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Sweetwater County is one step closer to being part of a trail system connecting communities across Southwest Wyoming. The Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners approved a resolution designating and enrolling county roads as open to off-highway vehicle travel during their meeting on Tuesday. The decision came after discussion of Sweetwater County being a part of Southwest Wyoming Off-road Trails (SWOT), a group hoping to create an interconnected trail system people can use to travel...
Within the next few days, Sweetwater County residents will begin receiving their 2024 Notice of Value Property Assessments in the mail. Residents will also see some changes on their Notice of Value because of recently passed legislation, and some residents may qualify for exemptions. If applicable, the exemption amounts will be listed on the bottom left corner of the notice, and the resulting tax amount exempted in the bottom right corner, according to a press release from the Sweetwater County...
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has shared several recent updates on ongoing project developments and upcoming events, including extending the public scoping period for the Jackalope Wind Energy project, hosting local meetings on greater sage grouse land use plan amendments and hosting wild horse and burro adoption events. Jackalope Wind public comment period extended The BLM Rock Springs Field Office announced this week that they have extended the public scoping period for the Jackalope...
A project aiming to bring a wind farm to Sweetwater County is in the early stages of development, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rock Springs Field Office is accepting public input to help guide the process of analyzing the project and developing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). "This is a brand-new project," Rock Springs Field Office Manager Kimberlee Foster said. "We're doing our public scoping now to identify issues for analysis. So we want feedback from the public." The...
The Wyoming Department of Transportation, along with contract crews from Kilgore Companies, LLC, doing business as Lewis & Lewis, Inc. will be conducting work on Interstate 80 west of Green River near the Sweetwater County line. Crews will be working on the shoulder at various locations in the eastbound and westbound lanes. Work began Monday, April 1. On April 15, work will begin in the westbound lanes. Drivers will see traffic shifted to a single lane while crews prepare for the milling and...
While the Wyoming Legislature's 2024 Budget Session officially ended several weeks ago, a series of vetoes from Governor Mark Gordon prompted discussion of a special session. The special session was voted against, however, leaving the legislature finished for now. Overall, many Sweetwater County representatives and local government leaders expressed positive opinions about how this year's legislative session wrapped up. Governor's vetoes While Governor Gordon signed many of the bills presented...
The Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office is again warning the public to be aware of and not fall for scams that claim to be from the sheriff's office and demand payment. "We continue to receive multiple daily reports of people falling victim to rampant 'jury duty' and 'warrant' phone scams," the sheriff's office reported in a statement. With these fraudulent calls, scammers claim to be someone from the sheriff's office, using the name of an actual employee, demanding payment for outstanding arrest...
Wyoming made its way to Washington recently, as representatives from Sweetwater Country traveled to the nation's capital to speak out about the need to protect a balanced approach to both conservation and development on public lands. First, Sweetwater County Commissioner Taylor Jones traveled to Washington, D.C., with Senators John Kolb, Stacy Jones, and Dan Dockstader to talk to Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning about the Rock Springs Field Office Resource Management Plan (...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
