Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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Outside, the evening of Dec. 16, wind-blown snow had lowered visibility to a couple hundred feet and the temperature was falling like a stone. Inside, around 10 people spread out across the Platte Valley Community Center (PVCC) theatre to get information on avalanche safety from experts on the Carbon County Search and Rescue (CCSR) team. Pros in the Know The presenters were Landon McGuire and Casey Cheesbrough, both of whom volunteer for the CCSR. McGuire spent close to a decade as a Forest...
At the Dec. 20 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, about five members of the public were present to hear council member Will Faust level accusations of financial impropriety against members of the community garden board. “They’re writing their own grants to line their own pockets,” Faust said after the meeting, referring to garden member Cindy Bloomquist and Chris Shannon, who is in a relationship with Bloomquist and owns Prancing Antelope construction Faust suggested the council begin think...
An approaching winter storm likely kept several regular attendees at home during the monthly meeting of the Saratoga Airport Board Dec. 13. About five members of the public did turn out, however, and unlike November’s meeting, the board achieved a quorum. Animating much of the day’s discussion was a rehash of an old issue: revisions to the lease terms for hangar owners at the airport that went into effect in the early part of 2016. When the new terms were adopted, several hangar owners objected...
According to an email sent Dec. 23 by a consultant named Jon Nelson, five contractors submitted proposals for a project to clear gravel bars on the North Platte River. Of those five, three firms were selected to be interviewed by the Town the week of Jan. 1. “At this time, it is still the Town’s intent to make an award (for the project) on or before January 6th,” the email stated. Originally, plans called for contractor interviews to take place the week of Dec. 19, with a final selection being...
“I’m not the guy anymore.” Rory Grubb reminded Andy Van Tol. Dec. 13. After 11 years as a member of the Saratoga Planning Commission, Grubb chaired his final meeting of that body Tuesday, drawing a round of applause from his fellow members and about five members of the public in attendance. Greg Cooksey, a former commission member, elicited the clapping by saying, “I would like to just thank you for all the work you’ve done.” Cooksey attended the meeting specifically to mark the occasion an...
Cody Sheldon's Saratoga Elementary School students came back from the weekend to a special treat Monday, Dec. 12. A few weeks prior, Sheldon, the school's music teacher had done some extra credit work on behalf of his kids, recruiting a premier-level flautist to come perform for the students. Tamara Deichert–the flautist–and Sheldon go way back. The two both attended the University of Wyoming as undergraduates where they played in the marching band together, with Deichert on flute and She...
After putting in a shaky effort to start the season 0-3 earlier in the month, the Saratoga Panthers girls’ basketball team sent a strong message to the world of Wyoming high school athletics over the weekend. In notching three double-digit December Ws against Riverside, Burlington and Dubois at a tournament in Thermopolis, the Panthers declared themselves no longer-declawed. “(The girls) had a really good weekend,” coach Heather Bartlett said of the team’s effort Monday. Pride was evident...
The Saratoga Panthers boys’ basketball team did not go gentle into that good winter break. The Panthers fought and clawed for two victories in three days of games, sandwiching a loss to top-ranked Burlington between wins against Riverside and Dubois. “We came out strong against Riverside and played well,” coach Jason Williams said of the weekend’s opening match-up Dec. 15. The Panthers more than doubled the opposition’s score in the game, winning 59-26. Williams credited the decisive victory t...
"Coach Stockwell looked at me at some point last night and said, 'You know how many in a row we've won, right?'" That's Saratoga Panthers wrestling coach Zack Schmidt, remembering a conversation he'd had with assistant coach Tom Stockwell Dec. 15 at the Saratoga-hosted Quadrangular Invite. The Panthers enjoyed a dominant evening against grapplers from high schools in Laramie, Rawlins, Walden and Hanna, winning 10 of their 15 matches that evening. Schmidt had praise all-around for his team, but...
Encampment School Spanish teacher Toby Ricks only had a trimester's worth of eighth grade Spanish and two months of training from the Church of Latter Day Saints when he first went to Ecuador as a teenage missionary. He hopes his students will be a little better prepared for their trip this summer, but admits there are some lessons that just can't be taught in the classroom. Ricks plans on taking a group of five students and a parent to the South American country to volunteer at an orphanage...
About 15 different contractors representing eight different firms gathered at the Saratoga Town Hall Dec. 8 for an informational session on a project to clear Platte River gravel bars near the HWY 130 bridge. The project has long been on the town docket, but previously undisclosed details about its execution were released at the pre-bid meeting. Laying out the parameters of the operation were Saratoga Mayor Ed Glode, council member Richard Raymer, director of public works Jon Winter and an...
Few ventured into howling winter wind to attend the Dec. 6 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. About five members of the public (including incoming council member Jennie Lou Ivory) turned out for the conclave, which wrapped up in less than 25 minutes, after the council had attended to a slate of routine business. On top of the to-do list for the council is determining who to vote for in elections to the Local Government Liability Pool (LGLP). The LGLP is “a self-insurance liability pool for W...
A fire at the Sinclair Oil Refinery that broke out in the wee hours of Dec. 12 was quickly-contained and caused no serious damage or injuries according to Sinclair’s Community Relations Director Ryta Sondergard. One of the plant’s four operating units was affected by the blaze, which was reported around 1 a.m. and declared completely out around 5 a.m. There was no evacuation of workers following the incident, and the flames were contained within five minutes of detection, according to a press re...
Saratoga High School (SHS) senior Thomas Ingraham didn’t have to wait long to notch the hundredth wrestling win of his high school career. After sitting on 99 victories all off-season long, Ingraham didn’t waste any time in blowing past the milestone match, hitting the mark in his first bout of the season. The eight SHS wresters participated in two competitions over the weekend, with junior Jaxon King and Ingraham representing the team at the varsity level. “I couldn’t have been happier with th...
The Saratoga Panthers boys basketball team went 1-2 in their hardwood debut over the weekend, notching a win against Moorcroft while falling short in games against Lingle-Fort Laramie and Shoshoni. Head coach Jason Williams saw a lot to like from his team’s inaugural effort however, and thinks his boys can go far as the team starts to cohere in the weeks to come. “We played hard, we played good defense–there’s just a couple little things to tweak,” Williams said of the Panthers first weekend....
While Heather Bartlett’s Saratoga Middle School boys basketball team was getting anointed conference champions, her other team, the Saratoga High School girls basketball team was getting off to a bit of a rocky start. Over the weekend in Burns, the Lady Panthers dropped all three games in their first tournament of the year, but Bartlett isn’t worried. “It was kind of a good weekend just to see where the team was at,” Bartlett said. She described the tournament as more of an opportunity for exp...
"Every morning when I wake up now I'm paralyzed almost. I have tingling and pain from the waist up." That's Don Ainsworth, describing the start to his day. It can take him up to 30 minutes to get out of bed in the morning. Ainsworth is a Vietnam Veteran who faces multiple health challenges and lives far-removed from a Veterans Administration (VA) facility. He is exactly the sort of patient Congress had in mind when it funded the Veteran's Choice Program. But the program has been beset by problem...
After turning off the paved road, the first kilometer or two of my bike ride around the barrage were unadulterated bliss. The path rolled up and down country hills, occasionally allowing a snapshot of the sparkling blue lake to be viewed in the distance, its shore growing nearer and nearer. During this initial leg of the journey, I was charged with frenetic anticipation of the day that lay before me, ignorant of the challenges and discoveries ahead but eager to meet both head-on. I pedaled hard,...
A flurry of fundraisers will be held across the Good Times Valley in coming months. According to Toby Ricks, a Spanish teacher at the Encampment School, the goal of the charity events is to raise money for a trip to help an Ecuadorean orphanage in the mid-size city of Cuenca. Ricks, five of his students and one parent are aiming to visit and volunteer at the orphanage during the summer of 2017, but the trip will be costly. Ricks said the logistical details of the trip are being arranged by the...
“Humanitarian? I don’t know. I guess.” That was local resident Bill Ward, remembering how he reacted to being featured as one of six doctors and dentists “reaching out to people in need in their communities,” by Odyssey, the quarterly magazine of the University of Maryland’s (UM) College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences. Ward graduated from UM in 1954 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and pre-medical studies. He wasn’t bound to stay “back East” long, however: although h...
Late last month, Saratoga's charitable thrift shop Bridge Street Bargains celebrated one year at its current location at 114 East Bridge Avenue. It was an important landmark for an oddities emporium that has grown into a pillar of the community. According to Nancy Vargas, who volunteers regularly at the shop, it's been a busy and productive year at the Bridge Avenue business. Things could have turned out differently. Last year when the lease on Bridge Street's old location was not renewed,...
Devon Allman first came to Saratoga as a young musician who, through a random encounter in a Minneapolis bar, had chanced into a strange gig in a town he'd never heard about. It was 2006, and though Allman was the son of Gregg Allman, of Allman Brothers fame, Devon was still relatively unknown. Big Name, Small Town A little over a decade later, that's no longer true. As the Allman scion noted at a Nov. 25 private recital hosted by the Hotel Wolf, he has now cut nine albums and toured in 30...
Judy Welton will be stepping down from her post as a Saratoga Town Council member when her term expires early next year. She had one last idea she wanted to float before she returns to the life of a private citizen, however: year-round LED lights adorning the Bridge Avenue light posts. "What I've heard is (merchants) really enjoy having (lights) on the polls and would like to leave them up year-round," Welton said at the Nov. 15 meeting of the council. According to Saratoga Director of Public Wo...
The Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce is making a triple play for local businesses. Make a purchase of $20 or more at any of your favorite local businesses on the three Saturdays from Nov. 26 to Dec. 10 and enter for the opportunity to win one of three great prizes! The more you shop, the more opportunities you have to win. Just bring your dated receipts in to the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce or the Grand Encampment Museum during regular business hours up until December 15...
Zenergy, Charis Thompson, Moonshine and Candace Jefferson are adamant about the fact that they are not "protesters." Still reeling and exhausted from a violent police crackdown the night before, the four spent Nov. 21 unwinding in the Saratoga hot pools on their way back to Southern California. Each had spent between one and three weeks standing in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota. The Standing Rock Sioux are trying to halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline...