April 30, 2015 VOLU M E 1 0 | I S SUE 48
ArvadaPress.com A publication of
J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
Shooting puts one in hospital, one in jail Arvada woman held on attempted murder charges By Crystal Anderson
canderson@colorado communitymedia.com While working on a landscaping project off Simms Street, Hugo Navarro and his coworker say they heard three gunshots. Immediately following, a woman came running out of the neighboring house, screaming into her phone. “There was something wrong with her … She was sounding drunk,” Navarro said. At 1:30 p.m., the Arvada Police Department received a call allegedly from LaVern Thibodeaux, stating she had shot a man inside her Thibodeaux home at 6810 Simms Court. A house guest, Eddie Goodwin, was taken to a nearby hospital with serious gunshot wounds. Police say he is expected to survive. “He looked young and his head was all bloody and his leg,” Navarro said.
Talks eye grievance panels, teacher schedules
Police vehicles surround a home in the 6800 block of Simms Court following an April 21 afternoon shooting between two individuals in the home. Photo by Crystal Anderson Thibodeaux is being held at the Jefferson County Jail during the investigation for attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault. Eyewitnesses at the scene said the woman was acting crazily, running from the
house and yelling in an odd state of panic or being scared, when the incident occurred. According to the Jeffco County Assessors, the house belongs to LaVern and Daniel Thibodeaux. “I talked to my neighbors, and they had
her in handcuffs, on the ground,” said Josh Howell, a resident of the home adjacent to the Thibodeaux’s. “I know her son, he was really quiet, we play baseball together … She was really broken up, they said she didn’t feel right.”
‘I’M REALLY GRATEFUL’
Next negotiations set for first Monday in May By Crystal Anderson
canderson@colorado communitymedia.com In their April 20 meeting, negotiators for the Jefferson County School District and the Jefferson County Education Association furthered discussions around grievance committee structures and teacher schedules. “Collaboration at both the district and the school level is going to become a cornerstone for the new framework of this agreement,” said Jim Branum, a member of the district’s negotiating team. “Hopefully, an evolution in behavior throughout the district where people are coming together as respected professionals to work out differences in the best interests of students.” The conversations centered around finding a solid, streamlined and collaborative grievances process for teachers, principals and school and district staff that allows for all parties to find and feel comfortable with a resolution. Along with that, the sides disagreed on how those committees should be structured, as well as how teacher schedules should be laid out. The district advocated for a minimalistic approach, while union representatives wanted more detail to be written into the contract. “There has to be clear expectations and clear parameters around some of the scheduling so everybody’s on the same page, so it doesn’t create these gray areas,” said Barb Aswege, a North Arvada Middle School seventh- and eighth-grade social studies teacher and union negotiator. Negotiations will continue through May. The next meeting will be 4-8 p.m. on Monday, May 4, at the Jefferson County Education Center, 1829 Denver West Drive, Golden.
Arvada resident, Connor Randall, stands among a group of six organ and tissue transplants, and former Colorado Rockies player, Vinny Casstilla, on Coors Field. Photos by Crystal Anderson
Pitching for life at ballpark Arvada organ recipient advocates for donation By Crystal Anderson
canderson@coloradocommunitymedia.com As a small child, Arvada double-heart recipient, Connor Randall, 22, believed the purple and white CR letters painted on the grass at Coors Field represented his initials. Today, he no longer believes that. He says being on the field, connecting those memories, is just as special. Born with cardiomyopathy, an underdeveloped heart muscle, Randall was put on the waiting list for a new heart. After three months, he received a heart, which 13 years later began to be rejected by his body, forcing him back on the organ transplant waiting list. A year later and days away from death, Randall received his third heart, and is living today thanks to two special donors. “I’m not just living for myself, I’m living for someone else — two other people,” Randall said. “Being a two-time heart transplant recipient, I’m really grateful.” On April 25, Randall and five other Colorado transplant recipients stood on the grass at Coors Field to raise awareness for organ and tissue donation and share their stories. Former
Double-heart transplant recipient, Connor Randall, stands with Donor Alliance spokesperson and former Colorado Rockies player, Vinny Castilla, on Coors Field prior to the April 25 game. Rockies player and organ-donation supporter Vinny Castilla, spokesman for the Colorado and Wyoming organ procurement and tissue bank, was also in attendance. Ballpark continues on Page 23