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CDC grant to provide $4.4 million to improve physical activity and nutrition in Colorado

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced it is awarding a 5-year $4.4 million grant to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as part of the State Physical Activity and Nutrition Program to improve physical activity and nutrition. The department will use the grant to support key components of the department’s Chronic Disease State Plan, 2022-2030, which aims to decrease the incidence of chronic diseases through enhancements to communities’ physical environments and increasing access to healthy foods, among other initiatives.

“We have made great strides in recent years to improve nutrition and promote healthy habits among Coloradans,” said Joan Brucha, the department’s healthy eating and active living manager. “This funding will ensure we can continue to build on this progress as we work with our partners toward a Colorado in which everyone has the opportunity to live healthy lives.”

Obesity in the United States affects more than 100 million adults (42 percent) and 14 million children (20 percent) and accounts for approximately $173 billion in annual health care costs. Physical activity and healthy eating patterns reduce the risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. While Colorado has the third lowest prevalence of adult obesity at 25 percent compared to other states, the department will use the funding to address disparities that exist across race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

“CDC is excited to announce this new program funding to 17 states,” said Terry O’Toole, Ph.D., M.Div., program development and evaluation branch chief in CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. “With this funding, states will actively partner with communities to improve physical activity and healthy nutrition options in areas most in need.”

The department will use the money to continue the progress made under a previous State Physical Activity and Nutrition Program grant (2018-2023). That funding resulted in improved nutrition in hospitals, the development of the Healthy Eating and Active Living toolkit for early childhood professionals working to ensure Colorado children develop healthy habits early, and a community-driven needs assessment and report documenting the factors, barriers, and facilitators of success that contribute to breastfeeding outcomes for Black families in Colorado. It also led to multiple rounds of quick-win financing for local community projects (e.g., lane or crosswalk striping, bike parking, street trees, park amenities) to increase safe access to parks, biking, and walking.

The CDC State Physical Activity and Nutrition Program provides funding to address key health disparities in Colorado. It focuses on: increasing access to healthier foods; increasing physical activity by connecting pedestrian, bicycle, or transportation networks to everyday destinations; breastfeeding continuity of care and community support; and integrating nutrition, physical activity, breastfeeding, and Farm to Child programs into statewide early childhood education systems.

Visit cdphe.colorado.gov/health/prevention-and-wellness/healthy-eating-and-active-living to learn about the ways that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment supports healthy eating and active living initiatives.

Source: Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment

Colorado Office of Gun Violence Prevention launches public awareness campaign

“Let’s Talk Guns, Colorado” initiative aims to reduce firearm deaths and injuries by promoting personal responsibility

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention has launched a statewide education and awareness campaign to help reduce gun violence and promote firearm safety across the state.

The new “Let’s Talk Guns, Colorado” campaign is intended to increase awareness and understanding among Coloradans about state and federal laws and existing resources relating to gun violence prevention. Campaign topics include a range of gun safety laws and best practices related to the safe storage of firearms, how to report a lost or stolen firearm, and how to request an extreme risk protection order. The campaign will also include information on how people can access mental health and substance use treatment and support, including suicide prevention services.

“Everyone–whether they own a gun or not–wants to keep their loved ones and communities safe,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment executive director. “This campaign will help people start the conversation on gun safety and understand new resources available to them. I believe it will help reduce gun violence in our state.

Coloradans can expect to see “Let’s Talk Guns, Colorado’’ ads in print publications, while browsing the internet, scrolling through social media, and visiting local markets and convenience stores. Cable and streaming TV ads will debut this month. Additionally, a campaign website offers information on firearm storage options, safe gun ownership checklists, the process for requesting the temporary removal of access to firearms from someone who may pose a significant risk of harming themselves or others, and more.

Campaign ads and materials urge Colorado gun owners, non-gun owners, individuals living in households with firearms, professionals in health care, mental health, education, and law enforcement, as well as the general public to start conversations with their friends, families, and neighbors about firearms. By encouraging constructive discussions, the initiative seeks to bridge divides and promote understanding and shared accountability among all Coloradans.

“The number of firearm injury deaths in Colorado is greater than deaths caused by motor vehicle crashes, opioid overdoses, or colon cancer,” said Jonathan McMillan, direc- tor of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. “By shining a spotlight on responsible gun ownership and encouraging open dialogue, all Coloradans can work together to reverse this trend. Talking more openly about gun safety and mental health issues will help.”

According to Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Vital Statistics data, there were 6,380 firearm deaths among Colorado residents between 2016 and 2022. Among those deaths, 72.1 percent were intentional self-harm incidents or suicides, 23.7 percent were assaults or homicides, 2.6 percent were due to legal intervention, 0.9 percent were unintentional, and 0.7 percent were due to an undetermined manner.

For more information about the “Let’s Talk Guns, Colorado” campaign visit www.LetsTalkGunsColorado.com (English) or www.ColoradoHablemosdeArmas.com (En Español). In addition, visit the Office of Gun Violence Prevention web page to learn about the office’s ongoing work to reduce gun violence across Colorado.

Our Government

White House

Remarks by President Biden on the Terrorist Attacks In Israel: “The people of Israel are under attack, orchestrated by a terrorist organization, Hamas. In this moment of tragedy, I want to say to them and to the world and to terrorists everywhere that the United States stands with Israel. We will not ever fail to have their back. We’ll make sure they have the help their citizens need and they can continue to defend themselves.

Colorado Governor

Colorado Governor Jared Polis released a statement following the deadly attacks on Israel. “I am deeply heartbroken and alarmed by the deadly attack against the Israeli people. I call on Hamas to immediately cease their attack against Israel. I will continue to monitor the crisis and stand in solidarity with Israel.”

Denver Mayor

Mayor Mike Johnston announced the upcoming groundbreaking for a micro-community as part of the House1000 initiative. This development is a significant step forward in the ongoing effort to combat homelessness and improve the lives of those in need within our city. The site, located at 2301 S. Santa Fe Dr., has been carefully chosen to accommodate the specific needs of its future residents. Every site goes through an environmental assessment, as well as assessments for zoning, building, fire safety, public health concerns, and traffic/transportation impacts. “This future micro-community will help get unhoused neighbors off the street and into safe, stable, supportive transitional housing while also helping us close unsafe encampments and keep neighborhoods closed to future camping,” Mayor Johnston said.

A Week In Review

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Africa

Kenya police officers arrested for trafficking

Two police officers were arrested in Kenya after they were found trafficking 13 people from Ethiopia using a police vehicle. The officers were intercepted in northwestern Kenya which borders Ethiopia. Police were transporting eight Ethiopians, four Eritreans and a Sudanese national. They were traveling to South Africa.

Niger’s budget plumets

Niger’s government cut its budget by 40 percent because of the impact of sanctions and suspension of aid after the July coup. At least 40 percent of Niger’s budget support this year was expected to come from external partners. The sanctions may worsen Niger’s economic situation while food and commodity prices continue to rise in the country. The July coup ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and resulted in regional and international sanctions.

Asia

More than 1,000 people killed by earthquake in Afghanistan

More than 1,000 people were killed in Afghanistan when an earthquake struck in Herat province. Villages were flattened, and authorities are searching for more than 500 missing people. At least 1,600 others were injured, and hospitals have been struggling to accommodate them. Aid agencies like the Afghan Red Cross Society and Unicef have dispatched help.

Teen held over Bangkok mall shooting

Authorities in Bangkok arrested a 14-year-old boy after two people were killed and five others injured in a shooting. The shooting occurred at the Siam Paragon, a famous shopping center. It is unknown what the suspect’s motives were, but he surrendered to officers and had been using a handgun. Mass shootings in Thailand are rare but gun ownership rates are high for the area.

Europe

Prada to design space suits

Prada, the Italian fashion house, will design space suits for Nasa and its 2025 Moon mission. The company will work to design the suits with private company Axiom Space. The two entities said they would use innovative technologies and design to allow “greater exploration of the lunar surface than ever before.”

France deals with panic over bedbugs

Officials in France are working to contain a panic over bedbugs. There has been a surge in the bedbug population in France and other parts of the world, but officials warned many recent sightings are false. Recently a Paris school became the latest building hit by a reported infestation. Officials are expected to speed up proposals for a national observatory on bedbugs.

Latin America

Colombian army apologizes for killing civilians

The Colombian army apologized for killing thousands of civilians after an inquiry found that 6,402 civilians were murdered by the military between 2002 and 2008. The army passed off the civilians as rebels. Many of the victims were young men from poor neighborhoods and were lured with promises of work before being executed. The apology took place last Tuesday in the capital, Bogotá.

Havana residential building collapses, kills three

Three people were killed at a residential building in Havana, Cuba when the structure collapsed. The area is known for its historic houses but many are dangerously dilapidated. Last month, offi- cials said more than 850,000 homes across the country needed repairs. Cuba blames the economic embargo imposed on the island by the United States for not being able to source building materials to carry out repairs.

North America

Improperly stored bodies discovered at funeral home

At least 115 bodies were found improperly stored at a Colorado funeral home that specializes in “green burials.” The bodies were discovered after reports were made about a foul odor coming from The Return to Nature Funeral Home. The FBI said the owners of the funeral home have been cooperative and it is unclear if a crime has been committed. The funeral home is located in Penrose, Colorado.

Biden approves border wall

U.S. President Joe Biden’s approved an effort to build a section of border wall in southern Texas. The wall will be built in Starr County along its border with Mexico and will be around 20 miles long. Biden had previously promised he would not build another foot of wall if elected. However, last week Biden said he “can’t stop” the construction of the wall because funding for it had already been appropriated. He said he doesn’t believe the wall can stop rising levels of immigration.

Un abrazo y Adios to Denver 7’s Anne Trujillo

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Across Denver and Colorado, there is a cohort of viewers who weren’t even born when Channel 7’s Anne Trujillo began her long journey into Denver television history. She began with the station in 1984 and will drop the curtain on an amazing career in just weeks, November 17th. In between, it was more than a simple adventure.

Trujillo, the anchor of the station’s 5, 6 and 10 o’clock newscasts, has been a beacon of light for Denver’s and Colorado’s most impactful news stories over four decades. It is hard to imagine Denver television without her.

Photo courtesy: Anne Trujillo

Still, while her longevity and its accompanying celebrity have made her one of the city’s and region’s most recognizable faces, Trujillo bristles at any adulation thrown her way.

“I think what you see is what you get,” said Trujillo in a recent phone chat. That is not false modesty. Though New Mexican by birth, Coloradan by choice, Trujillo said if she’s stopped in a grocery store or anywhere in Denver, the person you meet is who she is. “I’ve never been ‘showy.”

Trujillo, like so many in her line of work, began her journalism odyssey in ‘Cabbageville,’ a name commonly attached to places and markets known only by people in the business. In her case, ‘Cabbageville’ was Scottsbluff, Nebraska. For reference, Scottsbluff is America’s 2,429th largest city.

Trujillo was a senior at the University of Colorado when she heard about a TV job in the Nebraska town. A friend helped her put an audition tape together and in the mail it went. Within days, she got a callback inviting her to visit. “I drove out with my mom to check it out and he offered me a job on the spot,” she recalled. Not only did she take the $10,000 a year job but dropped out of CU to take it. “I quit school knowing I could go back if I didn’t like it.” Many years later, Trujillo did go back for her degree.

Luckily, despite her rookie mistakes—and there were plenty—she persevered. “I was terrible, and didn’t know what I was doing,” she confessed. To this day, her early TV days draw a smile…and an abundance of thanks to strangers, the audience that welcomed her into their homes. “The people of Scottsbluff were very forgiving and kind.”

In Scottsbluff, despite a few on-air pratfalls, she showed enough talent to get a call from Omaha six months into her Nebraska adventure. KMTV Omaha called offering her the noon anchor position. Her trial by fire, first in Scottsbluff and later Omaha, told her she had what it took to shoot for the stars. In this case, that meant coming home, back to Denver.

After a year in Omaha, she once again found herself looking. At the same time, Denver 7 was also looking. She got the offer. Her first day in September 1984 was memorable in so many ways.

“I was assigned to follow a crew,” that included Harry Smith, now a network correspondent, and a photographer named Mike. (For privacy purposes, his surname will be omitted.) Smith, who began his Denver media career as a KHOW disc jockey, went on to be a correspondent for CBS and later NBC. The photographer? Well, they married and today have two grown children. There’s also a pair of grandchildren. “They call me ‘Lita.’”

Asking Trujillo to name a story or two that stands out over the course of her four decades in Denver is no easy task. Afterall, in those many years, the city has entertained a Pope, hosted the national Democratic Convention, experienced Super Bowls, Stanley Cups and NBA championship and on and on. Governors and mayors have come and gone, and the city and region have grown exponentially. The Denver metro population has doubled over the last forty years to nearly three million. But one memory stands out above all. Trujillo says it “changed my life.”

The 1999 Columbine shooting, the bookmark for American gun tragedies, woke the country up to an era of violence that continues today. The Columbine High School massacre, undertaken by two students, claimed the lives of 13 students and one teacher.

As parents struggled to find a semblance of normalcy in an event that defied the norm, Trujillo said she found a comfort in comforting those Columbine parents who chose to share their loss, their stories with her. “That was a privilege for me,” she said. “Those kinds of situations meant so much to me…it was always an honor.”

While Trujillo has been appreciated by her Denver 7 audience for years, she has also earned affection, appreciation and respect across the landscape of Denver news.

“You realize stations are competing,” said 9News anchor Kim Christiansen. “But I viewed her as a colleague and have enormous respect for her. She has always been gracious, friendly and kind…a great journalist.” Christiansen, also one of Denver’s best-known TV faces, said Trujillo’s legacy has been a long-term benefit to the community. The trust the community has given Trujillo, said her TV counterpart “has been earned.”

Over the years, the landscape in television news has changed. Today, instead of having a bevy of White men in suits and ties covering The White House, Congress, world affairs, informing about institutions that have daily impact on our lives, there are women and people of color filling those roles. Newsrooms are well represented by the mosaic that is our country. But, said Trujillo, that’s only a start.

“I wish I could say that news stations were diverse enough,” she said. While not entirely absent, the places where decisions are made, where new direction is charted, in management, there isn’t nearly enough diversity, Trujillo said. “When you’re making decision that affect the whole community, you can’t leave 30 percent out of the process.”

Looking back, Trujillo said the transformation of delivering news has been meteoric. In Scottsbluff, she did it all—news, weather and sports—by herself or sometimes with a single colleague. That included changing ribbons on newsroom typewriters and the wire machine, a constant clickety-clack machine that kept the newsroom’s rhythm. The the age of computers has relegated it to history.

Trujillo said leaving the newsroom will be both bittersweet and time. The excitement and adrenalin rush of breaking news will be someone else’s. And that’s OK with her. She’s got a whole life to live with her family and especially her two grandchildren, two indispensable parts of life that she could have never imagined when she took exit 22 off Interstate 80 those many years ago.

It’s not the rearview mirror for Trujillo that has her attention. It’s the view out of the windshield and the road ahead.

Joelle Martinez, family Latino Leadership Institute contribute to city’s success

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Hispanic Heritage Series (Part IV of V)

Joelle Martinez’ family roots in Colorado date back to at least the 1500s in the southern Colorado and northern New Mexico area.

Photo courtesy: Latino Leadership Institute

Her great grandparents moved from the San Luis Valley to the Denver metro area to pursue educational and economic opportunities. And ever since then, Martinez’s family has gone on to become active civic leaders, business owners, and others who have positively impacted Coloradans.

Martinez’s father owned a telecommunications business while her mother worked for U.S. Bank where she became one of the first Latinas to become a branch president and launched one of the first diversity, equity, and inclusion programs for the bank. Also, Martinez’ grandmother, Ramona Martinez, a former Denver City Councilwoman helped shape, ignite and lead those efforts that advanced the city’s success and growth for many years.

Following in her family’s footsteps, Martinez worked as a political strategist where she spent time consulting on major campaigns, leading communication efforts, and designing public policy awareness campaigns. Through politics, Martinez wanted to make a difference in the community and felt that positively impacting policy was a way to do so. And even though she said the campaigns and projects she got to work on were wonderful, she found that she was often the only Latina, and sometimes woman, in the room during her career.

“My experience being in these elevated leadership positions and a realization that at the time (2012) that politics and the world had changed, I realized we could affect more change if we really invest in developing the leaders who could go on to create a ripple effect,” said Martinez.

After being approached by various Latino leaders in the Denver area who founded the Latino Leadership Institute, Martinez decided to join in the effort and to help spearhead the organization. Today, the Latino Leadership Institute prepares Latino leaders for positions of power and influence, collects and shares relevant data about Latinos, and partners with organizations to create more inclusivity.

In particular, the Latino Leadership Institute (LLI) offers its Ignite leadership program which is designed to reflect the diversity of experiences within the Latino community while meeting individuals where they are in their leadership journey. The program helps Latino professionals explore identity, build confidence, develop executive decision-making techniques, and create a framework for advancement driven by values and goals.

The organization also offers its Latino Entrepreneur Access Program (LEAP), a one-year program designed to help Latino and BIPOC founders and business owners sustain profitable revenue growth, access new capital from public and private financing sources, and more.

Martinez said her job is rewarding and discussed meeting with a resident who graduated through the Ignite program. Since going through the program, that resident has applied for elevated leadership roles and grown to understand his position as a community leader and the power he has to create change, Martinez said.

“When we can ignite that in one person and understand what that ripple effect looks like, you begin to see the real impact of our work. I cherish the individual successes and this collective wave of change that we are working to start,” said Martinez.

Those who are interested in participating in the Latino Leadership Institute’s programs should visit latinoslead.org.

Broncos beat Bears in their first win of season

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This week the Denver Broncos traveled to Chicago to face another 0-3 team, the Chicago Bears. The start to the Bears season has been just as much of a disappointment as the Denver Broncos losing to the Packers at home in their home opener and then to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs last week.

While the Bears loss to the Chiefs wasn’t nearly as bad as the Denver Broncos loss to the Miami Dolphins the previous week they still loss by 31 points to Kansas City.

Heading into Sunday’s game both teams were reeling from embarrassing losses the previous week, hoping to notch their first win of the season. Early on Sunday, it looked as though the Bears might be the better team.

On Sunday, the Denver Broncos defense stepped up early and held the Bears offense to just five plays on their first drive. The Russell Wilson led Denver Broncos moved the ball from their own 16-yard-line to the Chicago 18 before hitting running back Jaleel McLaughlin for an 18 yard touchdown to take the early lead.

The Broncos defense and offense then went on vacation for the remainder of the first quarter through the end of the third. During that time the Chicago Bears racked up 28 points leading the Broncos 28 – 7 with four minutes and 11 seconds left in the quarter. The Broncos offense came alive, moving the ball 75 yards on 7 plays to bring Denver to within 14 points.

In the fourth Denver’s defense stepped up holding the Bears to just their 35-yard-line. On Denver’s ensuing possession, Wilson marched the Broncos down the field on 10 plays for 66 yards that resulted in a 13 yard touchdown pass from Wilson to Courtland Sutton to bring Chicago’s lead down to one touchdown.

The Broncos defense now had a chance to stop the Bears and get the ball back into Russell Wilson’s hands, in hopes of trying to tie up the game, but instead the Broncos defense forced a fumble on Chicago’s quarterback Justin Fields which bounced into the open hands of Jonathon Cooper who waltzed in for the scoop and 35-yard touchdown tying the game.

With 6:55 left, the Bears offense took to the field and attempted to put the Broncos away for good. The Bears moved the ball into Denver territory, right down to Denver’s 18-yard-line before Denver’s defense held the Bears on four downs to turn over the ball on downs. The Broncos moved the ball 48 yards on 5 plays to Chicago’s 33-yard-line where Bronco’s Kicker Wil Lutz kicked a 51-yard field goal for the lead, leaving 1:46 left in regulation.

The Bears moved the ball 22 yards on 6 plays before Chicago quarterback Fields dropped back in shotgun for a deep pass down the middle intended for Bears wide receiver C Kmet which was intercepted by Denver Bronco’s Kareem Jackson who immediately kneeled for the win.

The Broncos will host the New York Jets next Sunday at 2:25 p.m. in Denver.

In other sports the CU Buffs faced their second ranked team in two weeks after their embarrassing loss 42-6 to the Oregon Ducks the previous week. This week the Buffs faced the USC Trojans who are ranked 9th by the Associate Press. The Trojans came out firing in the first quarter scoring two unanswered TD’s. The Buff got onto the board in the second half but trailed the Trojans 34 – 14 heading into the half.

The third quarter was close with the Trojans adding 14 more to Colorado’s 13 and in the fourth the Buffs defense was able to hold USC to zero points while adding 14 themselves. Unfortunately CU still came up short but put on a much better performance against a ranked team compared to the previous week in Oregon.

CU will head to Arizona to face the Arizona State Sun Devils who have only won one game this season over the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. Saturday’s game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

Pueblo growing greener and greener in a new century

Times have changed in Pueblo, a city once known for producing a good portion of the nation’s steel. Of course, while the steel mill fueled a booming tax base and fed families across all southern Colorado it was also belching tons of pollutants into the air. But those days are over and now, instead of Pueblo having some of the state’s dirtiest air—perhaps even the dirtiest—the city’s air is now among the cleanest in Colorado.

“Pueblo’s air quality is very good,” said Trysten Garcia, spokesman for County Health and Environment. The days of smog fouling the air and compromising the city’s mountain view are history. Bad air quality in Pueblo, he said, presents “a very low risk for people with respiratory issues.” The city, said the Public Information Officer, actually provides an air quality measurement “every ten minutes.”

Of course, while the steel mill downsizing has effectively eliminated one source of bad air, there are things that can’t be controlled, including blowing dust that also has an effect on people with health issues. “Normally,” said Garcia, “when seasons are changing, when you have dry conditions, is when we’re notifying the public” to curtail outdoor activities or even remain inside. “We’re always displaying real time air quality prominently” on the county’s web page.

While the bad air that once plagued Pueblo has disappeared, there is another public health issue that is often overlooked but one that Pueblo and one of its companies, 3R Recycling, are facing head-on. The challenge is called e-waste, and it goes well beyond southern Colorado.

The ‘E’ in e-waste stands for electronic. As the world races into the 21st century, it is growing not just a mountain but a mountain range of no longer useful or needed electronics, everything from toasters to toys to toothbrushes.

For too many people, it may be just a useless PC or a once all-the-rage electronic gadget that they’re loading up for the landfill. But for people like Colin Hughes, operations manager for Pueblo’s 3R Technology Solutions, it’s hazardous waste that can and does slowly decompose, leaking toxins into the ground and water.

3R Technology Solutions stays busy not just recycling these things but also encouraging people to think twice about what they might be throwing away. “Not only is it dangerous,” said 3R’s Operations Manager Colin Hughes to thoughtlessly head to a landfill with old electronics, “but it is also illegal.”

Hughes’ company works with several municipalities and businesses in southern Colorado, including Pueblo, Huerfano and Las Animas County governments, to keep no longer useful and out of date electronics out of landfills.

“With the way technology is,” said Hughes, “people tend to upgrade every 2-3 years.” Advances in technology make it almost essential that old computers and outdated electronics be replaced. That’s where companies like 3R come in.

“We try and recycle and reuse as much as we can,” Hughes said. His company combs over the PCs, tablets, old televisions that people no longer use and removes anything and everything that can be recycled. That includes wire, circuits and even plastic. Doing so, he said, keeps toxic chemicals essential in the manufacturing process, poisons like lead, mercury and cadmium, from seeping into the soil and ground water. Still, it’s an uphill battle, not only for organizations like Pueblo’s 3R, but for the entire world.

In a recent white paper published by the environmental group The Roundup, an organization dedicated to promoting environmental issues, it was estimated that 57 million tons of e-waste was generated in 2021 with a projected growth of 2 million tons a year. Only 20 percent of all e-waste is collected and properly recycled, said The Roundup, adding that China, India and the U.S. are the biggest producers of this waste.

Dealing with e-waste will continue to be a Pueblo, a Colorado and a world challenge for the foreseeable future. But for now, the hub city of southern Colorado has reasonably solved the issue that once preceded any description of it, bad air.

The county’s health information officer said that Puebloans deal with bad air quality just a handful of times each year. This year the trend was up. Offering just a guess to the number of days when bad air lingered over Pueblo, Garcia fixed the number in the “high single digits…maybe ten this year.” The big culprits for the spike, the colossal wild fires in Canada and blowing dust.

What’s Happening?

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Community

Dia de Los Muertos Altar Collaboration Honors Denver’s Iconic Mexican Folk Artist, Rita Wallace de Flores at History Colorado.

Corn Mother and iconic textile artist Rita Wallace de Flores is considered by many, Denver’s first lady of  Mexican Folk Art, Story, and Dance. The 90-year-old living treasure came out of retirement to work with local celebrity artist Cal Duran to create a new installation for Dia de Los Muertos at History Colorado. Now on display throughout November 3rd  in the lobby of the museum (1200 Broadway).  

The stunning altar is part of the museum’s annual tribute to the holiday. Duran utilized Wallace’s magnificent felt tapestry “ Tree of Life” along with over 200 of her textile pieces to create a unique tribute to the legendary artist. An 8-foot Paper Mache  Cuentista (storyteller doll) was made by Duran specifically for this show. He balanced out the breathtaking installation with his signature Ojo de Dios, clay work, and other pieces.

In 2020 Wallace’s massive collection of tapestries and textiles was donated by the family to History Colorado with the help of MSU Denver Chicana/o Studies Department Journey Through Our Heritage program and the Chicano Humanities Arts Council (CHAC). “This is a rare opportunity to see the legacy of this prolific artist and truly understand the significance of her contribution to the Latinx art scene in Denver,” commented CHAC executive director Brenda Gurule.    

Duran, who is known nationally for his murals, clay sculptors and Dia de Los Muertos installations, began working with Wallace over a year ago. When Dr. Lucha Martinez de Luna, Associate Curator of Hispanic, Latino and Chicano History at History Colorado asked  Duran to create the altar collaboration with Wallace, Cal jumped at the opportunity.

For more information visit https://www.historycolorado.org/exhibit/dia-de-los-muertos-altar.


Que Pasa? is compiled by La Voz Staff. To submit an event for consideration please email attractions@lavozcolorado.com with Que Pasa in the subject line by Friday at 5 p.m.

Do Americans want self-governing?

David Conde, Senior Consultant for International Programs

The serious obstacles that national political leadership had to overcome in order to find a solution to allow America to maintain its good credit, is the latest illustration of a story about governance in our democracy. On January 19, 2023, the United States hit its debt ceiling and that created a political crisis that was not resolved until six months later.

This was followed by an appropriation debacle that threatened to shut down the government this past October 30th. The crisis was temporarily averted by a coalition of Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives that extends mostly current levels of funding for 45 days.

It is the bickering and developing deep divisions within the Republican Party that have led to the current predicament and threatens the fundamental functions of government at the highest levels. This is particularly dangerous given that the Republican Party holds the majority in the House of Representative and is expected to lead.

It happens that there is a relatively small group of MAGA Conservatives bent on creating chaos. At this point, they have been successful doing it because the Republican Party is in the majority only by a handful of votes. The MAGA group does not seem to be there to govern and serve the American people. Rather, they seem to be on a mission to create dysfunction and prove that democratic order and the rule of law are no longer relevant.

MAGA in Congress and in the country is striving for political power outside the Constitution. Their leader, Donald Trump, is not about democracy or democratic institu- tions, but holds to the notion that personal authority is the only way to reverse what his followers believe is the gradual loss of pertinence in the power structure of the country.

When he was in office, Trump began to assert the idea that he could do anything he wanted because he was the President. However, as the embodiment of the Article 2 of the Constitution, his role was mostly to be Commander in Chief of the Arm Forces and to execute and enforce laws made by Congress.

I grew up with a Republican Party that worked under a philosophy that included ideas like family values, small government, strong defense, law and order, limited spending and a strict interpretation of the Constitution.

In a Trump led Republican Party, that is no longer the case. I believe that the demonstrated MAGA desire to go away from the Constitution and find an authoritarian to lead them is tied to the profound changes that are now occurring and will be occurring in the next decades. It reminds me of a Roman history lesson about the election of a dictator with unquestioned supremacy when the state found itself in mortal danger. The danger in our case, is that there is a ruling elite that is losing power and relevance to a new generation that offers different ways of navigating life in America. The new generation has a large number of people of color that were long thought of as second class.

The reason MAGA is going rogue on democracy is the fear of losing their traditional identity as the power brokers in the country. They also have found a would-be dictator to follow and make them great again.

So, the question is if there are enough MAGA types in Congress to create chaos in an effort that could destroy democracy, how is the institution going to govern? The answer to that question is on all of us.

The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of LaVozColorado. Comments and responses may be directed to News@lavozcolorado.com.