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Photo by Richard Espinoza Terry Nash recites a poem during the first night of the Grand Encampment Cowboy Gathering. See story and more photos on B9....
Carbon County’s population decline, or net outmigration, and the state’s increase in baby boomers marks some trends in a recent report by the Wyoming Economic Analysis Division. The population in Carbon County declined more than in any other county in Wyoming from July 2022 to July 2023, according to a report by WEAD. The population decline for Carbon County during this period was 1.4% or 203 persons, said Wenlin Liu, Chief Economist with the Wyoming Economic Analysis Division. Population numbers are based on the 2023 U.S. Census Bureau est...
The Saratoga Town Council heard from their new appointment to the Carbon County Vistor’s Council (CCVC) during their regular meeting on July 16. Ellie Dana Raymer, the Saratoga representative to the CCVC, spoke to the council to talk about recent initiatives and the 2023 Tourism Master Plan. She highlighted specific portions of the master plan that she thought the town council “might be interested in.” Under “The Visitor Experience” portion of the master plan Dana Raymer focused on goals suc...
The past two weeks have been, for lack of a better word, interesting for Jason Williams who teaches history and government at Saratoga Middle High School. Within the span of a week, the country witnessed the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump and the decision by President Joe Biden not to seek re-election. Were these events to occur during the school year, rather than in the middle of summer, Williams likely would speak with his students about both of them. Not just from a...
Members of the public got a chance to interact with and ask questions to local political candidates at the July 9 Valley Service Organization (VSO) Public Forum Three of the five candidates for Saratoga Town Council attended the forum, with Mike Cooley and Chia Valdez being the four-year-term candidates and Bub Barkhurst being the two-year-term candidate. Sophia Borg, the other two-year-term candidate, and Cory Oxford, a four-year-term candidate, did not participate in the forum. Each candidate...
Nearly a year after a shoot-out with law enforcement at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the Saratoga man involved has been sentenced to 55 years in prison. Wyatt James Fluty, 29, was sentenced by Judge John Fitzgerald in Meade County Court on July 17. As part of a plea bargain announced In May of this year by Attorney General Marty Jackley, Fluty pled guilty to attempted first degree murder involving a law enforcement officer and commission of a felony while armed with a firearm. The incident—whic...
As seems to be common anymore around midsummer, Saratoga Lake is under a harmful algal bloom advisory as of July 18 according to the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). This is the sixth consecutive year the lake has been placed under an advisory for harmful algal blooms—or blue-green algae—since 2019. Previous advisories issued by the Wyoming Department of Health and the Wyoming Livestock Board have included the following recommendations: - Avoid contact with water in the vic...
A time machine won’t be needed this weekend to get a glimpse into the ways of life in the 19th century. All one needs to do is head to the Grand Encampment Museum on July 25 and 26. Volunteers dress in period clothing and teach the public the old ways. The museum has all the buildings open so everyone can visit them and get a glimpse of days gone by. History comes to life through the efforts of Tim Nicklas, the director of GEM, and the many volunteers and staff that are dedicated to preserving h...
POWELL — As the State of Wyoming moves forward with plans to build a world-class shooting facility, a panel is recommending that the complex be built in Cody. Following months of proposals, pitches and site visits, a task force voted 8-4 to favor a chunk of state land south of Cody over a competing spot near the Campbell County Cam-plex in Gillette. Campbell County put together an appealing proposal that included millions of dollars of funding and property that’s easily accessible and all but shovel ready. In contrast, Cody’s remote site impre...
Two conservation groups came together to raise awareness about protecting rivers and lakes in the Platte Valley. On July 18, Trout Unlimited and Rivers Are Life united to clean up Veterans Island. Local and out-of-state volunteers participated in cleaning up trash, cigarette butts, and waste. High school students also volunteered, learning the responsibilities in maintaining a healthy environment for parks, rivers and wildlife. “This is the first year Trout Unlimited is doing an expedition c...
The Memorial Hospital of Carbon County (MHCC) is looking to form a tax district which would help provide funding for the hospital. Stephanie Hinkle, MHCC Director of Strategic Operations, spoke with the Saratoga Sun to discuss the initiative and the process for the potential district. The Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) will vote during the August 6 meeting to determine whether the formation of the hospital district will be put on the November 2024 ballot. If the resolution during...
This year’s Saratoga Days appeared to be a success as Southern Fryed, Los Cheesies and Lita Ford brought each of their own musical stylings to downtown Saratoga on July 6. As this event has grown over the years, from one with local and regional artists to nationally known talent, so has the planning and response from law enforcement and first responders. This year, Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris worked closely with both the Saratoga Days Committee as well as Stayton Mosby, director of the Sou...
According to the 2024 Wyoming Workforce Annual Report published in June, Wyoming's labor market continued to grow in 2023, with the number of jobs finally returning to prepandemic levels from 2019. The state added 6,362 new jobs and $1.1 billion in total wages compared to 2022, as stated in the annual report. The most recent month-over-month unemployment numbers reported by the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services shows the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose statewide s...
“It was sad that it has come down to this, to somebody possibly losing their life over it.” Following an attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump on Saturday, Saratoga mayor Chuck Davis and other local elected officials echoed comments on the national level about the need to “turn the rhetoric down.” Mayor Davis said while he hopes the country can steer away from violent political rhetoric, he’s not sure it’s possible. “There’s so much hatred in the world today, in the United Sta...
CHEYENNE — Defendants in the public records lawsuit led by former lawyers George Powers of Cheyenne and Rodger McDaniel of Laramie have been found to have “knowingly or intentionally” violated the Wyoming Public Records Act. The lawsuit, filed against the Wyoming Department of Education, Communications Director Linda Finnerty and former State Superintendent of Public Instruction Brian Schroeder, was related to records detailing the origin of funds for a press conference titled “Stop the Sexualization of Our Children.” The event, organized...
Wyoming’s top elected officials denounced political violence and offered their prayers following an assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. “President Trump, his family and the families of the victims of today’s shooting are in our prayers,” Gov. Mark Gordon said in a statement. Trump’s campaign said the presumptive GOP nominee was doing “fine” after the shooting, according to the Associated Press, after a bullet pierced the u...
CODY — The Biden administration has recently proposed a new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rule aimed at protecting workers from extreme heat exposure. This regulation, while potentially life-saving, could impose significant costs on employers. The proposed rule, announced on July 2, 2024, requires employers to develop comprehensive heat illness prevention plans. These plans would include measures such as providing water, mandatory rest breaks, and monitoring for heat-related symptoms when temperatures reach certain t...
CASPER—Walking into the Natrona County Townsend Justice Center is a bit daunting. You’re met with security, asked to part with electronic devices and then shepherded through a metal detector. Take a quick right, then left, and just past the elevator you arrive at the Natrona County Court Navigator Pilot Project, which has a name possibly larger than the closet-like space from which it operates. While sparse and windowless, the room and its volunteers represent an effort from the state’s judiciar...
Photo by Joshua Wood Morgan Hillyard, left, had the opportunity of a lifetime as she got to play Lita Ford’s double electric guitar with the help of the Queen of Heavy Metal herself at Saratoga Days on July 6. Lita Ford was the headliner at this year’s free concert, which also featured Southern Fryed and Los Cheesies. See more photos in next week’s Saratoga Sun....
Public notices and lifeguards were discussed at the July 2 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. Joshua Wood, vice president of the Wyoming Press Association (WPA), gave the council a presentation on open meeting laws and the importance of using newspapers for public notices. Wood discussed the Wyoming Association of Municipalities (WAM) Resolution 24-09, regarding legal advertisements. WAM resolutions are not law, but rather suggestions for laws to be enacted by the legislature. The resolution...
Discussion regarding putting the formation of a hospital tax district on the 2024 election ballot took place at the June 18 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC). The proposed district would add taxes in certain areas in Carbon County to go towards the Memorial Hospital of Carbon County (MHCC). MHCC Board of Trustees members Garry Goergen and Jerry Steele presented the plan to the BOCCC. “Our hospital is in dire financial straits quite frankly,” Goergen said. “I think we’re...
On June 24, Bridge Street Bargains made a donation of $20,150.00 to Never Forget Park. This is just the latest in fundraising for the park as it prepares to begin phase one of construction. Never Forget Park began in memory of Army Staff Sergeant Tyler Pickett, who was killed in Iraq’s Kirkuk Province in 2008. It has now been expanded to remember and honor the fallen heroes of the U.S. military, law enforcement, and first responders. Stacy Crimmins, member of the Never Forget Park Committee, s...
For the first time in the 22 year history of the Grand Encampment Cowboy Gathering, slated for July 19, 20 and 21 at Grand View Park in Encampment, the promotional artwork will feature the mountain man. During past years the theme has been cowboy and ranch, with last year an Indian painting. Noted western and wildlife artist R. G. Finney of Riverside has donated his painting “Mountain Vista” to the Grand Encampment Cowboy Gathering Outfit (GECGO) for use in advertising and promotion of the eve...
Sweet Marie’s Mercantile would like to help artistic students build their portfolio by allowing them to paint the Mercantile with cheerful and meaningful artwork. This work will support our local young artists to purchase paint, pay our young artists and be able to involve themselves in changing the facade of one of our prominent buildings in the downtown area of Saratoga. Murals not only spread cheer, but they create a sense of community, beautify community spaces and increase tourism! The mura...
The Snowy Range became the scene of an active investigation over the July 4 holiday, limiting traffic on Wyoming Highway 130 at the Snowy Range Scenic Bypass and closing off the Mirror Lake Day Use area. According to a press release from the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, a report was received at 8 p.m. on July 4 of a body near Mirror Lake which was later confirmed by the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office announced there was no immediate danger to the public and the cause and manner of de...