Posted inNews

“A joke.” “TERRIBLE.” “Insane!!!”: Want mail in Buena Vista? That will be $134.

BUENA VISTA — Even in these politically divided times, one topic has united this 3,000-person town in Colorado’s high country: frustration with the local U.S. Postal Service office.  Residents complain that prescriptions are lost. Bills come late. Mail goes to the wrong post office box, or is inexplicably returned to the sender.  “A joke.” “TERRIBLE.” […]

Posted inHousing, News, Politics and Government

Colorado lawmakers are betting millions that factory-built homes are a solution to the housing crisis

Colorado lawmakers are aiming to increase the state’s stock of modular homes amid a statewide housing shortage that’s left many residents priced out of the market. House Bill 1282, known as the Innovative Housing Incentive Program, would create a $40 million loan program that modular homes manufacturers could use to pay workers and cover operating […]

Posted inBusiness, Economy, Energy, News, Outsider

Solar-powered homes caught in crossfire as a rural Colorado electric co-op aims to squeeze more from second-home owners

A plan by the Sangre de Cristo Electric Association to squeeze more money from absent property owners is sparking a revolt among the cooperative’s members.  The electric co-op wants to increase its monthly service charge while cutting the cost of power for customers who use the most electricity. As Colorado’s mountain communities struggle with the […]

Posted inBusiness, Music, News

Seven Peaks Festival pulls out of Buena Vista after county declines to raise its 5,000-person capacity cap

Live Nation on Friday canceled its Seven Peaks music and camping festival in Buena Vista and announced it was seeking a new location after the county declined to raise its coronavirus capacity limits for events. The world’s top concert promoter was seeking a permit to host as many as 20,000 spectators at the festival on […]

Posted inBusiness, Housing, News, Outsider

Modular housing is getting a second look as Colorado confronts a lack of affordable homes

BUENA VISTA — Charlie Chupp deflects the perceived perfection of his timing.  As housing and construction costs skyrocket in Colorado, creating a labor crisis that threatens tourism and building industries in mountain communities, Chupp is six months from opening a modular housing production facility capable of churning out two fully-built, ready-to-assemble homes a day. The […]

Posted inBusiness, News, Outdoors, Transportation

Transportation board kills plan for trains to return to Colorado’s dormant Tennessee Pass

The Surface Transportation Board on Thursday rejected a plan by a rail operator to revive train traffic on Colorado’s mountainous Tennessee Pass Line.  Colorado Midland & Pacific Railway Company — a new division of Texas-based Rio Grande Pacific Corp. — asked the transportation board on Dec. 31, 2020 for streamlined approval of its plan to […]