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Photo by Joshua Wood Adam Clarke and his wife, Misty, accept the 2023 Business of the Year Award during the 50th Annual Chamber Dinner and Awards on March 14 at the Platte Valley Community Center. For more photos and coverage, see page A7....
A Saratoga man was killed instantly in a fatal accident on Highway 30 with one motorist receiving minor injuries. On March 11, at approximately 1:07 p.m., troopers from the Wyoming Highway Patrol responded to milepost 239 on US 30/287 for a head-on collision with injuries. According to Trooper Ryan W. Gerdes, Public Information Officer for the Wyoming Highway Patrol, the accident occurred when 70-year-old Rickey Bales of Hanna, Wyoming crossed the centerline. “Troopers determined an eastbound 19...
The Wyoming State Legislature passed two senate bills aimed at incentivizing the recruitment and retention of volunteers for emergency medical services (EMS) this session, but neither address the need for a revamp in the reimbursement system that financially supports the service. The local director of South Central Wyoming Emergency Medical Service based in Saratoga, Stayton Mosbey, said these bills are “small steps in the right direction –everything that helps to attract someone to volunteer is worth it.” However, Mosbey said, there is anoth...
On Friday, March 15, 8th graders from Encampment, Saratoga, and Hanna-Elk Mountain-Medicine Bow schools took a field trip for 8th Grade Business Career Day. The students had the opportunity to visit different businesses in the Platte Valley. 8th Grade Business Career Day first started in 2016 by former Saratoga/ Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce CEO Stacey Crimmins and has continued each year except during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic. Amanda Knotwell, Cimmins’ successor as Saratoga/ Platte V...
SHERIDAN — The four Sheridan County Commissioners sued by the Sheridan County Republican Party will remain in office through at least the end of their current terms following a ruling made earlier this week by Jude W. Thomas Sullins. Sullins came out of retirement to preside over the two-day trial in which the party accused the four commissioners — Christi Haswell, Lonnie Wright, Nick Siddle and Tom Ringley — of deliberately violating their statutory obligations to appoint a new commissioner after Allen Thompson left the board. The trial ended...
Five different versions of a property tax relief bill, which passed the Wyoming State Legislature this session and offer substantial savings to the citizens, are on Governor Mark Gordon’s desk as of Tuesday awaiting his signature. House District 40 Representative Barry Crago said he is not sure which bills the Governor will sign. He may look at how they work together as a group. He has 15 days from Friday to decide. House Bill 45, sponsored by Crago, proposes to cap the maximum allowable increase in property taxes each year at 4 percent in i...
Cody Ellenson, the primary suspect in the December 16 robbery of the Whistle Pig Saloon south of Saratoga, has been arrested by authorities in Florida. On March 15, the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of 32-year-old Ellenson in a press release. According to the press release, the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office Crime Suppression Unit (CSU) was contacted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) about a person in Wakulla County who might be a wanted fug...
POWELL — Unlike most high school kids, environmental photojournalist Julia Cook spent much of her free time in the basement of the Draper Natural History Museum stripping rotting meat from the skeletons of various animals; bears, wolves, mountain lions. A half-dozen years later, you can still find her there volunteering to do work many would turn their nose up to. “Sometimes it is a bit smelly,” Cook said during a recent lecture at the museum. Cook was an intern with the Wyoming Game and Fish...
To protect the headwaters of three major Western rivers from invasive, troublesome mussels, Yellowstone National Park wants to require larger boats to undergo a 30-day “dry time” before launching. New rules up for comment also would ban any boat that’s once been contaminated by invasive Dreissena zebra or quagga mussels, regardless of decontamination cleaning. The proposal builds on existing rules, including inspection of all watercraft, designed to protect Yellowstone and downstream water...
One way to provide lower-income housing to residents is to use Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) through an IRS program administered by the Wyoming Community Development Authority (WCDA) for the state of Wyoming. One of these LIHTC developments is currently under construction in Jackson, Wyoming, said Mark Feilmeier, state director with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The LIHTC program has also helped fund the building of three developments in Rawlins, said Christopher Volzke, Deputy Executive Director of the Wyoming...
Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris and South Central Wyoming Emergency Medical Services (SCWEMS) Director Stayton Mosbey did a presentation on the dangers of narcotics at Tuesday Talks on March 5. During the presentation both Morris and Mosbey pointed out that fentanyl is the number one drug that is being smuggled across the U.S Border. Because of the conflict of securing the southern border, fentanyl has become easily accessible on the streets. According to the United States Drug Enforcement Adm...
At its March 5 meeting, Mayor Chuck Davis described the Saratoga Town Council’s accomplishments over its first year, saying he is proud of how the council has “come together.” “I think we have made some accomplishments in the first year we’ve been here and I’m very proud of that,” Mayor Davis said. The council worked on many new projects and hired several people. He enumerated each of the accomplishments. Referring to the period between January 2023 and January 2024, he said the council hired a new treasurer, Corina Daily; a new Department of...
GILLETTE — The housing shortage that’s tightened throughout Gillette and Campbell County in recent years has continued into this year, as few home listings and steep prices combine to strain the housing market. The local crunch comes on the heels of national turbulence in the real estate market that has affected would-be buyers and sellers alike in recent years. As of early March, there were 94 active listings throughout Campbell County — including Wright and areas outside of Gillette, said Katie Gray, realtor with Altitude Real Estate and p...
CHEYENNE—Election bills didn’t fare well this session. As Wyoming elections have been flooded with anonymous campaign mailers and out-of-state influence, lawmakers and other officials have looked toward legislation to increase transparency and tighten Wyoming’s voter laws. Last year, for example, the Legislature passed a bill closing a loophole that had allowed federal political action committees to skirt state campaign reporting requirements. And after several attempts, lawmakers also adopt...
On March 14, authorities in the state of Florida arrested Saratoga robbery suspect 32-year-old Cody Ellenson. Ellenson and 28-year-old Victoria Tidball were wanted for robbery at the Whistle Pig Saloon on December 16. Tidball was also charged with assault with a deadly weapon after she fired approximately 40 rounds at her ex-boyfriend’s house and vehicle. Tidball was later arrested on December 27 by the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP). Since then, Ellenson has been on the run for three months u...
Saratoga Middle High School (SMHS) students Doug Campbell, Hope Cooper, and Skyler Wood competed recently at the State ProStart competition held in Cheyenne and brought home the championship trophy in Cake Baking and the runner-up trophy in the Culinary Competition. The winners were announced during the Governor’s Winter Gala event at Little America on February 26th in front of an audience of 500 people. ProStart is an industry-backed culinary arts and restaurant management program for high s...
*Editor's Note: The online version of this article has had the headline updated to more accurately reflect the nature of the City of Cheyenne's ordinance* As part of an effort to make housing more affordable, the City of Cheyenne, Wyoming, passed a group of ordinances in December that eliminate lot area minimums and density requirements for some types of housing. The changes make it easier and less expensive for developers to construct housing. As a result, the city expects more housing will be built and the greater the supply compared to the...
David Bowie wrote a song in 1972, about changes in our lives and how every time he thought he had things figured out, things changed. The wind is like change in our lives. Constantly moving, blowing from one direction and another we cannot stop it, we can feel it, but we cannot see it. We are continually growing and changing from one moment to the next. From the beginning in our mother’s womb till the day we are birthed, each day brings change. We grow in intelligence, we grow in size into toddlers, young children, adolescents, and then adultho...
JACKSON — Amid the typical tax season stress, residents are also tasked with remaining vigilant when it comes to cybercrime. Don’t respond to emails or text messages about your refund, the Federal Trade Commission said. IRS impersonators want to dupe people into forking over sensitive information this tax season. Fake emails and text messages about “tax refunds” are being sent, the FTC said, with links the scammer is hoping residents will click on. The links may help the impersonator steal your identity or put malware on your phone or compute...
On February 19, Rawlins Middle School received recognition from Solution Tree for its top academic achievements and earned honors as a PLC (Professional Learning Communities) at Work School. Three weeks ago, Rawlins Middle School completed its application which they have been working on for about a year-and-a-half. They were approved by Solution Tree as a national model PLC school. According to Solution Tree, Rawlins Middle School is one of about 600 schools and districts in the United States...
When reading up on types of earthquake-resistant structures, one will be greeted with a variety of options when it comes to construction. Flexible foundations, seismic dampers, ductile materials which can either deflect, absorb, transfer or distribute vibrations from seismic activity. Professional architects and contractors have a variety of materials at their disposal to attempt this. The 8th grade science class at Saratoga Middle High School just had marshmallows and pasta noodles. Yet, quite...
Encampment Senior Quade Jordan is now getting ready to start a new chapter with the Chadron State College Eagles. Jordan—who had an outstanding senior year in football for the Tigers—had 1,953 yards, 43 touchdowns, and 86 tackles and has caught the attention of CSC recruiters and coaches. Jordan will be majoring in business when he attends CSC next Fall. He officially signed, sealed and committed to CSC on February 7. Jordan said one of the reasons why he decided to go to CSC is because the...
The Town of Saratoga is working on making its subdivision ordinance easier for developers to understand and access. This is one of the planning commission’s recent set of goals, said Emery Penner, town zoning administrator and public works director. Rewriting the ordinance in this way will be a lengthy process and involve several public hearings before both the planning commission and the council before the new ordinance can be adopted, Penner said. The town’s subdivision ordinance is located in Title 17 and 18 of the town’s code of ordin...
Three months after tabling a draft short term rental permit application, the Saratoga Planning Commission once again discussed the impact of short term rentals in Saratoga at its February 13 meeting. The discussion was brought up by James “Jimmy” Campbell, a resident and business owner in Saratoga. Citing the goals the planning commission has set for 2024, Campbell said he was disappointed to see there was nothing regarding short term rentals. Chairwoman McCall Burau reminded Campbell the pla...
Francis Bergquist and his wife, Janice, were the presenters at the February 20 Tuesday Talks as they shared their love for bird watching and nature. During the lecture, the Berquists talked about different breeds of birds and where they come from. The Berquists have been married for over 60 years and they began dating each other in their Sophomore year of high school. Since then they have been on many adventures together. Francis showed some amazing pictures to the audience. Each picture...