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Sweetwater County residents in the 1C priority group are eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine according to an announcement from the Sweetwater County District Board of Health. The 1C group involves a lengthy list of people how work in what are designated as essential critical infrastructure workers. This list includes those working in the energy, communications, water and information technology industries, as well as government employees. Outside of this group, homeless people and others wi...
Health and wellness is the top priority at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County and its employees want to make sure residents are “Good to Go.” The annual Health & Wellness Fair is by appointment from 6-10 a.m. Saturday at Young at Heart Community Center. Call 307-362-6472 to schedule your appointment. In addition to the blood draws and health screenings, there will be free giveaways, drawings, and grand prizes. This year’s event will include the following: Blood draws: On-site blood draws for a variety of screenings. Family Medicine: Meet...
Despite snowstorms last week postponing the delivery of a shipment of COVID-19 vaccine last week, Sweetwater County Public Health and Castle Rock Medical Center continue to vaccinate residents. According to Dr. Jean Stachon, Sweetwater County Public Health Officer, said between 25% and one-third of the county’s population having herd immunity, either from contracting COVID-19 or through a vaccination. An exact percentage is unknown because Dr. Stachon said there were likely residents who contrac...
Staff Report A long-abandoned overpass will be rebuilt as the Wyoming Department of Transportation begins work on a new interchange on Gookin Road west of Rock Springs. The bridge has been closed to traffic since April 2014 when it was struck by a truck carrying an excavator. The project is scheduled to be completed by June 30, 2023. The project is also a partnership between WYDOT, the City of Rock Springs and Sweetwater County. The entities involved hope the new interchange will improve traffic flowin the area and provide a direct connection...
A combination of speed and driver inattention is being investigated as the cause of a fatal vehicle crash east of Rock Springs Sunday. According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, the crash was reported at 12:55 p.m. near milepost 110.5 on Interstate 80. A 2019 Dodge Caravan was traveling east on the interstate and approached a section of road that had been closed due to hazardous winter conditions. The driver failed to notice traffic was being detoured to an exit and collided with the back of a slow-moving 2020 Freightliner Penske truck. At the...
An outdoor manufacturer is interested in coming to Rock Springs, through discussions are in their preliminary phases. Kayla McDonald, economic development specialist for the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition, said the organization is working with a company which manufactures outdoor recreation equipment in a bid to establish the company in Rock Springs. McDonald declined to name the company, citing the early nature of the discussions, but said both Western Wyoming Community College and R...
The Wyoming Department of Health is warning residents to be on alert for suspicious, potentially fraudulent activity as efforts to help prevent COVID-19 deaths and illnesses by providing free, safe and effective vaccinations continue. “We are hearing about unexpected calls going to residents from people falsely claiming they represent a local health department or the Wyoming Department of Health,” Michael Ceballos, WDH director said in a press release. “The callers go on to request payment or personal details such as social security numbers.” ...
“We are trending in the right direction,” Sweetwater County Health Officer Dr. Jean Stachon said Monday. While the positivity percentage based on COVID-19 tests done in the last few weeks, at 7.3%, is still nearly double the 4% goal the county’s health department has, there is a lot of good news in the ongoing battle against the novel coronavirus. As of Monday, only one person is in Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County’s intensive care unit and now more people have been vaccinated than ha...
ROCK SPRINGS (Wyoming News Exchange) — A 23-year-old Rock Springs man died Wednesday in a crash east of Rock Springs on County Road 15 that leads to Jim Bridger Power Plant near Point of Rocks. Chad S. Collard died from injuries he received after the vehicle he was driving crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a tractor-trailer, according to a Wyoming Highway Patrol press release. Troopers were notified of a vehicle collision at 1:26 p.m. Feb. 3. The crash occurred around milepost 3.5 on County Road 15. Collard was traveling s...
People aged 65 and older with certain high-risk medical conditions can now receive the COVID-19 vaccines according to the Wyoming Department of Health. A new 1C group has also been added to the priority vaccination list based on a list of critical infrastructure employees created by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency through the Department of Homeland Security. While more people are included in receiving vaccines, the supply of vaccines throughout Wyoming remains limited and people in the new 1C list may be waiting until...
Fallout over Rep. Liz Cheney’s vote to impeach former President Donald Trump continues throughout the Cowboy State as county Republican parties continue voicing their displeasure with the vote. The Sweetwater County Republican Party was no different Saturday after its central committee approved a motion to condemn Cheney’s vote. According to a copy of the resolution posted to the Sweetwater Republican Party’s Facebook Page, the condemnation accuses her of siding with Democrats in voting to approve articles of impeachment brought against Trump...
ROCK SPRINGS (Wyoming News Exchange) — Granger Mayor Bradley McCollum pleaded not guilty Monday afternoon in District Court to using the town’s bank cards for personal purchases. McCollum, 56, who was elected mayor in 2018, is alleged to have used one of the town’s bank cards for at least four separate personal purchases totaling over $1,300 during a six-month period between July and December of 2019. According to court documents, these purchases included tires for a personally-owned vehicle, fuel, and replacement parts for a furnace at McCol...
Either fatigue or an unknown medical issue are the causes of a fatal crash west of Rock Springs. According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, they were notified of a crash took place at 12:16 p.m., Jan. 28 near mile marker 99 on the westbound lane of Interstate 80. The driver, Joseph E. Conway, 60, of Nashua, N.H., was driving a 2016 Volvo Conventional tractor-trailer, which has drifted off the right side of the road. Conway then overcorrected the vehicle to the left, which resulted it to leave the road and overturn. Conway was wearing his...
After several weeks of dire reports about Sweetwater County’s COVID-19 infection rates, Sweetwater County Health Officer Dr. Jean Stachon had good news to share Monday. The county’s infection rate is declining, recorded at a 7.6% positivity rate over the between Jan. 10-24, moving it in a “yellow zone” for infection risk. Other promising news coming out of the Monday COVID-19 update is the fact the county has distributed all of its vaccine doses allocated to it. Between the number of people...
Needing to cut more than $2.4 million from Western Wyoming Community College’s 2021-2022 operating budget, the college’s president revealed a plan that would cut 15 positions from the college, including the director of the Green River Center. According to board documents, the cuts are being recommended because of a lack of funding and other events beyond the college’s control. The positions impacted are: Director of workforce development Director of admissions and recruiting Director of Green...
A meeting Friday at the Sweetwater County Courthouse represented the first in-person meeting the county commissioners hosted since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wyoming last year. This was courtesy of a massive renovation to the commissioners; meeting room that allows for more space between the commissioners themselves, as well as better access to technology and up-to-date-services. “There’s no better way to have a good meeting than being present in person,” Sweetwater County Commi...
Mark Douglas Burns was driving through Rock Springs on his way to North Carolina when he stopped to fuel his vehicle and find another victim. He stalked a nearby apartment complex and found a home with a bedroom window open. Through that window was a 14-year-old girl, asleep. When she awoke, Burns threatened her with his knife, promising to do harm to her family if she called for help. He then bound her with duct tape, committed his sexual assault of the girl and then returned to his vehicle...
An effort to administer as many vaccinations as possible has resulted in the county being selected to receive more doses of COVID-19 vaccinations created by Moderna and Pfizer. An additional 975 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, as well as 300 doses of Moderna’s, are expected to be delivered. Sweetwater County recently moved to vaccinating residents identified in the state’s 1B priority group, which includes K-12 educators and people aged 70 and older. The previous shipment of vaccines was completely...
The Wyoming Department of Health has determined its next group for priority COVID-19 vaccinations, which will include teachers and people older than 70 years of age and preparations to vaccinate them are moving ahead. The 1B classifications were released Thursday afternoon, though a focus remains on the 1A group as vaccine doses are delivered to Wyoming. “Right now, we remain focused on Phase 1A priorities throughout the state,” Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer and state epi...
People looking for the legal notices and minutes from the Sweetwater County Commissioners’ meetings can continue to look to the Star for that information. The Sweetwater County Commissioners approved a bid by the newspaper to continue publishing the notices in 2021. Each year, the county commissioners designate a newspaper to publish the county’s legal notices, which are required by state statute. Readers looking for these notices can find them in the Legals Section of the weekly Green River Star....
ROCK SPRINGS (Wyoming News Exchange) — A Rock Springs man was arrested after allegedly charging police officers with a knife. At 1:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 28, officers of the Rock Springs Police Department were dispatched to the 1000 block of Evergreen Way for a physical disturbance. Officers said they encountered Tommy Ortega, 18, who was allegedly destroying furniture and screaming at the officers. As the officers attempted to calm him down, he armed himself with a knife and charged the officers, according to a press release from the Rock S...
The drive-through swabbing station at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County will be closing early on New Year’s Eve. According to information from the hospital, the station will close at 11 a.m. Thursday and will remain closed Friday. The station is expected to open Saturday at 9 a.m. The closure is due to shipping restraints. “We think shipping schedules may cause some problems, so are planning ahead,” Deb Sutton, MHSC’s public information and marketing director, said. “Planning ahead is better than the potential to run out of any type of s...
As vaccines roll out to people in the 1A priority group, local health workers are waiting for state officials to define who would be in the 1B and 1C groups. Several hundred doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine have been distributed to people working in healthcare and emergency response roles. The immunization requires two doses of the vaccine, delivered 21 days apart. The vaccines have been offered to employees at both Memorial Hosptial of Sweetwater County and Castle Rock Medical Center due t...
ROCK SPRINGS (WNE) — Sweetwater County commissioners approved a plan by Wyoming Downs LLC to add more historic horse racing terminals in Sweetwater County. Wyoming Downs operates pari-mutuel simulcast wagering in the county and is seeking approval from the county as well as the Wyoming Gaming Commission to expand to new locations. Eric Nelson and Jill Jarrard came before commissioners with the request at the Dec. 15 meeting. In 2020, the Wyoming Legislature authorized skill-based amusement terminals to operate within Wyoming through June 30, 2...
