All Alpine Bank branches will be closed Monday, Jan. 21, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. You can still bank with us anytime, anywhere using Alpine Online at www.alpinebank.com, AlpineMobile or by calling the Alpine InfoLine at 888-4-ALPINE (888-425-7463). Have a safe and happy holiday!

The annual survey of the top moving destinations in the U.S. from Penske Truck Rental for 2018 had Denver ranked fifth, and it was the top cold weather destination on the list. Eight of the top 10 cities were in the Sunbelt, topped by Atlanta, followed by Phoenix, Tampa and Orlando. The only other cold weather destination in the top 10 was Portland, Oregon. Denver ranked 8th in 2017, 4th in 2016, and 6th in 2015.

"It's just time to do it," with those words, Bruce Benson, president of the University of Colorado announced that CU is undertaking a $4 billion fundraising campaign. The university has already raised more than $2 billion in the "quiet" phase of the campaign, which has been ongoing since 2013. The campaign is called "Essential CU" and is the largest ever undertaken by the university. Money from the Essential CU campaign will support academic, research and public service activities on the university's four campuses.

The only total lunar eclipse of the year will be Sunday night and it will be visible from anywhere in the U.S. for a little over an hour, as well as South America and parts of Europe and Africa. As the shadow of the Earth covers the full moon, the result will be what is labeled a "super blood wolf moon." It is super because the moon will be at the closest point to Earth, an occurrence that happens about 20 times in a century. It is a "blood" moon because when the Earth blocks the sun, only red light passes through the atmosphere to reach the moon, giving it a red hue. The "wolf moon" is the full moon in January, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.

The Glenwood Springs City Council Thursday voted to put a 0.75 percent sales tax proposal before the voters in the April 2 municipal election. The sales tax would have a 20-year sunset and bonding capacity to fix the streets in the city. If the sales tax proposal were to be approved by voters, the total sales tax rate in Glenwood would be 9.35 percent. There currently is a 0.5 percent streets tax in effect which expires in 2025.

The National Weather Service has a winter weather advisory in effect across the I-70 Mountain Corridor through 5 p.m. Friday. Snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches are expected and winds gusting as high as 45 mph will reduce visibility. Mountain travelers should prepare for traction and chain laws, and possible safety closures. Delays are likely. The Colorado Department of Transportation has placed the Passenger Vehicle Traction Law in effect eastbound and westbound from Vail to Copper Mountain and from Silverthorne to Georgetown. Passenger vehicles are required to have snow or mud/snow tires, use chains/alternative traction devices, or be a 4WD/AWD vehicle.

Tri-State Generation and Transmission Tuesday filed a suit in Adams County District Court asking the court to clarify the obligations of the Delta Montrose Electric Association under its contract with Tri-State. The complaint argues that the Colorado Public Utilities Commission does not have the authority to intervene in the dispute between Tri-State and DMEA. Delta-Montrose is one of 43 member cooperatives served by Tri-State, a Westminster-based wholesale energy provider whose territory spans Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and New Mexico.

The Durango Chamber of Commerce held its annual Durango Rocks awards ceremony Thursday and named Joanne Spina as the Citizen of the Year. Spina ended her 30-year public service career when she retired as La Plata County manager Jan. 2. Melissa Glick, CEO of Think Network Technologies, a Durango-based information technology company, won the 2019 Morley Ballantine Award, which honors women for their work in business and philanthropy. Durango Dermatology was named Business of the Year.

At the inaugural U.S. Mountain Community Summit in Vail, developers and experts in the modular housing industry gave an overview of the modular home industry and its potential for housing in resort areas. It already has been utilized in Vail, with Triumph Development using prefab units for the construction at the town of Vail's Chamonix project. Triumph is now building a 139-unit project in Truckee, Calif., using three different prefab companies. Steve Glenn, founder and CEO of Plant Prefab in Rialto, Calif., said modular construction can streamline the building process, cut down on waste and basically make buildings so much more efficient and environmentally sustainable.

According to booking numbers released by lodging site Airbnb.com, Summit County was second only to Denver in the number of bookings last year. Denver had 477,100 arrivals and $74.6 million in host income, topping Summit County, which had 275,300 arrivals and $57 million in host income. No. 7 was Grand County, No. 8 Eagle County, and No. 9 Routt County. Statewide Airbnb.com recorded 1.8 million guest arrivals, with $309 million in income generated to hosts. There are about 19,000 Colorado homes on Airbnb.com.

The three-year contract between the town of Breckenridge and the Breckenridge Tourism Office to promote the town ended in December. The town and the BTO agreed to a new five-year contract, with the town paying BTO $4.7 million in 2019 and the amounts to be paid in subsequent years to be determined. The scope of services includes marketing the town as a year-round resort community, which means selling Breckenridge as a year-round destination in the spring, summer and fall seasons while supporting Breckenridge Ski Resort throughout the winters.

Americans drank less beer, wine and spirits last year, dropping 0.8 percent to about 3.35 billion cases in 2018:

• It is the third consecutive year of declining volumes
• Beer consumption is down 1.5 percent
• But, consumption of wine was up for the 24th straight year

Drinking choices in 2018, compared with 2017:

• Mezcal: +32.4 percent
• Prosecco: +11.0 percent
• Tequila: +8.5 percent
• Mixed drinks: +6.1 percent
• Craft beer: +4.7 percent
• Cider: +4.1 percent
• Whiskey: +4.1 percent
• Beer: -1.5 percent

Alpine Bank is assisting furloughed federal government employees with loans to offer support in this time of uncertainty. These unique loans will be set up as ready reserve lines of credit; payment will not be due for six months after the government shutdown ends. Borrowers may choose to pay the loan off during the 6-month period. The loan will be up to each borrower’s one-month net salary. The bank has set aside $5 million for these loans to be paid back once the shutdown has ended.
To qualify, an applicant must be a government employee currently on unpaid leave due to the recent government shutdown, be able to supply a third-party verification of their monthly income, and a Colorado and federal ID. Furloughed government employees who are not already Alpine Bank customers can open a Liberty checking account with Alpine and then obtain this loan. Each of the bank’s 40 locations are ready to assist qualifying individuals in an effort to ease the loss of income currently affecting thousands of Colorado-based federal workers.
To obtain a loan, visit your nearest Alpine Bank Branch. To learn more, visit www.alpinebank.com.