Editor’s note: Stories in this list received the most page views on SummitDaily.com from Feb. 19-25.

1. International student workers say they’ve faced financial stress after Vail Resorts failed to provide them adequate working hours

During the 2021-2022 ski season, Rodrigo Queiroz said he saved about $8,000 while working at the Timber Ridge Lodge restaurant in Keystone — money he was able to bring back to his home country of Brazil. But as the 24-year-old looks to the end of his temporary employment with the resort this time around, Queiroz expects that his savings from months of work will “be nothing.”

J-1 students, including Queiroz, told the Summit Daily News that they’ve seen their weekly hours rapidly decline in recent weeks, with one employee scheduled for as little as six hours of work during the week of Jan. 28 to Feb. 3. Some said they feel misled based on the job information they were given before accepting their positions. 

n an email response to multiple questions from the Summit Daily, Vail Resorts spokesperson Max Winter stated, “We care deeply about all of our employees — including J-1 students, and we are investing more into our employees this season than ever before.

“With a fully staffed team this year, we recognize that more team members may be seeing variations in their scheduled hours at certain times,” Winter continued, adding, “while it is typical to see a fluctuation of hours in any season, we understand that some employees are frustrated, and we are taking that seriously.”

— Robert Tann

2. Despite rumors on social media, Keystone Resort says the Summit Express lift is planned to run throughout the week

A post on social media that garnered nearly 100 comments, some of which showed long lift lines extending into River Run Village, claimed Keystone Resort would be closing its Summit Express lift midweek from Tuesday to Thursday throughout the rest of the season, but resort officials are saying this post is not true.

“The Summit Express was running today, and it is planned to operate throughout the week,” Spokesperson Max Winter said in an email Wednesday.

Rumors about the reason for the lift’s closure claimed it was a cost-cutting measure or that it had to do with staffing, but Winter said “our lift schedules evolve throughout the season based on a variety of factors that include resort operations, visitation and weather,” adding that the resort is fully staffed currently.

— Summit Daily staff

3. ‘If we have to go to a lawsuit, we’re not afraid’: Officials in Summit County report improvements with US Postal Service but say more work needs to be done

For years residents of Colorado’s mountain towns have reported continued issues with their local U.S. Postal Service offices. Now, U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper have invited Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to visit the state to witness the problems firsthand.

Over the past few months in Summit County residents have reported weekslong delays in receiving mail, including bills and important documents, difficulty accessing mail-order prescriptions and long waits to pick up packages. 

In Summit County, the Postal Service has taken some steps to begin addressing those issues, according to Interim Summit County Manager Philip Gonshak. In response to an offer noting workforce housing available through the county, five Postal Service employees have applied, Gonshak said.

Still, though, there is much work to be done to get the Dillon Post Office to where it needs to be, Dillon Town Manager Nathan Johnson said, noting the town has asked the Postal Service to look at potential redevelopment of that property, with the possibility of including workforce housing for employees onsite.

— Ryan Spencer 

4. Cody Jones: I’m sorry that I missed the mark on vetting a claim about skiing 100,000 vertical feet in one day

Last week I had a journalist’s worst nightmare. 

In an attempt to write a feel-good article on a man who road tripped from New York to Utah and racked up some ski days in Colorado, I made the huge mistake of not fully vetting the vertical feet he had skied in a day at Beaver Creek Resort.

As a sports reporter who values telling local stories through features and other articles, I get countless emails from readers who want their fun and lighthearted story to be told. I work hard to make sure everyone’s claims are legitimate, but I clearly missed the mark recently.

— Cody Jones

5. Near-zero visibility, icy roads lead to snow squall warning as mountain passes in Summit County close amid snowstorm

Hoosier Pass and Loveland Pass were closed in both directions on Wednesday, Feb. 22, according to CoTrip.org around 12:45 p.m. as a snowstorm continues to dump snow in Summit County.

The National Weather Service issued a snow squall warning around 12:45 p.m. Wednesday that will remain in effect until 1:45 p.m. due to “sudden” drops to near-zero visibility, icy roads and heavy snow.

The National Weather Service of Boulder/Denver issued a statement on Twitter warning that conditions on Interstate 70 west of Denver are bad and will continue to get worse this afternoon as snow makes its way over the Continental Divide and into the Front Range.

— Summit Daily staff