Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
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Crook County Weed and Pest is reaching out for input on the potential listing of cheatgrass as a noxious weed. Because this could have significant financial impacts and might affect the district’s ability to assist in treating other weeds and pests, says District Supervisor Alycia Davis, the board wants to hear from the public before casting its vote. A Call for Action The weed and pest districts for ten Wyoming counties have called for cheatgrass to be added to the State Designated Noxious Weed List, throwing their support behind prevention a...
Wyoming Game & Fish has confirmed that live zebra mussels have been intercepted at the border for the first time this year. The watercraft was intercepted at the Beulah check station on September 22 when the owner stopped for an inspection. Inspectors immediately decontaminated the watercraft and removed zebra mussels in multiple water intakes, along the pontoon and in other areas of the boat. According to Game & Fish, the watercraft had been moored for several months at Pactola Reservoir in South Dakota, where mussels were discovered in 2022....
Students gathered in the auditorium of Sundance High School last week for a morning spent learning how to protect themselves in an active shooter situation. Led by Deputies Jory Tadlock and Cody Lenz, Critical Incident Response Training (C.I.R.T.) is intended to offer a life skill that will help kids protect themselves both at school and out in the world. C.I.R.T was introduced to the community last year as an adapted and locally tailored version of ALICE training. This previous curriculum is... Full story
Colonel Terry Wilkerson of Sundance served in the Wyoming National Guard for 26 years. When he retired in 1990, nobody is quite sure why he was not presented with the flags of his state and nation, but it was an oversight that Adjutant General Greg Porter was keen to remedy. Porter visited Sundance last week with the United States and Wyoming flags in hand, to perform a brief but heartfelt ceremony for the man he sees as a mentor. "Serving in the Guard is twofold: we serve our state and we...
Staff members from Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) were honored with two awards during the Wyoming Nurses Association's (WNA) annual convention at the end of September. An individual member of staff was presented with the Nursing Excellence in the Workplace Award, while the overall team received the Collaborative Practice Award. Katie Wolf, RN was the recipient of the Nursing Excellence in the Workplace Award, which is conferred upon "a registered nurse who has developed an...
Prepare your treasure hunting gear, because the Great Pumpkin Hunt is coming back for a second year with a veritable trove of prizes for the lucky winner. Hosted by Range, the contest will begin on October 21 this year. A single, real pumpkin with the Range logo will be waiting somewhere in Sundance, with daily clues to guide you towards it. Those clues will be announced on KZZI’s Eagle Country Wake Up Show and on @RangeConnected on Facebook. The pumpkin will be on public land or a public building. It will not be on a golf course or any p...
With the return of Kenda Huseby DNP-C to Sundance Clinic, the Board of Trustees is no longer seeking a new solution that will allow Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) to continue providing mental health support to its patients. There was concern from members of the community earlier this year, when Huseby made the decision to leave the district. Huseby was recognized during the public comment period for her ability to offer mental as well as physical health support, and her patients asked what would happen in her absence. Hearing th...
Alongside a long list of counties in 41 states and 20 other counties in Wyoming, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is offering relief to farmers and ranchers in Crook County who have recently been impacted by drought. Producers will be given an extended amount of time to replace livestock and defer tax on any gains from forced sales or exchanges. This extension is offered when a region is listed as under exceptional, extreme or severe drought conditions at any point between September 1, 2023 and the end of August this year, as determined by...
Are you a friendly skeleton or a fun-loving ghost? Your help is needed to help the little ones celebrate Halloween at the annual Trunk or Treat. This year’s candy extravaganza is scheduled for October 26 and will take place, as usual, in the Sundance High School parking lot. The trunk-or-treating will begin at 4:30 p.m. and last for an hour, to be followed by the Halloween Carnival for little revelers inside the school. If you would like to take part in the candy-giving, contact Sundance High School at 283-1007....
Eighteen months ago, Sundance did not have an American Legion post. At the beginning of the effort to revive Post #45, a small group of veterans dedicated themselves to the task of filling leadership roles and hosting meetings, with the goal of once again becoming a mainstay of the Sundance community. It was slow going at times, the group admits. At some meetings, there were too few members to form a quorum. Undeterred, those original members continued to put out the call. Today, membership has flourished, monthly meetings are well attended...
Lightning caused a fire east of Aladdin last week that had reached 50 acres by the time Crook County Fire Department arrived on scene and was already spreading rapidly to the east. The fire began on Wednesday, was located off Brakes Rd and is believed to have been caused by lightning, according to Fire Warden Charlie Harrison. At that time, the wind was blowing steadily at 10 mph with 25 mph gusts. A sizeable response was mustered, including units from Aladdin, Beulah, Sundance, Zone 19, Hulett...
The Black Hills Dairy Goat Association (BHDGA) show welcomed almost 250 goats to its annual show on Saturday at the county fairgrounds. Now in its seventh year, the show has become a bustling destination for dairy animals and their owners. This year, 29 youth participated in the showmanship classes, says co-organizer Tanja Miller, and ten in the costume class. Meanwhile, 35 dairy exhibitors attended from six states. "We had more local families, too, which is great. We're happy to have anybody, b...
A rock climber is reported to have died after falling from Devils Tower on Sunday. According to Devils Tower National Monument, 21-year-old Stewart Phillip Porter of Eau Claire, WI, sustained major injuries after falling from the second pitch of El Cracko Diablo. Devils Tower Law Enforcement was informed of the accident around 8 p.m. and found Porter approximately 40 minutes later. A Hulett EMS paramedic pronounced him dead at the scene. Crook County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the incident. Porter’s partner was stranded on the Tow...
Work up an appetite for all the Halloween candy at the inaugural Monster March, hosted by Crook County Medical Services District. Run or walk the 5k course on October 12 – and don’t forget to plan a spooky costume. Prizes are on offer for the most creative, scariest and best group costumes. The course is accessible for wheelchairs, strollers and participants of any fitness level. Even your furry friends can join in the fun. A special costume contest for pets will be taking place and pet bandanas will be available for sale. The race begins at...
Amber Nehmer has had her sentence reimposed on a 2019 case in which she was given a suspended sentence for charges related to an incident in which law enforcement was informed she was using and selling drugs while children were present in her home. Nehmer pled guilty at that time to one felony charge of delivery of a controlled substance and one of child endangerment. An order revoking her probation came before Judge Michael J. McGrady on August 12. Nehmer was accused of violating a condition of her probation order that states, “violate no stat...
A toxin advisory has been issued for Keyhole Reservoir due to harmful levels of cyanotoxins present in the water. A harmful cyanobacterial bloom (HCB) is described by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as an abundance of a substance that is always present in surface waters at low levels and play an important role in the aquatic ecosystem, but can bloom into a harmful overabundance. Cyanobacteria is able to produce toxins and other irritants that can have harmful health effects to people and animals, including pets and...
Sundance State Bank is reminding business owners of new federal requirements to report the names of the people who own or control your company. Failing to do so could result in civil or criminal penalties, including imprisonment. The new Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) regulations require that most companies report the names of all beneficial owners. This must be done before January 1, 2025 if your company was created before the beginning of this year. If you have established the company since January, you have 90 days to complete the...
The Black Hills National Forest is proposing changes to recreation fees at picnic sites, day-use areas and campgrounds during the “shoulder season”. These times generally include the months of March to April and September to November, during which the Forest Service says usage has increased significantly over the past few years. This, according to a press release, creates the need for “additional supplies, facility cleaning, toilet pumping and staff attention”. The proposal would increase fees from $0 to $5 at some picnic sites and day-use...
An executive order from Governor Mark Gordon aims to prevent noncitizen voting by reinforcing rules that are already in place. Individuals who are not citizens of the United States are not permitted to vote, which Gordon recognizes in his order and asks county clerks to continue enforcing. However, his order directs that, in addition, no state agencies will provide voter registration materials to noncitizens. It also requires that state agencies report any suspected instances of noncitizen voting they encounter. Vote Protection When someone reg...
The National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed that the storm which temporarily shut down Devils Tower in August contained a tornado. On Friday, NWS released information that the August 19 thunderstorm included a "rain-wrapped tornado" that developed about halfway between Hulett and Warren Peak in the Bear Lodge Mountains as the supercell thunderstorm tracked east. The path of the tornado is estimated to have been around 2.5 miles. Along its route, NWS says numerous pine trees were uprooted or...
Learning by doing is a time-honored method, and what better concept to teach in a hands-on environment than kindness? The schools of Crook County try to start each year with a showcase event aimed at fostering kindness, says Sundance High School Principal Jim O'Connor. This year, a Nebraska-based organization called Team Concepts spent the morning posing practical puzzles for the whole student body. Team Concepts describes itself as a company that provides team building, leadership training,...
The Wyoming Business Council (WBC) has approved a grant of just under $3 million that will be used to finish the top floor of Old Stoney and restore its original purpose as an auditorium. According to Mayor Paul Brooks, a team of four attended the most recent WBC meeting to ensure that every member was on board. That team included the mayor, Senator Ogden Driskill and two members of the Crook County Museum Board, Andrea Wood and Amy Goodson. “Driskill wanted the business council to give unanimous consent. he was concerned that, if it w...
The candidate roster for state and national seats is now official and will begin with three options for United States President. Donald J. Trump and JD Vance on the Republican ticket will face Kamala D. Harris and Tim Walz, Democratic, and Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat, Libertarian. Though three independent candidates petitioned to appear on the general election ballot, none will do so. While Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was successful, he has since withdrawn, and neither Jill Stein nor Demetra Wysinger filed the required number of signatures by Augu...
The hunt area on the western border of Crook County is among this year’s focus points for chronic wasting disease (CWD) monitoring. Wyoming Game & Fish has been working to understand the distribution and prevalence of the always-fatal disease since 1997, using focused sampling due to the limited testing capacity of the Game & Fish Wildlife Health Laboratory. Submitting a sample of a deer harvested in hunt area 18 will not be mandatory this year. However, as a focus area, Game & Fish is requesting that hunters assist through a voluntary s...
A portion of Crook County has descended into extreme drought for the first time in more than two years. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the southwest corner of the county is part of a patch of extreme drought that covers half of Campbell and the majority of Weston counties. Just under 10% of Crook County is now listed as in extreme drought, with 61% in severe drought and just under 30%, to the southeast, in moderate drought. Through August, Crook County had received 1.74 fewer inches of precipitation than an average year. Streamflows...
