Week of May 12, 2022
FREE
DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
ParkerChronicle.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 22
Parker Trader Joe’s opens its doors Store expects to remain busy BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Dozens of customers lined up on the sidewalk of Trader Joe’s on May 6 as the store cut its ribbon and allowed hungry Parkerites inside for the very first time. As the lei-wearing customers entered and began shopping, they were greeted by staff with cheers and music. “When I was a child I used to go to Trader Joe’s in California,” said Ben Jenkins, who was the first person waiting in line for the store’s opening. “I’ve been in Parker for three years and I’m just excited. I’m just here to try it again.” Like other Trader Joe’s stores, the location is unique in that it has localized murals and other SEE OPEN, P10
BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Maryna and Oleksandr Sheveria miss Ukrainian bread. They miss the taste and the texture of the freshly baked crust. They miss their home and their dog and their two cats. They miss the mundane day-to-day tasks of going to work, grilling out on weekends and planning for vacation. All those parts of their lives were stripped away the day Russia in-
Parker mayor backs repeal of grocery tax without council support Rivero worried about consequences BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
after Russians began targeting the region. Family members are caring for the Sheveria’s pets and keeping them informed on the status of the war. Recently, they learned the bombing has moved even closer to their home. “We kind of hoped until the last moment that bombs will not reach there,” Maryna said. “Because it’s in the mountains, it’s very small.” Maryna and Oleksandr spoke about their family’s journey to Colorado from the living room of the the Larkspur home. While it’s her husband and children’s first time in the United States,
Parker Mayor Jeff Toborg told the town council April 25 that he plans to participate in a citizens’ ballot initiative to repeal the grocery tax. Several members of the town council responded with surprise, stating that the majority of the board had not agreed to such a measure. “You speak for the council and right now a majority of the council does not have that idea,” said Town Councilmember Josh Rivero. “And you’re not speaking for council.” In Parker’s form of government, the mayor does not vote on council issues, except to break any ties. The mayor also facilitates council meeting discussions and acts as the spokesperson of the town. Toborg made the announcement after being asked directly by Councilmember John Diak if there was anything the council needed to know about an initiative. He went on to say that the committee, which must be made up of five voters according to the town charter, has not yet been finalized and that’s why he hadn’t yet told
SEE UKRAINE, P6
SEE TAX, P9
Excited shoppers danced and cheered as they walked through the sliding doors of the PHOTOS BY ELLIOTT WENZLER new Trader Joe’s in Parker for the first time May 6.
From Ukraine to Larkspur A family of six adjusts to life in Douglas County
VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 24
vaded their homeland and — for the safety of their four young children — they decided to flee the country. Maryna, 38, packed up her family’s lives into two suitcases, bringing only a few items, including their work laptops and a change of clothes for each of their four children. Now, it’s two months later and after traveling thousands of miles, overcoming challenges and marveling at examples of generosity along the way, they have found themselves in Larkspur — a 200-person town in southern Douglas County. Their home in Western Ukraine is now filled with relatives who moved from the eastern part of the country
YOUTH SERVICES EXPANDED County creates second Youth Community Response Team
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CHOREOGRAPHED COMEBACK
Ballet and opera look to begin anew post-COVID
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