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The Wyoming Legislature has changed some of its dates and deadlines that take effect in the 2024 election. The state has made a change to the date absentee ballots are sent out. Absentee ballots used to go out 45 days ahead of the election, said Gywnn Bartlett, Carbon County Clerk. Now absentee ballots will be sent out 28 days ahead of the election. This change does not apply to Uniformed and Overseas Citizens, Bartlett said. Those ballots will continue to be sent out 45 days ahead of the...
Ur-Energy Inc., a large uranium mining company in North America, is reopening Shirley Basin Mine in Carbon County for the purpose of pumping out uranium. A different owner had operated Shirley Basin Mine until closing it in 1992. “Ur-Energy purchased the assets of Pathfinder Mines Corp in 2013, including the Shirley Basin Project, because of the high quality of the remaining mineralization,” said John Cash, CEO and president of Ur-Energy Inc. “The uranium price was too low in 2013 to suppo...
Living in rural areas such as Saratoga, interactions with wild animals are a given. In many cases, it’s that interaction which attracts people to the area. These interactions go beyond the “town deer” which live in town limits or the occasional moose making its way through. Such is the case with the mountain lion recently captured and relocated by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD). According to Teal Cufaude, Saratoga Wildlife Biologist for the WGFD, this is possibly the second mount...
Retired dairy farmer and teacher Larry Vyvey was a special guest at Tuesday’s Talk on April 16 where he gave a lecture on the history of dairy farming in the area. Vyvey is part of a family tradition of dairy farmers. He learned the dairy trade from his father before earning his bachelor’s in agriculture education at the University of Wyoming (UW). He was also a member of the Dairy Farm judging team at UW. He worked as a 4th-grade teacher and taught for 26 years before retiring from Sar...
This week Carbon County honors the voice of the voiceless for National Crime Victims Rights Week, which goes from April 21 to April 27. Carbon County and victims’ rights advocates are honoring and remembering those who have been victims of crime. According to the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), “this year’s theme is a call to action for us all to create safe environments for crime victims to share what happened to them. By doing so, we’re able to offer support, options for life-sa...
On Monday morning, those driving up and down 1st Street in Saratoga likely saw an uncommon sight as a local resident held a protest outside Saratoga Town Hall. Wearing a bright yellow coat and carrying a pink sign, Jimmy Dempsey called for Mayor Chuck Davis to remove Town Clerk Jennifer Anderson for “neglecting her duty.” On his sign, Dempsey cited section 02.08.020 of Saratoga Municipal Code. This section of the code reads that all town employees may be dismissed by the mayor and council, wit...
Wyoming’s state tourism agency has suspended social media posts and paid ads relating to wildlife amid the worldwide furor over the wolf abuse and killing in Daniel. The Wyoming Office of Tourism, also known as Travel Wyoming, alerted unknown recipients to the social media suspension in a letter obtained by WyoFile. “I know you are all well aware of the public criticism over the wolf abuse by a resident,” read the email, which came from the office’s Senior Communication Manager Piper Singer...
BUFFALO — Johnson County gained both farms and farmland between 2017 and 2022, according to the Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture released in February. That bucks the trend both in Wyoming and nationwide. While agriculture remains one of the county’s biggest industries, the outcomes for Johnson County point to a trend toward greater subdivision of large ranch land into parcels with smaller acreage. That trend revealed itself in the ag census and was not much of a surprise for locals who work in the land use sector. A lot of la...
Saratoga’s water line replacement project will begin in May, said Public Works Director Emery Penner at the April 16 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. “I don’t expect a big interruption in water service,” Penner said during his report on the Water and Sewer Joint Powers Board. In other business, the bids for the surfacing project at Never Forget Park came in higher than expected, Penner said. “We are going back to the drawing board on this project,” he said. The town rejected the Rocky Mountain Sand and Gravel bid of $389,742. “We’ll get mo...
On February 6, the Saratoga Town Council voted approved the River Street Waterline Replacement Project. This project is expected to start around May 1 and completed by late summer. Emery Penner, Saratoga Public Works Director, said two contracting companies bid to work on the project: Lewis & Lewis, Inc. and Rocky Mountain Sand & Gravel LLC (RMSG). According to Penner, RMSG was awarded the project with a low bid of $1.7 million. “We put this project out for bid a couple of months ago, the two co...
Bridge Street Bargains is still planning to match donations made to the Never Forget Park project up to $10,000. To date, however, the organization has only received $3,000 in donations. Donations are being accepted until May 31. From left, Jason Campbell, U.S, Air Force Veteran; Patrick Patterson, U.S. Army Veteran; Bridge Street Bargains Treasurer Carol Beach and D’Ron Campbell, U.S. Air Force Veteran....
As the Saratoga Planning Commission continues to discuss affordable housing and short term rentals, they may be able to look to a recent report for some guidance. In February, the Wyoming Community Development Authority released its 2024 Housing Needs Assessment. More than 300 pages long, the report breaks down the state into various regions with Carbon County included in the Central Region with Natrona and Converse counties. Chairperson McCall Burau led the planning commission through the...
Taking a short break from discussing short term rentals, the Saratoga Planning Commission held a brief discussion over a proposed chicken ordinance during their April 9 meeting. Under current municipal code, it is mostly illegal to own chickens or other domestic fowl on residential lots within town limits. One of the only exceptions, per section 18.42.150© of the municipal code, are undeveloped areas in residential zones which are greater than five acres. This section of the code allows livestoc...
In the lowlands of the Platte Valley, it may seem like winter has been gentle on us in regards to the amount of snow received this winter. As April speeds by, it may even seem like we could be looking at a dry summer. Data from the Wyoming State Climate Office at the University of Wyoming, however, shows otherwise. According to Director Tony Bergantino, snowpack at National Resources Conservation Services (NCRS) sites in the Snowy Range and Sierra Madre ranges varies from over 80% to 110% of...
Jason Williams, Saratoga Panthers Basketball Head Coach, always teaches his players the value of teamwork as part of his coaching philosophy. On the basketball court, he is a tough disciplined coach who demands high expectations from his players on game day. Off the court, Willams is a devoted teacher, father, husband, and Christian. He is involved in many activities at Saratoga Christian Alliance Church. Recently, Williams and a group of Saratoga Middle High School students volunteered to do...
The Saratoga Senior Center has been holding an event called “Bring a Friend” from April 1 through April 30. Every time a senior brings a friend who is 60 years or older who does not have a current assessment, they will be qualified for a $25 drawing. Brenda Zeiger, Saratoga Senior Center manager, started this idea to encourage other seniors in Saratoga to come to lunch. Her plan is to increase the number of seniors at the senior center for lunch with this event. “I came up with this idea becau...
For grass seed producers and others concerned about controlling grass thrip populations, the University of Wyoming Extension has released a new management guide. The free digital publication, titled “Grass Thrips in Perennial Grasses Grown for Seed,” provides instructions on how to sample grass seed fields for thrips as well as recommendations for cultural and chemical control. The authors also address the efficacy, application rates, and possible advantages and disadvantages of six insecticides labeled for grass thrip control. These small ins...
PINEDALE — Although the news of Cody Roberts capturing and torturing a live wolf by running it down on his snowmobile and binding its mouth shut before killing it in Daniel has captivated the world, it started as a simple citation listed in the March 7 Sublette County Circuit Court Roundup. Game and Fish quietly investigated the incident on March 1 but did not publicize what happened. Five days after he was cited, Roberts paid a $250 fine for violating statute 23-3-402(839), “regarding live wildlife or exotic animals, CH 10.” For comparison, a...
CHEYENNE — Gov. Mark Gordon has decided the new voter registration rules proposed by Secretary of State Chuck Gray exceed his statutory authority. Gordon sided with the Wyoming Legislature’s Management Council — made up of legislative leadership from both chambers — in its disapproval of the new rules, which would have required people to provide proof of residency, not just identity, when registering to vote. Gray has said on multiple occasions, including an op-ed submitted to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle this week that Wyoming elections needed...
CASPER — After years of analysis, political wrangling and a contentious public comment period, the federal Bureau of Land Management officialized a sweeping overhaul of its oil and gas leasing program on Friday. The changes, which will affect how extractive industries operate on federal land, mark the first major update to the federal onshore oil and gas leasing rules since 1988, the first adjustment to bond rates since 1960 and the first increase in royalty rates in more than 100 years. The biggest — and most contested — change is the incre...
CODY - Rodeo champion and rancher Ralf Klopfer considers himself lucky to have been born in West Germany in 1964. Had he been born on the other side of the Berlin Wall, his life would be unrecognizable from what it is today. Exposure to Western culture as a youngster put Klopfer on a lifelong path that led to success in riding and competing on two continents. As a kid, Klopfer watched "Bonanza" and became fascinated with horses and the American West. He loved Johnny Cash and saw him in Germany...
The clacking of billiard balls against each other filled the Platte Valley Community Center over the weekend as the 16th Annual Wyoming Open played out from April 4 to April 7. The competitors who played in this year’s tournament are were either a mix of locals or out-of-state spread out across three divisions: Sportsman, Classic and Masters. On Thursday, players competed in a single elimination call pocket 10-ball tournament. According to UPA (United Poolplayers Association) Rules, the o...
The Town of Saratoga recently hired two new full-time police officers who started on April 1. At the Saratoga Town Council meeting on April 2, Mayor Chuck Davis administered the oath of office to one of them, Casey Lehr. For several months, the police department has been operating with only three full-time officers which has stretched the department’s resources, said Police Chief Mike Morris in a later interview. He said the department has been “busy answering calls and doing what was nee...
Some cities and towns in tourist destinations like Wyoming and Montana have been capping, or are looking at capping, the number of allowable short-term rentals as a way to increase the number of long-term rentals for workforce housing. Some of these cities say requiring a permit through the ordinance gives the fire department authority to make safety inspections. This ensures properties are safe to occupy with working smoke alarms and other safety protections for the guests. The ordinance permit process gives towns a way to track the number of...
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...