🍌 Happy Tuesday, and happy National Banana Split Day. Remember, it's fruit, not dessert.

Today's weather: Mostly sunny with highs in the 80s and a chance of showers and thunderstorms.

⚖️ Situational awareness: The Supreme Court yesterday allowed the Trump administration to proceed with restricting mail-in ballots — a decision that could upend midterm elections. Go deeper.

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Today's newsletter is 788 words — a 3-minute read.

It's been another busy month for the Boulder-area business scene.

The big picture: A longtime Pearl Street shop is closing, an alt-weekly may come back to life, and Crocs is getting attention for its Mediterranean tax strategy.

• Here's what you may have missed:

🐊 Broomfield-based Crocs is among a growing number of major U.S. companies using Malta to sharply reduce its tax bill, according to a New York Times investigation.

• The Boulder County-born company has routed its global profits through a Maltese operation with just two employees, the Times reports.
• Maltese filings show the arrangement cut Crocs' 2023 tax bill by $218.6 million.

📰 Boulder Weekly has a new owner after firing its editorial staff and halting publication last year.

• Meaghan Levy, who also owns the Berthoud Weekly Surveyor, confirmed to BizWest that she bought the alt-weekly.
• Levy hasn't detailed plans to revive Boulder Weekly, but its website recently started publishing short stories online again.

🥞 Ferrero SpA, the Italian company behind Nutella, Tic Tac and Kinder, is buying Purely Elizabeth, a Boulder-based maker of natural pancake mixes, oatmeal and granola products, according to BizWest.

• Financial details haven't been released.

⚛️ Infleqtion Inc., a CU Boulder-born quantum-technology firm, is consolidating its Colorado operations in a new Louisville facility dubbed the Colorado Quantum Innovation Center.

• The company previously operated out of both Louisville and Boulder.
• Infleqtion, which raised $100 million in Series C funding last summer, uses neutral-atom technology to build quantum technology.

🇳🇵 Boulder Bazaar, a Pearl Street boutique known for handcrafted Nepalese and Tibetan clothing and goods, will close at the end of August after nearly 20 years.

• Owner Venus Sakha told Boulder Reporting Lab that declining sales and sparse foot traffic at 1500 Pearl St. have made it difficult to cover the rent.

Go deeper

Casa Juani is living up to the hype, landing on Bon Appétit magazine's 2026 list of the 19 best new restaurants in America.

Why it matters: The honor adds to a growing list of national accolades for downtown Boulder's dining scene, which has gained fresh momentum in the post-pandemic years.

Catch up quick: Husband-and-wife duo Eduardo Valle Lobo and Kelly Jeun left Frasca to open the Spanish restaurant at 901 Pearl St., naming it after Valle Lobo's 98-year-old mother.

Dig in: Bon Appétit singled out their arroz con sepia and jamón Ibérico that Valle Lobo carts around the dining room while sharing stories behind his dishes.

• "Every dish at Casa Juani hints at a little something special … Valle Lobo and Jeun are the lifeblood of a restaurant that is all heart," the magazine wrote.

What they're saying: "It's a dream come true to be recognized by Bon Appétit magazine for something that's so personal to us, and we're grateful for the chance to bring more national attention to Boulder's incredible hospitality community," Valle Lobo said in a statement.

The bottom line: Casa Juani opened with plenty of fanfare, and so far, it's delivering.

Snag a reservation

⚖️ The Environmental Defense Fund filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration seeking to stop its attempt to dismantle Boulder's NCAR lab. (Boulder Reporting Lab)

💦 The Colorado Court of Appeals has upheld Boulder's use of stormwater utility fees to pay for the South Boulder Creek flood mitigation project at CU South. (Boulder Reporting Lab)

🏨 The state will suspend hormone therapy and other gender-affirming care for transgender youth provided by Medicaid to follow a new federal rule. (Colorado Sun)

If you're looking for an excuse to play hooky today, Uncle Sam's got you covered.

The big picture: Entrance fees at national parks, monuments and historic sites will be waived to celebrate the National Park Service's 110th birthday.

By the numbers: Colorado is home to four national parks — Rocky Mountain, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Great Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde — plus 13 other national historic sites, trails, monuments and recreation areas.

• All 17 will be free to visit today.

Yes, but: Check conditions before heading out, particularly for trail and road closures.

• Rocky Mountain National Park, for example, is closing numerous trails this week as crews work to restore habitat for the threatened greenback cutthroat trout.

🎣 Mitchell is volunteering to staff all the empty Maltese offices.

Thanks to Gigi Sukin for editing.