There is no running trail in all of Colorado used or cherished more than the 2.6 mile jaunt winding through Washington Park. Any changes or alterations to it are automatically going to bring a great deal of public scrutiny.

On January 10, 2012, Denver Parks and Recreation presented to the public a finalized plan for the Washington Park’s Running Trail, just a few blocks away from the park  at Steele Elementary School. The city had sought public comments starting last June. It is intended that the plan, which has drawn strong support already from the well-respected Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, be implemented this spring.

The city’s plan to relocate the northern sections of the trail from along roads to the park’s interior initially drew concerns from Friends and Neighbors of Washington Park, a group known as Fans. Park officials say the final plan addresses their fears plus other aspects including safety issues, maintenance concerns and overall park stewardship.

“It is our hope that presenting this final design will show that the public process created an outcome that included feedback from the community in addition to balancing the other design elements important to the project,” declares Lauri Dannemiller, Manager of Parks and Recreation.

Jogging Oasis

This urban oasis provides plenty of space for runners, walkers and people watchers. Valley residents go to the 165-acre park to enjoy the scenery, the shade, the water, the flora and fauna and the exercise year-round. One of the Valley’s largest, Washington Park is more than 100-years-old. It hosts over 250 picnic permits per year and in addition to the jogging path, is the biggest recreation center in Denver and it boasts two of the area’s most flamboyant flower gardens.

Thus any change to this old-timer draws the interest of people of all ages from both near and far. In mid-October, 500 volunteers, under the guidance of the Volunteers For Outdoor Colorado, rehabilitated large sections of the trail. Crews added new crushed stone surface material where needed and rerouted the trail where it approached the northwest, southwest and southeast corners of the park. This was done to avoid conflict between trail users and those going to and from the park at those busy intersections.

From the beginning Denver officials said moving the northeast portion of the trail behind the District 21 fire station would improve runners’ safety because they wouldn’t have to go through the station’s parking lot and along a stretch of South Franklin Street, where car doors open along the trail. Neighborhood users, however, worried that the move would make the trail more secluded meaning runners could be less likely to be seen if they need help.

Concerns Resolved

Through the deliberation process that included several public meetings, over 100 comments from park users and on-site stakeholders meetings, Denver Parks and Recreation now believes that the public safety issues have been effectively addressed in the final plan. They are satisfied that the park’s maintenance and park stewardship concerns will get attention. They also believe that public safety concerns will be solved with improved lighting and that ice build-up, tripping hazards and conflicts with the fire station will be addressed by re-routing the path.

The new trail alignment will support park maintenance efforts by lessening the impact from broken sprinkler heads, soil compaction on tree roots and turf and overall trail maintenance. In addition, the new, improved trail will maintain quiet spaces for park users, passive use of the lily pond and will create a more attractive park edge while at the same time greatly improving the overall park experience for runners and walkers.

The final phase of the trail will cost approximately $160,000 — about the same amount as the redo of the northwest alignment, the park’s east side and its southwest edge completed in October. The more than $300,000 in total cost is being provided through a private donation. Denver Parks and Recreation is picking up the design costs.

Urban Fantasyland

Of course it’s not just the trail and exercise that make this retreat a sanctuary for Valley urban dwellers. Beautiful, wide-open spaces and two lakes dominate the park landscape. It has several soccer fields, two playgrounds (one handicapped accessible), a basketball and roller blade court plus a horseshoe pit. There are 10 tennis courts and a lawn bowling green, plus the lakes and a pond.

The renovated recreation center features an indoor pool and gym facility. The park is a fantasyland for inline skaters and bicyclists as well as gardening enthusiasts. The park’s colorful flower beds along Downing Street are considered among the Valley’s unsurpassed summer attractions. With lots of grassy areas the park is a magnet for playing catch, setting up volleyball nets or laying down a blanket for a picnic. Not to mention the good-looking people of both genders who remind us that the Valley is the fittest in the country.

Then there’s also culture: There are terrific free concerts in the park during the summer and the Colorado Symphony plays here each year. The restored boathouse pavilion is available for special occasions and parkgoers who develop a prodigious appetite will find eateries for virtually all tastes within walking or jogging distance of the park.

Tony Lee has his opponent on the ground and is pummeling him fist after fist into submission. The referee intervenes and calls the fight after 38 seconds in the first round. At age 31 the former University of Northern Colorado collegiate football standout has a new career as an MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter — at least in the evenings.

A much beloved youth counselor for the Glendale YMCA Teen Program for three years, Lee is still remembered fondly by many Glendale kids. For years he took them on trips, played sports with them, helped them with their homework and most of all made sure they knew the importance of going to college.

“I can’t believe what an incredibly tough fighter Tony is in the ring,” said YMCA Executive Director of the Glendale Sports Center Debbie Ford. “But as a teen counselor in Glendale he was the kindest, most patient person I’ve ever met.”

During his time at the University of Northern Colorado Lee became an All-Conference safety who played on two NCAA Division II teams while graduating in four years with honors. He then stayed at UNC to earn his Master’s Degree in Communications and coach football for three years, where he met and helped recruit San Diego Chargers Wide Receiver Vince Jackson who became a close friend.

These days Lee has his own kid to mentor — two-year-old Theodore whom Lee clearly adores. With his son getting bigger every day Lee says he doesn’t have as much time as he used to for volunteering with kids but says he misses it and would like to get back into it soon.

In addition to raising Theodore, Lee has a very lucrative Executive Sales day job with LEAM Drilling Systems Inc. which is a full-service provider of Directional and Horizontal Drilling Services to the oil and gas industry. But at night he has a completely different job.

Into The Ring

Once the sun sets Lee gets ready for his “new night gig” which is MMA fighting. Lee had been doing some martial arts training with one of his customers last fall when one of his colleagues asked if he wanted to fight him in the ring. Plans for the fight fell through but Lee had already been training so he called the promoter, Fight To Win, and asked him to set up a fight with who they thought was their toughest fighter. Lee got in the ring with Chris Goettesch and knocked him out in 38 seconds. Goettesch was Fight To Win’s top-ranked amateur and Lee took him out in the first round in his first fight ever. Lee’s win occurred at the National Western Complex in October 2011.

“That first fight was very cool because a lot of my old college football buddies and people from the oil field came out,” Lee said. “A friend of mine even made t-shirts that said ‘T. Lee’s Army’ for my friends and co-workers. It was a great turnout.”

After his first victory Fight to Win invited Lee to fight for their heavyweight championship as a professional but then another promoter, Ring of Fire, swooped in.

“Ring of Fire was a step up in competition that my coaches wanted me to take,” Lee explained. “A number of heavyweight fighters from Ring of Fire have made it to the UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship] which is the highest level of MMA — it’s like the NFL of MMA.”

According to Lee, Ring of Fire is “the best avenue to pursue getting to the highest level in the sport” and he now has a three-fight professional contract with them. He will compete three times in the next 14 months. The promoter pays Lee one number to show up and another number to win.

Although Lee says there is “money to be made for sure” in MMA fighting he also says that he’s not fighting for the money.

“I do very well with my day job and don’t need the money,” Lee explained. “I wasn’t good enough to go to the NFL but I am good enough to be a professional fighter. When I was young I didn’t have the focus that I have now as an adult and I’m very excited for the opportunity.”

He continued, “I like fighting because there is no one else to blame if I lose. When my son grows up he will know his dad was capable of accomplishing his goals and working hard.”

What It Takes

Standing a towering 6’ 3’’ and weighing in at 240 pounds, Lee is all muscle. But he wasn’t always that way. Like a lot of former football players, after graduation he stopped running and lifting weights on a regular basis and wasn’t following the same regimen he was on while on the team.

“I had become a typical couch potato on weekends and was concentrating more on work than staying in shape,” Lee explained. “Once I decided to fight I had to change my lifestyle completely.”

Lee’s transformation to become a MMA fighter was nothing less than extraordinary. For his October 2011 fight he trained for 16 weeks. It was the first time he had done martial arts in 20 years and he dropped 34 pounds. Lee’s regimen consisted of lifting weights at Colorado Athletic Club and working with coaches at Colorado Krav Maga where he lifts weights, does conditioning, Muay Thai and Jiu jitsu. He also cut out complex carbohydrates, sweets, soda and beer and eats mostly chicken and seafood.

“My goal is to make every fight exciting and I have to be in shape to do that,” Lee said. “Usually training is eight weeks — camp twice a week, six days a week — but I work out constantly.”

Lee fights in the heavyweight division (205 to 265 pounds) and at 31-years-old he says he is getting into the sport late but that most fighters peak at around 35.

Although wrestlers (rather than football players) usually are the athletes transitioning into MMA, Lee did Taekwondo as a kid so for him MMA was a “natural transition.” In fact, Lee competed in Taekwondo in the 1988 Junior Olympics.

While Lee clearly has a passion for fighting in the ring he is also aware that taking a beating comes with the territory.

“You have to have at least one screw loose to get into a cage and fight another guy,” he said with a laugh. “But I’m highly competitive. I’d rather get carried out of there than lose.”

While Lee says that his initial fight was “over pretty quickly” he does get beat up in training. After the first fight he rested for a few weeks and got right back into training to avoid “getting rusty.”

See What It’s All About

His next fight takes place in March at the First Bank Center — check www.rofmma .com for updates on dates, times and tickets. Diem Sports Gear, a non-profit sports apparel company based out of Denver, is Lee’s sponsor and will be putting together more “T. Lee’s Army” shirts for friends, family and fans at the event. Expect big crowds at the March event as over 300 people showed up to Lee’s first fight.

In the meantime, Lee will continue training and getting himself as ready as possible for his next bout in the cage. He says he hopes that when his son is old enough to understand what his father is doing that he is proud.

“I would never want to be considered a bully or an aggressive person outside the cage,” Lee said. “I don’t like the preconceptions that come with being an MMA fighter because I would never fight out on the street. This is strictly a sport for me.”

He continued, “That being said I love the competitiveness and really enjoy testing my skill set against someone else’s.”

Gallagher added: “It undermines public trust to maintain photo enforcement programs that are profitable but whose safety impact has not been conclusively shown.” He recommended that if “this situation persists, then the photo enforcement programs should be shut down.”

The photo red light program has become very lucrative but that wasn’t always the case. Not enough people were in fact running red lights or even actually stopping in the intersection to justify the cost of the vendor. Stop the program? Oh no, just find a vendor who was less squeamish about what the law required. ACS’s “local solution” was to innovatively reinterpret Denver Municipal Ordinance 54-101(3)(a) so that merely touching the white line before the crosswalk was a photo radar red light violation. Voila! In just six months the fines increased to $1.3 million compared with $230,000 in the preceding four months. ACS was amply rewarded by the City Council for its legal skullduggery with a renewal of contract with an increase of $141,600 to $700,000. Yes, it is all about safety.

ACS has something less than a sterling reputation for business ethics. In 2005 it was charged with bribing police officers in the city of Edmonton in an effort to win a multimillion dollar photo radar contract. The charges were eventually dismissed.

As indicated in the guest editorial on this page by the former First Assistant Colorado Attorney General, ACS’s bilking of the driving public is invalid. The Ordinance says you must stop “at” the white line and not “before” it. Thus millions of dollars in traffic fines are invalid. Of course an individual will have to appeal past the traffic court judges who are part and parcel of Denver’s disgraceful traffic court system.

It is obvious that using ACS’s dubious interpretation of the law has nothing to do with running red lights or public safety but instead solely to raise money by a City Council that is increasingly profligate with tax revenues now that John Hickenlooper has moved on to the governor’s office.

That brings us to Councilwoman Jeanne Robb who has been dubbed as the “Queen of Photo Radar” by many people. She asserts that her constituents are constantly telling her how much they love being fined for non-existent red light violations. She incredulously declared in a column in Life on Capitol Hill titled “Seeing Red” that: “Traffic enforcement must be about safety, not about raising revenue.” She is clearly being disingenuous if not downright dishonest.

Her constant refrain during the photo radar debate is that the “media is giving out misinformation to the public.” She never identifies who she is talking about or what exactly is the “misinformation.” As for the “who,” it has to be at a minimum Denver Post columnist Vincent Carroll, as well as ABC 7 News, KDVR Fox 31 News and, of course, the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle. She reportedly threw a fit about our and other media outlets’ stories of how you didn’t have to pay your photo radar speeding or red light ticket if you received simply a notice by regular mail unless and until you were personally served. This includes serving someone at your principal place of residence over the age of 18.

Unfortunately for Ms. Robb’s credibility, City Auditor Gallagher in his “Denver Photo Enforcement Program — Performance Audit” confirmed what the media has been telling the public under “Results of Non-Payment of Photo Enforcement Citations.”

Gallagher stated: “If an individual is not served with a PAN [Penalty Assessment Notice] then the alleged violation appears to be unenforceable under C.R.S. [Colorado Revised Statutes] and D.R.M.C. [Denver Revised Municipal Code] and failure to pay does not result in an individual being referred to collections.” He has recommended sending notices by Certified Mail to remedy the loophole, but to date Denver has not done so and doing so would create its own set of problems.

The most recent polls indicate that approval for legislative bodies such as Congress is at an all-time low. Denver City Council is the legislative body for the City and County of Denver but it appears not to understand that when you pretend safety is your concern (when it is clearly money) whatever trust the public has for the legislative body becomes increasingly frayed.

The Denver Post’s Vincent Carroll perhaps summed it up best when he declared: “Denver is fleecing motorists, pure and simple. And all but two council members think that is fine.” Councilwoman Jeanne Robb is right that someone out there is misinforming the public but it is she and not the media that is performing that disservice.

— Editorial Board

Now, this will generate state and local sales tax revenue that at first estimates for the state legislators will enact excise tax on wholesalers. The first $40 million will be directed to Colorado’s Public School construction fund.

To show you the support that this pooch has generated, the state required 86,105 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. The campaign submitted nearly 160,000 signatures in about a cup of coffee. Maybe it’s just me but there appears to be a lot of people who want to decriminalize marijuana and regulate it like alcohol.

This is a terrific step in the right direction. First of all the state can get a clear picture of how many people are smoking dope or at least those who are smart enough to want to end this stupid war on drugs. Remember the passage of Amendment 20 in 2000 that brought about medical marijuana which in the view of a lot of people was the step toward ultimately decriminalizing the wildwood weed.

What’s pretty interesting is that although epistemologically sound, a lot of callers to my radio show (I know these people aren’t liars, winky-wink) support decriminalization and yet claim they are not currently using marijuana — who knew?

It’s important to understand that the enforcement of drug laws related to marijuana has given rise to one of the largest gang elements in American history — the cartels. Just like when the Volstead Act was brought into law at the end of the Woodrow Wilson era and the beginning of Warren Harding. If you know your history Wilson tried to veto the Act in a vegetative state. (Remember those wonderful folks who brought you the Federal Reserve and into the era of Harding whose presidency would make Bill Clinton blush). Warren, a newspaper man himself, had a father who once said to him, “It’s a good thing that you’re not a woman Warren because you’d always be in the family way.” Warren, Clinton and Mayor Hancock all seem to have a lot in common, don’t they?

If you’re as old as I am, you remember when small amounts of stems and seeds could get you double life in parts of the south and Texas. I began smoking pot in about 1966, and one of the things I found is that unlike alcohol, when I was stoned I wanted to do three things: 1) Eat; 2) Watch color cartoons on TV — especially Scooby Doo; 3) Join Hancock, Clinton and Harding in pursuing the opposite sex.

I never got in a fight in my life when I was stoned — I wish I could say the same thing about alcohol, aka, the devil’s urine. In fact, most bad things I’ve done in my life included alcohol and/or a woman.

So as the man said, what’s it gonna be? Let’s have a show of hands out there in newspaper land — how many of you have ever smoked pot? Don’t lie — I know most of you. You all have your medical marijuana cards in your back pocket because you told that old, senile doctor that your back hurts.

I think it’s time to grow up in this country. Everybody I know, unlike Clinton, has inhaled and many continue to do so. We talk about the Denver Sugar/Denver Players List and who Pat Sullivan’s best friends and clients were, but what you really want to know is this: Who is smoking dope in the Mile High City. Hint: one very prominent Denverite was known to sell marijuana to my producer and a columnist in this newspaper, Greg Hollenback.

So as we said when someone would make a food run — all of that, and a bag of chips.

If you have an ounce of brains, in November vote yes on the initiative to regulate marijuana like alcohol. Stop the stupidity of the war on drugs — at least on marijuana.

Don’t bogart that joint — peace and love.

Peter

Looking for something different to do on any given night of the week? Although karaoke was invented in 1971, over 40 years later it is becoming an increasingly popular trend in the Cherry Creek Valley. Bars from DTC to downtown are dedicating at least one night a week to karaoke, allowing Valley residents the opportunity to sing like a rock star seven nights a week. Among the many venues that feature karaoke nights are WT Shorty’s on Leetsdale in Southeast Denver, Darcy’s Bistro & Pub located off of Belleview in the DTC area, Star Bar on Larimer Street in LoDo and Woody’s located off of Evans Avenue in Southeast Denver.

“I’ve been singing karaoke once a week for 11 years,” said Valley resident Chris Cater. “I’ve lived in Vail and Denver and I’ve always found places that have karaoke because it’s something my friends and I really like to do.”

But karaoke has changed a lot over the years. The days of tipsy businessmen singing Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” are over. These days, karaoke is no joke and if you don’t have the pipes, get off the stage. Even celebrities like Jude Law and Jack Black and Grammy-winning singers like Kelly Clarkson do karaoke. Some of the renditions are great while others are definitely not music to anyone’s ears.

Grammy-nominated singer Jewel has sung karaoke except she initially went undercover as “Karen” as an experiment to see the reactions of the bar patrons for whom she was performing. Dressed in a wig, prosthetic nose and glasses, “Karen” sings a few Jewel songs and wows the crowd so much that she earned the first ever encore in the history of the bar. Later, Jewel gets on stage (as herself) and sings her songs. Although shocked and excited to see Jewel, the patrons interviewed said they thought “Karen” sang the songs better. What they didn’t know was that Karen and Jewel were the same person. Even Jewel gets criticized when she sings karaoke!

Among the local celebrities that are karaoke fanatics is American Furniture Warehouse owner Jake Jabs who reportedly regularly appears in nightclubs around town with a surprisingly good repertoire of songs.

Conversely, according to the Smoking Gun, a karaoke singer recently assaulted patrons in a bar after getting booed off stage. The cops at the scene charged the singer with three counts of assault, obstruction, resisting arrest, persistent disorderly conduct, intoxication and underage consumption. Unfortunately, the police report did not indicate what song the singer was massacring during his performance.

Sharpen Your Skills

Have you ever thought of showing off that golden singing voice you’ve been perfecting in your shower stall? Perhaps you might consider a singing lesson or two. Today there are a lot of vocal instructors happy to help you avoid embarrassment at karaoke night at your local watering hole.

According to Director of the Denver Music Institute Rich Rychel, people of all ages, levels and styles want to improve their singing whether it’s for a wedding, karaoke or American Idol tryouts. The Institute has been providing music instruction since 1999 and all of their vocal and music lessons are private.

“We used to get the most calls from people wanting to learn to play guitar but in the last five years we get the most calls for voice lessons and I credit American Idol for that,” Rychel explained. “We also get a lot of people who want to sing better and feel more confident when they go to karaoke nights which is something we are well setup for as we have karaoke tracks and a karaoke player.”

He continued, “We have found that our karaoke equipment is very helpful to our students because it gets them singing with a backing track minus the vocals.”

According to Rychel his instructors will teach their students the songs they want to sing and will tailor the lessons to them. He says that singing the karaoke tracks is the bridge to singing with a band.

For more information call the Denver Music Institute at 303-788-0303 or e-mail them at denvermusicinstitute@msn.com.

Voice lessons are also taught at the Glendale Sports Center located at 4500 E. Kentucky Avenue. For more information call 303-639-4711 or e-mail kklinger@denver ymca.org for a registration form.

Changing With The Times

Once you’ve honed your singing skills and check out the karaoke bar scene you’ll notice that hearing a song on an mp3 and reading the lyrics off of a flat screen television is a whole different animal from the original karaoke machines invented by Japanese musician Daisuke Inoue in Kobe, Japan in 1971. After becoming popular in Japan, karaoke spread to East and Southeast Asia during the 1980s and subsequently to other parts of the world.

In the early 1990s, karaoke machines were initially placed in restaurants and hotel rooms but as more music became available for karaoke machines more people within the industry saw karaoke as a profitable form of lounge and nightclub entertainment. As a result, bars and clubs started hiring hosts such as local host Dutch Opperman to put on karaoke shows.

Dutch has four systems all with professional PA equipment for maximum sound and in larger venues he brings a light show. His song list features over 100,000 songs for singers to choose from and he adds music to the list every month.

A self-proclaimed “karaoke junkie,” Dutch got into karaoke in the late 1980s after realizing that the music industry wasn’t for him. He first discovered karaoke in a restaurant in California and was immediately hooked.

“I thought what a wonderful, exciting thing — to be able to show off your singing abilities in front of people without having a band,” he said.

Dutch went to karaoke every week and then decided it was time to try and make a living out of something he loved to do.

“After many years of attending the same old boring karaoke shows I felt that maybe I had something to offer or I was at least going to give it a shot,” he explained.

As a diehard music fan and aficionado, Dutch says he gives everyone the opportunity to be a star. He has been in the karaoke business since 1995 and although the music industry has changed people’s yearning for singing onstage has not.

“Once someone has a good experience with karaoke they are hooked,” he added.

Karaoke Brings Talent

Because karaoke nights usually start later — around 9 or 10 p.m. — Cater says that some karaoke nights tend to be populated by people in the service industry such as waiters, bartenders, valets and taxi drivers.

“There is a lot of talent out there,” said Cater. “I’ve seen people coming off of doing a play, tending bar or parking cars and absolutely kill it on stage.”

While Cater used to have staple songs he would always sing now he changes it up and tries new songs all the time. He says the key is choosing songs that are good for your particular voice and that knowing the melodies and the words is crucial even if they are right in front of you.

According to several bartenders, karaoke is one of the busiest nights of the week because it brings in large crowds. Also, it’s good to have another attraction in addition to food and drinks.

Cater said that on more than one occasion he has seen lead singers of local and national bands sing karaoke — their own songs and other people’s songs. He has also seen people who are good enough to try out for national singing competitions.

“I know for a fact that people who come to these karaoke nights have tried out for American Idol at least once,” he added.

For years, Point of Sale (POS) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems have been clunky, expensive, dependent upon a single terminal, poorly designed, and everything but user-friendly. This is a serious detriment to owners and managers, who are oftentimes restricted by their POS or CRM software. The obstacles arising from this technological restriction are something that most business owners will be very familiar with: downtime in operation, loss of data, inability to access data, hardware malfunction, difficulty in training employees, initial and recurring costs and much more.

Responding to these concerns, InspireSmart, a local and national leader in the design and development of custom software and applications, announces the introduction of ConnectBusiness, an innovative Point of Sale and Customer Relationship Management solution for business owners that is both affordable and user-friendly.

System Advantages

As an entirely online, cloud-based application, the system affords many advantages over traditional POS software:

• POS & CRM platforms combined in one application allows for complete control of nearly all business operations such as making sales, creating employee schedules, tracking customer purchases and more.
• Data storage in the cloud provides for instant access of that data anywhere at any time.
• Online storage also reduces the risk of data loss from computer failures, power outages, etc.
• The simplicity and intuitive design of the system reduces the time and effort put into training new employees.
• Hardware agnostic software eliminates the high costs of POS terminals.
• A “wow” factor: Customers are impressed by a business that is up to speed with technology and utilizing it in sales and service interactions.

“With this new system businesses will feel less confined by hardware compatibilities and thus choose devices based on their particular business needs,” explains company President Subodh C. Gupta. This means that the system can be used on any device that is Internet-enabled which today is nearly every device imaginable: desktop computer, laptop computer, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Windows phone, even an XBOX 360 or Playstation 3. This will give business owners the ability to view data not only at the business location but also from home, the office or anywhere with an Internet connection.

In addition to releasing ConnectBusiness as a universal Web app, Gupta reveals that InspireSmart is in the process of developing the software into a native iPad application, which will take advantage of Apple’s leading mobile operating systems, iOS 4 and iOS 5. The iPad app will have all the same functionality as the Web app but with the added element of touch and ease of use on one of the most cutting edge technologies of our time. In cases when Internet access is unavailable, the iPad app will run in an offline mode and all data will automatically sync to the cloud once reconnected to the Web. This sync takes place on the same database as the Web app, so cloud functionality will extend across platforms.

Test Drive Free

InspireSmart also plans to port the same ConnectBusiness app to Microsoft’s new metro style app platform. The metro style app platform will be a cross device, mobile-style interface that will work with all versions of Windows 8 (desktop, tablet, and mobile). Metro style apps will be available for purchase on the Windows app marketplace, much like iPhone and iPad apps are available on the Apple app store.

Gupta says the basic system will contain all of the features necessary for the majority of businesses. He also adds that InspireSmart will also be offering customization for businesses that need a little more than what comes with the basic application. During the initial launch and for a limited time the company is offering the application free of charge. “This will give businesses a chance to test drive the application to see if it will work for them.” As an added bonus, users of the app will receive a free Web site for their businesses on the ConnectBusiness domain (http://www.connectbiz.me/companyname). Registration will be very straightforward requiring a business name, an owner’s name, address, phone number, e-mail address, type of business and a merchant account of choice.

InspireSmart is allowing users to decide on whether they would like to sign up for a ConnectBusiness merchant service to use with their account or if they’d rather use their existing merchant services account. The benefit of signing up for a ConnectBusiness account is that InspireSmart will take care of all of the logistics and paperwork associated with these types of accounts, allowing clients to focus on running their business. Gupta says that this really exemplifies what the system is about.

“Providing the business owner with the basic tools necessary to keep track of sales, employees, schedules, etc., while allowing them the freedom to choose everything else based on their specific business including hardware, operating system and payment method is what separates us,” he explains.

Information: 303-757-2800 or www.inspiresmart.com / www.connectbizapp.com

What is love? I’ve been pondering this question for 39 years and seven months now. The question seems to be growing in my mind more and more theses days. Maybe it’s because I’m still not married and the big 4 0 is looking more visible than the newly landed crow’s feet on my face. Honestly I can’t believe there aren’t more people like me. Am I the only one left in the world that believes in finding true intimacy in a mate before I hand over the keys to my life? I mean this is important stuff, right?

I am continually amazed when I see people who put more time, effort and consideration into buying a car or even a pair of shoes than they do finding their mates. I will be the first to admit that I was conditioned by the urgency of the societal norm. You know what I’m talking about — the order of life. Date, fall in love, tie the knot, and then leave your mark on the world with a couple chips off the old block. These outdated notions haven’t done anyone any favors; in fact I truly believe this mindless approach has created a society of empty souls who spend more time trying to hide who they really are rather than creating relationships that are conducive to personal growth and comfortable self expression. Personally I refuse to contribute to this pandemic of human decay that is leaving dysfunctional families with disillusioned bastard children in its wake.

Definition: Love — an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment.

That’s from the dictionary. Am I the only one who sees something wrong with that definition? I’m ok with the literary meaning of the word love if you are, I just think it’s a shame such a beautiful word has to be attached with so much dysfunction. Let’s break it down.

First off, love is an emotion? What the… Come on, we all know emotion is void of any logic, not to mention full of drama. Next, “strong affection and personal attachment,” one word, stalker! Stalker is a bit extreme but seriously that sounds a lot like dependency to me. If I may, I would like to redefine the word love, thereby giving relationships everywhere true meaning worth striving for.

My Definition: Love — open acceptance with realistic expectations that promote honesty, health and growth.

If you haven’t figured it out by now I take finding the right woman seriously — a woman who gets it, gets me. I figure why stop now, I’ve come this far and I’m willing to go the distance. I know I’m rolling the dice and taking a huge risk that the kind of love I’m talking about will ever come to fruition. The next time I tell a woman I love her she will know I have the utmost admiration and respect for her. She will know me inside and out, at all costs. She will never have to guess what’s on my mind and we will never feel like strangers in the same home who are going through the motions of life just because we’re supposed to.

So guys, as Valentine’s Day looms and you’ll inevitably find yourself sitting in your car outside of Walgreens Pharmacy with a bundle of mass produced roses and a heart shaped Hallmark card, keep this article in mind and the true meaning of Valentine’s Day. If you want to read more about the true meaning of Valentine’s Day and how you can make it a more bearable holiday check out www.greghollenback .com and read the article I wrote last February titled “A Guy’s Guide To Surviving Valentine’s Day.”

Don’t miss next month when I kick off a three part series on “The Art Of The Pickup”… “The Hunt,” “The Chase” and “The Kill.” It’ll be worth the price of admission.

by Charles C. Bonniwell

Denver’s ever increasing photo radar and stop light enforcement program which was highlighted in the September and October 2011 issues of the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle has come under fire. The amount of fines collected has more than doubled in a single year with Denver taking in $3.6 million in 2010 and over $6 million in 2011 just through October.

With more and more Denver citizens being fined over and over again, some segments of the population are becoming agitated over what many see as the city simply bilking the residents. In Colorado Springs the red light program was terminated in October 2011 after an outcry of citizens and the failure of the police to demonstrate it increased safety in any meaningful manner.

Denver City Auditor Dennis Gallagher has published an 87 page “Performance Audit” on Denver’s Photo Enforcement Program. He declared that the Denver Police Department “has not demonstrated that the photo radar program has a positive impact on public safety” and came to a similar conclusion on photo red light program’s safety impact. He said that “because these programs were sold as public safety enhancements but are widely reviewed as a cash grab, it undermines public trust. . . .” He recommended that unless the safety impact can be conclusively shown “the photo enforcement programs should be shut down.”

Denver Post columnist Vince Carroll wrote a scathing piece titled “Photo Radar Cash Cows.” He declared, “If Denver is so determined to fill its coffers with unearned loot, it might as well deputize a troupe of pickpockets and deploy them on the 16th Street Mall. At least then there’d be no pretense of serving the public interest.” He noted that Denver ranks fifth in the nation in highest number of speed trap locations.

Carroll quoted defense attorney Gary Pirosko: “The public is sick of cities using them as an ATM machine. I’m telling people to follow the law. Make them serve you personally.” But Gallagher noted in his report that Denver could in the future avoid personal service requirement by sending the notices by certified mail as permitted by Denver Revised Municipal Code. He also noted that “if an individual is not served with a [Penalty Service Notice] then the alleged violation appears to be unenforceable under C.R.S. and D.R.M.C. and the failure to pay the [Notice of Violation] does not result in an individual being referred to collections.” The City Auditor did not opine on what would happen where the alleged violator did not sign for the certified mail if Denver went to a certified mail program.

Denver Police Respond

In response to Gallagher’s “Performance Audit” the Denver Police agreed that the “photo radar program’s safety impact has not been sufficiently measured” and that the same needed to be done to “ensure public confidence.” To the amazement and consternation of many, the Denver Police then turned around and designated ACS to the study which is the outside vendor that makes almost three quarters of million dollars a year off the program. Given that ACS would hardly be an impartial party the police action was even too much for the editorial board of The Denver Post. The editorial board noted that even though “we’re not eager to see photo radar or photo red-light enforcement discredited . . . both programs clearly rub many motorists the wrong way.” It went on to urge Denver officials “apply the most rigorous possible analysis to demonstrate that the programs are fulfilling their promise and that they aren’t simply means of generating income for the vendor and Denver itself.”

Some critics charge that neither Denver nor its Police Department have the honesty or intellectual capability to undertake such a rigorous analysis of its own program that brings in such enormous amounts of money to ACS and the cash-strapped city.

Present Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson has set up a 22-person task force to look into the potential crimes that might have been committed by the former sheriff. The task force includes investigators from Denver and the South Metro Drug Task Force as well as his Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Department. But who is investigating whether Grayson Robinson and the various metropolitan law enforcement agencies were either negligent or complicit in allowing Pat Sullivan to lead a life of crime with apparent immunity. Robinson was Sullivan’s undersheriff and in large part owed his job as sheriff to Sullivan. Law enforcement and the Arapahoe County DA will undoubtedly throw the book at Sullivan but many will wonder whether that is to ensure that no one looks at how Sullivan got away with his crimes for so long.

In the early 1960s, thanks to Rocky Mountain News reporter Al Nakkula and Denver Post reporter Zeke Scher, it was exposed that dozens of Denver police officers were, on a regular basis, robbing businesses in Denver. Initially Denver’s top police brass said it just one rogue cop, Art Winstanley, who was responsible. But because of the press and a tough judge the Denver Police Department could not totally cover up how extensive the corruption was. Eventually 53 Denver cops were arrested and 45 sent to jail for those crimes. But not one officer above the rank of patrolman with the exception of one sergeant was arrested. It was believed that the rings could not have existed for so many years involving so many police officers without the awareness and involvement of all ranks, but detectives and command officers managed to skate free as they helped orchestrate and control the investigation. Is history going to repeat itself?

The question is whether Sullivan would have ever been arrested at all absent the fact that KHOW radio host Tom Martino and his investigator Jonathan Elinoff came to the police on November 14, 2011, and informed them of what they knew and that they intended to take the story public. What Martino and Elinoff didn’t know was that every police agency in the Denver metropolitan area already knew all about Pat Sullivan’s activities. For example, in January 2011, the West Metro Task Force composed of seven different law enforcement agencies in Jefferson and Gilpin counties had an informant tell them that Pat Sullivan was exchanging drugs for sex. The Task Force says it set up a buy/bust sting for Sullivan based on information from the informant. Sullivan drove to the drug house but had a young companion go in and buy the drugs. Since Sullivan did not go into the house the investigation was terminated.

In March 2011 an informant e-mailed Boulder DA Stan Garnett outlining Sullivan’s drug activities. Garnett passed it on to an investigator who presented it to the South Metro Task Force which is composed of 13 law enforcement agencies in Arapahoe, Douglas and Elbert counties. Once again apparently nothing was done. In the summer of 2011, a former Denver detective informed the Denver Police Department about Sullivan’s criminal activities and he was surprised that Denver also did not apparently follow up.

In September 2011 Dillon Grilley reported to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s office that Pat Sullivan was at his house trying to get his two roommates re-addicted to methamphetamine. He told Sullivan that he had called police, and Sullivan allegedly responded, “You want the police. Well I am the police.” He then flashed a badge he carried as a deputy Arapahoe County Sheriff. Present Arapahoe County Sheriff Robinson simply wrote to Sullivan on September 26, 2011, saying his credentials in his possession from the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office were “revoked” and he no longer had any authority as a peace officer associated with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office. The implication of the letter was that the retired Sullivan did in fact have authority as a peace officer in Arapahoe County. Sullivan just ignored the letter and never turned in his credentials. Robinson did nothing about it until after Sullivan’s arrest. The letter to Sullivan seems strange on its face. Why didn’t Robinson want to get Sullivan’s side of the story? Why did he believe the uncorroborated statement of a single person unless Robinson was already well aware of Sullivan’s activities?

It was only after Martino and Elinoff were about to break the Sullivan story did the police act with any alacrity. An outside independent person or group needs to look at what local law enforcement knew and when did they know about Pat Sullivan’s criminal activities. The Arapahoe County Commissioners should demand it. If they don’t, you can assume that the Pat Sullivan scandal involves a great deal more concerning law enforcement than just Pat Sullivan.

— Editorial Board

by Charles C. Bonniwell

In the last issue of the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle, the brewing war between the administrators of the Denver Public Schools (DPS) and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association was highlighted. This issue we discuss the reforms for the Far Northeast region and why they are considered ground zero in the battle. All sides agreed that Montbello High School and five of its feeder schools in the Far Northeast were some of the worst performing schools in all of Denver and needed reforming.

What it came down to was whether reforms should be driven by Denver administrators alone or would the process include the school teachers themselves. DPS decided that the teachers would be an impediment to reform and were not to be involved except in a highly superficial manner. The School Board election this past November assures that the “Reform” slate will retain a four to three majority for the immediate future and the Far Northeast reforms will be implemented in full.

Knowing that radical reforms were being considered, the teachers had attempted to begin instituting reforms themselves. For example at Green Valley Elementary School the teachers were able to get a grant from the Colorado Department of Education of approximately $250,000. Teachers participating in a reform program received $4,500 each and the school’s standardized CSAP scores were improved. Nonetheless the entire program was shut down by DPS when its top-down reforms were instituted.

DPS’s reform program for the Far Northeast is way more radical than a simple laundry list of the changes it might suggest. To understand the changes one first must understand that instead of simply one type of school there are now four different types of schools in Denver:

Traditional Neighborhood School — A public school that draws students from set geographical boundaries designated by the School Board.

Charter School — A school operated by a private entity with public monies.

Turnaround School — Initially a federal Department of Education designation of a chronically under-performing school that has developed a plan to improve achievement based on data-driven strategies for increasing student achievement and performance.

Innovation School — A school in DPS that applies for a waiver of district policies, state statutes and/or parts of the labor contract in order to attain autonomy and flexibility in serving their student population.

The Far Northeast Reforms

DPS took the area’s high school (Montbello) and middle school (Noel) and four of the 14 elementary schools and declared them chronically underperforming turnaround schools. DPS then replaced them with two charter schools and eight innovation schools in which all of the regular rules and, in particular, labor contracts were voided. Denver Classroom Teachers President Henry Roman summed it up by saying, “They eliminated all of the employees’ rights and called that reform.”

Montbello High School is being phased out over three years and in its place are:

•           Collegiate Prep Academy (“Collegiate”) for ninth through 12th grades.

•           High Tech Early College (“High Tech”) for ninth through 12th grades.

•           Denver Center for International Studies (“DCIS”) for sixth through 12th grades.

Montbello was known generally for its lack of academic rigor. Traditionally a large majority of Montbello High School graduates who actually made it to college had to take extensive remedial classes. Conversely, under the new program, students in the accelerated academic Collegiate and High Tech programs  finish all high school graduation requirements by their junior year as well as college credits. They then take college level classes in their senior year. Students have a fifth year opportunity to graduate with an Associate’s Degree which allows them to enter as juniors in Colorado universities with the cost for college effectively being cut in half.

Noel Middle School was scrapped and replaced by a national charter school KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) which has 100 schools in 20 states as well as a sixth through 12th grade arts program. Oakland Elementary will become a SOAR charter school while Ford Elementary will become a K-5th DCIS school. At McGlone Elementary and Green Valley, all existing teachers were let go although they could reapply to be hired. The recently hired principal at McGlone stayed while a new principal was brought in at Green Valley. In addition, the school day was extended by an hour for the students.

Unionized Teachers Ousted

The Far Northeast reform gutted the existence of unionized traditional teachers at the effected schools. While no exact number is publicly available it is believed that by the end of the reform process as many as 90 percent of the teachers will have lost their jobs and none of the teachers in the new schools will have the protection of the teachers’ union contract. Roman points out that on average the most harshly effected are the older teachers whose experience is not valued compared with the flexibility and attitude of younger teachers. Some will get jobs elsewhere in the DPS system while others will end up on unpaid leave pursuant to Senate Bill 191 which passed in 2010 in an unsuccessful effort to garner federal Race to the Top money.

Will the reforms work? In an article by former DPS school board candidate Christopher Scott titled “What’s Up in Denver’s Public School System?” he insisted that all of the reforms instituted have been tried in Denver before and failed. Conversely DPS asserts that prior to reforms being instituted only 65 percent of the children in the Far Northeast went to school in that region with the rest (including Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s son Jordan) fleeing to other DPS schools. In its first semester of reform DPS claims 92 percent of the eligible children now elect to go to school in the Far Northeast region.

Roman says that the new schools should attract students outside the region so the demographic of the students in Far Northeast schools will change, which by itself will change test scores. Moreover $10 million in additional funding has been provided which should also make a positive difference.

The Future

But if the Far Northeast reform program is to be a template for future reforms throughout Denver, the Denver Classroom Teachers Association members are in deep trouble. It is clear that DPS views the traditional teachers in the Denver school system as part of the problem and not part of the solution, notwithstanding any assertions to the contrary. That is more than a little distressing for those teachers who have dedicated most of their lives to educating Denver’s youth. The Denver Classroom Teachers Association has sued DPS claiming the teachers’ consent by secret ballot to many of the reforms was required by law. DPS asserts that the teachers, by applying or reapplying for their jobs at the schools, gave their implied consent.

It is anticipated that the Far Northeast program’s results will be scrutinized by educators not only throughout Colorado but across the country. Will the reforms make a difference or will it be the case of the more things change the more they stay the same. Would including the existing teachers’ input have helped the reforms or are teachers in fact the enemy of meaningful change? The accepted answers to those questions will dramatically effect the face of public education in Colorado for many years to come.