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Tag: Jaclyn Allen

  • Denver event invites communities to pause and honor grief on winter solstice

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    DENVER — On Sunday, the winter solstice, people in Colorado and beyond are invited to join A Global Pause: A Night to Illuminate Grief, a free event dedicated to honoring grief in all its forms.

    You can atttend in person or participate online to honor your loss and connect with others.

    Hosted by Denver-based nonprofit LIGHT Movement, the gathering will take place at Unity Spiritual Center near the University of Denver, and also stream live online at LightMVMT.com at 7 p.m.

    “This is our third year for a night to illuminate grief,” said founder Amy Pickett-Williams, a licensed clinical social worker and founder of the movement, who said holidays can be particularly difficult for people experiencing loss. “During the holiday season, it can be really challenging because it brings back times of when they were with their loved one, or even other experiences of joy in their life. And when that’s missing, there’s a piece of them that’s gone.”

    Held on the longest night of the year, Pickett-Williams said the date was chosen for its symbolic meaning.

    “It fits with the darkest part of our world, and it also recognizes that light is going to come. And we hold both. We hold the darkness of grief and pain and triggers and traumas, and we also get to hold the beauty of those moments of joy and connection and peace, and the hope is for that night, we’re able to bring and hold both,” she said.

    Pickett-Williams emphasized that the evening centers on connection.

    “The biggest piece, which is why we hold this night to illuminate grief, is connection. So finding people you can be with who can support you and hold space for you when you need that time to say, ‘Hey, I’m really struggling here.’ And so the night to illuminate grief is the start of that, where they can find connection with other nonprofits that will be there as well to support them, and then the hope is they will continue on after that night to illuminate grief, to find continued connection and support,” said Williams

    Event Details:
    📅 Sunday, December 21, 2025
    🕖 7:00 p.m. MT
    📍 Unity Spiritual Center, Denver (near University of Denver)
    💻 Livestream at LightMVMT.com
    💲 Free and open to all

    Coloradans making a difference | Denver7 featured videos

    Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what’s right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.

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    Jaclyn Allen

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  • Some Alexander Mountain Fire evacuees pack up, others prepare to fight

    Some Alexander Mountain Fire evacuees pack up, others prepare to fight

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    LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — As the Alexander Mountain Fire outside Loveland exploded in size Tuesday, so did the number of evacuees.

    With smoke from the 5,000+ acre fire looming behind them, J.B. Hersh and his son Jason are in the mandatory evacuation zone but have no plans to evacuate their home of 73 years.

    “We have a lot of work and a lot invested here,” said Hersh. “If it goes down, we go down.”

    Inside the expanded evacuation area, many evacuees left their sprinklers running in the shadow of the smoke.

    Meanwhile, law enforcement went door-to-door checking homes and leaving behind pink evacuation notice tape.

    “That’s how you pack in a hurry — only the necessities,” said Linda Arndt, who was packing up her home with the help of her two young grandsons. “I’m anxious, you know, with the boys here. I’m kind of scared.”

    Wildfire

    Alexander Mountain Fire explodes to over 5,000 acres as evacuations expand

    Nine-year-old Kaden Bonn, her older grandson, was taking the evacuation in stride.

    “It’s a little bit stressful because I’ve never had to move so much stuff at one time or evacuate in general,” he said. “But I’m ready.”

    It’s not the first time they’ve watched flames come too close to the home they hope will be standing when they return.

    For the Hersh family, irrigation systems are the last line of defense to hold out until the last minute.

    “We’re just hanging in, making the best of it. We’re not going to leave until it’s lapping at the door,” said Hersh.

    As Alexander Mountain Fire grows, residents forced to make difficult choices

    Coloradans making a difference | Denver7 featured videos

    At Denver7, we’re committed to making a difference in our community. We’re standing up for what’s right by listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the featured videos in the playlist above.

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    Jaclyn Allen

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  • Customers left looking for vehicles after car repair shop abruptly closes

    Customers left looking for vehicles after car repair shop abruptly closes

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    DENVER — The case of Nekia Johnson’s missing 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme led her to a private residence in north Denver.

    Last summer, Johnson took her vehicle to Harley’s Garage in Aurora for an engine replacement. Not long after, multiple customers told Denver7 Investigates that the business owners closed up shop and disappeared with their cars.

    “We just wanted a simple engine rebuild for my husband’s old-school car for his birthday,” Johnson said. “It’s been a horrible experience.”

    Johnson said she and her husband tried to track down the car for quite some time, despite not hearing from the business, but then she received a call from a homeowner in north Denver.

    Denver7

    Their car was in the backyard, along with roughly a dozen others from Harley’s Garage. The homeowners were trying to find the rightful owners of the cars.

    Homeowner Jayne Tucker said people from the business rented space in their yard, which they had been renting out for vehicle storage for extra money. But she said the cars just sat there.

    “There was always some reason why they weren’t coming by,” Tucker said.

    Harley's garage 3.jpg

    Denver7

    Both Tucker and Johnson said they mainly dealt with Jack Truex. In a phone call Monday, Truex identified himself to Denver7 Investigates as the general manager of Harley’s Garage.

    He said that the company was locked out of its computer system after the closure, but that the owner, who is currently in rehab, is committed to getting people their money back.

    Digging into Truex’s background, Denver7 Investigates found Truex has a lengthy rap sheet, including guilty pleas for felony vehicle theft in 2014 and 2016.

    Truex declined an on-camera interview for this story. He said his past charges were unrelated to this current situation and reiterated that he does not own the company.

    “(The owner) is adamant that he wants to make sure all these customers get their money back,” Truex said.

    Harley's garage 2.jpg

    Denver7

    Meanwhile, Tucker said she is in the process of evicting Harley’s Garage from her property but is still trying to find as many owners as possible.

    “We have been opening up the cars to kind of look for registrations, proof of insurance, anything like that,” she said. “I have paid for a license plate reverse search service just to try and find people.”

    Truex promised refunds to customers. Johnson said she paid a $1,000 deposit for the engine replacement, but no work was ever done. After recovering the car, Johnson and her husband took it to another auto shop.

    “Hopefully we can get our money back and move on with life,” Johnson said.

    Anyone else trying to locate their car from Harley’s Garage should reach out to Jaclyn Allen at investigates@denver7.com.

    Customers left looking for vehicles after car repair shop abruptly closes

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    Denver7

    Got a tip? Send it to the Denver7 Investigates team

    Use the form below to send us a comment or story idea you’d like the Denver7 Investigates team to check out. You can also email investigates@Denver7.com or call our newsroom at 303-832-0200.

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    Jaclyn Allen

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  • Family-owned Colorado tennis and pickleball store falls victim to string of thefts

    Family-owned Colorado tennis and pickleball store falls victim to string of thefts

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    CENTENNIAL, Colo. — A 35-year-old family-owned Colorado business suffered a string of thefts over a two-week period. Game Set Match has three locations in Colorado: Denver, Centennial and Boulder. All three of their stores were hit by two groups of thieves.

    Cameras at the stores saw a man and woman enter and steal several Pickleball paddles. Another group of thieves – three women – also stole the paddles by hiding them under their shawls and dresses.

    Family-owned Colorado tennis and pickleball store falls victim to string of thefts

    Owner Adam Burbary decried the thefts, which cost them an estimated $20,000-30,000.

    “It’s unbelievable,” Burbary said. “We experienced almost 120 Pickleball paddles stolen at this point, plus some other products taken.”

    Burbary estimated the value of each paddle between $200-300, making them difficult to replace. Burbary began to notice the thefts after his local managers saw discrepancies in their counts. The paddles’ high price tags means they don’t have many in stock at each store, so their absence was notable.

    Cameras picked up the thefts, with the most recent happening on Feb 16. Burbary notified the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Department on Feb. 17. The sheriff’s office has assigned an investigator to the case.

    “We had to move all our paddles,” Burbary said.

    To prevent future thefts, Burbary moved all the Pickleball paddles closer to the store counters and placed tennis rackets in their stead. Although the tennis rackets could also be taken, their larger size makes it difficult for thieves to escape the stores without being noticed.

    Additionally, Burbary has implemented a new policy at the stores to have staff threading rackets near their more expensive merchandise – a move he wished didn’t have to be made.

    Sam Pena

    Family-owned Game Set Match in Colorado experienced a string of thefts, costing them over $20,000.

    The biggest thing is my disappointment in humanity right now,” Burbary said. “I don’t want to treat you any differently, I want you to come to the shop and enjoy what we do.”

    Denver7 asked the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office if they’ve seen any other documented thefts at this time, but they aren’t aware at this time if other businesses were impacted.

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    Sam Peña

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