thedenverpost--2020-07-11--Ask Amy: Husband’s secret online friendship ends abruptly

Dear Amy : I ’ ve been married for many years .
A few years back I started an online friendship with another woman .
We ’ ve emailed back and forth , and I really enjoyed our correspondence over the years .
She ’ s had a much more exciting life than I ’ ve had , but I found our shared knowledge and experiences made for an online relationship that ’ s better than anything I ’ ve had with my wife .
I knew we ’ d never meet in person .
I never attempted a face-to-face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with that .
Then , two years ago , her writings to me became less frequent and much more politically tinged .
She attributed this to an injury she suffered , and the subsequent recovery from it .
Her correspondence to me has since dropped down to nothing , I miss it and feel truly hurt by this .
My wife knows nothing of this , and I find that my wife and I have less and less in common anymore .
Should I continue to correspond with her and hope things will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I just end things altogether and try to move on ?
Dear Hurt : When I comment on the insidious effect ( and often damage ) that secret “ friendships ” have on a marriage , people often respond : “ But married people can — and should — have friends !
” YES , committed partners can ( and should ! )
conduct their own friendships , but when the friendship is a secret , over time the secrecy amplifies a feeling of intimacy between the friends , leaving the primary partner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example of this phenomenon .
As your online friendship grew , your in-person relationship shrank .
And now – unfortunately , both relationships have dwindled .
Maybe you pursued your online friendship in the first place because you believed that something important was missing in your marriage .
But – if you aren ’ t at least going to try to be a full partner to your spouse , then you should own the consequence .
You should respect your online friend ’ s choice to maintain some distance from you .
You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you should respect the choices she is making .
Then – you could take the extra relationship energy and recommit to trying to reconnect with your wife .
You might start by sending her a warmly written email .
Dear Amy : My granddaughter is barely scraping along .
She is divorced from her vindictive and nasty husband .
They have three teenagers for whom she is mainly responsible .
She had a good job when she divorced , so the court-ordered child support was low .
She has a part-time job now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she has had some serious health issues .
I help her out by sending her about $ 1,800 a month .
My husband and I are retired and are comfortably well-off .
There is nothing that we need or want that we can ’ t get for ourselves .
However , our granddaughter sends us gift cards for things that we don ’ t want or would not get for ourselves .
To me , that is akin to robbing Peter to pay Paul .
The last time she sent me something , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to send us anything of monetary value .
A card or a Zoom call would be more than enough to make us happy .
We are also very old and try to go out as little as possible until there is a vaccine for the virus .
Well , she has just sent my husband a Father ’ s Day card for $ 25 to spend at Starbucks .
He doesn ’ t want it .
I have sent it back to her and asked her again not to send us such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am hurting her feelings and I don ’ t know what to do about it .
Do you have any suggestions about how better to handle this ?
Dear Grands : You are so generous – and your granddaughter obviously appreciates it very much .
She is trying , in her way , to thank you and reciprocate .
I realize this is frustrating for you , but after your second admonition and correction , I think it ’ s time to let it go .
You might be able to re-gift or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might use them .
Dear Amy : “ Too Nice ” described being so nice that people always take advantage of her .
That used to be me !
Thank you for telling her that people will react poorly when she attempts to establish boundaries .
This is just their way of struggling to adjust .
Dear Been There : It ’ s hard to switch it up !
People will push back .

Dear Amy: I’ve been married for many years. A few years back I started an online friendship with another woman. We’ve emailed back and forth, and I really enjoyed our correspondence over the years. She’s had a much more exciting life than I’ve had, but I found our shared knowledge and experiences made for an online relationship that’s better than anything I’ve had with my wife.
I knew we’d never meet in person. I never attempted a face-to-face meeting with her and was perfectly happy with that. Then, two years ago, her writings to me became less frequent and much more politically tinged.
She attributed this to an injury she suffered, and the subsequent recovery from it.
Her correspondence to me has since dropped down to nothing, I miss it and feel truly hurt by this. My wife knows nothing of this, and I find that my wife and I have less and less in common anymore.
Should I continue to correspond with her and hope things will go back to normal, or should I just end things altogether and try to move on?
— Hurt Online
Dear Hurt: When I comment on the insidious effect (and often damage) that secret “friendships” have on a marriage, people often respond: “But married people can — and should — have friends!”
YES, committed partners can (and should!) conduct their own friendships, but when the friendship is a secret, over time the secrecy amplifies a feeling of intimacy between the friends, leaving the primary partner out.
Your situation is a perfect example of this phenomenon. As your online friendship grew, your in-person relationship shrank. And now – unfortunately, both relationships have dwindled.
Maybe you pursued your online friendship in the first place because you believed that something important was missing in your marriage. But – if you aren’t at least going to try to be a full partner to your spouse, then you should own the consequence.
You should respect your online friend’s choice to maintain some distance from you. You could express concern about her but then you should respect the choices she is making.
Then – you could take the extra relationship energy and recommit to trying to reconnect with your wife. You might start by sending her a warmly written email.
Dear Amy: My granddaughter is barely scraping along. She is divorced from her vindictive and nasty husband. They have three teenagers for whom she is mainly responsible.
She had a good job when she divorced, so the court-ordered child support was low. She has a part-time job now, but with no benefits, and she has had some serious health issues. I help her out by sending her about $1,800 a month.
My husband and I are retired and are comfortably well-off. There is nothing that we need or want that we can’t get for ourselves.
However, our granddaughter sends us gift cards for things that we don’t want or would not get for ourselves.
To me, that is akin to robbing Peter to pay Paul.
The last time she sent me something, I wrote to her and asked her not to send us anything of monetary value. A card or a Zoom call would be more than enough to make us happy.
We are also very old and try to go out as little as possible until there is a vaccine for the virus.
Well, she has just sent my husband a Father’s Day card for $25 to spend at Starbucks. He doesn’t want it.
I have sent it back to her and asked her again not to send us such gifts.
I am sure that I am hurting her feelings and I don’t know what to do about it.
Do you have any suggestions about how better to handle this?
— Grands
Dear Grands: You are so generous – and your granddaughter obviously appreciates it very much. She is trying, in her way, to thank you and reciprocate.
I realize this is frustrating for you, but after your second admonition and correction, I think it’s time to let it go. You might be able to re-gift or donate any gift cards to someone who might use them.
Dear Amy: “Too Nice” described being so nice that people always take advantage of her.
That used to be me! Thank you for telling her that people will react poorly when she attempts to establish boundaries. This is just their way of struggling to adjust.
— Been There
Dear Been There: It’s hard to switch it up! People will push back.
(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--2020-07-12--Rockies Nolan Arenado: “Pumped-in crowd noise might be “cheesy” but something is needed

The crack of the bat ?
Check .
The roar of the crowd ?
Maybe , kinda , sort of .
With the coronavirus likely to keep fans out of major league ballparks this season , a number of teams are experimenting with piping in artificial crowd noise to help create a livelier atmosphere in the ballpark .
Also , it ’ s likely that all radio and television broadcasts will have simulated sound during games .
Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado is not quite sure how he feels about piped-in cheers being pumped into Coors Field , something the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It would be a little cheesy but probably better than nothing , ” Arenado said Saturday before the Rockies held an intrasquad game at Coors .
“ We have to do something .
When we were playing ( Friday ) , I heard the sirens of a downtown fire truck loud and clear .
We need something different.
” Put down Anthony Rendon , the Los Angeles Angels ’ top free-agent acquisition , for a solid no vote regarding artificial crowd noise .
“ It was stupid , ” Rendon told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , adding that he ’ d prefer a silent ballpark .
“ Definitely .
Without a doubt .
It ’ s like you have two of your senses that aren ’ t coinciding with one another .
It ’ s like you ’ re looking at a pizza , but you ’ re smelling a hamburger .
You hear noise , but you know nobody ’ s in the stands .
You don ’ t see anybody .
I think it was dumb .
I ’ d rather listen to music.
” Rockies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the possibility of crowd noise before saying , “ Let ’ s go for it .
But I don ’ t know , I ’ m anxious to see it happen .
Let ’ s try it .
I have no idea what that would be like.
” The Chicago Cubs have already announced plans to insert faux crowd noise for fans watching or listening to games .
“ I think that the audio without any , we ’ ll call it white noise or the insertion of fan noise , is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney told radio station 670 The Score .
Where ’ s Charlie ?
All-star right fielder Charlie Blackmon has returned to Colorado and has resumed working out , but he has not yet rejoined the Rockies after testing positive for COVID-19 .
Blackmon was in excellent shape before he became ill and the Rockies are hopeful he is close to a full recovery .
Still , Black is not as certain as he was a week ago that Blackmon will be ready to Colorado season-opener on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ d like to think that the Charlie situation will get resolved fairly quickly , and we ’ re at the liberty of the commissioner ’ s office , I believe , on that one , ” Black said .
“ But that ’ s the thing I ’ m most concerned about at this time , is Charlie and his timeframe to be ready .
It sort of gives me a little pause as far as his potential situation on July 24.
” The Bard .
Right-hander Daniel Bard , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Red Sox bullpen before running into major control issues that forced him out of the game , impressed the Rockies during spring training .
Bard , 35 , has not let up during summer camp .
“ I was sitting behind the screen last night and I really liked the way the ball was coming out of his hand , ” Black said .
“ There was a lot of good action in the hitting area , and although he gave up a homer to Nolan ( Arenado ) on a breaking ball @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he really made some good pitches.
” Traveling man .
Bullpen coach Darryl Scott was the Rockies ’ unsung hero after spring training was shut down on March 13 .
It was Scott who loaded up a mobile pitching mound into the back of his pickup truck and delivered it to various parks around Scottsdale , Ariz. “ D-Scott was amazing , ” right-hander Jeff Hoffman said .
“ That was a huge help .
He was ready at a moment ’ s notice.
” Footnotes .
Top pitching prospect Ryan Rolison fared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ night ’ s intrasquad scrimmage .
The lefty allowed one hit , struck out one and walked one .
He ’ s likely to begin the season at the Rockies ’ satellite camp in Arizona .
… Catcher Drew Butera rocketed a solo home run to left off lefty reliever Jake McGee and Sam Hilliard followed with a double .

The crack of the bat? Check. The roar of the crowd? Maybe, kinda, sort of.
With the coronavirus likely to keep fans out of major league ballparks this season, a number of teams are experimenting with piping in artificial crowd noise to help create a livelier atmosphere in the ballpark. Also, it’s likely that all radio and television broadcasts will have simulated sound during games.
Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado is not quite sure how he feels about piped-in cheers being pumped into Coors Field, something the team has not done during intrasquad games.
“It would be a little cheesy but probably better than nothing,” Arenado said Saturday before the Rockies held an intrasquad game at Coors. “We have to do something. When we were playing (Friday), I heard the sirens of a downtown fire truck loud and clear. We need something different.”
Put down Anthony Rendon, the Los Angeles Angels’ top free-agent acquisition, for a solid no vote regarding artificial crowd noise.
“It was stupid,” Rendon told reporters after an intrasquad scrimmage last week, adding that he’d prefer a silent ballpark. “Definitely. Without a doubt. It’s like you have two of your senses that aren’t coinciding with one another. It’s like you’re looking at a pizza, but you’re smelling a hamburger. You hear noise, but you know nobody’s in the stands. You don’t see anybody. I think it was dumb. I’d rather listen to music.”
Rockies manager Bud Black laughed when asked about the possibility of crowd noise before saying, “Let’s go for it. But I don’t know, I’m anxious to see it happen. Let’s try it. I have no idea what that would be like.”
The Chicago Cubs have already announced plans to insert faux crowd noise for fans watching or listening to games.
“I think that the audio without any, we’ll call it white noise or the insertion of fan noise, is a little jarring for the television viewer,” Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney told radio station 670 The Score.
Where’s Charlie? All-star right fielder Charlie Blackmon has returned to Colorado and has resumed working out, but he has not yet rejoined the Rockies after testing positive for COVID-19. Blackmon was in excellent shape before he became ill and the Rockies are hopeful he is close to a full recovery. Still, Black is not as certain as he was a week ago that Blackmon will be ready to Colorado season-opener on July 24 at the Texas Rangers.
“I’d like to think that the Charlie situation will get resolved fairly quickly, and we’re at the liberty of the commissioner’s office, I believe, on that one,” Black said. “But that’s the thing I’m most concerned about at this time, is Charlie and his timeframe to be ready. It sort of gives me a little pause as far as his potential situation on July 24.”
The Bard. Right-hander Daniel Bard, once a stellar piece of the Boston Red Sox bullpen before running into major control issues that forced him out of the game, impressed the Rockies during spring training. Bard, 35, has not let up during summer camp.
“I was sitting behind the screen last night and I really liked the way the ball was coming out of his hand,” Black said. “There was a lot of good action in the hitting area, and although he gave up a homer to Nolan (Arenado) on a breaking ball, but after that, I thought he really made some good pitches.”
Traveling man. Bullpen coach Darryl Scott was the Rockies’ unsung hero after spring training was shut down on March 13. It was Scott who loaded up a mobile pitching mound into the back of his pickup truck and delivered it to various parks around Scottsdale, Ariz.
“D-Scott was amazing,” right-hander Jeff Hoffman said. “That was a huge help. He was ready at a moment’s notice.”
Footnotes. Top pitching prospect Ryan Rolison fared well in two scoreless innings during Saturday night’s intrasquad scrimmage. The lefty allowed one hit, struck out one and walked one. He’s likely to begin the season at the Rockies’ satellite camp in Arizona. … Catcher Drew Butera rocketed a solo home run to left off lefty reliever Jake McGee and Sam Hilliard followed with a double.


thedenverpost--2020-07-12--Kiszla: Rocky Mountain Showdown is dead. Football season is on the brink. Here’s one game worth savi

Kiszla: Rocky Mountain Showdown is dead. Football season is on the brink. Here’s one game worth saving.

We love football and money in America , sometimes more than our neighbors , or life itself .
In a year when a virus threatens to cancel the football season , some games are worth saving .
The Pac-12 Conference opener for Colorado on the road at Arizona , however , is not one of them .
It ’ s a health risk not worth taking .
You tell me : How does traveling nearly 1,000 miles to play the Wildcats in the middle of a state currently besieged by the coronavirus make any safety sense for the Buffs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jaunt up the road at Colorado State is necessary to protect the health of student-athletes ?
On the same day Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott revealed he tested positive for COVID-19 , the Buffs followed him down the same crooked path of false hope and broken promises that beckoned Colorado to join the conference a decade ago .
CU chancellor Phil DiStefano , who swallows Dr. Scott ’ s Amazing Snake Oil as fast as Larry can spoon it up , responded to the decision to cancel September non-conference games in order to play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the cold-and-flu season , by declaring : “ We ’ re pleased.
” Pleased ?
Color me ticked .
Or , if you prefer , let ’ s stick with the more diplomatic words of CSU athletic director Joe Parker : “ We are disappointed.
” Colorado backed out of the Rocky Mountain Showdown in Fort Collins on Sept. 5 because the Buffs care more about cold-hard cash than their next-door neighbors .
To suggest any higher purpose behind the decision would smell suspiciously like a stack of Ralphie chips .
Let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director Rick George doesn ’ t trust CSU to keep the Buffs safe , but he ’ s open to the idea of sending student-athletes to play at pandemic hotspots in California and Arizona .
Why ?
Follow the money of the $ 32 million annual conference payout to Colorado .
Hey , I love football .
But this football season is on the brink , and the country ’ s health is at unnecessary risk , because we foolishly let the coronavirus kick our rear ends for too long without putting up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ angrily want to blame somebody , anybody except ourselves for this mess .
This every-football-conference-for-itself attitude is the same virulent selfishness reflected in the mirror that reveals national character flaws .
If we can ’ t even agree on wearing masks , then how should anyone expect us to give a hoot if the pandemic has taken roost in somebody else ’ s house , let alone another state ?
But I refuse to give up on the magic found in the teamwork of football .
I don ’ t want the best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to believe there are games in 2020 worth saving .
That ’ s why , on the same day the Buffs dumped Colorado State from this year ’ s schedule , I phoned Jaron Cohen , football coach at Ponderosa High , in the outskirts of Denver ’ s sprawling suburbs .
Football is his life .
He ’ s worried the virus could wreck this season for a program that serves as a touchstone in the lives of 10 dozen prep athletes and their families .
“ I ’ ve had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll be honest , ” Cohen said .
“ It ’ s hard for me to imagine we ’ re going to play tackle football on Aug. 28 .
It ’ s also hard for me to imagine a year when we don ’ t have high school sports .
I think we ’ re going to play .
I just don ’ t know when.
” Although COVID-19 cases are again on the rise in Colorado , I ’ m rooting for the chance we can beat down the pandemic together , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this fall .
It ’ s the last season of prep football for quarterback Jack Hanenburg and his fellow seniors .
The value of prep sports , however , is about more than sentimental journeys .
Ponderosa doesn ’ t cut players .
So there are 120 athletes of varied abilities in a program that serves as a social network and support group .
While the Mustangs won eight games in 2019 , Cohen takes more pride in the fact 119 of his athletes maintained grades that kept them academically eligible to play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are also two young sons in the Cohen household .
Henry is 10 years old ; Leo is 7 .
Those boys love football with the passion only kids do .
What if the pandemic steals an entire year of Friday night lights from Henry and Leo ?
“ It would be awful , ” Cohen said .
“ I won ’ t even let that possibility enter my head yet.
” At its best , football is about community , not money .
Some games are worth saving .
Ponderosa vs. Legend @ @ @ @ @

We love football and money in America, sometimes more than our neighbors, or life itself.
In a year when a virus threatens to cancel the football season, some games are worth saving. The Pac-12 Conference opener for Colorado on the road at Arizona, however, is not one of them. It’s a health risk not worth taking.
You tell me: How does traveling nearly 1,000 miles to play the Wildcats in the middle of a state currently besieged by the coronavirus make any safety sense for the Buffs, while canceling a rivalry game a quick jaunt up the road at Colorado State is necessary to protect the health of student-athletes?
On the same day Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott revealed he tested positive for COVID-19, the Buffs followed him down the same crooked path of false hope and broken promises that beckoned Colorado to join the conference a decade ago. CU chancellor Phil DiStefano, who swallows Dr. Scott’s Amazing Snake Oil as fast as Larry can spoon it up, responded to the decision to cancel September non-conference games in order to play football against the Cougars and Utes well into the cold-and-flu season, by declaring: “We’re pleased.”
Pleased? Color me ticked. Or, if you prefer, let’s stick with the more diplomatic words of CSU athletic director Joe Parker: “We are disappointed.”
Colorado backed out of the Rocky Mountain Showdown in Fort Collins on Sept. 5 because the Buffs care more about cold-hard cash than their next-door neighbors. To suggest any higher purpose behind the decision would smell suspiciously like a stack of Ralphie chips.
Let me get this straight. CU athletic director Rick George doesn’t trust CSU to keep the Buffs safe, but he’s open to the idea of sending student-athletes to play at pandemic hotspots in California and Arizona. Why? Follow the money of the $32 million annual conference payout to Colorado.
Hey, I love football. But this football season is on the brink, and the country’s health is at unnecessary risk, because we foolishly let the coronavirus kick our rear ends for too long without putting up a serious fight. And now we angrily want to blame somebody, anybody except ourselves for this mess.
This every-football-conference-for-itself attitude is the same virulent selfishness reflected in the mirror that reveals national character flaws. If we can’t even agree on wearing masks, then how should anyone expect us to give a hoot if the pandemic has taken roost in somebody else’s house, let alone another state?
But I refuse to give up on the magic found in the teamwork of football. I don’t want the best of football to be lost. I want to believe there are games in 2020 worth saving.
That’s why, on the same day the Buffs dumped Colorado State from this year’s schedule, I phoned Jaron Cohen, football coach at Ponderosa High, in the outskirts of Denver’s sprawling suburbs. Football is his life. He’s worried the virus could wreck this season for a program that serves as a touchstone in the lives of 10 dozen prep athletes and their families.
“I’ve had some anxiety over it, I’ll be honest,” Cohen said.
“It’s hard for me to imagine we’re going to play tackle football on Aug. 28. It’s also hard for me to imagine a year when we don’t have high school sports. I think we’re going to play. I just don’t know when.”
Although COVID-19 cases are again on the rise in Colorado, I’m rooting for the chance we can beat down the pandemic together, allowing Ponderosa to play Legend and Chaparral this fall. It’s the last season of prep football for quarterback Jack Hanenburg and his fellow seniors. The value of prep sports, however, is about more than sentimental journeys.
Ponderosa doesn’t cut players. So there are 120 athletes of varied abilities in a program that serves as a social network and support group. While the Mustangs won eight games in 2019, Cohen takes more pride in the fact 119 of his athletes maintained grades that kept them academically eligible to play and on track to graduate.
There are also two young sons in the Cohen household. Henry is 10 years old; Leo is 7. Those boys love football with the passion only kids do.
What if the pandemic steals an entire year of Friday night lights from Henry and Leo?
“It would be awful,” Cohen said. “I won’t even let that possibility enter my head yet.”
At its best, football is about community, not money. Some games are worth saving. Ponderosa vs. Legend is one of them.


thedenverpost--2020-07-12--PHOTOS: Candlelight Vigil for Elijah McClain at Utah Park in Aurora

Basia Collins crouches down for a moment of silence during a candlelit vigil for Elijah McClain at Utah Park in @ @ @ @ @ 11 , 2020 .
`` You can never kill his spirit , '' Collins said @

Rachel Ellis, The Denver Post
Hundreds of candles are used to spell out Elijah in the grass to honor Elijah McClain during a candlelit vigil for Elijah McClain at Utah Park in Aurora on Saturday, July 11, 2020. People celebrated his life and socially distanced in the park as a way to come together as a community.


thedenverpost--2020-07-12--Coronavirus cases, hospitalizations continue to increase in Colorado

The number of new confirmed coronavirus cases continues to rise as does the number of people hospitalized because of it .
On Saturday , the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced 400 new coronavirus infections — most of which were reported in recent days — bringing the total since March to 36,591 .
Part of the reason the cases jumped so much on Saturday was due to a backlog in test results that were just processed , according to the state health department .
Hospitalizations have also been increasing , with 215 people now hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s data .
One more person was reported to have died with COVID-19 in their system as of data reported Saturday , bringing the total to 1,724 .
Public health officials have attributed the increase in coronavirus cases over the last month to people interacting more with each other , particularly among young Coloradans at social gatherings .
At a news conference Thursday , Gov .
Jared Polis told residents to consider this summer as the “ summer of no parties ” and urged people to wear masks .
On Friday , Denver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rates increase to 7 % and hospitals reach 90 % capacity in Denver , the city will have make some changes to its reopening .

The number of new confirmed coronavirus cases continues to rise as does the number of people hospitalized because of it.
On Saturday, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced 400 new coronavirus infections — most of which were reported in recent days — bringing the total since March to 36,591.
Part of the reason the cases jumped so much on Saturday was due to a backlog in test results that were just processed, according to the state health department.
Today’s case summary shows a large increase in COVID-19 cases, partly due to a backlog of tests that were just processed. While some of the increase is also due to more testing, Coloradans are having more interactions with one another. https://t.co/tqNoP0j5DE#Covid19Colorado pic.twitter.com/bc6uJdttnX — Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (@CDPHE) July 10, 2020
Hospitalizations have also been increasing, with 215 people now hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infections, according to the state’s data.
One more person was reported to have died with COVID-19 in their system as of data reported Saturday, bringing the total to 1,724.
Public health officials have attributed the increase in coronavirus cases over the last month to people interacting more with each other, particularly among young Coloradans at social gatherings.
At a news conference Thursday, Gov. Jared Polis told residents to consider this summer as the “summer of no parties” and urged people to wear masks.
On Friday, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said if positive test rates increase to 7% and hospitals reach 90% capacity in Denver, the city will have make some changes to its reopening.


thedenverpost--2020-07-11--Vintage Super Mario Bros. video game sells for $114,000

DALLAS — An unopened copy of a vintage Super Mario Bros. video game has been sold for $ 114,000 in @ @ @ @ @ enduring popularity of entertainment created decades ago .
A bidder who wished to remain anonymous @ @ @ @ @ of the pioneering Super Mario Bros. game released in 1985 for Nintendo ’ s NES @ @ @ @ @ Friday by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions .
The $ 114,000 price eclipsed Heritage Auctions ’ previous @ @ @ @ @ game , which was a $ 100,150 bid made early last year for an unopened @ @ @ @ @ .
The Super Mario Bros. copy that sold for a new record was part of @ @ @ @ @ from the 1980s and 1990s that sold to various buyers for nearly $ 700,000 , @ @ @ @ @ Auction ’ s initial target of about $ 500,000 .
Other titles auctioned off included @ @ @ @ @ Punch-Out !
” a 1987 video game based on the former former heavyweight boxing champion @ @ @ @ @ 50,400 .

DALLAS — An unopened copy of a vintage Super Mario Bros. video game has been sold for $114,000 in an auction that underscored the enduring popularity of entertainment created decades ago.
A bidder who wished to remain anonymous snapped up an early version of the pioneering Super Mario Bros. game released in 1985 for Nintendo’s NES console during an auction conducted Friday by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions.
The $114,000 price eclipsed Heritage Auctions’ previous record amount for a video game, which was a $100,150 bid made early last year for an unopened copy of the same game.
The Super Mario Bros. copy that sold for a new record was part of a collection of video games from the 1980s and 1990s that sold to various buyers for nearly $700,000, which was well above Heritage Auction’s initial target of about $500,000. Other titles auctioned off included “Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!” a 1987 video game based on the former former heavyweight boxing champion, that sold for $50,400.


thedenverpost--2020-07-11--LeBron James won’t wear social justice message on Lakers jersey

LeBron James says his thoughts on social justice can ’ t be contained on the back of a basketball jersey .
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar won ’ t wear one of the NBA-approved social justice messages on the back of his jersey when the NBA resumes competition later this month in the Orlando bubble .
“ It was no disrespect to the list that was handed down to all the players , ” James said Saturday in a confernece call from Florida .
“ I commend anyone that decides to put something on the back of their jersey .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t seriously resonate with my mission , with my goal.
” As part of the NBA ’ s recognition of the nationwide invigoration of the social justice movement sparked by the death of George Floyd , NBA players are allowed to choose from a lengthy list of possible messages for their jerseys during the league ’ s restart .
James is among just a few who declined to choose one of the messages , he said .
“ I would have loved to have a say-so on what would have went on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ James said .
“ I had a couple of things in mind , but I wasn ’ t part of that process , which is OK. … Everything that I do has a purpose , has a meaning .
I don ’ t need to have something on the back of my jersey for people to understand my mission or know what I ’ m about and what I ’ m here to do.
” The 35-year-old superstar has a long history of social involvement and advocacy for progressive causes .
James speaks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responsibility to campaign for positive social change from his powerful position in sports and pop culture .
“ This is the mission I ’ ve been on for a long time now , ” James said .
“ It ’ s great that a lot of people ’ s ears are opening .
A lot of people are understanding , a lot of people are recognizing .
A lot of people still don ’ t get it , and a lot of people are still afraid to talk about the racism that goes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people .
… But we have some ears , and we will continue to push the envelope and let everyone know that we are human as well .
We don ’ t want to be just be used for our God-given abilities.
” JaVale McGee , the Lakers ’ veteran center , said he will wear “ Respect Us ” on his jersey in Orlando .
“ It ’ s a blessing to have this platform , ” said McGee , whose asthma has him being particularly cautious during the pandemic .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ playing basketball … Our fans are basketball fans over anything .
This is the biggest platform we can speak about social injustices .
That ’ s the best time to talk about it.
” James also said he didn ’ t consider not playing in the NBA ’ s restart , believing the league can be a positive force through its visibility and competition .
He expressed no concerns for his health inside the bubble .
“ I believe the NBA and ( Commissioner ) Adam Silver , they took all precautionary measure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ league are as safe as we can be , ” James said .
“ Obviously , in anything that you do , there can be things that can happen , so we will cross that line if it happens .
But we ’ re doing everything to make sure everyone stays safe during this pandemic .
Adam Silver has given me no reason to not believe him since he took over .
I have no concerns .
I ’ m here 100 % and in great health .
”

LeBron James says his thoughts on social justice can’t be contained on the back of a basketball jersey.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar won’t wear one of the NBA-approved social justice messages on the back of his jersey when the NBA resumes competition later this month in the Orlando bubble.
“It was no disrespect to the list that was handed down to all the players,” James said Saturday in a confernece call from Florida. “I commend anyone that decides to put something on the back of their jersey. It’s just something that didn’t seriously resonate with my mission, with my goal.”
As part of the NBA’s recognition of the nationwide invigoration of the social justice movement sparked by the death of George Floyd, NBA players are allowed to choose from a lengthy list of possible messages for their jerseys during the league’s restart. James is among just a few who declined to choose one of the messages, he said.
“I would have loved to have a say-so on what would have went on the back of my jersey,” James said. “I had a couple of things in mind, but I wasn’t part of that process, which is OK. … Everything that I do has a purpose, has a meaning. I don’t need to have something on the back of my jersey for people to understand my mission or know what I’m about and what I’m here to do.”
The 35-year-old superstar has a long history of social involvement and advocacy for progressive causes. James speaks frequently of what he feels is a responsibility to campaign for positive social change from his powerful position in sports and pop culture.
“This is the mission I’ve been on for a long time now,” James said. “It’s great that a lot of people’s ears are opening. A lot of people are understanding, a lot of people are recognizing. A lot of people still don’t get it, and a lot of people are still afraid to talk about the racism that goes on in America, especially for our people. … But we have some ears, and we will continue to push the envelope and let everyone know that we are human as well. We don’t want to be just be used for our God-given abilities.”
JaVale McGee, the Lakers’ veteran center, said he will wear “Respect Us” on his jersey in Orlando.
“It’s a blessing to have this platform,” said McGee, whose asthma has him being particularly cautious during the pandemic. “We have way more of a voice playing basketball … Our fans are basketball fans over anything. This is the biggest platform we can speak about social injustices. That’s the best time to talk about it.”
James also said he didn’t consider not playing in the NBA’s restart, believing the league can be a positive force through its visibility and competition. He expressed no concerns for his health inside the bubble.
“I believe the NBA and (Commissioner) Adam Silver, they took all precautionary measure to make sure that we as a league are as safe as we can be,” James said. “Obviously, in anything that you do, there can be things that can happen, so we will cross that line if it happens. But we’re doing everything to make sure everyone stays safe during this pandemic. Adam Silver has given me no reason to not believe him since he took over. I have no concerns. I’m here 100% and in great health.”


thedenverpost--2020-07-11--President Trump wears mask in public for first time during pandemic

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump wore a mask during a visit to a military hospital on Saturday , the first time the president has been seen in public with the type of facial covering recommended by health officials as a precaution against spreading or becoming infected by the novel coronavirus .
Trump flew by helicopter to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in suburban Washington to meet wounded servicemembers and health care providers caring for COVID-19 patients .
As he left the White House , he told reporters : “ When you ’ re in a hospital , especially … @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wear a mask.
” Trump was wearing a mask in Walter Reed ’ s hallway as he began his visit .
He was not wearing one when he stepped off the helicopter at the facility .
The president was a latecomer to wearing a mask during the pandemic , which has raged across the U.S. since March and infected more than 3.2 million and killed at least 134,000 .
Most prominent Republicans , including Vice President Mike Pence , endorsed wearing masks as the coronavirus gained ground this summer .
Trump , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at news conferences , coronavirus task force updates , rallies and other public events .
People close to him have told The Associated Press that the president feared a mask would make him look weak and was concerned that it shifted focus to the public health crisis rather than the economic recovery .
They spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private matters .
While not wearing one himself , Trump has sent mixed signals about masks , acknowledging that they would be appropriate if worn in an indoor setting where people were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporters of wearing them to be politically correct and has retweeted messages making fun of Democrat Joe Biden for wearing a mask and implying that Biden looks weak .
The wearing of masks became another political dividing line , with Republicans more resistant to wearing them than Democrats .
Few masks were seen at recent Trump campaign events in Tulsa , Oklahoma , Phoenix and South Dakota ’ s Mount Rushmore .
The only time Trump has been known to wear a mask was during a private part of a tour of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ website , Walter Reed carries this recommendation : “ Whenever you ’ re out in public , like at your local grocery store or pharmacy , where it ’ s difficult to maintain 6 feet of social distance , you should wear a cloth face covering.
” The facility also notes that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
”

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump wore a mask during a visit to a military hospital on Saturday, the first time the president has been seen in public with the type of facial covering recommended by health officials as a precaution against spreading or becoming infected by the novel coronavirus.
Trump flew by helicopter to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in suburban Washington to meet wounded servicemembers and health care providers caring for COVID-19 patients. As he left the White House, he told reporters: “When you’re in a hospital, especially … I think it’s expected to wear a mask.”
Trump was wearing a mask in Walter Reed’s hallway as he began his visit. He was not wearing one when he stepped off the helicopter at the facility.
The president was a latecomer to wearing a mask during the pandemic, which has raged across the U.S. since March and infected more than 3.2 million and killed at least 134,000. Most prominent Republicans, including Vice President Mike Pence, endorsed wearing masks as the coronavirus gained ground this summer.
Trump, however, has declined to wear a mask at news conferences, coronavirus task force updates, rallies and other public events. People close to him have told The Associated Press that the president feared a mask would make him look weak and was concerned that it shifted focus to the public health crisis rather than the economic recovery. They spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private matters.
While not wearing one himself, Trump has sent mixed signals about masks, acknowledging that they would be appropriate if worn in an indoor setting where people were close together. But he has accused reporters of wearing them to be politically correct and has retweeted messages making fun of Democrat Joe Biden for wearing a mask and implying that Biden looks weak.
The wearing of masks became another political dividing line, with Republicans more resistant to wearing them than Democrats. Few masks were seen at recent Trump campaign events in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Phoenix and South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore.
The only time Trump has been known to wear a mask was during a private part of a tour of a Ford plant in Michigan.
On its website, Walter Reed carries this recommendation: “Whenever you’re out in public, like at your local grocery store or pharmacy, where it’s difficult to maintain 6 feet of social distance, you should wear a cloth face covering.” The facility also notes that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the coronavirus.”


thedenverpost--2020-07-11--Bear believed to have attacked woman in Manitou Springs killed, cubs sent to rehab

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers euthanized a bear early Saturday that ’ s believed to have attacked a woman in Manitou Springs and officers took her cubs to a rehab facility .
The sow charged and knocked the woman down and clawed her back Thursday night .
The woman was not seriously injured .
The same bear was found to have chased a colleague of the woman ’ s later in the same block near downtown .
A witness told CPW officers that she saw two cubs with the bear .
Neighbors also reported to wildlife officers that the bear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cans in the area and were aggressive to humans , CPW said in a news release .
Colorado Parks and Wildlife worked with U.S. Department of Agriculture ’ s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service agents to catch and kill a bear near Manitou Springs that matched the sow ’ s description , according to Saturday ’ s release .
They caught it close to where the attack on the woman occurred and are waiting for confirmation from necropsy and testing results .
The officers set up the tracks Friday night , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Colorado Springs region , said in the release that they ’ re confident this was the bear involved in the Thursday attack .
“ Early Saturday morning , the APHIS team , using trained hounds , treed a sow matching the description of the target bear and in the same area as the attack , ” he said .
The officers also caught the cubs and they were transported to the nonprofit Wet Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation facility in Wetmore .
They ’ ll be trained to avoid future human contact before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
CPW said neighbors told them the sow and cubs were going through trash cans in the area and being aggressive to humans after the Thursday attack .
“ This is why we say ‘ garbage kills bears ’ and urge everyone to secure their trash cans , ” Wigner said .
“ This is bear country .
We need to keep them wild and not let them become trash bears.
” CPW encourages people to follow its “ Bear Aware ” tips and camping recommendations to stay safe at cpw.state.co.us .

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers euthanized a bear early Saturday that’s believed to have attacked a woman in Manitou Springs, and officers took her cubs to a rehab facility.
The sow charged and knocked the woman down and clawed her back Thursday night. The woman was not injured seriously. The same bear was found to have chased a colleague of the woman later in the same block near downtown. A witness told wildlife officers that she saw two cubs with the bear.
Neighbors also reported to wildlife officers that the bear and her cubs would go through trash cans in the area and were aggressive to humans, Parks and Wildlife said in a news release.
The state agency worked with federal agents from the Department of Agriculture to catch and kill a bear near Manitou Springs that matched the sow’s description, according to the release. They caught it close to where the attack on the woman occurred and are waiting for confirmation from necropsy and testing results.
Cody Wigner, assistant area wildlife manager for the Colorado Springs region, said wildlife officers are confident this was the bear involved in the Thursday attack.
“Early Saturday morning, (officers), using trained hounds, treed a sow matching the description of the target bear and in the same area as the attack,” he said.
The officers also caught the cubs, and they were transported to the nonprofit Wet Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation facility in Wetmore. They’ll be trained to avoid future human contact before they’re released into the wild.
Parks and Wildlife said neighbors told them the sow and cubs were going through trash cans in the area and being aggressive to humans.
“This is why we say ‘garbage kills bears’ and urge everyone to secure their trash cans,” Wigner said. “This is bear country. We need to keep them wild and not let them become trash bears.”
Parks and Wildlife encourages people to follow its “Bear Aware” tips and camping recommendations to stay safe at cpw.state.co.us.


thedenverpost--2020-07-11--Aurora police search for suspects who hit victims with boards on High Line Canal Trail in Highland P

Aurora police search for suspects who hit victims with boards on High Line Canal Trail in Highland Park neighborhood

Aurora police are investigating two incidents in which women were attacked by someone with a board while on the High Line Canal Trail in the Highland Park neighborhood .
Police have increased patrols in the area and are searching for suspects as well as any witnesses to the assaults .
The latest assault happened at about 6 a.m. Saturday near East First Avenue and Moline Street .
A woman was attacked by a man as she was jogging on the trail , Aurora police said in a news release .
The man hit the victim multiple times with a board @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She was transported to a hospital , police said .
The suspect is described as a Latino man in his 20s who appears to have an athletic build , is about 5-foot-7 and has short black hair .
He was seen wearing a black shirt and black pants during the attack but later donned a grey sweatshirt and was riding a kid ’ s bike , according to police .
The earlier attack happened about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday .
A woman was riding her bike on the trail with her kids around East @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A man swung a 2-by-4 board at her , which hit her and knocked her off her bike .
The woman and her kids escaped before calling police , and she was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries .
The suspect in that assault is described as a black man who has curly hair and is about 6 feet tall , according to police .
He was seen wearing a red shirt and black shorts at the time of the attack .
Anyone who sees either of the two men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and call 911 right away .
Police request that anyone with information about the attacks email APDCrimeTips @ auroragov.org or call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867 .
Aurora police recommend following safety tips , including asking people to pay attention to their surroundings , avoid walking at night or in dimly lit areas , and to yell “ fire ” rather than “ help ” if they feel someone is watching them .

Aurora police are investigating two incidents in which women were attacked by someone with a board while on the High Line Canal Trail in the Highland Park neighborhood.
Police have increased patrols in the area and are searching for suspects as well as any witnesses to the assaults.
The latest assault happened at about 6 a.m. Saturday near East First Avenue and Moline Street. A woman was attacked by a man as she was jogging on the trail, Aurora police said in a news release. The man hit the victim multiple times with a board, leaving her with serious injuries. She was transported to a hospital, police said.
The suspect is described as a Latino man in his 20s who appears to have an athletic build, is about 5-foot-7 and has short black hair. He was seen wearing a black shirt and black pants during the attack but later donned a grey sweatshirt and was riding a kid’s bike, according to police.
The earlier attack happened about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. A woman was riding her bike on the trail with her kids around East Second Avenue, the release stated. A man swung a 2-by-4 board at her, which hit her and knocked her off her bike. The woman and her kids escaped before calling police, and she was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
The suspect in that assault is described as a black man who has curly hair and is about 6 feet tall, according to police. He was seen wearing a red shirt and black shorts at the time of the attack.
Anyone who sees either of the two men is asked not to talk to them and call 911 right away. Police request that anyone with information about the attacks email APDCrimeTips@auroragov.org or call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
Aurora police recommend following safety tips, including asking people to pay attention to their surroundings, avoid walking at night or in dimly lit areas, and to yell “fire” rather than “help” if they feel someone is watching them.


thedenverpost--2020-07-11--UFC 251 live blog: Real-time updates from the Kamaru Usman-Jorge Masvidal fight night

A Sikh business owner was told to “ go back your country ” before being run over by a car @ @ @ @ @ demanding justice .

Digital sports strategist for The Denver Post. Previously he was the online prep sports editor. Prior to that, he covered Adams County and Aurora in the YourHub section. He also writes about beer, professional wrestling and video games.


thedenverpost--2020-07-12--Is this Heaven? No, it’s the Iowa farm where “Field of Dreams” was filmed — but it’s pretty close

DYERSVILLE , Iowa — It was my wife ’ s idea to come to this mythical cornfield .
Nancy has always loved the movie “ Field of Dreams , ” and when she discovered that we could stay overnight in the century-old farmhouse , play a game of catch under the lights and basically have the run of the place , I was sold .
But I was unprepared for the magic to come : taking batting practice as one of the movie ’ s original “ Ghost Players ” pitched to me ; switching on the lights to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of the corn as Nancy took a video of me ; eating brats and drinking beers on the tiny wooden bleachers along the first base line ; watching “ Field of Dreams ” on DVD while lounging on a couch in the house where “ Field of Dreams ” was filmed .
For one June night , we had a slice of Iowa baseball heaven all to ourselves .
For one night , we were Ray and Annie Kinsella .
We drove into Dyersville in the middle of a late-afternoon downpour , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gear , we made a pit stop at the local Goodwill and spent $ 8.50 for two jackets .
As it turned out , we didn ’ t really need them .
The clouds parted just in time for an orange-and-pink sunset beyond the outfield corn .
Frank Dardis knows that corn well .
The longtime semi-pro baseball player and coach grew up in Peosta , Iowa , a town of 1,500 about 15 miles east of Dyersville , population 4,200 .
Dardis is almost 66 now and he ’ s pitched so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s unable to straighten his left arm .
It was Dardis , wearing an ancient baseball glove that a friend found in a New York City antique store , who lobbed pitches to me as I swung from the heels , trying to send the ball out to the corn .
I never came close .
In the movie , Dardis is part of the troupe of locals who re-enact the role of the 1919 Chicago White Sox and emerge out of the corn to play baseball .
He has a brief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ray Kinsella ( played by Kevin Costner ) wrangles with his mercenary brother-in-law , Mark , who ’ s urging him to sell the failing farm .
Mark is unable to see Shoeless Joe Jackson and the other ballplayers on the field .
Indeed the oblivious Mark ( Timothy Busfield ) walks between the mound and home plate , just as the batter takes a hefty swing .
The batter is Dardis , who gets upset , throws down his bat and has to be restrained from going after Mark .
“ That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Dardis said with a laugh .
“ I think that scene was a one-taker .
But it was kind of scary .
Busfield said to me , ‘ Show me right where you are going to swing , because you better not hit me and I can ’ t flinch or anything.
’ So he walked right through , I took a full swing and he never flinched .
But I didn ’ t miss him by a whole lot.
” Dardis thinks he pulled off his part .
“ That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right ?
” he said .
“ Or maybe best-supporting extra .
They really should create that award.
” Dardis was working as the postmaster and city clerk in Peosta in 1988 when a crew was scouting for local baseball talent to appear in the movie .
Dardis , 34 at the time , was raising three boys ( Sean , 13 , Egan , 9 , and Brendan , two months ) , and his wife ( Beth ) was out of town on business for the summer .
Although extras were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though he wanted to be in the movie , he didn ’ t think he could do it while taking care of his family .
“ It was my mom , Mary Eileen Alice Dardis — good Irish name — who insisted , ” Dardis recalled .
“ Thank God for my blessed mother .
She called and said , ‘ When are you going to get another chance to do something like this ?
’ So she helped with the kids and I got to be in a movie.
” “ Field @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It was a critical and box-office hit .
As the late critic Roger Ebert wrote : “ Movies are often so timid these days , so afraid to take flights of the imagination , that there is something grand and brave about a movie where a voice tells a farmer to build a baseball diamond so that Shoeless Joe Jackson can materialize out of the cornfield and hit a few fly balls .
This is the kind of movie Frank Capra might have directed , and James Stewart might have starred in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as beloved as the movie became , few suspected that the field it was filmed on would remain a tourist attraction more than three decades later .
Within weeks of the movie ’ s release in the spring of 1989 , people started arriving in Dyersville and knocking on the door of the farmhouse .
That first year , more than 7,000 people dropped by .
The next year , twice as many people showed up .
The crowds have thinned over the years , but there is still a steady stream @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Road and smile as the farm site comes into view .
After Nancy and I spent a peaceful night in the master bedroom of the farmhouse built in 1906 , we awoke to a bright , sunny day .
Baseball pilgrims were already waiting outside for tour guide Teresa Murray to unveil some secrets of “ Field of Dreams.
” For example , she revealed that the well-irrigated corn had grown too tall for the opening scene in which Costner walks through the field and hears the voice whisper , “ Build it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so short amid the corn , in fact , that the crew built a foot-high wooden platform for him to walk on as the camera rolled .
Dradis never dreamed that his role as one of the Ghost Players would take him around the country and around the world , but that ’ s what happened .
It began one Sunday afternoon when Keith Rahe , who was living in a nearby farmhouse with some college friends , decided , on a lark , to dress up like ballplayers and emerge from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little girl yelled , “ Mommy , it ’ s the ghost players !
” The story was reported in the local paper , and hundreds of visitors appeared the next weekend and for weekends after , all waiting for the 1919 White Sox to walk out of the corn .
“ Keith and the guys were sitting at home the next week and the people at the field called them up and said , ‘ Hey , do you want to do that again ?
’ ” Dardis recalled .
“ Keith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanted to see what it was like .
It was fun and everything , but it was kind of a one-timer.
’ “ But the owners of the field said , ‘ Would you please reconsider ?
Because there are 200 people waiting here , thinking that Ghost Players are coming out of the corn .
They are not leaving.
’ ” So Rahe formed the Ghost Players , who developed a comedy routine similar to that of the Harlem Globetrotters .
Over time , the troupe performed at charity events , held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military bases .
“ I ’ ve been to over 50 countries , ” Dradis said .
“ The U.S. military booked us really heavy in the 1990s .
For the biggest tour we ever did , we started in California and then went to Hawaii for a week with our wives .
Then the Ghost Players continued island hopping all the way across the Pacific and we ended up in South Korea .
It was a six-week tour .
It ’ s been the craziest baseball story you have ever seen.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Smith , who often comes to Dyersville on Labor Day to take part in Hall of Fame day , invited the Ghost Players to St. Louis for his retirement party in 1996 .
“ It was at this theater in St. Louis and it was one of the best gigs we ever did , ” Dardis said .
“ We came out on the stage and came out through the fog and the crowd went crazy.
” For years , Paul Sherrman , another Ghost Player , who played the catcher in Dardis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used baseball equipment from around Iowa and shipped it to Puerto Rico in conjunction with the Roberto Clemente Foundation .
“ I ’ m amazed at what the movie and this place has created , ” Dardis mused .
“ It is magical .
Don ’ t think for a minute that it ’ s not .
You know , you could end up with James Earl Jones out in the corn .
He never came back out.
” With that , Dardis left Nancy and me to continue exploring the “ Field @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own .
We found the spot on the top bleacher where Costner carved “ Ray Loves Annie ” into the wood .
We excitedly noted exactly where certain scenes were filmed .
We sat on the porch swing and gazed out at a perfectly imperfect ballfield that has a noticeable slope from right field to center .
Far beyond left field , across the corn , we could see the construction site where the ballfield for the Field of Dreams game between the Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox is scheduled to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were originally scheduled to play the White Sox but the coronavirus pandemic altered those plans .
The new park — designed to pay homage to Chicago ’ s Comiskey Park — will be large enough to seat 8,000 fans , but it ’ s still to be determined whether any fans will be able to attend .
The field will stay intact and Go The Distance Baseball , the company that operates the movie site , will consider other potential uses for it .
With or without fans , the game will likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Baseball , history and nostalgia mix well , especially during these trying times .
Fans will no doubt flock to Dyersville again .
Currently , no garish billboards alert drivers to turn off the main highway ; only a few signs point the way to the farm .
Who knows if that will change ?
I hope not .
Sons and daughters have brought their fathers ’ old gloves and left them in this Iowa cornfield .
Wedding vows have been exchanged here and families have scattered ashes of deceased relatives .
Nancy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of staying in a simple farmhouse , overlooking a modest baseball diamond , carved out of a cornfield to create the set for a classic American movie .

DYERSVILLE, Iowa — It was my wife’s idea to come to this mythical cornfield.
Nancy has always loved the movie “Field of Dreams,” and when she discovered that we could stay overnight in the century-old farmhouse, play a game of catch under the lights and basically have the run of the place, I was sold.
But I was unprepared for the magic to come: taking batting practice as one of the movie’s original “Ghost Players” pitched to me; switching on the lights to see the ballfield spring to life; emerging out of the corn as Nancy took a video of me; eating brats and drinking beers on the tiny wooden bleachers along the first base line; watching “Field of Dreams” on DVD while lounging on a couch in the house where “Field of Dreams” was filmed.
For one June night, we had a slice of Iowa baseball heaven all to ourselves. For one night, we were Ray and Annie Kinsella.
We drove into Dyersville in the middle of a late-afternoon downpour, and, having forgotten to pack rain gear, we made a pit stop at the local Goodwill and spent $8.50 for two jackets. As it turned out, we didn’t really need them. The clouds parted just in time for an orange-and-pink sunset beyond the outfield corn.
Frank Dardis knows that corn well. The longtime semi-pro baseball player and coach grew up in Peosta, Iowa, a town of 1,500 about 15 miles east of Dyersville, population 4,200. Dardis is almost 66 now and he’s pitched so many innings in his life that he’s unable to straighten his left arm. It was Dardis, wearing an ancient baseball glove that a friend found in a New York City antique store, who lobbed pitches to me as I swung from the heels, trying to send the ball out to the corn. I never came close.
In the movie, Dardis is part of the troupe of locals who re-enact the role of the 1919 Chicago White Sox and emerge out of the corn to play baseball. He has a brief but memorable scene in the movie. Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner) wrangles with his mercenary brother-in-law, Mark, who’s urging him to sell the failing farm. Mark is unable to see Shoeless Joe Jackson and the other ballplayers on the field. Indeed the oblivious Mark (Timothy Busfield) walks between the mound and home plate, just as the batter takes a hefty swing. The batter is Dardis, who gets upset, throws down his bat and has to be restrained from going after Mark.
“That’s my 15 seconds of fame,” Dardis said with a laugh. “I think that scene was a one-taker. But it was kind of scary. Busfield said to me, ‘Show me right where you are going to swing, because you better not hit me and I can’t flinch or anything.’ So he walked right through, I took a full swing and he never flinched. But I didn’t miss him by a whole lot.”
Dardis thinks he pulled off his part.
“That’s best-supporting-actor kind of stuff, right?” he said. “Or maybe best-supporting extra. They really should create that award.”
Dardis was working as the postmaster and city clerk in Peosta in 1988 when a crew was scouting for local baseball talent to appear in the movie. Dardis, 34 at the time, was raising three boys (Sean, 13, Egan, 9, and Brendan, two months), and his wife (Beth) was out of town on business for the summer. Although extras were paid $100 a day, and though he wanted to be in the movie, he didn’t think he could do it while taking care of his family.
“It was my mom, Mary Eileen Alice Dardis — good Irish name — who insisted,” Dardis recalled. “Thank God for my blessed mother. She called and said, ‘When are you going to get another chance to do something like this?’ So she helped with the kids and I got to be in a movie.”
“Field of Dreams” was released in 1989. It was a critical and box-office hit. As the late critic Roger Ebert wrote: “Movies are often so timid these days, so afraid to take flights of the imagination, that there is something grand and brave about a movie where a voice tells a farmer to build a baseball diamond so that Shoeless Joe Jackson can materialize out of the cornfield and hit a few fly balls. This is the kind of movie Frank Capra might have directed, and James Stewart might have starred in — a movie about dreams.”
Still, as beloved as the movie became, few suspected that the field it was filmed on would remain a tourist attraction more than three decades later. Within weeks of the movie’s release in the spring of 1989, people started arriving in Dyersville and knocking on the door of the farmhouse. That first year, more than 7,000 people dropped by. The next year, twice as many people showed up.
The crowds have thinned over the years, but there is still a steady stream of baseball romantics who drive down Lansing Road and smile as the farm site comes into view.
After Nancy and I spent a peaceful night in the master bedroom of the farmhouse built in 1906, we awoke to a bright, sunny day. Baseball pilgrims were already waiting outside for tour guide Teresa Murray to unveil some secrets of “Field of Dreams.” For example, she revealed that the well-irrigated corn had grown too tall for the opening scene in which Costner walks through the field and hears the voice whisper, “Build it and he will come.” Costner looked so short amid the corn, in fact, that the crew built a foot-high wooden platform for him to walk on as the camera rolled.
Dardis never dreamed that his role as one of the Ghost Players would take him around the country and around the world, but that’s what happened.
It began one Sunday afternoon when Keith Rahe, who was living in a nearby farmhouse with some college friends, decided, on a lark, to dress up like ballplayers and emerge from the corn. When they appeared, a little girl yelled, “Mommy, it’s the ghost players!”
The story was reported in the local paper, and hundreds of visitors appeared the next weekend and for weekends after, all waiting for the 1919 White Sox to walk out of the corn.
“Keith and the guys were sitting at home the next week and the people at the field called them up and said, ‘Hey, do you want to do that again?’ ” Dardis recalled. “Keith said, ‘No, we just wanted to see what it was like. It was fun and everything, but it was kind of a one-timer.’
“But the owners of the field said, ‘Would you please reconsider? Because there are 200 people waiting here, thinking that Ghost Players are coming out of the corn. They are not leaving.’ ”
So Rahe formed the Ghost Players, who developed a comedy routine similar to that of the Harlem Globetrotters. Over time, the troupe performed at charity events, held youth clinics and even traveled overseas to military bases.
“I’ve been to over 50 countries,” Dardis said. “The U.S. military booked us really heavy in the 1990s. For the biggest tour we ever did, we started in California and then went to Hawaii for a week with our wives. Then the Ghost Players continued island hopping all the way across the Pacific and we ended up in South Korea. It was a six-week tour. It’s been the craziest baseball story you have ever seen.”
Former St. Louis Cardinals star shortstop Ozzie Smith, who often comes to Dyersville on Labor Day to take part in Hall of Fame day, invited the Ghost Players to St. Louis for his retirement party in 1996.
“It was at this theater in St. Louis and it was one of the best gigs we ever did,” Dardis said. “We came out on the stage and came out through the fog and the crowd went crazy.”
For years, Paul Sherrman, another Ghost Player, who played the catcher in Dardis’ big movie scene, has gathered used baseball equipment from around Iowa and shipped it to Puerto Rico in conjunction with the Roberto Clemente Foundation.
“I’m amazed at what the movie and this place has created,” Dardis mused. “It is magical. Don’t think for a minute that it’s not. You know, you could end up with James Earl Jones out in the corn. He never came back out.”
With that, Dardis left Nancy and me to continue exploring the “Field of Dreams” movie site on our own. We found the spot on the top bleacher where Costner carved “Ray Loves Annie” into the wood. We excitedly noted exactly where certain scenes were filmed. We sat on the porch swing and gazed out at a perfectly imperfect ballfield that has a noticeable slope from right field to center.
Far beyond left field, across the corn, we could see the construction site where the ballfield for the Field of Dreams game between the Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox is scheduled to take place on Aug. 13. The Yankees were originally scheduled to play the White Sox but the coronavirus pandemic altered those plans.
The new park — designed to pay homage to Chicago’s Comiskey Park — will be large enough to seat 8,000 fans, but it’s still to be determined whether any fans will be able to attend. The field will stay intact and Go The Distance Baseball, the company that operates the movie site, will consider other potential uses for it.
With or without fans, the game will likely be a big hit on television. Baseball, history and nostalgia mix well, especially during these trying times. Fans will no doubt flock to Dyersville again.
Currently, no garish billboards alert drivers to turn off the main highway; only a few signs point the way to the farm. Who knows if that will change? I hope not.
Sons and daughters have brought their fathers’ old gloves and left them in this Iowa cornfield. Wedding vows have been exchanged here and families have scattered ashes of deceased relatives.
Nancy and I will always have this memory of staying in a simple farmhouse, overlooking a modest baseball diamond, carved out of a cornfield to create the set for a classic American movie.
Field of Dreams, indeed.


thedenverpost--2020-07-12--More Colorado families consider online education as COVID-19 risks loom over upcoming school year

When growing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus triggered the abrupt shuttering of Colorado schools in March , families and faculty were forced to finish the academic year from the confines of their homes .
The transition wasn ’ t easy for many .
Parents had to double as caretakers and teachers , while students tried to adapt to a revolving door of online classroom solutions .
Educators needed to find new ways to engage with students practically overnight , as districts doled out laptops and internet hotspots to ensure families had the technology to connect virtually .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , compounded by the stress of Gov .
Jared Polis ’ statewide stay-at-home order , which moved living , working and schooling under the same roof .
But that unusual end to the spring semester afforded students and parents a trial run in remote education .
As districts across the state unveil plans to reopen schools , more Coloradans are considering foregoing traditional education and instead enrolling in online academic programs .
The risks associated with sending kids back to school for in-person instruction are too great , parents said , even with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protocols .
“ I don ’ t understand how our district believes they can put the safety protocols in place to protect the student body as a mass in a full return to school , ” said Arvada resident Greg Nidy , who has an incoming fourth grader , Jackson , and third grader , Paisley , in Jeffco Public Schools .
“ Absent a guarantee by the district that there are legitimate protocols in place to ensure the security of my children , we would be 95 % likely to do a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ semester ended , leaders of Colorado school district have been devising plans for a return to school in the fall .
Many first proposed a blended format , with some in-person classes supplemented by remote learning , to reduce the number of kids in classrooms and accommodate social distancing .
But a newly released report from Metro Denver Partnership for Health recommended schools fully reopen using risk-reduction strategies said to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus .
While there ’ s certainly the possibility of a COVID-19 outbreak in a school , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are not the primary drivers of disease transmission and that keeping facilities closed does more harm than good for their social and emotional well-being .
That prompted a number of districts — including Denver Public Schools , the state ’ s largest , and Jeffco Public Schools — to pivot to hosting in-person instruction five days a week for all students this fall , with the option to choose full-time online education .
At the same time , rates of infection among younger Coloradans are rising as overall COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confident they can safely reopen schools by screening student and staff temperatures upon arrival each day , marking one-way hallways , cohorting students into groups that stay together throughout the day , designating specific facility entrances and exits , staggering arrival and dismissal times , and adhering to other guidance from health experts .
Some districts , including DPS , will require students and teachers to wear masks .
Still , returning to the classroom doesn ’ t sit well with Colorado Springs resident Melissa Whitworth-Mathes , whose 16-year-old son William has asthma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Literacy Center , which offers one-on-one tutoring , Whitworth-Mathes has seen firsthand how interactive children are in an educational setting .
She doesn ’ t believe teachers will be able to enforce mask-wearing and other safety measures .
After years of homeschooling , Whitworth-Mathes hoped to send William and her 11-year-old daughter Meredith to public school .
But she decided to wait another year .
“ Everyone ’ s just sort of assuming everybody ’ s going to be on their best behavior and everything ’ s going to work out , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really does seem to be the only option we have to choose right now.
” Tracy Paskoff , of Arvada , agrees .
While she ’ d prefer to send her son , Hayes , back to school at Van Arsdale Elementary , she has reservations .
Paskoff also works as the sole occupational therapist at a local charter school , which requires her to mingle between grades and classrooms to reach all her students .
She hopes both she and Hayes can leverage remote education this fall .
“ Going back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even if they ’ re small groups , inside enclosed classrooms seems like a very bad idea to me , ” Paskoff said .
“ It just seems like there ’ s some denial of what the results could be.
” Online education is nothing new in Colorado , which boasts more than 60 accredited programs , according to the state Department of Education .
Some are associated exclusively with brick-and-mortar school districts , such as the St. Vrain Online Global Academy and the Westminster Virtual Academy .
Others , like Colorado Connections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
All public online schools are free for residents , though they vary in format and focus , said Tillie Elvrum , board president of the Colorado Coalition for Cyberschool Families , which advocates for virtual schooling .
Some adhere to a general education curriculum , much like their brick-and-mortar counterparts , while others enable students to specialize in a trade or accrue college credits .
During the 2018-2019 school year , there were 21,246 Colorado kids enrolled in online education programs — a 31 % increase over five years prior , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ represents a small portion of Colorado students — about 2.5 % of the overall K-12 public school population — experts say interest is growing .
This year , it ’ s due in no small part to uncertainty surrounding the pandemic .
Jeffco Public Schools Superintendent Jason Glass expects 10 % to 20 % of the student body , or 8,000 to 15,000 students , will opt for the district ’ s online option in lieu of returning physically to school .
In previous years , only about 1 % of Jeffco ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Colorado Connections Academy served about 2,800 remote students during the 2019-2020 school year , said executive director Chaille Hymes .
Applications for the coming year are up 30 % and the school expects to enroll 3,500 students in the fall .
“ There ’ s a lot families who are wanting consistency .
They felt very upended this year and it was very chaotic , ” Hymes said .
“ By applying for our school and coming to us next year , they at least know they ’ ll have consistency throughout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the biggest benefits to online schooling in light of the coronavirus .
When schools shut down in March , students and faculty in virtual programs were not affected because they already had systems in place for working remotely .
Some , like Branson School Online , were instrumental in helping the rest of their district in southeastern Colorado adapt , said principal Leanna Christians .
“ We were on spring break when ( the pandemic ) hit .
Then when we came back , it was business as usual , ” Christians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spring got canceled because we couldn ’ t go anywhere .
But day-to-day classwork , nothing changed.
” Proponents say the remote learning environment allows students to customize their education .
Advanced learners can move more quickly through lessons or dig deeper into subjects and challenge themselves individually .
Students can also move at a slower pace if they ’ re struggling with a subject or concept .
“ That , to me , is huge .
I worked in a brick-and-mortar school , I know the kid who got held back or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for extra time to meet with a special teacher .
All of those stigmas are gone , ” Christians said .
Advocates maintain there ’ s a misconception that virtual learning is less challenging academically than in-person school .
Hymes at Colorado Connections Academy said students complete six hours of “ pretty rigorous curriculum ” each day that includes core classes , electives like art , sign language and physical education , as well as supplemental labs .
Paskoff ’ s son Hayes thrived in his virtual Jeffco classes this spring because he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or other aspects of the classroom .
Nidy ’ s kids also had a great remote experience , thanks to the dedication and communication of Jeffco ’ s teachers , he said .
But the remote format isn ’ t a fit for every family .
It requires an immense amount of self-discipline and commitment , and parental support is also important for success , Christians said .
“ There ’ s no bell that rings that tells you to go to class .
There ’ s no bus that comes and delivers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be responsible for your timing , ” she said .
“ For a lot of kids , it ’ s a big , big , big learning curve.
” An April survey conducted by the state Department of Education and the Colorado Education Initiative showed that some Coloradans found it tough to adjust to online learning .
Of the 500 parents surveyed , 35 % said their children did not participate in any remote learning after schools shut down in March .
Many also do not have the option to consider a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statewide do not have access to a WiFi-enabled device , the survey said , and an estimated 65,860 do not have internet at home .
Those figures do not include students who may have inadequate or slow internet access .
For Meg Conley and her 8-year-old daughter Viola , remote learning in the spring was “ a catastrophe.
” Viola , who has dyslexia , felt disconnected and overwhelmed by the transition to virtual classes , Conley said .
Conley has been homeschooling Viola and her 11-year-old sister Margaret to make up for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ semester .
Each morning , they unpack a basket filled with the day ’ s lessons , including poetry , world history and crafts .
It usually takes an hour-and-a-half to three hours to complete .
It ’ s also practice for Conley , who said she ’ d consider homeschooling the girls full time if Denver Public Schools is forced to go remote again .
“ There ’ s a reason we don ’ t do remote learning with kids this age in general , but especially kids with learning differences , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a toll on both girls ’ mental and emotional health.
” When kids learn remotely , they often miss out on socializing with their peers and building community — things that concerned all parents interviewed for this story .
Many online programs have in-person field trips and networking opportunities for families , but because of the pandemic , those activities have been suspended .
That ’ s why Iliana Rentería believes many parents embrace a hybrid learning model .
A New Castle resident and mom of two , Rentería works with many Latino @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reader Aspen to Parachute , a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering literacy .
When she recently polled parents on Facebook , most preferred a mix of online and in-person classes .
Many parents found remote learning difficult to implement and thought their children were not learning as well , she said .
But they are also cautious of COVID .
“ They would rather have a teacher that is coaching ( kids ) and telling them what to do , ” Rentería said .
“ And maybe come to school once a week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ socialization in there , like some sense of normalcy.
” The second most popular option was an online curriculum , she added .
That ’ s the one she ’ s most seriously considering for her 13-year-old daughter Annette and 8-year-old son Leonardo .
Whether the coronavirus pandemic inspires a cultural shift toward online learning remains to be seen .
But at the very least , parents now know they have additional tools to support their children ’ s education , Elvrum said — even if they only use them for a year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s not only about academics , but also peace of mind .
“ Online education proves in-person instruction is not required for education to happen , ” Whitsworth-Mathes said .
No matter how the pandemic evolves this fall , her kids will be secure knowing they have a plan for education .
“ It ’ s one less thing they have to think or worry about .
”

When growing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus triggered the abrupt shuttering of Colorado schools in March, families and faculty were forced to finish the academic year from the confines of their homes.
The transition wasn’t easy for many.
Parents had to double as caretakers and teachers, while students tried to adapt to a revolving door of online classroom solutions. Educators needed to find new ways to engage with students practically overnight, as districts doled out laptops and internet hotspots to ensure families had the technology to connect virtually.
It was a massive adjustment, parents said, compounded by the stress of Gov. Jared Polis’ statewide stay-at-home order, which moved living, working and schooling under the same roof.
But that unusual end to the spring semester afforded students and parents a trial run in remote education. As districts across the state unveil plans to reopen schools, more Coloradans are considering foregoing traditional education and instead enrolling in online academic programs. The risks associated with sending kids back to school for in-person instruction are too great, parents said, even with new mask, social distancing and sanitation protocols.
“I don’t understand how our district believes they can put the safety protocols in place to protect the student body as a mass in a full return to school,” said Arvada resident Greg Nidy, who has an incoming fourth grader, Jackson, and third grader, Paisley, in Jeffco Public Schools. “Absent a guarantee by the district that there are legitimate protocols in place to ensure the security of my children, we would be 95% likely to do a remote learning environment.”
Mounting parental concerns
Since the spring semester ended, leaders of Colorado school district have been devising plans for a return to school in the fall. Many first proposed a blended format, with some in-person classes supplemented by remote learning, to reduce the number of kids in classrooms and accommodate social distancing.
But a newly released report from Metro Denver Partnership for Health recommended schools fully reopen using risk-reduction strategies said to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus. While there’s certainly the possibility of a COVID-19 outbreak in a school, the report’s authors said children are not the primary drivers of disease transmission and that keeping facilities closed does more harm than good for their social and emotional well-being.
That prompted a number of districts — including Denver Public Schools, the state’s largest, and Jeffco Public Schools — to pivot to hosting in-person instruction five days a week for all students this fall, with the option to choose full-time online education. At the same time, rates of infection among younger Coloradans are rising as overall COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are increasing across the state.
Leaders are confident they can safely reopen schools by screening student and staff temperatures upon arrival each day, marking one-way hallways, cohorting students into groups that stay together throughout the day, designating specific facility entrances and exits, staggering arrival and dismissal times, and adhering to other guidance from health experts. Some districts, including DPS, will require students and teachers to wear masks.
Still, returning to the classroom doesn’t sit well with Colorado Springs resident Melissa Whitworth-Mathes, whose 16-year-old son William has asthma. As site coordinator for Children’s Literacy Center, which offers one-on-one tutoring, Whitworth-Mathes has seen firsthand how interactive children are in an educational setting. She doesn’t believe teachers will be able to enforce mask-wearing and other safety measures.
After years of homeschooling, Whitworth-Mathes hoped to send William and her 11-year-old daughter Meredith to public school. But she decided to wait another year.
“Everyone’s just sort of assuming everybody’s going to be on their best behavior and everything’s going to work out,” she said. “Online school really does seem to be the only option we have to choose right now.”
Tracy Paskoff, of Arvada, agrees. While she’d prefer to send her son, Hayes, back to school at Van Arsdale Elementary, she has reservations. Paskoff also works as the sole occupational therapist at a local charter school, which requires her to mingle between grades and classrooms to reach all her students. She hopes both she and Hayes can leverage remote education this fall.
“Going back to school and putting groups of people, even if they’re small groups, inside enclosed classrooms seems like a very bad idea to me,” Paskoff said. “It just seems like there’s some denial of what the results could be.”
Colorado’s online learning landscape
Online education is nothing new in Colorado, which boasts more than 60 accredited programs, according to the state Department of Education. Some are associated exclusively with brick-and-mortar school districts, such as the St. Vrain Online Global Academy and the Westminster Virtual Academy. Others, like Colorado Connections Academy, accept students throughout the state.
All public online schools are free for residents, though they vary in format and focus, said Tillie Elvrum, board president of the Colorado Coalition for Cyberschool Families, which advocates for virtual schooling. Some adhere to a general education curriculum, much like their brick-and-mortar counterparts, while others enable students to specialize in a trade or accrue college credits.
During the 2018-2019 school year, there were 21,246 Colorado kids enrolled in online education programs — a 31% increase over five years prior, the state education department reported. Though that represents a small portion of Colorado students — about 2.5% of the overall K-12 public school population — experts say interest is growing. This year, it’s due in no small part to uncertainty surrounding the pandemic.
Jeffco Public Schools Superintendent Jason Glass expects 10% to 20% of the student body, or 8,000 to 15,000 students, will opt for the district’s online option in lieu of returning physically to school. In previous years, only about 1% of Jeffco’s students enrolled in the virtual program.
Colorado Connections Academy served about 2,800 remote students during the 2019-2020 school year, said executive director Chaille Hymes. Applications for the coming year are up 30% and the school expects to enroll 3,500 students in the fall.
“There’s a lot families who are wanting consistency. They felt very upended this year and it was very chaotic,” Hymes said. “By applying for our school and coming to us next year, they at least know they’ll have consistency throughout the year.”
Stability is perhaps one of the biggest benefits to online schooling in light of the coronavirus. When schools shut down in March, students and faculty in virtual programs were not affected because they already had systems in place for working remotely. Some, like Branson School Online, were instrumental in helping the rest of their district in southeastern Colorado adapt, said principal Leanna Christians.
“We were on spring break when (the pandemic) hit. Then when we came back, it was business as usual,” Christians said. “All field trips for spring got canceled because we couldn’t go anywhere. But day-to-day classwork, nothing changed.”
Proponents say the remote learning environment allows students to customize their education. Advanced learners can move more quickly through lessons or dig deeper into subjects and challenge themselves individually. Students can also move at a slower pace if they’re struggling with a subject or concept.
“That, to me, is huge. I worked in a brick-and-mortar school, I know the kid who got held back or the kid who had to go out for extra time to meet with a special teacher. All of those stigmas are gone,” Christians said.
Advocates maintain there’s a misconception that virtual learning is less challenging academically than in-person school. Hymes at Colorado Connections Academy said students complete six hours of “pretty rigorous curriculum” each day that includes core classes, electives like art, sign language and physical education, as well as supplemental labs.
Paskoff’s son Hayes thrived in his virtual Jeffco classes this spring because he wasn’t distracted by his peers or other aspects of the classroom. Nidy’s kids also had a great remote experience, thanks to the dedication and communication of Jeffco’s teachers, he said.
The challenges of online learning
But the remote format isn’t a fit for every family. It requires an immense amount of self-discipline and commitment, and parental support is also important for success, Christians said.
“There’s no bell that rings that tells you to go to class. There’s no bus that comes and delivers you to the door. You have to be responsible for your timing,” she said. “For a lot of kids, it’s a big, big, big learning curve.”
An April survey conducted by the state Department of Education and the Colorado Education Initiative showed that some Coloradans found it tough to adjust to online learning. Of the 500 parents surveyed, 35% said their children did not participate in any remote learning after schools shut down in March.
Many also do not have the option to consider a virtual approach. An estimated 52,918 students statewide do not have access to a WiFi-enabled device, the survey said, and an estimated 65,860 do not have internet at home. Those figures do not include students who may have inadequate or slow internet access.
For Meg Conley and her 8-year-old daughter Viola, remote learning in the spring was “a catastrophe.” Viola, who has dyslexia, felt disconnected and overwhelmed by the transition to virtual classes, Conley said.
Conley has been homeschooling Viola and her 11-year-old sister Margaret to make up for lost ground at the end of the semester. Each morning, they unpack a basket filled with the day’s lessons, including poetry, world history and crafts. It usually takes an hour-and-a-half to three hours to complete.
It’s also practice for Conley, who said she’d consider homeschooling the girls full time if Denver Public Schools is forced to go remote again.
“There’s a reason we don’t do remote learning with kids this age in general, but especially kids with learning differences,” Conley said. “It took a toll on both girls’ mental and emotional health.”
When kids learn remotely, they often miss out on socializing with their peers and building community — things that concerned all parents interviewed for this story. Many online programs have in-person field trips and networking opportunities for families, but because of the pandemic, those activities have been suspended.
That’s why Iliana Rentería believes many parents embrace a hybrid learning model. A New Castle resident and mom of two, Rentería works with many Latino families through her job at Raising a Reader Aspen to Parachute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering literacy.
When she recently polled parents on Facebook, most preferred a mix of online and in-person classes. Many parents found remote learning difficult to implement and thought their children were not learning as well, she said. But they are also cautious of COVID.
“They would rather have a teacher that is coaching (kids) and telling them what to do,” Rentería said. “And maybe come to school once a week or twice a week and have some socialization in there, like some sense of normalcy.”
The second most popular option was an online curriculum, she added. That’s the one she’s most seriously considering for her 13-year-old daughter Annette and 8-year-old son Leonardo.
Whether the coronavirus pandemic inspires a cultural shift toward online learning remains to be seen. But at the very least, parents now know they have additional tools to support their children’s education, Elvrum said — even if they only use them for a year or two.
For many, it’s not only about academics, but also peace of mind.
“Online education proves in-person instruction is not required for education to happen,” Whitsworth-Mathes said. No matter how the pandemic evolves this fall, her kids will be secure knowing they have a plan for education.
“It’s one less thing they have to think or worry about.”