Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
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Last week, my countrymen did absolutely nothing to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of our own version of Roswell. The Rendlesham Forest UFO is often referred to as “one of the most famous alleged alien sightings in history,” which does nothing to explain why none of us have ever heard of it. Permit me to enlighten you, just in case we should all be keeping one eye to the heavens. At the tail end of 1980, something strange happened in a remote forest, but we’re as likely to ever find out what...
Dear NP, I have a friend who was recently diagnosed with end-stage colon cancer at a young age. Please tell me what the recommendations are for colorectal cancer screening? Are there any options for screening besides having a colonoscopy? Dear Reader, Unfortunately, the rate at which people under 65 are diagnosed with colorectal cancer has been steadily increasing since the mid-1980s. About 12% of colorectal cases in 2020 are in people aged 65 or lower. However, the rate at which older people...
Dear Editor, Are we being bullied? I am grateful that our kids get to go to school in person and play sports and have noted how fortunate I am to live in a region of the country that hasn’t held its citizens hostage to such a degree as other areas of our country, but in this case I think we have a threat of being bullied. In a letter dated December 10, 2020, addressed to the fans but sent to parents, it was noted that in an effort to not affect the kids’ post-season play, the parents and community could be kept from attending sporting eve...
As always, I like to take the opportunity at Christmas time to reflect on the good things in this world. It’s been a difficult year for all of us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some holiday cheer. First up, we have a nine-year-old from Essex in the UK, who understands that honesty is always the best policy. “I’ve tried hard to be good but miserably failed,” she said in her annual letter to Santa. “I’ll be honest, I do deserve a coal.” Nevertheless, the cheeky young thing felt she wo...
Dear Editor, To the residents of Crook County: I am asking each resident to contact the Crook County Commissioners and indicate your opinion concerning the forming of a solid waste district in Crook County. Moorcroft, Sundance and Pine Haven municipalities requested that the commissioners establish a solid waste district in Crook County at the December meeting. The decision was pushed to the January meeting on the 6th at 2:30 p.m., requesting more information and what support or non-support exists for the forming of a solid waste district. If a...
WCCA has been in existence since 2005, graduating 1257 youth. WCCA, saves lives, gives young adults one last chance at academic success, and offers them the courage to change. The National Youth Challenge model calls for cadets to excel at each of these eight core components: academic excellence, physical training, leadership/followership, health and hygiene, service to community, responsible citizenship, job skills, life coping skills. WCCA is a 5½ month residential program utilizing quasi-military training. WCCA promotes continued success...
You may have seen on the news over the last few weeks that unexplained monoliths have been appearing in strange places across the world. The first turned up in the middle of a desert in Utah, followed by more in California and Romania. There didn’t seem much rhyme or reason to their location, as evidenced by the fact that a fourth has now appeared. It’s sitting on a beach on a small island that you can almost see from my parents’ house, as long as you wait for good weather and are prepa...
Whether you love masks, hate them or can’t work out which end goes over your ear, we can still agree on one thing: this pandemic has been mishandled. As Christmas approaches, we are left in a situation where neighbor has locked horns with neighbor and the anger levels don’t have much further to rise. Last week, the county was placed under a mask order and those who do not believe in the use of face coverings were instantly livid. This is understandable, but we are not here to argue the merits of social distancing because that’s not the point of...
Hello all, just a quick update on the Wyoming Legislature. Now that the dust has settled at least at a state and local level on the elections I felt it was appropriate for an update. There will be lots of new faces when we get to the capitol. Congratulations to all who had the courage to run and took the time to offer up their service to the local area. I was lucky enough to not to have to run for reelection, but did put my hat in the ring for Majority Floor Leader of the Wyoming Senate. I was...
I know there’s a lot going on in the world, but you guys are missing out on the most popcorn-worthy drama of the decade. It’s a feud that could only have happened in Britain, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t enjoy it. This tale involves a unique group of women known as WAGs – a term I’m positive has never crossed your radar. For some reason, the tabloids of the UK think there’s as much to be said about what the wives and girlfriends (hence “WAG”) of our soccer stars are wearing as there is about what’s going down on the pitch. And s...
Dear NP, I am a healthcare worker in a neighboring county, and I read your column regularly. I know there is widespread resistance to wearing facemasks. As a plea from healthcare workers in general, can you emphasize the importance of face masks and discuss their benefits? As we approach flu season, I fear the worst of the pandemic is yet to come. Dear Reader, Thank you for your work – healthcare workers deserve incredible respect and appreciation during this pandemic. Unfortunately, you are quite right about the widespread resistance to f...
A young chap by the name of Harry Styles has found himself in hot water after appearing on the cover of this month’s Vogue in a dress. This, according to some people, is going to destroy the very concept of masculinity. Now, I’m no fashionista, so I don’t really know what it means when someone wears a “periwinkle Gucci gown with slim black blazer,” but it does sound pretty fancy. And I will admit that it doesn’t seem like the sort of get-up that’s going to work up a ladder fixing a roof. But I...
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name. – Psalm 100:4 It is the time of year when we set aside a certain day, time, place to meet, eat and give thanks. These thanks are typically directed for something, someone or a reasonable facsimile. They can be difficult to find and may lack sincerity. It is interesting (although not surprising) that as a society we need a yearly reminder to do this. It might just be that much more g...
I’m sure that, by now, you’ve heard the latest story of bizarre behavior in Yellowstone National Park. If these terrible tourists aren’t taunting bison or losing their trousers, they’re apparently finding new ways to prepare a dinner. Two gentlemen from Idaho and one from Utah are reported to have carried a couple of cooking pots into a remote part of the park, where they put two whole chickens in a burlap sack and dipped them into one of the hot springs. (No word on why they needed the cooking...
Dear Editor, In my opinion we are over populated with mountain lions again. People are seeing them regularly and cars hitting them on the road. A few years ago Senator Driskill got a meeting with the Wyoming Game and Fish in Hulett to allow more lions to be hunted. I wonder if we should have another meeting? In our area west of Hulett the deer numbers are really down. Brad Clark Dear Editor, In the November 12, 2020, issue of the Sundance Times, Mr. Feeney suggested that I should rethink my position on tax increases because the measure (Senior...
To the Editor, In the 29 Oct. 2020 Sundance Times letter to the editor from Mac Frank there were indications that he was somewhat misinformed. Now we are fortunate that our paper encourages us to voice our opinions as would be expected in a county espousing free speech. His opposition to the mill levy does not coincide with the election results. The mill levy passed significantly and this in an anti-tax conservative county. I would ask him to re-think some of his opinions. Now I am from California and moved to Crook County because of taxes. I...
Politics across the pond has never had the glitz and glamor of America’s election season. The differences between our political systems have created a situation in which you guys have rallies, ticker tape and superstars and Britain has…well, not much reason for a party. Unfortunately, it’s seemed in recent years as though our politicians have been wondering how to capture the magic for themselves. If nothing else, this has answered the question of what happens when you take a bunch of fusty old...
Dear Editor, Why should judges really be retained? Why do people vote to retain any judges? What do we really know about their performance on the bench? What does that poll of attorneys really tell us? Does that poll include prosecutors? How do we know if a judge is fair, yet protects the citizens of Wyoming from criminals, including those that put our lives at risk when they choose to drive under the influence? Your “Circuit Court” column leaves out an essential item that would enable us to decide which judges should or should not be ret...
Dear NP, How often should I be screened for type II diabetes? What is prediabetes? Is there anything I can do to reverse prediabetes and prevent diabetes? F. F. Dear F. F., November is diabetes awareness month. Diabetes is a huge health issue in the United States, affecting 34.2 million adults, just over 1 in 10. You are right to be concerned, and it’s great that you’ve reached out to get some advice. As in any chronic, dangerous illness, it’s easier to treat diabetes if you catch it early and m...
And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. – Acts 28:2 A five-day journey substituting Elementary Music and a continuing exposure to one of my favorite films “Mary Poppins” has helped me in seeing how powerful simple and small acts of kindness are. Although never reaching my favorite song in the movie, “Feed the Birds,” this song possesses a tiny, and yet substantial message....
Wyoming legislators have been working this fall on further erosion of public notices in newspapers. This time the target is the publication of the salaries of local government employees. A bill changing state law so that those no longer have to be published is in the works. A committee passed it in September. As it stands now, our taxpayer-funded municipal governments, county governments and public school districts must, at the very least, publish a list of positions and how much the people who hold them are paid. In some cases the actual...
You’re welcome, America. I bring you news this week that a delicacy this country has long been known for was originally brought to you from my side of the pond. I speak, though it might surprise you, of one of the most iconic dishes of them all: fried chicken. It’s as American as apple pie – to me as much as it is to you – so I was surprised to find its origins in Scotland. Not all of it, of course, as there are likely hundreds of ways to go about frying a chicken; we are specifically talking...
If there’s any one principle that sums up what it means to be a conservative, it’s the idea of not spending money that you didn’t need to spend. “Fiscal responsibility” is a buzz-phrase used by most politicians in Wyoming when they want to win your vote, and that’s because it’s a concept dear to all our hearts. It’s for this reason that we offer our wholehearted support to the City of Sundance and Crook County Sheriff’s Office as they seek to solve the city’s law enforcement challenges. We support this plan because we have listened to the jus...
I am disappointed that you included the article in your September 24 issue titled “Man accused of kidnapping wife...” from the Gillette News Record. These are real people with real families and many of us know this family. This is too small of a community to be shaming people in our public newspapers. This family is broken and hurting right now and we need to be supporting them with prayer and encouragement, not making them the subject of gossip at the local coffee shop. I know this article was not written by your staff, but you made the cho...
There is one week set aside each year to salute newspapers for the important role they have played in our nation, a role that goes back to the beginning of these United States. This year, however, waiting until October 4-10 and National Newspaper Week has been difficult, because the coronavirus pandemic and a variety of major news events across our land have tested newspapers, and our communities, in ways we might never have fathomed. Taking stock of the contributions by newspapers, large and...
