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Federal contract wranglers plan to round up 4,300 wild horses in southwest Wyoming — permanently removing about 70% of them — starting Thursday in an undertaking that culminates years of conflicts among land and wildlife managers, ranchers and horse advocates. The roundup across 3.4 million acres of “checkerboard” land ownership could last more than a month, said Brad Purdy, a Bureau of Land Management spokesman. The agency will permanently remove — for adoption, training and domestic use — about 3,500 horses. About 800 would be set free ag...
The sixth-penny general purpose tax election will continue as is. The Sweetwater County Commissioners initially planned a discussion for amendments, alternatives or a rescission of the ballot question during their Tuesday meeting. However, after an executive session regarding the special election prior to the discussion, the commissioners voiced their support for the election and the need for a 1% general purpose tax, then voted unanimously to provide information to residents about the tax....
The purple lights currently illuminating the trees by the clock tower have a specific purpose — shining a light on the issue of domestic violence and spreading the message of awareness and prevention during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. While domestic violence is a serious problem year-round, October is set aside as a month to focus on and address the issue more specifically. Every year, YWCA of Sweetwater County uses the month to share information and host activities to bring more a...
With additional reporting from the Casper Star-Tribune via the Wyoming News Exchange A letter from Bridger Coal Company to Rock Springs Mayor Tim Kaumo signals the end of underground coal mining in Wyoming. Dated Sept. 3, the letter notifies the mayor of plans to permanently close Bridger Coal’s underground mine. The closure is anticipated to take place “on or after” Nov. 19. According to the letter, 94 employees are impacted by the closure. Employees covered by collective bargaining agreements won’t have bumping rights, but they will have bidd...
Absentee ballots for the general purpose tax election have been sent out, asking county residents if they would support an additional penny of sales tax to fund public safety funding and economic development. The 1% sales tax, if approved, would be divided amongst Green River, Rock Springs and the county based on population, with at least 75% going to public safety, with up to 25% going to economic development. The election will take place Nov. 2. According to Chris Meats, finance director for G...
Since starting the fall semester, Western Wyoming Community College has made efforts to hold a mostly-normal semester while responding to the rising numbers of COVID-19 in the community and encouraging everyone to do their part to stop the spread. One way the college is encouraging people to be active in stopping further spread of the virus is by holding open vaccination clinics. “The reason for this is that as a college we want to provide an opportunity for our students and our employees and a...
A general purpose tax initiative being voted on in November has garnered opposition from the Sweetwater GOP as government leaders grapple with how they can inform county residents about how it will be used. The tax proposal would specify 75% of the tax to be spent to provide emergency ambulance services and funding to the Sweetwater County Joint Powers Combined Communications Board, which handles emergency dispatch services throughout the county. The other 25% would be used for economic...
On the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Sweetwater County came together to honor and remember those who lost their lives. On Saturday morning, the Rock Springs Fire Department hosted a Memorial Walk to honor 343 New York City firefighters who gave their lives while working to save victims of the attacks. Residents were invited to join firefighters in climbing Grant Street in Rock Springs. Four lengths of Grant Street simulated the 110 stories of the World Trade Center buildings. A...
“We are at crisis level,” Kim White, Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County’s emergency services director said about the number of COVID-19 patients seeking treatment at the hospital. The hospital has opened a second COVID-19 unit in response to the increased number of patients seeking treatment. The second ward is part of the hospital’s surge capacity plan, which was originally formed in March 2020 and represents a higher tier in the hospital’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The new COVID-19 unit is located where the hospital...
Use of a deworming medication for treatment and prevention of COVID-19 symptoms hasn’t been seen in Sweetwater County, though some residents have inquired about the drug. Ivermectin, a drug used to treat parasites in both humans and livestock, has been wrongly touted as a means of treating and preventing COVID-19 infections by some internet and social media groups. One such group, the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance, falsely claims Mexico has “emptied their hospitals” through use o...
ROCK SPRINGS (Wyoming News Exchange) — The Western Wyoming Community College Board of Trustees approved a 30-day mask mandate at a special board meeting on Wednesday. The decision was made after hearing recommendations from Dr. Kim Dale, the president of Western, and updated COVID-19 statistics from Dr. Jean Stachon, the Sweetwater County public health officer. As of Aug. 25, there are four total confirmed positive COVID-19 cases among the student body with six students currently in quarantine. Among Western staff members, two have tested p...
Elective surgeries at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County are canceled until further notice as a result an overwhelming influx of COVID-19 positive patients. In addition, the hospital, its clinics and the emergency room have no rapid COVID-19 tests to offer. The tests are in short supply nationwide as a result of the increase in cases. “We are at a critical juncture in Sweetwater County,” said Deb Sutton, MHSC Public Information Officer. “The hospital is treating and admitting more and more COVID-19 cases every day. There has been an incre...
Three more Sweetwater County residents have confirmed to have died as a result of COVID-19 as the county and state continue to deal with new infections spurred by the Delta variation of the novel coronavirus. The Wyoming News Exchange reported the Wyoming Department of Health linked 26 additional deaths to COVID-19 Tuesday. Three of those deaths were of unidentified Sweetwater County residents, two women and one man. In total, there have been 835 confirmed deaths related to COVID-19, 49 of...
The Wyoming Department of Transportation and contract crews from H-K Contractors Inc., have switched traffic to one lane in each direction on the westbound side of Interstate 80 east of Rock Springs from road marker 138-143 while crews work on milling and the eastbound bridges at Bitter Creek Interchange and Red Hill Interchange. The Red Hill Interchange at exit 139 eastbound off and on ramps are currently closed while work is underway. The westbound on and off ramp will remain open while work is underway on the eastbound lanes. The bridges...
COVID-19 cases are on the rise again throughout Wyoming, and local health officials are dealing with both the impact of increased cases and burnout among health care workers, all while still trying to encourage the public to take the situation seriously. “I think the impression in our county is that it’s all gone away, but it hasn’t,” Sweetwater County Health Officer Dr. Jean Stachon said during the monthly COVID-19 update meeting held through Zoom for local health officials and county leaders...
Sweetwater County is one of 90 groups supporting a federal bill its proponents say will help clean up national forests and reduce the severity of forest fires. The Resilient Federal Forests Act was initially introduced to the U.S. House July 22 by Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., a ranking member of the House Committee on National Resources. The bipartisan bill was introduced with 70 cosponsors, including Wyoming’s Rep. Liz Cheney. ““For years, the federal government has mismanaged our fores...
The number of active coronavirus cases in Wyoming grew to more than 1,000 on Tuesday, the highest number recorded since early February. Figures from the Wyoming Department of Health’s regular coronavirus update showed that the state had 1,058 active cases on Tuesday, an increase of 79 from Monday and the highest total seen since Feb. 4, when the tally stood at 1,069. The department reported it received 162 new reports of laboratory-confirmed COVID cases on Tuesday, along with 75 new reports of probable cases. At the same time, the number of n...
Three algae blooms have been discovered in Sweetwater County, which has prompted Sweetwater County Public Health to issue warnings about the blooms. The blooms were discovered by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and are located at Firehole Beach in the Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Eden Reservoir and west of the dam at Big Sandy Reservoir. Samples were collected and the results were not available as of press time. Sweetwater County Public Health are offering recommendations to residents should they find an algae bloom. * Avoid...
Wyoming’s Big Show is back and people are excited. “Anticipation is great,” according to Kandi Pendleton, Marketing and Events Manager at the Sweetwater Events Complex. “I think everyone is excited about being ‘back to normal.’” Pendleton noted that she hasn’t heard any negative feedback about this year’s fair, and she believes people are looking forward to the chance to do things they’ve been missing, see people they haven’t seen, and enjoy events with bigger groups again. The fair was s...
Sweetwater County’s leaders are celebrating a recruitment document the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition produced to get a leg up on other counties being considered for proposed nuclear facility Rocky Mountain Power and TerraPower plan to build in Wyoming. The document, titled “Powering the Heartbeat of America,” is 52 pages and provides an overview of Sweetwater County, highlighting education and workforce, recreation, quality of life and healthcare, as well as providing demog...
ROCK SPRINGS (Wyoming News Exchange) — Jason Lee Fletcher has been sentenced to eight to 14 years in prison in the shooting death of his wife Lena Fletcher on June 29, 2020, at their home in Clearview Acres. He appeared before Judge Richard Lavery for the July 19 argued sentencing hearing. In Wyoming, involuntary manslaughter is a felony punishable by imprisonment for up to 20 years. The prosecution argued for the maximum penalty, and the defense recommended a suspended five- to seven-year sentence with supervised probation including the possib...
