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Letters, Opinion
August 12, 2026
County clerk provided excellent service

Dear Editor:

‘Pinched on every front’
Main, News...
‘Pinched on every front’
Historic drought, wildfires, high feed prices strain local ranchers
By By Chart Riggall chart@ouraynews.com 
August 12, 2026
One breezy afternoon in mid-July, Mike Potter's phone started making all kinds of noise. “It goes, beep, beep, beep, beep!” shouted the Ridgway rancher, brandishing his flip phone from the pocket of h...
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Flood work could begin within week
Main, News...
Flood work could begin within week
By By Chart Riggall chart@ouraynews.com 
August 12, 2026
Ouray County officials said Tuesday that flood mitigation work below the Gold Mountain Fire’s burn scar could begin as soon as next week, while warning that storms in the coming days could trigger fur...
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Firefighter base moves to Gunnison
News
Firefighter base moves to Gunnison
Fairgrounds empty as focus shifts to Elk Fire
By By James Hanlon james@ouraynews.com 
August 12, 2026
The incident command post for the Gold Mountain Fire relocated to the Gunnison County Fairgrounds Saturday as Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 2 took over for Team 1 and combined effort...
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County fair carries on
News
County fair carries on
Fire doesn't stop 4-H kids from showing their animals this week
By Erin McIntyre erin@ouraynews.com 
August 12, 2026
The night the Gold Mountain Fire started, the Cornell family anxiously watched the fire spreading toward their fenced livestock, the billowing smoke filling the canyon. They decided to load up their h...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
We need to stand firm to preserve alpine tundra
August 12, 2026
Dear Editor: The July 23 guest column by Sue Dreamweaver Spielman was excellent and brings up so many issues that we regular backcountry users experience. I have been recreating in this area since 197...
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Flood ravages homes
Main, News...
Flood ravages homes
County deems trio of Ponderosa Village properties uninhabitable, as residents fear more debris flows imminent
By Erin McIntyre, Chart Riggall and Mike Wiggins 
August 5, 2026
When the fire raged above them on the mountain, the evacuated residents of Ponderosa Village hoped for rain. They wished for anything to help the firefighters get control of the blaze so it wouldn't b...
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Editor Picks
Main, News...
County floats disaster relief sales tax
By Chart Riggall 
August 5, 2026
Draft ballot language proposes half-cent tax, with revenue split between county, city, town Ouray County commissioners are in talks to put a half-penny sales tax increase question to voters this fall ...
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News
Log Hill won’t join fire authority
Board: No benefit to cost, operational structure
By James Hanlon 
August 5, 2026
The Log Hill Volunteer Fire Department will not join the proposed consolidated fire and emergency medical services authority in Ouray County. Board members of the Log Hill Mesa Fire Protection Distric...
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News
Crews near full containment on fire
By James Hanlon 
August 5, 2026
Firefighters who are closing in on fully containing the Gold Mountain Fire have shifted their work to undoing firelines that are no longer needed to prevent erosion. “We've moved out of the suppressio...
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‘We were in a panic’
News
‘We were in a panic’
Flooding relocates part of Dexter Creek, forces couple to seek help with pigs
By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com 
August 5, 2026
Hank and Betsy Nicholson were watching TV at home the night of July 26 when the skies opened up and filled Dexter Creek with rainwater, mud and debris. The creek, which serves as the Nicholsons’ only ...
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Why can rain on wildfire burn scars trigger dangerous flooding? A geologist explains
News
Why can rain on wildfire burn scars trigger dangerous flooding? A geologist explains
By By Jen Pierce The Conversation 
August 5, 2026
When heavy rain hits burned hillsides, it can set off dangerous floods and debris flows that can move with the speed of a freight train, picking up or destroying anything in their path. These debris f...
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Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines

Ouray County Plaindealer
Office address:

195 S Lena St. Unit D
Ridgway, Colorado 81432
970-325-4412

Mailing address:
PO Box 529
Ridgway CO 81432

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