Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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As many of you know (word travels fast here, I’ve learned), this is my last submission as a columnist for the Sun. I’ve accepted another reporting job with the Cody Enterprise, and my girlfriend Michelle and I will soon be heading onwards and outwards together, to explore the opposite corner of this exquisitely empty state. I’ve walked away from a lot of people and places over the course of my life, and it’s never been an easy thing. There’s always loss and pain; a last-seco... Full story
The staff of the Saratoga Sun recently attended the Wyoming Press Association’s (WPA) annual convention held at the Little America Hotel and Convention Center in Cheyenne this year. This year the Sun competed once again in the “Small Weekly” category. This is the largest category of newspapers in Wyoming and has grown even larger since several papers that were in the “Large Weekly” category lost some circulation and were dropped into our category. So the competition just got... Full story
After my clothes had dried from the river and I'd eaten lunch, I remounted my bike and set off alone once again, the sound of strange birds riding a light breeze alongside me. Things started off well enough. This side of the river featured lots of prairie alongside the marsh and woods, and when I pedaled fast through the tall grass I felt like I was skimming the top of a green ocean. The little trails I followed were obviously seldom used, and though the monsoon-season flood... Full story
We have all heard of the “Seven Wonders of the World,” in fact there are at least four lists of what those wonders are, with all of them being different. I would like to add the Hot Pool to any one of those lists. You see I can’t think of many wonders such as we have in Saratoga that is open twenty-four hours a day and free of charge. Although the Hot Pool is maintained by the town it belongs to all of us. It is something we should be proud to have and treat it like it is our own. I would like to issue a challenge to the c... Full story
I recently took a trip for Christmas vacation. Doing so, I had to pack a bag. Over the years I have determined that there are five separate and distinct stages in the life of a piece of luggage during the travel process. Since I try desperately not to ever check a bag, this piece will deal with the carry on bag I usually take. Since airlines have begun to charge for regular size carry on luggage now, for this last flight I bought a piece of luggage that is at the max size... Full story
Dear Editor, The purpose of this letter is to attempt to clarify the ongoing situation involving the Saratoga Community Garden and the Town of Saratoga. Let me begin by being very clear, it is my personal belief that we are extremely lucky to have such an asset in our community. A place where we can gather and share ideas, techniques and local knowledge about how to reap the bounties our short and challenging growing season can provide. The hours and hard work of local volunteers should not go unnoticed, a big thanks to them... Full story
What? What a shock it was to read in the Saratoga Sun of the accusations of financial impropriety against Garden Board member Cindy Bloomquist and her partner Chris Shannon voiced at the recent Saratoga Town Council meeting. Is this how Saratoga rewards those who have given so generously of their time and energy to make the town a better place to live? What proof has been presented? Thankfully, the knowledgeable and well-informed Glee Johnson was at the Town Council meeting to provide some factual information regarding... Full story
It’s 2017, and there are a lot of people who are happy to see 2016 go. The year saw a rather contentious and seemingly interminable election; ISIS; terrorism; increasing tensions with Russia; unrest at home about race issues and some indications that fascism is on the comeback in many parts of the world, including those that should know better. We lost a lot of celebrities and musicians, too. So as happy as many are to see 2016 behind them, it’s also important to look back and see some of the positive things that hap... Full story
On the opposite bank of the river, things continued in much the same vein, but the farms were more infrequent, and brief stretches of woods started to get mixed-in with the swamps and grasslands. Since it was now the hottest part of the afternoon, even those few farms I did come across featured vacated fields. An hour or so earlier, the families who worked the soil on those farms had probably eaten a sparse meal of rice or to (a starchy tuber mashed to a frankly snot-like... Full story
Regarding The Community Garden, Although I have moved out of the area, the community garden remains dear to my heart. Being one of the founding members I would hate to see it fail at this point. In the beginning it required a lot of begging for donations of time and materials. It also required calling in favors for equipment to be used at the garden. I think Cindy has done an excellent job of finding funds for the garden. Some of the experiments that have been done are of great interest to other community gardens and private... Full story
I will be out of the office this week but wanted to make things as easy as I could for my new(ish) staff. So here’s my two cents for the holiday gap. *** I keep hearing about this “War on Christmas.” I call BS. The holy day has come more under fire from people trying to commercialize and greedify it than anything else. So maybe you can’t get a Starbucks cup or a McDonalds Happy Meal that says “Merry Christmas.” Big damn deal. These corporations have customers that service cli... Full story
Amid the week after Christmas, piles of wrapping in bags, shiny paper and boxes in trash with the tags. Sad little scissors sit broken and bent, from clamshell packaging—they don’t make a dent. The lights are still sparkly, still light up the town, but pretty soon work begins in taking them down. Kids run around ‘cause they’re still out of schools, having a good old time while acting the fools. But the tots are forlorn from here to Hoboken, Christmas is gone and their new toy... Full story
Dear readers, It has come to my attention that certain groups or entities have been using my name to try and get donations from seniors. Some of these solicitations imply that folks won’t get their Social Security benefits unless they pay $10 and sign a petition addressed to me. These letters are misleading and aim to prey on those who are vulnerable and worried. No one has to pay anyone in order to share their views with me and these professional petition organizers are not as effective as they may claim. I am working to mak... Full story
It’s just about time again for a mental cleaning. I keep putting new things in my head and other things keep falling out. That being the case I thought I would share some of the things taking up space in my cranial cavity so maybe I can retain some other important things. … or not. Since it has been well over a year since I wrote a column composed of half-baked ideas, I figured it was about time. *** Dumplings: Is that what you get when you have bunny-sized poops? Or is tha... Full story
After turning off the paved road, the first kilometer or two of my bike ride around the barrage were unadulterated bliss. The path rolled up and down country hills, occasionally allowing a snapshot of the sparkling blue lake to be viewed in the distance, its shore growing nearer and nearer. During this initial leg of the journey, I was charged with frenetic anticipation of the day that lay before me, ignorant of the challenges and discoveries ahead but eager to meet both head-... Full story
Going about my normal routine last Tuesday I noticed a vague irritation in my throat. I didn’t give it much thought as we put the paper out and began to work on the following week’s edition. When I got home though I followed standard “not feeling quite right” procedure and took some vitamin C and ate some chicken soup just in case. Later, while laying on the couch watching TV it suddenly occurred to me that I was very cold. Though the house was a normal temperature I just co...