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Todd Hughes, owner of Hughes Manufacturing, was devastated Monday morning as he looked at the charred building that once housed his business. "It has been here since the 90s," Hughes said. Carbon County Fire Warden John Rutherford was investigating the cause of the fire as Hughes stood by. Saratoga Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Randy Sikes said the cause of the fire is still under investigation. Hughes said he received a call from his son, Brian Hughes, alerting him of the fire at 4 a.m....
The first public meeting for the West Side Snowy Range Travel Management Notice of Proposed Action (NPA) was held Thursday, at the BLM office in Rawlins. There were around 30 people in attendance. Melanie Fullman, District Ranger for the Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District, announced a few new developments during the Thursday meeting. The comment period for the Notice of Proposed Action will end after the Saratoga NPA Public meeting on April 21. The public will not be able to file a comment for...
LiDAR is an extremely efficient way to topographically survey a broad swath, said Craig Kopasz, a civil engineer with PMPC/Engineering Associates. LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging is a remote sensing method used to examine the surface of the earth, according the the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website. At the April 7 Saratoga Town Council meeting, there some was confusion about what the LiDAR is being used for by a member of the audience. He thought...
Fifteen months into their amendment with the Industrial Siting Council, DKRW’s Medicine Bow Fuel & Power LLC reported on their key events during the first quarter of 2015. Medicine Bow Fuel and Power LLC is planning to build a coal-to-gasification plant near Elk Mountain. In December of 2013, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Industrial Siting Council approved a 30-month amendment submitted by DKRW Advanced Fuel Company. One of the conditions of the amendment is to provide a...
The South Central Wyoming Emergency Medical Services (SCWEMS) Joint Powers Board met on April 8, to discuss several issues facing the constantly evolving service that provides emergency services to the towns of Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow, Saratoga, Riverside, Encampment and Carbon County. SCWEMS also holds a separate year-to-year agreement with the town of Hanna. The board met for nearly five hours at the Elk Mountain station where they were able to finally confirm that in its last meeting on...
The Encampment Town Council met Thursday to approve the Fire Department’s sale of an old ambulance and purchase of a Ranger Crew 900 plus a water tank and pump to assist in getting crews into hard-to-reach areas this fire season. The council also approved going forward with its sewer lagoon ultrasonic system project. The system would help to aerate the lagoon. The council approved hiring Doug Tieszen as a part-time clerk and to make a donation to the Carbon County Youth Crisis Center. The n...
The Riverside Town Council Thursday, where they approved to go ahead with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) application for a permit to allow the town to proceed with its plan to have Bio-Domes installed into the effluent waste lagoons. The Bio-Domes will help breakdown the bacteria that live in the wastewater. The effluent is filtered through the system and keeps the bacteria active during the winter months when the lagoon would normally freeze over. If the project moves forward it...
In the April 1 edition of the Saratoga Sun, I contributed a piece on "Beaching Disease". It was the only time in the six years I have worked here that we have actually put out a paper with an April 1 date. Some people missed the other clues that this was an April Fool's joke. The clues started with the fact that my name was on the byline. I don't write news stories (once I did several years ago because we were spread thin on meetings), I am the graphic artist and part-time semi-humorist here....
When we at the Saratoga Sun found out there were going to be public meetings for the West Side Snowy Range Travel Management Notice of Proposed Action (NPA), we were excited. Giving the public a chance to speak their concerns is a vital component of the NEPA process. This project stirs up a lot of emotion. We have heard many of these perspectives from the public; folks that grew up camping, hunting and fishing in these regions. Seeing roads that have been driven on for decades on the chopping block upsets a lot of people. That’s perfectly u...
It was with some concern that we, the board of directors for the Wyoming Press Association, read recently of the American Civil Liberties Union’s decision to close its Wyoming office. Over the years, the ACLU and its Wyoming staff have been crucial in the ongoing effort to maintain government transparency. Without the steadfast support of the ACLU, some of the advances made in Wyoming’s open meetings and public documents laws would never have occurred. The ACLU has been a true and loyal supporter of the cause of open government. But this is...
Much has been said about the shortened school week in this valley recently. Encampment has been historically opposed, although omnipotent school board members have again chosen to turn a blind eye and deaf ear to their Encampment constituents. The shortened week became more of a reality than ever before when my three grandsons came home after school to tell me their version of it. Their young minds could not grasp why they would be required to go to school less. They talked about how this did not make any sense to them. These young men and...
The Saratoga/Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (Water and Sewer Board) welcomed a new member to the board as well as appointing vice president and treasurer during their monthly meeting on April 8. Tim Lamprecht, owner of Valley Foods, was nominated for the vice president position. Russell Waldner, Director of Engineering Services Carbon Power & Light, was new to the board and was nominated as treasurer. Their terms extend until July, when the annual appointments are completed. Heath...
Most people who live in the Snowy Range area, as well as many visitors to it, have come in part because of the environmental amenities it offers. For many of us, access to the area is an important contributor to our quality of life, a major factor in our choice to live here, often forgoing opportunities for more lucrative lifestyles elsewhere. Any potentially significant change in our access to those resources, as may be the case with the U.S. Forest Service’s West Side Snowy Range Travel Management Notice of Proposed Action to remove as much a...
"It's weird because I've never held a job this long," jokes Margaret Weber when asked how it feels to mark her seventh year as owner operator of the Bear Trap Cafe and Bar. Under Weber's ownership, the Bear Trap will be celebrating its "copper anniversary" from 7-9 p.m. on Friday with musical guest Screen Door Porch. Weber estimates that over the course of seven years, she has re-invested around $200,000 in improvements and repairs back into the restaurant and bar. "I could actually make a prett...
Saratoga High School teachers Kaelin Crawford and Noel Shepard are putting on an art showcase of Shepard’s art students with appetizers created by Crawford’s ProStart classes. The art show will be held from 6-8 p.m., Thursday, at the Saratoga High School cafeteria. The two educators came up with the idea to help raise money to provide more and better materials for their classes to use. “I love all forms of art, but especially like working with clay... there just wasn’t enough money for the students to get the opportunity to work with clay in...
The Platte Valley Arts Council recently held elections of officers for the new year. Pam Kraft was elected president and Jerry Wood was elected vice president. Leslie McLinskey and Shannon Fagan were re-elected treasurer and secretary, respectively. Other board members are Stacy Crimmins and Mary Martin. Currently, there are three open positions on the board. The Board of Directors has been planning its 2015-2016 calendar of events and projects. Upcoming events include two Children’s Art Workshops. These free activities will be held on July 4...
There was a buzz in the skies around Saratoga this weekend when Dennis Koontz and eight of his fellow pilots landed their aircraft at Shively airfield Saturday morning and walked down to the Wolf for some of Doug Campbell's famous green chili. Actually, the Wolf's "secret" green chili recipe was created and written down by Dennis' father, Bill Koontz, and then given to Campbell when the elder Koontz retired from the restaurant business. Depending on who you ask, Koontz and his friends have been...
Whether you like a fast boat or are an adrenaline junkie, make a stop Tuesday at the Saratoga Resort & Spa to see the fastest racing boat in the world. Dr. Mike Janssen, the owner of Saratoga Resort & Spa, owns the racing boat, which is the Snowy Range Brewery racing boat. "This is the first time the boat is going to be west of the Mississippi [River]," Janssen said in an interview. The racing boat has broken so many speed records that last year parity restrictions were set on the boat. "It's...
Long distance runner Katie Loose lead the girls team with a first place finish in the junior varsity 3200-meter run Friday at the Okie Blanchard Invitational in Cheyenne. Her time was 14 minutes 34.39 seconds. Alex Ziegler placed first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24:37 which was .49 faster than his time at the March 21 meet in Casper. Ziegler also placed sixth in the junior varsity 300-meter hurdles with a time of 48.27. Several other track and field competitors placed after a two-week...
The Encampment Tigers track team headed to Cheyenne East last week to compete in the Okie Blanchard Invite. The meet was between Cheyenne East, Cheyenne South, Laramie, Torrington, Southeast, Saratoga, Hanna Elk Mountain (H.E.M.), Encampment, and Rock River. The boy’s team placed 10th overall with 15 points. Gage Bartlett took seventh place in the triple jump with a distance of 34 feet 3/4 inches and took fifth place in the 3200-meter run with a time of 12 minutes, 17 seconds. The girls team t...
While refereeing a volleyball game in Saratoga last season, Rawlins soccer coach Christian Mills was approached by Saratoga High School freshman Kennison Spiering about joining the Rawlins high school soccer team. "I just asked him if I could come up and play soccer with them," Spiering said. Mills was excited with the young freshman's enthusiasm and supported the idea since he had been instrumental in lobbying for and starting up the Rawlins high school program several years back "(Coach...
Reprint of this story from the April 18, 1902 issue of The Grand Encampment Herald brought to you courtesy of Grandma’s Cabin, Encampment, Wyoming. Preserving History - Serving the Community. LOCAL FIREFIGHTERS The Department is Organized and Sufficient Fire Protection is Assured The Grand Encampment fire department met Monday evening at the office of Davis & Ashley for permanent organization. Nearly all the volunteers were present and much interest was manifested. Jack Ball was elected chief of the department, Ad Ball assistant, Charles C...