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Week of December 29, 2022
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
EnglewoodHerald.net
VOLUME 102 | ISSUE 46
RTD suspends C and F light rail lines Local travelers impacted BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
being one of them. “The bottom line is flu vaccines are the best protection to get through the season,” Usatch said. “They do not hit the target right on the head, but they make a big difference.” In reality, said Dr. Reginald Washington, HealthOne chief medical
After suspending operation of the C and F light rail lines during the pandemic, RTD is permanently discontinuing rail service on these lines along with other changes that will go into effect on Jan. 8. The changes come as part of RTD’s System Optimization Plan, which “aims to increase ridership and address changing travel needs while improving service performance, efficiency and quality,” according to RTD’s website. “It was recommended that C/D service along the Southwest corridor and E/F service along the Southeast corridor be consolidated to improve service reliability north of I-25/Broadway Station, where trains consistently encountered delays because of heavy train traffic,” the system optimization plan reads. The plan was developed through ReimagineRTD, a two-year effort to evaluate and forecast the changing transportation needs of the region as the district moves past the COVID-19 crisis. According to RTD’s website, the effort was informed by travel patterns and public sentiments. Littleton Public Works Director Keith Reester represented Littleton during the ReimagineRTD efforts. He said the C line has been closed since the pandemic began, so RTD’s recent announcement is just formalizing what has been going on for the last 20 months. “It’s not really unexpected, they’re formalizing some of the service changes they made when COVID started and really impacted
SEE HEALTH, P6
SEE RTD, P8
Police officers shopped with kids at an Englewood Walmart on Dec. 15 as part of the Santa Cops program. COURTESY OF THE ENGLEWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT
Police department hosts Santa Cops program Walmart sponsors 12 kids BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Bringing the festive spirit, the Englewood Police Department partnered with the Englewood School
District and local Walmart to host Santa Cops. Funded through a Walmart grant and individual donations, the event offers the chance for police officers to partner with youths and their families to shop for presents. “It’s something that we look forward to every year,” said David
LeClair, the division chief of the police department. “It’s a way for the Englewood Police Department to engage with the community, and we do that by getting in touch with people who … may not have the means to SEE SANTA COPS, P2
Flu cases, hospitalizations on the rise Officials push for vaccinations BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Flu cases are on the rise, and according to state health officials, hospitalizations are higher this year
than they have been in the past 10 years. The surge has a variety of causes, including people not getting the flu shot as consistently as in past years. Dr. Ben Usatch, UCHealth ER director at Highlands Ranch Hospital, said COVID vaccinations brought on this onslaught of “mixed emotions” that resulted in other annual shots being affected — flu shots
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 22
CITY TO THE SLOPES Initiative aims to help city kids make tracks
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