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September 2, 2021
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
LittletonIndependent.net
VOLUME 133 | ISSUE 6
Littleton Schools mask mandate spurs objections Presenters keep their cool as they speak against rule BY RACHEL LORENZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
citizens to vote directly for the Littleton’s mayor. The mayor’s role will not change, however. Mayors will still preside over council meetings, and will remain one of seven equal votes on city council. Three candidates are running for mayor: Kyle Schlachter, Jon Buck and Carol Fey.
No signs. No lines. No outbursts. Yet more than half the people who gave public comment at the Aug. 26 Littleton Public Schools board meeting spoke against the new mask-wearing requirement that the district announced the previous week. “This is power versus parental rights,” the third speaker from the audience said. “It’s force versus freedom. And it’s mandate versus choice.” Although the board was not scheduled to discuss or vote on COVID-safety policies, the district’s recent change in mask guidelines for students in preschool through sixth grade drew five community members and their supporters to the meeting to express opposition. The policy change is a result of the Tri-County Health Department’s Aug. 17 order requiring masks for all children ages 2 to 11 years old in all indoor school and child-care settings. “Littleton Public Schools is required by law to follow these public health orders,” Superintendent Brian Ewert wrote in an Aug. 19 letter to the district’s families. Citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and from Tri-County Health, the third speaker explained why he felt the public health order was “baseless
SEE COUNCIL, P9
SEE MASKS, P13
Chandler Mirkovic takes a customer order at Lost Coffee in Littleton.
PHOTO BY SHANNA MAXCY
Lost Coffee expands to Littleton Shop opens at roastery location along Littleton Boulevard BY SHANNA MAXCY SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
A gas station, a tire shop, an ARC donation drop-off … the building at 1190 W. Littleton Blvd. has had
many identities over the years. For the past year it has been the location of Lost Coffee’s roaster. And at the end of June, it opened as a coffee shop as well. “The idea here with opening this store is a way to allow for customers to be able to see us roasting and get that full experience,” said Danielle Wagner, manager of Lost Coffee in Littleton. “So they know how we care about the beans from the green stage all the way to the
end production of the perfect cup of coffee.” Lost Coffee was started by owner Scott Gaerte in 2010 as a food truck and expanded into its first location in Castle Rock within the following year. Since then, it grew to three locations in Castle Rock, one in Aurora, and the newest location in Littleton. Beans for all shops as well as SEE COFFEE, P6
Littleton City Council pool finalized Voters will elect four members in fall balloting BY SHANNA MAXCY SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Voters in Littleton will elect a mayor and three other members of the city council in November.
This election will mark the first time in many years that citizens will directly elect the city’s mayor. Seats up for election include mayor, District 1, District 3 and atlarge. All will be four-year terms. In 2020, Littleton voters approved Ballot Question 3A, which allows
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 22
PAGING READERS Book clubs a fine way to get literary
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