It’s about this time of year that we begin craving stuffing, pumpkin pie and all the temptations and trimmings of the holiday table. Admit it, you’ve been caught nuzzling a box of Stove Top in the middle of aisle 6, and you nearly bought—gasp!—canned cranberries during your last trip to the grocery store. But before you are tempted by the fruit of another, here are seven recipes—four from Boulder County chefs and three from local food bloggers—that will fill your family festivities with homemade deliciousness, big bellies and little in the way of leftovers. Bon appétit.

Braised Lamb Shank by Dakota Soifer, Café Aion

Latkes with Beet Relish by Robin Bar-On, Pickled Lemon

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake by Juanita Edwards, The Rib House

Chocolate Pecan Pie by Paul Roberts, Two Dog Diner

plus Food Blogger’s Recipes for brussels sprouts, cranberry salsa and butternut squash with applesauce and sausage

The post Joy of Cooking appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Pecan pie is a long-time American classic; its origin has been traced back to the 1,700s, when the French settled in the area now known as New Orleans. Today, it’s the reason you need to unzip your pants after a Thanksgiving meal. Two Dog Diner owner Paul Roberts was nice enough to share his chocolate pecan pie recipe. It is a favorite of customers at the cool Prospect diner and also happens to be an old family recipe.

Filling Ingredients

• 1/2 C light corn syrup

• 1/2 C dark brown sugar

• 1/2 C sugar

• 1 tsp pure vanilla

• 4 large eggs

• 2-1/2 to 3 C fancy pecans halves

• 3/4 to 1 C dark, semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1 recipe basic pie dough

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Put corn syrup, sugars, vanilla and eggs in a bowl. Mix.

2. Roll out pie dough and carefully put in a 9-inch pie pan. Add chocolate chips to bottom of unbaked pie shell. Top chocolate with pecans. Add egg/sugar mixture and bake for 45 min. Check at that time; if the filling is still a little loose, cook for 15 more minutes. Cool for at least two to three hours before serving.

Pie Dough Ingredients

• 2 C flour

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1-1/2 tsp sugar

• 1 C + 2 T unsalted butter, cold & diced

• 3–5 T ice water

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl combine flour, salt and sugar. Using a pastry cutter or two butter knives, cut in butter until mixture is the size of small peas. Sprinkle ice water and mix until mixture comes together.

2. Form into 2 or 3 disks, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least half hour.

3. Roll out on lightly floured surface 1/2–1/4 inch thick fit into pie pan. Flute the edges.

The post Chocolate Pecan Pie appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Photo by Joe Hodgson

Paul Martin knows pain.

But often, it’s a different type of pain than most able-bodied athletes deal with. Stump pain happens because of damaged nerves near the site of the amputation. “It’s so much more frequent and debilitating than normal muscle pain,” he said. “It overrides everything.” He also gets massive blisters on his stump, which leave him unable to run for days.

He’s learned specific tricks, including special bandaging or finding better-fitting prosthetics, and he’ll swim and cycle on days when he needs to go easy on his stump.

Martin is a big fan of active release technique, commonly known as ART. ART is the analysis and treatment—by hand—of soft tissue impacted by overuse and injury, helping to release the tightness of the tissue. It’s kind of like massage and can be used to treat everything from plantar fasciitis to tendonitis.

The post Stump Pain and the Art of ART appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Photo by Joe Hodgson

One Man’s Leg is a memoir of Boulder County resident Paul Martin’s tragic misfortune followed by several superhuman victories: During a 1992 car accident, one of Martin’s legs was irreparably injured and doctors were forced to amputate just below the knee. Just three years later—like a force of nature—Martin completed the New York Marathon.

Today, he holds “the world-record in the Ironman for one-legged guys,” as he puts it, and he’s won both silver and bronze as a member of the U.S. Paralympic Cycling Team. He recently completed his first ultra-marathon, and he continues to compete around the world. The triathlon has officially been accepted as an event in the 2016 Paralympic Games, and Martin says he will pursue competing in an exhibition event in the 2012 London Games.

“I had no idea that I would be a better runner, biker, swimmer with one leg than I was with two,” he said. Despite the stress, pain and strain, this has been his “path to full self-confidence and purpose.”

Here, in an excerpt from One Man’s Leg, Martin talks about training, his first attempt at becoming a runner and his continued struggles with the appendage he calls Stumpie:

I was introduced to the sport of triathlon the following summer after picking up a triathlon magazine one day. I flipped through the pages and saw a photo of Cam Widoff crossing a finish line in a shirt that read Will Race For Food. This simple statement impressed me—triathlon must be a pretty hip sport.

My desire to complete a triathlon grew after I heard about Jim MacLaren. At 290 pounds, Jim played defensive end for the Yale football team in the mid-’80s. A collision with a Manhattan bus while riding his motorcycle led to the amputation of his left leg below the knee. The EMTs pronounced Jim dead, twice, en route to the hospital. Thankfully, he survived and went on to become a very competitive triathlete. Jim’s struggle expanded in 1993. While competing in a triathlon in Orange County, Calif., his bike, at full speed, broadsided a van that had illegally entered the course. Jim suffered a broken neck in the crash, rendering him quadriplegic. He now makes his way around in a motorized wheelchair, but his indomitable spirit is as mobile as ever.

Jim’s accomplishments awed me. Up until that time, I considered a marathon an incredible feat to tackle with a prosthetic leg. But an Ironman? It sounded so extreme. Still, it was motivating to know that the list of possible achievements had no apparent end. Jim became a role model and gave me confidence to begin training for some shorter triathlons.

I decided to buy a mountain bike to begin training for my first triathlon. When I picked up the bike I had ordered from the Cosmic Wheel in Ridgefield, N.J., I met Dr. Rob DeStefano, a chiropractor in nearby Lodi. Dr. DeStefano was talking about his own Hawaiian Ironman experience with the shop’s proprietor. I stuck my nose into the conversation, telling Dr. Rob of my triathlon ambitions, and mentioning Jim MacLaren. Rob was familiar with him from races they had both competed in on the Big Island of Hawaii. Without hesitation, he agreed to help me get started in the sport.

A week later I met Dr. Rob at the Hackensack YMCA for a swim lesson. He chuckled when I demonstrated my technique. One lap, a mere 50 yards, left me huffin’ and puffin’. He pointed out the gross errors, including a horribly inefficient and hastened stroke, a misaligned body and an improper kick. But by the end of the month, swimming two to three days a week, my ability improved, I quadrupled in distance and nearly doubled in speed.

Dr. Rob then set me up with a 12-week program to help me complete my first sprint triathlon. Sprint races vary in distance but typically involve a half-mile swim, a 10- to 15-mile bike ride, and a three- to five-mile run. I continued to swim at the Hackensack YMCA and usually ran and cycled on the streets near Weehawken. Central Park was only a 20-minute commute on any given weekend. I spent most Saturday and Sunday afternoons there getting ready for my first race.

I found the perfect event to test my new abilities in my hometown of Gardner. By race
day, my swimming technique was still weak, so I used a pull buoy to conserve energy. Flotation devices are usually not allowed in triathlon, but the sympathetic race director
let me use one.

The bike section felt good, and I passed several competitors along the way, including a high school buddy who was cycling for a relay team. Stomach cramps late in the race made for a difficult run, but once the pain subsided I reeled in a few runners who had previously passed me. In the finish line sprint, I matched a competitor along the last 50 meters before he got the best of me. My grandmother, aunt and uncle, and some friends were there to cheer me through the finish. I placed 44th out of more than 100 triathletes. I felt pretty damn good—despite a blistered Stumpie.

I had trained primarily for the run, which is the toughest discipline for an amputee. My running improved throughout that summer in both distance and speed. Mike and his head prosthetist, Erik Shaffer, made continual socket adjustments to help me run with less pain. “Pain free” running, I have discovered, may very well remain theoretical.

In the 18 months since I first ran on Mike’s treadmill, I had competed on a national level in track and field and had completed my first triathlon. I was mentally prepared for my next challenge: the 1995 National Amputee Track & Field Games being held in Boston at the MIT athletic facilities in June.

I was running three or four days a week; Stumpie couldn’t handle any more than that. I would run on the Hoboken High School track a couple of times a week and a day or two on the road. I was also making many trips to the prosthetic shop to try to find an answer to my blistering problems. We were making gradual progress.

My duties at work lost their priority. I was putting all my creative energy into training. That was all that mattered to me. And the training began to pay off.

In Boston, I set a new national 1,500-meter record with a time of 5:20:88. I also ran the 400-meter and managed both a second place finish and a personal record time of 64.95 seconds, not particularly fast. In the 100-meter race, not having yet mastered my new sprinting leg, I tripped on the prosthesis right out of the starting blocks, but still managed to set another personal best of 13.93 seconds. Again, not too fast. I didn’t even qualify for the final heat of six runners. Still, I was developing a passion for mastering the run.

For the remainder of the summer I focused on the race Mike Joyce had predicted less than two years before: the New York City Marathon. A newly found friend became a motivator and mentor: Kathy Holmes, who was a member of the Somerset circle of friends I had entered by way of the ice hockey team and who had run the race the previous year, 1994, dared me to match her courage. The seeds of 26.2 miles of self-induced punishment were sown. To help guide my training she bought me a book for my birthday, Making the Marathon Your Event, by Richard Benyo.

Distance running was teaching me a great deal about prosthetic equipment. The more I ran, the more often I had to make the two-hour trip to the leg shop. I discovered that skin breakdown problems were caused not only by pistoning but also by the changing shape of my stump. Training resulted in a loss of body fat, even in Stumpie. This meant a change in shape and socket fit.

Suspension was a huge problem now that I was running the longer miles. I found a partial solution in a clear silicone liner that Erik thought we should try. The primary suspension problem was the introduction of air into the 3S, eliminating the intimate vacuum fit and causing enough pistoning to create abrasions and blistering. I wore an off-the-shelf silicone liner—a tube with a closed, cupped distal end—over my 3S. We cut a hole in the end for my pin to protrude to the shuttle lock. Its flexibility allowed for a tight fit up through my mid-thigh, thus preventing air from entering the 3S while still allowing sufficient flexion at the knee; this key innovation would contribute to my early distance running success.

Marathon day: Nov. 12, 1995—cold and rainy, 29 degrees Fahrenheit at the start. Sixty-mile-per-hour winds blew across the Verrazano Bridge, the first quarter mile of the marathon. I was dressed in mid-thigh Spandex shorts, a cotton T-shirt, nylon shell, official John Hancock cotton race hat and cotton gloves. Jurassic run wear but, hey, I was a rookie.

My hockey buddy, Jack Barr, had also accepted Kathy’s challenge. He joined me for the race along with Joan Nevin, a volunteer from Achilles Track Club. I would be running the race as a member of a club that had been founded to promote physically challenged runners and wheelers.

The three of us took our own sweet time preparing for the start of the race and, as a result, ended up in the back of the pack…of 27,500 runners! The organizers had recommended self-seeding, whereby a competitor places him/herself within the masses according to his/her anticipated race pace. We failed miserably in this regard. We reached the start line 20 minutes after the gun fired.

Plastic bags by the hundreds, which athletes donned to stay dry while waiting for the gun to fire, blew by and got entangled in many racers’ legs, causing some to stumble and fall. We managed 9-minute miles for the first part of the race by bobbing and weaving our way through the melee. By Mile 4 we increased our speed to eight-and-a-half-minute miles, then to eight-minute miles by Mile 7. As I ran, the constant pounding and slightly less than perfect socket fit inhibited circulation, causing increasingly intolerable pain. At Mile 8, I had to pull over to remove the leg to restore desperately needed blood flow. The pain forced me to remove the leg more and more frequently as the race progressed.

At each pit stop, the same pair of women passed us. We would return to battle to regain the lead, each of us making some type of “you again” comment. (One of the women researched my name and contact information through Achilles after the race and wrote weeks later, praising of my efforts. In fact, Sarina Glaser kept up the correspondence and remained a self-proclaimed “No. 1 Fan” for quite some time.)

The run up First Avenue was fabulous. Millions of people were cheering for their friends and family members as well as for total strangers. We heard “Go Achilles!”—The official cheer for any challenged runner—over and over again. In classic rookie fashion, Joan and I had each written “Go Paul” on our shirts to spark a bit of encouragement from the spectators. It
actually worked.

The race crossed the East River again, this time eastbound, on the Willis Avenue Bridge. There, at Mile 18, I hit the infamous “Wall.” This unwelcome threshold is reached when the muscle glycogen stores, then blood glucose, become so depleted that further energy must be supplied through food intake. Otherwise, muscles will begin to cannibalize and the central nervous system will experience severe fatigue. Jack humbly held himself back. Joan, too, could have maintained a quicker pace but chose to hang back with us. The Wall slowed our troop of three from what had been a nine-minute pace to a struggling 12-minute pace.

It was in this section of the race that I learned how wondrous an orange slice can be, how splendid its juices running down my throat can feel, how much energy one slice can provide. The sustenance came from the volunteer aid stations every mile along the course. Each pit was staffed by 20 to 25 God-sent individuals distributing water, Gatorade, oranges, bananas and energy bars.

Until then, the crowds had graced us with desperately needed enthusiasm and encouragement, but on the other side of the bridge in the Bronx, the sidelines were considerably thinner than they had been on Manhattan Island.

On the streets of this northernmost New York City borough, the race took a very hard right turn, causing a bottleneck in the flow of runners. Jack pulled off to get a banana and that was the last I saw of him for the remainder of the race. He had a more aggressive goal than I did, so I was relieved that I was no longer holding him back.

From the Bronx, we headed south onto Manhattan Island and into Harlem, at approximately Mile 20. By then, Stumpie was bummin’ hard and I had to stop at least once every mile. I stopped at one park bench for nearly two minutes—two minutes that passed much too quickly. Then Joan and I went on. The crowds became thinner still and the surrounding athletes thinned also. It became a mental feat just to keep moving.

Miles 20 through 23, the toughest of the day, drilled down Fifth Avenue through Harlem. This was an interesting section of the race, highlighted by the wonderfully welcomed smiles from the elderly ladies and little kids who probably witnessed the rite annually. In the heart of that infamous part of town, I consoled myself with the knowledge that I had less than 10 kilometers to go, a standard run on any other day. But it wasn’t any other day. I was nearing the end of my first marathon, and Stumpie was killing me.

The inspiration to keep moving actually came from the other runners. All around me I could see that their legs were burning and their feet were getting heavy—but they were still running.

Paty and the others had planned to meet us again at the entrance to Central Park at Fifth Avenue and 102nd Street. That corner would be a natural energy boost for all the competitors. The park marked the beginning of the end, and all the spectators from First Avenue had meandered west to catch the big finish. …Just past Mile 24, I heard them all hollering my name as Joan and I came into view. Paty kept waving her big, happy sign. They were all glad to see me upright and likely to finish. I plodded along at nearly an 11-minute-mile pace. We’d have just two more miles to go when we got back into the pack.
I pulled off the road and sat on a wall with Paty and Kathy. I removed not just my leg but also the liner and 3S. Stumpie was so tender. Regardless, we laughed and cheered and began a premature celebration. Although I was in no hurry to put that damned leg back on, I re-donned the equipment, post-hug, and pulled myself together to get out there for the last of the punishment.

With only minutes left in the struggle, my psyche strengthened and I began to feel wonderful. The pace picked up as we passed a slew of runners through the southern progression of the park. We briefly ran along the westbound half-mile stretch of Central Park South, the section of 59th Street adjacent to the southern edge of the park. I became incredibly energized. I was running at nearly a seven-minute mile pace! I had to bark “On your left!” time and again to clear a path. When we turned north back into the park, we had just 0.2 miles left. The crowd had been cheering incessantly since our entrance at Mile 23. The finish line bleacher seats came into view. Beautiful…

There it was, the finish line of the New York City Marathon. I kicked it in for an honorable finish, remembering Kathy’s advice: “Make sure no one’s around you when you get to within 30 feet of the finish line and put your arms up in victory. You’ll get a great finish line photo.” I slowed it up to a standstill until the immediate crowd surrounding me dispersed. Then I howled and threw my arms toward the sky and proceeded at a trot across the white line. Despite coming up 30 minutes short of my goal, a victorious feeling overwhelmed me from the inside out. And the finish line photo was perfect.

I received my finisher’s medal and, like everyone else, plodded along in euphoric discomfort toward the family and friends meeting place another three quarters of a mile through the park.

On the way, a park bench lawlessly invited me over for a reflective moment. I ignored the “No Crossing” tape and accepted the invitation.

Joan asked if I was OK and I told her that I just needed to be alone for a short while. When she had gone, I sat and cried for a good five minutes. A race volunteer approached and put her arm around me for comfort. I assured her that I couldn’t be happier. She smiled and left me to my thoughts.

I had just completed a marathon—in New York City. It was an accomplishment I had never considered pursuing in my 10-toed days. The finish line, earned through hard work and determination, taught me a lesson: From that moment on, I knew that anything I wanted to do, in any field, for any reason, was possible. If I dedicated myself to any reasonable goal, I could ultimately achieve it.

It occurred to me then that I was not only “as good” as I had been before the amputation; I was better. This accomplishment would be the launch pad to a future of unrestricted possibilities. But the first step, no trivial task, was to get off that bench.

Paul Martin’s memoir, One Man’s Leg, can be purchased on Amazon.com. You can find his second book, Drinking From my Leg, there as well. For information on Martin or to have him speak at your event, visit onemansleg.com.

The post Iron Man appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

My credo of “too much is always better than not enough” has usually stood me in good stead. Whether dealing with money, snowfall, romance—vowels in Scrabble, not so much—dealing with excess is often preferable. And so it is with beer, especially when it comes to selection.

When confronted with a prodigious variety of quality beers, as we are here on the Front Range, the sane answer to the question of how to deal with this glorious bounty is to make as much of it available as possible. On tap, of course.

Back Country Pizza and Tap House (2319 Arapahoe, Boulder; formerly Dolan’s) has 54 taps and some outstanding offerings, both foreign and domestic.

Another rider on the tap-wagon is Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids and Solids in Longmont with 42 handles. Keen on American beers—“no imports, no bottles,” as they say—they are magnanimous with their selection and offer brews from local competitors such as Asher, Great Divide and Breckenridge breweries.

The post What’s on Tap? What’s not on Tap? appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

It’s the main event, and boy, is this gonna be a doozy. The challengers have trained—some more than others—and the reigning champs are in the best shape of their political careers. The sparring is over, it’s time to see who will take the belt. For the 2010 mid-term election, YS profiles each fighter…er, candidate, and we do what we do best: have an opinion. Just call us Colorado’s political referee. Let’s get ready to rumble.

KEY: D: democrat
R: Republican
AC: American Constitution
U: Unaffiliated
L: Libertarian
*: Incumbent

US Senate
*Michael Bennet D
No interview

Ken Buck R
The Weld County District Attorney calls the stimulus package counterproductive and says Obamacare breaches on personal freedoms and states’ rights. Buck is a strict constructionalist who promises to vote against any tax increases, wants to consider “means testing” for Social Security and suggests repealing the Obama administration’s healthcare policy while enacting free-market health reforms.

YS endorses: Neither
Bennet didn’t take time out of his, admittedly, busy schedule to talk to us; accessibility is a priority for us, so Bennet isn’t getting our love this election. Still, Buck supports cuts to the Department of Education, wants to repeal Obamacare and says the progressive movement is the greatest threat to the United States. His extreme conservatism is just not our cup of tea.

House of Representatives, District 2
*Jared Polis D
Rep. Polis sits on the education and labor committee as well as the judiciary committee. He’s proposed numerous education bills and recently drafted the Summit and Eagle County Wilderness Preservation Act. His goals for a second term include reforming No Child Left Behind—“this time, we are going to get accountability right”—replacing the immigration system, and supporting pro-growth economic policies.

Stephen Bailey R
Bailey will work to defend and support the US Constitution: Protecting individual rights by ensuring the “government does not initiate the use of force against its citizens.” He wants to limit regulations that inhibit business and support policy that reduces spending and decrease processes in Congress. Bailey promises to never vote to increase the debt or for deficit spending. He also believes Congress should revisit and rethink the war on terror.

YS endorses: Polis
Polis is a worker bee. He has made his mark on Congress—by leading the way in education and immigration reform.

US Congress, District 4
*Betsy Markey D
Rep. Markey prides herself on working across party lines. The first-term blue dog Democrat is a moderate who represents the rural areas of Colorado while supporting the Recovery Act and healthcare reform. She calls her Earmark Rescission Bill, which rescinds millions in unspent transportation earmarks, an example of bi-partisan policy that decreases the national debt.

Cory Gardner R
No interview

YS endorses: Markey
We love that Markey truly reflects the wide-range of values from District 2, and we look forward to her work on the upcoming farm bill. She is a true representative.

Governor
Jaimes Brown L
Brown focuses on the flaws of the two-party system. “It’s where we are divided on everything. We should focus on the 50 percent we do agree on.” Opposing the war on drugs, Brown is a supporter of industrial hemp as a way to boost the economy. He wants the state to use property tax to pay for all Constitutionally mandated spending and sales tax to fund other spending.

Jason Clark U
With military, business and financial experience, Clark says he is a leader with little trust in most politicians. Still, Clark quotes Ross Perot and wants to “create jobs, jobs, jobs!!” Clark would appeal to companies by marketing Colorado’s assets.

Paul Noel Fiorino U
No interview

John Hickenlooper D
Hickenlooper says small government does not happen instantly. “It must be done effectively, efficiently and elegantly.” The pro-business, pro-environment Denver mayor is focusing his campaign on pulling Colorado up by its bootstraps. He’s a believer in higher education—as an investment that will boost the economy—and will build private partnerships to boost educational opportunities.

Dan Maes R
No interview

Tom Tancredo AC
The former congressman says his motivation for running is to keep the state from becoming a sanctuary for illegal immigrants—and keep Hickenlooper from becoming governor. If elected, Tancredo would battle against unions and illegal immigration to scale down the size and scope of the government. He wants to make the state less hostile to business and commerce by reducing taxes and regulation. He supports school vouchers.

YS endorses: Hickenlooper.
Mayor Hickenlooper is a moderate who recognizes the importance of business in the state’s solvency. He’s a leader with balance, foresight and plans for improving education and the economy while also focusing on the environment.

Treasurer
*Cary Kennedy D
The state treasurer spent her last term avoiding losses in the state’s investments. She’s done well, showing positive earnings throughout the downturn. She’s also focused on transparency, revamping the treasurer’s website and creating online databases (like Tax Tracks). She believes the treasurer’s office has a role in ensuring public schools have sufficient funds.

Walker Stapleton R
Stapleton has worked in investment banking and business for years, and he wants to “return Coloradans’ right to vote for taxing and spending,” a jab at the 2009 FASTER bill. He would work toward reforming PERA by changing its structure. He blames Kennedy’s Amendment 23 for budget woes and says her investments have “largely maintained the status quo.” He would like to see the state look at investing in gold.

YS endorses: Kennedy
Kennedy has done an impressive job in protecting state investments and we believe her efforts to increase transparency have been sincere and effective. Her focus on education has meant improved rural schools.

Attorney General
*John Suthers R
The Attorney General has successfully implemented a program to tackle Internet-specific crimes, resolved litigation to clean up waste sites and continues to focus on water issues. He’s taken part in a Florida lawsuit to block healthcare reform as well as issues-efforts involving the pledge of allegiance and gay marriage; he says he takes part in cases to protect Colorado law.

Stan Garnett D
The Boulder County District Attorney is focusing on environmental enforcement, consumer protection and lowering the state’s consumer fraud rate. Garnett also finds fault with Suthers’ involvement in political issues, like the lawsuit against Obamacare, and promises to make the AG’s office non-partisan.

YS endorses: Garnett
We don’t think Suthers should have joined the Florida lawsuit. Although, we are bummed that Garnett will leave the DA’s office, we respect his calling: to protect people and natural resources—over partisan issues.

Secretary of State
*Bernie Buescher D
No interview

Scott Gessler R
Gessler is an election law expert, and he supports photo ID standards for voting, opposes mandatory mail-in ballots and opposes Buescher’s military voting waiver. Gessler also focuses on processes: cleaning up voter databases and bettering leadership over county clerks.

YS endorses: Gessler
Gessler has a firm grasp on election law and leadership. We feel his priorities are right on and he would be proactive while focusing on streamlining processes.

CU Regent At Large
*Steve Bosley R
Chief regent Bosley has helped to revamp professor tenure, secured presidents Hank Brown and Bruce Benson and sponsored the resolution to terminate Ward Churchill. He’s worked on improving efficiencies to prepare higher education with fewer state dollars. He will now focus on fundraising and getting CU research and start-ups into the private marketplace.

Melissa Hart D
Hart is a CU law professor—and if elected, would be the only professor on the board. Her goal is to make higher education affordable and accessible to everyone, to promote diversity and to increase scholarships as tuition soars. She wants to take the partisan politics out of the regents’ policy and conversation.

YS endorses: Hart
While Bosley has had successes as a regent, we believe having an educator and a second female on the board (that’s right, there’s only one)—especially someone who is focused on accessibility—would be a huge benefit. We feel Bosley should’ve voted to appeal the court’s decision to allow concealed weapons on campus; it comes down to preserving regents’ policy-making authority.

CU Regent District 4
Robert Bishop-Cotner D
The high school teacher and Windsor town board member supports using technology to bring quality education to community colleges. He says he would’ve voted to ban concealed weapons on campus and appeal the court’s decision. He calls himself a fiscal conservative and believes regent accountability should be improved.

Sue Sharkey R
No interview

YS endorses: Bishop-Cotner
Bishop-Cotner beams with energy, and he has a true passion for education. We think he would be the voice for students, educators and future CU students.

State Board of Education – CD 2
*Angelika Schroeder D
The former BVSD board member supported the adoption of common core standards, is working to replace the CSAPs with better assessments and supported the teacher tenure bill—because it creates an evaluation system for teachers. She wants to grow a relationship with higher education to increase opportunities.

Kaye Ferry R
The Vail businesswoman opposes the switch to common core standards, which she would work to rescind if elected, and opposes taking federal funds if they are tied to putting federal control over local schools. She would like to see an emphasis put on public comment during board meetings.

YS endorses: Schroeder
Schroeder is all about action: She’s worked hard to improve education, and we love her focus on improving assessments and closing the achievement gap.

District 10
*Rep. Dickey Lee Hullinghorst (D) is running unopposed.

District 11
Deb Gardner D
The former chair of the Boulder County Democratic Party would work to close the achievement gap and produce new jobs through renewable energy expansion. She says her experience as an accountant will come in handy as the difficult economic climate continues.

Wes Whitely R
Whitely is focusing on jobs: He believes the state needs to get out of the way and let the market recover. Too much spending, he says, has put the state in dire straights. He believes there is gratuitous legislation, like regulation against texting while driving, which he calls unenforceable, and he would support repealing the 2010 tax credit eliminations.

YS endorses: Whitely
Gardner has a good mix of fiscal thoughtfulness and progressive-mindedness. But we think Whitely is a smart guy with all the right intentions and his fiscal conservatism is evenhanded; though, we don’t think repealing the so-called “dirty dozen” is in the state’s best interest.

District 12
Jeff Ilseman R
The West Point grad wants to address jobs in the private sector and focus on small business and private investment. Ilseman supports lowering barriers that inhibit job creation, including taxes, fees and regulation. Long-term, he wants to encourage development of university incubators into entrepreneurial companies to increase jobs and boost the economy. He says he will work to ensure that K-12 achievement sees cost-effective improvement.

Matt Jones D
In the 80s and 90s, Matt Jones spent three terms in the legislature, focusing on energy conservation, health care and education. He hopes to continue those concentrations. He wants to grow renewable energy in the state as a means to increase local jobs, and he will work to keep healthcare costs affordable.

YS endorses: Jones
This is a time when experience counts,
and Matt Jones has the right kind of legislative know-how. His record has shown a stellar approach to proactive economy-boosting policy.

District 29
*Debbie Benefield D
Rep. Benefield says she wants to ensure that every child has a great start, and much of her legislation has centered around
early childhood education and children. On top of school and health care, she wants to see comprehensive tax reform brought before voters in the next several years: “We need the voters to decide what they want to pay for.”

Robert Ramirez R
Ramirez has knocked on thousands of doors thus far; accessibility is a priority for him. He is focused on supporting the economy by decreasing regulation and avoiding new state programs as well as streamlining education to ensure money makes it into the classroom and increasing quality without cutting teachers.

YS Endorses: Benefield
Rep. Benefield is practical, and we like practical people. She knows the economy can’t be fixed over night, and she’s working on long-term solutions to ensuring that the state can pay for its services.

District 31
*Judy Solano D
The former teacher is the vice chair of the education committee and the chair of the energy committee; she proposed the “junk to jobs” bill as well as the “clean air, clean jobs” law. Solano says the economy and the budget are No. 1 this session as is public awareness about the state’s fiscal troubles. “I think we have to have a frank discussion with the public. We need to educate voters about how our state is functioning right now.”

Tom Janich R
Janich says conservative ideology makes the country a better place. He says Colorado should develop a plan for fiscal self-sufficiency “once the federal government goes bankrupt” and he will work to encourage American values. He supports a “slow phase out of all welfare programs” and supports limited government and lowered taxes.

YS endorses: Solano
Let’s just be honest, Janich is way too conservative for our tastes. His values do not reflect our values. Plus, Rep. Solano continues to make policy that is smart and effective.

District 33
*Dianne Primavera D
Rep. Primavera has worked tirelessly on issues of cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment; she successfully proposed legislation to prohibit insurance companies from denying claims for cancer patients in clinical trials. She now hopes to focus on jobs: “to see if there are any obstacles that are hurting small business that we could remove.” She is also working on legislative accountability on the audit committee.

Donald Beezley R
With a background in business, Beezley currently serves on the boards for the TABOR Committee and TABOR Foundation. He wants to improve the state’s business culture: creating a welcoming environment and avoiding barriers, like regulation and taxes. He hopes to focus on quality education and improving infrastructure while returning fiscal discipline.

YS Endorses: Rep. Primavera
Every year, Rep. Primavera walks her district, stopping at every house to talk with residents. And that’s reflected in how she works at the Capital.

District 34
*John Soper D
Rep. John Soper considers himself a representative of the working class. And he considers the votes he makes and the bills he sponsors as the community’s policy, not his own. In his next term, the sponsor of the recent carbon monoxide bill would like to focus on encouraging manufacturing jobs
in Colorado.

Brian Vande Krol R
The small-business owner wants to see lowered taxes and fewer regulation to boost business and increase jobs. He calls the 2010 legislative session one of the worst for business and wants to repeal the “dirty dozen,” which eliminated tax breaks. He also supports tuition tax credits for Colorado’s students.

YS endorses: Soper
Rep. John Soper is a blue collar guy with blue collar roots, and in politics, it’s rare to find someone who truly represents working class people.

District 35
*Cherylin Peniston D
The chair of the House local government committee has focused on education, the environment and air quality. Rep. Peniston prides herself on working across party lines to make good policy. She’s a firm believer in working with the business community to tackle inhibitive regulation.

Edgar Antillon R
After starting a nonprofit, Antillon now wants to focus on jobs and the economy in the state legislature. He supports providing incentives for job creation. “We need to get out of the way of business.” In education, he wants to ensure funding makes it to the classroom—and not the bureaucracy—and Antillon believes that school choice should be expanded, including vouchers.

YS endorses: Peniston
Antillon is young, but he’s focused. Still, Peniston has shown great leadership and has been—yes, we are gonna go there—a unifier.

County Commissioner
*Cindy Domenico D
The commissioner and former county assessor—named commissioner of the year by CCI in 2009—is committed to human services and the human services safety net in Boulder County. She supports the county’s continued focus on acquiring open space and would like to increase the relationship with nearby federal labs and the university.

Dick Murphy
Murphy is concerned about fiscal responsibility and feels there should be an official in the county to ask questions, bring up a different point of view and ensure the county is
not over-regulating personal property decisions. He finds fault with the commissioners’ decision to not pave Sunshine Canyon Road and says the county has enough open space.

YS endorses: Domenico
Domenico is a thoughtful person who understands the impact of her decisions. We admire her focus on human services; Boulder County’s disadvantaged often go unnoticed.

County Clerk and Recorder
*Hillary Hall D
The Boulder County Clerk and Recorder has spent the last four years working on efficiency, public service and stewardship. She implemented online voter registration and used technology to aid in efficiencies. This next term, she would like to focus on finding a new voting system as well as continuing to eye efficiencies.

Daniel Martin R
The real estate broker and computer engineer has lots of technical experience. He has volunteered as an election judge. Martin opposes mail-in-only elections and Election-Day registration as well as restoring “truly secret” ballots, which have no barcode or serial numbers.

YS Endorses: Martin
While Martin does not have experience, neither did Hall when she ran against Linda Salas. Martin has big goals, and we believe he can improve elections in the county.

County Treasurer
*Robert S. Hullinghorst D
The Boulder County Treasurer has pioneered a program to increase efficiencies in county offices, worked to safely invest county money—despite losses due to Lehman Brothers’ demise—and has worked with the state legislature on bills regarding taxes. He hopes to pursue management audits to continue tackling efficiency.

Marty Neilson R
Neilson, a proponent of 60, 61 and 101, has spent decades as a financial executive. Her main priorities are ensuring the safe and risk-averse investment of county funds as well as running a professional and effective office that provides customer service.

YS Endorses: Hullinghorst
While Hullinghorst saw losses in county investments this last term, he was not making choices and the losses were small compared to many municipalities. Hullinghorst consistently goes above and beyond what most treasurers see as their duty.

County Assessor
*Jerry Roberts D
Roberts has worked in the Boulder County Assessor’s Office for decades. “I’ve worked my way up and done almost every job in the department.” He prides himself on innovative techniques and tools, including GIS, to make the assessment process as effective and accurate as possible. He says he will work to improve transparency and accessibility. “My door is always open.”

Joel Champion R
Transparency and streamlining the protest and abatement processes are the former small-business owner and college professor’s biggest priorities. He is also running to bring a conservative standpoint to Boulder County leadership. “When you have one party in power it can lead to no checks and balances, a lack of transparency or openness.” He supports greater community awareness about the assessment process through the website and public forums.

YS Endorses: Roberts
Joel Champion makes a good point: having a conservative voice in county leadership would be beneficial. Still, the assessor needs experience and appraisal knowledge. Roberts has done a superior job in this role at assessor and he deserves another term in office.

County Sheriff
*Boulder County Sheriff Joseph Pelle (D) is running unopposed.

County Surveyor
*Boulder County Surveyor Jason Emery (D) is running unopposed.

County Coroner
Emma Hall U
The Boulder County native studied forensic science and criminalistics at Metro State and worked as senior investigator and field training officer at the Adams County Coroner’s Office. She wants to increase community awareness, secure a forensic pathologist and improve communication with law enforcement. She prides herself in bringing compassion to the job.

Dan Pruett U
Pruett is the chief deputy coroner for
Jefferson County, and he served as an investigator in the Boulder County coroner’s office for more than a decade. His priorities include finding a skilled, part-time forensic pathologist, revisiting scheduling to improve staff morale and efficiency, and securing a morgue facility for the county; currently, Boulder County uses a local hospital.

YS Endorses: Pruett
In this position, experience and know-how matter most. And often it’s about knowing where to go when you need specialized tools or expertise. Dan Pruett knows his stuff, and he’s motivated to improve the department.

Amendment P: Yes
This constitutional amendment would shift responsibility of charitable bingo and raffles from the Secretary of State’s Office to the Department of Revenue, which already oversees casinos and lottery. The move would consolidate gambling and games of chance under one umbrella, creating (hot-button word warning!) efficiency.

Amendment Q: Yes
This constitutional amendment allows the temporary relocation of the state government to a location outside of Denver if the governor declares an emergency—for a terrorist attack, natural disaster or alien attack.

Amendment R: Yes
Currently, ranchers and farmers who lease government-owned land have what is called “possessory interest” in the property and are required to pay property taxes. This amendment would exempt these farmers from paying property taxes as long as the annual value of the interest is $6,000 or less (the cost of administration is more than the revenues). It would have minimal impact on local governments and school districts.

Amendment 62: No
It’s back and that different! This constitutional “personhood” amendment, nearly identical to a previously voted-down amendment, changes the word “person” to mean “every human being from the beginning of biological development.” Beyond the fact that Yellow Scene believes in a woman’s right to choose, Amendment 62 is inflexible and extreme.

Amendment 63: No
In an attempt to head off impacts from federal healthcare policy, this constitutional amendment would prevent the state or federal government from enforcing healthcare reform or regulation, giving Coloradans the right to “health care choice.” We think this issue is good for the ballot. But it should not be in our Constitution, and the amendment is both ambiguous and complicated. It could hurt the state’s ability to make healthcare
reform or make changes to standards or regulating procedures, and it could certainly have unknown consequences.

Proposition 102: No
The proposition would permit only first-time offenders who are charged with nonviolent misdemeanors to use pretrial services. It’s just plain unnecessary, costly and would end up costing the state and counties more by keeping more prisoners in jail while waiting for bail. In good news, bailbondsmen would get a large boon if the measure passes.

County Issue 1A: Yes
The “Human Services Safety Net Mill Levy Increase” would add a .9 mill ad valorem property tax for five years to fill gaps in funding for human services and nonprofits that provide contract services to county families and kids. If passed, deficiencies caused by state cuts will be backfilled and about $5.2 million per year for five years beginning in 2011 would go to support programs that have already seen cuts. It would be about $7 per $100,000 in actual property value. It is incredibly important to sustain human service programs and nonprofits—especially as the need increases and funding from the state continues to diminish. It’s a small price to pay for maintaining programs that support children and
families most in need.

County Issue 1B: No
The “Countywide Open Space Sales and Use Tax Increase and Bond Authorization” approves a 0.15 percent sales and use tax and allows the county to sell $40 million in bonds, all of which will allow for the acquisition of open space land. To be completely honest, we love open space and we understand there is a sense of urgency to acquire these specific pieces of land—but it’s too much to ask of voters in this economy. There are two county tax increases on this ballot, one of which will support human services programs. If we had our druthers, we would rather have voters support the human services mill levy increase.

2A: Yes
The public accommodations tax increases taxes on renting hotel rooms from 5.5 percent to 7.5 percent. The tax would benefit the city’s general fund, generating about $1 million; 20 percent would fund promotion of tourism and the rest would be used for basic services as well as promotion of programs and services. Money put into tourism promotion will have a huge pay off in the long run; tourism is an incredibly clean industry. While visitors stay, shop, eat and play, they don’t require city services.

2B: Yes
2B allows the city five years to figure out its franchise agreement with Xcel Energy without losing revenue; the current agreement with Xcel includes a franchise agreement fee that brings $4 million into city coffers. That agreement ends in the beginning of 2011. While law requires that Xcel continue providing energy to residents, Xcel no longer needs to pay the fee. 2B would replace that tax with a new, equal tax. Thusly, it won’t cost residents anything extra and it will ensure that the city doesn’t have a $4 million shortfall.

2C: Yes
This height limit proposition would add rooftop renewable energy improvements to the list of exceptions to the height-limit regulation. We say building height regulation should not get in the way of renewable energy progress within urban areas.

2D: No
This ballot measure expands the use tax on items or services purchased or leased outside of the city and used, stored or consumed within the city to 3.5 percent. It will also impact storage rentals in the city. This would allow Louisville to capitalize on the Conoco Phillips development and would potentially reinstate programs that have been cut due to lacking sales tax revenue. While we would like to see the return of the city’s July 4th fireworks, it just doesn’t make sense to ask local business to pay for that. These new funds would mostly benefit residents, but at the expense of local business.

3A: YES
This ballot item would up property taxes by about $120 dollars for a $350,000 house—raising $22.5 million, in the first year, for BVSD to make up for declines in state funds, to increase teacher/staff pay and to expand preschool and full-day kindergarten for low-income children. The cuts being made at the state level ensure that BVSD and other districts will take a drastic hit now. We have officially reached the proverbial cliff. District officials say the upcoming cuts will impact class-sizes as well as raising staffing ratios; it may even come to teacher furloughs. We think that public education is worth the investment for parents and nonparents alike. Sub-par schools lower quality of life and
create lackluster business communities; keep schools thriving and we keep our economy thriving.

About the Guide:
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Yellow Scene refuses to endorse any candidate who does not interview with the editor (sorry, Sen. Bennet, we tried). Endorsements are decided by the editor, editor-at-large, associate editor and publisher.

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A Little Credit to the WiFi Provider
Dear Editor,
We are so glad you enjoyed using the WiFi Hotspot at Fusion (“Safe Fusion,” July). We provide that at no charge to the restaurant as our headquarters are located across the street and we too enjoy eating there while we work. We provide high-speed wireless Internet to a large portion of you’re circulation area so please check us out at and get connected.
—Melinda Jordan, Longmont

Why It’s Good to Have a Subscriber Card
Dear Editor,
Thank you for the three tickets to the Irish Fest. We went on Sunday, my husband, myself and our daughter. We especially enjoyed the bagpipes. It was hot but a great fair. Thanks again.
—Barbra Kay, Keith & Sarah Puckett, Longmont & Thornton

Editor’s Note: The Pucketts have a Yellow Scene Subscriber Card and were one of many winners of our exclusive giveaway last month. If you haven’t noticed, this is a shameless plug for our free Subscriber Card. Get one at Yellow Scene Magazine online and start winning really cool stuff.

Maybe We Should Taser the Police Department
Hmmm, Lafayette Police Policy: Use a Taser when active aggression is involved, (since when is running away aggressive behavior?). Police policy: Deliver only the five-second burst of high voltage electricity only as last resort (what are the other methods to be used first?). Lafayette Police Officer John Harris violated both these policies and yet he is exonerated on all counts? This is the result of allowing the police to investigate themselves. After a 10-plus month investigation (I think the 911 commission did not take this long) they were probably hoping to sweep this one under the rug. Couple this with blacking out pertinent information before the public is allowed to see it (so much for open government) just solidifies this deception. This ruling further erodes the credibility of the law enforcement department. We all make mistakes, but a bogus ruling of this sort instead of a heart felt apology for this tragic blunder in the death of Ryan Wilson is a travesty. Such an admission would of course require honesty, which is not a police policy. In fact, it seems the officers are taught in academy that it is OK to lie to achieve their goals. I am calling on the mayor and representatives to require accountability. Lafayette Police Chief Paul Shultz needs to resign.
—Randy Luallin, Louisville

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