1-Color

January 30, 2014Elbert County, Colorado | Volume 119, Issue 1

elbertcountynews.net

A publication of

POSTAL ADDRESS

Printed on recycled newsprint.Please recycle this copy.

Secretary of state to intervene in ruling Gessler’s o� ce to oppose judge’s decision to � ne commissioner

By George Lurie glurie@coloradocommunitymedia.com

A spokesperson for Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler has confi rmed that Gessler’s offi ce will attempt to nullify a recent ruling by an administrative judge who fi ned Board of County Commission-ers Chairman Robert Rowland $1,000 for

violating Colorado’s Fair Campaign Prac-tices Act.

“We are planning to intervene in the case,” Andrew Cole, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State, said on Jan. 24.

“The judge directed the commissioner to personally pay the fi ne to the county, which is not what the constitution di-rects,” said Cole. “In addition, we have some broader First Amendment concerns with the ruling and what it could mean for elected offi cials going about their work.”

Rowland said he was encouraged by the Secretary of State’s support, adding, “I am a long way away from writing that check.”

Cole said lawyers in the Colorado At-

torney General’s offi ce are currently working on Gessler’s response to the judge’s controversial rul-ing, which was issued on Dec. 24.

On Jan. 16, the BOCC held a special meeting during which commis-sioners voted 2-1 to ap-peal the judge’s ruling —

with Commissioners Rowland and Kurt Schlegel voting in favor of the appeal and Commissioner Larry Ross casting the dissenting “no” vote, arguing an appeal would be an additional drain on county resources.

“It’s kind of a fl uid situation right now but my objective is to fi le the appeal be-fore the end of January,” said County At-torney Alex Beltz, who explained that fi l-ing an appeal “effectively stops the clock” on the judge’s deadline for Rowland to pay the fi ne.

Since the ruling was made public Jan. 4, Rowland said that he has also heard from a number of other county com-missioners around the state, as well as from the CCI — Colorado Counties Inc., a statewide nonprofi t which supports county commissioners, mayors and city and town councilmembers.

Rowland

Kelly Shepherd and her 10-year-old quarter horse Louie had Sundown Arena to themselves on Jan. 22. Shepherd owns the cavernous enlcosure, which is located on Road 37 just north of State Highway 86. Frustrated by what she describes as “obstacles the county keeps putting that get in the way” of her plans to use the arena for commer-cial purposes, Shepherd has put the building — and the 20 acres it sits on — up for sale. Asking price: $850,000. Photo by George Lurie

ROOM TO ROAM 2012 budget audit done Treasurer: Freeze order could be li� ed this week

By George Lurie glurie@coloradocommunitymedia.com

An outside accounting firm has completed its work on the 2012 El-bert County budget audit and the Board of County Commissioners has scheduled a “special meeting” on Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. during which the long-overdue document is expected to be approved and then submitted to the state before month’s end.

In November 2013, after the county missed multiple deadlines to file the state-mandated document, the Office of the State Auditor froze more than $102,000 in county tax revenues, ordering Elbert County Treasurer Rick Pettitt to “hold all funds generated pursuant to the tax-ing authority … until you are noti-fied in writing by this office.”

By law, the 2012 budget audit was supposed to have been filed with the state no later than July 31, 2013.

BOCC Chair Robert Rowland blamed the snafu on the county’s former finance director Stan Wilmer, who was fired in October 2013.

The decision to bring in an out-side contractor to finish the au-dit cost the county nearly $90,000, according to Commissioner Kurt Schlegel.

Rowland said some of that ex-pense has been “recouped” by not having to pay Wilmer’s $70,000-a-year salary.

The state’s Department of Local Affairs, which can freeze repayment to counties of property taxes if the county does not comply with state-mandated annual filing deadlines, is expected to release the frozen funds before the end of January.

“It usually only takes the state a day or two to release the funds once they approve the audit,” Pettitt said.

The accounting firm of Eide Bail-ly performed the work necessary to complete the 2012 audit.

A similar situation occurred in 2012 when the county also missed repeated deadlines to submit to the state its year-end 2011 audit.

In that case, the state froze more than $117,000 in county property tax revenues for nearly two months until the report was received by the auditor’s office.

At a Jan. 14 study session, Row-land vowed: “This is going to be the last time the county finds itself in this position.”

Wild� re mitigation e� orts unveiled Key recommendations by governor’s task force absent By Vic Vela vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Gov. John Hickenlooper and state law-makers unveiled a package of bills on Jan. 23 that is “aimed at improving Colorado’s ability to mitigate and fi ght wildfi res.”

However, Hickenlooper and legislators spent most of a Capitol press conference answering questions having to do with wildfi re mitigation options that are not part of the eight bills that were introduced.

The bills do not include key recommendations made by the governor’s own wildfi re task force committee, includ-ing ones that place fees and building code mandates on homeowners who reside in ar-eas where a high potential for wildfi res exists.

And the package does not address the creation of a state fi refi ghting fl eet. The governor’s offi ce says the issue needs more work.

But a Republican lawmaker who is sponsoring his own air tanker legislation said at the same press conference that the

time for a wildfi re fl eet is now.“I believe that wildfi re is a

clear and present danger to Colorado and we need to take action,” said Sen. Steve King, R-Grand Junction.

The governor insists that the bipartisan pieces of wild-

fi re legislation that were intro-duced on Jan. 23 will go a long way in com-batting a growing threat facing the state.

“I think with this year we will continue to raise the ante and try to dedicate more resources up front to try to get to these fi res sooner,” Hickenlooper said.

The bills deal with a variety of areas aimed at wildfi re prevention. They include giving the governor the ability to provide fi nancial assistance without a federal di-saster declaration; and allowing county governments more autonomy in putting bans on agricultural burning during peri-ods of high fi re danger and to clamp down on summer fi reworks.

Bills also deal with the creation of the wildfi re information and resource center

Ruling continues on Page 9

WIldfi re continues on Page 10

CapitolReport

2 Elbert County News January 30, 2014

2-Color

The Beautifuland the Deadly

photos by Joe McDonald

19 varieties of live turtles, crocodilians, lizards and snakes from around the world displayed in natural habitats.

Kids will score a goal at this fun and exciting event featuring sports-themed interactive games and outdoor adventure sports activities.

Visit our website for a complete listingwww.thewildlifeexperience.org

Classic romance, drinks, hors d’oeuvres and your Valentine as happy as can be. Make it a worry free evening with our Valentine Hotel Package.

Kid’s BowlSaturday, February 19:00 am - 5:00 pm

The Wildlife Experience10035 Peoria Street, Parker, Colorado 80134720.488.3300thewildlifeexperience.org

Located near Park Meadows, 1 mile East of I-25 at Lincoln Avenue and Peoria Street.Located near Park Meadows, 1 mile East of I-25 at Lincoln Avenue and Peoria Street.

CasablancaFriday, February 145:30 pm

BeautifulOpening Saturday, February 1

Wild Outdoor Workshops:

• Ice Fishing• Archery • and More

OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 | PhOnE: 303-566-4100

A legal newspaper of general circulation in Elizabeth, Colorado, the Elbert County News is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ELIZABETH, COLORADO and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

ADVERTISInG DEADLInES: Display: Thurs. 11 a.m. | Legal: Thurs. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 12 p.m.

elbert county news (USPS 171-100)

We are part of the Centura Health Cancer Network, delivering integrated, advanced cancer care across Colorado and western Kansas.

HOPE STARTS HEREHOPE STARTS HEREThe Cancer Center at Parker Adventist HospitalWe start with hope and blend together a healing and spiritual environment with the latest in advanced treatment options. Our cancer center provides patients and their families with a personalized and coordinated approach to care.

The center is equipped with the latest in advanced radiation therapy technology, including the advanced Varian TrueBeam™ linear accelerator, that allows us to target and treat various forms of cancer with pinpoint accuracy.

To learn more about our unique approach to cancer care or to make an appointment, call 303-269-4975 or visit parkerhospital.org/cancer-center.

Centura Health complies with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and no person shall be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination in the provision of any care or service on the grounds of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, sexual preference, ancestry, age, familial status, disability or handicap. Copyright © Centura Health, 2014

9395 Crown Crest Blvd • Parker, CO 80138

advanced cancer care across Colorado

Bill on school-safety hotline advances Legislation would put state in charge of program By Vic Vela vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com

A chilling irony occurred during a Jan. 23 legislative committee hearing on a school-safety hotline bill.

At the same time that lawmakers were hearing testimony, Jefferson County Public Schools was sending out alerts that a lockout involving some of its schools had been lifted following reports that police were investigating a threat at Columbine High School.

Tom Mauser — whose son Daniel was killed during the 1999 Columbine mas-sacre — was listening to the testimony from inside a Senate Education Com-mittee hearing room, when he received the alerts on his phone.

“It just goes to show that we have to continue with our vigilance,” Mauser told committee members.

Nothing came of the threats the day of the committee hearing. But what hap-pened at Columbine High School 15 years ago is exactly what the Safe2Tell Hotline was intended to prevent.

Since 1999, the hotline has oper-ated as an anonymous way for students to notify law enforcement of potential campus threats.

But the nonprofit-backed hotline is at risk of shutting down due to a lack

of funding. Because of that, lawmakers want the state take over operations for a program that they believe has been suc-cessful in thwarting several school trag-

edies.“Rarely in government do we get an

opportunity to adopt something that’s working,” said Senate Minority Leader Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs.

Cadman and Senate President Mor-

gan Carroll, D-Aurora, are co-sponsors of Senate Bill 2, which would transfer operations of the hotline to the Depart-ment of Law. The bill also sets aside $250,000 in hotline operational costs.

Students can notify authorities via phone or email of any sort of cam-pus threats they hear about, including shooting plots and incidents of bullying.

Supporters of the legislation point to Safe2Tell statistics, which indicate that from September 2004 through Decem-ber 2013, the hotline resulted in more than 9,000 tips from students across Colorado.

Gov. John Hickenlooper said during a pre-session press conference where he touted the legislation that the hot-line received reports of 16 planned at-tacks since the beginning of the current school year.

Thornton Police Chief Randy Nelson testified that the hotline is great tool that gives law enforcement the ability to prevent tragedies, rather than respond to them. In turn, that gives students bet-ter peace of mind, he said.

“We know very clearly that if those kids don’t feel safe in the school, they’re not going to learn,” said Nelson.

The bill passed the Senate Education Committee with unanimous support and now heads to the Finance Commit-tee for further consideration. It is ex-pected to sail through both legislative chambers with bipartisan support.

“This program is too valuable for us not to do this,” said Senate Education Committee Chairman Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood.

State Senate President Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, listens as Thornton Police Chief Randy Nelson testi� es in support of Senate Bill 2. Under the bill, the state would take over the Safe2Tell school hotline, which allows students to anonymously provide tips about potential campus threats. Photo by Vic Vela

Elbert County News 3 January 30, 2014

3

Advertise: 303-566-4100OurColoradoClassifieds.com

SERVICES

Local Focus.More News.23 newspapers & websites. Connecting YOU to your LOCAL community.

ColoradoCommunityMedia.com 303-566-4100

Your Community Connectorto Boundless Rewards

We are community.MERCHANDISE

Horse & Tack

TYLER SKIBAFIERIER SERVICE

a Soft Sound Approach toShoeing and Trimming

(303)842-2629

REAL ESTATE

Cemetery Lots

3 lots in Elizabeth Cemetary$400 each (303)917-2585

Concrete/Paving Drywall

PAUL TIMMConstruction/Repair

DrywallServing Your Area

Since 1974303-841-3087 303-898-9868

For local news any time of day, find your community online at

ColoradoCommunityMedia.com

Please Recycle this Publication when Finished

For Local News,Anytime of the Day

VisitColoradoCommunityMedia.com

NEWS IN A HURRY Two students selected for All-State Band

Two Elizabeth High School band students were selected for the 2014 Colorado All-State Band this year.

Matt Ragsdale, brass captain for this year’s marching band, was selected for the All-State Concert Band for trumpet. Additionally, Myles McMahan, march-ing band drum major, was selected to the All-State Symphonic Band for euphonium.

ESD kicks o� ̀ Biggest Loser’ competitionElizabeth School District Nurse

Janet Hatt has launched a new pro-gram for the district, The Biggest Loser

Competition. The program, Hatt said, offers Eliza-

beth School District employees both “a contest and the motivation to get healthier” with weekly check-ins and daily tracking of points.

Participants earn points by drink-ing 64 or more ounces of water a day, eating breakfast within one hour of waking, exercising daily, getting eight or more hours of sleep and not eating after 8 p.m.

High-energy volunteers sought“The Elizabeth School District is

looking for a group of people to help

drive community engagement and to make an impact for our schools,” said Michele McCarron, executive admin-istrative assistant/communication specialist for the district. McCarron said the district is facing “resource challeng-es and we are looking for people who can help make a difference.”

McCarron described the ideal can-didate as someone with “high energy, good communication, organization and planning skills.” Those interested in participating can email McCarron at: mmccarron@esdk12.org or 303-646-1836.

Wage-theft legislation moves on Act aims to help workers who are owed money By Vic Vela vvela@ourcoloradonews.com

A bill that would create a governmental process that deals with workers’ claims of wage theft cleared its fi rst legislative hurdle on Jan. 22, a year after similar legislation failed.

The issue can affect those who work in contract labor positions and industry service employees, such as restaurant wait staff, ac-cording to testimony heard in the Senate Ju-diciary Committee.

The Wage Protection Act aims to protect those workers who feel they are being short-changed in wages. Under the bill, workers can fi le claims of missed wages through a Depart-ment of Labor administrative process.

Sen. Jessie Ulibarri, D-Commerce City, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the bill gives workers more resources by which they are able to claim unpaid wages.

“When folks work a long hard day and ex-pect to be paid, they should be paid,” Ulibarri said.

Ulibarri told the committee that the De-partment of Labor receives thousands of calls from workers each year who claim their em-ployers owe them money.

Under the bill, the new administrative process calls for the Department of Labor to investigate wage claim thefts of up to $7,500. If the department determines that a wage violation has occurred, the employer has 14 days to respond to the decision, or else face fi nes.

The bill also allows for an appeal process for employers who are deemed to be in viola-tion through the administrative process.

Last year’s version of the bill included criminal penalties on employers who were found to have been involved in wage viola-tions.

Business came on board with this year’s attempt after the criminalization aspect was

removed from the legislation.The bill received mixed testimony.Chuck Saxton of the Bennett-based Sax-

ton Construction, a supporter of the legisla-tion, said he has heard stories from workers who claim that other employers cheated them out of paychecks.

“Our laws are supposed to be a refl ection of our morality,” he said, speaking in favor of the bill.

However, the Colorado Restaurant As-sociation has come out against the bill. Nick Hoover, a spokesman for the organization, said that most complaints that workers fi le regarding alleged wage theft are the result of “simple confusion over payroll procedures.”

HAVE A STORY IDEA?Email Elbert County Community Editor George Lurie at

glurie@coloradocommunitymedia.com or call 303-566-4109.

4 Elbert County News January 30, 2014

4-Opinion

opinions / yours and ours

Clerk and recorder reflects on first few monthsGreetings to all Elbert County citizens.

As many of you are aware, I was appointed to the position of clerk and recorder in early September due to the resignation of the previous clerk. I would like to report on my first four months in office.

I was pleased to find that there was a great staff to work with. They are a dedicated group of ladies who truly want to serve the county. We have jumped several hurdles and con-tinue to make changes and improvements in the county clerk’s office, which encompasses the Motor Vehicle, Election and Recording departments.

After taking office and with the November elections two months away, both myself and the new Elections Manager worked many 10-14 hour days to get up to speed for the first all-mail ballot election in state history. The Secretary of State’s office was instrumental in helping us through the process and we at-tended training in Douglas and El Paso coun-ties. Their Clerks willingly gave us access to

some of their best people to catch us up to speed and I want to thank them publicly for their spirit of cooperation.

We had a contingency plan with El Paso County to bring in additional help during the election, if needed, yet we did not execute that agreement as I felt we were ready for Election Day, and we were.

We had a few bumps along the way, but we have already been planning internally and with the election judges on how we can make future elections work even smoother.

With the 2013 coordinated election certi-fied and filed away, I turned my attention to the next issue, which was adjusting our pre-cincts as mandated by state law. Feb. 3 is the last day for us to make any adjustments to precincts and we will make our deadline. This is a large task, as virtually all addresses in the county must be evaluated and placed in the proper precincts.

I have made several changes in the Motor Vehicle Department. We now have a person each day dedicated to answering phones, re-turning messages and working on new titles, of which there was a sizeable backlog when I became clerk. This has required adjusting some staff duties and priorities, but I felt it was necessary to better serve the public. As a reminder the phone number to the MVD is 303-621-3123.

One of the first things I did in September was to request more motor vehicle comput-ers. These computers come from the state and usually take 12 to 18 months to receive.

We put a priority on this request and hope to receive them in the next couple of months. We will add one in the motor vehicle office, one in the elections office and one in my of-fice.

I do jump in to help staff when the line is long and will utilize the computer in my of-fice in this manner as well. This will allow us to fully utilize the resources we have available.

We have had several brainstorming ses-sions on how to handle the anticipated rush to the recording office that will occur when new oil and gas regulations are passed. The recording clerk has been in contact with the Weld County recorder discussing what worked well for them in handling the large numbers of people in the office. We want to plan ahead and be ready to make the rush go as smoothly and fairly as possible.

I invite all citizens to stop by my office and say hello when you are at the courthouse. My e-mail is Dallas.Schroeder@elbertcounty-co.gov.

9137 Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 Phone: 303-566-4100 | Fax: 303-566-4098 On the Web: elbertcountynews.net

ELBERT COUNTY NEWS A publication of

gerard healey President and Publisher Chris rotar Editor ryaN Boldrey Assistant Editor george lurie Community Editor ViC Vela Legislative Reporter eriN addeNBrooKe Advertising Director roN MitChell Sales Executive audrey BrooKs Business Manager sCott aNdrews Production Manager saNdra arellaNo Circulation Director

We welcome event listings and other submissions.

News and Business Press releases Please visit elbertcountynews.net, click on the Submit Your News tab and choose a category from the drop down menu.

Calendar calendar@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Military Notes militarynotes@coloradocommunitymedia.com

school accomplishments, honor roll and dean’s list schoolnotes@coloradocommunitymedia.com

sports sports@coloradocommunitymedia.com

obituaries obituaries@coloradocommunitymedia.com

to subscribe call 303-566-4100

Columnists and guest commentariesThe Elbert County News features a limited

number of regular columnists, found on these pages and elsewhere in the paper, depending on the typical subject the columnist covers. Their opinions are not necessarily those of the Elbert County News.

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

email letters to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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 atnews@coloradocommunitymedia.com,

and we will take it from there.

After all, the News is your paper.

we’re in this together

The mystery of personal and professional growth

I really do enjoy a good mystery. It could be a great novel or movie or just watch-ing the variety of news programs or shows where we get to explore along with the journalists and public intrigued by mystery and the possibilities of observing a Bigfoot, The Loch Ness Monster, a giant squid, ghosts, extra-terrestrials, or some other type of enigmatic predator or anomalous event.

Mysteries just seem to capture my atten-tion. And one of the greatest mysteries I en-counter on an all too frequent basis is this: why is it that when people who are looking to make a change for the better continue do-ing the same things over and over again and expect different results. As we all know, this is one definition of insanity.

Whether we are just embarking on the pursuit of a worthy goal or objective in our lives, or we have gotten to a place where we have plateaued and feel stuck, we need to recognize that we can still reach higher, see farther, and elevate our performance at almost everything we are striving for in our lives or wish to accomplish.

For some, it’s just being in their comfort zone and becoming so settled that compla-cency has usurped desire. And this is where we get caught up in the trap of doing the very same things that we have always done. And maybe even worse, we have begun tak-ing short cuts because we are just too settled and comfortable with where we are right now. Did you catch that line earlier in the paragraph, “… complacency has usurped desire?” Is that your situation?

Life is so full of mysteries and the world is full of unexplainable phenomena that pique our curiosity and leave us wanting to know more. And as we indulge in the exploration of the mysterious our imagination becomes accelerated and our creativity inspired. What if we put that same energy into uncov-ering or discovering what it is that drives us to want to succeed in every area of our lives?

If there is an area of our life where we have a deep desire to change, one new technique to attempt can be found in forc-ing ourselves to try something new. Change the routine, the diet, and maybe even make some changes relative to the types of people we surround ourselves with. I recently saw this quote floating around Facebook, “Sur-round yourself with people that make you a better person.”

You see, the mysterious isn’t really all that mysterious when it comes to personal and professional growth. And yes I know, per-sonal development isn’t nearly as exciting or spectacular as finding Bigfoot, catching a glimpse of the Loch Ness Monster, or figur-ing out teenagers, but it could be. And it is in those moments of wanting to grow that we can and should try something new. Some-thing new and mysterious that will add ex-citement, energy, and desire to the pursuit of our goals and dreams.

How about you, are you stuck, plateaued, or maybe haven’t even started on your goal or dream? I would love to hear all about it at gotonorton@gmail.com and when you begin to view your goals with a little bit of mystery and wonder, it will be a better than good week.

Michael Norton is a resident of Highlands Ranch, the former president of the Zig Ziglar Corporation and the CEO/founder of www.candogo.com.

Music can change a lifeI am completely out of it when it comes

to the music that most people listen to.Nina Simone never shook her rear end

on stage. Bob Dylan doesn’t change cos-tumes between songs. I don’t listen to any-one who has backup dancers. The music I listen to doesn’t come with choreography. A symphony orchestra doesn’t have back-up singers or dancers or any of that non-sense.

Keep your raunchy, topless, motorcycle video away from me.

“Mr. Smith, aren’t you being a little harsh? My daughter listens to hip-hop. At least she is listening to music. You have to start somewhere. Maybe someday she will get her head screwed on straight, and find out about Django Reinhart.”

I have said this before: I don’t dance and I don’t watch dancers. This puts me in a low percentile. The population is low in the lower percentile, and it’s my favorite address.

Jennifer and I went to a CU football game, and we were bombarded with bad music from the instant we entered the sta-dium until we left with a hearing loss in the third quarter. Some people, like restaurant owners, think that loud music connotes a good time. I think it connotes a headache.

If you are raised on something, that is what you know and expect. I wonder what it would be like to be a teenager who listens to Katy Perry, and then hears Billie Holiday for the first time.

Dr. Dre or Nat King Cole? Beyoncé or Ella Fitzgerald? One Direction or Arcade Fire? Those are easy for me to answer.

Fifty years ago, on Feb. 9, 1964, music — someone’s music — changed my life. It was just a couple of months after the Ken-

nedy assassination, and like everyone else, I needed something to change the way that I was feeling.

An odd looking and odd sounding man introduced a band from England. He in-sisted upon calling them “lads.”

“The broadcast drew an estimated 73 million viewers, at the time a record for US television, and was characterized by an audience composed largely of screaming, hysterical girls in tears.”

Their first song was “All My Loving.”I didn’t know this until recently: “The act

that followed their first set in the broadcast was pre-recorded, rather than have some-one perform live on stage amidst the pan-demonium that occurred after the group performed their songs.”

Someone was thinking.It would have been crazy if ventriloquist

Señor Wences had come out live with John-ny, the face he drew on his hand. Crazy but wonderful.

Juvenile jealousies caused me to resist the band at first, because it was all the girls in my high school talked about.

But after a few months, and now after 50 years, I realize that their music is as im-portant as anything I have ever heard “In My Life.”

Elbert County News 5 January 30, 2014

5-Color

To place an Obituary for Your Loved One…

PrivateContact: Viola Ortega303-566-4089obituaries@ColoradoCommunityMedia.com

Funeral HomesVisit: www.memoriams.com

Show some love for libraries February is Library Lovers Month, so

stop on in and show some love for your local libraries!

How do you show your love for your li-braries? Maybe it’s by checking out more books so we have more room on our shelves. Or by letting your neighbor know that you check out your favorite movies at the library, or by bringing your children to story time. Maybe you’ve visited our web-site online and downloaded an e-book to your kindle or iPad. The best way to show that you love your library is to use your li-brary, and to encourage someone else to use the library.

Some of our local businesses are show-ing their love for libraries by donating a portion of their sales for the month of February to the library. The Elizabeth Net-working Group, a Facebook group that includes community members and small businesses throughout Elbert and Doug-las counties, has come together to assist the Elbert County Libraries Foundation in order to benefi t library expansion and ser-vices.

A few of the specifi c businesses that are offering donations based on sales of their goods are Leah McGee, Origami Owl Rep-resentative, who is offering 20 percent of total retail sales for orders placed through a specifi c link on her business page (LifeIn-Lockets@gmail.com). Tony Baker, Right Size Smoothies Representative, is offering 100 percent of his profi t for all sales be-tween now and the end of February (tony.baker.1420@facebook.com). Mariah God-frey with SimplyFun educational and fun games for ages 3-103 is offering 10 percent of the retail price of all games sold as well as a corporate donation of an additional 2 percent (mariahgodfrey@facebook.com). Godfrey will be at the Elizabeth Library with her products from 1-4 p.m. on Feb. 8 and 22.

Cathy Rose-Stumpf and Denise Blodig, owners of The Falcon Lounge, located up-stairs at 239 Main Street, Elizabeth, are of-fering a special cocktail called “Librarians Need Love, Too!” proceeds of which will go

towards the library. Jenny West, Certifi ed Massage Therapist, is offering a 5 percent donation for all full-priced massage ap-pointments in February, which the client asks to donate to their library (www.jenny-west.massagetherapy.com).

February is a good time to explore some new products and support your library. I’m thinking I might get a massage and then stop by the Falcon Lounge.

The library says THANK YOU in advance to these businesses for their support!

Another way we are encouraging people to show their love is by sponsoring a Penny Drive at our local schools. The elementary students at Running Creek, Singing Hills and Legacy Academy are participating. Students are encouraged to bring their spare change into their classroom to fi ll the Penny Drive Jar.

The classroom at each school that brings in the most donations wins a pizza party. Buzzard’s Pizza has generously do-nated the pizzas — show him your appre-ciation for your local libraries by trying out his pizza.

We hope you see the love pouring out of our libraries every day when you visit our libraries, participate in a special program, snuggle up with a book, or pop a movie into your DVDF player. Libraries are the heart of our community, because you’ve put us there.

Kari May lives in Elizabeth and is the di-rector of the Elbert County Library District. She can be contacted through the library at director@elbertcountylibrary.org. Visit the library at www.elbertcountylibrary.org.

Pam Richardson recently opened Son� ower Gifts & Antiques at 244 Main St. in downtown Elizabeth. For nearly 15 years, Richardson operated an antique shop in the town of Elbert but recently lost her lease and decided to relocate. With the addition of Richardson’s store, there are now four antique shops on Elizabeth’s historic Main Street. Photo by George Lurie

NEW ON THE SCENE

Safety tops school district agenda Increase in standardized testing raises concerns Sta� report

When the Elizabeth School District

Board of Education held its monthly meet-ing Jan. 13, Superintendent Douglas Bis-sonette brought to the board’s attention the ongoing safety concerns regarding the track at Elizabeth High School. Bissonette said the surface of the track is degraded, and has resulted in multiple injuries.

Resurfacing the track was one of the critical infrastructure needs identifi ed by the citizens group and the district, and was included on the bond project list, which voters failed to pass last November.

Bisonette said Elizabeth High School has cancelled its home track meets this spring and is not allowing Kiowa to use the track for high school or middle school meets. The school also is not permitting community usage of the track.

The superintendent also provided an update on other safety issues, including the new buzzer system recently installed at Elizabeth Middle School. Now EMS, SHE and RCE all have locked doors with buzzer systems.

Safety discussions and training is ongo-ing for students and staff, Bisonette said.

The Incident Command System (ICS 100) Training and the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) Training is mandatory for all employees. Fire Chief T.J. Steck con-ducted an ICS 100 training for more than 30 employees on Jan. 6. Parents interested in understanding more about these safety processes and the safety protocols can view both trainings online at the safety page of the district website.

Concerns over standardized testingBisonette, at the Jan. 13 meeting, also

expressed his concern regarding grades K-12 assessments coming as a state man-date.

The superintendent told the board that the Partnership for Assessment of Readi-ness for College and Careers (PARCC) cre-ates a standard set of K-12 assessments in math and English. Within PARCC, a group of states, including Colorado, base the con-tent of these assessments on what it takes to be successful in college and careers in the future.

Today, Bissonette said, high school students take approximately eight state-required standardized tests. In the next two years high school students will be required to take approximately 30 state-required standardized tests.

“This is the direction the state is go-ing with PARCC,” Bissonette said. “I don’t believe high-stakes testing is the way for students to learn nor to assess their com-petency and readiness for college and ca-reers.”

PARCC assessments are currently being piloted and are on track to begin being ad-ministered during the 2014-15 school year.

Andrea Duran, the district’s director of learning services, is scheduled to present more information on PARCC to the board at the next board meeting.

On the � nancial frontKin Shuman, director of human re-

sources, reported that he and district prin-cipals will participate in the upcoming annual job fairs. The district will also be starting the hiring process for the Elizabeth Middle School principal in the coming weeks. Interim Principal Terry Miller was hired for one year after a late resignation last August.

Additionally, Shuman told the board, an ongoing effort of Human Resources is “re-search and understanding” district turn-over, especially as it relates to salary levels.

Ron Patera, chief fi nancial offi cer, said the district is funded at the same amount as in the 2007-08 school year yet cost of living has gone up, PERA has increased, health care costs have increased, and there are more state mandates which are not funded.

Patera said the district is facing very tough funding decisions for next year. The district has been able to keep many of the budget cuts out of the classrooms, but the cuts this coming year will have a more di-rect impact on students and classrooms, unless state funding increases.

The board discussed the budget guide-lines for next year, which helps direct ad-ministration on the allocation of resources. The budget guidelines for the 2014-15 school year are:

• Preserving or enhancing curricular and extracurricular offerings to maintain or improve the quality of education for all students.

• Prudently increasing salary and ben-efi t levels in order to retain, reward and attract the highest quality educators and support staff.

• Continuing to adjust staffi ng levels in order to refl ect changes in enrollment and take advantage of voluntary departures (retirements and resignations) as much as possible.

• Aligning resources for continued im-provement in student success and im-provements in organizational effective-ness.

• Providing adequate resources to en-sure safe and well maintained school facili-ties.

• Prudently using existing fi nancial re-serves to help offset past state and federal funding cuts to public education.

Relationship buildingDuring their reports, several board

members said they are actively involved with legislative issues concerning educa-tion and funding.

Director Chris Richardson, Deb Spen-celey, and Carol Hinds will be attending Region Days at the Capital to participate in discussions and build relationships with legislators. They will also be attending the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB) Winter Conference that will focus on pending legislation and tools for board members to advocate on behalf of their schools and students.

The board is continuing their efforts to engage with the local community. Several members attended the Chamber of Com-merce Luncheon, which gave them the opportunity to interact and network with local businesses.

6-Life-Color

South Metrolife6 Elbert County NewsJanuary 30, 2014

Fleming stars in ‘Rusalka’The Metropolitan Opera live broad-

cast of Dvorak’s “Rusalka” on Feb. 8 will feature Renee Fleming singing what has become a signature role for her. The story of a water sprite’s tragic romance with a human prince is based on sev-eral folktales, including Hans Christian Anderson’s “Little Mermaid.” Theaters include: AMC Highlands Ranch, Castle Rock 12; Greenwood Plaza, Bel Mar. Some theaters will have a repeat perfor-mance at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 10. Check with specific theaters for time for Feb. 8.

Made in AmericaThe Arapahoe Philharmonic’s Feb.

7 concert at 7:30 p.m. will be “Made in America,” including American Country Folk with the Trailriders; Gershwin’s “An American in Paris;” Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” and Leonard Ber-nstein’s “Overture to Candide.” Devin Patrick Hughes is conductor. Venue: Mission Hills Church, 620 South Park Dr., Littleton. Tickets: $25/$20/$5, 303-781-1892 (9 a.m. to 1 p.m. M-F.)

Some enchanted evening…“South Pacific in Concert” will be

presented Feb. 12 to 16 at the Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St., Lone Tree, starring Thaddeus Valdez as Emile DeBecque; Lauren Shealy as Nellie For-bush; Randy St. Pierre as Lt. Cable, Paul Dwyer as Billis. Wendell Vaughn is mu-sic director. The concert version was originally adapted by David Ives for a Carnegie Hall benefit in 2006. Perfor-mances: 1:30 p.m. Feb. 12 ($25); 1:30 p.m. Feb. 15, 16 ($42-$58); 7:30 p.m. Feb 12, 13; 8 p.m. Feb. 14, 15 ($42-$58). Call 720-509-1000 or buy online, www.Lo-neTreeArtsCenter.org. Tickets are sub-ject to a $3 fee.

Great Backyard Bird CountFamilies are invited to the Audubon

Nature Center from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 15 to learn how to identify and count birds. The event is part of the 17th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count, which runs from Feb. 14 to 17. The cen-ter is on Waterton Road, off Wadsworth Boulevard at the south end of Chat-field State Park. There will be crafts for kids and a scavenger hunt, as well as instructions on creating a healthy bird habitat in your backyard.

More than 100 countries are partici-pating in the count at present, report-ing results to the Cornell University Ornithology Department (find instruc-tions online). This effort by citizen sci-entists helps professional scientists keep track of bird populations, which are changing habits and habitats due to global warming. The event is free, although donations are welcome. For information call 303-973-9530 or visit www.denveraudubon.org.

Classical Music Meets ArchitectureForty-two Colorado Symphony mu-

sicians will perform from classic sym-phonies by Beethoven, Handel, Haydn, Schuman and Mozart. Denver archi-tect Dennis Humphries and conductor Scott O’Neil will comment on classic architecture in a multi-media perfor-mance at 8 p.m. Feb. 7 at Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St., Lone Tree. Tickets: $36-$48 plus a $3 service fee, call 720-509-1000 or visit www.Lone-TreeArtsCenter.org.

Cow in bad mood comes in last at stock showBy Virginia Grantiervgrantier@coloradocommunitymedia.com

She was about 1 ½ years old and very pregnant, and not feeling so well, this day.

But the cow show must go on, her big moment, a championship cow class at the National Western Stock Show Jan. 20. Even so, Lacy, a white-colored shorthorn, showed her displeasure.

Moo-dy.“She’s in a really bad mood today,” said

Rachelle Quinn, 16, owner of Lacy, who was busy throwing her big head around and bellowing.

Lacy did not seem to take the time to ap-preciate being out of her Douglas County pasture nor being “hoteled” on straw beds in the stock show’s Beef Palace along with other top cattle in the country — competi-tors from Texas, Iowa and so on.

Quinn, who has known Lacy since she was a baby calf, knows her moods and still loves her, though. Lacy on her better affec-tionate days will lick Quinn in the face.

Quinn once had horses, but liked being lower.

“I’m afraid of heights,” she said.She likes being grounded with her about

1,400-pound cows, which are also, on most days, gentler than horses, she said. Quinn said she wants to be a cattle-genetics ex-pert someday, and maybe a veterinarian.

This day, bad mood developing on both sides, Quinn still managed to shampoo Lacy and blow-dry her. But she decided not to even try to clip Lacy’s coat for the upcoming championship shorthorn late-spring yearling heifer class.

When Lacy is testy, “she can kick and even try to stomp someone,” said Quinn’s dad, Craig Quinn, a horseshoer, and co-owner of Quinn Ranch in the Castle Rock

area.His daughter, a Douglas County High

School sophomore, didn’t need the pain. After all, she already has had to have ma-jor surgery on her nose and miss school because of a steer she owns that liked to purposely butt her in the head.

So Rachelle Quinn gave Lacy space. But to make Lacy presentable, she still man-aged to do a little combing and with a special aerosol spray — a product called tail adhesive — gave her a proper cow-tail-do. Some of the cow’s coat needs to stick straight-up, Mohawk style, in places.

Other necessary improvements: Lacy was changed out of her everyday halter and into her $50 leather cow-show halter. Quinn’s required dress: a button-down show shirt — and clean pants, in this place

where the floor is a muck minefield.So on Quinn led a reluctant Lacy around

the show ring, but that adage that “attitude is everything” seemed to apply this day.

Lacy, out of 11 competitors, came in last.“She was being a brat (in the show

ring),” Rachelle said later.Lacy reportedly refused to put her

hooves in the proper position to be viewed by the judge, and continued to toss her beautiful bovine head around like it was all about her.

But all was not lost.Roxy, another Quinn heifer and a pas-

ture mate of Lacy’s, won the championship in another class. She reportedly had more flash, a prettier clipped coat, among other things — and perhaps was a bit more po-lite.

Lacy (left) and Rachelle Quinn, and 10 other competitors, lined up waiting for the judge. Lacy, in her bad mood, wouldn’t stand in the proper position or keep her head still. No blue ribbon, this day. Photos by Virginia Grantier

Rachelle Quinn (right) and her fan group, high school friends (left to right) Destry Banister, 16, Travis Booth, 17, and Sierra Sanburg, 16, have some down time before the next cow class.

-DY

ColoradoCommunityMedia.com

Scan here to likeColorado CommunityMedia on Facebook

HeifeR

Elbert County News 7 January 30, 2014

7-Color

Receive weekly local deals in your inbox!

ShopLocalColorado.comSign Up

adindexP O W E R E D B Y

See these ads online now atShopLocalColorado.com

AUTOCommunity

SOUTH METRO CHAMBER ................................................ 3

HIGHLANDS RANCH COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION ....... 3

AUTOEntertainment

WILDLIFE EXPERIENCE ..................................................... 2

AUTOHouse & Home

APPLEWOOD PLUMBING .................................................. 7

AUTOMedical

CENTURA HEALTH / PARKER ADVENTIST ...................... 2

AUTOShopping

VIAERO WIRELESS ...........................................................11

AUTOTravel

VAIL CASCADE RESORT ................................................... 7

The Elbert County News is made possible thanks to ourlocal advertisers. When you spend your dollars near your home – especially with these advertisers – it keeps your community strong, prosperous and informed.

1-800-CHADRON • 1000 Main Street • Chadron, NE 69337

• Launch your career in resources: oil & gas, coal, water, alternative energy, environmental management, research.• Take classes toward CSC’s four-year Bachelor’s degree in Physical Sciences

with an option in Geoscience online or in the classroom. Two-week summer field experiences are required. Senior research projects are geared toward your interests.• Help solve our critical resource challenges while caring for the environment.For more information, visit our website: csc.edu/geoscienceContact: Dr. Mike Leite, mleite@csc.edu, 308-432-6377

Chadron State College’s Geoscience Program is now Online

At Applewood Plumbing Heating & Electric, we give $1,000 every month to a local charity or nonprofit nominated by YOU! We’ve contributed more than $95,000 over the past 9 years with our monthly

giveaway, and we’re still at it...making a difference where it matters most, close to home. Nominate your favorite local charity or nonprofit to win at

www.ApplewoodFixIt.com.

Learn more online at: www.childrenscolorado.org

YOU COULD TOO!YOU COULD TOO!

CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL SPORTS PROGRAM

WON $1,000

CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL SPORTS PROGRAM

WON $1,000“ Children’s Hospital Colorado Sports Program (HSP) has provided children with various physical disabilities with opportunities to experience success in outdoor recreational activities.”

SKI MORE SPEND LESS

1300 WESTHAVEN DRIVE VAIL, CO 81657 | 800.282.4183 | VAILCASCADE.COM A distinctive experience provided by Destination Hotels & Resorts. | destinationhotels.com

When it comes to skiing, one day is never enough. Justify that extra day (or two) and enjoy great savings with our Stay More, Play More package. Plus, with our on-site chairlift you’ll be bed-to-mountain in no time.

ColoradoCommunityMedia.com

Scan here to likeColorado CommunityMedia on Facebook

Ballerina graces the big stage Parker teen aims for professional career By Chris Michlewicz cmichlewicz@coloradocommunitymedia.com

While her friends dropped out of ballet classes one by one as they got older, Meagan Van Deren’s determina-tion never waned.

That’s precisely the reason why she graced the stage at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House Jan. 18, brimming with poise and confi dence. The appear-ance, which included a four-minute dance solo, or variation, was the cul-mination of 13 years of painstaking work. But it’s just the beginning.

Normally, a child who starts a sport or hobby at age 3 grows weary with time. Not Van Deren. Now 16 years old, her focus on ballet is as strong as ever, and her sights are fi xed on a pro-fessional career, preferably with an esteemed company in Europe.

The Parker native is well on her way to reaching that goal. She was handpicked two years ago for an au-dition with the National Ballet Acad-emy of Denver and made it. She is one of only fi ve students who attend the prestigious school.

Training for six hours a day, six days a week seems draining, and it is, but the lack of free time and numer-ous injuries are worth it.

“You pretty much always have an injury going, but it’s just something

you go through and do physical ther-apy and get over it. You tough it out,” she said, adding heating and ice packs are part of her daily routine.

It’s a far cry from when she start-ed. She began as a toddler at Parker Dance Academy and hopped around the stage aimlessly at her fi rst recital, which her parents got on fi lm. Van Deren dabbled in tap and jazz dance and, upon deciding that ballet was the

direction she wanted to go, became more serious about the craft.

Instructors took notice of her blos-soming talent and unwavering focus, urging her to aim high. She has fur-ther honed her technique under the guidance of former ballet dancers from Russia.

Her second appearance on the Ellie Caulkins stage, she says, is her biggest. Professionals from around the globe fl ew in and performed alongside Van Deren, the only student at her school selected for the “An Evening of Stars” show. It featured a mix of dances from different ballets, but Van Deren’s was choreographed specifi cally for her, adding a never-before-seen element. The teen admitted beforehand that she was anxious, but prepared.

“When I’m on stage, it’s going to be more about the emotional aspect of it, just feeling the movement and not thinking about anything else but that moment,” she said. “You have the stage lights, but you have to do it con-fi dently and you have to look beauti-ful and like you’re enjoying yourself.”

Van Deren, who attended Chapar-ral High School her freshman year but now does online schooling, is unsure why her love for ballet has never left. The idea that there is always room for improvement drives her. Van Deren fi gures she has two more years of in-tensive training before she can audi-tion for European companies.

“I’ve never seen anything different for me,” she said. “I’ve always known it’s what I have to do. It’s what I want to do. It’s what I need to do.”

Meagan Van Deren, 16, started ballet classes at age 3. She is among the few handpicked students who attend National Ballet Academy of Denver. Courtesy photo

Time change notedCurtain time for “Mousetrap” at

the Arvada Center is changed for Sunday, Feb. 2, due to the Super Bowl: The play will start at 1 p.m. in-stead of the usual 2 p.m. Otherwise, performances will be on a regu-lar schedule at 6901 Wadsworth, Arvada: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; 1 p.m. Wednesdays; 2 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays, with add-ed shows at 1 p.m. Thursdays Feb. 6, 13 and 20 due to high demand for tickets for this Christie favorite that has been running for 61 years non-stop in London. (The inclusion of Denver Center Theatre’s Kathy Brady in the cast is an additional draw.) Tickets: 720-898-7200 or www.arvadacenter.org.

“Parallel Lives”Miners Alley Playhouse presents

“Parallel Lives by Mo Gaffney and Kathy Najimy Jan. 31 to March 9 at 1224 Washington Ave., Golden. Performances: 7:30 p.m. Fridays

and Saturdays, 6 p.m. Sundays. Len Matheo is director. Tickets: 303-935-3044 or www.minersalley.com.

Intense weekend“Dogs Barking” by Richard Za-

jdlic will be presented through Feb. 8 by Silhouette Theatre Company in a regional premiere at the John Hand Theater, 7653 East 1st Place, Denver. Brian Brooks is director. Performances: 7:30 Thursdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays, 6:30 p.m. Sundays and 7:30 p.m. Mondays Feb. 3. (No performance Sunday, Feb. 2.) Tickets: $16, 303-999-9143, www.silhouettetheatrecompany.org. *Not recommended for those under 18.

New play readingsThe annual Colorado New Play

Summit will be at the Denver Center Theatre Company, Performing Arts Complex, Feb. 7 to 9 with readings of fi ve new works and performances of two plays commissioned from the 2013 Summit. Information:

www.Denvercenter.org/summit or 303-893-6030.

`Lyons’ in AuroraVintage Theatre will host the

regional premiere of “The Lyons” from Feb. 7 to March 9, directed by Bernie Cardell.

Vintage is located at 1468 Dayton St., Aurora. Performances: 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Sun-days. Tickets: www.vintagetheatre.com.

Regional premier“See What I Wanna See” by

Michael John La Chiusae, based on three short stories by Rynosuke Akutagawa, plays Feb. 14 to March 9 at the Aurora Fox Theatre, 9900 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora. Presented by Ignite Theatre Company. Rob-ert Michael Sanders is director. Performances: 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Sundays Tick-ets: $27/$19, 720-362-2697, www.ignitetheatre.com.

CURTAIN TIME

GET SOCIAL WITH US Colorado Community Media wants to share the news. Check us out on these social media websites:Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Linkedin. Search for Colorado Community Media.

8-Sports-Color

ELIZABETH HIGH SCHOOL

Boys basketball

Elizabeth 78, Fort Lupton 49The Elizabeth boys basketball team had six players con-tribute in scoring 10 or more points against Fort Lupton, winning 78-49. James Christiansen led the team with 15 points, followed by Aaron Stone with 14 points. Lo-gan Weber scored 12 points and both Ryan White and Brandon Severinson scored 11. Trevor Boss scored 10 points. Christiansen went 5-for-5 at the free throw line

and Stone went 4-for-6.

Elizabeth 64, Pueblo South 80After an even � rst half and only being down by four points at halftime, Pueblo South scored 22 points in the third and 17 in the fourth to take the 80-64 win over Elizabeth. James Christiansen and Trevor Boss both scored 16 points for Elizabeth, followed by Aaron Stone with 15.

Girls basketball

Elizabeth 64, Roosevelt 21Tatum Neubert contributed 21 points for Elizabeth in a

game where the Cardinals beat Roosevelt 64-21. Sabra Ross scored 17 points and Olivia Whitworth scored 14. Neubert had nine rebounds and � ve assists. Whitworth scored four 3-pointers and had � ve steals.

Elizabeth 57, Fort Lupton 32Sabra Ross was Player of the Game scoring 18 points for Elizabeth in route to a 57-32 win over Fort Lupton. Tatum Neubert scored 11 points and grabbed � ve rebounds. Sara Ernst scored 10 points.

UPCOMING GAMES

Boys basketball

TUESDAY7 p.m. - Elizabeth vs. Vista Peak Prep

Girls basketball

SATURDAY4 p.m. - Elizabeth @ Pueblo SouthTUESDAY5:30 p.m. - Elizabeth vs. Vista Peak Prep

Prep sports ScoreboardPrep sports ScoreboardPrep sports Scoreboard

PREP SPORTS SCOREBOARDWould you like to see your team on the board? Contact sports reporter Kate Ferraro at kferraro@ourcoloradonews.com or go to www.elbertcountynews.net/scores/ and click on Post to the Scoreboard.

8 Elbert County NewsJanuary 23, 2014ElbertSPORTS Cardinals run their record to 14-1 Elizabeth girls keep on winning By Scott Stocker Special to Colorado Community Media

Three certainly was the lucky number this past week for the Elizabeth girls basketball team as the Cardinals came through with three impressive victories.

Elizabeth, coached by Jamie Schmalz, im-proved to 14-1 on the season and 5-0 in league play as the Cardinals defeated Skyview, 73-23, Fort Lupton 57-32, and Roosevelt, 64-21. And, it certainly was an up-and-down trio of games for the Cardinals’ University-of-Ore-gon-bound Tatum Neubert.

Neubert scored 22 points to help pace Elizabeth to its Jan. 21 victory against Sky-view. But it certainly was a different night against Fort Lupton as she only scored 11 points while spending a great deal of time on the bench with four fouls. Yet she did re-bound with 21 points against Roosevelt.

The Cardinals’ depth proved to be the de-cisive factor Jan. 24 against Fort Lupton with Neubert on the bench. Sabra Ross certainly proved her leadership abilities on that night as well as the rest of the week. She opened her week with 22 points against Skyview, had 18 against Fort Lupton and 17 in the Cardinals Jan. 25 win over Roosevelt.

Ross was especially pleased with the play, not only from herself, but that of her team-

mates while Neubert watched from the bench against Fort Lupton.

“We all had to think smart out there and leave all our efforts on the court,” she said. “We had our moments, yet we wanted to get on a roll and to get aggressive. With Tatum out, I think we were able to prove to ourselves that we have an abundance of talent and it’s hard for anyone to overlook any of us.

“We had to step up and play hard and we did. We worked the ball hard and we were all in the game. We started slow, but we were able to pick up the pace.”

And, it was a pace that certainly had the heart beating for Schmalz.

“Fort Lupton certainly came out to play, but I’m certainly proud of the way my girls responded,” Schmalz said. “Fort Lupton rattled us, but we were mentally able to fi ght back hard, too. With Tatum out, the girls were able to pull through and that certainly helps us mentally, as well. They had to step up and they did.”

Defense was on the side of Elizabeth as they held Fort Lupton to only 10 points in the fi rst half. But that’s not to say the Blue Devils didn’t have their share of defense out on the court. They held the Cardinals to only seven points in the second quarter.

It was tough for Neubert to be watching from the bench, but she certainly was pleased with the way her teammates came through.

“I thought it was going to be a night where

I would foul out,” Neubert said. “It certainly wasn’t my best game, but my teammates re-ally stepped up and were confi dent in their play. It was just a great job by all of them.”

Fort Lupton’s Francesca Watson played a key role for the Blue Devils on both sides of the ball.

She scored 15 points to pace her team of-fensively and was also a stickler on defense. They also had a stellar night defensively from Adriana Granados, who was injured late in the game and had to be taken off the court.

“We kind of hurt ourselves in the fi rst half as our shots just didn’t fall,” Watson said. “But I think we played good defense against a team that can really go out and score points. We just were trying to fi gure out what was go-ing on with ourselves in that fi rst half. Eliza-beth is a fi ne team, no doubt about it, and I think it helped up learn a lot about ourselves tonight.”

Fort Lupton coach Joe Gutierrez knew it was going to be a tough night from the start.

“The girls fought hard to the end against a very good team,” Gutierrez said. “I’m proud of the way they played, fi ghting right to the end. Elizabeth is just a great team and we were excited for the opportunity to go up against them. Offensively we had our shots, they just didn’t fall.”

Defense was also a key in the way in which Elizabeth jumped out in front of Skyview. They held the Wolverines to only 10, fi rst half

points and never let them get on any type of a roll. In addition to Ross and Neubert’s 22 points apiece, the Cardinals’ Sara Ernst add-ed 11.

Elizabeth came away with another shut-out quarter against an opponent as the Car-dinals held Roosevelt scoreless in the third quarter.

Around the countyPeyton (12-1) proved to be to much to

handle for the Kiowa and Simla girls teams. The Panthers clawed Simla Jan. 22 with a 75-31 victory, and then put the bite on Kiowa Jan. 23 with an 82-33 victory.

Sara Patterson was the leader for Peyton scoring 23 points against Simla. Defensively, neither Simla nor Kiowa could prevail against the Panthers. Simla only tallied six and four points in a pair of quarters against Peyton while Kiowa was held to a pair of four-point quarters in their effort against the Panthers.

Kiowa, however, as also able to put the slammer on Deer Trail as the Indians (7-4) came through with a 50-37 victory on Jan. 21.

It a tough weekend for Elbert (2-8) as the Bulldogs were beaten Jan. 24 by Evangelical Christian, 49-33, and 66-45 by Flagler.

Emily Pranger led the way against Evan-gelical Christian and Flagler with 13 points in each game. Sumiko McDonald was the only other Elbert player to reach double-fi gures as she tallied 10 against Flagler.

Elizabeth boys garner pair of victories Cardinals grab 11th win, before falling to Pueblo South By Scott Stocker Special to Colorado Community Media

The Elizabeth boys basketball team start-ed off the week with a pair of wins before fall-ing on the road to close the week at 2-1.

Elizabeth (11-5, 4-1 Colorado 7) defeat-ed Skyview, 61-46, on the road Jan. 21 then followed with a 78-49 home court victory against Fort Lupton three nights later, 78-49. However, the Cardinals couldn’t keep the winning momentum going as they lost Jan. 25 at Pueblo South, 80-64.

Elizabeth’s victory over Fort Lupton will certainly be a memorable night for Logan Weber. Making his fi rst start on the varsity, Weber did a fi ne job fi lling in for the injured Jacob Gavitt, who missed all three of this past week’s games due to injury.

Weber came through with 12 points against Fort Lupton while he was able to tack on six points against Skyview and three against Pueblo South.

“I was a nervous wreck,” said the 6-foot-2 Weber. “But we all played as a team and I was able to calm down and concentrate. My plan

was to play as strong as I could and whatever happened would happen.

“They were a pretty physical team and we had to play physical, too. I didn’t want to be tentative and my teammates made my start a lot easier.”

Balanced scoring was certainly a key with Gavitt setting on the bench. Six of the Car-dinals were able to score in double-fi gures with James Christiansen leading the way with 15. Aaron Stone came through with 14, while Ryan White and Brandon Severinson chipped in 11 each and Trevor Boss added 10.

Elizabeth jumped out to a 16-8 lead in the fi rst quarter and was able to establish a 34-26 lead at the intermission. They were able to put the game well in command in the third with a 21-11 run and close out with a 23-12 spirit in fourth quarter.

“It was pretty physical out there,” said Stone. “But we played a lot better than our last time out in this circumstance. We were under control and held our composure better than the night before against Weld Central (a 61-46 victory). We played like we should have. We are getting used to the physical play and we wanted to go hard, also trying not to foul.”

No doubt the game seemed physical to Elizabeth coach Mike Boss as the Cardinals picked up their 11th win while Fort Lupton

dropped to 6-5.“It was scrappy and physical out there, but

the boys matched well against their physical play,” Boss said. “It was a fi rst start, too, for Lo-gan and he played well. The boys all went out and played hard and it was certainly a fi ne win against a group of competitors that were also up to the physical state of the game.”

Those were also the thoughts of Fort Lup-ton’s Patrick Vasquez and his coach Jim Ro-edel.

“That fi rst quarter was frustrating,” said Vasquez, who scored 10 points. “Our shots just didn’t fall in that fi rst quarter, but we were able to rebound in the second quarter. They are a great competitive team and I think we learned a lot playing against them.”

“It was just physical,” added Roedel. “We missed a lot of shots in the second half and let them get away. We were playing stronger in the second half, but we just couldn’t make the shots fall.”

Elizabeth had a slower start at Skyview as the Cardinals could only muster a 26-20 lead at the half against the Wolverines. Trevor Boss led the way this time around with 18 points, including three 3-pointers. Christiansen add-ed 12 points and Severinson chipped in 10.

However, the trip south to end the week didn’t go Elizabeth’s way. The Cardinals had

their feathers clipped, falling behind 20-15 after the fi rst quarter and still trailed, 41-37, at the half. An eight-point third quarter, while the Colts scored 22, was the back breaker.

Boss and Christiansen each scored 16 points while Stone came through with 15.

Kiowa roundupThe Kiowa boys opened up the week with

a 77-18 victory on the road against a strug-gling Deer Trail team on Jan. 21.

Kiowa had no trouble as they opened up a 27-3, fi rst-quarter lead, then held the Eagles scoreless in the second quarter for an insurmountable 43-3 halftime lead. Mar-shall Deering and Caleb Smith each scored 15 points to lead the way in the lopsided vic-tory. Dreek Klassen led Deer Trail with seven points.

Two nights later, Kiowa’s fortune wasn’t as good, as it lost to Peyton, 61-51 on the road. Peyton improved to 13-1 with the win while Kiowa dropped to 5-4 overall and 2-1 in the Black Forest League.

Steve Mizak, with 16 points, and Smith, with 14, were the only Kiowa players to reach double-fi gures in the loss. The Indians played Peyton tough throughout trailing 38-32 head-ing into the fourth quarter. They just couldn’t overcome the Panthers in the end.

Elbert County News 9 January 30, 2014

9

Public NoticeELBERT COUNTY VENDOR PMT LIST DCEMBER 2013

GENERAL FUND 205,598.55HEALTH FUND 7,278.41ROAD & BRIDGE FUND 382,817.86SALES & USE TAX FUND 287,996.76PUBLIC TRUSTEE FUND 364.06LEAF FUND 30,434.69HUMAN SERVICES FUND 74,651.01RETIREMENT FUND 36,591.80IMPACT FUND 4,978.00CONSRVATIONTRST FUND 4,062.33 TOTALS 1,034,773.47

Vendor Name Description AMT 4 RIVERS EQUIPMENT OPERATING EXPENSE 272.34 A E TIRE INC VEHICLE MAINTENANCE 1,734.32 AARMS MONTHLY SERIVCES 1,575.00 AARON SHEA REIMBURSEMENT 101.27 ACOMA LOCKSMITH OPERATING EXPENSE 150.00 ADAMS COUNTY OPERATING EXPENSE 100.00 AGATE MUTUAL TELEPHONE MONTHLY UTILITIES 23.05 AIRGAS INTERMOUNTAIN OPERATING EXPENSE 1,632.49 AL ROGERS ELECTRIC BLADE SITE 2013 100.00 ALL ACCESS INC OPERATING EXPENSE 431.88 ARROWHEAD FENCING OPERATING EXPENSE 1,827.00 Asphalt Specialties Co OPERATING EXPENSE 266,672.76 ASSA ABLOY OPERATING EXPENSE 4,390.00 ASSO.FLOOD PLAIN MNGRS CERTIFICATION RENEWAL 60.00 AUTO-CHOLOR SYSTEM MONTHLY PAYMENT 163.50 BABY BEAR HUGS TANF CONTRACT 1,040.00 BILL HENDRIX ELECTRIC BLADE SITE 2013 150.00 BLACK HILLS ENERGY MONTHLY UTILITIES 535.00 BLUE STAR POLICE SUPPLY OPERATING EXPENSE 549.78 BORAL AGGREGATES OPERATING EXPENSE 26,267.20 CAROLYN BURGENER MONTHLY CONTRACT 400.00 CASEY CRAVEN ELECTRIC BLADE SITE 2013 100.00 Caterpillar Financial OPERATING EXPENSE 7,294.12 CATHERINE LAMBERT REIMBURSEMENT 330.40 CCOM/CHC, LLC OPERATING EXPENSE 386.00 CDW GOVERNMENT OFFICE SUPPLIES 252.01

CENTENNIAL MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SERVICES 219.00 CENTURYLINK MONTHLY SERVICES 89.50 CERTIFIED LABORATORIES OPERATING EXPENSE 992.90 ChemTox OPERATING EXPENSE 20.00 CLIFF MCKNIGHT ELECTRIC BLADE SITE 2013 100.00 CO BUREAU OF INVEST. FINGERPRINTS 79.00 COLORADO COMMUNITY OPERATING EXPENSE 9.00 CO DEPT OF HEALTH & ENV. OPERATING EXPENSE 3,125.00 CO DEPT OF REVENUE OPERATING EXPENSE 344.00 CO MOTOR CARRIERS OPERATING EXPENSE 347.00 COMCAST MONTHLY UTILITIES 339.95 COMMUNITY MEDIA OF CO OPERATING EXPENSE 85.00 CONTROLLED ACCESS TURNSTILE FOR COURTS 3,721.00 Corporate Billing LLC OPERATING EXPENSE 2,310.53 CREDIT UNION OF CO OPERATING EXPENSE 4,143.68 CURTIS STANKO ELECTRIC BLADE SITE 2013 100.00 D-J PETROLEUM INC. FUEL 45,548.04 DEEP ROCK MONTHLY SERVICES 55.77 DIAMOND BOLEJACK ELECTRIC BLADE SITE 2013 100.00 DRIVE TRAIN INDUSTRIES INC OPERATING EXPENSE 325.31 DUSTY PLAINS VET OPERATING EXPENSE 155.00 E470 PUBLIC HWY AUTHORITY EXPRESS TOLL 9.35 ECCA OPERATING EXPENSE 25,065.67 ELBERT COUNTY R&B OPERATING EXPENSE 90.52 ELBERT COUNTY TREASURER OPERATING EXPENSE 357,599.48 ELBERT CTY SHERIFF OFFICE SUBPOENA SERVICES 64.00 ELBERT WATER & SANITATION OPERATING EXPENSE 648.00 ELIZABETH FIRE DEPT. OPERATING EXPENSE 150.00 ENERTIA CONSULTING GR LLC OPERATING EXPENSE 3,500.00 FAIR POINT COMMUNICATIONS MONTHLY UTILITIES 246.49 FARMERS TROPHIES & ENGRAVING OPERATING EXPENSE 157.50 FASTENAL COMPANY OPERATING EXPENSE 80.94 Force America Distributing OPERATING EXPENSE 658.92 FRONTIER BUSINESS PRODUCT OFFICE SUPPLIES 5.50 FRONTIER COMMUNICATIONS MONTHLY SERVICES 262.00 FRONTLINE SECURITY OPERATING EXPENSE 598.50 G&K SERVICES OPERATING EXPENSE 592.62 GARY CORNERS ELECTRIC BLADE SITE 2013 100.00 GLENN A. OHRNS CONTRACT WAGES 1,520.00

GOODYEAR OPERATING EXPENSE 6,919.07 GRAINGER VEHICLE MAINTENANCE 9.38 GREAT WEST LIFE & ANNUITY OPERATING EXPENSE 80,331.64 GREENLEE’S PRO AUTO CARE VEHICLE MAINTENANCE 679.27 HAULIN HASS TIRE RECYCLING OPERATING EXPENSE 913.75 HEADS UP COLORADO YOUTH TANF CONTRACT 4,156.25 HOME DEPOT CREDIT SERVICE OPERATING EXPENSE 552.66 HONNEN EQUIPMENT COMPANY OPERATING EXPENSE 961.01 HOUSE OF FLAGS OPERATING EXPENSE 156.10 ILENE ALLISON GRAVEL AND FILL DIRT 5,083.80 IREA MONTHLY UTILITEIS 9,097.97 INTERSTATE BATTERY OPERATING EXPENSE 532.80 JIMMIE PETTIT ELECTRIC BLADE SITE 2013 100.00 JOHN BUTLER ELECTRIC BLADE SITE 2013 100.00 JOHN DEERE FINANCIAL OPERATING EXPENSE 6,436.41 JUSTICE BENEFITS INC OPERATING EXPENSE 224.20 KATHRINE KRUSE SYLVESTER REIMBURSEMENT 25.00 KIMLEY-HORN & ASSOCIATES OPERATING EXPENSE 5,000.00 Vendor Name Transaction Description Check Amount5 RIVERS EQUIPMENT OPERATING EXPENSE 8,735.12 A E TIRE INC VEHICLE MAINTENANCE 8,687.40 AARMS MONTHLY SERIVCES 8,639.68 AARON SHEA REIMBURSEMENT 8,591.96 ACOMA LOCKSMITH OPERATING EXPENSE 8,544.23 ADAMS COUNTY OPERATING EXPENSE 8,496.51 AGATE MUTUAL TELEPHONE MONTHLY UTILITIES 8,448.79 AIRGAS INTERMOUNTAIN OPERATING EXPENSE 8,401.07 AL ROGERS ELECTRIC BLADE SITE 2014 8,353.34 ALL ACCESS INC OPERATING EXPENSE 8,305.62 ARROWHEAD FENCING OPERATING EXPENSE 8,257.90 Asphalt Specialties Co OPERATING EXPENSE 8,210.17 ASSA ABLOY OPERATING EXPENSE 8,162.45 ASSO.FLOOD PLAIN MNGRS CERTIFICATION RENEWAL 8,114.73 AUTO-CHOLOR SYSTEM MONTHLY PAYMENT 8,067.01 BABY BEAR HUGS TANF CONTRACT 8,019.28 BILL HENDRIX ELECTRIC BLADE SITE 2014 7,971.56 BLACK HILLS ENERGY MONTHLY UTILITIES 7,923.84 BLUE STAR POLICE SUPPLY OPERATING EXPENSE 7,876.12 BORAL AGGREGATES OPERATING EXPENSE 7,828.39 CAROLYN BURGENER MONTHLY CONTRACT 7,780.67

CASEY CRAVEN ELECTRIC BLADE SITE 2014 7,732.95 Caterpillar Financial OPERATING EXPENSE 7,685.22 CATHERINE LAMBERT REIMBURSEMENT 7,637.50 CCOM/CHC, LLC OPERATING EXPENSE 7,589.78 CDW GOVERNMENT OFFICE SUPPLIES 7,542.06 CENTENNIAL MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SERVICES 7,494.33 CENTURYLINK MONTHLY SERVICES 7,446.61 CERTIFIED LABORATORIES OPERATING EXPENSE 7,398.89 ChemTox OPERATING EXPENSE 7,351.17 CLIFF MCKNIGHT ELECTRIC BLADE SITE 2014 7,303.44 CO BUREAU OF INVEST. FINGERPRINTS 7,255.72 COLORADO COMMUNITY OPERATING EXPENSE 7,208.00 CO DEPT OF HEALTH & ENV. OPERATING EXPENSE 7,160.28 CO DEPT OF REVENUE OPERATING EXPENSE 7,112.55 CO MOTOR CARRIERS OPERATING EXPENSE 7,064.83 COMCAST MONTHLY UTILITIES 7,017.11 COMMUNITY MEDIA OF CO OPERATING EXPENSE 6,969.38 CONTROLLED ACCESS TURNSTILE FOR COURTS 6,921.66 Corporate Billing LLC OPERATING EXPENSE 6,873.94 CREDIT UNION OF CO OPERATING EXPENSE 6,826.22 CURTIS STANKO ELECTRIC BLADE SITE 2014 6,778.49 D-J PETROLEUM INC. FUEL 6,730.77 DEEP ROCK MONTHLY SERVICES 6,683.05 DIAMOND BOLEJACK ELECTRIC BLADE SITE 2014 6,635.33 DRIVE TRAIN INDUSTRIES INC OPERATING EXPENSE 6,587.60 DUSTY PLAINS VET OPERATING EXPENSE 6,539.88 E470 PUBLIC HWY AUTHORITY EXPRESS TOLL 6,492.16 ECCA OPERATING EXPENSE 6,444.43 ELBERT COUNTY R&B OPERATING EXPENSE 6,396.71 ELBERT COUNTY TREASURER OPERATING EXPENSE 6,348.99 ELBERT CTY SHERIFF OFFICE SUBPOENA SERVICES 6,301.27 ELBERT WATER & SANITATION OPERATING EXPENSE 6,253.54 ELIZABETH FIRE DEPT. OPERATING EXPENSE 6,205.82 ENERTIA CONSULTING GR LLC OPERATING EXPENSE 6,158.10 FAIR POINT COMMUNICATIONS MONTHLY UTILITIES 6,110.38

Legal Notice No.: 927884First Publication: January 30, 2014Last Publication: January 30, 2014Publisher: Elbert County News

Notice To Creditors PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORSEstate of Gary Lynn Oldham,

aka Gary L. Oldham,aka Gary Oldham, Deceased

Case Number: 2014 PR 30001

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 May 23,2014 or the claims may be forever barred.

Jeanette OldhamPersonal Representativec/o Mark D. Masters, Esq.2696 S. Colorado Blvd., Suite 350Denver, Colorado 80222

Legal Notice No: 927874First Publication: January 23, 2014Last Publication: February 6, 2014Publisher: Elbert County News

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORSEstate of Georgina Boby Zentz,

DeceasedCase Number: 2014 PR 1

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 May 30,2014 or the claims may be forever barred.

Virginia GoinsPersonal Representative2679 Savage Road Elizabeth, Colorado 80107

Legal Notice No: 927883First Publication: January 30, 2014Last Publication: February 13, 2014Publisher: Douglas County News-Press

Notice To Creditors

BEInformed!Informed!Read the Legal Notices!

Elbert County Legal

Boys basketball

TUESDAY7 p.m. - Elizabeth vs. Vista Peak Prep

Girls basketball

SATURDAY4 p.m. - Elizabeth @ Pueblo SouthTUESDAY5:30 p.m. - Elizabeth vs. Vista Peak Prep

“Everybody I’ve talked to, ex-cept Jill Duvall, is very upset by this ruling,” said Rowland.

Duvall, an Elbert County resi-dent who ran against Rowland in the 2012 election and who is chair of the Elbert County Democratic Party, filed the original complaint with the Secretary of State’s office in early December and a one-day hearing was held in a courtroom in downtown Denver on Dec. 13.

Because it had to be reviewed, Judge Robert Spencer’s subse-quent ruling was not made pub-lic until early January.

Duvall alleged Rowland vio-lated the Fair Campaign Practices Act by spending county funds to hire consultant Tim Buchanan, who Duvall claimed had urged voters — at four pre-election public meetings sponsored by the county — to support Ballot Issue 1C, which sought to raise property taxes to help offset the county’s near-insolvent financial position.

County voters defeated that ballot initiative by an 8-1 margin this past November.

At the Dec. 13 hearing, Duvall was represented by Elizabeth at-torney Lark Fogel, who also ran unsuccessfully for county com-missioner in 2012.

In his ruling, the judge states: “At no time during the town hall meetings did the consultant or Commissioner Rowland specifi-cally ask voters to vote for Bal-lot Issue 1C. Nevertheless … because the meetings occurred

shortly before the election and the consultant’s presentation was obviously designed to un-derscore the county’s need for increased revenue, the meetings could not be reasonably inter-preted as anything but a plea for passage of Ballot Issue 1C.”

The judge concluded that Rowland and the BOCC “no doubt intended to comply with the FCPA and to act in the best interests of their county, but they nonetheless violated the FCPA by spending public money to urge voters to support a pending bal-lot issue.”

Because Duvall had named him personally in her complaint, the judge ordered Rowland “as an individual responsible for the improper expenditure to reim-burse the county general fund the amount of $1,000 within 30 days.”

In most cases, the Secretary of State’s office is the governmental entity responsible for enforcing and collecting fines issued by administrative judges but with Gessler announcing his intention to oppose the decision to fine Rowland, technically, the power to try to enforce the fine would fall to the complainant in the case, Jill Duvall.

“At two of the public meet-ings, I personally heard Robert Rowland repeatedly say `mill levy, mill levy,’ ” said Duvall. “The county is guilty of using county money to promote a ballot issue. They were wrong and had their hands slapped.”

When informed the Secretary of State’s office was planning to get involved, Duvall said, “I hadn’t heard anything about that. It sounds very political to me.”

Continued from Page 1

RulingConsultant: ‘Only political points were to be had…’By George Lurieglurie@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Tim Buchanan, the Town of El-bert-based consultant in the mid-dle of the Fair Campaign Practices Act complaint filed by Jill Duvall, was paid $15,000 by the county to help educate voters regarding a proposed mill levy increase.

Buchanan, who testified at the Dec. 13 hearing before admin-istrative judge Robert Spencer, billed the county an additional $2,000 for the time involved in tes-tifying.

“I was called as an expert wit-ness,” said Buchanan. “This was someone taking my time and that’s how I make my living.”

In a statement emailed to the Elbert County News on Jan. 24, Buchanan stated: “The recent ad-ministrative judge’s ruling and the

ongoing political wars of Elbert County still have produced no real benefits for the citizens. The judge clearly stated in his ruling that the commissioners ‘intended to com-ply with the FCPA and to act in the best interest of their county.’ I was at the hearing and the witnesses Ms. Duvall produced all stated that nothing was ever said about voting for the mill levy, but in their `opinion’ they `felt’ it was the ob-ject of the town hall meetings, (which is) hardly strong evidence.

“For all the complaints about me being paid for consulting, I was also surprised Ms. Duvall’s at-torney made it a point to ask the judge if he could order the county to pay for Ms. Duvall’s legal ex-penses. It was nice to know Duvall was OK with having the taxpayers fund her covert political maneu-vering while she was accusing the commissioners of the same thing.

The election was lost, so obviously only political points were to be had from bringing the complaint.”

Buchanan added that if Du-vall’s goal “was to ensure that all things concerning the business of the county be `by the book,’ why wasn’t she one of the first to op-pose the judge’s punitive action against Commissioner Rowland? In his opinion, the judge accused Rowland of individually being re-sponsible for making the decision to hire me. Ms. Duvall knew it was a unanimous decision of the com-missioners in an open meeting…

“The only thing that the recent events have taught us is that noth-ing has changed. Things are still bad in the county and the politi-cal players only see these events as opportunities to score points. I think we are all tired of the politi-cal fighting and hysterics,” he con-cluded.

EditOr’s nOtE: Calendar submissions must be received by noon Wednesday for publication the following week. Send listings to calendar@coloradocommunitymedia.com. No attach-ments, please. Listings are free and run on a space-available basis.

Jan. 31 tO FEb. 2

disCard yOur Junk Bring your old furni-ture and miscellaneous junk to the Elizabeth Library from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2. ARC Thrift Stores will park a 45-foot trailer at the library, 651 W. Beverly St., and the more we fill the trailer, the larger the donation ARC will make to the Elbert

County Libraries Foundation. Contact Wendy at 303-646-3792, option 7.

FEb. 18, april 9, april 10

Writing COntEst Creative Communication is accepting submissions for its essay contest, with divisions for grades 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12, through Feb. 18; and its poetry contest, with divisions for grades K-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12, through April 10. Top 10 winners will be named in each division. Essays must be between 100 and 250 words on any non-fiction topic. Poetry must be 21 lines or less in English. Entries can made online at www.poeticpower.com or

mail entries, labeled Poetry Contest or Essay Contest, to 159 N. Main, Smithfield UT 84335. Include author’s name, address, city, state and ZIP, current grade, school name, school address and teacher’s name. Home school students are welcome to enter. Selected entries of merit will be invited to be published in an anthology. An art contest for grades K-12 also is coming up. To enter, take a photo of your original artwork and enter it at www.celebratingart.com; deadline is April 9. Full contest information is available online, or call 435-713-4411.

THINGS TO DO

Calendar continues on Page 10

10 Elbert County News January 30, 2014

10

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 pastor@awlc.org

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

Parker

Parker

Lone Tree Lone Tree

Lone TreeFranktown

Greenwood Village

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

kearhart@ColoradoCommunityMedia.com.

GR AC E PR E S B Y T E R IA 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 - 10:00amBible 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

Current Study: Spiritual Ancestry

Pastor Mark Brewer

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

CONFERENCE

www.parkerbiblechurch.org

4391 E Mainstreet, Parker, CO 80134 Office (303) 841-3836

Where people are excited about God’s Word.

Friday 7PM, Sat. 7PM, Sunday 10:45AM & 6PM

You’re invited to a

JAN. 24-26, 2014

Singles, Couples, Marrieds and Families of all ages are welcome.

No chargePublic welcome

Douglas County’s only Synagogue, Hebrew School and Preschool

No membership required www.DenverJewishCenter.com

303-792-7222

ChabadJewish Center

Plans Gone Astray? To whom will you go when you’re out of ideas?� ere are times when we simply need a gracious God to guide us. Come and join us at 9:30 a.m. Sunday mornings at Lone Tree Civic Center, 8527 Lone Tree Parkway. For directions and any questions about our ministry, contact Pastor Craig: (303) 883–7774Immanuel Lutheran Mission is a member congregation of Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ

and a grant program that seeks to increase lo-cal fi refi ghter safety. Another bill would allow fi refi ghters who are killed while combatting wildfi res to collect death benefi ts.

The governor’s offi ce also touted Hick-enlooper’s role in launching a pilot program that allows agencies across the West to work collaboratively to reduce wildfi re risks. The governor is also calling on the U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture to provide federal dollars for tree-thinning efforts in Western forests.

But the bills that were introduced on Jan. 23 will not include key recommendations that were made by the governor’s wildfi re task force, prior to the state of the legislative session.

They included recommendations that lawmakers take up measures that would impose fees on properties that reside in the Wildland Urban Interface, where homes sit in close proximity to terrain where there is a high potential for wildfi res. Also, there are no pieces of legislation that would require homeowners living in those areas to create defensive spaces in front of their homes, or that would create a statewide building code, as were also recommended by Hickenloop-er’s task force.

Instead, lawmakers are proposing legis-lation that offers homeowners tax credits as a way of enticing them to take up their own mitigation efforts.

“If that doesn’t work, we will revisit any ideas that were brought forth by the task force,” said Sen. Jeanne Nicholson, D-Black Hawk.

Hickenlooper added that people living in those areas already know the risks.

“We don’t have to lean on them with a heavy shoulder,” Hickenlooper said.

It also doesn’t appear that a proposed fi re-fi ghting fl eet will get off the ground any time soon.

Last year, lawmakers created legislation that would go toward creating an air fl eet, but

it went unfunded.Hickenlooper — concerned by the poten-

tially enormous cost for the state to pay for its own fi refi ghting fl eet — said he prefers a “shared fl eet,” one where Western states chip in on the operating costs.

But Hickenlooper said that, so far, neigh-boring states have expressed concern “that the benefi t doesn’t justify the cost.”

King, who has pushed hard for a fi refi ght-ing fl eet, said he believes “there is an oppor-tunity to deal with this.”

When asked whether he supports the wildfi re legislation bills, King offered tepid support.

“They’re a step in the right direction,” King said.

Continued from Page 1

Wild� re

FEB. 19

BLOOD DRIVE Walmart community blood drive is from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 19 inside Bon� ls’ mobile bus at 2100 Legacy Circle, Elizabeth. For information or to schedule an appointment, contact the Bon� ls’ Appointment Center at 303-363-2300 or visit www.bon� ls.org

FEB. 23

MONTHLY BREAKFAST The Elbert Woman’s Club plans its monthly breakfast from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23 at the Russell Gates Mercantile Community Hall. Biscuits, gravy, sausage, ham, scrambled eggs, co� ee/tea and juice are served for $6/adults and $3/children younger than 12. The hall is located in Elbert on Elbert Road between Highways 86 and 24, 11 miles south of Kiowa. Proceeds support the maintenance and renovation of the Hall, built in 1906.

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 e� cient means of travel for the four-county region. Call Kay Campbell, Kiowa, at 719- 541-4275. You may also call the ECCOG o� ce 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 o� ered 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 morgan@hayday.org. 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 � rst-come, � rst-served basis.

THINGS TO DOContinued from Page 9

Elbert County News 11 January 30, 2014

11-Color

OF GAMESGALLERYc r o s s w o r d •   s u d o k u

& w e e k l y h o r o s c o p e

GALLERY OF GAMESc r o s s w o r d •   s u d o k u & w e e k l y h o r o s c o p e

SALOME’S STARSFOR THE WEEK OF JAN 27, 2014

ARIES (Mar 21 to Apr 19) Taking some time out of your usually busy social life could be just what you need to help you focus on putting those finishing touches on your plans for a possible career change.

TAURUS (Apr 20 to May 20) A misunderstanding about a colleague’s suggestions could create a delay in moving on with your proposal. But by week’s end, all the confusing points should finally be cleared up.

GEMINI (May 21 to Jun 20) You might feel over-whelmed by all the tasks you suddenly have to take care of. But just say the magic word -- help! -- and you’ll soon find others rushing to offer much-needed assistance.

CANCER (Jun 21 to Jul 22) Finishing a current proj-ect ahead of schedule leaves you free to deal with other upcoming situations, including a possible work-place change, as well as a demanding personal matter.

LEO (Jul 23 to Aug 22) Turn that fine-tuned feline sensitivity radar up to high to help uncover any facts that could influence a decision you might be preparing to make. Devote the weekend to family activities.

VIRGO (Aug 23 to Sept 22) A state of confusion is soon cleared up with explanations from the respon-sible parties. Don’t waste time chastising anyone. In-stead, move forward with your plans.

LIBRA (Sept 23 to Oct 22) You might feel obligated to help work out a dispute between family members. But this is one of those times when you should step aside and let them work out their problems on their own.

SCORPIO (Oct 23 to Nov 21) Your ability to resolve an on-the-job problem without leaving too many ruffled feathers earns you kudos from co-workers. You also impress major decision-makers at your workplace.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 to Dec 21) Newly made and long-held friendships merge well, with possibly one exception. Take time to listen to the dissenter’s expla-nations. You could learn something important.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 to Jan 19) Be prepared to be flexible about your current travel plans. Although you don’t have to take them, at least consider suggestions from the experts in the travel business.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 to Feb 18) A problem with a re-cent financial transaction could lead to more problems later on unless you resolve it immediately. Get all the proof you need to support your position.

PISCES (Feb 19 to Mar 20) Daydreaming makes it difficult to stay focused on what you need to do. But reality sets in by midweek, and you manage to get everything done in time for a relaxing weekend.

BORN THIS WEEK: Your ability to reach out to those in need of spiritual comfort makes you a much-revered, much-loved person in your community.

© 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.

12 Elbert County News January 30, 2014

12-Color

FEBRUARY 511:30am Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce 1515ArApAhoeSt,tower3,Ste400,Denver,Co80202

3:30pm University of Phoenix 10004pArkMeADowSDr,Lonetree,Co80124

FEBRUARY 67:30am South Metro Denver Chamber 2154eCoMMonSAve#342,CentenniAL,Co80122

11:30am Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities 6901wADSworthBLvD,ArvADA,Co80003

All events are 90 minutes

AttEndEEs Will lEARn:›whatittakestoensuresuccess in advertising, regardlessofthemediaused

›whatNative Advertisingisandwhyitisbecoming soeffectiveforsmallbusinesses

›howtoraiseyourresultsonGoogle & Yahootogetfoundbythosewhoaresearchingforyourproduct

orservice

›howtocombineprint,web,socialmediaandmobile forincreased results

BonUs!MikewillunveilColorado Community Media’s new, innovative multimedia marketing solution forsmall- medium business owners.

Allattendeeswillhaveaccesstoafree audittoassisttheminplanninganeffectivemultimediamarketingcampaign.* *Conditions apply.

REgistER onlinE www.localmediaworkshops.com

4 ConVEniEnt loCAtions

5FEBRUARYW E D N E S D A Y 6FEBRUARY

T H U R S D A Y

sECREtsFoR smAll-mEdiUm BUsinEssEs

mUltimEdiA mARkEting

$100 VALUE

REGISTER BY FEBRUARY 3FREEto All AttEndEEs WHo REgistER

F R E E A D M I S S I O N S P O N S O R E D B Y

JoinMike Blinder,authorandoneofthenation’sleadingdigitalmarketingexpertswithover60,000smallandmediumsizebusinessesworld-wideusingoneofhisonlinemarketingsolutions,asheshowsyouhowtoeffectivelyadvertiseinbothprintanddigitalformats.