GROWING GAME
July 14, 2016 VOLUME 114 | ISSUE 37 | 75¢
Cricket is more than a sport for those who play to stay connected with their homelands. PAGE 12
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Meeting outbursts highlight tension Frustration, anger erupt in school board setting By Mike DiFerdinando mdiferdinando@colorado communitymedia.com Years of back and forth between the reform-minded majority of the Douglas County School Board and members of the community in opposition boiled over last month. The June 21 school board meeting began with protests
outside the school district administration building on Wilcox Street in Castle Rock in support of Ponderosa High School student Grace Davis. The meeting itself was stopped several times because of outbursts from the audience — with members of the community calling for the resignation of the school board’s president and vice president and several protesters being escorted out of the room. Board president Meghann Silverthorn put an early end to the meeting because of the disrup-
tions. The meeting highlighted the tensions and divide between the two sides of the school district community. Increasingly, the tone has become uncivil, with outbursts becoming common at board meetings. During the June meeting, Silverthorn addressed the negative tone of the community discussion, which has extended beyond the meeting room to websites like Facebook. On Tension continues on Page 5
Community members and parents protest in support of Ponderosa High School student Grace Davis outside the Douglas County School District building on June 21. Photo by Mike DiFerdinando
SUMMER SPLASHES
Helping families get ‘over the hump’ Douglas County church fights food insecurity with free grocery ‘store’ By Tom Skelley tskelley@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Asher Haarstad, left, has fun at the squirt gun station during the Splash in the Park event on July 6. He and his family were visiting Castle Rock from California. Photos by Shanna Fortier
Khloee Boheright, 5, goes down the inflatable water slide July 6 at Splash in the Park.
Khloee Boheright, 5, and her mom, Amanda, visited Festival Park in Castle Rock every Wednesday last summer for the bounce houses, slip ‘n slides and super soakers at Splash in the Park. “It’s just a fun community thing to do,” Amanda said. On July 6, the water play was back at the first Splash in the Park event of the summer. But big water fun came when Castle Rock Fire & Rescue stopped by with a hose full of water for kids to cool down with. The event, which takes place 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Wednesday in July, is sponsored by the Downtown Castle Rock Alliance.
Many Douglas County residents don’t realize some of the people closest to them are skipping meals or choosing between paying for medicine, rent or food. Robert Peterson wants them to know that hunger and food insecurity are very real problems, and that he and others are there to help. “The biggest thing is recognizing the Groceries continues on Page 23
BUCKING TRADITION
DOUGLAS COUNTY NEWS-PRESS (ISSN 1067-425X) (USPS 567-060) OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 | PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Douglas County, Colorado, the News-Press is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT CASTLE ROCK, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Thurs. 5 p.m. | Classifieds: Tue. 8 a.m. | Obits: Mon. 4 p.m. | Legals: Thurs. 11 a.m.
The rodeo returns for this year’s Douglas County Fair, along with some new attractions on the opening weekend, including carnival rides. PAGE 7