Luxury-home sales in the Denver metro area more than doubled in April compared with the same period a year ago, according to a report released May 22 by Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.

Denver has the most million-dollar sales with 24, followed by Boulder with 19, Cherry Hills Village with 12 and Greenwood Village with 10.

The figures are based on Multiple Listing Service data of all homes sold for more MORE

Four community banks chartered in the Boulder Valley showed better metrics in the first quarter of 2013 than the same period in 2012.

AMG National Trust Bank and Flatirons Bank in Boulder, Mile High Banks in Longmont and Summit Bank and Trust in Broomfield recorded a “significant improvement” in their return on equity, a key metric of bank health, said Jenifer Waller, senior vice president of the Colorado Bankers Association in Denver, a trade group.

Waller calculated ROE, as it’s called in MORE

Phlebotomist Deb Romero has lost 49 pounds since she started working on a diet and exercise program through the Longmont United Hospital employee wellness program.

Since she has just seven to 12 more pounds to go to reach her goal weight, Romero said, she chats with a wellness coach on the phone once a week to keep her on track to do regular workouts and eat more vegetables.

The coach suggests common-sense tips: step on a scale once a week instead of every day to avoid getting discouraged, and eat just one MORE

As the recently appointed Region VIII Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration, I am proud to recognize a milestone close to my heart: this year marks the 25th anniversary of enactment of the Women’s Business Ownership Act of 1988.

This landmark legislation laid the foundation for increased federal support of women-owned businesses, now one of the largest and fastest-growing segments of the MORE