August 20, 2015
THIS WEEK IN
VOLUME 113 | ISSUE 42 | 75¢
LIFE
LOCAL
Group recreates the sound of Wild West Show Cowboy Band
Page 13
DouglasCountyNewsPress.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
WHAT’S INSIDE
COMPLETING THE CYCLE
Q&A with Paul Donahue: Castle Rock mayor discusses town and plans for the future. See Page 7
Better together: Working out with a partner can offer a needed boost. See Page 12
Fall sports: High schools prepare for beginning of season. See Page 19
Scott Dowis, of Castle Rock, leads Daniel Balderrama, of Colorado Springs, during the fifth and final Race the MAC event of the season Aug. 12 in Castle Rock. The race is approximately 6.2 miles long with a little more than 700 feet of climbing See more photos and read about the race on Page 5. Photo by Shanna Fortier
POSTAL ADDRESS
E-cigarette use by kids targeted A proposed ordinance would make possession of emerging products illegal for minors By Shanna Fortier sfortier@coloradocommunitymedia.com
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, and the towns of Castle Rock, Parker and Larkspur, 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: Fri. 11 a.m. Legals: Fri. 11 a.m. Classifieds: Mon. 5 p.m.
PL E ASE R ECYC LE T HI S COPY
The growing popularity of electronic cigarettes and nicotinedelivering vaporizers has sparked a call to clamp down on their use and possession by minors in Douglas County. A proposed ordinance would expand the definition of banned tobacco products for those under 18 to include emerging alternate means of ingesting nicotine. The existing ordinance prohibiting possession and use of tobacco products by minors passed in 2001. E-cigarettes were introduced to the U.S. market in 2007. A first reading of the ordinance took place Aug. 11 at the Board of County Commissioners’ business meeting, where it passed unanimously. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has weighed in with support for the ordinance. “There’s always something new — everything is always emerging,” said Sgt. Lori Bronner, of the Douglas County Sherriff’s Office. “You can’t just call it e-cigs, so the wording is in (the ordinance) to cover any other products that will be created to burn or consume illegal items.” E-cigs continues on Page 11
World Compass Academy Principal Jim McDevitt addresses the crowd during the school’s ribbon cutting Aug. 15 in Castle Rock. Photo by Mike DiFerdinando
New school sets course World Compass Academy will be home to 500 students By Mike DiFerdinando mdiferdinando@colorado communitymedia.com Douglas County’s newest charter school, World Compass Academy, celebrated the culmination of years of work with its grand opening ceremony Aug. 15 in Castle Rock. The school located on East Frontage road next to Plum Creek Community Church will start classes Aug. 24. In its first year, WCA will be home to 500 students in grades K-5. “I believe that it’s every parents dream to find an educa-
tional home for their children that will inspire and challenge them to go anywhere and do anything,” said World Compass Academy Principal Jim McDevitt. “I think World Compass Academy will be that home.” Charter schools are public schools, and like district public schools, they are funded based on enrollment. McDevitt began his career as a teacher and worked as an assistant principal, before beginning as a principal in 2002 at Dakota Valley Elementary. He was later selected from a national competitive search to open Coyote Hills Elementary School in the Cherry Creek School District. Both these schools were awarded John Irwin School
of Excellence awards under his leadership. Most recently, he has worked as principal for Immokalee Community School in Florida. Castle Rock Mayor Paul Donahue was on hand for the ribbon cutting, saying that as one of the country’s fastestgrowing communities, the town is in desperate need of more schools. “One of the challenges that’s comes from such a fastgrowing community is the shortage of schools,” Donahue said. “We have a lot of kids and a lot of families that are moving here and they want to live here. We have to have schools available for them.” During the ceremony, WCA Academy continues on Page 11