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Colorado - Fri. 04/17/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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LOCKHEED MARTIN, OTHER COLORADO COMPANIES, ON THE HUNT FOR HABITABLE WORLDS IN OUR GALAXY
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Lockheed Martin and several Colorado linked companies are developing technologies for NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory, a next generation space telescope designed to directly image exoplanets and search for signs of habitability and life. Scientists at the Space Foundation’s symposium explained that although more than 6,000 exoplanets have been discovered, no true Earth analog has yet been imaged, and current telescopes such as James Webb lack the precision to resolve an Earth like world.
The Habitable Worlds Observatory will rely on spectral measurements taken as a planet orbits its star to infer atmospheric composition and potential biosignatures, and engineers said the spacecraft will need to be roughly 100 times more stable than James Webb, with stability measured at the level of single atoms. Project leaders warned that the mission will require years of technology development and demonstration, that the telescope is unlikely to launch for at least a decade and a half, and that teams will continue to learn from Hubble, Webb, and the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope while preparing for Habitable Worlds.
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COLORADO AVALANCHE DRAW L.A. KINGS IN FIRST ROUND OF NHL PLAYOFFS
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The Colorado Avalanche will face the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, with Game 1 scheduled for Sunday, April 19. The teams met three times during the regular season and Colorado won all three matchups, including a 4-1 victory on Oct. 7, a 5-2 win in December, and a March 2 game decided by a late Devon Toews goal and an empty-netter. The Kings surged late to clinch a playoff spot, going 7-0-2 since the start of April, and their 20 overtime losses provided crucial extra points that helped them reach the postseason. Los Angeles added Artemi Panarin midseason and he finished the year with 84 points in 77 games, including 27 points with the Kings. Although Darcy Kuemper began the season as the Kings’ No. 1 goaltender, Anton Forsberg’s strong play this season — a .910 save percentage in 30 starts — suggests Forsberg may be the likely starter when the series opens.
The franchises have met twice previously in the playoffs, with Colorado winning both seven-game series in 2001 and 2002, and Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said the team is expected to be fully healthy for Game 1 after resting Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Gabriel Landeskog in the season finale, with Nazem Kadri and Josh Manson expected to return.
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JURY FINDS TICKETMASTER & LIVE NATION HAD AN ANTICOMPETITIVE MONOPOLY
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A New York jury found that Live Nation and its Ticketmaster unit maintained a harmful monopoly over major concert venues and that their practices caused consumers in 22 states to pay an extra $1.72 per ticket. The jury’s finding could expose the companies to hundreds of millions of dollars in damages and could lead to divestitures of venues such as the Fillmore in Denver when a judge determines penalties and remedies. Jurors reviewed internal messages and heard testimony from CEO Michael Rapino during a trial that followed a federal settlement reached early in the proceedings, which capped some service fees and allowed limited ticketing options for promoters and venues. State attorneys argued that Live Nation controls 86 percent of the concert market and 73 percent when sports are included, while Live Nation said the verdict is not the last word and indicated it will pursue appeals. Jurors deliberated for four days.
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COLORADO MOUNTAIN COLLEGE TO HOST VIRTUAL SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE
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Colorado Mountain College will hold its free annual Sustainability & Ecosystem Science Conference virtually from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, April 24, and the event will showcase student research from the college’s sustainability and ecosystem science programs that directly affect the health and resilience of Colorado’s mountain communities. Len Necefer, an environmental storyteller, filmmaker, engineer, and founder of NativesOutdoors, will deliver the keynote address on “Restoration and Resilience in Climate Solutions,” including his work in the Colorado River basin and the sediment crisis in the lower San Juan River.
The virtual conference will be followed by live community events at local CMC campuses that afternoon, and the Breckenridge campus will host a special Earth Day Fair on April 22. The event is free with registration, and the schedule and full details are available at ColoradoMtn.edu/sustainability-conference. For more information, contact Valerie LeMaster at 970-947-8432 or vjlemaster@coloradomtn.edu.
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RATHBONE RECOGNITION: LOCAL HOTEL RECEIVES DOWNTOWN EXCELLENCE AWARD
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The once vacant, fire damaged Rathbone Hotel and Parlor Bar in downtown Montrose has been restored and reopened as a 17-room boutique hotel, and it received the “Best Project Small Community” award at the Colorado Downtown Excellence Awards. The building, originally constructed in 1909 as the KP Building, sat empty for more than a decade after a 2012 fire before developers overcame major structural challenges — including foundation failures and underground water flow that required 160-foot micropiles — to preserve its historic features and add modern accommodations.
The Rathbone officially opened in July 2024 and has since boosted downtown foot traffic, supported nearby businesses, created construction and hospitality jobs, and become a popular local gathering spot with a first floor Parlor Bar. Project leaders and city officials credited public private partnership, community support, and careful historic preservation for the roughly $6.65 million investment that helped catalyze further downtown revitalization.
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FASTEST SKIER IN AMERICAN HISTORY, WHO GREW UP SKIING AT PURGATORY RESORT, TO BE HONORED
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Ross Anderson, who grew up skiing at Purgatory and holds the American speed skiing record of 154.6 mph set in 2006, will be honored in Durango with an official proclamation declaring April 19, 2026, as Ross Anderson Day. The celebration will begin at 9:45 a.m. at Rotary Park and will include opening remarks by Juanita Anderson, a performance by Southern Ute Indian Tribe dancers, remarks from Mayor Gilda Yazzie, and a raffle. Anderson is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma and is part Chiricahua and Mescalero Apache. He was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Hall of Fame in 2024 and the National Native American Hall of Fame in 2025, and he has long advocated for greater Indigenous representation in skiing.
A former competitive speed skier who traveled internationally and finished second in the World Pro Speed Skiing Championships in 2001, Anderson retired in 2010 and has since worked to expand access for Native youth through programs and the Star 154 Foundation. His career included serious injuries and episodes of discrimination, which he says he overcame while finding support in international ski communities.
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HOW IS COLORADO’S RIVER OTTER POPULATION FARING 50 YEARS AFTER REINTRODUCTION?
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Colorado Parks and Wildlife has launched Otter Y.E.A.R., a yearlong program to document river otter distribution and population status across the state and to solicit public observations through the iNaturalist app. Agency staff and partner organizations will conduct surveys on rivers including the Yampa, Green, Colorado and Gunnison, and members of the public can submit photos or other evidence such as scat or tracks with location details. The data collected this year will help officials assess the success and limitations of the reintroduction that released roughly 120 otters between 1976 and 1991 and that led to the species’ downlisting from endangered to threatened in 2003.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife say the results will inform future conservation work, including potential reintroductions into suitable but unoccupied habitats, and the effort coincides with the 50th anniversary of the reintroduction. To participate in Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s river otter tracking, download the iNaturalist app on your iOS or Android device and search for the “Otter Y.E.A.R. 2026” project.
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SALES-TAX REVENUE IN STEAMBOAT DROPS, DESPITE INCREASES IN CONSTRUCTION, MISCELLANEOUS RETAIL
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Steamboat Springs’ sales-tax collections fell 2.59 percent in February 2026 compared with February 2025, a decline of $120,086, and year-to-date collections were down $231,446 through February. Construction rose 20.15 percent and miscellaneous retail rose 7.83 percent, which helped offset losses in lodging, restaurants, liquor and marijuana, utilities and sporting goods. February receipts missed the city’s budget by 1.59 percent. Grocery receipts fell $1,302, or 0.28 percent, a drop partly masked by higher prices. Finance director Kim Weber said January through March typically account for 30 to 35 percent of annual sales-tax revenue and that March figures will be key; she expects further declines but hopes conditions stabilize into the summer.
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BRECKENRIDGE SKI RESORT ANNOUNCES 2025–26 CLOSING DAY, WHILE COPPER MOUNTAIN RESORT EXTENDS
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Breckenridge Ski Resort announced it will close for the season on Sunday, April 19, even as nearby Copper Mountain Resort said it will remain open into May. Breckenridge said in a Facebook post that the mountain is “melting down,” but the resort plans to finish with events and a forecast of a few inches of late season snow. The resort will host the New Worlds halfpipe competition April 18–19 and will offer free parking beginning April 18. Although the slopes will be closed, Breckenridge will hold its Peaks and Beats party on April 25, featuring a free concert, a barbecue for passholders, and other activities.
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DENVER SCULPTURES, SOME IN STORAGE FOR YEARS, MOVING TO DU CAMPUS
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Seven major sculptures from the Denver Art Museum will be transferred to the University of Denver and installed along a new DU Art Walk over the next 16 to 18 months, with completion targeted for summer 2027. The works were chosen by the Denver Art Museum for their public and educational value, the project will be funded entirely by philanthropic donations, and the installations will require complex transport and site work that will free up DAM warehouse space while expanding DU’s outdoor collection.
- “In the Peloton,” by Gail Folwell (2014)
- “Lao Tzu,” by Mark di Suvero (1991); the sculpture weighs 33,000 pounds and stands 30 feet tall
- “Intruder,” by Lauren Ewing (1984)
- “Device to Root Out Evil,” by Dennis Oppenheim (1984)
- “Yin and Yang,” by Edgar Britton (1964)
- “Bull Skull and Horn,” by Jack Zajac (1962–1963)
- “Herbides 4: Scalpay,” by Catherine Lee (2004).
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HOW TO NAVIGATE A WEALTH DIVIDE BETWEEN FRIENDS
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A Wall Street Journal article by Francine Russo offers practical guidance for maintaining long standing friendships when differences in wealth or spending create tension, and it emphasizes emotional connection, clear boundaries, and honest communication as the primary tools for preserving those relationships.
- Do not make money the focus of the relationship; instead, concentrate on the shared activities and experiences that define the friendship.
- Redefine reciprocity so it is not a strict ledger of who pays for what and acknowledge nonfinancial contributions as valid forms of equity in the relationship.
- Respect personal boundaries around giving and borrowing and make clear limits when loans are repeatedly unpaid.
- Be sensitive to friends’ sore spots and avoid flaunting wealth or suggesting activities that will make them uncomfortable.
- Avoid moralizing or judging how friends spend money and treat spending differences as personal choices rather than character flaws.
- Talk about tensions directly and without blame by describing specific incidents, explaining how they made you feel, and asking open questions to understand the other person’s perspective.
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MARKET UPDATE - 04/16/2026 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 04/16/2026)
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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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