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Daniel Schmidt daniel@ouraynews.com

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Town extends contract with chamber
After criticism last spring, group must meet several tourism promotion standardsThe Ridgway Area Chamber of Commerce will continue marketing tourism p...
January 17, 2024
Deal helps protect bighorn sheep habitat
News
Deal helps protect bighorn sheep habitat
Montrose sheep ranch retires grazing permits south of OurayEfforts to protect bighorn sheep habitat in the San Juan Mountains recently received a boos...
January 10, 2024
News
Fire District struggles to fill open seat
For more than two months, the Ridgway Fire Protection District Board of Directors has been short a board member and the district has struggled to find...
January 10, 2024
News
Fire Department plans training center
Shipping container in Ridgway would offer permanent, year-round opportunitiesLocal public safety organizations may soon have a permanent training faci...
January 10, 2024
‘What else is there for me but this?’
Feature
‘What else is there for me but this?’
Throughout Shea Freedom’s life, timing has been everything for better and for worse. It was everything when his mother passed away right before he was...
January 10, 2024
News
New program to fill energy workforce gaps
Initiative aimed at training for small-scale energy efficiency jobs For years, local renewable energy companies have struggled to find enough qualifie...
January 3, 2024
News
County eyes permit fee increases
Marijuana businesses expected to bear largest brunt of hike For the first time since 2008, Ouray County is expected to increase user fees across a bro...
January 3, 2024
News
County attorney receives glowing review
County Attorney Leo Caselli on Dec. 20 received glowing remarks from Ouray County commissioners during his annual performance review, earning 97 out o...
January 3, 2024
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Evacuations ordered near Cutler Creek as rain pummels burn scar
Main, News...
Evacuations ordered near Cutler Creek as rain pummels burn scar
Oak Street closed due to mud, flooding
By Mike 
July 29, 2026
UPDATE, 9:45 p.m. U.S. Highway 550 reopened between Ridgway and Ouray Wednesday night, authorities announced at 9:15 p.m. Emergency officials encouraged motorists to be cautions when driving through a...
Rain on burn scar triggers flooding, evacuation
Main, News...
Rain on burn scar triggers flooding, evacuation
Hydrologist: Above-average rain forecast through September
By Chart Riggall 
July 29, 2026
Heavy rainfall over scorched soil sent flash floods raging down Cutler Creek on Sunday night, spilling mud down through Ponderosa Village and briefly shuttering U.S. Highway 550. The torrent of water ...
Fire scorches bottom lines
Main, News...
Fire scorches bottom lines
Reliant on summer tourism, reeling businesses running out of time to claw back lost revenue
By Mike Wiggins, Chart Riggall and Erin McIntyre 
July 29, 2026
It didn’t take but a spark and a stiff breeze to turn Justin Mitchell’s summer upside down. During the first few hours of the Gold Mountain Fire, Mitchell — who runs a horseback guiding outfit in the ...
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Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines

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