Week of March 21, 2024

Betting at the old theater

Hannah Romero, Editor

The old theater building at 699 Uinta Drive is set to become a venue for wagering on horse racing. During their meeting on Tuesday, the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners gave approval to 307 Horse Racing, Inc. to use the building to conduct pari-mutuel wagering on live horse racing, historic horse racing, and simulcast events. The company's Vice President Kyle Ridgeway and CEO Jack Greer spoke to the commissioners about their plans for the building. "This would be our first...

Green River Police Department reports for March 11 - 18

Green River Police Department reports for March 11 At 3:44 p.m., officers conducted a traffic stop and arrested the driver. Officers issued citations to Jeremy Maurer, of California, for alleged driving while license canceled, suspended or revoked and compulsory auto insurance violation - first offense. Officers transported Maurer to the Sweetwater County Detention Center and completed an incident report. At 5:54 p.m., officers responded to a report of a disturbance. At 6:44 p.m., officers...

BLM seeks public comment on proposed Jackalope Wind Energy Project

Staff Report

The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public input to inform development of an environmental impact statement for the proposed Jackalope Wind Energy Project in Sweetwater County. A BLM press release explained the project would include approximately 213 wind turbine generators and associated infrastructure, which would generate up to 600 megawatts of clean electricity - enough to power roughly 250,000 homes, according to the EPA Calculator. Jackalope Wind, LLC, a wholly owned indirect...

RSPD recovers tools reported as stolen

Elizabeth Coontz, Rock Springs Police Department

On the morning of March 14, the Rock Springs Police Department responded to two separate auto burglaries that occurred on the west end of the city. The suspect, 32 year old Zachary Shay, would allegedly target work trucks and then steal the tools that were contained within them. One victim reported approximately $10,000 in tools stolen. The other victim was reporting the second time that his work truck had been hit. Officers developed a lead in the case and executed a search warrant at a local...

City, county to apply for impact assistance funds

Hannah Romero, Editor

The future of industry in Sweetwater County continues to progress, with local governments and entities preparing for the potential impact, and working to request funding to help alleviate that impact. This week, both the Green River City Council and Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during their regular meetings that will allow them to work together with other entities in order to apply for impact assistance funds from the Industrial...

"They call me Grandma"

Hannah Romero, Editor

On Monday morning, Grandma Becky helped kids go down the slide, cheered them on as they made their way across the monkey bars, and assisted with putting on a boot that had fallen off.  On Monday afternoon, Grandma Karen helped students add up three plus seven, write out the equations they were putting together, and draw a specific numbers of apples on a tree. Becky Figgins and Karen Hale are Green River's foster grandmas, as they are both part of the Foster Grandparents of the Wyoming Rockies...

Western Has Horsepower: Mustangs Sweep National Awards

Lu Sweet, Western Wyoming Community College Athletic Director

Western Wyoming Community College's (Western's) wrestling team competed this past weekend in Council Bluffs, Iowa at the National Junior College Athletic Association's (NJCAA) National Men's Wrestling Champion (Championship). Defending their 2023 Championship Title, the Mustangs brought home another Championship, outscoring the second-placed team by 21.5 points. Returning to Rock Springs late Sunday evening, they received an escort to campus along with an impromptu welcome back from students,...

  • As disease threatens feedground elk, Wyoming mired in planning and consensus-seeking

    Mike Koshmrl, WyoFile.com

    For the first time in its history, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has a formal plan in place for managing the state's 21 winter elk feedgrounds. The 96-page document allows for changes to feedgrounds that could avert the worst consequences of an ugly disease that's ramping up - a sickness that scientists expect will devastate Northwest Wyoming's six fed elk herds in the long term if feeding continues. Notably, the plan does not compel reform or call for closing feedgrounds, but it does...

  • BLM offers updated sage grouse plan

    Mark Davis, Powell Tribune Via Wyoming News Exchange

    POWELL - The Bureau of Land Management released a draft Thursday of an updated sage grouse management plan that places species protections back on track after several years of disruptions to the historic 2015 sage grouse plan.  That was then credited for halting plans for costly protections for the species under the Endangered Species Act.  Following 2019 court orders overturning Trump administration changes to the historic collaborative plans, the BLM has been managing sage grouse habitat...

  • Gordon vetoes bills, Rep. Heiner criticizes

    On March 15, Governor Mark Gordon vetoed two bills: Senate File 103 (Wyoming PRIME Act) and Senate File 13 (Federal land use plans- legal action authorized).  Representative Scott Heiner, who represents portions of Sweetwater County, criticized the Governor’s veto of both bills, which he supported “as each provided a way for Wyoming to regulate itself and choose its own destiny.” Rep. Heiner continued: “Senate File 103 would have allowed for the sale of meat from producers directly to consumers without the government getting in the...

  • Letter to the Editor: Retire the AC gas chamber

    Dear Editor, A recent news article in the Green River Star discusses the continuing use of a gas chamber for euthanasia by Green River Animal Control. The article quoted the Animal Control Supervisor as stating there are strong opinions on both sides of the issue for the use of the gas chamber in euthanasia for animals. There are not strong opinions on both sides of this issue. The American Veterinary Medical Association has stated the most humane method of euthanasia for animals is by injection and while they do allow for the use of inhaled...

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