Proudly Serving the Hulet and Devils Tower Community
Proudly Serving the Hulet and Devils Tower Community
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Filing opens for this year’s elections in a couple of weeks and, for the first time in Wyoming, this event will also mark the deadline by which you must declare or change your party affiliation before the primaries.Filing opens on May 16 and will run for two weeks, until May 31. The day before filing opens, May 15, is your final opportunity to declare your party affiliation. If you want to vote for either Republican or Democratic candidates in this year’s primary, you must be a registered voter for that party; if you are not affiliated, your ba...
The Crook County Facilities Department is introducing an annual fundraiser to support its ongoing goal to make the fairground an enticing destination for events both familiar and new. “It’s going to start building our pot of money for the future,” says Jasmyne Bryant, Event Coordinator. “We’ve been going after grants for some of our fairground improvements and part of that is that we do have to match money.” The proceeds from this fundraiser will kick-start a fund through which the department can continue its work to update and improve the...
Neiman Enterprises has announced layoffs and production reductions at Spearfish Forest Products, its last remaining facility in South Dakota. The company says the decision is due to reductions in the timber sale program on the Black Hills National Forest. “We have done everything possible to prevent this unfortunate outcome that will impact these employees, our community, and ultimately the health of the forest,” said Jim Neiman, President. “We’ve weathered economic and market downturns over the decades. These layoffs, however, are a direct...
Work is ongoing to create a new website for the Town of Hulett, and the council has decided to investigate the possibility of including live webcam footage of the streets. This is something already done by the bank, and also by other Wyoming towns. The council discussed that it could allow visitors to get an idea of Hulett before arriving, giving an insight into day-to-day life as it happens. “We’re promoting the town – that’s what we’re trying to do,” said Mayor Ted Parsons. Work on the website is underway, with photos and text already sub...
Police Chief Bill Motley was pleased to report at the recent town council meeting that a vehicle stolen from a Hulett resident had been successfully found. “It has been recovered in Las Vegas,” he said. The juveniles believed to be responsible for stealing the vehicle had been detained, he told the council, and were facing court action. The remaining issue, he told the council, was to return the vehicle to its proper place. “I’ve been in contact with the owner numerous times,” he said. Efforts to retrieve the vehicle and bring it back to H...
The property tax refund program for homeowners has opened for applications, with an extra $20 million allocated by the Legislature this year and expanded eligibility. The program assisted 9000 families last year and is expected to help an additional 2000 this year. Homeowners can apply for a refund of up to one-half of the median residential property tax amount or 75 percent of their 2023 property tax bill, whichever is less. HB-04 made changes to the program this year to widen the eligibility requirements. To be eligible in the past, your...
Voters will be asked this year to again approve the Specific Purpose Sales and Use Tax (SPOT), which raises money that goes directly to the four municipalities and the county and is used for infrastructure needs that are often difficult to fund elsewhere. This time, at the suggestion of Pine Haven Mayor Karla Brandenburg, the amount to be raised for each entity may be increased from $1.5 million to $3 million. This doesn’t change the amount of the tax itself – it’s still just a penny, she said, and it’s a penny that is already in place,...
Bob Richey resigned his position as the Hulett trustee for Crook County Medical Services District last week and was immediately replaced with the appointment of Robin Hibbard. “I have his resignation with me today,” said Trustee Sandy Neiman, who told the board that Richey has stepped down due to personal circumstances. In the letter he submitted to the board, read by Neiman, Richey said, “It has been my honor and privilege to serve on the board but, due to unforeseen circumstances, I will no longer be able to meet my duties as treasurer and t...
Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) is among the healthcare providers set to benefit from a statewide initiative to increase access to ultrasound technology. Funded by the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, the initiative will see $13.9 million divided among hospitals and healthcare centers to purchase 143 ultrasound devices and to provide training for the new equipment. CCMSD will receive a grant total of $415,000 for ultrasound equipment in the hospital and each of its three clinics in Sundance, Moorcroft and Hulett....
Wyoming is getting more crowded – and Crook has been welcoming more new residents than almost any other county. According to new data from the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information, Crook County gained the second most newcomers during 2023, leading to a population increase of 2.3%. This percentage represents a total of 173 new people now residing in the county, bringing the population estimate to 7592. Sublette County beat this percentage only slightly at 2.5%. A total of 17 counties saw population increases, while six saw d...
The Sixth Judicial District is adding a fourth judge to its ranks thanks to legislation that was signed into law last week. The Sixth Judicial District covers Crook County, as well as Campbell and Weston counties. The bill increased the number of judges in the district from three to four and appropriated $1.24 million to fund the additional judge for the first two years, beginning on July 1. It also authorized three full-time positions for the personnel necessary to staff and support the new judge. SF-53 sailed through the legislature with...
With fire season already underway, Crook County is now under burn restrictions. Fire Warden Charlie Harrison requested the restrictions be put in place last week, telling the county commissioners that more Wyoming acres burned in February than in the entirety of 2023. While the county has had a little moisture recently, in some places there was "barely any", he said, and temperatures are still above average. "There's no good news in the forecast," he said. While the restrictions have been put...
Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) is gearing up to introduce mental health services for seniors through a program that would see all its costs reimbursed through Medicare. As this means the program would not cost the district to run, it’s possible that the revenue could in the future be used to fund an additional mental health service for younger age groups. Senior Solution The Board of Trustees heard a presentation last week from Kirby Johnson of Senior Life Solutions, a program offered by Psychiatric Medical Care of Tennessee. T...
There's not much chance of flooding this spring, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The county continues to slide into drought conditions after a winter that brought little snow. The flood outlook summary for this spring is below average across all of northeastern Wyoming and western South Dakota. This is the time of year for ice cover on streams, rivers and lakes to melt and for ice-jam flooding to potentially occur. Flooding from snowmelt on the plains typically takes place betwe...
Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) is about to flip the switch on a new electronic medical records system (EMR) – a project more than a year in the making. Please forgive any hiccups in service while the new system is implemented, says a press release from the district announcing the launch. “At CCMSD, our mission is ‘Proudly providing high quality care, putting patients first’ and partnering with a new EMR will do just that,” states the press release. “Taking our software into the future to maximize efficiency and patient car...
Two wildfires that ignited on Sunday burned a combined estimated total of 1600 acres and required a sizeable response from firefighters around the county and beyond. In New Haven, a fire located on a combination of private and state land is estimated to have reached 400 acres. According to Fire Warden Charlie Harrison, crews that responded to the fire included Oshoto, Carlile, Sundance, Pine Haven and Hulett. The lower portion of the fire was located in grass, but around 70% of the fire was in...
With an influx of influenza A and B cases spreading through the community, Crook County Public Health is alerting anyone who has not yet had their flu shot this year that a limited number of doses are still available. Public Health currently has fewer than 50 doses of regular flu vaccine and high-dose vaccine for those aged over 55 years. If you would like to take advantage of one of these remaining doses, contact Public Health at 283-1142....
The county has formally offered its support to the Town of Hulett’s efforts to designate a Purple Heart Highway in tribute to those wounded in service to their country. The effort would designate Highway 24, which runs from south of Devils Tower, through Hulett and east to Aladdin, as part of the symbolic and honorary system of roads, bridges and monuments nationwide that honor the men and women who have been awarded the Purple Heart. The Purple Heart Trail was established in 1992 by the Military Order of the Purple Heart and originates at Mt....
After hearing the results of an outreach effort on the question of zoning, the county commissioners will take some time to consider what comes next. Should the county stop right here and cease to pursue the thought of zoning? Should it go ahead full speed, starting with updates to its land use plan and then moving on to the creation of a zoning document? Or should it delay the ultimate decision about zoning, for now focusing on the land use plan updates that are needed either way? This was the decision – “Whether we do or we don’t, or we partly...
A Hulett woman will serve four years in federal prison on charges that she ordered narcotics through the mail. According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Wyoming, Donna Singleton has been sentenced to 48 months for use of a communication facility to facilitate a felony drug offense. The sentence was imposed on February 1 by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl. Singleton’s arrest occurred during an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) into a large drug operation that involved shi...
Christopher Walter of Hulett has been given a deferred sentence on a felony charge of strangulation after an incident that took place last March at a motel in Hulett. According to court reports, Hulett Police Department responded to a reported verbal dispute at the motel on March 25, 2023, that occurred at around 5:30 a.m. During the dispute, Walter’s actions allegedly transgressed into physical and mental harm. He was accused of striking a female victim several times in the face with an open hand, leading EMS to suspect a broken jaw. He was a...
Crook County is calling for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to rethink its plans to amend every national forest land management in the nation to create one overall strategy for managing old-growth forests. In a comment letter signed by the county commissioners last week, the county criticizes the one-size-fits-all approach and the USFS’s failure to include local governments in the process. “Upon reading through it, it will affect all the National Forests in Wyoming, which includes the Black Hills; it will also include Thunder Basin National Gras...
Once again, the students of Crook County have outdone the state average with a graduation rate for the 2022-2023 school year of 89%. This places Crook County School District among the top 15 in the state, which has 48 school districts. "We appreciate that our graduation rate is above the state average but, to be honest, our goal is always going to be 100%," says Superintendent Mark Broderson. "Graduation rates include many factors that are out of a school's control but we want all students to wa...
With an unknown number counterfeit hundred-dollar bills believed to now be in circulation after an incident in Billings, MT, last week, Andy Miller, President of Sundance State Bank, is warning businesses and citizens that some could make it through to Crook County. “I don’t know how much trickle will make it through to our area, but there’s certainly potential,” he says. “Be aware when you take a $100 bill from somebody to make sure it feels right, make sure it looks right, make sure the security features are there and just be cautious because...
The Wyoming State Legislature meets for its 67th session soon and there are numerous ways for the public to participate or listen in. This year is a budget session, which means it will last approximately 20 legislative days. The other factor that sets it apart from a general session is that, aside from the budget bill, all other bills will require a two-thirds vote in the Senate or House in order to be introduced. The session begins on February 12 and a wide range of bills have already been assi...
