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January 17, 2014 Arapahoe County, Colorado | Volume 13, Issue 9 A publication of
centennialcitizen.net
Governor: State of state is strong Hickenlooper touts economic numbers during annual address By Vic Vela
vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Gov. John Hickenlooper motions to his cabinet, seated in the House chambers in the Colorado State Capitol, during the State of the State speech in Denver on Jan. 8. Photo by Hannah Garcia
Gov. John Hickenlooper sounded like a man running for re-election during his annual State of the State address inside the Capitol on Jan. 9, as he touted Colorado’s economic rebound and called on lawmakers to “ignore divisive politics.” The governor sounded themes of unity throughout his speech, but particularly when he lauded Coloradans’ resilience during times of tragedy last year — which led to one of the most enthusiastically-received lines of the day. “Colorado does not shut down. Colo-
rado does not quit. Colorado does not break,” he said, to a standing ovation inside the House chamber, where all 100 state lawmakers were gathered. Hickenlooper hyped Colorado as a magnet for businesses and a state where job numbers continue to grow. And, for the most part, he stayed away from contentious issues that dominated the Legislature last year. While Democrats walked away glowingly from the governor’s speech, many Republicans voiced a “wait-and-see” response. “Well it felt good, but let’s see if those feelings continue for the rest of the year,” said Rep. Carole Murray, R-Castle Rock. “When he talked about not wanting parties to lock down, I hope he holds to that with his own party.” State continues on Page 9
Assembly empowers Arapahoe students
MOVING FORWARD
By Anna Sutterer
Special to Colorado Community Media
Construction is well underway on CDOT’s Cherry Creek Trail improvement project. The project, which will impact traffic on Arapahoe Road between Jordan and Parker roads, kicked off in late 2013 and is scheduled to be completed in April 2015. Crews are completing the pathway, stabilizing Cherry Creek and replacing an older bridge that will allow for increased equestrian traffic on the popular trail. A portion of the funding for the project was provided by CDOT’s Faster Vehicle Registration fees. The speed limit through the construction zone is 45 miles per hour. Photo by George Lurie
City evaluates grant applications $239K in anticipated Community Development Block Grants to be awarded By George Lurie
glurie@coloradocommunitymedia.com At a Jan. 13 study session, the city council reviewed staff recommendations for an anticipated $239,081 in Community Development Block Grants to be awarded to Centennial-based community programs and organizations that have applied for CDBG funding in 2014. Centennial receives hundreds of thou-
sands of dollars in annual funding from the federal CDBG program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. While the city council reviews applications and makes the final decision on which programs and organizations receive the grants, Centennial’s CDBG program is actually managed by Arapahoe County on the city’s behalf. Federal authorities have yet to announce specific CDBG allocations for the 2014 grant year but city officials are anticipating a 5 percent reduction from 2013 funding levels. According to a staff report from Eric Eddy, Centennial’s senior management
analyst, the city is likely to receive a 2014 CDBG allocation of $291,562. Less the 18 percent administrative fee the city pays the county to administer the grant funds, Eddy said city staff “anticipates $239,081 in 2014 [CDBG] funding available for allocation by the city council.” Twenty-eight community organizations and programs submitted applications to the county for 2014 CDBG grant funding. “Applications were reviewed for suitability and community impact as well as consistency with the county’s Consolidated Plan as is required by HUD,” Eddy told the Grant continues on Page 10
Editor’s note: Anna Sutterer is a senior at Arapahoe High School and a student-journalist. She wrote this first-person account of the Jan. 10 assembly, which was closed to the public, for the Centennial Citizen. There was a time, I suppose, for the whole world to have its eyes on Arapahoe High School. For there to be questions, interviews, extra attention and special treatment and a general displaced feeling. But for the first time since Dec. 13, 2013, the entire Arapahoe student body, faculty and staff, assembled on Friday, Jan. 10, untormented by media vans and helicopters, reporters and cameras. It was a welcome change for the students and staff, simply coming home. At 7:25 a.m., more than 2,000 Warriors crowded onto the old Sitting Eagle Gymnasium bleachers as we had for the homecoming spirit assembly earlier this school year. But this time the proceedings had much more at stake. The walls of the gym were lined with teachers and staff, each entrance filled with the presence of a beloved educatorturned-family-member. The room felt like a giant hug. In this moment we were reminded of the trust and love between the students and staff at Arapahoe, evident especially now. Each teacher’s expression was reassuring, softening the idea of getting back to work and offering the promise of overwhelming grace for each student’s individual grieving periods. Principal Natalie Pramenko began with a reminder. “There will be time for outside speakers, but today is about our students, our faculty, our new start to our new semester.” Students continues on Page 10
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