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Week of January 6, 2022
DENVER, COLORADO
A publication of
VOLUME 95 | ISSUE 7
Webbs to provide scholarships Former first couple of Denver to aid athletes at Northeastern Junior College
Locals discuss the benefits of the Veganuary resolution
STAFF REPORT
Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb and his wife, Wilma, will be providing yearly scholarships to student athletes attending Northeastern Junior College in Sterling. Wellington Webb served in the Colorado House of Representatives in the 1970s, and later was Denver’s first African-American mayor. He was first elected as mayor in 1991 and served three terms. Also an elected official, Wilma Webb served six terms in the Colorado House of Representatives. She was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame in 1991. SEE AID, P3
BY ELICIA HESSELGRAVE SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Wilma and Wellington Webb dance at a joint birthday celebration/state of the city address in 2018. The couple recently set up a scholarship fund to annually provide two student athletes attending Northeastern Junior College with $1,000 each to go PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DENVER MAYOR’S OFFICE toward their education.
Tri-County extends school mask order; metro mandates continue Tri-County, other metro counties’ indoor mask mandates still in effect BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Facing what could be a dramatically steep surge in new cases of COVID-19 in Colorado amid the spread of the omicron variant, several metro Denver counties announced they would continue their
Going vegan
local mask mandates. In Adams and Arapahoe counties, a school mask mandate will be extended, and a broader mandate for masks in public indoor spaces will continue, according to Tri-County Health Department. With the surge in cases “it makes sense to continue with as many prevention practices as possible to protect the health of everyone in Adams and Arapahoe counties,” said a statement from Becky O’Guin, spokesperson for Tri-County Health. “We also need to help protect our frontline workers who
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 8 | LIFE: PAGE 10 | CALENDAR: PAGE 7
have worked exhaustively for the last two years.” Hospital capacity remains “very tight,” and surges in omicron cases are likely to further aggravate the situation, according to a Dec. 28 news release from the Colorado Health Institute. “Wearing masks indoors slows the spread of respiratory viruses,” Dawn Comstock, executive director of Jefferson County Public Health, said in the news release. “Last month’s COVID-19 surge SEE MASKS, P4
Hannah Wherry intends to make the transition to a vegan lifestyle for her New Year’s resolution. As an environmentalist, she has often wondered if having meat and animal products in her lifestyle was right. “Being vegan is something that has intrigued me,” the 30-year-old Park Hill resident said, “but I have never committed to it.” Wherry recognizes it will be a challenge, but is ready to commit. “The complacency to continue behaviors that harm the environment is not something I want to contribute to,” Wherry said. “I am prepared to make a change and I know I can do it.” Veganuary Matthew Glover and Jane Land, both of the United Kingdom, started Veganuary — pronounced Vee-gan-uary — in 2014. It is a campaign to encourage others to try a vegan diet, committing only to the month of January to start. In 2021, they reported that more than 500,000 people worldwide made the New Year’s pledge to avoid all animal products, including meat, fish, dairy and honey. Benefits of going vegan There are many benefits to going vegan, which include improved overall health and wellness, financial savings and a lower carbon footprint. A clinical study published in 2019 found diets high in fruits and SEE VEGANUARY, P6
TESTING ARCHAEOLOGICAL LIMITS Was Sun Temple even more complex than believed? P10