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Colorado - Fri. 08/28/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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ALPINE BANK EXPANDS INTO ARAPAHOE COUNTY WITH 40TH LOCATION
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Alpine Bank will expand its footprint into Littleton, marking its first location in Arapahoe County and its 40th in Colorado. Alpine Bank, an independent, employee-owned bank, announced it signed a lease for the historic Sanford House in Littleton, at 2505 W. Alamo St. The nearly 2,200-square-foot building in downtown Littleton was built in 1901, and previously served as a family home, a Continental Trailways station and an art gallery over the years. The standalone, single-tenant property previously housed a Compass Real Estate office. Alpine Bank will renovate the building. Work will include moving interior walls to create a larger lobby area that will feature a coffee bar, fireplace and a seating area. The building is expected to feature three mid-sized offices and the bank’s vault. No changes are planned for the rough-faced stone exterior of the building.
Alpine Bank anticipates the location will open its doors in the second quarter of 2027. The bank’s initial lease length is 10 years. The lease includes two 10-year renewal options. The location will not include a drive-thru, but there will be a drive-up ATM that takes deposits at the northwest corner of the building. Alpine Bank currently has five locations in the Denver-metro area. Its branches are at Denver Union Station, in Denver’s Cherry Creek neighborhood, at the Denver Tech Center, and in Boulder and Aurora. The company is in expansion mode in Colorado with plans to open two to three new locations a year. Alpine is one of the few remaining independently owned, Colorado-based banks, although it is the largest in that area. The bank serves more than 170,000 customers and has assets of $6.7 billion.
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WINNING $10.5 MILLION COLORADO LOTTERY TICKET SOLD AT FRONT RANGE GROCERY STORE
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One lucky Coloradan woke up several million dollars richer after buying a jackpot-winning lottery ticket at a Front Range grocery store on Wednesday night. Winning $500,000 lotto ticket sold at Colorado grocery store, Powerball jackpot nears $1 billion. The $10.5 million ticket was sold at King Soopers in Conifer, Colorado Lottery officials announced Thursday. The cash value of the prize is $5.25 million. The winning numbers were 4, 9, 12, 22, 26 and 34, and players have a one in 3.8 million chance of winning, according to the agency. Coloradans spent more than $800 million on lottery tickets last year, with the revenue going toward cash prizes and grants for wilderness, education and the outdoors, including parks, open spaces and youth programs. Previous big-ticket winners have included a $3.3 million ticket sold in Broomfield in February and a “Lucky for Life” ticket sold in Lafayette worth $5.75 million in December.
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THREE COLORADO CITIES RANK HIGH IN NATIONAL RATINGS
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Cities in the Boulder Valley and Northern Colorado have placed high in rankings from a pair of national publications, with Longmont and Windsor scoring in the top 10 for Travel & Leisure’s “Best Small U.S. Cities to Move to Right Now” and Boulder placing 19th in job-placement site Indeed.com’s list of 2026 Best U.S. Cities for Work. Colorado was the only state to place two cities on Travel & Leisure’s list, with Longmont fourth and Windsor sixth behind first-place Caldwell, Idaho, near Boise.
Indeed.com placed Boulder behind first-place Boston and 17th-place Denver on a list that scored 40 metrics across six pillars including job opportunity, compensation, job quality and security, career mobility and dynamism, work life and flexibility, and economic opportunity. It evaluated 228 U.S. metro areas with more than 200,000 residents. Boulder led all U.S. cities for work-life balance and flexibility and placed seventh for compensation and eighth in job quality and security. The report gave Boulder more negative marks for a tight labor market, its number of job postings compared with pre-pandemic levels, its share of workers living in poverty and burdensome housing costs.
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EL PASO COUNTY RULES IN FAVOR OF TEXAS-BASED BUC-EE'S
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Buc-ee’s cleared a hurdle Thursday when the El Paso County commissioners determined the proposed 74,000-square-foot gas station and travel center near Palmer Lake qualifies as a “convenience store” under the county’s Land Development Code. The hearing at Centennial Hall in Colorado Springs was packed, with hundreds of people lined up outside an hour before the meeting, some carrying anti-Buc-ee’s signs and others sporting stickers with a simple message: “We love Tri-Lakes!” Nearly 170 community members had signed up to speak. Buc-ee’s proposed second Colorado travel center has divided the Tri-Lakes community about 50 miles south of Denver for nearly two years, with residents fighting over development, water use, traffic and open space.
The 4-1 decision means the Buc-ee’s qualifies as an allowed use within the C-1 zoning district and that the project can proceed through the county’s administrative development review processes. The decision does not constitute approval of a site development plan or construction of the Buc-ee’s, which is being proposed on vacant land along Interstate 25. Buc-ee’s next steps will include submitting a site development plan for review by El Paso County staff. The plan does not return to the board for approval.
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COLORADO'S WOLVES STAY IN NORTHWEST PART OF THE STATE, EVEN AS PUPS BEGIN TO WANDER
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Colorado’s collared wolves remained in the northwest part of the state over the last month, even as pups born this spring begin to venture out. The wolves’ territory changed little from last month and stretched generally from Gunnison to Vail and Meeker, according to a map released Wednesday by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Wolf pups born this spring have started traveling short distances with other pack members, CPW officials said. The pups are now about four months old. The agency’s biologists are monitoring four reproducing packs and attempting to ascertain how many pups each pack added. An average wolf litter contains four to six pups.
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BASALT GREENLIGHTS 64-UNIT HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
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The Basalt Town Council on Tuesday greenlit the construction of a mixed-use, 64-unit development that aims to provide workforce housing to regional locals. In a 5-1 vote, council members approved plans for Black Mountain, which will sit on 9 acres directly west of the Basalt Post Office. The town will annex the property, expanding Basalt’s corporate borders. In addition to Black Mountain’s dwelling units, which will occupy four buildings of two and three stories, the property will hold 12 commercial lodging cabins for tourists, 3.8 acres of open space and one detached single-family home. Half of the condos will be deed restricted as affordable housing and only available as primary dwellings.
Twenty more units will be listed as part of Jadwin Park’s “First Tracks” program, which gives residents between Aspen and Parachute exclusive access to purchase the condos for the first 90 days they’re on the market. Local businesses also are eligible “First Tracks” buyers, as long as they are purchasing in order to lease to workers. With Tuesday’s approval, the developer agreed to pay Basalt a one-time gift of $700,000 — money that council members discussed using to buy down the cost of some units earlier this summer.
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ASPEN/PITKIN COUNTY AIRPORT PARKING RATES WILL MORE THAN DOUBLE
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Increased parking rates will go into effect at Aspen/Pitkin County Airport’s two lots Oct. 1 following a 4-1 vote by the Board of County Commissioners Wednesday. At the short-term Bear Lot, the maximum daily rate will rise from $12 to $28, while the long-term Elk Lot will see a jump from $6 to $15. It is the first time parking rates have changed at the airport since 2010. Airport employees will not be charged to park in lots during shifts, as is currently the case. However, data and enforcement will be used to avoid misuse of the lots. Airport Director Diane Jackson noted that stakeholders – such as airlines and TSA – would be responsible for signing employees out for the day to assist with the validation process. Another piece that will remain in place is the 30-minute free parking period, but that could be extended to 45 minutes or an hour. The change comes ahead of the airport’s closure starting in April 2027.
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SEEING DROUGHT IMPACTS, CITY ASKS RESIDENTS TO KEEP WATERING TREES
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Even though Grand Junction, like much of the West, is in a drought, the city is still asking residents who have street trees to continue to water them. “We’re not asking people to water trees, we’re asking people to water to protect the benefits being provided by this natural resource,” Grand Junction City Forester Rob Davis said. “We’re asking them to water for the shade on our streets, sidewalks and houses. We’re asking them to water for these things that cool our neighborhoods, that improve water quality, that increase property value and give a neighborhood character, give birds a place to live.” A municipal ordinance requiring some Grand Junction residents to water city-owned trees has gone largely ignored this summer, amid record-setting drought conditions. The city’s forestry experts are hoping to change that.
The department conducted a drive-by survey of every block in the city’s historic core in July and August, an area encompassing homes between Colorado Avenue, North Avenue, First Street and 19th Street. Their findings: 373 well-established trees spread across 181 properties, which appeared at risk of underwatering. The determination was based on observations like competition with weeds, excessively dry-looking dirt, and, in some cases, visible damage to the organism itself. The street trees, many of them decades old, offer a wide range of public benefits enjoyed by every person in Grand Junction, benefits impossible to replicate with newly planted replacements, according to Davis. Stricter code enforcement or heightened penalties aren’t necessarily off the table entirely, however.
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SAN JUAN NATIONAL FOREST ACQUIRES 80-ACRE FALL CREEK PARCEL
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The San Juan National Forest has acquired 80 acres of wildlife habitat on the Dolores Ranger District described as a key migration corridor. The parcel, 30 miles northeast of Dolores near County Road 38, is known as the Fall Creek inholding. It was purchased from The Conservation Fund in a partnership with the U.S. Forest Service that began in January 2024 and ended with “formal conveyance” in August 2026. The funding for purchase came from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, with support from Dolores County, sportsmen’s groups, conservation organizations and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. The property is completely surrounded by National Forest System lands and sits in the Fall Creek/West Dolores River watershed. It includes two nonmotorized trails called the East Fall Creek Trail No. 646 and West Fall Creak Trail No. 640.
The inholding is dominated by spruce-fir forest and aspen stands, with the East Fork Fall Creek running through it. It provides habitat for Canada lynx, gray wolf, wolverine, northern goshawk, boreal toad, white-tailed ptarmigan and western bumblebee, while also protecting migration routes for elk, mule deer, black bear and mountain lions. The area will remain open to nonmotorized public use.
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CRANE FESTIVAL SET TO TAKE FLIGHT IN STEAMBOAT, ACROSS YAMPA VALLEY
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Fifteen years ago, Nancy Merrill was part of an effort to create an annual festival in Steamboat Springs to celebrate one of Northwest Colorado’s most recognized summer visitors — the sandhill crane. “I’m really happy with what it is today,” Merrill said of the festival. “It has surpassed all my expectations. We threw that first festival together in a very short time and had no idea whether it would be a one-time thing or would continue through the ages. I’m thrilled we’re hitting the 15th year, and I love what the festival has become.” Merrill and Barbara Hughes co-founded the Colorado Crane Conservation Coalition in May 2012. This year’s crane festival will begin Tuesday, Sept. 1, with the Crane Fest Kids Night in Library Hall at the Bud Werner Memorial Library, 1289 Lincoln Ave. The festival will run through Sept. 6 and includes guided crane viewings, bird walks, expert speakers, live raptors, films and family activities.
For the first time this year, the festival will also host the first Yampa Valley Bird Calling Contest from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2 at the Yampa River Botanic Park. The event invites contestants, both adults and children, to display their bird calls as they compete for prizes in five different categories. The Bud Werner Memorial Library serves as headquarters of the festival and offers a festival information desk outside Library Hall, a festival store with crane-themed merchandise and an optics store. A complete schedule of events can be found at ColoradoCranes.org.
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PEOPLE FROM MORE THAN 30 COUNTRIES ARE MISSING AFTER FLASH FLOODS IN NEPAL & CHINA
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Catastrophic flash floods in a border area of China and Nepal have killed at least 474 people and left more than 1,500 people missing as of Friday morning. Hundreds were foreigners in the area to work, take guided treks or make a pilgrimage to a sacred Hindu site. Thousands have been rescued, with some of the injured taken to hospitals in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. The number of missing from Wednesday’s disaster may vary because of progress in the ongoing rescue efforts and differences in how data was collected and verified among agencies.
A look at how multiple countries have been affected:
- Nepal: Nepal’s disaster management authority said Friday morning the death toll rose to 469, with 977 people missing. The authority said 3,253 people have been rescued by helicopter, and more than 150 of the injured were taken to hospitals in Kathmandu and the districts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading. Local reports cited the National Emergency Operation Center as saying Thursday the missing included 113 Nepali tourists, 85 security personnel from the army and police as well as 161 residents from the Rasuwa district and one from the Nuwakot district.
- China: State media reported Friday at least five people died and 558 were missing in Gyirong County, Tibet. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that 260 of the 558 missing people were foreigners. In addition, nearly 100 Chinese citizens were missing on the Nepal side, China’s foreign ministry said.
- India: India’s External Affairs Ministry said 288 Indian nationals remain uncontactable. They included 73 people who were working on a power project. Nepal officials have said many Indian tourists were on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus.
- United States: The U.S. State Dept. said 90 Americans were unaccounted for in China and Nepal. It said it was not aware of any U.S. deaths. Three Americans have been rescued.
- Malaysia: The board said 51 Malaysians were missing.
- Ukraine: Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said that 55 Ukrainians are missing. The number includes two tourist groups of 47 and seven people, in addition to one Ukrainian woman traveling with a foreign tour group, the ministry said.
- Australia: The Australian government said 39 Australians were missing.
- Britain: The board said 33 of the missing were from Britain.
- Canada: Nepal’s tourism board said 25 of the missing were from Canada.
- South Korea: South Korean government officials said nine citizens working on building a hydropower plant in Nepal were missing.
- Singapore: Eight Singaporeans were missing, according to Nepal tourism board.
- Germany: Nepal’s tourism board said eight tourists from Germany were missing.
- Russia: The Russian Embassy in Nepal said eight of its citizens were missing.
- South Africa: The board said six South Africans were missing.
- Latvia: The board said six tourists from Latvia were missing.
- Japan: Japanese media said the five Japanese tourists missing are a couple and their children.
- New Zealand: Five people from New Zealand were missing, said Nepal’s tourism board.
- France: The board said four French citizens were missing.
- Belgium: The board said three from Belgium were missing.
- Spain: The board said three visitors from Spain were missing.
- Others: The board said two people each from Italy, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Ireland and the Netherlands were missing. It said 10 others — one each from Belarus, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, Philippines, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Serbia and Sweden — were also missing.
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MARKET UPDATE - 08/27/2026 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 08/27/2026)
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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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