Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Sorted by date Results 376 - 400 of 2318
The city’s annual efforts to cull deer are underway with 22 animals harvested so far. At last week’s regular meeting, the Sundance City Council heard a report from the two individuals who have been contracted to fulfill the permit, Shad Schloredt and Rusty Speidel. A Wyoming Game and Fish permit was approved earlier this year to allow the City of Sundance to cull double the number of deer this year with no restrictions on season timing in response to evidence that chronic wasting disease (CWD) may be more prevalent than previously thought. Mos...
The county commissioners were offended during last week’s hearing by the suggestion that road maintenance decisions have anything to do with racism. Terry McNeil approached the commission to complain about the state of New Haven Rd, which he travels as a driver for the Amish community. He suggested the road is not properly maintained due to a racist attitude towards the Amish, claiming that the Road and Bridge Department is just covering holes with dirt rather than cutting them out and is only grading as far as the Amish property. ...
A newly awarded grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) will 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. Through this project the Sundance Economic Development Committee (SEDC) hopes to encourage more housing development within the city. It was given the blessing of the City of Sundance for the sake of both economic opportunity and additional potential benefits. For example, the project could relieve traffic on Hwy 585...
Neither Crook County nor the City of Sundance was successful in securing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding during the most recent application cycle. The county submitted an application for $2.15 million to fund a Consolidated Emergency Response Facility, while the city requested $648,000 for renovation of the fire hall. The projects were among seven to be rejected as ineligible for the funding. Two of the county’s municipalities did meet with success, however. The Town of Pine Haven was awarded $222,000 for a sewer main project in G...
Imagine finding out that your whole life was a lie. That your parents were never your parents – that your family was not really your family. That you had spent a lifetime somewhere you were never meant to be. This was the truth that Shirley Muñoz Newson of Gillette discovered the day before her 43rd birthday. Two decades later, she chose to write a book about her experience. Newson will be at the Church of Christ at W Hwy 13 in Sundance on November 11 at 10 a.m. to speak about The Little Da...
This year’s Christmas kick-off will wend its twinkling way down Main Street on December 1 to the theme of “Sugar Plums and Magic Memories” and you are invited to join in the fun. Entries are now open for floats in this year’s lighted parade. Floats will gather for line-up at 4:30 p.m. on East Main at 8th Street (east of the hospital) to begin the route through the downtown area at 5:30 p.m. Horses are allowed, but no fireworks are permitted and no Santas, as there will be a single Saint Nick pr...
The Sundance Chamber of Commerce is seeking information from businesses and organizations who are interested in joining in with the Christmas kick-off this year on December 1. The beginning of December brings the annual Festival of Lights to town, which will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Main Street. Crook County Senior Services will be holding a Christmas bazaar on the same day, from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Chamber would like to spread the word of other activities occurring on the same day to help businesses share the news with their customers and...
Josh Idler of Sundance has changed his plea to guilty on two felony counts of child abuse and one of aggravated assault and battery. Idler has also admitted to breaking the terms of his probation on a previous case in which he was adjudicated guilty of counts including reckless endangerment, child abuse and domestic abuse. In a hearing before Judge James Michael Causey on Thursday, Idler agreed to plead guilty to the three felonies and probation violation in exchange for the state dropping the additional five charges against him. Idler...
At precisely 11 a.m. on November 11, the courthouse lawn will reverberate with the sound of rifle volleys and the revered bugle call that signals both “lights out” for a military day and respect and honor for military ceremonies. Members of the public are invited to join American Legion Post 45 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4311 in marking Veterans Day this year with a service at the war memorial in Sundance. This will be followed by a lunch and social time at the Sundance Senior Center. The service will begin at 10:30 a.m. “The three...
Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) continues to pursue the necessary steps to find out if it qualifies for a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) loan that will be used to either build a new hospital or renovate the current one. CEO Micki Lyons reported that a certificate of incumbency was recently sent to the USDA – a document that lists the names of current leadership. The next stage involves additional information from CCMSD, Lyons said. “In order to begin processing the loan, they will need rate and term sheets for three oth...
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”....
A new policy for stand-by service at public events has officially been approved for Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) ambulances. The policy includes a fee to cover the costs of ambulance and also the medical staff, who must be brought in specifically to cover the event. The service will continue to be available on request for all events in the area, with a charge of $150 per hour for an advanced life support ambulance and $100 for a basic life support ambulance, with a two-hour minimum. However, the policy gives discretion to the...
Donald Wilbur of Belle Fourche, South Dakota, was killed in a vehicle accident on October 26 on Highway 585 at milepost 21.7. According to reports from Wyoming Highway Patrol, Wilbur’s pickup was traveling north when he lost control due to the road surface conditions, which are described as ice and frost with sand on the roadway. The weather at the time was snowing, with sleet and freezing rain. Wilbur’s pickup crossed into the southbound lane, at which point he steered it back to the right and it entered into a driver side-leading skid. It...
Ed Svoboda has been sentenced to between four and 14 years of incarceration and a $5000 fine for aggravated vehicular homicide. The charges relate to the death of his wife two years ago. Svoboda pled “no contest” to the charge as part of a plea agreement. Defense attorney Rob Oldham told the court during the sentencing hearing on Thursday that Svoboda chose to enter this plea not because he refuses to take responsibility for what happened to Kathleen, but because, “He really does not recall all of the details of what happened that day.” In Svob...
Crook County School District (CCSD) has updated its policy for evaluating the books that are available in the school libraries. Recognizing the right of the individual parent to request that their child not read a specific book, the policy sets up a system whereby a book can be challenged and removed, but kept at Central Office to be loaned out with parental permission. “Community members and staff are still able to challenge books in much the same manner as previously stated in the policy. Book challenges have become popular in some portions o...
A new class that was introduced to Sundance High School this year has already seen one young lady take the title of being the first student official in Wyoming to put her new skill to use. According to Lisa Dutton, "sports officiating" is both an opportunity for the students and a great help for high school sports in Wyoming. "I had six students sign up, and in the first quarter we covered volleybally officiating. These students had a strong curriculum to use through RefReps," she says....
As you head into the Crook County Library for your regular literary fix, your eye may be caught by a new addition: a bookcase that now stands in the entranceway, filled from end to end with interesting titles. Unlike most of the library's offerings, each of those books is for sale. They represent an expanded version of the annual Friends of the Library book sale, which for a number of years has been one of the group's major fundraising efforts. The bookcase will allow the sale of donated books...
Wyoming Highway Patrol has released information on a rollover accident that took place recently on New Haven Road. The crash claimed the life of 29-year-old Wyoming resident Michael Wood. No town of residence was listed in the report. The accident took place at 8:50 a.m. on September 21 at milepost .25. According to Wyoming Highway Patrol information, Wood was traveling east on New Haven Road when he failed to negotiate a right-hand curve in the roadway. Wood’s pickup drifted into the oncoming traffic lane, where he overcorrected back to the r...
Wyoming Game & Fish (WGF) has released its law enforcement statistics for the year of 2022, showing that both the regions that encapsulate Crook County saw a modest decrease in violations. Sundance forms part of the Casper region, while Moorcroft, Pine Haven and Hulett sit in the Sheridan region. Within the Casper region, WGF has seven district game wardens, one access coordinator, a regional game warden and a regional wildlife supervisor. In 2022, law enforcement documented 522 violations in this region, which was a decrease of 20% from the...
The county commission will be hosting a public hearing on December 5 at 2 p.m. regarding some updates and amendments to its minor subdivision rules and the bylaws that apply to its planning and zoning commission. Should the updates to the subdivision rules be approved, the Crook County Commissioners will now have the authority to approve the covenants drafted for new subdivisions. The minimum size of an allowable lot, tract or parcel has been reduced from five acres to 2.5 acres. The updated rules would increase the size of a cul-de-sac at the...
Top Wyoming officials have called the proposed changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) burdensome and unreasonable in a batch of comment letters sent last week to the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). Governor Mark Gordon stated in his comment letter that any revisions to the NEPA regulations should, “Emphasize the important roles of state, county, city, local agency and rural government expertise as vital, contributing partners.” NEPA is familiar to this community as the process of analyzing the env...
Charles Flint of Sundance has been sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography. The sentence was imposed on October 2 by U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson. Flint pled guilty to the charges in July. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christyne M. Martens. Flint was arrested earlier this year and charged with four felony counts of possession of child porn after the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children received information on Oc...
Starting Monday, Halloween hunters can scour the streets of Sundance for your chance to find a grand prize worth more than $2500. The Great Pumpkin Hunt is hosted by Range and will be held throughout next week. Simply check every nook and cranny within the city for a real pumpkin decorated with Range’s logo and bring it to Range’s office at 313 ½ Main Street to claim the prize. The pumpkin will be on public land or in a public building, but not on a golf course. Clues will be provided once per day to help you narrow down the location. Eith...
A Minnesota man has been charged with possession after both methamphetamine and marijuana were found on his person and in his vehicle during a traffic stop. On October 4, a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper was patrolling U.S. Hwy 212 near milepost 16 when he saw a vehicle traveling east at a high rate of speed. Traffic radar recorded the speed at 85 mph in a 70 mph zone. The trooper reports that he turned his car around and observed the suspect vehicle pull over to the shoulder of the road even before he activated his emergency lights. The...
To kick off the process of developing a possible zoning plan for the county, the commission has invited a community planning and zoning consultant to do the necessary groundwork of figuring out exactly what the county wants and needs. Jayna Watson brought a questionnaire to last week’s meeting that was intended to assess what each commissioner wants from the zoning rules. “The next step will be for me to write a scope of work for a planning consultant, who will be bringing to you a process and project that reflects your desires,” she said....
