For a moment, it looked like an intense ideological battle for Colorado's future began today. Or maybe it was over as soon as it started: The man behind the polarizing "Initiative 66" campaign tells Denverite that he's giving up. The conflict has been brewing for months, since Daniel Hayes unveiled his plan to slow down the growth of the Front Range. If he succeeded, the state's voters would decide whether to implement strict new limits on residential construction in Denver and neighboring counties. 

Colorado Securities Commissioner Gerald Rome expected only five people to show up to a panel on cryptocurrency regulation at a recent industry conference. He instead found more than a hundred people waiting to hear him speak. "The atmosphere was just electric," Rome said. "The folks that are into cryptocurrency and ICOS are true believers, and being in the securities industry for as long as I've been in it, you realize that with all that enthusiasm, people are going to be more apt to not be careful when they are investing."

If you live in the Denver Metro area, it's no surprise that the construction industry is booming. Take a quick scan of the city skyline and you'll count a handful of cranes on any given day. What's less apparent, however, is that many Colorado construction companies are desperately struggling to find workers. In fact, a recent survey of industry professionals shows that 56 percent of Colorado construction firms list worker shortages at the top of the list of concerns.