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March 14, 2014 Douglas County, Colorado | Volume 12, Issue 20 A publication of
parkerchronicle.net
Suspect in carjackings arrested Ryan Stone apprehended in northern Douglas County By Jane Reuter and Chris Michlewicz Staff writers
A multi-county, high-speed chase during which a man carjacked and crashed several vehicles through the morning rush hour ended March 12 with the suspect’s arrest in northern Douglas County. Ryan Stone, 28, is suspected of eluding authorities for almost two hours before crashing a stolen silver sedan at Lincoln
Emergency personnel swarm the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Peoria Street after the suspect crashed this silver sedan, then attempted to take the dark gray wagon behind it before a sheriff ’s deputy blocked his escape. Photo by Jane Reuter
Avenue and Peoria Street at about 8:15 a.m. Even after crashing, the suspect ran to the vehicle he’d hit and attempted to get into it before a Douglas County Sheriff’s deputy blocked the second car with his paStone trol vehicle. Stone then fled on foot, nearly scaling a fence at the Windsor at Meridian apartments before officers apprehended him. Suspect continues on Page 12
District survey weighed School leaders say implementation must be carefully considered By Jane Reuter
jreuter@ coloradocommunitymedia.com
Bill Mackenzie, Jr., gets a laugh while telling stories at his dad’s 100th birthday party March 7 at the Life Care Center of Stonegate. Bill Mackenzie, Sr., was born the year World War I broke out. Photos by Chris Michlewicz
100 years and counting Parker resident celebrates Centennial birthday with family By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@ coloradocommunitymedia.com
E
veryone should be so lucky. Hitting the 100-year mark — it’s exceptionally rare. But experts anticipate that more people will reach their Centennial year as health awareness and medical care continue to improve. Anyone wishing to hit the milestone would be wise to take a cue or two from Bill Mackenzie Sr., who celebrated his 100th birthday at the Life Care Center of Stonegate in Parker March 7. Surrounded by the love of friends and family — including three children, five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren — Mackenzie listened as his son, Bill Jr., recounted tales from a storied life. Before the event, Bill Mackenzie Jr. put his dad’s longevity into perspective: he was born the year World War I broke out; he was 15 when the stock market
Bill Mackenzie, who turned 100 years old on March 7, smiles at his great-granddaughter, Emma, during a celebration with family and friends at the Life Care Center of Stonegate. crashed and vividly remembers life during the Depression; he was 49 when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Mackenzie was exactly three months shy of his 28th birthday when the United States entered World War II, and he longed for the opportunity to fly a plane
in combat on his country’s behalf. He was rejected by the Navy because of colorblindness, so he decided to earn his pilot’s license by going to a civilian flight school. The condition was overlooked by the Army Air Corps because of his friendship with a flight surgeon and Mackenzie was eventually accepted, although he was seen as a greater asset at home because there were “too many airplanes and not enough pilots,” Mackenzie Jr. said. Mackenzie Sr. got his commission as a flight instructor and trained hundreds of cadets, a perilous job that nearly cost him his life on more than one occasion. While his dad’s permanency could partly be attributed to luck, genetics is also a factor. Mackenzie Sr.’s father lived long into his golden years. Mental acuity is an equally-important component. “He has a very active mind,” Bill Jr. said. “Even at 100, he’s very attuned, he’s precise, he’s alert.” Reaching the age of 100, in fact, became Mackenzie Sr.’s goal when he turned 90. He still studies actuarial
Community members repeatedly have requested a return of the once-annual Douglas County School District parent and employee surveys. School board president Kevin Larsen recently said the idea is not off the table, but that it must be thoroughly examined. A parent survey has not been done since 2012, and DCSD discounted those results as too small to be statistically valid. Some parents believe the surveys are needed to gauge community satisfaction with the district’s policies and direction, and they again asked for their return during the March 3 Board Unplugged meeting at Parker’s Cimarron Middle School. “It’s something I think we could look at,” Larsen said after the meeting. “To just say we’re going to do a survey, I think that’s got to be very carefully considered. How do we do that so the results we get from it truly represent the whole community and have meaningful, valid results we can base some things on? It really needs to be cross sectional, representative of everybody’s viewpoints.” Larsen also noted the board was elected based on an education reform platform, and a survey’s results likely wouldn’t prompt a change in direction. He also said the key components of DCSD’s education reform — including pay-for-performance, the market-based pay scale and other policies — already are in place. “I don’t think we’re going to be dealing with so many changes,” he said. “We’re trying to just refine what we’ve already laid out.” Regardless, the Strong Schools Coalition is among many who continue to advocate for a survey. Coalition president Laura Mutton said she’d like to see separate surveys given to parents, students, DCSD employees and community members. “An election is not a survey,” she said. Survey continues on Page12
100 continues on Page 12
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