Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Sorted by date Results 1177 - 1201 of 1488
People always ask me “where are you from?” Often I get that before or immediately after “hello”. It’s not an easy question to answer. Not when you were born in Alaska then moved to Arizona at 6 years old, which is what I blame my hot and cold personality on. Yeah, I just did that. While moving from Alaska to Arizona I spent my kindergarten year in Riverside. Those are some of my earliest memories of the Platte Valley. A place of serenity that existed in the midst of a pretty...
Did you see the Saratoga Sun's ad last week. We won 20 ribbons! That also earned us the traveling Sweepstakes Trophy. The Sweepstakes Trophy is awarded to the newspaper that earns the most Pacemaker awards, in our case the small weekly division. This is my 10th year attending the Wyoming Press Association Winter Convention. News and ad people from all over the state to converge on one location to learn how to do their job better. It is hours of continuing education crammed... Full story
To all Carbon County School District #2 Parents, It’s disappointing to live in a school district where we as parents have to fight for our children’s education. We are blessed in this valley with teachers who are eager and willing to teach. They teach because they want to make a difference in the world. It surely isn’t for the money. But sadly we have a school district that appears to be tying the teacher’s hands behind their backs. Is this the representation we voted for? My wife and I fought alongside many other concern...
American football’s BIG GAME is fast approaching and I thought it might be a good idea to take a look at the sport’s colorful past. I am tempted to give a breakdown of the teams going to the dance, but the Eneffelle (and their legal pitbulls) have prohibited pretty much everyone not officially licensed from using either the names of the teams going to the “Stupendous Shindig” or the actual name of the bowl itself. Since I don’t have express written consent from the lords of Am...
Last week terrorists murdered 12 people in Paris. Ten of those killed worked at Charlie Hebdo, a satirical French magazine based in Paris, because the publication produced and printed irreverent cartoons featuring the Prophet Muhammad. The newspaper world responded to this tragedy with cartoons and editorials of their own, many of them playing on “the pen is mightier than the sword” theme. After the murders, everyone paying attention to the news became familiar with Charlie Hebdo. We would even go as far a saying Charlie Heb...
So, I was gabbing with the folks on the Encampment Town Council before their meeting on Thursday and the topic of kids and childcare in the Valley came up. An undisclosed source said they would be happy running a daycare facility if they actually liked other people’s children. I got a big laugh out of this. I have always loved kids in general, but I find I am very judgmental of “some people’s kids.” My judgment runs the gamut from “worst kid ever,” to “that kid is freakishly w...
“Together we are stronger!” That was the theme of the fundraiser for fire-stricken Dubois, Wyo. put on by the Encampment School during last Saturday’s basketball games. Job well done Encampment. You raised $1,273 for the Dubois Fire Fund that the Rams basketball teams could take home to their chamber of commerce. That’s more than $2 for every man, woman and child in town. As the fundraiser theme suggests, we in rural America are stronger together. Dubois has a population just under 1,000 people, about double the size of Enca... Full story
Happy New Year! With a New Year comes resolutions. I am a resolution person. I make resolutions every year, some I break, some I partially succeed at and some I am successful with. I decided to do some research to find statistics on resolutions. The University of Scranton. Journal of Clinical Psychology conducted research on Jan. 1, 2014. Here is what they found according to http://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/. 1. Lose weight The No. 1 resolution was...
This is an example of when the headline came first. The article came only after the headline refused to leave my thinker thing. I wasn’t thinking about peas. I wasn’t thinking about the phrase you probably thought of when you read the title. I was a little down about my recently-wrecked cute little green car, but I wasn’t thinking about what kind of foods might make me feel better. It just showed up in my frontal lobe’s inbox. It might have been beamed there by little extra-qu... Full story
Writing the “Dunn in the Sun” column every month is often a well-needed change of pace. With columns there is no digging through notes, no listening to interviews, no research involved. It’s just me and my thoughts – talking about everything from life events to political issues. I’ve written more than one dozen columns in my year-long stint at the Saratoga Sun, but this will be my last. I have recently accepted a position as a staff writer with the Sheridan Press in Sheridan,...
I am darn proud of the people I am surrounded by in the Platte Valley this Christmas. Largely because of my duties with the Saratoga Sun, I have become more aware of the amount of giving and holiday spirit in the Valley than I was during my first two Christmas’ here. My family has a tradition, started by my sister-in-law, of the adults giving to each other’s charities of choice instead of piling gifts on each other. The children are exempt from this and are generally spo... Full story
Editor, I would like to comment on the article in the December 10th Saratoga Sun “Police Chief Combats WOHS.” The so called “Red Tape” that was referred to when accepting the grants has always been a requirement for the grants. However for years the sub-recipients of those grants have been spoiled, we were allowed to purchase pretty much what we wanted from our wish lists. Wish lists are those items that the city councils or commissioners may not normally approve the purchase of out of our budgets. In the past Wyoming...
Generosity shines through during this time of year. The Festival of Trees was no exception. Forty-three donations were made to the annual festival of trees and business people and residents of Saratoga and the Platte Valley pulled out their checkbooks to support this great event. The festival is in its 11th year and is still going strong. Every year, the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce hosts the event and it continues to attract people and donations. Considering the fact that other communities around the state has...
I found it interesting that if I go anywhere in the Platte Valley without my camera, that is the first thing people notice. I love taking photos. It is probably the most favorite part of my job, and that is saying something, because I love my job. I traveled all over the Platte Valley with my camera this week – concerts, festivals, parades, basketball practice, basketball games you name it – it happened last week. My camera got quite the workout too. My camera has two slo... Full story
Well, it’s the holidays. Like many Americans, I hop in my car and drive to see relatives for Thanksgiving. Specifically, I go to see my father and his wife in Lawrence, Kan. This mostly-annual trip is no small undertaking as it is about 1,561 miles round trip. I set out Tuesday night for Cheyenne to stay with friends and get a running start on the 11 to 12 hour trip (that’s if you don’t stop a lot). The weather predictions are clear for the days I had planned to travel and I...
Thanksgiving is upon us, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s one of the greatest American holidays out there — anytime you combine sitting around all day watching football and enjoying fantastic meals with family, it’s nearly an impossible combination to beat. This Thanksgiving, like every Thanksgiving, it’s important to remember what you are thankful for. As for me, I have so many things to be thankful for, listing them off before I dive into a delicious turkey and mashed po... Full story
On Thursday, I had the privilege of attending a question and answer session for the media with legendary journalist Bob Woodward. In case you don't know who he is, as a young reporter, Woodward, along with Carl Bernstein, exposed the Watergate scandal and covered the ensuing political and legal turmoil that led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon. He has two Pulitzer Prizes and has authored or co-authored 12 books that have been number one in the nation for... Full story
This season, I had the privilege of covering the Encampment Lady Tigers volleyball team. I call it a privilege because they were an amazing group of girls to watch. I have covered volleyball off and on for the last several years when the sports reporter had more than one game to cover. Because I live halfway between Saratoga and Encampment, I volunteered to cover Encampment. Little did I know I would develop friendships while covering the Encampment girls. Next to my desk, on...
Editor, I would like to thank the Saratoga Sun for covering the First Annual Saratoga Community Garden Fall luncheon. We all had fun making dishes from our produce, hosting the town employees and others that have helped us, and giving away some of the bounty we had gathered. From my perspective, it came from a great mix of Valley people who have long contributed to improving our town, and new townspeople who brought lots of good ideas and energy. The Community Garden, which will continue to grow into an even greater asset to...
We are the Cowboy State for many reasons. This past weekend, four of Carbon County’s cowboys were recognized for their contribution to the state of Wyoming as ranchers. Wyoming is so cowboy, we have a Cowboy Code of Ethics. Wyoming was the first state to adopt a Code of Ethics in March 2010. • Live each day with courage • Take pride in your work • Always finish what you start • Do what has to be done • Be tough, but fair • When you make a promise, keep it • Ride for the brand • Talk less and say more • Remember that some...
I’m Keith McLendon, and I approved this message. Of course I did. I wrote the damned thing. After a given candidate has run on for his 30 seconds about how evil he thinks his opponent is, they then have to let you know (in no uncertain terms), that they agree wholeheartedly with the words that were just coming out of their mouths. I know PACs (Political Action Committees) pay for a lot of advertising. These messages do not come directly from the candidate’s campaign, so the PA... Full story