Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 2098
The county commissioners convened in a special meeting on Tuesday morning to approve a letter of comment on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rock Springs Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (RMP). The document has been controversial across Wyoming and, by approving the letter, the commission joined with the efforts of the Wyoming County Commissioners Association to push back against it. "It is clear that the draft Rock Springs RMP is critical for the economy and...
All eyes are on the question of increasing property taxes – with the 2024 Budget Session coming up, especially those of Wyoming's legislators. The ideas are already flowing, says Senate President Ogden Driskill, who hopes a solution can be found that assists this state's citizens while maintaining the proper function of its governments. Finding that solution will be no simple task. Follow the Money The most obvious hurdle to reforming property tax is simple cause and effect: cutting taxes r...
The answer is still no, the commissioners told two local residents last week. The county will not be adding any more miles of road to the 600 already maintained, they said, because it cannot afford to do so. Scott Pomerenke and Eric Akola approached the commissioners to ask them to reconsider adding a quarter mile of Old Sundance Road in the area where it meets Beaver Creek Road to the route of the county's snowplows. This request was originally made in August, on the basis that snow tends to...
As long as the weather plays nice, Sundance is set to once again welcome ski joring to the downtown area this year. Organizer Tony Barton confirmed last week that plans are underway for the Sundance Winter Festival, which will be hosted on Main Street as usual. At time of speaking, this area had not exactly been blessed with an abundance of the material needed to build the course. With that in mind, Barton said he was looking into the possibility of establishing the county fairgrounds as a...
The corner lot on which higbee's café once sat is soon to become a sales lot for recreational vehicles. The Sundance City Council has granted a one-year variance that will allow the land, which is zoned as downtown business, to be used for this purpose. Owners Darlene and Jason Coder have said they intend to display ATVs, motorcycles and seasonal equipment, promoting the Black Hills as a recreational destination in the process. The next door lot, which was until recently a real estate office,...
A project to bring fiber broadband internet to more than 400 homes in the eastern portion of Crook County is expected to begin imminently. Jesse DuPont of Celerity Networks visited the Crook County Commissioners last week to introduce the project and provide information about the work, which will span the "greater Aladdin and Beulah area", as he termed it, and will be made possible through a federal grant. One of two county projects to successfully bid for the broadband infrastructure funds, it...
The Sundance Volunteer Fire Department has set itself the goal of improving the city's ISO rating this year. With the recent improvements to Sundance's water system, said Fire Chief Gari Gill, it might just be time to hit that achievement. ISO, which stands for Insurance Services Office, is a score assigned to a fire department based on how it matches up to the standards used by the organization to determine property insurance costs. It's scored in four areas, including emergency communication...
While the majority of January's regular meeting was focused on the administration required at the beginning of the year, a few timely issues were brought before the Sundance City Council on Tuesday. This year's deer cull has now come to an end with the expiration of the latest Wyoming Game & Fish permit. The council heard that 22 deer have been taken and the meat is being distributed to residents upon request. However, each of the culled deer is to be tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD) and...
The developer of one of the county's newer large-acre subdivisions has received approval from the county commission for its petition to form an improvement and service district for the 46 parcels contained within. A public hearing took place for the proposed Yellowstone L&R Ranch Improvement and Service District. The developer is Yellowstone L&R Ranch, a South Carolina limited liability company. The purpose of the district is to repair and maintain the roads within the subdivision, though it wil...
The Crook County Commission has passed a resolution that will increase the amount of reimbursement Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) receives for ambulance services, with the intention of ensuring these services remain affordable to keep providing in the future. A public hearing for the resolution was set for January's regular meeting of the county commissioners, after a 45-day notice period is complete. At that hearing, the commission heard that County Attorney Joe Baron had...
The starting point has changed for chilliest run of the year, but Freeze Your Fanny will still be the opportunity for a fun and bracing start to Superbowl Sunday that Sundance has come to expect. Once again, enjoying the four-mile run or walk and tucking in to the hearty breakfast provided will also support the kids of your community. “Our big news this year is that we will be based at the Sundance High School commons instead of at the courthouse basement,” says Ann-Marie Mickle, who co-organizes the event with Jennifer Jungwirth. “The route...
Wyoming State Parks has announced the launch of a new reservation and permit sales system that it says will offer a more streamlined experience for recreationists looking to enjoy the state’s outdoor opportunities. The new website allows you to refine your needs when staying in a state park, from the type of camping or lodging you’d prefer through to the type of camping equipment you will bring. Once you select from the available options, you can view maps detailing exactly where each available site is located and additional information, suc...
January As the annual Wyoming Legislative Session kicked off, Jason Perry was honored during the opening ceremonies for his work as Hulett's ambulance director and his efforts to get all of Hulett's EMTs certified as paramedics. Meanwhile, Ogden Driskill took the oath as President of the Senate and Chip Neiman was selected as House Majority Floor Leader – which, to the best of his knowledge, was a position never before offered to a freshman legislator. Crook County Medical Services District (CCM...
One of the Sixth Judicial District Court’s three judges has been selected as a nominee to fill a vacancy on the Wyoming Supreme Court. The Honorable Stuart S. Healy III is among three names to have been submitted by the Judicial Nominating Commission, along with Robert C. Jarosh and Timothy M. Stubson. The commission considered all applicants who expressed interest in the position of Justice for the Wyoming Supreme Court and, pursuant to the requirements of the Wyoming Constitution, submitted t...
A Pine Haven man has been charged with aggravated assault and bound over to District Court after allegedly pulling a knife on a person who was attempting to make him leave a local bar. On December 8, a Crook County Sheriff’s Office deputy was dispatched to a bar in Pine Haven for a disturbance involving a weapon. The suspect was later identified as Todd Allen Wiseman according to his driver’s license. According to court reports, Wiseman was asked to leave the bar after vomiting on the floor. Upo...
For the last few weeks, the Sundance Economic Development Task Force and the Sundance Chamber of Commerce have been running a promotion to encourage local citizens to "Shop Small". A number of $2 bills were distributed through the community – a rare currency that stands out in a stack of bills. The idea was that shoppers would notice when they were handed a $2 bill and would also notice when and where they spent it. Citizens were encouraged to spend them at local businesses in and around S...
A campaign calling for residential property taxes to be cut by 50% is not just about saving folks money. The most important aim of the ballot initiative is to make sure Wyomingites aren’t priced out of their own homes, say the three people who launched the campaign, but the secondary goal is about freedom. Specifically, BCR Voter Initiatives wants to empower the people to take back control of their government affairs and once again have a say in the future of their state. The campaign has caused controversy, particularly with those r...
As a festive spin on its annual efforts to assist the community with disposing of its unwanted goods, Crook County Natural Resource District (CCNRD) invites you to bring your used and broken Christmas lights to the office to be taken to Rapid City for recycling. “For this event, it is only string lights and extension cords,” says Bridget Helms, Office Manager. “We can’t accept anything else at this time.” The idea came about, says Helms, when CCNRD heard that Rapid City is taking these items for free recycling. “I asked EchoWorks at Western...
Over a thousand homes in Crook County are set to have access to broadband internet for the first time thanks to federal grant awards that aim to make access available across the nation. Two local projects were among 32 applications to be approved for funding, with a total of $70.5 million in federal funds to be spent expanding broadband to more than 11,000 locations across the state that do not currently have access to high-speed internet. “This is the single-largest broadband investment in Wyoming history,” said Governor Mark Gordon in the...
A series of public meetings has been scheduled for January to solicit input on plans to potentially introduce zoning to Crook County. These meetings will form the next step of the county’s exploration of whether zoning would suit this county in the light of the high level of development that has gone on over the last few years, and will aim to gauge exactly where the public stands on the issue. Meetings will take place in all four municipalities throughout January, led by a facilitator, and will focus on options for growth management. A c...
Wyoming Game & Fish announced this week that, despite breaking records for high-risk watercraft inspections this year, the state’s waters appear to still be free from invasive mussels. According to the announcement, the department inspected over 73,000 boats across the state. Personnel decontaminated 1154 watercraft and found mussels on 64 of them, both the highest number since the Aquatic Invasive Species program began in 2010. “This year we saw another increase in high-risk watercraft moving through Wyoming’s check stations,” said Josh Le...
Local veteran Ed Kinsall was honored earlier this month with a Quilt of Valor®, a handmade work of art created to honor his service during the Vietnam War and say, in the words of the foundation, "Thank you for your service, sacrifice and valor in serving our nation." The Quilts of Valor Foundation places its focus on comfort and healing, lovingly creating each civilian award for those veterans who need to know their sacrifice is acknowledged or never heard the words "welcome home". "I'm...
For the first time in a generation, look outside your window as Christmas Day draws to its close and you’ll see a full moon hanging in the sky. It’s a scene immortalized in many a festive tale, most famously “The Night Before Christmas”, in which, “The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow, Gave a luster of midday to objects below”. It also lit the way for everyone’s favorite red-nosed reindeer, and many a Christmas card and decoration has depicted Santa’s sleigh flying in front of a bright, full moon. In reality, the “Cold Moon” can...
Josh Idler has been jailed after being accused of breaking the terms of his bond and violating a protection order, which states that he cannot visit his wife’s place of employment or be within 500 feet of his children. Idler currently faces felony charges of child abuse and aggravated assault and battery, to which he changed his plea to guilty in October. Idler has also admitted to breaking the terms of his probation on a previous case in which he was adjudicated guilty of counts including reckless endangerment, child abuse and domestic a...
The Sundance Volunteer Fire Department is not giving up its hopes to expand and improve the fire hall, despite being unsuccessful in securing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding during the last two go-arounds. Fire Chief Gari Gill said last week that there are several options being pursued. The first is the Assistance to Firefighters Grants program through FEMA, which funds critically needed resources for emergency personnel. New grants will be available at the beginning of next year, he said, and these could be pursued for the fire hall...
