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Local News

  • County eyes name change for Community Resources Department

    Jeffco officials are considering a name change for the Community Resources Department, an entity that includes the Boettcher Mansion, Colorado State University Extension, the Jefferson County Fairgrounds and the Open Space Division.

    At the request of department director Tom Hoby, the county commissioners may give a nod to the proposed name “Jefferson County Parks,” which comes with the branding statement “enriching life.”

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  • District attorney, courts clash over the future of bail

    Jeffco’s Justice Services Department is clashing with District Attorney Scott Storey over the future of bail, with both entities vying for $200,000 that could continue funding for a recently overhauled pretrial services program.

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  • Applicants sought for library board vacancy

    The Jeffco commissioners are seeking applicants for a vacancy on the county library board, following former trustee Catherine Hildreth’s recent resignation.

    Hildreth, who was notably absent at numerous library board meetings, was appointed earlier this year to replace former county commissioner Kathy Hartman, who briefly served on the library board before accepting a high-level job in the Jeffco district attorney’s office.

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  • Pact closer on cover for dinosaur tracks

    More than 60 million years ago, a group of Iguanodons trekked across a shoreline in what is now Dakota Ridge, leaving distinct trails that became fossilized in delicate sandstone.

    Only 81 years have passed since a construction crew broke ground on West Alameda Parkway and discovered the large footprints. And it’s been just 22 years since Friends of Dinosaur Ridge began working to preserve the tracks.

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  • Library considers Internet filters after porn incident

    After a teen was recently caught viewing porn on a Columbine Library computer and allegedly masturbating in plain sight, the Jeffco library trustees are considering whether to filter Internet access for all library patrons.
    Library trustees clashed Thursday on the issue of Internet censorship.

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  • Library board weighs closure of three branches

    The Jeffco library board is considering closing the system’s three smallest library branches next year, two of which serve the poorest areas of the county.
    Library staff on Thursday listed closure of the Conifer, Edgewater and Wheat Ridge libraries as cost-saving options; shutting down all three could save the system up to $695,000 annually.
    The closures could be necessary to meet a sharply reduced budget in 2012, library staff and board members said.

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  • Roxborough State Park announces 58-acre land purchase

    Roxborough State Park purchased 58 acres of land last month, an acquisition that apparently will ease fears that an area surrounded by park land would eventually be developed.

    The land, which is in the south-central region of the park and sits more than a mile from the visitor center, is unlikely to see many changes. Though buildings will not be constructed on the land, a new trail that would connect the land to the nearby Carpenter Peak Trail may be built in the future.

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  • Park district selling 30 acres of land

    The Foothills Park & Recreation District recently placed more 30 acres of land up for sale, hoping to net $4.5 million for capital-improvement projects and other expenses.

    The five South Jeffco parcels, which the district calls “surplus land,” have not been slated for park development for various reasons. Most of the parcels are near existing parks, and several sit next to busy intersections, which would make accessibility difficult if parks were to be developed, Foothills executive director Ron Hopp said.

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  • DA’s office arrests Arizona teacher on Internet child-exploitation charge

    The Jeffco district attorney’s office arrested an Arizona teacher on July 11 on suspicion of Internet child exploitation.

    Eighth-grade science teacher Justin Ray Sargent, 33, is accused of contacting a DA’s employee who was posing as a 15-year-old girl in an online chat room. According to an arrest affidavit, Sargent sent a number of sexually explicit messages and repeatedly asked the supposed teen for nude photos.

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  • Man faces charges in gun incident outside The Edge

    The man suspected of brandishing a gun July 7 outside The Edge Ice Arena was charged last week with five felony counts, including a charge of first-degree kidnapping, the district attorney’s office said.

    Charles Belter appeared in court July 14. He faces additional charges of stalking, felony menacing, automobile trespassing, violation of a protective order and child abuse not resulting in injury, the DA’s office said. Belter’s next court hearing is slated for July 25, when a preliminary hearing will be scheduled.

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