In what is being called, “the curse word heard round Stapleton,” Eastbridge residents dropped the “f bomb” at almost the exact same time after hearing news that the Eastbridge Soopers may not be open until June. “I really thought it would be open in November,” said Eastbridge resident Tom Lewis. “When I heard the update, I couldn’t help but let out a frustrating, ‘f#ck!” Area resident Holly Tims had a similar reaction. “I guess it all hit me at once,” said Tims. “I realized it will be another seven months of going to the Quebec Soopers, another seven months of having to drive to get one simple thing we forgot from the store. I normally try to be proper, but I just couldn’t help but yell a big, ‘f#ck!” Renee Schmidt was another upset resident among hundreds of others. “Can this really be happening?” asked Schmidt. “I was so much looking forward to moving on from the old Soopers that I was excited about a King Soopeers. That’s how enthusiastic I was. Now this! F#ck, f#ck, f#ck, f#ck, f#ck!” [Read more…] about Soopers Opening Delayed Until June; Eastbridge Residents Simultaneously Shout, “F#ck!”

After a rash of recent incidents in Stapleton, the Stapleton Principal HOA along with help from SUN and the Denver Police Department has convinced the Guardian Angels their presence is needed here. “The Denver Police Department simply isn’t big enough to patrol our neighborhood as consistently as it needs to be patrolled,” said Stapleton Principal HOA President Paul Harris. “We have an epidemic. And we need to put an end to it. We contacted the vigilante group the Guardian Angels. Luckily, they had nothing going on, so they have agreed to begin patrolling our streets and alleys.” According to Wikipedia, the Guardian Angels are, “a non-profit international volunteer organization of unarmed crime-prevention patrollers.” The group focuses on staving off violent crime, which is just what Stapleton needs. “I think it is great that they are coming to Stapleton,” said resident Mariel Young. “We need whatever support we can get, even if it is some extra eyes around.” Nick Davis agrees. “This is definitely a great thing for Stapleton,” said Davis. “There is always going to be issues, but if their presence can cut that down even 20% it’s a win for us.” [Read more…] about Guardian Angels Coming to Stapleton

In a groundbreaking effort to get more foot traffic, the Shops at Northfield unveiled a new campaign which allows potential customers to take a bus, a Lyft, or even walk to its shops. “This is really big for us,” said Shops at Northfield spokesperson Terri Jackson. “We were aware that transportation had been an issue, but now with these innovative options, customers can easily get here.” The new campaign is focused at getting people from the A Line to the Shops at Northfield. “We figure people will be coming from downtown, the airport, and all along the A Line, and we can now easily get them off the train at the Central Park Station, and to our wonderful shops in Northfield. It was a big effort to get all of these options in line and working together, but we pulled it together,” said Jackson. Customers will now know that instead of having to drive or calling someone for a ride, they can now use Lyft, or even their own two feet to walk to the shops. “Until now, walking just hasn’t been an option,” said Jackson. “And Lyft is brand new (2012) so I’m certain most people weren’t aware of that. This is really going to be big for us, and great for all of our new customers.” [Read more…] about Northfield Introduces Innovative Ways to Get to Shops from A Line Including Walking, Busing, and Lyft

As the Stapleton neighborhoods developed, Eastbridge was poised to become the crème de la crème of the Stapleton boroughs. There would be a town center on MLK and Havana, an elementary school on the corner of Iola and 26th, and a huge open space park along 26th Ave. But then, something happened, or really, nothing happened. None of these projects got off the ground. The town center was stalled by the inability to solidify a grocery store, the proposed school would be relocated to Bluff Lake, and a lack of funds delayed the development of the 26th Ave. Park. This left Eastbridge in turmoil. “What we thought our neighborhood was going to be, it wasn’t even close to,” said Eastbridge resident Tom Miller. “We bought in this neighborhood based on what we were told was going to be here. We felt really deceived.” As did other Eastbridge residents. “When we were purchasing our home, they told us that the town center was coming very soon,” said Annie Gregory. “But, here we are, a decade later, and no completed town center.” All of the uncertainty and through streets heading straight into Aurora caused Eastbridge to quickly become the least desirable of the Stapleton boroughs. In fact, many of its residents flooded to more desirable neighborhoods such as Bluff Lake and Conservatory Green. “We definitely considered moving,” said resident Kristi Mcfarlane. “All these great developments were popping up, and here we were stuck in Eastbridge. We ultimately decided to wait it out.” McFarlane and other residents were not rewarded for their patience, however. As things slowly began to change, Eastbridge became a construction zone. “We would see the construction every day, and it inconvenienced normal driving and bike riding routes,” said McFarlane. “But, that’s what has to happen to get change. It wasn’t going to be built overnight, so we just had to endure it.” Now, Eastbridge residents are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The buildings in the town center are beginning to take shape, and Stanley is really starting to come together. “It looks like Eastbridge is going to be alright after all,” said Miller. “It’s actually really exciting. We will have all these great things in the town center, and then Stanley is going to be really, really cool. Then, a boatload of more green space right in the area. I think Eastbridge is back on the map.” Many residents feel it’s more than back on the map, but back to the place people want to be. “Eastbridge is poised to become the destination borough with all the cool stuff going on,” said Gregory. “People from all over Denver will soon be coming to Stapleton, and they’ll be heading to the hip Eastbridge neighborhood.” And it only took ten years. Look out rest of Stapleton. Here comes the revived Eastbridge.]]>

A Front Porch article recently alerted residents to a frightening situation. Stapleton children are receiving vaccinations at an extremely high rate, and that rate reportedly continues to go up. In fact, less than five percent of Northeast Denver parents at 17 of the 18 area schools requested exemption. From a medical standpoint, this can pose all sorts of dangers. First and foremost, many vaccinations are done with needles, which cause discomfort. Many young kids never fully recover from the trauma of a visit to the doctor’s office where they receive a few uncomfortable shots. Dr. of nothing, Mark Hendricks explains. “It doesn’t take a medical degree to understand the terrible psychological long-term torture that visit could have on a child (it does),” said Hendricks. “Some kids can even experience soreness in legs or arms where the shot was given, and may even develop a slight fever. Why are we doing this to our kids?” [Read more…] about Alarming Number of Stapleton Kids Receiving Vaccinations

Reporting crime or suspicious activity on Stapleton social media sites has always been a tricky situation. What do you report? How should I describe the potential perpetrators? Should I describe everyone as white to avoid being accused of being racist? These are all tough questions, as many times do-good residents trying to alert people to a situation end up being ambushed after making a post. “I have been on the Stapleton Community Watch site for a long time,” said resident Jon Youde. “I have seen so many times where people are trying to be helpful, but ultimately are accused of being racist or elitist. But in actuality, a crime was occurring. It’s a really tough situation.” Paul Lima has seen similar issues. “When you post an item about suspicious activity, you have to be really careful,” said Lima. “You have to really be careful in your descriptors even if you are absolutely just describing what you are seeing. One wrong adjective and you get rung up as a racist pretty quick.” Because of the backlash those who post activity often receive, posters have begun a new trend. “Instead of posting the specifics of the situation, I simply post the actual event,” said Keith Hickey who now wears a body camera at all times when in Stapleton. “I will post the suspicious video, and simply say, ‘decide for yourselves.’” Many other residents are following suit. “It has really worked out well,” said body camera wearer Maria Beatty. “Now, I can get the information to everyone quickly without having to stress about political correctness or being called a racist. It’s really been great.” The body cameras have also served as vindication for those who have been questioned in the past. “Now when I post things, there will sometimes be comments like, ‘oh, that’s what you were talking about. Yes, that is suspicious,’” said Beatty. At least 15 different people have posted suspicious videos and that trend seems to be increasing. “When I tell people that I wear one, I can tell some people think I’m crazy,” said Hickey. “But others ask where I got it and how effective it has been. I think it could ward off potential attackers even.” Be careful when hanging out in the hood. You never know who could be recording your actions.]]>

Stapleton five year old Ella Hoffman recently underwent a hearing test at the request of her parents, Michael and Linda. Unfortunately for the Hoffmans, the results were devastating. “We knew something was wrong,” said Linda. “We would talk and talk to her, and it was clear she didn’t hear us. We knew we had to take her in for testing.” That’s when the Hoffmans found out that their daughter was completely deaf, when she was watching television. “It was really hard on us at first,” said Michael. “I mean to find out your daughter, your little girl has no hearing, in any circumstance is just really hard. Really hard.” The doctors at Stapleton Pediatrics performed several different hearing tests on Ella, including ones where she was watching TV, and when she was not watching TV. “The good news for Ella is that if she is not watching TV, she can hear completely fine,” said Dr. Clark. “It’s just in the specific instances of watching television where she has trouble hearing. Well, not just trouble, she essentially has no hearing at all.” [Read more…] about Test Confirms Stapleton Child Completely Deaf While Watching TV

Recently, the DPD placed signage in Stapleton on 26th Ave. in Eastbridge in an effort to curb thieves from stealing packages from Stapleton porches. The sign states, “prevent package theft, track your packages, pick up package ASAP.” This sign is a helpful reminder to Stapleton residents to make sure they don’t leave packages unattended for too long. The sign also serves as a warning to thieves to make sure they get there right after the package is dropped off. “I totally understand what they are doing,” said resident Bobby Madison. “But to me, it seems pretty unnecessary. People are already doing the best they can to be vigilant and make sure they have neighbors grab packages or get them quickly themselves. It ends up feeling like a reminder to the criminals that there are packages to be had and to act fast on them.” Lisa Christin agrees. “Residents are starting to get wise to porch thieves,” said Christin. “I just don’t like the sign because it continues to make our neighborhood look like a tacky hotbed of crime.” From DPD’s perspective, it helps add another presence for the police force. “We can’t just have 10 troopers driving around Stapleton at all times,” said police spokesperson Aaron McClelland. “It’s the best way we can remind residents to be aware of what is going on, and make appropriate plans so people don’t continue to fall victim to petty crime. Come on, people, work with us here.” As usual, the DPD will evaluate the effectiveness of the signage after analyzing crime report data.]]>