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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...

September 2, 2026

News

Ouray won’t join fire authority

Council cites unanswered questions, concerns about consolidationA proposal to consolidate all of Ouray County’s fire departments and its emergency med...

August 19, 2026

News

County inches ahead with possible tax questions

Attorney: Must get buy-in from city, town to proceed with sales, use taxes Ouray County commissioners on Tuesday took another step toward putting two ...

August 12, 2026

Feature

‘She has taught me so much about bravery’

The way Jessica Toltzis sees it, Edie Windsor chose bravery: A gay civil rights campaigner who sued the United States government in her 80s for the ri...

August 12, 2026

News

‘We were in a panic’

Hank and Betsy Nicholson were watching TV at home the night of July 26 when the skies opened up and filled Dexter Creek with rainwater, mud and debris...

August 5, 2026

News

Riders scrutinize Ouray’s new shuttle service

The launch of a free shuttle in Ouray this summer is off to an uneven start, with riders and a shuttle driver pointing out shortcomings and questionin...

August 5, 2026

Feature

Equal parts romantic comedy, moral conflict, ‘Love’s Labors Lost’ takes stage in Ouray

Forty years after he wrote his senior thesis about “Love’s Labors Lost,” one of William Shakespeare’s seldom-seen, early comedies still resonates with...

July 29, 2026

Main

County eyes recovery funds

Federal program could offer nearly $3 million — if cash-poor leaders can find matching dollarsOuray County could receive nearly $3 million in federal ...

July 22, 2026

News

City reorganizes planning department

Ouray City Administrator Michelle Metteer is overhauling the city’s community development department, dividing responsibilities among a third-party co...

July 22, 2026

Main, News

Pilot dies in reservoir crash

An experienced firefighting pilot who was pulling water from Silver Jack Reservoir to battle the Gold Mountain Fire died Sunday when his helicopter pl...

July 15, 2026

News

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...

Main, News...

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...

Main, News...

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...

Main, News...

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...

News

Cleanup project at former mine site to take until 2028, Thorin says

By By Chart Riggall chart@ouraynews.com

September 2, 2026

A representative from Thorin Resources, the owner and operator of the Revenue-Virginius Mine, told Ouray County commissioners last week the company expects to complete a federally supervised cleanup p...

Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com

Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines