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As fall championships approach, a look back at memorable moments for Ridgway, Ouray
Columns, Feature...
PREP ROUNDUP
As fall championships approach, a look back at memorable moments for Ridgway, Ouray
By By Matt Meyer Special to the Plaindealer 
October 22, 2025
In my career as a journalist, I’ve covered dozens of state championship games and events. At this point, it might even be in the triple digits — and there are a handful of things they all have in comm...
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Young Ouray volleyball squad showing progress
Columns, Feature...
PREP ROUNDUP
Young Ouray volleyball squad showing progress
By By Matt Meyer Special to the Plaindealer 
October 15, 2025
The second win of the season is rarely cause for celebration. But when the Ouray High School volleyball team defeated Pinnacle 25-18, 25-18, 20-25, 26-24 on Saturday, it secured the program’s best fin...
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How the San Juans got their name from an early trailblazer
Columns, Feature...
How the San Juans got their name from an early trailblazer
By Carolyn Snowbarger 
October 8, 2025
The San Juan Mountains are not just a mountain range; they are the jagged, breathtaking spine of southwestern Colorado. This is a land of untamed peaks, alpine meadows and sheer rock faces. Our mighty...
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Run, don’t walk: How a Ridgway athlete is improving dramatically
Columns, Feature...
PREP ROUNDUP
Run, don’t walk: How a Ridgway athlete is improving dramatically
By By Matt Meyer Special to the Plaindealer 
October 8, 2025
Orion Catron first ran because he really, really didn’t want to walk. As a freshman at Ridgway High School, he wasn’t connecting with classmates or pushing himself. “I think my parents recognized this...
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After abnormally hot, dry summer, what will fall bring?
Columns, Opinion...
After abnormally hot, dry summer, what will fall bring?
By Karen Risch 
September 24, 2025
Halfway through Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, at 12:22 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time, astronomical summer officially yielded to autumn. Seasonal change has been a nagging presence. It’s nearly dark by 7 p.m O...
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New Ouray athletics director seeks to build attendance, program support
Columns, Feature...
PREP ROUNDUP
New Ouray athletics director seeks to build attendance, program support
By By Matt Meyer Special to the Plaindealer 
September 24, 2025
Like many with remote positions, Leah Klempner and her husband explored the country through their travels. They made their way to Ouray in 2020 and immediately fell in love, returning each summer afte...
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More than competition, Cimarron Athletic Field is about connections, community
Columns, Opinion...
GUEST COLUMN
More than competition, Cimarron Athletic Field is about connections, community
By Peter Hessler 
September 17, 2025
When it came to planning and building Ridgway’s brand-new Cimarron Athletic Field, my wife, Leslie T. Chang, and I had very little to contribute. We aren’t engineers or contractors, and neither of us ...
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Dam it: the story of Ridgway State Park
Columns, Opinion...
Dam it: the story of Ridgway State Park
By Carolyn Snowbarger 
September 10, 2025
Our neighborhood reservoir, Ridgway State Park, has become a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts. The park is a modern chapter in the long and rich history of the Uncompahgre Valley. It is a s...
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With another year’s experience, Ridgway runners off to strong start
Columns, Feature...
PREP ROUNDUP
With another year’s experience, Ridgway runners off to strong start
By Matt Meyer 
September 10, 2025
A lot of things can change during a high school cross country season. The course layouts and elevation can vary widely across the unique terrains of Colorado. Competition evolves week to week, with sc...
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Late monsoon welcome, but it won’t fix deficit
Columns, Opinion...
Late monsoon welcome, but it won’t fix deficit
By Karen Risch 
August 27, 2025
This year's missing monsoon finally showed up the night of Aug. 22. By the next morning, Saturday, a much wetter, greener, cooler world greeted Ouray County residents and summer visitors. Interestingl...
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The West’s unsung heroes? Post offices
Columns, Feature...
The West’s unsung heroes? Post offices
By Carolyn Snowbarger 
August 6, 2025
The American West, including the Western Slope of Colorado, experienced significant population growth in the latter decades of the 19th century. “Boosterism” was one of the government strategies used ...
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A disappointingly dry start to monsoon season
Columns, Opinion...
A disappointingly dry start to monsoon season
By Karen Risch 
July 30, 2025
Ouray gardeners, like their counterparts across the Four Corners states, count on the Southwest Monsoon from July to September. In the city of Ouray it brings over 30% (7.31 inches) of our average ann...
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No fake AI here — just humans doing their best
Columns, Opinion...
FROM THE PUBLISHER
No fake AI here — just humans doing their best
By Erin McIntyre 
July 23, 2025
I read with interest a summer reading list published earlier this year in the Philadelphia Inquirer, and made a note to check out Andy Weir's new book since I loved "The Martian." Here's the descripti...
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Columns, Opinion...
An unforeseeable delay with your Plaindealer
By Erin McIntyre 
July 16, 2025
Dear Readers, If you’re reading this message in the e-edition of the newspaper, great. That means you probably got your paper when you wanted to read it. If you’re reading this message in the printed ...
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A patriotic way to celebrate the Fourth
Columns, Opinion...
FROM THE PUBLISHER
A patriotic way to celebrate the Fourth
By Erin McIntyre 
July 9, 2025
"Are you the newspaper? Are we gonna be in the paper?" These are questions I hear when people see me taking photos at parades. I usually shrug my shoulders and smile, because the truth is I don't know...
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The rise, fall and rise of Ouray County
Columns, Feature...
The rise, fall and rise of Ouray County
By Carolyn Snowbarger 
July 9, 2025
Why did thousands of people, most of whom had never even heard of Ouray, Ridgway or Colona, come to this remote part of Colorado? The history of Ouray County follows the familiar story of the American...
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County’s historic churches home to ample stories
Columns, Feature...
County’s historic churches home to ample stories
By Carolyn Snowbarger 
July 2, 2025
When does a mining camp truly become a town? It happens legally with official documents of incorporation. It occurs economically when businesses arrive to support the mining interests. Its culture beg...
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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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Editor Picks
Ute dancers perform at film fest
Main, News...
Ute dancers perform at film fest
October 22, 2025
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Board makes offer on top job
Main, News...
Board makes offer on top job
On same day commissioners pick Peace Corps director, interim manager resigns
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
October 22, 2025
Ouray County’s new county manager will travel from Santiago de Queretaro, Mexico, for the job, if he accepts the position. Ouray County commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday to offer the county’s to...
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Main, News...
Federal shutdown threatens food assistance program
By By Lia Salvatierra and Erin McIntyre lia@ouraynews.com erin@ouraynews.com 
October 22, 2025
Food assistance for low-income residents in Ouray County will likely be cut off at the end of the month due to the federal government shutdown, leaving an estimated 170 households with less money and ...
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Main, News...
Woman’s body found in mine shaft
By Erin McIntyre erin@ouraynews.com 
October 22, 2025
A Ridgway woman who was reported missing Monday night was found dead in a deep, water-filled mine shaft on Red Mountain Pass. Rescuers found Jennifer Nelson, 54, early Tuesday morning after accidental...
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News
City OKs purchase of new police vehicles
Interim police chief sought five hybrid SUVs to replace aging fleet; council authorizes three
By Mike Wiggins and Deb Hurley Brobst mike@ouraynews.com 
October 22, 2025
The Ouray City Council approved the purchase of three new police vehicles Monday night, allowing the police department to start rotating in new patrol cars for an aging fleet that hasn’t been replaced...
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Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines

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Ridgway, Colorado 81432
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