Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 34
Claiming that there is no longer rapport between Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) and Health Management Services (HMS), the Board of Trustees announced last week that it will sever the relationship with its management company. At a special meeting last week, the board retired into executive session to discuss the situation. “The current contract is expiring at the end of September,” said board chairman Mark Erickson. “With that, and since we’ve now received notice of [CEO Nathan Hough’s] departure, the board is going to retire in...
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...
When the Sundance community emerges from self-isolation, something may look different downtown. City Hall will have taken on a new look as contractors Rosencranz Construction (representatives pictured above with Public Works Director Mac Erickson, second from right) get to work on a makeover that will replace the building’s facade....
JW Services works on a water leak near Park Street on Tuesday morning. The old line has been problematic for some time, says Public Works Director Mac Erickson, but the hope was to complete the project and turn the water back on to the few homes that were out by the end of the day....
Nancy Jane Reinecke Julian passed away on April 16, 2020. Her illness was brief, and she passed in peace. Nancy was an avid explorer, artist, SCUBA diver, philanthropist, chef and family woman who fostered strong values and cultivated the passions of her children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. She was born December 17, 1936 in Belle Fourche, South Dakota and spent her early years at her family ranch in Wyoming. She attended a one-room schoolhouse and traveled there each day on a...
Nadine Lena Miller Fidler, 90, of Spearfish, South Dakota, passed away peacefully on April 11, 2020, at Monument Health Spearfish Hospital after a battle with cancer. Born August 17, 1929, in McCook, Nebraska, to Charles Jr. and Francis (Shook) Miller. She attended school in McCook, graduating in 1946, where she was a cheerleader. In 1948, Nadine earned her associate’s in Arts from McCook Junior College. As a teenager she worked in the store of the family dairy, Cloverleaf Dairy. She married R...
Ross John Garman, 58, of Sundance, Wyoming passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 12, 2020, 20:20 at Crook County Memorial Hospital in Sundance with his four daughters and wife gathered around him when Jesus unexpectedly called him home. Ross was born July 23, 1961, to Mary S. Garman and Neal A. Garman of Sundance, Wyoming. He attended school and graduated from Sundance High School in 1979. He went to work for Elbert and Neda Zimmerschied on their ranch near Carlile, Wyoming. He then worked for Dave Reynolds on his ranch near Oshoto, Wyoming...
The Board of Trustees have been concerned about cashflow within Crook County Medical Services District; with many patient visits postponed, the hospital and clinic has seen much reduced traffic over the last few weeks. But though the board did decide to take protective measures regarding its finances last week, Karl Rude of management company Health Management Services assured trustees that things are not as bad as they might seem. “You stated there would be an impending financial crisis; however, we currently sit at cash position of $...
Dear Editor, According to the Sundance Times, Senator Driskill and Representative Lindholm presented an idea to Crook County Medical Services District Board, (CCMSDB), to secure $45 million dollars for a new hospital building from the CARES Act. According to Representative Lindholm those funds are only to be used for coronavirus-related expenses. “This is a once in a generation opportunity,” Representative Lindholm states. Further in the article, Senator Driskill is quoted as saying, “This is the one time you are going to get someone else to wr...
Week 354 of self-isolation and, I don’t know about you, but the tales of love and support between neighbors across the globe are still doing a sterling job of keeping me grounded. But there’s one story in particular that has warmed the deepest crevices of my heart. Over in Bedfordshire, in the east of England, lives a man by the name of Tom who will be celebrating his 100th birthday at the end of the month. He is also a decorated veteran of World War II, so you can be sure he knows to keep the...
Crook County’s choice of Joe Biden as its Democratic nomination for president was largely in line with the overall result from the Wyoming 2020 Presidential Preference Primary on Saturday. Held entirely by write-in vote due to the current pandemic, this was also the first time the Wyoming Democratic Party had introduced ranked choice voting. All Democrats registered to vote by March 20 were mailed a ballot in three waves. The results saw 80.7% of votes in Crook County cast for Biden compared to a state total of 72.2%. The runner-up candidate i...
The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) recently completed the installation of a new bridge over Arch Creek on County Road 179 in Crook County. This structure, in addition to the Belle Fourche Bridge near Hulett, is being funded by the Federal Highway Administration’s BROS program. BROS, the Bridge Replacement Off-System program, is a federally funded bridge replacement program intended to reduce the number of deficient off-system bridges within the state. This program applies to b...
In mid-March, Jackson-based Y2 Consultants put out a call on behalf of the Crook County Commissioners for volunteers to serve on a steering committee that will assist in creating a natural resource management plan for the county. The commissioners have now appointed six people to serve on that committee. The committee will consist of Wanda Burget, Spencer Cherry, Andrew Litzel, Jeffery Smith II, Ronald Vore and Skip Waters. The decision to appoint these names was unanimous. The steering committee will assist as representatives from the...
With branding season set to begin soon across the region, questions over how to safely accomplish the annual chore while adhering to state directives on social distance have begun to crop up. In an effort to provide guidance, the Wyoming Stock Growers Association has provided a list of recommendations for area ranchers to make use of during brandings: Where possible, do not exceed ten people. Where possible, plan to accomplish this work using only family members and employees who are already on...
Apr. 11 – House watch and business checks. Officers responded to silent alarm; building found to be secure. Four traffic stops. Apr. 12 – House watch and business checks. Traffic stop. Apr. 13 – House watch and business checks. Officer discovered open door at business; owner notified. Traffic stop. Apr. 14 – House watch and business checks. Traffic stop. Apr. 15 – House watch and business checks. VIN inspection. Six traffic stops. Apr. 16 – House watch and business checks. Three traffic stops. Apr. 17 – House watch and business checks. Three...
Apr. 13 – Two VIN checks. Coroner call. Apr. 14 – Animal carcass removal. Two motorist assists. Suspicious circumstances. Welfare check. Search and rescue. Fire department page. EMS page. Prisoner transport. Apr. 15 – Traffic complaint. Paper service. Two VIN checks. Search and rescue. Apr. 16 – VIN check. Two fire department pages. Three EMS pages. Trespassing call. Assisted Wyoming Highway Patrol. Suspicious circumstances. House watch. Assisted Sundance Police Department. Motorist assist. Apr. 17 – Four traffic stops. Four VIN checks. S...
Speeding – Anthony J. Palmeri, TX, 90/70, $145; Orlando Oliverez, NV, 89/75, $115; Keenan James Oby, Upton, 91/80, $100; Richard N. Walsh, CT, 86/75, $100; Sarah E. Crawford, Sundance, 97/75, $155; Tamir Nemekhbayar, CO, 85/70, $120 Fail to Drive Vehicle within Single Lane – Dale P. Murphy, Mills, $75 Drive While License Cancelled, Suspended or Revoked – Joshua M. Wormuth, CO, $365, 30 days jail/26 days suspended, unsupervised probation through Oct. 10, 2020; Jerry Nye, Beulah, $435, 30 days jail suspended, unsupervised probation through Oct....
CHEYENNE - Nationwide, there’s been a decrease in the number of people seeking timely treatment for heart attacks and strokes, and the trend is being seen locally at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center. There’s about a 40% reduction in stroke and heart attack patients coming to hospitals nationwide, according to a Medscape article. Dr. Jessica Hughes, CRMC Emergency Department medical director, said the ER has seen about a 50% decrease in patients overall, including a 40% reduction in stroke and heart attack patients. The ER is used to seeing abo...
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...
