craigdailypress.com

Motorists driving through Craig from the east still will be greeted by the red and white "Guns and Ammo" signs of Craig sports.

But now, instead of seeing the signs at 124 W. Victory Way, motorists can see the signs and the store about a mile down the road at 1598 W. Victory Way.

Craig Sports owner Joe Herod moved his sporting goods store to the new location last week.

The new location is bigger than the old one, and the lighting is better, too, Herod said.

"You can actually see the stuff in here," Herod said.

Herod, who has been the owner of Craig Sports for a year, said he thinks being on the west side of town will be a good move.

"I think the town is moving this way," Herod said.

Murdoch's Ranch & Home Supply opened last year on the west side of town, and Wal-Mart is considering opening a store there.

The new Craig Sports store is open, and all the merchandise is in, and Herod said he plans to open another section of the store in August.

The new section will have the same merchandise as the rest of the store, but it will give the store even more room, Herod said.

Senator wins award

A national business group is hailing one of Colorado's U.S. senators as a "small business champion."

The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, a nonpartisan small business advocacy organization, named Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., as one of its small business champions.

"Small business owners and entrepreneurs, of course, are the backbone of the U.S. economy in terms of job creation, innovation, and pushing economic growth forward," said SBE Council President and CEO Karen Kerrigan. "While most politicians talk favorably about small business, U.S. Senator Allard actually voted in favor of their key issues during the first session of the 109th Congress."

SBE Council issues the awards based on an annual scorecard of votes cast. The scorecard can be viewed at www.sbecouncil.org.