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October 2, 2014 VO LUME 1 26 | IS S UE 1 0 | 7 5 ¢
LittletonIndependent.net
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Futurist addresses Economic Symposium Welcoming the millennials is a must, speaker says By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Meat cutters can stand for hours at a time in meat closets even colder than this skating rink. Photo by Jennifer Smith
Slicin’ on ice Master meat cutters show their chops at ice rink By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com
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Where’s the beef? In the very last place you’d look for it. On Sept. 23, 26 beefy guys were slicing, chopping and carving it up at South Suburban Ice Arena in Centennial, literally on the ice, in hopes that their mad knife skills would win them a trip to the warmer climes of Florida and a chance at $20,000. The event was the National Meat Cutting Challenge, part of the Meat Hero program that recognizes the Texas Roadhouse restaurant chain’s best meat cutters. Each contestant got 50 pounds of beef — two top butts, one tenderloin and one rib loin. The winner is determined by who yields the most steaks with the highest-quality cut in the least amount of time. “They have a lot of pride in what they do,” said Ben Davis, managing partner of the Texas Roadhouse in Monument, as he waited to find out how his two cutters fared.
They had 80 minutes, which is a long time to stand on an ice-cold floor. But it’s nothing compared to their everyday work. In an average year, according to a news release, they cut about $1 million worth of meat each, spending seven to eight hours a day in a 35-degree, walk-in cooler. “It takes a special person to sit in a cooler all day, and it’s really pretty physical work,” said Davis. “The experienced guys use all the time they have for this competition. Some of them actually have to try to go slow, because they’re used to cutting in their store where they have to be fast.” Diego Nunez, of Littleton, is one of those special guys. He grew up in Clear Creek County, so he knows all about freezing. “I snowboard all the time, so I’m used to the cold,” he said. Nunez, 22, took on the meat-cutting position three years ago to help support his wife and two small children while he attends Red Rocks Community College in pursuit of a career as a firefighter. “I love it,” he said. “The staff is great, and I get along with everyone great.” He said his approach to the competition was Meat continues on Page 10
The future is transitory, transient, intangible and coming at us faster than ever before, says David Houle, a self-described futurist who was the speaker during the City of Littleton’s third annual Economic Symposium. “If Littleton does nothing for a year, you are falling behind,” he said. Houle, who has a bachelor’s degree in art history, began speaking as a futurist in 2007 as he watched humanity struggle with what was to become known as the Great Recession on the heels of entering a new millennium that ushered out the information age in favor of what he calls the “shift age.” “There has never been this alignment in human history,” he said. “… The only constant in the universe is change.” The shift age, he said, is the result of technology changing the world at a faster rate than ever before. He believes this decade will be the bridge to a new day that will value learning over knowledge, liquidity over ownership, global perspective over national boundaries, acceptance over discrimination, intellectual property over power. “The old metrics don’t quite work anymore, and the new metrics are too hard to understand,” he said. How that translates for municipalities, he said, is that they should plan for the coming reality, when today’s older demographic will begin to be replaced with the millennials and their younger counterparts, the “digital natives.” He says they’ll place a higher value on equality and diversity and demand corporatism with a conscience. They’ll live in more populated cities and shop online more often. They’ll be prone to rent instead of own — even cars, with services like Lyft and Uber — and maybe even invest in portable houses that they can take anywhere they want “McMansions are over,” he said. He notes the baby boomers are showing Furure continues on Page 10
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Romanoff, Coffman spar in leadup to election Immigration, women’s issues among topics in debate By Vic Vela
vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com A lively 6th Congressional District debate on Sept. 23 resulted in some testy exchanges between two candidates locked in a tight race less than a month before voters begin receiving ballots in the mail. Republican Congressman Mike Coffman and former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, a Democrat, locked horns on issues that included the Affordable Care Act and entitlement and immigration reform during a Denver Post-hosted debate in downtown Denver. The two also sparred over women’s issues, which have played a big role in the campaign. Romanoff — who clearly was the more aggressive of the two throughout the night — called out Coffman for his prior support of personhood efforts, which would essentially ban abortion. Romanoff also blasted Coffman’s votes on issues that he believes have restricted women’s acDebate continues on Page 10
Congressman Mike Coffman, right, addresses Andrew Romanoff during a Sept. 23 6th Congressional District debate inside the Denver Post Auditorium. Photo by Vic Vela