Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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Governor Mark Gordon announced Wyoming will remove its statewide mask requirement and allow bars, restaurants, theaters and gyms to resume normal operations on March 16. The decision reflects the state’s continually improving health metrics and is consistent with the Governor’s approach of balancing public health with protecting livelihoods. Wyoming has seen a declining number of active COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, and has seen significant success rolling out the vaccine, with the state’s most vulnerable resid...
Saratoga’s Shively Airfield supports nearly 200 jobs and generates more than $16 million for the state and local economy, according to a recent study conducted by the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT). The last Statewide Economic Impact Study from WYDOT was in 2013 and showed that aviation in Wyoming generated approximately $1.4 billion. That number increased in 2020 to $2 billion. Additionally, aviation in Wyoming was found to support 9.5 percent of statewide employment resulting in more than 27,000 jobs. With a m...
While the Saratoga Planning Commission recommended approval of a zone amendment for the Octagon Construction Group (Octagon) during their February 9 meeting, that recommendation did not come without some discussion. That discussion mainly centered around whether the proposed zone was appropriate for the proposed use as well as the process for zone amendments. The piece of property that Bo Stocks, owner of Octagon, is looking to rezone is currently zoned RD 9000, sits along...
A day before Upper Valley Search and Rescue held their annual poker run, search and rescue teams from Encampment, Saratoga and Ryan Park were dispatched to locate two missing snowmobilers. According to a February 23 press release from the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, the office received a call at approximately 4:32 p.m. on February 13 reporting two juveniles who had been separated from their group while snowmobiling. The last known location of the two was near Slash Ridge. While the search and rescue teams were r...
While there were rumors of two deaths at the hot springs this past week, Police Chief Ken Lehr, confirmed that there was only one. Details could not yet be released at the time of the interview as the Carbon County Coroner has not yet completed the investigation. Lehr did say that, typically, there are three to four deaths per year. This year however, there have already been three. The higher number may be attributed to the COVID-19 restrictions. Lehr thinks that people are...
The Saratoga Town Council just barely had a quorum as it met on February 17. With Councilmember Bob Keel and Mayor Creed James both absent and Councilmember D’Ron Campbell joining by phone, the meeting lasted less than 45 minutes. With Mayor Pro-Tem Ben Spaulding chairing the meeting, the governing body covered a variety of subjects in a short amount of time compared to past meetings. Town Hall Since the first meeting in January, the subject of town hall has taken up a fair a...
The USDA has issued final loan approval for the construction of the North Platte Valley Medical Center which means, according to Construction Superintendent Monty Wardell, “We can finally move forward.” Wardell said that his firm, contractor Sletten Construction, had been prepared to begin work at the time of the site dedication in October, but delays surrounding bank approval of the plan appraisal put work on hold through the fall. “We can’t issue contracts without the USDA approval, so we had a lot of renegotiation to do a...
During their February 16 meeting, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners heard updates on both the Mullen Fire and the Hanna RR 316 Fire from Lenny Layman, Carbon County Emergency Manager. The commissioners were also updated on the status of a State Lands Investment Board (SLIB) grant for a Type 6 fire engine for the Carbon County Fire Department. Mullen Fire Starting on September 17 just outside the Savage Run Wilderness, the Mullen Fire grew to be one of the largest fires...
The Carbon County Visitors Council (CCVC) met on February 17 via Zoom. It would be a short meeting compared to most CCVC board meetings. As it lasted exactly one hour. After all board members were identified, the agenda and minutes from the regularly scheduled meeting January 20 were approved. CCVC Director Leslie Jefferson went over the lodging tax collected and Carbon County had a major uptick from last month and last year. For the month of February, which included the...
The Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) passed two resolutions during their February 16 meeting that adopted policies proposed by Kandis Fritz, Carbon County Road and Bridge Coordinator. Both policies seek to help the department in managing the nearly 1,000 miles of county roads. Weight Just a Minute The resolution that seemed to elicit the most discussion was 2021-08, which adopted rules and regulations for sizes, weight and permits on Carbon County roads. Fritz...
Vaccinations against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have been, by and large, successful in Carbon County despite a brief shortage caused by nationwide weather issues last week. In a February 17 interview with the Saratoga Sun, Memorial Hospital of Carbon County (MHCC) CEO Ken Harman stated that the vaccination rates for the county were sitting at 20 percent for people over the age of 21. While this doesn’t seem like much, especially when considering that 85 percent of the po...
What began as a routine traffic stop quickly turned into a dangerous pursuit according to a recent press release from the Wyoming Highway Patrol. On February 19, a Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper attempted to stop a vehicle between Elk Mountain and Walcott on Interstate 80 for a traffic violation. While the driver of the vehicle initially stopped, he failed to identify himself to the trooper before fleeing. As the vehicle was being pursued by the trooper, the driver of the car began firing rounds at pursuing law enforcement....
At the February 8 meeting of the Medicine Bow Town Council, the audience and council members learned from town Marshal Dave Redding that trucks were not observing the 30 miles per hour speed limit through town. “This past weekend, I gave out $2,100 in tickets,” Redding said. “I probably could have given out more, but I was called away by Highway Patrol for a good part of the weekend due to all the accidents.” He said that Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) got bac...
The Encampment Town Council meeting on February 11, 2021 began with public guest John Farr who requested permission to use the park and the area behind the Grand Encampment Museum for the Colorado Grand, which comes through the area every three years. This year the group will be in Encampment on September 19. According to Farr, an $8,000 scholarship is provided along with some funding for the highway department. Farr also said that any COVID-19 restrictions that are in place...
The Riverside Town Council meeting of February 11, 2021 discussion centered around new resident Peggy Huntley’s questions about building a “barndominium”. According to Huntley, a barndominium is a pole building that is finished inside. She said that there are examples on YouTube if anyone is interested in seeing what they look like. Huntley also promised the council that it would not look like an actual barn once it is complete. Previous to the meeting, Huntley had been provi...
The Board Carbon County Commissioners, along with a steering committee, has completed a draft Natural Resource Management Plan (NRMP). The County developed this Plan as a tool which allows a local government to have a substantive impact on federal decisions, plans, policies, and programs. Federal agencies consideration of a local natural resource management plan, or resource plan, can play a key role in the success of a local government engaging as a cooperative agency or with consistency review under the National...
Joel James, Brierly Associates, gave a presentation on the status of the Abandoned Mines Land (AML) program in Hanna on February 9. He explained the purpose of the program was to mitigate hazards to public health and safety posed by abandoned mines, which Hanna has in abundance. The program is funded by federal fees on current coal mining. He said final disbursement of AML funds ends in 2022, but that reclamation work will continue past 2022. James said, in 2020, the...
In recent months, representatives for Union Telephone Company (Union Wireless) have appeared before the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) for approval to extend the height of existing telecommunication towers. These requests come as Union Wireless prepares for the introduction of 5th Generation (5G) wireless, which has garnered questions and concerns about the health impacts of the newest wireless technology. During the February 2 meeting of the BOCCC, a...
After nearly two months, Rocky Mountain Power finally received approval for construction of a transmission line between the Shirley Basin Substation in Carbon County and the Windstar Substation in Natrona County. As was previously reported (see “Rocky Mountain permit tabled” on page 1 of the December 30, 2020 Saratoga Sun), following concerns raised by the Medicine Bow Conservation District and land owners in the area the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) tab...
Gerry Abbett was 27,000 feet in the air and traveling at approximately 350 miles per hour when the windshield of his LancAir Evolution, for all intents and purposes, disappeared. According to information from FlightAware, Abbett and his two passengers departed Afton, Wyoming around 6:12 p.m. and were expected to arrive in Cheyenne, Wyoming just after 7:30 p.m. The single-engine turboprop never made it to Cheyenne, but instead made an emergency landing at Shively Airfield aroun...
The Saratoga Town Council is preparing to move forward with an audit of Fiscal Year 2019/2020 after making the decision to contract with a retired University of Wyoming professor. During their February 2 meeting, the governing body also discussed moving the pay period date for Town of Saratoga employees. Audit Preparation As the Saratoga Town Council moves ever closer to the end of the current fiscal year, it does so without an audit of the previous fiscal year. While an...
The Hanna Parks and Recreation Board met on February 3 at the the Hanna Recreation Center. All members of the board were present as was Mayor Lois Buchanan. The agenda and regular meeting minutes from December 2 were approved quickly. There had been no meeting for January. Vivian Gonzales, Parks and Recreation director went over the financials and the flow of members using the recreation center with 322 visits recorded. After the financials were approved the board discussed...
Carbon County Public Health will be returning to the Valley and the Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow area this month to administer the second dose of the Moderna coronavirus campaign. The schedule is as follows: Second dose of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine schedule Encampment: Encampment Senior Center from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on February 18. Hanna: Hanna Senior Center from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on February 23. Saratoga: Platte Valley Community Center from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on February 18. Elk Mountain: Elk Mountain Senior...
A ban on new sales of federal oil and gas leases could have negative impacts for Wyoming’s wildlife. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has analyzed potential effects on the state’s wildlife in response to Governor Mark Gordon’s Executive Order directing state agencies to determine impacts of federal oil and gas lease ban. Most of all, a ban of new leasing on federal lands could restrict the ability of Wyoming’s state wildlife agencies to work with proponents to avoid and minimize impacts to fish and wildlife. “A blanket b...
Carbon County Search and Rescue safely recovered three lost snowmobilers in the Sierra Madre mountain range according to a recent press release from the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office. In the early morning hours of January 31, Deputy Casey Lehr was contacted to conduct a search and rescue operation off of Wyoming Highway 70 for Lonnie Kelly, Jason Davis and Ty Quickenden. Initially receiving the call at 5 a.m., Lehr and members of search and rescue gathered at the Highway 70 closure gate at 7 a.m. before unloading their s...
