Phil Castle Business Times The Mesa County unemployment rate has dropped to its lowest level in four months even as labor demand continues to increase. “On a snapshot basis, it’s a much improved picture,” said David Porfirio, manager of business services at the Mesa County Workforce Center in Grand Junction. According to the latest estimates […]
Colorado employers soon will face an increase in workers’ compensation insurance premiums. Most employers will pay slightly higher premiums in 2011 as a result of a 3.4 percent increase in what’s known as loss costs — the average cost of lost wages and medical payments to workers injured on the job. Loss costs are one […]
A monthly index tracking conditions for small businesses in Colorado continues to climb on prospects a global economic rebound will boost demand for goods and services from the state. The Vectra Bank Colorado Small Business Index (SBI) climbed to 103.3 for September, up 1.7 points from a revised 101.6 in August. With gains in each […]
It’s football season, so it’s inevitable that pigskin metaphors are going to creep into politics and policy. The big news: Congress has punted on taxes. Specifically, Democratic congressional leaders left town before voting on what to do about 2001 and 2003 tax relief measures that expire at the end of this year. If nothing is […]
Mike Moran Business Times Joe Tripoli firmly believes in the power of positive thinking, even in the midst of a downturn in real estate sales. “Your business is never really good or bad out there. It’s good or bad between your ears,” said Tripoli, a real estate agent with RE/MAX 4000 and the new chairman […]
Declining tax revenues have forced Mesa County officials to extend budget cuts for another year. The proposed 2011 budget comes in at 10.3 percent below the adopted 2010 budget, which in turn was 8.4 percent less than the 2009 budget. The proposed 2011 budget includes staffing reductions, a salary freeze, the closure of some county […]
Phil Castle Business Times The director of a regional group and the mayor of Grand Junction urge voters to just say no to three measures on the upcoming election ballot. Reeves Brown, executive director of Club 20, and Mayor Teresa Coons voiced their opposition to Amendment 60 and 61 as well as Proposition 101. Club […]
Mike Moran Business Times While medical offices and their patients continue to sort through the effects of national health care reform, the more immediate concern could be Medicare. When Congress reconvenes from recess next month, it will have a little more than two weeks before a Dec. 1 deadline to either allow another 23 percent […]
Financing under loan programs backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration rebounded in the 2010 fiscal year under provisions of federal stimulus legislation that increased guarantee levels and waived fees. The SBA reported that a total of 54,833 loans worth a collective $22 billion were backed through its two primary lending programs during FY 2010, […]
U.S. payrolls shrank again in September as government layoffs more than offset private-sector hiring. According to the latest Labor Department estimates, nonfarm payrolls declined 95,000 as the U.S. unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.6 percent. Initial estimates for job losses in July and August were revised upward to 66,000 and 57,000 respectively. After a surge […]