Castle Pines News-Press 0414

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April 14, 2016 VOLUME 3 | ISSUE 36 | FREE

CastlePinesNewsPress.net A publication of

D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O

How will Colorado meet workforce demand? A special report by Colorado Community Media Staff report With the fourth-lowest unemployment rate in the nation, 3 percent, Colorado has made mountainous gains when it comes to economic development following the recession that struck in December 2007 and lingered for years. Businesses are flocking to the Centennial State, and Coloradans are finding work. But employers increasingly are finding it difficult to find the right workers to fill their jobs. Metro North Chamber of Commerce

President Angela Habben said, at least in her organization’s part of the Denver area, the workforce isn’t meeting the market demand. “Either employers can’t find workers willing to do the job or they can’t find prospects with the training required to meet position qualifications,” she said. Simon Fox, deputy director of Business and Funding Initiatives for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, said the demand is great for wokers in the fields of information technology and skilled trades. “There aren’t enough welders or carpenters,” he said. Democratic and Repbulican state

lawmakers are working together to address this. The 10 bills comprising a bipartisan package called Colorado Ready to Work are making their way through the Legislature. The overriding theme is creating partnerships between the business and education communities, with the goal of developing a workforce that can meet Colorado’s growing and changing demands. For many business leaders, measures like these can’t be passed soon enough, given the massive growth the Denver metro area figures to see in coming years. “That’s a real supply-and-demand dilemma if we don’t act soon,” Habben said.

Nothing written in stone despite council action By Shanna Fortier sfortier@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Sherlocks bring animals home By Chris Michlewicz Special to Colorado Community Media While Deb Nabb explains her ways of rehabilitating neglected dogs, Canello sneakily applies a few affectionate licks to her cheek. The boxer mix’s face says so much when he looks at his foster mom, namely that he’s grateful to have found

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

On pages 6 and 7, we take a look at the Colorado Ready to Work package, and at what is being done now to train the workforce in the face of growing and changing demand.

Two areas eligible for town annexation

Deb Nabb, of Castle Rock, casts an adoring eye toward her foster dog, Canello. Nabb continues to pull porcupine quills from the boxer mix’s face and shoulder. Photo by Chris Michlewicz

Missing Mutt Detectives join forces to find pets

INSIDE

someone he can finally trust. Canello achieved a measure of notoriety when he went missing from a different foster parent’s home on Christmas Eve, only to show up on a doorstep miles away two weeks later with a face and shoulder full of porcupine quills. Canello quickly became known in media reports as “the porcupine dog.” Since his brush with both the agitated porcupine and fleeting fame, things have been a bit calmer. One year ago, life was different for

Canello, who was dropped off at a Denver Dumb Friends League shelter with two other dogs when his original “parents” no longer wished to care for them. Canello had been relegated to the backyard as a puppy, and he came with zero structure and a fear of men he doesn’t know. He ended up with a foster parent in Aurora, but bolted within 24 hours of his arrival. Nabb, of Castle Rock, is his newest foster mom. She’s still pulling porcupine

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Two properties were deemed eligible for annexation into the town of Castle Rock at the town council meeting April 5. The 1,564-acre Canyons South property, which is located south of Crowfoot Valley Road and north and east of Founders Parkway; and the 388-acre Pioneer Ranch property, located east of Interstate 25 and Front Street and west of Founders Parkway, both passed the eligibility requirements and move on to the third and final step toward annexation. The resolutions, which were both passed 6-0 by town council with the absence of Councilmember Brett Ford, does not commit the town to annex the property, but only declares that the land is eligible to be annexed. Annexation continues on Page 8

LOCAL SPORTS

Detectives continues on Page 11

CASTLE PINES NEWS-PRESS OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 PHONE: 303-566-4100 DEADLINES: Display: Thurs. 5 p.m. Classifieds: Tue. 8 a.m. Obituaries: Mon. 4 p.m. Legals: Thurs. 11 a.m.

Find out how area teams fared in our weekly roundup. PAGE 30


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