Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2022 i 5280 Magazine

The Centennial State has often been cited as one of the country’s bright spots when it comes to enacting environmental regulations. Yet, Colorado’s eco-activists have continually expressed disappointment at what they see as a discrepancy between what Governor Jared Polis has promised and what he’s delivered. For this issue’s “As Good As It Gets” (page 48), writer Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan dived into the morass, looking to determine if Polis had truly earned their ire. What she found likely will not quell the outrage; however, activists may have to rethink who the enemy really is based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s much-discussed ruling on June 30. The decision—which curtailed the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate coal-fired power plants, which are this country’s largest source of carbon emissions—delivered a blow to environmentalists…

On January 13, some 200 people gathered outside the state Capitol in Denver, beating drums, chanting, and waving signs. A poster declaring “Your inaction burns our state” rested on the steps; eight red-robed demonstrators with huge clocks over their faces held letters that spelled “Out Of Time”; and a 12-foot-tall canvas bore flame-colored scraps of fabric reading “We Are On Fire Polis.” Inside, Governor Jared Polis was delivering his annual State of the State address. The environmentalists rallying at the Capitol that day, members of a now 57-group coalition called United for Colorado’s Climate, were fed up—with the state’s worsening air pollution, fracking, and environmental racism. More than anything, they were upset by what they call the Polis administration’s slow pace in addressing the climate crisis. Two weeks earlier, the…

Kyle Mullica’s countless nights as a hospital nurse have shown him firsthand how many patients with rare diseases really visit the emergency room and how many medical professionals don’t know how to care for them. That’s why Mullica—who is also a state representative—co-sponsored a bill in 2022 with a bipartisan group of politicians to raise awareness of rare diseases. SB 186, which was signed into law in June, calls for the formation of a rare disease advisory council. “Our goal with this is so people can have a voice and we can shine a bright light on something that’s not talked about enough,” Mullica says. The council will be comprised of 12 members—likely researchers, geneticists, physicians, and people living with rare diseases—who will come together to lead public hearings on…

When Melissa Haendel began working as chief research informatics officer for CU Anschutz in April 2021, she took on a tough assignment: organizing every stakeholder in rare disease research into one cohesive unit. This would ensure that information was disseminated throughout the medical campus to every doctor, nurse, researcher, and patient. Previously, Haendel served as the director of the medical center’s Translational and Integrative Sciences Lab (TISLab), which, in 2009, began work on developing a database of rare disease knowledge. Now that Haendel is in her new role, the TISLab will work more closely with the medical center to provide physicians with access to the database. 5280 caught up with Haendel, who holds a doctorate in neuroscience, to learn more about her vision for the future of rare disease research.…

“Doctors in training used to be taught that cystic fibrosis was basically a death sentence for kids. Thanks to advances in medicine, people with cystic fibrosis can live long and healthy lives. But many doctors still don’t know that.” “The medicine for cystic fibrosis is excruciatingly expensive, and unfortunately, some of the patients we see don’t have health insurance.” “Most men with cystic fibrosis are infertile. We’ve had a lot of men referred to us because they were trying to start a family and weren’t able to, and they didn’t even know they had cystic fibrosis. Sometimes they were misdiagnosed with asthma or lung disease.” “Being part of the Racial Justice Group for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, we’ve encountered a lot of people within the cystic fibrosis community who have…

Speed: From 1 to 14, these numbers represent the speed you must generate for the disc to fly the way it’s supposed to. (As in, you don’t have to throw a 1 very hard to get it to turn and fade correctly, but a 14 requires a lot of power to achieve its intended path.) Discs with lower speed ratings are easier to control, which can be beneficial for beginners, but they may not go as far. Glide: Glide, rated from 1 to 7, indicates a disc’s ability to stay aloft. Discs with higher glide ratings will soar without much effort; those with lower glide ratings will come down more reliably (helpful if there is, say, a dropoff or body of water behind the basket). Turn: When a disc gets…

THE PLANT’S LACY, FERNLIKE FRONDS WERE just starting to yellow, one branch standing out against an otherwise green background on a high plateau in southwestern Colorado. Kelly Kindscher, an ethnobotanist with the Kansas Biological Survey who studies culturally significant plants around the Southwest, stomped a shovel into the ground around the base of the plant, called oshá. The blade broke through its rhizomes, pieces of a root system that fans out through the soil. He shook loose the dirt clinging to the roots’ nooks and slipped a finger into the cluster to isolate a single strand, showing white marrow through its dark, hardened exterior. An astringent smell wafted from the roots. Kindscher, 65, fiddled with the plant while attempting to explain the questions that surround it, including who can and…

HOTEL JEROME ASPEN Then: In 1970, Hunter S. Thompson ran unsuccessfully to become the sheriff of Pitkin County, leading his campaign from his “office” at the Hotel Jerome’s J-Bar. Although his progressive platform—which centered on legalizing marijuana and decentralizing the police—was simply ahead of its time, we still believe voters made the right choice by not putting the writer of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in charge of law and order. Now: You can still visit the J-Bar, or you could really experience Fat City (what Thompson wanted to change Aspen’s name to) by stepping into Hotel Jerome’s Felix Roasting Co. (pictured). The couture coffeehouse started in New York City, expanded to Aspen in fall 2021, and boasts a gilded ceiling, velour seating, and bold wallpaper. It serves an $18…

As of March 2021, Aurora Fire Rescue (AFR) had 441 employees—only 4.5 percent of whom were Black. Chase Vaughn, 33, is working to increase that number. An Aurora local who played linebacker for Smoky Hill High School, Colorado State University-Pueblo, and the Denver Broncos, Vaughn joined AFR in 2017 after retiring from pro football. Four years later, he volunteered for the department’s four-person diversity task force, which is charged with boosting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on Aurora’s fire and rescue squads. “My main motivation is to make sure we actually do things,” Vaughn says, “instead of having a DEI group just for looks.” 5280 recently spoke with Vaughn about how he intends to accomplish that. 5280: Why did you join AFR’s diversity task force? Chase Vaughn: I want us…

Growing up in Honduras, Edwin Sandoval never saw men cooking. Luckily for visitors to his stall inside Greenwood Village’s Grange Hall, that changed when the chef moved to the United States at age 10 in 2002. “That’s one of the things that made me leap into the kitchen, because that cultural stigma of being a man and being in the kitchen [wasn’t there],” Sandoval says. After honing his skills at local spots such as Beatrice & Woodsley, Spuntino, and Brazen, Sandoval felt pulled back to the cuisine of Honduras and started hosting pop-up dinners at venues around the city before opening his first eatery, Xatrucho, this past January. Weekday diners can enjoy shredded brisket, mole-negro-braised chicken tacos, and gluten-free pastelitos (a corn-based Honduran specialty similar to an empanada), but we…

Gear Advanced players carry lots of discs for specialized scenarios, but all that beginners really need is a fairway driver and a putter for shorter, more controlled shots. You can find them at dozens of local retailers for $10 to $20 each—so we suggest you choose your purveyor based on your other interests. If You Like: History Visit: #9908 in Arvada Because: Proprietor Mark Crosby (PDGA member number 9,908) has built a small museum inside the storefront he’s run since 2018 with artifacts—such as Arvadan Johnny Roberts’ 1978 Senior World Frisbee Championships trophy—to honor the sport’s legacy in Colorado. If You Like: Beer Visit: Another Round in Arvada Because: This 14-month-old offshoot of the original shop in Charlotte, North Carolina—a disc golf hub—encourages visitors to grab a brew (there are…

Born in Finland in 2006, Discmania has only been in its current digs near Fort Collins for four years, but already, Coloradans have had a huge impact on one of the sport’s biggest brands. Director of operations Austin Montgomery, a former pro from Longmont, advocated for Discmania’s move here from its previous U.S. headquarters in California. Meanwhile, longtime Discmania-sponsored athletes and Colorado natives Eagle McMahon and Colten Montgomery (Austin’s younger brother) have helped popularize discs such as Discmania’s best-selling FD. “It stands for fairway driver, but we joke that FD also stands for ‘favorite disc,’” Austin says. “You’ll see Eagle McMahon rely on [certain discs] to make him money at tournaments, and people want to throw what Eagle’s throwing.” But it’s a Morrison man named Manny Trujillo (pictured) who’s greatly…

Volunteer Team Rubicon, a humanitarian organization, travels the globe to deliver disaster services—even before disaster strikes. The group coordinates fire mitigation efforts across Colorado, including a project later this year that will focus on thinning out forests near the hamlet of Jamestown. Prepare The National Fire Protection Association provides a plethora of online resources outlining how to safeguard your property. However, if you’re looking for more hands-on instruction, call your local fire department. Foothills Fire & Rescue (in the Lookout Mountain area), for example, recently started a home assessment program: For $100, the department’s fire marshal will inspect your property and provide a report about areas that need to be addressed, such as dried leaves in your gutters. Advocate During this past legislative session, Colorado lawmakers passed House Bill 22-1011,…

Organizers of this month’s Telluride Mushroom Festival had spent two years looking for a new ticketing platform when, in 2021, they received a call from an Australia-born startup. The company was establishing its U.S. headquarters in Denver and recruiting local events that might be interested in its unique selling points. Would—the mysterious solicitor wondered—lower booking fees, seamless purchasing from a single website, and donations to charity be attractive to fungi fans? The festival soon signed on. “Humanitix just ticked all the boxes,” says Matt Guertin, the festival’s co-operations manager. Humanitix was founded in 2016 by Adam McCurdie, who earned his degree in mechanical engineering, and Joshua Ross, a former hedge fund analyst. The duo saw the astronomical profits being hauled in by technology companies—Google’s parent company, Alphabet, made $76 billion…

It’s been almost two years since the #tornadoeggchallenge exploded on TikTok, but if you’ve yet to master the fluffy, chopstick-swirled scrambled eggs at home, we have good news: You can find them topping an eye-catching mountain of caramelized Spam-or bacon-studded fried rice, which is nestled in a pool of sweet-tangy fermented sauce laced with fresh cream, at the Porklet in Aurora. “It’s not Korean, and it’s not Japanese,” says chef-owner Keonho Kim. “It’s something different.” Kim also coats pork and chicken cutlets with coarse, house-made breadcrumbs and fries them to extra-crackly perfection to produce the restaurant’s signature, schnitzel-like donkkaseu. After working on his recipes for more than a year, the South Korea native opened the Porklet this past August with his wife, Diana No. Hit up the no-frills, fast-casual joint…

Colorado: home of the National Western Stock Show, a $5.3 billion livestock industry, and…a thriving community of plant-based protein innovators? Despite our carnivorous culture, the Centennial State is seeing a boom in meatless meats. “People are surprised to learn that there is so much development going on in this sector right here in Colorado,” says Christina Ra, vice president of marketing and communications for Meati Foods, a Boulder startup that produces fungi-based proteins. We found six local animal-free alternatives that are tasty enough to appeal to vegan and omnivorous Denverites alike.…

PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER In 2011, doctors told Brittany Parke that her newborn baby boy was completely healthy, but she wasn’t so sure. The 25-year-old was living in upstate New York, and as a second-time mom, she knew something wasn’t quite right with little Drew. The two-month-old was sleeping excessively and refused to eat. Doctors brushed away her concerns. Then came the seizures. Three and a half weeks after first seeing a doctor, she began to receive answers. But by then, it was too late. Drew died shortly thereafter. Genetic testing done on Parke and her husband offered an explanation: The pair had genetic variations that can cause a defect known as Cobalamin G disorder. The ailment brings with it poor feeding, slow growth, seizures, neurological disorders, and, if left…

“I still remember the exact date when I woke up and first started feeling symptoms. It was October 18, 2018. I was 26 years old. I had really bad spins and went to the ER immediately, and they just said it was vertigo and sent me out the door. For a long time, I experienced spinning, nausea, and headaches. Whenever I mentioned that I had migraines, the multiple neurologists I went through would just brush it off. I was actually told by one doctor, ‘I have no idea what’s wrong with you, and I don’t know what to do.’ That was really difficult to hear—it made me feel like I was crazy. I really had to fight to be heard. No one knew what was wrong with me until I…

“Since I was a kid, I was always prone to getting hurt, and I could stretch my skin more than usual. At 13, I Googled ‘stretchy skin disease’ and found EDS, and it just clicked with my symptoms. I sent an email to my doctor essentially saying, ‘I think I have EDS, and here’s why’ and was told to stop worrying and to start playing outside more. My symptoms persisted, and when I was around 17, I started experiencing chronic pain in my legs. I essentially referred myself to a rheumatologist at 19, since my doctor wouldn’t do it for me, and basically walked the doctor through the diagnostic criteria to officially diagnose me with EDS, which is a hereditary disorder that affects the strength of the body’s connective tissues.…

Why didn’t you choose my doctor? We don’t pick the docs—Denver physicians do. For the past 28 years, 5280 has surveyed doctors and asked them, specialty by specialty, which metro-area physicians they would trust to treat themselves and their families. Our theory is that medical professionals are best qualified to judge other medical professionals. The ballot is posted on 5280.com from the end of January to mid-March each year. Every metro-area doctor with a valid Colorado medical license can fill it out. Once the doctor hits “save,” the votes are entered into our database and tallied. So doesn’t that make it a big popularity contest? In some respects, yes. We hope that doctors give us careful, responsible answers, but there’s little we can do to stop them from recommending their…

Eagle McMahon Age: 24 U.S. Tour Rank: 5 Boulder-born McMahon went pro at age 13, achieved the highest PDGA rating in the world in 2018, and has won more than $100,000. His rabid fan base (his YouTube channel has 70,000 subscribers) will be cheering for the Discmania-sponsored athlete to come back from a shoulder injury this past spring. Joel Freeman Age: 28 U.S. Tour Rank: 8 Based in Loveland, this member of Innova’s Team Champion—“disc golf’s perennial road warriors,” per the company—won Colorado’s first Disc Golf Pro Tour tournament in Bailey in June. Freeman has also garnered attention for his flashy sartorial choices and designs and sells disc golf jerseys. Aaron Gossage Age: 25 U.S. Tour Rank: 24 Known for his big arm, Gossage competed at the collegiate level at…

PRICE KEY (Average Entrée) $ UNDER $10 $$ $11 TO $15 $$$ $16 TO $ 25 $$$$ $ 26 AND HIGHER. SYMBOL KEY NEW Indicates a restaurant featured in 5280 for the first time (though not necessarily a restaurant that has just opened). A Ace Eat Serve $$$ Uptown Area / Asian This Uptown restaurant features Asian-inspired cuisine and 11 ping-pong tables. Try the Sichuan shrimp won tons and don’t miss the Peking duck, which is served family-style on Thursdays and Sundays. Reservations accepted. 501 E. 17th Ave., 303-800-7705. Dinner African Grill & Bar $$$ Lakewood / African Head to this cheery African restaurant for rich stews, fried fish, rice dishes, and friendly service. Get the chakalaka, a traditional vegetarian South African stew. Reservations not accepted. 955 S. Kipling Pkwy., Lakewood,…