Ute Mountain Ute Tribe

Recent storms brought record rainfall across the Four Corners — with some areas seeing a third of their annual total in a single day — but drought conditions remain. Water users across the Upper Colorado River Basin are facing deep, uncompensated cuts, forcing widespread farmland fallowing and new pressure on long-term water management.

The federal government shutdown has reduced local tourism by about 20%, according to Mesa Verde Country CEO Brian Bartlett, though some visitors are still exploring the region’s fall colors and outdoor recreation. Mesa Verde National Park and nearby Utah monuments remain open in a limited capacity, while the Ute Mountain Tribal Park continues to offer select tours. Despite fewer visitors overall, Bartlett notes that visitor spending in 2025 is up compared to last year.

A local citizen spoke up at Tuesday’s meeting of the Montezuma County commissioners to challenge the idea that the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and other sovereign nations don’t pay their fair share for public services.

A 31-year-old Towaoc man has been charged with voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a woman early on the morning of Aug. 12.

Heat and drought are helping spread wildfires in the Four Corners area and across the West.

While Colorado’s Front Range is experiencing abundant rainfall, the state’s Western Slope continues to bake and even burn

Firefighters are making progress on the Ute 63 Fire near Redmesa, with over 300 personnel assigned. Containment efforts continue this week.

The man accused of killing a 7-year-old Towaoc boy in December has been indicted by a federal grand jury. And the group that claims it owns 1,460 acres of national-forest land near Mancos has filed a response to a lawsuit filed against its members by the U.S. government.

The man accused of killing a 7-year-old Ute Mountain Ute boy early on Dec. 11 in Towaoc later bragged about shooting up the mobile home where the boy died.

A member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is being sought in the killing of a 7-year-old boy in Towaoc. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the man’s arrest and conviction.