March 31, 2016
VOTE NOW!
VOLU ME 71 | ISSU E 2 1 | 50 ¢
SEE AD INSIDE FOR VOTING DETAILS
A DA M S C OU N T Y & J EF F ERS ON C OU N T Y, C OLOR A D O
A publication of
WestminsterWindow.com
Adams County college-bound rates in focus
DOWNHILL WITH DADDY
As county lags behind state average, districts strive to provide more resources, support By Jeremy Johnson jjohnson@coloradocommunitymedia.com The latest figures from the Department of Higher Education show Adams County’s college-bound student numbers pale in comparison to the slightly increasing state average. According to the Report on the Postsecondary Progress and Success of High School Graduates, 55.8 percent of the state’s 2014 high school students went straight into college following graduation, a figure higher than in 2013 but down about 3 percent from the record set in 2009. But as reported earlier this month by Chalkbeat Colorado, two of the 10 lowest metro-area rates came from districts — Adams 14 (Commerce City) and Westminster school districts — in Adams County. Rates continues on Page 4
Peyton Lowrey, 42, of Westminster, and his 3-year-old son Alex take advantage of a good old-fashioned Colorado spring snow March 26 at Cotton Creek Park in Westminster. Sunny skies prevailed Saturday after more than 30 inches fell March 23, followed by another half-foot a few days later. Winter storm Selene, the moniker for the first wave of weather that shut down much of the Front Range, passed through New England on March 25, according to a Weather Channel report. Photo by Stefan Brodsky
I-25 express lanes open for testing
Northglenn 11-year-old Katie Hurley receives the Girl Scouts Medal of Honor from Girl Scouts of Colorado President and CEO Stephanie Foote March 12 at the Denver Public Library, during the Girl Scouts’ 104th birthday celebration. Courtesy photo
Drivers’ test period to last through start of summer Staff report New northbound and southbound express lanes on North I-25 opened last week, the High Performance Transportation Enterprise and Colorado Department of Transportation announced. The lanes go to 120th Avenue from the existing central I-25 express lanes in Denver, which end at U.S. Highway 36. Travelers can drive in the lanes for free and learn how to use them while toll collection is waived during the testing period. Once testing is complete, drivers can opt for a bus ride, to pay a toll as a single driver or to carpool Lanes continues on Page 3
Girl Scout saves mother’s life Katie Hurley, 11, of Northglenn, honored for act of ‘maturity, bravery’ By Jeremy Johnson jjohnson@coloradocommunitymedia.com With her dad working a night shift and gone from their Northglenn home, 11-yearold Katie Hurley happened to be sleeping in her parents’ bed when her mother’s diabetes device began to beep. “The beeping noise woke me up and I saw that Mom had fallen out of bed,” Katie
later wrote in the application for the Girl Scout Medal of Honor, which she received earlier this month. “She was shaking and then I saw that her blood sugar was (low).” Summoning all the moxie she’d learned over six years with the Girl Scouts, Katie quickly called 911, poured her mother some Tropicana, put the dog out and comforted
Man killed, officer hurt in Thornton shooting Officer, wounded before man was killed, is recovering By Jeremy Johnson jjohnson@coloradocommunitymedia.com
A veteran Thornton police officer is home recovering from a shotgun wound inflicted by an Adams County man who died in the ensuing gunfire exchange, Thornton police said. The Adams County Coroner’s Office on March 25 identified the dead man as Daven Scott Hannu. Hannu’s address, according to voting records, was on East 81st Place near Sherman Street in unincorporated Adams County, less than a mile southwest of the shooting scene. The cause of Hannu’s death was multiple gunshot wounds. The wounded officer, a veteran of more than 30 years, was transported to a local hospital with multiple injuries but was listed in stable condition shortly after the accident. Thornton police declined to name the
Scout continues on Page 9
WESTMINSTER WINDOW (ISSN 1072-1576) (USPS 455-250) OFFICE: 8753 Yates Dr., Ste. 200, Westminster, CO 80031 | PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Adams and Jefferson County, Colorado, the Westminster Window is published weekly on Thursday by MetroNorth Newspapers, 8753 Yates Dr., Ste. 200, Westminster, CO 80031. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT WESTMINSTER, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Thurs. 12 p.m. | Classifieds: Mon. 2 p.m. | Obits: Mon. 2 p.m. | Legals: Thurs. 11 a.m.
Shooting continues on Page 8