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Letters, Opinion...
MTN Lodge’s refusal to pay tax appalling
By Sheridan Ribbing 
April 29, 2026
Dear Editor: I’m appalled at the MTN Lodge's blatant refusal to pay the lodging tax to the town of Ridgway. MTN Lodge has entered into a multiyear agreement with Merrimac Ventures to lease out all of ...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Road through Calhoon land is indeed public
By Jennifer Cram 
April 29, 2026
Dear Editor: I am writing to respond to the paid advertisement by Aaron Calhoon in last week's Plaindealer. There is no doubt that the Calhoons are well-liked, respected and valued long-time members o...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
More needs to be done to protect Yankee Boy
By Alex Menard 
April 29, 2026
Dear Editor: The Ouray County Commissioners' work session on April 15 discussed plans to repair damage to the road in Yankee Boy Basin. The discussion was centered on repair of road areas damaged by a...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Szwarc’s credentials suit him for SMPA board
By Al Lowande 
April 29, 2026
Dear Editor: Our electric cooperative, San Miguel Power Association, will be conducting an election in June for the board of director position representing Ridgway area and Log Hill Mesa. As we know, ...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Padgett must put needs of county ahead of own
By Dear Editor: 
April 15, 2026
Dear Editor: There is a need to acknowledge the recent revelations at the special Ouray County Board of Commissioners meeting March 30, where Commissioner Lynn Padgett first denied, then admitted to s...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Padgett’s health issues impact county functions
By Carolyn Dresler 
April 15, 2026
Dear Editor: I read with concern and consternation the lead article in the April 2-9 edition of the Plaindealer relating to the March 30 public Board of County Commissioners meeting that resulted in t...
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Letters, Opinion...
MTN Lodge shirking responsibilities to town
By SUE HUSCH 
April 15, 2026
Dear Editor: The full page ad in the April 9-15 edition was interesting to me. In very large print we were given the town manager's email address, and told he and the Ridgway Town Council are out of l...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Free recycling? Hardly the case on Log Hill
By Daryl Gardner 
April 15, 2026
Dear Editor: Free recycling? That’s funny right there. We live on Log Hill and have Bruin Waste for trash and recycling curbside pickup. We don’t always have a lot of material to recycle each week. So...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Another dangerous part of U.S. 550 needs help
April 8, 2026
Dear Editor: About two months ago, I reported to the Colorado Department of Transportation my concerns about the three-lane area on U.S. Highway 550 that connects the Pa-Co-Chu-Puk entrance to Ridgway...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Support for rural areas makes Weiser good pick
April 8, 2026
Dear Editor: Phil Weiser has been an outstanding attorney general for Coloradans. Weiser has stated: “My track record means I can hit the ground running on day one, stand up to bullies like Trump and ...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Time for Hurd to take climate change gravely
April 1, 2026
Editor’s note: The Plaindealer mistakenly published a previous letter to the editor from Ellie Kehmeier in last week’s edition. We are publishing the letter she most recently submitted in this week’s ...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Public concern led to inquiry into gated road
April 1, 2026
Dear Editor: I appreciate the Plaindealer’s coverage and article on the Board of County Commissioners' meeting about the blocked access to the Greyhound Road. The article correctly stated that there w...
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Letters, Opinion...
Presence doesn’t equal performance on council
March 25, 2026
Dear Editor: As an advocate for responsible remote work, I disagree with the sentiment expressed in the “City: No to more remote governance” article published in your March 5-11 edition. This is not a...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Kudos to Hurd too soon
March 25, 2026
Dear Editor: I was very surprised to see in the March 19-25 edition of the Plaindealer a full-page advertisement, paid for by The Wilderness Society, thanking Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd saying, “R...
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Letters, Opinion...
Burn pit would be useful for wildfire mitigation
March 11, 2026
Dear Editor: Not only is a burn pit a good idea, it is a necessity, but not in the way described. Times and codes are changing. The new fire and construction codes will require more area to be cleared...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Burn pit an idea that should go up in smoke
March 11, 2026
Dear Editor: Today is a rare day. Snow capped mountains with a cloudless sky are not rare, but when the air is also clear, that is rare, because too often smoke fills the Ouray and Ridgway valleys. Th...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
New pool house should include solar array
March 11, 2026
Dear Editor: In none of the large, taxpayer-funded infrastructure projects in the city over the past years — the school, the courthouse complex, the pool, the water plant and the sewer treatment plant...
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Letters, Opinion...
Elected officials should fly ‘Betsy Ross’ flag
March 4, 2026
Dear Editor: I saved last year’s July 10-16 edition of the Plaindealer because its coverage of the city of Ouray’s Independence Day parade reminded me that it marked the beginning of what would be a y...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Ouray fortunate to have city administrator
March 4, 2026
Dear Editor: We all know how lucky we are to live in Ouray, but most of us do not know how fortunate we are to have Michelle Metteer as our city administrator. She is a soft-spoken person so I would l...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
In time of need, Ouray County shows up
February 18, 2026
Dear Editor: On behalf of the Ouray County Coroner’s Office, I want to express our sincere gratitude to this community for stepping up when it mattered most. Over the past few weeks, our office manage...
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Editor Picks
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Main, News...
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Drought conditions prime for insect infestation in county, experts warn
By LIA SALVATIERRA 
May 6, 2026
In some parts of Ouray County it may look like popcorn grows on trees. The milky, honey-colored pocks on the trunks of ponderosa pines and other trees signal efforts to fend off their attackers: bark ...
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Main
Wildfire building rules trigger mix of compliance, skepticism
By By Mike Wiggins, Lia Salvatierra and Erin McIntyre lia@ouraynews.com mike@ouraynews.com erin@ouraynews.com 
May 6, 2026
A state mandate requiring local governments to adopt stricter building rules to protect new and remodeled homes against wildfire has sparked varying reactions from elected officials in Ouray County. T...
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News
County policy would govern AI use
Manager: 'Folks want to feel we are doing our j obs, not delegating it to AI'
By Deb Hurley Brobst Special to the Plaindealer 
May 6, 2026
Ouray County commissioners want to regulate how employees use artificial intelligence when doing county work and limit cybercrime risk. Commissioners on April 29 looked at the first draft of an AI pol...
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News
Town to pilot zero-waste rules at concerts
Following strong pushback from businesses, nonprofits, board devises more relaxed regulations
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
May 6, 2026
The town of Ridgway's Sustainability Advisory Board will pilot “zero-waste” rules at the town’s summer concert series, while it continues to craft a broader policy to implement for all events on town ...
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News
Governor Basin cleanup project faces delays
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
May 6, 2026
A collaborative restoration project to clean up mine waste in Governor Basin dating back to 2018 remains on hold, while project partners continue to work out final agreements and how the project will ...
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First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines

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