Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Sorted by date Results 1413 - 1437 of 1488
After attending Saratoga High School’s graduation and other recent year-end school events, I can’t help but ask myself “What would I have been like if I went to high school in a small town?” After getting to chat with and interview our local youth, I have been surprised at how most of the kids in the Platte Valley seem ambitious when it comes to academic performance, and actively participate in school-related activities like sports, band, choir, speech or other things their s...
Friday, town of Saratoga employees were cleaning up Veterans Island. They closed the office and raked, cleaned, brought in wood chips for the playground and painted the barbecue hut. It’s not the only clean up that is happening in Saratoga. Thanks to the council taking the lead on “Beautify Saratoga”, several businesses around town are painting and upgrading their buildings. It’s a community effort to enhance the looks of a town that depends on tourism. While “Beautify Saratoga” is a new concept, businesses in town have b...
Dear Editor, I hope that I don’t offend anyone with this letter, but I am worried for our students. Like most parents, I’m disappointed to see staff cuts, although I know declining budgets force hard decisions that please nobody. I have attended as many meetings as possible to show my concern. At these meetings, I have remained mostly silent, preferring to leave the speeches to those more eloquent. But when it comes to librarians I’m obliged to speak up. If it is true that the Saratoga Elementary and Middle/Senior libra... Full story
Platte Valley residents undergoing periods of grief or depression can find comfort in a new grief support group set to begin in Saratoga. The group, which is facilitated by Rev. Susan Dyer, begins meeting for a period of eight to 10 weeks, depending on the number of people who attend, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, at 106 W.Main in Saratoga (across from the post office). The group meets every Tuesday, and is free and open to people of all religious denominations who are going through any type of grieving period. “The work of grieving c... Full story
I came to Wyoming to scout out my then-future home 20 years ago. The plan was for me and my employer at the time to fly into Denver and rent a car to drive to Saratoga. Eventually I asked how long the drive would take. When I heard, I thought four hours a long drive after a flight. I was then assured that “people from Saratoga drive to Denver all the time” and that it was “no big deal”. I took it with a grain of salt then but have come to learn there is a good deal of truth i... Full story
Wyoming will most likely be the last state standing in the face of an apocalyptic situation, assuming Yellowstone doesn’t erupt. According to Willow Haven Outdoor, an organization that aims to promote and share survival skills, preparing for an international disaster is a good reason to know how to survive in the wilderness. “Let’s face it — we live in an increasingly unstable world economy. Countries are going bankrupt, terrorism is at an all-time high and you can cut the... Full story
Many high school track stars from all over the state gathered at the massive Kelly Walsh Stadium over the weekend, hoping to outdo competitors and top their own personal bests in a variety of track and field events. Our young, fiery athletes from Saratoga, Encampment and HEM high schools competed their hearts out and reminded us older folks of the magic and importance of high school sports from our younger years. Watching our local youth sweat, grit their teeth, smile, cheer...
Walking around town the other evening, I couldn’t help but notice the sound of frogs. Our earliest vocal amphibians are boreal chorus frogs (Pseudacris maculate), with a sound much like running one’s fingers across a plastic comb; you can hear them at fieldguide.mt.gov/detail_AAABC05130.aspx. These one-inch frogs are generally light brown with dark brown spots. Skin color can vary and may be green, gray or red instead. The most noticeable mark is probably a long spot, almost a dark line, which extends from their nose, thr... Full story
Mother’s Day weekend I traveled to Nashville to visit my son Garry, his fiancé Mirthe (Meur-tah) and meet her parents. Nashville is a music lover’s paradise. On Broadway there is live music in every bar almost any time of the day. On the sidewalks, musicians are busking. Visitors are surrounded by talent. I stayed at the hostel Garry is working for. For those of you who have not stayed in a hostel, it is a unique experience. You meet a lot of people. Your neighbors beco...
Open meeting laws are in place for one reason — to protect the public and public officials. Open meeting laws are not designed to prohibit members of councils, boards or commissions from visiting with one another socially or attending other meetings. In a Planning Commission meeting, Saratoga resident Dave Worthington voiced his concern that only one town official attended a Voices of the Valley Meeting May 8. This meeting was designed to gather public input and educate the public about the impact rapid energy development c...
Editor: The administrators of the Saratoga schools have decided that the elementary school and the middle high school need only a half-time librarian each. With this type of “reduction in force” district policy clearly states that the position should be filled by the most qualified and most senior staff member. While it is true that administrators may reassign staff as they see fit, it seems they should also take into consideration district policy in this matter. The needs of the students should be considered first and for...
Sometimes I ask myself, “Why do I want to write for a newspaper for a living?” or “Why is being a newspaper reporter the best thing I’m good at job-wise?” Friends and family members have always told me that there’s no money in my profession, and that newspapers are slowly dying off because of the internet and poor economy. It also doesn’t help to go online and see articles about newspapers laying off writers or going out of business completely. Adding to the blow, I recently h...
Editor: As a resident of Saratoga, local fishing outfitter, and lifelong river boater, I have a few concerns I would like to express to the river restoration panel making decisions about our river and community. First, I attended the second meeting and was quite impressed with Stantec, their representatives, and their proposal. I am in agreement that the 1 1/2 mile section of river through Saratoga requires help and believe the city council and chosen river restoration panel is headed in the correct direction. My feeling is t... Full story
Editor: The administrators of the Saratoga schools have decided that the elementary school and the middle high school need only a half-time librarian each. With this type of “reduction force” district policy clearly states that the position should be filled by the most qualified and most senior staff member. While it is true that administrators may reassign staff as they see fit, it seems they should also take into consideration district policy in this matter. The needs of the students should be considered first and for...
You may have noticed that I mention my father in my articles to a fair extent. I find it amusing to goad my sire as regularly as possible because there is an off chance he will reply. His replies are usually, at least, moderately amusing. I am pretty sure my warped sense of humor comes almost exclusively from my father. Most of the time what I find amusing about my mother’s humor is what she finds funny. I also got logic and the ability to dissect a problem from my father. S...
Greetings and welcome from the Brush Creek - Hayden Ranger District here in Saratoga! My goal for this new column is to share information about local wildlife, the changing seasons, and forest-related events you might enjoy. It might even help you notice some of the finer, often overlooked, elements of the natural world that exists in our backyards and in the woods. These articles will NOT be opinionated pieces on controversial matters. My hope is they will the start of a conversation; one that spills over into chance...
With the possibility of losing half an art program on the table due to a tight budget, it is nice to see programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters taking some initiative to bring art education to children. For four days in April, artist Sarah Fagan of Portland, Ore., coordinated with Big Brothers Big Sisters to bring some of her art curriculum to the Hub in Saratoga. During that time, children had the opportunity to learn how to make books and paints, projects that build problem-solving skills while, at the same, time building...
Editor: How great is it that Saratoga was chosen as one America’s Top 12 Small-Town Art Places? The award was based on the number of resident artists, artist-related businesses and non-profits receiving funds for the arts and music. Also on the top twelve list was Marfa, Texas, a similar town of 2000, with antelope and cattlemen. CBS’s 60 Minutes highlighted Marfa (www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50144819n), and they interviewed a bemused cattle rancher, their happy mayor who called it a “freedom loving town. People are a...
I’m getting married at the end of this month, and I think my life will remain intact. People say it is a huge leap and a drastic change. I should know. For the past year, people I know, and even some who I don’t know, have not been shy to share their feelings about my impending marriage. Some are supportive, others are not so supportive. However, most comments are harmless jokes about who has possession of my testicles – me or her. Those comments I can live with. It’s when pe...
How are we, as a nation, going to overreact this week? Knee-jerk solutions seem to be the only answers the politics of the day can offer. I hear that we will soon have to register our pressure cookers because they can be used to make Boston Baked Bombs. Too soon? Really, I do have enormous sympathy for those affected by the senseless acts that seem to be happening across America and the globe with increasing frequency. The problem I see is that the solutions to these problems...
Editor: I have a question for the American public that opposes any horse slaughter in the United States. Do you know that you already own approximately 50,000 head of horses in pastures and pens, with a cost of several million dollars per month to feed and care for them? Also, 15 to 20,000 more are out on the ranges in the western states and need to be gathered up and taken care of. The BLM horse budget for 2012 was approximately $75 million, and that comes from the taxpayer’s pockets. This horse program will continue to g... Full story
Editor: I attended Encampment School from kindergarten through 12th grade, and am a proud graduate of the class of 1997. I feel very privileged to have had art classes with Pam Kraft throughout my elementary and high school years. The communication and thinking skills I developed as an art student have been invaluable to me in maintaining employment throughout my adult life. Learning to construct and carry out a plan, as well as explain and defend the results supplies students with sought after abilities that can be...
Editor: I am enclosing a letter that I wrote to the school board in January 2012. I did get a response from the school board, which regrettably, I did not save. The response was rather terse and more or less told me to mind my own business. There was also a copy sent to then representative Jeb Steward. Now it seems to me that this would be at least a partial solution to the problems with the budget cuts. These busses are unnecessary in light of “decreasing student enrollment” and are a cost vs. benefit boondoogle. I am qui...
I’ll admit, Wyoming was never a state I thought I’d eventually live in. When I was younger, I always thought of the place as a large, deserted piece of land with multiple tiny and isolated towns placed randomly across the state limits. The thought of there being so many small towns spread far apart from one another with no big cities close by seemed too painful for me to bear. I thought I might be able to live in a bigger Wyoming city like Cheyenne or Casper, but I never tho...
Carbon County is becoming No. 1 in the nation for energy development, with projects like wind farms, new wells at the Creston-Continental Divide and huge transmission line projects. These new developments in energy production mean change is coming According to the board members of Voices of the Valley, an organization that is looking to give local residents a voice, you can have a say in what that change will look like. Your thoughts can be relevant, especially to your town council, county commissioners and others in our comm...