Farewell to 2023

January

As the annual Wyoming Legislative Session kicked off, Jason Perry was honored during the opening ceremonies for his work as Hulett's ambulance director and his efforts to get all of Hulett's EMTs certified as paramedics.

Meanwhile, Ogden Driskill took the oath as President of the Senate and Chip Neiman was selected as House Majority Floor Leader – which, to the best of his knowledge, was a position never before offered to a freshman legislator.

Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) began to contemplate finding funding for a new hospital building and decided to look for possible opportunities for grants or loans.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delayed the effective date of its decision to upgrade the northern long-eared bat to "endangered" after receiving a letter from a group of senators, including U.S. Senator Cynthis Lummis, that expressed concern over its impact on ongoing infrastructure projects.

The nationwide bird flu outbreak grew to become the largest on record, with Crook County one of the few counties in Wyoming in which no cases had been detected in wild birds.

A new K-9 unit joined the Crook County Sheriff's Office. "Condor", a year-and-a-half old Belgian Malinois, is a certified narcotics K-9.

February

The Sundance Winter Festival appeared to have attracted its largest crowd yet, with an estimated 3000 attendees celebrating the return of the popular event to Main Street after a couple of years of cancellations caused by a lack of snow and a lack of volunteers.

Sundance decided to implement a year-round deer cull in response to evidence that chronic wasting disease (CWD) may be much more prevalent than previously thought in the vicinity of the city. This was done at the suggestion of Game Warden Nate Holst after seven of the 50 deer culled in 2022 were positive for the fatal disease.

Wyoming Game & Fish (WGF) opened its check stations at Keyhole to protect the waters from zebra mussels, which had been found just 30 miles from the Wyoming border at Pactola Reservoir.

CCMSD announced that the paperwork was complete and it was ready to form its own internal fundraising foundation after disagreements with the Crook County Medical Foundation over the Red Bluffs Clinic in Hulett.

Sundance High School (SHS) athlete Orla Davis hosted a special assembly to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day and introduce boxing to her fellow students. Flautist Branson Bankenbush meanwhile travelled to Iowa to perform with the National Honor Band.

March

The toughest winter in a while impacted Crook County's ranchers. After two months in which the state was under some combination of weather warning for 66.5% of the time, calving season brought extra challenges. The U.S. Department of Agriculture began offering recovery assistance for livestock losses due to the storms and frigid weather of winter.

The City of Sundance was awarded just over $12.3 million to fix a major water leak during the second round of applications for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding designated for local government projects. Unfortunately, due to a hiccup with the fire department's email, the city was not successful in securing finding to refurbish the fire hall.

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) announced that a wildfire prevention program in California would bolster the timber supply in Crook County, with Neiman Sawmills to receive surplus salvage logs from areas with too much wood and no market for it.

After the CCMSD Board of Trustees held an in-depth conversation with a representative from the USDA, funding for a new county hospital was looking more possible than ever. The board agreed to submit a preliminary application to the USDA for a potential loan of $50 million in order to kickstart the USDA's internal process of reviewing the particulars to see what might be possible.

April

The City of Sundance secured funding approval from the State Lands and Investments Board (SLIB) to update the only block on Ryan Street that still has old waterlines and reconnect three existing water service lines, at a cost of $195,157. However, funding of the final phase of the Old Stoney project was removed from SLIB's agenda due to a technical issue.

A hoax caller claimed there was an active shooter inside SHS, prompting a lockdown and a call to action for Crook County Sheriff's Office. However, deputies were already aware it was unlikely to be real after reports of a similar threatening call came in from multiple sheriffs across the state.

Six students from Sundance took part in the International Academic Competitions in Big Horn, with four of them qualifying to go on to the national and international events.

Northern long-eared bats were officially classified as "endangered" in response to the continued spread of white-nose syndrome.

May

SHS hosted what was believed to be the largest active shooter training scenario to ever have been staged in Wyoming while school was actually in session. It was an opportunity for everyone who might be involved in an active shooter incident, from law enforcement to medical personnel, to put into practice what they've learned from recent trainings, including the training offered by the Sheriff's Office on evaluating the circumstances and choosing the best possible reaction.

Strata Energy's Ross Project hosted U.S. Senator John Barrasso and Governor Mark Gordon to speak with representatives of the industry about what can be done to support and encourage uranium production in this state.

Rare Element Resources (RER) announced it was awaiting the "last piece of the puzzle" to construct a demonstration plant in Upton to finish out the testing process on its patented technology: a source material license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Once home to the county museum, the courthouse basement was stripped as the first stage of a major overhaul that will see upgrades to the building's mechanical system and a new layout that will provide more spacious offices and additional storage, as well as an additional – but smaller – community room to provide a more intimate space for gatherings.

The impacts of rapid inflation – and the need to fix a situation in which it actually costs CCMSD money to see patients in the clinics – led the Board of Trustees to consider an increase across the board in its charges.

June

Wyoming Girls State was held at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne and offered three local students the experience of being elected to high office. Girls State is a week-long session all about learning how government works on the city, county and state levels.

Willow Lindholm, Sundance, was elected as Governor. Ahnya Moody and Natalee Harrison, Hulett delegates, were elected as Treasurer and County Commissioner, respectively.

RER announced the completion of a $4.4 million grant from the Wyoming Energy Authority that will be used to assist with the cost of constructing the company's planned demonstration plant in Upton.

Increased vigilance for invasive mussels had already resulted in five thwarted attempts to cross the Wyoming border this summer. Two of the five infested watercraft traveled through the check station in Beulah.

Five kids were announced to be representing Crook County in rodeo this summer, with three of them set to compete during the seven days of the 75th National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) in Gillette. Two meanwhile headed for the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, GA for the week-long National Junior High Finals Rodeo (NJHFR).

July

To the theme of "A Brand of Its Own", the Crook County Fair officially kicked off. Events began with entertainment including the youth and ranch rodeo, the ice cream social and animal shows including horses and 4-H dogs and ended with the grand finale of parade day.

Jeremy Holt of the Economic Development Committee approached the council with news of a potential federal grant that could bring the two ends of 21st Street together, passing under the interstate to create both a road and walkway. The funding would come through the through U.S. Department of Transportation "Safe Streets and Roads for All" program.

The council also decided to take steps to stop people from living in RVs on the driveways of residents or public streets within city limits, something that was believed to be a growing problem partly attributable to the lack of available housing in town.

The Bureau of Land Management opened its public scoping period to inform an environmental impact statement for planned revisions to the resource management plans for the Newcastle Field Office and Nebraska planning area. The proposed revision would replace the existing 23-year-old Newcastle RMP that guides the management of approximately 287,900 acres of public lands and 1.7 million acres of federal mineral estate managed by the BLM in Crook, Weston and Niobrara counties.

During the annual presentation from WYDOT on proposed state transportation improvement projects, District Engineer Scott Taylor told the county commissioners that rising costs have had a serious impact on what the department is able to achieve. The department was forced to delay $70 million's worth of projects in 2023 due to this issue, Taylor said.

August

Sundance's famous historic school celebrated its centenary with a party for the community, complete with birthday cake, live music outside Old Stoney and a silent auction of historic artifacts.

Wyoming Wednesday was slower and colder than usual, though Deluxe Harley Davidson attracted traffic throughout the day and, by the time the scent of rubber filled the air as the annual burnouts began, it was business as usual for the downtown, with bikes lining Main Street all the way down past the courthouse.

The 20th Annual Devils Tower Car Show attracted 127 entrants, the largest turnout yet.

The school year began with Sundance Elementary School (SES) welcoming new principal Robert Wiegel and several new teachers across the campus.

The Crook County Commissioners submitted official comments on the Bureau of Land Management's plans to revise its resource management plan (RMP) for northeast Wyoming. Pointing out that the county needs its natural resources to survive economically, the commission's letter urged the federal agency to be mindful of the priorities laid out in the Crook County Natural Resource Management Plan

Crook County Family Violence and Sexual Assault Services changed its name to reflect an expansion to its service territory. The organization now works under the trade name of Northeast Wyoming Advocacy Resource Center (NEWARC) and covers both Crook and Weston counties.

RER was granted its source materials license from the NRC, a "critical step" in moving ahead with the company's planned demonstration plant in Upton.

The Sheriff's Office introduced its own active shooter training to the community, starting the process to offer Critical Incident Response Training in each of the municipalities.

Game & Fish announced that Crook County would be one of the focus areas for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) testing and on the list of areas from which hunters would be asked to submit samples.

Sundance State Bank announced it had purchased land in Spearfish intended for a future branch expansion.

September

A Sundance native was inducted into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame. Wallace Canfield was nominated by his son, Gary, who said he "was born and died and lived his entire life on the ranch".

A new effort to introduce a solid waste district to cover the whole county was launched following a conversation between Mayor Paul Brooks and Commissioner Fred Devish about the repercussions on the city's transfer station of Crook County no longer having a landfill.

Meanwhile, county residents with septic systems encountered a problem when local service provider Jim Geis discovered he was no longer allowed to land apply domestic sewage and was unable to find a new destination for the waste. Representatives from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) provided advice on how to proceed, but the issue continued to linger as potential avenues were explored and discounted.

The City of Sundance appointed Chris R. Ringer as the new municipal judge, allowing the city to once again enforce ordinances within its limits.

The Honorable John R. Perry, retired District Court judge for the Sixth Judicial District, was the year's recipient of the Larry L. Lehman Award for Judicial Excellence.

October

Throngs of little revelers gathered in the parking lot of Sundance High School on Saturday for an early start to the spooky season. The annual Trunk or Treat event attracted everything from a raccoon in a tree to a banana to fill buckets with candy and enjoy the Halloween carnival.

RER hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its demo plant in Upton. A crowded room of local and state officials and individuals from both Crook and Weston counties filled the community center to listen to remarks from dignitaries including RER's CEO Brent Berg, newly appointed Director Paul Hickey, General Atomics CEO Neal Blue and Senator John Barrasso.

The county commissioners began the process of developing a possible zoning plan for the county and invited a community planning and zoning consultant to do the necessary groundwork of figuring out exactly what the county wants and needs.

A joint powers board formed in 2016 to investigate options for a countywide solid waste district was revived when the county commissioners determined that doing so was the most reasonable next step in answering the lingering question of whether it's worth constructing a landfill for the whole county.

Crook County opted to retire the position of Fair Secretary and instead hire an event coordinator who would take on the task of promoting more use of the fairgrounds.

November

At precisely 11 a.m. on November 11, the courthouse lawn reverberated with the sound of rifle volleys and the revered bugle call "Taps". Members of the public were invited to join American Legion Post 45 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4311 in marking Veterans Day with a service at the war memorial.

The annual Ladies' Night Block Party attracted an estimated 180 shoppers to the downtown area to visit 13 businesses and 31 vendors offering gifts and treats for the season.

Despite creaks and groans and a couple of hair-raising moments, the gazebo was successfully moved across the courthouse lawn on Wednesday to rest in its new home, where it will offer a better view of town for those looking to enjoy an al fresco lunch hour and for visitors to town.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded a grant to the City of Sundance, through the Sundance Economic Development Committee, to launch a study into a potential project that would link the two ends of 21st Street and, in the process, connect the north and south sides of the city.

Neither Crook County nor the City of Sundance was successful in securing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding during for a Consolidated Emergency Response Facility and renovation of the fire hall respectively. However, Pine Haven was awarded $222,000 for a sewer main project in Glenn Vista, while Moorcroft received $800,000 for the second phase of its Powder River Water Main project.

Sundance's annual efforts to cull deer were announced to be underway with 22 animals harvested so far.

The school district announced a partnership with Care Solace to improve mental health care access for students, staff and their families.

December

The annual Lighted Christmas Parade transformed the streets into a winter wonderland, kicking off the festive season with events across town, including a chili feed, wreath contest and candy-making competition.

The assessment phase for the Black Hills National Forest Plan Revision process was announced to be complete and a total of 20 revised, forest-wide resource assessments were released.

The Crook County Commissioners approved updates to the regulations for minor subdivisions and the bylaws of the Land Use Planning Commission following a public hearing.

Over a thousand homes in Crook County are set to have access to broadband internet for the first time thanks to federal grant awards that aim to make access available across the nation. Two local projects were among 32 applications to be approved for funding: one for the Aladdin-Beulah area and another for the Moorcroft and Pine Haven area.

Game & Fish announced that, despite breaking records for high-risk watercraft inspections this year, the state's waters appeared to still be free from invasive mussels.