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News

Emergency ballots available for primary election

The polls and ballot boxes are open today and the Ouray County clerk wants you to know you have several ways you can vote, given the state of emergenc...

June 30, 2026

Columns, Opinion

We’re keeping the racks, but bring more quarters

When I called to inquire about purchasing refurbished newspaper racks, the gal seemed a bit surprised. "We don't sell many newspaper racks," she said....

June 17, 2026

Main, News

Inmon sentenced to prison in sex assault case

A Ridgway man convicted of sexual assault by a Ouray County jury will spend at least four years in prison. Jeffrey Michael Inmon, 48, was convicted in...

June 5, 2026

Columns, Opinion

A Plaindealer promise: to be human-powered

We used to be able to say, “Seeing is believing.” Now we’re learning to be more discerning about images and videos we see posted online. We’re countin...

June 3, 2026

Columns, Opinion

Between a rack and a hard place: What to do about single copy sales?

This week marks our seventh anniversary of owning the Plaindealer. I always remember the date because of April Fool's Day. We were careful to avoid Ap...

April 1, 2026

Main, News...

‘Pinched on every front’

Historic drought, wildfires, high feed prices strain local ranchers

By Chart Riggall

August 12, 2026

One breezy afternoon in mid-July, Mike Potter's phone started making all kinds of noise. “It goes, beep, beep, beep, beep!” shouted the Ridgway rancher, brandishing his flip phone from the pocket of h...

Main, News...

Flood work could begin within week

By Chart Riggall

August 12, 2026

Ouray County officials said Tuesday that flood mitigation work below the Gold Mountain Fire’s burn scar could begin as soon as next week, while warning that storms in the coming days could trigger fur...

News

Firefighter base moves to Gunnison

Fairgrounds empty as focus shifts to Elk Fire

By James Hanlon

August 12, 2026

The incident command post for the Gold Mountain Fire relocated to the Gunnison County Fairgrounds Saturday as Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 2 took over for Team 1 and combined effort...

Feature

County fair carries on

Fire doesn't stop 4-H kids from showing their animals this week

By Erin McIntyre erin@ouraynews.com

August 12, 2026

The night the Gold Mountain Fire started, the Cornell family anxiously watched the fire spreading toward their fenced livestock, the billowing smoke filling the canyon. They decided to load up their h...

Letters, Opinion...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

We need to stand firm to preserve alpine tundra

By Dianne Eschman

August 12, 2026

Dear Editor: The July 23 guest column by Sue Dreamweaver Spielman was excellent and brings up so many issues that we regular backcountry users experience. I have been recreating in this area since 197...

Erin McIntyre

Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines