Economy
Economy
What’s Working: How ID.me will help get the jobless paid, a Denver program offering employers $6,000 to hire
Unemployment updates, fraud alerts, Paycheck loans and a list of what could come in the next federal relief plan.
Colorado unemployment office plans to use biometric ID verification to battle fraud
Fraud prevention measures have held up new federal jobless benefits to those on pandemic unemployment. “We are walking a tightrope here,” said Joe Barela, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s executive director.
Victims reported unemployment fraud to the Colorado Department of Labor. The state didn’t stop the claims.
Now some victims are getting tax forms for jobless benefits paid or learning their contested claims were ignored. State labor officials say they had to get funds out fast even as criminals targeted unemployment systems.
Colorado marijuana sales exceeded $2 billion in 2020
The state collected about $32 million in taxes and fees from marijuana sales in November alone
Pitkin County, with Colorado’s highest coronavirus incidence rate, is moving to red-level restrictions
The change means indoor dining will cease in Aspen. Outdoor dining, takeout and delivery at restaurants still will be available, though there will be an 8 p.m. last call and tables can only have people from the same household.
Oil companies lock in drilling on western public lands, challenging Joe Biden on climate
In Colorado, a dozen permits are approved or pending to drill in Pawnee National Grassland, a birding destination where wildflowers and cactuses bloom below the buttes
What’s Working: Colorado unemployment system getting rebuilt, new round of Paycheck Protection loans start Monday
Other states have started paying the $300 bonus while some on unemployment are still waiting on the computers.
New plans for rail traffic over Colorado’s Tennessee Pass spark protest from grain-hauling competitor
Rio Grande Pacific Corp. inked a lease for the long-dormant rail line through Colorado's high country, floating the possibility of oil cars in Browns Canyon
Colorado labor department blames fraud for 63% spike in new unemployment claims
New claims were unusually high in the week after Christmas -- even though pandemic benefits were no longer available. Fraudsters are now targeting the state’s regular unemployment system.
Students disappeared from classes when they lost internet. A rural Colorado school district’s creativity got them back online.
Alamosa School District saw no end to the growing digital divide, as parents lost jobs. Then the community came together for a temporary solution.
Colorado is behind on targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions. How far should the state push industry to get there?
Critics say the governor's roadmap is guided by "wishful thinking" rather than binding mandates to cut emissions blamed for climate change.
Xcel Energy moves up closure dates for coal-fired power plant near Steamboat Springs
Hayden Generating Station units 1 and 2 will be closed without layoffs of 75 people who work there, utility giant says as it moves toward 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050.
Colorado unemployment office clarifies what people on unemployment need to do by Jan. 5
An email sent to more than 500,000 out-of-work Coloradans was corrected on Monday with the Labor Department asking users to disregard some of the information.
Colorado’s unemployment system slammed after email about jobless benefits is erroneously sent to many who are ineligible
The Colorado Department of Labor says the email “erroneously instructed” unemployed people to make a request for payment but not all were eligible. The note was intended to inform everyone about a computer upgrade and not about expiring or renewed federal benefits.
What’s Working: Small business funding available, back to business in 2021, Colorado unemployment updates and more
Plus: New unemployment system launches Jan. 10, new rules for employers, and how to start your own business
New Year, new minimum wage: Colorado’s hourly rate jumps to $12.32 an hour
The increase worries businesses already reeling from pandemic restrictions, including restaurants where tipped workers will get $9.30 an hour. Others say it’s long overdue.
As 2020 winds down, renter programs get more money as Colorado’s state eviction moratorium is set to end
Funds to help people struggling with rent and mortgages payments are replenished as landlord applications for aid quadruples. Meanwhile, the federal eviction ban was extended to Jan. 31 as part of the new federal relief bill
Colorado has the 9th worst economy among states in 3rd quarter
Colorado's unemployment rate has remained stagnant at around 6% for the past three months while the U.S. has reported a decrease from 7.9% to 6.7% over the same time frame
Colorado Republicans buck Trump as House approves the president’s call for $2,000 relief checks
The House also overrode Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act on Monday night. Colorado's U.S. Rep. Ken Buck was the only member of the state's House delegation to side with the president and vote to block the override.
Unemployed Coloradans won’t see federal jobless aid for weeks despite Trump signing coronavirus relief bill
The lag is due to potential changes in guidelines by the U.S. Department of Labor and the need to reprogram Colorado’s unemployment computer system