Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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Ballet Emmanuel, a Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Christian Ballet company, treated an audience to the world of inspirational dance at the Platte Valley Community Center Sunday evening. The night began with three Christian-themed choreographed dance performances featuring local Platte Valley children aged 4 and up. The girls, separated into three age groups, learned their dances during special workshops earlier that Sunday. The Ballet Emmanuel dancers, Erin Benson, Alyssa Schneider and Sarah Sher...
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) has completed work on the dam and fishing platforms at Saratoga Lake, making the area open to full public use again. According to the WGFD, the department's Habitat and Access crew worked with a contractor to install rock rip rap along the Saratoga Lake dam crest and shoreline for wave action erosion control. Work at the area, which began March 10 and was expected to be complete by May 15, included reshaping the dam top and shoreline slope on the dam,...
Judging by the weather outside, it appears that winter is finally over and spring is actually here. The weather is now warm enough to not require a jacket, and on an average day, it feels like it’s about 50 degrees. Of course, this warmer weather gets me excited for the upcoming spring and summer events in the Platte Valley. Last year, I had a blast covering the Woodchoppers Jamboree, Cowboy Gathering, Mountain Man Rendezvous, Microbrew Competition and other huge events that draw people in f...
Community members learned more about online, dual and concurrent education options at the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Leaders Luncheon, held April 11 at the Platte Valley Community Center. The luncheon was led by Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Stacy Crimmins. Nancy Johnson, Director of Distance Education for Western Wyoming Community College (WWCC), spoke about the benefits of taking online dual and concurrent educational courses, and the...
With the search for more CNAs (Certified Nursing Assistant) may still be a lingering problem, Jessica Sharp, a CNA at Deseret Health and Rehab, encourages people to go into the field. Sharp, who has lived in Saratoga since 2006, has worked as a CNA for nearly three years. She got into the profession when her children became older, and she began looking for a rewarding type of work. "I was a homemaker for a long time, but when the kids got old enough I decided to go back into the workforce,"...
Memories were shared as Saratoga High School athletes officially closed the winter season with an awards banquet, honoring efforts made by the school's basketball teams. Saratoga Middle/High School was filled with friends, family members and school officials during the March 31 event, where supporters witnessed individual athlete awards being given, and coach speeches that reflected on the season. The boys' basketball players were first honored with varsity letter and specialty awards from...
A blazing fire swept through a house and shed in Encampment Saturday evening, destroying both structures and requiring help from firefighters in three communities. The fire broke out around 9:30 p.m. Saturday evening which extensively damaged the entire house, a backyard work shed, two vehicles and a camper. The damaged two-story log house, located at 507 McCaffrey Ave., in Encampment, was a family residence. Crews from the Encampment Fire Department arrived on the scene around five minutes...
After more than a year-and-a-half, the computer problem that kept Encampment’s police department from accessing critical law enforcement information has been resolved. During Thursday’s Encampment Town Council meeting, Encampment Police Chief Grayling Wachsmuth announced that the Spillman Technologies Incorporated-based software application database, which keeps track of law enforcement activities across multiple jurisdictions, was finally working on his end. The Encampment Police Dep...
The Governor's Task Force on Forests, a group tasked with making recommendations about forest policy in Wyoming, recently discussed forest and resource management, met last week in Saratoga. Started as an idea generated by Wyoming State House District 47 Representative Jerry Paxton, the task force consists of a variety of statewide stakeholders who develop recommendations on how Wyoming can best improve forest health. Around 20 of the group's members, which include environmentalists and those...
Two local student athletes have been selected to play in the Wyoming/Nebraska Six-Man Shootout’s third-annual all-star football game in Kearney, Neb. this summer. Wyoming’s 2014 roster includes Saratoga’s Tate Stinson and Ryan Malone. Hanna-Elk Mountain-Medicine Bow’s Roy Tomkins will also play for the team. The team is selected by nominations from every six-man football coach in Wyoming and Nebraska. Matthew Jensen, this year’s Team Wyoming Head Coach, said the 2014 Wyoming team features...
Seven Saratoga High School junior varsity Panthers stepped up to the top-five at last weekend’s Okie Blanchard Invitational in Cheyenne. Alex Ziegler was Saratoga’s first-place champion, with a time of 25.18 in the junior varsity 200 meter dash. Meredith Lincoln also made three top-five placements in the junior varsity 100 meter hurdles, 300 meter hurdles and long jump. Other JV athletes in the top five included Alicia Zaragoza for the junior varsity 400 meter dash; Bradley Bifano for the jun...
With potential flooding looming in the Platte Valley, Riverside Town Council members were reminded of upcoming meetings to help prepare for such a disaster. Carbon County Emergency Management Coordinator John Zeiger told the council Thursday evening he would be holding “pre-planning flood meetings” soon in Saratoga and Baggs. The first one is at 5 p.m. April 29, Valley Community Center in Baggs. The second meeting takes place at 10 a.m. May 1 at Saratoga Town Hall. According to NOAA State Hydrol...
Saratoga’s Platte Valley Christian Center Assembly of God has a lot to be celebrating this weekend. Over a three-day period, the PV Christian Center will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Assemblies of God church organization, the completion of the PV Christian Center’s kitchen remodeling, the 35th anniversary of the PV Christian Center being a General Council Affiliate Church and Palm Sunday. The entire celebration begins at 6 p.m. Friday, with an evening reception at the PV Christian Cen...
Members of the Platte Valley Trout Unlimited Chapter and Wyoming Game and Fish (WGFD) met Thursday to discuss both river work and fish sampling within the southeast Wyoming region. The evening's program at Saratoga Resort and Spa featured an update on river work along the Encampment River, and an assessment of the fisheries in the Upper Platte River Valley. Results from last year's electrofishing on the North Platte downstream from Pick Bridge were also shown and discussed in detail. Wyoming...
After three decades of business in the Valley, The Flower Pot florist in Saratoga is still going strong. Owner/designer Connie McGuire said it is hard to believe it has been 30 years since she opened her flower shop on April 20, 1984. The shop, currently the only one in the Platte Valley, was first located at 122 E. Bridge Ave, before it moved to its current corner spot at 102 E. Bridge Ave. The store originally offered fresh, silk and dried flowers, floor and table plants, terrariums,...
After being closed for minor damage in January, the bridge near Flying Diamond Ranch has been repaired and is open to traffic. Workers from Simon Contractors had been removing rivets and angle irons and replacing cords on the bridge, which crosses the Encampment River on County Road 680, since March 26. Repair work was completed the morning of April 2, and the bridge was open to traffic later that day at noon. The 1940s-built bridge, constructed to withstand eight tons with a couple of axles...
With 11 athletes placing in the top five, the Saratoga High School Track and Field team showed vast improvement at last weekend’s Wheatland Invite. Katie Loose, Kelsie Samson, Haley Soles, Cameron Collamer and Andrew Oiler all made top five placements individually, while the boys’ teams for the 400 meter relay (Seth Harrison, Hunter Mason, Tate Stinson and Kyle Bartlett) and 1600 meter relay (Mason, Cameron Collamer, Alex Ziegler and Ben Falk) achieved third and second place respectively. The ti...
Freshman runner McKenzie Powell was Encampment’s first-place earner at Friday’s Wheatland Invite. With a time of 1:03.90, Powell received first place in the 400 meter dash, and became pre-qualified for the state meet. The meet at Wheatland High School was Encampment’s first for the 2014 track and field season. The girls’ team took home 12th place with a total of 10 points. “It was good to get a meet in so our athletes could get marks in their events,” said coach Kegan Willford. “We will lo...
The third meeting for the Governor’s Task Force on Forests will be held in Saratoga next Tuesday to cover overall forest management. The three-day meeting, held April 8-10, will feature discussions at the Platte Valley Community Center and a tour of the Saratoga sawmill, Saratoga Forest Management. The Governor’s Task Force on Forests was an idea generated by State Representative Jerry Paxton, and consists of a variety of stakeholders to develop recommendations on how Wyoming can best imp...
State and local emergency management officials from across the region planned for potential flooding this spring in central and southeast Wyoming. State Hydrologist Jim Fahey, with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Riverton, educated county emergency management coordinators and state homeland security personnel about the current snowpack conditions across Wyoming. Fahey was on a conference call with the emergency management and Homeland Security officials, including...
Saratoga High School’s track team showed early potential at last week’s Natrona Invite, the team’s first meet of the 2014 track season. Most notably, the team of Hunter Mason, Tate Stinson, Seth Harrison and Kyle Bartlett ran the 400-meter relay in 46.86 seconds, which qualified them for the state track and field championships. Cameron Collamer also scored fifth-place in the 800-meter run, with a time of 2 minutes 5.91 seconds. Coach Rex Hohnholt said improvement was what he looked for most...
Members of different wildlife organizations met to discuss present and future projects at the Platte Valley Habitat Partnership (PVHP) meeting Thursday. The meeting, held at the Platte Valley Community Center, started off with brief introductions from Jim States, of Voices of the Valley, and Wyoming Game and Fish Department Wildlife Biologist (WGFD) Katie Cheesbrough, who served as the meeting's facilitator. Representatives from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service (USFS),...
I don’t know about you, but I tend to have many moments where I get nostalgic for life in the 20th Century. I’m constantly surrounded by reminders of it each day. Here in the office we listen to a lot of timeless classic rock music from the 60s, 70s and 80s, and sometimes the still-modern-sounding rock from the 90s. It’s always fun to go through our archived newspapers from the last 125 years, and see what the news or town makeup of Saratoga was like in the 20th Century. I still enjoy watch...
A computer problem that occurred at Saratoga Town Hall more than a year ago is still disallowing Encampment’s police department real-time access to a law enforcement database. The software application, a system created by the Salt Lake City-based Spillman Technologies Inc., is a database that keeps track of law enforcement activities across multiple jurisdictions, making police work in the field and required paperwork easier. According to Spillman Technologies, the brand’s police software off...
After a long and eventful winter sports season, 10 Platte Valley student athletes snagged All-State or All-Conference recognition for their performances during 2013-14. Making the boys' All-State 1A team was Encampment sophomore Guy Erickson, who throughout the season averaged 15.3 points and 2.5 assists per game, and knocked down 79 percent of his free-throws. Erickson, who also received second team All-Conference, said this was the first year he received either honor for any sport. "I guess I...