Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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In May, Health Management Services (HMS) and Platte Valley Clinic finalized a contract with Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie to provide expanded services to the Platte Valley. On June 23, staff from the regional hospital visited the Corbett Medical Center ahead of providing both in-person and telehealth visits. Holly Zajic, Chief Financial Officer for Ivinson Memorial Hospital, was joined by obstetrics and gynecology specialist Kim Westrbook, Sarah Miles, patient care technician, and Brande...
Two Build-Rite stores in Carbon County are now part of R.P. Lumber, an Illinois-based home improvement company with 71 locations across the country. The announcement was made in a press release on June 26. “This is our list acquisition in Wyoming and we could not be more pleased to welcome Build-Rite Lumber and Supply’s great team to the R.P. Lumber family,” said Robert Plummer, President and CEO of R.P. Lumber in the press release. “Build-Rite Lumber and Supply is an excellent fit for our company and we are excited to serve the people of sout...
Nearly a year after their initial announcement and two false starts, Memorial Hospital of Carbon County (MHCC) appears to be moving forward with their intentions of establishing a clinic in the Platte Valley. That progress was announced via a Facebook Livestream held by MHCC on June 18 at the Platte Valley Community Center (PVCC). Since July 2019, when the MHCC Board of Trustees first announced their plan, the organization had publicly discussed two potential properties for the clinic. One had...
Experience is the kind of characteristic you look for in a doctor. You want someone who has been a lot of places, had a variety of experiences, and faced many challenges. Meet Dr. Adrian Durham Durham will be taking over as the medical director for the Platte Valley Clinic August 1 and will be the medical director for the North Platte Valley Medical Center (NPVMC) when it is completed in the fall of 2021. When it comes to life experience, he could fill a book. Born in Hartfield, Connecticut to...
Memorial Hospital of Carbon County (MHCC) has updated its visitor policy, which had originally been put in place during the initial arrival of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Carbon County and Wyoming. Effective as of June 16, the policy allows one visitor per patient in the hospital. According to the revised guidelines, patients and visitors should expect the following when visiting MHCC or one of their clinics: • Every person will be required to complete a COVID-19 screening prior to e...
The Carbon County Economic Development Corporation has announced the closing of the “Moving Forward Together Micro-Grant Program” as of May 31, 2020. The purpose of the program was to give financial resources to local, small businesses adversely affected by Governor Gordon’s executive orders in response to the pandemic. The micro-grant was distributed to qualified applicants based on need and on a first-come-first-served basis. Project Manager, Stacy Crimmins, said “We started taking applications at 8:00 am on April 13. Sixty-two grants...
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust recently announced a multimillion-dollar effort to save the lives of COVID-19 patients and protect the frontline healthcare workers caring for them. The grant will fund the purchase of six LUCAS mechanical chest compression devices for Memorial Hospital of Carbon County. A total of $4,711,481 in funding will be distributed across five upper-midwestern states to pay for 367 LUCAS mechanical CPR devices to be deployed to hospitals caring for patients during the pandemic and beyond. “These d...
Members of Carbon Power & Light Inc. in 2020 will be eligible to receive electric services under a new rebate program that will extend significant benefits for line extension costs, the cooperative announced today. At its May 11 meeting, Carbon Power & Light’s board of directors approved the new electric service rebate program for 2020, applicable to the first 100 permanent new electric services installed this year. Upon completion of the new services, members would be eligible for up to $10,000 in rebates toward their line extension costs. ...
Since Health Management Services (HMS) announced they were assuming management of the Corbett Medical Clinic in Saratoga in August 2018, one of the biggest concerns for Valley residents has been when a doctor would be brought to the area. While HMS, the Platte Valley Healthcare Project (PVHP) and the Corbett Medical Foundation have navigated the path to a critical access hospital, that concern had not gone unheard by any three of the organizations. "You think back to our community healthcare...
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), was a big slice of the small business relief included in the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed and signed into law on March 30. The program was so popular, the $349 billion funds guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) were gone faster than had been anticipated. When Firewater owner Danny Burau missed the first round of funding from the (PPP), he wasn't happy, but he felt it was due to his getting his...
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), was the biggest component of small business relief included in the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed and signed into law on March 30. (See “Local banks invest in their communities” on page 5 of the April 15 Saratoga Sun.) “It is a great program,” Scott Thayer, RNB State Bank Rawlins Market President said. “It can help our small business customers and non-profits during this unprecedented period and it was extremely...
For Jezria "Jez" Collins, there is something special she feels about helping someone achieve home ownership. The real estate industry runs deep for Collins, who first obtained her broker's license at the age of 20 and whose mother, Andrea Shepherd, founded ERA Shepherd and Associates in 1997. In August 2018, Collins struck out on her own and put her years of experience to work as she founded Provident Realty. Now, nearly two years later, she is adding to her business as she has recently become...
As businesses throughout the country are struggling in the wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), funding opportunities have appeared on local, state and national levels. In Carbon County, the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation announced a micro-grant to aid businesses impacted by the pandemic (see “Moving forward in Carbon County” on page 3 of the April 8 Saratoga Sun). On a national level, the United States Chamber of Commerce Foundation is getting involved in supporting sma...
Companies bringing in workers to build the different projects in Carbon County are aware of the concern residents might have with the influx of people coming from all over the United States. "Rocky Mountain Power's top priority is protecting the health of our employees and the community while we provide reliable power," Spencer Hall of Pacificorp said. "As an essential service provider, our employees and contractors continue to meet their obligations to work safely and follow company policies...
Many small businesses in Carbon County have been impacted by the COVID-19 shutdown. The Coronavirus Aid and Economic Security (CARES) Act was created to help alleviate the damage to these businesses and their employees. The main force of the small business stimulus in the CARES Act is contained in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The $349 billion initiative, funded under the Small Business Administration (SBA) Business Loans Program Account, is meant to supply loans to businesses to...
The Lodge and Spa at Brush Creek Ranch (Brush Creek) is joining the fight to help Carbon County stay safe by switching their distillery operations from making spirits to making hand sanitizer. According to a press release, Brush Creek Distillery never considered hand sanitizer as a future product release but the distillery's manufacturing set-up and the access to materials provides an opportunity for the timely production of sanitizer on a small-scale. Once additional supplies arrived the...
In the weeks since the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused restaurants in the Valley to restructure their business, the area has been witness to multiple acts of kindness. As was reported previously (see "It's about helping others" on page 10 of the April 1 Saratoga Sun), one example of kindness was that of the Saratoga TechKids/SkillsUSA purchasing gift cards from all 10 Valley restaurants. This goodwill, however, is not isolated just to the Valley. Thanks to a number of monetary donations...
It's been nearly a month since Governor Mark Gordon issued his first public health order which closed restaurants and bars to dine-in service. Wyoming, however, is not alone as states throughout the nation have enacted similar orders that have had an affect on those working within the service industry. While restaurants in Wyoming are allowed to provide curbside or delivery service, and now include wine or malt beverages with curbside pickup, it leaves much to be desired for bartenders whose inc...
The A Bar A, a guest or “dude” ranch in Encampment, Wyoming, has announced that it will cancel its 2020 guest season due to concerns arising from COVID-19. This is the only time the Ranch has closed in 98 years of operation. The A Bar A is a Wyoming institution, known around the world for its family focus and unmatched hospitality. Ranch Managers Justin and Lissa Howe described the situation and the reasons for their decision “The effects of COVID-19 expand each day with impacts lasting well into the summer season. We have all learned a lot a...
Town & Country Realty is proud to announce that Shelby McGuire has joined their team. Shelby is not new to real estate as she completed the Salesmen Course I and II and received her license back in 2019. Shelby is a Saratoga native where she graduated from high school. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from the University of Wyoming in 2018. Shelby is proud to be returning home to continue her career in real estate. Town & Country Realty is still committed in providing...
With the effects of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on local businesses, various programs have been announced on both the federal and state levels in the form of grants and loans. Recently, the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services announced Layoff Aversion Grants for Wyoming businesses but quickly saw the application limit exceeded. On a more local level, the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) is offering financial aid through micro-grants for small businesses in the...
On Thursday afternoon, a joint order from Governor Mark Gordon and State Health Officer Alexia Harrist directed restaurants, bars and other public spaces in Wyoming to close their doors. In the case of restaurants, they could still offer curbside, carry-out or delivery services while bars could offer drive-thru services or window services. Just days before that order, some restaurants in the Valley were already making that decision on their own. In Saratoga, The Grumpy Italian and Bella's Bistro...
As the Valley continues to cope with the ongoing uncertainty caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the two grocery stores in Saratoga continue to try and meet the needs of their customers despite allocation and shortages on certain items. At Valley Foods, things changed quickly in less than a week. While manager Adam Clarke had put limitations on toilet paper, hand soap and hand sanitizer to try and make things stretch, his list of allocated items from his warehouse continued to grow. Now,...
At the moment, the possible health impacts of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on Wyoming appear to be relatively minimal. Following the weekend, the Wyoming Department of Health confirmed 10 cases of the virus. As the virus makes its way across the country, however, a number of states and metropolitan areas have ordered bars and restaurants to close in an effort to promote social distancing. On Monday afternoon, the mayor of Denver announced that all bars and restaurants were to be shut down... Full story
With how remote many towns in Wyoming are, one might have expected that the panic-buying induced by uncertainty over the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) would not reach parts of the Cowboy State. This was proven wrong, however, as posts on social media detailed the stockpiling seen by residents in Rawlins, the Carbon County seat, at both WalMart and City Market. In the days before and the days following reports of Wyoming’s first confirmed case of COVID-19, Wyoming has confirmed 10 as of late M...