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Week of September 22, 2022
ADAMS & JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
WestminsterWindow.com
VOLUME 77 | ISSUE 48
HOMECOMING 2022
COVID not top voter concern Housing affordability, economy, homelessness rank high in poll BY AMANDA HORVATH ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS
travel needs. “The plan we would have implemented in the beginning of 2021 isn’t what we now think we should do with our service,” said RTD’s Manager of Corridor Planning Doug Monroe. “What the plan is looking to do is allocate the resources to areas where we’re seeing the strongest ridership over the past few years.”
In the last two years, COVID-19 has dropped from a top concern for Colorado voters to low on the list. Now at the top of that list ahead of the November election are issues like affordable housing and civil rights issues. The ACLU of Colorado commissioned a poll of 1,223 likely voters in Colorado last month through the African American Research Collaborative (AARC). Ninety-five percent of the poll’s respondents were already registered voters in the state. The poll found 80% of Coloradans consider housing affordability as either a major issue or a crisis. Also among top concerns were the economy and homelessness. “There is a flavor of concern of the inflation and economy that is directly tied to civil rights,” said Isaiah Bailey, a research fellow with the AARC. He said it was encouraging that voters are understanding the connection of those ideas. Top issues found as concerns for voters. Provided by African American Research Collaborative. Also, reflected in the poll was the agency voters feel they have in the democratic process when it comes to ballot issues. On a scale from 1 to 10 — 10 meaning the issue is extremely persuasive in encouraging you to vote — the average answer was 7.48 for ballot issues.
SEE RTD, P8
SEE COVID, P9
Sophomore royalty nominees Memphis Sherman, right, and Michelle Ramirez enter the Five Star North Stadium field at halftime during Mountain Range homecoming game Sept. 16. The Mustangs beat Grand Junction 13-7. More photos on page 18. PHOTO BY STEFAN BRODSKY
RTD’s service declining in the suburbs The transportation district’s new plan focuses on higher ridership areas BY LUKE ZARZECKI LZARZECKI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Bus lines across Denver will see changes in service after the Regional Transportation Dis-
trict’s board of directors voted for a new plan that focuses more on higher ridership areas. That means some suburb lines will be lost or see reduced service due to low demand for transit, RTD officials said. The plan kicked off in 2019 with reevaluations coming after 2020 and will be implemented slowly over the next five years. The move comes as a post-pandemic effort to adapt to changing
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | CALENDAR: PAGE 15 | SPORTS: PAGE 18
WHEN GRASS ISN’T GREEN
Lawns less popular as dry landscaping grows P12