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Articles from the May 27, 2015 edition


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  • Health Management Services signs nursing home agreement

    Liz Wood|Updated May 26, 2015

    Thursday afternoon, Joe Rude with Health Management Services signed the lease documents to take over the nursing home. The name has been changed to Saratoga Care Center. Rude’s company won’t officially take over until June 1 and in the meantime, the Wyoming Department of Health (DOH) will continue as the temporary manager. When the DOH took over the facility May 8 at 3 p.m., the future of the nursing home appeared dismal as residents were being moved to other nursing homes. Ki...

  • Updated May 26, 2015

  • Updated May 26, 2015

  • Students explore the Tetons

    Staff Report|Updated May 26, 2015

    Eighteen Saratoga 8th grade students got a taste of the Tetons this month with a trip to Jackson Hole, for a week of learning and exploration. The trip, over the week of May 12, allowed students to stay with the Jackson Campus of Teton Science Schools. The students hiked through Grant Teton National Park studying the ecology and natural history of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The overarching goals were to immerse students in hands-on, scientific inquiry and to provide opportunities for them to develop a sense of...

  • It's Cow Pie time

    Liz Wood|Updated May 26, 2015

    Twenty-one years ago, Jimmy McKinney was golfing at the Saratoga Inn golf course for a school fundraiser when Jerry Paxton approached McKinney about having a golf tournament in his pasture. The next year, 17 golfers participated in the “First ‘Anul’ Cow Pie Open Golf Classic”. The cow pasture has changed hands since then, but the agreement to host the Cow Pie Open continues. This year’s 20th “Anul” event will begin with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. in Encampment. Duffers shoul...

  • Learning at the Lake

    Sarah Hutchins|Updated May 26, 2015

    The clouds lifted and the sun was shining for the Saratoga Lake Day held last Thursday. Fourth, fifth and sixth graders from Saratoga, Encampment, Hanna and Medicine Bow were at Saratoga Lake to get outside and learn from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Saratoga Encampment Rawlins Conservation District (SERCD), Saratoga Museum, Carbon County Weed and Pest, Wyoming Game and Fish, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the Saratoga Bird Club. Ten stations were set up to teach students varyi...

  • Flag etiquette 101

    Sarah Hutchins|Updated May 26, 2015

    Did you know that before June 14, 1924, there were no rules set in place for flag etiquette? According to USFlag.org, "It was on this date that the National Flag Code was adopted by the National Flag Conference which was attended by representatives of the Army and Navy which had evolved their own procedures, and some 66 other national groups." There are set rules on the American Flag should be presented, maintained and destroyed. In honor of Flag Day on June 14, tips will be...

  • Oiler takes first at state in 2A pole vault competition

    Liz Wood|Updated May 26, 2015

    Last weekend, the best in the state competed for state track and field titles with only the top eight in each event to medal. The competition was fierce, the weather was lousy, but the athletes pushed hard to compete in Casper for the Wyoming High School Athletic Association's State Track and Field Meet. Andrew Oiler broke his own school record with a 13 foot pole vault Thursday. Three weeks ago, he broke the school record at 12'8". Oiler has been a student of the pole vault...

  • EHS Track ends season with high marks

    Liz Wood|Updated May 26, 2015

    The Encampment Track and Field team came home with one individual state championship and a fistful of personal bests after competing in Casper this past weekend. McKenzie Powell once again led her team with her record breaking 800-meter run, missing the state record by less than two seconds. Powell ran the 800-meter in 2 minutes 21.21 seconds. The state record is 2:19.68. In the 400-meter, Powell had her personal best coming in at 1:70. Powell came in second in the 400-meter...

  • Butler new principal at SMHS

    Sarah Hutchins|Updated May 26, 2015

    Interim Assistant Principal of Rawlins High School, Linda Butler, is taking on the role as Principal of Saratoga Middle High School starting in the 2015-2016 academic year, and she is beyond excited for the opportunity. “We are thrilled, I am just so excited and I can’t even express how fortunate we are to go back to Saratoga and to have this new opportunity.” Both Butler and her husband Dan Butler, are very familiar with the region — Dan was a graduate of Saratoga and Lin...

  • Highway 70 sinkhole update

    Sarah Hutchins|Updated May 26, 2015

    According to Marty Mayfield, Maintenance Area Supervisor for Rawlins’ Department of Transportation (DOT), a sinkhole was found on Wyoming Highway 70 while clearing off the roads. Originally, according to Mayfield, it was thought to only be a pothole—but upon further investigation, there was a 4-6 foot cavern beneath the pavement and it was discovered that water started washing underneath the road. A beaver dam blocking one of the culverts on the highway allegedly caused the...

  • Sportsterstitious

    Keith McLendon|Updated May 26, 2015

    I have to admit to being a little superstitious in everyday life. For example, I’m the guy who will pick up a penny if it is head side up. If not, I will turn it over so the next guy gets a heads up penny. I try to be a nice guy even when no one is watching. I avoid walking under ladders. Not because of bad luck but because it’s just a generally bad idea. Stuff falls off of them. As a general rule though, I’m not too superstitious. Unless I am watching sports. Recently, I hav...

  • Brainstorming Carbon County

    Liz Wood|Updated May 26, 2015

    The Wyoming Business Alliance (WBA) has been hosting Tour23 meetings in every county of Wyoming. On May 20 the WBA stopped in Rawlins, the 15th of 23 counties so far. Tour23 is about job creation, Bill Schilling president of the WBA told the 26 leaders in attendance representing all but three communities in Carbon County. Stacy Crimmins, Chief Executive Officer for the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce (SPVCC) was at the meeting representing the Platte Valley. Also...

  • Dialogue on Poverty

    Sarah Hutchins|Updated May 26, 2015

    A Dialogue on Poverty meeting was held on May 18 with the Carbon County Community Action Committee for the 2015 Carbon County Needs Assessment. The goal of this assessment is to find out the extent of poverty in Carbon County, factors that support the creation of poverty, services and resources currently available to offset creation or impact of poverty, priorities for meeting needs and barrier to services. Sheela Schermetzler, Grant Manager for Albany County, presented the fi...

  • Corbett Foundation steps in

    Liz Wood|Updated May 26, 2015

    When the first patient at Deseret Health and Rehab was released on May 7, Dr. Dean Bartholomew approached Mike Glode, chairman of the Corbett Medical Foundation about covering bounced checks of employees at the nursing home. In an emergency meeting May 8, the board made the decision to offer their support. That afternoon, the paychecks were distributed and The Rawlins National Bank began processing paychecks using funds from the Corbett Medical Foundation to ensure the...

  • No landfill fee increase, yet

    Liz Wood|Updated May 26, 2015

    Richard Hodges caused confusion in the audience during the Saratoga Town Council meeting when he announced that Sierra Madre Solid Waste Disposal District (Landfill Board) had passed the third reading of an ordinance to increase landfill fees from $17 to $20 at their May meeting. Guy Jansa asked the mayor why the ordinance wasn’t passed through the town council like other ordinances. Mayor Ed Glode said the Landfill Board is a Joint Powers Board and includes Encampment and S...

  • Saratoga Town Council presents comprehensive budget

    Liz Wood|Updated May 26, 2015

    The Saratoga Town Council passed Ordinance 830 on its first reading May 19 at its regular meeting. Ordinance 830 is the 2015/2016 town budget. For the first time in years, the public was presented with a comprehensive budget breaking down the general fund and Enterprise Funds, including perceived revenue and expenditures. Currently the general funds anticipated revenues are $3,259,936.00 while the Enterprise Funds are $4,092,324.18. Anticipated expenditures are $3,256,855.00...