boulder

Astronaut Sarah Gillis to visit CU on Monday

Astronaut and University of Colorado alumna Sarah Gillis will speak at CU Boulder from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Monday at Fiske Planetarium, 2414 Regent Drive.

Gillis flew to space this summer and participated in a commercial space walk on the Polaris Dawn SpaceX mission. She will speak about her path from CU to SpaceX and talk about her Polaris Dawn mission.

To register, visit web.cvent.com/event/f838ccdb-0be2-4653-b84e-516e5ea8e92b/summary.

— Olivia Doak, Daily Camera

BOULDER

Annual Boulder Star lighting ceremony set for Veterans Day

The 365 lights of the Boulder Star on Flagstaff Mountain are about to flicker on, once again, to herald the start of another holiday season.

The star’s light, which can be seen for miles around, shines down on the city every year from Veterans Day until January. This year the Boulder chamber and the city will host a community livestream from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday to commemorate the annual lighting of the star at bit.ly/48EbPDU.

— Daily Camera

vail pass

Construction on rest area to be done in early 2025

It can be hard to work at 10,600 feet. That has resulted in delays to the Colorado Department of Transportation’s $22.5 million project to rebuild the Vail Pass rest area.

The project began in May 2022 and was supposed to be complete in October 2023. Weather and other complications have delayed completion, which CDOT officials expect to finish in “early 2025.”

According to an email from Stacia Sellers of CDOT’s communications team, “The area received more snow than anticipated, which slowed operations.” But, she added, “Crews are pushing forward as much as they can despite the elements.”

On the outside, the new rest area will significantly increase parking. Tractor-trailer parking spaces will increase from six to 20, with passenger vehicle parking going from 32 to 65. Recreation parking for non-snowmobile users will increase from 32 to 67 spaces.

The transportation department also will work with the U.S. Forest Service to keep the area open for winter recreation while the facility is being finished.

The building itself will be much larger, and LEED-certified. It will also have a new fresh water system, because the facility is the busiest rest area in the state. Restroom facilities will be expanded from 10 to 22 spots, with two rooms each for men, women and families.

— Scott Miller, Vail Daily

NEW MEXICO

National monument scheduled to reopen

ALBUQUERQUE>> The Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument in New Mexico, which has been closed since March 2020, is reopening this month. The Bureau of Land Management and the Cochiti Pueblo tribe have announced a Nov. 21 reopening.

The tribe will be taking on day-to-day operations of the monument, a popular geologic hiking spot midway between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

— The Associated Press