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Colorado - Mon. 10/05/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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OCTOBER IS A MONTH OF METEOR SHOWERS IN COLORADO
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The Orionids Meteor Shower, which will peak Oct. 21-22, is one of the major meteor showers that is visible from Colorado annually and will offer about 13 meteors per hour, according to Colorado stargazing guide Mark Laurin, better known as Astro Mark. The Orionids shower is a product of debris shed by Halley's Comet when it last passed the Earth in 1986. Although the Orionids is the most visible meteor show, it is just one of seven major and minor meteor showers that peak in October. October is an excellent time for viewing with shorter days and longer nights, and temperatures at night that are not winter cold.
Other meteor showers are coming this month:
- The Cemelopardalid Meteor Shower is visible all night on the nights of Oct. 5 and 6
- The Draconid Meteor Shower, from Oct. 6-10, which is notable in that it is observed between sunset and midnight, which is rare
- On Oct. 10, the South Taurid Meteor Shower, peaks the same night as the new moon
- The Epsilon-Geminid Meteor Shower will be active from Oct. 14-27, and peaks Oct. 18
- Then, the Leonis Minorid Meteor Shower will last from Oct. 19-27, peaking on Oct. 24
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GROUNDBREAKING ON NEW STADIUM FOR DENVER SUMMIT FC
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Representatives from Denver Summit FC, the city and even team members joined together Thursday for an official groundbreaking of the team's permanent stadium at South Broadway and Interstate 25. It will be Denver’s first stadium built for women's professional sports. The stadium will serve as the heart of a 14-acre development designed to replace what has long been unused land after Gates Rubber Company left the area known as Santa Fe Yards in the late 1990s. The parcel sits right next to South Broadway, a popular and vibrant stretch of the city that hasn't been able to be activated until now. Currently the Summit FC is playing the majority of its NWSL regular season matches at its temporary stadium in Centennial.
The team has been an enormous success already as it leads the National Women's Soccer League in ticket revenue, sponsorship dollars and merchandise sales. The team's franchise agreement with the league dictates that the Summit debut the permanent stadium in the 2028 NWSL season, and after a number of delays, the team anticipates completing the stadium near the end of the 2028 season.
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MOTORISTS NEED TO BE AWARE OF WILDLIFE CROSSING ROADS IN FALL
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The Colorado State Patrol has issued a release advising motorists that now that fall is here, there is increased wildlife activity as animals move from higher elevations to lower areas for the winter. CSP notes that their recorded wildlife-related crashes have increased considerably over the past five years, going from 2,296 animal-related crashes in 2021 to over 3,900 last year. In addition to animals migrating during the fall, Colorado State Patrol reported that many wildlife species are also in peak mating season, making them “highly vulnerable to being struck” as they are “more mobile, easily distracted, and more likely to be crossing roadways.” October, November and December consistently rank among the highest months for roadkill reports in Colorado.
Colorado State Patrol reported that from 2021-2025, the following roadways were at the highest risk for wildlife-vehicle collisions:
- U.S. Route 160 from Durango to Pagosa Springs and from Durango to Mancos
- U.S. Hwy. 50 from Pueblo to the eastern state line and from Blue Mesa Reservoir to Parlin
- Interstate 70 near Floyd Hill, Mt. Vernon Canyon and Eagle
- Interstate 25 from Castle Rock to Larkspur
- U.S. Hwy. 285 near Morrison
- U.S. Hwy. 40 from Craig to Steamboat, near Tabernash and on Berthoud Pass
- U.S. Hwy. 24 from Riverside to Buena Vista and from Newett to Johnson Village
- U.S. Hwy. 550 north of Durango and from Montrose to Ouray
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CSU: FORMAL OPENING OF NEW VETERINARY HOSPITAL
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It was Homecoming Weekend at Colorado State University and one of the activities on campus for the Oct. 1-4 weekend was the grand opening of the new $230 million Veterinary Hospital and Education Complex. More than 500 people attended the event, including Gov. Jared Polis and District 2 Rep. Joe Neguse, along with other CSU officials, alumni and donors. The veterinary science program at CSU was established in 1907 and is one of the most distinguished programs not just at CSU but is recognized as one of the nation’s and world’s best. The U.S. News & World Report ranked it No. 3 in its 2026-2027 Best Graduate Schools rankings, while the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research ranked it the No. 1 veterinary research institute for the past two years.
CSU’s 213,000-square-foot Veterinary Hospital and Education Complex features 24 new exam rooms, active-learning classrooms and innovation spaces, a new livestock hospital, an expanded primary care suite, a small animal isolation unit and dedicated wellness resources for students and faculty from human and animal-centric lighting to even a nap room. The university is pursuing certification under the WELL Building Standard to become the nation’s first certified veterinary hospital.
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SOUTHWEST COLORADO RECEIVED MUCH NEEDED MOISTURE IN SEPTEMBER
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After prolonged periods of drought, there were rainstorms in late September across the Four Corners area, bringing steady precipitation over several days. That rain was significant, according to David Byers, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Grand Junction, “Much of the area reported the wettest September on record,” he said. The steady rain brought no flash floods. Durango-La Plata County Airport recorded rainfall totals of about 3.2 inches of rain from the late September storms, Byers said. In the mountains above 12,000 feet, that rain became snow. Vallecito Reservoir rose about 18 feet, or about 30,000 acre-feet, from this fall’s moisture. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has rescinded its voluntary fishing closures on 11 sections of rivers in the southwest region. Recent rains and cooler temperatures have alleviated stress on fisheries, according to a CPW news release.
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U.S. EMPLOYERS ADDED ONLY 29,000 JOBS IN SEPTEMBER
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The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Friday reported nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 29,000 for the month while the unemployment rate increased to 4.2 percent. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for job growth of 84,000 and an unemployment rate of 4.1 percent. In addition to the weakness in September, the August jobs count was revised lower to reflect a gain of 133,000 while July switched from a gain to a loss as payrolls fell by 10,000. The revisions in total showed 60,000 fewer jobs than previously reported. The September numbers clearly indicate the labor market may not be able to deliver the sizable gains that it did in the past, however, it doesn’t need to in order to keep the unemployment rate low.
In a positive sign, what is called the labor-force participation rate inched up slightly. The participation rate, which counts those working or actively searching for a job as a share of the total labor force, increased 0.2 percentage point to 61.8 percent, its highest since May.
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COMBINED PARAMOUNT & WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY TO BE NAMED SKYDANCE
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CEO of Paramount Skydance David Ellison announced Friday the combined company of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery will be named Skydance. Ellison noted the new name allows the company to preserve Paramount and Warner Bros. as distinct studios. The merged company will trade under the new ticker “SKYD.” In August 2025, Ellison’s Skydance, the production company behind the Mission: Impossible movies and “Top Gun: Maverick”, closed its acquisition of Paramount. In February, Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery struck an agreement worth roughly $110 billion. The Paramount and Warner Bros. studios together are set to release 35 films next year, according to data from Rentrak.
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LOOKING AT WHAT IN COLORADO RATES BEST OF THE BEST IN TRIP ADVISOR
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Travel site Tripadvisor has some 8 million listings of sites, activities, etc., and less than 1 percent receive enough positive reviews to get a Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best designation, and even fewer marking the site’s top 25 lists. This year, the Limelight Aspen ranked No. 15 and the Sonnenalp Vail No. 17 in the U.S. in Tripadvisor’s Best of the Best hotels. The National Museum of World War II Aviation rated No. 6 and the Garden of the Gods No. 11 in the best tourist attractions in the U.S. in the Travelers’ Choice Awards. The Fire Restaurant and Lounge in Denver was No. 17 in the “hidden gems” restaurants.
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SKI SWAPS HAVE BEEN A TRADITION FOR FAMILIES IN COLORADO
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Since the 1950s, ski swaps have been a means for families in Colorado to outfit their children for the upcoming ski season. The earliest recorded ski swap in the country was set up by the Lindley Sporting Goods Store in Steamboat Springs in the 1950s. The swap shop, as it was called, operated seasonally and was “of great benefit to children especially,” the Steamboat Pilot wrote in 1951. Aspen, another early adopter of the ski swap model, also advertised its “Children’s Ski Swaps” at the Aspen School in the late 1950s and 1960s. Now, they are a tradition.
Here are the ski swaps scheduled for this October:
- Backcountry Ski Swap | Oct. 10 | Cripple Creek Backcountry, Denver
- Colorado Springs Ski Swap | Oct. 16-17 | Roy J. Wasson Academic Campus, Colorado Springs
- Fort Collins Ski Swap | Oct. 16-17 | The Ranch Events Complex, Loveland
- Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club Sports Swap | Oct. 17 | TACAW, Basalt
- Ski and Bike Swap | Oct. 17 | Chaffee County Fairgrounds, Salida
- Special Olympics Ski Swap | Oct. 17-24 | The Ski Shop, Colorado Springs
- Team Summit Ski and Snowboard Swap | Oct. 23-25 | Copper Conference Center, Copper Mountain
- Backcountry Ski Swap | Oct. 24 | Cripple Creek Backcountry, Carbondale
- Nordic Ski Swap | Oct. 24 | Colorado Discover Ability, Grand Junction
- Community Ski and Sport Swap | Oct. 24 | Howelsen Hill, Steamboat Springs
- Sunlight Mountain Ski Swap | Oct. 24 | Sunlight Mountain Resort, Glenwood Springs
- Grand Nordic Ski Swap and Expo | Oct. 24 | Snow Mountain Ranch, Granby
- Aspen Ski Swap | Oct. 24 | Aspen Middle School, Aspen
- Backcountry Ski Swap | Oct. 31 | Cripple Creek Backcountry, Silverthorne
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COLORADO RANKS IN TOP 10 FOR DRIVERS WITH SPEEDING TICKETS
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A new report from Simmrin Law Group ranked all 50 states and Washington, D.C. ranked states by the percentage of drivers with a speeding ticket, 2026. Colorado ranked 9th nationally:
- North Dakota: 14.76 percent
- Iowa: 10.88 percent
- Washington, D.C.: 10.87 percent
- Virginia: 10.26 percent
- Ohio: 9.95 percent
- Idaho: 9.91 percent
- South Carolina: 9.90 percent
- South Dakota: 9.89 percent
- Colorado: 9.86 percent
- Utah: 9.66 percent
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WHAT DO YOU SAY TO LAW ENFORCEMENT WHEN CAUGHT SPEEDING?
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Ranking right up there with “the dog ate my homework” or maybe even more contrived, are these excuses to deputies of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office given by drivers stopped for speeding.
These were the Top 10:
- “I need to pee.”
- “I need to barf.”
- “Just crying.”
- “I was just trying to pass that slow guy.”
- "I'm not from around here.”
- “This is a new car, and I wasn't sure how fast it could go.”
- “I just got a new engine, and I was testing it out.”
- “Just washed my car and I'm trying to dry it.”
- “My nanny cam showed my cat attacking my dog, and I'm in a hurry to get home to break up the squabble.”
- From the passenger: “Her car is a time machine and we're trying to get up to 88.5 miles per hour so she can go back to yesterday and undo what she did last night.”
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MARKET UPDATE - 10/02/2026 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 10/01/2026)
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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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