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The Beaver Creek fire, responsible for increasing levels of smoke in the Platte Valley, has grown to 9114 acres as of Tuesday morning, according to Aaron Voos, U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Public Affairs Specialist. According to a press release issued Tuesday morning, the growth was caused by consecutive days of low humidity and north by northwest winds. Group torching and crowning continued into the early morning hours, a period when fires usually burn with less intensity. Significant growth... Full story
We just ordered a new tent. It’s a really nice one, too, a good deal from Sierra Trading Post. It’s pretty heavy but it should be able to withstand just about any rafting trip, backcountry skiing excursion or camp in the woods. I got a new sleeping bag. I’m all set, just waiting to get a square aluminum dutch oven so I can make anything I want in a campfire. It’s probably not the best time for me to be making purchases like this, considering I’m leaving my job here at the paper for some risk... Full story
Alicia Zaragoza knew she wanted to be involved in education, but after Wyoming Girls State, sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary, she decided that a superintendent position is right for her. At the local and city election, she was honored as an election judge, but when she got to the state election, Zaragoza was elected as superintendent of public instruction. Though this was a mock position, Zaragoza has gotten some perks out of the deal. First, she got to meet Wyoming State... Full story
Two Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) projects have received funding from the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust (WWNRT). The Big Creek Fish Passage project, which will not begin until fall 2017 at least, received $105,000 toward their total project cost of $323,666. Another, the TFB (Taylor, Faerber, Brooks) Aspen project in the Sierra Madre mountain range, was awarded $30,000 of the total project cost of $134,400. The Big Creek Fish Passage project is a partnership between... Full story
A blown head gate on Silver Spur property has required an emergency mitigation response. A UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter has been on hand to help out the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security (WOHS) and Wyoming National Guard as well as responders from the Saratoga Volunteer Fire Department and Swiftwater Rescue. According to Guy Cameron, WOHS Director, the head gate blew out last Friday and WOHS and Wyoming National Guard have been working on it since. The project involves the movement of sandbags t... Full story
It was early, like it always seems to be for things like this. I had a vague idea of what I needed for the day, since I’ve been once before; warm stuff that’s not cotton for under my dry suit, gloves, my dry suit, fresh clothes for when we get off the river, and so on. It wasn’t warm outside, so I grabbed an extra wool sweater and stuffed it in the dry bag. Lunch was my job that morning, and with all the produce we had just gotten I decided to throw some stuff together that basically refle... Full story
Encampment High School girls saw two individual second place, all-state finishers in Paige Powell, with her triple jump of 33’5.50” and Cheyanne Jordan, with a shot put throw of 33’10”. The girls 4x800 meter run team, Cassidy Little, Micaiah Pantle, Ashlynn Johnson and McKenzie Powell also took second place with a time of 10:51.65. These athletes scored impressively across the board, with Noelle Peterson winning third place for her shot put throw of 33’4.50” and M. Powell’s three third place w... Full story
I never thought I would do work as a reporter. My senior seminar professor, while we were discussing possible career paths as I finished college, even point blank told me that she couldn’t see me working at a newspaper. Ever. In fact, she didn’t think I would be good at it. This was not meant as a flaw to my character at all, but rather a note of how I could best serve the writing community and literature as a whole. Any talent I have is definitely not for reporting. This same professor com... Full story
Margaret Weber, owner of the Bear Trap Bar & Café in Riverside, knew she didn’t want to be in Seattle anymore. As she thought of new enterprises, the Platte Valley was an easy choice—Weber had worked at A Bar A Ranch while in college and recalled going to the Pine Lodge during that time. The Pine Lodge went up for sale, but she missed her chance. However, Weber heard that she could probably buy the Bear Trap, and before she knew it she moved out to Riverside to manage the bar and rest... Full story
Katie Loose, Bradley Bifano and Thomas Ingraham, of Saratoga High School (SHS), took second in Emerging Business Issues as a team at the state Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) competition from March 17-19. Bifano was also third in Computer Applications, fourth in Spreadsheet Applications and fourth in Word Processing. Sarah Burton took fifth in Word Processing. Jared Mason, the supervising teacher, said there were about 700 people at the Cheyenne event. "FBLA is regardless of school... Full story
I was in class when I learned my grandmother, Oma, was approaching the end of her life. I left class in horror. Naturally, I was terribly sad for a night or two but I thought back to conversations with her when I was 15 years old, 14, 10. She was at peace with her life. She had an extensive history about her, children and grandchildren and she left many stories. I’m not sentimental generally but I kept several of her things, if only because she was so practical that she would dread things g...
The Saratoga Master Plan Steering Committee saw its membership reduced as it neared the end of the planning process, with the March 22 meeting attendance a fraction of what it was when planning started in August 2015. Still, work had to be done. The full draft plan was ready for review and Saratoga Director of Public Works, Jon Winter, Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer, Stacy Crimmins, Upper Platte River Solid Waste District Chairman and owner of R.G. Raymer...
It turns out that Encampment senior Jacob Dickinson isn't quite ready to relegate his Debate and Speech Team performances to the realm of other high school yearbook memories. That's because Dickinson is one of the Wind River District's qualifiers for the national tournament, where he will go on to compete at the high school level one last time in June. According to head coach Jake Mickelsen, Dickinson started off the season with the goal of making it to nationals, adding that he sure made good... Full story
The Wolf Hotel and Restaurant and Duke's Bar and Grill tied for Best Wine and Food Pairing. Valley Foods and Liquor took home the award for Best Wine. Lollypops won the Best Food award.... Full story
Encampment High School students took home first place championships in management and bread-baking categories at the state ProStart competition. Cake decorating and culinary took home second and third, respectively. Katlynne Hytrek, Justin Bonner and Ariana McKinney make up the management team, and for their competition they have to put a portfolio together simulating every aspect of a restaurant. According to ProStart instructor Cheryl Munroe, they investigate insurance, prices, staffing,... Full story
Saratoga Track and Field Head Coach Rex Hohnholt doesn’t yet know who stand-out competitors will be this season, but he has confidence that the strong bunch of athletes will succeed over the season. Their first meet is coming up this weekend in Casper at the Glen Legler Invite, which will have stiff competition. Hohnholt looks forward to what should be a fun meet for the competitors, giving them experience with track and figuring out which relay teams will be successful. It’s one of two tra... Full story
Despite losing their first match at the 1A state tournament last weekend, the Encampment Lady Tigers still went home with a trophy and the title of consolation champions. Head coach Amy Clay said she was very proud of her team, noting that she will miss seniors, Alyssa Barkhurst and Cassidy Little, both of whom have scored over a thousand points in their high school careers. "The seniors really stood up when it counted the most," Clay said. The tournament started Thursday with a tough 43-52... Full story
Competition ramps up for the Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD#2) Speech and Debate team as they approach state, but they still took second in a tough 1A/2A field last weekend in Worland. The Panthers lost to Greybull, whom head coach Jake Mickelsen said has been their rival for the season. Still, Greybull's victory was only by 5 points and CCSD#2 defeated a number of 3A schools, including Rawlins, Powell and Lander, said Mickelsen. The "Worlando Beach Invitational" was a tough meet... Full story
The biggest issue with education during this legislative session has been state funding, according to Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD#2) superintendent Jim Copeland. The passed amendment will lead to a 1 percent cut this year with a 1.4 percent cut the following year, though superintendents and administrators suggested that legislators hold off until they see what enrollment will do. According to Copeland, the funding distribution changes with enrollment, and with the unsure energy... Full story
Saratoga Mayor Ed Glode will move forward with river repairs in the face of early warming. “There’s a chance that it’s going to stay warm like this and the river’s going to come up a little further and they won’t be able to get in there, and at that point it turns into a fall deal,” Glode said. This year the river is really impaired, so even if there isn’t very high water, the banks are still in danger of destabilizing and causing concern, Glode said. Since the long term river restoration p... Full story
Thatcher Spiering's championship match was interrupted several times to wipe blood from the mat and the wrestlers' skin. Greybull's Cole Hill, the competitor, was bleeding. It was tight-the score was low. Saratoga Wrestling Head Coach Jared Mason said the boys were more than capable of getting points, but the high skill levels required positioning and handfighting to get a score on one another. Spiering and Greybull are players from the same mold. They work hard and put in extra hours all year.... Full story
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All of the Saratoga wrestlers qualified for state after the regional tournament over the weekend, with all three seniors taking first place in their weight classes. Daynon Mowry, Bradley Bifano and Thatcher Spiering have secured titles for their region and have their eyes set on state titles before they graduate. Head coach Jared Mason said the team came in confident and lived up to their own expectations. They wrestled stiff competition and most of the boys were dominant in each match. After re...
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The Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD#2) Board of Trustees agreed to discontinue the district’s golf program at the Feb. 17 meeting. As described by CCSD#2 Superintendent Jim Copeland, Saratoga Resort and Spa was funding the program almost fully, which is the only reason it was adopted in the first place. While the golfers were fairly successful in the fall, only two students have so far expressed interest in returning and the board did not feel that they could justify the cost. In order...