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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...
Taylor Jones took his seat among the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners this week after being appointed and sworn in at the end of Tuesday's meeting. Jones fills the vacancy on the board left by Lauren Schoenfeld after her recent resignation. "I appreciate your confidence in me," Jones told the rest of the commissioners after sitting down in the empty chair. "I'll work hard and we'll see great things happening." Jones was one of three candidates chosen by the Sweetwater County...
The Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners is making adjustments after adopting the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 budget for the county, including making changes to contracts with component units and approving the Capital Projects List for Core County and Component Units. During Tuesday’s meeting, the commissioners approved contracts with the Sweetwater Events Complex, Southwest Counseling, the Sweetwater County Library System, and the Sweetwater County Historical Museum. The contracts had t...
The Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of a 30-year-old Teton County man whose body was discovered on Sunday afternoon by passersby near a dirt side-road in Reliance, Wyoming, north of Rock Springs. The decedent was identified as Colter Wesley Watsabaugh, 30, originally of Teton County, Wyoming. Watsabaugh had been living and working in Rock Springs prior to his death. According to sheriff's detectives, in concert with the county coroner's office and the county...
Lauren Schoenfeld is stepping down from her role as a Sweetwater County commissioner in order to pursue new opportunities and new ways of serving both Sweetwater County and all of Wyoming. Schoenfeld recently submitted a letter of resignation to the Board of County Commissioners, which was accepted during the July 5 meeting. "She has accepted a position in the Governor's office which is forcing her to move to the eastern side of the state, and with that she has vacated her seat, so I'd like to...
Construction work to improve and upgrade Sweetwater County's highways will continue throughout the next several years as the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WDOT) works on a long list of construction projects. WYDOT District Engineer John Eddins and resident engineers Clint Lockman and Brad McCullough presented the WYDOT State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP) update on current and future highway projects in Sweetwater County to the Board of County Commissioners during the July 5...
Human remains found near Granger, Wyoming in 1982 have been identified as belonging to a man who disappeared in 1981 while traveling back to his home in Missouri after visiting family in California. The sheriff's office announced June 21 that the remains, known to investigators over the years only as "Pipeline Pete," have now been identified through DNA testing as those of Jack Clawson, of Sedalia, Missouri. Family members lost contact with Clawson after a visit with him in Fremont, California...
For the 14th consecutive year, deputies and detectives with the sheriff’s office, in partnership with the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Sex Offender Enforcement Task Force, conducted a concentrated sweep of compliance checks of registered sex offenders living in Sweetwater County in an annual campaign known as Operation Jessica. Earlier in June, small teams of deputies and federal agents spread out across the county, including in many of the outlying communities such as Granger, Point of Rocks, Wamsutter, and Bairoil, in an attempt to c...
The sheriff’s office marine unit is pleased to announce its upcoming recreational boat safety training classes. This year, the sheriff’s office marine unit is offering both a basic boating safety class and an advanced boating operations class. The basic training course is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Weds., July 12. The advanced training course is scheduled from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thurs., July 13. Those interested in the advanced operations course must also take the basic safety course. Both classes will be held in the sheriff’s offic...
The Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners recently approved the final fiscal year 2023-2024 budget for the county after grappling with decisions about reserve funds, the impacts of Senate File 60, and Cost of Living Adjustment increases. Increased revenues and cash carryover During the June 20 Budget Workshop, the last workshop before the final budget was approved, Sweetwater County Accounting Manager Bonnie Berry told the commissioners the budget was currently at a shortfall of...
