Local News

Voters soundly rejected Amendments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101 on Tuesday.
Amendment 60 was opposed by 77 percent of voters. The amendment would have reduced property taxes on a $300,000 house by $376, according to a September state Legislative Council memo to the General Assembly. The bulk of that would have come from slashing school-related property taxes, but the measure would also have substantially impacted special districts, which predominate in mountain communities.

District 3 County Commissioner Kathy Hartman, who was the first Democrat to serve on the commission in a decade and a half, was defeated in last week’s election.

Republican challenger Don Rosier ultimately topped Hartman by more than 4 percentage points, as Jeffco votes were fully counted by Monday morning.

A controlled burn of about 200 acres of grassland began Thursday at Bear Creek Lake Park, resulting in brownish gray smoke plumes near C-470 and U.S. 285.

West Metro Fire initiated the burn as a prevention measure, though other benefits result from the small controlled fires, a district spokeswoman said.

“That area hasn’t had a prescribed burn for seven years,” said spokeswoman Micki Trost, explaining that another targeted section of the park hadn’t seen a controlled fire for 12 years. “It reduces the fuel load in the area.”

Lakewood police reported that a wind gust blew over a semi on C-470 at the Morrison exit about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The highway was closed for about an hour while the truck was hoisted into the upright position. The driver had no life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital.