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A Week In Review

Joseph Rios
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A Week In Review

Africa

Journalist killed in Kenya – Arshad Sharif, a well-known Pakistani journalist, was shot and killed by police over the week- end. He was a passenger in a moving vehicle when it failed to stop, prompting police to shoot. Kenya’s police watchdog said it sent a response team to the site of the shooting. Kenya President William Ruto promised help returning Sharif’s body to Pakistan.

Travel warning issued in Nigeria – The United States and the United Kingdom issued a warning telling people to avoid non-essential travel to Nigeria because of the risk of terror attacks. Nigeria has seen a rise in insecurity because of bandits and violent Islamists. In July, at least 400 prisoners also went missing after a prison break that Islamist militants claimed responsibility for.

Asia

50 killed in air raid in Myanmar – At least 50 people were killed in an air raid that targeted one of Myanmar’s biggest ethnic insurgent groups. Villagers said they were not warned before the raid. The bombs were dropped during a concert organized by the KIA in Kansi village. Among those who were killed include four popular Kachin singers.

Xi Jinping takes third term – Xi Jinping has taken a third consecutive term as president of China after being appointed at the Communist Party Congress. The move was not unexpected, and Xi will now be the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. Xi announced six members, all loyal allies, who will stand alongside him as members of the Politburo Standing Committee.

Europe

Russian strike hits power plants in Ukraine – Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched a new missile strike targeting the country’s energy grid. The attacks were on a wide scale, he said, and power was restored in multiple areas where it had been cut off. Approximately 1.5 million households were left without electricity. Nearly a third of Ukraine’s power stations have been destroyed by air strikes since last Monday.

Italian leader accepts job – Giorgi Meloni formally accepted the job of forming the next government of Italy. The right-wing leader is Italy’s first-female Prime Minister and will head the country’s most right-wing government since World War II. Her staff includes a new Senate speaker who is a co-founder of her party and collects memorabilia of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. The party, Brothers of Italy, dates back to the country’s post-war neo-fascist movement.

Latin America

Brazil politican targets police with grenade – Roberto Jefferson, an ally of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, was arrested after throwing grenades at police officers who came to his house to arrest him. He wounded two officers before surrendering over the weekend. He was already under house arrest for threatening Chief Justice Cármen Lucía. Tensions are high along Brazil’s political landscape as the country prepares for its presidential election run-off that takes place on Sunday.

Coca plant production increases in Colombia – The United Nations said Colombia has increased its cultivation of coca plants by 43 percent. The plant is the main ingredient of cocaine. Colombia is the world’s largest cocaine producer and most of the drug leaves the country to places like Europe and the United States. Colombia struggles to get farmers to move away from coca production.

North America

St. Louis school shooting leaves three dead – Three people died, including the suspect, after a gunman entered a high school in St. Louis and opened fire. The doors of the building were locked, and it wasn’t clear how the suspect entered. The suspect is likely in his 20’s and exchanged gunfire with police before being fatally shot. There have been at least 35 school shootings that resulted in at least in a death or an injury this year.

Trump ordered to testify – Former President Donald Trump was issued a legal summons by the January 6th Select Committee who is investigating last year’s U.S. Capitol riot. His lawyer accused the committee of “flouting norms.” Trump could face criminal charges if he doesn’t comply with the legal summons. He must appear for deposition testimony on or about Nov. 14.

Get checked!

Ernest Gurulé
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Get checked!

Get a mammogram! Everyday is breast cancer awareness month! By the time 2022 comes to an end, more than 287,000 American women will learn they have breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, 43,000 of these women will die from the disease. It remains the second most common cancer among women, second only to skin cancer.

A few years ago, Englewood police officer Leticia Castillo was among the thousands of women to receive the diagnosis that every woman dreads. It caught her completely off guard because, as best she knew, there was no family history of breast cancer. There might be other things to watch out for, but breast cancer. Never.

Photo courtesy: Leticia Castillo

“I was just mad,” remembered Castillo. She was also alone at home when she got the news. Her extended family all lives in California. She had no one to share the moment with her. The emotions suddenly pouring over her were not just from the diagnosis but also with herself, she said, despite having no real reason for the latter. “I was angry because I always took care of myself, stayed healthy, physically, emotionally and mentally.” She thought she had done her part.

But the reality is that while family history, genetics, often plays an oversized role in finding new victims, it is not the final indicator of who gets it nor who escapes it. Castillo just fell victim to the odds that continue to work against her in the same way they do with so many other women, especially women of color.

Indeed, the ACS says that the prime age range for the diagnosis encompasses women—and remains the leading cause of cancer deaths—between the ages of 20-59. Today, it says, 100 hundred women across the country will get the same news from their health care provider that Castillo got years ago in the phone call from her doctor.

Today the veteran cop can look back on those days not only with the confidence that she beat a killer at its own game but that she helped play a role in its defeat. She carries with her the memory—a jolt of emotion—that the anger that seemed to ooze from her every pore upon learning the news was key in the ordeal. She credits her state of mind along with the treatments for helping her deal with Stage 1 cancer diagnosis. “It was that very same anger,” she’s convinced, “that gave me the strength to get through the difficult journey ahead of me.” It was also reassuring to hear from her doctor that the cancer she had was not only the most treatable, but also the one with the highest success rates for a positive outcome.

Castillo knows that cancer did change her. “A cancer diagnosis,” she said, “is the beginning of a journey that never ends.” She knows that there is always a chance that it could return. But the possibility of that happening won’t rule her life. “I do not live in fear…I do not look over my shoulder waiting for recurrence.”

Still, as Castillo believes and as doctors recommend, mammograms and monthly self-breast exams remain important as a means of early detection against this killer. The ACS, said Dr. Archuleta, “recommends women who are at average risk to start getting annual mammograms sometime between age 40 and 44.” This is especially true for African American women who, while having lower rates of breast cancer than all other women, have a 41 percent higher mortality. Latinas, says the ACS, have a 1 in 10 risk of the diagnosis.

An interesting and strange breast cancer anomaly, said Archuleta, exists in Colorado’s San Luis Valley where breast cancer has occurred within the Latina population. Researchers have found that Latinas there “are at a higher risk for a mutation called the BRCA mutation.” BRCA are genes “that suppress malignant tumors (cancer) in humans.” People with BRCA “are at a higher risk of getting cancer.” The anomaly has been traced back centuries and is found primarily among Jewish people in Central or Eastern Europe. An article in Smithsonian entitled “The ‘Secret Jews’ of the San Luis Valley traces the serpentine journey of this gene.

While a breast cancer diagnosis is often life altering, doctors say if detected early, as was the case for Castillo, it is also treatable and curable. Survival rates, says the ACS, are now around 80 percent. Interestingly, while breast cancer rates, said the ACS, have risen .05 percent annually—largely due to early earlier diagnoses—breast cancer mortality has dropped. In fact, an ACS study showed that breast cancer deaths rates have fallen steadily since their highest point in 1989. The study showed a drop of 43 percent between 1989-2020 which translates into more than 460,000 stories of survival.

This year marks the 37th anniversary of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the U.S. It is an annual reminder to encourage women to get regular mammograms but is also a marker for letting people know that the disease still requires better outcomes, more research and better funding. It is also a reminder, said Castillo, that women can also play a vital role in lowering an outcome that no one wants. “A mammogram saved my life.” The pink ribbon tattoo permanently affixed to her skin and the matching pink ribbon bumper sticker on her Jeep accompany her wherever she goes. They are reminders for anyone who sees them, that breast cancer can happen to anyone. Also, they’re reminders that breast cancer is not a death sentence.

Longtime LAEF Executive Director leaves role

Joseph Rios
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Longtime LAEF Executive Director leaves role

From the Publisher: In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, La Voz will highlight organizations or individuals that have been instrumental in improving the state of Colorado. For the next five weeks, Citywide Banks, a Division of HTLF Bank, is the sponsor of the 5-week series.

HISPANIC HERITAGE SERIES – PART V

Photo courtesy: James Baca

For almost 20 years, Denver native Jim Chavez was the face of the Latin American Educational Foundation (LAEF).

Back in 1998, Chavez was approached and recruited to be on LAEF’s Board of Directors. The position interested him, because Chavez was attracted to the organization’s legacy and history of providing scholarships to Colorado Hispanic and Latino youth to mitigate financial barriers. So, Chavez took the offer and joined LAEF’s Board of Directors until 2004 before he eventually accepted a posi- tion to become the organization’s executive director.

Chavez held the position for 18 years and raised millions of dollars throughout his career to help contribute to the college education of Colorado Hispanic and Latino youth. But after 18 years with LAEF, Chavez has decided to leave his position.

In a phone call with La Voz, Chavez said he made the decision to depart from LAEF because he felt it was time to take time off to reenergize. He announced his decision to leave. Later, over social media Chavez alerted his friends and colleagues of his upcoming departure.

“LAEF is on very solid ground, stable and built for sustainability. With the most dedicated and knowledgeable staff, LAEF is positioned well for the future and will continue to be a valuable resource for future generations of Colorado’s Latino scholars,” Chavez wrote in the post. He named leaders and others like Dora and Bernie Valdez, Robert and Charlotte Lucero, Lena Archuleta and more who he has gotten to know and work with in the post.

Chavez graduated from Colorado State University in 1987 with a degree in accounting. Prior to working in nonprofits and higher education, he worked as a certified public accountant for the prestigious Ernst & Young. Outside of his career, Chavez has served on a variety of boards for entities like the Denver Housing Authority, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, and the Denver Health and Hospital Authority.

Since 1949, LAEF has awarded more than $7,000,000 through 7,000 scholarships. Each year, LAEF awards more than $200,000 to qualifying Hispanic and Latino students in Colorado. The organization also helps Hispanic and Latino youth finish college by establishing community collaboration efforts and by developing support programs for students who are working toward their college degrees.

Chavez adds, “It was incredibly satisfying to help young students understand the college process. It was very, very rewarding to get to know students and see them go off to college and start doing good things in the community to build their careers and give back,” said Chavez. “It was incredibly rewarding. It was also equally rewarding to help develop my staff, help develop their careers, and see them grow.”

Photo courtesy: James Baca

As La Voz closes out its Hispanic Heritage Month series, we are thrilled to highlight Chavez whose work has made a difference with hundreds of Latino and Hispanic students in the state. La Voz Publisher, Pauline Rivera adds, “Over 18 years Jim Chavez made unending contributions to LAEF. Chavez helped students seek an easier path to higher education, while helping families support their student. As a current board member of LAEF, I’ve experienced the professionalism, hard work and perseverance of Jim Chavez.”

Pueblo ranks 82nd worst community for broadband services

Ernest Gurulé
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Pueblo ranks 82nd worst community for broadband services

For those Americans of a certain age, growing up meant not having instant access to information on everything from medical advice to sports information to breaking news. But the internet has changed all that. With a simple click, there is—at one’s fingertips—access to almost everything from great literature to, well, almost anything an imagination can inspire.

Internet access is to the 21st century what the telegraph and telephone may once have been to Americans of previous eras. It is, quite simply, indispensable in countless ways. Yet, in 2022, not all American cities—including many in Colorado—still have pockets that, if not absent this essential tool, sit in internet deserts where access is spotty even on the best of days.

Pueblo, the economic hub of southern Colorado and an area larger than a couple of U.S. states, said Fred Galves, special assistant to the president of Colorado State University-Pueblo, is not only ‘internet lite,’ but rated “the 82nd WORST community in America for access to wireline broadband services.” Galves, a Pueblo native and Harvard-trained attorney, in an editorial in the Pueblo Chieftain, wrote that his city’s connectivity puts the city at a huge disadvantage in numerous and critical ways.

It is not only Galves who is pushing for city voters to address this challenge by voting in the affirmative on Proposition 2A on November 8th when they go to the polls, but also the City’s Chamber of Commerce and one of its leading educational assets.

Chamber President Duane Nava said Pueblo has “made leaps and bounds” in selling the city to outside businesses and individuals in recent years. “But having better access to internet” increases chances of maintaining the upward trajectory. “This community deserves everything bigger communities have.”

“We want our students to have every tool and resource available to them,” said Janelle Quick, Executive Director of Pueblo Hispanic Educational Foundation, an organization that assists Latino students in higher education and also provides a variety of scholarships. Without uniform broad- band across the city, she said, students are put at a decided disadvantage.

Galves, who has both practiced and taught law over his career, said Colorado’s Senate Bill 152 which was passed in 2005 represents a barrier that prevents public funds from being used for infrastructure to improve local broadband service without first being voted upon by local communities. He says the law is an unnecessary impediment citing the fact that “well over 100 municipalities and counties in Colorado have placed measures on the ballot to override the prohibi- tions of SB 152.” Moving away from the law, he said, would allow Pueblo to invest in the future by using public funds for expanding broadband.

One of the ballot item’s most compelling selling points, said Galves, is that passage of 2A would not result in a single cent increase in taxes on Pueblo citizens. The city, using general fund resources, just as it does in any local improvements on parks or streets or brick and mortar projects, would make those decisions.

Broadband, said Galves, is critical as was proven over the course of the country’s battle with COVID when some Pueblo students, as well as students elsewhere whose communities struggle with the same challenge, were forced to sit outside a “McDonalds or library parking lot to access their classes.” Galves is not alone in that opinion. Educational leaders across the country say that the impact of COVID on the learning opportunities for a still unknown number of students that were compromised over the period of the pandemic may not be known for years.

The advantages of widescale internet are, in many if not most cases, obvious. Internet access opens up knowledge, constructs a pipeline for delivering information and creates a whole new landscape for learning; it connects people in ways previously unavailable or even unimaginable; it makes cities and towns more desirable for attracting new business opportunities; it provides volumes of information on everything from personal finances to personal health. Of course, widespread internet also has its downside, most of which has been well documented, including exposing children and young adults to dark corners they may be too young to fully appreciate or provide the keys for the theft of private information. The list here is also long.

In the end, said Galvez, Pueblo is a community whose future can be as bright as any city in the state. But without passage of 2A and the ability to serve everyone equally, it will be handicapped intellectually, economically and socially. “Voting,” he said in his editorial and underscored in a recent phone conversation on the ballot item, “is the only way for Pueblo to take back the right that SB 152 took away from us.”

Hurricane Ian: Another Katrina promise

David Conde
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Hurricane Ian: Another Katrina promise
David Conde, Senior Consultant for International Programs

My father had etched in his memory some of the hurricanes that came to visit South Texas during his youth. There was one where they had to break all of the windows in the house to let the wind through and not take all of the house. There was another one when he had to tie his sisters to a heavy farm implement so that the wind could not take them. He came to know that hurricanes were acts of God that should be accepted with the greatest humility.

Cleanup was a matter of expertise and hard work. That is what Latino immigrants brought to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. They came because the need for clean up was high and the pay was good. It helped that the immigration rules were relaxed so that working Latinos, documented and undocumented, could concentrate on just doing the work of cleaning up a city.

But as the city was transformed from a littered dump to a livable place, the voices of self interest became louder. First, contractors saw easy money in not paying for the work and pocketing the full amount of the funds assigned to their projects. Stories surfaced about the exploitation of Latino workers by residents and contractors that saw New Orleans as belonging to them and not to these outsiders. The Spanish speaking community has a saying for this: “Uno no sabe por quien trabaja,” meaning that there are those that take benefit of a person’s hard work.

Ray Nagin, the Mayor of New Orleans capped that feeling in his January 16, 2006 Martin Luther King Jr. Day “Chocolate City” speech guaranteeing a racist agenda for the city’s black demographics. He also joined in the exploitation for which he was convicted in 2014 for 21 charges of wire fraud, bribery and money laundering related to bribes from city contractors before and after Katrina and was sentenced to ten years in federal prison.

The clean up abuses after Hurricane Katrina are a blueprint for what is beginning to happen in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Florida. The Florida 50 plus billion dol- lar damage done by the hurricane has stimulated panic calls for Latino immigrants among others to come to the rescue again.

The irony is that just days ago, Florida Governor DeSantis in trying to outdo Governor Greg Abbott of Texas, pinched planeloads of immigrants in Texas and transported them to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts fraudulently using COVID-allocated money to his state. Now he and his people are scrambling to find workers from the same community to do the cleanup work.

What do you suppose will happen after they complete the epic work of bringing a large portion of the state back to normal. Will they be paid fairly?

Will anyone say “thank you?” Will the Governor go back to his stunts of using Latino immigrants and migrant workers as pawns in his political schemes?

The blueprint says that the Latino workers in particular will be exploited, taken advantage of by contractors and politicians. Ultimately many will be pushed out unless another catastrophic storm hits the state.

Fortunately, a few Latinos endured, stayed in New Orleans and are now building a vibrant community. Because of Latino relentless work ethic and the cultural richness they bring to every community, immigration and its demographic reality is triumphing in every corner of the country.

The Florida cleanup is on. So will the abuse by same type of actors unless we stay on alert.

The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of la Voz bilingüe. Comments and responses may be directed to news@lavozcolorado.com.

Too much to fix this season for the Denver Broncos

Brandon Rivera
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Too much to fix this season for the Denver Broncos

As the saying goes, defense wins championships and offense sells tickets. The Broncos have been known for their outstanding defense in recent years, however; the offense was equally good in seasons where the Denver Broncos went on to win Super Bowls.

Photo courtesy: Russell Wilson Instagram

In 2015 the Denver Broncos had the most dominating defense under Wade Phillips ranking number one in total yards, passing yards, average yards per rush and sacks. In the years leading up to their Super Bowl run the defense was putting up similar numbers.

While the saying does say that defense wins championships, Broncos fans are reminded that in order to get to that point the offense needs to show up. For the past six seasons Denver fans have waited for the offense to show up.

When it was announced in the offseason that the Broncos hired Green Bay’s offensive coordinator Nathanial Hackett and later the signing of quarterback Russell Wilson fans thought their wait was over. It isn’t.

On Monday night in the Broncos appeared in their fourth primetime game in 6 games against the Los Angeles Chargers a team with similar struggles. This was suppose to be the game where everything started to come together for the Broncos offense and in the first quarter it appeared as if that may be about to happen.

Spoiler alert! It didn’t.

In the first quarter Russell Wilson put up the best num- bers of his short Denver Bronco career, going 10 for 10 for 116 yards and a touchdown earning a 148.3 passer rating and giving the Broncos an early 10-0 lead. From there it was all down hill. By the end of the game Wilson was 15 of 28 for a whopping 188 yards. Wilson was sacked 4 times for losses of 28 yards.

Denver’s defense did manage to get two turnovers only to delay the inevitable that spilled into overtime. The Broncos were 4 of 14 on third down (28.6 percent efficiency) with the Chargers accomplishing a better fourth down efficiency of 33 percent.

Denver biggest problem through six games is a glaring issue that doesn’t seem to resonate with coaching because it’s not getting better, in fact it’s getting worse. The Broncos were flagged 10 times for 151 yards.

We all love the moniker, defense wins championships and offense sells tickets but at this rate no one’s buying what the Denver Broncos coaching staff is selling. The Denver Broncos lost to the L.A. Chargers 19-16 in overtime after a muffed punt that put the Chargers in field goal range.

In other sports the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Minnesota Wild on Monday 6-3 in Minnesota. Nathan MacKinnon earned three-points in Colorado’s win along with Valeri Nichushkin While Samuel Girard and Cale Makar each earned 2-points.

Colorado jumped out to an early lead but the Wild responded quickly with a goal of their own. Just before the closeout of the first period the Avs added another goal to head into the second with the lead but early in the second Minnesota tied things up again.

Avs forward Mikko Rantanen chipped in the puck on a rebound that gave Colorado the lead again with 8 minutes to play in the second. The Avs added another at the start of the third increasing their lead to 4-2. Minnesota responded quickly cutting the lead to 4-3. The Avs however added another with about 5 minutes to play and with the Minnesota Wild down 5-3 they pulled their goalie which resulted in another goal by Colorado to wrap up the game and the win.

Student of the Week – Arely Patricio

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Student of the Week – Arely Patricio

Arely Patricio – Rocky Mountain High School 

Photo courtesy: Arely Patricio

Profile:

Arely Patricio is a high school senior at Rocky Mountain High School who currently holds a 4.089 GPA. Patricio is a member of the National Honor Society, Seal of Biliteracy, serves as a translator at her school, is a member of Los Lobos and volunteers through Adopt-A-Family, while serving in a leadership role as a peer counselor. As a peer counselor, she provides outreach to students in need and serves as a peer educator. Patricio strongly believes in giving back and is very active in the Fort Collins Community where she lives.

Favorite Book: Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

Favorite Movie: The Maze Runner

Favorite Subject: Science

Favorite Music: Reggaeton

Future Career: Nurse or a career working with children

Hero: My mom, Hilda

Favorite Hobby: Going on runs while listening to my favorite music.

Favorite Social Media Follow: Instagram

Words to live by: “Let all that you do be in love.”

Community Involvement: “Through the Peer Counselor Program, I have had the opportunity to be more involved at my school and make a difference within the school’s culture. I want to serve, support, and educate others, in addition to being more active with my Latinx roots.”

Why is Community Involvement important? “Community involvement is very important to me because it is an opportunity to give back. Additionally helping others and getting involved is life changing. The act of giving back is extremely fulfilling, and important to do because it also uplifts the community in general.”

If I could improve the world I would….

“create equality in every single environment with every single different group of people. Having equality is something that the world can greatly benefit from; and experiencing inequality firsthand has made me become more of an advocate for equality.”

College of choice: “My college of choice would be Colorado State University because it is my hometown university and has been a dream of mine. However, other colleges, I would love to get into would be University of Northern Colorado and University of Colorado Denver.”

Secretary Griswold appoints supervisor to oversee general election in Pueblo County

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Secretary Griswold appoints supervisor to oversee general election in Pueblo County

Secretary of State Jena Griswold issued an Election Order appointing Teak Simonton as Election Supervisor in Pueblo County to ensure the fair and accessible conduct of the upcoming election.

“Every eligible Coloradan – Republican, Democrat, and Unaffiliated alike – has the right to cast a ballot in accessible and secure elections. That’s why I am taking action to appoint an Election Supervisor in Pueblo County,” said Secretary Jena Griswold. “My Office will continue to work closely with the Pueblo Clerk and Recorder’s Office to ensure the county meets its obligations and duties for the 2022 General Election.”

Teak Simonton, a professional election administrator, will monitor decisions made and actions taken in Pueblo County related to the administration of the 2022 General Election start- ing October 17, 2022.

The decision to appoint a Supervisor follows multiple mistakes by the Democratic Clerk and Recorder and his Office during the Primary, which resulted in voter confusion and the need to distribute replacement ballots to thousands of Pueblo voters. The errors made during the Primary included sending ballots with the incorrect State House race to voters in Pueblo County’s Precinct 209. The Pueblo County Clerk and Recorder’s Office also omitted the County Commissioner District 3 race from a substantial number of ballots mailed to voters in Pueblo during the Primary.

In addition, the Pueblo County Clerk alerted the Department of State on Friday afternoon, October 14, of a misprint on the General Election ballots in Pueblo County.

The ballots include a tear-off tab at the top of the ballot that says “Official Primary Election Ballot,” even though the rest of the ballot makes clear that it is actually the ballot for the General Election. Because the misprint on the tear-off tab does not affect the legal validity of the ballot; is not legally required; and the infeasibility of printing new ballots in time, Pueblo voters will receive these ballots.

An Election Supervisor will be on site throughout the election to assist Pueblo County in mitigating and preventing any other errors. The Supervisor is authorized to monitor the activities of the elections staff of the Clerk and Recorder’s Office and is there to help the County meet its duties and obligations under state and federal law. The County Clerk and staff will take any and all lawful direction from the Election Supervisor and any other Secretary of State designee on any and all election matters.

Simonton previously served as the Clerk and Recorder for Eagle County and worked in various leadership roles for the Colorado County Clerks Association. Simonton also served as an Election Supervisor for Mesa County in 2020 and provided support in Alamosa County in 2021 and 2022.

In 2021, Secretary Griswold appointed an Election Supervisor in Mesa County after Clerk Tina Peters compromised her county’s voting equipment. During the 2022 Primary, Griswold appointed Election Supervisors in Elbert County after the Clerk violated Colorado Elections Rules by giving unauthor- ized individuals copies of images of the county’s voting system hard drives, and in Pueblo County following multiple errors. Griswold also sent additional support to Mesa County and Alamosa County during the 2022 Primary.

The Secretary of State’s Office will continue to work closely with all 64 counties to provide the support and oversight needed to carry out the 2022 General Election and protect the right to vote.
Colorado Secretary of State’s Office

Three million invested in rural Colorado to improve health care

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Three million invested in rural Colorado to improve health care

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Colorado State Director Armando Valdez today announced that USDA is awarding $3,013,600 in grants to improve health care facilities in four rural towns across Colorado.

“Rural health care is a priority for the Biden-Harris Administration. These projects funded today will improve the level of care for four rural medical facilities across our state and expand critical services for 23,608 people in Colorado,” said Valdez. “USDA Rural Development invests in rural America because we know a strong community is rooted in its people. A healthy community is a productive community. It is essential to fortify our rural health care systems to be resilient and prepared for any residual pandemic impact or future disease threats. Under the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, USDA is committed to making sure that people, no matter where they live, have access to high-quality and reliable health care services,” Valdez emphasized in this announcement. The projects awarded in Colorado are:

  • Delta County Memorial Hospital District in western Colorado will use a $384,400 grant for relief from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic This project will reimburse a portion lost revenue and ensure the 8,915 rural residents the district serves continue to have access to high-quality healthcare.
  • Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center in Brush, CO will use a $700,000 grant to provide immediate relief from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This project will reimburse the Care Center for a portion of lost revenues, helping to ensure that the 5,463 residents of this rural community continue to have access to high-quality healthcare.
  • Lutheran Hospital Association of the San Luis Valleywill use a $1 million grant to perform renovations to improve patient and staff conditions at the San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center in southern Colorado. The Regional Medical Center dates back 100 years and only offers significantly overcrowded, semi-private rooms with non-American Disability Act (ADA) compliant bathrooms for inpatient care. This project will convert seven rooms, presently used for outpatient cardiopulmonary services, into flexible private suites, including two that will have negative- pressure heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems for enhanced infection control and isolation capabilities. All rooms will feature ADA-compliant bathrooms, LED lighting, air scrubbers and neces- sary technology updates for modern equipment and patient monitoring.
  • Mineral County will use a $929,200 grant to update the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of the Clinic and Ambulance Building in southwest Colorado. The current system is inefficient and dated which results in constant comfort complaints and high energy bills and usage. This project will replace the system with high efficiency split system heat pumps and fan coil units while using existing duct- ing. The project will improve the comfort in a crucial community building that has seen increased use and demand because of COVID-19.

Nationwide, USDA is awarding $110 million in grants to improve health care facilities in rural towns. These grants will help 208 rural health care organizations expand critical services for nearly 5 million people in 43 states and Guam. This funding is available through the Emergency Rural Health Care Grants Program and the historic legislative package, the American Rescue Plan Act. The Act and this program are examples of the government’s ability to respond quickly to ensure every person and family has access to high-quality health care no matter their zip code. The assistance is helping provide immediate relief to support rural hospitals, health care clinics and local communities. USDA is administering the funds through Rural Development’s Community Facilities Program.

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety, and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal, and high-poverty areas. For more information in Colorado, visit www.rd.usda.gov/co.

County Clerks begin mailing ballots for November 8th general election

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County Clerks begin mailing ballots for November 8th general election

This week, Colorado County Clerks will begin mailing ballots to active eligible voters for the November 8 General Election.

“Colorado voters should start checking their mailboxes for their 2022 General Election Ballot,” said Secretary Griswold. “I encourage every eligible Coloradan who has not yet registered to vote do so, there is still time!

County Clerks must mail ballots to voters by October 21st for the General Election. Registered voters who do not receive a ballot should contact their County Clerk.

Eligible Coloradans can still register to vote and update their voter registration at GoVoteColorado.gov. through October 31st. Coloradans can still register to vote, receive a ballot, and vote in person at a voting center until 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Important information for Colorado voters:

  • All Colorado voters can sign up to track their ballot from sent to counted using BallotTrax.
  • Eligible voters who wish to mail back their voted ballot should do so by October 31st to ensure it is received by their county election official by November 8th. After October 31st voters should return their ballot to a drop box or voting center.
  • Early voting begins on October 24th. Some locations will open earlier, with 411 drop boxes and over 350 voting centers available this year, voters can look up the closest locations, opening date and hours at GoVoteColorado.gov.
  • In person voting on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8th, will be available from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  • Eligible voters must have returned their ballot to a drop box or voting center by 7 p.m. on Election Day, or be in line to vote by 7 p.m. on Election Day for their ballot to be counted. Ballots cast by military and overseas voters must be sent no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day and received by close of business on the 8th day after the election (November 16).

Colorado voters can visit GoVoteColorado.gov to:

  • Register to vote or update their voter registration
  • Find their local County Clerk
  • Find their closest drop box or voting center
  • Sign up to track their ballot using BallotTrax
  • Find accurate election information

Source: Colorado Secretary of State’s Office

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