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WEEK OF OCTOBER 10, 2024
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Wadsworth Boulevard construction nears completion, spelling relief for drivers
Why schools in Jeffco don’t have a district-wide policy on cell phones
VOLUME 41 | ISSUE 10
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Drivers navigate around construction cones on Wadsworth Boulevard in Wheat Ridge. BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Nearly three years after drivers along Wadsworth Boulevard between I-70 and 38th Avenue in Wheat Ridge began navigating around orange traffic cones and construction vehicles, the mas-
CANDIDATE PROFILES
sive improvement project is finally nearing completion. While the city anticipates improvements to the busy corridor won’t be officially completed until spring 2026, the most disruptive phases, including concrete paving and underground utility work, should wrap up soon.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE
“The good news is the project is 75% complete, and we expect to finish permanent concrete paving before winter hits,” said Maria D’Andrea, Wheat Ridge director of Public Works. “Next year will mainly be median work and landscaping.” SEE CONSTRUCTION, P13
Hear from hopefuls in their own words P8
WESTMINSTER JEFFCOTRANSCRIPT.COM • A PUBLICATION OF COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
After 26 years in the classroom, Pomona High School teacher Dale Munholland has seen it all, from students quietly tapping away on flip phones to today’s constant barrage of smartphone notifications. But what he’s noticed most is the toll cell phones have taken on his students’ focus and engagement. “Since the development of smartphones, attention spans and the quality of work have dramatically fallen,” Munholland said. “It’s an addiction.” While he tries to enforce his own no-phone policy, he admits it’s a losing battle without district-wide support.
“It’s really hard to teach when you’re competing with a cat video,” he said. For Munholland, the constant battle over cell phone use is more than just a classroom disruption — it’s a growing concern for student focus and academic performance. Lisa Garry, who teaches Geometry and Statistics at Arvada Senior High School, agrees. “I’ll have kids on their phones while I’m teaching a lesson, and then they’ll look up at me and ask, ‘What are we doing?’” Garry said. According to data from the Pew Research Center, about seven-inten (72%) high school teachers say that students being distracted SEE POLICY, P4