Wednesday December 26, 2012

Lots of powder around the Grand Valley, and at the Powderhorn Resort, too.  The ski area reported 16 new inches of snow by yesterday and had bragging rights to the best new powder in the state.  The mid-mountain depth was 38 inches, behind only Wolf Creek and Steamboat Springs.

If you want to ski in Aspen, Vail or Beaver Creek, you better have a pretty big wallet.  Single-day lift tickets in Aspen are now $119 with a $5 rebate at the end of the day. Lift tickets at Vail and Beaver Creek are $122.  If you want to stay closer to home and get the most powder in the state, you can go to Powderhorn and get a $59 lift ticket.

The average price of gas in Colorado fell an average 9 1/2 cents a gallon to start the week at $3.05. GasBuddy.com says that's down nearly 3 cents a gallon from the same time last year.  The Colorado average has dropped nearly 33 cents a gallon in the past month.

Colorado Ethics Watch wants to take politics out of the Secretary of State's office and the group is proposing changing the office from elected to appointed.  According to The Daily Sentinel, Luis Toro who heads up Ethics Watch says the discussion should move beyond the Secretary of State's office to County Clerk and Recorders.  Any change would have to go before voters.

The City of Fruita has something to work on in the new year.  Possible upgrades to Civic Center Park.  The Daily Sentinel says funding hasn't been set aside yet, but could start with $50,000 in next year's budget.  Improvements could include playground areas and fountains, along with new shelters and restroom facilities.

Roads in Western Colorado are still slick this morning and if you thought that was going to change, think again.  The National Weather Service says a new system is moving in today with light snow showers starting by late this morning. Heavier snow is expected later this afternoon with 2 to 4 inches falling by tomorrow. 4 to 10 inches are expected in higher areas and the mountains are looking at 8 to 14 inches before the storm moves out Friday.  The weekend looks dry so far, but another storm is on the way Monday and Tuesday.

Avalanche danger on the Grand Mesa is high following storms early this week.  The Colorado Avalanche Information Center says 20 to 24 inches of snow on top of old snowpack has increased the danger to High on slopes facing northwest through treeline. The latest avalanche forecasts are available on the CAIC website.

Grand Junction Police Officers and Mesa County Sheriff's Deputies are bowling tomorrow, and inviting kids to join in.  It's the annual Bowl-with-a-cop from 10 until 2 at Orchard Mesa Lanes.