NHS Ethics Club Food Drive

by Elisa Cohen

HIGHLAND -  North High School’s Ethic Club, founded by North High senior Isaac Solano, lives its name. The extracurricular group meets after school to perform works that will help the school and the surrounding community. This holiday season, the Ethics Club once again strives to feed the hungry with their 3rd annual canned food drive. The club seeks the help of the community to reach their food drive goal. Read more

NW renewable energy

by Elisa Cohen

NORTH DENVER –100 people have jobs in North Denver and in Broomfield turning wood chips and other waste into fuel. Range Fuels, tucked into a strip of nondescript warehouses north on Washington Street, has developed a proprietary method by which cellulosic waste – wood chips, corn stalks, switch grass and the like – convert into a readily usable liquid fuel in just under a half an hour, emitting very few fumes in the process. Read more

NHS’ $34.5 million rehab

by Elisa Cohen

HIGHLANDS –The November 2008 ballot features an ask from the Denver Public Schools for $454 million dollars for a variety of needs. If passed by the voters $34.5 million has been earmarked for the renovation of the original North High School building and another $20 million will be used to help charter schools fill vacant space within Denver Public School buildings. If approved the bond will add approximately $5 additional property taxes to every $100,000 of a home’s worth. Read more

NW Denver’s FasTracks

by Elisa Cohen

NORTH DENVER – At the last RTD Board study session, board members discussed the options facing the transit agency. The promise made to voters of the FasTracks plan included “…a $4.7 billion, 12-year program to expand rail and bus service throughout the RTD service area. Scheduled for completion in 2017, FasTracks will create six new commuter rail and light rail corridors, extend three existing corridors, build 18 miles of Bus Rapid Transit, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver Union Station and expand bus service across the entire eight-county District.” But now RTD is facing a financial crisis and may not be able to build out all lines quickly and simultaneously. Construction costs coupled with dwindling revenue are currently forcing RTD to reassess how much it can get done with the current resources. The board now is grappling with whether or not to ask the public for additional funds to get it all done on its originally proposed schedule. Read more

Windows Dressed Up brings fashion to NW homes and businesses

by Elisa Cohen |

BERKELEY – Rich linens, lush brocades, patterned jacquards, and clean wooden shades share functional display space in the small but incredibly diverse showroom dedicated to dressing up windows in the most fashionable and practical manner. Windows Dressed Up, owned by long time North Denver residents and window covering innovators Bob and Linnie Leo, will wow anyone confused about window coverings and their accompanying technologies. And while the array of options can be almost overwhelming, the Leo’s have developed a business model that allows them to quickly show customers different options and designs to meet the customers’ budget. Read more

Lake Now an Authentic IB

by Elisa Cohen |

SLOAN’S LAKE – Lake Middle School is now an authorized International Baccalaureate middle school. After several years of staff training and adding required classes such as music, art, foreign languages, and technology along with social studies, sciences, language arts and mathematics, Lake Principal Hans Kayser received the letter from International Baccalaureate Organization confirming that the staff’s preparations and the districts’ commitment to the program warranted the IB accreditation. Read more

Squash Anyone?

By Elisa Cohen
HIGHLANDS – Elite students playing squash form an iconic image of the college students attending exclusive Ivy League and private universities. The faculty at Bryant Webster elementary school in Northwest Denver believes their students could make it in these prestigious colleges as well as any of the local Colorado schools, if the children stay on the rigorous path established in this dual language K-8. But success in school comes from activities beyond the classroom. To be fully ready to succeed socially as well as academically, students at Bryant Webster now have the opportunity to learn how to play squash and enjoy the rarefied atmosphere of the Denver Athletic Club and make lasting relationships with caring mentors thanks to the formation of the new Mile High Squash. Read more

North Denver posting strong real estate evidence

by Elisa Cohen

NORTH DENVER – With foreclosures and the credit crisis screaming across the front pages of all of the national newspapers, the widespread nature of the housing market seems grim. But as one real estate agent said, “real estate is local.” So how is North Denver faring during this time of doubt? The Tribune asked several real estate agents from a variety of firms for their take on the state of real estate in North Denver. Agents seem to agree that at this time North Denver seems to be holding its own and even appreciating during the downturn. Read more

Throwaway/Runaway Powerful and Meaningful

by Craig Williamson

First Published in the North Denver Tribune

At Riverfront Plaza, the nexus of expensive new brick and glass high-rise condo buildings and run-down areas that have traditionally attracted some of Denver’s homeless population, a group of young people staged the world premiere a performance of their own creation called Throwaway/Runaway. Through Artlab, a collaboration between the Platte Forum and Labyrinth Arts Academy, these youths and others spent a summer researching homelessness, interviewing homeless youth, and creating characters and a theatrical production based on who they met and what they learned. Read more

Remembering Timber Dick

By Elisa Cohen

First Published in The North Denver Tribune

With one heart, our community grieves the loss of Timber Dick, 52, a loving father, husband, son, brother and friend.

Our dear friend Timber suffered a terrible accident while driving back to Denver on March 29. One wheel of his minivan seized, sending the burning vehicle off I-70 and down a 300 foot embankment. Timber pulled himself from the fiery wreck, but he was already severely burnt. Good Samaritans Scott Boylan and Andrew Rosenberg witnessed the crash from a parallel highway and rushed to his aid.  They quickly extinguished the flames that engulfed Timber, but the burns covered 60 percent of his body and irreparably damaged his lungs.  When asked what we could do while Timber fought for his life in the hospital, one of Timber’s sons, Shiloh, said, “We are a family that is used to jumping into action, but at this time all we can do is pray.” Read more