Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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The Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) is in the process of developing a draft Natural Resource Management Plan (NRMP) for the county. The County has hired Y2 Consultants and Falen Law Offices to work with a County appointed steering committee to develop the NRMP following the guidelines set forth by the Wyoming Governor’s Office and the Wyoming County Commissioner’s Association. The County is developing this Plan as a tool which allows a local government to have a substantive impact on federal decisions, plans, policies, and pro...
In response to rising cases of COVID-19 and increasing strains on medical facilities, Governor Mark Gordon announced additional statewide measures to help slow the spread of COVID-19, ease the pressure on Wyoming’s healthcare system and preserve the viability of the state’s economy. The new health orders issued by the State Health Officer yook effect on November 24. There are no business closures included in the new orders. They reduce the size of indoor and outdoor gatherings. These are part of a series of measures the state and counties are...
Rocky Mountain Power energized a major transmission line addition this month, completing a key part of its work to connect Wyoming’s diverse energy resources to the vast reach of the utility’s transmission system. This major milestone is part of Rocky Mountain Power’s ambitious and innovative $3.1 billion Energy Vision 2020 project announced in 2017 to bring low-cost energy to customers by investing in new infrastructure, smart use of energy technology, and a commitment to customer and community partnership. The project includes a new 140-m...
The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) announced the official closure of Wyoming Highway (WYO) 130 and WYO 70 over the weekend. WYO 130, also known as the Snowy Range Scenic Byway, originally closed on November 10 due to drifting and blowing snow. According to the press release from WYDOT, dated November 14, crews in Saratoga and Laramie decided that upcoming weather forecasts and current road conditions warranted the seasonal closure. The Snowy Range Scenic Byway, which comprises 12 miles of WYO 130, tops out at more than 10,800...
The Platte Valley Ministerial Association will still be holding their annual Community Thanksgiving Service this year, though it will have some changes due to the impacts from the coronavirus (COVID-19). In a press release from the Platte Valley Ministerial Association, the non-profit organization wrote that the ecunamenical service is an annual tradition and serves as the major fundraising event. The ministerial association uses these funds to sponsor the Saratoga Food Pantry and a Travelers’ Assistance Fund and provide assistance to those w...
What if you were told an hour of your time could change someone’s life? In the time it takes you to read this article, nearly 100 people will receive lifesaving blood transfusions. By taking just an hour or so to donate, you will do something wonderful! Here, in the southern part of Wyoming, it takes 500 people a week to donate blood to serve the 47 area hospitals in this region. One out of every 3 people will need blood during their lives, but only one in 20 people regularly give blood. Saratoga’s next blood drive with Vitalant, formerly Uni...
Open enrollment is the time to purchase, change or re-new your health insurance coverage for 2021. From now until December 15, you can work with an insurance agent or with Enroll Wyoming to make sure you get the coverage you need for 2021. Even if you currently have insurance it’s important to take time to review your plan, especially if there have been changes to your address, family size or income and to see options for lower cost premiums. If shopping for coverage for yourself or your family, here’s everything you need to know about ope...
We obviously have many reasons to feel gratitude to those who have served in the U.S. military, but one we may have overlooked is the role military service has played in preparing our healthcare workers to help keep our community healthy and secure. Take, for example, Saratoga Care Center Director of Nursing Stephany Ponish, BSN, RN. Ponish served as a hospital corpsman in the U.S. Navy from 1992-1999 and says her experience has enabled her to continue to apply the core values of the U.S. Navy: honor, courage, and commitment. “The courage I g...
The Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce has begun selling tickets for the annual Reverse Drawing. Tickets are $10 each and only 300 are sold. Unlike the usual raffle procedure, the very last ticket drawn is the grand prize winner in this drawing. The winner receives $1,000 in chamber gift certificates which can be redeemed at chamber member businesses only. The first, 50th, 100th, 150th, 200th, 250th tickets drawn will also win $50 certificates. And the owner of the 299th ticket drawn will win a $100 certificate. The first 150 names...
Internationally known spine surgeon Dr. Michael Janssen will begin evaluating patients monthly in Saratoga starting Friday, November 20. Dr. Janssen founded the Center for Spine and Orthopedics in Denver and is a frequent visitor to Saratoga. "I'm very excited to open a spine clinic in Saratoga," said Dr. Janssen. "I am passionate about bringing advanced spine care to an area that has become a second home to me. My goal is to help people of all ages remain active doing the activities they love...
Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and it would seem that there has never been more need in the 25 years of the Platte Valley Helping Hands’ Free Community Thanksgiving Day Dinner than 2020. Fortunately, the Platte Valley Helping Hands have every intention in following through with helping those in need this year. It will just look a little different. According to Marilyn Verplancke, no food or beverages will be served in St. Ann’s Parish Hall, which has historically hosted the annual dinner. Additionally, Platte Valley Helping Hands will not...
The Platte Valley Healthcare Project (PVHP) is kicking off a $1 million “stretch” fundraising campaign to provide resources for upgrades to equipment and facilities that will enable the North Platte Valley Medical Center to provide a higher level of care. Called, “Help Us Build a Strong Foundation,” the campaign will have multiple components throughout the year. Activities surrounding naming opportunities at the hospital, a “buy a brick” campaign offering engraved pavers for sale, and events such as an online auction or raffle are among the t...
With the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations around the state, Governor Mark Gordon and the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) are stepping up their efforts to protect vulnerable populations, enhance contact tracing efforts and expand testing availability to all residents. Governor Gordon is also concerned that Wyoming’s economy will be affected by this rise in cases. While the state remains open, the impacts of the surge in cases affect all Wyomingites. Wyoming has averaged more than 200 new cases of COVID-19 per day over t...
Governor Mark Gordon has allocated remaining federal CARES Act funding to help Wyoming businesses and nonprofits with ongoing COVID-19 related losses and expenses. The Wyoming Business Council is finalizing two new funds for the COVID-19 Business Relief Program, the Agriculture Fund and the Endurance Fund. Both funds will open on Nov. 2 and close Nov. 18. “The effects of COVID-19 haven’t disappeared from our communities and businesses,” Gordon said. “There are impacts still being felt by business owners, nonprofit organizations and agriculture...
Wyoming students in grades 4-12 are invited to enter the 2021 Wyoming Letters About Literature reading and writing contest. Students from all schools—private, public and homeschool—are encouraged to enter. The statewide contest opens on November 1, 2020. Postmark submission deadline for entries is January 9, 2021. The contest asks students to read a book, poem or play, or choose one they have already read that inspires them or shows them a new way to see the world. The student then writes a personal letter to the author (living or dead) to sha...
It's time for the annual Halloween Walk! This year, the walk will take place Thursday, October 29th, from 3:30p.m.- 5p.m. to coincide with other school events. For added safety this year, Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce CEO, Leanna Jones has encouraged the participating businesses to set up outside to eliminate gathering and many businesses are participating in trunk-or-treat at the Saratoga Auto Glass Parking lot with the American Legion. Businesses are also encouraged to wear...
The Wyoming Department of Transportation is working to bring additional winter semitruck parking and other safety improvements to Interstate 80, with a major project scheduled to begin this week. WYDOT’s I-80 Winter Freight project will bring nearly 100 new semitruck parking spaces to both the Fort Steele Rest Area about 7 miles east of Sinclair (mile marker 228) and at the Quealy Dome truck parking area 20 miles west of Laramie (mm 290) for a total of almost 200 new spaces. “If weather conditions are poor or I-80 is closed, the new truck par...
Long-term care facilities — especially those in rural areas — have struggled for some time because they often have trouble attracting workers. Although vital to many rural communities, stand-alone long-term care facilities are rarely profitable, and a global pandemic has only made things worse. In a recent letter to the Platte Valley Healthcare Project (PVHP), John and Phyllis Smith of Encampment included a donation to the hospital noting they felt that future promotion should focus on the “benefits that will come to the residents of the Valle...
Governor Mark Gordon clarified that the role of the Wyoming National Guard in assisting with contact tracing is very limited. Due to the record number of new positive cases of COVID-19 the Department of Health and counties needed urgent assistance, but the Guard members’ role is limited to contacting individuals who may have been exposed to COVID-19 based on their contact with someone who has tested positive (contact tracing). The Governor emphasized that the agreement between the Wyoming National Guard and the Wyoming Department of Health (...
Alexis Barney, a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher at Evansville Elementary School in Natrona County School District No. 1, was named Wyoming's 2021 Teacher of the Year September 22, during the Wyoming Education Summit. "Congratulations to Alexis on being named Wyoming's 2021 Teacher of the Year," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow. "I find that her passion and charisma are contagious - and I'm excited for her to share that with others over the next year. Alexis has the...
Encampment High School was recently recognized by Make-A-Wish Wyoming for their participation in and fundraising for the program, according to a recent press release. The Kids for Wish Kids program was introduced by Make-A-Wish Wyoming in 2000 and Encampment High School has been participating in the program since 2007. The program encouraged students from kindergarten to 12th grade to raise money to grant the wishes of children who are battling critical illnesses. High school students are allowed creative leeway to craft fundraisers that they...
All candidates for Saratoga Town Council and House District 47 have indicated they will attend the upcoming candidates’ forum sponsored by the Valley Service Organization (VSO), according to Kassey Westring, forum moderator for the organization. The forum is scheduled for Monday, October 12, at 7 p.m. at the Platte Valley Community Center Great Hall. As in past forums, VSO will open the event with a few brief remarks, then the candidates will be asked to tell the audience why they are running, she said. Questions provided to VSO earlier and f...
As the warmth of the summer months give way into the cooler days of fall, there’s nothing that hits the spot quite like a bowl of chili. Additionally, there’s nothing in the fall quite like a good tailgate party. In that vein of thinking, the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce (S/PVCC) is hosting their inaugural Tailgate Party Fundraiser during the upcoming Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs game. A great tailgate doesn’t happen without some good food or some good drinks, though. The S/PVCC is asking anyone who has a great chili...
The USDA has approved the Platte Valley Healthcare Project’s loan application to build the North Platte Valley Medical Center (NPVMC) as a Critical Access Hospital in Saratoga. The USDA has obligated $18,392,000 in long term financing to get the project off the ground. When it is completed next year, NPVMC will be the most up-to-date medical campus in southeastern Wyoming. In addition to a 24-hour emergency room, NPVMC will offer advanced imaging capabilities, including ultrasound, X-ray, MRI and CT, and feature an inpatient pharmacy, l...
For the 26th year, members and friends of the Little Snake River community will make a fall trek. This year the trek will be close to home, straddling the Continental Divide. It will be a time to enjoy the fall leaf colors and to learn more about the area's history. The treksters will leave Baggs at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 26, with stops for additional treksters in Dixon and Savery. They will travel to Brown's Hill where a stop will be made with information about the homesteaders and...