All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Longmont resident Andrew Krimm was recently appointed as the new executive director for the Boulder Symphony. "Andrew brings the rare combination of business execution management experience and is an accomplished musician who has performed at the highest level," Boulder Symphony board chair Tony Santelli said in a recent press release. "In these unpredictable times, we need a captain who will help guide Boulder Symphony to the next level of artistic excellence and community engagement."...
From its shady locale in Cottonwood Square, the Niwot Tavern has been a popular local gathering spot for more than a decade-and-a-half, so when the 2020 coronavirus pandemic threw the lives of local residents into chaos, co-owners and longtime bartenders Tara Kpogoh-Narh and Stacy Szydlek quickly shifted their mission from helping local residents unwind to helping them get through a global health emergency. "It was the kids, when the schools shut down," Kpogoh-Narh said, explaining why she and...
Counting votes is a careful process to start with, but in a pandemic there is more than politics at stake. Health concerns over the coronavirus changed the look and procedures of in-person voting and behind-the-scenes processing during the primary election. New safety protocols and robust voter participation have added to the workload of approximately 100 people who work on elections for the Boulder County Clerk and Recorder. The county made changes to its main office in Boulder where ballots ar...
Like most of us, local artist David Bjorkman watched with anxiety as coronavirus crept across the globe during the early part of 2020, spreading increasingly vivid images of suffering, confusion, and death. For Bjorkman and his partner, Victoria Thomas, the growing threat was personal. Five of their family members are medical professionals and would be confronting the mystifying respiratory disease on the front lines, potentially affecting themselves and others in their intimate circles. So as...
Equipped with a five-phase plan of return, , SVFC club soccer is returning to the pitch. SVFC is currently in phase three of its plan and expects to move forward as state and local regulations surrounding coronavirus loosen. According to St. Vrain FC (SVFC) executive director Daniel Jones, it's been a long time coming for players to finally see some action. Since the pandemic's arrival and up until early June, SVFC was stuck in phase one, which included team technical, development, tactical and...
A significant spike in COVID-19 cases sent Boulder County Public Health looking for reinforcements to help contain the spread. On June 10th, the county's graph started climbing in the wrong direction, with over 175 new cases in just over a week and more since. BCPH has about 25 people on staff who do contact tracing, a critical step in shutting down an outbreak. That wasn't enough, so the health department reached out to the state for more investigators so they could reach all the positive...
Airlines have been hit hard during the coronavirus pandemic and Frontier Airlines President and CEO Barry Biffle is leading the charge with precautions as travel slowly increases. "It's been pretty tough on the industry overall," said Biffle, a Niwot resident. He remains hopeful that Frontier will emerge strong and continue to serve Colorado and beyond. Despite rigorous precautions, the airline industry has struggled with stay at home orders enveloping the country. Fortunately for Frontier,...
Pam Turner opened Airborne Gymnastics and Dance in 1991 in Longmont. On March 12 of this year, the business had over 1000 students between two locations in Longmont and Frederick, and around 75 employees. That Thursday evening in March, the leadership of the gym met to discuss the recent disturbing news about the novel coronavirus. Turner said, "We were really struggling with the decision" of whether or not to close. They ultimately decided to remain open, but woke up on March 13 to find that...
Q: Please tell our readers a bit about yourself. A. I am a 34-year resident of Boulder, with 33 of those years spent in House District 10. I worked as a software engineer here for more than thirty years, serving in roles as varied as individual contributor, senior director and program manager. While at Xilinx Inc., where I spent my last 20 years before eventually retiring, I was co-author on two patents. My wife Jane and I were drawn to Colorado for its outdoor beauty, spending our free time cyc...
With just 60 days to go before the Nikolas Blume era of Niwot football kicks off, the first-year head coach expected to be well on his way to implementing the rebuilding project he was hired to undertake back in February. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic made a hash of those plans, and so it wasn't until last week that Coach Blume was able to watch his players in action for the first time. So far, he's been pleased with what he's seen, but there's no denying that the long layoff has...
The fireplace in the great room is cold. The chatter of afternoon cheese and crackers get-togethers has been silenced. "It's just different now," said Cornelia Sawle, owner of the Niwot Inn. Business came to a halt in March when the coronavirus pandemic forced the state to issue stay-at-home orders. More than two months later, things aren't looking up much, even as the economy slowly opens. "We watched every weekend in April cancelled, all the way into October," Sawle said. "We have lost all...
Live theater arts in the Left Hand Valley were effectively shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic in March, along with most everything else we gather together to do. While restaurants and shops are starting to reopen under new guidelines, community arts organizations are only just beginning to understand the gravity of the challenges they are facing. On June 11, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts announced it was cancelling or postponing the entire 20/21 season through June, 2021. Local th...
SVVSD athletics took another step towards normalcy on Monday with its teams getting the green light to begin practices. When Boulder County and state coronavirus regulations began to loosen, District Athletic Director Chase McBride jumped at the chance to bring sports back. “We had intended to start at the beginning of June, but the health guidelines that we had to adhere to at that point didn't offer us the opportunity to gather and to participate in athletics and activities,” McBride said. “We just continued to monitor guidelines as they...
The swings at Lefthand Valley Grange Park in Niwot remain still except for the occasional gust of wind. Yellow caution tape prevents little feet from reaching to the sky, a stark reminder of the concerns still present during the coronavirus pandemic. Technically, playgrounds are now allowed to open, according to state of Colorado guidelines. But the reality of following the recommendations and keeping everyone safe is daunting. They include sanitizing the equipment as often as feasible, limiting...
This year has been strange and challenging for educators everywhere, including in Niwot. In a time of unprecedented change and uncertainty, three Niwot teachers and one administrator are retiring and being honored for their service to the students and to the development of the greater community. Two teachers are retiring from Niwot High School (NHS) this year, as are a kindergarten teacher and an administrator from Niwot Elementary School. Kathy Benning served as registrar and attendance clerk...
Baseball is in full swing once again and the Boulder Collegians wrapped up their first week of play against the Gameday Saints. Boulder has had limited practice time due to coronavirus restrictions and Collegians' first-year manager and last season's pitching coach Mark Goodman was excited to finally hit the diamond. "I'm just happy that we have baseball we're able to play," Goodman said. "It's too early to figure out what's going on with who, but just being in the dugout with the boys is...
When longtime Gunbarrel resident Lori Highfill left Colorado on Saturday, March 14, for a week's vacation in her home state of New Jersey, she never thought that it would turn into a two-month ancient Greek, Homer-esque odyssey. But instead of finding danger with the one-eyed Cyclops giant, she found her trip imperiled by the microscopic Coronavirus. The original plan was to be gone for a week, returning to Colorado on March 23. The first sign that things might not go as planned was that...
Marcus McCauley has an ambitious personal mission "to heal people and the planet with delicious food." The farm manager and founder of McCauley Family Farm is working toward that goal in a practical and strategic manner, by building a farm in rural southwest Longmont. "We're doing that on this farm by building a regenerative farm that is sustainable, ecological, and economical for generations," said McCauley. McCauley is one of the seven recipients of the recent Boulder County Sustainable Food...
Though difficult to comprehend in our current environment, the events of COVID-19 mark an unprecedented moment in our shared human history. Focusing on local historic impacts, the Niwot Historical Society has put out a call for pandemic-related information in an effort to, as its mission states, "preserve, collect, and protect the history of Niwot." The historical society is asking volunteers from the community to help document this moment and the impacts of COVID-19 in Niwot's history. The...
Warm summer nights in June traditionally herald the return of music lovers to Niwot's Whistle Stop Park for the annual Rock & Rails summer concert series, with weekly Thursday night shows featuring a double-bill of local acts and fan favorites. But in 2020, the worldwide coronavirus pandemic has forced organizers from the Niwot Cultural Arts Association and Niwot Business Association to push back opening night to July at the earliest. "The earliest opening date would be July 2, but for that to...
For Audrey Rhoadarmer, being editor of the Niwot High yearbook was more like holding a part-time job, albeit one with no pay and with a high rate of turnover every spring. But even with stressful deadlines, staff management issues, and workflow hiccups, the aspiring journalist is grateful for on-the-job training she picked up in her four years on staff, and considers it one of the most useful endeavors of her high school career. "It's a really good opportunity to meet people you wouldn't...
According to Eric Skokan, owner of Black Cat Farm, one of the best resources Boulder County has to offer "is the total quantity of agriculture geeks we have here." This summer, Black Cat Farm is beginning an experiment with the regenerative agricultural technique called pasture cropping, Skokan's own geeky agricultural project. This project is one of several to have recently been awarded a 2020 Sustainable Food and Agricultural Funds grant by Boulder County. Black Cat Farm was awarded $43,500...
When historians write the history of the coronavirus pandemic, they might want to add this description of online learning from Niwot Elementary School teacher Dale Peterson, who does Google Hangouts with his first graders. "It's like if you go to a pet shop and let all the pets out of the cages and you spend the rest of the time trying to put them back in the cages," Peterson said. "I have 23 little boxes. One might have his feet in the air or his bottom in front of the camera, another is...
Three out of every four COVID-19 deaths in Boulder County have been in a long-term care facility. Each of the more than 40 deaths in these facilities was a parent, grandparent, extended family member or a friend with a special smile, twinkling eyes, a unique personality and rich life experiences. "It's tragic. There is not a better word. Our most vulnerable and cherished population has unfortunately become victimized by this," said Bob Murphy, president of the Colorado chapter of AARP. It's one...
After months of uncertainty, the haze is finally clearing for the Boulder Collegians and general manager Matt Jensen. The Collegians' 2020 season will undoubtedly look different, but the baseball will look all the same. Due to Boulder County and Boulder City health and safety precautions surrounding the coronavirus, baseball simply isn't feasible for the Collegians at Scott Carpenter Park in Boulder. Instead, Jensen has found a new home for his team in Kersey, Colo., about 10 miles southeast of...
To the editor: Three years after the flood in 2013 state and local governments spent money to understand how monolingual Spanish speaking residents of Boulder County were impacted and which barriers to accessing resources existed. Four years and now we’re reading on Saturday May 16, 2020 nothing has changed. The article, Response to Health Officials Meet Resistance, Daily Camera published on 5/16/2020 describes a situation where “Boulder County health workers are having trouble getting some people to share” and speculates why Spanish speakers m...
When the coronavirus pandemic cancelled athletics and in-person learning for Colorado schools, it was a shock to the system for student council president Natalia Storz, who may be the busiest student at Niwot High. But like any successful leader, she had a prudent outlook about losing so many important senior milestones and how the Cougar community can move forward even stronger. "This is definitely a learning experience and a pivotal time for the Class of 2020," she said. "It has definitely...
Carson Simon has experienced an event that not many high schoolers can relate to. In January 2018, Simon and his father were in a single engine airplane accident due to an engine failure at Longmont's Vance Brand Airport. Simon suffered multiple injuries, including a concussion and a hairline fracture in his back, but he made it out alive. The Niwot High School student was swimming for Silver Creek High School's combined boys squad four months later. Simon is one of the more remarkable...
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, lay people and experts alike have said that this is a virus that does not discriminate based on age, sex, race or class. But just by looking at the numbers alone, it's obvious that this belief isn't exactly the case. "When you look at the population of Boulder County that are people of color and positive cases, those numbers are shocking," said Manuela Sifuentes, the language access program manager for the City of Boulder. "I think that, to me, they'...
There is just a hint of green in the fields where the small herd of horses stand basking in the sunshine. Longs Peak looms to the west, still covered with snow. The horses seem to not care about the impressive view from their backyard, more concerned with finding the tasty spring greens popping up in their pasture. These are the pastures of Colorado Horse Rescue, located off of N. 65th Street north of Niwot and west of Longmont, a 501(c)(3) impact organization dedicated to the rescue and...
Last week, the Boulder County Board of County Commissioners launched the Small Business COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grant Program to provide "immediate financial support" to small businesses in unincorporated parts of the county, including Niwot, Jamestown, and Ward. Companies with fewer than 50 employees that have experienced substantial financial hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic are encouraged to apply. "The county has been very active in the emergency response for the pandemic...but...
On Tuesday, May 5, the Niwot LID advisory committee gathered via videoconference for its first monthly meeting since March. Unsurprisingly, the coronavirus pandemic and its ongoing economic impact on Niwot drove the discussion. Summer Events Noting a paucity of funding requests on the board's official May agenda, chair Laura Skaggs opened the meeting by asking LID members Bruce Warren and Eric Bergeson (presidents of the Niwot Cultural Arts Association and Niwot Business Association,...
When Niwot High School track coach Maurice Henriques discovered he had contracted the coronavirus, he was neither surprised nor intimidated. Henriques's wife Christina works as a nurse and with her increased exposure, they were both prepared for a COVID-19 diagnosis. Fortunately for Henriques, he believes his week-plus stretch of mild symptoms is improving and his wife's symptoms have subsided after just a few days. His wife has even been cleared to return to work as soon as next week. "She's a...
In April, the Niwot Business Association had record attendance for its first ever Zoom meeting, due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Amongst the lively discussions, Josh Morin from We Love Trees asked how we could help businesses circulate gift cards. NBA Vice President Deborah Read Fowler suggested a central location in Niwot Market, and owner Bert Steele instantly agreed. There, the idea was born, and Fowler volunteered to lead the project and bring the idea to life. "This is a...
The 2020 Niwot baseball team had just three seniors on the roster, but what they lacked in numbers, they more than made up for it in baseball and leadership talent, according to head coach Adam Strah. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic put a premature end to a promising season behind the trio, and ended their chance to leave a winning mark on the Cougars program. Bidding farewell to the program in 2020 are Felipe Castro, Tim Stokes, and Ben Strid. We asked the departing seniors to reflect o...
Girls tennis was one of the few Niwot programs to complete matches before the coronavirus pandemic put a premature halt to the 2020 season, and if the Cougars' early 2-0 record is any indication, they were on a fast track back to the top of the statewide rankings. Leading the charge for Niwot were four highly experienced varsity seniors, who were all eager for a chance to bring home another Class 4A championship and cement their legacies in Niwot tennis history. "These four seniors have been a...
The Left Hand Valley Courier has been selected to receive the Facebook Journalism Project COVID-19 US Local News Relief Grant. For more information about the grant and how Facebook is helping newsrooms across the county, visit https://www.facebook.com/journalismproject/programs/grants/coronavirus-local-news-relief-fund-recipients. And stayed tuned for details on how this grant will help the LHVC continue to bring high-quality news related to the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on our local...
Even as a student at Fairview High School, Jonathan Singer volunteered for Boulder County. "I've been sort of bitten by the public policy bug before I was old enough to vote," he said with a laugh. After graduating and getting a degree--he went so far as to earn a master's degree in social work--Singer found a position in South Carolina to do campaign work. But he soon realized that he loved Colorado more and spent a number of years as a social worker for Boulder County. In 2011, he announced...
Mark Guttridge speaks and walks quickly while casually throwing out phrases like "ultraviolet spectroscopy," "collaborative incubator," and "regenerative agriculture" during the course of a quick tour of Project 95 in South Longmont. Guttridge, an environmental engineer turned organic vegetable farmer, is clearly obsessed with science and data, said, "The best thing we can do as scientists for this earth is to teach the next generation how to collect data and most importantly, how to make...
Sue Prahl doesn't see anything special about her 25-year tenure with the Niwot High athletics department, so when she learned that she had won the Colorado Athletic Directors Association's 2020 Award for Distinguished Service, her reaction was bewilderment. "I'm not a person who needs to be patted on the back, and I never have been," Prahl said of the honor, which was announced publicly on April 30, along with the Athletic Director of the Year awards. "You just go at it and do it. And so I was o...
In the world before the coronavirus pandemic, Niwot golfer Julia Solem was on the cusp of what promised to be an exceptional senior season. After earning Northern League Player of the Year honors in 2019, both Solem and Niwot coach Ed Weaver were eager to see how far she could go in 2020. Sadly, the answer turned out to be not nearly as far as they'd hoped. "I thought she had a shot at the state title," Weaver said of his pre-season ambitions for the fourth-year veteran. "She's worked very hard...
As the struggle against the global coronavirus pandemic continues, a Niwot resident living near the LoBo Trail has left a larger-than-life message of hope for the community. Look for a new story later today....
With spring well under way, Boulder County's local farms are beginning their first round of harvests with lots of spinach and leafy greens as well as onions, garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, and cucumbers for sale. As this first round of produce is ready to go to consumers, local farms and the Boulder County Farmers Markets (BCFM) are finding innovative ways to connect with customers in compliance with ongoing state and county COVID-19 regulations. BCFM recently announced the launch of a virtual mar...
Niwot Market has long been a staple of the Niwot community. But in recent weeks, with grocery stores and grocery store employees deemed essential during the ongoing Coronavirus crisis, the market has perhaps played an even more critical role in the community's new normal. At its heart, Niwot Market is a family affair. And this can be seen in the way the Steele family has stepped up to protect their employees and support their community in recent weeks-from implementing curbside pickup to install...
I was walking my dog on the LoBo Trail through Niwot, wearing a homemade blue-cotton mask, when a group of three runners came toward me. None wore masks. One coughed about 25 feet in front of me. I hoped my mask gave me some protection, but I wasn't sure. I heard that wearing a mask was mostly to keep my germs out of someone else's lungs. The cough set me off. I felt like I was put in danger by someone who carelessly spewed his viral or non-viral particles (I'll never know) and I was walking...
As I was at home dealing with all of the aspects of the Covid19 experience, I was contacted by so many people from our community. Everyone was so kind and thoughtful. I want to thank the community for all of their support and true kindness they have shown Classic Looks and myself. From the purchasing of gift certificates, to all of the caring phone calls, and emails that meant so much to all of us. We have also been thinking of all the families and businesses that were affected so very negatively through this awful pandemic. Our hearts go out...
At the University of Colorado Boulder, campus has been a little quieter this spring with the March 11 announcement that in-person classes would be moved online. Five days later, CU recommended all students living in dormitories move back home. But for some, that wasn't an option. Senior David Broughton is a resident advisor (R.A.) at Hallett Hall and one of the few still living on campus. Broughton said there are approximately four students and six R.A.'s remaining at Hallett Hall. Hallet's population of about 10 students is the lowest in the...
Running in the hallways at school is usually grounds for a reprimand, but for speedy Niwot basketball forward Milo Ostwald, it resulted in an invitation to join the track team instead. Two years later, the versatile senior has a state championship behind him and a chance for a collegiate track career ahead of him, all thanks to an impulse that could have landed him in detention. "Right before the season in my sophomore year, I was running around, probably doing something stupid," Ostwald said....
The quiver in Nancy Armstrong's voice tells the story. She knows it's time. But she is still struggling with her choice to close the hair salon she's owned in Niwot for nearly a quarter of a century. "I'm sad about leaving Niwot. It's been a very, very hard decision," said Armstrong. "It's just a cool little town. It's been really good for me, and to me, for 24 years." A lot has changed since 2nd Ave Hair Studio first opened its doors. For years, she had a contingent of ladies who came in every...
Playing collegiately is a goal for many high school athletes across the country. It takes talent, hours of work, and equally important, the ability to get recognized and connected with a college coach. Niwot High School counselor and Head Track and Field Coach Kelly Christensen has not let the coronavirus prevent him from helping student athletes connect with colleges. "We're doing more than we normally would as far as really reaching out to coaches of these programs that kids want to go to and...
