As we move into the winter season, winter weather - including blizzards - are expected to impact travel across Colorado. There are a number of resources available to keep you,
your family and friends prepared and informed as conditions develop.

Most importantly, stay tuned to local media and the National Weather Service - Colorado Weather Information for Colorado-specific reports, if you're staying within the state, or other areas in which you're traveling. You will want to ensure you keep up with the latest conditions from the Colorado Department of Transportation on the ColoradoDOT site;
you can also use their
CDOT Twitter feed.

The best thing you can do, of course, is be prepared to not be a statistic by staying off the roads when conditions are poor. Should travel be necessary, ensure you and your vehicle are prepared for conditions by:

- Battery and ingnition system should be in top condition and battery terminals clean

- Ensure antifreeze levels are sufficient to avoid freezing

- Ensure the heater and defroster work properly

- Check and repair windshield wiper equipment; ensure proper washer fluid level

- Ensure the thermostat works

- Check lights and flashing hazard lights for serviceability

- Check for leaks and crimped pipes in the exhaust system; repair or replace as necessary

- Check brakes' fluid levels & wear

- Check oil for level and weight - heavier oils congeal more at low temps

- Consider snow tires

- Replace fuel and air filters - keep water out of the system
by using additives and maintaining full tank

- Remember to keep a winter weather emergency kit in your vehicle, just in case...

Winter Weather Vehicle Emergency Kit - (from READYColorado)

- Extra clothing, such as blankets, coats, hat and gloves

- Shovel

- Flares and jumper cables

Plan for the Season to Avoid Extra Holiday Pounds

Jennifer Fairweather, Jeffco Human Resources 

Commissioners Appoint Three New Library Trustees; Express Disappointment with Library Decision to Close County Libraries Every Monday

Kathryn Heider, Jefferson County Public Information Officer 

Adoption Day at Jefferson County

Lynn Johnson, Jefferson County Human Services 

Parenting is an immensely satisfying experience involving smiles, giggles,
lessons-learned, wisdom and most of all, love. Love is what filled the Jefferson County Courthouse on Saturday, November 20 when 15 adoptions were finalized for thirteen families at the 6^th Annual National Adoption Day Celebration.

Lynn Johnson, Executive Director of Jefferson County Department of Human Services stated, "I would like to offer my appreciation for the judges, court staff, attorneys, child welfare caseworkers and advocates who do the work of finding families, of helping kids through their grief and loss, preparing them to thrive in new families, and who manage all the details of ensuring successful adoptions. It is obvious that this is more than a job for them, it's a calling." 

Coffee with a Cop
A new series of walk-in community meetings called Coffee With a Cop began in spring 2010. These informal events are opportunities for Jeffco residents to speak one-on-one with the agency's command staff, and ask questions about crime and quality-of-life issues in their neighborhoods or on the roadways. To see the schedule, visit the Sheriff's web page.

Deputy Hugs 

Studies have shown that no single object calms a troubled child as quickly as a teddy bear. "Deputy HUGS," a program that began in 1991, works with the Victim Services Unit, comforting frightened young victims of crisis or crime.

For a donation of $20, you can adopt a "Deputy HUGS" bear for yourself or
your child. At the same time, your donation will provide a "Deputy HUGS" bear for a child in need. For further information or to donate, contact:
Adopt a Bear
Attn: Deputy "HUGS"
c/o Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
200 Jefferson County Parkway
Golden, CO 80401
303-271-5339

Cold Case Files
Can you help the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office solve a murder? Check out the Cold Case Files web page to see if you have any information that might be helpful.

Santa's Flying in to RMMA

Kenneth Maenpa, Airport Director

Public Health Updates

Nancy Braden, Jefferson County Public Health

Protect Against Pertussis
Pertussis (whooping cough) is a highly contagious respiratory disease often distinguished by the severe and long-lasting cough of those infected. It is named after the "whoop" sound children and adults make when they try to breathe in during or after a severe coughing spell.

Symptoms: Pertussis usually starts with cold or flu-like symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, fever and a mild cough. These symptoms can last up to two weeks and are followed by increasingly severe coughing spells. Fever, if present, is usually mild.

For more information on how pertussis is spread, how to prevent it and who should get immunized, see the JCPH Pertussis web page.

National Hand Washing Awareness Week (December 5-11)

One of the easiest and most inexpensive preventive medicine strategies is literally available at your fingertips. It is called hand washing. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, "hand washing is the single most important means of preventing the spread of infection." Hand-transmission is a critical factor in the spread of bacteria and viruses causing disease such as colds, flu and foodborne illness. Handwashing tips:

• It is best to wash your hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds.
• When water is not available use alcohol-based products (sanitizers).
• Wash hands after and before handling food or eating.
• Wash hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers.
• Wash hands after sneezing, blowing your nose or coughing.
• Wash Hands after touching a cut or open sore.
• Wash hands after handling or playing with pets.

Health for the Holidays . . . The Perfect Gift

This year, give your friends and family the gift of health. Jefferson County Public Health professionals have 5 unique gift ideas.

1. Workout Clothes for that special Mom-to-Be
    Healthy expectant moms should stay physically active, says Amy Guccione, supervisor of the NFP Partners for Healthy Families Program. Amy suggests maternity exercise clothes as the perfect holiday gift for moms to be. "Pregnancy is a wonderful time for behavior modification because most women are highly motivated to make the healthy lifestyle changes that protect the health of their babies," says Guccione.
2. Electric Toothbrush for Kids
    When we make tooth brushing fun, kids tend to stay at it longer and brush more thoroughly. Today's awesome technology combined with good oral hygiene provides the perfect oral health gift for children - an electric toothbrush. According to Crystal Brandt, public health nurse with the JCPH Cavity Free at Three Families Program, dental cavities is the most common preventable childhood disease.
3. Yoga Lessons
    The science of Yoga has been used for centuries to enhance physical and emotional well being. Yoga classes are a wonderful gift to encourage mind and body alignment and improve flexibility. "It's also a great way to reduce the stresses of everyday life," says Elise Lubell, Director of JCPH's Health Promotion and Lifestyle Management Division. "Yoga helps make the body more flexible and helps you relax. Yoga has something to offer for everyone."
4. Wrap up the Holiday Season with a Comforting Massage
    Massage therapy is a fantastic way to help you relax, realign and rejuvenate. Give yourself or someone you care about the gift of massage. "Massage can provide relaxation, relieve tension and help to maintain good health," says Shellie Obrien, JCPH WIC educator and a massage therapist. "There are many different types of massage and lots of choices including armchair massage to address your individual needs."
5. A Mediterranean Cookbook for the Chef in Your Life
    Why not show friends and family that you care with a gift that's good for their heart? According to Sara Lemley, RD, MPH, JCPH Nutrition Services Supervisor, Mediterranean dishes are delicious and healthy because they limit red meat and combine fresh vegetables, fruit, fish and olive oil, which is a better option than vegetable oil or butter. Gifts of healthy recipes or healthy food items can help encourage healthy eating throughout the year.

World AIDS Day (December 1)

World AIDS Day is about increasing awareness that HIV/AIDS has not gone away, and about raising money, fighting prejudice, and improving education about HIV/AIDS. Since the beginning of the HIV and AIDS epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than half a million people have died of AIDS in the U.S. - that is equivalent to the entire population of Jefferson County. There are currently more than one million people living with HIV and AIDS in the U.S. and approximately one-fifth of these are unaware of their infection. That means the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS is still very much present.

Jefferson County Public Health offers screening, diagnosis and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) at our Arvada and Lakewood locations. JCPH also offers anonymous and confidential HIV counseling and testing. For more information, please call 303-232-6301 or contact Public Health Nurse Julie White at 303-239-7045.

Jeffco Public Library Foundation Issues Fundraising Challenge

Rebecca Winning, Jefferson County Public Library

Natalie A. Martinez, executive director, Jefferson County Library Foundation and Marcellus Turner, executive director, Jefferson County Public Library, are issuing a unique challenge to Jefferson County residents: "Help us raise $100,000 on Dec. 8 and to show our gratitude, we'll dress up in holiday costumes and do a public storytime."

On Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010, the Jefferson County Library Foundation is participating in Colorado Gives Day, a statewide online fundraising campaign sponsored by Community First Foundation and FirstBank. The Colorado Gives Day goal is to raise $1 million for local non-profits in a single day and to promote online philanthropy; the Library Foundation's goal is to raise at least $100,000 for Jefferson County Public Library!

If the Library Foundation meets its $100,000 goal, Martinez and Turner will dress up in holiday costumes and perform a public storytime-reading of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer during Holiday Fest at Colorado Mills Mall. The proposed reading is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 12 at 12:45 p.m. in the Food Court area at Colorado Mills Mall, 14500 W. Colfax Avenue, Lakewood.

"If every library cardholder donated to the campaign, we'd more than meet our goal," said Martinez. "That would definitely motivate us to dress up and make spectacles of ourselves!"

For additional information about this campaign, please visit www.jeffcolibraryfoundation.org or contact the Library Foundation at 303-403-5075.

About Colorado Gives Day

Colorado Gives Day is a new initiative to increase philanthropy in Colorado through online giving. Presented by Community First Foundation and FirstBank, Colorado Gives Day will take place during a 24-hour period starting at midnight on Wednesday, Dec. 8. Donations will be accepted through the website www.GivingFirst.org, with a goal of raising $1 million in one day for Colorado charities.

About Community First Foundation

Community First Foundation is a community foundation that improves quality of life in the seven-county metropolitan Denver community. Resources are used to fund vital community initiatives, support nonprofit organizations and assist individuals with charitable giving. Donors helped to support charitable causes through planned giving, Donor Advised Funds and online giving. The organization offers grants, fund management and fund-raising education to nonprofits and have been serving the community since its founding in 1975. To learn more, visit www.CommunityFirstFoundation.org.

Jeffco Open Space Photography Contest

Thea Rock, Jefferson County Open Space

Jeffco Open Space Foundation, Inc. sponsors its first annual "Life in Our Parks" photography contest, now through March 15, 2011, to showcase Jefferson County Open Space Parks in Colorado, as well as the people and the wildlife that recreate and live in the parks.

"Our goal for this photo contest is to highlight and celebrate the beautiful Open Space Parks that we are so fortunate to enjoy here in Jefferson County," said Joe Jehn, President of the Board of Directors.

The contest is planned as an annual event and features three photo categories: wonderful wildlife, people in the parks, and spectacular scenes; and two age groups: 17 and under and 18 and over. One grand prize winner will receive $1000 cash.  Six first place winners will receive $500 cash, with six second place winners receiving $300 in cash or cash equivalent and six third place winners receiving $150 cash or cash equivalent.  A panel of four distinguished photographers will be judging the entries and choosing the winners.

An entry photograph must have been taken at a Jefferson County, Colorado, Open Space Park or property, and must be submitted as a 5x7 print, along with an entry form at any Wolf Camera location, at Jefferson County Open Space Offices (700 Jefferson County Parkway, Suite 100, Golden, CO 80401) or at the Jeffco Open Space Foundation Inc. Office (c/o Jehn Engineering 5690 Webster Street, Arvada, CO, 80002). All Entries must be received by March 15, 2011 at 5:00 p.m.

An awards reception is scheduled for May 20, 2011 at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities. Event details will be posted on the Jeffco Open Space Foundation website by mid-March, 2011.

Jefferson County is responsible for what flows through our storm sewer system even, if the pollutants originate on private property. The storm sewer system includes both concrete and metal infrastructure, as well as roadside ditches that convey stormwater. Jefferson County has procedures to address illicit discharges into the storm sewer system.

Water pollution is harmful to wildlife and may require additional treatment. Always keep solid waste, such as pet waste or food grease, contained and disposed of appropriately. Liquid waste, such as concrete washout, residuals from carpet cleaning or power wash water, should be contained and also disposed of properly.