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Big Brothers Big Sisters in Saratoga taught a “Mission to Mars” program this summer. The program allowed children who attended to explore what it would take to go to Mars, and how to survive when they got there. I witnessed some of their projects, including the making of a garden that could grow in a Mars colony. What the children came up with was impressive. The goal of the project, of course, was not to actually plan a trip to Mars. The goal was to teach children about space and the solar sys... Full story
The town of Saratoga is moving forward with a project to install a bridge connecting the hot pool area to Veterans Island, after a three-year delay. “This is something that we have wanted to get accomplished for a long time, and I think that it is something that the local people and tourists are going to really enjoy,” said Public Works Director Chuck Bartlett. The town applied for a $150,000 Transportation Enhancement Activities-Local (TEAL) grant through the Wyoming Department of Transportatio...
Three generations of a family with deep roots in Carbon County’s history will meet in Saratoga Friday. The encounter marks the first time the family will get together in the county limits. No one is more excited than Schelby Betz, the youngest of the three. “It is kind of interesting that three generations will end up here where the family got started,” she said. Betz plans to meet her mother Candace Whitaker and her grandmother Doris Parrish, along with other family members and friends, for a... Full story
The mailing service at the United States Post Office in Encampment has been less than adequate since the arrival of a new postmaster, according to residents. Many have complained of not getting their mail because Wendell O’Connell, who has been Encampment’s postmaster for several months, sends the mail back. Some have had important bills sent back. Others have had medication sent back. For many, the change is affecting the quality of life in Encampment and Riverside. “It’s affecting the citizen...
The Saratoga Town Council officially named Tom Knickerbocker Acting Chief of Police of the Saratoga Police Department in it’s regular meeting Sept. 3. “Really the only business that we are going to address tonight is naming Thomas Knickerbocker acting Chief of Police,” said Mayor Pro Tem Judy Welton. Saratoga Town Council named Knickerbocker acting chief after former Chief of Police Grayling Wachsmuth took the police chief position in Encampment. “I think most of you have seen that Chief G...
Bill Dahlke, a volunteer for South Central EMS, was granted the Pete Vase Medic of the Year Award for 2013. The award is given to one EMS crew in the state of Wyoming each year. This year, at the Annual Trauma Conference held in August in Cheyenne, Dahlke was presented the award. “This is probably once in a life time thing,” Dahlke said. The award goes to those who, not only show exceptional skills as a medic, but also help the community, said Bob Dean, EMT-P for the Wyoming Department of Hea...
Improvements and declines in math, reading and science scores are neck and neck for Carbon County School District No. 2 students, according to data from the 2013 Proficiency Assessments for Wyoming Students (PAWS). The data shows CCSD 2 students improved in eight areas from last year: fourth grade math and science; fifth grade reading; sixth grade reading and math; seventh grade math and reading; eighth grade reading; and 11th grade math. The data also shows students’ performance declined in e...
Voices of the Valley made a leap in status this summer after its efforts to bring the interest of North Platte Valley residents to the forefront were recognized by a funder. VOV, an organization previously funded through the Sonoran Institute, became an independent organization within a matter of weeks. “I feel like it is a huge pat on the back for the work that people here and the people in the upper North Platte … have worked to get this group off the ground,” said VOV Executive Direc...
I didn’t have what you would call a quality high school education. It’s not easy talk about, but it is a discussion worth having. I left high school unexcited about my own future, and the only motivation to go to college was my mother’s concern and the Hathaway Scholarship, money I am truly grateful for receiving. It wasn’t until my sophomore year in college I began to get excited about writing, all because one professor taught me what I should have learned in high school – that writing i... Full story
Supply and demand of homes in Carbon County is presenting a real problem in the Carbon County housing market, according to an Aug. 22 presentation aimed to discuss housing issues in Saratoga. According to census data, rent for an apartment in Carbon County rose 218 percent within 10 years. Rent for a house rose 243 percent in the same amount of time. Mark Ames, a project manager for the Bureau of Land Management Rawlins Field Office, and an extensive background in real estate, those percentages...
Carbon County School District No. 2 administrators are beginning to look at new standards adopted by Wyoming a year ago. The new standards, known as Common Core, apply to math and language arts learning primarily and are focused on preparing students for college. The standards began to set roots in multiple school systems around the United States in 2010. Wyoming adopted the standards last year, which means the state assessment will change to reflect those standards, said Stephen Marsh, Wyoming...
A car sits adjacent to a propane tank with two immobile occupants in the vehicle. White smoke billows from the sides. The alarm sounds and staff at the Deseret Health and Rehabilitation Center begins to evacuate. Sirens can be heard in the distance from responding firefighters and police officers. None of it is real, though. It’s a drill. The people in the car are city employees posing as injured residents. The smoke is dry ice and water. The residents inside Deseret Health and Rehabilitation C...
The town of Saratoga isn’t waiting for the arrest of vandals who defaced hot pool property earlier this month to take action in preventing it from happening again. Aug. 20, the Saratoga Town Council passed a motion to allow the Saratoga Police Department to purchase four surveillance cameras and a Digital Video Recorder in the amount of $4,140.40. The cameras will be installed in areas around the hot pool to help prevent vandalism and other illegal activity, said Mayor John Zeiger. “We have had...
A chemical spill in the Saratoga sewer lagoons of unknown type and origin caused a strong odor many visitors and residents may have encountered in May and June. “It got hit with some kind of chemical,” said Public Works Director Chuck Bartlett. “We don’t know whether it came from the system or someone dumped it, but it got hit and killed all the bacteria in cell one.” Bartlett said the chemical got into the system between May and June, causing the strong odor. Depending on wind condition...
Liandro Escobedo has grown accustomed to the ringing of a cash register and sifting through merchandise after working at a thrift store throughout the summer. Escobedo works hard. Any given day since June, He could be spotted inside Bridge Street Bargains, located on Bridge Street across from The Wolf Hotel, working the register, hanging up clothes or performing some other task to benefit the non-profit shop. “I think it’s great because it helps you a lot, plus it gives you something to do, so...
Residents are expressing interest in establishing a Civil Air Patrol charter in Carbon County. Ken Lehr sparked that interest when he moved to Saratoga with his family about 10 months ago from Nebraska after landing a job at the Saratoga Police Department. He said he and his son Cameron are members of the Civil Air Patrol, and want to spread their interest in Saratoga in hopes of getting a charter. Ken and Cameron’s interest was well-received by the town. Saratoga Mayor John Zeiger, Assistant C...
The town of Saratoga and PMPC are planning to bring in water meter experts to inspect a number of meters along Bridge Street. “There are still a number of meters that aren’t reading,” said PMPC engineer Ken Schwerdt. “What’s odd is that there are so many along Bridge Street.” Schwerdt said about 25 water meters in the town of Saratoga are still not reading, and a lot of them have never been able to read since the system was installed. The water meter system in Saratoga, designed by a company c...
Virginia Parker embraces a mule as Glenn Ryan, lead packer of the The Rocky Mountain Regional Specialty Pack String, waters his fleet of horses and mules before continuing his journey to central Colorado. The Rocky Mountain Regional Specialty Pack String stopped in Saratoga Monday to water mules and horses before returning to central Colorado. The pack string is one of four regional groups in the United States that represent the U.S. Forest Service. “We cover two-thirds of Wyoming, all of C...
The amount of respect the Platte Valley has for veterans is amazing. It seems everyone is pulling together to help bring Tyler Pickett Park into view to honor Carbon County’s only soldier who died during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008. But these efforts do not mark the first time I recognized the Valley’s outstanding respect for veterans. Several months ago, my friend Nick who is in the Army National Guard, came to visit me before his deployment with the 133rd. Nick showed up in his uni... Full story
Saratoga resident Royce Kelley’s response to the Planning Commission’s cease and desist order was to get a new building permit. Kelley sought a permit for a mobile home being constructed on his property, a building permit Saratoga’s zoning officer Chuck Bartlett issued. Kelley approached the Planning Commission Aug. 16 with questions about building permits and announced his newly issued building permit. Planning Commission members questioned the legality of building a mobile home on the prope...
The idea for the bake shop started with a dream to bring something sweet to Saratoga. “I always wanted to open up my own bakery, and I saw a need in Saratoga for comfort food, and I saw the most perfect opportunity,” said Marie Christen, the owner of Sweet Marie’s Bakeshop, a new business located in Saratoga on Bridge Street next to Strong Tower Design. Sweet Marie’s Bakeshop is a café-style restaurant featuring cupcakes, breakfast items, coffees, teas, cookies and other pastries. Sweet Marie’s...
A Saratoga chiropractor now has certification necessary to practice acupuncture, making her one of a few, if not the only acupuncturist, in Carbon County. Dr. Kendra Sims, D.C. Doctor of Chiropractic, and now acupuncturist, with Albany County Chiropractic in Saratoga, received the credentials necessary to practice acupuncture in February 2012 from the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Along with Sims’ new practice, she also achieved Diplomate status with the College of Manipulative a...
The Carbon County Commission unanimously voted to approve changes to its health insurance plan for county employees to off-set budget shortfalls in the 2013/2014 fiscal year. The change, which will go into effect January, means higher deductibles, the addition of medical co-pays, higher prescription co-pays and the addition of a wellness program which awards those on the plan. “I feel these are substantial changes to the insurance and they will affect all employees, especially those on tight b...
There is a little something for everyone in the shop with the “Antique’s n Junque” sign hanging at the door. Once inside, you will discover jewelry of all styles, coat hangers, jeans, hats, used books, old Wyoming license plates, antiques and much more. At first glance one may recognize the shop as a typical antique shop, but that is not the case. According to the owners, Jamie and Ray Bernal, their shop, Strong Tower Design located on Bridge Street next to Platte River Pizza and Sweet Marie...
After a car wreck left him paralyzed from the chest down, simple tasks like inserting a DVD into a laptop disk drive became tedious. But even with limited use of his arms and fingers, Brandon Johnson, who survived a car wreck 14 years ago, was able to achieve the task. “It took me about 45 minutes and about 30 tries, but I got it in the side of my laptop,” Brandon said. After 14 years, Brandon does not remember anything from the crash, he said, and is living with the consequences of his poo...