Farmers and agricultural researchers across the state are testing the viability of a drought-tolerant perennial wheatgrass developed in Kansas called Kernza
Grand Valley
Posted inHousing, News, Outsider
An automated factory that’d pump out modular homes in Grand Junction could help ease Colorado’s housing crisis
GRAND JUNCTION — On a baked patch of clay next to a growing hospital, a group of investors plans to ease the Western Slope’s housing crisis with a $45 million automated factory that could turn out 100 ready-to-assemble apartment units a month. “No one has ever built something like this in the U.S.” said Ted […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Water
Attempt to stop Colorado water speculation is circling the drain
A move to dry up water speculation once and for all in Colorado ended at the legislature despite intense supply pressures from drought and water developers, as lawmakers said they’re loath to hurt farmers’ ability to sell their most valuable asset. The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee tabled the anti-speculation bill after first accepting […]
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, Culture, News
Western Slope vineyards bubble over with young wine drinkers raised on fizzy beverages
Four Front Range millennials are tasting wines at Sauvage Spectrum winery in Palisade following a morning of river rafting and hiking. As they work their way through plastic cups of unfiltered and sparkling wines nestled in muffin tins, the conversation around their outdoor table goes like this: “This reminds me of kombucha, which I love.” […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Newsletters, Outsider, Transportation
An upgraded Grand Junction rail yard could accelerate Western Slope economic development
What if something as simple as getting freight trains to stop for a moment in Grand Junction could keep businesses and jobs on the Western Slope, support Grand Valley economic-development and reduce truck traffic on Interstate 70? “It would be huge; an absolute game-changer for the Western Slope,” if rail owners Union Pacific and Burlington […]
Posted inClimate, Growth, News, Water
Drought forces Grand Junction to dip into Colorado River for drinking water for the first time in more than 50 years
For 65 years, the Ute Water Conservancy District serving Grand Junction and Mesa County has let the Colorado River flow on by, while drawing drinking water from pristine runoff 11,000 feet high on Grand Mesa. The severe, ongoing drought has now forced other plans. The utility has for the first time begun to mix Colorado […]
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, COVID, Energy, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government
Grand Junction keeps its grave for radioactive, Cold War dirt thanks to new coronavirus-aid package
Cold War-era Grand Junction had a widespread benefit from a uranium mill in its backyard: dirt — fine, sand-like, multipurpose dirt. The Climax Uranium Mill along the Colorado River offered an endless supply of the gray dirt that was free for the taking by anyone who needed material to use in sidewalks and roadways, in […]
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, Economy, News, Wildfire
Grape disappointment: Colorado vineyards say an October freeze will chill their 2021 vintage
The grape vines lined up in rows throughout the Grand and North Fork valleys look promising for a 2021 vintage with their usual winter-brown foliage bunched neatly on trellises. But cut into a bud, or scrape a stalk, and there are hints of the underlying damage done by a severe late-October freeze. An estimated 70% […]
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, COVID, Health, News
Meals on Wheels is still delivering in western Colorado — but without the side of conversation
Ninety-year-old Rose Konola misses the conversations she used to have with Meals on Wheels volunteers who bring hot lunches to her home four days a week. COVID-19 has changed the way the Mesa County chapter of the program provides meals to the elderly. While crucial to ensuring the safety of both clients and drivers, the necessary distancing […]
Posted inBusiness, Education, Environment, Growth, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
The Western Slope’s outdoor recreation economy had everything but a bachelor’s degree. Colorado Mesa is changing that.
Sarah Shrader, the co-owner of the Grand Junction-based international zipline course developer and builder Bonsai Design, in November gathered a team of Colorado’s outdoor recreation industry executives. She had a simple question: What do they need from the next generation of outdoor industry leaders? The answers they gave — a robust grasp of the outdoor […]