Apartment vacancy rates decline

Phil Castle Business Times Apartment vacancy rates continue to decline in Grand Junction as hiring in the energy and health care sectors as well as home foreclosures bring more people to the rental market. According to the latest results of a quarterly survey conducted for the Colorado Division of Housing, the average apartment vacancy rate […]

West Slope disaster designations aid farmers

Montrose County and five other Western Colorado counties have been declared a federal disaster area after freezing spring temperatures damaged crops. The designation makes farmers eligible to apply to the Farm Service Agency, an office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for assistance and loans. Farmers should call their local FSA office or visit www.fsa.usda.gov for […]

Two Rivers Winery takes advantage of law to share operations

Two Grand Junction wineries are the first Colorado in to take advantage of a law allowing wineries to share the same premises to manufacture their products. Two Rivers Winery has established what’s called an alternating proprietor licensed premises agreement to share a part of its operation with Kahil Winery. Kahil Winery is owned by Tyrell […]

Colorado coal industry faces changing climate

Mike Moran Business Times It’s a commodity near the center of any discussion about a move to more renewable energy sources. And it’s currently at the center of controversy surrounding a movement in Colorado to shift power plants to the use of natural gas. Coal is the engine that’s driven the energy machine for most […]

Latest labor estimates reflect only small changes in market

The latest national labor estimates reflect little change in the United States with payrolls down and unemployment up, but only by slight amounts. The Labor Department estimated that nonfarm payrolls shrank 54,000 in August as temporary jobs ended for more census workers and declines in government and manufacturing employment offset gains in other industry sectors. […]

Mesa State unveils sign of support for nursing programs

Phil Castle Business Times One of the busiest lecture halls for nursing students at Mesa State College now bears the name of a Grand Junction-based organization that long has supported the college and its nursing programs. A new plaque designates the large classroom in the Maverick Center as the Rocky Mountain Health Plans Lecture Hall. […]

Jobless rate holds steady in Mesa County

The monthly unemployment rate in Mesa County held steady in July with only slight changes in the overall work force and the number of those counted as unsuccessfully looking for jobs. According to the latest estimates from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), the unadjusted jobless rate remained unchanged at 9.5 percent. That […]

Colorado ag exports increase during first half

Exports of agricultural products from Colorado continue to grow with increased shipments of beef leading the way. The value of agricultural exports from the state totaled $508.9 million through the first half of 2010, a 27 percent increase over the same span last year, according to statistics reported by the Colorado Department of Agriculture. For […]

Colorado wine industry matures

Naomi Shepherd-Smith recalls a time when the fledgling Colorado wine industry was something of a novelty and some tourists were more interested in taking home a bottle with a Colorado label than drinking what was inside. But like the fine wines its produces, the industry since has matured, says Shepherd-Smith, manager and co-owner of Grande […]