Mines students start rebuilding Nepal school - #lakewoodnews

For three days, 12 Colorado School of Mines students dug holes in Nepal that will hold septic tanks at the Chaurikharka school, work that officially kicked off the rebuild project of the school destroyed by last year's earthquake.

The Chaurikharka school is located in the Khumbu Valley, near the base of Mount Everest in the Himalayas. The area was one of the hardest hit from the April 25 earthquake, and the school is where local business owner and Goldenite Lhakpa Sherpa earned his high school diploma. The quake left the school in ruins --; students are still receiving their lessons in a temporary building without insulation.

The Mines students, who went as volunteers with Sherpa's nonprofit organization, Hike for Help, were in Nepal Dec. 26-Jan. 8. They dug holes, and, for the first time in the school's history, installed the Internet. The Mines students played volleyball and soccer with the Chaurikharka students and celebrated New Year's with the Nepalese people.

A highlight of the trip was presenting a $50,000 check to the school's management/Building Back Better committee. The check, Sherpa said, is thanks to the generosity of the people of Golden, who donated money through Hike for Help online or at Sherpa House. Also helping was Sherpa Brewery Pvt. Ltd, which partners with Golden City Brewery.

And it wasn't only funds that people wanted to give to Nepal.

After the earthquake, many brought clothing and hygiene products to the Sherpa House, Sherpa. So, the Mines students hiked for two days to deliver the items to the Dalit community of Sano Gumelav, which is north of the Chaurikharka school. At least 90 people, children to seniors, received blankets, clothes, toothpaste and brushes, school supplies and some other various hygiene products.

Although the Chaurikharka school has a long way to go--;Sherpa expects the project will take three years to complete--;the trip was a success. The Mines students instilled confidence in the project, Sherpa said.

"They got to put their hands on the project," he said. "All the volunteers made a big difference. (And) they brought back memories they will never forget."

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.comhttp://goldentranscript.net/stories/Mines-students-start-rebuilding-Nepal-school,206378?branding=15

Jeffco focuses on community health for all - #lakewoodnews

To help improve the community's overall health, Jefferson County Public Health is introducing the Community Health Improvement Plan that will focus on six strategies to increase physical activity, health eating and overall mental well-being.

The program, also known by its acronym CHIP, reflects the department's priority on health equity, said Donna Viverette, the county's health education supervisor. That equity can be achieved by addressing the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, learn and age, she added.

CHIP was developed based on the results of two comprehensive assessments in 2013 on the county's community health and public health system capacity. The community health survey found chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and cancers were the leading cause of death in Jefferson County. They were linked to five common risk factors --; poor diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and exposure, alcohol use and chronic psychosocial stress.

The CHIP plan, in beginning stages of development and implementation, includes six strategies covering a period of five years. In 2018, the plan will be revisited for further assessment.

An "overarching network allows each (strategy) to align partnerships, resources, communications and data to work together," said Pamela Gould, the county's health planner. "Each one is tackling different focus areas."

The first goal focuses on low-income families with children ages 0-18. The plan looks at ways to increase physical activity, healthy eating and psychosocial well-being.

Each strategy is being referred to as a Coalition Integrated into the Network, or CoIN. They include: Active Living Policy, Food Access, Healthy Beverage, Health in Early Childhood, School Wellness and Preventive Care and Mental Health Resources.

Although working together to accomplish the goals of CHIP, the CoINs are "very distinct with different focuses," said Nancy Braden, the county's public health communications manager. Each of the CoINs is working toward creating coalitions or councils consisting of community partners. The community partners include local organizations, such as schools or farmers' markets, and residents.

"Everyone has the opportunity to attain their highest level of health," Viverette said. "Everyone deserves an equal chance to be healthy and thrive."

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.comhttp://arvadapress.com/stories/Jeffco-focuses-on-community-health-for-all,206373?branding=15

Putting Mile High first broadcasts stadium's mystique - #lakewoodnews

The Broncos are in Super Bowl 50. No matter the outcome of the game (although we're gonna win), I want to talk to you about the home they'll return to here in Denver.

As a longtime football fan(atic), I've heard lots of sports announcers reference lots of pro stadiums over the years. Now, with the preponderance of sponsor-named stadiums, sometimes even I am hard pressed to know which team plays in what stadium. For example, who puts on pads and pants in Levi's Stadium, also the site of Super Bowl 50? Oh, right, the San Francisco Forty-Niners. But then where, exactly, is Santa Clara?

There's no such confusion about Denver's Mile High Stadium, though, sitting 5,280 feet up in the thin, thin air of the Colorado Front Range. Except that a new stadium replaced the original Mile High in 2001, which then became Invesco Field at Mile High, and then Sports Authority Field at Mile High when that company purchased the 10 years remaining in the Invesco naming rights deal. So unless something changes, the "Mile High" of "Sports Authority Field at Mile High" will continue to get short shrift until 2021.

And that's a shame. Because even though the aforementioned sports commentators always commentate on the effects of our rarefied air, they often skip the "Mile High" in our name.

Why wouldn't just the term "Mile High" strike fear into the hearts of teams on the coasts and in the flatlands? The Broncos' pro football playground is the highest in altitude ... by far. The University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, home of the Arizona Cardinals, is next on the list at a measly 1,070 feet above sea level. The Saints' Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans claims the bottom at 3 feet above sea level, and the rest of those coastal and flatlander stadiums fall in between.

Advantage: Broncos.

Yes, I understand the necessity and the impact of sponsorship revenues for the Denver Metropolitan Football Stadium District. But I also swear by the power of mystique. Think of places such as Soldier Field in Chicago, and our often-time archrival Kansas City Chief's Arrowhead Stadium. I'll bet places like Qualcomm Stadium don't instill the awe and respect of say, the Packers' Lambeau Field. No wonder the San Diego Chargers wanted to move.

So how about something like "Mile High Stadium presented by [insert sponsor's name here]"? Or maybe "Mile High Stadium brought to you by [name]"? Everyone knows it's a sponsorship, so why not even "The Awesomely Cool Reincarnation of the Original Mile High Stadium, Sponsored By [name]"? OK, I'm just kidding ... sort of.

Seriously, though, a return to "Mile High" first would vault our stadium to an exalted middle ground between those iconic places such as Lambeau Field, and other nondescript locations such as the Seahawk's CenturyLink Field, or the O.co Coliseum. No wonder the Oakland Raiders want to move.

Of course, the sponsors themselves should probably weigh in on the choice of Mile-High-First phrasing, but one thing is clear: Putting the Mile High right up front asserts the undeniable power of our storied stadium mystique long before the Orange and Blue ever take the field.

Advantage: Broncos.

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.comhttp://arvadapress.com/stories/Putting-Mile-High-first-broadcasts-stadiums-mystique,206367?branding=15

Differences do not equal detriments - #lakewoodnews

The other day I was listening to sports talk radio --; I think a lot of us have been listening to sports talk this week --; and I heard one of the talkers describe a Denver Broncos player (maybe Aqib Talib) as "a human Red Bull."

I hear things like that with a lot of different ears. The storyteller in me recognizes a brilliant metaphor, and laughs. The youth soccer coach in me, briefly, thinks about how useful it would be to give my players Red Bull before our games. Just kidding. Briefly.

But the first one of my personas that lent voice to thought was the teacher, who recognized the metaphor and said, "I bet that kid was a nightmare in fifth grade." A kid with an inexhaustible supply of energy is not likely to be a kid who is really good at sitting still during math class or to be patient waiting for the teacher to see their hand in the air.

But, what a gift! And, make no mistake, for a young man with athletic aspirations to have access to the energy to it takes to play basketball at recess, do races in gym class, and then still be ready to run through a three-hour football practice after school is a wonderful gift. Just, not one that is appropriate for all circumstances.

It brought to mind a meme my wife showed me last week. It was an unattributed quote that read, "Our generation is becoming so busy trying to prove that women can do what men can do that women are losing their uniqueness. Women weren't created to do everything a man can do. Women were created to do everything a man can't do." (That last thing, by the way, is a long list --; ask my wife). I pray that my girls hear that, and remember it every day.

For that matter, I pray that all children hear that message and remember it. It isn't just girls that are being told to be boys, or boys told to be girls --; little Bobby and Jill and Trey and Rissa are all being told on a constant basis that they all have to be just like each other. Our institutional message, whether it is intentionally delivered or not, through our standardized testing, curricula, discipline, and expectations, is that every little kid, regardless of where they are when they get to us, is that they will be roughly the same when they're done with our institutions.

And, in the process, that also means that some of those wonderful qualities which don't translate very well to our institutions --; like endless energy --; have to get "smoothed out," and equalized, perhaps even medicated. Academic gifts we're pretty good at dealing with, as long as they fit well into our existing course offerings. Well-disciplined kids, kind children, punctual and diligent kids we understand and love. But, not so much the odd, the imaginative, the energetic, the preoccupied --; they don't fit so well.

And, by the way, it may sound like I'm denigrating the public schools here. I'm not. Imagine what you would do, as an institution, who has been handed a set of rules by politicians hundreds of miles away, not enough money to accomplish those rules, and in your door on day one walks Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, Johnny Depp, Yono Oko, Hillary Clinton and Thomas Aquinas. What schools and teachers do manage to accomplish is nothing short of miraculous.

What I would love is if we, as a society, learned to recognize that God has chosen to give each of us a different set of gifts and talents, and that all of them work together, somehow, to keep the whole thing working. There's no point in making everybody the same --; the world needs all of us, if for no other reason than to give us somebody to root for this Sunday.

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.comhttp://arvadapress.com/stories/Differences-do-not-equal-detriments,206368?branding=15

Sad changes found in wildlife habitat conditions - #lakewoodnews

I don't know if it's because this is my birthday week and I am reminded of how many years I have sat in duck or goose blinds or chased pheasants, or if the end of January reminds me hunting seasons are closing out for the year, or if annual meetings of the various wildlife organizations are being scheduled ...

But every year about now I go back in time and reflect on the status of wildlife and how populations and habitat conditions have changed.

All who hunt pheasants are well aware of the limited pheasant resource we have in Colorado. But it is not because the Colorado Division of Wildlife (for decades) or the new Colorado Parks and Wildlife (of late) have not made significant efforts to maintain and restore both bird numbers and habitat. I am a cheerleader for these agencies. Thanks to their efforts, we havewalk-in lands in northeastern and southeastern regions of Colorado open to the public. Some have been augmented with food source plantings. We also have thousands of acres of state wildlife areas. Plus, we have a vast number of state parks, many of which allow hunting.

But for this brief moment, go back with me to the early and mid-1940s when my father and family joined my uncle and aunt --; who lived and farmed dry-land acres in Washington and Morgan counties between Brush and Akron --; each fall during the waterfowl and pheasant hunting seasons. I tagged along with them as a very young pre-aged hunter.

What I vividly remember is how that region was blessed with significant snowfall in the winter and faithful rain moisture during the summer months. Prairie potholes and ponds were brimming with water in the fall and winter. The mallard duck numbers were at their peak and pheasant populations were strong and abundant.

Dryland cornfields, wheat and sorghum fields provided sufficient food source to keep the migrating waterfowl stationed in that area for most of the hunting seasons. And the lush moisture provided heavily weeded fence lines, thick brush cover, prairie grass fields and an ample supply of insects and grain for the pheasant population.

I revisit the High Plains area occasionally and see a different landscape. Mother Nature has not been as kind in recent decades with rain and snow. The potholes are dry. There is less bird habitat cover and farmers struggle to produce crops with declining moisture.

What has emerged since that era are a number of wildlife support organizations, such as Ducks Unlimited and Pheasants Forever. And they offer sportsmen an opportunity to help enhance pheasant populations. Here are three nearby approaching pheasant banquets and fundraisers: Greeley-Cache La Poudre Chapter, Feb. 27, 970-590-3671 for information; Northern Colorado Loveland, March 5, 303-709-4450; and Metro Denver, March 12, 303-902-2334. These are family- and youth-oriented events that help restore pheasant numbers and valuable habitat.

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from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.comhttp://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Sad-changes-found-in-wildlife-habitat-conditions,206363?branding=15

Colorado Music Hall of Fame highlights state's varied scenes - #lakewoodnews

When most people think about Colorado music, John Denver is the first name that comes to mind.

That's understandable, especially since his last name is literally the state capital and "Rocky Mountain High" is the state's co-official song (the other is "Where the Columbines Grow" for you triviaheads out there).

There's a lot more to the Colorado music scene than Mr. Denver, and that's one of the key messages the Colorado Music Hall of Fame conveys.

"We want it so that when anyone comes through the door, there will be someone they recognize," said Gene "G." Brown, director of the hall. "We don't only want to celebrate the heritage of Colorado music, but the current musical community in Colorado."

The hall of fame started in the 1stBank Center in Broomfield. But its outreach was limited, since it could only really be opened during events, Brown explained. Eventually, an agreement was reached with the City and County of Denver, and through Comfort Dental's sponsorship, the hall was able to set up a more permanent location in June at Colorado's live music epicenter --; Red Rocks.

The hall set up shop at Red Rock's Trading Post, and now is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, which allows not only concertgoers but also trail runners, exercisers and musical pilgrims to stop in and learn about the many gems in Colorado's music history.

As the first inductee in 2011, and the most recognizable name in the state's musical history, Denver gets pride of place, with a statue outside the trading post and a full room dedicated to memorabilia and facts about his legacy. One of his sterling achievements was performing at Red Rocks 17 times.

"Instead of trying to set up some kind of hierarchical induction program, we thought it would be better to induct peer groups," Brown said. "We've turned the induction ceremonies into events unto themselves, and we get contemporary musicians to fill the gaps in some of these lineups."

So far, inductee eras include the '60s, which included artists like the Astronauts and Flash Cadillac; the folk-rock scene of the '70s, including Judy Collins, Poco and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band; and early promotors Barry Fey and Harry Tuft.

The 2016 inductees, announced Jan. 26, focus on Colorado's jazz scene. Glenn Miller, Paul Whiteman, Lannie Garrett, Max Morath, Billy Murray and Elizabeth Spencer will all be inducted in April.

The hope is to soon move on to more contemporary musical figures, Brown said, which could include everyone from Big Head Todd and the Monsters to The Fray and Pretty Lights.

As someone who has been immersed in the musical scene for years, both as a fan and writer for , Brown is a veritable fount of knowledge, and he has stories and tidbits about every musical figure.

Walking through the hall, he points out facts like how the Astronauts were bigger than The Beach Boys in Japan, or that the Eagles were such acolytes of Poco's sound they lifted the band's bass player --; twice.

But his best stories are the personal ones he's seen and heard firsthand.

Brown tells a beautiful story about local supergroup Sugarloaf's induction in 2012. At the time, vocalist and keyboardist Jerry Corbetta was battling dementia, and wasn't expected to play at the ceremony. Because of a little miscommunication, he ended up on stage and in front of his keyboard for the band's last number. As Brown recalls, at first Corbetta was just playing some basic chords, but before long, his fingers began flying over the keys like he was Beethoven.

"I still get choked up thinking about it," Brown said. "He didn't know where he was, but he knew when he put his hands on his instrument."

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.comhttp://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Colorado-Music-Hall-of-Fame-highlights-states-varied-scenes,206366?branding=15

Lost snowmobiler found safe

from Valley Courier - News http://www.alamosanews.com/V2_news_articles.php