Over 200 newspapers were stolen from the Ouray County Plaindealer’s racks last week after they published a front-page story about a 17-year-old girl's allegations of being raped by teenagers at the home of a police chief.
The newspaper's owners, Erin McIntyre and Mike Wiggins, stated that all newspaper racks in Ouray and most in Ridgway were targeted, with the culprit stealing all the papers. The newspaper made the rape allegations story available online for free. The paper’s owners told readers that the stolen papers seemed to be an attempt to suppress the news.
Paul Choate, of Ouray, identified himself as the culprit on Sunday on Facebook. He said he offered compensation for any damages caused after turning himself in to the sheriff’s office. The online version of the original story gained national attention, with over $2,000 in donations flowing in to support the newsroom since last Thursday.
The person responsible returned a garbage bag full of newspapers to the Plaindealer office just hours after the theft was reported to law enforcement. The paper reported it has no reason to believe that any of the three defendants in the alleged rape case, their families, or the Ouray Police Department are involved in the theft.
The top Republican in the Colorado House of Representatives is on probation for drunk driving and firearm possession while intoxicated. The Denver Post reports House Minority Leader Mike Lynch was arrested in September 2022 after a state trooper pulled him over on I-25 north of Fort Collins.
A breath test showed his blood-alcohol content at twice the legal limit. According to the Colorado Sun, the representative had asked the officer to quote “Keep the press out of this.” Footage from inside of a Colorado State Patrol vehicle during the arrest in September 2022 confirms this.
He was sentenced to eighteen months of probation, barred from possessing firearms and ordered to take a handgun safety course. Lynch is also running for Congress. He announced his campaign earlier this month for Colorado’s fourth congressional district.
In Telluride, the Rascals child care program is grappling with staffing challenges amid a housing crisis. The program, facing a waitlist extending into June 2025, has lost employees, making it difficult to meet the community's childcare needs.
Director Brooke Napier told the Telluride Daily Planet that potential employees often withdraw applications because they can’t find affordable local housing. The program has reduced its hours and operations.
Volunteer efforts are underway to convert a shed into employee housing, but the limited space poses a challenge. Napier said she’s concerned about the impact on families in the community. Parents grappling with limited childcare often have to adjust their work hours, or how often they spend time together.
In the face of climate change, one Western Slope company is on a mission to transform people’s relationship to every drop of water by producing hyper-efficient water products used in both camping and in the home. KVNF's Lisa Young reports.
