Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Sorted by date Results 1202 - 1226 of 1488
Dear Editor, I wanted to express my support for the creation of a Fire Protection District in Carbon County on the upcoming November ballot. I would also encourage residents of unincorporated Carbon County to support it as well. This issue has been placed on the ballot by our County Commissioners to address the ever growing need for resources in all of the divisions of the Carbon County Fire Department. The resources needed including, vehicles and apparatus, training, personal protective equipment were not dreamed up by...
Editor, As assistant fire chief of Carbon County Fire Department – Hanna Division I am in support of the fire district. I am in support of the fire district because it will provide much needed money to upgrade personal protective gear for the volunteer fireman throughout the county. It will standardize training for the different departments to make it consistent so it is easier and better for the departments to work together as one. It will allow older trucks to be replaced because as the trucks age the parts are becoming m...
Editor, This letter is to the residents of Carbon County. As Chief and Assistant Chief of the Saratoga Volunteer Fire Department, we would like to encourage the proposed Fire District for Carbon County. There are many pro’s to having a Fire District within our community. For one, firefighters will be more uniformed training and equipped throughout the county. The cost of personal protection equipment (PPE) and other fire fighting apparatus used to keep your firemen safe comes at a high cost, and sadly this equipment does n...
Election day: the one day every two years where we drive to the fire station and overthrow the government — and there is not a policeman in the street. I love election day. I love the fact every two years, we have an opportunity to improve our country. I love the fact for one day, I have the same voice as anyone else. I don’t want to sound overly patriotic with this column, but with election day coming up, I feel like there is something I need to address. By all means: go vote...
Editor, I have read with great interest several letters which have been printed in the local newspapers in regards to the proposed Carbon County Fire Protection District. I feel there are several inaccuracies with the statements made and would like to clarify the issues. 1) The OSHA standards absolutely apply to fire departments. There is no governmental courtesy. Fire departments have to comply with personal protective equipment and respiratory protection standards the same as industry. This includes fit testing for...
“Fatherhood is great because you can ruin someone from scratch.” ~ Jon Stewart So, as a new parent it seems like the cliches, advice and anecdotes are coming at me as fast as an F-350 rolling down the Snowy Range with no brakes. Me being me, I used a little of my down time in between changing diapers and doing laundry to see what folks on the interwebs have to say about all of the things new parents hear. It turns out I am not alone. Here’s my take on being one week into...
Editor, This Carbon County Fire District will affect all voters in Carbon County. Why then are only rural voters able to vote on it? In the America I was raised in, all voters were allowed one vote each on measures that effect tax dollars to fund welfare and safety. Voting should not be skewed by allowing only voters who may support a measure the right to vote. All effected voters should have that right! I strongly support our fire departments, and want them sufficiently funded and equipped to meet their needs for all our saf...
Editor, On November 4th, we will be asked to tax ourselves to the tune of $1,700.00. That’s an increase of nearly six times the current budget. The fact that the Carbon County Treasurer will write the checks in not so reassuring unless that person can veto unreasonable expenditures. Mr. Piche, President, Carbon Country Fire Protection District Steering Committee, touts the fact that municipalities can lower their ratings and recover the cost of this tax in insurance savings. However, municipalities are not included at this ti...
My husband and I returned from our vacation Monday night. Tom Dixon, a former editor of the Saratoga Sun got married in Phoenix last Friday and we decided to plan our vacation around his wedding. We had already planned a return trip last year to Cortez, Colo., where my husband has family. His uncle had promised us a trip through Montezuma Canyon in Utah to see some Petroglyphs. Our plans were changed slightly as Uncle Bill had knee surgery the day we arrived and his daughter...
Late last week, the town of Saratoga completed the first part of the pedestrian bridge project. The project consisted of setting the 150-foot bridge over a span from Veterans Island to the inlet near the hot pool. Since 2009, the pedestrian bridge project has been the center of controversy in the town. Many have referred to it as the “bridge to nowhere.” Others have simply called it a waste of taxpayers’ money. Regardless of what you think of the project itself, you have to give kudos to the personnel who placed the bridg...
Editor: The public has been asked to vote for a Fire District in Carbon County. A letter proposing such district was sent recently to those who live outside of town. Several possible improvements to our fire control were mentioned. 1) Better standardized training for firefighters. Being that our departments are staffed by volunteers who don’t have the time available for training as paid staff would, the danger is that, if these requirements become too extensive or rigorous, many volunteers will bow out simply because they d...
Editor, During this years primary it was fairly obvious, due to the number of brave candidates for mayor as well as the votes themselves, that folks were ready for a change. Mart Twain said it eloquently once. “Politicians, like baby diapers, need to be changed regularly and for the same reason”. Except for 2 articles in both the Sun and Daily Times that were both clever and subtle the campaign has been gratefully a clean one. Each candidate has promised to place emphasis and priority on infrastructure such as streets, sew...
There are loads of fun (and semi-abusive) things most guys teach their kids. Ever hear of a Native-American Burn? Well, neither have I since they used to be called Indian Burns. But that’s rant for when I can get my ducks in a row to tackle “political correctness”. Anyway, my father taught me the trick which, if properly performed, turns the affected area red and burns temporarily. It’s great sadistic fun! If you are not aware of how to do this ask an old guy. He’ll probably b...
Editor: The Platte Valley Community Center was manifested by the people of the Valley. This same powerful energy has another opportunity to provide for Valley people who need and want Home Health Care. After all, “there but for Graham Steel, goes everybody else.” Lois Darlene Rupert Saratoga and Dillon, Colo....
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, next to skin cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. The annual campaign promotes early detection by having mammograms and monthly self examinations. There are several websites that explain how to do self examinations. The National Breast Cancer Foundation’s website www.nationalbreastcancer.org has a lot of information about breast cancer, including the types, treatment, myths and more. Did you know there are several types o...
Saturday, Sen. Mike Enzi will be in Saratoga to award the Purple Heart to Robert James. To be awarded a Purple Heart, one has to be harmed by something that is meant to injure during wartime. It has been several years since a member of the armed forces was awarded a Purple Heart in the Valley. With tensions so thick after the beheading of two American journalists and the beheading of a British journalist, war in Syria is most likely eminent, and Americans once again find themselves on high alert. Everyday service members are...
While sitting at my desk pondering life as the 12:01 siren goes off in Saratoga, I realize that I am more than a bit preoccupied these days. More than likely, by the next time I write a column for the Saratoga Sun, my wife and I will be parents for the first time. Our baby girl is due on the 19th of October, by my wife’s calculations, or the 28th if the doctor is correct. Either way, big change will be here soon. Much to my wife’s chagrin, I have not been overly stressed abo...
It’s time again for the new model year and the old model year-end clearance sales. Summer has come to its Labor Day ending and fall is in the air. For me, this means my birthday is around the corner. This year, I will have hit the half century mark. The big Five-Oh, or maybe Five-Ow seeing as some part of me almost always has some kind of pain. The new normal is a traveling soreness. My foot might hurt one day, my shoulder the next. The knee is acting up today or maybe it was...
To the editor: Amazingly, people can do the strangest things. For example, I just have finished looking over more than seventy “Retro-Blog” columns written by Keith McLendon and published in the Sun from 2009 to this year. In his essays, McLendon has covered such diverse topics as the rules for waving at people in Saratoga (8-4-10), time flying like arrows (11-10-10), craving grilled cheese (7-11-12), licensing pressure cookers (4-24-13), and smelling road cones (5-28-14). On a more personal level, he has praised his mot...
Editor Kudos goes out to Union Wireless and Carbon County School District 2 for bringing in Craig Conrad to not only speak with the students but to share with families during the back to school picnic. I hope that the students got as much out of what he had to share as this parent did. I am going to borrow a quote that he used that night “When it gets darkest the stars come out” this is translated to mean “Don’t lose hope”. I think that all of us have experienced those darkest nights in our lives, and if it wouldn’t...
How many votes should a councilperson have on town issues? This is a question that has come up at town meetings and during the election forums sponsored by the Valley Service Organization. Most candidates at the forums agreed there is not a problem as long as they vote the same way on the board as they do on the council. Citizens and town board members don’t always agree. What has caused concern is the potential for a council member who serves on a board to disagree with a board recommendation and vote against it. The c...
On Friday, I will begin my 10th year at the Saratoga Sun. This has been the most rewarding job I have ever had, not to mention the most stressful. Most of the time, it is a good stress. The most stressful days are, without a doubt, Mondays and Tuesdays. It doesn’t matter how prepared we think we are coming into the week, Monday is a long day. Last minute advertisements are coming in, news stories that came in over the weekend need phone calls made and we have sports stories t...
I have some ideas for a column. Actually, I have a lot of ideas for a column. The problem with some of my ideas, is that I am not too sure how they will be received by you, as a reader. You see, I like to keep my personal beliefs close to my chest. I don’t have to, I just choose to. I have many strong beliefs, and I do like to discuss them with people. It’s part of my profession. As a journalist, I like to inform, not instigate. Even though, once a month, I have this spot set...
Editor, The month of September is National Preparedness Month; this year’s theme is “Be Disaster Aware, Take action to prepare”. This year there will be a theme for each week, week one, How to reconnect with Family after a Disaster. Week two, know how to plan for specific needs before a disaster. Week three, How to build an Emergency kit. Week four and five, How to practice for an Emergency, more information is available at www.ready.gov/september. With winter fast approaching remember these terms used by the National Weath...
I can’t open Facebook without a slew of ALS Ice Bucket Challenge videos hogging my newsfeed. Depression, addiction, and Parkinson’s disease are all hot topics with the recent suicide of Robin Williams. My question is, in our highly advanced society why does it still take gimmicks or high profile deaths to bring a moment of awareness to the many diseases that plague us? My old friend Merriam Webster defines disease as “an illness that affects a person, animal, or plant: a con...