Sentinel Colorado 9.18.25

AURORA SHOOTING SEEN

Body cam footage of fatal Black man shooting by Aurora officer details brief, aggressive encounter, while numerous witnesses watch

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Criminalizing crass Charlie Kirk commenters would be the end of America

Imagine my surprise when I found myself in total agreement this week with Vice President JD Vance.

Vance, assuming the role of podcast host, took on the topic of the public’s reaction to the assassination of activist Charlie Kirk.

“When you see someone celebrating Charlie’s murder, call them out,” Vance told listeners on the slain activist’s podcast Monday. For sure.

As Americans, the First Amendment allows us, and even compels us to publicly say what we want, no matter who’s talking, presidents or fellow peons.

Vance went off the rails after that, insisting that the public help the government identify, dox and punish people who he and other U.S. government officials think said unsavory or unsatisfactory things about Kirk’s cruel assassination. It’s now opened a grim new chapter in America’s free speech debate.

Kirk made a career as a provocateur with his inflammatory rhetoric. He has long been lionized by his allies and supporters as a warrior for unfettered expression, fighting against political correctness and liberal values.

But now, the Trump administration and its allies have launched a campaign not to protect speech, but to punish what they deem politically incorrect. They’ve worked to dox and fire teachers, threaten immigrants and weaponize their nearly hysterical outrage against those they tag as political opponents.

So much for Trump’s announcement earlier this year that, “free speech is back,” and on Inauguration Day signing an executive order “Restoring Freedom Of Speech And Ending Federal Censorship.” None of this is the defense of free speech. It is its destruction.

The Bill of Rights was created to set the United States apart from regimes, rulers and despots that punished public discourse. This nation has been defined by the First Amendment. The framers knew that a free press and the right to speak without fear of government reprisal were the bedrock of self-government.

These freedoms exist precisely to protect the nation’s dissenters, contrarians and gadflies, just like Kirk, who irritate those in power. The moment the government begins criminalizing what is said, we cease to be a free republic.

Kirk embodied that principle. He provoked, insulted and inflamed. He thrived in the marketplace of good ideas and bad that the Constitution safeguards.

And although many people despised his views, neither the righteous nor the wrong-headed could dispute his right to express them.

It is a sick irony that the same movement Kirk championed is now working to silence those who dare to speak against him in death.

It’s hardly news that the nation’s social media scene has become overwhelmed with caustic, toxic, heartless messaging that goes far beyond the civil norm most people use to guide their lives, including refraining from speaking ill of the newly dead.

But free speech is the best way for free nations to admonish rude and crude public behavior, not the tactics used in Russia, Iran and China.

Only the most repressive nations punish citizens for their words. Authoritarian regimes from Moscow to Beijing enforce loyalty tests by criminalizing dissent, doxxing opponents and stripping them of their jobs or freedom for opinions made public.

That the United States government is now veering toward such practices should horrify every American, regardless of political affiliation.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s public celebration of airline employees being disciplined for online comments is not a measure of freedom. It’s strategic coercion.

Trump’s casual admission that political adversaries are already under investigation should startle anyone who values democratic norms. When the State Department threatens to revoke visas because of speech, it betrays the very ideals America has long claimed to export.

The First Amendment’s true test has always been the protection of unpopular speech. Defending someone’s right to praise kitties or mourn the death of a beloved actor requires no courage. Defending the repugnant, offensive tweet or cruel comment and tasteless joke is the essence of constitutional protection of speech.

Adam Goldstein of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression made it clear: “The only time you’re really supporting free speech is when it’s unpopular.”

That’s why this moment is so dangerous. The Trump administration has seized on Kirk’s death to create a societal wedge. By framing dissenting or crude commentary as complicity in the assassination, they blur the line between speech and violence. By demanding firings and investigations, they cloak constitutional liberties as punishable offenses.

Their outrage is so frenzied and off-base that it makes it clear this is more about deflection than defense of civility.

The truth is that Trump’s second administration has begun to stagger under mounting failures.

His immigration crackdowns have triggered deep concern, even among the MAGA faithful and drawn international condemnation.

His economic policies have done nothing to ease inflation for working families, and, as every credible expert has pointed out, stand to make the cost of living worse.

Abroad, his foreign policy has alienated allies while empowering rivals.

At home, Trump’s divisive rhetoric has deepened polarization to a near-breaking point, even among allies who want to see the Epstein files no matter how much Trump doesn’t want them to.

In this climate, a convenient distraction is invaluable. Rallying the base against professors, employees and pundits who dared to express contempt for Kirk offers a ready-made target. Trump loves promoting the fictional drama of “an enemy within.”

All this shifts the narrative from failures of governance to a spectacle of grievance, outrage and punishment. And for Trump, grievance politics has always been his tactic for survival.

But this political scheme is catastrophic. To criminalize expression is to hollow out the very foundation of the American republic. To turn employers and universities into enforcement arms of political orthodoxy is to abandon free thought and pluralism. To let government officials dictate which opinions are tolerable is to succumb to authoritarianism.

Americans don’t have to condone tasteless remarks about Kirk’s death to recognize the right to make them. We need not agree with Trump’s critics to acknowledge their constitutional protections. Free speech is not contingent on patriotism or politeness. It is absolute. Once surrendered, it will not return.

The crisis is not what people said about Kirk. The real crisis is a government increasingly willing to punish speech at all.

If we abandon the First Amendment now, we abandon America.

Follow@EditorDavePerryonBlueSky,Threads, Mastodon,TwitterandFacebookorreachhimat 303-750-7555ordperry@SentinelColorado.com

Aurora lawmakers give rst OK to unmanned cameras to curb speeding

“I

DON’T SUPPORT THIS. OUR VOTERS HAVE TURNED DOWN RED-LIGHT CAMERAS, WHICH IS A VERY SIMILAR

BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Staff Writer

Aurora police are asking city council for unmanned cameras and radar devices to snag speeding violations, reigniting a debate over the use of traffic cameras in the city.

Police Lt. Chris Amsler of APD’s traffic division told city council members at its Sept. 8 meeting that the change is needed because the department has struggled to hire enough officers to regularly patrol for speeding on Aurora streets.

“In the past, we had manned vehicles, and in the past, we had issues with staffing and retaining employees to operate those vehicles,” AMMM said. So this ordinance change would allow us to have unmanned devices that would capture speeding violations.”

Under the proposal, the city would use systems such as “photo radar vans” and other unmanned systems to detect speeders, photograph license places and dispense speeding tickets. Each violation would still be reviewed by a city employee or a contractor before a penalty is issued, Amsler said. In more severe cases, such as when an individual’s speed exceeds 25 miles per hour over the limit, the investigation could be referred to a police officer as a traffic offense.

The plan drew sharp pushback from Councilmember Curtis Gardner, who said the measure feels too similar to so-called red-light cameras, which Aurora voters previously rejected.

“I don’t support this. Our voters have turned down redlight cameras, which is a very similar concept,” Gardner

said. “I think this is using public safety to generate revenue. And again, I feel like our voters have pretty clearly said they do not want cameras monitoring their traffic behavior. So I’m going to be a ‘no’ vote on this.”

Councilmember Alison Coombs said she did not want to infringe on civil liberties but she is also concerned about deaths and injuries linked to speeding.

“I have significant reservations, because we want to make sure that we’re protecting people’s civil liberties in relation to surveillance,” Coombs said. “However, I’m also very concerned about the deaths, particularly pedestrian and cyclist deaths caused by speed.”

Council members Stephanie Hancock, Francoise Bergan, and Steve Sundberg all stated that they have received numerous complaints about excessive speeding. Hancock said she has had people tell her they regret eliminating Aurora’s red-light cameras. In contrast, Gardner said he has received kudos for voting to rid the city of red-light cameras and other similar ordinances.

“I think this goes in a way to help us mitigate some of the issues that we’re having with speeding,” Hancock said.

Amsler said that the devices would capture radar data, photos of license plates, and an image of the driver, which would then be reviewed by a recently hired APD contract employee with 22 years of experience at the Denver Police Department.

“This will be 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Amsler said. “We have two automated devices that will be used. They’re both also movable and portable, so they won’t

CONCEPT.”

be in the same area all the time. So we can move them to different areas.”

Amsler also told city council members that state law restricts photo enforcement to school zones, construction zones, municipal parks and streets with a speed limit of 35 mph or lower. The city council could authorize the use of speed cameras on major thoroughfares by passing a resolution, which would also require support from five years of crash and speeding data, Amsler said.

Coombs asked if the police have information on who the vendor might share the data with, or who all might have access to the pictures and information about violations and violators.

“My understanding is that because they’re actually creating a back office for just our use,” Amsler said in response. “It would only be the Aurora Police Department and then the vendor.”

However, Amsler said he would have to clarify with the vendor that the data stored would only be accessible to the vendor and the police department.

The ordinance was approved on first reading with all members of city council in favor, except Gardner and Coombs.

AROUND AURORA

Despite lawsuit threats, Aurora courts chief position changed for ‘better oversight’

After threats of litigation and accusations of discrimination, the majority of city lawmakers still approved moving oversight of the city’s court administrator from the city council to the city manager’s office.

“This would (bring) litigation over a hostile work environment,” Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky said during a heated discussion at Monday night’s council meeting. “This would (bring) litigation over discrimination, and it is blatant, blatant discrimination.”

The current court administrator is Candice Atkinson, who did not publicly comment on the change.

The position has for decades been a direct appointee of the city council and reported solely to them. But after months of reports that the department, which oversees city courts and the city’s detention center, had coordination and supervision issues, lawmakers voted 7-3 on final reading to have the court administrator position moved to the city manager for more oversight. Proponents argued that the change aligns with common practices in other municipalities, mirrors other top-level city administration structure, and that it would streamline management.

“This is not a demotion,” Mayor Mike Coffman said. “This exists in law, in our charter, the ability to make this decision, and what it effectively does is it says, instead of having 11 bosses, she would have one.”

Council members approved the change on second reading with Councilmembers Jurinsky, Amsalu Kassaw and Steve Sundberg opposed.

Under the current city Aurora Charter, the court administrator reports directly to the city council, one of only four positions, including the city attorney, the city manager and the chief judge.

The position and responsibilities of the court administrator has drawn questions for months.

“I just wanted to note for the record, because it’s been applied otherwise,” Councilmember Alison Coombs said.” Before we hired this court administrator, I asked that we separate the court administrator from the jail detention, and that those not be one position and that they’d be under the city attorney.”

The ordinance said the change is intended to “streamline operations and align with best practices.” The administrator’s pay and benefits will still ultimately be set by city council, and staffing will remain tied to the city’s annual budget process.

“What I’m concerned about is some of the areas in which I feel the administrator position is in over their head, particularly as it relates to the information technology portion of this job,” Councilmember Stephanie Hancock said. “We don’t have the requirements stated as to what is needed to effectively run our courts, so that we, as a city, are not subject to undue litigation, because we’ve fallen short in some of these areas. That’s my concern. It is not anything against Candace at all. I feel like she’s out on the island by herself, unprotected.”

Almost every other department in the city reports to the city manager’s office, including the Aurora Police Department. Officials stated that the

court system’s move was intended to create better oversight and to align the department more closely with the rest of the city’s departments.

Jurinsky said she did not believe that was the reason.

“This is bad policy,” Jurinsky said. “This is retaliation. This is about the person, not the position. We will immediately be sued. This is blatant discrimination. This is a hostile work environment.”

The push for a charter change followed a Management and Policy Finance Committee meeting in July, which raised a plethora of unanswered questions after an audit of the court administration office.

During the July meeting, City Auditor Michelle Crawford said that a review had identified significant technological weaknesses and poor cash handling practices in the courts system.

In July, it was also reported that detention center staff had adopted a policy using a triplicate receipt book and drop safe for cash bonds. Councilmember Curtis Gardner said he was concerned about an outdated system and asked why Aurora, the nation’s 49th largest city, continues to rely on outdated tools.

“I am curious as to why we are still using outdated, unreliable technology like a triplicate receipt book for detention receipts,” said Gardner last month, who previously managed a local credit union. “Books can get lost. There are a multitude of different things that can happen to them.”

At the Aug. 7 Management and Finance Policy Committee, Crawford reported progress on Court Administration reforms, including new policies for detention cash handling and case management.

The courts had implemented policies and procedures for detention and case management, which include cashing checks and card tampering.

Atkinson told the committee and city council members at an Aug. 7 meeting that the court is working to install Clover payment devices, which are integrated with the city’s Teller and Workday systems, to enhance reporting and audit trails.

She said many reports already existed in the system but had to be converted to a PDF format by the court’s IT staff so that they could be requested and printed on demand by the auditor’s office.

There were still unresolved issues with a formal vending machine vendor contract, system reports, broader financial system controls and a third-party financial system audit.

Kyle Peterson, senior programmer analyst for Aurora, told council members that while some processes remain manual, the city’s new Workday financial platform, combined with the Teller cashiering system, should provide enhanced reporting and audit trails going forward.

“Teller in the middle does provide a lot of the reports that we’re looking for,” Peterson said.

Peterson said that integration with Wells Fargo devices and kiosk payment options is also underway.

– Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer

Rep. Crow draws backlash from top Trump official for defending military free speech rights in Clark controversy

Aurora Democratic Congressperson Jason Crow became the center of a firestorm of controversy Sept. 14 over social-media reaction to the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Crow on social media defended members of the military being targeted by the Trump administration who are ferreting out soldiers recently posting messages critical of the slain activist.

“(Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth) hunting down and prosecuting service members for their individual political beliefs is dangerous and un-American,” Crow said Sunday in a social media post on X. “We must condemn political violence AND allow peaceful speech that doesn’t impact the chain of command.”

Crow referred to Hegseth announcing earlier on social media that he would launch a “zero tolerance” policy for any posts or comments from troops that make light of or celebrate the killing of Kirk.

The policy, announced Thursday on social media by the Pentagon’s top spokesman Sean Parnell came hours after numerous conservative military influencers and activists began forwarding posts they considered problematic to Parnell and his boss, Hegseth.

“It is unacceptable for military personnel and Department of War civilians to celebrate or mock the assassination of a fellow American,” Parnell wrote Thursday, as reported by the Associated Press.

In the days following the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, numerous American workers have been fired for their comments on his death, among them MSNBC political analyst Matthew Dowd.

Several conservative activists have sought to identify social media users whose posts about Kirk they viewed as offensive or celebratory, targeting everyone from journalists to teachers. Right-wing influencer Laura Loomer said she would try to ruin the professional aspirations of anyone who celebrated Kirk’s death. Crow pushed back against the energized effort to seek out members of

›› See METRO, 6

ARAPAHOE COUNTY

the military for making comments that are unfavorable to Kirk.

His efforts drew a sharp rebuke from Trump advisor and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, which, subsequently, drew a tsunami of criticism from pro-Kirk and MAGA social media users across the country.

“Member of Congress (Rep. Jason Crow) says that Armed Forces personnel should be allowed to support and encourage the assassination of conservative and religious Americans. Those in positions of power have been deeply, chillingly radicalized,” Miller posted Sunday afternoon on X.

Crow is a former decorated Army Ranger and longtime advocate for the rights of military members and veterans. He currently sits on the House Armed Services and House Intelligence committees.

Some of the thousands of replies to Miller’s post were supportive of Crow, pointing out that the United States Military Code is clear on prohibiting political public political commentary, but members of the military are not prevented from offering public opinions on many controversial topics.

Many people posting worried that the orders by Hegseth would be used to identify non-conservative members of the military for harassment.

But the vast majority of linked posts were supportive of Miller and Hegseth’s determination to search

for, identify and punish members of the military who made posts about Kirk the administration deems unfavorable.

“This is absolutely shockingly unacceptable,” one respondent to Miller’s post said. “It’s not OK for civilians to engage in extra-judicial vigilantism for political reasons, even worse that we have disloyal members in government and military. This is going to require a thorough top down eradication program to remove them from their positions and prosecute as needed.”

Others went further, demanding punishment for Crow and others who say public comments about Kirk were protected by free speech.

“(Stephen Miller), prosecute all congressmen for ever once expressing sympathy for Tyler Robinson and/ or hostility to Charlie Kirk for sedition and treason,” offering citations to articles in the Constitution that could be used.

The focus on punishing members of the military for making unflattering or insensitive comments about Kirk and the Kirk assassination came amid a parallel demand by Trump and Kirk supporters to discipline and fire anyone who made disliked public Kirk comments, especially teachers, government workers and others identified as employees of larger corporations.

In the U.S., laws can vary across states, but overall, there’s very little legal protections for employees who

are punished for speech made both in and out of private workplaces.

“Most people think they have a right to free speech…but that doesn’t necessarily apply in the workplace,” said Vanessa Matsis-McCready, associate general counsel and vice president of HR Services for Engage PEO. “Most employees in the private sector do not have any protections for that type of speech at work.”

Crow said Sunday night that efforts by Miller and Hegseth crossed a line from a government that requires a non-partisan military to one that is harassing members of the military for holding political views deemed unpopular among Trump and his supporters.

“No, Stephen,” Crow responded to Miller Sunday evening. “unlike you I have unequivocally condemned political violence in all its forms. This was a moment that required leaders to unite Americans and put us on a better path. You on the other hand are using this tragedy to target political opponents and incite more violence. You are the problem.”

— Sentinel and Associated Press staff

RK Industries HQ move to Aurora will create 1,786 jobs over 8 years, city says

RK Industries, one of Colorado’s largest privately held employers, will bring its headquarters to Aurora in

a move projected to bring 1,786 new jobs to the region over the next eight years, state and local officials said in a statement Wednesday.

The RK company, a second-generation family-owned firm specializing in construction, manufacturing and building services, will consolidate administration for four of its business units into a new 154,488-square-foot facility in Aurora, according to Kat Middleton House, spokesperson for the Aurora Economic Development Council. The project will include RK Industries, RK Mechanical, RK Service, RK Electrical, and the RK Foundation.

The company is currently headquartered in Denver and has two existing Aurora facilities in northeast Aurora. The location in Aurora of the new project was not immediately available. Company and local officials touted the news as a local and statewide boon.

“Colorado is the best place to work and play,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement. “We are thrilled to see RK Industries expand in Colorado, which helps grow our state’s thriving advanced manufacturing industry and create 1,786 good-paying jobs for Coloradans.”

The announcement came after more than two years of collaboration among RK Industries, the Aurora Economic Development Council, the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the City of Aurora and Adams County’s economic development program. The project included site selection, incentive negotiations and workforce development planning, according to officials.

Jon Kinning, RK’s chief operating officer, said the company’s decision was rooted in both business needs and community ties.

“Relocating our headquarters to Aurora isn’t just about expanding our footprint in Colorado, it’s about expanding opportunity,” Kinning said in a statement. “We’re projecting to create over 1,700 good-paying jobs over the next eight years, investing heavily in workforce training, and strengthening the communities where our employees live and work.”

RK’s expansion marks the largest job creation commitment of any project approved this year under the state’s Job Growth Incentive Tax Credit program, according to the AEDC. The incentives are tied to performance benchmarks including net new jobs and salary requirements.

Colorado competed with sites in Texas and Arizona for the headquarters, but Aurora’s central location, existing RK facilities and because nearly half of the company’s employees already live in the city tipped the balance, officials said.

“The Aurora Economic Development Council supported RK Industries through every step of the process of selecting a new headquarters location,” said Wendy Mitchell, the council’s president and CEO. “This relocation and expansion reflects how we were able to match RK Industries’ business needs with Aurora’s strengths and assets.”

Founded in 1985 and with roots dating back to 1963, RK Industries operates eight business units across the Colorado region, serving industries from healthcare to data centers. The company employs thousands and company officials say the firm has a strong focus on workforce development, offering accredited apprentice-

ship programs in seven skilled trades, including electrical, plumbing, HVAC and welding.

Eve Lieberman, executive director of the state economic development office, said the expansion highlights the strength of Colorado’s advanced manufacturing sector.

“Colorado’s well-connected advanced manufacturing sector is a key driver of our economy, and RK Industries’ expansion in Aurora will significantly strengthen these industries while creating valuable jobs in this advanced manufacturing and skilled trade sector,” Lieberman said in a press statement.

Aurora officials said the company’s move will have long-lasting benefits.

“Aurora is proud to welcome RK Industries’ headquarters,” City Manager Jason Batchelor said. “With so many of their employees already calling Aurora home, this is the perfect fit for RK Industries and our community.”

Adams County officials echoed that sentiment.

“These are high-quality jobs with excellent wages and full benefits that will strengthen our economy and community for years to come,” said Adams County Commissioner and chairperson Lynn Baca.“This is a huge win for Adams County and the entire region.”

RK operates additional facilities in Denver, Henderson and Eagle-Vail, as well as in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Texas.

— Sentinel Staff

SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION

Aurora Community College sets record with over 9,500 students enrolled this fall

The Community College of Aurora has recorded the highest enrollment in its history, with more than 9,500 students signed up for the 2025 fall semester, school officials said this week.

The figure is about 1,000 higher than last fall’s enrollment, and administrators expect the number to continue rising because students can register for certain classes until late October.

College leaders said much of the growth is being driven by popularity of online courses and concurrent enrollment programs, which allow high school students to earn college credit before graduation.

CCA President Mordecai Ian Brownlee said the surge reflects efforts to make college more accessible through new programs, expanded facilities and increased student support.

“These efforts demonstrate that when we remove barriers and create clear, affordable, and high-quality pathways, students will respond,” Brownlee said in a statement. “Breaking our all-time enrollment record this fall is both a humbling and energizing milestone for our college.”

Recent initiatives include the opening of the Centennial Campus for Healthcare and First Responders, the new Center for Applied Science and Technology, and the launch of degree programs in nursing and behavioral health.

The college has also expanded supports such as crisis grants and transit assistance.

The growth follows CCA’s 2022 decision to create its Division of Enrollment Success and Completion, which works with area cities and community programs to boost access for all potential students.

Clair Collins, vice president of the division, said those partnerships build trust that translates into more students.

“We make sure that those are high quality programs so that we are building trust and engagement,” Collins said in a statement. “When you’re a community college, your enrollment is predicated on trust in the community.”

Financial aid has also expanded inside the school’s budget, with students receiving about $1,800 more on average this year compared to 2023, according to the college.

— Sentinel Staff

DSST

charter network to open 2 more schools in growing eastern part of Aurora

Homegrown Denver charter network DSST is expanding its footprint in neighboring Aurora, where a housing boom in the eastern part of the city is creating a need for more schools.

DSST already has one middle and one high school in Aurora, called Aurora Science and Tech. An agreement with Aurora Public Schools calls for DSST to open a second AST middle and high school in the district. The

new AST schools will be co-located with a new district-run high school in the booming Aurora Highlands neighborhood.

The new AST middle school would open first, in the fall of 2028. The new district-run Aurora high school would open at the same time. AST would add a grade each year to its Aurora Highlands campus until it’s serving about 980 students in grades 6 through 12.

“A lot of Denver has been built up, but there is a lot of land between here and Bennett that developers are starting to build homes on,” said Brett Johnson, Aurora Public Schools’ chief financial and operations officer. “The need is substantial out there.”

The new AST schools reflect two distinct trends. One is that some Colorado districts, including Aurora, are seeing student counts decrease in some parts of the district and increase in others. While lower birth rates are causing enrollment to fall in established neighborhoods, the construction of affordable homes is causing enrollment to boom in newer neighborhoods. The other trend is that charter school networks in Denver, which was once a hotbed for charter growth, are looking to expand outside of the city. Denver’s student enrollment is declining, and with little land to build new houses, it’s unlikely that enrollment will increase.

DSST’s latest strategic plan calls for expanding in Aurora and “a potential third market.”

“It is a tremendous gift to be able to educate more families,” said CEO Nella García Urban.

DSST opened its first high school in Denver in 2004. Today, it serves about 7,500 students across 14

schools in Denver — seven middle and seven high schools — and the pair in Aurora. The charter network focuses on science, technology, engineering, and math and is known for producing high state test scores and getting all of its students into college.

Fifteen of DSST’s 16 schools, including the two in Aurora, recently earned the highest state rating, signified by the color green. The ratings are largely based on state test scores.

DSST opened its first Aurora Science and Tech school in 2019. Aurora’s former superintendent invited the high-performing charter network to the district, which was notable because some Aurora school board members had been skeptical of charters. Aurora Public Schools used voter-approved bond dollars to pay for half of AST’s building, Johnson said. The other half was paid for using a variety of funding mechanisms, including millions of dollars in fundraising by the school district and DSST, he said.

Although Aurora voters approved a record-breaking $1 billion bond measure last year, the district won’t use any bond dollars to pay for AST’s second building, Johnson said. A memorandum of understanding approved by the Aurora school board in June says DSST will cover more of the building costs this time and fundraise at least $8 million.

“The district has been generally pleased with the partnership with AST,” Johnson said. “We are supportive of authorizing an additional school, but financially, we’ll be less able to contribute.”

Aurora is using its $1 billion bond to build two new preschool through eighth grade schools in the Aurora

Highlands neighborhood, as well as the new district-run high school. The bond money will also fund upgrades at all of Aurora’s existing schools, a renovation of Gateway High School, and a complete rebuild of Laredo Elementary School.

But there are benefits to AST piggybacking on the district’s new build, Johnson said, namely that Aurora will pay for the infrastructure on the site — think sewer lines and sidewalks. AST and the new district-run high school will also likely share some facilities like a cafeteria or gym.

For Aurora, partnering with AST will cost the district $50,000 less per seat than a brand new building built by the district, according to a district presentation.

García Urban said the current AST schools have waitlists of students who want to attend but can’t because there aren’t enough seats. The new AST schools will help remedy that.

“It’s a good thing, but it also breaks my heart,” García Urban said.

“What we’re doing is really reflective of two education organizations that want to work together to provide an excellent education to more families,” she said.

— Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat Colorado

COPS AND COURTS

Child sex offender caught in Mexico after 8 years on the run from Aurora sting conviction

A convicted child sex offender who eluded federal and local police and

courts for eight years has been captured in Mexico and returned to Arapahoe County to face sentencing, law enforcement officials said this week.

David Anthony Jaramillo, 38, was arrested Aug. 23 in León, Mexico, by the FBI’s Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force, according to Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Ginger Delgado. He was flown to Harris County, Texas and extradited to Denver Sept. 8. He is now being held at the Arapahoe County jail.

Jaramillo pleaded guilty in June 2017 to sexual exploitation of a child, a felony, but he failed to appear for his sentencing hearing two months later, Delgado said. Investigators say they think he has been living in Mexico since 2022.

His arrest followed a three-month investigation led by an FBI agent who reopened the case with support from an Arapahoe County task force officer.

“This case shows that no matter how long you run, you can’t hide forever,” 18th Judicial District Attorney Amy Padden said in a statement. “I commend Arapahoe County Sheriff Tyler Brown and his team, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, for their persistence and determination to bring this child predator back to face the consequences of his actions.”

The case started in 2016 when Jaramillo contacted a Denver police officer posing as a 14-year-old girl on the social media platform MeetMe. com. Authorities said Jaramillo repeatedly solicited “Lizzie,” the un›› See METRO, 8

He was arrested at the

police and members

by

the

Innocence Lost Task Force, police said.

In addition to his Arapahoe County conviction, Jaramillo faces pending charges in Weld County for felony menacing, assault and child abuse, and in Jefferson County for child prostitution, sexual assault on a child and internet luring of a child.

Brown said the arrest “sends a clear message: Those who prey on children and try to evade justice will eventually be found.”

Jaramillo awaits sentencing in Arapahoe County and prosecution of his outstanding cases in Jefferson and Weld counties.

— Sentinel Staff

Head-on crash in Aurora claims life of woman, injures infant and RTD bus passengers

An unidentified woman was killed and her infant child seriously injured after the SUV she was driving collided head on with an RTD bus Sept. 11, ejecting her and her baby from the car, police said.

The woman was driving a Mercedes SUV on East 30th Avenue and East Parklane Drive in north Aurora at about 5:15 p.m. when the crash occurred, police said.

Both the woman and the 1-yearold infant were taken to a nearby

hospital, where the woman died from her injuries, according to police spokesperson Agent Matthew Wells-Longshore.

The child was not restrained in the car at the time of the crash, police said.

Officers said the bus driver and two passengers on the bus were also injured during the crash and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Wells-Longshore said vehicle speed and possible intoxication may have been linked to the crash.

— Sentinel Staff

BEYOND AURORA

Colorado prisons reach critical overcrowding, reform efforts scrutinized

Criminal justice reform advocates are pressing Colorado corrections officials for more details on their efforts to reduce the state’s prison population after the requirements of a 2018 law were triggered for the first time.

The vacancy rate in state prisons stood at 1.92% as of Aug. 16, marking the 30th consecutive day the department maintained a vacancy rate below 3%, according to a Colorado Department of Corrections letter reviewed by Newsline. House Bill 18-1410, a bipartisan law passed unanimously by the General Assembly in 2018, requires that once that threshold is reached, the depart-

ment must begin to take steps to reduce the incarcerated population in coordination with the state parole board and the Office of Community Corrections, which oversees halfway houses.

The Office of Community Corrections is required to identify open beds that CDOC can use on a weekly basis until the vacancy rate rises above 4% for 30 consecutive days, according to CDOC spokesperson Alonda Gonzalez. The department must also provide a list of people who are incarcerated who meet a specific set of criteria that would make them eligible for parole to the state parole board.

“Beyond these statutory requirements, CDOC actively monitors facilities, adjusts bed assignments and staffing, facilitates transfers, and ensures safe and orderly operations statewide,” Gonzalez said in a statement.

The parole board isn’t required to release all of those people under the population management law — only to hold a hearing to review each of their cases.

Colorado’s prison population has been steadily on the rise since it drastically decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, rising from a low of 15,434 in June 2021 to 17,945 at the end of July, according to CDOC data.

It’s been just over three weeks since CDOC reached the threshold requiring measures to reduce the prison population, but the department was unable to provide Newsline with updated information before publication. The Office of

Community Corrections, which is part of the state Division of Criminal Justice within the Department of Public Safety, did not respond to a request for comment.

Christie Donner, executive director of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, said the law outlines three groups of people CDOC must make lists of to send to the parole board to review eligibility, and she obtained two of those lists through an open records request.

The list of those who are close to their mandatory release date included 13 people, and the list of people who are considered low risk due to non-violent convictions included 92 people. She did not receive information on “conditional releases,” which refers to someone who needs to complete a task, such as a victim notification or a drug and alcohol class, before they can be released.

“We never really intended for this bill to be big releases,” Donner said of the 2018 law. “It was just, can we be efficient? Can we fully utilize community corrections?”

Donner also hasn’t been able to get confirmation of exactly how many community corrections beds are available from the state, but providers have told her there are “hundreds” available that could be better used by the department. Using those beds, to Donner, is the “biggest opportunity” to efficiently reduce the prison population.

The Colorado Legislature considered a bill this year that considered additional options for housing people who make parole and to slow prison population growth, but

it failed after the state House never took it up for a floor vote. People sentenced to state prison have been held in county jails longer than normal as a result of CDOC’s low bed capacity, which Donner said has been an intentional way the department has artificially inflated its vacancy rates to avoid hitting the 3% threshold.

In July, 17 Colorado sheriffs wrote a letter to Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, seeking “urgent action” to address the backlog of people in county jail custody awaiting transfer to CDOC. The state reimburses sheriffs offices $77.16 per person per day awaiting transfer to prison, which the letter says leads to sheriffs absorbing a funding shortfall of more than $60 per day.

“County jails were never designed — or funded — to house state inmates for extended periods,” the letter said. “Yet we’re being forced to expand capacity and stretch already limited staff to accommodate inmates who should be in state custody. This isn’t just unsustainable — it’s unfair to local taxpayers.”

Donner emphasized that the 2018 law was bipartisan and passed the Colorado Legislature unanimously, “so this is not a controversial concept in terms of managing the population through efficiency — nobody is getting out ‘early.’” She said if jail backlogs were addressed sooner, some of the measures in the law could have been implemented sooner and more beds could have been opened.

— LINDSEY

TOOMER, Colorado Newsline

VIDEO ANATOMY OF AN AURORA OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING

“We are here to say we’re not going to let you sweep this under the rug,” said well-known George Floyd shooting attorney Ben Crump

BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Staff Writer

Multiple videos of the shooting of Rajon Belt-Stubblefield, including the officer’s body-worn camera, were released last week, and although they provided plenty of detail, there are many questions left unanswered.

The videos include body-camera footage, a dash camera recording from a bystander capturing Belt-Stubblefield’s crash, two Flock videos from witnesses, a traffic camera from an intersection nearby, and security footage from a gas station adjacent to the incident site.

The traffic-stop-turned-car-crash and subsequent shooting of Belt-Stubblefield happened Aug. 30 near East Sixth Avenue and Billings Street as numerous cars rolled past and witnesses inside and outside of cars watched events unfold, Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain told reporters at a press conference Sept. 2.

The release brought fresh rebukes of the Aurora police from the family members of the Belt-Stubblefield and their supporters.

“We demand the truth, and we will allow that truth to be the reason that Rajon’s legacy, and every other name we call behind a hashtag, is lifted, and it’s the reason why we say no more,” MiDian Shofner, a local activist who consistently demands Aurora police reform and discipline for Black men killed by officers, said Sept. 12 at an earlier event with Belt-Stubblefield’s family.

The officer body cam video reveals a relatively brief and aggressive encounter. From the time the officer pulls behind Belt-Stubblefield, until the officer fires the first shot, less than three minutes elapse.

Videos released Friday confirmed not only how Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain previously said the incident unfolded, but the videos also pose questions raised by the family and attorneys.

In a narrated video, Agent Matthew Longshore, public information officer for Aurora, stated that the officer attempted to pull Belt-Stufflefield over for speeding.

Police have not released the name of the officer in the shooting.

“An officer assigned to the traffic section was conducting speed enforcement along East Sixth Avenue as part of a Labor Day DUI operation,” Longshore said. “The officer was parked near Toledo Street when he observed a vehicle speeding.”

The officer pulls out onto East Sixth Avenue and attempts to initiate a traffic stop by turning on his lights and siren, Longshore said, which is also what is shown in the bodyworn footage.

In the body camera footage, what appears to be Belt-Stubblefield’s car can be seen driving faster than the cars behind it, but when the officer pulls out, the camera does not have a view over the dashboard.

In the body-worn camera footage, the officer clicks something twice on his chest and reads out what sounds like a license plate number, but he does not call in any additional information to dispatch.

Longshore said the suspect’s vehicle does not immediately pull over after the officer activated his squad car lights and sirens, also seen in the officer body-cam video.

Previously, Chamberlain said the ensuing car crash did not come after a pursuit, but about 1 minute 20 seconds elapses from the time the officer pulls out to stop Belt-Stub-

blefield and when the officer drives up on the crashed car.

The video shows the officer speeding up and turning on full lights and sirens some time before arriving at the I-225 underpass.

In separate dash-camera footage provided to the police department by a civilian, Belt-Subblefield can be seen swerving and crashing into a vehicle, then hopping over the median in his vehicle and hitting a second oncoming vehicle.

The body camera footage shows the officer driving fast down East Sixth Avenue until he arrives at the Sinclair gas station, near Billings Street, where Belt-Stubblefield is sitting in his car in the oncoming traffic lane after he crashed. To see all of the video footage linked to the shooting, go to SentinelColorado.com

The officer gets out of his vehicle and immediately approaches Belt-Stubblefield with his gun drawn and tells him to “stay in your car,” and “don’t move,” while Belt-Stubblefield’s car is smoking. The officer then radioed dispatch to report the crash and its location.

As he’s still pointing the gun at Belt-Subblefield, the offi-

cer tells him to “give me your hands, show me your hands, get your hands up, dude.” Belt-Stubblefield’s music is loudly playing in the car, and he opens his door as the officer is yelling commands.

Belt-Stubblefield gets out of the car and tells the officer, saying, “‘Don’t shoot me,” in what sounds like an almost casual or familiar way.

After Belt-Stubblefield gets out of the car, he starts walking away from the officer toward the side of the road, as the officer orders him to put his hands up again. Belt-Stubblefield continues walking toward a grassy area, as shown in several camera footage angles, and he then throws a gun into the grass.

The officer grabs the man’s shirt and pulls him to the ground, trying to put him into a handcuffing position. There is some commotion that is difficult to distinguish, and then the camera footage shows Belt-Stubblefield getting up, standing over the officer, and then Belt-Stubblefield starts to walk away.

The officer gets up, points his gun at Belt-Stubblefield and yells, “Get on the ground, get away from that mother f****** gun.” He pushed Belt-Stubblefield and said, “Get on the ground now.”

Belt-Stubblefield looks back at his son, who was following him in a separate car and had walked to the scene, and he tells his son, “Get that shit,” while walking toward the officer. Belt-Subblefield says it about nine more times, while the officer says, “I’ll shoot you.”

Meanwhile, his son, behind him, says, “Dad, chill, no. Dad,” and then says, “Officer, chill.” Belt-Stubblefield turns again to say, “Get that shit,” as the officer punches him on the side of the head. Belt-Stubblefield gets into a fighting stance, as Chamberlain previously described, and he says, “Are you ready for this?” While his son kept saying, “Dad, no!”

He asked the officer three more times if he was ready for it, and he sounds as if he is slurring his words. The officer told hom twice more to get on the ground, and the last time, he repeats it while backing up onto the street. He then shoots Belt-Stubblefield twice in the chest. As Belt-Stubblefield stops, he stoots one more time at his head, and Belt-Stubblefield drops to the ground.

The officer stood pointing his gun at Belt-Stubblefield’s body as he calls dispatch and says, “Shots fired.”

He stands there for a while as Belt-Stubblefield’s son moves around yelling in shock. As he begins to move the unconscious body of Belt-Stubblefield, a woman who looks like she might have a hospital badge clipped to her shirt offers a tourniquet to the officer as he stands over Belt-Stubblefield with his gun still drawn and pointed at him, but the officer refuses.

It takes two minutes for other officers to arrive at the scene and start performing life-saving measures on Belt-Stubblefield. The woman, who offered her help, is seen handing the officers the tourniquet and then attempting chest compressions on Belt-Stubblefield.

Most of the remaining footage reveals the trauma that many of the witnesses experienced during the unfolding of the scene.

The footage was released 72 hours after the family viewed it, as required by Colorado law. The police department stated that it would not provide any additional information once the footage was released.

The shooting is now under investigation by the 18th Judicial District’s Critical Incident Response Team, which is composed of investigators from partnering law enforcement agencies within Arapahoe County, including the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, local police departments and criminal investigators from the District Attorney’s Office, according to the district attorney’s office.

“The Critical Incident Response Team follows a written

protocol, which was adopted to guide investigations into officer-involved incidents involving deadly force or potential deadly force, and to ensure that these complex and sensitive investigations are conducted impartially, thoroughly, and transparently,” said Eric Ross, spokesperson for the 18th District, in a statement.

Aurora police are currently under a consent decree imposed by the state Attorney General Phil Weiser, after a 2022 investigation determined the department has for years exhibited “patterns and practices” of using excessive force against the public, especially people of color.

Family members and supporters of BeltStubblefield threaten possible lawsuit, recall linked to the shooting

The family of Belt-Stubblefield said they plan to pursue legal action to hold police accountable if the 18th Judicial District Attorney, Amy Padden, does not.

Members of the group also said the community should recall Padden if she does not find charges against the officer are warranted.

“We are here to say we’re not going to let you sweep this under the rug,” said well-known George Floyd shooting attorney Ben Crump, one of the attorneys representing the family of Rajon Belt-Stubblefield. “These extrajudicial killings of unarmed Black people are never going to be OK with us.”

Family members, civil rights attorneys and faith leaders gathered Friday to demand legal action in the police killing of Belt-Stubblefield, a 39-year-old Black man fatally shot by an Aurora police officer in front of his 18-year-old son, Zion.

This Sept. 12 press conference came after the family viewed the body camera footage and just a short time before Aurora police released several videos related to the shooting.

“Policing in Aurora has been broken for many, many years,” Pastor Author Porter said.

Stubblefield’s wife, Tandra, stood with his son Zion, who, attorneys and police said, witnessed his father’s final moments after following his father in a separate car the day he died.

“He was unnecessarily, unjustifiably, and unconstitutionally executed right before his son’s face,” Crump said.

Tandra, who Crump said was dealing with a great deal of heartache, was able to get up and briefly talk about her husband before needing to step back into the embrace of her family and attorneys because she was sobbing so hard.

She said that she has known Rajon since they were 12 years old and he was her best friend.

Attorneys Crump, Milo Schwab, Harry Daniels, Mari Newman, and Brook Cluse said they stood with the Belt-Stubblefield family in a united front to demand justice for Rajon.

Schwab, who is acting as the family’s local co-counsel, said multiple videos show a starkly different account from the police Chief Todd Chamberlain’s initial “narrative.”

The footage depicts an officer punching Rajon after he turned his back, then firing three shots, including a fatal headshot, as Rajon was already injured from a recent car accident, Crump said.

“It was so unnecessary to execute him with a headshot,” Crump said. “We are not going to let them sweep this under the rug.”

Newman and Crump said that deaths like Rajon’s are tied to a broader pattern of excessive force and racial bias in Aurora policing, reminding the people in the crowd of the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a young, unarmed Black man who was held and eventually killed after doing nothing wrong.

McClain’s death has been tied to years of state scrutiny and caused the City of Aurora Police and Fire to be placed under a Consent Decree imposed by the state attorney general after an investigation determined the department has for years exhibited “patterns and practices” of using excessive force against the public, especially people of color.

“This is a police department with a deep culture of racism, a deep culture of bias and a deep culture of using force instead of their words,” Schwab said. “Every summer, we’re here again, calling for change, only to be ignored. I’m tired. I’m damn tired of this.”

Newman said that many people think of Colorado as a mellow state, but it’s not, especially for Black families and Black men.

“Last year alone, police shot people every six days in Colorado,” Newman said. “If you are a Black man walking around in Colorado, you are in danger. And I’m sorry to say this, but Aurora is at the top of its class, and that is nothing to be proud of.”

Police Chief Todd Chamberlain met with local community groups Thursday, telling a variety of communities that finding ways to curb police violence is linked to police and the public.

Although the family stood with their extensive legal team, the lawyers said that they would not take legal action until they received the findings of the Critical Incident Response Team for the 18th Judicial District. They said they hope the DA gives Rajon the justice he deserves, but if not, then voters should have Padden removed by voting her out.

“Nobody is disposable. Nobody is better than anybody else,” Crump said. “What happened to Rajon was a crime.”

THE NEST IS EMPTY: PARENTS GRAPPLE WITH MIXED EMOTIONS AFTER CHILDREN MOVE OUT

It’s that time of year when many parents across the U.S. see their kids head off to college or leave home to start their working lives. For parents and guardians, experts say, the separation from their children can cause mixed feelings of loss, grief, loneliness, relief and freedom and can lead to unhealthy thoughts and behaviors.

They’re the classic signs of what is known as “empty nest syndrome.”

While not a clinical diagnosis, it can create intense long-term feelings that affect mental health, emotional well-being and relationships. Experts say acknowledging changing emotions, reconnecting with loved ones and finding new hobbies are all ways to prepare for this transition.

Here’s what experts say:

How empty nesters adapt more quickly

Parents and guardians can feel a range of emotions during different stages of their children’s lives. But experts say it is important to acknowledge that the time when children move out on their own can be more intense compared to the first preschool drop off, for example. The uncertainty surrounding when parents might see their children again is part of what makes it so gut wrenching.

Julie Gottman, a clinical psychologist and co-founder of the Gottman Institute, said regardless of your relationship with the children who are leaving, it is helpful to nurture or build relationships with people other than your children to combat loneliness. This is especially important for single parents or guardians or people whose daily lives and schedules revolved around their kid’s lives and activities.

“One of the hardest things for empty nest-

ers is understanding that your children need separation,” she said. “It will be hard but call your friend instead.”

Diane Bergantinos, 45, said her friends have warned her about how hard dropping your child off to school can be, but knows she has supportive family and friends she can call on if she needs company. Bergantinos, a newly single parent in Honolulu, Hawaii, says she leaves in a week to help her only child move to Oregon for school.

“It’s like having a sick family member. You know their time is limited and you try to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally, but you can’t fully prepare for it until it happens,” she said. “I’m just trying to savor every minute, cherish whatever moments I have left, and not dwell on the fact that he is leaving.”

Some experience empty nest syndrome after children leave home, but the emotions can be overwhelming before the actual move. Gottman says if the emotions begin to mirror symptoms of depression, it might be time to see a therapist or counselor.

Relationship expert says it’s time to date — yourself and your spouse — again

When you co-parent, it is likely that each person is experiencing some of the same emotions, but experts say that those shared feelings should be addressed with each other and, if needed, by professionals.

Not everything was sad for Mike Marlow and his wife, Barbara, a couple in their 50s who over the years have had three children move out of their home in Flagstaff, Arizona.

“I remember Barb and I looking at each other over at our island in our kitchen going, ‘Hi there!’” he said, adding that they have been so thankful that they maintained a healthy and

happy relationship with each other over the course of raising three children, who are now 29, 25 and 24 years old.

Gottman, who has counseled couples over the years, said the big question empty nesters face is “Who are we?”

“There’s a beautiful thing that can happen to couples. You are able to rediscover who your partner is and the love that you have for them. Now if you have really parented a child since birth together, there is history you have shared of going through the hurdles of raising a child. You’ve shared the worries, the hopes, the dreams, the excitement,” she said.

Gottman said sharing in the experience can also rekindle intimacy in a way adults might not have been able to when children were around.

Marlow said now that the children have moved out, they have had time to date each other again and really spend time on themselves, including working out more, traveling and making future plans.

It’s not all sad. Families can experience joy in new routines and hobbies

“We focus so much on our health. We have a routine, we work out, we play pickleball and we also have separate things we work on,” Marlow said.

Experts say developing new routines and learning new hobbies are excellent ways to combat any negative emotions from becoming empty nesters. While many of these hobbies, especially traveling, depend on income, there are creative things parents can do to with the extra time they now have.

“Anywhere you can meet new people will help,” Gottman said. “Not only are you losing your child, you’re also losing the community

of parents of your kids’ friends. So, look for group activities where you can meet more people, take an exercise class, take a yoga class, take a painting class, join a choir and sing, and see if your partner is interested in doing those things together.”

For Bergantinos, working is going to keep her busy as a single mom, but she said she plans to continue a therapeutic hobby she started when her son was in high school: lei making.

“I taught myself how to make ribbon leis because I knew his graduation was coming up,” she said. “In Hawaii, leis are giveaways for every special occasion. So I decided to post it on Facebook Marketplace and see what happens.”

Empty nesters never stop being parents and guardians

Some parents and guardians become empty nesters much later in their children’s lives when they stay through college or their first jobs, especially in intergenerational households.

For the Marlows, it felt like the empty nester title was on and off as one of their children moved back home when he started a job after school in the same city, and another child attended a local university minutes from home. But they said they knew they would continue to be a part of their children’s lives and continue to parent, even if they were away from home, and technology helps with that continued connection.

“To this day, we maintain a lot of interest in their lives. We don’t want to intrude but we want to be there to offer them advice, encouragement, praise, all that kind of stuff,” Marlow said.

Aurora Fox brings ‘Schoolhouse Rock Live!’ to the stage on Colfax

The Aurora Fox Arts Center will bring Saturday morning memories to life with “Schoolhouse Rock Live!” running on the Fox Mainstage Theater. Directed by Kelly Van Oosbree, the high-energy musical is based on the animated series that taught generations grammar, math and history through catchy songs.

The show follows Tom, a nervous young teacher whose TV characters leap off the screen to show him how to inspire his students through music and imagination. Audience members can expect classic favorites like “Conjunction Junction,” “I’m Just a Bill” and “Three Is a Magic Number.”

“This production is pure joy,” said Rich Cowden, executive producer of the Aurora Fox. “It’s educational, it’s fun, and it connects generations through music and storytelling.”

In addition to evening and weekend shows, nine daytime student matinees are scheduled, making the production a

back-to-school field trip opportunity for young audiences.

IF YOU GO

Dates: Sept. 19 – Oct. 18 Curtains vary greatly for day and night performances.

Venue: Aurora Fox Mainstage Theater, 9900 E. Colfax Ave.

Tickets: $17–$42

Details: aurorafoxartscenter.org

Avourneen to honor Leonard Cohen with performance at Swallow Hill

Celtic folk band Avourneen will pay tribute to the music and poetry of Leonard Cohen during a special performance Sept. 19 at Swallow Hill Music in Denver. The concert will span Cohen’s career, from his 1967 debut Songs of Leonard Cohen to his final posthumous release, Thanks for the Dance.

The show will feature Avourneen members Adam Goldstein on guitar and vocals, CL Morden on violin and keyboards, and Alice Allister on bass, joined by guest musicians Christopher Rose on drums and Katie Burns on cello.

The expanded lineup has sold out past Swallow Hill performances, including tributes to the Beatles in 2023 and Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks in 2024.

Formed in 2014, Avourneen has become one of Colorado’s most recognized Celtic acts, performing at events such as the Colorado Irish Festival and Cheyenne Celtic Festival.

The band released its debut album Sparrow in 2020 and plans to release Waystations in early 2026.

IF YOU GO

When: Sept. 19, 8 p.m.

Venue: Swallow Hill Music, 71 E.

Yale Ave.

Tickets: Starting at $30

Details: swallowhillmusic.org or avourneen.com

Denver Brass brings back audience-driven concert

Denver Brass will return to the People’s Building on Colfax in Aurora with “Brass by Request,” a concert shaped by audience favorites and featuring the ensemble’s signature blend of styles. The group of 14 musicians is known internationally for performances that fuse classical, jazz, Broadway, Latin and multicultural music with unexpected instruments such as bagpipes, steel drums and fiddles.

Organizers say the program will highlight last season’s most-loved hits, chosen entirely by audience voices. The ensemble, which reaches more than 30,000 listeners each year, has built a reputation for both innovation and crowd-pleasing energy.

IF YOU GO

Time: 2:30 p.m. Sept. 21

Venue: The People’s Building, 9995 E Colfax Ave

Tickets: $29.22 and Children 12 and get in free

Details: www.thepeoplesbuilding. com/

The Princess and the Goblins

Based on the classic fantasy novel by George MacDonald, The Princess and the Goblins tells the tale of the curious Princess Irene as she befriends Curdie, a young miner boy, and uncovers a grotesque subterranean world of goblins, a magical grandmother in her attic, and long-hidden secrets. Featuring a dynamic 5-person cast, original music,

puppetry, and imaginative staging, this new, devised work will take you to unexpected places as you “follow the thread.

” We are a troupe of vagabond storytellers—actors, musicians, playwrights, designers, and more—crafting unconventional theatre in and around Denver, CO. We devise, workshop, and produce our own original plays and musicals, as well as perform other new and obscure works, using creative, ensemble-driven storytelling techniques. Our name is a nod to a line in PigPen Theatre Co.’s The Old Man and the Old Moon, the show that brought our group together. The “third side” (of the coin, as the line goes) represents the choice that is unexpected and, yes, a bit crazy.

IF YOU GO

Venue: The People’s Building, 9995 E Colfax Ave.

When: Through Sept. 20, 2025 Visit Website: www.thepeoplesbuilding.com/ Tickets: $18.18 - $34.42

‘Merrily We Roll Along’ opens Sept. 12 at Vintage Theatre

The Tony Award-winning musical Merrily We Roll Along is set to open Sept. 12 at Vintage Theatre, bringing Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s acclaimed story of friendship, compromise and the cost of success to Aurora audiences. Directed by Bernie Cardell, the show plays through Oct. 19 in the Nickelson Auditorium.

Told in reverse, the musical traces the lives of three friends from adulthood back to their youthful idealism, blending the excitement of a backstage show with a poignant examination of staying true to one’s dreams. The production won the 2024

Tony Award for Best Revival.

IF YOU GO

Dates: Through Oct. 19

Venue: Nickelson Auditorium at Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora

Tickets: $39 general admission, $33 seniors, $20 students/children (12 or younger)

Details: 303-856-7830 or VintageTheatre.org

‘Unapologetically Chicano’ art experience

A six-week immersive celebration of Chicano culture at CHAC Gallery @40 West in Lakewood. “Unapologetically Chicano” will showcase traditional and contemporary works of art alongside music, food and community connection.

Curated by Rob and Tammy Yancey, the exhibition highlights the resilience and creativity of Chicano identity across generations. The opening reception runs from 5 to 9 p.m. and will feature local and regional artists, live music, DJs, authentic food vendors, classic cars from Los Compas Car Club and handcrafted spirits served by The Good Ol’ Time Mobile Bar.

A second First Friday event on Oct. 3 offers another chance to meet the artists and experience the work. Organizers describe the show as a celebration of heritage, resistance and joy.

IF YOU GO

Dates: Through Oct. 24, Opening reception: Sept. 5, 5 p.m.–9 p.m.

Venue: CHAC Gallery @40 West, 7060 W. 16th Ave.

Tickets: Free Details: www.chacgallery.org/

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Right: Sophomore Rylee Manzanares, center, receives a serve during the Hinkley girls volleyball team’s visit to Gateway on Sept. 2. Manzanares is the leader in kills for the Thunder, which got off to a 10-1 start to the season and were one of only two Class 5A programs in Colorado to reach double figures in wins through matches of Sept. 15.

Below: Libero Alize Flores is one of the key seniors on the Cherokee Trail girls volleyball team, which was the Aurora area’s only qualifier for the 5A state tournament in 2024.

Afew weeks into the new girls volleyball season, no Aurora area teams appear in the top 10 of the Colorado High School Activities Association rankings.

But one program does appear in the so far small group around the state that owns double-digit victories.

Hinkley picked up three victories at the Jefferson Tournament to boost its record to 10-0 and though coach Paul Reyes’ team recently suffered its first loss, is one of only two teams in Class 5A (Columbine is the other) to reach double-digit wins through Sept. 15.

is off to a 5-1 start under longtime coach Simon Moorwood. The Bison have reloaded with young players such as freshmen Emily Peterson, Sanaya Wyatt and Jaici Simmons, who have complimented program senior stalwarts such as outside hitter Melinda Allred, setter Ava Eltzroth and libero Yasir Dickey. Adding to the mix is senior middle blocker Danaiya January, a transfer from Overland.

The Aurora area had just one 5A state tournament qualifier last season in Cherokee Trail, which is off to a 4-4 start in the second season under coach Amber Cornett.

The Cougars have faced a difficult slate and half of their losses came to Rock Canyon and Chaparral, which sit Nos. 2 and 7, respectively, in the 5A rankings. Cherokee Trail begins Centennial League play Sept. 16.

City’s net gains

BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor

Hinkley has started a tradition of 10-plus wins in the past handful of years, as it has achieved that milestone for the fourth time in five seasons. The Thunder’s best record in that span is 17-5 in the 2021 season and coach Paul Reyes’ group — which has bounced back in a big way from a 7-16 2024 season — has enough matches left to challenge that.

Among the leaders for the Thunder in the early going are sophomore outside hitter Rylee Mansanares (who has averaged 2-plus kills per set) and senior Gisele Chavez, the team’s leader in assists as well as digs. Hinkley has also thrived on the service game with more than 100 points earned via aces.

Hinkley’s strength of schedule, however, has not helped it in CHSAA’s Seeding Index, which formulates the field for regionl state qualifying tournaments. The Thunder sit 35th and a total of 36 teams make the postseason.

The highest spot in the Seeding Index in the early going among local teams (18th) is Vista PEAK Prep, which

Cherokee Trail has a variety of very experienced varsity performers in a group that includes seniors Ella Nothiesen (an outside hitter committed to Milwaukee School of Engineering), Avery Krause (setter) and Alize Flores (libero). Sophomore Londyn Donaldson — a 6-foot-1 middle blocker — is a key fixture, while freshman outside hitter Raeana Gibbs has already had a big impact.

Grandview had its streak of six straight trips to the 5A state tournament snapped last season when it lost in the regional round. Coach Rob Graham’s Wolves experienced a good deal of turnover and has a mix of veterans and newcomers this season. Senior setter Julia Ulitzky is in her third varsity season as a setter and will feed senior Amelie Pigeaire regularly.

Second-most in the win column among area teams through matches of Sept. 15 is Smoky Hill, which boasts an 8-5 mark that is already a two-win improvement on last season’s 6-17 record with a significant portion of the season to go. Coach Kelly Miller Buffaloes won all four of their matches at the Overland Invitational, while they

also excelled in their bracket of the Chaparral Showcase. Eaglecrest is now under the direction of former assistant Sarah Nance, who has done what she can to help create the type of feeling the program had when it was thriving in recent years. A veteran mix led by Cal State Humboldt commitment Anayah Rucker will be a boost towards that effort and the Raptors have a goal to earn a home regional, which could help them get back to the state tournament for the first time since 2018.

Regis Jesuit finished the 2024 regular season with 11 straight wins, but couldn’t sustain the momentum through regional play and fell short of a state berth. Coach Celeste Barker has some significant losses to replace, but senior setter Lucy Tricco is a major piece for the Raiders (2-7 in the early going) to build around.

Rangeview won 14 matches and qualified for regionals for the first time since 2019 last season, but have attempted to reload after it graduated pillars Maddie Kilmer and Anika Davison. Under the new direction of Dominica Brown is Overland (which is 3-11 to open the season), while Gateway is 3-6 and Aurora Central is 1-9.

ABOVE: Rangeview senior Kemariahe Brown (3) tries to break through a tackle from Westminster’s Neston Dominguez during the second half of the Raiders’ 35-14 Week 3 football win Sept. 12 at Aurora Public Schools Stadium BELOW:Aurora Central sophomore Kassius Jackson (3) puts a hand up to ward off Gateway senior Adriel Krangar during the Trojans’ 19-8 win over the Olys Sept. 11 at APS Stadium (Photos by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)

ABOVE: Grandview junior Zach Johnston (1) jumps in the air in celebration after his interception in the Wolves’ Homecoming game Sept. 12 at Legacy unanswered points in a 44-10 victory over Legacy. ABOVE RIGHT: Cherokee Trail senior Isaac Wells (8) arrives at the same time as Northfield’s Henry the second half of a boys soccer contest Sept. 13 at Legacy Stadium. The Cougars scored a late goal to tie the game, but the Nighthawks prevailed Jesuit sophomore Reis Cherveny makes a backhand putaway at the net during the No. 2 doubles championship match at the Cherry Creek Invitational 13 at Cherry Creek High School. Cherveny and partner Edward Samuelson won one of the four individual championships for the Raiders, who also nament. RIGHT: Eaglecrest freshman Haisley Elliott (7) winds up to deliver a pitch during a Centennial League softball game Sept. 13 at Grandview plete game as the Raptors defeated the Wolves 11-5. FAR RIGHT: Rangeview freshman quarterback Abby Rudkin (15) fires a pass downfield during PEAK Prep Sept. 12. The Raiders fell to the host Bison 26-7. (Photos by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)

FALL SPORTS PHOTOS GALLERIES AT COURTNEYOAKES.SMUGMUG.COM

FOOTBALL

Aurora area teams post solid 6-3 mark in Week 3

The best week of the 2025 prep football season thus far happened for Aurora area teams in Week 3, during which in the nine active programs went a combined 6-3.

Aurora Central, Eaglecrest, Grandview, Rangeview, Smoky Hill and Vista PEAK Prep all picked up victories in the first week in which the area finished with a combined winning record.

Leading the Aurora area in victories this far is Vista PEAK Prep, which moved to 3-1 with a lopsided 43-6 victory over Lakewood Sept. 11 at Jefferson County Stadium.

Coach Kyle Reese’s Bison exploded with big plays, which started when Isaiah Watson took the opening kickoff back 90 yards for a touchdown. Watson also caught a touchdown pass from Canaan Barthlow, Tyrone Smiley rushed for three scores and CJ Key Jr. also found the end zone for Vista PEAK Prep in its third consecutive victory.

The first of two shutouts on the

week was posted by Eaglecrest on Sept. 11 at Legacy Stadium in a 27-0 victory over Chatfield. Coach Jesse German’s team improved to 2-1 with a defensive effort that included a fumble return touchdown on the last play of the opening half by Cameron Bell plus turnovers secured by Cooper Shaw and Cy White. Quarterback William Brinkman rushed for two touchdowns and Sterling Dufour also scored as Eaglecrest kept its foot on the pedal in the fourth quarter to avenge a loss from 2024.

Also on Sept. 11, Aurora Central rushed for three touchdown to win a see-shaw matchup with Gateway at Aurora Public Schools Stadium. Coach Chris Kelly’s Trojans got on the scoreboard first on Felix Morales’ rushing touchdown, while quarterback Markell Perkins scored in the second and third quarters to help the team move to 2-1. Westin Rayburn and Ziah Hendrix connected for a second quarter touchdown for coach Rashad Mason’s Olys, who fell to 0-3.

to even its record at 2-2 on the season. The Wolves ceded a field goal in the first quarter, but responded with three touchdowns from Blitz McCarty, a rushing score and passes to Timothy Arnold III and Asher Mattson. Mattson later threw a touchdown to Jaxson Flores, while Chris Blanks piled up 155 yards rushing and scored twice to help Grandview get back into the win column after two tough losses.

For more on these stories, visit sentinelcolorado. com/preps

Tyson Tuck, Kylen Mack and Kemariahe Brown all surpassed 100 yards rushing Sept. 12 at APS Stadium in Rangeview’s 35-14 victory over Westminster. Tuck and Mack had 124 and 113 yards, respectively, along with two touchdowns apiece and Brown hit 105 yards and scored as well as coach Chris Lopez’s team got to 2-1.

to 2-1.

On Sept. 11 at EchoPark Stadium, Cherokee Trail fell into a big hole against undefeated Mountain Vista in the opening half and was held off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter. Logan Posey rushed for the lone score for coach Justin Jajczyk’s team, which is now 1-2.

Despite 180 yards rushing from Elijah Hargrove and a touchdown from Bryson Riordin, Overland dropped a 48-7 visit to Fountain-Fort Carson. Coach Tony Lindsay Sr.’s team dropped to 0-3. Hinkley (0-2) and Regis Jesuit (0-3) had bye weeks.

WEEK PAST

The week past in Aurora prep sports

Grandview celebrated its Homecoming with a 44-10 victory over Legacy Sept. 12 at Legacy Stadium that saw coach Tom Doherty’s team reel off 44 consecutive points

Smoky Hill pitched the other shutout of the week, as coach Brandon Alconcel’s team blanked Prairie View in a 20-0 road victory Sept. 12. While the Buffs’ defense kept the ThunderHawks off the scoreboard, Smoky Hill got two rushing scores from quarterback Jayden Hopkins to take the lead, then sealed it with a touchdown by Shaun Lanre-Ahmed, who finished with 152 yards rushing in the contest as the Buffaloes moved

MONDAY, SEPT. 15: The Grandview boys soccer team played Valor Christian to a 2-2 tie at Legacy Stadium. ...The Aurora Central softball team got just two hits against visiting Greeley Central, but took advantage of walks and errors in a 22-6 win. Leilonie Brewer drove in two runs and Stephanie Gomez earned the win and scored three runs. ...The Overland girls flag football team earned a third straight victory with a 45-0 road defeat of Gateway Naomi Emecheta rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another to help the Eaglecrest girls flag football team to a 20-12 win over Smoky Hill at Stutler Bowl. The Raptors

got their first win of the season as they overcame two passing touchdowns for MJ Ranum, one apiece to Brena Rangel and Sailor Roth Ace Kelly of the Vista PEAK Prep boys golf team shot plus-10 82 to tie for 23rd individually at the City League tournament at Aurora Hills G.C. Wyatt Sandness of Rangeview shot 84 to tie for 26th. ...SATURDAY, SEPT. 13: The Hinkley girls volleyball team kept its undefeated season going with a 3-0 mark at the Jefferson Tournament, which included three-set wins over Jefferson and Littleton (with a 17-15 victory in the third set) plus a defeat of Aurora Central ...The Eaglecrest girls volleyball team downed Broomfield in two sets in Doherty in three, while it lost to Mountain Vista and Rampart to finish 2-2 at the Eaglecrest Tournament. ...The Gateway boys soccer team defeated visiting Overland 2-1. ...Vincent Tchoumba netted an equalizing goal in the 73rd minute of the Cherokee Trail boys soccer team’s clash with Northfield at Legacy Stadium, but the Nighthawks broke the tie with just over three minutes left in a 2-1 win that knocked the Cougars from the ranks of the unbeaten. ...Haisley Elliott had three of the Eaglecrest softball team’s 15 hits and pitched a complete game with nine strikeouts in an 11-5 Centennial League win at Grandview Abby Files had three hits and joined Tiani Lobitos with four RBI apiece, while Lexi Bargar went 3-for-3 and scored three times for the Raptors, who over-

Legacy Stadium. Grandview scored 44 Henry Rumple for a loose ball during 2-1. ABOVE FAR RIGHT: Regis

Invitational boys tennis tournament Sept. on the team title of the loaded tourdview High School. Elliott pitched a comduring a girls flag football contest at Vista

came three-hit performances for Sasha Kennedy and Madison Jaramillo for the Wolves. ...The Cherokee Trail softball team put up 12 runs in the fifth inning to break open a close game and defeat Arapahoe 14-1 in Centennial League play. Michaela Halton fell just a double shy of the cycle and drove in four runs, a total matched by Emma Davis on a 4-for-4 day as the Overland softball team rolled past Jefferson 21-5. Elbany Martinez had two extra-base hits and four RBI as well for the Trailblazers. ...The Cherokee Trail boys cross country team won the Division I race at the Liberty Bell Invitational with a total of 104 points to the 113 for runner-up Legend. On the fast pavement course in the neighborhood around Heritage High School, the Cougars had Dylan Smith take fifth individually, followed by Tanner Larsen and Josh Chadeayne in 18th and 19th, respectively. The duo of Luis Duarte and Liam Martin came in 14th and 15th, respectively, to lead the way for 13th-place Regis Jesuit. ...The high-powered girls Sweepstakes cross country race at the Liberty Bell Invitational included just two Aurora area entries (both freshmen) and both finished in the top 10, as Cherokee Trail’s Madison Lange ran a time of 16 minutes, 58.20 seconds, to take four place and Regis Jesuit’s McKenna Groen clocked a school-record time of 17:28.50 to take 10th. In the girls Division 1 race, Clara Kapfer finished second and Jade McDaniel seventh for Cherokee

Trail, which placed sixth among 22 scoring teams. Eaglecrest got a fifth-place individual finish from Jenna Winn Brooke Sullivan threw three touchdown passes, caught a scoring strike and added three interceptions as the Grandview girls flag football team topped Vista PEAK Prep 52-0 at Legacy Stadium. Abby Kirkpatrick had a total of four touchdowns and K’Dence Thomas added three for the Wolves, who had six interceptions as a team. ...Destiny Martinez returned two interceptions for touchdowns and Maria Gutierrez Benitez rushed for another score as the Aurora West College Prep Academy girls flag football team topped Gateway 20-0. ...The Regis Jesuit boys tennis team won the championship of the Cherry Creek Invitational as Alec Rodriguez-Fields (No. 1 singles), Edward Samuelson and Reis Cherveny (No. 2 doubles), Finn Carolyn and Beckett Martorella (No. 3 doubles) and Connor and Daniel Hickey (No. 4 doubles) won their respective brackets. Grandview had a champion as well in Kaahan Wani who won the No. 2 singles title. ...FRIDAY, SEPT. 12: The Cherokee Trail girls volleyball team battled with powerhouse Chaparral before the visiting Wolverines prevailed 25-23, 25-20, 25-15. Olivia Laughlin led the Cougars with nine kills, while Avery Krause added 20 assists. ... Kemo Fofana scored two goals and Alex Silva also scored for the Aurora West College Prep Academy boys soccer

team in a 3-2 outlasting of Lotus School of Excellence Erick Ochoa and Luke Tenkorang scored for the Meteors. ...In an 11-inning marathon, the Cherokee Trail softball team topped Chaparral 7-0 on the road. Sydney Cobb allowed two hits and struck out 18 in a complete game effort, while Taylen Shaver had three hits and Kate Kenney two RBI for the Cougars. ...Rilee Bergquist racked up 235 yards passing and threw four touchdown passes — three to Goretty Vazquez de Leon and the other to Kadience Milligan — in the Vista PEAK Prep girls flag football team’s 26-7 win over visiting Rangeview THURSDAY, SEPT. 11: The Hinkley girls volleyball team earned a 25-8, 25-18, 25-20 victory over DMLK. ...Emily Peterson had 12 kills, Jaici Simmons had four service aces and Ava Eltzroth dished out 29 assists in the Vista PEAK Prep girls volleyball team’s 25-17, 25-19, 25-13 win over Skyview. ...The Grandview girls volleyball team downed visiting Ponderosa in four sets. ...Nathan Alemayehu, Tylen Haller, Alexis Rojas and Kevin Torres scored goals, while Andreas Karpouzos had two assists in the Smoky Hill boys soccer team’s 4-0 win over Gateway Alex Kedzierski scored twice, while Kason Ottinger and Garrett Revercomb were the goal scorers for the Grandview boys soccer team in a 4-1 win over Horizon. Camden Kuhn saved seven of the eight shots he faced in the net. ...The Cherokee Trail boys soccer

team downed Legend 2-0. ...The Eaglecrest softball team blanked Denver South 12-0 on a combined four-inning no-hitter from Haisley Elliott and Alyssa Valejos Ryleigh Stufft homered and drove in four runs to lead the offensive highlights for the Raptors, who also saw Tiani Lobitos knocked in three runs.

Bella Renzi pitched six solid innings and Amara Herrera picked up the save for the Vista PEAK Prep softball team in an 11-9 City League road win at George Washington. Renzi drove in three runs, Herrera had three hits and Rylie Camarillo scored four times for the Bison.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 10: The Eaglecrest girls volleyball team got 12 kills from Anayah Rucker plus seven blocks and five aces from Taylor Slothower in a 25-23, 25-16, 23-25, 25-16 Centennial League road win at Smoky Hill Peyton Contes and Taylen Shaver drove in three runs apiece and Sydney Cobb pitched a 1-hitter as the Cherokee Trail softball team beat Castle View 15-0.

Kiley Snyder, Morgan Wilson and Ailey Henry all went 3-for-3 and Nikiah Light drove in three runs for the Smoky Hill softball team in a 15-1 home win over Rangeview Devyn Davenport drove in the Raiders’ run. ...The Rangeview girls flag football team came up with the only score of the game in the second half of a 6-0 win at Cherokee Trail. ...The Grandview boys tennis team earned a 7-0 Centennial League road sweep of Cherokee Trail that in-

cluded three-set wins at Nos. 2 and 3 doubles. ...The Overland gymnastics team earned a score of 169.400 points to win a tri-meet with Ponderosa and Cherry Creek. Abby Mess won the vault and balance beam, which helped her tie for first in the all-around, while Stephanie Fernandes topped the floor exercise. TUESDAY, SEPT. 9: Sanaya Wyatt had seven kills, Jaici Simmons registered six service aces and Ava Eltzroth recorded 28 assists to pace the Vista PEAK Prep girls volleyball team to a 25-13, 25-10, 25-18 win against Overland. ...Despite a 13-kill effort from Anayah Rucker, the Eaglecrest girls volleyball team dropped a 25-22, 23-25, 25-20, 25-16 match with Legacy. ...The Regis Jesuit girls volleyball team fell to Mountain Vista 25-17, 25-19, 25-23 in its Continental League opener. ...Ivan Flores scored twice in the second half to lift the Aurora Central boys soccer team to a 2-1 home win over Gateway Eric Castillo had the Olys’ goal. ... Caleb Burgess, Derek Seymour and Isaac Wells were among the goal scorers for the Cherokee Trail boys soccer team in its 4-1 win over Valor Christian. ...The Smoky Hill boys soccer team had four goal scorers in a 4-0 shutout of Mountain Range. John Villamizar kept a clean sheet with five saves. ...Michaela Halton went 4-for-4 with three home runs and 8 RBI to pace the Overland softball team to a 13-8 win over Aurora Central, which got a home run itself from Stephanie Gomez

Shoshone hydropower environmental water deal pits Aurora, other Front Range providers against Western Slope

“WE ALL AGREE THAT THE ENVIRONMENT WILL BE PROTECTED AND WE DO SUPPORT IT” — WITH CAVEATS, SAID ALEX DAVIS OF AURORA WATER.

BY HEATHER SACKETT, Aspen Journalism

The state water board will decide next week whether to approve a proposal from the Western Slope that would allow one of the oldest and most powerful water rights on the Colorado River to be used to benefit the environment.

The Colorado Water Conservation Board is set to hear nearly 13 hours of testimony from the Glenwood Springs-based Colorado River Water Conservation District and its supporters, as well as four Front Range water providers, including Aurora, that requested the hearing because they object to certain aspects of the proposal.

All the parties participating in the contested hearing agree that the water rights associated with the Shoshone hydropower plant in Glenwood Canyon are beneficial for the environment and would like to keep this water flowing west. But like many things regarding the Colorado River, the devil is in the details.

“We all agree that the environment will be

protected and we do support it,” said Alex Davis, assistant general manager of Aurora Water.

“But if the CWCB were to simply accept the right and sign the instream-flow agreement that the River District has proffered, that would be endorsing the River District’s technical position and discretion to call issue.”

Representatives from Denver Water, Northern Water and Colorado Springs Utilities declined to speak with Aspen Journalism for this story.

The River District, which represents 15 counties on the Western Slope, is planning to purchase some of the oldest and largest nonconsumptive water rights on the Colorado River from Xcel Energy for nearly $100 million. The water rights, which are tied to the hydropower plant, are essential for downstream ecosystems, cities, endangered fish, and agricultural and recreational water users. The plan has widespread support from Western Slope water users, who say this water is crucial to the health of their communities.

As part of the deal, the CWCB must agree to add to the hydropower right an instream-flow water right to benefit the environment and then

sign on as a co-applicant on the water court case that would make the change official. The CWCB is the only entity in the state allowed to hold instream-flow water rights, which are designed to keep a minimum amount of water in rivers to preserve the natural environment.

Adding this instream-flow right would allow water to keep flowing west even when the 116-year-old plant — which is often down for repairs, and vulnerable to wildfire and mudslides in the steep canyon — is not operating, an occurrence that has become more frequent in recent years.

Critically, because the plant’s 1902 water rights are senior to many other water users, Shoshone can force upstream water users to cut back. The Shoshone call has the ability to command the flows of the Colorado River and its tributaries upstream all the way to the headwaters. This means it can also “call out” junior Front Range water providers who take water across the Continental Divide via transmountain diversions.

The hearing reignites rivalries between the Western Slope and the Front Range, which takes about 500,000 acre-feet of water a year

from Colorado River basin headwaters across the Continental Divide, a practice that can leave Western Slope streams depleted.

It also raises an unanswerable question about who is more deserving of the state’s ever-dwindling water supply: the Western Slope, where the majority of the water originates and which looms large in Colorado’s cultural identity with its rural character, outdoor recreation and small family farms, or the Front Range, which is the urban population center and economic engine of the state. Western Slope water users often feel that Front Range growth has come at their expense.

“I think everybody’s feeling the pressure of climate change and reductions in the volume in the river will create challenges for everyone,” Colorado River District General Manager Andy Mueller said. “My belief is that we succeed in the face of a challenge like that if we collaborate in the manner that we’re proposing in this instream flow. We don’t succeed if we put one water user segment over another, if we put cities over the environment, if we put cities over agriculture.”

contested hearing in front of the CWCB next week regarding the water rights tied to the Shoshone plant. Brent Gardner-Smith/Aspen Journalism

Historic use

Determining past use of the Shoshone water rights is important because it will help set a limit for future use, as the instream-flow water right will be set according to the historic hydropower usage. Although changing the use of a water right is allowed by going through the water court process, enlarging it is not. The amount pulled from and returned to the river must stay the same as it historically has been.

But putting a precise number on how much water is associated with the Shoshone right has been a major point of contention between the Front Range and the River District. Aurora Water, Denver Water, Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District and Colorado Springs Utilities say the River District’s preliminary estimate of the hydro plant’s average annual use of 844,644 acrefeet using the period between 1975 and 2003 is flawed and would be an expansion of the historical use of the water right that harms their interests.

Usually, the water court process determines the exact amount of a water right’s historical use, which will be the next step if the CWCB approves the instream-flow right. In an effort at transparency and an attempt to streamline the water court process, the River District publicly released their historic use estimates in a federal grant application last year, which the Front Range parties have latched on to as problematic. They believe that if the CWCB accepts the water right for instream-flow use, it would be a tacit acceptance of the River District’s numbers.

“If the CWCB were to just accept the River District’s analysis, it would vastly expand the water right,” Davis said.

The River District proposed that the CWCB remain neutral on this aspect and let a water court decide, but that proposal was not adopted.

Including the past 20 years when the plant was often offline is not representative of the water right’s historic use and would lower the average — something that would benefit the Front Range, Mueller said.

“It would create a windfall for the Front Range transmountain diverters to increase the yield of their junior water rights so they can have more water to fuel future growth,” Mueller said. “That’s all it would do at the expense of the Colorado River and the environment and the water users over here.”

Who gets to call?

Another major point of conten tion is who — the River District or the CWCB — would have the authori ty to control Shoshone calls. The Riv er District is proposing co-manage ment by both entities, but the Front Range parties would like the CWCB to retain sole authority. Aurora would also like to preserve a long-standing agreement that would “relax” the Shoshone call to allow Front Range water providers to keep taking water in times of extreme drought — some thing Mueller said the River District will continue to allow.

“We feel pretty strongly that the CWCB needs to be the entity with the power to determine whether or not to put on that call,” Davis said. “In those dramatic situations, we want to make sure that the cities are not impacted negatively by this if we are looking at significant shortages.”

Mueller said cutting the River District — which is charged with pro tecting, conserving, using and devel oping water within its boundaries — out of decision-making about one of

der-based conservation group Western Resource Advocates says the Front Range parties are asking the CWCB to make decisions outside its authority. The only issue up for consideration by the CWCB should be whether the Shoshone water rights should be acquired for instream-flow purposes, WRA said. WRA is also representing several other nonprofit environmental organizations that have a stake in the Colorado River: American Rivers, Conservation Colorado, National Audubon Society and Trout Unlimited.

“The Colorado Water Conservation Board must seize this once-ina-lifetime opportunity to acquire the Shoshone water rights and protect Colorado’s streams,” WRA senior staff attorney John Cyran said in an emailed statement. “None of the parties to this hearing dispute this acquisition would benefit river health, fish and wildlife, river recreation and Colorado’s West Slope communities. The details will be ironed out in water court.”

The Front Range parties have also asked for an extension to give

the two sides more time to hash out agreements before the CWCB makes a decision. But that seems unlikely as neither the River District, which must be the one to grant the extension, nor attorneys for the CWCB think it would be productive. They instead want to rely on the subsequent water court process with its enforced deadlines to work out the nitty-gritty issues.

“This project has been in the works for years, but discussions are routinely stalled and the parties do not seem to have made any progress toward resolution,” reads the testimony from Jen Mele, attorney for the Colorado Attorney General’s Office.

The board has three choices next week: They can approve the acquisition of the water rights as proposed; they can deny the acquisition; or they can make changes to the proposal and approve the amended proposal. The hearing, which will take place at Fort Lewis College in Durango, is scheduled from 12:20 to 6 p.m. Wednesday and from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday.

the most important water rights and associated calls on the Western Slope would be a deal-breaker.

“If the CWCB board was inclined to say, ‘We don’t agree with the co-management of this water right and we think only the CWCB should operate it,’ well, the West Slope would have to walk away from this instream-flow process,” Mueller said. “It would be over. We would terminate our contract with Xcel and the state would lose an historic opportunity to preserve the Colorado River flows … . We’d have to find another method of gaining control over those water rights.”

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PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30887

Estate of Gail Lynn Kirkwood aka Gail L. Kirkwood aka Gail Kirkwood, 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 January 11, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred. Jennifer Fabian c/o 3i Law, LLC 2000 S. Colorado Blvd., Tower 1, Suite 10000 Denver, CO 80222

First Publication: September 11, 2025

Final Publication: September 25, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR357

Estate of Elizabeth P. Garcia, 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 January 4, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred.

Michael Garcia Personal Representative 1421 Columbia Road NW, B2 Washington, DC 20009

First Publication: September 4, 2025

Final Publication: September 18, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR406

Estate of Michael Laurence Maine, 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 January 18, 2026 or the claims may be forever barred. Terryn Larosche Personal Representative 5107 Woodcreek Road Austin, TX 78749

First Publication: September 18, 2025

Final Publication: October 2, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.

Estate of Charles R. Self, Deceased. All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the undersigned or to the District Court of Arapahoe on or before October 30, 2025, or said claims may be forever barred. Send claims and documentation to AnnSelf92@gmail.com

First Publication: September 18, 2025

Final Publication: October 2, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801. C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30657

Estate of Sandra Lee Dern, 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 December 21, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Pamela Sue Colosacco c/o Peter A. Garin 225 Union Blvd., #150 Lakewood, CO 80228

First Publication: September 11, 2025

Final Publication: September 25, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30852

Estate of Renee Beverly Cutler aka Renee

B. Cutler, 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 January 18, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred. Helene R. Wolk

Personal Representative

Attorney for Personal Representative

Daniel C. Mong #38189

8480 E. Orchard Road, Ste. 2500, Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Phone: 303-320-0023

First Publication: September 18, 2025

Final Publication: October 2, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO § 15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30806

Estate of HARVEY M. COHEN, 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 January 4, 2026, or said claims may be forever barred.

Mark A. Idelberg, Personal Representative

600 S. Cherry St., Suite 1125

Denver, CO 80246

Phone: 303-771-9233

E-mail:mark@bislaw.net

First Publication: September 4, 2025

Final Publication: September 18, 2025

Sentinel

PUBLIC NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME OF AN ADULT ARAPAHOE COUNTY COURT, COLORADO Case No. 2025C100717

PUBLIC NOTICE is given on August 20, 2025, that a Petition was filed for a Change of Name of an Adult has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.

The Petition entered that the name of Muckleet Taye Degefa be changed to Meklet Taye Degefa.

/s/ Judge

First Publication: September 11, 2025

Final Publication: September 25, 2025 Sentinel

DISTRICT COURT, ARAPAHOE COUNTY, STATE OF COLORADO CONSOLIDATED NOTICE OF PUBLICATION

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT IN THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS FILED IN THIS COURT UNDER THE “UNIFORM DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE” AND “UNIFORM CHILD CUSTODY JURISDICTION” ACTS, due diligence has been used to obtain personal service within the State of Colorado and further efforts would be to no avail; therefore, publication has been ordered: CASE NUMBER NAME TYPE OF ACTION

2025DR000791 Cameron Michael Jackson Sr. v Dorothy Ann Jones Custody

2025DR031404 Stephanie Darnea Persaud v Gurdat Persaud Dissolution

A copy of the Petition and Summons may be obtained from the Clerk of the

respond to this service by publication

non-appearing party.

SHANA KLOEK CLERK OF THE COURT 7325 S. POTOMAC ST. CENTENNIAL, CO 80112

Publication: September 18, 2025 Sentinel

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Editorials Sentinel

School shootings will continue until support for limitless gun rights stops

Nothing that consumes the rest of us matters, again, this time to hundreds of students and their families at Evergreen High School.

The Epstein files, FBI gaffes and the future of TikTok do not matter today for the families of two students injured when they were shot at school in Evergreen last week. The shootings have likewise consumed the hundreds of students and their families who were terrified during the gunfire, taking the events of Sept. 11, 2025 with them for the rest of their lives.

Mattering least of all are the meaningless, hollow and cruel offerings of “thoughts and prayers” from political leaders who tout their five-star rating from the National Rifle Association for working to undermine gun-control laws that might have spared two injured students and the life of the student gunman, and lives lost every day to guns all over the nation.

The Evergreen shooting victims join the millions of other parents and children terrorized every day by the thought of being inside the next school, the next classroom, chosen by a shooter with a gun on a mission to kill.

The Evergreen school shooting also affected students, teachers and parents who suffered similar aching losses that have previously struck Aurora, Littleton, Boulder, Highlands Ranch, Bailey and Arapahoe County, as well as dozens of schools across the nation.

Each time someone guns down people in a store, a school, a theater or even a town square, past victims and families are terrorized again, along with the rest of us.

These past surviving school shooting victims and their families remember back to the “thoughts and prayers” they, too, received from people like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and GOP Senate Minority Leader John Thune and a long list of fellow Republicans and Democrats alike who have offered nothing else to stem the plague of gun violence in the nation.

Instead, the country has for years been awash in political leaders who gaslight the nation by insisting that it’s not the guns.

Only liars and fools hold onto that trembling thread of nonsense.

Of course it’s the guns.

It’s the guns, the lack of mental health care, the lack of education, the poverty and our national obsession with violence. But more than anything, the easy access and promotion of handguns, assault rifles, tactical gear and more are what have led to the shooting of more than 100,000 Americans each year and become the leading cause of death among children and teens in the country.

Facts compiled by Brady United from the Centers for Disease Control reveal just how much it is the guns in this country:

Every day, 327 people are shot in the United States. Among those:

• 117 people die from their gunshot wounds

• 210 survive gunshot injuries

• 23 are minors

• 95 are intentionally shot by someone else and survive

• 46 are murdered

• 67 die from gun suicide

• 1 is killed unintentionally

• 90 are shot unintentionally and survive

Americans are 26 times more likely to be shot and killed than people in any other high-income country. There are more gun dealers than McDonald’s restaurants. There are 126 guns for every 100 Americans.

It’s the guns that are killing us from an industry that makes billions promoting a misguided rewriting of history, implying that the founding fathers of the nation somehow supported our right to murder each other by the tens of thousands each year.

All of the survivors of gun violence, and the friends and families of those who were slaughtered, do not care about the deceitful and irrelevant excuses offered by craven political leaders who care only about gaining power, remaining in power by appeasing the minority of Americans who believe guns are not a problem and the gun industries that prop up these soulless “leaders.”

The only thing preventing the nation from escaping endless shootings and massacres is signaling that those who refuse to act against the gun industry to protect Americans will be removed at the ballot box from power.

It means people who normally sit out the trouble it takes to vote or who shrug their shoulders when confronted with pro-gun-industry propaganda and lies can no longer stand on the sidelines.

Few things are as certain in this world as the absolute guarantee that if a majority of American voters push back against elected leaders refusing to budge on gun control, gun control will come swiftly and widely.

But until those who refuse to succumb to our national fate as withering victims of gun massacres, school shootings and violence become the majority on Election Day, the gun industry, their lobbyists, their bullies and their lackeys will continue to offer thoughts and prayers to the tens of thousands of shooting victims they do nothing for each year.

MIKE ROSEN, GUEST COLUMNIST

All about Zohran Mamdani in NYC and

the ‘democratic socialist’ grift

Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old who won the Democrat primary (endorsed by fellow socialists Bernie Sanders and AOC) is now the party’s wholly unqualified candidate for mayor of New York City. He’s a Muslim antisemite and Israel hater. In college, he co-founded the school’s chapter of the pro-Hamas “Students for Justice in Palestine,” and graduated with a degree in Africana Studies. His thin resume includes a job as a foreclosure-prevention housing counselor, hip-hop musician, political campaign worker, and all of four years as a New York state assemblyman. With those meager credentials he presumes to govern the Big Apple.

The centerpiece of his campaign is to transform NYC – ironically, the financial capital of the world – to a model of “democratic socialism.” Zohran is a charismatic preacher to a young, gullible progressive demographic. (Aptly named, he’s a generation Z-er.) I’ve forgotten more about economics than he knows – and I haven’t forgotten much. The Z-man is a glib pretender, and a proud member of the anti-capitalist Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), whose membership features such economic geniuses as Congresswomen AOC, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. Here’s an example of the ignorance of this ideology from DSA’s web page:

“We believe that working people should run both the economy and society democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few.”

“Make profits for a few?” DSA is idiotic! In a capitalist economy businesses can’t exist and employ workers without profits. “Workers” don’t start businesses, they join them and abandon those that are unprofitable. Entrepreneurs provide creativity and their personal wealth to start a business. They, their stockholders, and lenders require a return on their investment derived from profits. “To meet human needs” and fund our ever-expanding welfare state, federal, state, and city governments impose payroll taxes (that fund Social Security and Medicare for all), income taxes, property taxes, and sales taxes on businesses. And tax their investors on interest income, dividends and capital gains. Without profits those businesses disappear along with the products and services that satisfy multitudes of consumers.

Socialists claim capitalism is “unrestrained.”

That’s also absurd. In practice, our mixed-economy is a balance of limited government, capitalism, and individual freedom tempered with extensive regulations on businesses, redistribution of income, and a cornucopia of government welfare programs. To the nation’s detriment, creeping socialism has upset this balance, poisoning the

mixture, eroding freedom and propelling government spending beyond the nation’s tax capacity while driving up the national debt to the brink of fiscal insolvency.

Democratic socialism is a con game. It’s final goal is communism. The father of socialism, Karl Marx, was an idealistic philosopher not an economist, whose vision was that capitalism would inevitably be overturned in a worldwide revolution of the proletariat (workers) and replaced with communism (“the dictatorship of the proletariat”), which, itself, would ultimately “wither away” as human nature would be perfected and government no longer needed in his imagined utopian, classless, harmonious society.

Instead, the world got the USSR, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (with the accent on “socialist”). In reality, it was a totalitarian dictatorship and police state in which the Communist Party was the government, controlling everything from the economy to the culture, to religion, to the media. With no private enterprise, no property rights, no free press, no free speech, and no other political parties allowed.

North Korea and Cuba fit that model today. Communist China was all of that before it became a hybrid of sorts, reviving its morbid economy by tolerating a slice of government-controlled capitalism – while that lasts. Today, it’s crushing freedom in Hong Kong and planning to take over the free and prosperous nation of Taiwan.

Zohran Mamdani has said he intends to “seize the means of production ” in NYC. But democratic socialists of his ilk won’t stop there. Like the Democrat party, they have no limiting principle when it comes to the expansion of government to run people’s lives. As an economic system, democratic socialism is ultimately doomed to failure because it flies in the face of human nature. Humans aren’t collectivist worker ants in a colony or bees in a hive. They won’t involuntarily work as hard and creatively for the benefit of others as they will for themselves and their family.

When socialists demand “equity” they don’t mean equality of opportunity. They mean equality of outcome regardless of effort, ambition and ability. Socialism rewards failure, mediocrity, and laziness. Consequently, it gets more of that. By penalizing individual excellence, it gets much less of that. That outcome is equality in poverty.

Longtime KOA radio talk host and columnist for the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News Mike Rosen now writes for CompleteColorado. com.