JOB GROWTH NUMBERS SHATTER ESTIMATES, UNEMPLOYMENT AT 50-YEAR LOW

U.S. employers added 266,000 jobs in November, well beyond the estimates of Wall Street analysts who were projecting an increase of 187,000 jobs. The unemployment rate dropped to 3.5 percent, which matched September as the lowest jobless rate since 1969. Wages were advanced, up 3.1 percent from a year earlier. U.S. stocks and government-bond yields soared after the strong jobs report.

VOLCANO ERUPTS ON WHITE ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND, FIVE KILLED

A volcano erupted on White Island, about 8 miles off the coast of New Zealand's North Island. White Island is New Zealand's most active volcano and it is a popular tourist destination. The New Zealand police have confirmed five people were killed and about 23 visitors were taken from the island. There were as many as 30-38 people on the island from the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship.

BIGGEST PROTEST MARCH IN MONTHS IN HONG KONG

Six months after the initial antigovernment rally brought about one million people to the streets of Hong Kong, the biggest protest in months filled the streets again Sunday. The rally was mostly peaceful and included families, in contrast to the contention of the Hong Kong government and Beijing that protests are fueled by radicals. The rally was organized by the pro-democracy group Civil Human Rights Front. The group had organized the massive rallies in June, which attracted more than a million people.

SINGLE-DAY HOLIDAY LIFT TICKET $219 IN VAIL

According to the Vail Resorts website, Vail and Beaver Creek will charge $219 for a single-day, walk-up lift ticket at the holiday period between Christmas and New Year's. The price for purchase in advance online is $189. The Aspen Skiing Co. has not announced its price for a single-day ticket at a walk-up window, but the price for a ticket purchased in advance for the period Dec. 21 through Jan. 3 is $184. Deer Valley also announced it will have a price of $200+ during the holiday period with a single-day ticket priced at $209.

SKICO NAMES A TRAIL AT BUTTERMILK IN HONOR OF KLAUS OBERMEYER

The Aspen Skiing Co. held a party Saturday at Bumps restaurant at the base of Buttermilk and Skico President and CEO Mike Kaplan announced that the skiing company was renaming the trail formerly known as Tiehack Parkway as "Klaus’ Way," in honor of Klaus Obermeyer. Kaplan noted that Skico rarely, maybe never, has renamed a trail, but the company had to put Klaus' name on the mountain. Skico presented Klaus with a lifetime pass at his 90th birthday and to honor his 100th birthday, the skiing company presented him with a one-of-a-kind 100-year pin.

ENTRY FEE TO THE MONUMENT GOING UP TO $25

The National Park Service announced that on Jan. 1, the entrance fee to the Colorado National Monument will increase $5, to $25 for private vehicles, $20 for motorcycles, $15 for seven-day passes for bicyclists and pedestrians, and $45 for an annual pass. The annual pass will still be $40 until Dec. 31 and it will be valid for 2020. The annual pass can be purchased at www.recreation.gov, or in person at the park entrance or the visitor center.

CSU EXTENSION: 2020 BEEF COW SYMPOSIUM IN MONTROSE

Colorado State University Extension Service will host its 2020 Beef Cow Symposium Jan. 10 at the Montrose County Fairgrounds. Speakers from Colorado State University, IMI Global, Superior Livestock Auction, and the Livestock Marketing Information Center will address issues ranging from managing calf health to the outlook for the cattle market. There also will be a trade show at the symposium, featuring vendors who provide goods and services to the beef industry on the Western Slope. There is a $35 registration fee.

CONDE NAST TRAVELER READERS NAME PURGATORY THE 10TH BEST SKI AREA

Conde Nast Traveler released its 2019 Reader's Choice Awards for Best Ski Resorts in the U.S. and Canada on Nov. 29. It was the 32nd year of the magazine's Reader's Choice Awards and there were a record 600,000 reader responses. Colorado dominated the top 30, with 12 resorts from the state. Purgatory was ranked 10th, sandwiched between Snowmass at No. 9 and Aspen Mountain at No. 11.

DESERT BIGHORNS IN DOLORES RIVER CANYON DOING WELL

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has released its draft herd management plan for the lower Dolores River Canyon and is seeking public comment on the draft plan. The CPW plan indicates there are about 175 desert bighorns in the canyon and the herd numbers have remained constant and the population is doing well, with healthy animals and good lamb numbers. There is limited hunting in the Dolores River Canyon. In 2019, five ram licenses were available.

NEW HOMES FOR FIRST-TIMERS COMING TO DENVER AREA

TRI Pointe Homes, a member of TRI Pointe Group, has plans to build 451 new homes across five master-planned communities in Arvada, Commerce City, Aurora, Castle Rock and Douglas County. TRI Pointe is the seventh-largest homebuilder in the Denver metro area and completed $146 million worth of homes in the Denver area in 2018. The company has acquired 333 homesites over the past three months and the company will target first-time buyers, with prices starting from the mid-$300,000s to the low $400,000s. The plan:

• Arvada: 92 townhomes at the Candelas, a master-planned community, near the Rocky Flats Wildlife Refuge
• Commerce City: 50 homes at Reunion, a master-planned community
• Aurora: TRI Pointe has 71 homesites in the master-planned community of Adonea
• Castle Rock: 74 units in the Terrain master-planned community, named Sunstone Village, it will be a duplex community
• Douglas County: TRI Pointe will build 46 townhomes in the Sterling Ranch master-planned community; the overall development will have a fishing pond and reservoir and an education garden designed with the help of the Denver Botanical Gardens

DENVER-AREA AEROSPACE COMPANIES

The Denver area (Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties) is noted as being a major center for aerospace. These are the top Denver-area aerospace companies, ranked by Denver-area employees as of Jan. 1, 2019:

1. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co.: 8,500
2. Ball Corp.: 4,252
3. Raytheon Co.: 2,400
4. Sierra Nevada Corp.: 1,422
5. Boeing: 1,400
6. United Launch Alliance (ULA): 1,200
7. Seakr Engineering Inc.: 481
8. Boom Supersonic: 134
9. Blue Canyon Technologies: 130
10. RS&H Inc.: 129