Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884

Articles from the September 10, 2020 edition


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  • Too much, too soon

    Sep 10, 2020

    Trees across the area took the brunt of Monday night’s unseasonable winter storm, which dumped nearly six inches of heavy wet snow overnight around Sundance, breaking the fully leafed branches and entire trees off under the weight. Reports indicated that snowfall of almost a foot deep fell in Lead while most areas within the region received much more minor accumulations....

  • Budget drives look at PD options

    Sarah Pridgeon|Sep 10, 2020

    Wyoming’s finances are an increasing worry, said Mayor Paul Brooks at last week’s council meeting, and this has prompted the City of Sundance to consider its own budgetary future. One cost-saving measure that could have a significant impact would be to replace the police department with contracted service from the Crook County Sheriff’s Office. “This budget crisis is real,” Brooks said as he introduced the idea. “Genuine cuts is probably where we need to be looking.” Brooks explained that, with the retirement of Police Chief Marty Noonan...

  • Old Stoney gets ready to open

    Sarah Pridgeon|Sep 10, 2020

    The state fire marshal has given the nod and Old Stoney is about to become a hive of activity as its new occupants begin the process of moving in. This will mark the final leg of a long – and often arduous – journey to transform an old school into a modern cultural hub. The fire marshal’s inspection was the last hurdle to achieve a certificate of occupancy. The project was dealt another blow a few months ago when the fire suppression system was deemed insufficient, which meant a new water line...

  • Council updated on developing projects

    Sarah Pridgeon|Sep 10, 2020

    At September’s regular meeting, the council heard news of several new and ongoing development projects. The first was an update on the corner lot where the North Pole meat locker once stood, which is currently in the city’s hands. An individual has contacted the council to express interest in buying it and has been provided with an appraisal of the potential cost, said Clerk Treasurer Kathy Lenz. The person’s intent is to build an art gallery, she said, asking if the council wants to pursue selling the lot. “Our intent was never to hold th...

  • James Keith Fowler

    Sep 10, 2020

    James Keith Fowler, 64, of Sundance, Wyoming, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, September 4, 2020. Keith was born April 5, 1956, in Williston, North Dakota. As a child he and his family moved several times before settling in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his mother and older brother. As a young man he moved to Hulett, Wyoming, where he soon met and married his wife, Becky. The two moved to Sundance where they would spend the next 40 years together. Keith and Becky loved to travel.... Full story

  • Tharon J. Peterson

    Sep 10, 2020

    Tharon J. Peterson, age 51 of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, died on Wednesday, September 2, 2020, at his home in Sioux Falls. A Celebration of Life Visitation will be on Thursday, September 10, 2020, at George Boom Funeral Home & On-Site Crematory, from 5-8 p.m. Tharon James Peterson was born on March 24, 1969, to Martin Peterson and Karen Peterson of Sundance, Wyoming. Tharon attended Sundance Schools graduating in 1987. He attended Black Hills State for four years. His field of study was vocal mu... Full story

  • Lars Louis John "Bud" Skaar

    Sep 10, 2020

    Lars Louis John “Bud” Skaar, 80, of Sundance, Wyoming and formerly of Stanley, North Dakota, passed away on Sunday afternoon, August 30, 2020. Bud was born May 16, 1940 in Stanley to Lars and Bertha Skaar. Bud was the sixth of eight children and the only boy of the family. Bud attended country school south of Stanley through fifth grade and his “Ma” was the teacher. After fifth grade, the country school closed so Bud spent the rest of his schooling years in Stanley. He kept busy and could o... Full story

  • Lincoln dinner

    Sep 10, 2020

    The annual Crook County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner was held this past weekend in Moorcroft after being postponed from earlier in the year....

  • Fairgrounds to get RV dump station

    Sarah Pridgeon|Sep 10, 2020

    When WYDOT made the decision to close the rest area in Sundance earlier this year, the consequences for campers and RVs were perhaps unforeseen by most. “We’ve lost the local public dump station,” said Doug Ramsey last week, speaking to the county commissioners on behalf of the Sundance Rod & Gun Club. Whether local or traveling through, RV owners no longer have a place to empty their gray and black water tanks. Not only is this an inconvenience, it’s also a potential health hazard if owners seek alternative sites, such as ponds and creeks....

  • Hunter Education begins soon

    Sep 10, 2020

    A Wyoming Game and Fish Department authorized and approved Hunter Education Class is scheduled in Sundance just in time for prospective new hunters to get certified before fall wild turkey and deer season in the Black Hills. Even if you never hunt, the class provides students of all ages valuable information about firearm and archery safety, wildlife management, habitat conservation, outdoor survival, law and regulations, respect and responsibility to wildlife, property owners and hunting companions and much more. Wyoming law requires...

  • Sundance banishes peddler permits

    Sarah Pridgeon|Sep 10, 2020

    Most of the time, when someone comes to City Hall asking for permission to sell their wares door-to-door, everything turns out fine. That’s not always the case, though, said Clerk-Treasurer Kathy Lenz last week as she asked for the council’s guidance on whether the city peddler permit needs to be revisited. Lenz explained the process that is followed and the potential flaws within it. “When they come in we ask for their ID, we give it to [Police Chief Marty Noonan] and Marty runs background checks,” she said. This, Lenz explained, not only thro...

  • Ambulance money to be divided among towns

    Sarah Pridgeon|Sep 10, 2020

    With the City of Sundance bowing out of the ambulance business, the county commissioners considered on Wednesday what should be done with the $2666.75 that has been given each year as the county’s contribution to running the city’s service. The county allocates the same amount to each of the towns on an annual basis. Moorcroft, Pine Haven and Hulett all maintain volunteer ambulance services and have seen no change to their operations, so there will be no change to the contribution made by the county. Sundance’s ambulance service, however, is no...

  • Parking the Kid

    Sarah Pridgeon|Sep 10, 2020

    Neither the county nor the City of Sundance heard opposition to the plan to relocate the Sundance Kid statue to the new Sundance Square park next to Old Stoney. Both entities held public hearings last week but heard no comments from the public. With this step complete, contractors Ainsworth Benning can begin the process of moving the popular statue. It will sit at the front of the park, visible from Cleveland Street. According to Clerk-Treasurer Kathy Lenz, only the statue and bench can be moved, but the wall behind the Kid will be rebuilt so...

  • Squaring away the details

    Sarah Pridgeon|Sep 10, 2020

    Visually speaking, the block on which Old Stoney sits is changing by the day. The project to create a park on the corner by Cleveland Street is now in full swing, while the opposite end of the street may now also see a little sprucing up. Facilities Director Larry Schommer approached the council last week to explain that his department is looking at redoing the sidewalk outside the library. Things are looking good down there apart from that, he said, as the sidewalk is cracked up and in need of...

  • Home is where the herd is

    Marjorie Haun|Sep 10, 2020

    Goats too often get a bad rap. Sure, goats eat the inedible, escape fortified enclosures to ravage gardens, eerily and randomly collapse with syncope, scale trees and terrorize unsuspecting passersby, and embody the devil himself. But is the humble goat’s pernicious reputation justified? Not if you’re on goatherd-weed-control patrol. Carolina and Greg Noya run a truly epic herd of 800 nanny goats in northeastern Wyoming at the foot of Devils Tower (no association with the goat-headed Prince of...

  • Lady Bulldogs trample Bobcats, split weekend matches

    Rebecca Maupin|Sep 10, 2020

    The Sundance Lady Bulldogs had a busy week on the court this week traveling to Upton for a late night showdown on Tuesday and playing host to the Glenrock Herders and the Douglas Bearcats on Friday. On the road Tuesday, the Lady Bulldogs were up against a friendly foe in the Upton Bobcats. Taking the match to four games, the Bulldogs squeaked out a victory, four games to one. Game one was down to the wire with the Bulldogs walking away with the 25-23 victory. Game two moved a little quicker...

  • Sundance runners have strong showing in Hulett

    Jennifer Jungwirth|Sep 10, 2020

    Two Sundance Bulldog Cross Country runners ran state-qualifying times at the Hulett Invitational Sept. 3, the second competition of the fall 2020 season. Senior Hunter Skeens claimed first place in the boys’ varsity race, finishing in a smoking time of 16:15, shaving off more than two minutes of his previous week’s race time, while freshman Rylie Marchant placed third for high school girls’ in a time of 21:29. Marchant ran the race more than five minutes faster than the Newcastle Invite. Rounding out the Bulldog boys’ competition was sophomore...

  • SHS Golf

    Sep 10, 2020

    Individual Boys: Parker Speidel – 100 (tie 4th) Dawson Flahaven – 100 (7th) Coyle Love – 114 (8th) Payton Ewing – 122 Gavin Robinson – 135 Tony Villegas – 150 Individual Girls: Sheridan Schubarth – 93 (2nd) Allie Crawford – 116 (7th) Ashlynn Fowler – 124 (tie 9th) Irene Finn – 137...

  • FFA officers

    Sep 10, 2020

    The Bearlodge-Sundance FFA held its yearly officer interviews on September 3. Results are: President Echo Miller, Vice President Teagan Marchant, Vice President #2 Peyton Ewing, Treasurer Parker Speidel, Parliamentarian Dawson Flahaven, Secretary Cana McInerney. Sentinel Jameson Fleenor, Reporter Nate Schommer. Judges were: Tyler Lindholm, Jerlyn Marchant, Shane Wolff, and Kim Fundaun. Submitted by Nate Schommer, Bearlodge-Sundance FFA Reporter...

  • Sundance Police

    Sep 10, 2020

    Aug. 25 – House watch and business checks. Three traffic stops. Trespass warning issued. Aug. 26 – House watch and business checks. Seventeen traffic stops. Aug. 27 – House watch and business checks. Four traffic stops. Aug. 28 – House watch and business checks. Five traffic stops. Aug. 29 – House watch and business checks. Twelve traffic stops. Officer assisted with arrival of Life Flight. Officer assisted EMS. Aug. 30 – House watch and business checks. Traffic stop. Aug. 31 – House watch and business checks. Three traffic stops. Sept....

  • Circuit Court

    Sep 10, 2020

    Speeding – Jacob A. Ellefson, WI, 92/70, $165; Claudiu Vidulescu, GA, 88/75, $125; Kelly Norris, NY, 89/75, $130; Joseph Wager, IL, 85/75, $105; Mitchell Phillips, ND, 75/70, $90; Michael Payne, NV, 79/65, $140; Kevin Mejia, NJ, 89/80, $103; Christopher T. Hall, CO, 77/70, $99; Zachary Kellerman, MT, 90/75, $145; Buck S. Kratzer, MT, 82/70, $120; Eric Schipman, Gillette, 84/75, $113; Tina R. Kelly, Gillette, 33/20, $85; Sa Moua, CA, 87/75, $120; Daria Shlenkina, DC, 81/70, $125; Richard Stewart, WA, 89/80, $103; Robert Peterson, MN, 95/75, $...

  • Almost one-fifth of Wyoming still uncounted

    Morgan Hughes, Casper Star-Tribune Via Wyoming News Exchange|Sep 10, 2020

    CASPER — The federal government’s once-a-decade effort to count every person living in the United States is nearly complete. It’s been a tumultuous year; the U.S. Census Bureau launched its first large-scale web campaign, contended with a global pandemic and was told in August it would have one less month to complete its count. Efforts in Wyoming are still far from complete. With less than a month before the deadline, 17% of the state’s households have yet to be counted in the 2020 census. As of Thursday, less than 60% of Wyoming househo...

  • Powder River Basin on pace to produce less than 200 million tons of coal

    Greg Johnson, Gillette News Record Via Wyoming News Exchange|Sep 10, 2020

    GILLETTE — Under the right circumstances, carbon under pressure produces diamonds. But the intense pressure from multiple fronts now squeezing Powder River Basin coal is crushing the industry. Already struggling with weakening demand for U.S. coal, the nation’s largest coal-producing region also has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic with historically bad results. Through the first eight months of 2020, PRB production is nearly 25% below this time last year and hundreds of high-paying jobs have been lost. While the last four months of the...

  • Wyoming News Briefs

    From Wyoming News Exchange Newspapers|Sep 10, 2020

    Hanna residents allowed to return home after fire CASPER (WNE) — Hanna residents were being allowed to return home starting at 1 p.m. Sunday after a wildfire prompted evacuations a day earlier. The Carbon County Office of Emergency Management was working with local authorities to bring back the residents who evacuated, the agency said in a press release. However, residents that return were being asked to shelter in place. The fire has burned roughly 7,500 acres since it ignited Saturday and is 0% contained, according to the Bureau of Land Manag...

  • This Week at Your Library

    Sep 10, 2020

    The library doors are open. We will still be doing curbside delivery if you would prefer not to come into the library. We do ask that you wear a mask to enter the library. If you do not have a mask, one will be provided. Children under 13 MUST be accompanied by an adult. Two computers are available for adults. Teen and Children’s computers are not available. The Friends of the Library group is now accepting book donations for their fall book sale. They do not accept textbooks or encyclopedias, or books that are not in good condition. Library P...

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