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Saratoga, we really should hand it to ourselves. We know how to do Independence Day right. Why else would we be seeing more and more people coming to our small corner of Wyoming? The Saratoga Volunteer Fire Department pancake breakfast had a line snaking out of the firehall and down Spring Avenue. The 3rd Annual Independence Day 5K Run/Walk had nearly 150 participants this year, with many people signing up the day of the event. Finally, the Independence Day Parade was one of the largest I’ve s...
The Snowy Range became the scene of an active investigation over the July 4 holiday, limiting traffic on Wyoming Highway 130 at the Snowy Range Scenic Bypass and closing off the Mirror Lake Day Use area. According to a press release from the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, a report was received at 8 p.m. on July 4 of a body near Mirror Lake which was later confirmed by the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office announced there was no immediate danger to the public and the cause and manner of de...
One week after investigating the death of an unresponsive individual in downtown Saratoga, the identity of the person and the cause of death have been released by the Saratoga Police Department. In a press release issued by Chief Mike Morris, it was announced the deceased was 38-year-old Jacob Warren McNare of Cheyenne. According to the press release, it was determined McNare had died from a single gunshot wound and the death had been ruled a suicide. “Although McNare had past family ties to t...
A grassland fire caused by fireworks—which are illegal in Carbon County—burned nearly five acres and, at its peak, required 40 firefighters and 17 firefighting apparatus. At around 7:30 p.m. on July 6, the Rawlins Fire Department responded to a call for a grassland fire off Rodeo Court, according to a press release from the City of Rawlins. The fire spread into a nearby salvage yard in the 700 and 800 blocks between East Cedar and East Spruce streets, behind Fremont Motors and Skyline Mot...
The Platte Valley is filled with countless things to do regardless of the season. Floating the Platte and Encampment rivers or hiking in the summer, snowmobiling or cross-country skiing in the winter or fishing throughout the year, adventure awaits. With so much to do, and often so little time, it’s important to find a place for breakfast or lunch which can get you on your way. Look no further than Saratoga Sandwich Company, one of three restaurants owned by Tommy and Cassie Orduno. Started i...
Much like an alternating current of electricity, there was a mix of news presented at Carbon Power & Light’s 83rd Annual Meeting on June 22 at the Platte Valley Community Center. Following several rounds of bingo and interspersed with door prizes for electric cooperative member owners, updates were also provided by TriState Electric and the Wyoming Rural Electric Association. Transitioning to the Future One of the first pieces of good news was delivered by Clay Thompson, Vice President of the Carbon Power & Light Board of Directors. Thompson t...
There are few things better than a good taco. While they may be Mexican in origin, tacos are extraordinarily popular in the United States. Just look at all the variations of fast-food chains which are built on tortillas, meat and cheese. They even led to a highly-publicized legal battle between Wyoming-based Taco John’s and Taco Bell regarding the use of “Taco Tuesday.” They’re so ingrained into our culture that comedy band Lewberger wrote the song “White People Taco Night.” More than three-...
Downtown Saratoga became the scene of activity for the Saratoga Police Department on the afternoon of July 2 as a portion of east Bridge Avenue was shut down for approximately three hours. Around 1 p.m., the Saratoga Police Department and South Central Wyoming Emergency Medical Services (SCWEMS) were observed attending to a vehicle with Laramie County license plates. What at first seemed to be the rescue of a dog from a hot car turned more somber as it became clear an unresponsive individual...
Saratoga residents are one step closer to being able to own poultry within town limits following the June 18 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. Ordinance No. 870, previously preferred to as the "Chicken Ordinance" was passed unanimously on first reading at the second June meeting of the governing body. A proposed draft of the ordinance was presented to the Saratoga Town Council in March, discussed by the Saratoga Planning Commission in April and the subject of a public hearing at the May 14...
The Independence Day weekend and Saratoga Days are just around the corner, bringing with it headlining act Lita Ford. With yet another big name in music coming to perform for free in Saratoga, the Saratoga Police Department is working to prepare for the event. “Last year, the Saratoga Days Committee did an exceptional job of planning,” said Chief Mike Morris. “It was very well run. We had very few issues last year.” Few issues, however, doesn’t mean there weren’t any issues. According t...
As the summer has returned to Saratoga, so too has the frustrating bites of mosquitoes and the familiar hum of the Town of Saratoga’s mosquito fogger. By now, all neighborhoods in town have likely seen the white single-cab truck with the red fogger in its bed driving through their area. According to Director of Public Works Emery Penner, residents should expect to see fogging on Monday evenings, Wednesday evenings and Friday evenings. That schedule, he added, is dependent on the weather. T...
The best way to describe the Colorado-based band Loose Change—which performed at the BearTrap in Riverside on Saturday night—might be from the popular song by Donny and Marie Osmond, “A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock n’ Roll.” Maureen Dailey and her husband, Lee, came from different musical backgrounds before helping to found Loose Change, which plays covers of popular 90s country songs such as Dwight Yokum. “It kind of morphed into a band. [With the] National Western Stockshow, my dad wa...
It was a great day for disc golf in the Platte Valley on June 8. Going into its 8th year, the Tale of Two Cities Disc Golf Tournament hosted by Mother Mountain Anglers appeared to be a success with four men’s teams and a women’s team. The day began with the women’s team teeing off at Grand View Park in Encampment at 9 a.m. and, an hour later, the men’s teams teed off at Grand View Park, Rick Martin Memorial Park in Riverside and the Stage Stop Links just east of Riverside. The day started...
With the filing deadline of May 31 now past, the ballots for the primary election are now set. In the local races, nearly all are contested with several people running for limited seats. Meanwhile, there’s some new faces in the statewide offices as one long-time congressman doesn’t appear to be running for re-election this cycle. United States Senator Beginning with United States Senator, John Barrasso will be seeking another term. Barrasso has served in the United States Senate since 2007, when he was appointed to finish the term of the lat...
A Saratoga man has pleaded guilty to two charges related to a shooting at the 2023 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Wyatt James Fluty, 29, entered guilty pleas to one count of attempted first degree murder of a law enforcement officer and one count of commission of a felony while armed with a firearm. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced the guilty pleas on May 31. The other four charges Fluty was facing were dismissed as part of a plea bargain. At his initial appearance in September 2023, Fluty had pleaded not guilty to the charges....
With a deadline of May 31 for candidates to file for the primary election, some races will see some competition while others are either uncontested or without any candidates at all. This year, three seats are up for grabs on the Board of Carbon County Commissioners with five candidates having filed as of May 28. John Espy and Sue Jones both have filed to run for re-election. Joining them on the ballot will be Gwynn Bartlett, who has served as the Carbon County Clerk since 2010 and was re-elected in 2022, James “Jimmy” Hinkle and Garrett Ire...
As high school seniors were practicing their graduation walks and making sure they had all their assignments turned in before accepting their diplomas, Saratoga Head Start held its own graduation. Part of Carbon County Child Development, Head Start held their graduation ceremony on May 22 at the Platte Valley Community Center Theater. Saratoga Head Start Director Pat Forbes led the commencement along with other Head Start staff as they showcased what students had learned for the school year,...
Every morning, Principal Mike Erickson greets students at Encampment K-12 School. Standing in the middle of the foyer, he gives fist bumps to both primary and secondary students as they start their day. On May 31, he will be giving fist bumps for the last time. After 19 years as principal and 30 years in education, Erickson will be retiring. According to the outgoing principal, now’s a good time to retire. Rather Early Than Late “There’s a lot of things that I’ll miss but anybody who knows m...
Seniors of Carbon County School District No. 2, you are about to officially take your first step into the “the real world.” I would make a reference to a popular reality television show which used to be on MTV, but I’m not sure if you’d get that reference. Nor am I sure I want to age myself, though I’m going to be doing that now. I, along with 35 other members of Saratoga’s class of 2005, sat through my own graduation ceremony 19 years ago. At 36 students, we were one of the largest classes to...
Today marks the opening of the 2024 Primary Election filing period with a deadline of May 31 for candidates in all partisan and nonpartisan primary races. A complete listing of all offices can be found in the 2024 Primary Proclamation on page B6 of this week’s Saratoga Sun. A few of those offices include three seats on the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), three on the Saratoga Town Council, two on the Encampment Town Council and three on the Riverside Town Council. Board of Carbon C...
When Saratoga Forest Management first began operations in 2012—operating the sawmill once owned by Louisiana Pacific—it was big news for two reasons. First, the sawmill had been closed since 2003 dealing a major blow to the local economy. Second, Saratoga Forest Management was processing the abundance of beetle-killed lodgepole pine. When newspapers descended upon Saratoga to report the news of the sawmill reopening, one of the people they spoke with was Orville Howe. Howe and eight of his broth...
These days it may seem as if election cycles never end, but only bleed into one another. While it can be easy to get fatigued by the constant election rhetoric, the civic importance of elections shouldn’t be lost. This year is a presidential election and, in Wyoming, one senate seat and the lone congress seat are also on the ballot. Also on the ballot are a number of county and municipal offices. Three of the five seats on the Board of Carbon County Commissioners will be on the ballot this e...
Nearly three months after the untimely passing of Saratoga Town Council member Jacob Fluty—and a month of advertising—the governing body received two letters of interest for the vacant seat. One letter was from Bub Barkhurst, owner of Barkhurst Collision Center, and the other was from Chia Valdez, owner of Saratoga Land Company and a current member of the Saratoga Planning Commission. Both applicants cited their long ties to Wyoming in their letters with Barkhurst stating his family had set...
In rural areas such as Carbon County, access to healthcare doesn’t always mean it is affordable. According to the Rural Health Information Hub (ruralhealthinfo.org), while access to healthcare would imply that services are available and obtainable in a timely manner many rural residents encounter barriers to healthcare. “Even when an adequate supply of healthcare services exists in the community, there are other factors that may impede healthcare access,” reported the Rural Health Infor...
“I get a lot of people that knock on my window and say ‘Do you have real food?’ If you want a burger or you want a taco or you want wings, that’s not what I have.” For the past year, Courtney Ney has traveled across Carbon County—and even the state—with a food truck which stands out from the rest. It’s not the yellow color of the trailer, but rather what Ney sells. While other mobile vendors sell burgers, wings, tacos or even pizza, Ney’s menu could be seen as a palate cleanser. That’s...