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COVID-19 isn’t just impacting spring and summer events throughout the Cowboy State, it’s hampering the state’s justice system as well. The jury trial of Bradley Setzer, originally set to take place May 11 at 9 a.m., before Third Judicial District Court Judge Richard Lavery, was postponed to July 13 at 9 a.m. A pretrial conference, originally scheduled for April 22, at 1:30 p.m. was rescheduled to June 15 at 1:30 p.m. Setzer was originally arrested last August after he was alleged to have tried...
As air service from the Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport is cut back due to the ongoing impacts from the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the airport continues to find ways to make the best use of the situation. The airport has had a 71 percent decrease in passengers on commercial flights in the past three weeks, with a 92 percent reduction in passengers compared to the same period last year. Devon Brubaker, director of the airport, said the airport is performing slightly better than the...
(Note: This is the first article in a series looking into strange phenomena that has reportedly occurred in Wyoming) Over the years, I’ve heard some strange tales of things happening in Sweetwater County. A coworker at a former job told me about seeing a gathering of ghostly pioneers late at night on a desolate stretch of highway miles away from any town. My father, while working at the old Stansbury mine when it was owned by Arch Minerals, used to mention how he’d occasionally see metallic obj...
In an unusual year that saw the cancellation of the State boys and girls basketball and State speech and debate tournaments in March and multiple postponements to the springs sports season, the Wyoming High School Athletics Association announced the cancellation of the 2020 spring sports season last week. Boys and girls soccer, as well as outdoor track and field, will not take place for Green River High School’s athletes. “Due to the continuing influence of COVID-19, we are not able to pre...
New District Court Judge Suzannah Robinson will be getting new furniture for her office, courtesy of Sweetwater County. The Sweetwater County commissioners approved a budget amendment for $17,896 from general county reserves to the capital facilities maintenance fund Tuesday, paying for the furniture. The approval covers a new table and chairs for the jury room and courtroom counsel tables, as well as a new desk, two lateral files, two book shelves, chairs and a loveseat sofa for Robinson’s c...
Sweetwater County School District No. 2’s lunch program is being expanded to give children lunch over the weekends. In an announcement to parents, Leah Kenison, director of the district’s food service program, said the district received approval to hand out weekend meals. On Friday, three bags will be given to children, one for each day. These meals are available to any child or teen in Green River, free of charge. This comes after the district started sending meals out on buses throughout Gre...
Green River’s sole grocery store has started limiting the number of customers inside the building as part of an escalated response to the COVID-19 coronavirus. Smith’s Food and Drug started limiting the number of people inside its building Tuesday, according to a release issued by Smith’s parent company, Kroger. The limit results in only 50 percent of the international fire code’s building capacity in the store at one time. In Green River, that means 346 people will be allowed inside at one tim...
As part of a continuing response to the COVID-19 coronavirus’ spread, the Green River Parks and Recreation Department is closing all playgrounds in Green River last week. “I cannot emphasize this enough, parks are open, this is the closure of playgrounds,” Parks and Recreation Director Brad Raney said. The closure is indefinite, as the department will wait until receiving advice for reopening the playgrounds from local and state health officials, as well as the National Recreation and Parks...
As financial impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic continue to escalate, the future of a sixth penny improvement tax ballot in November is uncertain. Speaking during the Sweetwater County commissioners’ meeting Tuesday, Commissioner Lauren Schoenfeld said representatives from Rock Springs and the Sweetwater County Events Complex believe work on the ballot initiative should stop and local governments should wait until the pandemic passes before revisiting the initiative. Schoenfeld said she r...
Sweetwater County School District No. 1 Head Start is changing how parents apply for the program to help limit the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Erin Barbuto, family and community partnerships manager at Head Start, said the program can't do in-person applications and will utilize an online application and a phone or video interviews for prospective students. "It's going to be a little different because we can't do applications in person," Barbuto said. Head Start operates a classroom in...
Editor's note: This is an updated version of the print article published April 1. Between print publication and posting this article to our website, a third confirmation was announced. A third confirmed case of COVID-19 infection was announced Wednesday evening by Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County. It also marks the third case confirmed in Green River. According to a press release, the hospital was notified Monday by a private lab that a male in his 20s had tested positive for the virus....
As the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition continues to establish itself at the county courthouse, it’s already working on helping area businesses weather the economic storm caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kayla McDonald, Economic Development Specialist for SEDC, said organizations like the SEDC often have a business recovery team to help businesses respond to disasters. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the SEDC board decided to from a team. Those involved in the team include Green River C...
It’s probably a wish a lot of us have right now: to fly away to some tiny island and away from everything that’s going on right now. With that in mind, it’s almost tragic to say “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” released two weeks ago at what is likely the perfect time for its kind of video game. Exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, the game allows players to develop a desert-island community for a huge cast of animal residents. While “Animal Crossing” doesn’t have the same name recognition as...
A Green River girl recently donated masks for visitors at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County for visitor use. Lily Harris donated a bundle of hand-made masks yesterday. Harris said she was inspired to make the masks because her mother has compromised lungs and when she goes to the hospital for appointments, masks aren't always available. "I hope this donation will help," she said. Harris, a Lincoln Middle School student, sewed the masks herself, using skills she learned from Mrs. Kennedy....
In an attempt to limit the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, Castle Rock Hospital District has opted to move the medical center’s respiratory clinic to its ambulance barn on Uinta Drive. The Castle Rock Ambulance Service will now respond to calls from the Green River Fire Station. “We can respond immediately to any call ... it’s business as usual,” Bailie Dockter, CEO of the hospital district, said. Dockter said all ambulance equipment and employees were moved out and the ambulance barn, w...
With the cancellation of the WyTOPP test and the possibility of being out of school after April 6, the district is moving towards providing education through distance learning. In a message to parents Monday, Interim Superintendent Jamie Christensen said teachers will likely start adjusting and learning to work in a new mode. Starting March 30, classes will resume in the district, continuing where they left off in an online formant or, for grades K-2, paper and pencil-based classes. Teachers wil...
Former Sweetwater County commissioner and mayor of Green River Don Van Matre will be among those inducted into the Green River High School Hall of Fame this year, according to a press release from the high school hall of fame committee. Van Matre served as a county commissioner from 2010 until his death last year. He was Green River’s mayor for one term, from 1987 to 1990. He was also a driving force behind establishing the county’s Veterans Service Office, an organization serving veterans in...
As we continue to hunker down and weather this viral epidemic, some of our nation’s leaders have started using tactics to focus blame for causing the global pandemic. President Donald Trump has repeatedly referred to the COVID-19 coronavirus as the “Chinese virus,” despite growing criticism of that characterization as being racist. Comments made by Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., may not be as pointed, but deserve scrutiny as well. Appearing on the “Wake Up Wyoming with Glenn Woods” show on KGAB in Cheyen...
Public buildings operated by the Green River city government will close until further notice in the latest response local officials have made to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. City Council meetings will occur behind closed doors, but will be broadcast and streamed until the risk of spreading the disease ends. “Even though we have not had a confirmed positive case here, we need to focus on slowing the transmission of COVID-19 and reducing the change of illness and death, while minim...
A notice from Governor Mark Gordon is immediately closing businesses and public spaces throughout the state, according to Michael Pearlman, communications director for the governor's office. The closure will remain in effect until April 3. According to a press release, the closure includes “schools, theaters, bars, nightclubs, coffee shops, employee cafeterias, self-serve buffets, salad bars, unpackaged self-serve food services, gyms, conference rooms and museums.” Restaurants can remain ope...
As illness caused by the novel coronavirus continues to spread throughout the world, with many states throughout the country reporting cases, local awareness continues to grow. The new strain of coronavirus, dubbed COVID-19, causes a respiratory illness similar to the flu. However, according to the World Health Organization, about one in six people become severely ill and develop problems breathing. Elderly people, as well as those with underlying medical issues like high blood pressure or...
An emergency meeting hosted by the Sweetwater County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees Sunday evening resulted in a decision to close schools across the district. The decision was made in response to developing information and concerns related to COVID-19, the novel coronavirus which has continued spreading across the country. The board unanimously voted to close the district starting Monday to April 3. All 12-month employees of the district will still need to report to work Monday....
It’s easy to panic during the public health crisis the COVID-19 virus has created throughout the world. I can’t blame anyone for feeling unnerved or worried about current events. We’ve seen our schools and recreation center close and grocery stores sell out of a wide variety of foods and items. This is a truly unprecedented time. Despite all that we’re facing, I want to reiterate something to everyone in Green River: We will make it through this. The residents of Green River have shown themselve...
Public buildings operated by the Green River city government will close until further notice in the latest response local officials have made to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. City Council meetings will occur behind closed doors, but will be broadcast and streamed until the risk of spreading the disease ends. The announcement was made Monday evening, taking effect immediately. “Even though we have not had a confirmed positive case here, we need to focus on slowing the t...
Documents related to Green River Fire Department Chief Mike Nomis’ criminal charges alleged he and his wife Stephanie had used the firefighter’s foundation accounts to pay for personal expenses, ranging from furniture and appliance purchases to meals at local restaurants and checks written for cash. Mike is charged with felony theft and misdemeanor wrongful appropriation of public property, while Stephanie faces a single charge of felony theft. Felony theft is publishable by not more than 10...
