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A love of theater, friends, and fun have brought local students together for this year's Sweetwater BOCES Summer Theater for Youth production of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jr." at Western Wyoming Community College. The summer theater program gives students in fourth grade through twelfth grade the chance to star in a musical and learn more about theater in general. It also tends to draw large crowds of local youth who do the program every year, and then bring their friends along to join them. This...
While several construction projects are in full swing around Sweetwater County this summer, the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) has construction plans for not just this year, but the next several years. WYDOT District 3 Construction Engineer Peter Stinchcomb gave a presentation to the Board of County Commissioners during the July 16 meeting to go over the annual State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) update. This annual presentation highlights current and future highway pro...
The Green River City Council chambers at City Hall were nearly packed full before the council meeting last Tuesday night as members of Hilltop Baptist Church showed up to support the church's efforts to start a daycare service. "This is a way bigger crowd than we normally have," Mayor Pete Rust commented at the beginning of the meeting, noting that it's good to see involvement from the community. The July 2 council meeting included a public hearing concerning the church's request for a special...
Addressing concerns with county roads in rural parts of Sweetwater County was one of the main topics of discussion during the July 2 County Commissioner meeting. The commissioners voted to award a bid for a frost heaves project on County Road 1 near McKinnon and voted to vacate County Road 124 near Eden. Both roads have been the subject of discussion for the past few months, with several commissioners making trips out to the affected areas to see the roads for themselves and learn more about the...
Sweetwater County is prepared to head into Fiscal Year 2025 with a balanced budget and a roughly $4.2 million increase in projected budgeted reserves when comparing this year's budget to last year's. The Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners hosted a special meeting last Thursday, June 27, to have a public hearing and adopt the Fiscal Year 2025 budget for the county. However, due to the need to follow state statutes regarding the advertisement of the budget, the commissioners only...
After hosting multiple rallies to show solidarity and multiple readings of the proposed agreement, the United Steelworkers Local 13214 union voted on Sunday to approve their new contract with Genesis Alkali. The union and company have been working on renegotiating the contract, with union members calling for changes in order to have more input on safety concerns and better work-life balance for employees. Since the contract was presented to the union and a majority of the members voted to... Full story
A chorus of honks and cheers rang out along Westvaco Road, even while 40 mile per hour wind gusts blew off people's hats and lightning flashed in the background. "What do we want?" Marshal Cummings yelled through a megaphone. "Fair contract!" hundreds of voices answered. "When do we want it?" "Now!" A severe thunderstorm watch wasn't enough to stop members of the United Steelworkers Local 13214 union, along with supportive family members and friends, from taking part in a rally outside Genesis... Full story
Sometimes the awards that mean the most are the ones that look the goofiest. I'm now the proud owner of two "Spammies," made of an actual can of spam with little pig figures glued to the top, a fancy board glued to the back to say what the award is, and little foam star stickers and fake gemstones giving some extra bedazzling here and there. I was surprised to receive these awards during the Actors' Mission's recent "Golden Spam Awards" event, which was more hilarious and more heartwarming than... Full story
The City of Green River is headed into the new fiscal year with a balanced budget. While revenues are expected to be up by about half a million dollars this year compared to last year's estimates, city expenses in restricted and designated reserves are expected to be roughly $2.8 million higher than in last year's budget. Still, the budget leaves money left over for the city, and city officials are hopeful for increased revenue in the future. The council voted unanimously to approve the Fiscal...
Sweetwater County continues to see growth, from plans for new development - including new housing - to the improvement of existing services. The Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners addressed and discussed some of the recent growth in the county during the June 18 meeting, from approving Planning and Zoning resolutions to hearing an update from Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County. One of the Planning and Zoning resolutions the commissioners approved was for a zoning amendment to al...
"Somewhere over the rainbow" is coming to Sweetwater County this weekend, and it's taking a community nearly the size of Oz to make it happen. The Horizon Theater's newest production brings the classic story of "The Wizard of Oz" to life on the stage. The local theater company's board voted on the musical when deciding what shows to produce because of their love for the story. But when it came to making it happen, Director and Horizon Co-Founder Cory Schaeperkoetter admitted they may have...
Local first responders and law enforcement had several eventful days last week, working together with multiple agencies on calls including water rescues and high speed pursuits. The Green River Fire Department shared information on an incident involving rescuing an adult and juvenile whose canoe had capsized in the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. At approximately 11:40 a.m. on Wednesday, June 5, the Green River Fire Department (GRFD), Castle Rock Ambulance, and the Sweetwater County Sheriff's Departmen... Full story
One of Green River High School's championship-winning wrestlers will be making his way across the country to pursue his academic and athletic goals. Spencer Wright recently committed to wrestle with the Labette Community College Cardinals in Parsons, Kansas. After being approached about joining the team, Spencer was able to make the trip to Kansas to check out the school and the area. "It's kind of like Wyoming, just flatter," he said. He noted that Parsons is a small town, and Labette is a scho...
Questions over how the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has been making rules and handling decisions continue to concern the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners. Commissioner Mary Thoman, in particular, works closely with several federal government groups and the BLM on a number of conservation projects and processes. In her report to the other commissioners during the June 4 meeting, Thoman shared that she has recently been part of several Zoom meetings with federal government...
"Did you see that jump?" kids called out to one another, racing their bikes up and down the dirt hills. Dozens of child and adult riders, along with family and friends, showed up at the Southwest Wyoming BMX race course on Saturday, enjoying a free ride along the track during the club's open house event. "We really just wanted the opportunity to talk to the community and to share more about the program and what we're here to do," Heather Salinas, the Southwest Wyoming BMX Club president,... Full story
Honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to serve our country is a long-standing tradition in Green River. On Memorial Day, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2321 and American Legion Tom Whitmore Post 28 hosted their annual ceremony at Riverview Cemetery to recognize the veterans who lost their lives in the line of duty. This year's ceremony also included a special dedication of the new veteran's columbarium that was recently put into place. "We are assembled once again to...
Natasha Young knew from an early age that she wanted to join the military. What she didn't know, even when she joined, was that she was continuing a long legacy of military service that stretched out on both sides of her family. That legacy spread through history and around the world until it finally reached all the way to Natasha and an F-35 jet with "Green River, Wyoming" printed on its side. A desire to serve For Green River native Natasha, the desire to serve her country was closely... Full story
While both the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners and representatives from the Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport expressed frustration about the circumstances surrounding the decision, the county commissioners approved several agreements with the airport to help support and potentially fund plans for the completion of the airport renovation projects that have been delayed. "The gateway to our community is in disarray," Airport Director Devin Brubaker said, explaining the desire to...
The City of Green River is moving forward with a plan for the Union Pacific Railroad to clean up an area of contaminated soil within the city. During Tuesday night's City Council meeting, a public hearing took place for a proposed language amendment needed to establish a specific boundary of a Restricted Use Control Area Overlay Zone for the area. The council also approved the proposed language amendment on first reading. During the public hearing, Public Works Director Mark Westenskow spoke to...
Local law enforcement was celebrated last week as part of National Police Week, and they also came out to show their support for other organizations, like Special Olympics Wyoming. National Police Week is officially recognized as May 12 through 18, with May 15 being Peace Officers Memorial Day to recognize officers who lost their lives in the line of duty. On Peace Officers Memorial Day, Red White Buffalo hosted the fifth annual National Police Week Memorial Service outside their shop....
Having been at each other's sides throughout high school, Kale Knezovich and Allysa Drinkle were once again at each other's sides when they each signed their letters of intent to pursue their athletic careers in college. Kale recently signed his letter of intent to wrestle with the National Championship winning Mustangs at Western Wyoming Community College, while Allysa signed her letter of intent to cheer with the Cowboys Spirit Squad at the University of Wyoming. Kale and Allysa have been a...
The Green River High School Girls Soccer team started the season as a young group of players with a dream of making it to State and bringing home a trophy. They ended the season last weekend at the State tournament with a trophy in hand after winning the Consolation Championship. The Lady Wolves' State experience started on Thursday with a game against the Douglas Lady Tigers, a team that "is traditionally one of the top two teams in the east," according to Green River Heach Coach Matthew...
Over the past week, local students reached a major milestone in their academic careers as they celebrated their graduations from high school and college. Together students, teachers, faculty members, friends and family, and the community gathered to celebrate these accomplishments and offer support and encouragement to those who are taking the next step into their futures. Green River High School celebrated the graduation of 135 seniors on Monday night. Giving the senior class address, Rylie... Full story
Having golfed from the time she started walking, Isabell Salas is now walking out of the Green River High School Golf program with shattered records and piles of accolades behind her. And her next steps are taking her towards a future in the sport she loves. Isabel recently signed her letter of intent to golf at Central Wyoming College in Riverton. "I definitely had other options, some may say better options," Isabell admitted. "But I met Coach Neuman for the first time mid-winter this year,...
When Evangeline Franzon was 13 years old, she was living next to a giant trash heap on a small island in the Philippines. But when she was handed a colorful shoebox with a glittery notebook inside, the course of her life changed. "Who would have thought that a girl who grew up in a dump site would be standing right here in front of you right now, in Green River, Wyoming," Evangeline told a small crowd gathered in the Green River Assembly of God Church last Thursday. Holding a colorful shoebox fr... Full story
