The San Miguel Power Association board of directors has approved the return of $1.5 million in member dividends to customers. In a typical year, SMPA has money left over after paying its expenses. The...

With a new three-year contract in hand to market the city of Ouray to tourists and manage its visitor center, the Ouray Tourism Office has turned its attention to finding someone who can lead those ef...

A story in the Dec. 24 edition of the Plaindealer about the response to the Cow Creek Fire should have indicated some local officials thought they heard that federal officials were directing them to r...

More than half of Ridgway's Town Council is up for election this spring. The election is scheduled for April 7 but will only take place if five or more candidates step forward and turn in their petiti...

GUNNISON The stigma of drug use and addiction often has led to silence about the struggles of substance abuse. That’s something the Gunnison County Consortium wants to change. In fact, the newly forme...

For the first time in 20 years, Colorado voters will participate in a presidential primary election this spring and unaffiliated voters can participate. On March 3, commonly known as “Super Tuesday,” ...

     

Ride the Rockies will come through Ridgway again in 2020, and organizers have promised the cycling event will go better than it did when the community last hosted it. Ride the Rockies Director Deirdre...

As he looked down the barrel of a handgun, pointed at him by a homeless man who had broken into his house, Kenny Easton realized something. He’s the kind of guy who could pull the trigger if he needed...

GUNNISON It could be an issue more controversial than the presidential election. Colorado voters likely will be asked in November 2020 if they want wolves reintroduced on the Western Slope. Yet, while...

Log Hill Mesa residents who have lamented slow internet speeds for years will soon have a faster alternative. The state has awarded a $2.8 million grant to Clearnetworx to finance fiber internet const...

State water quality officials this week placed a series of hurdles in front of the city of Ouray as it seeks funding to build a new sewer treatment system. In a letter sent to City Administrator Justi...

The Town of Ridgway is considering changes to its zoning code, with the goal of expanding the options for different types of housing and encouraging more affordable options. A public meeting about the...

Wildlife area in Ouray County closed until spring Billy Creek State Wildlife Area is closed until April 30, to protect big game animals. The area, between Ouray and Montrose, is routinely closed durin...

An organization representing one of the oldest industries and ways of life in Ouray County is in danger of fizzling out, and its last remaining board member is sounding the alarm. Katie Merkley of Rid...

A longtime mainstay of downtown Ouray shuttered its doors suddenly this week, when O’Brien’s Pub & Grill closed. A sign stating “out of business” written on the bottom of a pineapple juice box in the ...

GUNNISON Proponents for two high school sports who have long advocated for their addition in Gunnison Watershed RE1J schools have reason to celebrate. Superintendent Leslie Nichols on Friday announced...

STORIES OF THE YEAR: NO. 2 Mother Nature walloped the northern San Juans in 2019, first with record snowfall, then with record avalanches, which led to record snowpack and fears of flooding causing d...

STORIES OF THE YEAR: NO. 1 The turmoil involving the two top law enforcement officers at the Ouray County Sheriff’s Office is the Plaindealer’s No. 1 story of 2019. Sheriff Lance Fitz-Gerald was sworn...

STORIES OF THE YEAR: NO. 9 The town of Ridgway’s efforts to implement a new water-rate structure met vocal opposition from business owners, ultimately leading councilors to back off on commercial wate...