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December 19, 2013Elbert County, Colorado | Volume 118, Issue 47

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O� cials nearing decision on oil, gas Commissioners expected to vote on proposed changes in early 2014 By George Lurie [email protected]

On Dec. 12, the Elbert County Planning Commission met and after much discus-sion, decided to postpone a vote on approv-ing a comprehensive set of revised oil and gas regulations.

“We’re going to continue it until our next meeting on Dec. 19,” said Thomas Beshore, vice-chair of the planning commission.

Beshore said there are “still a few ver-biage changes that need to be addressed. So we didn’t feel comfortable doing an offi cial approval. But we’re very close.”

The revised regulations, which will serve as a road map for future oil and gas explo-ration in the county, have been a work in progress for more than two years.

Revising the county’s oil and gas regula-tions has been a painful and controversial process and has sparked confl ict between the planning commission and the BOCC.

In July, the BOCC voted down a proposed set of oil and gas regulations that the plan-ning commission and an ad hoc citizen’s group known as the editing committee had spent more than two years working on.

Following that vote, then planning com-mission chair Grant Thayer resigned in pro-test.

And then in November, Paul Crisan, who succeeded Thayer as planning commis-sion chair, was summarily dismissed by the BOCC after being accused of obstructing progress in rewriting the oil and gas regs.

Since Crisan’s unceremonious departure, Beshore has been serving as the planning commission’s de facto chairman.

“It’s my hope that we can get the commis-sioners to approve” the revised regulations, Beshore said. “Up to now, I think most of the problems have been with contradictory wording and language that didn’t mesh.”

Community and Development Services Director Kyle Fenner was hired by the BOCC this past May to replace former planning director Richard Miller and has been under increasing pressure to work with the plan-ning commission to complete the revision of the oil and gas regulations, which the BOCC must approve before they take effect.

Beshore complimented Fenner on her ef-forts related to the project. “Kyle has worked so hard in trying to put together these new regulations,” said Beshore. “There are only certain things we can put into them without confl icting with state regulations.”

Beshore, who has served on the planning commission for four years, said: “We’ve all learned an awful lot about oil and gas. It’s been a tedious, diffi cult process.”

The new regulations, according to Be-shore, do not address address hydraulic fracturing — or fracking — a controversial method of extracting oil and natural gas from within solid rock.

The process, which requires large amounts of water, has been banned in some areas around the state.

On Dec. 12 at the same time the planning commission was meeting, a group of people protesting fracking gathered outside the courthouse in Kiowa.

Commissioners approve 2014 budget About 75 attend public meeting at fairgrounds By George Lurie [email protected]

Elbert County’s fi nancial future was the subject of a spirited public hearing Dec. 11 at the county fairgrounds.

The meeting was held in the larger ven-ue in order to accommodate a crowd of about 75 people who turned out to voice their thoughts — and concerns — regard-ing the BOCC’s proposed 2014 budget.

Presenting the budget before the start of the public hearing, Ed Ehmann, the county’s public works director, said: “There were some complicated issues we had to work out and mandates we had to fund. But we are very proud to be able to present a balanced budget that will help us move into 2014. ... This is a sound doc-ument for Elbert County.”

Under the proposed 2014 budget, all county departments end the year with positive fund balances.

In addition, Ehmann said the county will be able to keep $500,000 in a reserve contingency fund, a condition of the $7 million loan from Wells Fargo that refi -nanced the justice center in 2009.

“Our goal is to ultimately have three months operating expenses as well as the $500,000 in that contingency fund,” said Commissioner Kurt Schlegel. “I think we are on the right track.”

During the public hearing, a number of county residents shared their thoughts regarding the county’s fi nances — and where they think the county is headed.

Tony Baker, an Elizabeth resident, questioned Ehmann about a $985,000 grant the county has applied for to pave County Road 29.

“If we are not successful in our grant application, we’ll fall back on to our mas-ter plan and try to fi x the roads that we’ve identifi ed as needing work,” Ehmann said.

Bob Lewis, another Elizabeth resident, said he wanted to speak in support of the

sheriff. “We have gone from a county gov-ernment that might have been depicted in the Dukes of Hazard to something that is actually pretty respectable. Part of that progress is our sheriff’s offi ce,” said Lewis, adding that it is recognized around the state as one of the “best-run” in Colorado.

Scott Wills, chairman of the county Re-publican Party, said: “I’m tickled to death with the collaborative budget-making process that we have done in this county. ... I think that’s the best way small govern-ment can do it.”

County resident Susan Shick said she wanted to read in to the record a letter she had sent to the commissioners on Dec. 5 “protesting the 2014 county budget.”

“I have no confi dence in the processes used to develop this budget,” Shick said. “It is obvious that the department of fi -nance and budget is grossly understaffed.”

Shick also questioned how the county could come up with a 2014 budget with the 2012 budget audit still not completed.

“The budget for 2014 has nothing to do with the 2012 audit,” said Schlegel in response. “While we’ve missed two dead-lines on the 2012 audit, it has nothing to do with 2014’s budget.”

Schlegel added that he believed Shick’s

letter “doesn’t state the facts at all.”Jill Duvall, an Elizabeth resident who

sits on the county library board, asked commissioners why they don’t release monthly budget updates. “If we can do it on the library board, I think the BOCC should be able to do it too,” Duvall said.

“It’s our goal as a team to improve how we present information to the public,” Ehmann responded.

Rick Blotter, an Agate resident, ques-tioned the methods county offi cials used to calculate anticipated revenues — spe-cifi cally, a big jump in anticipated rev-enues from stepped-up traffi c enforce-ment by the sheriff’s offi ce and additional sales-and-use taxes. “When you speculate on revenues that don’t come in, somebody gets left holding the bag,” said Blotter.

Mike Phillips, a Kiowa resident, also questioned how the BOCC could make an accurate 2014 budget with the 2012 audit still unfi nished.

“I understand things have been re-ally screwed up for 20 years,” Phillips said. “But it seems to me like you guys are mak-ing things up as you go along.”

Ehmann defended the work county of-fi cials have done on the 2014 budget.

“We feel very confi dent in what we’ve done and can defend this thing line item by line item.” he said.

Commissioner Larry Ross added that he believed “the county has made great progress” in dealing with its fi scal challenges.

“We’re going to unkink this rope and move forward,” Ross said.

Following the public hearing — and as required by law — the BOCC voted unanimously to certify the 2014 mill levy and approve the 2014 county bud-get.

Elbert County Commissioners Kurt Schlegel (far right), Robert Rowland (center) and Larry Ross discuss the 2014 county budget at a Dec. 11 public hearing at the Elbert County Fairgrounds. Photos by George Lurie

Elbert County Sheri� Shayne Heap answers questions from commissioners at the Dec. 11 hearing on the 2014 county budget.

2 Elbert County News December 19, 2013

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Girl seriously injured in school shootingStudent entered Arapahoe High School with shotgunBy Jennifer [email protected]

One minute and 20 seconds.That’s how long Arapahoe County Sheriff

Grayson Robinson said Karl Pierson’s ram-page lasted. Pierson, 18, entered Arapahoe High School brandishing a shotgun Dec. 13, critically wounding Claire Esther Davis, be-fore killing himself, the sheriff said.

Schools across the area, including in Elizabeth, were put on lockdown as events unfolded.

After viewing security-camera footage of the scene, Robinson offered some new and some revised information Dec. 14, includ-ing the name of the single gunshot victim. Davis is a 17-year-old senior at Arapahoe High in Centennial, a horse enthusiast and, says Robinson, a completely innocent vic-tim who had no time to run from her at-tacker before he shot her point blank in the head.

“She is a young woman of principle, she is a young woman of purpose, she is an in-nocent young lady, and she is an innocent victim of an evil act of violence,” the sheriff told a large contingent of media outside the school.

A statement released by Davis’ family says she has severe head trauma and re-mains in critical condition. They requested privacy for themselves and Littleton Adven-tist Hospital, and thanked the trauma team there for saving their daughter’s life.

“She needs your continued prayers,” read the statement. “We would like to thank our family, our friends, the community and the equine community for their outpouring of love and support.”

Davis was the lone gunshot victim, the sheriff confirmed Dec. 14. A student near

her at the time of the shooting was taken to a hospital as a precautionary measure.

According to Davis’ Facebook page, she’s a member of the Colorado Hunter Jumper Association and attended Vellshire Riding School.

Robinson said the security footage shows Pierson, an Arapahoe student, park-ing on the north side of the building at 12:33 p.m. and getting out of his vehicle with the pump-action shotgun in plain view. He had a bandolier full of ammunition slung across his chest and was carrying a machete.

He also was wearing a backpack that turned out to contain three Molotov cock-tails.

Contrary to his earlier view that Pierson was only after his debate coach, Tracy Mur-

phy, Robinson now believes Pierson was intent on killing or injuring as many people as he could, though the faculty member was the primary target. He believes the in-cident was likely a reaction to some sort of dispute between Murphy and Pierson, who reportedly made threats against the educa-tor in September because he disagreed with a disciplinary action.

Murphy was quickly alerted to Pierson’s presence Dec. 13 and was able to safely leave the grounds before the student could find him.

Pierson purchased the firearm on Dec. 6 at a local retail outlet, which was legal because he was 18, said Robinson. He had purchased at least some of the ammunition in the morning before the shooting.

Pierson entered the school through a door adjacent to the school library on the north side of the building and immediately shot a random round down a hallway. He then walked up to Davis and shot her point blank.

“There was no time for the victim to get away from the shooter,” said Robinson.

Pierson then took another random shot, went directly to the library and set off one of the bombs, which set at least three book-shelves on fire. He shot a fifth round, but by now he could hear the school resource offi-cer — an Arapahoe County sheriff’s deputy — heading toward him at full speed.

Robinson said the resource officer, along with an unarmed security guard and two administrators, heard the first shot and im-mediately began running from the cafete-ria to the library. The resource officer was screaming at kids to get down and identify-ing himself as a deputy sheriff.

As soon as Pierson heard the commotion coming toward him, he walked to a corner and shot himself, said Robinson.

“It’s typical for a shooter to shoot until confronted by a person in authority,” he said. “The response from officers was ab-solutely critical to the fact that we did not have additional injury and/or death.”

Robinson said the building will likely remain a crime scene until at least mid-af-ternoon on Dec. 15. Scott Murphy, Littleton Public Schools superintendent, said that regular classes won’t resume at the school until January. Counseling continues to be available for anyone in the community with a need to talk about what happened.

“This has truly been a village and a fam-ily pulling together in a difficult time,” said the superintendent.

As part of the investigation, authorities searched three properties around the met-ro area, including Pierson’s home in High-lands Ranch. Robinson would not divulge what was found, but reiterated that he be-lieves Pierson acted alone.

“We found nothing that would lead us to believe there were coconspirators,” he said.

Students were evacuated from Arapahoe High School shortly after shots were fired Dec. 13. Photo by Chris Michlewicz


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Elizabeth schools locked downPolice, sheriff ’s office mobilize in response to report of suicidal manBy George [email protected]

Schools in Elizabeth were placed on “lockout” status on Dec. 10 after police re-ceived a report of a potentially “armed and suicidal” man — who was found dead later that day — walking aimlessly in the area of Elizabeth High School.

The report came in to police by tele-phone from the man’s wife.

Elizabeth High, Elizabeth Middle School, several elementary schools, Legacy Academy and the school district’s adminis-tration building were all placed on lockout and heightened alert status following the initial police report, which came in at ap-proximately 9:15 a.m.

School district officials sent out an email blast at 11:15 a.m. updating parents — and the media — on the situation.

The email stated: “Students and staff are in the buildings and classes are being con-ducted as normal. The buildings are locked, perimeters are secure. SHE is in heightened alert. Elizabeth Police is looking for a man in the area that may be armed.”

Authorities spent all morning and part of the afternoon searching for the man, who was described as a 50-year-old white male.

Elizabeth Police Chief Michael Phibbs mobilized his department in response to the report and Elbert County Sheriff Shayne Heap and a number of his deputies also participated in the search for the man, utilizing a department bloodhound.

After an eight-hour search, the man’s body was found in a wooded gully on the northern outskirts of Elizabeth.

Heap confirmed the man died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Elizabeth School District officials sent out email updates regarding the incident throughout the day.

An email sent at 2:15 p.m. reported that the “lockout and heightened alert” had been lifted.

Parents who lose a child not aloneParker foundation provides support, memorial eventsBy Chris [email protected]

Corrine O’Flynn knows all too well that the grief of losing a child is unfathomable to those who haven’t experienced it.

O’Flynn felt “isolated” after losing her daughter Rowan, who was born in Decem-ber 1999 and passed away one day later from complications related to trisomy 18, a condition caused by an error in cell divi-sion.

The Parker resident lost the ability to connect with people or enjoy activities she once loved. Nothing mattered in the same way. She recalled feeling like she had noth-ing to lose when her friend signed her up for a therapy session with others who had lost children. O’Flynn admittedly wasn’t the “support group-type,” but it was dur-ing those first sessions that she realized she had stopped really talking to her hus-band.

“The isolation is huge,” she says. “It overwhelms all other feelings.”

None of the pre-natal tests indicated that anything was wrong, and the lack of online information about trisomy 18 at that time made things ever harder to com-prehend.

Through chat forums, O’Flynn met other parents who had lost children to the condition and started an online support organization.

It was an immense success, and in 2005, O’Flynn realized she was reaching only “one small segment of the population of grieving parents.”

That was when she created the Rowan Tree Foundation, a Parker-based non-profit that provides a platform of support for parents who have lost a child. Aside from outreach services that guide surviv-ing loved ones through the stages of grief, the foundation sends out personalized re-membrance notes. Each one is sent as a show of support during the month the par-

ents lost their child. More than 500 were mailed this year, and they read: “We hope you find some comfort in knowing you are not alone. We are remembering with you.”

Foundation offers shared experiencesPerhaps most uplifting are the orga-

nization’s two signature annual events: a butterfly release in June and candlelight vigil in December.

Both are well-attended and take place at the Rowan Tree Foundation Angel Memo-rial and Healing Garden, along the Cherry Creek trail just west of McCabe Meadows Park at South Parker Road and Indian Pipe Lane. The land was donated to the non-profit two years ago by the Town of Parker.

The butterfly release is an emotional experience, but one that is intended to help heal.

“We order monarch butterflies that are packaged individually and I read all of the children’s names, and at the end of the program, everyone opens their box and releases the butterflies into a field,” said O’Flynn, who serves as the foundation’s executive director. “A lot of people are cry-ing at the beginning, but once they’re re-leased, everybody is smiling.”

The shared experience is what is so valuable to O’Flynn. After all, it was bond-ing with others through grief that was the catalyst for the Rowan Tree Foundation.

O’Flynn’s daughter was named Rowan, a Gaelic word meaning “little red one,” but later she discovered it is also a type of tree known to signify “strength against adver-sity and rebirth.”

“It also represents connection, which was perfect for our mission,” said O’Flynn, who is helped by four volunteers.

After a child passes away, local hos-pitals give packets to grieving parents and let them decide whether to seek sup-port. Whether it’s one day after a loss, one month later, or even 40 years later, as was the case with one woman, the Rowan Tree Foundation is there to help, free of charge.

For more information, call 720-588-8693 or send an email to [email protected].

The foundation also has a website, www.rowantreefoundation.org, and a Facebook page.

Corinne O’Flynn, founder and executive director of the Rowan Tree Foundation, reads a message to families gathered at the group’s angel memorial statue to mourn the loss of a child.

The Rowan Tree Foundation Angel Memorial and Healing Garden, along the Cherry Creek trail near South Parker Road and Indian Pipe Lane, is a gathering place for those grieving the loss of a child. The foundation is based in Parker. Courtesy photos

Experts explore future of job growthEvent puts focus on state’s economic developmentBy George [email protected]

The news was mostly positive and upbeat at this year’s annual economic forecast breakfast, hosted by the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce Dec. 13 and attended by nearly 800 area business and civic leaders.

After brief opening remarks from Chamber President John Brackney — who encouraged “ev-eryone in this room to be economic developers” — and chamber Chairman-elect Rick Whipple

Office: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129PhOne: 303-566-4100A legal newspaper of general circulation in Elizabeth, Colorado, the Elbert County News is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media. PERI-ODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ELIZABETH, COLORADO and additional mailing offices.POSTMASTeR: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129DeADLineS: Display advertising: Thurs. 11 a.m.Legal advertising: Thurs. 11 a.m.classified advertising: Mon. 12 p.m.

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State � nances don’t inspire optimism Economist addresses crowd at South Metro Chamber By Jennifer Smith [email protected]

The state of Colorado has taken a few steps back from the edge of the fi nancial cliff, but researchers say it’s not out of dan-ger of falling off.

“There’s not truly cause for optimism,” Phyllis Resnick, lead economist with Colo-rado State University’s Colorado Futures Center, told business and community lead-ers at the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce on Dec. 10. “We’ve delayed some of the inevitable, but we haven’t re-ally gotten rid of the problem.”

The good news is that the center pre-dicts a budget gap in 2024 of nearly half of what it expected in its 2011 study, which was about $3.5 billion.

CFC said at the time that by then, there would only be enough in the state’s coffers to pay for Medicaid, K-12 education and corrections — just enough to “medicate, educate and incarcerate,” said Resnick.

Federal stimulus money and a robust housing recovery helped delay the pain, said Resnick.

“Revenues have come back kind of on steroids,” she said. “But I think this is ar-tifi cially stimulated. I expect sales-tax rev-enue to continue to decline.”

The bad news is that the shortfall is still probably going to happen, but not until 2029 or so.

There are a lot of reasons, but a major one is an aging population that spends more money on services, which are not taxed, than products. In 1959, people spent about 56 cents of every dollar on goods; to-day it’s just 36 cents.

Things continue to get cheaper — think electronics — and people more often are buying online, where there is no sales tax.

Additionally, the recession and record-high youth unemployment rates kept a lot of young adults from moving out and start-ing their own families, so they don’t need houses and furniture and all the trappings of the American dream quite yet.

They’re also not having kids, which means lower spending on education in the coming years — good news for the state

budget, bad news for the schools.Those kids have been going to college,

however. Student-loan debt is now $1 trillion na-

tionally, second only to housing in terms of household debt.

These are the same kids who were sup-posed to prop up Medicaid and Social Se-curity for all those seniors, the numbers of which will grow by 50 percent in the next two years.

On top of all those problems, most of which are occurring nationally, Colorado has the unique situation of TABOR.

The constitutional amendment caps revenue growth to the amount of infl ation plus population change, and requires any excess be returned to taxpayers unless vot-ers say the governmental entity can keep it.

CFC predicts having an excess will be the norm starting in about 2016 because of Colorado’s hospital-provider fee, estab-lished in 2009 to pay for the Medicaid ex-pansion.

“The juxtaposition of cuts in general-fund programs, which could include cuts to schools, higher education and a variety

of other programs, at the same time the state is returning `surplus’ funds to tax-payers under TABOR, will be puzzling to many Colorado citizens,” writes CFC in its executive summary.

The state could begin to close the gap by exempting the hospital fee from TABOR and taxing some personal services like haircuts and lawn mowing, for example, says Resnick.

“Why not modernize the system to cap-ture where the economic activity is taking place?” she asked. “If we could make these two changes, we could come pretty close to becoming structurally sound through the end of this decade.”

Next up would be taking a hard look at how property taxes are calculated in an ef-fort to shore up the education system, she said.

“Inaction, of course, would bring about a strictly budget-cutting solution,” reads the study. “The cuts would be extreme. For example, closing the gap with cuts alone, while maintaining full funding for K-12, Medicaid and corrections, would result in cuts of nearly 75 percent to all of the other 17 general-fund departments by 2030.”

Parents who lose a child not alone

Experts explore future of job growth Event puts focus on state’s economic development By George Lurie [email protected]

The news was mostly positive and upbeat at this year’s annual economic forecast breakfast, hosted by the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce Dec. 13 and attended by nearly 800 area business and civic leaders.

After brief opening remarks from Chamber President John Brackney — who encouraged “ev-eryone in this room to be economic developers” — and chamber Chairman-elect Rick Whipple

— who touted the Chamber’s ongoing efforts around the state to promote the “Fix the Debt” campaign — the main presentation kicked off with an update from Ken Lund, director of the Colorado Offi ce of Economic Development and International Trade.

“Colorado will never be a big fi nancial center like New York but we can be the place that is the most innovative, the most entrepreneurial,” said Lund, whose speech highlighted the importance of cultivating an educated, talented workforce.

Dr. Richard Wobbekind, a University of Colo-rado economist, delivered an encouraging fore-cast for 2014. Noting that Colorado was among the top seven states in terms of current popula-tion growth, Wobbekind predicted Colorado will

create 61,000 new jobs next year.“Almost every sector is growing,” he said, add-

ing that commodity prices have benefi tted the agricultural and energy sectors in particular and that foreclosure rates across the state “have re-ally dropped and are now a non-issue.”

Dr. Martin Shields, a Colorado State Univer-sity economics professor, painted a picture not quite a rosy as those who preceded him, saying, “This is as good as it’s going to get for a while.”

Despite forecasting that 26,000 to 30,000 new jobs are coming to the Denver area in 2014, push-ing down the unemployment rate to 5.9 percent, Shields pointed out that “a lot of families are still struggling fi nancially — and so are the business-es that rely on those families’ paychecks.”


6-Opinion

opinions / yours and ours

Help during the holidays, and beyondAlmost 13 percent of Coloradans live

below the poverty level, according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s better than the national rate of more than 14 percent, but it’s still much too high.

This time of year, the thought of families not being able to put food on the table —much less purchase holiday gifts — can be particularly disturbing. Maybe it should be equally as unsettling year round, but dur-ing a season of joy, and often excess, for so many, the plight of the poor stands out as a cruel contrast.

Fortunately, there are avenues to help. For example, Dec. 10 was Colorado Gives Day, the annual push to raise money for nonprofits, many of which help the poor. More than $15.4 million was raised in

2012, and we hope an even bigger haul was brought in this year.

One of the many nonprofits helped by the effort was the Douglas/Elbert Task Force. The Castle Rock-based organization exists to provide basic necessities, like food and rent assistance, to residents of Douglas and Elbert counties in need. We applaud them for their year-round work.

Recently, we were given rare insight into the plight of some of those who sought help from the task force. Colorado Com-

munity Media reporter Virginia Grantier spent some time with the task force’s client service manager, Jenny Follmer. Grantier’s article, which appeared last week in several Colorado Community Media publications as well as online, illustrates the very real stories of the less fortunate in a way statis-tics simply can’t.

The two went over the files of 20 indi-viduals and families who sought assistance on one day, and the article summarizes the needs of each applicant. It is as personal as it gets without names and faces. Even in the suburbs, this could be your neighbor, a friend in need.

A small sampling:• “A Douglas County woman on dis-

ability, renter. Her ex-husband came back to Colorado with their three kids and then

he left, and left the kids with her. She has $85 left for bills after she pays the rent. But today, she just needs food.”

• “A Castle Rock family, grandmother in her 70s, grown daughter and three grand-daughters. The daughter works, but the rent is more than half her income. They come in today for clothing, food and Christmas assistance.”

•“An Elbert County family, renters, three kids and husband and wife. Husband is facing several surgeries to correct past surgery. He’s in extreme pain, but works off some rent for landlord. Wife is working. They need help with food and Christmas assistance.”

The holidays, of course, are a particular-ly busy time for the task force and groups like it. Then again, it’s always too busy.

our view

Elbert County News Colorado Community Media9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 Phone 303-566-4100 • Fax 303-566-4098 Visit us on the Web at elbertcountynews.net

gerard healey President and Publisher

Chris rotar Editor

ryaN Boldrey Assistant Editor

eriN addeNBrooke Advertising Director

audrey Brooks Business Manager

sCott aNdrews Production Manager

saNdra arellaNo Circulation Director

roN ‘MitCh’ MitChell Sales Executive

Columnists and guest commentariesThe Elbert County News features a limited number

of regular columnists, found on these pages and else-where in the paper, depending on the typical subject the columnist covers. Their opinions are not necessar-ily those of the Elbert County News.

Want your own chance to bring an issue to our read-ers’ attention, to highlight something great in our com-munity, or just to make people laugh? Why not write a letter of 300 words or fewer. Include your full name, ad-dress and the best number to reach you by telephone.

email your letter to [email protected]

Our team of professional reporters, photographers and editors are out in the community to bring you the news each week, but we can’t do it alone.

Send your news tips, your own photographs, event information,

letters, commentaries... If it happens, it’s news to us. Please

share by contacting us at [email protected], and we will take it from there.

After all, the News is your paper.

we’re in this togetherWe welcome event listings and other submissions. News and Business Press releases Please visit ourcoloradonews.com, click on the Press releases tab and follow easy instructions to make submissions.Calendar [email protected] Notes [email protected] accomplishments, honor roll and dean’s list [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] subscribe call 303-566-4100

Longing for a Christmas that was very long ago

A young father handed a clerk 30 dol-lars in a department store in Uniontown, Pa., and the clerk gave him a Sad Face Fire Truck, a pedal car that Murray made back then. It was too big to wrap, so it was kept out of sight until Christmas morning.

I came out of my bedroom with sleep still in my eyes, and that made the tree lights look like they were sparking. It might have been our best Christmas. I was still a few years away from becom-ing a brooding loner — I was just a happy little kid — and I was living with Ozzie and Harriet.

I wish I still had that pedal car. I know I can find one online, because I have looked. They go for almost $500 or more now. But it wouldn’t be the same, because they all belonged to someone else.

I think it was my “Rosebud.” If you have seen “Citizen Kane” you know that “Rose-bud” was Kane’s boyhood sled. Maybe you know that the name was the director’s inside joke. Ask someone else.

Christmas is almost completely lost on me now. My favorite classical station played “O Holy Night” on the day I wrote this, more than three weeks away from Christmas. Some of my neighbors had lights and decorations up before the end of November.

“During the four days beginning with Thanksgiving, 141 million people shopped and made $57.4 billion in purchases at stores and websites.” That’s 58.5 percent of the voting age population.

In 2012, 57.5 percent of the voting age population voted in the presidential elec-tion.

There is something wrong with this picture, but there is something wrong with a lot f our pictures. I’m just happy that I didn’t know there was something wrong with so many of them when I woke up that morning in Pennsylvania and saw my pedal car, and the other gifts that were wrapped and ribboned.

I wish I had a Super-8 of my father buy-ing the pedal car, and I wish I knew what he was thinking. He was a Buick salesman at the time, and was married to his high

school sweetheart. They met in Mount Morris, Michigan, dated, became engaged before he enlisted, and were married on an Army Air Corps base in Hobbs, N.M.

He flew 30 missions in a B-17, returned, and started a family. Our black-and- white, family, Christmas photographs in the 1950s were all smiles. That changed, just like it does in many other homes.

My parents argued, and I became in-troverted and ornery. I couldn’t wait to go far away to college. It didn’t get any better when my sister divorced twice, or when I began to drink in my 40s.

“How Can We Hang On to a Dream?” is a song composed and recorded by Tim Hardin, who died in 1980. The song is about a woman who is “walking away,” but it’s a good question to ask about lots of things we have lost, like merrier Christ-mases.

All I have now are memories and pho-tographs. My mother and father died in 2008. Toward the end we were all exchang-ing equal-amount gift cards, and eventu-ally we weren’t exchanging anything at all, because there was really nothing better to give each other than each other.

That’s why I don’t understand the stampede on Black Friday, or the anxieties about last-minute shopping. Maybe we give gifts to make up for something that’s missing in a relationship.

A few years later, the pedal car’s place was taken by a red Schwinn. But every Dec. 25, I wonder where it is, and I miss it.

Craig Marshall Smith is an artist, educator and Highlands Ranch resident. He can be reached at [email protected]

Market-based insurance is the better way to go

Obamacare was supposed to “bend the cost curve” when it comes to our nation’s spending on health care but the concerns from my constituents I’ve received in the last few months pertain to increases in health care insurance premi-ums and reduced benefits through much higher deductibles.

One constituent from Aurora wrote:“I was notified by Kaiser Permanente

that the current plan in which I am enrolled in will be canceled beginning Jan. 1, 2014, and I would need to enroll in another program. I have spent most of my morning reviewing the different plans, and the least expensive plan in which I can enroll is double the cost of my existing plan. I have selected the least expensive bronze plan which will cost me $543 per month. My previous plan cost me $266 per month.”

Another from Brighton:“… our premiums increased by 50

percent, deductible increased by $500. Whereas before, we had reasonable co-payments for visits, now we have to reach our deductible before we can use an increased co-pay for a visit. No labs or diagnostics are included, so we are paying out of pocket for all of that. … we are pay-ing more for less coverage.”

Another from Highlands Ranch:“With the changes that have occurred

since this law has passed, I have seen my premiums go higher and higher. This year alone my premiums have increased by 81 percent. Now, how many of us are seeing an 81 percent increase in our incomes? As you know, managing an increase in ex-

penses to that degree impacts everything else you do as an individual and business owner.”

The Obama administration gave a waiver to members of Congress from having to purchase their health care plan through an insurance exchange without a taxpayer subsidy. Under the waiver, we are still required to get our health care in-surance through a D.C. exchange but we are now permitted to retain the taxpayer subsidy to offset the cost.

I decided to reject the subsidy because I believe the plain text of Obamacare doesn’t give the authority for the Obama administration to exempt members of Congress from the law. In following the law, I purchased a new health insur-ance plan through our state’s insurance exchange as an individual without the taxpayer subsidy.

My new plan is a PPO (preferred provider network) — just like my old plan — and it allows me to keep my same primary care physician. Under my current Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan (FEHBP), the premium cost

Coffman continues on Page 7


7-Color

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Help during the holidays, and beyondhe left, and left the kids with her. She has $85 left for bills after she pays the rent. But today, she just needs food.”

• “A Castle Rock family, grandmother in her 70s, grown daughter and three grand-daughters. The daughter works, but the rent is more than half her income. They come in today for clothing, food and Christmas assistance.”

•“An Elbert County family, renters, three kids and husband and wife. Husband is facing several surgeries to correct past surgery. He’s in extreme pain, but works off some rent for landlord. Wife is working. They need help with food and Christmas assistance.”

The holidays, of course, are a particular-ly busy time for the task force and groups like it. Then again, it’s always too busy.

is $599.63 per month ($186.14 from me with a taxpayer subsidy of $413.49) and under the new Rocky Mountain View PPO Bronze plan it’s $607.06 per month. However, like so many of the complaints I’ve received, it’s the difference in the co-pays and deductibles that’s so surprising. In my current plan I have a co-payment of $20 and a deductible of $350; under the new Obamacare plan I will have a copayment of $60, a deduct-ible of $4,500, and I will pay an additional 40 percent up to $6,350.

No doubt there will be win-ners and losers under Obam-acare. The winners will be those enrolled in Medicaid or those who receive significant income-based subsidies to offset the full cost of their health insurance. However, I’m concerned about the middle-class families already struggling under a weak econo-

my who will bear the full brunt of higher health care costs.

In 2010, when Obamacare was passed, it was common knowledge that our health care system was in desperate need of reform. The cost of health care was simply too high and the ability to buy affordable health insurance was increasingly out of reach for too many families. Under then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, alternative health care reform proposals, which there were many, were procedurally kept from coming to the floor for a vote.

Unfortunately, I have no confidence that Obamacare will ultimately improve our health care system and I will continue to support patient-centered, market-based approaches that will benefit all Americans.

Republican Mike Coffman is the U.S. Representative for Colo-rado’s 6th District. He is a Marine Corps combat veteran and has a combined 21 years of military experience between the Army, the Army Reserve, the Marine Corps and the Marine Corps Reserve.

Continued from Page 6

Coffman

Officer Matt Smith of the Elizabeth Police Department shovels patches of ice and snow outside the entrance to the police station on Dec. 11. Warmer temperatures helped melt the remainder of the early December snow storm that blanketed the county and dropped the thermometer below zero for the better part of a week. Photo by George Lurie

SNOW AWAYDec. 19

AnnuAl luncheon The Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce’s annual luncheon is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Spring Valley Golf Club. Cost is $20 per person. RSVP to [email protected]. Join us to celebrate our accomplishments over the past year, welcome new board members, and recognize the chamber Member of the Year. Do you have something to donate for a door prize for this year’s luncheon? Contact the chamber office. Visit www.elizabethchamber.org or call 303-646-4287.

The ouTbAck express is a public transit service provided through the East Central Council of Local Governments is open and available to all residents of Cheyenne, Elbert, Kit Carson and Lincoln counties and provides an economical and

efficient means of travel for the four-county region. Call Kay Campbell, Kiowa, at 719- 541-4275. You may also call the ECCOG office at 1-800-825-0208 to make reservations for any of the trips. You may also visit http://outbackexpress.tripod.com.

Divorce AnD posT-Decree clinic. Elbert and Lincoln County Pro Se Divorce Clinic is offered from 9 a.m. to noon the third Friday of each month at the Elbert County Justice Center, 751 Ute St., in Kiowa. For information, call 303-520-6088 or email [email protected]. The clinic is free for parties who have no attorney and who are going through dissolution of marriage, legal separation, or post-decree cases. All walk-ins are welcome, and will be assisted on a first-come, first-served basis.

things to do

Calendar continues on Page 14


8-Color

Holiday WorshipHoliday Worship

Grace is on the NE corner ofSanta Fe Drive and Highlands RanchParkway, (across from Murdoch’s).

303-798-8485

www.gracecolorado.com

You are invited to worship with us on Christmas Eve

3:00 pm: Children’s Service

8:00 pm: Carols by Candlelight Service

11:00 pm: Carols and Communion Service

atChrist Lutheran Church

Child Care at 1, 3, 5, 7 & 9 p.m.

Come and join the joy & wonder of Christmas at one of our five Christmas Eve Services on

December 24th, 2013!

Carols, Communion & Candlelight at all services.

1:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m. Children’s and Family Service

5:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m. Contemporary Service

Crossroads Band 9:00 p.m.

Service of Lessons & Carols Celebration Choir

8997 S. Broadway, Highlands Ranch½ Mile South of C-470

303-791-0803 • www.clchr.org

ChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmas

Christ Lutheran ChurchChrist Lutheran Church

Located at DCS Montessori School311 Castle Pines ParkwayCastle Pines, CO 80108

720.295.4271 [email protected]

Sunday School 9:15 a.m.Sunday Service 10 a.m.

Christmas Eve Service5 p.m.

wellofhopechurch.orgCome with questions. Come as you are.

12/24 -- Christmas Eve 4:00, 6:00, and 8:00 p.m.

12/25 -- Christmas Day 10:00 a.m.

TriniTyLuThEran

ChurCh4740 n hwy 83Franktown, CO(303) 841-4660

Christmas Begins with

Christ!

Celebrate a joy-filled Christmas at Trinity Lutheran Church

Holy CrossLutheran Church, LCMS

9770 Foothills Canyon BoulevardHighlands Ranch, CO 80129

303-683-1300 www.HolyCrossHRCO.orgRev. Bruce Skelton, Pastor

Christmas Services:Sunday School (12/22) 6:00 p.m.Christmas Eve (12/24) 3:30 p.m. 7:15 p.m.Christmas Day (12/25) 10:00 a.m.New Years Eve (12/31) 7:15 p.m.

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES:

CHILDREN’S: 1:00 & 3:00pmTRADITIONAL: 5:00 & 7:00pm

COMMUNION: 9:00pm

www.stlukeshr.com

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St. Luke’s United Methodist Church8817 S. Broadway • Highlands Ranch 80129

Advent Season WorshipWednesdays

Dec. 4, 11, 18 @ 7:00 pm“We Three Spies” Dec. 14 @ 7 pm

Christmas Dinner Theatre Dec. 15 @ 6 pm

9300 E. Belleview Ave.Greenwood Village, CO

303.770.9300

Christmas Eve Services Dec. 24

4:00 pm | 6:00 pm 8:00 pm |11:00 pm

Christmas Day ServiceDec. 25 @ 10:00 am

Our websites are reloaded and relaunchedDear Elbert County reader,I am pleased to announce the next time

you log on to read your local news, things will look a bit different, and we think better. The Colorado Community Media team, the joint venture that publishes the Elbert County News and 23 other community newspapers and news websites, has been working hard to bring you an easier-to-navigate website with richer content in 2014.

You can now find the Elbert County News online at elbertcountynews.net.

Some of the most visited pages are those for celebrations, announcements and me-morials. The new site will rotate announce-ments right on the home page, making them easier to read and navigate. The redesign also allows for more headlines to display on the homepage, making your community news more accessible and your reading experience


9-Color

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We are a single mom ministry. Our program goal is to educate, empower individuals so they can become employable and attain self-sufficiency.

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Holiday WorshipHoliday Worship

2180 S. Interstate 25Castle Rock, CO 80104www.creeksidebible.net303.688.3745

Creekside Bible Church invites you to celebratethe birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, with us!

“Christmas Hope Has Come”Sunday, December 22

9 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Worship Services

Candlelight Christmas Eve Services

Tuesday, December 24 • 3 & 5 p.m.

(Childcare provided for ages 5 and under during all services)

Your Home for the Holidays

Christmas Eve services2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Children's Service

6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Scriptures and Carols

10 p.m. Carols and Communion

UNITED METHODISTPARKER

www.parkerumc.org11805 S. PINE DR. PARKER, CO 80134

303-841-3979 UNITED METHODISTPARKER

www.parkerumc.org11805 S. PINE DR. PARKER, CO 80134

303-841-3979

Candlelight All Services

Make Parker United Methodist Church

Candlelight Communion Christmas Eve Service

Tuesday, Dec. 24, 5:30 p.m.

Celebrate God’s Gift to Us

A CHURCH FOR ALL GENERATIONSGracePoint

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Christmas CantataDecember 15th – 8 and 10:30 amChristmas EvE sErviCE

4 pm Family Worship Service7 and 9 pm, Candlelight Service with Holy Communion

Childcare available at all services.

JoyLUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA

7051 East Parker Hills Ct. • Parker, CO303-841-3739 • www.joylutheran-parker.org

THE BIRTH OF JOY

S outh Bro adway C hristian C hurchDecember 24th at 3pm

23 Lincoln Street , Denver 80203

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Seasonc e l e b r a t e

SeasonSeasont h e

Our websites are reloaded and relaunched Dear Elbert County reader,I am pleased to announce the next time

you log on to read your local news, things will look a bit different, and we think better. The Colorado Community Media team, the joint venture that publishes the Elbert County News and 23 other community newspapers and news websites, has been working hard to bring you an easier-to-navigate website with richer content in 2014.

You can now fi nd the Elbert County News online at elbertcountynews.net.

Some of the most visited pages are those for celebrations, announcements and me-morials. The new site will rotate announce-ments right on the home page, making them easier to read and navigate. The redesign also allows for more headlines to display on the homepage, making your community news more accessible and your reading experience

more enjoyable, fulfi lling and informative. Please send us your family milestones so we can share them with the community and on our website. Short notices are free. For a small fee, you can add photos and lots more copy.

You’ll notice both the printed newspa-per fl ag and the website’s header have been updated to refl ect the new web address. We did this to show consistency throughout the Colorado Community Media suite of news-papers and media sites while still refl ecting our commitment to each individual com-munity’s news by customizing each fl ag and header with a community-specifi c icon.

You can easily shop advertising on our new website. We make it easy to fi nd local deals, services and more. By supporting busi-nesses that advertise with us, you are indi-rectly supporting the Elbert County News too. Go to elbertcountynews.net and click

the “Local Print Ads” link or “ShopLocalColo-rado” link to get started.

All of our content is now loaded on the website. Now it is your choice as to how to read the Elbert County News. Print, on your computer, phone or tablet. All the same great information, no matter the method. Plus, we upload all of the print ads online too. After all, that is information too and this is an added value for our advertisers. Look for local ads next to every story page you read.

I hope you enjoy your online experience with us and fi nd the new layout and infor-

mation helpful and engaging. Community newspapers like ours continue to thrive both online and in print because we cover the news that is closest and most meaningful to home. We are proud of the news and events we are able to deliver to you each week and of the support our readers continue to show our community through your patronage of ad-vertisers, their services and events that help to make our local communities healthy and strong.

Here’s to a prosperous 2014!— Jerry Healey, publisher


10-Color

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Handmade cards, stockings sent to troop in Afghanistan School, church send holiday greetings to Marine unit By Chris Michlewicz [email protected]

Lessons in giving aren’t hard to come by at Trinity Lutheran Church and School, es-pecially around Christmas.

The campus, on the southeast corner of State Highway 83 and Bayou Gulch Road, across from Ponderosa High School, teems with activity every November and Decem-ber. Trinity Lutheran provides just one ex-ample of what happens at local churches and schools every holiday season.

In the weeks after Thanksgiving, school kids and church congregants were busy preparing Christmas stockings for a Marine unit stationed in Afghanistan. Kindergart-ners, along with the church youth group and the young-at-heart seniors group, decorated envelopes for handmade cards, the cen-terpiece of each stocking. Each contains a message saying “thank you for your service,” along with notes that let the Marines know that people back home are thinking of them this time of year.

The stockings were fi lled to the brim with snacks, including meat sticks, dried fruit, nuts, candy canes, gum, crackers, hard candy and mixes for cold drinks like iced tea. They are items that are hard to come by for the Marines, who are stationed at Camp Bas-tion in Helmand province.

The effort began with a small idea: church member Heather Pankratz and her children planned to send a few Christmas cards to troops overseas. She remembered that Lucas Crowe, a 2001 Chaparral High School gradu-ate, had been listed in the “prayer” section of the church’s newsletter, and decided he would be the perfect candidate. But when church and school offi cials caught wind of the project, things grew exponentially.

“It started with just wanting to send some cards and a few treats, but this congrega-tion and this school are undeniably the most generous, and just wanting to help and take care of people,” Pankratz said.

Lucas’s mother, Janine, who has attended church at Trinity Lutheran since 1996, was elated by the news, but not surprised. She called the campaign to include stockings for Lucas’ comrades “heartwarming.”

“It just gives me goose bumps,” Janine Crowe said. “It’s fantastic.”

Lucas, 30, has been in Afghanistan since

August and is on a seven- to nine-month deployment. He is in charge of emergency equipment for Marine helicopters, includ-ing parachutes, oxygen masks and ejection seats. When asked what he might want in a care package, Lucas mentioned junk food. He and his Marine unit — 75 men and fi ve women — are unaware that six large ship-ping boxes full of stockings are now en route.

The food will be a welcome taste of home until it runs out. The cards, however, with sincere messages of gratitude, are the endur-ing components of the stockings. Personal, handwritten notes can carry even more meaning during a holiday season away from family, Pankratz said.

All told, more than 100 people were in-volved in the stocking-stuffi ng effort. Stu-dents in grades fourth through eighth helped load the stockings, assembly line-style. Some kids, like Sydney Hessler and Liam Ruwet, carefully scanned the hand-drawn cards, trying to choose the perfect one.

And because the women’s ministry and a school family offered to cover shipping costs for the boxes, the $175 in donated funds was used to buy more goodies..

Trinity Lutheran School fourth-grader Liam Ruwet, of Castle Rock, selects a handmade Christmas card to put in a stocking for a Marine in Afghanistan. Photo by Chris Michlewicz


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11-Life-Color

Elbert County News 11December 19, 2013South Metrolife

Expanded hours slated for exhibit

The Denver Art Museum offers ex-panded hours through the holiday sea-son for “Passport to Paris,” a suite of three French-themed exhibitions, focusing on French art from the late 1600s to the early 1900s. Timed and dated tickets are avail-able online at ParisinDenver.com or by calling 720-913-0130. (There is a fee for booking over the phone.) A ticket includes admission to the entire museum and the Drawing Studio. During extended hours, the entire Hamilton Building will remain open, but the North Building will close at regularly scheduled times. The exhibits are “Court to Café,” “Nature as Muse” and “The Drawing Room.” The exhibits runs through Feb. 9, 2014.

Hours through 2013: Dec. 19, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Dec. 26-29, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Jan. 1, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Local pianist to perform Lisa Downing of Littleton, just back

from European and South American tours, will perform with fellow pianists Bob Baker and Lee Bartley at 7 and 9 p.m. on Dec. 21 at Dazzle Jazz Restaurant and Lounge, 930 Lincoln St., Denver. She de-scribes her style as “Piano Impression-ism,” although it has been compared to Windham Hill artists such as George Win-ston. Tickets: www.Dazzlejazz.com, 303-839-5100.

Not traditional, but fun“The Mark Putt Holiday Explosion”

with live music, video, comedy, costumes and more offers non-traditional holiday fun at the Toad Tavern, 5302 S. Federal, Littleton at 6 p.m. Dec. 21. (No cover.) The show will also be at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, 1485 Del-gany, Denver, at noon Dec. 28. (Museum admission $8, kids free.)

Call for writersColorado Humanities and Center for

the book is accepting entries for the 2014 Colorado Book Awards, recognizing the best books by Colorado authors, editors, publishers in a number of categories. Eli-gible books include any work published by a Colorado author, illustrator, edi-tor, publisher or photographer in 2013: hardback, paperback or e-book format. For information on entries, visit colora-dohumanities.org, click on programs. Or contact Reem Abu-Baker, coordinator, 303-894-7951 ext 21, [email protected].

Symphony offers programsThe Colorado Symphony offers two fa-

vorite holiday programs:• “Colorado Christmas” with the Colo-

rado Symphony Chorus and the Colo-rado Children’s Chorale on Dec. 20-22 at Boettcher Concert Hall.

• Too Hot To Handel,” a jazz version of the “messiah,” conducted this year by Leslie Stifelman on Dec. 28-29. Tickets for both: coloradosymphony.org, 303-623-7876.

Daily performances at MCAD“Twelve and A Half Days of Christmas

Live!” offers daily performances in the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver’s atrium, with musicians, actors, sing-ers and others at 5 p.m. weeknights and noon on Saturdays and Sundays Dec. 20 through Jan. 5. Free with museum admis-sion $8/$5, kids free. mcadenver.org, 303-298-7554.

Librarian Elizabeth Erfman arranges a selection of Christmas-themed books on Dec. 11 at the Elizabeth branch of the Elbert County Library. Erfman said her favorite Christmas book is one written by former President Jimmy Carter. Photo by George Lurie

BOOKING CHRISTMAS

finding answers in clayLittleton woman’s designs come to her in dreamsBy Sonya [email protected]

Gwen Pina of Littleton said she had always worked with her hands — mud pies as a kid, woodworking shop in high school.

As a parent of three young children, she needed to find a way to work at home and colorful polymer clay provided an answer.

“The oil-based synthetic clay is pliable and colorful, allowing me to see my re-sults immediately,” she said.

Her lifelong interest in Native Ameri-can culture worked well with this medium and her figures, such as storytellers and spirit horses, began to sell in area galleries and gift shops. She started her business in 1987, working at home.

Soon, she created her whimsical “Art That Makes You Smile” figures: “Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil,” with po-lar bears, nuns, rabbis as well as monkeys.

She makes thousands of holiday orna-ments, many in limited edition for a spe-cial customer.

“I offer a store a way to be unique. I cre-ate custom items for them.”

And every piece is individually shaped by her hands.

Her designs come to her in dreams, she said. She doesn’t need to make sketches, but just can feel when the figure is right.

“When I’m out hiking or biking, I no-

tice colors and textures.”Her work is in National Park Service

gift shops across the country, including designs specific to the region: moose, bear and more.

Now she mostly wholesales her figu-rines. She shares a shop #1235 at the Den-ver Mart, “American Craft,” with several other women, who emphasize their Amer-ican- made products.

Government rules require that the Park Service shops include a percentage of American products — something she was active in advocating, she said.

She participates in trade shows and sells through high end galleries and Christmas shops and gift catalogs. The Ev-ergreen Gallery has her work in this area and sometimes it is stocked at Willow on Littleton’s Main Street, although not this season. It’s the little Main Street types of places where it sells-Tennyson Street, Santa Fe Art District, South Pearl Street, for example.

Pina has mentored young businesses to help them get started and continues to do all of her work from her basement home studio, which is divided into work space, invoicing/computer space and a pack-ing and shipping area. She orders 1,000 pounds of clay every couple of months and it’s shelved by color.

It’s gotten easier with the possibility of having the U.S. Post Office and Fed-Ex come to her door to pick up shipments, with a click on her computer.

Regarding her disciplined ongoing work schedule, she laughs and says, “I

went to Catholic school!”Her individual retail outlet is on the

Etsy site: claytwister.com, where she can do a custom order if a customer has a spe-cial request.

Right now, she is working six or seven days a week and she anticipates a break after the holidays.

“And then I’ll begin designing…”

Artist Gwen Pina of Littleton works on a polymer clay figure of a Native American woman. Photo by Peggy Dietz


12

Photo taken along East Plum Creek in Castle Rock.

Community Media of Colorado agrees: Please recycle this newspaperresponsibly and partner with our communities for a better tomorrow.

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Utilities Department, Stormwater Division.

Our streams want to say thanks for giving them a gift this year.

Your actions made a difference for keeping our water clean.

You chose to properly dispose of household chemicals, pet waste

and trash. You used fertilizers appropriately and kept harmful

material out of runoff’s path. You volunteered at local events

to preserve our waterways. Keep up the good work.

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Classes o� er healing strokes Art is exhibited at the Buck Center By Sonya Ellingboe [email protected]

For many years, artist Laurie Harbert taught others how to create paintings in popular classes at the Carousel Palette, her studio in a historic downtown Littleton home on Curtice Street.

A few months after her mother, Myrlyn Harbert, had a stroke 10 years ago, Laurie helped her start painting again and then, six or seven years ago, started a small paint-ing class to include others who were deal-ing with various stroke effects.

Brush “Strokes,” an exhibit of their work, is in place through December at Buck Rec-reation Center, 2004 W. Powers Ave., Little-ton.

“It’s so fun to see what they’ve done,” Laurie Harbert said. “I wanted to give (them) something to look forward to.”

The paintings are mostly in oil, with some watercolors and acrylics. They in-clude images of sunny landscapes, can-yons, mountain meadows, deer and other wildlife, fl owers, children and more — ren-dered in bright, cheerful colors.

The introductory statement to the show

says:“Coming from the Greek word ‘Apo-

plexy,’ the word ‘Stroke’ means `to be struck down.’

“For these artists, the lives they lived were ‘struck down’ in moments.

“Leaving them to relearn and rebuild.“With differing levels of challenges,

these artists have shown amazing courage,

amazing Grace and discovered their own Amazing talent.”

She includes quotes from her students, who speak of how people can express their own personal thoughts and feelings through artwork; how one can paint again with limited vision and using the other hand; how each participant relates to the other’s plight; how when he could no lon-

ger read, he could see enough to paint. Her mother, who felt that “her body was cut in half,“ was painting in three months and now has learned to use a loom knitter as well.

The artists are Vicki Palermo, Randy Vaughn, Keith McDonald M.D., Leann Schrag and Myrlyn Harbert.

Laurie says she has been able to return to her own painting now and has joined the Littleton Paint Box Guild.

That group has an exhibit, including two of hers, at Bemis Library in Littleton through December.

Harbert said she is not personally able to take on more students, but there is a paint-ing class at the Rocky Mountain Stroke Center on South Bannock Street in Little-ton. It has an annual “No Plateaus” exhibit at Bemis Library and offers similar positive projects.

Randy Vaughn and Keith Mc Donald complete new paintings for the Brush “Strokes” exhibit at the Buck Recreation Center in Littleton. Courtesy photo

IF YOU GOBrush “Strokes” can be viewed through December at Buck

Recreation Center, 2004 W. Powers Ave., Littleton, when-ever the center is open — down a long hall to the right of the main entrance door.

(Laurie Harbert’s Carousel Palette building is rented to “Checkered Corner: an Occasional Market,” open the third weekend of each month.)

13-Sports

ELIZABETH HIGH SCHOOL

Boys basketball

Elizabeth 70, Coronado 53Junior Jake Gavitt scored 20 points and senior Trevor Boss scored 16 for Elizabeth helping them to a 70-53 win over Coronado. Gavitt went 6-9 at the free throw line and had eight rebounds. Junior Aaron Stone had 18 rebounds for Elizabeth.

Elizabeth 55, Palmer Ridge 58Elizabeth barely lost to Palmer Ridge 58-55 in a game where Elizabeth was only down 24-21 at halftime. Elizabeth held Palmer Ridge to just three points in the � rst quarter, but the Bears came back to win, scoring 13 points in the third and 21 in the fourth. Senior Trevor Boss scored 16 points and senior Brandon Severinson scored 10 points. Boss was 3-4 with free throws. Junior Jake Gavitt led both teams in rebounds with 16.

Girls basketball

Elizabeth 50, Green River 36Elizabeth remains undefeated on the season after beating Green River 50-36. Senior Tatum Neubert scored 19 points and seniors Sara Ernst and Sabra Ross both scored 10 points. Ross had nine rebounds and � ve steals.

Prep sports Prep sports Prep sports ScoreboardScoreboardScoreboard

PREP SPORTS SCOREBOARDWould you like to see your team on the board? Contact sports reporter Kate Ferraro at [email protected]. Or go to ourcoloradonews.com and click on the prep sports logo.

Elbert County News 13December 19, 2013ElbertSPORTS

Kiowa grappling with small numbers Indians bring just nine to the mats this season By Scott Stocker Special to Colorado Community Media

The Kiowa wrestling team could be in one of the best situations regarding how to get ready for the season-ending re-gional and state tournaments: Just have a full season with only tournament com-petition.

Now, it’s not what Kiowa coach Ryan Witzel would like, but that’s all that’s available. The Indians only have nine wrestlers on the team this season.

“With that number we won’t have any dual meets,” said Witzel, who is also Kiowa’s athletic director. “Right now we will have anywhere from seven to nine tournaments. However, the boys feel it’s a pretty good situation under our cir-cumstances to be in when we don’t have big numbers out.”

A.J. Smith and Connor Wills both qualifi ed for state last season for the In-dians, Smith at 106, Wills at 145. Howev-er, both failed to place as Wills, a senior, fi nished the season with a 24-17 record, and Smith, a sophomore, compiled a 15-23 record.

Wills begins the season at 152 and will probably drop to 145. Smith will be at

120. Joey Thomas, 160, and Andrew Ban, 145, round out the returnees for the In-dians.

“Connor is one of those kids, good in the classroom and on the mats,” Witzel said. “We’re expecting good things again from him, but I can certainly say that about all the boys. A.J. is a skilled kid…He’s a leader and will be in a tough class this season at 120.”

Wills is high on the year ahead and feels he is in a good position for much improvement.

“It was good to have the state expe-rience last season,” Wills said. “That’s helped give me a lot of confi dence and a boost to help push me a lot harder. It’s my senior year and I want to look back on a successful season for me and my teammates and have no regrets.

“With no dual meets it actually gives us a chance to look at how many of the brackets for the region and state meets could work out. I think having no dual meets helps us to deal with the pressures that come about in the regionals and state. That experience is a key we can build on. And, it gives us a way to scout out potential opponents through the season and be more prepared.”

Ban came through with a 24-13 sea-son a year ago, but missed the state tour-nament by a single match.

“I’ve got good wrestling partners here in our weights,” Ban said. “I’ve got a good

diet to help my weight, too. Yes, we’d like to have more guys out, but we’ve got to go with what we have. A tournament sit-uation is something that can help us in the end. We can have as many as four or fi ve matches in a day instead of just one in a dual. We just have to see how things go.”

Thomas missed much of the season with a knee injury, but he’s excited to be on the mat. And, he hopes for some im-provement.

“I was 6-14 back in my sophomore season,” Thomas said. “I think I’ll have a great season and I’ve defi nitely feel that I’ve learned a great deal. I was able to do some practice with the team last season and that helped. I also like the idea of competing in tournaments as it actually helps us to prepare much better for our regions and state tournaments. It defi -nitely helps to take off the pressure. As a team, four or fi ve of us are going to be pretty tough.”

Only four Kiowa wrestlers were able to participate in the recent Peyton Invita-tional. Yet it was a great showing for Wills , named the tournament’s outstanding wrestler. Wills came through with a 5-0 record in winning the 145-pound class. The Classical Academy JV won the team title.

Smith placed second at 120 with a 3-1 tournament record as did Ban, 3-1 at 152.

Indians girls have change at the top Kiowa seeks to better last season’s � ve wins By Scott Stocker Special to Colorado Community Media

Rick Carothers has been coaching high school basketball for 23 years, but he’s in for a huge change for the 2013-14 season. He will be going from the boys to the girls at Kiowa.

“It’s certainly a whole new experience for me,” Carothers said. “We’ve got a good group that has played well against big-school competitors in practice games. The girls have been going hard but we’ll probably start slow. But at the end of the year we will surprise people.

“Kiowa only won fi ve games last year and three in 2012. There are still a lot of questions to be answered with the girls, but I’m certainly confi dent we’re going to fi nd the right answers. We’ve got 18 out, fi ve seniors and the rest sophomores and freshmen. Strange, but we don’t have any juniors out this season.”

Senior Rebecca Sewald, 5-foot- 10 inches, will certainly play a pivotal role for Kiowa this season. Carothers can run, jump, score and defend.

“A positive attitude equals a positive outcome,” Sewald said. “Having a new coach is very exciting. I feel like we’re working hard as a team and we’re putting out a lot of effort early to build for an ex-citing season. A key for me is to step up and be a leader as a senior. I want to focus on leading my teammates.

“I’ve already signed with Butler CC in Kansas to play volleyball. But I’ll give all I have so we can have a positive and suc-cessful season in basketball. We have a lot of outstanding freshmen coming in and that’s certainly going to help us.”

With the players on hand, Carothers is excited for a successful campaign. Good things are expected for up-and-coming sophomore point guard, Madi Zielinski

(5-5), and senior forward Autumn Lindt (5-6).

“Autumn is probably our best over-all shooter,” Carothers said. “She knows how to get to the basket. She was injured last year and we’re glad to have her back healthy. She’s a gym rat, smart and always works hard to improve.”

Lindt is more than pleased to be back in action for the Indians.

“I feel this year is going to be fi ne and I feel I personally can do very well,” Lindt said. “A key for me is that I like shoot-ing and my timing should be much bet-ter. I’m confi dent and I think I, as well as our team, will have a good season on de-fense.”

Zielinski feels that she’s ready to ex-cel for Kiowa this season. Last year was a learning experience that she took to heart.

“I want to be a leader this year and take care of the ball on the court,” Zielinski said. “I’m confi dent and I feel it’s certainly possible for us to make a run for state this year.”

Carothers agrees.“Madi will be right out there at the

point,” Carothers said. “She has a bright future. She has learned to excel and han-dle the pressure and will be such a key for us.”

Carothers is also high on the talents of Cheyenne McKenzie (5-9), Ronnie Wall-den (5-4) and Taylor Upchurch (5-10).

“Cheyenne has a real good mind for the game.” Carothers said. “She’s played some club basketball, is a good shooter and will be a top role player for us. Ronnie is scrappy and she makes the plays on de-fense and doesn’t back down. I think she can be our leading rebounder. As for Tay-lor, she could certainly be one of the best players in the league, just special. She’s got those long arms and is such a good shooter. She will be one of the guards.”

Kiowa opened the season Dec. 6 with a 51-47 non-varsity victory against Pueblo County. The Indians then defeated Front Range Christian 63-37 on Dec. 7.

Kiowa boys have high hopes Indians look to improve on last season’s success By Scott Stocker Special to Colorado Community Media

Kiowa was able to advance to the Class 2A regional basketball tournament last season, but the stay was on the short side. One loss and the Indians were on their way home. Needless to say, the hopes and dreams of a better season for the 2013-14 campaign are on the high side for Indians’ coach Walter Sutton.

“We have 15 out this season, including fi ve seniors and we are looking forward to a much-improved and fi ne season,” said Sut-ton, who begins his third season as the boys head coach. “We were pleased to reach the regional tournament, but we were beaten in the fi rst round. We would like to get over that hump. We’ve got a few boys getting over injuries from football, but overall, this is a very good group of kids.”

Much improved certainly is the thoughts behind many of the players as they hope to improve on Kiowa’s 14-10 record last year. Helping lead the way for the Indians this season will be 6-foot guard Caleb Smith.

“I’m excited for having a strong senior season, that’s for sure,” Smith said. “We’ll be ready as we are a lot faster and bigger. I’d like to lead the team in scoring as well as being an all-around leader on the court. I also want to be aggressive, but cautious in what I do, and also be a calming factor on the court.

“Defensively I want to apply the pres-sure and help all of us play as a team. A key for me will be my shooting percentage. I want to up it from last year, of course. I think we can all be a much better shooting team this time out and hopefully advance to state.”

“Caleb is just a fi ne all-around player and he can (play) any position for us,” Sut-ton said. “He is driven to do well, as are all

the boys. He can be calm, but his aggres-siveness is certainly a key. And, put Steven Mizak in this aspect, too. He has matured so much and his leadership is also much appreciated. We have great expectations in what he can accomplish.”

Indeed, expectations are high for the 6-foot-1 forward Mizak.

“A key for me is to continue to have fun,” Mizak said. “But that also means that I want to be aggressive, be a leader, and do what I can to make the year better for all of us. We struggled last season, were sometimes careless and that led to our mistakes. This year, we hope to overcome our struggles. I think we can have a championship caliber team.”

Jake Sewald, Issac Janes and Marshall Deering will also be counted on to help make the season solid for Kiowa.

“Jake is a great all-around kid, too,” Sut-ton said. “And, here again, we are looking for great things. Yet, great things are what we are looking for from all the boys. Issac can shoot well and can go inside strong. He has developed a good sense for the game and, no doubt, is extremely motivated. Marshall will be the point guard this year and will be a fi ne all-around player.”

At 6-3, Sewald should certainly be a force underneath for Kiowa.

“I think we have fi ve solid seniors on the team this season that can start,” Sewald said. “Leadership is a key and we all need to step up and work as hard as we can as a team. I think we will be successful. I want to assume my role as a senior, be aggressive and take control of my position.

Bailey Brogger, an up-and-coming 5-9 sophomore, 5-7 junior Spencer Peterson, and 5-11 junior Luke Paglinawan are also expected to make valuable contributions to Kiowa’s effort this season.

Kiowa opened the season, December 6-7 with games against Pikes Peak Chris-tian and Front Range Christian. They de-feated Pikes Peak Christian, 66-43, but lost to Front Range Christian 42-38.


14

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Notice To Creditors PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORSEstate of Jerold D. Jackson, Deceased

Case Number: 2013 PR 34

All persons having claims against theabove-named estate are required topresent them to the Personal Represent-ative or to the District Court of ElbertCounty, Colorado on or before April 21,2014 or the claims may be forever barred.

John S. SmithPersonal RepresentativeP.O. Box 63, Kiowa, Colorado 80117

Legal Notice No: 927847First Publication: December 19, 2013Last Publication: January 2, 2014Publisher: Elbert County News

Government Legals PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE OF INTENTTO RELEASE FUNDS

Notice to all interested parties, groups,persons, and agencies that on January 8,2014, the Elbert County Board ofCounty Commissioners will make finalpayment to Asphalt Specialties Com-pany, Inc. for the construction and pavingon CR 17, CR 29, and CR 194. The El-bert County Board of County Commission-ers will accept objections to such releaseof funds. Objections must be submitted inwriting on or before January 2, 2014, andshall be submitted to Elbert County Roadand Bridge Department, Attn: LynneEschbach, P.O. Box 116, Kiowa, Color-ado, 80117. No objection received afterJanuary 2, 2014, will be considered by theElbert County Board of County Commis-sioners.

ELBERT COUNTY ROADAND BRIDGE DEPARTMENTEd Ehmann, Superintendent

Legal Notice No.: 927846First Publication: December 19, 2013Last Publication: December 19, 2013Publisher: The Elbert County News

Sunday Worship8:00 & 10:45 a.m.

Trinity Lutheran School & ELC(Ages 3-5, Grades K-8)

303-841-4660www.tlcas.org

Trinity Lutheran Church

& School

Abiding Word Lutheran Church

8391 S. Burnley Ct., Highlands Ranch

(Next to RTD lot @470 & University)

Worship ServicesSundays at 9:00am

303-791-3315 [email protected]

www.awlc.org

Sunday Worship8:00 am Chapel Service

9:00 & 10:30 am Sunday School 9:00 & 10:30 am

Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors.

www.st-andrew-umc.com303-794-2683

Preschool: 303-794-05109203 S. University Blvd.

Highlands Ranch, 80126

Open and Welcoming

Sunday 8:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m.

First Presbyterian Church of Littleton

1609 W. Littleton Blvd.(303) 798-1389 • www.fpcl.org

P.O. Box 2945—Parker CO 80134-2945www.ParkerCCRS.org

303.805.9890

ParkerCommunity Churchof Religious Science

Sunday services held in thehistoric Ruth Memorial Chapel

at the Parker Mainstreet Center...19650 E. Mainstreet, Parker 80138

New Thought...Ancient Wisdom

Visit our website fordetails of classes &

upcoming events.Sunday Service& Children’s Church10:00 a.m.

Castle Rock Highlands Ranch Highlands Ranch

Littleton

ParkerParker

Parker

Lone Tree

Franktown

Denver Tech Center

United Church Of ChristParker Hilltop

10926 E. Democrat Rd.Parker, CO • 10am Worshipwww.uccparkerhilltop.org

303-841-2808

Little Blessings Day Carewww.littleblessingspdo.com

First UnitedMethodist Church

1200 South StreetCastle Rock, CO 80104

303.688.3047www.fumccr.org

Services:Saturday 5:30pm

Sunday 8am, 9:30am, 11amSunday School 9:15am

Sunday Worship 10:304825 North Crowfoot Valley Rd.Castle Rock • canyonscc.org

303-663-5751

An EvangelicalPresbyterian Church

“Loving God - Making A Difference”A place for you worship Time

Welcome Home!Weaving Truth

and Relevance into Relationships and Life

9:00am Spiritual Formation Classes for all Ages

90 east orchard roadlittleton, co

303 798 6387www.gracepointcc.us

10:30AM sundays

To advertise your place of worship in this section, call 303-566-4091 or email

[email protected].

GR A C E PR E S B Y T E R I A N

303-798-8485

www.gracecolorado.comAlongside One Another On Life’s Journey

Sundays at10:00 am

Grace is on the NE Corner of SantaFe Dr. & Highlands Ranch Pkwy.

(Across from Murdochs)

You are invitedto worship with us:

Saturday 5:30pm

Sunday 8:00 & 10:30am

Joyful Mission Preschool 303-841-37707051 East Parker Hills Ct. • Parker, CO

303-841-3739www.joylutheran-parker.org

JoyLUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA

Education Hour: Sunday 9:15am

S E r v i C E S :

Parker evangelicalPresbyterian church

Connect – Grow – Serve

Sunday Worship8:45 am & 10:30 am

9030 Miller roadParker, Co 80138

303-841-2125www.pepc.org

Sunday Worship: 10:45AM & 6PMBible Study: 9:30AM

Children, Young People & Adults

www.parkerbiblechurch.org

4391 E Mainstreet, Parker, Colorado 80134

Church Office – (303) 841-3836

Where people are excited about God’s Word.

Sunday Worship - 10:00amBible Study immediately followingWednesday Bible Study - 7:30pm

Currently meeting at:9220 Kimmer Drive, Suite 200

Lone Tree 80124303-688-9506

www.LoneTreeCoC.com

Lone TreeChurch of Christ

Meets at the Marriott DTC

4900 S Syracuse St,Denver, CO 80237

10 am every SundayFree parking

December Study: The Cast of Christmas

Pastor Mark Brewer

1092E. Democrat Rd

in Parker

United Churchof Christ

Parker HilltopChristmas Eve

Services:4:30, 7:00 and 9:00pm

303-841-2808303-841-2808

Join us at Sheraton Denver Tech Center

7007 S Clinton Street in Greenwood Village(nearby I-25 and Arapahoe Rd.)

www.cbsdenver.org303-794-6643

Congregation Beth Shalom

DOUGLAS-ELBERT COUNTY Music Teachers’ Association meets at 9 a.m. every � rst Thursday at Parker Bible Church, between Jordan and Chambers on Main Street. All area music teachers are welcome. Call Lucie Washburn, 303-814-3479.

THE ELBERT County Sheri� s Posse is a nonpro� t volunteer organization that is

part of the Elbert County Sheri� s O� ce. As volunteers we support the Elbert County Sheri� s O� ce, all law enforcement in our county, and the community at large. Membership is open to anyone without a criminal record. It meets the last Monday of the month at the Elbert County Sheri� s O� ce at 7 p.m. For more information or a membership application, please go to http://www.elbertcountysheri� .com/posse.html, or contact Dave Peontek at

303-646-5456.

THE ELIZABETH Food Bank, 381 S. Ban-ner in Elizabeth (next door to Elizabeth Presbyterian Church) wishes to let the

public know that we are available to help anyone who needs food. The hours are Friday 12:30-3 p.m. and Saturdays from 9-11:30 a.m. Other time by appointment.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Calendar submissions must be received by noon Wednesday for publication the following week. Send information to calendar@ourcolora-

donews.com, attn: Elbert County News. No attachments. Listings are free and run on a space-available basis.

THINGS TO DO IN YOUR COMMUNITYContinued from Page 7


15-Color

We’re inspired by classic Colorado architecture and passionate about cra smanship. Yet we geek out on the latest technology and building techniques. The thicker walls in our high performance homes allow for 60% more money-saving insula on than in a conven onal home, and our roof is 6 inches higher than a typical home, so we get 2½ mes MORE insula on in the a c. This reduces heat loss, and more importantly, reduces your energy bill!

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OUTBACK LIQUORSwww.outbackliquors.com

113 S. Elizabeth St., Elizabeth, CO | 303-646-4449

LIQUOR SPECIAL

Any liquor purchase.Excludes sale items,

beer & wine purchases.Not valid w/ any other offer.

Expires 1/1/14.

10% OFF

WINE SPECIAL

Any wine purchase.Excludes sale items,

beer & liquor purchases.Not valid w/ any other offer.

Expires 1/1/14.

15% OFF

Prices Good thru 1/1/14. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Limit Rights Reserved. While Supplies Last.

1.75L LiquorSt. Brendan’s $19.99New Amsterdam Gin & Vodka $16.99 Svedka $18.99Absolut $26.99Smirnoff 80 Proof $19.99Seagrams Gin $16.99Tanqueray Gin $36.99Jim Beam $23.99Black Velvet $13.99Pendleton $34.99Bacardi Gold & Silver $19.99 Admiral Nelson’s $12.99Cuervo Gold & Silver $26.99Sauza Hornitos $27.99Kru $19.99

750 mI LiquorSkinny Girl Pre-Mixed $9.99 Laphroaig 10yr $39.99Bird Dog $14.99

BeerNew Belgium 12PKS $14.99 Colorado Native 12PKS $14.99 Breckenridge 12PKS $14.99 Sam Adams 12PKS $14.99

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750 mI WineCupcake (Excludes Moscato) $8.99 Ch St Jean California $9.99 Clos Du Bois Chardonnay $9.99 Beringer White Zinfandel $4.99 Gnarly Heads OVZ $8.99 Mirassou $8.99Mark West Pinot Noir $9.99Apothic Red $9.99Beringer Napa Cabernet $19.9914 Hands Hot to Trot $8.99Black Opal $7.99New Age White $9.99Cavit Pinot Grigio, Moscato $7.99 DaVinci Chianti & Pinot Grigio $9.99Sutter Home W/Z $3.99

Happy Holidays!

Celebrating 10 Years!

Plus 100s more on Special!


16-Color

Documents

Elbert county news 1219