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Spotlight on the Arts: The Closet Potter

When Joan Gibson-Bevier first sat down at a pottery wheel in 1976, she knew she had found her passion. Forty- nine years later, she runs her own busin...

July 23, 2025

Feature

Meet your neighbor: Robert Stoufer

Name: Robert Stoufer Age: 73 Lives in: Ouray When did you come to Ouray? I studied to be a geologist, but I never did geology for a living. I went to ...

July 2, 2025

Feature

Meet your neighbor: Amy Exstrum

Name: Amy Exstrum Lives in: Ouray Age: 61 What’s your profession? Well, I’m retired now, but I spent many years as a vocational home economics teacher...

June 11, 2025

Feature

Meet your neighbor: Rob Rose

Editor's note: During focus group discussions we held earlier this year, to gather feedback for our upcoming redesign of the newspaper, we heard from ...

May 14, 2025

Feature

Seed money helps teens sprout businesses

Neva Hines spent hours looking for internships her junior year at Ridgway Secondary School. She contacted at least eight businesses, and most of the t...

February 26, 2025

Feature

Students to showcase work at fair

The public will be able to view a showcase of student inventions, science experiments, art projects and beyond at the second annual Uncompahgre STEAM ...

January 29, 2025

Feature

Mexican eatery adds second location in county

Editor's note: The interview for this business feature was conducted in Spanish and translated by Chloe Kiparsky. A new taste of Mexico came to Ouray ...

December 25, 2024

Feature

Nature photography exhibit opens in Ouray

A new photography exhibit will transport viewers to nature landscapes at the Wright Opera House. Shanda Akin and Betsy Botsford’s photography show, "S...

November 6, 2024

Feature

‘Constitution’ play takes stage this weekend

Playwright Heidi Schreck earned her college tuition by traveling the country doing speeches on the U.S. Constitution for prize money. Her award-winnin...

November 6, 2024

Feature

ONCE TEAMMATES, NOW FRIENDLY RIVALS

The track and field and cross country athletes from Ridgway and Ouray who once were teammates now compete against each other. The split in the teams e...

October 23, 2024

Main, News...

Pilot dies in reservoir crash

Accident under investigation; man honored with procession

By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com

July 15, 2026

An experienced firefighting pilot who was pulling water from Silver Jack Reservoir to battle the Gold Mountain Fire died Sunday when his helicopter plunged into the reservoir northeast of Ridgway. Nic...

Main, News...

Heights, heat add to firefighters’ strain

By By Chart Riggall chart@ouraynews.com

July 15, 2026

Hotshot Jesse Eaves calls it “The Great Race.” At the small tent city along U.S. Highway 550, Eaves starts each day with a 5 a.m. wakeup call. Thus begins an eight-minute sprint for him and his Califo...

News

County approves hiring fire recovery manager — if it can find funding

By Mike Wiggins and Deb Hurley Brobst mike@ouraynews.com

July 15, 2026

Ouray County intends to hire an employee who can help lead the county’s efforts to recover from the Gold Mountain Fire — assuming it can find funding. County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously agree...

News

Trust, county close to conserving open space park

Grants, donations put nonprofit on brink of acquiring Silver Mountain Mine property

By Deb Hurley Brobst Special to the Plaindealer

July 15, 2026

Ouray County is much closer to getting a new open space park on the Silver Mountain Mine property. The Trust for Land Restoration has received a $180,000 Great Outdoors Colorado grant. Couple that wit...

News

Man gets probation, community service in sex assault case

One of three defendants, Whittington admits to giving alcohol to minor

By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com

July 15, 2026

A former Ouray County man was sentenced Monday to one year of unsupervised probation for providing alcohol to a then-17-year-old girl who said she was sexually assaulted by two others at the former Ou...

By Chloe Kiparsky Plaindealer intern

Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines