Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
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Representative Tyler Lindholm and Senator Ogden Driskill were all geared up to fight the good fight on behalf of local restaurant owners on Monday, but soon discovered that the county’s emergency operations center has already set the ball rolling to secure a variance on the new state health orders for all county eateries. Lindholm began his request to the county commissioners by stating that the orders allow for variances and that he has spoken with some restaurant owners about what it would l...
An increase of 24 in the number of Fremont County coronavirus cases indicates that the illness is continuing to spread in the community, county officials said. The Wyoming Department of Health reported Wednesday that the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state grew by 27 to total 479, pushed almost entirely by the increase in Fremont County. Dr. Brian Gee, Fremont County’s health officer, said the increase in cases in the county was the result of “contact tracing,” tracking down people who have been in contact with peopl...
Restaurants and bars across Wyoming continued their gradual reopening on Thursday as Department of Health officials announced the state’s number of confirmed coronavirus cases grew by four. State officials by Thursday had approved requests from 13 counties for exemptions or “variances” to the statewide health orders issued in March that closed restaurants, bars, gyms and businesses that provide personal services to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The state allowed businesses that offer personal services to open May 1. Most of the varia...
Wyoming’s coronavirus case count topped 500 over the weekend as the state Department of Health reported 14 new cases, most of them in Fremont County. At the same time, restaurants and bars in most of Wyoming’s counties were able to begin limited operations as the state approved exemptions from statewide health orders requested by county health officers. As of Monday morning, the state’s confirmed coronavirus case count stood at 504, compared to 490 on Friday. Most of the increase, 12, was seen in Fremont County. As of Sunday afternoon, Fremo...
The high number of coronavirus cases on Fremont County reflects the amount of testing done in the county, according to a health official. Dr. Paul Ebbert, chief medical officer for Wind River Family and Community Health Care, told the Riverton Ranger that more coronavirus testing has been conducted in Fremont County than in any other county in the state. “We’ve done about one-third of the testing in the state and we have about one-third of the (confirmed) cases in the state,” he said. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Fremont Count...
The daily increase in confirmed coronavirus cases in Wyoming on Tuesday was at the lowest level seen since mid-April, according to Department of Health figures. The department, in its daily coronavirus update, said three new cases were detected in two counties on Tuesday, the lowest daily number posted since April 22. As of Tuesday afternoon, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Wyoming stood at 513, with the highest number, 182, found in Fremont County. Laramie County had 111 cases; Teton County had 67 cases; Natrona County had 38;...
One step at a time – that’s how Wyoming will get back to normal, says Governor Mark Gordon, after weeks of self-isolation and restrictions on everyday life. The pandemic is not over, he stressed during a press conference, but efforts will be made to open the state back up as quickly and safely as possible. “All states are looking at ways to do this a little bit differently, some on dates and some on progress. We are focusing on progress,” said the governor. The announcement comes as state health orders that closed certain businesses, institu...
To date, the Gift Card Promo brought to this community by the Sundance Chamber of Commerce has raised over $9300. Actually, says Andy Miller of Sundance State Bank, where the totals are being tallied, you could consider the fundraiser to have been twice as successful as that number implies. Every dollar raised via the promotion is being used to purchase gift cards from local businesses, supporting them at a time when proceeds are much lower than usual. Those gift cards are then being donated, says Miler, “to people on the front lines and t...
The first antibody tests have begun to appear on the market, both to purchase online and through a few providers in this region. But are they worth taking, this early in the game? The answer is no, according to both state health officer Dr. Alexia Harrist and Dr. Heith Waddell of Crook County Medical Services District. At this time, the FDA has not yet approved any antibody test for use. Some are better than others, says Waddell. Some, said Harrist at Governor Mark Gordon’s press conference last week, are “downright fraudulent”. None of those...
State residents will be allowed to camp at state parks beginning in mid-May as part of the gradual reopening of businesses and services closed in March to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Gov. Mark Gordon on Wednesday announced that state park campgrounds will open on May 15, but only for state residents. Gordon noted during his news conference Wednesday that many other states have not opened their state parks, so Wyoming needs to limit the use of its campgrounds to residents to prevent the spread of coronavirus. He noted that in February,...
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Wyoming grew by 11 to total 415 on Thursday as state residents began preparing for the easing of restrictions imposed on some businesses in March to prevent the spread of the illness. New statewide health orders took effect Friday allowing gyms and businesses providing personal services, such as hair salons, tattoo parlors and cosmetologists, to reopen. The state’s ban on gatherings of more than 10 people will remain in place until at least May 15, Gov. Mark Gordon said this week, and no date has b...
Wyoming’s confirmed coronavirus case count increased by 15 over the weekend to total 435 by Monday morning, largely due to increases in Fremont County’s case count. The Wyoming Health Department reported 10 new coronavirus cases in Fremont County on Saturday and Sunday, bringing the county’s total to 122. Fremont County health officials have said that increased testing and contact tracing would lead to a significant increase in the number of cases in the county. As of Monday morning, Fremont County had 122 cases; Laramie County had 101; Teton...
Wyoming began taking steps toward normalcy this week as some counties won permission to reopen restaurants and churches. State officials approved requests from seven counties for county-wide variances from the public health orders that were imposed in mid-March to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Most of the variances issued were for outdoor dining for restaurants and bars, as seen in Natrona, Park and Sheridan counties. However, indoor dining was allowed in Lincoln and Washakie counties. In all cases, the request for variances from county...
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Wyoming has reached 452 with the discovery of new cases in three counties. The Wyoming Department of Health, in its daily coronavirus update, announced Tuesday that eight new cases of COVID-19 were detected in Fremont, Laramie and Lincoln counties. As of Tuesday afternoon, Fremont County had 131 cases; Laramie County had 108; Teton County had 67; Natrona County had 38; Campbell County had 15; Converse County had 14; Sheridan County had 12; Johnson and Sweetwater counties had 11; Albany had eight; Lin...
Editor’s Note: This letter to the editor was received too late for this week’s print edition. However, as it pertains to the ongoing pandemic and contains important information from our sheriff, we have opted to print it here on our website ahead of next week’s issue. Dear Editor, I would like to address some of the questions I have received over the last several days regarding the constitutionality and enforcement of restriction orders. I did address the topic of attending religious services in the Sundance Times April 30, 2020 publi...
School districts across Wyoming are making the decision to leave their buildings closed for the remainder of the school year. The decisions by school officials in communities including Pine Bluffs, Casper and Powell come as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Wyoming increased by 19 on Monday, led by the growth of 15 cases in Fremont County. Although some districts have not yet decided whether classes will resume before the summer break, others are citing continued requirements for social distancing as making regular education...
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Wyoming increased by 21 over the weekend, with 17 of the new cases coming from Fremont County. The Wyoming Department of Health, in its daily coronavirus update, reported the state had 370 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Sunday. The count stood at 349 on Friday. Fremont County officials had announced last week that an increase in testing and “contact tracing,” a process by which health officials determine who may have come in contact with an infected individual, the county’s confirmed case...
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon has unveiled a plan to transition Wyoming to a new phase of COVID-19 response. The plan creates a pathway to ease restrictions, recover businesses and resume some activities. The phased approach will be driven by health-related data and provides counties flexibility to seek variances based on local conditions. “This will be a balanced approach that will be driven by two guiding principles – public safety and helping more people get back to work,” Governor Gordon said. “We are going to relax some of the re...
An older Teton County man has died as a result of the coronavirus, bringing to seven the number of Wyoming residents whose deaths have been linked to the illness. The Wyoming Department of Health announced the death Wednesday night, a few hours after announcing the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state had grown to 326. The department said the Teton County man had been hospitalized in another state after being diagnosed with coronavirus. It added he suffered from existing health conditions that put him at a higher risk for...
With the peak of the pandemic expected to arrive in early May, Governor Mark Gordon has reminded the public that it’s vital to stay the course. Wyoming is lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of its COVID-19 timeline, he said last week. “I want to remind everyone that Wyoming saw COVID-19 arrive late,” said the governor, explaining that Wyoming is not in sync with its surrounding states regarding the expected peak of infection numbers. “Ours comes in a couple of weeks and South Dakota’s comes in June.” This means that Wyoming’s r...
Government was not designed to operate at speed. When the federal government announced the CARES Act, and the new and unprecedented programs that would need to be introduced, it ultimately fell to local banks to place that relief in the hands of people who needed it. Like many others, Sundance State Bank found itself scrambling to figure out the rules so it could connect as many local businesses as possible with the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) before the money ran out. By the time the...
After taking a few days to think about it, the Board of Trustees has decided to offer support to the efforts of Senator Ogden Driskill and Representative Tyler Lindholm to secure a new hospital for Crook County Medical Services District. The proposal, if successful, would see the two legislators request around $50 million of the $1.2 billion heading Wyoming’s way through the federal CARES Act. This would be used to fully fund a new hospital building, which would need to be completed on an expedited schedule. Not quite as expedited as had p...
DOUGLAS — In a movement expanding all across the nation, photographers are picking up their cameras and families are stepping outside to pose for photos to document this time in history during the novel coronavirus pandemic in an endeavor known as the #frontporchproject. Moms and dads, brothers and sisters and even the family pets are congregating in their front yards and on their front porches to capture memories in a positive, upbeat way. Families in Douglas and Glenrock – along with a han...
CHEYENNE - Even before the coronavirus pandemic swept the planet, killing tens of thousands and causing a global economic shutdown, Wyoming lawmakers had plenty to do in the coming months. With the Wyoming Legislature preparing for what will likely be its first special session since 2004, lawmakers’ primary immediate objective will be to address the widespread effects of COVID-19 through one or a few pieces of legislation. Yet lawmakers hope to not lose sight of the long list of issues that were already facing the state prior to the p...
State officials will begin moving next week to ease the restrictions on businesses and gatherings that were put into place in March, Gov. Mark Gordon has announced. Gordon, in a news release and during a news conference Thursday, said the state will take a phased approach to removing the state public health orders that were put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus. “This will be a balanced approach that will be driven by two guiding principles: public safety and helping more people get back to work,” he said. “We are going to relax...
