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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Szwarc’s credentials suit him for SMPA board
By Al Lowande 
April 29, 2026
Dear Editor: Our electric cooperative, San Miguel Power Association, will be conducting an election in June for the board of director position representing Ridgway area and Log Hill Mesa. As we know, ...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Padgett must put needs of county ahead of own
By Dear Editor: 
April 15, 2026
Dear Editor: There is a need to acknowledge the recent revelations at the special Ouray County Board of Commissioners meeting March 30, where Commissioner Lynn Padgett first denied, then admitted to s...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Padgett’s health issues impact county functions
By Carolyn Dresler 
April 15, 2026
Dear Editor: I read with concern and consternation the lead article in the April 2-9 edition of the Plaindealer relating to the March 30 public Board of County Commissioners meeting that resulted in t...
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Letters, Opinion...
MTN Lodge shirking responsibilities to town
By SUE HUSCH 
April 15, 2026
Dear Editor: The full page ad in the April 9-15 edition was interesting to me. In very large print we were given the town manager's email address, and told he and the Ridgway Town Council are out of l...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Free recycling? Hardly the case on Log Hill
By Daryl Gardner 
April 15, 2026
Dear Editor: Free recycling? That’s funny right there. We live on Log Hill and have Bruin Waste for trash and recycling curbside pickup. We don’t always have a lot of material to recycle each week. So...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Another dangerous part of U.S. 550 needs help
April 8, 2026
Dear Editor: About two months ago, I reported to the Colorado Department of Transportation my concerns about the three-lane area on U.S. Highway 550 that connects the Pa-Co-Chu-Puk entrance to Ridgway...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Support for rural areas makes Weiser good pick
April 8, 2026
Dear Editor: Phil Weiser has been an outstanding attorney general for Coloradans. Weiser has stated: “My track record means I can hit the ground running on day one, stand up to bullies like Trump and ...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Time for Hurd to take climate change gravely
April 1, 2026
Editor’s note: The Plaindealer mistakenly published a previous letter to the editor from Ellie Kehmeier in last week’s edition. We are publishing the letter she most recently submitted in this week’s ...
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Between a rack and a hard place: What to do about single copy sales?
Columns, Opinion...
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Between a rack and a hard place: What to do about single copy sales?
By Erin McIntyre 
April 1, 2026
This week marks our seventh anniversary of owning the Plaindealer. I always remember the date because of April Fool's Day. We were careful to avoid April 1 as our closing date for purchasing the paper...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Public concern led to inquiry into gated road
April 1, 2026
Dear Editor: I appreciate the Plaindealer’s coverage and article on the Board of County Commissioners' meeting about the blocked access to the Greyhound Road. The article correctly stated that there w...
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Letters, Opinion...
Presence doesn’t equal performance on council
March 25, 2026
Dear Editor: As an advocate for responsible remote work, I disagree with the sentiment expressed in the “City: No to more remote governance” article published in your March 5-11 edition. This is not a...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Kudos to Hurd too soon
March 25, 2026
Dear Editor: I was very surprised to see in the March 19-25 edition of the Plaindealer a full-page advertisement, paid for by The Wilderness Society, thanking Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd saying, “R...
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Is there relief for brutally warm, dry March?
Columns, Opinion...
Is there relief for brutally warm, dry March?
By Karen Risch 
March 25, 2026
Early this month, spring 2026 seemed to be yet another hot, droughty season across the West. Since then, March has been abysmally dry and scarily warm, thanks to a highly unusual heat dome parked over...
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Letters, Opinion...
Burn pit would be useful for wildfire mitigation
March 11, 2026
Dear Editor: Not only is a burn pit a good idea, it is a necessity, but not in the way described. Times and codes are changing. The new fire and construction codes will require more area to be cleared...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Burn pit an idea that should go up in smoke
March 11, 2026
Dear Editor: Today is a rare day. Snow capped mountains with a cloudless sky are not rare, but when the air is also clear, that is rare, because too often smoke fills the Ouray and Ridgway valleys. Th...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
New pool house should include solar array
March 11, 2026
Dear Editor: In none of the large, taxpayer-funded infrastructure projects in the city over the past years — the school, the courthouse complex, the pool, the water plant and the sewer treatment plant...
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Wyatt Earp’s brief, quiet chapter in the San Juans
Columns, Opinion...
Wyatt Earp’s brief, quiet chapter in the San Juans
By Carolyn Snowbarger 
March 11, 2026
Wyatt Earp wasn’t born a legend. He was an opportunist, a man with a keen eye for the next horizon and a knack for finding — or perhaps stirring up — chaos wherever he set his boots. While history boo...
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Letters, Opinion...
Elected officials should fly ‘Betsy Ross’ flag
March 4, 2026
Dear Editor: I saved last year’s July 10-16 edition of the Plaindealer because its coverage of the city of Ouray’s Independence Day parade reminded me that it marked the beginning of what would be a y...
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Letters, Opinion...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Ouray fortunate to have city administrator
March 4, 2026
Dear Editor: We all know how lucky we are to live in Ouray, but most of us do not know how fortunate we are to have Michelle Metteer as our city administrator. She is a soft-spoken person so I would l...
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OPINION COLUMN: More remote governance undermines accountability
Columns, Opinion...
OPINION COLUMN: More remote governance undermines accountability
By Plaindealer editorial 
March 2, 2026
A newly appointed Ouray city councilor who has attended just half of the board's meetings in person this year has asked fellow councilors to relax rules requiring councilors to attend meetings in pers...
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Editor Picks
News
Local briefs: Ridgway appoints two to sustainability board, updates marshal overtime policy
Town seeks bike park design proposals, moves forward with pre-approved ADU plan designs
By James Hanlon 
September 17, 2026
New members appointed to sustainability board The Ridgway Town Council appointed Terry Schuyler and Christiane Frischmuth to the Ridgway Sustainability Advisory Board after brief interviews at the Sep...
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County: Layoffs likely
Main, News...
County: Layoffs likely
Commissioners, administrators warn of job cuts to close $1.5 million gap; staff criticizes leaders for not addressing problem earlier
By James Hanlon 
September 16, 2026
Ouray County will likely need to lay off employees to make up a projected $1.5 million gap between requested expenses and revenue next year, county officials warned at a budget workshop on Sept. 9. Th...
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Main, News...
Disaster tax not ‘backfill’ for fire costs, leaders say
By Chart Riggall 
September 16, 2026
In the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s declaration of the Gold Mountain Fire as a major federal disaster, Ouray County commissioners say the potential influx of additional federal funds doesn't ...
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News
Town considers options for sewer plant location
By James Hanlon 
September 16, 2026
The Ridgway Town Council wants to see some dollar estimates before deciding where to build a new wastewater treatment plant. Town staff briefed the council on three possible locations north of town at...
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News
City prepared to pay fees for housing project
Despite some councilors' misgivings, Ouray in line to give more money to deed-restricted apartment complex
By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com 
September 16, 2026
The city of Ouray is set to provide up to $225,000 to a nonprofit organization to cover water and sewer tap and building permit fees for a 13-unit affordable housing project. At City Administrator Mic...
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