STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Fred McCracken goes to sleep with the sun since the power went out in his mobile home nearly 50 days ago. Down the lane at Sleepy Bear Mobile Home Park, neighbors Efrain Farias and José Banales are taking turns filling up gas tanks to feed the generator between their two homes. They […]
Steamboat Springs
Posted inClimate, Environment, Growth, News, Water
Watering restrictions work. But only 53% of Colorado cities have them.
By Sarah Kuta, Fresh Water News Despite a stubborn, 20-year drought and reservoirs whose supplies are below normal, Colorado communities remain split on whether to impose permanent outdoor watering restrictions, according to a Fresh Water News analysis of local watering rules. According to the analysis, which examined rules in 15 cities representing the state’s different […]
Posted inClimate, Environment, News, Wildfire
“Fireworks right now are a terrible idea”: Drought woes in the dry West stoke July 4 fire fears
By Lindsay Whitehurst, The Associated Press Many Americans aching for normalcy as pandemic restrictions end are looking forward to traditional Fourth of July fireworks. But with a historic drought in the U.S. West and fears of another devastating wildfire season, officials are canceling displays, passing bans on setting off fireworks or begging for caution. Fireworks […]
Posted inBusiness, Education, Growth, Housing, News
Colorado Mountain College to spend $40M to build housing for students getting priced out of mountain towns
Jon Shipley moved to Summit County from Texas to earn an associates degree in environmental science at Colorado Mountain College. Last fall he signed a two-year lease for an apartment. Earlier this year his landlord sold the unit and now Shipley and his family must move by the end of August. “Our landlord said he […]
Posted inNews, Outdoors
Mother bear euthanized after man is attacked in his Steamboat Springs home
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Wildlife officials in Colorado have euthanized a mother bear after a man was attacked in his home. Colorado Parks and Wildlife said the homeowner noticed the door to his garage open Sunday around 11 p.m. when he encountered a bear and two cubs. The man stored birdseed and other attractants in the […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: A startup investor on how the Rocky Mountain West’s small towns are well equipped to embrace the future of Main Street
Walking down Main Street of any small town in the Rocky Mountain West, you’ll find the quaint storefronts, cafés and watering holes you expect. Uber and Lyft are hard to come by. DoorDash is foreign. Nothing “disrupts” small-town life, besides a snowstorm. Our Main Street businesses and their staff members are still the soul of […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Education, Energy, Environment, News
In rural Colorado, one town is looking to its community college to help survive the end of coal
By Jason Gonzales, Chalkbeat Colorado Even in the dark of night, chalky smoke from the coal power plant looms over Craig. For generations, coal has been a constant in this northwestern Colorado city. But by 2030, the Craig Station stacks will go quiet as Colorado shifts to renewable energy. Coal has fueled not only Colorado’s […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, News, Politics and Government
State-border jumpers can get vaccinated in Colorado — even if no one’s happy about it
Colorado officials say an address is not required to book a vaccine appointment, but counties say they’d rather prioritize their own full-time residents
Posted inOutdoors
As Colorado backcountry use soars, Vail Pass’ fee model could be a way to manage the crush
VAIL PASS — Four women on backcountry skis, packs strapped to their backs, glided single file down a powdery path out of the woods after a night at Walter’s Cabin, a hut on Shrine Mountain. Their peaceful trek into the backcountry of Vail Pass this week included pausing to scope out tracks left by a […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Newsletters, Outdoors, Outsider
“Outdoor Business Town USA”: Steamboat Springs has become a proving ground for outdoor innovation
With more than 90 and counting, Steamboat Springs is well known as a breeding ground for Olympians. But it’s also just as fertile an environment for outdoor businesses, nurturing them with all the right ingredients to succeed. Forget its snappy “Ski Town USA” moniker. How about “Outdoor Business Town USA”? Somehow, a veritable Who’s Who […]