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June 24, 2021
ADAMS & JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
WestminsterWindow.com
VOLUME 76 | ISSUE 35
Colorado Spaceport teams up for spaceplane Westminster water rates shot down
New Zealand maker inks deal for Colorado-based horizontal take-off spaceplane
Westminster City Council votes 5-1 to deny city water rate recommendations
BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A New Zealand aerospace company is joining the race to create a horizontal take-off and landing spaceplane that will fly from Colorado above the earth’s atmosphere and fly back down before landing on a runway. The Colorado Air and Spaceport signed a memorandum of understanding June 15 with Dawn Aerospace from Christchurch, New Zealand. James Powell co-founder of Dawn Aerospace and who works in New Zealand, joined Adams County Manager Raymond Gonzales remotely via Zoom to sign copies of the agreement. The copies had been signed ahead of time The new agreement will create a working relationship bewteen Dawn and the Spaceport as well as an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct test flights and spaceplane
BY LIAM ADAMS LADAMS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
traordinary companies like Dawn Aerospace, their type of technology launching horizontally using a typical airport runway that will open up many options and opportunities at Colorado Air and Spaceport. We are completely on board with this partnership. And we are excited to see what the future holds.” Powell said it’s a game-changing agreement for his company and for the entire industry. “This represents a really important step for our company and expanding our capability globally and leveraging the flight heritage
Westminster water and sewer rates won’t go up next year by 3.9 and 5.5. percent, respectively, Westminster City Council decided at a June 14 meeting. Five members of the city council voted against city staff’s recommendations for 2022 water rates, the subject at the center of a months-long political controversy. Mayor Anita Seitz was the only remaining supporter of the rate recommendations and when she realized that fact, she became emotional. Getting choked up, the mayor said before the formal vote was taken, “I’m also bound by my conscience to serve my community to the best of my ability,” Seitz said while choking up.
SEE SPACE PLANE, P2
SEE WATER, P6
Co-founder James Powell of Dawn Aerospace in New Zealand with the model spaceplane that will be developed as a reusable horizonal take-off and landing vehicle that COURTESY OF DAWN AEROSPACE will be tested and launched at Colorado Air and Spaceport.
launches from the Spaceporti in Watkins, just southeast of Denver International Airport. Gonzalez praised the agreement. “It truly has been a collaborative effort, and we’ve enjoyed getting to know this innovative company, their products, and people,” Gonzalez said. “It’s not only a partnership between Colorado Air and Spaceport and Dawn Aerospace, we have the full support of the Colorado Space Coalition and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade. “We look forward to furthering our place in the aerospace industry,” he added. “Partnering with ex-
The can and cannot of hate crimes Residents, police discuss problems, limits at Northglenn forum BY LIAM ADAMS LADAMS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Community members who have been victims of hate crimes said they want to see
more enforcement, while law enforcement professionals said they are limited in what they can do. That was the tension at a forum about hate crimes that the city of Northglenn and the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s office hosted June 10. “This guy has been harassing myself and the Muslim community for over seven years. And you’re telling me
INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 9 | VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | SPORTS: PAGE 13
there is nothing we can do about it,” said Ihsan Riahi, a panelist at the forum Masjid Ikhlas in Northglenn. Riahi and his fellow panelist Gerald Montour, founding assistant principal of the American Indian Academy of Denver, talked about their experiences with other audience members. Meanwhile, 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason, Northglenn Police Chief Jim May and FBI agent Kristen Varel reviewed laws related to hate crimes. Both sides were cordial, though there were differences between what one side wanted and what the other side felt like it’s able to provide. In one instance, Riahi said he wants to see law enforcement officials intervene more to stop a man who has protested Masjid Ikhlas, sent a letter to
17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason interacts with residents at a June 10 forum on hate crimes. Community members spoke about their experiences with hate crimes in Northglenn, both on a panel and during the event’s Q&A period. COURTESY OF 17TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
the mosque asking for money and is now suing Riahi. Meanwhile, Montour said there have been instances in which someone harassed him, and he feels that law enforcement didn’t properly follow up. “Today’s white privilege is evident. It’s evident in our school systems, it’s evident in our judicial systems, it’s evident in our city govern-
ment and it’s evident in our neighborhoods,” Montour said. May, Mason and Varel all reiterated at the forum they were committed to addressing hate crimes. After telling the audience what constitutes a hate crime, they encouraged residents to report them when they occur. SEE CRIMES, P4