Ridgway Secondary School seventh grader Nela Kereshi placed first

Ridgway Secondary School seventh grader Nela Kereshi placed first overall in the junior division at the Western Colorado Regional Science and Engineering Fair on Feb. 13 in Grand Junction. Kereshi, who completed a project on the effects of temperature on phytoplankton, qualified for the Colorado State Science and Engineering Fair, happening in Fort Collins from April 9-11. Photo courtesy Gin Randolph

News

April 1, 2026

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Main, News...

Ridgway sues MTN Lodge

Town seeks payment of sales, lodging taxes; hotel calls lawsuit 'misguided'

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

April 1, 2026

The town of Ridgway is suing the owners of MTN Lodge over their plans to use the hotel as workforce housing for the next several years, aiming to suspend operations and demanding they pay lodging and ...

Main, News...

Board rebukes commissioner

Niece, Nauer censure Padgett for secretly recording closed-door meeting

By By Lia Salvatierra and Erin McIntyre lia@ouraynews.com erin@ouraynews.com

April 1, 2026

Two Ouray County commissioners publicly reprimanded their fellow commissioner after discovering she secretly recorded an executive session last week. Portions of the audio from that executive session ...

Main, News...

Proposed merger could make fire chief highest paid official

Latest draft bases members' voting power on financial contributions

By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

April 1, 2026

The current proposal to combine fire and emergency medical services entities in Ouray County could eventually make the new fire chief the highest-paid public official in the county and may base partic...

News

Jury convicts mother in retaliation case

By Erin McIntyre and Mike Wiggins erin@ouraynews.com mike@ouraynews.com

April 1, 2026

A jury has convicted a former Ouray woman of retaliating against another woman who accused her son of sexual assault in 2023. Jurors deliberated for about an hour on March 26 before finding Kristyn Tr...

News

EMS moves overnight quarters with help from chamber grant

By Deb Hurley Brobst Special to the Plaindealer

April 1, 2026

Ouray County Emergency Medical Services is moving its sleeping quarters for on-call staff in Ouray into the former Public Health office location, with donations providing rent assistance. An EMT will ...

News

DA ordered again to turn over report in sexual assault case

By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com

April 1, 2026

Prosecutors have again been ordered to turn over to defense attorneys a report detailing some of the contents of a cellphone belonging to a woman who accused three men of sexually assaulting her in Ou...

Letters, Opinion...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Time for Hurd to take climate change gravely

April 1, 2026

Editor’s note: The Plaindealer mistakenly published a previous letter to the editor from Ellie Kehmeier in last week’s edition. We are publishing the letter she most recently submitted in this week’s ...

Between a rack and a hard place: What to do about single copy sales?

Columns, Opinion...

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Between a rack and a hard place: What to do about single copy sales?

By Erin McIntyre

April 1, 2026

This week marks our seventh anniversary of owning the Plaindealer. I always remember the date because of April Fool's Day. We were careful to avoid April 1 as our closing date for purchasing the paper...

Letters, Opinion...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Public concern led to inquiry into gated road

April 1, 2026

Dear Editor: I appreciate the Plaindealer’s coverage and article on the Board of County Commissioners' meeting about the blocked access to the Greyhound Road. The article correctly stated that there w...

News

Looking Back

April 1, 2026

Compiled from the files of The Ouray County Herald, The Ridgway Sun, and The Ouray County Plaindealer 60 Years Ago April 7, 1966 There is a possibility that Ouray County may build a Jeep road to conne...

News

Judge allows access to civil case filed nearly a year ago

Woman's lawsuit alleges former Ouray police chief had duty to protect

By Plaindealer Staff Report Plaindealer@ouraynews.com

April 1, 2026

A district court judge has opened public access to court records for a civil case against the former Ouray police chief, after it proceeded for almost 10 months in secret. The woman who told investiga...

Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines