Former Calhan teacher arrested on charges of sex with students

Font ResizeBy Gazette staffdenverpost.comPosted: 12/21/2012 09:35:40 AM MSTDecember 21, 2012 4:37 PM GMTUpdated: 12/21/2012 09:37:15 AM MST


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CU-Boulder students help create NASA's hit 'Gangnam Style' parody

Font Resize 2 students in Houston for co-op program at space centerBy Mitchell Byars Camera Staff Writerdailycamera.comPosted: 12/19/2012 03:29:24 PM MSTDecember 19, 2012 10:33 PM GMTUpdated: 12/19/2012 03:32:25 PM MST

Just when it seemed like the "Gangnam Style" phenomenon couldn't get any bigger, the dance craze has even made its way to outer space. Well, sort of.

A student co-op group at NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center -- which includes two University of Colorado students -- made and starred in a parody video of Korean pop-star Psy's YouTube dance hit that has found its own viral success.

CU junior Chris Nie, who was part of the student co-op at the Johnson Space Center and is in the clip, said the video took off within minutes of being uploaded Friday. At last check, the video had more than 1.9 million views and was fast approaching 2 million.

"It was nuts," Nie said. "We had like a world-premiere type deal at the Johnson

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Plans to return Sandy Hook students to school postponed

Font ResizeBy Frank Otto, Digital First Mediamercurynews.comPosted: 12/18/2012 08:09:20 PM MSTDecember 19, 2012 3:23 AM GMTUpdated: 12/18/2012 08:18:14 PM MST


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Denver woman accused of threatening middle school students with gun

Font ResizeCops and CourtsBy John Ingold
The Denver Postdenverpost.comPosted: 12/18/2012 09:16:45 PM MSTDecember 19, 2012 4:17 AM GMTUpdated: 12/18/2012 09:16:45 PM MST

A Denver mother who believed her daughter was being bullied at school drove into the school's parking lot and threatened four girls with a gun, according to an arrest document.

Monica Avila, 34, was charged Tuesday with four counts of felony menacing and one count of possession of a weapon on school grounds, also a felony. According to the probable cause statement accompanying her arrest paperwork, Avila drove into the parking lot at Lake Middle School on Thursday afternoon and confronted four girls, ages 13 and 14.

The statement says Avila began arguing with the girls about bullying. She then, while still sitting in her car, pulled out a black semi-automatic handgun and said, "Look what I have," the document states.

Avila then drove out of the parking lot and parked across the street, as the girls told adults about what happened and called 911, according to the probable cause statement.

When officers arrived, they found Avila sitting in her car. They later found a handgun in the car.

Avila is being held in the Denver County Jail on a $50,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear in court again on Thursday to be formally advised of the charges against her, according to the Denver District Attorney's Office.

John Ingold: 303-954-1068, jingold

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Westminster police say boy made verbal threat against students

Font ResizeSuburbsBy 9Newsdenverpost.comPosted: 12/17/2012 10:17:02 PM MSTDecember 18, 2012 5:28 AM GMTUpdated: 12/17/2012 10:28:11 PM MST

WESTMINSTER —  Police say a teen boy has made a "significant threat" against students at Moore Middle School. School officials say the boy is a student there.

Sources tell 9NEWS the teen is currently on a mental health hold.

Westminster Police spokeswoman Cheri Spottke said police were notified of the threat Friday. 9NEWS has learned the threat was verbal.

Spottke couldn't get into the specifics of the threats because of the open and on-going investigation. For the same reason, she couldn't say if any weapons were found on the student.

Spottke said the teen was not in police custody, but authorities do have an arrest warrant for him. It's not clear when he will be taken into custody.

"He's not a danger to the school or the community," Spottke said.

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CU Denver program helps veteran students transition to business world

Mike Petschel, an Army veteran who will graduate Saturday from the University of Colorado Denver with a pair of master's degrees, stands in the Boots to Suits office on campus. The ex-infantryman helped develop the program. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

Former Army infantryman Mike Petschel says the overriding message of the military is "team" — to the point where the word "individual" carries very negative connotations.

So what happens after soldiers return to school after completing their service? How do they choose classes or pick a major or know where to go for help, whether it's getting a tuition bill paid or finding a printer? How do they go from there to the next step — writing a résumé and searching for a job?

"To come from that environment, where you never do anything alone, to this one, where you're basically by yourself and alone, is pretty daunting for a lot of guys," Petschel said. "The business world is just different."

But he says he's a lot better off now than he was a few years ago.

That's in part because of Boots to Suits, a program he helped develop to assist veteran students with the transition from the military to school and then establishing a career in the civilian world.

Boots to Suits is already making an impact locally, and the hope is to eventually do the same nationally.

"We're going to have a big problem with people getting out of the military as the war winds down," said Petschel, who will graduate Saturday from the University of Colorado Denver with a pair of master's degrees in business administration. "Veterans are going to have trouble finding jobs, and businesses are going to have trouble employing veterans. We want to create an open dialogue — tell them what we can bring to the workforce, while at the same time learn what they're looking for and what their future needs are."

Since February, Boots to Suits has paired veteran students with mentors from local companies such as Coors Brewing, with more contacts being developed through connections with the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and other organizations.

Boots to Suits director Izzy Abbass says veterans aren't the only ones searching American HomecomingsAmerican Homecomings websiteFind resources for veteransAbout American HomecomingsRead more Veterans' StoriesRead Veterans NewsSubscribe to American HomecomingsAre you a veteran? If you have a photo to share from your time away or your time back home, email it to us. (Be sure to include your name, where you live and a description of the moment captured in the photo)Subscribe to American Homecomings

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"It used to be that everyone knew someone who was in the military — that's not the case any more," said Abbass, a Gulf War veteran. "So now, you get situations where business people are coming up to me and going, 'What do I say to a veteran? How do I talk to him?' "

There was a student organization for veterans when Petschel enrolled at CU Denver, but it had grown dormant — and there certainly wasn't any outlet to help them with areas such as networking or career advice.

A group of veterans got together and developed three goals: creating a veteran student center on campus, helping the transition into the workforce and creating college credit for military experience.

A little more than two years later, each goal has been accomplished.

The Office of Veteran Student Services now houses the largest student group on campus, with Boots to Suits at its center.

Still, there's plenty more to be done, Petschel says.

More people are willing to serve as mentors than veteran students have signed up, so Abbass is calling every junior and senior veteran at the school to let them know about the opportunity.

Petschel also has scheduled meetings with vets on the Boulder campus, hoping to take Boots to Suits to the entire University of Colorado system.

"After that, maybe we can shoot it out across the country, create a database," he said. "In the military, you're a transient individual, with the government moving you around every few years, so you may have a veteran from Seattle, but he served his time in Fort Bragg in North Carolina."

The program could help a student veteran wishing to go home network to find academic connections and career mentors and, perhaps, job leads, Petschel said.

"The best thing we can be doing for each other is sharing information," Petschel said, "becoming a team again."

Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292, acotton

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