|
Colorado - Fri. 02/07/25 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
|
|
View in Browser
|
|
|
| |
UNION MEMBERS START TWO-WEEK STRIKE OF KING SOOPERS ACROSS METRO DENVER
|
| |
|
|
| |
Union members kicked off a two-week strike of King Soopers stores across metro Denver early Thursday morning to protest what they say were unfair labor practices during contract negotiations. About 10,000 employees of the supermarket chain walked picket lines at 77 stores in Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties, as well as in Boulder and Louisville.
Union members at the two King Soopers stores in Pueblo planned to follow suit at 5 a.m. Friday. Union members in Colorado Springs also voted last week to authorize a strike, but one hasn’t been scheduled for those stores yet. Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 in metro Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo voted last week to authorize strikes. Union officials said at least 95 percent of the workers voting backed the strike. Asked how many members of the union voted, UFCW Local 7 president Kim Cordova said it was “standing room only.” The union called for the votes after contract negotiations broke down and its contracts with King Soopers expired Jan. 17. The union is also in contract negotiations with Safeway, owned by Albertsons.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
SANDHILL CRANES MAKING RETURN TO COLORADO
|
| |
|
|
| |
Sandhill cranes start flying into the San Luis Valley this month for their annual stopover. The majestic birds, long-legged with 6-foot wingspans, guttural songs and dances beloved by legions of admirers, arrive from wintering nests in the southwest U.S. and Mexico. En route to the northern Rockies and plains, tens of thousands of cranes are known to "spring break" in the barley fields and wetlands spanning this southern Colorado valley framed by the Sangre de Cristo peaks. The sandhill cranes spend much of February and March in the San Luis Valley.
The 42nd Monte Vista Crane Festival is set for March 7-9, and features a full weekend of seminars, photography classes, guided tours and arts and crafts inside the Ski Hi Complex. Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge is regarded as a "hot spot" for the migrators. Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge is another spot for viewing. The cranes fly between roosts around sunrise and sunset. Throughout the day, they "loaf" in the fields, now and then appealing to a mate by leaping and flapping their wings in courtship dances. Smaller numbers have been seen in far western Mesa, Montrose and Delta counties as well.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR UPGRADES AT SOUTHWEST COLORADO SKI HILL
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
A local, historic ski hill in southwest Colorado is celebrating an unprecedented makeover this season. Operators in Durango have praised the investment for ushering the 70-year-old Chapman Hill into the 21st century: about $3 million in upgrades. Chapman's two rope tows have been replaced. That includes the one long known as "big tow," brought over from the 10th Mountain Division's World War II-era training grounds near Leadville. "Big tow" is now a Leitner-Poma platter lift. And the similarly outdated "little tow" is now a modernized Telecord tow. So far, 701 season passes have been sold, up from 554 for the 2023-24 season, and 1,510 daily tickets sold through the end of January. This season's investment also came with new lighting, continuing a night skiing tradition among generations of young families and after-school racers. Since 1955, Chapman Hill has been the local spot for learning and honing skills.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
BRONCOS' SEASON-TICKET RENEWAL PRICES INCREASE; 110,000 ON WAITLIST
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Broncos season-ticket holders can expect an average cost increase of 8 percent with their 2025 renewal window which opened Thursday. The Broncos reported their highest gameday satisfaction score since 2015, with fan attendance rising over 3 percent in 2024. The team also ranked inside the NFL’s top five in season-ticket renewal rate (96 percent), and with a waitlist that is now more than 110,000 people long. The Broncos analyze league-wide data on ticket pricing from teams and secondary markets — down to specific seats — with price adjustments based on demand and fan experience. Most sections at Empower Field were raised by 8 percent in 2025, with specific changes varied by seat location. In 2024, the Broncos were among 27 of 32 NFL teams that raised their average costs of season-ticket renewals while 9News reported a 7.9 percent jump in Denver.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
UNITED WAY BENEFIT CONCERT TONIGHT AT WAREHOUSE25SIXTY-FIVE
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
United Way of Mesa County is hosting a Unite the Night Benefit Concert tonight, Feb. 7, at Warehouse25sixty-five in Grand Junction. The concert will feature music from the Lost Junction Band and the headlining Peach Street Revival. Doors will open at 6 p.m., with the show set to start at 7:15 p.m. All proceeds from the concert will benefit local non-profit organizations that provide resources and pathways to stability for the unhoused in Mesa County. This includes the United to Solve Homelessness Fund, which helps fund programs addressing homelessness. Tickets to the concert are available at bit.ly/unitethenightgj. General admission standing room tickets are available for $29.43 each.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
LA PLATA COUNTY LOOKING TO SELL DURANGO'S OLD MAIN POST OFFICE
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
La Plata County commissioners gave staff direction to sell the Old Main Post Office building in downtown Durango, ending years of discussion over the historic building’s fate. The Board of County Commissioners determined it was not in the public’s interest for the county to maintain ownership of the building. The building’s 440-square-foot basement serves as a carrier-neutral data center for various internet providers that have leased the space until 2033; whoever buys the building will be required to honor the lease. In the event of an offer, two out of the three BoCC members must agree to the sale and the vote would be held at a public meeting. The Old Main Post Office, located at 1060 Main Ave., was built in 1929, and served as Durango’s Post Office for 49 years. It is listed on the national registry of historic buildings. Any buyer hoping to renovate the space would need their plans approved by the city of Durango’s historic preservation officials.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
CORINTHIAN HILL RECOGNIZED FOR PROACTIVE WILDFIRE MITIGATION
|
| |
|
|
| |
The town of Dillon has recognized local property owners for being proactive about wildfire mitigation efforts. The Corinthian Hill Property Owners Association recently received Firewise USA certification. Firewise USA is a voluntary program developed by the National Fire Protection Association that helps communities reduce the risk of wildfires. Corinthian Hill received the designation after extensive mitigation efforts that were made possible through a Summit County fire mitigation grant.
The community implemented significant hazardous reduction steps, with 61 homeowners participating in the project. They hired Summit Tree Service to take fire mitigation actions on over 100 trees throughout the neighborhood, enhancing fire safety and improving scenic views for residents. The Firewise designation could also make homeowners eligible for insurance discounts. The property owners’ association has also reportedly developed a five-year plan to further enhance fire mitigation efforts in Corinthian Hill.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
COLORADO STATE POET LAUREATE WINS TOP PRIZE AT SUNDANCE
|
| |
|
|
| |
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s Favorite Award has been presented to “Come See Me in the Good Light,” a critically acclaimed documentary focusing on Colorado State Poet Laureate Andrea Gibson’s journey since getting an incurable cancer diagnosis. The winner, determined by audience vote, can go to any film that plays at the festival from any genre. Gibson, who is considered the rock star of spoken-word poetry, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021. The new film, directed by Ryan White, follows Gibson and fellow poet Megan Falley as they go on an unexpectedly funny and poignant odyssey through love, life and mortality. Among the film’s producers are singers Brandi Carlile and Sara Bareilles and red-hot comedian (and former Denver resident) Tig Notaro.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he was thrilled to congratulate Gibson, whom Polis appointed to State Poet Laureate in September 2023. The Poet Laureate serves as an active advocate for poetry, literacy and literature by participating in readings at schools, libraries, festivals and other events across the state. “I am proud of Andrea for sharing a very personal story with the world through this film,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said. “As the son of a poet, I grew up surrounded by the impacts of the arts, which has strengthened my belief in the importance and value of the arts in Colorado.” Polis’ mother is filmmaker and poet Susan Polis Schutz, who turned her poetry and her husband’s artwork into the Blue Mountain Arts greeting-card empire in 1971.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
WHO GETS FEDERAL RESEARCH FUNDING IN COLORADO?
|
| |
|
|
| |
With several major universities and a large academic medical campus, Colorado is a hub for research on science, medicine and technology. Every year, hundreds of millions of dollars flow into Colorado to fund research in the state by universities and private companies. There are dozens of agencies that fund this research. The Sun focused on two heavyweights: the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. Combined, the two issued around $45 billion worth of grants nationally in the 2024 federal fiscal year, which ended in September.
- The NIH is a powerhouse biotech funder in the U.S., issuing more than $37 billion in grants to more than 2,800 entities in the 2024 federal fiscal year.
- Of the 47 grant recipients in Colorado, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus — officially part of the University of Colorado-Denver — received by far the most. The campus took in nearly $350 million in NIH grants last fiscal year, about 60 percent of the total NIH funding that came to Colorado.
- CU-Anschutz ranked 27th nationally for NIH funding — though far behind the roughly $860 million that first-place Johns Hopkins University received.
- Other major recipients of NIH funding in Colorado included the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, National Jewish Health, the University of Denver and two private companies: Denver-based software company Palantir Technologies and Crestone Inc., a Boulder-based biopharmaceutical company.
How much does Colorado get from the National Science Foundation?
- The NSF is considerably smaller than the NIH — it issued about $8.4 billion in grants nationally in the 2024 fiscal year but distributed them across more than 10,000 institutions.
- While Colorado pulls an amount proportional to its population size from the NIH, it punches above its weight with the NSF. The state’s roughly 5.9 million people amounts to around 1.7 percent of the U.S. population. But Colorado’s $362 million in NSF awards in 2024 accounted for 4.3 percent of the agency’s total distribution.
- The University of Colorado-Boulder received the most among Colorado universities, with more than $111 million awarded in 2024.
- But the state’s top recipient was the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, or UCAR, which operates the federal National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder.
- Other major recipients include Colorado State University, the Colorado School of Mines, the University of Colorado-Denver and two other entities — one called Innosphere Ventures and another called Future Earth — that focus on climate resilience and environmental sustainability.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
FREE DAYS AT THE DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS, DENVER ZOO, DENVER ART MUSEUM & OTHER HOTSPOTS
|
| |
|
|
| |
The annual Free Days calendar from the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District has been released, covering the metro area’s biggest nonprofit institutions, from the Denver Art Museum and the Denver Botanic Gardens to the Denver Zoo. Many other nonprofits funded by the SCFD also offer free days or are always free, such as the Broomfield Veterans Museum, city of Lakewood art exhibitions, Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park, Foothills Art Center, Colorado Music Hall of Fame, the Aurora History Museum, and Louisville History Museum. Check the full list at scfd.org/find-culture/free-days.
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
- March 7 (5-9 p.m.)
- April 7
- April 27
- May 12
- June 19
- Aug. 25
- Sept. 15
- Oct. 12
- Nov. 8
- Dec. 8
Free admission does not include IMAX or the Planetarium. Call 303-370-6000 or visit dmns.org for more.
Denver Art Museum
- Feb. 22
- March 11
- April 8
- April 27
- May 13
- June 10
- June 27
- July 8
- Aug. 12
- Sept. 6
- Sept. 9
- Oct. 14
- Nov. 8
- Dec. 9
General admission is free every day for those 18 and younger. Free days don’t include admission to ticketed exhibitions. Call 720-865-5000 or visit denverartmuseum.org for more.
Denver Zoo
- Feb. 9
- Feb. 22
- April 7
- Nov. 7
- Nov. 15
- Nov. 23
All reservations must be made online. Call 720-337-1400 or visit denverzoo.org/free-days for more.
Denver Botanic Gardens at York Street and Chatfield Farms
- Feb. 13
- March 10
- April 22 (Earth Day)
- June 10
- July 3
- Aug. 27
- Nov. 28
Call 720-865-3500 or visit botanicgardens.org for more.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
MARKET UPDATE - 02/06/2025 Close
|
| |
|
(Courtesy of Alpine Bank Wealth Management*)
|
| |
|
Canadian dollar (per U.S. dollar)
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Mexican peso (per U.S. dollar)
|
| |
|
|
|
|
30-year fixed mortgage rate (Freddie Mac 02/06/2025)
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
*Not FDIC insured. May lose value. Not guaranteed by the bank.
|
| |
|
| |
Alpine Bank is an independent, employee-owned organization with headquarters in Glenwood Springs and banking offices across Colorado's Western Slope, mountains and Front Range. Alpine Bank serves customers with retail, business, wealth management*, mortgage and electronic banking services. Learn more at alpinebank.com.
*Alpine Bank Wealth Management services are not FDIC insured, may lose value and are not guaranteed by the bank.
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Make changes to your subscription or unsubscribe here. |
| © 2025 Alpine Bank. |
| |
|
|
