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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Ridgway post office locked a paid box
October 8, 2025
Dear Editor: I read with interest the reporting from Lia Salvatierra in the Sept. 25 edition regarding the Postal Service probe of locked boxes in Ridgway and wondered who alerted her to the matter. I...
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After abnormally hot, dry summer, what will fall bring?
Columns, Opinion...
After abnormally hot, dry summer, what will fall bring?
By Karen Risch 
September 24, 2025
Halfway through Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, at 12:22 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time, astronomical summer officially yielded to autumn. Seasonal change has been a nagging presence. It’s nearly dark by 7 p.m O...
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More than competition, Cimarron Athletic Field is about connections, community
Columns, Opinion...
GUEST COLUMN
More than competition, Cimarron Athletic Field is about connections, community
By Peter Hessler 
September 17, 2025
When it came to planning and building Ridgway’s brand-new Cimarron Athletic Field, my wife, Leslie T. Chang, and I had very little to contribute. We aren’t engineers or contractors, and neither of us ...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Article about Space to Create too negative
September 10, 2025
Dear Editor: The origin and theory behind the Space To Create movement is tied to the common phenomenon where creative individuals, looking for affordable and functional space, move into semi-industri...
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Letters, Opinion...
When things go wrong, help is quick to arrive
September 10, 2025
Dear Editor: While I was taking a walk in Fellin Park a couple of weeks ago, I was bitten by an off-leash, unvaccinated dog. Sometimes unfortunate things do happen. The dog's owner was responsive to t...
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Letters, Opinion...
Weiser for governor
September 10, 2025
Dear Editor: My wife and I support Attorney General Phil Weiser for governor of Colorado. He recently came to Ouray County to speak to citizens about his visions if he's elected governor. The affair w...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Thanks, first responders
Thanks, first responders
September 10, 2025
Dear Editor: My most sincere thanks to the Ouray Volunteer Fire Department, Ouray County EMS, the Ouray Police Department and all responders to the numerous calls you have been responding to this summ...
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Dam it: the story of Ridgway State Park
Columns, Opinion...
Dam it: the story of Ridgway State Park
By Carolyn Snowbarger 
September 10, 2025
Our neighborhood reservoir, Ridgway State Park, has become a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts. The park is a modern chapter in the long and rich history of the Uncompahgre Valley. It is a s...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Let it be known: Care must come before cuts
By Dear Editor: 
September 3, 2025
I just watched (well, when I first wrote this) the president of the U.S. meet with seven key European leaders, along with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. They were obsequiously complimentary and the U....
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Letters, Opinion...
Highway near Billy Creek can be improved
By Dear Editor: 
September 3, 2025
The article regarding all the accidents on U.S. Highway 550 left the impression that little could be done. That is probably true on the section south of Ouray where there isn’t room for a guardrail. B...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Don’t allow U.S. 550 to become like ‘Killer 82’
By Dear Editor: 
September 3, 2025
Whether local or visitor, commuter or sightseer, we are all affected by the tragic fatalities, devastating injuries and, yes, even the miraculous walkaways associated with this summer’s rash of vehicu...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Honor Labor Day, remember working families
By Dear Editor: 
September 3, 2025
Each year, our community gathers to celebrate Labor Day — a holiday meant to honor the sacrifices and victories of working people in America. But as I watched this year’s parade, I couldn’t help but n...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
County shouldn’t use public land to meet needs
By Dear Editor: 
September 3, 2025
I'm disappointed to read in the Aug. 28 Ouray County Plaindealer that Ouray County commissioners Lynn Padgett and Jake Niece even considered a Bureau of Land Management parcel for its medical services...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
We must thwart this attack on democracy
August 27, 2025
Dear Editor: Ouray County residents, like Americans everywhere, are realizing the cold and seemingly intentional cruelty of Donald Trump’s relentless quest to dismantle our government and replace it w...
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Letters, Opinion...
Public safety headed in the right direction
August 27, 2025
Dear Editor: I am so pleased to see the direction public safety issues are going in the city of Ouray as well as Ouray County after some difficult times. Michelle Metteer is a treasure as your new adm...
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Late monsoon welcome, but it won’t fix deficit
Columns, Opinion...
Late monsoon welcome, but it won’t fix deficit
By Karen Risch 
August 27, 2025
This year's missing monsoon finally showed up the night of Aug. 22. By the next morning, Saturday, a much wetter, greener, cooler world greeted Ouray County residents and summer visitors. Interestingl...
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A disappointingly dry start to monsoon season
Columns, Opinion...
A disappointingly dry start to monsoon season
By Karen Risch 
July 30, 2025
Ouray gardeners, like their counterparts across the Four Corners states, count on the Southwest Monsoon from July to September. In the city of Ouray it brings over 30% (7.31 inches) of our average ann...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Hurd not looking out for average citizen
July 30, 2025
Dear Editor: Our congressman, Jeff Hurd, is not looking out for the average citizen in his district. He pretended to be concerned about the huge cuts to Medicaid but it did not stop him from voting in...
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No fake AI here — just humans doing their best
Columns, Opinion...
FROM THE PUBLISHER
No fake AI here — just humans doing their best
By Erin McIntyre 
July 23, 2025
I read with interest a summer reading list published earlier this year in the Philadelphia Inquirer, and made a note to check out Andy Weir's new book since I loved "The Martian." Here's the descripti...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Hurd’s words don’t match his actions
July 23, 2025
Dear Editor: I just don’t get Congressman Jeff Hurd. He says his decisions are always based on what’s best for our district. But then he votes for Trump’s big budget bill that slashes funding for heal...
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Editor Picks
‘There’s not a day where I don’t do something impactful’
Main, News...
‘There’s not a day where I don’t do something impactful’
Community paramedicine brings vital care to mountain, rural places
By Deb Hurley Brobst Special to the Plaindealer 
November 19, 2025
Editor’s note: There’s a proposal to start a community paramedicine program here in Ouray County, and we wanted to know more about how these kinds of services work in other places in Colorado where th...
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Main, News...
Commissioner: ‘My patience is gone’
Claiming continued poor behavior, Nauer asks Padgett to take 'timeout,' attend meetings remotely
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
November 19, 2025
Ouray County Commissioner Michelle Nauer has asked Commissioner Lynn Padgett to take a "timeout" and attend meetings by Zoom while the county makes leadership transitions over the next few months, cit...
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News
Police chief, sheriff urge Ouray council to rethink strict response time policy
Councilors table plan requiring officers to live within 10 miles of city after concern from leaders
By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com 
November 19, 2025
The Ouray City Council on Monday pitched and then quickly ditched a proposal to require police officers to live within 10 miles and a 10-minute drive from the city after local law enforcement and city...
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News
SMPA approves rate increases
Monthly base, peak energy charges to rise in 2026 as electric cooperative prepares for escalating wholesale power costs
By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com 
November 19, 2025
The San Miguel Power Association board of directors on Tuesday approved dual rate increases in 2026 for the second year in a row, as the rural electric cooperative continues to grapple with higher who...
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News
Ridgway hires North Carolina agency for tourism, marketing
By Lia Salvatierra lia@ouraynews.com 
November 19, 2025
The town of Ridgway has hired a North Carolina-based agency for its tourism and marketing services, choosing an outside perspective familiar with rural communities. During a Nov. 12 town council meeti...
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First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines

Ouray County Plaindealer
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195 S Lena St. Unit D
Ridgway, Colorado 81432
970-325-4412

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Ridgway CO 81432

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