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News You Can Use

January 2012

Wrapping Up The Year With the Top 11 News Stories of 2011!

Frontier Airlines' struggles; Qwest's sale. General Electric and Arrow Electronics make plans for Colorado. As Niobrara oil fever builds, so does the debate over fracking. Ikea opens; banks close.

#11 Bank shutdowns - Six Colorado banks failed in 2011 -- a sign of the challenges faced by local banks and other financial institutions through the economic downturn.

#10 Arrow Electronics moves its headquarters to Colorado - On Oct. 11, Colorado became the global headquarters of Arrow Electronics Inc. It's now the largest company in terms of revenue ever to be based in the state.

#9 Colorado wins GE Solar plant - Aurora will be the site of a new General Electric Co. manufacturing plant for thin-film solar-power panels, the nation's largest. Colorado beat out several other states to win the factory.

#8 The reshaping of Denver Union Station - Denver Union Station has been the city's rail depot for generations - and efforts are underway to transform it into a modern transportation hub serving travelers and commuters on trains, light-rail cars and buses. The interior will be remade as well.

#7 The Niobrara oil boom - Promising oil finds in the Niobrara Formation of Colorado and southern Wyoming have caused a gusher of excitement in the energy industry, with some dreaming of a possible oil boom in the region.

#6 The stock show and Gaylord project - This pair of interrelated stories involves plans for a mammoth hotel development by Nashville-based Gaylord Entertainment Co. near Denver International Airport -- and a proposal, that now appears dead, to relocate Denver's venerable National Western Stock Show to the site.

#5 Tom Martino's bankruptcy - Tom Martino, a Denver media personality and self-styled consumer "Troubleshooter," has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

#4 The debate over fracking - Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking" -- a practice widely used in the energy-rich West to extract natural gas from deep underground -- has triggered controversy between the oil and gas industry and environmentalists.

#3 Ikea comes to Colorado - After nearly three years of planning and construction, Colorado's first Ikea store, a 415,000-square-foot complex in Centennial, opened July 27.

#2 CenturyLink buys Qwest - Qwest Communications International Inc., Denver's highest-profile locally based company, completed its merger with Monroe, La.-based telecom CenturyLink Inc. on April 1. And on Dec. 9, Qwest's former headquarters tower was sold.

#1 The turbulent flight of Frontier Airlines - The saga of Denver's home-grown airline took many twists and turns in 2011, more than a year after Republic Airways Holdings bought it out of bankruptcy in October 2009.

To read more check out: DenverBusinessJournal.com

According to Time Magazine, there's a 50 percent chance you made a New Year's resolution.
Top 10 New Year's Resolutions!

It's resolution season, so moms expect more phone calls from their children, treadmills expect the cobwebs to be cleared, cigarettes expect to see the lining of a garbage can and bosses expect their employees to secretly look for better jobs behind their backs. What was your New Year's Resolution....

1. Spend More Time with Family & Friends - 50% of Americans vow to appreciate loved ones and spend more time with family and friends this year.

2. Fit in Fitness - Regular exercise has been associated with more health benefits than anything else known to man.

3. Tame the Bulge - Over 66 percent of adult Americans are considered overweight or obese, so it is not surprising to find that weight loss is one of the most popular New Year's resolutions.

4. Quit Smoking - If you have resolved to make this the year that you stamp out your smoking habit, over-the-counter availability of nicotine replacement therapy now provides easier access to proven quit-smoking aids. On average, smokers try about four times before they quit for good.

5. Quit Drinking - While many people use the New Year as an incentive to finally stop drinking, most are not equipped to make such a drastic lifestyle change all at once. Many heavy drinkers fail to quit cold turkey but do much better when they taper gradually, or even learn to moderate their drinking.

6. Enjoy Life More - Given the hectic, stressful lifestyles of millions of Americans, it is no wonder that "enjoying life more" has become a popular resolution - it's an important step to a happier and healthier you!

7. Get Out of Debt - Was money a big source of stress in your life last year? Join the millions of Americans who have resolved to spend this year getting a handle on their finances.

8. Learn Something New - Perhaps you are considering a career change, want to learn a new language, or just how to fix your computer? Whether you take a course or read a book, you'll find education to be one of the easiest, most motivating New Year's resolutions to keep.

9. Help Others - A popular, non-selfish New Year's resolution, volunteerism can take many forms. Check out: WishBoneFoundationofColorado.com - some great opportunities to help a local cause.

10. Get Organized - Whether you want your home organized enough that you can invite someone over on a whim, or your office organized enough that you can find the stapler when you need it, these tips and resources should get you started on the way to a more organized life.

Ughhh...My Phone Messed That Up!!!

Scene: A friend sharing her first kiss with a new guy.

Stella: Tell me how you met him!?

April: Well me met at a party this Christmas. We were a bit tipsy....and he kissed me under some cameltoe.

Stella: well I guess you would need to be a little tipsy to kiss someone under your cameltoe.

April: Mistletoe! Mistletoe! We kissed under the freaking mistletoe. LOL

Happy Birthday!