Proudly Serving the Hulet and Devils Tower Community
Proudly Serving the Hulet and Devils Tower Community
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U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis and all members of the Senate Western Caucus on which she serves as chairman, as well as U.S. Senator John Barrasso, voted to override President Joe Biden’s veto of the resolution that questioned the listing of the northern long-eared bat as an endangered species. In total, 47 senators voted for and 45 against, failing to meet the two-thirds majority required to overturn the veto. “The Biden administration’s heavy-handed interpretations and ongoing abuse of the ESA continues to punish private property owners rathe...
Rare Element Resources (RER) is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony and open house on Monday for its planned separation and extraction demonstration plant in Upton. Construction is expected to begin at the plant before the end of the year. The event is a celebration of progress towards the eventual goal of constructing a full-scale separation plant using the company’s proprietary extraction technology, which it says is environmentally friendly and can successfully produce pure oxides that are more than 99.5% pure. The open house will also i...
Early Head Start is expanding in Crook County and looking for moms and dads who would be interested in some extra support during their little one’s first years. The program is provided through Wyoming Child and Family Development Inc, a nationally recognized program partnering with parents that is free of charge for pregnant women and children up to three years of age. It involves a weekly home visit focused on the child with the aim of promoting the parents’ ability to support their development. All children are welcome, including those wit...
If you would like to be able to apply pesticides to your property, Crook County Weed & Pest encourages you to attend this fall’s local Private Pesticide Applicator Program class, hosted by UW Extension. The class will be held from noon to 4 p.m. on November 13 in the community room of the Crook County Courthouse. It is tailored for people who want to be able to apply or supervise the application of restricted use pesticides on their own or leased properties, or to do so for other people for no charge or as an exchange of services (in other word...
Crook County School District (CCSD) continues to fare well in meeting the state's performance expectations, including across-the-board proficiency results assessment that are higher than the average for the state in this year's WY-TOPP assessments. At the elementary and middle school level, Sundance Elementary and Moorcroft Elementary are both exceeding expectations this year, according to the latest Wyoming Department of Education data. Hulett School is meeting expectations. All three schools...
Hunting seasons this fall may be negatively affected by poor deer numbers, according to Sundance Game Warden Nate Holst, but elk and turkeys are doing just fine and should make for plentiful harvest opportunities. Deer The deer population in this county was hit by an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) a couple of years ago, which affected both white-tailed deer and pronghorn antelope. Cases were identified across the east of the state, including in Crook County, in 2021. EHD is not unusual in Wyoming; in fact, wildlife managers...
A well-known style of scam in which a person claims to be a member of law enforcement and demands money for an outstanding fine or warrant is reported to have now taken place in Crook County. According to the Crook County Sheriff’s Office, a series of scam calls have been made recently to residents of the county. The call involves a male voice on the phone who claims he is Sheriff Jeff Hodge, badge number 387, and is calling about you having warrants, needing to come in and provide DNA sample or pay fines. The call ends with the statement t...
In the light of recent cost-of-living increases and a nationwide period of high inflation, Crook County Medical Services District is seeking new ways to increase its liquidity. The Board of Trustees recently approved a rate increase for services and, last week, listened to a presentation from a local government investment pool called Wyoming CLASS. The name stands for “Wyoming Cooperative Liquid Assets Securities System”, a program organized in 2020 to provide public entities in this state with a competitive investment alternative. Par...
Newly announced congressional candidate Reid Rasner will be visiting Sundance during his weekly “town hall meetings” tour of Wyoming next month. Rasner will be present between 10 and 11 a.m. at the Crook County Library on September 16. The meetings are intended to kick off Rasner’s “We the People” tour as he campaigns to win U.S. Senator John Barrasso’s seat in 2024. Rasner describes himself as a proud fourth-generation Wyomingite. He has a diploma from Natrona County High School and a degree from the University of Wyoming and is now a wealt...
Your annual opportunity to rid your home of difficult-to-dispose-of electronics is coming up in a couple of weeks. Crook County Natural Resource District (CCNRD) will be offering this year’s e-cycling events on September 9 and, as always, the first 100 lbs will be free. Properly e-cycling your electronics protects your own digital safety as well as groundwater and the environment. CCNRD utilizes ProTech Computing of Gillette to collect and transport items to MeTech Recycling in Denver, an R2-certified facility. At that point, the electronics a...
Fresh off the road from the West Coast, newly appointed County Fire Warden Charlie Harrison might be new to the area, but he's certainly not new to firefighting. He has, in fact, been fighting fire since he was an Explorer Scout at the tender age of 14. "I spent 36 years in the retirement system but I had been a volunteer before I became a paid guy," Harrison says. Retirement didn't stick – after a three-year vacation, Harrison found himself looking for a new challenge. "You know, there's a l...
It’s been many years since even a mile of extra road was added to the county’s maintenance list – and that’s not about to change any time soon. Unable to fund any road work above what the Road & Bridge Department currently performs, the county commissioners intend to stay the course when it comes to requests from the public for additional maintenance. The commissioners made their position clear during a conversation with landowners who live off Old Sundance Road in the area where it meets Beaver Creek Road. Spokesperson Eric Akola explain...
The commissioners last week decided to compensate a couple for the loss of their calf after it was spooked by a county vehicle and died of its injuries from running into the side of the truck. Laramie and Cheyenne Seymour approached the commission to request advice on dealing with the county’s insurers, the Local Government Liability Pool (LGLP). According to Laramie, the couple has not been successful in requesting that LGLP cover the cost of the loss, which is estimated at around $1500. Laramie explained that the pair had spoken with v...
The murder case involving the untimely death of Ed Svoboda’s wife is now heading towards sentencing after his change of plea to “no contest” was entered into the official record on Wednesday. However, while the court has recorded Svoboda’s plea agreement, District Judge James Michael Causey did so while reserving the right to accept or reject it at the sentencing hearing, which will take place after a pre-sentence investigation is complete. 73-year-old Svoboda’s change of plea hearing took place on Wednesday, having been originally scheduled...
Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) has officially launched its new foundation – an internal fundraising arm dedicated to serving the needs of the district and its patients. “For quite some time, CCMSD has not had a direct charitable foundation,” states a press release from the Board of Trustees. “A foundation has been created and forms have been filed with the State of Wyoming, Internal Revenue Service granting the Foundation 501(c)(3) status.” Dubbed Crook County Medical Services District Foundation, Inc, it is intended to be the...
To the theme of “A Brand of Its Own”, this year’s Crook County Fair will officially kick off next week, bringing all the events and entertainments it has long been known for. Entertainment Begin fair week on July 25 with the ice cream social at 3:45 p.m. The next evening will bring a 4-H/FFS volleyball tournament, while the Muley Fanatics Family Fun Night is scheduled for July 27 at 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuck into a pancake breakfast cooked by your elected officials at 7 a.m. on July 28. That evening, a youth dance will take place at the rodeo...
Ed Svoboda has pleaded “no contest” to aggravated homicide by vehicle, one of three murder charges that were leveled against him following the untimely death of his wife, Kathleen. Svoboda initially pleaded not guilty by reason of mental illness to charges of murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree and aggravated homicide by vehicle. Svoboda was arrested on September 5, 2021 after the Crook County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports that he had driven a truck into his back yard and struck his wife, Kathleen. She was prono...
Crook County Weed & Pest invites the public to find out more about an invasive grass that has been found growing within county borders and is known to be capable of negatively impacting pasture and rangelands. A ventenata field tour will take place on July 18 near Rozet and the district is hoping to attract as many participants as possible to learn more about the grass and how to combat its spread. “This would be a great time to ask specialist questions,” says Alycia Conroy-Davis, District Supervisor. Ventenata is not native to North Ame...
Residents of Aladdin have been without water since before the weekend. Because the State of Wyoming owns the affected water tank, it’s unclear at this time how the issue might be solved. The problem began with a single affected home on Wednesday, but had become a district-wide disaster by Thursday morning. “We discovered one of the residents here was out of water and then gradually everyone lost water,” says Wendy Tope, Vice President of the district. On Thursday morning, an electrician came out to inspect the well. “They said that the pump is...
Though the Crook County Weed & Pest District budget is not yet finalized for the year ahead, it’s looking likely that it will include some extra assistance for landowners who are dealing with grasshopper problems this summer. Alycia Conroy-Davis, District Supervisor, presented the most recent draft of the district’s annual general budget to the Crook County Commissioners on Monday. She explained that the grasshoppers are so bad in some areas that the Crook County Weed & Pest Board has decided to cut down funding for less-used programs in ord...
Five kids are representing Crook County in rodeo this summer, with three of them set to compete during the seven days of the 75th National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) in Gillette. Two meanwhile qualified for the week-long National Junior High Finals Rodeo (NJHFR) at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, GA. High School Standings for the NHSFR are calculated using the points accumulated during each competitor’s top 12 rodeos throughout the season. In individual events, the top four qualify for the national finals. This year, Chaz D...
A man currently serving up to ten years in the Wyoming State Penitentiary after pleading guilty to burglary and theft in Weston County is now facing similar charges in Crook County. According to court documents, Donald Jenerou stole items in both Hulett and Moorcroft in October, 2021. On October 14, 2021, an officer of Moorcroft Police Department took a report of a burglary at the Converse Carwash and Laundromat in which $4500 in cash, computer hard drives (including from a security system), keys and cameras were taken. The officer contacted...
This weekend, watch out for your annual treasure-hunting opportunity, with destinations throughout the county joining together for one giant yard sale. Look for a bargain, find the perfect gift or simply browse until something strikes your fancy. The Junkin’ vendors will be spread around the county, with stops available in and around all four municipalities. Garage and yard sales are a summer staple, but are generally not an organized event. Hoping to boost every vendor’s success while making things easier for bargain hunters, Crook County’s lo...
The impacts of rapid inflation – and the need to fix a situation in which it actually costs Crook County Medical Services District money to see patients in the clinics – has led the Board of Trustees to consider an increase across the board in its charges. The board considered a proposed annual budget that had been prepared by Zoe Elyada, GL Accountant, at Wednesday’s monthly meeting. “We clearly need to go in and make some changes before the final budget is given to you, but from our standpoint, I need to know what you guys are willing...
The latest figures from the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services shows that Crook County enjoyed an employment bump last year. The county saw a 4.5% increase in employment between the end of 2021 and the fourth quarter of 2022, which equals 112 more jobs. Of those, 102 were in private industries. Payroll also headed in an upwards direction, increasing by over $2 million, or 6.4%, between the end of 2021 and the fourth quarter of 2022, bringing total wages in the county to $34,223,596. The average weekly wage in Crook County increased by...
