1. Breckenridge chef and 2 restaurants earn Michelin Guide recognition
Two Breckenridge restaurants have earned spots in the 2026 Michelin Guide, adding another national accolade for Summit County native and James Beard Award-winning chef Matt Vawter.
Rootstalk and Radicato, both founded by Vawter, received Michelin recommendations as part of this year’s Colorado guide. Cameron Baker, a chef at Radicato, also received Michelin’s Young Chef/Culinary Professional Award.
“We couldn’t be more proud of Chef Matt Vawter and his team,” Breckenridge Tourism Office CEO Lucy Kay said in a statement Monday, Sept. 14, following the announcement. “He has created such a strong culture of excellence and pride in creating stellar experiences for guests.”
— Summit Daily staff report
2. Silverthorne resident claims sixth land speed record while racing modified vintage motorcycles on Bonneville Salt Flats
Motorcycles have always been a major part of Chas Haynes’ life.
Haynes grew up in Europe, with a father who worked for a company that, at the time, owned Harley-Davidson. Together, the pair travelled all over Europe to attend races.
“There were always motorcycles around me. I learned to ride at probably nine or 10 years old,” Haynes said. “Motorcycles have been part of my life since I was a wee lad.”
Decades later and an ocean away from where he was raised, that love of motorcycles has stuck with Haynes. Today, the 61-year-old Silverthorne resident has set six land speed records riding vintage motorcycles.
He set his most recent record just two weeks ago at the 2026 American Motorcycle Association’s Land Speed Grand Championship, which ran from Aug. 23-27.
— Jessica Sachs
3. Residents threatened to sue Dillon over noise at the amphitheater. The town says it made changes but refuses to answer questions.
The Dillon Town Council approved a statement Aug. 18 about noise complaints at the Dillon Amphitheater. In a council meeting recap email the next day, it released the statement, which claims the town made changes to the amphitheater that reduce the amount of sound that leaves the venue.
The Neighbors of the Dillon Amphitheater, a group of homeowners from the Lake Cliffe Condominiums across the street from the venue, have made public comments at Town Council meetings for about a year, expressing concerns about amphitheater noise levels. Their comments led to pushback in early February from other community members concerned an overcorrection from the town would worsen the amphitheater experience.
Jessie Klehfoth, the town’s events and recreation director, said at a Feb. 17 Town Council work session that the amphitheater would receive a new sound pressure level monitoring system for the 2026 season to help determine what, if any, changes should be made. She said the system would also help amphitheater staff more strictly enforce decibel limits on the venue’s performers.
— Kyle McCabe
4. A Colorado company thinks a $30B train could bring ski traffic from Denver to Avon in 97 minutes. Others call it a ‘pipedream’
An ambitious proposal to construct an electric rail line that could whisk skiers from Denver International Airport to Avon in about 97 minutes faces an uphill battle to become a reality.
But Jay Branch, the vice-president of Denver West Express Inc., a company proposing a railroad that would do exactly that, believes it’s possible, even if he and his business partners haven’t figured out every detail.
“This is a concept, and it’s a business plan. It isn’t a fully engineered route,” Branch said. “There are some problems that will need to be resolved. We haven’t solved all the problems. We know we can get from point A to point B in an efficient and reasonable amount of time. There’s a lot of questions that haven’t been answered yet.”
— Ryan Spencer
5. Dillon denies controversial plans for Skyline Apartments after developer proposes changes
The Dillon Town Council contemplated continuing a public hearing for a second straight meeting the night of Sept. 15 before voting to deny the applicant’s plans.
While the vote does not completely deny the application, town attorney Douglas Stallworthy said, denying the plans for the proposed apartment building at the current Skyline Cinema site will require the applicants, a group led by developers Pagewest, to go back to the town’s planning and zoning commission and present updated plans.
Pagewest partner Adam Wallace said his group had made updates to its development plan since Aug. 1, when the Town Council first opened the public hearing for the planned unit development application. He said the public’s feedback provided at that meeting informed changes to the site plan, which Pagewest partner Zak Holt later explained included decreases in building heights and residential density, an increase to a setback, the addition of an amenity deck, changes to the housing covenant and the addition of a parking management plan.
— Kyle McCabe
Dining and Cooking