Jeffco Transcript 1008

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October 8, 2020

JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO

A publication of

JeffcoTranscript.com

VOLUME 37 | ISSUE 13

Bringing help and humanity to the isolated Lakewood nonprofit helps feed 151 households this week BY BOB WOOLEY BWOOLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Volunteers bring food to those at highest COVID-19 risk. Just a short distance off West Colfax avenue in Lakewood — an area not always thought of for charity, kindness and the spirit of goodwill. The small but growing group of volunteers has been hard at work feeding metro-area residents that have been hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. They are working with Benefits in Action, a nonprofit, in partnership with the State of Colorado to help those in need navigate health care benefits like Medicare, Medicare and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) for the past five years. In March, the Lakewood-based nonprofit SEE NONPROFIT, P6

Officials urging community to get flu vaccine as season approaches BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

However, only Lakewood has allowed home-based businesses to apply for the grants (provided they had revenues of at least $75,000 in 2019), while Arvada and Golden have specifically excluded them. That’s a source of frustration for Arvada resident Samantha Schultz, who owns a travel agency called Plan Your Perfect Vacation that she runs out of her home.

The number of new COVID-19 cases in Jeffco has continued to be elevated from recent lows for the third straight week, leaving the county farther away from a potential loosening of restrictions. In his last public health update to the county commissioners, retiring Jefferson County Public Health Executive Director Mark B. Johnson told them on Sept. 29 that Jeffco has slipped from having about 300 cases in a two-week period to well over 600. “It’s rather disappointing,” said Johnson who noted the county’s numbers are approaching where they were during the county’s last case spike in mid-July. “We believe that reopening the schools did have an impact but I believe that as we look at the numbers it has more to do with our lack of discipline around the Labor Day period where I think we again had people traveling and going to parties and barbecues where they tend to take down their guard a bit and take down their masks a little more and get closer to loved ones,” he added. Johnson also said that while cases are up, the county is also seeing a rise in positive test rates. There also seems to be spikes in hospitalizations and deaths, although Johnson noted that those spikes so far seem to be controlled. Another source of good news is that there has not appeared to be much COVID-19 transmission in the county schools,

SEE BUSINESS, P2

SEE COVID, P8

Volunteer Steven Benoy working hard at Benefits in Action’s Day of Food Delivery. PHOTO BY BOB WOOLEY

Home-based business denied COVID-19 grant assistance BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its seventh month, it’s no secret that all sorts of businesses are struggling. But while many of those struggles are easy to see in the loss of a favorite restaurant or an increasing preponderance of vacant spaces around town, some Jeffco residents say the worry the struggles faced by their businesses are going both

Elevated Jeffco COVID-19 case numbers keeping restrictions in place

unseen and unacknowledged by the cities they call home, particularly when it comes to the disbursement of grants and other aid funds to businesses looking for help to stay afloat. In the last few weeks, the cities of Arvada, Golden and Lakewood have all launched new rounds of their programs that provide community businesses the opportunity to apply for grants that will cover losses of revenue resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | CALENDAR: PAGE 14 | SPORTS: PAGE 29

ELECTION 2020

Before you vote, check out our election guide, which includes Q&As with the candidates

PAGES 15-26


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Jeffco Transcript 1008 by Colorado Community Media - Issuu