Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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Chances are, by the time this editorial is being read, Saratoga will be “in the clear” as far as threat of flooding. With the alternating of warm and cool weather, the amount of run-off from the mountains into the North Platte River has been fairly regulated. Despite that there was still some risk of flooding for the area. Over the weekend of June 14, the smokebusters from the Newcastle Honor Conservation Camp came to the Valley and filled over 9,000 sandbags. This, combined with the 2,000 sandbags that were already filled, came to a total of... Full story
Dear Editor, I have been following the debate regarding healthcare in Saratoga with great interest. After studying the proposals to date, I am convinced that we are headed in the wrong direction. There is a medical emergency in rural America. More than 100 of the country rural hospitals have gone broke, then closed in the last decade turning some of the most rural parts of the United States into what experts now call “health hazard zones.” Looking at the information on Saratoga’s situation I believe that we are on the verge of becoming the l...
There are a few sure signs of springtime in Wyoming. Of course, with the oddly winterlike conditions we have had (interspersed with rare spots of sunshine) lately, it is kind of hard to believe spring is actually here. Smaller roads turn from straight-out-icy hells to industrial-strength mud and larger roadways develop horrible cases of road cone acne. Trees begin to grow leaves just as telephone and light poles start to sprout their own foliage—garage sale signs. Prairie dogs fire up for t...
This being the time where many students are graduating from high school and college, I guess I have some words of advice for a person who has been around for a bit. Recently I was invited to a cocktail party by a friend I have known for over five years. Dan worked in my kitchen in a restaurant I founded in Laramie a few years back while he was working on his accounting degree. He loves the cocktail culture as much as I do and it is fitting he now works for the state liquor commission. Also invit... Full story
Editor, I went to the Town Council meeting at the Community Center last week. I am appalled and frightened with the division in our community over the Clinic. If you are a pot stirrer please sign your name to your verbiage and argue with whoever in private. Many people in our valley do not read the paper or listen to the radio—they listen to the inconsistent and sometimes untruthful and sometimes ignorant Facebook or web pages. Find out all sides—talk to the people involved—before stirring the pot and spreading gossip. We need our clini...
Newspapers have a long history of being watchdogs for government, whether it is the White House or Town Hall. To be able to serve in that capacity, the readers of any newspaper should be able to trust what is being published. For a newspaper to do either of these things, it should not only ensure that there is a clear distinction between opinion and news, but report factually and objectively. When a newspaper fails to make clear the distinction between opinion and fact, it fails to meet the...
Dear Editor, I have been trying to keep up with the banter regarding the project. From what I have surmised from all of it is that this is a big boondoggle where a big fancy new complex will be built in Saratoga. From my understanding, it will be built with money acquired from grants and other funding. It sounds nice. However, after it is completed, where, realistically, will the money come from to pay the bills to maintain the complex? What we need in Saratoga is the same medical center now standing. It is in good shape and ‘big enough.’ To...
Editor, When issues surrounding the Platte Valley Medical Clinic began publicly last fall, I attended a Saratoga town meeting and I was dismayed to learn most all the discussions and possible solutions were being strictly discussed by the Saratoga council, not including the rest of the Platte Valley communities. I spoke after the meeting with, then, Councilman Faust, and impressed upon him the need for the rest of the valley towns to be included in working on a solution, as the Platte Valley...
I want to apologize for the paper being late last week. Apparently the delivery driver felt it was unsafe for him to bring us our papers in a timely manner. Don’t worry. I let the organization we have contracted with to both print and deliver our papers know that this was unacceptable. Of course, this apology comes in a paper a day late by design. Hopefully, the Memorial Day photo spread on the front page spread is worth the delay to you, our readers. It has been said lately that I am ...
I have always said that my parents may not have lasted very long together (about five years), but they created one of my best friends when my sister was born. I don’t think I realized it when she first came home. The story goes that, when they brought her home from the hospital, I threw a tantrum. Guess I liked being the only child or something. I was a year and half, so I am not positive why I was so freaked out. Anyway, apparently they put this swaddling babe on the couch and I cautiously star... Full story
A common frustration, expressed from town to town, is the inconvenient scheduling of public meetings. Whether on social media, over lunch or in conversation at the post office, the complaint is almost always the same: I would make that meeting if it didn’t already have something going on. I get it. What’s more, my family gets it. At the Saratoga Sun, we cover six communities and five schools with only two reporters and one editor. Our schedules are filled with meetings. Just in Saratoga we hav... Full story
Apparently, if you write a column about how everyone should be nice to one another, you will be tested. I had a situation recently in which I either backed up my pretty talk or proved myself a hypocrite … I was headed to the hot pool late the other night for a soak and then a run to take my girlfriend (who works the night shift) a cup of coffee. When I got into the dressing room at the hot pool, I noticed two young men kind of hanging around. One was trying to charge his phone on an outlet near... Full story
Editor, As the second-largest industry in the state, it’s no surprise that tourism is big business in Wyoming. During 2018, Wyoming welcomed more than 8.9 million overnight visitors who spent more than $3.8 billion dollars in our state, while generating $196 million in local and state tax revenues. And while the tourism industry pumps substantial funds into the Wyoming economy, it also directly supports 32,290 full and part-time Wyoming jobs—which account for 8 percent of the state’s workforce. Here in The Upper North Platte Valley, our resid...
On May 7, the Carbon County voters will head to the polls to make a decision on the One Percent Specific Purpose Sales and Use Tax, more commonly known as the 6th penny tax. It’s hardly popular to advocate for a tax, but we at the Saratoga Sun feel that the importance of the 6th penny cannot be overstated. The improvement of inadequate infrastructure, especially aging water and sewer lines, will be on the line for several municipalities. For many towns, the 6th penny tax is the best option to fund these projects. As its name implies, the 6th p... Full story
