• Business, Local/State

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Published: 13 November 2020

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Press Release

Snow arrived this week in Leadville and Twin Lakes, Colorado, setting the stage for visitors who seek a real winter with fresh air and outdoor activities that are naturally socially distanced. As North America’s highest-elevation city, Leadville (10,152’) offers snow from early season through late spring. Nearby Ski Cooper, a ski “resort” without the pretense, is set to open Dec. 9, 2020, and kick off the season.

Ski Cooper in 2020-21
Beginners and families appreciate Ski Cooper’s wide-open spaces with no lift lines, high prices, high-rise condos, or man-made “snow.” In early 2020, Cooper debuted 19 advanced runs in Tennessee Creek Basin. For Covid safety in 2020-21, Cooper requires all passes (season and day) to be purchased in advance and online via SkiCooper.com. Cooper will offer ski school lessons on an individual, family, or cohort basis only – no mixed groups.

Winter Outdoor Adventures Open Soon
The Top of the Rockies Zip Line opens for the winter season on Nov. 15, 2020. Visitors can fly above snow-covered trees at 12,800.’ White Mountain Snowmobile Tours leave from the same location.

As soon as snow cover allows, 100 miles of groomed trails will open for Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, fat biking, or snowmobiling. Trails go above treeline or through open meadows with unobstructed mountain and lake views and meander through Leadville’s historic East Side Mining District.

Experienced backcountry enthusiasts can ski or snowshoe to off-grid 10th Mountain Huts. This winter, hut capacities have been reduced with single-party reservations only, and new minimum booking requirements added. Weston Pass Hut is also open with enhanced safety measures and single-group reservations only.

The Tennessee Pass Nordic Center, Cookhouse and Sleep Yurts re-open on Nov. 26, 2020. Guests snowshoe or cross-country ski one mile through a forest to a gourmet candlelight dinner featuring local foods. Sleep yurts feature down comforters and soapstone wood stoves. Booking is now open.

New Winter Warmers
Treeline Kitchen and Buchi Café feature outdoor pods for winter dining. Treeline also offers patio dining beside a fire pit. Winter warmers are available at Two Mile Brewing Co., North America’s highest brewery. Tuck & Vittles opened at FREIGHT this fall and currently delivers custom charcuterie boards. The Twin Lakes Inn & Saloon is embarking on its second year of TWIN-ter, with weekend dinners and brunches.

Rest Day at the Museum
For a rest day, guests can head to the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, showcasing America’s mining history. The Healy House Museum and Dexter Cabin is one of Leadville’s earliest homes. Temple Israel documents the lives of Jewish pioneers during Leadville’s mining boom era.

• Business National/Global

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Published: 12 November 2020

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(Press Release)

Ford introduces the 2022 E-Transit van, a smart workhorse that will offer customers enhanced productivity enabled by its fully electric powertrain, software solutions, services and Pro Power Onboard options.

“Ford is North America and Europe’s commercial truck and van leader, so the transition of fleet vehicles to zero emissions, especially for the fast-growing last-mile delivery segment, is critical to achieve our carbon neutrality goal by 2050,” said Jim Farley, Ford president and CEO. “Ford is ready to lead the charge, starting with the all-electric Transit and all-electric F-150 on the way. This is good for the planet and a huge advantage for customers to help lower their operating costs and provide connected fleet management technologies that will help their businesses.”

The all-new E-Transit is backed by Ford’s powerhouse network of 1,800-plus global commercial vehicle dealers, including 645 commercial vehicle centers across the U.S. – about 90 percent of which are electric vehicle-certified – for easy sales and service.

E-Transit offers the same interior cargo dimensions and standard mounting points for continued integration with hundreds of upfitters and vehicle modifiers worldwide who provide compatible racks, bins and accessories on gas-powered Transit. The majority of U.S. Transit vehicles sold last year were upfitted, and Ford continues to provide the same upfit financing support for van customers, including those who purchase or lease. With 13 upfitters located conveniently within 30 miles of the assembly plant, customers get fast delivery to the upfitter of their choice right when they order their van, removing the need for an upfit after delivery and helping them get on the road quickly.

While most newcomers in the van business are still building prototypes, developing testing protocols and addressing difficult usage conditions, Ford’s commercial vehicle ecosystem is expanding to include electric vehicle monitoring software and connected solutions for fleets to seamlessly integrate into day-to-day operations.

“We are doubling down on software and digital services to help our fleet customers grow and more efficiently run their businesses,” said Farley.

Ford – which is the leading commercial vehicle brand in North America and Europe – has been making Transit family vehicles for 55 years and commercial vehicles since 1905. The company will assemble E-Transit for North American customers at Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri.

Driving to go greener

Cities around the world – from London to Los Angeles – are pledging to create emissions-free zones to improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas levels and improve noise pollution. California has also mandated that all new cars and passenger trucks sold in the state be zero-emission vehicles by 2035.

“More construction, emergency vehicles and utility services choose Ford commercial trucks and vans over any other manufacturer2 – and we’re committed to helping customers make the transition to zero-emission technology,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford chief product platform operations officer. “E-Transit is a data-rich, connected platform that will help our fleet customers unlock greater productivity. The value for our commercial customers grows over time as more connected vehicles join the network.”

E-Transit is part of a Ford investment in electrification of more than $11.5 billion through 2022. The all-new, all-electric Mustang Mach-E begins arriving later this year, while the all-electric F-150 starts hitting dealers in mid-2022. In North America, Ford is the first full-line automaker to announce plans to produce both an all-electric full-size pickup truck and a full-size van for customers – including fleet owners.

Ford intends to achieve carbon neutrality globally by 2050. It is the only full-line U.S. automaker committed to doing its part to reduce CO2 emissions in line with the Paris Climate Agreement and working with California for stronger vehicle greenhouse gas standards.

E-Transit will not only help companies operate with the benefits of electrification, it offers clear business advantages. Scheduled maintenance costs for the all-electric Transit are estimated to be 40 percent less than the average scheduled maintenance costs for a gas-powered 2020 Transit over eight years/100,000 miles3. And with lower maintenance requirements and the opportunity to avoid fill-ups, companies can improve customer uptime and productivity.

Range, charging solutions tailored for business

E-Transit is a smart workhorse for U.S. cities designed with insight from 30 million miles of customer telematics data to deliver the right amount of range based on fleet needs – at a price that makes it easy to switch to electric. With a usable battery capacity of 67 kilowatt-hours, E-Transit will deliver an estimated range of 126 miles in the low-roof cargo van variant. The E-Transit has a starting MSRP4 under $45,000 for U.S. fleet customers – and comes backed with an eight-year, 100,000-mile electric vehicle component warranty5.

“This makes E-Transit ideal for commercial customers who know their drive routes and often work in urban environments,” said Ted Cannis, Ford North America general manager of commercial business. “Affordability is key, and our customers buy only what they need to get the job done. E-Transit provides ample range at a price that makes the transition to electric easy. And Ford is just getting started.”

Ford will offer a variety of charging solutions to fit fleet and driver needs, whether at home, at a place of business or on the road. E-Transit comes with access to North America’s largest public charging network – providing drivers with seamless public payment capability and providing fleet managers with central account and billing management.

E-Transit features both AC and DC fast charging, coming standard with a Ford Mobile Charger that can plug into a normal 120-volt outlet for slow and steady charging or into a 240-volt outlet for faster charging. Those seeking the fastest home charging solution can purchase the Ford Connected Charge Station, which can fully charge E-Transit in eight hours.

On a 115-plus-kilowatt DC fast charger, E-Transit cargo van low-roof models can achieve approximately 30 miles of range in 10 minutes and approximately 45 miles of range in 15 minutes6. When plugged into a 240-volt outlet, E-Transit cargo van low-roof models achieve approximately 10 miles per charging hour using the Ford Mobile Charger. Employing a Ford Connected Charge Station brings the number up to approximately 15 miles per charging hour.

Read more: Ford introduces all electric commercial van 2022 E-Transit

• Business, Local/State

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Written by Editor

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Published: 30 October 2020

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The Lucky Ducky Indoor Flea Market, formerly at 625 N. Murray in Colorado Springs, is now open at 324 Main Street, in the Security Shopping Center, next to Ross.

The Lucky Ducky rents space to vendors at $3/square foot and gets a 10% commission on sales. Vendors need only stock their area and keep it looking sharp. The Lucky Ducky handles all the sales and staffing.

Shoppers will find treasures of all sorts, 7 days a week from 10am to 6pm.

You can reach them at 719-247-9013, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LuckyDuckyMktplc

• Business National/Global

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Published: 21 October 2020

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Press Release (PRNewswire)

The migration toward digital payments and digital representations of value continues to accelerate, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased interest in digital currencies from central banks and consumers. PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) today announced the launch of a new service enabling its customers to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrency directly from their PayPal account, and signaled its plans to significantly increase cryptocurrency's utility by making it available as a funding source for purchases at its 26 million merchants worldwide.

Mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies has traditionally been hindered by their limited utility as an instrument of exchange due to volatility, cost and speed to transact. However, the promise of advanced technological platforms offers the possibility of mainstreaming digital currencies. According to a survey by the Bank for International Settlements, one in 10 central banks – representing approximately one-fifth of the world's population – expect to issue their own digital currencies within the next three years.

"The shift to digital forms of currencies is inevitable, bringing with it clear advantages in terms of financial inclusion and access; efficiency, speed and resilience of the payments system; and the ability for governments to disburse funds to citizens quickly," said Dan Schulman, president and CEO, PayPal. "Our global reach, digital payments expertise, two-sided network, and rigorous security and compliance controls provide us with the opportunity, and the responsibility, to help facilitate the understanding, redemption and interoperability of these new instruments of exchange. We are eager to work with central banks and regulators around the world to offer our support, and to meaningfully contribute to shaping the role that digital currencies will play in the future of global finance and commerce."

Building Understanding and Adoption of Cryptocurrency

To increase consumer understanding and adoption of cryptocurrency, the company is introducing the ability to buy, hold and sell select cryptocurrencies, initially featuring Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin, directly within the PayPal digital wallet. The service will be available to PayPal accountholders in the U.S. in the coming weeks. The company plans to expand the features to Venmo and select international markets in the first half of 2021. The service is enabled in the U.S. through a partnership with Paxos Trust Company, a regulated provider of cryptocurrency products and services.

PayPal has also been granted a first-of-its-kind conditional Bitlicense by the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS).

"NYDFS' approval today follows our June 2020 announcement for a new framework for a conditional Bitlicense to encourage, promote, and assist interested institutions to have a well-regulated way to access the New York virtual currency marketplace in a way that is both timely and protective of New York consumers, through partnerships with New York authorized virtual currency firms," said Linda A. Lacewell, superintendent, NYDFS. "NYDFS will continue to encourage and support financial service providers to operate, grow, remain and expand in New York and work with innovators to enable them to germinate and test their ideas, for a dynamic and forward looking financial services sector, especially as we work to build New York back better in the midst of this pandemic."

As part of this offering, PayPal will provide accountholders with educational content to help them understand the cryptocurrency ecosystem, the risks and opportunities related to investing in cryptocurrency, and information on blockchain technology. There are no service fees when buying or selling cryptocurrency through December 31, 2020, and there are no fees for holding cryptocurrency in a PayPal account.

Increasing the Utility of Cryptocurrency in Digital Commerce

Beginning in early 2021, PayPal customers will be able to use their cryptocurrency holdings as a funding source to pay at PayPal's 26 million merchants around the globe. Consumers will be able to instantly convert their selected cryptocurrency balance to fiat currency, with certainty of value and no incremental fees. PayPal merchants will have no additional integrations or fees, as all transactions will be settled with fiat currency at their current PayPal rates. In effect, cryptocurrency simply becomes another funding source inside the PayPal digital wallet, adding enhanced utility to cryptocurrency holders, while addressing previous concerns surrounding volatility, cost and speed of cryptocurrency-based transactions.

Exploring and Investing in the Next Generation of Financial Services Infrastructure

In addition to providing these significant cryptocurrency services, PayPal has been exploring the potential of digital currencies through partnerships with licensed and regulated cryptocurrency platforms and with central banks around the world. For the past five years, PayPal has increased its focus and resources on exploring the next generation of digital financial services infrastructure and enhancements to digital commerce through an internal blockchain-focused research team. In 2019, PayPal Ventures, the company's venture capital arm, invested in TRM Labs, a company focused on helping financial institutions prevent cryptocurrency fraud and financial crime, and Cambridge Blockchain, a blockchain-based identity management and compliance software company. PayPal will continue exploring the potential of distributed ledger technologies to improve financial services and assure they are faster, more secure and less expensive. The company intends to work hand-in-hand with regulators, governments and central banks in this quest.

To learn more and join the waitlist for PayPal's cryptocurrency services, click here. 

About PayPal

PayPal has remained at the forefront of the digital payment revolution for more than 20 years. By leveraging technology to make financial services and commerce more convenient, affordable, and secure, the PayPal platform is empowering more than 300 million consumers and merchants in more than 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. For more information, visit paypal.com.