Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Sorted by date Results 1034 - 1058 of 1488
Editor, Kudos to Mr. Winter and the town for handing what needed done to shore up the bridge prior to high water. Anyone who has looked at the North Platte River in the past month can see it has been carrying so much sediment that a few, or even a hundred, trips across it with equipment was not going to materially influence turbidly of the river to any significant degree. For a little perspective, we just need to think about what has made this river a great fishery. For over a hundred years ranchers have been working in the...
At the last meeting of the Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD No. 2) on April 18 in Hanna, Superintendent Jim Copeland notified the board that a group of people in Saratoga has asked the school district to consider donating land near Saratoga Elementary School (SES) for an expansion of the ExCel preschool. While Copeland said there was not a formal motion to the board to consider such a donation, he did say he wanted to bring the proposal to the board’s attention. ExCel preschool currently occupies trailers on land b...
Editor, During National Travel and Tourism Week, May 1-7, The Carbon County Visitors’ Council celebrated by wearing red on May 3 to demonstrate their support for all Hospitality workers across Carbon County who provide travelers with an awesome and friendly experience. In 2015 there were 1,470 people employed from tourist activity. Since 2010, visitor spending has continued upward here in Carbon County. 2015 was a great year and 2016 is looking spectacular as well! The lodging tax provides for many grants to fund local p...
I had dreamed for years about going on a cruise. Names like Titanic, Lusitania and Poseidon (maybe there’s a weird theme there) have always conjured romantic images of rolling about on a boundless ocean. Finally I got my chance. My best friend Phil, who lives in Houston, and I planned to take a sea voyage. While scanning for prices we found that while kids are in school is the time with the lowest rates—and January worked for me. During the booking process, I talked with Mom...
I never thought I would do work as a reporter. My senior seminar professor, while we were discussing possible career paths as I finished college, even point blank told me that she couldn’t see me working at a newspaper. Ever. In fact, she didn’t think I would be good at it. This was not meant as a flaw to my character at all, but rather a note of how I could best serve the writing community and literature as a whole. Any talent I have is definitely not for reporting. This sam...
Editor, The Town has been approached by Jared Mason, SHS teacher, to see if the Town can use the services of four of his students in Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) to help them earn money to go to Atlanta, Ga., in June to compete at nationals. They need $4,500 for this. Mr. Winter knows we need extra muscle at the Saratoga dog park to do repairs to the holding enclosure to eliminate dangerous ice and snow between the holding pen gates. The 39-foot dirt path between the gates gets dug down over time by the...
It doesn’t take long for misfortune to find me on this journey. It’s January, 2015, and I’m on the first leg of a long Greyhound voyage from Chicago Ill. to Rapid City S. D., where I’ll be visiting a friend I haven’t seen in years, in a place I’ve never been anywhere near. So begins another day in my itchy-footed life. Following a 10 p.m., snowy departure from downtown Chicago, my bus rolls dutifully Northward to Milwaukee, Wis., then Minneapolis, Minn. Not fast enough thou...
There it sits. Holed up in a corner of your house specially designed to accommodate it. It works tirelessly—24 hours a day, seven days a week—with little or no complaint (mine groans occasionally). It captivates your attention for large chunks of time. This boxy device bears the weight of your kitschy sayings, destination memories and kid’s artworks. Of course I am talking about the relatively unheralded refrigerator. It used to be an ice-box in simpler times, but then (as e...
I was in class when I learned my grandmother, Oma, was approaching the end of her life. I left class in horror. Naturally, I was terribly sad for a night or two but I thought back to conversations with her when I was 15 years old, 14, 10. She was at peace with her life. She had an extensive history about her, children and grandchildren and she left many stories. I’m not sentimental generally but I kept several of her things, if only because she was so practical that she w...
Editor, A wonderful thing about the Town of Saratoga (there are so many!) is that the town is directly on the bicycle trail known as the TransAmerica Trail. The TransAmerica Trail is 4,228 miles long and goes from Oregon on the west coast to Virginia on the east coast. A small number of these riders pass through Saratoga each day during the riding season. I think this is a great opportunity for Saratoga! It wouldn’t take much to show these bicyclists some great Western hospitality. We could provide free or donation camping b...
It was late September in St. Louis, the time of year when the heat and humidity make the air feel like a wet wool blanket that wraps around you when you dare step outside of the air conditioning. We sat in a café in St. Louis’ Central West End, where the city’s old money lives, and new money plays. First date jitters were still pretty intense, and the search for light-hearted get-to-know-you banter continued. “So you went back to college when you were in your 30s?” she asked. “Yes, journalism is my second career,“ I...
Like many famous quotes, there is some uncertainty over who actually said “Go West, young man, and grow up with the country.” Regardless of which dead man gets credit for the sentiment, that is what I set out to do when I packed my car and left the places and people I know deeply and love dearly back in Chicago. That was a little over three months – not to mention several lifetimes – ago. My girlfriend Michelle and I crossed the Mississippi on a dismally foggy early winter day...
This story was inspired by true events. In a small western town there are only so many places to socialize in the winter. Of course you can go to church (we have plenty of those), you can attend community events (fewer of those), or you can go to a bar. I have often said that you know you are in Wyoming when there are more bars than gas stations. We have our priorities. I am not a huge fan of the fact that seeing the friends I do have revolves around alcohol so I try to limit my saloon excursions. I also have been trying to...
Below is my 100th column for the Saratoga Sun. Before I get to that there are some things I would like to say first. Or you could just skip this and go to the column. When I was initially anticipating putting this milestone (maybe just for me) in, I had no idea the changes that would be coming to the Sun. Making me the general manager? What, they want me to grow up or something? I have had to learn about web pages, online subscriptions, uploading legals to both national and st...
I always remember having cats. My first cat, Pudgey, was my first pet of all, and while I don’t remember too much about her she was part of my home and what I consider a home to be. My cats now, August and Truck, are two of the best things about my life, and I’m happy to talk about them to anyone for hours. I don’t think I could love them more. I also think of them as good cats for someone that doesn’t like cats. A visitor can get the whole span of who they are and what their personalities are pretty quickly, and to know a ca...
You thought you got rid of me, didn’t you? Well, Erik had his chance to say his goodbye last week, and there wasn’t enough room left for me. It is coincidental that I am leaving the Saratoga Sun now. I started the Saratoga Sun when my son Garry was going through another traumatic time of his life. In May 2005, I started working as an inserter. In July of 2005, the bookkeeper was diagnosed with breast cancer and I was asked to take over the bookkeeping tasks as well. In Septemb...
I’ve had a good run during my time at the Sun. But, all good things must come to an end … so they say. In a scenario I could not have envisioned even a month ago, an opportunity that would take me away from journalism presented itself in a way that made me think “This is the new path I should take. This is where I can do the most good right now.” I am leaving the Saratoga Sun to take over as Interim Director of the Saratoga Museum. It was not an easy choice and the decisio...
Editor, There are only a few people who have changed the course of my life, and Liz Wood is one of them. Almost three years ago, I was a senior in college armed only with a liberal arts degree and a determination to not go home and live with my parents. I sent out around 50 resumes to papers all over the country. I got calls back on three job listings. Two of those phone calls replied with a “thanks, but no thanks.” But Liz, she gave me a shot. There was no place better for me to learn than at the Saratoga Sun — espec...
Do you use the dog park? If the answer is yes, now is your time to shine. The Kaake Walk Dog Park in Saratoga needs volunteers to deal with the worst snow Saratoga has seen in years. The park was founded in 2002 with land donated by the town, but was set up to be maintained by a volunteer force according to Director of Public Works Jon Winter. Currently two octogenarians, Ruth and Leon Hetherington have been doing the bulk of winter maintenance. We want you to picture a woman with hip trouble and a man on oxygen hacking away...
I went on vacation last week. I had planned it for months. Get some much-needed relaxation and unwind a bit, you know. The plan was to fly to Houston and then board a cruise ship going to the Yucatan Peninsula. I did that. I had some fun. But the day before I was to leave I got some bad news. Liz Wood, the Sun’s general manager and my favorite boss ever, informed me she was leaving for greener pastures. I knew this was going to be on my mind the whole trip. You try to NOT t...