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Latest News
Emergency ballots available for primary election
News
Emergency ballots available for primary election
Voters can participate online, turn in ballots at secure ballot boxes before 7 p.m. deadline
By Erin McIntyre 
June 30, 2026
The polls and ballot boxes are open today and the Ouray County clerk w...
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Persistent windy, dry weather hampers firefighters
Main, News...
Persistent windy, dry weather hampers firefighters
Feds to assume operational control today; Ouray Fourth of July celebration in doubt
By Mike 
June 29, 2026
UPDATE, 4:40 p.m.: Firefighters battling the 7,100-acre Gold Mountain ...
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Evacuees in limbo as fire grows
Main, News...
Evacuees in limbo as fire grows
By Mike Wiggins and Deb Hurley Brobst mike@ouraynews.com 
June 28, 2026
Dottie Miller hopped online on Friday, running over checklists of item...
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Firefighters building, reinforcing lines, as high winds return today
News
Firefighters building, reinforcing lines, as high winds return today
By Mike 
June 30, 2026
Firefighters will focus their efforts today on building and reinforcing firelines in an effort to keep the Gold Mountain Fire from spreading south toward Ouray and west toward U.S. Highway 550. A total of 210 firefighters are working the fire, which has burned 8,277 acres and is 0% contained, according to an update posted this morning by the Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3. ...
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Main, News...
Ouray cancels Fourth of July fireworks
By Mike 
June 28, 2026
The city of Ouray has canceled its Fourth of July fireworks display in light of dangerous fire conditions. Brooke Warren, a spokeswoman for the city, said this morning Fire Chief Adam Kunz made the de...
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Extreme fire danger persists
Main, News...
Extreme fire danger persists
Gold Mountain Fire burns as more firefighting resources expected to arrive
By Mike Wiggins And Erin Mcintyre 
June 28, 2026
Ouray County and southwestern Colorado are under a red flag warning until 10 p.m. today, as forecasters this morning warned gusty winds and low humidity will create dangerous fire weather conditions. ...
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News
Gold Mountain Fire grows, prompts evacuations north of Ouray
Main, News...
Gold Mountain Fire grows, prompts evacuations north of Ouray
By Mike 
June 27, 2026
Click here to read the NEW, UPDATED STORY POSTED AT 10:20 a.m. Sunday, June 28 here. UPDATE, 11:16 p.m.: A pre-evacuation notice has been issued for County Road 17 from Whispering Pines to Black Lake....
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Sweet sounds of summer
Main, News...
Sweet sounds of summer
June 24, 2026
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Main, News...
County to pursue use tax
Likely ballot measure would raise money for roads, EMS
By Deb Hurley Brobst Special to the Plaindealer 
June 24, 2026
Ouray County voters likely will be asked this fall to approve a use tax on both new vehicle purchases and construction material purchases, with most of the tax dollars going to the county’s Road and B...
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Main, News...
Will fire authority ease insurance woes?
Experts say consolidation may not help homeowners gain, keep coverage
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
June 24, 2026
Home insurance experts say the proposed consolidation of fire and emergency services in Ouray County may not necessarily help homeowners gain and keep insurance coverage. Leaders of the possible conso...
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News
Celebration honors past, looks to future
Ranch History Museum marks 20th birthday Saturday with expansion preview
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
June 24, 2026
The Ouray County Ranch History Museum is celebrating its 20th birthday with a preview of what it wants to be when it grows up. During a celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 27, survey stakes and...
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News
Ridgway council seeks more efficient meetings
After recent heated tone, councilors emphasize preserving casual culture
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
June 24, 2026
Ridgway town councilors want to run meetings more efficiently while preserving the council’s casual culture. After trying out informal strategies to shorten the length of meetings, the council may con...
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Features coverage
New Ouray restaurant offers ‘elevated pub food’
Feature
New Ouray restaurant offers ‘elevated pub food’
The Tavern opens in space formerly occupied by Full Tilt, O'Brien's
By By Chloe Kiparsky Special to the Plaindealer 
June 24, 2026
When Nancy Feeser and her husband, Mike, bought the building at 726 Main St. in Ouray in February, it was painted green with bright yellow letters announcing O’Brien’s Pub, which had been closed for y...
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Calendar & Events
Calendar & Events, Feature...
Calendar & Events
June 24, 2026
Thursday, June 25 Cruz Contreras & The Black Lillies with opener Griffin William Sherry, Mountain Air Music Series concert in Fellin Park in Ouray, from 6-10 p.m., free. Tech Thursday – Get help with ...
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Anniversaries a reminder of power of this place
Columns, Feature...
Anniversaries a reminder of power of this place
By Carolyn Snowbarger 
June 17, 2026
The "power of place" is the theory that physical locations shape our lives, identities and ultimate destinies. This concept suggests that a geographic location is never merely a dot on a map or a set ...
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Kris Batchelder’s art wanders the Wild West
Feature
SPOTLIGHT ON THE ARTS
Kris Batchelder’s art wanders the Wild West
By By Chloe Kiparsky Special to the Plaindealer 
June 17, 2026
About 10 years ago, Kris Batchelder discovered her passion for paper collage. It was at Christmas, when she sat down with her son to make holiday cards out of construction paper. “I guess I liked it,”...
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Calendar & Events
Calendar & Events, Feature...
Calendar & Events
June 18-July 2, 2026
June 17, 2026
Thursday, June 18 Sweet Lizzy Project with opener Sara Jean Kelley, Mountain Air Music Series concert in Fellin Park in Ouray, from 6-10 p.m., free. Seventh annual Ouray International Film Festival, v...
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Film fest remains intimate, connective
Feature
Film fest remains intimate, connective
Seventh-annual Ouray International Film Festival returns to Wright Opera House June 18-21
By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com 
June 10, 2026
In its seven years, the Ouray International Film Festival has hosted an assortment of special guests, from well-known screenwriters to up-and-coming directors. The event has screened films shot across...
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Editor Picks
Film shows Ouray’s rich, layered history
News
Film shows Ouray’s rich, layered history
'Ouray: Echoes in the Canyon' debuts Friday at the Wright
By Erin McIntyre erin@ouraynews.com 
June 24, 2026
The story of Ouray is rich, nuanced and full of interesting people and events. That's the surface-level message the audience could take away from the commissioned documentary for the city's 150th anni...
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Looking Back
News
Looking Back
June 24, 2026
Compiled from the files of The Ouray County Herald, The Ridgway Sun, and The Ouray County Plaindealer 60 Years Ago June 30, 1966 Dale Peirdson broke an arm and injured his hip June 24 while working at...
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News
Local Briefs
National forests impose fire ban
June 24, 2026
The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests are joining Ouray County’s three local governments and other agencies in the region in imposing stage 1 fire restrictions. The U.S. Forest Ser...
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Letters, Opinion...
Prairie dog problem bigger than fairgrounds
June 24, 2026
Dear Editor: While I appreciate the prairie dog problem at the Ouray County Fairgrounds getting attention, it’s a short-sighted view. There are plenty more prairie dogs that will migrate and repopulat...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Ouray should rethink Fourth of July fireworks
By Tamra Evangelista 
June 24, 2026
Dear Editor: I recently wrote to the Ouray City Council asking them to consider an alternative to our traditional Fourth of July fireworks display this year given the significant wildfire risk we are ...
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First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines

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Ridgway, Colorado 81432
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