NEWS Briefs & NOTES from your editor, 11/3/22
Dear Readers,
Are you watching/listening to the 100s of political ads on television these days? So many of them have proven to be false or misleading. I just heard on the local news about one for Republican Pam Anderson and one for Democratic Michael Bennett that were blatantly false in the many statements.
They often play on your emotions. A free kids’ lunches ad is false in that it makes it sound like “low income kids” would benefit (they already get free lunches). The ads for the three liquor issues are full of misleading statements about small businesses. How can you tell which ones are true?
I’ve always found the local television stations to be one of the best places to go for fact-checking. They often do that during debates, and with ads. They also have segments during the regular nightly news, and on their web sites that state facts on constitutional amendments and measures proposed (and where to go for more details). It is unbiased.
And, of course, there is the Blue Book that is sent out by the State government. According to the Colorado gov web site: The purpose of the ballot information booklet is to provide voters with the text, title, and a fair and impartial analysis of each initiated or referred constitutional amendment, law, or question on the ballot. The analysis must include a summary of the measure, the major arguments both for and against the measure, and a brief fiscal assessment of the measure. The analysis may also include any other information that will help voters understand the purpose and effect of a measure.
So, that sounds like two reliable sources for information. We have published in this newspaper comments made by a Boulder County Commissioner and our mayor. We also have this week an update of our article we published three weeks ago — most frequently asked questions about voting.
And, we tracked down information on voting *IN* Lyons. The library said Boulder County leased their community room but had no info on what/when it would be used. I called town hall, and they had no information. I found some information online (which later proved to be “not updated”) So, Deputy Clerk Dolores Vasquez called her contacts down there, and guess what?! You can vote in person on both Monday and Tuesday (or just drop off your Boulder County paper ballot in the box in front of town hall). See our ARTICLE for more information.
Remember, you have no right to complain about how our representatives are running the country if you didn’t vote for them — Vote! make a difference.
………Many Thanks, Kathleen Spring, your editor
==NEWS TID BITS==
WEATHER: PART 1 =Thursday, October 27th, was the coldest day of the season – with highs in the 40s. The Lyons area got a smattering of snow (about .23 in the gauge) but Estes got about 4 to 6 inches. One person commented: == Sun’s out, winter’s over == a 2nd person said: October snow = walking thru 4” of snow in flip flops to bring in more wood. // another replied: shorts too because you haven’t figured out your winter pants rotation yet==// you gotta have humor to live on a mountain side.
PART 2 = Then we had a lovely weekend, cool but sunny, for our two big Halloween events. And it got better — we hit about 75 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday, (the average is about 58 degrees). BUT we are predicted to hit about 48 on Thursday, with 4 to 12″ of snow in the mountains. (Several ski resorts have opened for the season). Lyons, Pinewood and Boulder will get about 2″ (possibly melting quickly). Friday is predicted at 43, with a low of 25. Then we are back to 60, more or less, through the week.
862,637 Coloradans have returned their ballots as of November 2nd (that’s 22%).
Reminder: limb/branch disposal for residents (see “Things to Do” for rules etc.)
Reminder: FREE FLU & COVID SHOTS, all ages –Tuesday Nov 8th, 10:00 to 2 p.m. at Walt Self Community Room 335 Railroad Ave, next door to Post Office. Park on the street. You cannot make a reservation; first come, first served. No insurance card needed.
====SCHOOL NEWS====
(see below under activities the BIG GAME; and under Colorado BUDGET the increase in funds)
==The SVVSD has now allowed long-range, high-accuracy rifles in schools, to be accessed only by School Resource Officers. This includes Lyons Middle/High School and Niwot. The St. Vrain Valley school board voted unanimously to allow the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office to store the rifles in safes.
==Affirmative Action is being taken up by the US Supreme Court. — In Colorado the Metropolitan State University is our only university that must allow admission to students of color under the law; and they are 54% of their student body. Colorado has a modified open access plan. Students 20 years old and graduated (or GED) are automatically admitted to state universities. **UPDATE** This information was stated on a TV evening news network. See “Comments” below for more news about the law suits and student quotas*. For more information about MSU DENVER check their web site MSU Denver. These are key statements by MSU:
From MSU Denver web site: MSU Denver is among the lowest tuition rates of any 4-year public university in Colorado. (eg, $4,082 for CO resient with College Opportunity Fund; or $7,430 with Western Undergraduate Exchange; otherwise, an average cost of $14,000 with other aid. such as scholarships). MSU has been the top transfer destinatino for Colorado students for over 20 years and receiving national recognition. MSU was named the No.5 most innovative univesrtiy among regional universities in the West. It was granted “Hispanic Serving Institution HSI” status in Feb. 2019 from the US Dept. of Education. From US Dept of Education: Graduation rate 47%; and acceptance rate 83%. Located at 890 Auraria Pkwy. Current 2020-21 enrollment 17,255 undergraduate.
NEW TOWN CALENDAR: Lyons Chamber says, Check out our NEW Central Lyons Events Calendar! LyonsCreates.Org If you or your business is hosting a public event, this is now you home-base to share events with Lyons & Boulder County. Please submit your events today! (Don’t forget that the Recorder also has (1) a month-at-a-view calendar for all town events, and (2) a weekly fresh list of “things to do” and deadlines)
===DONT FORGET that the LYONS RECORDER has a “month view” calendar that shows all the important activities in town… eg, government, classes, bus trips, etc. — but not the dozens of weekly live bands.===
LYONS SMALL BUSINESSES – don’t forget that there is a separate page on Facebook with this top name.
“Dead Guy Days” in Nederland will not happen this coming 2023 due to the Town of Nederland no longer supporting the two individuals who put it on (mainly security services).
LEAF GOAL: Thank you to Planet Bluegrass for donating $10,000 towards their $30,000 matching grant campaign. I think it is the biggest by far (I think all the other Very Generous donors gave $10,000). This will take them over the top. It will especially help them with their new building.
MOVED: The Office of Arts and Culture is now located at 1500 Pearl Street, #300, Boulder, CO, 80302. We have moved to join our Community Vitality colleagues. Please update your address books —Our phone numbers remain the same; however, please note that our emails now end in bouldercolorado.gov.–Check out our Contact Us page for details.
The Lyons Flyer just celebrated it’s 1,000th rider.== The public transportation system provides service between downtown Lyons at Broadway and 4th into Boulder, along US 36 and traveling south on Broadway within Boulder. Riders can also track their bus’s arrival time and location in real-time using Transit App, available for iOS and Android. Learn more about the Town’s transportation systems and sustainability plans. The town has a route map
BEES: In our “volunteer photo spread” last week, we talked about our popular bee keeper Nicky who had a “go fund me” pop can recycle stand. — Bees: to make ONE pound of honey, they must collect nectar from about 2 million flowers! Don’t cut your blossoms back too quickly this fall!
RESOURCE SPECIALIST:
1.) OUR CENTER looking for a counselor; good pay and benefits; ok to live in Lyons and go to Longmont once a week. See the ad at Front Page of this newspaper for more details and a link to the “job application,” with all the details. Resource Specialist Mountain Liaison, working with the public.
2.) LYONS SENIORS – MOUSE TRAP – Two months ago someone was hired to be the new counselor/resource specialist in Lyons. We have not seen her yet. == I have written to the Lyons lunch staff and her boss, and to three people on the Aging Council, including someone designated as the “Lyons rep” and have gotten NO RESPONSE in a week (10/26/22 – 11/3/22). – finally, a senior who was talking with the BCAAA MEDICAID rep was “incidentally” sent info on the new Lyons counselor/Resource Specialist. === I figured if I am computer savvy and write lots of emails and yet I cannot find out who the “resource/counselor” is – since AUGUST! then many of you may have the same problem. So, here is the info that the Medicaid person at Boulder County sent: “here is a new Resource Specialist for the Lyons area. Her name is Sarah Lloyd, her email is slloyd@bouldercounty.org , telephone number is 720-864-6408.” === Next problem is that she is still not located IN the LYONS Building. They say they are waiting for new furniture. Why she cant use the existing desk/phone/file cabinets, I don’t know. I would think helping seniors face-to-face would take priority.
HOPE Clinic in Longmont free or inexpensive health care and pharmacy, according to Alyssa Novak, on Facebook, Lyons Happenings. — You can call them at 303.776.7117 and ask. They are super friendly!
MEDIA – last week I published an article about an investigative reporter who was murdered, and how the courts had to protect his materials (all is good for now…). If you like to hear about things like that, you may be interested in reading this: A story by two reporters for the Dougherty High School’s Wildcat Tribune about a teacher’s “disturbing and distressing perspectives” on race led to the teacher’s dismissal. The students—Emily Wong and Luna Ashebir—wanted to interview the teacher about his experience as an Olympic Games historian. But he started to talk about his time teaching at other schools and made disparaging comments about black and Latino students attending those schools—and that became the story. It’s a good news First Amendment story because the school’s principal praised the students’ work and took action.
Aurora man who shot Rocky Mountain National Park ranger sentenced to 23.5 years in federal prison
DRUGS: ===new law in Colorado. Possession of 1 gram of fentanyl is now a felony. This provides more tools for police. There are options for substance abuse treatments.
====DRUGS: Mark Cuban (yes, of Shark fame) has a new drug company “CostPlusDrugs.com” that sells them for a mark up of only 15%. There is no middleman. It is the their cost to handle $3 and ship $5 plus the drug cost, and that’s it. It is generics. It’s been around for about 7 months, and he will be adding brand names eventually.
FIRE DEPARTMENT: (see our Things to Do for all the details on events)
1.) November 19, 9a.m.-11a.m. Lyons Fire Protection District pancake breakfast celebration. Come see the new engine that will have a dedication to former firefighter Griffin Ferguson who passed away on May 26. held at the Lyons Fire Station 1 located at 251 Broadway.
2.) November 12, 2-5p.m. – Artist Showcase at A-Lodge Rock Garden. Four live bands. Raising money to help the development and continuation of a First Responder Peer Support Program.
3.) FIRE EQUIPMENT UPDATE on 5 new grants for local fire departments: 11/1/22 Today, Lyons Fire received the first partial shipment of the SCBAs. The life-saving equipment has newer technology and enhancements that allow increased operability between our departments. Once the entire order arrives then the products will be distributed to the four additional departments. Collectively, these five agencies provide emergency services to approximately 345 square miles. Each of these districts is comprised of dedicated volunteers and paid personnel.
HOUSING MARKET – see our ARTICLE, including comments about the Lyons market ===HOMES inventory is up 80%, compared to last year. Prices down 3.3%.(8/22) The average household makes $65,000.
STATE PLAYOFFS!! === November 5 – Lyons Champions — Lyons Mid/High School football team is playing in the STATE PLAYOFFS! THIS Saturday! November 5 at 1 p.m. (kickoff) vs. Dayspring Christian Academy. TAILGATING begins at 11 a.m. (If you can’t attend, watch the game for free on the school page: https://youtu.be/SAoINJyJKkA)
PINEWOOD Springs – CHESS – The Estes Park Rec Center “Seniors” play chess every Thursday== Adult Chess Day at the Rec Ctr., downstairs in the game room. Any level of play. Boards and pieces provided. 3:30-5:00 p.m.
====HEALTH INSURANCE / MEDICARE++++
==COLORADO “Connect for Health” == Open Enrollment Period, during which all Coloradans can buy health insurance, with any income level, runs from November 1st through January 15th. ==Annual Open MEDICARE sign up or Change: Oct 15 to Dec 5: Free professional Help available. — see our ARTICLES THIS WEEK.
====GENERAL NEWS====
Gas prices have continued to go down, and the “gas reserves” from strategic petroleum reserves are still being released, with the next one happening in early December (15 million barrels)===It was on 8/11 that gas prices fell below the $4.00 – lowest point since March. === The last time prices peaked at $4.05 as July 14, 2008, per the U.S. Energy Information Administration. This week in Lyons the prices were $3.22/gallon regular.
GOOD NEWS! === Economy: The president announced that unemployment is at historically low rates (3.5% US – 3.4% CO)…their Inflation Reduction bill brought the deficit down by 1.4 trillion dollars this year…. the GDP 3rd quarter was up 2.6% (the measure of goods and services produced)…. and investments have been made of $100 billion toward making our own semi-conductor chips! (standard tax deduction is now $900+ and $1800+ for married people).
INTEREST RATE: The feds announced today, November 3, their 6th interest rate increase this year to: 3/4 point, a 14 year high. In order to help slow down inflation; but they say it is getting to a point where it will be less likely they will continue this route.
SURGE in pediatric hospitalizations due to flu. Watch for breathing problem signs in your little ones. Many state’s hospitals are seeing admissions at their highest in more than a decade. Per the CDC, hospitalization rates are highest in adults 65 years and older and children 0-4 years.
Colorado Budget: Governor Polis has presented his budget for 2023 to the legislators today, November 3. == SCHOOLS: the $816 per student increase is the biggest ever. It will help with the “learning loss” that was experienced during COVID closures (the test scores were announced this past week); and increase teacher compensation so schools can fill the many vacancies. The other big important line item is funds to help prevent car theft. Colorado is #1 in the country.
IMMIGRATION – People are talking about the 1,000,000 people who came to America this year to live and work here, noncitizens who obtained lawful permanent resident status. The number of Migrants who came in: 2010 – 700,000 // 2016 –1,049,000 // 2021 — 247,000 due to covid. Today’s foreign-born population makes up about one in eight U.S. residents, mostly immigrants from Latin America and Asia.
==The desperately needed H2A workers (especially in our quarries) got a wage increase of approximately 10%, up to $15.78/hour.
………..you came here and read all these Goodies?! Pass on the Word… tell people what they are missing!
Please make a contribution to the Lyons Recorder for this year’s articles, if you found many useful and/or entertaining articles! Thank You! We are savings Lyons “everyday history” for posterity.
Go to THINGS TO DO for details on Activities and Events, listed by date
Hi Kathleen
I might have missed it, but what is happening with the hotel?
Ken
It was in one of the “construction news” September articles. The two owners never answered any of my emails, so I asked the Town hall planner, and things are going along slowly with design, planning, permits. Some delays, but nothing drastic. We also contacted the hotel’s Planner who handled the first phase, but she is not involved in the current phase.
I was confused and intrigued by this:
“==Affirmative Action is being taken up by the US Supreme Court. — In Colorado the Metropolitan State University is our only university that must allow admission to students of color under this law…”
1. There hasn’t been an affirmative action plan in the US has uses quotas since the Bakke decision in the 1970s.
2. The link you provided is to Metro State Univ in Minnesota (not in CO).
3. That MN plan focuses on employment and (again) doesn’t include quotas.
Thanks for your comments. — I will correct the web site link; thanks — Those statements were taken from a TV network evening news program. I am not able to find the source and verify it at this time, so I will put a disclaimer with the statement above. == However, it appears that your 1970s date is misleading — One example is: An 8/6/22 NY Times article begins with: “As a Supreme Court case on college admissions nears, the California and Michigan university systems say their efforts to build diverse classes have hardly worked. It has been more than 15 years since two of the country’s top public university systems, the University of Michigan and the University of California, were forced to stop using affirmative action in admissions….“(and goes on to quote several sources, saying: “Despite incredibly valiant, sustained efforts to navigate the realities of a post-affirmative action world, the flagship campuses in California and Michigan have been unsuccessful in enrolling members of marginalized racial groups,” NY Times continues: The Supreme Court is scheduled on Oct. 31 to hear the lawsuits brought by the anti-affirmative action organization Students for Fair Admissions that challenge the race-conscious methods that Harvard and the University of North Carolina use to pick freshman classes. Previous cases, per NYTimes: The Supreme Court has weighed in on affirmative action in college admissions several times, helping shape the policy through the decades. In the 1978 case Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, the court decided that a state university could consider race in admissions but that racial quotas went too far. See NY Times for info/and/a timeline on other cases. Or do other searches online.