WEEK OF AUGUST 22, 2024
VOLUME 36 | ISSUE 34
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Plotting beyond high school
Wild cats on the November ballot Ballot measure seeks to protect big cats from hunting, trapping
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• Vestas to lay off 200 employees
BY MONTE WHALEY MWHALEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The school district and Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, along with support from the Colorado Department of Education, have collaborated to assist young adults in the transition from school to post-secondary education or employment. SWAP provides services such as career exploration, career development, job development/ placement, and year-round community based service.
Buddy the mountain lion peers from behind a grassy knoll at the visitors looking at him through a fence at a windy corner of the 33,000-acre Wildlife Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg this week. The facility is home to over 950 animals that have been abused and locked up in basements and cages and then displayed by callous owners looking to squeeze a profit from the animal’s captivity. Buddy was part of a caged exhibit in a Des Moines, Iowa shopping mall for several years until he was rescued and taken to the Sanctuary to live out his life in peace, said founder Pat Craig. While in the mall, Buddy’s enclosure was among others that housed big cats as well as bears and more wildlife, Craig said. “It was awful, an absolute mess,” he said. “It was not a place for a wild animal like Buddy.”’ Buddy seems to appreciate his new home in the wide expanse of the sanctuary, about 25 miles east of Denver. “He can stay just around his den and enjoy the fresh air and natural environment,” Craig said. “I think he’s found his forever home here.” Activists used the backdrop of the Wildlife Sanctuary to celebrate the placement of Ballot Issue 91 on the November ballot. The wild cats at the Sanctuary – wildcats, cougars, tigers and lions – also illustrated the need for a law to protect wild felines from trophy hunters, activists said.
SEE PLOTTING, P8
SEE BALLOT, P6
BUSINESS
School is back in session for Adams 14 and 27J Schools district, and seniors are already awaiting their exit.
Tips for students planning their college career • Page 3
•27J Schools moves online-only Dec. 1
BY JACKIE RAMIREZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
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LOCAL OBITUARIES LEGALS CLASSIFIED
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
LOCAL
Commerce City high schools are back in session, and like every year, high school seniors are preparing to move on to the next chapter in their academic career. With the opportunities and resources that schools in Commerce City and beyond offer, high school seniors have a chance to dress their college and scholarship applications nicely before graduation. La Ciudad compiled a list of re-
sources and opportunities available to high school seniors to help make a possibly stressful senior year into a more productive one. Also, hear from 2022 Quality Community Foundation scholarship winner Hyungyu Kim about growing up in Commerce City and his advice for high school seniors who are taking the next step into the world. School programs
Before diving in, make sure that you are meeting all of your graduation requirements; failing to meet those can put a hard stop on your exit. Commerce City’s two school districts, Adams 14 and 27J Schools, each offer a webpage where students can find graduation requirements, including information on early graduation. It’s im-
OBITUARIES: PAGE 5 | CLASSIFIEDS: PAGE 12 | LEGAL: PAGE 14
PHOTO BY JACKIE RAMIREZ
portant to know that colleges and universities also have different requirements for admission, so make sure you are on track with your school and institution of choice. Adams 14’s School to Work Alliance Program (SWAP)
COMMERCECITYSENTINEL.COM • A PUBLICATION OF COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
HOME IS WHAT YOU PLAN FOR Financial expert offers home buying tips P4