Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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Despite taking less than an hour, the last meeting of 2024 for Riverside Town Council had no shortage of items for discussion. The governing body remembered those the Platte Valley lost this year, heard of a rate increase from the Sierra Madre Water Joint Powers Board and discussed statutory obligations regarding the publishing of minutes and ordinances. A Moment of Silence “We don’t normally do this but this past year just seems to have been fraught with people who meant a lot to the com...
*Editor’s note: This is the first of a series on the Valley Village Childcare as it approaches its one year anniversary in their new building.* When the doors opened up in January at the Ray A. Corbett Building, new tenants were getting used to a remodeled building that went from being a clinic which had served the Valley for many years to a childcare facility and preschool that had previously operated in separate buildings. Valley Village Childcare (VVC) became the building owners thanks to t...
Community members are in for a treat Friday as the elementary students will be putting on their first play “North Pole’s Got Talent.” The play begins at 6 p.m. at the Platte Valley Community Center and is sponsored by the Town of Saratoga, Carbon County School Districts No. 2 (CCSD2) and the Platte Valley Drama Club. The play, written by Lavinia Roberts and sponsored by Pioneer Drama Services, is designed for a flexible cast according to pioneerdrama.com. Stage right, is director Marie Chris...
The Platte Valley and Carbon County have been uniquely blessed with its fair share of do-ers, people who roll up their sleeves and make something happen rather than waiting for something to happen. This weekend gave a prime example of what do-ers can do. Each year, Ryta Sondergard tirelessly works with community members throughout the county to put on a one-of-a-kind Christmas experience. This year was no different as Sondergard and a number of volunteers brought Willy Wonka to the Carbon County Fairgrounds on Saturday. The event, which was...
For many years I’ve had the privilege to visit those in jails, prisons, hospitals, recovery centers, and nursing homes, as I truly enjoy spending time with all people. In nursing homes, I sing, teach Bible studies, and appreciate hearing about their former lives. The Lord has allowed me to make some precious friendships and I want to share with you about a lovely lady who after a devastating stroke was no longer independent and is now in a comfortable setting where she is well taken care of. I love talking with her and a while back in the m...
JACKSON — Jay and Karen Kemmerer, known for their long tenure owning Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, have donated $5 million to the University of Wyoming to expand an existing tourism research initiative. Energy has long been Wyoming’s largest industry, which the University of Wyoming has supported with its School of Energy Resources. While the university has had another school dedicated to environmental issues since 1994 — the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources — it has only had a dedicated tourism program since 2021. The tourism...
CHEYENNE — A bill filed for the 2025 general session would create an “enhanced” concealed carry firearm permit that would allow qualified permit- holders to conceal carry on K-12 school campuses, as well as Wyoming university and college campuses, without needing written consent from campus security. Sen. Ed Cooper, R-Ten Sleep, the bill’s sponsor, said the idea for this bill was brought to him by a “really strong gun advocate” from the Bighorn Basin. Concealed carry is currently not permitted in Wyoming public school districts, although so...
The sharp punctuation of dribbling and the squeak of sneakers heralded the return of high school basketball to the Platte Valley on December 13 and 14 as Saratoga co-hosted the Carbon County Classic. With a young team under his wing, Head Coach Jason Williams led the Saratoga Panthers to their first four wins off the season. The Panthers won with substantial leads in three of their four games. Saratoga dealt double-digit losses to the Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow (HEM) Miners, the Dubois Ra...
The Saratoga Lady Panthers started off their season with a roar, going 3-1 as they co-hosted the Carbon County Classic in Saratoga on December 13 and December 14. While the Lady Panthers took a loss from the Burlington Lady Huskies, they also dealt two losses to the St. Stephens Lady Eagles and a loss to the Dubois Lady Rams. “We lost to a very strong Burlington team. It was a 5-point game halfway through the third quarter before it got out of hand due to turnovers and not being able to shut d...
The Encampment Tigers boys and girls basketball finished the preseason Carbon County Classic with only one loss out of six total games in the Tigers Den of Encampment K-12 last weekend. The boys finished undefeated and played hard on both sides of the ball this weekend, which allowed them to compete with some talented teams, according to head coach Duane Gilbert. “To me being undefeated doesn’t mean anything at this point and time,” Gilbert said. “Winning is always nice but his time of year is...
DOUGLAS - Long known as a kind kindergarten teacher at Douglas Primary School, a willing volunteer and a board member for nonprofits, Carolyn Holt Green has suffered her share of misfortunes in the 54 years she's lived here. But the Dec. 10 blaze that consumed her Douglas home and most of her belongings is among the worst. And the best. The community has been rallying around the 76-year-old retired kindergarten teacher since the fire, starting with a simple post from a friend that asked for...
Under the Biden Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued another new ruling related to municipal drinking water across the country while a federal judge has ordered the agency to further regulate a common water additive. Focus has been on the EPAs ruling regarding Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, which has a stated goal of replacing all lead pipes within 10 years. This year, the EPA issued another ruling regarding testing for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl...
Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken hosted an avalanche awareness workshop at the Platte Valley Community Center on December 5, introducing the Carbon County Search and Rescue - Avalanche Observation Team. Bakken introduced websites which have weather forecasts and avalanche predictions in the state. The websites included bridgertetonavalanchecenter.org, ewyoavalanche.org and avalanche.state.co.us. Carbon County does not have a forecast station for avalanches and, with Wyoming being one of the mos...
Packages are lining up the shelves at the Saratoga Post Office and it is bursting at the seams. According to the United States Postal Service (USPS), the busiest time of the year is Thanksgiving to January 1, when people are sending their annual Christmas cards and letters, packages to loved ones and orders from online companies. This year is no different, as the shelves at the Post Office in Saratoga are packed. The only problem is people are not picking up their packages and the post office...
I’m not much of a religious person, which is probably not surprising considering my generation. Only about 49% of millennials, according to a Pew Research Center survey in 2020 and 2021, identify as Christian. I was raised Baptist and, growing up, attended either Baptist or Southern Baptist churches. By the time I was a pre-teen, we had stopped attending church though my mom was—and still is—a believer. When I was in my 20s, I tried to find my religion again. Oddly enough, it was a book calle...
There is a popular and strongly held belief running through American society these days that we are a nation divided, a people torn asunder. To a certain degree it’s certainly true. I have lamented that condition in this very space numerous times that we are a nation of grievance and retaliation. And when you look at national politics, that notion certainly rings true, especially during a presidential election year. I have entered into plenty of wailing and gnashing of teeth regarding our nation’s internal conflicts, and I was in despair about...
Many are convinced that this life has been given to them to do whatever they want and technically it’s true that God has given every human a free-will to choose. Most will agree this is one of the greatest gifts mankind has been given, but the problem is that our carnal human nature does not want what God wants. You see, the Lord desires to use us exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or imagine but the only way we can truly please Him is to do what He says. This sounds simple, but it’s no secret that humans are experts in the are...
CHEYENNE — A ban on cellphone use in the classroom is quickly becoming a popular policy adopted by state legislators across the country — and Wyoming could soon be one of them. At least 18 states have passed laws or adopted policies banning or restricting the use of cellphones in the classroom, according to an Education Week analysis published in June. A bill headed for the 2025 general session, sponsored by Sen. Wendy Schuler, R-Evanston, would implement a statewide ban on cellphone use and smartwatches in the classroom during ins...
While winter weather settles in, there is still a chance to get a fly fishing fix at Trout Unlimited’s speaker series on the first Monday of the month. Anglers learned tricks and tips to tying three prominent Platte Valley macroinvertebrates from Trout Unlimited Wyoming Coordinator Ian McCreary at a corner table in The Malt on December 2. “Ugly flys catch fish,” McCreary said while winding thread around a frenchie fly, “pretty flys catch anglers.” The series is open to all levels — whether a s...
The 2024 Valley Service Organization (VSO) Giving Tree is tagless, just ten days after going up in the front window of Town and Country Realty in Saratoga. The annual project is organized by the VSO and designed to ensure all Valley children have a chance to enjoy a Merry Christmas regardless of their economic circumstances, according to Project Chairman Micki Hall. There is no set number of tags. The amount is based on the needs of the community. “There were a lot of tags this year,” acc...
Mary Martin has been called the Encampment Tigers Superfan – a title she believes is about being there for the kids. “We don’t have a booster club, so I’m the booster club,” Martin said. “I make their locker posters, make sure they know they’re appreciated for taking that extra effort of sports in addition to studies. I’m there cheering them on at games, but also there when they’re singing songs.” She feels lucky that multiple principals have embraced her as Encampment Tiger documentarian and sh...
JACKSON - When Tenley Thompson decided to try being the voice of a famous grizzly bear online, she didn't start with Grizzly 399, the most famous bear in the world. Instead, she started with her daughter, Grizzly 610. Unlike 399, who was relatively tolerant of human presence, 610 is known for having an attitude - a comportment that Thompson thought would play well on Twitter, which was ballooning at the time. "She's charged plenty of people," Thompson said of 610. "My favorite is when they tried...