Good for you!

Ridgway sophomore Nick Anderson scales the climbing wall at Ridgway Secondary School during the American Scholastic Climbing League’s Western Slope Climbing Competition on Feb. 7. Anderson finished eighth out of 37 climbers with a total of 6,080 points. The Ridgway boys’ climbing team placed first out of four teams in the competition. Photo contributed by David Emory

News

February 25, 2026

Good for you!

Send us your celebrations!

The “Good For You!” page is a place for reader-submitted photos illustrating community, celebrations and more.

Main, News...

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...

Main, News...

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...

News

Councilor seeks relaxed in-person attendance policy

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

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

February 25, 2026

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 ...

News

Go-away-finding: Ouray to nix project, remove signs

After spending more than $100K on branding, design and fabrication, council halts wayfinding initiative that could have cost up to $800K

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

February 25, 2026

Large maroon wayfinding signs installed on Main Street in Ouray last summer, triggering protests from residents and business owners detesting their appearance and size, will soon be gone like they wer...

Columns, Opinion...

Wet snow, later sunsets mark spring’s approach

By Karen Risch

February 25, 2026

Thanks to warming sun, wet snow showers, spells of shirtsleeve weather, earlier sunrises and later sunsets, meteorological spring (March 1) is upon us. It’s been an a-ha moment these last two weeks as...

News

Looking Back

February 25, 2026

Compiled from the files of The Ouray County Herald, The Ridgway Sun, and The Ouray County Plaindealer 60 Years Ago February 24, 1966 In a decision handed down Feb. 10, District Judge Fred Calhoon rule...

News

County attorney gets high marks in evaluation

Niece, Nauer give Caselli 99 out of 100 points; no record of evaluation from Padgett, who missed meeting

By Deb Hurley Brobst Special to the Plaindealer

February 25, 2026

Ouray County Attorney Leo Caselli received a near-perfect annual performance review score from two county commissioners who reviewed his performance earlier this month. Caselli scored 99 out of 100 po...

News

For first time in four years, Ridgway to hold election

Two vying for mayor, three competing for five council seats

By lia@ouraynews.com

February 25, 2026

By Lia Salvatierra The town of Ridgway will hold an election for mayor and town council for the first time in four years, since there are enough candidates who qualified to run for the election to mak...

News

Ridgway sewer rates may rise this year

Town engineer: Millions of dollars in state-mandated improvements needed

By Deb Hurley Brobst Special to the Plaindealer

February 25, 2026

Ridgway residents may end up paying more on their sewer bills next year, but the timing of the proposed increase and the amount is still up in the air. If town leaders decide to raise rates, it will b...

News

City reroutes funds to pay for pedestrian crosswalk project

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

February 25, 2026

Ouray city councilors voted last week to redirect funds originally designated for wayfinding signs to build two crosswalks on either side of town, which is costing more than expected. During a Feb. 17...

News

City to consider creating local license for tobacco retailers

February 25, 2026

Ouray city councilors will hold a work session to discuss a proposal to create a local license for tobacco retailers, on top of a state license, with a goal of reducing underage access to nicotine pro...

Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines