September 30, 2021
FREE
DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
LoneTreeVoice.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 24
Fallen firefighter ‘epitomized the term brother’ South Metro Fire Rescue’s Anthony Palato is remembered after losing life to cancer
SEE FIREFIGHTER, P10
BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A stage holds items in remembrance of firefighter paramedic Anthony Palato for a memorial service Sept. 21. Because Palato’s cancer was considered job-related, his memorial service was classified as Level I Line of Duty Death, according to South PHOTOS BY ELLIS ARNOLD Metro Fire Rescue.
StretchLab moves into Lone Tree Wellness business focuses on benefits of stretching BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Dave Watson was walking with a friend who works as a personal trainer when they stopped him and asked if he’d ever been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
School board election shapes up Two slates emerge in races for four director seats
BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Anthony Palato dreamed of being a firefighter ever since he was a small child, said his brother-in-law, Steve Durie. “Tony epitomized the term ‘brother’ all his life,” Durie said at a memorial service Sept. 21, days after Palato died at age 55 on Sept. 15 after fighting cancer. “He loved every aspect of being a firefighter, especially the camaraderie, the joking around, the pranks, and (helping) neighborhoods that he served — but mostly the love he shared with his brothers and sisters” at South Metro Fire Rescue, Durie said. Palato — a “humble hero,” as Durie put it — served as a fire-
VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 32
“They knew just by watching me walk,” he said. Watson went to see a specialist and, sure enough, doctors confirmed his friend’s suspicions, he said. He lives with most of the disease’s symptoms. “I have a typical Parkinson’s gait, which means I walk and shuffle my feet. That’s usually because the muscles are bound up,” he said. Watson prioritizes vigorous exercise and good nutrition in
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managing Parkinson’s, but he also suffered an ATV accident recently. A former football coach at Winona State University in Minnesota and a high school coach of more than two decades, Watson said he believes in the benefits of stretching. So he started going to StretchLab, which now has a location in Lone Tree, adding deep stretching sessions with a “flexologist” to his
Comments on Lone Tree’s tax measure 2E P13
The field is set for this fall’s Douglas County School Board elections, where two slates have emerged to square off for four seats on the board — a majority on the seven-member board. While one slate is asking voters to let them take the district in a similar direction as current board members, the other is saying it’s time for new leadership. The candidates are not only aiming to help govern the district amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic but also after national debates about equity in education took place at the local level in past months. Incumbents Krista Holtzmann and Kevin Leung are seeking reelection while running alongside Ruby Martinez and Juli Watkins in the CommUNITY Matters slate. The four are asking voters to “keep the positive momentum going” in DCSD, according to the slate’s website. Sitting board members bring a track record of academic achievement, a decrease in teacher turnover and financial investment in mental health resources for schools, the group says. The Kids First slate is made up of Mike Peterson, Becky Myers, Christy Williams and Kaylee Winegar. SEE BOARD, P16
SEE BUSINESS, P11
BRIDGES TO THE ARTS
Communities are creating centers to boost local culture
P14