COLORADO AUGUST UNEMPLOYMENT DOWN
Undated—More people were earning paychecks last month in Colorado. According to the state labor department, over four thousand nonfarm payroll jobs were added from July to August and 17-hundred workers found jobs in the private sector. Statewide, the unemployment rate held steady at 2.4 percent while the national jobless rate went up one tenth of a point to 4.4 percent. In the tri-county area, Garfield County’s unemployment rate dropped from 2.4 to 2.1 percent. In Pitkin County, the jobless rate fell from 2.1 to 1.8 percent and Eagle County also saw a decrease in unemployment going from 1.9 percent in July to 1.6 percent. State officials also say the number of people actively looking for work increased by nearly 10,000 last month.
GARCO AIRPORT SNOW REMOVAL FACILITY NIXED BY BOARD
Glenwood Springs—A building designed to store snow removal equipment at the Rifle-Garfield County Airport was rejected this week by the Board of County Commissioners over rising expenses and a poor bidding process. Airport Director Brian Condie says the 4.5 million dollar facility is going to cost a lot more to build because a fire suppression system has to be added to the eight thousand square foot metal structure. Commissioner Tom Jankovsky says the sudden added expense is outrageous and is appalled that an elaborate fire suppression system is necessary for a metal building filled with snow removal equipment. CMC Construction Services won the bid over three other companies to build the facility but due to the sprinkler system adding another expensive wrinkle to the plans, the board decided to scrap the project for now and reopen the bidding process next year.
BEARS IN ASPEN
ASPEN (AP) – Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials tranquilized a mother bear and her two cubs that had found their way into a tree on an Aspen pedestrian mall. The groggy mother slowly slid down the tree trunk Thursday and into a tarp held by law enforcement officials. Once she was wrapped up and put in a cage, Aspen Fire Department officials used a cherry-picker basket to get to the sedated cubs.
VOTER DISCREPANCIES FOUND
DENVER (AP) – Colorado is investigating whether a handful of voters cast two ballots in the 2016 presidential election. Secretary of State Wayne Williams said Friday 48 people may have voted twice in Colorado or voted in Colorado and in another state.
FRONTIER FINED
DENVER (AP) – The U.S. government has fined Frontier Airlines $1.5 million for keeping passengers stuck on a dozen aircraft sitting on the tarmac for more than three hours during a snowstorm at the Denver airport last December. But the federal Department of Transportation said Friday it will forgive $900,000 of that because of compensation the airline says it paid to passengers.
