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Articles written by erik gantt


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  • Building a fire

    Erik Gantt|Sep 23, 2015

    The sensual, spacious sounds of The Bird and the Bear returned to Saratoga Sept. 11 and the Saratoga Sun took some time to talk with the duo about their roots and life in Music City, Nashville, Tenn. Wood grew up in the North Platte Valley, leaving in 2008 to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. Bolhuis is a native of Groningen, Holland a large, college town with a population of almost 200,000. The pair met in 2011 at a hostel in Nashville as they were pursuing solo musical careers....

  • High-dollar roadsters bring big bucks to Encampment

    ERik GAntt|Sep 23, 2015

    "This is the art of the car," said Community Liaison for the Colorado Grand, Eddie O'Brien summing up the automobile side of the tour that made its way from Steamboat Springs, Colo. to Encampment last Wednesday, but there is a serious charitable component too. The Colorado Grand is an automobile tour for exclusive, high-end, vintage sports cars that began 27 years ago. This is the second time they have crossed the state line into the Upper North Platte Valley. The lunch stop at the Grand...

  • Deja vu

    Erik Gantt|Sep 23, 2015

    Working hard against another bigger, faster, more experienced team led to the Saratoga Panthers (0-2) second 0-55 loss in two weeks on the gridiron. Head Coach Scott Bokelman has said from the beginning that the first four games of the season are going to be hard for his young team. “These first four teams are top notch teams in the state,” Bokelman said this week. Bokelman said that the Panthers defense is having to learn how to adjust to different offensive formations. For instance, this is...

  • Dept. of Interior announces sage grouse decision

    Erik Gantt|Sep 23, 2015

    “Because of an unprecedented effort by dozens of partners across 11 western states, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that the greater sage-grouse does not require protection under the Endangered Species Act,” U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced Tuesday morning. The announcement was made in a video posted on the Department of Interior’s website and social media outlets. This decision has both economic and recreational impacts in the Platte Valley and surro...

  • SCWEMS to discuss Hanna MOU

    Erik Gantt|Sep 16, 2015

    The South Central Wyoming Emergency Medical Service (SCWEMS) is currently servicing the town of Hanna even though their service agreement or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) expired in April 2015. A special meeting will be held Sept. 22 to address the lack of a service agreement. The town of Hanna did not elect to become a member of the SCWEMS Joint Powers Board (JPB) when it was formed. Tony Poulos, mayor of the town of Hanna, said “Everything that I have seen states that Hanna would at s...

  • Colorado Grand tours Encampment

    Erik Gantt|Sep 16, 2015

    More than 100 high-end classic cars are scheduled for a pit stop at the Grand Encampment Museum (GEM) Wednesday. The 27th Annual Colorado Grand, a tour of classic sports cars that winds its way through the mountains of Colorado and into Wyoming this year, will stop in the Valley for only the second time. Encampment and the GEM will provide a mid-day break for the drivers as the head from North Park, Colo. eventually driving over Battle Pass and back in to Colorado. The charitable arm of the...

  • A night of tabling

    Erik Gantt|Sep 16, 2015

    The Encampment Town Council decided to table a vote on the ratification of David Starr to the at-large board seat on the South Central Wyoming Emergency Medical Service (SCWEMS) Joint Powers Board (JPB) at their regular meeting Sept. 10. The council cited the need for more information on Starr and possible conflicts he may have with current SCWEMS staff and JPB board members. Ken Drain, chairman of the SCWEMS JPB addressed the council to announce the upcoming meeting regarding the SCWEMS...

  • Saratoga gridders fall to Cokeville

    Erik Gantt|Sep 16, 2015

    Coming off a week one loss to Mountain View, the Cokeville Panthers did not hold back against the Saratoga football squad. The final score of the game was Cokeville 55, Saratoga 0. Cokeville scored 35 points in the first quarter and ended the first half up by 42. After a scoreless third quarter the Cokeville Panthers put up two more unanswered touchdowns in the fourth. The game started out rough for Saratoga after Cokeville sophomore Rick Nate took an outside run almost 80 yards for the...

  • Info released on death at mill

    Erik Gantt|Sep 16, 2015

    The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) released preliminary information on their investigation into the death of Dave McConnell. According to OSHA, “Preliminary information suggests the deceased lost his footing and fell while trying to descend from the log deck (which is an elevated structure).” McConnell, a 65 year old Encampment man, died as a result of the accident on Aug. 27. Haylee McKee, Public Information Officer/Policy Administrator, in the Wyoming OSHA Department of...

  • County may house new medical shelter

    Erik Gantt|Sep 9, 2015

    Rawlins may become the new home of a 50-person emergency medical shelter. At the Sept. 1 Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting the board members stated their approval of housing the shelter in the basement of the Jeffrey Center noting that it would allow quick access to the resource if needed. John Zieger, Carbon County Emergency Management Coordinator, said that a study is necessary to determine if the basement meets the requirements for storage and access to the shelter. A Memora...

  • Pay it forward

    Erik Gantt|Sep 9, 2015

    One year ago local hikers Curt Campbell and Jack Riddick were rescued after being trapped on Medicine Bow Peak overnight. The date was Aug. 31, 2014. On Sept. 1, 2015 the hiking pair were able to lend a little help to an injured Dave Jeffers, his brother Bill and Scott Randall. The trio had been mountain biking on the Coon Creek trail along the east fork of the Encampment River. Jeffers said he flipped over his handle bars, landing with his weight on his left hand. At the time Jeffers said he...

  • Panthers wrangled on gridiron

    Erik Gantt|Sep 9, 2015

    The Saratoga Panthers football squad was beat in a 13-49 non-conference game against the Lingle/Fort Laramie Doggers last Friday. Lettermen Rodrigo Escobedo, Thatcher Spiering, Cameron Lehr and Alex Ziegler were called on regularly to run the ball in the away game. Sophomore Ben Fairbanks also ran the ball twice. The Panthers rushed for a total of 153 yards, 99 of which came during the fourth quarter. Escobedo and Spiering scored all of the points for the Panthers in the fourth quarter. Escobedo...

  • Knotwells know champion cattle

    Erik Gantt|Sep 9, 2015

    It turns out that fair is a lot of work for Encampment's Konnar (16) and Kamry (13) Knotwell. Starting in early June the sisters began a program with their steers and heifers of controlled feeding to get them to a target weight, washing, combing and drying their hair with fans. This program continued all the way through state fair. The strict program of feeding and coat maintenance paid off with Konnar taking Supreme Champion Breeding Heifer and a division Reserve Champion Market Steer. Kamry's...

  • The unexpected judge

    Erik Gantt|Sep 9, 2015

    When the scheduled judge for the steer show at the Carbon County fair did not show the organizers were lucky to have Corson Kerbs back in the pens. Corson, now 22, showed at the fair from age 8 to 20 when he left for Butler Community College. Corson followed in his sister Kaylee's footsteps, and the pair were competitive at fair throughout the 2000s. Back in his youth Corson said he won three steer shows and a couple of market lamb shows at the Carbon County Fair. Coroson is back from school...

  • A fond farewell

    Erik Gantt|Sep 9, 2015

    Now that he is in college, Hunter Mason said he will not have time to show animals at fair, but he finished his last county fair in style. Mason took home Supreme Overall Breeding Gilt and the ribbon for Senior Showmanship for his market hog at this year Carbon County Fair. It was Mason’s ninth year showing at the fair. In the past he has won ribbons twice for Reserve Champion Market Hog and once for Reserve Champion Breeding Gilt. Mason said that hogs are his favorite animals to work with a...

  • Encampment looks to rezone highway frontage

    Erik Gantt|Sep 2, 2015

    The Encampment Town Council passed the first reading of an ordinance that would change part of its existing business district to Business-2 zoning at their Aug. 13 meeting. Ordinance 2015-08-13 states that the town council "wants to preserve highway frontage throughout the Business District for business development." According to the ordinance, business district regulations currently include any uses allowed in R-1 and R-2 residential districts. That residential use "has begun to limit...

  • To grow or not to grow ... that is the question

    Erik Gantt|Sep 2, 2015

    I have been thinking a lot lately about services and businesses in the Town of Saratoga. I’ve also been talking to friends and co-workers about whether or not the town is growing or dying. My wife and I moved here a few years ago following her job and were very pleased with our good fortune. We bought a house and have since had a child. I won’t speak for my wife, but I would like to see our town grow and become more vibrant. It will give my little girl a better place to grow up and hop...

  • Man killed in fall at sawmill

    Erik Gantt|Sep 2, 2015

    Dave McConnell, a 65-year-old Saratoga man, was killed as the result of a fall from a logging deck at the Saratoga Forest Management mill last Thursday. The call for emergency management services to respond to the accident was made at 3:31 p.m. according to Saratoga Police Chief Tom Knickerbocker. The Wyoming State Plan Office of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) confirmed the death on Friday and said they had an investigator on site. According to OSHA, McConnell fell 17...

  • Trial date set for Ryan Simmons

    Erik Gantt|Sep 2, 2015

    Charged with seven felonies, Ryan Scott Simmons of Saratoga, was found fit to proceed to trial at an Aug. 24 judicial hearing. The trial date is set for 9 a.m., Oct. 27 at the Carbon County District Court in Rawlins. According to Circuit Court documents, the seven charges include three counts of Attempted Second Degree Murder, three counts of Aggravated Assault and Battery and one count of Felony Interference with a Peace Officer. The charges stem from the April 27, 2014 incident in which Ryan...

  • Keeping it simple

    Erik Gantt|Sep 2, 2015

    With six lettermen returning to the Saratoga High School football team, the skills positions will be filled with experienced players, but the team will be keeping it simple as the season starts according to Head Coach Scott Bokelman. "We're going to be inexperienced and kind of small," Bokelman said. This means fans can expect to see lots of dives, power plays, sweeps and quick pitches from the offense. Since the offensive line will be filled with relatively inexperienced players, Bokelman said...

  • Let's get physiological

    Erik Gantt|Sep 2, 2015

    Participants in Chris Irwin's horsemanship clinic at the Blackhall Mountain Ranch got a lesson in how all aspects of the rider's body effect a horses actions. The three-day clinic brought in people from around the North Platte Valley and from as far away as Fort Collins, Colo. Many of the participants attended Irwin's clinic last year, and some were new to his teachings. Local ranchers Ron and Mayvon Platt and Alan Peryam said they learned a lot about the subtlety of body movement and the...

  • Million dollar sales tax refund pending

    Erik Gantt|Aug 26, 2015

    The Wyoming Department of Revenue informed Carbon County Treasurer Cindy Baldwin of a recently filed amended tax return that may lead to approximately $1 million in sales tax revenue having to be returned. Baldwin reported this to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners at their Aug. 18 meeting in Baggs. According to Baldwin she does not know who filed the amended return, but it appears that they over paid tax on the sale of property, possibly between oil companies. Baldwin is also not sure if...

  • New Shively Field paving bid accepted

    Erik Gantt|Aug 26, 2015

    The Saratoga Airport Board recommended for council approval the apparent low bid of $746,906 at its Aug. 18 meeting. The low bidder, Mountain Construction Company is based out of Lovell, Wyo. The only other bid received by the deadline was from Cheyenne’s Simon Contractors Company. Simon bid the project at $869,000. The actual project cost will be higher than Mountain Construction’s bid. “With the new bid amount and all of the other costs, which are basically our costs, our fees and the admin...

  • Get creative Carbon County

    Erik Gantt|Aug 26, 2015

    "It's time to suck it up and get creative folks," said Sen. Larry Hicks at last week's public meeting in Encampment on opening Battle Highway (WYO 70) earlier in the year. Hicks' statement was made after Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) District Engineer Pat Persson showed that WYDOT's budget will not allow for opening WYO 70 earlier or keep it open all year. Eighteen citizens were in attendance as were eight WYDOT employees, Carbon County Commissioners Sue Jones and John Espy and...

  • "Pick" your history

    Erik Gantt|Aug 26, 2015

    Last Saturday 38 people went for a historical adventure on Pick Ranch. Led by local historians Ken Olson, Dick Perue, Ken Swanson and Chilly Rollison the group followed the Platte River and were treated to stories about Sheep Rock, the original location of Pick Bridge and its more recent incarnations, Bennett's Ferry crossing, the Cowan and Haymaker houses, the river crossing at the Shultz/Ward/Sanger place, the Frazier place, the Evans/Bryan trail, Pick Springs and tipi rings near the "Old...

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