Irony is the juxtaposition of one conceptual proposition with a directly contrary reality, like a “vegetarian butcher” or something that’s “seriously funny.” Or the swift enactment — during Sunshine W...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor: Here we are again, this time with two rape cases at the same time and a second appearance by a prior defendant in Ouray County. It is encouraging that the Colorado Bu...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor: On Dec. 18, 2003, the Ouray Ranger District published a press release announcing the purchase of an 806-acre parcel of mining claim in the Ironton valley. The second ...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor: The letter published in the Feb. 22-28 edition under the headline “The perpetuation of rape culture,” by Robyn Cascade, mischaracterized a statement of mine made in a...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor: My wife Kathy and I recently attended a listening session at the Burro in Ridgway hosted by Ouray Commissioner Lynn Padgett. The place was packed with over 30 people ...

OURAY COUNTY 50 YEARS AGO March 7, 1974 - Deep snow and cold have placed Ouray County deer and elk under severe stress this winter, according to Jim Olterman, wildlife conservation officer at Ridgway....

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor: Your recent article on fire insurance (Feb. 8-14 edition) will be a surprise to some, but more than anything it is a reminder that insurance companies are in business...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor: I want to offer an apology to Bob Kelly in response to his letter in the Feb. 15-21 edition. As the author of MEND’s letter to the editor, I never meant to insult the...

Leap year 2024: An extra day — Feb. 29 — for most of us, a once-in-four years’ birthday for a select few. We can thank the ancient Egyptians for this essential astronomical invention, according to a f...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor: One of the subtle multi-use recreational perks in Ouray is the North Corridor trail system. Its spring, summer and fall uses of hiking, biking and running readily ada...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor: I just learned that our amazing Ouray County Public Health Director Tanner Kingery will be moving away soon. I would personally like to thank Tanner for his incredibl...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor: In recent quotes and letters related to sexual assault, myths and assumptions that result in victim-blaming, normalization of sexual violence, and perpetuation of rap...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor: Even if it has been a bit of a rough patch lately for the Plaindealer, one hopes the editors are not suggesting this as an excuse for being lackadaisical, or even sel...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor: Whereas, I could have gone on blissfully not reading your “fish wrap,” a friend alerted me to your most recent editorial. “On grudges” was not only filled with typica...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor: I write to address your recent coverage of the very serious sex assault cases pending in Ouray County. First, I applaud the Plaindealer’s effort to shine a light on s...

1873 was a big year for miners in the San Juan Mountains. Two prospectors, Charles McIntyre and Abe Burrows, decided to try their luck at higher elevations and staked several claims. In addition to go...

Last week, Mike and I took a moment for lunch at a local restaurant, sitting in a daze while we began planning the next edition. Thursday is a day of recovery, a day I feel hungover from the exhaustio...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor: Recently there has been more light shed on Ouray County’s rape culture problem. Here’s a good definition from Vox: “Rape culture is a culture in which sexual violence...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor: Last month I was on a rare vacation in Boston. My house sitter went on an errand and one of my dogs snuck out the back door into the fenced yard and was barking for a...

Dear Editor: Ouray County is uncommonly civil, a place where its people preserve an ever- shrinking mountainfolk culture amid the raucous noise of our digital world. Here the steep beauty and refreshi...