Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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At first, a swimming pool and an industrial park might not seem like they have much in common. After all, one is designed for business and the other is designed for fun. But both are key players in economic development. And this week, Gillette and Campbell County saw some progress on their respective pool and industrial park projects. At their meeting this week, Campbell County Commissioners awarded a $2.15 million contract to begin construction work on the Pronghorn Industrial Park on a 247-acre piece of land east of...
Parents send their children to school each morning with the expectation that they will safely return home each afternoon. We entrust their safety to the teachers and staff of their respective schools with the understanding that they care for our children as much as we do. Over the past several years, we have seen school shooting after school shooting where teachers literally laid down their lives to protect their students. In the past five years, the Wyoming Legislature has attempted to repeal all gun-free zones in the state...
It’s time for everyone to come to the same table and talk. We see it in our own organization as well as outside entities — people work in silos, and the COVID-19 pandemic aftermath only heightened that fact. Folks have tunnel vision and only see instances from their own perspective and not another’s. That’s why The Sheridan Press editorial staff has set the table for local agencies’ public information officers to grab a free lunch and hear from Wyoming Press Association Attorney Chris Wages and State of Wyoming Public Re...
Four years ago, I started a small internship here at the Saratoga Sun. I started with zero pay, zero idea what I was doing, and zero plans for the future. I don’t think I was engaged with the idea of the internship very much at first. I thought it might be fun, and that it might look good on my resume, but I don’t think I saw myself consistently returning to work at the Sun every summer I was home from college. I am now headed into my senior year at the University of Wyo...
Dear Editor, My partner and I are visiting in Saratoga from Oakland, CA as he loves fishing in the North Platte River. When we were in the Conoco Country Store buying a fishing license, I noticed your newspaper with the absolutely catchy motto: “Where the Trout Leap in Main Street” and couldn’t resist buying the paper. I read practically every article and learned so much about what it’s like living in Wyoming. Thank you! Please keep the town motto! Barbara Pottgen Oakland, California...
Hey Y'all. Our Special this week is a Southern favorite. Would you believe I am from the south and have just tried this for the first time. It was so amazing I had to share. This recipe is from Southern Living Magazine. Hummingbird Cake Ingredients Cake Layers: - 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans - 2 cups granulated sugar - 1 tsp. table salt - 1 tsp. baking soda - 1 tsp. ground cinnamon - 3 large eggs, lightly beaten - 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil - 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla...
Good on Powell High School for taking a firm stance on cellphones in school. The new policy approved this year requires students to keep their phones off or on silent throughout the school day. It’s tough, I’m sure opposed by many students and it comes with serious penalties, but for the sake of our students I think it’s the right decision. It makes me feel old fashioned — at 37 years old — to go to a restaurant and see tables filled with people not looking at each other but at their phones. And it makes me feel like part...
There are many Good Samaritans living and working in our community who perform acts of kindness that most people never hear or know about. They go about their daily lives, unknown to others, while making the lives of others just a little brighter. In the past few weeks, however, I’ve seen or heard stories of these kind-hearted individuals gifting others with their deeds. While I know these Good Samaritans would make great stories for this newspaper, I find that these individuals usually wish to remain anonymous. A few w...
Whether you’ve been in the Valley for generations or have recently moved here, most everyone is familiar with the booming voice of Loren “Teense” Willford. Early Tuesday morning, that voice fell silent as Teense passed away. When we think of Teense, we see a larger than life man with an incredible sense of humor, the well-known resounding voice during parades and events, an entertainer, a veteran and a former legislator. How do you describe a man who had so many talents and touched so many lives? We will start with how the s...
I thought about calling my column “Bad Penny” because I seem to keep returning to my roots in journalism. Good or bad, I am back on the team of the Saratoga Sun, at least for a little while. Eight-and-a-half years ago when I left the Sun, it was on good terms. I just needed a change. I am one of those weird people who does well with math and English. Both subjects I liked in school. I left to work as a comptroller for a dealership in Rawlins. I enjoyed the work, as it was cha...
Editor, Well it seems that we have people wanting to fix something that isn’t broken again. Our town motto is fine and works very well. Leave it alone. Our motto draws 1000s of tourists here every year and they never leave disappointed. It seems to me it is doing its job. It’s very true that we have many wonderful things to do in this valley and surrounding areas. It’s seems to me that what the people instigating this change need to do is to review their plan and realize that our motto is doing it’s job very well, and wha...
Dear Editor: The historically significant town motto: “Where the Trout Leap in Main Street,” attracts more than fishermen to the town and the valley. It is a unique expression of our way of life, where wildlife and nature are not a separate thing “out there,” but an integral part of the community. Other mottos mentioned are dull and ordinary—not unique to our town. I wholeheartedly support keeping the phrase that is deeply meaningful to long-term residents, yet fun, intriguing, and catchy to travelers and newcomers...
There’s an old adage which says “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” We believe this applies to the unofficial slogan for Saratoga, “Where the trout leap in main street,” which has been in use for nearly a century. Borrowed from a 1927 article of the same name by Outdoor Living Magazine writer Billy O’Neil, it’s been a fitting slogan for our town, which is bisected by the North Platte River. For nearly a century, this slogan has been a source of community pride for Saratoga and for good reason. The North Platte River is a...
To the Editor: While I fully support more recreational facilities in Saratoga, I believe the destruction of a frequently used public park to construct a half million dollar Pickleball facility for 25 or so people would be a significant misuse of public resources. If public property is to be used to construct the facility, perhaps the now vacant property adjacent to the Community Garden would be a better location. Given the longterm failure of the Town to construct the Never Forget Park, no public funds should be expended to...
Editor, The last thing the town of Saratoga needs is to throw away its nearly century old slogan of “Where the Trout Leap in Main Street” and start all over again! Read on and I’ll tell you why.—Dick Perue A news item in the March 4, 1927 issue of “The Wyoming Eagle” notes: “In an editorial, ‘The Saratoga Sun’ declares that the city now has a slogan, it being the title of a short story written about the city and its surrounding territory as a resort.” (Author's note--I selected this out-of-town article to show that the new 1...
Editor, As the festivities of yet another fun filled July 4th become a recent memory, we would like to commend those who do the work behind all the events that we have living in this wonderful little Saratoga town. Many come farther distances to enjoy the patriotism, friendliness and relaxed time that Saratoga offers. With that being said, the Kiwanis group has set up for its annual Bake Sale on the corner where our beloved Teense is set to officiate the parade as it turns the corner from Highway 130 to Bridge Avenue. This...
The new school year is now here and I would like to take this time to reach out to both students and parents about the importance of making a new friend. When I first moved to Wyoming, I was scared to make new changes in my life. I wanted to know if people would be kind to me or not. Then I discovered how kind and friendly the people in the Platte Valley are. Every morning when I go to work, some stranger would say good morning to me. Whenever I go shopping some people would...
Monday was the sixth “first day of school” for my son, Jareth, and possibly the final one in which I got to drive him. We sent Jareth to the preschool in Encampment and, when it came time to choose a school, we opted for Encampment K-12 as he already had a number of friends. Since kindergarten, it has been a tradition for me to drive Jareth to school and walk with him into the building. It is something I have tried not to take for granted, understanding that it won’t be long...
Now that an actual conversation has started regarding short term rentals in Saratoga at the August 13 meeting of the Saratoga Planning Commission, we believe this conversation should continue. First, we commend the planning commission for holding a public hearing on the issue and getting feedback from the public. We also commend those residents who showed up to the meeting to make their voices heard, regardless of their viewpoints on potential short term rental regulations. Following the public hearing, there are some things...
Next Tuesday, Wyoming voters will take to the polls for the primary election which means that, starting next Wednesday everyone’s mailbox will be far less clogged with election mailers. Carbon County, it seems, has been mostly spared the divisive, politically charged mailers which have plagued other parts of the state. Perhaps that’s because, in House District 47, incumbent Bob Davis is running unopposed in the primary while House District 15 is seeing three new candidates without the incumbent—Don Burkhart, Jr.—running. Our...
EAT CROW: to admit that one was wrong or accept that one has been defeated (Merriam Webster) Chicago Cubs 3rd baseman Robin Ventura charged the mound on an elder statesman of baseball, 46-year-old pitcher Nolan Ryan, on August 4, 1993. That lopsided fight can still be viewed on YouTube, and has millions of views. Nolan Ryan, 20 years older than Ventura, clearly teaches the young man a very public lesson in respecting his elders. With Ventura in a headlock Ryan’s powerful pitching arm landed six or seven unanswered blows b...
As a computer science major, one of my biggest pet peeves is the way people talk about and use artificial intelligence (AI). Here’s the deal: a lot of the messaging around AI is all hype. Major tech companies are exalting the immense power of AI as a tool because they want more people to buy into it, and therefore make their billions of dollars of investments into the technology worthwhile. This technology is not as powerful as you have been led to believe. First of all, what...
I am not native to the Platte Valley, but I have lived in Saratoga for over twenty years. I was born and raised in Texas and, as a kid, loved everything having to do with sports and competition. I was involved in swimming, gymnastics, softball and tennis. I never understood why my parents made me choose one sport, but I realize now that getting to and from multiple practices and competitions was... difficult. I concentrated my efforts into tennis and was lucky enough to be recruited to play at the United States Air Force...
Next Tuesday, the Saratoga Planning Commission will be holding a public hearing on short term rentals in municipal limits. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, we believe it is important for Saratoga residents to attend and make their voices heard. For more than a year, the topic of short term rentals—or STRs—have been held in meetings of both the Saratoga Planning Commission and the Saratoga Town Council. A question often asked, at least in the planning commission meetings, is what the goal would be in ins...
Potentially unpopular opinion: I loved the opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. I watched it with my family Friday night. I enjoyed seeing the boats full of athletes make their way down the Seine and watching the variety of performances and the artistic videos and storytelling. I literally cheered a few times, like during the scene featuring my favorite musical, “Les Miserables.” And I got emotional during the lighting of the innovative cauldron and again during the powerful performance from Celine Dion. I was...