Hospital selling land for college expansion

A proposed $7.1 million transaction is expected to expedite the construction of a new hospital in Grand Junction while providing more space for a growing college campus. The presidents of Community Hospital and Mesa State College announced a deal in which the hospital will sell its 8-acre site along 12th Street to the college. The […]

U.S. job growth slows with meager payroll gain

U.S. job growth slowed in June with only a meager gain in payrolls and a slightly higher unemployment rate. According to the latest Labor Department estimates, nonfarm payrolls grew 18,000, the smallest increase in nine months. The jobless rate edged up a tenth to 9.2 percent, the highest rate in six months. Initial estimates for […]

Colorado business index seesaws down

A monthly measure of business conditions in Colorado continued a seesaw trend in June with a more than eight-point retreat to its lowest level this year. While the Business Conditions Index has vacillated between gains and losses for the past four months, the outlook for at least one component of the index appears more promising. […]

Housing authority joins in emergency loan program

The Grand Junction Housing Authority has been selected to participate in a program offering interest-free loans to homeowners at risk of foreclosure. The Emergency Homeowner Loan Program (EHLP) will provide nearly 1,000 Colorado homeowners an opportunity to apply for loans to help pay their monthly mortgage payments for up to two years or $50,000, whichever […]

Grand Junction health insurance executive appointed to new exchange board

A Grand Junction health insurance executive is among nine people appointed to a board that will oversee a new health benefits exchange in Colorado. Steve ErkenBrack, president and chief executive officer of Rocky Mountain Health Plans, will serve on the Colorado Health Benefits Exchange Board of Directors. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper announced the appointments. “The […]

Sales tax collections keep increasing, but for how long?

Sales and use tax collections for the City of Grand Junction continue to follow a pattern the city manager forecast last fall for the first half of 2011. Whether or not a dire prediction for the second half of 2011 comes to fruition remains up for speculation. According to the city report for May, sales […]