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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The national fire preparedness level has this week been upgraded to a level five – the highest level of wildland fire activity on the National Interagency Fire Center’s scale. At this level, several geographic areas across the nation are experiencing large, complex fire incidents that have the potential to exhaust national wildland firefighting resources. Additionally, at least 80% of the country’s incident management teams and wildland firefighting personnel are committed to incidents. At level five, all fire-qualified federal employees become...
Occasional downpours may have punctuated the last couple of weeks, but Crook County is not out of the woods when it comes to drought. In fact, the situation has continued to worsen, with approximately one third of the county now listed as under extreme drought. The western portion of the county is now entirely classified at extreme drought level, just one level below the most extreme drought conditions included in the U.S. Drought Monitor’s scale. The eastern third of Crook County is meanwhile mostly under severe drought, with a thin sliver o...
Moorcroft resident Zedekiah Runsabove has been bound over to District Court on two felony charges of sexual abuse of a minor. A Moorcroft police officer reports that he was contacted on March 2 by a Department of Family Services case worker, who had received a report that abuse was taking place. According to the counselor, the juvenile stated they had been sexually assaulted approximately a year before. The victim claimed that Runsabove had assaulted them after the pair had been playing in the house. The next day, the police officer received a...
A full fire ban went into effect across Crook County on Thursday when the county commissioners met to consider the request from Fire Warden Doug Leis and approve the associated ordinance. Due to the high fire danger and the number of fires that local volunteers have tackled over the past couple of weeks, the commission agreed that the restrictions should begin the same day. The resolution also recommends that the cities and towns within Crook County and the federal agencies managing the forests, Devils Tower National Monument and BLM follow sui...
County firefighters found themselves stretched in several directions over the weekend when lightning strikes caused five individual fires to spark at the same time. Fortunately, only one of the five grew to a significant size: the Seely Fire, located around ten miles northwest of Hulett. “It’s 425 acres and we’ll be several days getting it cleaned up,” said Doug Leis, County Fire Warden, on Monday morning. Of the five fires, this one grew so large due to the terrain, he explains. It did not threaten any structures, aside from an old homeste...
Whether or not the county should seek alternative bids for its propane supply came into question on Wednesday when representatives from Blakeman Propane attended the regular meeting of the commissioners to advocate for “shopping at home.” Tally Hughes, plant manager in Sundance, explained that the question had arisen when she was contacted by a county employee for information about what the county would need to do in order to purchase and own its propane tanks. Phil Schutt, Sales Manager, then addressed the commissioners to say he had hea...
Crook is set to be the first county in the state to come out against President Joe Biden’s “30 by 30” land conservation initiative. Though the Wyoming County Commissioners Association (WCCA) is working on a unified resolution for all counties across the state, the county commissioners have opted to continue drafting their own statement in an effort to get the ball rolling. “It’s got to start somewhere,” commented Commissioner Jeanne Whalen, at whose request a resolution opposing the initiative has been drafted. President Biden signed an e...
An interim meeting of the Joint Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Committee became the unexpected venue for a discussion of ethics on Monday. Crook County’s two legislators found themselves at loggerheads over a “pledge” that had been sent out by Representative Chip Neiman asking legislators to promise support for bills that would alter how elections take place in Wyoming. While Neiman felt that his actions were part of his overall goal to promote the desires of the people who voted for him, Senator Ogden Driskill and his cohorts...
The current owners of the hundred-year-old railroad leading into Colony is planning to upgrade the line. The county commissioners have offered their support for the project, which is expected to cost around $84 million and will include 80 miles of new rail and upgraded bridge structures. Jerry Vest, Assistant Vice President of Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad, approached the commission last week to explain the project and request a letter of support for the company’s $22 million grant application. The railroad carries three primary c...
In association with a statewide program called Wyoming Dementia Together, caregivers to people who are suffering from dementia have the opportunity through Crook County Senior Services (CCSS) to become part of an inclusive community for support and education. “CCSS will be partnering with the University of Wyoming to provide a dementia support group at all three senior centers,” says Jenna Ellsbury, Director of CCSS. The Wyoming Dementia Together program provides bi-weekly education and support that has been tailored to people living in thi...
A Gillette man has been sentenced to up to six years in jail on a felony charge of interference with a police officer. Vincent Everett allegedly attacked a Moorcroft police officer who chased him after a fight broke out in a local bar. On August 13, 2020 at around 11.30 p.m., two officers from Moorcroft Police Department heard a bartender yelling from Dewey’s Place that a fight was in progress. One of the two men allegedly fighting was escorted from the bar, while a witness approached the officers to state that he had broken up the fight and t...
Sundance and Moorcroft will see their rest areas re-open for the 2021 tourist season, and possibly beyond. In a press release, Wyoming Office of Tourism Executive Director Diane Shober described them as valuable tourism tools. “With the summer season just around the corner, I’m glad we will be able to reopen these facilities to travelers,” Governor Mark Gordon said. “We are glad to have this chance to find a temporary solution.” The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) and Wyoming Office...
A fatal vehicle crash on the intestate east of Sundance claimed the life of a Rapid City resident on Wednesday. The incident took place in the morning and involved a single SUV. According to reports from Wyoming Highway Patrol, the crash took place near milepost 199 at 8:52 a.m. on April 28. The vehicle was heading east when its left rear tire tread separated from the tire, which caused the driver to lose control. The vehicle exited the right side of the roadway, where it overturned. The driver, later identified as 42-year-old Kelsey M. Conner...
The annual blood draws are complete and it’s time for the results, which will be available this weekend at the Crook County Health Fair. According to CEO Micki Lyons of Crook County Medical Services District, county residents turned out in record numbers this year for the wellness draws, taking advantage of the blood draw panels that provide an overall profile of a person’s health. As always, the community is able to collect their results during the health fair, which will take place in the gymnasium of Sundance High School. Along with col...
Continuing the push to help seniors stay connected with their community, Crook County Senior Services (CCSS) has secured five iPad tablets that can be loaned out for as long as a senior would like to use them. Useful for everything from contacting loved ones to reading the news, the tablets were obtained through a federal program administered by the Wyoming Department of Health. “We can rent them out five at a time and they can use them as long as they want for grocery shopping, medical appointments, playing games – whatever they want,” says...
Thanks to the assistance of deputies from the Crook County Sheriff’s Office, a pregnant woman and her husband who found themselves stranded on Warren Peak last weekend were successfully rescued despite snowdrifts blocking the road. Deputy Josh Throckmorton reports that he overheard a page on the radio at around 5.30 p.m. on April 18 for EMS to respond to a location seven miles north on Warren Peak Road. The page mentioned an “unresponsive pregnant female” and that her vehicle was stuck in the snow. Throckmorton responded along with Deputy Nicho...
For the third time this June, county residents will have the opportunity to either sell their unwanted items, find new treasures – or both – during the countywide Country Junkin’ yard sale. Applications are available now if you would like to sign up as a vendor at this year’s event. The Country Junkin’ event was conceived in 2019 as a way to attract visitors to the area while giving avid collectors the chance to share their treasures and combining the yard and garage sales that tend to punctuate the summer in this region. This year, Country J...
The eleven most vaccine-hesitant counties in the nation are all located in Wyoming – and Crook County is one of them. This county has the highest percentage of residents who are hesitant about the virus in the nation at an estimated 32%, according to statistical modeling performed for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). This places Crook County at joint first in America, alongside Johnson, Converse, Washakie, Niobrara, Weston, Natrona, Campbell, Platte and Carbon Counties. The number of citizens who are thought to be strongly hesitant is 1...
A Gillette man has been given a suspended sentence on charges of possession after allegedly acting strangely at a Keyhole State Park campsite last fall. A State Parks Ranger was dispatched to a campsite to reports of a male who was acting as though he was on something. He arrived to find the campground host dealing with a male, later identified as Trinity Schiefer. Schiefer had allegedly been told he should not be in the campsite because it was occupied by others and was trying to leave, but his vehicle would not start. The ranger contacted...
After a successful second mass vaccination clinic last week, Crook County Public Health has now administered a total of 1192 first doses and 918 second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The totals include both the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson versions of the vaccine. Crook County Medical Services District has fully vaccinated an additional 60 members of staff and residents. Now that Wyoming has moved on to Phase II of the vaccination program, any person over the age of 18 may sign up for their doses. Walk-in vaccinations are still not available due...
Enjoy a spaghetti feed this weekend to support an eight-year-old boy who is recovering from a medulloblastoma brain tumor. Quintin Spaulding of Moorcroft, son of Whitney and Cody Spaulding and grandson of Dale and Sherry Wood, is recovering after surgery, but the road ahead will include weeks of radiation and chemotherapy. A benefit dinner has been arranged at the Moorcroft Community Room for April 10 at 5 p.m. The spaghetti dinner will be followed by a live auction during dessert, while a silent auction will also take place during the...
Moorcroft resident Harold Stortz has been sentenced on two counts of abuse of a vulnerable adult after allegedly leaving an elderly person on the floor after a fall for approximately six hours. On September 4, 2020, an officer from Moorcroft Police Department was dispatched around 7 a.m. to a report of an elderly person who had fallen. He arrived to find the person, who he knew from previous contacts, “laying on the living room floor with only a thin long sleeve shirt on”. Stortz was allegedly sitting in the kitchen looking at the elderly per...
Casey Anderson has been sentenced on a felony charge of domestic battery after an alleged altercation in Moorcroft on April 4 last year. On that date, a Moorcroft Police Department officer was asked to respond to a domestic violence issue at a local motel. The victim allegedly claimed that Anderson had pushed her down in an alley, causing her to suffer numerous scratches and cuts. Anderson was detained and allegedly denied having been involved in the situation, saying he had been at work that morning. He gave consent to search the motel room,...
Moorcroft resident Charles Clarence Birr has received a suspended sentence for possession charges after a search of his residence for an associated case revealed numerous items related to meth use. On January 21, 2020, a Crook County Sheriff’s Office deputy was conducting a search warrant of the Birr residence in Moorcroft associated with a related case involving burglary. While standing in the living room, the deputy reports noticing items related to drug use in plain view. These included a glass pipe next to the couch where Birr was s...
The Crook County Commissioners have decided once and for all that a solid waste district will not be formed to investigate the future of trash in this county. At last week’s meeting, the plan for an investigative “think tank” was also scrapped, bringing to an end the question of whether the county-wide community can work together to find a single solid waste solution. As the gathering began, Commissioner Kelly Dennis began the process of selecting names for the “think tank,” an idea put forward in February as a compromise. At that time, hav...
