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The Bishops summit Mt. Kilimanjaro
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ENTERTAINMENT
Giddy-up to Western Welcome Week
Tom Bishop and wife Trinda Bishop made it up the steep slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds to help alleviate poverty.
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Littleton’s Western Welcome Week, Aug. 8-17, offers a little bit of everything, including the Grand Parade on Aug. 16.
Volume 32 • Number 36 • July 31, 2014
www.villagerpublishing.com
LOCAL
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Cherry Hills spruces up for BMW Championship
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Cherry Hills Country Club is enhancing parts of the property in preparation for the prestigious 2014 BMW Championship, Sept. 1 – 7.
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Index
Page 4........................................ Opinion Pages 9-20.................................Fleurish Pages 21-24.................................Legals Page 25................................. Classifieds TheVillagerNewspaper
Adams sheriff explains inmate rejections Arapahoe County housing refused prisoners
By Peter Jones Adams County Sheriff Doug Darr is answering questions about a 3-year-old controversial policy that has effectively landed more of Aurora’s municipal offenders in the Arapahoe County jail – specifically those from the Adams County side of the three-county city. As a result of the ongoing policy, last month the City of Aurora and the Arapahoe Sheriff’s Office inked a deal for that county’s jail to accept a limited number of municipal inmates from Adams County. The move was prompted by Darr, who in the face of a budget crisis in 2011 significantly limited the number of nonviolent municipal offenders his county’s jail would accept. Just since May 2014, the jail has reportedly rejected as many as 150 potential inmates from north Aurora. Continued on page 5
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Broncos team shaken by Bowlen announcement ‘It’s not about me …’ team’s owner tells wife
By Tom Barry Last week, Denver Broncos fans were anticipating learning about this year’s training camp and the media were looking forward to a barbecue lunch and interviewing Coach John Fox and some of his players. Instead, on July 23, all woke up to news that Annabel Bowlen had publicly shared that her husband Pat, the Broncos’ team owner and Cherry Hills Village resident, had been suffering with Alzheimer’s and was relinquishing his management of the team. “As many in the Denver community and around the National Football League have speculated, my husband, Pat, has very bravely and quietly battled Alzheimer’s disease for the last few years,” Annabel said in a public statement. “He has elected to keep his condition private because he has strongly believed, and often said, ‘It’s not about me.’ Pat has always wanted the focus to be solely on the Denver Broncos and the great fans who have supported this team with such passion during his 30 years as owner.” Annabel said her family was deeply saddened that Pat’s health Continued on page 5
An emotional Joe Ellis fields reporters’ questions after it was announced that he would be the handpicked successor to Pat Bowlen, owner of the Denver Broncos. Photo by Tom Barry
Elway reflects on Pat Bowlen Longtime friends both live in Cherry Hills Village
By Tom Barry A visibly shaken and emotional John Elway faced one of the most publicly challenging times of his life last week – not on the football field, but at a press conference talking about his exceptionally close friend, Denver Broncos team owner Pat Bowlen. On the morning of July 23, Bowlen’s wife announced that her husband had been battling Alzheimer’s and would be stepping down as CEO. Most of the beat reporters who cover the Broncos had never seen the emotional side of Elway, who is usually cool, calm and collected, whether as quarterback or serving as a top Broncos executive.
a gentle, greathearted man, reAn emotional ally a very givJohn Elway ing person that shares his is sometimes thoughts on misunderstood his mentor and because of his close friend nature and his Pat Bowlen. shyness. But he Photo by truly is a treTom Barry mendous guy to be around, and not only is he a tremendous boss, but I look at him too as a tremendous “This place will never be the friend. So I hope he can be around same. I can say that at least from here as much as possible.” the inside out, it’ll never be the Holding back tears throughout same,” Elway said. “He always the long press conference, Elway wanted to know what happened said, “Pat has been a mentor. He’s and what we thought about the been someone that I’ve looked up game. He was a guy that I was able to and I wouldn’t be anywhere to spend a lot of time with. … He’s close to where I am today if it
wasn’t for Pat Bowlen. Other than his family, [the Broncos] was the most important thing to him in his life and we’re going to continue to take care of it as if he was still here, and we’ll always be here. When he’s not here, he’ll still be here in soul.” Elway said he hoped the bronze bust of Bowlen would eventually be next to his in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “He’s been an integral part of the growth of the NFL in the last 30 years, so that would be the best thing that could ever happen,” the two-time Super Bowl quarterback said. When asked about his interest in owning the Broncos, Elway said, “That family owns the Broncos. Pat Bowlen still owns the Broncos. We have total respect for that. They’ve hired me to run the football operations and I’m thrilled to do that. I work for Pat still — as well as the Bowlen family, and I’m going to continue to do that.”