$1.00
Week of August 25, 2022
ADAMS & JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
WestminsterWindow.com
VOLUME 77 | ISSUE 44
PAUSE AFTER A DIP
Student test scores rise after COVID decline Results continue to show deficits, state data shows BY ERICA BREUNLIN THE COLORADO SUN
Maddy takes a break to dry off after playing in Thornton’s City Pool Aug. 20. Owner Alyssa Byrnes of Thornton brought her dog to the pool for Thornton’s annual Paws for a Dip. See more photos from the PHOTO BY SCOTT TAYLOR pool day on page 5.
Northglenn considers firearm bans in city buildings Big question for city is controlling open carrying in city parks BY LUKE ZARZECKI LZARZECKI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Northglenn city council will decide on an ordinance in early September that would prohibit open and concealed carry in public buildings, specifically sensitive public areas such as legislative assemblies, polling places and courthouses. City Hall falls under that category, but City Attorney Corey Hoffmann will look
into other locations as well. Deputy Police Chief Randall Darlin presented historical legislative and court rulings across the country that give municipalities in Colorado the power to regulate guns. But there are nuances as well, Darlin said at the Aug. 8 study session. Darlin explained that the state’s legislature passed a law in 2021 giving local governments the ability to regulate firearms. “Local governments can prohibit the sale, purchase, transfer, or possession of a firearm, ammunition, or firearm component under that statute,” he said. He explained that C.R.S.
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | CALENDAR: PAGE 15 | SPORTS: PAGE 18
§ 18-12-203 gives an individual the ability to obtain a permit from their local sheriff’s office to carry a concealed weapon. They must meet certain requirements, however. Those include being a legal resident of Colorado and at least 21 years of age. They also must not have their ability to carry a firearm restricted under other Colorado or Federal laws, must not use alcoholic beverages chronically or habitually to the point of impairment, as legally defined, or be a legally defined user or addicted SEE FIREARMS, P4
Colorado students made significant headway in overcoming academic setbacks due to pandemic-related hiccups in learning, but their progress still hasn’t set them fully back on track, according to state standardized test data published by the Colorado Department of Education on Aug. 17. Colorado Measures of
Academic Success assessments are typically conducted each spring as a way to gauge how well students and schools are meeting state academic standards. The department made assessment results from spring 2022 public the same day that State Board of Education members were scheduled to review student performance and growth. Last spring’s assessments marked a return to normalcy for Colorado schools as they administered them in the same way that tests were given in spring 2019. Exams had the same content and SEE TESTING, P7
Tracking pollution in state’s most impacted areas Trying to get state to take action has been lengthy process BY MIGUEL OTÁROLA COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO
Sandra Ruiz-Parrilla has organized walking tours, planted trees and curated art exhibits to draw attention to the environmental hazards in Denver’s Globeville neighborhood. There’s the constant noise and foul smells coming from construction sites, Interstate 70 and the nearby Purina pet-food plant, she said. There is also the soil
under the homes, contaminated by industrial smelters from decades past. But getting state officials to go beyond increasing their awareness and taking steps to fix those problems has been a long process, she said. “It’s hard to really fight and raise your voice, because they don’t really hear us in our neighborhoods,” Ruiz-Parrilla said in Spanish. More than a year after Gov. Jared Polis signed the Environmental Justice Act into law, state officials say they are working to earn the trust of Coloradans who are disproportionately impacted by pollution and other envi-
FALL SPORTS SCHEDULES
Times and dates for local high school games P18