Local News

A section of South Wadsworth Boulevard between Cross Street and West Bowles Avenue will be temporarily closed during evening and early-morning hours from May 15 through 17, as construction crews place a pedestrian bridge over the busy street.

The road will be closed on Sunday from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. and on Monday and Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. The road will be open as normal beginning at 5 a.m. Wednesday.

Detours will be in place, with southbound traffic directed to West Cross Street and West Long Drive and northbound traffic directed to West Bowles Avenue.

The average Jeffco home lost 1 percent of its value during the two-year period that ended June 30, 2010, according to an analysis of 149,000 homes by the county assessor.

Notices of valuation went out to homeowners May 1.

Median values are down nearly everywhere across the county as follows: South Jeffco, minus 1.2 percent; Lakewood, minus 1.2 percent; and Golden, minus 1.4 percent.

The exception to declining value and lower tax bills will be homeowners who made significant improvements or additions. They are likely to see increases in actual value.

By Stephanie Harper

For the Courier

In earlier days, it wasn’t unusual for a student to bring her favorite teacher an apple. At Front Range Christian School, students will be keeping the apples themselves to feed their hunger for knowledge.

The South Jeffco middle/high school will bring educational technology to a new level in the 2011-12 school year, when it will require each of its 400 students to have an iPad.

D.J. Turner, spokeswoman for Front Range Christian, said teachers would decide how the iPads will be used in their classes.

Aspects of the Jeffco Public Schools budget were contentious, but more animosity was sparked among board members May 5 regarding whether to hold negotiations with employee unions in closed session. Though it failed on April 21 by a vote of 2-2, the issue was again raised at last week’s hearing, and a vote of 4-1 approved the measure.

The prior vote was invalid, some board members argued, dismissing it on a technicality.

The measure included a caveat that the Board of Education must direct a negotiating team before a closed session is held.