Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
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Worland can expect a busy upcoming weekend, as the community prepares numerous events to bring in the holiday spirit. FESTIVAL OF TREES To kick off the weekend, Pinnacle Bank will host the 37th annual Festival of Trees, starting at 6 p.m. on Friday. Dec. 1 in the Worland Community Center. Festival of Trees co-director Jaime Craft said, “The event is our way of fundraising to give back to our community.” Craft has worked at Pinnacle Bank for nine years and has co-directed the event for three years with Deidria Ortega. She said that every yea...
Washakie Prevention Coalition (WPC) attended the Washakie County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 21 to share their updates. Coalition members Sheri Gunderson, Katie Kirby and Lila Jolley spoke about how the coalition is working to expand its opportunities for involvement for teenagers and parents in the area. According to the coalition members, the recently started Tuesday night meetings have been successful in gaining attendance from parents, kids and those who cannot normally attend the coalition meetings in the afternoon. They said th...
Residents from Washakie County and the Big Horn Basin attended a meeting on the People’s Initiative to Limit Property Tax in Wyoming. Former governor candidate Brent Bien and Richard Weber explained the initiative they hope to have on the ballot in 2024 at the Monday meeting, Nov. 13 at the Worland Community Center. The People’s Initiative to Limit Property Tax in Wyoming through a Homeowner’s Property Exemption reads as, “For property used as a primary residence, fifty percent (50%) of the assessed value of the primary property is exempt...
This Saturday, Nov. 18, the Washakie County Homemakers Organization will host their 69th annual Hobby Day at the Washakie County Fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year, Homemakers Organization member Bonnie Schreibeis, said they are expecting around 40-45 vendors from all over north central Wyoming to be at Hobby Day. Vendors will primarily be selling handcrafted art and craft items, although the Homemakers Organization recently opened Hobby Day to home-based vendors as well. The Homemakers...
In observance of Veterans Day, American Legion Post 44 in Worland will be hosting a breakfast free for veterans and their families on Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Post Home, 129 S. Seventh St. The breakfast will be from 7 to 10:30 a.m., and they will be serving pancakes, eggs, bacon and more, according to American Legion Adjutant Don Hall. The Legion will additionally have a flag disposal ceremony that afternoon behind the Post Home. Throughout every year, the Legion collects old, damaged U.S. flags at the Post Home and holds this disposal fire cer...
Cloud Peak Counseling Center hosted its groundbreaking ceremony for their new Lighthouse facility on North 10th last week on Wednesday, Oct. 25. Cloud Peak Counseling Center CEO Mary Johnson opened the ceremony saying, "We're so proud of the work that's been done up to this point." The groundbreaking ceremony had various community members present, including staff from Cloud Peak Counseling, Dick Anderson Construction, Plan One/Architects, and others. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon attended as...
As flu season approaches and flu shots are being administered, the COVID-19 virus still lingers, and Washakie County is receiving the latest boosters. According to Washakie County Health Officer Dr. Stephen Asay, “Reporting and monitoring the number of active COVID cases has been difficult. The state health department is working on ways to streamline case reporting to compile that data, but there is no reliable estimate for the past few months.” The Wyoming Department of Health website reported five lab confirmed cases in Washakie County dur...
On Monday, Oct. 23, State Rep. Martha Lawley (R-HD27, Worland) held a town hall meeting regarding property taxes. Lawley said she wanted to follow up on this topic with the community, as she promised she would earlier in the year. Lawley said like most others in the community, she is unhappy with the rising property taxes happening across the state and wants to work with others to find solutions. During her meeting, Lawley shared knowledge with those in attendance and had the opportunity to let community members share their thoughts on the...
In order to be closely aligned with Wyoming state statues, Interim County Planner Mike Robinson said that new proposed changes to private campground regulations in Washakie County will, “attempt to ensure that, in addition to, adequate and safe water and sewer are provided, access, drainage, fire protection, and the like are addressed as appropriate,” and “provide an opportunity for adjacent landowners and the general public to review and comment on the proposed campground[s].” According to Robinson, the following proposed changes, if adopted,...
After eight years of dreaming about having a greenhouse for his giant pumpkins, Jay Richard bit the bullet and built a greenhouse in early 2023. While Richard knew that it was a step in the right direction, it led to more success than he had anticipated. Richard said that he has always loved gardens, whether he was growing them or just being intrigued by them. When he moved to Worland, Richard's love of gardening continued to grow, along with his family. When his family was carving pumpkins the...
At the Washakie County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 17, ambulance station project manager Tom Schmeltzer said he obtained a building permit and renovation has begun at the site at 603 North Road 11. He said, “It’s finally underway and we’ll try to knock it out as fast as we can.” The fire suppression system is still in the engineering phase, and will be the last part of the building to go in. Schmeltzer said that the blueprints will be sent to the state fire marshal as soon as possible. COTTONWOOD GRASS CREEK WID DISSOLUTION Jim But...
On Saturday, Oct. 14, the Worland High School Black Thunder marching band went to the State Marching Band Festival in Casper, where they received an Excellent rating. The Black Thunder marching band is led by Connor Dennis, Blake Mikkola and color guard coach Kim Files. Blake Mikkola, co-director of the marching band, said that the marching season went well, and "I'm very lucky to have the students that I have. They should be very proud of the work they've done." On Tuesday, Oct. 10, the Worland...
The month of October is recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Domestic violence is a widespread issue, and Wyoming is no exception to having domestic violence within it. Karina Rice, the executive director of the Washakie County Crisis Prevention and Response Center, said that, “It’s important to try to create change within our community and across Wyoming,” when it comes to domestic violence. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE The Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault defines domestic violence as, “a pattern of coerciv...
About a dozen people attended a presentation about human trafficking and how it occurs in Wyoming. Terri Markham, executive director and co-founder of Uprising, discussed the definition of trafficking, whether it be sex trafficking or labor trafficking, which types of trafficking happen here in Wyoming, how it can be identified and what people can do to help the problem. TYPES OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN WYOMING Pimp controlled trafficking happens when people are forced to post sex advertisements online and are forced to go on dates. People then...
At the Washakie County Commissioner’s meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 3, Worland citizen Jerry Kysar brought an incident to the commissioner’s attention, involving Washakie County deputies and alleged property damage. According to Kysar, on July 19, a tree service employee had backed a trailer onto his property and damaged a tree with sentimental value. Kysar said that after the accident a passenger exited the vehicle, who he would later find out was off duty Washakie County Deputy Travis Thatcher, a passenger and the owner of the tree service. In...
Witness Worland’s 12th annual pumpkin weigh-off, the largest pumpkin drop to date, and participate in Oktoberfest fun and craft show this Saturday at the Washakie County Fairgrounds, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is the first year these events have been combined to maximize the fun with the convenience of holding it in one big area. 4-H BREAKFAST From 8 to 10 a.m., the Washakie County 4-H group will be serving free breakfast pancakes to kick off the day. Amber Armajo said that this is the group’s way of saying thanks to the community. They’ll have...
On Friday, Oct. 13 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the Washakie Museum and Cultural Center will be introducing its latest oral history collection, the War Babies of Worland. Headed by Cathy Healy, the Worland High School class of 1960 has been working on retelling and putting together their stories from their time growing up in Worland during World War II and the following years. At this launch, Healy said that people will get to experience Worland the way the class of 1960 did, as they will have 50s music, a 1954 Oldsmobile and a retelling of select...
Next week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Uprising, a Wyoming-based organization, will be conducting presentations and trainings in Worland regarding human trafficking that happens throughout the state. These events are free to the public and do not require registration, thanks to a combined effort from Washakie County Emergency Management, Washakie County Sheriff’s Office, Worland Police Department and Washakie County Public Health. Washakie County Emergency Management Director Kami Neighbors = stated that during a local emergency planning...
At the Worland Board of Adjustment and Planning Commission meeting on Monday, Sept. 25, board members discussed the developments of tiny homes and vacation rentals in Worland. While tiny homes and vacation rentals are not new, there is currently little guidance on how the city of Worland will regulate them. TINY HOMES Board members brought up a variety of topics and concerns when it comes to tiny homes making their way into Worland. The main discussion surrounded the permanence of tiny homes in the community, as well as the differences between...
The annual Apple Fest at the Circle J Ranch near Ten Sleep will be this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. According to Jackie Denison, the camp coordinator, Apple Fest this year will be focused on family fun. They plan on having plenty of children’s games, as well as vendors from across the state, food and music. Apple Fest, which started more than 10 years ago, has provided the surrounding communities with an opportunity to come together every autumn and celebrate the ranch’s harvest for the year. It is also a chance for the Circle J Ranch to...
Blake Mikkola made a leap of faith when he decided to start his teaching career here in Worland as the new band director at Worland Middle School and Worland High School. Luckily, it has paid off for him. Mikkola primarily grew up in Great Falls, Montana, and attended the University of Montana in Missoula, where he studied music education. When looking back on why he went into education as a career, Mikkola said, "I've always been around teaching in some way, so it seemed natural to just go...
Maggie Ryan of Thermopolis, recently started teaching kindergarten at East Side Elementary. This is her first year teaching in Worland, and she is excited to be here and spend time with kids. After growing up in Thermopolis, Ryan attended the University of Wyoming to pursue elementary education. Following college, Ryan returned to Thermopolis and taught first grade. Ryan, after taking a short break following her first year of teaching, wanted to get back into teaching in Worland. Ryan said she...
Entering her sixth year of teaching, Jenae Nicholson decided to make the move to Worland to teach third grade at South Side Elementary this school year. Nicholson, who grew up in Lander, found herself working in education while she was still in high school. During this time, she helped with after-school programs working with kids. Nicholson stated that her mother was also a teacher, so she grew up around education her whole life. After graduating high school and considering college, Nicholson sa...
Josh Keller, the new automotive teacher at Worland High School, had an unconventional beginning as a teacher, but has found success so far with this school year. Two years ago (2021-22 and 2022-23 school years), Josh Keller, who has a lengthy background in automotive work, found himself contracted to work part time at Worland High School for their automotive program for three classes. For this school year Washakie County School District No. 1 opted to hire Keller full time. Superintendent Tawn...
Homecoming week in Ten Sleep, which started Monday and continues through Saturday, is packed with various activities for students and community members. The student council is especially excited about several events on Friday and Saturday, according to teacher and student council co-sponsor Don Anderson. Friday begins the biggest day with community events starting with the pep assembly that will take place at 9 a.m., which will have the whole school in attendance and is open to the community....