When Jaccob Slavin steps onto the ice this February for the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina as a member of Team USA’s men’s hockey squad, it will mark a milestone not just in his career but for the entire community that watched him grow up gliding after puck after puck. 

While recovering at home, Slavin was on the floor playing LEGOs with his daughter, Emersyn, when Bill Guerin, General Manager of the U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team rang him up to deliver the news that he made the squad.  

Slavin gladly accepted the offer with his typical understated demeanor. The announcement came as no surprise to his avid fans, who have followed his stellar 11 year NHL career. His standout performance this year at the 4 Nations Tournament drew more eyes than ever to his talent. Slavin has missed 29 games this season after suffering a lower-body injury early in the year. He briefly returned before taking a hit that resulted in an upper-body injury and remains on injured reserve. His Olympic selection sent a clear message that those setbacks did not overshadow what he accomplished this season.

Jaccob Slavin faces off against Brandon Hagel of Team Canada during 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game. Photo courtesy of Brian Fluharty Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Slavin, who graduated from Erie High School in 2012, didn’t start in front of big crowds or bright lights. Instead, he skated, practiced and competed at local rinks like the Ice Centre at the Promenade in Broomfield in front of a small number of family members, teachers, friends and other youth hockey families. Now, more than a decade later millions will watch him this February.

His early years competing were driven by his love of the game. His passion and persistence shaped him into a quiet and humble player who continues to embody Erie’s values. He is a man of faith who keeps himself grounded. He uses the money and fame he’s garnered to give back to the community. A prominent example is when Slavin and his wife Kylie launched the “Fight for Freedom” campaign supporting the International Justice Mission in the 2023-2024 season. Fittingly, he received the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 2021 and 2024, an award honoring sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct, and a high standard of playing ability.

There are thousands of miles between the Italian Alps and the Colorado Front Range, but Jaccob Slavin’s story will bring both worlds colliding. Growing up in Erie and playing youth hockey on Colorado rinks taught him the qualities that allowed him to dominate in the NHL: namely resilience, patience and grit. Today he’s not just a top defenseman and alternate captain for the Carolina Hurricanes, he’s one of the most respected American blueliners in the sport. 

Now, with Slavin’s name etched onto the Olympic roster and the world watching, Erie residents get the joy of cheering for one of their own. The same kid who learned the game on Colorado ice, who values character as much as competition, will carry those lessons with him to Milan-Cortina. No matter how bright the lights or how loud the crowd, Slavin remains grounded in the values and town that raised him. 

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The post Erie Native Jaccob Slavin Named to U.S. Olympic Hockey Team appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

The 2026 Best of the West Poll Is Open (and it’s the real write-in ballot)

Some “Best of” lists are curated. Ours isn’t.

Yellow Scene Magazine’s Best of the West is Boulder County’s only true Readers’ Poll — because it’s an open, write-in ballot. No drop-down menus. No prompts nudging you toward the usual suspects. Just you telling us, in your own words, who actually deserves the crown this year.

And yes, the 2026 Best of the West Poll is now open. You’ve got one month to vote.

What makes Best of the West different?

A couple things we have to say out loud, because the internet has made everything weird:

1) You don’t pay to “get on the list.”
We don’t sell placements, and we don’t stack the ballot. Our journalism standards apply across the board, including this poll. If a business wins, it’s because readers wrote them in, not because someone bought their way into a drop-down.

2) We don’t phone in the winners coverage.
When the votes are counted, we spend real time making sure each winner blurb reflects the actual locale that won and is interesting to our readers, not copy-pasted fluff. Best of the West is part community record and part local love letter.

How to vote (and how to get entered to win prizes)

Voting is simple:

• Start voting now and you’ll be entered to win prizes from Yellow Scene.

• You must complete at least 20% of the poll to qualify, so the ballot stays meaningful. FYI: Junk is tossed.

• We do not sell your name to outside sources. Period.

Vote here!

Want to rally your community to write you in?

If you’re a local business, artist, nonprofit, or organization and want people to remember to write you in, use our shareable tools:

Find 2026 Best of the West promotional collateral here.

Past winners

Want to see how the community voted in previous years—and what makes Best of the West worth reading?

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Need to talk to us about Best of the West?

Questions, advertising, sponsorship, or logistics: advertising@yellowscene.com

The post Best of the West 2026 Polling Is Live appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

The post Boulder Chamber Announces Search for Boulder Chamber Economic Council Executive Director and Vice President of Strategic Economic Impact Programs appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

A new tax on guns and ammunition in Colorado is set to take effect in the spring. Voters approved the tax, with most of the proceeds going to support services for crime victims and other social programs.

By Rae Ellen Bichell | KFF Health News (Via AP Storyshare)

Colorado’s new voter-approved gun initiative has a target unlike those of previous measures meant to reduce gun violence. The tax on guns and ammunition is meant to generate revenue to support cash-strapped victim services, and it’s an open question whether it will affect firearms sales.

The 6.5% tax on manufacturers and sellers — including pawnbrokers — of guns, gun parts, and ammunition will generate an estimated $39 million a year. The money is aimed primarily at crime victim services, including groups that help victims of domestic violence. Some of it is earmarked for behavioral and mental health for veterans and youth, and a sliver will support school security.

Firearm deaths have been rising in Colorado since at least 2006, growing more quickly than the state’s population, and with a notable bump in homicides early in the covid pandemic, which prompted a national gun-buying spree. The tax could have public health effects beyond generating money for social services, researchers said. But they don’t know for sure because only one other state, California, has a gun-and-ammo tax — an 11% tax that has been in effect only since July.

Emmy Betz directs the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and wonders if the tax will change consumer behavior. “The question is whether that will change gun sales or not,” she said.

A federal tax has been levied on gun manufacturers for more than a century — currently at 10% for pistols/revolvers and 11% for other kinds of firearms, plus cartridges and shells.

Colorado state Rep. and Majority Leader Monica Duran, a Democrat, co-sponsored the new law, scheduled to take effect in April. Voters approved it in November as Proposition KK. The connection between firearms and domestic violence is stark: Nationally, every month an average of 57 women are killed by an intimate partner using a gun. Researchers have also found that 59% of mass shootings between 2014 and 2019 in the United States were related to domestic violence. 

Support groups for victims of domestic violence and other crimes receive funding through the 1984 federal Victims of Crime Act. Those dollars mostly come from fines and penalties from convicted federal criminals and fluctuate annually depending on what cases the Department of Justice pursues. Federal prosecutions and fines have dropped, so the state’s pot of money has shrunk from nearly $57 million in 2018, when Duran was first elected, to about $14 million in 2024 — a 76% drop.

But the need for victim support services has grown, said Duran, who is a gun owner and a survivor of domestic violence who used such services to escape homelessness.

Colorado’s new tax is what economists call a “Pigouvian” tax, which seeks to compensate financially for the societal toll or damage a product causes. For example, people who drive cars pay a tax on gas, which goes toward repairing roads.

“It’s not because you’re a bad driver that we’re taxing gasoline. It’s because we need this money to be able to improve our infrastructure in ways that allow people to continue to use that product,” said Rosanna Smart, an economist who co-directs the Rand Gun Policy in America initiative.

She said Colorado’s gun tax is similar: It supports the social infrastructure that’s required in a society with firearms.

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people can carry a gun outside their homes for self-defense. Smart said the decision made it harder to pass laws restricting gun possession and highlighted the importance of historical precedent. Both the California and Colorado tax laws cite taxes passed by eight states and then-independent Hawaii between 1844 and 1926.

The actual effect of the Colorado and California laws won’t be known for some time. But should other states pursue similar policies, researchers think focusing taxes on specific weapons or places might be more effective at reducing harm, rather than simply generating revenue.

Smart, for example, found that if the goal is to reduce harm, a more optimal design would be to follow the lead of alcohol policies and have varying tax levels based on an item’s likelihood to cause harm.

Adam Rosenberg, a doctoral candidate in economics at Stanford University, found doing so at the national level, by rejiggering the federal tax to be 13.3% on handguns and nothing on long guns, would prevent deaths while holding industry profits steady.

The Colorado tax applies to firearms dealers, manufacturers, and ammunition vendors that make at least $20,000 a year (excluding sales to law enforcement or active-duty military). Neither state officials nor lawmakers nor industry groups could confirm what fraction of firearm businesses that represents. According to data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, about 2,200 firearms dealers or pawnbrokers and manufacturers of ammunition/firearms operate in the state. Ammunition sellers aren’t tallied in that figure.

Some firearms businesses worry the tax will drive people across state lines to purchase guns.

“We’ve already got people saying, ‘Well, we can run over to Utah or Wyoming instead,’” said Frank Sadvar of Northwest Outfitters, a gun store and pawn shop in Craig. The city is a 40-minute drive to Wyoming and 1½ hours to Utah.

“The way it was worded on the ballots, it looked really good,” he said. But Sadvar suspects the revenue will fall short of the $39 million estimated because supporters didn’t factor in sales lost to other states.

In Cortez, which is a half-hour drive from New Mexico, Jesse Fine said he’s heard people say they’d rather drive there to buy a gun than pay the tax in Colorado — even though they’d face a seven-day waiting period there.

Fine, who manages Goods for the Woods, an outdoor gear shop carrying a range of firearms and hunting equipment, said he believes the tax discriminates against gun owners who are exercising their civil rights.

“It makes it hard for a mom-and-pop shop to stay in play,” he said. “We’re going to take the biggest hit because we’re not a big corporation.”

Victim services organizations said they will be in a tight spot financially until the new tax’s revenue starts to fully flow in 2026.

Courtney Sutton, public policy director of the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance, said most victim service agencies in the state, many of which are members of COVA, “heavily, heavily rely on” the federal funds that have been ballooning up and down.

“We did get $6 million from the state budget, but that’s not very much across 215 programs,” she said, referencing the state’s four victim services coalitions.

The new tax is estimated to bring in $30 million a year to such groups.

Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center executive director Emily Tofte Nestaval said she hopes the new tax revenue will help the center restart a program for people sorting out protection orders, housing issues, and name changes, among other things. Nestaval said that, for now, crime victims in Colorado are on their own. 

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.

SOCIAL: 

In April, Colorado is set to start a new tax on guns and ammunition — the second state, behind California, to do so. The goal is to raise revenue, but the tax could have public health consequences. @kffhealthnews @raelnb

The post New Colorado Gun Law Aims To Shore Up Victim Services appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

A friend once told me, “I believe everyone on the planet should have one day a week to do whatever they want.” I think they said this because they know I work way too much. I chose journalism as a career, which means I work. A lot.

Yesterday, I decided to take their advice and go for a walk through Sandstone Ranch. It was great to get out in the sunshine, and it made me grateful for the treasures right in my backyard.

One of those treasures is Chautauqua. But Chautauqua is more than just the Dining Hall, the Auditorium, and the Flatiron’s Loop hike. (All pretty great things.)  Recently, I managed to take yet another rare day off with a weekend stay in one of the cottages — which, by the way, have no TVs. But who needs a TV when you’re staying at Chautauqua?

While I wish I could have stayed longer in that adorable cottage, it was a perfect mini-staycation. And it reminded me that I don’t always have to get on a plane to get away. I can drive just 17 miles from Erie and find a retreat that people from all over the country fly in to see.

Today, I joined a faith-based group that is organizing to protect the rights of all. As part of our gathering, we did a community exercise where we moved around the room without speaking — first quickly, then slowly — until we stopped and faced the person in front of us. While there was some awkwardness in staring into a stranger’s face, as the host narrated the purpose behind the exercise, I could see everyone not only connecting to the message but also to each other.

The United States is not in good health right now, and the future of democracy looks increasingly uncertain. But being in this room with others, many of whom have a different take on faith than I do, was deeply moving. Connecting in this way reminded me of something important:

Right now, more than ever, we need connection. Humanity is not lost among America’s citizens. It’s under siege. But as humans, we do, in fact, need each other. We are more than data points.

The Colorado Chautauqua is hosting its All-Inclusive Women’s Retreat. The first one scheduled for 2025 is April 10th-13th. If you hurry, you can get a spot reserved. They do take the time to talk with you before signing up so you can feel confident about the experience before committing.

 I have to admit, when I first heard about it, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

It’s only as I’ve gotten older that I’ve truly come to understand the power of sisterhood. As a younger woman, maybe I lacked the maturity to see it, but now, I know that my female friendships have been my anchor, carrying me through even the hardest times.

They’ve been hosting this retreat three times a year for the past four years, and it’s now selling out regularly. The groups are intentionally small, just 18 women per retreat, and guests have ranged from their early twenties to their eighties.

While it takes a bit of bravery to commit to a three-day weekend retreat, the staff at Colorado Chautauqua Association work hard to ensure everyone feels comfortable with their decision, even before purchasing a ticket.

I spoke with Liz Purvis and Rohini Grace to learn more about this experience. While I was a skeptic at first, I now hope to gift myself this special opportunity.

I could hear the passion in Rohini’s voice as we spoke over the phone. They described a place where women can reconnect with themselves — beyond the roles of mother, wife, or professional. A space where they can remember who they are outside of life’s daily demands.

But what they were most excited to share was the curriculum. They carefully design experiences that take women out of their everyday routines, offering opportunities we rarely get in our normal workspaces.

The retreat includes yoga, nature walks, forest bathing, a fully customized menu tailored to each woman’s needs (without having to do the dishes!), a concert, and an inspirational talk. All activities are curated for spiritual, emotional, and mental well-being. But everything is optional. If you’d rather curl up under a tree with a book, you can.

The goal is simple: to create a safe space where women can nurture themselves, reconnect with nature, and truly experience it, something we in Boulder County often live close to, play in, and marvel at, yet sometimes forget to pause and embrace.

I spoke with Lori Harrison, a three-time returning retreat participant. Her first time attending was a gift from a friend, and she wasn’t sure what she hoped to gain from the experience. But since that first retreat, she has returned twice more and, in the process, she has built a circle of friends she now considers her rock.

These friendships were formed at the Women’s Retreat, but what truly came out of it was the deep bonding and connection that extended far beyond the weekend itself.

“Having the freedom to let go of all of that and just remember who we are — without our job title, without our partner, without our kids. There’s a part of us that is more than those things.”

While participants have the choice to bunk solo or stay in the larger shared cabin, she highly recommended the latter, or at least staying with a buddy. Letting go in this way can bring moments of vulnerability, and having a friend nearby can offer support through those experiences.

What got Lori the most excited was talking about the Mala beads they each create. Mala Beads per The Monestary Store, are described as; From the Sanskrit “heavenly garland,” malas are used in Buddhism to count repetitions of mantras—short sacred phrases—or prostrations. Traditional malas have beads crafted from seeds, gemstones, or wood, and are often finished with an additional “guru” bead and a special knot and/or tassel. The size of our beads and the length of the string varies to accommodate different practitioners. Full malas have 108 beads; most wrist malas have 21 beads, but it can vary.” She lit up as she described crafting the Mala Beads — at first struggling to make it, but eventually laughing it off and realizing it all came together once she let go of the outcome.

Rohini summed it up perfectly: “It is so beautiful to watch strangers come together and leave as sisters.”

Fortunately, Chautauqua isn’t reserved solely for women. They offer corporate retreats, family retreats, and any gathering where people want to come together to create community. It’s a perfect destination for both locals and visitors alike.

https://www.chautauqua.com/chautauqua-womens-retreat

https://www.chautauqua.com/group-retreats

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Democracy needs journalism more than ever. We’ve been telling the truth for 24 years. Your support helps us keep telling it for at least the next four years.

Democracy needs journalism more than ever. We’ve been telling the truth for 24 years. Your support helps us keep telling it for at least the next four years.

The post Rest for Revolution; Find yourself at Chautauqua appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Make Grocery Shopping Local Again!

Ten corporate conglomerates control the food we buy, and six dominate the media we consume. As we watch the corporate coup seize the United States government before our eyes, it can feel like there’s nothing we can do. (Stay tuned for our next article, How to Activate Your Community Involvement and check out our most recent article, Ethics Are Alive and Well in America’s Small Business Community: 25 Businesses that are 25 Years or Older.)

BDS stands for Boycott, Divest, and Sanction—but guess what? You can fight back economically by shopping locally. If you believe in not crossing a picket line or are simply tired of making giant corporations richer, here are some alternative ways to shop for groceries. This list is long and includes everything from local grocers, markets, butcher shops, and carnicerias to meal prep and farm stands. There are alternatives!

Since this is a big list, we know we probably didn’t get everyone—especially local markets. If we missed you, fill out this form, and we’ll get you added.

This year, Yellow Scene Magazine will be highlighting ways to support local businesses with your spending. In times like these, it truly matters.

Niwot Market, 7980 Niwot Rd, Niwot

Independent Grocers

Longs Peak Grocery Market

1125 Francis St, Longmont, CO 80501, (303) 772-2044, www.facebook.com/longspeakgrocery

Lucky’s Market 

3960 Broadway #104, Boulder, CO 80304, (303) 444-0215, www.luckysmarket.com

Niwot Market 

7980 Niwot Rd, Niwot, CO 80503, (303) 652-0919, www.niwotmarket.com

Natural Grocers (Colorado-Based Chain)

Multiple Locations, www.naturalgrocers.com

Shamrock Foodservice Warehouse (Family-owned)

785 E South Boulder Rd, Louisville, CO 80027, (720) 709-6350, www.shamrockfsw.com/locations/louisville-co

St Vrain Market & Deli

455 Main St, Lyons, CO 80540, (303) 823-5225, www.stvrainmarket.com

Trader Joe’s (A privately held company owned by the Albrecht family of Germany, who also own the Aldi Nord supermarket chain. ) Be mindful – they oppose unionization. Pay is $17-$21. So, it’s not our first choice.)

1906 28th St, Boulder, CO 80301, (303) 443-0160, https://locations.traderjoes.com/co/boulder/301

St Vrain Market & Deli, Lyons CO

Shamrock Foodservice Warehouse, S Boulder Rd, Louisville

Longs Peak Grocery Market, Longmont CO

Lucky’s Market, N. Broadway, Boulder CO

Longmont Packing Butcher Shop, 823 Ken Pratt Blvd, Longmont

Spade & Spoon, Meal and grocery delivery

Natural Grocers | Vitamin Cottage, Multiple Locations

Trader Joe’s, Boulder CO

Online Grocers

Hungry Root

www.hungryroot.com

Imperfect Foods (owned by Misfit Market, rapidly growing, but still not evil yet)

www.imperfectfoods.com

Martie

www.martie.com

Spade & Spoon (Boulder-based)

www.spadespoon.com

Thrive Market

www.thrivemarket.com

Big Mac & Little Lu’s Seafood, Westminster CO

Your Butcher Frank, Longmont CO

Local Butchers & Seafood Shops

Arapahoe Meat Company

12420 Arapahoe Rd, Lafayette, CO 80026, (303) 673-9165, www.arapahoemeatco.com

Big Mac & Little Lu’s Seafood

2851 W 120th Ave #300, Westminster, CO 80234, (303) 404-2722, https://bigmaclittlelus.com

Blackbelly Market & Restaurant

1606 Conestoga St Suite 1, Boulder, CO 80301,  (303) 247-1000, www.blackbelly.com

Blue Reef Seafood Market

1515 Main St #9, Longmont, CO 80501,  (303) 827-3616, www.sites.google.com/site/bluereefseafoodmarket

Cordobes Foods

1845 Skyway Dr Suite 40, Longmont, CO 80504, (303) 834-8904, www.cordobesfoods.myshopify.com

Longmont Packing Butcher Shop

823 Ken Pratt Blvd, Longmont, CO 80501, (303) 774-6335

Wally’s Quality Meats

11187 Sheridan Boulevard #8, Westminster, CO 80020, (303) 439-8024, www.wallysqualitymeats.com

Your Butcher Frank

900 Coffman St # A, Longmont, CO 80501, (303) 772-3281, www.yourbutcherfrank.com

Carniceria El Cerrito, 936 Main St, Longmont

Local Carniceria’s

Boulder

Carniceria La Zacatecana Mexican Grocery Store

4483 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80304,  (303) 954-8747

El Valle Market

2887 30th St, Boulder, CO 80301, (303) 442-4585

Las 10 Americas Carniceria

2887 30th St, Boulder, CO 80301, (303) 442-4585

Lafayette

El Mercado Groceries Carniceria

503 S Public Rd, Lafayette, CO 80026,  (303) 665-4868

Las 5 Americas Tortillería y Carnicería

111 S Public Rd # B, Lafayette, CO 80026,  (720) 524-3428

Longmont

A B Market

480 17th Ave, Longmont, CO 80501, (720) 684-6883

Carniceria El Cerrito

936 Main St, Longmont, CO 80501, (303) 834-9172

Carniceria Guanajuato

1664 Main St, Longmont, CO 80501

Carniceria La Barata

1730 Emery St, Longmont, CO 80501, (720) 204-6092

Carnicería Las Cazuelas

917 Main St, Longmont, CO 80501,  (303) 776-6619, www.facebook.com/pollerialascazuelas20

Carnicería Y Taqueria La Suprema #2

 917 Main St, Longmont, CO 80501, (303) 776-6619

La Barata

480 17th Ave, Longmont, CO 80501

El Mercado Groceries Carniceria

503 S Public Rd, Lafayette, CO 80026, (303) 665-4868

Las Americas Tortilleria

830 Lashley St D, Longmont, CO 80504, (303) 651-3454

North Metro: Broomfield, Northglenn

Carneceria Chihuahua

1495 US-287, Broomfield, CO 80020, (720) 550-7124

De La Laguna Market

1495 US-287, Broomfield, CO 80020,  (720) 550-7124

Carniceria Santa Rosalia

1456 W 104th Ave, Northglenn, CO 80234, (720) 216-0607, www.carniceriasantarosalia.com

Great Wall Supermarket, Broomfield CO

Local Asian Markets

Longmont

Asia Bazaar

700 Ken Pratt Blvd #210, Longmont, CO 80501, (720) 745-8941

Boulder

Asian Market

2829 28th St, Boulder, CO 80301, (303) 541-9377

India’s Grocery

2877 28th St, Boulder, CO 80304, (303) 441-0209

India Bazaar

1542 28th St, Boulder, CO 80303, (303) 927-6070

Lafayette

Krishna Groceries

400 W South Boulder Rd Suite 2800, Lafayette, CO 80026, (303) 665-8399

Shiwa Indian/Nepalese Grocery

489 US-287, Lafayette, CO 80026, (720) 606-3820

Broomfield

Great Wall Supermarket

6600 W 120th Ave, Broomfield, CO 80020, (303) 410-8168, www.gw-supermarket.com

My India’s

1000 Depot Hill Rd, Broomfield, CO 80020, (303) 466-0800

H-Mart, Westminster CO

North Metro: Westminster, Thornton, Northglenn

H-Mart

5036 W 92nd Ave, Westminster, CO 80031, (720) 287-5341, www.myhmart.com

Lao Market

7302 Federal Blvd, Westminster, CO 80030, (303) 428-3290

Afghan & Indian Market #2

10351 Grant St #6, Thornton, CO 80229, (303) 450-4164

Urban Indian Grocery

550 Malley Dr, Northglenn, CO 80233, (303) 451-6455

Bridge Refill Market, Erie CO

Bulk Stores

Bridge Refill Market

285 Cheesman St, Erie, CO 80516, (720) 967-8633, www.bridgerefill.com

Nude Food Markets

3233 Walnut St, Boulder, CO 80301, (303) 944-8992, www.nudefoodsmarket.com

Simply Bulk Market

418 Main St, Longmont, CO 80501, (303) 678-7069, www.simplybulkmarket-ae3c7.web.app

Local Markets

Lafayette

Atlas Valley Purveyors

2770 Arapahoe Rd #100, Lafayette, CO 80026, (720) 287-1728, www.avpurveyors.com

Boulder

Bova’s Market & Grill

1100 28th St, # 200, Boulder, CO 80303, (303) 449-0874, www.bovasmarket.com

Cuji Foods (South American Foods)

3350 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, CO 80303, (720) 325-7361, www.cujifoods.com

Lolitas Market & Deli

800 Pearl St, Boulder, CO 80302, (303) 443-8329, www.lolitasmarket.com

Mediterranean Market & Deli 

2690 28th St, Boulder, CO 80301,  (303) 448-9552, www.mediterraneanmarket.info

The Niche Market by Meals on Wheels

3701 Canfield St. Boulder, CO 80301, (720) 780-3387, www.mowboulder.org/boulder-corner-niche-market

University Hill Market & Deli

1134 13th St #7016, Boulder, CO 80302, (303) 449-2923, www.thehillboulder.com/go/university-hill-market-and-deli

Village Market

510 30th St, Boulder, CO 80303, (303) 735-7292, www.colorado.edu/living/dining/dining-hours#anchor2

Longmont

Cheese Importers

103 Main St, Longmont, CO 80501, (303) 772-9599, www.cheeseimporters.com

The Mountain Fountain

11809 N 75th St, Longmont, CO 80503, (720) 487-2571, www.themountainfountain.com

Urban Field Pizza & Market

150 Main St Suite 202, Longmont, CO 80501, (720) 633-8838, www.urbanfieldpizza.com

North Metro

Beltran’s Meat Market

11920 Washington St, Northglenn, CO 80233, (303) 280-7293, www.beltransmeatmarket.com

Bouklder Farmers Market, Boulder CO

Farmers Markets (Seasonal)

Boulder County Farmers’ Market 

9595 Nelson Rd, Longmont, CO 80501

13th St, Boulder, CO 80302

www.bcfm.org

Erie Farmers Market

Downtown Briggs St, Erie, CO 80516, www.realfarmersmarketco.com

Lafayette Farmers Market

Downtown Lafayette, www.lafayettefm.com

Louisville Farmers Market

824 Front St, Louisville, CO 80027, www.realfarmersmarketco.com

Red Wagon Farm, Longmont CO

Farms, CSA’s & Farmstands (Seasonal)

Louisville

7th Generation Farm

1536 Courtesy Rd, Louisville, CO 80027,  (720) 499-8199, www.7thgenerationfarm.com

Three Leaf Farm (By Appointment Only)

Louisville, CO 80027, www.threeleaffarm.com

Lafayette

Father Earth Organic Farm

8881 Elgin Dr, Lafayette, CO 80026, (303) 494-4500, www.fatherearthorganicfarm.com

Boulder

63rd St Farm

3796 63rd St, Boulder, CO 80301, www.facebook.com/63rdstfarm

Balto Farms (Lavender)

 7957 Arapahoe Rd, Boulder, CO 80303, (512) 944-5216, www.7957farm.com

Benevolence Orchard & Gardens

6712, Jay Rd, Boulder, CO 80301, (720) 938-7708, www.benevolenceorchard.com

Cure Organic Farm

7416 Valmont Rd, Boulder, CO 80301, www.cureorganicfarm.com

Jacob Springs Farm

7602 Arapahoe Rd, Boulder, CO 80303, (720) 201-5725, www.facebook.com/JacobSpringsFarm

Light Root Community Farm

7715 Arapahoe Rd, Boulder, CO 80301,  (720) 475-1330, www.lightroot.farm

Long’s Gardens (Irises)

3240 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80304, (303) 442-2353, www./longsgardens.com

Masa Seed Foundation

1367 N 75th St, Boulder, CO 80303, (303) 444-9642, www.masaseedfoundation.org

Milk & Honey Farm at Boulder JCC

6007 Oreg Ave, Boulder, CO 80303, (303) 998-1900

Munson Farms

7455 Valmont Rd, Boulder, CO 80301, (720) 491-1421, www.munsonfarms.com

Off Beet Farm

4300 Spine Rd, Boulder 80301, www.offbeetfarmcolorado.com

Sunbeam Farm

1005 Cherryvale Rd, Boulder, CO 80303, www.sunbeamfarm.com

Longmont

Aspen Moon Farm

7940 Hygiene Rd, Longmont, CO 80503, www.aspenmoonfarm.com

Black Cat Farmstead

9889 N 51st St, Longmont, CO 80503, (303) 717-6836, www.blackcatboulder.com

Homestead Building, 1964 13th St, Boulder, CO 80302

Kilt Farm

8140 Oxford Rd, Longmont, CO 80503, (970) 846-6233, www.kiltfarm.com

Longmont Dairy Farm

920 Coffman St, Longmont, CO 80501, (303) 776-8466, www.longmontdairy.com

Ollin Farm

8627 N 95th St #7718, Longmont, CO 80504, www.ollinfarms.com

Red Wagon Farm

7694 N 63rd St, Longmont, CO 80503, www.redwagonfarmboulder.com

The Bee Hugger

12590 Ute Hwy, Longmont, CO 80504, (303) 330-8277, www.thebeehuggerfarm.com

Ya Ya Farm

6914 Ute Hwy, Longmont, CO 80503, (303) 549-7447, www.yayafarmandorchard.com

Yellow Barn Farm

9417 N Foothills Hwy, Longmont, CO 80503, (720) 805-9775, www.yellowbarn.farm

Regional

Miller Farm

13912 Co Rd 19, Platteville, CO 80651, (970) 785-6133, www.millerfarms.net

Palizzi Farms

15380 E Bromley Ln (at 6th Ave), Brighton, CO 80601, (303) 659-1970, www.palizzifarm.com

Spade & Spoon Meals

Local Take & Bake Meals

Boulder Valley Meals

www.bouldervalleymeals.com

Button Rock Bakery

400 W South Boulder Rd, Lafayette, CO 80026, (303) 926-1676, www.buttonrockbakery.com

Casa Crobu

www.casacrobu.com

Community Table Kitchen by Bridge House

720-287-0819, www.communitytablekitchentakeandbake.org

Cultivate Kitchen

640 Main St Unit D, Louisville, CO 80027, (303) 997-8220, www.cultivatekitchenco.com

Dos Amigos

www.dosamigas.com

Eat 100Foods

www.eat100foods.com

Five Egg Meals

(303) 376-3655, www.fiveeggsmeals.com

High Vibe Chef

1724 Broadway Street, Boulder, CO 80302, www.highvibeorganicmeals.com/boulder

Luna Culinary Collective

(720) 727-7540, www.facebook.com/lunaculinarycollective

Prefare

www.prefaremeals.com

Salted Chef

(800) 234-5924, www.saltedchef.com

Spade & Spoon

www.spadespoon.com

Sparrow Kitchen

www.sparrowkitchendenver.com

Sugarloaf Culinary

(303) 817-1369, www.sugarloafculinary.com

Tip Top Savory Pies

105 N Public Rd, Lafayette, CO 80026, (720) 845-2155, www.tiptoppies.com

The Colorado Chef

www.thecoloradochef.com

The Spicy Radish (Broomfield,  Erie, Lafayette, Louisville, Superior, Westminster, Thornton)

www.thespicyradish.com

Tuesday Foods (Plant-based)

www.tuesdayfoods.co

Bon Appétit!

The post How to Decorporatize Your Groceries appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

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My journey toward child-free thinking did not begin in the parking lot of Gunther Toody’s, but it’s as good a place as any to start this story. I sat in the driver’s seat under the orange neon light of the ’50s diner and had a full-body anxiety attack. I was dating a woman whom I very much loved, but over the past few months, her paranoid delusions had become more frequent. I had sat on the floor beside her for more than one psychotic episode. These episodes left her unable to remember who or where she was and left my ears ringing from the screams. 

Now, she was over a week late. One moment of carelessness and I had ruined my life. I sat in my car, unable to breathe, my body clenched up so tight I thought I would collapse into myself. A week later, she got her period, and I swore I would never put myself in that position again. By year’s end, we had broken up. I would later learn that she had been off her beta-blockers for months and lying about going to therapy.

Like most young Americans, I grew up thinking that having children was just the way things were done, something I would get around to someday. As I grew into adulthood, I realized that having kids was not something I felt in my core that I had to do. I also understood the immense responsibility that went along with being a parent. The trauma of the pregnancy scare afforded me time to reflect on what I wanted for my life.

Eighteen months after the breakup, I made up my mind. I was at a family get-together at a cousin’s remote ranch home. I had a chance to spend time with their eldest child. He was a nice boy, about six years old, with a good personality. I have some minor skills as a photographer, and I showed him how to take photos on my digital camera. He took me into the house and showed me his LEGO collection. We played a board game called Mister Mouth, where you flicked plastic bugs into a spinning frog’s head. Then, we spent a half-hour searching for a Hot Wheels cartoon on Netflix.

My cousin and their spouse are good parents, and they are raising a good son. Still, I could not imagine spending hours of my life, day after day, looking at LEGOs and playing Mister Mouth. I tried to imagine the boy as my own son, a little tyke who would run to his dad’s arms when he came home from work, but the thought inspired no paternal feelings. 

I decided to schedule a vasectomy. 

I have been told more than once that I would be a good father, and I do take it as a compliment. I might be a good commercial diver, too, but you won’t find me welding oil rig pipes in zero-visibility waters off of Galveston Bay. When people say I’d be a good father, they mean I’m conscientious, I’m reasonably good with children, and I have slightly more intelligence than a sack of cement. I am fine with other people’s children — for the most part. The nice thing about other people’s children is that I can visit them, and then put them in my rearview mirror and go home. 

I know for my own sake that I should not be a parent. I hate loud noises and irrationality. I can state with certainty that I could not spend my life caring for a severely disabled child. I would not enjoy spending years raising a child only to have some surly teen say how much they hate me. I enjoy waking up on a Sunday and finding my home as quiet as a library. I enjoy coming home from work to an empty house where I can sit down and do nothing. I have a hard enough time getting myself dressed, fed, and out the door in the morning; the thought of doing that for another human being makes me break into a cold sweat. 

Does this make me selfish? Yes, it does. Am I irresponsible? In many areas, yes. I can only say that I am responsible enough for my lack of responsibility and self-aware enough to get myself snipped. I will gladly counter-pose this against the untold hordes of men and women who think their fertility is the only excuse they need to bring a human life into the world. 

Will I change my mind? This is a possibility I cannot rule out, and it’s why I thought long and hard about this choice. I decided that all things being equal, it would be better to regret not having children than to regret having children: the former might be sad, but the latter is a living hell. I have since learned that thousands of other child-free people have arrived at the same conclusion independently. In some ways, we take the idea of parenthood more seriously than many parents.

A word of warning: I would tell any man that they should not get a vasectomy just so they can have unprotected sex. I chose a vasectomy because I have chosen not to have children, and it is my way of taking ownership of that choice. The difference lies in thinking short-term vs long-term.

I have noticed some odd misconceptions about vasectomies, so time addressing them would be well-spent. First, a vasectomy is not a castration. The doctor is severing two tubes, the vas deferens, that carry sperm from each testicle to the shaft. The incisions required to cut the tubes are very small. Sperm makes up a tiny fraction of semen, so orgasms will look and feel exactly the same. Finally, will a vasectomy make you feel like less of a man? Not in the slightest.

The child-free community on Reddit has been a great help. They have a resources page listing doctors in each US state who will perform sterilizations. I picked a urologist in the Boulder/Denver area and scheduled a consultation.

Two weeks later, I was sitting in a doctor’s office, filled with apprehension. Every child-free person has heard horror stories of doctors who won’t even consider performing the snip unless the patient is married with eight kids under their belt. Would this doctor ask if I might change my mind? Oh, how they love to ask this. Would he tell me I’m too young at 32? (How old do I have to be to know what’s right for my own body?) Would he tell me life is not worth living if I don’t procreate?

The door opened, and the urologist sat down.

“So,” he said, “Ready to call it quits, huh?”

I leaned back in my chair, making a steeple with my fingers, and smiled. 

“Yes,” I said. 

The rest of the appointment was boilerplate: I was told that while reversible in theory, I should consider a vasectomy permanent. I was told that the procedure would take effect in eight or so weeks once the remaining sperm in my tubes had been ‘flushed out,’ so to speak. Finally, the doctor told me he’d done thousands of vasectomies, and none had failed. Would I please not be the first, he asked. I agreed. The doctor left, and a nurse came by to put a date on the calendar.

* * *

I was trying to sell a rare electric guitar. I took it to a shop in Boulder County for refurbishing. The owner of the repair shop was intrigued by the guitar, so we started a conversation about it. A similar guitar was used to play the opening riff from Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al.”

The owner looks up at the clock. “Man, I wish I could keep talking…” A look comes across his face, not sadness, but resignation. “… But I gotta close up and pick up my kids.”

Later that week, another man arrived at my house. I’ve had the guitar up on Craigslist, and he’s looking to buy it. I can tell the man is excited to see it. I showed him how the guitar can be plugged into a synthesizer to play the bassline for “Jam On It” by Newcleus. He digs it. I’ve sold instruments to people who barely know the black keys from the white on a piano, so I’d love to sell this guitar to someone who cares. 

“Do you play anywhere in the area? Any bands?” I ask.

“I used to; I played all over the Front Range,” he says. I see that familiar look fall across his face. “Now I have kids.”

* * *

I had been encouraged to shave ahead of the vasectomy. After looking at my safety razor for five minutes, I decided to leave it to the professionals. A yard sign on the side of the parkway led me to a waxing clinic. I drove there after work and booked an appointment. 

I arrived for my first-ever waxing session at 8 AM on Sunday and was taken into a back room. I was given a wipe to clean myself and then instructed to sit on the table, naked from the waist down, with a towel over my Netherlands. Since I was only having my testicles waxed and not the full “Brazilian,” I was told I would save some money.

The waxing specialist began by rubbing in a cream to limit the pain. When I get a flu shot, I watch the nurse put the needle into my arm. It’s been that way since I was a toddler. For the waxing, I opted not to look, just laid back and kept my eyes closed. I felt the specialist apply a hot wax, followed a few seconds later by a dull sting. It was nothing too bad, and I was beginning to wonder when the prep would end, and the waxing begin. 

The specialist spoke to me. “Just a couple more, and we’ll be done.” 

How about that? 

I dressed, returned to the lobby, and paid. The specialist asked if I’d like to schedule my next appointment. I told her I was good for now. 

The day after my waxing, I arrived at the hospital at 9:20 AM. The place was too crowded for my taste, so I wore a mask inside. I was taken into an examining room and given a “prize bag” containing an ice pack and two containers for sperm samples. I was warned more than once to call ahead before dropping off my samples and to never, ever just leave a sample on the receptionist’s desk if they were out to lunch.

I was told I could leave my shoes on. Clearly, they didn’t expect this to take long. I lay down on the examining table with my pants and underwear around my ankles, ready for the moment I’d been expecting for so long. 

Yes, I took a selfie, unflattering fluorescent lights be damned. 

The urologist and nurse came in and wasted no time. The procedure began with a feeling of rubber bands snapping against my scrotum, which was a one-time-use syringe numbing the incision site. Then came a volley of pinches as the doctor tried to isolate the first tube for cutting.

I have heard the sensation of a vasectomy compared to having your guts yanked out through your ballsack. I can confirm this is true. As with the waxing, I had no desire to look at what was happening, so it was left to my imagination what all the poking, prodding, twisting, and pulling was about. In total, it was no more emotionally uncomfortable than a hernia check during a physical, let alone a prostate exam.

I felt another snap from a numbing injection, and the doctor made small talk. Whenever a doctor makes small talk, they are trying to distract you. Fine by me. 

“So, how many kids do you have, Ambrose?”

Staring at the ceiling, I replied with no hesitation: “I have exactly as many kids as I want.”

The left tube was done first, with some difficulty. The right tube was dispatched with no trouble. 

I had expected to be laid out in pain for the rest of the day, but with two Advil and an afternoon in bed, I felt fine. I’m the kid who watched his nurse give the flu shot, so sure, I have a high pain tolerance. Your mileage may vary. The bruising cleared up in a matter of weeks. 

By sunset, I got dressed and drove out to the mall. 

I’m writing in a booth at Red Robin when the manager comes over to talk to me. I told her I remembered when Red Robin had arcade machines, and we reminisced about the TV sets they used to recess into the floors. 

“Be safe out there,” she said. “Usually, I tell people to go have an adventure, but…”

I put my pen and legal pad away. “I already had my adventure for the day.”

“I hope it was a fun one,” she said.

“Yeah,” I said, “it really was.”

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The post Getting Snipped On The Front Range: A Personal Story of Choosing to be Child-Free appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

If you’re involved in the Boulder endurance community, there’s a good chance you have eaten RAD food, and we are not just talking about really delicious grub. RAD, short for Real Athlete Diets, is a local small business providing nutritious athlete meals locally and across the globe.

In a recent interview with the founder and owner of RAD, Kelly Newlon, she stated “I am a chef and I feed athletes.” While that might sound overly simplistic, in a nutshell, this is her business.

Founded based on a love of the endurance community coupled with extensive expertise and credentials in the culinary world, RAD is a staple in the Boulder and greater Front Range endurance community. Whether you’re attending a group run at Runners Roost, or volunteering at a local Colorado trail race, it is not uncommon to see Kelly’s smiling face and taste her scrumptious creations.

In addition to working with pro athletes in the endurance community, RAD has worked with brands such as National Geographic, Patagonia, and Adidas, as well as the United Nations Environmental Program.

Kelly, along with her husband Morgan, founded RAD in 2014. At the time, Kelly was teaching at a culinary school in Boulder and had more free time than she’d had when she worked full-time in the restaurant industry. Friends in the community started asking her to feed them for key training cycles, races, and events in sports ranging from trail running to cycling to swimming. There came a point when she realized she could not sustainably feed these friends while also working her day job. That is when a light bulb went off: she loved feeding athletes, so why not make that into a business?

She asked her husband Morgan to be her business partner and they were off and running. Like a true endurance athlete, Morgan loves saying things are “rad” and thus the company’s name came naturally. They would call it “Real Athlete Diets” or “RAD” for short. The logo design came from a sketch Morgan drew on a napkin at the Boulder restaurant Oak at Fourteenth, a staple in fine American dining located on Boulder’s famous Pearl St. Even their logo origin story is a testament to their humble beginnings and local roots in our beloved town.

Morgan went to work on logistics and bookings while Kelly focused on what she does best; creating incredible food to fuel athletes’ lives. While the company started as a meal service for athletes in the Boulder area, it has evolved into more of a catering and events business. Now on their 10th anniversary,

Kelly just returned from a trip to Europe to support and run the length of the Seine River in Paris to help improve water quality in France. Kelly said she loves traveling with athletes, teams, and brands because it “gives the opportunity to make a difference in their nutrition because you get to work with them for so many meals.”

Besides a love for fueling athletes and the endurance community, the Newlons are dedicated to two big things when it comes to RAD—supporting local and working on environmentally focused projects.

Boulder is not only home to RAD but also their lifeblood. The community here has been and continues to be their biggest supporter, partner, and friend. Whether it be fueling a local pro athlete, providing food for a retail store event, or buying ingredients from local farmers, Boulder and RAD are deeply intertwined. “We would be nothing without Boulder, CO in the Front Range.”

Kelly holds an AOS in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America and a BA in Business from Purdue University, National Sports Medicine (Sports Nutrition Levels 1, 2, and 3).

Follow RAD on Instagram: @radboulder

For booking inquiries email: kelly@radboulder.com

The post RAD Boulder: Bringing Nutritious Food to the Athlete in All of Us appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

‘My mom has been really encouraging. And she says that we should push to get a cafe at some point’

By CHRISTIAN ARNDT, StorySprint reporter for Sentinel Colorado (Via AP Storyshare)

The Sentinel Story Sprint is a statewide journalism project. Story Sprint brings students from Colorado State University, Community College of Aurora and Colorado College into the Aurora newsroom to cover local stories, alongside veteran journalists. Funded by a grant from the Colorado Media Project, the Sentinel Story Sprint provides a professional newsroom with emerging journalists, and emerging journalists with a professional newsroom.

AURORA | At a unique farmer’s market in a northwest Aurora park, Ron Johnson sits under an umbrella next to an ice box tied to his bike. He’s selling sorrel-flavored ice cream and Popsicles made from strawberries he grows inside his house.

When he started his business as a Rebel Marketplace vendor in Aurora’s Del Mar Park, he named it “Griot.” That’s the Portuguese word for a West-African bard or storyteller. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he joined the “rebels,” wanting to “bring back more hospitality and healthiness to eating.”

Johnson is one of dozens of vendors in the diverse collective who’ve created an unusual weekly market, often boasting homemade products and produce grown in backyards.

“The standard American diet has taken most of us away from our healthier delicious culinary roots,” the Aurora Public Schools nutritionist said. He’s a trained chef, too. “The American diet differs dramatically in quality from traditional and multicultural ways of eating including the traditions of the African diaspora.”

Farmer’s markets tend to boast the same spread of products: fresh produce and homemade confections. But the Rebel Marketplace represents something much more. This is much less a traditional farmers market, but a collective of local vendors looking out for their community. This is backyard to the tables of many looking out for one another.

Founding Principles

The Rebel Marketplace is the brainchild of James Grievous. Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. he welcomes patrons visiting the market or hovers around his own vendor tent, “Rebels In The Garden.”

Recently, he was offering early carrots and radishes. The tent was created to follow an urban farming principle, which is the concept of creating gardens to grow fresh produce in urban settings like neighborhood backyards.

He started the project in 2015 with three of his kids and two of their friends.

“As they got older, in their early teens, we wanted to transition and teach them business skills and things like that to sell the produce from the work they’re doing,” Grevious said. “And so we went on Nextdoor and said, ‘Hey, we’re thinking about this idea with a farmer’s market here at Del Mar Park,’ and it kind of took off.”

The Rebel Marketplace began with only a handful of gardeners. Now it’s expanded to 28 vendors on a slow week. Each Saturday, there are food trucks, pottery vendors and even succulent stands, all originating from the Aurora area.

Resources for the would-be urban farmers

Grievous’s passion for the project has evolved into a nonprofit group called Urban Symbiosis — a program that utilizes a four-year process to help individuals looking to get into urban farming, which could eventually transfer into joining the Rebel Marketplace to sell crops.

The program donates $500 per year toward urban farmers looking to start their own business to cover seedlings, tools and raised beds. If they want to continue urban farming, the program will continue providing the same amount up to an additional three years for the continuous production of local crops to ensure they are market ready.

With the recent closure of a Walmart on East Colfax Avenue and Havana Street — which Grevious said impacted Aurora residents’ accessibility to fresh produce — his marketplace aims to step in.

Although Grevious and his family have a prominent presence in the marketplace, many vendors build upon the community-centric atmosphere the Rebel Marketplace provides.

Farming from home

Johnson has been participating in the Rebel Marketplace for a few years. Every weekend, he rides his bike to and from his rented kitchen space, near his home, to deliver his frozen treats.

During the week, Johnson uses his own hydroponic system in his home to grow a variety of produce like strawberries and mushrooms, the former being used for his sweet treats, as a part of his “full-circle food service business.” On Saturdays, he spends his day selling his desserts from an ice box attached to his bike.

Johnson, an African American, has taken classes that focus on “health and well-being that offers alternatives based on ancestry and science.” Through those, he’s learned the benefits of using different ingredients for better consumption amongst marginalized communities.

His business does not include dairy products because, as he describes, “ancestors of most minority communities were not cattle farmers and therefore do not have the genetics to properly digest and break down lactose.”

Growing heirloom crops from home

A produce vendor and farmer, Kezia Lozano, started Alegría Gardens three years ago as a means to heal family trauma. Lozano’s father was a migrant farm worker from Tamaulipas, Mexico where Lozano says he was exploited as “cheap labor for wealthy landowners.”

Despite persistence from her parents to avoid farming, she felt a calling as a child to grow produce.

“I finally put my hands in the dirt to grow my own food in 2020, realized the depth of the calling and decided that since I have the privilege of gentleness in land access, I am going to put my efforts into healing that generational trauma and feed my community at the same time,” Lozano said.

Growing heirloom crops and ensuring biodiversity in the food system is a passion of Lozano’s. Some of the various crops she grows are corn, beans, amaranth and squash. According to Lozano, virtually all of her crops are indigenous.

“(Rarámuri crops are) often overlooked and unavailable in conventional markets but were banned from cultivation by the Spanish in Mexico for hundreds of years due to its nutritional and spiritual value,” Lozano said. “It was kept alive in secret by indigenous farmers and I want to honor that ancestral tradition by making it available to the Mexican-American community here.”

Starting out young

Fifteen-year-old Justine Pipping, vendor and founder of Marshmallow Express, stands in the shade at her booth with homemade marshmallows with flavors like watermelon, matcha and birthday cake.

Pipping began her business in high school, where she makes homemade marshmallows for her classmates and friends. She learned about a program that her school provides that includes a trip to Barcelona, inspiring her to create her own small business to help her fund the trip for herself. Now, she sells marshmallows for the Aurora community.

With the help of Rebel Marketplace and other events around the Aurora area, she hopes to expand her business into something more with the help and support of her own family.

“My mom has been really encouraging. And she says that we should push to get a cafe at some point,” Pipping said. “We’re mostly thinking about how it’ll look and we also want a safe space for kids my age to go to relax.”

At a crossroads

The Rebel Marketplace is at a “crossroads” at this point, according to Grevious, in regard to foot traffic and sales. They are gathering data and information to measure presence within their marketplace.

The Rebel Marketplace is beginning its fifth year, and this year is the first time the marketplace will run every Saturday this summer. The project has experienced some issues with the city permitting, as well as a change in foot traffic lately. Grievous looks to sustain the marketplace’s vendors and is wanting the marketplace to stay present in the Aurora community.

“So it’s an economic question, it’s a philosophical question and it’s a needs question,” Grievous said. “So figuring out ways that Rebel Marketplace can fill that gap for whatever it is to help those folks who need fresh food and things like that.”

If you go:

Information is at www.rebelmarketplace.com

Generally, the garden marketplace is in Del Mar Park at 312 Del Mar Circle every Saturday from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. On July 6, the project will offer vendors at Town Center of Aurora Mall.

Christian Arndt attends Colorado State and serves as editor of the Life & Culture desk at the Rocky Mountain Collegian. He found a love for journalism through a passion for writing in high school and through reviewing concerts and films. Since joining the Collegian in early 2023, he has worked to build an audience who trusts him to provide unique twists on local beat coverage. He spends his free time exploring the outdoors, small towns and walking his dog.

The post MARKET SHARE: Rebel Marketplace harvests unique community project in Aurora appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

(Via AP Storyshare)

For those seeking treatments for autoimmune diseases, relief in the form of more affordable drug treatments may be on the way. At a July 3 meeting, Colorado’s Prescription Drug Affordability Review Board voted unanimously to proceed with setting price caps for two prescription drugs: Stelara and Cosentyx.

The board members reviewed separate reports that found both drugs to be both essential and unaffordable for Colorado patients. The investigation found that the average out-of-pocket costs for patients with commercial insurance on Stelara and Cosentyx were $5,875 and $2,801 per year respectively. For a patient without insurance, Cosentyx costs an average of $46,948 per year.

Both Stelara and Cosentyx are used to treat chronic autoimmune diseases, such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and plaque psoriasis. Neither drug is a quick fix. They are long-term therapies that patients often remain on for years.

According to Megan Purdy, an emergency medicine resident at Denver Health and an ulcerative colitis patient herself, steep prices come with a hidden cost.

“Many of my patients will be on these medications and oftentimes they do come in having missed doses — unable to get insurance coverage for these medications, unable to afford them,” she said.

Cosentyx and Stelara have been on the board’s radar since last summer, when it selected five pharmaceuticals from a list of 604 potentially unaffordable prescriptions. The board’s decision starts a process that will solicit more information from doctors, industry stakeholders and patients before setting price limits on the drugs.

Since 2019, eight U.S. states have established prescription drug affordability review boards and five have included a process for setting upper payment limits. So far, no states have moved passed the affordability review step. Colorado could be the first to establish an upper payment limit for a specific drug.

In February, the board initiated its first ever price-capping process for the arthritis drug Enbrel. The drug’s manufacturer, Amgen, sued the state of Colorado in federal court the following month. The company argued that a state-mandated price interferes with numerous laws and constitutional clauses designed to protect businesses and patent-holders. It called for the state to end the process and dissolve the review board. The case is pending, and oral arguments are scheduled for October.

Advocates expect similar lawsuits from Johnson & Johnson, the patent-holder of Stelara, and Novartis, the patent-holder for Cosentyx.

“It’s a pretty common tactic from pharma to sue when they are faced with price controls,” said Priya Telang, a spokesperson for the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative. “We expect a lawsuit coming from them soon.”

Though no litigation has been filed so far, some opponents are already making their voices heard. At the July 3 meeting, public commenters, including a Johnson & Johnson spokesperson and a Maryland-based pediatric rheumatologist, spoke out in frustration.

“I have come to realize over the last month or so that it honestly doesn’t really matter what I say, patients say, or other organizations say, if we are receiving funding from pharmaceutical companies,” said Tiffany Westrich-Robertson, the CEO of the International Foundation for Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Arthritis.

Westrich-Robertson and others argued that insurers would maintain the same out-of-pocket costs for the drugs and pocket the savings. Board members were receptive to that concern, but they also expressed optimism that they could figure out how to hold insurers accountable.

“We don’t know for certain what the effects of setting an upper payment limit would be,” board member Gail Mizner testified. “Hearing from insurers is really going to be a key part of the upper payment limit process.”

Under the state law that created the board, insurers will be required to submit an annual report documenting how savings from price caps were passed on to consumers. Advocates argue that the board is working to ensure that guardrails are in place to protect consumers from profiteering.

“The board is approaching this really cautiously and carefully,” Telang told KUNC.

In the coming months, the board will research the cost of manufacturing Stelara and Cosentyx to calibrate its eventual price cap. Though the July 3 meeting set the motion in process, the board could still decide to end its deliberations at any time and forgo a payment limit.

In its next meeting, scheduled for Friday, July 19 at 10 a.m., the board will meet with the Prescription Drug Affordability Advisory Council, which includes representatives from various stakeholder groups including drug companies, pharmacists and labor unions. The meeting is open to the public, and you can register to attend at this link.

This story was updated at 10:32pm on July 23, 2024 to reflect that Tiffany Westrich-Robertson’s appeared at the July 3 meeting of the Prescription Drug Affordability Board as a representative of the International Foundation for Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Arthritis.

Gabe Allen, KUNC

The post Colorado moves forward with price caps for unaffordable prescriptions despite possible litigation appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

(Via AP Storyshare)

The rates Medicare pays hospitals are carefully calculated to cover the actual cost of care in an efficient health care facility. But Anthem, Cigna, United and other commercial health insurers in Colorado are paying significantly more than Medicare, according to a new Center for Improving Value in Health Care report.

Kristin Paulson, president and CEO of the Center for Improving Value in Health Care, said it would make sense for hospitals to charge commercial insurers a little more than Medicare, to help expand services and shore up hospital bottom lines.

“But the data that we’ve just released demonstrates that hospitals are getting four, five, or sometimes even six times what Medicare pays. And that’s well beyond what we’d expect simply to strengthen a business’ bottom line or expand care,” she explained.

Using a new health care payment comparison tool, the Center found that while commercial insurers are paying more, overall payments compared to Medicare dropped by 4% between 2019 and 2022 across all facility types statewide. Paulson noted programs — including the new Colorado Option plans, which are held to a percentage of Medicare rates — can help keep costs down.

Commercial plans operating through ‘ConnectForHealthCO.com’ must spend 80% of consumer premium dollars on patient care, only 20% can go to administration costs and profits. But there are no incentives to challenge high prices. Paulson noted if insurers collect $1 million in premiums, they can only take in $200,000 in profits. If costs double, insurers can increase premiums, and profits.

“If they are covering the same people for the same services, they would have to charge $2 million in premiums, and they would be able to keep up to $400,000,” she continued. “So, the payers make money when prices go up as well.”

Paulson said Coloradans can do their part to lower health costs by using the Center’s Shop for Care tool at ‘civhc.org/shop-for-care,’ which compares procedure prices at different facilities.

“The more we’re paying for health care out of our own pocket, and through our health insurance companies, the more premiums will continue to rise. So as consumers, we need to be aware that these prices differences exist, and we need to look for opportunities to get lower-cost high-quality care,” she said.

Eric Galatas, Public News Service

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Tom Shanahan’s book tells a previously neglected story, bringing to light true champions of football integration

In the midst of their locker-room celebration of Iowa State in the 1961 College Football Playoffs, the University of Colorado Boulder Buff’s chose to take a stand.

“We didn’t care if we stayed in Miami Beach, but wherever we stayed, we were staying together and eating together as a team, or we weren’t going at all,” said Joe Romig, 1961 University of Colorado Boulder football team captain. (Shanahan, 2024, pp.77).

They explained to head coach, Sonny Grandelious, and Orange Bowl officials that they would only attend the 1961 Orange Bowl in Miami if treated as a team, not as Blacks and Whites.

Shanahan’s book, “The Right Thing To Do,” gives a detailed account of the Buffs’ stance against segregation in the ‘61 Orange Bowl and brings justice to many historic moments that the media has since failed to cover.

Shanahan covers the history of increasing Black football players, crediting Michigan State head coach Duffy Daughtery for starting a “domino effect” in the mid 1950s while addressing myths about who were the real pioneers of football integration — including debunking the story that Alabama head coach Paul William “Bear” Bryant was a leader in integration.

The book documents how Daughtery ignored quotas for the number of Black players and established a fully integrated team, complete with Black team captains. In doing so, Daughtery created a blueprint that was spread coast to coast by those who learned under his leadership, including trailblazers Sherman Lewis and Jimmy Raye.

Shanahan walks readers through stories of football integration history that previously have gone unrecognized, living only by word of mouth while the media turned a blind eye. 

“I was fortunate to meet Jimmy Raye’s son and I said, ‘you know I don’t think the story of the football Underground Railroad has ever been properly told.’ The main reason I realized this was because the sports media of the 60’s generally avoided writing about race, so these moments went unrecognized,” said Shanahan. 

Shanahan’s detailed accounts of these moments brings justice to stories that have been previously overlooked.

The Boulder Bookstore held a book signing for “The Right Thing to Do” on May 7, 2024, where Shanahan sat alongside College Football Hall of Famer Joe Roemig and former CU Assistant Athletic Director John Meadows — both members of the ‘61 team that threatened to boycott the 1961 Orange Bowl in support of their Black teammates.

Shanahan is dedicated to spreading the story of “the true pioneers of college football integration” and emphasized that this is not just a story about CU Boulder or Duffy Daughtery and his disciples. 

“I want to make the country realize that this is a national story. It was just never properly told,” said Shanahan.

Shanahan’s book is a work of historic importance, giving credit where it is well overdue to the heroic sports figures responsible for the integration of college football in America.

Shanahan’s previous novel, “Raye of Light,” inspired the NFL360 documentary “The Indelible Legacy of Jimmy Raye.” Raye was the first Black quarterback from the South to win a national championship and later went on to be a pioneering coach in college football and the NFL. 

Shanahan is now in the preliminary stages of building a documentary inspired by “The Right Thing to Do” alongside Colorado producer Vohn Regensburger. 

The vision for the film is a 4-part docuseries that maps the historical route of college football integration from 1954 through the voices of the individuals who lived it — and they are up against the clock.

“Testimonials are super important for this story, especially as people age, we want to get these stories before they pass on. I think that is an important part of it. We are trying to tell the stories of multiple colleges to capture how integration spread across the country and changed the face of college football forever,” said Regensburger.

Shanahan and Regensburger voiced that CU Boulder and all of their sources have been supportive in this effort and are helping them collect information to tell the story.

“I read a quote recently that said, ‘We have to tell the stories of living history or they fade away. To restore them, they must be told and retold.’ We are taking on this challenge: telling a story that has never been told and must be retold,” Shanahan emphasized.

To purchase “The Right Thing to Do,” view events and updates, visit Shanahan’s website at https://tomshanahan.report.

The post ‘The Right Thing To Do’ Tells Story of Role ‘61 CU Boulder Team Played in Integrating College Football appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Eating ALL the Greens!

Spring has sprung and we are well into the time here on the Front Range when plants are sprouting like… well… dandelions in June. All the farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program baskets, the grocery stores, Farmer’s Markets, and home gardens are rife with tiny hakurei turnips, spring onions, and lots and lots of greens. 

Tender lettuces of all kinds, frondy carrot tops, smooth oval spinach leaves, colorful chard, baby not-yet-tough collards, pea shoots, lightly peppery arugula, bright green kale, mild beet and turnip greens, even horseradish leaf and fennel sprouts are having their moment right now and how lucky we are for it! Leafy greens are touted as the healthy diet panacea: rich in vitamins and minerals, high in fiber, and full of micronutrients! But wait, there’s more! Eating them reduces your risk of heart attack, obesity, dementia, and high blood pressure! You might think that the leafy green industry is hand-in-glove with the nutrition scientists, given how oft-touted the benefits of a diet rich in these greens are. Anemic? Eat greens. Low energy? Eat greens. Constipated? Bored? Lonely? Eat greens!

Fresh greens always make great salads, but there are also so many other ideas below!

Almost all garden-fresh greens, especially when they are young and tender, are delicious eaten raw in salads. As much as a good mixed green salad is now and again, not all salads must be composed entirely or even mostly of greens. Shredded carrots tossed with arugula, toasted pine nuts, and a simple vinaigrette make for a sweet, tangy, spicy, crunchy, absolutely delicious side dish.

Add a little bleu cheese or some crispy bacon bits and serve with fresh bread and you’ve got a perfect spring dinner. Or try mixing together cooled cooked quinoa, black beans, corn, and baby spinach dressed in a lime juice dressing. Add shredded or chopped greens to your tuna or egg salad. Make a fresh green dressing by blending greens with oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper, and whatever flavors you like. Put fresh greens in your homemade hummus. Potato salad with finely sliced greens is wonderful.

All these lovely fresh greens are also wonderful cooked. Throw a handful into stir-fries, omelets, or soups. Make pesto or pistou then eat on pretty much anything (baked potato? yes! pasta? of course! sandwiches? obviously!) or spread on top of fish, chicken, or tofu and bake or grill. Lightly steam pea pods and pea shoots and serve tossed in sesame oil and a dash of rice vinegar. Make Indian saag or add extra greens to your chimichurri.

Throw them on pizza, stuff them into enchiladas, cook them with rice, bake them into lasagne, or saute them with fresh garlic – you can’t really go wrong. Except for kale milkshakes. Yes, there is such a thing. No, I do not like them. No, I do not recommend them. I love ice cream. I love kale. I do not love them blended together and drunk through a straw. You can even take a page from Dr. Seuss and make green eggs and ham — add a couple of handfuls of the green of your choice to your scrambled eggs for fun. Have you ever had Romaine lettuce soup? It’s delicious. And you have not fully lived until you have eaten Ethiopian collard greens and potatoes.

Here is one of my favorite ways to use beet greens; you can use either tender baby greens plucked straight from your garden or bigger greens twisted off the tops of large beets, either works here. You can put this on top of salmon before baking, use as a dressing for pasta salad, mix into plain yogurt, dip fresh bread into it, top a hearty vegetable soup with a heaping spoonful, the possibilities are many. I would be absolutely delighted to hear what you do with this if you make it – please let me know.

Beet Green and Pumpkin Seed Pesto

• 2 cups beet greens, well washed
• ½ cup raw peeled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1-2 cloves fresh garlic, to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste 

Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat, tossing frequently until they are lightly browned. Remove from heat and let cool. Into a food processor place the greens, the toasted pumpkin seeds, the oil, 1 clove of garlic, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper then puree. Taste the pesto, adjust with garlic, salt and pepper as needed. This can keep in an airtight jar in your fridge for at least a week or you can freeze it for several months.

BONUS! Reader submitted recipe we just had to share.

We received a handwritten letter from a loyal reader, Nelda. She included a recipe for dumplings, which I am happy to pass on as written. Please let me know if you try it. Thank you, Nelda!

Nelda’s Danish Dumplings

• 4 Tbs butter
• ½ cup boiling water
• 1 tsp salt
• ? cup flour
• 2 eggs

Bring water and butter to a boil. Add flour all at once, stirring constantly. Cook until moisture leaves sides of pan. When cool, add salt and eggs, one at a time. Beat until smooth. Drop by teaspoon into boiling liquid. Cook about 4 minutes. DO NOT COVER PAN as dumplings are cooking.

I will be here again next month, to talk food and answer questions. Please be part of the dialogue by submitting your questions or comments to jessicahersh1@gmail.com

The post Culinaria – Greens appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

By John Ingold, The Colorado Sun. (Via AP Storyshare)

Colorado lawmakers are considering a bill that would prevent hospitals from publicly concealing their involvement in lawsuits against patients, following a joint Colorado Sun/9News investigation into the practice.

The bill, House Bill 1380, would apply to all debt collection lawsuits broadly, not just those over medical debt. It would require that the owner of a debt be listed among the plaintiffs in any lawsuit seeking to collect on the debt.

The bill passed its first committee hearing late Wednesday. Supporters say they hope the bill will make it easier for people to understand who is suing them and why in debt collection cases.

“When a consumer doesn’t recognize the name, they often ignore the action, and that can make things worse for them,” said state Rep. Javier Mabrey, D-Denver, one of the bill’s lead sponsors.

The proposal addresses an issue highlighted in The Sun and 9News’ investigation.

The investigation, which was done in conjunction with the Colorado News Collaborative and KFF Health News, found that UCHealth, the state’s largest health care provider, has sued thousands of patients per year over what it claimed were unpaid bills. But UCHealth’s involvement in the lawsuits was invisible to the public because the lawsuits were filed in the names of debt collection companies working for the health care providers.

It is common practice for hospitals and other medical providers to work with debt collection companies to pursue patients for money. But providers like UCHealth go a step further and “assign” the debt to the debt collector without relinquishing ownership of the debt.

Based on that, the debt collection companies put their own names on lawsuits against patients, arguing that they are the proper plaintiff even though the money isn’t owed to them.

Since the publication of the investigation, The Sun and 9News have learned of multiple other hospitals and medical groups in Colorado that engage in the same practice.

The exterior of the University of Colorado Hospital on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, photographed on Oct. 18, 2019. The hospital is the flagship of the UCHealth system. (John Ingold, The Colorado Sun)

UCHealth officials told The Sun and 9News that the health system sued more than 15,000 patients between 2019 and 2023 over debts. Since 2000, almost none of the cases has listed UCHealth as a plaintiff. Jacki Cooper Melmed, UCHealth’s chief legal officer, said it makes more sense to use the debt collectors’ names on the lawsuits because they are the ones making decisions about the lawsuits.

“We are not hiding anything,” she said. “There is no mystery about what’s going on here.”

But consumer-advocacy groups say the system has the effect of concealing UCHealth’s involvement in the lawsuits, making it harder to track the enormous amount of litigation coming from the nonprofit hospital system.

“This is not how responsible parties should act,” Carly Weisenberg, the lead health care organizer at the Center for Health Progress, testified Wednesday before the state House Judiciary Committee. “Deceiving people who owe money should never be a strategy to hide affiliation.”

Weisenberg’s organization currently has a campaign pressuring UCHealth to stop suing patients.

Multiple patients sued over UCHealth debts told The Sun and 9News that the practice of suing under the debt collectors’ name caused them confusion as they struggled to understand who was suing them and what the bill was for.

The only note of the health system’s involvement in the cases comes in brief attachments to the lawsuit complaints that are sealed from public view. Even then, the attachments provide the barest of information and are not on any kind of official form or letterhead, leading some patients to question whether the lawsuits were a scam.

At Wednesday’s committee hearing, Mabrey, the sponsor, said this kind of confusion is common in cases where people are sued by entities who don’t actually own the debt they are suing over.

“At a certain point it feels like, ‘What part of this is real?'” he said.

That skepticism could cause people not to respond to the lawsuits, leading to default judgments and wage-garnishment orders being entered against them.

When the bill was introduced, it required the plaintiffs in a debt-collection lawsuit to own 100% of the debt over which they were suing. After intense negotiation with representatives of the debt-collection industry, though, Mabrey moved Wednesday to drop that requirement.

The version that passed the committee now says collection companies assigned the debt can be listed as plaintiffs so long as the underlying owner of the debt is also listed as a plaintiff.

That change tempered much of the opposition to the bill, with prominent players in the debt-collection lobby moving to more neutral positions.

“What we have at the end of the day may serve our needs and Colorado consumers, as well,” Alan Greenberg, an attorney who specializes in debt collection cases, told the committee Wednesday.

The bill, which is supported by the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, also contains two other significant provisions related to debt collection.

One prohibits collection agencies from seeking warrants for the arrest of people being sued over debts, though it does not forbid judges from issuing warrants if a defendant is nonresponsive to court orders. The second creates new regulations for so-called debt management services providers — companies that work with people to consolidate and pay off debts.

The House Judiciary Committee approved the bill on a 7-4 vote, with Democratic Rep. Marc Snyder of Manitou Springs voting no alongside the committee’s three Republicans. The bill next goes to the full House, and it also must still pass in the state Senate before the legislative session ends on May 8.

The post Hospitals suing patients over unpaid bills would have to put their names on the lawsuits under new Colorado bill appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

The pros and cons of incorporating faith into treatment facilities

Recovery is not easy. It often takes more than willpower alone. Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment is most successful when rehabilitation programs are utilized. However, there are a number of barriers that stand between a person struggling with addiction and recovery.

“The behavior and mental health world [are[ behind in their ability to make access easy. If you have a medical emergency, you would know exactly where to go; often, the process for mental health can feel cumbersome for someone struggling,” said Ronnie Vasquez, the Acute Care Director at Mental Health Partners of Colorado. Vasquez explained that the stigmatization of treatment for addiction can be a significant barrier to a person taking the first steps to finding support.

Historically, faith-based treatment centers held a “free-will” opinion around substance use, believing that there was a personal choice to use. More recently, many experts have moved away from this treatment ideology, though the stigma that addiction is a personal choice rather than a disease still exists. Furthermore, private, faith-based centers may not adhere to the more recent evidence-based practices that have proven most effective in helping those struggling with addiction. Some still abide by an abstinence-only approach to addiction treatment.

While there are some less-than-ideal factors in faith-based recovery, there are also major financial and community-based benefits, bringing to question the role of spirituality and religion in recovery.

Inside the Mental Health Partners Crisis Center

Substance use in Boulder County

The Boulder County County Coroner’s office reported that of the 403 deaths certified in 2022. 194 of those individuals had banned substances in their system at the time of death, with at least 73 deaths attributed directly to illegal drug use.. Dr. Nadia Haddad, the medical director at Mental Health Partners of Colorado, and board-certified psychiatrist and addiction specialist, spoke about the recent trends in Boulder County.

“When I started working here in 2019, opiate use was the most common, with people mostly abusing pharmaceutical drugs,” said Haddad. “About six months in, it moved more to fentanyl use. Now, it is almost exclusively fentanyl, which is very, very difficult to treat.” Haddad explained that most abused non-pharmaceutical drugs are contaminated with fentanyl at varying amounts, making them less predictable and more lethal, leading to a higher risk of an overdose.

Unfortunately, overdoses are also more likely to occur after a person has maintained a level of sobriety. In a study published by the National Library of Medicine, around 47% of individuals have a reduced tolerance to substances after twenty-eight days of sobriety, and 27% completely lose their tolerance in that time. The danger arises during relapse. Often a person will use a substance in the same manner as they did before detox, despite the physiological changes that occurred, leading to an unintended overdose.

New evidence-based practices look to reduce the risk of relapse and overdose by mitigating the previous beliefs of “abstinence only” and incorporating harm-reduction practices and medication-assisted treatment.

The Road to Recovery

Treatment can look different based on need, insurance, and availability. A detox center will mostly focus on getting an individual through their withdrawal symptoms. A residential program will provide around-the-clock care and treatment in a (usually) closed facility. Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) are a step down from residential, providing a safe place for clients to spend the day, participating in groups and medical care, with the freedom to go home at the end of the day. A sober living house is an overnight group living situation that bans illicit substance use but allows clients to return to life, and attend work, school, or other daily activities.

As a person moves through the levels of treatment, they might connect with a recovery group and/or therapist. Often, SUD is a co-occurring diagnosis, meaning that the individual is also dealing with a mental health disorder. Treating the whole person can help prevent relapse and examine the root cause of substance use. A recovery group can help people feel less isolated and develop a sense of accountability and connection among their peers.

Evidence-Based Practices

For SUD treatment, the most up-to-date practices include the medical and mental health treatment required to help a person struggling with addiction stay safe from overdose or lasting repercussions. “There has been a movement away from looking at addiction as if it were a criminal behavior to viewing it as an illness, and more recently, as a chronic illness,” said Dr. Brad Conner, the director of the Masters of Addiction Counseling program at Colorado State University. Conner goes on to explain the importance of not looking at relapse as a fault but rather as a piece of the recovery process, taking away the negative stigmatization of one-directional recovery. He explains that current evidence-based practices have moved away from a twenty-eight-day abstinence model and have started to view treatment as a lifelong process.

The risks of going “Cold Turkey”

Cutting off substance use immediately, without intervention, is referred to as going “cold turkey.” While it might be an effective way to remove a person from a triggering environment, it comes with risks that can prove uncomfortable at best, and deadly at worst. Dr. Haddad warned, “Detoxing from benzos [benzodiazepines] can cause seizures, and alcohol has the risk of Delirium Tremens, which there can be great support around in a detox or treatment center.” A sudden halt in alcohol use causes Delirium Tremens (DTs.) Because alcohol is a depressant, the sudden depletion in the system causes the brain and nervous system to get overstimulated, causing a spike in blood pressure, extreme excitability, and seizures

While not all substances are deadly during withdrawal, many have unpleasant symptoms that can make the person in recovery extremely sick. “It is horribly uncomfortable, and it can be extremely tempting to use during that time.” Haddad continues explaining that even when the symptoms of withdrawal are gone, craving can remain, putting the individual at risk of relapse and accidental overdose.

Medication Assisted Treatment

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) is an effective tool to help a person get through detoxification and the subsequent withdrawals. MAT uses FDA-approved drugs to help a person safely withdraw from a substance, as well as prevent future cravings with continued medicated use. “There is data showing a 90% relapse rate for heroin without the use of any MAT,” said Haddad, “it is really hard to do alone.”

For Opiate Use Disorder (OUD) there are three approved medications: Methadone and Buprenorphine which prevent withdrawal and minimize cravings, and Naltrexone, which blocks the effects of opiates. Both Buprenorphine and Naltrexone can be prescribed and taken once the individual returns home, while Methadone is administered in clinics. Naltrexone is also used in treating Alcohol Use Disorder, often as an aid in helping a person begin to limit use. Acamprosate and Disulfiram are both used for individuals who have already stopped drinking and need to lessen their cravings.

While MAT has a high success rate, Dr. Conner warns, “There can be more doctor visits, and some of the medications have unpleasant side effects.” For this reason, it is helpful to maintain contact with a care team while undergoing MAT.

Harm-Reduction Practices

The general principle of Harm-Reduction is to minimize the impact of illicit substances, whether it is through abstinence, safer use practices, or management of use. This philosophy accepts that substance use and addiction are a part of the world, and supporting a person who is using is more effective than condemning the behavior.

MAT falls under the umbrella of Harm-Reduction, but the practice also expands to preventing overdose and providing safe spaces and tools for individuals who are not ready to undergo treatment.

Where Does Faith Come in?

In speaking about faith-based practices, it is essential to remember that faith and spirituality can look vastly different depending on the individual and the culture. For that reason, lumping all faith-based treatment centers together is impossible. The historically popular Twelve-Step Programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) list their second step as acknowledging a higher power, though there is no dictation or indication of what that higher power has to be.

Dr. Brian Grim is the CEO and founder of the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation, as well as a former researcher for the PEW Research Center, and author of the article “Belief, Behavior, and Belonging: How Faith is Indispensable in Preventing and Recovering from Substance Abuse” which looked at the multifaceted role faith can play in recovery. He explained, “There is a spectrum of faith-based centers. Somewhere faith is front and forefront, and somewhere it is more in the background. The premise of any faith-based recovery is that they need a higher power to get out of addiction. Some will make that higher power nebulous, but often the intention is a god-like figure”

The Bad

Late Adapting of Evidence-Based Practices

Some Faith-Based practitioners are not always adaptors of the Harm-Reduction model, with some going so far as to disallow any medication at all. “I have seen clients who have been sent to private facilities that require they are removed from even their mood-stabilizing medication,” says Haddad, adding that the practice is highly harmful to the safety of the client.

While not using Harm-Reduction techniques can be up to the client, the problem arises when a treatment center needs to state that MAT is not provided clearly. Having the advocacy of a case manager or informed family member can be extremely beneficial when finding a treatment program.

Stigmatization

Unfortunately, for many, religious trauma can exist with those who are also dealing with SUD. The past stigmatization of substance use and the potential evangelizing in faith-based treatment can be enough to deter an individual from seeking treatment. Dr Grim explains, “Religion often gets a bad wrap in the news cycle, but it can cut both ways. People can be hurt when the teachings are abused.”

However, sometimes, the most immediate treatment could be a private, faith-based institution. In those cases, an individual might have to make a hard decision: wait for treatment or negate their principles. Dr. Conner states, “For better or worse, many faith-based [programs] will be lower cost and easier to get into. In those instances, a person may not feel connected immediately.” In these situations, Conner recommends the individual figure out what works for them in treatment and avoid getting bogged down in the belief system.

The Good

Volunteers and Availability

A benefit of faith-based SUD treatment is that they are privately funded through donations or private grants, and often use the work of volunteers for a higher patient-to-caregiver ratio. Some studies suggest that faith-based volunteer work saves the United States Government around $316 Million annually.

Furthermore, there are executive orders to prevent the government from funding faith-based groups, which prevents a collision of church and state, or mandated faith-based recovery for those sentenced to treatment from the court.

Forming Connections and Community

Most importantly, there is a lot of research indicating that connection and groups are paramount in treatment and lasting recovery. Finding a connection and belonging can help an individual stay accountable and feel purpose. While faith-based groups are far and away not the only option, they are a common way for people in recovery to join an established community.

Faith-based recovery, at it’s core, is not necessarily a negative model. However, like any institution, improper policies can have detrimental impacts on the individual. For that reason, it is important to know what to look for when seeking treatment.

When Seeking Treatment

• Ask for help. Engaging with trusted friends or family who are willing to help advocate is extremely helpful in navigating the system. If there are no available resources, try calling the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
• Get connected with a care team. Starting with community-based organizations, such as Mental Health Partners of Colorado or reaching out to primary care physicians for referrals can be a great start.
• Remember that it is a process, and there is no perfect way to recover.

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The post The Role of Spirituality in Substance Use Disorder Treatment appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Some 911 calls will now result in a mental health response rather than a police presence

The City of Boulder launched in December an alternative response pilot program, Community Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE), to respond to dispatcher-triaged 911 and non-emergency line calls that do not require a police response.

The CARE pilot program is part of the city’s effort to create an alternative to police response for 911 calls that are not criminal in nature, do not present safety concerns, and may be more appropriately addressed by health care and behavioral health professionals. The CARE team consists of a behavioral health clinician, a paramedic, and includes intensive case management. This program aims to better assist community members with complex needs.

“The City of Boulder takes pride in its emergency medical services for the community,” said Michael Calderazzo, Fire Chief. “Boulder Fire-Rescue additionally appreciates the great value of partnering with Housing and Human Services in providing advanced level care and preventative medical assistance to those here in need.”

Wendy Schwartz, Human Services Policy Manager, said CARE is patterned after the STAR program in Denver.

STAR is a partnership between the WellPower, Denver Health, Denver Police Department, Denver Department of Public Health and Environment as well as community stakeholders like Caring4Denver and more.

Photo by Jonnica Hille, via Unsplash

STAR provides person-centric mobile crisis response to community members who are experiencing problems related to mental health, depression, poverty, homelessness, and/or substance use issues. Before the STAR program began, Denver’s 911 system was limited to addressing 911 calls through traditional ways, like sending police. Calls for health and safety issues were routed one of two ways; either they went through the police or the health/hospital system. STAR created a third option.

When someone calls 911 for something like a mental health crisis, substance use issue or even something like homelessness or poverty, their call can now be routed to STAR. STAR sends a behavioral health professional and a paramedic to the person in distress.

“Our city council was very interested in this type of a program, and we put together a team to look at planning this in Boulder and went through a process, did some ride-along with STAR, did research on other programs, did some analysis of what was going on here in Boulder. That’s how we put together the program here in Boulder in a cross-departmental partnership,” Schwartz said.

During the first phase of the pilot program, the CARE team is only available Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Schwartz said in the program’s early months city leadership will continue to assess the success of the program and how it is meeting the needs of the community. As staffing increases and the program makes improvements based on lessons learned during the pilot period, CARE will expand its operating hours.

Boulder is the first community in Boulder County to implement this kind of alternative response program.

Schwartz said city staff will work with a professional evaluator to review success metrics of the CARE pilot program and make improvements as the program evolves.  

“We have hired an independent external evaluator to really follow along with us this first year in evaluating and looking at the data, looking at what’s happening,” she said. “After the first year of the program, then the evaluator would be working on a report to assess the information, and that report will certainly be made public. We do check-ins on a monthly basis on how the program’s going as well.”

CARE responds to calls involving concerns about a person’s wellbeing. Calls may involve concerns about anxiety, depression, thoughts or statements about suicide, substance use, minor medical issues, or a person who is experiencing a decline and not receiving appropriate care. CARE does not respond to calls with a report of criminal activity, threats of violence, physical disturbance, weapons, injuries, or major medical need.

“Our goal is that every community member gets the response that best meets their needs at the moment,” Schwartz said. “With licensed behavioral health clinicians and paramedics evaluating appropriate cases in the field, we have one more tool to help people connect with the right services at the right time.”  

Through the CARE pilot program, the city aims to:

• Help people feel supported and able to manage complex challenges while staying in the community.
• Increase positive health impacts for community members served by CARE and reduce future emergency services calls for those individuals through connection to ongoing community services.
• Better use police and fire-rescue resources by diverting calls that could be more effectively served by an alternative response.
• Achieve cost savings from reduced emergency services by reducing unnecessary ambulance rides.

The CARE team complements the Crisis Intervention Response Team (CIRT), which responds to higher acuity calls than CARE. Through CIRT, clinicians respond with police on calls involving a behavioral health crisis. Other outreach and alternative response groups in the city include the Homeless Outreach Team, Urban Park Rangers, Downtown Ambassadors and Nurse Navigator Program.

CARE now offers an additional approach to helping ensure community members’ diverse needs are met with a compassionate and effective response with the CIRT team, otherwise known as the CIR team. And that’s licensed behavioral health clinicians that respond with police to situations that seem like they might have a behavioral health component.

“There’s a dispatch protocol and we modeled this, we used information from Denver and STAR program to see how they were doing this where they really look at the information being provided in the call and do an assessment of which type of response might be most appropriate,” Schwartz said. “If it is something that really seems like it has roots in a behavioral health or low-level health issue and there’s no indications about violence, weapons, et cetera, then that would be a candidate for a CARE response.”

Schwartz said the Care clinicians are HHS employees and the paramedics are from the Boulder Fire Department.

“We also have case managers as part of the program. After the initial crisis is deescalated, then case managers who are HHS employees can work with those individuals to help them connect with ongoing community services,” she said. 

Schwartz said the CARE program is paid for through allocated city funds.

“The funding is part of the city’s budget. It’s city funding that’s been allocated to the departments of Housing and Human Services and the fire department to support the program,” she said.

Schwartz said Boulder hasn’t been immune to economic, social, and crime concerns among residents.

“In Boulder is what people have been experiencing across the country, which is really increased concerns about behavioral health and wellness after the community experienced since the pandemic here in Boulder,” she said. “We had the King Soopers shooting, really a lot of stress for the community.”

Schwartz said she hopes the CARE program brings people together to help those in need.

“I think that what we would hope to see is that people are getting connected to community care, different resources that exist for ongoing care in the community so that whatever brought them to that crisis point, that situation can be addressed so that they don’t have to continually be in crisis,” she said.

For more information about the CARE program visit https://bouldercolorado.gov/services/community-assistance-response-and-engagement

Colorado Crisis Services and Mental Health Partners clinicians and support specialists are available 24/7:

• Call: 1-844-493-8255 or 988
• Text: TALK to 38255
• Visit: 3180 Airport Road in Boulder

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The post Boulder Pilots Alternative Response Program to Emergency Calls appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Connecting with animals one-on-one sparks empathy and action

By: Lauren Threlkeld

Kate and Tiny Tim. Photo provided by Kate Myers

In the realm of animal welfare and animal rights advocacy, Kate Myers stands out as a dedicated force for change. With a career spanning five decades, Myers has been at the frontlines directly tackling some of the most prominent animal rights issues, from puppy mills to industrial farming. At the heart of her efforts is her organization, Speaking of Animals Outreach. I had the pleasure of interviewing her and learning more about her work.

A lifelong animal lover, Myers was 23 years old and living in Eugene, Oregon at the time when she stumbled upon three tiny puppies abandoned in a box. She shared, “in the process of finding out what I could do to help them, I realized that 18 million animals a year at that time were being euthanized in shelters I didn’t know about… I didn’t know it [and] a lot of other people didn’t know it, too.” 

Myers had hoped that major national organizations like the ASPCA, American Humane Association, or The Humane Society of the U.S. would initiate comprehensive campaigns on companion animal issues such as overpopulation, spaying/neutering, and pet identification. In the absence of these projects, she took it upon herself to raise awareness. Equipped with a degree in advertising and public relations, Myers joined a local animal shelter and began a “Pets of the Week” section in her local newspaper, in addition to talking on radio shows and writing for various media outlets including here at YS. Her conviction that public education on animal welfare could enact lasting and meaningful change in the way human beings regard fellow animal species culminated in the launch of Speaking of Animals Outreach.

Speaking of Animals, a relatively new organization, offers an innovative approach in the animal welfare field. While many groups draw on heart-wrenching statistics and a heavy use of pathos, Myers has observed these can detract from the individuality of the animals affected and deter collective action in addressing the root causes of these issues. Myers told YS, “I decided I was going to start an organization that tells animal stories. And the sanctuaries seemed a perfect place to go to because every animal in a sanctuary has a history with a human.” 

Sanctuaries, whether for livestock or wildlife, offer animals a “second chance”, providing refuge and comfort following experiences that require them to be in captivity for their safety and well-being but where they are learning to trust human beings. Myers said, “Animals are much more forgiving than humans…[They] can be rehabilitated and can learn to live and love people again.” These sanctuaries, often on the frontlines of animal care, benefit from the work of Speaking of Animals Outreach, whose stories involve films about misunderstood or maligned animal species, and offer powerful tools of education and awareness.

Myers explained how myths and misconceptions affecting certain animal species can vary, ranging from the cognitive dissonance of animals in agriculture viewed for consumption to animals perceived as pests, vermin, or threats to livestock. She told me about her experience with bats, a sorely misunderstood species, at Bat World Sanctuary. “I got to see millions of these little tiny bats. Some of them stood on my shoulder…but they were so gentle, their little tiny hands. I mean, they were just such wonderful creatures. And they do so much good for humans, that’s a lot of what I’m trying to do, is do films about maligned species like wolves and bats.” 

Myers drew on an example of gray wolves and how long-standing misconceptions about their role continue to harm them today. “Since they [wolves] aren’t protected in Wyoming, [people in Wyoming] are luring them across the border with sounds of an injured elk or deer. And they shoot them. People have such a bad impression about wolves. They don’t go around killing millions of cows and sheep…And I mean they’re just very beneficial to the environment and they take the other animals that either would not survive or would survive to breed and reduce the viability of the offspring.” Whether on bats or wolves, Myers emphasizes the vitality of understanding these species beyond their stereotypes. Through their films, Myers and her team at Speaking of Animals Outreach aim to change public perception through education on the essential roles these species all play in environmental health and ecological balance.

Myers’ advocacy has also extended to Capitol Hill. She shared with YS some of the challenges experienced in passing legislation to regulate puppy mills, citing the obstacles of its billion-dollar industry and surprising influences like the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Yet her grassroots activism and unwavering determination has led to many victories. “We passed an anti-cruelty bill, a really strong one in Washington state when I was there. I was lucky enough to work for Adam Smith, who is now a U.S. senator…Everything that has to do with animals goes to the Agricultural Committee…So I worked on this campaign, so I got to know him…I gave him all the information about a cycle of violence, and how violence against animals leads to violence against children and women. And he read it over the summer. He actually read it…And he said…[this] really should be in law. And justice is about law. And we passed it.”

In addition to Speaking of Animals Outreach, Myers has been working on a book called Places of Hope, which expands on a previous YS article she wrote covering the work of animal sanctuaries. In conjunction with filming, Myers is writing a chapter for each sanctuary and further detailing the stories of the individual animals featured.

Myers believes lasting and meaningful change in animal welfare efforts are best enacted when driven by genuine personal desire. She discussed a recent film she and her team did at Speaking of Animals on two pigs, Arnie and Frankie, who arrived by themselves as young piglets at Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary in Erie, Colorado, after escaping a neighboring farm from slaughter. Myers stated, “we can individualize the situations with individual animals. Those things I think can be much more effective with people than lecturing at them or telling them what they should do or giving them horror stories and showing them horrible pictures. I don’t think that reaches people.” Myers is also a strong believer in meeting people where they are, and that no step forward is too small to lack significance: “I believe everybody’s on a continuum…All I’m saying to people is just think about it…And, you know, if you did decide to do a little something about it, that would be wonderful. But at least you know now…our motto is: know better, do better.”

Little changes can go a long way. Maybe this can look like adopting a companion animal at The Humane Society of Boulder Valley rather than purchasing from a pet store, or skipping the zoo to visit The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado, for a chance to see bears, tigers, lions, and wolves thriving in sprawling environments closely replicating their natural habitats. No matter how incremental these individual actions may seem, collectively, there is incredible potential. Myers noted that every story filmed at Speaking of Animals Outreach has a happy ending–a testimony of how even the smallest acts can bring significant avenues of positive and meaningful change in animal welfare. And is there anything better than happy animals? We’d be hard-pressed to think otherwise!

The post Speaking of Animals Outreach boosts animal rights through individual connections appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Q&A With Author Lisa Fierer about finding healing through yoga and writing

In “Thirst,” author Lisa Fierer writes about living in an abusive household, and piecing herself back together after her father murdered her mother. We sat down with Fierer to talk about her healing process, future ideas, and if forgiveness is attainable in a situation like hers.

Yellow Scene: Does it get easier to talk about your past? 

Lisa Fierer: I work full time as a yoga teacher, and I only bring that up because with a book out in the world it invites people to bring up traumatic topics at unexpected times. So, I’d say yes and no. 

YS: At one point you wrote that you wanted to lock your past away. Why tell your story now?

LF: The truth is that it wouldn’t let me go. And honestly the seed was planted when I was a little kid. I always had my nose in a book. I don’t think I was conscious of it. But I was always looking to relate and to read about a character that had a life like mine.

YS: Do you have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? 

LF: Yeah. I know that I do. I’ve never technically been diagnosed with it. When my mom was murdered, we just weren’t sent to therapy. It’s the early 80s. And [therapy] was so taboo… So, yeah, I know that I live with it. I know that I navigate it. I know that’s a lot of what my addiction was trying to medicate. 

LS: How long have you been sober?

LF: Twenty-eight years.

YS: How do your siblings feel about you telling your story?

LF: I was really open from the get go. Every relationship is different, especially between siblings…One of the greatest pieces of advice I got in my writing community is to write first and edit later. And that has applied in everything but especially about family.

YS: What drew you to your first Sun Dance? 

LF: I would say the same thing drew me to that as to writing this book – this deep sense of knowing that is beyond debate. In yoga that might be called dharma or life purpose.

YS: What does forgiveness mean to you?

LF: It means a space beyond the hurt that doesn’t dismiss the hurt and the harm that occurred. That’s why I think it’s such a fascinating topic. I don’t think there’s one prescription that fits every situation. Every situation is so unique that it’s changed for me throughout my own relationship with my dad, for example. I never wanted to forgive him ever because it was the only power I had in an otherwise completely powerless situation. It wasn’t until I realized I was imprisoning myself with my own rage and resentment that I began to open up to something different. 

YS: Have you forgiven your dad?

LF: Yeah, definitely. But it’s not a one and done thing. I mean it is. I know that I’ve forgiven him because even though he’s gone, when I think of him now, it’s in a completely neutral and often positive way, which was never the case. 

I think what’s important about my story is the fact that I write about being such an asshole. And often, I look back and that gets lost. Seeing my father in me helped me be willing to excavate some of that and to empower myself. 

YS: At one point you mention that a book was itching to come out of you. Do you think that itch correlated with some of the healing you were doing through yoga?

LF: Definitely. I had tried to dampen down and forget about that experience with alcohol and addiction. And this is what was beneath all of that. 

YS: Is your reckoning with the past over?

LF: Is it ever? I don’t know. I think there are kind of layers. I don’t think the piece that I feel about it will just dissolve. But I’ve never been married. I certainly wrote about a pretty intimate relationship. When I encounter those and perhaps a partner’s relationship with their dad that there may be new or other layers. I don’t feel afraid of it though. I think that’s the difference.

YS: Do you think you have other books in your future?

LF: I hope so. I hope they’re really light. There’s maybe a children’s book or a prescriptive nonfiction [in my future]. Maybe I’ll write about what happened behind the scenes of thirst. But honestly, I’m so over that story.

The post Decades after her mother was murdered by her father, author Lisa Fierer shares her story appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Chanukah means Dedication
Chanukah is not mentioned in Jewish scripture; the story is related in the book of the Maccabees. The First and Second Books of Maccabees contain the most detailed accounts of the battles of Judah Maccabee and his brothers for the liberation of Judea from foreign domination. These books include within them the earliest references to the story of Chanukah and the rededication of the Temple.

Learn more about the story of Chanukah

Lighting the Candles 
The only religious observance related to the holiday is the lighting of candles. The candles are arranged in a candelabrum called a Hanukkiah. Some have the custom to light a Hanukkiah for each person in the family. Since most candles burn for 30-60 minutes, we often light the Hanukkiah in the home, so we can enjoy the glow of the lights and stay close for fire safety. 

Each night, another candle is added from right to left (like the Hebrew language). Candles are lit from left to right because you pay honor to the newer thing first.

Blessing over the candles 

Customs
One of the best parts about Chanukah is arguably the fried food, especially the latkes! Emblematic of the olive oil that miraculously lasted eight days, latkes are a delicious way to tell the story of this eight-night holiday.

Historian and rabbi Gil Marks explained, “We’re not exactly sure what foods were traditionally made prior to the 14th century, when two types of Hanukkah foods emerged on the record, dairy foods and fried foods.”

Sephardic Jews made many variations of fried sweets for the holiday, while Ashkenazi Jews in Northern Europe made fried blintzes and donuts. Italian Jews in the 15th century made fried ricotta cheese pancakes (“cassola”) which were arguably the first “latkes.”

A dreidel (sevivon in Hebrew) is a spinning top, with four sides, each side featuring a different Hebrew letter: nun (?), gimmel (?), hay (?) and either shin (??) or peh (??).

The game of dreidel is often explained with a legend that, during the time of the Maccabees, when Jewish children were forbidden from studying Torah, they would defy the decree and study anyway. When a Greek official would come close they would put away their books and take out spinning tops, claiming they were just playing games.

Menorah or Hanukkiah
Many people refer to the Hanukkiah as a menorah. The name menorah is used only to describe the seven-branched candelabrum that was housed in the Jewish Temple. The Hanukkiah holds nine candles: one for each night, plus a shamash (servant) at a different height.

Upcoming Events

Learn about these events and more at the Boulder JCC

Paula Pollachek in her studio north of Boulder, CO

Messinger Gallery Artist Opening with Paula Newman Pollachek

Nosh & Network Holiday Party

Date: December 12, 2023
Time: 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

[OFF CAMPUS] Women & Men of the J Brewery Meetup

Date: December 13, 2023
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

The post Celebrate Chanukah with the Boulder JCC appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Alex Borrell enjoys his liftie job at Eldora. Photo courtesy of Alex Borrell

Alex Borrell, Eldora

Borrell grew up in Florida but always dreamed of snowboarding since he was a kid. “Shaun White became really big and, of course, that pushed me even harder wanting to learn to snowboard,” Borrell said.

At 24 Borrell finally made it to Colorado and thought the fastest track to learning how to snowboard would be working at a ski resort. He was hired as a lift operator.

“It was one of the best jobs I’ve had so far in Colorado,” Borrell said. “I learned how to snowboard due to the fact that I was technically on a snowboard eight hours a day almost. That’s pretty much where I started. I wanted to work on the mountain. I wanted to see what it was like. After my first season I absolutely fell in love with it.”

Lift operators, or “lifties,” assist guests at ski resorts onto lifts. When Borrell first started he earned $13.50 an hour. “It wasn’t glamorous pay,” Borrell said. “You had to do it out of the love for the job. If you enjoy what you do, you never work a day in your life. Working at Eldora was not all about the customer service but seeing peoples’ smiles on their faces when you’re getting them up the mountain.”

Borrell lived with his mom in Boulder and then in Longmont during the first two seasons working as a liftie. “The only reason I survived it was because for the first two years of me being out here, I lived at my mom’s house,” Borrell said. “I took advantage of the fact that I could live at my mom’s house pretty much rent-free, and I took that chance to go become a liftie and enjoy liftie scum life.”

The ski lifts on a snowy day at Eldora. Photo courtesy of Alex Borrell

Another perk of the job is free passes to ski mountains. Borrell hit seven resorts his first year working.

“Lift operators on the mountains are kind of looked down upon by every other part of the mountain,” Borrell said. “The cafeteria people think they’re better than lifties. Ski school definitely thinks they’re better than lifties. We all kind of take pride in the fact that everybody looks down on us as lift operators. In reality we crack the joke that there would be no ski school if there weren’t lift operators. We all know that the reason most of us are lift operators is because we want to be ski bums. We want to ride down the mountain while we’re working. We want to be riding other mountains when we’re off. We all want to live that ski bum life, and the liftie operating life is something that helps with that.”

From the daily handling of guests who are too drunk to get on the ski lift to those forgetting their kids behind as they go up, Borell remembers both the funny and harrowing moments on the job. “Life operator reflexes are normally faster than a cat’s,” Borrell said.

He remembers saving a child from being hit by a lift chair and helping a hypothermic skier get to safety after she was stuck in a powder pit for seven hours. Borrell and his coworkers skied Copper Mountain in their uniforms as a joke one day.

“We had a great time until one of us got hurt,” Borrell said. “We literally had to strip a liftie down to his shirt because he was wearing Eldora everything: jacket, thermal, undershirt. He was wearing so much Eldora we literally had to strip him down to his tank top before we called ski patrol.”

Borrell and his liftie friends jokingly wear their Eldora uniforms to Copper Mountain. Photo courtesy of Alex Borrell

The pay is no longer sustainable enough for Borrell to continue working as a liftie, but of course he still has a reverence for what got him into the job in the first place. “The way that I see snowboarding is it’s like meditation,” Borrell said. “In everyday life you’re not in 100 percent  control of what could happen to you. While you’re snowboarding it’s almost like meditation to me because I am 100 percent  in control of anything that could happen to me when I’m on that mountain. It’s you, the mountain, and the board and nothing else.”

Some lifties move up to management or lift maintenance positions so that they get paid more. Although lifties often don’t make a living wage, perks like working with friends and opportunities to ski while working keep the job filled. 

“Lift operators have a big family aspect to it because we have to deal with each other on a daily basis,” Borrell said. “It’s a big comradery. It’s a big brotherhood, sisterhood. As much as I love the job and as much as I wanted to be there, I just knew because of management positions work that I probably wouldn’t be getting a management position any time soon, and in turn not be earning the money I would need to not be living at my mom’s house. I had to quit the liftie life and get another job so I could continue to not live at my mom’s house.”

As for Eldora? Borrell says it doesn’t fit that typical ski resort vibe that other ski towns have, without the corporate or high class influence.

“It’s not a big ski town, it’s more of a sleepy little hippie town if anything,” Borrell said. “It just happens to have a ski resort up the mountain from it. The whole vibe of Eldora and Nederland is pretty much the same.”

Borell’s recommendations:

Airbnb Lodging: Borrell recommends finding Airbnbs in the town of Eldora or Rollinsville. It’s nice to not have to drive up the canyon in inclement weather.

Harvest House Ganja Shop: “They have locally grown bud that is grown indoors, so it’s pretty good quality,” Borrell said. “Out of all the places in Nederland, those are probably the biggest bang for your buck.”

Hike and explore the town of Eldora: Borrell recommends looking at the old homes and exploring the hiking trails in the old mining town of Eldora. He says there’s an old truck with a tree growing out of it.

Mark Hyche, Breckenridge

Hyche had to wear many more layers than he was used to coming from Georgia to Breckenridge. Photo courtesy of Mark Hyche

Hyche hitchhiked to Breckenridge with a stack of resumes in hand. He started as a chef at a local restaurant and moved in with snowboarder guys in town.

Eventually making it to Peak 9 Restaurant at Breckenridge Resort, Hyche was the second person on the lift every morning after inspection. He remembers making 200 gallons of soup everyday, which he stirred with a boat paddle, and the party work culture.

“Once you’re a local you never pay full price, so everyone there is a raging alcoholic or doing drugs,” Hyche joked. “It’s hand in hand in that business: Whether you’re ski patrol, whether you’re a ski lift operator guy or a bartender. Everyone is doing their thing.”

Gaper Day on April 1st was one of his favorite days when the locals get back at the tourists on the slopes by dressing up as them and playfully knocking them over. Gaper Day is named after the way that tourists walk around with their mouths gaping open.

“It started getting out of hand,” Hyche said. “It was supposed to be fun, kind of like a controlled mosh pit, but then it started getting crazy, and they had cops on skis up on the hills.”

The tourists also left behind plenty of good gear for locals to snag. “One of the upsides to the tourists is you don’t have to buy anything,” Hyche said. “If you need gloves or Oakley goggles you go to the lost and found and it’s yours. I mean they’re from Miami. We’ll never see them again. They buy the best stuff and lose it. I can’t tell you how many Beats by Dr. Dre I’ve found on tables just sitting there.”

“you don’t have to buy anything, “If you need gloves or Oakley goggles you go to the lost and found and it’s yours.”

Hyche lived the vampire life, he calls it, meaning you get off late and party after work.

“When you’re a local, by the time you get home and you have one leg out of your pants, your alarm clock is going off,” Hyche said. “When you come to work, all the girls are in their underwear and bras. Everyone knows each other. Guys are over there in their boxers. There’s plates with lines on it. Someone is rolling a joint, music is going, non-slip shoes all over the place. Everyone is in their underwear bullshitting about what they did the night before.”

Hyche rented a townhome near downtown Breckenridge. “I never locked my door,” Hyche said. “My policy was if you could crawl to my house, you could stay at my house. I saved a lot of peoples’ lives. If you missed your bus to the next town, you’re done.”

Finding affordable housing is difficult for most people working at the resort. “A lot of the employers hold you hostage by way of housing,” Hyche said.

Some employers offer housing as part of pay for the job. “Housing is one of the biggest issues there,” Hyche said. “It’s not employment, it’s just where are you going to stay — and it’s gotten way more expensive. A lot of people who have a fifth and sixth home, they don’t want someone keeping employees in their property.” Some employees opt to camp out in their vehicles and stay in the free parking lots.

Hyche’s advice for the ski slopes? Never wear a Camelback. Three or four times a week he would hear a knock at Peak 9’s kitchen door with a frozen tourist on the other side whose frozen Camelback had exploded on them.

Hyche’s recommendations:

• Treasure hunting under the lifts: When springtime hits go under the lifts with metal detectors to find treasures. “You would not believe the stuff they find: cash, diamond rings, class rings,” Hyche said. “It’s unreal.”
• Kenosha Breck: Grab a Bloody Mary from Kenosha Breck or play horseshoes. “Bloody Marys are a lifesaver in this town,” Hyche said. “You drink two of those, you’re back to square one. You’re ready. You’re good to go. You’re healed.”
• Tom’s Baby: Visit the largest piece of gold ever found in Colorado.
• Panning for gold at the Blue River in Silverthorne, near the outlet malls: Try your luck panning for gold on the Blue River.
• Beaver Run Resort and Conference Center: If you book in advance, you can get a good deal there, Hyche said.
• Check out the Summit County Libraries: “They’re well funded and well taken care of,” Hyche said.
• Angry James Brewing Company: Trivia on Thursday nights

Danny Devlin, Aspen Snomass 

Danny Devlin assists a fully blind skier down the slope. Photo courtesy of Danny Devlin

Devlin joined the ski club in college in Virginia, which allowed him to ski a lot through practices and races. After graduation he traveled west to work for Challenge Aspen, an adaptive skiing program. He worked as an assistant on adaptive lessons and now assists people skiing with disabilities or visual or hearing impairments.

“The goal is that people get better at skiing, but the biggest goal is just to have fun,” Devlin said. “If you’re having fun it helps the person have fun. It’s definitely cool that the main idea behind the job is just to have a good time on the mountain. The culture definitely does reflect that.”

Devlin’s first choice was working at Copper Mountain but could not find any housing. Challenge Aspen offered employee housing at a cheaper-than-market rent rate.

Many of the lower-paid resort jobs will come with housing as an extra incentive for a lower wage. Many employers offer housing and a visa opportunity for international workers to come work in Aspen. This winter Devlin is a ski instructor and has to find his own housing because these jobs pay more. He lives in Basalt, 30 minutes away from Snowmass.

“Everyone who works ski industry jobs has at least two jobs if not more, which is definitely the culture,” Devlin said. “Pretty much all young people who work in the ski industry have at least two jobs.”

While working at Challenge Aspen last year, Devlin worked two bartending jobs. Usually Devlin finished on the slopes at 3 p.m. and started work at the bar at 4 p.m. He was able to stay at the employee housing for the season from November through April and spent the off-season in Hawaii with his girlfriend who lived there. Now that he has increased pay working as a ski instructor, he only works one bartending job on the side.

For Devlin, working many jobs is a low price to pay for the opportunity to ski.

“Most people’s passion is skiing, not ski instructing,” Devlin said. “Your boss knows you want to have time to free ski and do whatever you want. They definitely understand that because they most certainly love skiing.”

Although pricing in the Aspen area is often out of touch for those working at the resort, there is still a strong community aspect to living there.

“There’s very much a sense of community around the locals,” Devlin said. “Pretty much all businesses in some way will give locals discounts because, of course, the prices for the businesses are meant for the rich vacationers.”

Devlin’s recommendations:

• Fuel Cafe: One of the only quick food places near Snowmass
• Big Hoss Grill: One of the more affordable dinners around and where Devlin works as a bartender.
• Silver City Aspen: A fun, chill bar in Aspen that’s not overly fancy with pool tables
• Maroon Bells: Easy, chill, must-do hike
• X Games: An annual extreme sports competition with live music

Jim Schutz, Copper Mountain

Jim Schutz enjoys a day working as an instructor at Copper Mountain. Photo courtesy of Jim Schutz

An engineer by training and trade, Schutz has worked as a part-time ski instructor for 11 years. Teaching children how to ski felt natural because he’s skied his whole life and worked with kids in roles such as a Boy Scout Master and hockey team manager. “I love skiing, and I like working with kids,” Schutz said. “To me a successful day is when at the end of the day, the kid is tired and flops on the slope waiting for Mom and Dad.”

Schutz tries to get the children out skiing on the mountain and out of the classroom as much as he can. Hot chocolate breaks are pretty frequent, he said. “Copper really does focus on making the whole thing family friendly.”

“Copper really does focus on making the whole thing family friendly.”

Schutz is happy working for Copper Mountain. The schedule is flexible, and they provide and encourage further training for instructors.

“I like the inclusiveness of Copper,” Schutz said. “I feel like I’m a valued part of the team, a valued part of the organization. My management tries to keep the rigamarole out of our court and encourages us to do the teaching, to do the work with the kids.

Schutz teaches part-time on weekends and stays at his condo in Dillion. He tries to ski as much as he can when he’s not working.

“I like the flexibility of doing this,” Schutz said. “I have what I feel is a very supportive staff and management. I really enjoy that.”

Schutz’s recommendations:

• JJ’s Rocky Mountain Tavern: Offers live entertainment a couple of days a week.
• Highside Brewing: Schutz enjoys the pinball machine. “It’s nice to have something to do besides sit and drink beer,” Schutz said.
• Syndicate Brewing Co.: His new-found hangout spot
• Sunshine Cafe: Good for a sit-down breakfast
• Blue Moon Bakery: Take-and-go breakfast sandwiches
• Angry James Brewing Company: Trivia on Thursday nights

The post Liftie Life: Why People Work at Ski Resorts appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

By Leigh Paterson, KUNC (Via AP Storyshare)

In communities across Northern Colorado, people are struggling with their mental health while also struggling to get the care they need.

The problem is widespread. Around a quarter of residents reported having poor mental health in the most recent Colorado Health Access Survey. Out of the 1 in 6 Coloradans who were unable to get needed care, nearly half said they had a hard time getting an appointment, while nearly 60% were concerned about cost.

Fort Collins resident Kristin Vera has lived these statistics while trying to get her teenage daughter help over the past several years.

“Her mood was so extraordinarily low. And of course, I was worried about self-harm, suicide and also, it’s just hard to see your kid being miserable,” Vera told KUNC earlier this year.

During the pandemic, Vera had trouble finding a therapist who accepted insurance, had openings, and who would be a good fit for her daughter who was depressed and questioning her gender identity.

“I just remember the anxiety of being in that space of feeling like someone has got to help us. But who? Where are they?” Vera said.

Over the past few months, we have been reporting on the barriers residents face in getting help, despite laws in place to ensure insurance coverage. Here’s what you need to know about mental health parity laws.

What is mental health parity?

Federal and state parity laws require insurance companies to cover behavioral health services such as therapy in the same way that they cover physical health services such as doctor’s appointments. Parity laws prohibit insurance carriers from being more restrictive based on measures like copays and the number of covered appointments.

With some exceptions, mental health services are a covered benefit for most Coloradans with insurance. Still, residents regularly have trouble getting care.

“It can be really, honestly be like climbing Everest twice without oxygen to go from the moment of realizing that you need help and then within seven calendar days walking in or signing on to your first therapy session using your insurance,” said Cara Cheevers, the head of behavioral health at Colorado’s Division of Insurance, in reference to getting care within a week, as required by regulation.

If parity laws exist, why is getting help so hard?

Several reasons. One is a widespread problem with inaccurate provider directories known as “ghost networks”. This is when an insured person pulls up a list of in-network therapists but then is unable to connect with them over phone or email.

“You might find out that person is no longer in-network,” Cheevers said. “It may be that they’re not even in your state. It may be that they’re not even real. It might be that you might have the same person duplicated five or 10 times, and they’re not taking new patients.”

Colorado regulation does require insurance companies to regularly update their directories. The state’s Division of Insurance is currently working to determine the scope of ghost networks here.

Plus, in many rural communities, Colorado has a true shortage of therapists, counselors, psychologists and other behavioral health providers. But perhaps the even bigger issue is the lack of providers who take insurance. In some cases, insurance reimbursement rates are too low. For many, the process of getting in-network, called credentialing, takes too long — sometimes up to four months.

“It’s too hard to figure out how to get in-network. There are challenges with the administrative burden of taking commercial insurance. Some providers will say it’s not worth the extra lift to do so,” Cheevers said.

For now, residents who can afford to pay out-of-pocket do, while others try to figure out a way to get in-network care or go without help entirely.

Over the summer, the Division of Insurance asked companies to speed up and simplify the process. There is also an effort to get more pre-licensed providers in the mix and covered by insurance to ease the workforce shortage.

Posters for I Matter, the state’s free student therapy program hang in Fort Collins High School. The initiative was launched in 2021, in response to a significant increase in youth mental health needs in Colorado. (Leigh Paterson/KUNC)

How does Colorado enforce its parity laws?

In 2019, lawmakers here passed a bill that expanded parity and gave the Division of Insurance more power. That’s when Cara Cheevers’ job was created. Her department now has three employees.

The Division of Insurance enforces parity proactively through actions such as yearly reviews of co-pays and pharmacy benefits. They issue regulations and fines. But enforcement without sufficient consumer complaints can be tricky; last year, the division only received 48 complaints related to behavioral health.

“It takes a lot of work and it takes a lot of time and a lot of times policy change is not sexy either, right? Like to say, ‘Oh we amended this regulation and now we’re collecting data on reimbursement rates’ and to someone experiencing a crisis or someone who’s struggling to get out of bed, that doesn’t land,” Cheevers said. “That is, I think, the inherent just push and pull of systems work and systems change.”

Are Coloradans aware that because of parity laws, mental heath services should be covered?

Struggling to find care is a common experience but many people are unaware of their consumer rights. According to the most recent Colorado Health Access Survey, 70% of people who went without needed care said they did not think insurance would cover it.

If you are unable to get covered treatment within the specified timeframe, your insurance company should approve that treatment with an out-of-network provider, in writing.

Some help is out there. For insurance questions and to file a complaint, the Division of Insurance has a consumer services team that is reachable over the phone or email.

Colorado also has an independent behavioral health ombudsman who residents can contact for help navigating the system.

KUNC is part of the Mental Health Parity Collaborative, a group of newsrooms that are covering stories on mental health care access and inequities in the U.S.. The partners on this project include The Carter Center, The Center for Public Integrity, and newsrooms in select states across the country.

The post From long wait lists to high costs, finding a therapist in Colorado is harder than it should be appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Colorado is home to its fair share of ghost towns because of its mining history. Amidst the gold rush, new towns popped up in gold and silver hot spots in the mid 1800s. But by the end of the century, many of those towns were abandoned in pursuit of more comfortable living conditions. Today, there are over 1,500 ghost towns that still exist across the state that lay empty or nearly empty. Many of the 200-year old structures are phenomenally preserved, and easy to visit. There are a few ghost towns that are inaccessible to the public due to toxic conditions. Here are three of Colorado’s spookiest ghost towns plus everything you need to know about them. 

Saint Elmo

Located southwest of Buena Vista, Saint Elmo is one of Colorado’s creepiest ghost towns. First established as Forrest City in 1880, Saint Elmo was part of the gold rush, drawing inhabitants from all around the country. By 1881, the town had about 2,000 residents. But the boom only lasted about five years due to limited mining resources. Less than 100 years later, nearly everyone had left the town. 

While many ghost towns are categorized as such due to their vacancy, Saint Elmo could have a resident with slightly creepier implications. Legend has it that a skier spotted a pretty woman in a white dress, staring out the window of a hotel room. Some speculate that she was a descendant of one of the town’s founders and she continues to protect that region today. 

Those who are adventurous enough to visit the town will find that it’s still not entirely empty. The town is not only accessible all year round, making it a great adventure spot. It’s also one of the best-preserved ghost towns in the state, giving visitors tremendous insight into what it might’ve looked like in the 1800s. There are 43 structures still standing proudly in the town today. One of them is an operational general store where adventurers might stop for a cold drink. To get there from Denver, drivers should expect nearly a 3-hour drive. Take 285 S almost the whole way there before turning onto CO RD 162/Chalk Creek Dr. 

Independence

The town of Independence is situated near the Aspen at 11,000-feet, in an extremely exposed area. Its location is enough to give most drivers the heebee jeebees since its always predisposed to extreme weather conditions.The town was first established in 1879, but it was only open for about 20 years because it was inaccessible in the winter, making it impossible for residents to resupply or leave during horrible conditions. In its prime, Independence had about 1,500 residents and 40 businesses, making it an extremely bustling place during the mining days. However, living in this area meant that residents had to face the potential for starvation and exposure. If the dried up mine and treacherous weather conditions weren’t enough to encourage existing residents to leave, a terrible storm would chase off the last of them by 1899. 

The town of Independence is still accessible to most visitors, but the pass closes every year between early November through Memorial Day. To get there from Denver, most drivers take I-70 W to CO-91 S to CO-82 W. The journey takes about 2.5 hours without traffic. 

Gilman – Inaccessible 

Gilman is easily one of Colorado’s scariest ghost towns because of the circumstances surrounding its abandonment. Located in Eagle County, this town was established by John Clinton, a prospector and a judge. It quickly became a mining town for about 100 years, where workers collected silver, copper, gold and zinc. While most mining towns lasted just 20-50 years, Gilman was situated on enough material to keep the mine going for much longer. The town saw so much early success that the population grew to about 1,500 people. It was fully functional, and even contained a school and bowling alley. 

Like many of Colorado’s ghost towns, Gilman’s population started to dry up with the gold. By the end of the 19th century, only300 people inhabited the town. However, in 1984, the town was entirely abandoned after the Environmental Protection Agency ordered its closure. Scientists determined that the town was full of toxic components and pollutants that  caused harm to residents. Even the groundwater was found to be contaminated. In addition to finding these toxins, the EPA found 8 million tons of mine waste.

Gilman was designated as a superfund site in 1986. Officials were able to clean many of the toxins found in the town, and the area is still inhabitable today although it remains closed to visitors. Officials have been known to prosecute trespassers for visiting. 

Colorado is known for everything from its steep and rocky peaks to its outdoor adventure culture and micro breweries. But a lesser-known attraction is the state’s collection of ghost towns, which welcome visitors from around the country every year. With a rich history in mining that continues even today, some of the state’s abandoned mining towns are among the biggest and most developed in the country. Spending a weekend exploring these destinations can be one of the most gratifying spooky-season activities in the state.

The post Three of Colorado’s Spookiest Ghost Towns appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Rocky Mountain PBS (Via AP Storyshare)

By: Elle Naef, Peter Vo

Photo from previous Dazzle show

DENVER — On a recent Thursday night at Dazzle, guests filled the chairs while servers skillfully weaved through aisles between songs, skirting their way around composer Chie Imaizumi who was conducting her “Little Big Band” from the floor in front of the stage, just feet from the audience.

“Gift of Jazz Presents: Chie Imaizumi Little Big Band feat. Randy Brecker and Greg Gisbert,” was part of an exclusive two-night concert series at Dazzle Denver’s new location in the Denver Performing Arts Complex.

The series was a collaboration between jazz artists who have experienced challenges with mental wellness. The artists aimed to bring the conversation of mental wellness to center stage, creating a sense of unity and belonging for all involved — including the audience.

A trumpet solo stunned the audience, and Imaizumi grinned and clapped along with them. Her reaction was not only that of a proud composer, but one of a lifetime fan.

The trumpet player was none other than Randy Brecker of the jazz fusion band “Brecker Brothers,” as well as one of the original members of Blood, Sweat and Tears.

Imaizumi was first introduced to Brecker’s work as a preteen studying music in Japan. According to her, most of the lessons were focused on classical and Japanese pop, until a teacher encouraged her to continue her studies in Tokyo. There, her teacher took her to a concert in a giant, brightly lit concert hall booming with music. Imaizumi recalls telling her teacher, “I don’t understand what’s going on on-stage, but I want to do something like that.”

“Now I’m here having him, my star, playing my music,” Imaizumi shared, smiling at Brecker. “And that’s a dream come true.”

Full-circle moments like this one are far from a rarity at Dazzle Denver. One could even say that venue owner Donald Rossa orchestrates them.

Thanks to a vast network grown from authentic connections and a healthy dose of vulnerability, connections that develop at Dazzle go much deeper than musical collaborations. In many ways, it creates a community that supports one another in the journey of mental wellness.

The event was an excellent example of this. Rossa reached out to friend and collaborator Greg Gisbert to fulfill the first residency at Dazzle’s new location. This event was one of many Gisbert helped piece together, this time with the theme of mental wellness.

The group was curated not only for their talents, but because of their unique bond. Rossa had supported the career paths of Imaizumi and Gisbert however he could, and Gisbert had inspired Imaizumi to try a collaboration with him in a project that, with Rossa’s help, landed them on Capri records.

Even presenters The Gift of Jazz had personal investment in these relationships, as they had partnered with Dazzle to help keep Imaizumi in the U.S. to finish her studies.

Here, lifetime friendships were born. One close enough that, while in crisis, they knew they could reach out to one another to feel less alone — all thanks to music.

“I wish the world and world governments could operate more like a jazz group,” said Gisbert. “We have so much love to give and share, and we want to share it with the world.”

Rossa shared this sentiment, stating, “We all come from music and we met through music, but we share a common bond after that. And is mental health and mental wellness. That is our own personal struggles, that is struggles within our community. It’s kind of our support mechanism that we can rely upon each other, but also try to invite other people into our circle.”

The shared intent to invite audience members into the circle of healing these friends had cultivated was clear. Imaizumi composed the lineup of songs so that they align with the stages of a mental breakdown and the recovery that follows.

In the first piece of the series, entitled “Adversity,” the music begins with a dark and lonely bass solo. Imaizumi said this was meant to depict the feeling one gets when they simply can’t get the energy to wake up in the morning and face the day. From there, the songs bring the audience on a journey to hope and healing.

“It’s okay not to be okay all the time,” Imaizumi said about the piece’s message. “It’s music that everyone can relate to. I think everyone has different stories to tell, but they can relate to those dark places, traces of pain.”

The performers were just as impacted by the audience as the audience was by the music. “I saw the audience felt that as well, so it was such a beautiful moment,” Imaizumi continued. “I saw color change in the whole room.”

Needless to say, audience feedback aligned with Imaizumi’s intuition. “Some women came up to me in tears,” reflected Imaizumi, “And they’re like, ‘I didn’t know you until today, and I don’t know why, but I keep crying.’ I said, ‘I’m glad that happened for you.’”

Once again, music united once-strangers in a way that only music can. Take it from Randy Brecker himself, who concluded “Music is really the great unifier of the world.”

The post At Dazzle Denver, mental wellness is an ensemble effort appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

The annual Dory Hill Pinball Campout (elevation 9230’) merges an elite tournament with al fresco revelry and reverence for the silver ball.

By: Jeremy Simon

Dave Johnson, a lead volunteer at Colorado’s largest pinball tournament, addressed an eager and shivering crowd in the Dory Hill Campground open-air pavilion at the post-tournament awards. Glancing around, he realized something was missing. “Snow! Snow!… We want Snow!”

Noting the loud downpour a few feet away and the late-summer temperature dropping through the 40s, Johnson backtracked slightly. “No, we don’t want actual snow,” he added as tournament director Snow Galvin stepped up to spirited applause for her efforts in breathing life into perhaps the world’s most improbable pinball tournament.
Actual snow would not be an unusual occurrence at the Dory Hill Pinball Campout. The tournament/retreat, run by Galvin and event director Deanna Scalf, marked its 13th (mostly) annual occurrence on September 8-10 with 140 competitors, who brought along family members and dogs to the bucolic, Aspen-studded campground site 20 miles west of Golden at 9,230 feet in elevation.

The players included cardiologists, clinical therapists, cops, and craftspeople. Representatives of all those professions described the Dory Hill experience with a hushed reverence. Many players hauled up their own pinball machines — 57 this year, weighing 250-350 pounds each — strapped to flatbeds and lashed inside trailers. The event sold out as quickly as tickets for Taylor Swift’s 2023 Denver concerts, though in fairness Taylor moved 150,000 more tickets.

“The one unique thing to say about it,” said Russell Linsky, the cardiologist, “is that if you ask, and people know about it, it’s everyone’s favorite tournament.”

Competitors played at least 27 tournament games across two days. Before and after tournament games, they wandered the campground and sampled pinball games manufactured across seven decades. No quarters necessary, except for the showers — two quarters for three minutes.

At night, the games glowed like beacons on concrete pads and planked porches, decked out in décor that matched the themes of the machines. Even past midnight, players stumbled on tree stumps, tripped over tarp tiedowns, and ambled around campfires to get one more play in on a rarely seen game.

“You can think of it as one of the major competitive events of the year, because it is,” Linsky said.
Lyons Pinball Owner Ryan Wanger chimed in. “Or you get people who are like, ‘I didn’t even realize how competitive it is. I’m just going to get high in the mountains, and look at these sparkly lights inside these well-decorated cabins, and have a great time.’”

Finding pinball in the wild is, well, wild, since just 50 years ago, you couldn’t play publicly in New York City. The game was banned as an illicit “game of chance.” But don’t try telling a true player that pinball looks like luck. They’ll be happy to explain that a good game demands a toolkit full of flipper skills, quick-twitch reactions, nuanced nudging, encyclopedic rule knowledge, and snap physics and geometry assessments—and, maybe, a bit of luck.

Pinball has seen a recent renaissance, with sanctioned tournaments growing fivefold in the last decade. Colorado is at the leading edge. Two of the world’s top three players and four of its top 40 live in the Denver metro area. #1-ranked Escher Lefkoff of Longmont and #3-ranked Zach McCarthy of Conifer missed Dory Hill in 2023, though they both played in 2021. You’ll find a place to play within a few miles of nearly anywhere on the Front Range, especially if you have the Pinball Map app that catalogs 9,000+ public venues for pinball.

Dory Hill participant Emily Unruh had never played pinball, even as a kid, until her husband, Ross, told her one day that a pinball machine was being delivered to their house. “So I was like, ‘I guess I’ll try it,’” she said. “Then, obviously at some point, things metastasize with pinball machines.” As COVID began, they got a second machine. Now, they have “38 or 39 machines,” she said. A month after hosting a large tournament at their house, they brought a rare James Bond-themed game from their collection to Dory Hill.

One distinctive Dory Hill feature is its “Pin Golf” format. The highest score doesn’t matter. Players must achieve a target objective through numerous well-sequenced shots. For example, in Elvira: House of Horrors, players had to start “Junk in the Trunk Multiball,” by hitting each “36-24-36 target,” then shooting the ball up the left ramp, then repeating both tasks.

Here, it’s important to note that while some pinball themes remain rooted in sexist male fantasy, the Colorado and Dory Hill scenes are diverse and welcoming for all genders. Dory Hill’s 2023 event was led by two women, both highly ranked tournament players, and a Denver Belles & Chimes league draws strong participation. Keri Wing, who placed 6th at this year’s Dory Hill, has ranked in the top 35 in the world.

Marshall Weasel first learned of Dory Hill “because everyone has swag. Everyone’s wearing the sweatshirts and the t-shirts when you’re playing people out in the scene. And then I started asking around. I think if you know about it, you know about it.”

Highly competitive pinball tournaments with top-ranked players can generate an intense vibe, but Dory Hill brings out intensity without acrimony. “It’s a laid-back environment, but people give a shit,” said Marshall Weasel. “Sometimes, when you get these types of players together, there’s gonna be a little scuffling. But everyone here is being respectable.”

Reflecting the vibe of community support, a side tournament at this year’s Dory Hill honored fundraiser Dean Grover, a Colorado pinball designer who passed away last year. It raised over $700 for organ transplant research. The tournament was held on a Safecracker pinball machine originally designed by Grover: the machine rewards great play by spitting out a physical token at you that rolls down the game glass for you to keep. When I first experienced this startling feature one Dory Hill evening, and a token rolled down at me — custom-minted for the tournament with Grover’s initials — it felt like the heavens had bestowed upon me a special gift.

“It’s a unique event,” said Safecracker mini-tournament Kevin Ryan about Dory Hill, “and it’s really human.” Ryan was present for Dory Hill’s origins 15 years ago, when a small collective of indie filmmakers — blending hobbies of snowboarding and pinball — went camping, mounted pinball games on two-by-fours, and connected them to a gas generator so they could play in the wild.

Today’s Dory Hill is organized a bit more conventionally, and some long-timers fear that the vibe might be ruined if it grows any more — or if more word gets out about it. “Are you sure you wanna do that?” Wanger chided when I suggested I was writing about Dory Hill. I told him not to worry, as no one would read it anyway.

This trepidation is driven by Dory Hill’s unicorn status in the pinball landscape. While a few events share a few attributes, none come close to Dory Hill’s idiosyncratic setting, which can lead to cliffhanger logistics. “Power’s always a challenge,” said Scalf, the event director. “Snow (Galvin) is a mastermind on these logistics. She knows that if you have a magnet, or iridescent bulbs, it can trip a circuit.”

The power in the pavilion had tripped early on Sunday, forcing more than 30 players to restart tournament matches. But it held firm later that afternoon as the Dory Hill championship came down to a game between Kevin McCarthy, of Conifer, and Wanger. Watching from 15 feet away, I could barely hear the game sounds over the roar of rain blowing in through the sides of the loosely tarped pavilion.

The victory went to McCarthy, and scores of satisfied camper/competitors packed up their tents and games to trek back downhill late Sunday afternoon. McCarthy may have driven a bit faster than most. He was due to direct another major tournament, at his Blizzard Mountain Pinball arcade in Conifer, just two hours later.

The post Pinball With Altitude appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Colorado is among several states that ensure schools have access to the opioid overdose reversal medication naloxone for free or at reduced cost. But most districts hadn’t signed up by the start of the school year for a state distribution program amid stigma around the lifesaving treatment.

By Rae Ellen Bichell and Virginia Garcia Pivik | KFF Health News (via AP Storyshare)

Last year, a student fell unconscious after walking out of a bathroom at Central High School in Pueblo, Colorado. When Jessica Foster, the school district’s lead nurse, heard the girl’s distraught friends mention drugs, she knew she had to act fast.

Emergency responders were just four minutes away. “But still four minutes — if they are completely not breathing, it’s four minutes too long,” Foster said.

Foster said she got a dose of naloxone, a medication that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose, and gave it to the student. The girl revived.

Forty-five miles away in Colorado Springs, Mitchell High School officials didn’t have naloxone on hand when a 15-year-old student overdosed in class in December 2021 after snorting a fentanyl-laced pill in a school bathroom. That student died.

Colorado Springs’ school district has since joined Pueblo and dozens of other districts in the state in supplying middle and high schools with the lifesaving medication, often known by one of its brand names, Narcan. Since passage of a 2019 state law, Colorado has had a program that allows schools to obtain the medicine, typically in nasal spray form, for free or at a reduced cost.

Not all schools are on board with the idea, though. Though more districts have signed on since last year, only about a third of Colorado districts had enrolled in the state’s giveaway program at the start of this school year. And within the dozen counties with the highest drug overdose death rates in the state, many school districts had not signed up in the face of ongoing stigma around the need for the overdose reversal medication.

Jessica Foster, Pueblo School District 60’s nurse supervisor, holds packets of Narcan and Kloxxado, a higher dosage of naloxone the district recently started stocking. Foster has pushed to get Narcan in all the district’s schools. (Parker Seibold for KFF Health News)

The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recommends that schools, including elementary schools, keep naloxone on hand as fatal opioid overdoses rise, particularly from the potent drug fentanyl. And 33 states have laws that expressly allow schools or school employees to carry, store, or administer naloxone, according to Jon Woodruff, managing attorney at the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association, which tracks naloxone policies across the country.

Among those, about nine states require at least some K-12 schools to store naloxone on-site, including Illinois, whose requirement goes into effect in January. Some states, such as Maine, also require that public schools offer training to students in how to administer naloxone in nasal spray form.

Rhode Island requires all K-12 schools, both public and private, to stock naloxone. Joseph Wendelken, a spokesperson for the Rhode Island Department of Health, said in the past four years naloxone was administered nine times to people ages 10 to 18 in educational settings.

In early September, the medication also became available over the counter nationally, though the $45 price tag per two-dose package has some addiction specialists worried it will be out of reach for those who need it most.

But the medicine still isn’t as publicly widespread as automated external defibrillators or fire extinguishers. Kate King, president of the National Association of School Nurses, said reluctance to stock it in schools can stem from officials being afraid to provide a medical service or the ongoing cost of resupplying the naloxone and training people to use it. But the main hang-up she’s heard is that schools are afraid they’ll be stigmatized as a “bad school” that has a drug problem or as a school that condones bad choices.

“School districts are very careful regarding their image,” said Yunuen Cisneros, community outreach and inclusion manager at the Public Education & Business Coalition, which serves most of the state’s school districts. “Many of them don’t want to accept this program, because to accept it is to accept a drug addiction problem.”

That’s the wrong way to think about it, King said. “We really equate it to our stock albuterol for asthma attacks, our stock epinephrine for anaphylactic reactions,” she said.

Colorado health officials could not say how often naloxone had been used on school grounds in the state. So far this year, at least 15 children ages 10 to 18 have died of fentanyl overdoses but not necessarily in schools. And in 2022, 34 children in that age group died, according to the state Department of Public Health and Environment. That included 13-year-old José Hernández, who died in August 2022 from a fentanyl overdose at home just days after starting eighth grade at Aurora Hills Middle School. His grandmother found his body over the bathroom sink in the early morning.

With the arrival of this new school year, supplies of naloxone are on hand for kids in more Colorado schools. Last year, state lawmakers appropriated $19.7 million in federal aid to the Naloxone Bulk Purchase Fund, which is accessible to school districts, jails, first responders, and community service organizations, among others.

“It’s the most we’ve ever had,” said Andrés Guerrero, manager of the state health department’s overdose prevention program.

According to data provided by Colorado’s health department, 65 school districts were enrolled in the state program to receive naloxone at low or no cost at the start of the school year. Another 16 had reached out to the state for information but hadn’t finalized orders as of mid-August. The remaining 97 school districts either didn’t stock naloxone at their schools or sourced it from elsewhere.

Narcan is stocked in the same case as a defibrillator and other medical supplies at Central High School in Pueblo, Colorado. (Parker Seibold for KFF Health News)

Guerrero said the districts decide whom to train to administer the medicine. “In some cases, it’s just the school nurses. In some cases, it’s school nurses and the teachers,” he said. “And in some cases, we have the students as well.”

In Durango, the 2021 death of a high schooler galvanized students to push for the right to carry naloxone with them to school with parental permission — and to administer it if need be — without fear of punishment.

It took picketing outside a school board meeting to get permission, said Hays Stritikus, who graduated this spring from Durango High School. He’s now involved in drafting legislation that would expressly allow students across the state to carry and distribute Narcan on school grounds.

“The ultimate goal is a world where Narcan is not necessary,” he said. “But that’s just not where we live.”
Some health experts disagree that all schools should stock naloxone. Lauren Cipriano, a health economist at Western University in Canada, has studied the cost-effectiveness of naloxone in secondary schools there. While opioid poisonings have occurred on school grounds, she said, high schools tend to be really low-risk settings.
More effective strategies for combating the opioid epidemic are needle exchange sites, supervised drug consumption sites, and medication-assisted treatment that reduces cravings or mutes highs, Cipriano said. But those approaches can be expensive compared with naloxone distribution.

“When the state makes a big, free program like this, it looks like they’re doing something about the opioid epidemic,” she said. “It’s cheap and it looks like you’re doing something, and that’s, like, political gold.”
Denver Public Schools, the largest school district in Colorado, started stocking naloxone in 2022, said Jade Williamson, manager of the district’s healthy schools program.

“We know some of the students are on the forefront of these things before older generations,” Williamson said. “To know where to find it, and to access it when needed through these adults who’ve trained, whether that’s a school nurse or a school administrator, I think it brings them some sense of relief.”

The state’s seven largest districts, with more than 25,000 students each, all participate in the state program. By contrast, a KFF Health News analysis found, only 21% of districts with up to 1,200 students have signed up for it — even though many of those small districts are in areas with drug overdose death rates higher than the state average.
Some school districts figured out a path to getting naloxone outside of the state program. That includes Pueblo School District 60, where lead nurse Foster gave naloxone to a student last year.

The Pueblo school district gets naloxone at no cost from a local nonprofit called the Southern Colorado Harm Reduction Association. Foster said she tried signing up for the state program but encountered difficulties. So she decided to stick with what was already working.

Moffat County School District RE-1 in Craig, Colorado, gets its naloxone from a local addiction treatment center, according to district nurse Myranda Lyons. She said she trains school staffers on how to administer it when she teaches them CPR.

Christopher deKay, superintendent of Ignacio School District 11Jt, said its school resource officers already carry naloxone but that the district enrolled in the state program, too, so that schools could stock the medication in the nursing office in case a resource officer isn’t around.

“It’s like everything — like training for fire safety. You don’t know what’s going to happen in your school,” said deKay. “If the unthinkable happens, we want to be able to respond in the best way possible.”

This story was produced with reporting assistance from El Comercio de Colorado.

KFF Health News, formerly known as Kaiser Health News (KHN), is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.

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Explore Colorado and maybe even improve your mental health, catching a fish is only one of the benefits

The lapping of the water against the shoreline has always felt like home. The mere thought of the water’s constant flow energizes a passion for a day at the lake. I live in Denver’s suburbs. It is difficult to break from the stressors of everyday city life, but fishing brings peace in chaos. Fishing helped me reclaim my health and is one of the few activities I have remained invested in since childhood. Your first cast is often unforgettable, but netting your first fish will instill an instant love for the sport that will evolve into a positive force in your life.

Living in Colorado, the outdoors is at the focal point of the state’s attraction to visitors and residents alike, but it can still prove to be difficult making your way out onto the Eastern plains or the mountains for a memorable angling experience. Luckily, there are quite a few options around the North Metro to catch one of the many fish species Colorado has to offer.

Colorado requires all persons 16 or older to have a valid fishing license each year outlined by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). Knowing the rules and regulations for each spot you visit is also important. Most of the information is online through government websites, local forums, and brochures. When in doubt, consult the CPW Fishing Brochure, which contains broad definitions and fishing regulations for the state’s bodies of water.

Reservoirs

Barker Reservoir

Located in Nederland, Barker Reservoir and Recreation Area is one of the best day trips from Boulder to fish in a high alpine setting without being too far away from home. The winding road up to Nederland is on the easier side for folks unaccustomed to mountain driving.

The reservoir has a big population of larger brown trout, kokanee salmon, tiger trout, and rainbow trout, so your lures need to be big, bright, and flashy. Silver rooster tails and larger, hard-bait lures were my go-to when fishing. Consider bringing heavier tackle to this lake because you will need it to cast out far from the trails that adorn the sides.

Gross Reservoir

Gross Reservoir hit me with all the nostalgia you can think of after stepping out of the car. Memories of crisp, alpine air carried by a cool morning wind over the water came flowing back to me as I approached the lake’s rocky shoreline. Growing up in Colorado, the banks of the reservoir remind me of the quintessential Colorado mountain fishing. The south side of the reservoir was closed due to an expansion project, but there was plenty of shoreline on the north side of the reservoir.

Similar rules apply for bait and tackle as Barker Reservoir. One distinct feature I noticed at the reservoir was the shore’s proximity to deeper water. Kayaks and paddleboards are allowed on the lake and could offer a different opportunity to fish in the depths. Gross reservoir does require more hiking than many others on this list, Gross North Shore Trail takes about an hour to complete and is 1.7 miles long one way. Off the trail, the shoreline is a mixture of boulders, rocks, and sand. Be careful when getting to your spot as you may fall if not careful.

Standley Lake

Standley Lake is the closest option to Denver on this list but is one of the more accessible reservoirs in the region if you do not want to take a trip into the mountains. Wipers and crappie are the premiere catches of this lake, but there is one major downside to visiting this reservoir: fishing accessibility.

You can bring a kayak or paddleboard onto the lake, but with access to one shoreline, the park’s many visitors must share this resource accordingly. Even on busy weekends, squeezing between groups is always an option, but it will make it more difficult to fish in certain spots without a watercraft.

I have personally had no luck at Standley Lake despite it being touted as one of the best spots in the area.

Boulder Reservoir and Coot Lake

I, again, did not have any luck here. Fishing Boulder Reservoir was the most difficult of any body of water on this list.

The shoreline is extremely limited to the public, and you must register your paddle-craft with Boulder County before the craft’s launch. The reservoir also has heavy, motorized boat traffic.

Coot Lake is in the same park as Boulder Reservoir. The pond is a decent hike from the reservoir’s parking lots. It can be planned around, but it is another thing to consider when planning your trip. Coot Lake would be my recommended spot to catch something.

Streams and Ponds

Boulder Creek. Photo by Doug Geiling

Boulder Creek and South Boulder Creek

Boulder Creek was the best for stream fishing in Boulder County. With many access points, there is plenty of room to find secluded spots along its edge. The creek is fishable throughout Boulder city limits with the ability to fish into the canyon. South Boulder Creek is a bit further from the city, situated on the other side of Flagstaff Mountain. South Boulder creek is best accessed in the parks of Walker Ranch or El Dorado Canyon State Park.

The early season was rough because of the massive amount of run-off and rain the Front Range saw at the beginning of the summer, but the slightest slowing of the water had a huge payoff. Most of these fish in the creeks are sub-catchable, catch-and-release only. Brown trout and brook trout dominate these waters with smaller populations of tiger trout, cutthroat trout, and cut bow trout. If fly fishing, think about using a three-weight pole or smaller. I was able to use my five-weight, but it was difficult to wield effectively because of its length.

These trout were consistently feisty with a range of flies, nymphs, synthetic mealworms, or spin baits with any color combination of blue, silver, white, pink, and black.

Pella Crossing and Golden Rod Ponds

Pella Crossing and Golden Ponds are located in Longmont with many bodies of water to choose between. The two complexes are located right next to each other with paths between the two. These ponds have plenty of fish. Situated next to a regional airport, you can catch warm water species using swimbaits or minnows while watching a slew of small planes prepare to land.

White, twisty-tail grubs and darker color swim baits offered a consistent angling experience.

Walden Ponds/Sawhill Ponds

The Walden Ponds and Sawhill Ponds were my favorite set of ponds to visit. Both are located just north of Valmont Road on North 75th Street. The parks are separate, containing multiple paths between the two making one accessible from the other.

There are more than 20 fishable ponds between the two areas offering plenty of room and opportunities to try different setups. You will mainly be fishing warm water species: largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, and carp.

Flies were especially successful from the bank when targeting bluegill and crappie, but any artificial swimbait with a head worked well in these waters. The color of these lures depended on the weather. White, twister-tail grubs worked well throughout the season, but darker greens and blues were more consistent in the later months. The Northland Tackle Mimic Minnow Spin Jig and Tail in the color firetiger was my go-to swim bait as the season progressed.

Conclusion

Fishing is intimidating, but with a wide range of options around the north metro, there are seemingly limitless opportunities to learn. Entire days can be spent indulging in the splendor of nature’s processes, freeing up your mind by taking nature’s invitation to learn and reflect. It has the power to connect you to the land that sustains the Denver metro area providing benefits for your health. 

It’s not about flashy poles and lures; it will work all the same. Instead, go out. Test the waters, and find the spot that works for you. Fishing is an underutilized resource to reduce stress while providing an opportunity to forge a deeper connection with the environment around you.

The post The Best North Metro Fishing Spots appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Parents, athletes, and coaches allege abusive behavior, missing money, and a disregard for safety, stretching back to Roth’s time at Wheat Ridge high school

After reporting in July 2023 on the accusations against Erie high school cheer coach Nora Roth, Yellow Scene Magazine (YS) was contacted by additional sources who also alleged inappropriate behavior. YS interviews revealed allegations of missing money, verbal abuse, and a disregard for athletes’ safety that stretch back ten years to Roth’s time at Wheat Ridge high school in 2013.

YS spoke with more than a dozen additional people since first reporting on the incident, bringing the total we have contacted to over 20 individuals. They claim they have been victims of Roth’s behavior over the past decade. The list includes former Erie cheerleaders and parents, former Wheat Ridge cheerleaders and parents, and local coaches.

What emerged was a reported pattern of belittling language, body shaming, and injuries, both physical and mental. Due to the personal nature of the details shared and events occurring when many sources were minors, most names have been changed to help protect the identities of those involved. Many former athletes and coaches expressed fear of retaliation for speaking out. 

The Dacono Police Department confirmed that they responded to a call placed by Roth against Jennifer — name changed — a parent who submitted statements about Roth’s behavior to St. Vrain Valley School District. YS spoke to the responding officer who confirmed that his interaction with Jennifer was positive.

SVVSD — which Erie high school is a member of —  responded to YS request for comment or any additional information by stating that “the district cannot comment on confidential personnel matters.” SVVSD continued: “If additional witnesses have come forward with evidence of abuse or criminal conduct, please direct them to law enforcement and the district, and we will continue to investigate everything thoroughly, as we have with each complaint.”

Trigger warning: Suicide, eating disorders, and mental health issues are all mentioned below.

Mental health effects

“I developed so much anxiety from getting bullied by these girls. I would have breakdowns, and I had to go to therapy. Actually, my senior year of high school, after I quit cheerleading, I ended up having a suicide attempt.” Gigi Bergh, a former Erie cheerleader, opened up to YS about the harassment, abuse, and lack of leadership she experienced under Roth.

Acknowledging the complexity of this all, Bergh expanded on the reasons behind her shifting mental health. “There was a lot of other stuff going on too, but I do feel like had she [Coach Roth] done something [to stop the bullying], it wouldn’t have affected me as much. I’m not blaming just her.” Bergh clarified that Roth did not cause her suicide attempt but the culture of the team contributed to unhealthy mental behaviors.

The culture of the team was said to be unhealthy. “It was always a screaming match between her or someone else,” McKenna Harr, former Wheat Ridge cheerleader, said. “I was so confused as to why it happened, I didn’t have a way to understand it. I kept being bullied by her during practices that I developed depression.” When Harr recalled her experience with Coach Roth at Wheat Ridge, nearly a decade prior, she believed that Roth was young but nonetheless “was honing her abuse.”

Former Erie cheerleader Courtney Giordano, a source for our previous reporting, told YS that Roth would, “talk about (her) boyfriends in an inappropriate manner, which is not appropriate for any adult dealing with a child.”

“I was told that I couldn’t eat a granola bar during a football game because people might see me, and that’s not the ‘cheerleading image’ she’s going for. There was a lot of body talk. And I eventually developed an eating disorder,” said Emma Barrow, a former Erie cheerleader.

Santina — name changed for anonymity —  whose child cheered at Wheat Ridge under Coach Roth, told YS that the accusations in Erie sounded familiar: “Practically verbatim, you know, that’s happened in Wheat Ridge.” The negative experiences with Coach Roth forever changed her daughter’s life. She stated Roth killed any joy her daughter once had for the sport.

After reading the YS report, Carol — name changed — who’s child cheered at Wheat Ridge under Roth, stated: “I was immediately just sad because it’s like, she [Roth] didn’t change, and the school didn’t recognize it. You could switch out Wheat Ridge high school with Erie and it would be the same experience.”

Carol recalled that not every Wheat Ridge parent was in favor of removing Roth. “It was really interesting because the parents were divided, it was right in the middle. So half of us are like what is going on? This needs to change.”

Culture of toxicity

Many of Roth’s former athletes provided allegations that, beginning in Wheat Ridge high school and continuing at Erie high school, Roth frequently commented on the size, appearance, and weight of the girls she was coaching. These comments apparently extended well beyond the typical conditioning and athletic talk that coaches and athletes may have from time to time.

“We had a team dinner one time, and Nora commented on the food I was eating.” Laura, a former Erie cheerleader whose name has been changed, shared. “I began to develop disordered eating. I would engage in restriction, binging, and purging of my food, I would take laxatives and chew an excess amount of gum in hopes to satiate my hunger. I obsessively tracked my calories on MyFitnessPal. It was not just me who would engage in these behaviors as well. Many of my friends on the team would talk about doing similar things. We would discuss methods of restriction and share diets and workouts, thinking that we were helping each other.” Laura elaborated in a written statement.

“Certain girls she went after. The fat shaming thing happened to a couple of girls that made them leave the team,” Santina said.

“She was picking on her a lot about her body weight,“ said Josephina — name changed for anonymity “… It got to a point where my daughter… I started to take her to therapy because she was stressed out and having a lot of anxiety, and she started having eating issues,”

The comments did not end with the girls’ physical appearance. Many of the people YS spoke to alleged that Roth’s actions were abusive.

“She would constantly belittle these girls, [saying things] like you are fat. You’re not going to make my team next year because you look ugly. Your hair color is wrong, just really inappropriate things,” recalled Juniper —name changed for anonymity — a parent of a former Wheat Ridge cheerleader.

Barrow shared that Roth crossed other lines as well. Roth got “like a little bit too close to them [the cheerleaders] like, talking about sex lives.”

One coach, Vanessa — name changed for anonymity —  who previously worked alongside Roth, shared a statement with YS that reads in part: “I believe that Nora Roth can have significant and harmful effects on a young woman’s personal and athletic development.” She expanded that Roth, “is obscenely rude, [and] verbally abusive in her written and spoken words regarding athletes, administration, parents and other coaches.”

“She is an anti-coach”

“We were really excited to have a coach that was, you know, promised to get us to a higher level,” Harr recalled. Roth did find competitive success with each team she coached, both at Wheat Ridge and Erie. “We were actually getting results, like, we went from the bottom end of the state, to qualifying first for our final competitions,” Harr recalled.

However, Kinsley, a former Wheat Ridge cheerleader — name changed for anonymity —  said, “I would not recommend her. The reason why they’re winning nationals is because of the girls, because they’re competent cheerleaders. It’s nothing to do with her [Coach Roth].”

Some said they began to feel Roth was operating with a “win at all costs” mentality. 

One of the more troubling examples alleged about Roth’s behavior occurred at a Nationals competition in Florida while the team was on their way to a scheduled cheer activity.

“My friend ended up unexpectedly getting her period. She asked me to go back to the hotel to, you know, grab what she needed, like a pair of shorts. [Roth] straight up told her no, we’re gonna be late. You can’t go back.” Harr recalled. Juniper as well as another Wheat Ridge source confirmed this recollection of the incident.

Teammates provided the girl with clean shorts, but the incident stunned parents and athletes alike.

This was the tipping point for Juniper, who approached the school administration alongside several other Wheat Ridge cheer families. They scheduled meetings with the administration and brought accusations of abusive language, lack of supervision, and the Nationals incident as some of the specific reasons to remove Roth.

“Finally, five different families went in and talked to the principal, and then she was fired the next day,” Juniper said. Carol also recalled this incident to YS.

Safety practices

Results came at a price, Harr explained: “We were pushed to our limits. Pushing past the point of exhaustion and from what I remember, I look back at that time as being super draining … there were so many injuries that it was really an issue.”

Multiple former Erie and Wheat Ridge athletes told YS that injuries could be prevented and were not taken seriously under Roth.

One specific incident stuck out in the minds of the former Wheat Ridge cheerleaders on a Nationals trip out of state. “They were doing a warm-up, and she [a cheerleader] did a tumble pass and fell to the ground and blacked out. The paramedics came to her, and she was [temporarily] paralyzed,” a Wheat Ridge parent stated to YS. Kinsley also recalled this event.

Accidents, even as scary as this one, happen in sports as dangerous as cheerleading. However, the incident revealed another issue. “She [the injured cheerleader] was supposed to be on strict bed rest the rest of the trip. Well, she [Roth] didn’t have enough chaperones to keep her in the room.”

Juniper said that instead of following doctor’s orders for bed rest, Roth forced the injured girl to join the team activities. “The girls had to find her a wheelchair. She was in so much pain,” Juniper remembered.

It was not just at Nationals that injuries, and a reportedly inadequate response from Roth, occurred. 

“I don’t know if she just didn’t know how to properly spot, but she didn’t train us properly to spot, because [NAME REDACTED], oh my gosh, I feel worried about her. I don’t know how many times she fell. And at one point, she hurt her back, it was so bad. And instead of taking responsibility, she [Roth] sat us down and yelled at us while [NAME REDACTED] was laying there in pain,” Harr said.

Bergh recalled numerous incidents that led to injuries. “Nora would also want us to perform tumbling and other skills that many of us were afraid of attempting. When we would express our fear or hesitation, she would become angry or belittle us. She pushed us to attempt it. Sometimes it worked, but other times it would leave us with injuries.”

“I got a hip injury,” said Octavia, a former Erie cheerleader  — name changed. “… I wasn’t supposed to be running or anything on it. But she [Roth] told me that if I wanted to be a part of the team then I had to act like it. So even though I was not supposed to be doing anything on my hip, she would still have me do all of the conditioning and whatnot with the team.” 

Missing money

Almost every Wheat Ridge and Erie cheer parent YS spoke with alleged financial irregularities. Accusations range from poor accounting practices to outright theft.

“She tried a couple of times to get us to pay twice,” Juniper said. There were constant fundraisers, but no new uniforms materialized, and costs of the cheer program were not lowered through these fundraisers, according to Ophelia, a former Erie cheer parent whose name has been changed. 

There were numerous fundraisers held with the promise to reduce the cost of participating in the cheer program. “I never saw a cent of fundraising money,” said Josephina. When asked by YS if they had an idea of where the funds were going, Josephina replied: “No. I mean, as far as I can tell, no. Everybody was paying full.”

SVVSD did not provide an answer to questions about the Athletic Department’s finances. Dozens of concerned parents and coaches submitted statements to SVVSD, some asking for an audit in order to learn where the money raised went, but have not received clarifying information.

YS was sent a copy of a statement sent to SVVSD that, as of publishing, had not received clarification from the school district. You can view some redacted statements here which read in part: “I have witnessed her behavior first hand. I personally felt her cruelty and watched it directed toward children, parents, and other coaches. She has defrauded and stolen money from me directly.”  It goes on: “As such, I no longer believe she is capable of being entrusted with either the safeguarding of minors, or the finances of the cheer program.”

The police get involved

On Wednesday June 5th, 2023, the Erie Police Department responded to a report of theft regarding missing finances Roth allegedly took. YS obtained the incident report via a public records request. 

School Resource Officer Thoen responded to the call and wrote that “After speaking to Chad [Erie high school Athletic Director] and reviewing the information I had at the time, I didn’t have any probable cause of criminal activity and there would be an ongoing investigation handled by the school.”

The report goes on to state that “[SVVSD human resources] gave us a summary of their investigation thus far and advised they have no concerns about any of the financial claims.” Additionally, the report noted, “Chad continued to tell me there has been no other financial complaints reported against Nora from anyone, ever.”

After speaking with the school administrators, Officer Thoen contacted Roth.

“I did not question Nora about any of the financial claims reported since I had previously discussed these issues with school officials and they had no concerns about Nora and financials,” Officer Thoen wrote.

Thoen’s report concludes: “On 07/05/2023 I received an email from Erie High School Principal Josh Griffin stating after their interview with Nora there was no new information and no new financial concerns.”

Child pornography report

The Erie Police Department was involved again on June 26th, 2023, when a message sent to Safe2Tell claimed that Roth possessed child pornography in the form of a video of a high school cheerleader in a shower.

Officer Figueroa continued “According to the report, these pictures/videos are used to manipulate the minor in question” Erie police department contacted the family of the minor and spoke with them regarding the Safe2Tell message.

Officer Figueroa was told by the family that “[NAME REDACTED] was at cheer camp with a few girls who she grew up with. While at camp, [NAME REDACTED] was taking a shower when the girls decided to play a prank on her. They did so by removing [NAME REDACTED] large towels and clothing, only leaving her with hand towels and a wash cloth. When [NAME REDACTED] got out of the shower, she used the hand towels and wash cloth to cover her chest and lower privates.”

On a later date, Officer Figueroa wrote: “It was at this time [NAME REDACTED] told me about the prank, where a student was getting out of the shower and the seniors, at the direction of the coach, had taken her clothes and towel. [NAME REDACTED] said Nora asked to have the picture or video to be sent to her. [NAME REDACTED] said her daughter thought it was funny and wasn’t aware of Nora utilizing the photo in an inappropriate manner.

Officer Figueroa then asked the family about issues that had been raised to the school district. “I asked [NAME REDACTED] to describe Nora as a coach and she told me Nora can be hard on them but felt there was a lot of pressure on the athletes and Nora, since they’ve won State five times in a row. [NAME REDACTED] said Nora pushes them hard, but nothing she felt like was out of the ordinary. [NAME REDACTED] said there isn’t anything about Nora which raises a “red flag” in any way.”

Regarding missing money, the report stated that “I asked [NAME REDACTED] and [NAME REDACTED] if they ever paid Nora for something and never received their items. They expressed they had not. To their knowledge, all the funds have gone where they needed to go.”

Roth was contacted at her home by Officers Thoen and Figueroa. Roth voluntarily gave her phone to the police and officers found no compromising photos of minors.

When asked if Roth was a tough coach, the report states that Roth told the Officers: “Hard to say as a coach, because in realty [sic] am I tough [sic] coach? Yeah, my team is very talented. Are there times I have to crack down on them yes, they’re teenage girls, their main goal in life is to manipulate you. If I’m being honest with you. But if you were to talk to any other kid on my team, they would tell you I have nothing but love for them.”

Figueroa concluded the report: “I advised Nora at this point of the investigation I did not have enough to proceed with any charges and that the case pertaining to the photo accusation, would be closed out. I further explained that the school would continue to conduct their own internal investigation, which I had no involvement with.

Both claims of theft and child porn were reported to be unfounded by the Erie Police Department.

Role of the School District

Despite promises of a thorough internal investigation, parents say they have been left feeling unsatisfied with SVVSD’s replies. Several parents said that they do not feel comfortable with their children around Roth until they know why she was cleared of wrongdoing by the district.

“I’m concerned with any underage kid being around her. She is a horrible influence. She’s not a good person at all, and it’s scary to have her around children,” Juniper expressed.

Vanessa shared her experiences coaching with Roth at Erie high school. “The work environment at Erie HS was one of toxicity, negative behavior, lies upon lies to parents and athletes [that] were beyond acceptable.”

Kaia — a former Wheat Ridge cheerleader whose name has been changed — recalled the nature of Coach Roth’s relationship with her athletes: “Looking back, with the perspective I have … that’s not how I would interact with high school children of any age. Not in the sense of anything illegal, but socially it was a very inappropriate relationship.”

Roth provided a response to the allegations via her attorney. The statements reads: “In the face of continued baseless, vague, and largely anonymous allegations, Ms. Roth reiterates her prior position – she is proud of her continued work to support and grow student-athletes. Many of the allegations repeated now were previously addressed in a full and fair investigation both by the Saint Vrain Valley School District and the Erie Police Department and determined to be unfounded.”

Roth’s attorney also wrote that seven people were willing to attest to the quality of Roth’s character, but as of publishing YS has not been contacted by anyone.

If you would like to share any additional information about these allegations please email editorial@yellowscene.com

If you or anyone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please talk to someone and reach out to the following organizations:

National suicide prevention hotline – 1-800-273-8255

Mental Health Partners Crisis Service – Dial 988

CU Boulder Center for Disordered Eating

NAMI Boulder County resources for eating disordersa

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The post Additional witnesses come forward with allegations about current Erie High School cheer coach appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

By Lucas Brady Woods, KUNC (Via AP Storyshare)

Snow was still on the ground last year one afternoon in late March when Hinsdale County’s only full-time paramedic, Buffy Witt, got what she thought would be a routine call about a car accident on Highway 149.

She realized she was wrong as soon as she arrived at the scene. The car pinned against a tree next to the road belonged to her 20-year-old son, Logan. He was trapped inside with a shattered femur, six broken ribs, a fractured vertebrae and a collapsed lung.

Witt immediately went into first-responder mode and focused on saving her son’s life.

“I told myself, put on your sheet of armor and just do it,” she said. “My son told me that he was getting right with dying because he knew he couldn’t get out of the car.”

Logan Witt survived after being flown to the nearest trauma center equipped to treat him, which was almost 150 miles away in Grand Junction. The experience was so traumatic that Witt stopped going on calls altogether. But there weren’t any other paramedics in Hinsdale County at the time to take her place, so less than two months later, Witt responded to the scene of another car accident. That time, the driver, a longtime friend of hers, died.

“That feeling of responsibility in a rural community, where you know the people that you respond to – it’s just such a heavy weight,” Witt said. “The burnout rate is magnified here because of the staffing issues, the personal connection and the responsibility to the community.”

On top of being a paramedic, Witt is also Hinsdale County’s director of emergency medical services. She manages the department and goes on calls for a salary of less than $60,000 per year. Like in many rural areas, any other first responders that back her up are volunteers. In fact, more than one in 10 ambulance agencies in Colorado have all-volunteer staff.

For Witt, the job is worth the challenges because she serves the community where she was born and raised. But ambulance services across Colorado, especially those in rural areas, are facing the same existential problems: a lack of funding, workforce shortages and declining volunteerism. A draft report sent to Gov. Jared Polis last week from the state’s EMS Sustainability Task Force found that many of the state’s emergency medical services are unsustainable, with some at risk of disappearing altogether.

The 20-member task force was launched last year to address the problems over a five-year period and is made up of state lawmakers and EMS professionals. Many first responders, however, including some serving on the task force, say more urgent action has to be taken.

“We can’t wait,” Lisa Ward, a professional EMT on the task force, told KUNC. “We’re already losing EMS services in Colorado. It’s not sustainable to have a volunteer and all-volunteer base when you can’t pay them, you can’t offer them health benefits, the mental and physical exhaustion that it takes to do the job wears on people.”

Fewer and fewer people are willing and able to dedicate time to volunteering as a first responder. Those that do often have to juggle other jobs to pay the bills, which means they’re only able to volunteer periodically and are at higher risk of burnout. At the same time, many small agencies don’t have the budgets to pay for full-time ambulance staff.

The problems partially stem from inconsistencies between state and local oversight of ambulance services. For example, first responders like paramedics and EMTs are currently licensed by the state while their emergency vehicles and the agencies that manage them are licensed on the county level. Colorado is the only state in the U.S. without centralized oversight of its EMS system. The state also has no uniform system in place for communicating or sharing data and information between local agencies.

“One county does one thing and another county does another thing. If you want to transfer a patient from one county to another county, you have to figure out what that looks like, how that’s done and who responds,” Ward said. “Right now it’s kind of a patchwork of county to county regulation.”

The patchwork system has resulted in varying access to emergency medical services across the state. Even the requirements for life-saving equipment on an ambulance can change from county to county because there are no statewide standards. Lawmakers passed legislation last year, Senate Bill 225, which will consolidate ambulance licensing at the state level starting in January.

Colorado ambulance services are funded in a variety of ways as well. Some are private businesses, nonprofits or function through hospital systems. Others are funded by property tax revenue alongside other local services like schools, libraries and water districts. That means local residents have to agree to higher taxes to increase funding for their emergency medical services.

Many local ambulance agencies also rely on grants from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, but the lack of statewide standards blocks access to other funding sources like federal grants.

“When you have consistency and you have standards, you make a case for reimbursement models and funding models to say, ‘Hey, look, there’s no difference in any of these agencies. It’s not a rural agency versus an urban agency.’ It creates consistency in licensing standards, education standards and equipment standards,” Ward said.

Ward also noted that ambulances in Colorado are only reimbursed if they transport a patient to a hospital. They do not get paid for calls where they only treat a person on the scene. Under state law, ambulances are considered transportation services, not medical services.

“When any one of us individuals has an emergency, we just pick up the phone in the 21st century in America and dial 911, and we anticipate that the expert on the other end of the phone is going to realize and figure out which type of emergency service to send to us within minutes,” EMS Sustainability Task Force Chairman and State Sen. Mark Baisley said. “It works pretty well for a fire because fire is considered an essential service, which is a term that has a meaning to it: that the local municipality shall provide fire response. Not so with emergency management services.”

Baisley added that there needs to be more public awareness of the issue and how Colorado EMS systems function. But he also agrees with Lisa Ward that funding needs to be the first priority, and he’s working with the task force on legislation that he plans to introduce during next year’s legislative session. He believes tourists need to cover some of those EMS costs.

“I intend to rethink the entire manner of how this is funded,” Baisley said. “Obviously, it’s always going to be through taxation. But since our tourism industry creates a lot of the cost and demands a lot of our responsiveness and appropriate care, then we will look at that.”

The population of many rural mountain communities balloons in the summer months due to tourism. Those tourists often have to use local emergency medical services, which adds even more strain to those systems.

In Hinsdale County, the population increases from about 800 people year-round to about 6,000 people over the summer months when tourists descend on the area to hike, climb, fish and hunt among the peaks of the San Juan Mountains. Buffy Witt is doing what she can on the local level to keep emergency medical services available there while holding on to hope that the state can get its EMS oversight on the right track.

“I’m just trying to keep the wheels rolling and keep the duct tape and the fingers plugged in the holes,” Witt said. “There is hope that change is on the horizon, and this personally gives me motivation to be a part of that change.”

She’s launching a local training course in partnership with neighboring counties so that volunteers don’t have to travel to become first responders. She’s also put in place a stipend program to provide some compensation to volunteers, which is funded by the San Juan Solstice 50 Mile Run, an annual Hinsdale County marathon that typically attracts about 300 runners.

The post Colorado ambulance services are on the verge of collapse, government report finds appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

“I’m a hard hitting journalist,” I think as I approach the building in my ratty Iron Maiden shirt. My Colorado Bro hat is already soaked through with sweat because the A/C in my car is broken and stuck on the hottest setting. “I’m a professional, covering the heavy topics.” I’ve got my to-go tumbler brimming with iced coffee so I can have something to do with my hands if I get anxious or need to buy time to think. I sit down at the little stone table they have out back for employees, pull out my two dollar notebook – the irony of its place of purchase being entirely lost on me – and hit record on the phone I’ve gone into debt to afford.

“Do you feel any pressure from big box stores?”

“No, I don’t.”

Well, shit.

For the past several weeks I’ve been trying to get in contact with various garden centers to set up interviews for this story. I went to a certain Mega Chain owned by a certain Mega Wealthy family and checked their prices for plants–and purchased my two dollar notebook. I happen to work at the Loveland Garden Center on the days where I’m not chasing the freelance dragon, and this Mega Chain’s offerings are obscenely low for what they’re selling; about half the price of what we offer at the Garden Center. One thing I noticed, however, was the state of their plants. More than a few were under watered and wilting, and I thought that would reinforce my angle for the story. I was gathering damning evidence like the main character of a certain book I recently reviewed. I was going to single-handedly take down this Mega Corporation. There would be boycotts and rioting. It wouldn’t surprise me if I was given the key to the city.

“They’re quality can be good if you get it right off the truck,” Kevin says.

Or, maybe not.

I’m speaking with Kevin and Debbie Weakland, owners and operators of the Loveland Garden Center. The sun sits high and hot in the sky, and petals from the tree lilac fall around us like a Kurosawa samurai flick.

“You know, giving people the desire to be a gardener… they’ve done some of that, and that makes our business better.”

Luckily, I have a backup plan. Having worked at a garden center, the sheer amount of business we get during the busy season is baffling, so just in case I were to bump up against something as story-halting as “no, I don’t,” I have a Plan B.

“How has inflation and the Pandemic affected business?”

“Oh man,” Kevin says, brows raised. I’ve got him. We’re back on track to take down Big Box. I might not receive the key to the city, but a gold medal is still fine. “If May of 2020 was a full year, it would have been the second best year we’ve ever had.”

Dangit.

To hear them tell it, they’d run out of stock by the end of the month. With everyone being forced home, we were all looking for new hobbies, and once the sourdough lost that “New Hobby Smell,” many of us turned to plants. It makes sense; plants require care. Not nearly as much as a dog or cat – relieving when you find yourself in a catatonic state of wondering whether or not the world is ending – and you can keep track of days by how often you’re watering them. As it turned out, the world didn’t end, and the plants stuck around.

I left the interview defeated. Not slamming-the-steering-wheel-in-the-rain defeated, it wasn’t set to rain for another day or so, but defeated all the same. The angle I was taking with this story had fallen apart. For the sake of this riveting, edge-of-your-seat narrative, I immediately went home and scheduled another interview–in reality I spent the next week and a half thinking of a way to reform the story before remembering that there wasn’t a story at all without more interviews.

I managed to get Don and Lee Weakland of The Flower Bin in Longmont on the phone. Yes they’re related to Kevin, yes it’s lazy journalism, and yes Kevin told me their days off and when they take lunch so I could get a hold of them; what of it.

“Do you feel any pressure or competition from big box stores?

“Well, yeah,” Don responded, curtly. Now we were getting somewhere! I was back on track for whatever award they give top performing journalists, or at least the equivalent of an Oscar nod. “We’ve been open 52 years and there’s always been competition from somebody like that. We basically ignore [them].”

I ask about inflation and the pandemic, my future acclaim slipping through my fingers, and receive largely the same answer. “It’s been really good for us, but really bad for other businesses.”

Well, what the hell was I going to write about? Nobody wants to read a feel-good story, do they? The News is supposed to be unsettling, moving, and informative. This isn’t award winning, hard hitting journalism. There isn’t a story here.

It was around the time I was suffering this crisis of faith, that I realized that I was rooting for an imagined villain in the story. I wanted Big Box to have a stranglehold on the market so I could pull the wool from the eyes of the masses. This doomsayer mindset I was stuck in revealed a larger issue. In the 24 hour news cycle, we are bombarded by downers so often that we become desensitized to violence and bigotry and hate and think, “well, the world is going to shit.” But, why wouldn’t people want to hear something pleasant? Sometimes, in real life no less, the Good Guys win. Sometimes they survive the shit hitting the fan.

The Loveland Garden Center was founded in 1992; The Flower Bin has been around since the 70s. They’ve run into their roadblocks–in 1996 the roofs of the hoop houses at the Loveland Garden Center were crushed in a snowstorm–but mostly they have been just fine. The pandemic, which put so many of us out of work, was good for garden centers. They were able to keep their workers employed despite the Apocalypse. They were able to thrive. The Big Bad Corporation and the Big Bad Economy doesn’t always put the Mom and Pops of the world out of business. Sometimes David doesn’t have to fight Goliath, and that’s okay.

But why? Why is it that of all the businesses destroyed by the wrecking ball of Big Box, garden centers remain largely unscathed? An answer can be found in the garden department of the Mega Store from which I gathered my damning evidence. Each time I’ve been , there has been a common recurring theme: lack of quality and care. More often than not the department is empty, the plants yellowing and crispy, and there is a general sense of dereliction, which isn’t really very good for plants. The more you know.

In an era where a dish set from Walmart is functionally the same as from Target, garden centers remain unaffected because living things need time, attention, and respect. This principle is so heavily contradicted in the lack of care shown to the plants in the Big Box garden departments. You can leave a plate or cup in the cupboard for months and, unless you’ve entered the Twilight Zone, I’m willing to bet my very impressive salary that it wont die or begin wilting. The same can’t be said about an alocasia or an allium – oh wow, botanical names, this guy knows his stuff.

If anything, you buy a plant from Big Box, nurse it back to health, and realize, “Oh hey, that wasn’t so bad.”

But then you go to a real garden center that cares.

I started this, looking for conflict, some sort of push or pull between small business and corporation and found instead that, actually everything is “all good.” Garden centers aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, because caring for plants isn’t something chain stores excel at. And those of us who love our gardens won’t settle for yellowed leaves and malnourished plants when picking out our newest additions…

Oh, and the Mega Store was Walmart, in case that wasn’t painfully obvious.

The post Are Local Garden Centers Feeling the Pressure From Corporate Chains? appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Eric Galatas, Public News Service (Via AP Storyshare)

A state-federal partnership is helping safety-net mental health centers in Colorado deepen the services they provide, which is improving access and outcomes for people struggling with mental illness.

Sara Reid, grants and program evaluation manager for Mental Health Partners, said because getting to appointments across town can be a significant barrier, especially for people in crisis, her team now has seven outreach workers embedded where people who need help already are.

“Places like food pantries and other types of community partners,” Reid explained. “So that the people who are there getting other types of services don’t have to then go somewhere else to try to get connected with behavioral health care.”

Colorado currently has seven Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. Clinics getting federal funds are required to serve anyone who asks for mental health or substance abuse care, regardless of their ability to pay, place of residence, or age, including developmentally appropriate care for children and youth.

Frank Cornelia, deputy executive director of the Colorado Behavioral Health Care Council, said new national standards set by the program are key for addressing a persistent opioid addiction crisis. Certified clinics are required to get people into care quickly, provide crisis services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and offer the full array of behavioral health services so people who need care don’t have to piece it together themselves.

“Not just mental health services, but a full complement of community-based substance-use disorder services,” Cornelia outlined. “We know that people deal with both conditions at the same time, and we need to treat both conditions at the same time. And we get better outcomes when we do that.”

Certified clinics also help patients navigate the intersections between behavioral and physical health care, social services and other programs. Reid noted stable housing is often a precursor to success in other areas of life, and her team has seen better results for most clients within six months of entering care.

“Nearly all of the clients we work with are seeing improvement in stable housing,” Reid reported. “We’re able to help people move off of the streets and find housing, and then that helps them stay engaged in other types of care and services, it helps them build success in their own lives.”

The post Clinics Improving Mental and Behavioral Health Standards appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Multiple downhill mountain bike racers take home awards at the Gravity Bike National Championships

By Tonya Adelsperger

Photo of Ainsley Wolf by JAWS Media NC

Boulder County and surrounding areas are known for its great mountain bike scene that includes trails, single tracks, and bike parks. The local gravity racers — racers that use gravity to propel themselves down steep hillside courses — are making people across the nation take notice of our area with multiple National Champions and podium placements at the 2023 Gravity Mountain Bike National Championships which took place July 12-16 at Ride Rock Creek, North Carolina. . The trails for the championships were steep and technical — riders raced across the Dual Slalom, Enduro, and Downhill disciplines and then the skies opened and the rain fell. The trails were muddy and slippery giving these Coloradoans a run for their money in conditions that they do not normally see.

Henry Rapinz, Boulder: Boulder Junior Cycling went neck and neck to win the Enduro National Title for the men’s 17-18 category 1. He finished first in the championships with just one second separating first and second place finishers int a field of 44 of the best riders from across the nation.

Ainsley Wolf, Erie: Mojo Wheels and Trestle Gravity Teams, at age 14, reached the top of the podium two times. As a junior rider in her first nationals race, she competed in both non-championships and championships where sheled the field in the tight races and brought home gold in both, making her the Downhill National Champion for the girl’s 11-14 fields.

Maylei Leaneagh, Longmont: Boulder Junior Cycling also reached the podium multiple times at the championships. Competing in the 17-18 womens category 1, Leaneagh finished second in the Enduro championships, just behind Lacey Dobb’s winning time of 17:29. In the downhill championship, Leaneagh finished fifth with a 2:37.00 with only a mere 22 seconds separating riders in this category.

Kate Lawrence, Boulder, a local professional rider, brought home her silver medal in the Pro Women’s Enduro National Championships.

Tom Pearson, Erie, a category 1 downhill rider, finished fourth with just 17 seconds of separation between the downhill racers in the 50 to 54 year class.

This was the first year that the USAC Gravity Nationals was held at Ride Rock Creek and Coloradoans left their mark. Keep your eyes open and you may see a couple of national championship winners sporting their coveted USA jerseys in the Boulder county area!

The post Colorado Gravity Bike Racers Leave Their Mark On 2023 Championships appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Story by Emma VandenEinde/ Mountain West News Bureau and KUNC (Via AP Storyshare)

The Bureau of Indian Education recently extended a five-year contract of a program that provides additional mental health resources for tribal youth, impacting more than 100 tribal schools in the Mountain West.

The Behavioral Health and Wellness program allows for both Indigenous students and staff from both schools and universities to access the resources. Some of those resources offered by the program include telehealth counseling, a 24/7, BIE-focused crisis hotline, and on-site crisis support. Teresia Paul, the program lead and a member of the Oglala Sioux tribe in South Dakota, believes it is a “gamechanger” for Indigenous communities.

“I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had a crisis situation pop up in real time, whether it’s dealing with a serious mental health challenge or dealing with a significant loss in the community,” she said. “It would have been awesome to be able to deploy our own crisis team that knows our communities.”

Some Indigenous communities believe speaking about suicide is taboo, and some cultures do not even have words that describe the act of killing oneself. But Paul said the majority of their clinical team are Indigenous people who live in the community. Whether it’s speaking their language or utilizing cultural ceremonies for healing, like sweat lodges, having members that can culturally approach the situation makes all the difference, she said.

“We’re able to really engage in those types of interventions with people who are from the communities and who know how to do those interventions respectfully,” she said. “You can’t just tap someone to step into that role. It has to be folks that have gained that respect.”

The idea to start the program came a few years prior during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many tribal members were looking for mental health resources. Many students and staff were not able to access resources at the time as they lived in remote locations where finding resources is not easy. It started mostly as training for staff members on wellness topics.

“We wanted to create and design the behavioral health and wellness program to be accessible to all be funded entities,” Paul said. “Prior to the pandemic, we really didn’t have any programs that extended that far.”

A Native-American owned small business – Tribal Tech, LLC – was awarded the contract. It helps with the technical training and assistance needed to support the BIE’s Behavioral Health and Wellness program.

“Through this contract, it’s a vehicle that we can support our students, no matter where they’re from, better than what we’ve been able to up to this point,” said Tony Dearman, the director of the Bureau of Indian Education and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.

The program is crucial for many American Indian and Alaska Native students. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 8-24 year olds in that demographic, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Paul said it’s their duty to protect their most sacred citizens – their kids.

“We’re supposed to be in the business of protecting our students and making sure that they have everything they need to be successful to thrive so that they can then be the next leaders in the generation that carries our Indigenous communities to the forefront,” she said.

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The post Behavioral health and wellness program expanded for tribal students, staff appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Alison Berg is a journalist at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at alisonberg@rmpbs.org.

Zach Ben-Amots is an investigative multimedia journalist at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach him at zachben-amots@rmpbs.org.

Via AP Storyshare

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Stephen Copeland hardly knows life outside of prison.

He has spent 24 of his 65 years of life rotating through correctional facilities in the state. He can count them all and recite how long he stayed in each, and for what offense.

Most recently, Copeland did 24 years in the Limon Correctional Facility for arson.

Now living on the street in Colorado Springs, Copeland does his best to stay out of trouble by cleaning up after himself, not using drugs in front of too many people and avoiding fights. But life inside could have been worse, Copeland said. He spent his days lifting weights, socializing and trying to forget the grim realities of living inside a locked box with little to look forward to on the outside.

Other prisoners could be brutal, he said. Fights were frequent and Copeland said inmates often had to make rash decisions to protect themselves or others.

He survived as a member of the Aryan Brotherhood, a white supremacist gang. He was a member of Aryan Brotherhood long before prison, though Copeland said people have two choices when they’re incarcerated: join a gang or fall victim to a gang.

“I got more respect in prison than I did out here, by far,” Copeland said. “I knew all the fellows in the joint and they all knew me.”

Copeland was introduced to white supremacy as a teenager in Colorado Springs, where he grew up. He said the Aryan Brotherhood and its beliefs aren’t uncommon in Colorado’s second-largest city. On its surface, Colorado Springs is known for its proximity to Pikes Peak, military presence and its evangelical base. But the city has a dark underbelly, Copeland said. One of white supremacy, violence and heavy drug usage.

Around the same time he was introduced to violent racism, Copeland also found methamphetamine. He snorted and ingested the drug for decades, then began smoking it after his most recent exit from prison, six years ago.

Copeland is part of a growing number of people experiencing homelessness who use methamphetimine to stay awake longer and protect their belongings. While opioids used to be responsible for the majority of overdose deaths, El Paso County data show meth is now to blame for the majority share of overdoses in the Colorado Springs area.

In the early years of his usage, sobriety was a nice idea, Copeland said. Though it may never have been a real possibility, it was always a goal in the distant background.

Steven Copeland has used meth for most of his life. He is part of a growing number of people experiencing homelessness in Colorado Springs who use methamphetimine to stay awake longer and protect their belongings.

At 65, all of Copeland’s family members are dead, he has no close friends, and his days revolve around evading police and staying awake long enough to guard his belongings from other unhoused people who are seeking replacements after police take their belongings. Copeland also has Crohn’s disease, a digestive disease that makes eating difficult and often painful. He described the disease flare-ups as “you’re starving but you can’t eat because you’ll get sick.”

Denim shorts that stop just above his kneecaps reveal sores up and down Copeland’s legs. They are symptoms of the disease. He doesn’t wear a shirt, exposing more sores and bones on the upper half of his body covered by thin layers of skin.

On an April morning, he smokes a cigarette next to a group of other unhoused folks on a torn-up couch at the corner of Uintah and 19th Streets, just outside a shopping plaza with a grocery store, car wash and thrift store. The group discusses a path forward after police took an acquaintance’s sleeping bag, tent and clothing. Copeland’s belongings survived the raid. He’s not sure how, but he’s grateful.

The day is standard for Copeland: try and force himself to eat some of what he bought with his monthly $60 in food stamps, cross his fingers that the police don’t target his belongings and smoke enough meth to make life a little more bearable.

For Copeland, life without meth sounds far worse than one with it.

“Right now, reality sucks and meth is an escape from reality,” Copeland said. “I used to have pretty good control over my use, but now I don’t care anymore.”

Steven Copeland holds up his pipe to show his primary method of using meth. Copeland says he uses more meth now than ever before, calling it an effective painkiller for chronic health issues and also an escape from the challenges of homelessness.

“Meth: you can’t get away from it”

Though Copeland has few people he considers “friends,” he says he knows most unhoused people in Colorado Springs, at least those within two miles of him.

“Pretty much all of them do meth,” Copeland said of others living outside. “This is probably the meth capital of the United States. It’s everywhere. You can’t get away from it.”

Copeland said he has a few friends with indoor housing, and he occasionally exchanges drugs for a few-night’s stay. A gram of meth and an eighth of weed can buy him three nights, a few home-cooked meals and a shower. While living on the streets and forcing himself to eat dry noodles, a meal and shower are luxurious for Copeland.

The 2022 Point-in-Time Count, a survey administered annually in El Paso County measuring the county’s houseless population and factors contributing to homelessness, found 14% of unhoused people in Colorado Springs cite Substance use disorder as a reason for their homelessness.

PJ Higgins, the opioid prevention project manager for the Community Health Partnership, a Colorado Springs nonprofit that works on health equity issues, said that number doesn’t represent everyone who has substance use disorder. Most who have the disorder are not homeless, and many who are experiencing homelessness use substances but don’t cite their usage as a reason for their circumstances.

“Certainly, there’s a strong interaction between people who are homeless and substance use disorder,” Higgins said. “Substance Use Disorder does become a significant barrier to exiting homelessness.”

Homeless shelters do not allow drugs inside their facilities, and many pathways to long-term housing require sobriety as a prerequisite. Those who are ready to get sober immediately can choose rehabilitation facilities, but those are often expensive. And for many, sobriety is an ultimate goal, but the harsh realities of living outside make it feel impossible.

“When people don’t have access to care, often what happens is they turn to a substance in order to help navigate or self-medicate the condition they’re dealing with,” Higgins added. “Thinking about Substance Use Disorder not as a series of bad choices but as the result of a need to manage trauma and its impacts on mental health and state of mind and ability to navigate the ups and downs in life in a way that’s healthy is a key component of understanding.”

Melissa Chizmar is the prevention services manager at Southern Colorado Health Network, where she oversees the safe needle and supplies exchange program.

Melissa Chizmar, prevention services manager at the Southern Colorado Health Network, said of the unhoused folks she works with, more than half use methamphetamine.

“Meth, because it’s a stimulant, is going to keep people awake,” Chizmar said. “I think that’s important when you think about how cold winter nights can be and the thefts you see during that time because of exposure, which can certainly be a reason why some people might use meth, to ensure they survive the night.”

Meth and heroin are the most used substances reported among the unhoused community, Chizmar said. Meth is the most common.

Many unhoused people, Chizmar explained, turn to meth and other substances to cope with trauma – either pre-existing trauma or trauma made worse by surviving harsh winters, encampment sweeps, and general hostility, realities that come alongside homelessness.

“We definitely see here in Colorado Springs that addiction and homelessness often overlap,” Chizmar said. “Addiction doesn’t occur in a vacuum. It’s often a result of the environment.”

Death in small doses

Until about five years ago, opioids accounted for the majority of drug overdoses, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Data provided by the El Paso County Coroner’s Office

But according to data from the El Paso County Coroner’s Office, methamphetamine accounted for 48 of the county’s 216 drug overdoses in 2022. A combination of meth and fentanyl came just behind with 42 deaths. Fentanyl alone accounted for 36 deaths.

Drug-related accidental deaths also jumped by 55% between 2021 and 2022, according to the coroner’s data.

Fentanyl is a powerful opioid used in hospitals as a pain reliever. But the drug – which is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine – is found in much of the drug supply on the streets, often unbeknownst to the people buying and using illicit drugs. Because fentanyl is so potent, two milligrams is considered a lethal dose, according to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.

Chizmar said many who died via fentanyl overdose often had no idea they were using the potent opioid to begin with. Many thought they were using meth alone without knowing their stimulant was laced with fentanyl. Chizmar described this scenario as extremely common.

“We know that so much supply is contaminated with fentanyl that it’s essentially turning people into poly-substance users, even if that isn’t something they wanted,” Chizmar said.

Though Chizmar and Higgins said fentanyl is difficult to avoid if a person is using illicit drugs, some unhoused folks said the powerful, often lethal opioid is banned from their communities.

“If anybody caught you with it over here, you could get beat up on sight,” said Skittles, a houseless man living on the west side of Colorado Springs. “There’s a certain look with heroin and a certain look with fentanyl. I can tell the difference and fentanyl isn’t allowed.”

Skittles has lived on the streets, off and on, since he was about 12 years old. There aren’t many drugs he hasn’t tried. Though fentanyl and heroin can look similar, Skittles said he can differentiate easily from his decades of personal drug usage. He’s lost friends to fentanyl overdoses and recently revived a friend experiencing an overdose using naloxone, an overdose-reversing nasal spray.

“It was very scary because he didn’t even turn blue for a while. No warning, and by the time he turned blue, I’m sure he would have been dead and there would be no bringing him back if I didn’t know what to do,” Skittles said. “It doesn’t take much of that fentanyl sh— to kill somebody.”

The worst part, Skittles said, was the friend had no idea he was using fentanyl.

“It’s like playing Russian Roulette with five bullets,” Skittles said. “It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

After the friend was revived, Skittles told his friend that he needs to get fentanyl testing strips — available at most pharmacies and community health centers — as well as start carrying naloxone.

Along with clean supplies for drug use, Southern Colorado Health network provides a variety of health and hygiene products, as well as emergency supplies like naloxone in case of overdoses.

“I was like, look, dude, you’re gonna die if this happens again,” Skittles recalled, clenching a feast and staring straight ahead. “This s– is very, very bad.”

Skittles was an alcoholic for 20 years. He spends most days chasing benzodiazepines with a bottle of Kentucky Deluxe Whiskey. The combination helped him sleep through frosty winter nights and took his mind away from flashbacks of an abusive childhood.

He had enough one day.

“I just got tired of it, honestly,” Skittles said. “Just kind of happened.”

Losing friends to fentanyl and COVID-19 is common for those outside, added Jimbo, another unhoused person and one of Skittles’ friends.

“Being out here is backward,” Jimbo said. “Right is wrong and wrong is right. All your friends are dying off and you just have to keep going.”

Now, Skittles drinks alcohol on occasion and smokes cannabis to make it through his days.

He keeps a sandwich bag of weed in a jar of peanut butter. A half-ripped-off label reveals the crystalized green nuggets. He points to cannabis as a lifesaver for him and those around him.

“I’ve seen a lot of hard s— and I know what it can do, and it isn’t good,” Skittles said.

“But these days, all I want to do is hurt a cheeseburger,” he adds, cracking a half-smile and nodding his head. “Loving and hurting a cheeseburger. That’s it for me.”

Approaching solutions

Higgins and Chizmar said the war-on-drugs methods of criminalizing addiction are ineffective and often cause more harm than good, as they drive people to use illicit substances without knowing what is actually in their supply.

“We know that recovery, over the long-term, is something that’s oriented around building community and connection and finding some way to feel fulfilled and have direction,” Higgins said. “It’s difficult to do that in prison.”

Higgins said Colorado Springs needs more non-criminalization resources across the spectrum of usage, from sober living facilities, detoxification centers and simple harm reduction methods like naloxone and fentanyl test trip accessibility.

“I think there’s a lot more to treatment in terms of how we meet people where they are at,” Higgins said. “Mandated treatment tends to not be as successful as treatment that participated in on a voluntary basis.”

Though such programs have been criticized as “enabling” illicit drug usage, research does not support this. Chizmar also said clean needle access and places to safely dispose of needles is vital. Such access helps prevent the spread of diseases which can often be terminal.

“This has been an incredibly important intervention because it’s extremely effective and there’s over 30 years of research that demonstrates that,” Chizmar said. “It’s primarily a disease prevention model.”

The post Stimulants and survival: Unhoused Coloradans turn to methamphetamine as a form of protection appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Editor’s note: This piece has been edited to further hide identities of those involved.

The allegations

National championships, missing funds, and verbal abuse all sound like a headline ripped from an NCAA scandal but in fact are alleged to be happening at Erie high school. Erie cheer is winning competitions but beneath the surface, allegations of inappropriate behavior by head coach Nora Roth have emerged.

Roth is accused by multiple parents, student athletes, and local business owners of stealing money, displaying abusive behavior towards high school athletes, and being intoxicated at cheer events, among other things. Yellow Scene Magazine (YS) spoke with four families, two businesses and a local cheer coach to assess these claims. Several names have been changed to protect the anonymity of the sources.

Current and former cheerleaders, parents of cheerleaders, and members of the cheer community outside of Erie high school sent statements to St. Vrain Valley School District regarding Roth’s behavior which prompted an investigation.  YS was able to both interview and review the statements from over half a dozen witnesses.

One adult was so shocked by behavior witnessed by Roth at a regional cheer event in 2022 that she stopped in her tracks. Roth was reportedly berating a cheerleader over her physical appearance. The statement reads: “Nora continued yelling, telling the young girl that she looked ‘like shit’ and like ‘a homeless person.’ Nora told the girl that she was ‘embarrassing the school’ and ‘should be ashamed.’ The girl was shaking and looking at the ground.”

“She would comment on the weight of cheerleaders,” former Erie cheerleader Courtney Giordano shared. She touched on other problematic and potentially dangerous behavior. “At Nationals she would be completely intoxicated at the pool.” When asked to elaborate on who was watching the team when they were in Florida for the competition, Giordano replied, “Nobody was.”

When Giordano approached administration about her concerns about Roth, she said “They kind of ignored it and blew it off like it was nothing because we kept winning.”

A local private cheer cheer gym owner also alerted SVVSD about inappropriate behavior via multiple emails and statements to administration staff and leaders. During a June 2023 graduation party, Roth was witnessed “drinking with students.” The statement expanded that “former athletes can verify this, but are scared to come forward for fear or reprisal.”

A local professional photographer confirmed with YS that there was discrepancy with Roth and Erie Cheer over team photos he took. After attempting to contact Roth regarding photo corrections and payment, communication ceased.

The photographer confirmed this event with YS and also stated “Over the next several months I sent multiple emails to Coach Roth requesting payment. I even offered a significant discount in hopes to get payment. None of my emails requesting payment were responded to.” They were eventually sent a check, but for thousands of dollars less than the contract stipulated. The photographer stated that this type of interaction has never occurred across his decades long career.

Screenshots sent to YS show that Roth routinely collected funds for cheer related expenses via her personal Venmo, rather than directly to the Athletic Department. One Erie cheer parent wrote in a statement that “In 2019, my husband and I donated enough money to pay all of the expenses for an athlete to go to Nationals, over $1,500. We never received any acknowledgement – no thank you, no receipt for our taxes – I’ve always believed that Nora took that money.”

Jennifer  — name has been changed to protect anonymity — parent of a former Erie cheerleader, also alleged that her family never received items that were paid for — including a shirt and backpack —  and that the fees collected by Roth were often slightly higher than the amount billed. Erie cheer often held fundraisers, run by Roth, that claimed to cover expenses like camp, competition, and uniform fees. Screenshots show at least some parents were still required to pay the full amount of these costs.

Emails show that Roth was sending messages on behalf of Erie cheer while allegedly intoxicated, including informing at least one athlete that she did not make the team. That athlete was an experienced cheerleader. They believe this is retaliation for questioning the financial irregularities surrounding the team.

Nature of the investigation

An investigation was opened by St. Vrain Valley School District into these allegations but parents were frustrated with the lack of communication and transparency from administration, especially from athletic director Chad Cooper. Cooper referred all communication attempts by YS to SVVSD public relations and did not provide a comment. SVVSD also has not provided a comment to YS as of publishing despite multiple attempts to reach out.

Jennifer told us that she felt Cooper was hostile towards parents coming forward with information about Roth. When allegations of potentially compromising photos of underage athletes were discussed, Jennifer stated Cooper responded with “ ‘Do I need to call the police? Was that what I needed to do?’ The way he did it to me was very aggressive.”

The local gym owner had witnessed concerning behavior from Roth, including financial discrepancies, and wanted to follow up with SVVSD on the nature of the investigation. They shared their concerns, “I was never able to get any answer to basic questions like what is your policy regarding mandatory reporting? When was the last time a financial audit was performed, either internally or externally, on the athletic department?”

YS spoke with Debbie — name has been changed to protect anonymity — who submitted a written complaint about Roth shared that Cooper did reach out to her, but called from an unknown number and left no return contact information. The source said they had to find an email from the school’s website to contact Cooper to verify their statement. 

The Erie Police Department also investigated Roth, and determined no criminal charges would be filed. Public Information Officer Luttrell stated “A thorough investigation, to include reports of unauthorized expenses did not support filing criminal charges.”

“Investigators interviewed several witnesses and complainants (which includes those who made allegations) … The Erie Police Department reviewed statements provided by St. Vrain Valley School District. A thorough investigation did not support filing criminal charges,” Luttrell wrote.

Concluding the SVVSD investigation without transparency does not provide parents and students with confidence that the correct decision was made. SVVSD was unable to comment on the investigation when it was active, and has not responded to requests for comment on the conclusion. Cooper did not have a comment for YS. Jennifer, Debbie, and others are still waiting on information from the district to gain clarity as to why no wrongdoing was found.

A successful sports program can mask a lot of internal issues. Erie is fresh off winning championships and competing in Nationals, often dominating the competition on their way. Even that is being questioned, however. Data seems to indicate that Erie high school cheer is competing in a lower division than they should. Per public information Erie high school has an enrollment of 1,713 students. The cutoff for the division that Erie cheer won is 1,299 students.

Ms. Roth’s attorney provided the following statement on her behalf:

“Ms. Roth is pleased the allegations were found to be not credible and unfounded.  She is looking forward to the upcoming year and the opportunity to lead student athletes on the EHS Cheer team.”

As of publication, Roth has been restored to her head coaching position for the upcoming season.

If you would like to share any additional information about these allegations please email editorial@yellowscene.com

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The post Investigation into Erie Cheer Coach Concludes with No Charges Despite Multiple Credible Allegations appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

For her safety, we changed Valerie Ticone’s name in the story. YS will refer to people instead of just women when writing about abortion. According to the American Civil Liberties Union: “The more expansive and more accurate answer is anyone who can become pregnant needs to be able to get an abortion if they need or want one, including many cisgender women, some non-binary people, some intersex people, some Two Spirit people, and some trans men.”

Valerie Ticone’s first thoughts when traveling to Colorado from Texas for an abortion were if she would be able to get the time off work to heal her body, the price of flying, and the surgery itself.

“How sick will flying make me?” Ticone asked herself. “Can I handle being stuck in an airport and plane without causing a scene?”

She chose to get an abortion in Colorado because it’s legal there and because she had friends and family to stay with in the area, which lowered costs.

In September 2021 the Texas Heartbeat Bill became state law, which outlawed abortions and created a criminal cause of action against doctors who perform the procedure.

“It really frustrates me that it’s not available in Texas,” Ticone said. “It makes women [and people] feel like they have no choice. It’s not cheap to travel, let alone paying for the surgery.”

Ticone estimates her cost of the trip to be about $900, which was cheaper than she expected. The costs were less expensive because she lives in a main travel hub city with cheaper flights to Denver with the added benefit of not having to pay for lodging. The procedure costs itself range from about $500 to $700, depending on how far along the patient is. If someone has to pay for lodging — which most people would — the total cost of this trip can easily reach into the thousands of dollars.

The barriers Ticone faced from the experience ranged from having to find home remedies for nausea, traveling after the procedure, and the judgment she faced from those around her, Ticone shared.

Ticone is one of many people who travel from out of state to get abortions because of bans in their home states. In the first nine months of 2022, 2,477 out-of-state people received abortion care in Colorado, according to preliminary data from the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, far surpassing the 1,560 people from out of state getting abortions in Colorado in 2021.

Physician Warren Hern performs abortion care at the Boulder Abortion Clinic. The clinic has been busier since the reversal of Roe Vs. Wade.

“It affects the patients,” Hern said. “It makes it impossible for many women [and people] across the country in Republican states to get a safe abortion. It takes us back to the 19th century. I think that’s a catastrophe. As far as affecting my office, we’ve been busier than usual since the Texas law went into effect in 2021.” It has also affected types of abortions that need to be performed. “Many of the women [and people] discovered they were pregnant six months ago have not been able to get abortions. They finally get to us and they’re very far along. I’ve been getting patients from all over the country for 45 years. We’re busier. We are dealing with more people who are in desperately impossible financial situations.”

Recently Hern saw two women from Texas who discovered last November they were pregnant. Both traveled, one even drove, to Florida, to get the medication abortion. In both cases the medication failed.

“They wound up seeing me, and when I saw them they were both 31 weeks pregnant,” Hern said. “That’s a very different procedure from when you’re six weeks pregnant. The pregnancy itself is more dangerous. It causes more stress. Performing the abortion is much more complicated. It takes several days instead of five minutes. It’s more expensive. It’s more stressful. It has a higher risk of complications.”

Hern sees the anti-abortion legislation as a step backward for the county.

“It’s horrifying,” Hern said. “This is a step back at least 100 years. This is not just before Roe because even before Roe vs. Wade was handed down, there were lots of safe abortions available even though sometimes they were illegal, but being done by physicians who were skilled.” But the political environment has drastically changed. “Now you have a situation where you have a police state where women [and people] are being prosecuted for having abortions. Doctors are being threatened with prison for doing abortions. That just didn’t happen 60 years ago. Sometimes there were over enthusiastic district attorneys or prosecutors that would come after doctors, but this is really a nightmare. This is not the 21st century. This is 11th century stuff. This is like the medieval inquisition and witch hunts. It’s really terribly destructive.”

In March 2023 Colorado Senate Bill 188 Protections for Accessing Reproductive Health Care passed at the state level.

“There were many people in the reproductive rights community, myself included, that were starting to get signs that Roe vs. Wade was going to be overturned,” said Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis. Jasquez Lewis represents Boulder, Broomfield, and Weld counties and sponsored SB 188. “What we fully didn’t anticipate is how horrible some of the bills would be from surrounding states,” Lewis shared.

Reproductive rights groups in Colorado sent out alerts to like-minded folks and began drumming up donor money, with one anonymous donor giving $20 million to Planned Parenthood. A large chunk of that money was set aside to help people coming from out of state to get abortions, Lewis told us.

People coming to Colorado for abortions mainly come from Nebraska, Missouri, and Texas with those coming from Texas constituting the largest numbers, Lewis said.

With a background as a pharmacist, Lewis was also focused on protecting healthcare workers who perform abortions. Lewis explained a hypothetical situation that causes her concern. If someone from Texas, Nebraska, or Missouri takes the first dose of abortion medication Mifepristone, they have to follow it up with another dose.

“If they’re traveling during that time, they have to take it with them,” Lewis said. “If they cross into Colorado, and I as a pharmacist fill that prescription, and I go to dispense it, when they [the patient] go back, if anybody in Missouri sees the prescription bottle with my name on it, they can actually investigate me here in Colorado.. They can try to extradite me. If I was in their state they could charge me with homicide and fine me for $100,000, and then could go after my pharmacy license. That’s how unbelievably appalling some of these laws are. Texas and Nebraska have something similar, it’s just not as egregious,” Hern said.

Hern has continued practicing abortions for decades because it matters, he said.

“It matters,” Hern said. “It matters for the individual women [and people]. It matters for the families. It matters for society, and now it matters for freedom.”

Hern urges people to vote. Hearn fears that if Republicans win the 2024 presidential election, they will institute a national abortion ban.

“The American people need to understand that when they go to the polls, they vote to make these things happen,” Hern said. “If they want to make it safe for women [and people] to have basic healthcare. Safe abortion is a fundamental component of women’s healthcare. If they want that they have to vote. Right now that means they have to vote democratic. It should not be a political issue but it is. It’s about power.”

Ticone had a successful procedure and is now home working again. Ticone thinks about the people in her life for who getting an abortion was inaccessible.

“My best friend had her son because it wasn’t accessible,” Ticone said. “Her baby daddy didn’t want her traveling. She felt guilt tripped. The world is already overpopulated. This pushes kids to have kids. In the end they aren’t actually raising their kid, mostly because they don’t know how. This also causes families that are struggling to struggle more.”

The post Crossing State Lines to Get an Abortion in Colorado appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

By Leigh Paterson, KUNC (Via AP Storyshare)

Interest in the possible mental health benefits of psychedelics is growing as experiments to better understand these substances are moving ahead.

In Fort Collins, researchers at the Wholeness Center are examining the potential therapeutic use of LSD and, in particular, how—and at what dosage—it may impact people with generalized anxiety disorder.

After a lengthy screening process, study participants go to the Wholeness Center for a 12 hour day with two therapists. They are unaware of what they will be swallowing: a placebo or various amounts of LSD.

“Particularly through the second hour or the third hour, people are in a very different frame of mind,” Dr. Scott Shannon, one of the principal study investigators, said of the people who get LSD instead of the placebo. “The trees may be breathing, the couch may be moving. And some people will find this incredibly curious. Other people may be a little intimidated.”

The two therapists are there to reassure participants and calm them down. The experimental sessions taking place in Fort Collins are part of a larger study at 20 sites across the country funded by MindMed, a New York-based biotech company. The company plans to announce topline data from the clinical trials later this year.

“I tell people it’s like, if we’re living our life every day at street level then psychedelics are kind of like going up into a hot air balloon, or maybe even in a satellite, and you’re looking at your life in a very different way, and insights come,” Shannon said. “They can be scary sometimes. They can be terrifying.”

This experiment on LSD and anxiety is part of a much larger push to understand how various psychedelics can be used to treat mental health conditions. The effort involves support from corporations, universities and nonprofits. Earlier this year, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus announced an upcoming clinical trial to test whether psilocybin can help with treatment-resistant depression.

Past research efforts have indicated that psilocybin—also called magic mushrooms—can ease anxiety, particularly for cancer patients.

“We have some suggestion that psychedelics can be helpful for anxiety, and this is a study to try to test that,” Shannon said. this quote was a little long and wordy, I think it can be shortened. The rest has already been explained outside of the quote.

Much of this research has been on hold for decades. After widespread use in the 1960s, the federal government classified psychedelics as Schedule 1 drugs, meaning they lack an accepted medical use and have a high potential for abuse.

“It really shut down research in this country for a long, long time. And it’s now just restarting,” Shannon explained.

Eventually, researchers began requesting licenses from the federal government to study some psychedelics. After encouraging results, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed some of this work to move ahead more quickly by granting “breakthrough therapy” status to certain substances.

Luke Niforatos, the CEO of Protect Our Kids, a group that fights for more restrictive drug policies and recently opposed Colorado’s ballot measure to decriminalize magic mushrooms, believes in the importance of following the FDA’s process.

“I think the concern that I have is, we’re seeing a lot of kind of breathless rhetoric around the…miracle drug potential of psychedelics,” Luke Niforatos, the CEO of Protect Our Kids, a group that fights for more restrictive drug policies and recently opposed Colorado’s ballot measure to decriminalize magic mushrooms, said.

Niforatos points to the risks of other drugs like opioids and cannabis. In MindMed’s LSD trial in Fort Collins, some groups are excluded from participation: pregnant women and people with a history of psychosis. That’s because the risks of using psychedelics in these populations are not fully understood.

“That’s not to say that these drugs don’t do what everyone’s really excited about,” Niforatos said. “But what it does mean, though, is it’s still early.”

Research into a psychedelic called MDMA could be entering its final phase before possible FDA approval.

Berra Yazar-Klosinski, the chief science officer with the MAPS Public Benefit Corporation, said MDMA is further along in the process than other psychedelics thanks to a growing body of research on using it to treat mental health issues in conjunction with therapy.

She remembers looking over the results from a phase three clinical trial on using MDMA to treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, published in 2021 in the journal Nature Medicine. 88% of the participants experienced a meaningful change in their symptoms. Around two-thirds no longer met the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis.

“Oh, my gosh. It was so exciting,” Yazar-Klosinski said of the results.

Later this year, Yazar-Klosinski will be walking the FDA through the data as part of a larger request to approve MDMA-assisted therapy.

“It was such a huge surprise that everybody was just shocked and very happy for the PTSD patients and what this could mean for them,” Yazar-Klosinski said.

The post With new LSD study, researchers in Fort Collins see a future for psychedelic therapy appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

How Seth Viddal, co-founder The Natural Funeral, is normalizing human composting as a safe and useful burial option.

I asked the co-owner of The Natural Funeral Seth Viddal, a stout man with a shaved head and a righteous beard — and a dead-ringer for my mental image of Tom Bombadil — if he had heard of the term “Sky Burial.”  He laughed, “Yes! It’s reserved for special deaths, for dignitaries.  But, it’s where the body is placed on top of a mountain to attract vultures to come to digest the body and distribute it back to the earth.”

From a certain distance, the Tibetan ritual of Sky Burial reads as a decorative rug covering the ‘Ick factor’ of the actual practice. However, when viewed from a perspective within the culture, the rite leads to divination by allowing the spirit to become one with heaven and re-enter the cycle of reincarnation once a vulture has finished digesting the remains.

The ‘Ick Factor,’ as Viddal calls it, has plagued the idea of human composting as a valid and safe method of disposing of one’s dead since before even he was aware of the possibility.  In 2020,  Rep. Brianna Titone, D-Arvada, and Sen. Robert Rodriguez, D-Denver, proposed legislation for human composting with bill HB1060. This method of composting had been used for livestock and was proven to be sustainable; however, it met opposition from both Christian and Jewish leadership before it was completely derailed by the COVID outbreak. The bill didn’t make it through session.

Later in 2021, a prospective client actually brought the idea of human composting to Viddal who, up until that point, hadn’t known composting a human body would be an option for burial. Viddal  immediately used the resources at his disposal and lobbied the Colorado Energy and Environmental sub-committee to provide the service. A new bill, SB21-006, was also making its way through the legislature. The bill allowed for the use of containers to accelerate the process of decomposition. On September 7, 2021, human composting became a legal form of burial with two specific caveats: first, the soil made from human composting cannot be sold; second, whatever is grown within said soil cannot be used for human consumption.  This made Colorado the second state to allow for such a service, the first being Washington State in 2018.

During this process, Viddal began working on the vessel to contain the body that he would later dub the “chrysalis.” The chrysalis is constructed with dimensions roughly the same as a normal casket.  The appearance and shape of its construction, however, is more time-capsule than coffin as the wooden box the body is kept within is bookended with wooden wheels.  The wheels provide for easy transportation, allowing it to be rolled in and out of the warehouse wherein it is kept.  Further, inside the casket, the body is laid upon a bed of alfalfa and wood chips.  Additionally, grieving families are allowed to place mementos of their lost loved one within the chrysalis as long as they are things that will properly degrade during the process (wine, grounds from their favorite coffee, etc.).  Within about six to nine months the family will be welcome to claim the soil that remains once the process is finished.

The Chrysalis, photo provided by The Natural Funeral

The first service of human composting on September 22, 2021 sent a knock that could be felt throughout the nation. The Natural Funeral has performed seventy-five human composting funerals as of this article, and they’ve been sought by people from outside the state for their service.  Considering the demand, they are still shockingly the only funeral home in Colorado to perform this service.

Though it is highly likely that number will grow, Viddal was very clear that every service he performs is special.  “I never want to be callous,” Viddal remarked when asked about how he mentally prepares to begin a process that will inevitably turn a human into soil.  “You want to feel grounded,” he said with his eyes closed, perhaps visualizing taking his first steps, shoulders braced for carrying the weight. An Atlas-like undertaking, the word ‘service’ brings with it all planetary heft of a grieving family— a story has ended, a space created where it wasn’t wanted, and lives must now learn to move with a different rhythm.

The opposition to human composting still remains. The Catholic Church has said that it still does not support the idea of human composting citing safety concerns, and the Jewish leaders have had mixed reactions as some see it occupying the same space as cremation while others oppose death having a tangible benefit.

Although Viddal admits that human composting is a net good for the environment, he never influences the choice on the grieving family.  Dealing with the remains of a loved one is never easy. Composting a human may give some reservations, however, with Oregon legalizing the practice in the summer of 2021, and four more states also legalizing the practice, it shows that the winds are changing direction. Further, since human composting has been proven to be safe and good for the environment — and as long as those choices made for the deceased were made with care — navigating the ick becomes easier.  Just as Viddal stated whether  its Tibetan rituals involving vulture poop or humans becoming soil, “It’s all beautiful.”

The post Human Composting: Navigating the “Ick Factor” appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Life is about knowing when to roll the dice. CPR survival rates are lower than the odds of guessing a number correctly if you toss one of those dice. But CPR is still a skill everybody should learn.

Sunlight filters through the cottonwoods, and the babble of water echoes in your ears. The laughter of 20-somethings blends in with the sounds of the rushing water. The peace is shattered as one of the laughs transforms into a scream. You watch in terror as an unconscious young man is pulled to the riverbank. One of his friends is screaming, “Jacob isn’t breathing!”

Most people aren’t first responders, so TV and other media fill in the blanks. About 95% of people learn about CPR from TV. You might remember seeing Damar Hamlin getting CPR on Monday Night Football. Or you may recall scenes post-CPR on medical dramas, the doctors with perfect hair saying everything will be ok.

If you’re lucky, you think of NBC’s The Office’s first aid failure and remember that you need to push on his chest hard and fast to the beat of the “Staying Alive.” Unfortunately, you are frozen.

Another bystander dials 911, and paramedics arrive, start CPR, and take him to the hospital. You probably think things are going to be ok now. Research shows most adults think CPR has a 75% chance of success but, unfortunately, the odds aren’t in his favor.

When CPR is done outside of the hospital, about one in ten people survive. In the hospital, between two to four out of ten survive . Though the odds are nowhere close to assumed success rates, immediate CPR increases survival rates significantly, by three to four times. Per Timothy Meyers, M.D., the Chair of Emergency Medicine at Boulder Community Health, “The sooner the CPR gets started, the higher the success rate in terms of outcomes.”

What is CPR, really?

The heart beats over 10,000 times daily to move 2,000 gallons of blood over 60,000 miles of blood vessels to deliver oxygen and nutrients and remove waste. A stop in this flow is deadly. 

“[People who have a] prolonged downtime [before CPR begins]…  unfortunately don’t have a good neurological recovery… it’s a life-changing event for them. The success rate of CPR undoubtedly goes up if it’s started within the first two minutes [of the heart stopping].” Said Dr. Meyers. 

Brain cells begin to die when deprived of blood flow for around four minutes, causing irreversible damage. Death follows minutes to seconds after brain cells die. CPR moves blood in the body when the heart cannot, hopefully keeping cells alive.

“The technique itself is really pretty straightforward… The biggest goal is to restore blood flow quickly by pushing on the chest, which indirectly compresses the heart…[which] stimulates the blood to start flowing around the circulatory system again.” Explained Dr.Meyers.

High-quality compressions must be both hard and fast. Compressions must push the chest down two inches and be done 100-125 times every minute. Think about pushing to the beat of “Stayin’ Alive.” Or, if you’ve spent any time around a toddler, “Baby Shark” might be easier to remember.

“CPR used to be equally focused on breathing and compressions fairly early on…We really have sort of moved away from that.” Continued Dr. Meyers. Good news for bystander CPR. There are only two steps to take, dialing 911 and starting chest compressions.

CPR success is greatly enhanced when it is paired with a defibrillator, a medical device that helps reset the heart. Fortunately, defibrillators are widely available outside of doctors’ offices and hospitals.  Most businesses and public spaces like libraries and schools have Automated External Defibrillators (AED’s) on their premises. The Colorado Legislature passed HB1183- Automated External Defibrillators In Public Places in 2019 to help expand access.

CPR is a lifesaving tool, but it isn’t without risk. “Broken ribs are certainly fairly common after CPR… [along with] rib pain, [and] rib injury,” Clarified Meyers. These broken ribs can puncture nearby organs such as the lungs. But these risks should not be seen as a deterrent if a person suddenly collapses. “Especially if it’s a family member or a loved one, why not give them that chance?” 

Pushing Deeper  

TV mostly shows young CPR survivors. One study found an average age of 36 years shown in medical dramas. They suffered accidents like almost drowning or a car crash, but were otherwise healthy. CPR works best for these patients. It also works well when there is a problem with the heart itself, like a heart attack or cardiac arrest like Damar Hamlin. CPR keeps people alive so these reversible problems can be fixed.

When the heart stops due to cancer, heart disease, or another irreversible chronic illness, CPR survival rates are abysmal, only one in one hundred compared to typical odds. These survivors rarely return to their former quality of life. Sometimes the damage to the body to the body before CPR makes people completely reliant on life support or even causes brain death. An especially cruel irony for those whose conditions leave them with only months to live.

“You can’t get around it. [CPR] is violent. People say, ‘Oh, don’t use those terms.’ [As if] somehow, by telling people this, you’re manipulating them. But no, you need to tell them.” Explained Rebecca Gagne-Henderson, Ph.D. a Nurse Practitioner (NP) with 27 years of experience in palliative care and hospice care.

For those with reversible conditions, CPR’s pain is a small price to pay for a second chance at life. But is it a price worth paying for those who have weakened bodies from irreversible conditions, who only have months to live?

“I have only seen one [patient], who was on palliative care actually survive… and leave the hospital. She went to the nursing home, and she was going to be bedbound. And the son was like ‘see you were wrong. You were wrong.’ She died two weeks later. What did those two weeks look like, for her?” said Gagne-Henderson. When it comes to staying alive- should we prioritize the length of time? Or the quality? 

It can be hard to breach the conversation of quantity vs. quality of life, even for doctors. Gange-Henderson reflected “When I would round as the palliative NP [in the] ICU… I would listen to the residents giving report [on patients with complete life support measures who were] a full code! And that’s when I would say, ‘I have a question…Do you think that your patient is a candidate for CPR?’ It’s something they hadn’t even considered!” Said Gagne-Henderson while shaking her head

“[Families often] want CPR,  because it will make them well. So I would ask them, ‘What does well look like to you?’  and for me, I wouldn’t want CPR if afterward I couldn’t get up and make a cup of tea and care for myself… if I can’t do that, then CPR is going to make my life worse.”  Said Gagne-Henderson.

Conversations about if CPR fits in with wishes for what wellness means can begin with a primary care physician. While it’s a conversation that can be difficult, knowing what life-saving measures fit for each person ensures everyone’s transition from life to death is peaceful. 

What to do if somebody needs CPR (A refresher for the CPR certified and and introduction to all others)

Let’s go back to Boulder Creek Trail. We now know it’s critical to get emergency aid to Jacob right away. Do not wait for somebody else to act. Try to wake the unconscious person up by shaking their shoulder. If they are not responsive, check for a pulse on the unconscious person’s neck. If there is no pulse, it’s time to act fast to save a life.

If others are around during a medical emergency, enlist their help. In Jacob’s case, point at one of his friends and tell them to dial 911. Point to another, and tell them to go to a nearby building and see if they have AED. Directly pointing at people and telling them what to do may seem rude, but it helps prevent people from freezing during an emergency. The vast majority of public spaces like schools,libraries, and businesses have AEDs on their premises. Most AEDS will give users verbal instructions, and if they don’t 911 operators can give instructions. If the unconscious person is wet, try to dry the victim’s chest before applying AED pads. 

Once 911 is called, and an AED is on the way, it’s time to start 2-inch deep chest compressions. Push to the beat of “Stayin’ Alive” or “Baby Shark.” Try not to pause for more than 10 seconds. While it may seem weird not to give rescue breaths, new research points to hands-only CPR being just as effective.

If you’re by yourself and have a phone dial 911 before starting chest compressions. If you’re by yourself without phone access, do chest compressions for 2 minutes before finding a phone and calling 911 for help.The best way to learn CPR is by taking a class. Classes are available through the American Heart Association and The Red Cross. 

In the case of Jacob, quick CPR and a shock from the AED resulted in a bewildered man coughing up water as paramedics reached the scene. He was taken to a hospital and diagnosed with broken ribs but will go on to enjoy another day with sunshine through the cottonwoods. Hopefully, doing more than just stayin’ alive.

The post CPR: More than Staying Alive appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

by Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun (AP Storyshare)

An anti-abortion activist is challenging Colorado’s 30-year-old prohibition on approaching people within 100 feet of the entrance of a health care facility to pass them a leaflet, display a sign or engage in “oral protest, education or counseling.”

The 1993 ban, sometimes called the “bubble law,” was enacted by the legislature as a way to shield women getting an abortion from harassment, though it doesn’t apply just to abortion clinics.

The law has faced legal challenges before, including one that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2000 and was rejected by a 6-3 vote.

The new lawsuit was filed June 1 in federal court by Wendy Faustin, who “believes that abortion is a horrific moral wrong” and “wishes to personally and compassionately talk to women seeking abortions and give them further information related to the procedure and other available options.”

The defendants include Gov. Jared Polis, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, Denver District Attorney Beth McCann and Denver police Chief Ron Thomas. The attorney general’s office doesn’t comment on active litigation.

Faustin is also challenging a similar, municipal-level bubble law enacted by Denver’s City Council. She argues the laws violate her First Amendment free speech rights, as well as her 14th Amendment rights to equal protection under the nation’s laws.

Faustin appears to be hoping to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2000 ruling on Colorado’s bubble law now that there’s a conservative majority on the court.

Last year, the court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 precedent guaranteeing a minimum level of abortion access across the country. That decision called the court’s 2000 ruling on Colorado’s bubble law a distortion of First Amendment doctrines.

“Plaintiff acknowledges that the result she seeks is contrary to currently governing precedent as set forth by the majority opinion in Hill,” the lawsuit says. “But for the reasons explained by the dissents in that case and in later Supreme Court precedent, that case was wrongly decided, is irreconcilable.”

Faustin is represented by lawyers for the First Liberty Institute, a Christian nonprofit based in Texas.

More broadly, Colorado is becoming a legal battleground when it comes to abortion. There’s already a pending federal lawsuit challenging the state’s new, first-in-the-nation ban on the so-called abortion pill reversal treatment. A failed effort to block an abortion clinic from opening up in Pueblo was set to test Colorado’s 2022 law enshrining abortion access in statute.

Colorado’s bubble law specifically creates an 8-foot buffer zone for people within 100 feet of a health care facility’s entrance. The state law carries a penalty of jail time and/or a fine for violators.

Other states and cities have bubble laws, too. The outcome of the case in Colorado could affect policies in those places.

“Colorado’s ‘bubble law’ has survived not one but two Supreme Court challenges,” Dani Newsum, director of strategic partnerships at Cobalt, a Colorado abortion rights nonprofit, said in a written statement. “Patients should have a right to access health care, including abortion care, without being harassed. At a time when violence, threats and harassment against abortion clinics, patients and providers is escalating, patients should be left alone to get the health care they need and deserve in peace.”

The case is in its early stages in U.S. District Court. There’s no timeline for when it will be resolved.

The post Colorado is becoming a legal battleground over abortion access with new challenge to 30-year-old “bubble” law appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

By Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post (via AP Storyshare)

Residents in Colorado’s mobile home parks have long scoffed when asked if they drink the community’s water.

It’s hardly even a question to think about. The answer: No, never. The liquid smells bad or looks like rust, they say. It stains dishes and sheets.

State lawmakers listened to these concerns — and now Colorado will embark on a multiyear effort to address them.

HB23-1257, signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis on Monday, will launch a statewide effort to test the water quality in mobile home parks that fall through the cracks of existing testing mechanisms. If testing reveals an issue, the park operator will need to complete a remediation plan and provide safe water for residents.

“It feels very empowering,” said Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs, and one of the bill’s co-sponsors. “We’re finally listening to our communities and supporting working families.”

The legislation — co-sponsored by Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins, and Sens. Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County, and Kevin Priola, D-Henderson — also addresses concerns that go beyond federally mandated testing for contaminants, including the water’s color, odor and taste.

It will be enforced by the Water Quality Control Division inside the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the state attorney general.

On top of the testing requirements, the legislation also creates a $3.6 million grant program to help park owners, nonprofit entities and local governments address water quality issues.

Water quality issues will be added to the database created by the Mobile Home Park Oversight Program, which tracks complaints against park owners.

Velasco, who grew up in mobile home parks in Colorado’s high country, notes that this bill is just the beginning.

“We want to make sure there is clean water everywhere,” she said.

The bill marks the fifth year in a row that the state legislature approved a bill concerning mobile home parks and residents. Previous legislation sought to make it easier for residents to purchase the land on which their homes sit, allowed the attorney general to enforce provisions of the Mobile Home Park Act and limited the number of times park owners could increase rent per year.

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Special Thanks to KUNC | By Leigh Paterson (AP Storyshare)

Nearly one year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the number of people traveling to states where abortion is still legal has surged. In Colorado, the volume of out-of-state patients more than doubled between 2021 and 2022.

Because of the increase in need for services, everyone is having to wait longer for in-person care—including Colorado residents.

Mar Galvez, a non-binary 23-year-old who works for the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR), could relate.

“I actually found out I was pregnant on the day that Dobbs was announced and Roe was overturned,” said Galvez, then a student living in Boulder. “I realized I was eight weeks pregnant at the time. It felt surreal…It didn’t feel like it was something that I was holding evidence of in my hands.”

When Galvez found out they were pregnant, they knew they wanted an abortion—and they knew who to call.

But they were unable to get an appointment within a few weeks at any of the nearby clinics. Instead, they found an online organization that connected them with a provider over telehealth who could prescribe them mail-order abortion pills.

“It is painful and it is scary, but it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t precisely the decision that I wanted for myself,” Galvez said of their abortion. “The only thing I felt afterwards and during it was a relief that I had access to that care.”

Clinics across the state are experiencing increased demand. Following the Dobbs decision last June, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains’ 14 Colorado clinics had wait times of up to 28 days for abortion appointments. More recently, patients can expect to wait around 10 days, still a significantly longer wait than in years past.

“Ten days matters,” Adrienne Mansanares, the president of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (PPRM) said of the risk in increased wait times.

Abortions pills, the most common abortion option today, are approved only through 10 weeks of pregnancy.

“We’ll have patients who make an appointment for a medication abortion…We get them all ready to go and when they come in, they’re too far along for a medication abortion,” Mansanares said.

Statewide, the majority of out-of-state patients are coming from Texas after an abortion ban took effect there in 2021. In the past, around 10% of PPRM’s patients in Colorado have come from out-of-state. So far this year, that number has hovered around 40%.

“These numbers are just remarkable,” Mansanares said. “We’ve never seen anything like that before.”

Resources in the state are being stretched thin as providers adjust to the increase in need.

Abortion funds like Cobalt Abortion Fund are being inundated by patients who need help paying for out-of-state travel. So far this year, the Colorado non-profit has spent over $126,000 on financial assistance for individuals seeking abortion care, more than twice what the organization had spent at this time last year.

Clinics are bringing on more staff. Wait times for routine reproductive care like pap smears have increased, too, in some locations.

“We are doing a lot more clinical time,” Dr. Rebecca Cohen, the chief medical officer of Comprehensive Women’s Health Center in Denver, said. “Our nurses, our staff are, you know, are staying late, doing all the things because people need us.”

Cohen said generally, demand is still high, although she is seeing fewer patients seeking abortions early in pregnancy. She thinks many of them are accessing medication abortion care online.

Plus, for those with health insurance, more options have come available in recent months. This past fall the Colorado health care giant Kaiser Permanente announced it was expanding abortion services in response to long wait times at other clinics.

In her clinic, Cohen is now seeing higher volumes of women further along in their pregnancies, with more complications.

“To hear that someone is coming to see us after it’s taken them three months to get money together—we are where we are,” Cohen said with a sigh. “Those are the things that break my heart, is just knowing that if they had felt safe enough to reach out earlier we could have helped more.”

Meanwhile, Colorado lawmakers are working to further secure access to abortion services. Gov. Polis recently signed three reproductive health bills into law, including one that shields out-of-state patients and providers from criminal prosecution should they seek or practice abortion services in Colorado.

The post As demand for abortions in Colorado goes up, so do wait times for in-person care appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

By Jason Gonzales, Chalkbeat Colorado (AP Storyshare)

Colorado would guarantee the right of Native American students to wear items such as eagle feathers and other traditional clothing at graduation ceremonies through a bill under consideration this year.

Federal law protects Native American religious and cultural rights. But students sometimes run into issues or find flat-out prohibition at schools when it comes to wearing regalia at ceremonies, advocates say. They say families must then fight to make districts aware of the importance of traditional clothing. Or students running into a lack of understanding might choose to skip graduation ceremonies altogether.

Senate Bill 202 would ensure K-12 schools, colleges, and universities create policies to protect Native American students so they don’t run into issues.

Sen. Jessie Danielson, a Wheat Ridge Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill, said she’s heard of school officials telling students they have to hide, remove, or even throw away regalia because of policies that maintain uniformity at graduations. She said some students have even reported school officials touched or confiscated students’ eagle feathers, a cultural and religious symbol.

“This bill clarifies for the school that you do not interfere with this,” Danielson said. “You cannot harass these students and prevent them from wearing their traditional regalia.”

Schools asking Native American students to remove or throw away items is like a school asking a student to get rid of a Jewish or Christian symbol, said Melvin Baker, Southern Ute Tribal Council chairman, during a Monday hearing.

He added that the United States has a history of trying to erase Native American culture, and the bill would ensure students get to honor their identity and their achievement.

“Tribal regalia plays a unique role for graduating native Native students,” Baker said. “These items are often gifted to students by parents or tribal elders in recognition of this achievement.”

The Native American Rights Fund receives many calls every spring from families across the country looking for support on how to ensure they can wear regalia at graduation ceremonies, said Matthew Campbell, the organization’s deputy director. It’s been a few years since he fielded a call from Colorado families, but he said families do sometimes run into trouble with schools.

“Usually, when we reach out to the schools and explain the importance of these items — once they understand — they usually will allow them to be worn,” Campbell said.

In recent years, some states have added teachings about Native American religion and culture. Other changes that try to create more respect toward Native American culture have happened, including a law Colorado passed last year that bans Native American mascots.

Colorado would join eight other states in ensuring Native American students can wear traditional regalia.

Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, a Longmont Democrat co-sponsoring the legislation, said the goal is to make sure that every Colorado district understands.

The bill defines qualifying students as members of a tribe, eligible tribal members, or those of Native American descent. The bill says that immediate family members would also be allowed to wear traditional Native American dress during their students’ graduation ceremony.

Speakers at a Senate Education Committee hearing said traditional dress might include clothing, bracelets, necklaces, or eagle feathers. The bill needs a final vote in the Senate before heading to the House.

The bill doesn’t say how schools will ensure students have the right to wear traditional items, Jaquez Lewis said.

“We leave the details up to the school districts and the schools but what we do in this bill is we set guardrails,” she said.

Some districts have started to create policies.

Cherry Creek School District has created a ceremony for Native American students and is working on graduation ceremony policies, said Aspen Rendon, a partner with the district’s department of equity, culture, and community engagement. The district also has an indigenous action committee working toward creating a more inclusive district, Rendon said.

Jeffrey Chavez, the district’s indigenous and native student community liaison, said it’s important to recognize native traditions, especially in urban districts like Cherry Creek. Ensuring students get to wear their regalia at ceremonies helps carry on traditions.

“That’s how we honor ourselves and our community and family with those traditions,” he said.

Indigenous action committee member Donna Chrisjohn said a principal didn’t allow her son in 2020 to wear Native American regalia at his graduation ceremony. Her son ended up not participating in the ceremony.

She is glad the district is changing and happy to have helped make lawmakers aware of the issue.

“This is so impactful for all families to know that someone will not push back when their child decides that they want to show up as who they really are,” Chrisjohn said. “That’s a huge step in the right direction.”

Jason Gonzales is a reporter covering higher education and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat Colorado partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Contact Jason at jgonzales@chalkbeat.org.

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By Markian Hawryluk | KHN (AP Storyshare)

One in 4 Colorado teens reported they could get access to a loaded gun within 24 hours, according to survey results published Monday. Nearly half of those teens said it would take them less than 10 minutes.

“That’s a lot of access and those are short periods of time,” said Virginia McCarthy, a doctoral candidate at the Colorado School of Public Health and the lead author of the research letter describing the findings in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics.

The results come as Coloradans are reeling from yet another school shooting. On March 22, a 17-year-old student shot and wounded two school administrators at East High School in Denver. Police later found his body in the mountains west of Denver in Park County and confirmed he had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Another East High student was fatally shot in February while sitting in his car outside the school.

The time it takes to access a gun matters, McCarthy said, particularly for suicide attempts, which are often impulsive decisions for teens. In research studying people who have attempted suicide, nearly half said the time between ideation and action was less than 10 minutes. Creating barriers to easy access, such as locking up guns and storing them unloaded, extends the time before someone can act on an impulse, and increases the likelihood that they will change their mind or that someone will intervene.

“The hope is to understand access in such a way that we can increase that time and keep kids as safe as possible,” McCarthy said.

The data McCarthy used comes from the Healthy Kids Colorado Study, a survey conducted every two years with a random sampling of 41,000 students in middle and high school. The 2021 survey asked, “How long would it take you to get and be ready to fire a loaded gun without a parent’s permission?”

American Indian students in Colorado reported the greatest access to a loaded gun, at 39%, including 18% saying they could get one within 10 minutes, compared with 12% of everybody surveyed. American Indian and Native Alaskan youths also have the highest rates of suicide.

Nearly 40% of students in rural areas reported having access to firearms, compared with 29% of city residents.

The findings were released at a particularly tense moment in youth gun violence in Colorado. Earlier this month, hundreds of students left their classrooms and walked nearly 2 miles to the state Capitol to advocate for gun legislation and safer schools. The students returned to confront lawmakers again last week in the aftermath of the March 22 high school shooting.

The state legislature is considering a handful of bills to prevent gun violence, including raising the minimum age to purchase or possess a gun to 21; establishing a three-day waiting period for gun purchases; limiting legal protections for gun manufacturers and sellers; and expanding the pool of who can file for extreme risk protection orders to have guns removed from people deemed a threat to themselves or others.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, firearms became the leading cause of death among those ages 19 or younger in 2020, supplanting motor vehicle deaths. And firearm deaths among children increased during the pandemic, with an average of seven children a day dying because of a firearm incident in 2021.

Colorado has endured a string of school shootings over the past 25 years, including at Columbine High School in 1999, Platte Canyon High School in 2006, Arapahoe High School in 2013, and the STEM School Highlands Ranch in 2019.

Although school shootings receive more attention, the majority of teen gun deaths are suicides.

“Youth suicide is starting to become a bigger problem than it ever has been,” said Dr. Paul Nestadt, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

“Part of that has to do with the fact that there’s more and more guns that are accessible to youth.”

While gun ownership poses a higher risk of suicide among all age groups, teens are particularly vulnerable, because their brains typically are still developing impulse control.

“A teen may be bright and know how to properly handle a firearm, but that same teen in a moment of desperation may act impulsively without thinking through the consequences,” said Dr. Shayla Sullivant, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Children’s Mercy Kansas City. “The decision-making centers of the brain are not fully online until adulthood.”

Previous research has shown a disconnect between parents and their children about access to guns in their homes. A 2021 study found that 70% of parents who own firearms said their children could not get their hands on the guns kept at home. But 41% of kids from those same families said they could get to those guns within two hours.

“Making the guns inaccessible doesn’t just mean locking them. It means making sure the kid doesn’t know where the keys are or can’t guess the combination,” said Catherine Barber, a senior researcher at the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Injury Control Research Center, who was not involved in the study. “Parents can forget how easily their kids can guess the combination or watch them input the numbers or notice where the keys are kept.”

If teens have their own guns for hunting or sport, those, too, should be kept under parental control when the guns are not actively being used, she said.

The Colorado researchers now plan to dig further to find out where teens are accessing guns in hopes of tailoring prevention strategies to different groups of students.

“Contextualizing these data a little bit further will help us better understand types of education and prevention that can be done,” McCarthy said.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

The post As Colorado Reels From Another School Shooting, Study Finds 1 in 4 Teens Have Quick Access to Guns appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

By Shay Castle
Boulder Beat (AP Storyshare)

The first time Charlie Bigsby was offered a kidney, things looked promising. The potential donor, a long-time friend, made it through the initial health screen and subsequent testing. But then the news came down: He was pre-diabetic, and therefore ineligible to donate.

The next friend to offer drove all the way from Kansas City, only to be told he might have heart problems down the road. Another person was in perfect health, but the wrong blood type. A fourth was screened out for unknown reasons, though a long-past history of drug use may have played a role.

Charlie would be offered a kidney three more times. None of them panned out, leaving the 56-year-old Longmont resident and Boulder business owner chained to a dialysis machine for 10 hours a day to do the job two healthy organs used to perform.

Charlie is in late-stage kidney failure, one of 1,130 Coloradans who last year were on the waitlist for a kidney.

The number of organs available is higher than ever, but it’s still not enough for the thousands of people across the country in need of a transplant. They will wait, on average, three to five years for someone — living or dead — to give them a chance at health, all the while watching the ticking clock of their own declining kidney function.

“This whole thing,” Charlie said, “it’s been a whole lot of hurry up and wait.”

One of the good guys

Charlie is a man of few words. In his business, you don’t need them.

Charlie is the owner of Charley’s Garage, a Toyota-only repair shop in north Boulder where he’s worked for 30 years. He’s actually the second Charlie to own the business — hence the spelling discrepancy — taking over as manager from Charles Miller years ago. He finally purchased the garage in spring 2021.

It was love of the job that led Charlie to choose peritoneal dialysis, a treatment thankfully open to him because of his relative good health. Each night at 7, in his Longmont home, he hooks up to a machine that filters his blood by depositing and then draining a cleansing fluid into his abdomen. There he stays until 5 a.m. — reading, relaxing, watching TV, and finally falling asleep.

The other option is hemodialysis, which would require him to visit a medical center or hospital two to three times a week, three to four hours at a time.

Being hooked up to the at-home machine every night allows him to be at the shop all day, loyal heeler in tow. The rescue dogs — there have been several over the years — have become as much a part of the customer experience as the expectation of good work for a fair price.

I have “gratitude for a local business that is fair, competent, reliable, easy to work with, and has friendly dogs that greet you with a wagging tail at the door,” said Jenny Askey, a Boulder resident whose family “has been taking our Toyotas to Charlie for nearly 20 years.”

Askey appreciates the times Charlie has accommodated emergency repairs, despite typically being booked out for several weeks. She knows Charlie will never recommend unnecessary repairs, and that he’ll charge fairly for his services.

“He kept several of our Toyotas rolling for over 300,000 miles each,” Askey said. “We have not been sorry. Ever.”

When the power steering “puked out” on Michael Sacks’ 1990 Toyota pickup, Charlie bought a $25 piece of plumbing hardware instead of the $700 part it called for. The truck ran until late last year, when Charlie and Sacks together decided the cost of repairs was no longer worth it.

“It’s like when the vet tells me you have to let your dog go,” Sacks said.

Keeping high-mileage Toyotas on the road has become something of a specialty for Charlie, who is known up and down the Front Range for his professional and personal love of and care for cars.

“Anybody in the car world knows who Charlie is,” said Allan Wyatt, who met Charlie through a group of English motoring enthusiasts that gather in Arvada. Wyatt worked for Boulder’s Barnsley Tire before recently moving to a motorcycle shop in Fort Collins.

“They’ve heard of Charlie’s Garage,” Wyatt said of his new co-workers. “Half of them drive Toyotas.”

The car community in Colorado is small, Wyatt explained. “Everybody knows everybody else. They know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are.”

Charlie, he said, is one of the good guys.

“You’re never going to hear a bad thing about Charlie. He’s not one to toot his own horn, but he’s a very giving, very caring person. He’s quiet; he can almost seem standoffish, but he’s not. He’d give you the shirt off his back.”

“If anybody deserves” a kidney, Wyatt said, “it’s Charlie.”

Charlie Bigsby eyes the dialysis machine he uses for 10 hours each night at his Longmont home Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. (B Goodell / Unboxed Photography)

Transplants increasing

Local shops like Barnsley helped spread the word about Charlie’s condition, posting flyers on their counters: “Local Car Guy Needs a Kidney.” A friend printed and passed out yard signs.

It was difficult for Charlie to ask for help, he said. But it’s a critical part of the transplant process, according to Christine Opp, living donor coordinator at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center in Denver.

“Not everybody is comfortable with that, putting that out there, but it’s hugely successful,” Opp said. “People do news articles, they put things on a billboard, they get shirts made, bumper stickers, car magnets, yard signs, social media.”

St. Luke’s teaches a class to recipients and their loved ones, instructing them to find a “champion” or advocate to lead awareness campaigns. On average, recipients get three offers from living donors. There are outliers: Opp recalls one patient who garnered 20 interested parties, and another, 99.

Sixty percent of patients “do not ask one person to donate to them,” Opp said, but instead wait — and hope.

Someone waiting for a kidney is more likely to receive an organ from a deceased donor than a living one. In 2022, 76% of the 25,799 kidney transplants were deceased donors.

Last year was a record one for kidney transplants, said Dr. Peter Kennealey, surgical director of kidney and pancreas transplantation at University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora — part of a 12-year trend.

That’s due to a few things: better treatment for Hepatitis C, allowing infected organs to be transplanted and easily cured with medication; and advancements in technology to preserve kidneys after cardiac death. The opioid crisis has also helped, Kennealey said, a macabre silver lining to a devastating epidemic.

“There’s more people dying that are viable donors. They OD, they have a brain injury, but they have good kidneys. So we can take these really good kidneys from, in many instances, very young donors.”

Even with the number of deceased donors increasing, it’s still not enough for the tens of thousands of people who need a kidney. As of March 16, 88,813 people in the United States were waiting for a transplant, according to UNOS, the United Network for Organ Sharing. More than 20,000 people are added to the list each year; kidneys account for 85% of all organ transplants.

Sixty-eight percent of Coloradans have signaled their intent to become organ donors. Yet because so few deaths result in viable organs — about three in 1,000, according to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration — having a bigger pool of potential donors is critical.

“There’s really not a downside to doing it,” Kennealey said. “You can’t take your organs with you.”

—> Become an organ donor: Sign up when you receive or renew your driver’s license, or anytime through Donate Life Colorado

Marcie Bigsby embraces her husband, Charlie, in the garage at their Longmont home Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. Both are car enthusiasts and collectors. (B Goodell / Unboxed Photography)

‘We would never put them at risk’

Living donors are preferred because their kidneys have a longer lifespan: 15-20 years, on average, versus eight to 12 years for a kidney from a deceased donor.

It’s also a much quicker process. Living donors can be approved within a month after initial contact, provided they pass the health tests.

About 40% of would-be donors are screened out, Opp said. Weight is the biggest factor, because of its contribution to diabetes and high blood pressure — the two leading causes of kidney disease. Potential donors are assessed not only for their current health, but their potential to develop conditions in the future.

“They have to be in amazing health,” Opp said, “because this is an elective procedure. We would never put them at risk.”

—> Interested in becoming a living donor? You can direct your kidney to Charlie Bigsby, or do a non-directed donation. Call Presbyterian/St. Luke’s at 720.754.2155 option 3 or email LivingDonorsPSL@HealthONEcares.com. Visit PSLMC.com/KidneyCenter for more information and/or to fill out an initial health questionnaire

The comprehensive screening includes an initial online health questionnaire, the signing of consent forms, then a phone call with an advocate to assess donors’ grasp of the process and ensure they have an adequate support system. That is followed by two days of testing at the hospital, after which surgery is scheduled.

The surgery is done laparoscopically, with four small incisions in the stomach that are sealed with glue. Living donor surgeries are performed on Mondays; by Wednesday, they’re going home — provided they can take food and liquids by mouth, and pass gas by rear.

Donor’s stomachs are inflated with CO2 during the procedure, to give the surgeon’s room to work. The biggest complaint from patients, according to Opp, is pain in the shoulder or chest caused by the gas, known as referred pain.

Charlie Bigsby works on one of the cars in his private collection at his Longmont home Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. (B Goodell / Unboxed Photography)

‘Unfavorable combination’

The entire process is confidential for living donors, one reason why Charlie doesn’t know why none of the seven offers resulted in a transplant.

There was one person cleared to donate: his wife, Marcie. She’s not the right blood type, but is hoping for a paired exchange, in which another potential donor has Charlie’s blood type, and that potential donor’s designated recipient has Marcie’s.

Last year, paired donation accounted for more than one-fifth of all living donor kidney transplants in the U.S. In 2008, that number was practically zero in 2008, according to Dr. Kennealey.

“With the utilization of modern technology, GPS tracking and better partnerships with commercial airlines,” he said, “we can facilitate transplants from Hawaii to Boston.”

With Charlie and Marcie, there’s one catch: While he is the most in-demand blood type, O, she is the rarest, AB, severely limiting the pool of potential donor-recipient pairs.

Said Opp, “That’s the most unfavorable combination you can have.”

Charlie Bigsby eyes the dialysis machine he uses for 10 hours each night at his Longmont home Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. (B Goodell / Unboxed Photography)

‘This will be what kills me’

While there are many factors that go into prioritizing someone for a kidney, compatibility is a major consideration. Someone who has been waiting less time than Charlie could receive a kidney first, if it’s a better fit for them.

Without a living donor directing their kidney to Charlie, he will remain on dialysis.

Dialysis shortens a person’s lifespan, even as it keeps them alive.

“The life expectancy on dialysis is poor,” Kennealey said. “It depends on your disease, your age, your co-morbidities.  A 25-year-old can survive for decades on dialysis, but if you’re 65 and you’ve had two heart attacks and you’re on oxygen, your life expectancy is poor.”

“They can live forever on dialysis,” Opp clarified, “but their life expectancy is decreasing the longer they’re on it.”

The median number of months on dialysis is 39 months, Kennealey said. “Half the people fail before 39 months, half are after.”

Failure means moving to hemodialysis for some people already receiving peritoneal treatment — or death. Last year in Colorado, 36 people died waiting for a transplant, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

Charlie has been on dialysis for 35 months, since April 9, 2020.

He and Marcie know the facts; they’ve done the research. But “I don’t want to think about the number,” Marcie said. “It’s easier to remain positive as a person if you’re not dwelling on what some statistic is.”

Charlie also prefers to not give much thought to his predicament. He goes about his business at the shop, manages his dialysis and diet and endless doctor appointments, and takes care of his cars and dogs.

But in a quiet moment, he admits to being scared sometimes. It’s an odd thought, he said, dealing with your probable and impending death.

“More than likely,” Charlie said, “this will be what kills me.”

Even with a transplant, his health saga will continue. There’s the lifelong medication regime, the constant check-ups, increased risk of skin cancer and, even if all goes perfectly, another transplant in the future.

“It’s not a cure,” Opp said. “It’s a treatment option.”

There are checkups: at six months, one year and two years. All costs of the surgery are covered, as are any related costs incurred within a year after donation. And, if a donor ever needs a kidney in the future, they are given the highest priority for a transplant.

Donors will need to take good care of their remaining kidney for the rest of their lives, drinking two to four liters of water per day and maintaining a healthy weight. Regular physical activity can continue, so long as it doesn’t involve getting hit regularly and repeatedly in the lower back.

“We have skiers, hikers, cyclists, people who go to the gym daily,“ Opp said. “They don’t even know they have one less organ.”

The post Beloved Front Range mechanic in need of kidney transplant appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

By Ann Schimke, Chalkbeat Colorado (AP Storyshare)

Roxana Alvarado Martinéz, a high school sophomore, had told only close friends she was seeing a therapist to help her with anxiety and insomnia.

But that changed this month in the civics classroom where she serves as a teacher’s assistant. The teacher plucked slips of paper from the “Sol y Nubes” — sun and clouds — box, where students can anonymously share struggles or excitement.

That day, as the discussion touched on depression, bullying, and suicide, Roxana spoke up.

“There is no shame, absolutely no shame in you having a therapist or me having a therapist,” she told the class at Summit High School in Breckenridge. “I could help you get connected if that’s what you need.”

Roxana is part of a generation that has grappled with unprecedented mental health struggles over the last few years amid a pandemic that stoked stress, fear, and isolation for people young and old. She’s also one of thousands of Colorado youth taking advantage of a growing number of programs that aim to make mental health support more accessible and affordable for young people.

These programs include the state’s “I Matter” program, which provides six free telehealth or in-person counseling sessions to students in elementary through high school. So far, the program has served more than 5,600 students statewide.

There are a variety of local programs, too. Roxana, 16, received a scholarship to cover the cost of therapy from Building Hope Summit County, a mental health nonprofit. The Aurora school district east of Denver began offering students six free counseling sessions a year ago and the neighboring Cherry Creek district began offering eight to 10 free sessions to middle and high schoolers in December. Both districts contract with Hazel Health, a telehealth company based in San Francisco.

It’s hard to know if Colorado youth are getting all the help they need. During the first nine months of 2022, mental health-related visits to emergency departments in the Children’s Hospital Colorado system were up 74% compared with the same period in 2019, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

That’s part of the reason why local and state leaders continue to push for easy-access mental health support for children and teens before a full-blown crisis hits.

Michelle Weinraub, Cherry Creek’s chief health officer, said the district’s free counseling program grew out of a mental health task force launched in early 2022. She recalled asking students at one meeting if they’d use free counseling sessions they could access on their phones after school or work.

A couple of them were so excited, they jumped out of their chairs, she said.

“They were like, ‘Yes, that’s what we want,’” she said. Then the students started talking: “We can’t get an appointment unless we’re in crisis … My friend tried to call and they’re on a waitlist for six months. My friend wanted to see this person that they knew somebody else was seeing, but it doesn’t accept insurance.”

Experts declare a mental health emergency

In May 2021, just over a year into the pandemic, leaders at Children’s Hospital Colorado sounded the alarm about the spike in serious mental health problems among children and teens, declaring a youth mental health “state of emergency.”

They pleaded for more funding as well as efforts to reduce bureaucratic constraints in the youth mental health system. Six months later the state launched I Matter.

The program isn’t meant to be the only “front door” to counseling, but rather to serve as one low-barrier option for any young person who needs someone to talk to, said Charlotte Whitney of the state’s Behavioral Health Administration, which runs I Matter. There’s no requirement to be extremely anxious or depressed.

Whitney said the model can help set kids up for improved mental health long term “because they know where to access services and they know the coping skills to get them through those really hard times.”

Students 12 and over can sign up for the therapy sessions by filling out a simple online form. Children under 12 can use the service, but need a parent to do so. Whitney said generally students can get telehealth appointments within days.

Occasionally, she said, students wait longer if they’re looking for something specific — for example an in-person appointment in a rural community or a therapist that specializes in transgender issues.

In Aurora, about 230 students have been referred for counseling through the free Hazel Health program since the start of the school year. In Cherry Creek, which launched its program Dec. 5, about 200 students have been referred for help, often by their parents. Officials in both districts say there are no waiting lists for appointments.

Puppy therapy helps students open up

Timothy Swanson, a social worker in Colorado Springs, is one of about 200 I Matter therapists statewide. He sees up to three students a week, mostly in person, through the program. Often, his clients open up first to his dog Smoke, a gentle pitbull mix who accompanies him to the office.

“They just love him. They just grab him and start talking to him,” said Swanson. “It really helps these kids because a lot of times they come in, they’re withdrawn, a little nervous, not sure what therapy’s about.”

Swanson, 63, said many young clients, whether they’ve come through I Matter or other avenues, struggle with anxiety, anger, or depression. Sometimes, it’s because of pandemic-related disruptions at school, the trickle-down effect of parent stress, or cruel behavior from classmates.

Some of his clients have been told by fellow students, “Well, if you feel that way, why don’t you just kill yourself?”

“It’s really damaging,” Swanson said. “I encourage them to talk to counselors, to me, to their parents, to teachers or whoever, to help them develop a support system … a healthy one where they can get good answers.”

As with other free therapy programs, I Matter aims to connect youth to continued counseling if they want or need it after the free sessions. Swanson said 30% to 40% of his I Matter clients continue seeing him after the first six sessions, paying through health insurance or other means.

Weinraub, of the Cherry Creek district, said if needed, Hazel Health therapists work with students and families to connect them to a local therapist after the free telehealth sessions end.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to student burnout

Even before Roxana moved to the United State from Mexico at age 7, she was a top student. Her parents expected good grades and she delivered.

But her classes got harder in middle school. Then, in seventh grade, the pandemic hit. Roxana, once surrounded by friends, found herself spending long days alone in her bedroom.

Her father would say, “You have to come out and at least eat something, drink some water,” Roxana said. “I started getting to the point where I was drowning myself in all my work.”

She felt claustrophobic, exhausted, and worried about her mother, who worked as a nurse in Mexico. Eventually, Roxana tried counseling but it didn’t go well. She said the therapist told her, “It’s only in your head. You’re just pretending.”

By the middle of her freshman year in high school, her struggles spiraled. She was skipping classes and nearly failing courses for the first time in her life. She ended up in the hospital.

Today, Roxana is doing better. She’s seeing a therapist she relates to — one who is Latina and a native Spanish-speaker like herself — and she’s let go of her drive for perfect grades. She’s also trying to tackle the stigma around seeking mental health help, something she’s felt as part of the Latino community.

“We have this big, big culture of what happens in our family stays in our family and you’re not going to tell our family business around,” she said.

But Roxana knows there are other students like her at school, silently struggling with their painful realities. That’s why she decided to say something during the recent civics class, stuttering a bit as she shared her story.

“If I don’t speak out, other people won’t either,” she said.

Ann Schimke is a senior reporter at Chalkbeat, covering early childhood issues and early literacy. Contact Ann at aschimke@chalkbeat.org.

Resources:
I Matter: Sign up for six free therapy sessions for Colorado youth.
Colorado Crisis Line: 1-844-493-8255 or text TALK to 38255.
National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Dial 988.

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By John Herrick, Boulder Reporting Lab (AP Storyshare)

Two months before the use of methamphetamines shut down the library last month, the City and County of Boulder started implementing a program to help people wean off the highly addictive stimulant that has communities scrambling for solutions. The relatively cheap and readily available drug contributes to homelessness, overdose deaths and incarceration rates.

In October 2022, Boulder County repurposed one of its office buildings to provide temporary out-patient drug addiction treatment, including for people who are addicted to methamphetamine.

The addiction treatment center off Broadway is run by Tribe Recovery Homes Inc., a Denver-based organization that mostly manages sober living homes.

According to county officials, about 12 people are visiting the center for clinical and therapeutic services and peer support.

The addiction recovery work is paid for through a $900,000 grant the county won in 2021 from the U.S. Department of Justice. While medication is often used to ease cravings to opioids, the most common treatment for people addicted to methamphetamine is behavioral therapy.

The county’s out-patient treatment center was set up as a temporary solution while the City of Boulder found a property it could buy and use for inpatient treatment. Tribe would still provide the services. City of Boulder officials said this week they are in the process of closing a deal on a home. If all goes as planned, the recovery home could be up and running in a matter of months.

“It takes time for folks to get stable,” Jim Adams-Berger, the strategic initiatives division manager for Boulder County’s Community Services Department, told Boulder Reporting Lab. “That happens best in some kind of inpatient, supportive recovery home-type environment.”

The city is planning to use money from its Affordable Housing Fund to pay for the home. The county, meanwhile, has also committed $600,000 to help purchase the property. City and county officials preferred not to disclose the location of the home, in part due to concerns about potential opposition from neighbors.

The recovery home will be an incremental step toward addressing methamphetamine addiction in Boulder County. In 2020, the county estimated 535 people who passed through the Boulder County Jail were addicted to methamphetamine, according to its grant proposal. (There are currently 412 people incarcerated or detained in the jail, according to state data.)

Ultimately, the county wants to have at least three, three-bedroom homes providing recovery services, according to its grant proposal. The residents would live in the home for two to three months. Over three years, the program aims to serve 207 people. This does not include the out-patient center on Broadway.

After residents leave the home, Tribe clinicians will monitor their progress, according to the county.

“They are one of the few service providers that are not afraid of methamphetamine addiction or polysubstance addiction,” Heidi Grove, the systems manager for Homeless Solutions Boulder County, told Boulder Reporting Lab, referring to Tribe. “Something that we really wanted to bring into the county is somebody who’s not afraid to tackle some really challenging substance addictions.”

The county aims to serve people who have been involved in the criminal legal system, and clients will likely be referred to the program by law enforcement. The county has said the program will include support with housing, employment, public benefits, transportation, identification cards, childcare and other services. All of these services make it easier to kick a drug addition, according to Tribe.

“When you’re in a single-family home that’s in a neighborhood, there’s public transportation. You have an opportunity to get your license back, you have an opportunity to engage with your family again…and get yourself all together,” Thomas Hernandez, the founder of Tribe, said.

City and county officials had anticipated getting the residential treatment program up and running last summer. But the process of finding and purchasing a property caused delays.

This was anticipated. In its grant proposal, the county cited the “high cost and limited availability of affordable housing” and “significant resistance” from residents to homeless shelters and supportive housing.

Kurt Firnhaber, the city’s director of Housing and Human Services, is working to close the deal on one of the properties. “We are currently working through some issues related to the property where we are planning to host this service,” Firnahber said in a recent email. He said he was not available for an interview.

If the city is able to purchase a home, county officials anticipate the residential treatment program will begin accepting people in the coming months.

“We have the resources,” Adams-Berger said. “But the hurdle really is finding a place.”

The issue of methamphetamine addiction received renewed attention in recent weeks after the Boulder library closure. The cleanup work, estimated to cost $125,000, is just one example of the far-reaching impacts of methamphetamine addiction on the broader community.

Before the library’s closure, the city and county officials wanted to invest in residential treatment as a means of reducing homelessness. Landlords often refuse to sign leases with people who have a history of methamphetamine use, due to concerns over contamination.

Several rental properties across the city, including those owned by Boulder Housing Partners, the city’s largest recipient of the city’s affordable housing dollars, have been contaminated with methamphetamine, according to state records. This is one of the reasons why the city and the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, a nonprofit that runs the city’s largest homeless shelter, are buying properties to turn into affordable housing. Adams-Berger said the county is creating a pot of money to help property owners pay for the cost of remediation.

Henry Larson provided reporting for this story.

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By Eric Galatas, Public News Service (AP Storyshare)

Colorado saw the number of children without health insurance drop significantly between 2019 and 2021, according to a new report from Georgetown University.

This reverses a trend from the previous two years.

But Erin Miller – vice president for health initiatives for the Colorado Children’s Campaign – points to state data showing that more than 200,000 children are at risk of losing coverage, when the COVID public health emergency expires.

She said families losing coverage could face major financial risks, including medical debt and bankruptcy.

“Folks are worried that they are not going to be able to afford their kid’s glasses if they don’t have Medicaid or CHIP coverage,” said Miller. “Or they’re worried about going to the pharmacy one day to refill their kid’s asthma medication and finding out they don’t have insurance any more.”

Loss of coverage is largely due to the return of administrative burdens that were lifted at the onset of the pandemic.

As soon as next April, families eligible for insurance through the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan, or CHIP, and Medicaid will no longer keep their coverage.

They will have to go through a complicated and lengthy application process.

The Georgetown report warns that nationally, 6.7 million children could lose coverage when the pandemic is declared over.

Report lead author Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families, said three out of every four children who may lose insurance through Medicaid will still be eligible for coverage.

“Sometimes children lose coverage in normal times at Medicaid renewal, just because the letter gets lost in the mail,” said Alker. “Families with limited English proficiency may have more trouble getting through the renewal process successfully.”

When families have insurance, Miller said maternal and child mortality rates go down – and kids are more likely to graduate from high school and college, and have higher income as adults.

She said the continuous coverage protections established during the pandemic, which kept families enrolled without all the red tape, shows it’s possible to ensure kids get the health care they need.

“Government policy makes a huge difference in the lives of people and in families,” said Miller. “One silver lining of the pandemic is that if you say that folks need to stay enrolled in their coverage at the state level, they do.”

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Gwen Inglis. Courtesy of Colorado Community Media

By Andrew Fraieli, Colorado Community Media (AP Storyshare)

A Jefferson County jury awarded $353 million in damages to the estate and husband of Colorado champion cyclist Gwen Inglis in the case of her death by a driver under the influence.

The driver was Ryan Scott Montoya, 31, who struck and killed Inglis in May of last year on Alameda Pkwy in Lakewood and had marijuana, meth and Xanax in his system at the time of the crash, according to court records.

Montoya pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter – driving under the influence in April, and was sentenced in June to eight years with eligibility for parole in 2025.

The day of Gwen’s death

“She was a champion gal like nobody’s business,” said Mike Inglis, Gwen’s husband. “She was just the epitome of what a good kid could ever be.”

The day of the accident was cool, overcast Sunday morning, Mike explained. He and Gwen had just finished a 45 minute ride around the Green Mountain park in Lakewood — a warm-up for Mike’s race later in the afternoon.

“That bike path around Green Mountain is just beautiful, and that’s where we live,” Mike said. “And we can just see all the mountain bikers on the mountain, it’s just truly a blessing to be there.”

Gwen had injured her ankle the previous weekend and wasn’t competing, instead riding for another hour after Mike.

“She said, ‘Alright, I’ll see you back at home,’ and, ‘I’ll see you in an hour,’ and I said, ‘I love you,’ and she turned back and said, ‘I love you too.’ Then she stood up and started going up the hill,” heading back down to Bear Creek, according to Mike.

He described Montoya’s tires barely not crossing the bike lane’s line when he almost hit him. Mike turned to another cyclist who was passing by: “I say to that guy, ‘That dude is going to kill somebody,’ and the dude goes ‘No doubt.’ And then three seconds later [Montoya] crossed directly over that white line for a foot and a half and just plowed Gwen.”

“I would have been home in six minutes,” Mike said.

The $353 million verdict

“We feel that far too often drivers are not punished for hitting cyclists,” said the family’s lawyer, Megan Hottman, a fellow cycling professional and teammate of Gwen. “We see all the time that people don’t even get jail time, they get a light slap on the wrist.”

The Inglis family had filed a civil lawsuit against Montoya only a week after the accident, the verdict of which was released Dec. 6 awarding the family $353 million. According to Hottman, the goal of the lawsuit was to “deter others from this conduct and to hopefully save other cyclists’ lives.”

Hottman elaborated that a specific amount for damages was not asked for in the lawsuit, wanting the jury alone to decide how serious to take the case. “So, the jury sent a very strong message that this is not behavior that they tolerate,” she said. “And as members of the Jefferson county population, that sends a really strong message to the entire county.”

According to CDOT statistics, for the year leading up to the May accident causing Gwen’s death, there were at least 113 car crashes involving a bicyclist in Jefferson county — three of those were fatal, not including Gwen’s. There were ten total crashes that May alone. Since then, there’s been at least an additional 169 crashes, one of which includes Hottman herself.

In June she was hit while cycling and badly injured, appearing at Montoya’s sentencing hearing in a wheelchair with a broken shoulder and a broken knee. “I hadn’t undergone surgery yet, that was two days after I was hit, and I spent most of my summer in a wheelchair and using a walker,” she elaborated.

She believes there needs to be both better infrastructure and tighter laws and punishments for DUIs.

“The eight years was a very dissatisfying sentence,” Hottman said. “Montoya is parole eligible in 2025. So, he’s only going to do a few years and then he’ll be back out.”

Gwen’s husband, Mike, agrees.

Mike Inglis’ hope for change

According to Mike, Montoya stated in court that he was unaware of the Colorado state law requiring drivers to stay three feet from cyclists while passing them.

“You get taught that,” Mike said, whether from driver’s education or otherwise. “But there’s no refresher in society.” He sees this lack of education as a major avenue for improvement for safety. “Maybe that’s what we’re lacking, there’s just nobody educating the general population on things that should just be good etiquette.”

Infrastructure is another. Rumble strips to alert a driver they are drifting into the bike lane, and painting those lanes a bright color like green are cheap, easy improvements Mike believes could have prevented Gwen’s death. Commenting on painting the lanes, it allows driver’s to be more confident as they know where a cyclist’s path is, and when it may be crossing the road.

More so, he believes restrictions need to be tightened for driver’s with DUIs.

He wants to see minimum insurance increased for repeated offenders, pointing out that the insurance payout from Montoya didn’t even cover Gwen’s funeral costs. He also highlighted that Montoya had been arrested for a DUI ten days before striking and killing Gwen.

According to court records, the incident happened in Gilpin County, and Montoya pleaded not guilty.

“How does he have his driver’s license? How’s that even possible? Nobody on the planet would say that is a good idea, but here we are,” continued Mike.

The $353 million verdict breaks down into three categories: economical, or lost wages from Gwen’s death; non-economical, or emotional damages; and punitive, or the punishment and deterrent for others breaking the law.

Mike highlighted the emotional damages, saying, “It’s for the pain and suffering for me having to breathe into my wife’s mouth on the side of the road as they turn blue. That’s probably not one of the best things that a military paramedic ever wants to have to do, but that’s what I ended up doing.”

The deterrent charge was the highest though, at $250 million, as Hottman pointed out, with hopes that it makes an impact as well.

“If the general public feels like they can cavalier around cyclists and they don’t have to drive safely around them because they don’t fear going to jail, we were hoping that a civil verdict in this size would be frightening and scary and sobering enough that people will think twice about how they drive around cyclists,” said Hottman. “And more generally, they will think twice before they get behind the wheel if they’re impaired.”

Colorado Community Media is a network of more than two dozen print and online publications in eight counties around the Denver area.

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