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The 2024 Wyoming Legislative session was February 12 to March 8, 2024, at the State Capitol in Cheyenne. With this being my first budget session, I learned a lot and have a new respect for the process and the work and time that is put into the state’s budget. We heard 350 bill and passed a $10.6 billion Biennium Budget. One of the big issues this session was to find tax relief for the people of Wyoming. We passed 4 new bills for tax relief - HB0045 Property tax exemption for residential structures. - HB0004 Property tax Refund Program is an e...
The City of Rawlins recently announced the selection of its new attorney. Pinita Maberry-Nave, who previously served as the interim city attorney, is a native to Rawlins and graduated from Rawlins High School. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in Astronomy/Astrophysics from the University of Wyoming before earning her Justice Degree from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law in 2007. According to the press release, Maberry-Nave brings a diverse background to her new role as the...
The Valley Service Organization (VSO) has, once again, opened up the Youth Citizenship Award for graduating seniors from Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2). This scholarship awards a cash scholarship each year to a senior selected by the VSO Award Committee. VSO Chairwoman Cindy Walton has emphasized this scholarship is not based on grades. Instead, it is a cash award given directly to the student for their “community service and understanding of what it is to be a good citizen”. The award is open to graduating seniors from Sar...
Next time you are considering a burger or steak, consider 307 Pub and Grub. Not only are you sure to have a wonderful meal, but you will also be supporting the Platte Valley economy. That’s because 307 Pub and Grub buys local beef. To date, 307 Pub and Grub in Encampment has bought steers from Zeller Cattle, the Silver Spur Ranch, the Big Creek Ranch and, at the 2023 Carbon County Fair, a steer raised by Quade Jordan. Each steer is appropriately named 307-1, 307-2, and so on. These steers h...
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...
Mike Erickson, principal at Encampment K-12 School, will be retiring at the end of the school year after 19 years with Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2). On March 5, a community forum giving parents and staff a chance to speak with Erickson’s possible replacement was held. Jacob Johnston and A’Lisa Mueller, both made their case on why they should be picked as the next principal at Encampment. Both Johnston and Mueller took questions from the audience with Robin Brown as the mod...
Encampment K-12 School’s recent Books and Breakfast was in honor of local first responders. On March 6, parents, students, teachers and first responders met at the Encampment School Library to spend time reading together. This event encourages students to read books and improve their reading skills. After reading at the library, members of the community had breakfast in the cafeteria with local heroes who made important sacrifices in protecting children and the Plate Valley Community. This w...
It’s before noon on a Monday. The sound of oil on cast iron cuts through the air, just like the smell of hot cast iron. Mixed in is the odor of seared meat and the aroma of cooked vegetables and potatoes. On one skillet is Skyler Wood, making a batch of bacon home fries while, on the other skillet, Kayden Erick puts a sear on a cut of bison tenderloin. Douglass Campbell occasionally steps in between the two, offering some quick advice and bringing them supplies. This could be a scene from an e...
It can be hard to find just one word which would best describe Loren “Teense” Willford. A fifth-generation resident of the Platte Valley, Teense has been and is many things. A husband, a father, a friend, a Mason, a musician and a statesman. On February 3, though he was being honored by the Saratoga Masonic Lodge, it was difficult for those in attendance not to talk about Teense’s other contributions. “He’s always giving to something else, always supporting somebody else,” said Howard Hill...
With the 2024 Budget Session convening February 12, a number of bills are aimed at providing property tax relief to Wyoming residents. House District 47 Representative Bob Davis (R - Baggs) said the ramifications of some of the residential property tax relief bills being proposed for the upcoming legislative session need to be weighed against a loss in funding for essential government-funded services. For example, counties get 17.23 percent of property tax revenues, which they use to provide essential services. Some legislators are talking...
Residents of Saratoga agree that pedestrian safety is an important issue. Where they are divided, however, is whether it is truly worth the financial cost. Chris Vogelsang, traffic and transportation engineer for OV Consulting, spoke with community members at the Platte Valley Community Center on January 17 about the Transportation Alternative Master Plan. In the proposed master plan, the goal is to create a “roadmap for mobility” with the support of the community and to investigate the cur...
Buying entry-level housing in Saratoga is challenging. Teachers take a job in Saratoga for a year and then move on to a town with more affordable housing. Bryan Drake builds homes in Saratoga. He said he would like to see people take a job in Saratoga and stay. Bryan and Kathy Drake, co-owners of Triple D Construction, are looking for ways to make constructing housing in Saratoga affordable to the entry-level buyer. The Drakes have been building in Saratoga since they came to town in 2013, Bryan said. About a year and a half ago, the Drakes...
On December 13, Carbon County School District No. 1 (CCSD1) received an email which school officials believe was a “swatting” email several school districts across the state and country also received. Swatting is the act of prank calling emergency services in attempt to get them to arrive at a particular address. The threat was believed not to be credible. CCSD1 Superintendent Mike Hamel confirmed in an interview the next day that the threat is still not believed to be credible. Hamel was out of town on business that day and other members of...
As the year draws to a close, the Saratoga Planning Commission is preparing for 2024. At their November 14 meeting, the planning commission discussed potential ordinances, a brownfield grant application and goals for next year. Processing Code Changes Emery Penner, zoning and planning director, raised the idea of a potential ordinance to the planning commission in regards to meat processing facilities. Currently, under section 18.39.020(B) of the Saratoga Municipal Code, a meat packing plant or...
Garland Bartlett, Jr, resident of Saratoga, WY, passed away on November 15, 2023 at the age of 80 years old. He was born on 11/14/1943 in Saratoga Wyoming to Garland Bartlett, Sr. and Elsie Williams. He grew up on the family ranch and attended school in Saratoga. As a teenage boy, he helped to build the Old Baldy golf course. He loved sports and played football and basketball for the Saratoga Panthers. He graduated from Saratoga High School in 1962. He served a mission for The Church of Jesus Ch...
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...
Sonja Collamer, longtime Saratoga resident and community leader, died Sunday in Laramie. She was 86. Born in Rapid City, SD, her family moved to Denver after WWII. She graduated from Denver West High School and went on to earn a BS degree in bacteriology from Colorado State University. After graduation, she and her husband, John Collamer of Hanna, moved to Chicago to fulfill his military service as a veterinarian. Returning to Wyoming in 1963, they partnered in operating the Saratoga Veterinary...
Students at Saratoga Elementary School enjoyed an opportunity for outside the classroom education last Thursday during Ag Day 2023. Sponsored by the Saratoga-Encampment-Rawlins Conservation District and the Carbon County CowBelles, there were presenters from several local agriculture producers and ag agencies on hand. The program featured hands-on activities and information showcasing the Wyoming farm & ranch agri-business industry. The students got to see and touch big tractors, herding dogs...
The Saratoga Sun thanks all of our readers and everyone who participated in the School Supply Drive we held on behalf of, and in association with, Carbon County School District 2. We did not snap a photo or weigh everything but we received bags and bags full of school supplies. Something over 50 store size bags and a few boxes. One full of new backpacks. In addition to the backpacks, we collected paper and notebooks, glue, pencil, pens, markers and assorted folders. These items will help get our area students off to a good start in this new...
This week we are introducing a special page in the Saratoga Sun for kids called Kid’s Scoop. This is developed by a retired college professor and designed to engage elementary age students with some educational and fun features that will promote reading. Reading is something we can just take for granted; maybe pass by the importance since it seems second nature to us. But not to all of us. There is an unfortunate incidence of kids reading behind grade level in our schools nationwide. Students w...
Saratoga Town Hall may have a new town clerk, but she is likely a familiar face to many within the Valley. Jennifer “Jenn” Anderson was appointed as the new clerk and sworn in on September 5 during a meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. Anderson currently works as a dispatcher for the Saratoga Police Department. Prior to that, she worked for Carbon County School District No.2 for approximately 15 years. She is the mother of three children, two of whom are graduates of Encampment K-12 Sch...
Сhief Mike Morris talks rules of the road with buses, preparing for winter and the search for more officers By Joshua Wood, Stevenson Newspapers Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end to summer, though school in Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) started on August 21. According to Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris, there are few issues when it comes to school related traffic. Morris discussed how the Saratoga Police Department is approaching those issues, along with his thoughts on the summer and the search for new officers. Back...
Opening bells rang across Carbon County School District No. 2 on Monday morning signaling the start of the 2023/2024 academic year as parents captured “First Day” memories of their children. First day for CCSD2 staff members, however, began early. Preparation by the administration, faculty and staff began well before students arrived at the six district schools. On August 18, at the Platte Valley Community Center, the 200 employees of the school district gathered for an assembly to kick off the...
Schools have opened here in Saratoga, and throughout Carbon County District 2. An exciting time really. New year, new teachers, new experiences, old friends, new friends. The kindergarten students are off on a new journey. The seniors are moving into the final days of this one and now just a few short months away from beginning the next. One thing that has been on my mind in recent weeks is that the schools here must be a very special place. I say that because twice in the past month, people...