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Week of February 3, 2022
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
EnglewoodHerald.net
VOLUME 101 | ISSUE 51
Tri-County Health may end school, indoor mask mandates Health agency cites decline in cases as reason for change BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Pointing to a decline in the rate of new coronavirus cases, Tri-County Health
Department announced it will consider ending its mask mandates for schools and public indoor places in general in Arapahoe and Adams counties. Tri-County’s board of health — the agency’s policy-making body — will hold a special meeting at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 31 to discuss ending the public health orders. Information about the meeting,
which will be held virtually, can be found here. While cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19 rose rapidly over the past month, the more recent decline in cases among all age groups has been “just as dramatic,” Tri-County Health said in a Jan. 28 news release.
Englewood, Littleton, Sheridan look to create ‘action plan’
Englewood graduation rates appear low Alternative high school skews data, district leaders say
BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
SEE HOMELESS, P6
PHOTO BY BRIAN WILLIE / ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS
SEE MASKS, P11
As homeless numbers rise, south suburbs push toward solutions
As alarming numbers paint a picture of increasing homelessness in the Denver metro area — a trend that predates the pandemic but was likely worsened by it — advocates hope to build on promising efforts in the fight to get people off the street. Pedestrians wrapped in large blankets, lying on walkways and begging for help along major roads are a common sight in Englewood and around metro Denver. And while the City of Denver continues to see the most visible homelessness in the region, some organizations that serve the unhoused have seen what appears to be rising homelessness to the south. “I think we’re feeling it to an increased degree in the Englewood area,” said Mike Sandgren, the
Mask mandates have changed at various times over the past two years, and they may be on the verge of changing again.
BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Giving Heart homeless-services center at 4358 S. Broadway in Englewood in FILE PHOTOS BY ELLIS ARNOLD March 2018.
INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 9 | VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | SPORTS: PAGE 14
A recent report from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) shows a large dip in the graduation rate for Englewood’s high schools, which was 54% for the 2020-201 school year, down from 69.3% the year before. But that data tells just a sliver of the district’s story, its leaders said. “Any industry or society wants to put some parameters around graduation,” said Duane Tucker, president of the Englewood Schools Board of Education. “There’s lots of other factors.” With two high schools, Englewood is a smaller district than others in the metro area, with just over 800 students between its two high schools. Because of this, a handful of students can affect its statistics. Much of the skew has to do with SEE GRADUATION, P23
EASY PIECES
Pandemic, popular Netflix series drive popularity of historic game P12