August 27, 2015
THIS WEEK IN
VOLUME 14 | ISSUE 32
LIFE
LOCAL
How new digital technologies are changing etiquette.
Page 12
LoneTreeVoice.net D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
DOUGLAS COUNTY SCHOOLS
Safety touted as top priority Board meeting features review of five-year plan By Mike DiFerdinando mdiferdinando@colorado communitymedia.com
A.J. Doonan, of Papa Bear Catering, took third place in the competition. Photos by Shanna Fortier
Big crowd gets a Taste 50 eateries take part in Castle Rock event By Shanna Fortier sfortier@coloradocommunitymedia.com
T
he line to enter the Taste of Douglas County stretched up the steps and into the parking lot at the Douglas County Event Center before the event opened at 5 p.m. Aug. 20 The event in Castle Rock featured 50 eateries, including Douglas County favorites Pegasus on the Square and the Old Stone Church Restaurant, along with new trends, such as Twisted Cream, an alcohol-infused ice cream shop in Parker. “We try to do this every year,” said Steven Carlson, a 15-year Castle Rock resident. “My wife found out yesterday that the Taste was on, so she got tickets today and we got down here quick as we could.”
Above, Kate and Cody Wilson, of Kneaders Bakery and Cafe, serve food samples. The eatery will open in October in Castle Rock. At left, among other things, Pegasus on the Square served a bite-sized play on surf and turf.
Taste continues on Page 9
The Douglas County School District says safety is its top priority. During a review of the district’s fiveyear plan at its Aug. 18 board meeting, Douglas County Schools addressed the measures the district has taken in recent years to provide more security for students, teachers and staff. “We recognized that is absolutely our number one priority in the district, and we wanted Fagen to be transparent about it in as much of a way as we could, given the nature of safety,” Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen said. In 2009, school radios couldn’t communicate with first responders, the district had no student tracking or bus accountability, and school buildings were primarily guarded by a simple buzzer system. “In the past, in order to track where our students were on the buses was a very clumsy manual process,” said Thomas Tsai, the school district’s chief operating officer. Today, a GPS tracking system on buses allows students and vehicles to be located 24/7, and the schools’ Marshall Program partners with local law enforcement to help protect students and staff. The Marshall Program costs the district $674,000. The district also now has the technology to communicate instantly with local first responders. During the safety presentation, the district played a video with Dave and
Security continues on Page 9
Hooters restaurant opens in Lone Tree Eatery launches in time for football season By Mike DiFerdinando mdiferdinando@coloradocommunitymedia.com The new Lone Tree Hooters restaurant opened its doors just in time for football season. Hooters now occupies the former TGI Fridays site on the corner of Yosemite Street and County Line Road. “We just want people to know that we’re here and we’re open,” said general manager Ashley Singer. “Come out for Broncos games and football games. We’ll be open.” According to Singer, the restaurant has hired more than 60 new employees. Hooters is a national chain famous
for its chicken wings and “Hooters Girls,” waitresses who are typically young and lightly attired. Hooters is based in Atlanta and includes more than 430 locations in 28 countries. The first Hooters opened in 1983 in Clearwater, Florida. The restaurant is located across County Line Road from Centennial’s Willow Creek subdivision, and it is closer to those homes than to any in Lone Tree. Two petitions opposing the establishment’s moving into the area were circulated in Centennial earlier this year, gathering 198 signatures in an attempt to stop the restaurant from being granted a liquor license. Ultimately, the Lone Tree City Council decided that Hooters met all of the required guidelines for approval. Lone Tree Hooters Inc. has signed a 10-year lease for the site.
Hooters has opened a new location at the corner of Yosemite and County Line Road in Lone Tree. Photo by Mike DiFerdinando