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Colorado - Tue. 06/16/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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REPORTS OF ROAD RAGE ON THE RISE IN COLORADO
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Reports of aggressive driving and road rage in Colorado have jumped each year since 2023. Colorado’s aggressive driving hotline, *CSP, received 33,387 reports of road rage incidents in 2025, Colorado State Patrol trooper and spokesperson Sherri Mendez said. That included reports of excessive speeding, tailgating, angry gestures, passing on the right, honking in anger, showing a weapon, weaving in and out of traffic and getting out of the car to confront another driver. Aggressive behavior has continued to climb over the past three years. Roughly 54 percent of the tens of thousands of calls made to *CSP in 2023 reported aggressive driving. That rose to 56 percent in 2024 and 57.3 percent in 2025.
Drivers who spot road ragers are encouraged to find a safe spot to pull over and call *CSP with a description and location of the vehicle. If the situation escalates or poses an immediate threat, the driver should call 911. Colorado is one of the top states for road rage incidents, according to a study released last year. That study ranked Colorado first for angry and aggressive drivers. Road rage is a year-round constant in Colorado, but summer can bring more drivers to the state’s roads and increase the chance of encountering an aggressive driver.
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COLORADO HAS SOME OF THE NATION'S COSTLIEST HOME INSURANCE - THE GRAND VALLEY SEEMS "IMMUNE"
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Colorado has some of the nation’s costliest premiums according to a May report from Bankrate, a January update from insurance marketplace site TheZebra, and an analysis from Colorado State University in August of 2025. It’s also seeing those rates increase at the fastest rate in the nation, with premiums more than doubling from 2020-2025. The Grand Valley, however, has largely defied those trends, as some estimates put typical premium costs in Grand Junction, Palisade, Clifton and Fruita at less than half of the statewide average.
- Orchard Mesa boasts the lowest average premium in the state, according to Lending Tree, at $2,079.
- Nearby communities aren’t far behind, with 2025’s yearly premiums in Grand Junction, Palisade, Clifton and Fruita all coming in below $2,175, per the organization’s data. Two local insurance professionals, and a working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research last updated in November, pegged the countywide average at $1,955.
- The statewide average falls somewhere between $4,072 and $4,630, based on estimates from Insurify and Lending Tree, respectively.
The Western Slope isn’t entirely insulated from statewide patterns, however. Local insurance prices have skyrocketed in recent years, albeit slightly slower than in other Colorado communities. Clients working with Bird Family Insurance Agency in May of 2020 paid an average of $766 a year for their home insurance, according to Owner Adam Bird. By May of 2025, the number was $1,363, a jump of nearly 78 percent. The agency works mostly with homeowners in Mesa, Rifle, Montrose and Delta counties. If those counties formed a state of their own, it would have the fourth fastest-growing home insurance premiums in the country, placing just above Utah’s 77.2 percent growth over the same time frame. Colorado’s average growth of 100.8 percent over those five years would slightly increase, strengthening its lead for the unenviable number-one spot on the list.
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DENVER CHEF WINS JAMES BEARD AWARD AFTER FOUR NOMINATIONS
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Denver-based chef Penelope Wong became the newest local chef to be awarded a James Beard Award during an awards ceremony held at the iconic Lyric Opera House of Chicago. This year, a record number of Colorado culinary professionals and restaurants were nominated for a James Beard Award, totaling 17, or three more than in 2025. Five Colorado restaurants, chefs and bars, including four in the Denver area, were named finalists for the coveted award. Wong was the winner of the best chef category for the Mountain States of the U.S., which include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming.
Wong is the owner and executive chef of Yuan Wonton in North Park Hill, which opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant in 2023 after operating the business as a successful food truck for years. Prior to winning the award, Wong had been nominated four times for the best chef in the Mountain States in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. The restaurant serves a variety of dumplings, wontons, noodle dishes and other Canto-American cuisine. The menu changes frequently. This year, she beat out another highly acclaimed Denver chef in the category: Johnny Curiel, who has two Michelin-starred eateries and six restaurants in the Mile High City. Yuan Wonton was named to The New York Times' list of America's Best New Restaurants in 2024. Wong also won the Colorado Hospy Awards for chef of the year in 2024.
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A HOUSING CRISIS COMES FOR JUNEAU'S MOST HISTORIC HOMES
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Juneau, Alaska, plans to demolish seven historic homes on Telephone Hill to build up to 155 new housing units, addressing a housing shortage. Telephone Hill is this city’s oldest neighborhood, with homes going back to a 19th-century gold rush. Now, many local leaders want to see them bulldozed to make way for new, denser housing, igniting an outcry on the edge of unbroken wilderness. City officials aren’t backing down. The fight playing out in Alaska’s capital mirrors those across America, where demand for housing is running up against limited supply. But Juneau (population 31,600) faces a distinct challenge: It is bound on one side by water and on the other by towering mountains with glaciers and impenetrable forests. Additionally, thousands of seasonal workers arrive to service tourism and fishing, further squeezing housing. As a result, Juneau has a shortage estimated at about 500 homes, with the gap projected to grow.
A solution landed in the city’s lap in 2023 when the state of Alaska handed over to Juneau a 4-acre plot encompassing Telephone Hill. Atop the 100-foot ridge of bedrock sit seven historic homes—one built in 1882 that is thought to be the oldest still standing in town, and others dating through 1931. The seven structures housed 13 rental units where locals lived. The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly saw a mother lode of opportunity. They hired consultants, studied reports and by last year arrived at a conclusion: As many as 155 apartments and condos could be built there. But all seven historic homes—deemed run-down—would have to go. And that is when the battle for Telephone Hill began.
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HOTEL PROPOSED ON MOVIELAND LOT IN EL JEBEL
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The former Movieland 7 location, known as Old Orchard Plaza, in El Jebel, is the subject of a planned-use development amendment application for a 94-room hotel. The application would see the current Movieland theater building, at 218 E. Valley Road, demolished and converted into a parking lot. A portion of the current parking lot, bordered by the El Jebel City Market and East Valley Road, would be developed into a three-story hotel under the Residence Inn by Marriott brand. A public hearing is scheduled before the town of Basalt Planning and Zoning Commission for Tuesday, June 16, at 6 p.m. at Basalt Town Hall. The application is being put forth by Bowtie Partners, the operator of the former Movieland and owner of the property, and WalshDupart, a Denver-based hospitality real estate investment firm.
The hotel would have 15 studios and five ADA accessible rooms. Amenities in the plan include an outdoor pool, outdoor fitness area and a gym. It also would include two on-site employee housing units, which, per the application, satisfies city code to provide housing for 15 percent of the new employees generated. The project would generate 13 new employees, the plan estimates. The Movieland 7 theater opened in 1991 and shuttered its doors in January due to what the owners said was a failure to turn a profit. Its closure leaves only two commercial movie theaters in operation in the Roaring Fork Valley: the Isis Theatre in Aspen and the Crystal Theatre in Carbondale.
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ASPEN PROVIDES FREE WATERING ASSESSMENT TO REDUCE WATER USE
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Aspen is continuing its free irrigation assessment for Aspen water customers this summer to help reduce the impacts of the expected drought, limit excess water usage and possibly lower the water bills of Aspen water’s customers. The assessment will provide customers with possible improvement plans, as well as check for leaks, damage and otherwise wasted water in the irrigation system. Aspen water will offer incentive grants to customers who are able to complete their recommended improvements, with up to 50 percent rebates on $2,500 applied as credit to their water bill. The aim is to have more people improve their water usage and lessen the impact it will have in the face of the drought caused by record low snowpack.
Customers who can make more than the improvements laid out in the assessment report will be eligible to receive a $10,000 grant for further water saving projects. The assessment program is in tandem with Aspen’s water saving pledge, which will continue to try and conserve water through small everyday changes to Aspen resident’s water usage behavior. Aspen has already been implementing water use restrictions as of May 15. Appointments for a water assessment are available on July 7 and 8, as well as Aug. 4 and 5. To sign up, visit aspen.gov/irrigation.
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COLORADO RIVER DISTRICT OFFERING SUPPLEMENTAL WATER FOR YAMPA VALLEY AGRICULTURE
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Yampa River Valley irrigators are being given the opportunity to access supplemental agriculture water during this year’s historic drought through a joint effort by the Colorado River District and Colorado Water Conservation Board. Up to 420 acre-feet of supplemental agricultural water is being offered from Elkhead Reservoir, west of Steamboat Springs, for producers in the Yampa River Valley. “The drought conditions this year have been exceptional and unpredictable,” Colorado River District Director of Asset Management Hunter Causey said. “And it’s that kind of unpredictability that hits small family farms and ranches the hardest. The Yampa Valley, the western slope, and our entire region depend on local agriculture to drive economies, produce local food and preserve landscapes. While a program like this cannot solve the drought problem at large, we can be strategic in how we use our available supplies and support our constituents wherever possible.”
Water will be allocated using a lottery with an initial round of allocations of up to 50 acre-feet per applicant. Applications for the supplemental water are due by June 26, and the lottery will be conducted for the initial round of contracts on July 1. Water will be available for delivery or exchange beginning on July 10. The total project will cost $18,375 at current agricultural water rates. On June 4, the Colorado River District Board of Directors agreed to contribute $4,594. The Colorado Water Conservation Board will provide the remaining funds — $13,781. Anyone interested in applying for the supplemental water should contact the Colorado River District’s Director of Asset Management, Hunter Causey, at hcausey@crwcd.org.
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GJ TOURISM GROWING DESPITE INDUSTRY CHALLENGES
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Tourism in Grand Junction has had a hot start to 2026 with lodging tax revenue growing significantly through the first four months of the year. The city has brought in just over $1 million in Lodging Tax through the first four months, according to the April Revenue Report. That is around $50,000 more than it collected through the same time period in 2025. Lodging tax through April of this year is 8.1 percent ahead of the same time period a year ago. The month of April was also up 9.5 percent over the previous year. A 12-month rolling average also shows lodging tax up by around 4.6 percent. Overall hotel occupancy in Grand Junction has outpaced the state of Colorado and the country as a whole. A shrinking supply of hotel rooms is the primary challenge. In 2023, Grand Junction had just under 3,100 hotel rooms. That has been reduced to 2,842 as of this month. Some of those hotels have been converted into long-term rentals.
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COLORADO'S 14ERS "GENERALLY ACCESSIBLE" AFTER RECORD-LOW SNOW
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Colorado’s summit-bagging season is getting underway as snow melts from the highest peaks weeks earlier than usual, following the state’s worst snowpack on record this past winter. Colorado Fourteeners Initiative Executive Director Lloyd Athearn said while the nonprofit’s trail crews often encounter snow in June that can make it “problematic” to set up basecamp for trail work near treeline, that hasn’t been the case this year. “Trailheads are generally accessible. Routes are generally accessible and free of snow,” Athearn said. Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks are among the most popular hikes in the state, with many people setting the goal of climbing all 53 of the “ranked” peaks.
The Fourteeners Initiative works to protect these mountains and their ecosystems, including by hiring crews to spend the summer maintaining trails and by collecting annual data to track the hundreds of thousands of hikers who are climbing 14ers every year. Ahead of each hiking season, Athearn said he will hike out to 23 of the most popular trailheads to set up heat-detecting counters that tally each passerby. Due to the lack of snowpack, he said he was able to start that annual task almost two months early this year. As the hiking season ramps up, here’s a look at where the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative plans to focus its trail work this year:
- Mount Shavano: On Mount Shavano — a 14,228-foot peak outside of Buena Vista — two trail crews will wrap up restoration of the summit trail, which the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative gave an “F” grade in its 2012 trail inventory. For years, Shavano’s summit trail had eroded and deteriorated due to snowmelt, thunderstorms and the boots of an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 annual hikers, according to the Fourteeners Initiative. But work there wasn’t able to start until 2022, when the nonprofit helped raise $50,000 to purchase three private mining claims that the trail passed through. One of the trail crews this year will focus on constructing about 600 feet of new trail, bringing the path all the way to the summit.
- Mount Democrat: The Fourteeners Initiative will also have a crew working on Mount Democrat, a 14,152-foot peak near Alma. Mount Democrat is part of the Decalibron Loop, which is made up of four 14ers, including Mount Cameron, Mount Lincoln and Mount Bross. In 2023, the Fourteeners Initiative helped the Conservation Fund purchase about 300 acres of mining claims, securing public access to the peaks of Democrat and Cameron, which had faced closures from landowners due to liability concerns. The land has since been transferred to the U.S. Forest Service.
- Nomad Crew: The Fourteeners Initiative will also continue to staff its roving “nomad crew,” an eight-person team that works alongside volunteers. The group could work on up to 10 different 14er trails this summer, Athearn said. He said the nomad crew and volunteers will have a “significant presence” on the Blue Lakes trail that provides access to the more difficult West Ridge of Quandary Peak — a 14,271-foot peak near Breckenridge — this summer.
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AN $8 BILLION SLIDE IN SALES: IS THE LUXURY HANDBAG'S HEYDAY ENDING?
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Something is going on in the handbag business. After years of explosive growth, shoppers are slipping away. Sales of luxury bags are down almost 10 percent from peaks seen in 2023, data from Bain & Company shows, equivalent to a roughly $8 billion hole in annual spending. Brands are betting that innovation will lure them back.
- Luxury companies released 80 percent fewer new bags between 2023 and 2025 than they did between 2016 and 2019. But a wave of newly hired creative talent is coming up with fresh designs. Go to Chanel’s website today and 74 percent of the handbag offer is now new.
- A less optimistic take circulating online is that luxury handbags are played out and oversaturated. Social-media feeds are flooded with images of once-scarce bags like the Hermès Birkin and the Chanel Classic Flap, which has killed some of the magic. Demand has shifted away from designer stores to the secondhand market.
- Sales of luxury handbags have risen 20 percent since 2023 on The RealReal, an online marketplace for users to buy and sell luxury goods. Social-media content about affordable ways to access luxury handbags through resale and rental platforms like Vivrelle is up sharply.
- Resale trends suggest that carrying a vintage luxury bag is becoming cooler than buying new. In May, searches for vintage bags were up 131 percent compared with the same month of 2025.
- It is a problem for luxury brands. “It-bags” have been their bread and butter since the 1990s. Last year, 44 percent of Hermès’ group sales came from handbags like the Birkin and the Kelly. The share was even higher at Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta, which made 65 percent and 77 percent of total sales from purses and small leather goods, respectively.
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MARKET UPDATE - 06/15/2026 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 06/11/2026)
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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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