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The results of the 2024 General Election are now official following an audit held by the Carbon County Clerk’s Office on November 7. Along with certifying the results of the general election, the clerk’s office also reported a 105% turnout. The audit was conducted in the Carbon County Commissioner’s Room at the Carbon Building — Courthouse Annex Room by Gwynn Bartlett, Carbon County Clerk, and Lisa Smith, Chief Deputy Clerk. Of the 6,446 ballots cast, 75 were randomly selected for Carbon...
With a projected 277 electoral college votes and more than 71 million votes as of November 6, former president Donald Trump is the presumptive president-elect according to the Associated Press. Meanwhile, Carbon County cast more than 6,000 ballots in the 2024 General Election, turnout surpassed the primary election by more than 1,000. With 6,446 votes cast, the amount was more than the 2022 General Election which saw 5,860 ballots cast. It was just barely under the number of ballots cast in...
On Wednesday, October 16, a fire broke out at the gun range outside Saratoga igniting the tires used as a backstop at the far side of the range and the surrounding sagebrush. Firefighters from Saratoga immediately responded to put out the flames and tamp down the black smoke which could be seen all over town. Units from Ryan Park, Encampment, Sinclair, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the United States Forest Service joined in the containment that occurred an hour after the discovery of the...
Small municipalities like Encampment may soon have to add yet another round of testing when it comes to drinking water following new regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency. Director of Public Works Bill Acord informed the Encampment Town Council on October 10 of the upcoming changes. “Earlier this year, the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] put out new regulations on something called PFAS. There’s over 15,000 PFAS chemicals. Mainly it’s used for your non-stick cookware, your...
As 2024 begins to draw to a close, the Town of Encampment has begun the process of switching who they contract with for dispatch services. At the October 10 meeting of the Encampment Town Council, the governing body briefly discussed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Carbon County for dispatch services. Historically, the Town of Encampment has contracted with the Town of Saratoga for dispatch services. Earlier this year, however, Saratoga’s governing body began discussing the potential o...
There are probably few faces as recognizable as that of Josh Craig. With a handlebar mustache and a smile which never seems to leave his face, Josh seems to be almost everywhere in the Valley. Josh, like others closely involved in their community in the Platte Valley, wears multiple hats. He works for Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) as the district facilities supervisor while based at Encampment K-12 School. As cliche as it might sound, it’s a job that Josh says he loves. ...
This year’s Platte Valley Hay Bale contest is being dubbed the Fab Fifteen by the Platte Valley Arts Council board. “I am very excited to see so many newcomers join in this friendly competition,” said Mary Martin, the Chairperson of Platte Valley Hale Bale contest. In its eighth year, the competition exploded to 14 entries, many of them signing up just a few days ahead of the deadline. It is the most entries to date, Martin said. Martin is on the board of the Platte Valley Arts Council (PVAC...
After six months of planning, the Sewer Lagoon Project - Phase 2 for the town of Encampment is getting closer to a design. Jon Nelson, with North Fork Engineering, proposed a design review workshop for the Phase - 2 project to the Encampment Town Council September 12, as the deadline to submit the design to the Department of Environmental Quality is November 22 The town council voted to hold an hour-and-one-half hour workshop on Oct. 10 at 5:30 p.m. The design, while it has taken time, is right...
For nearly 100 years "Where the Trout Leap in Main Street" has been Saratoga's unofficial slogan. At the August 20 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, however, newly appointed Carbon County Visitors’ Council (Discover Carbon County Wyoming) representative Ellie Dana-Raymer appeared to suggest the town should explore changing the brand of Saratoga. “Do you want to change your brand,” asked Dana-Raymer. “Cindy Loose talks about what’s the brand of the town. For many decades, it’s been ‘where...
There’s an old adage which says “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” We believe this applies to the unofficial slogan for Saratoga, “Where the trout leap in main street,” which has been in use for nearly a century. Borrowed from a 1927 article of the same name by Outdoor Living Magazine writer Billy O’Neil, it’s been a fitting slogan for our town, which is bisected by the North Platte River. For nearly a century, this slogan has been a source of community pride for Saratoga and for good reason. The North Platte River is a blue ribbon fishery an... Full story
Pickleball was back in the Saratoga Town Council’s court as a proposal for a pickleball facility was presented at the August 6 meeting of the governing body. Cindy Loose and Cindy Carnes, representing the Good Times Pickleball Association, went before the council in order to ask the Town for land to develop a “state-of-the-art pickleball facility.” Carnes said the group currently has 25 members that play off and on at the Platte Valley Community Center Gym. “Currently, our residents have ac...
Next Tuesday, Wyoming voters will take to the polls for the primary election which means that, starting next Wednesday everyone’s mailbox will be far less clogged with election mailers. Carbon County, it seems, has been mostly spared the divisive, politically charged mailers which have plagued other parts of the state. Perhaps that’s because, in House District 47, incumbent Bob Davis is running unopposed in the primary while House District 15 is seeing three new candidates without the incumbent—Don Burkhart, Jr.—running. Our county was not comp...
Stas Banach PO Box 381, Encampment, WY 82325 [email protected] Q: Economic development is a concern to every community. What do you believe can be done to aid in the economic development of Encampment? A: I believe that the role of the Town Council can be fundamental in aiding in the economic development of Encampment by being supportive of ideas that create jobs and improve the community. Q: The Town of Saratoga and the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office have discussed a joint dispatch p...
At June 14’s Encampment Town Council meeting, the council discussed changes in water and sewer rates, a land dispute, a donation to the 4th of July Firework Display, and a request for use of town land with the Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities. Encampment sewer rates have increased from $23 a month to $26. According to Town Clerk Doreen Harvey, this was done due to the additional expenses and man labor caused by the upgraded lagoon system which is more resource intensive and requires more maintenance. The water rate has remained at $46 a m...
Authorities from across the county met to hear comments and concerns regarding combined dispatch during a public hearing hosted by the Town of Saratoga on June 12. The Saratoga Town Council was joined by Saratoga Chief of Police Mike Morris, Rawlins Chief of Police Michael Ward, Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken, Carbon County Dispatch Supervisor Tracy Newbrough, Saratoga Dispatch Supervisor Alex Munson and Rawlins Dispatch Center Supervisor Valeta Rodabaugh. The public hearing was held to hear...
With the filing deadline of May 31 now past, the ballots for the primary election are now set. In the local races, nearly all are contested with several people running for limited seats. Meanwhile, there’s some new faces in the statewide offices as one long-time congressman doesn’t appear to be running for re-election this cycle. United States Senator Beginning with United States Senator, John Barrasso will be seeking another term. Barrasso has served in the United States Senate since 2007, when he was appointed to finish the term of the lat... Full story
With a deadline of May 31 for candidates to file for the primary election, some races will see some competition while others are either uncontested or without any candidates at all. This year, three seats are up for grabs on the Board of Carbon County Commissioners with five candidates having filed as of May 28. John Espy and Sue Jones both have filed to run for re-election. Joining them on the ballot will be Gwynn Bartlett, who has served as the Carbon County Clerk since 2010 and was re-elected in 2022, James “Jimmy” Hinkle and Garrett Ire...
Filings for the 2024 Primary Elections are currently underway. Many candidates have already applied, however there remain many positions across Carbon County without any filings. The deadline to file for candidacy in all partisan and nonpartisan races is May 31. Here are the current candidates for the 2024 Primary Election as of May 21. For the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCC), three seats are open to be filled. Sue Jones and John Espy will be running for reelection. Their most recent...
Today marks the opening of the 2024 Primary Election filing period with a deadline of May 31 for candidates in all partisan and nonpartisan primary races. A complete listing of all offices can be found in the 2024 Primary Proclamation on page B6 of this week’s Saratoga Sun. A few of those offices include three seats on the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), three on the Saratoga Town Council, two on the Encampment Town Council and three on the Riverside Town Council. Board of Carbon C...
These days it may seem as if election cycles never end, but only bleed into one another. While it can be easy to get fatigued by the constant election rhetoric, the civic importance of elections shouldn’t be lost. This year is a presidential election and, in Wyoming, one senate seat and the lone congress seat are also on the ballot. Also on the ballot are a number of county and municipal offices. Three of the five seats on the Board of Carbon County Commissioners will be on the ballot this e...
Beginning in the spring/summer of 2028, there will be a new road through Encampment.well, at least new asphalt. At the March 14, 2024 Encampment Town Council Meeting, Aaron Spenny, WYDOT District 1 Resident Engineer in Rawlins, outlined a pavement preservation project for the town of Encampment beginning in 2028. The project would proceed in two phases with the second phase being contingent on lower costs in the initial phase and/or additional funding secured prior to construction. In the first phase, the pavement from the Highway 70 and...
On March 14, the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 50th Anniversary at the Platte Valley Community Center. Local business owners came together to be recognized for their accomplishments both in business and the community. One of those top winners of recognition was Valley Foods & Liquor, which won 2023 Business of the Year. The local grocery store is owned and managed by Adam Clarke, a third-generation grocery store owner. Clarke said this Business of the Year Award...
The Town of Saratoga may be considering switching contracting with the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office for dispatch services following the January 16 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. Currently, the Town operates its own dispatch services and contracts for the Town of Encampment. The City of Rawlins and the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office also have their own dispatch. All other municipalities such as Hanna, Medicine Bow and Baggs contract with the sheriff’s office. Some other parts of Wyoming have made the change to a joint dispatch syste...
The Saratoga Town Council has some tough decisions ahead of them regarding the Saratoga Police Department’s communication center. For years, decades even, Saratoga has maintained its own dispatch center. Not only has it dispatched for its own police department, but for the Encampment Police Department and the volunteer fire departments in Saratoga and Encampment. In the past, any suggestion of communications operating elsewhere was almost immediately rejected. Yet, what’s long felt like a necessity seems to have turned into a luxury, esp...
"If we were fully staffed and looking at equipment cost, that's one thing. We are truly one power bump or one illness away from not being able to keep the door's open 24/7." Supported by other law enforcement and first responders, Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris laid out the case as to why a county-run centralized dispatch was likely a matter of when, not if. Morris, who was appointed to the position of chief last year by Mayor Chuck Davis, explained how staffing and infrastructure issues...