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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A sizeable fire northwest of Hulett had been fully contained by Monday morning, thanks to the combined efforts of local, state and federal firefighters. Located northwest of Hulett, the Creek Fire was reported late in the afternoon of June 11 and is believed to have been caused by lightning, according to Incident Commander Karsten Milek. The fire reached approximately 1470 acres on a mixture of private, state and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. A command center was set up at the...
A structure fire near Oshoto last week saw a family home already engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived on scene. “The structure burned all the way to the ground,” says Dallas Burch, Oshoto Zone Warden, confirming that the house was a total loss. The landowners called the fire department at 1:30 p.m. on June 12 to report that their main house was on fire. Five engines responded from the Oshoto Fire Zone, as well as a couple of nearby landowners with personal vehicles. Three units from the Moorcroft Fire Department also ans...
After a notably bad year for mosquitoes, the Wyoming Weed and Pest Council (WWPC) is warning that the conditions so far in 2024 could mean we're set for another season of swatting. While most mosquitoes limit their nuisance to itchy bites and buzzing, some carry a potentially serious disease: West Nile Virus. In 2023, Wyoming saw the worst outbreak of the disease in a decade, with a case rate far exceeding the national average and four human deaths. The year before, only three cases in total...
Filing has now closed for this year’s primary election, with candidates now finalized for city, county, state and national seats. Chip Neiman will stand again for his seat as State Representative for House District 01. He will be unopposed. At the county level, one county commissioner seat with a four-year term will be voted on this year. Incumbent Kelly Dennis will be challenged by Dale T. Davis. On the national level, John Barrasso will be challenged for his United States Senator seat by John Holtz of Laramie and Reid Rasner of Mills on the R...
A Pine Haven man has been acquitted on aggravated assault charges related to an incident in which he was accused of pulling a knife on a person who was attempting to make him leave a local bar. Todd Wiseman was tried by a jury of his peers on May 20 to 22, presided over by Judge Stuart S. Healy III. After hearing the testimony of witnesses, evidence and the arguments of counsel, the jury found Wiseman not guilty of one count of aggravated assault and battery....
A Moorcroft man who already faced charges of attempted murder and kidnapping has now also been charged with “habitual criminal”, a felony that could see him incarcerated for life. Michael Hammond was arrested in April after allegedly beating a woman and then fleeing to Nebraska after she stabbed him in the neck in self-defense. The charge of habitual criminal states that Hammond has been convicted of a violent felony and has also been convicted of a felony on two or more previous charges, separately brought and tried. According to court documen...
A Moorcroft woman faces aggravated assault charges after allegedly threatening her husband with a knife. According to court reports, a Crook County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a report of a domestic disturbance on May 16 at around 11:30 a.m. The deputy reports that the victim stated that Sheila Hansen had come out to his shop and accused him of having an affair. She allegedly began hitting him in the back of the head with her hands as he walked away; the victim said he did not feel any pain from this or sustain injury. Hansen then alle...
With predictions of a bad grasshopper season ahead, Crook County Weed & Pest has launch a program for larger properties that it hopes will keep the hungry insects from causing too much damage. The district is also offering its assistance to landowners with smaller parcels who would like to tackle the potential influx. “They are an intrusive, invasive little insect,” says Alycia Conroy-Davis, District Supervisor. “They eat everything.” Hay, soy beans, alfalfa – it doesn’t make a difference, the grasshoppers are willing to eat it. In fact, a gra...
A Moorcroft woman faces felony possession charges after controlled substances were located at her home during a separate search related to a poaching case. On April 23, a Crook County Sheriff’s Office deputy executed a search warrant on a Moorcroft residence for the possession, manufacturing and consumption of marijuana and methamphetamine. The warrant was granted because controlled substances were located during a separate search warrant for a poaching case that was conducted by Wyoming Game & Fish. The occupant, Tracy McGee, allegedly e...
A Moorcroft man faces charges of attempted murder and kidnapping after allegedly beating a woman and then fleeing to Nebraska after she stabbed him in the neck in self-defense. On April 17 at around 7:30 p.m., an officer of Moorcroft Police Department was dispatched to a town residence in response to a domestic disturbance during which a male subject was stabbed with a knife. On arrival, the officer observed the reporting party “moaning and obviously in intense pain”. The woman, who claimed Michael Hammond had beaten her for an extended per...
Filing opens for this year’s elections in a couple of weeks and, for the first time in Wyoming, this event will also mark the deadline by which you must declare or change your party affiliation before the primaries.Filing opens on May 16 and will run for two weeks, until May 31. The day before filing opens, May 15, is your final opportunity to declare your party affiliation. If you want to vote for either Republican or Democratic candidates in this year’s primary, you must be a registered voter for that party; if you are not affiliated, your ba...
On January 31 at around 11:35 p.m., a Moorcroft Police Department officer responded to a report of a domestic disturbance involving Carrol-Liyne Marie-August Maul. On scene, the officer met with Maul and found the second person had left the residence. The officer found that it was a verbal argument with no physical contact and cleared the scene. At around 2:17 a.m., dispatch advised the officer that the second individual had returned to the apartment and was beating on the door, wanting to get inside to gather their items. As the officer...
Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) is among the healthcare providers set to benefit from a statewide initiative to increase access to ultrasound technology. Funded by the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, the initiative will see $13.9 million divided among hospitals and healthcare centers to purchase 143 ultrasound devices and to provide training for the new equipment. CCMSD will receive a grant total of $415,000 for ultrasound equipment in the hospital and each of...
With fire season already underway, Crook County is now under burn restrictions. Fire Warden Charlie Harrison requested the restrictions be put in place last week, telling the county commissioners that more Wyoming acres burned in February than in the entirety of 2023. While the county has had a little moisture recently, in some places there was "barely any", he said, and temperatures are still above average. "There's no good news in the forecast," he said. While the restrictions have been put...
There's not much chance of flooding this spring, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The county continues to slide into drought conditions after a winter that brought little snow. The flood outlook summary for this spring is below average across all of northeastern Wyoming and western South Dakota. This is the time of year for ice cover on streams, rivers and lakes to melt and for ice-jam flooding to potentially occur. Flooding from snowmelt on the plains typically takes place betwe...
Two wildfires that ignited on Sunday burned a combined estimated total of 1600 acres and required a sizeable response from firefighters around the county and beyond. In New Haven, a fire located on a combination of private and state land is estimated to have reached 400 acres. According to Fire Warden Charlie Harrison, crews that responded to the fire included Oshoto, Carlile, Sundance, Pine Haven and Hulett. The lower portion of the fire was located in grass, but around 70% of the fire was in...
With an unknown number counterfeit hundred-dollar bills believed to now be in circulation after an incident in Billings, MT, last week, Andy Miller, President of Sundance State Bank, is warning businesses and citizens that some could make it through to Crook County. “I don’t know how much trickle will make it through to our area, but there’s certainly potential,” he says. “Be aware when you take a $100 bill from somebody to make sure it feels right, make sure it looks right, make sure the security features are there and just be cautious because...
A Moorcroft man has been given a split sentence on felony possession charges after marijuana was allegedly found on his person when he was arrested for failing to meet the conditions of his parole. According to court reports, Jason Anderson was arrested by a Crook County Sheriff’s Office Deputy at the Probation and Parole Office in Sundance due to noncompliance with the terms and conditions of his parole. The deputy reports that, during the arrest, he detected the odor of raw and burned marijuana about his person. Anderson allegedly denied h...
The Wyoming State Legislature meets for its 67th session soon and there are numerous ways for the public to participate or listen in. This year is a budget session, which means it will last approximately 20 legislative days. The other factor that sets it apart from a general session is that, aside from the budget bill, all other bills will require a two-thirds vote in the Senate or House in order to be introduced. The session begins on February 12 and a wide range of bills have already been assi...
A Pine Haven man has been charged with aggravated assault and bound over to District Court after allegedly pulling a knife on a person who was attempting to make him leave a local bar. On December 8, a Crook County Sheriff’s Office deputy was dispatched to a bar in Pine Haven for a disturbance involving a weapon. The suspect was later identified as Todd Allen Wiseman according to his driver’s license. According to court reports, Wiseman was asked to leave the bar after vomiting on the floor. Upon exiting, he allegedly remained outside on the pr...
January As the annual Wyoming Legislative Session kicked off, Jason Perry was honored during the opening ceremonies for his work as Hulett's ambulance director and his efforts to get all of Hulett's EMTs certified as paramedics. Meanwhile, Ogden Driskill took the oath as President of the Senate and Chip Neiman was selected as House Majority Floor Leader – which, to the best of his knowledge, was a position never before offered to a freshman legislator. The Moorcroft Council began the year by m...
Over a thousand homes in Crook County are set to have access to broadband internet for the first time thanks to federal grant awards that aim to make access available across the nation. Two local projects were among 32 applications to be approved for funding, with a total of $70.5 million in federal funds to be spent expanding broadband to more than 11,000 locations across the state that do not currently have access to high-speed internet. “This is the single-largest broadband investment in Wyoming history,” said Governor Mark Gordon in the...
A series of public meetings has been scheduled for January to solicit input on plans to potentially introduce zoning to Crook County. These meetings will form the next step of the county’s exploration of whether zoning would suit this county in the light of the high level of development that has gone on over the last few years, and will aim to gauge exactly where the public stands on the issue. Meetings will take place in all four municipalities throughout January, led by a facilitator, and will focus on options for growth management. A c...
The Board of Trustees for Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) has been working with just four members since August, when Trustee Ed Ray resigned his position representing the Moorcroft area. At last week’s meeting, the board discussed next steps in finding a volunteer to fill out his remaining term, which ends in 2024. “I know this board has made significant efforts, I know there have been personal contacts, I know there was an article published in the newspaper,” said Board Attorney Kara Ellsbury. “If we don’t find someone s...
The run-up to Christmas is upon us, with plenty of local events to enjoy as Santa prepares his sleigh. The Moorcroft Area Chamber of Commerce will present its annual Parade of Lights on December 10 on Big Horn Avenue at 5 p.m. Hot cocoa bars will be available at Mousse Lodge and the West Texas Trails Museum, while Santa himself will be at the museum for cookies and greetings after the parade. If you’d like to decorate a downtown light pole for the season, the chamber is also offering opportunities to do so. “There is a prize for best dec...
