Main, News...
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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Main, News...
4-H EVENT CENTER
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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News
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
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
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
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
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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News
March 4, 2026
The Ouray KOA Holiday campground has increased its septic capacity and will continue to monitor flows, nearly five years after a neighbor complained that the owners were possibly overbooking the campg...
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News
March 4, 2026
The Ridgway Fire Protection District board of directors is weighing creating a burn pit at its training center property south of the Ouray County 4-H Event Center and Fairgrounds. During a Feb. 16 mee...
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News
March 4, 2026
Ouray County officials say rules governing shortterm rentals that took effect last year are working and have led to fewer complaints. The Ouray County Land Use Department gave an update to commissione...
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News
March 4, 2026
Ouray County leaders will consider potential security improvements to county facilities after hearing feedback from department heads and hold an executive session to discuss some specifics of those pl...
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Main, News...
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...
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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News
Doherty claims job keeps him out of town; council to decide whether to change cap on remote participation
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
February 25, 2026
A newly appointed Ouray city councilor who has attended just half of the city council’s meetings in person so far this year has asked the council to relax an attendance policy and allow him to govern ...
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News
After spending more than $100K on branding, design and fabrication, council halts wayfinding initiative that could have cost up to $800K
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
February 25, 2026
Large maroon wayfinding signs installed on Main Street in Ouray last summer, triggering protests from residents and business owners detesting their appearance and size, will soon be gone like they wer...
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News
Niece, Nauer give Caselli 99 out of 100 points; no record of evaluation from Padgett, who missed meeting
By Deb Hurley Brobst Special to the Plaindealer 
February 25, 2026
Editor's note: This article has been edited to make clear that Ouray County had four members of the administration team and one employee leave their positions in 2025. County Manager Connie Hunt resig...
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News
Two vying for mayor, five competing for three council seats
By lia@ouraynews.com 
February 25, 2026
Editor's note: The subheading on this article has been corrected to reflect that there are five candidates for three council seats. By Lia Salvatierra The town of Ridgway will hold an election for may...
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News
Town engineer: Millions of dollars in state-mandated improvements needed
By Deb Hurley Brobst Special to the Plaindealer 
February 25, 2026
Ridgway residents may end up paying more on their sewer bills next year, but the timing of the proposed increase and the amount is still up in the air. If town leaders decide to raise rates, it will b...
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News
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
February 25, 2026
Ouray city councilors voted last week to redirect funds originally designated for wayfinding signs to build two crosswalks on either side of town, which is costing more than expected. During a Feb. 17...
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Letters, Opinion...
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
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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Feature
March 4, 2026
Compiled from the files of The Ouray County Herald, The Ridgway Sun, and The Ouray County Plaindealer 60 Years Ago March 3, 1966 Arthur R. Alschbach, Ouray's oldest continuous resident, died March 1 a...
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Columns, Feature...
PREP ROUNDUP
By By Bernie Pearce Special to the Plaindealer 
March 4, 2026
At intense moments of a close basketball game, there’s nothing that Ridgway senior Sophia Scranton savors more than to hunker down in her defensive stance, slide in front of a hapless dribbler and wit...
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