On the Slope
Main, News...
Goodbye 2025,
December 31, 2025
hello 2026 Look inside for a recap — in no particular order — of the top stories in the county in 2025
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News
TOP STORIES OF THE YEAR: BRIAN SCRANTON CONVICTED OF SEX ASSAULT
By Erin McIntyre erin@ouraynews.com 
December 31, 2025
Editor’s note: This story contains details about an alleged sexual assault. Ten years after he was first arrested for alleged sex assault in Ouray County, a Ridgway man was convicted in another sex as...
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News
TOP STORIES OF THE YEAR: TUMULT WITHIN TOP RANKS OF COUNTY
By Erin McIntyre erin@ouraynews.com 
December 31, 2025
Ouray County government weathered a year of turmoil and transition in 2025, and ended the year hopeful that its new top leader would bring a fresh perspective and stability. County commissioners ended...
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TOP STORIES OF THE YEAR: POLICE TURMOIL CONTINUES
By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com 
December 31, 2025
After more than a year of turmoil that consumed 2024 and bled over into the first quarter of 2025, the Ouray Police Department underwent a complete tear down and transition under an interim police chi...
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Looking Back, Opinion...
By Compiled from the files of The Ouray County Herald, The Ridgway Sun, and The Ouray County Plaindealer 
December 31, 2025
60 Years Ago December 30, 1965 What can we expect to happen to our pocketbook in 1966? Here are some clues gleaned from the 43rd Annual National Agricultural Outlook Conference held in Washington D.C....
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News
TOP STORIES OF THE YEAR: SWISS VILLAGE SAVED
By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com 
December 31, 2025
As the calendar flipped from 2024 to 2025, things looked bleak for the residents of Swiss Village Mobile Home Park in Ouray. They had rallied to form a cooperative in the wake of learning the park was...
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News
TOP STORIES OF THE YEAR: ATHLETIC COMPLEX FINISHED
By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com 
December 31, 2025
Ridgway Secondary School athletes were tired. Tired of running on hard surfaces that were tough on their bodies and practicing in school hallways and backyards. Tired of carpooling to Olathe in order ...
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News
TOP STORIES OF THE YEAR: CRYSTAL RESERVOIR BILLS INTRODUCED
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
December 31, 2025
Bipartisan members of Congress representing Ouray County co-sponsored bills introduced in 2025 to transfer Crystal Reservoir from the U.S. Forest Service to the city of Ouray, nearly a year after the ...
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Columns, Feature...
PREP ROUNDUP
By By Matt Meyer Special to the Plaindealer 
December 31, 2025
Ridgway coach Jonny Zaugg dedicated to helping young c limbers of all skill levels When Jonny Zaugg returned to Ridgway several years ago, he saw an opportunity to give back to the community and be th...
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News
TOP STORIES OF THE YEAR: RIDGWAY WINS CONDEMNATION CASE
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
December 31, 2025
The town of Ridgway won its case to condemn private property to build a public trail from the River Park subdivision to Ridgway Secondary School, after attempts to purchase a slice of property from th...
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News
TOP STORIES OF THE YEAR: HIGHWAY 550 SAFETY CONCERNS
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
December 31, 2025
A spike in fatal and serious-injury accidents on U.S. Highway 550 in Ouray County in 2025 caught the attention of the public and the Colorado Department of Transportation, which moved to expedite some...
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