A rainstorm in the first two days of April produced enough moisture to push the month’s total precipitation to 179 percent of the historic average for Cortez. However, that didn’t really change the dramatically dry picture overall in the area.

Drought conditions are forcing Montezuma County growers, livestock producers and gardeners to make hard decisions about water use, crops and conservation.

Hundreds of Montezuma County residents took advantage of the county’s free clean-up days at the landfill Friday and Saturday, dropping off old appliances, furniture, electronics, and tires without paying a fee.

A Cortez man accused of brutally beating three men in Veterans Park in 2025, killing one of them, entered a not-guilty plea in District Court on Wednesday. In other news, a man who was struck by a plane and killed after he trespassed onto a runway at Denver International Airport on Friday reportedly had lived in Montezuma County.

Dolores trustees voted to let an early-stage housing and commercial development concept move forward after residents raised concerns about traffic, parking, building height and neighborhood impacts.

A Cortez woman accused of killing her 5-year-old daughter in 2022 entered a not-guilty plea Monday morning in District Court.

Two Republican candidates for Montezuma County clerk and recorder discussed issues such as mail-in ballots, election security, and the case of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters at a forum Wednesday night in Cortez.

A 21-year-old Cortez woman charged with first-degree murder entered a not-guilty plea in District Court Thursday, but attorneys indicated a disposition of her case may be in the works.

The Sexual Assault Services Organization is opening a Cortez office, expanding free, confidential support services for survivors in Montezuma and Dolores counties.

Three Republican candidates seeking a seat on the Montezuma County commission largely agreed on many issues at a forum Monday night, but expressed some key differences.