Today's News

A massive electrical fire March 5, apparently caused by high winds, burned a home at 8327 S. Carr St. in South Jeffco.
No one was injured in the blaze, which consumed the two-story house. The home was considered a total loss, with about $300,000 in damage.
The homeowner was vacuuming in the early afternoon, when she smelled smoke. The woman immediately exited the house and called 911. An off-duty West Metro firefighter who lives less than a block away quickly responded, preparing a hydrant for the fire crew before they arrived.

The Jefferson County commissioners are seeking applicants to fill vacancies on numerous commissions and boards, many of which have vacancies or have seats up for appointment in late March.

Among the entities with vacancies are the audit committee, library board, CSU Extension Advisory Board and Tri-County Workforce Investment Board. The audit committee, which was disbanded by the commissioners last year, has been reincarnated with an official charter, a detail the commissioners said the previous committee lacked.

A $485,000 four-year grant designed to improve childhood literacy will fund a new summer reading program at four of the county’s most poverty-stricken elementary schools.

Mile High United Way awarded the matching-fund grant last week to the Jefferson Foundation, an independent nonprofit that supports Jeffco Public Schools. Along with a $121,000 first-year contribution from the Salazar Family Foundation and upcoming fund-raising efforts, the amount will total $970,000, which will used to cover teacher pay and other expenses for the eight-week program.

Acting City Attorney Kirsten Crawford stepped into the position at a particularly tumultuous time for Littleton — the city’s police department was in the midst of a well-publicized wiretapping scandal, and Crawford’s former boss, then-city attorney Suzanne Staiert, had been fired by the City Council.