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Responding to requests from affected counties, and following a thorough review of conditions, Governor Mark Gordon has issued an emergency declaration to facilitate a coordinated response in the aftermath of a severe winter storm that has affected portions of the state. The emergency declaration allows the director of the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security (WOHS) to mobilize state and federal personnel, resources and organizations to address the impacts of the storm. It also directs the... Full story
Amanda Shahadey passed her Real Estate Brokers license to become the newest Associate Broker at Town & Country Realty. She completed her Broker Sales Course I & II and Law through an extensive set of classes prior to passing the test. Amanda has been in the real estate profession since 2015. She was honored by her peers in 2019 as the Carbon County Realtor of the Year. She graduated from Terre Haute North High School in 1999 and then attended St. Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana where she...
If you were making a list of the largest private employers in the North Platte Valley, there’s a surprising one you may have overlooked: the Saratoga Care Center. When the Platte Valley Healthcare Project (PVHP) took over ownership of the Center recently, they learned, among other things, that it has 45 full- and part-time employees. According to Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce Director Leanna Jones, that makes the Saratoga Care Center one of the Valley’s five largest private employers. According to Trina Shirley, business off...
Staff for U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis will hold mobile office hours in Rawlins and Saratoga on March 18 and 19, 2021 to meet with constituents. Field Representative Jackie King will be available to meet with residents and hear ideas, comments and concerns about what is happening in the U.S. Senate, and also to help anyone having trouble working with a federal agency. Of the mobile office hours, Sen. Lummis said: “We are working every day to make sure the federal government works for the people of Wyoming. Whether that is through legislation l...
The Platte Valley Community Center (PVCC) will soon be host to a multi-day event for the benefit of Valley businesses. The inaugural Platte Valley Regional Business Expo will be held at the PVCC and is a joint venture between the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation, the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Rawlins Chamber of Commerce and the PVCC. According to a press release from the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce, "The Platte Valley Regional Expo will enable...
On February 25, the Office of Governor Mark Gordon announced the removal of one health order and the relaxation of other health orders. According to a press release from the governor’s office, the decision comes as Wyoming’s metrics around the coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to improve. Health Order No. 3–which addresses the operations of barber shops, nail and hair salons, tattoo parlors and other personal car services–was eliminated as of March 1. While that health order has been removed, the businesses that were affected by this order m... Full story
A day before Upper Valley Search and Rescue held their annual poker run, search and rescue teams from Encampment, Saratoga and Ryan Park were dispatched to locate two missing snowmobilers. According to a February 23 press release from the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, the office received a call at approximately 4:32 p.m. on February 13 reporting two juveniles who had been separated from their group while snowmobiling. The last known location of the two was near Slash Ridge. While the search and rescue teams were responding to the initial c...
Two Saratoga students were among the 101 recently named by the University of Wyoming (UW) as having received the university’s top academic scholarship, the 2021 Trustees’ Scholars Award. The scholarship, available to Wyoming resident high school seniors, covers actual credit hours taken as well as room and board costs for eight semesters at UW, starting with the fall 2021 semester. The 101 students selected come from 34 high schools throughout the states. According to a press release from the university, recipients of the scholarship are evalua...
Saratoga’s Shively Airfield supports nearly 200 jobs and generates more than $16 million for the state and local economy, according to a recent study conducted by the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT). The last Statewide Economic Impact Study from WYDOT was in 2013 and showed that aviation in Wyoming generated approximately $1.4 billion. That number increased in 2020 to $2 billion. Additionally, aviation in Wyoming was found to support 9.5 percent of statewide employment resulting in more than 27,000 jobs. With a more specific look a...
Governor Mark Gordon announced Wyoming will remove its statewide mask requirement and allow bars, restaurants, theaters and gyms to resume normal operations on March 16. The decision reflects the state’s continually improving health metrics and is consistent with the Governor’s approach of balancing public health with protecting livelihoods. Wyoming has seen a declining number of active COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, and has seen significant success rolling out the vaccine, with the state’s most vulnerable residents having access to th... Full story
What began as a routine traffic stop quickly turned into a dangerous pursuit according to a recent press release from the Wyoming Highway Patrol. On February 19, a Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper attempted to stop a vehicle between Elk Mountain and Walcott on Interstate 80 for a traffic violation. While the driver of the vehicle initially stopped, he failed to identify himself to the trooper before fleeing. As the vehicle was being pursued by the trooper, the driver of the car began firing rounds at pursuing law enforcement. The trooper...
The USDA has issued final loan approval for the construction of the North Platte Valley Medical Center which means, according to Construction Superintendent Monty Wardell, “We can finally move forward.” Wardell said that his firm, contractor Sletten Construction, had been prepared to begin work at the time of the site dedication in October, but delays surrounding bank approval of the plan appraisal put work on hold through the fall. “We can’t issue contracts without the USDA approval, so we had a lot of renegotiation to do after the first o...
The Board Carbon County Commissioners, along with a steering committee, has completed a draft Natural Resource Management Plan (NRMP). The County developed this Plan as a tool which allows a local government to have a substantive impact on federal decisions, plans, policies, and programs. Federal agencies consideration of a local natural resource management plan, or resource plan, can play a key role in the success of a local government engaging as a cooperative agency or with consistency review under the National Environmental Policy Act...
There's a lot more that goes into running a successful medical clinic than just having a doctor or nurse who can see patients. What goes on quietly in the background is equally important to the smooth running of the operation-and ultimately to the healthcare of the community. Consider, for a moment, the jobs of Lisa Bifano and Elizabeth Grubert at the Platte Valley Clinic. Bifano, an LPN, and Grubert, a medical assistant, work as a team with Dr. Adrian Durham and Nurse Practitioner Susan Foley...
Carbon County Public Health will be returning to the Valley and the Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow area this month to administer the second dose of the Moderna coronavirus campaign. The schedule is as follows: Second dose of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine schedule Encampment: Encampment Senior Center from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on February 18. Hanna: Hanna Senior Center from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on February 23. Saratoga: Platte Valley Community Center from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on February 18. Elk Mountain: Elk Mountain Senior Center from 9 a.m. to...
A ban on new sales of federal oil and gas leases could have negative impacts for Wyoming’s wildlife. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has analyzed potential effects on the state’s wildlife in response to Governor Mark Gordon’s Executive Order directing state agencies to determine impacts of federal oil and gas lease ban. Most of all, a ban of new leasing on federal lands could restrict the ability of Wyoming’s state wildlife agencies to work with proponents to avoid and minimize impacts to fish and wildlife. “A blanket ban on new sales of...
Carbon County Search and Rescue safely recovered three lost snowmobilers in the Sierra Madre mountain range according to a recent press release from the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office. In the early morning hours of January 31, Deputy Casey Lehr was contacted to conduct a search and rescue operation off of Wyoming Highway 70 for Lonnie Kelly, Jason Davis and Ty Quickenden. Initially receiving the call at 5 a.m., Lehr and members of search and rescue gathered at the Highway 70 closure gate at 7 a.m. before unloading their snowmobiles, donning e...
The Platte Valley Healthcare Project (PVHP) has agreed to assume ownership of the Saratoga Care Center for $1, the non-profit recently announced. The purchase also includes Laramie Peak Therapies, which is housed at the facility. “It’s important for people to understand why we are doing this,” said Will Faust, chairman of the PVHP. “When the North Platte Valley Medical Center is complete, it will contain the nursing home, the therapy center and the clinic in addition to the hospital. Private donations that were made to the NPVMC are held in...
Saratoga Elementary School (SES) kicked off their 2nd Annual Health Moves Minds initiative on February 1 with the goal of raising money for a local charity. Last year, SES began working with the National Health and Physical Education Society to bring Health Moves Minds to the school with the initiative fulfilling a main component of the health curriculum by focusing on social emotional learning, or SEL. In addition to resources offered by the Health Moves Minds initiative, a fundraising component allows students to give back to their school...
Governor Mark Gordon has unveiled a proposal for modernizing and refocusing Wyoming’s higher education system. The initiative, called the Wyoming Innovation Network (WIN), calls for closer collaboration between the University of Wyoming and the state’s community colleges and an emphasis on developing innovative solutions that will support and enhance Wyoming’s economy and workforce. “Given the challenges facing our state, I’m committed to ensuring that our higher education institutions work together more effectively,” Gordon said. “Together,...
With the long-anticipated approval of a $16 million plan appraisal, the Platte Valley Healthcare Project (PVHP) is finally in a position to move forward on construction of the North Platte Valley Medical Center. In the next phase, First Interstate Bank will underwrite the loan, a procedure that is expected to take about two weeks. “I know people are frustrated with how long this seems to take,” said Will Faust, chairman of the PVHP, “but this is a very complicated process, and we have a lot of irons in the fire that are contingent on worki...
Over the weekend, the Saratoga Sun attended the 122nd Annual Wyoming Press Association (WPA) Convention. It was the first year that the convention went entirely virtual as newspapers from around the state logged on to learn from and congratulate each other. The staff of the Saratoga Sun had quite the showing as they brought home 19 Pacemaker Awards and 5 Photo Awards for a total of 24 individual awards. With those two dozen awards, it marks the most individual awards that have been won by the...
Dr. Emma M. Bjore, medical director for the Saratoga Care Center, has been approved for accreditation as Certified Medical Director (CMD) by the American Board of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (ABPLM). The CMD credential recognizes the dual clinical and managerial roles of the medical director. Certification requires demonstration of competence in clinical medicine and medical management in post-acute and long-term care, and incorporates mechanisms such as fellowship programs, board cer...
A new AMX420 high-definition portable X-ray machine is helping healthcare workers at the Platte Valley Clinic deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. The $133,000 machine, manufactured by GE Healthcare, was recently purchased by the Corbett Medical Foundation and donated to the Platte Valley Healthcare Project (PVHP) as part of Help Us Build a Strong Foundation fundraising campaign. It is currently in use at the Platte Valley Clinic but will ultimately be moved to the North Platte Valley Medical Center...
The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH)) confirmed on January 16 the state’s first case of the “UK variant,” or B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant has been identified in a Teton County adult male. While further investigation is ongoing, early information suggests exposure to the virus variant occurred locally. Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer and state epidemiologist with WDH, said the department is not surprised and expected the variant would be found in Wyoming at some point. “It is not unusual for variants to emerge with viruses and that’s... Full story