The year in review

January

Life had almost returned to normal by the beginning of 2022 after almost two full years of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the danger was still not over, as a new and more infectious strain that came to be known as Omicron began to dominate new infections.

Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) implemented a new policy requiring staff be vaccinated to comply with the federal mandate upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court and tightened its visitation policy to protect patients and residents of the Long Term Care unit.

Crook County School District (CCSD) meanwhile began to implement its plan to spend the $3.1 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds it expected to receive to help keep schools open safely during the pandemic.

The plan included such items as funds for additional support staff and a coordinator to provide a support process for students experiencing difficulties in the classroom.

Drought conditions continued to impact the county, with a snowpack below half what Crook County would normally see.

February

Winter revelers were saddened to hear that the Sundance Winter Festival had once again been cancelled after a conspicuous lack of the piles of plowed snow that are usually visible near the city streets at the beginning of the year.

A second opportunity for some freezing fun soon cropped up, though, in the form of Freeze Your Fanny, the annual four-mile fun run that coincides with Superbowl Sunday.

Governor Mark Gordon accompanied newly appointed Superintendent of Public Instruction Brian Schroeder on a visit to northeast Wyoming, flying in to Hulett and taking the opportunity to reflect on his commitment to making sure that updates to the Black Hills National Forest Plan do not damage the local economy by reducing timber sales too drastically.

The Crook County Commissioners selected two projects to benefit from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding: an E-911 system for the Crook County Sheriff's Office and a communications tower to boost the signal to emergency responders' radios.

Honorable Matthew F.G. Castano, known to the community as Circuit Court Judge for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, was appointed to replace Judge Thomas W. Rumpke upon his retirement as District Court Judge.

March

With already-dry conditions left over from 2021's drought-ridden summer, fire season had already begun by March and Fire Warden Doug Leis issued a warning that fire restrictions might be necessary.

CCMSD considered possibilities for a new county hospital, hearing the results of a master plan that had been six months in the making. The possibilities ranged from a remodel to a completely new building, but all were dependent on finding the funding needed to make them happen.

The commissioners approved a new socioeconomic supplement for Crook County, which was attached to the recently adopted Natural Resource Management Plan with a focus on the impact of natural resources on the health of Crook County. Like the plan itself, the supplement can be used to negotiate with federal entities and to pursue potential grants.

The annual county audit flagged a serious issue with the Crook County Weed & Pest District that led to a "near complete breakdown in the accounting process". The list of errors presented included failures to pay bills or file reports and "general disorder" within the administrator's office and accounting system.

Ex-County Treasurer Mary Kuhl was sentenced to two years of supervised probation in a deferred sentence for crimes related to misconduct during her time as county treasurer. As part of a plea agreement, she pled "no contest" to one felony charge of unauthorized use of monies, as well as to one misdemeanor count of official misconduct and two misdemeanor counts of issuing false certificate and in exchange, all but the felony were dismissed.

A distinguished member of the Crook County peacekeeping team headed into a well-deserved retirement. Wyoming Highway Patrol celebrated K-9 Ally, whose eight-year career included numerous contraband seizures.

Ed Svoboda pled not guilty to the charges against him related to the death of his wife in September, 2021, by reason of mental illness. His wife, Kathleen, was allegedly hit by a truck and trailer in her back yard on September 5, 2021. Due to the nature of his plea, an examination of his mental condition at the Wyoming State Hospital was considered necessary.

April

A spring storm that began as a thunderstorm and ended as the most significant blizzard of the season brought travel to a standstill, canceled events and cut power in some places across the area.

An outbreak of bird flu reached Wyoming, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, affecting backyard poultry as well as wild flocks.

COVID-19 reached its lowest levels in many months across Wyoming as the nation entered "maintenance mode" for the pandemic.

The Sundance Chamber of Commerce voted to cancel the annual BeerFest due to lack of leadership and interest from local businesses. However, the chamber was able to introduce a new event for the summer in the form of movie nights at Sundance Square.

May

Local Republicans "remembered their legacy" in line with the theme of the annual Lincoln Day Dinner, celebrating alongside dignitaries such as Governor Mark Gordon, First Lady Jennie Gordon, State Treasurer Curt Meier, Superintendent of Public Instruction Brian Schroeder, Representative Chip Neiman and Senator Ogden Driskill.

Two Crook County nominees were announced as inductees into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame's Class of 2022: Maurice Williams of Beulah and numerous members of the Driskill family of Devils Tower.

Crook County Deputy Attorney Lynda R. Bush was appointed to become the Sixth Judicial District's next Circuit Court Judge.

The commissioners considered the idea of zoning as a way to exert some level of control over the large developments cropping up all over the county, but ultimately decided to wait and see how its in-development rules for large-acre subdivisions would impact the situation. The commission's concern centered on the fact that it could only provide guidance on what a landowner may or may not do in terms of such things as cattleguards, mailbox placement and road access for developments under 35 acres in size.

As candidate filing closed for the year, it was clear that the Crook County Courthouse would be seeing significant changes after the elections, with numerous incumbents choosing not to run for another term.

June

The Hulett Rodeo celebrated its 75th anniversary by kicking off with a parade to which Rodeo Queens from 1948 onwards were invited to take part as Grand Marshals.

Bargain hunters crossed the county over the course of a sunny weekend, perusing the goods on offer at the annual Country Junkin' countywide yard sale.

Old Stoney hosted its twelfth annual art auction to raise money to complete the renovation process.

The U.S. Forest Service released its draft assessments for updates to its Black Hills National Forest Plan revision and asked the public to provide comments.

The unsettled weather continued with three days of thunderstorms, bringing rain and hail that built to a crescendo on a Sunday evening with destructive hailstones across the county. The largest recorded fell northeast of Aladdin and were measured at 2.75 inches.

By the end of the month, however, the U.S. Drought Monitor raised Crook County out of its drought condition rating for the first time since it was designated a primary natural disaster area in 2021.

July

The annual county fair kicked off to the theme of "Wrangle Up the Fun at the Fair", offering all the usual animal shows alongside entertainment such as a family fun night, rodeos and a parade.

A full burn ban went into effect across the county in anticipation that what started as a moisture-filled summer could get more dangerous over the coming weeks as the lush green grass began to dry out.

The Town of Moorcroft closed its landfill after failing to find a way to keep it open. The town had hoped to retain the site and turn it into a countywide destination, but was unable to do so.

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis opened a new field office in Old Stoney, making Sundance one of the smallest cities in the nation to host a congressional office.

Neiman Enterprises announced that it would be reducing hours for employees at both of its Black Hills sawmills due to a reduction in timber sales across the Forest.

A fire burning in steep, rugged terrain on Iron Mountain, seven miles south of Sundance, grew to 3800 acres after high winds caused it to run past the control lines. The Fish Fire was believed to have been human-caused on private land.

August

The Fish Fire continued to rage, with around 20 homes evacuated along the Highway 585 corridor and in Fish Canyon. As the month began, it continued to progress to the east, where it threatened the Canyon Springs subdivision.

Thanks to the diligent work of local crews, a little luck when it came to the weather and the arrival of a top-level management team, the worst of the Fish Wildfire had passed by the end of the week. Active suppression efforts included multiple helicopters and air tankers making water and retardant drops while firefighters built containment lines and provided structure protection.

After Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team assumed command, the fire was slowly brought under control, with an estimated 443 personnel working on it at its height. Its total size was eventually listed as 6793 acres, with no structures lost and no injury or loss of life.

A male subject with an active Wyoming warrant was shot and killed by law enforcement after two shootouts took place on the interstate near Sundance.

Crook County joined the call for the U.S. Forest Service to rethink its draft assessments for the revised Black Hills National Forest Plan. A comment letter submitted by the commissioners touted "significant concerns" with the science used to create the drafts, and with the level of public input solicited.

The Crook County Assessor's Office warned of dodgy buying practices after handling a purchase in which a landowner did not want to sell to a developer, but was duped by a private individual who was a middle man for a development firm.

The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation confirmed that invasive zebra mussels had been found in Pactola Reservoir in Pennington County, leading Wyoming Game & Fish to develop a rapid-response plan specific to Keyhole Reservoir.

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally brought bikers across the border for more than a week, particularly for the Wyoming Wednesday events in Sundance and Hulett.

September

The Fish Fire was officially declared to be controlled almost exactly a month after it began, with area closures lifted. The U.S. Forest Service announced plans to rehabilitate the land, with the goal of reducing the risk of beetle infestation, mitigating future fire hazards and restoring vegetation.

A public hearing for the county's proposed new rules for large-acre subdivisions attracted a crowd of interested citizens, but there was little resistance to the overall concept of imposing regulations. The rules were officially adopted shortly afterwards.

The Bureau of Land Management invited the public to participate in revisions of its land management plan for northeast Wyoming, a document that defines how the agency approaches management of everything from livestock grazing to air quality.

Rare Element Resources announced that its demonstration plant project was advancing towards final detailed engineering while the location for the plant in Upton was prepared for construction. The project had passed the 60% design milestone and the final detailed engineering was scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

October

A matter of weeks after new regulations for large development projects were approved, the commissioners heard that developers have already found a way to circumvent them. According to Planning Administrator Tim Lyons, the developer on at least one project has assigned each plot on a large acreage to individual LLCs, ensuring that it does not qualify as a subdivision.

Sundance celebrated Halloween with events including Trunk or Treat and a carnival at the high school and "Night at the Museum" inside Old Stoney.

Senator Ogden Driskill found himself at odds with the Crook County Republican Party's central committee, accusing it of going against its own bylaws in an effort to tacitly support his write-in opponent. While the committee had not officially endorsed anyone, Driskill argued that its failure to support his candidacy was de facto support for the campaign for one of his primary opponents.

The central committee responded that it was unable to support Driskill due to his voting record, which had been determined through two anonymously run websites, wyovote.com and wyorino.com.

November

Voters cast their ballots for the 2022 General Election. The race that received perhaps the most attention, both locally and statewide, was that of Driskill, who successfully fought off a write-in opponent via the "Roger is Right" campaign.

Later in the month, the county continued its recent tradition of punching above its weight as both of its legislators were voted into positions of leadership in the Wyoming State Legislature. Driskill was voted the new President of the Senate, while Neiman will start his second term in office as the House Majority Floor Leader.

The City of Sundance heard it was "the first loser" in securing ARPA funds to pay for several important infrastructure projects around town. This was due to the State Lands and Investments Board receiving 113 applications for a total of around 4.5 times the funding than was actually available.

The city pledged to try again at the beginning of 2023, when another round of money was expected to come available.

Crook County Museum District Trustee Andrea Wood announced that the time had come to apply for funding for the second – and final – phase of the Old Stoney project, which will complete the top floor to renovate the auditorium area.

The month ended with the annual holiday kick-off in Sundance, including the Ladies Night Block Party and Shop Small raffle event.

December

The month began with the annual Parade of Lights in Sundance to the theme of "Glowing Christmas Memories" and continued with carol concerts at the school and a boot tree at the hardware store to ensure that everyone in the community had the merry Christmas they deserved.

As an enormous winter storm hit the region – and, in fact, almost the entire nation – the county experienced heavy snowfall and whiteout conditions. The highest amount of snow recorded in the county was 26 inches, which fell four miles northwest of Hulett.

Two local men perished during a search and rescue effort at Keyhole State Park that began during the worst of the storm on Thursday and continued until dusk on Sunday. Bruce Lang, 68, and Jason Otto, 48, tragically lost their lives while attempting to rescue a stranded recreationist who had fallen through the ice.

The next week brought a "polar plunge", with temperatures reaching bone-chilling levels across the region due to a powerful Arctic storm. Wind chills of -54 degrees Fahrenheit were recorded east of Pine Haven and -53 degrees south of Alva.

Governors Gordon (WY) and Kristi Noem (SD) penned a joint letter to Black Hills National Forest Supervisor Jeff Tomac requesting a rethink of the revision assessments being used to draft the Black Hills National Forest Land Management Plan. The two governors also expressed concern over the potential impact of the plan on the timber industry within the Black Hills.

The Sundance City Council heard the good news that the Sundance Winter Festival would be coming back to Main Street after all in 2023, thanks to new volunteer organizer Tony Barton.