THE SPORTS CASTLE IN DENVER SOLD, OWNER PLANS TO DESIGNATE IT HISTORIC PLACE

The Sports Castle, a prominent building on Broadway, just south of downtown Denver for nearly a century, has sold. Gart Properties, which owned the building since 1971 and operated Gart Bros. Sporting Goods in the 100,000 square-foot building until Sports Authority bought the sporting goods business in 1993, sold the Sports Castle and a parking lot across the street to a partnership led by construction executive Tom McLagan, who wants to place the building on the National Register of Historic Places. The building, named the Cullen-Thompson Motor. Co., opened as a Chrysler automobile showroom in 1926. McLagan, executive chairman of Hyder Construction, plans to use the building for office space. Renovation on the Sports Castle likely won’t begin until 2023. Until then, the building will be used for events by Non Plus Ultra, a California company.

AFTER A DIFFICULT SUMMER, SOUTHWEST WILL CUT FLIGHTS THIS FALL

Southwest Airlines Inc. Thursday announced it will cut a number of flights this fall as it works to resolve operational problems that caused flight delays and cancellations this summer. Southwest announced it will cut an average of 27 flights a day from Sept. 7 through Oct. 6, and 162 daily flights from Oct. 7 through Nov. 5. There will be additional cuts in November and December, but Southwest will protect holiday bookings. The cuts are designed to better align operations and allow more hiring to catch up following a difficult summer. Southwest will operate about 3,300 daily flights in September and 3.420 in October.

CALDOR FIRE NEARS LAKE TAHOE BASIN, MORE EVACUATIONS

The massive Caldor Fire has grown to more than 213 square miles in western California. It was only 12 percent contained as of Thursday and it was rapidly advancing toward Lake Tahoe, with the edge of the fire just 15 miles southwest of the lake. It is the No. 1 priority nationally for firefighting resources and there are almost 3,000 firefighters, 21 helicopters, 245 engines and dozens of bulldozers battling the fire which broke out Aug. 14. New evacuations were issued Thursday, including the immediate evacuation ordered for Twin Bridges and Echo Summit areas and an evacuation warning for Christmas Valley. The Caldor Fire has destroyed 637 homes, businesses and other structures, with another 17,000 structures still at risk.

LOCKED GATE ON ROADS THROUGH HIGH LONESOME RANCH BACK IN PLACE

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on Aug. 20 granted a request from the High Lonesome Ranch west of De Beque to close off public access to two roads through the ranch. The court of appeals granted the new emergency order while it evaluates the state of the grading and other work that Garfield County did on the road between July 26 and Aug. 13. The county did the work following the decision to open the road which was rendered by the U.S. District Court in December last year. The ranch claims the work the county did permanently altered the roads and affected sensitive wetlands areas.

PALISADE EXTENDS MORATORIUM ON RETAIL MARIJUANA LICENSES

Following a request from Town Administrator Janet Hawkinson, the Palisade Board of Trustees Tuesday extended the moratorium on new retail marijuana store licenses until the end of March. The moratorium was put into place after the town denied an application for a third retail marijuana store in September of last year. The extension will allow town staff to rewrite the marijuana code. The town is completely rewriting the code and will look for input from the community as well as utilize outside resources.

VAIL RESORTS ANNOUNCES OPENING DAYS: VERY EARLY FOR KEYSTONE, VAIL, BRECK

Vail Resorts issued a press release Thursday announcing the opening dates at its 34 North American ski resorts. The opening of the 2021-22 season for some the VR's resorts will be the earliest in history. The announcement says Keystone Resort will open “as early as possible in October.” For Vail Mountain and Breckenridge, the scheduled opening day is Nov. 12. The early opening dates are due to the investment in state-of-the-art snowmaking equipment at Keystone and Vail. Beaver Creek and Crested Butte are slated to open Nov. 24 and Whistler Blackcomb on Nov. 25. All the announced dates are subject to change due to conditions. The announcement also reminds skiers and boarders that Labor Day is the last chance to buy passes at the lowest prices this year. The Epic Pass is currently available for $783, compared to its price of $979 last season.

SHERIFF DAM AND RESERVOIR IN NEED OF REPAIR, COULD COST OAK CREEK $13 MILLION

The Sheriff Dam and Reservoir which is the source of the water supply for the town of Oak Creek is 67 years old and there are major problems that need attention. The repairs could cost as much as $13 million. The Sheriff Dam is considered a high hazard dam because if it were to fail, lives would be at risk downstream. There are three major problems. The first is the need to replace the gate and operator on the dam. The second is the spillway needs to be enlarged. The third is a sinkhole in the reservoir needs to be plugged immediately as an emergency measure. The plan is to replace the outlet and operator stem next year. The spillway enlargement would follow in 2023 and 2024.

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS TO PLANT 500 TREES ALONG THE YAMPA RIVER

The city of Steamboat Springs, in partnership with the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council, will host a community planting event Saturday, Oct. 2, to plant 500 trees on the banks of the Yampa River. The trees will provide shade and sun protection as well as providing flood protection. The city and Sustainability Council will seek a $150,000 grant from the Colorado River District to help fund the planting effort.

SILVERTHORNE UPDATES ITS PARKS, OPEN SPACE AND TRAILS MASTER PLAN

The Silverthorne Town Council Wednesday adopted the update of its parks, open space and trails master plan. The update was comprehensive and took more than a year to produce. It features an updated inventory of the town's outdoor recreation amenities, an updated recreational needs assessment and a new walkability and connectivity assessment that identifies connections that need improvement. It also includes an evaluation comparing recreational amenities in Summit County as a whole and updated community demographic data, including visitor and second-home owner information.

SAVING AMERICA’S HISTORIC RESTAURANTS

A new grant program sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express honors more than 25 small, historic and culturally significant restaurants which have suffered during the pandemic. The restaurants are symbolic of their neighborhoods and communities and historic destinations. Here are selections:

• Ben’s Chili Bowl, Washington, D.C.
• Maneki, Seattle
• Kegel’s Inn, Milwaukee
• Stutts House of Bar-B-Q, Tulsa
• The Four Way, Memphis
• Neir’s Tavern, Queens, New York
• Suehiro Café, Los Angeles
• Dooky Chase’s Restaurant, New Orleans
• Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, Detroit