The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
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Sticking close to home again when making his decision, Governor Mark Gordon has selected Crook County Deputy Attorney Lynda R. Bush as the Sixth Judicial District’s next Circuit Court Judge. “I want to thank Governor Gordon for the honor of this appointment, and I look forward to serving the citizens of Crook and Weston Counties,” Bush said. Bush was selected from a list of three candidates that were submitted to the governor by the Judicial Nominating Commission for his consideration. Also on the list were Jacqueline K. Brown of Casper and N...
What began as a thunderstorm on Friday evening ended in the most significant blizzard so far this season, bringing travel to a standstill, canceling events and cutting power in some places across the area. It turned out to be a much more severe blizzard than many had been expecting. According to the National Weather Service, a low pressure system approached the plains on Friday, pushing warm, moist air ahead of it. This caused thunderstorms to develop on Friday evening, which became severe in...
The Vital Statistics Services division of the Wyoming Department of Health has released data showing that 2021 was a second year of unprecedented death rates in this state. However, there were also more births and marriages in Wyoming, and fewer divorces. A total of 6572 deaths were recorded in 2021 and 5986 in 2020. For context, 2019 saw a lower death rate of 5122. Specific figures for Crook County in 2021 were not available at time of going to press. However, local death rates did show a considerable jump in 2020 with 106 deaths recorded, as...
Law enforcement in Crook County is facing three new – and very concerning – trends. According to Sheriff Jeff Hodge, there have been local increases in the use of fentanyl, suicide threats among the youth and the need to employ force during arrests. “Some of the trends I think people are not aware of – and, if they’re not, they should be,” he said last week. Fentanyl Fentanyl, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), is a synthetic opioid up to 100 times stronger than morphine. It was developed for pain management...
County level elected officials have requested that the Crook County Commissioners consider granting them a pay increase for the next four-year period. County Attorney Joe Baron spoke to the issue, citing issues including competition with private industry, retention and cost of living as arguments for making the increase. “Every four years, the board of commissioners has to set salaries for elected officials,” he said. This process cannot happen once an elected official is instituted; it must be complete before they take office. The Wyoming Leg...
Karey Hedlund of Moorcroft appeared in District Court last week to present a motion demanding more specific details of the times and dates of the child abuse she is alleged to have committed. Her lawyer, Steven J. Titus, argued that trying to build a defense based on accusations that span six years is akin to finding “a needle in six years’ worth of hay.” Hedlund entered a plea of not guilty in January to 16 charges of child abuse and one of aggravated assault and battery. Titus argued, based on precedent from previous Wyoming cases, that...
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will once again be holding public open houses around the county this month to discuss the proposed hunting seasons for 2022. Meetings are scheduled in both Sundance and Hulett and comments will be accepted until April 1. The first of the two meetings will take place in Sundance on March 21 in the courthouse basement from 4 to 6 p.m. The next day, March 22, the Greater Hulett Community Center will host a meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The intent is to gather public input on general hunting regulations, as...
Mary Kuhl was given a deferred sentence on Friday for crimes related to misconduct during her time as county treasurer. She will serve two years of supervised probation as part of a plea agreement, after which the charges will be expunged from her record. Kuhl originally pled “not guilty” to one felony charge of unauthorized use of monies, as well as to one misdemeanor count of official misconduct and two misdemeanor counts of issuing false certificate. The allegations against her included that she listed a customer’s license plate tabs as lost...
Alexandra Hansen, an artist from Aladdin, invites the community to an elegant event this March that aims to introduce the work of new artists from around the Midwest. The Black Hills Art Gala will take place at the Matthews Opera House in Spearfish. Hansen, a wildlife artist, is among the talent that will be showcased in the event. "I organized this art gala in an effort to bring a few new artists to the area," she says. "It's a beautiful variety of artists from Nebraska, Colorado, Montana,...
A Moorcroft resident was killed on Tuesday in a vehicle crash that took place on the interstate near Moorcroft. The crash occurred when a passenger vehicle collided with a semi truck that was experiencing engine troubles. The incident took place at around 8:58 a.m. on February 22, at milepost 162 eastbound. A semi truck combination was traveling eastbound in the right lane at around 30 to 40 mph with its hazard lights activated due to engine troubles, says Lt. Tim Boumeester, Wyoming Highway Patrol. A passenger vehicle was also traveling...
A South Dakota man faces a barrage of felony and misdemeanor charges after a high-speed chase near Moorcroft on Thursday, which led to the alleged discovery of controlled substances and forgery devices in his vehicle. On February 17 at around 8 a.m., a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper responded to a vehicle pursuit near milepost 118 on I-90 eastbound. The trooper was in Moorcroft at the time the pursuit began and headed west to reach the location, looking for a bridge deck where he could set spikes for the fleeing vehicle. Before he found one,...
The county commissioners selected two projects to benefit from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding last week: an E-911 system for the Sheriff’s Office and a communications tower to boost the signal to the radios used by emergency responders. Time was set aside on the monthly agenda to discuss dispersing the county’s ARPA funds now that the final rules are available, which dictate exactly how the money can be spent. The funds were issued in response to COVID-19, which means the allowable uses all relate in some way to the issues caused by th...
State statistics released last week reveal that Crook County School District (CCSD) continued to maintain its record of higher-than-average graduation rates during the 2020-21 school year. Across the county’s three high schools, the graduation rate was 87.2%. This compares favorably to the state average of 82.4%. “We continue to be above the state average but our goal is always to have 100% of our students succeed. There is always room for improvement,” says Superintendent Mark Broderson. “We strive to provide each student with the tools t...
The Board of Trustees took their first look at the legal documentation needed to form a fundraising foundation for Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) last week. The draft was presented by Kara Ellsbury, board attorney, who had been directed at the latter end of 2021 to begin the process of forming a new foundation as an internal arm of the district. “As you’ll see, there are a number of things you’ll need to make decisions on,” said Ellsbury as she presented the document to board members. For example, she said, trustees will ne...
The condition of Little Missouri Road has troubled residents Jim and Otto Schlosser for several years, prompting an unsuccessful effort in 2018 to pave a 15-mile portion of it with the assistance of federal funding. Last week, however, the pair informed the county commissioners that they are now planning to fix the road themselves. “We were hoping to fix up that piece of road from the bridge to the highway,” said Jim, explaining that the goal is a gravel road in good condition both for residents and the bentonite companies that use it. Accordin...
A successful step for Senator Ogden Driskill in his efforts to keep Crook and Weston counties whole: his updated plan for redistricting this portion of the state was officially adopted by the committee working on the process last week. “They took my plan and adopted it,” he says of the December 28 meeting of the Corporations Committee. “That’s not to say it’s going to stay, but it’s adopted.” Driskill’s aim since the process began has been to preserve both counties as the basis of their own voting districts – something Weston County has not ha...
Though flurries have passed through the area fairly regularly over the last couple of weeks, Wyoming’s snowpack is lower than usual so far this season – and Crook County is almost at the bottom of the list in terms of how much snow has accumulated in this area. While the overall average for the state is 88% of the median for this time of the year, Crook County has just over half the snowpack it would normally see. Only South Platte has a lower percentage at 31% of median. According to the Water Resources Data System and Wyoming State Cli...
The Crook County Natural Resource District (CCNRD) is encouraging the public to read two documents that outline both the past and future: an annual report and a plan of action for the year ahead. These documents have been published as a guide to the work that was accomplished over the last twelve months, and the accomplishments CCNRD will be aiming for in 2022. Road Ahead In 2022, CCNRD will continue its work to improve water quality by focusing on impaired stretches of the Belle Fourche River and Donkey Creek, according to its plan of action....
FBI Denver has issued a warning to residents of Wyoming and Colorado that a new phone scam is hitting this area in which people posing as local law enforcement demand payment for a warrant of fine to clear the victim’s name. “The FBI warns citizens that if they receive a phone call from someone claiming to be law enforcement asking for money or gift cards, to hang up and report it to their local law enforcement authorities and the FBI,” says FBI Denver Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider. More than 300 women have been hit by th...
January As the year began, only one of two newly elected council members was sworn in. While Ben Glenn was present, Paul Gallegos submitted a letter of resignation for "personal reasons" and was replaced by Austin Smith. The second annual Coach Mirich Texas Hold'em Tournament in Pine Haven hosted more than 60 guests, including 34 players. Crook County Public Health announced it had completed the first phase of COVID-19 vaccinations, which included front-line workers such as hospital staff, and...
Though the court has officially accepted Mary Kuhl’s new plea of “no contest” against a felony charge related to her conduct in office as county treasurer, the Crook County Commissioners are less than happy with the agreement. A letter filed with Crook County District Court and signed by all three commissioners questions whether allowing Kuhl to plead “no contest” will truly offer justice to the taxpayers of this county. “Under this plea agreement, Ms. Kuhl is afforded the opportunity to plead no contest to the felony charge…by way of a defe...
By Sarah Pridgeon Senator Ogden Driskill was feeling optimistic about the redistricting plan he helped devise for northeast Wyoming, which would have seen both Crook and Weston Counties form the basis of their own voting districts. That was, he says, until the counties to the south threw a wrench in the works. Driskill says he was excluded from discussions about redistricting when he was specifically asked not to attend a meeting for Region 7, one of the eight districts into which Wyoming has been divided for the purposes of redistricting....
One trustee’s suggestion that Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) might benefit from a shake-up in leadership failed to pass the vote on Thursday. Trustee Sandy Neiman nominated Trustee Ed Ray to take over as the chairman of the board for the next year, citing his soft-spoken demeanor and how far he’s come since he was nominated to the seat two years ago. She also suggested that it might bring forth the possibility of getting the Crook County Medical Foundation (CCMF) to work with the district again. “I don’t think that would h...
Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) has begun a condition assessment of its hospital and long-term care facility in Sundance. The aim of the study is to figure out what upgrades or replacements would be possible and useful, and whether they would be financially feasible. According to CEO Micki Lyons, three main options are on the table. The first would be to take the existing facility and “make better use of our space.” In this scenario, changes could include such things as creating more private rooms for patients and ensuring iso...
A Rapid City woman has been charged with a felony count of theft after allegedly taking a pickup that had been left running in a parking lot in Beulah. On November 21, a Crook County Sheriff’s Office deputy received a report of a stolen pickup from State Line Station. The witness informed the deputy that he saw a female, later identified as Oksana Brush, walking down the frontage road. She allegedly came up to the window of his pickup and asked if she “could stay on his couch, it would save her life.” The witness reported that he decli...
