Business

Unemployment rates vary significantly across the Mountain West as states lift COVID-19 restrictions and people get vaccinated.

JBS, the second-largest producer of beef, pork and chicken in the U.S., will pay up to $5.5 million to settle a lawsuit that claimed the company discriminated against Muslim employees at its meat processing plant in Greeley.

U.S. oil prices rose to $70 a barrel this week — a sign the industry is bouncing back after a bust brought on by the pandemic. That’s bringing a much-needed jolt into the local economy in Weld County.

A massive hacking incident against beef processing giant JBS caused an estimated 20% of U.S. beef packing plants to grind to a halt earlier this week. JBS was quick to get things back online, but the attack raises questions about cyber security and market consolidation.

As Colorado emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, economic experts are bullish about the state’s recovery in the coming year. But long before vaccination drives were rolled out, a lot of Coloradans began launching new businesses on their own.

As pandemic restrictions ease and tourists flock to Estes Park, hotels and other businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to fill their ranks.

The union representing workers at JBS’s Greeley beef plant said at least 3,000 workers had their shifts cancelled on Tuesday as the company responded to a ransomware attack.

Applications dropped from a high of 1,445 during the first week of April to 526 the last week of May, according to data from the Department of Local Affairs. The money is designed to help renters and landlords still dealing with the economic impacts of the pandemic.

A federal judge ruled in February that the National Park Service's commercial filming fees were an unconstitutional violation of free speech. Now, Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso has introduced a bill that would waive those fees on all federal public lands, no matter the distribution platform.

With the blessing of health officials, many businesses have dropped mask requirements that have been in place for nearly a year. Meanwhile, other institutions, such as schools and hospitals, are holding on to theirs, taking a more cautious approach to returning to normal life.