September 24, 2015
local professionals guide
VOLUME 3 | ISSUE 7 | FREE
inside
Festival Guide Inside CastlePinesNewsPress.net D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
Bus driver shortage driving concern
WHAT’S INSIDE
Lots of love: Special needs group helps horses. See Page 3
School district says safety is priority, raises base driver wage By Mike DiFerdinando mdiferdinando@colorado communitymedia.com
Pay it forward: How whole-body donation helps research. See Page 12
Softball: Huskies face off against Mountain Vista. See Page 24
Lorie Smith and her daughter, Allie, of Littleton, walk with their rescue dogs, Andre and Stella. Photos by Shanna Fortier
Bringing ’em together The Dumb Friends League’s Wag ‘n Trail event draws 750 dogs Find all of our advertisers online
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Castle Pines News-Press
Buses continues on Page 6
By Shanna Fortier sfortier@colorado communitymedia.com Animal lovers from across metro Denver hit the Glendale Farm Open Space trail on Sept. 19 for the 11th annual Dumb Friends League Wag ‘n Trail. The fundraiser drew about 1,500 people and 750 dogs to the 1.6-mile hike to raise money for the Dumb Friends League’s south location, the Buddy Center, in Castle Rock. The event raised $146,000 to support the Douglas County location. The money will help the Dumb Friends League provide shelter, comfort, veterinary care and behavior training to as many as 3,500 homeless pets at the Buddy Center this year.
Donna Dulong and her dog, Lucy, were among the early starters the morning of Sept. 19. “We’re really proud to be part of Douglas County,” said Megan Rees of the Dumb Friends League, adding that the event is not only a fundraiser, but also an
OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd, Ste 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129
awareness event for the center, which services Douglas County. Fundraising for Wag ‘n Trail continues through Oct. 21. Visit ddfl.org/wnt.
Douglas County School District is 30 percent short of the number of bus drivers needed to serve the 11,000 students who ride the bus to and from school each day. The district raised the base driver wage to attract more applicants. File photo
Increasing births lead hospital to expand
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Labor and delivery addition should be completed in December By Shanna Fortier sfortier@coloradocommunitymedia.com
PL E ASE R ECYC LE
For Highlands Ranch mother Kimberly Owen, sending her children to and from Fox Creek Elementary School on the bus has been a gamble this year. “It’s been a nightmare since the beginning of the school year,” Owen said. “The very first day of school the bus didn’t pick up on time. There was no notification to the school or the parents that it was going to be late. They were probably a good hour late.” Stephanie Van Zante’s son, a junior at Ponderosa High School in Parker, is regularly experiencing overcrowding on his bus. “My son either has to crowd onto a bus and has had to stand,” Van Zante said, “or wait for an additional bus to be dispatched by the district, delaying him arriving home by 30 minutes.” Stories of late school buses, overcrowded situations and too few routes are emerging as Douglas County School District officials
Morgan Walstromb and Derek Carey work on the five-room expansion of the hospital’s labor and delivery unit. Photo by Shanna Fortier
With Castle Rock’s population rising, Castle Rock Adventist Hospital felt the need to grow as well — with a $1.5 million expansion to the labor and delivery unit. Last year, the hospital delivered
686 babies. Since the addition is expanding the labor and delivery unit by about 50 percent, the hospital expects to handle about 50 percent more births, said Kathy Podorsek, the hospital’s director of women’s services.. “With the growth in Castle Rock and the volume that we’ve been seeing,” Podorsek said, “we need to have more rooms so that we’re able to keep our moms here on the unit, able to deliver here and keep moms
Hospital continues on Page 21