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Week of April 27, 2023
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
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VOLUME 39 | ISSUE 40
The stolen photos that no one knew were gone
Lakewood EV Earth Day was a snowy block party for the community BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
obviously someone’s cherished family history.” WRP did perform a search online to find the name Blanche Ashmore — one of the people in the recovered photos. The rest of the work was done via the internet, in about 24 hours. Small and her team captured the moment that the owner of the photos, Cheryl Ashmore, was reunited
A smattering snow did not stop a small crowd from attending Earth Day celebrations in Lakewood. The April 22 event at Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park offered a mix of educational opportunities paired with food and music. Lakewood Sustainability Manager Jonathan Watchal said the event, which is in its 13th year, started as a workplace fair to help city employees learn about conservation and sustainability. “Over the years, we also wanted to make sure that it was just a fun community event to bring people together to celebrate the love of our community,” Watchal said. He and others underscored the educational aspects of the day. The Lakewood Forestry Department gave away brochures with information local plant life. The department had a few succulents on hand, packs of wildflower seeds and a ponderosa pine seedling. The aim was to encourage people to grow native plants that typically need less water than non-native species and are better for Jefferson County area yards. The Jefferson County Public Library gave away bookmarks with live seeds embedded in the paper. People can plant the bookmarks to see what grows. The library also
SEE PHOTOS, P4
SEE EARTH DAY, P3
WRPD recovered family photos and memorabilia during an unrelated arrest. They took to Facebook and Next Door to find the ownCOURTESY OF WRPD ON FACEBOOK ers.
Wheat Ridge police reunites vintage photos with rightful owner BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The story begins with a warrant served. At that time, Wheat Ridge Police recovered property that did not belong to the person they arrested. Wheat Ridge Police Public Information Officer Joanna Small
did what so many organizations have done in the past years: she placed a notice on Facebook. The recovered property was family photos, some that looked like they were more than 80 years old. According to the post, the evidence technicians “did not have the heart to destroy them, because they are
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 24
LET’S GO FORAGING P16