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Blood moon rising
Main, News...
Blood moon rising
March 4, 2026
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Main, News...
City: No to more remote governance
Ouray council rejects member's request to attend more meetings from afar
By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com 
March 4, 2026
The Ouray City Council on Monday unanimously rejected a councilor’s request for greater leeway to participate in council meetings remotely, agreeing it’s vital for elected officials to face constituen...
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A dilemma 25 years in the making
Main, News...
4-H EVENT CENTER
A dilemma 25 years in the making
Commissioners determined to improve fiscal health of facility plagued by management, use questions since its donation
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
March 4, 2026
The dilemma of how to manage, finance and use the Ouray County 4-H Event Center is coming full circle, reflecting conversations that happened more than 25 years ago when the facility was donated to th...
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Bright start, cloudy future for bus service
Main, News...
Bright start, cloudy future for bus service
Two years after launch, OurWay ridership has doubled. It’s unclear if grant money and matching local funds will help it keep running
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
February 25, 2026
Georgia Evans greeted the bus driver with jugs of milk and water in her hands and boarded the 11-seater OurWay shuttle, headed home from work in Ridgway to Montrose. She noticed it was a different bus...
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Main, News...
Backcountry road closure eyed
County to shut off portion of Yankee Boy Basin to vehicles this summer due to environmental damage
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
February 25, 2026
Ouray County commissioners on Tuesday directed staff to pursue closing an upper section of Yankee Boy Basin this summer to motorized traffic, in response to a resident’s request to reduce environmenta...
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Helping the helpers: The anatomy of a complex rescue
Main, News...
NEIGHBORS AND HELPERS
Helping the helpers: The anatomy of a complex rescue
Volunteers saved an 11-year-old girl from the bottom of a cliff thanks largely to the skills of Mike Gibbs, who's made a career out of training rescuers
By By Nancy Lofholm Special to the Plaindealer 
February 18, 2026
It took Mike Gibbs all of five seconds on that morning in early August to figure out it was time to execute one of the world’s most complicated rope rescues. A car had tumbled 320 feet off the edge of...
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Main, News...
Bills to give reservoir to Ouray debut in Congress
Administrator: City can afford repair expenses, which are still unknown
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
February 18, 2026
U.S. House and Senate bills to transfer ownership of Crystal Reservoir from the U.S. Forest Service to the city of Ouray made it to subcommittee hearings in Washington, D.C. last week. Both bills are ...
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Main, News...
EMS plans to shift staff, save costs
Chief seeks to rely less on higher-paid paramedics
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
February 11, 2026
Ouray County Emergency Medical Services wants to implement a new staffing structure this spring to save costs and prepare for a combined fire and emergency services authority. During a Jan. 28 work se...
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Formerly a cash cow, bloom wilts on cannabis
Main, News...
Formerly a cash cow, bloom wilts on cannabis
Industry slump marked by reduction in wholesale flower prices leaves just one grow facility in county, shaves local government tax revenue
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
February 11, 2026
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Michael Cox is the former general manager for Dalwhinnie Group, the landlord for Dalwhinnie Farms. The cannabis industry’s downturn has rea...
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New county manager seeks to lead with heart
Main, News...
New county manager seeks to lead with heart
After careers in big cities and large governments, Antonio Mendez is shifting his perspective
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
February 4, 2026
Ouray County is unlike most places Antonio Mendez has lived or worked before, and Mendez brings experience unlike the county has seen in two decades, or possibly ever. Ouray County’s new manager grew ...
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City leader pulls police from patrol duty
Main, News...
City leader pulls police from patrol duty
Administrator cites concerns about training, liability; sheriff's office assumes full control of services in Ouray
By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com 
February 4, 2026
Ouray City Administrator Michelle Metteer has pulled the police department’s two remaining officers off of patrol duty and reassigned them to administrative tasks, citing concerns about liability and ...
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Onward and upward
Main, News...
Onward and upward
January 28, 2026
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Main, News...
Town prepares for legal battle
By Erin McIntyre erin@ouraynews.com 
January 28, 2026
Editor's note: This article has been corrected to reflect that Ridgway Lodge LLC is the owner of MTN Lodge. Ridgway retains attorney after MTN Lodge owners say they won't pay taxes on long-term worker...
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Main, News...
County eyes budget cuts
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
January 28, 2026
Manager: Looking for ways to avoid cutting employees Ouray County leaders have loosely settled on wanting to cut $500,000 from the county’s 2026 budget, anticipating they will have more unexpected exp...
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ICE FARMERS GET THEIR CROP
Main, News...
ICE FARMERS GET THEIR CROP
A long-awaited cold snap allows Ice Park to open, just in time for festival
By LIA SALVATIERRA 
January 21, 2026
After weeks of planning for the worst, the Ouray Ice Park has ice to offer after all, just in time for the 31st Ice Festival this weekend. Ice Park Executive Director Peter O’Neil has spent the past t...
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Judge delays assault trials
Main, News...
Judge delays assault trials
Attorneys say they're not ready; cases will be heard by Montrose juries
By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com 
January 21, 2026
The trials for two men accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in Ouray County in 2023 have been postponed, even as the woman and the judge presiding over the cases expressed concerns about ...
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Ice Park to open, resurrecting season after weeks of warm temperatures
Main, News...
Ice Park to open, resurrecting season after weeks of warm temperatures
By LIA SALVATIERRA 
January 20, 2026
After weeks of planning for the worst, the Ouray Ice Park has ice to offer after all, just in time for the 31st Ice Festival this weekend. Ice Park Executive Director Peter O’Neil has spent the past t...
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Welcome to the snow-deo
Main, News...
Welcome to the snow-deo
January 14, 2026
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Public: Rebuild Ouray PD
Main, News...
Public: Rebuild Ouray PD
Residents seek retention of independent agency after departure of interim chief
By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com 
January 14, 2026
Ouray residents sent a clear message this week: They want to maintain an independent police department instead of permanently relying on the Ouray County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement. Faced wi...
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Tax questions linger as lodge proceeds with housing plans
Main, News...
Tax questions linger as lodge proceeds with housing plans
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
January 14, 2026
MTN Lodge in Ridgway is moving forward with plans to convert the hotel to workforce housing for four years starting in February, though the town has yet to cement an agreement with the owners about pa...
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Editor Picks
Pool house design draws varied reactions
News
Pool house design draws varied reactions
Residents alternately praise, pan contemporary appearance, debate proposed community space
By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com 
March 4, 2026
Ouray County residents peppered architects and Ouray parks and recreation officials with questions and feedback about a proposed new pool house at the Ouray Hot Springs Pool, revealing a broad spectru...
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News
Rural teens, caregivers sought to participate in suicide risk study
By Erin McIntyre erin@ouraynews.com 
March 4, 2026
Editor's note: This story talks about topics related to suicide. If you or anyone else needs resources, please call or text 988 or visit 988colorado.com. For Dr. Maya Haasz, it didn’t feel right to us...
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News
County launches inaugural wellness fair
March 15 Wellnesspalooza seeks to offer assistance, no matter the ailment
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
March 4, 2026
For those seeking resources for addiction or other mental health issues, or simply to improve overall wellness, Ouray County’s first Wellnesspalooza brings together local and regional providers, commu...
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News
CLARIFICATION
March 4, 2026
An article in the Feb. 26-March 4 edition about the county attorney’s evaluation should have made clear that that Ouray County had four members of the administration team and one employee leave their ...
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News
CORRECTION
March 4, 2026
A subheadline in the Feb. 26-March 4 edition for an article about the Ridgway Town Council election incorrectly indicated the number of open council seats and number of candidates for those seats. The...
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First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines

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Ridgway, Colorado 81432
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