Highlands Ranch Herald 082621

Page 1

August 26, 2021

FREE

DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO

A publication of

HighlandsRanchHerald.net

INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 24

VOLUME 34 | ISSUE 38

Residents weigh in on redistricting maps Many attendees advocated for county, municipalities to remain whole BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A crowd fills the Douglas County Board of Commissioners hearing room on Aug. 19.

PHOTO BY JESSICA GIBBS

Schools keep mask order despite county opt-out DCSD superintendent says district must follow health order

ing masks for young students and their teachers as a COVID-19 safety measure, the local school district says it plans to keep that order in place. In an Aug. 20 letter to the community, Douglas County School District Superintendent Corey Wise reinforced an earlier announcement that the district would adhere to the latest public health order from Tri-County Health De-

BY ELLIOTT WENZLER AND JESSICA GIBBS EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

While Douglas County has opted out of a public health order requir-

partment despite county commissioners’ unanimous opt-out vote on Aug. 19. That Tri-County Health order, approved Aug. 17, requires masks to be worn among children ages 2 through 11 in any indoor school or childcare setting. Staff members who work with that age group were also included in the order, which SEE SCHOOLS, P18

Coach claims Valor forced him out for being gay School officials say his sexuality does not align with Valor Christian beliefs BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Inoke Tonga, until recently the volleyball coach at Valor Christian

High School in Highlands Ranch, claimed through social media that he was forced to leave his job because he is gay. In an Aug. 21 post seen on his

Facebook and Instragram accounts, Tonga said that after coaching the private school’s girls

Douglas County residents and leaders came together Aug. 18 to provide input for the once-a-decade redistricting process during a public hearing with the commissions in charge of drawing the new district boundaries. For the first time, twin independent redistricting commissions — instead of the state legislature — are creating the districts for Colorado’s state legislative and congressional districts. Among the 35 speakers who signed up to speak at the meeting in Ranch View Middle School in Highlands Ranch were the Douglas County commissioners, the mayor of Parker, Wind Crest Senior Living Community residents, former state Sen. John Evans and Stu Parker, the chairman of the county’s Republican Party. Speakers were given three minutes to speak and were then asked questions by the commission. The commissions released preliminary maps June 23 and are now in the process of hearing from the public. The commissions’ maps must be approved by the Colorado Supreme Court no later than Dec. 15

SEE COACH, P22

SEE MAPS, P13

New location

AMAZON IS NOW HIRING IN COMMERCE CITY Amazon is an equal opportunity employer.

Scan to apply or visit amazon.com/startnow


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.