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Calendar & Events
Calendar & Events, Feature...
Calendar & Events
Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 2026
January 21, 2026
Thursday, January 22 Tech Thursday – Get help with quick tech problems from 4-6 p.m. at the Ridgway Public Library, 300 Charles St. Walk-ins welcome. Film club: "Famous Last Words," with the Ouray Pub...
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Looking Back
Feature
Looking Back
January 14, 2026
Compiled from the files of The Ouray County Herald, The Ridgway Sun, and The Ouray County Plaindealer 60 Years Ago January 20, 1966 Two men, injured Thursday night when their ore truck plunged over a ...
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1884 ‘Big Snow’ a reminder: Careful what you wish for
Columns, Feature...
1884 ‘Big Snow’ a reminder: Careful what you wish for
By Carolyn Snowbarger 
January 14, 2026
So far this winter we have had a reprieve from icy sidewalks and snow shoveling — a far cry from what Silverton experienced with the legendary "Big Snow” in March 1884. We are complaining about the pe...
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Birdwatching: An equal opportunity hobby for the family
Columns, Feature...
Birdwatching: An equal opportunity hobby for the family
By Mary Menz Special to the Plaindealer 
January 14, 2026
Birdwatching is one of the most accessible hobbies for people of all ages. Little special equipment is required, though beginners often find binoculars and a guidebook to help them identify bird speci...
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Calendar & Events
Calendar & Events, Feature...
Calendar & Events
Jan. 15-29, 2026
January 14, 2026
Thursday, January 15 Community book club, noon-1 p.m. at the Ridgway Public Library. Bring lunch and discuss "Wild Dark Shore" by Charlotte McConaghy. Tech Thursday – Get help with quick tech problems...
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Calendar & Events
Calendar & Events, Feature...
Calendar & Events
Jan. 8-22, 2026
January 7, 2026
Thursday, January 8 Sewing class: Mug Rugs, from 1-3 p.m. at the Ridgway Public Library, 300 Charles St. Sign up at the front desk. Tech Thursday – Get help with quick tech problems from 4-6 p.m. at t...
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‘I want to see them get to the most terrifying part of the climb … and see them complete it’
Columns, Feature...
PREP ROUNDUP
‘I want to see them get to the most terrifying part of the climb … and see them complete it’
By By Matt Meyer Special to the Plaindealer 
December 31, 2025
Ridgway coach Jonny Zaugg dedicated to helping young c limbers of all skill levels When Jonny Zaugg returned to Ridgway several years ago, he saw an opportunity to give back to the community and be th...
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Calendar & Events
Calendar & Events, Feature...
Calendar & Events
Jan. 1-14, 2026
December 31, 2025
THURSDAY JANUARY 1 Polar Bear plunge at the Ouray Hot Springs Pool, 1 p.m. SATURDAY JANUARY 3 Trivia Night. Free to attend. 7 p.m. at the Wright Opera House, 472 Main St. in Ouray. WEDNESDAY JANUARY 7...
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Second Chance Humane Society
Feature
SEASON OF SHARING
Second Chance Humane Society
December 24, 2025
Editor's note: The Ouray County Plaindealer is continuing its tradition of featuring nonprofit organizations based in Ouray County, serving Ouray County in a series of profiles called Season of Sharin...
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Feature
Home Trust of Ouray County
December 24, 2025
Year established as a nonprofit: 2018 What does your organization do for Ouray County? Affordable housing remains one of the most pressing challenges facing Ouray County, where the median price for a ...
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Sherbino Theater/ Ridgway Chautauqua
Feature
SEASON OF SHARING
Sherbino Theater/ Ridgway Chautauqua
December 24, 2025
Editor's note: The Ouray County Plaindealer is continuing its tradition of featuring nonprofit organizations based in Ouray County, serving Ouray County in a series of profiles called Season of Sharin...
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Feature
SEASON OF SHARING
Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership
December 24, 2025
Editor's note: The Ouray County Plaindealer is continuing its tradition of featuring nonprofit organizations based in Ouray County, serving Ouray County in a series of profiles called Season of Sharin...
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Feature
SEASON OF SHARING
West Region Wildfire Council
December 24, 2025
Year established as a nonprofit: 2007 What does your organization do for Ouray County? With wildfires becoming a greater and greater risk to Western Colorado, WRWC strives to educate and aid in wildfi...
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Feature
SEASON OF SHARING
Ouray Elks Lodge
December 24, 2025
Editor's note: The Ouray County Plaindealer is continuing its tradition of featuring nonprofit organizations based in Ouray County, serving Ouray County in a series of profiles called Season of Sharin...
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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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Still full of Grit, 40 years later
Feature
Still full of Grit, 40 years later
Ridgway's True Grit Cafe marks anniversary as community institution
By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com 
December 24, 2025
If you walk into True Grit Cafe, there's a good chance the proprietor herself will be the one who greets you before the door shuts behind you. She doesn't spend much time up in her office, where there...
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Coffee, community, conversation at Colorado Girl
Feature
Coffee, community, conversation at Colorado Girl
Colorado Boy owner opens companion shop in Ridgway
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
December 24, 2025
People poured in around large dark wooden tables lining the entryway of a sun-soaked room, cupping coffee and entrenched in conversation. Colorado Girl owner Matthew Beyer sits beside two people he’d ...
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Feature
Business briefs: closings and openings
December 24, 2025
Flower shops close store fronts Two flower shops that opened store fronts in Ridgway this fall have closed their doors. San Juan Blooms, which opened Aug. 25 in the greenhouse of the Ridgway Fire Hous...
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Ouray Mountain Rescue Team
Feature
SEASON OF SHARING
Ouray Mountain Rescue Team
December 17, 2025
Editor's note: The Ouray County Plaindealer is continuing its tradition of featuring nonprofit organizations based in Ouray County, serving Ouray County in a series of profiles called Season of Sharin...
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Calendar & Events
Calendar & Events, Feature...
Calendar & Events
Dec. 18, 2025 – Jan. 1, 2026
December 17, 2025
Thursday, December 18 "Muppet Christmas Carol" movie, tickets $5, 6 p.m. at the Wright Opera House, 472 Main St. in Ouray. After-school craft time for elementary-aged students featuring watercolor orn...
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Editor Picks
Several homes damaged, 17 people rescued from flooding
Main, News...
Several homes damaged, 17 people rescued from flooding
By Mike Wiggins 
July 30, 2026
At least 17 people were rescued from flooding and debris flows in the Cutler Creek area between Ridgway and Ouray on Wednesday night, authorities said this morning. At least three homes in Ponderosa V...
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Evacuations ordered near Cutler Creek as rain pummels burn scar
Main, News...
Evacuations ordered near Cutler Creek as rain pummels burn scar
Oak Street closed due to mud, flooding
By Mike 
July 29, 2026
UPDATE, 9:45 p.m. U.S. Highway 550 reopened between Ridgway and Ouray Wednesday night, authorities announced at 9:15 p.m. Emergency officials encouraged motorists to be cautions when driving through a...
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Rain on burn scar triggers flooding, evacuation
Main, News...
Rain on burn scar triggers flooding, evacuation
Hydrologist: Above-average rain forecast through September
By Chart Riggall 
July 29, 2026
Heavy rainfall over scorched soil sent flash floods raging down Cutler Creek on Sunday night, spilling mud down through Ponderosa Village and briefly shuttering U.S. Highway 550. The torrent of water ...
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Fire scorches bottom lines
Main, News...
Fire scorches bottom lines
Reliant on summer tourism, reeling businesses running out of time to claw back lost revenue
By Mike Wiggins, Chart Riggall and Erin McIntyre 
July 29, 2026
It didn’t take but a spark and a stiff breeze to turn Justin Mitchell’s summer upside down. During the first few hours of the Gold Mountain Fire, Mitchell — who runs a horseback guiding outfit in the ...
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News
Governments team up on flood mitigation
City, nonprofits pitch in $165,000, while financially pinched county searches for more funding
By Mike Wiggins and Erin McIntyre mike@ouraynews.com erin@ouraynews.com 
July 29, 2026
Government agencies and nonprofit organizations have begun stepping up to help Ouray County pay to protect homes and roads from flooding and mudslides in the aftermath of the Gold Mountain Fire. The O...
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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
970-325-4412

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