Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 201
The town of Saratoga and PMPC think they have the water billing and meter issues figured out. “The data on the July bills are correct from what I can tell,” said PMPC engineer Ken Schwerdt in a Saratoga Town Council meeting Aug. 6. “I am really confident on how the system is working right now.” In June, several water consumers saw incorrect bills due to discrepancies between software the town uses to calculate water usage and billing. Saratoga Mayor John Zeiger said he is also confident the wat...
On Aug. 17, you can honor a fallen war veteran by running. Saratoga resident Joe Elder is hosting the Platte Valley Trout Run, a 3.2 mile run in Saratoga, to honor Tyler Pickett, a war veteran who lost his life in combat June 8, 2008 in Iraq. Elder said he will also donate all the proceeds to aid in the completion of Tyler Pickett Park. Elder said he thought the run would be a nice way to honor Pickett, but also to contribute to help the park’s construction. “It’s been sitting there, as every...
Brewer Steve Simpson is putting in extra hours at the Snowy Mountain Brewery in preparation for the 18th annual Steinley Cup Brewfest. He is cleaning up the brewery, but he has one thing ready to go — his competing brew, an India pale ale. Pale ale, wheat, stout, amber ale, pilsner and brown ale are the usual competing classes of brews in the annual festival, but this year the Saratoga-Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce decided to add two more competing classes, India pale ale and red ale. ...
As part of the Wyoming Congressional Award program, Mckenzie Powell, Brett Miller, KeeGan Johnson, Konnar Knotwell, Randa Sorensen, Guy Erickson, Hunter Mason, Sarah Burton and Cassidy Little visited Kathy Glode Park manned with paint brushes and brown paint to rejuvenate the benches, tables and shelters that reside at the park. All nine students were working toward more hours for their Wyoming Congressional Award. The Congressional Award is the United States Congress’ award for young A...
Volunteer firefighters for the Saratoga Volunteer Fire Department opened up the station to the public in honor of 90 years of service. Children played on the trucks, people enjoyed a lunch provided by the volunteers and one couple, from Colorado Springs, Colo., vocalized their appreciation for firefighters everywhere. “They are my new heroes, believe me,” said Debbie Lamb, A Colorado Springs woman who nearly lost her home in the Black Forest Fire. The fire, which began June 11, destroyed at lea...
The town of Saratoga is working with moving numbers as it starts off the fiscal year. The town of Saratoga released its FS 10 document, a document that displays budgetary items, revenue and expenditures reflective of the town’s general fund. According to the document, the town’s preliminary expenditures outweigh its potential revenue by more than $360,000. However, those figures are always moving until the end of the 2013/2014 fiscal year, said Town Clerk Suzie Cox. The town’s FS 10 does not n...
The West Battle Creek Fire first discovered July 22 is now 100 percent contained as firefighters focus their goals toward mop-up operations after the blaze covered more than 100 acres within 24 hours due to windy conditions and dry weather. “That first 24 hours, they had some winds that caused the fire grow,” said Aaron Voos, a spokesman with the U.S. Forest Service. The blaze, caused by a lightening strike, initially started as a “less-than-an-acre fire,” Voos said. Initial resources include...
Two contracted employees were injured in a small fire at the Sinclair Oil Refinery Tuesday morning. Both employees were working in a crude distillation unit, located south of the refinery adjacent to the highway, when the blaze started at approximately 11:10 a.m., said Sinclair Oil Corp. employee John Pfeffer. The fire was immediately extinguished by unit operators in the area and the refinery's internal emergency response team, Pfeffer said, but left both contractors injured. Pfeffer said he... Full story
In the Saratoga Fire Department’s 90 years of existence lies a rich history. The department, founded March 15, 1923, started off with noting more than 27 volunteers and a $10 donation from the Saratoga mayor at the time, M.B. McKillip. Now, the department has grown to six vehicles, 31 volunteers and nine decades of service to Saratoga and the Platte Valley. The current force felt it was only right to honor the fire department with a celebration dedicated to its history and advancement t... Full story
Several children got to know a little bit more about Jesus after participating in this year’s Vacation Bible School. Children who participated in the camp from July 22-26 made arts and crafts, listed to biblical lessons and learned dances to songs, all geared toward the theme of “getting to know Jesus”. “It reaches in the whole community,” said Helen Young, Pastor for the First Presbyterian Church in Saratoga. “It gives us a chance to share God’s love with them.” Children of all ages walked bet...
About 50 children brushed up on their science skills in a hands-on summer program that spanned from July 15 to 19. Educators from Carbon County School District No. 2 and Teton Science Schools in Jackson assisted with bringing Teton Summer Science Camp to Saratoga for the third year in a row, said CCSD 2 Science Facilitator Josh Sandlian. The program uses a teaching method called place-based education, a method designed to utilize local resources to teach students science in a hands-on...
Three Saratoga football coaches are concerned with safety and the success of the program as one of their positions faces elimination. The Carbon County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees voted to change the student-to-coach ratio for all sports in the district to 28-to-3, meaning the football team will most likely lose one coach as they start a six-man season this fall. Saratoga High School football coaches Scott Bokelman, Josh Sandlian and Luke Spiering do not know how many players they...
One of the first things I learned when going to school for journalism is that you cannot obtain information via spying. It is illegal to insert video or audio feeds in people’s homes. So why is it that the National Security Agency is allowed to conduct domestic spy programs when it is illegal? Before Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the NSA, they made it a point to keep their domestic spying under wraps. Now that everything is out in the open, it seems we mistook who our enemy actually is. I...
Two Saratoga men have been arrested and charged after going on a crime spree. Kyle Giacometto and Jake Hamann were both charged with three counts of attempted burglary and five counts of burglary in addition to other charges after breaking into at least five Saratoga businesses and attempting to break into three others on July 13 and 14. “They went on a crime spree,” said Assistant Chief Police Tom Nickerbocker who ran the investigation. “They attempted to break into, as far as I can tell, at le... Full story
Some residents have discovered what has been described as a “phantom number” on their water bills for the past several years. “If you add up these numbers the sum is less than amount due. That means there is a number there that is not there,” said Saratoga resident Chris Shannon who has experienced the mystery charge. Shannon has three months of water bills for a piece of property he owns known as Orion Point. Those bills express the charge. For bills in the months of February, March and Apr...
A Texas man passed through Saratoga twice in a high-speed chase before finally being arrested near Sinclair. The chase started 2:30 a.m. July 16 after Saratoga police officer George Phillips found Justin Lee, of Milano, Texas, sleeping in his vehicle in Saratoga. Phillips began a DUI investigation when Lee started his black Ford 350 and began driving away. “In the middle of the investigation, the guy jumped in his vehicle and took off,” said Saratoga Chief of Police Tom Nickerbocker, who lat... Full story
The second annual Freedom Fest raised an unexpected $4,000 to go to support veterans, thanks to a large turnout and inspiring speech from a 26-year Navy veteran. “I thought it was going to be big, but didn’t expect to have this turnout,” said Chris Shannon, organizer of the event. The event drew people from the Platte Valley and elsewhere July 5 with live country music, a pig roast and cold beer. But the entertainment was not the reason people came, Shannon said. “The music wasn’t secondary...
Union Wireless workers inadvertently cut a fiber optic wire during construction Tuesday which interrupted internet service for at least three hours. “This was an unintentional screw-up,” said Union Wireless employee Randy Asay who was installing new fiber optics under Bridge Street Bridge. Asay said he and other workers were installing fiber optic lines, which will be used to bring faster internet services to Platte Valley communities, when someone accidentally cut a fiber optic line con...
Two California bikers traveled half way across the United States to learn more about farming and agriculture. But Saratoga was not their first destination, nor will it be their last. The two bikers are on a mission to learn more about themselves and the United States farming industry. “I believe that large-scale agriculture, the way that it is practiced today, is detrimental to the planet, detrimental to small-scale cultures and is ultimately impossible for the planet and for us to sustain,” sai... Full story
Some Saratoga residents experienced higher than usual water bills due to computer software compatibility issues in Saratoga Town Hall. “There are still some issues between the two — the billing software and the meter reading software,” Schwerdt said. The town uses three programs in the new radio-based water metering system which was installed in 2010: FlexNet, the water meter reading program, Sensus, a user interface program and Caselle, the town’s billing software. According to Town Clerk S... Full story
According to Chuck Bartlett, Saratoga’s Zoning Officer, the town of Saratoga has sent a cease and desist order to a Saratoga property owner asking he immediately stop all logging operations on his property. “Should you be utilizing your portable sawmill for activities other than permitted uses, you are hereby ordered to immediately cease and desist operations of your portable sawmill …,” said Bartlett in the letter. Royce Kelley, Saratoga resident to whom the letter was addressed, said, as of T...
A young black bear reported being seen in several areas of Saratoga may not have a favorable future, according to the Saratoga Game Warden. The black bear, estimated to be 1 or 2 years old was first spotted at the Saratoga Resort and Spa the evening of July 5. Since then, the bear has been spotted at least five times in various areas of Saratoga, leaving signs of its presence by going through trash cans, Burton said. Burton said he has yet to see the bear, despite making efforts to capture the...
Saratoga residents can expect to travel less for health care services with the arrival of a new nurse practitioner health care clinic. Dianne Hattle, an independent nurse practitioner from Cheyenne, opened Willow Creek Family Medicine, a new part-time facility in Saratoga, June 18. The new clinic resides at 211 N. First St. next to the Family Dollar in Saratoga. “I’m just glad that we have a choice now” for health care, said Carrie Craig who has a future appointment with the clinic. Curre...
Moving to California may have been easier for Bob Merlo, considering his situation. His doctors are there. His cancer treatments are available there. His son and family are there. But Merlo didn’t want to leave the community high and dry without a veterinarian to take over, he said. “It’s not just about me,” Merlo said. “I have established relationships with people here and those are meaningful. You don’t just get up and leave those kinds of things.” After more than a year searching for a replac...
A woman visiting a family-owned cabin near Encampment was killed in an ATV wreck Monday night. Stacey Houk, 27, of Torrington, was driving a 2010 Polaris Sportsman 550 ATV with a passenger, Tabatha McCoy, 31, also of Torrington on private property approximately 11 miles west of Encampment when Houk lost control of the vehicle. Houk lost control of the ATV after coming to a sharp left turn, said Wyoming Highway Patrol Lt. Kelly Finn. The ATV slid out of control and rolled over. Finn said he... Full story