Lakewood sentinel 0725

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Sentinel Lakewood

Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 89, Issue 50

July 25, 2013

A Colorado Community Media Publication

ourlakewoodnews.com

Mayor attends White House event Invite, speech from First Lady about importance of keeping fit By Clarke Reader

creader@ourcoloradonews.com Lakewood Mayor Bob Murphy attended a White House event at the invitation of First Lady Michelle Obama, in recognition of the city taking part in the Let’s Move! Cities, Towns and Counties program. “The trip was wonderful, and it was really inspiring,” Murphy said. “The first lady came in and gave a really rousing speech.” Murphy said the speech event was pretty intimate, with only about 40 to 50 people

representing cities from all over the country. According to Murphy, Obama said that 330 cities have decided to take part in the Let’s Move! Cities, Towns and Counties Program, which represents around 60 million people. “This program is the Let’s Move initiative combined with the National League of Cities (NLC),” said Allison Scheck, marketing and community relations with Lakewood. Murphy said that Obama shared some pretty alarmMurphy ing statistics about the dangers that poor diets can pose to people. Some of the statistics were in the area of life expectancy, which Murphy said isn’t something that gets discussed much.

“We saw a study on disease and health from the University of Washington which said that diets low in fruits, nuts, and seeds and high in sodium were the most important risk factor for premature death and disability,” he said. “After dietary risks came tobacco smoking, high body mass index, high blood pressure, high fasting plasma glucose, physical inactivity and alcohol.” Murphy said information like that really helped to impress him, and other representatives in attendance, with the importance of the Let’s Move! Initiative. He said that while Jefferson County is doing pretty well nationwide, it’s still important to get children started early. “Getting to be with our national peers and see what they’re doing was really fascinating,” Murphy said. “I think it was noticed that Lakewood was there representing Colorado.”

Details Goals of let’s Move! Cities, towns and Counties initiative Goal i: Start Early, Start Smart: Promoting best practices for nutrition, physical activity, and screen time in early care and education settings; Goal ii: My Plate, Your Place: Prominently displaying MyPlate in all municipal or county venues where food is served; Goal iii: Smart Servings for Students: Increasing participation in school breakfast and lunch programs. Goal iv: Model Food Service: Implementing healthy and sustainable food service guidelines that are aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans; Goal v: Active Kids at Play: Increasing opportunities for physical activity.

Mosquitoes found with west nile

Jeffco residents urged to show awareness and caution By Clarke Reader

creader@ourcoloradonews.com

The “Create” exhibit at the Lakewood Cultural Center features the work of instructors and students from Washington Heights Arts Center. This piece is titled “Paper Bowls” by Susan M Zinanti.

Creations from the Center New art show highlights Washington Heights By Clarke Reader

creader@ourcoloradonews.com

T

he artists and instructors at the Washington Heights Arts Center have a chance to shine in a new exhibit at the Lakewood Cultural

Center. “Create: Discovering the Art Within” show will be on display through Aug. 30 in the Mezzanine Gallery in the Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway. The gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The show is made up of works in paper-making, pottery and threadwork from instructors at Washington Heights, 6375 West 1st Ave., and their students. “One of our goals is to get more people thinking about how they can create their own art,” said Lorene Joos, arts curator with the city. “We want to inspire people to look for

their own creativity, and Washington Heights is a great place to do that.” A show focusing on work from Washington Heights is not an annual occurrence, but rather something that happens every couple of years to show off new things happening at the center. “Washington Heights is so welcoming to people, and it’s just a great place to learn,” Joos said. Washington Heights director Jim Olson said artwork is always on display at the center, but since it doesn’t get as many visits as the cultural center, the show is a good chance for people to see some of the work coming from Washington Heights. “The works on display come from this summer’s classes, and we have wall pieces and more three-dimensional ones,” Olson said. “We tried to get a mix in all the Center continues on Page 20

This piece made of clay is titled “Noah’s Wife” by Brenda Jones. Courtesy photos

Two mosquitoes from different traps in Lakewood have tested positive for West Nile virus in the past two weeks. Several other jurisdictions across the state have also had positive tests for the virus, and so the city and county are urging citizens to be aware of the potential danger. “West Nile is something that is probably here to stay,” said David Volkel, environmental specialist with Jefferson County Public Health. “It’s not going away, and so we need people to be aware of this and act accordingly.” Jeffco Public Health maintains surveillance of mosquitoes with traps all over the county, which are checked weekly to see if any mosquitoes caught carry any diseases. According to Volkel, mosquitoes are drawn to standing water — from bird baths to rainwater collected in an upside down Frisbee — as places to lay their eggs, which only increases the number of bugs. There are four “D”s that people are encouraged to keep in mind: drain any standing water; dusk and dawn are when mosquitoes are most active and extra precautions should be taken during those times; dress in long-sleeves and pants; DEET or other repellents should be used on exposed skin. Drew Sprafke, regional parks supervisor, said parks like Bear Creek Lake Park and other wetland areas will have a much higher concentration of mosquitoes, and people should make use of repellent and skin-covering clothing if they’re going to be visiting these parks around dusk or dawn. West Nile has been an issue in Colorado ever since what Volkel called “the original year” of 2003, when the disease was at its worst. Since then the cases have lowered considerably, but there always a few every year. “We had a pretty wet April, and with the recent showers that we’ve had this July, it’s likely we’ll see more mosquitoes around,” Volkel said. For more information, visit http://jeffco.us/public-health.

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