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County rejects $11,000 legal bill

Commissioners cite lack of justification for reimbursement; Padgett alleges process flawed

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

April 23, 2025

Ouray County taxpayers won’t foot Commissioner Lynn Padgett’s nearly $...

News

Ouray police exodus continues

Sergeant's retirement, sergeant's medical leave temporarily makes chief lone full-timer

By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com

April 23, 2025

The city of Ouray hired Daric Harvey to stabilize and reform the Ouray...

News

Man accused of drunken driving, spitting on deputy

By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com

April 23, 2025

A Ridgway man suspected of hitting a liquor store building with his ve...

Main, News...

AN EASTER SHELL-EBRATION

April 23, 2025

News

Ouray council backs rental license nonrenewal

Owners of vacation home failed to rent for 30-day minimum

By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com

April 23, 2025

A Ridgway couple who failed to rent their home for at least 30 days in the last year won't be allowed to keep their short-term rental license. Ouray city councilors on Monday night unanimously rejecte...

News

NEWS BRIEFS

Woman released from ICE facility, drugs involved in fatal vehicle crashes, town signs water lease, town seeks info about statue vandalism, Blue Lakes trail to close

April 23, 2025

Ouray woman released from ICE facility A Ouray woman who had been detained since February in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Aurora has been released on bond. After two months, 31-y...

News

Duplex answers a housing Hail Mary

Home Trust's first new-construction project ensures two families can stay in Ridgway

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

April 23, 2025

For too long, the Patton family had too many discussions about changing school districts or moving away from Ouray County entirely. Now, at their new home on North Laura Street, they can ditch those h...

News

Microgrid creates ‘energy island’ in Ridgway

New system atop Space to Create building ensures lights stay on in power outage

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

April 23, 2025

When a nearly countywide power outage darkened homes and businesses for an evening last week, the downstairs window at Ridgway’s Space to Create remained glowing with light. That’s because a solar mic...

News

CORRECTION

April 23, 2025

An article on Page 7 of the April 17-23 edition incorrectly attributed comments about property taxation to Ouray County Planning Director Mark Castrodale. Gold Mountain Ranch Operations Manager Keller...

Main, News...

Deportation fears add to resort workers’ mental health problems

By By Natalie Skowlund KFF Health News

April 16, 2025

SILVERTHORNE — When Adolfo Román García-Ramírez walks home in the evening from his shift at a grocery store in this central Colorado mountain town, sometimes he thinks back on his childhood in Nicarag...

Main, News...

Uncertainty over federal cuts remains

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

April 16, 2025

Federal funding slashes and freezes may mean emptier food pantry shelves, fewer library resources and cuts to public health, emergency management and environmental projects in Ouray County. The Trump ...

Main, News...

Ridgway, landowner battle over property

Town seeks condemnation for walking path; owner insists no public benefit

By Erin McIntyre erin@ouraynews.com

April 16, 2025

The landowner who fenced his property and put up “no trespassing” signs to keep children from cutting through his River Park lot to get to school is fighting the town of Ridgway's attempt to condemn t...

Columns, Feature...

PREP ROUNDUP

As weather warms, so does Ridgway soccer team

By By Matt Meyer Special to the Plaindealer

April 23, 2025

It’s probably no coincidence that the Ridgway High School girls’ soccer team has heated up on the field as temperatures have warmed up outside. In the sunshine, practices can focus much more on team p...

Feature

‘I want to bring this to other women’

Singletrack Addict encourages female mountain bikers to be playful, confident on the trails

By By Lia Salvatierra lia @ ou ray news, com

April 23, 2025

It’s supposed to feel like summer camp — rooted in playfulness and empowerment — at Singletrack Addict, a new local female-focused mountain biking community and coaching business. Co-owners Jen Sawyer...

Feature

Montrose gift, toy shop expands to Ridgway

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

April 23, 2025

Sonja Horn was looking for a way to retire from running her gift shop in Montrose when she got a call asking if she’d be interested in opening a second location in Ridgway. So rather than an “exit str...

Feature

Custom cowboy couture saddles up to Ouray

Hat bar, retail shop The Mercantile opens May 3

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

April 23, 2025

Tourists and locals alike can add a feather in their cap at The Mercantile Ouray, a new build-your-own hat bar and Western wear shop opening on Main Street in Ouray on May 3. It was the city’s vibrant...

Sharing between soccer, track breeds success

Columns, Feature...

PREP ROUNDUP

Sharing between soccer, track breeds success

By By Matt Meyer Special to the Plaindealer

April 16, 2025

It can be difficult for a coach not to oversee every aspect of an athlete’s training or competition during a given season. It’s also rough to juggle scheduling conflicts when an athlete competes in mu...

Ridgway stands toe-to-toe with larger school

Columns, Feature...

PREP ROUNDUP

Ridgway stands toe-to-toe with larger school

By By Matt Meyer Special to the Plaindealer

April 2, 2025

Editor's note: The Plaindealer is trying something new – publishing a sports column with information about local high school sports during the seasons for those sports. We don't have the resources to ...

Letters, Opinion...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Be mindful of shared history

April 23, 2025

Dear Editor: Although disturbing and sad, I was keenly interested in the anti-immigrant history lesson shared by columnist Carolyn Snowbarger in the April 10 edition. (“The forgotten – and shameful – ...

Letters, Opinion...

Don’t stick us with legal bill

April 23, 2025

Dear Editor: Why would a county commissioner need legal representation? As elected officials, county commissioners are afforded consid- erable protection from liability by the Colorado Governmental Im...

Columns, Opinion...

Brief warm spells, plenty of snow — yes, it’s April

By Karen Risch

April 23, 2025

April, a notorious trickster of a month, has lived up to its reputation this year. Fine hot spells, not-so-good freezing temperatures, ample snow and, unfortunately, a continuing drought. It’s been a ...

Looking Back

OURAY COUNTY

LOOKING BACK

40 YEARS AGO

April 23, 2025

April 24, 1975 – In spite of cold weather and intermittently blizzardy conditions, Ouray School students participated in the Paul Revere Day fundraising, April 18. A group went out again on Sunday, wh...

Obituaries

Ross Owen Williams

April 23, 2025

September 19, 1979-April 10, 2025 Ross Owen Williams, 45, died in his sleep on April 10, 2025. Ross was a proud son of the San Juan mountains, growing up in Ouray, Colorado, where he cultivated a love...

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