January 2, 2014
50 cents Jefferson County, Colorado | Volume 148, Issue 5
A publication of
goldentranscript.net
WHAT WAS 2013 LIKE IN GOLDEN? TOP 10 STORIES OF THE YEAR
By Amy Woodward
awoodward@ coloradocommunitymedia.com It has been a year of change for Golden with well-respected community leaders stepping down to new faces on city council next year. There was a lot to report on this year but here is a list of some of the top 10 stories listed in no particular order. A few community leaders say goodbye to Golden The city saw the voluntarily resignations of some of the city’s most valuable movers and shakers including Gary Wink, president and CEO of the Golden Chamber of Commerce; Chris McGee, executive director of the Bicycle Racing Association of Colorado; and Mike Heller, executive director of the Golden Urban Renewable Authority. More time with family seemed to be the central theme of reasons why Wink and McGee decided to move on, with Heller moving on to take a job with the City of Thornton. Highway 93 and 19th St. Project Approval CDOT approved plans for the Highway 6 and 19th St. intersection as part of the “Golden Plan” approved by CDOT and Golden earlier in the year. The project was approved as part of CDOT’s Responsible Acceleration of Maintenance and Partnerships (RAMP) program totaling $580
Highway 72 up Coal Creek Canyon was one of the most damaged highways in the state, following the September flooding. File photo
Golden continues on Page 2
Tides turning the Jefferson County Staff Report
TOP FIVE IN JEFFERSON COUNTY
Elections, budget constraints and developments pretty much sums up the year for Jefferson County. Here is a list of the Top 5 stories of the year that made a huge impact on the county:
School board tide turns
The Jefferson County school board took a sharp turn to the right after three reform candidates were swept into power in November. District voters overwhelmingly supported the candidacies of Ken Witt, John Newkirk and Julie Williams. The conservative trio soundly defeated their progressive opponents. Their victories came on the same night that voters across the state soundly rejected a major school finance ballot measure, and where reform candidates also took over seats in Denver and Douglas Counties. The election results highlighted an eventful year for Jeffco Schools; one which saw two board members decide against running for re-election, while another resigned after having moved out of the district. After the results, longtime Superintendent Cindy Stevenson announced that she will retire at the end of June. POSTAL ADDRESS
Dewild convictions
In July 2003, a week before their divorce was to be finalized, Daniel DeWild lured Heather DeWild — mother of his two children — into the garage of his Edgewater home. There he killed her while their children, 3 and 5, watched TV in the next room. He hanged her body from the rafters while he wrapped it up for disposal. He then instructed his twin brother David DeWild to drive the body into the mountains to be disposed. Heather DeWild’s body would be found in Clear Creek Canyon only a few months later, but it would be nearly a decade before Daniel DeWild would be held accountable for the crime, pleading guilty to the murder. In March 2013, Daniel DeWild was sentenced to 74 years in prison in a courtroom not far from where Heather’s body was found, a final chapter of a case that had haunted Heather DeWild’s family, and county investigators.
Residents rally against community corrections
County commissioners received a flood
GOLDEN TRANSCRIPT
Jeffco Board of Education candidates Ken Witt, John Newkirk with his daughter, Sarah, and Julie Williams are all smiles after seeing their hard work pay off in the results of the 2013 elections. All three candidates won the election for their respective districts on the Board. Photo by Crystal Anderson of protest from Jeffco residents during their business meeting on Aug. 6 after the public learned about a land exchange agreement between the county and Colorado Investment and Development Company. The agreement allowed the company to buy property near West Colfax and Wide
Acres Road in order to build a new community correction facility for ICCS, and then swap the site for the New York building on Kendall street, which is where ICCS Five continues on Page 9
(ISSN 0746-6382)
OFFICE: 110 N. Rubey Dr, Unit 150, Golden, CO 80403 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Jefferson County, Colorado, the Golden Transcript is published weekly on Thursday by Mile High Newspapers, 110 N. Rubey Dr., Unit 150, Golden, CO 80403. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT GOLDEN, COLORADO. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 110 N. Rubey Dr, Unit 150, Golden, CO 80403 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. | Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Tues. 12 p.m.
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