Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
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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...
Dear NP, Since spring is in the air and many of us are working from home due to COVID-19, I would think it is the perfect time to start an exercise regimen. What are the key steps to starting and maintaining an exercise regimen and the benefits of aerobic exercise to our health? M. S. Dear M. S., The sun may be shining again after the long, cold winter, but sprinting right into your new exercise program might be a recipe for injury. It’s important to take it slow – starting at square one. If...
I like to think of myself as someone who is capable of change. Someone who embraces the new and combines it with the old in an ongoing effort to improve. I can “lol” with the best of them. I know what the instant grams are, and why I should be giving them my photographs. I am aware of those meme things and that it is now apparently the done thing to end a story about the knee surgery your great aunt just had done with the phrase, “and that’s the tea”. (Even though it has clearly been misidenti...
While some may criticize Governor Mark Gordon for not issuing a stay-at-home order, we applaud him. By sticking with sensible statewide orders, he has kept bureaucracy to a minimum and confusion at bay while ensuring our law enforcement agencies can continue to serve and protect instead of being tasked with policing our behavior. Even more importantly, what our governor has done, at the end of the day, is entrust we, the people, with guardianship of our own future. Let’s not screw this up. If you caught Governor Mead’s press conference on Fri...
A couple of months ago, none of us were dreaming up ways to stay entertained while stuck indoors (except during snowstorms), but that’s our new reality. Little did I know, back when the outside was still a place we were allowed to go, that someone very small had already solved this conundrum for me. It is hard to be bored, you see, when you are adjusting to a tiny tornado. We have unexpectedly come into possession of a puppy. This saga actually began about six weeks ago, when Oglala Pet P...
These are extraordinarily challenging times for the nation’s hospitals and health care workers. In just a couple of months, the coronavirus has swept around the globe and across the country, disrupting and destroying countless lives and wreaking havoc on the nation’s health-care system. I have spent most of my professional life working in health care in Wyoming: as an orthopedic surgeon at the Wyoming Medical Center, as medical director of the Wyoming Health Fairs and as president of the Wyoming...
Still staring out the window, dreaming of better days when you weren’t sick of the sight of your own sofa? I’ve been looking out for the rays of sunshine during this confusing time, just to remind me that when worst comes to worst, we’re actually pretty good at looking out for each other. I’ve been watching our community react to the outbreak with fundraising initiatives, ideas to support our businesses, tireless efforts to make sure the housebound stay healthy and fed, kind gestures to the fro...
Crook County Seniors you may not realize it yet, but you are in good hands, the hands of Jenna Ellsbury. Jenna is the new Director of Crook County Senior Services and she is a woman you should get to know. If you get the publication of Senior Moments you will have read a little about Jenna but there is so much more. Jenna had been on the job two weeks, was getting acquainted with her staff at the office and in the Senior Centers throughout the county, was attending meetings, fielding phone calls, meeting the public, etc. etc., all the things...
So here I am, sitting at home and twiddling my fingers. As you may have noticed from the fact that you couldn’t come through our doors to renew your subscription, we at the newspaper have self-isolated as much as possible and we’ve all split up to work in different places so we can keep your news coming while this virus runs amok. Our plan, you see, is to have contingencies. We are aiming to avoid a situation in which all of us are contagious and nobody out in the community gets to read the wee...
The 65th Wyoming Legislature wound down late Thursday night (March 12). The session had four more days than a standard budget session and we needed them all to get through the year. As everyone is aware it has been a tough year for Wyoming's coffers and looks to be even tougher coming up. This year there were 256 house bills introduced and 97 of those became law. There were 142 Senate files and 70 of those became law. That is a 42% pass rate. The biggest bill in a budget session is the budget...
“And Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’” (John 1:46). Come and see. We often look but rarely does one contemplate, behold and think on things. Our business, bustle, competing concepts and time are filled with that which has little meaning as it requires no commitment. Coming and going, going and coming seeing so much, but comprehending and understanding little. Like Philip, we will miss so much unless personally directed to “come and see.” The word “come” in the Greek is a sugges...
By Dan Nordberg SBA’s Regional Administrator and Amy Lea Wyoming District Director Wyoming’s small businesses are the fabric of our economy and their success is dependent on the ability to freely market products and services to communities across the state. As Americans face the new reality of “social distancing” measures, our local small businesses are bearing the brunt of that impact and are addressing serious concerns regarding declining customer traffic. In order to assist busines...
The media is most definitely not your enemy. Far from being the enemy of the people, day in and day out we take our role as the Fourth Estate seriously and work hard to protect your right to know, making public records requests and attending public meetings to keep you informed. Why? Because we believe all the business government does, whether in open public meetings or behind closed doors, is your business. We believe every last penny government spends is your money. We believe it is your...
Dear NP, What does COVID-19 do to the body? What are the symptoms of COVID-19? J. R. Dear J. R., It’s safe to say that COVID-19, a novel coronavirus, is on everybody’s mind. Knowledge is power in times of fear, so it’s critically important that you educate yourself on what the coronavirus actually does to the body so you can recognize its symptoms in yourself and your loved ones. What are the symptoms of COVID-19? According to the CDC, the symptoms of COVID-19 mainly include fever, cough and sho...
Dear Editor, While Wyoming often prides itself on being isolated from the mainstream, it is certainly not immune to all the world health scares. There is much confusion and concern surrounding COVID-19, or the coronavirus. As the number of cases rise in the United States, it is important that we take precautions to keep ourselves and our communities safe. While each day brings updates, by taking certain steps recommended by health officials and experts to keep yourself healthy, we can slow the spread of the virus. First and foremost, everyone...
Greetings Crook and Weston County, Tyler Lindholm here, happily reporting from home south of Sundance! The 2020 Budget Session wrapped up late in the evening on Thursday, March 12. As you know, the primary purpose of this session was to approve and implement a Budget for the 2021-2022 Biennium. This Budget includes operating expenses for all executive, legislative and judicial branch agencies, including the University of Wyoming, community colleges and K-12 education. Governor Mark Gordon...
Dear Editor: I practiced in Crook County many years ago-1982-1984 and have continued to follow the ups and downs of medical care through Crook County Services District. I am glad the hospital board had a public meeting to further discuss its management contract and CEO Nathan Hough, as reading the article it appeared some board issues hopefully were clarified. And public comments from staff and community do support Mr. Hough and HMS continuing with CCMS. Rural hospitals are a threatened entity across America, with 100s closing over the last...
I have jumped up a level on my American initiation, and I managed it all by myself. This weekend, I cooked my very first tater tot casserole. To understand why I set myself this challenge, we’re going to need to rewind the decades. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but when I was young, my life was saturated with American culture. Movies, shows, books, music – you name it, we imported it. We had plenty of our own, but we were still gluttons for American entertainment. What we didn’t...
Greetings House District 1! We’re heading into the home stretch here at the Wyoming State Legislature! Late on Friday, House and Senate Leadership, along with members of the Joint Appropriations Committee, agreed to a deal on the Budget Bill (the primary purpose of this session). Members of the House and Senate will now have an opportunity to see the final bill and vote on it. Governor Mark Gordon has until Thursday to ‘veto’ any parts of the Budget he does not agree with. If he does, it will...
Dear Editor: The Sundance Times reported that the Board of Trustees of Crook County Medical Services District is considering not renewing its contract with Health Management Services (HMS) unless HMS “get[s] rid of [CEO Nathan] Hough.” (February 20, 2020, Page 1, “Job Posting reveals CCMSD CEO change”) I believe that it is important the Board should renew its contract with HMS and should keep Mr. Hough as the CEO of the county medical services. I have lived in Crook County for 45 years and have seen many different options for managem...
Greetings Crook County, I’m happy to report that we are going into the fourth week of session. This past week, the Wyoming Legislature worked hard (and late) to give fair consideration and debate to as many bills as possible. Thursday was “crossover,” meaning that any bill that had not been passed out of their chamber of origin by then would not be further considered. One of the bright spots of the week was having two of my children serve as pages on the House floor. As I’ve mentioned before,...
We would like to commend everyone who has been involved over the last couple of weeks in taking steps towards righting the ship at Crook County Medical Services District. We applaud and offer thanks to our trustees, who listened to the concerns of the community and put the brakes on what could have become a crisis situation. We understand it’s not easy to have difficult conversations in the open, especially when you know how deeply feelings run within the community, but you had the courage to do so. Thank you for your willingness to allow m...
Two columns about tea in two weeks – this will be a record, even for me, but it’s a story that needs to be shared. Last week, having done nothing at all to anyone except to exist in the first place, a brand of British teabags managed to get itself in hot water (but not the good kind from a kettle). The storm in a teacup began with an innocent photograph. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak shared a picture in which he stood next to a giant bag of Yorkshire Tea™ and a selection of mugs....
Four years ago, it was standing room only in the courthouse when the hospital board discussed its management contract with Rapid City Regional Health (RCRH). It had been a topic of discussion for weeks across the county. There was deep concern about the future of our hospital and long term care. The public felt we’d been seeing progress, that things were more positive than they had been when RCRH arrived. The community came out in force to share their concerns. To this day, we don’t know why RCRH was dismissed. The decision was made in exe...
There’s a new trend in town – and it’s got me thinking that you guys might just be ready for the next level of your libation education. According to your friendly local coffee shop owner, one particular drink is experiencing a surge in popularity. I’m thrilled to report that a significant number of Sundance residents are now starting their day with a London Fog. She’s not sure why she suddenly can’t keep the ingredients in stock, but I maintain that you don’t need a reason to have good taste. U...
