Week of April 20, 2023
$2.00
An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of
VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 22
South Metro Housing Options opens voucher waitlists this month — for one day First-come, first-serve basis waitlist only. BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
For the first time in several years, South Metro Housing Options will open its housing choice voucher
It will also open a waitlist for two weeks for one-bedroom apartments at Sierra Vista Apartments in unincorporated Arapahoe County. SMHO is a public housing authority based in Littleton that administers voucher programs and provides
housing for families, students, professionals, seniors and disabled adults. Applicants may be from any jurisdiction, must be 18 years old or older and must have a valid email address, according to SMHO. At least one member in a household that receives a voucher must
be a legal resident of the United States. Two waitlists
Housing choice vouchers, which are federally funded, subsidize rent and allow recipients to choose SEE VOUCHERS, P10
Cherry Creek Schools teacher dies of bacterial meningitis Public at low risk BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
a “provider of support services for secure facilities, processing centers, and reentry centers” — reported total revenues of $2.38 billion in 2022. The Aurora-based facility it operates, however, has faced criticism over the years regarding its conduct. The American Civil Liberties Union alleged in 2019 that the facility “violates the basic human
Arapahoe County Public Health officials held a virtual press conference April 12 to follow up on their announcement that an Eaglecrest High School teacher died over the weekend after displaying symptoms consistent with bacterial meningitis. “We’re very concerned about this case being a case of Neisseria meningitidis, which is a specific type of bacteria and this bacteria is very, very serious because it causes invasive disease very quickly,” said Dr. Chris Urbina, chief medical officer for the health agency. The Cherry Creek School District sent a letter to Eaglecrest families on April 11 informing them that Maddie Schmidt, an Integrated Learning Center teacher died over the weekend. Meningitis is inflammation around the brain and the spinal cord that can be deadly if not treated
SEE CROW, P20
SEE SCHOOLS, P9
Andrea Loya, executive director of Casa de Paz, and Rep. Jason Crow smile in the garage of Casa de Paz’s home on April 3.
PHOTO BY TAYLER SHAW
Crow visits nonprofit serving immigrants Calls to end detention centers BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Along a residential road in Aurora sits a home that aims to be a place of peace for people released from the nearby immigration detention center.
Casa de Paz, meaning “House of Peace” in Spanish, is a nonprofit that offers free resources and services to those leaving the Aurora-based U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center. The ICE facility is operated by the GEO Group, which NPR reported is one of the nation’s largest for-profit prison operators. In February 2023, the company — which describes itself, in part, as
INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 11 | VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | SPORTS: PAGE 22
TO BE CLEAR
Drinks may be mock but they rock P14