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Photo by Joshua Wood Smoke from fires elsewhere in Wyoming created an orange sunset on Saturday evening as cattle grazed west of Saratoga....
On August 14, Cassie and Tommy Orduno were awarded Business of the Year by the Carbon County Board of Realtors. The Ordunos own and operate several businesses in Saratoga including Bella’s Bistro, opened in 2011; Saratoga Sandwich Company, opened in 2020; Sunny Cup, opened in 2022; and The Lucky Pearl, opened in 2023. Across all four businesses, the couple employ a total of 28 locals while also raising their two young children. “It was an honor for me and my wife to win this award,” Tommy said....
It almost seems to be a scene out of a movie. A donation center in another state receives a funeral flag box of a fallen soldier, starting them on a mission to find the rightful home for the memorial item. Their mission leads them to contact a local newspaper. It sounds too good to be true but, on August 22, that’s exactly what happened when the Deseret Industries Thrift Store and Donation Center in Rexburg, Idaho called the Saratoga Sun asking if the name Tyler Pickett had any significance t...
In a county where more than half of the land is public, determining where the county sheriff authority has jurisdiction can be difficult. A discussion at the most recent meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) over which agency has the ultimate jurisdiction within Carbon County used terminology from the constitutional sheriffs and country supremacy movements. Somewhat Political The discussion, which lasted just under 30 minutes, was prompted by Saratoga resident Scott Kerbs...
Saratoga Lady Panthers volleyball started off their new season with a decisive win on Friday afternoon, welcoming the Fort Washakie Lady Eagles to the 1A Southwest Conference in a 3-0 shutout. The opening match of the season gave Head Coach Shayley Love, who has returned after a season away, the opportunity to see what the Lady Panthers may be capable of this season. “My girls know that every one of them is going to be pushed this year just because there’s a ton of talent on this team,” said...
It was a busy Labor Day weekend for staff at the City of Rawlins as several water main breaks occurred on the holiday. According to the City, the six breaks which took place over a three-day period were due to a combination of aging infrastructure and a period of slightly elevated pressure. “Despite undergoing regular maintenance, a pressure-reducing valve failed,” said Mira Miller, communication relations director with the City of Rawlins in a press release. “Although pressure remained withi...
As landowners and sportsmen alike await a decision from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals regarding a corner crossing case which originated in Carbon County, local law enforcement are left without a clear directive should a similar incident happen again. Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken, called the lack of direction “a little disappointing and a little detrimental” during the August 26 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC). Hunting for Answers Under his departmental upd...
Following one of the lowest voter turnouts in the primary election since 2016, Carbon County Clerk Gwynn Bartlett encouraged more voter involvement—and education—ahead of the general election. Her comments came during the August 26 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) as she provided the board with a post-election update. Low Turnout “Turnout was low, as you know, about 56%. That’s 10 to 15% lower than I anticipated it would be. We had 5,388 registered voters when we star...
Monday was the sixth “first day of school” for my son, Jareth, and possibly the final one in which I got to drive him. We sent Jareth to the preschool in Encampment and, when it came time to choose a school, we opted for Encampment K-12 as he already had a number of friends. Since kindergarten, it has been a tradition for me to drive Jareth to school and walk with him into the building. It is something I have tried not to take for granted, understanding that it won’t be long before he’d rather...
Beginning August 8, registered Republicans in Carbon County began receiving election mailers for supporting Garrett Irene, John Espy and Sue Jones as incumbent candidates for the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCC). There was just one problem. None of the candidates knew about the mailers until they arrived in the mail, nor were they aware of the group which paid for the mailers: The Western Way Action PAC (Political Action Committee). While the mailers were positive-a stark contrast to...
Property tax exemptions have been a hot topic for the past few years, as Wyoming residents have seen both values and taxes increase following the influx of new residents both during and after the pandemic. While a flurry of bills were introduced in the 2024 Wyoming Legislative Session, only four passed both the House and Senate and only three were signed into law by the governor. House Bill 3, House Bill 45 and Senate File 89 were all signed by Governor Mark Gordon while House Bill 54 was not....
Fires are on the forefront of people’s minds recently following a relatively small wildfire near Jack Creek and two calls for hay bales struck by lightning. With the Hanna RR 316 Fire of 2020 still in people’s minds, some may be concerned about where they may evacuate to. “We did have some people raise some concerns about where they would go if a fire made a big run, which can happen,” said Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris. “The fire departments did an amazing job getting on this and knocking it down and staying on it, but we did have the...
For the second time in five years, Altitude Chophouse & Brewery in Laramie walked away with the coveted Steinley Cup for their Pedal House Pilsner. In doing so, they ended the winning streak of Freedom’s Edge Brewing in Cheyenne. “We know how to make a pilsner,” said Sean Minichello. What Is A Pilsner? The brew selected for the 28th Annual Steinley Cup Microbrew Competition was the pilsner which has its origins from the Czech Republic. On August 3, 10 microbreweries from across Wyoming conve...
After a two-hour service outage on July 18, Union Wireless is now investigating the reason behind the outage. As previously reported, Platte Valley customers of Union Wireless were without phone, data or internet service for approximately two hours. Initially, Union Wireless cited a planned power outage conducted by the Western Area Power Authority and Carbon Power & Light in the Elk Mountain area for the cause of the service outage. “It’s interesting that the Western Area Power Administration crew shut off the power at 10 a.m but we did not lo...
It’s been a month since Lita Ford headlined Saratoga Days, an annual free concert held in downtown Saratoga around Independence Day. For Scott McIlvaine, one of the event organizers, having the Queen of Metal play in his hometown is something which still feels surreal. “A free show, nonetheless. That’s huge for Saratoga,” said McIlvaine. “I grew up listening to her music and she played in our town. She enjoyed Saratoga and I hope people enjoyed her.” For the past six years, McIlvaine a...
“When you can make so many people happy, it’s good for your heart.” The sun had long set on Roger Burau’s property, home for The WHAT Festival for the third consecutive year, when he took to the stage on Saturday evening. For the past 48 hours, acres of his land had been transformed into a miniature community of music, camping and food trucks with cliffs to the north and the river to the south. As he stood on stage, in the spotlight for just a few minutes, he was greeted with cheers, applaus...
The identify of the Mirror Lake John Doe discovered on July 4 has been identified 56-year-old James Bitner of Blackhawk, Colorado, according to a July 25 press release from the Albany County Sheriff’s Office. As was previously reported, the Snowy Range between Saratoga, Wyoming and Laramie, Wyoming became the scene of an active investigation over the July 4 weekend. The Albany County Sheriff’s Office received a report around 8:00 p.m. on July 4 of a dead body in the vicinity of Mirror Lake. It...
A Saratoga man is dead following a high speed car chase which began as an attempted traffic stop in Saratoga and ended in Centennial on the night of July 24. According to information provided by the Wyoming Highway Patrol, an officer with the Saratoga Police Department attempted to stop a green and gold Subaru Outback with no registration for speeding. The driver of the vehicle, later identified as Ayden LeCureux, refused to stop and drove recklessly through downtown Saratoga. At times,...
Brews are in this weekend as the 28th Annual Steinley Cup Microbrew Competition returns to Veterans’ Island in Saratoga. The original and only official State of Wyoming Microbrew Competition, hosted by the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce, will see 11 breweries from across the state descend upon the Platte Valley for their chance at the coveted Steinley Cup. That includes Freedom’s Edge of Cheyenne, which has won back-to-back in 2022 and 2023. Last year, Freedom’s Edge won with their E...
The past two weeks have been, for lack of a better word, interesting for Jason Williams who teaches history and government at Saratoga Middle High School. Within the span of a week, the country witnessed the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump and the decision by President Joe Biden not to seek re-election. Were these events to occur during the school year, rather than in the middle of summer, Williams likely would speak with his students about both of them. Not just from a...
Nearly a year after a shoot-out with law enforcement at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the Saratoga man involved has been sentenced to 55 years in prison. Wyatt James Fluty, 29, was sentenced by Judge John Fitzgerald in Meade County Court on July 17. As part of a plea bargain announced In May of this year by Attorney General Marty Jackley, Fluty pled guilty to attempted first degree murder involving a law enforcement officer and commission of a felony while armed with a firearm. The incident—whic...
As seems to be common anymore around midsummer, Saratoga Lake is under a harmful algal bloom advisory as of July 18 according to the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). This is the sixth consecutive year the lake has been placed under an advisory for harmful algal blooms—or blue-green algae—since 2019. Previous advisories issued by the Wyoming Department of Health and the Wyoming Livestock Board have included the following recommendations: - Avoid contact with water in the vic...
This year’s Saratoga Days appeared to be a success as Southern Fryed, Los Cheesies and Lita Ford brought each of their own musical stylings to downtown Saratoga on July 6. As this event has grown over the years, from one with local and regional artists to nationally known talent, so has the planning and response from law enforcement and first responders. This year, Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris worked closely with both the Saratoga Days Committee as well as Stayton Mosby, director of the Sou...
“It was sad that it has come down to this, to somebody possibly losing their life over it.” Following an attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump on Saturday, Saratoga mayor Chuck Davis and other local elected officials echoed comments on the national level about the need to “turn the rhetoric down.” Mayor Davis said while he hopes the country can steer away from violent political rhetoric, he’s not sure it’s possible. “There’s so much hatred in the world today, in the United Sta...
As the summer has reached its peak and starts heading towards fall, the Saratoga Police Department has seen an increase in traffic violations, though not the type one might think. According to Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris, his department is seeing an increase in unlicensed ATVs, motorcycles and UTVs (side-by-sides) on the streets of Saratoga. Additionally, many times they are being driven by unlicensed drivers. “We are starting to increase our patrols to address that,” said Morris. “[I...