Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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CHEYENNE — Detainment time for adjudicated undocumented inmates was increased from two hours to 48 hours by Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak. The change will bring detainment times in line with a nationally accepted standard and has been a long-term goal of Kozak’s since he was elected sheriff. Federal law states that state and local law enforcement authorities may only hold persons on immigration detainers for 48 hours after the completion of their jail time. “I know that some criminal aliens were released into our commu...
LARAMIE — More than two-thirds of University of Wyoming students recently surveyed by the Wyoming Business Council said that a future in Wyoming is a “maybe” or a “no.” Additionally, more than 60% of people who are born in Wyoming leave by the time they’re in their 30s. Most do not return. Rather than lament statistics, the Wyoming Business Council came together with University of Wyoming students Tuesday night for a comprehensive event and panel discussion to encourage discussion between leaders and students in the hope of b...
With a resonant voice and a beaming smile on his face, to say Loren “Teense” Willford had a presence in the Valley and beyond would be an understatement. “You can’t fully understand Teense unless you were one of his friends and, of course, everybody was his friend [in] one way or the other,” said former governor Jim Geringer. “If you didn’t get along with Teense, it wouldn’t take long before you did.” Teense passed away early on the morning of September 3 following a long...
On a warm, fall Saturday the mouth watering aromas of woodsmoke and beef over an open fire filled the air at Riverside Garage and Cabins. Brisket, burgers, short ribs, steak and even bone marrow were cooked and prepared by local backyard cooks for attendees. It wasn’t just any beef—and bison—on the menu, though. All proteins served at the 2nd Annual Born & Raised Wyoming Beef and Whiskey Festival were, well, born and raised in the Platte Valley. “The beef industry around...
Gas prices edge slightly higher in Wyoming in the past week CHEYENNE (WNE) — Average gasoline prices in Wyoming have risen 0.9 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.29 per gallon Monday, according to GasBuddy.com’s survey of 494 stations in Wyoming. Prices in Wyoming are 4.1 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, and stand 62.6 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. According to GasBuddy price reports, the lowest price in the state Sunday was $2.79, while the highest was $4.29, a difference of $1.50 per gal...
BUFFALO — The number of mental-health related calls and the severity of the calls that come into Johnson County's dispatch center have increased over the past few years, but mental health services haven't increased to match, Johnson County Sheriff Rod Odenbach said. Unmet mental health needs can sometimes lead to law enforcement involvement when they reach a crisis point. Once law enforcement is involved, Odenbach said, those agencies sometimes don't have enough resources to provide the services people may need. Allen T...
After more than a year of discussion and apparent false starts, the Saratoga Planning Commission may have a path forward in the regulation of short term rentals (STRs) in municipal limits. At a special meeting on September 5, the seven member board—joined by legal counsel Kylie Waldrip—discussed and debated the best approach to address short term rentals—such as those listed on AirBNB and VRBO—in Saratoga. Throughout the more than 90 minute meeting, the biggest point of disa...
One moose and more than 50 cattle have died of anthrax in the past month in south-central Wyoming, officials confirmed Wednesday. Anthrax occurs naturally in soil but has not been documented in Wyoming in livestock since the 1970s and in wildlife since 1956. No humans have been infected, according to the Wyoming Department of Health. Wildlife and veterinary health officials ask that anyone in Carbon County who encounters a dead animal such as elk, moose, deer, antelope or catt...
The option for voters on whether or not to establish a hospital tax district to benefit Memorial Hospital of Carbon County (MHCC) will be placed on the general election ballot in November. The decision to place it on the ballot came following the August 6 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC). The proposed hospital district would give an increase in property taxes to those living within its boundaries. Proponents of the measure say new taxes will provide...
The discussion of creating a brand for Saratoga leapt back into the spotlight at the September 3 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. Leslie Jefferson, executive director of Discover Carbon County, started an over 30 minute discussion about a tourism master plan for Carbon County and the creation of an authentic Wyoming experience for visitors. Jefferson apologized for the miscommunication on changing Saratoga’s town motto “Where the Trout Leap in Main Street”. The CEO of Carbon County Visitors’ Council said “she was quest...
Following one of the lowest voter turnouts in the primary election since 2016, Carbon County Clerk Gwynn Bartlett encouraged more voter involvement—and education—ahead of the general election. Her comments came during the August 26 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) as she provided the board with a post-election update. Low Turnout “Turnout was low, as you know, about 56%. That’s 10 to 15% lower than I anticipated it would be. We had 5,388 registe...
It was a busy Labor Day weekend for staff at the City of Rawlins as several water main breaks occurred on the holiday. According to the City, the six breaks which took place over a three-day period were due to a combination of aging infrastructure and a period of slightly elevated pressure. “Despite undergoing regular maintenance, a pressure-reducing valve failed,” said Mira Miller, communication relations director with the City of Rawlins in a press release. “Although press...
As landowners and sportsmen alike await a decision from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals regarding a corner crossing case which originated in Carbon County, local law enforcement are left without a clear directive should a similar incident happen again. Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken, called the lack of direction “a little disappointing and a little detrimental” during the August 26 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC). Hunting for Answers Under his...
In a county where more than half of the land is public, determining where the county sheriff authority has jurisdiction can be difficult. A discussion at the most recent meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) over which agency has the ultimate jurisdiction within Carbon County used terminology from the constitutional sheriffs and country supremacy movements. Somewhat Political The discussion, which lasted just under 30 minutes, was prompted by Saratoga...
It almost seems to be a scene out of a movie. A donation center in another state receives a funeral flag box of a fallen soldier, starting them on a mission to find the rightful home for the memorial item. Their mission leads them to contact a local newspaper. It sounds too good to be true but, on August 22, that’s exactly what happened when the Deseret Industries Thrift Store and Donation Center in Rexburg, Idaho called the Saratoga Sun asking if the name Tyler Pickett had a...
CHEYENNE — State lawmakers discussed the possibility of adding doula services through Medicaid and ideas proposed by the governor’s task force as ways to address maternity health care deserts in Wyoming on the first day of their two-day meeting in Cheyenne. Members of the Legislature’s Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee spent Thursday afternoon continuing their discussion on maternity health care deserts, which is listed as the committee’s No. 1 topic for the interim. It was noted in the committee’s last meet...
GREYBULL — A single parent of one preschooler and one school-aged child in Big Horn County must earn more than $60,000 annually to cover basic necessities and meet the monthly cost of living, according to a report released last month by the Wyoming Women’s Foundation. The Wyoming Self-Sufficiency report, a 114-page document compiled by researchers to assess economic security and how to best achieve prosperity, highlights the financial difficulties facing the average Wyoming family. The report examines the minimum income req...
SHERIDAN — When Antony Fink took a job as Sheridan High School's machining teacher this summer, he was pleasantly surprised to learn he could live in district-owned rentals while his family transitioned from Powell. “It has made things a lot easier, as it would have been very difficult for my family to (move with me),” Fink said. Fink currently lives in one of Sheridan County School District #2's renovated units on the old Normative Services, Inc., property. Although the district-provided housing was not a deciding facto...
POWELL — As news of translocations of two grizzly bears broke, few realized the amount of hard work — on the phone, on paper and in the wilderness — it takes to make such a feat happen. It is touted as a step to increase genetic diversity in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem’s population of its most charismatic creature. But if you think all they had to do was load a couple bears in a truck and drive six to eight hours to release them in and near Yellowstone National Park, y...
CHEYENNE — It’s been 15 years since the Wyoming Legislature last revised its funding formula for school maintenance and repairs, and one state official said an adjustment is long overdue. But after a primary election set the stage for the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, a far-right group of hardline Republicans, to take control of the lower chamber in November, at least one lawmaker questions how well a bill that appropriates $43 million in major maintenance funds will do in the next legislative session. The Legislature’s Selec...
CASPER — Less than 25% of eighth graders are proficient in civics, and PBS is trying to combat that. In partnership with GBH, which is the primary PBS station out of Boston, PBS LearningMedia has put together a collection of civics resources, lesson plans and activities for primary and secondary education teachers. “The new collection will draw on media to engage students, spark their interest in civics, and promote the active learning of skills by connecting the basic principles from the nation’s founding documents to issue...
SHERIDAN — For many Wyomingites, buying a home is one of the biggest decisions of their lives, but the real estate world can be one with a steep learning curve. A first-time homeowner may wonder the difference between a real estate agent and a Realtor, or the difference between a buyer's agent and a seller's agent. Another may wonder what guarantee they have that a listing will accurately reflect the home they visit. And although rare, cases like the Gillette Realtor a...
Photo by Richard Espinoza Pastel colors paint the sky as the sun sets on the 2024 Saratoga Bullfest on August 24 at Buck Springs Arena. See more photos and coverage on A8....
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,...
Carbon County saw its lowest voter turnout in six years during the primary election on August 20. Voter turnout in Carbon County was 56.72%. Registered voters were also down from 2022, with only 5,388 registrations compared to the previous election’s 5,860. Along party lines, voter turnout for Republicans was 60.21% while turnout for Democrats was 54.41%. Turnout for nonpartisans was 28.15%. This is a significant decrease in voters from the previous primary election, which h...