July 22, 2021
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An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of
VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 35
State COVID powers unchanged despite ‘lifting’ A photo taken by firefighters on the scene of the Cameron Peak Fire near Fort Collins in 2020.
COURTESY OF ARVADA FIRE
Colorado wildfires are year-round danger Hotter, drier climate influences how and when fires ignite BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
State climate experts and local fire officials along the Front Range say wildfire season no longer has
an end as heat, low moisture and other factors have created a yearround problem. Russ Schumacher, the Colorado state climatologist and director of the Colorado Climate Center, said 2020 was the worst year on record for wildfires, rewriting record books on what kind of fires can happen and when. In the past, wildfire season was generally contained to the hottest part of summer in July and into
August. Now, Inter-Canyon Fire Protection District Chief Daniel Hatlestad said, wildfires are a 12-month priority. The Inter-Canyon Fire District covers 52 square miles in Jefferson County. “We are seeing these fires spread, and spread quickly every month of the year,” Hatlestad said. “The fuel load across the Front Range has created more intense, frequent SEE FIRES, P24
Teen found guilty in killing of Cherokee Trail student Demarea Mitchell is last of 4 suspects in murder of Lloyd Chavez IV BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The trial of a teen suspected of fatally shooting a Cherokee Trail High School student in Centennial began with the prosecution displaying social media messages that appear to show him admitting involvement. Things “didn’t go as planned and
it was the only choice. I’m sorry,” Demarea Deshawn Mitchell allegedly wrote to a person who may have been his girlfriend an hour after Lloyd Alvin Chavez IV, 18, was shot during an attempted robbery of vaping products that Chavez sold. The morning after the shooting that occurred May 8, 2019, Mitchell sent someone a video that shows him holding a gun, in an attempt to transfer the weapon to another person, according to the prosecution in the trial that took place this July. On Snapchat — the social media SEE TRIAL, P16
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 20
Lloyd Chavez IV in an undated COURTESY PHOTO photo.
Disaster emergency order still in effect but refocused; state health department powers remain BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
In early July, Gov. Jared Polis’ office issued a news release that said: “Governor Polis Ends COVID-19 Health Emergency Order.” Following that statement, Colorado state Senate Republicans heralded that “the public health emergency would come to an end today,” the Senate GOP said in a release. “This is something we’ve been advocating for on behalf of our constituents for some time now,” state Sen. Paul Lundeen, a Republican of Monument, said in the release. “Every meeting we’ve had with the governor has been punctuated with an inquiry as to when he would finally lift the order and declare this pandemic over in the State of Colorado. We’re glad to see he finally has agreed to turn this dark page in our history.” The reality is more complicated than Polis and the Senate GOP described — and the state generally continues to have the same powers regarding COVID-19 response as it did before Polis’ new policy. Polis’ office told Colorado Community Media that the governor “ended the health emergency in Colorado” but wouldn’t point specifically to what executive order constituted a “COVID-19 health emergency order” SEE STATE, P22
ON AN UPSWING
Pickleball is still popular among seniors, but now younger generations are discovering the sport
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