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Making sure the Bureau of Land Management hears the perspectives and concerns of the public when it comes to the Resource Management Plan (RMP) draft for the Rock Springs Field Office is a priority for many people and organizations, both locally and around the state. To that end, public workshop meetings were held in Sweetwater County last weekend to gather feedback for a task force appointed by Governor Mark Gordon. The workshops were facilitated by the University of Wyoming's Ruckelshaus Insti...
Carbon capture efforts continue to move forward in Southwest Wyoming, with Project Bison from Carbon Capture Inc. and Frontier Carbon Solutions steadily making progress. The two companies hosted a town hall meeting for Sweetwater County at the end of October, where they explained their plans and gave updates on their progress. "We're really excited to invest here," Matt Bright, the Director of External Affairs for Carbon Capture Inc., said at the meeting. Bright explained that Carbon Capture...
Sweetwater County residents often face scams that claim to be coming from local organizations and businesses. The Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office recently warned people of a scam that claimed to be from the sheriff's office. "We are aware of a recent high volume of fraudulent calls allegedly coming from the Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office demanding payment for outstanding arrest warrants and/or the failure to appear for jury duty," the sheriff's office posted on Facebook on November 9....
An initiative gathering signatures around Sweetwater County and Wyoming is designed to lower property taxes, but could also lower funding for local education and county services. The "People's Initiative to Limit Property Tax in Wyoming through a Homeowner's Property Exemption" is a ballot initiative looking to cut property taxes in half by making 50% of the assessed value of a primary property exempt from property taxation. However, there are concerns regarding the ways the initiative is being...
The Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office, in partnership with the Rock Springs Police Department, served a search warrant Tuesday afternoon at a downtown Rock Springs massage parlor as part of a months-long human trafficking investigation. Sheriff's office spokesperson Jason Mower said, "Earlier this year, we began investigating the alleged performance of sexual acts at an Asian massage parlor in the 600 block of Broadway in Rock Springs." Mower said that during the investigation, detectives devel...
With the recent extension of the public comment period for the Bureau of Land Management's Resource Management Plan (RMP) draft for the Rock Springs Field Office, discussions about the RMP have continued in full force, with local and state government officials trying to find ways to fight the draft and keep the public informed. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon recently announced that public meetings will be held in Sweetwater County to help inform and guide recommendations on the RMP. The Green...
After much discussion in Sweetwater County and across Wyoming concerning the Bureau of Land Management’s Resource Management Plan (RMP) Draft for the Rock Springs Field Office, the BLM has agreed to extend the comment period on the draft, giving the public an additional 60 days to weigh in on the RMP. “At the request of the state of Wyoming and other stakeholders, the Bureau of Land Management is extending the comment period on the Draft Rock Springs Resource Management Plan, Draft Env...
Dr. Kim Dale will be resigning as the president of Western Wyoming Community College. Dale spoke with Western's Board of Trustees during their normal meeting last Thursday, October 19, and presented the board with a letter explaining her resignation and requesting release from her contract. "After much reflection and a heavy heart, I am requesting release from my current three-year employment contract as president of Western Wyoming Community College, effective July 12, 2024," Dale stated in...
The Sweetwater County Detention Center today announced an upcoming change in communication service providers for offenders housed at the facility. The variety of communication services provided to residents housed at the detention center remains unchanged. Effective Thurs., Oct. 26, the sheriff's office will, however, use a new prepaid communications service provider, NCIC Inmate Communications. For facility residents, all outgoing phone calls (local, long-distance, and international) will be billed at a per-minute rate, with no connection...
Sweetwater County is using existing partnerships and looking to create new partnerships to continue protecting and promoting the best interests of the county and its resources. During the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, the commissioners spoke with Danielle Bettencourt from the Coalition of Local Governments (CLG) about making comments on the Bureau of Land Management’s Rock Springs Field Office Resource Management Plan draft and spoke to Consultant Jessica W...
“Things are going to be fun in Sweetwater County,” Craig Rood, the Project West director of public relations, said. A number of new industry-related projects, such as Project West, are slated to come to the community within the next few years. From trona mining technologies to carbon capture to nuclear energy, opportunities in and around Sweetwater County are expanding. To provide more information on these upcoming projects, the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition hosted the “So...
Tracy Warren recently pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance of methamphetamine and a count of fleeing or attempting to elude police officers during a hearing in the Third District Court of Judge Suzannah Robinson. Warren was arrested May 18, one of many arrests made by the Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI) around the same time frame for drug-related offenses. Warren initially appeared before Judge Robinson on July 7 for an arraignment, where he was...
Last week, roughly 1,000 Sweetwater County citizens showed up to get information about the Bureau of Land Management's Resource Management Plan (RMP) draft for the Rock Springs Field Office and voice their concerns over the plan. Both local and state government leaders are also voicing their concerns, to the point of writing letters to the BLM asking for a withdrawal of the plan. Public outcry By 3 p.m., when the BLM's open-house style public meeting about the RMP was set to start, a line of...
When it comes to ambulance service, safety is always a top priority, for both the patients and the ambulance employees. Recently, safety concerns among employees of Castle Rock Ambulance Service have led to discussions of whether or not a union could be formed, the resignation of the ambulance service's director, and changes to things like schedules to try to address concerns. Safety concerns Over the summer, employees of the ambulance service started to express concerns over some aspects of...
When it comes to helping the youth of Sweetwater County, it is important to understand the risks they face, the factors that could lead to future problems, and the available — and unavailable — resources that can help. The Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners heard a Juvenile Needs Assessment presentation addressing these topics during Tuesday’s meeting. The commissioners approved the assessment in June and awarded a contract to Corona Insights to conduct the study. The asses...
With prices going up, local agreements need to be adjusted, including the agreement between Sweetwater County and the cities of Green River and Rock Springs concerning inmate housing contracts. The contract change came before both the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners and the Green River City Council during their meetings on Tuesday. “The City of Green River currently has an agreement with Sweetwater County to use their detention facility to house municipal offenders sentenced t...
The Bureau of Land Management's Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the Rock Springs Field Office has been the topic of much discussion lately, from government leaders to local wildlife groups. Amidst the discussion, many are preparing for the upcoming meetings hosted by the BLM, and some are hoping for even more time to weigh in. The only BLM meeting on the RMP taking place in Sweetwater County is scheduled to be in Rock Springs from 3 to 6 p.m. next Wednesday, September 27. This week the BLM...
The Rock Springs Police Department responded to a call concerning an armed suspect and shots fired last Saturday. At approximately 12:40 p.m. on September 9, the RSPD was dispatched to Santa Fe Southwest Grill restaurant. “Dispatchers were informed that there was a male suspect walking around the restaurant with two guns and that shots were fired,” an RSPD press release explained. “The staff of Santa Fe Trail evacuated all customers and employees while officers were en route. Once Rock Springs Police Department officers arrived on scene, they...
"This proposed plan has the very real possibility of destroying Sweetwater County's economy," Commissioner Island Richards said of the Bureau of Land Management's recently-released Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the Rock Springs Field Office. The Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners discussed the RMP during Tuesday's meeting, expressing their support for conservation in areas like Greater Little Mountain but also their concern that the BLM's preferred plan goes too far and would...
Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office today announced that it will be increasing enforcement efforts of the registration of out-of-state license plates for non-residents working in the state. By state law, any non-resident who is employed in Wyoming, either temporarily or full-time, and who owns or operates a non-commercial (personal) vehicle while in Wyoming must immediately upon employment purchase a temporary registration or obtain a valid Wyoming registration. The only exceptions to the law include full-reciprocity agreements with Idaho, N...
ROCK SPRINGS — Patients of Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County saved $4.5 million during the last fiscal year thanks to one program – Patient Financial Navigation. The program was created to help patients and their families address financial needs and to help reduce barriers and stress related to healthcare costs, visits, and treatment. Patient Navigators Melida Marin and Megan Benedict work directly with each patient to explain and assess obstacles and needs. They help patients understand out-of-pocket expenses, health insurance coverage, a...
Project West, a project aiming to bring a new solution trona mine and soda ash processing facility to Sweetwater County, is making progress towards its goals. The most recent steps in the process included getting approval for a zone map amendment from the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners and hosting informational open house meetings in Green River and Rock Springs. Planning for Zoning Project West representatives came before the commissioners during the August 15 meeting for the...
A Resource Management Plan that has been in the works for over a decade was released last week, meeting with a mixed response from local and statewide conservation groups and political leaders. The RMP The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has been working on a Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the Rock Springs Field Office since 2011. An RMP is a land use plan for a management area. The area of the Rock Springs Field Office brackets the cities of Green River and Rock Springs and overlaps w...
A new venue for wagering on horse racing is working toward establishing a presence in Sweetwater County, and is one step closer thanks to approval from the Board of County Commissioners. 307 Horse Racing’s Vice President Kyle Ridgeway and CEO Jack Greer came before the county commissioners at Tuesday’s meeting to get approval to conduct pari-mutuel wagering on live horse racing, historic horse racing, and simulcast events. The company is looking to operate out of 1030 Dewar Drive in Rock Spr...
The Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office and Sweetwater County Attorney's Office have announced the identity of the suspect charged with the murder of 30-year-old Colter Watsabaugh last month in Reliance. William Thomas Brewer, 32, of Rock Springs, was initially arrested during the early morning hours of Monday, July 17 on an outstanding bench warrant, less than 24 hours after county deputies and detectives discovered Watsabaugh's body, according to the press release. Watsabaugh's death was ruled...
