Articles from the July 22, 2015 edition


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  • OCI confirms trona mine sale

    Staff Report|Jul 22, 2015

    On Monday, OCI Enterprises Inc., the North American subsidiary of OCI Company Ltd. (“OCI”) of Seoul, Korea, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its approximately 73 percent limited partner interest in OCI Resources LP (“OCI Resources” or the “Partnership”), as well as its 2 percent general partner interest and related incentive distribution rights, to Park Holding A.S., a subsidiary of Ciner Group of Istanbul, Turkey for $429 million. OCI Wyoming employs about 430 people at the Green River facility and its annual soda...

  • Schools' budget approved

    David Martin, Editor|Jul 22, 2015

    External cost adjustments do make for a better budget. Tuesday night, the Sweetwater County School District No. 2 board passed the 2015-2016 budget. The $65.9 million budget, without those cost adjustments, would have been a bit more difficult to build. Pete Brandjord, business manager for the district, said it was the best budget his office put together since the last cost adjustments in 2010. According to the budget’s introductory page, the district’s assessed valuation decreased slightly by approximately $2 million, leaving the val...

  • City finalizes airport advisory board

    Lillian Palmer, Staff Writer|Jul 22, 2015

    Tuesday evening, the City Council motioned to appoint members of the Airport Advisory Board for Green River’s Intergalactic Spaceport. The motion confirmed the Mayor Pete Rust’s appointment of Gordon Gunter, Ed DeCastro, Barry Tippy, Ed McPherson, Dorothy Krauss, Holden Wright and Councilman Brett Stokes to the Green River Airport Advisory Board. It was Councilman Alan Wilson who moved the motion with another council member’s second. Councilman Gary Killpack opposed the motion, and the motion carried regardless, with two motions to carry...

  • Crash sends woman to hospital

    Lillian Palmer, Staff Writer|Jul 22, 2015

    Thursday evening, at 5:20 p.m., a vehicle crash occurred at the intersection of Uinta Drive and Riverview Drive that condensed traffic. A white Dodge Journey was driving north bound, down Uinta and was attempting to turn left onto Riverview Drive on a green light for oncoming traffic going straight, with a yellow turning light when the crash occurred. The second vehicle, a white Jeep Liberty, was driving south bound on Uinta, going straight through the intersection in the outside, right hand lane. Approaching the intersection, neither driver...

  • Grover Cleveland "Cleve" Martin

    Jul 22, 2015

    Grover Cleveland "Cleve" Martin, 75, of Rock Springs died July 20, 2015 at the Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County following a brief illness. He was lifelong resident of Rock Springs. He was born on April 11, 1940 in Rock Springs, the son of LaFayette and Fairyl Martin. Martin attended school in Rock Springs and Casper. He was in the United States Army Reserve and served in the Vietnam War. Martin owned and operated several businesses throughout his life time and later in life he became the h... Full story

  • Patrick A. Porter

    Jul 22, 2015

    Patrick A. Porter, 71, of Green River, passed away July 19, 2015 at his home. A longtime resident of Green River, and former resident of Superior, Porter passed away following a brief illness. He was born on Dec. 31, 1943 in Rock Springs, the son of the late Harry Kimball Porter, Sr. and Ella Otillia Kampman. Porter attended schools in Superior and graduated from Superior High School with the class of 1962. He married Theda A. "Sue" Walker in Riverton April 8, 1996. Porter worked as an...

  • Roger Pulley

    Jul 22, 2015

    Roger Pulley, 82, of Rock Springs, passed away July 14, 2015 at his home. A lifelong resident of Rock Springs and former resident of Green River, Pulley passed away following a brief illness. He was born on Feb. 15, 1933 in Farson, the son of the late Earl Russell Pulley and Amelia Darling. Pulley attended schools in Farson. He married Barbara Lee Vigil in Rock Springs Sept. 7, 1974. Pulley worked for Husky Truck Stop for more than 20 years as a station manager; FMC Corporation as a heavy... Full story

  • Maxine Emma Travis

    Jul 22, 2015

    Maxine Emma Travis, 97, of Green River passed away July 15, 2015 at Sage View Care Center in Rock Springs. A longtime resident of Green River, Travis passed away following a lengthy illness. She was born on May 24, 1918 in Sterling, Colo., the daughter of the late Earl King and Lucy Wade. Travis attended schools in Green River and graduated from the Green River High School with the class of 1932. She married James Travis in Coalville, Utah, in December of 1938 and he preceded her in death in... Full story

  • Kenneth Lee Rodgers

    Jul 22, 2015

    Kenneth Lee Rodgers, 35, of Rock Springs passed away July 11, 2015 at the Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County . He was born on March 28, 1980 in Williston, N.D., the son of David Gerg and Iris Killinger. He attended schools in Casper, Green River and Rock Springs. He graduated from Roosevelt High School with the class of 1998. He married the love of his life, Katie Lacquement, in Green River March 21, 2008. Rodgers worked as a pipe fitter for 12 years. His interests included fishing,... Full story

  • Joe Garnica

    Jul 22, 2015

    Joe Garnica, 24, of Rock Springs passed away July 18, 2015. He was born on June 29, 1991 in Denver, the son of Joe Garnica and Roberta Miera Garnica. Garnica attended schools in Rock Springs and was a 2009 graduate of Independence High School. His interests included fishing, music, drawing, dancing and building a go-kart. He loved repairing bicycles for his nephews. Survivors include his father Joe Garnica of Rock Springs and his mother Roberta Garnica of Laramie; two brothers Justin Mullins... Full story

  • Don Edward Haddock

    Jul 22, 2015

    Don Edward Haddock, 73, of Marbleton, passed away July 16, 2015 at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County. A resident of Marbleton for the past year and former longtime resident of Montpelier, Idaho and Rock Springs, Haddock passed away following a lengthy illness. He was born on Aug. 21, 1941 in Blackfoot, Idaho, the son of Edward and Edith Haddock. Haddock attended schools in Montpelier, Idaho, and graduated from high school with the class of 1961. He was the owner and operator of Mr. Al's in... Full story

  • Our View: Sales show the power of trona ore

    Jul 22, 2015

    Businesses are going crazy for trona. The ore, and the soda-ash generated from it, are the focus of a few major business acquisitions that have a lot of people in Sweetwater County talking. With OCI’s recent announcement that it will sell its trona mine west of Green River, the move follows a trend started in 2008 with the purchase of General Chemical by Tata Chemicals. During the last year, two of the four trona mines have been sold to other companies. While some would interpret this as a sign that the trona industry might be headed for a roug...

  • Letter: A learning experience for new board

    Jul 22, 2015

    Dear Editor, The city’s new Airport Advisory Board has been appointed by the city council and now begins its work for the city. I know these people and I know that they have much to learn about doing the public’s business for the city. The first thing to learn is that the city government meetings are structured and carried out the way they are because they must conform to Wyoming Statutes, in this case the public meetings laws codified in Title 16, Article 4 of the Wyoming Statutes. The board has only five members instead of the six cou...

  • Advising library readers

    Jacquie Kramer, Sweetwater County Library System|Jul 22, 2015

    While I was getting my degree in library and information science, I took a number of what you might call “typical” library science classes: reference services (how to answer reference questions), cataloging (how to catalog library materials), collection development (how to select materials to add to the library’s collection), and public relations (how to appropriately market the library and its services to the public). I enjoyed all of these classes and learned quite a bit about the inner workings of the library as an organization. One of my...

  • NHSFR will return to Sweetwater County

    Lillian Palmer, Staff Writer|Jul 22, 2015

    The National High School Finals Rodeo will make its way back to Rock Springs and Green River in the years 2018 and 2019. The recent rodeo was the last year scheduled for the National High School Finals Rodeo in Sweetwater County and will be in Gillette for the next two years. A bid was placed on the rodeo to decide where it would be hosted after Gillette. Sunday, the NHSFR board of directors voted for the rodeo to return Rock Springs. "I'm excited for them to come back, we just have to work the...

  • GR animal control aims to educate

    Olivia Kennah, Staff Writer|Jul 22, 2015

    The Green River Animal Control Shelter has several roles in the community, but their ultimate goal in every situation is to care for the animals. They are part of the police department and all calls dealing with animal situations go to them. They patrol for animals, capture both wildlife and domestic animals and issue citations and warnings to animal owners violating laws and regulations. Animal control are law enforcement officers, but there is another side to animal control that some people tend to overlook. Animal control’s primary role i...

  • Deadly Ghosts busted!

    Lillian Palmer, Staff Writer|Jul 22, 2015

    The Bittersweet Bombshells busted Casper's Deadly Ghosts on Saturday. The score was Bombshells 119 to 114 Ghosts, a very close game in roller derby. The bout was neck and neck, back and forth. The Ghosts put up a good fight against the Bombshells, especially considering their smaller roster number, eight derby girls, compared to the Bombshells' 12 for the bout. Players from two other Wyoming teams played for the Ghosts' bout against the Bombshells to help even out the numbers. "They had to...

  • Knights win 1st game in state tourney

    David Martin, Editor|Jul 22, 2015

    It’s the Green River Knights time to shine at the state tournament in Lovell. The Knights traveled to the tournament Tuesday morning and competed in the first round against the Lovell Mustangs that night. The Knights scraped out at win against Lovell 6-5, with Green River advancing to play the Cody Cubs tonight. For head coach Stub Hatfield, the key to victory in the tournament relies upon good baseball and limiting walks. “If these kids play ball ... if we can just quit walking people, we can win,” Hatfield said. Going into the match again...

  • Residents asked to report dead sage grouse to G&F

    Staff Report|Jul 22, 2015

    All residents, especially landowners, are again being asked to assist in the management of the state’s sage grouse populations this summer by immediately reporting dead sage grouse to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department so they can be tested for West Nile virus. Past research has shown sage grouse have low resistance to the disease, which is usually fatal to the birds. Evidence of West Nile virus has been reported in northeast Wyoming and in surrounding states. Tom Christiansen, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s sage grouse bio...

  • Air Time

    Jul 22, 2015

  • Well-known grants writer takes over as director

    Stephanie Thompson, People Editor|Jul 22, 2015

    On July 1, the Golden Hour Senior Center started to see a new face when Sheela Schermetzler took over as the executive director. Schermetzler has worked as various jobs throughout her life, including a junior high science teacher, grants writer, baker and caterer. "This job is a combination of all my life's work," Schermetzler said. "This is going to be my last job. I feel this is kind of the grand finale; and I just feel it's an honor to work here and an honor to work with the seniors and...

  • Pet camp changes kids perspectives

    Stephanie Thompson, People Editor|Jul 22, 2015

    Last week, two Green River students joined four Rock Springs students at the Red Desert Humane Society’s Pet Camp. During the one-week camp, the group acted as volunteers. They kicked off the week with a tour of the shelter and went over how to fundraise for the cause. They also learned how to talk to animals and they met the animals they would be in charge of preparing for adoption. On Tuesday, rescue worker issues, including hoarding, overpopulation and euthanasia were discussed. The kids a...

  • Care-package items collected

    Stephanie Thompson, People Editor|Jul 22, 2015

    With the help of the community, a Green River boy was able to raise about $1,650 and truck loads of care-package items for Wyoming soldiers. Green River High School freshman Ryan Deutsch isn't new to collecting monetary donations or care-package items for the troops. In fact, he started when he was in the fifth grade. He heard about a program called Hometown Heroes from Monroe Intermediate School teacher Lori Hastert; and a passion for helping the troops was born. "It's just the right thing to...

  • The next step: VFW to send the packages

    Stephanie Thompson, People Editor|Jul 22, 2015

    Money and care-package donations move onto the next phase. The rest of the donations and $1,650 Ryan Deutsch raised was given to the Green River VFW Post 2321. “Well, actually, I thinks it’s pretty descent of him and his mother,” VFW Post 2321 Post Commander Earl McDonald said. “The VFW has always packaged and shipped the care packages,” Karrie Deutsch said. “In prior years, Ryan has only collected things to fill the boxes and money for the VFW.” “He’s been very, very good about getting donated stuff together,” McDonald said. “There’s a lot of...

  • Save the ponytail campaign

    Stephanie Thompson, People Editor|Jul 22, 2015

    A Green River man who is trying to raise money for the 10th Annual Dean Quail Against Cancer Benefit and Run is faced with the possibility of cutting off his 26-inch pony tail. Steve Barrera said the whole idea came about when he was chatting with volunteers for Chariots of Light, a Christian motorcycle club. For the past 10 years, the bike club has participated in the Dean Quail Against Cancer Benefit and Run. All of the proceeds they raise during their run goes to local residents who are fighting cancer. This year’s six recipients are L...