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Last week, the Wyoming Legislature marked the halfway point, or “crossover,” of the 67th Budget Session. Both the Senate and House worked late nights to complete final readings of our respective budget bills, which will now head to joint committees for further negotiations. There’s a lot of work to get done, and the hardest is still ahead. Media reported last week that there is a “massive fiscal rift” between the Senate and House budget bills – about a $900 million difference. This owes to a h...
By Senator Ogden Driskill This week I had the privilege of convening the Wyoming Senate for the start of the Budget Session of the 67th Legislature. Budget sessions occur on even-numbered years, and, as the name suggests, the primary purpose is to approve a balanced budget, as required by the Wyoming Constitution. As the President of the Senate, I am committed to passing a responsible and fiscally conservative budget that invests in our state's needs to today and saves for the needs of...
As I write this column, the 67th budget session of the Wyoming Legislature is now underway. We are on day five of Wyoming's budget session, which is a shorter, 20-day yearly legislative session primarily focused on prioritizing the state's budget needs. As in the past, I have gone into this session concentrated on controlling and limiting the growth of government. That means closely examining any and all appropriations coming before the House of Representatives – bearing in mind that every d...
Dear Editor, Congratulations, Sarah, on receiving multiple top awards from the Wyoming Press Association. You are an asset to the Times and the community! I very much enjoy your column and followed with great interest the saga of the intrepid reporter from the Sundance Times and her trusty Adventure Assistant. Jackie Wyatt, Sundance...
Half a century after Robert Redford proved he's a real-life outlaw when he grabbed our name and rode right out of town, the real Sundance has finally been represented at the festival he used it for. A brief recap if you missed my last column: I was accidentally invited to the NFP Inspire Lounge at the Sundance Film Festival – the kind of VIP area that's supposed to be for movie stars, producers and celebrity press. I did my best to explain that I wasn't who they thought I was, but it didn't s...
Dear Editor, The citizens of Crook County have all had a chance to attend the “meetings” on the proposed zoning of the county. If you are not familiar with the Delphi technique that was used at these meetings, please google and study up on it. The Delphi technique used to “facilitate” the meetings was developed by RAND Corp for the U.S. Department of Defense in the 1950s for use as a psychological weapon. But it was soon recognized to be very valuable in manipulating any meeting toward a pre-determined conclusion. The first clue that you are...
A new phenomenon is taking root here in Wyoming, where our rural nature and an independent spirit have long defined our political identity. The unmistakable influence of Washington DC-style political messaging has permeated real and virtual spaces, creating a sense of urgency for Wyoming voters to decipher the truth from the lies and half-truths. Now, more than ever, the most crucial task for voters lies in our ability to discern the truth, a skill that hinges on scrutinizing the source. The grassroots integrity of Wyoming’s politics, once b...
During and shortly after the Pandemic, much of Wyoming saw significant in-migration of people from other states. This movement of people into Wyoming was a result of our scenic beauty, rural nature, freedoms, and a general sense of restlessness in the nation. The influx of people created a hot real estate market and higher home prices, which resulted in higher residential property taxes, as assessed values skyrocketed in select areas. The increases in assessed value and property taxes, however,...
Dear Editor, I just received a letter stating Kenda Huseby NP will be leaving the Crook County Medical Services District clinic in February. Ms. Huseby has given her patients, according to my experience, exceptional care. I am more than disappointed to lose her as my provider. She has always been thorough and made me feel she had a vested interest in my well-being. Others have expressed the same opinion about her to me. Ms. Huseby has strong familial ties to this area and has practiced here for...
Let me tell you about the time I nearly went to the Sundance festival. No, not the winter one that’s coming up in a few weeks. I’m talking about the star-studded movie extravaganza that stole our name. For a little while there, I was on the master guest list alongside some of Hollywood’s finest superstars. You’re probably wondering how that could possibly have happened, so let me assure you that I am still asking myself the same. The insanity began a week ago when a message turned up in my inbox from a PR firm, inviting me to be a VIP guest t...
As the Wyoming Legislature readies for 20 days of discussion and debate ahead of the 2024 Legislative Budget Session, we prepare for this work as servants to the people of our communities. Over the past eight months, legislative committees have held 62 standing committee meetings around the state. At these meetings, committees gathered public input and industry perspectives to draft common sense conservative solutions to the problems we face together. As the presiding officers of our respective...
Dear Editor, Since Ernie Reinhold named me personally in his false narrative of this ballot initiative, allow me to retort. There are three important parts in communication: facts, opinions, and opinions on facts. What is missing from your letter is the facts. First. The United States of America is not a democracy. It is a republic, which by definition is a representative form of government that is ruled according to a charter, or constitution. A democracy is a government that is ruled...
Thirty years after its inception, the Congressional Western Caucus is working harder than ever for rural America. During the past three decades, we have grown from our humble beginnings to a bicameral caucus of more than 100 members of the House and 20 Senators; yet our mission of serving the interests of farmers, ranchers, landowners and rural communities alike to ensure their legislative priorities are heard in our nation’s capital remains unchanged. Unfortunately, the fight to preserve our western ideals has not been easy as this a...
To the editor: As a liberal, tax-and-spend Democrat (yes, even today, there are a few old relics from the distant past), I was surprised on reading The Times, “BCR defends property tax ballot initiative,” that I agree with one of the beliefs attributed to former Republican primary candidate for Governor, Brent Bien. The writer quotes Bien as saying, “It’s [the ballot initiative process] a deliberative process, and it’s intentionally tedious.” Tedious, yes, and thank God so! If the process were not tedious, every ballot would be the size of a s...
Dear Editor, In regard to your front page article, Mr. Hughes needs to be more thorough before making such extreme comments about the property tax petition being circulated. He, according to the paper, alleges that the petition “demands that property taxes be cut by 50%”. That is absolutely untrue. If those quotations are accurate, Mr. Hughes is doing a disservice to the citizens of Sundance. The fact is that the petition clearly states that it would establish “…A homeowners exemption for primary residences….”. It goes on to state very clearl...
Loading an unwilling bull into a trailer can be daunting, even if it is for its own good. Bulls tend to be testy and their size presents a special challenge. My dad’s approach involved roping the bull, dragging it to the trailer, attaching a block and tackle and then – after a good deal of cussing and a lathered-up saddle horse or two – we might wrench it into the trailer. We never hurt a bull, but we had some impromptu rodeos in the process. It didn’t always work, especially if the bull was distracted by somebody’s yappy dog or a party of...
Dear Editor, In response to the letter about Kid Prints, Inc., My child attends Kind Prints in Sundance, Wyoming and we are very happy with the care received there, my child, however, has been deeply saddened by the abrupt end of the field trips to the hospital to play Legos. As a parent, there is no better joy than knowing your child is happy and healthy. On the two days that the field trips took place, my child came home with a happiness I had not seen before. Kid Prints did not notify me as a parent that the field trips would stop, so now I...
Dear Editor, During this time of thanks and giving, I have been reflecting on the blessings of our small community. I wanted to bring to light a beautiful partnership that recent took place here in Sundance. The children from Kid Prints, Inc. went on two walking field trips that brought them to Crook County Medical Services District long term care unit. These experiences resulted in a safe place for the small children to practice their curiosity and brought invaluable, youthful joy to the elderly residents. The first visit was short and sweet....
After all these years, you’d think there were few things left for me to discover about how differently our two nations utilize the same language. Trust me to find something new on Thanksgiving, when everyone was watching. You might have noticed that last week was the big holiday. I know I did – I never pass up an opportunity for company potatoes. In our family, this family gathering has been claimed by my sister-in-law. She is an excellent cook and terrifyingly organized, which means she pre...
Dear Editor: I have been following the septic issue in the paper and I would like to add my two cents. If my interpretation of the current law is correct, a county landowner needs a square block of 160 acres or more to be able to apply effluent on their own property. Anything less will not meet the distance setback from a property line. During my 40 years living in Crook County, both in town and a rural setting, I have noticed most of our county growth has been rural. Owning a piece of the rock was a dream of mine growing up in Cody, but it...
Dear Editor, I am writing this letter in response to the letter to the editor that James Geis wrote in the October 26th edition of the Sundance Times. I guess I am a little confused. The rules from DEQ for land application for septic systems waste were adopted by Crook County in 2018, so for almost six years, how has the waste that has been pumped been disposed of if it was not legally land applied on the landowner’s property, and if it was not hauled to a legal disposal site? If the rules for land application for septic system waste have b...
We don’t need to worry about warm weather any more, so my thoughts have turned to the kind of comforting meal that cheers up a gray day – and what better option than soup? While creams of chicken and tomato, noodle-based soups and the various potato-based delights we all love are shared between our nations, this made me wonder if my homeland has chosen any of our offerings as a national soup, which I could then offer up to you as something new to try. The answer turned out to be “sort of”....
To the Editor: We’re glad to see more Wyoming lawmakers support improving mental healthcare access. This includes one of our own legislators, Senate President Ogden Driskill of Crook County. We know what happens when people can’t access mental health treatment, because of our son’s experience. We want to prevent others from going through our experience. At Gov. Mark Gordon’s mental health summit in Casper, Driskill encouraged residents to “lean on” lawmakers and tell them what changes are needed to solve the mental health crisis. “From the l...
You don’t usually see the mouse in your house, just the mess it leaves behind – which is why I really wasn’t expecting one to run across my kitchen floor and sit in the doorway. We’ve had issues with vermin before, so this wasn’t good news – during the last battle, it took a process of elimination over several months to figure out where the blasted things were coming from. But those mice weren’t this brazen. This mouse was staring at me across the living room. I was so surprised that, “A mouse is looking at me,” was the best I could manage, w...
Dear Editor, The article “Homeowners Speak in Favor of a New Property Tax System” in last week’s Times points out once again how government always wants to spend more of our money. Always. First, the word “stakeholders” is purposefully evasive in the article. Who are stakeholders? Aren’t the homeowners stakeholders in their community? Why not use the word “government” in lieu of “stakeholders” since that’s what is being referred to in this article? I’m sure that all departments of all levels of government, whether it be state, county, city, sc...