All Local, All The Time

Articles from the December 14, 2022 edition


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  • Students from Sunset Middle School and Niwot High School selected to Colorado All State Choir

    Gene Hayworth and Hannah Stewart|Dec 14, 2022

    Four Sunset Middle School students and nine Niwot High School students have been selected to perform in the Spring 2023 Colorado All State choirs. Charlotte Stauch, Bryce Grayless, Athil Henderson and Camryn Bell, eighth grade students at Sunset Middle School, will participate in the Colorado Middle School All State Choir, a two-day event held at the Denver Convention Center on Mar. 9 and 10. Stauch and Grayless are in the Triplo Choir, which is made up of soprano and alto voices. Henderson and...

  • Left Hand Laurel - Niwot Community Connection: Founders Pat Murphy, Dawn Server and Eve Lempriere

    Maria Karagianis|Dec 14, 2022

    It's morning – the second Thursday in December – and about 50 Niwotians who are over 55 are drinking coffee, eating snacks, listening to two local musicians play their tunes, socializing and – later, playing trivia, at the Left Hand Grange. We're at the monthly meeting of the Niwot Community Connection. It really seems like a great way to connect as well as to build local community. Besides the monthly meet-ups – often with a guest speaker – at the Grange Hall, the group has organized smaller s...

  • A new chapter and new name for Lefty's Pizza

    Deborah Cameron|Dec 14, 2022

    Last September, the community of Niwot mourned the sudden death of Craig "Lefty" Harris, owner of Lefty's Gourmet Pizza on 2nd Avenue. A little over two months later, the iconic restaurant that means so much to the community has launched a new chapter. Lorenzo Villalobos, who worked as a chef for Harris for 24 years and considered him family, along with Villalobos' wife, Marciela Vazquez, have purchased the restaurant from the Harris family and have reopened it to the delight of the pizzeria's...

  • Photo of the Week

    Dec 14, 2022

  • Home on the Grange

    Vicky Dorvee|Dec 14, 2022

    Ollin Farms' Winter Market at the Grange Saturday, Dec. 17, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. The folks at Ollin Farms and their partners present the first season of their Winter Market. Shoppers will find a cornucopia of fresh produce, mushrooms, dried flowers, baked and canned foods, art, stocking stuffers, and more. The Wolf Authentic Mexican Food truck will offer hot food during the event. Group dance classes Tuesdays, Dec. 20 and 27, 5 - 7 p.m. Dance instructor Lindy Bartruff is holding two more group d...

  • Photo of the Week Could Be Yours?

    Dec 14, 2022

    Calling all photographers, intentional or accidental! The Left Hand Valley Courier’s Photo of the Week feature is open to any area resident who personally photographs Niwot-Gunbarrel area sights, including people (with permission, of course), buildings, animals, birds, plants, flowers, events, or anything else. Naturally, there are a few rules to follow: • The photograph must be submitted in jpg format via email to [email protected] in high resolution. • Please include a caption describing the photo, your name, email address and phone numbe...

  • LID agrees to Grange funding request

    Staff Report|Dec 14, 2022

    Grange funding approved The Left Hand Grange is on a mission to make the iconic building in the center of Niwot's downtown business district even more of a community center. Jim Dorvee, president of Left Hand Grange, Inc., which owns the building on the southwest corner of the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Franklin Street, presented a funding request to the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) at the LID's regular meeting Dec. 6. Dorvee asked for a contribution of $15,000...

  • Why is community journalism important?

    Bruce Warren|Dec 14, 2022

    One of the functions of our local community journalism is to report on governmental actions which may impact the Niwot and Gunbarrel communities. The Left Hand Valley Courier regularly monitors Boulder County government meeting schedules and agendas, and as a result, learned of a meeting among Boulder County Commissioners and legislators that was described as “not open to members of the public.” Since such closed meetings are prohibited by Colorado law, the Left Hand Courier contacted the county commissioners’ office and the notice was changed....

  • Growing Niwot Dental practice brings on new dentist

    Vicky Dorvee|Dec 14, 2022

    Seventeen years ago, Dr. Adam Saeks, DDS, became the owner of Niwot Dental, a practice originally established in 1985 by Dr. David Meisner. Saeks, a Minnesota native and 1998 graduate of the University of Minnesota Dental School, moved the practice in 2016 from its Second Avenue location to a fully remodeled, contemporary dental facility in the professional building located in Cottonwood Square Shopping Center (6800 N. 79th Street, Ste. 203). Saeks was the sole dentist within the office until...

  • NCA considers affordable housing proposal

    Leonard Sitongia|Dec 14, 2022

    The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly board meeting Dec. 7 at the Mountain View Fire Rescue Niwot Station conference room, and listened to a presentation about a proposed housing development at the northeast corner of SH 119 (the Diagonal) and SH 52 (Mineral Road). The proposal, which is in a very preliminary stage, would include 100 units of affordable housing and 150 units of workforce housing. Workforce housing is designated for those earning 80% to 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI), while affordable housing is designated...

  • Local Artists Abound in Niwot

    Kristin Alger|Dec 14, 2022

    Niwot has always prided itself on being a true small town – no big box stores, parades for every occasion, and lots of "mom and pop" businesses. This all adds up to a perfect atmosphere in which local artists can shine. And local art is certainly thriving in Niwot this holiday season. The Open Studios Pop! Gallery celebrated a grand opening during Niwot's Enchanted Evening, Friday, Nov. 25. Twenty different artists working in numerous mediums are featured in the spruced-up space that p...

  • Arts Student of the Week: Sebastian Aguirre

    Gene Hayworth|Dec 14, 2022

    During the first week of December, the Niwot High School Jazz Band played in an unusual venue. Instead of performing in the school auditorium, where such performances have been held in the past, the band played on the Learning Stairs, the central staircase at NHS sweeping up from the ground level. "It was really cool," said alto saxophonist Sebastian Aguirre, this week's Arts Student of the Week. "because there were a lot of people. In the auditorium you can't see people because of all the...

  • The Spark brings joy to Niwot with nomadic Nutcracker performance

    Hannah Stewart|Dec 14, 2022

    For the past two weekends Niwot celebrated Christmas in style. A Holiday Market provided shoppers the opportunity to buy local goods and mingle, and throughout town, a theater troupe entertained with a live, nomadic rendition of The Nutcracker. The Spark, a nonprofit Boulder theater group, put a unique spin on the Christmas classic by creating a "theme park-style performance opportunity." Their program, "Tales on the Trails," emerged from the COVID lockdown and resulted in outdoor walking...

  • Get to know new Boulder County Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann

    Deborah Cameron|Dec 14, 2022

    Louisville Mayor Ashley Stolzmann prevailed in the Nov. 8 election to replace Matt Jones as Boulder County Commissioner for District 3. She won her race by a wide margin, and when she takes office, she will be representing the needs of the Niwot community as part of her work. Stolzmann brings a great deal of civic service to her new role. Prior to the election and prior to her service as Louisville's mayor, she was, among other things, a member of Louisville's Finance Committee, represented her...

  • Retirement gala for Sheriff Joe Pelle set for Jan. 10

    Bruce Warren|Dec 14, 2022

    Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle is retiring - finally. Pelle has been elected sheriff five times, with the last three 4-year terms coming after voters specifically extended the 2-term limit for the office. Pelle will officially retire on Jan. 10, 2023, after serving as sheriff for 20 years. Curtis Johnson has been elected to succeed Pelle. Sheriff Pelle was first elected in the fall of 2002, taking office in January 2003. He is well-respected throughout the law enforcement community, having...

  • NBA Tannenbaum Charity Trail auction generates almost $2K

    Bruce Warren|Dec 14, 2022

    With 16 Niwot businesses participating, the Niwot Business Association's inaugural Tannenbaum Charity Trail silent auction raised almost $2,000 for various charities. Each participating business decorated a miniature Christmas tree, and many included gift certificates to their business. The trees were displayed at Niwot Market from Dec. 3 to Dec. 10. A tree decorated and donated by Niwot Eye Care & Vision was the top fundraiser, with a winning bid of $300 to benefit the Humane Society. Belle...

  • Story Behind the Name: Comer Field

    Kathy Trauner|Dec 14, 2022

    Monte Comer was a kid with a lot of friends. He was a fixture on his baseball team in the Gunbarrel Lefthand Valley Recreation Association, or GLVRA as it was known (now Niwot Youth Sports). He had buddies on his basketball team, his Boy Scout troop, his class at Niwot Elementary School and everywhere else. “Back then I don’t think they had the Pee Wee Football they have now,” said Monte’s sister, Jamie Comer Smith. “I believe he would have played football.” That was the mid-1970’s,...

  • The Niwot Elementary Spelling Bee results

    Katrina Stroud|Dec 14, 2022

    The 13th annual Niwot Elementary School Spelling Bee was held Wednesday. Dec. 7. The first place winner was fifth-grader Eden Himmerick, who won third place in last year's competition. Fifth-grader Joey Marcoux won second place. Third place was a three-way tie between fifth-graders Sophie Shaw and Genevieve Ciminski, and fourth-grader Nika Magginetti. The winning word was "blasphemous." Himmerick's first-place finish won her a copy of the "New Oxford American Dictionary" and she will advance to...

  • County Commissioners give green light to solar farm on 79th Street

    Vicky Dorvee|Dec 14, 2022

    Chuck Rodgers knows a thing or two about electricity. He worked for Xcel Energy for nearly four decades. For the last 36 years he's switched on a massive holiday light show in his front yard as a gift to the community and to raise money for Longmont Meals on Wheels. And on Tuesday, Dec. 6, the Boulder County Commissioners approved a five-megawatt, 24-acre solar farm on his property. The Project In August 2022, following a Boulder County Planning Commission hearing as part of a Special Use...

  • Niwot's holiday market part two

    Hannah Stewart|Dec 14, 2022

    For the second weekend in a row, Niwot celebrated the holidays with a town-wide market. Local vendors, local musicians, treat-tasting opportunities, crafts and more were found throughout town....

  • Niwot Boys Basketball starts the season 3-1

    Isaac Stephens|Dec 14, 2022

    The Niwot High School boys basketball team played two games in the second week of the season, one against both the Roosevelt High School Roughriders and the other versus the Silver Creek High School Raptors. The Cougars went undefeated in the first week of the season, but split the games in their second week. Niwot's third game of the season came against Roosevelt on Dec. 6. Niwot won 63-50, moving up to 3-0 on the season, matching the total wins the squad earned last season. Niwot's first...

  • Niwot girls XC take second at Nike Nationals

    Bruce Warren and Chris Teta|Dec 14, 2022

    The Niwot High School girls cross country team traveled to Portland, Oregon, to run in the Nike Cross Nationals on Dec. 3 and brought home the second-place trophy. A total of 22 teams from across the nation and 45 individual runners competed in the invitation-only event, where the Cougars were runner-up to the Kinetic Club from Saratoga Springs High School in Schenectady, NY. Team scores were counted based on the places of the top five runners from each school, compared to the other team...

  • Student-Athlete of the Week: Vithal Arya

    Jack Carlough|Dec 14, 2022

    After moving to the United States during his sixth-grade year, Vithal Arya was tasked with learning a culture far different from the one he had experienced growing up in India. "It's a culture shock because there's not really middle school, high school, it's just K-12, and that's practically every school (in India)," Arya said. "Extracurriculars don't really matter as much as they matter here. In India, schools are basically all for academics. We're not really big on sports. The only big sports...

  • Courier Crossword Corner

    Dec 14, 2022

  • Courier Crossword Corner December 14, 2022 Answers

    Dec 14, 2022

    ACROSS 2. Choir 4. Grange 6. Public 8. Swim 10. Saxophone 12. Solar 14. Dentists 16. Second 18. Wrestling 20. Leftys 21. Champion 22. Connection 24. Pelle 25. Sunrise 27. Basketball DOWN 1. Housing 3. Riverdale 5. Nike 7. Charity 8. Stolzmann 9. Comer 11. Polo 13. Artists 15. Himmerick 17. Floor 19. Easement 21. Climate 23. Ollin 26. Spark...

  • Niwot boys wrestling litters leaderboard at Wheat Ridge Invitational

    Jack Carlough|Dec 14, 2022

    Things are beginning to look up for the Niwot boys wrestling team. Coming off a disappointing last-place finish at the Fort Lupton Invitational, the Cougars rebounded nicely on Dec. 7 to beat a revitalized Timnath High School program, 57-12. Niwot then fell in a dual meet against Silver Creek High School on Dec. 9 but bounced back again the following day in a strong showing at the Wheat Ridge Invitational. Junior Gavin Burrage was named champion of the 175-pound class while both 165-pound...

  • Niwot girls basketball youth shows

    Bruce Warren|Dec 14, 2022

    The Niwot High School girls basketball team is very young - and the learning curve is painful. The Cougars hosted Roosevelt High School Dec. 6, and the final score, with Roosevelt on top 87-20, gave an indication of how far Niwot has to go to compete with the best. Roosevelt has a record of 2-1, with the only loss coming against a 5A Cherry Creek team in the opening week of the season. Against Niwot, Roosevelt took control early and never let up. The Cougars were led by sophomore Rose Pacheco, who scored eight points. Sophomore Alex Mounce...

  • Niwot girls swim bests Erie in dual meet

    Jack Carlough|Dec 14, 2022

    Several Niwot High School girls swimmers were at their best on Dec. 8 in a dual meet against Erie High School. Head coach Ella Thramann said that many of her Cougar swimmers broke their personal-best times, all leading to an impressive 199-93 win at the Aquatic Center of St. Vrain Valley schools. Lauren Brooks set her best time in the 100 freestyle (1 minute, 41.15 seconds), senior Rowan Lavigne qualified for state in the 50 free (26.36) and Shefali Joshi’s 2:16.82 in the 200 free was close to the state-qualifying time — Thramann believes she...

  • NHS students compete in water polo

    Bruce Warren|Dec 14, 2022

    Niwot High School students Jack Klein and Logan Waldron spend 12 to 15 hours a week year-round, training and practicing water polo for the Rocky Mountain Neptunes, a water polo club based in Boulder. Both have similar stories. They started out swimming, but preferred team sports and through watching the Olympics, found the sport. Water polo is often heralded as the toughest sport in which to compete. Players must tread water for the entire game while sprinting back and forth, playing both offens...