The Montezuma Heritage Museum in Cortez is marking America's 250th anniversary and Colorado's 150th with two special exhibits. “Moments That Made Us” explores how local Montezuma County history connects to the themes of the Declaration of Independence and runs through December. “Yesterday's Stories” is a collaboration with KSJD Radio that brings historical archives to life through community voices and runs through October.

By Sadie Smith

Watch this story at LNN.news

This story is sponsored by Builders First Source and Breaking Wax Trading.

A former Farmington grocery store has become a hub for local youth sports, thanks to the Pennington family. The Penningtons have owned the building since the 1980s and began converting it into practice space for their children's volleyball and baseball teams before opening it up to the wider community.

Today, Empire Athletics offers batting cages, volleyball and pickleball courts, a yoga studio and a gym, with a new turf field project already underway. Owners say every dollar the business makes goes back into equipment, not a paycheck. Empire Athletics sits near Costa Vida and Nutra Mills in Farmington, with league, camp and clinic updates posted on Facebook and Instagram.

By Tanner Waite

This story is sponsored by FASTSIGNS Farmington, Legacy Financial Advisors and Rocky Mountain Safety.

And presented by Four Corners Economic Development, the Farmington Chamber of Commerce and the Aztec Chamber of Commerce.

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Table to Farm Compost is a Durango based climate activist business that has been turning food scraps into compost since 2016. Co-owner Monique DiGiorgio was recently named the 2025 Entrepreneur of the Year by Southwest Colorado Rocks for her leadership in growing the company to more than 800 subscribers and achieving the highest level of compost certification in Colorado. The company offers curbside pickup of food scraps and transforms them into high quality compost used by local gardeners and agricultural producers across La Plata County. With Durango's Bonded Landfill at 70% capacity and Durango City Council set to decide on composting requirements this fall, Table to Farm is at the center of an important conversation about how Durango handles its organic waste.

By Sadie Smith

Watch this story at LNN.news

This story is sponsored by FASTSIGNS Durango, Legacy Financial Advisors and RMW/Tafoya Barrett & Associates.

And presented by the La Plata County Economic Alliance and the Durango Chamber of Commerce.