WEEK OF NOVEMBER 14, 2024
VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 49
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Brauchler is back in the DA business Republican wins race to be prosecutor in Colorado’s new 23rd Judicial District BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
year, according to the National Safety Council, and millions more are injured. The year that Vogel’s husband was killed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the population-based death rate in the country was the highest among the 29 high-income countries, which includes the United Kingdom and Australia, among others. Parker has seen its fair share of traffic
The first-ever district attorney of Colorado’s first new judicial district in decades will be George Brauchler, a Republican and former DA who wants to send a message to those who would commit crimes. “I want to tell folks, starting Jan. 1, if you come down here to victimize us, if you come down here to commit crimes against us, you should expect to be incarcerated,” Brauchler told Colorado Community Media. The former 18th District DA won election by a large margin over Democrat Karen Breslin in the new 23rd District — roughly 23 percentage points as of the afternoon Nov. 7, the most recent update as of the print deadline for this story. The race encompassed Brauchler a set of counties that made for a deep-red electorate. Speaking to CCM, Breslin said she wasn’t able to run as active a campaign as she had hoped. “I just congratulate Mr. Brauchler on his victory,” Breslin said. Colorado’s court system is made up of 22 judicial districts, and a new district is on the way. Currently, the 18th Judicial District includes Douglas, Arapahoe, Elbert and Lincoln counties. But state lawmakers — noting population growth and a political split in the region — decided to break it up, moving Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties into the new 23rd District. The 23rd Judicial District is set to launch in January 2025. The 18th Judicial District will then only include Arapahoe County. Residents of Arapahoe County voted in a separate race to select a new district attorney in the November election as well. A district attorney serves as the head prosecutor for a region of Colorado’s courts, also leading the prosecutors who work in that DA’s office. The office is responsible for prosecuting crimes that allegedly occur in the area. Brauchler, a longtime politician who has appeared on ballots in several elections, served eight years as DA for the 18th district, wrapping up his term in 2021. He lives in Douglas County. Breslin, who lives in Elbert County, teaches political science at the University of Colorado Denver. She is a practicing attorney with a focus on land use and environmental law, she said. Brauchler framed the election as about experience, saying Breslin has never been a prosecutor. If someone allegedly commits mass murder and the case goes to trial, “it won’t be my first one,” Brauchler has said. Brauchler’s time as DA for the 18th District was
SEE REMEMBRANCE, P12
SEE BRAUCHLER, P5
Parker’s first World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims will take place from 1-2 p.m. on Nov. 17 at the gazebo in O’Brien Park PHOTO BY HALEY LENA on Mainstreet to honor those who have lost their lives to traffic crashes.
WORLD DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
Honoring victims of traffic crashes at Parker’s O’Brien Park Local community invited to take part in global event BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
As dozens of communities across the country come together on Nov. 17 to remember those who lost their life in a traffic crash, Colorado will be hosting five events, including one in Parker.
From family members to hospital staff, many plan to gather at the gazebo in O’Brien Park on Mainstreet from 1-2 p.m. for the town’s first World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, an annual global event. Teri Vogel, a Parker resident and roadway safety advocate, is hosting this year’s event to honor those who have been killed in crashes and to support those who have been impacted by roadway crashes in Parker.
It was July 4, 2019, when Vogel’s husband, Chuck, went out for a morning bike ride and never made it home. About two minutes into his ride, he was struck from behind by a hit-andrun driver. He died the next day. “Since his tragic and preventative death, it has been my commitment to advocate for change that would end this traffic violence,” said Vogel. Nationally, more than 40,000 Americans are killed in roadway crashes each
VOICES: 10 | CALENDAR: 13 | LIFE: 14 | PUZZLES: 17
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