Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884

Articles from the December 12, 2024 edition


Sorted by date  Results 1 - 25 of 28

  • Longest-running commissioner bids a fond farewell

    Sarah Pridgeon|Dec 12, 2024

    As his final meeting came to an end, Commissioner Kelly Dennis was honored for his years of service to Crook County. Dennis served as commissioner for four terms, spanning a total of 16 years, before which he was a member of the Crook County Land Use Planning & Zoning Commission for several years and served on the Crook County School District Board of Trustees from 1981 to 1984. He is officially the longest serving commissioner in the county's history. "I appreciate having the opportunity to...

  • Burn permits may be on chopping block

    Sarah Pridgeon|Dec 12, 2024

    The county is considering a change to its fire restrictions, removing the option for individuals to request permits to burn during a ban period. The provision is causing more issues than it’s solving, the county commissioners believe. Fire Warden Charlie Harrison brought up the issue last week when he mentioned that county residents will often request permits during a fire ban period. No matter the person’s history, level of experience or circumstances, he said, he cannot grant one when conditions are dangerous. Commissioner Fred Devish com...

  • Deck the halls

    Dec 12, 2024

    Creativity abounds in the Crook County Courthouse, where the individual offices have spruced up their doors for Christmas in a bid to win the second annual decorating contest. Though the judges had a tough time making up their minds, this year's winner was the Crook County Treasurer's Office with its gingerbread house theme....

  • Up in lights

    Dec 12, 2024

    Of the 24 entries in this year's Parade of Lights, the winner was Grossenburg Implements (pictured). In second and third place were FFA and the FFA flagbearers. The winner of this year's Shop Small raffle was also announced to be Terri Jones, who won $250 in Sundance Bucks. The Sundance Chamber of Commerce announced that it tracked $16,000 spent during Shop Small Saturday and Ladies' Night....

  • Governments feel loss of SPOT tax

    Sarah Pridgeon|Dec 12, 2024

    Crook County and the City of Sundance are already feeling the effects of the loss of the Specific Purpose Options Tax. Known as SPOT, it has been used to raise extra revenue for counties and towns since it was authorized by the legislature in 1984 and, according to Mayor Brooks, is one of the very few available sources for some infrastructure projects, such as roads. In Crook County, it is an additional penny on top of the obligatory four percent state sales tax and the one percent general purpose tax. Unlike other taxes, SPOT is approved by...

  • City-county scuffle resolved with promises of decorum

    Sarah Pridgeon|Dec 12, 2024

    Issues between city and county employees were resolved last week with promises on both sides to observe proper levels of decorum. Though the background that led to these problems were not discussed in detail, both sides agreed that observing the appropriate rules will help solve what Mayor Paul Brooks described as, “A conflict of your staff and our staff.” The conversation took place at last week’s meeting of the county commission, to which Mayor Brooks had been invited to discuss an issue with snow removal brought up at November’s council...

  • Winter Fest set to return

    Sarah Pridgeon|Dec 12, 2024

    The Sundance Winter Festival will be coming back next year – assuming there’s enough snow to build the ski joring course. Organizer Tony Barton was given the blessing of both the Sundance City Council and Crook County Commissioners last week as he began the formal planning process. “We do have to have a little bit more snow for it to happen,” he said, referring to last year, when the mild winter rendered it impossible for the festival to go forward because there wasn’t enough building material for the course. The plan, Barton said, is for th...

  • Mary Ann Jundt

    Dec 12, 2024

    Services for Mary Ann Jundt will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 14, at the CCSD1 Central Office. Fellowship and lunch to follow. A complete obituary will be printed next week....

  • Larry Floyd Crawford

    Dec 12, 2024

    Larry Floyd Crawford, age 85 of Sundance, Wyoming, formerly of Newell, South Dakota, passed away peacefully Wednesday, December 4, 2024 at the Crook County Long Term Care Facility with his family by his bedside. Larry was born July 23, 1939, at Redbird, Nebraska, to Lawrence Clayton Crawford and Hazel Lydia Hartland Crawford. They moved to Brainerd, Minnesota and then on to various places in South Dakota. He attended country schools until boarding in Winner, South Dakota, where he attended high...

  • William "Greg" Gorman

    Dec 12, 2024

    Funeral services for William "Greg" Gorman, 92-year-old Buffalo, Wyoming resident, who passed away at his home, will be held Saturday, December 14 at 11:30 a.m. at the Harness Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Tom Ostlund officiating. A reception will follow at 1 p.m. at the TA Ranch south of Buffalo. Donations in Greg's memory may be made to the Bread of Life Food Pantry, PO Box 909, Buffalo, WY 82834, or Johnson County Friends Feeding Friends, PO Box 314, Buffalo, WY 82834. William Gregory...

  • Circuit Court

    Dec 12, 2024

    Speeding – Ramon Tapani, Woodland, WA, 84/80, $10; Brayden McClure, Mandan, ND, 84/80, $10; Lavonne Luby, Sycamore, IL, 84/80, $10; Karianne Hawkins, Buffalo, WY, 80/75, $15; Jacob Rodriguez, Cedar Creek, TX, 80/75, $15; Samantha Brookes, Inwood, WV, 85/80, $15; Castillo Martinez, Chicago, IL, 81/75, $97; Yadir Castillo, Fort Lupton, CO, 78/70, $101; Honor Heer, Aurora, CO, 79/70, $103; Justin Dike, Gillette, WY 85/75, $105; Derek F. Smith, Hulett, WY, 85/65, $160 No Seat Belt (passenger) – Christina Tapani, Battle Ground, WA, $10 Window Tin...

  • Crook County Sheriff's Office

    Dec 12, 2024

    Dec. 2 – Eight VIN checks. Paper service. Traffic stop. Trespassing complaint. Fingerprints. Fraud complaint. Business check. Dec. 3 – Five VIN checks. Paper service. Three traffic stops. Juvenile complaint. Citizen assist. Welfare check. Business checks. EMS page. Dec. 4 – Four VIN checks. Three paper services. Traffic stop. Citizen dispute. Animal complaint. Assist to Wyoming Highway Patrol. Two EMS pages. Two fire pages Dec. 5 – Two VIN checks. Paper service. Three traffic stops. Assisted Wyoming Highway Patrol. Business checks. Domesti...

  • Wyoming News Briefs

    Wyoming News Exchange Newspapers|Dec 12, 2024

    Department of Education seeks public comment on new standards SHERIDAN (WNE) — The Wyoming Department of Education is seeking public comment on the 2024 Proposed Wyoming Standards for world languages and cultures, math extended and science extended. Comments can be provided by attending a virtual meeting or submitting online at docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSey_KXqLlRLNHsD6LCaXxqKNBO3xaqVffQWF68eTRVXfvri0w/viewform by 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 17, 2025. Virtual meetings are also being held to collect comments on Dec. 16 from 4-5 p.m.; Dec. 18 f...

  • Letter to the Editor

    Dec 12, 2024

    Is the 2nd Amendment Safe? With the election of Trump, we might be tempted to assume our constitutional rights are no longer in jeopardy. Agreed, we can probably relax for at least the next 4 years but then all bets are off. We heard a lot of chatter about ‘packing the Supreme Court’ from the Biden administration. They can’t pursue it now but there is nothing stopping the next Biden-like administration from increasing the number of Supreme Court justices to 13 then filling it with justices less than friendly to the spirit of the Const...

  • Early deadlines

    Dec 12, 2024

    We will have early deadlines for the week of Christmas. Deadline for the Wyoming Pioneer will be 9 a.m. on Fri., Dec. 20. Deadline for the Sundance Times and Moorcroft Leader will be noon on Mon., Dec. 23. Mailing for the Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 issues will be on Thursday instead of Wednesday. Our office will be closed Dec. 24 and 25 and Jan. 1....

  • Barrasso meets with local soldier on Thanksgiving

    Dec 12, 2024

    U.S. Senator John Barrasso traveled to the Middle East to celebrate Thanksgiving with Wyoming National Guard troops serving in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. Barrasso met with members of the Wyoming National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 300th Field Artillery Forward. He shared a Thanksgiving meal with the service members in both countries, toured the bases, held a town hall with the troops, and was briefed by military officials on operations in the Middle East. Pictured above, U.S. Senator John...

  • Correction:

    Dec 12, 2024

    Last week’s article about the Crook County Medical Services District Board of Trustees stated that Trustee Brent Fowler voted in favor of Trustee Sandy Neiman as the incoming board chairman. This statement was incorrect. Fowler voted against the motion to elect, while Neiman and Trustee Robin Hibbard voted in favor and Trustee Sharon Coleman abstained...

  • SES Christmas program this Thursday

    Dec 12, 2024

    Sundance Elementary first and second graders will present A Flurry of Christmas Magic on Thurs., Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. Selections will include Nice, Nice Christmas, Reindeer Parade, Hip Hop Reindeer, Snowman Jump, Red and Green, Peppermint Candy Cane, Cancion De La Navidad, If I Could Fly Like a Snowflake, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Family, friends and the public are welcome to celebrate the season with us....

  • Peek at the Past

    Dec 12, 2024

    1 Years Ago December 11, 1924 John H. Schlup made additional homestead proof Monday before Commissioner R. D. Thomas, his witnesses being Ernest Bolton and Fred C. Schloredt. Mike Coy of Black Thunder one day last week had the pleasure of escorting his hounds in a wolf chase that started from south of Black Thunder with the ultimate end on Lodgepole. Mr. Coy had been out riding accompanied by his hounds when he sighted the wolf and immediately started to give chase with the hounds when the wolf was finally dragged down by the hounds after...

  • Pile burning to begin soon on the Black Hills National Forest

    Dec 12, 2024

    With the recent snowfall across the Black Hills National Forest, Ranger Districts will begin burning thousands of hand and machine slash piles. Piles are created from timber sale slash and tree thinning operations. Piles are only ignited when managers are confident that the project can be undertaken safely with considerations to snow cover, wind, temperature, available staffing and smoke dispersal. Public and firefighter safety is always the number-one priority in all burning operations. Firefighters continually monitor and check the piles for...

  • Firefighters to begin implementing new OSHA rules

    Sarah Pridgeon|Dec 12, 2024

    The Sundance Volunteer Fire Department is taking first steps towards meeting new regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), starting with a physical fitness program. Unfortunately, said Fire Chief Gari Gill last week, efforts to convince OSHA that the standards are too burdensome for small, volunteer departments have not yet met with success. Alongside his own efforts, he has spoken with Wyoming’s Congressional delegation, he said, and “they are battling” to reduc...

  • City balks at taking ownership of Old Stoney

    Sarah Pridgeon|Dec 12, 2024

    Though it’s a suggestion right now, rather than a formal offer, the City of Sundance is not interested in taking ownership of Old Stoney. The council agreed that it would not be fiscally appropriate to pursue the idea when the building is not yet finished and there is no financial data yet available. Mayor Paul Brooks brought to the council’s attention last week that the Crook County Museum District is interested in exploring the possibility of the city owning the cultural center and renting the space inside to the district on a square foo...

  • This Week at Your Library

    Dec 12, 2024

    Did you know we have a Library of Things collection? You can check out lots of fun kits for a variety of activities. Check out our “Business Kits”. These kits contain items the business person may only need occasionally so they do not have to buy them. There are so many to choose from. From a pop-up sign holder, popup photo booth, photo backgrounds, to a projector and screen. There is a lot to offer so stop in and check one out today. LIBRARY HAPPENINGS: MEETINGS: Crook County Library Board meeting Thur., Jan. 9 at 1 p.m. in Moorcroft. Crook Co...

  • Commissioners

    Dec 12, 2024

    PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AT THE COURTHOUSE IN SUNDANCE, CROOK COUNTY, WYOMING Tuesday, December 3, 2024 8:30 o’clock a.m. Present were Chairman Fred M. Devish, Vice-Chairman Kelly B. Dennis, Member Bob Latham and County Clerk Melissa Jones. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited to the Flag. After discussion, Kelly moved to appoint Gary Anderson on behalf of HDR Engineering, Inc., as the Crook County Contract Engineer and Surveyor. Bob seconded, all ayes, motion carried. Bob moved to approve & ratify the minutes from N...

  • Meeting

    Dec 12, 2024

    Meeting Notice The Crook County Tourism Promotion Board will meet on December 18 at 5 p.m. at the Community Center in Hulett, Wyoming. Publish: December 12, 2024...

Page Down