Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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We’re told to think of the children. That’s the refrain used in state legislatures across the country when it comes to the slew of anti-LGBTQ laws which are proposed or passed. Laws like the one in Oklahoma, which requires people to use the bathroom of the gender on their birth certificate. Yet, due to laws like this, it is likely that a child in Oklahoma has died. Nex Benedict was a non-binary 16 year old student at Owasso High School. On February 7, they were allegedly assaulted by three fem...
Now, the healing begins. A funeral date is set for the celebration of a 33-year-old life taken too soon. Taken too soon from his wife and infant daughter. Taken from a family who saw their son battle an overseas war in Afghanistan and return, with scars, but returned full-bodied and ready for more service to a new community. Taken from a team of men and women serving the same purpose as him each day to protect the Sheridan community. Everyone mourns and heals in different ways, and the community of Sheridan — as has been shared by many in meeti...
When the U.S. Supreme Court, in Richmond Newspapers v. Virginia (1980), in the words of Justice John Paul Stevens, “squarely held that the acquisition of newsworthy matter is entitled to constitutional protection,” it was protecting under the First Amendment’s Free Press Clause the essential foundation of our democracy. The conception of the press as a pillar of strength for a free people who mean to govern themselves is as old as the republic itself. In 1765, in his acclaimed treatise, “A Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law,” a youthful...
Living in a small community like the Platte Valley, every loss seems to be felt far more acutely than in more urban areas. Running a newspaper in a small community, one of the hardest parts of the job is receiving the obituaries. It's even hard when it's someone who is not only close to your age, but who you knew. I didn't know Jacob Fluty as well as his friends and family, but you can't grow up in a small town with someone and not have some knowledge of who they are. When I first heard about...
The First Amendment’s Free Press Clause, which Thomas Jefferson declared indispensable to republicanism, has long been regarded as the “people’s right to know.” Without knowledge of governmental programs, policies and practices, the people would have little ability to hold government accountable. The press, as Jefferson and the founders recognized, could provide the crucial informing function that would make self-government possible. Historically speaking, protection of the informing function is precisely why the Supreme Court has protect...
There is a large range of opinions among various church bodies regarding the Church Year. A few churches refuse to celebrate any Christian holidays. The fact is, no one really knows when Jesus was born. A date was picked, and, according to some, it was picked to coincide with pagan observances. Although the date of Easter is much better known since it coincides with the Jewish Passover, the name, Easter comes from pagan sources. This being said, since Christmas and Easter has become secular holidays, celebrated in the western world with...
My interest in covering local high school sports all started when I was a sports journalism student at Northern Arizona University. I would work as a voluntary local sports journalist for the Arizona Daily Sun to cover local high school sports in Flagstaff, Arizona. Local high school sports are a lot different in the Flagstaff community compared to the Platte Valley community because Flagstaff has four high schools and the Platte Valley has two. The fun part about covering high school sports is...
I was assigned to St. Ann’s Catholic Church as pastor last July and I would like to express my gratitude for the warm welcome I have received from the community. Before I came to Saratoga, I served eleven years as a parish priest in Wyoming, followed by seventeen years as a chaplain for the Department of Veterans Affairs. My twenty-eight years of ministry has allowed me to witness the interaction between pastors and their faith communities, and the interaction of pastors with their fellow pastors. In some communities, I noticed a common p...
Dear Editer, 1/2/24 this is a short message. My question is why don’t you have comic strips? I think comic strips would be a fun addition to the Sun. don’t you think people would like to read strips like calvin and hobbes? or dilbert? Or maybe garfield and big nate. so I’ m asking that you Please add comics to the saratoga sun. Thanks, for reading this, Respectfully Parker Monroe Saratoga From the Sun Dear Parker - Thank you for writing to the Saratoga Sun. We always like hearing from loyal readers. Although you did not mention your age, we we...
In the past three years, the amount of short term rentals in the Saratoga area have grown from less than 25 to more than 70. In fact, they are now nearly 8% of the total housing in Saratoga. For the past year, the Saratoga Planning Commission has discussed short term rentals, whether they should be regulated and how they should be regulated. That discussion culminated in a special use permit for short term rentals, which was ultimately tabled last month. The tabling of the permit came following input from the Town of Saratoga’s legal counsel, K... Full story
When the calendar page flips to October, the valley is filled with the brilliant colors of Autumn.The shadow of falling leaves flutters across the pages of our days. A slight respite after the rush of summer activities is welcome. Autumn lets herself in to our lives with a crispness in the air, a fresh perspective and a swirl of golden leaves. As a prelude to winter, Autumn can inspire us to reset, reevaluate and make goals for the coming months. Most folks think of Spring as the time to start n...
With October having arrived, snow is well on its way to the Platte Valley and Saratoga. Before the snow really flies and begins to accumulate, the Town of Saratoga is working on repairing the streets for snow removal. Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris said his department will be working with the Department of Public Works in identifying any unlicense, derelict or abandoned vehicles in the public right-of-way which may inhibit snow removal this winter. Morris also discussed the importance of not...
Carbon County will potentially forgo the state-required competitive bidding requirement in obtaining a new ambulance for Memorial Hospital of Carbon County (MHCC). The decision comes as the United States is facing nationwide ambulance shortages and the United Auto Workers have gone on strike. At the September 19 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCC), Clerk Gwynn Bartlett spoke to the commissioners regarding the procurement process. Bartlett reminded the board the County had...
Childcare is essential for families across the United States. Millions of children attend childcare every day, and millions of parents and caregivers rely on it. While advocates and many Americans agree that care should be accessible and affordable to all who need it, there’s a fast-approaching deadline that could put that at risk. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, childcare providers were under enormous strain. The federal government responded with a nearly $24 billion investment t...
Wyoming students encouraged to apply September 12, 2023 – The Daniels Fund is excited to announce the opening of the application for the Daniels Scholarship Program, providing a life-changing opportunity for students looking to pursue their higher education dreams. Wyoming high school seniors are encouraged to apply to become a 2024 Daniels Scholar at DanielsFund.org/Scholarships by 4:00 p.m. MST on Oct. 15 to be considered for the scholarship. The Daniels Scholarship Program provides the opportunity for motivated students to attend the c...
CHEYENNE, WYOMING (September 13, 2023) — The Wyoming Arts Alliance and Ucross Foundation announced today that Governor Mark Gordon will issue a proclamation designating October as Wyoming Arts and Humanities Month during the Ucross 40th Anniversary Gala on September 27 in Ucross, Wyoming. In the proclamation, the Governor will emphasize the value of the arts and humanities and urge individuals, schools and businesses to engage with the various artistic and cultural activities available throughout the state. “Wyoming boasts a rich cultural her...
Everyone is invited to gather at the table for a fundraiser homemade breakfast Saturday, Sept. 16th, from 7 to 10 a.m. in the Saratoga Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall at the corner of Third & Bridge. For only eight dollars, folks may purchase a homemade breakfast consisting of biscuits and gravy or a breakfast burrito, to be eaten at the Fellowship Hall table or to take home, or both. Sponsor is “Gather at the Table”, a non-profit charity extension of the First Presbyterian Church of Saratoga. Its mission is to provide a welcoming meal to...
The Saratoga Sun thanks all of our readers and everyone who participated in the School Supply Drive we held on behalf of, and in association with, Carbon County School District 2. We did not snap a photo or weigh everything but we received bags and bags full of school supplies. Something over 50 store size bags and a few boxes. One full of new backpacks. In addition to the backpacks, we collected paper and notebooks, glue, pencil, pens, markers and assorted folders. These items will help get our area students off to a good start in this new...
History in the Making: Indian Relay Championship of Champions Gallops into Casper, Wyoming Casper, Wyoming – Get ready to witness history in the making as the Horse Nations Indian Relay Council (HNIRC) partners with the Wind River Hotel & Casino and the Northern Arapaho Tribe to present the most coveted event in Indian Relay racing – the Indian Relay Championship of Champions. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Casper, Wyoming, this thrilling event is scheduled for September 22nd, 23rd, an...
This week we are introducing a special page in the Saratoga Sun for kids called Kid’s Scoop. This is developed by a retired college professor and designed to engage elementary age students with some educational and fun features that will promote reading. Reading is something we can just take for granted; maybe pass by the importance since it seems second nature to us. But not to all of us. There is an unfortunate incidence of kids reading behind grade level in our schools nationwide. Students w...
Cheyenne – There has been a major dust-up over the past year or so about the materials available to our children in our school libraries and even our county libraries. While I do not condone or believe that our school libraries are an appropriate place for many of these books, I am far more concerned with the ability of our children to be able to read. According to the Wyoming Department of Education’s WYTOPP scores from school year 2021-2022, only 47.89% of our 3rd graders are reading at a proficient or above proficient level. That means a m...
The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) is asking family members and youth to complete brief surveys about potential barriers and needs for mental health care for youth and young adults in the state. Two separate surveys are available: one for parents and guardians of youth and young adults, and one specifically for youth and young adults (11-21 years old) to share their own impressions of barriers and needs. The surveys are anonymous, should take 10 to 15 minutes to complete and are available online at: https://health.wyo.gov/publichealth/mch/e...
Rocky Mountain Power’s proposal to hike electric utility rates in Wyoming by an average of 29.2%, if approved, would put households and businesses in peril and only serve to line the pockets of the company’s shareholders and executives, which includes its parent company PacifiCorp’s owner, billionaire Warren Buffett. That was the consensus among about two dozen people who spoke at a public comment hearing held by the Wyoming Public Service Commission Thursday in Casper. “We’re going to lose a...
Police raiding a newspaper and confiscating reporting material seems like something one would expect to find in a banana-republic, or in a scene from a dystopian novel. Yet, that is exactly what happened recently to the Marion County Record. The Record is a weekly newspaper in rural Kansas, serving a population of approximately 1,900 and known for its dogged reporting on various issues affecting the community. On August 11, the newspaper office was raided by the Marion Police Department as was...
Schools have opened here in Saratoga, and throughout Carbon County District 2. An exciting time really. New year, new teachers, new experiences, old friends, new friends. The kindergarten students are off on a new journey. The seniors are moving into the final days of this one and now just a few short months away from beginning the next. One thing that has been on my mind in recent weeks is that the schools here must be a very special place. I say that because twice in the past month, people...