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Teachers union declares impasse

Talks between the school district and the teachers union ended abruptly Monday evening when the union declared an impasse and left the bargaining table.

“It has become clear … that this year’s bargaining process is broken and is disrespecting a 45-year tradition that has made us great,” said Stephie Rossi, bargaining chair for the Jeffco Education Association. “The JCEA team cannot meet the board’s interests if we don’t know what they are.”

Accident kills two on South...

A crash on South Kipling Parkway between Ken-Caryl Avenue and Chatfield Drive left two people dead on the evening of April 6.

One of the drivers, Diane Iannella, 66 of Littleton, was pronounced dead at the scene. Armando Mendez, 39 of Littleton, was transported to Littleton Hospital where he died of his injuries.

Program targets child abuse,...

Jefferson County is partnering with Denver on a program designed to prevent child abuse and neglect by educating parents. 

SafeCare’s goal is to provide parents with needed tools and skills, said Mary Berg, deputy director of the Jeffco Human Services Division. 

Many cases of abuse and neglect are caused by a lack of parenting skills or knowledge, Berg said. 

Ex-fire chief pleads guilty to 3...

Former Inter-Canyon fire chief David MacBean pleaded guilty Monday to three charges in the theft of more than $647,000 from the fire district.

MacBean, who was indicted last October, seven months after he was asked to step down as chief, entered guilty pleas in district court to two counts of theft and one count of embezzlement of public property. MacBean's sentencing is scheduled for June 24; he faces up to 27 years in prison.

On the run — and loving it

Six-year-old Katy Carpenter has a need for speed, and Powderhorn Elementary’s new Run Club is the solution. 

“I can’t believe I can run that fast with a fake leg,” Katy said. “I can run as fast as a cheetah. I’m serious.”

Katy has a prosthetic right leg; doctors had to sever her leg at the knee when she was a baby. 

“(The Run Club) helps me get better running, because I have to get used to it without a leg,” Katy said.

School board approves...

The Jeffco school board has earmarked an additional $3.7 million for charter schools in the 2014-15 budget, a move that sparked cheers and jeers at a packed meeting last week.

The new board majority, which campaigned last year on giving district parents more school choice, backed the appropriation to address funding inequities faced by charter schools. 

Commission candidate cites...

Columbine area resident John Flerlage, a former Marine, is determined to bring his leadership qualities to Jefferson County government. 

Flerlage, a Democrat, is running against Jeffco Commissioner Don Rosier in District 3, which covers South Jeffco. The incumbent Republican is seeking his second four-year term on the GOP-controlled commission.

Flerlage, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2010, is hoping to bring his fiscal, environmental and local approach to Jeffco leadership.

A Marine for most of his life

West Metro Fire seeks approval...

Residents of the West Metro Fire Protection District are being asked to approve a 24 percent tax increase in May’s election, along with voting for four board seats up for election.

The 3-mill increase is being sought to ease some of the financial strains the department has experienced since the recession in 2009, said West Metro spokeswoman Michelle French. 

Jeffco Open Space facing...

The initial phase of the Peaks to Plains Trail project is facing escalated costs, Tom Hoby, director of Jeffco Parks and Open Space, told the Jeffco Open Space Advisory Committee on April 3.

The total cost of the trail connection from Golden to the Jefferson County line is now in the $75 million to $100 million range — more than three times the original estimate of $30 million to $35 million, Hoby said. 

Habanero peppers suspected in...

Habanero peppers have been identified as the irritant that sent seven students from the Jeffco Open School in Lakewood to the hospital on Monday.

West Metro Fire Rescue evacuated the campus Monday afternoon after 30 students and one teacher's aide were affected by the then-unknown substance. All of those affected were decontaminated at the school by West Metro.