Sorted by date Results 226 - 250 of 266
The Saratoga/Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board held their regular scheduled meeting Feb. 12. Town Engineer Chuck Bartlett said that phase two of their loan application for the Waste Water project went out two weeks ago, but the town is still working on the environmental assessment of the project. Bartlett said that he is working with Wyoming Game and Fish to insure that the projects are environmentally sound. There will be a public hearing concerning the waste-water outfall project at 6...
The Saratoga Airport Board was back up and running this past week after the addition of two new members. Jennifer Hamilton and Bobby Chitwood bring their aeronautic experience to the board in order to help improve Shively Airfield. Hamilton, who currently works at the Hotel Wolf, attended aviation school at Aims Community College in Greeley, Colo. She graduated with her commercial pilot's license. She is currently trying to work on her certified flight instructor. A musician and an owner of...
When Virginia Parker took her first official tour of the Saratoga Museum, she came in ready to share her knowledge. She examined the diorama of Indians hunting buffalo explaining the materials the early natives used to create their spears. Then, she moved on to the basement, depicting where the family would sit in a Victorian living room. In the attic of the museum, Parker found an artifact that really caught her attention. It was a quilt - with the signatures of several names she recognized...
Questions about water bills, evaporative ponds and cameras dominate meeting The Saratoga Town Council had a busy night at their Feb. 4 meeting. The meeting began with a letter of correspondence from Saratoga resident Cindy Bloomquist. In her letter, Bloomquist said that she was “concerned that The Town of Saratoga has only paid back about (two) years of water bill penalties for a practice that goes back many years.” Bloomquist also said in her letter that if the mayor and council does “no...
I like to think Mark Twain is a pretty awesome guy. Not only is he one of the greatest American writers of all time, his quotes can be inspirational and extremely hilarious as well. But of all of his witty and humorous sayings out there, I try to live by one of his most famous quotes. “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” Yeah, I admit, it’s a weird quote to live by. But allow me to explain. I don’t live by the literal meaning...
During a public hearing on Feb. 4, Michael Haak of Sage Civil Engineering discussed the master plan for Shively Airfield. Haak said that this was the last public meeting before implementation of the project. Haak presented the outline for the airport layout plan which the terminal layout and approach surface. He said that the new approach would “increase the efficiency and effectiveness [of planes] coming into the airport.” It was also announced that there will be projects in place to make the...
Sitting in the chariot. Holding together two restless horses. Waiting for that gate in front of him to open up. Bobby Bergeson knows that in any given moment, he could be flung from his chariot. He knows the dangers that lie ahead. And he embraces those dangers like an old friend. For the Encampment native, there are few better feelings in the world than chariot racing. “It’s a heck of a rush,” Bergeson said. “Like people who sky dive or those kinds of things, it does something for you. It gives...
While the races will have the town's attention this weekend, it is the volunteers behind the scenes who really get the chariots rolling. Now in its 34th year, the Chariot Races provides much entertainment. Saratoga Lion's Club member, Joe Glode, has been involved with the races from early on. "It started as the Chamber of Commerce's deal," Glode said. "But the Lions were involved early." Glode said that though the Chamber of Commerce promotes the event, it is mainly run by the Lions Club now....
In the Sand Hills of Nebraska, a person can look for miles and find nothing but a flat and barren landscape. However, 60 years ago, two local residents gazed across those Nebraska plains and found a lifetime of love and happiness. Valentine's Day is already a special day for romantics everywhere. But for Shorty and Hazel Ballard of Encampment, this Friday will mark the 60th Valentine's Day they have spent together as a married couple. In 1953, Shorty went to the Sand Hills to go visit Hazel's...
On Jan. 29, LeAnn Uhling finally received that piece of paper she had been waiting over two years for. It was a certificate with the words "National Board for Professional Teaching Standards" inscribed across the top. But to LeAnn, a Kindergarten teacher at Saratoga Elementary, that certificate was more than just a piece of paper. That certificate was the culmination of all her hard work and a symbol of her improvement as a teacher. "I pursued the "National Board Certified process to improve my...
The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled that Senate File 104 (SF 104) was unconstitutional on Jan. 28. The Court’s ruling insured that Wyoming State Superintendent, Cindy Hill, would be placed back in charge of the Department of Education. Perhaps the only other person as thrilled about this decision as Cindy Hill is Constitution Party politician Jennifer Young. Young, who started a petition to stop SF 104 early last year, spoke to a group of Encampment citizens on the same day of the Supreme C...
Homecoming is about getting together and supporting your local community. And a few local community members went above and beyond the call of duty to support their local schools. The Encampment School's pep-rally last Friday consisted of school cheers, a bad food eating contest contest and a "buddy dragging" race. However, the highlight of the pep assembly was when the staff at Encampment School agreed to dying and cutting their hair if the school reached their goal of $2,200 for their "penny...
Can you use solar power to cook s'mores? What's the sturdiest way to construct a bridge? Which colors absorb the most heat? Local students tackled these questions and more last Thursday at the Saratoga Elementary/Middle School Science Fair. Students in grades fourth to seventh all constructed their own science projects to put on display. Using the scientific method, students picked out a project that interested them and shared their results with parents, staff and community members. Three...
Editor’s note: This is the final story in a series of stories on the Platte River Restoration Project. Saratoga is “where the trout leap in Main Street,” and fishing enthusiasts from all over the country come to fish the North Platte. Those fishermen contribute a large amount to Saratoga’s economy, especially during the summer. As the survey portion of the Upper North Platte River Restoration project finalizes in June, some who are concerned how the fishing will be impacted upstream, downstr...
At the Jan. 21 town council meeting, Saratoga Town Clerk, Suzie Cox, announced that the town council had received the audit report for the 2013 fiscal year. The council members had yet to look over the report at the time of the meeting. Chuck Bartlett, Saratoga’s town engineer, said that the Water and Sewer Joint Powers board have received the approval for the Mineral Royalty Grant for the Wastewater Outfall Transmission Line and Pump Station Project. “Everything is a go. We have to get the sec...
Saratoga Resort and Spa's new general manager brings several years of hospitality experience to the Platte Valley. It has been a winding road for Scott Randall. But if there is one thing that has stayed the same throughout the years, it's his passion for hospitality management. A native to the California Bay Area, Randall moved to Utah to get his degree in management of recreational facilities. He then worked for a resort in the Park City area as the director of activities. "The resort in Utah...
Some district teachers tasked with teaching multiple grades By Mike Dunn Shelly Cooper stood in front of a group of kindergartners and first graders. She quickly pointed towards a list of shapes on the poster behind her. "Triangle," the students yelled simultaneously. "Good. Alright, work on the days of the month," Cooper said. She then rushed towards another group of students sitting at a table working quietly behind the rest of the class. "Now a cursive 'L' looks like this," Cooper said while...
Editor’s note: This is the fourth story in a series of stories about the river restoration project. The North Platte River Restoration Project will impact everyone in Saratoga in one way or another. But perhaps the largest impact will be for those who live next to the river. The project will increase the flood plain on the shore of the North Platte River. This will help prevent flooding, however, it means that people who live along the river will lose a lot of their shore front. If the p...
Changes in bylaws were argued at Saratoga’s Planning Commision Jan. 14 for more than one-and-one-half hours. The board reviewed bylaws from town planning commissions in Cheyenne and Wright, and a planning commission in California in order to compile ideas for their own bylaws. The current bylaws are two pages long and were adopted “years ago” according to the chairman of the Saratoga Planning Commission Rory Grubb. The town planning commission did not come to an agreement while examining the o...
Underneath a warm, cloudless sky, the frozen Saratoga Lake was packed with more than 600 contestants from all over the region for the 31st annual Saratoga Fishing Derby. Stacy Crimmins of the Chamber of Commerce said she was very pleased with the Derby's turn out. "We had 606 attendees which is more than we have had in the last several years. The number of fish brought in (Saturday) was almost double what we have weighed in previous years. It was very good," Crimmins said. Many of the...
In a crowded room at the Platte Valley Community Center, several members of Valley businesses gathered for the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Banquet. The Chamber of Commerce gave out four awards to local people, organizations, and businesses including volunteer of the year, organization of the year, new business of the year, and business of the year. This year's volunteer of the year was Cheryl Munroe. A family/consumer science teacher at Encampment High School, she...
This past month I’ve had to do a lot of learning. I’ve had to figure out bank accounts, car insurance, how to register as an official Wyoming resident (which is much harder than it seems). In addition to all of the “adult stuff” I’ve had to learn how to do, I have had to learn my profession and all the things that are going on in this area. Basically, there is a lot more to being an adult than I originally thought. But as I was looking through Facebook on Jan. 13, many of my college friends on F...
The Saratoga Town Council passed two resolutions in their Jan. 7 meeting. Resolution 2013-06 pertains to the Community Development Block Grant and Loan Program which will assist in financing the Saratoga master plan. The cost of developing the master plan grant request is $66,000. Voices of the Valley will contribute $2,500 and the Town of Saratoga is contributing approximately $14,000. The grant application for $49,500 will be submitted to the Wyoming Business Council. Resolution 2014-01 says...
The Carbon County Museum announced they are well on their way to entering their new location at the Ferguson building at the Carbon County Commissioners meeting on Jan. 7. Lauren Hunley, the education and outreach coordinator for the Carbon County Museum said that the success they had in 2013 will only improve moving forward. “Our visitation of 2013 is the highest its ever been in the history of the Carbon County Museum. We have served 5,520 people (last year). A lot of this is because of our d...
The Hotel Wolf was standing room only most of Friday night as customers and friends came to celebrate with the Campbells the 120th anniversary of the Hotel Wolf. The Campbells have owned the Wolf for 37 years. The Campbell family made sure there was plenty of appetizers for their guests, filling a table in the front of the bar with food and a table in the back room with a variety of desserts. Doug said Kathy had been working on preparing food for the party since Jan. 7. The couple greeted guests...