Parker Chronicle 1218

Page 1

December 18, 2020

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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO

A publication of

ParkerChronicle.net

INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 11 | VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | SPORTS: PAGE 23

VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 5

Outbreaks rock county’s assisted-living facilities Coroner begging residents to wear masks as vulnerable populations weather pandemic BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Dale Trujillo, owner of the Blu Note Bar & Grill in Parker, leads customers to the restaurant’s outdoor patio Dec. 4.

PHOTOS BY NICK PUCKETT

Parker saloon, music venue to open in spring Wild Goose Saloon to host local and major-touring artists BY NICK PUCKETT NPUCKETT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A western-themed bar and barbecue joint poised to host nationally touring musicians is scheduled to open in the Hilltop area of Parker this spring. The Wild Goose Saloon will open in April, owner Dale Trujillo said Dec. 4. Trujillo, who also owns Blu Note Bar & Grill, envisions the

bar to compete with music venues throughout Denver. Trujillo refutes any comparisons of his new restaurant to the Grizzly Rose. However, the veteran restaurateur wants the Wild Goose to compete regionally to book popular country, folk and bluegrass artists touring through town. He even has his own mechanical bull. The Wild Goose will have a bigger kitchen than the Blu Note and will serve mostly barbecue dishes. Construction began at the project site, at 11132 and 11160 S. Pikes Peak Drive, Dec. 7. The Wild Goose Saloon will open SEE SALOON, P20

NEW TRADITIONS Families find new ways to celebrate the holidays

P14

Dale Trujillo, owner of the Blu Note Bar & Grill and the soon-to-open Wild Goose Saloon, both in Parker, sees restrictions on indoor dining caused by the pandemic as an opportunity to improve upon other aspects of his businesses.

Douglas County Coroner Jill Romann sat in her office with Lauren Stockton, one of her certified death investigators, going down the list of recent pandemic victims who came through the office. “Seventy-eight, 89, 63, 92, 81, 82, 76, 79, 99, 93,” Romann said, reading Romann off their ages. The bulk of people from Douglas County to die of COVID-19 in recent weeks are older than 65 and coming from assisted living or specialized nursing facilities, Stockton said. State data shows there are nine active outbreaks at assisted living, skilled nursing and similar centers in the county, with at least 36 deaths across them. The data also shows that Douglas County nursing facilities are seeing their largest outbreaks yet amid the pandemic. “Our senior community is extraordinarily vulnerable to this disease. And I get questioned all the time, ‘Did they die of COVID or with COVID,’” Romann said. “It doesn’t matter if they died ‘of ’ or ‘with.’ They died because of COVID. Their life was shortened because of COVID and the question SEE COVID, P4

NOT READY FOR TIP-OFF Basketball is among the winter sports that will have a later start due to COVID-19 P23


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