Last night I had the opportunity to attend a kids’ indoor soccer game at the Skyline indoor sports facility at 2522 Highway 6 & 50. For those who aren’t familiar with it, Skyline is an old warehouse that in 2011 was repurposed into…
Category: Economics
Putting Grand Junction’s Costco Rumors to Rest
For years western slope residents have been hoping and wishing that a Costco warehouse store would open in Grand Junction. Around 2010, rumors started circulating that Costco was considering locating a new store in Grand Junction. People even started proposing possible locations for the…
Cattle Left to Fend for Themselves on Public Lands
Western cattle ranchers often rail against federal government control of public lands, but aren’t averse to taking taxpayer-funded handouts whenever they can get them. Indeed, even famously insurgent Nevada cattle rancher Cliven Bundy took help from a taxpayer-funded public defender after being arrested on…
Survey: G.J. Chamber Members Don’t Support the Chamber’s Political Meddling
The website of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce says “We take the lead in shaping laws that affect business on the western slope,” but according to a new chamber survey, only a tiny fraction of its members seem to…
Focus on the Bright Spots in the Election
Half the country woke up this morning despondent, demoralized and in utter dread of what a Trump presidency will mean to this country. We’ve never had a president before who confessed on video to sexually assaulting women and who is endorsed by…
Want to See Marijuana Commerce Back in Grand Junction? Sign the Petition for a Ballot Measure
Want to see retail marijuana back in Grand Junction? Well, so do a lot of other people. The nonprofit group GJCAN (for “Cannabis Access Now”) is circulating an official petition to get retail marijuana back in the City of Grand Junction.…
G. J. Chamber “Hasn’t Even Considered” Marijuana as a Way to Boost the Local Economy
Diane Schwenke, the CEO of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce, said at a meeting at Main Street Bagels this morning that the chamber’s board hasn’t even discussed or considered the possibility of bringing retail marijuana commerce to Grand Junction as a way…
What’s Really Going On Inside Mesa County Government? Here’s a Hint: It’s Pretty Bad.
The following is a guest column from the August 28, 2016 issue of the Daily Sentinel that many people may have overlooked. The author is the operations manager for the elections division of Mesa County. She describes how the County treats its…
Hundreds of Business Owners Go Public with Support for Amendment 70, the Minimum Wage Increase
Business owners across the state are lining up to support Amendment 70, which would raise Colorado’s minimum wage to $12.00 and hour by 2020. Many of these owners voluntarily raised their own employees’ wages and are telling the public about the impacts it has had…
Grand Junction Chamber Drops its Longstanding Support for Scott Tipton
In a subtle but stunning rebuke, the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce has quietly declined to endorse Scott Tipton (R) in his bid this year to win re-election as Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District’s House Representative. In its 2016 Voter Guide (PDF), the chamber…
Why We Need to Question the Chamber’s “Experts”
The Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce is working hard to defeat Amendment 70, which would raise Colorado’s minimum wage to $12 and hour by 2020. Part of its opposition involves chamber president Diane Schwenke running TV ads against the measure in…
Costco vs. Sam’s Club: Busting the G.J. Chamber’s Minimum Wage Myths
Colorado’s Amendment 70, if it passes this November, will gradually raise the state’s minimum wage to $12.00 an hour by 2020. Some people wonder, if we pay people a higher minimum wage, where will the money come from? The money comes from…
G.J. Chamber Runs TV Ads Opposing Increase in Colorado’s Minimum Wage
Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce President Diane Schwenke has been appearing on TV in ads opposing Amendment 70, which would increase in Colorado’s minimum wage to $12 and hour by 2020. The western slope has among the lowest per capita income in…
The New Graff Dairy: A Shining New Addition to Town
Graff Dairy, a longtime fixture in town at 581 29 Road, has gotten a complete makeover and is now a fantastic place to stop to get your espresso and ice cream fix. Graff Dairy 2.0 is clean, spacious and bright, with…
Western Slope Workers’ Public Enemy #1: The Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce
On August 1, 2016 the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce announced its opposition to a ballot initiative to raise Colorado’s minimum wage to $12/hour. The main reason the chamber gives for opposing the higher wage is a claim by Economics International Corporation —…
WCAF to Award $4,325 to Student Who Exposed Christian Proselytizing in Delta Public Schools
On Monday, August 15, 2016 Western Colorado Atheists and Freethinkers (WCAF) will award a $4,325 college scholarship to Cidney Fisk, the newly-graduated Delta High School student who exposed the pervasive Christian proselytizing in Delta County’s public schools. WCAF will hand over…
Organized Effort to Undermine Mulder for Commissioner’s Campaign?
The race for Mesa County Commissioner in District 1 is heating up, and someone in Happy Valley is playing dirty. Some unknown person has been stealing County Commissioner District 1 candidate Mel Mulder’s hand-made campaign signs. Mel, his wife, Vera, their friends and high…
Looking to Spend Your Cash on Legal Weed? Don’t Stop in G.J.!
Travelers on I-70 coming into Colorado and looking to spend their cash on legal marijuana see this billboard at the entrance to Grand Junction, urging them to bypass our town and go spend their money in Parachute instead. And rightly so.