Headlines — November 11, 2022

November 11, 2022

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Boulder Library District Gaining Lead In Vote Count

Unofficial vote totals now show support for a new library district in Boulder, Gunbarrel, Gold Hill, and Eldorado Springs by over 2,000 votes. 

If voters ultimately approve the measure, the Daily Camera reports annual residential property taxes will increase by $23.00 dollars for every $100,000 of home-owner values.  Commercial property owners will pay $98.00 for every $100,000 of property value. 

The companion measure before Boulder city voters, Issue 2C – titled as Repeal of Library Commission and Tax if Library District Created – currently shows a majority of support and will only go into effect if Issue 6C passes. 

Issue 2C asked Boulder City voters to release the current municipal control of the library system and city specified property taxes if Ballot Issue 6C passes.

Boebert Gains Lead Over Frisch

For statewide election news, current unofficial vote totals for the United States Congressional District 3 race show Republican incumbent Lauren Boebert leading by 1,122 votes over Democrat candidate Adam Frisch.

Boebert gained a lead over Frisch yesterday.

According to the Denver Gazette, several thousand votes still remain to be counted in the district and voters have until November 16th to cure any rejected ballots.

County clerks also are expecting an undetermined amount of ballots by military and overseas voters.

JeffCo Public Schools Closing 16 Elementary Schools 

The Board of Education of Jefferson County Public Schools unanimously approved Thursday to close 16 elementary schools because of decreased enrollment in the district.

According to the Denver Post, the closures will take place next year and will affect 2,400 children and 422 full-time staff.

Communities affected by the closures include Arvada, Lakewood, Littleton, Westminster, and Wheat Ridge.

The Denver Post reports that Jeffco Public Schools is experiencing one of the largest enrollment declines in the state and is also planning on closing secondary schools next year in order to complete a district consolidation plan. 

DPS Removes Five Schools From Closure List

Denver Public Schools announced a partial reversal of its recommended list of school closures Thursday by removing five schools from the initial recommended list of 10.

According to the Denver Post, the district’s proposal has drawn scrutiny from parents and community leaders because of a lack of community input. The Denver Post also reports all but one of the 10 initially recommended schools has a higher percentage of students of color.

The elementary schools no longer recommended for closure are Columbian, Palmer, Colfax, Eagleton, and Whittier K-8.

The DPS Board of Education will vote on the school closure plan at its November 17th meeting.

Colorado Board Of Education Approves Contested Social Studies Standards

The Colorado State Board of Education on Thursday approved social study standards that add back references to people of color and the LGBTQ community. The State Board removed language that referenced people of color and LGBTQ individuals from standard social studies curriculum following critical feedback from board members and the public in 2019 when a state bill passed that mandated more inclusion of more diverse views in social studies and history classes.

After pushback from both sides and years of debate, the board scrapped the standards. They have come back around and voted along party lines, 4-3.

According to the Denver Post, the passage of the social studies standards makes Colorado one of the first states to fully include marginalized groups and LGBTQ+ individuals in its social studies standards.

COVID-19 Cases Rise In Colorado Amid Flu And RSV Cases

Health officials are warning Coloradans that COVID-19 cases are on the rise.

The state’s epidemiologist, Dr. Rachel Herlihy, said more than 300 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state as of Tuesday afternoon, compared to around 200 last week

Earlier in the week, the Colorado Hospital Association announced that local hospitals plan to reactivate the transfer center -deactivated in March -that helped provide more beds for patients during the worst points of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Denver Post reports the transfer center is currently trying to manage children with RSV rather than adults with COVID-19.

Dr. Kevin Carney, associate chief medical officer at Children’s Hospital Colorado, told the Denver Post earlier in the week the hospital has set up a tent outside to care for less-severely ill kids when the emergency department is full and will send children with less-complicated conditions to adult hospitals.

Carney said the hospital is also planning on delaying non-emergency procedures, using flexible spaces for more beds and hiring short-term staff to manage the surge of patients.

Denver Archdiocese Recommends No Enrollment Of LGBTQ+ Youth 

The Denver Archdiocese has a released a document recommending that they choose to not enroll and re-enroll LGBTQ+ students.

The Denver Archdiocese sent out a 17-page document earlier this week to Catholic schools across the front range recommending they not enroll and re-enroll LGBTQ+ students. The 17-page document entitled, “Guidance for Issues Concerning the Human Person and Sexual Identity” also gave pointers on treating gay and trans parents differently from heterosexual couples.

The archdiocese guidance sanctions schools and administrators to not allow the use of pronouns that are, “at odds with the student’s biological sex.” It also urges administrators to treat the LGBTQ community with “charity and prudence.”

After the document was sent, Mardi Moore, the head of Out Boulder County, invited the Archdiocese to the Out Boulder headquarters to meet LGBTQ youth and end the stereotypes that fueled the document.

A news release from Out Boulder County commented, “We hope the Archbishop will take this opportunity to educate himself and put an end to harmful ideas about LGBTQ+ people in the Colorado Catholic Church.”

JeffCo DA Charges Two Juveniles With Murder In Connection Lakewood Apartment Fire

The Jefferson County District Attorney’s office charged two juvenile suspects Thursday with first-degree murder because of their involvement with fire at a Lakewood apartment complex.

A 31-mother and her 10 year old daughter died in the October 31st fire.

The fire also injured ten people and displaced residents from 32 units at the Tiffany Square apartments.

Lakewood police arrested the two male juveniles on Sunday.

Longmont And Boulder Chamber Events Holding Veteran’s Day Events 

Longmont will host its annual Veterans Day Parade starting this morning at 11:11 AM. The parade route will begin at Eighth Avenue and end at Roosevelt Park. The Boulder Chamber will also honor veterans and active military members by lighting the star on Flagstaff Mountain this evening starting at 6pm.

 

 

 

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