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Wyoming faces an array of future affordable housing challenges, but one big hurdle is an aging population. “The state is projected to experience moderate population growth in the coming years,” a new Wyoming Community Development Authority housing needs assessment found. “However, the aging of the population has deep implications for future housing needs, as older adults living longer independently accelerate housing demand.” To illustrate that trend, the report estimates that people 65 and old...
The Saratoga Town Council discussed on March 19 whether to bring back for consideration a short-term rental ordinance which would regulate vacation rentals after a group of residents expressed their interest and the planning commission indicated it wanted to pursue this. Town Planning Administrator Emery Penner said in his report the planning commission had “a long conversation” with the public about an ordinance to regulate short-term rentals, such as AirBNBs. Four members of the public came to the meeting, he said. McCall Burau, chairman of...
Beginning in the spring/summer of 2028, there will be a new road through Encampment.well, at least new asphalt. At the March 14, 2024 Encampment Town Council Meeting, Aaron Spenny, WYDOT District 1 Resident Engineer in Rawlins, outlined a pavement preservation project for the town of Encampment beginning in 2028. The project would proceed in two phases with the second phase being contingent on lower costs in the initial phase and/or additional funding secured prior to construction. In the first phase, the pavement from the Highway 70 and...
No fooling, everyone is invited to a free meal of glazed meatloaf, homemade mash potatoes with milk gravy, saut? vegetable blend, fried cornbread corn fritters, strawberry pistachio cheesecake and drinks Monday, April 1st, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. The complimentary meal, along with fun and fellowship, is being served at the Saratoga Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall at the corner of Third & Bridge streets. Sponsored by the “Gather at the Table” committee, the event is open to the hungry, lonely, depressed and anyone wishing to gather with fri...
Short term rentals and their regulation—or lack thereof—in municipal code was yet again a topic of discussion for the Saratoga Planning Commission during their March 12 meeting. While a proposed short term rental permit was created by the planning commission last year, it was ultimately tabled in November 2023 on the recommendation of Kylie Waldrip, legal counsel for the Town of Saratoga. In February, James “Jimmy” Campbell asked the planning commission to continue to pursue some form of perm...
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... Full story
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...