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October 13, 2016 VOLUM E 128 | IS S UE 1 2 | 75¢
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‘People’s moods this year are very different’ Unpopular candidates and a polarized electorate typify 2016 presidential race By Tom Skelley tskelley@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Steve Nolan of Grist Brewing Company pours beer and chats with festival-goers at Great American Beer Festival on Oct. 8. Nolan said taking part in the Meet the Brewers portion of the event helps smaller brewers get the word out. Photo by Kyle Harding
South metro brewers hold their own Breweries from area are well-represented at Great American Beer Fest
By Kyle Harding kharding@coloradocommunitymedia.com For newer breweries, like Littleton’s Locavore Beer Works, partaking in the Great American Beer Festival was a
chance to market its offerings to beer drinkers who might not know of the many options south of Denver. “Our green chile has probably been the most popular,” Locavore co-owner Andy Nelson said. He was referring to the brewery’s Heisenberg Green Chile Pale Ale. Locavore Beer Works was among a bevy of breweries from Littleton, Highlands Ranch, Centennial, Lone Tree,
Castle Rock and Parker that participated in the Great American Beer Festival, held Oct. 6-8 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. About 800 brewers from across the country, including more than 100 from Colorado, took part. Last year, 3 Freaks Brewery brought its staple beers to the national fest. But last week, the Highlands Ranch brewery showed off a different side. Brewers continues on Page 2
LPS teachers take time to look for answers Blocks of time let educators analyze data, strategize
By Kyle Harding kharding@coloradocommunitymedia.com In Littleton Public Schools, teachers and administrators want to know the answers to four questions:
What is essential for students to learn? How will we know when each student has learned it? How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning? How will we respond when a student already knows it? To answer those questions, teachers take part in professional learning communities. The district has set aside two hours 10 times a year for them to gather
and analyze data and discuss problems and solutions. The district began using professional learning communities in 2004, when they were a relatively new concept in education. “At that time, PLCs were relatively new,” Superintendent Brian Ewert said.
Dorothy Dhooge, 82, has watched a lot of election cycles come and go, but this year’s presidential race may be the most divisive she’s seen. Dhooge, an Arapahoe County resident, said the tension has caused her to avoid talking politics with some of her own family members. “We steer clear Don’t miss of it,” she said, Colorado Community adding that she Media’s guide to the 2016 local and state thinks the divielections in next sions run beyond week’s edition. just her own family. “I think it’s split people in the country.” Kyle Saunders says she’s right. “It’s no wonder people feel that there’s a little more hate, it’s no wonder that people feel that society’s a little more on edge,” said Saunders, a political-science professor at Colorado State University since 2004. “It’s because it is.” “Basically what we are seeing is a reflexive dislike for somebody on the other side, and the fear that goes along with that,” Saunders said. Pundits, pollsters and people on the street have all pointed to this year’s election as the most polarizing in recent history. Some blame the divide on the candidates themselves, some on their disparate approaches to government. Whatever the cause, the effect has been evident at the national level for months. As November nears, the rift has become more and more evident to south metro Denver residents.
Teachers continues on Page 18
COMING NEXT WEEK: ELECTION GUIDE
Election continues on Page 7
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