The Regional Transportation District (RTD) restored full service on the R Line on Tuesday. R Line service was impacted by a derailment that occurred in Aurora on Sept. 21.
Photo courtesy: RTD
Restoring full service to the affected four-mile stretch of the R Line corridor from Aurora Metro Center to the 13th Avenue Station required a systems redesign of the intersection at Sable Boulevard and Exposition Avenue, removal of a damaged support pole and adjustment of the overhead electrical system that provides power to the light rail vehicles.
RTD has been collaborating with city of Aurora officials regarding the intersection’s train-traffic interface and with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) as part of the safety certification process in alignment with the federally required Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP).
Pursuant to the agency’s corrective action plan, which was submitted to and approved by the CPUC on Nov. 16, the following safety improvements have been completed:
All work related to the train-traffic interface at the intersection of Sable Boulevard and Exposition Avenue, meaning that light rail trains must stop prior to proceeding through the intersection
The speed on approach to the curve at Sable Boulevard and Exposition Avenue has been reduced from 35 mph to 25 mph, with the appropriate signage placed on the right-of-way
The relocation of a radar sign of approximately 100 feet farther north to allow more advance warning and increased visibility
Since the derailment in September, RTD has conducted supplemental training for all light rail operators targeting speed adherence across the entire light rail system.
Test trains have been operating through the R Line four-mile segment since Saturday familiarizing supervisors, trainers and operators with the speed reduction and the stop-and-proceed requirement.
RTD will have additional signage in place no later than Dec. 31 to advise operators of the curve at Sable Boulevard and Exposition Avenue.
For the latest details about service, sign up for RTD Service Alerts. For additional route and schedule informa- tion, call RTD’s Customer Care division at 303.299.6000. Agents are available 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. on weekdays, and 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturdays and holidays.
Only four and a half games separate the first place Phoenix Suns and the tenth place Minnesota Timberwolves. That’s how competitive the top ten teams in the Western Conference have been.
The Denver Nuggets are just a game behind the Suns and on a three game winning streak since losing to the Detroit Pistons last week. Since then the Nuggets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 12 in the Western Conference), the L.A. Clippers (No. 5 in the Western Conference), and on Monday night they beat the Houston Rockets (No. 15 in the Western Conference) 129 – 113.
The Nuggets will play the Rockets this week at Ball Arena before heading to Atlanta to face the Hawks who are 8th in the Eastern Conference and on a three game losing streak (as of this writing).
Nikola got a double-double (12 Reb., 8 Ast., 32 Pts.) in Monday nights win and was just two assists shy of a triple-double. Jamal Murray added 31 points, while DeAndre Jordan added 10 rebounds. Zeke Nnaji scored 15 points and Ish Smith added 10 more to Denver’s final. The Nuggets were 56.8 percent from the floor and hit 12 of 30 from three-point range.
In other sports, the Colorado Avalanche have won four of their last five after defeating the Dallas Stars on Saturday night at Ball Arena. That is the second win over the Western Conference leading stars in three games. The Avalanche were scheduled to paly the Nashville Predators on Friday night, however; due to a water main break at Bridgestone Arena, the game was postponed (TBD).
Despite Colorado’s injury bug, they still have managed to win games. This week the Avs are in Winnipeg (results of game not available at the time of this writing) to face the Jets who have been battling the Avs for second place in the Western Conference all week. Despite Colorado’s recent wins over the Dallas Stars they still remain four points behind the Stars for first in the Conference.
The Avs will remain on the road through next Monday, traveling to Buffalo to face the Sabres this Thursday, to Boston to face the Bruins on Saturday, and to Philly to face the Flyers on Monday.
The Denver Broncos have earned the ire of Broncos Country after their third straight loss. The Broncos were in the Carolinas on Sunday to face a struggling Panthers. The Broncos however looked like they were more in tune with the struggle than the Panthers. The Panthers lead Denver 10-3 heading into the half on Sunday in another game where Denver’s offense was nonexistent.
The Broncos finally scored a meaningless touchdown late in the fourth quarter in an attempt to make the blowout look less embarrassing. Nose tackle Mike Purcell showed his frustration with the offense after approaching quarterback Russell Wilson on the sideline. The exchange was caught on camera and Purcell appeared frustrated with Wilson. On Monday, Purcell was asked if there was division in the locker room and he had this to say, “We’ve got no choice but to be together. We’re all in this together and that’s the bottom line.”
Hickenlooper: ‘Railroad operators are holding the American economy hostage over 56 hours of sick leave.’
U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper released the following statement on plans for a congressional vote to avert a rail strike:
“In America in 2022, a worker shouldn’t have to worry about reprisal from their employer for suddenly getting sick, going to the doctor or attending their mother’s funeral.”
“Railroad companies are holding the American economy hostage over 56 annual hours of sick leave. Just seven days. We can keep our economy humming, our supply chains open, AND treat workers with dignity.”
“Any bill should include the SEVEN days of sick leave rail workers have asked for.”
Rail workers currently receive zero sick days that can be used for emergency illness, caring for family members experiencing illness, or grappling with other life emergencies. Current workers employed by Class I railroad operators are also unable to use Paid Time Off (PTO) for illness because of policies requiring long lead times to submit PTO days and late approvals of requested days, sometimes not until 11:59 p.m. the day before.
A seven day sick leave policy would cost railroad operators an estimated one cent of every dollar they earned in profit in 2022 and just 10 percent of the more than $2 billion the operators spent in stock buybacks in the third quarter of 2022.
Eymi Velazquez Vazquez is a high school senior at Denver East High School who currently holds a 3.454 GPA. Vazquez is very busy as a varsity cheerleader, yearbook editor, Students Unidad lead officer, and as a volunteer and fundraiser. Vazquez academic achievements include National Honor Society, Seal of Biliteracy and was nominated and accepted to teach English classes in the Dominican Republic. Vazquez belongs to Latinos Student Unidad, Angels for Animals, Culturas y Colores, Avid and was also in Girl Scouts. Vazquez often volunteers at immigration centers. Vazquez wrote a children’s book titled, “Cecilia and Friends”.
Favorite Book: Harry Potter Series – J.K. Rowling
Favorite Movie: Echo – Dave Green
Favorite Subject: English
Favorite Music: Reggaeton (Bad Bunny!)
Future Career: Veterinarian
Hero: Frida Kahlo
Favorite Hobby: Visual Arts
Favorite Social Media Follow: Instagram
Words to live by: “Cómo, cuándo y dónde antes muerta que sencilla.”
Community Involvement: Volunteers for Maxxfund (animal shelter) and helped deliver Thanksgiving gift cards to families in need, cleaned up the Denver downtown streets. WhileintheDominicanRepublic, Vazquez not only taught English to a class of 30 students but also provided support as needed and cleaned up an orphanage.
Why is Community involvement important? “Community involvement is because it provides opportunities for community members to contribute to public decision and educating communities on policy issues that impact their everyday lives.”
If I could improve the world I would…
“change how immigrants are treated and improve or promote better ways to deal with these situations.”
David Conde, Senior Consultant for International Programs
The last car I rented in Mexico was a Changan sold by Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Chongqing, China. It is a great car with everything you would want in a modern SUV.
At the time, it occurred to me that what China offers in this car is the kind of competition most American consumers would relish. Consumerism in our country is what drives our economy. This also reminds me of a hippie saying during the Vietnam War: “make love, not war.” In this case the motto may be “let’s compete, not fight.”
There was a time that I thought that one of the major characteristics of an alliance between Russian and China was provided by a combination of Russian military power and China’s world class economy. The Ukraine War has disabused me of that and made me rethink the ability to make war by our adversaries. While I do not discount Russia’s capacity to make serious trouble, our main attention should be on China. The long range direction of Chinese economic strength should be central to our geopolitical focus.
The advantage of that strategy is that the development of China in this sphere is also in the playground of capitalism that is the economic partner of democracy. This allows China to be more like us in the end.
Although China is restating its mandate to be a Communist nation, its economic tendencies and interests are slowly dragging the country toward a destiny more like that of the United States.
Although it is building its military might at a rapid pace, one should understand that it is also facing combined militaries off shore.
President Biden is scheduled to meet with the President of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada next January. I am sure that they will, in part, talk about North American trade issues.
When we compare the combined populations of the three countries in North America to that of China, we are one third of theirs. At the same time, China has a national economy in development because currently only one third of its population has the ability to take part as serious consumers.
Although China may want to talk about being a military superpower or reach out to countries around the world for purposes of political or economic influence, its main attention may very well be on engaging the other two thirds of its population as consumers. That is the way China will become the economic superpower ahead of the United States.
When the United States entered the Cold War with the Soviet Union, there was a real fear that the Soviets had the military capability to overwhelm Europe with a quick armor strike or have a nuclear exchange with America. In addition, the Soviet Union had much less to lose than the United States. Here, the situation is different. China’s power comes from the potential of its growing economic base.
Just like the United States and the world’s advanced economies, China has a lot to lose and that will increase as it reaches its economic zenith. At the same time, China is participating as part of the commercial market community which is key to capitalism and American business interests.
China’s industrial power is real as it is poised to become the number one economy in the globe. That should be celebrated because it makes the world richer and able to sustain itself.
More importantly, it is market competition. It is done during peace, not war.
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.
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Amends Florida Disaster Declaration: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. made additional disaster assistance available to the State of Florida by authorizing an increase in the level of Federal funding for debris removal and emergency protective measures undertaken in the State of Florida as a result of Hurricane Ian from September 23 to November 4, 2022.
Colorado Governor
The Polis administration shared the below list of resources available to Coloradans in the aftermath of the senseless and horrific shooting in Colorado Springs on Sunday, November 20. Coloradans can also securely contribute to community members in need by giving to the Colorado Healing Fund at: https://www.coloradogives.org/organization/COHealingFund.
Denver Mayor
Mayor Hancock and Denver Health CEO Donna Lynne last week announced the proposed Operating Agreement between the Denver Health and Hospital Authority (DHHA) and the City and County of Denver for 2023. The proposed 2023 Operating Agreement renews the city’s and Denver Health’s focus on accountability, transparency and partnership to better serve the people of Denver, including new efforts to improve emergency medical services during responses.
Protest over white woman’s racist rant in South Africa – After a white woman called for Black people, rather than pit bulls, to be killed in a WhatsApp voice note, protesters picketed in South Africa. The woman also called for the uteruses of Black women to be removed. Authorities have opened a case of crime injuria, which refers to injuring a person’ dignity, against her. Her comments came at a time when the country is debating over whether pit bulls should be banned.
FIFA lifts Kenya’s ban from global soccer – FIFA has lifted a ban on Kenya from global soccer. The suspension began in February after Kenya’s sport ministry disbanded the country’s soccer federation because of fraud allegations. The federation recently installed a caretaker committee to run it. The ban would’ve kept Kenya from competing in qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Asia
Protests rise in China over COVID rules – This past weekend, protests across China ensued because of the country’s strict COVID rules. Video from two protest sites showed a heavy police presence, police buses and cars. China’s “zero-COVID” policy enforces lockdowns of apartment buildings, and even cities or regions. Some protesters called for China President Xi Jinping to step down.
Taiwan president quits after local elections – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen resigned as head of Taiwan’s governing Democratic Progressive Party because of her party’s poor performance in local elections. Tsai framed the election as a vote for democ- racy because of tensions with China. The country sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be part of the country.
Europe
Huge cartel taken down in Europe – Operation Desert Storm resulted in the arrest of 49 people across six European countries, according to the EU police agency, Europol. Those who were arrested are linked to a “super cartel” that controlled nearly a third of Europe’s cocaine supply. Police say the cartel is now dismantled. The two yearlong investigation resulted in the seizure of over 30 tons of drugs.
Power outages still a problem in Ukraine – Ukraine said that up to 50 percent of its electricity needs are currently not being met. Russia recently carried out massive missile strikes, leaving 15 regions without power and water supply. Officials fear that people could die of hypothermia because of sub-zero temperatures. Last week, around 70 percent of people in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, did not have power.
Latin America
Ecuador gang storms hospital – Seven suspected gang members were arrested after storming a hospital with guns in an attempt to kill a teenager who was being treated there. The gunmen took nurses hostage and exchanged gunfire with police before they were detained. No one was injured, police said. The teenager is thought to be a rival gang member and was being treated from bullet wounds.
Bolsonaro complaint rejected by court – Brazil’s electoral court rejected a challenge regarding the presidential election result. The challenge, made by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, was found to have had no evidence that voting machines were compromised. Bolsonaro narrowly lost the presidential election to leftist former leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
North America
Outbreak of avian flu among birds
The United States Department of Agriculture found that over 50 million birds have died because of a record-breaking outbreak of avian flu. The previous high of deaths among birds was in 2015. But flocks of birds, including chickens and turkeys, in over 40 states have been affected. The risk for humans is low, but health officials warned to take safety measures near birds.
Buffalo gunman pleads guilty to murder and terrorism – A 19-year-old white gunman who shot and killed 10 people in a racially motivated attack in Buffalo, New York, pleaded guilty to murder and terrorism charges. Charges include first-degree murder, murder as a hate crime, and domestic terrorism motivated by hate. The gunman said he killed each victim because of their race in court. All 10 of the victims were Black. His plea means he will be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Saturday night, just minutes before midnight, at a Colorado Springs nightspot, music gave way to a sound no one expected. At 11:57 the music at Club Q blended seamlessly with a burst of gunfire. A gunman, fully clad in body armor and armed with what is being described as an AR-15 and a handgun, became an executioner. In seconds, five people—perfectly happy only moments before—lay dead in pools of their own blood. Another 17, scattered about the room, were also shot.
Photo courtesy: Atrevida Beer Company Facebook.
The carnage could have been exponentially worse had it not been for an Army combat veteran and a drag queen, who was a featured performer as part of the club’s celebration of Transgender Awareness Week. Together they subdued a man authorities have identified as 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich before he could complete his plan of total mayhem and lay waste to as many gay men and women as were in the room.
In the club that night was Richard Fierro, a decorated ex-Army officer who’d served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was there with his wife, daughter and her boyfriend. All they wanted, all they expected was an evening of entertainment. Three minutes before midnight, the entertainment stopped, gunfire and chaos took over.
“I went to the ground,” said Fierro, “as soon as I heard the rounds.” Then surveying what he could in the darkness, he saw the gunman, assessed the situation and ran toward him. The instant he contacted him, he leveraged his weight pulling him to the ground. Another club patron joined the fray and taking Fierro’s command, kicked the long gun away. In the same moment, Fierro took the second weapon—a handgun—from the gunman and began pistol-whipping him, what he described to CNN as, “whaling away.” The drag performer, on Fierro’s command, began kicking the gunman in the head and with her high heels.
The shooting, which most people learned about after waking up on Sunday morning, was eerily familiar to the June 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida. Pulse, also a popular gay nightclub, was packed that Saturday eve- ning when another act of unexplainable carnage occurred.
The body count on that night of pain and grief totaled 49 dead, another 53 wounded.
In the six years since Pulse in Orlando and culminating at Club Q in Colorado Springs on Saturday past, the country has not become inured with mass shootings, but no longer are mass shootings shocking nor surprising. They are, as society has come to call them, ‘common.’
Mass shootings in America occur at churches, syna- gogues, grocery stores, schools, they happen anywhere, even in places where people swear they ‘don’t happen in places like this.’ They do.
In Colorado, going back to Columbine in 1999, to Aurora, to Boulder, to Denver, to Highlands Ranch, all tragic crime scenes in which crazed, inexplicable horror has reigned, they seem to happen in a tragically irregular pattern. There is a random but no longer unexpected reality to the mayhem.
Eleven mass shootings have occurred in Colorado since Columbine, each carrying its own weight in pain and suffering.
By accident, Major Fierro and his family had gone to Club Q, a magnet for the Colorado Springs’ LGBQT crowd, for fun, to be entertained. And they were, as was everyone else until 11:57. But within seconds of that moment, the celebra- tion ended, suddenly, painfully, and for some, permanently.
No one expected to become a victim and Fierro certainly did not expect to become a hero, a label others have bestowed on him but one he eschews. “I was done doing this stuff,” he told CNN’s John Berman in a recent interview, while stifling the burden of emotions. “There’s five people who didn’t go home.” Included in that group is his daughter’s boyfriend, Raymond Green Vance.
Others killed in the gunfire are Daniel David Aston, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, and David Rump. A complete list of those wounded has not been released.
The man suspected of the killings is in a Colorado Springs hospital, but will be transferred to the El Paso County Jail when he’s able to be moved. Authorities continue to discuss the various charges he faces. But at a Monday afternoon news conference, charges that will be filed include five counts of first-degree murder and five charges of committing a bias-motivated crime.
The parking lot at Club Q is ringed with the all too familiar yellow police crime tape. Cars driven there and parked by people just hoping for an evening of entertainment remain corralled within the tape. Ringing the area is another very predictable and all too common American symbol, thou- sands of colorful bouquets, cards and notes of sorrow and remembrance, mylar balloons and stuffed animals each left for a friend or stranger whose only mistake was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The pain of this latest American tragedy lingers across the city. For some it will just continue, not unlike pebbles tossed into a pond, their splash creating a concentricity of sadness that just goes on and on.
For awhile it looked like the Pueblo Soup Kitchen was going to be the latest victim of The Grinch Who Stole Thanksgiving. But, like so many holiday movies, this one had a happy ending. The cavalry, played this time around by the city’s Care and Share program, rode in with a truckload of turkeys and saved the day.
Photo courtesy: Pueblo Soup Kitchen Facebook
“Thank God for Care and Share,” said the Kitchen’s Helen Benavidez. “I was a little panicked because we had not received any turkeys.” The Pueblo-based Care and Share serves as a helping hand across southern Colorado with food for places like the Soup Kitchen and others dealing with hunger and food insecurity. Care and Share is oxygen this time of year to the Soup Kitchen and others who depend on food donations.
Benavidez, the kitchen’s director, and her staff of three provide a small breakfast—donuts and coffee—and a lunch meal each day for “200-250” men, women and families in Pueblo. But, she said, with inflation putting the squeeze on the nation and much of the world, getting donations has become a full-time job. Holiday meals, as attested by her recent holiday high anxiety, make for an even bigger challenge.
Despite the donation of turkeys, the Soup Kitchen is still running a bit short for all the holiday meal fixings. “I have to buy a few more things,” she said. But stuffing won’t be on the list. Care and Share, and local good Samaritan Roger Giordano, “pulled us through.” Paper plates and plastic dinnerware are a different story. Those, Benavidez will have to buy.
Benavidez remains confident things are going to work out this time. But after this big meal, she knows there will be a couple of similar undertakings before year’s end. Getting enough food for a Christmas and New Year’s meal are already creating angst.
The Soup Kitchen, located at 422 W. 7th Street, has been serving meals in Pueblo since 1976. But, Benavidez says, the faces of those coming by have changed in recent years. No longer are those lining up in the morning or for the midday meal a collection of just men, she said. “We see people who are living in their vehicles, people who are couch surfing…the need has gotten more and more severe.” Single women and a growing number of families are now regulars when the doors open.
Growing up in Pueblo in a family of modest means, Benavidez said she can see her long ago self in the faces of some of the children who come with their families. “They’re the ones who really break my heart,” she said, pausing to compose herself. “Some of these people are at wit’s end.” That is why, she added, everyone who comes through the doors is always welcome. Even those who sometimes create a bit of trouble.
While it may happen infrequently, it does happen. When it does, punishment for the offending man or woman is a couple of days of ‘time out.’ They’re asked to leave. A few days of cooling off is most often the penalty for bad behavior, before they’re allowed to return. What doesn’t fly at the facility, said Benavidez, is someone showing up “high or drunk or being disrespectful.”
Benavidez and her staff of three count on volunteers, oftentimes retired men and women, to meet the needs of the kitchen. For the Thanksgiving meal, which will be served one day ahead of the holiday in order to give staff the day off, employees of Ent and Security Service Federal Credit Unions will be volunteering to serve and help with the cleanup.
Benavidez and her operation have been through tough times before. The pandemic put the kitchen and everyone else through more than just a rough patch. So, a little inflation, while certainly trying, she said, will pass. For now, and through Wednesday morning, everyone at the Soup Kitchen’s got a job to do. And because Thanksgiving is one of the year’s biggest meals, preparations are already underway.
Staff and volunteers each have an assignment. There’s a ‘pie squad,’ a group dedicated to cooking the meal’s centerpiece—the birds—and Benavidez has a crew preparing side dishes. The place will be buzzing until the last meal is served and the kitchen is cleaned and ready to open again on Friday morning. Only then will everyone finally sit down and ‘take five,’ have a bite, a little conversation and lock up.
The National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) brought their convention to Denver, specifically, City of Aurora this past week. Member publications from across the country, Mexico and other countries participated along with local Hispanic publications.
Photo courtesy: La Voz Staff
La Voz, founded in 1974 and a member publication of NAHP since 1982 was an honored winner of the GOLD Award for Outstanding Bilingual Weekly Publication. La Voz also received two SILVER awards, one for Outstanding Education Article by local writer Joseph Rios, La Voz Student of the Week student graduates SUMMA CUM LAUDE, a SILVER award for Outstanding Ad Promoting your Publication, BRONZE award for Outstanding Overall Photo (La Uta and a New Mexico Sky), BRONZE award for Outstanding community photo.
La Voz Publisher is a former NAHP Board member and continues the weekly bilingual publication in a very bilingual market, and offered, “La Voz strives to be the very best in providing information in two languages. Integrity, respect and vision are at the forefront!”
To add to the celebration, local La Voz reader wins $5,000 in NAHP Readership Study contest
It was a normal day for Karen Castillo, a two year resident of Denver. She received a call from La Voz Publisher, Pauline Rivera, telling her that she had filled out a survey on the local Denver market in an effort to collect marketing/demographic information.
Castillo and her husband Guillermo are seeking political asylum. The Castillos, originally from Venezuela and along with two children, have made their home in Denver. Castillo was emotional about her good luck and was extremely appreciative to La Voz. She adds, “Muchas gracias, Ms. Rivera, muy agradecida por el premio, estoy tan emocionada.”
The 2022 Readership Study conducted by Latino Media 24/7, Latinolytics is a long-awaited collection of marketing research about the Denver Market. The readership study will help advertisers and clients understand the market, demo- graphics, buying habits and incredible buying power within Denver’s Latino market.
So next time you see a contest you feel you have no chance in winning, take another look.
Congratulations to Ms. Castillo. We thank you for your input.
