SALESFORCE EXPANDING OPERATIONS IN DENVER

Salesforce, a cloud-based service company based in San Francisco, has plans for a major expansion, adding as many as 250 jobs in downtown Denver. Salesforce first moved into Louisville in 2013 and moved into WeWork space in Denver this year. In April, the Colorado Office of Economic Development approved $5.7 million in job growth tax incentives for the company if it created 250 new jobs in Denver. The company is now moving into its own space at the 17th Street Plaza.

AAA PROJECTS RECORD HOLIDAY TRAVEL

The American Automobile Association forecasts there will be 115.6 million people traveling between Dec. 21 and Jan. 1, a record. The forecast number is four million higher, or 3.9 percent, higher than last year. The busiest travel day is projected to be Dec. 26, when 104 million people are expected to hit the roads. In air travel, nearly seven million people are projected to take a flight over the holidays, with the busiest air travel days expected Dec. 21 to 23. Buses, trains and cruise ships will handle 3.81 million holiday travelers.

CONSERVATIVES HAND BORIS JOHNSON AND BREXIT RESOUNDING WIN

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson won a decisive majority in Thursday's general election, with Mr. Johnson's Conservatives winning 364 seats in Britain's 650-seat House of Commons. That is 79 more than all the others combined. The decisive victory virtually assures that Britain will leave the European Union by the end of next month, fulfilling Johnson's pledge of leaving the EU by the end of January 2020, with "no ifs, no buts."

BLM: EIS FOR 5 WELLS AT LIMESTONE QUARRY

In October, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management issued a request for comments on whether the agency could approve five test wells at the RMR Industrial quarry north of Glenwood Springs under a categorical exclusion, the lowest level of environmental review. During the comment period, the BLM received 250 comments, all opposed to the categorical exclusion. Thursday, the BLM announced it will conduct an environmental assessment of the impact of the wells, "which will include a detailed analysis of the potential impacts of the drilling proposal."

SUNLIGHT OPENS TODAY, ASPEN TO OPEN MORE TERRITORY

Sunlight Mountain Resort opens officially for the 2019-20 season today, with all three lifts in operation. The forecast calls for additional snow to fall Friday and Saturday, creating the possibility of more terrain opening. The anticipated new snow will also allow more terrain to open in the areas of the Aspen Skiing Co. Skico had 3,452 acres of skiable terrain open at the start of the day Thursday, including 88 percent of the terrain at Aspen Mountain, 87 percent at Aspen Highlands, 93 percent at Buttermilk but only 45 percent of Snowmass.

GOCO GRANT TO ASSIST REVEGETATION OF LUNCH LOOP TRAIL

Colorado West Land Trust has received a grant of $36,000 from Great Outdoors Colorado to hire Western Colorado Conservation Corps to remove tamarisk, Russian olive trees and other invasive species from areas in the corridor of the Lunch Loop Connector Trail along Monument Road. The area will be replanted with native vegetation and grasses. There will be a contracted ecologist working with volunteers in planting native vegetation demonstration gardens around the trailhead.

BACK BOWLS ON VAIL MOUNTAIN OPEN TODAY

Vail Mountain received 11 inches of snow last week and more snow is in the forecast through Sunday. With the snow, Vail Resorts announced that the Sun Up and Sun Down bowls on Vail Mountain will open today. With the opening of the Back Bowls, Vail will have more than 2,500 acres of terrain open, the most in Colorado. In addition to the back bowls, Vail will also open top-to-bottom skiing on trails including Blue Ox, Highline, Prima and Riva Ridge, the longest run at Vail Mountain.

FREE SKI SUNDAY AT HOWELSEN HILL

Sunday, Dec. 15, will be the first Super Ski Free Sunday, the expanded version of Ski Free Sunday, at Howelsen Hill. There will be one Ski Free Sunday per month through March. This Sunday’s event will include food, live music and craft beer, as well as merchandise from local partners like Mountain Tap Brewery, Ohana, Honey Stinger and Steamboat Radio. From 4 to 8 p.m., the Rotary Club of Steamboat Springs will host its annual Community Holiday Party at Howelsen Hill, with tubing, free cookies and hot chocolate.

SINFUL SPENDING

Bankrate conducted a survey in October to determine spending habits of everyday Americans. On average, those surveyed said they spend more than $2,400 per year on lottery tickets, alcohol, tobacco and gambling. Who spent the most? Annual spending:

• Millennials (born 1977-1995): $2,995
• Gen Xers: (born 1965-76): $1,885
• Baby Boomers: (born 1946-64): $1,950
• Silent Generation: (born 1925-45): $4,846