Chronicle Parker
PARKER 3.8.13
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 11, Issue 19
JOB WELL DONE
March 8, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourparkernews.com
Voucher program approved on appeal Opponents planning to continue battle By Jane Reuter
jreuter@ourcoloradonews.com
Mayor Mike Waid presents two Parker Boy Scouts, Hunter and Mason Hicken, 13, with an award recognizing their service to the community at the town council’s Feb. 25 meeting. The boys helped save a man with dementia who was walking the streets of the Pinery. Photo by Chris Michlewicz
Gun-control bills advance amid uproar Two sides stake out positions on day when Democrats prevail
Vouchers continues on Page 6
By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com Seven Democratic-sponsored gun control bills passed state legislative committees on March 4, following a remarkable day where swarms of people filled the Capitol to make their voices heard on the most polarizing political issue of the session. The seven bills passed two Democraticcontrolled Senate committees on party-line votes, following lengthy hearings that often became emotional — and sometimes got a little rowdy. The first bill hearing began just after 10:30 a.m., with passage of the seventh and final bill of the day taking place about 12 hours later. There was plenty of buzz in and around the Capitol throughout much of the day — including honking vehicles that drove around the Capitol in circles all day long, in what was a grating display of displeasure from those opposed to the gun-control measures. Those in favor of the bills also made their opinions known before the hearings started. A press conference was held by gun violence victims and family members whose lives have been affected by mass shootings, all of whom called for tighter gun laws. One of them was Mark Kelly, the space shuttle commander and husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona. On Jan. 8, 2011, Giffords was seriously injured in a shooting rampage while she was hosting a constituent event that took place outside a grocery store near Tucson. The shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, used a Glock 18 semiautomatic handgun to fire more than 30 rounds in a matter of seconds into the crowd, killing six people and injuring many. Loughner ended up pleading guilty to several federal charges and is now serving life in prison.
The Colorado Court of Appeals has upheld Douglas County’s pilot school voucher program, overturning a 2011 Denver District Court ruling. The plaintiffs who set out to stop the voucher program say they’ll appeal the case to the Colorado Supreme Court. “I think it’s safe to say the final decision will be made by the Colorado Supreme Court,” said school board President John Carson, who said the program would not start until “we’ve got clearance from the legal system. It’s not clear exactly when that will be yet.” Two members of the three-judge appeals-court panel agreed in the Feb. 28 decision to uphold the voucher plan, with a third judge dissenting. “We conclude that plaintiffs do not have standing to seek redress for a claimed violation of (Colorado’s school finance law), and that the (Choice Scholarship Program) does not violate any of the constitutional provisions on which plaintiffs rely,” the ruling said. “Therefore, we reverse the district court’s judgment and remand the case for entry of judgment in defendants’ favor.” Carson said he’s cautiously optimistic. “We’re just excited we’ve gotten a real clear statement from some esteemed judg-
Man found guilty in jewelry heist Hild could face 48 years for being habitual felon By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@ourcoloradonews.com
Mark Kelly testifies before the Senate’s State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee in support of a bill that would require all gun sales and transfers to be subject to background checks. The retired astronaut and Navy captain is the husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was badly hurt when she was shot in Arizona. Photo by Vic Vela After the press event, Kelly testified in support of House Bill 1229, which requires universal background checks for gun sales and transfers, telling members of the Senate’s State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee that the bill would help keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous people like Loughner. “Behind every victim lies a matrix of failure and inadequacy,” Kelly said, referring to issues such as poverty and mental health. “The breadth and complexity of gun violence is great. But that is not an excuse for inaction.” But Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, did not take up Kelly’s call for action. “Public policy should not be based on emotion,” Harvey said. “Public policy should be based on logic. Even if this (law) was in place in Arizona, it would not have stopped the shooter from getting the gun.”
Horns honk for firearms
Disputs of the Kelly and Harvey kind were hardly unique on March 4. All day long, through several hours of testimony and hallway conversations, there were point-counterpoints being made on a day of frenzied activity at the Capitol. The two large committee rooms that held the hearings — including the Old Supreme Court Chambers — felt more like phone booths for much of the day, as concerned citizens and members of the press packed the standing-room only affairs. That’s not to mention the phenomenal lines that wrapped around the committee rooms, which were full of Coloradans — predominantly Second Amendment advocates — who showed up well in advance of the first hearing in hopes of having a chance to testify. Guns continues on Page11
A Douglas County jury has handed down a guilty verdict against a man who robbed a Parker jewelry store. Prosecutors said Thomas Hild, 53, was recruited for his ability break into a safe using heavy-duty construction tools. Two others have been charged in the case and face separate trials in March and June. Hild was found guilty on all eight counts he faced, including theft, secondHild degree burglary, criminal mischief, third-degreeburglary, as well as “conspiracy to commit” charges on the four felony counts. He faces a habitual criminal trial at 3 p.m. April 12 for being a repeat convicted felon, and faces a minimum of 48 years in prison if the judge decides he fits that defiJewelry continues on Page 7
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