Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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Often, we in the media get accused of having sacred cows we don’t cover or, alternatively, have targets of coverage. Neither is accurate, though some specific cases certainly can be made (fairly or unfairly). Whether the allegations are made based on favoritism or economics, the reality of our news coverage isn’t based on friendships or dollars and cents. It’s based on facts and how those stack up against the claims being made by those in charge. Sure, we read the rants on social media, but those aren’t facts. They are primarily someone...
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” There has never been a truer phrase. Living in a small community there is chatter on every street corner. We are close-knit neighbors here in Goshen County and more times than not, we chat. It isn’t the fact we stop and catch up from time to time in the grocery store. Sometimes we stand in the produce section, just chatting with our neighbors and our friends and that’s perfectly fine. Other shoppers will just simply avoid the tra...
Dear Editor, I’m assuming you made or have you landscape plan. While some may have brand new yards to plant. But, for the majority, I’m assuming most of you can do some work in your yard, as weather allows. For, even though, snow drifts and snow showers are still part of our landscape, on warmer days spring clean up can begin. It is also the perfect time to prune bushes and trees. Some of you even may have a fruit tree to prune. Throughout the years, I have planted a number of fruit trees. While I wasn’t optimistic about getting fruit, their...
Dear Editor, As I watch the big wind farm in Carbon County take shape it continues to sadden me. I know Phil Anschutz and am confident his organization will do as responsible a job in installing them according to the conditions the permits that the Federal agencies require as can be done. Hopefully it will provide some significant long term financial benefit to the state and county. It is certain that it will negatively impact the vista’s those of us in Wyoming have enjoyed generations. As I appreciate the dynamics of the project most, of n...
The intriguing President’s Day news that President Abraham Lincoln granted a pardon 160 years ago to President Joe Biden’s great-great-grandfather revived Americans’ fascination with the purpose, concerns, scope and history of this sweeping executive power. Thanks to the good work of historian David J. Gerleman, we now know that President Lincoln pardoned Moises J. Robinette, a civilian hired as a veterinary surgeon for the Union army, who was court martialed on charges resulting from a brawl on the evening of March 21, 1864. Robinette was f...
I knew ahead of last Tuesday’s council meeting there would be a crowd, having received a bulk email about concerns over the proposed rate increases. I am always a bit nervous when there is a crowd at government meetings because you never know the atmosphere of the meeting, but I need not have worried about the Feb. 20 meeting, as the meeting was the epitome of great civil discourse. There was nearly standing room only, but there is not a lot of seating in the council chambers. Questions, comments from the audience were courteous, well thought o...
It should come as no surprise that Wyoming lawmakers would debate a bill like Senate File 130, “The equality state not equity state act.” After all, they have a long history of wasting time on the political hot-button issues of the day, as well as debating bills that provide “solutions” to things that aren’t a problem here. Yet we were all surprised that 22 state senators voted to introduce SF 130 during a budget session. The bill is described as “an act relating to the administration of government; prohibiting governmental entities fr...
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...
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...