Westminster Window 051922

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Week of May 19, 2022

ADAMS & JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO

A publication of

WestminsterWindow.com

VOLUME 77 | ISSUE 30

More Coloradans are vaccinated than ever BY JOHN DALEY COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO

Lakewood defender Elsa Homer, center, tries to slow down Legacy’s Paige Armstrong as Tiger teammate Katarina Garcia assists during a CHSAA 5A opening round playoff game at Five Star North Stadium May 10. The Lightning won easily 10-0. PHOTO BY STEFAN BRODSKY See more photos on page 14.

Front Range Community College names next president BY LUKE ZARZECKI LZARZECKI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Dr. Colleen Simpson will take the reins of Front Range Community College as its next president after current President Andy Dorsey retires Aug. 1. She will be FRCC’s first Black president and the second Black woman president in the Colorado community college system, according to a news release. “It’s an incredible honor,” she said. Prior to landing in Colorado, Simpson was the administrator for retention and student success, academic affairs at Bronx Community College within the City University of New York system and vice president of student services and regional learning centers at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. In her past roles, she’s focused on removing

barriers for students wanting to go to college, and she plans to continue that work. “We want to make sure that all students have access and opportunity,” she said. Some of those barriers can be financial or based on academic backSimpson grounds. She hopes that any applicant who is accepted to FRCC will end up graduating and earning a family-sustainable wage. Removing barriers will create a more inclusive environment, she said. “Everyone has their own lived experiences and so how do you ensure that everyone has worth within the journey?” she said. “Whether it’s the person

INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 9 | VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | SPORTS: PAGE 14

SEE FRONT RANGE, P2

Nearly three out of four Coloradans older than 5 are now fully immunized with two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the state’s vaccination dashboard. That’s higher than the national average, which is about 66 percent, according to the New York Times, and puts Colorado at 16th highest among the 50 states. Colorado recently topped a total of 4 million people who had gotten at least two doses, according to the state health department. More than half of all residents got the first two shots, plus a booster. Colorado’s progress on the vaccination front comes at another uncertain point in the pandemic. The latest wildly transmissible variant — BA.2.12.1 — has infected increasing numbers of people in the state and around the country. But many of the tools to limit spread have been dropped, and surveillance and reporting of coronavirus trends are less robust than earlier in the pandemic. Those younger than 5 are still not eligible though approval could come soon. The Food and Drug Administration issued a timetable last month for a decision about authorizing a COVID-19 vaccine for the youngest children in the U.S. It said June 8 is the earliest date it’ll present data to outside advisers for a recommendation. Getting vaccinated helps prevent severe illness, said Dr. Jon Samet, dean of the CU School of Public Health. “One thing that’s clear is if you had the first two shots, get the third,” he said. “There’s some data from Israel that that fourth shot helps, at least for a while.” COVID is ‘mixed bag’ in Colorado The latest COVID-19 data in Colorado is a decidedly mixed bag. SEE COVID, P5

THE LURE OF FLY FISHING

South Platte a great spot for anglers P12


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