All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
Sorted by date Results 301 - 350 of 1035
By the time she reached high school, senior keeper Quinn Gossett thought her soccer playing days were well behind her, but an impulsive decision to try out for the Niwot girls team as a ninth-grader resurrected a long buried passion for the game, even if it took a few days to surface. "I stopped playing in fourth grade, and I really don't know why," Gossett said, recalling her return to the sport at the invitation of former Cougar junior varsity coach Jeremy Drake. "On that first day of tryouts...
Grable Howie isn't used to writing songs on command, but when the talented junior was tapped to represent Niwot High in the CU College of Music's Centennial Song competition, he found that inspiration was easy to come by in his home state. "I was tasked with writing a song about the spirit of Colorado," Howie said of the contest, held to commemorate the College of Music's 100th anniversary. "It was a little difficult to do this, because I was only able to have five tracks, and I had a slightly...
As the economic impacts of the coronavirus shutdowns continue to accumulate, more and more families are seeking supplemental food assistance from state and county agencies. To help fill the growing demand in Boulder County, Kilt Farm of Niwot will be distributing fresh, organic produce to more than 40 local families on a weekly basis starting in June. "My mission as a farmer is to improve my community through the food I grow and the neediest amongst us deserve to have access to the best food,"...
Pat Murphy of Niwot Realty didn't get a chance to hand out candy and prizes at Niwot's annual Easter egg hunt this year, but that didn't stop the canceled event's founder from bringing smiles to more than a few faces-at an appropriate social distance, of course. Goodies once destined for the baskets and bellies of Niwot's would-be egg hunters instead went to military personnel overseas and those on the front lines a little closer to home. "This is more relaxing, but I've got a house full of...
Just a few short weeks ago, the long-term closure of schools seemed unthinkable, but the coronavirus pandemic has abruptly forced the world into adopting different ways of thinking about everyday life. For parents, students, and educators, that has meant confronting the reality of full-time "remote learning," and adjusting to unfamiliar roles and responsibilities in the education environment. At Dawson School in Lafayette, the community is embracing the new paradigm with optimism, togetherness,...
On March 12, escalating efforts by state and school officials to stop the spread of COVID-19 touched off a "panic buying" spree at Niwot Market that left several shelves bare and sent some longtime customers away in frustration. But owners Bert and Alison Steele are seeing hopeful signs that the initial shock has abated and operations at the town's 18-year-old independent grocery store will soon be back to normal-or whatever passes for that these days. "The question I'm always getting is, are...
Fourth-year varsity lacrosse defender Abby Eidsness didn't realize it at the time, but mom knew best when it came to the Niwot senior's eventual sport of choice. "I started playing lacrosse in a co-ed rec group because my mom forced me to," Eidsness said of her introduction to the growing sport in sixth grade. "I was really mad at her, and didn't want to do it. I had to play with my younger brother, too-he was on the same team. So, it was kind of a rocky start." But the more Eidsness played the...
A bonus week of Spring Break sounds like a dream come true for students, but, at Niwot High School, reaction to the St. Vrain Valley School District's decision to cancel classes in the wake of COVID-19 has been decidedly mixed. With milestone events and the spring athletic season now in jeopardy, the drastic disruption of the spring semester has caused almost as much anxiety as the virus that prompted it. "I think there are a lot of people filled with fear, because nobody really knows what's...
Citing "concerns surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," the Colorado High School Activities Association has extended the moratorium on all sports and activities until at least April 18. Additionally, all CHSAA Music Events have been cancelled for 2020, and the CHSAA Hall of Fame event, scheduled for April 14, has been cancelled. "It turned very quickly," Niwot High assistant principal and athletic director Joe Brown said of the abrupt decision to suspend the season, originally announced on...
The 2019-20 Niwot girls basketball season is one that most of its participants would rather forget, but senior Lily Sieben will be taking at least a few happy memories with her. Among them is the resilience of her teammates, who kept fighting for wins even as the losses kept piling up. "Winning our last game made it easier to walk away from the season," Sieben said of the Cougars' 2-21 record, their worst in decades. "We had high expectations this year, and not reaching them, we were disappointe...
Fourth-year coach Ed Weaver has sky high expectations for the 2020 Niwot girls golf program, and it's not hard to see why. His projected varsity squad is loaded with state-tested veterans who are eager for another chance at the Class 4A title, and he's attracted a cohort of newcomers eager to make their marks. With 14 players total, both short-term and long-term prospects seem bright for Niwot girls golf, and Weaver can't wait to get the season started. "Our goal is to win state," Weaver said....
Arlene "Tiny" Ahlgrim (née Obrecht) can recall with perfect clarity the day in the late 1950s when the dashing 18-year old Otto Ahlgrim showed up at her family's north Longmont farm to ask her out to the movies. She was helping her father tend to the cows, and, dressed in overalls and boots, definitely not in a state to go out on the town. But Ahlgrim was, and his stylish outfit struck an incongruous note in the Obrecht's muddy barn. "He had on a white shirt, white pants, and white shoes,"...
You know they're creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky, but perhaps you didn't know that the Victorian-inspired Addams Family has been a part of American pop culture for more than eight decades. In 1938, cartoonist Charles Addams created a satirical version of upper class 20th century family life for The New Yorker, giving us the enduring characters Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, Pugsley, Uncle Fester and Lurch. The family has been with us ever since, most famously as a 1960s sitcom, featuring a th...
Senior point guard Cooper Sheldon was philosophical following Niwot's three-point loss to Air Academy Kadets in the first round of the Class 4A basketball playoffs on Feb. 26. A questionable judgment by the referees in the final seconds of the game cost the Cougars another shot at the net, and, with it, a chance to tie up the score and go to overtime. Instead, the clock ticked away to 0:00 with the score at 53-50 favoring the Kadets, and as their jubilant fans crowded the court, the Niwot...
A lot of students play basketball in high school, but few inhabit the sport the way Niwot's Cooper Sheldon does. The six-foot, four-inch senior became a serious student of the game after taking it up in middle school, and even now dedicates at least part of every day to training or studying film. It's evident on the court, where the veteran point guard commands the Cougars' offense, and often gets the best out of his teammates. It's also evident off the court, where he serves as the team's emoti...
For many of us, hailing an Uber for a ride home from the brewery or buying a bus ticket to Coors Field takes just a few taps on a screen, but for those with financial or other special needs, fluency with mobile phone apps isn't always the norm. To help make multi-modal transportation an easy option for those unfamiliar with mobile technology, Boulder County's Mobility for All (M4A) program is offering free training workshops to help all users "feel confident using smartphone apps that help you...
Niwot seniors Jovani Lopez and Daniel Torres accomplished much more than they thought possible during their four-year high school wrestling careers, but in the immediate aftermath of grueling losses in the 2020 Class 4A state championships, it was hard for them to accept falling short of their ultimate goals. "It was a good experience," Lopez said, though without much conviction. Minutes before, he had lost a close third-round match in the heavyweight consolation bracket, putting him out of...
There weren't very many Cougars in the pool at the 2020 Class 4A swim and dive championships, but what the Niwot state squad lacked in competitors, it more than made up for in impressive swims. Chief among them were Mary Codevilla's stunning performances in 200- and 500-yard freestyle races, which brought the talented sophomore two individual state titles and helped catapult the youthful Cougars into ninth place overall. Afterwards, head coach Sarah Stamp said that she was "thrilled" with the...
Niwot wrestler Daniel Torres was restless as he watched his lighter teammates take on their first opponents at the Class 4A Region 3 tournament, held at Windsor HS on Feb. 14-15. He was anxiously awaiting a mat assignment-his first since suffering an elbow injury on Jan. 11. The senior was worried that the six-week layoff had cost him too much strength and conditioning, and that his high school career might come to a premature end in the Wizards' gym. But those worries dimmed after an impressive...
Jovani Lopez got more than he bargained for when he joined the Niwot wrestling team as a ninth-grader, but the senior heavyweight isn't complaining. As he looks ahead to his second straight appearance in the Class 4A state wrestling championships, the soft-spoken Lopez said the sport has brought him more than just success on the mat. "The biggest reason I did wrestling was to lose weight," he said. "But I eventually found out that I love wrestling. I like winning and beating other people. I...
Colorado's weather seems to be off the wagon after a dry January gave way to alternating days of record warmth and bone-chilling cold in February's opening week. Between hazardous travel, binge shoveling, and two-hour school delays, hitting the bottle for some fermented relief has never been more tempting. If you'd like to channel that urge towards a good cause, join friends and neighbors at the sixth annual Let's Wine About Winter, a store-to-store tasting event through Niwot. "This is just a...
The Niwot LID advisory committee held its monthly meeting on Feb. 4 Treasurer’s Report Bruce Rabeler led off with a report on current LID finances. The district collected $16,854 in sales tax revenue in November 2019, bringing the total for that year to $183,108, an 8.4 percent increase over the same period in 2018. The rise was most notable in the retail sector, which jumped 44%, to $8,070. On the expense side, the LID has approved $65,024.61 in funding requests so far in 2020, leaving just under $84,288.39 of its $149,313 budget. Rabeler e...
The drive to the Mountain View Aquatic Center in Loveland may have been a little frightful, but that didn't keep the Niwot girls swim and dive team from turning in a delightful performance at the Northern Conference championships on Feb. 7-8. With wins in six of the 12 events and a slew of personal-best swims, the Cougars easily captured a second straight team crown, and picked up another state qualifier to boot. Now head coach Sarah Stamp and her repeat league champions are looking ahead to nex...
On Feb. 6, six seniors took the mat for Niwot one last time, as the Cougars hosted Broomfield and Mountain View in the season's final home event before the Class 4A Region 3 qualifying tournament. It was a good night for the seniors who were able to find a contested match against either of their two opponents. Senior Max Pechersewski went 2-0 on the night in the 113-pound class, his win coming by fall over Alex Church of Broomfield (3:14) in his only contested match of the night. Senior Keith...
In seventh grade, Austin Rathburn realized that his ultimate height was destined to be several derivations from the norm, so he set his sights on the sport that tends to favor those so gifted. Now several years and several growth spurts later, the even-keeled senior is the Niwot basketball team's starting center and, at a towering 6-feet 5-inches, one of the hardest players to defend in the Northern League. "In our conference, he's tied for double-doubles, and in the last game, he was [close...
A Boulder County Economic Vitality grant awarded in 2019 has made it possible for Niwot's Left Hand Grange No. 9 on 2nd Avenue to modernize its online presence. The redesigned website has a completely new look and enhanced functionality, replacing the original website built 11 years ago. Archival and recent photos are now accompanied by a timeline story of the rural community center. Other highlights of the revamped website are an event calendar allowing visitors to easily see what concerts and...
A proposed development on the former Colterra property at 210 Franklin St. in Niwot will include up to five residential units, plus a commercial "food/beverage" establishment in the historic Bader House, according to preliminary drawings unveiled by the new owners at a neighborhood meeting at the Left Hand Grange on Wednesday, Jan. 29. In a first-of-its kind engagement required by new land use regulations, Terry Palmos of Palmos Development Corporation [PDC] addressed an assemblage of nearly 50...
The Niwot girls basketball team is still searching for its second win of the 2019-20 campaign, after falling 60-25 to Northridge on January 31st. The Cougars struggled on both sides of the court against the youthful Grizzlies, but their deficiencies were most evident against Northridge's zone defense, and a scoreless second quarter all but sealed their 14th straight loss. Afterwards, Niwot head coach Terri Ward opened up about finishing a season with nothing on the line but pride. "There's...
Daniel Torres didn't know much about wrestling when he reluctantly joined Niwot's team as a freshman, which makes his success in the years since all the more impressive. Thanks to quick wits and a penchant for hard work, the soft-spoken Torres has become one of the region's top wrestlers in the years since, and now he's on the cusp of a repeat bid to the Class 4A state championships at the Pepsi Center. As his high school career comes to a close, the senior is grateful to that once-shy ninth...
Carrie Wise of Wise Buy Antiques is not prone to angry outbursts, but a recent push to bring a municipal government to Niwot has provoked more than one. Now she is joining with other local business owners to get the word out about the potential pitfalls of incorporation and head off a move that she said will irreparably change the unique character of the town. "I think Niwot's really good the way it is," Wise said. "Don't mess with it if it's not broken. I can't help it if the people on the...
A proposal to create a library district is gaining steam with Boulder City Council, but the question of whether to raise property taxes to pay for it is ultimately one for the voters. At a 2020 kickoff celebration on Jan. 24, the Boulder Library Champions announced that it is seeking volunteers and donations to help win over those voters before November. "If you have energy, and are wondering what to do right now, it's a great time to get involved in fundraising," BLC's Michael Carcaise said....
When he's on the court "making it rain" for Niwot, shooting guard Misha Barrett looks like any other underclassman hustling for a chance to leave the 'D' team behind. It's only when you get a chance to talk to him that you realize that the hardworking three-point specialist has significant cognitive deficiencies, thanks to an anoxic brain trauma suffered at birth. But that hasn't stopped him from playing the game he loves, and now he's getting a chance to do it for the team he loves. "It feels g...
It was a light crew for head coach Bobby Matthews at the 2020 Diny Pickert Invitational at Berthoud High on Jan. 26, as several Niwot wrestlers battled illness. That made for a light score in the final team standings, where Niwot placed 14th overall with 34.0 points. Niwot heavyweight Jovani Lopez earned his seventh trip to the podium this season with a 2nd-place finish in the 285-pound class. He was runner-up for the third time to Oscar Aranday of Skyline, who won in a 2-1 decision. Lopez went...
Spring is right around the corner, and Niwot Youth Sports is gearing up for its 51st season of fun and friendly competition on the diamond. Early-bird registration for recreational baseball is now underway at www.niwotyouthsports.org. Softball registration will open on Feb. 1. NYS Baseball is offering six divisions again this season; Bubblegum (T-ball for ages 4-5), Rookie (coach pitch/T-ball hybrid for ages 5-6), AA (coach pitch for ages 7-8), AAA (kid pitch for ages 9-10), Majors (kid pitch fo...
The annual St. Vrain All-District meet marks the midway point of the girls swim season, and after an energetic performance by her top swimmers at this year's event, Niwot head coach Sarah Stamp is renewing her hopes for another top finish at the upcoming Class 4A state championships. "We've been building steadily every week," she said after the friendly but competitive meet, held Jan. 18 at Mountain View Aquatic Center. "Today, there were lots of time drops, and best times across the board. By...
Citing concerns over the appointment of new members of the Niwot Design Review Committee, member Anne Postle resigned from the Niwot LID Advisory Committee at its monthly meeting on Jan. 7. Reading from a letter she planned to send to the Boulder County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 8, Postle said, "For me, with the NDRC process, this trust has again been compromised to the point that I cannot continue to serve as the NBA representative on the LID. I hope my resignation will be a wake-up...
Niwot heavyweight Jovani Lopez earned his fifth trip to the podium this season with a third-place finish in the 285-pound class at the Frederick Warrior Invitational on Jan. 11. Lopez was methodical in his final match against Wheat Ridge's Samuel Mondragon (12-7), steadily accumulating take down and nearfall points that would ultimately result in an 8-1 decision. "My strategy was not to rush the moves, to just move around until I saw the opening," the senior said after the win, his 16th of the y...
The Niwot boys basketball team improved to 7-4 on the year, after picking up another pair of wins as Northern League play got underway last week. The Cougars were considerably more effective on both sides of the ball in rousing home wins over Northridge (63-40) on Jan. 7 and Thompson Valley (48-39) on Jan. 10, but it was his team's return to form on defense that had head coach Clay Wittrock back in a positive frame of mind. "Thompson Valley is a tough, big physical team, and I knew that was...
The Niwot High gym was stacked to the rafters on Saturday, Jan. 4, as the largest field ever took to the mat for the eighth annual Gary Daum Classic. While more teams may have meant more problems for tournament host and Niwot head coach Bobby Matthews, he said it has been tremendously gratifying to see the competition named for the legendary Cougar coach grow into a can't miss event. "When I came here five years ago, one of my goals was to make this a really tough tournament. This year, our...
The Niwot girls basketball team was without the services of top scorers Lily Sieben and Nikki Sims during the Rough Rider Shootout, which led to some lopsided losses during the three-day tournament, held Jan. 2-4 at Roosevelt High. The Cougars averaged just 20 points-per-game as they fell to D'Evelyn (68-26), host-team Roosevelt (56-18), and finally Steamboat Springs (38-16). Head coach Terri Ward once again did not have much to say afterwards, but admitted, "We're out of sor...
Keith Hemenway got a jump start on his New Year's resolution to finish his senior wrestling season strong with a trip to the podium in front of the home crowd at the eighth annual Gary Daum Classic on Jan. 4. The fourth-year wrestler won four straight matches to take fifth overall in the 160-pound class and improved to 11-6 on the season, a career best. Afterwards, he chalked up his growing success as a senior to the three grueling years as an underclassman when success was hard to come by. "As...
Converting the Town of Niwot into a statutory municipality and funding its initial years of operation will "almost certainly" require an increase in local property and sales taxes, according to the Exploratory Incorporation Feasibility Study, an online report released last month by the Niwot Incorporation Committee (NIC) at www.Niwotstudy.com. Billed as "a grass roots effort to understand the costs, benefits and long-term implications of an incorporated Town of Niwot," the study goes on to...
Proponents of a regional library district got a boost last month when the Boulder City Council agreed to prioritize the issue during an upcoming "deep dive" into the city's long-term budget and budgeting processes. At a study session on Dec. 10, eight members of the council approved a proposal by city manager Jane Brautigam to conduct "a holistic review" of the city's funding needs, starting in early spring with a "robust conversation" about a potential Boulder Library District. "We are very...
The Niwot girls basketball team fell to 1-5 after dropping the home-opener to Erie 62-25 on Dec. 19. Afterwards, a clearly frustrated Coach Terri Ward had just one thing to say about her team's desultory performance: "We're ready for a break." The Cougars will get that break over the next two weeks for the winter holidays, and hopefully it will give them time to regroup. Currently on a four-game skid, Niwot has averaged just 25.3 points per game so far this season and is shooting 26% from the...
It wasn't quite a Christmas miracle, but Niwot's upset win over the 10th-ranked Erie Tigers on Dec. 19 certainly had fans rejoicing. Led by senior guard Cooper Sheldon, four Cougars scored in double-digits in the 61-48 victory, while an aggressive effort on defense held one of the highest scoring teams in Class 4A to their lowest point total of the season. For first year head coach Clay Wittrock, it was the breakout game he has been eagerly anticipating. "We finally found a way to calm down,...
Davita Bird has always been interested in how things work, so at the suggestion of her mother, an engineer at Seagate, she started exploring the world of computer programming as a curious seventh grader at Flagstaff Academy. Now in her senior year at Niwot High, that curiosity has blossomed into a passion that has her expanding the frontiers of technology. "Computers were always the maximum 'how is this doing anything?' for me," she said. "Without the programming, it's just a hunk of metal. We...
Following a prolonged delay, plans for a permanent concession stand in Niwot's Whistle Stop Park got the final nod from Boulder County Land Use in early December, and now the project's co-sponsors, the Niwot Business Association and Niwot Cultural Arts Association, are kicking off a community campaign to raise the remaining $70,000 needed to fund the construction. "We have over $35,000 in the bank from donations and fundraising efforts, and we just received a $5,000 donation today, giving us...
The memorable moments have been few and far between for the Niwot wrestling team over the past few seasons, but fifth-year head coach Bobby Matthews thinks this could be the year it all turns around. With two returning state qualifiers, plus a solid class of newcomers, the 2019-20 squad has at least one key thing the 2018-19 team lacked. "We have a little more experience this year than we've had in years past," Matthews said. "Last year, we didn't have any state qualifiers returning, we didn't...
Clayton Wittrock isn't sure that the Niwot boys basketball team is ready to contend for a Northern League title, but the first-year head coach does have an undeniably sunny outlook for the upcoming 2019-20 season. With a talented core of seniors, plus some future stars, the former Grand Junction assistant said the new-look Cougars are just a few tweaks away from a run in the Class 4A playoffs. "I think the team is going to look much different than last year. We are a motion-based offense. My...
The honors just keep coming for Niwot students and budding infosec experts Davita Bird, Julia Curd, and Caitlyn Fong. Last month, the trio was one of two all-girls teams invited to compete in the 16th annual Cyber Security Awareness Week competition, the largest student-run contest of its kind. "It was awesome to be one of the two girls teams," Curd said of the three-day event, which was held at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering in Brooklyn, from Nov. 6-9. "We actually ended up making friends...
