Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Sorted by date Results 276 - 300 of 517
Most recent fire affects almost 800 acres WORLAND – A mid-morning Saturday fire, christened the “Chain Fire,” burned approximately 778 acres of Bureau of Land Management land along U.S. Highway 16 east of Worland, before being 100 percent contained Saturday evening by responding agencies. First reported at 11:52 a.m., the Chain Fire is suspected to be human-related, although the matter is still under investigation. “Witnesses stated what appeared to be a chain dragging from a vehicle,” said Worland Fire Department Chief Chris Kocher, as a possi...
CHEYENNE – House Bill 230, introduced in the Wyoming State Legislature in January and passed into law without Governor Matt Mead’s signature earlier this year, could offer Wyoming the chance to grow industrial hemp for research purposes, joining 20 others states in the development of what was once a standard American crop. Although the law will become effective on July 1, 2018, the process may take years to implement. Currently, the Wyoming Department of Agriculture (WDA) is registering with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to import seeds for...
WORLAND – Since June 18, the Worland Volunteer Fire Department has answered 33 fire calls in the city and county, with 10 since July 1. During the supervision of a controlled fireworks area in Worland, the department put out 20-30 small fires, started by fireworks. “The [Worland] gravel pits are now off limits for fireworks, as well as BLM (Bureau of Land Management) lands and in city limits,” noted Fire Chief Chris Kocher. “If people want to set off unused fireworks on private land, I highly suggest they find a brush-free area, and have wa...
THERMOPOLIS – Five veterans from the Wyoming Pioneer Home in Thermopolis took a flight in a 1940s Boeing Stearman on Saturday, courtesy of the Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation, a non-profit organization established and dedicated to honoring seniors and United States military veterans. "The Stearman is the kind of plane they would have used as a trainer during the war," noted Hot Springs Airport Manager Nate Messenger. Messenger first met Mark and Diane Winterboer, founders of Ageless A...
WORLAND — A Worland man was shot and injured during an altercation with Washakie County law enforcement officers late Sunday evening in Worland, at approximately 11:03 p.m., at a residence on Obie Sue Avenue. According to a preliminary investigation, with information provided by the Washakie County Attorney’s Office, members of the Worland Police Department and Washakie County Sheriff’s Office responded to a disturbance call at approximately 11 p.m. After family members informed the officers that the suspect was inside the residence, offic...
WORLAND — Washakie County Commissioners met Tuesday to review budget requests for 2017-2018 from all county agencies, and will meet again today to consider new liquor regulations, and further review of the budget. With a final 2016-2017 budget of $9,931,810 and revenues totaling $5,547,023.70, the proposed budgets for the county for 2017-2018 come in at $9,116,364, with anticipated revenue of $4,459,598. Agencies reporting to the commissioners on Tuesday included the Fair Board, which is requesting $65,000 from the county to add to their p...
WORLAND – According to Washakie County Emergency Management Coordinator Jeff Schweighart, the county has an animal emergency response plan already in place, even though there is a state effort to enhance readiness through the Western Area Livestock and Agriculture and Risk Mitigation (WALARM) program. Agriculture and emergency response personnel gathered together June 2-3 to get a better understanding of disaster scenarios that could strike the area, including multiple fires, contamination, railway derailments of chemicals, multiple transport a...
TEN SLEEP – The Ten Sleep Town Council voted final approval of the town’s 2017-18 budget at the June council meeting on Tuesday, and announced that the long-awaited sewer project will begin next week, with no disruption of services expected. The council voted in May to amend the town’s current sewer ordinance, ahead of a scheduled upgrade to the municipal sewer system. In 2016, the town voted to raise sewer rates an additional $2 per user, to qualify for a United States Department of Agriculture loan to replace outdated sewer lines and upgra...
WORLAND – County, city and state officials met with the Washakie county commission on Tuesday, to get clarification for inclusion in the states’ ENDOW assessment program, facilitated by the state business council. In attendance were Representative Mike Greear, Worland Mayor Jim Gill, Commissioners Terry Wolf and Aaron Anderson and Washakie Development Association Director LeAnn Baker. Representatives from Ten Sleep and Commissioner Fred Frandson were absent. Joining by phone, Sarah Fitzgerald with the Wyoming Business Council outlined how the...
WORLAND – Agriculture and emergency response personnel gathered together Friday and Saturday to get a better understanding of disaster scenarios that could strike the area, including multiple fires, contamination, railway derailments of chemicals, multiple transport accidents, and animal disease evacuation and quarantine measures. Sponsored by the Washakie County Extension Office, Ag Disaster Training, led by Natrona County educator Scott Cotton, Fremont County educator Chance Marshall and Washakie County educator Caitlyn Youngquist, f...
WASHAKIE COUNTY, Wyoming – On June 1, Washakie County Sheriff Steve Rakness adjusted his utility belt and scanned the developing storm clouds to the south, as 20 volunteers and deputies donned their packs and tightened their boot laces, overlooking the vast expanse of the Honeycombs wilderness study area, a 21,000-acre sandstone landmark in Northern Wyoming, pocked with caves and radiating the afternoon heat into a gumbo of caliche dust and sage pollen. "Alright, listen up," said Rakness, as t...
WORLAND – "If you find me alone leave me alone, if you find me dead call ... [telephone number ]" It's unclear why Patrick Michael Combs of Inkom, Idaho, would have such a cryptic message tattooed on his body. An Air Force veteran and beekeeper born on Sept. 21, 1977, and the owner of Mountain Sweeties Apiary with wife Calynn, Combs was last seen in Inkom on Oct. 22, 2015. Driving a 2003 white Mazda pickup with a camper shell, and wearing work clothes and boots, no one knows what became of C...
WORLAND – A Colorado felon wanted on multiple drug charges escaped from local law enforcement officials on May 22, was caught in Hot Springs County and is awaiting extradition to Colorado. On the evening of May 22, at approximately 9:05 p.m., county officers attempted to arrest Kerr on a Colorado warrant for contempt of court and drug activity, when the fugitive escaped on foot and swam across a canal along West River Road and disappeared. After being observed by county law enforcement through the use of night vision devices, Kerr was not s...
WORLAND – It was in the trenches of France, on October 8, 1918, when 23-year-old Washakie County soldier Floyd Minch fell on the battlefield at Verdun during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War I. He would become the first Washakie County casualty of the war. On Monday, among over 800 flags adorning the graves of local servicemen, American Legion Floyd Minch Post 44 in Worland commemorated Memorial Day with observances at the Riverview Memorial Gardens Cemetery and Ten Sleep Cemetery. At t...
WORLAND – American Legion Post 44 in Worland will be commemorating Memorial Day with observances at the Riverview Memorial Gardens Cemetery and Ten Sleep Cemetery Monday, with a brunch at the American Legion hall in between ceremonies. Starting at 11 a.m. at the Riverview Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Worland, Legion Honor Guard will hold an observance for fallen servicemen at the Arch in Memory of Valiant. The ceremony will include an invocation by Reverend Edward Farmer, a wreath laying, a pres...
WORLAND – Three Worland High School students, specializing in auto mechanics, swept the first, second and third places in their division at the State SkillsUSA Competition in April, with one student garnering a spot at the national competition in June. Under the leadership of auto mechanics teacher Mike Sapp and welding instructor Casey Lewis, senior Israel “Izzy” Vega placed third, senior Gavin Weyrich placed second, and junior Tanner Allen placed first in automotive skills at the state contest in Casper April 24-26, qualifying to trave...
TEN SLEEP - On the night of April 2, 1909, seven Ten Sleep area ranchers bushwhacked a sheep camp near Spring Creek, south of the town of Ten Sleep, killing three men and an untold number of sheep. It was to be the last altercation in the West's "sheep versus cattle" wars. The ensuing trial of the raiders rivaled any modern drama, and for years after, stories were told of the "Spring Creek Raid," books were written on the event, and eventually, a state historic marker was placed at the location...
WORLAND – A Colorado felon wanted on multiple drug charges escaped from local law enforcement officials Monday night, swimming across a canal near Highway 433/West River Road, and evading police well into Tuesday when the Washakie County Sheriff's Office issued a fugitive notice for Michael Patrick Kerr. On the evening of May 22, at approximately 9:05 p.m., county officers attempted to arrest Kerr on a Colorado warrant for contempt of court and drug activity, when the fugitive escaped on f...
WORLAND – The Big Horn Basin received a steady amount of precipitation over the weekend, resulting in up to an inch of rain in the high lands, to .73 in Worland. According to the National Weather Service Hydrologic Service in Riverton, area rivers and lakes were not immediately affected, although runoff will continue for the next week. Washakie County Emergency Management Director Jeff Schweigert warns that the main runoff is forecast to happen around the first and second week in June, as temperatures rise in the higher elevations. “Any add...
WORLAND — Washakie County Commissioners made an afternoon trip to the Washakie County Fairgrounds on Tuesday to review the facilities ahead of the 2017 county fair, and meet with 4-H council members to discuss physical aspects of the fair and ownership of storage and concessions space. Although the fair board schedules and plans the county fair, the county commission is in charge of the property and any improvements or changes to the facilities. 4-H and other community organizations run concessions and present goods and services in the fair b...
TEN SLEEP – Just how does a northern Wyoming town of 260 prepare for a once-in-a-lifetime event, which could potentially draw thousands of visitors to the area? Will there be enough ice? Should the city supply restrooms and emergency medical care? What do you do with travelers that get lost or break down? For a town with only one Automatic Teller Machine, no in-town police force and an all-volunteer fire department, it’s a lot to think about. On Wednesday, a dozen residents and business owners gathered at the town’s senior center to brain...
WORLAND – On the way to the Special Olympic Wyoming Summer Games in Laramie on May 18, the “Flame of Hope” will pass through Worland on Saturday. Part of the Wyoming Law Enforcement Torch Run, Washakie County law enforcement will participate in their portion of the run beginning at 1 p.m. at the Washakie Museum, and concluding at the Washakie County Sheriff’s Office. A barbecue is scheduled to follow the ceremony. Members of the Highway Patrol Worland Division, Washakie County Sheriff’s Office and Worland Police Department will be in attendanc...
WORLAND – “The traditional pot theory is antiquated,” said Ben Cort during a presentation on the effects of marijuana legalization in Worland on Friday. “If we apply the construct that marijuana is just the same old plant we’ve identified with since the 1970s, then we are missing the point of the conversation. Big Marijuana is here. It’s a business.” Cort, a spokesman for Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), director of professional relations at the Center for Dependency, Addiction and Rehabilitation in Denver, and the author of “Weed, Inc.:...
TEN SLEEP – The Ten Sleep Town Council voted Wednesday to amend the town’s current sewer ordinance, ahead of a scheduled upgrade to the municipal sewer system. In 2016, the town voted to raise sewer rates an additional $2 per user, to qualify for a United States Department of Agriculture loan to replace outdated sewer lines and upgrade the town’s lagoon. According to Ordinance 203-2017, the town revised rates for 2017 and added an index for industrial users. The monthly rates under the ordinance are $25 per residential user, $30 for busin...
WORLAND – Eighth-grade students from Worland Middle School and Ten Sleep School converged on the campus of the Worland Community Center on Wednesday to participate in the Life R U Ready program, to hear from multiple agencies and learn the consequences of risky behaviors later in life. Advisors from multiple agencies including the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Worland Fire Department, Cloud Peak Counseling and the Bureau of Land Management were on hand to lead students through presentations on l...