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The same struggle of employee shortages plaguing emergency call centers around the nation will also soon impact the Saratoga Police Department, which already has a small staff of dispatch workers. At the November 7 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, Chief Mike Morris told the council that he would soon be down to only two full-time dispatchers. The typical amount of dispatch staff for his department is four full-time employees. Dispatch Shortage “We’re running into a little bit of an iss...
In the southeast corner of Wyoming sits the state’s only university, home of the University of Wyoming Cowboys and alma mater of current NFL players such as Josh Allen and Logan Wilson. Just a stone’s throw away from War Memorial Stadium—which arguably becomes the most densely populated location during home football games—is a surprising looking structure with equally surprising contents. The American Heritage Center (AHC) is located within the Centennial Complex which catches the eye with its u...
At a special meeting held on November 2, the Carbon County Republican Party Central Committee selected three candidates for the vacancy on the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) following the resignation of Commissioner Byron Barkhurst. As was previously reported, Barkhurst’s resignation was accepted by the commissioners on October 17. At the same meeting, the BOCCC also declared a vacancy and provided a written letter to the chairman of the Carbon County Republican Party. The c...
As goes the Red Desert, so goes the rest of the country. This is the concern of Representative Bob Davis (R - Baggs) of House District 47. Davis’ district, while encompassing most of Carbon County, also includes portions of Sweetwater County which is included in the Red Desert. Since it was released in August of this year, the draft resource management plan from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the Red Desert has been the center of controversy and debate. Conservation groups have p...
The Encampment Tigers’ nearly undefeated season came to a heartbreaking end on Friday as they were dealt a loss by the Burlington Huskies in the semifinal round of the 1A Six-Man Playoffs. A mere 7 points separated the Tigers and Burlington. “Our game against Burlington was a shootout as anticipated,” said Kegan Willford, head coach of the Encampment Tigers. “Burlington has a great team and they execute very well. Our team played hard and fought all game to try and gain the advantage but, in...
When Eric Soyez joined the United States Navy, he became the 3rd generation in his family to serve in that branch of the Armed Forces. His father and his grandfather had both served and had been jet mechanics. “I’ll be honest, I was a little bit of a hellraiser when I was a kid and I got myself in a little bit of trouble,” said Soyez. “I thought maybe it was time to turn the other direction and do something with my life.” While he followed—in a way—in the footsteps of his father and grandfather,...
Justin Brown can be pretty easy to pick out in a crowd. He stands at over six feet tall and is covered in tattoos. When he speaks, he has a bit of a southern drawl. Though he owns and operates TYK9 just outside Saratoga now, he was once a Ranger in the United States Army. He also spent six years working for Blackwater. Now a civilian, Brown works with domestic dogs and does K9 training shepherds and malinois. The drawl he has when he speaks is a holdover from being raised in the south, growing u...
Alan Brundage looks very unassuming. He’s tall, standing over six feet, and sports a beard and mustache. He speaks in a soft tone but with purpose and intent, making one feel that if he’s talking they better listen as it’s likely something worth being said. Brundage, who has lived in the Platte Valley for around two years now, spent nearly 50 years working for the federal government when one includes his time in both the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force. His stint...
When it comes to honoring veterans and their service to the United States, there are various ways in which people, businesses and organizations show their respect. It can be a “thank you” in passing on the street, a dinner honoring their service or a business offering discounts. One way in which the State of Wyoming and county assessors show their appreciation for someone’s service is through a veteran’s exemption for either property taxes or vehicle licensing. How does it work? Accordi...
It all started with some pumpkin seeds. “I found pumpkin seeds in Cheyenne. I grew pumpkins thinking they weren’t going to make it, I grew them in tiny medicine cups and they took off,” said Sophia Borg. “So, I had this big plan that we (StrongTower Designs and Palomino Hat Bar) were going to have a pumpkin patch. That grew from the pumpkin patch into the festival.” The festival is the inaugural Saratoga Fall Festival—or Saratoga FallFest—which was held on October 21 on east Spring Street...
After more than a decade, multiple blueprints and plans and a name change it seems there might be some progress for Never Forget Park. During the October 17 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, the governing body was provided an update from Stacy Crimmins, a member of the working group formed more than two years ago for the memorial park. With that update came a request to go out for bid for phase one of the long-awaited project. “In phase one construction, we will be seeking bids to include s...
In the midst of the United Auto Workers strike—which reached a tentative agreement with General Motors on October 30—law enforcement departments have had to be creative when it comes to restocking their fleet. Carbon County is no different. At the October 17 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), Sheriff Alex Bakken requested permission from the commissioner to purchase two used vehicles, both Ford Explorers which were already police packaged. “It means they are ready...
The Rock Creek Wind Gen-Tie Transmission Line hit a snag last week as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) withdrew its decision to grant a right-of-way for the project to cross federal public lands in southeastern Wyoming. The announcement came in a press release from the group Albany County Conservancy who, along with retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Mike Lockhart, were plaintiffs in a legal challenge to the decision. The Rock Creek Wind Gen-Tie project is part of the Rock Creek...
It was a brisk, but beautiful, day for football on October 27 as the No. 2 Encampment Tigers hosted the No. 3 Meeteetse Longhorns for the quarterfinal round of the 1A Six-Man Playoffs. With the postseason now in full swing, the Tigers had no issue dominating their home field against Meeteetse, though the Longhorns came out charging for a playoff win. “Meeteetse started out strong, like any playoff team should, but we knew we had to stick to our game plan,” said Kegan Willford, head coach of the...
The season has come to an end for the Encampment Lady Tigers, who were knocked out of the 1A West Regional Tournament in two matches over the weekend. Last Monday, October 23, the Lady Tigers punched their ticket to the regional tournament in Riverton after taking down the Farson-Eden Lady Pronghorns in three sets. That win, while getting them into the regional tournament, also put them against the No. 1 ranked Riverside Lady Rebels who were 8-9-2 for the season and 4-0 in conference play. For...
The subject of payroll, specifically relating to overtime for dispatchers, was discussed by the Saratoga Town Council during their October 17 meeting. The town council also passed a resolution approving the final plat for Octagon Estates Phase Three, with some conditions added which were recommended by the planning commission. Overtime Payout The discussion regarding overtime pay for dispatchers came under a report from the Saratoga Police Department. “Earlier in the year, shortly after I c...
Calling it "a battle we more than likely can't win" the Saratoga Town Council will not be challenging the updated flood insurance rate maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). That decision came at the October 17 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council following information from Nathan Werner of S20 Engineering. The firm had been engaged by the Town of Saratoga last month to review the preliminary maps released by FEMA. Werner, along with reviewing the maps, worked with Director...
Just in time for Halloween, the streets of Saratoga have had their share of spooky noises both at night and in the daylight. Saratoga is also currently the prowling grounds for a male mountain lion, who has been seen around the hobo hot pools according to Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris. Out with a bang In recent weeks, Saratoga residents have reported noises they’ve described as either a gunshot or an explosion. The current reports have put the noises near the west end of town, but this isn’t...
It was a tough end to the regular volleyball season for the Encampment Lady Tigers as they were dealt two losses on Thursday and Saturday while on the road. On October 19, the Lady Tigers were hosted by the Rock River Lady Longhorns where they went 1-3. Two days later, on October 21, they were hosted by the Little Snake River Valley (LSRV) Lady Rattlers where they fell in three sets. Despite those losses, Head Coach Janice Peterson felt positive about how the girls played. “Overall, the girls pl...
The regular six-man football season came to an end this past weekend for the Encampment Tigers, who ended their final game in spectacular fashion. Hosted by the Midwest Oilers on October 21, the Tigers drilled down to completely shut out Midwest. “It was good to end the regular season where our younger players were able to get a lot of playing time,” said Kegan Willford, head coach for the Encampment Tigers. Much like other games this season, the Tigers wasted no time in dominating the gridiron...
On May 10, 1869 the two ends of the transcontinental railroad were connected during the Golden Spike Ceremony held at Promontory Summit in the Utah Territory. More than 150 years later, on October 22, people in Saratoga were greeted by the sight of a large golden spike in town. Parked along 1st Street, adjacent to the municipal parking lot, a 43 foot monument to the Golden Spike sat on a trailer. People stopped, examined the item and took pictures of it both from across the street and close up....
Signs were a top topic of discussion for Encampment Town Council during their October 12 meeting. Bob Herring, an Encampment resident and business owner, brought the discussion forward under public comment. Herring, along with owning the Good Things second-hand store in Encampment, owns a short term rental on Macfarlane Avenue listed through VRBO. The property is near a local restaurant, 307 Pub & Grub, which sits at the corner of 6th Street and Macfarlane Avenue. According to Herring, visitors...
It appears any progress on potential regulations for short term rentals, or STRS, in Saratoga is stalled for the foreseeable future. A decision to table a special use permit was made by the Saratoga Planning Commission on October 10. The decision came following suggestions from Kylie Waldrip, legal counsel for the Town of Saratoga, who advised the planning commission to let Jackson “have the fight.” Government Overreach The discussion over whether the Town of Saratoga should regulate short ter...
An application for a setback variance at the October 10 meeting of the Saratoga Planning Commission led to discussion over the Town of Saratoga’s procedures for building permits, meanwhile a residential project is on hold. Megan Werth and her contractor, Jack Leiseth of Osprey Construction, appeared before the planning commission to discuss their variance application. Werth, who has employed Leiseth for an addition on her 1702 South Veterans property, told the board they were two months into c...
The Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) accepted the resignation of Commissioner Byron Barkhurst at their October 17 meeting in Medicine Bow. Barkhurst, who was first elected to a two-year unexpired term in 2018, was nearing the end of his four-year term on the five-member board. The BOCCC accepted Barkhurst’s resignation, which was dated October 11, and declared a vacancy in the office of commissioner. Chairman Sue Jones signed a letter providing written notice of the vacancy to the c...