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October 7, 2016 VO LUM E 1 5 | IS S U E 46 | FREE
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District re-examines graduation guidelines
Class of 2021 will be first to graduate under new rules, which allow for more flexibility
By Kyle Harding kharding@coloradocommunitymedia.com
New graduation requirements are coming to Colorado high schools, and Littleton
Public Schools is working to stay ahead of the state. The new guidelines will begin next school year with ninth-graders who will graduate in 2021 and will provide students with more options to fulfill English, math, science and social science requirements. The Colorado Department of Education began developing new graduation guidelines after a 2007 state Legislature bill mandated it, and established them last
year. Now, local jurisdictions must adopt requirement that meet or exceed state guidelines. The new state guidelines give districts leeway to allow students to demonstrate math and English competency in different ways, such as by taking tests. LPS Superintendent Brian Ewert said the district plans to have its new policy in place well before the end of this school year in order to give incoming ninth-
RISING TO THE OCCASION
graders and their parents maximum time to prepare. He hopes that the LPS Board of Education will adopt the new guidelines by the end of October. According to the CDE, about 75 percent of jobs in the state will require some form of post-secondary education or training by 2020, and 40 percent of students enter college unprepared for their classes. District continues on Page 6
Centennial is the next Ting town City to get ‘crazy fast Internet’ By Alex DeWind adewind@coloradocommunity
Cherry Creek coach January Stewart stands ready to help Bruins gymnast Avery Paxton with her landing as the girl competes in the vault during the Oct. 1 Think Pink Invitational Gymnastics Meet at Lakewood High School. For more on the meet, turn to PAGE 26. Photo by Tom Munds
Suspect shot by homeowner, arrested Trevor Cecchettini faces multiple charges after Centennial incident Staff report A Centennial homeowner acting in self-defense shot an armed man who faces multiple charges after an Oct. 3 confrontation, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect, Trevor Cecchettini, 43, of Denver, was arrested on suspicion of illegal discharge of a firearm, felony menacing and offenses relating to marijuana. He was treated at a local hospital for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, then released into the custody of the sheriff’s office. He was being held at the Arapahoe County jail on $25,000 bond as of Oct. 4.
The homeowner, whose name has not been released, will not face charges, a sheriff’s office spokeswoman said. The incident that led to Cecchettini’s arrest occurred at about 8 a.m. Oct. 3. Deputies were called to a home in the 14700 block of East Aberdeen Avenue on a report of criminal mischief, the sheriff’s office Cecchettini stated in a news release. The homeowner told deputies a man, identified as Cecchettini, was stabbing the tires on a boat trailer parked in his driveway, while claiming he “owned the street.” The homeowner said he went outside to confront the man, who then charged at him, prompting the homeowner to go back inside and retrieve a gun. Cecchettini, armed with a handgun
and knife, attempted to break into the home, the news release states. The homeowner then fired two rounds through the door at Cecchettini, striking him at least once. Cecchettini fired shots back at the homeowner, who was not struck, according to the release. Cecchettini then fled the area before being stopped by a deputy in the 15000 block of East Orchard Road, the sheriff’s office said. At the crime scene, investigators reported finding about two pounds of marijuana that they believe the suspect brought to the area. Deputies also say they found a gun and a knife and discovered knife damage to the boat trailer’s tires. Investigators do not believe there was any prior connection between the victim and the suspect and believe it was a random incident.
Centennial is the next Ting town, which means it will have what the company calls “crazy fast Internet.” Ting, a wireless service provider launched in 2012 by Tucows, provides gigabit fiber optic internet infrastructure — which enables the transfer of data at faster speeds —and internet access to smaller towns and cities in the U.S., including nearby Westminister; Sandpoint, Idaho; and Charlottesville, Virginia. Centennial will be the largest Ting town to date, with a population of more than 107,000. “Having Centennial as Ting Internet’s first Colorado market is an honor and one that we are very excited about,” Mayor Cathy Noon said in a media release from Ting. “The critical infrastructure has been in place throughout the city, we just needed the opportunity to partner with an organization such as Ting to provide service to our residents and businesses.” A demand assessment by Ting is underway and pre-orders are being accepted on ting.com/centennial. Network construction is expected as early as 2017, pending demand. Ting looks at a series of factors when picking its Ting towns, including the availability of a fiber backbone, population, density and local permitting. Elliot Noss, CEO of Tucows, said in the media release that Centennial has been refreshing to work with. “Centennial’s approach to partnering with Ting has been excellent. They have found a great balance between being business-friendly while deeply serving Ting continues on Page 6
PUMPKIN TIME It isn’t autumn without the popular flavoring added to just about everything. PAGE 12