IYM: How Much Is Your Business Worth?

To celebrate National Youth Art Month, the Visual Arts Teachers from multiple Durango schools are hosting an exhibition of student artwork. The display is open in the Main Mall from 12 pm to 6 pm through Sunday March 12th. The display features hundreds of works from students spanning grades and schools throughout Durango School District 9-R. By Connor Shreve. This story is sponsored by 2180 Lighting & Design Studio and Kroegers Ace Hardware

For many individuals living in the Durango area, the dream of owning a home is just that - a dream. However, organizations like HomesFund work to make homeownership an attainable reality. From programs like mortgage assistance to housing counseling and a homebuyer education class, HomesFund ensures prospective buyers know what to expect and how to navigate owning a home. By Hannah Robertson. This story is sponsored by Alpine Bank

The Durango La Plata County Airport earned a reward from the Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association for the runway project, completed last fall. The City of Durango encourages eligible residents to apply for the food tax rebate program and utility refund program, and TBK Bank opened its TBK Bank Scholars Program scholarship to current high school seniors. By Hannah Robertson. This story is sponsored by Happy Pappy's Pizza and Wings and The Payroll Department

For the first time in its history, Animas High School has permanence. After operating in strip malls and mobile units through its developmental years, the school is finally in its permanent home on the campus of Fort Lewis College. Both students and staff feel an important presence from the school’s new structure. By Connor Shreve. This story is sponsored by ServiceMaster Restore and 2180 Lighting & Design Studio.

Cortez’s WildEdge Brewing Collective, open since 2017 is finally completing an expansion that’s been in the works since before the Covid pandemic. Owner and Brewer Tucker Robinson says the smaller, more intimate space located behind the main taproom can fill a variety of roles. He believes the room can be anything from a meeting space to a lecture site. By Connor Shreve This story is sponsored by FastSigns and The Lor Foundation

The City of Durango has launched a new system to report issues in and around the city called SeeClickFix. The name is fairly self-explanatory - see something amiss, click a photo of the issue (e.g. a pothole on a busy road), and send it off to the City to fix. The process is meant to be more streamlined than the previous reporting tool the City used, and the hope is that it will be more user-friendly for everyone. By Hannah Robertson. This story is sponsored by Tafoya Barret and Associates and Pop's Truck & RV Center

After the passing of the Colorado Plastic Pollution Act, many stores are now charging 10 cents for single-use bags. The City of Durango and several non-profit organizations are offering up to two free reusable bags for residents to encourage more people to bring their own bags when shopping. The Durango-La Plata County Airport will soon welcome a larger United Airlines flight, and SOIL Outdoor Learning Lab will have garden plots available for reserving later this month. By Hannah Robertson. This story is sponsored by 2180 Lighting and Design Studio and Kroeger's Ace Hardware

A grant funded visit from the Colorado Springs-based Mobile Earth and Space Observatory brought three days of hands-on education for students at Riverview Elementary School and Miller Middle School. Education concepts included orbit, imaging and gravity among other topics. By Connor Shreve This story is sponsored by Tafoya Barrett & Associates and Happy Pappy’s Pizza & Wings

Centura Health committed four million dollars to Fort Lewis College for a renovation of the Aquatics Center into a state-of-the-art performance, rehab, and wellness center for student-athletes and students. The Centura Sports Performance Center will include training and recovery guided by Mercy Sports Medicine trainers. By Connor Shreve This story is sponsored by the Man Cave Barbers and The Payroll Department

Fort Lewis College announced the start of its Employee Mortgage Assistance program to ensure employees are able to buy homes in Durango. 70% of polled voters are in favor of creating a library district to fund the Durango Public Library and tickets are now on sale for the annual Durango Rocks event recognizing local businesses, individuals, and nonprofits for the work they are doing in the county. By Hannah Robertson This story is sponsored by Pop's Truck & RV Center and Serious Texas BBQ

Durango School District 9-R has a new addition to the teaching staff. Although she’s smaller than most of the students she works with, Misty has already made a significant impact. Assisting students with everything from practicing interview questions, learning how to read facial expressions, learning different types of coding, and hall patrol, Misty the Robot shows a new way to help students learn how to interact with the world around them. By Hannah Robertson This story is sponsored by ServiceMaster Restore and The Payroll Department

The River Roost Apartments offers a different take on obtainable housing in Durango. A hotel conversion apartment complex, River Roost aims to attract residents with a love for the outdoor lifestyle and minimalistic aesthetic. A large common room, a well-equipped fitness center, and a communal working space aid in building the sense of community the Roost brand aspires to have in its complexes. Although the River Roost has only recently opened, the excitement for starting something different is palpable. By Hannah Robertson. This story is sponsored by Service Master Restore and 2180 Lighting and Design Studio

It’s time to dust off those fat bike tires or ring up your coworker down the street to carpool! Winter Bike to Work day returns as part of the Winter Business Commuter Challenge, hosted by Get Around Durango. You have a chance to make history by voting on the Colorado 150th anniversary commemorative license plate, and prospective City Council candidates need to submit their verified signatures soon for the upcoming City Council elections. By Hannah Robertson. This story is sponsored by Kroeger's Ace Hardware and The Payroll Department

After a family trip, Rosalyn Fry was inspired by public pianos out in the open for anyone to play. A donated piano and an artist friend later, and the first of what would become nine painted pianos was displayed in Aztec. Artists volunteer their time to paint a piano donated to Fry - upright pianos are surprisingly easy to come by - and the City of Aztec puts on events to highlight the pianos and local musicians. By Hannah Robertson This story is sponsored by Three Rivers Brewery and Northern Edge Casino

For nearly two decades, the Colavita Foods brand was synonymous with amateur bike racing. Recently the core group of members that make up the team, decided to get back into the local community for race team support. Now, with the help of Easy Coffee Roaster and a handful of Four Corners businesses, the team will target a slate of races throughout the region in 2023. By Connor Shreve. This story is sponsored by Happy Pappy’s Pizza & Wings and Kroeger’s Ace Hardware

What with all the snow this winter so far, how do you know if you’re parked on a snow route, or when your street will be plowed? The City of Durango prioritizes certain roads during heavy snowfall and has a handy snow route map to figure out where you can and can’t park during a snowstorm. The Redball Express returns to Durango’s Snowdown activities to help fundraise for Durango and Bayfield Rotary Clubs. And the City of Durango and Durango Fire Protection District have decided against moving forward with a joint facility for the Durango Police Department and fire station at River City Hall. By Hannah Robertson This story is sponsored by Serious Texas BBQ and Pop's Truck & RV Center

The La Plata County Humane Society completed a full shelter renovation that modernized and upgraded the 25-year-old building. Now on-par with the most modern facilities in the Four Corners area, the non-profit can more easily carry out its objective of enhancing and protecting the lives of companion animals. By Connor Shreve This story is sponsored by The Man Cave Barbers and Serious Texas BBQ

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered how to keep the stars so bright? The Colorado Tourism Office has partnered with the International Dark Skies Association to help communities get their Dark Sky Certificate, a way to celebrate and maintain the beauty of the night skies. Durango, Colorado, is participating in the Colorado Dark Sky Mentorship Program through OEDIT and the Colorado Tourism Office. The program will help Durango and other participating communities learn what they need to do to get their certification and help spread the word on the importance of darker night skies and brighter stars. By Hannah Robertson This story is sponsored by Tafoya Barret and Associates and Pop's Truck and RV

Initially a local geologist’s dream office located seventy feet below sandstone ground, Kokopelli Cave became a five-star bed and breakfast in Farmington. It’s located on a three-hundred-foot desert cliff overlooking the lovely La Plata River Valley. Seventeen hundred square feet of carpeted cave offers a full kitchen, and jet tub water flow. Open March first through December first, it accommodates up to eight people for a one-of-a-kind experience. By Donna K. Hewett This story is sponsored by The Big Idea Makerspace at San Juan College and CMIT Solutions

The City of Durango is set to adopt the Comprehensive Parking Plan presented to the city in December of 2022. The plan takes into account many of the issues for parking in Durango, especially in the downtown area, while making room for future improvements depending on tourism, city-wide growth, and more. San Juan Basin Public Health wants to hear from La Plata and Archuleta residents about local public and environmental health needs to develop its 5-year public health improvement plan. Local COVID-19 community testing sites are now closed, but that doesn’t mean tests aren’t available. By Hannah Robertson This story is sponsored by StoneAge Tools and Community Foundation Serving Southwest Colorado