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Letters, Opinion
By Dear Editor:, on May 13, 2026
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Savage would bring expertise, connection to SMPA board

As San Miguel Power Association District 6 members prepare to vote, for the first time in quite some time we have a choice between two excellent candidates. I encourage members to take a close look at Tricia Savage for the SMPA board. SMPA board members should bring both professional expertise and a strong connection to the communities they represent, and that is what Tricia will do.

Ouray childcare model a blueprint for others
Main, News...
Ouray childcare model a blueprint for others
A year after two daycares opened within affordable housing development, builder looks to replicate template in three other cities
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
May 13, 2026
The solution to the statewide childcare shortage might be here in Ouray County, where a blueprint for building childcare-ready affordable homes was drafted. It’s been a little more than a year since t...
Main, News...
County tests: No mold problem in meeting rooms
After commissioner claims 'toxicity,' manager says 4-H, courthouse spaces safe to use
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
May 13, 2026
Ouray County commissioner meeting rooms don’t have a mold problem, according to testing ordered after Commissioner Lynn Padgett said the facilities caused her to feel sick and used it as justification...
Beefed-up alpine ranger program returns
News
Beefed-up alpine ranger program returns
State grant allows county to add sixth ranger to patrol backcountry, focus on safety, education
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
May 13, 2026
Ouray County’s alpine ranger program is back and bigger this year with the help of a state grant. The public will see alpine rangers patrolling areas including Yankee Boy Basin, Imogene Pass and the A...
Beetle Mania
Main, News...
Beetle Mania
Drought conditions prime for insect infestation in county, experts warn
By LIA SALVATIERRA 
May 6, 2026
In some parts of Ouray County it may look like popcorn grows on trees. The milky, honey-colored pocks on the trunks of ponderosa pines and other trees signal efforts to fend off their attackers: bark ...
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News
County policy would govern AI use
Manager: 'Folks want to feel we are doing our jobs, not delegating it to AI'
By Deb Hurley Brobst Special to the Plaindealer 
May 6, 2026
Ouray County commissioners want to regulate how employees use artificial intelligence when doing county work and limit cybercrime risk. Commissioners on April 29 looked at the first draft of an AI pol...
News
Town to pilot zero-waste rules at concerts
Following strong pushback from businesses, nonprofits, board devises more relaxed regulations
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
May 6, 2026
The town of Ridgway's Sustainability Advisory Board will pilot “zero-waste” rules at the town’s summer concert series, while it continues to craft a broader policy to implement for all events on town ...
Looking Back
News
Looking Back
May 6, 2026
Compiled from the files of The Ouray County Herald, The Ridgway Sun, and The Ouray County Plaindealer 60 Years Ago May 5, 1966 At Monday’s meeting of the Ouray City Council, Julius Sonza was hired as ...
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Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines

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