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Colorado - Mon. 07/13/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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ASPEN ACRES FIRE CONTINUES TO BURN, BUT GROWTH SLOWS, SOME CONTAINMENT
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Firefighters are continuing to slow the growth of the Aspen Acres fire burning in Custer and Pueblo counties in southern Colorado. The fire ignited on June 29 and immediately blew up with 100-mph winds pushing the blaze. The fire grew modestly Saturday night to 97,505 acres with 34 percent containment. More than 1,900 personnel are continuing to work on the fire. As of Friday morning, more than 850 structures have burned in the Aspen Acres fire, according to Pueblo County officials.
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BOAT RAMP AT BARR LAKE STATE PARK HAS CLOSED FOR THE SUMMER
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The boat ramp at Barr Lake State Park in Brighton closed Friday night for the remainder of the boating season. The reservoir, just north of the Denver metro area, started the season close to full capacity, but has seen its levels steadily decrease due to depleted snowpack run-off and drawdowns by water rights holders, according to park officials. The 1,950-acre reservoir is fed by the South Platte River and its snowpack run-off. Conditions led officials to shut down the boat ramp beginning at 9 p.m. Friday. The boat ramp typically closes in the fall. Hand-launched vessels, such as kayaks and paddleboards, are still allowed. Wading and swimming are not permitted. Park officials are still evaluating options for ranger boats and water rescue crafts, and they warn visitors to expect delayed responses to water rescues. Visitors should recreate at their own risk, officials warned.
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JEFFERSON COUNTY RECEIVES $9.7 MILLION GRANT FOR WILDFIRE MITIGATION
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A $9.7 million Community Wildfire Defense Grant, which is awarded through the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture/U.S. Forest Service, has been delivered to Jefferson County to aid the county in wildlife mitigation efforts. The news release Thursday from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said the grant will be distributed over five years. It will be used to support wildfire mitigation staff, purchase specialized equipment and safety gear, complete roadside vegetation mitigation projects, and provide homeowner incentives for creating defensible space and fireproofing homes.
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VAIL VALLEY POWER OUTAGE: 2ND, REDUNDANT LINE WAS OUT OF COMMISSION AS WELL
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On Tuesday, July 7, a lightning strike occurred on the Xcel Energy transmission line running from Steamboat Springs to the Wolcott substation, causing a 14-hour power outage for 27,000 Holy Cross Energy customers from Vail to the Roaring Fork Valley. The compounding factor of the loss of the transmission line while it was being repaired is a second, redundant Xcel transmission line from Basalt to Gypsum was down for maintenance. The Basalt-to-Gypsum line will be down until Aug. 6, meaning that after repairs to the Steamboat-to-Wolcott line restored power Wednesday morning, the member-owned power co-op still has just one functioning transmission line for nearly a month during the height of wildfire season as temperatures soar.
“This is a long-standing maintenance project,” according to Holy Cross Energy President and CEO Bryan Hannegan. “The one that’s from Basalt to Wolcott, it’s a very old line. It needs replacement. It’s reached its end of life. This will be a huge improvement from a wildfire protection standpoint because old stuff breaks and creates sparks that start fires.”
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SEATTLE SEAHAWKS SOLD FOR RECORD $9.6 BILLION
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On Saturday, the Paul Allen Estate announced that it had reached an agreement to sell the Seattle Seahawks to a group led by the Khosla family, which owns a minority interest in the San Francisco 49ers. The agreed-upon purchase price is $9.612 billion, according to two league sources who were granted anonymity to discuss the confidential matter. Should NFL owners ratify the deal (at least 24 of the other 31 team owners must approve), it would set a record for an NFL franchise’s sale price, outpacing the previous mark by approximately 50 percent. It is believed that Vinod Khosla, a venture capitalist and co-founder of Sun Microsystems, his wife Neeru Khosla, and the couple’s son Neal Khosla, the CEO of AI healthcare company Curai, will hold the majority ownership of the Seahawks and Neeru Khosla will serve as controlling owner.
Neeru Khosla is believed to be the first minority woman to have sole control of an NFL franchise. To adhere to NFL ownership rules, the Khosla family must divest its interest in the 49ers. Allen, who co-founded Microsoft Corporation, purchased the Seahawks in 1997 for $194 million. Allen died at age 65 and team ownership was transferred to the Allen estate, managed by his sister Jody. Per the terms of the trust, Jody Allen was tasked with eventually selling the franchise, along with Paul Allen’s other pro sports interests, and donating the proceeds to charity.
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ENTERING THE LAST WEEK OF THE WORLD CUP IN THE U.S.
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The World Cup 2026 reached 100 games over the weekend with the completion of the Quarterfinal round. The last four games will be played this week, with France vs Spain in Match 101 at Texas Stadium (AT&T Stadium) on Tuesday, July 14 and England vs Argentina in Match 102 on Wednesday, July 15 at Atlanta Stadium (Mercedes-Benz Stadium). The losers of those matches will meet Saturday, July 18 in the Bronze Final at Miami Stadium (Hard Rock Stadium). The Finals will be Sunday, July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium (Metlife Stadium). Reportedly, tickets for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final at MetLife Stadium on July 19 are currently available, with resale prices on the official platform (FIFA Tickets Platform) ranging from about $7,500 to more than $11,000. Lower-tier resale tickets on secondary hubs start around $8,200 to $9,800, with some premium and VIP listings asking significantly more.
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NEW STUDY: COLORADO HAS SOME OF THE WORST ROADS IN U.S., BUT NO PROBLEM?
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A new study from Extreme Terrain, a retailer specializing in Jeep parts and accessories, ranks Colorado as having the fourth-worst roads in the country. However, in a correlated study from Extreme Terrain, the motorists in Colorado rank No. 24 in the U.S. for their concern about bad roads. To gauge the quality of roads, the study looked at poor pavement, freeze-thaw exposure, road salt use, flooding and extreme heat to develop a “road abuse risk” score. The data came from sources that included the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Federal Highway Administration and the American Public Works Association’s Clear Roads research program.
States with the highest "road abuse risk":
- Rhode Island
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- Colorado
- Connecticut
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CNBC RANKS MOST EXPENSIVE STATES IN THE U.S. - HIGHEST
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CNBC considers Cost of Living as one of ten categories of competitiveness in our America’s Top States for Business study, now in its 20th year. To compute cost of living, CNBC used an index of prices for a broad range of goods and services calculated by the Council for Community and Economic Research. Also considered was housing affordability for both homeowners and renters, which included cost of insurance.
The most expensive states, (with 2026 Cost of Living score):
- California: 12 out of 50 points (Cost of Living Score); D-
- Colorado: 12: D-
- Florida: 13; D-
- Hawaii: 14; D
- Rhode Island: 15; D
- Oregon: 15; D
- Connecticut: 16; D
- Washington: 17; D+
- New York: 17; D+
- Illinois: 17; D+
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CNBC RANKS LEAST EXPENSIVE STATES IN THE U.S. - LOWEST
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CNBC considers Cost of Living as one of ten categories of competitiveness in our America’s Top States for Business study, now in its 20th year. To compute cost of living, CNBC used an index of prices for a broad range of goods and services calculated by the Council for Community and Economic Research. Also considered was housing affordability for both homeowners and renters, which included cost of insurance.
The least expensive states, (with 2026 Cost of Living score):
- West Virginia: 43 out of 50 points; A+
- North Dakota: 41: A+
- Alabama: 38; A
- South Dakota: 38; A
- Wyoming: 37; A-
- Indiana: 36; A-
- Iowa: 36; A-
- Kansas: 36; A-
- Ohio: 35; A-
- Missouri: 34; B+
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CNBC RANKS BEST STATES FOR QUALITY OF LIFE
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CNBC considers Quality of Life as one of ten categories of competitiveness in its America’s Top States for Business study, now in its 20th year. CNBC gave an increased weighting to Quality of Life in this year’s ranking as it has become an increased factor in why people move to a location for a job and as a result more companies are promoting the quality of life in the state where they are located. To score the states for quality of life, CNBC used hard data on factors like crime rates, air quality and healthcare. Also considered were the cost and availability of childcare, inclusiveness of state laws, and reproductive rights.
The "best places to live" in this year's ranking (with Quality-of-Life score):
- Vermont: 233 out of 290 points; A+
- Maine: 232: A+
- New Jersey: 223; A+
- Minnesota: 210; A
- Connecticut: 205; A-
- Hawaii: 191; B+
- New Hampshire: 189; B+
- Virginia: 189; B+
- North Dakota: 186; B+
- Massachusetts: 184; B+
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MARKET UPDATE - 07/10/2026 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 07/09/2026)
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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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