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Please join us Saturday for film, journalism talk
Columns, Opinion...
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Please join us Saturday for film, journalism talk
By Erin McIntyre 
June 25, 2025
When filmmaker Heather Courtney set out to make a film about rural America, she decided to do it through the lens of a local newspaper. She visited a small-town weekly in the Texas panhandle, the Cana...
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Will Ouray County benefit from Weather Service rehires?
Columns, Opinion...
Will Ouray County benefit from Weather Service rehires?
By Karen Risch 
June 25, 2025
For six lovely days, June 2-7, our San Juan earth was cool and wet. Local peaks regained their winter white. Ouray days averaged 65 degrees, 11 degrees below the new normal June average, 76. Nights av...
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Columns, Opinion...
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Coming soon: A spruced-up Plaindealer
By Erin McIntyre 
June 11, 2025
The Plaindealer just celebrated its 148th birthday. Personally, I don't think it looks a day over 99. Still, from time to time, we need to show the paper some love and spruce it up. That's why we've b...
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Columns, Opinion...
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Weary of mail problems? Try the e-edition
By Mike Wiggins 
June 4, 2025
The newspaper you’re reading is mailed to nearly 900 post office boxes and street addresses in more than 40 states every week and sent to more than 1,300 email addresses. Once in a while, a mailed new...
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Columns, Feature...
PREP ROUNDUP
Soccer aims to build on successful season
By By Matt Meyer Special to the Plaindealer 
May 28, 2025
A longtime goal for the Ridgway High School girls’ soccer program was to make it to the second round of the state playoffs, travel to the Front Range to take on one of the top seeds and put up a compe...
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Columns, Opinion...
Drought reigns as county barrels toward summer
By Karen Risch 
May 28, 2025
Ouray County, along with much of far western Colorado and other Southwestern states, is now in severe drought status, according to NOAA’s U.S. West Drought Monitor, released Tuesday, May 20. More worr...
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Columns, Feature...
PREP ROUNDUP
Small but mighty: Ridgway girls’ track and field secures first league title as independent program
By By Matt Meyer Special to the Plaindealer 
May 7, 2025
In high school track and field, athletes are limited to competing in four events. It’s a way to ensure competitive balance, limit wear and tear on athletes and — in the case of the Ridgway girls' team...
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Columns, Feature...
Scenic Last Dollar Road connects to rugged past
By Carolyn Snowbarger 
May 7, 2025
It is time to begin planning our explorations into the San Juan Mountains again. Be certain to include another trek on Last Dollar Road, connecting Ridgway and Telluride over a 21-mile, unpaved, breat...
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Soccer finishing season with strong kick
Columns, Feature...
PREP ROUNDUP
Soccer finishing season with strong kick
By By Matt Meyer Special to the Plaindealer 
April 30, 2025
After a 4-0 victory over Bayfield on Monday, the Ridgway High School girls' soccer team clinched a record of .500 or better for the eighth time in the past decade. Throw out a season lost to the COVID...
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Columns, Feature...
PREP ROUNDUP
As weather warms, so does Ridgway soccer team
By By Matt Meyer Special to the Plaindealer 
April 23, 2025
It’s probably no coincidence that the Ridgway High School girls’ soccer team has heated up on the field as temperatures have warmed up outside. In the sunshine, practices can focus much more on team p...
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Columns, Opinion...
Brief warm spells, plenty of snow — yes, it’s April
By Karen Risch 
April 23, 2025
April, a notorious trickster of a month, has lived up to its reputation this year. Fine hot spells, not-so-good freezing temperatures, ample snow and, unfortunately, a continuing drought. It’s been a ...
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Columns, Feature...
PREP ROUNDUP
Sharing between soccer, track breeds success
By By Matt Meyer Special to the Plaindealer 
April 16, 2025
It can be difficult for a coach not to oversee every aspect of an athlete’s training or competition during a given season. It’s also rough to juggle scheduling conflicts when an athlete competes in mu...
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Columns, Opinion...
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Ouray deserves better than fake public votes, shredding documents
By Erin McIntyre 
April 9, 2025
Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. I've been thinking about that quote from C.S. Lewis a lot lately, because I'm concerned about secret activities in the city of Ouray t...
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Columns, Opinion...
The forgotten — and shameful — history of Silverton
By Carolyn Snowbarger 
April 9, 2025
Mining entrepreneurs founded the town of Silverton in 1874. With the discovery of silver, gold and zinc, it was a boomtown with prospectors, suppliers and builders arriving daily for adventure, riches...
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Columns, Feature...
PREP ROUNDUP
Ridgway stands toe-to-toe with larger school
By By Matt Meyer Special to the Plaindealer 
April 2, 2025
Editor's note: The Plaindealer is trying something new – publishing a sports column with information about local high school sports during the seasons for those sports. We don't have the resources to ...
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Columns, Opinion...
Spring is here, but rain may stay away in April, May
By Karen Risch 
March 26, 2025
Spring has sprung: Baby birds chirp riotously in birdhouses, leftover snow vanishes under an ascending sun, crocus and forsythia flutter in the March wind. This first month of spring 2025 has been two...
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Columns, Opinion...
GUEST COLUMN
More shadows than light during Sunshine Week
By By Jeffrey A. Roberts Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition 
March 19, 2025
Sunshine Week, which started Sunday, is an annual celebration of Americans’ right to know what government is doing. This year, there is far more to be concerned about than to celebrate, both nationall...
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Columns, Feature...
Ranch hand to outlaw: The making of Butch Cassidy
By Carolyn Snowbarger 
March 12, 2025
The legend of Butch Cassidy, one of the West's most enduring outlaws, has roots firmly planted in the rugged terrain of Colorado's Western Slope. Before he became a notorious bank robber and leader of...
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After February warmup, what’s in store for March?
Columns, Opinion...
After February warmup, what’s in store for March?
By Karen Risch 
February 26, 2025
Two weeks ago, following the first of two meltingly wet 8-inch February snowstorms, the grape hyacinths, daffodils and tulips decided it was time to shake off winter. Their deep green foliage was a re...
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Volunteer Voices: Amber Cornell
Columns, Feature...
Volunteer Voices: Amber Cornell
February 19, 2025
I recently had a delightful conversation with Amber Cornell, the new-ish senior coordinator for Neighbor to Neighbor. The nonprofit has a volunteer-based program that has been serving seniors, people ...
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Editor Picks
Ridgway schools dial up phone ban
Main, News...
Ridgway schools dial up phone ban
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
June 25, 2025
Ouray also aims to update tech policy for kids, staff Hallways and classrooms at Ridgway Secondary School will more closely resemble decades past this fall — without a cellphone in sight. During a Jun...
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Main, News...
Town clamps down on water usage
As supplies dry up, Ridgway stops watering parks, urges residents to conserve
By Erin McIntyre erin@ouraynews.com 
June 25, 2025
Ridgway town leaders are cracking down on water use, fearing limited supplies won't last the summer if they don't convince residents to curb their watering habits now. The town announced Wednesday mor...
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News
Sheriff sees more calls, shorter responses in 2024
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
June 25, 2025
The Ouray County Sheriff’s Office reported a 25% boost in most calls for service and shorter response times in 2024 compared to 2023. During an annual report to county commissioners Tuesday, the depar...
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Red Mountain Pass fire likely human-caused
News
Red Mountain Pass fire likely human-caused
By By Erin McIntyre and Lia Salvatierra erin@ouraynews.com lia@ouraynews.com 
June 25, 2025
A wildfire that burned five acres on Red Mountain Pass and closed U.S. Highway 550 for nearly 24 hours earlier this week is suspected to be human-caused. The fire burning above the highway near the av...
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News
‘Overwhelming demand’ at Hurd town hall
June 25, 2025
Callers to U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd's telephone town hall on Tuesday night encountered a message that they couldn't access the virtual meeting, due to "overwhelming demand." The Plaindealer and others atte...
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Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines

Ouray County Plaindealer
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Ridgway, Colorado 81432
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