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October 9, 2015 VO LUM E 1 4 | IS S U E 46 | FREE
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Centennial ZIP code is sizzlin’ Website deems area in western part of city third hottest in nation
By Alex DeWind adewind@coloradocommunitymedia.com Even with fall here, Centennial is a hot place to be. The ZIP code 80122 — in west Centennial near Streets at SouthGlenn — recently was selected as realtor.com’s third hottest ZIP code in the nation because of its strong community and growing business opportunities. “When the homes in the area are selling faster, it really speaks to the lifestyle in that area,” said Neil Marciniak, Centen-
SOME NOTABLE PLACES IN 80122 • Arapahoe High School, 2201 E. Dry Creek Road • South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce, 2154 E. Commons Ave. (in the Streets at SouthGlenn) • South Suburban Golf Course, 7900 S. Colorado Blvd.
• Streets at SouthGlenn, 6991 S. Vine St. nial’s economic development manager. The ZIP code includes Liberty Hill, Homestead, SouthGlenn and Cherry ZIP continues on Page 6
The Streets at SouthGlenn is a popular shopping and dining area in Centennial’s 80122 ZIP code. Photos by Alex DeWind
KEEPERS OF THE CAN
Suicide, murder at jail Two inmates die on same day Staff report
Players and fans hold the Brookridge milk can trophy high after Arapahoe won the Oct. 2 football game with Heritage. The winner of the rivalry game gets to keep the trophy until the next Arapahoe-Heritage football game decides which school becomes keeper of the milk can for a year. See Page 25 for more coverage of the game. Photo by Tom Munds
Dance event aids cancer patients Pink Fund is charity for nonmedical expenses
By Corrie Sahling csahling@coloradocommunitymedia.com For Terri Gaertner, of Centennial, dancing the waltz has helped her feel like a woman again. “It’s about learning to be feminine again,” Gaertner said, “Once you lose your breasts, you don’t feel as feminine anymore.” Jo Ann Washburn of Parker considers herself relatively new to the cancer scene; she was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2014. Because she has young kids, Washburn said although she was terrified, her way of dealing with the cancer was with a fast pace — she was operated on five days after being diagnosed. Dance continues on Page 6
Terri Gaertner and Ashton Sainz begin their waltz performance at the Dancing with Survivors event. “It’s about learning to be feminine again,” said Gaertner, a Centennial resident who had a double mastectomy. Dancing the waltz has helped her feel like a woman again, she said. Photo by Tom Munds
Two Arapahoe County jail inmates died on Oct. 3 — one by suicide, the other apparently by murder. On the afternoon of Oct. 1, 46-yearold Tyler Hawkins was found hanging from a noose, apparently fashioned from a towel, in the shower area of the inpatient medical housing unit, according to an Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office news release. Deputies immediately removed the towel and, along with medical personnel, began efforts to revive him. Hawkins was transported to a local hospital. The next day, an assault occurred that ended the life of inmate Michael Roy Craven Jr., 43. Fellow inmate Eric Stewart, also 43, stands accused of killing him. “The assault began in a cell on the upper tier of a housing unit and quickly spilled out onto the upper walkway,” the sheriff’s office news release stated. “The assault lasted approximately 45 seconds and was over before deputies were able to intervene.” Deputies and medical staff provided emergency medical assistance, and Craven was transported to a local hospital. The sheriff’s office determined that no weapons were involved in the assault at the Centennial facility. The two men had been in the same housing unit since December 2014 and have had no known previous issues, the sheriff’s office said. There were approximately 38 other inmates present in the housing unit at the time of the assault. Inmates are assigned to housing units based on an objective classification system that includes many variables, such as current charge, previous criminal history and disciplinary concerns. Craven had been at the jail since August 2014. He was being held on a multitude of charges, including second-degree assault with a deadly weapon, first-degree criminal trespass, Jail continues on Page 6