LOCAL
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Mayor Noon focuses on ‘connections’ in State of City
2
FLEURISH
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Rollin’ Dreams celebrates 1st anniversary
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS Page
Covillo celebrates 40 years of excellence in landscape
Friends, family, colleagues and co-workers gathered April 9 for Rollin’ Dreams to honor and remember Austin Williams.
Centennial Mayor Cathy Noon said community resilience and connections made for the State of Our City during the past year.
Volume 32 • Number 22 • April 24, 2014
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Covillo Landscape has been providing communities with exceptional landscape architecture, construction and maintenance services for 40 years.
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Index
Page 5........................................ Opinion Pages 8-17.................................Fleurish Page 18....................... Service Directory Page 22................................. Classifieds TheVillagerNewspaper
Powder that closed school was cornstarch Hazmat team sent to Smoky Hill last week
By Peter Jones The 14-year-old student who brought a mysterious white powder to Smoky Hill High School last week had been intending to “blow a fireball” with cornstarch, according to an investigation by Aurora police. The boy has been suspended. No injuries were reported. The school was closed on April 18 after several students reported seeing the teenager bent over an open backpack trying to ignite the powder. Aurora police quickly arrived on the scene and took the boy into custody without incident. The school’s students and staff were evacuated to nearby Laredo Middle School and classes were dismissed early. The Aurora Fire Department’s Hazardous Material Team determined the powder was cornstarch, a nontoxic substance that has been used for fire breathing and other such fire tricks. The student suspect’s name has not been released because he is a juvenile. “Our investigation is continuing and we will decide next steps once it’s completed,” Cherry Creek Schools spokeswoman Tustin Amole said.
@VillagerDenver
Chase Bank robbed Tattooed suspect vanished after showing demand note
By Tom Barry A bank robbery on April 10 is the latest incident in a small uptick in significant crime in Greenwood Village that began Feb. 6 when two men dressed as Target employees choked an employee and got away with numerous boxes of expensive headphones. The typically quiet community has also experienced five recent home burglaries. Chase Bank, 5990 S. University Blvd. in Cherry Hills Marketplace, was robbed just minutes before closing at 6 p.m. The suspect was in the bank for several minutes before vanishing. Police responded within minutes, said FBI spokesman Dave Joly. The suspect captured on a surveillance camera is described as a Hispanic female in her 20s, approximately 5-foot-4 with a medium build. “She has tattoos of flowers on both sides of her neck and chest,” Joly said. “The suspect entered the bank, presented a demand note and fled.”
Crimes of opportunity
“We got there in a timely manner and made sure that no one was hurt, so that’s our first order of busi-
A street sign with an outdated Neighborhood Watch sign at South University Boulevard and Columbine Street stands across from the Chase Bank that was robbed April 10.
Photo by Tom Barry
ness,” said Greenwood Village Police Chief John Jackson, who noted that FBI has jurisdiction over bank robberies. Police officers searched the area to see if the suspect was still around. Such crimes may be a regular occurrence in larger cities like Denver and Aurora, but they are uncommon for the usually tranquil Greenwood Village. “A criminal is nothing more than an opportunist and they are going to seek a target that is comfortable to them,” Jackson said. “Criminals do not know any jurisdictional lines. … The best thing we can do is speak with our businesses and make sure
that their targets are hardened appropriately and that we’re assisting with a visual presence in the community. … We are very concerned about any crime that happens. We don’t see this as a trend or a spike in any one individual prime area.” Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force at 303629-7171 or remain anonymous and earn up to $2,000 by calling Crimestoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867). Bank robbery is punishable by a 20-year prison sentence for each offense and increases if a dangerous weapon is used.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic woman her 20s approximately 5 feet 4 inches with a medium build with tattoos of flowers on both sides of her neck and chest.
Photo courtesy of FBI
Centennial keeps ban on pot shops in place Ordinance also clarifies number of permitted plants
By Peter Jones Pot smokers may be able to buy marijuana in Colorado, but they won’t do it in Centennial – at least, not legally. City Council has unanimously approved banning the commer-
cial cultivation, manufacture and sale of all marijuana products in Centennial. That means the city’s temporary moratorium on marijuana businesses, including marijuana vending machines, will remain in place for the foreseeable future. Centennial had already prohibited medical-marijuana dispensaries and grow operations.
The same new ordinance also clarifies the city’s regulations regarding growing marijuana in Centennial homes, making it clear that the city’s 30-plant limit applies to the total number of plants in a residence, regardless of what number of them have been designated for recreational or medicinal use. The ordinance will have no im-
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pact on Centennial residents who choose to purchase marijuana legally outside the city and consume it in their own homes. Last week, City Attorney Robert Widner reiterated that the council’s decision had been based on months of public-opinion research. “You’re all aware of the outreach the city engaged in to basically See story on page 10
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