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Colorado - Thu. 09/24/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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DENVER BUSINESS LEADERS ORGANIZE TO SHOWCASE HOW GREAT DENVER IS
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The Colorado Dept. of Transportation says a project to install 66 new cameras on rural roads across the state remains on schedule, but no new cameras will be active by this winter. The project, which will replace some of the cameras the transportation department removed from rural roads last summer, remains on track for the new cameras to come online by fall 2027. In the mountains, the current plans call for five new cameras on U.S. Hwy. 6 at Loveland Pass, one at U.S. Hwy. 9 and Heeney Road north of Silverthorne, one on Hwy. 9 in Blue River, five on U.S. Hwy. 40 at Berthoud Pass and three along Hwy. 40 at Rabbit Ears Pass, among others.
Since kicking off this past spring, the camera replacement project has focused on groundwork, which includes pouring caissons, which are foundations, and laying conduit at all 66 sites across the state so that poles, cabinets, power and cameras can be installed. Unlike many construction projects that are concentrated in one area, this project requires crews to cover long distances across the state “to keep multiple sites moving simultaneously.” The new camera network will be owned and operated by the state for “long-term reliability, cost savings and operational control. It will add to an existing camera network that already includes nearly 1,000 road-side cameras, including hundreds on major roads like I-70.
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DENVER’S WORLD TRADE CENTER HAS A NEW CEO
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Karen Gerwitz has headed the World Trade Center Denver for 16 years, growing the center to now more than 300 members and the organization to its new development in the Fox Park neighborhood near downtown Denver. Gerwitz announced she was leaving the organization this spring and at the WTC Denver's annual meeting Oct. 6, Stephanie Garnica will be introduced as the new CEO of WTC Denver. Garnica currently serves as director of business attraction, global engagement, innovation and entrepreneurship for Denver’s Economic Development & Opportunity (DEDO). DEDO hosted 125 international companies through the Global Landing Pad program. There are more than 320 World Trade Centers.
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A BAD SUMMER FOR AIR POLLUTION IN DENVER
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According to data compiled by the Regional Air Quality Council, a quasi-governmental agency focused on solutions to Colorado’s air pollution problem, metro Denver and the northern Front Range experienced one of the worst ozone pollution seasons of the past 30 years this summer. The nine-county region logged 66 days during which ozone pollution exceeded federal standards. The region also logged 66 high ozone days in 2012, and its worst year was 2021, when it marked 67 high ozone days, according to that data, which goes back to 1995. The summer’s poor air quality could lead the Environmental Protection Agency to downgrade the northern Front Range’s standing to an “extreme” failure to meet federal air quality standards as defined by the Clean Air Act. That downgrade, which could happen after July 2027, would lead to higher fees assessed to industrial polluters to pay for programs aimed at improving the region’s air quality.
The American Lung Association of Colorado ranked Denver as the eighth worst city in the U.S. for ozone pollution. Ground-level ozone pollution forms on hot summer days when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, both of which are created by burning fossil fuels, bake in the bright sun and smother the region. That blanket of chemicals traps heat close to the Earth, raising temperatures and making it hotter and more difficult for people to breathe. Colorado’s ozone season lasts from mid-May to mid-September.
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MAJOR SIGHTING FOR BIRD WATCHERS IN THE STATE
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A first for Colorado birdwatchers came over the weekend, as birders at the Stalker Lake State Wildlife Area near Yuma in eastern Colorado spotted a piratic flycatcher, a migratory bird from Central and South America. It is the farthest north the bird has ever been seen. It was only the 15th time the piratic flycatcher has been spotted in the United States. Currently, there have been 522 species of birds spotted in Colorado. Once the piratic flycatcher is accepted onto the list, it will be 523. That is notable in that state birder and Littleton resident Joey Kellner, also marked his own 500-species milestone. By spotting 500 species in the state over the weekend, Kellner is the only publicly recognized birdwatcher to reach that number. Kellner is well known as a leader on Denver Field Ornithologists birding field trips across Colorado and in other states, and for his 30 years leading monthly bird walks at Chatfield State Park.
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POWERFUL PACIFIC HURRICANE, ANOTHER STORM FOR HAWAII, A NOR’EASTER COMING
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Wild weather in the Pacific basin continued this week, as the powerful El Niño has already produced 15 named storms in the Pacific. On Tuesday, Hurricane Polo reached a dangerous Category 5 status, with 180 mph winds. Showing the dramatic power of the Pacific storms, Polo’s maximum sustained winds increased by an unheard of 95 mph in 22 hours, between 3 p.m. Sept. 21 and 1 p.m. Sept. 22. Polo is not expected to make landfall but will push an intense swath of tropical moisture into New Mexico. Residents of Hawaii are facing a seventh potential storm that could bring rain and wind to the Big Island. The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for the Big Island and Maui County. A three-day rainfall forecast from the National Hurricane Center shows the potential for over 20 inches of rain for much of east and southeast Hawaii island.
At the same time, a powerful nor’easter is threatening millions on the East Coast from Virginia to Massachusetts. There will be coastal flood risk from North Carolina’s Outer Banks to New England and rain remaining throughout the weekend in Boston.
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SAN JUANS, SAN MIGUEL COUNTY SEE IMPROVEMENT IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS
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Monsoon rainfall has finally come to southwest Colorado. The recent rains have brought much-needed relief to the San Juan mountains, with more-than-normal rainfall over the past three weeks. Most of the SNOTEL recording sites in the San Juans received 3 inches of rain or more since Sept. 1. The rains also are helpful going into the winter by providing moisture for trees and the soil moisture headed into the snow season is extremely valuable in the runoff next spring as when soils are already wet, the ground does not absorb as much of the snow melt, so there is more runoff. The recent rainfall has allowed the town of Telluride to lift all fire restrictions on Sept. 18. San Miguel County and Mountain Village also removed Stage 1 fire restrictions on the same day.
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ROARING FORK COMMUTERS: CLOSURE COMING ON HWY. 82 NEXT WEEK
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The Aspen/Pitkin County Airport Modernization Program will begin a project to construct a temporary entrance to the airport at the north end of the runway next week and motorists are advised that there will be a lane closed on Colorado Hwy. 82 from Sept. 28- Oct. 10. The project is designed to eventually reduce overall traffic impacts during the 2027 reconstruction of the airport runway. The closure will be in effect on Hwy. 82 immediately north of the airport going up valley Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Delays should be under five minutes during lane closure times, according to officials. Hwy. 82 will remain open without closures on Sundays and every day from 6 to 9 a.m. to ensure minimum traffic impacts for those commuting on Hwy. 82. Commuters should allow extra travel time, use caution around crews and equipment and follow all posted traffic signs.
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“CHOOSIN’ TEXAS” LONGEST RUN EVER ON BILLBOARD HOT 100
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Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” reached a major milestone this week, as it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the 23rd week. That is an all-time record for the longest run ever since the chart began in August 1958. It tops Mariah Carey’s perennial “All I Want for Christmas is You,” which has topped the chart each Christmas season since it was released in 2019. “Choosin’ Texas” debuted on the Hot 100 dated Nov. 1, 2025, as Langley’s fifth career entry on the chart. It became her first top 10 in January and initially led in February, on its way to setting multiple chart records. The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data.
Here is the list of longest runs (most weeks spent as No. 1) on the Hot 100 since 1958:
- 23 weeks (to date), “Choosin’ Texas,” Ella Langley, 2026
- 22, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Mariah Carey, 2019-26
- 19, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Shaboozey, 2024
- 19, “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, 2019
- 16, “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen, 2023
- 16, “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber, 2017
- 16, “One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, 1995-96
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IT’S HARD TO BEAT A GOOD MELON ROLL ON A HOLIDAY
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Mexican Independence Day is celebrated Sept. 15 and 16 annually, and it has a special celebration in Xalapa. Xalapa, the capital of Veracruz State in eastern Mexico, is surrounded by volcanoes and is known for its daily fog, making it a rather surreal setting. It has winding cobblestone streets and when the streets are closed for the Independence Day holiday, it is now home to an annual melon race that started as a filming stunt some 20 years ago and now has grown into an event drawing hundreds of entrants and thousands of visitors. Manuel López Rocha, 39, was one of the original organizers as he and friends decided to film a mockumentary of a melon race. The mockumentary was never finished because people began cheering the melons and placing bets on which was the fastest melon. They decided to do it again the next year and now it is organized with local sponsors who offer prizes to the fastest melon.
A few years into the race, they added another competition, the most handsome melon. Anyone can compete in any contest, however, participants must use a melon of the Cucumis melo species, i.e., honeydew or cantaloupe, for racing. The race consists of nine rounds of 25 melons each. The most handsome melons are determined by applause. Of course, now people decorate their melons with all sorts of designs. This year’s most handsome winner had six small melons atop a tall pole to represent the Voladores de Papantla, a traditional Mesoamerican ritual.
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THERE AREN’T THAT MANY PEOPLE IN CANADA & IT IS NOT GROWING MUCH
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On July 1, the population of Canada reached just under 41.8 million:
- That is an increase of just 189,425 people, or 0.5 percent from a year earlier
- The annual July-to-July increase is the lowest since 1944 to 1945, when the population increased by 126,000
- It is the smallest in terms of percentage increase since the 0.3 percent recorded between 1915 and 1916
- Canada’s total population is only slightly higher than the estimated population of the largest U.S. state, California, at roughly 39.5 million
- The size of Canada is roughly the same as the U.S. Canada: 3,855,000 square miles; U.S. 3,796,000 square miles, about a 1.3 percent to 1.5 percent difference
- The U.S. population in 2026 is estimated to be 349.5 million, Canada’s population is roughly 12 percent of that
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MARKET UPDATE - 09/23/2026 Close
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(Courtesy of Alpine Bank Wealth Management*)
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Canadian dollar (per U.S. dollar)
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Mexican peso (per U.S. dollar)
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30-year fixed mortgage rate (Freddie Mac 09/17/2026)
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*Not FDIC insured. May lose value. Not guaranteed by the bank.
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Alpine Bank is an independent, employee-owned organization with headquarters in Glenwood Springs and banking offices across Colorado's Western Slope, mountains and Front Range. Alpine Bank serves customers with retail, business, wealth management*, mortgage and electronic banking services. Learn more at alpinebank.com.
*Alpine Bank Wealth Management services are not FDIC insured, may lose value and are not guaranteed by the bank.
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