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Colorado - Tue. 03/25/25 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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USWNT TO PLAY SUMMER FRIENDLY IN COLORADO FOR SECOND YEAR
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U.S. Soccer announced the U.S. Women’s National Team will return to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on June 26 for an international friendly against the Republic of Ireland, the first of two matches between the nations this summer. The other will be three days later at FC Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium. The U.S. is undefeated all-time against Ireland, currently ranked 26th globally by FIFA, in 15 meetings. The USWNT visit comes on the heels of Denver being awarded an expansion franchise in the National Women’s Soccer League in January. This will be the 10th time overall and the third time in four years that the national team has made a trip to Colorado. The USWNT has never lost in the Centennial State, winning all but one game, a 3-all tie with Japan in 2016.
Last year, USWNT coach Emma Hayes made her debut with the U.S. in Colorado and led the team to a 4-0 victory over a formidable Korea Republic team. In that game, star forward and Colorado native Mallory Swanson scored twice. The team went on to win gold in women’s soccer in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. That team featured three Coloradans: Swanson, Golden native and USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps (née Horan), and Windsor native Sophia Wilson (née Smith). Combined, the three Colorado stars have 308 appearances, 98 goals and 79 assists for the national team. The match will kick off at 7 p.m. and will be televised on TBS, TruTV and Max (Universo and Peacock for Spanish broadcasts). Tickets will go on sale on March 28.
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BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY EMPLOYEE WINS $1 MILLION IN WARREN BUFFETT'S MARCH MADNESS BRACKET CHALLENGE
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For the first time in nearly 10 years, a Berkshire Hathaway employee claimed Warren Buffett’s $1 million grand prize for his company’s NCAA bracket contest. An anonymous employee from aviation training company FlightSafety International, a subsidiary of Buffett’s Berkshire, won the annual internal bracket contest after correctly calling 31 of the 32 games in the first round of the men’s basketball tournament dubbed March Madness. The 94-year-old Oracle of Omaha was finally able to give out the big prize after relaxing the rules multiple times since the competition’s inception in 2016.
Originally, Buffett, a Creighton basketball fan, set out to award anyone who could perfectly predict the Sweet 16. Then, in 2024, after the $1 million jackpot remained unclaimed, participants were given the advantage of waiving the results of the eight games among the No.1 and No. 2 seeds. Still, nobody cracked the code. This year, the rules were changed again so anyone who picks the winners of at least 30 of the tournament’s 32 first-round games would be eligible to win the prize. Twelve Berkshire employees guessed 31 of the 32 first-round games correctly. The $1 million prize went to the person from that group that picked 29 games consecutively before a loss. That winner went on to pick 44 of the 45 games correctly. The other 11 contestants are getting $100,000 each.
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LINDSEY VONN TAKES SECOND IN FINAL WORLD CUP RACE OF HER COMEBACK SEASON
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Lindsey Vonn's return to the podium, six years since stepping away from ski racing, 11 months since her partial knee replacement, four months since announcing her return, hit her hard in the finish area. Struggling to catch her breath but still managing the energy to raise her ski poles in celebration, the tears fell. Vonn concluded her comeback season at age 40 with a second-place finish in a World Cup super-G race Sunday that was won by Swiss standout Lara Gut-Behrami. Vonn became the oldest female Alpine ski racer to step on the podium of a World Cup race — by six years.
This was Vonn's first World Cup podium spot since March 15, 2018, when she finished third in a super-G in Are, Sweden. A year later in Are, she earned downhill bronze at the world championships before calling it a career due to her knee. Vonn received a titanium knee last April and was feeling so good that she announced in November her plans for a return. Before the race, her father, Alan Kildow, took her by the arm and just said, “fearless.” It was Vonn's 138th career World Cup podium in her 408th World Cup start. She is within one of tying the most starts by a female Alpine racer, a mark held by Renate Goetschl of Austria.
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DOUGLAS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT PROPOSES CLOSURE OF THREE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
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The Douglas County School District on Monday proposed closing three elementary schools beginning in the 2026-27 school year: Saddle Ranch Elementary School and Heritage Elementary School, both in Highlands Ranch, and Acres Green Elementary School in Lone Tree. The district, which has 61,851 students this year, has also identified three other schools to accept students attending the closing schools — Eldorado Elementary School, Summit View Elementary School and Fox Creek Elementary School. Eldorado Elementary will absorb students from Saddle Ranch; Summit View Elementary will receive students from Heritage Elementary; and Fox Creek will enroll students from Acres Green Elementary.
District leaders are suggesting board members adopt a series of boundary changes for individual Highlands Ranch neighborhoods. They are also proposing that Cresthill, Mountain Ridge and Ranch View middle schools — which all currently serve seventh and eighth graders — add sixth grade. The elementary schools that feed into those middle schools would relinquish sixth grade to the middle schools. Both changes would take effect for the 2026-27 school year. Their proposal now goes to the school board, whose seven members will vote on the district’s recommendations during their April 8 meeting before making a final decision April 22 about which schools to shutter.
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MINNESOTA HIRES NIKO MEDVED: COLORADO STATE COACH RETURNS HOME AFTER MOUNTAIN WEST SUCCESS
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When Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle fired Ben Johnson in the middle of the night on March 13, he did so with one candidate in mind to be his next men's basketball coach. Niko Medved. And he got his guy. Medved is leaving Colorado State to be the next coach of the Golden Gophers. Medved is coming off a great 2024-25 season. He took the Rams to the NCAA Tournament, upsetting 5-seed Memphis in the first round and then playing Maryland to the final second before losing on a controversial buzzer-beater by Terrapins star freshman Derik Queen on Sunday night. The 51-year-old Medved is a Minneapolis native and Golden Gophers alumnus (1997). He spent the past seven seasons with CSU, guiding the program to the NCAA Tournament three times and winning 143 games. With CSU's job now open, associate head coach Ali Farokhmanesh is expected to be one of the top candidates to succeed Medved in Fort Collins.
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INTRODUCING ASPEN HIGHLANDS' NEW PATROL PUP
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Aspen Snowmass’ new most-viewed video on their Instagram page just garnered over 3.5 million views as of Monday, March 24. What was this viral video? It was the debut of Aspen Highlands’ newest addition to their patrol team, Goose, a 12-week-old puppy who will be training to become a patrol dog capable of helping in search-and-rescue operations in, and out, of the resort. Aspen’s four mountains currently have 13 working patrol dogs with Goose. She will be the 14th once she is trained and certified by Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment, an agency charged with certifying and providing training for people and dogs, to ensure Colorado has access to competent and fast avalanche rescue operations. Aspen Skiing Company’s avalanche rescue dog program was started in the year 2000, though the region’s first avalanche dog worked in the area as early as the 1980s.
Goose, and her handler, Eric Young, a patroller at Highlands, will be undergoing training ahead of practice scenarios conducted by both Aspen patrol, as well as C-RAD to ultimately assist search and rescue operations in-resort at Highlands and in the Aspen area. Patrollers and their dogs worked those slides to confirm that no one was buried in those slides who may not have been visible when the slide occurred. Avalanche dogs at resorts often assist with search-and-rescue operations beyond the boundary as well. Goose and Eric can eventually be sent to assist nearby mountains with rescue operations. Recently, Aspen Patroller Jacob Rockwell was sent with Ruthie, a patrol dog at Aspen, to help out with search-and-rescue operations in Vail.
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PUBLIC BUSES TO TELLURIDE ARE ROLLING: NEW ROUTE STARTED RUNNING FEB. 17
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Buses for a new route serving Montrose, Ridgway and Telluride are on the road and rolling Mondays through Fridays. The service is operated by the San Miguel Authority for Regional Transportation and intended to serve the needs of the workforce, though anyone can hop on the bus. Riders can catch the bus each weekday at 6 a.m. in Montrose or 6:40 a.m. in Ridgway to arrive in Telluride by 8 a.m. Return trips leave Telluride at 5 p.m., stop in Ridgway and arrive in Montrose by 7 p.m.
The trip costs $5 each way from Montrose or $4 from Ridgway, or riders can purchase 40 tickets for $36, with each ticket being worth a dollar. For example, it would cost 5 tickets to go from Montrose to Telluride. Cash and checks are accepted on the bus. The bus stop in Montrose is at the corner of North 2nd St. and Cascade Ave., and there is a parking lot available. It also picks up at 283 Palomino Trail in Ridgway. More information: smarttelluride.colorado.gov/Montrose
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2025 TELLURIDE TOWN PARK CAMPGROUND RESERVATION WINDOWS
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The Town of Telluride Parks and Recreation Dept. will release the first of four rounds of online campground reservation windows on Tuesday, April 22, at 9 a.m. MST. The first round of online reservations released will be for camping from May 16 through June 13. The Town Park Campground season runs from May 16 through Oct. 5. Online reservations will open in four separate booking windows, including:
- Tuesday, April 22, at 9 a.m. MST for reservations from May 16 through June 13
- Tuesday, May 20, at 9 a.m. MST for reservations from June 23 through Aug. 6
- Tuesday, July 8, at 9 a.m. MST for reservations from Aug. 11 through Aug. 20 and Aug. 24 through Sept. 9
- Tuesday, Aug. 12, at 9 a.m. MST for reservations from Sept. 15 through Oct. 5
Various festivals manage campground reservations between booking windows. To stay at the campground during festival dates, you must be attending the festival and obtain campground reservations and passes through the festival directly. The festivals include:
- Telluride Bluegrass Festival: June 14 - 22
- Telluride Jazz Festival: Aug. 7 - 10
- Planet Bluegrass Concert: Aug. 21 - 23
- Telluride Blues and Brews Festival: Sept. 10 - 14
The Telluride Town Park Campground reservation restrictions and policies ensure fair and equitable access to the campground throughout the camping season. Key reservation policies include the following:
- Individuals are limited to a maximum of 7 nights total within a 30-day period
- Individuals are limited to a maximum of 14 nights total for the duration of the 2025 camping season (May 16 through Oct. 5)
- Due to high demand, group bookings are not allowed. Only one site is allowed to be booked per individual per day
- Resale of campsites is prohibited
Camping reservations can only be made online. For assistance or questions, please email parksandrec@telluride-co.gov or call 970-728-2173. For nightly rates, reservation information, policies, procedures, and the booking link, please visit bit.ly/totcamping.
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DURANGO CELTIC FESTIVAL TAKES OVER CONCERT HALL
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The Durango Celtic Festival is celebrating its 11th season, March 28 - 29, at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, offering a weekend full of music and workshops. This year’s festival offers two solid nights of music, late night shows, and music workshops. There are even school assemblies, and you can catch more music Sunday afternoon at the regular Irish music session at Durango Beer and Ice Co. This year’s music lineup has canted toward Scotland, with three international bands: Old Blind Dogs, Dàimh (pronounced dive) and Heron Valley. Local band Westwind Pipes & Drums rounds out the performers. Visit durangocelticfestival.com for more information.
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LOCAL VAIL VALLEY CHANNEL TV8 WILL SHUT DOWN AFTER LAST BROADCAST MARCH 28
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It’s been a while since TV8 has been on local channel 8. The channel, now on channel 92 on the Comcast cable system, will end operations March 28. Station general manager Danielle Turner said the station’s owner, based in Park City, has decided not to continue operations after the station’s current studio lease in Avon’s Seasons building ends. The company acquired the station in May 2021, after Vail Resorts suspended operations of the station in July 2020, after nearly 30 years. Turner said one of the ideas behind this version of TV8 was to become more community oriented.
In addition to “Good Morning Vail,” the station hosted cooking shows, and two years ago, TV8 launched “Conexion Latina,” a Spanish-language broadcast. While TV8 lost its spot on the Comcast channel dial in the acquisition, Turner and others made the best of things, adopting a new slogan, “There’s more for you on 92.” This version of TV8 had a mix of full-time, part-time and contractors creating content, with as few as three and as many as 12 people working there.
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VAIL INVITES COMMUNITY TO ANNUAL TOWN MEETING TODAY
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Vail’s Annual Community Meeting will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. today, March 25, at Donovan Pavilion in West Vail. The meeting will include a look back on town accomplishments from 2024, an update on initiatives for 2025, and a celebration recognizing Steve Lindstrom and George Ruther as joint recipients of the annual Trailblazer Award. Full- and part-time residents, business owners, property owners, employees and any others with an interest in the town of Vail are encouraged to attend. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. A brief presentation will begin at 5:15 p.m.
Attendees will be invited to sign up to win one of 20 gift certificates to Vail restaurants, as well as the grand prize of two tickets to any 2025 show and $100 for concessions at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater. Following the presentation, members of the council and staff will be on hand to chat with community members, provide information on town services and answer questions. Parking is free and light refreshments will be served. The meeting will be recorded by High Five Access and will be available for later viewing at HighfiveMedia.org. For more information, call 970-479-2115.
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CHAMPIONING CARE: MASTERING HEALTHCARE ADVOCACY & TECHNOLOGY
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Registration is open for the upcoming Aging Well Speaker Series, hosted by Caregiver Connections and Eagle County Healthy Aging, on Wednesday, April 9, 4:30 to 6:15 p.m., at Colorado Mountain College in Edwards. This event is free and open to the public. The topic is important and relevant to all - “Championing Care: Mastering Healthcare Advocacy and Technology," with special guest speakers from the Vail Health team, Dr. Melissa O'Meara, Primary Care Physician at Colorado Mountain Medicine and Chad Milam, Director of Digital Strategy & Experience at Vail Health. An additional offer at this talk will be 1:1 tech help from 4:30 to 5 p.m. where you can find assistance with your phone, portals, email and more. To learn more, visit online at getcaregiverconnections.org. To RSVP, call 970-445-0312.
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STEAMBOAT CITY COUNCIL APPROVES PERMANENT DESIGNATION OF THREE STEAMBOAT OFF-LEASH DOG PARKS
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City council members voted unanimously to permanently designate three off-leash dog trails in Steamboat Springs this week after Parks and Recreation commissioners recommended a trial-period for the areas come to a close. The three trail areas, Sailors Way Trail, Butcherknife Trail and Whistler Park, had been designated as trial off-leash areas since 2017. As a result of the vote, Steamboat will now have five permanent off-leash trail areas, with the three trail areas joining Rita Valentine Park and the lower pond area of Spring Creek Park.
Steamboat Digs Dogs, a coalition of community members that advocates for off-leash dog areas, partnered with Parks and Recreation and the Steamboat Springs Police Dept. for a one-year off-leash program in 2017. In 2018, the off-leash trial period was extended another two years with the addition of improvements including additional signage, biodegradable dog waste bags and dispensers and dog waste clean-up operations performed throughout the year. Steamboat Digs Dogs also strengthened communications with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to mitigate conflicts with wildlife in the off-leash areas.
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SUMMIT COUNTY TO HOST VETERANS OPEN HOUSE
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The Summit County government will be hosting a Veterans Open House at the Summit County Community and Senior Center in Frisco on Wednesday, March 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is open to all United States Armed Forces veterans and families of veterans from Summit County and surrounding counties. During the open house, veterans and their families can learn more about resources designed specifically for the veteran community to support their health and future. Lunch will be provided. For more information, call Lorie Williams at 970-668-2945.
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HOW FRIENDLY ARE PEOPLE IN COLORADO?
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It’s hard to find a place friendlier than Colorado, according to newly released rankings. The Centennial State was tapped as the seventh friendliest state in the country by World Population Review. World Population Review referenced two lists in compiling its rankings: the “politeness index” from Big 7 Travel and Zippia’s list of each state’s average tipping rate. Big 7 Travel put together its list by asking 2.5 million social media followers to vote on which states are the friendliest, and Colorado also ranked No. 7 on this list. Colorado ranked No. 19 on Zippia’s list with an average tipping rate of 16.6 percent but it also landed at No. 24 on its list of rudest states, which factors in its percentage of rude drivers. The top and bottom of World Population Review’s list lined up with reputations – New York was named the least friendly state, while Minnesota and all of its “Minnesota nice” topped the list. The top 10 most friendly states:
- Minnesota
- Tennessee
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Wyoming
- Indiana
- Colorado
- Kansas
- Oklahoma
- Hawaii
Neighbors Arizona (39th) and Utah (32nd) didn’t come across as too neighborly, finishing in the bottom half of the survey. New Mexico (17th) and Nebraska (13th) finished much closer to Colorado. Wyoming (fifth), Kansas (eighth) and Oklahoma (ninth) surround Colorado in the rankings.
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MARKET UPDATE - 03/24/2025 Close
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(Courtesy of Alpine Bank Wealth Management*)
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Canadian dollar (per U.S. dollar)
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Mexican peso (per U.S. dollar)
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30-year fixed mortgage rate (Freddie Mac 03/20/2025)
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*Not FDIC insured. May lose value. Not guaranteed by the bank.
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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.
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