Zoning was the main topic of discussion during the October 1 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council as the governing body denied a previously tabled zone change and discussed the zoning and restrictive covenants of the former skilled nursing facility. Rousu Zone Change For nearly two months, David Rousu has been undergoing the process of a zone change for property he purchased at 804 W Bridge Avenue. The application was approved on a split vote at the August 13 meeting of the Saratoga Planning...
Smoke was in the air on October 4 as Saratoga hosted the Wright Panthers for a 1A 9-man conference game. While the smoke came from the fires in the northwest part of the state, it could have just as easily come from the defensive battle on the gridiron in the first half of the game. Saratoga boasted a 14-6 win against the Wright Panthers extending the team’s 2024 undefeated streak with the Saratoga Panthers’ total yardage exceeding Wright’s 290 to 204. “It was a big win for us. We made...
Despite a regular season with limited games, the Encampment Tigers are still making an effort to prove they have what it takes to punch their ticket to the 1A Six-Man Championship at War Memorial Stadium in November. Prior to their upset over Casper Christian, the Tigers had gone 21 days without a match. This past weekend, they showed what they can do once the rust is knocked off as they dealt a homecoming heartbreaker to the Farson-Eden Pronghorns while on the road. “It was great to go on...
It proved to be a difficult home match for the Encampment Tigers as they hosted the No. 1 ranked Little Snake River Valley (LSRV) Lady Rattlers on October 4. The scores of 13-25, 17-25 and 14-25 showed how much stronger the Lady Rattlers were going against Encampment. Across all three matches, LSRV seemed to dance across the floor in their defense and the Tigers just couldn’t seem to catch a break. According to Janice Peterson, Lady Tigers Head Coach, the Rattlers know their weak points. LSRV...
The Saratoga Panther cross country ramped up their competitive nature in Wheatland, Wyoming on October 4. “ After the best week of practice we have had so far, I thought we would be a little heavy-legged during this meet,” said Head Coach Rex Hohnholt. “Every athlete competing had either a seasonal best or lifetime best performance, and we still have a lot of room for improvement.” The Panthers continue to improve week after week whittling down their times in preparation for State Cross Country in Cheyenne at the end of the month....
This week, the final series of a story on fire mitigation runs and I hope you have read them. If not, take the time to go back to the last three issues and read them. I learned so much, and thought it was important to pass on to our readers in the Saratoga Sun. I got to know people I haven’t met before and watch them as they talk about doing jobs they love. It is not easy being in a public job where you are criticized no matter what you do. The amount of work, planning and executing a plan to...
Dear Editor, I recently shared this story of our visit to Saratoga to my social media account, and someone suggested offering it to the local paper. The backstory: We are camped in the middle of nowhere in the small town of Saratoga, Wyoming, I’ve been here a number of times over the past 12 years because there are wonderful (free) hot springs here and good people, some of whom have become friends.. While my fianc? and I were soaking late Thursday night, someone stole the $900 customized hitch off the back of our car. Called a “weight...
If there’s any segment of our society that should be most concerned about young people leaving Wyoming after high school or college and not coming back, it’s business owners. That’s why we weren’t that surprised to see Wyoming Business Council CEO Josh Dorrell recently lead a conversation with University of Wyoming students about their post-college plans. Still, it’s refreshing to see anyone in state leadership actively pursuing the idea that something needs to be done to address the exodus of youth from the Equality State. Less...
Beginning Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, Stage 1 fire restrictions will be in place for all the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland (MBRTB). This includes National Forest System lands located in Garfield, Grand, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, and Routt counties in northwest Colorado; Albany, Campbell, Carbon, Converse, Crook, Natrona, Niobrara, Platte, and Weston counties in Wyoming. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service has communicated with all affected counties, state agencies, and neighboring...
The Wyoming Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) Program will stop accepting applications on October 31, according to a press release from Wyoming Department of Family Services. The federally funded, temporary emergency program to support homeowners financially impacted by COVID was started in March 2022. According to the press release, the program has distributed a total of $15.7 million in assistance to 2,056 Wyoming households that were impacted by COVID. The funds were used to catch up on delinquent mortgage payments, manage partial claim...
In the Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 6, Jesus tells the crowd: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you....
Many will disagree, but a happy and successful marriage is based on a personal relationship with Christ. And why is this? There are many reasons, but we can begin with the character traits and attitudes of a true follower of Jesus is what takes marriage to the highest level of joy, emotional well-being, and contentment. Those committed to Christ are model spouse’s and parents. In today’s society, people use the term “Christian” loosely, and it’s at the point where I use this label more cautious than ever. If you ask people if they...
Following an article regarding a traffic light in Saratoga in “Reflections from Our Files” in the September 19 Saratoga Sun, a reader reached out asking about what happened to the light, and when. According to a September 22, 1949 article (New Traffic Signals Arrive and Will Be Installed Soon): The new traffic stop light and two caution lights for Saratoga, which had been on order for some time, arrived the first of this week, and will be installed as quickly as possible, according to town...
There are probably few faces as recognizable as that of Josh Craig. With a handlebar mustache and a smile which never seems to leave his face, Josh seems to be almost everywhere in the Valley. Josh, like others closely involved in their community in the Platte Valley, wears multiple hats. He works for Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) as the district facilities supervisor while based at Encampment K-12 School. As cliche as it might sound, it’s a job that Josh says he loves....
With the school year well underway across Wyoming, both Governor Mark Gordon and Superintendent Megan Degenfelder are encouraging school districts to re-examine their policies regarding student cell phones. In a joint letter, Gordon and Degenfelder wrote, “While smartphones have the potential to enhance the learning process, growing evidence suggests that excessive, unregulated use during school hours can lead to declines in academic performances and increase in classroom disruptions.” The...