Cattle on feed in Colorado and the United States for November 2020 as reported by the USDA>

State economists expect Colorado’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic to stretch into 2022, according to two forecasts released Friday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday night granted emergency use authorization to Moderna's new COVID-19 vaccine, the second approval of a coronavirus vaccine in a week.

Photo of the week from the December 18, 2020, edition of the Kiowa County Press in Eads, Colorado - Bird tracks in the snow.

Post-retirement life can become mundane or monotonous, so spice things up with new options! Here are a few engaging activities for seniors in assisted living.

Painting Classes

Art is a meaningful form of creative expression that people never outgrow. Find a local instructor who is willing to teach people how to paint. Try to find an object or idea that is easy to draw and simple to explore so anyone with eyesight problems can still paint from memory. If the residents enjoy it, consider making a painting class a weekly option.

Birthdays

December 21

• Chael Cordova
• Drew Ridgeway

December 22

• Kade Ellicott
• Walt Immer

December 23

• Justin McLoud
• Abbie Specht
• Marty Miller
• Marilyn Baxter

December 24

• Alexa Ramsey
• Mandy Ramsey
• Billy E Woelk
• Krissy Ray
• LaDonna Crawford

December 25

• Chandler Kent
• Tina Kraft

December 26

• Taylor Maverick McCracken
• Paxton Lynch
• Hollie Frederick

Dec

Going into “The Croods: A New Age,” I barely remembered anything from “The Croods” from 2013. I remembered that Emma Stone, Nicolas Cage, Catherine Keener, and Cloris Leachman voiced cave people, but that was about it. I had even forgotten that Ryan Reynolds was in it, mainly because I had written Reynolds off as a box office draw prior to his 2016 resurgence in “Deadpool.” Speaking of 2016, that was the year of “La La Land,” which won Emma Stone an Oscar for Best Actress (the highest-profile announced win for that movie to stick).

Colorado businesses are opposed to lawmakers increasing taxes during the upcoming legislative session, according to a new survey on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the state's businesses.

First-time unemployment claims soared last week to their highest level since September, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Kiowa County, Colorado, is now at 64 COVID-19 coronavirus cases, with two deaths.