Sorted by date Results 26 - 43 of 43
The sinking economy in China may mean that waste disposal rates here in the Good Times Valley might be going up soon, according to the Upper Platte River Solid Waste District (Landfill Board). The construction of a transfer station intended to ship solid waste for disposal to other areas will reduce strain at the landfill, but the collapse of China’s economy may mean that the Landfill Board will have to pay to have trash and recyclables hauled away. Before its current economic woes started, China was the largest purchaser of recyclable waste m...
The Carbon County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) met Tuesday in Rawlins for the first BOCC meeting of April to discuss county business. Items on the agenda included the purchase of a new firefighting vehicle, the release of the second environmental impact study for the Chokecherry-Sierra Madre wind farm project, and land reclamation funds in the wake of numerous coal and oil company bankruptcies. Later, the BOCC also discussed a conditional use permit at Brush Creek Ranch. The BOCC voted to purchase a class six brush firefighting truck....
The annual Wyoming Health Fair blood screening draws will be held from 6-10 a.m., April 12 and 13 at Platte Valley Community Center in Saratoga, and 6 a.m. until noon on April 15 and 16 at Encampment town hall. The health fair in Saratoga is hosted by the Valley Service Organization, a non-profit organization devoted to service projects in the area. The organization is supported by dues, said Sue Jones. The event is an opportunity for residents to obtain needed screenings for common illnesses at a nominal cost, Jones said. “It’s way che...
The Encampment High School track team spent a good portion of the weekend on the road traveling to two meets, one in Cheyenne on Friday and the other in Guernsey on Saturday. It had been a couple weeks since the team competed. Last week’s meet in Wheatland was canceled by the hosting school due to snow, and the team did not attend the meet previous to that one in Big Piney. For many of the athletes, it was their first competition of the season. The team’s coach, Kegan Willford said the meet was important to the students because it allows the...
Second grade students at Saratoga Elementary School on Wednesday celebrated their fundraising effort for the American Heart Association by making their principal a key ingredient in a rather peculiar ice cream sundae. Students participated in the "Jump/Hoop for Hearts" fundraiser that benefited the American Heart Association. Students were given the choice of shooting hoops or jumping rope, a goal of $8,000 and a strong incentive for meeting that goal; the school's principal, Dave Rangitsch, sai...
Engineering Associates moved from its old offices on East Bridge Avenue in Saratoga to a new location at 211 N. First Street last week. The company’s new offices are smaller than their previous office on Bridge Street, but it is a more efficient space for the employees, said Karl Smith, an employee at the company. Smith also said that parking was at a premium at the old office on Bridge Street. Ken Schwerdt, who also works at the company, said parking during the summer was particularly bad and that the company has a lot of trucks that used t...
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is currently soliciting funding requests for local natural resources projects through the Medicine Bow-Routt Resource Advisory Council (RAC). The USFS is seeking recommendations for projects to fund that will enhance or improve forest ecosystems, land health or water quality, according to an April 4 news release by the USFS. The proposals are due by May 6. For Carbon County, the amount of money allocated for this round of funding is $43,578 according to the release, and there is another $12,524 in funds earmarked...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Cheyenne announced that it is seeking applications for grants and loans to establish or expand businesses in rural areas. According to the USDA’s news release, the agency has $37 million to be loaned, and $11 million in grants available. The funds are earmarked for businesses that will either create or retain jobs in rural areas, the agency said in the release. The loans and grants can be used for new business startups or expansions of existing businesses, the release said. “Our small, rural bus...
Bad weather in Wheatland meant both Saratoga and Encampment schools’ track teams stayed home this weekend rather than attending the Wheatland Invite that had been scheduled for Saturday. According to SHS track coach Rex Holnholt, the event in Wheatland was canceled because the town had 14 inches of snow and the track facility was not ready. This will not affect rankings for the teams that were unable to attend, Holnholt said. There are two meets scheduled this week, the Okie Blanchard meet at Cheyenne East on April 8, and the Guernsey Invite i...
Town of Saratoga officials met with representatives of state and non-governmental agencies to discuss disaster readiness and management on Tuesday at Saratoga Town Hall. The meeting brought together town officials as well as representative from the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security (WOHS), the National Guard and the American Red Cross, as well as emergency managers from Goshen and Laramie counties. Officials discussed the potential for flooding, but the primary focus was on emergency...
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) held an information and question-and-answer session Monday at Saratoga Town Hall about the proposed Chokecherry/Sierra Madre wind farm project. The meeting — the 63rd pulic meeting about the project according to Tony Brown, Public Affairs Specialist at the BLM — was attended by about 25 members of the public, plus representatives from the BLM, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as representatives of the Power Company of Wyoming, the company hoping to build the wind farm. Avian species dea...
It was late September in St. Louis, the time of year when the heat and humidity make the air feel like a wet wool blanket that wraps around you when you dare step outside of the air conditioning. We sat in a café in St. Louis’ Central West End, where the city’s old money lives, and new money plays. First date jitters were still pretty intense, and the search for light-hearted get-to-know-you banter continued. “So you went back to college when you were in your 30s?” she asked. “Yes, journalism is my second career,“ I said. I told her I used t...
Brandon Kandolin, 43, a 1991 graduate of Saratoga High School (SHS) and former Panther basketball player, has made waves in South Dakota where he coached the St. Thomas More's girls' basketball team to a record third state championship in a row, and their fourth in five years. The private Roman Catholic school's girls' team-the Cavaliers-defeated Winner High School 49-32 in the state championship in the Watertown Civic Arena in Watertown, N.D. to take their third straight title. Brandon...
The Riverside and Encampment Town Councils met March 10 to discuss business in the towns. In Riverside, the council sped though the agenda quickly. The council announced that the Riverside Party Day would be held on August 13, and that the High Plains Tradition Bluegrass Band would provide entertainment for the event. The Riverside council agreed to find a local contractor to provide an estimate to remove some trees in the park that were of concern. The board also approved a motion to pay the Town of Encampment to fog for mosquitos at the rate...
A meeting of the Saratoga/Carbon County Impact (water and sewer) Joint Powers Board on March 9, was dominated by discussion of the Saratoga outfall project. The outfall project was spurred on by ammonia levels in Hot Slough Creek after the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) detected what it believed to be high levels of ammonia entering the creek. In January, the board became aware of data collected by the city at two monitoring points along the creek since 2003. Those data showed that ammonia levels in the creek were lower than...
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on Wednesday released a second environmental assessment for the first phase of a proposed Carbon County wind farm. The BLM also issued a draft finding stating it did not expect significant environmental impacts beyond those outlined in the environmental assessment. The environmental assessment released by the BLM evaluates the impact of Power Company of Wyoming's (PCW) proposed Chokecherry and Sierra Madre wind energy project, which the company said would...
Saratoga High School's FFA chapter hosted students from five other high schools on March 11 for an agricultural mechanics competition. FFA groups from high schools in Laramie, Rock River, Casper, Baggs and Pinedale met at Saratoga High School for a practice session in advance of state finals, which will be held April 4 in Cheyenne. Teams from each school rotated through four hands-on activities with small engines, electrical wiring, welding and agricultural equipment. Teams also practiced...