June 25, 2015 VO LUM E 1 1 | IS S UE 4
2015 WINNERS
INSIDE! 2015 WINNERS GUIDE ArvadaPress.com J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
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HOW THEIR GARDENS GROW
Data incident may affect up to 4 million employees By Clarke Reader
creader@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Dusty Stevens explains how the Pink Lemonade Honeysuckle plant will grow, winding its way along the side of their home. Their home, and many others will be part of the 2015 Arvada Garden Tour.Photo by Crystal Anderson More on the tour on page 12.
Arvada’s only designated dog park celebrates 10th anniversary ‘Crowning gem’ draws dog owners from throughout Front Range By Crystal Anderson canderson@colorado cmmunitymedia.com
Tail wagging, Bailey, a 5-year-old chocolate lab, begs her owner to throw her favorite toy, a muddied-up, neon-yellow tennis ball into the West Arvada Dog Park. “I love, love, love this park,” said Barb Ilyes, an Arvada resident and Bailey’s owner. “This is the perfect place to get dogs to socialize.” Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the West Arvada Dog Park, 17975 W. 64th Parkway, is Arvada’s only designated dog park. Opened in June 2005, the park is a volunteer-run, grassy open space with 20 acres of natural terrain where dogs can exercise, socialize and play. A group of dog owners dreamed up the park in 1996. The group met with Arvada’s animal management, discussed options and the idea of creating an off-leash dog park within the city. Almost 10 years later, the park opened. “I like this because he can get himself a good run and that’s my purpose of a dog park,” said Golden resident Phyllis Cordova of her time at the park with her 3-year-old Boxer rescue, Rudy. For Cordova, coming to the Arvada dog park allows Rudy to exert energy, socialize with other dogs and play in a clean, natural environment — something she said is lacking in parks nearer her house. “I drive all this way because this park is so nice,” she said. “I have three right next to me and I drive here. There’s not a lot of dog poop; it’s not just dirt or mud. People take care of it here.” Used by dog owners throughout the Golden, Denver, Arvada and other Front Range communities, the park is one of eight dog parks in the greater metro area, all of which were created in the early 2000s. The area is maintained by a host of volunteers and dog owners who, like Iles, call it one of Arvada’s crowning gems. “It’s the best thing Arvada has — by far,” she said. “I meet people from Denver, Golden — all over — and I think that’s pretty impressive. It’s the best place in town.” Dog lovers and residents alike celebrated the anniversary June 20. “This park is really fabulous and it should be touted well,” Cordova said. “It’s one of the best dog parks I’ve ever been in. Whatever they do here really works.”
Local fed workers wait for news on data breach
LOVERBOY Name: Rudy Age: 3 Breed: Boxer Favorite thing to do at the park: Socialize with other dogs and run next to mom. Favorite Trick: Bang! Bang!
BEST FRIEND Name: Maddie Age: 3 Breed: Shepherd-Collie mix Favorite thing to do at the park: Socialize with other dogs Favorite Trick: Beg for treats and shake
BALL HOG Name: Bailey Age: 5 Breed: Chocolate Labrador Favorite thing to do at the park: Play ball Favorite Trick: Beg for treats and shake
The recent data breaches in the federal government’s Office of Personnel Management system are still being investigated. But while that is in process, the thousands of federal employees who work at the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood and throughout Jefferson County are hoping no news is good news. “When I found out about the breach, I was somewhat surprised,” wrote Federal Center employee Kathryn Yoder in an email interview. “I am required to have training every year on the proper handling of personally identifiable information. After the news settled in, my surprise gave way.” Yoder, who said her viewpoints are her own and not representative of her employer, said she has been receiving periodic emails updating her on the investigation. “We hear about these things in the news often enough in both the private and public sectors to understand that there is always a risk that something like this could happen,” she said. The Federal Center, south of Sixth Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard, houses 28 different agencies in 44 federal buildings, including the U.S. Depatment of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management and the General Services Administration, according to its website. It employs more than 6,000 people and is the largest concentration of federal agencies outside of Washington, D.C. According to information provided by Edmund Byrnes of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the organization became aware of the intrusion in April and began investigating with the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. “In May, through this investigation, OPM became aware of the potential compromise of data related to personnel records for current and former federal employees,” according to a statement offered by Byrnes. “The agency began notifying potentially affected individuals on June 8. OPM is currently in the process of sending notifications to the approximately 4 million individuals whose personally identifiable information may have been compromised in that incident.” While investigating this incident, the OPM and investigators became aware of second intrusion incident. Federal employees began hearing about the data breach in early June. “Some people have expressed concern (on campus),” Yoder wrote, “but I am not losing sleep over this issue because at this point it is entirely out of my control.” Employees whose data may have been affected are receiving notifications and information via email, but everyone is encouraged to take steps to make sure they are safe. According to Byrnes’ information, employees should monitor financial account statements and immediately report any suspicious or unusual activity to financial institutions. They should request a free credit report and review resources on the Federal Trade Commission’s website. As to what happens next, employees can only wait until more information is released. “More secure systems and practices in place may mitigate the risk. There is always a risk of personally identifiable information being compromised,” Yoder wrote. “My hope is that technology will eventually enable additional protections. What that may look like... I have no idea.”