Zoe Jennings
Education

Wheat Ridge High School Receives Gill Foundation Grant

The Wheat Ridge high school’s Wheat Ridge Board Factory (WRBF), based on the Gone Boarding curriculum, continues to expand as students and teacher sponsors reached their $30,000 fundraising goal and received a grant from the Gill Foundation this semester. The Career and Technical Education manufacturing program at Wheat Ridge High School has received a $54,000

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Zoe Jennings October 1, 2026
Community

Parks Department Navigates Drought Restrictions

This summer, Benny Paiz saw fish salvages at reservoirs across the state. He observed Green Mountain Reservoir looking more like a stream than a body of water. He noticed when they drained Lake Ontario. He also experienced the worst drought of his 26-year career. The Wheat Ridge Parks, Forestry and Open Space Manager has been

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Zoe Jennings October 1, 2026
Arts

Two Longtime Friends Share a Love of Art, the Outdoors and Wheat Ridge

Virginia Avery and Wilma Knies enjoy attending Zumba classes, thrifting, mountain getaways, hiking and making art. The friends of 12 years first met through the Wheat Ridge Art League. Both were attending their grandsons’ bike race in Granby when they realized they had more in common than both being artists. From then, their friendship grew

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Zoe Jennings October 1, 2026
Community

A Heart for the Cause: Local Fifth Grader is Top Fundraiser for Charity

Lily Fenner, who will start fifth grade this fall, loves playing soccer and tennis. She’s excited to start a new basketball season with her friends. She attends Jefferson County Open School in Lakewood and is looking forward to attending her second school camping trip this year. Starting in kindergarten, Lily has participated every year in

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Zoe Jennings August 31, 2026
Arts

A Sanity Sidebar: The Lifelong Work of a Local Luthier

Since high school, there has never been a time when Corey Wadley has not been building a guitar. His first luthier work began when his parents bought him a cheap guitar from the local musical instrument store. His mom asked him not to take it apart. “I took everything apart,” Wadley said. “I took it

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Zoe Jennings August 31, 2026
Community

Wheat Ridge Police Department Balance Technology With Community Policing

Now in his sixth year as chief of the Wheat Ridge Police Department, Chief Christopher Murtha reflects on changing crime trends from the height of the pandemic to today. With the help of new technologies and the largest graduating class of police officers in the department’s history, the police force can focus more on proactive

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Zoe Jennings August 1, 2026
Arts

When the Label Sticks: Local Oil Painter Reflects on Her Path

If you had told Kristine Disney ten years ago that she would be spending most of her days painting, she wouldn’t have believed you. Throughout her life, others called Disney an artist, a label that she only now claims. She remembers doodling as a child and considered art her favorite class. She aced her college

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Zoe Jennings August 1, 2026
Arts

The Artistry Behind Floral Design at Swiss Flower and Gift Shop

It’s 5 p.m., and Heidi Haas-Sheard still has a dozen flower arrangements to make. She creates a memorial service floral arrangement, the silver, blue and white flowers are a nod to his beloved Raiders team, with pops of his favorite color pink. Haas-Sheard owns her family’s business, Swiss Flower and Gift Shop in Wheat Ridge,

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Zoe Jennings June 2, 2026
Sustainability

Gardening with Margie: 
How Her Retirement Hobby Grew

Margie Seyfer started a new hobby during retirement. Now her garden is a beloved fixture in the community. Seyfer opens her garden for local tours and parties for organizations like the Wheat Ridge Business Association, the Lakewood Kiwanis garden tour and the Wheat Ridge Garden Tour. Welcoming as many as 100 attendees, proceeds from the

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Zoe Jennings May 5, 2026
Marketplace

Wellness Beyond Weights: Personal Coaches Open The Mind Body Lounge in Wheat Ridge

Sarah Kornhauser and Joel Griffin coach their bodybuilding clients to become physically stronger while also imparting lessons about healthy recovery. Now business partners, Kornhauser and Griffin own and operate The Mind Body Lounge next door to the renowned Armbrust Pro Gym in Wheat Ridge, where they have worked as independent contractors for years. The Mind

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Zoe Jennings April 1, 2026
Marketplace

Strumming up Business: Wheat Ridge Music Store Celebrates 61 Years

Wheat Ridge’s Drum City Guitarland music store is celebrating 61 years of business this year.  A feat in both the small business world and music store industry, owner Jason Kae credits their hard work both at the store and online for the business’s longevity.  Kae and his brother Tim run the business their father started

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Zoe Jennings February 3, 2026
Marketplace

Banking on Community: Vectra’s Wheat Ridge Branch Works Alongside the City

Vectra Bank’s Wheat Ridge branch joined the city’s revitalized 38th business corridor in 2018. Before the move, the Bank maintained its status as a community-based bank—and one of the few banks to dispense $10 bills at ATMs—when it first opened in Wheat Ridge in 1985. Vectra’s Retail Regional Manager Mark Hall lived in Wheat Ridge

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Zoe Jennings January 3, 2026
Community

When Stepping Back Is Moving Forward: Val Nosler Beck on Leaving the Race

Sometimes quitting is the best decision someone can make. Val Nosler Beck launched a campaign for State House District 23, serving Wheat Ridge and the surrounding area, in the 2026 election. Last month, she decided to drop out. Nosler Beck runs a small business specializing in political campaign management and community engagement consulting. Her resume

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Zoe Jennings December 3, 2025
Community

Intermountain Health Hospice at the Collier Center

Where final moments 
are meaningful One common misconception about hospice care is that it is centered around death and dying. The staff at Intermountain Health Hospice at the Collier Center, located on the Wheat Ridge Lutheran Legacy Campus, push back on that idea. They focus on patient goals. “We are working on the quality, not

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Zoe Jennings November 5, 2025
Health

The Mental Toll of Untreated Hearing Loss

Untreated hearing loss impacts more than physical health.  Beyond the physical dangers of untreated hearing loss, including doubling the risk of developing dementia, professionals also notice its effect on mental health.  Hearing centers like HearingLife, located in Wheat Ridge, inform customers about the connection between untreated hearing loss and mental health concerns.  A large poster

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Zoe Jennings October 1, 2025
Marketplace

Keeping It in the Family: Insurance Brokerage Goes Beyond a Call Center

Business owner and president Paul LoNigro doesn’t believe in the sterile granite and marble decor found in typical insurance offices.  Step inside the Wheat Ridge Group Insurance Analysts and Risk Management (GIA) office and you’ll find Beatles art, `50s and `60s memorabilia, Italian heritage keepsakes, a “Back to the Future” hoverboard, White Fence Farm menus,

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Zoe Jennings October 1, 2025
Community

Humble Healer: Dr. Jennifer Caskey’s Name Joins Lutheran’s Breast Care Center

In early 2025, Lutheran Medical Center named its new Breast Care Center after oncologist and hematologist Dr. Jennifer Caskey. Caskey, who has been involved with the Lutheran Hospital Foundation since her retirement in 2017, wasn’t eager for the recognition. She preferred to stay out of the spotlight. “She practiced what she preached,” said her colleague

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Zoe Jennings September 3, 2025
Community

Zedakah in the Soil: Ekar Farm Grows Organic Produce, Equity

Jason Plotkin began farming when he was 12 while living in a rural Connecticut suburb and never stopped.  Plotkin found himself urban farming for the first time when he moved to Denver. He noticed the demographics of wealthy White shoppers frequenting farmers markets where he sold his food. Plotkin always donated the day’s leftover food

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Zoe Jennings August 6, 2025
Education

Jeffco School District’s Outdoor Lab Endures as a Rite of Passage Amid Budget Pressures

District budget cuts aren’t new to this Jefferson County School District outdoor enrichment program.  Beginning in 1957, the Outdoor Lab program offers a mountain learning experience for Jeffco students. About 5,000 sixth graders and 1,000 high school students attend the 55, week-long Outdoor Labs every year. The program ties into the academic curriculum of the

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Zoe Jennings August 6, 2025
Community

History of Wheat Ridge Police: Department Builds on Community Trust

Evidence of a community called Wheat Ridge dates back as far as 1859. Before becoming an official city, the Wheat Ridge streets were patrolled by one Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department car, covering from Bellevue Avenue in Lakewood to 52nd Avenue in Arvada.  The lack of police involvement didn’t come from a lack of crime. Wheat

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Zoe Jennings July 1, 2025
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