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Colorado - Wed. 10/28/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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DENVER COULD HOST NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL FINAL FOUR
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March Madness’ Final Four could be returning to Colorado. The NCAA announced Tuesday that Denver is one of seven cities being considered to host the Division I men’s basketball Final Four between 2032-36. The other cities include Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Nashville and New Orleans. Denver hosted the men’s Final Four once before in 1990 when Larry Johnson and UNLV defeated Christian Laettner and Duke, 103-73, in the finals at McNichols Sports Arena. The Mile High City has also hosted first- and second-round games in 1999, 2004, 2008, 2011, 2016, 2023, and 2025. And it hosted the regionals in 1985, 1989 and 1996. Since 1997, the NCAA has held its D-I men’s basketball Final Four in football stadiums.
The Broncos have set a deadline to move into their new stadium at Burnham Yard for the 2031 NFL season. “We’ve been working on this for years and are so thrilled for a chance to host the NCAA Final Four in Denver,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said in a news release. “This is why a new Broncos stadium with a retractable roof and more than 50,000 seats will expand our eligibility for events like this and provide new and exciting opportunities for Denver.”
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CAN A NEW TECHNOLOGY HELP A NORTHWEST COLORADO RIVER BASIN 'FUEL' CLOUDS TO INCREASE SNOW, RAINFALL?
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This winter, a new weather enhancement pilot program is planning to test whether a new technology can increase snowpack and rainfall across just shy of 200,000 acres of Northwest Colorado’s Flat Tops — an area that includes the Yampa River headwaters. The one-year pilot, funded by a $100,000 grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board to the Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District, plans to test a ground-based, solar-powered technology from Rain Enhancement Technologies. It would be Colorado’s ninth permitted weather modification project, joining permitted cloud-seeding projects at ski areas like Vail Mountain, Beaver Creek Resort, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Keystone Resort and Winter Park Resort, in the San Juan Mountains as well as a project conducted by Rain Enhancement Technologies in Weld County, among others.
Compared to “typical” cloud-seeding technology, which most commonly involves injecting silver iodide crystals into clouds to enhance their precipitation potential, this ground-based technology uses ionization to target a similar effect. The Weather Enhancement Technology Array releases electrically charged negative ions into naturally occurring wind flow feeding the cloud with the ‘fuel’ needed to cultivate precipitation. These charges enter the cloud mass and enhance condensation, causing cloud droplets to “progressively grow” until they are large and heavy enough to fall as precipitation. A test of the technology outside of Moab, Utah, reportedly led the snow-water equivalent to increase by over 20 percent. Andrew Rickert, Colorado’s weather modification program manager, said in April that more traditional cloud-seeding systems can increase a storm’s snowfall by roughly 8-12 percent when generators are turned on.
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U.S. RETAILERS FACE RECORD HOLIDAY DELIVERY PRICES AMID RISING DIESEL SURCHARGES
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The most expensive parcel-shipping year on record is on track to end with the highest-ever holiday-season delivery prices as soaring diesel prices drive even higher fuel surcharge rates from UPS and FedEx, boosting costs for retailers. Holiday-related package volume can double in the fourth quarter, and ground delivery pricing, including e-commerce purchases, is expected to be 5.8 percent higher than the same period last year. Pricing for speedier express parcel deliveries is forecast to jump 13.8 percent from the fourth quarter of 2025. The U.S. average on-highway diesel price was $6.28 per gallon as of Oct. 19, up 65 percent since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. But diesel price increases account for just under 30 percent of the fuel surcharge cost.
Surcharges driven by changes to how industry leaders such as UPS and FedEx calculate them are rising far faster than fuel prices — and go up even when fuel prices do not. For example, when diesel was $2.91 per gallon in the first quarter of 2021, the index fuel surcharge was 7.75 percent of the base shipping rate. Even if diesel returned to that price, the fuel surcharge now would be 23.75 percent, roughly three times higher. That reflects how changes in fuel surcharge calculations are raising carriers’ revenue and driving up retailers’ costs. Based on company surcharge tables at the EIA’s average diesel price of $6.28, UPS’ fuel surcharge is 29.5 percent and FedEx’s is 29 percent.
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BRECKENRIDGE SHORT-TERM RENTAL FEE LAWSUIT REACHES COLORADO SUPREME COURT AFTER LOWER COURTS REJECT CLAIMS
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The Colorado Supreme Court has agreed to hear a lawsuit challenging Breckenridge’s short-term rental regulatory fee after two lower courts rejected claims that the town violated Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights by imposing the charge without voter approval. The state’s highest court will renew two legal questions raised by Alexander Dorotik, a Breckenridge short-term rental owner and Denver-based attorney who filed the lawsuit against the town in September 2024. The case asks the Supreme Court to determine if local governments can impose regulatory fees on activities that already generate more tax revenue than they cost municipalities. Dorotik, who’s representing himself, has argued that Breckenridge’s annual $756-per-bedroom short-term rental fee constitutes an unconstitutional tax because the town already collects sales and lodging taxes from short-term rental activity.
Under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, Colorado governments must obtain voter approval before imposing new taxes or increasing tax rates. In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that regulatory fees, however, do not require voter approval when their primary purpose is to cover the reasonable costs of providing services or regulating an activity. A Summit County District Court judge previously dismissed Dorotik’s lawsuit, and a three-judge Colorado Court of Appeals panel upheld that decision in March, finding that Breckenridge could impose the regulatory fee even though short-term rentals also generate tax revenue. The Supreme Court has not announced a date for oral arguments.
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SILVERTHORNE LUXURY HOME TO SELL AT AUCTION NOV. 12
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On Nov. 12, buyers will have the rare opportunity to bid on a 5,895-square-foot luxury mountain home in Silverthorne’s coveted Three Peaks neighborhood. Offered through Prestige Real Estate Auctions in partnership with Debbie Nelson of Nelson Mountain Real Estate, the property will sell to the highest bidder regardless of price. Set on 4.1 private acres, 273 Two Cabins Dr. embodies the quintessential mountain home. Built in 2001, the lodge-style residence offers six bedrooms, six bathrooms, a finished walkout basement and three-car garage. The property offers convenient access to Raven Golf Club, local trails, the Blue River and a bike path leading into central Silverthorne.
With 22 short-term rental licenses still available in Silverthorne, this home could generate $120,000 to $188,000 in rental income per year based on rental projections from Atomic Stays, a vacation rental management company in Colorado. Tour the Silverthorne home on Oct. 31 or Nov. 7 from noon to 4 p.m. or schedule a private showing with Nelson Mountain Real Estate by calling Debbie at 970-389-3562. The live online auction will be held Nov. 12 at 1:07 p.m. Download the property information packet, schedule a preview, and register to bid at prestigeauction.com.
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HEAVY RAIN IN SOUTHEAST UTAH PROMPTS RISE IN LAKE POWELL'S WATER LEVEL
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Heavy rain that caused flooding last week in the Four Corners area of Utah, Colorado and New Mexico has had what water experts say is a beneficial side effect: A marked rise in the water level of Lake Powell. Saturday’s daily measurement of Lake Powell’s level was at 3,526.1 feet above sea level — which is 1.1 feet above the level the day before, and 7.1 feet above where the lake was two weeks ago. It’s also 9.5 feet above the lake’s lowest point on Sept. 15. That rise amounts to about 600,000 acre-feet of water going into Lake Powell. Saturday’s measurement was 19.55 feet below where the lake was exactly one year earlier.
The lake’s lowest point in September was 180 feet below where the lake would be if it were full — which hasn’t happened since 1983. Paul Miller, service coordination hydrologist for the National Weather Service’s Colorado Basin River Forecast Center, said Sunday that the 9.5-foot rise is “a drop in the bucket,” but still good news. Shawcroft said that because most of the rain falling in the last two weeks has been upstream of Glen Canyon Dam, Lake Powell’s downstream sister, Lake Mead, has not seen a similar rise in its water level. In the last two weeks, Lake Mead’s water level has risen just 0.06 feet.
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COLORADO'S GLACIERS THINNED DRAMATICALLY DUE TO RECORD LOW SNOW & HEAT IN 2026
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The most prominent glaciers in Colorado thinned dramatically over the past year due to record low mountain snow and record warm temperatures, according to new research. Their shrinking is on par with recent observations of glacier loss across the planet as warmer temperatures accelerate melting and less snow falls to replenish their ice, threatening water sources, increasing mountain hazards and contributing to sea level rise. While glaciologists typically measure changes over longer intervals, glaciologist Dan McGrath at Colorado State University sought to find out what happened over 2026 since it was such an exceptional year. The state’s worst snowpack on record, followed by record summer heat, left the year-round ice masses in the Rocky Mountains exposed.
- The Andrews Glacier thinned by more than 12 feet in this single year, the Arapaho Glacier lost nearly 10 feet, and the Isabelle Glacier lost about 6.5 feet — doubling their rate of thinning from the prior five years. In the decade before that, the thinning measured a foot or less per year.
- St. Mary’s Glacier, a perennial snowfield popular among hikers and skiers, melted completely in September.
- More than 7 trillion tons of ice has been lost worldwide since 2000, according to research, a slow-motion disaster that sometimes provokes sudden devastation: More than 1,300 people were killed in August after a massive section of rock and overlying glacier collapsed near Nepal’s border with China.
- Glaciers in Switzerland lost 5.5 percent of their ice volume this year, the second-biggest percentage drop on record, due to heat waves and low winter snowfall. The GLAMOS Swiss glacier monitoring service and Swiss Academy of Sciences said this month that alpine glaciers have no chance of surviving long-term under such conditions. Switzerland is home to the most glaciers in the Alps.
- In Washington state, researchers with the North Cascade Glacier Climate Project have surveyed six glaciers on Mount Baker during an annual summer trip. This year’s survey shows the fastest average retreat since 1950 with the collapse of several large ice caves, which form as warm air circulates in retreating glaciers.
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DICTIONARY.COM'S 2026 WORD OF THE YEAR: "MAXXING"
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From AI chatbots to lifestyle trends, the concept of optimizing one's life came sharply into focus in 2026. That's why Dictionary.com picked "maxxing," a reflection of our increasingly online society, as its latest Word of the Year. "Maxxing (sometimes -maxxing) is short for 'maximizing,'" says Dictionary.com. "This trendy term can be used on its own or added to the end of any word to convey you're doing something to the fullest or optimizing it as much as possible." Maxxing works as a noun, verb, adjective and adverb all at once.
Leveling up your workout routine? "Gymmaxxing." Your personal care practices? "Healthmaxxing," an umbrella term that covers numerous subgenres, including "proteinmaxxing" and "fibermaxxing." At work, people talked about "tokenmaxxing," meaning leaning ever harder on AI. In wellness circles, there was "sleepmaxxing." Even leisure received the "maxxing" treatment, with "cozymaxxing," as did politics, when the federal government used "homelandmaxxing" in some of its messaging. A favorite maxxings? Nothingmaxxing - going all in an optimizing doing nothing, which requires a lot of effort.
2026 Word of the Year finalists:
- Affordability: the quality of being inexpensive, which is an issue at the center of American life and now, the upcoming midterm elections, as people face increasing costs of housing, groceries, childcare and more.
- Data center: a building or facility used for processing, storing or transmitting large amounts of computer data, which are cropping up more often around the U.S. with the rise of artificial intelligence.
- Unc: short for "uncle," Gen Z and Gen Alpha popularized this humorous and lightly pejorative slang term for an older person who's uncool, trying too hard, or just doesn't get it.
- Odyssey: a long and eventful journey, such as that of Homer's protagonist in his epic poem of the same name, which this summer was adapted into an ensemble blockbuster by director Christopher Nolan.
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THE 25 SAFEST CITIES IN THE U.S.
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The new Safest Cities in America report from WalletHub compares 182 U.S. cities across 41 safety indicators, looking beyond crime to consider everything from traffic fatalities and natural disasters to unemployment and fraud complaints. WalletHub evaluated cities across these categories: home and community safety, natural disaster risk and financial safety. This year, Juneau, Alaska takes the No. 1 spot as the safest city in America. Juneau is among the cities with the lowest murder and pedestrian fatality rates. Juneau has the ninth-highest median credit score among the cities studied, along with the 21st-lowest share of residents living below the poverty line and the 20th-highest annual employment growth. Juneau moves up from fourth place in the 2025 report.
New Orleans finished last overall, at No. 182. It also places last for home and community safety, alongside positions of 104th for natural disaster risk and 172nd for financial safety. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is second from the bottom, followed by Baltimore, Memphis and Philadelphia. The 10 lowest-scoring cities overall, starting with the lowest, are New Orleans; Baton Rouge; Baltimore; Memphis; Philadelphia; Detroit; Jacksonville, Florida; Houston; Cleveland; and St. Louis.
The 25 Safest Cities in the U.S. For 2026:
- Juneau, Alaska
- Warwick, Rhode Island
- Overland Park, Kansas
- Burlington, Vermont
- South Burlington, Vermont
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Casper, Wyoming
- Boise, Idaho
- Yonkers, New York
- Portland, Maine
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Fremont, California
- Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Fargo, North Dakota
- Missoula, Montana
- Bismarck, North Dakota
- Columbia, Maryland
- Salem, Oregon
- Pearl City, Hawaii
- Nashua, New Hampshire
- Nampa, Idaho
- Aurora, Illinois
- Port St. Lucie, Florida
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MARKET UPDATE - 10/27/2026 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 10/22/2026)
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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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