Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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At the May 7 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, Bub Barkhurst was sworn in by Mayor Chuck Davis to fill the vacancy left by the passing of Jacob Fluty earlier this year. Barkhurst was one of two applicants to the vacancy. The other was Chia Valdez, who currently serves on the Saratoga Planning Commission. Both applicants read their letters of interest in public and were interviewed by members of the council in open meeting. See more in the May 9 edition of the Saratoga...
Congresswoman Harriet Hageman met with her constituents for a town hall meeting at the Jeffrey Memorial Community Center in Rawlins on April 23. Hageman addressed her constituents on some bills she voted against and a bill she introduced related to wasteful speeding and mismanagement by the Federal bureaucracy. She also spoke to the audience about the issues concerning the border crisis and the lack of accountability by the Biden Administration. The topic of border security ap...
It was a fun night of music and entertainment as the Saratoga Jazz Band performed in front of an audience at the Saratoga Art Festival. Each student played a different musical instrument that had a unique melody that brought you back to the classic days of music. As the band performed their songs, musicians each took a turn at a solo throughout the performance. Jaida Jennings sang “I Attempt from Love’s Sickness to Fly” by Henry Purcell. This classic song comes from the 17th...
“I get a lot of people that knock on my window and say ‘Do you have real food?’ If you want a burger or you want a taco or you want wings, that’s not what I have.” For the past year, Courtney Ney has traveled across Carbon County—and even the state—with a food truck which stands out from the rest. It’s not the yellow color of the trailer, but rather what Ney sells. While other mobile vendors sell burgers, wings, tacos or even pizza, Ney’s menu could be seen as a palate clean...
In rural areas such as Carbon County, access to healthcare doesn’t always mean it is affordable. According to the Rural Health Information Hub (ruralhealthinfo.org), while access to healthcare would imply that services are available and obtainable in a timely manner many rural residents encounter barriers to healthcare. “Even when an adequate supply of healthcare services exists in the community, there are other factors that may impede healthcare access,” reported the Rural...
Bank of Commerce CEO Copper France, Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken, and Carbon County IT Director Matt Webster were guest speakers at Tuesday Talks on April 23 to discuss the subject of Online Scams. France handed out booklets and memos on how people can protect themselves from becoming victims of fraud. France, Bakken, and Webster spoke to the audience about what they could do to protect themselves. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), online scammers use...
CHEYENNE — Lawmakers spent Monday morning debating which experts — if any — should be allowed to shape Wyoming’s health care system. At an interim meeting in Afton, the Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee heard a recommendation from Gov. Mark Gordon and his Health Task Force to establish a permanent Wyoming Healthcare Authority that would explore health care policy recommendations, according to Jen Davis, senior policy advisor for health and human services in Gordon’s office. Creation of the Healthcar...
Encampment FFA had 12 students compete in the State FFA Convention on April 10 through April 13 across a variety of categories including livestock and crop harvest. The 12 students received an Award of Recognition from the Wyoming FFA for High Team-Team Activity Agricultural Technology & Mechanical Systems. Encampment earned a second award as Reserve Champion Team Agricultural Technology & Mechanical Systems award. The program is led by Paul Switzer, vocational agriculture...
“Chicken Alfredo penne bake” tops the menu as folks next “Gather at the Table” for a free meal and fellowship Monday, May 6th, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Saratoga Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall at the corner of Third and Bridge Streets. Also on the menu is a hearty salad, garlic bread, chocolate cream delight and drinks. Everyone, especially the hungry and lonely, are invited to gather for this monthly meal. No reservations are needed and no restrictions apply. Folks just need to show up. “Gather at the Table” is...
On Monday morning, those driving up and down 1st Street in Saratoga likely saw an uncommon sight as a local resident held a protest outside Saratoga Town Hall. Wearing a bright yellow coat and carrying a pink sign, Jimmy Dempsey called for Mayor Chuck Davis to remove Town Clerk Jennifer Anderson for “neglecting her duty.” On his sign, Dempsey cited section 02.08.020 of Saratoga Municipal Code. This section of the code reads that all town employees may be dismissed by the may...
Living in rural areas such as Saratoga, interactions with wild animals are a given. In many cases, it’s that interaction which attracts people to the area. These interactions go beyond the “town deer” which live in town limits or the occasional moose making its way through. Such is the case with the mountain lion recently captured and relocated by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD). According to Teal Cufaude, Saratoga Wildlife Biologist for the WGFD, this is possi...
Retired dairy farmer and teacher Larry Vyvey was a special guest at Tuesday’s Talk on April 16 where he gave a lecture on the history of dairy farming in the area. Vyvey is part of a family tradition of dairy farmers. He learned the dairy trade from his father before earning his bachelor’s in agriculture education at the University of Wyoming (UW). He was also a member of the Dairy Farm judging team at UW. He worked as a 4th-grade teacher and taught for 26 years before ret...
This week Carbon County honors the voice of the voiceless for National Crime Victims Rights Week, which goes from April 21 to April 27. Carbon County and victims’ rights advocates are honoring and remembering those who have been victims of crime. According to the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), “this year’s theme is a call to action for us all to create safe environments for crime victims to share what happened to them. By doing so, we’re able to offer support, options...
The Wyoming Legislature has changed some of its dates and deadlines that take effect in the 2024 election. The state has made a change to the date absentee ballots are sent out. Absentee ballots used to go out 45 days ahead of the election, said Gywnn Bartlett, Carbon County Clerk. Now absentee ballots will be sent out 28 days ahead of the election. This change does not apply to Uniformed and Overseas Citizens, Bartlett said. Those ballots will continue to be sent out 45 days...
Ur-Energy Inc., a large uranium mining company in North America, is reopening Shirley Basin Mine in Carbon County for the purpose of pumping out uranium. A different owner had operated Shirley Basin Mine until closing it in 1992. “Ur-Energy purchased the assets of Pathfinder Mines Corp in 2013, including the Shirley Basin Project, because of the high quality of the remaining mineralization,” said John Cash, CEO and president of Ur-Energy Inc. “The uranium price was too low i...
Wyoming’s state tourism agency has suspended social media posts and paid ads relating to wildlife amid the worldwide furor over the wolf abuse and killing in Daniel. The Wyoming Office of Tourism, also known as Travel Wyoming, alerted unknown recipients to the social media suspension in a letter obtained by WyoFile. “I know you are all well aware of the public criticism over the wolf abuse by a resident,” read the email, which came from the office’s Senior Communi...
On February 6, the Saratoga Town Council voted approved the River Street Waterline Replacement Project. This project is expected to start around May 1 and completed by late summer. Emery Penner, Saratoga Public Works Director, said two contracting companies bid to work on the project: Lewis & Lewis, Inc. and Rocky Mountain Sand & Gravel LLC (RMSG). According to Penner, RMSG was awarded the project with a low bid of $1.7 million. “We put this project out for bid a couple of mon...
Bridge Street Bargains is still planning to match donations made to the Never Forget Park project up to $10,000. To date, however, the organization has only received $3,000 in donations. Donations are being accepted until May 31. From left, Jason Campbell, U.S, Air Force Veteran; Patrick Patterson, U.S. Army Veteran; Bridge Street Bargains Treasurer Carol Beach and D’Ron Campbell, U.S. Air Force Veteran....
Saratoga’s water line replacement project will begin in May, said Public Works Director Emery Penner at the April 16 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. “I don’t expect a big interruption in water service,” Penner said during his report on the Water and Sewer Joint Powers Board. In other business, the bids for the surfacing project at Never Forget Park came in higher than expected, Penner said. “We are going back to the drawing board on this project,” he said. The town rejected the Rocky Mountain Sand and Gravel bid of $389...
BUFFALO — Johnson County gained both farms and farmland between 2017 and 2022, according to the Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture released in February. That bucks the trend both in Wyoming and nationwide. While agriculture remains one of the county’s biggest industries, the outcomes for Johnson County point to a trend toward greater subdivision of large ranch land into parcels with smaller acreage. That trend revealed itself in the ag census and was not much of a surprise for locals who work in the land use s...
Taking a short break from discussing short term rentals, the Saratoga Planning Commission held a brief discussion over a proposed chicken ordinance during their April 9 meeting. Under current municipal code, it is mostly illegal to own chickens or other domestic fowl on residential lots within town limits. One of the only exceptions, per section 18.42.150© of the municipal code, are undeveloped areas in residential zones which are greater than five acres. This section of the c...
In the lowlands of the Platte Valley, it may seem like winter has been gentle on us in regards to the amount of snow received this winter. As April speeds by, it may even seem like we could be looking at a dry summer. Data from the Wyoming State Climate Office at the University of Wyoming, however, shows otherwise. According to Director Tony Bergantino, snowpack at National Resources Conservation Services (NCRS) sites in the Snowy Range and Sierra Madre ranges varies from...
As the Saratoga Planning Commission continues to discuss affordable housing and short term rentals, they may be able to look to a recent report for some guidance. In February, the Wyoming Community Development Authority released its 2024 Housing Needs Assessment. More than 300 pages long, the report breaks down the state into various regions with Carbon County included in the Central Region with Natrona and Converse counties. Chairperson McCall Burau led the planning...
Jason Williams, Saratoga Panthers Basketball Head Coach, always teaches his players the value of teamwork as part of his coaching philosophy. On the basketball court, he is a tough disciplined coach who demands high expectations from his players on game day. Off the court, Willams is a devoted teacher, father, husband, and Christian. He is involved in many activities at Saratoga Christian Alliance Church. Recently, Williams and a group of Saratoga Middle High School students...
The Saratoga Senior Center has been holding an event called “Bring a Friend” from April 1 through April 30. Every time a senior brings a friend who is 60 years or older who does not have a current assessment, they will be qualified for a $25 drawing. Brenda Zeiger, Saratoga Senior Center manager, started this idea to encourage other seniors in Saratoga to come to lunch. Her plan is to increase the number of seniors at the senior center for lunch with this event. “I came up wi...