WESTMINSTER 2/21/13
February 21, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourwestminsternews.com
Adams County and Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 68, Issue 18
Don Quick to run for attorney general Former Adams County DA identifies childhood education as main focus By Darin Moriki
dmoriki@ourcoloradonews.com Broomfield County chief prosecutor Don Quick will seek the Democratic Party’s nomination for attorney general in 2014 following a longtime career as the Adams County District Attorney. Quick, who stepped down as the Adams County District Attorney nearly two months ago after two terms in office, officially filed his papers on Feb. 11, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. “It’s something that I’ve thought about for some time, but it really didn’t get up to the front burner until last November,” Quick said. “It was the right time for the family … so it made the most sense.” Quick, who served as the chief deputy in the office from 1999 to 2005 when current U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar was the state’s attorney general, said he wants to particularly focus on helping children stay in school and keeping them
out of the criminal justice system — an effort that he said has made some headway through the Adams County Youth Initiative, which he helped to establish about eight years ago. “One of my prime focuses as attorney general is lowering the number of people in the justice system, and we’ve got a pretty good model about how to do that here in Adams County,” Quick said. “There is no cookie cutter solution for all communities — you need partnerships that use data and different strategies.” Quick also took a moment to address the conflicts federal and state laws created by Amendment 64, which legalized the recreational use of marijuana for adults who are 21-years-old or older and enacted a tax on it to benefit the public school capital construction assistance fund. He explained that the state attorney general is required by the Colorado Constitution to defend state statues and noted that district attorneys have a slightly different obligation under the law because they do not necessarily represent the state in the same way the attorney general does. Matt Inzeo, the Colorado Democratic Party’s communications director, said Quick continues on Page 20
Former Adams County District Attorney Don Quick delivers a farewell speech at a Jan. 7 recognition ceremony at the Adams County Administration Building in Brighton. Quick, the chief prosecutor for Broomfield County, served as the Adams County District Attorney for eight years before stepping down in January. Photo by Darin Moriki
Saving a life stop by stop Mobile mammography van makes for no excuses By Ashley Reimers
areimers@ourcoloradonews. com
N
ormally Johanna Abourezk is a busy mom, running around taking care of her three daughters, always putting her family first. While the Arvada mom dedicated her time and energy to her family, her own health and well-being was overlooked.
DETAILS THE PINK LIFE SAVER MOBILE VAN will be at the following locations from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: TUESDAYS: Lowry Internal Medicine Clinic, 8111 E Lowry Blvd. in Denver WEDNESDAYS: Park Meadows Family Medicine Clinic, 8080 Park Meadows Drive in Lone Tree THURSDAYS: University Westminster Family Medicine Clinic, 7403 Church Ranch Blvd. in Westminster FRIDAYS: A.F. Williams Family Medicine Clinic at Stapleton, 3055 Roslyn St. No. 100 in Denver
Soon she realized she hadn’t had a mammogram in more than five years. During a visit to University of Colorado Hospital’s Family Medicine clinic in Westminster with her daughter, Abourezk noticed a sign about Pink Life Saver, a mobile mammography van. The van is parked every week at University of Colorado Hospital clinics in the Denver metro area offering quick 20-minute mammograms with no appointment necessary. Abourezk was immediately interested and booked an appointment for the next day. Little did she know that her appointment would be life-changing. “I’m so busy, but at the time my kids were on Christmas break, so I had the time,” she said. “My appointment was on Jan. 3 and by Jan. 15 I was officially diagnosed with breast cancer. Everything’s happened so fast, it’s really been a whirlwind.” Abourezk wasn’t extremely surprised by the news, she said, since she is 48, and it’s been so long since her last mammogram. She admits if she wouldn’t have scheduled her appointment in January, it could have been months until her next mammogram. She said the convenience of the Pink Life Saver mobile van made is an easy decision to finally put herself first. But now
Alumni return to show their appreciation Breakfast brings back past graduates By Ashley Reimers
areimers@ourcoloradonews.com
Cory and Johanna Abourezk smile in front of the Pink Life Saver mobile van, which provides quick 20-minute mammograms. Photo provided by Dan Weaver mom is the one being taken care of by her husband Cory Abourezk and her daughters. “I’m temporarily on a hiatus from work for the next six to nine months to try and help out with being Mr. Mom,” said Cory Abourezk. “It’s a harder job that I had at work. It’s a hard job.” Abourezk is now undergoing a 20-week chemotherapy treatment. After that, she plans to get a double mastectomy. Although she’s still wrapping her head around the news, she said she’s coping with her new life challenge with her sense of humor. She said she laughs a lot with her husband, whom she’s been married to for 28 years.
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“We are goofballs,” she said. “He’s always made me laugh, and we laugh a lot with our kids. I say things like ‘well I better get smaller boobs and weight-loss out of this’ that kind of goofy stuff. That’s just how I’m dealing with this.” Abourezk is also spreading the word about the Pink Life Safe mobile van. She keeps appointment cards in her car and passes them around to her neighbors and friends. She said with the convenience of the van, there’s no excuse for women not to get their mammograms. “I guess I’m getting personal,” she said. “But it’s so important to for women to get their mammograms every year. I don’t care how they get here, as long as they get here.” The Pink Life Saver van was made possible through two major donations, one made by the Men for the Cure for $185,000 and the other from King Soopers for $100,000. For more information on the Pink Life Saver van or to make an appointment visit, www.PinkLifeSaver.com.
More than 200 people attended this year’s Education Foundation breakfast on Feb. 15. The early morning event at Westminster High School was a reminder to the Adams County School District 50 community about the importance of investing in the district’s students. The mission of the Education Foundation is to provide grants and scholarships to staff and students in District 50. Creativity grants are awarded to teachers, staff and parent groups to improve student achievement. Scholarships are awarded to graduating seniors to encourage their dreams for the future. During the 2011-12 school year, 29 students were awarded scholarships in the amount of $44,600. Evelyn Flores was a past scholarship winner. She was awarded $1,000 from the Education Foundation. She spoke during the breakfast about how important the scholarship was to her education. She is a 2009 Westminster High School graduate and now attends the University of Colorado at Denver. She is going to school to become a registered nurse. She said with the scholarship money she was able to go to school full time her freshman year, which really helped her focus on her classes and education. “Because of the scholarship, I was able to have all my concentration in class,” she said. “I’m very grateful for the scholarship. It was probably the best moment of my senior year.” But after the scholarship money ran out and rising tuition costs, Flores now works full time in order to pay for school, forcing her to only attend school part time. But that hasn’t slowed her down. She said she continues to focus on her future and hopes other WHS graduates District 50 continues on Page 20