James Hanlon

The incident command post for the Gold Mountain Fire relocated to the Gunnison County Fairgrounds Saturday as Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 2 took over for Team 1 and combined efforts to focus more on the Elk Fire near Lake City.

The Ridgway Town Council asked Ouray County to consider a slightly higher distribution of funds from a proposed disaster recovery sales tax fund, while requesting more clarification on a possible construction materials use tax at a regular meeting Wednesday night.

A presentation about an idea for a “free box” by a Ridgway National Honor Society student at the Ridgway Town Council meeting Aug. 12 led to lengthy discussion and a $750 contribution to the project, with conditions.

You must be a subscriber to read our online articles. The Ridgway Town Council asked Ouray County to consider a slightly higher distribution

A proposed countywide sales tax to address fires, floods and other natural disasters appears to have a clear path to the November ballot, while a potential use tax on construction materials to raise more money for Ouray County roads and bridges is off the table for now.

Advocates for a county-wide consolidated fire and emergency response authority still believe there is a path forward, even though the proposal suffered another setback last week when the Ouray City Council declined to consider an agreement.

The Ridgway Town Council approved creating four metropolitan districts at its Aug. 12 meeting for a proposed residential and commercial development on 19 acres in north Ridgway.

“Rocks” says a simple sign extending over the sidewalk on Ouray's Main Street, adorned with a columbine flower. Inside, long narrow displays invite customers to explore toward the back, receding into Earth's primordial history as they go. It's like a natural history museum with all manner of shiny, colorful and jagged crystalline minerals, as well as dinosaur and shark teeth, leaf fossils, petrified wood, fossilized shells and trilobites.

Ouray County has had two emergency- related employees on paid administrative leave since the early days of the Gold Mountain Fire.

Sometimes, I journal to process major life events. I've lived in a lot of places worth journaling about and my latest move is no exception. I've been in Ouray for six weeks now and I'm struck by the similarities to a mountain village in Japan where I taught English for three years after college.