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THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2015 sunny E52° F23° »20A B © the denver post B $1.50 price may vary outside metro denver 6
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Values clash at lesbian’s funeral
A pastor’s associates say
the Bible should rule,
while a family says their
love should be honored.
By Kirk Mitchell
The Denver Post
The eviction of a funeral mid-
service at a Lakewood church
could have been avoided had a
clash of beliefs between a pastor
and a lesbian family been vetted
beforehand, religious leaders said
Wednesday.
For Pastor Ray Chavez, allow-
ing images of a gay couple to be
displayed in the New Hope Min-
istries church he founded in 1981
would be akin to condoning a life-
style condemned in the Bible, re-
ligious associates said. But the
family of the deceased woman,
Vanessa Collier, said they were
only renting the church, brought
their own minister and had no in-
tention of causing doctrinal dis-
cord.
Collier’s funeral services Satur-
day were interrupted when
Chavez told her family that no
images of Collier with her wife,
Christina Higley, would be al-
lowed. During an open-casket
viewing 15 minutes before the fu-
neral service, the family chose in-
stead to leave the church, carry-
CHURCH »9A
House votes to roll back immigration actions
By Erica Werner
The Associated Press
washington» Shunning a
White House veto threat and op-
position within their own party,
House Republicans approved leg-
islation Wednesday to overturn
President Barack Obama’s key
immigration policies.
The 236-191 vote came on a
broadbillthatwouldprovide $39.7
billion to finance the Homeland
Security Department through the
restofthebudgetyear.Lawmakers
of both parties have said the legis-
lation is sorely needed to pay for
counterterrorism, cybersecurity
and other priorities at a moment
when the Paris terrorism attacks
have underscored dire threats.
Democrats accused Republi-
cans of putting that money at risk
by attaching veto-bait amend-
ments on immigration. Some Re-
HOUSE» 19A
WINGMAN OR WINGS?Mark Kiszla: Does John Elway hire a sidekick like Gary Kubiak, left, or a coach who is his own man? » 1B
Inside: Advocates say vote
sends “chilling” message. »6A
The Americans became the
first to free-climb the featureless
granite face of the Dawn Wall, re-
lying entirely on their own
strength and dexterity to ascend,
balancing on penny-thick flakes
of stone and pulling on fingers
wedged in paper-thin cracks.
Their ropes were there only to
catch their falls.
The feat that many considered
impossible took 19 days. They
spent every night in suspended
tents, relying on a support team
for supplies. Their success marks
the realization of a seven-year
dream that bordered on obses-
sion for the men.
Caldwell, who lives in Estes
Park, finished the climb first.
Jorgeson caught up minutes later.
The two embraced before
Jorgeson pumped his arms in the
CLIMB»11A
Size
comparison
Bay Area News Group
The Denver Post
1,000
2,000
3,000
feet
3,000
feet
Dawn Wall
El Capitan,
Yosemite
698
feet
Wells Fargo Center
(Cash Register
Building), Denver
Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson celebrate after completing their Dawn Wall free climb in Yosemite Valley. Bligh Gillies, Big UP Productions/Aurora Photos
Impossible? No!Pair completes historic free climb of Yosemite’s Dawn Wall
By Jason Blevins The Denver Post
and Kristen J. Bender and Scott Smith The Associated Press
yosemite national park, calif.» Americans Tom-
my Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson secured their place in
climbing lore when they completed what had long been
considered the world’s most difficult rock climb Wednes-
day, using only their hands and feet to ascend a 3,000-foot
vertical wall on Yosemite’s formidable El Capitan.
Images: More photos
and video of the climb.
»denverpost.com/extras
Map: The path up the
Dawn Wall. »11A
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