Brief by Martha Quillen
Regional news – December 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine
Campaign 2003
There were so many different local initiatives this year, that we decided to report election results in a separate story.
But there’s one result worth double coverage. As the Leadville Herald Democrat put it: “For the first time in 31 years, a school bond issue passed in Lake County.”
That was only part of the news, however. This year Lake County had three school-funding measures on the ballot: 3A for a mill levy override; 3B a bond issue; and 3C for a related Tabor provision.
And all three passed.
Lake County Schools Get Money
Lake County schools have definitely had more than their share of problems in recent years. Their CSAP scores are low; their high school dropout rate is high; buildings need repair; and teachers don’t seem inclined to stay. So this November school financing was once again a big ballot issue.
But recently, the school district received two state grants, amounting to more than a million dollars, which made some citizens question whether the school district still needed the $2 million it wanted to renovate the district’s intermediate school.
The state grants required matching funds, however, and proponents of the 2003 bond measure felt that the school might have to make ill-conceived cuts in order to come up with such funds.
Thus, the community was divided on the school finance measures, and the vote was relatively close (969 for and 860 against on A; 978 to 841 on B; and 1,067 for and 754 against on C). But in the end, despite controversy over whether this was the best financial proposal possible, everyone seemed to agree that the district was in dire need of funds. And this time around, pre-election editorials and letters seemed to be considerably more confident that the school district could and would spend the funds well and make positive changes.
One of the things Lake County citizens seem to want most is to get rid of the open classroom concept built into their intermediate school, which citizens quoted in a recent Herald Democrat editorial labeled: “distracting,” “chaotic,” “like a prison,” “a terrible concept.” Or as a former student said: “the open concept sucks, I … could not get out of there fast enough.”
New funds will go to renovating the intermediate school and replacing boilers and flooring in other schools.
Aside from the grants, bond, and mill levy, Lake County schools also received a generous bequest recently. Helene Monberg, a 1936 graduate of Leadville High School who became a prominent Washington journalist, left the district $200,000.
But Everything Isn’t Looking Up
for School Personnel
Linda Lewis, an elementary school principal in Lake County was charged with hitting a 5-year old at Pitts Elementary School in October.
According to statements made by witnesses, a school employee had the child restrained with his arms crossed over his chest when Lewis arrived in the classroom. But according to Lewis’ statement, the child was still out of control and trying to headbutt the teacher, so she swatted him on the bottom (from one to eight times according to various reports).
Apparently state law and school board policy says that corporal punishment “shall not” be administered. But district policy also says an employee can use reasonable and appropriate force when necessary: 1) to prevent a student from an act of wrong-doing; 2) to quell a disturbance threatening bodily injury; 3) to obtain possession of a weapon; 4) in self-defense; 5) for the protection of another person or property; 6) to maintain discipline.
Lewis was charged with a class 1 misdemeanor, and a guilty verdict could mean 6 months to two years imprisonment and/or a $500 to $5,000 fine.
A court appearance is scheduled for November 18.
Public child abuse
A Leadville woman stopped for speeding in October was arrested after reportedly loosing her temper — and pushing her luck. Deputy Mark Werts reported that a woman he’d clocked going 71 in a 55 mph zone, turned and struck one of the three children in the back seat of her vehicle while he was still sitting in his patrol car.
Then, according to Werts, when he asked the woman to attend to a crying one-year-old in the back seat, the woman pushed the girl across the back of the car and struck her in the chest with her fist.
A social services representative arrived on the scene and notified Werts of the woman’s prior record. Whereupon the woman was taken into custody and charged with speeding, failure to use a child-restraint system, and two counts of child abuse and reckless endangerment.
In Buena Vista, a police investigation was launched after two toddlers were found naked in October, playing in the street near McPhelemy Park. The parents were both given summonses for child abuse, but names were withheld pending further investigation.
Crime Chronicles
The Kobe Bryant case may seem far away in those opulent resort environs of Eagle County, but as it turns out, Lake County has to pay for some of the trial costs.
[Kobe in Central Colorado]
As part of the 5th Judicial District, humble Lake County has to foot part of the bill for the celebrity trial, which won’t come cheap; 2004 costs for the trial, alone (not including personnel costs), are estimated at $45,500.
A recent Herald Democrat story reported that two of Lake County’s three commissioners had signed on to pay $10,689, “but no more.”
Costs, of course, may go even higher. But the $45,500 covers a trauma expert, strangulation expert, rape consultant, sex-assault examiner expert, rape trauma expert, jury consultant, and other miscellaneous experts, along with travel and trial expenses.
A warrant was issued accusing a sixty-year-old Salida man of forgery and theft after he allegedly walked into Peoples National Bank in Leadville, presented his driver’s license, and asked how much money was in his account; then he withdrew most of the funds.
The problem? The account belonged to a seventy-five-year-old Colorado Springs man with the same name who says that no one had permission to withdraw money from his account.
A former Hartsel resident was acquitted of murder charges on October 9. LaQuinne Thomas was accused of shooting Fairplay resident Samuel Reece, after Reece attempted to steal his car stereo. Thomas fired several warning shots in the air while chasing Reece. Then, Thomas contended, he fired directly at Reece because he saw a shiny object and believed Reece had a gun.
According to the Fairplay Flume, William Buckley, attorney for the accused, says that legal expenses have left his client bankrupt, and Thomas has moved to Montana.
There have been several letters about vandalism of vehicles in the Salida Mountain Mail. One letter complained of a broken window; another of intentionally scratched paint. The culprits in both cases were assumed to be wayward adolescents.
A Bailey woman was surprised when a Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputy called her to ask if she knew where her vehicle was — after his department had pulled it over for speeding down Evergreen Parkway.
According to authorities, there was no illegality involved, since the driver worked at John Elway Subaru West in Golden, where the woman had left her vehicle for repairs. But the incident report also noted that there were children and personal possessions in the car.
When the owner asked, someone at the agency admitted that they often let mechanics take vehicles home for a test drive. But the owner felt that her vehicle had been taken on too much of a ride, and noted that it had 151 new miles on the odometer when she went to pick it up.
“He took it for his own personal use. It wasn’t for a test drive,” she told the Fairplay Flume.
Her lawyer and a consumer affairs investigator concluded that there was little that she could do, however, since there’s no particular limit set on test drives.
The woman, however, decided to at least get her story out, so others would know what could happen to their vehicles.
More, more, more — money that is
The Colorado State Parks Board has approved a request by the Colorado Snowmobile Association to implement a new non-resident permit starting January 1, 2004. The new permit will cost out-of-state snowmobilers $20.25 (which is the same as in-state registration) and will be required for all non-resident snowmobiles, including those registered in another state or country. Funds will go to aid in trail-grooming. For more information check www.parks.state.co.us or call 303-791-1920.
“Silver City” is
on the Silver Screen
Crews came to Leadville in October to film an independent mystery, Silver City, and the Herald Democrat reported local reactions to the film’s director, John Sayles, and stars, Daryl Hannah and Richard Dreyfuss. Hannah had a manicure and pedicure at a local salon, and both Dreyfuss and Hannah patronized local taverns. Hannah was said to be especially fond of Zichittella’s, a local eatery; and everyone involved in the production was apparently chilled due to a drop in temperatures.
According to the newspaper, most Leadville residents were favorably impressed with the production staff and stars, and filming in Leadville’s historic district seemed to go very well.
Although the “Silver City” in the movie will be called Carbonville, numerous locals worked as extras, so the movie will be peopled with real Leadville residents, many of them wearing their own clothing.
The production donated $1,000 to a local charity for children’s Christmas gifts and another $1,000 to Lake County for the pool fund. Although no release date has been set, the film is expected to be out sometime in early 2004.
Cold, Wind Hamper Search
James Henle, 44, was missing and presumed dead after his motor boat capsized in Spinney Mountain Reservoir near Hartsel on October 24. Two other passengers made it ashore after the accident, but at the end of October, the Flume reported that the search for Henle’s body had not gone smoothly, largely due to poor weather conditions. The incident commander for the search effort was confident that the body would eventually be found, however, but…. “It may be April.”
Be Forewarned!
In October, Sheriff Fred Jobe of Custer County announced that his department was going to crack down on traffic violations. Jobe was quoted in the Wet Mountain Tribune: “Everywhere I go, someone is telling me about speeding problems in his or her area of the county.”
He also warned that more tickets would be issued for failure to stop at stop signs.
It Was the Best of Times,
It Was the Worst…
At a regular meeting in October, Nate Olson, CEO for Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center in Salida, announced that there may be a couple of bad years ahead. Olson pointed out that expenses were up, energy costs were also going up, and the facility has to keep wages competitive to compete. According to the Mountain Mail, Olson told board members that there were just good years and bad years in health care and they’d need to prepare to weather tight times.
