Small Business View: Ebola, Energy And Elections

A bill that would have significantly grown taxes for thousands of short-term rentals in the state was killed in its first committee hearing late Tuesday even after the sponsor attempted to make changes to the legislation. In its original form, Senate Bill 33 would have required any property used as a short-term rental for more than 90 days per year to pay the state’s lodging tax.

As retailers and businesses abandon downtown districts that have struggled in the era of hybrid work, some are betting on cultural events to help revitalize them. In the year since Bed Bath & Beyond filed for bankruptcy, the chain’s stores have become a hot commodity of sorts—finding new lives as pickleball courts, fitness centers, and, of course, other retailers.

The workers, including parade performers and character actors, will likely vote on the union this summer. Performers who help bring Disney’s beloved characters to life at its Southern California theme parks filed a petition Wednesday to form a labor union. The workers include parade performers, character actors and support staff at Disneyland and an adjacent theme park, Disney California Adventure.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell says ‘It is likely to take longer than expected’ to win the war against inflation. Here’s what that means for the housing market. Want more stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the free, daily ResiClub newsletter.

Xcel Energy-Colorado needs to communicate much better, provide more notice and work with local governments and agencies the next time it shuts off power during high winds to reduce the outbreak of wildfires, members of the public told state regulators Wednesday. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission held a two-hour hearing as the first step in an investigation into Xcel’s decision to cut power to about 55,000 customers along the northern Front Range as a precaution April 6-7.

Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Black Sabbath and the Eagles all released major albums in 1975. So did Bruce Springsteen, Steely Dan, Paul Simon and Led Zeppelin. And you can still find some of them (probably most of them) at Wax Trax Records, which opened in Denver that year and has been Capitol Hill’s neighborhood record shop for three generations of music fans. But you’ll also find vinyl pressings by modern stars like Olivia Rodrigo, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift, not to mention fringe bands and local acts, which isn’t something most people would have predicted in the 1990s as CD sales and online music put an end to the record business. Or so it seemed – a resurgence in interest in physical records began about a decade ago when stores like Urban Outfitters began selling cheap turntables to Gen Z.