All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
Sorted by date Results 2026 - 2075 of 2533
Codevilla and Shaw lead Cougars to 2nd overall The Niwot girls swim team kicked-off the final round of the 2019 Class 4A swim championships on Feb. 8 with a dramatic fourth-place finish in the 200-medley relay, and the surprises just kept coming. Over the next 11 events at the VMAC in Thornton, Cougar swimmers collected six top-three finishes and ended the night with what head coach Sarah Stamp called “the best surprise of all.” “We’ve been fourth before, but never gotten the hardware for run...
By his own admission, senior Marcus Chong is “not the most talkative person” on the Niwot boys basketball team, so when he received the 2019 SVVSD Sportsmanship Award on Jan. 30, he was a “little bit surprised.” For head coach Eric Hejl, however, the self-effacing guard was the natural choice for the honor. “Marcus is not really vocal, necessarily, but he’s a leader by example,” Hejl said. “He’s so consistent with it. He’s never said a word to an official, he’s there to help even opponents u... Full story
Reporter’s note: I’ve been reporting for the Left Hand Valley Courier (LHVC) since July 2018, although as a Gunbarrel resident, I’ve been reading the paper for four years. Much of my life has been in small towns, so I have a fondness for small, independent papers—which, by the way, are a rapidly disappearing breed. When I began working with the LHVC team, I was struck by the founders’ fierce dedication to the integrity of the paper, but even more so by their dedication to the community...
Students, coaches, judges, volunteers, families, and technology fans overflowed Niwot Elementary School’s (NES) gymnasium on Saturday, Jan. 26 as NES hosted its first VEX IQ Robotic Challenge event. Enthusiasm, focus, and team spirit amongst all attendees, as well as mutual respect and a sense of accomplishment permeated the event. Twenty four teams from NES, Fall River Elementary School (Longmont), Eagle Crest Elementary (Longmont), Estes Park Elementary, and Hygiene Elementary schools w... Full story
Like many high school wrestlers, junior Max Pechersewski followed his father’s footsteps into the sport. However, it took a bit of nudging to get him there. “During my freshman year, my parents wanted me to do a sport and I don’t really like basketball that much,” he said. “I knew my dad did wrestling, so I went out to try it. There were some supportive people that helped me find clubs, and I just kept going from there.” Pechersewski is now in his third year with the Niwot wrestling program, an...
Boulder County hosts discussion of proposed NRDC regulations Business owners and developers with properties in the Niwot Rural Community District (NRCD) are unhappy with proposed updates to Boulder County’s Land Use Code and said so to Director Dale Case and his staff at a community meeting on Jan. 24. “I just don’t understand why all of these restrictions are happening,” Niwot Inn owner Cornelia Sawle said during the ‘Group Q & A’ portion of the meeting. “These commercial people are trying to...
Boulder County hosts discussion of proposed NRDC regulations Residents of Niwot’s 3rd Avenue were unusually quiet during the community meeting with Boulder County Land Use Department staff at Niwot High School on Jan. 24. The first pass at the Niwot Rural Community District I (NRCD) proposed changes to the Land Use Code had been emailed to interested parties on Jan. 18, which meant that specific proposed code updates had been digested to some degree prior to the meeting. NRCD code provisions are...
The Boulder Evening Optimists Club is inviting local families to the Wild Game in Longmont on Feb. 3 for a morning of games and pancakes at their second annual Family Fun Day. “We’re calling it a Family Fun Day, because the whole idea is that you can come out from 9 a.m. to noon and spend time with the family on Super Bowl Sunday before all of the football activity starts,” Niwot resident and author Jim Ringel said. He is a longtime member of the service organization. “It’s a really great tim...
The Niwot girls basketball team delivered a milestone win to head coach Terri Ward on Jan. 25, but it was their disciplined performance during the historic game that had her more excited afterwards. “I thought we played great,” she said after the Cougars cruised to a decisive 53-42 win over Mountain View, the 300th of the longtime coach’s storied career with her alma mater. “That was probably the first four full quarters that we’ve played this season, and that was really important. The good... Full story
Niwot senior Kristi Vu became a swimmer by accident. Literally. “I started swimming as physical therapy for gymnastics,” she said. “And I just started to love it more and more. I finally quit gymnastics two years ago, because swimming was so much more fun.” ‘Fun’ is a word that Vu uses liberally to describe her time with the Niwot swim team. For example, she said it’s the main reason she’s specialized in sprints, in particular the 50-yard freestyle. “It’s just a fun race to swim,” she said. “I...
Boulder County is seeking public input to shape the Boulder County Land Use Code related to the Niwot Rural Community District (NRCD), which includes property along 2nd Avenue from west of Murray Street to Niwot Road. The primary focus of the meeting is to present a draft of the proposed Code criteria and gather community feedback and public comment to inform final revisions to the land use regulations for the NRCD. Areas of focus will include density, site design, circulation and mix of uses. More information on this Code change process, and... Full story
It would be easier to list the team sports that Niwot power forward Bitzy Archibald hasn’t tried at some point in her life, but the senior said she’s really a “pretty big nerd” at heart. “I think people picture a jock, but I’m always reading in the locker room,” she said. Archibald is a fan of sci-fi and thrillers, and recently completed “We Know It Was You” by Maggie Thrash. “I get a lot of jokes about that from the team.” What isn’t getting any jokes is Archibald’s play on the basketball court...
Calling her “one of the state’s top female sports ambassadors,” the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) announced on Jan. 8 that Niwot alum and longtime NHS coach Terri Ward is slated for induction as a member of the 30th Anniversary CHSAA Hall of Fame Class. Ward joins five other honorees in the 2018 class, and is the first Niwot coach or athlete to receive this recognition. She will be enshrined as a significant contributor, owing to both her storied coaching career and her d...
When winds are high or lights are bright or sometimes for no clear reason, Ivan Schlutz’s head “gets pretty raw,” he said of the pain and sensations that make it hard for him to plan each day. Winters are spent in his art studio where he creates award-winning bronze sculptures, an art form he was drawn to while recovering from a near-death accident in his late 20s. The studio once housed calves on his parent’s property, but was renovated into an impressive workspace with a spectacular floor-to-c...
September 10, 1999- January 8, 2019 Olivia Ann Kunik, 19, made her final curtain call on Tuesday January 8, 2019. She leaves behind her heartbroken parents, Honey Beuf, Chuck Barnett, Maitland Kunik, and Joanne Kunik, her devoted sister Tess Kunik, her brave brothers Max Kunik and Anthony Martinez-Briggs, and the love of her life, Axel the pug. She graduated from Niwot High School and was studying early childhood education at the University of Northern Colorado. She loved children as she was a s...
The wins were few and far between for the Niwot wrestling team in the early weeks of the 2018-19 season, but head coach Bobby Matthews sounded an optimistic tone following his team’s performance in the first weekend of the new year. Between Friday night’s dual against Longmont and Saturday’s annual Gary Daum Invitational, seven of his wrestlers posted a match win, which he said is one of several promising signs that the team is starting to turn around. “I’m definitely feeling much better th... Full story
The upstart Niwot boys basketball team improved to 6-3 on the season, after going undefeated at the fifth annual Roughrider Shootout, held Jan. 3-5 at Roosevelt High School. The Cougars averaged 56 points per game in wins over Denver West, Skyview and Conifer during the three-day round robin tournament, thanks to their uptempo play on defense and contributions from players off the bench, according to second-year head coach Eric Hejl. “When we play defense with energy, we can give teams t... Full story
Zach Ackerman came back for the music. Ackerman, who suffered a debilitating brain injury as a result of complications from surgery in the summer of 2017, played trumpet in the Niwot High School Band. He also played football at NHS, and was active in scouting before his injury. As a sophomore, Ackerman also joined the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band, playing trumpet for several community events. As a result of that experience, he joined the brass section of the Community Band as part of a brass quintet, performing Christmas... Full story
Shannon Mae Rutherford (Bennett) passed away on Dec. 2, 2018. She will be sorely missed by everyone who had the honor to know her. Her journey of life began in McCook, NE, on Sept. 25, 1981, born to father Kelly Bennett and mother Mellody Kehr. Shortly after birth, the family relocated to Colorado. In April of 1988, Vista, CA, became her home until the age of 16 when she moved back to Colorado in 1997. She continued her studies in high school and worked as a waitress for Rev. Taylor's and... Full story
After 22 years of business, Howard Treppeda’s namesake restaurant sits empty. Preparing and serving food is what Treppeda’s career has been all about. It’s what he trained for when he took classes at the Cordon Bleu in Paris and at the Culinary Institute of America. It was what he did when he worked at a café in Amsterdam, eateries in Massachusetts and New York, and as the head chef of a restaurant in Connecticut. Naturally, it was what he did after he transplanted from the East Coast to Colora... Full story
Serving food is what Regina Sidoti has been doing for as long as she can remember. Sidoti, 45, works at two restaurants in Niwot and a third restaurant in Longmont. You also can find her working concessions at Bronco games and other sporting events. Her can-do attitude and easy, outgoing smile are emblematic of her optimistic outlook. Sidoti is a very candid, genuine person who believes we all are more alike than not. She said, “There’s a little piece of you in every person.” That’s why it’s a... Full story
For players’ weekend, major league baseball allows players to put a nickname on the back of their jerseys. For David Bote, a Chicago Cubs infielder who spent his formative years on the baseball fields of Niwot , the choice was easy - “Boat.” For the few baseball fans who weren’t watching when Bote hit a 2-out, 2-strike, bottom of the ninth, grand slam, walk-off homerun to beat the Washington Nationals, 4-3, on national TV last August 12, the correct pronunciation of his last name is “Bo’-tee” wi... Full story
August 29, 1928 – December 24, 2018 Richard Alan “Dick” Knaus, 90, passed away December 24, 2018 at Longs Peak Hospital after celebrating a traditional Christmas Eve holiday with his family. Dick was born on August 29, 1928 on the family farm near Niwot, Colorado to Dan and Lillian (Wederquist) Knaus. He devoted his life to working the family farm. He was a descendent of the Clemens Knaus family, who were one of the first settlers in the Left Hand area in 1860. Dick graduated from Longm...
VOLLEYBALL Sarah Falk (Niwot) played 10 matches for Sacramento State this fall, seeing action in 14 sets. Falk, a redshirt freshman, playing middle blocker. Falk finished with seven kills on the season in 10 attacks, with only two errors. Mackenzie Fidelak (Niwot) was part of Stanford’s NCAA Championship team. The freshman outside hitter saw action in three early season games for the Cardinal, but was able to preserve a redshirt season. Fidelak, who wore jersey number 7, earned substantial s...
Niwot senior Riley Mulshine is facing a difficult choice in the coming months: should he study for an engineering degree at Michigan, Notre Dame or Stanford? He has already been accepted to the first two schools, and Stanford’s decision is expected by April 1. If that weren’t impressive enough, he also received a full Air Force ROTC scholarship, so cost won’t have to be a factor when deciding between three of the top programs in the country. But good news on the collegiate front was just one p... Full story
Niwot girls swim coach Sarah Stamp has lofty expectations for the Cougars this season, and Abbie Shaw is a big part of the reason why. Last year, the junior nabbed two top-10 individual finishes at the Class 4A state championships, including second overall in the 100-yard backstroke, and was a key to the team’s top-five finish in the final team standings. Coming into the 2018-19 season, Shaw is faster than ever and seeing success at both the regional and national levels. Barring anything u...
The Rotary Club of Niwot celebrated its 10th anniversary on Dec. 18 with a holiday dinner held at 1914 House. On hand to commemorate the milestone were several of the group’s founding members, including Kamla Chopra, Dennis Daly, Matt Dolan, Marty Wehr, Scott Stockert and Jo Kirkenaer, a Norway native who has been deeply involved with the international service organization for nearly 40 years. Kirkenaer, the club’s treasurer, was pleased with turnout for the event, and even more pleased wit...
At 17, Josie Whitley is clearly focused on her goals, figuratively and literally. The Niwot High senior is already an accomplished photographer, and has her sights set on one day working for the most well-known publication in our country’s history. “Working for National Geographic,” said Whitley, “that’s my dream in life. It’s a big dream.” Whitley, who grew up in Niwot and Gunbarrel, is displaying her work on the walls at Winot Coffee Company through the end of December, and it doesn’t take... Full story
It’s hard to top a state championship for drama, but the Niwot girls’ performance at the Nike Cross National Championships on Dec. 1 may have come close. Seeded 22nd of the 22 teams invited, the Cougars finished fifth overall on the day and cemented their status as one of the most surprising high school cross country teams of 2018. One person who wasn’t surprised was Niwot cross country head coach Kelly Christensen, who said that his team knew they were better than their last-place seed. “Afte...
Contributing to Niwot’s festive holiday decorations around town was on the minds of Niwot Community Association board members at their Dec. 5 meeting. The NCA put up holiday decorations this year at the Niwot Road entrance into town and board members agreed that they would like to add to that display. An informal subcommittee group, headed by Pat Murphy and Julie Breyer, are planning to hit the post-holiday sales to snap up decorations. In addition, board members expressed interest in working i... Full story
The Niwot United Methodist Church Choir’s (NUMCC) performance at New York City’s Carnegie Hall on Nov. 18 was a memorable experience for the small but accomplished group of local singers. NUMCC, under the direction of Liz Olson, had been rehearsing for a few months prior to their performance of Pepper Choplin’s Christmas Presence cantata as part of a 275-member choir. Choplin, who also conducted and directed the choir’s performance, drew rave reviews from the members of NUMCC. “Pepper Choplin ha... Full story
The Niwot High School cheer squad wrapped a successful competition season with a top-20 finish at this year’s Class 4A state spirit championships, held Dec. 7-8 at the Denver Coliseum. The Cougars took 16th overall in the 30-team field, finishing just ahead of Frederick. For the second straight year, Niwot had 0.0 deductions from their final score, a testament to their focus on minimizing even small mistakes. Niwot cheer coach Christina Ayers said after the performance that the team did ...
This year’s Nutcracker performance by the Centennial State Ballet will be giving a special present to the audience. In addition to the usual professional production quality that the company delivers annually at Niwot High School, there will be an all-new orchestra playing some of Tchaikovsky’s most memorable compositions. The Centennial State Ballet (CSB) chamber orchestra is composed of musicians hand-picked by the CSB’s conductor, Rick Thomas. According to Heidi Lawrence, CSB’s marketi...
The Niwot girls swim & dive team hasn’t beaten Thompson Valley in a head-to-head competition in at least a decade, so when the short-handed Cougars came away with a 116-70 win over the Eagles on Dec. 6, head coach Sarah Stamp couldn’t help but be impressed. “They’re one of the strongest teams in our conference,” she said, “so to do what we did today against them is awesome. It’s still December, so to be this strong this early is promising.” Niwot swimmers took first in 11 of the meet’s 12 event... Full story
Last year at this time, Dale Peterson’s bold vision for building and equipping a new classroom and then shipping it overseas seemed like an impossibly complex undertaking. But thanks to a willingly conscripted army of both local and districtwide students, a brightly painted two-story structure wired for electricity and solar power will be trucked out of Niwot on Dec. 8, bound for its new home at the Mwebaza School in Kyengera,Uganda. “I’m feeling overjoyed that we could have so many kids invol...
Mwebaza Foundation founder and president Dale Peterson was in good spirits after the closing ceremony for ‘Cougars/CDC Creating Classrooms,’ held at Niwot High on Nov. 29. “I’m feeling overjoyed that we could have so many kids involved,” he said about the months-long project to convert two shipping containers into a functioning classroom that will be used at the Mwebaza Infant Primary School in Kyengera, Uganda. “I am also feeling relief that I will get more time with my family, but mainly just...
Thanks to the social networking app Nextdoor, when there’s an escapee cat or a dog running the streets, within a nanosecond the neighborhood is alerted and folks spring into action. The internet has loads of heartwarming tales about forlorn pets who’ve made it back to the arms of their loving families owing to a shout-out on Nextdoor. In the blended country-residential areas of Niwot, Gunbarrel and Longmont, it’s not surprising that animals of the farmyard persuasion also often warrant our c... Full story
When Layla Roebke joined the Niwot girls cross country team this season, it didn’t just add another talented runner to the roster. She also proved to be a crucial ingredient in head coach Kelly Christensen’s state championship formula. With a personal-best time of 18 minutes 29 seconds, the newcomer claimed an upset win in this year’s Class 4A title race and led the Cougars to their first ever team title. “Obviously, we couldn’t have done many of the things we did without having her,” Chr... Full story
Fifteen-year-old Fiona Nugent was a patient at Children’s Hospital of Colorado when a volunteer visited her room and told her about an art contest the hospital holds each year. Nugent was instantly interested and knew precisely what she would like to do. She wanted to create a painting of a landscape scene she’d photographed – it was of a snow-covered barn that had caught her attention on Airport Road. Nugent, a sophomore at Niwot High School, said, “I’ve always enjoyed art as a way to just c... Full story
With barely time to catch their breath after winning the 2018 Class 4A state championship meet late last month, members of the Niwot girls cross country team traveled to Casa Grande, AZ, for the Nike Cross Nationals Southwest Regional on Nov. 17. Thousands of high school runners from teams in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah competed in the meet, one of eight regional qualifying events for the 15th annual Nike Cross National Championships coming up on Dec. 1 in Portland, Ore....
The Niwot cheer squad is going to have to get a bigger trophy case. On Nov. 3, the Cougars took first place in the varsity show cheer competition at the USA Rocky Mountain Classic in Broomfield and qualified for a bid to the national competition in Anaheim, Calif., next February. According to Head Cheerleader Savannah Parrot, her team’s ‘clean’ routines were the key to victory. “We can’t control how quickly we advance with our skills, but we can control how clean we are with the skills th... Full story
Fresh off the heels of his school’s second team state championship of the 2018 fall sports season, Niwot assistant principal and athletic director Chase McBride announced that he will be taking his talents to the next level. Effective after the 2018-19 school year, McBride will replace the retiring Rob Berry as Executive Director of Athletics, Fine Arts, PE and Health for the St. Vrain Valley Schools. “It’s such a successful district and there are such good ADs within the district, that I could... Full story
On October 24, 2018, Mr. Jessie Slepicka asked Ms. Jenna Carlson to continue their adventure in life by becoming his wife and moving to a yet to be decided state as he pursues his PhD. (She said yes!) Jenna is the daughter of Ms. Traci Carlson of Colorado and Mr. Jarrit Carlson of South Dakota. Jessie is the son of Jerry & Marsha Slepicka of Niwot. Jenna is a 2014 graduate of Rapid City Stevens High School and a 2018 graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. She is currently employed as... Full story
A close friend of Joyce and Victor Johnson’s brought them to the attention of the Courier, knowing the couple would be interesting to profile in our Familiar Faces column. They’ve made the most of the area by building strong friendships, strolling around town, and enjoying local restaurants and businesses. Their love for each other and the community are inspirational and heartwarming. Here’s a glimpse into their lives. Can you give us a little background on yourselves and how you met? Vic Johns... Full story
The Niwot gymnastics team claimed the school’s second state crown in less than a week with a stirring win at the 2018 Class 4A championship meet, held Nov. 2 at Thornton High School. Led by senior captain Lindsay Chohon and newcomer Hattie Katechis, the Cougars scored 181.500 team points to win this year’s title, the sixth in the program’s history. “I’m at a loss for words,” head coach Marisa Purcell said after winning the championship, her second as head coach. “I’m proud of them for coming... Full story
St. Vrain Valley Schools provide an exceptional variety of instructional programming including the International Baccalaureate® (IB). Niwot High School (NHS) has been IB authorized to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP) since 2001, allowing us to support our talented and diverse student body in their commitment to, and pursuit of, academic excellence. IB DP, established in 1968, is a two-year program designed for high school juniors and seniors seeking academic...
Communities within St. Vrain are thriving and leading the way as Colorado continues to build and attract the top workforce and companies who want to call our thriving state home. St. Vrain Valley Schools is the educational home to more than 32,000 of Colorado’s students, with every school and feeder system committed to providing exemplary programming. While all schools share a high standard of excellence, as a district of choice, St. Vrain Valley Schools readily embraces a systemic approach t... Full story
VOLLEYBALL Sarah Falk (Niwot) has played eight matches for Sacramento State this fall. Falk, a redshirt freshman, is a middle blocker. After seeing action in only three of the first 18 games, she has played in five of the last eight games. Falk has five kills on the season in 10 attacks, with only one error. Mackenzie Fidelak (Niwot) played her first collegiate match for Stanford University in a 3-0 victory over West Virginia Sept. 1. Fidelak, who is listed as an outside hitter/opposite on the r...
With two of the top three finishers in the all-around competition, the Niwot gymnastics team took first in this year's Class 4A state championship meet, held Nov. 2 at Thornton high school....
Niwot’s Ares Reading was not satisfied with his 11th-place finish at the cross country championships a year ago, so he decided to take a new approach for his senior year. Hoping to shake off the lingering effects of moving from California to a mile above sea level, Reading embarked on a grueling off-season workout program with his teammates over the summer in a bid for faster times. “The season before the season is where the work really gets put in, so I decided to focus on that,” he said.... Full story
