WEEK OF OCTOBER 17, 2024
VOLUME 23 | ISSUE 33
FREE
5 takeaways from Douglas County forum Rueter-Hess
Reservoir nears end of season
Hopefuls for state Senate, House and county commissioner seats speak in Parker
Only a short time left for recreation on the water
BY ELLIS ARNOLD AND HALEY LENA EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
In the heart of Parker, candidates for seats in the state legislature and on the county board of leaders spoke their mind on issues ranging from crime to water to the ever-discussed Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, known as TABOR. The forum included candidates running for state Senate District 2 in the Parker and Castle Rock areas, state House District 44 in much of the Parker area, state House District 45 in the Castle Rock area, and state House District 43, which includes much of the Highlands Ranch area. The event also included candidates running to become Douglas County commissioners, who are elected at large from one of three geographic districts in the county. Commissioners are required to reside in their respective districts, but voters throughout the entire county cast ballots for each commissioner seat. See Colorado Community Media’s election home page online for more on candidates’ positions at coloradocommunitymedia.com/ elections-2024. Below, CCM drills down on five topics that came up
Temperatures are cooling and summer is officially over — but there’s still time to paddleboard, kayak, canoe or windsurf at Rueter-Hess Reservoir through the end of October. Near Parker and Castle Pines, the reservoir’s early fall water recreation hours run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. The Rueter-Hess area also offers catch-and-release fishing and an incline challenge and trail. The reservoir is a Parker Water and Sanitation District drinkingwater storage facility. Here’s a look at the allowed activities at the reservoir.
Anthony Hartsook, the incumbent Republican representative in state House District 44, speaks at an Oct. 7 forum for candidates running for state legislature and county commissioner seats. Behind him sits state Rep. Bob Marshall, a Highlands Ranch Democrat. The event took place at the PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD Parker location of Douglas County Libraries.
at the forum, which took place at the Parker location of Douglas County Libraries and was hosted by the Parker and Castle Rock chambers of commerce. Crime on the mind
Some candidates painted conflicting pictures of crime in Douglas County. “The evidence shows that crime is down in Douglas County versus going up,” said Angela Thomas, a Democrat running for a county commissioner seat. She added: “I think that all too often, we get into a fearmongering situation.” Her opponent, incumbent Commissioner George Teal, said the county receives information from the
sheriff. Teal, a Republican, spoke of “organized crime rings that come into our community.” Republican state Rep. Lisa Frizell, who represents House District 45 and is running for the Senate District 2 seat, also spoke of Colorado being a dangerous state. So what does the data say? For 2023, the most recent full year of data, the state’s database shows about 31,100 violent crimes reported in Colorado. That’s down from about 32,600 in 2022 but remains higher than the pre-pandemic recent high of about 26,100 in 2018. Violent crime in the data
VOICES: 14 | LIFE: 18 | CALENDAR: 21 | PUZZLES: 25
includes murder, non-consensual sex offenses, aggravated assault and robbery. For the Douglas County Sheriff ’s Office, the state’s database shows about 480 violent crimes in 2023, down from the recent pandemic-era high of about 510 in 2021. The 2023 number is close to the pre-pandemic recent high of about 460 in 2018. The sheriff ’s office is the law enforcement agency for Douglas areas outside of cities and towns — known as unincorporated places, such as Highlands Ranch — along with Castle Pines and Larkspur. Colorado’s history puts SEE FORUM, P10
On the water
You can bring your own paddleboard, canoe, kayak or windsurf board. Plan for some walking.Parking closest to the water is about a five-minute walk away. Additional parking is up to 10 minutes away. You can drop off gear near the shoreline and return to the parking area, according to the county. Rules to know for water activities include: • Lifejackets must be worn by all participants while on the water • People ages 2 to 7 may share a SEE RESERVOIR, P9
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