John Mellencamp asked “Will you teach your children to tell the truth?”. Earlier this month (January 20), Jefferson County Board of Education President Michele Applegate wrote to the community stating, “Since 2010, our district has lost more than $930 million due to state underfunding.” What she left out of that message, however, is just as
“Tell me something you know today that you didn’t know yesterday.” That was the nightly ritual at our dinner table — our version of a debrief mixed with a pop quiz. You could always tell which teacher had impressed my kids by how animated they got. But the moment I’d ask them to review lunches
I started believing in miracles again the night a Lutheran Hospital ICU nurse from Wheat Ridge pulled over along Route 6 in Clear Creek Canyon. It was dark, and she had spotted what looked like a body lying in the middle of the road. No pulse. No breathing. Half his face gone. The man had
The phone rang… “Hello, Guy, will you join us at city council to speak in defense of roosters?” I mean, it doesn’t get more Wheat Ridge than this. “Yes, of course I will stand up for our roosters!” The council chamber at City Hall was full of residents ready to debate the pros and cons
Before I moved to the US I had always read and watched movies about small towns in America. I listened to John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen sing about life in small towns. Our family vacations were always spent up and down the east coast. Small towns like Wildwood NJ, Ocean City MD, Myrtle Beach SC
The calls and emails that come in to the Gazette range from all sides of the spectrum, bright to dark, and sometimes the dark gets real ugly. Sometimes self serving, misinformed to downright threatening and mean. But the bright messages that we get, filled with hope, passion and uplifting stories are why we do this.
July 4th is my favorite holiday of the year. It means the world to me to live in the USA. It’s something I had tried to accomplish since I was 16 years old. Going down every year to the US consulate in Montreal and then Toronto to get a chance to win the green card
They said that “print is dead” and that buying a newspaper was a terrible investment. But I remember feeling nothing but excitement at the opportunity to carry on a tradition—ensuring Wheat Ridge continued to have its own voice. It wasn’t just about continuing what Charlie and Tim had started. For me, it was about giving
This one is going to be fast and furious with just so much going on! Let’s start with my favorite topic, whatever you heard about the Wadsworth project and when it’ll be fully completed I want you to start adding to whatever number is in your head, more details in the next issue, read this
We are surrounded by passionate people that will persuade and try to convince you that today sucks and that tomorrow will be worse. Throughout history, and various forms of governments, people have tried to convince one another that their way was the right way. That it was the only way. What you said and how
As parents, we try to sugarcoat the bad news to our children. Not wanting to hurt their feelings. In the work place we find ways to prove, justify and cajole the facts and numbers to show our accomplishments. Our schools have been lowering the bar to make parents feel good about their kids and avoid
With so much being argued over and debated in our community, I thought I’d share with you an update on a different kind of squabbling. When we brought BE, our hen, home along with her nine feathered sisters, it was obvious that she was not in her “good place”. Chest thumping, hanging out on her
I’ve often reflected on how hard it was to move to and become a citizen of the United States. The paperwork, the attorneys, the testing, and, of course, the waiting—it was an arduous journey. It was never about a specific state or city; for me, it was about the idea of the country itself. Recently,
For whatever reason , I was expecting so much more from 24, but I am grateful for every year and what it brings. New businesses to our town, new families moving in on our streets. No doubt that this year’s elections was a relief to some, a gut punch to others and the rest just
It was just past the Syracuse, New York exit on I-90 when Bruce made a terrible vibrating sound. I quickly pulled over the side of the highway. It was Saturday and so most places I called were closed. But I did google VW-EuroVan near Syracuse and got on the Eurovan FB to ask for help.
It’s been a year since the world witnessed the barbaric acts of the Hamas terrorists upon a music festival and families in a small town in Israel. Thousands murdered, raped and kidnapped and still more than 100 hostages kept and tortured in those tunnels. It was the largest number of jewish people killed in one
I am a self-confessed Olympics junkie. Having attended 2 Olympics in person, I follow them every 2 years and still not sure whether I prefer the summer or winter versions. This year’s Summer Olympics in France produced more world records and social media footage than ever. Yes, it’s easy to harp on the complaints of
Losing friends or making friends based on their political beliefs is unfortunately quite common these days. In fact disagreeing with someone will almost certainly sever that relationship and have you labeled as a “negative” person. This was by far the most talked about topic at our Gazette booth at RidgeFest and The Edgewater Music Festival.
Being part of the Wheat Ridge team, presenting at the All America City Conference, was a huge honor. We were asked to each wear a “Wheat Ridge t-shirt”. The presentation described what and how the city had addressed the recent racism and anti-semitic attacks on our town and how we dealt with it. We had
Kids have a bad habit of asking for something over and over and over until parents break down and say “OK”. Some may experience these battles in shopping centers, restaurants and of course at home. The energy from both sides spent on a very predictable outcome, while funny sometimes, is an absolute drain on everyone
I walked out of the restaurant and held the door open for the person walking in… And he just kept walking. I said “you’re welcome” and got no reaction back. What happened to “thank you?” Letting someone into your lane during traffic, there used to be a wave of a hand, as if to say
I live on a street that has everything. Cats and dogs, squirrels and birds, kids, babies, families, young and not so young. We probably use three or four different waste pick up companies. We drive different cars and have different homes. Some days we cross the street and talk with our neighbors. Sometimes we cross
Every few years the City of Wheat Ridge hires a marketing firm to survey its residents. Rising to the top spot: 77% of residents point to the Neighborhood Gazette as one of their most used sources of news and information. That was the result of the last survey. Higher than any other publications, websites or
“24 and there’s so much more” sang Neil Young, and that’s how I feel about this new year. If it’s one thing I learned in 2023 is that there are no promised tomorrows. Appreciate your friends, leave nothing unsaid, plant that tree, buy those chickens. Build that shed. Forget that permit. Take that vacation. Ask
