State

How do you tie the knot without the guests? Part 1 of a 2-part series researching the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on Colorado's wedding industry.

“Against what is stupid, nonsensical, erroneous, and evil, liberalism fights with the weapons of the mind, and not with brute force and repression.” ~ Ludwig von Mises

“[They were] crushing their previous visitation numbers.” That’s how Jeanette Lara, Southeast Region Volunteer Coordinator for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, refers to the number of visitors this summer to Lake Pueblo State Park.

“Since no one’s taking vacations, they’re taking that money and utilizing it on home remodel,” says Bob Mock, owner of A Finished Touch, LLC, a general contractor specializing in home improvement.

Vacation rental giants like Airbnb and VRBO are mired in litigation with their clients and hosts challenging the companies over refunds brought on by COVID-19 related closures, amid other issues. Entire class-action lawsuits have escalated the debates around the company’s refund policies. Amid the crisis, Airbnb is said to have lost over 80 percent of its business. Such a decline in activity has rendered the company a casualty of the pandemic-related economic slide.

Once known as The Queen City of the Plains or the Gateway to the Rockies, Denver is rapidly descending into a cesspool of violence and filth. Fifteen years ago, if I met a friend for dinner in LoDo or went to a game at Pepsi Center, I would walk back along the 16th Street Mall at 10 or 11 o’clock with little concern for my safety. Today, it’s not worth the risk or the hassle.

You're probably ecstatic over the many reopening plans in progress. The SARS-CoV-2 virus and the COVID-19 disease have been unprecedented challenges for the states and local communities.

“…The formation of public policy is public business and may not be conducted in secret,” declares the text of Colorado’s original open meetings law.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has a fondness for saying, “We’re all in this together” during press conferences addressing the coronavirus pandemic. He is also fond of the words, “bold,” and “flatten the curve.” During an April 26 press conference, he declared the curve had been flattened but then added that folks in Colorado would continue living in a “much more dangerous” world, and that folks should wear masks while in public.

David Migoya, Denver Post, recently wrote a series of articles on Special Districts and their impact on our communities, homeowners and business owners. The articles are well-written and researched, easy to understand and aptly described the issues and concerns all of us should have when dealing with Special Districts.