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Colorado - Wed. 09/09/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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25 YEARS AFTER THE SEPT. 11 ATTACKS, LOWER MANHATTAN IS THRIVING
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In 2001, lower Manhattan was shattered. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks killed close to 3,000 people and reduced the World Trade Center to rubble. The Twin Towers’ shocking collapse inflicted such trauma that many wondered if the Financial District could ever recover. Now, as the 25th anniversary of the event approaches, lower Manhattan is roaring back. Its population has roughly tripled over the past 2½ decades, and more than 230,000 people work there. More than $20 billion in public and private money was spent creating about 10 million square feet of office space, nearly half a million square feet of retail, a transportation hub, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum and a performing arts center. Developers converted dozens of obsolete office buildings into apartments, helping create a neighborhood where tens of thousands of people live within walking distance of their jobs. Lower Manhattan has 23 such projects either planned or under construction.
Today, the neighborhood boasts a vibrant mix of restaurants, rooftop bars and concert venues on the nearby waterfront. Stone Street, a narrow cobblestone lane dating back hundreds of years to when Manhattan was under Dutch control, bustled on a recent Friday evening. Young people ate and drank at crowded communal tables. Cities across the country have struggled to replicate such success. Dallas, Denver, Portland, Ore., Providence, R.I., Chicago and Washington, D.C., have all pursued office conversions as a means for revitalizing downtrodden business districts. But the efforts have done little to give their respective downtowns the round-the-clock feel found in lower Manhattan.
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TSA BRINGS BACK GATE ACCESS FOR SOME PEOPLE WITHOUT PLANE TICKETS 25 YEARS AFTER 9/11
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The Transportation Security Administration has launched a new program at some U.S. airports allowing eligible TSA PreCheck members without plane tickets to pass through security and enter the gates, reviving a tradition that largely disappeared after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks nearly 25 years ago. “As an exclusive benefit for our most trusted travelers, this new program makes it easier to return to the gate for welcomes and send-offs, meet friends during a layover, and enjoy dining and shopping along the way, bringing back the moments that once defined air travel,” TSA said on its website. Before 9/11, people without tickets generally could accompany travelers to the gate. The attacks prompted sweeping changes to airport security, including restrictions on access to secure areas of airports.
The program, called “Gateside by TSA PreCheck,” is free, but people must apply online one to three days before their planned visit and receive approval before going to the airport. If approved, they can enter through a TSA PreCheck lane with an acceptable form of identification. The pass is valid for one calendar day, and visitors can re-enter that day. TSA says members of other trusted-traveler programs who have a Known Traveler Number also can apply for access to the gates. The program is initially available at 13 airports including Los Angeles International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City International Airport. But the agency says it plans to expand the program to more airports in the coming months.
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BUDGET-FRIENDLY INDY PASS NOW ON SALE FOR 2026-27 SKI SEASON
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On Monday, the Indy Pass opened up sales to the general public, offering the promise of skiing access at more than 300 resorts worldwide for $419. By comparison, the Epic Pass currently goes for $829 to $1,119 and the Ikon Pass costs $1,019 to $1,449 depending on where you want to ski and if you want to avoid blackout dates. Indy Pass skiers get to shred two days at each of the independently owned mountains within its network. In Colorado, its 11 ski areas include Loveland Ski Area, Sunlight Mountain Resort in Glenwood Springs, Powderhorn near Grand Junction, and Howelsen Hill Ski Area in Steamboat Springs, among others. The Indy Base Pass costs $419 for adults and $269 for kids and provides two days or nights at each of its partner resorts, subject to blackout dates, plus 25 percent of a third day lift ticket. The Indy+ Pass, which has no blackout dates, costs $469 for adults and $299 for kids. Access to cross-country ski resorts only costs $99.
Launched in 2019 with access to a few dozen ski hills, Indy Pass has grown significantly since it first debuted. In addition to downhill skiing, its network includes cross-country ski areas like Granby Ranch. It can also be used in Canada and overseas in Europe, Japan and South America. The pass also has a guarantee that buyers will be able to access 300 resorts for the 2026-27 season, and if the company doesn’t have that many partners by Nov. 1, anyone who purchased the Indy Pass can request a refund by Dec. 1. For more information and to see participating resorts, visit indyskipass.com.
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SKI PASSPORT, GEMS PASS AIM TO GET FAMILIES ON COLORADO SLOPES AT LOWER PRICES
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Deadlines have passed for the lowest prices on Epic and Ikon products — those season tickets to Colorado’s biggest ski resorts. As for access to some of the smaller but equally beloved destinations, a family-friendly option just recently went up for sale. Trade association Colorado Ski Country USA is returning its Gems passes, so named for 10 “gems”: Arapahoe Basin, Loveland, Monarch, Cooper, Eldora, Echo Mountain, Granby Ranch, Sunlight, Purgatory and Powderhorn. The Gems Parent and Gems Teen passes grant two days at each of those ski areas. Meanwhile, the Ski Passport for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade grants four days at those 10 “gems,” plus nine more resorts including Copper Mountain, Winter Park, Aspen and Steamboat. The Ski Passport is $76, and the Gems Teen Pass is $210 (for ages 12-17). By purchasing a Ski Passport or Gems Teen Pass, one parent per household can buy a Gems Parent Pass for $350.
Getting more families on the slopes was the aim of the Ski Passport that launched 30 years ago, Colorado Ski Country USA President Melanie Mills said in a statement. In 1996, she said, “it was a pioneering approach to access, opening Colorado’s mountains to kids and families in a way that encouraged them to enjoy the breadth of skiing across the state.” Along with the teen and parent passes over the years, the program expanded with the Gems Discount Card. The $50 card unlocks discounted tickets for two days at each of the 10 “Gems” ski areas. Reads the billing: “It works just like your warehouse club membership: buy the card and unlock ‘members only’ pricing on lift tickets.”
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DENVER NATIVE AMERICAN RESTAURANT JUMPS INTO 'FOOD IS MEDICINE' MOVEMENT TO DEVELOP MEALS FOR INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
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A Denver restaurant specializing in Native American fare has joined the “food is medicine” movement, working with researchers and Indigenous communities to produce medically tailored meals for delivery. Tocabe, located at West 44th Avenue and Lowell Boulevard, serves cuisine inspired by the Osage nation — a Great Plains tribe now based in Oklahoma — but is partnering with other tribes to develop meals that incorporate their traditions while meeting specific nutritional needs, such as lower sodium for people with heart conditions. While it isn’t feasible to make the delivery meals in their Denver kitchen while continuing to run a restaurant, Tocabe coordinated with Native farmers, ranchers and chefs across the western U.S. Doing so means that the broader community will benefit, because producers who know they have a market can expand, making fresh food available in places without access.
The restaurant was part of a recent trial testing whether medically tailored meals could lead to better health outcomes for people with heart failure who live on the Navajo reservation, which includes parts of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. The reservation has 13 grocery stores and 110 other outlets with limited food choices for an area of 27,000 square miles. A dietician who is Diné helped develop recipes suitable for people with heart failure using traditional ingredients, such as mutton, corn and squash. Tocabe then worked out the logistics of creating meals that would meet all of those criteria and still taste good after flash-freezing and reheating. The Navajo reservation has unusual challenges, including that many people lack electricity and that delivery service is almost nonexistent, said Dr. Lauren Eberly, an assistant professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
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AFTER TWO HARD FREEZES, COLORADO'S APPLE HARVEST IS SUFFERING
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Colorado grows a bounty of spectacular apples under some of the best climatic conditions in the country. In a normal year, our local harvest runs from mid-August through mid-October. This year, though, has been anything but normal. On April 17, Colorado’s Western Slope endured one of its worst freezes ever recorded; the situation was especially grim in Hotchkiss and Paonia. “We had such a warm winter,” said Steve Ela, co-owner of Hotchkiss-based Ela Family Farms, a fourth-generation organic orchard known for its organic and sustainable practices. Following an unseasonably warm February and March, Ela’s trees bloomed three weeks ahead of schedule – a full ten days earlier than he’d ever recorded. Two weeks post-bloom, a cold front rolled in. “We were below freezing for 13 hours overnight,” Ela said. Despite heaters and nutrient sprays, Delta County farmers lost everything. “We’ve had bad years, but I’ve never had a zero crop.”
That spring freeze wasn’t the only blow to local agriculture. Drought is also playing havoc, said David Sterle, a scientist at the Western Colorado Research Center. In Delta County, depleted reservoirs have caused irrigation canals to dry up, leaving orchards like Ela’s without any water. “Orchard Mesa and Palisade will possibly lose their water in the next couple of days,” said Sterle, noting that these areas “never lose water.” It’s a nightmarish scenario since the weather’s still extremely hot. Even if they aren’t producing, fruit trees need water now to yield future crops, especially young saplings with shallow roots. Ela estimated that a single April freeze cost Delta County $10 to $15 million. Statewide, fruit and vegetable production generates nearly $300 million annually, supporting an agricultural sector that contributes over 195,000 jobs.
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FOLSOM FIELD GETS A FAN-FRIENDLY MAKEOVER FOR CU BUFF'S HOME OPENER
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The first game of 2026 at Folsom Field, when the Buffs host Weber State on Saturday in the home opener, will mark the debut of several fan-friendly game day amenities launched by CU Athletics, much of which was spurred by first-year athletic director Fernando Lovo as he attempts to maximize new angles of revenue-generating for the athletic department. Outside the stadium, one of the new highlights will be the launching of “Ralphie Road” along Colorado Avenue along the south end of Folsom. The new mini-entertainment district will include food trucks, beverage vendors, games, a DJ providing music and big screen video boards tuned to the day’s college football action.
Inside, CU is introducing “Bands in the Stands,” which will feature various Colorado bands belting out tunes from the sixth floor of the Champions Center during the pregame, and at appropriate times during the game. CU is also welcoming back alumna Gianna Girardi, the in-game host for Colorado Rockies games at Coors Field, who is taking over that role at Folsom. And finally, CU is introducing a “Flatirons 5” at concession stands, which includes a hot dog, popcorn, candy, soda and bottled water for only $5. That bundle is also available at Prentup Field and the CU Events Center.
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ROUTT COUNTY APPROVES $3M TO CONSERVE 17,300-ACRE NOTTINGHAM RANCH
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Routt County commissioners have unanimously approved allocating $3 million from the county’s Purchase of Development Rights Open Space Fund for acquisition of a conservation easement on Nottingham Ranch, permanently protecting one of Northwest Colorado’s largest intact working ranches. The move amounts to a cost-per-acre of $350 and ensures the conservation of roughly 17,300 acres of land across Routt and Eagle counties, including over 8,300 acres in Routt County. Purchase of Development Rights Advisory Board Vice Chair Tim Wohlgenant told the commissioners that the board voted unanimously to recommend approval, describing it as “one of the largest and most significant conservation projects” the program has considered in its nearly 30-year history. Nottingham Ranch, which produces around 3,000 tons of hay per year, operates as a highly efficient agricultural business, composed of over 45,000 acres of deeded lands, leased public lands and grazing allotments.
The ranch — considered a crucial enterprise in the region’s agricultural economy — supports around 1,200 cow-calf pairs and is backed by senior water rights dating to the late 19th century. The Nottingham family has ranching roots in Colorado going back as far as the 1800s. Susan Nottingham and her parents launched the current operation in the Burns area in 1982. Funding for the program comes from a 1.5 mill increase in county property taxes approved by voters in 2005 and lasting through 2026, according to the county’s webpage. The program provides only a portion of the total funding needed to complete the transaction, with the landowner donating, on average, roughly 50 percent of the easement’s value.
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COPPER MOUNTAIN ANNOUNCES OPENING DAY FOR 2026-27 SEASON
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The first Friday of November will once again bring the opening of Copper Mountain Resort. On Sept. 8, the resort announced it will open for the 2026-27 ski season on Nov. 6, once again sharing an opening day with fellow Summit County resort Breckenridge. Copper hosted Alpine World Cup events for the first time in over 20 years in November 2025, and this year, it will host another. While last year’s Stifel Copper Cup featured men’s and women’s events, this year’s event only features men’s, as the women’s event returns to Vermont’s Killington Resort. The races will run Nov. 28-29 and feature men’s super-G and giant slalom. After the bib draw for Sunday’s giant slalom race Saturday, rock band O.A.R. will play a free concert in Center Village. To learn more, visit CopperColorado.com.
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DRIVERS IN THESE 10 STATES SPEND THE MOST TO OWN A CAR
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Americans are spending a record $5,851 annually on vehicle upkeep, and a USA TODAY analysis using Insurify data shows the ten states where drivers pay the most to own and maintain a car in 2026. Car shoppers are paying more than ever for new models, and after they make the purchase, Americans are spending record amounts on the upkeep of those vehicles. According to a new study released by Insurify, Americans are spending $5,851 per year on the upkeep of their autos. That amount includes what they spend on gas, insurance and maintenance, according to the group.
The USA TODAY Cars Team took a look at Insurify's list of the states with the highest costs of owning and maintaining a vehicle and their breakdown on how much those owners are spending in each category:
- Georgia: Average Insurance Cost, $3,109; Average Gas Cost, $2,604; Average Maintenance Cost, $1,935; Total Average Ownership Costs, $7,648
- Maryland: Average Insurance Cost, $3,646; Average Gas Cost, $2,014; Average Maintenance Cost, $1,454; Total Average Ownership Costs, $7,114
- Wyoming: Average Insurance Cost: $1,118; Average Gas Cost: $3,572; Average Maintenance Cost: $2,364; Total Average Ownership Costs: $7,054
- Mississippi: Average Insurance Cost, $2,211; Average Gas Cost, $2,741; Average Maintenance Cost, $1,990; Total Average Ownership Costs, $6,942
- Missouri: Average Insurance Cost, $2,165; Average Gas Cost, $2,702; Average Maintenance Cost, $2,008; Total Average Ownership Costs, $6,875
- Nevada: Average Insurance Cost, $3,039; Average Gas Cost, $2,331; Average Maintenance Cost, $1,377; Total Average Ownership Costs, $6,747
- South Carolina: Average Insurance Cost, $3,075; Average Gas Cost, $2,026; Average Maintenance Cost, $1,546; Total Average Ownership Costs, $6,648
- Indiana: Average Insurance Cost, $1,546; Average Gas Cost, $2,825; Average Maintenance Cost, $2,226; Total Average Ownership Costs, $6,597
- Michigan: Average Insurance Cost, $3,229; Average Gas Cost, $1,992; Average Maintenance Cost, $1,362; Total Average Ownership Costs, $6,583
- Louisiana: Average Insurance Cost, $2,504; Average Gas Cost, $2,315; Average Maintenance Cost, $1,759; Total Average Ownership Costs, $6,578
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COLORADO HAS KILLED 294 BEARS THIS YEAR, MORE THAN 3 TIME THE NUMBER KILLED LAST YEAR
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Nearly 300 black bears have been euthanized by Colorado Parks and Wildlife this year in a startling response to a record number of human-bear contacts driven by wildfire and drought. Wildlife officers put down 294 bears by Aug. 31, compared with 83 euthanized through August last year, the state announced Friday. The agency said it was reporting bear numbers ahead of the normal annual report because “the public has expressed strong interest” in the fate of the state’s hungry bears. Black bears need 20,000 calories a day this time of year to prepare for hibernation, and drought and wildfire have stolen much of their normal food, typically berries and acorns. They increasingly forage where humans have food or have left behind scraps and trash, often startling and sometimes attacking hikers or homeowners.
What the state calls a “drastic increase” in conflicts has seen 8,672 reports of sightings and incidents, after 3,680 reported through August of last year. This year, 98 bears have been relocated, compared with 33 at this time last year, in addition to the spike in euthanization. “Relocation and euthanization options are exercised for bears that have been hit by motor vehicles, are found suffering from poor health and body condition, have attacked humans, or have entered homes or other structures,” a Colorado Parks and Wildlife statement said. The numbers are well above the average over the past five years, the state said, the number of escalated state responses is proportional to the rise in overall human-bear incidents. “The number of reported incidents in 2026 to date is 3.6 times” the past five years, the state said. That has led to relocations being 3.5 times the average, and euthanizations carried out at 2.7 times the five-year average.
Colorado officials continue to use the increasing numbers to amplify warnings about how to behave around bears:
- Stay alert and stay together — Pay attention to surroundings and stay together. Walk, hike, jog or cycle with others when possible. Keep kids within sight and close by. Leave earbuds at home and make noise periodically so bears can avoid you.
- Leave no trash or food scraps — Double bag food when hiking and pack out all food and trash. Don’t burn food scraps or trash in your fire ring or grill. Leaving scraps, wrappers or even “harmless” items like apple cores teaches bears to associate trails and campsites with food.
- Keep dogs leashed — Letting dogs chase or bark at bears is asking for trouble; don’t force a bear to defend itself. Keep your dogs leashed at all times or leave them at home.
- Camp safely — Set up camp away from dense cover and natural food sources. Cook as far from your tent as possible. Do not store food, trash, clothes worn when cooking or toiletries in your tent. Store in approved bear-resistant containers or out of sight in locked vehicles or suspended at least 10 feet above the ground and 10 feet from any part of the tree. Local regulations vary.
- Know what to do if you see a black bear — If you see a bear before it notices you, don’t approach. Stand still, enjoy, then quietly move away. If a bear sees you, back away slowly. Never run; running may trigger a chase response. If a bear approaches, hold your ground, wave your arms and yell “Hey bear” until it leaves. If it keeps approaching, use bear spray. If a black bear makes contact with you, do not play dead; fight back aggressively.
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MARKET UPDATE - 09/08/2026 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 09/02/2026)
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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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