July 30, 2021
FREE
DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
ParkerChronicle.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | CALENDAR: PAGE 15 | SPORTS: PAGE 16
VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 35
Unvaccinated people drive COVID rise as school looms In Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas, 95% of those recently hospitalized were not fully vaccinated BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
year compared to the same time last year. With 2020 being so dry, Redd said residents were using about 28 million gallons of water per day. This year, the average use is half that at 14 million gallons. “So far, this has been a really good year,” Redd said. “We have a lot more moisture than last year. Our water demand is down and
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 WATER, P6
SEE COVID, P11
Rueter-Hess Reservoir in Douglas County is part of the Parker Water & Sanitation District’s system. PHOTO COURTESY OF PARKER WATER AND SANITATION DISTRICT
Parker, Castle Rock water sources in good shape Reusable water programs prove helpful in Douglas County communities BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
While Douglas County remains under a drought watch, water officials in Parker and Castle Rock
are optimistic about water supplies as the state heads into the hottest part of summer. Ron Redd, district manager for Parker Water & Sanitation District, said water supplies are holding up well, and residents have not even met peak demand as expected this year. Thanks to a wet spring, Redd said, customers in Parker and Castle Pines have used a lot less water in June and early July this
SEEMS LIKE OLD TIMES
Renaissance Festival rides again after a year lost to the pandemic P8
FUN AND FLEXIBLE
Outdoors or indoors, a round of miniature golf is what you make it P14