Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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Albert Ray Walker was born Jan. 15, 1942 in Rawlins to Leonard Albert and Geraldine Ida (Ashley) Walker, his grandparents being Bert and Madeline Walker, of Saratoga, and Carl and Ida Ashley, of Encampment. He was raised on his parent’s ranch, the Freeland Cattle Company, on Pass Creek and attended grade school and high school in Saratoga. While in school he was active in 4-H, FFA, sports and high school rodeo. After attending the University of Arizona for a year, Ray moved to California w... Full story
The water levels at the Pathfinder storage reservoir for the Upper North Platte River are well below the 1,100,000 acre-foot mark. This value represents a full North Platte Ownership supply, and the value for February storage is 705,364. This has prompted the State Engineer’s Office to administer the first call on water rights for the 2013 season. At the start of February, the water and snow water equivalent was below what the Engineer’s Office knows to be a safe flow to meet all the needs of...
Connie McGuire, of The Flower Pot ordered more than 1,000 roses in preparation of Valentine’s Day tomorrow. Last year was the first year McGuire sold more flowers on Valentine’s Day than on Mother’s Day in the nearly 28 years she has been in business....
On Jan. 4, the town of Saratoga and Randy Stevens were back in court on a default motion filed by Stevens. The town and Stevens have been back and forth in court for the last four years concerning the property Stevens owns on block 11, near the corner of River St. and Maple Ave. In the Jan. 9 edition of the Saratoga Sun, it was reported that prior to going before the judge, attorneys for the two parties settled on a tentative deal that is contingent on both sides signing the agreement. As of...
The Upper Valley Search and Rescue is set to host the 15th annual Ben Romios Memorial Poker Run this Sunday, Feb. 17. Romios was an Encampment Search and Rescue member who died in an avalanche on Jan. 11, 1998. Contestants can register at the Highway 70 upper parking lot above Encampment from 9 a.m. until noon. The entry fee will be $10 for the first hand which includes the contestant’s lunch. Interested parties can also buy an additional hand for $10, or they can buy lunch only for $5. Lunch will be in the parking lot and includes a h...
Former Saratoga Sun editor, Joe Elder, was affirmed as the Town of Saratoga’s new town treasurer last Tuesday by the Saratoga Town Council. In a unanimous vote, the town council approved Elder’s appointment without discussion. Friday, Mayor John Zeiger, said that Elder stood out among four other candidates after working with him for the last nine months. Elder covered the Saratoga Town Council. Zeiger said he liked Elder’s followup, people skills and demeanor and believed Elder was going to be...
Brush Creek Presents will be featuring seven artists Friday night at the Platte Valley Community Center. The program is a free and informal monthly outreach program which features visual presentations, readings and music by current artists-in-residence at Brush Creek Ranch. Friday, the presenters are four visual artists, two writers, one composer and the current director of the Brush Creek artists-in-residence program, Katie Christensen, who is also a visual artist. Stacey Steers, of Boulder, Colo., will present her hand-drawn animations,...
The Saratoga Town Council is in the second month of the new year and it is already facing criticism on how meetings are being conducted. The people want to be heard and that is understandable. During the election, voters shared their frustrations about not hearing discussion from the council before a decision is made. For important decisions, we feel the council should not only discuss matters, but also seek public comment whenever possible. It is not unlikely that a citizen may have a comment or idea that could be helpful in coming to a... Full story
My husband and I are celebrating our 27th anniversary this month. We have been through thick and thin, humorless days and ones full of laughter. Communication is important in a good marriage. We tell each other “I love you” at least once a day. Beyond that, our communications have included a few humorous moments over the years. Jerry and I met in Germany when we were both in the Army. His post was in Neckarsulm and mine was in Heilbronn. The towns were in close proximity, but had it not bee...
Dear Editor, From following the discussion in your letters pages, it seems to me that some of our citizens have forgotten that a meeting of the Town Council (or School Board or Legislature) is just that, a meeting of the people elected to conduct the Town’s business. In accordance with Wyoming Statutes these meetings are held in public so that the citizens may hear the deliberations of their elected representatives. The people should have no expectation that they can enter the debate of the issues at hand, that is the responsibility of the e... Full story
The Mrs. Wyoming Pageant is seeking applicants for Mrs. Saratoga. The applicant who is selected will represent her community in the 2013 Mrs. Wyoming Pageant on June 1 in Cheyenne. Local titleholders will compete to win a prize package valued at $8,000 including an all expense paid trip to the nationally televised Mrs. America Pageant, according to a press release. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, married at the time of the competition and a Wyoming resident. For an application, visit the website www.mrswyoming-america.com or call... Full story
The United States Postal Service (USPS) announced last Wednesday a new delivery schedule will take place during the week of Aug. 5, 2013. The transition to a new delivery schedule includes package delivery Monday through Saturday, a press release from David Rupert, of the USPS, said. Post office box delivery will not be affected by the new delivery schedule as it applies to street delivery of regular mail. The USPS expects to generate a savings of $2 billion annually, once the plan is implemented, the press release said. Post Offices currently... Full story
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife (Fish and Wildlife) announced in a press release Thursday it is making available a draft Environmental Assessment and a draft umbrella conservation agreement available for comment until March 11, 2013. In March 2010, the Fish and Wildlife determined that protection of the greater sage-grouse was warranted under the Endangered Species Act. The press release said the listing of the greater sage-grouse at the time was precluded as other listings had higher priority. The greater sage-grouse was added to the list of... Full story
Chelsie Pantle, of Encampment and Russell Burton, of Saratoga, are on the University of Wyoming’s Provost honor roll for the 2012 fall semester. The Provost’s honor roll consists of undergraduates who have completed at least six, but fewer than 12 hours with a minimum 3.5 grade point average for the semester....
Music teacher John Steinhardt and his two elementary school bands from Medicine Bow and Elk Mountain put some rock and roll into the Jan. 21 Carbon County School District No. 2 Board of Directors meeting. Steinhardt said CCSD#2 Superintendent Bob Gates came up with the idea and Steinhardt and his students ran with it. I thought it was a good way for us to showcase (the students) and their achievements, Gates said. The Saratoga and Encampment choirs sang at the December CCSD#2 board meeting, and...
After starting the season plagued with illness, Hunter Mason had a flawless weekend taking the top podium spot at 120 lbs. “I’m pretty excited and nervous,” Mason said before his finals match. “This is my first time being in the finals of the Carbon County Invite. I’m really nervous for my opponent and I’m going to try my best.” The Carbon County Invite took place last weekend and Saratoga finished fifth as a team in the 18-team field. The Saratoga grapplers that participated this weekend inclu...
Ben Gates hit 100 percent of his attempts from the 3-point line in Saratoga’s loss to Little Snake River Valley on Thursday. Braxton Schwartzkopf followed the effort from the arc hitting 50 percent of his three-point attempts. Gates was the leading scorer doubling for 14 points, followed by John Brennan with 8 points of his own. Daniel Kerbs and Andrew Oiler both were 100 percent from the free throw line. However, the individual efforts were clouded by the final score of 44-76. The Panthers (...
The Lady Panthers traveled twice last week. First to Baggs to play Little Snake River Valley (LSRV) on Thursday, then to Burns (4-2), (12-6) for the last conference game of the season. The ladies dropped both of these matches, but more positives came from these road games than negative. Justine Fourman was named the player of the game on Thursday in the 34-70 loss to LSRV. Fourman finished the night with 14 points and nine rebounds, a task not easily accomplished against the top ranked team in...
The Tigers were on fire for their homecoming weekend, proving to the crowd they own their number two rating in the southwest conference. Fifteen seconds into the game, A.J. Kuster scored the first 2 points. Kyle Wessel followed suit after the Farson-Eden Pronghorns (1-4), (1-15) scored a free throw. The Tigers kept the Pronghorns from scoring well into the first quarter and by the end of the first quarter it was a 6-point game 12-6. The Tigers were within 1 point of giving up their lead when...
The Lady Tigers (0-6), (1-15) struggled to score against the Farson-Eden (3-3), (10-7) Lady Pronghorns Friday night in Encampment, head coach Amy Clay said in an email. The Tigers scored only 2 points to the Pronghorns 7 in the first quarter. Cassidy Little managed to score 7 points during the game despite the Pronghorns keying on her defensively. “Our man defense did a great job on their 3-point shooters,” Clay said. The Pronghorns had scored five 3s the last time they played the Tigers. Friday...
The 33rd Annual Donald E. Erickson Memorial Chariot Races will be held in Saratoga Feb. 15, 16 and 17. The first races will begin on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Buck Springs Arena northeast of Saratoga. Sunday’s post time is 11 a.m. An award ceremony, based on combined times will follow the Sunday races. The races feature chariot teams from all over Wyoming as well as surrounding states. The two-horse teams pull a single driver in drag racing fashion, three teams at a time. Calcutta betting w... Full story
The annual Donald E. Erickson Memorial races have been a successful fundraiser for the Saratoga Lions Club, president Gary Widemshek said. The money from the fundraiser is basically used for high school scholarships and vision and eyeglass needs for those who need help. “Money is raised through sponsorships, the Calcuttas and gate admission fees,” Widemshek said. For the last 30 days, the Lions Club has been working to prepare for the Chariot Races, but the week before is the most crucial. The...
Once a year, trackside betting is legal in Saratoga, thanks to the Saratoga Lions Club and the Chariot Races. Race fans and bettors line up along the track at Buck Springs Arena to cheer on their favorite team. The quarter-mile track is filled with up to six horses pulling three drivers. Steam rises from the noses of the horses as it meets the cold February air. The four-legged athletes shine with sweat as they compete to cross the finish line. Between races the action takes place in the pit...
Ron Garretson ran the cutter races for 30 years and Garretson knows that not only does the driver of the team need to be on top of their game on race day, but the team of horses has to be ready to run as well. According to Garretson, the type of horses a team runs depends on how serious the team takes the racing. The horses are the factor on how a team does at the races, and if a team is serious about competing they can spend a lot of money on horses. If a team wants to just have a good time...
The Carbon County School District No. 2 Speech and Debate team competed against 30 schools Feb. 1 and 2 in Casper. The speech team earned a first place trophy in the 1A/2A category. Amber Adams’ poetry entry “Making Sarah Cry” earned a first place rating in the preliminary round. The duet team of Becca Treat and Kaylyn Wessel moved into the semifinal round. “They received flowing praise for their rendition of ‘Robin Hood’,” speech coach Brenda Ostendorf said. Treat and Wessel wore matching outfi...