Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
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After over eight years with the University of Wyoming Extension Office, Caitlin Youngquist has left her position as an agriculture and horticulture educator. Youngquist worked for most of her career with the Extension Office in the Northwest area, consisting of Park, Big Horn, Washakie and Hot Spring counties. Associate Director of the University of Wyoming Extension Office Bridger Feuz said, “Caitlin offered a broad spectrum of programming in both agriculture and horticulture with special emphasis on soil health and management. University o...
Rattlesnake Ridge, a band comprised of Worland residents, will provide the opening entertainment Saturday night at the Washakie County Fair ahead of an incredible special guest from Nashville, Tennessee: country singer/songwriter Deana Carter. Carter on behalf of her and her team said, “We’re so excited to see you guys, we’re gonna have a big time in a beautiful place. Come ready to have fun and sing your heart out.” Over the course of her music career, she’s grown accustomed to playing for stadiums and arenas – a far cry from the Grass Stage o...
The budget hearing of the Washakie County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees on July 19 was brief, but the general fund amount of $3,614,275 was announced and adopted by the board. The school’s business administrator Rachel Casteel prefaced this number by saying that all numbers discussed in the meeting were still preliminary and subject to change. Superintendent Annie Griffin said, “We will have further conversations in August when more information is available.” Recreational funds were announced to be $37,000, for the purpose of maint...
Pretty Punchy, a country-western band comprised of brother and sister Levi and Jess Klemm, will take the stage at the Washakie County Fair on July 27 at 8 p.m. The pair plays acoustic guitar and sing, usually alternating on who gets to take lead every other song. Levi said you can expect from them smooth harmonies from 1970s, '80s and even '90s country-western songs that many will know, as well as some lesser known ones. He added, "We have a handful of our songs that we'll perform, but mainly...
The Washakie County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees approved the fiscal year 2023-2024 budget at the regular monthly meeting Monday. Chief Operations Officer Charlie Cauffman shared that the total appropriations for the district for the period of July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 would be $46,544,293. The funds are categorized as follows: General Fund: $24,535,000 Special Revenue (Grant) Fund: $4,181,000 Major Maintenance Fund: $3,354,988 Capital Construction Fund: $4,499,867 Debt Service Fund: $2,192,683 Recreation District Fund: $648,002...
Worland had its first farmers market of the year on July 8, with offerings including a free pancake breakfast and products for sale from local growers and artisans. Many Worland natives came out to partake in the market, as did several visitors. One such visitor was none other than U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyoming). He was treated to a pancake and sausage links and then spoke with the public. In between mingling, he paused for a brief interview with the Northern Wyoming News. He said that...
Most notable of the events of the June 27 meeting of the Washakie Medical Center Board of Trustees was the introduction of a new board member who stepped in to fill the vacancy left by Kurt Johnson when he moved away. Jacquelyn Dennis, assistant curator at the Washakie Museum & Cultural Center, was selected by the Washakie County Commissioners as the newest member of the hospital board. She graduated from the University of Montana in 2021 and relocated to Worland in 2022 with her husband Connor Dennis, who works as a music educator for...
A highlight of the June 26 meeting of the Washakie County School Board No. 1 Board of Trustees was the hiring of coaching staff for the spring season of the 2023-2024 school year. Tracey Wiley was rehired as the head coach for high school outdoor track. Rob Woffinden, Tammy Montoya, Ryan Utterback and Amber Tibbits were rehired as assistant coaches for high school outdoor track. Ron Overcast was rehired as the head coach for high school boys soccer. Zach Lempka was rehired as assistant coach for high school boys soccer. Jesus Davila was...
Although summer is upon us, the communications between Worland law enforcement and school staff are as strong as ever. According to a statement made jointly by the Washakie County Sheriff’s Office and Worland Police Department, shortly after 10 a.m. on June 7, a 22-year-old male subject placed on a Title 25 hold was being treated at The Lighthouse, a residential mental health facility in Worland, and left the facility on foot after making threats of harming himself. (A Title 25 hold is defined by the Wyoming Department of Health as an e...
Seven Worland High School students competed at the National Speech and Debate competition June 11-16 in Phoenix, Arizona. Tessa Barnhill and Lucy Martinson competed together on a World Schools team, Lexani Damiano and Chase Johnson competed in cross-examination debate, Myles Lass competed in extemporaneous debate, Justice Nelson competed in original oratory and Jorden Valli competed in pro/con debate. They were chaperoned by assistant coach Emily Myers and head coach Rick Dorn during the trip....
Andrea Cooley, a fourth grade teacher at West Side Elementary, was selected by the Washakie County School District No. 1 Board as the 2023 Master Teacher Award winner and was presented the award at the May 22 board meeting. "It's such an honor to be acknowledged," said Cooley. This award is given annually by the school board to recognize a teacher within the district that has gone beyond their calling as an educator. Through her 12-year career in Worland, Cooley has shown continued dedication...
Looking back over his time spent teaching and administrating in Washakie County School District No. 1, Randy Durr said, "It's gone fast, it's just incredible how quick that's gone." In November 2022, Durr declared that he would be retiring from his position at Worland High School. His retirement was approved to be granted effective the end of the contract year, in the summer of 2023. Rather than retire, however, he has accepted the role of Superintendent of the school district in Harlowton,...
Banner Washakie Medical Center CEO Jay Stallings shared at the May 23 meeting of the Board of Trustees that the week of May 15 was a national celebration for both hospitals and nurses. Washakie Medical Center held events and honored individuals to show support to their health care workers. Awards and their winners were: Contribution to Patients – Rosanne De La Rosa Nurse Leadership – Brandy Kottman Contribution to Profession – Keith Van Brunt Contribution to Society – Shelly Ramos Friend of Nursing – Jen Buckman De La Rosa was also recognize...
Ten Sleep graduating senior Eli Mitchell won first place in architectural drafting at the Wyoming SkillsUSA competition in April. Mitchell was a part of a five-member team that competed for Ten Sleep under the direction of career technical education teacher Jason Thoren. The team competed in Casper April 24- 26 at the Wyoming SkillsUSA Competition, an event with more than 700 competitors and over 50 categories held to test the abilities of vocational students from across the state. The...
There was no shortage of award-winners or recognitions at the May 22 meeting of the Washakie County School District No. 1 board of trustees. The meeting began by recognizing Paul Ramos as the recipient of the Bell Ringer Award. This award is given annually to a person who gives outstanding contributions to the district behind the scenes. Ramos, who was the keynote speaker of the 2021 graduation ceremony, never hesitates to try and make a difference in the lives of students at the high school. Soon after, West Side teacher Andrea Cooley was...
Discussion of policy regarding public comment was a prominent feature of the lengthy Hot Springs County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees meeting on May 18. During the segment on policy revision, board Trustee Clay Van Antwerp suggested a change to Policy BEDH – Public Participation at Board Meetings. One change would come at the end of the statement “Speakers will be recognized by the chairman of the board and may make objective comments on school operations and programs.” Antwerp suggested adding the phrase “listed on the current...
A partnership between Brian Aagard's SkillsUSA team and Bryan Barthelmess of McGarvin-Moberly has resulted in mutual benefit; McGarvin-Moberly has received two brand new signs, and Aagard's team will receive a donation toward their SkillsUSA program. Aagard said, "The money that is going to be donated is going into our SkillsUSA club account to help fund our program going forward. If we get to go to nationals, it will help so that the student that qualifies won't have to foot the cost of...
Worland High School seniors will don their caps and gowns and walk down the track this Sunday as they celebrate their graduation ceremony at Warrior Stadium. WHS Principal Wade Sanford said, “This class has been strong academically and they have had success in all areas. They have seen success certainly with the boys and girls soccer teams, they are both doing very well; they’ve been a terrific group in activities such as FFA, All-State music, SkillsUSA and more. It’s a group of kids that have both participated and performed very well wheth...
With the theme of this year's Better Hearing and Speech Month being "Building a Strong Foundation," Washakie County School District No. 1 Speech Language Pathologist Sally Hamer is doing exactly that by implementing Alternative Augmentative Communication boards at playgrounds. Hamer, with the district's Educational Resource Center, announced that boards were installed at the playgrounds of all three of Worland's elementary schools that would benefit students with difficulties communicating...
Washakie County School District No. 2 Superintendent Annie Griffin assured that as the district transitions their students into a new school, safety is not only a priority but a key feature of the design of the school. The list of safety features begins with the vestibules that will be present at both main entrances of the school. Griffin said, “Both the downstairs and upstairs entrances will be a buzz-in entrance, so someone will have to let you in once you’re inside the vestibule. The upstairs door will be manned by the administrative ass...
In the early afternoon of May 4, Washakie Medical Center staff quickly gathered in the facility's cafeteria to honor two individuals selected as recipients of annual awards given to outstanding employees of the hospital. Chief Financial Officer Jennifer McMillan began the brief ceremony by announcing Environmental Services Manager Landon Wood as the Leader of the Year. She said, "He is innovative and dedicated to pushing his team to a greater level of service every day, and he finds ways to...
In her 23rd year at Washakie County School District No. 1, Kim Sanford was recognized as the Director of the Year 2022 by the Wyoming Association of Special Education Administrators. Sanford was chosen for the award by a majority vote from fellow special education directors from across the state. She said, "I definitely was excited to get the award; I wasn't expecting that at the state level. I definitely feel appreciative of that, and I had a lot of my fellow directors tell me that they...
The 2023 SkillsUSA Wyoming Championship took place from April 24-April 26 in Casper, hosting 891 competitors at the high school and state level from across the state to compete in a competition of vocational prowess. The Worland team, represented by Ethan Dickinson, Nathan Harper, Draven Willard, Tyshon Swalstad, Jaren Fabela, Echo Allen and Hannah Appleby, competed in advanced, intermediate and sculpture welding categories. Coached by first-year coach Brian Aagard, the Worland team managed to...
Jean Skelton, who has been investigating the annual audit report for Hot Springs County School District No. 1, provided an update on her findings last week during the April18 meeting of the school board. Skelton has been specifically interested in the budget violation which was “due to a variance of general vs. instructional support” as noted in the board minutes for the Dec. 15, 2022, meeting. At last Tuesday’s regular board meeting, Skelton reported that this amount of money was wrongly categorized by the district’s auditor during their m...
Hot Springs County High School Principal Catelyn Deromedi introduced the segment on student celebrations at the Hot Springs County School District 1 board meeting April 18, by calling upon Lyle Wiley, who won Speech and Debate Coach of the Year for their district, to name his students that received honors this season. Wiley began by noting Thermopolis’ second-place finish in 2A at the state speech and debate meet this year. He then recognized River Quintanilla as a national speech and debate qualifier, as well as Korina Lea as a first a...