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Officials push Trump for disaster declaration
An excavator pulls tree trunks, boulders and other flood debris away from the Kienapfel home in Ponderosa Village on Aug. 4. Gov. Jared Polis requested a major disaster declaration from the White House on Sunday for the Gold Mountain and Aspen Acres fires and subsequent flooding. Photo by Erin McIntyre | Ouray County Plaindealer
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By By Chart Riggall chart@ouraynews.com, on August 26, 2026
Officials push Trump for disaster declaration
Polis: Federal funding needed to help pay for $17M in damages from Gold Mountain, Aspen Acres fires

Federal, state and local officials pushed this week for President Donald Trump to issue a disaster declaration for the Gold Mountain and Aspen Acres fires that would open the door to additional federal funding for relief and remediation efforts.

Factors behind the fire: What drove its spread?
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Factors behind the fire: What drove its spread?
Experts: Age-old forests, climate change, extreme drought created prime conditions for Gold Mountain Fire
By By Chart Riggall chart@ouraynews.com 
August 26, 2026
In the summer of 1879, the largest wildfire in Colorado history at the time tore through 26,000 acres of rugged forest about eight miles south of Silverton and presaged a vast shift in its landscape. ...
Autopsy: Pilot drowned
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Autopsy: Pilot drowned
Coroner rules Dale's death an accident; cause of July 12 crash still under investigation
By By Chart Riggall chart@ouraynews.com 
August 26, 2026
The death of a pilot whose firefighting helicopter crashed into Silver Jack Reservoir last month has been ruled an accident by a Grand Junction medical examiner, according to an autopsy report obtaine...
Tax districts approved for proposed project
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Tax districts approved for proposed project
Metro districts would fund improvements for possible 19-acre mixed-use Ridgway development
By By James Hanlon james@ouraynews.com 
August 26, 2026
The Ridgway Town Council approved creating four metropolitan districts at its Aug. 12 meeting for a proposed residential and commercial development on 19 acres in north Ridgway. The development, Alpen...
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Construction to control flooding begins
Work focuses on removing debris, building berms, barriers; project set to finish by Sept. 20
By By James Hanlon james@ouraynews.com 
August 26, 2026
Crews from Haynes Excavation began work last week to repair and protect areas prone to flooding and debris flows beneath the Gold Mountain Fire burn scar. The $2.8 million Emergency Watershed Protect ...
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Public trails for all, not personal interests
August 26, 2026
Dear Editor: In response to the letter to the editor from Dianne Eschman in the Aug. 13 edition, as an avid off-roader and business owner in Ouray, I take issue with a few claims made. Off-highway veh...
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
County needs a disaster fund, not an endless tax
August 26, 2026
Dear Editor: I am writing because the proposed disaster recovery fund sales tax deserves careful consideration before voters approve it. I’m concerned the ballot language creates an unlimited forever ...
Monsoon flooding as old as Ouray itself
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Monsoon flooding as old as Ouray itself
By Karen Risch 
August 26, 2026
Situated on debris fans created by Portland and Cascade creeks, Ouray lies in a 5,000-foot deep rock bowl drained by five major creeks emptying into the Uncompahgre River. It’s not surprising that for...
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