WEEK OF JUNE 15, 2023
VOLUME 10 | ISSUE 43
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PrideFest age restriction measure fails Highway 83 to undergo major changes amid crash concerns BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
the kids, to not over-sexualize the kids,” he said, avoiding calling out PrideFest by name until explicitly asked which event he was talking about. Dietz motioned to send a letter on behalf of the town to the Douglas County Commissioners, who control
A large stretch of a major state highway known for dangerous driving conditions will see several safety improvements in the coming years, with some projects already completed. “I don’t think that Highway 83 has changed much from when I was a state trooper patrolling it, and it was dangerous then,” Commissioner Lora Thomas, one of Douglas County’s elected leaders, said in April. “So when people slow and make a left turn, whether they use their turn signals or not, that’s a recipe for disaster.” A main traffic artery that runs through Douglas County, State Highway 83 — known in at least some areas as Parker Road — is set to see a laundry list of changes. “The safety analysis shows portions of this roadway that experience crash rates above average for this type of corridor,” a planning document for the improvements says. Improvements will be made between Bayou Gulch Road — a short drive south of the Town of Parker — to Palmer Divide Avenue, the border between Douglas and El Paso counties. That includes changes near Franktown Elementary School and many other locations along the highway corridor. “The key goal is to improve safety,
SEE MEASURES, P7
SEE CHANGES, P6
Castle Rock’s June 6 town council meeting drew a crowd of people both supporting and opposing council member Tim Dietz’s actions PHOTO BY MCKENNA HARFORD seeking to restrict Douglas County PrideFest to people 18 years or older. BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Castle Rock Town Councilmember Tim Dietz revived conversations about restricting Douglas County PrideFest to people 18 or older in a contentious meeting on June 6. During council comments at the beginning of the meeting, Dietz
said he wanted to protect children, falsely implying that LGBTQ people are a danger to them. Dietz said the county has not done enough to respond to an incident during last year’s PrideFest where a drag performer’s breastplate was exposed while they were dancing on stage. “I personally want to see this stay 18 and up no matter what to protect
VOICES: 12 | LIFE: 14 | CALENDAR: 17 | SPORTS: 22
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