Justin Barton had reached his breaking point when he walked into a Littleton crisis center last spring.

I was alone, I had nobody, I had zero people, said Barton. I was homeless, and I had nowhere to go.

That pivotal moment connected him with Bridge House Tri-Cities, which had recently opened in Englewood. The program offers sober living and meals in exchange for work, with the goal of helping participants get back on their feet.

"I didn't really want to be around anymore, just generally. And this place, you know, they helped me find structure and purpose," Barton said.

Adria Iraheta reports on the impact of Bridge House Tri-Cities in the video below.

Barton said the community he found inside Bridge House made a lasting impact.

"It was like something really heart-filled. It wasn't just a bunch of strangers. I felt like all these people were my family, are really close friends," Barton said.

The 50-bed facility and program has served 82 people in its first year.

Barton was among the first 10 people to enter the program and is its first graduate.

Scott Shields, Bridge House interim CEO, said the staff's personal experience plays a key role in the program's success.

"There's a strong contingency of lived expertise and lived experience with that with the team here, so they walked in their shoes, they're really able to be peers in this," Shields said.

The Tri-Cities Homeless Navigation Center next door, which includes 20 short-term shelter beds and immediate resources, served more than 500 people in the same time frame.

Of those:

County leaders said the Ready to Work house and Tri-Cities Homeless Navigation Center are both moving the needle on homelessness in Arapahoe County.

Arapahoe County's latest Point-in-Time Count shows a 35% drop in unsheltered homelessness compared to last year and for the first time as far as county leaders can remember, no families were found sleeping outside on the night of the count in January.

I can't say that the Bridge House program and the Navigation Center, in particular, are taking credit for that, but obviously with this program here during the past year, that has to have provided a notable change in terms of the numbers of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Arapahoe County, said Shields.

Barton now has a new apartment, is starting a new career, and is putting the finishing touches on a poetry book sharing his story to inspire others.

"I want more people to succeed like I did," Barton said. "I want them to find this place and do what I did, because I was not supposed to be here, and I am so grateful for them.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. When Denver7 sat down with neighbors in Englewood, we quickly heard that the quirky, community-oriented neighborhoods are what have kept generations of families there.

One of the first people in Englewood who spoke with Denver7's Danielle Kreutter as a part of this Your Voice series was Tracy Lawson.

"It was a great place to grow up," she said. "It just ended up being a good place to stay."

She is a third-generation Englewood resident. For others, the move to Englewood was intentional.

"I lived in Cherry Creek, Denver," Danya DeWolfe said. "I kind of just like the sense of community. There was a lot of little local spots and everybody seems really friendly."

Kevin Timken lived in Denver before moving to Englewood.

"We were getting older, and we said, let's move somewhere that's more walkable," he said. "It wasn't as walkable over there."

For Nathan Hoag, Englewood fit his community mission when he chose to move here about a decade ago.

"Neighborhood identities didn't really exist [in Denver] in the way that they did in Englewood," he said. "Places like Littleton felt a little more, like, suburban, a little bit more sprawled and monolithic, so everything kind of seemed a little bit the same. Englewood had diversity and it had variety."

Close enough to the big city while small enough to have it's own district personality, throughout Denver7's conversations with neighbors one topic kept coming up: community.

"I love the fact that it's still neighborly," Lawson said.

Emily Shea, another Englewood resident, pointed to the city's summer block parties. Englewood hosts Neighborhood Nights at various local parks throughout the summer where residents can enjoy free music, booths and food trucks.

Watch Danielle Kreutter's report in the player below:

"They've just really made an investment in making this a community," she said.

The city also offers up grant funds for neighbors who want to throw their own block parties or movie nights with their neighbors.

"Englewood has a $500 grant money to throw a block party, so we did it," Timken said. "We had a great time. We had about 50 people show up."

Timken said after his kids grew up, they were looking to downsize on their move to Englewood.

"I had a big house over by Obervatory Park; it was getting to be a pain to take care of," he said.

He now lives in one of the newer side-by-side homes/duplexes that are popping up on single family lots across the city.

One of the two newer builds on single family lots are often listed for more than a million dollars.

"There's still homes that I think are probably pretty affordable down here in this area, but it's changing," Pete Siple, who moved back to Englewood when he retired, said. "Some of those are getting scraped off, and duplexes go in."

"What do you think about that?" asked Denver7's Danielle Kreutter.

"That's what I live in now, so I do like it," he replied. "It brings people in and it'll bring the value of everybody's properties up."

Some longtime residents are on the fence about the changing neighborhoods.

"It is progress, and yet at the same time the quaint little places are going away," Lawson said.

"When new builds can pop up that are actually affordable and actually work for families, that can be a great thing too," Hoag said.

Neighbors also pointed to the number of small, locally owned businesses that are central to the city.

"We know we got a bunch of people that got our back," Jim Norris, co-owner of Mutiny Comics and Coffee, said.

A few years back, they closed up shop at their longtime Denver location and opened up in Englewood.

Denver7's Danielle Kreutter asked Norris about his experience with the City of Englewood.

"Oh my God, the polar opposite, the polar opposite," Norris said. "They've come down the let us know about grants that are available, y'know their commitment to small local businesses in this area is strong."

Access to the outdoors while still being a close drive to downtown Denver was another proud point of residents.

"The main attraction is to get to the Platte River Trail," Siple said.

Parents or not, residents are proud of their local parks.

"All the parks seem like they've gotten great makeovers," Shea said. "They did a fantastic job with [Bates Logan Park], it feels like you're on a movie set or something."

As the city changes, residents have noticed some growing pains.

"You go down on Hampden and that is almost a ghost town down there in the commercial area," Timken said. "[The city's] priorities aren't for getting money to flow into Englewood."

Siple had a different answer on what concerns him in the community.

"I would say it was the homeless issue," he said. "You don't really see it like here, but on the bike down by the Platte River, it's all over."

Affordability also was a concern expressed by neighbors.

"It was much more affordable a few years ago," DeWolfe said.

People who spoke with Denver7 said they are eager to see how the community takes on those challenges and what the future of the city could look like.

"I'm hesitant to talk about how great it is, because I don't want it to get completely overrun with people, but this place is wonderful, and I'm so glad that I get to live here," Hoag said.

Denver7 will be following up with city officials about some of the topics brought up during our conversations with neighbors and will be publishing follow up reports. Stay tuned.

Denver7 | Your Voice

Arapahoe County's latest Point-in-Time Count shows a 35% drop in unsheltered homelessness compared to last year and for the first time as far as county leaders can remember, no families were found sleeping outside on the night of the count in January.

Watch Denver7's Adria Iraheta's report on Arapahoe County's latest point-in-time count

I love the work that we do, and I think sometimes it's hard to use quantitative data to always show the impact, but I know that it makes a difference, said Julie Hall, program director at HAAT Force, an Englewood nonprofit dedicated to getting unhoused individuals into motel rooms when severe weather strikes.

Last year's count found 14 families sleeping outside, all in Aurora. County leaders flagged the number as a major concern. This year, that number fell to zero.

Unsheltered veterans dropped 46% from 28 to 15. The number of youth found sleeping unsheltered dropped from 21 to 7 a two-thirds reduction.

Arapahoe County spokesperson Jill McGranahan credited the results to a combination of new resources and regional cooperation.

"I think that what we're seeing is what happens when we collaborate," McGranahan said.

McGranahan said the countys two new regional navigation centers, expanded outreach efforts, and a push to build more affordable housing all contributed to the decline.

Last September, Arapahoe County commissioners approved new affordable housing incentives for developers in an effort to bring some relief to the affordable housing crisis.

"We know that that is a huge concern for our constituents, and we also know that it's a huge concern for the county, so we will continue to invest, and hopefully we'll continue to see results like this," McGranahan said.

Organizations like HAAT Force in Englewood are among those working on the ground to drive those results.

Hall, program director for HAAT Force said prevention is a critical piece of keeping families housed.

"I think a big aspect of supporting families is really prevention and making sure people know before they end up losing that housing what kind of rent assistance is out there, getting them that sort of assistance during a crisis," Hall said.

She said the goal remains straightforward.

"At the end of the day, we just want to see each person able to move towards something that's more wholesome for them," Hall said.

County leaders say continued collaboration between cities and organizations will be key to keeping unsheltered homelessness numbers moving in the right direction.

Englewood police are investigating two recent cases of thieves drilling holes into gas tanks to steal fuel from cars.

The incidents happened overnight in the area of S. Galapago Street and W. Cornell Avenue, according to police.

Hear from a neighbor and a mechanic about this issue in our report below.

Neighbor Dale Peters said something similar happened to his wife's car. Peters is now out $2,000 for repairs.

"I get it's the price of gas, but it's still criminal, 100%," Peters said.

When asked what message he would send to the thieves, Peters had a simple response.

"Who does that? You know? I don't know," he said.

At Hochkiss Auto Repair, senior manager Cody Leach said they often see this happening to trucks and SUVs because of their bigger gas tanks.

"A lot of times they're in the back, where the spare tire is over here," Leach pointed out.

Leach said thieves often can't collect all the fuel they drain, but they'll get away with what they can.

He added while some cars have metal skid plates protecting the tank, others just have the plastic tank.

"They'll just come in right from the side of the car, drill a hole, put a pan or something underneath it," Leach said.

Police say there is not much drivers can do other than park in a garage. Neighbors, however, are hopeful the thieves will be caught.

"There's cameras everywhere, so hopefully they catch them," said neighbor Thomas Painter.

Meanwhile, Peters said he has taken his own precautions.

"I got cameras everywhere, so does that help? I hope, you know, (it will) deter them away," Peters said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. As a spring storm rolls in, advocates helping to end homelessness are mobilizing to make sure those who are most vulnerable stay safe.

Cold rainy days like Tuesday can be especially tough for people like John Maki.

"I usually try to find something overhead, an awning," Maki said. "You sit on rocks, then you get thrown out. You sit on a curbside, they chase you."

Denver7's South Metro Reporter Danielle Kreutter sat with Maki while he enjoyed a no-cost lunch inside CAFE 180 in Englewood.

"It's a nice environment. The food is I say it's better than any place," he said.

CAFE 180 has been a long time resource for those experiencing homelessness and for community members wanting to help the cause.

"Our founder started CAFE 180 because she had a heart for food and bringing people together, and a belief that all people deserve really good, nourishing food," said Sarah Lesyinski, CAFE 180's executive director.

Over the years, the mission has remained the same, but the type of work has looked a little different depending on what the community needed.

Initially, the model was that if someone couldn't afford a meal, they could work in the kitchen to pay it off.

"About a year and a half ago, we had to kind of regroup," Lesyinksi explained.

Watch Danielle Kreutter's report in the player below:

The dining room closed to free meals and they instead used their kitchen to cook meals for large distribution events with community partners that offered several types of resources to those looking for help.

"Now we're seeing the need is expanding even more, so we decided to do both," Lesyinski said.

She described the scene at CAFE 180 on Tuesday slower than a typical day, since a lot of their regular customers were offered resources ahead of the snow storm.

"We're so grateful for a partner called HAAT Force is just up the street from us that does motel vouchers," she said.

Even so, there was a steady stream of customers all during lunch hour.

"As you can see in the restaurant, there is a lot of need," Lesyinski said.

The business model for CAFE 180 now is whoever can pay for their own meal does so, and 100% of the proceeds from that meal help cover the cost of someone's meal who can't afford it.

"It's a good thing they reopened," Maki said.

The work is possible due to donations and teams of volunteers.

"It's an opportunity to give back and really help the community," said Scott Reeh, a CAFE 180 kitchen volunteer.

For those who can now have a meal, indoors, with dignity, it can mean the end to hunger and the beginning of hope.

"It reminds you that you're actually maybe going to recover from all this homelessness," Maki said.

CAFE 180 is located at 3315 S. Broadway in Englewood.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. While neighboring communities have implemented mandatory water restrictions after a warm and dry winter in Colorado, Englewood is the lone community in the south metro area that has not.

Englewood Utilities is the agency that provides water to the Arapahoe County city.

"We've looked at our water supply, the way our water does make it to the city of Englewood, our usage from our community, and we've determined that right now, we're at the step of voluntary restrictions," said Pieter Van Ry, director of South Platte Renew and Englewood Utilities.

The city said leaders have never once had to implement mandatory water restrictions.

Part of the reason is that while some communities rely solely on snowpack and mountain reservoirs, Englewood gets the majority of its water from the Platte River.

"Our water rights are pretty, pretty strong here in Englewood. And the second thing is, I think we've seen fairly effective voluntary water restrictions," said Englewood Mayor Pro Tem Joe Anderson.

Watch Danielle Kreutter's report in the player below:

Recently, the Englewood City Council updated the city's code in the event that mandatory water restrictions are ever needed. There are no ways to enforce those restrictions and penalize violations, including fines.

At this point, there is no indication that Englewood will make water restrictions mandatory any time soon.

"For us and with the citizens of Englewood, that's going to be a fairly high bar to clear, since we haven't ever done it before, and it's a really data-driven decision," said Anderson. "We've had this discussion come up before, and have looked at the historical data. It does seem that when we ask the citizens to restrict their water use, it's been effective to keep the water use down enough."

Now that the city code has changed, they will be monitoring conditions going into the summer.

"I think some of the [municipalities] that have enacted mandatory restrictions are looking at their usage and their portfolio specific to their community. I think when we look at our community, we do have a good water supply. Much like all the other communities on the Front Range, we're concerned because of the low snow pack, and we'll be paying attention to it month over month through the course of the summer and into the fall," said Van Ry.

City officials said that while the situation for Englewood residents is stable, the voluntary restrictions are meant to help their neighbors.

"That is just solidarity with Front Range, with the other cities in the Front Range, recognizing that this is a water issue that affects everybody, and we want to just make sure that citizens are aware of the concerns that the drought brings and try to address it from a voluntary perspective," said Anderson.

Englewood's voluntary restrictions include a maximum of three days a week for watering.

Odd addresses are asked to water on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, while even addresses are asked to water on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

They're asking residents to only water before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. to reduce evaporation. Residents should also water only when absolutely necessary, not when it's raining or when there are high winds.

"We are asking our community to voluntarily conserve, because that will help everybody on the Front Range. We all rely on the same mountain runoff system in order to supply our communities. So we're all in this together, and we want to be able to make sure that we're doing our part as a community as well," said Van Ry.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - Back in 2024, Englewood voters approved a $41.5 million bond to help improve parks.

WATCH: Denver7's Danielle Kreutter follows up to see if projects are finishing on time and on budget

In total, 10 different projects were identified. General Obligation Bonds require 85% of the work to be completed in three years.

More than a year since the bond measure was approved, Denver7 is checking in on the progress and budget of the projects.

Cushing Park was the first to see improvements. There's now a new playground and two new fenced in dog parks that opened back in December.

The project was initially budgeted for $600,000 and the final total ended up being $601,486.

"[The team] worked really hard to set some budgets in place, and so that was the first project, and they said $600,000 and we about met it," said Gina Olberding, Capital Project Manager for the City of Englewood.

That project was completed in about six months.

The next project is underway at Emerson Park and is nearing completion.

"We told the community that we would be done with this project before their Fourth of July party," said Olberding.

The Emerson Park improvements include adding a new playground, a walkway, planters, more trees and a pergola and picnic table.

This project was also budgeted for $600,000 and at around 95% completion, the city has spent $581,936 so far.

"There were a couple things we didn't expect. We had to do some asphalt repair, so that did cost us a little bit more, but all said this project won't be over budget by, more than probably .5%. A very small portion," she said.

Up next is Rotolo Park.

"Rotolo Park will get a brand, brand new restroom, a custom restroom and ADA accessible path to the playground," Olberding said.

That project is budgeted for $755,000. The city reports that project is still in the very early stages but can say they have $525,322 expensed so far.

"We are going to work our hardest to stay within that budget, because that's what we told the taxpayers we would do," said Olberding.

She notes that will become even more important leading up to the more challenging projects.

"The Englewood rec center will be getting renovation, and that's, in my opinion, one of the most tricky projects, because you have an aging building built in 1985. When you tear down walls at a building, you just don't know what you're going to get. So as far as the budget goes, I think we have to allow ourselves a little flexibility there," said Olberding.

Future projects also include renovations to Pirate's Cove Water Park, Belleview Park including to the train and petting zoo, and other improvements at local parks.

For more details on each of the 10 projects, click here.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. One person died after a tanker truck crashed and caught fire on S. Santa Fe Drive on the Englewood-Littleton line on Monday, according to the Englewood Police Department.

Around 5:23 a.m., officers with the Englewood Police Department responded to the 4900 block of S. Santa Fe Drive, about half a mile north of the W. Belleview Avenue interchange, after receiving reports of a crash with a tanker truck on fire. A Denver7 crew headed to the scene. A large plume of smoke could be seen from miles away.

When officers arrived, the truck was fully engulfed, police said. S. Santa Fe Drive was shut down between W. Belleview Avenue and W. Union Avenue. Some buildings in the area were evacuated as a precaution.

The fire was out by 11:15 a.m.

The driver of the tanker truck, who has not been identified, was found deceased inside the vehicle, Englewood police said. The Arapahoe County Coroner's Office will determine their identity.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

A nearby U-Haul business at S. Santa Fe Drive and W. Chenango Avenue and several of its vehicles were also damaged.

In the video below, watch Denver7's morning report on this fire, which shut down all of S. Santa Fe Drive on Monday morning.

S. Santa Fe Drive was fully reopened by 3:45 p.m.

The Englewood Police Department said no other information is available.

Several other agencies responded to the crash, including the Littleton Police Department, Sheridan Police Department, Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, South Metro Fire Rescue, Denver Fire Department, Colorado Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

UPDATE | Monday, April 27 at 3:52 p.m. | One person died after a tanker truck crashed and caught fire on S. Santa Fe Drive on Monday, according to the Englewood Police Department. Read more here.

A commercial fuel truck caught fire Monday morning, creating a potential hazmat situation, according to South Metro Fire Rescue.

This started on S. Santa Fe Drive, between W. Belleview Avenue and W. Union Avenue, around 5:38 a.m. Monday in front of a U-Haul facility.

Santa Fe Drive shut down in all directions between Belleview and Union, according to the Littleton Police Department, and drivers were advised to avoid the area as first responders investigate what happened. South Metro Fire Rescue said there was no estimated time of reopening, as of 7:56 a.m. Monday.

South Metro Fire Rescue said it's worried about the proximity of the truck fire to nearby buildings. Those structures were evacuated. There were not any other evacuations, as of 6:34 a.m. Monday.

Firefighters would not put water on the flames due to environmental concerns from the runoff, South Metro Fire Rescue said. They're going to try and let the fire burn itself out. The fire did extend to grass nearby, South Metro Fire Rescue said, but called it "minor."

The Denver Fire Department, Littleton Police Department and Englewood Police Department were all on scene assisting South Metro Fire Rescue. Once the fire extinguishes, South Metro Fire Rescue said police would take over the investigation.

Englewood-based STOMP Athletics is preparing to pitch its shoe traction products on Shark Tank.

In the game of basketball, traction is everything. STOMP Athletics Founder and CEO David Gonzales knew there had to be a better way to maintain grip on the court.

I prided myself on being an ultra-competitive defender, Gonzales said. I was sliding around like crazy. I was the guy that wiped my shoes with my hands. Sometimes, Id like my fingers. Its just disgusting.

Gonzales created his first product sketches in 2007, and held on to them for years, before creating STOMP Athletics in 2021. The company creates products, including floor mats and shoe armor that sits right on top of a players shoes, to remove dirt and restore grip.

STOMP Athletics Director of Sales Michael Manoogian joined the team in 2023 while he was still a college student at Texas Christian University (TCU_.

I knew this was going to be a huge product when anytime I would go to sell at a conference or a trade show, I would sell out. Thats when no other tables were selling stuff, Manoogian said.

Former Denver Nuggets player and coach Bill Hanzlik immediately bought in, becoming one of the companys first major investors.

If you have traction, youre immediately better than your opponent, Hanzlik said. Plus, the risk of injury if you're sliding around, youve got a chance you could roll an ankle or hurt something. So, Im a big believer in it.

Manoogian did not want to stop at trade shows. He applied for Shark Tank online and, before they knew it, they were standing on stage ready to meet the Sharks.

I cannot wait to see what our sales do over the next day, week, month, because I think theyre go to go exponentially north, Hanzlik said.

I am so happy I did this, Gonzales said. It was surreal. It was fun. It really brought all of this into a different perspective for me of just like, hey, we can run businesses and have a lot of fun doing it.

Their episode of Shark Tank premieres Wednesday, April 15, at 9 p.m. on Denver7. Wednesday, April 15 at 9 p.m. on Denver7.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Thousands of residents across the Front Range may miss out on life-saving emergency alerts because they have not registered for new county notification systems.

Multiple Colorado counties moved off the old Code Red system after a cyberattack last year. Officials said previous registrations did not carry over to the new platforms, leaving many residents unknowingly disconnected.

Watch: Thousands missing emergency alerts after Arapahoe, Douglas system changes

In Douglas County, officials said 120,000 people were signed up under the old system. Only about 23,000 are enrolled in the new one.

"One thing that a lot of people don't realize is that when those counties made that transition, if you were previously signed up, that sign up is no longer. Essentially, you're no longer registered," Matthew Assell, South Metro Fire Rescue spokesperson, said.

Douglas County officials said they have been trying to get the word out online and on social media since making the switch to DougCoAlert several months ago, but people simply havent noticed.

"They might not even necessarily know that Code Red went down and it's kind of one of those things, like, once you sign up, it's you never really have to think about it again," Taylor Davis, division chief of support services for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, said. "I'm just hoping that the more we talk about it, the more people will start to realize how important it is.

Arapahoe County made the switch to ArapAlert around the same time as Douglas County.

The new systems offer more comprehensive features, including detailed personal profiles and specific area alerts, unlike the limited Code Red system.

Low signups are especially concerning when county leaders think about the residents in the rural parts of Douglas and Arapahoe counties.

"Out on the eastern plains, you're going to see wildfires. The sooner people can get notified of that, that that is occurring somewhere in their area, the sooner they can take action, especially with the way the winds can get going out in that area," Cathy Raley, executive director of the Arapahoe County 911 Authority, said.

"Our concern is that we might have some sort of catastrophic event this summer, and we're not going to be able to get that word out to the community in time," Assell added.

It's not just fires, according to county leaders the notifications are essential in keeping residents safe during shelter-in-place orders, severe weather or even boil water notices.

Arapahoe County resident Don Krueger told Denver7 he signed up for the county's emergency alert notifications a while ago.

"I haven't done it in a long time," Krueger said.

After learning about the system changes, Krueger said he plans to register for the new ArapAlert system.

Just with what's coming up, the drought that we're in right now, and wildfire season is coming up, the more we can get messages out to people, the better, said Raley. We're very, really wanting to the people to know we want them to be safe. We want to take care of everybody who is in Arapahoe County.

If you live or work in Arapahoe County, you can sign up for ArapAlerts here.

If you live or work in Douglas County, you can sign up for DougCoAlert here.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - The educator strike at Sheridan Schools entered its fourth day Saturday after a planned meeting between the Sheridan Educators Association and the Sheridan Board of Education ended without an agreement, as the board was absent from the meeting.

Educators association representatives told Denver7's Tyler Melito that only Superintendent Dr. Gianni Thompson and his lawyer attended the meeting.

They said the Board of Education needs to be present to approve a deal to end the strike.

"It was our understanding that we were coming today to come to an agreement to get back into the classrooms on Monday, when we walked in, and only the superintendent and his lawyer were here. They came back with no movement," Lori Ann Chacon, who has taught math at Sheridan schools for 12 years, said. "We decided that they weren't ready to move, and we aren't either."

The educators association is holding strong on its demands to reinstate contracts, recognize all workers, and rescind what they call retaliatory practices encompassed in a policy known as policy H.

"We want to retract all retaliatory measures that have been taken. We have lost, at the high school level, our dean of students. We have lost our athletic director. These are highly qualified, seasoned educators that were pushed out or simply fired," Toby Nitschke, a Sheridan High English Language Development teacher of four years and Sheridan Educators Association representative, said.

Chacon and Nitschke said they think it's unfortunate that students and parents are getting caught in the middle of the strike. So far, three days of school have been called off as a result of the strike.

"We want students who want to be here at school. We want teachers who want to teach here, so that we have a community of happy teachers, happy students, happy parents," Chacon said.

After the meeting with the educators association, when Denver7's Melito was able to meet with Superintendant Thompson, he shared only a prepared statement and would not answer further questions.

"The Sheridan School District Number Two leadership appreciates the opportunity to collaborate this morning and open to productive dialog. The School Sistrict Number Two Board of Education is willing to recognize one or more bargaining units through the recognition process that has been established by the board," Thompson said.

Denver7 also reached out to board secretary Juanita Camacho, who is the office manager for the building where the meeting took place, but she did not return a call or text message before Denver7's deadline.

In a post on the districts website, Thompson said school will be in session on Monday, April 6 at the Early Childhood Center, Alice Terry Elementary, SOAR Academy and Fort Logan Northgate.

Thompson said they are working to secure temporary staff to ensure the rest of the schools will be able to open soon.

"We understand that the Sheridan Education Association (SEA) strike has disrupted daily routines, created challenges with childcare and work schedules, and caused uncertainty for both students and families," Thompson said.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Friday marks the third day of the Sheridan Educators Association (SEA) strike, where the conversation around the future of their contract has dominated the headlines.

The educators have worked the past school year without a contract, according to the union, which has also voiced concerns around retaliation in the district when it comes to staff members who have spoken out about safety concerns.

Before the strike began, teachers from the district and across the Denver metro area met to prepare the signs seen on the picket line, where those perspectives were reiterated.

"We need to have a say in what we're actually doing, what we want," said Christy DiLuca, a speech language pathologist in Sheridan School District. "Also, I don't feel that things have been safe for the families. I think it's been very unjust what happened to one of my co-workers that she was let go because she spoke out, and it's not right.

For the first time, Denver7 met with one of those staff members specifically, the individual referenced by DiLuca who shared their story hoping it leads to a solution for their former students.

Hear directly from that former staff member who raised the alarm about an issue with one classroom's emergency system in the video below.

Baylee Patterson said she knew since her freshman year of college that she was passionate about social work.

"It is hard work, yes, but it's fulfilling to know that I can be there during the hard times too," Patterson said.

Her first job as a school social worker was in Sheridan School District, according to Patterson, where she started at Alice Terry Elementary School in November 2023.

"Sheridan became my family. They still are," she said with a smile. A lot of the kids that are in second grade now, I've had since they were in kindergarten. So, I've watched them grow up and watched them develop their own personalities, and learn how to handle those big emotions and those hard parts in their life.

During the time that Patterson worked at the school, she claimed the emergency system was not working properly in one teacher's classroom.

"It was one of those things where I knew that if an emergency happened, that classroom would be the first one that I would run to, just because it's tucked away in a corner and she isn't able to call emergency like she should be able to," Patterson explained.

According to Patterson, she was asked by parents about the safety system at the start of the spring semester.

"I wanted them to know the truth and know that it doesn't work properly, because they are asking about the well-being of their child, the safety of their child, multiple parents. And so that is why I felt the need to tell them that it wasn't working," Patterson said.

She continued to tell Denver7 that she informed a parent Julie Blakely about the alleged issue on Feb. 17.

"I told her about the emergency button that didn't work. So when you go to press it, it's supposed to call the front office in case of an emergency, and it doesn't work," Patterson said. "When they press that button, it's supposed to say, 'Lockdown. Lockdown. Lights. Out of sight.' And that wasn't working.

"I feel like they won't get an alert if something serious happens in this school. They won't hear the alarm go off," Blakely told Denver7.

Patterson said that Feb. 17 became her last day working at the district.

"It got back to the superintendent that I had done that, and within three hours, I was called to his office and terminated from my position," Patterson said.

The former social worker provided Denver7 with a recording she claims captured the interaction that ended her contract with the school early. Denver7 has verified with multiple sources that the recording appears to depict the voice of Superintendent Dr. Gionni Thompson.

A spokesperson with the school district told Denver7 that they were "unaware" of the recording, so they could not "verify any voices, or comment on its contents." On March 31, Denver7 emailed a copy of the recording to the school district's communications team and the superintendent, asking to verify the accuracy of it.

Instead of directly acknowledging the recording, the district responded with the following statement:

Denver7 first reached out to Thompson about this story on Feb. 27, requesting a conversation regarding school safety concerns. Instead, a response from the school district was sent over on March 2, declining an interview because they do not comment on "personnel matters, including employment decisions."

The email continued to say that "the safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority. We continuously review and evaluate our safety procedures to ensure they are effective and aligned with established best practices."

"I know that the emergency system at Sheridan School District has not worked properly for multiple years," said Kate Biester, president of the SEA. "I can't say that there was never any attempts to try to fix the problem, but I don't believe that there was ever a full-scale solution to the problem."

Biester, who is also a social studies teacher at Sheridan High School, said she does not feel safe in her classroom.

"I would love to have the speaker in my classroom work properly. I have still not received an announcement in my classroom that I think is audible," Biester said. "The only reason that we're calling attention to this issue is to be able to get it solved and to get it fixed, so that our students are safe.

Patterson provided Denver7 with a document sent to Alice Terry Elementary School that details the "Plan B Emergency Communications Protocol."

It begins by stating that "we recognize speaker audio is not available in every classroom" and that "in-house radios" are the backup method for notifying staff of emergency situations.

For Patterson, she hopes sounding the alarm on this system leads to a prompt response from the district.

"At the end of the day, I was doing what I had to do to make sure the kids were safe, and that's important to me," Patterson said.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - The City of Englewood is seeking public input on its traffic calming program aimed to address speeding and safety in neighborhoods across the city.

"Back in 2024 the citizens approved a sizable investment in our parks," said Englewood Mayor Othoniel Sierra. "We want to make sure that any families that are trying to get to either of those parks are able to do so safely."

Over the last year, the city has been collecting data from community members to find out which areas may need the most attention.

"We had set a map-based survey with the city in which constituents were able to categorize their concerns in one of three categories: areas where they observed high vehicle speeds, where they recognize unsafe intersections, or where they have trouble or challenges walking and biking," said Thomas Shaw, traffic engineering manager for the City of Englewood.

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One of the intersections on that map is Fox and Oxford where Bobby Capobianco and his family live.

"We live on Fox Street which is a big cut through for a lot of people," he said. "We have two small kids... You got to keep your eyes out. My wife and I have asked often for a speed bump in our street."

The concept of traffic calming does not rely on signage or police enforcement, but instead puts in place physical infrastructure to curb speeding. That can be things like curb extensions, speed radar signs, spot medians, pedestrian refuge islands "or a variety of countermeasures that generally might restrict the roadway width," Shaw said.

"If we narrow those to a certain point, we can expect to see a reduction in travel speeds," he said.

The mayor and traffic engineers are holding a town hall Wednesday, March 11 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. to gather public input and share some of the options being considered.

Shaw said the presentation will also include benefits, impacts and costs of various measures.

Mayor Sierra said he hopes community members engage and share their thoughts ahead of time so planners know what options will fit certain communities best.

"Without their input, we wouldn't be able to prioritize this first phase or even the second phase," he said. "We have an idea, but we really want real world examples of what they're encountering when they are moving through our city."

A person at HCA HealthONE Swedish was injured after shots were fired by police Thursday evening, the Cherry Hills Village Police Department initially posted on social media.

A suspect, taken into police custody on charges of auto theft earlier Thursday, allegedly violently attacked the Cherry Hills police officer accompanying the suspect to a medical examination.

The Cherry Hills Village Police Department later clarified that's when the officer fired shots. No one else was injured in the shooting, according to the Cherry Hills Village Police Department.

Cherry Hills Village Chief of Police Jason Lyons released the following statement:

We recognize that this incident was troubling for hospital staff, patients, and visitors. Situations like this are why an officer remains with a suspect at all times while medical care is provided. Violence in a healthcare setting is unacceptable, and we are grateful that no additional injuries occurred.

The officer involved was put on paid administrative leave, per department policy, while outside law enforcement agencies investigate what happened.

A Colorado small business owner who was hit hard by tariffs is cautiously optimistic after the Supreme Court ruled most of President Trump's sweeping tariffs are illegal.

Michael Mojica runs his small business "Outdoor Element" from an Englewood warehouse.

Using mostly steel and aluminum, he makes fire-starting carabiners, survival knives, and other outdoor gear.

Watch Claire Lavezzorio's video report below

"When I try to do something creative, I try to make it very personal and meaningful," Mojica said, referring to his love for the outdoors.

This past summer, Denver7 visited Mojica's business as President Trump's tariffs took effect. The impact was immediate and challenging.

"It was definitely something that was hard hitting," Mojica explained.

But the tariffs forced him to be nimble, sourcing some materials from Vietnam instead of China to offset costs.

"It keeps me on my toes. I will say that," Mojica said.

Now, after the Supreme Court's Friday ruling, Mojica had an initial burst of excitement.

"I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, this is gonna change everything'," Mojica said.

But his optimism is now met with some skepticism.

That's because experts say it's unclear exactly which tariffs will be impacted by the ruling or if business owners will see any backpay.

"I think there is, in fact, there is even more uncertainty now, because he [President Trump] has already said that we will find a way to have some more tariffs...," said Kishore Kulkarni, an economics professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Shortly after the ruling, President Trump posted on Truth Social saying that he signed a 10% tariff on all countries which will be "effective almost immediately."

While businesses like Outdoor Element wait to see what happens next, Mojica remains hopeful that small businesses will see some relief and have a voice in future decisions.

"Hear us, allow us to have a voice and and then come up with creative solutions," Mojica said.

The power of one versus the power of many: For Arapahoe County resident Bradley Thompson, finding his community proved to be life-changing.

I've been on my own since I was 10 years old. I didn't have parents. My mom was an addict as well, so she gave up her parental rights when I was 10, and I was a ward of the judicial system through Jefferson County, Thompson told Denver7.

As a teenager, Thompson was shuffled from one group home to another across the state. That difficult time led to years of struggling with opioid addiction and living on the streets.

I literally had to go out of my way to remove myself from the neighborhood that I stayed in, and come down to a different neighborhood that I was uncomfortable, and I found positivity through doing that, said Thompson. "By the graces of God, [the Hornbuckle Foundation] was there, and just happened to put them in my life right when I needed it.

For years, the Hornbuckle Foundation has helped people in west Arapahoe County on their recovery and sobriety journey.

We're taking time to build relationships with people, to show up for people, even when they're not willing to show up for themselves, said the organizations director of outreach, Matthew Melsen.

According to Melsen, meeting people where theyre at is what makes all the difference.

We don't expect people to get it perfectly, but we're going to be there with the resource when they need it, and then we're there for the follow-up afterwards.

Since its launch in 2022, the Arapahoe County Region Nine Opioid Abatement Council has distributed more than $6 million in opioid settlement funds to harm reduction and prevention efforts, as well as to local partners like the Hornbuckle Foundation.

That $6 million stems from several opioid related lawsuits, where pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors settled with attorneys general in multiple states for their role in the United States opioid epidemic.

The number of people who are coming in to see us has definitely increased in the time since we've opened as a new health department, and especially since we've brought on the [harm reduction] mobile unit, said Arapahoe County Public Health Director Jennifer Ludwig.

Since its formation in 2023, Arapahoe County Public Healths Harm Reduction program has recorded more than 6,500 visits and served more than 2,000 participants, while distributing more than 150,000 harm reduction resources.

The council's next step is establishing withdrawal management and residential treatment services with its latest round of funding a total of $4 million.

This time theyre taking a different approach, looking for community partnerships to help them design the best solutions for the countys needs.

What's unique about that is we're saying, Are you qualified to do this? Because we want to partner with you and design a program that helps people come off opioid addiction in a way that is going to support the residents and people that we know are in Arapahoe County, said Arapahoe County spokesperson Jill McGranahan. Help us design a program that we can get more people into a treatment center and hopefully help them recover from addiction.

Its an approach that continues to build on the power of many.

Our team works really hard to build the trust in the community, which then results in word of mouth increasing the volume of people coming to see us, said Ludwig. The more people that we see, the more Naloxone we're able to get out, the more lives that we save.

Thompson is living proof of that he's now in a sober living program and attending school to become a welder.

It's these little thoughts that just warm my heart, thinking about these things, knowing that there are communities out there that are trying to help change things, said Thompson. And the only way that we're going to change things is if we help change them.

There has always been music coming from a neighborhood in a little corner of Englewood near Cherry Creek Reservoir.

"Our neighbor used to play the fiddle. I started out as a fiddle mom," said Linnea Kenney, pointing across the street.

But now Kenney is learning to play herself.

"I got hooked on the music because of my daughter Kaitlin. She liked it, I liked it. It's just fun music" she said. "We would go to contests and workshops. We went to Halletsville (Texas), and all these national contests."

So Kenney became President of the Colorado Old Time Fiddlers Association and continues today as treasurer. Shes been part of the Colorado Fiddle Championships at the National Western Stock Show since day one. Her daughter Kaitlin competed in the very first contest.

But Kenney never played herself. Then, 13 years ago, Kaitlin disappeared while on a rafting trip with friends in the Grand Canyon. It was 4 months before they found her body.

"We lost Kaitlin. It will be 13 years [on] January 11 this coming Sunday. And today happens to be her birthday", Kenney said.

Kaitlin would have been 34 years old.

"I guess it was 5 years after we lost Kaitlin that I thought... Im going to play", Kenney said.

She picked up Kaitlins fiddle and hasnt put it down since.

The fiddle community is as tight as the strings on her instrument.

Just ask the current Colorado Fiddler's president, Erin Hass.

"It was so moving to know that she wanted to carry on the music in Kaitlins memory. That means so much to all of us."

The fiddle is connection to the music, to the fiddle community, and to Linnea's daughter.

I can hear it now, another New Years resolution news story to ring in the New Year?

Before you roll your eyes, Denver7 talked to an Englewood clinical psychologist about how to succeed in whatever goals you have set for yourself in 2026.

National studies show 80% of people give up on their resolutions by the second week in January, and according to psychologist Elizabeth Sather, thats primarily because our brains are stubborn and dont like discomfort.

Most of us don't want to be uncomfortable. The body wants to go back to what it was doing before, and so you want to push it enough so that you build new habits, but not so dramatically that your body resists it, Sather told Denver7.

The brain has several centers involved in goal setting. Theres the frontal lobe which deals with judgment and decision-making. The basal ganglia then helps turn goals into actions. The Ventral Tegmental Area sends reward signals to pat yourself on the back and the limbic system remembers it all.

Its a complex process. The good thing is you can hack it to help make things that are uncomfortable a little easier.

We want to push ourselves, Sather said. And there are actually parts in the brain that will grow. The AMCC is the part of the brain that builds resilience. And so if we do things that make us uncomfortable, say an extra set of reps at the gym, that part of the brain will start to grow. And that part then the next day, when you want to do more and push yourself harder and harder, that resilience develops. And so your identity changes as 'I'm capable, I can do this. I can tolerate being uncomfortable.'

Sather said, on average, it takes 66 days of doing something to turn it from an activity to a habit. The coolest part, she adds, is goal-setting can have a domino effect. What began as a few days at the gym can turn into doing a few more chores, taking on a few extra projects at work, or dealing with emotional discomfort more productively.

It's what endurance athletes do, Sather said. People say, 'how could you run 100 miles?' Well, they didn't start out running 100 miles, right? They know what it feels like to push through the pain. Our brain changes and says, Huh, I'm somebody who can push through pain. That's why people who go through a lot of adversity have a lot of resilience.

So, here are the takeaways:

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. The night of Dec. 6, 2024, Cameron Hurley had a feeling in his gut that something bad had happened. He called his wife and kids to check in on them.

"I was getting this phone call that kept coming through while I was on the phone with those guys," he said.

It turns out, the call was coming from a detective with the Englewood Police Department.

"He had let me know that mom had passed, and to come down to the Swedish Hospital Emergency Room," Hurley remembered.

Hurley is his mother's only son. He had recently convinced her to move from Manitou Springs to the Denver Metro area to be closer to him and the grandkids. That was six months before her death.

"She was my best friend, like we were side by side. Pretty much my whole lifetime," he said.

Jean Hacker, Hurley's mom, had been a nurse as far back as he can remember.

"She loved taking care of people and trying to serve the community to make it a better place. Super heartwarming and just a lovely person to be around," he said.

She was leaving work after a shift at Swedish on Dec. 6, 2024. It was just after 6:30 p.m. and she was nearly in her car parked on Logan near Floyd when a driver crashed into her, killing her and leaving her behind.

"That sense of home was kind of gone, because mom had always been home. So it was just like a huge tragic loss," said Hurley.

His family is desperate for any clues as to what happened and who was responsible. Unfortunately, police say the initial evidence available was minimal.

"This was not right at an intersection, so there's not a lot of cameras or anything like that. We check the area for Ring doorbells and see if anybody had any any videos there. There is kind of spotty footage of video during that time frame, but not anything that actually showed what exactly happened," said Sgt. Ed Disner with the Englewood Police Department.

With the little evidence they had, investigators have narrowed down the suspect car to a White Toyota 4Runner, could be between the years 2015-2024.

Other than that, one year later, there have been no leads. They need the community's help to solve this case.

"I'm feeling that someone probably saw something but just wasn't able to recollect it or come forward," said Hurley.

Disner said the detective on this case has taken the matter very personally and is wanting to bring closure to Hurley and his family.

"It's difficult for the detectives as well, because you don't want to put down a case that you can't solve," said Disner.

Investigators say no tip is too small to help bring some closure to this family.

Call Englewood Police at 303-761-7410 or contact Crime Stoppers if you want to remain anonymous at 720-913-7867.

Kerry from Englewood writes,

There are several ways to discourage and prevent drivers from making any poor driving behavior including those illegal lefts. The most obvious way is to eliminate access but the city could add roadway barriers and police could increase enforcement.

When I went out there to take a look for myself, it didnt take long for me to see some illegal lefts. Most of the ones I saw happened on the north side of E. Arapahoe Road coming out of the Toyota dealership. I saw a fair number from the two spots south of Arapahoe, including one driver who initially turned right but then almost immediately made a U-turn right in front of the no U-turn sign.

I talked to both the Arapahoe County Sheriffs Office (ACSO) and to the Centennial Public Works Department about solutions to this problem. Traffic engineers with the City of Centennial told me they initially instituted these prohibited left turns along S. Havana Street for several reasons. The main reason is the proximity to busy Arapahoe Road. Both private right-in, right-out driveways are only 180 feet and 270 feet respectively from the intersection. They were constructed over 25 years ago which was prior to the incorporation of Centennial as a city.

MORE: Read more traffic issues driving people crazy

The private driveway north of Arapahoe into the dealership is only 265 feet from the intersection. Traffic engineers told me allowing full movement accesses from these short distances presents significant safety and crash concerns.

The city told me all three driveways are currently equipped with raised channelizing islands and supplemental signage. This is the way they will stay for the foreseeable future. I asked the city if they would look at adding stanchions or some other kind of barriers to further discourage or prevent these illegal left turns. I was told that the city is not planning that type of work at this time and that such projects would involve a substantial amount of design and construction along with associated costs and public impact.

The city suggests accessing the businesses to the south of Arapahoe from the full movement access points on Briarwood/Costilla, slightly further to the south. The dealership to the north of Arapahoe can be accessed from a right-in right-out to the east on Arapahoe and from a full movement access on Ironton Street connecting to Havana slightly further to the north.

As far as getting people to stop making illegal lefts right now, the ACSO told me it's aware of the illegal left turns and deputies do look for the illegal turns when they have time to do enforcement. Of course, deputies will pull someone over if they happen to be in that area and happen to see a violation, but thats why there is that old adage there is never a cop around when you want one. The ASCO told me even though you might be seeing drivers making these illegal lefts, it's not aware of any crashes due to those illegal turns.

The city said drivers who choose to make unpermitted movements are responsible for those choices and associated violations and that enforcement is the appropriate means to address this deliberate behavior. By the way, if someone is pulled over for making an illegal left, the offense in Centennial is Left Turn When Prohibited and is a four-point ticket with a $125 fine.

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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Volunteers were hard at work Friday afternoon emptying out a storage unit filled with gifts, decorations, winter coats and all the supplies to put on this year's Englewood Holiday Store.

"The idea is to turn the school into a kind of winter wonderland holiday shopping experience," said Nathan Hoag.

Hoag is the lead pastor at Sacred Grace Englewood, and has been helping run the Englewood Holiday Store out of Bishop Elementary School for the last decade.

"Families are able to register to shop at the store. All of the gifts are new and valued at, at least $25 a piece. When they get to the register, they pay $5 a piece per gift," Hoag explained. "We're giving them the opportunity to still make a payment and be a contributor to the process. We feel that's empowering to the parents."

The experience is set up for families in need who have kids in the Englewood School District (those families can register ahead of time). It also includes free childcare while parents shop, as well as gift wrapping stations, outerwear for their family, a bag of groceries and fun holiday drinks and snacks to enjoy while they're there.

"[The parents] know their child better than any stranger will, better than I'll know their child, so it gives them the opportunity to pick out exactly what they know that their child is going to love. That feels very dignifying," said Laura Cooper, the director of the store.

The entire event is community and volunteer led. While the types of resources organizers have added each year continued to grow, so has the need in the community.

"We're expecting to serve at least 220 families. Right now it's looking like it's about three children per family, so that'd be 660 kiddos," said Cooper.

Right now, the Holiday Store's funding is running around $5,000 short.

"It's hard to get people thinking about donating for the holidays until December, so there's always a little bit of a gap," said Cooper.

The group is hoping for a Christmas miracle.

"I have full faith that will take place, but we're not there yet," said Hoag.

Each dollar donated goes directly to buying presents for kids. The group is hoping the community can rally behind their neighbors in need before the event on Saturday.

"We want the holidays to be a time that just alleviates any stress for families, that they don't have to worry about the gifts that they're going to get for their kids," said Cooper.

Click here to donate to the Englewood Holiday Store to help them meet their goal before the store launches on Saturday.

For families who are interested in registering for next year's event, registration typically opens around October. Visit this page for more information.

LITTLETON, Colo. Arapahoe County wants to hear from you as it develops a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan to improve road and pedestrian safety in unincorporated areas.

By 2030, Arapahoe County is likely to be the metro areas largest, underscoring the urgent need to improve its transportation infrastructure.

Covid changed the way that we travel within the Denver metro area the peak volumes in the morning and the PM are a little less, and they're spread out through the day, said Arapahoe County transportation division manager Jim Katzer. We're looking to address those [issues].

The CSAP will analyze crash data from 2018 to 2024, along with public input, to pinpoint high-risk areas and prioritize strategies to keep the community safe.

This could mean anything from pothole-riddled roads and missing crosswalks to intersections where you've barely avoided getting into an accident.

An interactive comment map is available for the public to identify areas of concern through Dec. 21, 2025.

Just one week in and several issues are already becoming evident on the map.

Denver7 ventured out to various parts of the county on Sunday to hear your concerns directly.

Multiple residents living near the Windsong Condominiums and Miramar Apartments on East Arkansas Avenue have reported speeding as a primary concern.

I don't know how fast they get, maybe up to 40 or something, people fly by, said former resident Justyn Myers. There's a turn that's kind of a little bit more blind, you could say. And when you fly around the corner, you can't really see until somebody is like, right there.

Further south, near Dove Valley, neighbors have noted bumpy roads and pedestrian safety issues.

Longtime resident Candice Bishop told Denver7 shes observed drainage issues causing significant sidewalk damage near her home.

In The Farm at Arapahoe County neighborhood, visibility and drainage issues are of concern to residents.

Homeowner Lori Snider told Denver7 shes worried about speeding near Fox Hollow Elementary School.

County leaders plan to implement solutions in problem areas once the plan is finalized, but they can't do so without your voice.

The public input is critical. We don't have eyes and ears everywhere in the county, said Katzer.

Though the input focuses on unincorporated parts of the county, Katzer said theyre not turning a blind eye to other areas in need of improvement.

If there's significant data that's collected just outside of the county boundaries, we'll communicate that to our partners in the surrounding jurisdictions, he said.

In the meantime, these proud Arapahoe County residents are looking forward to the changes the process might bring.

I really don't know the last time they came through and redid any of this, so them coming out to check it, see if there's things that can be fixed that would be fantastic, said Bishop.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Several Englewood residents reached out to Denver7, concerned about a link to a partisan voting guide found on a neighborhood group's webpage in the weeks leading up to the November election. The issue? The neighborhood webpage was found on Englewood's official City website.

"You might want to vet, during an election campaign, what's going on, on your website," said Kevin Timken, a concerned neighbor.

The webpage was for the "Belleview Park Neighbors" group. It existed as part of an 'englewoodco.gov' URL address, along with all of the other neighborhood group websites. On the "Belleview Park Neighors" page, it reads, "Regardless of how people decide to vote, we support informed and active participation by all Englewood voters! Please read up on candidates and issues." It then shared the link to a third party group: Vibrant Englewood, who endorsed specific candidates in local races and also shared concerns about other candidates they did not approve of.

That neighborhood group also included the link in their Fall Newsletter.

The city said the authority to chose what was posted on neighborhood webpages or newsletters was up to the neighbors themselves.

"Neighborhood group leaders. Citizens that aren't a part of the city government," said Anderson, "I don't think there was any approval process just because of the level of trust."

Timken filed a Campaign Finance Complaint with the Secretary of State, claiming, "To the any citizen voter, it appears that the City of Englewood is endorsing certain candidates. It also appears to any citizen voter, that the City of Englewood agrees with the negative description of the candidates running in opposition to their "approved" candidates."

Englewood City officials confirmed that the fliers cost the city $340.

"One of the services the city offered to the neighborhood groups was printing and distributing the the newsletters," said Englewood Mayor Pro-Tem Joe Anderson.

"Who is paying for this? You and me, people in Englewood," said Timkin, "so it should be nonpartisan."

Following the citizen outrage, city council called for their own investigation.

"Nobody in the City wants the City government to even have the slightest appearance of endorsing candidates for city election," said Anderson.

"It was pretty clear when we got the investigation back, that it was totally unintentional," said Anderson. "But the results of that investigation was, there could be some measures that that are tightened to make sure this kind of thing, doesn't happen in the future."

City officials told Denver7 the money spent on the flyers has been refunded by the neighborhood group leader who included the external link, all neighborhood webpages have been taken off the City's website, and City Council recently voted to give the City Manager, Shawn Lewis, a one-week unpaid suspension.

"There's a restorative relationship process that has to begin now and trust rebuilding and I want you and the staff and the community to know that I'm fully committed to that," Lewis said after the decision was voted on.

Lewis is still at work, council has given him the choice on when to take that suspension.

Anderson explained the City Manager is ultimately responsible for the governance of the city as a whole and Council does not have the authority to discipline outside of directly the City Manager.

"The way the investigation came out is, City Manager didn't know about this. He wasn't at fault, but ultimately, he's responsible so that's why we decided on the one week suspension," said Anderson. "We didn't think that this was some something that was worth terminating over, but something that is an important enough issue that we want to make sure the message is sent that we don't want this to happen again, and also to reassure the community that we're taking this kind of thing seriously."

Rita Russell, a candidate not favored by the Vibrant Englewood voting guide, lost her race for mayor in November. She spoke prior to the City Manager suspension vote, saying, "I believe this was a learning experience for the city and my hope right now is that we will move forward and unite the constituents in this city."

Timkin is frustrated that he'll never know what impact the error had on the election, but said he and his neighbors will be keeping a close eye on the next one.

"They'll at least know that people are watching them now, and hopefully they don't play this game. We're getting better at watching them," Timkin said.

Anderson told Denver7 the complaint is still being heard by the Secretary of State's Office and the city is hopeful they will have the opportunity to cure, or prove to the state, that the issue has been addressed.

John from Englewood writes,

The City of Englewood put it this way, Old Hampden needed some love, both above and below ground. Many of the Englewoods fresh water and stormwater pipes were built in the 1950s and are nearing the end of their useful life, resulting in what the city says are too numerous water main breaks and stormwater-related flooding events. So after the city identified the replacement and upgrade of the stormwater system along Old Hampden as one of the top critical infrastructure improvements, they moved forward with this project that has been frustrating you.

The workers are still involved with phase one of a two-part project to make those significant upgrades below and above Old Hampden Avenue. Phase one involves improvements to the utility infrastructure running directly through the Wellness District of Downtown Englewood serving Craig Hospital, Swedish Medical Center, nearby businesses and residents. Most of that work has been below ground including work on aging underground water, sanitary sewer and stormwater pipelines but some work has been on the surface as well.

I saw some of that work when I went to check out the status of the project. The majority of the work I saw was between S. Washington and S. Clarkson Streets. There were road closed barricades and large fences blocking off some sidewalk access. A few businesses were closed and the few people I talked had nothing good to say about the detours.

MORE: Read more traffic issues driving people crazy

The city said the Clarkson and Hampden Booster Pump Station and Old Hampden water main were identified as being in need of rehabilitation and replacement. The city said to help reduce the cost and limit construction-related disruptions, the Public Works and Utilities Departments partnered to make these improvements at the same time.

The city told me they have dealt with several significant challenges during construction that has led to project being delayed. One of the issues came from the existing 18-inch water main that public works crews reported as very old and fragile, particularly along Logan Street. Workers said when the water line was shut down, the process of closing off that line safely required more time and care than originally anticipated. Crews also encountered utilities in the field, such as sewer laterals, that did not appear on the original plans and had to be relocated before the new storm mains could be installed.

City staff told me all of this utility work, as part of phase one, was originally expected to be wrapped up in late summer. Because of these challenges, the city said phase one is now expected to be mostly finished before the end of December with final completion anticipated in February 2026.

Just when you think all this work is done all the dump trucks and construction trucks and beeping noise and fences and flashing lights will be gone when this phase of the Old Hampden Utility Improvement Project is complete, the next phase of construction will begin. You will get about a couple months of relief before construction picks up again this Spring or Summer 2026.

I was told this second phase of the project was slightly delayed due to the six-week federal government shutdown. The city said it was moving toward advertising the second part of the work for contract bids but had to wait for approval by the Federal Highway Administration until it reopened.

The city is calling this second phase their Complete Street planning approach to ensure streets work for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders and drivers. Staff told me this part of the project will transform Old Hampden from an auto-centric roadway into a welcoming space conducive to socializing, taking walks, safe crossings, easier access and a variety of other community-friendly activities. The citys Complete Street design plans say it will improve the pedestrian and bicyclist experience by providing ADA improvements, upgraded bus stop amenities, enhanced sidewalks and traffic calming features to reduce vehicle and bike/pedestrian conflicts.

The city listed some of its goals for phase two as providing a safer pedestrian environment via shorter, audible and highly visible pedestrian crosswalks, reducing vehicle speeds by narrowing the roadway, promoting multimodal travel with the installation of a wide shared use path, installing additional lighting to improve safety at night and improve bus stop facilities as well as improving connectivity and wayfinding for locals and visitors.

Englewood told me the goal is to start this Complete Streets phase by spring 2026. However, Im told it might be delayed until closer to summer 2026. This second phase of this project is partially funded through a Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) grant. That means the project must follow the CDOT Local Agency project manual, including the clearance to advertise process. I was told in late November that city staff was seeking conditional clearance to advertise, and as part of that process, they were in contact with affected property owners about temporary easements. Although final agreements are not yet in place, CDOT must coordinate with the Federal Highway Administration to issue conditional clearance,. Because of the six-week federal government shutdown, that process had to be pushed back.

Englewood told me it's prepared to advertise phase two of the project for bid in December 2025 or January 2026. If clearance is delayed beyond that window, the construction start date will shift accordingly.

By the way, during the continued work and for the upcoming phase one work, there will be several closures of RTD bus stops and some routes will be detoured away from the work area. The Englewood Trolley called BERT will also continue to be rerouted until the project is substantially complete. The city said personal vehicle traffic is expected to remain open, but minor disruptions may occur during this phase.

The city said phase two should last about a year with completion scheduled for summer 2027, unless unforeseen delays occur.

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Inside the doors of Spirit of Hope United Methodist Church in Englewood, people experiencing homelessness are getting a helping hand before this weekends freeze. 

We want them to come in here, feel loved, cared for, said volunteer David Coats. We're not just trying to do something off the cuff, but something really good.

We met Coats in the kitchen as he prepared a fresh batch of chili for the dozens of people waiting to receive vouchers from HAAT Force, an Englewood nonprofit dedicated to getting unhoused individuals into motel rooms when severe weather strikes.

Its going to be really cold this weekend, and so we activate and we make sure that they can get into rooms for that lifesaving shelter, said Julie Hall, program director for HAAT Force.

The organization mostly assists individuals in the Englewood, Littleton, and Sheridan areas, but extends help to anyone without shelter options in surrounding communities.

There's a lot of areas near us that don't have a permanent shelter, and so anybody that wants to stay with us and doesn't have a shelter option can, said Hall.

HAAT Force activates its emergency shelter program when forecasts show temperatures of 32 degrees and lower with wet conditions, or 20 degrees and lower with dry conditions.

On these days, clients get checked in and receive a warm meal at the church as they wait for their vouchers.

One of the important things we do is create an ID for our clients so that they are able to check into a hotel, said Hall, a lot of them are not able to keep an ID with them, so we do some of those things in our systems.

Before heading out, they receive personal hygiene items and several meals to-go, since their motel rooms come equipped with mini-fridges and microwaves.

We're really trying to have that human touch for other things that people need, said Hall.

The nonprofit's biggest concern this season is a potential surge in demand compared to years past. 

We're hearing from lots of people who are saying they're newly becoming unhoused, she said. It is challenging. Funding is unstable, and so we're trying to be more creative than ever with lots of different ways that we can get grants and private donors and business sponsorships, so that we all are coming to the table to take care of our neighbor.

With the first major cold snap hitting on Thanksgiving weekend, the goal is sending people away with more than just the basics  

We want to try and be some kind of family for them at this moment, said Coats, we want to love them now and reflect that to them.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. The Englewood Police Department tracks crime stats through the year, measuring trends and responding to them. Denver7 is taking a look at those trends and sharing the takeaways for residents to know.

Preliminary data shows there's been a 52% reduction in car thefts compared to last year. Division Chief David LeClair said community involvement has been significant is lowering the number of these crimes.

"Not leaving your vehicle unattended while it's unlocked or keys in the car, anti-theft device, like a steering wheel lock we've seen a lot of that," LeClair said.

He said technology has also revelaed certain areas where car thefts appear to be happening most, so the department places officers to patrol those areas as a deterrent.

There was also a 40% drop in burglaries.

"Often the burglars themselves are using stolen motor vehicles to commit those crimes either take them to or from (the scene). That reduction, I think, is heavily correlated between the two," LeClair explained.

However, there's one type of crime that continues to increase in Englewood: Crimes against society.

"It's people doing drugs in the open, drinking alcohol, open containers, disorderly conduct in the parks. That's why it's deemed 'crime against society.' It's because it's what makes you not want to go to a park, or why you wouldn't want to go out shopping," LeClair said.

Preliminary data shows that starting in 2023, there was a big spike in crimes against society followed by another jump in 2024.

According to the police department, that increase is associated to increased enforcement or what they call "proactive policing."

"What we consider proactive, is that we can place our officers and our patrols where we think something's going to happen, or where we know something is potentially (going to) happen, and a lot of times, either stop it or limit it," LeClair said.

He said the strategy is designed to see a big initial spike as officers encounter those crimes, then eventually the areas that see the most crime calm down.

"We're changing what's accepted in these places in the culture," he said.

LeClair said he is confident because of the proactive policing strategy, as well as support from community reporting, those numbers will begin to plateau and eventually go down.

The final crime stats for 2025 will be released in January.

Advances in screening and new therapies have transformed the outlook for people with lung cancer, one Colorado doctor says, making early detection more important than ever during Lung Cancer Awareness Month.

There has been an absolute revolution in treating lung cancer, Director of Thoraric Surgery at HCA HealthONE Swedish in Englewood Boris Sepesi said.

Sepesi, who has treated lung and esophageal cancers for nearly 15 years, said survival and quality of life have improved dramatically as doctors better understand tumor biology and add targeted drugs and immunotherapy to the treatment toolbox.

The earlier we can detect something, the higher chance of potentially being cured, he said. They can come and discuss some of these things with people who deal with this disease and who are up to date on all the changes in treatment, but also in quality of life associated with the treatments.

Historically, lung cancer has been closely tied to smoking, and that link contributes to stigma and delayed care.

One [reason] was that the cause was smoking, so perhaps there was a little bit of shame on the patient side, Semesi said. The second [reason] was that most people felt that once you have lung cancer, that it is a death sentence It is not a death sentence.

Smoking and secondhand smoke remain the largest single risks for developing lung cancer, but physicians are also seeing more cases in people who have never smoked. Radon exposure is another risk factor. Sepesi noted that homes with basements, which are common throughout Colorado, can concentrate radon that seeps from the ground.

The clinical approach to lung cancer has shifted in recent years. Surgeons once removed tumors followed by several cycles of chemotherapy. Now, treatment often combines surgery with new adjuvant regimens that add immunotherapy and in some cases, targeted drugs. For some advanced cancers, new therapies have boosted survival rates substantially. Sepesi noted a roughly 40% improvement in five-year survival even for some stage 4 cancers compared with a decade ago.

Cancer care is becoming very personalized, both from a treatment standpoint as well as from a side-effect standpoint, Sepesi said. Physicians can now tailor treatments to the each individual cancer patient and their unique form of cancer.

Sepesis message was straightforward: know your risks, ask about screening and seek care early.

There are so many different options now, he said. The treatment options have changed significantly.

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. An Englewood police officer accused of performing a chokehold forbidden by state law on a driver in October has been terminated from his position and now faces multiple criminal charges.

Ryan Scott Vasina, 30, who has been terminated from his position since the incident, faces charges of felony and misdemeanor assault and first-degree official misconduct in connection with a traffic stop on Oct. 8. Englewood Police said he turned himself in on an arrest warrant on Monday.

"I felt that some of the language violated our values. I felt that the Taser violated our policy, and I felt like the neck encirclement violated the law," said Englewood Police Chief David Jackson during a news conference on Tuesday morning. "I certainly know all of the criticism of police and it's very disappointing."

Watch the full press conference in the video below.

The 20-year-old driver in the case was initially arrested and booked into jail on multiple charges, including obstruction of a police officer and driving-related offenses, but those have been dismissed by the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office. According to Vasina's arrest affidavit, the driver never tried to resist, flee, or threaten the officer.

The case started around 11 p.m. near W. Union and S. Broadway. Vasina was on patrol at the time and decided to follow an Audi after seeing the driver change lanes in a suspicious manner, the affidavit reads. The officer saw the driver fail to stop at a stop sign and pulled him over near S. Layton Street and S. Lincoln Street, according to the district attorney's office and Vasina's arrest affidavit.

Body camera video provided by the district attorney's office shows the moments Vasina approached the vehicle and the driver rolled down his window. Vasina asked for the man's license, however, there was a language barrier as the driver did not speak English well, the district attorney's office said. Arrest documents for the officer show the driver in the case is a Venezuelan national and knew minimal English.

The driver was able to ask why he was stopped. Vasina did not answer him and continued to ask for his license. The affidavit reads that at no point did the driver refuse to provide his license.

Vasina called for a second patrol unit to respond and then told the driver to turn his car off. The driver did so. In an interview after the incident, the driver told investigators that he was remaining calm and respectful while Vasina was being "violent," the affidavit reads.

According to body-worn camera footage, the driver was using his phone, and later told authorities he was trying to look at a picture of his driver's license and a translator app on his phone, the affidavit reads. Around this same time, Vasina is seen in the body camera video putting on gloves, which typically happens when an officer believes they will be "hands on" with someone, the affidavit reads.

The officer opened the driver's side door and ordered him out of the car. He initially said "Get out" and then "levantese," which translates to "stand up" or "get up." The driver said in a later interview that he should have been provided a translator, as he did not understand Vasina's commands and did not know what was happening at the time, the affidavit reads. He added that he had been stopped for a traffic violation before that resulted in a ticket and was provided a translator.

The driver recalled being frightened and "thought there was going to be an attempt on his life" as Vasina repeatedly yelled "F***!" and insults at him, the affidavit reads. He said he tried to pull up the picture of his license on his phone and the translator app.

Vasina then reached into the car and the driver moved his hand away, and the officer responded, "Gimme your f***ing hand," the document continues. The officer told dispatch over his radio that the driver was fighting.

"The driver did not resist, fight or fail to comply with any lawful order before force was used against him," said 18th Judicial District Attorney Amy Padden during a news conference on the incident.

The driver told investigators that Vasina then threw himself on him and was "violent and aggressive," according to the affidavit.

Vasina removed his Taser as the driver leaned back into the car holding his phone, and said "Taser, I'm gonna tase you," gave the driver one second to comply and discharged the Taser on the driver, the affidavit reads. The driver yelled, "OK! OK!" as the officer used his radio to tell others that he had deployed the Taser, and then yelled at the driver to get on the ground.

The driver later said he thought the Taser was initially a firearm and he had been using his phone to share his location with his mother-in law, believing he was going to die.

The driver stood to get out of the car as the officer demanded he get on the ground, and before the driver could react, the officer took him to the ground in a chokehold, the affidavit reads. The driver recalled that he could not breathe and believed the officer was going to kill him. According to the body-worn camera footage, the driver did not resist the chokehold, which Vasina held in place for about 12 seconds, the affidavit reads.

Colorado law prohibits peace officers from using chokeholds. All chokeholds are prohibited under the Englewood Police Departments Use of Force policy unless deadly force is authorized, the district attorney's office said. Vasina's report on the case did not note any use of a chokehold.

Once Vasina released his grip and handcuffed the driver, the body-worn camera footage recorded audio of the driver saying, "My neck, my neck." He said he was "confused" and "scared," and asked for water, which Vasina denied. The officer did call for medical attention due to the Taser.

The driver was then arrested and booked into jail. He was released and the charges were dismissed. According to the affidavit, the traffic violations that the driver was accused of are not arrestable crimes and did not warrant a use of force response.

The below photos were taken of the driver's neck the day after the incident.

The driver told investigators that he never hit or disrespected Vasina throughout the entire interaction. Chief Jackson said an internal affairs detective watched the body-worn camera and dash camera footage and alerted command staff. Shortly afterward, Vasina was put on administrative leave and never worked another shift for the department, according to the chief.

Chief Jackson said the department offers interpretation services to officers. He said in this situation, there was a Spanish-speaking officer on the way to the scene.

"I just can't help but think that if we would have just taken our time, been a little bit more deliberate, been a little bit more thoughtful, waited for backup. I think that... the incident would have been handled in a much better way," he said.

Vasina has been charged with second-degree assault, which is a felony, along with third-degree assault and first-degree official misconduct, which are both misdemeanors. He was terminated from the police department in October. He worked in the position since November 2024 and was with Colorado State Patrol previous to that, Chief Jackson said.

District Attorney Amy Padden said a conviction of the felony assault charge carries a sentence of two to eight years in the Department of Corrections.

"This traffic stop did not have articulable probable cause and the language barrier contributed to Officer Vasina's immediate anger and frustration with the driver," the affidavit reads. "The ensuing interaction was littered with curse words and yelling at (the driver). Vasina attempted an arrest on (the driver) for the primary violation of asking why he was being asked for his driver's license. There was no communication in English or Spanish that (the driver) was being arrested or what was occurring. Vasina attempted to tell (the driver) once why he was stopping him and never attempted it again."

Chief Jackson said Vasina's actions do not reflect the values of the department, and that they remain committed to transparency in addressing the incident. He said Vasina's previous body-worn camera footage did not reveal any other issues with his police work.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Englewood's November election is already historic.

For the first time in more than 70 years, Englewood voters will decide who their mayor will be, rather than the Englewood City Council appointing someone. This sparked conversations about the city's voting process.

Englewood voters currently use plurality voting, meaning the candidate with the most votes wins. After Englewood voters recently passed a measure allowing them to elect their own mayor, city leaders began discussing whether the city should switch to a majority-vote method instead.

No change was made to voting methods. The conversations, however, concerned a group of citizens looking to preserve the current voting method in Englewood.

"Something as big as how we vote is something that I think deserves to be in the city charter," said Matt Crabtree.

Currently, there are no rules in the voting section of the City of Englewood's charter. Ballot Issue 2A would change that and add plurality voting to the charter.

"The 'most votes win' is the method that Englewood voters are used to in the city," Crabtree told Denver7. "Most cities vote that way, especially in municipal elections. So, when you're looking at a majority vote of having to receive more than 50%, that's where that runoff system was going to trigger. If you didn't get 50% of the vote during the November election, then it would go to a special election that would occur 90 days later."

He's concerned that a majority vote method would cost taxpayers unnecessarily, impact voter turnout and confuse the community.

"There's not really an organized 'No on 2A' campaign, but we, as Vibrant Englewood, are advocating in our local elections, and so we've taken a position that we don't support the ballot measure," said Noah Kaplan, founder of the community group Vibrant Englewood.

The group is encouraging people to vote 'no' on 2A. They believe adding a specific voting method to the city charter will be difficult to change if the community decides to in the future. Kaplan said plurality voting does not always indicate what a majority of people want.

"If we have more than two candidates in a race, the person who gets the most votes wins, even if that's 35%, 40% of the vote? That's not how we think democracy works, right? We talk about it as majority rule, but that's not a majority," Kaplan said.

Voting 'yes' on 2A would add plurality voting to the city charter and would require a vote to change it.

"That would guarantee that the people of Englewood would have the opportunity to vote on how we vote," said Crabtree.

Voting 'no' on 2A would not change the current plurality voting method for Englewood, but instead would keep plurality voting off the city charter.

Currently, the authority to change voting methods in the city lies with the city council. Earlier this year, when the council was discussing a possible majority voting change, many councilmembers agreed they wouldn't make a decision like that without voter approval.

"The way voting occurs in this city is controlled by ordinance, not by charter, with the exception of when the offices are up for election," Englewood City Councilmember Steve Ward said during a discussion in early April. "So, if we wanted to unilaterally, as the seven of us or four of the seven of us, change the method of electing the mayor, that would be within our authority. We have not discussed doing that. What we've discussed doing is putting it on the ballot for citizens to vote whether or not they want to change the method."

Right now, there is no city-led initiative or ballot question to change voting methods.

Election Day is on November 4.