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August 5, 2021
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
JeffcoTranscript.com
VOLUME 38 | ISSUE 2
Helping cats and kittens find home Morrison-based fostering organization adopted out 700 cats in first year BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, animal shelters nationwide had to act quickly to find foster homes to house their animals. But in that temporary response to a crisis, Morrison resident and longtime shelter volunteer Cari Dicke saw an opportunity to do things better permanently. “We had these cats who had been in the shelter for years and suddenly we put them into a home and they blossom and they are these great cats,” said Dicke. “So we thought why don’t we start a rescue where everything is done from a foster home and that way the cats and kittens never have to set food in a shelter and are never in a cage.” So in July of 2020, Dicke and three other women who live in the Denver area and had been involved SEE CATS, P5
District releases new guidelines for beginning of school year STAFF REPORT
ley- and front-loaded versions. The 37.4-acre property is located southwest of the intersection of Turkey Creek Road and West Quincy Avenue. The site is currently zoned for a mix of agricultural, commercial and residential uses, including a maximum of 340 multifamily units and businesses such as restaurants, convenience stores and carwashes. However, the
On July 30, the Jeffco School district released updated COVID protocols for the start of the 2021 school year requiring students ages 3 to 11 to wear masks in all schools while indoors. The new guidelines take effect Aug. 17, the first day of the fall semester. The district’s policy aligns with updated advice from Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH), recommending all people return to wearing masks indoors regardless of vaccination status due to substantial transmission rates of COVID-19 and the highly infectious nature of the Delta variant. Once a student becomes fully vaccinated (currently eligible at age 12 or older) masks are recommended, but not required. Despite nearly 74% of people 12 and older in Jefferson County having received at least one COVID vaccine, the district’s message to families is that safety and keeping students in school are their primary concerns. The district’s communication to families said JCPH has indicated that they will strictly enforce quarantine guidelines for COVID
SEE REZONING, P8
SEE SCHOOLS, P4
Cari Dicke bottlefeeds one of two rescued kittens that came to her with a neurological disease last month.
PC supports rezoning for 285 homes near C-470 and 285 Project calls for a mix of single-family and townhomes BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
During a vote held on July 28, Jeffco’s planning commission unanimously voted to recommend that
Masks for under-12 Jeffco students
the county commissioners approve a request to rezone a property just south of the intersection of C-470 and Highway 285 to allow 285 homes to be built on it. Representatives of Arvada-based home builder Remington Homes told the board they want to build a new development called Three Hills that would consist of 285 residential units. Those units would be a mix of townhomes and detached single-family homes, with both al-
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 27
NEW PLACES TO PLAY New breed of entertainment centers offer food, brews, fun P16