In what one director described as “a historic moment,” the Douglas County School board approved a long-awaited new compensation system for licensed employees in hopes of boosting teacher … more

The Douglas County School Board has called a special meeting to discuss whether the board president alone should oversee the district's future response to a lawsuit alleging board members broken open meeting laws. more

Protesters started in the Philip S. Miller Library parking lot before marching through the downtown and gathering in Festival Park. more

Lucas DeLeon works as a manager for Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, which sits at Lucent Boulevard and Plaza Drive in Highlands Ranch. As he drove to work May 7, he turned off Broadway and … more

The Douglas County Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition — which works to prevent substance use among young people — reports to the Douglas County Mental Health Initiative, a partnership of … more

When Chrysta Reese’s daughter revealed she was struggling with a heroin addiction, Reese immediately sought help. “The first time she called me and was really sick, I thought she was dying. I was … more

For Kendra Rhoades, the problem was not convincing her or her husband that their teenage son Jacob struggled with substance abuse. The problem was convincing Jacob, even after his marijuana use … more

The Douglas County Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition found in a community-needs assessment from the Tri-County Health Department that more than 26 percent of high school students in the … more

Terry Schamberger took his last alcoholic drink on July 1, 2007, about 27 years after he drank his first beer at 13. Alcohol, he believes, was about to cost him his family. “I knew my kids were … more

When a person in a mental health crisis is an imminent danger to himself, herself or others, or is gravely disabled by a mental illness, mental health and law enforcement professionals may place them … more

Jeff Santelli, a retired Douglas County Sheriff’s Office deputy who now works as a CIT trainer, suggested that CIT should be a specialized presence in law enforcement, likening it to SWAT teams. Just like SWAT officers, CIT officers require a specific skillset, Santelli said. “It’s actually a very similar analogy to CIT,” he said. “It’s a specialized training of communication and not everybody is the best communicator.” more

Law enforcement and mental health experts point to a culture shift in the approach to mental health treatment in the 1960s for the drastic rise in inmates with mental illness. In 1963, President John … more