Westminster 9-12-2013
September 12, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourwestminsternews.com
Adams County and Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 68, Issue 47
Banquet honors community heroes Winners
By Ashley Reimers
areimers@ourcoloradonews.com It was an evening of honor and recognition during the Sept. 6 Westminster Public Safety Recognition Foundation, WPSRF, annual awards banquet at the Westin Westminster. Throughout the event, 35 people were recognized for their courage and heroism in the acts of public safety in the community of Westminster. Whether it was a police officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician or a community resident, each story told during the banquet had the common theme of bravery and endurance in a time of need. “The foundation’s No. 1 goal is to honor our local heroes. We do that through the awards banquet,” said WPSRF chairwoman Betty Whorton. “The banquet is our way of showing our police officers, firefighters and any-
Fire CiTizen and OuTSTanding ServiCe award
POliCe meriTOriOuS ServiCe award
Debbie Cross, April Hastings, Jordan Lynch and Jared Scott
Nick Adams, Reed Giles, Matt Morgado, Matt Mueller and Deal Villano
Fire BuSineSS OuTSTanding ServiCe award
POliCe valOrOuS ServiCe award/PurPle hearT
Dr. Pete Vellman
Derek Rogers
Fire Career aChievemenT award
Fire liFeSaving award
Dennis Bishop and Randy Peterson
weSTminSTer CiTizen’S POliCe aCademy alumni aSSOCiaTiOn OFFiCer OF The year award Cheri Spottke
one who has stepped out to help someone else that we appreciate what they have done. It’s our way of saying thank you.” Of the winners was police officer Cheri Spottke, who was awarded the Westminster Citizen’s Police Academy Alumni Association Officer of the Year Award for her
Nolan Bailey, John Carr, JC Engdahl, Luke Gearhard, Jeromy Hill, Jake Lieser, Kurt Morris, Martine Perez, Joel Sherry, Ryan Slade, Dan Williams, Marc Boette, Bryan Cressman, Jim Gagliano, Brian Hard, Cory Hollingshead, Karen Morris, John O’Brien, Eric Roth, Chad Sigg and Courtney VanMarter
involvement in the Jessica Ridgeway case. She was the liaison to the Ridgeway family and spent every waking moment with the family during the tragedy last year. She still continues to support the family and has grown a very close relationship with the Ridgeway family.
A member of the Colorado Emerald Society Bagpipe and Drums performs during the Westminster Public Safety Recognition Foundation annual awards Banquet on Sept. 6 at the Westin Westminster. Over 30 people were recognized during the event. Photo by Ashley Reimers
Triple treat in schools District 50 continues improvement in state assessment tests Staff Report
State Sen. Pat Steadman, D-Denver, speaks on behalf of a marijuana tax ballot question at a Sept. 4 Capitol press conference. Photo by Vic Vela
Push is on to tap sales tax with legal pot Capitol rally urges voters to approve 25 percent levy By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com Supporters of a retail marijuana tax initiative held a Capitol rally on Sept. 4, urging Colorado voters to back pot sales taxes to ensure that the newly created industry “pays its own way.” The rally served as a campaign kickoff for Proposition AA, which will ask voters to give the go-ahead for retail pot to
be taxed at 25 percent this fall, with the revenue going toward school construction and support for industry regulation. Retail pot sales will soon become a reality in the state, thanks to last year’s voterbacked passage of Amendment 64. The Legislature passed pot regulations earlier this year, but voters still must decide whether they will support the taxes needed to fund retail marijuana rules. State Rep. Dan Pabon, DDenver, who played a key role in crafting Amendment 64 legislation, said that unless voters back the pot taxes this fall, “we will have to do one of two
things: Take money from education and other programs in Colorado to fund this industry, or we’ll have lackluster or lax enforcement,” “This campaign kickoff is to acknowledge and recognize to the people of Colorado that these taxes absolutely must pass,” Pabon said. Proposition AA will ask voters to approve a 15 percent excise tax and a 10 percent retail tax on marijuana sales. Revenue from the excise tax will go toward public school construction, while the money collected from the retail tax will back the regulations that were enacted by the Legislature.
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The 25 percent state tax does not include whatever local taxes might be imposed by individual municipalities. Brian Vicente, an architect of Amendment 64, said the taxes are expected to bring in about $70 million in revenue for the state. Vicente also reminded voters that only pot-smokers will be required to cough up the tax money. “This is a tax that really would only apply to people who choose to participate in regulated marijuana,” Vicente said. “Those who do not purchase marijuana will not be subject to this tax.” Pot tax supporters were asked whether they had concerns that competing tax questions on this year’s ballot could affect the passage of Prop AA — such as Initiative 22, which will ask voters to support more than $900 million in new taxes to overhaul the school finance system. “I think these issues will rise Pot continues on Page 22
The latest round of TCAP results show continuing academic improvement in District 50, which was the only metro district to show increases in student proficiency in math, reading and writing for three consecutive years. During the same three-year period, the number of students testing at the unsatisfactory level dropped in all three subject matters. Formal individual school and district ratings won’t be released by The Colorado Department of Education until December, but early data indicates that Westminster High School, Shaw Heights Middle School, Hodgkins Elementary and Metz Elementary will move from “Priority Improvement” to “Improvement” categories and Tennyson Knolls Elementary will move from “Improvement” to “Performance.” “The numbers and trend lines are encouraging and a reflection of our focus on rigor and accountability, but we still have a lot of work in front of us,” said Superintendent Pamela Swanson. In results released Aug. 14, the district showed improvement on 19 of the 27 testing categories for students across all grade levels. In addition, the scores, which also measure student growth over time, showed that for the first time “at-risk” students showed a higher growth rate than the student population as a whole. “That is significant,” said Oliver Grenham, chief education officer. “It shows that we are making real progress with our most challenging students and our commitment to competency for all students is paying dividends.” Last year District 50 also made significant improvements when the district moved from a “Turnaround District” to a “Priority Improvement District”. The district now has two years to move from the “Priority Improvement” category into either the “Improvement” or an accredited level like “Performance.” “Our trend of improvement is continuing,” Grenham said. “But given where we are with our achievement, we know we have to go above and beyond to get above the state average.”