Author - News

Covid

No. 3 top story of 2020: Schools close, then reopen to restrictions

When the first coronavirus cases were identified in Colorado, Ouray and Ridgway schools closed for what was expected to be a short break for deep clea...

December 29, 2020

Covid

No. 4 top story of 2020: Tourists flock to Ouray, outdoors amid pandemic

Top 10: Tourists flock to Ouray and the backcountry amid pandemic With the pandemic shutting down many options for travelers this summer and fueling...

December 29, 2020

Covid

SHOT OF HOPE

After months of anticipation, Ouray County paramedics received the first COVID-19 vaccines in the county Wednesday, the first step toward a long-await...

December 24, 2020

Covid

In a year of cancellations, Santa and his helpers carry on

[tecnavia_gallery slug='in-a-year-of-cancellations-santa-and-his-helpers-carry-on-gallery' view='carousel']On Christmas Eve, five of Santa’s helpers w...

December 24, 2020

Covid

âWe want to finish what we startedâ

When the Colorado National Guard first dispatched two members to Ouray County to help respond to the COVID-19 pandemic this spring, they found resourc...

December 10, 2020

Covid

Community fund offers a lifeline

When the Ouray County Response Fund launched in March, Mony Garriga helped hang up signs advertising it. She posted one near the firehouse in Ridgway,...

December 10, 2020

Covid

Reopening Ridgway schools a laborious process

As she read through the state's guidelines for reopening schools during the pandemic, Ridgway Elementary School music teacher Diane Brand tried to ima...

September 10, 2020

Covid

Staying close to home

Faced with the choice between online classes and returning to campus this fall, John Countryman and his family decided to choose both. His three oldes...

September 10, 2020

Main

Factors behind the fire: What drove its spread?

Experts: Age-old forests, climate change, extreme drought created prime conditions for Gold Mountain Fire

By Chart Riggall

August 26, 2026

In the summer of 1879, the largest wildfire in Colorado history at the time tore through 26,000 acres of rugged forest about eight miles south of Silverton and presaged a vast shift in its landscape. ...

News

Tax districts approved for proposed project

Metro districts would fund improvements for possible 19-acre mixed-use Ridgway development

By James Hanlon

August 26, 2026

The Ridgway Town Council approved creating four metropolitan districts at its Aug. 12 meeting for a proposed residential and commercial development on 19 acres in north Ridgway. The development, Alpen...

News

Officials push Trump for disaster declaration

Polis: Federal funding needed to help pay for $17M in damages from Gold Mountain, Aspen Acres fires

By Chart Riggall

August 26, 2026

Federal, state and local officials pushed this week for President Donald Trump to issue a disaster declaration for the Gold Mountain and Aspen Acres fires that would open the door to additional federa...

Feature

New principal brings international experience

Michael Flaim named interim leader of Ouray preK-8 students

By James Hanlon

August 26, 2026

Michael Flaim, an educator who taught economics and social studies at international schools for nearly 20 years, has started as Ouray School’s interim preK-8 principal for the 2026-2027 school year. T...

News

Construction to control flooding begins

Work focuses on removing debris, building berms, barriers; project set to finish by Sept. 20

By James Hanlon

August 26, 2026

Crews from Haynes Excavation began work last week to repair and protect areas prone to flooding and debris flows beneath the Gold Mountain Fire burn scar. The $2.8 million Emergency Watershed Protect ...

Lizteitz

Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines