Sorted by date Results 1299 - 1323 of 1737
Candidates for the two Sweetwater County Commissioner seats available for election discussed what they thought were important issues impacting the county Monday night. Democrats speaking were Mark Peterson, Gary Bailiff, Holly Dabb and Bodan Janota while the Republicans speaking to residents were Raymond Avery and incumbents Wally Johnson and Don Van Matre. When asked what the most imporatant role a county commissioner has, many Democrats focused on the commissioners’ budgetary r...
More than $8 million will be carried onto the current budget and while it may sound like the city’s budget problems are solved, that amount is already earmarked. The carryover reflects projects previously budgeted for or already underway and includes work paid for through the sixth-penny improvement tax and other funding methods. While the list of projects includes funding for the U.P. Depot project, city vehicle replacement and improvements on Hitching Post Drive, a $97,050 line item for the G...
A volunteer firefighter is among those seeking election to the Green River City Council in Ward I. Tom Murphy is one of three residents seeking election in the ward, who will replace Mark Peterson as the council representative. Murphy said one of the major issues he wants to push if elected to the council is investigating if a return on investment is high enough to justify an expense. Murphy believes this outlook is especially important as the city continues to deal with decreasing sales tax...
A Green River man accused of having intercourse with a 14-year-old girl pleaded not guilty to a felony charge. Marshall L. Mechling Jr., 20, of Jamestown, appeared in the Third District Court of Judge Richard Lavery at an arraignment to second degree sexual abuse of a minor. If found guilty of the charge, Mechling Jr. could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000. A jury trial has been scheduled to take place Oct. 11 at 9 a.m. According to court documents, on...
Residents will continue to have road construction to drive around, at least until the end of September. A state-funded project focusing on Hitching Post Drive, West Teton Boulevard and East Teton Boulevard is underway while a sixth-penny funded city project continues along Second South Street. City Utility Manager Mark Westenskow said he hopes most of the work on Hitching Post Drive will conclude by the time school starts, but admits he doesn’t have too much control over the timeline as it is a...
Kenny Ball, a native Green River resident, is running for Green River City Council Ward I because he wants the opportunity to serve the community he grew up in. Ball appreciates everything Green River has given him throughout his life and he wants to be able to be in the position to give back to the community. Although Ball lived in Laramie for a few years, he considers himself born and raised in Green River. “When I lived in Laramie, my dad was still living here so I spent every weekend in Green River,” Ball said. He feels very thankful for...
Green River Fire Department Capt. JP Apostolope was recently selected by the American Legion to receive the honor of "Firefighter of the Year for the State of Wyoming." "It's very special," Capt. Apostolope said. "It's a great achievement for me." Captain Apostolope is a second generation firefighter and started his firefighting career in 1990 at the GRFD. "My dad was a firefighter and I just always wanted to do that," he said. Firefighting is very fulfilling for Apostolope for many reasons. "I...
The city council seeks an operational study for the upcoming solid waste transfer project. The Green River City Council approved an increase in the Solid Waste Fund in the amount of $30,000 for the study. The study was initially budgeted for $60,000, but the Solid Waste Division was able to decrease the cost to $48,000. However, last week they surveyed the landfill and found that is more full than they expected it to be at this point in time. Director of Finance Chris Meats said the diminished capacity is causing them to move the time frame...
A man who led officers on a chase with five teenage girls in the car was given probation for his actions. Daniel Ray Potter, 21, of Rock Springs, appeared in the Third District court of Judge Richard Lavery at a sentencing hearing to a felony charge of interference with a peace officer, and three misdemeanors, two counts of reckless endangering and fleeing or attempting to elude police officers. All of Potter’s felony charges, five felonious restraint, and three misdemeanor charges of driving u...
Brett Stokes is seeking a second term on the Green River City Council in Ward III. Stokes has served one term with the council and hopes to be able to continue his work for another four years. “I’ve been involved in politics for most of my career. Politics intrigues me and I wanted to get involved in local government and try to make a difference,” Stokes said. Stokes has spent 26 years in law enforcement, working with the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office and currently as the captain of the Sweetwater County Detention Center. As captain...
While it’s less than what they’ve worked with before, Sweetwater County School District No. 2’s budget will fund some pay increases for teachers originally negotiated months ago. The district’s board of trustees approved budgets for both the district and the recreation board, which utilizes a mill levy for district projects aimed at improving recreation and physical activities. The district’s valuation decreased by $82.7 million in the last year, which resulted in the valuation being $928,625,...
A man who injured his five-year-old stepson was placed on supervised probation. David C. Drakos, 43, of Green River, appeared in the Third District Court Judge Nena James at a change of plea and sentencing hearing to a felony charge of child abuse. In exchange for David’s no contest plea, he was given a seven-to 10-year prison sentence, which was suspended. He was placed on five years supervised probation. One of the probation terms specifically states David is not to have any contact with t...
Arctic Circle’s manager, Robert Berg, wants to take his management and leadership skills to the city council to bring Green River a better future. Berg served on the Green River Chamber of Commerce board for eight years and is currently serving his sixth year on the Green River Main Street Board. Two years ago, Berg thought about running for council. He has gone in front of the council several times and being on the other side of it intrigued him. He believes it is time to take his leadership to the next level. “I truly care about this com...
A plan designed to expand commercial opportunities along the river and downtown was green-lighted by the city council last week. The plan, M.E.E.T., stands for Main Street, Expedition, Expansion, Transformation. Green River URA/Main Street Administrator Jennie Melvin said the Expedition portion will focus on Expedition Island and the plan is designed to expand and transform downtown Green River and the river corridor. The plan has been in the works since 2013. Wyoming State Statute requires towns to have a plan that designates an area with...
During the Flaming Gorge Days festivities, local businesses noticed a boost in the amount of customers they had. With a large amount of the community out enjoying the celebrations, the local restaurants had a good opportunity for business. Staci Ann’s Cafe took advantage of the night life of Flaming Gorge Days by staying open 24 hours both Friday and Saturday. They also did a full menu. “We had quite a few people in during our late hours,” owner Staci Martin said. “People were very excited and happy to have us available.” Grace Yeager, o...
New building codes for Green River passed their first reading July 5 during a Green River City Council meeting. The codes in consideration are mandated by the State of Wyoming. Wyoming State Statute says towns with local jurisdiction must adopt the same codes the state adopts. Councilman Gary Killpack asked why the state is making Green River adopt these codes. Community Development Director Laura Profaizer and Senior Building Inspector David Allred explained that if the city does not adopt the codes, Green River will lose home rule. Anyone...
Grant money didn’t come in, and now the city seeks a loan to pay for design work on the proposed wastewater treatment plan it needs to build. The Green River City Council voted to apply for a $1.2 million loan to go with another $1.2 million loan it already received from the state. Initially, the loan was planned to be paired with a $1.2 million mineral royalties grant from the state, but the city did not receive the grant. Because of the economic downturn the state is experiencing, the c...
Two 16-year-old Green River boys who admitted to strangling a woman at the Green River Youth Home so they could run away will have to attend boot camp and possibly serve prison time. Hayden A. Riggs and Charles Paiz, were charged with kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, aggravated assault and battery, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and battery, theft, conspiracy to commit theft, aggravated robbery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery. Both Riggs and Paiz recently appeare...
When going to the Green River Chamber of Commerce's Visitor Center, there are U.S. and world maps where guests can place a pin on the state or country they are from. Nearly every state has at least one pin. The McMahan family put the very first pin on Ohio Friday morning. The family is originally from Ohio, but had been living in Utah for several years. They were traveling through Green River as they were moving back to Ohio. They said they saw the visitor center and decided to stop to take...
A new addition to the Great American Road Trip sticker series recognizes Green River and its natural beauty. The sticker is part of the Wyoming Office of Tourism's series of stickers highlighting locations found along the road to Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. Stickers depicting Rock Springs and the Flaming Gorge were previously introduced to the series. The sticker depicts the Interstate 80 tunnels, Castle Rock, the Palisades, as well as the river itself. Misty...
With the approval of the city budget, city departments are feeling the effects of budget cuts. The approved budget is $30 million, which is close to $2 million less than last year’s budget. The fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30, 2017. “Throughout the budget process with the city administrator and other department heads, we worked at looking at specific programs within each department and prioritized them based on importance and need with the department and also how that ties into the need and importance of the service to the city res...
With the Fourth of July just around the corner, firefighters want to again warn residents not to shoot off fireworks within city limits. First off -- it is still illegal to do so. Secondly, conditions are just too dry. Luke Benson, a detective with the Green River Police Department, said residents who are caught shooting off fireworks within city limits could be charged with a $225 fine. If their fireworks cause property damage, such as a fire, they could also face restitution charges as well....
