Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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Less than a month after multiple county health officers requested approval of mask mandates, Governor Mark Gordon has approved a state-wide health order requiring the use of masks in public places effective today. Along with requiring the use of face coverings, changes to current health orders issued by the governor reduces the operating time of bars and restaurants. Similar to many of the recent health orders issued by county health officers in recent weeks, the state-wide... Full story
After nearly 30 years working for the Town of Saratoga, Suzie Cox submitted her letter of resignation to the Saratoga Town Council effective December 31. Cox, who has served as town clerk since 2005 and was initially hired in 1994, submitted her letter prior to the December 1 meeting of the governing body. “It has been my pleasure to have served in many capacities and as Clerk for the Town of Saratoga. I have worked for the Town of Saratoga since November of 1994,” wrote Cox...
With only one meeting remaining in 2020, it would appear that the Saratoga Town Council will move into the New Year without someone in the mayor’s seat despite solicited input from council members-elect Creed James and Ben Spaulding. While the two provided their opinion on the vacancy, two different motions to appoint to the seat died due to lack of a second. Though the mayoral vacancy has been discussed repeatedly since the initial resignation of Mayor John Zeiger on A...
The Upper Platte River Solid Waste Disposal District (UPRSWDD) met on December 2 at the Platte Valley Community Center in order to discuss ongoing matters involving the landfill. Following the site reports, the board decided to talk and finalize what they were going to do about the past due accounts. Over the past few months, the district has been struggling with people failing to pay their dues on time, with some not paying for over four months. To begin, Ellie Dana-Raymer...
The Saratoga Sun will remain the official publication of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) following their December 1 meeting. This marks the first time in recent history that the Sun has been the official publication for the governing body of the county two years in a row. Last year, when the BOCCC had named the Saratoga Sun their official publication for the 2020 calendar year, it marked the first time that the newspaper had been selected to publish the...
Back in the beginning of June, there was serious concern that the Hanna landfill, run by the High Country Joint Powers Board (HCJPB), was in danger of not being ready for closure. Trash piled high throughout the dump during that time and it did not look feasible that all the trash could be buried in time to meet the deadline for closing the dump in accordance to Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) requirements. The closure had been in the works for over a decade. It was...
“After the investigation and reading the documentation … it’s the finding of my office that there is no criminal conduct. So, we have declined criminal charges.” It has been more than a year since the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office seized a hard drive used by Saratoga Town Clerk Suzie Cox from Saratoga Town Hall. On December 1, Carbon County Attorney Ashley Mayfield-Davis appeared before the Saratoga Town Council to inform them that the investigation into the hard drive was...
Leslie Birge has spent the majority of her life in Carbon County, mostly in the town of Hanna. "I might have been born in Texas, but I was raised here in Hanna," Birge said. "My father worked for a gas company and I went to Hanna Elementary and finished at Hanna High School." After graduating, Birge went to work for the Hanna Housing Board and then the Hanna Senior Center. She married before she was 21, and she started a family. Birge has two daughters, Audrianna and Andraya....
The Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) Board of Trustees received a number of updates during their November 16 meeting, one of which was from Robin Brown, district special education director. According to Brown, the district had approximately 101 students enrolled in special education across all disability categories. Additionally, there were six students who had transferred to the district from out-of-state that were undergoing evaluations for Individual Education...
When the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) announced the closure of schools statewide due to concerns over the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, school districts were asked to develop an Adaptive Learning Plan just a few weeks after to help finish out the school year. The administrative and curriculum staff of Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) worked quickly to put such a plan in place to facilitate the continued education of students from home. As August...
On November 23, six days after Carbon County Health Officer Wayne Couch announced a county-wide mask mandate, the executive committee of the Carbon County Republican Party issued a letter of concern addressed to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC). As was reported previously (see “All the dents we can get” on page 1 of the November 25 Saratoga Sun), Couch joined the BOCCC via phone during their November 17 meeting to discuss a mask mandate. What was first bel...
On November 18, Carbon County became one of nine other counties in the state to institute a mask mandate. The total number of counties in Wyoming with such a mandate is now at 12 with the public health orders coming as active cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) within the state continue to rise. Dr. Wayne Couch, public health officer for Carbon County, first announced the mask mandate during the November 17 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC). At that t...
As millions of Americans travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, the number of active cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) across the state and within Carbon County continue to move upward. Following Governor Mark Gordon’s press conference nearly two weeks ago it was expected a statewide mask mandate would be implemented. Gordon, however, has not issued one while Carbon County and eight other counties have issued county-wide mandates. Gordon did, however, announce new restrictions o... Full story
The Carbon County Visitors Council had to change their meeting from Sinclair Town Hall to meet virtually due to concerns of COVID-19. The meeting started at 10:31 on November 18. The agenda and minutes from the regularly scheduled meeting on October 10 were quickly approved. The next order of business was going over and approving the 2021 Budget Amendment that incorporated $270,428.06 of Cares Act Relief Funding (CARF) received for the purpose of marketing and promoting...
In response to rising cases of COVID-19 and increasing strains on medical facilities, Governor Mark Gordon announced additional statewide measures to help slow the spread of COVID-19, ease the pressure on Wyoming’s healthcare system and preserve the viability of the state’s economy. The new health orders issued by the State Health Officer yook effect on November 24. There are no business closures included in the new orders. They reduce the size of indoor and outdoor gatherings. These are part of a series of measures the sta...
The Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) is in the process of developing a draft Natural Resource Management Plan (NRMP) for the county. The County has hired Y2 Consultants and Falen Law Offices to work with a County appointed steering committee to develop the NRMP following the guidelines set forth by the Wyoming Governor’s Office and the Wyoming County Commissioner’s Association. The County is developing this Plan as a tool which allows a local government to have a substantive impact on federal decisions, pla...
During the November 17 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), the commissioners approved a road use agreement between Carbon County and Brush Creek Ranch for a section of Carbon County Road 504. The approval of the document comes a week after the commissioners balked at a request from the luxury ranch to place a gate on the south end of the county road. Carbon County Road 504 is just one of many roads that, while accessible during the summer, is not...
The Carbon County Council of Governments (CCCOG) met at 6:30 p.m by Zoom on November 18. The municipalities represented were Baggs, Dixon, Elk Mountain, Rawlins, Riverside and Saratoga. Chairman Morgan Irene started the meeting by having all in the conference introduce themselves. After introductions, the voting members from the municipalities identified themselves. Once the voting members identified themselves, the council approved the agenda and the minutes from the...
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has released the Platte Valley Mule Deer Migration Corridor Draft Biological Risk and Opportunity Assessment. The document provides an overview of the conservation challenges and opportunities along the 80 miles in south-central Wyoming that make up one of the most crucial pathways in the state for spring and fall mule deer movements. The public is invited to review the draft and submit comments. The Platte Valley Migration Corridor has...
“I understand people have expressed concerns about their civil liberties. I get that, I understand that. On the other hand, this is a public health emergency. The last one of these major pandemics like this was over 100 years ago. We’re not planning on this lasting forever, I don’t expect the public to tolerate it forever.” On November 17, Carbon County was one of nine counties in Wyoming that instituted a mask mandate following approval by State Health Officer Alexia Harrist...
Saratoga’s mayoral vacancy is no closer to being filled, despite council members-elect Ben Spaulding and Creed James being given two weeks to meet with sitting members of Saratoga Town Council. While Saratoga’s governing body was supposed to meet on November 17, and potentially appoint someone as mayor, the meeting ended up being canceled due to lack of a quorum. The announcement of the cancellation came at approximately noon the day of the meeting in an email from Sar...
The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) announced the official closure of Wyoming Highway (WYO) 130 and WYO 70 over the weekend. WYO 130, also known as the Snowy Range Scenic Byway, originally closed on November 10 due to drifting and blowing snow. According to the press release from WYDOT, dated November 14, crews in Saratoga and Laramie decided that upcoming weather forecasts and current road conditions warranted the seasonal closure. The Snowy Range Scenic Byway, which comprises 12 miles of WYO 130, tops out at...
As temperatures continue to drop, the number of positive coronavirus (COVID-19) cases both within Carbon County and across Wyoming continue to rise. With winter well on its way and the holidays approaching, the number of active cases in the county have surpassed 100 while a recent decision by Carbon County Public Health has caused some frustration with parents in Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2). On Sunday, CCSD2 Superintendent Jim Copeland provided an update on...
*Editor’s Note: On November 17, Carbon County Health Officer Wayne Couch issued a county-wide mask mandate effective immediately. The Saratoga Sun will have more information next week.* “We have a lot of holidays coming up, a lot more social events, and that’s where we’re seeing a lot of the spread within Carbon County is small family units and social events. So, we’re asking the public to be more socially responsible.” During their rescheduled November 10 meeting, th...
