While the construction industry in Mesa County has been an up-and-down proposition over the past five years, an island bordered by Orchard and North avenues and 12th and 7th streets in Grand Junction has been the scene of nearly non-stop activity. From new dormitories to a new college center and from an expanded fieldhouse to […]
A new school year already is underway at Caprock Academy, a Grand Junction charter school that instructs students from kindergarten through 11th grade. With the planned addition of 12th grade in 2012, Caprock soon will provide the only K-12 campus in the Grand Valley. Students showed up July 25 for the first day of classes, […]
Mesa State College made a big splash when it announced a name change designed to better reflect the location of the largest college in Western Colorado. Starting Aug. 10, Mesa State College officially will become Colorado Mesa University. While not all signs and logos will be in place by that time, the college had already […]
Business and educational leaders worked for more than a year on plans to help Mesa County School District 51 offer what they touted could become a world- class education. The effort spurred an initiative to recruit 500 volunteers to help tutor elementary school students an hour a week. At the same time, School District 51 […]
While there are indications the Mesa County economy is improving, some local business leaders worry the more optimistic outlook could offer a false hope that leaves businesses unprepared for a potential slide. “Retail sales of tires and automotive services are flat with 2010,” says Kevin Brooks, chief executive officer of Big O Tires in Western […]
Charter schools. Magnet schools. Home schools. Alternatives to traditional public classrooms are plentiful these days. And in an age when schools integrate technology into instruction, technology itself becomes yet another option for students and parents. Enter K12, one of many national companies offering parents the option of teaching their children at home with the aid […]
For people who’ve lived through the boom and bust of energy development in Western Colorado, the scenario sounds all too familiar. A small city experiences a dramatic increase in high-paying jobs. The unemployment rate drops as workers flood to energy jobs. Opportunities abound for businesses that build and sell houses, broker mortgages and provide basic […]
It’s sometimes considered one of the soft drivers in a community — an industry that provides plenty of intellectual and emotional inspiration, but one whose economic effects can be hard to quantify. Even as various organizations promote the artistic and cultural benefits of a small city in Western Colorado, they realize support for the arts […]
So you have a degree in art, theater or dance. Now what? As head of the theater department at Mesa State College, Tim Pinnow is used to hearing such questions. They can come from students worried about paying the bills while also pursuing a career they enjoy. They can come from parents worried about whether […]
It’s been the venue for movies, traveling entertainers and the local symphony orchestra. The historic Avalon Theater also is billed as one of the anchors of downtown Grand Junction, standing as a link between performances of yesteryear and the performances of today and offering an artistic complement to the restaurants, retail stores and offices that […]