Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses. ~ Malcolm X If meetings of the Saratoga Town Council were being conducted normally, one would have seen this quote from Malcolm X, a civil rights leader and spokesperson for the Nation of Islam, posted as they headed towards council chambers. While we certainly could try and take the time to delve into the context of this quote, we at th...
Dear Editor, Well, here I go again, or should I say here we go again. I stood in front of the last administration in August 2017 and told the town council then they had a terrible track record of failed or incomplete projects at considerable financial loss to the Town of Saratoga. At that time, I read Suzie Cox’s internal memo (town being financially broke) for the record during the meeting. Now it’s 2020 and a new administration, except it’s really an older administration repurposed for a third term in office. Business as us...
Dear Governor Gordon, May I ask who cuts your hair? I assume someone in Cheyenne - or someplace close to there. When I see you on the TV your hair looks mighty good. If I just knew who dun’ that I think mine also could. Indeed, it is a long ol’ drive from Encampment all that way. But, with an early start I’d be back in just a day. As you know, shops here are closed and all over the State, I guess. If you do not let them open We’ll become a hairy mess. You see, I’ve always kept well trimmed since I was just a lad. Now after...
As a journalist, covering the pandemic has been possibly the biggest story of my life. That is the main thing I will remember about this crazy period. I reached out to some other interesting folks and asked them what they will remember: World traveler and bestselling author Mark Jenkins of Laramie says: “The world is suffering horribly, so much so that I feel guilty living in Wyoming. Due to our wide-open spaces and small population, we can still get outside without seeing a soul. I have cross country skied or rock climbed o...
Dear Editor, With the advent of the COVID-19 virus, those unfamiliar with the workings of the beef industry were shocked to learn that Beef Packers were charging large increases for boxed beef and that, at the same time, had dropped the prices they were paying for the live cattle ready for slaughter thereby making huge profits at a time when the producers of cattle and consumers were under stress dealing with the virus and weather related losses. How did this happen they ask? Directors and members of ICOW, other independent...
Freedom is a word that Americans take to heart. I was brought up to believe it was an essential right to being a U.S. citizen by my father and worth fighting for. I remember him telling me that freedom sometimes came with a price. In times of war, it could mean putting yourself in danger. In times of political crisis, it can mean saying something not safe, even though it is true. Going to jail could be a reality in some countries for speaking your opinion. The United States...
Dear Editor, One of my favorite books in the Saratoga Museum is “Saratoga and Encampment Wyoming: An album of Family History.” Residents, tourists and researchers use this reference to the Platte Valley to explore and learn about their families. I would like to ask those with history in the Valley to reach out again to their families. Maybe there was not enough time with the last edition or maybe they always wanted to but thought they didn’t know enough details. We can turn staying at home into a positive with teaching child...
Dear Editor, Now, when we are stuck at home, is the time—the perfect time—to reflect and think about your and your family’s history. There are valuable stories and pictures just waiting for you. You think there is not anything interesting to tell? You’re wrong. We find that our grandchildren are fascinated with our stories when we visit together but we should all write, record and preserve these stories. Fancy writing is not necessary. Just honesty and feeling. Childhood, parents, youth, memorable moments. Play, educati...
Have you been making constructive use of your time at home? Did you learn a new language, teach yourself how to make the perfect omelette or figure out how to play the 12-string guitar? Did you know that William Shakespeare wrote “King Lear” during quarantine? What are you doing with your quarantine time? *sigh* If you haven’t learned Spanish, German or one of Tolkien’s Elvish languages; if you haven’t turned into Gordon Ramsay or Bobby Flay; if you haven’t become the next St...
My last column was about me being sick and waiting for my advised quarantine to be over. It was still early in how hard COVID-19 was hitting the country and there were some folks who were suggesting to ride it out for the economy’s sake. I wrote about being opposed to this idea. Two weeks after my column went out, I think America has learned not paying attention to the seriousness of this virus in the beginning has caused nothing but hardship. As I write this, over 20,000 peop...
Face it, we are living in unusual times. Probably the craziest times of our lives. The COVID-19 coronavirus has turned our personal lives, our towns, our state, our country and our world upside down. Folks that we all took for granted just three weeks ago are now recognized as heroes. I am talking about grocery store workers, janitors, truck drivers, local food delivery servicers, utility workers and many, many others. Notice that I did not mention doctors, nurses, EMTs, hospital workers and other medical personnel....
Dear Editor, Our world is dealing with an unprecedented time that has not been seen in generations, if ever. We are being asked to do things we would never consider as normal–social distancing being the most prominent. There is no one immune from this. It is a global issue. We all see the news showing how the numbers of those infected and having died from this virus continues to grow exponentially on a daily, or even hourly, basis. That said, those of us in Wyoming, and Carbon County in particular, have opportunities to d...
Dear Editor, Over the last several decades the world has witnessed a spate of new health threats in the format of SARS, HIV, Ebola, Bird flu, Swine flu. All of these in the form of highly communicable diseases which at one time have threatened the health of the planet. Now we are experiencing another such virulent disease in COVID-19 which is currently attacking countries around the world. In addition to the public health implications, it also reveals the diminished response capability of our government at all levels of...
Several days ago, while watching the endless news about coronavirus I heard a newscaster say something that has stuck with me, "You can't quarantine tears". As I thought about this, even when trying to go to sleep and find some semblance of rest during these challenging times, the words kept playing over and over again in my head, "You can't quarantine tears". He was absolutely right, you can't. We can't quarantine suffering either. Never have and probably never will. We...
It can be all too easy, in times like this, to focus on the negative. I’ve been guilty of it myself, especially as I watch the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the state tick up nearly every hour. It hit me over the weekend, also, that I would have normally spent the weekend covering the 13th Annual Wyoming Open and that this week’s paper would have a list of all the various Easter events in eastern Carbon County. When thinking about what has changed, and...
Dear Editor, Tourism is a growing industry in Carbon County. Carbon County’s tourism growth and economic change has been exciting and impressive over the last seven years. Carbon County not only provides temporary housing to industry workers but has a thriving visitor economy. In the past, Carbon County was more of a stop on the way to or from another tourist destination but, over the last few years, has become a destination for visitors. Evidence to support this is in the numbers. As reported in the Dean Runyan Associates 2...
The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated – famous quote by Mark Twain concerning American press reports of his demise while on a speaking tour in Europe in 1897. And like Mark Twain, reports of the death of media are also wildly exaggerated. Media, especially here in Wyoming, consists of a hardy lot of men and women who, although taking some blows, are still reporting the news and are nowhere near expiring. They have been pricked, pickled and pummeled, but the newspaper people, broadcast people, digital media peop...
Dear Editor, Do we citizens of Carbon County want the Federal Government to have total control over our natural resources? Fishing, hunting, agriculture, ranching, energy, recreation, water, air, mineral, timber, our economy (to name a few) are our heritage and way of life. Unfortunately, we are in a very sad state of affairs when our County Commissioners don’t appreciate or seem to want representation from all the people to formulate a Natural Resource Management Plan for Carbon County. The Commissioners voted on March 1...
I guess, in a way, I am glad I went through the experience of living in Taiwan through the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) epidemic in Taiwan back in 2003. It made me understand how serious it can be to combat an unknown virus and the steps needed to make sure it doesn’t decimate a population. Don’t get me wrong. It killed people and as I wrote in my column about my time during SARS (see “Tis truly the season to be careful” in the February 12 edition of the Saratog...