Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
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The cause of a fire that claimed a family residence last week is still under investigation. The fire was reported at 4:15 a.m. on Friday morning at a single family dwelling on Beaver Creek Road, southwest of Sundance. The smoke was spotted and called in by neighbors to the north, says Fire Warden Charlie Harrison. According to Harrison, units were dispatched to respond to a structure fire and arrived at the scene to find that the building was fully engulfed and there was already some spread to...
The absentee voting period has opened for the primary elections and the Crook County Clerk’s Office is ready to receive your request. While you can request an absentee ballot at any time during the year of an election, voting via that ballot occurs during a limited window. This window opened on Tuesday and will remain so until August 19, when it must be returned to the office before 7 p.m. Apply for an absentee ballot by calling the office at 283-1323 or emailing [email protected]. Ballots can be mailed to you if you are unable to vis...
Lightning is usually the biggest troublemaker when fire season gets underway, with human mistakes also playing their part. This year, though, an unexpected culprit has made its presence felt in Crook County. Hay swathers have caused five of the most recent fires, including one that was first reported on Saturday afternoon. “They hit rocks and it causes a spark or a bearing goes out and gets hot,” says Fire Warden Charlie Harrison. “The ones we have had this year appear to be caused by the spark from a rock.” Swather fires have so far included t...
If travel to Gillette is on your agenda during the week of the International Pathfinder Camporee, a new website can help you navigate the closures and disruptions that the huge event will cause. The City of Gillette has launched informgillette.com, a site that contains numerous resources for the public to avoid disruption and inconvenience throughout the week. The Camporee itself is a closed event sponsored by the Seventh Day Adventist Church for 60,000 kids from around the world and will take place from August 5 to 10. Most activities will...
With most of the nation now seeing significant wildland fire activity, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) has increased its fire preparedness level to a level five – the highest on the scale. The decision has been made in response to fire activity already occurring, with a high potential for additional large fires to emerge. At level five, all fire-qualified federal employees become available for wildlife response. National resources are heavily committed and additional measures are taken to support individual areas. As of Tuesday, 6...
Air quality alerts issued by the Wyoming Air Quality Division and National Weather Service covered much of Crook County at the beginning of the week, caused by wildfire smoke drifting down from Canada and across from fires burning in the west. The Wyoming Department of Health recommends that, during times of air quality alert, anyone who may be susceptible should avoid excessive physical exertion and minimize outdoor activities. This includes the elderly, young children and people with respiratory problems. Prolonged exposure is also not...
Until very recently, the number of humans affected by the bird flu outlook was extremely low. Now, however, a number of people in Colorado have reported infection from exposure to poultry and dairy cows. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported four human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza, with a fifth case awaiting confirmation. All cases were associated with the depopulation of infected poultry during an outbreak. A CDC team was on the ground in Colorado to support assessment of the outbreak. All infected...
A fire that flared back up several days after it was first reported neared 300 acres in size before it was contained last week. Though structures in the area were threatened, none were ultimately lost. The Ridge Fire was located on Douglas Rd southwest of Sundance and was first reported at 2 p.m. on July 9. It was discovered to be a flare-up from a previous fire on July 6. On day one, according to Fire Warden Charlie Harrison, it displayed extreme fire behavior and the rate of spread was rapid,...
Northeast Wyoming’s residents will be far outnumbered by visitors this August as rallygoers from the east collide with an estimated 60,000 guests at Gillette’s Camplex. Both the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the International Pathfinder Camporee will be taking place during the first week of August and officials are warning that locals will feel an impact. Save yourself some inconvenience, says Crook County Emergency Management Coordinator Ed Robinson, by planning ahead to have everything you need on hand before the influx begins. What’s Camporee...
The choice of where to locate the new Wyoming State Shooting Complex has come down to two options, and the Crook County Commissioners are supporting the more local one. Campbell County has made the shortlist alongside Park County. At a special meeting on Monday, the commission signed a letter of “enthusiastic support” for the multi-million-dollar complex to be built just across the county border. “We believe that locating this facility in Campbell County would provide significant benefits not only to Northeast Wyoming, but also to shoot...
Wyoming’s smaller towns may now have an easier path to obtaining federal grant funding through a new state program that aims to fill the gaps in knowledge and capability. Governor Mark Gordon announced last week that the Wyoming Grant Assistance Program (WYGAP) is now active through the State Budget Department and will be looking to assist local governments, nonprofits and small businesses in finding, pursuing and managing the grants they need. The program acknowledges the hurdles that often f...
It won’t surprise anyone who stuck their nose out of the air conditioning over the last week that the county is heading back into drought conditions. The National Integrated Drought Information System reports that more than a quarter of the county is now in a condition of moderate drought – a 23% increase on the previous week. The drought zones, which account for 27.4% of the county, are located along the northern border and also the southern border and southeast corner. Streamflows on the Belle Fourche River at the South Dakota border are cur...
The Wyoming Judicial Branch is warning citizens that any demand for a cash deposit from someone claiming to be connected with the courts or law enforcement is almost certainly a scam. According to a press release, there is currently a trend of individuals pretending to be associated with the judicial system to con members of the public out of large sums of money. Those who have been contacted by such individuals have been told they have arrest warrants in place for failing to appear for jury duty or similar reasons. The scammers then tell...
A Minnesota woman was killed last week in a motorcycle crash on U.S. Hwy 14. The incident took place near Sundance at milepost 191.4 on July 5 at around 11:15 a.m. The 61-year-old driver, Kelly Pierson, was traveling eastbound. According to the Wyoming Department of Transportation, witnesses said she was traveling well under the speed limit. Pierson had just exited from a curve onto a straight stretch of road. Marks on the roadway indicate that she lost control of the motorcycle, laying it over. Pierson was separated from the motorcycle and...
Crook County's Jeff Garman has been named the 2024 Wyoming Tree Farmer of the year by Wyoming State Forestry. Each year, the award recognizes a family-owned woodland for its outstanding sustainable forest management, honoring individuals who go above and beyond in their commitment to responsible forest management. The Garmans have spent several decades working with professionals from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Wyoming State Forestry on stewardship of their land. The goal of this...
With the help of dozens of community members and emergency personnel, Crook County Sheriff’s Office was able to reunite a young boy with his family last weekend after the child disappeared from his home, leaving only a footprint behind. On July 5, at around 12:47 a.m., the sheriff’s office received a report of a missing child who had gone missing from his home near Hulett. According to sheriff’s office reports, the ten-year-old, who is autistic and nonverbal, had last been seen at 2 p.m. the day before. The caller enlisted between 20 and 30 peo...
A no parking zone is to be enforced on one block of a city street – the Sundance City Council’s response to an issue with a driver who is said to be blocking his neighbor’s drive. Mayor Paul Brooks described the situation as a person who parks on the driving lane on the block of E. Sewell Street behind the high school. The neighbors, he said, are having issues backing out of their driveway due to the presence of this vehicle on a narrow stretch of road. The vehicle’s owner is unwilling to move it elsewhere, said Brooks. He told the council...
It’s hard to play pickleball without a net, but will it be safe from thieves if it’s left up at the court? Sundance’s pickleball club has been keeping the net locked up to protect it, said Clerk-Treasurer Theresa Curren last week, but this has caused a problem because the city has received requests from members of the public who would like to make use of it. Until now, she said, a potential pickleballer has had to contact a member of the club to borrow the net. Curren suggested that a better option would be to have the net at City Hall to loan...
The Sundance City Council has agreed to chip in on a bill of several thousand dollars to fix a backed up sewer line, raising the question of where exactly the city’s responsibility ends when it comes to a utility issue around a property’s connection point. Levi and Sophia Galloway attended last week’s meeting to make a polite request for assistance on a bill of $7533. Sophia explained that, two months ago, the couple began noticing a sewer smell at their home and eventually discovered that the sewer had backed up under the building and had a...
As the final stage of adopting the new hazard mitigation plan for the county, Emergency Management Coordinator Ed Robinson has been presenting it for approval to the governmental bodies it will affect. The Region 1 Hazard Mitigation Plan is, Robinson says, “A plan that is adopted by all of the municipalities and the county every five to seven years.” As the last adoption was in 2018, the time for renewal has arrived. The mitigation plan identifies the demographics and characteristics of the county and the major hazards faced here. These inc...
The state has been working to overhaul and strengthen its behavioral health system since 2021, when the Wyoming State Legislature passed new laws to support the effort. The goal, says the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH), is to focus the state’s resources on the people who need them most: acute psychiatric adults, criminal justice-involved clients, high needs children and families and low income and indigent general access populations. “For many years, our department has paid millions of state dollars to community mental health centers to hel...
A new website has been launched to help ensure that every Wyomingite has the resources they need to vote this year. Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray announced that “Wyoming Votes” is intended to contain all the pertinent information a voter needs to make sure their voice is counted. Available at letsvotewyo.org, the site includes functionality that will help you check where your polling place will be for the coming elections. Typing in your zip code and street address will allow you to check your polling location, precinct number and the...
CORRECTION Last week’s newspaper listed the day of the parade, bicycle rally, color run, livestock sale and Tris Munsick concert incorrectly. Parade day will take place on Saturday, July 27. The youth rodeo is scheduled for July 20, the ranch rodeo for July 23 and the youth rough stock rodeo for July 25. Fair week is coming right up, this year to the theme of "Country Freedom". Promising all the familiar contests and attractions, there will be a few small schedule changes to watch out for t...
Just under 61,000 acres of land have been treated for grasshoppers, bringing an end to this year's insecticide program through the Crook County Weed & Pest District. The district launched the program in response to predictions of a bad grasshopper season this year, planning an overhead spray of Dimilin® to combat the pests. The process began in March with outreach to gauge public interest, after which District Supervisor Alycia Conroy-Davis worked to obtain an emergency insecticide managemen...
A lawsuit has been filed against Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) by the company responsible for the electronic medical records (EMR) system that was recently replaced throughout the district. TruBridge Inc has filed the suit in the Southern District of Alabama, claiming that the district broke its contract and owes the company just under $1 million in damages. According to the complaint, CCMSD entered into an agreement with TrBridge for the use of its EMR system, Evident. The system was to provide full accounts receivable...
