Councilor seeks relaxed in-person attendance policy

Dave Doherty takes his seat after being appointed to the Ouray City Council on Jan. 5. Doherty, who has attended three of the council's six meetings and work sessions remotely so far this year, has asked fellow councilors to relax a policy that caps councilors' online attendance at meetings and work sessions to six times per year. Photo by Erin McIntyre | Ouray County Plaindealer

News

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com, on February 25, 2026

Doherty claims job keeps him out of town; council to decide whether to change cap on remote participation

A newly appointed Ouray city councilor who has attended just half of the city council’s meetings in person so far this year has asked the council to relax an attendance policy and allow him to govern remotely more frequently.

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Bright start, cloudy future for bus service

Two years after launch, OurWay ridership has doubled. It’s unclear if grant money and matching local funds will help it keep running

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

February 25, 2026

Georgia Evans greeted the bus driver with jugs of milk and water in her hands and boarded the 11-seater OurWay shuttle, headed home from work in Ridgway to Montrose. She noticed it was a different bus...

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Backcountry road closure eyed

County to shut off portion of Yankee Boy Basin to vehicles this summer due to environmental damage

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

February 25, 2026

Ouray County commissioners on Tuesday directed staff to pursue closing an upper section of Yankee Boy Basin this summer to motorized traffic, in response to a resident’s request to reduce environmenta...

Helping the helpers: The anatomy of a complex rescue

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NEIGHBORS AND HELPERS

Helping the helpers: The anatomy of a complex rescue

Volunteers saved an 11-year-old girl from the bottom of a cliff thanks largely to the skills of Mike Gibbs, who's made a career out of training rescuers

By By Nancy Lofholm Special to the Plaindealer

February 18, 2026

It took Mike Gibbs all of five seconds on that morning in early August to figure out it was time to execute one of the world’s most complicated rope rescues. A car had tumbled 320 feet off the edge of...

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Bills to give reservoir to Ouray debut in Congress

Administrator: City can afford repair expenses, which are still unknown

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

February 18, 2026

U.S. House and Senate bills to transfer ownership of Crystal Reservoir from the U.S. Forest Service to the city of Ouray made it to subcommittee hearings in Washington, D.C. last week. Both bills are ...

News

County spurns prairie dog control request

Commissioners say they're unwilling, unable to adopt restrictions; resident withdraws lawsuit threat

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

February 18, 2026

Ouray County leaders last week snuffed a resident’s request to require property owners to control prairie dogs, citing a legal inability and unwillingness to do so. At the start of a Feb. 11 work sess...

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Local Briefs

Ridgway awards visitor services contract to chamber

February 18, 2026

Ridgway will hire the Ridgway Area Chamber of Commerce for $33,824 per year to support town marketing efforts. “RACC expressed confidence in its ability to execute the scope of work, based on many yea...

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Town approves measures to boost housing affordability

By Deb Hurley Brobst Special to the Plaindealer

February 18, 2026

The Ridgway Town Council approved three measures at its meeting on Feb. 11 to boost affordable housing in the town. Ridgway applying for ADU grant Ridgway is applying for a grant that will allow it to...

Letters, Opinion...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

In time of need, Ouray County shows up

February 18, 2026

Dear Editor: On behalf of the Ouray County Coroner’s Office, I want to express our sincere gratitude to this community for stepping up when it mattered most. Over the past few weeks, our office manage...

Letters, Opinion...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Bonds between students credit to Ouray families

February 18, 2026

Dear Editor: There are many instances where we are told that our children’s behavior is not a reflection of their parenting. As a parent of a sometimes rebellious child, I welcome that sentiment. But ...

Letters, Opinion...

Rural or urban, access to lawmakers vital

February 18, 2026

Dear Editor: Several months ago, I attempted to contact Rep. Jeff Hurd regarding an issue in Ouray County. Upon calling his office, I was connected to a voicemail that stated the best way to contact h...

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Looking Back

February 18, 2026

Compiled from the files of The Ouray County Herald, The Ridgway Sun, and The Ouray County Plaindealer 60 Years Ago February 24, 1966 Fast work by the Ouray Volunteer Fire Department on Saturday evenin...

Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines