Author - News

Main, News

Ridgway to grow capacity to fight wildland fires

Ridgway’s wildland firefighters have mopped up hotspots in Nevada, fought wildfire on the front lines in California and protected structures at home i...

December 3, 2025

Main, News

County chops event center operations to aid budget

Ouray County is performing triage on its 2026 budget as 2025 revenues are coming in lower than expected, placing even more pressure on the county’s ge...

December 3, 2025

Main, News

State to reduce highway speeds near Ridgway

The Colorado Department of Transportation plans to lower the speed limit for traffic along a half-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 550 north of Ridgway, n...

November 26, 2025

News

Schools adopt frameworks for AI tools

Both Ridgway Secondary School and the Ouray School District have adopted guidelines for students to use artificial intelligence, joining the first wav...

November 26, 2025

News

Housing report: Few first-time buyers can afford average-priced homes in Ouray County

An estimated 100% of potential firsttime homebuyers in Ridgway and 93% of those in Ouray County cannot afford to buy an average-priced home. Those are...

November 26, 2025

Feature

A passion that’s choc-full of potential

Past a gate, at the end of a dirt road on Log Hill Mesa, is an Ouray County-style Willy Wonka factory. From his off-grid home, Nathan Montgomery churn...

November 26, 2025

Main, News

Commissioner: ‘My patience is gone’

Ouray County Commissioner Michelle Nauer has asked Commissioner Lynn Padgett to take a "timeout" and attend meetings by Zoom while the county makes le...

November 19, 2025

News

Ridgway hires North Carolina agency for tourism, marketing

The town of Ridgway has hired a North Carolina-based agency for its tourism and marketing services, choosing an outside perspective familiar with rura...

November 19, 2025

News

Town moves toward anti-idling rules

Editor’s note: This has been corrected to accurately reflect the council's vote on the ordinance. Ridgway town councilors gave initial approval to a n...

November 19, 2025

Main, News

‘I did it for the animals’

Dodging prairie dog holes, Dana Ivers walked through her roughly 170-acre property on the southern side of Ridgway, admiring the sound and clear color...

November 12, 2025

Main

A barrel of fun on Labor Day

September 9, 2026

Main, News...

Water restrictions exception, not rule

Colorado is on track for its warmest year ever. Source flows are diminishing or at historic lows. So why has only one water provider in Ouray County ordered cutbacks this summer?

By By Chart Riggall chart@ouraynews.com

September 9, 2026

In the early days of summer, it remained a matter of some debate where the drought of 2026 ranked in the annals of long, hot Colorado summers. For Cary Denison, Ouray County’s representative on the Co...

Main

Trump declares disaster for fire

By By Chart Riggall chart@ouraynews.com

September 9, 2026

Move frees up federal relief money President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration for the Gold Mountain and Aspen Acres fires, unlocking millions of dollars in Federal Emergency Manageme...

News

Crews working to plug old water well

Operation part of state program to reclaim abandoned sites

By By Chart Riggall chart@ouraynews.com

September 9, 2026

It’s not what you think. A towering steel drill 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 is ...

News

Parking enforcement nixes popular highway camping spot

By By James Hanlon james@ouraynews.com

September 9, 2026

Officials cite concerns about safety, health at Tuffy's Corner A highway pullout popular for overnight camper parking north of Ouray has been empty in recent weeks since ‘no camping’ signs were instal...

Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines