Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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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 Riverside Town Council meeting began with discussion over the moneys the Town of Riverside has received. Mayor LeRoy Stephenson happily said, in regards to the Chokecherry wind energy project, “we got a ton!” They had budgeted to receive $25,000 total but have already received over $27,000. Receipts from the sales and use tax have totaled $35,864. Stephenson then brought up the need for new bathrooms in the park. Last year, the ladies room had issues and, when the con...
The Medicine Bow Town Council met at 7 p.m. on Monday at the Medicine Bow Community Hall for their regularly scheduled town council meeting. Mayor Sharon Biamon was in attendance along with council members John Cowdin, Trevor Flansburg and Trevor Strauch. Council member Lucy Schofield was absent. The agenda was approved in the opening minutes of the council meeting followed quickly by the minutes from the October 12 regular meeting. Treasurer/Town Clerk Karen Heath went over...
Encampment Mayor Greg Salisbury was not present for the town council meeting on November 12,. Councilmember Gary Stull acted as mayor pro-tem. After the minutes and financials were reviewed and approved, Josh Craig, president of Mother Mountain Anglers, spoke. He said a friend and long time community member, Dan Nelius, passed away the week before. Craig was there to request permission to use the Opera House to hold a benefit for Lesley Nelius. He assured the council that the...
Lenny Layman, Carbon County Emergency Manager, is one step closer to realizing the vision of a Carbon County Coordination Center following two significant donations to the project from energy companies operating in Wyoming. The Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) were notified of the two donations during the November 10 meeting. As was reported previously (see “Managing a coordinated plan” on page 7 of the September 23 Saratoga Sun), an initial donation of $15...
The Upper Platte River Solid Waste Disposal District (UPRSWDD) met at 7 p.m. on November 4 to hold their regularly scheduled meeting. Following the trend of the previous meeting, the major focus became that of the past due accounts and what should be done. The meeting began with site reports and discussion of waste management, however it quickly moved on to the previously established billing issues. Ellie Dana-Raymer stated that the district has been working on increasing...
As the Mullen Fire has been all but entirely extinguished following a heavy snow near the end of October, the assessment of damage done by the fire and future impacts to the area has been completed. Carbon County Fire Warden Ron Brown gave an update to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) on the Mullen Fire during their November 10 meeting. While the Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) team’s assessment comprised the entirety of the fire’s burn area, Brown’s updat...
The Hanna Town Council met at 6:30 p.m. on November 10 at the Hanna Town Hall. Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) starting to show up in the resident population, the town limited seating to 10 audience members. Masks were required for all who came to the meeting. The mayor and council members Traci Fowler and Sammy Sikes were physically present and Linda Schisel was on the telephone. Bob Patton's seat was soon to be filled. The approval of the agenda and minutes was done in a...
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...
The Hanna Parks and Recreation Board met on Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Hanna Recreation Center. The agenda and minutes from the August 5 regularly scheduled meeting were approved quickly. There was no quorum for the September meeting. All financials for August, September and October were approved. The board met with John Klemola, who submitted an application for the open board seat. The board approved his application and will put it forth to the Hanna Town Council at their...
Internationally known spine surgeon Dr. Michael Janssen will begin evaluating patients monthly in Saratoga starting Friday, November 20. Dr. Janssen founded the Center for Spine and Orthopedics in Denver and is a frequent visitor to Saratoga. "I'm very excited to open a spine clinic in Saratoga," said Dr. Janssen. "I am passionate about bringing advanced spine care to an area that has become a second home to me. My goal is to help people of all ages remain active doing the...
The question of who will be appointed to the vacant mayoral position on the Saratoga Town Council remains unanswered following the rescheduled November 4 meeting. With six meetings having elapsed since the resignation of former mayor John Zeiger and three meetings remaining until the end of the calendar year, continued discussion and the potential appointment have been pushed back until the November 17 meeting of the governing body. As was reported previously (see “Saratoga p...
On October 28 the Upper Platte River Solid Waste Disposal District (UPRSWDD) held a special meeting with Saratoga mayor pro-tem Bob Keel to discuss the fund balance previously held by the town. This meeting was originally going to be held after the November 4 town council meeting, but was moved up in order to ensure there was a recording of the district’s concerns if a mayor were to be chosen after the election. Randy Raymer called the meeting to order, then allowed Keel to p...
The Saratoga Town Council may consider putting a cap on building permit fees in the future. This comes following a request from the Platte Valley Healthcare Project (PVHP), represented by Sonja Collamer, to waive or reduce a building fee for the North Platte Valley Medical Center (NPVMC) during the November 4 meeting of the governing body. That request also comes at a time when the PVHP recently announced a fundraiser for an additional $1 million for the critical access...
Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) added two more positive cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) earlier this week as Carbon County’s active cases continue to rise. Additionally, the county has added one more COVID-related death bringing the count to three. On November 8, CCSD2 Superintendent Jim Copeland updated the school district website to include two positive cases in Saratoga. While previous cases had been staff members, the two new cases were students. Cope... Full story
The Medicine Bow Town Council met a few minutes after 7 p.m. on October 12 at the Medicine Bow Community Center. Mayor Sharon Biamon called the meeting to order and those present were council members John Cowdin, Lyle Flansburg, Lucy Schofield, and Trevor Strauch. The council approved the agenda for the meeting and the minutes of the regular town meeting of September 14 . Town Clerk/Treasurer Karen Heath read the bills and ratifications. The Council approved the financials....
With the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations around the state, Governor Mark Gordon and the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) are stepping up their efforts to protect vulnerable populations, enhance contact tracing efforts and expand testing availability to all residents. Governor Gordon is also concerned that Wyoming’s economy will be affected by this rise in cases. While the state remains open, the impacts of the surge in cases affect all Wyomingites. Wyoming has averaged more than 200 new cases of C...
Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) added three more positive cases over the Halloween weekend according to an announcement from CCSD2 Superintendent Jim Copeland. As has been the case in recent weeks, this trend follows the trend of both the county and the state as Carbon County, as of Monday, had 64 active cases and Wyoming had 5,204. The announcement from Copeland, which can be found on the school district’s website, originally announced two cases on October 31 w... Full story
Property owned by Randy Stevens was a point of discussion for the Saratoga Town Council during the October 20 meeting and centered around a recently installed highway access. The property, which sits along East Maple Avenue between Highway 130 and South River Street, has long been a point of contention and litigation between Stevens and the Town of Saratoga. “A little background on this, Quality Landscape applied for and was granted a permit by the Department of T...
Finances continue to be a main talking point for the Town of Saratoga’s governing body. During the October 20 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, Councilmember Jon Nelson expressed concern about the council not being presented with documentation in regards to transfers between fund types and transfers being made without explicit council approval. “I know I’ve harped on this, but we’re still not seeing documentation of the monies that are being moved between fund types,...
As frigid temperatures visit the Valley, snow falls, and cold and flu season begin, the effects of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) are still being felt seven months after the first cases were reported. Over the weekend, Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) Superintendent Jim Copeland announced that three staff members had recently tested positive for COVID-19. Two staff members working in the northern part of the school district had tested positive and one staff... Full story
A proposed ordinance to Saratoga Municipal Code failed first reading during the October 20 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. Ordinance No. 858, unofficially dubbed the “Pesto Festo Ordinance”, was presented by Councilmember Jon Nelson and would have amended code regulating specially permitted events. As was reported previously (see “Eventful changes for Saratoga” on page 2 of the September 23 Saratoga Sun), the intent by Nelson to amend the code came about followi...
