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Skijoring, one of the newest annual events in the Upper Platte River Valley, returns to Saratoga later this week for the second time. Last year's event, held in early March, was considered by organizers to be a successful first inauguration for the new event given the lack of snow and the short amount of time the organizers had to plan for the event. This year the event was scheduled to be earlier in the winter in hopes of more snow being on the ground. "We have all the snow we need," Will...
There's not really a lot about Steve Deorio, who owns and runs The Grumpy Italian in Saratoga that is very grumpy; He loves to cook, he loves to serve customers and he loves the fact that for families in the Valley, his restaurant represents a step back into a bygone era where families shared stories and tales while eating classic Italian-American fare. At least for an hour or so a week, anyway. That, he said, was his goal when he purchased the restaurant, formerly known as Platte River Pizza...
The Country Store in Saratoga celebrated its 30th anniversary in business over the weekend with a party for customers, free food, free giveaways and a lot of other fun. The business itself, and person that runs it, is a testament to the vibrant community of Saratoga and the Valley in general, and another indicator of how the town draws people back year after year. The owner, Kathleen Martin, is a fifth-generation Valley resident. For years, her family owned a ranch near Cow Creek, but after her grandfather died and her dad returned home from...
The Saratoga Town Council met Tuesday for routine business and to discuss issues facing the town, but the conflict between the council and members of the Saratoga Community Garden Board flared up, leading to heated exchanges. The council announced the removal of a gravel bar in the North Platte near the WY-130 bridge as well as the final price tag for the project before discussing improvements to the airport runways that will close the facility for a time. The council then took up discussion about the garden board and the logistics behind conve...
The town of Encampment held its monthly town council meeting on Thursday where it appointed a new South Central Wyoming Emergency Medical Services (SCWEMS) member, and discussed other ongoing business. The council had a long agenda, but for the most part quickly moved though the list, but did stop to spend time on discussing the appointment of the SCWEMS representative, and listen to public concerns about getting a natural gas supplier for the town to allow for construction of senior apartments. Resident Sandy Martin brought up the issue of a l...
As the school year winds down and summer approaches, the Carbon County School Board no. 2 (CCSD No. 2) met Monday for its monthly meeting. The meeting was dominated mostly by personnel matters as well as budget issues and approval of the student handbook. The board accepted the retirement of Hope Jones, the district’s long-time speech therapist, and it accepted the resignation of Brandi Dearcorn, fifth grade teacher at Hanna Elementary, effective at the end of this school year. The board also spent time hiring. The board voted to hire two n...
At the Carbon County Board of County Commissioner’s (BOCC) meeting on May 3, possible flooding in the North Platte Valley was front and center among the many topics discussed. During the meeting, the commissioners spent a significant amount of time discussing the possibility of flooding and how the county would act, should flooding happen. The BOCC’s chair, John Espy was given authority to declare a flood zone without consulting the other BOCC members, and emergency managers detailed plans to have inmate crews remove old sandbags from the ban...
The town of Riverside quickly moved thorough the agenda at its town council meeting on Thursday, working through a host of issues affecting the town as spring rolls into the valley. Cleanup of dead and diseased trees in the park was underway and expected to be completed soon, and talk also turned to spring cleanup and maintenance of roads and other infrastructure. At the time of the meeting, Mayor Leroy Stephenson said that of 28 trees scheduled to be cut down and disposed of, about 20 had been taken down and the remaining trees were expected...
Encampment High School (EHS) boys’ and girls’ track teams competed in regionals in Lander on Friday and Saturday, setting the stage and raising expectations for their upcoming visit to state finals. The girls’ team placed third of nine teams that competed, and the boys’ team placed sixth, also out of nine teams that competed. Several of the student athletes placed first in individual events, and many set new personal records according to the team’s coach Kegan Willford. “I felt really good about the weekend and we had several kids who had the...
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued final river flow estimates for the Upper North Platte River area of Carbon County, and the estimates place Saratoga at flood level, but not as severely as past flood years. The numbers, published by NOAA, estimate that the North Platte River at Saratoga will peak between 12,000 and 12,500 cubic feet per second (cfs). The flood flow for the river at Saratoga is between 10,500 and 11,000 cfs. The towns of Encampment and...
Thanks to funding from the Wyoming State Loans and Investment Board (SLIB), the Upper Platte River Solid Waste District (Landfill board) announced at its Wednesday meeting that it will now be able to build a new transfer station and close the existing landfill on schedule. The board also discussed a future rate increase, but did not vote on the raise. The funding provided by SLIB comes in form of a grant for $1.125 million, and a 20-year zero-interest loan for $375,000. The loan was arranged by SLIB for the Landfill board, Craig McOmie,...
The Carbon County Office of Emergency Management will coordinate an exercise in Saratoga at 9 a.m., May 17 near Saratoga High School, according to Carbon County Emergency Manager John Zeiger. The exercise is intended to give first responders a realistic situation to manage, he said. Zeiger said the exercise will simulate a crash between a private vehicle and a school bus. In the scenario, the accident is caused by someone in the private vehicle texting while driving. The road will be closed off near the simulated accident scene as agencies...
Encampment High School’ (EHS) track team put in a strong showing at the Bobcat Invite in Thermopolis on Friday, with Encampment’s girls’ team leading the way with an overall sixth place finish out of 22 teams that competed. The team placed well after a meet two weeks ago in Green River, where they faced stiff competition from larger schools, and the disappointment of last week’s meet in Saratoga being canceled due to weather. But the weather was cooperating, and the team performed well in Thermopolis. “We had good conditions for our meet,” Ke...
Dean Bartholomew, physician at the Platte Valley Medical clinic in Saratoga, told lawmakers in Washington, D.C., about challenges faced by rural healthcare providers. The discussion was led by Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo) and Al Franken (D-Minn) of the Senate Rural Health Caucus. The panel discussion brought together lawmakers from both parties and members of the National Quality Forum (NQF) - a non-profit, non-partisan healthcare advocacy group - along with rural healthcare providers and acad...
Four Saratoga High School (SHS) students, a younger sibling and three other volunteers helped clean up and make improvements at Saratoga's Kaake Walk Dog park on Sunday. The SHS students, Katie Loose, Sarah Burton, Bradley Bifano and Thomas Ingraham, were members of SHS's Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter, and they were being paid $100 each by the town for their time working at the dog park. The money will be used to defray the expenses of the group's trip to Atlanta for FBLA...
A training exercise of a simulated terrorist incident near the Sinclair Refinery took place on Friday with several agencies and personnel from the refinery coordinating a response to the event. The exercise - held on Earth Day - simulated a failed act of sabotage at the Sinclair Refinery by an eco-terrorism group. The simulation was intended to give multiple agencies a chance to work together and communicate with one another so they will be better prepared to deal with a real emergency. Numerous...
Fire destroyed a Ryan Park cabin early Tuesday morning, despite the efforts of four fire departments that responded to the blaze. The fire completely destroyed the two story log home that was estimated to be 3,400 square feet. The home was declared a total loss. At the time the fire started, two people were inside. Nobody was injured in the fire. Ryan Park fire department responded to the fire call at approximately 3:10 a.m. on Tuesday. Once they arrived, they called for assistance from...
School facilities and projects were a serious concern of the Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD#2) Board of Trustees at the April 18 meeting, with the funding for facilities being described as “dire” by superintendent Jim Copeland. The district will have to reapply for funding for HEM school’s heating, ventilation and cooling system upgrade, estimated to be a $3.2 million project. Cutbacks to state facilities funding is blamed on issues surrounding coal and mineral leases, with the board saying that funding for facilities has gone from $...
The Encampment High School track team competed this weekend at the Green River Invite in Green River where they put in a strong effort but saw their success somewhat stymied by stiff competition from other teams. Kegan Willford, Encampment High School track coach, said that large meetings such as the Green River Invite bring larger schools out to compete, and that can affect smaller teams' standings at the end of the day. "It was a really big meet, there were six 4A schools there, as many 3A...
At practice this week, Saratoga High School (SHS) Track and Field Coach Rex Hohnholt emphasized that only four athletes from the school could compete at each event during upcoming regional competitions. Consistency, Hohnholt stressed, was the key to winning the chance to represent SHS in one of those four slots, and that's what he was looking for at the April 22 Douglas Invitational. "If you want to be one of those four people, we have to see that time's consistently there," Hohnholt said. "You...
As a part of Severe Weather Awareness week last week, Saratoga Elementary School (SES) forewent its usual fire drill, instead practicing a tornado drill. According to a press release by the National Weather Service in Cheyenne, Severe Weather Awareness week is a week for residents, businesses and schools to prepare for hazardous weather. At the sound of the alarm, SES students quickly filed out into the hallway of the building and crouched on the floor with the top of their heads pressed up...
An increase in sewer tap fees may be imminent, and those who dump RV holding tanks at Saratoga’s dumping station will get a lot more honest following a meeting of the Saratoga Water and Sewer Joint Powers Board (sewer board) on Wednesday The board approved draft legislation to increase tap fees. The board agreed to install, on a trial basis, a credit card operated kiosk that is intended to capitalize on RV dumping that is not being paid for under the current honor system. The ordinance approved by the sewer board will increase the price for n...
Carbon County Emergency Management (CCEM) will be holding a homeland security training exercise on Friday, April 22 near the Sinclair refinery. The exercise will be held on property belonging to the Sinclair refinery, but will not be held at the actual refinery facility, John Zeiger, director of CCEM, said. Multiple agencies will be involved in the exercise, according to documents released by CCEM. The exercise is sponsored by Sinclair Refinery, CCEM, and the Wyoming National Guard. While the agency would like nearby residents to be aware that...
Riverside Town Council met Thursday for its monthly meeting where tree removal in the park dominated discussion. Last month, the council voted to remove trees that posed a hazard from the town park. After consulting with a tree removal contractor, the town decided on removing 28 trees from the park. The trees to be removed are dead or diseased, and falling branches pose a threat to park users. While one member of the council was dismayed at the number of trees that were to be removed and how not all of them looked diseased, mayor Leroy...
Encampment Town Council met Thursday to deal with old and new business in the town The council quickly worked its way through the agenda before voting to go into a closed executive session to discuss issues of personnel and potential litigation. There were several items of old business the council discussed and ruled on, and many items of new business. Among the new business items were the first reading of the budget, hiring of seasonal employees and landscaping of the town office. Old business discussed by the board included fire hydrant repla...