Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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A training exercise of a simulated terrorist incident near the Sinclair Refinery took place on Friday with several agencies and personnel from the refinery coordinating a response to the event. The exercise - held on Earth Day - simulated a failed act of sabotage at the Sinclair Refinery by an eco-terrorism group. The simulation was intended to give multiple agencies a chance to work together and communicate with one another so they will be better prepared to deal with a real emergency. Numerous... Full story
Saratoga will not be clearing gravel bars from the North Platte River this spring, Saratoga Director of Public Works Jon Winter said at the April 19 town council meeting. According to Winter, the town has received all necessary permitting to do the clearing, but the timeframe stipulated by the Army Corps of Engineers doesn’t allow for work to be completed in the coming months. The permit doesn’t allow for large-scale river disturbance between March and May 15, to prevent disturbance of rai... Full story
Fire destroyed a Ryan Park cabin early Tuesday morning, despite the efforts of four fire departments that responded to the blaze. The fire completely destroyed the two story log home that was estimated to be 3,400 square feet. The home was declared a total loss. At the time the fire started, two people were inside. Nobody was injured in the fire. Ryan Park fire department responded to the fire call at approximately 3:10 a.m. on Tuesday. Once they arrived, they called for assistance from... Full story
Melcine T. Craig, 95, of Saratoga, passed away April 15, 2016 at the Saratoga Care Center. She was born April 14, 1921 in Robinson, Kan. to parents Zadia D. (Moses) and Bert C. Lassley. Funeral services will take place on Fri. April 22, 2016, at 2 p.m. at the Valley Chapel in the Saratoga Cemetery. Pastor Gene Smith will officiate. Pallbearers will be John W. Craig, II, Trent Rimmer, Rory Grubb and Bobby Johnston. Honorary Pallbearers will be Travis Rimmer, Doug Howard, Shawn Butterfield, Joe... Full story
School facilities and projects were a serious concern of the Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD#2) Board of Trustees at the April 18 meeting, with the funding for facilities being described as “dire” by superintendent Jim Copeland. The district will have to reapply for funding for HEM school’s heating, ventilation and cooling system upgrade, estimated to be a $3.2 million project. Cutbacks to state facilities funding is blamed on issues surrounding coal and mineral leases, with the board saying that funding for facilities has gone from $... Full story
April 12, Chuck Bartlett was back at the planning commission, hard hat in hand. Bartlett, the former Saratoga Town Engineer, was representing Triple D Construction at the commission meeting, as he had under similar circumstances a month ago at the commission’s March 8 meeting. Triple D is considering purchasing a lot from Swanson Brothers on the West side of town. Before going through with the transaction, however, Bartlett and his firm wanted to test the waters at the planning commission to s... Full story
I never thought I would do work as a reporter. My senior seminar professor, while we were discussing possible career paths as I finished college, even point blank told me that she couldn’t see me working at a newspaper. Ever. In fact, she didn’t think I would be good at it. This was not meant as a flaw to my character at all, but rather a note of how I could best serve the writing community and literature as a whole. Any talent I have is definitely not for reporting. This same professor com... Full story
Karen C. Russell, of Encampment, is to receive the $1,000 American Legion Auxiliary Memorial Scholarship for 2016. Karen was a delegate to the 2015 Girls State program. The American Legion Auxiliary and the Sons of the American Legion also offered a $1,000 scholarship this year. The recipient of that scholarship was Cruz Escobedo from Saratoga. The American Legion Auxiliary Unit 54 of Saratoga will sponsor McKenzie Powell, of Encampment High School, and Alicia Zaragoza, of Saratoga High School, as the two delegates from the Platte Valley... Full story
Some people pray. Some consult friends or family. Some toss their fate to the wind and flip a coin. However they choose to deal with them, all people experience “moments of decision” in their lives, and this is the theme of the latest WyoPoets chapbook of poetry, which was released April 22. Entitled “Labyrinth: Poems from Wyoming and Beyond,” the volume includes 33 poems from 24 different poets, including Encampment’s own Dawn Senior-Trask. Wyoming Poet Laureate A. Rose Hill decided which of... Full story
It wasn't just the cold that Milo Hunter had to battle. Hunter also confronted shifting project parameters, budget constraints, petty vandalism and even the treacherous Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) permitting process for signage. None of it was sufficient to stop the resolute Eagle Scout to-be. Hunter made a pair of signs for Saratoga's Shively Field Airport, installing the signs in late March to complete the project one day before his eighteenth birthday. Boy Scout regulations... Full story
The Encampment High School track team competed this weekend at the Green River Invite in Green River where they put in a strong effort but saw their success somewhat stymied by stiff competition from other teams. Kegan Willford, Encampment High School track coach, said that large meetings such as the Green River Invite bring larger schools out to compete, and that can affect smaller teams' standings at the end of the day. "It was a really big meet, there were six 4A schools there, as many 3A... Full story
At practice this week, Saratoga High School (SHS) Track and Field Coach Rex Hohnholt emphasized that only four athletes from the school could compete at each event during upcoming regional competitions. Consistency, Hohnholt stressed, was the key to winning the chance to represent SHS in one of those four slots, and that's what he was looking for at the April 22 Douglas Invitational. "If you want to be one of those four people, we have to see that time's consistently there," Hohnholt said. "You... Full story
The gubernatorial jet touched down at Shively Field Wednesday morning, April 20. Wyoming Governor Matt Mead, was in town last week to eat lunch with a group of donors to the Platte Valley Community Center (PVCC) and high school students from Saratoga and Encampment. The luncheon was the culmination of a charity auction to support PVCC that took place in September of 2015. At that auction, Joe and Lana Elder, Jesse and Sue Portillo and Johnny and Pam Portillo pooled $2,100 to win a lunch with... Full story
April 21 came as a relief to Judy Raymond. Since November of 2015, the operator of the Ferris Mountain Ranch near Muddy Gap had been organizing an agricultural exposition (Ag Expo) in Rawlins for Carbon County fourth graders. In comparison to arranging logistics for 29 different volunteer presenters and reserving space at the Carbon County Fairgrounds, herding 180 students and 20 chaperones from seven different schools was a breeze for the cattle rancher. By her estimate, Raymond has been presen... Full story
Carbon County Senior Centers Wednesday Beef Stroganoff, noodles, asparagus, wheat roll, strawberry shortcake and milk. Thursday BBQ pork riblet, oven potato, steamed cabbage, wheat bread, pears and milk. Friday Swiss steak, baked potato, zucchini, wheat roll, fruit cocktail and milk. Monday Chicken fajita, tortilla, Spanish rice, squash blend, apricots and milk. Tuesday Tater tot casserole, tossed salad, wheat roll, plum whip and milk. Saratoga Schools Wednesday Italian dunkers, cheesy breadstick, green beans, fruit and vegetable bar, pears... Full story
As a part of Severe Weather Awareness week last week, Saratoga Elementary School (SES) forewent its usual fire drill, instead practicing a tornado drill. According to a press release by the National Weather Service in Cheyenne, Severe Weather Awareness week is a week for residents, businesses and schools to prepare for hazardous weather. At the sound of the alarm, SES students quickly filed out into the hallway of the building and crouched on the floor with the top of their heads pressed up... Full story