmony, with respect, with tolerance, with communication, supporting one another… What makes a community strong is that people can, regardless of their differences of race, upbringings, or beliefs, we can find ways to create spaces where everyone can feel a sense of belonging.”
(Ndoye (Center) at a previous Colorado Diasporic Film Festival)
Ndoye said he took that mentality into creating events and activities aimed at cultural diplomacy. He started with diasporic movie nights, showcasing films from people with immigrant and diasporic backgrounds. Askkanwii has been providing filmmaking programs, support projects that range from documentaries to digital media, and hands-on filmmaking education and workforce development programs since 2013. The organization has held cultural exchanges, bringing artists from a variety of African countries to talk to film professionals in America and vice versa.
Ndoye said that the third edition of this exchange, called the Cultural Diplomacy Beyond Borders-FEST, is planned for this coming December and will take filmmakers and content creators to his native Senegal.
For the film festival itself, Ndoye wanted to evoke that feeling of community, cultural representation, and job opportunity and will take the form of the Diasporic FilmHub Village. The Colorado Diasporic Film Festival just announced its 2026 return from Aug 6 to Aug.9, with its opening night happening at the Sie Film Center in Denver and events continuing into the weekend across the Aurora Cultural
Arts District.
Many of the events for the film festival are slated for businesses across Aurora along Colfax, including Downtown Aurora Visual Arts, Roshni Healing Arts Sanctuary, Ollin Cafetzin, the Fox Arts Center, the Vintage Theatre, Banh and Butter Bakery Cafe, Society 303 Wine Bar, Cerebral Brewing, Lavictoria Incubator Kitchen, and Mango House Cultural Food Court.
“Through the Diasporic FilmHub Village, we are creating a welcoming space where every culture has a seat at the table, every story matters, and every community can see itself reflected on screen,” Ndoye said. “By highlighting House of Kodo this year, we are also celebrating local Colorado filmmakers who are showing that powerful storytelling can begin here at home and travel across the world.
This year, the CDFF will highlight House of Kod , a Colorado-based film company created by Bruce Tetsuya and Drew Matsushima. The festival will be screening Tetsuya’s new short film, “End of Things”, following an ex-military project and his fears for his daughter’s safety after seeing a vision of the end of the world.
The programming for the festival features projects from 21 different countries and 18 different languages. This year’s submissions include documentaries, feature films, short films, animation, experimental work, student films, children’s shorts, and web/new media projects.
IF YOU GO:
Dates: Aug 6 to Aug.9
Place: Multiple venues
Details and tickets are at cdfilmfestival.com. Tickets include a $15 food voucher for any of the festival’s partner businesses.
ABOVE: Ndoye’s first non-profit, Askkanwii, takes its name from the Wolof word for community. Ndoye said he wanted to use filmmaking, art, and storytelling to build a community.
Courtesy of the Colorado Diasporic Film Festival
Ousmane Ndoye
2501 Dallas St.
Tickets: Free admission
Information: stanleymarketplace.com or 720-941-7070
scene & herd
“Broadside The Musical” at the Vintage Theatre
A messy breakup story set to music: Britain and America, once in harmony, fall out of sync in a war of words before the first musket is fired. In pre-Revolutionary Boston, broadsides were everywhere: they were sharp and fast, working like the first social memes, they could shape public opinion overnight. At the center is Paul Revere, an artisan whose etchings become weapons in a growing information war. Caught between worlds is Margaret Gage, navigating loyalty as tensions rise and neighbors turn into rivals. Broadside reveals how songs, satire, and rumor didn’t just reflect the conflict, they fueled it.
IF YOU GO:
Date: Friday and Saturday curtains at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday curtain at 2:30 p.m. through July 19
Place: Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St.
Tickets: $25
Information: vintagetheatre.org or 303-856-7830
‘The Book Club Play’ at Vintage Theatre
Karen Zacarías’ fast-paced comedy celebrates books, friendship and the delightful chaos that erupts when a long-running book club becomes the subject of a documentary film. As cameras capture every discussion, disagreement and personal revelation, the arrival of a provocative new member throws the group’s carefully balanced dynamics into disarray. Directed by Brendan T. Cochran, the production blends literary humor with sharp observations about relationships, reading habits and the sometimes-surprising connections people form through books. Vintage offers a special Juneteenth performance with discounted admission.
IF YOU GO:
Date: Through July 19
Place: Vintage Theatre Productions, Bond-Trimble Theatre, 1468 Dayton St.
Tickets: Vary by performance
Information: www.vintagetheatre. org or 303-856-7830
“Live Music at The Local Drive’ at Stanley Marketplace
This ongoing live music series transforms the Stanley Marketplace hangar into a vibrant performance space featuring local and regional musicians. The programming spans genres—from indie and folk to jazz and rock—creating an eclectic soundtrack for Aurora’s creative community.
IF YOU GO:
Date: Fridays and Saturdays after 5 p.m.
Place: Stanley Marketplace,
“World’s Largest Dinosaurs’ at Denver Museum of Nature and Science
This traveling exhibition explores how the largest land animals in Earth’s history lived and functioned. Rather than focusing solely on fossil bones, the exhibit examines the biology of giant sauropods, which are dinosaurs whose massive bodies required unique adaptations for breathing, circulation and movement. Through interactive displays, models and scientific research, visitors can learn how scientists study both fossils and modern animals to understand how these enormous creatures survived and thrived millions of years ago. The exhibition also explores the evolutionary advantages and challenges of extreme size, offering a deeper look at how the scale of these animals shaped their behavior and ecosystems.
IF YOU GO:
Date: Through Sept. 7
Place: Denver Museum of Nature and Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd.
Tickets: $6-$9
Information: dmns.org or call 303-370-6000
“Still in Sound’ at the Clyfford Still Museum
This exhibition and sound-based experience invites visitors to encounter the abstract paintings of Clyfford Still through an immersive audio dimension, encouraging deeper reflection on color, scale and emotion within the museum’s galleries.
IF YOU GO:
Date: Through Feb. 14, 2027
Place: Clyfford Still Museum, 1250 Bannock St.
Tickets: Free-$18
Information: clyffordstillmuseum.org or 720-354-4880
Coal Creek School Days: Ukulele Sing-Along
Bring the family to Aurora’s historic Coal Creek Schoolhouse for a morning of music and hands-on history. This free summer program features a lively ukulele sing-along led by Aurora Cultural Arts and musician Leroy Leonard. The drop-in event is designed for children and families and offers a chance to experience one of Aurora’s oldest surviving schoolhouses while enjoying interactive musical entertainment. No registration is required. Visitors should note that restroom facilities are not available at the site.
IF YOU GO:
Date: July 17,
Time: 10:30 a.m.–11:15 a.m.
Place: Coal Creek Schoolhouse, 15500 E. First Ave.
Tickets: Free.
Information: aurorahistorymuseum.org or 303-739-6660
Michael Jackson Skate: Back For More! at Skate City Aurora
Celebrate the music of the King of Pop during an afternoon of roller skating featuring Michael Jackson’s biggest hits.
Following the popularity of last year’s event, Skate City brings back its themed skate session complete with music,
dancing and an MJ Look-Alike Contest. Guests are encouraged to dress as their favorite Michael Jackson era for a chance to win prizes while enjoying an afternoon on the rink with fellow fans.
Information: skatecitycolorado.com or 303-693-3201
” A Little Night Music” at Immersive Cabaret at the People’s Building
The Immortal Cabaret & Co. presents an evening of music, burlesque, drag and theatrical performance celebrating friendship, community and the joy of live entertainment. Each week’s performances feature a different lineup of artists, including Saline666, Kreole Brat, Mysti, Malaysia Tha Doll, Babbette de LeonCœur and additional special guests. The 90-minute production blends music, comedy and cabaret into an immersive nightlife experience for adult audiences.
IF YOU GO:
Date: July 21-22, 2026; performances at 7:30 p.m. each evening.
Place: The People’s Building, 9995 E Colfax Ave,
Tickets: $20 presale; $25 general admission; $30 at the door.
Information: thepeoplesbuilding.com or 720-515-3036
New Frontiers Diplomacy Forum at Wings Over the Rockies
WorldDenver and Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum present the inaugural New Frontiers Diplomacy Forum, a half-day conference exploring the role of international cooperation in aerospace and space exploration. The program features NASA Acting Associate Administrator Meredith McKay, government officials, aerospace executives and academic leaders discussing public-private partnerships, diplomacy and the future of global space exploration. Sessions are open to students, professionals and anyone interested in the future of aerospace.
IF YOU GO:
Date: July 28, 2026, 12:30 p.m.- 4 p.m.
Place: Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, 7711 E. Academy Blvd.
Tickets: Free-$19.95.
Information: wingsmuseum.org or 303-360-5360
Summer camp performances at Vintage Theatre
Young performers from Vintage Theatre’s summer education program take the stage in a series of productions showcasing acting, singing and stagecraft developed during the theater’s annual camps. These performances offer audiences a chance to see emerging local talent while supporting arts education in Aurora.
IF YOU GO:
Dates: Summer performances during late July 2026
Place: Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora
Tickets: Vary by production
Information: www.vintagetheatre. org or call 303-856-7830
Colorado Burlesque Festival at The Oriental Theater
Performers from around the country gather for the annual Colorado Burlesque Festival, featuring classic and contemporary burlesque acts, special guest headliners, elaborate costumes and variety entertainment. Although the venue is in northwest Denver, it is within convenient driving distance of Aurora.
IF YOU GO:
Dates: July 16–July 17
Place: The Oriental Theater, 4335 W. 44th Ave.
Tickets: $33 and up
Information: www.theorientaltheater.com or call 720-420-0030
Arapahoe County Fair
The county’s annual fair combines agricultural traditions with live entertainment, exhibits, carnival rides, competitions, food vendors and family activities. Cultural demonstrations and local performances are featured throughout the fairgrounds.
IF YOU GO:
Dates: July 23–July 26
Place: Arapahoe County Fairgrounds, 25690 E. Quincy Ave.
Aurora’s international business district comes alive with an evening celebrating the city’s cultural diversity. Visitors can enjoy live music and dance,
artisan vendors, local artists, international cuisine and family-friendly entertainment representing many of Aurora’s multicultural communities.
IF YOU GO:
Date: July 25, 6 p.m.–10 p.m.
Place: Leezakaya Plaza, 2710 S. Havana St.
Admission: Free Information: onhavanastreet.com or call 720-242-7318
“The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art” at the Denver Art Museum
The largest exhibition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art ever presented internationally brings together more than 130 works by 142 artists from the renowned collection of Australia’s National Gallery of Victoria. Spanning painting, sculpture, textiles and multimedia, the exhibition celebrates the diversity of Indigenous artistic traditions while exploring themes of Country, identity, community and cultural resilience. It offers visitors a rare opportunity to experience one of the world’s most significant collections of contemporary and historical Australian Indigenous art.
IF YOU GO:
Dates: Through July 26
Place: Denver Art Museum, Hamilton Building, 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway
Tickets: Included with general museum admission; some discounts available
Information: 720-865-5000 or www.denverartmuseum.org
Thursday July 23
4 PM-MIDNIGHT
4:30 PM Mutton Bustin’
5 PM 4-H/FFA Swine Show, ShenaniGuns! Comedy Wild West Show, Two Left Boots Line Dance Lessons*, Wildman Phil
5:30 PM Boots Not Suits Dinner, Globe of Death, Perfection on Wheels BMX Show
6 PM Mutton Bustin’
6:30 PM ShenaniGuns! Comedy Wild West Show, Top Hogs
6:45 PM Globe of Death
7 PM Atomic Jones* , Perfection on Wheels BMX Show
7:30 PM Mutton Bustin’
7:45 PM Globe of Death
8 PM ShenaniGuns! Comedy Wild West Show, Wildman Phil
Friday July 24 11 AM-MIDNIGHT
11:30 AM Raptor Events Avian Show
12:30 PM Mutton Bustin’, Pumpkin Seed
Spitting, R B*, Spoon Man, Wildman Phil
1 PM 4-H/FFA Goat Pack Obstacle Class, Longest Potato Peel Contest, Perfection on Wheels BMX Show
1:30 PM Top Hogs
2 PM Amazing Foot Archer, Learn to Knit and Crochet, Youth Hobby Horse Hurdle Races
2:15 PM Spoon Man
2:30 PM Mutton Bustin’, Raptor Events Avian Show, ShenaniGuns! Comedy Wild West Show, The Circus Man*
3 PM Trivia Contest
3:15 PM Globe of Death
3:30 PM Amazing Foot Archer*, Top Hogs
4 PM 4-H Ultrasound/Carcass Contest, Perfection on Wheels BMX Show, Pumpkin Seed Spitting, Spoon Man, The Circus Man*
4:30 PM Livestock Costume Contest, Mutton Bustin’, Wildman Phil
5 PM Amazing Foot Archer*
5:15 PM Globe of Death
5:30 PM ShenaniGuns! Comedy Wild West Show, Spoon Man, The Circus Man* , Top Hogs
6:30 PM Mutton Bustin’, Raptor Events Avian Show
7 PM NSPA Modified Tractor Pull (National Sled Pullers Association), Perfection on Wheels BMX Show, Rebel Souls: Tribute to Bad Company*, Silent Disco
7:15 PM Globe of Death, Spoon Man
7:30 PM Wildman Phil
8 PM Globe of Death
8:30 PM ShenaniGuns! Comedy Wild West Show, Spoon Man, Wildman Phil
5:30 PM ShenaniGuns! Comedy Wild West Show, Spoon Man, The Circus Man* , Top Hogs
6 PM Mutton Bustin’
6:30 PM Raptor Events Avian Show
7 PM Kingpin Posse*, Perfection on Wheels BMX Show, Silent Disco
7:15 PM Globe of Death, Spoon Man
7:30 PM CPRA Rodeo, Wildman Phil
8 PM Globe of Death
8:30 PM ShenaniGuns! Comedy Wild West Show, Spoon Man, Wildman Phil
9:30 PM America 250 - Colorado 150 Drone Show
Sunday July 26
11 AM-10:30 PM
11 AM Quilts of Valor Presentation
11:30 AM Art from Ashes Poetry * , Gold Prospectors of the Rockies, Raptor Events Avian Show NOON Ballet Folklorico*, CGTPA Garden Tractor Pull, Mutton’ Bustin’ 12:30 PM Pumpkin Seed Spitting, Wildman Phil
1 PM Kids Foam Party, Longest Potato Peel Contest, Perfection on Wheels BMX Show
1:30 PM Denver Municipal Band* , Learn to Knit and Crochet, Top Hogs
2 PM Fastest Fingers in the West Contest, Mutton Bustin’
2:30 PM Raptor Events Avian Show, ShenaniGuns! Comedy Wild West Show
5:30 PM ShenaniGuns! Comedy Wild West Show, The Circus Man*, Top Hogs
6:30 PM Raptor Events Avian Show
7 PM BadCo Band*, Mutton Bustin’, Perfection on Wheels BMX Show, Silent Disco
7:15 PM Globe of Death
7:30 PM Wildman Phil
8 PM Globe of Death
8:30 PM ShenaniGuns! Comedy Wild West Show, Wildman Phil
* Main Stage
Aurora lawmakers considers sanctions for council members who violate decorum rules
Sentinel Staff Writer
BY MCKENNA HARFORD,
Proposed sanctions for council members who violate decorum rules were a sticking point during a study session discussion July 13, though council was supportive of a one-meeting suspension for members of the public who go over the three-minute comment limit.
The council is considering a number of changes to its decorum and meeting rules, including implementing consequences for public commenters and council members who disregard the rules. The proposed changes come from the City Council Rules Committee, which has been discussing the public comment process since March.
On Monday, most of the proposed changes were supported by the council with a handful of exceptions. The most pushback came over potential sanctions for council members who violate rules, including a possibility to require the council member to attend training.
Mayor Mike Coffman and council members Stephanie Hancock, Angela Lawson and Françoise Bergan voiced concerns about politically motivated retaliation using the sanction process. They suggested that the threshold for sanctions should be a “substantial” violation of the rules, not just any deviation.
“This is like we’re going to start, for every violation, someone’s going to keep a little tally on us,” Bergan said. “And then the training — that’s crazy. I’m not going to any training.”
Ultimately, the opposition led the council to delay moving the changes forward to a vote for further discussion.
Currently, the rules only allow the council to enact a censure resolution against a member who violates the rules, though a censure can be brought for any violation of city code, the charter or the rules. A censure vote needs six members to approve it.
Proposed sanctions would allow council to enact a public admonishment, which would be posting the censure resolution publicly, as well as a public reprimand, which could require the council member to receive training or education on top of having the censure resolution posted.
Other possible sanctions include the loss of the member’s travel and training budget, removal from committees, removal from committee chair positions and exclusion from executive sessions.
For members of the public, the city attorney has advised that the council is limited in how it can regulate public comment and can’t prohibit certain kinds of speech, like profani-
“To borrow a word that (public commenters) use, they don’t give a sh**, so I don’t really either.” – Curtis Gardner
ty or name calling, because of First Amendment protections.
Under the proposed rules, if a speaker goes over their allotted time, the mayor will ask the speaker to wrap up and allow them a 10 second grace period. If the speaker continues past the grace period, the mayor will issue a final warning and if the speaker ignores the final warning then the mayor can ban the speaker from public comment at the next meeting. The ban would only last for one meeting.
The proposed protocol has been opposed by some members of the public, who previously questioned whether it’s right for the council to cut speakers off, especially those who may be grieving or emotional.
At least one council member had strong feelings about the proposed changes for speakers. Councilmember Curtis Gardner said he opposes all of the changes because “our rules mean nothing.”
“Our rules are selectively enforced at best and have been for years, so I don’t have any confidence that they will be
enforced going forward,” Gardner said.
Gardner said he has been disappointed in the past when people responded negatively to being asked not to use profanity.
“To borrow a word that (public commenters) use, they don’t give a sh**, so I don’t really either,” he said.
In addition to the potential sanctions, new language would set an expectation that council members and the mayor “conduct themselves professionally in their official capacities as elected representatives of the citizens of the city.” Council members would also be encouraged to attend meetings in person.
Two other proposed changes to the council meeting order were rejected on Monday. One suggestion was to move council members’ reports up in the meeting order before public comment and the other would have added a 30 minute comment period dedicated to speakers 18 and younger.
Council decided instead to keep the reports section at the end of the meeting and to prioritize youth speakers during the meeting’s initial one-hour comment period. The second comment period at the end of the meeting will also remain one hour.
Additional proposed decorum changes include:
• Limiting participation in the second one-hour comment period to people who haven’t spoken yet
• Limiting council reports to three minutes
• Removing the restriction on only one person being allowed at the podium during public comments
• Requesting speakers to give their legal name, whether they’re a resident and what ward they live in
• Requiring meeting agendas to be posted five days in advance of the meeting
• Allowing more flexibility for scheduling study sessions
• Lastly, changes would prohibit the city from spending money to support or oppose ballot initiatives and adjust rules for council travel budgets.
Above: Auon’tai Anderson derides Aurora Councilmember Stephanie Hancock for looking at her cell phone while Anderson addresses the council at the dais July 13, 2026 during a public comment session of the meeting. Below: Councilmembers Alison Coombs speaks at the June 23, 2026 city council meeting, about council protocol. SENTINEL SCREEN GRABS
***END OF PUBLIC AUCTION REPORT***
First Publication: July 16, 2026
Final Publication: July 30, 2026
Sentinel
CITY OF AURORA NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FOR HOMELESS SERVICES
The city of Aurora Homelessness Division
is accepting proposals from Monday July 20th 9am to Friday July 31st 5pm from organizations, such as nonprofits 501(c) (3), faith-based organizations and public agencies, with specific skills in providing homeless and homeless-related services such as homelessness prevention, emergency shelter, case management, rapid rehousing, housing navigation, behavioral health services, among other categories listed in the Notice of Funding Opportunity description.
The online application can be found at AuroraGov.org/Neighborly. If organizations need special accommodations to apply, please call Aurora Housing and Community Services at 303.739.7000. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Funding for these services comes from marijuana tax revenues, federal HOME Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA), federal Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), and Public Safety Assistance funds.
For questions, please email homelessness@auroragov.org or call 303-739-7000
First Publication: July 2, 2026
Final Publication: July 23, 2026 Sentinel CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO Ordinance 2026-32
FOR AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO, AMENDING CHAPTER 106 OF THE AURORA CITY CODE REGARDING MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AURORA OIL AND GAS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Ordinance 2026-32, which was introduced on July 13, 2026, will be presented for final passage at the July 27, 2026, regular meeting of the City Council. The full text of the ordinance is available for public inspection and acquisition in the City Clerk’s Office, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway, Suite 1400, Aurora, Colorado, and on the city’s website at:
Publication: July 16, 2026 Sentinel CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO Ordinance 2026-33 FOR AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE CHIEF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OFFICER TO ACQUIRE CERTAIN TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROPERTY, EITHER BY PURCHASE OR PURSUANT TO THE TERMS OF LEASE-PURCHASE AGREEMENTS TO BE ENTERED INTO BETWEEN THE CITY, AS LESSEE, AND LEASE INVESTORS, VENDORS OR THE AURORA CAPITAL LEASING CORPORATION, EACH AS LESSOR, AUTHORIZING OFFICIALS OF THE CITY TO TAKE ALL ACTION NECESSARY TO CARRY OUT THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY
Ordinance 2026-33, which was introduced on July 13, 2026, will be presented for final passage at the July 27, 2026, regular meeting of the City Council. The full text of the ordinance is available for public inspection and acquisition in the City Clerk’s Office, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway, Suite 1400, Aurora, Colorado, and on the city’s website at: https://www.auroragov.org/city_hall/public_records/legal_notices/ordinance_notices/. /s/ Kadee Rodriguez City Clerk
Publication: July 16, 2026 Sentinel
CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO Ordinance 2026-34
FOR AN ORDINANCE ANNEXING TWO PARCELS OF LAND LOCATED IN THE SOUTH HALF OF THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF SECTION 12, TOWNSHIP 4 SOUTH, RANGE 66 WEST OF THE 6TH PRINCIPLE MERIDIAN, ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO, (161 AND 121 GUN CLUB ANNEXATION) 20.491 ACRES
Ordinance 2026-34, which was introduced on July 13, 2026, will be presented for final passage at the July 27, 2026, regular meeting of the City Council. The full text of the ordinance is available for public inspection and acquisition in the City Clerk’s Office, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway, Suite 1400, Aurora, Colorado, and on the city’s website at: https://www.auroragov.org/city_hall/public_records/legal_notices/ordinance_notices/.
/s/ Kadee Rodriguez City Clerk
Publication: July 16, 2026 Sentinel CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO Ordinance 2026-35 FOR AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO, INITIALLY ZONING TWO PARCELS OF LAND MEASURING 20.49 ACRES, MORE OR LESS, LOCATED SOUTHWEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF EAST BAYAUD AVENUE ALIGNMENT AND SOUTH GUN CLUB ROAD TO MIXED-USE REGIONAL (MU-R) AND AMENDING THE ZONING MAP ACCORDINGLY (161 & 121 S GUN CLUB ROAD ZONING MAP AMENDMENT)
Ordinance 2026-35, which was introduced on July 13, 2026, will be presented for final passage at the July 27, 2026, regular meeting of the City Council. The full text of the ordinance is available for public inspection and acquisition in the City Clerk’s Office, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway, Suite 1400, Aurora, Colorado, and on the city’s website at: https://www.auroragov.org/city_hall/public_records/legal_notices/ordinance_notices/.
/s/Kadee Rodriguez City Clerk
Publication: July 16, 2026 Sentinel CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO Ordinance 2026-36 FOR AN ORDINANCE ANNEXING THREE PARCELS OF LAND LOCATED IN THE SW 1/4 SECTION 7, TOWNSHIP 4 SOUTH, RANGE 65 WEST OF THE 6TH P.M. AND THE SOUTH 1/2 OF THE SE 1/4 SECTION 12, TOWNSHIP 4 SOUTH, RANGE 66 WEST OF THE 6TH P.M., COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO, (222 GUN CLUB ANNEXATION) 46.6 ACRES
Ordinance 2026-36, which was introduced on July 13, 2026, will be presented for final passage at the July 27, 2026, regular meeting of the City Council. The full text of the ordinance is available for public inspection and acquisition in the City Clerk’s Office, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway, Suite 1400, Aurora, Colorado, and on the city’s website at: https://www.auroragov.org/city_hall/public_records/legal_notices/ordinance_notices/.
/s/ Kadee Rodriguez City Clerk
Publication: July 16, 2026 Sentinel
CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO Ordinance 2026-37
Ordinance 2026-38, which was introduced on July 13, 2026, will be presented for final passage at the July 27, 2026, regular meeting of the City Council. The full text of the ordinance is available for public inspection and acquisition in the City Clerk’s Office, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway, Suite 1400, Aurora, Colorado, and on the city’s website at:
FOR AN ORDINANCE ANNEXING A PARCEL OF LAND BEING A PORTION OF THE EAST HALF OF SECTION 9, TOWNSHIP 3 SOUTH, RANGE 65 WEST OF THE SIXTH PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, COUNTY OF ADAMS, STATE OF COLORADO, (VALLEY HEAD ANNEXATION) 165 ACRES
Ordinance 2026-39, which was introduced on July 13, 2026, will be presented for final passage at the July 27, 2026, regular meeting of the City Council. The full text of the ordinance is available for public inspection and acquisition in the City Clerk’s Office, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway, Suite 1400, Aurora, Colorado, and on the city’s website at:
Publication: July 16, 2026 Sentinel CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO Ordinance 2026-40
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO, INITIALLY ZONING A PARCEL OF LAND
MEASURING 165 ACRES, MORE OR LESS, LOCATED NORTH OF THE INTERSECTION OF EAST 56TH AVENUE AND VALLEYHEAD STREET TO AIRPORT DISTRICT (AD) AND AMENDING THE ZONING MAP ACCORDINGLY (VALLEYHEAD ZONING MAP AMENDMENT)
Ordinance 2026-40, which was introduced on July 13, 2026, will be presented for final passage at the July 27, 2026, regular meeting of the City Council. The full text of the ordinance is available for public inspection and acquisition in the City Clerk’s Office, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway, Suite 1400, Aurora, Colorado, and on the city’s website at:
CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO DATE: July 16 and 23, 2026
PURCHASE ORDER NO. PO1418 PROJECT NO: 6093A
PROJECT TITLE: Fire Station 5 Roof Replacement CONTRACTOR: R4 Roofing & Exteriors 7399 S. Tucson Way, Ste. C5 Centennial, CO 80112
Notice is hereby given that the City of Aurora intends to start processing the Final Payment to the above-named Contractor on August 3, 2026, provided no claims are received.
At said meeting, any person in interest may appear and be heard on the requested approval.
/s/ Kadee Rodriguez City Clerk
Publication: July 16, 2026 Sentinel
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Development Application: DA-2436-00
Case Number(s): 2026-4003-00
Applicant: Roberto Landeros Application Name: 1372 N Kenton Street ADU - Conditional Use
You are hereby notified that a public hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, starting at 6:10 p.m. at the regular meeting of the Planning Commission of the City of Aurora, Colorado. This meeting will be a virtual meeting, please go to the city website (auroragov.org) for instructions on participation. The hearing will consider a request for approval of a Conditional Use for an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) above an existing garage.
Site Location: East side of N Kenton Street, approximately 160 feet south of the intersection of N Kenton Street and 14th Avenue (1372 N Kenton St)
At said meeting any person in interest may appear and be heard on the requested approval.
/s/ Kadee Rodriguez City Clerk
Publication: July 16, 2026 Sentinel
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Development Application: DA-2405-00
Case Number(s): 2025-6024-00;2025-6024-01
Applicant: Jambo Motors Application Name: Jambo Motors - Conditional Use and Redevelopment Plan
You are hereby notified that a public hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, starting at 6:00 p.m. at the regular meeting of the Planning Commission of the City of Aurora, Colorado. This meeting will be a virtual meeting, please go to the city website (auroragov.org) for instructions on participation. The hearing will consider a request for approval of a Conditional Use for automotive sales in MU-C zone district and a Redevelopment Plan.
Site Location: Southeast corner of S Havana Street and E Tennessee Avenue (1050 S Havana St)
Site Size: 0.6 acres
At said meeting any person in interest may appear and be heard on the requested approval.
/s/ Kadee Rodriguez City Clerk
Publication: July 16, 2026
Sentinel
ACC METROPOLITAN DISTRICT
NOTICE CONCERNING 2025 BUDGET AMENDMENT
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to all interested parties that the necessity has arisen to further amend the ACC Metropolitan District 2025 Budget and that a copy of the Amended 2025 Budget has been filed at the District’s offices, 141 Union Boulevard, Suite 150, Lakewood, Colorado, where the same is open for public inspection; and that adoption of the Resolution Amending the 2025 Budget will be considered at a public meeting of the Board of Directors of the District on Friday, July 24, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. This District Board meeting will be held by Zoom. If you would like to attend this meeting, please use the information below:
To appear by phone: 720-650-7664, access code 2598 388 751 #
If you require an interpreter, a court-appointed interpreter will be scheduled to assist you at no charge. You must inform the Interpreter’s Office at (303)-645-6857 or the Clerk’s Office (on the first floor of the Courthouse I) that you need an interpreter at least one week prior to the date of your court appearance. Per Chief Justice Directive 06-03, interpreters must be on the roster of the Colorado Judicial Department Authorized Interpreters to provide interpreter services for the Court.
The Petitioner is required to file all necessary supporting documents, including a fully completed Proposed Order, prior to the hearing. Failure to do so may result in the hearing being vacated.
First Publication: July 16, 2026
Final Publication: July 30, 2026 Sentinel
BEFORE THE ENERGY AND CARBON MANAGEMENT COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO
CAUSE NO. 535
DOCKET NO. 251200259
TYPE: OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT PLAN
SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF COLORADO
IN THE MATTER OF THE PROMULGATION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF FIELD RULES TO GOVERN OPERATIONS FOR THE NIOBRARA FORMATION, WATTENBERG FIELD, ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
TO THE following interested parties: Lucille B. Grant William P. Grant Shirley A. Fritzler, Trustee Ling Zimmerman and Jennifer Ling Mah
You are hereby summoned and may appear and respond to the Application filed with the Commission in this docket. Pursuant to C.R.S. §§ 34-60-101 – 144, Crestone Peak Resources Operating, LLC (Operator No. 10633) (“Applicant”), filed an Application for an order to approve an approximate 8,987-acre Oil and Gas Development Plan (“OGDP”) for the development and production of twenty-six (26) total horizontal wells, to be developed from one (1) new Oil and Gas Location on the below-described lands (“Application Lands”) (the “Buffalo OGDP”):
APPLICATION LANDS
DSU 1 (Buffalo West) – approx. 1,920
acres
Township 4 South, Range 64 West, 6th
P.M.
Section 16: All
Section 17: All
Section 18: All
DSU 2 (Buffalo East) – approx. 1,920 acres
Township 4 South, Range 64 West, 6th
P.M.
Section 13: All
Section 14: All
Section 15: All
DSU 3 (Amended Houlihan) – approx. 1,280 acres
Township 4 South, Range 64 West, 6th
P.M.
Section 21: All
Section 22: All
DSU 4 (Bomhoff West) – approx. 1,947
acres
Township 4 South, Range 64 West, 6th
P.M.
Section 7: All
Section 8: All
Section 9: All
DSU 5 (Bomhoff East) – approx. 1,920
acres
Township 4 South, Range 64 West, 6th
temGuidebook_2023_FINAL.pdf
if no petition is filed, the Application may be approved administratively without a formal hearing.
If you file a petition, you must be able to participate in a prehearing conference during the week of July 27, 2026, if a prehearing conference is requested by the Applicant or by any person who has filed a petition.
If you fail to file a timely petition, the Commission may enter an order affecting your interests in the Application Lands without further notice. This matter may be continued to a future Commission hearing date, but that does not change your petition deadline. A copy of the Application may be obtained from the Commission’s eFiling system or Applicant’s attorney.
ENERGY AND CARBON MANAGEMENT COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO By /s/ Elias Thomas, Commission Secretary
Dated: June 11, 2026
Energy & Carbon Management Commission 1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 801 Denver, Colorado 80203 Website: https://ecmc.colorado.gov/
Farber Schreck, LLP 675 15th Street, Suite 2900 Denver, CO 80202 303-223-1100 jrhine@bhfs.com mlarsen@bhfs.com rmorris@bhfs.com
First Publication: June 25, 2026 Final Publication: July
FOR AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO, INITIALLY ZONING A PARCEL OF LAND MEASURING APPROXIMATELY 10 ACRES, MORE OR LESS, LOCATED WEST OF SOUTH GUN CLUB ROAD BETWEEN EAST ALAMEDA AVENUE AND FUTURE EAST BAYAUD AVENUE TO MIXED-USE REGIONAL (MU-R) AND AMENDING THE ZONING MAP ACCORDINGLY (222 S GUN CLUB ROAD ZONING MAP AMENDMENT I) Ordinance 2026-37, which was introduced on July 13, 2026, will be presented for final passage at the July 27, 2026, regular meeting of the City Council. The full text of the ordinance is available for public inspection and acquisition in the City Clerk’s Office, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway, Suite 1400, Aurora, Colorado, and on the city’s website at: https://www.auroragov.org/city_hall/public_records/legal_notices/ordinance_notices/. /s/ Kadee Rodriguez City Clerk
Publication: July 16, 2026 Sentinel CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO Ordinance 2026-38 FOR AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO, INITIALLY ZONING A PARCEL OF LAND MEASURING 35.7 ACRES, MORE OR LESS, LOCATED AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE INTERSECTION OF SOUTH GUN CLUB ROAD AND EAST ALAMEDA AVENUE TO MEDIUM DENSITY MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (R-3) AND AMENDING THE ZONING MAP ACCORDINGLY (222 S GUN CLUB ROAD ZONING MAP AMENDMENT II)
Any person or firm having debts against the Contractor must file a proper written notice with the Contract Coordinator, City of Aurora, Purchasing and Contract Services Division, 15151 East Alameda Parkway Suite 5700, Aurora, Colorado 80012, on or before the above date.
CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO BY: Cyndi Winner, Senior Procurement Agent
First Publication: July 16, 2026 First Publication: July 23, 2026 Sentinel
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Development Application: DA-1925-19 Case Number(s): 2025-6030-00;2025-6030-01 Applicant: Nicks Investments, LLC Application Name: All In One | Harmony Commercial - Conditional Use and Site Plan
You are hereby notified that a public hearing will be held on July 27, 2026, starting at 6:00 p.m. at the regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Aurora, Colorado. The meeting will be held in the Council Chambers in the Aurora Municipal Center located at 15151 E. Alameda Parkway, Aurora. This meeting also has a virtual attendance option, but anyone wishing to participate shall appear in person. Please visit the City website at AuroraGov.org for instructions on virtual attendance. PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER A CONDITIONAL USE FOR A FUELING STATION IN MU-C ZONE DISTRICT AND A SITE PLAN FOR A 4,000-SQUARE-FOOT CONVENIENCE STORE AND FUELING STATION, A 4,000-SQUARE-FOOT LIQUOR STORE, AND A 1,500-SQUARE-FOOT RESTAURANT.
Site Location: Southeast corner of E Alameda Avenue and S Powhaton Road Site Size: 1.45 acres
Any elector within the District may, at any time prior to the final adoption of the Resolution to Amend the 2025 Budget, inspect and file or register any objections thereto.
ACC METROPOLITAN DISTRICT By /s/ David Solin Secretary
Publication: July 16, 2026 Sentinel
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, DISTRICT COURT, COLORADO PROTECTIVE PROCEEDINGS CASE MANAGEMENT ORDER (GUARDIAN AND CONSERVATOR) Case No. 2026PR335
IN THE MATTER OF: Noelle Honor Turner
A Petition to Appoint Guardian and/or Conservator has been filed in the above-captioned action. Within 45 days of the date of filing, the Petitioner shall set a hearing with the Court by contacting the Court Judicial Assistant at 18division12@judicial.state. co.us. Failure to set a hearing may result in dismissal of the petition for failure to prosecute. The Court will not consider a Petition to Appoint Guardian and/or Conservator without an evidentary hearing. C.R.S. § 15-12-205(2); C.R.S. §15-14-305; §1514-401.
The hearing will be held by WebEx. All parties are expected to appear by video. In the event a part does not have video capability, that party may appear by telephone: To appear by video: https://judicial.webex. com/meet/D18-ARAP-Div12
P.M.
Section 10: All
Section 11: All Section 12: All
Arapahoe County, Colorado
Surface Location: Buffalo Oil and Gas Location (Location ID
Pending)
Township 4 South, Range 64 West, 6th
P,M, Section 15: approx. 19.17 acres in the NE¼SW¼ Arapahoe County, Colorado Nearby Public Crossroads: C.R. 64 & Jackson Gap St.
The Commission scheduled this matter for hearing on:
Date: August 26, 2026
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Place: Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission
The Chancery Building 1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 801 Denver, Colorado 80203
To oppose the Application, you must file a written petition with the Commission pursuant to Commission Rule 507. You must file your protest on or before July 27, 2026. Please see Commission Rule 507 at https://ecmc.colorado.gov/, under “Regulation,” then select “Rules.” Please note that, under Commission Rule 510.l, the deadline for petitions may only be continued for good cause, even if the hearing is continued beyond the date that is stated above. Pursuant to Commission Rule 507, if you do not file a proper petition, the Hearing Officer will not know that you wish to formally participate in this matter and the date and time of the hearing may change without additional notice to you. Parties wishing to file a petition must register online at https://oitco.hylandcloud.com/ DNRCOGExternalAccess/Account/Login. aspx and select “Request Access to Site.” Please refer to our “eFiling Users Guidebook” at https://ecmc.state.co.us/documents/reg/Hearings/External_EfilingSys-
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a Hearing regarding the dismissal of the protection order has been scheduled for Thursday, July 30, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. at the Arapahoe County Court, Courtroom 101. Failure to appear at this hearing may result in the Court entering Orders against you. Dated June 18, 2026.
Respectfully submitted, Heritage Family Law, LLC /s/ Jarod C. Harsha #55360 2679 West Main Street, Suite 300-1127 Littleton, CO 80120 Phone: (303) 569-9607 Email: jarod@heritagefamilylawyers.com
First Publication: July 9, 2026 Final Publication: July 23, 2026 Sentinel DISTRICT COURT, ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION Case N. 2026CV30436
Plaintiff(s)/Petitioner(s): HONIEL DAVIS v. Defendant(s)/Respondent(s): HI LOFTS LLC
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF COLORADO TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANT(S): You are hereby summoned and required to appear and defend against the claims of the complaint [petition] filed with the court in this action, by filing with the clerk of this court an answer or other response. You are required to file your answer or other response within 21* days after the service of this summons upon you. Service of this summons shall be complete on the day of the last publication. A copy of the complaint [petition] may be obtained from the clerk of the court.
If you fail to file your answer or other response to the complaint [petition] in writing within 21*days after the date of the last publication, judgment by default may be rendered against you by the court for the relief demanded in the complaint [petition] without further notice.
This is an action: for premises liability.
Dated: 06/02/2026 Ian Griffin 2851 S. Parker Rd., Ste. 150 Aurora, CO. 80014
First Publication: July, 2026 Final Publication: August 6, 2026 Sentinel
NOTICE OF 2025
BUDGET AMENDMENT HEARING
TRAILS PARK AND RECREATION DISTRICT
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to all interested parties that the necessity has arisen to amend the District’s 2025 Budget; that a copy of the proposed Amended 2025 Budget is on file at The Trails Recreation Center, 16799 East Lake Avenue, Centennial, Colorado 80016, where the same is available for inspection by the public Monday through Friday during normal business hours, (i.e., 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.).
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the Board of Directors of the Trails Park and Recreation District will consider the adoption of the proposed amended 2025 Budget at a public hearing to be conducted during a regular meeting of the Board of Directors to be held at The Trails Recreation Center, Conference Room, 16799 East Lake Avenue, Centennial, Colorado 80016 on July 21, 2026, at 3:00 p.m.
Any interested elector of the Trails Park and Recreation District may inspect the proposed 2025 Budget Amendment and file or register any objections or comments thereto at any time prior to the final adoption of the Amended Budget.
Dated this 6th day of July 2026.
TRAILS PARK AND RECREATION DISTRICT
By: /s/ Delos Searle
Publication: July 16, 2026
Sentinel
NOTICE TO ELIGIBLE ELECTORS OF HORIZON METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NOS. 1 – 10
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that one or more vacancies exist on the Boards of Directors of the HORIZON METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NOS. 1 – 10 (the “Districts”), County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado. Pursuant to Section 32-1-808(2)(a)(1),
C.R.S., any qualified eligible elector of the Districts may file a letter of interest in filling the Boards’ vacancies. A letter of interest may be filed at the office of Icenogle Seaver Pogue, P.C. located at 4725 South Monaco Street, Suite 360, Denver, Colorado 80237 or by email to spacheco@ isp-law.com.
BY ORDER OF THE BOARDS OF DIRECTORS: HORIZON METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NOS. 1 – 10 /s/ ICENOGLE SEAVER POGUE, P.C.
Publication: July 16, 2026
Sentinel
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
CV Colorado, LLC will submit an application to the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA). The purpose of this application is to request 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credits and State Affordable Housing Tax Credits to develop 147 total units of rental housing at Ironton Apartments located at 10660 E Colfax in Aurora. The request of tax credits from CHFA is to benefit persons with low and moderate incomes by preserving affordable housing. It is not the intent to cause displacement from any existing housing; however, if persons are displaced from their existing residences reasonable housing alternatives shall be offered.
As required by the Colorado Revised Statutes, Article 22 of Title 39, applicants for State Affordable Housing Tax Credits must conduct a public hearing in the community in which the proposed project is located. Columbia Ventures will hold a virtual public hearing on July 23rd, 2026 at 10:00 am MDT. Attendees may join the meeting by video-conference at this link https://bit. ly/4gcXHaP or by phone at 669-900-9128; Passcode: 406191. If reasonable accommodations are needed for persons attending the public meeting, please contact CV Colorado, LLC at 404-874-5000 or info@ columbiaven.com.
Publication: July 16, 2026 Sentinel PUBLIC NOTICE
The East Colfax Community Collective will submit an application to the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA). The purpose of this application is the acquisition and renovation of 60 units of rental housing at 1218-1268 Dallas Street, Aurora, CO, 80010. The request of funding from CHFA is to benefit persons with low incomes by increasing the availability of affordable housing in Aurora.
The project is estimated to cost $21.8 million. The estimated total yearly amount of Accelerated State credit allocation being requested is $1,300,000 and the total allocation of State Accelerated Affordable Housing Tax Credits over the 6 years is $7,800,000. This result would be approximately $7,800,000 in accelerated state equity investment with a present value of the Accelerated State Credit Allocation of approximately $5.7 million.
The estimated total yearly amount of Standard State credit allocation being requested is $600,000 and the total allocation of State Standard Affordable Housing Tax Credits over the 6 years is $3,600,000. This result would be approximately $3,600,000 in
Public comments will be solicited at the hearing. The hearing will be recorded, and East Colfax Community Collective will make copies of the recording available to anyone who requests it.
All interested persons are encouraged to contact the applicant for further information. Written comments should be sent to 1195 Newport Street, Ste. 107 Denver, CO, 80220 or carson@eastcolfaxcc.org.
Publication: July 16, 2026 Sentinel
Public Notice of Contractor’s Final Settlement
Pursuant to 1973 C.R.S. 38-26-107, notice is hereby given that on/or after the 29 day of June, 2026 final settlement with Mark Young Construction, LLC , will be made by the Joint District No. 28J of the Counties of Adams and Arapahoe (Aurora Public Schools) for and on account of the General Construction Contract for Aurora Central High School Food Services, APS project numbers C10225 and O10237, and that any person, co-partnership, association, company, or corporation who has an unpaid claim against any of the contractors for or on account of the furnishing of labor, materials, team hire, sustenance, provisions, provender, or other supplies used or consumed by such contractors, or any of their subcontractors, in or about the performance of said work may file at any time up to and including said time of such final settlement on/or after, June 29, 2026, a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on account of such claim with the Board of Education of said school district at the office of:
Support Services
Aurora Public Schools 15701 E. 1st Avenue Aurora, CO 80011
Failure on the part of a claimant to file such statements prior to such final settlement will relieve said school district from all and any liability for such claimant’s claim.
JOINT DISTRICT NO. 28J OF THE COUNTIES OF ADAMS AND ARAPAHOE STATE OF COLORADO
First Publication: July 16, 2026
Final Publication: July 23, 2026 Sentinel
STANLEY 98 PUBLIC HEARING PUBLIC NOTICE
The Housing Authority of the City of Aurora (AHA) will submit an application to the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) for the development of Stanley 98, a new construction development what will include 75 rental apartments for families located at 2520 N. Jamaica St. Aurora, CO 80010.
The total cost of the project is estimated to be $38.7 million. The estimated total yearly amount of State credit allocation being requested is $1,900,000 and the total allocation of State Affordable Housing Tax Credits over the 6 years is $11,400,000. This result would be approximately $11,400,000 in state equity investment with a present value of the State Credit Allocation of approximately $8,200,000.
The request of state tax credits from CHFA is to benefit persons with low to no incomes by increasing the availability of affordable housing in Aurora, Colorado. It is not the intent to cause displacement from any existing housing; however, if persons are displaced from their existing housing, reasonable housing alternatives shall be offered. All interested parties are encouraged to contact AHA and/or attend a virtual public hearing for further information. AHA shall post notice of meeting (SEE BELOW) to ensure other members of the public are aware of the meeting. If reasonable accommodations are needed for persons attending the public meeting, please contact AHA. The virtual public meeting will be held via Zoom conference on Friday, July 24, 2026 beginning promptly at 10:00am MST.
Meeting ID: 875 3568 7995 One tap mobile +17207072699,,87535687995# US (Denver) +17193594580,,87535687995# US
Join by SIP 87535687995@zoomcrc.com
Instructions on how to join and participate in the virtual public hearing can be found on our website - https://www.aurorahousing.org/public-notices
Publication: July 16, 2026 Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801
Case No. 2026PR129
Estate of Eduardo Delgado, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or the District Court of Adams County, Colorado, on or before June 30, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred.
Cristina Delgado
Personal Representative 13035 Converse Rd. Bennett, CO 80102
First Publication: July 9, 2026
Final Publication: July 23, 2026
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2026PR030652
Estate of Denette Marie French aka Denette M. French aka Denette French, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before November 9, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred.
Anna L. Burr, Esq. 2851 S. Parker Road, Ste. 230 Aurora, CO 80014
First Publication: July 9, 2026
Final Publication: July 23, 2026
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2026PR203
Estate of David Villano, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado, on or before November 17, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred.
Dylan Villano
Personal Representative 8112 Grant St. Denver, CO 80229
First Publication: July 16, 2026
Final Publication: July 30, 2026
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2026PR281
Estate of DEBORA LEE LOSAVIO aka DEBORA L. LOSAVIO aka DEBORA LOSAVIO aka DEBBIE LOSAVIO, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before November 9, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred.
Sonya M. Treadway-Eden c/o Lisha R. Coultrip Banner, Bower & Coultrip, P.C.
115 E. Riverwalk, Suite 400 Pueblo, CO 81003
First Publication: July 9, 2026
Final Publication: July 23, 2026
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.
Case No. 2026PR30194
Estate of Ronald G. Stjernholm aka Ronald Glen Stjernholm aka Ron Stjernholm, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before November, 2026,or the claims may be forever barred.
Robert Stjernholm Personal Representative 2000 W. 12th Ave. Lakewood, CO 80214
First Publication: July 2, 2026
Final Publication: July 16, 2026
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2026PR30300
Estate of Ariene M. Hawkins, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District of Adams County, Colorado, on or before November 9, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred.
Georgine Rukavina
Personal Representative 1724 Pinnacle Dr. Aurora, IL 60502
Attorney for Personal Representative Jack Connors, Esq. Atty Reg #: 60691
Spaeth & Doyle, LLP
501 S. Cherry St., Ste. 700 Glendale, CO 80246
Phone: 303-385-8058
First Publication: July 9, 2026
Final Publication: July 23, 2026
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2026PR30415
Estate of Verlin Tooley, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District of Adams County, Colorado, on or before November 16, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred. Lisa Tooley
Personal Representative 6014 Blanco Road, Apt. 112 San Antonio, TX 78216
Attorney for Personal Representative
David A. Imbler, Esq.
Atty Reg #: 52038
Spaeth & Doyle, LLP
501 S. Cherry St., Ste. 700 Glendale, CO 80246
Phone: 303-385-8058
First Publication: July 16, 2026
Final Publication: July 30, 2026
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2026PR30455
Estate of THOMAS A. VANDERBUR aka THOMAS ALEXANDER VANDERBUR aka THOMAS VANDERBUR aka TOM A. VANDERBUR aka TOM ALEXANDER VANDERBUR aka TOM VANDERBUR, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado, on or before November 9, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred.
Eric T. Vanderbur & Leanne B. Vanderbur Personal Representatives 10122 Josephine St. Thornton, CO 80229
First Publication: July 9, 2026
Final Publication: July 23, 2026
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2026PR30522
Estate of Alys Louise Reevie aka Alys L. Reevie, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before November 16, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred.
Joseph McDonough
Personal Representative 13713A E. Marina Dr. Aurora, CO. 80014
First Publication: July 16, 2026
Final Publication: July 30, 2026
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2026PR30562
Estate of Connie Eileen Wynn aka Connie E. Wynn aka Connie Wynn, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before November 16, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred.
Christopher Wynn Personal Representative 818 Sparrow Hawk Dr. Highlands Ranch, CO 80219
Attorney for Personal Representative
David A. Imbler, Esq.
Atty Reg #: 52038
Spaeth & Doyle, LLP
501 S. Cherry St., Ste. 700 Glendale, CO 80246
Phone: 303-385-8058
First Publication: July 16, 2026
Final Publication: July 30, 2026
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.
Case No. 2026PR311
Estate of Deborah H. Foreman, Deceased.
All persons are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before November 1, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred. Randall Foreman
Personal Representative 4400 S. Quebec St., #R107 Denver, CO 80237
First Publication: June 18, 2026
Final Publication: July 2, 2026
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2026PR325
Estate of Lance Steven Edward York, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before October 22, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred. Christine York
Personal Representative 1622 Papago Dr. Chino Valley, AZ 86323
First Publication: July 2, 2026
Final Publication: July 16, 2026
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.
Case No.2026PR347
Estate of Philip James Wanczyk, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before November 16, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred. Lynda Sox
Personal Representative 3895 S. Sherman St. Englewood, CO 80113
First Publication: July 16, 2026
Final Publication: July 30, 2026 Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.
Case No. 2026PR30523
Estate of Jennifer Lee Cole aka Jennifer L. Cole aka Jennifer Cole, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before November 5, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred.
Attorney for Co-Personal Representatives, Scott Gelman 8480 E. Orchard Rd., Ste. 5000 Greenwood Village, CO 80111
First Publication: July 2, 2026
Final Publication: July 16, 2026
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2026PR030317
Estate of Kathy J. Keenan aka Kathy Keenan Kathy Jean Keenan, Deceased. All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before November 9, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred.
Jennifer Sue Lee
Personal Representative 7821 Linda Cir. Denver, CO 80221
First Publication: July 9, 2026
Final Publication: July 23, 2026 Sentinel
PUBLIC NOTICE OF PETITION OF CHANGE OF NAME OF AN ADULT ARAPAHOE COUNTY COURT, COLORADO Case No. 2026C100537
PUBLIC NOTICE is given on June 15, 2026, that a Petition was filed for a Change of Name of an Adult has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.
The Petition en-tered that the name of Trevor Thomas Guerin changed to Thomas DiAngelo.
First Publication: July 2, 2026
Final Publication: July 16, 2026 Sentinel
/s/ Judge
PUBLIC NOTICE OF PETITION OF CHANGE OF NAME OF A MINOR ARAPAHOE COUNTY COURT, COLORADO Case No. 2026CV213
PUBLIC NOTICE is given on June 10, 2026, that a Petition was filed for a Change of Name of a Minor has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.
The Petition en-tered that the name of Abril Elena Montijo Dominguez changed to Abril Elena Dominguez. /s/
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2026PR30359
Estate of Vincent James Tancreti aka Vincent Tancreti aka Vince Tancreti, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado, on or before November 2, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred. Elizabeth Tancreti
Personal Representative
535 Queenstown Dr. Kenly, NC 27542
First Publication: July 2, 2026
Final Publication: July 16, 2026
Sentinel
Editorials
Trump strikes at the heart of American freedom by targeting reporters
While it’s difficult for Americans to even keep track of all the corrupt, incompetent and illegal schemes and scams of President Donald Trump and his regime, Americans can’t turn away from a recent move that could push the nation into becoming another authoritarian dominion.
Trump’s Department of Justice subpoenaed at least three New York Times reporters Friday in an attempt to find the source of Trump administration leaks linked to a presidential airplane given to Trump by Qatari royalty.
The Boeing 747-8 was a gift valued at $400 million given to Trump last year. Since then, the administration has spent $400 million to “upgrade” the plane to Air Force One standards, and Trump began flying in it last week.
Trump, however, left a NATO summit last Wednesday in Turkey in an older Air Force One jet after having flown the gifted airplane to the summit. When asked by reporters, Trump made an excuse, saying that he wanted the new plane to be flown without him to Mildenhall, a United Kingdom Royal Air Force base in Suffolk, England.
There, Trump switched back to the gifted plane and flew back to the United States.
The media pointed out that the odd and abrupt swap came as a dubious ceasefire with Iran collapsed and airstrikes resumed.
“Iran and Turkey share a border, sparking speculation that the gifted Qatari jet lacked certain sophisticated security and countermeasure systems,” the Associated Press reported.
The New York Times, however, cited anonymous sources saying that the last-minute swap came at the insistence of the Secret Service, possibly putting Trump at danger of an attack by Iran as it flew near the country on the way out of Turkey.
At the time, Trump denied any security concerns and told the media he wanted military members stationed at Mildenhall to take a gander of the gifted jet, a transparent fabrication.
Having made it clear that the dubiously gifted jet, infused with $400 million dollars in tax money, was a risk to Trump’s safety and security, and that his story was an embarrassing lie, Trump and his minions at the FBI and DOD struck out, sending agents to reporters’ homes to dispense subpoenas.
“The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects,” David McCraw, a lawyer for the Times, said in a statement.
Information leaks have plagued governments, federal and local, large and small, since the beginning of the U.S. government. Arguments have long been made, and settled by courts, as to whether the government, as a last resort, can compel a reporter to reveal his or her sources as a matter of public safety and security.
It is inarguable that information leaked to journalists and the media have had hugely consequential impact on providing warranted transparency and accountability, for every level of government.
The power of the media is so critical that it was bestowed special protection in the Constitution from the beginning of the American government.
Benjamin Franklin, as the head of the postal service, used leaked letters to out a colony governor as a British loyalist, secretly trying to buoy the royal government in 1773, creating the “Hutchison Letters” scandal and helping fuel the American revolution.
In 1971, the leak of the “Pentagon Papers” led to stories showing how the U.S. government had lied about and misled the American public about the Vietnam War.
In 1972, a then-secret source in the FBI linked information about a Watergate Hotel break-in that led to the impeachment and resignation of Richard Nixon.
In 2013, Edward Snowden leaked classified documents to The Guardian and The Washington Post, exposing secret surveillance of millions of Americans’ data.
In 2024, locally, the Sentinel and other media reported that a former acting Aurora police chief granted not only favoritism toward a high-level department official, but promoted her to a top job. Internal sources leaking details of the move to the Sentinel resulted in the story being made public and the top official resigning to avoid firing.
Throughout world and American history, the power and independence of the media has shown to be the most powerful way to provide transparency and accountability. Just recently in China, a plane crashing into the nation’s tallest building was erased from every Chinese news source by the government, made possible by the lack of a free and independent media there.
Trump, since his first presidency has worked tirelessly to wrongly discredit the media and mold the U.S. government after those in China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, which dictate and control the news to their citizenry. He has repeatedly called the press the “enemy of the people.”
In just the past two years, the Trump administration has worked to usurp federal restrictions in how it regulates airwaves to force news and other media companies to withhold all kinds of content Trump and his administration see as unflattering. Spokespersons at the Department of Justice said last week that “to be clear, reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are.”
It’s just another example of the Trump administration either being incompetent, impotent or just outright lying. If the source of the leak is important to the safety of the United States or the president, figure it out. But an unfettered, unthreatened and independent media is, more than anything else, what holds Democrats, Republicans and every government official and employee accountable to the public.
Lucky Lindsey Graham exits, stage right
There’s an old saying that if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas. Lindsey Graham died scratching. I’m not celebrating Graham’s passing – I’ll leave that to the lefty ghouls on social media – but nor will I whitewash his detestable sins just because he’s gone. The D.C. establishment is predictably busy conferring retroactive sainthood, which makes it all the more imperative that the sad and tragic truth be told.
Every aspiring fascist needs a simpering flunky. Donald Trump, with his uncanny ability to exploit human weakness, got his man.
Trump correctly intuited Graham would sacrifice everything – integrity, credibility, character, the semblance of a conscience – just to be in the room where it happened. Even if the room was overrun by a convicted felon who represented everything that Lindsey, once upon a time, claimed to loathe.
Ten long years ago, Lindsey was in relentlessly high dudgeon about the lowlife. He assailed Trump as “a nutjob,” as “a complete idiot,” as a “jackass,” as “crazy,” as “a race-baiting xenophobic bigot,” as “a demagogue of the highest order.” He said, “You know how to make America great again? Tell Donald Trump to go to hell.”
He also denounced Trump as “a kook” who was “unfit for office.” And yet, one year later, after Trump’s first electoral win, Lindsey effectuated a gymnastic twist worthy of the Olympics: “What concerns me about the American press is this endless, endless attempt to label the guy some kind of kook not fit to be president.”
Graham’s pathetic subservience was endless – to the point where he trekked to Georgia at Trump’s command in December 2020 to baselessly contest Joe Biden’s statewide victory, pressuring state election officials (without success) to throw out some of the legal ballots. And despite his initial anger about the Jan. 6 desecration of the Capitol by MAGA goons, he predictably voted to acquit his alpha dog in the subsequent impeachment trial.
Look again at Lindsey’s string of scathing 2016 remarks, and the conclusion is inescapable: He knew perfectly well who and what Trump was, but he chose to play the toady and reverse-engineer his rhetoric. “Mr. President,” he said in 2024, “you’re not far behind God.”
You surely know for years Lindsey played “wingman” (his word) to John McCain, a heavy hitter and inveterate Trump foe. You may not know, however, that after Barack Obama ascended to the White House in 2008, Lindsey morphed into a groupie. He praised Obama as “a
good role model” and “an American just as much as anyone else.” He took heat from right-wingers who called him “Obama Lite” and “Flimsy Graham.” Tommy Vietor, an Obama aide, later tweeted, “When Obama first took office, (Lindsey) lived in Rahm Emanuel’s office,” referring to Obama’s first chief of staff. “He has no core beliefs. He just drifts in the political wind.”
Obama, McCain, Trump…What’s the difference. Lindsey was remarkably nimble-footed. A Republican operative told me privately, “He started drifting toward Trump when McCain got sick.”
Lindsey saw nothing wrong with shifting his loyalty. He told a reporter in 2019 that his main motivation was “to try to be relevant.” And if that meant sucking up to the grifter who loved to trash McCain’s memory, hey, no problem because everything was grist for sacrifice at the relevance altar. Lindsey admitted to a reporter he didn’t like Trump’s trashing of McCain, “ but when we play golf, it’s fun.”
Fun for him, yes. Not fun for the Americans who’ve been hurt by his subservience to evil –starting with the millions of women who’ve now been denied autonomy over their own bodies, thanks in part to Lindsey’s vocal championing of Brett Kavanaugh, at Trump’s behest, for the U.S. Supreme Court. There are also millions of needy people who will lose Medicaid coverage and food assistance thanks to the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” that Lindsey, at Trump’s behest, steered through the Senate.
Lindsey chose to do all this, chose to serve his MAGA master – in defiance of sage advice that his erstwhile hero McCain co-authored in a book: “It is your character, and your character alone, that will make your life happy or unhappy. That is all that really passes for destiny. And you choose it. No one else can give it to you or deny it to you. No rival can steal it from you. And no friend can give it to you. Others can encourage you to make the right choices or discourage you. But you choose.”
So excuse me for failing to mourn the man. I’m tempted to joke that he died from an overdose of Trump’s shoe polish, and I suppose that’s in bad taste. But sucking up to the enemy within was infinitely worse. –
Dick Polman, a veteran national political columnist based in Philadelphia and a Writer in ResidenceattheUniversityofPennsylvania, writestheSubjecttoChangenewsletter.Email himatdickpolman7@gmail.com
DICK POLMAN, CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST
Obituary
James William Rowland
December 26, 1949 - June 24, 2026
James William Rowland died June 24, 2026, in San Angelo, Texas at the age of 76. He was born December 26, 1949, to Jack and Wanda Rowland in Artesia, NM.
James graduated from Artesia High in 1967 and obtained his Petroleum Engineering Degree in 1972 from NMSU. James lived in El Paso, Midland and later moved to Aurora, Colorado up until 2023 when he moved to San Angelo. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Wanda Rowland; grandparents William and Ruth Rowland; and J. J. and Gladys Starkey.
James is survived by his furry companion, Molly; his sister, Vickie Moreau and husband Dale of Carlsbad, NM; and his brother, David Rowland and wife Debbie of Artesia, NM. He is also survived by aunts, nieces, nephews, cousins, and countless friends that he met and kept throughout his life.
Per James’s wishes, he will be laid to rest at a later date with his parents in Artesia, New Mexico.