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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After an executive session at a special meeting on Tuesday, the Board of Trustees for Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) moved to void the remaining 120 days of its contract with Health Management Services (HMS) effective May 1. The motion also included confirmation that CCMSD would issue payments to settle outstanding bills from its management company. With CEO Nathan Hough’s departure, the board retired again into executive session the next day during its regular monthly m...
The county commissioners approved a resolution on Monday that will officially place the Specific Purpose Sales and Use Tax (SPOT) on this year’s ballot. Voters will be asked to approve a total of $7.5 million, which will be shared between the four municipalities and the counties such that each entity receives $1.5 million. This is an increase from the $1.25 per entity approved on the 2014 ballot. SPOT, better known as the “sixth penny” or “one percent tax,” has a strictly defined purpose. It has been utilized to provide extra revenue for count...
Most kids won’t be returning to class during this school year, but Crook County School District (CCSD) is developing plans to make sure those students who are struggling receive the attention they need, while the seniors will go out at graduation with a bang instead of a fizzle. Drive-in Graduation Plans are not yet finalized for graduation ceremonies, but the overall idea is to stage a drive-in event for the seniors. Each family is expected to be assigned a number of parking spots in the high school lots for their vehicle, which will c...
The first antibody tests have begun to appear on the market, both to purchase online and through a few providers in this region. But are they worth taking, this early in the game? The answer is no, according to both state health officer Dr. Alexia Harrist and Dr. Heith Waddell of Crook County Medical Services District. At this time, the FDA has not yet approved any antibody test for use. Some are better than others, says Waddell. Some, said Harrist at Governor Mark Gordon’s press conference last week, are “downright fraudulent”. None of those...
Claiming that there is no longer rapport between Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) and Health Management Services (HMS), the Board of Trustees announced last week that it will sever the relationship with its management company. At a special meeting last week, the board retired into executive session to discuss the situation. “The current contract is expiring at the end of September,” said board chairman Mark Erickson. “With that, and since we’ve now received notice of [CEO Nathan Hough’s] departure, the board is going to retire in...
With the peak of the pandemic expected to arrive in early May, Governor Mark Gordon has reminded the public that it’s vital to stay the course. Wyoming is lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of its COVID-19 timeline, he said last week. “I want to remind everyone that Wyoming saw COVID-19 arrive late,” said the governor, explaining that Wyoming is not in sync with its surrounding states regarding the expected peak of infection numbers. “Ours comes in a couple of weeks and South Dakota’s comes in June.” This means that Wyoming’s r...
The Board of Trustees have been concerned about cashflow within Crook County Medical Services District; with many patient visits postponed, the hospital and clinic has seen much reduced traffic over the last few weeks. But though the board did decide to take protective measures regarding its finances last week, Karl Rude of management company Health Management Services assured trustees that things are not as bad as they might seem. “You stated there would be an impending financial crisis; however, we currently sit at cash position of $...
Crook County’s choice of Joe Biden as its Democratic nomination for president was largely in line with the overall result from the Wyoming 2020 Presidential Preference Primary on Saturday. Held entirely by write-in vote due to the current pandemic, this was also the first time the Wyoming Democratic Party had introduced ranked choice voting. All Democrats registered to vote by March 20 were mailed a ballot in three waves. The results saw 80.7% of votes in Crook County cast for Biden compared to a state total of 72.2%. The runner-up candidate i...
On Monday morning, Wyoming became the last state in the nation to report its first death associated with the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19. The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) announced that a patient in Johnson County who had health conditions that put him at higher risk of severe illness and complications had passed away. “This is a sad development we hoped we wouldn’t see in Wyoming and we want this person’s family to know they have our sympathy,” said Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer. “The advice we’ve been offering and act...
Three important anniversaries mark the month of April, each linked to a person’s right to have their boundaries respected. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month with Crime Victim Rights Week from April 19 to 25. If you see ribbons hanging in public places this month, know that Crook County Family Violence and Sexual Assault Services (CCFF) is using their bright colors to honor all three occasions and spread awareness of their importance. The blue ribbons and pinwheels represent child abuse awareness. The t...
At a special meeting on Thursday, the county’s elected officials gathered to consider new actions related to the COVID-19 outbreak in Wyoming and across the world. With the courthouse already locked down except by appointment and employees maintaining separation through telework, attention turned to financial needs both personal and county-related. The first item of business was to propose a budget amendment to transfer $100,000 from unanticipated revenues to the federal grant budget to fund expenses related to the outbreak. The money is f...
Easter is hopping into view and, at Crook County Senior Services (CCSS), the staff believe the hunt must go on. This weekend, the organization will be presenting an outbreak-safe way to enjoy an Easter adventure. The Easter Driving Scavenger Hunt will be taking place all round the county as a way to help the littler members of the community enjoy the holiday. “I think it’ll keep the big ones entertained too,” laughs Mary Joslyn, senior services representative from Moorcroft. The hunt will be taking place from April 10 to 13 in Sundance, Hulet...
Life continues to be far from normal this week with restrictions related to the COVID-19 outbreak expected to continue until at least April 17. As COVID-19 continues to spread across the world and the United States takes the baton to become the country with the most official cases, Wyoming scrambled to protect its citizens both from the virus and its effects on workers and businesses. On Friday, Governor Mark Gordon and State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist announced the extension of three statewide orders that are designed to slow community...
In response to Governor Mark Gordon’s decision to extend statewide health orders until April 17, Crook County School District (CCSD) has announced it will remain closed until that date. The Wyoming High School Activities Association (WSHAA) will be suspending spring sports until the same date. However, Superintendent Mark Broderson has announced that steps are being taken to ensure educational activities can once again resume. “On April 6, academic studies will resume and grading will take place for all classes just as it did while school was...
With social distancing rules making it impossible to hold the 2020 Crook County Republican Party Convention in the usual manner, lateral thinking was needed to make sure the voting delegates could still come together to discuss the political issues of the day. “It actually went really well, it was just pretty remarkable. I tell you, I’ve got a lot of respect for these folks in Crook County, they stepped up to the plate and dealt with a very difficult situation and they did it admirably,” says Chip Neiman, Chairman. With little time to prepa...
Crook County School District is scheduled to resume classes on April 6; however, says Superintendent Mark Broderson, the COVID-19 outbreak is a fluid situation. The district is doing its best to prepare contingencies in case the shutdown goes on for longer than expected, in the hopes of providing educational resources whether students are in the buildings or not. “Teachers are working hard to prepare materials for students and keep them up to date on their learning. At the same time, they are busy preparing for a delivery system to homes if w...
College students and soon-to-be-graduates from Crook County’s schools are once again invited to apply for the annual Commissioner Scholarship Program, awarded on the base of need, academic standing and leadership qualities. Three scholarships per year are available to seniors in the amount of $1000. The commissioners aim to pick a candidate from each of the county’s three school zones. One renewal scholarship of $1000 is also available to a current college student who has already been a recipient of the commissioner scholarship. To find out...
On Tuesday morning, ten confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been identified in Wyoming, two in Sheridan and eight in Fremont County. As the virus continues to spread across both the nation and the world, local authorities are preparing for a more serious outbreak and taking measures intended to slow or prevent the spread of the virus. “We have activated our emergency operations center,” says Emergency Management Coordinator Ed Robinson. “We have an incident commander in place.” This means, says Be...
If you have an interest in what happens on Crook County’s federal public lands, your help is needed to assist in creating a natural resource management plan. The document will serve as a basis for the county to communicate its needs and desires when it comes to public lands, but a steering committee is needed to make it happen. “We’re working with Crook County to do their natural resource management plan,” says range scientist Bree Burton of Jackson-based Y2 Consultants. ”We’re looking for a steering committee to help put together the plan ...
The Board of Trustees for the Crook County Medical Services District officially accepted the resignation of Trustee Joey Kanode on Thursday. The board will now begin seeking a replacement to fill the empty fifth seat. Kanode was specifically elected as the trustee for the Moorcroft area and his replacement will also need to be from and to represent Moorcroft, said Chairman Mark Erickson. The position will be posted shortly and the board will choose from the candidates who put their names forward. The new trustee will serve for the rest of the...
Future discussions over the contract between Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) and Health Management Services (HMS) will take place in the public eye, said the Board of Trustees last week. After hearing concerns from numerous members of the community, both at Thursday’s meeting and beforehand, the board pledged to continue negotiations without going into executive session. This promise was honored immediately, providing an opportunity for board members to air their thoughts regarding HMS’s performance. It also gave HMS, mem...
While the risk to Wyoming residents remains low, the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) has announced that it is becoming “increasingly likely” that the coronavirus – now officially named as COVID-19 – will spread to this state. The virus was first identified in Wuhan, China in late 2019 and has now appeared in numerous countries across the world, including the United States. According to WDH, it is not yet known how easily the disease spreads and how many people will experience severe illness. However, the symptoms reported are familia...
Joey Kanode has announced his resignation from the Crook County Medical Services (CCMSD) Board of Trustees and called for his fellow board members to do the same. In his resignation letter, Kanode says, “It is with a heavy heart that I would like to announce my resignation from the Crook County Hospital Board of Trustees. I cannot and will not support the actions of the board.” Kanode goes on to say in his letter that he believes “every board member should resign”. “I believe this is the only way CCMSD has a chance to survive,” his letter conti...
The Crook County School District will soon begin the selection process for a new principal at Moorcroft High School, according to Superintendent Mark Broderson. At last week’s meeting of the Board of Trustees, the board did not renew the contract of Principal Becky Waters. It is expected that Waters will continue in her present capacity until the end of the school year. The district intends to appoint a replacement for the 2020-2021 school year....
At the recommendation of Superintendent Mark Broderson, the Crook County School District Board of Trustees has chosen to delay adoption of a new technology policy due to concerns that its wording is too vague. At Monday’s meeting in Moorcroft, the board heard that members of staff are concerned it would allow searches of personal cell phones. The policy was created by the office of Tracy Copenhaver, legal counsel for the Wyoming School Boards Association. This office is responsible for sending out new policies to districts across the state, B...
