Proudly Serving the Hulet and Devils Tower Community
Proudly Serving the Hulet and Devils Tower Community
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Two local men died during a search and rescue effort at Keyhole State Park that began on Thursday and continued until dusk on Sunday. The Crook County Sheriff’s Office received a call on December 15 at around 9:10 p.m. that a male subject had fallen through the ice while driving his UTV on the reservoir. Dispatch spoke to the subject on the phone, who said he had made it out of the water and was lying on the ice. Pine Haven Fire and EMS were paged and arrived at approximately the same time as three local citizens, who drove a UTV onto the i...
The Audubon Christmas Bird Count is a widespread effort in which an estimated 80,000 volunteers in more than 2600 locations across the U.S., Canada, Caribbean and Latin America will track the health of bird populations at a scale that scientists could not accomplish alone. Crook County is among the locations where volunteers can help gather valuable data about such things as number of bird species and numbers of each species within set geographic areas on an early winter day. Birders of all ages are invited to contribute to the nationwide...
Powder River Energy has announced that it will be issuing almost $20 million in capital credit retirements this year. The cooperative describes these credits as one of the major benefits of being a member and say they reflect one of the seven principles of a cooperative: member economic participation. Each year, all revenue that has been received in excess of the expenses for that year is allocated to members as a capital contribution based on their power purchased. The unretired amount in a member’s capital credit account represents the v...
The board of trustees for Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) has officially moved to replace its electronic medical records system (EMR), which has been causing serious issues with cash flow and is deeply unpopular with staff. The board met in special session on Friday to discuss the potential contract. The majority of the meeting was spent in executive session to allow board attorney Kara Ellsbury to provide legal advice on the terms of the contract and any other legal issues associated with it. Following the executive session,...
Search and rescue crews from the Crook County Sheriff's Office continue to search for two men who were reported missing last night at Keyhole State Park. The Sheriff's Office received a call on December 15 at around 9:10 p.m. that a male subject had fallen through the ice while driving his UTV on the reservoir. Dispatch spoke to the subject on the phone, who said he had made it out of the water and was lying on the ice. Pine Haven Fire and EMS were paged and arrived at approximately the same time as three local citizens, who drove a UTV onto...
When Cindi and Brandon Baudhuin asked for help to create a unique hunting experience for a 13-year-old boy who is battling a form of bone and soft tissue cancer, a group of local outdoorsmen did not hesitate to answer the call. As it turned out, fate was also listening in. Thanks to a series of coincidences, the passionate young hunter was able to take his first lion right here in Crook County. Oconto River Kids The Baudhuins volunteer with Oconto River Kids, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit with...
Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) is introducing a new program that it hopes will encourage staff members to progress their own careers – and simultaneously offer an opportunity to people who may be interested in the medical field but are either unable to afford the education required or cannot justify leaving a current job to go back to school. “It’s our belief that the best way to staff our facilities is from within,” said board chairman Mark Erickson at last week’s meeting, explaining the program to incoming board member Br...
Continuing the recent tradition of punching above its weight, the small county of Crook can once again boast that both of its legislators hold positions of leadership in the Wyoming State Legislature. During a vote held on Saturday, Senator Ogden Driskill was voted the new President of the Senate, while Representative Chip Neiman will start his second term in office as the House Majority Floor Leader. Senate President As Senate President, Driskill will select committee members, appoint committee chairs and decide which bills are sent to which...
Rare Element Resources announced this week that it has been awarded $4.4 million from the Wyoming Energy Authority (WEA) towards its demonstration plant in Upton. The grant is a cost reimbursement award for future expenditures related to the project, which will see the company test its proprietary extraction technology via a demonstration plant, using ore previously gathered from its proposed mine site in the Bear Lodge to produce commercial grade neodymium/praseodymium high-purity oxide used to produce high-strength permanent magnets. The...
Crook County's own Jennifer Purcell has been honored with the Public Safety Telecommunicator of the Year award from the Wyoming chapter of APCO International. Purcell has worked within the county's dispatch center for seven years, though her experience in the field spans two decades. She was nominated for her pleasant and professional manner with callers and colleagues at all times, no matter what kind of day she is having. In announcing Purcell's award, APCO also recognized her for being...
No changes were made to the results released on election night after the Crook County Canvass Board came together for its post-election audit on Thursday. Though several races came down to the wire, only one was close enough to meet the criteria to trigger an automatic recount. Meanwhile, two potential candidates were identified via write-ins for seats where no name appeared on the ballot. Recount The only race that came close enough to require a recount was the Hulett trustee race for Crook Cou...
Crook County’s thoughts on the two constitutional amendments that appeared on last week’s ballot were broadly reflected by voters across the state. Like local voters, Wyoming as a whole supported the idea of allowing towns invest money in stocks, but did not support increasing the retirement age for judges. A total of 1270 people in Crook County voted for increasing the retirement age, while 1923 people voted against. No county in the state voted for the amendment, with the totals ending up as 74,633 people who believed judges should be abl...
The Crook County Medical Foundation presented portable AED defibrillators to representatives from the county's volunteer firefighter departments last week. The foundation purchased the AEDs after hearing there was a need for them on the trucks, said member Judy Hutchinson. Portable AEDs can be used to revive a person after a sudden cardiac arrest. Firefighters are regularly called to the scene of vehicle accidents and other emergencies during which having such a piece of equipment available...
Crook County Natural Resource District has teamed up with Keyhole State Park to purchase and install signage that will educate the public about the dangers of harmful cyanotoxins caused by cyanobacteria algae blooms. The signs were delivered to the park's superintendent, Greg Deveraux, last week – a timely moment to install them, as it turns out, because the bloom advisory changed to a toxin advisory on October 27. According to the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, advisories are i...
A portion of the trails in the Bearlodge that are popularly used by recreationists during the snowy months of the year will be closed this winter due to a timber stand improvement project. The U.S. Forest Service has announced that certain trails north and west of Warren Peak will be closed to snowmobiles to make way for the Woods Timber Stand Improvement project, which will involve thinning of certain pine stands to improve the growth of the remaining trees, diversify habitat and reduce fire...
The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) is warning that this year’s flu season could be an active one. After a couple of years of much less flu than usual, the contagious virus is expected to be back in full circulation this winter. “Largely due to widespread personal precautions related to COVID-19, reported flu activity was unusually low over the past two flu seasons in Wyoming and across the country. There are indications that may not be the case again,” said Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer. “Unfortunately, we may be back to normal...
Historically speaking, political parties tend to support their winning candidates from a primary election as they move forward to the general. Not this time, though, according to Senator Ogden Driskill, who is accusing the central committee for the Crook County Republican Party of going against its own bylaws in an effort to tacitly support his write-in opponent. At this time, the central committee has not officially endorsed anyone for Senate District 1. Driskill, however, argues that the party’s failure to support his candidacy is de facto s...
Numerous seats will be filled on the county’s various boards at November’s general election. While many seats are uncontested, two boards in particular will see high levels of competition. To assist voters in making their choice for these contested positions, we asked every candidate for Crook County School District and Crook County Medical Services District to provide a brief bio and answer the question: what was the driving force behind your decision to run for this seat? Hospital Board: At Large (2 seats) Brent Fowler My name is Brent Fow...
Fire restrictions are no longer in place across Crook County. As of Saturday, Fire Warden Doug Leis and the Crook County Commissioners have rescinded the open burn restrictions that have been in place for the last several months. Crook County Fire continues to warn residents that caution is necessary when doing outdoor building and it remains each individual’s responsibility to make sure a fire doesn’t get away from them and make sure to monitor any fire that’s started carefully. Individuals can still be held liable for damages and suppr...
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced that an open house public meeting will take place on November 2 in Lusk to solicit early public involvement in the revision of the Newcastle Resource Management Plan (RMP). This process will ultimately create an updated version of the document that defines how the BLM approaches management of everything from livestock grazing and fire management to air quality and minerals on the lands it governs within northeast Wyoming. It’s the first time since 1999 that the Resource Management Plan (RMP) for...
Crook County's two new game wardens introduced themselves to the county commissioners last week and provided information on the rights of citizens if they find themselves face to face with a dangerous predator. Nate Holst has joined the Wyoming Game & Fish department (WGF) as the Sundance Game Warden, while Mitchell Kern will be his counterpart in Moorcroft. The two men asked to be added to October's agenda after receiving a letter from the commission requesting a more proactive approach to...
A matter of weeks after approving new regulations that give the county a say in the large development projects going on around the county, the Crook County Commissioners heard last week 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. The conversation cropped up when local landowner Jim Geis approached the commission to request...
According to this year’s accountability scores, all of Crook County’s schools are at least partially meeting the state’s expectations and have not seen a significant drop in performance scores, despite the disruptions caused by COVID-19. Accountability measures have not been determined since the 2018-19 school year, a two-year pause caused by the pandemic. The Wyoming Department of Education reports that half of traditional schools in this state were able to maintain their level of school performance and 20% actually increased their ratin...
Much can change between now and March 20. However, if the case continues to progress along its current schedule, Crook County native Ed Svoboda is expected to stand trial for murder in the first degree on that date. Svoboda has pled not guilty to the charge by reason of mental illness. An August, 2022 date was originally set for his trial, which has experienced delays due to the necessity for an examination of his mental condition at the Wyoming State Hospital. Svoboda has been charged with murder in the first degree following an incident on...
Rare Element Resources (RER) announced this week that its demonstration plant project is advancing towards final detailed engineering while the location for the plant in Upton is prepared for construction. According to a statement from the company, the project has just passed the 60% design milestone and the final detailed engineering is scheduled for completion this year. Permitting and licensing activities are underway, while equipment and services with a long lead time are being made now in order to minimize the effects of inflation and...
