Patrick Brower

1 week ago | skyhinews.com | Patrick Brower

It’s happened right here near Granby. A fishing-person friend of mine was angling along the Fraser River when he noticed what he thought was a dog sitting on the opposite bank staring at him. He was by himself. As he looked more closely at this “dog,” he noticed that it had a radio collar and somehow looked different than a dog. It was a wolf. ‘We had a brief little staring match there by the river and then he went along on his own business,” my friend said.

1 month ago | skyhinews.com | Patrick Brower

Finding employees is one of the top problems local businesses have when it comes to thriving in Grand County. The labor shortage is an issue businesses wrestle with daily, right along with the high cost of housing and real estate. And yet, surprisingly, there’s a potential solution to this problem of finding employees. This solution is in the realm of child care and the fact that we don’t have enough child care in Grand County and what we do have is awfully expensive.

1 month ago | skyhinews.com | Patrick Brower

I can’t help but think that the state of Colorado and the Union Pacific Railroad, by way of the historic Moffat Tunnel, have given Grand County a gift of immense proportions. In particular, it looks like Granby, Fraser and Winter Park are in line to get daily commuter train service to and from Denver with three trains a day. I feel like putting three exclamation points after that sentence because the full importance of this is simply fantastic.

2 months ago | skyhinews.com | Patrick Brower

A regional news item about the expansion of Gross Reservoir, owned and operated by Denver Water, has significant implications here in Grand County. A U.S. district judge has put a hold on construction for the expansion at Denver Water’s Gross Reservoir until environmental review processes are redone. Although the judge granted work to continue for a few more weeks, the longer implications of the ruling could impact the Fraser River in particular.

Mar 13, 2025 | skyhinews.com | Patrick Brower

The second Rise and Thrive business series event takes place at 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 18, at the Granby Library. It couldn’t come at a better time. Numbers from NerdWallet and other entities, such as the federal reserve bank of St. Louis, state that entrepreneurs started 4.38 million new businesses in 2020, and that number has been increasing annually ever since. Grand County has been an important part of that trend, with businesses starting and expanding.