FREE
March 25, 2021
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
SouthPlatteIndependent.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 22
VOLUME 76 | ISSUE 23
State to open bars in many counties ‘Dial 3.0’ to take effect March 24; state to make dial optional for counties by mid-April BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
from 90 in the same period the year before. The number of businesses closed or moved is likely incomplete, said city finance director Tiffany Hooten, because the city has no single mechanism to track the data. Instead, city staff cobble together the number from different sources, including tax remittances that stop coming in. Littleton’s sales tax revenue
After six months living under the state’s “dial” system of restrictions, Coloradans will soon see individual counties making the calls on what coronavirus precautions to enforce. On March 19, the state released a draft of the latest in a monthslong line of revisions to the COVID-19 dial. But this time, the state publichealth department announced its intention to retire the dial system: By April 16, the dial will become guidance, rather than an order, that counties can choose to adopt or not. The state’s color-coded COVID-19 dial is the set of restrictions counties must follow based on the local spread of the virus. The system affects capacity at restaurants, other businesses, indoor and outdoor events, and other settings. Colorado originally implemented the dial on Sept. 15. Among the dial’s six levels, blue — the current level of many counties
SEE BUSINESS, P9
SEE DIAL 3.0, P8
Hannah Savadkochi foams milk at Dirt Coffee Bar on March 19. The nonprofit coffee shop’s business is down by about half, said PHOTO BY DAVID GILBERT owner Lauren Burgess, but she’s optimistic about the future.
A year into COVID, cautious optimism for businesses Pace of business loss slowed from 2019, data shows; tax revenues not as bad as predicted BY DAVID GILBERT DGILBERT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The pace of new business creation in Littleton slowed since
PRSRT - STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID LITTLETON, CO PERMIT #70 EDDM POSTAL PATRON
the COVID-19 pandemic began to reshape life last March, but so did the pace of business loss. The City of Littleton issued 126 business licenses between the beginning of March 2020 and the same time this year, according to city data. That total was down from 162 in the same period the year prior, a decrease of 22.2%. But city officials say they’re only aware of 51 businesses closing or leaving Littleton from March to March during the pandemic, down
AIMING FOR THE TOP
High school sports teams compete for championships.
P22