Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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“How strange it is to view a town you grew up in, not in wonderment through the eyes of youth, but with the eyes of a historian on the way things were.” ~ Marvin Allan Williams A couple weeks ago, I had a conversation with a former high school classmate. We discussed a variety of things, but the one topic we seemed to discuss most was growing up in and returning to the Valley. Not only that, but the realization we had both come to that we now had a responsibility to be the change we want to see... Full story
Dear Editor, I write this letter with a heavy heart, while I prepare to leave Saratoga for a new job. I came to Saratoga last March to join the healthcare staff at Platte Valley Clinic. I came here under the pretense the town was moving towards establishing a critical access hospital. In that time, I have seen and participated in the passionate debate of moving forward with the CAH. I have listened as misinformation has been spread, and what appears on the surface, to be conflicts of interest for whatever the underlying reasons. There has been... Full story
Welcome back to the 20’s! Since we are in the new decade of 2020, I thought it was appropriate to pay homage to the art movement of the 1920s, Art Deco. It is an art movement that touched almost every trade in the 1920s and 30s; architecture, interior design, industrial design, fashion, painting, graphic arts and even film. The 1920s was a time of Industrial Revolution and progress. People were becoming wealthy. The generation know at the Lost Generation wanted more from life since many had come...
The holidays have just finished and, with them, have come in messages from friends all over the world. There were a few from friends overseas that wonder when I am going to come back. It is a fair question in a way. Although I bought my first home in Saratoga back in 1998 and my second house in Hanna a couple years later, for almost the past two decades I made my living out of this country. I would come back to Wyoming for a few months and then head back to where jobs were a bit more plentiful.... Full story
It has been said that a community needs its newspaper. This is true. The community often depends upon its local paper from coverage of high school sports to reporting on the actions of the town council and everything in between. The newspaper, in many ways, serves as the conscience and the heart of the community. What’s not stated as often, but perhaps should be, is that a newspaper needs its community. Any newspaper that strives to succeed realizes this and a good community newspaper should have involvement from its readers. Much like a g... Full story
This past Thursday marked my two year anniversary with the Saratoga Sun and, to be honest, I didn’t even realize it until I was scrolling through Facebook that night. It doesn’t quite feel like it’s been that long since I first started working here. At the same time, it feels like much more time than that has passed since this summer. Time is weird that way; both speeding by and dragging along. As I think about the past 24 months with the Sun, it’s hard not to think about all the differe... Full story
4 is starting. Where did 2019 go? More importantly, how many of last year’s resolutions did I make good? I think I was okay about most. To be honest, resolutions are really goals. So, I don’t bum out, if over the year, I didn’t quite live up to what I wanted to accomplish. Usually, I find them easy enough to put on the upcoming year. At least that is what I tell myself and actually look forward to the new year to align my priorities. For instance, my swimming. I had planned to start my swimm... Full story
Author’s Note: I have always been a fan of theology and mythology, as well as the various influences of what we now know as Christmas. Odin, for example, is just one of three influences for Santa Claus; the other two being Father Christmas and Saint Nicholas. With that in mind, and feeling of a jolly mood this holiday, I present the following poem. ‘Twas the night before Yule, when all through Midgard Not a creature was stirring, the snow was unmarred The Allfather, Odin, was charing along on hi... Full story
My folks tried their best to keep Santa Claus alive for me as long as they could and, I have to say, they did a damn good job. I can remember when I was around five, living in Houston, my sister and I had just gone to bed. At that time we shared the same room since there was only a year apart between us. We had left out cookies and milk, as was the tradition, and were snuggled in our beds. This was the first time my stepmother and stepbrother were celebrating with us. Ken, my stepbrother, was... Full story
We at the Saratoga Sun would like to applaud Hanna Marshal Jeff Neimark and extend to him our gratitude. Last week, the Sun reported on an incident that took place in Medicine Bow involving an armed suspect. For approximately 20 years, this small town at the intersection of Carbon, Natrona and Albany counties has been without local law enforcement and has relied upon the Carbon County Sheriff’s Department. While they are attempting to get a law enforcement program started again, Medicine Bow is left unprepared for situations such as the one t... Full story
In this week’s Saratoga Sun, readers will find our annual Winter Sports Preview. Now that the gridiron is covered with snow and the volleyball net is put away, it’s time to begin thinking about basketball and wrestling. While these two sports may be what most think about when it comes to winter sports, what comes to mind for me is speech and debate. Yes, I know that speech and debate isn’t “technically” a sport. It’s still an important extracurricular activity. I have been and always will... Full story
I’ve often been asked, as this debate over medical access in the Valley has played out, who I am in support of providing that care. People have asked me whether I support the Platte Valley Healthcare Project and their pursuit of a critical access hospital or if I support Memorial Hospital of Carbon County and their intention of placing a clinic in Saratoga. My response has often been the same; I don’t care who does it, as long as we have comprehensive healthcare. Over the holiday weekend, whe... Full story
One of the strongest benefits I continue to get from my job as a Saratoga Sun reporter is covering sports teams in Carbon County School District No 2 (CCSD2). Living in Hanna, I am the guy who covers all the teams at Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow (HEM) High School, and there is a definite attachment to the kids there as I watch them from the sidelines. The same is true for a few of the Saratoga teams I cover, such as football and wrestling. Going to Laramie this past week and watching HEM... Full story
For quite some time, it has been apparent that one of the major economic drivers for Saratoga and the Upper North Platte Valley has been tourism. While both the extraction and energy industries have been top employers in the area, many locals are employed either in the service or retail industry. In fact, according to a study done for the Wyoming Office of Tourism, there were over 1,500 jobs in Carbon County as a result of the tourism industry. This has been a study increase since 2007, when 1,470 jobs in the county were attributed to the touri... Full story
Anyone who knows me is aware that I love warm weather. I think it goes back to the fact that I lived in Houston from ages three to 10. Before that, it was Florida for a year. Plus, even after my family left Cocoa Beach, my father was a big believer in his kids going to Cape Kennedy (as it was known back then) for space launches. So warm was in my DNA in my early years. Because I was born in Virginia and lived there in my wee tyke years, I was exposed to snow and cold. There are pictures of me... Full story