Week of January 20, 2022
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An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of
VOLUME 21 | ISSUE 9
Centennial King Soopers workers take part in strike Marshall Fire Dozens of metro-area may aff ect stores see picketing amid emergency dispute over pay, benefits planning BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Thousands of King Soopers workers across metro Denver went on strike starting in mid-January as the local grocery store union pushes for better pay and opposes what it says are unfair labor practices. The strike has impacted 77 stores, according to United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, the union’s Colorado branch. The strike includes some King Soopers stores in west and east Centennial. “I wish it didn’t have to come to this,” said one picketer in Centennial, who said he’s worked for King Soopers for 10 years. He said he cares deeply about his coworkers and the customers that come into his store every day. SEE STRIKE, P6
Alerting public to dangers remains a challenge, Arapahoe emergency director says BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Once a city opponent Originally, 20 years ago, I was one of the 23% who voted against the creation of the City of Centennial. I didn’t think the city founders were giving us all the information. We were never told what it would cost us to remain the same (as an unincorporated area governed by Arapahoe County) and not become a new city.
It’s difficult to say what lessons Arapahoe County may take away from the Marshall Fire so far, when details are still emerging, said Nathan Fogg, Arapahoe County’s emergency manager. “But public alert warning is always something that’s difficult,” Fogg said, referring to the systems that sends alerts to cellphones in emergencies. Some residents during the Marshall Fire in Boulder County say they received little notice — or no notice at all — to flee their homes in the face of an inferno that became Colorado’s most destructive wildfire in terms of the number of homes destroyed. The Dec. 30 fire led to one confirmed death and another person still unaccounted for. Many people don’t know that they can only receive alerts for certain emergencies if they’ve signed up for a free notification service. “Right now, the best option we have is to increase our opt-in rates” for how many people sign up, Fogg said. Across Colorado, rates of opting into the local
SEE REFLECT, P8
SEE PLANNING, P11
Workers on strike pose as a group in front of the King Soopers on Smoky Hill Road near Himalaya Street in east Centennial on Jan. 13. PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD
Former councilmember talks city identity, SouthGlenn Kathy Turley reflects on city council service after term recently ended BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
When Kathy Turley looks back on her time on the Centennial City Council, the sometimes unclear question of the city’s identity stands out. “In my eight years on council, I have been singing the same song: ‘We, the (city) staff and the elected
officials, know who we are.’ The rest of the world doesn’t,” Turley wrote to the Centennial Citizen. “When you drive into Centennial, you don’t know it as opposed to when you drive into Lone Tree, you know!” Turley represented the far west part of Centennial from 2014 to early January of this year. She served council District 1, the region encompassing most areas between South Broadway and Colorado Boulevard. She also has served as mayor pro tem, a position that carries out the duties of the mayor temporarily when the mayor is absent. Centennial City Council consists of nine elected representatives, including
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | CALENDAR: PAGE 9 | SPORTS: PAGE 15
the mayor. Here are Turley’s reflections about her time on city council. Responses were lightly edited for clarity.
THE FRIENDLY SKIES
Young Eagles all about kids and aviation P12