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December 30, 2021
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
EnglewoodHerald.net
VOLUME 101 | ISSUE 46
Arapahoe had to exit Tri-County, officials say Tri-County may still provide services to one or more counties after 2022 BY ELLIS ARNOLD AND ELLIOTT WENZLER EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
issues. Hatlestad said Thor was excited to open his gift, which turned out to be a new phone. Thor told his gift givers that he is hoping for snow this Christmas and excited to have a new phone that will work a lot better than his old one. On average, Halestad said, gifts are valued at $50, but sometimes a senior may really need/want a microwave or phone, allowing gifts to be a little more expensive. “The recipients are chosen based on their needs — most of them don’t have family or friends close by, and some have none at all,” Halestad said. “Our staff members provide recommended gifts based on conversations they’ve had with their clients and their familiarity with the clients’ needs.”
The rebuilding of the public health agency structure in a wide swath of the Denver metro area appears likely to result in Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties all having the independence to make their own decisions on public health orders and how to provide health services for residents. In an era when the Tri-County Health Department’s name elicits intense backlash among some county residents, there could be political benefits to each county formally separating from the agency and shaping its own policies. Even still, separating from TriCounty Health isn’t an outcome Arapahoe County was sprinting into. Arapahoe was the last of the three counties to formally provide notice that it will separate from Tri-County, a decision that will take effect at the end of 2022. The Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners — the county’s elected leaders — voted to take the action in a Dec. 14 resolution. Despite the vocal opposition to TriCounty’s mask mandates in recent months, anti-mask sentiment didn’t influence Arapahoe County’s decision to pull out, according to Nancy Jackson, an Arapahoe County commissioner.
SEE SENIORS, P17
SEE TRI-COUNTY, P2
Thor, recovering from some health issues, is happy to have visitors and receive a new phone from the county program. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARAPAHOE COUNTY
Elves for Seniors makes deliveries County program helps more than 200 seniors BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Several senior citizens in Englewood and Littleton were treated to Christmas gifts last week as part of the Arapahoe County Elves for Seniors program. According to information provided by Arapahoe County spokesperson Luc Hatlestad, the program is made possible by the county’s “internal homemaker staff.” Even with the increasing number of COVID cases in the area, Hatlestad said county staff made their way out on Dec. 20 to hand deliver gifts to some of the community’s
senior citizens. To make the program possible, Hatlestad said the county partners with Home Instead, an organization that coordinates online donations via Amazon. Through the program, Halestad said county staff selected 60 seniors this year, delivering gifts in Littleton and Englewood. Describing some of the stops on Dec. 20, Halestad said it was worth it given how seniors would read the cards and happily open gifts. For one resident, Leonard, gifts were not only provided to him, but county residents also included a special bone for his service dog, Rhett. Another resident whom county staff called Thor was especially happy to get a visit given he is still recovering from some health
INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 9 | VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | SPORTS: PAGE 16
TESTING ARCHAEOLOGICAL LIMITS Was Sun Temple even more complex than believed? P12