Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
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With summer in Sundance comes the sound of happy kids as they splash into the pool to cool off. This year’s hours are from noon until 5 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, with open lap swim from 5 to 6 p.m. on those days and free swim time on Wednesdays between 6 and 8 p.m....
County firefighters found themselves stretched in several directions over the weekend when lightning strikes caused five individual fires to spark at the same time. Fortunately, only one of the five grew to a significant size: the Seely Fire, located around ten miles northwest of Hulett. “It’s 425 acres and we’ll be several days getting it cleaned up,” said Doug Leis, County Fire Warden, on Monday morning. Of the five fires, this one grew so large due to the terrain, he explains. It did not threaten any structures, aside from an old homeste...
An ordinance making amendments to the city’s zoning specifications was passed on first reading at last week’s meeting of the Sundance City Council. The changes were suggested by the Land Use Planning Committee and will affect three aspects of Sundance’s zoning requirements: fence height, temporary storage buildings and outdoor advertising signs. Temporary storage buildings include such things as shipping containers and portable storage units. According to the changes, they will be prohibited except in the industrial zone. The change will not o...
American Rescue Plan (ARP) distributions will begin arriving in Wyoming soon and the City of Sundance is eager to hear guidance on how it can be spent. On Tuesday, Mayor Paul Brooks shared his hope that some of it can be directed towards city infrastructure. Brooks stated that he would like to hear information from the state sooner rather than later on how this next round of COVID-19 relief funding can be spent. He also has strong opinions on how it should be directed, and does not believe it should be used in the same way as the first round....
The council has confirmed that fireworks will be permitted for the July 4 holiday this year as long as Fire Chief Gari Gill determines that the ground is not too dry for public safety to be threatened. This is similar to the decisions made by the council in the past regarding fireworks, explained Clerk Treasurer Kathy Lenz. With the fire chief’s blessing, fireworks will be allowed between noon and midnight on July 4 itself and until 11 p.m. the next night. This decision was approved by the council at its regular meeting on Tuesday. During his r...
An interim meeting of the Joint Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Committee became the unexpected venue for a discussion of ethics on Monday. Crook County’s two legislators found themselves at loggerheads over a “pledge” that had been sent out by Representative Chip Neiman asking legislators to promise support for bills that would alter how elections take place in Wyoming. While Neiman felt that his actions were part of his overall goal to promote the desires of the people who voted for him, Senator Ogden Driskill and his cohorts...
The current owners of the hundred-year-old railroad leading into Colony is planning to upgrade the line. The county commissioners have offered their support for the project, which is expected to cost around $84 million and will include 80 miles of new rail and upgraded bridge structures. Jerry Vest, Assistant Vice President of Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad, approached the commission last week to explain the project and request a letter of support for the company’s $22 million grant application. The railroad carries three primary c...
Longtime Crook County resident Ruth Evelyn Smith, 83, passed away peacefully on May 31, 2021, at Crook County Memorial Hospital in Sundance, Wyoming. Ruth was born April 12, 1938, to Clarence and Mollie (Mauch) Malliot in Garland, Wyoming. She married Richard “Dick” Smith on December 18, 1954, in Powell, Wyoming. Ruth was preceded in death by her parents, husband and sister, Marjorie Cook. She is survived by two sisters, Lois (Chuck) Siefert, Worland, Wyoming and Eleanor Echols, Denver, Colorado; children, Sheila (Keith) Yount, Moorcroft, Wyo... Full story
June 4, 2021, marked the passing of Sean Tracy Amann in Belle Fourche, South Dakota. An accomplished attorney and father of seven children: Amy Vail, Tabitha Richardson, Madison Amann, Molly Amann, Mason Amann, Megann Amann and Grace Amann. He is also survived by his wife, Camille Mansfield-Amann; granddaughter, Ena Vail; brother, Keith Amann; sister, Samantha Davis; parents, Judy and Bill Davis, Kim and Mary Beth Amann. Sean was looking forward to the birth of his second grandchild when illness cut his life short at the age of 52. A graduate o... Full story
Ruth Marie Gurkowski passed away peacefully in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on December 22, 2020, at the age of 90. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 10, 2021, at Sundance United Methodist Church in Sundance. Online condolences may be written at www.fidler-isburgfuneralchapels.com.... Full story
Kaare Dane Sigvartsen was born in Middletown, New York and raised in Lusk, Wyoming. He attended the University of Wyoming, earning a degree in Bachelor of Arts. Kaare currently works remotely from home and traveling the country for Windsor Mortgage Solutions out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he’s been an AVP Account Executive for little over a year. Karleen Elizabeth Cooper was born and raised in Sundance, Wyoming. She attended the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, earning a B...
The annual Wyoming Shrine Bowl will kick off in Casper on Saturday, giving spectators a look at Wyoming’s top football athletes from around the state. Sundance/Upton standouts Wyatt Gillespie and Brad Kruger will play on the North squad coached by Matt McFadden of Cody. Trent Pikula, Kirk McLaughlin, Larry Yeradi, Zeb Hagen and Jim Talich will all serve on the coaching staff. The 48th annual event gets underway this year with a free pancake breakfast from the Kiwanis club at City Park in front of the Elks Lodge at 8a.m. A parade around City P...
There is a fun activity this Friday night, June 11 for all at the Golf Course. It’s called the Sundance 10-Man Shootout and those who have attended the last three years have loved it. You can place bets, get some food and drink, grab a cart and follow the players around the course until there are only two left on the last hole. The competition gets pretty intense but it’s all fun. The players play for a cash prize and some of those players include, Tyler Watts, Andy Bears (Belle Fourche CC Pro), Dustin Materi, Gabe Dirksen (Boulder Canyon CC...
The Black Hills National Forest announces the Moon Walk interpretive program schedule for the 2021 season. In its 26th year, Forest visitors will explore the importance of caves and karst systems, beavers, learn about the stars in the night sky and nocturnal animal adaptations. The focus this year is to expand visitor awareness beyond the boundaries of the Forest. Speakers include The National Speleological Society, The Nature Conservancy, Black Hills Parks & Forests Association and the Black Hills National Forest. Moon Walks are held on a...
1 Years Ago June 9, 1921 County Clerk Ball received thirteen cans of young trout Thursday from the government hatchery at Story. The youngsters arrived in first class shape and were promptly placed in adjacent streams to the approximate number of 90,000. Another consignment has been applied for and will arrive some time in June. The county clerk issued a license to marry Tuesday to Tom Zimmerschied of Carlile and Miss Helen A. Robinson of Moorcroft. It is understood the wedding took place yesterday at the home of the bride’s parents at M...
Crook is set to be the first county in the state to come out against President Joe Biden’s “30 by 30” land conservation initiative. Though the Wyoming County Commissioners Association (WCCA) is working on a unified resolution for all counties across the state, the county commissioners have opted to continue drafting their own statement in an effort to get the ball rolling. “It’s got to start somewhere,” commented Commissioner Jeanne Whalen, at whose request a resolution opposing the initiative has been drafted. President Biden signed an e...
A 12-person jury has found Bob Coronato not guilty on all counts related to an alleged altercation last summer. Coronato was tried on three charges: strangulation of a household member, aggravated assault and battery (threats to use drawn deadly weapon) and domestic battery. In considering the first count, members of the jury were asked to decide whether Coronato impeded the normal breathing or circulation of blood of the victim, Lisa Williamson. As the jury answered in the negative to both questions, Coronato was found not guilty. Coronato...
May 24 – Paper service. Eight VIN checks. Eight traffic stops. EMS page. Two motorist assists. Traffic complaint. Fingerprints. Animal complaint. Wanted person. Arrest. Assisted Wyoming Highway Patrol. Booked in subject. Business check. May 25 – Paper service. Five VIN checks. Six traffic stops. Assisted Glenrock Police Department. Vehicle crash. Harassment. Property destruction. Two EMS pages. Civil assist. Fingerprints. Theft. Five business checks. Assisted Wyoming Highway Patrol. Animal complaint. Three house watches. Assisted Moorcroft Pol...
After a couple of months gathering feedback from the community about whether Sundance’s recycling program needs to change, Public Works Director Mac Erickson says he’ll be taking on board the clearest indication possible that residents would like it to continue. Since Erickson announced that he would be investigating whether to remove the option for curbside pickups, he says the volume of recycling being collected each week has been growing. According to Erickson, the amount of people who are putting out their recycling has increased over the...
Whether or not the county should seek alternative bids for its propane supply came into question on Wednesday when representatives from Blakeman Propane attended the regular meeting of the commissioners to advocate for “shopping at home.” Tally Hughes, plant manager in Sundance, explained that the question had arisen when she was contacted by a county employee for information about what the county would need to do in order to purchase and own its propane tanks. Phil Schutt, Sales Manager, then addressed the commissioners to say he had hea...
Speeding – Dana Johnson, CO, 94/80, $130; Kaitlin Hinrichs, MN, 91/75, $140; Deming Tang, CO, 88/80, $101; Carlos Alegria Hernandez, SD, 87/75, $120; Michael Waggener, SD, 86/75, $115; (truck) – Juan Flores Martinez, FL, 60/45, $497 No Valid Driver’s License – (minor), MN, $150 Expired Temporary License Permit/Improper Registration – Alton K. Haagensen, Sundance, $150 Drive While License Cancelled, Suspended or Revoked – Matthew N. Duimstra, SD, $200, 30 days jail/27 days suspended, unsupervised probation through Nov. 17, 2021; Alexander J...
We are still doing curbside and delivery if you would prefer not to come inside. The statewide mask mandate has ended, but if you want to wear a mask in the library, we have masks available. Teens and children are encouraged to come in and use the computers and kid’s iPads. The meeting room is open for meetings, parties, etc. Please call the library for more information and availability. If you are a master gardener, will you please contact the library? We would like to have some gardening programs, and need a master gardener to lead them. T...
The Casper Star Tribune published a lovely article last week about a 66-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex called Lee – the only T. rex skeleton found in this state that will be staying in Wyoming for good. In the article, Russell Hawley of the Tate Geological Museum is quoted as saying, “Wyoming has a long history of being a T. rex exporting state. So we’re trying to reverse that trend.” It also mentions that the very first T. rex found in this state is currently residing in London. I did not...
By Victoria Eavis and Morgan Hughes Casper Star-Tribune Via Wyoming News Exchange CASPER — In an unexpected turn, there will not be a special legislative session in mid-July, Gov. Mark Gordon and statehouse leaders announced in a joint statement Friday. Since the end of Wyoming’s formal legislative session in April, it was widely understood that there would be a special session this July, in large part to decide on how to distribute the latest round of federal relief money. “I would’ve told you a week ago that we had to have it, and it was happ...
Final health order expires CASPER (WNE) — As expected, the state of Wyoming entered June without any remaining health orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state health department announced late last month that it was immediately eliminating one of the two health orders that were then in place: a requirement that indoor events of more than 500 people be held at a maximum of 50% of a venue’s capacity and that face masks and social distancing be required at such events. The state said May 21 that it planned to allow the other cor...
