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The city is nearing completion of a project to brighten alleys in downtown Steamboat Springs. The 2006 utility undergrounding project is in the final phase of construction, city officials said last week. The project placed power lines and utility cables underground along nearly 10 blocks of downtown alleys, with the ultimate goal of removing utility poles that clog the alleys and stretch wires across the sky.

A public forum Friday night in North Routt took a turn from individual speeches to contested debates, as candidates for offices including Routt County sheriff, Routt County commissioner, and state representative made pointed statements that often highlighted differences between opponents. Gary Wall, a private investigator and Democratic candidate for sheriff, commented in his opening remarks on the employment history of the Republican candidate for sheriff, Steamboat Springs police officer and narcotics investigator Garrett Wiggins. Wiggins fired back at Wall later in the forum, addressing Wall's work as a private investigator. For more on this story, go to steamboatpilot.com.

It's time for our lift ticket contest to come to an end. The winner of the season pass and the winner of two airline tickets will be announced tomorrow morning, both online and in the Steamboat Today. We will also run a list of winners from throughout September. Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp. and The Travel Center at Steamboat for making this promotion possible.

In sports, the Steamboat Springs softball team lost both games that they played against Rifle on Saturday, 14-1 and 27-0. Sailor coach Donna Ryan said the Bears, who are at top of the Western Slope League, were probably the best team that Steamboat has played all year. The Sailors were also down three starters and had to play girls with limited experience.