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From start to finish, a too-warm, too-dry 2025
Columns, Opinion...
From start to finish, a too-warm, too-dry 2025
December 24, 2025
Dreaming of a white Christmas? Wunderground’s “meteorologists qualify a white Christmas as one with at least an inch of snow on the ground [SOG] on Christmas morning,” (Hayden Marshall and Jonathan Er...
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Ridgway coach aims to honor grandfather’s legacy while forging own identity
Columns, Feature...
PREP ROUNDUP
Ridgway coach aims to honor grandfather’s legacy while forging own identity
By By Bernie Pearce Special to the Plaindealer 
December 24, 2025
The Hills are alive with the sound of coaching, as Scott “Scotty” Hill received his indoctrination to the Ridgway High School coaching ranks at the San Juan Mountain Madness basketball tournament earl...
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Columns, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Column about election integrity not worth space in newspaper
December 17, 2025
Dear Editor: The Dec. 4-10 edition of the Plaindealer made me realize just how long it’s been since that moniker has had anything to do with the paper’s content. And now it appears, with the publicati...
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How a cook and mining engineers saved the Liberty Bell Mine
Columns, Opinion...
How a cook and mining engineers saved the Liberty Bell Mine
December 17, 2025
The winter of 1905-06 was a dangerous time for the high-altitude mines above Telluride as snowstorm after snowstorm hit the region. Just four years earlier, the infamous 1902 "White Death" avalanche h...
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Columns, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Two types of ‘creative’ people, 15 years apart
December 17, 2025
Dear Editor: I read the dichotomous reports in the Ouray County Plaindealer, Dec. 11, 2025, issue, which define two types of Ridgway's “creative” people. One was the person who recently asked the Ridg...
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Young Ridgway squad marked by stifling defense
Columns, Feature...
PREP ROUNDUP
Young Ridgway squad marked by stifling defense
By By Matt Meyer Special to the Plaindealer 
December 10, 2025
Certain career milestones set apart high school basketball players, the most well-known being 1,000 points. But on the defensive end, there’s an equivalent figure, with 300 career steals signifying a ...
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New era launches for Ouray basketball
Columns, Feature...
PREP ROUNDUP
New era launches for Ouray basketball
By By Matt Meyer Special to the Plaindealer 
December 3, 2025
Before the Thanksgiving holiday, Ouray High School hosted its “Meet the Trojans” night, akin to a college's Midnight Madness event to celebrate the start of basketball season. On a night with at least...
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In San Juans, a case of winter whiplash
Columns, Opinion...
In San Juans, a case of winter whiplash
By Karen Risch 
November 26, 2025
Ouray finally woke up to its first measurable snowfall Monday, Nov. 24. While waiting for the magic of winter’s arrival, late or not, I found myself wondering: Would this 2025-2026 season’s first meas...
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Join us Friday for film, talk about local news inspiration, challenges
Columns, Opinion...
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Join us Friday for film, talk about local news inspiration, challenges
By Erin McIntyre 
November 12, 2025
I still can’t believe we own a newspaper. It feels silly to type that sentence. We’re almost seven years into being the caretakers of this community institution, publishing for 148 years. And yet, it ...
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A civilized Thanksgiving at an uncivilized time
Columns, Opinion...
A civilized Thanksgiving at an uncivilized time
By Carolyn Snowbarger 
November 12, 2025
Was the famed "Outlaw Thanksgiving" in Brown’s Park history or simply a tall tale? According to Ann Bassett, the "Queen of the Cattle Rustlers," it was a Thanksgiving feast for the ages, hosted by non...
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As daylight dwindles, how can we curb energy use?
Columns, Opinion...
As daylight dwindles, how can we curb energy use?
By Karen Risch 
November 5, 2025
Ouray’s first frost occurred Oct. 17, three weeks after the average frost date, Sept. 26. It was a fitting end to a hot, droughty summer. Occasional downpours helped but were no substitute for a full ...
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On the course, they’re competitors. On weekends, they’re training partners
Columns, Feature...
PREP ROUNDUP
On the course, they’re competitors. On weekends, they’re training partners
By By Matt Meyer Special to the Plaindealer 
October 29, 2025
Separately, the Ridgway, Ouray and Telluride High School cross country teams are among the smallest in the state. Each is successful in their own right — especially ahead of the state championship rac...
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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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Editor Picks
News
No-idling ordinance stalls after months of debate
By LIA SALVATIERRA 
May 14, 2026
“Idle-Free Ridgway” remains a motto, rather than a rule after the town council voted down final approval for an anti-idling ordinance that drew zealous support and opposition over the past five months...
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Ouray childcare model a blueprint for others
Main, News...
Ouray childcare model a blueprint for others
A year after two daycares opened within affordable housing development, builder looks to replicate template in three other cities
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
May 13, 2026
The solution to the statewide childcare shortage might be here in Ouray County, where a blueprint for building childcare-ready affordable homes was drafted. It’s been a little more than a year since t...
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Main, News...
County tests: No mold problem in meeting rooms
After commissioner claims 'toxicity,' manager says 4-H, courthouse spaces safe to use
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
May 13, 2026
Ouray County commissioner meeting rooms don’t have a mold problem, according to testing ordered after Commissioner Lynn Padgett said the facilities caused her to feel sick and used it as justification...
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Beefed-up alpine ranger program returns
News
Beefed-up alpine ranger program returns
State grant allows county to add sixth ranger to patrol backcountry, focus on safety, education
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
May 13, 2026
Ouray County’s alpine ranger program is back and bigger this year with the help of a state grant. The public will see alpine rangers patrolling areas including Yankee Boy Basin, Imogene Pass and the A...
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Two candidates vie for seat on San Miguel Power board
News
Two candidates vie for seat on San Miguel Power board
Election to represent Ridgway, Log Hill contested for first time since 2014
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
May 13, 2026
For the first time in more than a decade, there’s a contested election for the District 6 seat on the San Miguel Power Association board of directors, representing all of Ridgway, much of Log Hill and...
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First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines

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Ridgway, Colorado 81432
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