CONGRATULAZIONI! Romano’s, a Littleton institution, hits halfcentury mark
CORRIDOR | PG 7
S O U T H
A WEEK TO REMEMBER
CATCH A WAVE
A Western Welcome to Littleton
Arapahoe County’s award-winning surf spot
LOCAL | PG 12-13
LOCAL | PG 20
M E T R O
VOLUME 35 • NUMBER 40 • AUGUST 24, 2017
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Greenwood Elementary fifth-graders gaze at the coast-to-coast total eclipse. The next time one of these continental solar events happens, these astral observers will be in their early 40s. See more photos on page 18.
! N U F Y L L A T O T Photo by Becky Osterwald
BY BECKY OSTERWALD MANAGING EDITOR
“Interesting.” “Cool and scary!” “I liked using the old-fashioned method!” “Exciting to see it change colors.”
“Fascinating! Usually, the sun is round, but it was just a sliver.” “Disappointing. I thought it would pitch black.” That’s how some of the fifthgrade students at Greenwood Elementary School in Greenwood Village described this
week’s total solar eclipse. Cherry Creek Schools provided students, faculty, staff and a few parent volunteers with approved eclipse glasses to view the big moment before the whole school gathered on the field Aug. 21 at 11:40 a.m. to watch the moon cover 93.2 per-
cent of the sun. Principal Darik Williams said a Solar Eclipse Committee, made up STEM teachers, had changed the schedule for the day so students wouldn’t be tempted to take a peek without the protective glasses. Williams said the eclipse was
a great way for students to experience science and put it into context. “It lets learning come alive,” he said. Students had already been shown a two-minute video, produced by the district, on safe viewing.
CDOT OKs toll dismissal during recent tanker fire I-25 traffic was diverted, toll free, onto E-470 as part of partnership
The Colorado Transportation Commission accepted E-470’s proposal last week to officially dismiss nearly $547,000 in highway tolls that had been waived for 16 and half hours, May 31 through June 1, during the tanker fire on I-25 in the Denver Tech Center area. During that period, traffic was detoured to E-470 while the Colorado Department of Transportation and emergency crews put out the fire and cleaned up and repaired I-25. Tolls were waived on E-470, in both the northbound and southbound directions, to help keep traffic flowing safely. As part of the agreement, the state commission will reimburse $6,503 in operating expenses to E-470. The amount includes E-470 staff time, its assistance with mes-
saging and traffic control and other services needed. “The partnership between E-470 and CDOT demonstrates the power of collaboration to work swiftly and decisively in a crisis, resulting in traffic and commerce moving safely through the Denver metro area during one of the worst incidents on I-25,” said Shailen Bhatt, CDOT’s executive director. According to the E-470 Public Highway Authority Board Chair Josh Martin, the board, composed of elected officials from each of the authority’s eight member governments, took an active role in the detour
analysis and the final decision to dismiss the net toll revenue loss of $546,703. Martin said, “E-470 was happy it could help its partner CDOT in this unprecedented event, ultimately improving safety and transportation for those impacted.”
The Colorado Transportation Commission has accepted E-470’s proposal to officially dismiss nearly $547,000 in highway tolls waived for 16 and half hours during the recent tanker fire on I-25 in the Denver Tech Center area.
File photo