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Tag: broomfield

  • Broomfield’s Shayla Martinez remains perfect as she repeats as state wrestling champ

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    DENVER — Broomfield freshman Bella Barajas was conflicted at the state wrestling tournament Saturday evening.

    Standing inside the tunnels at Ball Arena, now in street clothes, she beamed when asked about her sister, Shayla Martinez, the early headlining champion who had just won her second straight 5A girls 190-pound title.

    As for Barajas’ own tournament — where she’d placed sixth at 170 pounds — her face momentarily fell before finding some consolation.

    DENVER — Broomfield’s Shayla Martinez caps a perfect season, winning her second straight state title at 5A girls 190 pounds at Ball Arena on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (Photo by Brent W. New/BoCoPreps)

    “She placed (on the podium) her first season, and then went on to win twice,” Barajas said of Martinez. “I want to be wrestling for the top of the podium next year with her. I want to follow in her footsteps.”

    Barajas eventually caved and said she was proud of herself for making the podium in her first season. But she was more interested in talking about her sister — the athlete and mentor.

    Big sister was listening in.

    “She wants to follow in my footsteps, I heard her say,” Martinez said as she shook her head and smiled, watching Barajas as she disappeared into the distance. “I want her to create her own footsteps for other people to follow and look up to.”

    Martinez then paused. For the first time since winning gold Saturday, her eyes welled up with tears.

    “My sister — she’s a hard worker,” Martinez continued. “She’s a three-sport athlete. I want her to keep her head up high. I’m so proud of her.”

    Of course, Martinez would characterize the joy of winning her second straight state title largely through the fact that she got to wrestle on the same team as her sister.

    But she could’ve framed it in many ways: like the fact that she called her shot to repeat an entire year ago, before she’d even left Ball Arena after last season’s state tournament.

    This winter, she went on to declare that winning a second straight state title wouldn’t be enough — it needed to be on the back of an undefeated campaign.

    “So last year she had one loss,” Broomfield first-year girls wrestling coach Luci Schement said last month when she was told Martinez put her undefeated goal in the public sphere. “And so this year, she wanted to come back better.”

    Martinez never wavered. She finished a perfect 40-0 as a junior, registering 34 pins — 12 of which came inside the first 30 seconds of the match.

    At the state tournament, she pinned everyone, sticking Loveland’s Abigail Stearns in the exact same time as she did in last year’s final — 63 seconds.

    With her hand raised in victory Saturday, Martinez put up two fingers to signify the repeat.

    She needed a few more to count all of the people she said helped her reach this moment.

    She thanked the Broomfield boys team, whom she wrestled with, along with the girls team, during the season.

    She highlighted the Eagles community and the one at Brighton High School, her training grounds during the offseason. (She even donned a half-and-half sweatshirt split between Broomfield and Brighton High School before and after her finals match.)

    “Matilda Hruby,” Martinez said, naming Brighton’s 155-pound girls wrestler, who’d later wrestle in the night’s most anticipated match. Hruby was attempting to win her third title against Pomona’s Timberly Martinez, who was eyeing her fourth.

    “I’ve been working with her for a long time and she really pushed me to be the best version of myself,” she added. “She got me here. I’m not going to lie.”

    Martinez — who attends Monarch High — then cracked a wry smile, “I want to be like Matilda but create my own path, you know?”

    That’s right. Even on her biggest day in the sport, Martinez couldn’t go long without thinking of her younger sister.

    “She’s young. She’s our baby,” Martinez said. “I told her to keep her head up high and move forward. Like, ‘You’re still a champion in my eyes.’”

    As for Martinez herself?

    Well, she called her shot. Again.

    “I’m coming for it all,” she said. “I meet hard opponents outside of Colorado, but I want to be the best, so I’m going to do whatever it takes. I want to be the best. I want to be big — something big.”

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DENVER — Broomfield’s Shayla Martinez runs to hug her father Sam Barajas after capping a perfect season by winning her second straight state title at 5A girls 190 pounds at Ball Arena on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (Photo by Brent W. New/BoCoPreps)

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Brent New

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  • Southbound I-25 to close for overnight work on Broomfield pedestrian bridge

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    Southbound Interstate 25 will close just north of Colo. 7 on Thursday night in Broomfield near Adams County, so that crews can install girders for a new pedestrian bridge.

    The interstate will start closing one to two lanes at 8 p.m., with the full southbound closure going into effect at 10 p.m. Thursday and expected to reopen at 4 a.m. Friday, according to a Colorado Department of Transportation release. Southbound drivers will be directed to exit and immediately reenter the interstate at the Colo. 7 exit and on-ramp, the release states.

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  • Broomfield family mourns dog killed by coyote as Anthem Highlands neighborhood grapples with ongoing sightings

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    BROOMFIELD, Colo. — A Broomfield family is grieving the loss of their beloved 3-year-old Scottish Terrier after a coyote attack in the Anthem Highlands neighborhood early Friday morning.

    The Carwin family’s dog Lucy, who weighed about 22 pounds, was dragged through several fenced-in yards by a coyote and killed.

    Submitted to Denver7

    “She was a very classic Scottie personality and independent, but also really loving,” Amelia Carwin said. “And she just loved to burrow her little head into you when you would pet her.”

    The family heard barking and discovered Lucy was missing from their yard early Friday. That’s when they said they immediately began searching their neighborhood.

    “We started running up and down our street, using our phones as flashlights to try to see if we could find her anywhere,” Amelia and her husband Bill said. “When we had gotten out to the backyard at one point, I thought I heard a whimper coming from that direction, which is where we ended up finding her.”

    Coyote attacks in the family’s Anthem Highlands neighborhood date back more than a decade.

    Broomfield ANthem nieghborhood

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    It became so dire in 2011 that experts were brought in and a study was conducted. 

    Incidents with coyotes attacking children and dogs became prevalent during the summer of 2011 in this Broomfield neighborhood, so CPW and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services began coyote removal efforts. This ultimately resulted in nine coyotes being euthanized. Investigators later determined that all of the incidents from the summer of 2011 likely involved one coyote, which was killed on Sept. 22, 2011. 

    Coyote experts and researchers were invited to come to Broomfield, investigate the issue and evaluate the policies and practices in place to see if there was anything additional the community could do.  

    By the end of the investigation, they listed out the following recommendations, noting that no single strategy would be 100% effective, but a variety of techniques would result in the highest effectiveness. These recommendations are copied directly from the study:

    • Education: Continue to seek novel ideas to provide public outreach even when public interest is low. 
    • Inter-agency cooperation: Establish better lines of communication between agencies following an incident. 
    • Regulations: Broomfield may want to consider developing its own ordinance to prohibit feeding wildlife, in addition to state regulations. Continue to enforce the leash law. 
    • Habitat modification: Continue to mow buffers along trails and play areas and avoid landscape materials that attract coyotes. 
    • Hazing: Use outreach to teach citizens appropriate hazing actions and when hazing should be used. Document the types of hazing used. -Research: Continue participation in the Denver Metro Area Coyote Behavior Study as this will help to understand the impacts of hazing. 
    • Lethal removal: Although the panel recognizes that each community must determine when lethal control should be used, the panel suggests that Broomfield use multiple reports of human incidents or attacks on attended pets in a specific area or timeframe (days or weeks) as a criterion for consideration for lethal control. Full necropsies and genetic tests should be conducted if possible after a coyote is removed. Open communication with the public regarding removals is suggested. 
    • Future residential development: Location of public facilities/amenities should be carefully considered when reviewing development plans. 

    As of publishing time, there have been just two fatal coyote attacks on a person in North America: A 3-year-old child died after an attack in southern California in 1981 and a 19-year-old woman died of an attack in Nova Scotia in 2009, the study reads. 

    Most people who are attacked by a coyote are able to run away, however children can become the target of a predator attack, which is more serious. The study found that serious attacks on children account for about 37% of all attacks. 

    Fewer than 8% of coyote attacks include a rabid animal, the study added. 

    Pets

    Deadly coyote attacks of Broomfield pets prompt warning from city officials

    On Friday, Denver7 reached out to the City and County of Broomfield to find out if any of those mitigation efforts are still in place. A spokesperson referred us to their coyote information webpage while we wait to hear back.

    “We have active text threads going with other families stating, ‘Hey, just saw a coyote on these streets. Pull your dogs in, pull your kids in,’” Bill Carwin said.

    The Carwins are now sharing this message to other families in the area, with hopes mitigation will take place soon.

    “You just always have to be careful and don’t even trust your yards,” said Amelia.

    Denver7 has been following the uptick in coyote attacks across the Denver metro. On New Year’s Eve, we shared alerts from the Erie Police Department and Wheat Ridge Police Department about the issue.

    Local

    Colorado sees spike in coyote sightings as CPW urges safety

    Kara Van Hoose with Colorado Parks and Wildlife highlighted the need for community education about coyote encounters and best safety tips. Some of her recommendations included keeping a pet close by and on a leash, along with being loud to help scare it off.

    “It’s good to just practice really good wildlife safety principles, both with children, with your pets, with yourself,” said Van Hoose. “So when you’re letting pets out into the backyard at night, you can have motion-activated lights that will kind of scare anything that might be in your backyard. You can just make noise before you let them outside, yelling, banging on pots and pans, playing loud music, that will kind of scare any sort of predators that might be there.”

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    Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Claire Lavezzorio

    Denver7’s Claire Lavezzorio covers topics that have an impact across Colorado, but specializes in reporting on stories in the military and veteran communities. If you’d like to get in touch with Claire, fill out the form below to send her an email.

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    Claire Lavezzorio

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  • Autonomous system lands plane at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield

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    A plane’s autonomous landing system took over and landed the aircraft at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield on Saturday.

    The plane successfully landed while being piloted by Autoland, an autonomous emergency landing system made by Garmin International, according to a statement from Mikayla Rudolph, a senior public relations specialist for the technology company known for its GPS tech.

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    Abigail Ankeney

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  • Colorado Sen. Faith Winter, killed in I-25 crash, remembered for relentless advocacy, ‘tremendous heart’

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    State Sen. Faith Winter was a fierce and relentless advocate for Colorado’s families, climate and transportation who forever altered the state’s political landscape by fighting to make it a better place to live, her friends and colleagues said Thursday.

    Winter was killed Wednesday night in a five-vehicle crash on northbound Interstate 25 near Centennial. She was 45 years old.

    Winter’s death was confirmed late Wednesday by Gov. Jared Polis and legislative leaders, and Polis ordered flags be lowered to half-staff in her honor on the day of her memorial service, which has not been announced.

    “Our state is shaken by the loss of Senator Faith Winter, and I send my deepest condolences to her children, loved ones, friends, and colleagues across our state,” Polis said in a statement.

    “I have had the honor of working with her on many issues to improve the lives of every person and family in our great state and tackling climate change. I am deeply saddened for her family, her friends and colleagues and her community. Faith’s work and advocacy made Colorado a better state.”

    The Arapahoe County coroner’s office on Thursday confirmed Winter was killed in the crash, which also injured three others and closed northbound I-25 for more than five hours Wednesday night.

    The cause of the crash is under investigation, and additional information likely will not be released until next week, Arapahoe County sheriff’s Deputy John Bartmann said Thursday. No one has been cited or arrested in connection with the crash.

    Winter’s 10-year career in the statehouse exemplified her deep passion for making the lives of everyday Coloradans better as well as her remarkable resilience in the face of adversity, friends and colleagues told The Denver Post.

    A Democrat from Broomfield, Winter served in the House from 2015 to 2019, moving over to the Senate after she won a seat in 2018. She also served on the Westminster City Council earlier in her career.

    Winter was a driving force behind bringing paid family leave to Colorado; passing a massive 2021 transportation bill to improve the state’s roadways and expand transit options; and strengthening protections against workplace harassment, among many other initiatives.

    “Faith was a deeply complex person, and she moved through multiple challenges with grace and remained dedicated to the work she was doing,” state Sen. Lisa Cutter said in an interview Thursday. “She believed in the work she was doing, believed in the power of friendship and connection and will always live on that way and certainly live on in my heart.”

    Winter led the way in addressing sexual harassment in Colorado workplaces as well as her own workplace — the halls and chambers of the Capitol.

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    Katie Langford

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  • In Broomfield, police use of force in Arista Flats shooting justified, DA’s Office says

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    A review of an investigation into officers who shot at Gregory Miles, the man suspected of killing his girlfriend in an incident at the Arista Flats apartments in Broomfield last year, found that the officers’ use of force was justified, according to a decision letter from the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

    The judicial district’s critical incident response team — including Aurora police detectives and investigators independent of the Broomfield Police Department and other agencies involved with the incident — investigated the officer-involved shooting, according to the letter.

    Based on the evidence, “there is no reasonable likelihood of success of proving the elements of any crime” against the involved officers, the letter said. Ten officers discharged their firearms during the incident, after which Miles was taken to a hospital and treated for his injuries, according to the letter.

    Officers were dispatched to the Arista Flats apartment complex at 11332 Central Court in Broomfield on Sept. 12, 2024, after a 911 call alerted police to a disturbance in a unit, the letter said. Officers attempted to contact the occupants of the unit including Miles, who is now 35, but no one responded, according to the letter.

    The letter states officers attempted to get past the the door with physical force, as they became concerned for the safety of a woman they believed was inside, the letter said. Miles threatened he was armed with an “AR15 with one hundred rounds,” the letter said. A short time later, gunshots were fired from the apartment through the front door and through an apartment window and an officer returned fire, according to the letter.

    Officers from multiple agencies including the Boulder County Regional SWAT team responded, and officers trained as crisis negotiators engaged in “lengthy negotiations” with Miles to surrender, the letter said. Miles’ mother also arrived on scene and told officers that she was on a video call with her son, that a woman inside the apartment was shot and that Miles expressed to her that he wanted the police to shoot him, the letter said.

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  • Man who barricaded in Broomfield hotel charged with assaulting officers

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    The 17th Judicial District Attorney’s office has filed assault charges against a man in connection with a standoff with Broomfield Police at a hotel last week.

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    Corbett Stevenson

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  • Broomfield shooting suspect, victim lived in same apartment, property managers say

    Broomfield shooting suspect, victim lived in same apartment, property managers say

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    The suspect in Thursday’s fatal hostage situation and shootout at Broomfield’s Arista Flats apartment complex and the woman he held hostage lived in the same apartment, property managers said.

    In an email to residents, Arista Flats management said the hostage and gunman lived together, but the relationship between the two is still unknown.

    “As you likely know, there was a domestic violence incident in our community early in the morning of Sept. 12, 2024, that involved a male resident firing shots inside and outside of a unit and injuring a female resident who resided in the same unit,” management wrote in the email. “The incident ended after a short stand-off with law enforcement and the resident was taken into custody.”

    The hours-long standoff with police at the Arista Flats complex ended with the death of the woman hostage and police taking a seriously injured gunman into custody.

    Police did not specify who shot the woman, but said Thursday at least one Broomfield officer fired his weapon at the suspect.

    Police have not publically identified the gunman and the woman he’d held hostage, but Broomfield Police Department spokeswoman Rachel Haslett said criminal charges against the 34-year-old suspect “are forthcoming.”

    Residents who were evacuated from Arista Flats during Thursday’s hostage situation and investigation can return home Friday, police said.

    The number of residents evacuated from the apartment complex was not available Friday.

    Officers set up a ladder at the scene of a shooting and hostage situation at Broomfield apartment complex Arista Flats in Broomfield, Colorado on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)

    The south stairwell in building 15 of Arista Flats — 11332 Central Court — remains closed for the investigation, police said. Residents can use any other entrance.

    This is a developing story and may be updated.

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    Lauren Penington

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  • Colorado state senator violated ethics rules by appearing intoxicated at public meeting, committee finds

    Colorado state senator violated ethics rules by appearing intoxicated at public meeting, committee finds

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    Sen. Faith Winter violated Colorado Senate ethics rules when she appeared to be intoxicated at an April public meeting, a legislative committee ruled Monday.

    On a bipartisan 4-1 vote, the Senate Ethics Committee found that Winter failed to uphold the public’s trust in the legislature when she drank alcohol before taking part in a contentious community meeting in Northglenn. Winter, a Broomfield Democrat and the Senate’s assistant majority leader, previously apologized for her conduct at the meeting, where her speech appeared slurred. After it ended, police intervened to help her find a ride home.

    Democratic Sens. Julie Gonzales and Dylan Roberts and Republican Sens. Paul Lundeen and Bob Gardner agreed that Winter violated ethics rules. Democratic Sen. James Coleman was the lone no vote.

    Before the vote, Gonzales said it was up to the committee to decide what was acceptable conduct by a legislator and that holding office is an honor.

    “That’s what each one of us is expected to uphold,” she said.

    The committee recommended that Senate leadership issue a letter to Winter addressing her conduct at the Northglenn meeting and her substance use. She should be invited to address the full Senate when the chamber reconvenes in January, the members said. They also recommended that, should Winter’s conduct again raise ethics concerns because of substance use, she should face immediate action from the full Senate instead of another ethics committee process.

    Winter, who voluntarily resigned a committee chair position and entered substance-use treatment in the days after the April meeting, attended Monday’s hearing at the state Capitol but was not invited to speak.

    She did not immediately return a request for comment as the hearing concluded. In a letter to the committee last month, Winter apologized again and acknowledged that she had a drink before the Northglenn meeting.

    But she asked that the complaint be dismissed and noted the culture of alcohol use in the Capitol. Gardner, a Colorado Springs Republican who previously appeared conflicted about what actions to take in response to Winter’s behavior, said he was particularly troubled by Winter’s reference to the Senate’s culture as “justification” for her actions.

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    Seth Klamann

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  • Tenants at Jefferson County senior living facility given only 30 days to find somewhere else

    Tenants at Jefferson County senior living facility given only 30 days to find somewhere else

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    JEFFERSON COUNTY — Families with loved ones living at Villagio Senior Living in Jefferson County are left scrambling to find them new homes after the facility announced it is closing, just one month after notifying tenants.

    Multiple family members reached out to Denver7, saying the living facility notified them on May 13 of the closure happening on June 13.

    “I started to like, panic,” said Thanhnguyet Vo, whose father lived at the facility since 2018 until now.

    Vo’s father is an 86-year-old with dementia.

    “It’s not easy to find a place in 30 days and then pull all your finances together and pull all your resources,” said Vo.

    Denver7 obtained a copy of the notice sent to families. The letter reads, in part:

    “We are sad to be delivering this news, as we are very proud of the community of residents and team members here at the Villagio; but we also understand in this atypical economic environment, that difficult decisions must be made.”

    Villagio Senior Living

    Vo claims the living facility never discussed the possibility of raising rates with tenants.

    “Being caregivers and loved ones of residents, we have a stake in it, too. I consider us stakeholders in the business decision too, and we were never given a chance to even say anything until it was already over,” said Vo.

    According to a report published by the American Health Care Association in August 2023, 579 nursing homes have closed throughout the country since 2020.

    Denver7 called and emailed Villagio Senior Living to find out why the facility would be closing, but have yet to hear back from anyone at the center.

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  • Colorado Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera hospitalized with unspecified infection

    Colorado Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera hospitalized with unspecified infection

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    Colorado Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera was hospitalized Wednesday night due to an infection, state officials announced.

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    Lauren Penington

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