1. $15 million ranch near Kremmling tops Grand’s 2021 real estate sales

Coming in the last month of the year, the $15 million sale of the Aspen Grove Ranch marks this year’s largest real estate transaction.

Inside the Grand River Ranch neighborhood near Kremmling, the Aspen Grove Ranch sits on 350 acres with three home sites spread across 24,400 square feet. The property was purchased for $15 million on Dec. 15 by Don Davis after being listed for $19 million in September.

Previously, it was owned by the founder of Starz Entertainment, John Sie, and his wife Anna, who bought the house in 1999 for $24.3 million, according to the Grand County Assessor’s Office.

2. US 40 reopens, delays remain

1:15 p.m. Update: US Highway 40 has reopened to westbound traffic after a wreck closed the lane at mile post 241 earlier Sunday.

CDOT is still saying travelers can expect delays.

Original: US Highway 40 is closed westbound at Berthoud Pass for a single car wreck, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

3. Granby says Reclamation Ridge violated permit by running junkyard

The Granby town board declared Reclamation Ridge in violation of its conditional use permit on Tuesday after finding that the gravel pit was illegally operating a junkyard.

Evidence that scrap was being collected at Reclamation Ridge was abundant, from Facebook posts directing folks to the area to drop off scrap to numerous photographs of the operation and a letter supporting the appliance recycling operation.

Reclamation Ridge operates its gravel pit under a special use permit. This means that gravel mining is not a use by right based on Reclamation Ridge’s industrial zoning, and that the town has given approval for it to operate based on a number of conditions.

4. Alpine Olympian Bode Miller announces ski academy at Granby Ranch

Granby Ranch will be the future home of an innovative ski academy dreamt up by the most decorated male alpine skier in the country.

Announced Friday, the Bode Miller Ski Academy is a vision of the Olympic gold-medalist and World Cup champion in partnership with his friend and business partner Andy Wirth, who’s part of the management team at Granby Ranch.

While their vision started in Montana — where there will hopefully one day also be a Bode Miller Ski Academy — the Granby Ranch location is quickly moving from an idea to a reality. Both Miller and Wirth saw the values of a ski academy prioritizing academics and athletic development, including for those that may not be able to afford it.

5. The trouble with Mind Springs: Summit, Eagle counties are breaking from their mental health provider and others are taking notes

Summit County is hurting.

The suicide rate in this mountain community of 31,000 is higher than Colorado’s, which is one of the highest in the nation. And locals say almost everyone here has known someone — or several someones — who ended their life:

A beer brewer. A prominent businesswoman. A bird-watching construction worker. A knitter of fabulous afghans. High school and middle school students.