SOLAR NONPROFIT RECRUITING CO-OPS IN COLORADO

Solar United Neighbors is a national nonprofit organization that helps communities form solar energy cooperatives, now operating in 13 states, and has assisted in developing 3,500 installations across the country. Solar United reached its capacity for the Yampa Valley Solar Co-op when membership hit 125. Fort Collins has 85 members so far and there is interest in starting groups in Grand Junction and Pueblo. A recent report said that solar installations in Colorado increased 19 percent in the first quarter this year.

1 IN 4 AMERICANS SAY THEY WILL NEVER RETIRE

According to a study of 1,423 U.S. adults conducted in February, nearly half of the interviewees said they are not financially prepared for retirement, and nearly a quarter said they don't ever expect to retire. Among those who fully retired, 38 percent said they felt very or extremely prepared when they retired, while 25 percent said they felt not very or not at all prepared. There is a mixed assessment of how the aging workforce affects workers. Thirty-nine percent think people staying in the workforce longer is mostly a good thing for workers; 29 percent think it is a bad thing; and 30 percent said it makes no difference.

SPIDEY SWINGS TO NO. 1 AT THE BOX OFFICE AGAIN

"Spider-Man: Far From Home" had a huge opening in China and then soared to the top of the Independence Day weekend box office, grossing $185.1 million in the U.S. and Canada over a six-day opening. In China, where the latest installment of the Sony Spider-Man film opened a week before premiering in North America, it has made $167.4 million to date. The movie has raked in more than $580 million worldwide to date. Four of Sony's five highest-grossing films in the domestic market are Spider-Man titles.

ASPEN SECURITY FORUM IS SOLD OUT IN JULY

The Aspen Security Forum, set for July 17-20 at the Aspen Institute, is sold out. The Security Forum will feature some of the highest-ranking officials in the world of intelligence, terrorism and cyber technology. Announced speakers include Robert Ashley, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency; Philip Davidson, commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. special representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation; and Sigal Mandelker, undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence; and Kevin McAleenan, acting secretary of Homeland Security, among others.

GIVE LEADERS YOUR VISION OF GRAND JUNCTION ON TUESDAY

Since April, the city of Grand Junction has been working to create a 2020 Comprehensive Plan, and tomorrow, there will be a critical community input meeting, the Community Visioning Workshop at 6 p.m. at the Avalon Theatre in downtown Grand Junction. Everyone is invited to bring their ideas and vision for the city. There will be both small- and large-group sessions and after the group meetings, city officials hope the workshop is able to conclude with a general statement and agreement "regarding the long-term role and character of Grand Junction."

BUSY, BUT NOT "CRAZY" SUMMER CONSTRUCTION IN TELLURIDE

The Telluride Town Council last week received its annual update on construction, which showed there are 136 active building permits in town. While that represents significant activity, it was "nothing like we saw last summer," according to town staff. Much of the seasonal activity this summer is smaller projects like repairs or remodels. Some larger projects starting later this summer include the Shaghai/Belmont addition, the Wares house and the Nugget Building tower reconstruction.

WANT A DRINK AND A CHAT? TRY THE NO SCUM ALLOWED SALOON

White Oaks, New Mexico is about 160 miles southeast of Albuquerque and was once a gold mining boom town. Billy the Kid was said to be a regular visitor. Now White Oaks is a ghost town with a population of 9. However, on any given day, more than three times the total town population may be found in the No Scum Allowed Saloon. The saloon attracts tourists from everywhere to engage in the "civil discourse" the bar is known for.

VAIL VALLEY HAS NEW FLIGHT-SHARE SERVICE

Tom Filippini has been the founder of several tourism-related enterprises, including Exclusive Resorts, which provided rentals of exclusive homes around the world and Straightline Private Air, a partnership with NetJets that allowed the booking of private flights. Now, Filippini has launched FlightLink, a booking service for private jets that fills empty seats. Private jets always have unoccupied seats and end up frequently flying empty between picking up and dropping off passengers. Filippini has already recruited about 200 FlightLink planes, with a concentration in Texas, primarily because the Houston to Dallas route is the third-busiest in the country for private aviation.

YAMPA RIVER FINALLY COMING DOWN, ALMOST TUBING SEASON

The Yampa River rose to above 2,000 cubic feet per second through Steamboat Springs on June 3 and it did not drop below that level until the Fourth of July, when it fell back to 1,980 cfs. Over the weekend, the Yampa continued to come down and the river is projected to be at about 1,100 cfs by Tuesday evening and 800 cfs by Saturday, July 13. That is close to the level that commercial outfitters begin renting tubes to float the river, which is 700 cfs.

ALPACKA RAFTS: SMALL TOWN MANUFACTURER, EMPLOYER

When you think of rafting, the small southwest Colorado town of Mancos doesn't come immediately to mind. However, if you are a packraft aficionado, you know Mancos as the home of Alpacka Rafts. The Alpacka Raft headquarters and manufacturing facility is in a former hardware store on Main Street in Mancos. Alpacka was founded in 2000 by Thor Tingey and his mother, Sheri. Thor created Alpacka after finding the packrafts he used on extended trips in Alaska did not hold up and were not river worthy. He enlisted his mother, Sheri Tingey to design a new packraft. Sheri had designed outdoor clothing for skiers and dog mushers. Sheri and Thor moved the entire operation from Alaska to Mancos in 2007. Now, Alpacka has 12 different models and customers can customize their raft to the point the company is essentially building rafts suited to individual needs. Alpacka still builds all its rafts in Mancos, with a 28-employee workforce. Check out the company at alpackaraft.com.

DENVER'S TOP ATTRACTIONS

Top attractions in Denver, with total people served in 2018 and ticket sales revenue 2018:

1. Red Rocks Amphitheatre: 2.32 million people served; $1.30 million in ticket sales
2. Denver Museum of Nature & Science: 2.04 million; $13.41 million
3. Denver Zoo: 1.98 million; $9.51 million
4. Denver Botanic Gardens: 1.04 million; NA
5. Denver Center for the Performing Arts: 1.03 million; $59.10 million
6. Denver Art Museum: 915,661; NA
7. Downtown Aquarium: 565,000; NA
8. Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus: 556,895; NA
9. Buffalo Bill Museum: 457,840; $290,172
10. Butterfly Pavilion: 377,882; NA