Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 25
Three months after tabling a draft short term rental permit application, the Saratoga Planning Commission once again discussed the impact of short term rentals in Saratoga at its February 13 meeting. The discussion was brought up by James “Jimmy” Campbell, a resident and business owner in Saratoga. Citing the goals the planning commission has set for 2024, Campbell said he was disappointed to see there was nothing regarding short term rentals. Chairwoman McCall Burau rem...
We’re told to think of the children. That’s the refrain used in state legislatures across the country when it comes to the slew of anti-LGBTQ laws which are proposed or passed. Laws like the one in Oklahoma, which requires people to use the bathroom of the gender on their birth certificate. Yet, due to laws like this, it is likely that a child in Oklahoma has died. Nex Benedict was a non-binary 16 year old student at Owasso High School. On February 7, they were allegedly ass...
As municipalities throughout the county struggle with law enforcement, the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office appears to be expanding to meet those needs and is also being creative in how to meet those needs. During the February 20 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), Sheriff Alex Bakken provided the commissioners with updates on his department. These included the explanation of an extraterritorial deputy, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the T...
POWELL — Two bills that would further the cause of eliminating schools as gun free zones, Senate File 86 and House Bill 125, passed their respective committees of the whole Friday to stay alive in the quick legislative session. If they are made into law, they would provide funding for schools to implement concealed carry programs for staff if the school so chooses (SF 86) and repeal gun free zones (HB 125). Both bills are co-sponsored by Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams (R-Cody). SF 86, school safety and security funding, p...
CHEYENNE — A $40 million allocation for 988 hotline operations is still alive in the Wyoming House of Representatives, but since lawmakers must reconcile a $900 million difference in the two chambers’ budgets, one advocate says he’s concerned that funding is on the chopping block. Last week, three bills pertaining to mental health in Wyoming failed to meet a House deadline to advance. All bills had to be heard during Committee of the Whole discussion in their chamber of origin by Friday to continue being considered durin...
CHEYENNE — The two chambers of the Wyoming Legislature are miles apart when it comes to how the state should spend its money for the 2025-26 budget biennium. Senate Majority Leader Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle on Friday there is a $900 million to $1 billion difference between the two budgets that were passed on Wednesday and Thursday. The House is adding money to the governor’s proposed budget, with a focus on spending more on programs and services. The Senate, however, is cutting up to $480 mil...
Pulled pork, along with coleslaw, baked beans, seasoned steak fries, hush puppies, pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting and beverages are on the menu for the next “Gather at the Table” free meal Monday, March 4th, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in the Saratoga Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall at corner of Third & Bridge Sts. The sponsoring committee urges everyone, especially the hungry, lonely, depressed and those suffering from “cabin fever” to gather with friends and fam...
If you are one of those folks who missed the stage coach ride last fall, and still want to experience this rare treat, you’re in luck—the team is being hitched up again. Last November several folks were unable to attend and other had to be turned away from a presentation entitled “Riding the Stage thru the Saratoga & Encampment Area”; so an encore presentation is scheduled for Thursday evening, March 7th, beginning at 6:30 in the Saratoga Branch Library at 305 West Elm Ave...
The first thing a wrestling fan notices when entering the Wyoming State Wrestling Championships at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper is the sheer magnitude of the event. It is three days of choreographed madness taking place over eight wrestling mats crammed together on the floor. One is constantly bombarded with whistles and announcements and furious action. First year SMHS Coach Rusty Arnold reflected that he is ‘very proud of all of our boys. We had a good year. We lost s...
Wyoming wildlife managers worry that a proposed change to landowner compensation regulations could hurt efforts to get a handle on inflated elk populations. Legislation advancing in the statehouse, House Bill 60 – Excess wildlife population damage amendments, is intended to give the Wyoming Game and Fish Department more incentive to lower elk numbers in areas where wapiti are overpopulated. The statute change would do so by sweetening compensation entitlement for ranchers w...
The Saratoga Panthers secured three out of four wins in Lander. and as a result, got a 3rd place finish to the 1A/2A State Tournament The Panthers trip to Lander was not an easy one. In the first round Saratoga faced a tough and determined Burlington Huskies into overtime. The Panthers were able to walk off with a 82-76 win. On Friday Saratoga faced their longtime conference rival, the Cokeville Panthers who did not make things easy for Saratoga. Cokeville took a 62-35 win...
The Saratoga Lady Panthers took an early exit from the regionals after two tough losses. Saratoga lost the first game against a tough Burlington Lady Huskies team, 56-40. The Lady Huskies are ranked No. 1 in the 1A Northwest Conference with a 7-0 conference record and a 19-6 record overall. The Lady Panther got a second straight defeat against the Dubois Lady Rams, who are ranked No. 3 in the 1A Northwest Conference. Saratoga gave it their all but, in the end, the Lady Rams...
The Encampment Tigers season came to an end in a heartbreaking loss to the Little Snake River Valley (LSRV) Rattlers 55-47 on February 19 in Rawlins. This was not Encampment and LSRV’s first rodeo together and they are not strangers to one another. In their first meeting of the season, the Tigers lost to the Rattlers on the road on February 6 in a 65-53 overtime thriller. The Tigers and Rattlers squared off again on February 16 but, this time, Encampment captured the win on t...
It has been a rough roller coaster ride for the Encampment Lady Tigers, coming into the 1A West Regional Tournament with a six-game losing streak. Encampment was able to win one game but they ended up losing two games that sent them to an early exit out of Lander. The Lady TIgers lost their first round game to the Riverside Lady Rebels, who were ranked 2nd in the 1A Northwest Conference. Kevin Pantle, head coach of the Encampment Lady Tigers, said his team just was not there i...
Memorial Hospital of Carbon County held an open house for its newly remodeled Orthopedic and Pain Clinic on February 22, showing county residents the growth the department has made in the past few years. Bob Keel, a PA-C in Orthopedic Medicine, said the reason for the open house was to introduce the community to the new Orthopedic Staff. He explained what their new services have to offer for their patients and the changes made. “We have been having orthopedic services on and o...
Snowdon and Rhiwan Williams are a brother and sister who play varsity basketball for Saratoga Middle High School. The Williams family has a passion for basketball and has an interesting journey that has led them to where they are today. Snowdon is a freshman playing for Saratoga Panthers and Rhiwan is a junior playing for the Saratoga Lady Panthers For the Williams, there is more to their basketball family background than their competitive nature. It all started with their...
Lesley Urasky, a science teacher at Saratoga Middle/High School in Saratoga, Wyoming, has been named the 2024 recipient of the American Geoscience Institute’s (AGI) Edward C. Roy Jr. Award for Excellence in K-8 Earth Science Teaching. Urasky earned both her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in geology from the University of Wyoming and has achieved National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification in science as well as National Geographic certi...
Francis Bergquist and his wife, Janice, were the presenters at the February 20 Tuesday Talks as they shared their love for bird watching and nature. During the lecture, the Berquists talked about different breeds of birds and where they come from. The Berquists have been married for over 60 years and they began dating each other in their Sophomore year of high school. Since then they have been on many adventures together. Francis showed some amazing pictures to the audience....
The University of Wyoming women’s swimming and diving team, a resilient group who’s competing with a heavy heart, wrapped up the Mountain West Championship on Saturday inside the CRWC Natatorium. The program set numerous top-10 times, boasted one individual champion and one relay champion for the week along with four school records. “Our team is struggling to comprehend the reality of losing three of our friends and teammates so suddenly,” head coach Dave Denniston said. “I am proud of the compassion and resilience of every...
I was raised in a traditional church, a liturgical church in which the seasons of the church year were practiced: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost now termed Ordinary Time. The altar and pulpit were draped with cloths representing the colors of the seasons: blue or purple for Advent, Green for Epiphany, purple for Lent, Red for the day of Pentecost and green again for that long period of time from Pentecost to Advent. White adorned the altar on through the seasons of Christmas and Easter. While the...
It should come as no surprise that Wyoming lawmakers would debate a bill like Senate File 130, “The equality state not equity state act.” After all, they have a long history of wasting time on the political hot-button issues of the day, as well as debating bills that provide “solutions” to things that aren’t a problem here. Yet we were all surprised that 22 state senators voted to introduce SF 130 during a budget session. The bill is described as “an act relating to the administration of government; prohibiting governmenta...
Residents in Carbon County are eligible for United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) low-interest home loans, if they meet the income eligibility requirements, according to the state director of rural development. State Director of USDA Rural Development Glenn Pauley spoke to the Saratoga Sun on Friday about the low-interest loan program. “We have a low-interest loan at 4.625 percent and if the income is low enough, it can go down to 1 percent,” Pauley said. The terms are typically for 33 to 38 years and are USDA rur...
The Town of Saratoga is working on making its subdivision ordinance easier for developers to understand and access. This is one of the planning commission’s recent set of goals, said Emery Penner, town zoning administrator and public works director. Rewriting the ordinance in this way will be a lengthy process and involve several public hearings before both the planning commission and the council before the new ordinance can be adopted, Penner said. The town’s subdivision ordinance is located in Title 17 and 18 of the tow...