– Hi, I’m Isabella Janney with the Colorado Springs Daily and today is July 21st, 2020. Our first segment today, we’ll talk about new guidance for schools opening in Colorado. Our second story today is about dead fish in Prospect Lake. And, our last story of the day is about an Aurora City Council resolution calling for an independent investigation into Elijah McClain’s death.
– Our first story today is about new guidance for schools in Colorado as districts scramble to come up with a plan to manage students and staff returning this fall while navigating a historic pandemic. State officials say getting students back inside the classroom is important, a position backed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. But COVID-19 mitigation remains critical as the pandemic shows no signs of winding down. Cases are up nationwide, and even though Colorado has not been as hard-hit as states like Texas, Arizona and Florida, cases are up here too. The Colorado health department held an online news conference Monday to present new recommendations for the 2020-2021 school year. Some, we’ve heard before: social distancing, wearing masks. Other guidance was released for the first time Monday, including the concept of “cohort classes,” which if implemented would see schools break classes into small groups of students who stay together during the whole day. During the news conference, officials presented graphics that show how quickly one case could spread through a group. But if students are kept to a small circle, exposure to a positive case would be limited to that cohort.
– [https://www.kktv.com/2020/07/21/cohort-classes-among-new-guidance-from-state-as-districts-prepare-to-reopen-schools/](https://www.kktv.com/2020/07/21/cohort-classes-among-new-guidance-from-state-as-districts-prepare-to-reopen-schools/)
– Our second story today is about at least 100 dead fish that have washed up on the shore of Prospect Lake in Memorial Park. The lake was closed in June to swimmers and recreational purposes other than fishing due to toxic blue-green algae issue. However, city officials believe the large amount of dead fish may be tied to something else. Vanessa Zink the Senior Public Communications Specialist with the City of Colorado Springs says, “We believe it has more to do with the water temperature than the algae itself. The algae, however, may be a compounding factor.” Colorado Parks and Wildlife issued a warning to the public on Saturday about trout fishing. According to CPW, when temperatures exceed 70 degrees in lakes, fish stop feeding and become more susceptible to disease. Zink added the temperature at Prospect Lake was about 72.86 degrees back on July 7.
– [https://www.kktv.com/2020/07/20/dozens-of-dead-fish-wash-up-on-the-shore-at-prospect-lake-in-colorado-springs-may-have-to-do-with-water-temperature-according-to-city-officials/](https://www.kktv.com/2020/07/20/dozens-of-dead-fish-wash-up-on-the-shore-at-prospect-lake-in-colorado-springs-may-have-to-do-with-water-temperature-according-to-city-officials/)
– Our last story today is about Aurora City Council unanimously adopting a resolution on Monday evening calling for an independent investigation into Elijah McClain’s death. The [resolution](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/60/18/c425b5974152b956f86226c8adb2/07-16-2020-public-safety-courts-civil-service-agenda-packet-revised.pdf) calls for a three-member independent investigation team that will have at least three consultants and will be led by Jonathan Smith of the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs in Washington, D.C. The team will include consultants who have expertise in independent investigations, law enforcement and public safety accountability, civil rights, use of force, police and EMT training and criminal justice. The city council’s Public Safety, Courts and Civil Service Committee had said just last week they were still working to find a medical expert who can speak to the use of ketamine on M
