"More Winter!" Says Punxsutawney Phil.

There will be six more weeks of winter, Punxsutawney Phil predicted as he emerged from his burrow on a snowy Tuesday morning to perform his Groundhog Day duties.

Members of Phil’s “inner circle” woke up the furry critter at 7:25 a.m. at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to see whether he would see his shadow or not.

Shortly after this year’s prediction was revealed, one of the members of the inner circle shared a message he said Phil had told him earlier in the day: “After winter, you’re looking forward to one of the most beautiful and brightest springs you’ve ever seen.”

Another member of the “inner circle” noted the uniqueness of the past year.

“People have been referencing Groundhog Day. It has felt like at times we’re all living the same day over and over again,” one of the members said. “Groundhog Day also shows us that the monotony ends. The cycle will be broken.”

“Today actually is Groundhog Day, there’s only one,” he added. “There is quite literally a new day coming over the horizon.”

The spectacle that is Groundhog Day still went on, but because of the coronavirus pandemic, revelers weren’t able to see Phil and celebrate in person: This year, it was all virtual and included cardboard cutouts to represent spectators.

A livestream, which had more than 15,000 viewers at one point, played footage from previous Groundhog Day’s ahead of the big reveal.

Then of course, the prognosticator of prognosticators emerged at dawn. The lore goes that if he sees his shadow as he did this year, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, spring comes early.

Wearing top hats, members of the club summoned Phil from a new tree stump.

“You look beautiful,” club president Jeff Lundy told Phil, who directed members to one of two scrolls.

A club member announced, “We have all passed through the darkness of night, but now see hope in morning’s bright light. But now when I turn to see, there’s a perfect shadow cast of me.”

The livestream from Gobbler’s Knob, a tiny hill just outside Punxsutawney about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh, is made possible by the Pennsylvania Tourism Office’s Holi-stay PA. The event there — always Feb. 2 — dates back to 1887.

Phil this year, like many years in the past, gave his forecast during a major snowstorm that hit the entire Northeast.

The annual event has its origin in a German legend about a furry rodent. Records dating to the late 1800s show Phil has predicted longer winters more than 100 times. The 2020 forecast called for an early spring — however, Phil didn’t say anything about a pandemic.

In its 135-year history, Phil has predicted winter 106 times and spring 20 times, the club said. Ten years were lost because no records were kept.

Punxsutawney Phil may be the most famous groundhog seer but he’s certainly not the only one. There are two other high-profile “imposters,” as the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club calls them, in the region.

Connecticut marked Groundhog Day with a hedgehog making the prediction after the state’s official groundhog, Chuckles X, died last year. Like Phil, Phoebe predicted another six weeks of winter after seeing its shadow at the Lutz Children’s Museum in Manchester.

New York City’s Staten Island Chuck disagreed, predicting an early spring in a video shown on the Staten Island Zoo’s Facebook page.

“We’re going to have an early spring! Spring is coming,” Brian Gomez, of event sponsor Investors Bank said in a video message.

Jeff Bezos to Step Down from Amazon CEO Position

Amazon has announced that CEO and founder Jeff Bezos will resign from his position during the third quarter of 2021, and will transition to executive chair of Amazon’s board. Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Andy Jassy will replace Bezos, according to CNBC.

“I’m excited to announce that this Q3 I’ll transition to Executive Chair of the Amazon Board and Andy Jassy will become CEO,” Bezos wrote in a statement sent to employees. “In the Exec Chair role, I intend to focus my energies and attention on new products and early initiatives. Andy is well known inside the company and has been at Amazon almost as long as I have. He will be an outstanding leader, and he has my full confidence.”

Bezos continued his statement saying that he will use his new role as executive chair of Amazon's board to focus on initiatives like Amazon's Day 1 Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin, the Washington Post, and others.

Bezos originally founded Amazon in 1994, growing what began as an online bookstore into a massive online retailer that competes in numerous sectors, including food delivery, technology, and movie and television streaming. Amazon passed a $1 trillion market cap in 2020 under Bezos' leadership.

Bezos is worth approximately $182 billion as of last December, according to NPR, making him the wealthiest person on the planet.

Where does Colorado's Cannabis Tax go?

2020 was a record breaking year for marijuana sales, and when looking at the taxes it appears the money coming into the state is going where legalizers wanted it to go.

The state broke $2 billion in marijuana sales in 2020, and the Colorado Office of State Budget and Planning estimates that will lead to an incoming tax revenue of $361.4 million for FY 2020-21.

The Marijuana Tax Cash Fund is the destination for half of the taxes the state takes from the industry, which was first legalized in Colorado in 2012. The other half is doled out between local and state governments, either for earmarked causes such as education or for general funding.

Dozens of yearly appropriations are taken from the fund, but ten programs account for the majority of money that's disbursed, mainly directed to drug abuse, education and crime.

The Marijuana Tax Cash Fund is more or less open for whatever needs come up, but appropriations records show its main uses line up with the legalization rhetoric of 2012.

By far, the biggest share of the Marijuana Tax Cash Fund goes into the Colorado Department of Human Services. Programs in this department account for roughly one-third of the fund's spending from year to year.

Of this, three-fourths is taken by programs for substance abuse, mental health services for criminal offenders and criminal diversion programs that keep first-time offenders out of the corrections system.

Ten programs accounted for an average 60% of the total fund's spending between 2017 and 2020.

More of the fund's money goes into a subsidized housing grant program than anything else. The others concern substance abuse, marijuana education, criminal diversion or education.

Ranch Near Kremmling with Private ski slope sold!

The buyers of a 6,343-acre ranch minutes away from Kremmling won’t have to worry about getting an Epic or Ikon pass for the ski season.

Elk Island Ranch, which sold for $30 million on Dec. 31, features its own private ski slopes, as well as a massive sledding hill. The listing dubbed the land  “a four-season recreational playground of the highest order.”

The buyer was Capstone Property Group LLC, records show.

Seller Charlie Gallagher purchased the ranch for $24.3 million in 1999, according to records.

Gallagher founded Denver-based Gallagher Industries private equity firm in 1986, according to its website. He developed the private ranch concept over the years for his family, according to 5280.

The founder hired Montana-based Kibo Group Architecture to design and Englewood-based Diamond Homes to build the 16,000-square-foot lodge on the property with five bedrooms and 12 bathrooms.

Elk Island Ranch also features a 10,500-square-foot party barn called the Nevada House Saloon with a built-in bar, catering kitchen, stage, dancefloor, upstairs bunkroom and a showroom for “historic ranch vehicles and collection of trophy game mounts,” according to the listing.

The Nevada House Saloon.

With nearly 10 square miles of land, the property houses an Outpost Chalet with two bedrooms for warming up after traversing the private slopes or for discussing the next big game during hunting season.

There’s also a 14,400-square-foot heated storage facility for all the gear and equipment, which was sold with the property, including a plow truck, snowcats, tractor, ATVs, and snowmobiles.

Elk Island Ranch, despite its private setting, is located less than 10 minutes from McElroy Airfield in Kremmling, which services large private jets. It was also once part of the 19,000-acre Grand River Ranch, which was donated to the University of Denver, and gives the owners access to Grand River’s equestrian center, fishing reservoir, dining venues and more.

Winter Park now requiring reservations.

Winter Park Resort announced Tuesday that it will start requiring reservations for pass holders on Dec. 19 to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and manage the volume of visitation.

Pass holders may start reserving days beginning at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020.

For individual lift ticket holders, their ticket is dated and serves as their reservation, so they do not need to access the system and make a reservation, according to the Tuesday announcement from Winter Park resort. Ikon Pass and Winter Park Pass holders can access the system and make reservations through their pass account.

“Winter Park has long been a place to escape and recharge, and this year is no different. The health and well-being of our employees, guests and community remain paramount, and we must manage the number of people in the resort in order to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” said Sky Foulkes, Winter Park Resort President and COO. “We’re asking for everyone’s patience and cooperation this winter as we navigate ever-changing restrictions, while still offering an excellent guest experience. We have planned for many contingencies, and we’re ready to do whatever it takes to help stay safe and stay open.”

Pass holders can book up to 10 days at a time and can make additional reservations as they use their bank of 10 reserved days. Pass holders should logon to their account and visit this page to learn more.

Warmer weather today but more snow coming on Friday

Tuesday night will stay dry and clear across the Front Range as lingering snow showers end in the mountains. Dry weather will be moving in for the next few days.

Wednesday afternoon high temperatures will hit the 40s with sunshine and dry conditions on the Front Range. There will be a few scattered snow showers in the central and northern mountains.

Thursday will be another dry day in Denver with afternoon high temperatures close to 50 degrees. Colorado's next storm system will bring snow showers to the mountains starting Thursday afternoon and evening.

Snow showers will move onto the Front Range and Plains Friday morning and will last into Friday afternoon before clearing out. As of right now, totals look to stay below 2 inches in metro Denver. It will be a quick burst of snow with small totals similar to the last few snowstorms we have had for the last few days.

Dry weather will return on Saturday and Sunday with high temperatures reaching the 50s on Sunday and Monday.

Check out this Woodland Cottage

"We spend so much of our lives in boxes," says Alexis Borsboom, owner of this cottage nestled among the trees on Mayne Island, BC.

The unique shape is just one reason she and her husband moved in. The rest of the story lies inside its walls - and begins with the walls themselves.

That's because they're made from cob: a combination of clay, sand and straw that's mixed with water and then sculpted by hand. The couple fell in love after meeting in a cob-building workshop; later, they purchased the home and built a life constructing cob structures together.

With soft edges throughout and a wooden staircase, the interior of their home seems like something out of a dream - but subtle nods to 70s decor make it feel familiar.

Cob is a little like adobe. But unlike adobe, which is formed into bricks and hardened before building, cob structures are sculpted while the mixture is still wet.

Working with raw earth means there's not much need for loud equipment on a cob site. And because most of the necessary materials can be gathered from the surrounding area, constructing a cob has very little ecological impact.

This construction style also informs the natural, organic shapes you'll find throughout a cob home, like arched doorways and a space perfectly sized to fit the wood-burning stove.

The kitchen, which sits just off the living area, is a cozy space with enough room for the essentials - plus a breakfast nook for enjoying a morning cup.

Upstairs, a gently sloping ceiling gives the bedroom and workspace a uniquely homey vibe. And just above that ceiling sits a wide, undulating roof. It's crucial - it protects the home from wind and rain. With a strong foundation and the right roof, a cob-style home can last forever. But "if it's left out in the elements, it will turn back into dirt within a year," Borsboom says.

The door on the second story leads out to a small deck that’s perfect for catching the magical sunsets off Canada's western coast.

Alexis describes cob-style homes as a "gentle and beautiful way to live." We couldn't agree more.

Halloween is going to have a "Blue" moon.

It seems like quite the combination: A full blue moon on Halloween before clocks get turned back for Daylight Saving Time. It will all happen this weekend!

So, is the moon actually going to be blue? According to NASA, it won't.

But why is it called the blue moon? NASA says a blue moon is special because it is the "extra" moon in a season with four full moons. Since the 1940s, the term "blue moon" has also been used for the second full moon in a calendar month.

The next blue moon will not happen again until Aug. 22, 2021, according to the Farmer's Almanac.

Not only will the full blue moon be happening on Halloween, the night will end with Daylight Saving Time.

Clocks will be adjusted back one hour at 2 a.m. on Nov. 1.

Colorado's newest state park just opened.

Coloradans can get a glimpse of Colorado’s newest park this weekend when Fishers Peak State Park opens following a ribbon cutting on Friday by Gov. Jared Polis.

Although the new park eventually will encompass 19,200 acres (30 square miles), only 250 acres will open this weekend. Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials wanted to give the public the opportunity to get a sense of the hiking, hunting and wildlife opportunities the park offer when fully open.

The Fishers Peak mountain rises to 9,633 feet and is located six miles southeast of Trinidad and seven miles north of the New Mexico border.

According to a CPW journal post written by Fishers Peak/Trinidad Lake Park manager Crystal Dreiling, hiking options will be limited this weekend to what she called the “Sneak peek area,” but the short First Look Trail will offer “spectacular” views of Fishers Peak. Visitors will have to wait for hiking trails to the summit of that distinctive peak, an outcrop of ancient lava flows from the Raton Mesa.

Another option that will open this week is called the Challenge Trail, and apparently for good reason.

“We want to offer a glimpse of the extreme backcountry hiking challenges Fishers Peak will offer when fully developed,” Dreiling wrote of the Challenge Trail. “Our volunteers helped convert an existing ranch road route into an aggressive (a nice way of saying “steep”) 1.5-mile hiking trail. How aggressive? Most professionally-designed trails don’t exceed 8 to 10 percent grades. Our Challenge Trail will have you feeling the burn on stretches that exceed 30 percent grade. The payoff for all the work is a spectacular view of Fishers Peak and the valley below.”

Now Pho Heats Up Federal Boulevard With Hot Stone Bowls

"To make good food, you have to remember two things," says Toan Le, who runs Now Pho at 1195 South Federal Boulevard with his partner, Nhan Tran. "The first thing is flavor, but the second thing, which most people forget, is aroma."

But Tran remembered that when she came up with the idea for Pho Two Bowls, which presents a diner with bubbling-hot pho broth in a stone bowl, a separate bowl with rice noodles, and a platter loaded with meats and other toppings. As the stone bowl leaves the kitchen, Tran adds fresh-grilled ginger and green onions to the broth, so that a cloud of intoxicating steam accompanies the server to the table and envelops your senses before you dig in. Pho served this way has advantages beyond the smell, Le notes: The noodles don't get soggy as quickly, the broth stays hot longer to help convey the rich and complex flavors, and the rare filet mignon and marinated minced steak cook more quickly when you add them to the bowl.

The Pho Two Bowls rings in at $23, considerably more than what people are used to paying for a brimming bowl of noodle soup at a joint on Federal. But the ingredients are high-quality, which is immediately noticeable in the flavors and textures, and the serving provides enough food for two people. Now Pho also offers traditional pho for $10 or so less — a good deal if you're just dropping in for a quick lunch, because no matter which pho you order, you'll be getting the broth (made with beef as well as beef bones, a step that some restaurants skip) that won a pho-tasting competition at last summer's Dragon Boat Festival, outscoring several more prominent restaurants in the area.

Le isn't a restaurateur by training; he's a real estate broker who still maintains his day job while managing Now Pho. He and Tran became new restaurant owners after Phong Le (no relation to Toan), the founder of Pho Le, decided to sell his eatery and retire, and asked real estate broker Le to keep an eye out for potential buyers. Le talked to Tran, and the two decided that they were the right people to take over. Tran is an accomplished cook with an arsenal of recipes from her family and the town of Bac Lieu in southern Vietnam, where she was born. Le had worked in restaurants while going to college in Denver and New York, and he still had fond memories of the traditional food of Vietnam, where he lived until he was seventeen.

Le and Tran took over Pho Le in late 2017, and over the past two and a half years have put in new floors, booths and tables and given the space a colorful paint job. They ran the restaurant under its original name for a year before changing it to Now Pho in time for the Lunar New Year in 2019. Le says they chose the name in part to capture the Buddhist notion of living in the moment. "When you enjoy good food, you live in the moment," he explains.

Pho Le was known for offering many different styles of noodle soup in addition to pho, and that tradition continues with Now Pho. Le says that he and Tran kept most of the dishes on Pho Le's menu, making sure they used the freshest, best ingredients for each one and working to improve the flavor and aroma. They also added new items to expand the offerings by 20 percent. "Our mission is authentic dishes with innovative ideas," Le states, pointing to the phrase on his restaurant's printed menu.

So in addition to pho (which can be ordered with several uncommon toppings, including oxtail, wagyu beef, marinated minced beef, or a combo of lobster, shrimp and scallop), Now Pho offers hu tieu nam vang, a pork-broth bowl served several different ways; the house special includes cha siu pork, quail eggs and shrimp. Or you can try the bun bo Hue, a silky soup made with beef, lemongrass and shrimp paste that's traditionally served with cubes of cooked pig blood and pork hock. Here you can get it with oxtail or even rare filet mignon added.

Mi Quang is another noodle bowl that's not quite a soup, a central Vietnamese dish that comes with sesame rice crackers. "We serve it with very little broth, but people from the middle of Vietnam ask for even less," he says. "When you taste the broth, it's like art — you don't need much." Now Pho's mi Quang sports broad egg noodles and comes with pork ribs and shrimp or bone-in chicken.

Everything at the restaurant is made from scratch, even the crab cheese wontons, something often added to Vietnamese menus simply to appeal to Western tastes. Tran's wontons are stuffed with an herby mix of cheese and real crab, so much that it explodes out the top when the wonton is fried. The sweet-and-sour dipping sauce, too, is housemade, and isn't the typical neon red.

Tran and Le recently opened a second Now Pho, at 1500 West Littleton Boulevard in Littleton; the hours there are less expansive and the menu is smaller and more tailored toward American tastes, since the Vietnamese population is much smaller in that area than in the neighborhoods along South Federal. At the original Now Pho, Le says, "our customers are 50 percent Vietnamese and 50 percent everyone else."

For those customers, Now Pho is almost a community gathering place. The South Federal spot stays open well past the usual 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, when night owls keep dropping in and the kitchen keeps serving until 3 a.m. But it doesn't close for long: On any day of the week, you can start slurping noodles at 9 a.m., making Now Pho a refreshing breakfast stop, too, if you're looking to live in the moment beyond lunch and dinner.