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SENTINEL EXPRESS C O M M E R C E

VOLUME 34 32

C I T Y

50cI

33 ISSUE SSUE 48

WEEK ,OFNOVEMBER AUGUST 18, TUESDAY 24,2022 2020

New COVID-19 restrictions will prohibit indoor dining, personal gatherings

Colorado supply of homes rises, prices still climb Ripple effects of inflation hits home BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

From June 2021 to June this year, the number of active listings for single-family homes in the Denver metro area jumped up by about

52%. Statewide, the number saw about a 43% uptick. But despite the larger pool of options, home prices continue to climb. The median sales price rose 11% statewide in that same time, and it increased by about 11% in the Denver metro area, where the median sales price sat at a staggering $647,500 as of June. The good news? The 11% price bump represents a notably smaller

increase than Colorado had endured each month over the past year, according to a report by the Colorado Association of Realtors. The jump in the supply of available homes means buyers now have a better chance of purchasing a house, but prices in metro Denver and Colorado at large remain notoriously expensive. “The story here, just to be frank, is not that all the sudden the mar-

ket has drastically changed — it’s that it mellowed out compared to 2021 and 2020,” said Matthew Leprino, a Realtor based in metro Denver. “The current state of Colorado’s housing market is not that different from 2019.” Already sky-high housing prices saw a spike after the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, but the SEE MARKET, P5

Brighton’s own receive another presidential award COVID guidance gets easier for K-12 schools BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Brighton resident Kathleen Pierz received her third 2022 President’s Volunteer Service Award, a recognition from the White House for her volunteer service with Shelter Box USA. “I’m really proud of the work ShelterBox does and what we do. We are one of the most efficient charities in the world and make extraordinary use of volunteers like myself,” said Pierz. “I proud to serve as a ShelterBox Ambassador and the recognition each year with a Presidential Service Award is a nice reminder that I’m part of something much bigger than myself.” Pierz has been a Rotarian for 12 years and a Shelter Box volunteer for three-and-a-half years. the ShelA long line of cars outside city of Brighton’s rapid testing site at ter Box is a global humanitarian Riverdale Regional Park. The site has had to close early many days in recent organization that provides emerweeksshelter due to high demand. Adams gency and house supplies toCounty’s 14-day test positivity rate was 15.9 of percent, of Nov. 17,oraccording to Tri-County Health Department. victims naturalasdisasters war refugees. Brighton and Commerce City’s test positivity rates were both higher than lifesaving work 13“ShelterBox’s percent. Forty-five people in Brighton and 29 in Commerce City have is only possible because of our died from COVID-19 related health issues. To limit the spread of COVID-19, inspiring supporters like Kathleen at leastwhose 15 counties moved to tighter Pierz, service ensures fami- restrictions that prohibits indoor and personal gatherings. lies made homeless by disaster and conflict have access to essential shelter and supplies,” said Kerri Murray, President of ShelterBox Photo by Belen Ward USA. “This distinction truly sets SEE AWARD, P6

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BY ERICA MELTZER CHALKBEAT

By Ellis Arnold Colorado Community Media

As Denver metro counties continue to inch closer to local stay-at-home orders under Colorado’s system of coronavirusrelated restrictions, the state announced a new level of rules that prohibits indoor dining and personal gatherings — a change that applies to the majority of the Denver metro area and many counties in other regions. The state’s COVID-19 dial, which has been in effect since September, is the set of different of restrictions that each Kathleen Pierz with ShelterBox CEO Sanj Srikanthan, wholevels is based in the United Kingdom at the Global Headquarters.

COURTESY OF KATHLEEN PIERZ

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•27J Schools • Vestas to lay off 200 • 27J moves breaks ground online-only Dec. 1 on STEM/Career tech employees building • Page 9

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There are no mask mandates and no quarantine rules in Colorado’s COVID guidance for the 2022-23 school year, but public health officials say they’re still tracking the disease and want school administrators to be open and honest with families about cases and clusters. New guidance released Aug. 10 largely treats COVID like other communicable diseases, continuing a policy the state established county is required to follow in February at the end based of theon the severity of a county’s local virus first omicron wave. At the spread. same The dialthe grew out of theDepartment state’s safer-at-of time, Colorado home order — theand policy that came after Public Health Environment is continuing to make order free rapid the statewide stay-at-home this antigen tests widely available to spring and allowed numerous types of schools and child care centers, businesses to reopen. both for weekly testing programs Thefor state recently to switched color and students use attohome. identifiers — levels blue, yellow and Colorado saw high levels of orange ratherall than numbered levels COVID-19 summer, with a — to sustained plateau hospitalizaavoid confusion. Until in Nov. 17, level red tionsathat began toorder. decline meant stay-at-home Now,this level month. Bailey Fosdick, member red — “severe risk” — is the a secondof the state’s COVID modeling Please see RESTRICTIONS, Page 2 SEE GUIDANCE, P6