Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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Sagebrush ecosystems make up a vast portion of lands in the arid mountain west; the cold desert. To passersby the land may look devoid of life, dry, and lacking productivity. In reality, sagebrush provide lodging and food to small and big game animals, rodents, reptiles, birds, and others. In fact, sagebrush is such an important ecosystem element, there is a sign just west of Carbon County at the Waltman Rest Area that describes sagebrush. The first line on the sign reads like a poem, “Oh! Mama Sage. It seems endless, the s...
I like a good argument … a debate … verbal sparring … even a decent row. I will sit down and discuss any subject — but prefer to have that conversation with someone who knows what they are talking about and has their facts marshaled in a logical array. It does not matter what age, race, gender or sexual preference that person might have as long as they are willing to let me put my two cents in as well. I argue most effectively if I have some actual data to add. I will not deb...
Editor: In regards to the Saratoga Sun’s September 2, 2015 editorial “To grow or not to grow … that is the question”. Agree or disagree this article summed up the circumstances that we, as a town, find ourselves in today. But in order to address this issue of growth we need to address the long held premise that growth is not only bad, but the worst thing that can happen to our town. With this belief one could assume that they think that Saratoga is stagnant and holding its own so why change it. There is a problem with th...
We were surprised when attending the town of Saratoga Planning meeting, that an agenda was not prepared prior to the Sept. 8 meeting. Chairman Rory Grubb created an agenda on the fly which included discussing hiring a secretary that could attend meetings. The currently contracted secretary was not at the meeting because of a conflicting work schedule as a police dispatcher. The commission discussed the fact that the former Planning and Zoning Officer used to create the agendas and bring many action items to the commission....
Since I just graduated college, I often have to explain what I’m up to. When I say I’ve decided to pursue a career as a writer, it’s common that someone asks me right away what my parents think. It’s safe to say that this is not a career for everyone. It can be unconventional, to say the least. Maintaining a successful career as a writer requires an awful lot of self discipline and internal motivation. Most successful, career writers—and by that, I mean people who make thei...
Editor: In response to your question, “Do we want growth or not?”, I would tell you that I prefer my growth well done with a side of fiscal responsibility and some intelligence thrown in In your editorial, money was the all you talked about. You want your home to become an investment so your daughter can grow up in a better place. You want grants from every government agency so new businesses can jump in and start making money. You dug up data from communities that supposedly shows them prospering magically. There is an old...
If you ever wonder what the children in the Platte Valley are up to - all you have to do is look at the sports page and this week’s fair edition. While the reporters were interviewing fair participants who did exceptionally well this year, I was typing fair results. Our staff spent the first week in August covering the fair. We can’t make every event, unless of course, we camp out in Rawlins like the rest of the county. But, we also have things to cover in Saratoga and the...
Editor: In response to the Full page disertation on the “benefits” of marijuana, the only blowing smoke is you Keith. The obvious reason Pro medical bills are shot down is they open the door to general legalization of the drug. The same reason the NRA fights restrictions on anything that chips away at the 2nd amendment, however small. Ask any parent that watched their 10 yr old go down that slippery slope with pot, more serious drugs & crime. You can start with me. Ask any Law enforcement officer about the harmful eff...
I have been thinking a lot lately about services and businesses in the Town of Saratoga. I’ve also been talking to friends and co-workers about whether or not the town is growing or dying. My wife and I moved here a few years ago following her job and were very pleased with our good fortune. We bought a house and have since had a child. I won’t speak for my wife, but I would like to see our town grow and become more vibrant. It will give my little girl a better place to gro...
Editor, When you live in a small town in Wyoming, you live with boom and bust cycles, especially bust. Small towns struggle to survive. Young families move away because there are no jobs to support them and their older parents are left behind, wishing their grandchildren were close by. As time goes on, people die, one by one, and there are no new births and fewer and fewer joys to celebrate. Elderly people have to move away for quicker access to health care. Buildings stand empty and begin to deteriorate. It’s all we can do t...
Editor, Just wanted to comment on the fantastic vibe at the first annual Snowy Range Duathlon. The race had 11 folks enter to traverse the 22 1/2 mile course ... really great for a first year endurance race ... but the real magic were the people! I likened it to a Woodstock/Fitness Geek Festival! We had kids and spouses of the runners helping out ... with the little ones handing out the finisher medals to their favorite racers ... In some cases Mom or Dad :) There were pups getting butt scratches and they in turn were...
In Minnesota a boy named Trey suffered a traumatic brain injury that very nearly killed the teen.1 As a result of this injury Trey suffers migraines and pain so great that it hampers his daily functionality. The child turned to self-harm and eventually became suicidal because of the pain. In an effort to help Trey, his mother traveled to Colorado to see if medical marijuana could help with the teen’s condition. The mother finally came across a cannibis oil that seemed to relie...
Editor: Something smells at the Saratoga Dump & not just the garbage. We get charged $20 per month whether we use it or not. I “donate” $100 per year during the winter myself. I understand the dead animal pit, the oil dump tank, the construction pit the electronics area, the cardboard trailer, the metal area, the burn pile & the tire pile. I used to understand the household garbage pit. Now we can only put kitchen waste in the household pit. Even tho the sign says no household garbage at the construction pit we are exp...
In a logic class, the professor uses the blueness of the sky to represent a truth dependent on something outside of the sentence, or a posteriori. Some analytic philosophy classes beg the students to define blue, explaining a color to a person who has never known anything. Anyway. The definition of blue does not seem to actually matter to our existence too much, but the sensation of color is a ragged part of living. I’ve read two books about the color blue; when I was in c...
I never thought much about handicapped parking until I had my knee surgery recently. I was using a walker for the first few weeks after my surgery and was issued a temporary Wyoming Department of Transportation disabled parking identification. Depending on other people to drive, using a walker, sometimes in excruciating pain opened my eyes to how important these identification markers are. Mine is red, to show it istemporary. For those who need one permanently, they are blue...
Hello all, The police department has been getting some complaints about dogs not being on a leash in public places. The biggest area of complaint is at Veterans Island. I do realize that at Veterans Island, the island is somewhat of a confined area, nevertheless the Municipal Ordinance still prohibits dogs running without a leash. Below is the Ordinance as published on the town of Saratoga’s internet website http://www.saratoga.govoffice2.com/. If anyone has any questions regarding Town Ordinances feel free to contact the Sar...
I saw the ad for the internship at the Saratoga Sun at the beginning of June when I was driving with my dad to Rock Springs for one of my way-too-common knee drain appointments. I had been waiting on another summer job to call me back for a while and was starting to get impatient. I called Liz at the Sun right away and we talked about the position and shortly after, I got the job. Both my dad and I were so excited because we knew this would be the perfect opportunity for me. I...
The first time I heard of Saratoga, Wyoming was last year around the Fourth of July. I was in the Tetons, visiting my boyfriend who worked seasonally as a Forest Technician in Vernal, Utah. As we were driving up, I was talking to a friend who grew up with me in Saratoga, New York and was living in Boulder at that time. She was going to be in Wyoming the same time we were for a weekend getaway. I asked her what part of Wyoming, as I wanted to see if we could meet up since I...
Summertime is here across America. Yes, summer has even made it to Wyoming. With summertime comes the blooming of preadolescent-run lemonade stands across limitless tracts of urban and suburban real estate. Children across the nation begin to raid their parent’s supply of lemonade mix, plastic cups, ice and occasionally even (gasp) lemons and sugar. Their busy little hands turn to markers, paints and poster board to create cute little signs to attach to the folding table or b...
The wildland fire community has functioned on a somewhat world-wide basis for a long time. As the fire situation worsened in the Canadian provinces a few weeks ago, official help was requested from the US, Australia, and New Zealand. I was one of the Forest Service employees asked to support the effort in Saskatchewan. I flew from Denver to Saskatoon, and then, along with about 20 other American personnel, was taken by bus to Prince Albert near the center of the Province. After a briefing on their general fire techniques and...
The 68th UN General Assembly declared 2015 the International Year of Soils with specific objectives to raise awareness of the importance of soil for human life and interactions, promote and support sustainable ecosystem practices and promote soil monitoring and data collection. Healthy soils provide the foundation for food, fiber, fuel and medicinal production. Soils also help mitigate pollution and the effects of extreme weather events. Plants that provide us with fuel, clothing, building materials and food grow in the soil....
Being a single parent must be really tough in some cases; however, being a single dad with a daughter must be even tougher. Mine handled it exceptionally well. I don’t think it’s quite possible for me to have grown up with a better dad. He was my superhero — and still is. I admit, he wasn’t very good at braiding my hair or painting my nails. I did get very spoiled though; the town can attest to that. I got called a “spoiled brat” so many times I lost track. When my dad used to...