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Opt-in vs opt-out: The parental rights debate over the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Opt-in vs opt-out: The parental rights debate over the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Where do you land as a parent: opt in vs. opt out? The article below is about a recent Douglas County school board decision about participation in the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey. This is a survey that, quoting the article, includes topics such as “... physical activity, mental health, tobacco and substance use, and school safety and bullying. The high school survey includes demographic questions about sexual orientation, sexual health and sexual violence questions.” It also has questions on teens’ perceived access to guns. The board didn’t vote to not participate, they moved the decision to take it from opt in to opt out. Going forward, parents will have to allow their students to participate rather than rememberin...
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Douglas County Secures Land for Massive Zebulon Sports Hub
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Douglas County Secures Land for Massive Zebulon Sports Hub

By: Noah Festenstein | The Denver Gazette Douglas County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a crucial land exchange deal to build a massive sports complex on land previously bought by developers of Colorado’s largest master-planned community. The county partnered with Sterling Ranch to create plans for a 500-acre sports complex in northwest Douglas County called Zebulon. The land transfer impacts 46.5 acres of land planned to be the project’s first phase and will include a sports facility with hockey rinks, gyms, baseball and soccer fields. “The amendment provides Douglas County with an additional 34.2 acres of land in a configuration that is intended to facilitate development of a sports complex,” county staff said Tuesday in a presentation to commissioners. The ...
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Is Rep. Marshall’s narrow 2024 win now at risk in Douglas County?
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Is Rep. Marshall’s narrow 2024 win now at risk in Douglas County?

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Rep. Bob Marshall (D-HD43) represents one of Colorado’s most politically mixed suburban districts, covering parts of Highlands Ranch and Littleton. The area is built around families, good schools, and a long-standing belief in local control and fiscal restraint. Marshall often calls himself a centrist Democrat and a retired Marine who puts people before politics. But his voting record at the Capitol tells a different story.  Marshall once appealed to a wide mix of voters. Whether that still holds is an open question, especially given how much the mood in Douglas County has changed. Prices have climbed. Crime feels closer. And faith in state leaders is wearing thin. Out of Douglas County’s 323,000 regist...
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Beyond the rhetoric: Schools, unions, and the battle for objective truth in education
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Beyond the rhetoric: Schools, unions, and the battle for objective truth in education

By Laureen Boll | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In Part One, Laureen Boll examined how literacy challenges, COVID-era policies, and parental authority define Colorado’s education debate. In this second installment, she shifts focus to the role of schools, the influence of teachers’ unions, and the clash over objective truth — issues she argues will shape the outcome of this November’s school board elections. The Role of Schools DCSD recently voted in favor of requiring parental consent, or “opt-in,” for students to participate in the upcoming Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, also known as HKCS. HKCS is an anonymous survey that is offered to all school districts in the state every-other-year, and much of the information that’s collected from middle and high school students is...
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Castle tow truck driver receives 16 year prison sentence for auto theft scheme
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

Castle tow truck driver receives 16 year prison sentence for auto theft scheme

By Sydney Isenberg | DENVER 7 The 23rd Judicial DA's Office confirmed to Denver7 that sexual exploitation of a child/possession of child sexual abuse material charges against Brian Chacon were dropped as part of a plea deal. DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — A Castle Rock tow truck driver was sentenced to 16 years in prison for orchestrating an auto theft scheme that spanned across the Denver metro area. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said its investigation began in December 2023 after a detective with the Auto Theft Unit was assigned a stolen vehicle case. The detective later learned that the case may be related to several incidents involving Eagle Wing Towing. According to the 23rd Judicial District Attorney's Office, between April 2023 and February 2024, Brian Chacon, 34, owner o...
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Why the Douglas County School Board Election on November 4th  Matters More Than Ever
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Why the Douglas County School Board Election on November 4th  Matters More Than Ever

By Andy Jones | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As the leaves turn in Douglas County, so does the page to another pivotal moment in our community's story: the school board election on November 4, 2025. For parents juggling carpools, teachers fine-tuning lesson plans, and students eyeing college applications, this vote might feel like just another item on a crowded ballot. But in a district that has clawed its way back from the depths of COVID-19 disruptions to become a beacon of educational excellence, the stakes couldn't be higher.  The Douglas County School District (DCSD) led by a conservative majority, has engineered a remarkable turnaround since 2022, with soaring graduation rates, top-tier test scores, and innovative programs that are the envy of the state. Yet, thi...
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Douglas County outrage grows after judge hands out probation in violent crime case
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DENVER7, Approved, State

Douglas County outrage grows after judge hands out probation in violent crime case

By: Allie Jennerjahn | Denver7 District Attorney for the 23rd Judicial District and stalking victim "outraged" over judge's decision to only sentence stalker to probation CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — A Douglas County judge is under fire for two separate probation decisions she’s made in just one week. District Attorney for the 23rd Judicial District George Brauchler told Denver7 he’s “outraged” by the ruling, but he never specifically said who the judge was. “I don’t think judges exist in this jurisdiction to do what the DA says. That doesn’t make sense. I don’t think that [ruling] protects defendants appropriately either,” Brauchler said. “My respect for the bench doesn’t mean that I like all of their decisions, and in this particular case, I think this one is too risky for the p...
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DA Slams Court Over Probation Sentence For Convicted Stalker
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kdvr.com, Approved, Local

DA Slams Court Over Probation Sentence For Convicted Stalker

By Maddie Rhodes | KDVR Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — Prosecutors are speaking out after a Douglas County judge decided to sentence a man convicted of assault and stalking to probation. The 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office said Taylor Wayne Burrows, 31, of Lakewood, was convicted of assault and stalking. While the victim and prosecutors were looking for a prison sentence, the district attorney’s office said the judge sentenced him to probation and told Burrows to “work on his demons.” This comes after Burrows was convicted of assaulting his former fiancée, Aubrey Cadwell, in 2023 in her Highlands Ranch home. Burrows accused Cadwell of cheating on him, then strangled her before she could escape to a neighbor’s home. Burrows was arrested, then in 2024, he strangled another person in...
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Deputies sound alarm over risks of ‘Senior Assassins’ student game
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Fox31, Approved, Local

Deputies sound alarm over risks of ‘Senior Assassins’ student game

By: Jacob Factor | FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday issued a “public safety announcement” warning the community of the risks associated with a high school tradition after two “alarming” calls of students playing “Senior Assassin.” The game, in which high school students—typically seniors—hunt for at “shoot” each other with sometimes realistic-looking water or toy guns, has been the subject of many law enforcement warnings around the country and has even led to students being shot by police or injured while playing.Police across US issue warnings about ‘senior assassin’ game: What is it? The sheriff’s office, in a Facebook post and video, detailed the two incidents that happened earlier this month related to the game. “...
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Douglas County water future tied to $2.75M in federal budget
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Douglas County water future tied to $2.75M in federal budget

By: Noah Festenstein | The Denver Gazette Select Douglas County water districts are poised to receive up to $2.75 million combined for projects dealing with sustainable drinking water or new pipelines. That’s on top of $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding already allocated for a wastewater project in northwest Douglas County. Back in May, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, had requested $9 million in federal funding for the Louviers Water & Sanitation District’s drinking water distribution replacement and Castle Rock Water’s Plum Creek to Reuter-Hess Reservoir pipeline projects. On July 22, the federal House Appropriations Committee advanced a bill that included $1.75 million specifically for Castle Rock’s project. The panel also a...
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