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The Sweetwater County Assessor’s Office and Assessor Dave Divis want to make local property owners aware of an opportunity to save money on property taxes through the Longterm Homeowners Exemption. During the last legislative session, House Bill 3 was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the Governor. This legislation provided an exemption that will reduce the property tax of qualified applicants by 50%. The owner must live in the house eight months of the year, one owner must be 65 years of age by the fourth Monday in May 2025, a...
The Miracle League of Sweetwater County is still on the lookout for their permanent home, and is now considering the possibility of using county lands to make their dreams a reality. Donna Tramp, the chairman of the Miracle League of Sweetwater County Board of Trustees, spoke to the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners during their September 17 meeting to explain the Miracle League and to bring up the possibility of utilizing land at the Jamestown County Park to build an accessible...
The Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office has announced the appointment of Jesse Moreno as the new Emergency Management and Homeland Security Coordinator, succeeding Emily Covey, who recently retired from the role. Moreno brings nearly a decade of experience in security operations at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County, where he also led the hospital's emergency response team. Before his work in the hospital, Moreno served as a combat medic in the US Army, gaining critical experience in crisis m...
It was a busy and profitable summer in Sweetwater County, with multiple events bringing millions of dollars into the economy. Many of the biggest summer events were hosted by the Sweetwater County Events Complex. The complex's executive director, Kandi Pendleton, gave an update on the summer to the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners during their September 3 meeting. "We just want to share some success with you and give you an update on how the summer events went, because it was...
By HANNAH ROMERO Editor The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently released its updated version of plans for the Rock Springs Field Office Resource Management Plan (RMP), which has been the subject of debate for the past year. While the BLM presented the plan as a balance between conservation and development, many Wyoming leaders still aren't satisfied with the changes and have concerns over the plan's details. The RMP draft was initially released Aug. 18, 2023, after decades of discussion,...
The Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport and Castle Rock Ambulance Service are both making changes and adjustments as they work towards continued progress. The Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners heard updates from and had discussions with representatives from both the airport and the ambulance service during their Aug. 20 meeting. Airport Director Devon Brubaker spoke with the commissioners during the meeting about a resolution for the continuation of a fee collection, and gave...
Wyoming's primary election gave voters the chance to narrow down the field of candidates within their party before the general election in November. In Sweetwater County, many races were also decided in the primary election when there were only Republican candidates running. The primary election took place Tuesday, August 20. The unofficial results were shared Tuesday night. A total of 6,499 ballots were cast in Sweetwater County, with 5,442 Republicans voting, 925 Democrats voting, and 132...
United Steelworkers Local 13214 and Genesis Alkali have completed their first month under their new contract. After six weeks of negotiations, the fruits of both of their labors have been apparent, according to Union President Marshal Cummings. The changes to the safety language are still working their way through their infancy, Cummings explained. Productive Safety Leadership Team meetings have taken place, he said, and the team has already started working to build comprehensive training...
The question of whether or not elections are secure, and whether or not voting machines are reliable, is one that has come up in discussion regularly these days. While the Wyoming Republican Party has filed a lawsuit regarding election integrity in Laramie County and Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray has requested county clerks to retest electronic voting systems around the state, the Sweetwater County Republican Party is reassuring voters that local equipment is secure. "Recently there...
Republican candidates campaigning for a spot in local government faced off against one another this week in order to discuss issues that are important to Sweetwater County, including property tax reform and fiscal responsibility. The candidates participated in a series of debates hosted by the SweetwaterGOP, which took place Monday and Tuesday at the Broadway Theater in Rock Springs. Candidates who are running against one another took the stage together to answer a series of questions covering...
"Wyoming is a border state," Senator Stacy Jones said. "Every state is a border state." This idea was reiterated several times during a briefing hosted by Senator Stacy Jones and Representative Tony Niemiec after their recent trip to the southern border of the United States. The legislators gave the briefing on their trip to Sweetwater County Sheriff John Grossnickle on Monday, and were joined by Representatives Clark Stith, J.T. Larson, and Cody Wylie. During the briefing, the legislators...
A harmful cyanobacterial bloom (HCB) recreational use Bloom Advisory has been issued for Fontenelle Reservoir and Meeboer Lake. The observation or sampling location for the bloom at Fontenelle Reservoir was at Fontenelle Creek Campground and issued Tuesday, August 6. The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) works cooperatively with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality to issue recreational use advisories when cyanobacterial cell densities or cyanotoxin concentrations pose a risk to...
Routine sampling of Killpecker Creek in Rock Springs has detected unsafe levels of E.coli, according to Sweetwater County Public Health. "Avoid contact with the water to prevent potential health issues," Public Health advised in a press release. "If you or your pet get sick after ingestion or contact with the water, call your doctor or veterinarian." This warning will remain in place until two sampling events confirm levels below the designated threshold. Sampling occurs at least every two...
Editor's Note: For our primary election edition, local candidates were given the opportunity to run short articles free of charge and/or to place paid advertisements. The articles serve as a chance for candidates to tell voters about who they are, why they are running for their position and what they hope to accomplish if elected. Not every candidate replied to the newspaper's invitation to be part of the election edition or submitted an article before the deadline. Candidates were all given...
Accepting the job as Director of Quality at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County is a little like coming home for Stephanie Mlinar. Mlinar worked for MHSC from 1998 through 2017 as a registered nurse on the medical/surgical floor, a registered nurse in the ICU, medical/surgical clinical coordinator, Director of Acute Care Services, Administrative Nurse Director, interim Emergency Department Director, relief house supervisor, and Director of Emergency Services & Patient Experience. Since 2017,...
"Let them be wild and free" was one of the rallying cries of protestors who gathered on Monday morning to speak out against wild horse roundups and management practices by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Approximately 30 protestors met up at the Rock Springs Wild Horse Holding Facility, then made their way to the BLM Rock Springs Field Office where they shared speeches, chanted slogans, and held up signs with messages like "Free our wild horses, "Stop wild horse roundups," and "Stop taxpaye...
After what many considered a successful week of hosting the National High School Finals Rodeo, several Sweetwater County residents received quite a shock. At least two locals found the campers and RVs they had rented out to rodeo contestants and their families in disrepair, and several others struggled to obtain full payment. It has long been the practice of many local residents to rent out their campers and RVs to rodeo families as thousands flock to the event and are often hoping to stay on si...
It's getting smoky around Sweetwater County as a result of wildfires. Be kind to your lungs. If you are unusually sensitive to particle pollution, consider reducing your activity level or shorten the amount of time you are active outdoors, according to the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. Wildfire smoke is made up of a variety of pollutants, including particulate matter and ozone, which can cause respiratory health effects. Crystal Hamblin, Sweetwater Memorial Cardiopulmonary...
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...
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...
A new slate of officers for the Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County Board of Trustees were elected Monday afternoon. Barbara Sowada retains her position as president. Sowada was recently reappointed by the Sweetwater County Commission to a five-year term on the hospital board beginning July 1. Kandi Pendleton was elected vice president, a position previously held by Craig Rood. Nena James was elected secretary, a position previously held by Pendleton. Marty Kelsey retains his position as...
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...
Local mine rescue teams from Sisecam, Genesis Alkali, TATA, and Solvay competed against one another in a competition hosted by Southwest Wyoming Mutual Aid (SWMA) last week at the Sweetwater Events Complex in Rock Springs. The competitions provide an opportunity for mine rescue teams to practice their skills. Results Field 1st place Sisecam Blue 2nd place Sisecam White 3rd place Genesis Blue First Aid 1st place Sisecam Blue 2nd place Genesis Teal 3rd place Solvay Blue Draeger BG4 1st place Tata...
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...
