April 15, 2021
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
GoldenTranscript.net
VOLUME 155 | ISSUE 19
JCOS proffers a land swap for a South Table Mountain trailhead Exchange involves six properties, including part of Pleasant View Park BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
into jeopardy when Griffin, who has dealt with epilepsy since he was six, learned that he would need to have the fourth brain surgery of his life, just a little over two weeks before this year’s tournament. As the surgery approached, Griffin’s father told him he would be unable to play in the tournament and Griffin, though bummed, said he understood. But when Griffin got out of the hospital just days before the tournament, he told his parents he was feeling great and hoped to try to play. However, he still wasn’t sure if he would be mentally and physically ready to compete in the event, which involves
From varied trails and gorgeous views to easy access to downtown Golden, South Table Mountain has always had a lot to offer to hikers and bikers. But if there is one thing the trail currently lacks, it’s a main trailhead that can serve as a central access point for the droves of people who come to the mesa from all over the metro area. Hillary Merritt, the Deputy Director of Jefferson County Open Space, said that agency has spent the last 20 or so years to identify a possible location for such a trailhead without much success. “We just haven’t been able to come up with a good solution because South Table Mountain Park is surrounded by residences about 280 degrees,” she said. That situation that has left several of those neighborhoods bombarded with the cars and traffic that result from people coming to access the existing trailheads that are not designed for that level of use. But change could soon be on the horizon as JCOS held a virtual community meeting on April 8, at which it unveiled a proposal that would involve
SEE CHESS, P10
SEE TRAILHEAD, P9
A photo of Griffin McConnell, left, and his brother Sullivan McConnell taken during the weekend of the 2021 state high school chess championship. 1COURTESY PHOTO
Days after brain surgery, Golden teen finishes fourth in state chess tournament Brothers both finish in top five after playing to draw in final round BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
For Griffin and Sullivan McConnell, chess has always been a family affair. The two Golden brothers learned the game from their dad before they even started elementary school and have been playing constantly ever since. But their rivalry long ago extended beyond their living room and has
come to include consistent face-offs in the state scholastic championship — where one brother was typically the only competitor standing in the way of the other’s championship glory. “It’s tiring to play against each other every single year,” said Sullivan, who is 14. “And it’s kind of weird because both know what we do against other people.” After two years of not playing against each other because Griffin, 16, was now in the high school tournament while Sullivan was still in middle school, the rivalry was set to resume this year as Sullivan joined his brother in the high school tournament. But that match-up was thrown
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20 21 SPECIAL SECTION