Hey neighbors,

Week two. First, thank you. The number of replies to Issue #1 was more than I expected, and I'm still working through them. Keep them coming. It's the best part of doing this.

A lot happened in seven days. A Chatfield student made a choice that probably saved a life. The city got a new interim police chief. And the snowpack numbers got worse in a way I didn't think was possible. Let's get into it.

If you have a student at Chatfield, you already know. If you don't, here's what happened.

On Tuesday March 31, a 16-year-old Chatfield student brought a 7-inch butcher knife to school concealed in their backpack. They sat through the class of the teacher they had planned to target. And then, when the period ended, instead of acting on the plan, they walked to the front office and asked to speak with a counselor. They disclosed everything and turned over the knife. Chatfield's School Resource Officers, Deputies Garrick Kelly and Eric Town, made the arrest. The student now faces a class 6 felony charge of possession of a weapon on school grounds and appeared in court Wednesday April 1.

I keep coming back to that walk to the office. We don't know what changed between the classroom and the counselor's door. Something did. And the reason that walk was possible is because the counseling staff, the SRO program, and the culture around "say something" worked the way they're supposed to.

I'm not naming the student. They will go through the legal system and we'll see what happens there. But I wanted to say thank you. To the counselor who was there. To Deputies Kelly and Town for handling the arrest with care. And to a kid who found the hardest path out of the worst moment of their life.

The Denver Gazette, Denver7, and the Golden Transcript have the full story if you want more. I'll come back to it if there's an update worth passing along.

Chief Doug Stephens worked his last day at the Littleton Police Department on Friday April 3. Same day Issue #1 dropped. Stephens joined LPD from Denver PD in 2013 and led the department for 12 years. He announced his retirement back in December and told the Littleton Independent that he and his wife are hitting the road once their nest officially empties this summer. Good for them.

Division Chief Gene Enley stepped in as Interim Chief on Saturday April 4. He's a 28-year LPD veteran and this is his third time running the department on an interim basis. City Manager Jim Becklenberg expects Enley to serve two to three months while the search for a permanent chief plays out.

Tonight (Friday April 10): The Littleton Symphony Orchestra closes Season 42 with Flow, a water-themed program featuring Smetana's Vltava and Debussy's La Mer. 7:30 PM at Littleton UMC, 5894 S. Datura. Students $5.

Saturday April 11: The Gourd Birdhouse Building Contest at Bemis Library, 2 PM. Make a birdhouse out of a hollowed-out gourd with the library's supplies. Winners take home $25 and gallery space through May 16. This is everything I want hyperlocal to be.

Sunday April 12: The Aspen Grove Book Club meets at Tattered Cover Aspen Grove (7301 S. Santa Fe, #240) at 3 PM. April's pick is When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill. Free.

Wednesday April 15: The Melting Pot's 30th birthday party. Four-course menu, 30% off wine, and a giant 30th birthday cake. 2707 W. Main. Same night: John Mulaney at Red Rocks, if you can find a ticket.

Saturday April 18: Flea Market at Aspen Grove, 10 AM to 2 PM. 7301 S. Santa Fe.

Sunday April 19: Guided Bird Walk at Roxborough State Park, 7:30 to 10:30 AM. Hosted by park staff, all ability levels, registration required. $10 vehicle day pass to get in.

Sweet Sundaes Ice Cream opened at 6205 S. Santa Fe, next to Colorado Pinball Pub. They're serving Bonnie Brae ice cream in hand-rolled waffle cones. The Cherry Garcia sundae has Nutella, Bordeaux cherries, and Enstrom almond toffee, which is the kind of commitment to going overboard I respect.

Call Your Mother Deli landed at Aspen Grove in a bright pink food truck labeled "Lil Deli." DC-based chain expanding on the Front Range, baking bagels daily that split the difference between NY-style and Montreal-style. The Bacon Sun City sandwich is the move. 7301 S. Santa Fe.

Vision Comics & Oddities moved to Littleton from Sheridan this winter. Comics, collectibles, life-size Star Wars memorabilia, and decor their own press describes as "ghoulish and gruesome." If that's your thing, it's at 5809 S. Broadway, Suite A.

Bears are out early. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is warning that bears are emerging from hibernation earlier than normal after the warm dry winter. Combined with drought-driven food scarcity, expect more bears pushing into neighborhoods looking for trash, bird feeders, and pet food. Lock it up.

Waterton Canyon closes weekdays April 28 through May 9 for Denver Water's annual dust mitigation work. Weekends stay open. Plan accordingly.

Bear Creek Lake Park has prescribed burns running weekdays through April 30. The smoke is visible across most of the metro. Don't call 911.

Chatfield State Park's south boat ramp opened April 1, but water levels are already low. Watch for debris and obstacles.

Drought update: the numbers got worse. Colorado's statewide snowpack sits at 26% of median. The South Platte basin (that's us) is at 4% of normal. Not a typo. It's the worst on record since the state started measuring in 1941. That's why Denver Water is asking everyone to keep sprinklers off until mid-to-late May. Stage 1 rules from Issue #1 are still in effect.

Santa Fe and Mineral is about to get louder. Crews are starting utility work this spring (fiber, electrical, stormwater drainage), then moving to pavement reconstruction. The intersection carries 60,000 vehicles a day on Santa Fe and 30,000 on Mineral. Finish expected in 2027. Track it at LittletonCO.gov/ConeZone.

The Charter Review Committee presents its final recommendations to city council on Monday April 14. First comprehensive review in more than a decade.

April 20 marks 27 years since Columbine. The Columbine Memorial at 7306 W. Bowles Ave is open to the public if you want to visit.

Fresh numbers: 80127's median sale price is sitting around $650K. Broader Littleton median list price is about $680K, down roughly 1% month-over-month and year-over-year. Price per square foot is down a few percent year-over-year too.

Here's the more interesting number: median days on market is 39, down 44% from March 2025. Translation: prices are softening a hair, but the homes that are priced right are flying. Two markets at the same time.

And if you're thinking about listing, the drought is about to put a premium on "already xeriscaped." The city's Resource Central Garden In A Box program has a pickup window in May. Something to think about.

Friday: High 70, partly sunny, 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Light N winds 5-8 mph, gusts to 15.
Saturday: High 76, low 44. Partly sunny with a 50% chance of showers after noon. SSW winds 6-11, gusting to 24.
Sunday: High 76, mostly sunny, dry. The pick of the weekend.

Tuesday cools sharply to 62 with showers likely in the afternoon. Not a winter storm, just April doing what April does.

Scrolling the local Facebook groups this week, I kept noticing a pattern. Three different people in three different groups asking the same basic question: where should I go to church around here? Each one wanted something a little different (traditional, inclusive, kid-friendly, progressive), but they all ended up in the same crowded comment thread trying to sort through 40 opinions from strangers.

That's exactly the kind of thing a local newsletter can help with. So I'm starting to put together a "Faith in the Foothills" directory for a future issue. If you have a church you love in 80127 or nearby, hit reply and tell me about it: what it is, what makes it work for you, and who it might be a good fit for. I'll include the ones that get multiple recommendations.

And while I have you: what else do you want covered? I take requests. The newsletter works best when it's shaped by what you're curious about. Every reply lands in my actual inbox, and I read all of them.

Thanks for being here for Week 2. Forward this to one person who lives in 80127. That's how this thing grows.

Joey

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