Westsider Westsider 5-17-13
North Jeffco
North Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 12, Issue 19
POSTAL PATRON
May 17, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourwestminsternews.com
PRSRT - STd ECRWSS US POSTAgE PAid BROOmfiELd CO PERmiT #101 Eddm
Gov. touts Colorado’s business climate Hickenlooper discusses legislative session at chamber event By Ashley Reimers
areimers@ourcoloradonews.com Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper described this year’s legislative session as “tempestuous” and challenged reports of “partisanship” during the annual Politics and Pints event on May 10 at the Westin Westminster. “This year the session was a little more tempestuous than last year,” Hickenlooper said. “But it was also not as partisan as people reported.” The event, sponsored by the North Metro Chamber of Commerce, was an opportunity for the community to hear from the governor and ask questions about particular legislative bills and other state concerns. Hickenlooper said one of the hardest parts of this year’s session was getting people to agree on the facts. He noted gun safety as the most decisive issue, one that he dedicated a lot of
time working on. The governor quoted some 2012 statistics regarding universal backgrounds checks. He said a total of 2,500 violent people were stopped from buying guns including: • 133 people accused or convicted of homicide; • 133 people accused or convicted of sexual assault; • 640 people accused or convicted of burglary; • 420 people who had a judicial restraining order against them. “I have put a lot of time and effort into universal background checks and yet could not get that into a by-partisan bill no matter how hard I worked,” he said. Hickenlooper also touched on the future of Colorado in terms of business opportunities. He said Colorado is the most collaborative community in the country and one way to help the state continue to grow is by making Colorado “a beacon for young entrepreneurs.” He said the state needs to focus on partnering with entrepreneurs and be the best partner businesses can have. “If we do a good enough job at supporting everybody, businesses will tell their friends and they will bring more to Colorado,” he said. “We want to make sure these
Colorado Gov. John Hickelooper discusses the legislative session during the Politics and Pints event on May 10 at the Westin Westminster. The event was sponsored by the Metro North Chamber of Commerce. Photo by Pam Wagner companies become the most successful business in their industry.” Before closing his remarks, the governor also touched on education and the oil
industry in Colorado. He asked the audience for their support going forward and thanked the chamber for hosting the Politics and Pints event.
DA’s office staff spread thin Prosecution’s hands full with Sigg, other death-related cases By Glenn Wallace
gwallace@ourcoloradonews.com
The Westminster Police Department stand in formation during a public memorial service on May 9 at Westminster Public Safety Center honoring fallen officers. Photos by Ashley Reimers
Honoring fallen police officers Memorial designates May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day By Ashley Reimers
areimers@ourcoloradonews.com In honor of those who have lost their lives in the line of duty, the city of Westminster and the Westminster Police Department hosted a public memorial service honoring their memories and their dedication to law enforcement. The memorial on May 9 at the Westminster Pubic Safety Center was also a public proclamation designating May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and May 12-18 as Police Week. On Oct. 1, 1962 President John F. Kennedy signed a bill designating the calendar week during which May 15 occurs as Police Week, recognizing the service of men and women in law enforcement. During the memorial, police chief Lee Birk recognized the seven men and women from Colorado who were killed last year in the line of duty. Those individuals were: • Officer Jim Davis, Lakewood Police Department;
Westminster police chief Lee Birk speaks during a public memorial service on May 9 at Westminster Public Safety Center honoring fallen officers. • Sergeant Mary Ricard, Colorado Department of Corrections; • Captain Leide DeFusco, Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office; • Officer Matthew Tyner, Colorado
Springs Police Department; • Officer Celena Hollis, Denver Police Department; • Detective Jeremy Bitne, Englewood Police Department; • Officer Kevin Denner, Littleton Police Department. “At this time it is certainly appropriate to sit back and reflect a little bit on the critical role of law enforcement providing safety and security to communities across the nation and recognize the importance of law enforcement bringing justice to those how have been victimized by crime,” Birk said. “We take great pride in the trust the community gives us in our roles to try and keep you safe.” During the service Westminster mayor Nancy McNally thanked the men and women of the police department for their long hours dedicated to serving the community. McNally noted, in particular, the tireless hours of determined work done during the Jessica Ridgeway case last October. “We watched you with the Jessica Ridgeway case treat that as if she was your own daughter and you worked endlessly to get that to completion,” she said. “You are the very best and it’s been an honor to serve you for the last 12 years.”
A rise in serious crime — including prosecuting Austin Sigg for the murder of Westminster 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway — is taxing the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office and draining the department’s resources. “We’re strapped as an office,” Jefferson County District Attorney Pete Weir informed the Board of County Commissioners last week. In a May 7 staff briefing, Weir told the three county commissioners that the Sigg murder trial, along with a recent spike in serious crime offenses, has left his department spread thin. His office is currently involved in 13 death-related cases. “We will get it done. All cases are important for us. But it has stretched us to the max,” Weir told the commissioners. A gag order regarding the Sigg case kept Weir from discussing very many specifics, but he did go over the case timeline. Westminster 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway was walking to school on BCC continues on Page 23
Graduation
2013
Special Edition
See high school features and commencement information on
Pages 4-6
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