— Alex Scoville

4:03 p.m. — Restaurants and other small businesses are struggling to access the loans offered by the federal stimulus package

Hart Van Denburg/CPR News An empty Tables Restaurant in Denver’s Park Hill n neighborhood Wednesday March 18, 2020.

Colorado’s small business owners are turning to community lenders as the country’s biggest banks fail to meet the overwhelming demand for loans under the federal government’s stimulus package.

Josh Wolkon, the owner of four restaurants in Denver, had to lay off 180 people when Gov. Jared Polis ordered restaurants and bars to close last month in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“I’ve never experienced anything as soul-crushing as that,” Wolkon said in an interview.

Wolkon, whose portfolio includes Steuben’s and Vesta, is attempting to borrow $1.7 million through the $350 billion program intended to help businesses with less than 500 employees weather the economic fallout from the COVID-19 epidemic.

Wolkon reached out to Wells Fargo, one of the largest small-business lenders in the U.S., and InBank, a community lender serving Colorado and New Mexico. He has worked with both previously.

Over the weekend, Wells Fargo stopped accepting loan applications. Wolkon said the banking giant didn’t notify him when applications were halted, and that he learned about the move on the internet when it was reported that Wells Fargo might struggle to process most loans because of restrictions imposed following a consumer banking scandal several years ago.

“I don’t understand why they didn’t tell their customer base early,” Wolkon said. “I’m grateful I was already in conversations with the community bank.”

The central bank has since eased restrictions on Wells Fargo to make it easier to meet the demand for loans, but that won’t change Wolkon’s plans. He anticipates closing on his loan with InBank next Tuesday.

“We are committed to helping as many business owners as we can navigate the available loan programs," Tom Francis, a senior vice president at InBank, said in an emailed statement. “We are telling our customers and other business owners to really know your options, have your financials in order and be ready to present those to your banker.”

The process has been challenging, beset by technological glitches and general confusion among bankers and borrowers. For instance, it can take up to an hour to upload documents to start the application process, Wolkon said.

— Sarah Muholland

3:59 p.m. — This is how the state will be organizing patients when the "expected surge" comes

Colorado health and emergency officials are getting ready for when the peak of coronavirus cases arrives in the state.

The Colorado state Unified Command Center is partnering with the Colorado Hospital Association, local communities and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prepare sites across the state to treat various tiers of cases.

Those do include hospitals and other medical care facilities, but also what the state is calling "alternative care sites," which will include the Colorado Convention Center in Denver and the Larimer County Fairgrounds and Events Complex in Loveland. Alternative case sites will only accept patients transferred from hospitals or other facilities, so people can't go to one seeking a diagnosis or care.

The Colorado Convention Center will have 2,000 beds. Construction began yesterday and will finish April 27. The Larimer County Fairgrounds will have 1,060 beds. Construction will begin tomorrow and finish April 29.

There are three more locations expected to become alternative care sites: St. Anthony North in Westminster, St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center in Pueblo and Western Slope Memory Care in Grand Junction. The state has signed letters of intent with all of them.

Health officials will be organizing patients into four tiers depending on what level of care they require. What tier a person belongs in will reflect what facility they will go to. The tiers are:

Tier 1: "Patients with critical needs are admitted into a critical care setting (ICU or medical nursing unit)."

"Patients with critical needs are admitted into a critical care setting (ICU or medical nursing unit)." Tier 2: "As patients within a hospital recover, they may be transferred by a fleet of state-managed ambulances to an ambulatory surgical center, free-standing emergency department, or critical access hospital — all which can provide acute care to COVID-19 patients whose needs fall below critical care."

"As patients within a hospital recover, they may be transferred by a fleet of state-managed ambulances to an ambulatory surgical center, free-standing emergency department, or critical access hospital — all which can provide acute care to COVID-19 patients whose needs fall below critical care." Tier 3: "As further recovery ensues, healing patients may be transferred by the state-managed ambulance fleet to alternative care sites that have been created by the state, by hospitals and/or by state/local partnerships with public health and emergency management."

"As further recovery ensues, healing patients may be transferred by the state-managed ambulance fleet to alternative care sites that have been created by the state, by hospitals and/or by state/local partnerships with public health and emergency management." Tier 4: "Patients who are ready to return home but who can’t because of extenuating circumstances or because they need to quarantine in order to protect others, may be transferred by non-EMS to a hotel that has been converted to a medical shelter."

— Alex Scoville

3:21 p.m. — Howling at the super pink moon in Denver

Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite A huge moon hangs above Cheesman Park. April 7, 2020.

The howling began at 8 p.m. sharp, like every night. But Tuesday was different.

“This is the night to howl,” a man said as he hoofed it up 11th Avenue toward Cheesman Park.

An enormous full moon rose over the horizon as dusk set in.

See more photos and read the full story on Denverite.

Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite Cheesman Park after dark. April 7, 2020.

Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite A woman steps onto her patio at dusk in the Cheesman Park neighborhood. April 7, 2020.

Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite Heather Farley whips a hula hoop around her body in Cheesman Park. April 7, 2020.

— Kevin J. Beaty

2:28 p.m. — More people under 40 are dying due to COVID-19 in Colorado

Colorado has now seen COVID-19-related deaths of two people under the age of 40, according to data provided by Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday.

The state's numbers, however, don't include the death of a 21-year-old that was confirmed by Colorado Mesa University on the Western Slope. An email was sent to the student body about the death due to complications related to the virus. The Grand Junction Daily Sentinal reports that the student, Cody Lyster, was in pursuit of a criminal justice degree.