Work resuming on Floyd Hill; expect overnight closings

WEEKLY REGISTER-CALLSeptember 18, 2025

Reflections on a difficult,

emotional week involving death

When intense situations occur, I often

think back to an old placemat that hung

on my fridge when I was single. It was a

sketch of a quarter with George Washing-

ton’s face. The message read, “Tough times

never last. Tough people do.”

While driving from Denver to attend

the Black Hawk City Council meeting last

Wednesday, I listened to the disturbing

news on the radio about the shooting inci-

dent at Evergreen High School. At the same

time, news about the shooting of conserva-

tive activist Charlie Kirk in Utah also broke.

This type of news puts a knot in my

stomach. Before the start of the Black

Hawk meeting, those in the audience and I

briefly discussed the horrible situation that

was still unfolding at a school not far from

Gilpin County.

I attended the council meeting and, upon

leaving the building, still felt uneasy about

the latest school shooting in Colorado.

Perhaps it was my reporter’s instinct or

my desire to “check in” that prompted my

next move. I decided to drive up the hill to

the Gilpin school complex, park for a few

minutes, and get a sense of the feelings of

the day. To my delight, Superintendent Dr.

David Mackenzie and Black Hawk Police

Department Lt. Jake Adler were standing

on the sidewalk along the circular driveway

entrance to the building.

Several Gilpin County officers and their

vehicles were also present in the parking

area, waiting for parents who picked up

their children at the end of the school day.

The district’s school buses also arrived

and eventually departed. Mackenzie had

posted several times that day on Facebook,

informing parents about the Evergreen

situation and how the district was handling

it. For Gilpin County School parents, they

(and I) felt some emotional relief knowing

the two police departments sent officers to

the school to ensure everything was safe.

The situation brought back a mental

flashback to Feb. 23, 2023. That was the

day when a series of Swatting calls—threat-

ening the lives of school students—oc-

curred at several high schools across the

state, including Gilpin. Once again, it was

the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office and Black

Hawk Police Department that responded

quickly to handle the situation, which

turned out to be a disturbing hoax.

I was unable to attend the First Respond-

ers’ Day on Sept. 6 at the fairgrounds. To

me, having the chance to thank local offi-

cers, firefighters, and EMTs is something I

believe everyone should do. After all, these

brave men and women risk their lives try-

ing to save others. To me, they, along with

our active and former military members,

are the true heroes of our society. I don’t

consider football or other sports stars “he-

roes” because their job is to play a game,

which doesn’t involve risking their lives to

save someone else.

Fast forward to last Thursday, Sept. 11,

the date of the annual Black Hawk Fire

Department’s 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb

at the Ameristar in Black Hawk. More than

200 people and I turned out for the event,

which paid tribute to the firefighters who

lost their lives while trying to evacuate

victims in the World Trade Center after the

terrorist attack in 2001.

For over 30 years, I’ve had an almost

entirely online friend, Bud Salter, whom

I met once in person, and we’ve remained

friends ever since. He’s a retired engi-

neer living in Florida. Bud’s sister, Cathy

Salter, was working in the Twin Towers

on that tragic day in New York City. She

was among the 2,753 people who lost their

lives. Because of that, 9/11 holds personal

significance for me.

Bud attended many of the annual me-

morial services in NYC and read aloud

the names of those who perished. He

was among those who started an annual

scholarship fund in Cathy’s name at their

hometown high school in Wellsville, Ohio.

At the BHPD event, I took a photo and

sent it to Bud, assuring him that “We will

Among those attending the memorial

stair climb was Gilpin County Sheriff Kevin

Armstrong. I didn’t interview him, but I

spoke with him as a friend. We discussed

what happened in Evergreen the day before.

Kevin is one of the best officers I’ve

known in my half-century reporting career.

He’s also a good person, a family man, and

someone who cares about others. That

includes the Gilpin school students, where

the sheriff’s office has a School Resource

Officer on duty to help provide safety, edu-

cation and informal counseling.

During his career, which began at the

Wheat Ridge Police Department in Jeffer-

son County, Kevin served as an investigator

during the 1999 Columbine School shoot-

ing, where 13 students and one teacher

were killed. He was also part of the 2006

team that investigated the Platte Canyon

High School incident, in which a gunman

took six female students hostage and killed

one. The victim, Emily Keyes, texted her

parents, “I love U guys,” before her death.

Emily’s death prompted her parents to es-

tablish the “I love U guys” foundation, which

works with school districts and first respond-

ers to develop standard response protocols

for school crisis situations. Gilpin County

School District has supported the “I love U

guys” organization and provides emergency

information for parents on its website.

After the swatting incident in 2023, I

remember the sheriff’s message to the pub-

lic: “If you see something, say something.”

While terrible and unfortunate things con-

tinue to happen in this world, I still believe

there’s time for us to put aside the harsh

social-media shouting and become closer

to the people who live nearby.

Maybe we can’t solve all of the world’s

problems. But maybe we can work to

maintain our inner strength. Let’s hope

we can stand together and outlast the

bad news until quieter, more stable times

return. After all, tough times don’t last, but

tough people do.

Reporter’ s Notebook

The Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office (CCCSO) was

among the many jurisdictions that responded to the Sept. 10

shooting at Evergreen High School. Reports are that some

law enforcement arrived within two minutes of the first re-

ports of an active shooter incident.

According to CCCSO Strategic Communication Manager

Jenny Fulton, seven deputies assisted Jefferson County in a

variety of ways, including:

Securing the perimeter of the high school.

Evacuating students to Wilmot Elementary, where they

were reunited with parents.

Transporting witnesses to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s

Office.

Relocating law enforcement vehicles to maintain access for

emergency crews.

Clearing nearby homes and businesses where fleeing stu-

dents had sought safety, ensuring students were interviewed

if necessary and reunited with family.

Providing transportation for a special needs student whose

parent was unable to reach the school due to roadblocks.

Securing the school to prevent unauthorized entry during

the investigation.

Assisting with interviews of students and staff.

Sheriff Matt Harris commended his staff in an email, writ-

“Upon receiving notification of the shooting, many of

you responded to Evergreen to aid Jefferson County in the

response, and others responded to our county schools to

provide comfort and security to our kids and their parents.

As always, you responded when your community needed you

and stayed as long as needed. Thank you for all you do for

our community, and all of your efforts in keeping us safe.”

CCCSO has existing response plans for active-shooter

incidents at schools. Fulton noted that in early September,

deputies conducted a lockdown and evacuation drill at Clear

Creek High and Middle schools. A similar drill was scheduled

this week at King Murphy Elementary.

Additionally, CCCSO is preparing a full-scale mass casualty

exercise, beginning Oct. 9 with “table-top scenarios” and

continuing into July.

Gilpin stepped up school watch after Evergreen

After news of the Ever-

green High School active

shooter situation broke on

Sept. 10, several things hap-

pened in Gilpin County.

First, Gilpin law enforce-

ment increased its security

at the Gilpin County School

District complex along High-

way 119. Simultaneously, Gil-

pin Schools Superintendent

Dr. David MacKenzie began

posting updated messages

on social media to notify his

community shortly before 1

p.m.

MacKenzie wrote, “Gilpin

County School activated

a secure perimeter for all

students and staff immedi-

ately following an abundance

of caution. All students are

in the building. No outdoor

recess. No outdoor Physi-

cal Education or other class

activities. Additional Gilpin

Sheriff’s Deputies are on the

school site. At this writ-

ing, students will continue

through their school day

from class to class, staying

inside until dismissal at 4

He noted, “The school is

secure. There is no threat to

students or staff at GCSD.

Please do not call the school.

Parents do not need to pick

up their students before

4 p.m. today. The GSD

afterschool activities and

the middle school football

scrimmage against Clear

Creek have been canceled

for today. Middle and high

school sports practice today

will be voluntary attendance

for team members. The el-

ementary Montessori Parent

Community will be held after

school today as scheduled.

The elementary Girl Scout

meeting will be held after

school today as scheduled.

In a later post, the super-

intendent said, “This is an

incredibly difficult day for

our neighboring community,

and our hearts go out to all

those affected. Please send

your thoughts and prayers

for the victims and to the

families and friends of those

injured today at Evergreen

High School. This senseless

act of violence is a tragedy

that is difficult to explain and

understand why these acts

occur.

Now is a time for parents

to talk with their children

to hear their concerns

about school violence, and

to assure them that school

is a safe place. At Gilpin

County School, the safety of

all students and staff is our

daily practice and priority,

as stated in our mission to

provide a “caring culture in

a safe environment.” The

school safety team meets

regularly with the Gilpin

County Sheriff and other first

responders to continuously

review and improve the

school safety plan.

Safety at school happens

when everyone contributes

to our safe environment.

Our safety plan encour-

ages anonymous reporting

through Safe2Tell. Students

and staff are told if they see

something or hear some-

thing, they should tell a par-

ent, a school adult, or report

it to Safe2Tell.

GCSD will be in ses-

sion tomorrow, Sept. 11, as

regularly scheduled from

8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and after-

school activities will occur as

scheduled. Gilpin Sheriff’s

Deputies will continue to

be visible on campus and

around the school. The days

to come may be difficult for

students and staff. Counselor

Kim Cobb and School-based

Therapist Michelle Ode are

on-site every day and avail-

able for any students, staff,

or families in need of sup-

port. I encourage you to

speak with your children this

evening about their thoughts

and concerns and to reach

out if they or your family

need additional help

Work resuming on Floyd Hill; expect overnight closings

Patrick Henry Sweeney

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