OUR LOYALTY DEBIT CARD AND YOU: MAKES PERFECT CENTS

Thanks to customers like you, Alpine Bank was able to give back to the Colorado communities we serve with more than $4 million in awards to nonprofits and community organizations in 2020. With every Alpine Bank Loyalty VISA Debit Card transaction, Alpine Bank donates 10 cents to localized community causes and charities that align with your passions and interests, in the form of grants, sponsorships and gifts. You and all our Loyalty Debit Card customers helped us reach our total of $4.04 million in funds awarded, with $1.6 million raised solely from customer debit card transactions. Donations were directed to support causes and nonprofits in categories of Environment, Community, Education, the Arts, the Latino community, Colorado Mountain College, Children’s Hospital Colorado and Fort Lewis College.

COLORADO LAUNCHES NEW VACCINE CALL CENTER

The Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment Monday launched a new call center for the public to receive information about the COVID-19 vaccine, with trained operators to answer vaccine-related questions, provide information about vaccine providers across the state and provide general information about COVID-19. The call center is designed specially to serve seniors who have had difficulty in navigating websites and finding out how to sign up to get the vaccine. Now through the end of January, the vaccine call center, at 1-877-CO VAX CO (1-877-268-2926), is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Beginning Feb. 1, hours will extend to 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

DENVER CITY COUNCIL KEEPS 15 PERCENT CAP ON FOOD DELIVERY COMPANIES

The Denver City Council Monday voted unanimously to keep the 15 percent cap on companies delivering food in Denver through June. The companies, like Grubhub, DoorDash and Postmates have had the 15 percent cap in place since September and it was set to expire next month. Similar caps have been imposed on delivery companies in places like San Francisco, Seattle and New York. Representatives of the delivery companies have spoken out against the restrictions.

UPS SELLING ITS FREIGHT BUSINESS FOR $800 MILLION

United Parcel Service Inc. agreed to sell its freight business to rival TFI International Inc. for $800 million, saying it is pulling out of the domestic trucking market to focus on the soaring small-package-delivery business. UPS Freight offers less-than-truckload services, in which cargo from multiple shippers is combined in a single trailer, in all 50 states, Canada and Mexico. TFI, provides similar freight trucking services and parcel shipping in Canada. The agreement, announced Monday, will allow the freight business to continue using UPS’s domestic package network for five years to fulfill shipments.

LOCAL LEADERS SEND LETTER URGING BLM TO KEEP HEADQUARTERS IN GJ

Twenty-two elected leaders from Mesa, Garfield, Delta, Moffat, Montrose, Grand and Rio Blanco counties, along with Colorado Mesa University, the Grand Junction Economic Partnership, Club 20, the Associated Governments of Northwestern Colorado and the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce, have sent a letter to U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper inviting them to a roundtable discussion on the merits of keeping the headquarters of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Grand Junction. The two Colorado Senators have already sent a letter of their own to President Biden asking him not to reverse the decision to relocate the BLM headquarters.

COLORADO WEST LAND TRUST CONSERVES 1,200-ACRE RANCH

The Colorado West Land Trust Monday announced that it had placed a conservation easement on the 1,200-acre Meek Ranch, which is located along the West Elk Scenic and Historic Byway and is surrounded by private open space and National Forest land that connects to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park to the southwest. The Meek family started ranching the land in 1915 and it was purchased by the current owners, Roy and Sandy McLaughlin in 2014. Funding for the easement was provided by Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

COLORADO RIVER DISTRICT FUNDS PROJECT IN GRAND COUNTY WITH NEW TAX MONEY

Taxpayers in the 15 counties of the Colorado River District voted in November in favor of doubling the district’s property tax rate to 0.5 mills, with the approval expected to produce an increase of $5 million to the district in the first year. The River District board last week agreed to use the first $1 million of the increase to contribute to the funding of a $23.5 million project for a channel to reconnect the Colorado River where the Windy Gap Reservoir blocks its flow in Grand County.

HAYDEN ADOPTS MASTER PLAN

The town of Hayden adopted a master plan last week. The master plan is focused on economic development over the next 10 to 15 years in light of the earlier than expected closing of the Hayden Station Power Plant. Housing and neighborhoods are a big part of the plan. The plan calls for an increase of housing across the community. The plan seeks to maintain a connection with ranching and agriculture and the town will identify potential areas for conservation easements to preserve agricultural land, river access and public trails. Hayden will also seek to promote “cultural tourism.”

STATES WHERE $500,000 WILL LAST LONGEST WHEN YOU RETIRE

Nearly 60 percent of Americans think $1 million is the amount they need to live out their retirement years stress free. Nearly 50 percent plan on working past retirement age. Last year, due to the pandemic, 3 in 10 people said they have decreased how much they are setting aside for retirement or have been forced to stop saving altogether. Based on a calculation of the overall cost-of-living index in each state multiplied by an estimate of annual expenses, GOBankingRates ranked states in terms of how much $500,000 would last after someone retired:

1. Mississippi: 11 years, 7 months and 18 days; annual expenditures, $43,129
2. Kansas: 11 years, 4 months and 22 days: $45,011
3. Oklahoma: 11 years, 4 months and 12 days: $43,994
4. New Mexico: 11 years, 3 days: $44,859
5. Arkansas: 11 years, 2 months and 3 days: $44,299

LITERACY OUTREACH NEEDS VOLUNTEER TUTORS

Literacy Outreach needs your help! Volunteer to tutor essential literacy skills to an adult learner. All you need is a desire to help, the ability to read and speak English, and three hours per week to donate. To learn more, please join Literacy Outreach for a virtual information session on Tuesday, Feb. 9 from noon to 1 p.m. or Wednesday, Feb. 10 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Information sessions will be held virtually via Zoom. For Zoom links or any questions please email programs@literacyoutreach.org or call 970-945-5282.

LA PLATA OPEN SPACE CONSERVANCY APPLYS TO RENEW ACCREDITATION

La Plata Open Space Conservancy is pleased to announce it is applying for renewal of accreditation. The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, conducts an extensive review of each applicant’s policies and programs. La Plata Open Space Conservancy considers it a priority to fulfill the highest national standards for excellence and conservation permanence. A public comment period is now open. The Commission invites public input and accepts signed, written comments on pending applications. For the full list of standards, visit the link below. To learn more about the accreditation program and to submit a comment, visit landtrustaccreditation.org, or email your comment to info@landtrustaccreditation.org.

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE TO FURTHER OUTDOOR CAREERS

Offered through Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC), the Grossman Scholarship Program awards $5,000 to Colorado residents who have demonstrated a commitment to caring for our environment’s natural resources and intend to further this commitment through a post-secondary program related to the environment, natural resources, climate or the outdoor industry. Learn more at www.voc.org/scholarship and apply by March 31, 2021.