Proudly Serving the Hulet and Devils Tower Community
Proudly Serving the Hulet and Devils Tower Community
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If you will need to travel this winter on roads that may be closed due to weather, the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) is inviting you to sign up for two programs that will allow you to do so. Collectively known as the Wyoming Travel Authorization Program (W-TAP), the Wyoming Authorized Travel and Rolling Closure Authorization programs allow drivers to apply for authorization to travel on sections of closed roadways when the department has deemed it is safe enough. The Wyoming Authorized Travel application is open to all drivers, b...
It will be around three months before the county’s new rules for large subdivisions kick in, but the wording of the regulations ensure that any development started before that time will still have to meet the appropriate standards. The Crook County Commissioners convened in a special meeting last week to discuss the large acreage subdivision regulations, consider the public comments received and ultimately adopt the new rules via resolution. According to that resolution, the commission felt it necessary to create the regulations because the c...
At the request of Commissioner Kelly Dennis – himself acting on behalf of a “concerned citizen” in Hulett – a letter has been sent to the Wyoming Game & Fish Commission to request a new approach to a predator problem in the area. Dennis told his fellow commissioners that there is currently an issue with lions around Hulett, and the concerned citizen on whose behalf he was raising the issue does not feel that the game warden’s approach of “avoid it and it will go away” is sufficient. He requested that the county write and submit a letter asking...
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has begun the long process of revising the document that defines how it 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 this century that the Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the tri-county region of Crook, Weston and Niobrara counties will be revisited. “The last time we went through this process for the Newcastle Field Office was in the 1990s,” says Tyson Finnicum, public affai...
Considering that it was standing room only for a public hearing on the proposed new regulations for large-acre subdivisions within Crook County, there was a surprising lack of resistance to the overall idea of imposing rules. Though many in the audience attended just to listen, a number of people did choose to comment, whether orally or in writing. However, the objections were largely limited to procedural items and none opposed the overall idea of regulations. "This process has been going...
A federal infrastructure bill has partly plugged the funding gap that the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) has been reporting for many years – but the agency is still in a several-hundred million dollar deficit. Scott Taylor, District Engineer for District 4, outlined WYDOT’s funding situation last week during the agency’s annual presentation about upcoming projects and priorities. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), he said, included $91.2 million in extra funds, mostly for surface transportation. This $72.3 milli...
The number of registered voters in Crook County took a significant leap upwards this year, according to the official tallies from August’s primary election. Crook County had 4103 registered voters in total at the 2018 primary, a number that grew only modestly to 4143 by the 2020 general election. This year, on the other hand, 4558 people were registered to vote in the county on election day – an increase of 415 people, or 10%. On election day itself, Crook County gained 205 new voters. Unsurprisingly, the number of ballots that were cast for...
Almost every district-level seat set to appear on the ballot at the upcoming general election will be contested. This November, voters will be asked to make their choices for the school, medical services, natural resource, museum and senior citizen service districts. All district seats are non-partisan. Candidate sign-up closed on Monday. For Crook County School District, four trustee seats will be elected at the general and almost three times that number of candidates have put their names forward. All trustees will serve four-year terms....
With a couple of seats on district boards lacking candidates for the general election, County Clerk Melissa Jones would like to ensure voters are aware that write-ins work differently to the primary election, but are still a valid way to make your choices known. Jones says she was prompted to give voters a reminder after she was asked how many write-in votes a potential board member would need at the general election. “For the museum district, for example, there are only two people running and there are three spots,” she says. The answer, she...
No longer willing to struggle with an electronic medical records (EMR) system that Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) employees have precious little liking for, the district has undertaken an extensive vetting process to replace it. It’s all in the name of patient safety and efficiency, according to Wesley Davis, DNP, who led the EMR selection steering committee. Davis gave a presentation to the board of trustees last week after a ten-month process during which the committee was able to whittle its options down to a single f...
Crook County Natural Resource District is looking for landowners to participate in a new conservation project developed in partnership with its counterpart in Weston County. The aim of the Northeast Wyoming Habitat Improvement Partnership is to, "Enhance and conserve wildlife habitats by addressing conifer encroachment and selectively thinning woodland areas to reduce raptor predation in core sage-grouse areas, to promote quality forage for mule deer, to improve elk habitat and to deter another...
The results of last week’s primary election have been verified and confirmed by the county canvassing board, according to County Clerk Melissa Jones. No recounts were necessary and no issues emerged during the process. “We had no automatic recounts and we had no provisional ballots that we had to go through,” says Jones. “Everything went smoothly for us.” It wasn’t that the primary didn’t have some very close races – the two candidates for Pine Haven’s mayor, for example, received exactly the same number of votes at 113 each. However, for nonp...
The U.S. Forest Service has followed the lead of local counties, cities and state agencies in calling for fire restrictions within the Black Hills National Forest. Black Hills National Forest Supervisor Jeff Tomac has signed a special order BKFfor Stage 1 Fire Restrictions on both the Bearlodge and Hell Canyon Ranger Districts. The restrictions became effective at the end of last week. In a press release, the U.S. Forest Service stated that restrictions are not taken lightly, but are necessary due to dry fuel conditions, persistent fire...
Crook County has joined the call for the U.S. Forest Service to rethink its draft assessments for the revised Black Hills National Forest Plan. A comment letter submitted by the county commissioners touts "significant concerns" with the science used to create the drafts, and with the level of public input solicited so far. "I think we probably have some of the most comprehensive comments that will be submitted," commented Dru Palmer of Dru Consulting, who prepared the 21-page letter on behalf of...
This year’s primary election will take place on August 16 and voter ID will be required for the first time. You will be asked to show an acceptable form of identification when voting in person, which can include a Wyoming driver’s license, a tribal ID card, a valid passport, a DL or ID card from another state, a UW, community college or public school student ID or a valid Medicare or Medicaid insurance card. The polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. If you have not already registered to vote, you may do so at your polling place on ele...
Wyoming Department of Transportation is looking for comments from the public for its 2023 transportation improvement planning document. This document is used to project the construction and other projects that will be undertaken over the next few years, beginning with the next fiscal year for the department, which starts on October 1. It includes everything from highway and bridge projects to airport improvement and transit and is published annually, with updates once per month. According to the draft, next year is expected to see pavement...
A male subject with an active Wyoming warrant was shot and killed by law enforcement on Saturday morning after two shootouts took place on I-90 near Sundance. According to the Crook County Sheriff’s Office, the subject was contacted by a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper on Saturday night at around 10:10 p.m., as he was walking along I-90 near milepost 184. The trooper learned that there was an active warrant for the subject’s arrest. The trooper immediately called for backup from the Crook County Sheriff’s Office and the subject was advis...
It’s time again to scour your home for electronic items you no longer need, but aren’t sure how to dispose of. Crook County Natural Resource District (CCNRD) has announced it will be offering this year’s e-cycling opportunity on August 27, and the first 100 lbs will once again be free. Properly e-cycling your electronics is important, both for your own digital safety and for the sake of groundwater and the environment, says Bridget Helms, CCNRD. In terms of personal safety, she points out that CCNRD utilizes ProTech Computing of Gillette to co...
Neiman Enterprises announced last week that it will be reducing hours for employees at both of its sawmills in the Black Hills. The reduction will see a shift removed at the Hulett sawmill and reduced hours in Spearfish, SD. The move has been attributed to a reduction in timber sales across the Black Hills National Forest, with indications that further cuts may be coming within the draft assessments for the upcoming revisions of the forest's Land and Resource Management plan. In a statement,...
The Crook County Commissioners have set a date in September for a public hearing regarding proposed new rules for large acre subdivisions. The hearing will take place on September 6 at 2 p.m., during the commissioners’ regularly scheduled monthly meetings. It will be held in the commissioners’ room within the courthouse and will be an opportunity for oral and written comments on the regulations to be heard. The purpose of the proposed rules, which apply to subdivisions that include parcels between 35 and 140 acres in size, is to establish “st...
Is Sundance now the smallest city in the nation to host a congressional office? With the opening of U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis' new digs within Old Stoney, it might just be. Having a presence in the smaller communities of Wyoming was the plan all along, says Kristin Walker, Chief of Staff for Senator Lummis. She and State Director Jackie King came to town last week for the grand opening of the office and spent the afternoon meeting the community, playing cornhole and indulging in a spot of roping. Senators are permitted a certain amount of...
Sundance-raised filmmaker Chris Canfield will be premiering his new feature in Rapid City later this month. A “classic western with a horror twist,” Canfield decided to make his first feature-length movie in his childhood home of the Black Hills. The premiere will be taking place at 7 p.m. on July 22 at the Historic Elks Theatre, followed by a Q&A with Canfield and producers Eric Corneliuson of Denver and Ryan Hall of Rapid City. The plot centers on Dowanhowee, a Sioux Indian woman who crosses paths with an outlaw group known as the Dutch Wil...
Landslide dangers and necessary construction have hindered use of Cook Lake Recreation Area in recent seasons – but not this year. According to Mike Gosse, District Ranger, the popular site will be offering a full set of amenities over the coming weeks of summer. “Cook Lake, Reuter, Bearlodge and Sundance Horse Camp are all open for camping with a full season of use expected. There are campground hosts at Reuter Campground and Cook Lake,” he says. “New additional horse corrals have been installed at the Sundance Horse Camp with a new restroo...
At a special meeting last week, the commissioners appointed Melissa Jones as the new Crook County Clerk. The commission followed the statutory rules governing the appointment of a replacement for an elected official who resigns their position before the end of a term. This involves asking the elected officials political party – in this case the Crook County Republican Party – to provide the names of three candidates for their consideration. Brad Marchant attended the special meeting in his capacity as chairman of the local party, which had con...
Watch the sky light up this July 4 at the annual Devils Tower celebration of Independence Day, a full day of activities that raises money for local EMS and firefighters, or head over to the annual fireworks exhibition at Keyhole State Park on July 2, a fundraiser hosted by the Pine Haven Volunteer Fire Department. At the lake, free park admittance begins at 8 p.m. and the fireworks begin as dark falls. The event draws a big crowd and the park is expected to be at capacity, so attendees are...
