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Latest News
Main, News...
County floats disaster relief sales tax
By Chart Riggall 
August 5, 2026
Draft ballot language proposes half-cent tax, with revenue split betwe...
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News
Log Hill won’t join fire authority
Board: No benefit to cost, operational structure
By James Hanlon 
August 5, 2026
The Log Hill Volunteer Fire Department will not join the proposed cons...
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News
Crews near full containment on fire
By James Hanlon 
August 5, 2026
Firefighters who are closing in on fully containing the Gold Mountain ...
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Flood ravages homes
Main, News...
Flood ravages homes
County deems trio of Ponderosa Village properties uninhabitable, as residents fear more debris flows imminent
By Erin McIntyre, Chart Riggall and Mike Wiggins 
August 5, 2026
When the fire raged above them on the mountain, the evacuated residents of Ponderosa Village hoped for rain. They wished for anything to help the firefighters get control of the blaze so it wouldn't burn down the hill and destroy their homes. They watched the billowing, cauliflower-shaped pyrocumulus clouds rise as the fire constructed its own weather. They watched the glow of the embers on the hi...
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‘We were in a panic’
News
‘We were in a panic’
Flooding relocates part of Dexter Creek, forces couple to seek help with pigs
By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com 
August 5, 2026
Hank and Betsy Nicholson were watching TV at home the night of July 26 when the skies opened up and filled Dexter Creek with rainwater, mud and debris. The creek, which serves as the Nicholsons’ only ...
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Why can rain on wildfire burn scars trigger dangerous flooding? A geologist explains
News
Why can rain on wildfire burn scars trigger dangerous flooding? A geologist explains
By By Jen Pierce The Conversation 
August 5, 2026
When heavy rain hits burned hillsides, it can set off dangerous floods and debris flows that can move with the speed of a freight train, picking up or destroying anything in their path. These debris f...
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News
News
Riders scrutinize Ouray’s new shuttle service
By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com 
August 5, 2026
The launch of a free shuttle in Ouray this summer is off to an uneven start, with riders and a shuttle driver pointing out shortcomings and questioning how the city will determine whether the service ...
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Several homes damaged, 17 people rescued from flooding
Main, News...
Several homes damaged, 17 people rescued from flooding
By Mike Wiggins 
July 30, 2026
At least 17 people were rescued from flooding and debris flows in the Cutler Creek area between Ridgway and Ouray on Wednesday night, authorities said this morning. At least three homes in Ponderosa V...
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Evacuations ordered near Cutler Creek as rain pummels burn scar
Main, News...
Evacuations ordered near Cutler Creek as rain pummels burn scar
Oak Street closed due to mud, flooding
By Mike 
July 29, 2026
UPDATE, 9:45 p.m. U.S. Highway 550 reopened between Ridgway and Ouray Wednesday night, authorities announced at 9:15 p.m. Emergency officials encouraged motorists to be cautions when driving through a...
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Rain on burn scar triggers flooding, evacuation
Main, News...
Rain on burn scar triggers flooding, evacuation
Hydrologist: Above-average rain forecast through September
By Chart Riggall 
July 29, 2026
Heavy rainfall over scorched soil sent flash floods raging down Cutler Creek on Sunday night, spilling mud down through Ponderosa Village and briefly shuttering U.S. Highway 550. The torrent of water ...
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Fire scorches bottom lines
Main, News...
Fire scorches bottom lines
Reliant on summer tourism, reeling businesses running out of time to claw back lost revenue
By Mike Wiggins, Chart Riggall and Erin McIntyre 
July 29, 2026
It didn’t take but a spark and a stiff breeze to turn Justin Mitchell’s summer upside down. During the first few hours of the Gold Mountain Fire, Mitchell — who runs a horseback guiding outfit in the ...
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News
Governments team up on flood mitigation
City, nonprofits pitch in $165,000, while financially pinched county searches for more funding
By Mike Wiggins and Erin McIntyre mike@ouraynews.com erin@ouraynews.com 
July 29, 2026
Government agencies and nonprofit organizations have begun stepping up to help Ouray County pay to protect homes and roads from flooding and mudslides in the aftermath of the Gold Mountain Fire. The O...
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Features coverage
Good For You!
Feature
Good For You!
August 5, 2026
Send us your celebrations! The “Good For You!” page is a place for reader-submitted photos illustrating community, celebrations and more. Want to submit a photo for publication? Here are some guidelin...
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Calendar & Events
Calendar & Events, Feature...
Calendar & Events
Aug. 6-19, 2026
August 5, 2026
Thursday, August 6 Ridgway Farmers Market, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in Hartwell Park – on Thursday this week due to Ridgway Rendezvous. Youth Garden Club for ages 8-18, "Other Undergrounders" root vegetables, f...
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Feature
Ridgway-area homes featured on Home Trust tour
By Plaindealer Staff Report Plaindealer@ouraynews.com 
July 29, 2026
An eclectic mix of Ridgway-area houses are on the Home Trust of Ouray County's tour this weekend, with homeowners opening their homes to participants to help raise funds for affordable housing. This y...
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Feature
Equal parts romantic comedy, moral conflict, ‘Love’s Labors Lost’ takes stage in Ouray
By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com 
July 29, 2026
Forty years after he wrote his senior thesis about “Love’s Labors Lost,” one of William Shakespeare’s seldom-seen, early comedies still resonates with John Kissingford. As a student at Princeton Unive...
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Looking Back
Feature
Looking Back
By Compiled from the files of The Ouray County Herald, The Ridgway Sun, and The Ouray County Plaindealer 
July 29, 2026
60 Years Ago July 28, 1966 High cables across the Uncompahgre valley and river, leading from a mountainside to the Silver Shield Mill, are to come down this weekend, according to Warren H. Gibbs. Gibb...
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Good for you!
Feature
Good for you!
July 29, 2026
The Wizards of the West celebrate winning the Ouray Parks & Rec Softball League Championship on Tuesday, finishing their season with a 10-2 record. Pictured here in the back row from left to right are...
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Special Sections

Best of

Business and Real Estate

Summer Guide

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Editor Picks
Ridgway concert series puts trash in its place
Columns, Opinion...
GUEST COLUMN
Ridgway concert series puts trash in its place
By Dave Kehmeier 
August 5, 2026
“Hey Landfill, you malignant festering heap of methane-spewing, planet-warming garbage, Recycle and Compost just ate your leftover lunch!” This summer’s concert series was Ridgway’s first ever zero- w...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Thank you, community
July 29, 2026
Dear Editor: We were getting ready for bed the evening of June 27 when our power went out. Shortly after we received the evacuation alert on our phone. At this point we were unaware of the fire. We lo...
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Rain helps, but region still mired in drought
Columns, Opinion...
Rain helps, but region still mired in drought
By Karen Risch 
July 29, 2026
Two weeks ago, the southwest monsoon arrived, bringing relief to these parched landscapes and their residents. Most afternoons since then, Ouray has had measurable rain. But the condition of these mou...
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Shop owner swaps calculator for chisel
Feature
Shop owner swaps calculator for chisel
Western Slope native buys Ouray Hardware & Mercantile
By By Chloe Kiparsky Special to the Plaindealer 
July 29, 2026
Jon Pollard’s life changed when he and his wife, Jessica, bought Ouray Hardware & Mercantile on May 1. For 21 years, his career had been in the H&R Block franchise. He said he “wore many hats” during ...
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New bakery humming right along
Feature
New bakery humming right along
From bread to cinnamon rolls to bagels, sourdough stars at space tucked into Ouray KOA campground
By By Chloe Kiparsky Special to the Plaindealer 
July 29, 2026
Taylor Popovich began her baking journey terrified that she would ruin her husband's sourdough starter when he asked her to feed it. Three years later, she now enjoys baking daily for their business, ...
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First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines

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