FULENWIDER, HOME BUILDER TO START CHARTER AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL

Cal Fulenwider III, chairman and CEO of L.C. Fulenwider Inc. and Pat Hamill, president and CEO of Oakwood Homes, through Hamill's BuildStrong Foundation, are teaming up to raise $2.5 million for the first phase of construction of a multi-building campus that will house the STEAD charter school. The school will be in the Reunion planned development in Commerce City near the Denver International Airport and focus on the future of agriculture and science. Fulenwider donated 10 acres of land for the school, valued at $3 million. The land was where Fulenwider’s grandfather farmed in the early 1900s.

VILLAGE INN OWNER FILES BANKRUPTCY, CLOSES 8 COLORADO OUTLETS

American Blue Ribbon Holdings, parent company of Village Inn restaurants, Monday, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and in the filing, there were eight Colorado Village Inn restaurants listed as closing. The closings were in Denver, Aurora, Broomfield, Wheat Ridge, Colorado Springs, Monument, Castle Rock and Longmont. American Blue Ribbon Holdings operated 97 restaurants in 13 states and franchised another 84 Village Inn locations. Village Inn was founded in Colorado.

FEDERAL DEFICIT WILL HIT $1 TRILLION IN 2020

The Congressional Budget Office Tuesday said the federal government will spend $1 trillion more than it collects this year, and the federal deficits over the next decade will reach or exceed the $1 trillion threshold. The public debt is projected to reach 81 percent of GDP this year and will reach 98 percent of GDP by 2030. That stems from the combination of tax cuts and projected increases in spending for programs such as Medicare and Social Security as the population ages and health-care costs rise.

AFTER 25 YEARS, RED ROCK DINER IN CARBONDALE CLOSES

The Red Rock Diner, near the intersection of Highway 82 and Highway 133, closed over the weekend after being in operation for 25 years. The owners, Gina Shaw and Marty Voller, say they plan to sell the business, but have not yet placed it on the market. The owners say the diner started downhill during the three-month closure of the Grand Avenue Bridge in 2017, and the breakfast business, which was the base of the diner, never returned. Also, there are problems in hiring and retaining workers.

NO FINAL DECISION ON ORCHARD MESA POOL

The Orchard Mesa Pool Board, which is composed of representatives from the District 51 Board of Education, the Grand Junction City Council and the Mesa County commissioners held a meeting Tuesday at Stocker Stadium. The board faced a large crowd of Orchard Mesa residents and others interested in keeping the pool open. The board tabled any decision on the future of the pool. The pool is currently owned by the school district, but the district can no longer own the facility due to restrictions from grant funding for improvements. The cost of operations and improvements for the pool is $2.5 million.

NUGGET THEATRE REOPENS ON THURSDAY

Bill and Katrine Formby have been renovating the historic Nugget Building at the corner of Colorado Avenue and North Fir Street in Telluride. The work required the buildings occupants to move out and the Nugget Theatre to close on Nov. 25. The theatre will reopen Thursday with the showing of “Hot Dog…The Movie,” and “Little Women” will follow on Friday, with showings for a week. The Nugget Building was built in 1892 by L.L. Nunn, and served as space for the First National Bank and Telluride Power Company, as well as a grocery store and a drug store.

WEAK SNOWPACK, BE CAREFUL IN SAN JUAN BACKCOUNTRY

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center reports that recent fresh snow in the San Juan Mountains, along with strong winds, have built very unstable layers of snowpack, and those layers are sitting on top of fragile layers. This all contributes to prime avalanche conditions. There were six avalanches triggered by snowmobiles and skiers in the San Juans during the past week and there have been 35 avalanches reported this winter, according to the CAIC. The CAIC suggests avoiding areas above timberline and wind-blown areas, and say safer conditions can be found on lower angle, wind-sheltered slopes.

LOOKING AT EAGLE COUNTY REAL ESTATE SALES IN 2019

For the eleven months through November last year, there were 54 real estate transactions in Eagle County. Beaver Creek was next, accounting for 9.03 percent of the sales volume in the county, but it took 114 transactions. There were 241 transactions in Eagle, for a total of $154 million. According to real estate brokers in Eagle County, the highest demand is for new construction, as many of the buyers are seeking a second-home and don’t want to be burdened with managing renovation projects from afar.

CPW TAGGING ELK TO STUDY IMPACT OF RECREATION ON HERDS

Wildlife officials with Colorado Parks and Wildlife are using helicopters and nets to capture up to 30 cow elk in Routt County. The program is part of a statewide research project of CPW, the University of Wyoming and the Forest Service to study how human recreation affects the health of resident elk herds. The target is cow elk that stay in Routt County and do not migrate. Once netted, the wildlife officials place a canvas collar with a GPS tracker on the animal and take a blood sample.

SUMMIT REAL ESTATE CONTINUES TO RISE

MORE LEGALIZED SPORTS BOOKS = MORE BETS ON SUPER BOWL LIV

• In May 2018, the Supreme Court repealed the Professional and American Sports Protection Act
• That opened legal sports betting which 20 states have taken advantage of
• 14 states are expected to legalize this year
• One result: analysts expect a 15 percent increase in betting on the Super Bowl Sunday
• Some 26 million Americans will wager about $6.8 billion on Super Bowl LIV
• Because of more legal outlets, brick-and-mortar sportsbooks will have a 25 percent increase in bets over last year
• 5 million will bet online or mobile platforms, a 19 percent increase
• 52 percent of people say they will bet on the Kansas City Chiefs, while 48 percent will bet on the 49ers

COLORADO 2020 WAGE WITHHOLDING TAX GUIDES AVAILABLE

New Colorado wage withholding tax guides are available. The Colorado Dept. of Revenue (CDOR) has issued a guide for employers, detailing Colorado’s withholding requirements as well as information for employees. Among other things, the guide describes employers that are subject to withholding and those that are exempt. Also provided by CDOR are collection and remittance information, with due dates and filing guidance, including electronic filing specifications. Here’s more information: https://bit.ly/2NsPkcU