thedenverpost--2020-07-14--Small businesses worldwide fight for survival amid pandemic

Hour after hour in the dark , Chander Shekhar ’ s mind raced ahead to morning .
More than three months had dragged by since the coronavirus forced Shekhar to shut down his business — a narrow , second-floor shop racked with vibrantly colored saris , on a block in New York ’ s Jackson Heights neighborhood once thronged with South Asian immigrant shoppers .
Today , finally , he and other merchants were allowed to reopen their doors .
But they were returning to an area where COVID-19 had killed hundreds , leaving sidewalks desolate and storefronts to gather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But no one knew what lay ahead on this late-June Monday as owners raised the gates at jewelry stores , tandoori restaurants and bridal shops clustered near Roosevelt Avenue ’ s elevated train line .
Overnight , the stress had woken Shekhar nine times .
“ You can not tell everybody it ’ s safe to come and buy from us .
This is an invisible enemy that nobody can see , ” said Shekhar , a father of two anxious about the shop ’ s $ 6,000 monthly rent .
“ This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , of the store , Shopno Fashion .
“ I have worked hard for this for more than 20 years , then I got my shop .
It ’ s not easy to leave it.
” Amid the deaths of friends and customers , Shekhar is reluctant to complain .
And he knows he is not alone .
As economies around the world reopen , legions of small businesses that help define and sustain neighborhoods are struggling .
The stakes for their survival are high : The U.N. estimates that businesses with fewer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employment worldwide .
Editor ’ s note : Small businesses around the world are fighting for survival amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic .
Whether they make it will affect not just local economies but the fabric of communities .
Associated Press journalists tell their stories in this series “ Small Business Struggles.
” In New Orleans , the owner of a gallery and lounge that launched just before the pandemic hit reopened it as a takeout eatery , with himself as the lone employee .
In Tokyo , a florist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bought blossoms to keep their spirits up .
In Minneapolis , a dentist who refitted his office to protect patients from infection is starting over after it was destroyed in riots .
All acknowledge that reopening is just the beginning .
But it is a critical milestone , nonetheless , a testament to their grit , creativity and no small amount of desperation .
It ’ s about finding whatever works , because for now , there is no such thing as business as usual .
Over the years , Stephanie Skoglund invested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was once Tenino , Washington ’ s general store — replacing the floors , wiring chandeliers , adding a kitchen .
Everything to upgrade the old sandstone building in this long-ago frontier town for use as a wedding hall .
With this year ’ s wedding season approaching , 40 celebrations were already on the calendar at The Vault and its sister facility .
Then the coronavirus shut them down .
Skoglund turned off the electric circuits and water lines at both venues .
She sold a dance floor for $ 1,000 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to help cover her family ’ s bills .
Her husband works for her business , so his income is gone , too .
Skoglund was approved for $ 3,200 of the nearly $ 25,000 she sought from the federal Payroll Protection Program before learning even that wouldn ’ t be coming .
Then Washington state halted her unemployment payments as it scrambled to sort out hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent claims .
Reopening , if you can call it that , has proved just as tough .
In June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking to rent tables , chairs and tents for outdoor events , her only revenue so far .
She ’ ll host her first wedding in late July , one of three events that remain on the calendar .
The hall can seat 299 , so with 80 guests expected social distancing rules should not be an issue .
Of 20 couples who had booked weddings through October , eight rescheduled for next year and a dozen canceled .
Skoglund wrote letters to say she hopes to refund them eventually ; it wouldn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , regardless of language in the contracts .
Once events restart , Skoglund ’ s older children , aged 16 to 25 , will pitch in as her staff .
She ’ s hoping business solidifies by October .
But she and her husband have talked about selling their home and businesses and starting over , if it doesn ’ t .
“ I have to start thinking about how to save what I do have and not put myself in a financial position where I lose it , ” she said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s my next step ?
That ’ s what keeps me up at night.
” After Beirut went into lockdown in March , Walid Ataya returned to his bakery , pizzeria and wine room each morning , perching on a stool at the sidewalk bar to maintain an outpost of commerce and consider his next moves .
Before the pandemic , Lebanon faced an economic crisis rooted in years of government mismanagement and corruption that had sparked nationwide protests .
Ataya , who fled when Israel invaded in the mid-1980s , had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Over here in Lebanon , we can deal with crises , ” said Ataya , whose Bread Republic presides over a busy intersection fronting the swanky Furn al-Hayek neighborhood .
“ We have been through wars and turmoil .
… So the pandemic came and for us it is just another crisis to overcome.
” Bakeries were exempted from closure , so Ataya ’ s expanded beyond bread to sell fresh pasta .
He also kept up a limited flower business , only delivering orders and selling bouquets at the bakery .
Ataya @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sending others home at half-pay .
Eventually , he let 10 go , recalling the rest at full wages .
He negotiated a rent reduction and cut ties with some suppliers when an 85 percent drop in the nation ’ s currency left many accepting only dollars .
When rules were eased in May , he reopened the wine bar and pizzeria , albeit at 30 percent of capacity .
At first , no one sat indoors and staff circulated among the tables , spraying disinfectant .
Police still fined Ataya for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is contesting it in court .
Finally , in early June , restrictions were reduced enough for Ataya to reopen his restaurant across the street from the bakery and pizzeria .
Protests had resumed and he had his hands full dealing with government paperwork .
Then masked men broke into his office and carried out a safe holding thousands of dollars .
In recent days , though , customers filled the tables outside his businesses .
“ We are in the stage of surviving day to day now , ” Ataya said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing .
You have to take your chances.
” When Japanese officials asked people to stay home in March , Shinichiro Hirano cut the hours at Sun Flower Shop , but stayed open .
The blossom-filled store , in a central Tokyo neighborhood bordered by the Sumida River , quickly lost its business making arrangements for restaurant openings and job promotions .
Tourists disappeared .
The area , adjacent to the Athletes Village built for the Tokyo Olympics , had been expecting a boom , only to see it fizzle when the games @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the floor to encourage social distancing .
As pandemic fears soared , he found an audience .
“ People were working from home and wanted to cheer themselves up , ” said Hirano , who estimates 100 customers a day came to the shop .
“ Some people said they can forget the coronavirus when they come in our store .
Flowers can give energy to people.
” On June 19 , Hirano pulled the tape from the shop ’ s floor , while leaving warning signs up .
Officially , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue .
One of the first bouquets he sold in the days afterward was to a customer marking the closing of a nearby restaurant .
As other businesses reopen , some have ordered flowers to celebrate .
Still , total sales have dropped by up to 20 percent .
Hirano , though , is consistent , returning to the store each day , bowing to customers , donning his favorite New York Yankees cap .
Flowers are what he loves , he said .
“ As long as you have a store , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
“ I never for a moment thought of closing it.
” The velvet chairs in DJ Johnson ’ s new NOLA Art Bar were filled with customers sipping cocktails on a mid-March evening when the announcement came : the city had ordered all bars to close .
Johnson , who had moved home to New Orleans and invested his savings , turned up the lights , asked everyone to leave and boarded the door .
Six weeks later , though , he adapted to rules that allowed food service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His bar hadn ’ t done food .
But he started making New Orleans staples like boiled shrimp and oysters , taking orders at a table set up in the gallery ’ s door on St. Claude Avenue .
The first day he made $ 35 .
By late June , he was still not making enough to cover his costs .
But he tapped income from rental units he owns to cover bills and to show residents of the Marigny neighborhood that he was there to stay .
“ The more I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better it will be for me when things are able to reopen , post-COVID , ” he said .
“ So just weather the storm .
Stay open .
Let as many people as possible see that you ’ re open.
” On June 13 , Johnson started seating diners inside the gallery at half capacity .
A week later , he restarted construction on a bookstore and coffee shop next door .
He ’ s still trying to figure out how to respond to a recent decision by Louisiana ’ s governor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after coronavirus cases spiked .
But he ’ s determined to keep going , even if it means going back to selling to passersby at his gallery ’ s door .
For motivation , he thinks back to biographies of people like Nelson Mandela , as models for overcoming adversity .
“ It ’ s discouraging .
But the only thing that kept me going is , there is no quit , ” he said .
“ You go until you can ’ t go anymore.
” — By Rebecca Santana in New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hush that settled over Paris as restrictions known as “ The Confinement ” took hold , provided Shao Lin Tia with some much-prized rest .
Up until then , Tia had been working feverishly at Ginza , the pan-Asian restaurant she and her husband run , filling in for a chef who had left a few months earlier .
That came not long after the couple opened a Thai restaurant next door on Rue Daguerre , a street near the city ’ s famed catacombs that hosts a classic Paris market district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
With both restaurants closed , the Tias had unexpected time to spend with their three children .
The family worked their way through the restaurants ’ food stocks to limit household spending .
And the couple took the government at its word that commercial rents would be frozen and stopped payments .
France exempted small businesses in the restaurant , tourism , sports and culture sectors from social security contributions and reimbursed employers about 84 % of net salaries .
But with no money coming in and expenses looming , the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s peace of mind .
“ The government doesn ’ t give anything for free , ” Tia said .
Finally , in late April , the rules relaxed enough for the Tias to set up a takeout window .
But with Parisians limited to a single outing a day , each requiring a timestamped authorization form , Daguerre emptied early , limiting the dinner trade to just two hours .
In recent weeks , Tia has added a few outdoor tables .
But sales remain 30 percent lower than at this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weather .
Many neighborhood residents left the city for second homes when the lockdown began and likely will not return until September .
Tia worries that as the government stops covering salaries in coming months , a wave of layoffs could increase pressure on businesses like hers .
“ We ’ ll never catch up , never in our lives , ” she said .
“ And the hardest is yet to come.
” Almost as soon as the pandemic forced Ali Barbarawi to close his Minneapolis dental practice , he began laying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dental offices as high risks for transmitting infection .
So Barbarawi went online to speak with patients of his Chicago Lake Family Dental practice , limiting in-person visits to those with emergencies .
In the meantime , he installed plexiglass shields to limit the potential for airborne spread .
He replaced the office carpet with hard flooring to make it easier to sanitize .
And he ordered masks , face shields and gowns for staff at the office a block north of Lake Street , a commercial corridor spanning south Minneapolis that has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and minority-owned businesses .
When Minnesota officials announced the lifting of some restrictions , Barbarawi made plans for a June 1 reopening .
Then , with just a few days to go , protests over the killing of George Floyd spread through the neighborhood .
Sitting at home , eyeing the office security camera on his cellphone , he watched as people broke into the practice and destroyed his equipment .
Soon after police told him they would be unable to respond to the scene , he saw the building go up in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , insurance will cover half of what he ’ ll need to rebuild .
On the advice of colleagues , he started a GoFundMe campaign , to help bridge the gap .
The destruction is a loss not just for him , but for his staff and patients , he said .
But he ’ s determined to rebuild , along with the larger community .
Reopening , though , is four to six months away .
In 15 years as a bookseller in east London , Jane Howe never saw the need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shoppers packed the tidy Broadway Bookshop with more often waiting outside , drawn by the store ’ s personalized service .
“ I love talking to people ( about ) what they read and what I read , and swap ideas , ” Howe said .
“ I think of it as a dinner table and I lay everything out , these delicious dishes for people to take and try … It ’ s going to be very difficult to replace online.
” The coronavirus didn ’ t leave her much choice .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ way down and distancing rules in place , Howe decided it made little sense to reopen to customers .
She let go of three part-time staffers , tried to negotiate a rent reduction , and borrowed 50,000 pounds from the government .
“ If the business fails , how am I going to pay it back ?
It ’ s a dicey situation , ” she said .
In mid-June , she launched a website , trying to replicate the interaction that made the brick-and-mortar store special .
Loyal customers have been placing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , the site took in just 28 percent of what the store netted before the pandemic .
Howe , who had been planning to retire in a few years , reminds herself that she ’ s a newbie at online commerce .
In early July , she began selling books from the store ’ s doorstep , without letting customers inside .
“ I ’ m going to give it my best shot for the next 18 months and then I don ’ t know what will happen after that if we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
“ I ’ m hoping we come out of this in a year ’ s time…all I can do is hope we will.
” Two days before Zakaria Masud reopened his travel agency and money transfer shop in New York ’ s Jackson Heights , he turned on the lights to spend a few hours cleaning .
Passersby knocked on the window , asking if he was ready for customers .
The store , Digital One , used to sell 40 air tickets a day , but hadn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s other business , a Bengali newspaper called Weekly Ajkal , had been forced from its office by fire .
He worried about getting sick , but reopening could not come soon enough .
By the fourth night back , a half dozen customers lined up at the counter , separated from Masud and his staff by new plastic shields , to wire money to relatives in Bangladesh .
Others filed into a makeshift newspaper office in the basement to buy classified ads , hours before Masud printed for the first time since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re losing 50 percent of the revenue , ” Masud said .
“ But I think we can survive.
” A few days later and one block over , Chander Shekhar tallied his clothing shop ’ s first day back — four customers and $ 200 in sales .
He needed $ 700 to cover costs and turn a small profit .
But that would take time , Shekhar reasoned .
With people staying home and special events on hold , few needed new saris or jewelry repair .
It might take the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back in full , he said .
Still , it was “ not a bad beginning.
” And for the first night in far too long , that was enough to allow his mind some rest .

Hour after hour in the dark, Chander Shekhar’s mind raced ahead to morning.
More than three months had dragged by since the coronavirus forced Shekhar to shut down his business — a narrow, second-floor shop racked with vibrantly colored saris, on a block in New York’s Jackson Heights neighborhood once thronged with South Asian immigrant shoppers. Today, finally, he and other merchants were allowed to reopen their doors.
But they were returning to an area where COVID-19 had killed hundreds, leaving sidewalks desolate and storefronts to gather dust. Now fears were fading. But no one knew what lay ahead on this late-June Monday as owners raised the gates at jewelry stores, tandoori restaurants and bridal shops clustered near Roosevelt Avenue’s elevated train line. Overnight, the stress had woken Shekhar nine times.
“You cannot tell everybody it’s safe to come and buy from us. This is an invisible enemy that nobody can see,” said Shekhar, a father of two anxious about the shop’s $6,000 monthly rent. “This is my baby,” he said, of the store, Shopno Fashion. “I have worked hard for this for more than 20 years, then I got my shop. It’s not easy to leave it.”
Amid the deaths of friends and customers, Shekhar is reluctant to complain. And he knows he is not alone. As economies around the world reopen, legions of small businesses that help define and sustain neighborhoods are struggling. The stakes for their survival are high: The U.N. estimates that businesses with fewer than 250 workers account for two-thirds of employment worldwide.
Editor’s note: Small businesses around the world are fighting for survival amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Whether they make it will affect not just local economies but the fabric of communities. Associated Press journalists tell their stories in this series “Small Business Struggles.”
In New Orleans, the owner of a gallery and lounge that launched just before the pandemic hit reopened it as a takeout eatery, with himself as the lone employee. In Tokyo, a florist grabbed a lifeline from shut-in customers who bought blossoms to keep their spirits up. In Minneapolis, a dentist who refitted his office to protect patients from infection is starting over after it was destroyed in riots.
All acknowledge that reopening is just the beginning. But it is a critical milestone, nonetheless, a testament to their grit, creativity and no small amount of desperation. It’s about finding whatever works, because for now, there is no such thing as business as usual.
___
Over the years, Stephanie Skoglund invested countless hours of sweat equity renovating what was once Tenino, Washington’s general store — replacing the floors, wiring chandeliers, adding a kitchen. Everything to upgrade the old sandstone building in this long-ago frontier town for use as a wedding hall.
With this year’s wedding season approaching, 40 celebrations were already on the calendar at The Vault and its sister facility. Then the coronavirus shut them down.
“We’re basically wiped out,” Skoglund said.
Skoglund turned off the electric circuits and water lines at both venues. She sold a dance floor for $1,000 and a large party tent for $2,600, to help cover her family’s bills. Her husband works for her business, so his income is gone, too.
Skoglund was approved for $3,200 of the nearly $25,000 she sought from the federal Payroll Protection Program before learning even that wouldn’t be coming. Then Washington state halted her unemployment payments as it scrambled to sort out hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent claims.
Reopening, if you can call it that, has proved just as tough.
In June, Skoglund started getting calls from people looking to rent tables, chairs and tents for outdoor events, her only revenue so far. She’ll host her first wedding in late July, one of three events that remain on the calendar. The hall can seat 299, so with 80 guests expected social distancing rules should not be an issue.
Of 20 couples who had booked weddings through October, eight rescheduled for next year and a dozen canceled. Skoglund wrote letters to say she hopes to refund them eventually; it wouldn’t feel right to keep deposits, regardless of language in the contracts.
Once events restart, Skoglund’s older children, aged 16 to 25, will pitch in as her staff. She’s hoping business solidifies by October. But she and her husband have talked about selling their home and businesses and starting over, if it doesn’t.
“I have to start thinking about how to save what I do have and not put myself in a financial position where I lose it,” she said. “Just making that decision: what’s my next step? That’s what keeps me up at night.”
— By Gene Johnson in Tenino, Washington
___
After Beirut went into lockdown in March, Walid Ataya returned to his bakery, pizzeria and wine room each morning, perching on a stool at the sidewalk bar to maintain an outpost of commerce and consider his next moves.
Before the pandemic, Lebanon faced an economic crisis rooted in years of government mismanagement and corruption that had sparked nationwide protests. Ataya, who fled when Israel invaded in the mid-1980s, had no intention of leaving again.
“Over here in Lebanon, we can deal with crises,” said Ataya, whose Bread Republic presides over a busy intersection fronting the swanky Furn al-Hayek neighborhood. “We have been through wars and turmoil. … So the pandemic came and for us it is just another crisis to overcome.”
Bakeries were exempted from closure, so Ataya’s expanded beyond bread to sell fresh pasta. He also kept up a limited flower business, only delivering orders and selling bouquets at the bakery.
Ataya kept on 10 of his 40 employees, sending others home at half-pay. Eventually, he let 10 go, recalling the rest at full wages. He negotiated a rent reduction and cut ties with some suppliers when an 85 percent drop in the nation’s currency left many accepting only dollars.
When rules were eased in May, he reopened the wine bar and pizzeria, albeit at 30 percent of capacity. At first, no one sat indoors and staff circulated among the tables, spraying disinfectant. Police still fined Ataya for overcrowding at his outdoor tables. He is contesting it in court.
Finally, in early June, restrictions were reduced enough for Ataya to reopen his restaurant across the street from the bakery and pizzeria. Protests had resumed and he had his hands full dealing with government paperwork. Then masked men broke into his office and carried out a safe holding thousands of dollars.
In recent days, though, customers filled the tables outside his businesses.
“We are in the stage of surviving day to day now,” Ataya said. “You cannot sit and do nothing. You have to take your chances.”
— By Sarah El Deeb in Beirut
___
When Japanese officials asked people to stay home in March, Shinichiro Hirano cut the hours at Sun Flower Shop, but stayed open.
The blossom-filled store, in a central Tokyo neighborhood bordered by the Sumida River, quickly lost its business making arrangements for restaurant openings and job promotions. Tourists disappeared. The area, adjacent to the Athletes Village built for the Tokyo Olympics, had been expecting a boom, only to see it fizzle when the games were postponed.
Hirano placed colored tape on the floor to encourage social distancing. As pandemic fears soared, he found an audience.
“People were working from home and wanted to cheer themselves up,” said Hirano, who estimates 100 customers a day came to the shop. “Some people said they can forget the coronavirus when they come in our store. Flowers can give energy to people.”
On June 19, Hirano pulled the tape from the shop’s floor, while leaving warning signs up. Officially, the emergency was over, but the challenges continue.
One of the first bouquets he sold in the days afterward was to a customer marking the closing of a nearby restaurant. As other businesses reopen, some have ordered flowers to celebrate. Still, total sales have dropped by up to 20 percent.
Hirano, though, is consistent, returning to the store each day, bowing to customers, donning his favorite New York Yankees cap. Flowers are what he loves, he said.
“As long as you have a store, you have to keep it open,” he said. “I never for a moment thought of closing it.”
— By Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo
___
The velvet chairs in DJ Johnson’s new NOLA Art Bar were filled with customers sipping cocktails on a mid-March evening when the announcement came: the city had ordered all bars to close. Johnson, who had moved home to New Orleans and invested his savings, turned up the lights, asked everyone to leave and boarded the door.
Six weeks later, though, he adapted to rules that allowed food service businesses to stay open for takeout. His bar hadn’t done food. But he started making New Orleans staples like boiled shrimp and oysters, taking orders at a table set up in the gallery’s door on St. Claude Avenue. The first day he made $35.
By late June, he was still not making enough to cover his costs. But he tapped income from rental units he owns to cover bills and to show residents of the Marigny neighborhood that he was there to stay.
“The more I can get the word out, the better it will be for me when things are able to reopen, post-COVID,” he said. “So just weather the storm. Stay open. Let as many people as possible see that you’re open.”
On June 13, Johnson started seating diners inside the gallery at half capacity. A week later, he restarted construction on a bookstore and coffee shop next door. He’s still trying to figure out how to respond to a recent decision by Louisiana’s governor to close bars for on-site service, after coronavirus cases spiked. But he’s determined to keep going, even if it means going back to selling to passersby at his gallery’s door. For motivation, he thinks back to biographies of people like Nelson Mandela, as models for overcoming adversity.
“It’s discouraging. But the only thing that kept me going is, there is no quit,” he said. “You go until you can’t go anymore.”
— By Rebecca Santana in New Orleans
___
For the first few weeks, the hush that settled over Paris as restrictions known as “The Confinement” took hold, provided Shao Lin Tia with some much-prized rest.
Up until then, Tia had been working feverishly at Ginza, the pan-Asian restaurant she and her husband run, filling in for a chef who had left a few months earlier. That came not long after the couple opened a Thai restaurant next door on Rue Daguerre, a street near the city’s famed catacombs that hosts a classic Paris market district of cheese shops, florists and cafes.
With both restaurants closed, the Tias had unexpected time to spend with their three children. The family worked their way through the restaurants’ food stocks to limit household spending. And the couple took the government at its word that commercial rents would be frozen and stopped payments.
France exempted small businesses in the restaurant, tourism, sports and culture sectors from social security contributions and reimbursed employers about 84% of net salaries. But with no money coming in and expenses looming, the time off began to weigh on the couple’s peace of mind.
“The government doesn’t give anything for free,” Tia said.
Finally, in late April, the rules relaxed enough for the Tias to set up a takeout window. But with Parisians limited to a single outing a day, each requiring a timestamped authorization form, Daguerre emptied early, limiting the dinner trade to just two hours.
In recent weeks, Tia has added a few outdoor tables. But sales remain 30 percent lower than at this time last year, despite unusually beautiful weather. Many neighborhood residents left the city for second homes when the lockdown began and likely will not return until September.
Tia worries that as the government stops covering salaries in coming months, a wave of layoffs could increase pressure on businesses like hers.
“We’ll never catch up, never in our lives,” she said. “And the hardest is yet to come.”
— By Lori Hinnant in Paris
___
Almost as soon as the pandemic forced Ali Barbarawi to close his Minneapolis dental practice, he began laying a path to reopening.
Experts deemed dental offices as high risks for transmitting infection. So Barbarawi went online to speak with patients of his Chicago Lake Family Dental practice, limiting in-person visits to those with emergencies.
In the meantime, he installed plexiglass shields to limit the potential for airborne spread. He replaced the office carpet with hard flooring to make it easier to sanitize. And he ordered masks, face shields and gowns for staff at the office a block north of Lake Street, a commercial corridor spanning south Minneapolis that has long been home to scores of immigrant- and minority-owned businesses.
When Minnesota officials announced the lifting of some restrictions, Barbarawi made plans for a June 1 reopening. Then, with just a few days to go, protests over the killing of George Floyd spread through the neighborhood.
Sitting at home, eyeing the office security camera on his cellphone, he watched as people broke into the practice and destroyed his equipment. Soon after police told him they would be unable to respond to the scene, he saw the building go up in flames.
“Why a dental office?” he thought. “Why us?”
Barbarawi said, at most, insurance will cover half of what he’ll need to rebuild. On the advice of colleagues, he started a GoFundMe campaign, to help bridge the gap.
The destruction is a loss not just for him, but for his staff and patients, he said. But he’s determined to rebuild, along with the larger community. Reopening, though, is four to six months away.
— By Mohamed Ibrahim in Minneapolis
___
In 15 years as a bookseller in east London, Jane Howe never saw the need for a website.
On weekends, shoppers packed the tidy Broadway Bookshop with more often waiting outside, drawn by the store’s personalized service.
“I love talking to people (about) what they read and what I read, and swap ideas,” Howe said. “I think of it as a dinner table and I lay everything out, these delicious dishes for people to take and try … It’s going to be very difficult to replace online.”
The coronavirus didn’t leave her much choice.
With foot traffic on the Broadway Market way down and distancing rules in place, Howe decided it made little sense to reopen to customers. She let go of three part-time staffers, tried to negotiate a rent reduction, and borrowed 50,000 pounds from the government.
“If the business fails, how am I going to pay it back? It’s a dicey situation,” she said.
In mid-June, she launched a website, trying to replicate the interaction that made the brick-and-mortar store special. Loyal customers have been placing orders. Still, in the first week, the site took in just 28 percent of what the store netted before the pandemic.
Howe, who had been planning to retire in a few years, reminds herself that she’s a newbie at online commerce. In early July, she began selling books from the store’s doorstep, without letting customers inside.
“I’m going to give it my best shot for the next 18 months and then I don’t know what will happen after that if we don’t break even,” she said. “I’m hoping we come out of this in a year’s time…all I can do is hope we will.”
— By Sylvia Hui in London
___
Two days before Zakaria Masud reopened his travel agency and money transfer shop in New York’s Jackson Heights, he turned on the lights to spend a few hours cleaning. Passersby knocked on the window, asking if he was ready for customers.
The store, Digital One, used to sell 40 air tickets a day, but hadn’t sold one in months. Masud’s other business, a Bengali newspaper called Weekly Ajkal, had been forced from its office by fire. He worried about getting sick, but reopening could not come soon enough.
By the fourth night back, a half dozen customers lined up at the counter, separated from Masud and his staff by new plastic shields, to wire money to relatives in Bangladesh. Others filed into a makeshift newspaper office in the basement to buy classified ads, hours before Masud printed for the first time since March.
“I think we’re losing 50 percent of the revenue,” Masud said. “But I think we can survive.”
A few days later and one block over, Chander Shekhar tallied his clothing shop’s first day back — four customers and $200 in sales. He needed $700 to cover costs and turn a small profit.
But that would take time, Shekhar reasoned. With people staying home and special events on hold, few needed new saris or jewelry repair. It might take the reassurance of a vaccine to bring shoppers back in full, he said.
Still, it was “not a bad beginning.” And for the first night in far too long, that was enough to allow his mind some rest.


thedenverpost--2020-07-14--U.S. carries out the first federal execution in nearly two decades

TERRE HAUTE , Ind .
( AP ) — The U.S. government on Tuesday carried out the first federal execution in almost two decades , putting to death a man who killed an Arkansas family in a 1990s in a plot to build a whites-only nation in the Pacific Northwest .
The execution came over the objection of the victims ’ family .
Daniel Lewis Lee , 47 , of Yukon , Oklahoma , died by lethal injection at the federal prison in Terre Haute , Indiana .
“ I didn ’ t do it , ” Lee said before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve made a lot of mistakes in my life , but I ’ m not a murderer .
… You ’ re killing an innocent man.
” The decision to move forward with the execution — the first by the Bureau of Prisons since 2003 — drew scrutiny from civil rights groups and the relatives of Lee ’ s victims , who had sued to try to halt it , citing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic .
The decision to move forward with the execution — and two others scheduled later in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that has killed more than 135,000 people in the United States and is ravaging prisons nationwide , drew scrutiny from civil rights groups as well as family of Lee ’ s victims .
Critics argued that the government was creating an unnecessary and manufactured urgency for political gain .
“ The government has been trying to plow forward with these executions despite many unanswered questions about the legality of its new execution protocol , ” said Shawn Nolan , one of the attorneys for the men facing federal execution .
The developments are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the national conversation about criminal justice reform in the lead-up to the 2020 elections .
Lee ’ s execution went off after a series of legal volleys that ended when the Supreme Court stepped in early Tuesday in a 5-4 ruling and allowed it to move forward .
Attorney General William Barr has said the Justice Department has a duty to carry out the sentences imposed by the courts , including the death penalty , and to bring a sense of closure to the victims and those in the communities where the killings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Lee in 1996 strongly opposed that idea and long argued that Lee deserved a sentence of life in prison .
They wanted to be present to counter any contention that the execution was being done on their behalf .
“ For us it is a matter of being there and saying , ` This is not being done in our name ; we do not want this , ’ ” relative Monica Veillette said .
They noted that Lee ’ s co-defendant and the reputed ringleader , Chevie Kehoe , received a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Washington , recruited Lee in 1995 to join his white supremacist orgaization , known as the Aryan Peoples ’ Republic .
Two years later , they were arrested for the killings of gun dealer William Mueller , his wife , Nancy , and her 8-year-old daughter , Sarah Powell , in Tilly , Arkansas , about 75 miles ( 120 kilometers ) northwest of Little Rock .
At their 1999 trial , prosecutors said Kehoe and Lee stole guns and $ 50,000 in cash from the Muellers as part of their plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Lee and Kehoe incapacitated the Muellers and questioned Sarah about where they could find money and ammunition .
Then , they used stun guns on the victims , sealed trash bags with duct tape on their heads to suffocate them , taped rocks to their bodies and dumped them in a nearby bayou .
A U.S. District Court judge put a hold on Lee ’ s execution on Monday , over concerns from death row inmates on how executions were to be carried out , and an appeals court upheld it , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That delay came after an appeals court on Sunday overturned a hold that had been put in place last week after the victims ’ relatives argued they would be put at high risk for the coronavirus if they had to travel to attend the execution .
Two other federal executions are scheduled for later this week , though one is on hold in a separate legal claim .
There have been two state executions in the U.S. since the pandemic forced shutdowns nationwide in mid-March — one in Texas and one in Missouri @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Center .
Alabama carried out one in early March .
Executions on the federal level have been rare , and the government has put to death only three defendants since restoring the federal death penalty in 1988 — most recently in 2003 , when Louis Jones was executed for the 1995 kidnapping , rape and murder of a young female soldier .
Though there hadn ’ t been a federal execution since 2003 , the Justice Department has continued to approve death penalty prosecutions and federal courts have sentenced defendants to death .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ execution in Oklahoma , President Barack Obama directed the Justice Department to conduct a broad review of capital punishment and issues surrounding lethal injection drugs .
The attorney general said last July that the Obama-era review had been completed , clearing the way for executions to resume .
He approved a new procedure for lethal injections that replaces the three-drug combination previously used in federal executions with one drug , pentobarbital .
This is similar to the procedure used in several states , including Georgia , Missouri and Texas , but not all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ steadily since the last federal execution , according to data compiled by the Death Penalty Information Center .
States put to death 59 people in 2004 and 22 in 2019 , nine of which were in Texas .

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — The U.S. government on Tuesday carried out the first federal execution in almost two decades, putting to death a man who killed an Arkansas family in a 1990s in a plot to build a whites-only nation in the Pacific Northwest. The execution came over the objection of the victims’ family.
Daniel Lewis Lee, 47, of Yukon, Oklahoma, died by lethal injection at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.
“I didn’t do it,” Lee said before he was executed. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I’m not a murderer. … You’re killing an innocent man.”
The decision to move forward with the execution — the first by the Bureau of Prisons since 2003 — drew scrutiny from civil rights groups and the relatives of Lee’s victims, who had sued to try to halt it, citing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
The decision to move forward with the execution — and two others scheduled later in the week — during a global health pandemic that has killed more than 135,000 people in the United States and is ravaging prisons nationwide, drew scrutiny from civil rights groups as well as family of Lee’s victims.
Critics argued that the government was creating an unnecessary and manufactured urgency for political gain.
“The government has been trying to plow forward with these executions despite many unanswered questions about the legality of its new execution protocol,” said Shawn Nolan, one of the attorneys for the men facing federal execution.
The developments are likely to add a new front to the national conversation about criminal justice reform in the lead-up to the 2020 elections.
Lee’s execution went off after a series of legal volleys that ended when the Supreme Court stepped in early Tuesday in a 5-4 ruling and allowed it to move forward.
Attorney General William Barr has said the Justice Department has a duty to carry out the sentences imposed by the courts, including the death penalty, and to bring a sense of closure to the victims and those in the communities where the killings happened.
But relatives of those killed by Lee in 1996 strongly opposed that idea and long argued that Lee deserved a sentence of life in prison. They wanted to be present to counter any contention that the execution was being done on their behalf.
“For us it is a matter of being there and saying, `This is not being done in our name; we do not want this,’” relative Monica Veillette said.
They noted that Lee’s co-defendant and the reputed ringleader, Chevie Kehoe, received a life sentence.
Kehoe, of Colville, Washington, recruited Lee in 1995 to join his white supremacist orgaization, known as the Aryan Peoples’ Republic. Two years later, they were arrested for the killings of gun dealer William Mueller, his wife, Nancy, and her 8-year-old daughter, Sarah Powell, in Tilly, Arkansas, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock.
At their 1999 trial, prosecutors said Kehoe and Lee stole guns and $50,000 in cash from the Muellers as part of their plan to establish a whites-only nation.
Prosecutors said Lee and Kehoe incapacitated the Muellers and questioned Sarah about where they could find money and ammunition. Then, they used stun guns on the victims, sealed trash bags with duct tape on their heads to suffocate them, taped rocks to their bodies and dumped them in a nearby bayou.
A U.S. District Court judge put a hold on Lee’s execution on Monday, over concerns from death row inmates on how executions were to be carried out, and an appeals court upheld it, but the high court overturned it. That delay came after an appeals court on Sunday overturned a hold that had been put in place last week after the victims’ relatives argued they would be put at high risk for the coronavirus if they had to travel to attend the execution.
Two other federal executions are scheduled for later this week, though one is on hold in a separate legal claim.
There have been two state executions in the U.S. since the pandemic forced shutdowns nationwide in mid-March — one in Texas and one in Missouri, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Alabama carried out one in early March.
Executions on the federal level have been rare, and the government has put to death only three defendants since restoring the federal death penalty in 1988 — most recently in 2003, when Louis Jones was executed for the 1995 kidnapping, rape and murder of a young female soldier.
Though there hadn’t been a federal execution since 2003, the Justice Department has continued to approve death penalty prosecutions and federal courts have sentenced defendants to death.
In 2014, following a botched state execution in Oklahoma, President Barack Obama directed the Justice Department to conduct a broad review of capital punishment and issues surrounding lethal injection drugs.
The attorney general said last July that the Obama-era review had been completed, clearing the way for executions to resume. He approved a new procedure for lethal injections that replaces the three-drug combination previously used in federal executions with one drug, pentobarbital. This is similar to the procedure used in several states, including Georgia, Missouri and Texas, but not all.
Numbers of state executions have fallen steadily since the last federal execution, according to data compiled by the Death Penalty Information Center. States put to death 59 people in 2004 and 22 in 2019, nine of which were in Texas.


thedenverpost--2020-07-14--Denver weather: Cooler in Denver Tuesday as high tops out in lower 80s

After a string of consecutive 90-degree days in Denver , the city ’ s high temperature should top out in the lower 80s on Tuesday as cooler weather settles into the region .
Skies will be partly sunny over Denver , with a 50 % chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. , as the high temperature peaks out at 82 degrees , according to the National Weather Service forecast .
Winds should be light in the morning .
The mountains and foothills have a good chance of late-day showers and thunderstorms through the week , with some storms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bit of a cool down is in store for northeastern Colorado on Tuesday and Wednesday , but hot weather is expected to make a comeback by Thursday and into the weekend .
In Denver on Wednesday there ’ s a 40 % chance of showers and thunderstorms and the high temperature will be 87 degrees , the weather service said .
Skies will be mostly sunny and the wind will gust to 17 mph .
On Thursday in Denver 90-degree weather returns as the high temp is expected to hit 94 degrees .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of afternoon showers and thunderstorms , the weather service said , and skies will be mostly sunny .

After a string of consecutive 90-degree days in Denver, the city’s high temperature should top out in the lower 80s on Tuesday as cooler weather settles into the region.
Skies will be partly sunny over Denver, with a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m., as the high temperature peaks out at 82 degrees, according to the National Weather Service forecast. Winds should be light in the morning.
The mountains and foothills have a good chance of late-day showers and thunderstorms through the week, with some storms bringing strong winds and hail.
Large hail and damaging wind are possible from strong to severe storms mainly south of Interstate 70 late this afternoon and evening. pic.twitter.com/UN6T0BCqYv — NWS Goodland (@NWSGoodland) July 14, 2020
A bit of a cool down is in store for northeastern Colorado on Tuesday and Wednesday, but hot weather is expected to make a comeback by Thursday and into the weekend.
In Denver on Wednesday there’s a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms and the high temperature will be 87 degrees, the weather service said. Skies will be mostly sunny and the wind will gust to 17 mph.
On Thursday in Denver 90-degree weather returns as the high temp is expected to hit 94 degrees. There’s a 30% chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms, the weather service said, and skies will be mostly sunny.


thedenverpost--2020-07-14--Colorado’s Mallory Pugh takes on Braves’ Dansby Swanson to see who’s the better athlete

Mallory Pugh is among the world ’ s best soccer players — and landed at No .
4 on our list of the best Colorado-born female athletes of all-time .
But is she a better athlete than her boyfriend , Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson ?
The sporty couple took part in a series of challenges to see who would claim bragging rights in a video released Monday by Major League Baseball .
These battles included soccer ( Pugh won ) , throwing a baseball ( Swanson won ) , basketball and trivia .
The video was part of a MLB @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organization that helps promote youth sports with donations of sports equipment , uniforms and shoes .
In addition , MLB Charities is hold an auction fundraiser for a chance to win either Pugh ’ s red U.S. women ’ s national team jersey complete with signatures from the 2019 World Cup winning squad or Dansby ’ s custom cleats featuring the USWNT colors .
For more information about the fundraiser , go to mlb.com/mlb-community/dansby-vs-mal .
If you enjoy the Denver Sports Omelette , tell a friend it ’ s easy to sign up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If you have any questions or suggestions , hit me up on Twitter @ joenguyen or by email .
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Subscribe to The Denver Post ’ s sports coverage for just 99¢ for the first month and only $ 6.99/month thereafter .
Cancel anytime .
+ Broncos Mailbag : Have a question about the team ?
Ask Ryan O ’ Halloran here .
+ Nuggets Mailbag : Have a question about the team ?
Ask Mike Singer here .
+ Avs Mailbag : Have a question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here .
+ Rockies Mailbag : Have a question about the team ?
Ask Patrick Saunders here .
The beard is back .
Charlie Blackmon , cleared of coronavirus , joins Rockies for summer camp Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon joined teammates Monday at Coors Field to hit and field in his first organized practice since being cleared of coronavirus .
The four-time All-Star is optimistic he will be ready to play in 11 days for the Rockies ’ season opener July 24 at the Texas Rangers .
Read more… For the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nathan MacKinnon had his two preferred wingers on the flanks Monday in Day 1 of training camp for the NHL ’ s return-to-play , 24-team playoffs .
In a perfect world , this is the Avs ’ perfect line .
Read more… It ’ s unlikely there will be fans allowed in Coors Field for Rockies ’ home opener , if at all this season The biggest question — other than whether baseball will be able to safely complete a season and crown a World Series champion — is whether fans will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coors Field , or at any point in LoDo this season .
Read more… + Why CU Buffs , Pac-12 were willing to scrap the Rocky Mountain Showdown to save fall football + Colorado fans wagered $ 25.6 million in first month of legal sports betting .
+ Three Points : Rapids shut out and defense slips in rivalry loss to Real Salt Lake .
+ NFL , Oakley come up with face shields to protect players .
If you see something that ’ s cause for question or have a comment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dboniface @ denverpost.com or tweet me @ danielboniface .

Mallory Pugh is among the world’s best soccer players — and landed at No. 4 on our list of the best Colorado-born female athletes of all-time. But is she a better athlete than her boyfriend, Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson?
The sporty couple took part in a series of challenges to see who would claim bragging rights in a video released Monday by Major League Baseball. These battles included soccer (Pugh won), throwing a baseball (Swanson won), basketball and trivia.
The video was part of a MLB Charities fundraiser for Good Sports, an organization that helps promote youth sports with donations of sports equipment, uniforms and shoes.
In addition, MLB Charities is hold an auction fundraiser for a chance to win either Pugh’s red U.S. women’s national team jersey complete with signatures from the 2019 World Cup winning squad or Dansby’s custom cleats featuring the USWNT colors. For more information about the fundraiser, go to mlb.com/mlb-community/dansby-vs-mal.
— Joe Nguyen, The Denver Post
If you enjoy the Denver Sports Omelette, tell a friend it’s easy to sign up here for our daily sports roundup. If you have any questions or suggestions, hit me up on Twitter @joenguyen or by email.
A special offer for Sports Omelette readers! Subscribe to The Denver Post’s sports coverage for just 99¢ for the first month and only $6.99/month thereafter. Cancel anytime.
Ask The Experts
+ Broncos Mailbag: Have a question about the team? Ask Ryan O’Halloran here.
+ Nuggets Mailbag: Have a question about the team? Ask Mike Singer here.
+ Avs Mailbag: Have a question about the team? Ask Mike Chambers here.
+ Rockies Mailbag: Have a question about the team? Ask Patrick Saunders here.
Must-Reads
Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon joined teammates Monday at Coors Field to hit and field in his first organized practice since being cleared of coronavirus. The four-time All-Star is optimistic he will be ready to play in 11 days for the Rockies’ season opener July 24 at the Texas Rangers. Read more…
For the first time since Feb. 17, Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had his two preferred wingers on the flanks Monday in Day 1 of training camp for the NHL’s return-to-play, 24-team playoffs. In a perfect world, this is the Avs’ perfect line. Read more…
The biggest question — other than whether baseball will be able to safely complete a season and crown a World Series champion — is whether fans will be in the stands on that Friday at Coors Field, or at any point in LoDo this season. Read more…
Quick Hits
+ Why CU Buffs, Pac-12 were willing to scrap the Rocky Mountain Showdown to save fall football
+ Colorado fans wagered $25.6 million in first month of legal sports betting.
+ Washington NFL team dropping “Redskins” name after 87 years.
+ Altitude unveils Nuggets seeding game broadcast schedule.
+ Three Points: Rapids shut out and defense slips in rivalry loss to Real Salt Lake.
+ 7-footer Lawson Lovering prepping for CU Buffs career.
+ NFL, Oakley come up with face shields to protect players.
Get in Touch
If you see something that’s cause for question or have a comment, thought or suggestion, email me at dboniface@denverpost.com or tweet me @danielboniface.


thedenverpost--2020-07-14--“We are in a state of emergency”: Killing of fourth Denver teenager in one week prompts calls for ch

“We are in a state of emergency”: Killing of fourth Denver teenager in one week prompts calls for change

Davarie Armstrong ’ s friends tried to keep him alive as they drove the few minutes to the hospital from the house party where he had been shot .
Dante Johnson held Armstrong , his best friend , as they sped away from the home , where gunfire had erupted for no reason that the teens could understand .
“ I was just saying , ‘ You good , you good .
Stay with me , ’ ” Johnson said .
But Armstrong died Saturday , just weeks before he was slated to start his senior year at South High @ @ @ @ @ @ @ student , a standout athlete , a hard worker and a mentor to younger kids , his friends , family and coaches said .
He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was shot , they said .
Armstrong is the latest Denver teenager to die in a wave of killings over the past week .
Four teenagers have been shot and killed here over the past seven days : 19-year-old Tayvion Washington , 14-year-old Xzavier Collier , 15-year-old Moses Chaney Harris and Armstrong .
The young men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Park Hill and Montbello neighborhoods as well as from the larger Denver metro area to hold two community meetings Monday night about the violence and to demand investment and change from city leaders .
“ We are in a state of emergency , ” Sharletta Evans , founder of Victim and Offender Mitigation Initiative , said at a meeting at the Zion Senior Center .
“ We want our city officials to speak up … at least show that you care about your black and brown kids.
” Community activists in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this summer would be deadly for young people if nothing changed in how the city handles violence prevention .
So far this year , at least 10 Denver teens have been killed in homicides — more youth killings than all of 2019 .
During the meetings Monday , community members and anti-violence activists discussed setting up safe zones where teens can access services and hang out in a non-violent space , as well as creating on-the-ground intervention without involving police .
Mayor Michael Hancock tweeted that he was heartbroken over the recent killings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new funding opportunities later this week for the nonprofits that already work with Denver ’ s young people .
His office did not return a call for comment Monday afternoon .
“ This is personal , not just for the families overcome by grief , but for every one of us who calls Denver home , because we are failing our young people when they need us the most , ” Hancock wrote on Twitter .
“ We can not standby while violence overwhelms our neighborhoods .
We must wrap our arms around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never done before , come together in solidarity to begin the true work of healing.
” “ To me , a tweet is , words are empty without action , ” said Linda Colbert of Families Against Violent Acts .
Colbert said that more funding from the city is necessary , but also worried that the funding will be so small that it will cause conflict among the organizations .
“ They want the organizations to split a minuscule amount of money , or worse , to fight over the funding to prove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most , ” she said .
“ It causes somewhat of a rift even within the organizations.
” Hancock ’ s tweets are also unlikely to reach many of the people impacted by the recent violence , she said .
Not everyone has Twitter , she said , and what many grieving families want is personal contact with city leadership .
“ I don ’ t know a family that can say that our city ’ s leadership has checked in with them and asked ‘ What can we do ?
’ ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only worsened the risk of youth violence , community organizers said .
Many teenagers are disconnected from supports they may have had at school , they are struggling to find jobs in a weakened economy , and any organized summer activity they may have looked forward to is likely now out the window .
Those factors , along with a resurgent civil rights movement focused on racism , create a seemingly inescapable source of stress , especially for Black and Hispanic youth .
“ It ’ s like do you catch COVID and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jackson , co-founder of Athletics and Beyond , which provides life skills training and off-season athletic programs .
“ Do you die in the hands of the authorities ?
Or is it someone with bad intentions who lives in the same place you do that might kill you ?
It ’ s like a minefield.
” It ’ s disheartening to talk to young people who feel like they have nothing to live for , Colbert said .
Adults must take it upon themselves to help the teens find reasons to be hopeful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hope , you don ’ t mind dying , ” Colbert said .
Armstrong was one of the teens in Jackson ’ s off-season football program , which Jackson had to cancel the summer program because of the pandemic .
The teen helped mentor younger students and wanted to go to college to pursue his football career , she said .
“ He became a standout of our program , ” Jackson said of the teen .
“ He was a quiet giant .
”

Davarie Armstrong’s friends tried to keep him alive as they drove the few minutes to the hospital from the house party where he had been shot.
Dante Johnson held Armstrong, his best friend, as they sped away from the home, where gunfire had erupted for no reason that the teens could understand.
“I was just saying, ‘You good, you good. Stay with me,’ ” Johnson said.
But Armstrong died Saturday, just weeks before he was slated to start his senior year at South High School. The 17-year-old was a good student, a standout athlete, a hard worker and a mentor to younger kids, his friends, family and coaches said. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was shot, they said.
Armstrong is the latest Denver teenager to die in a wave of killings over the past week. Four teenagers have been shot and killed here over the past seven days: 19-year-old Tayvion Washington, 14-year-old Xzavier Collier, 15-year-old Moses Chaney Harris and Armstrong.
The young men’s deaths prompted community organizers in the Park Hill and Montbello neighborhoods as well as from the larger Denver metro area to hold two community meetings Monday night about the violence and to demand investment and change from city leaders.
“We are in a state of emergency,” Sharletta Evans, founder of Victim and Offender Mitigation Initiative, said at a meeting at the Zion Senior Center.
“We want our city officials to speak up … at least show that you care about your black and brown kids.”
Community activists in the fall and earlier this year warned that this summer would be deadly for young people if nothing changed in how the city handles violence prevention. So far this year, at least 10 Denver teens have been killed in homicides — more youth killings than all of 2019.
During the meetings Monday, community members and anti-violence activists discussed setting up safe zones where teens can access services and hang out in a non-violent space, as well as creating on-the-ground intervention without involving police.
Mayor Michael Hancock tweeted that he was heartbroken over the recent killings and said that he planned to announce new funding opportunities later this week for the nonprofits that already work with Denver’s young people. His office did not return a call for comment Monday afternoon.
“This is personal, not just for the families overcome by grief, but for every one of us who calls Denver home, because we are failing our young people when they need us the most,” Hancock wrote on Twitter. “We cannot standby while violence overwhelms our neighborhoods. We must wrap our arms around our youth, like we’ve never done before, come together in solidarity to begin the true work of healing.”
“To me, a tweet is, words are empty without action,” said Linda Colbert of Families Against Violent Acts.
Colbert said that more funding from the city is necessary, but also worried that the funding will be so small that it will cause conflict among the organizations.
“They want the organizations to split a minuscule amount of money, or worse, to fight over the funding to prove that we can help the community the most,” she said. “It causes somewhat of a rift even within the organizations.”
Hancock’s tweets are also unlikely to reach many of the people impacted by the recent violence, she said. Not everyone has Twitter, she said, and what many grieving families want is personal contact with city leadership.
“I don’t know a family that can say that our city’s leadership has checked in with them and asked ‘What can we do?’ ” Colbert said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened the risk of youth violence, community organizers said. Many teenagers are disconnected from supports they may have had at school, they are struggling to find jobs in a weakened economy, and any organized summer activity they may have looked forward to is likely now out the window. Those factors, along with a resurgent civil rights movement focused on racism, create a seemingly inescapable source of stress, especially for Black and Hispanic youth.
“It’s like do you catch COVID and lose your life?” said Narcy Jackson, co-founder of Athletics and Beyond, which provides life skills training and off-season athletic programs. “Do you die in the hands of the authorities? Or is it someone with bad intentions who lives in the same place you do that might kill you? It’s like a minefield.”
It’s disheartening to talk to young people who feel like they have nothing to live for, Colbert said. Adults must take it upon themselves to help the teens find reasons to be hopeful, she said.
“Because without hope, you don’t mind dying,” Colbert said.
Armstrong was one of the teens in Jackson’s off-season football program, which Jackson had to cancel the summer program because of the pandemic. The teen helped mentor younger students and wanted to go to college to pursue his football career, she said.
“He became a standout of our program,” Jackson said of the teen. “He was a quiet giant.”


thedenverpost--2020-07-14--King Soopers to temporarily stop giving coins for change because of nationwide shortage

So much for getting back quarters for laundry or the parking meter when you pay cash for groceries at King Soopers or City Market .
Kroger , the two chains ’ parent company , won ’ t give coin change to customers paying cashiers with cash for a while because of a nationwide coin shortage .
King Soopers spokeswoman Jessica Trowbridge said in an email Monday that people can load the change on their King Soopers loyalty card to use on their next purchase or round up their bill to support Kroger ’ s Zero Hunger/Zero Waste program .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coin shortage across the U.S. As a result , it is impacting our ability to provide change to our customers , ” Trowbridge said .
As with many things these days , the shortage is pandemic-related .
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell recently told Congress that the coins stopped flowing when people curtailed their spending as businesses closed to stop the spread of the coronavirus .
Powell said in a hearing in June on Capitol Hill that the government is working to increase the supply .
The U.S. Mint , including the Denver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus outbreak , said Mark Weller , executive director of Americans for Common Cents .
The organization supports continuing to print and use pennies and maintaining the right to pay with cash , so it ’ s watching as various retail outlets and chains decide not to give back coins .
“ We ’ re seeing a push by tech companies and credit card companies to move away from cash because they benefit from that , ” Weller said.
” Consumers should have multiple ways to pay.
” Kroger said the policy on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organization believe that handling money , paper or coins , is safe despite the coronavirus .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that grocery and retail workers minimize handling cash , credit cards and mobile devices .

So much for getting back quarters for laundry or the parking meter when you pay cash for groceries at King Soopers or City Market.
Kroger, the two chains’ parent company, won’t give coin change to customers paying cashiers with cash for a while because of a nationwide coin shortage. King Soopers spokeswoman Jessica Trowbridge said in an email Monday that people can load the change on their King Soopers loyalty card to use on their next purchase or round up their bill to support Kroger’s Zero Hunger/Zero Waste program.
“The Federal Reserve is experiencing a significant coin shortage across the U.S. As a result, it is impacting our ability to provide change to our customers,” Trowbridge said.
It’s been recommended that operators of 7-Eleven stores encourage customers to pay with exact change, a credit card or a contactless method to reserve the amount of coins available at each register, 7-Eleven Inc. said in a statement Tuesday.
Some rural Safeway stores have experienced shortages, but overall it hasn’t been a significant problem, said spokeswoman Kris Staaf. Safeway is giving coins as change, she said.
As with many things these days, the shortage is pandemic-related. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell recently told Congress that the coins stopped flowing when people curtailed their spending as businesses closed to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Powell said in a hearing in June on Capitol Hill that the government is working to increase the supply.
The U.S. Mint, including the Denver branch, reduced shifts because of the coronavirus outbreak, said Mark Weller, executive director of Americans for Common Cents. The organization supports continuing to print and use pennies and maintaining the right to pay with cash, so it’s watching as various retail outlets and chains decide not to give back coins.
“We’re seeing a push by tech companies and credit card companies to move away from cash because they benefit from that,” Weller said.”Consumers should have multiple ways to pay.”
Kroger said the policy on coins is temporary.
Weller said his organization believe that handling money, paper or coins, is safe despite the coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that grocery and retail workers minimize handling cash, credit cards and mobile devices.


thedenverpost--2020-07-14--PHOTOS: Vigil for Davarie Armstrong at South High School in Denver

Phillip Douglas shows Jerome Shelton and Cory Bailey how to play chess during a community meeting on protecting youth from @ @ @ @ @ of Davarie Armstrong , 17 , on Monday , July 13 , 2020 .
Armstrong @ @ @ @ @ South , was shot and killed on July 11 .
His family stressed that Armstrong @ @ @ @ @ with gangs and expressed their pain in hearing that some media had portrayed his killing @ @ @

AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
Phillip Douglas shows Jerome Shelton and Cory Bailey how to play chess during a community meeting on protecting youth from gun violence after the death of Davarie Armstrong, 17, on Monday, July 13, 2020. Armstrong, an incoming senior at South, was shot and killed on July 11. His family stressed that Armstrong was in no way affiliated with gangs and expressed their pain in hearing that some media had portrayed his killing as such.


thedenverpost--2020-07-14--Ask Amy: Rent-paying parent wonders where checks landed

Dear Amy : I am retired .
My grown daughter has always held a job and paid her bills on time .
Because of the COVID virus , her income has dropped substantially .
I offered to pay her rent , and have done so for the past four months .
My concern is this : I write the check payable to the landlord of her six-unit building , and she presents it .
She has been in the apartment for about three years and he has accommodated her by lowering her rent a little , in exchange for her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and shoveling snow in the winter .
I ’ m questioning if he is wondering why the checks are coming from me , and also why he has not deposited any of my checks .
I have not told my daughter that the checks have not been processed ( and don ’ t plan to tell her ) .
I just don ’ t know if he just has irregular banking practices or if he is deliberately not cashing the checks to give my daughter a very generous , albeit confidential , break @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the case , I feel extremely strongly that I should thank him .
Should I wait for another two months or so to see if he does finally process the checks , or should I send him a note now , assuming he is being kind and generous ?
Dear Confused : You are overthinking this by a mile .
First of all , your landlord is not going to care who is writing the rent check , as long as it clears .
Many people are in the same position your daughter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in from unexpected quarters .
You should not keep any of this confidential from your daughter .
She is the tenant , she has agreed to this arrangement with you , and she is sending the checks to her landlord .
Or is she ?
This should be your first question .
Her landlord might have offered her a temporary rent amnesty – and she could be “ banking ” these checks ( hanging on to them ) to use later .
Or – she is sending the checks to him and he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t been to his post box in a long time .
Or – as happened to me once – these checks have landed in that tiny space between his desk and the wall ( I thought I had fallen into a magical secret windfall until my landlord suddenly cashed six rent checks at once ) .
Either way – you should find out what ’ s going on .
If the landlord hasn ’ t been receiving payment for her apartment ( for whatever reason ) , this could land her in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daughter .
Then confirm with the landlord that he is receiving these checks , and ask him if there is a reason he hasn ’ t cashed them .
If it is out of the goodness of his heart , then you can thank him , personally .
Dear Amy : I have been estranged from my son for about 12 years ; he refuses to have any contact with me .
This was his decision soon after I divorced his mother .
Ironically , a few years after that event , my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He is now re-married .
I learned recently that he and his second wife just had a baby girl , my granddaughter .
I am thinking of corresponding with his wife — my daughter-in-law — in order to convince her that I should be able to see my granddaughter .
Such attempts could create friction in my son ’ s marriage .
Should I try to convince my daughter-in-law that I should be able to see my granddaughter or just drop all attempts and wait for a time that my son might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should not attempt to “ convince ” anyone of anything .
You should reach out to your son and his wife in a neutral and positive way to congratulate them on the birth of their child .
Share a joyful memory from your son ’ s life : “ I ’ ll never forget the joy I felt when I became a dad.
” Express a sincere desire to reconcile without pushing too hard .
Dear Amy : I don ’ t always agree with your advice , but I must admit that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ answer to “ Not Born in the USA , ” the immigrant who wanted to become more “ American.
” Your diverse cultural examples reminded me of how complicated – and amazing – this country is .
Dear Born : Thank you .
I would urge anyone pondering the state of our nation to try to describe it to a new citizen .

Dear Amy: I am retired. My grown daughter has always held a job and paid her bills on time.
Because of the COVID virus, her income has dropped substantially. I offered to pay her rent, and have done so for the past four months.
My concern is this: I write the check payable to the landlord of her six-unit building, and she presents it.
She has been in the apartment for about three years and he has accommodated her by lowering her rent a little, in exchange for her taking care of the small front yard and shoveling snow in the winter.
I’m questioning if he is wondering why the checks are coming from me, and also why he has not deposited any of my checks.
I have not told my daughter that the checks have not been processed (and don’t plan to tell her).
I just don’t know if he just has irregular banking practices or if he is deliberately not cashing the checks to give my daughter a very generous, albeit confidential, break for four months. If this is the case, I feel extremely strongly that I should thank him.
Should I wait for another two months or so to see if he does finally process the checks, or should I send him a note now, assuming he is being kind and generous?
— Confused by Appreciative
Dear Confused: You are overthinking this by a mile. First of all, your landlord is not going to care who is writing the rent check, as long as it clears. Many people are in the same position your daughter is in, and rent is coming in from unexpected quarters.
You should not keep any of this confidential from your daughter. She is the tenant, she has agreed to this arrangement with you, and she is sending the checks to her landlord.
Or is she? This should be your first question. Her landlord might have offered her a temporary rent amnesty – and she could be “banking” these checks (hanging on to them) to use later. Or – she is sending the checks to him and he is not processing them because he hasn’t been to his post box in a long time.
Or – as happened to me once – these checks have landed in that tiny space between his desk and the wall (I thought I had fallen into a magical secret windfall until my landlord suddenly cashed six rent checks at once).
Either way – you should find out what’s going on. If the landlord hasn’t been receiving payment for her apartment (for whatever reason), this could land her in a jam.
First, ask your daughter. Then confirm with the landlord that he is receiving these checks, and ask him if there is a reason he hasn’t cashed them. If it is out of the goodness of his heart, then you can thank him, personally.
Dear Amy: I have been estranged from my son for about 12 years; he refuses to have any contact with me. This was his decision soon after I divorced his mother.
Ironically, a few years after that event, my son was divorced from his first wife.
He is now re-married. I learned recently that he and his second wife just had a baby girl, my granddaughter.
I am thinking of corresponding with his wife — my daughter-in-law — in order to convince her that I should be able to see my granddaughter.
Such attempts could create friction in my son’s marriage. Should I try to convince my daughter-in-law that I should be able to see my granddaughter or just drop all attempts and wait for a time that my son might seek reconciliation?
— Sad Dad
Dear Dad: You should not attempt to “convince” anyone of anything. You should reach out to your son and his wife in a neutral and positive way to congratulate them on the birth of their child. Share a joyful memory from your son’s life: “I’ll never forget the joy I felt when I became a dad.”
Express a sincere desire to reconcile without pushing too hard.
Dear Amy: I don’t always agree with your advice, but I must admit that I was moved to tears by your answer to “Not Born in the USA,” the immigrant who wanted to become more “American.” Your diverse cultural examples reminded me of how complicated – and amazing – this country is.
— Born in the USA
Dear Born: Thank you. I would urge anyone pondering the state of our nation to try to describe it to a new citizen.
(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)


thedenverpost--2020-07-15--Nikola Jokic makes long-awaited appearance inside NBA bubble, compares quarantine to “vacation”

No one could ’ ve blamed Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic had he been dispirited in the wake of his weeks-long ordeal following a positive coronavirus test .
Precious practice time with teammates was lost , and for weeks , team officials had to answer for his whereabouts .
Instead , speaking for the first time since his weekend arrival in the NBA ’ s bubble and since the season shut down in March , Jokic was jovial .
He didn ’ t miss a beat while parrying questions and lobbing jokes at the familiar voices coming through Tuesday ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difficult at all , I was home , ” Jokic said when asked to describe his last three weeks .
“ I was quarantined for 14-15 days .
We had a little private house .
I was with my girlfriend , so it was actually a kind of vacation for us .
I work out every day , I enjoy every day .
It was actually not that bad.
” Three weeks after the Nuggets expected their star center back with the team and exactly one week after the team arrived in Orlando @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hour quarantine and passed two negative tests .
The only thing holding him back from the team ’ s practice court in Orlando was a physical that he ’ ll need to pass , according to a team source .
He took in Tuesday ’ s practice from the sidelines .
“ It was great to see him , ” said coach Michael Malone , who didn ’ t have a timeline for the handful of other Nuggets who have yet to arrive in Orlando .
“ And I could kind of sense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , getting here and kind of going through all the different things , requirements , protocols , procedures , whatever you want to call it , to get here .
So thankful that he ’ s here , he ’ s in great spirits .
I think I can speak for everybody on our staff and our roster , having him around is just very uplifting.
” That good cheer emanated from Jokic , who received questions about his weight , his workout regimen , viral photos of his lean physique and how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive more than three weeks ago .
Jokic said he was feeling completely normal when a test before he was set to depart Serbia came back positive .
During his 14-day quarantine , he took a break from basketball , but he said he was able to work out every day .
It was a continuation of a program designed by Nuggets strength coach Felipe Eichenberger , who Jokic credited with offering guidance since the shutdown .
“ I didn ’ t have a break at all in the weight room , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out full time.
” When pressed on his exact body weight , Jokic couldn ’ t help himself .
“ I think I ’ m not supposed to tell you my pounds and my weight , ” he said with a wry smile , knowing how much his physique had been a topic of discussion since the start of the season .
“ It ’ s team policy .
… I like that.
” Last season , Jokic readily admitted that his extra heft helped him battle opponents inside .
“ Uh , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because what you want me to say like ?
” he said .
“ It ’ s an excuse for the weight but… I ’ m joking.
” It was almost as if the pounds he ’ d shed since the hiatus had a palpable effect on his mood .
He claimed he ’ d only lost three-to-five pounds since the shutdown , even if pictures suggested a few more .
It was either that , or he was simply relishing his newfound freedom inside the bubble after days of quarantine .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s trim appearance might affect his game .
He answered it in his typical understated manner .
“ I am just happy to be here , to finally come to Orlando to be with the team , ” he said .
“ Maybe I ’ m going to surprise everybody .
Maybe I am not going to do good .
We will see.
” But before he signed off , tying a bow on his return to basketball normalcy , he returned to a mantra that he ’ s used dozens of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , of course , it ’ s my pleasure , like always , ” he said .
“ Oh , I missed that .
”

No one could’ve blamed Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic had he been dispirited in the wake of his weeks-long ordeal following a positive coronavirus test.
Precious practice time with teammates was lost, and for weeks, team officials had to answer for his whereabouts.
Instead, speaking for the first time since his weekend arrival in the NBA’s bubble and since the season shut down in March, Jokic was jovial. He didn’t miss a beat while parrying questions and lobbing jokes at the familiar voices coming through Tuesday’s Zoom call.
“It was not difficult at all, I was home,” Jokic said when asked to describe his last three weeks. “I was quarantined for 14-15 days. We had a little private house. I was with my girlfriend, so it was actually a kind of vacation for us. I work out every day, I enjoy every day. It was actually not that bad.”
Three weeks after the Nuggets expected their star center back with the team and exactly one week after the team arrived in Orlando, Jokic had cleared the mandated 36-48 hour quarantine and passed two negative tests. The only thing holding him back from the team’s practice court in Orlando was a physical that he’ll need to pass, according to a team source. He took in Tuesday’s practice from the sidelines.
“It was great to see him,” said coach Michael Malone, who didn’t have a timeline for the handful of other Nuggets who have yet to arrive in Orlando. “And I could kind of sense the relief of him being here finally, getting here and kind of going through all the different things, requirements, protocols, procedures, whatever you want to call it, to get here. So thankful that he’s here, he’s in great spirits. I think I can speak for everybody on our staff and our roster, having him around is just very uplifting.”
That good cheer emanated from Jokic, who received questions about his weight, his workout regimen, viral photos of his lean physique and how surprised he was that he actually tested positive more than three weeks ago. Jokic said he was feeling completely normal when a test before he was set to depart Serbia came back positive.
During his 14-day quarantine, he took a break from basketball, but he said he was able to work out every day. It was a continuation of a program designed by Nuggets strength coach Felipe Eichenberger, who Jokic credited with offering guidance since the shutdown.
“I didn’t have a break at all in the weight room,” Jokic said. “I basically worked out full time.”
When pressed on his exact body weight, Jokic couldn’t help himself.
“I think I’m not supposed to tell you my pounds and my weight,” he said with a wry smile, knowing how much his physique had been a topic of discussion since the start of the season. “It’s team policy. … I like that.”
Last season, Jokic readily admitted that his extra heft helped him battle opponents inside.
“Uh, yeah, I needed to say that because what you want me to say like?” he said. “It’s an excuse for the weight but… I’m joking.”
It was almost as if the pounds he’d shed since the hiatus had a palpable effect on his mood. He claimed he’d only lost three-to-five pounds since the shutdown, even if pictures suggested a few more. It was either that, or he was simply relishing his newfound freedom inside the bubble after days of quarantine.
There was the pertinent question of how Jokic’s trim appearance might affect his game. He answered it in his typical understated manner.
“I am just happy to be here, to finally come to Orlando to be with the team,” he said. “Maybe I’m going to surprise everybody. Maybe I am not going to do good. We will see.”
But before he signed off, tying a bow on his return to basketball normalcy, he returned to a mantra that he’s used dozens of time before.
“Thank you guys, of course, it’s my pleasure, like always,” he said. “Oh, I missed that.”


thedenverpost--2020-07-15--Aurora motor vehicle office closed temporarily after worker contracts COVID-19

An Aurora motor vehicle office will close temporarily after after an employee tested positive for COVID-19 and other employees had been exposed .
The office , at 490 S. Chambers Road , will be closed from Wednesday through Friday , according to an Arapahoe County news release .
“ We are closing the Aurora Motor Vehicle Office out of an abundance of caution for our customers and our employees , ” said Clerk and Recorder Joan Lopez in the release .
“ We will continue to monitor the situation and work closely with Tri-County Health to ensure we are doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We ask for patience and understanding during this time and understand this closure comes at a time when customers have had limited access to services due to COVID .
The safety or our customers and employees is our top concern.
” Arapahoe County is following Tri-County Health Department and CDC guidelines covering steps to be taken when an employee tests positive , and the one employee who tested positive is quarantining , the release said .
Co-workers are urged to get tested and the offices are being deep cleaned and decontaminated while closed @

An Aurora motor vehicle office will close temporarily after after an employee tested positive for COVID-19 and other employees had been exposed.
The office, at 490 S. Chambers Road, will be closed from Wednesday through Friday, according to an Arapahoe County news release.
“We are closing the Aurora Motor Vehicle Office out of an abundance of caution for our customers and our employees,” said Clerk and Recorder Joan Lopez in the release. “We will continue to monitor the situation and work closely with Tri-County Health to ensure we are doing everything possible to keep everyone safe. We ask for patience and understanding during this time and understand this closure comes at a time when customers have had limited access to services due to COVID. The safety or our customers and employees is our top concern.”
Arapahoe County is following Tri-County Health Department and CDC guidelines covering steps to be taken when an employee tests positive, and the one employee who tested positive is quarantining, the release said. Co-workers are urged to get tested and the offices are being deep cleaned and decontaminated while closed.


thedenverpost--2020-07-15--Douglas County commissioners hear pushback from residents over split from Tri-County over masks

Douglas County commissioners heard pushback from residents Tuesday afternoon about their plan to separate from the Tri-County Health Department over its mask mandate .
It ’ s still unclear how much it might cost Douglas County to set up its own health department , or what the next steps are in separating .
The county has been part of Tri-County for more than 50 years .
The health department ’ s board voted on July 8 to require residents of Adams , Arapahoe and Douglas counties to wear masks in indoor public spaces , and outdoor ones if it isn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away from others .
The order allows communities to opt out , which the three Douglas County commissioners said they would do .
A day after the health department board voted , the commissioners announced Douglas County would leave the three-county arrangement .
A notice letter to Tri-County said Douglas County will leave on July 11 , 2021 , but Commissioner Roger Partridge said they might complete the transition sooner .
Until they reach a new arrangement , Tri-County will provide services as usual .
Commissioner Lora Thomas asked for “ grace ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She said the commissioners decided to withdraw because the Tri-County Board of Health had decided to require masks , despite a recommendation from health department executive director Dr. John Douglas that Douglas County be exempt .
Two of the three board members representing Douglas County voted against the order , but one voted in favor , giving the wider mandate a 5-4 majority .
“ What it told us was that the unelected board members were showing us they were willing to use their powers to force policies on Douglas County that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
Nine of 10 members of the public who spoke during Tuesday ’ s meeting disagreed with the commissioners on the mask issue , and seven others submitted written comments criticizing the decision .
Mark Dawson , of Highlands Ranch , said he felt the commissioners had “ politicized ” a public health issue and placed residents at risk from the virus .
“ I ’ m greatly disheartened , ” he said .
“ It ’ s not an ‘ I ’ issue , but a ‘ we ’ issue.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the issue was political , and said the county had been moving toward starting its own health department for years , as its population grew .
“ It ’ s not as much a divorce as an empty nest , ” he said after the meeting .
Another resident who spoke , Glenn Harm , of Highlands Ranch , said he thought the commissioners should have conducted a full analysis of the cost of setting up their own health department , since they could opt the county out of the mask mandate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ straw that broke the camel ’ s back , ” he said .
Laydon said he thinks Douglas County can save money by eliminating duplication of services and cutting those that aren ’ t needed .
State law requires all public health departments to provide services like controlling contagious diseases and collecting birth and death statistics , but other services can differ based on a county ’ s needs .
Douglas , the Tri-County executive director , was less confident that a separation would help anyone financially .
The three counties each pay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest of the department ’ s roughly $ 42 million budget coming from state and federal funds .
The department could lose roughly a quarter of its budget if Douglas County decides to offer all services on its own , though Tri-County would be open to discussing contracts for certain services , he said .
If that happens , Tri-County might need to ask Adams and Arapahoe counties for more funding because central costs are no longer split three ways , and Douglas County also would have to pay for those services itself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roughly 380 employees , with some working in one county and some in programs for all three , like smoking prevention and responding to disease outbreaks , Douglas said .
They ’ ll try to limit job losses , he said , but it ’ s too early to know how many employees could be laid off .
“ It ’ s a complicated 50-year relationship that we ’ re figuring out how to unravel , ” he said .
Subscribe to bi-weekly newsletter to get health news sent straight to your inbox @

Douglas County commissioners heard pushback from residents Tuesday afternoon about their plan to separate from the Tri-County Health Department over its mask mandate.
It’s still unclear how much it might cost Douglas County to set up its own health department, or what the next steps are in separating. The county has been part of Tri-County for more than 50 years.
The health department’s board voted on July 8 to require residents of Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties to wear masks in indoor public spaces, and outdoor ones if it isn’t possible to stand six feet away from others. The order allows communities to opt out, which the three Douglas County commissioners said they would do.
A day after the health department board voted, the commissioners announced Douglas County would leave the three-county arrangement.
A notice letter to Tri-County said Douglas County will leave on July 11, 2021, but Commissioner Roger Partridge said they might complete the transition sooner. Until they reach a new arrangement, Tri-County will provide services as usual.
Commissioner Lora Thomas asked for “grace” as the county navigates its next steps. She said the commissioners decided to withdraw because the Tri-County Board of Health had decided to require masks, despite a recommendation from health department executive director Dr. John Douglas that Douglas County be exempt. Two of the three board members representing Douglas County voted against the order, but one voted in favor, giving the wider mandate a 5-4 majority.
“What it told us was that the unelected board members were showing us they were willing to use their powers to force policies on Douglas County that weren’t even necessary,” she said.
Nine of 10 members of the public who spoke during Tuesday’s meeting disagreed with the commissioners on the mask issue, and seven others submitted written comments criticizing the decision. Mark Dawson, of Highlands Ranch, said he felt the commissioners had “politicized” a public health issue and placed residents at risk from the virus.
“I’m greatly disheartened,” he said. “It’s not an ‘I’ issue, but a ‘we’ issue.”
Commissioner Abe Laydon rejected allegations that the issue was political, and said the county had been moving toward starting its own health department for years, as its population grew.
“It’s not as much a divorce as an empty nest,” he said after the meeting.
Another resident who spoke, Glenn Harm, of Highlands Ranch, said he thought the commissioners should have conducted a full analysis of the cost of setting up their own health department, since they could opt the county out of the mask mandate.
“This should not have been the straw that broke the camel’s back,” he said.
Laydon said he thinks Douglas County can save money by eliminating duplication of services and cutting those that aren’t needed. State law requires all public health departments to provide services like controlling contagious diseases and collecting birth and death statistics, but other services can differ based on a county’s needs.
Douglas, the Tri-County executive director, was less confident that a separation would help anyone financially. The three counties each pay $7.10 per resident, with the rest of the department’s roughly $42 million budget coming from state and federal funds. The department could lose roughly a quarter of its budget if Douglas County decides to offer all services on its own, though Tri-County would be open to discussing contracts for certain services, he said.
If that happens, Tri-County might need to ask Adams and Arapahoe counties for more funding because central costs are no longer split three ways, and Douglas County also would have to pay for those services itself, Douglas said.
The department has roughly 380 employees, with some working in one county and some in programs for all three, like smoking prevention and responding to disease outbreaks, Douglas said. They’ll try to limit job losses, he said, but it’s too early to know how many employees could be laid off.
“It’s a complicated 50-year relationship that we’re figuring out how to unravel,” he said.
Subscribe to bi-weekly newsletter to get health news sent straight to your inbox.