Good morning, Grand Junction.

The Grand Junction Lions Club awarded the final round of grants from its Community Betterment Committee this year, giving $120,000 to 10 local groups from funds raised at its 97th annual raffle in February.

Applications for next year's grants are now open.

Mesa County Animal Services will host Pup-kin Patch on Oct.

30 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at its Whitewater facility (971A Coffman Road) offering discounted pet adoptions with $60 off dog fees and $35 off cat fees along with a Halloween-themed toy and a Polaroid photo featuring a pet's paw print.

Local leaders Rollee Smith and Taryn Brooks earned Governor’s Awards at the Colorado Governor’s Tourism Conference in September at Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge.

Visit Grand Junction’s Outdoor Adventure Pass won an Exemplary Destination Stewardship Award (Smith earned the Jack Snow Award and Brooks a Frontline Hospitality Tourism Worker Award).

Allen Munro, founder of Grand Junction-based Munro Companies, was inducted into the Green Industry Hall of Fame on Oct.

3 at Black Gold Golf Course in Yorba Linda for his 60+ years of leadership in irrigation (his company began in Grand Junction in 1965).

Teriyaki Madness opened its location at 2691 Patterson Road in Village Fair Plaza on Oct.

2 — the building formerly housed a Which Wich sandwich shop.

Starbucks closed its Dos Rios Drive store in Grand Junction during the last week of September as part of a nationwide series of closures.

The company said it will help partners with transfers or severance and directed customers to other locations.

Avatar Offroad has moved its headquarters from Sandy, Utah, to Grand Junction with $15,000 in grant funding + four years of tax benefits from Colorado’s Rural Jump Start program; it will work with Colorado Mesa University to offer internships and boost manufacturing in the local outdoor recreation industry.

Lil Richard’s moved from a food truck to a suite storefront at 104 White Ave in downtown Grand Junction after months of review.

Open seven days a week, the spot serves breakfast burritos and will add a store sign (pending) while planning to resume its food truck events.

Colorado Mesa University is expanding its Campus Art Walk in a partnership with the Grand Junction Downtown Development Authority via its Art on the Corner program.

The effort installed artworks on Oct. 2 and now shows a Mary Rait statue and a bull statue called Duster at a campus roundabout.

Mesa County Public Health received a $733,400 grant from Veterans Affairs and will launch the Tri-County Veteran Support Hub for veterans in Mesa, Delta and Montrose counties; the initiative will connect veterans with peer mentors to improve mental well-being.

AIE Partners is building a three-story, 106,410 sqft climate-controlled self-storage facility at 2771 Crossroads Blvd between the Rocky Mountain Health Plans building and La Quinta Inn and Suites.

The project, valued at $6.27 million, will open late summer 2027.

Renata, a deaf horse from Grand Valley Horse Rescue, won first place in the junior course at the International Horse Agility Club using hand signals from her handler Remy.

The competition showed how tailored training builds trust between horses and riders.

Colorado ski resorts have released tentative opening dates for the 2026-2027 season, with one starting as soon as possible in October and others set for November and December; weather conditions may change the schedule.