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News

Ouray County may sue the owners of properties north of Red Mountain Pass if they don’t agree to remove two gates and restore public access to a road o...

April 29, 2026

Feature

Spirit of Ridgway shines at new retail store

Ridgway pride rings loud at ColoradoCool Apparel, where the distinct skyline of the Cimarron Range and symmetry of the Sneffels Range embellish walls ...

April 29, 2026

Feature

New eatery focused on family, local farms

Maven Local Eatery is a farm-to-table family affair. The restaurant, which opened earlier this month at 540 Clinton St. in Ridgway, is owned and manag...

April 29, 2026

Main

County backs down on road closure

Ouray County has decided against closing the upper section of Yankee Boy Basin road to motorized traffic, and will work with the U.S. Forest Service a...

April 22, 2026

News

County leaders campaign for merger

Ouray County leaders last week campaigned for a combined countywide fire and emergency services authority at a Log Hill Mesa Fire Protection District ...

April 22, 2026

Feature, Main

After hiatus, a rally for high school baseball in Ridgway

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect when Ridgway School District last had a baseball team, given updated information provided by Our...

April 15, 2026

Main

Zero-waste policy draws public fire

Ridgway town councilors tabled a draft “zero-waste” policy for events on town property after public backlash about how the rules would impact business...

April 15, 2026

News

Pilot composting program coming to Ridgway

Ridgway residents will soon be able to participate in Bruin Waste Management’s first residential composting service, though the program has faced some...

April 15, 2026

News

County, Forest Service to discuss Yankee Boy closure next week

Ouray County commissioners will hold a work session next week with the U.S. Forest Service to discuss their plan to close the upper portion of the roa...

April 8, 2026

Main, News

Ridgway sues MTN Lodge

The town of Ridgway is suing the owners of MTN Lodge over their plans to use the hotel as workforce housing for the next several years, aiming to susp...

April 1, 2026

Main, News...

Fire surges into Cimarrons

Evacuations expand, forest closes as forecast offers little relief

By Mike Wiggins and Erin McIntyre mike@ouraynews.com erin@ouraynews.com

July 1, 2026

A wildfire that started as a wisp of smoke on a cliffside just north of Ouray last weekend exploded to more than 15,000 acres by Wednesday, driven by winds north to the Cimarron Range east of Ridgway....

Main, News...

City curtails holiday events

By Deb Hurley Brobst Special to the Plaindealer

July 1, 2026

Fourth of July events in Ouray will be scaled back this year in response to the Gold Mountain Fire, with the July 3 fire department benefit concert and the Independence Day parade and kids’ games a go...

News

Blaze forces evacuations, destroys family cabin

No word when owners will be able to return

By By Mike Wiggins, Erin McIntyre and Deb Hurley Brobst mike@ouraynews.com erin@ouraynews.com

July 1, 2026

Rachel Nichols helped Russell McCrady when he needed emergency treatment for his dog. Little did she know he would return the favor when she and her husband encountered their own emergency, after they...

News

Fire crashes wedding party

Forced to flee, Denver-area couple improvises, moves celebration

By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com

July 1, 2026

The navy blue suit was ready for James Lindaman to attach his great-grandfather’s Air Force airman’s pin to the lapel. Michelle Lindaman spent months arranging every detail of her wedding, from the fl...

News

Looking Back

July 1, 2026

Compiled from the files of The Ouray County Herald, The Ridgway Sun, and The Ouray County Plaindealer 60 Years Ago July 7, 1966 Dynamite charges started Ouray’s Independence Day Celebration with a ban...

Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com

Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines