Parents of kindergarten and new first grade students who will be enrolling in the Steamboat Springs School District for the 2018-19 academic year are being asked to participate in an online survey that will help the district gauge the number of students for next fall.

This is not considered registration for school. An online registration process will  be open the first week in March. To participate in the survey, go to docs.google.com/forms/d/1ab3AnE9XYR9LUB7jlivlgHxaEmAVAT0zEL3r06d2JCE/viewform?edit_requested=true.

Tour de Steamboat registration opens with skiing raffle

Online registration for the 2018 Tour de Steamboat, slated for Saturday, July 21, is now open. Riders who sign up by Feb. 12 will be entered to win a guided snowcat skiing adventure on Buffalo Pass with Steamboat Powdercats, valued at over $600. Interested riders can learn more and register at tourdesteamboat.com.

Tour de Steamboat welcomes cyclists of all ages and abilities and offers four scenic route distances — 26, 46, 66 or 116 miles. All proceeds from the event benefit Yampa Valley nonprofits, including Yampa Valley Sustainability Council, REPS (Reaching Everyone Preventing Suicide), Routt County Riders and Partners Mentoring Youth in Routt County.

Library to host film, panel discussion about drug costs

Bud Werner Memorial Library presents a free screening of “Big Pharma,” a film about the rising cost of drugs in the United States, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30 in Library Hall.

The film will be followed by a panel discussion with family physician Dr. Jim Dudley, physician scientist Dr. Ron Krall, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine Dr. Dave Lambeth and family physician Dr. Rosanne Iversen. Medical anthropologist Mayling Simpson, PhD will moderate the discussion.

“Big Pharma” explores the problem of extreme drug prices in the U.S. and how drug cost impacts the public, businesses and the overall economy. A documentary film by Vince Mondillo, Richard Master, Wendell Potter and Henry Nevison, this eye–opening account describes the dynamics behind the escalating cost of pharmaceuticals in the U.S. and the impact of soaring healthcare costs on U.S. businesses, working families and our overall economy.

It proposes a simple fix that mirrors a “best practice” utilized throughout the industrialized world. Visit steamboatlibrary.org/events for more information.

Free workshop on commercial building energy improvements

Community members who operate, own or manage commercial buildings are invited to attend the free educational workshop “Commercial Building Energy Improvements: A Guide to Getting Started” from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30 at Creekside Café, 11th and Oak streets in downtown Steamboat Springs.

The workshop is hosted by Yampa Valley Sustainability Council and presented by certified energy manager and commissioning professional Kevin Perri with Entegrity, a company consulting on the new law enforcement complex in Steamboat.

Perri, who earned a degree in mechanical engineering, is a LEED-accredited professional and commercial energy plans examiner and field inspector. He has been involved in projects for buildings ranging in size from 1,000 to 2 million square feet.

The event will include free appetizers and Creekside happy hour drink specials. Contact suzie@yvsc.org for more information.

Customers spur Alpine Bank to donate more than $1M

Customers have sparked change in their communities by participating in a unique program offered by Alpine Bank. Last year alone, the bank donated $1,140,350 to nonprofits and other community organizations through the bank’s Loyalty Debit Card program.

Alpine donates 10 cents for every personal debit card transaction, with the contribution directed to support the part of their local community that each customer selects. In all, customers can choose from community, education, environment, arts, Americas, Colorado Mountain College and Children’s Hospital Colorado.

“We want to thank our customers for supporting their communities,” said Alpine Bank founder and Chairman Bob Young, in a news release. “For the first time, Alpine Bank was able to donate more than $1 million in one year from our Loyalty Debit Card thanks to its growing popularity with customers.”

Including the debit card donations, Alpine contributed a total of $3.7 million in 2017 to charitable organizations from its 38 branches serving 28 Colorado communities.