Sorted by date Results 1276 - 1300 of 2479
A few candidates reported raising and spending several thousands of dollars in their election bids, according to campaign finance documents reviewed by the Green River Star. Candidates are required to report the amounts they raised and spent on their campaigns during and prior to the elections. Along with candidates seeking positions on the Green River City Council and Sweetwater County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees, candidates for county offices, as well as the committee involved in p...
A shooting involving the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office and the Rock Springs Police Department was ruled a justified use of force by Sweetwater County Attorney Daniel Erramouspe. According to a press release from the county attorney’s office, officers and deputies were dispatched to the Elk Street Kum & Go Nov. 21, to respond to a call regarding an agitated man striking nearby vehicles with a hatchet. The man, identified as Austin Pacheco, 26, allegedly failed to respond to orders to dro...
The Food and Drug Administration just announced it would once again try to regulate tobacco products. This time the target of the agency’s regulatory hand is what it believes is the growing menace of flavored e-cigarettes and other tobacco products used by young people who’ve turned to vaping and smoking. The FDA said about 3.6 million kids under age 18 now admit they use e-cigarettes. That’s an alarming number and is worrisome because FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb has noted that almost all current smokers started when they were kids....
Sometimes a politician is fortunate enough to hold the right office at the time when their service is needed the most. Such is the case with Rep. Steve Harshman, R-Casper, the outgoing and incoming House speaker. Traditionally, the leader of the House serves one two-year term and then retires from politics altogether or takes a break before running for Senate. But a majority of Harshman’s Republican colleagues were savvy enough to realize a week ago that it would be for the good of the chamber, and the state, for him to remain the speaker. H...
Anyone stopping by the Sweetwater County Library Monday morning would have seen a small group of toddlers and their parents playing Peek a Boo. According to Becky Iwen, the youth services manager at the library, the game can give infants and toddlers the opportunity to learn about their bodies. She said the game can be played with babies that are a few weeks old and can incorporate other activities which allow for learning. Monday's Toddler Time did just that and gave parents additional...
A number of Green River children received awards for their artwork during the Green River City Council meeting Tuesday night. The children competed in a coloring contested hosted by the Green River Fire Department, which accepted more than 600 entries from Green River children. Tom Murphy, a Councilman who also serves on the city's volunteer fire department, said the contest was only open to children within Sweetwater County School District No. 2's boundaries. "This is something I'm very...
Five Wolves received All Conference honors in football, with three making All State, according to a list released by the Wyoming Coaches Association. Erik Gwaltney, Kyle Ivie, Anthony Johnson, Anthony Mitchell and Caison Straw made the All-Conference list, while Johnson, Mitchell and Straw were named All State. According to stats from Wyopreps.com, Gwaltney made 34 tackles throughout the season, making 17 assists and 13 solo tackles. He made two sacks, two tackles for lost yardage and one...
It is an interesting time of year. The mid-term elections are over, the days are shorter, and the holidays are picking up speed. Some businesses will have their peak of profits over the next week, while others are slowing down as their staff takes holidays and focuses on family, food, and snagging the best black Friday deals. Some businesses are preparing for year end. Reflecting on accomplishments, balance sheets and wrapping up projects. On a personal level many will take time this week in particular to practice gratitude. Gratitude makes...
I originally intended to run this in October, since Halloween factors perfectly into a game featuring Dracula and other well-known monsters. With the elections, I opted to hold off because allowing our readers to voice their opinions is much more important than me using this space to reminisce about a 31-year-old game I played on a Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Mini. Castlevania Dracula has become one of the most enduring icons of horror. Bram Stoker’s original character, based l...
Voters in three conservative Western states overruled their elected officials in the midterm elections and expanded Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of low-income people via ballot initiatives. “The GOP has been bashing the [Affordable Care Act] for nearly a decade, and voters in the reddest states in the country just rejected that message,” Jonathan Schleifer, executive director of The Fairness Project, told ABC News. “It’s a repudiation and a tectonic shift in health care in this country.” It’s a fair assessment of what happened, b...
The Green River City Council approved a request to increase residents solid waste bills from Wyoming Waste Management Tuesday night. The move allows the company to charge an increase to residents based on an increase in a 12-month rolling consumer price index. The CPI increased by 2.3 percent, which is the increase that is expected to amount to 72 cents per month. Councilman Gary Killpack said the increase is minuscule compared to the increases the city projected if it continued operating its...
Emails sent amongst members of the Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County board of trustees show how board members came to a decision regarding its withdrawal of funds from Bank of the West. An environmental policy on the bank’s website created a stir within Wyoming when it stated it would not do business with certain operations within the energy industry. The statement led to the Sweetwater County Commissioners pulling county funds from the bank and Governor-elect Mark Gordon, currently the W...
A summer lifeguard was credited with saving a swim student earlier this year. The lifeguard, Ayden Powers, was recognized by the Sweetwater County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees last week for making the save at the Green River High School Aquatics Center. According to the Aquatics Center’s manager Mike Moody, the high school’s pools are utilized by city swim classes throughout the summer. The youngest students are taught the basics at the center’s therapy pool as the shallow depth is us...
The Sweetwater County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees approved its contracts with Superintendent Donna Little-Kaumo and Assistant Superintendent Jamie Christensen Tuesday night. The board added a discussion item prior to an executive session for personnel. Board member Steve Core said having the contract approval finalized in November was a big change to how business was conducted with the board. Core, calling the situation a transparency issue, said the contracts had traditionally been...
While the city has done great things with streets like Hitching Post and Second South, a lot more work remains according to Mark Westenskow, director of public works for the city. Westenskow said the city is wrapping up its sixth-penny tax funded streets projects next year with work on Knotty Pine, Evans and part of Railroad Avenue. The improvement tax was passed in 2012, with the city working on East Teton Boulevard first. Westenskow said the tax allowed the city to address pavement problems...
The city will host its annual Tough Turkey Volleyball Tournament this weekend at the Green River Recreation Center. According to Kevin Sadler, recreation supervisor at the GRRC, 16 teams will compete in the event. Teams will come from Green River and Rock Springs, as well as Cheyenne, Laramie, Denver and Utah. Sadler said the recreation center’s gym will be closed Friday and Saturday to host the tournament. Tournament action starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 6 p.m., Saturday. Play resumes Sunday m...
If you ask Randy Walker, he'd say swimming is sport in its purest form. He advises his middle-school swimmers that other swimmers aren't the people they're competing against. They should focus on competing against themselves. According to Walker, swimmers have to compete against procrastination, ego, unhealthy eating and other negative behaviors. "You must compete against these things," a whiteboard reads at the Green River High School Aquatics Center. Walker, along with assistant coach Owen...
With the General Election officially over, Sweetwater County will have two new commissioners starting next year. A lot can be learned in the defeat suffered by John Kolb and Reid West. Before I explain further, it should be pointed out that both are good county commissioners. Neither man was lax in their duties and the commissioners as a group have done a lot to make Sweetwater County a better place. They saved Castle Rock Hospital District from failing, secured funding for the construction of...
Don’t look now, but Wyoming just dodged a fiscal bullet. The smart thing to do would be to count ourselves lucky, then get out of the line of fire before the next round comes flying down range. But if history is any guide, I expect our Legislature will keep the state right where it is. Wyoming state government has once again been delivered from a huge budget deficit, this time by a combination of unexpectedly higher oil prices and investment returns. That’s obviously good news, but in the long-term it will likely postpone (again) a serious rev...
Green River residents might see a garbage bill in 2019 if the city council approves a request from Wyoming Waste Systems. A vote on the increase was listed on the Council’s agenda Monday night, but it was removed at the start of the meeting in favor of being added to a workshop discussion next week. According Council documents, Wyoming Waste Systems makes the request through an escalation clause in their contract with the city, allowing Wyoming Waste Systems to adjust its pricing in a...
Republicans made huge gains in Sweetwater County Tuesday night. All three Republicans vying for seats on the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners won their electoral bids, while the Republican challengers for county sheriff and county clerk also made successful election bids. Incumbent Randy Wendling received the most votes of the three Republicans, earning 7,987 according to unofficial results from the Sweetwater County Clerk's Office. Jeffery Smith and Roy Lloyd were only separated...
Both the Green River City Council and the Sweetwater County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees will have some new blood coming in. While Mayor Pete Rust and Councilman Gary Killpack will receive another term in office, Jim Zimmerman and Michael Shutran will join the Council in January. For the school board, Ashley Castillon will join Rachelle Morris and incumbent Robin Steiss in December. Rust defeated challenger Mark Peterson by 1,700 votes, receiving 2,771 votes to Peterson’s 1,077. In W...
Two parcels of land west of Green River could be the home of a Love’s Travel Stop in the future. The parcels, located along Highway 374 and near Exit 85 on Interstate 80, will be the focus of a zone change in December. Jim Zimmerman with the Sweetwater County Planning and Zoning Department, said the Love’s chain is interested in using the parcels to build a truck stop. Zimmerman said both parcels are currently zoned for agricultural use and need to be shifted to commercial zoning. The ini...
A bill passed in Washington, D.C., will impact the Fontenelle Reservoir. Provisions in the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 will allow for the expansion of water storage at the reservoir, as well as support other water projects throughout Wyoming. U.S. Sen. John Barrasso was one of the bill’s authors and its sponsor. He is also the chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works The act was passed by a 99-1 vote in the Senate Oct. 10, with the only dissenting vot...
Karen R., a 70-year-old Medicare beneficiary living in a mid-size town in Indiana, contacted me recently about her Part D drug coverage. She and her husband both have traditional Medicare, a Medigap policy, and what’s called a stand-alone plan for their drugs. For a long time, her stand-alone plan offered through Humana worked well for them. Her out-of-pocket costs for most drugs was only $8. This summer Karen, who takes 11 drugs for a variety of illnesses, including atrial fibrillation and kidney disease, was diagnosed with a new ailment – pso...
