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Today's News

  • Process needed to validate ballot initiatives

    The things we, the people of Colorado, do to our state constitution are pretty remarkable. Most informed voters know and understand how the conflicting provisions of TABOR, which restricts government collections and expenditures; Amendment 23, which mandates increased spending for K-12 education regardless of the condition of the state treasury or impact on other state programs; and the Gallagher amendment, which creates ever disparate property tax treatment of residential and commercial property ties elected officials’ hands and makes it difficult to deliver government services.

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  • County avoids trial in claims against Congrove, commission

    A woman accusing the Jefferson County commission and, in particular, Commissioner Jim Congrove of having her fired from a bank holding county funds has agreed to drop the claims.

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  • Garage door openers used in burglaries

    Garage door openers in cars parked outside homes have been used in a spate of recent home burglaries, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

    The trend has become more prevalent since the beginning of November.

    The suspects' method is to find an unlocked car parked on the street and use the garage door opener inside the car to open the home's garage. Once inside, suspects enter cars parked inside the garage, where they steal wallets, purses, small electronic devices, and paperwork. At least three vehicles were also stolen from garages.

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  • Stony Creek Elementary honors veterans

    The distinct sound of a bugle pierced the crisp, sunny morning Nov. 11, when Stony Creek Elementary hosted its annual Veterans Day celebration.

    John De Le Garza, the school's principal, an Army veteran and a member of the American GI Forum, invited a few members from his group. The men, dressed in black uniforms with black berets, performed a flag-raising ceremony while one played the bugle. The students and families looked on, and a group of Boy Scouts led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.

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  • An open-door policy

    A recent surge in vehicle break-ins and burglaries involving open garage doors has hit South Jeffco, and police are asking residents to avoid helping the criminals to commit the crimes.

    "They're assisting the crooks in becoming victims," said Capt. Patricia Woodin, who runs the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office south precinct. She said many of the recent burglaries and car thefts could have been prevented.

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  • Exiled from the mall

    SOUTH JEFFCO — A South Jeffco man who had been banned from Southwest Plaza in March made a recent appearance at the mall, and a security guard with a sharp memory was moved to action. The offending party was sitting outside the northwest entrance of the mall, minding his own business, when the guard called the sheriff's office to have a deputy deliver a reminder about his status as a persona non grata. The man told the deputy that he thought his mall privileges had been suspended for just a year, while the mall maintained it had been three.

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  • Gas price drops help county, but budget director says prices may not last

    Soaring fuel prices this summer forced Jefferson County to commit extra money to the county vehicles' gas tanks. But even though the recent price collapse will result in some savings, the county's budget director cautions that the low prices might not last.

    The county commissioners approved more than $930,000 in contingency funds for the county's fleet fund and the sheriff's patrol fund on Nov. 18 to meet unforeseen fuel costs. When Buck Benke, the fleet services manager, and other county leaders asked for more money, they were looking at fuel prices well above $3 per gallon.

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  • Football dreams

    Ten-year-old Dylan Finnegan is a big Broncos fan. Really big.

    So big, in fact, that his parents, Crystal and Kevin Finnegan, recently let him paint his bedroom with a Broncos theme: one wall blue, one wall orange, and orange and blue stripes running across the middle of the ceiling.

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  • Commissioners prepare to appoint new treasurer

    When it comes to choosing the new Jefferson County treasurer to replace the outgoing Faye Griffin, Commissioners Kathy Hartman and Kevin McCasky take a slightly different approach.

    Both agree that the most qualified person should get the job, but when it comes to politics, they are on different pages.

    "It is a Republican that had the seat, and Republicans have had some setbacks in elective office in the county," McCasky said. "It's not a key issue, but it's definitely something I'm very much concerned about."

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  • What’s the best way to fix our economy?

    Hannah Hayes

    This little piggy went to the free market; after all, we were told to shop. Unfortunately some shopped “on the margin,” meaning there was no inherent value in the paper they were purchasing. Who can blame the Chinese for trying to cash out if they started to feel insecure about the lack of backing on their loans?

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Copyright © 2013

Columbine Courier is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in South Jefferson County, Colo., and the surrounding area.