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Each year, the ladies of the Valley Service Organization (VSO) bestow the title Woman of Distinction on a woman who has made significant contributions to the North Platte Valley. In previous years, honorees have included influential Valley residents such as Elva Evans (2018) and Cheryl "Mo" Munroe (2019). This year, the VSO awarded the title Woman of Distinction to five Valley residents for their hand in filling a need for childcare in the area. Tiffany Jones, Cheena Parsons, Schelby Merrill, Br...
For the past year, the coal mines under the town of Hanna have been one of multiple projects taken on by the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) program of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The process has been to fill the miles of shafts under the town with grout to prevent any future subsidence. Last summer, the Hanna Elementary School and the Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow (HEM) Junior/Senior High School were the focus of AML before the agency expanded to other parts of town....
Update as of June 9, 2021 at 7:30 a.m. The National Forest Service now puts the North Fork Fire at approximately 13 acres. Two hotshot crews, a Type 2 hand crew, three engines, a Type 1 Heavy Helicopter and a Type 3 Helicopter are being used to fight the fire. Wednesday is expected to be a big operational day as they hit the fire hard. The North Fork Fire, approximately four miles west of Hog Park Reservoir, is not the cause of current heavy smoke in the North Platte Valley according to Lenny...
A 55-year-old Elk Mountain man was arrested on May 17 by the Hanna Marshal’s Office following an investigation that began in late February. Charges filed against Lyle Gordon Richardson allege he committed the crimes of sexual exploitation of children and endangering children. If convicted, Richardson could face up to 13 years in prison, a fine of $11,000 or both. He is innocent until proven guilty by a court of law. To protect both the victim and their family, their names will not be used in t...
At the May 18 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, Saratoga Police Chief Ken Lehr cited an increase in drug related offenses and violent crime in a request to advertise for a fifth police officer. While the town council unanimously approved the request, it came following a lengthy discussion led by Councilmember Jon Nelson about the communication, or lack thereof, between the police department, the council and the public. Build it, they will come Following Lehr’s request, Nelson clarified w...
The Saratoga Town Council unanimously passed their budget for Fiscal Year 2021-2022 on 1st reading during their May 18 meeting with Ordinance No. 859. While the governing body is anticipating more than $3 million in general fund revenues, the council still has work to do as the budget currently shows a deficit of nearly $300,000. The council has just two more readings to close the delta before the beginning of the fiscal year. The majority of the anticipated general fund revenues will come from...
The German-Swiss poet Herman Hesse once wrote "Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth". On May 19, the Saratoga-Encampment-Rawlins Conservation District (SERCD), the Wyoming Forestry Division and the Saratoga Recreation Department helped students from Saratoga Elementary School (SES) plant their own sanctuaries. Students from kindergarten through 6th grade all played a part in planting their own class tree. This school year, the students of SES were able...
Encampment's track and field athletes traveled to Casper this weekend to compete in the State Track and Field Championships for three days at Kelly Walsh High School. Though none of them returned home with "the gold", all those that attended placed in at least one event with several placing in multiple events. Two even left Casper with All-State honors. "I thought our team had a good state showing overall," said Head Coach Kegan Willford. "There was some really good competition in 1A this year...
Coach Rex Hohnholt's Saratoga track and field athletes placed very well while competing at the State Track and Field Championships in Casper. While neither the boys team or girls team came away on top, two athletes returned home as individual champions. Additionally, four athletes came back to Saratoga with five All-State honors. Girls at State Beginning in the track events, Whitney Bennett took 3rd place in the 400 meter dash with a finishing time of 1 minute, 2.16 seconds. Bennett also...
Less than a year since the failed first reading of an ordinance that would amend Chapter 5.30 of the Saratoga Municipal Code, the discussion of specially permitted events and outdoor music appears to be returning to both the planning commission and the Saratoga Town Council. At the May 11 meeting of the Saratoga Planning Commission, the discussion was started by Saratoga resident Chris Shannon. Shannon is the co-owner of The Yard, a music venue across from the Angus England American Legion Post...
As houses seemingly fly off the market and rentals are non-existent in the Platte Valley, the topic of affordable housing appears to be ever more prevalent. During the May 11 meeting of the Saratoga Planning Commission, the need for affordable housing was raised by Steve Niccolls, a Saratoga resident and pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Saratoga. "If it wasn't for the fact that the church that I serve provided me with a manse, I'm not sure I would have been able to stay here because,...
I recently had the privilege of volunteering as a judge for the Platte Valley Legacy Foundation. On May 6, the morning of the Platte Valley Expo, I joined other community members in the business wing of the Platte Valley Community Center as we interviewed students from Saratoga Middle High School and seniors from Encampment K-12 School. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. Being a member of the dreaded Millennial generation, I’m all too familiar with the assumptions people make about you base...
With the regular season at an end, the Encampment track and field athletes ran up to Shoshoni to compete in the 1A West Regional Meet. While there, Head Coach Kegan Willford had a handful of his student athletes place well, with some coming away as regional champions. “We had a pretty good weekend with the majority of our team qualifying for state,” said Willford. “I’m excited to see how our team performs at the state meet.” Girls at Regionals In the track events, Amber Stubbs competed...
Saratoga's track and field athletes took to Shoshoni over the weekend as they competed in the 1A West Regional Meet. While there, Head Coach Rex Hohnholt's student athletes placed well with several earning All-Conference honors. Girls at Regionals Beginning with track events, Whitney Bennett placed 2nd in the 400 meter dash with a time of 1 minute, 2.37 seconds. Bennett also competed in the 300 meter hurdles, where she placed 1st with a time of 48.04 seconds. Both placings earned her...
For more than a decade, Tyler Pickett Memorial Park has been a “someday” project for the Town of Saratoga. Despite assurances over the years that the project was nearly shovel ready, it has remained in the planning stages. However, that appears to be changing following the May 4 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. Joe Parsons, Vice Commander of Angus England American Legion Post 54, appeared before the governing body requesting Mayor Creed James approve the formation of a working group to sta...
As the 2022 election cycle seems to be heating up early, election precincts and municipal boundaries were a point of discussion during the May 4 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners. The discussion stemmed from concerns raised by Joey Correnti IV, Carbon County Republican Chairman, to Carbon County Clerk Gwynn Bartlett. In addition to the discussion of election precincts, Bartlett also briefly talked to the commissioners about the voter identification law recently passed by the...
Nearly two months after appointing a new town clerk, the Town of Saratoga will begin the search for a new town treasurer. The resignation of the current treasurer, Sammy Flohr, was announced by Mayor Creed James during the May 4 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. Additionally, while the governing body will begin advertising for another town hall vacancy, it appears an audit of Fiscal Year 2019/2020 will finally take place. A proposal from an accounting firm in Lander was unanimously accepted...
Though Carbon County has received some much needed moisture in the past few days, fire departments throughout the county have been dealing with an increasing number of wildland fires due to a dryer-than-normal spring. During the May 4 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), interim Carbon County Fire Warden John Rutherford informed the board none of the fires were what he considered accidental. “Unfortunately we’re having fires already. Little Snake River Valley’s had a few...
The combination of visitors to the Valley and contractors for the ongoing wind energy projects in northeastern Carbon County is, apparently, leading to extra work for the Saratoga Police Department according to Chief Ken Lehr. Lehr informed the Saratoga Town Council about the increasing workload for his department during the May 4 meeting of the governing body following a request from Councilmember Ben Spaulding. “Chief, I know you guys are getting taxed with a lot of stuff, especially with t...
Encampment's track and field athletes finished out their regular season with a trip to Torrington on Friday to compete in the Wiseman Invite, giving them a confidence boost before the 1A West Regional Qualifiers this weekend in Shoshoni. "We had another good day for a track meet," said Head Coach Kegan Willford. "We saw some personal bests again this week and our 4x100 boys relay ran a pre-qualifying time, which should take some pressure off those boys at regionals." Girls at Wiseman In the...
When the 66th Wyoming Legislature gathered in Cheyenne, they arrived with a heavy task on their shoulders. Following the economic impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19), a number of budget cuts were on the table including education funding. The State of Wyoming is obligated, through the state constitution, to fund education. In the interim sessions, the School Recalibration Committee had made their recommendations on how to make those cuts while still fulfilling the legislature’s c...
Just one day after Paul Zamora's effective retirement as the Carbon County Coroner, the Carbon County Republican Party Central Committee unanimously selected a candidate to fill the vacancy. Brittany Nyman, who served as chief deputy coroner under Zamora, will be presented to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) during their May 4 meeting in Rawlins. As was previously reported (see "No finer professional" on page 1 of the April 28 Saratoga Sun), Zamora's retirement was announced via...
When driving along U.S. 30, the town of Medicine Bow can be a welcome sight to those traveling to Carbon, Natrona or Albany County. The town of less than 300 people nearly seems an oasis in the high desert. An almost fitting role to play as the small town began as a water stop for the Union Pacific Railroad in 1868. More than 150 years later, a few businesses still serve as stops for the weary traveler, though they offer far more than water now. On May 14 and 15, JB’s Stop-n-Shop and The Old W...
On a sunny, albeit breezy, day on April 18, members of the Saratoga Alliance Church gathered to observe the most recent groundbreaking for the growing congregation. While the event itself was important as it signaled growth, its connection to the church's origins were just as important. In 1978, Paul Stumbo, the Rocky Mountain District Superintent of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, walked into Mom's Kitchen in Saratoga looking for a group of people he had been told were interested in...
Murphy’s Law posits “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”. A lesser known fact is that Murphy’s Law almost always coincides with a Monday. This is a fundamental basis of our universe, alongside the truths that cats will always land on their feet and toast will always land butter-side down. This Monday, May 3, is by far probably one of the most frustrating I’ve had in quite some time. For the first time since our July 31, 2019 edition I really thought there wouldn’t be a newspaper r...