July 29, 2021
FREE
DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
HighlandsRanchHerald.net
INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 11 | VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | SPORTS: PAGE 24
VOLUME 34 | ISSUE 34
Increased screen time affects kids’ vision Unvaccinated people drive COVID rise as school looms
Myopia treatment center for kids, families launched BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
As the pandemic pushed students to online learning, screen time on computers, phones and video games increased dramatically. And a Highlands Ranch eye-care provider says eye doctors are seeing the consequences with a surge in cases of myopia in children, a condition that can be corrected if diagnosed and treated early. Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is a condition that starts in school-aged children and is caused by accelerated eye growth. This not only impacts a child’s ability to see clearly and perform their best but also increases the risk of contracting serious eye diseases, including glaucoma, cataracts and retinal detachments, when they get older. A new study stemming from China, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), found that home confinement during the pandemic SEE MYOPIA, P10
In Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas, 95% of those recently hospitalized were not fully vaccinated BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Public Utilities Commission. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Federal Railroad Administration. Private railroads. Douglas County Planning Commission. Multiple private landowners. Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Oh, and the Colorado Historical Society. “There’s lots of pieces and parts to this, getting a trail built,” said Rich Havel, trails planner for Castle Rock’s Parks and Recreation Department. “It’s not just going out
With the new school year only weeks away, Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties are seeing the signs of an upswing in rates of new COVID-19 cases, according to a news release from Tri-County Health Department. “Two connected factors are responsible for the increase in new cases: individuals who remain unvaccinated and the highly contagious Delta variant,” the health agency wrote in the news release. In parallel with trends across the U.S. and Colorado, new cases of COVID-19 have increased in Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties in the past month, according to TriCounty, which is the local public health agency for the three counties. “While the overall rates are much lower than they were in April thanks to those who have been fully vaccinated against the virus, this recent increase in cases is concerning especially with school beginning in the next few weeks,” the agency added. Schools will likely return with little to no social distancing or mask requirements next month. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment released new P-12
SEE TRAIL, P22
SEE COVID, P20
Dr. Lawrence Jacobs, of Highlands Ranch HD Eye Care, explains how using advanced PHOTO BY THELMA GRIMES technology helps children with myopia.
Front Range Trail advances across Douglas County Planners dream of route stretching from Wyoming to New Mexico BY MICHAEL BOOTH THE COLORADO SUN
For decades now, Colorado’s premier trail builders have nurtured the dream of a Front Range Trail, piecing together existing routes and new construction to complete
an 876-mile continuous path from Wyoming to New Mexico, connecting 5 million people. Here’s why that sentence requires the word “decades.” To complete one five-mile set of Front Range Trail connectors in Castle Rock, the following entities must sign off: Town of Castle Rock. Douglas County Open Space. The Federal Emergency Management Administration. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Colorado Department of Transportation. Xcel Energy.
FUN AND FLEXIBLE
Outdoors or indoors, a round of miniature golf is what you make it P14
WESTERN WELCOME WEEK Littleton’s signature annual bash is back in full form. Our guide is inside P15
