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Colorado - Fri. 04/10/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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DU PIONEERS OUTLAST MICHIGAN IN DOUBLE OT AT FROZEN FOUR, DREAM RUN CONTINUES TO NCAA TITLE GAME
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University of Denver captain Kent Anderson scored with 7:25 left in the second overtime to lift the Pioneers to a 4-3 win over No. 1 Michigan and send DU to the national championship game against Wisconsin after freshman goalie Johnny Hicks made 49 saves despite being knocked down in a third-period collision; Denver was outshot 52-26 but rallied when Clarke Caswell tied the game with 2:46 left in regulation and earlier goals came from Kyle Chyzowski and Cale Ashcroft, while Michigan’s first-period surge included goals from Hobey Baker finalist TJ Hughes and Josh Eernisse; the Badgers reached the title game by upsetting North Dakota, and Denver will seek an NCAA-record 11th national title Saturday afternoon.
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COLORADO LOST JOBS & SAW ITS LABOR FORCE DECLINE LAST YEAR
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Revised state labor data show Colorado lost 11,700 jobs in 2025, a negative 0.4 percent growth rate, and the working‑age labor force shrank: the labor force fell by 5,200 to 3,258,800, employment dropped by 6,400 to 3,122,600, and unemployment rose by 1,200 to 126,300 in January, while the participation rate slipped to 66.8 percent from 67.6 percent a year earlier; revisions lowered last year’s unemployment rate to 4.0 percent from an initial 4.5 percent. State economists say Colorado largely followed a weak national jobs picture—where the U.S. added about 116,000 jobs, roughly 0.1 percent growth—and point to national uncertainty as a drag on hiring, though tech and professional jobs show modest recovery; some local analysts warn of Colorado‑specific headwinds such as budget shortfalls and policy changes, and analysts note the state remains a long‑term top‑ten performer but is in a slow‑growth phase.
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FOREVER STAMP PRICES TO RISE 5% THIS SUMMER
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The U.S. Postal Service said it intends to raise the price of a First Class Mail Forever stamp about 5 percent to 82 cents from 78 cents effective July 12, pending approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission; it also proposes raising domestic postcards 6.6 percent to 65 cents and international postcards 2.9 percent to $1.75. The agency cited rising operational costs and its mandate to be self financing while delivering to more than 170 million addresses six days a week, noting it has been incrementally raising stamp prices (a Forever stamp was 55 cents in 2020) and that U.S. mailing prices remain among the world’s most affordable; last month USPS announced a fuel and transportation surcharge on packages amid a recent surge in diesel prices.
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FRONT RANGE PASSENGER RAIL PROPOSED AGREEMENT SETS TIMELINE, PRICE TAG
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Colorado officials said a “starter service” for Front Range Passenger Rail could begin by early 2029, running three round trips daily between Fort Collins and Denver at up to 79 mph and operating seven days a week; the starter is estimated to cost $333 million with annual operating costs of $25 million to $35 million, funded by a one-time $156 million payment from Metro Denver’s RTD and $176 million from CDOT’s CTIO, and a joint service agreement has been reached with BNSF Railway; construction is expected to start early next year and finish by January 2029, the agreement should be finalized by summer, the $333 million figure is down from prior $650 million estimates because the plan uses a single train without siding tracks, officials hope to expand service and may seek a multibillion dollar ballot measure to fund full Front Range expansion.
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FIREFIGHTERS PREPARING FOR EV FIRES IN COLORADO’S TWO BIG I-70 MOUNTAIN TUNNELS
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Colorado Dept. of Transportation crews are training to respond within seconds to vehicle fires inside the Eisenhower Johnson and Hanging Lake tunnels amid growing concern about electric vehicle battery blazes that can burn for hours and emit toxic smoke; CDOT’s Fire Brigade practiced April 8 with a $700,000 pumper, a quick reaction pumper, hoses and joystick controlled spray guns, and crews plan to evacuate people, clear vehicles and activate a $25 million automated spray system while full local fire departments mobilize for support. At least four certified firefighters staff the 1.7-mile Eisenhower tunnel around the clock; CDOT is developing tactics to remove burning EVs to let them burn outside, use heavy EV fire blankets and weigh suppression versus exposure risks. There have been five tunnel fires since 2017 and no tunnel fatalities in Colorado, but recent deadly tunnel fires elsewhere have driven the heightened preparedness.
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HARVEST ROARING FORK APPLICATION WITHDRAWN, RESUBMISSION PLANNED
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Harvest Roaring Fork’s Planned Unit Development application for a 1,500-unit subdivision along Hwy. 82 has been formally withdrawn from Garfield County’s Community Development Dept., though developer Richard Myers says he will resubmit within 30 days; the withdrawal follows staff and Planning and Zoning feedback asking for “clean up” and adjustments. The proposal would transform the 283-acre Sanders Ranch into a town with between 3,000 and 5,000 residents, nine neighborhoods, 55,000 square feet of commercial space and a 120-room hotel. The Garfield County Planning Commission voted 6-1 on March 11 to deny recommending approval after staff on Feb. 19 flagged concerns about density, water, wildlife, affordable housing, transit, traffic and other infrastructure; Myers says he will not reduce unit counts, notes the plan includes 150 deed-restricted units and 300 units reserved for regional workers, and calls the project workforce housing.
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ASPEN SNOWMASS REAL ESTATE MARKET UPDATE SHOWS SALES FELL SHARPLY IN 2026
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The Estin Reports show Q1 2026 closed sales were the weakest first quarter since 2020 after a 2025 boom driven by ultra luxury deals: 42 sales over $20 million in 2025, up 62 percent from 26 in 2024, totaling $1.433 billion and representing 65 percent of $10 million+ luxury dollar volume and 57 percent of Aspen’s $2.509 billion in total sales; overall Aspen dollar volume rose 38 percent in 2025, with single family median $17.5 million (up 31 percent) and condo median $3.175 million (up 11 percent). Q1 2026 March closed sales fell 50 percent year over year (24 to 12) and Snowmass fell 46 percent (13 to 7), though March under contracts doubled from 14 to 28; the report cites low snow and drought, weak skiing, rising build costs, supply constraints and broader macro risks, notes 65–70 percent of transactions are cash, and estimates 200–225 billionaires own property in Pitkin County.
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DURANGO TO SET WATER RESTRICTIONS AMID EXTREME DROUGHT
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Durango officials plan to enact revised stage 1 water restrictions this week or next as the city braces for its worst drought since 2018: Public Works Director John Harris will recommend limiting lawn irrigation to three days a week with assigned household days, banning driveway spraying and restricting nighttime fountain use to cut evaporation, while the city will reduce fleet washing and suspend hydrant flushing; parks are already trimming irrigation schedules though large parks cannot easily shift to a three day plan. Lawn irrigation accounts for about 70 percent of city water use (roughly 100 gallons per capita per day), and the goal is to reduce use by about 20 percent in stage 1 and 33 percent in stage 2; stage 2 would further limit personal car washes, ban outdoor fountains and restrict outdoor water docks to indoor use.
Durango’s snowpack is at a record low (about 13 percent, roughly 4 inches versus a typical 30 inches) and snow water equivalent is under 3 inches versus a 30 year average of 18 inches; the city relies mainly on the Florida River (8.92 cfs, about 5.76 million gallons per day) and supplements from the Animas River (6.82 cfs, about 4.4 million gallons per day), with pumping from the Animas costing about $100,000 in power in years it’s used. The 2020 drought plan only enforces restrictions at stage 3, so the city is revising the plan to allow earlier enforcement as La Plata County faces extreme drought; officials say restrictions aim to spread irrigation demand and get residents into conservation habits before peak summer demand.
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FROM COLORADO PEAKS TO THE MOON: HOW THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS HELPED NASA ASTRONAUTS PREPARE FOR THE ARTEMIS II MISSION
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NASA partnered with the Colorado National Guard at the High Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site in Gypsum to give Artemis II crew members real world practice for lunar approaches and landings: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch (and Canadian Jeremy Hansen) trained with helicopters to simulate thin air flight margins, visual illusions, dust obscured descents and other conditions analogous to the lunar surface; Artemis II’s 10 day flight set distance and viewing milestones, carried the first woman and person of color to the moon, and will splash down April 10; more than 200 Colorado companies contributed to the mission, including Lockheed Martin and United Launch Alliance; NASA is streaming mission updates and the return at NASA.Gov/TrackArtemis and NASA.Gov/Live.
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LOVELAND SKI AREA ANNOUNCES TARGETED CLOSING DAY
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Loveland Ski Area plans to close the 2025-26 winter season on Sunday, April 26, pending conditions, citing warming temperatures and spring melt that have impacted mountain conditions; the resort, which typically closes in May (10-year average May 6) and closed May 11 in 2024-25, will have operated about 170 days with access to the majority of its terrain and currently offers over 500 acres of skiable terrain; Loveland Valley reopens for one final weekend April 10–12, and the season will conclude with live music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday plus events including the Loveland Derby, Shinobi Showdown and the Corn Harvest Party benefiting the Colorado Avalanche Information Center; For more information, visit SkiLoveland.com.
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WHY THE U.S. FERTILITY RATE HAS HIT A RECORD LOW
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The Wall Street Journal reports U.S. fertility measures fell to record lows in 2025 as childbearing shifts to older ages; total births held near 3.6 million for the sixth straight year while key rates—the general fertility rate and the total fertility rate—dropped to historic lows.
- General fertility rate: 53.1 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44 in 2025.
- Total fertility rate: 1.57 births per woman, below replacement level 2.1.
- Total births: about 3.6 million for the sixth straight year.
- Births minus deaths: roughly 514,000 surplus in 2025; projections show the surplus may disappear within a decade.
- Age shift: birthrates for women in their late 30s exceeded those for women in their early 20s for the first time.
- Teen declines: teen birthrate fell 7 percent in 2025; 15–19 rates are down 72 percent since 2007; ages 15–17 fell 11 percent; ages 18–19 fell 7 percent.
- Drivers: analysts cite financial uncertainty, relationship stability and the political climate; many still want children.
- Data note: 2025 figures are provisional and reflect more than 99 percent of birth records.
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MARKET UPDATE - 04/09/2026 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 04/09/2026)
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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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