JEFFERSON COUNTY
Weekly newspapers sold to Jackalope
Jackalope Publishing announced Friday that it entered into an agreement to acquire New West’s publishing operations in Colorado. The announcement was made by William R. Welsh, chief operating officer of New West Newspapers and Scott Perriman, president of Jackalope. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.
The properties include the Golden Transcript, Arvada Free Press, Wheat Ridge Transcript and Lakewood Sentinel, all weekly newspapers serving communities in Jefferson County. The papers have a combined weekly circulation of 56,000.
COLORADO SPRINGS
Central City casino opening a month early
Colorado Springs-based Century Casinos Inc. announced Friday that it will open its new Century Casino & Hotel in Central City a month earlier than planned.
The new $50 million, 60,000-square-foot casino is planning a “soft” opening on Monday followed by a full week of opening celebrations planned for the end of the month.
DENVER
Pretrial hearing for Nacchio delayed
A U.S. district judge on Friday pushed back a pretrial hearing for the case against former Qwest chief executive Joe Nacchio from next week until Aug. 25, citing complex rules required for cases involving classified documents.
U.S. District Judge Edward Nottingham, who is overseeing the insider-trading case against Nacchio, said during a hearing that the court needed more time to ensure security clearance for people involved with the case. Nottingham said he hoped to hear arguments for all existing motions at the August hearing.
COLORADO
Power utility Aquila offering solar rebates
Aquila Inc., a power utility serving 92,000 customers in southern Colorado, is offering rebates for installation of solar photovoltaic energy systems.
Aquila will provide a rebate of up to $6,000 per kilowatt for installation of the solar electric panels that typically are mounted on rooftops.
According to a Colorado Renewable Energy Society estimate, a 3,000-square-foot Colorado house would require a 3-kilowatt photovoltaic system at an initial investment of $27,000. That price could be reduced by as much as $18,000 under the Aquila rebate program. Incentives could be higher for larger homes and businesses.
Xcel Energy previously announced solar electric rebates. The systems help the utilities comply with Colorado’s renewable energy mandate passed by voters in 2004.
FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
