Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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This is the most stream-of-consciousness thing I have written in a while. I have had a lot of things swirling around my mind lately (elections, veteran day, Halloween, etc.) including writing a story about dressing as Spider Man. It was so darn ... well you'll see. A social media question Is social media killing social skills? I saw a girl recently walk by intensely scrutinizing her cell phone while heading somewhere at a furious pace. I said "Hi" the second time she walked...
Editor, Has anyone but me noticed the new 7 vehicle junkyard at the corner of Rochester and 4th St. Both state statues as well as our own nuisance ordinance clearly specify a maximum of 4 unlicensed rigs on private property. The obvious reason is so Saratoga can be a more pleasant place to live. Obviously someone isn’t doing their job of enforcement. If the present city council, mayor, planning officer or police chief isn’t interested in enforcement why not just dump the existing nuisance ordinance we spent hours dev...
Editor, As I write this letter we don’t know who will be the next Mayor of Saratoga but felt I needed to respond to Lynda Healy’s letter in the October 31 edition of the Saratoga Sun. She stated that the previous Mayor (that be me) had entered into a lawsuit with Randy Stevens that even the insurance company would no longer honor. First off, the mayor doesn’t have the authority to enter into a lawsuit without council approval or under the advice of the town’s attorney. Secondly, her claim that the insurance company would n...
A person I have known since my second year in high school just had her birthday on Halloween. Okay, actually it is on the 30th, but as often as we celebrated Halloween and her birthday, I often merge the two days. KC is special to me for many reasons, but there just isn’t the room in this column to share them all. Still, I have to try. She is the person that turned me on to one of my favorite all time rock bands. KC made herself the unofficial president of Aerosmith before ...
Editor, Election time is November 6th. I am writing to remind everyone how the dismal state Saratoga’s financial affairs came to be. The previous mayor had entered into a lawsuit with Randy Stevens that even the insurance company would no longer honor and left Saratoga financially vulnerable. Over a quarter million dollars was spent out of the reserves that I know of for sure. The current Mayor and Council are still paying on the remnants of this. The town is also financially responsible (court ordered) should that $70,000 w...
I was thinking a lot about this week’s column. Initially, with this edition of the newspaper coming out on Oct. 31, I thought about trying to write a spooky ghost story or examine why some of us love horror movies so much. Then I thought about writing something in regards to the recently arrested Florida man who mailed 12 packages to prominent politicians and activists. Instead, I have decided to focus on the importance of civics and voting with the general election being n...
Dear Editor, I was very upset approximately one year ago when our local National Forest Service (NFS) Director was involuntarily transferred a thousand miles from her home and employment in Saratoga. She had no warning nor explanation and placed under a professional directive to stay silent. The decision was made by the NFS Regional Forester supervisor of Denver, Colo., an unusual decision that employees spanning 25 years of experience had never seen before. This forced transfer surprised everyone as all her evaluations had...
I am never not working. That is not to say that I am always working—the fact is that I am as lazy as I can get away with. The amount I can get away with isn’t exactly at “independently wealthy” levels—and that’s enough said about that. We’re not allowed to whine in Wyoming, right? A Double Negative makes a Positive? But it is true I am never not working. I have been handing out candy to trick or treaters when a fire started up. If you are me that means drop your sweets, grab your camera and get to the flames. I have been taki...
When my Aunt Sylvia died a few months back, down in Alabama, I wrote of my sadness in her departure in a column not long after. An interesting twist of losing one aunt was reconnecting with my other, living, aunt and the closeness that cropped up. Aunt Vicki is the much younger sister of my mother and Aunt Sylvia. She really didn’t live with either when they lived at home. Both had left the nest when she was a very young child due to the 15-16 year age difference. My best m...
It’s hard to advocate for a tax. Much less two. However, we at the Saratoga Sun feel that both the One Percent Sales and Use Tax (also known as the 5th Penny Tax) and the Two Percent Lodging Tax should overwhelmingly be passed once again. Fifth Penny It is not often a state with a small population has an opportunity to fund infrastructure improvement or vital services with a good portion of out-of-state monies. Roughly a third of the One Percent Sales and Use Tax is paid by visitors to Carbon County. Honestly, this sales t...
Dear Editor, It has come to my attention that the Saratoga City Council is planning NOT to renew the lease on the Platte Valley Medical Clinic building to Dr. Kaiser, and, instead is turning it over to HMS to run. Though I am not a Saratoga resident, I have a vested interest in keeping Dr. Kaiser in his professional position at the clinic. I, and others in Rawlins, have willingly and gratefully driven over to Saratoga from Rawlins to receive excellent health services from the doctors at the clinic; first Dr. Norton, then Dr.... Full story
Dear Editor, In regard to my employment at the Platte Valley Medical Clinic: Change is hard. For everyone. For those with significant medical needs it is particularly difficult to establish care with a new and unknown provider. Or in a new and unknown health care system. Having worked in nursing for the past 27 years, I have come to understand that change is the norm in health care. It is a constant that cannot be avoided. But it can be managed in ways that are helpful to those most impacted. Or, it can be mismanaged with... Full story
“Even bad coffee is better than no coffee at all.” ~ David Lynch Coffee is a reporter’s best friend. Freshly-brewed coffee, hot out of the pot and steaming from the mug is best. Nearly day-old coffee that’s been heated up in the microwave will suffice in a pinch. I’ve recently noticed that stores are beginning to sell edible coffee cubes for people too busy to make coffee. I don’t think I’m that far just yet and if I am, someone please tell me. Now that I mention it, though, I...
Reporters have to become an instant “expert” on a wide range of topics. We are required to break down complex issues in a manner you, the reader, can easily digest while not leaving out any pertinent information. It’s why I consider myself an idiot. Sometimes this attitude helps. I don’t always understand a story going into it, but know I have to give you a complete and unbiased accounting of unfolding events. This lack of understanding forces me to look into things, ask questions and do research. Several of these stories...
Dear Editor, The Saratoga/Chamber of Commerce has benefited from the 2 percent lodging tax administered by the Carbon County Visitors Council’s marketing grant program: Last year, over 180 visitor and relocation packets were sent by the chamber. The $6 postage cost per packet was reimbursed by the CCVC. Marketing and advertising costs of $8000 were reimbursed by the CCVC for the Steinley Cup Brewfest, Saratoga Lake Ice Fishing Derby and Encampment’s Copper Days Festival. The estimated impact of the 1,600 people attending the...
When I was pretty young, my stepbrother got his draft notice and my stepmother was freaked. She was even talking about sending him to Canada. The Vietnam War was going on and she didn’t want her child going off to that war. My father served in the Korean War as a jet fighter pilot and didn’t talk about his time over there much. I know he wasn’t wild about bombing bridges from one conversation we had when I was older. Still, he wasn’t happy about the talk of his stepson...
“He’s working the retail politics hard, cracking wise at every picnic and barbecue from Cody to Cheyenne and engaging in the occasional barroom debate, including one at the Bear Trap Cafe & Bar in Riverside, where he went mano a mano with two Democrats and a painting of Liz Cheney propped up in a chair, live-streamed on video by the local newspaper.” ~ GQ Magazine “The Pro-Environment Republican Trying to Take Down Liz Cheney” To be honest, I had no idea that the Saratoga...