September 3, 2020
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
GoldenTranscript.net
VOLUME 154 | ISSUE 39
Jeffco lends a hand against fires and hurricanes BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Jefferson County may have so far been spared from the recent natural disasters wreaking havoc throughout Colorado and elsewhere in the country, but that hasn’t stopped the county from getting involved in the effort to respond to them. With major wildfires erupting around the state, both the West Metro Fire Protection District, which covers significant portions of Jefferson and Douglas County, and the Arvada Fire Protection District have sent personnel to join the firefighting efforts. West Metro Fire Protection District Public Information Officer Rhonda Scholting said that as of Aug. 27 the agency had three firefighters deployed to the Cameron Peak Fire near Fort Collins. “For the West Metro crew here, they’re working the night shift and staying in a spike camp (a secondary camp further out from the main camp) in Poudre Canyon,” said Scholting. “They do not have much in the way of cell service.” According to a Facebook post from the agency, the team assigned to the Cameron Peak Fire is a rapid extraction team consisting of wildland fire
John Roche charged with assault, trespassing BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A photo taken by firefighters on the scene of the Cameron Peak Fire near Fort Collins. COURTESY OF ARVADA FIRE
and rope rescue experts. “They will be ready to respond if firefighters are injured and need to be rescued from steep, inaccessible terrain,” the post read. Scholting said West Metro had also sent other personnel that had worked in non-frontline roles—two as communications technicians and two as
medical unit leaders that had since returned home. West Metro had also had a crew at the Williams Creek Fire in Pueblo County. Meanwhile, Arvada Fire Protection District Public Information Office Deanna Harrington said on Aug. 27 SEE FIRE, P4
‘Golden stands with black lives’ banner coming to arch Council also passed resolution committing city to antiracism actions BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Golden City Council has voted to place a banner proclaiming the city of Golden’s support of Black people from the Golden welcome arch. According to a resolution passed 6-1 by the council on Aug. 27, the banner will display text stating “Golden
Golden man charged after pushing bar employee over mask reminder
stands with Black lives” and hang from the banner for a total of 60 days, an amount of time intended to symbolize how long it took for slave ships to cross the Atlantic. However, those 60 days will be split into smaller week increments to allow the city to keep pre-existing commitments to hang other banners from the arch promoting community groups and events. The idea of hanging a banner from the arch to express support for Black people first originated with the Golden United and Golden AntiRacism Collective groups, which first came to the council with a proposal to hang a banner reading “Black
Lives Matter” from the city council building and, later, the arch. During a council discussion of the proposal on Aug. 10, city attorney Dave Williamson raised concerns that hanging the banner from the arch could risk converting the arch to a public forum and obligate the city to allow other groups to display messages from the arch regardless of whether the council agreed with them or wanted them there. Williamson suggested that the city could avoid appearing to make the arch into a public forum by issuing a resolution that would express the SEE BANNER, P13
A Golden man is facing charges after he got into an altercation with a bar employee who allegedly reminded him to put on a face mask. The incident, partially captured on video, occurred at the Golden Moon Speakeasy at 1111 Miner’s Alley and began when John Roche, 62, asked an employee at the distillery if he could sit at a specific table. Golden Deputy Police Chief Joe Harvey said the employee told Roche he could sit at that table before telling him that he needed to wear a mask when he was not sitting at the table. Harvey said Roche then made “some kind of comment” about wearing of the mask. Roche said the employee then called him an expletive while the employee told police he said Roche was “acting like an expletive.” At that point, Roche went back up to the employee and shoved him in the chest. “He shoved him hard enough that he hit the door jamb and then fell to the ground,” said Harvey. The bar’s owner then asked Roche to leave and Roche threatened to “kick his expletive.” Roche was charged with assault and trespass. Harvey said this is the first incident he is aware of in which a conversation about masks resulted in a physical confrontation in Golden. “However, there have certainly been instances of people getting yelled at so I know there have been some issues,” SEE MASK, P3
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | SPORTS: PAGE 18
WONDER WALLS
Social issues spawn artistic sights P14