Greg Nelson’s decision to formally declare his candidacy for Ouray mayor outside the Wright Opera House wasn’t by accident. The 58-year-old retired engineer sees how a dedicated group of individuals...

  Ouray City Councilor Dee Hilton announced her resignation late Tuesday night, opening up a spot on a board that could see significant turnover depending upon the results of this fall’s election. May...

COLORADO Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are warning those who live in areas with bears to be cautious and avoid attracting them with trash, food, bird feeders or other food sources after a man ...

TRAFFIC ALERT A bridge replacement in Ouray next week will require crews to close the 300 block of Ninth Avenue for construction. This project by the city’s public works department will last approxima...

Shelley Becker tried to think fast. She had just woken up and was standing outside in her pajamas. She had just let her dog outside, and within seconds heard a scuffle and some whimpering. And now sh...

  The distance from the lobby to the back wall at Citizens State Bank in Ouray is 142 feet. Doug Price knows that number not just because it's in the blueprints for the freshly renovated, historic bu...

WESTERN COLORADO Federal lands officials are warning the public to avoid circumventing avalanche debris on local trails that remain closed after record amounts of heavy snow and downed trees blocked t...

By Olivia Exstrum, Special to the Plaindealer oliviaexstrum@gmail.com One summer a couple years ago, Leslie Chang let out a huge sigh of relief. Chang, an author and journalist, had just arrived in Co...

The following is an excerpt of cases the Ouray Police Department handled from Aug. 6 to Aug. 13, 2019. Aug. 6 Officer responded to the Police Department for someone wanting to report a restraining ord...

A popular, long-established restaurant along the main drag through Ridgway will close next week, and plans are already in the works to fill the space. An employee of Oriental Chinese Restaurant, 565 S...

CITY OF OURAY The city of Ouray has its new administrator. Now it's looking for a police chief. With former Police Chief Justin Perry taking the reins as the city's CEO in June, there's a vacancy at t...

CITY OF OURAY A year after financial trouble delayed the purchase of the Jeep for the annual raffle, the Ouray Tourism Office is struggling to get the popular event off the ground again this summer, a...

The Town of Ridgway will re-examine its water rate structure and charges for overages, at the direction of the town council after meeting with business owners in a workshop Tuesday night. Turmoil over...

  There may be plenty of competition for three seats on the Ouray City Council in the coming months. Residents interested in running for mayor and one of the two council seats can now pick up nominati...

OURAY COUNTY A local grants fund that awards more than $3.4 million annually in western Colorado is encouraging Ouray County nonprofit organizations to apply for funding. The Western Colorado Communit...

  The sheer majesty of Yankee Boy Basin is what captured Steve Traudt's heart more than 40 years ago, when he passed through Ouray and happened to join a Jeep trip. That was back in 1975, and he stil...

By Mary Menz, Special to the Plaindealer April showers bring May flowers to many places, but abundant snowpack and regular rain make the wildflowers in Ouray County’s high elevations burst in a profu...

Just weeks before the beginning of school, Ridgway School District Facility and Transportation Director Shane Ayer resigned from his position but appears to have changed his mind after submitting that...

  The owners of a storage unit business between Ridgway and Ouray will get another chance to make their case for expansion to county commissioners. Red Cliff Storage owner Lynn Emery Olin has until Oc...

WESTERN COLORADO U.S. Forest Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are again warning campers of bear activity on the Western Slope, this time in campgrounds on Grand Mesa southeast of Gran...