Ouray County plans to enact a hiring freeze and eliminate raises, including cost-of-living adjustments, to help balance its 2026 budget. After a nearly four-hour special work session on Sept. 29, comm...

Michal Nowicki was looking for a panoramic view above Ouray when he hiked near the "Switzerland of America" sign last week. He found it — along with a mess. Dozens of empty cardboard boxes formerly co...

Ouray County Public Health is offering COVID-19 vaccines, though there is currently a waitlist. The department administered 47 doses of the vaccine between Sept. 3 and Oct. 6 and is now waiting on new...

The Ridgway Town Council has approved new landscaping rules that ban artificial turf for non-recreational uses, including residential properties. The rules comply with a new state law prohibiting the ...

The city of Ouray doesn’t have a comprehensive ordinance regulating outdoor lighting, and city officials have decided it’s about time to get one. The city council on Monday directed staff to create tw...

Compiled from the files of The Ouray County Herald, The Ridgway Sun, and The Ouray County Plaindealer 60 Years Ago October 14, 1965 Philip F. Icke, Ouray attorney, gave an address on most common legal...

Ouray County commissioners unanimously approved appointing Shellie Duplan to fill a vacancy on the Ouray County Planning Commission, filling the last vacancy since an exodus of four planning commissio...

The “Good For You!” page is a new feature we have launched in the Plaindealer, where we publish reader-submitted photos illustrating community, celebrations and more. Maybe you snapped photos of volun...

Thursday, October 9 Facing Wildfire Risk in Ouray County, a short film and panel discussion presented by the Telluride Foundation and West Region Wildfire Council. 6-7:30 p.m., Sherbino Theater, 602 C...

Randy Barnes knew that morning he needed to check on Beaver Creek and the ditch bringing water down from the mountains above Elk Meadows to supply the town of Ridgway. More than 40 years of experience...

The Colorado Department of Transportation will expedite a shoulder-widening project on U.S. Highway 550 and potential interim safety measures along the corridor in response to public concern about dan...

Tim Pinnow's resume might not immediately lead someone to think about forestry or fire mitigation. But what you will find is evidence of a career spent cultivating relationships and building resilienc...

Just a year after the Seventh Judicial District Attorney’s Office asked Ouray County for a 13% budget increase, the office is seeking to nearly triple that percentage increase in 2026, primarily for p...

U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd is remaining mum on whether he will support a bill that would transfer Crystal Reservoir from the U.S. Forest Service to the city of Ouray. Since Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hick...

Top of the Pines will hire a contractor to lethally fumigate a portion of its prairie dog population, despite adopting a management plan prioritizing the animals’ natural occurrence. During a regular ...

Daric Harvey needs another dry erase board. The one hanging on the wall next to his desk is out of room, crammed with a checklist of goals and initiatives Ouray’s interim police chief has etched in bl...

The U.S. Postal Service is addressing complaints from Ridgway residents who had their post office boxes at the Ridgway Post Office locked without notice, violating the agency’s policy. Ridgway residen...

Ouray County commissioners have selected three finalists for the county manager vacancy, a step toward ensuring they will usher in new, permanent county leadership for the first time in more than two ...

The Ouray School Board has decided to spend an undisclosed amount of money to buy two neighboring properties for the purpose of expanding the school's campus and possibly building a new gym. Board mem...

Ridgway Fire Chief Chris Miller will receive a 14% salary increase and be paid a $95,000 salary for 2025 retroactively, after the Ridgway Fire Protection District’s board of directors approved giving ...