Highlands Ranch Herald 0910

September 10, 2020

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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO

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INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | SPORTS: PAGE 23

VOLUME 33 | ISSUE 42

Kendrick Castillo nominated for national heroes garden The garden, ordered by President Trump, is to be completed by 2026

BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Douglas County commissioners have nominated Kendrick Castillo, the 18-year-old who was killed in the May 7, 2019, shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch, to be memorialized in a national statue garden.

Kendrick, who lunged at one of the attackers in an attempt to stop him before being shot, was a senior at the school. Eight other students were injured in the shooting.

“What a hero is to me is somebody who puts others before themselves in every aspect,” Kendrick’s father, John Castillo said in an interview with Colorado Community Media bout the nomination. “On May 7, that’s what (Kendrick) did. He made the ultimate choice to give up his life for others.”

President Donald Trump announced the idea for the National Garden of American Heroes in a July 4 speech at Mount Rushmore.

He signed an executive order for the monument to American heroes the day before.

SEE CASTILLO, P14

11 schools affected in 1st full week of hybrid learning

BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

for the roughly 6,300 DCSD students enrolled in full online instruction this semester.

So, who is the person at the helm of 6,300 student’s online education?

Diane Smith, selected as director of eLearning, stepped into her new role on Aug. 3.

Smith said she understands frustrations from students and families

Students and staff from 11 schools were impacted by quarantines related to COVID-19 during the first full week of hybrid learning for the Douglas County School District, and health officials investigated at least one outbreak, public records show.

That’s based on a Colorado Community Media analysis of emails among district officials and letters issued by the district’s Health, Wellness and Prevention Team between Aug. 22 and Aug. 31.

The local health department also investigated at least one outbreak after two cases were confirmed in one school cohort.

District staff presented data at the Sept. 1 board meeding showing there were at least four positive cases of COVID-19 among district staff and students. Approximately 55 staff members and 247 students had been in isolation or quarantine.

Colorado Community Media’s analysis found the district notified community members of at least six positive cases at schools by Aug. 31.

The Douglas County School District opened its year on a “hybrid” learning model, where students are divided into two groups that alternate

SEE ONLINE, P2

SEE SCHOOLS, P16

Some of Kendrick Castillo’s favorite items, along with an assortment of photos, sat on a table outside of the sanctuary at Cherry Hills Community Church on May 15, 2019. Guests were invited to the church to celebrate the life of Castillo, who was killed in the school shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch.

FILE PHOTO BY ALEX DEWIND

Who is at the helm of Douglas County’s online learning?

Director of e-learning speaks to community concerns

BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The Douglas County School District’s online learning program is up

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COVID-19 quarantines impact Douglas County schools

and running after a rough start to the school year.

The program, called “eLearning,” is the 100% online learning option being offered as an alternative to “hybrid learning,” where students attend two days in-person and three online.

Staffing shortages, technical issues and in-flux student rosters resulted in a last-minute delay to the start of classes — from Aug. 24 to Aug. 31 —

A LOPSIDED WIN FOR TOP TEAM Rock Canyon trounces Highlands Ranch 12-0 P23

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Douglas County schools superintendent resigns News comes as district grapples with opening schools amid pandemic

BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Thomas Tucker, Douglas County School District’s superintendent, addresses the Mountain Vista High School graduating class on June 26.

PHOTO BY ELLIOTT WENZLER

Douglas County School District Superintendent Thomas Tucker tendered his resignation Nov. 8 at an emergency school board meeting.

The move came two days after a district spokesperson confirmed that Tucker had taken a leave of absence from his duties and was “visiting his ailing mother in Arkansas.”

At the Nov. 8 meeting, Tucker said he was not asked to resign and that it was his decision. He said his family was still living in Ohio, and cited that and the health of his mother as among the reasons for his departure.

The announcement triggered tears from at least one board member, along with praise of Tucker from directors. The board unanimously accepted the superintendent’s resignation.

District Chief Assessment Officer Matt Reynolds and Executive Director of Schools Corey Wise will share superintendent duties until

ONLINE

the board appoints an interim superintendent.

Tucker will stay on per his contract to help with transitioning to a new superintendent.

The district has been dealing with the challenges of the early weeks of a new school year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been offering a “hybrid” learning program mixing in-person and online instruction.

During just the first full week of instruction, 11 district schools were impacted by quarantines related to COVID-19 cases. Other quarantines were reported later.

Tucker became superintendent in 2018, starting at an annual salary of $258,420. His contract with the district was to have lasted through 2023.

He previously served as the superintendent of Princeton City School District in the Cincinnati area and has worked in education for more than 30 years.

Tucker’s tenure in Douglas County has been marked by successes, challenges and a major tragedy — the May 2019 shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch in which a student, Kendrick Castillo, was killed and several others were injured.

Also on Tucker’s watch came the first passage of a bond/mill levy override in more than a decade and a debate over whether to arm teachers in classrooms.

The biggest hurdle was the sheer number of students who enrolled in the e-learning option, matched by a daunting hiring push, Smith said.

FROM PAGE 1

about the delay and other obstacles to online learning, but she wants people to know education is her passion, and she believes a delay was the best choice in the long run for schools.

She comes to the job with roughly 40 years of experience in education.

That includes 16 years as an elementary school teacher in the Cherry Creek School District and 17 years as a principal in both the Douglas County and Denver school districts. Along the way she helped open Fox Creek Elementary in Highlands Ranch.

“David Ray and I opened schools at the same time,” she said of the school board president, also a former educator.

Smith also spent time as a director of schools and a roughly two-year stint at the Center for Educational Leadership at the University of Washington. She returned to the Douglas County School District in July 2019, working in the curriculum department, before her transition into her current role.

Diane Smith, the Douglas County director of e-learning, was hired for the position Aug. 3, she said. She has worked in Douglas County, Cherry Creek and Denver school districts over a more than 40-year career.

COURTESY OF DIANE SMITH

Tackling new role Smith acknowledged that nowhere on her resume is experience overseeing full online education.

“No, not directly,” she said. “I just know schools so well and how education works, and I’m also fairly techy.”

Smith said she wanted to address concerns raised by community members as confusion shrouded the start to online classes.

“I know sometimes people feel like we lied, and I really want to speak to that just a little bit,” she said.

“Any time we told people things, we told them with the knowledge that we had at that moment. And when you get new information you have to adjust, and when you adjust, I think

sometimes people feel like, ‘Now I’ve been lied to.’”

Leading up to the e-learning delay, the local teachers union raised alarms about schools’ readiness to begin online classes.

Some Douglas County Federation members reported they did not know what classes they were teaching, did not have logins for the online curriculum and did not have final student rosters, President Kallie Leyba said on Aug. 21, the Friday before classes were initially set to start.

Leyba said the public and board directors did not have a true picture of the issues plaguing online learning, calling the district ill-prepared to launch its e-learning program.

District requested patience Superintendent Thomas Tucker told Colorado Community Media the district did not expect so many students to enroll in e-learning. He asked the community for patience on the first day of online classes as the district continued working through kinks in the new program.

Smith said district surveys conducted in June provided some idea of what schools could expect for online enrollment. Roughly 10% of respondents indicated they would choose the online learning option, she said, noting that 6,300 students is not far from 10% of the 68,000-student district.

But until final enrollment numbers were in, the district did not know how many classes or teaching positions it was planning for, Smith said. The deadline for families to choose between hybrid and e-learning was early August.

“There are many things you can’t start to do until you know who you are doing it with. You can’t hire teachers for an unknown number of jobs,” she said. “That’s why it feels like a mad dash scramble.”

The district tackled hiring in four phases, she said.

The first core group of e-learning teachers was identified through educators who requested an accommodation for diabilities. She estimated that was between 60 and 80 teachers.

Phase two involved assessing how many teachers were needed at each school based on the number of hybrid students. With fewer students in buildings because of the two learning models, some building educators were reassigned from hybrid teaching to e-learning, Smith said.

Phase three came as the district looked at what e-learning classes it needed to offer, including AP courses and electives. That’s where

the district began to realize class sizes were what Smith called unacceptable, and they delayed the start to e-learning by one week.

The fourth phase came during the week-long delay, with a final hiring effort, Smith. The districted hired an additional 10 teachers at the elementary level and close to 15 more at the middle school level.

Smith did not know how many additional teachers were hired that week among district-run high schools. After the delay, the district also shifted control of the e-learning program to high school principals for their buildings.

Curriculum process slow Problems arose with the online curriculum, called Edgenuity, when some teachers still did not have login access by Aug. 21, the Friday before classes were set to start.

Smith believes the volume of teachers being hired in Douglas County schools, paired with a broader increase in demand for Edgenuity as other districts bolstered online education during the pandemic, created a backlog at the company.

The district could set up access for teachers in grades 6-12 but not at the K-5 level, she said. Based on the volume of business, Edgenuity anticipated a week’s delay in getting new teachers into the system, she said.

“During that time, I know Dr. Tucker talked to the company multiple times. I know our other staff talked to the company multiple times,” she said. “We were trying to work so hard with them.”

Moving forward, Smith asked for patience as e-learning continues, and hopes teachers stay encouraged as they work through future challenges.

“We are going to have technological issues and those kinds of things, but what they need to think about is what they know how to do best, and that’s teach,” she said. “We know they are working absolutely as hard as they can.”

0September 10, 2020

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Volunteers to monitor Douglas County open spaces Group will patrol trails, outdoor areas for hazards, violations

BY NICK PUCKETT NPUCKETT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

An army of do-gooders and outdoor enthusiasts is forming in Douglas County to help keep an eye on local open spaces.

County open space staff and volunteers collaborated to create the Douglas County Volunteer Ambassadors Program this summer. The group will be a network of trained volunteers assigned to various duties to assist with enforcement of the county’s open space laws.

Scott McEldowney, the county’s assistant director of open space and natural resources, said having an additional set of eyes and ears will be helpful to the county’s limited staff of rangers and land management specialists.

“It’s exciting to take this next step, and I know it’s exciting for the volunteers themselves to be included in a program that could be very significant to our operation,” McEldowney said.

Douglas County’s open space and natural resources

Ron Claussen, head naturalist for Castlewood Canyon State Park, speaks to a group of soon-to-be volunteer ambassadors for Douglas County Open Space Aug. 29. Claussen led a crash course on Leave No Trace.

PHOTO BY NICK PUCKETT department has a volunteer mounted patrol program and a robust volunteer trail crew and naturalist programs.

“This was just a natural progression, to move into the ambassadors program,” McEldowney said.

McEldowney said the volunteer ambassadors will be responsible for reporting safety hazards or violations of the county’s open space rules to

the Douglas County Rangers, the enforcing authority for open spaces.

The ambassadors will have distinctive uniforms and travel in teams of two, McEldowney said. The county will announce when people can begin applying for the program. Volunteers must pass a background check and go through training for the county’s ethics and sexual

harassment policies, as well as a crash course in first aid, “Leave No Trace” and handling verbal confrontations.

Douglas County has seen about a 150% increase in open space visitation this year due to the pandemic, McEldowney said. With ongoing limitations on public gatherings and people working from home, open space use is at an alltime high.

Douglas County’s open space and natural resources department has a volunteer mounted patrol program and a robust volunteer trail crew and naturalist programs.

Brian O’Malley, of the Douglas County Open Space Advisory Committee, said the ambassadors will have a positive impact on the environment and wildlife as well. The ambassadors will keep an eye on visitors interacting with animals as well.

“It’s another set of eyes for our rangers, who have a lot of area to patrol and they’re busy all the time and they get called away, in certain situations where there’s no one else at the open spaces. We’ll fill that void.”

Greg Sprigg, former representative on Douglas County Open Space Advisory Committee, said he wanted Douglas County to emulate a similar program found in Jefferson County.

The county held its first inperson training session near Larkspur Aug. 29. The group will start patrolling within the next month.

“This program is in its infancy. This is a core group of people that have been involved with open space for a long time,” Sprigg said. “What we hope to do is have this core group of people train other people.”

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Highlands Ranch Herald 5

0September 10, 2020

Douglas County seeks volunteers for citizen advisory boards Openings in the audit committee, cultural council, library board

Douglas County is Election Ready - Are You? Visit DouglasVotes.com where you can:

BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Douglas County is looking for residents who are interested in volunteering their time to serve on various advisory boards, commissions and committees with openings.

The county is “actively seeking volunteers to fill four vacancies,” a press release said.

The vacancies are on the audit committee, cultural council and the library board of trustees, according to the release.

Sean Duffy, a member of the library board of trustees since 2017, decided to apply for the position while searching for ways to volunteer his time, he said.

“I think it’s a cool way to give a little back to a community that’s a wonderful place to live,” he said. “It’s really fun to learn a lot about something you didn’t know about before.”

Duffy, whose term will expire this year, spent much of his time on the board helping make policy decisions for the library district and keeping an eye on various financial dealings.

“A lot of the reason you have these boards is to bring a different view or perspective,” he said. “We’re kind of a check and balance in some ways … you’re there as a watchdog.”

Duffy spent, on average, about five hours per month as a volunteer, he said.

Sean Duffy has served on the Douglas County library board of trustees since 2017. His term expires this year.

•

Register to vote or check your status/affiliation

•

Update your mailing address

•

Watch the “Life of a Ballot” video to learn about election security

•

Find a ballot drop box near you

•

Get information about in-person voter services Learn more at DouglasVotes.com or 303.660.7444.

COURTESY OF DOUGLAS COUNTY LIBRARIES

“People spend more time binge watching TV every day than you spend on a commission in a month,” he said.

Applications for these positions will be accepted until Sept. 15. The county is always accepting applications for future vacancies on the county’s 15 advisory bodies, which also includes the fair board, the historic preservation board and open space advisory committee, according to the release.

Each board, committee and commission has different responsibilities, terms and appointment processes.

More information on each is available at the county’s website by searching “Citizen Advisory.”

“If you have even an inkling of a thought that you want to serve somehow, get ahold of the county and make yourself known,” Duffy said.

“I worked hard and enjoyed every minute.”

Lone Tree In-N-Out on track to open this year 3 Colorado locations to be completed in coming months, officials say

BY NICK PUCKETT NPUCKETT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Officials of In-N-Out Burger say the company remains on track to open its first three Colorado restaurants by the end of the year, including its Lone Tree location near County Line Road and Yosemite Street.

The California-based burger chain turned heads when it announced its first Colorado location planned for Colorado Springs. Last year, the Lone Tree City Council approved a site plan for In-N-Out in the Park Meadows shopping district.

“Because of the amount of construction that still needs to take place at our distribution center in Colorado Springs and our restaurant sites, it isn’t yet possible to nail down a precise opening date,” an In-N-Out spokesperson said via email Sept. 3.

Officials said that, by the end of 2020, Colorado will have an In-N-Out in Lone Tree, Aurora and Colorado Springs.

In-N-Out is building a distribution center and restaurant in Colorado

General Election Nov. 3, 2020

The In-N-Out being constructed in Lone Tree is expected to have the chain’s second-busiest drive-thru in the nation.

The burger joint will open by the end of the year, officials say.

PHOTO BY NICK PUCKETT Springs. As of last year, officials hoped to build in Fort Collins as well.

The restaurant is being constructed at 9171 E. Westview Road, between Mike’s Camera and a Bank of America branch. The site plan calls for a 26-car drive-thru that may be attended by up to eight employees at once.

Officials say the Lone Tree location will be In-N-Out’s second-busiest drive-through, behind the location near Los Angeles International Airport, which can hold 30 cars.

“We are very much looking forward to serving Double-Doubles in Colorado late this year, and we appreciate our customers there that have shared their anticipation with us as well,” the spokesperson said.

$2.5 million Small Business Grant Program eases COVID-19 impacts Your business must have a physical location and have 100 or fewer employees to be eligible. Complete an online application for COVID-19-related expense reimbursement up to $10,000 by visiting douglas.co.us and search Small Business Grant Program. Applications for the first of five, $500k grant cycles will be accepted through Sept. 15, 2020, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Community COVID-19 testing locations through Dec. 30 COVID-19 swabbing and antibody testing are available with or without health insurance for the remainder of the year. To preregister and to learn when and where testing is available visit douglas.co.us/covid19testing/events. For information about other testing providers visit douglas.co.us/covid19-testinglocations

US Highway 85 improvements Construction is under way to widen and improve US 85 between Sedalia (SH 67) and Louviers in Douglas County.

The project will ease congestion, improve access to side streets and left turn lanes, improve drainage, enhance safety, add wildlife fencing and build a new bridge. For more information and a schedule of work visit douglas. co.us and search for US 85.

Funds available to veterans Emergency assistance is available for veterans struggling with housing (mortgage/rent), transportation, employment, healthcare or other emergency needs. To apply for the veterans assistance funds visit douglasveterans.org or call 303.663.6200.

Slash-mulch site open The County’s main slash-mulch site, at 1400 Caprice Drive in Castle Rock, is open from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturdays only through Oct. 26. For more information, directions and a list of acceptable items visit douglas. co.us and search for Slash Mulch.

Visit douglas.co.us

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Bandimere draws unmasked crowd to oppose health orders ‘Let’s take it back’ is motto of politically charged event

BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Face masks were rare and MAGA hats and red, white and blue were plentiful on Sept. 1 at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison as a crowd descended on the race track to protest what organizers called “unconstitutional Public Health Orders and Executive Orders.”

The event prompted legal action from the Jefferson County Public Health agency, which said Sept. 3 it was suing the speedway over its refusal “to comply with both county and state public health orders” aimed at protecting the public from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among those in attendance at the rally was state House Republican Leader Patrick Neville of Castle Rock.

The event, promoted by the speedway as the “Stop the COVID Chaos” rally, put the track back into the spotlight it has occupied for much of the summer as it held events in violation of public health orders and later faced off against JCPH. The lead-up to the rally further intensified that battle as JCPH sent the Bandimere family an email warning them that any event at the race track must “follow all Public Health Order Requirements.”

Despite that warning, the vast majority of attendees eschewed wearing masks and social distancing at the end of the event as they gathered on the track for a massive group photo in protest of distancing requirements.

Bandimere Speedway at press time had not responded to a call from Colorado Community Media inquiring about attendance at the event. However, conservative personality Michelle Malkin

of Colorado Springs, who spoke at the event, claimed in a Facebook post that it was attended by “5,500 patriots.”

The Jefferson County health agency’s lawsuit, which was filed on Sept. 3 in Jeffco District court, asks the court to issue an injunction that would stop Bandimere from hosting events in violation of public health orders.

According to the complaint, the event violated multiple such orders, including one requiring that permission for the county be sought before an event is held with an total attendance of greater than 175 and another requiring that face masks be worn by people in public when it is not possible to maintain at least six feet of social distance from other people.

On July 4, Bandimere hosted a Fourth of July celebration with around 7,500 attendees. JCPH requested a permanent restraining order against Bandimere on July 21 following that event but that request was denied by a district court judge, Colorado Politics reported.

However, the speedway was ordered to comply with state and county health orders moving forward.

Randy Corporon, the attorney for the Bandimere family who said he was filing a lawsuit on their behalf challenging the constitutionality of health orders, told the crowd the rally was a way of standing up to Gov. Jared Polis and his executive orders.

“I don’t think anybody that’s standing here tonight objected to staying home and letting things sort out so we could understand what we were up against and who was at risk,” Corporon said. “We are heading into the sixth month of emergency powers being exerted by Gov. Jared Polis and it needs to stop.”

Corporon also said that while it was too late to salvage Bandimere’s racing season and maybe too late to save the track altogether, the

Republican Rep. Patrick Neville of Castle Rock, the minority leader of the Colorado House, speaks at the “Stop the COVID Chaos” rally at Bandimere Speedway.

PHOTOS BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO lawsuit was about “putting a stop to this now and never ever letting this happen again.”

Those sentiments were echoed in ominous terms

by Malkin, who repeatedly referred to the health orders as a constituting “a narco tyranny” and appeared to call for those in the crowd to rise up against those in power.

“We need men who are prepared and who are trained and who are willing and able to do what they need to do,” Malkin said. “And God bless each and every one of you.”

Many of the speakers also referenced the recent violence that has taken place around protests in Denver, Kenosha and other cities.

SEE BANDIMERE, P17

A man runs by the stands with a Trump flag before the start of the “Stop the COVID Chaos” rally at Bandimere Speedway.

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September 10, 2020S

Douglas County inaugurates mobile COVID-19 testing unit

BY MICHAEL KARLIK COLORADO POLITICS

Douglas County has inaugurated a mobile unit serving three of its four new, free COVID-19 testing locations, which will be open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Dec. 30.

“Providing accessible testing options for our residents is important so that those who test positive may obtain appropriate health care and take precautions to avoid infecting others,” said Commissioner Abe Laydon.

The drive-up locations provide diagnostic and antibody testing, and are available to anyone even if they do not have health insurance.

Locations already in operation are: -- Douglas County Fairgrounds, 500 Fairgrounds Road in Castle Rock (available Tuesdays/Wednesdays/ Thursdays).

-- St. Andrew United Methodist Church, 9203 S. University Blvd. in Highlands Ranch

(available Wednesdays).

-- Chapparal High School, 15655 Brookstone Drive in Parker (available Fridays).

The fourth site, Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons Street, will be available on Mondays beginning on Sept.

14.

The mobile unit is the result of a $1.1 million agreement with STRIDE Community Health Center. Money came from the federal CARES Act that Congress approved in March. Test results will likely take two to five days to process, and individuals should register online.

As of Sept. 2, Tri-County Health Department reported that there has been no change in Douglas County’s COVID-19 caseload over the last two weeks. The county has seven hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients, with no new admissions since Aug. 30.

This story is from Colorado Politics, a statewide political and public policy news journal.

Used by permission. For more, visit coloradopolitics.com.

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Highlands Ranch asks residents to be aware of water budgets decreasing Many residents are still using large amounts of water

BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

As hot and dry conditions persist in some parts of the state, Centennial Water and Sanitation District is asking residents to keep an eye on how much water they’re using as seasonal budget decreases begin.

Each year around this time, the amount of water budgeted to each home begins to scale back, said Stephanie Stanley, finance director for the district.

“We don’t want people to water unnecessarily,” she said.

This year, Centennial Water is seeing many residents continue to use the same amount of water they would in June or July,

causing them to be bumped into the next pay bracket, Stanley said. In part, that’s because of the season’s mostly hot and dry conditions. The budget scales back at the same time every year, regardless of weather conditions.

“Sometimes customers forget that the budget dials down,” Stanley said. “We’re hoping to reach out to those customers and remind them that their budgets are decreasing and they should adjust irrigation systems to reflect that.”

Another possible reason for many customers continuing to use high volumes of water is that they’re home more often due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conservation is an important issue for all Coloradans to think about, district spokesperson Sherry Eppers said.

“We live in a semi-arid climate, the water supply is finite,” she said. “This has been an issue in Colorado since it was settled.”

2020 CENSUS RESPONSE RATES The U.S. Census Bureau is in the final weeks of tallying the nation’s population. How billions of government dollars are distributed across the nation and which areas get new representatives in Congress are among the factors that depend on an accurate headcount.

Here are census response rates as of Aug. 31 among metro-Denver counties and cities, ranked by response rate.

To respond to the census, visit 2020census.gov.

COUNTIES Douglas-80.6% Jefferson-79.1% Broomfield-76.5% Boulder-76.1% Arapahoe-74.4% Elbert-74.0% Adams-69.8% Denver-67.3% CITIES AND TOWNS Bow Mar-91.7% Columbine Valley-87.0% Centennial-86.2% Arvada-82.6% Castle Pines-81.6%

Parker-80.3% Castle Rock-79.8% Wheat Ridge-76.6% Golden-76.4% Lakewood-76.1% Westminster-75.9% Littleton-75.5% Thornton-73.7% Englewood-71.3% Northglenn-71.5% Denver-67.3% Elizabeth-64.0% Kiowa 47.4% STATEWIDE-68.4%

Highlands Ranch Herald 9

0September 10, 2020

All the flavors to entice kids.

All the nicotine to keep them hooked.

E-cigarette makers and vape shops are enticing kids with flavors like cotton candy, gummy bear and bubble gum. And nationally, over 5 million kids are using these flavored e-cigarettes.

Vape shops and tobacco companies say their products aren’t ending up in kids’ hands, but that’s just not true. Many retailers still sell to minors, and many of them in Denver even illegally sold products during the COVID-19 shutdown violating emergency orders.

Let’s stop pretending vape shops and the industry care about public health or the health of our children. It’s time to stop the sale of flavored tobacco products to protect our kids.

Take action now by visiting FlavorsHookKidsDenver.org to tell City Council Members Jolon Clark and Paul Kashmann to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.

Paid for by Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund

10 Highlands Ranch Herald

W

LOCAL

September 10, 2020S

VOICES

Get motivated and creative with physical activity

e are living in interesting times. Just a while ago our calendars were jampacked with events. That quickly changed to having a wide LIVING & open calendar and AGING WELL spending more time at home and in the beautiful outdoors.

Just because you’re at home doesn’t mean you have to cancel on being physically active! Often, it is believed that physical activity and exercise can only be completDeni Jacobs ed in a gym setting or through sports, but physical activity can actually be found all around you even in your daily activities. You just need the motivation to move!

The Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults over the age of 65 participate in at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity. In addition to the aerobic activity recommendations, the CDC also recommends that older adults complete strength training a minimum of 2 days per week. There are many ways you can meet these minimums outside of a formal setting.

Want to meet the recommendations for aerobic activity? Moderate activity is considered continuous activity that makes you take a breath after every sentence you speak. Walking is an excellent and simple form of exercise that’s good for almost everyone, from beginners to people who have been physically fit for years.

According to National Institute on Aging, studies have shown that walking is great exercise, and like other endurance activities has wonderful ben-

efits, from weight loss to stress control and much more. For some, walking for the recommended 30-minutes a day can be difficult. If so, try building up to it by walking for 10-minutes at a time, three times a day.

As your endurance improves, work on walking longer to hit that goal of a single 30-minute walk. When you hit that goal, add new challenges, such as extending the time you walk, increasing your walking pace, or even adding an extra day of walking to your weekly routine. A helpful tip; be sure to wear sturdy shoes that give you proper footing when you do your walking.

Want to meet the strength training requirement but don’t feel comfortable going to the gym, have time to go the gym or have special equipment? You can easily add it in as you are unloading the groceries from the car. Hold onto the handles of a bag of groceries

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Needing better leadership The current Douglas County commissioners are putting national politics over the community interests. For the good of our community, we need to make a change in leadership.

At the beginning of July, the TriCounty Health Department issued a mask mandate to all residents of Douglas County. I imagine they were looking at evidence like a study by Goldman Sachs (tinyurl.com/GoldmanSachsMasks) that found that when a mandate was in place, people were healthier and the economy benefited.

So why are commissioners proposing to set up a new health department in the middle of a pandemic? This would cost taxpayers three times more money, according to the county’s own analysis

in 2004, Westword reported.

I am not in favor of volunteering tax dollars in a political fight to hurt the local community and economy. We need leaders who put the community over politics. I would put Darien Wilson forward to your readers as someone who does just that.

Douglas County really hit the jackpot with Darien as candidate for commissioner. I find that she is smart, kind, energetic, and engaging. She’s been a successful small business owner for two decades and she’s a mom. She’s clearly looking for ways to keep our health-care costs low and has a personal stake in ensuring that our economy keeps on ticking.

I hope other CCM readers will join me SEE LETTERS, P11

The very best sign is the dotted line

T

here are few things more engrossing than punctuation. I think we can all agree on. That.

Punctuation allows us to disambig- QUIET uate sentences. Where DESPERATION would we be without disambiguation?

Does the panda “Eat shoots and leaves”?

Or does the panda “Eat, shoots and leaves”?

I know what some of you are thinking: A column about puncCraig Marshall tuation? Who? Cares?

Well, I do.

Smith What’s your favorite punctuation? The comma? Correctly placing a, comma, is an art.

How about the exclamation mark?

A publication of

Call first: 9233 Park Meadows Dr., Lone Tree, CO 80124 Mailing Address: 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, CO 80110 Phone: 303-566-4100 Web: HighlandsRanchHerald.net To subscribe call 303-566-4100

Maybe the semicolon? Kurt Vonnegut said, “Never use semicolons.”

George Bernard Shaw disliked apostrophes and only used them when he wrote “I’ll” and “he’ll” for obvious reasons.

My favorite? Is the ellipsis ...

An ellipsis consists of (three) dots after a space after a word. It may or may not be followed by punctuation or another word.

An ellipsis indicates an intentional omission of a word or words.

The Chicago Manual of Style requires a space between the dots; however, The Associated Press Stylebook (that’s what we use around here) says no.

When I meet someone who uses correct punctuation, I get lightheaded and my heartbeat accelerates.

SEE SMITH, P11

and do some bicep curls with it.

Bicep curls can also be done with a jug of milk - just make sure the lid is on tight. When doing strength training, it is important to work opposite muscle groups, so if you work your biceps, grab a can of vegetable soup and do some triceps extensions, too. You can also do some work on your shoulders while you have the soup cans in your hands. Just lift your arms straight in front of you or out to the sides; for safety just don’t lift your arms above shoulder height while doing these exercises.

So overall, remember that physical activity can be completed anytime and anywhere. You just need to get creative and get motivated! Get out and take a walk, run or ride. See what a wonderful job our Parks Department has done on all the trails. Add strength and balance exercises to your daily SEE JACOBS, P11

Finding the solution is all about knowing where to look

L

ast week while spending some time on a sandy beach with my wife and a couple of friends, I had lost my wedding ring in the sand. It was WINNING the middle of the WORDS day, fairly hot and very sunny out, and I had just reapplied a little more sunblock. No sooner had I done so when a large horsefly landed on the back of my left hand. In Michael Norton one quick motion I shook the fly from my hand, unknowingly at the time that my wedding ring had gone flying from my finger as well.

We left the beach and went to a restaurant that offers outdoor dining along the water. As is my habit, I tend to lightly tap my ring on the table, trying to keep time with any music that might be playing. In a moment of panic, I had realized that my wedding ring was no longer on my finger. Just a tan line in the space my ring used to occupy.

Now I know I am not the first person to ever lose something of value, sentimental value or monetary value. It was just what happened next and the speed at which my ring was discovered and returned to me was what I found so incredible. After thinking about it, I realized that, yes it was

incredible, but with today’s instant communication channels and technology, the odds were greater than I had initially hoped.

After the first few moments of disbelief and sadness, my wife quickly decided to post the story on a locals’ message board on Facebook. She didn’t know if there would be someone nearby with a metal detector, or if by chance someone came upon it in the future, they could possibly one day find and return the ring.

Shortly after she posted the situation, another woman had seen the post and she did know someone who helped people find lost jewelry.

Within minutes, a gentleman replied and before we knew it, we were communicating with him. We gave our best description of the area, he sent photos using Google Earth, and after a few exchanges, we were able to pinpoint the area where we were sitting for the day.

And within 10 minutes, my wife received a picture of my wedding ring in the guy’s hand. And within 15 minutes, we met with him as he returned the ring. He refused to take any money, refused the offer of a drink, he said he was just happy that someone tagged him and gave him the opportunity to help. We did finally settle on some free ice cream.

Sometimes in life we can get lucky as we did here, but I don’t think it was just about luck.

JERRY HEALEY President

ERIN ADDENBROOKE Marketing Consultant

jhealey@coloradocommunitymedia.com

eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

MARK HARDEN Editor

AUDREY BROOKS Business Manager

mharden@coloradocommunitymedia.com

abrooks@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Herald. We welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.

ELLIOTT WENZLER Community Editor

ERIN FRANKS Production Manager

Email letters to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com

ewenzler@coloradocommunitymedia.com

efranks@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Deadline Wed. for the following week’s paper.

LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Columnists & Guest Commentaries

To opt in or out of delivery please email us at circulation@ coloradocommunitymedia.com

SEE NORTON, P11 Highlands Ranch Herald A legal newspaper of general circulation in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, the Herald is published weekly on Thursday

by Colorado Community Media, 9233 Park Meadows Dr., Lone Tree, CO 80124.

Send address change to: Highlands Ranch Herald, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110

Highlands Ranch Herald 11

0September 10, 2020

LETTERS

our community’s values!

SMITH

FROM PAGE 10

Ponder pulled pork If I could describe the experience of devouring a delicious seven-pound pork shoulder after 14 hours of cooking, it would simply be: heavenly.

Before I pulled the succulent protein apart, some things occurred to me as I gazed at its beauty.

First, how wonderful it is to live in a country where you have access to some of the most exotic foods you can get a hold of. To be thankful for this is an understatement. So many places, as close as our neighbors to the south in Mexico, don’t have access to the bounty our expansive networks of farmers, ranchers and grocers provide. We take this for granted.

Second, our system of capitalism, while not perfect, does its job far beyond what socialists could ever conjure up. I don’t own a name-brand smoker; rather one of the lesser known manufacturers. It does the job well, because in our country, healthy competition has always meant lower prices for you and I — the consumer.

Something to raise a glass to.

Lastly, Douglas County is a precious place. Using social media and the internet, both capitalist achievements, I got tips and tricks from friends in Castle Rock and Parker on cooking it.

And of course, my family and neighbors came over to help in the feast.

We’re fortunate to earn a paycheck, turning that into fellowship.

Once in a while, take a few minutes and consider how fortunate we are to be Americans. And how delicious pulled pork can be.

Stephen Collier Highlands Ranch

FROM PAGE 10

in supporting Darien. We need to put politics aside and rebuild, and I trust Darien to help us do that.

Adrienne Heller, Highlands Ranch House wants to unify our community For someone to serve their community well they need to know the people in it— know their diverse concerns, opportunities, and values. That’s why I’m so impressed with Steve House, our candidate for US House of Representatives.

Steve consistently demonstrates his desire and ability to serve all of our community. He’s met with numerous groups in the Black and Hispanic communities such as the African Leadership Group, Black Pastor’s Association, and the SARCO Hispanic Group to understand what’s important to them so as to better serve them. He’s spending time with school leaders and chambers of commerce across the district to so he can help our schools and economy flourish once in office.

Steve’s background and collaborative leadership will serve our diverse community well. He is an entrepreneur, engineer, and health-care expert who will prioritize solutions for local Coloradans over the politics of Washington D.C. While Steve House is building relationships in our community, Jason Crow is busy allying himself with radical democrat socialist AlexandriaOcasio Cortez and police-defunder Ilhan Omar. He has voted 92% of the time in agreement with them. Additionally, 65% of Crow’s campaign funding comes from out of district.

Does Crow actually represent our community’s voices and values?

Steve House wants to unify our community. He knows we all value similar things—safe homes and schools, opportunity and prosperity, the best education for our children, and healthy, productive lives. Let’s elect Steve House to boldly represent

NORTON FROM PAGE 10

Whenever we have a problem or need to find a solution, part of it is knowing where to look. Finding a small ring on a large sandy beach could be an impossible task. However, using the power of community, coupled with imagery and technology, and infused with the goodwill of someone with a kind heart, the impossible was made possible.

When we are faced with a challenge, it could become very easy to get focused only on the problem instead of the solution. And when we are looking for a solution, we just need to know where to start looking.

For me, sometimes I get so focused on thinking that I am the only one who

JACOBS

FROM PAGE 10

activities. Exercise with hand weights or substitutions you have available at home like soup cans. Practice yoga or tai-chi using free videos online or sign up to take virtual classes from your local recreation center.

Deni Jacobs, CTRS is therapeutic/ senior programs coordinator with Parker Parks and Recreation. For

Chris Baker Highlands Ranch

For some, it’s a pretty woman or a handsome man. For me, it’s someone who knows their way around parentheses.

There are 14 punctuation marks that are used in the English language. How many can you name?

Anyone who can name all 14 without looking them up will move to my upper bracket of reader admiration.

Where would we be without punctuation?

There’s a big difference between “Let’s eat, Grandma,” and “Let’s eat Grandma.”

“Some people find inspiration in cooking their families and their dogs.”

Danish-American comedian and pianist Victor Borge did a routine called “Phonetic Punctuation.” If you want to hear what punctuation sounds like, go to YouTube.

An ellipsis can be used for a number of different ... let’s see ... reasons and purposes.

I often use an ellipsis when writing dialogue, and assume the reader will know how a sentence will end without ending it, perhaps followed by another speaker doing the job.

“The chief thinks the crook broke into the bakery and ...”

“... stole all the dough.”

“Correct.”

I don’t know how old I was when I used my first ellipsis. Like everyone else, I’m sure my journey into punctuation began with periods and commas and progressed into parentheses or two.

From an early age, I knew I didn’t like exclamation marks. From an early age, I knew I didn’t understand colons.

(I wish they had found other names for colons and semicolons, don’t you?)

There’s another reason why I am fond of the ellipsis. The word itself is often confused with “ellipse.”

An ellipse is a regular oval shape and looks like a squashed circle. It’s what a circle looks like in perspective.

Imagine drawing a soup can: The lid is a circle, but when it is seen on a table, for example, it appears as an ellipse.

This is a basic drawing illusion that I mastered. In fact, I won the Regional Ellipse Drawing Championship when I was a junior in college.

I would have moved on to the National Championship being held that year in Circleville, Ohio, but I dashed into a door and was in a comma for days.

Craig Marshall Smith is an artist, educator and Highlands Ranch resident. He can be reached at craigmarshallsmith@comcast.net.

Going with the GOP The recent Democratic and Republican conventions were sharply different in content and tone, and clarified how differently the two parties view America.

SEE LETTERS, P18

can fix the problem that I have blinders on, and I either can’t solve the problem, or it takes me much longer than it should have, because I didn’t know where to begin looking. Luckily for me, my wife has much better problem solving and critical thinking skills than I do. She knew where to look first.

How about you? Have you ever lost anything and didn’t know where to find it? Do you typically get more focused on the problem or on the solution? I would love to hear your lost and found story at mnorton@tramazing.com, and when we know where to look first, it really will be a better than good week.

Michael Norton is the grateful CEO of Tramazing.com, a personal and professional coach, and a consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator to businesses of all sizes. additional information, questions or resources needed, please email djacobs@parkeronline.org. This column is hosted by the Seniors’ Council of Douglas County. Please join us for our next virtual online presentation Sept. 3 at 10 a.m. Our presenter will be Dennis DelPizzo with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regarding the annual Medicare update. For more information, please visit www.

MyDougCoSeniorLife.com, email DCSeniorLife@douglas.co.us or call 303-663-7681.

In Loving Memory Place an Obituary for Your Loved One. Private 303-566-4100 Obituaries@ColoradoCommunityMedia.com

Funeral Homes Visit: www.memoriams.com

12 Highlands Ranch Herald

September 10, 2020S

LOCAL

LIFE SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

Building community through gifts and cash-free exchanges

donated everything from an extra gallon of milk to a 60-inch flat-screen TVs and entire living room sets. One family had no space to accommodate visiting relatives, so a neighbor offered up a spare bedroom.

“We’re building one of the oldest kinds of economies,” Powers said.

“Giving your extra to your neighbors.”

Powers said the group has successfully introduced her to neighbors she now calls friends.

“People are so caught up in their own busy lives, it’s hard to know the neighbors even two or three houses away,” she said. “People have a lot of junk in their homes. It’s a great way to help each other out.”

BY DAVID GILBERT DGILBERT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

I

n March, as the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic washed over the nation, Jennifer Lisiecki of Denver posted on Facebook that she was available to provide child care for friends.

Soon, as grocery stores ran out of important items and businesses shut down, other friends followed suit, adding to her post with what they had to offer one another.

Before long, Lisiecki and her husband Kane started “Help Needed in Denver Metro COVID-19,” a Facebook group dedicated to connecting people in need with those able to help.

Soon the group was seeing 10 to 15 posts an hour, particularly from hungry people seeking food, and young parents desperate to find child-care items that had been wiped out at stores.

“Once we recognized the initial need, it was just go time,” Kane said.

Kane, a Denver shoe store manager, was sent home from work, so he and Jennifer devoted their days to managing the group.

“We would log on at 8 in the morning and stay on until 11 at night, seven days a week,” approving posts and moderating comment threads, Kane said. Among the rules: No requests or offers of cash, in an effort to keep scammers at bay.

“In the first couple weeks it was food and baby items,” Kane said. “Lots of people wanted cleaning supplies, but no one could get them. Diapers were a constant need.”

In one thread, a young mother explained that she, her husband and baby were living in a motel, out of formula and nearly out of diapers. They had burned up most of the gas in their car driving to local grocery stores, only to find bare shelves.

Littleton resident Kathy Powers started a chapter of the Buy Nothing Project to bring her neighborhood together.

COURTESY PHOTO The group lit up with people willing to drive diapers and formula to them.

In the span of a couple hours, the young family went from despair to elation and gratitude at the generosity of strangers.

Other stories abounded. A homeless mother who received assistance finding an apartment, then donations of furniture, dishes and food. A homeless man who received a ride to a shelter.

Group members gave away everything from guitars to painting canvases.

Today, the group stands just shy of 12,000 members. While it’s not as busy as it was during the height of the shutdowns, it stays lively with gifts of school supplies, furniture and more.

Kane and Jennifer still spend seven days a week managing the group.

“What if there is that mother or father in need and they have no money or car?” Kane said. “What if we aren’t on the page, and the post sits in the queue for hours? Where does that leave them?”

Even beyond the pandemic, Kane said the group filled a niche.

“For most Americans, if you have a

box of old clothes, you take it to Goodwill,” he said. “Well, people scraping by don’t have five bucks for a shirt.

This opens the door for those really in need. There are service organizations that give items away, but some people are embarrassed. This is connecting people with people. It’s true community.”

The oldest kind of economy Around the Denver metro area, others have cultivated community through cash-free exchange.

In Littleton, Kathy Powers is the moderator of a thriving local chapter of the Buy Nothing Movement, which focuses on gifts of goods, time or talent, and doesn’t allow for bartering or monetary exchanges.

The key, Powers said, is each chapter is bound to a small geographic area, and discourages “porch pickup,” encouraging neighbors to meet one another.

“It’s not about the stuff,” Powers said. “It’s about the people and the community.”

In Powers’ group, neighbors have

Bonding over food Others find food is the key to building community.

Eve Orenstein of Boulder heads Mile High Swappers, a “food swap” group with chapters in Boulder and Denver. The group meets in different locations, with attendees bringing multiple portions of homemade food to trade with one another.

“Bringing people together over food is a natural thing,” Orenstein said.

“You’ve got people with all sorts of skills: bakers, gardeners, fermenters — one woman has chickens and rabbits, and she brings eggs and Angora wool.”

While some people bring extravagant items, others bring simple foods.

But it’s not about calculating value, Orenstein said.

“It feels good to say here’s this thing I took the time to put together,” she said. “It has value to me and others.

Cash value is irrelevant if it’s done with love and care and skill.”

Homemade butter and honey are big hits, she said. Others bring unusual items — one member of the group, an astrophysicist, brings items like fermented black walnuts.

Orenstein admitted she sometimes accepts more than she wants to stay in the spirit.

“I have more jam and pickles than I’ll probably ever eat,” she said. “But it’s about sharing our passions and love with one another.”

Highlands Ranch Herald 13

0September 10, 2020

A

Community college gallery goes vividly virtual

rapahoe Community College’s Colorado Gallery of the Arts will be virtual-only until at least January 2021.

By going online to www. arapahoe. edu/camSONYA’S pus-commuSAMPLER nity/art-galleries, one can follow the prompts to various virtual galleries, including the annual ACC Art Instructor Show, Sonya Ellingboe which is said to last until January. Ceramics instructor Bob Smith, known for his expertise as an artist as well as for a particular skill in firing techniques, displays the “Saggar-fired Vase # 1” as well as several other lovely pieces. Works are for sale. Contact Gallery Director Trish Sangelo: trish.sangelo@arapahoe.edu.

When I looked on Sept. 1, the Kaleidoscope exhibit was also available, though past termination date. It’s worth a look if still there! Also look for Across the Globe, and exhibit of works by Study Abroad students. Student work is displayed at Littleton Adventist Hospital.

Museum hosts a free “Friendship Powwow” on its plaza, with Native American dancers, crafts and food. We are told that event will be virtual this year. Bits from previous events?? Go to denverartmuseum.org, Sept. 12, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Spark Gallery “Brought to Light,” an invitational exhibit with works by more than 20 Denver area artists, will be open through Oct. 25 at Spark Gallery, 900 Santa Fe Drive, Denver. Gallery hours: noon to 5 p.m.

Friday and Saturday; 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Doors Open Denver The Annual Doors Open Denver, offered by the Denver Architecture Foundation, will also go the virtual route, offering an inside look at 12 sites on Sept. 21-22. Tickets: $7, member/$9, non-member.

Visit denverarchitecture.org.

Buntport Theater Our favorite, Buntport Theater, is proposing a “Buntport Bored Post Society Society” to be developed with the usual joyful silliness we have come to expect. Limited membership. Details are in the works.

Fans may want to check on progress at buntport.com. We will hope to report further.

Buntport’s outdoor “Grasshoppers” performances sold out during the summer, and might be repeated — we hope.

‘Almost Heaven’ Town Hall Arts Center in Littleton will present its postponed spring production, “Almost Heaven: The Songs of John Denver,” from Sept.

11 through Oct. 11 at the Rose Garden at Hudson Gardens, 6115 S. Santa Fe Drive, Littleton. Ticket prices: $47, $52.

Bring blanket or lawn chair or use a Hudson Gardens chair. Capacity is limited and groups will be spaced on the lawn. Parking is free and in case of inclement weather,

KUVO jazz KUVO radio at 89.3 FM will celebrate a 35th anniversary and 15 years of its “Live at the Vineyards” celebrations at Balistreri Vineyards with 15 days of radio show, which began Sept. 9 and runs to Sept.

23. Individual artists or bands that were celebrated will be featured. Tune in!

Bob Smith’s “Saggar-fired Vase #1.” a 30-minute hold may be in place. If canceled, refund or exchange. See the Town Hall website at townhallartscenter.org and/or call the box office, 303-794-2787, ext. 5 for tickets. (Open Monday-Friday, 10-3.) Purchase in advance.

‘Winter Counts’ offers insights, excitement Metro State professor’s novel takes place on Rosebud Reservation

BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

With a tough-guy narrator, Virgil Wounded Horse, who functions as an enforcer/vigilante on the Rosebud Reservation, south metro Denver area author David Heska Wanbli Weiden leads a reader through a number of story lines and offers insights on contemporary reservation life and politics that educate and dismay — as well as entertain ...

The just-published book, “Winter Counts,” is available at Denver bookstores now and will appeal to a variety of readers — Native and non-Native ... (Tattered Cover lists it as a Book of the Month for September).

Well-defined characters include Virgil; his teenage nephew, Nathan, whose care Virgil assumed when the boy’s mother was killed in an automobile accident; Marie, his creative former — and again — girlfriend; interesting elders, including Marie’s father; crooks who want to get the youngsters hooked on drugs; a medicine man; and more.

The author weaves in talk of food-

ways, laws that govern the reservations, limitations on by whom — and how — infringements of the laws are/ can/cannot be handled, tribal police powers, drug and alcohol abuse, education.

Scenes are well-depicted, so a reader can envision, hear, smell and otherwise experience Native life, as well as experience Native frustration over limitations.

Weiden, a tenured professor of Native American studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver, is a member of the Sicangu Lakota Nation. He grew up poor in Denver’s Swansea neighborhood, expanding early horizons through reading many, many books from the bookmobile that visited his school weekly. (There was no neighborhood library available.)

With his mother, he spent times during the summers on the reservation, where there were lots of cousins — and there is at present 85% unemployment. His parents had moved to Denver in the 1950s and later divorced.

Weiden’s uncle is vice president of the Sicangu Lakota Nation, which may have offered extra insights to this writer, as he crafted his fictional version of reservation life.

He first graduated with a law degree and practiced for a number of years, but realized he “wasn’t having the SEE NOVEL, P15

COURTESY PHOTO

Remainder of season not yet announced, but this is good news. Hudson Gardens hosted a Town Hall play soon after it opened — in a tent.

Museum powwow Each fall, the Denver Art

Castle Rock ArtFest Local watercolor artist Cindy Welch will be a featured artist at the 31st Annual Castle Rock ArtFest. The Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce is hosting the juried fine arts show Sept. 12-13 in downtown Castle Rock and Festival Park.

See www.castlerock.org/signature-events for details.

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14 Highlands Ranch Herald

September 10, 2020S

CASTILLO FROM PAGE 1

Other nominations of people who may be featured in the garden, suggested by local and state leaders, include George Floyd, Rosa Parks and Sacagawea. In the executive order, Trump listed Ronald Reagan, Frederick Douglass and George Washington in a list of those to be honored.

The executive order calls for the national garden to be opened by the Fourth of July 2026.

The U.S. Department of the Interior reached out to the Douglas County board of commissioners to ask if the county had any nominations or ideas for where the statue garden could be placed, Commissioner Lora Thomas said.

Thomas looked up the word hero and found “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities,” she said.

“When I read that, I was like, ‘Well this is Kendrick Castillo,’” she said.

Thomas and her fellow commissioners Roger Partridge and Abe Laydon were in a meeting together on the day Kendrick was killed, she said.

“This was very personal for all three of us,” she said. “That was very emotional for all of us.”

The decision to nominate Kendrick was unanimous, Thomas said.

In a letter nominating Kendrick, commissioners describe the young man’s sacrifice.

“According to a classmate, ‘Kendrick lunged at (the suspect), and

John and Maria Castillo at their son’s grave in Douglas County. he shot Kendrick, giving all of us enough time to get underneath our desks, to get ourselves safe and to run across the room to escape,’” according to the letter.

Commissioners also recommended Rocky Mountain National Park as a possible location for the statue.

“Kendrick being honored is just so fitting ... He always had a great

FILE PHOTO BY JESSICA GIBBS

spirit to serve others,” John Castillo said. “It would be somebody like Kendrick not just because he’s our son but because of how he lived his life through and through.”

YO U C A N ' T A LWAYS SEE EXCEPTION CARE B U T YO U C A N F E E L I T.

Centura Health does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, religion, creed, ancestry, sexual orientation, and marital status in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs, services and activities, or in employment. For further information about this policy contact Centura Health’s Office of the General Counsel at 1-303-673-8166 (TTY: 711). Copyright © Centura Health, 2020. ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-719-776-5370 (TTY: 711). CHÚ Ý: Nếu bạn nói Tiếng Việt, có các dịch vụ hỗ trợ ngôn ngữ miễn phí dành cho bạn. Gọi số 1-719-776-5370 (TTY: 711).

Highlands Ranch Herald 15

0September 10, 2020

Kiewit set to open 1st Lone Tree building in summer 2021 New office location could hold up to 1,800

BY NICK PUCKETT NPUCKETT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Lone Tree’s newest corporate citizen is scheduled to finish the first of its two-building office campus near Interstate 25.

Kiewit Corp., a multibillion-dollar construction and engineering firm, is hammering away at the soon-to-be regional headquarters at the front step of the Sky Ridge Light Rail Station for its Colorado-based employees. When finished, Kiewit officials say the campus will be able to hold up to 1,800 people.

The first building broke ground in March and is scheduled to finish next summer. The second building broke ground in April. Kiewit officials expect both buildings to be finished by spring 2022.

The company expects the new Lone Tree campus to be operational by next summer. The first 1,000 employees will move into the building in phases over four weeks, officials said.

“Kiewit is working in phases to ensure the campus is designed to meet current and future needs, so the timeline has some flexibility built in, but the project is on track for comple-

David Heska Weiden.

COURTESY OF DAVID HESKA WEIDEN

tion in 2022,” a Kiewit spokesperson said via email.

The Kiewit ampus will have the third-largest footprint in the city.

The first building occupies 12.6 acres of land and will have 252,000 square feet of office space across five stories. The second building will consist of about 142,000 square feet of office space. The campus will also include a neighboring parking garage.

By comparison, the Park Meadows mall property is roughly 1.5 million square feet. Charles Schwab’s campus at RidgeGate is about 650,000 square feet.

Kiewit’s own building group serves as the project’s general contractor.

About 250 staff are working on the site daily.

Kiewit is one of North America’s largest construction and engineering firms with subsidiaries in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Kiewit offers construction and engineering services for buildings, transportation, oil, gas and chemical, power, water/wastewater, industrial and mining.

“When completely built out, the regional headquarters in Lone Tree will serve as a hub for most of Kiewit’s Colorado employees, with space to accommodate future growth as the demand for Kiewit’s services and expertise increases across the region,” the spokesperson said.

NOVEL FROM PAGE 13

impact I’d hoped to have,” as he told a Los Angeles Times reporter. So he returned to school for a Ph.D. in political science and has been teaching for more than 20 years — first at Hofstra in New York and at Metro State University since 2013. He also teaches at Lighthouse Writers Workshop, where he recently did a reading with veteran author Craig Johnson (Longmire series) and he donates time and legal expertise to the Denver Indian Resource Center, with an interest in Indian child welfare.

The title, “Winter Counts,” refers to the pictorial calendars created by a number of American Indian tribes to record their history. Probably readers have viewed them, often painted on rawhide, in museums in this area or elsewhere. The title is appropri-

ate here as we experience a series of scenes that make up a whole.

Virgil Wounded Horse first appeared in a short story in the Yellow Medicine Review in 2011 and we’ll hope to see him resurface in about two more years in a sequel, tentatively called “Wounded Horse.”

Weiden, who says he “thought more could be done with the story character,” started working on “Winter Counts” in earnest in early 2017. He has a two book contract with Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins Publisher.

His routine has involved getting up at 4 a.m. and writing for two hours.

Then, teenage sons head out for school and Weiden starts a day of teaching Native American studies, political science and some undergraduate law classes at Metropolitan State University.

Readers will want to get acquainted with Virgil Wounded Horse and David Heska Wanbli Weiden ...

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16 Highlands Ranch Herald

September 10, 2020S

174 asked to quarantine amid COVID cases at Legend High School Quarantined students were asked to stay home until Sept. 15

BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNUITYMEDIA.COM

The Douglas County School District has asked 174 people to quarantine after learning of two positive COVID-19 cases at Legend High School.

A letter dated Sept. 6 asks people believed to have had close contact with the sick individuals to quarantine and not return to school until about Sept.

15.

“If your child was at school on Monday, Aug. 31 and/or Wednesday, September 2, your child was in close contact with one of these people and your child should enter into quarantine,” the letter reads.

The letter instructed families with more than one child at the Parker school to contact the school and confirm which of their children needed to quarantine. Siblings of a child asked to quarantine can still attend school unless they become sick or test positive for COVID-19, the district said.

A separate letter was sent to school

SCHOOLS FROM PAGE 1

attending class in-person and online.

Students enrolled in hybrid learning

Legend High School in Parker.

PHOTO BY GOOGLE MAPS STREET VIEW

community members who were not believed to have been exposed.

Students who are quarantined will continue learning virtually while they are unable to attend school in-person, the district said.

The district said its operations team

disinfected the school before classes resumed for other students on Sept. 8 after the Labor Day weekend.

The Douglas County School District opened the 2020-21 school year on a “hybrid” learning model, where students attend school with a mix of

in-person and online classes.

During the first full week of hybrid classes, at least 11 schools were affected by quarantines and the district notified community members of at least six positive cases in the district in that time.

spend two days a week in school and three days at home.

The district is the third largest in Colorado, serving 68,000 students across more than 90 schools. The data presented Sept. 1 is self-reported to the district and accounts for the

approximate 8,400 staff members and 53,700 students in district-run schools.

Staff cautioned that data changes daily and the Sept. 1 presentation was a snapshot of cases and exposures in the district at that time.

The district places anyone who had close contact with a person known or presumed to have COVID-19 on a 14-day quarantine.

Not all quarantines issued during the first week of school lasted a full 14 days. Some were lifted early after an individual who fell ill with COVID-19 symptoms tested negative for the novel coronavirus.

Preschool students at Arrowwood Elementary School in Highlands Ranch were told to quarantine on Aug. 25 after an individual at the school showed COVID-19 symptoms but they were released from quarantine on Aug. 28 when the person tested negative.

It’s not clear from the letters how many people at each school were placed on quarantine, but a single exposure can have a wide impact.

In some district buildings, students and staff from multiple classrooms were quarantined after a person who moved throughout the school showed COVID-19 symptoms.

At Douglas County High School in Castle Rock, 114 students and 20 staff were placed on quarantine after someone who had contact with various classrooms tested positive, according to emails sent to board directors and a letter to the school community.

A similar situation unfolded at Chaparral High School in Parker, according to an Aug. 31 letter to the school community. The school instructed 88 people to quarantine until Sept. 14, a spokeswoman said.

In another instance, according to public records, seven students were quarantined after someone on a bus route serving Sedalia Elementary School, Sagewood Middle School and Ponderosa High School tested positive.

Letters sent to schools show the

Tri-County Health Department investigated an outbreak at Sand Creek Elementary School in Highlands Ranch after two cases were confirmed within the same cohort.

Sand Creek Elementary School was the first school impacted by quarantines, according to the records. The district on Aug. 22 notified sixthgrade students and teachers they would need to quarantine for 14 days after the first positive case was confirmed at the school.

Students, teachers and support staff in a third-grade cohort were placed on quarantine by Aug. 28 after a third positive case at the school.

Six of the schools affected by quarantines were elementaries or preschools.

All pre-kindergarten students and staff at Rock Ridge Elementary School in Castle Rock were quarantined on Aug. 31 after an individual at the school developed COVID-19 symptoms.

That same day, all pre-kindergarten students and an unspecified numbers of staff members were quarantined at Flagstone Elementary School in Castle Rock.

A kindergarten class, teacher and support staff member at Clear Sky Elementary School in Castle Rock were quarantined on Aug. 27 after a person in the school developed symptoms.

The district later notified the Clear Sky community the person had tested positive, and those who had close contact with the individual were told to remain in quarantine and not return to school until Sept. 9.

Superintendent Thomas Tucker has said it would have been easier for the district to conduct full online learning to start the year, but he and staff wanted to give students the opportunity to learn in-person if conditions were safe.

At press time, Tucker was not available to comment for this story. School Board President David Ray could not be reached for comment.

Elliott Wenzler contributed to this story.

Highlands Ranch Herald 17

0September 10, 2020

BANDIMERE FROM PAGE 6

“We have some media here and if you quote one thing from me here’s what I want it to be: This is what a peaceful protest looks like,” said Neville, who unsuccessfully attempted to sue Democratic Gov. Jared Polis over his mask order at the Colorado Supreme Court.

“Notice there are no fires behind me and no broken windows,” the Castle Rock lawmaker said. “It’s just a bunch of patriots standing up for their liberty and freedom.”

Among those who attended the rally was Eric Manning, who carried with him a flag depicting Donald Trump as the Terminator.

Manning said he supports Trump because he is an “outstanding man who is fighting for our freedoms.”

“I think the coronavirus is a hoax just like AOC and the Green New Deal,” Manning said, referring to leftist U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

During the rally, speakers called for attendees to take actions ranging from voting for President Donald Trump and other Republicans in the November election to making financial contributions to support a lawsuit, which Corporon said would be a very expensive process.

“But for tonight let’s enjoy being free in the freest, most successful, most secure country this world has ever seen,” Corporon said to cheers of “USA USA USA”. “And let’s take it back.”

A portion of the crowd at the “Stop the COVID Chaos” rally at Bandimere Speedway.

PHOTOS BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO

Attendees gathered on the track to take a group photo at the end of the “Stop the COVID Chaos” rally at Bandimere Speedway on Sept. 1.

Eric Manning displays a pro-Trump flag at Bandimere Speedway. Manning said he believes COVID-19 is a hoax and supports President Trump because he is “fighting for freedom.”

Signs criticizing Gov. Jared Polis were plentiful at Bandimere Speedway’s “Stop the COVID Chaos” rally on Sept. 1.

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18 Highlands Ranch Herald

September 10, 2020S

C R O S S W O R D LETTERS P U Z Z L E FROM PAGE 11

The Democrats’ message was that America is and always has been deeply flawed, and that all blame today rests with one person. The convention was bereft of policy ideas, claiming instead that we should put our faith in someone who’s been in the political swamp for 47 years, who’s publicly aligned himself with radicals like Bernie Sanders, and who chose the farthest-left senator in the country as his VP. The DNC refused to condemn the riots and looting plaguing numerous Democrat-run cities. There was a bleakness about the whole convention.

The RNC’s message was that America, while not perfect, is inherently good and our founding ideals are worth defending, celebrating, and striving for. It featured people from diverse demographics (some former Democrats) testifying to the goodness of our country, and describing how Trump’s policies have broadly benefitted them. The speakers strongly denounced the violence we’re seeing in our cities and promised to support our brave police officers to keep us safe.

The patriotic convention delivered an optimistic, forward-looking, and inclusive message.

The conventions reminded us of the two visions of the country these parties offer. Democratic leadership views America as riddled with flaws requiring a radical transformation led by ever-growing government. Republicans want to preserve and improve our great country by giving everyone the freedom to live their best life. I know which vision I’ll be voting for.

Patty Hellmer Highlands Ranch That’s a no on 113 It’s important we vote no on Proposition 113 (National Popular Vote) so that our Colorado voices and votes continue to matter. If we don’t stop this bill, Colorado’s electoral votes will no longer necessarily go to whom won our state. Do we want California, New York, Texas, and other big population centers determining Colorado’s vote?

We’re a vast nation with diverse opinions and no one part of the country should have never-ending control over the rest of us. That’s why the Electoral College is in place — to ensure that this diversity across our country, not just big-city voices, is represented. To win, candidates should have to campaign in and earn

the vote of large parts of the country.

If we don’t stop this bill, candidates will treat us as a fly-over state, focusing instead on more populous areas in other parts of the country.

More than 75% of Proposition 113’s funding comes from outside Colorado (primarily from dense population states). It’s no surprise then that there is strong bipartisan opposition to this bill as we understand the damage this would do to Colorado’s voice.

This bill makes it easier for voter fraud to impact an election. Today, voter fraud must occur in the “right” states to swing the election. In a popular vote, it doesn’t matter where the voter fraud occurs, therefore increasing the chances that voter fraud can swing the election.

Let’s vote no on Proposition 113 to so that our Colorado voices and votes continue to matter.

Renee Anderson Highlands Ranch

Consider needs of veterans, poor Recently the Highlands Ranch Herald published a letter from me that was critical of Douglas County commissioners for firing the Tri-County Health Department because of their role in trying to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. A gentleman by the name of Steve Collier wrote a comment that was respectful in his disagreement of my position. I would like to thank him for that. This is uncommon in our divided country.

I likened the 1940s polio epidemic with the COVID-19 pandemic and the effect both had on people. Polio was worse in many communities as it affected children. The cause was unknown and there was no cure. This caused community fear that resulted in behavior that was not usually found in people. I had a cousin, a brother and a niece who contracted the disease.

My cousin, who was severely disabled, become a school principal, my niece become a college librarian and my brother followed his two older brothers into the U.S. Air Force.

Douglas County, despite wealth and good health, is not isolated from the rest of Colorado. Parts of Adams and Arapahoe counties are poorer and more racially diverse, but there are more of these people in the U.S. military than from the wealthier Colorado counties. We may need them more than they need us to protect our way of life. Firing Tri-County may look good on paper, but it could be throwing poor people and veterans under the bus.

Roy Legg Highlands Ranch

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Highlands Ranch Herald 19

0September 10, 2020

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Painting

Interior • Exterior Residential Specialist Woodworking, Decks Fences: pressure washing / Drywall patch Free Estimates • Great Winter Rates

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Call Joseph

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Free Instant Phone Quote Repair or Replace: Faucets, Sprinklers, Toilets, Sinks, Disposals, Water Heaters, Gas Lines, Broken Pipes, Spigots/ Hosebibs, Water Pressure Regulator, Ice Maker, Drain Cleaning, Dishwasher Instl., for coupons go to vertecservices.com CALL Vertec 303-371-3828

DANIEL’S PAINTING exterior • interior residential repaints Re-caulk all home complete prime all caulked areas / replace any damaged boards/ popcorn removal drywall and texture repair/fences and decks/insured and bonded

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• Insurance Claims

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Plumb-Crazy, LLC.

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CR&R Painting, Inc. Interior/Exterior, decks/fences Free Estimates 303-349-1046 www.crrpainting.com

32 Years Experience • Work Warranty

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• All Types of Tile • • Granite-Ceramic • • Porcelain • • Natural Stone •Vinyl • •Bathroom Remodel•

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Robert Dudley Lighting LLC

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• Sprinkler Blow Outs $40

• Gutter Clean ups $40 • Fertilization $30 • Fence Repair & Painting • Aerations $40 • Power wash decks & houses • Clean Up / Tree service • Garage Doors • Interior/Exterior Painting • Licensed Plumber

Tony 720-210-4304 Tile

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Most stumps $75.00 and up $55 Minimum.

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ABE’S TREE & SHRUB CARE Abraham Spilsbury Owner/Operator

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ALAN ATTWOOD, Master Plumber

PH: 303-472-8217 FX: 303-688-8821

Please Recycle this Publication when Finished

22 Highlands Ranch Herald

September 10, 2020S

P L A C E A D S O N L I N E 2 4/ 7 AT

www.ColoradoCommunityClassifieds.com

To Advertise call Karen 303.566.4091 Colorado Statewide Classified Advertising Network To place a 25-word COSCAN Network ad in 91 Colorado newspapers for only $300, contact your local newspaper or call Colorado Press Association Network at 303-571-5117.

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Garage and Estate Sales

Misc. Notices WIDOWED MEN AND WOMEN OF AMERICA. A social club offering many exciting activities and life long friendships.

Social hours for all areas of Metro Denver.

Visit Widowedamerica.org for details In your area!

$500 REWARD! For information that leads to the identification and arrest of the driver of the large white late model SUV who attempted to hit the pedestrian carrying the Biden sign in the crosswalk at Highlands Ranch Parkway and Broadway and sped off eastbound on HR Parkway on 2 September at 7:05 PM. License plate likely begins with ROD. ID of any witnesses also sought. 303887-0122.

CASH FOR CARS: We Buy Any Condition Vehicle, 2002 and Newer.

Nationwide Free Pick Up! Call Now: 1-800-864-5960.

Garage Sales Annual Community Garage Sale Sept. 11th & 12th 8am-12 noon Stroh Ranch - Parker Off Parker and Stroh Road Something for everyone!

Merchandise Firewood

Split & Delivered $300 a cord Stacking available extra $50 Call 303-647-2475 or 720-323-2173

Please Recycle this Publication when Finished

Health & Beauty

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No contract/commitment. CALL 1-866-825-6523 BOY SCOUT COMPENSATION FUND - Anyone inappropriately touched by a Scout leader deserves justice & compensation! Victims may be eligible for significant cash settlement. Time to is limited. 833729-0164 DENTAL INSURANCE - Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Covers for 350 procedures. Real insurance - not a discount plan. Get your free dental info kit! 1-888-623-3036 www. dental50plus.com/58 #6258.

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AT&T Internet. Starting at $40/month w/12-mo agreement. 1 TB of data/ month. Ask how to bundle & SAVE! Geo & service restrictions apply.

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Free quote 1-877-859-1908

ATTENTION OXYGEN THERAPY USERS! Inogen One G4 is capable of full 24/7 oxygen delivery. Only 2.8 pounds. FREE information kit. Call 877-929-9587 NEW AUTHORS WANTED! Page Publishing will help you self-publish your book. Free author submission kit! Limited offer! 866-951-7214 GENERAC generators. Weather is increasingly unpredictable. Be prepared for power outages. FREE 7-yr ext warranty ($695 value!) Schedule FREE in-home assessment 1-844334-8353 Special financing if qualified.

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Wanted

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Cell: (303)918-2185 for texting

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Transportation Wanted

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Call 1-855-995-2490 Life Alert. One press of a button sends help fast, 24/7! At home & on the go. Mobile Pendant w/GPS. Free first aid kit with subscription. 877537-8817 free brochure.

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TO ADVERTISE CALL 303-566-4100

Commercial Property for Rent

Apartments To Advertise call Karen 303.566.4091

Home for Sale

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Home for Sale

Office & Commercial Property

Southwest Nebraska Home with 2 garages $35,000 cash, small town living in Fishing, Hunting, Boating community.

Great place to retire. 970-472-5978

COMMERCIAL BUILDING FOR SALE BY OWNER. 1263 PARK STREET, CASTLE ROCK. FULLY LEASED. $1,750,000 7,616 SQ, CALL/TEXT 970-379-1364

$1,650 Available Oct 1 All utilities included Walking distance to School of Mines campus.

Trail heads right out back door Small cozy 11 unit community 2 parking spaces and 1 car garage included.

Laundry on site Recently updated.

Call 720.298.1321

Hampden Center SPACE FOR LEASE

730, 750, & 770 W Hampden Ave., Englewood, CO 80110 The Hampden Center is a commercial office/medical complex in the heart of the Englewood Business District situated between Santa Fe and Broadway on Hampden Avenue with easy access to the RTD and Light Rail station. With our competitive market rates starting at $19 psf, full-service gross and class A general contractor our custom tenant buildouts are second to none and offer a truly personal tenant experience. The Hampden Center offers a great value for all tenants with numerous dining and retail options within walking distance, easy free parking and more!

For current suite availability and more leasing information please contact Omni Development: Tristan Sedbrook: tsedbrook@omnidev.net - Mobile: (720) 421-4971 Jared Kelleher: jkelleher@omnidev.net - Mobile: (303) 868-3056

Highlands Ranch Herald 23

LOCAL

September 10, 2020

SPORTS

Lopsided game gives top team a break 12-0 softball score leads to quick conclusion under mercy rule

BY JIM BENTON JBENTON@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Rock Canyon High School’s softball team is no stranger to being the No. 1 team in the state.

The Jaguars were top-ranked last season and went into the state tournament as the top-seeded team but lost 6-3 to Ralston Valley in the first round.

And that late loss has inspired the Jaguars this season.

Rock Canyon, ranked No.1 in the CHSAANow.com poll, whipped Highlands Ranch, 12-0, in a Continental League game called by the mercy rule after 3 1/2 innings on Sept. 2 at Rock Canyon. The win was the sixth straight for the Jaguars this season.

“After last year, we have unfinished business,” said senior Annika Sprague, whose team was 24-3 a year ago. “It’s crazy we are ranked No. 1 so early. Nobody expected it.”

Nobody, except maybe the team.

“We are glad to be No. 1,” said coach Mike DiSimone, “because the girls were expecting it. After last season we have the perspective that we have to be prepared. We have to stay focused and do the right things.

It’s interesting this season. It’s as much mental and discipline as it is physical.”

Senior pitcher Audrey Burt feels last year is still in the players’ minds.

“Last year we were No. 1 as well but the season did not end the way we hoped,” she said. “We set our expectations high.”

Everything went well against Highlands Ranch as the Jaguars collected 11 hits in three innings at the plate and scored seven runs in the second inning, six of which were unearned.

Burt allowed one hit in her three

Highlands Ranch’s Dani Cranford hits a fly ball to left centerfield in the second inning of the Sept. 2 game between top-ranked Rock Canyon and the Falcons. The Jaguars won the game, 12-0. innings of work as the starting pitcher. She struck out seven batters and also hit a solo home run in the first inning when the Jaguars jumped to a 3-0 lead.

Catcher Katie Dack, the Lutheran High School student, blasted two home runs and had four runs batted in with two homers to spark the Canyon offense. Bella Lewis, Annika Sprague and Campbell Coddington also each also contributed two hits.

Dack raised her batting average to .647 after six games and she now has seven home runs in this season.

“We didn’t show it today but we are a pretty strong team,” said Highlands Ranch coach Debora Kortbawi, who used to coach at Rock Canyon.

“Rock Canyon is a very good team..

Rock Canyon’s Sydney Boulaphinh (14) watches as second baseman Annika Sprague (12) throws to first base in the third inning of the Sept. 2 softball game between the top-ranked Jaguars and Highlands Ranch. Rock Canyon won the game, 12-0.

PHOTOS BY JIM BENTON

This was only our third game. We have a young team and you saw the growing pains of putting a team together.”

Whitney Priesser had the hit for the Falcons, which saw their record drop to 1-2 after the loss to the Jaguars.

The mercy-rule win over High-

lands Ranch was welcomed since Rock Canyon has played tough games with wins over nemesis Ralston Valley, second-ranked Fossil Ridge, No. 8 Columbine and No. 3 Legacy.

“It was a game we could have fun,” said Burt. “We could relax and work on things.”

www.ColoradoCommunityMedia.com/Notices

PUBLIC NOTICES

Public Notices call Sheree 303.566.4088 Legals City and County PUBLIC NOTICE DOUGLAS COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION Pursuant to §39-8-104 C.R.S., notice is hereby given that beginning October 12, 2020 the Douglas County Board of Equalization will meet to review the assessment roll of all taxable property located in the County as prepared by the County Assessor, and to hear appeals from determinations of the Assessor. All such hearings will be concluded and decisions rendered thereon by the Board of Equalization at a hearing held at 9:00 AM on November 3, 2020, in the Commissioners’ Hearing

Room, located at the Philip S. Miller Building, 100 Third Street, Castle Rock, Colorado. All decisions of the Board of Equalization will be sent to the petitioner within five business days of the date on which such decision is rendered.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO Kristin Randlett, Clerk and Recorder Legal Notice No. 937893 First Publication: September 10, 2020 Last Publication: September 10, 2020 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press

Bids and Settlements Public Notice

legals@coloradocommunitymedia.com

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) #021-20 PRE-EMPLOYMENT & DEPARTMENT of TRANSPORTATION SCREENING and CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE SCREENING & ALCOHOL TESTING The Human Resources Department of Douglas County Government, hereinafter referred to as the County, respectfully requests proposals from responsible and qualified firms for the provision of services related to Pre-Employment & Department of Transportation (DOT) Screening, Controlled Substance Screening & Alcohol Testing, Educational Training, and to ensure compliance with Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Controlled Substance and Alcohol Regulations, as specified.

Douglas County currently employs approximately one-thousand, two hundred, and fifty (1,250) individuals; about 12% of those individuals fall into the DOT Controlled Substance and Alcohol Testing pool. The other percentage would be tested under

non-DOT regulations.

The RFP documents may be reviewed and/or printed from the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System website at www.rockymountainbidsystem.com. RFP documents are not available for purchase from Douglas County Government and can only be accessed from the above-mentioned website.

While the RFP documents are available electronically, Douglas County cannot accept electronic proposal responses.

RFP responses will be received until 3:00 p.m. on Friday, October 2, 2020 by Douglas County Government, Finance Department, Purchasing Division, 100 Third Street, Suite 130, Castle Rock, Colorado 80104. All responses must be submitted in a sealed envelope plainly marked “Request for Proposal (RFP) #021-20, Drug & Alcohol Testing”. Proposal responses will not be considered which are received after the time stated and any proposals so received will be returned unopened.

Douglas County Government reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, to waive formalities, informalities, or irregularities contained in a said proposal and furthermore, to award a contract for items herein, either in whole or in part, if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the County to do so. Additionally, we reserve the right to negotiate optional items/services with the successful vendor.

Please direct any questions concerning this RFP to Carolyn Riggs, Purchasing Supervisor, 303-6607434, criggs@douglas.co.us, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Legal Notice No. 937905 First Publication: September 10, 2020 Last Publication: September 10, 2020 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press

###

Highlands Ranch Legals 9.10.20 * 1

24 Highlands Ranch Herald

September 10, 2020

MEMORY CARE

Live fearlessly Come experience living without Covid.

Thanks to our early partnering and planning with health officials and rigorous preventative and monitoring practices, all of our Renew Senior Living facilities continue to be Covid free so you can live worry free.

Call to learn more (720) 805-1142

R E N E W S E N I O R . C O M

•

7 4 7 5

S

S H A W N E E

S T ,

A U R O R A ,

by Matt Witt

S

The FHF understands how difficult life can be for seniors that own their home and are retired. The cost of upkeep and routine home maintenance can be costly and overwhelming. In most cases, seniors can barely afford medicine and food let alone costly home repairs. o, the need for everyone to step up and help Colorado seniors has never been greater. And the FHF needs your help today.

The FHF provides a variety of services and solutions for our Seniors. Some of our key programs focus on Home Repair, Small Grants, Helping Hands, Education and Senior Resources. Visit www.ForeverHomeFoundation.org to find out more information or to find

8 0 0 1 6

C Mo #1 olora rtg Rev do ag ers ’s eB e rok er

A True Champion for Colorado Seniors ilver Leaf Mortgage is proud to partner with the Forever Home Foundation (FHF), a Coloradobased 501c3 charitable organization.

The FHF’s mission is to “provide services and solutions to Colorado area Seniors that allow them the ability to live freely in their home for as long as they choose to do so.”

C O

out ways you can get involved. We are always seeking donations too and we need your help. The more you help, the more we can help our Seniors live happy, healthy lives in the comfort of their own home.

If you yourself or anyone you know is in need of assistance please contact us at 720-458-4043 and we be will glad to help any way we can.

Mortgage Company Reverse Mortgage Company Mortgage Agent

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Listen to: The Reverse Mortgage Show Hosted by Matt Witt Legends 810 and 94.3FM, 670 KLTT, 100.7FM KLZ and 560 KLZ or see us live on Colorado’s Best KWGN CW2 & Fox-31, or Colorado & Company KUSA 9News SLM NMLS #1394377 is an Equal Housing Lender. Credit and collateral are subject to approval. Terms and conditions apply. This is not a commitment to lend. Programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. Regulated by the Department of Real Estate.