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Will fire authority ease insurance woes?

Home insurance experts say the proposed consolidation of fire and emergency services in Ouray County may not necessarily help homeowners gain and keep...

June 24, 2026

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Celebration honors past, looks to future

The Ouray County Ranch History Museum is celebrating its 20th birthday with a preview of what it wants to be when it grows up.During a celebration fro...

June 24, 2026

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Ridgway council seeks more efficient meetings

Ridgway town councilors want to run meetings more efficiently while preserving the council’s casual culture.After trying out informal strategies to sh...

June 24, 2026

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Report: Ridgway could take $1.5M hit from loss of MTN Lodge rooms

Ridgway may see a $1.5 million loss ripple throughout the local economy each year MTN Lodge is used as workforce housing instead of lodging for visito...

June 24, 2026

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County turns attention to prairie dogs at 4-H Center

Ouray County will control the prairie dog population at the 4-H Event Center and Fairgrounds.Ouray County Manager Antonio Mendez said he has yet to de...

June 17, 2026

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Town accepts grant to explore all-electric rules

The Ridgway Town Council has decided it’s willing to take a chance on a grant-funded public process in pursuit of an all-electric building code for ne...

June 17, 2026

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After hiatus, Ridgway to fly flag during Pride Month

Ridgway town councilors voted last week to fly the pride flag at Ridgway Town Hall for the remainder of Pride Month, after deciding not to last year.A...

June 17, 2026

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County to charge for special event permits

Ouray County leaders plan to charge a fee for special event permit applications and formalize the permit process.County leaders are still deciding how...

June 17, 2026

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Second Chance adopts new challenge in expansion

Second Chance Humane Society is adopting a new beast: another Western Slope animal shelter in Delta. The Ridgway-based nonprofit organization official...

June 3, 2026

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Staff criticizes commissioners

Ouray County’s employees are largely happy with their direct supervisors and department heads and dissatisfied with the Board of County Commissioners,...

June 3, 2026

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Crews working to fill 1950s-era well along U.S. 550

Reclamation part of orphaned and abandoned well program

By Chart Riggall

September 4, 2026

It’s not what you think. A towering steel drill rig that’s been perched along the side of U.S. Highway 550 in recent weeks isn’t probing for gas, or oil, or even a route to the Far East. The operation...

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Trump declares disaster for Gold Mountain, Aspen Acres fires

By Chart Riggall

September 4, 2026

President Donald Trump has signed off on a major disaster declaration for the Gold Mountain and Aspen Acres fires that unlocks millions of dollars in Federal Emergency Management Agency relief funds f...

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Hickenlooper hopeful for fire disaster order

Senator tours flood-damaged areas, surveys planned fire mitigation efforts

By By Chart Riggall chart@ouraynews.com

September 2, 2026

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper said Friday he was optimistic the Trump administration will declare the Gold Mountain Fire a federal disaster, arguing Congress “wouldn’t settle for” the White House withho...

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County employees remain on paid leave

EMS paramedic, deputy emergency manager sent home days after fire started

By By James Hanlon james@ouraynews.com

September 2, 2026

Ouray County has had two emergency-related employees on paid administrative leave since the early days of the Gold Mountain Fire. A third employee, Road and Bridge Superintendent Ty Barger, was placed...

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Businesses share struggles with senator

'You guys are in crisis,' Hickenlooper tells proprietors wrestling with aftermath of Gold Mountain Fire

By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com

September 2, 2026

Ouray County business owners bent the ear of U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper on Friday, sharing stories of declining profits and mass cancellations in the wake of the Gold Mountain Fire in the hopes the D...

Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines