Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 1158
Plans to bring solution mining for trona to Sweetwater County continue to move forward, with the latest updates coming from Pacific Soda's Dry Creek Trona Project. Pacific Soda LLC is a partner with Sisecam, Ciner, and WE Soda, and is pursuing a multi-billion dollar project "to construct and operate a solution mine field and associated facilities capable of producing annual quantities of both marketable soda ash and sodium bicarbonate," according to Wesley Slaugh, the Permitting and Regulatory...
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...
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... Full story
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... Full story
Tracy Warren was sentenced to time in the Wyoming State Penitentiary after pleading guilty to conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance of methamphetamine and fleeing or attempting to elude police officers. Warren appeared for sentencing in the Third District Court of Judge Suzannah Robinson Monday, March 11. He was sentenced to 7-12 years for the count of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance of methamphetamine and 2-4 years for the count of fleeing or attempting to elude police... Full story
James Vickers, 45, was sentenced to 24 months' imprisonment for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on Mar. 5, in Casper, Wyoming. The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge on Nov. 28, 2023. According to court documents, on Sep. 9, 2023, Rock Springs Police Department responded to Santa Fe Southwest Grill to a report of shots being fired inside the restaurant. RSPD officers contacted Vickers in the parking lot and... Full story
From geofencing to aerial photography, Sweetwater County is seeing the impact of technology and considering its potential uses for the future. During Tuesday's Board of County Commissioners meeting, the commissioners heard updates from the Sweetwater Events Complex and from County Assessor Dave Divis that included information on how technology is being used and could be used. Sweetwater Events Complex Director Kandi Pendleton spoke to the commissioners to give an overview of how the Events...
On Friday, March 1, Rock Springs Police Department Officer LaPointe initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle in Rock Springs. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Mark Harding of Utah. During the stop, Officer Brown's police K9 indicated the presence of a controlled substance inside the suspect vehicle. The vehicle was searched and officers found approximately 100 grams of methamphetamine, 6 grams of heroin, 19 fentanyl pills, and other controlled substances. The driver of the vehicle was... Full story
Even after extra chairs were set up in the meeting room at White Mountain Library, the crowds kept coming in until the room was packed with Sweetwater County residents, many of whom had to stand in the back to hear U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman speak. Hageman explained that she made a promise to host a town hall in every county in Wyoming every year, so her stop in Rock Springs last Thursday night was a part of keeping that promise. "As your representative, I am committed to not only representing...
The Bureau of Land Management recently asked for public input on a proposed wild horse gather in Southwest Wyoming's White Mountain Herd Management Area. "The White Mountain HMA's appropriate management level is 205-300 wild horses," the BLM explained in a press release. "BLM completed a population survey for the HMA in 2022 and found 549 wild horses present on the HMA at that time. Considering an estimated annual growth rate of 20%, the estimated number of wild horses within this HMA in 2024... Full story
Tourism is an important industry for Sweetwater County, and strengthening the local economy by "putting heads in beds" is "the entire purpose of our efforts" for Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism, according to President and CEO Jenissa Meredith. The Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism Board recently released their 2023 Annual Report, and Meredith gave an annual update to the Green River City Council during Tuesday night's meeting. Meredith explained that the Lodging Tax is currently...
Declining rates of kokanee salmon in the Flaming Gorge Reservoir is an ongoing concern, and local fishery managers in the Wyoming Game and Fish Department want to start taking action to address the problem. Green River Fisheries Biologist John Walrath and Regional Fishery Supervisor Robert Keith have been working to gather public input and work on solutions when it comes to protecting the kokanee. They hosted open houses last fall, including a well-attended gathering in Green River. During...
Rock Springs Police Department is seeking information from the public related to a cold case from 1999. On May 8, 1999, Davida Peterson was working at V-1 Propane in Rock Springs when two armed robbers took her life. Sgt. Steve Reekers investigated this case until his retirement, and now Detective Jennifer Saloga is continuing his work. Sgt. Reekers was able to develop persons of interest in this case. These persons of interest have ties to Rock Springs and were never excluded as potential... Full story
Seeking to address recent complaints and rumors about ambulance service in Sweetwater County, the Castle Rock Hospital District Board of Trustees and Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners hosted a joint special meeting last week. The meeting was set up by the commissioners out of a desire to establish more open lines of communication with the Castle Rock board, according to Commission Chairman Keaton West. West noted that the commissioners have received complaints from former and...
While the Wyoming Legislature's 2024 Budget Session is underway, having convened on Monday, February 12, local legislators from Sweetwater County prepared beforehand by receiving feedback from the community. A legislative town hall meeting was hosted by the Sweetwater County GOP at Western Wyoming Community College on February 1, and Rep. J.T. Larson, Rep. Cody Wylie, Rep. Clark Stith, Rep. Tony Niemiec, Rep. Bob Davis, Rep. Scott Heiner, Sen. Stacy Jones, and Sen. John Kolb all gathered to...
While continuing to struggle with pilot shortages and industry challenges, the Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport is looking to the future and hopeful in finding ways forward to continue improving service. Airport Director Devon Brubaker recently gave updates on the airport's current situation and future plans to Sweetwater County residents during an Airport Master Plan Community Meeting and to the county during Tuesday's Board of County Commissioners meeting. The airport has had "another year...
Brent Quickenden recently pleaded guilty to multiple counts related to possession and distribution of controlled substances during a hearing in the Third District Court of Judge Suzannah Robinson. Quickenden was arrested May 16, 2023, which was one of many arrests made by the Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI) around the same time frame for drug-related offenses. Quickenden initially appeared before Judge Robinson on June 5, 2023 for an arraignment, where he was advised that he was faci...
When it comes to creating a system of trails connecting communities all across Southwest Wyoming, Sweetwater County wants to be on the map. The Sweetwater County Commissioners heard an update from Mark Tesoro, the president of Southwest Wyoming Off-road Trails (SWOT) during their January 16 meeting. Tesoro first presented the idea of SWOT to the Board of County Commissioners at the end of 2021, and progress on the project has been made since. Now both Tesoro and the commissioners are hoping to...
What makes a good leader? This is the question Western Wyoming Community College is asking as the school begins the search for a new president. Western recently hosted a series of presidential search meetings to gather input about what the community and the college are looking for in the next president. Current Western President Kim Dale announced her resignation in October, while will be effective July 12, 2024. The Board has partnered with the academic search consulting firm Pauly Group, Inc....
While much has been said on the Bureau of Land Management's Resource Management Plan (RMP) draft for the Rock Springs Field Office over the past five months, the final official comments were made this week. With the deadline for the public comment period ending on Wednesday, many organizations and individuals got their last comments in this week, including Sweetwater County and the governor's task force. The Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners approved the final comments on behalf of...
A new call-to-action published January 9 in the journal Cancer details practical steps for the oncology research and clinical care communities to expand access to clinical trials and enable patients to participate closer to their homes. The paper, authored by members of an American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Task Force including Dr. Banu Symington, oncologist/hematologist at Sweetwater Regional Cancer Center, illuminates the importance of enabling patients to receive trial related... Full story
Sweetwater County has a lot to say when it comes to the Bureau of Land Management’s Resource Management Plan draft for the Rock Springs Field Office, and the Board of County Commissioners is working to ensure that comments on behalf of the county will be ready by the upcoming public comment deadline. Land Use Director Eric Bingham spoke to the commissioners again during Tuesday’s meeting to present the draft of the county’s comments. “We are finally narrowing down the process here and getting...
Hone your fishing skills and see how you stack up against other anglers during the Mac Attack Fishing Contest, targeting lake trout less than 25 inches at Flaming Gorge Reservoir. The two-day contest is Jan. 13-14. Participants will compete for eight prize categories and enter into five drawings, including two youth drawings. Registered participants can fish from shore, ice, or boat. The Green River fisheries biologists endorsing the Mac Attack are concerned that the large number of lake trout l... Full story
The Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners took care of several points of business during their last meeting of the year on Tuesday, including hearing a presentation about election integrity and an update on the county's comments to the Bureau of Land Management concerning the Resource Management Plan (RMP) draft for the Rock Springs Field Office. Election integrity The commissioners heard an "election integrity proposal" from members of the group Cause of Wyoming, which is asking for...
The Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office recently announced that K9 Sergeant Arry will soon receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9 Sergeant Arry is a five-year-old Belgian Malinois from Czechia trained in obedience, narcotics detection, tracking, article search, area search, building search, apprehension, and handler protection. Arry's assigned human partner and handler is Deputy Sheriff Amanda Buller. Established in 2009,... Full story
