Week of February 16, 2023
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
HighlandsRanchHerald.net
INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 11 | VOICES: PAGE 12 | SPORTS: PAGE 20
VOLUME 36 | ISSUE 11
County homeless numbers drop in annual count Data skewed due to cold BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Douglas County saw a drop in the number of people experiencing homelessness who were counted as
part of the Denver metro area’s annual snapshot of the unhoused this year compared to last, according to early data. And while it’s difficult to pinpoint what causes unhoused people to be located in or outside of Douglas County on one night per year, county officials attribute the decrease to
the work of a new team that helps connect the unhoused in Douglas with services. “Having a (resource) navigator paired with law enforcement seems to be the secret sauce,” county Commissioner Abe Laydon said during a Feb. 9 news conference announcing the preliminary numbers.
Dangerously cold weather rolled into Douglas County and around the Denver area at the end of January, potentially affecting the metro area’s annual Point in Time count. When outdoor conditions are so harsh, unhoused people might SEE HOMELESS, P8
Highlands Ranch High School makes wish come true Bill could require county board to expand to 5
Students raise more than $25,000 BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
During Highlands Ranch High School’s sixth annual Wish Week, students and faculty were able to make 9-year-old Beckett’s wish of going to Lake Powell come true. Through the Make A Wish Foundation, Beckett, his siblings Aidan and Vera, and parents Catarina and Ross experienced a week full of fun, emotion and support. “Just the first day when we came in and all the kids stood up and were cheering for him, that was huge and super emotional,” said Catarina. Throughout the week, Highlands Ranch High School raised more than $25,000 for Beckett and his family. Beckett was diagnosed with leukemia in December 2020. In addition to COVID-19 adding more challenges, the family had to adapt to a new normal. Beckett is expected to be done with treatment in April. “To have this experience at the tail end of that, it’s so awesome,” said Catarina. “You had the really hard and sad stuff and now we’re ending it with a positive and magical experience.” After watching a Youtube video of people getting launched off a blast bag into a lake, Beckett’s wish is to go to Lake Powell and do water activities. In addition to a black light dodgeball tournament, students took part in teacher incentives to raise money for Beckett. When students raised a certain amount, a couple of teachers dyed their hair blue, got spray tans and wore a chicken costume for a day. SEE WISH, P7
Laydon opposed measure BY ELLIS ARNOLD AND HALEY LENA EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Beckett holds the hand of his dad, Ross, as the father addresses the students of PHOTO BY HALEY LENA Highlands Ranch High School at the closing ceremony.
In Douglas County, three people make the decisions that affect roughly 370,000 residents. Often, those choices come from the majority of two commissioners. Now, a bill in the state legislature could change that, expanding the number of members on a county’s board of elected leaders to five. The bill would affect several Front Range counties with large enough populations, including Douglas County, where the board has become known for its bitter conflicts. “To me, it is a simple good governance issue, but there is pretty much united bipartisan opposition from county commissioners who would be impacted,” said state Rep. Bob Marshall, a Highlands Ranch Democrat and one of the bill’s top supporters. Commissioners serve as a county’s elected leaders, somewhat similar to city councils. They make policy decisions that largely affect parts of the county that are “unincorporated” — areas that sit outside of municipalities. In Douglas County, that includes Highlands Ranch and many other areas, such as Franktown and Roxborough. The idea to add two more commissioners in Douglas County came up in discussion in a county meeting in August. Commissioner Abe Laydon remains opposed. “The last thing counties need are more politicians,” Laydon said in a statement about the state legislature’s bill. “Whether you have three or 30 SEE COUNTY, P3