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The Campbell $1. County Observer

Volume 1 • Issue 34

November 25 - December 2, 2011

www.campbellcountyobserver.net www.EZRocking-Ranch.com

June 17 - 24, 2011

“If it doesn’t have to do with Campbell County, we don’t care!”

Another sizeable drug bust for Magnum By Paul Wallem - Basin Radio News

Local Foods Grass Fed Beef and Draft Horses Come to our website for all our available products. www.EZRocking-Ranch.com Owned by local Campbell County Rancher.

For the second time in as many weeks, a K-9 unit with the Campbell County Sheriff’s Ofﬁce, named Magnum, helped deputies uncover a sizeable amount of marijuana during a trafﬁc stop. Campbell County undersheriff Scott Matheny says 23-year old Jeremy Jensen of Minnesota was pulled over for traveling 82 mph on Interstate 90 near exit 124. Deputies believe Jensen was headed to Minnesota with the 46 pounds of high-grade marijuana with a street value in this area of roughly $207,000. DCI continues to investigate this case. Last week, Magnum helped deputies uncover 40 pounds of marijuana from a maroon-colored Dodge Magnum that was also pulled over near Gillette for speeding. In that incident, a 36-year old man and a 33-year old woman were each arrested. Both suspects are from Gary, Indiana.

Photo courtesy of the Campbell County Sheriff Ofﬁce

Campbell County Sheriff’s Ofﬁce K-9 Unit Magnum helped deputies uncover a second sizeable marijuana bust in as many weeks.

The City of Gillette’s Wastewater Division asks that citizens properly dispose of cooking fats, oils and greases generated by Thanksgiving Day dinner and all other meals throughout the year. Fats, oils and greases can block the sanitary sewer system and cause backups - and no one wants that. Please allow your cooking fats, oils and greases to cool and then place them in a coffee can or milk jug and dispose of them in the trash. Do not pour any fats, oils or greases down the sink or toilet.

iot Publ atr

Anne Peterson

advertising sales manager annepeterson@campbell countyobserver.com (307) 299-4662

Bish’s Trailer & Auto Sales

CAR HAULER • GOOSENECKS • CUSTOM 701 Metz Drive • 307-689-0202 Special Christmas Discounts

2011 Yard Waste Season ends

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Five Roasts and twelve pounds of hamburger for a flat rate $150. All ranch raised beef! This is an approximate Savings of 10%!

Cowboy Logic:

“While most folks continue to follow old wagon trails, a few are breaking new trails.”

307-340-1108 • 307-340-0631

City Offices will be closed Thursday, November 24th & Friday, November 25th City of Gillette offices will be closed on Thursday, November 24th and Friday, November 25th in observance of the Thanksgiving Day Holiday*. There will be no trash or blue bag recycling pick up on Thanksgiving Day, but crews will run double routes on Friday, November 25th and collect Thursday and Friday’s garbage and recycling that day. Please have your roll outs and recycling to the curb by 7 a.m. City offices will re-open at 8 a.m. on Monday, November 28th.

Information from Wastewater

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Need to market Your Business? Call or e-mail today!

City of Gillette information for Thanksgiving week

Campbell County Local saving to represent us in Europe Want a great learning experience? A boring geography class is looking at a map and ﬁnding countries. You don’t get to see the hills, the green, or the prairies that that country has to offer. Want a history lesson, you can look at a couple pictures and learn dates, but you can’t actually walk in a roman amphitheater or explore a Norman castle. The best way to learn has never changed. If you are on the job, there is only so much you can learn in a classroom, the rest you must do with on the job training. Social Studies are no different. Books and teachers can teach you only so much, the rest you need to experience on your own. That is what young James Taylor of Gillette is trying to do, to touch history himself.

Through People2People, James is trying to raise $7,000.00 to become a Wyoming representative to be a student ambassador to Europe. He was at the gun show at the Cam-plex this last weekend selling baked goods where he had a chance to sit down and talk to us. “I am excited, and I am sure it will change my life.” James has a long way to go to reach $7,000 by June, but he is conﬁdent he will make it. He stated that he would love the opportunity to represent the United States and the Campbell County community overseas, and would further love the opportunity to learn what Europe has to offer. If successful, James would travel to 7 different countries, including Germany, France, Belgium,

Italy, and more. He would repel off a castle, boat down a river, and perform many more traditional activities including eating at the homes of locals instead of Americanized restaurants. “Everything will be authentic,” said his mom, who is equally exited. You will see James at other events throughout the winter and spring, stop by and talk to the lad. You will ﬁnd that he is bright, and will represent our community well. The Campbell County Observer and its staff would be proud of having James go to Europe, and will continue to donate to his cause. If you would like to donate, please call James or his parents at (307) 299-2686.

Saturday, November 26th is the last day the city’s yard waste drop-off center will be open. The yard waste roll-out program ended Friday, November 11th, and yard waste customers should rinse out and store their containers over the winter. The Solid Waste Division will not pick up the yard waste containers. Yard Waste Customers will not be billed for yard waste containers over the winter. Yard Waste customers will receive an update and instruction for the 2012 Yard Waste Program in late winter.

Holiday Lighting Contest

Don’t forget - the Holiday Lighting Contest begins November 28th and runs through December 4th. Happy Thanksgiving!!!! For more information contact Public Information Ofﬁcer Joe Lunne at (307) 686-5393. *The Mayor and City Council give city employees the day after Thanksgiving Day off if city employees have maintained or reduced the City of Gillette’s Worker’s Compensation rates from the previous year - and thanks to a strong safety program and a conscientious group of employees, the City of Gillette’s Worker’s Compensation rates are among the lowest in Wyoming for public entities saving thousands of taxpayer dollars!

For subscriptions go to www.CampbellCountyObserver.net

Public Pulse Obama pushing shooters off public lands Submitted by Cheri Steinmentz

Submitted by Wyoming Liberty Group

Wyoming Liberty Group battling to obtain Health Frontiers data

Submitted by Wyoming Liberty Group investigative journalist, JP Eichmiller If you’ve ever wondered if some in Healthy Frontiers were earmarked Frontiers to a private company in a the mainstream media love big govfor costs associated with enrollees. blog post. ernment, wonder no longer. But HCMS gets paid through office of The post referred readers to one A couple of weeks ago, the Casper the governor and Workforce Services Brenda Burnett of Nova Solutions Star-Tribune (CST) posted a front contracts. This amounts to more than (sic). Nova Solutions, however, is a page article highlighting the story of $45,000 per month for data analysis furniture company. an enrollee in the Wyoming Healthy and clinical prevention services. Knova Solutions, though, is a Frontiers Demonstration program, the This, no one wants to talk about. private health services provider which state government’s attempt to expand HCMS declined to respond to also happens to be a subsidiary of Medicaid. The story mentioned legitimate access requests for records wait for it - HCMS! a Wyoming Liberty Group series that could either justify or discredit the Why is one of the state’s largest criticizing Healthy Frontiers, but then, design of Healthy Frontiers. It claims daily newspapers referring readers to a few days later, the CST published to have data and research from a private company receiving millions a staff editorial that praised Healthy thousands of state welfare recipients in taxpayer dollars to keep Healthy Frontiers’ expansion. Wyoming’s but says that as a private company, Frontiers, a government program, on largest newspaper removed the last it does not have to make them public life support? vestiges of impartiality by condoning because, it claims; it is not required to What’s going on here? We have a an unproven and controversial new submit to the same level of transparstate agency using its own budget government program. ency as the government. In effect, to fund a program through a private At no point did the CST news article HCMS gets paid thousands of tax company that is not subject to public or editorial reveal how this program dollars every year for a program descrutiny. Nobody reports to anyone would leave low-income earners to signed with data it refuses to reveal. and the money keeps flowing to languish in yet another poorly run What is it hiding? Well, according HCMS. In the meantime, the people government program. to Sen. Charles Scott, R-Natrona, this program is supposedly designed Even worse, the article and editorial “[we] are looking for data that doesn’t to help receive a sub-standard prodchose to ignore the back door funding exist.” uct at the taxpayers’ expense - and received by the private contractor, Just when you think it can’t get any the mainstream media cheers them Dr. Hank Gardner, the president and worse, it does. on. This is crazy! CEO of Human Capital Management Not only did the CST articles fail to Learn more about the Wyoming Services (HCMS) and alleged brain reveal the link between HCMS and Liberty Group’s battle to obtain the behind Healthy Frontiers. Healthy Frontiers, it referred readers elusive data Healthy Frontiers is alThe legislative appropriations for who wanted information on Healthy legedly based on.

Senate takes action to stop the Health Insurance Tax (HIT) Bipartisan Coalition applauds legislation that would bring welcome relief to Wyoming small businesses

The Stop The HIT Coalition applauded Senators John Barrasso (RWY), Orin Hatch (R-UT) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) today, for introducing The Jobs and Premium Protection Act, legislation to repeal the Health Insurance Tax (HIT). The bill brings relief to millions of small businesses nationwide, by preventing the recently passed HIT from collecting billions of dollars from their operations beginning in 2014. “Small businesses are the drivers of Wyoming’s economy. Now more than ever, our small businesses need positive reinforcement, and passage of The Jobs and Premium Protection Act would be a reassuring sign from Washington that it is ok to invest again and create more jobs. This legislation is coming at a crucial time for our nation’s small businesses and we commend our very own Senator Barrasso for recognizing that Washington must take action to repeal the HIT,” said Tony Gagliardi, NFIB Wyoming State Director.

The HIT was passed as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) last year. Although guised as a tax on insurance companies, it is a clear pass-through tax as it only applies to the fully-insured market where nearly all small businesses and the self-employed purchase their policies. The HIT, projected to cost small businesses, the self-employed, and their employees $87 billion by the end of this decade, will also reduce the take-home pay by $500 a year or $5,000 in the first decade, for an employee with a family plan. The introduction of The Jobs and Premium Protection Act comes on the heels of a study from the National Federation of Independent Business Research Foundation that found the HIT would reduce private sector employment by between 125,000 and 249,000 jobs in 2021, with roughly 59 percent of the job losses occurring at small businesses. The research also demonstrated that the tax would reduce U.S. sales in 2021 by between

$18 billion and $30 billion. Approximately half of this would be lost small business sales. In the House of Representatives, Representative Charles Boustany (R-LA) has proposed HR 1370 “To Repeal the Annual Fee on Health Insurance Providers Enacted by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” The bill has 78 bipartisan co-sponsors. “With an unemployment rate continuing to hover over nine percent, a tax on small businesses such as this one will stifle job creation and skyrocket the cost of running a business,” said Jim Anderson, Vice PresidentGovernment Relations for the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors. “For our nation to maintain any hope of recovering from these difficult economic times, we must repeal the HIT. Senators Barrasso and Hatch along with a bipartisan group of House members recognize this reality and should be applauded for introducing this much needed legislation.”

UW responds to requests for Budget Reduction Planning

Responding to requests from a legislative committee and the governor, the University of Wyoming has started working on plans for three possible budget-cutting scenarios. The Legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee has asked all state agencies to submit plans to reduce their state-funded budgets by 5 and 8 percent. Gov. Matt Mead, meanwhile, has separately requested a 2 percent budget-reduction plan. A 2 percent cut would reduce state general fund appropriations to UW by $3.7 million a year starting in July 2012. A 5 percent cut would mean a $9.2 million annual reduction, and an 8 percent cut would total $14.7 million per year. In response to the requests, the

UW Board of Trustees on Friday directed President Tom Buchanan to develop a process for (1) soliciting input from UW stakeholders on the principles and priorities to be considered in identifying reductions of these amounts and (2) developing a plan for implementing the reductions, should they occur. “At this point in the appropriations process, no one knows for certain whether a budget shortfall may occur, but committee members and the governor have asked for this information as they draft the next biennial budget, and we will comply,” Buchanan says. The governor will send his budget recommendations to the Legislature by Dec. 1. The trustees’ directive parallels the

process that UW used to respond to then-Gov. Dave Freudenthal’s mandate to state agencies, in January 2009, to plan for budget reductions of up to 10 percent. Later that year, the governor instructed state agencies to implement those plans for the second half of that biennium. UW completed implementation of its plan in June 2011. Buchanan expects to discuss the university’s plans in mid-January when UW officials meet with the JAC to discuss the FY 2013-14 biennial budget requests. Whether it will be necessary to implement actual budget reductions will depend on the outcomes of the Legislature’s 2012 budget session, which is scheduled to run Feb. 13-March 9.

Gun owners who have historically been able to use public lands for target practice would be barred from potentially millions of acres under new rules drafted by the Interior Department, the first major move by the Obama administration to impose limits on firearms. Officials say the administration is concerned about the potential clash between gun owners and encroaching urban populations who like to use same land for hiking and dog walking. “It’s not so much a safety issue. It’s a social conflict issue,” said Frank Jenks, a natural resource specialist with Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, which oversees 245 million acres. He adds that urbanites “freak out” when they hear shooting on public lands If the draft policy is finally approved, some public access to Bureau lands to hunters would also be limited, potentially reducing areas deer, elk, and bear hunters can use in the West. Conservationists and hunting groups, however, are mounting a fight. One elite group of conservationists that advises Interior and Agriculture is already pushing BLM to junk the regulations, claiming that shooters are being held to a much higher safety standard than other users of public lands, such as ATV riders. “They are just trying to make it so difficult for recreational shooters,” said Gary Kania, vice president of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. His group is one of several, including the National Wildlife Foundation, Cabela’s and Ducks Unlimited, on the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council fighting the new rules. During a two-day meeting ending this afternoon, they are drafting their own changes to the BLM rules. “What we probably are going to be looking forward to is a reversal,” said Kania. Asked about how to handle people who freak out when they hear shots on public lands, Kania said, “I don’t know how to quantify ‘freaking out,’” and noted that he’s seen people panicking when fly fishing in float tubes but nobody wants to ban then from rivers. BLM actually invited the fight, seeking the council’s comments. But officials suggested to Whispers that no changes are being planned to the draft regulations. Over five pages, the draft BLM regulations raise concerns about how shooting can cause a “public disturbance.” They also raise worries about how shooting and shooters can hurt plants and litter public lands. This is the key paragraph foes say could lead to shooters being kicked off public lands: “When the authorized officer determines that a site or area on BLM-managed lands used on a regular basis for recreational shooting is creating public disturbance, or is creating risk to other persons on public lands; is contributing to the defacement, removal or destruction of natural features, native plants, cultural resources, historic structures or government and/or private property; is facilitating or creating a condition of littering, refuse accumulation and abandoned personal property is violating existing use restrictions, closure and restriction orders, or supplementary rules notices, and reasonable attempts to reduce or eliminate the violations by the BLM have been unsuccessful, the authorized officer will close the affected area to recreational shooting.” Squeezing out shooters, says the draft policy, is needed because, “As the West has become more populated, recreational shooters now often find themselves in conflict with other public lands users, and the BLM is frequently called on to mediate these conflicts.” At yesterday’s meeting at Interior, the council balked at the BLM draft regulations, adding that the Obama administration was not being fair to shooters on the issue of safety. In a draft retort to BLM, the council said other users of public land aren’t required to be as safe as shooters. They note that shooters have a much lower injury rate than others, like ATV users. “The policy fails to recognize that recreational shooting has one of the lowest incidences of death and injury compared to virtually any other outdoor recreational activity. The policy is prejudicial and discriminatory to target shooters as compared to other recreationists,” said the council’s draft response, expected to be finalized today. What’s more, the group charged that the BLM is acting in a contradictory fashion, encouraging the shooting sports while limiting shooting areas.

What’s Going On In Government? Monday, November 28

-Parks & Rec. Quarterly Meeting, 4 p.m., Parks & Rec. Board Room -City Council Work Session, 6 p.m., 2nd Floor Conference Room, City Hall -Wright Town Council Workshop, 7 p.m., Council Room, Town Hall -Wright Town Council Meeting, 7:30 p.m., Council Room, Town Hall Due to technical difficulties we are only able to print a partial listing of events. A complete listing will appear in next week’s paper.

Joke of the week Submitted by Kyle Ortenson A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store, but couldn’t find one big enough for her family. She asked the stock boy, “Do these turkeys get any bigger?” The stock boy answered, “No ma’am, they’re dead.”

Sports Report Pronghorn Women end five game skid By Vic Wright Seven women for the Pronghorns ended up in double digits Saturday night as Gillette College defeated Oglala Lakota College 96-34 at the South Campus. The Pronghorns were able to improve in several different categories, and the most important one was turnovers. They committed 16 on the evening, compared to 35 for the Bravehearts. On another impressive note, Gillette College had 47 rebounds and 19 steals on the night. The Pronghorns more than doubled up Oglala Lakota in field goal percentage, making 54.7 percent of their attempts whereas the Bravehearts only scored 26.2 percent. Gillette College also made six 3-pointers and kept the Bravehearts down to two buckets beyond the arch. Iesha Greer was in front for the Pronghorns once again with 14 points. Behind her was Christina Davis with 13 and Alex Ward with 12. Jordan Scott-Benson, Jessica Davis, and Kenosha Wright had 11 points apiece, and Elisha Hensey scored 10. Freshman Kim Caywood finished with 8 points, Jordyn Croft wrapped up with 4, and Diarra Carrington 2 points.

BRN Photo by Nathan Kobielusz

Iesha Greer led the Pronghorns with 14 points Saturday night versus Oglala Lakota College.

What’s Going On In Sports? Friday, November 25

-Gillette Wild vs. Missoula, 8 p.m., Cam-plex - M & M Oilﬁeld Services Classic – Pronghorn Men’s Basketball Tournament - Gillette College Pronghorns vs. North Dakota State College at 7:30 p.m., South Campus

Saturday, November 26

- M & M Oilﬁeld Services Classic – Pronghorn Men’s Basketball Tournament - Gillette College Pronghorns vs. Nebraska Tech at 7:30 p.m., South Campus - Pronghorn Booster Club No-Host Post Game Gathering at Skyline Grille after the 7:30 p.m. Basketball Game. Pronghorn Men’s Basketball Team and Coaches will be there to visit with Booster Club Members. Due to technical difﬁculties we are only able to print a partial listing of events. A complete listing will appear in next week’s paper.

For our future issues, we would like to have our readers submit their favorite holiday recipes for publishing. Please feel free to enter yours and send them to kearyspeer@campbellcountyobserver.com and please include pictures if you feel so inclined!

Joke of the week

“Short laughs and quips” Submitted by Ken Baker There’s one thing the Democrats and Republicans share in common: Our money. A little girl asked her father, “Daddy? Do all Fairy Tales begin with ‘Once Upon A Time’?” He replied, “No, there is a whole series of Fairy Tales that begin with ‘If elected I promise’.”

BRN Photo by Nathan Kobielusz

RB Nick Bazemore was one of eight Camel players selected to this year’s 4A All-State Team.

Eight Camels named to 4A All-State Football Team

Now that the football season has come and gone it is time to honor the best of the best, and the Gillette Camels were honored with eight players on this season’s 4A All-State Team. Earning ﬁrst team selections were Dani Fischer, who not only was selected as a WR, but a unanimous selection for kick

return specialist. Also a part of the ﬁrst team was Center Caleb Olson, QB Kade Wasson, RB Nick Bazemore and DB Burke Burgess. Being named to the second team were WR Tanner Moser, OL Matt Brown and LB Connor DeWine. No surprise was the 4A offen-

sive player of the year as Jordan Roberts, who literally ran away with the award as he ﬁnished with his third all-state selection and racked up 2,688 yards on the ground this season while scoring 38 rushing TDs. For complete all-state and Allconference teams go to www. wyopreps.com.

Sports Report Men improve to 6-1 By Vic Wright The men’s team for Gillette College moved to a record of 6-1 Saturday night by defeating Colorado Northwestern Community College 65-52 at the South Campus. The Pronghorns started the game with a 9-0 run. However, with 19:04 to go in the first half Matt Strickland fell hard on the floor and injured his left leg. Adding insult to injury, he was charged with an offensive foul on the same play. That gave an opportunity for Asante Smiter to step up for the Pronghorns. The Pronghorns were able to end the first half on top 39-27, in part by taking advantage of free throw opportunities, making 9 of 12. In the second half, the Pronghorns started out with a big lead. However, with about six minutes left to go in the game Colorado Northwestern found momentum and gave Gillette College a rare test on the evening. The Pronghorns were able to prevail, nonetheless, coming away without giving Colorado Northwestern the opportunity to tie or take the lead. Matt Strickland was able to come back in the game late in the first half, but the effort by Smiter and other players off the bench showed how well rounded the entire team played Saturday night. Leading the Pronghorns on the scoreboard was

Tony Lowry Jr. with 12 points. Kash McKinney followed with 10 points, Reece Maxwell had 9, and James Hunter finished with 8, while Ezekiel Odonkor,

Lucas Reller, and Smiter had 6 apiece. Strickland finished with 5, George Edwards had a deuce, and Kalen Foreman made one free throw on the evening.

BRN Photo by Nathan Kobielusz

Tony Lowry Jr. led the Pronghorns with 12 points Saturday night against Colorado Northwestern Community College.

Team Wyoming tenacious Submitted By Chuck Coon, Tourism Media Manager Wyoming Office of Tourism

Courtesy Photo

Team WY 307 brings home Championship By Ted Ripko - Basin Radio Sports The Wyoming 307 U16 statewide Boys All-Star Soccer Team, which consists of nine players from the Gillette area, won the championship out of hundreds of teams across the country on November 13th at the Heartland Invite in Kansas City, MO. WY 307 went 2-1 in their pool matches, which propelled them to the championship game where they took down West Des Moines Soccer Club 3-0 with goals by Ryan Zimmerman, Kyle Leeman and Jose Esparza. “We started off a little slow,” explains WY 307 head coach Chris McMackin. “Our first game of course was 7:30 Saturday morning and then by the end of the weekend we gelled and played our best soccer in the championship game.” Getting to the championship match WY 307 took down Omaha

FC 2-0 behind two goals by Alex Germann. Then in their second pool game, WY 307 suffered their lone loss of the weekend as they lost to EFC ELite from Wichita, KS 2-1 as Rudy Zimmerman tallied the lone goal for WY 307. In their final pool play game of the tournament they would take down Prairie Soccer Club from Cedar Rapids, IA 2-0 as Lane Knievel and Germann would take care of the scoring for WY 307. Following the tournament, McMackin says he wasn’t surprised his team was able to compete at this level. “I believed in these kids. These kids are dedicated to the game,” he says. “They put in the hard work and effort, and I felt that they could compete and they did.” Besides their hard work and dedication, McMackin says the

leftover bitterness stemming from their loss in the USA Cup this summer provided the extra motivation to want to win the Heartland Invite. In the end, McMackin says these tournaments help his players experience another level of competitiveness. “I know a lot of times around here in Wyoming you kind of get used to the level of play here, but getting outside our region really gives everybody a chance to see the level of competition throughout the country and shows them what they have to do to improve and to hopefully reach that level if they want to continue on playing college soccer,” says McMackin. Next up for Team WY 307 U16 will be the New Mexico Nike Rush Spring Cup in Albuquerque, NM. Feb 4-5, 2012.

“The NBA has its work cut out for it. Let’s face it -television, advertising, marketing, licensing ... all of that stuff comes back to the fans; if they are mad, they won’t be buying -- whether it’s tickets or souvenirs. ... It’s like walking out on your wife for a week. You can’t walk back in the door, give her a wave, tell her you missed her and expect her to start cooking dinner.” - Truck Series driver Brandon Whitt

A good number of the lucky seven Wyoming professional rodeo contestants who will compete in the Super Bowl of their sport Dec. 1-10 in Las Vegas got there the hard way. They would prefer not to have gambled on their last few chances during the playoffs but that’s what happened this 2011 season for steer wrestler Jason Miller from Lance Creek, Wheatland’s Seth Brockman – also a steer wrestler – and bull rider Bobby Welsh of Gillette. Miller, who won a world championship in 2007, was bitterly disappointed at his showing in the finals of Cheyenne Frontier Days this summer and decided it was time to go back to the practice pen. “I needed to slow down and concentrate, refocus,” he said. The extra work paid off. Miller’s final two outings at the September playoffs staged in Puyallup, Washington were timed at 3.3 and 3.4 seconds respectively giving Miller the championship and enough cash to move up to #4 in the world standings. The top fifteen positions in terms of money earned secure a berth at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Brockman was not in the top fifteen by late September when he qualified for the season playoff finale in Omaha. The 2005 “Rookie of the Year” remained calm and won a round in Omaha with a run of 3.8 seconds. The attending cash placed Brockman well within the coveted top fifteen and he will go to Las Vegas as the #13 steer wrestler. That’s the same spot Miller was in heading to Vegas in 2007. This is Brockman’s first appearance at the national finals (NFR). Gillette’s Bobby Welsh started 2011 by winning the $50,000 round at Rodeo Houston but those earnings are not applied to the world standings by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) because the Houston event is unsanctioned by PRCA. Welsh went on to have a very good year and was among the top ten bull riders until fall and the playoff finale in Omaha. It was then that a rule requiring bull riders to enter 40 rodeos a year bit Welsh.

He was one short and therefore the money won at Xtreme Bulls events (a branch of the PRCA) was removed from his total. There was one rodeo event left to make up well over $15,000. Welsh maintained his composure and left Omaha with winnings of $18,800 insuring his seventh straight trip to the NFR. “Our math was a little off but it all worked out,” a relieved Welsh told us. Welsh has been a member of the state-sanctioned “Team Wyoming” since it was started in 2005 under the sponsorship of the Wyoming Office of Tourism. “We’ve watched Bobby grow up and we could not be prouder of his accomplishments not only for his family but for the entire state,” said Diane Shober, director of the Wyoming tourism program. Welsh will be joined by three other Wyoming bull riders who’ve qualified for the finals. They are first timer Tyler Willis of Wheatland along with Clayton Savage and Seth Glause who are both now living in Cheyenne. Another “Team Wyoming” veteran, Jhett Johnson of Casper, will compete in the team roping event at the national finals with his partner Turtle Powell from Texas. Johnson finished 12th in the world standings. Dusty Tuckness from Meeteetse has been voted in to share the bullfighting chores in Las Vegas. Tuckness was named “Bullfighter of the Year” in 2010. The entire Las Vegas contingent gathered in southwest Wyoming during the Mountain States Circuit Finals Rodeo in October. A photo shoot there resulted in a unique poster that will be the main giveaway the Wyoming Office of Tourism will share with everyone who stops to visit with the cowboys in Las Vegas. They’ll be signing autographs at the Wrangler Cowboy Christmas retail shop set up in the Las Vegas Convention Center throughout the national finals. For more information and to follow Team Wyoming, go to: http://therodeohand.blogspot. com/

Our Roots Thanksgiving observed at Plymouth By Mike Borda

While the Thanksgiving observed at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621 was not the first celebration recorded, it is without a doubt one of the most famous. It had not been easy for the Pilgrims to use the land and feed themselves in the New World, and they struggled mightily in the first few years. However, they received help, in the form of a Wampanoag tribesman named Squanto. He taught the Pilgrims how to use the land around them, including catching eel and planting corn. Because of Squanto’s help (along with other locals), the Pilgrims decided to set aside a day after the harvest in order to celebrate their good fortune. Although this was not called “Thanksgiving” until many years later, the tradition itself had taken root in our new emerging culture. In honor of this traditionturned-holiday, I thought it prudent that we remember some of the words those

early settlers used in honor of their blessings: “They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides, they had about a peck of meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion. Which made many

afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports.” – William Bradford (http://www.pilgrimhall. org/1stthnks.htm) As with most of history, there is no doubt that it was not as clear as we would like it to be. There was indeed great hostility between the Pilgrims and the local Native American tribes. Tensions often ran high, and small battles were not uncommon. However, regardless of this fact, the spirit of Thanksgiving is still intact. When Abraham Lincoln first made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, he led his speech with these words: “The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which

are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the the-

atre of military conflict…” (http://showcase.netins. net/web/creative/lincoln/ speeches/thanks.htm) Thanksgiving as a tradition has evolved much over the years, but its true

meaning has remained. As Americans we should all appreciate what we have, because our nation has worked hard, and sacrificed much for it.

“Every good citizen makes his country’s honor his own, and cherishes it not only as precious but as sacred. He is willing to risk his life in its defense and it’s conscious that he gains protection while he gives it.” - President Andrew Jackson

Classifieds Help Wanted

Homes for Sale

Autos, Trucks and Vans

Wanted to Buy

Cook needed at Lu La Bells. Motivated and Energetic. Days Only. Apply at Lu La bells.

Home for sale by owner in Western Way. Asking $239,000 for the 1,800 sq. ft. 3 bedroom 2 bath home with an unfinished basement and a two car garage. Fully fenced, large landscaped yard with a sprinkler system. Home is within walking distance to the new recreation center and the new elementary school that is being built. Please contact me at 307-670-1209 if you are interested.

1981 Harley Davidson FXB-Sturgis, 1st dual-belt drive to commemorate Hill-Climb @ Sturgis, Jack-Pine Gypsies rally started in ‘41, 50th anniversary model. 12K on straight-up original paint, new Moetzler’s driven-by beefed Shovel, 102hp at wheel. Perfect in every aspect, serious inquiries only, loan is $15K and value of over 25K. Ben 680.7464, 3-other older bikes and this has to go to the right person!

I Buy Militaria. Swords, uniforms, bayonets, medals, guns/parts, field gear. 6827864

Local journalists wanted. Always wanted to try? Must be 16 yrs of age. Contact us at CampbellCountyObserver@gmail.com Advertising Sales for our weekly paper. Great commission rate, set your own hours. Contact us at CampbellCountyObserver@gmail.com Contributors wanted for weekly newspaper. Need a doctor, a Politician, a lawyer, and more to contribute an article a month. E-mail CampbellCountyObserver@gmail. com for more information. Sports writers, event writers wanted. Gillette, Write, Recluse, Rozet. Call 6708980. State Wide Sales people. Print Advertising Sales for new State-wide newspaper. Call 307-299-4662 Delivery Driver wanted. Retired? Want a little walking around cash? Work one day per week delivering the Campbell County Observer to people’s homes. Contact the Campbell County Observer at (307) 6708980. Website/ad designer wanted. Must be familiar with building/maintaining websites and website advertising design. Commission and base salary pay. Call the Cowboy State Free Press at 307-670-8980

Camping/Fishing Minnows, crawlers, leeches, fishing tackle, boating and camping supplies. Fully furnished cabin rentals, 50 Amp Full Hookup RV sites 5 minutes from Keyhole Reservoir in Pine Haven. Empire Guesthouse & RV Park 307-756-3454. www.empireguesthouse.com

Merchandise 1939 HA Selmer Trumpet $750 OBO. 6871087 Spyder Semi-auto paint ball gun. cal..68 Special Edition.Only used twice! New $300 For you $175 plus two canisters. Call 680-1302 If you are interested in purchasing Nutrient Rich Ranch Raised Beef grown locally, call 307-340-1108.

‘76 Electra-Glide would consider trade on Pan or Knuck if ya know of anyone, ‘81 sent it to LA-S&S, 11.5to1 and dualplugged to run regular-gas, had burn-out time at Hog-Jam! Ben 680.7464.

Gorgeous land home package set up in Wright. 3 bedroom, 2 full baths, hickory cabinets throughout, front porch, central air, and much more. Financing available. For a personal showing call (307) 6870333

2003 Chevy Monte Carlo SS (White) with 137,000 mi; $6500. Call 307 - 689 – 0966

40+ Acres 2 miles south of Wright 1999 Atlantic Oak Modular. $250,000 OBO Call 307 - 680 – 2374

1983 Ventura (Chevy) for sale. WORKING WET BAR. Closet, fold down rear seat bed, caption swivel chairs. Great shape. Needs carburetor adjustment. Newly rebuilt Transmission, 400 Turbo. $4,000.00. Call 307-670-2037.

FSBO 2,688 SF home on corner lot with fenced back yard. 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, upgraded kitchen, finished walkout basement, oversized garage. $259,000. 307-680-9180.

2004 Yukon Denali XL,6.0 Motor, Loaded $14,000 OBO 660-9351

Apartments for Rent

1986 Toyota Tercel 4x4. $1050.00. Call 307-299-5918

1-5 bedroom units available for rent. Please contact Real Estate Systems of Gillette Inc at 307-682-0964 for all the updated details. Spacious & new, 1, 2, &3 bdrm affordable apartments available now! Call 685-8066. Washer and dryer in every unit. Private sunny patio or balcony. Special move-in rate, 1 bdrm: $694, 2 bdrm: $777, 3 bdrm: $888. Move in now and deduct $ 200 off first month while special lasts. Call Konnie or Celeste at Highland Properties 6858066.

Business Opportunities

Heavy Equipment/Trailers 6x10 trailer. Great shape, fits your biggest Harley. $1,400 obo. 299-4967. 1981 Circle J 4-horse Horse Trailer. New floor, paint and wiring. $2500 OBO Call 307 - 680 – 2374 1981 Circle J 4-horse Horse Trailer. New floor, paint and wiring done in shop class 2 years ago. No rust only used once since redone. $2500 or OBO Call 307 - 680 – 2374

Pets

Health problems? Try doTERRA certified pure essential oils. 307-680-0363. www. myvoffice.com/healingisbelieving

Welsh Corgi Puppies. 3 females, and two males. 682-2598

WILL PAY CASH FOR CAMPERS. Call Scott (307) 680-0854. Manual Transmission for 93’ Chevy Pickup 4wd. Must be in good shape. Call 257-2306.

Personals Interested in founding a Sherlock Holmes Society in Gillette? Contact gillettesherlockians@gmail.com for info.

Sporting Goods Like new Horizon Elliptical. $300 obo. Call 299-7058 for more info.

Home Appliances/ Furnishings Microfiber couch with 2 recliners combined. Green. $100 Call 299-4967. Booth Table. L-shaped. With Chairs. Seats 6. $500.00 Call 299-4967 Chest Freezer. $100. 307-299-5918 Storage Unit Sale!!!!! Home stereo, car speakers, 2 dressers, mattress and box spring sets $20, chests, coffee table, chairs, end tables and much more. Call (307) 682-7864

Toy Parts & Accessories Stock pipes for Sportster. 500mi. Stock pices for Dyna Wide Glide. 1500mi. Email baxtersmom62@gmail.com for info. Harley Accessories for sale. Call 307-6708980. Ask for Tammy.

Campers & Motor Homes 1997 32ft. Class A Motor Home. Sleeps 6, Only 31,000 Miles. Asking $17,000. Call (307) 660-7520.

Great Jerky http://www.rberlinger.jerkydirect.com/

Large Private RV/Camper Lot for rent. Big yard, trees. All utilities available. $400 per month, $400 deposit. 1 year lease. Call (307) 660-1007.

My First Computer hardly used. Asking $15. Call 605 - 545 – 1188

5th wheel camper for sale. Call Skip (307) 680-0073

Five roasts and twelve pounds of hamburger for a flat rate. $150.00. All ranch raised beef. This is an approximate savings of 10% on the total. Contact Jason Walker at 307-686-0577

2008 Hyundai Sonata LMTD, 40,000 mi. $13,500, Call 307-660-2532.

Tri-level house for sale 4 bed 2 bath $209,000 (307) 670-1925.

Newspaper vending machines. Contact us at: CampbellCountyObserver@gmail.com

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Hickey Unlimited LLC

Your New Generation of Beautiful

Guns for Sale .38 Colt detective’s special. $525.00 obo Call (307) 682-7864

Toys (ATV’s, Boats, etc.)

.380 Smith and Weston Bodyguard. Built in laser site. $450.00 firm. Trades possible. Call (307) 682-7864.

Boat for Sale with trailer. Needs work. Call 670-8980 for info.

1903 Springfield. 30o6 Cal. U.S. Military. $700 obo. Call (307) 682-7864

NOW OPEN •Hair Extentsions Ultratress II

•Xango Hair Products

307-682-7001 306 W. Lakeway Rd.

HELP WANTED

Growing, locally owned company looking for motivated individuals to fill the following positions. Experience is preferred but may be will to train the right applicants. We offer competitive wages with excellent benefits. Please submit resume or pick up applications at 1110 Robertson Circle off of Swanson Rd. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. Serious inquiries only. EOE

Machine Operator

This individual must possess general CNC steel plate flame, plasma cutting, beveling and fabrication practices. Must also be able to operate dual trolley, overhead crane, forklifts and common fabrication tools in a safe and efficient manner.

Warehouse Technician

General laborer needed to assist with warehouse operations. Will be responsible for cleaning and staging customer orders, maintaining a clean and safe facility, and light equipment maintenance. This is an entry level position with plenty of room for advancement within our growing company.

Our Roots Freight Hauling in the West By Jeff Morrison From the earliest days of the fur trade onward, freight hauling has always been a major industry in Wyoming. Every settlement, military fort, ranch, mine and roadstation owed its very existence to the supplies that were delivered to them, mostly by wagon. These wagons and the teamsters who drove them were often the first travelers of newly established trails and in some cases were the original trailblazers of new routes through the largely unexplored frontier. Hauling freight was a lucrative business, provided you could get your cargo from place to place in good condition, without losing your wagons, livestock or your life in the process. The job of driving a freight wagon was physically demanding, and when breakdowns occurred in the middle of nowhere, as often happened, the teamsters needed to be resourceful and inventive in fabricating replacement parts and get the wagons moving again. Slow moving wagons and the animals pulling them also made tempting targets for marauding Indians and bandits, so being brave and a good shot were qualities much sought after in a teamster. More often referred to as a “mule skinner” or “bullwhacker”, teamsters came in all manner of ethnicity, education and family background. Many famous frontiersmen worked in the freight hauling business. A list of famous western teamsters would include scouts such as Frank Grouard, Lonesome Charlie Reynolds, Charlie Utter, Portugee Phillips; lawmen such as Bill Hickok, Malcolm Campbell, Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp; and of course William “Buffalo Bill” Cody. Of all the occupations Calamity Jane claimed to have had, one of the few that is not in dispute is that she was employed at various times as a mule skinner. The term “bullwhacker” comes from the early days of freight hauling along the Oregon, Overland, Bozeman and other emigrant trails, where the draft animals of choice were oxen. Oxen had many advantages over mules and horses. Being big and powerful, it took fewer oxen to pull heavy loads, especially when travelling over rough terrain. Oxen could forage on native grasses and actually required less water than their equine counterparts. Wagons could be pulled by ox-teams of two to a half dozen or so, depending on the load and number of wagons being pulled in tandem. The bullwhacker did not ride in the wagons, but walked alongside the lead pair of oxen. He could turn the team using voice commands of “Gee” for right, and “Haw” for left. The voice commands were reinforced with the judicious use of a bull whip. The whip was not to flog the animal, but rather to make a loud crack from which the animal would tend to flinch away from, and thus turn in the opposite direction. Contemporary descriptions of bullwhackers in action indicate that it was most im-

· Auto · Preferred · SR22’s · Home · Renters · Life · Health

portant to supplement the Gee/Haw commands and whip cracks with a barrage of profanity directed at the animal. The one disadvantage to pulling wagons with oxen is that they are very, very slow. The miles covered in a day varied depending on terrain and weather, but generally speaking the teamsters would set up camp in the evening within sight of the camp they left that morning. Faster freight delivery was just as much in demand then as it is now. And so, as trails and roads became more established, the ox-train gave way to horse and mule teams. Horses and mules required a higher degree of training for the animals, more water and better feed, but the benefit was cutting the travel time from place to place nearly in half. Of the two, mules were preferred for their toughness, but required more maintenance than horses. If a horse went lame, a replacement could be found at any nearby ranch or farm, but people were less inclined to part with a mule. Although it was general practice not to mix horses and mules together in a team, it could be done, and was often enough. The freight wagon rigs pulled by both horses and mules were similar to those used with the oxen. A tandem string of wagons from two to four were pulled by teams ranging in number depending on the load and number of tandems. Six to twelve animal teams were typical, but in some cases as many as 20 animals were harnessed together in the same team. Because of the number of animals involved, and the degree of training required, rather than using a full set of reins for each animal, the freight wagons utilized the jerk line system. In a jerk line, the animals are controlled by a single rein, which runs from the left front (called the “near lead”) animal’s bit to the left rear most animal (called the “wheel horse”), passing through rings on the harnesses of each horse in-between. The rein at the near lead is attached only to the left side of the bit. The right side of the bit is attached to the left side bit of the far lead, or right front animal. The driver rides the wheel horse and controls the team with the single rein. A steady pull on the rein turns the lead animals left, and a series of sharp jerks on the rein make the lead animals turn to the right. As with ox-teams, the turning of a jerk line team was aided by use of a whip and profanity. Outriders were also a feature of the jerk line wagon, due primarily to the fact that, aside from the leads and wheel horses, many animals in the middle of the team weren’t always trained for the purpose for which they were being used. Many an ugly wreck was avoided thanks to the skills of quickthinking outriders either by helping control an unruly team or by assisting with the brake handles while the driver had his hands full, and sometimes by throwing a rope or two onto a tipping wagon and using the weight of his saddle horse

to keep the wheels on the ground. Freight routes were mostly established by contract and run similar to a passenger stage service. In some cases the freight company and the stage company were one and the same. A route could have been between two towns or for the length of an entire road or trail. The military typically took competing bids for freight hauling between forts on an established route on a year to year basis. Along with the contracted freight haulers, there were independent operators who purchased goods from one shipping point and sold them at their target destination. Such operators typically lived on the road like gypsies, travelling where the money and opportunities took them. From the 1890s until nearly 1920, the Shandy brothers operated a freighting company, primarily in Wyoming and Mon-

tana. Dick, Pete and J. B. Shandy each ran a wagon, but they employed the entire extended family, which included their father, several younger brothers, wives and children. Although they took a few localized contracts that could keep them in one area for a considerable time, they mostly followed a route that would make a modern day overthe-road truck driver proud. Buying a variety of goods in Denver Colorado, they would travel north to Casper Wyoming, and from there up through the Powder River Basin to Miles City Montana. Both Casper and Miles City were major supply points for the cattle and sheep industries at the time. From Miles City they occasionally took a back-haul of wool back to

the old west and the need for horse drawn transportation came to a close; the Shandys sold their wagons and went into farming. Dick Shandy was my great-grandfather, and his son Jack, was my grandfather. The day they moved into their farm was the first time my grandfather lived in a house. He was ten years old at the time.

Classical Homeopathy Alternative Chronic & Acute Care

Nadith Smith, CHom.

Certified Classical Homeopathic Practitioner (307) 680-3044 (307) 670-9054 105 W. Lakeway Suite D nadith.classicalhomeopathy@gmail.com

First Hyperbaric FREE $40 per hour there-after Call & Make Your Appointment Today Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, HCG, Ionic Detoxifying Footbaths & Ozone Generators

friends + football + Fun

L L A B T L O L O BAR FSPORTS A B T L O L FO TBA L O L FO TBA L O L FO TBA O FO Free Dinner Every Night of the Week For Paying Customers Only

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Hickey Unlimited LLC

Your New Generation of Beautiful

NOW OPEN

Monday Night Free Free Chilli Chilli Dogs Dogs 4;30PM Friday Free Taco Bar 4;30PM Sunday Free Free Spaghetti Spaghetti & & Meatballs Meatballs 12PM

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•Xango Hair Products

307-682-7001 306 W. Lakeway Rd.

Elizabeth Jones Agency 1001 S. Douglas Hwy., Suite 184 Gillette, WY 82716 Office (307) 682-6520 Fax (307) 682-3536

Denver, but more often than not they went west, through Montana, Idaho and into Oregon, then making the trip back to Denver the way they came. A sheep wagon pulled behind one of the freight wagons served as their kitchen and a couple of field tents kept them from being rained on at night. Finally, as the automobile age caught up to

Elizabeth (Betsy) Jones, Agent CPIW, DAE, LUTCF

Head toward the Airport

ENough SAid

www.farmersunioninsurance.com/ejones ejones@vcn.com

Business

Gillette Abuse Refuge Foundation (GARF) Ribbon Cutting

Fashion Bug Ribbon Cutting

The Chamber welcomes Fashion Bug as a member! Robin and all the friendly staff invite you stop by 2610 S. Douglas Highway, Suite 180 to look great and spend less! Fashion Bug features current styles in sizes 6–30 for work, weekend and everything in between. From dress to business casual, active knits to jeans and fashion tops, and lingerie to boots and shoes, Fashion Bug offers fresh looks to satisfy all the lifestyle needs of today’s busy woman - at the lowest prices possible! Come into the store in Gillette, located in the Powder Basin Shopping Center, to find great Christmas gift items too! Have questions? Call Robin at (307) 686-2588. Open Monday Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

The Chamber welcomes the Gillette Abuse Refuge Foundation (GARF). GARF provides the following services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault: Advocacy; Twenty-Four Hour Crisis Line; Shelter; Support Groups; Information and Referral; Clothing and Household Items; Crime Victim’s Compensation; Community Education; Children’s Program; Sexual Assault Program; Volunteer Program; and Resource Library. Domestic violence touches the lives of Americans of all ages, leaving a devastating impact on women, men, and children of every background and circumstance. Please consider donating your time, talents or money to help others in the community. To learn more, or volunteer, call GARF at (307) 686-8071.

Kaman Industrial Technologies Corp. Ribbon Cutting

The Chamber welcomes new member Kaman Industrial Technologies Corp. Kaman is a leading distributor of industrial parts, and operates more than 200 customer service centers and five distribution centers across North America. Kaman offers more than four million items including bearings, mechanical power transmission, electrical, material handling, motion control, fluid power, automation and MRO supplies to customers in virtually every industry. Additionally, Kaman provides engineering, design and support for automation, electrical, linear, hydraulic and pneumatic systems as well as belting and rubber fabrication, customized mechanical services, hose assemblies, repair, fluid analysis and motor management. Kaman Industrial Technologies Corp. is a subsidiary of Kaman Corp., founded in 1945 by aviation pioneer Charles H. Kaman, and headquartered in Bloomfield, Conn. Rely on Dave and Jeff for the quality, value and experience you deserve. Call (307) 682-7099 or stop by 620 N. Hwy 14-16 Unit P. Learn more at www.kamandirect.com.

Midwest Pest Management Ribbon Cutting

The Chamber welcomes Midwest Pest Management as a member. Are you having problems with pest infestations around your home or office? Contact Midwest Pest Management. Andrew Beug provides personal and professional pest management services to residential and commercial properties in the Gillette and Northeastern Wyoming areas. Midwest Pest can take care of all your pest problems including ants, bed bugs, bees, birds, roaches, rodents and spiders. Tree spraying and fertilizing services are available as well. Contact Midwest Pest Management today at 888-367-9547 for an estimate.

Subscribe Now Mail this form, along with payment, to our office at 5105 Tarry St. Sleepy Hollow (Campbell County), WY 82718

12 Weeks - $12.00 26 Weeks - $25.00 52 Weeks - $50.00

Wyoming Technology Business Center Ribbon Cutting

The Chamber welcomes the Wyoming Technology Business Center as a member. Located at the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie, the WTBC is a not-for-profit business incubator that provides entrepreneurs with the expertise, networks, and tools they need to make their ventures successful. Services the WTBC offers include educational and mentoring programs, business services, and infrastructure assistance. Call Jeff Lowe at (307) 766-6283 to discover what the WTBC can do for you. WTBC invites you to attend the next e2e networking event. e2e is a networking program with chapters in Laramie, Sheridan, and Gillette designed to improve the climate for the start-up and growth of entrepreneurial companies. For more information, visit www.uwyo.edu/wtbc/ index.html. Watch ChamberLink for the next e2e event in Gillette.

Name Address Phone Number To Pay with a Credit/Debit Card, please call our office at (307) 670-8980 or visit our website at www.campbellcountyobserver.com

Community Workshops set to help crop producers learn risk management concepts, strategies Submitted by Kim (Sears) Kittel: Marketing and Public Relations - Wyoming Business Council A series of workshops are set for southeast Wyoming and the Big Horn Basin to help agriculture producers learn about mitigating increased risk in their operations. Risk Management Marketing, Serving Farmers and Ranchers through Targeted Risk Management Education, will teach crop producers with limited knowledge of alternative commodity marketing strategies how to use price and ﬁnancial risk management tools to improve marketing positions for their crop enterprises. The workshop, sponsored by the Wyoming Business Council, is comprised of four sessions and will take place at Eastern Wyoming College Dec. 1 and 13, and Jan. 5 and 12. In the Big Horn Basin the same courses will be held during WESTI Ag Days in

Worland on Feb. 7 at the Extension Ofﬁce and in Powell at Northwest College on Feb. 21 and 29 and March 15. The registration fee is $125 and includes lunch as well as the text book Applied Risk Management in Agriculture. College credit may also be obtained by successfully completing all sessions. Donn Randall, Crop and Forage Program manager in the Wyoming Business Council’s Agribusiness Division, said producers today face increased risk not experienced in past years with internationalized markets, increased speculation, and the commonness of volatility and sharp price moves contributed to by the development of biofuels and increased world population. “Producers must increase their knowledge

proﬁtability objectives; commit to performing a risk management marketing plan; attend workshops to complete marketing worksheets; participate in group marketing discussions and apply marketing principles for their speciﬁc operational needs; develop marketing plans that will describe how to utilize cash markets and cash contracts; and utilize risk management tools such as insurance, hedge trades, options, carry markets, and others to ensure sustainability of their production.

and understanding of the many tools, risk management strategies and opportunities available in order to ensure their growth and proﬁtability,” said Randall. “Many producers have minimal knowledge of technical or fundamental reasoning and theory, yet this knowledge is imperative in making informed and advantageous decisions about their operations. Linda Cruikshank, of PFM Inc. and E. Hedger LLC Consultant Company offers a very unique producer approach to understanding and utilizing the beneﬁts of a risk management marketing educational program for crop producers.” Participants in the workshops will gain improved understanding of market volatility and the reason markets change; will complete breakeven worksheets and determine

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Hickey Unlimited LLC

Your New Generation of Beautiful

NOW OPEN

Cookbook sales to beneﬁt Childhood Cancer Camp Sales of the Wyoming Comprehensive Cancer Control Consortium’s new cookbook will help support a Wyoming camp for children with cancer and their families. With more than 80 pages of recipes and color photography, the cookbook also features stories of childhood cancer survivors and interesting tidbits to help celebrate cancer survivors of Wyoming. The

cookbooks are being sold for $25. “One hundred percent of the cookbook’s proceeds will go toward the creation of Wyoming’s ﬁrst childhood cancer camp” says Lisa Eades, Jason’s Friends Foundation president and Wyoming Comprehensive Cancer Control Consortium co-chairman. The camp will be held August 10-12, 2012 at the Crooked Creek Guest

307-686-6666

1103 E. Boxelder, Suite C Gillette, WY USA 82718

•Hair Extentsions Ultratress II

Ranch in Dubois and will include components for the child with cancer, the parents and the siblings. “This cookbook is truly one of the best examples of a people coming together to support a much needed resource for childhood cancer survivors,” says Eades. Order forms are available online at www.ﬁghtcancerwy.com.

•Xango Hair Products

307-682-7001 306 W. Lakeway Rd.

Where is this picture taken? Answer from last week Across from the Savegton Bar on Hwy. 50

Layaway for Christmas

Industrial Park drainage project in a mess By Paul Wallem - Basin Radio News During a short workshop before Monday evening’s Gillette City Council meeting, City of Gillette engineering and development services director Dustin Hamilton briefed the council on the Industrial Park drainage project. Before Hamilton spoke, however, City of Gillette administrator Carter Napier described the project as turning into a bit of a mess. “The project was originally put together to try to convey more effectively the groundwater and the storm water that’s in the area,” Napier says. “At this point, we’ve ran into subsurface issues that are much more signiﬁcant than originally anticipated, and so therefore we’re implementing design improvements that are costing money so that we can appropriately get through that project.” As a result, the project’s costs have quickly risen to more than 20 percent above projections. Although ﬁnal numbers are not yet available, “at this time it’s estimated that the revised contract price at the end of the contract will be $3.15 million,” Hamilton says. According to Hamilton, the original contract amount of just over $2.5 million was hampered by a very wet spring. “This past spring we had approximately 2.04 inches of rain in April, 7.03 inches

of rain in May, and an additional 2.04 inches in June to account for 11.3 inches of rain in our spring season, which drastically impacted the drainage ways that we were trying to improve,” describes Hamilton. The heavy precipitation began just after the project got the go-ahead on April 14. “Our original geotechnical investigation with respect to the subsurface conditions in Industrial Park Drive as well as Commerce Drive only indicated groundwater at 11 feet of depth from the surface, and when we actually went to construction and began working on the subgrade we actually found water at about 2 ½ feet in Industrial Park Drive and so we needed to compensate for that saturated subgrade by importing rock material as well as a geogrid to stabilize the subgrade,” says Hamilton. The Interstate Industrial Park drainage project has been in the works for several years. Earlier this year, City of Gillette civil engineer Josh Richardson explained this project is important because the area has a tendency to ﬂood during periods of heavy runoff. “It was built many years ago, and as they built the buildings a lot of people did not look at how the area would drain, and overall as we added more impervious areas that meant we had

Joke of the week Submitted by John Lacek He thought a quarterback was a refund. He thought General Motors was in the Army. He thought Meow Mix was a CD for cats. He thought Boyz II Men was a day care center. At the bottom of an application where it says “Sign here:” he wrote “Sagittarius.” He sold the car for gas money.

more water and buildings started to get flooded, and the water just doesn’t go away,” Richardson said. Overall, Richardson said there are roughly 200 businesses in the industrial park. “And this project is to try and give a place so the water can get out of the area so we will not be flooding structures,” Richardson described. “That’s our major goals for this. It’s not that we’re going to solve all the drainage out there. We’ll still have drainage problems but hopefully we will not have any structures flooding anymore.”

408 S. Douglas Hwy (Next to Pokey’s)

Better, Better Deals!

307-682-7828 Mon-Sat 10am-6pm

The Campbell County Observer Staff campbellcountyobserver.net (PP-1) Volume 1 Issue 34 The Campbell County Observer is published by Patriot Publishing L.L.C. in Gillette, WY every Friday. Postmaster: Send address changes to 5105 Tarry St. Gillette, WY 82718 Candice De Laat - Owner/Publisher CandiceDeLaat@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Writers

Nicholas De Laat - Owner/Editor NicholasDeLaat@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Sandra Boehler (Charities/Fundraisers/Veterans Events) SandraBoehler@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Keary Speer - Editor KearySpeer@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Glenn Woods (Political Column) GlennWoods@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Anne Peterson - Advertising Sales Manager AnnePeterson@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Mike Borda (American History) MichaelBorda@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Brittany Miller - Sales/Marketing BrittanyMiller@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Elizabeth Albin (Wright) ElizabethAlbin@campbellcountyobserver.com

Traci Jefferson - Sales/Marketing TraciJefferson@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Lin Stephens LinStephens@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Cyndee Stoneking - Sales/Marketing CyndeeStoneking@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Josh Uzarski (Science) JoshuaUzarski@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Owen Clarke - Ad Design OwenClarke@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Ken De Laat (About Nothing) KennethDeLaat@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Ken McCoy - Distribution Manager

“Juice” (Political Cartoonist) Juice@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Pattie Ladd - What’s Going On PattieLadd@CampbellCountyObserver.com Clint Burton - Photographer ClintBurton@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Jeff Morrison (Local History Contributor) JeffMorrison@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Community Being an American Essay Contest deadline approaches Students can win up to $1,000 in National Essay Competition focused on Constitution

The deadline for highschool students and their teachers to submit essays for the Bill of Rights Institute’s national Being an American Essay Contest is fast approaching. The Contest asks students to explore the Founding principles outlined in the Constitution by answering the question: “How does the Constitution establish and maintain a culture of liberty?” The Contest, which has quickly become the largest high-school essay competition of its kind, totaling over 80,000 submitted essays, is administered by the Bill of Rights Institute, a non-proﬁt educational organization in the Washington, D.C. area devoted to educating young people about the Constitution and Founding principles. “This contest is unique in that it gives students the

State Forester Bill Crapser accepting checks from Exxon Representative Bandy Johnston.

ExxonMobil presents checks to Wyoming State Forestry Division and Wyoming Project Learning Tree ExxonMobil Representative, Brandy Johnston, recently presented checks for $5,000 to Wyoming State Forestry Division (WSFD) and $3,000 to Wyoming Project Learning Tree (WyPLT). Exxon Mobil supports programs that encourage teachers, students and communities to take an active interest in their natural resources. Since 1990, ExxonMobil has been a consistent partner with WSFD and WyPLT. “WyPLT assists teachers in bringing nature to the classroom and challenges

children to better understand the many natural environments that make Wyoming so unique” said State Forester, Bill Crapser. “To be able to partner with WyPLT and Exxon Mobil who have similar visions not only stretches limited funds, but allows us to reach a larger audience and to better serve the residents of Wyoming.” WyPLT will use their funds to provide educators the training and curriculum to teach students about the areas of forestry, wildlife, water quality, community

planning, waste management and energy. WSFD will continue to fund forestry projects across the state, including community tree plantings, living snow fence projects and outreach programs to assist citizens in caring for their trees and managing their forested lands. For more information, please visit WSFD’s website at http://lands.state. wy.us or WyPLT at http:// www.wyomingplt.org/Default.aspx

standards, are provided at no cost to teachers who want to incorporate the Essay Contest into their classroom. The Contest is sponsored by the History Channel. “We are pleased to support the Bill of Rights Institute’s Being an American Essay Contest,” said Dr. Libby O’Connell, SVP, Corporate Outreach and Chief Historian, History Channel. “The contest encourages students to think critically and truly makes the past relevant in their lives today.” The Essay Contest serves as a key part of the Bill of Rights Institute’s mission to educate young people about the words and ideas of America’s Founders, the liberties guaranteed in our Founding documents, and how our Founding principles continue to affect and shape a free society.

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Hillcrest Elementary student designs winning Christmas pin Hillcrest Elementary School sixth-grade student, Sarah Mills, was recognized during this week’s Gillette City Council meeting as the winner of the 2011 Christmas pin design contest. Hillcrest art teacher Ginger Cassidy said she is proud of Mills. According to City of Gillette Mayor Tom Murphy, choosing a winner for this year’s Christmas pin contest was just as difficult as it has been in previous years. “It was very difficult to pick,” Murphy said during Monday’s meeting. “Sarah did a wonderful job and we have a lot of talent in our community. I can guarantee you that picking 1 out of the 71 was very difficult, but Sarah you did a wonderful job and thank you very much.” This is the eighth year in a row the Mayor’s Art Council worked in partnership with Campbell County sixth graders to design an annual Christmas pin for the City of Gillette. You can stop by Gillette City Hall and pick up a Christmas pin of your own at no charge.

opportunity to think about the important Founding principles communicated in our Constitution,” said Dr. Jason Ross, Bill of Rights Institute Vice President of Education Programs. “This contest is vital to helping students see the Founding principles as a meaningful part of the American experiment of self-government.” The top three student winners from each of ﬁve geographical regions will be awarded cash prizes of $1,000 (First Place), $500 (Second Place), and $250 (Third Place). Teacher sponsors of each student winner will also receive a cash prize of $100. Essays must be submitted online at www.BillofRightsInstitute.org/Contest by 11:59 P.M. PST on December 15, 2011. Supporting contest materials, including lesson plans meeting Common Core

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•Hair Extentsions Crime Stoppers needs your help in solving a Burglary Ultratress II that occurred at Attitudes Bar between 11-11-11 and •Xango Hair Products 11-14-11. An unknown person(s) forced open a lock box removing the key and entered into Attitudes. Once 307-682-7001 inside the unknown persons cut open the side of an ATM 306 W. Lakeway Rd. machine removing the cash boxes. No money was in the machine at the time of the burglary. The key was left in the back door and the lock box was taken. If you have information that can solve this or any other crime please call Crime Stoppers at INDUSTRIAL 686-0400 or the High ALTERNATOR School Crime Stoppers at & STARTER 682-4185. You can remain anonymous and may earn (307) 686-7300 up to $1,000 in reward.

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Sarah Mills of Hillcrest Elementary School won the design for this year’s Mayor’s at Council Christmas Pin Contest.

Campbell Co. Fire Dept. November 16, 2011

- At 2:04 PM to the address of 1801 Echeta Road for a smoke scare at a building that someone passing by thought the building was on fire. CCFD arrived on scene and found that the building occupant had just fired up their oil fired furnace system which caused a lot of black smoke out of the exhaust system. There was no uncontained fire and no reported injuries. - At 2:46 PM to the intersection of Boxelder Road and South Highway 59 for a vehicle battery that was found lying in the roadway leaking battery acid. CCFD contained the battery and neutralized the acid spill. - At 6:38 PM to the Barlow Rd. for a report of a transformer on fire, upon arrival it was determined to be a flare stack from an oil treater. - At 9:40 PM to Oriva Hills for an EMS assist. - At 11:54 PM to Foothills Circle for an EMS assist.

November 17, 2011

- At 7:44 AM to 902 East 3rd Street (Campco) for a smoke detector activation that caused a fire alarm that turned into a false alarm - At 4:47 PM to 2100 block of South Douglas Highway for a medical assist. - At 4:55 PM to 3320 Jonquil Lane for a fire alarm in a residence. Responding fire units were cancelled when the owner revealed it was a false alarm.

November 18, 2011

- At 7:39 AM to the intersection of Tanner and Sinclair for a two vehicle accident with injuries. - At 8:05 AM to the area of mile marker 128 on Interstate 90 for a one vehicle accident. There were no reported injuries. - At 9:32 AM to the area of mile marker 102 on Interstate 90 for a one vehicle accident with injuries. There were minor injuries

reported and several occupants were transported to CCMH for treatment. - At 12:36 PM to the 600 Block of Longmont Street for an EMS assist. - At 5:24 PM to Interstate 90 mile marker 136 for a 1 vehicle rollover with injuries.

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November 19, 2011

- At 7:32 AM to 8th Street for an EMS assist - At 7:36 AM to the Middle Prong Road for an EMS assist. - At 12:07 PM for a possible chimney fire on Wolff Road. CCFD responded to the scene and upon arrival checked the inside of the home and the chimney chase for fire. Nothing was found and everything was determined to be working properly. - At 3:13 PM to East Lincoln Street for an EMS assist. - At 7:51 PM to 912 West 8th Street for an automatic fire alarm activation. CCFD responded to the scene and determined no fire existed in the building. The alarm system would not reset properly and a malfunction is believed to be the cause of the alarm.

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November 20, 2011

- At 6:37 a.m. to 912 West 8th Street for an automatic fire alarm activation. CCFD responded to the scene and upon arrival determined that the system was malfunctioning. - At 10:01 AM to 623 Commercial Dr. for a fire alarm activation, upon arrival it was determined to be a low battery alarm, fire fighters changed the battery and restored the fire system. - At 10:28 AM to S. Warren for an EMS assist. - At 9:32 PM to Chandler Ln. for an EMS assist.

November 21, 2011

- At 3:23 PM to a structure ﬁre on Mink Avenue. Fire was contained to an exterior wall. Cause is under investigation. - At 10:35 PM to an EMS assist on Chukar Drive.

Community Weekly Trivia Question Who was the ﬁrst president of the Continental Congress? Look in next week’s paper for the answer

Joke of the week Submitted by Sara Benson

Trade Show in Gillette

Last weekend, there was a very interesting trade show/ﬂee market at the Cam-plex. Coins, Christmas gifts, and much more were on display to kick off the holiday season. Andrew Raney (above) holds up a pelt for sale.

Eddie in Dallas calls his son in New York just before Thanksgiving and tells him, “I’m sorry to tell you, but your mother and I are getting a divorce. I just can’t take any more of her moaning. We can’t stand the sight of each other anymore. I’m telling you ﬁrst, Eddie, because you are the eldest. Please tell your sister.” When Eddie calls his sister Julie, she says: “No way are they getting divorced. I’ll go over and see them for Thanksgiving.” Julie phones her parents and tells them both “You must NOT get divorced. Promise you won’t do anything until I get there. I’m calling Eddie, and we’ll both be there with you tomorrow for Thanksgiving. Until then, don’t take any action. Please listen to me,” and hangs up. The father puts down the phone and turns to his wife and says. “Good news, honey. Eddie and Julie are coming for Thanksgiving, and they’re both paying their own way!”

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New UW standards send message for success Submitted by Tom Buchanan - President of the University of Wyoming. This past week, the University Of Wyoming Board Of Trustees voted to establish new admission standards for UW. Starting in fall 2013, assured admission to UW from high school will require a grade-point average of at least 3.0, an ACT score of 21 or higher, completion of the Wyoming Legislature’s Hathaway “success curriculum,” and the completion of at least two additional years of ﬁne arts, social and behavioral sciences, humanities, careertechnical courses, or additional foreign language. The new standards will not exclude any students who would be admitted under UW’s current standards. Instead, UW has made a commitment to admit these students and to provide additional academic support through programs including its award-winning Synergy Program. What the new standards will do is clarify how students can take advantage of the opportunities that the public has provided. Wyo-

ming’s statewide and community leaders have devoted tremendous resources to public education, through excellent K-12 systems, national-caliber community colleges, a thriving and well-funded university, and the remarkable Hathaway Scholarship Program. These resources are available to every student, from the most academically inclined to the most economically disadvantaged. To live up to our reputation as the Equality State, we need to send the clearest message - to everyone, not just the educationally privileged about the pathways to college success. In an increasingly knowledge-based, global economy, Wyoming needs more of its residents to succeed at post-secondary education of all types. For students who pursue bachelor’s degrees in Wyoming, the new admission standards will help reduce the risk of college failure. Such failures represent serious losses of time, personal ﬁnances, public resources,

and human talent - Wyoming’s most important resource. There is a subtler but no less important benefit. Every college classroom in which students are failing is a classroom in which wellprepared students get less of an education than they should. Our assured admission standards guide all college-bound students on how to prepare for collegelevel learning, and they will help ensure that all of Wyoming’s sons and daughters who want it can receive a world-class education right here in Wyoming. We know, from the experiences of our students and alumni, which UW is capable of preparing people for success at the highest levels, in fields ranging from politics to private enterprise and from music to mathematics. A university that enjoys the highest level of per-student public funding of any flagship university in the nation owes learning experiences of this caliber to all of its students.

Where is this picture taken?

Find out in next week’s Campbell County Observer

Community What’s Going On? Friday, November 25

-Senior Center- CLOSED -NO SCHOOL -Blues Baby Band @ Jakes Tavern -Pinnacle Bank Shop Local Drawing, 1708 W. Hwy. 14/16, 682-0089

Saturday, November 26

Another gun show hit Gillette last weekend with better venders than before. Jeff Raney of Gillette had many crates of older ﬁrearms, along with many new venders selling everything from home protection, to AR-15’s, to antique ﬁrearms. Make sure you come and check the next show out!!

-Senior Center- CLOSED -Blues Baby Band @ Jakes Tavern -Thar’s Ranch Sorting, All Day, Cam-plex East Pavilion -Holiday Shopping Mall, 9 a.m.- 3 p.m., Brother’s Coffee -Teen Dungeon’s & Dragon’s, 10 a.m.- 1 p.m., CCPL -Gillette is the Place to Bee Holiday Promotion, First Drawing, 12 p.m., Aloha Scuba & Travel -4th-6th Grade WiiPlay Saturdays, 1-4 p.m., CCPL -Teen Open-Play Video Gaming, 1-4 p.m., CCPL

Monday, November 28

-AiE “Charlotte’s Web” for 3rd Grade, 12:45-1:45 p.m., Cam-plex Heritage Center -AVA- Little Tikes, 1 p.m. -Senior Center- Medicare Rep, 1:30 p.m. -Library Board Meeting, 4 p.m., CCPL -Adult Book Discussion, 5 p.m., WBL -Teen Volunteer Book Sale, 5 p.m., CCPL -Charlotte’s Web, 6:30 p.m., Cam-plex Heritage Center, 682-8802 for Tickets

Sunday, November 27

-Senior Center- CLOSED -CCPL- CLOSED -Thar’s Ranch Sorting, All Day, Cam-plex East Pavilion -ABATE & UMF Meetings @ Jakes Tavern

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Certain Sexually Transmitted Disease rates continue going up Submitted by Kim Deti - Wyoming Department of Health While Wyoming’s reported rate of chlamydia infection has increased in recent years, the trend may not indicate overall bad news, according to the Wyoming Department of Health. A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report said Wyoming had the 26th highest rate of chlamydia infection in the United States for 2010, which is up 18 slots since 2007. Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease that often has no symptoms but can lead to signiﬁcant complications such as Pelvic Inﬂammatory Disease (PID) and infertility A Wyoming Department of Health representative attributes most of the increase in the chlamydia rate to improved screening efforts in at-risk populations, increased reporting, greater promotion and availability of low-cost testing vouchers and enhanced partner services. “Because routine sexually transmitted disease (STD) screening of sexually active young women is becoming more common, we expect the number of reported cases of chlamydia to continue

increasing,” says Canyon Hardesty, STD/ TB/Viral Hepatitis Program manager with the Wyoming Department of Health. “The good news is routine screening should also lead to a decrease over time in long-term negative health consequences such as PID and infertility and in related healthcare costs.” Testing vouchers for chlamydia, gonorrhea and HIV can be found at www. knowyo.org. Partner services are offered to all infected individuals. This service notiﬁes partners of a possible infection and refers them into public health or family planning clinics for low-cost testing and treatment. Hardesty said the department will continue supporting education and prevention measures to stop the spread of STDs and associated complications. “One thing we do is provide free medication to clinics to be used ‘expedited partner therapy (EPT).’ With EPT, infected individuals may deliver medication to their partners. EPT is used to decrease re-infection rates as well as treat partners who would not otherwise seek care,” she said.

Community Let’s Talk About It...

A Purple Heart’s journey

By Robyn Brooks Campbell County Observer Columnist

By Staff Sgt. Natalie Stanley - Public Affairs Specialist 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard

William L. Wood, like many men in his generation, left his home to serve his country during World War II. Wood, a gunner in the 39th Bomb Group, Crew 26, would not have a chance to go back home to his pregnant wife or hold their baby in his arms. On April 28, 1945, Wood and his crew were flying a mission over the Pacific when a Japanese fighter rammed the right wing of his crew’s B-29 tearing off 20 feet of the wing. The plane, with its 12 crew members, made its way toward land but never reached it. A Purple Heart medal awarded posthumously was the only item Wood’s family had left. More than 50 years later, Randy Brown, a school teacher from East Memorial Elementary School, Greeley, Colo., was helping tear down old buildings in Denver, Colo., when he made an unusual discovery in the walls of an old home. Brown had uncovered a box containing a Purple Heart with the inscription, “William L. Wood”. Not knowing what to do with his find, but knowing it was important, Brown hung on to it for years before his teaching job put him in the path of someone who would know what to do with such a treasured item. Bruce Scheel, a retired technical sergeant, who became a teacher after 20 years of military service, was working at East Memorial in 2008, when Brown approached him with his story and the medal. “It was just gorgeous,” said Scheel after seeing Wood’s medal for the first time. “It had the ribbon, the medal, and a card from the Secretary of the Army, all in perfect shape.” Scheel and his wife, Wyoming Air National Guard Senior Master Sgt. Michelle Scheel, immediately started looking everywhere for any living family members of Wood’s. They searched the internet hoping to find any information that would help guide them in returning the medal to its rightful owners. “I’m from a military family,” said Mr. Scheel, “so I know the importance of something like a Purple Heart to a family.” Although the Scheels found a couple of websites with listed information about Wood and his final mission, their search wasn’t getting the results they’d hoped for. Woods date of birth was unlisted and they could not locate his enlistment records. In time, the Scheels moved away from the Colorado area to Indianapolis, Ind., bringing the medal with them and placing it in a display case in the living room of their new home, to continue to protect and keep it safe until the owners could be found. Around August 2011, the Scheels had their neighbor, Ernest Dykes, over for dinner when he noticed the Purple Heart in the case. “Dykes was very interested,” Mr. Scheel

“Giving Thanks” Are you thankful? I mean the thankful type? If you are, what is it that causes you to give thanks? It seems that the things we’re most thankful for generate a lot of conversation in our lives. Things like our inseparable relationship with our cell phones, the latest features and ringtones. Understandably, it’s essential for most to keep in contact with family, friends, and associates. What about accomplishments, achievement or success we may experience? Whatever we find ourselves being thankful for could prove to be profitable, even healthy! Most of us were raised to say “please,” and “thank you!” However, in recent years, these very simple notions have taken the forefront in the minds of many. The never before seen tragedies, and extreme loss for so many, has caused our culture to think more about just being thankful. Seems simple enough, but let’s put it into perspective. Do we really need to be reminded to be thankful? Most of us say, “Thank You” when something is given to us or done for us,

and appreciate when we are thanked. Do we really believe this improves the quality of our lives? Apparently it does! Recent research shows that simply being thankful can improve our well-being, relationships, and even ease stress! It seems that having an “attitude of gratitude” can improve our way of thinking, and the outlook of those around us. If you struggle to find reasons to be thankful, take a simple assessment of your life situations. Make a list of 10 things that matter most to you. Five that make you happy or give you pleasure and five that causes pain or discontent. Simply identifying issues that cause anger and resentment, peace or pleasure, is a way of understanding what really matters to us. It is possible to find ways to enhance the positive side of our lists, and decrease the negative things that concern us. The matters we focus on become bigger in our minds, and effect the way we feel and carry out our lives. We can start by reminding ourselves that there are steps we can take to improve our lives. Most of us don’t need

opinion polls to know that there are dozens of reasons to be dissatisfied. We have plenty of what we consider legitimate complaints. These are the things we may need to give less thought. Consider this, when we choose to be thankful, we can experience some of these health benefits: • Better relationships and feelings of fulfillment • Improved ability to solve problems • Able to avoid harmful effects of stress • An understanding things could be much worse • Empowered to overcome challenges • Power to “bounce-back” from crisis and difficulties • Capable of sharing optimistically with others • Positive approach toward making needed change • Ability to adapt and adjust to changes in environment • Desire to improve mental and physical health With the many woes and problems we may encounter, the decision to be thankful is one thing we have control over that can dramatically change our lives.

Wyoming Military Related License Plates Submitted by Alisa Cochrane State Veterans Service Officers - Wyoming Veterans Commission Applications for Military Related License Plates can be found online at http:// www.dot.state.wy.us General Provisions: 1. Vehicle must be titled in the name of the applicant or may be joint ownership with a member of the immediate family. 2. Applications for most military related license plates shall be made directly to the county treasurer at least 30 days before registration of the vehicle expires. Applications for the Veteran license plate and Gold Star plate shall be made directly to the Wyoming Veteran’s Commission or online at: https:// www.dot.state.wy.us/SpecialtyPlates/faces/faces/ index.jsp. 3. All special license plates are issued once in an 8 year period and must be renewed annually not later than the last day of the annual registration month. Renewals are accomplished at the Office of the County Treasurer. 4. Upon transfer of ownership of the vehicle to which the plates were issued, the registration expires and the plates must be removed. After acquiring another vehicle, application may be made to transfer the license registration number to the newly acquired vehicle. 5. The county treasurer or Wyoming Veteran’s Commission will forward two copies of the approved application to the Department of Transportation who will indicate the assigned plate number and return a copy of the application and the plates to the county treasurer. 6. Each applicant must be a Wyoming resident. Prisoner of War (POW) License Plate W.S. 312-216 (Registration fees are waived for the first POW license plate and there is no plate fee. There is no plate fee for additional plates, but the veteran must pay vehicle registration fees) Any person who, while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, was incarcerated

by an enemy of the United States may use the former prisoners of war special license plate. Gold Star Family License Plate W.S.31-2-229 (Plate fees paid by the Wyoming Veterans Commission, owner must pay vehicle registration fees) Any parent, grandparent or spouse of a member of the United States armed forces who died while in service or who died as a result of the service shall be eligible to receive the Gold Star License Plate. Purple Heart Recipient (PH) License Plate W.S. 31-2-217 (No plate fee, must pay vehicle registration fees) Any person who presents documented proof that he/ she is an official recipient of the United States Military Purple Heart Award may apply to the department for a Purple Heart Recipient Plate. Disabled Veteran (DV) License Plate W.S. 312-215 One set of license plates shall be issued to disabled veterans who provide an affidavit from the VA stating they receive 50 percent or more service-connected disability compensation from the VA. Disabled veterans are exempt from registration fees for 1 vehicle, other than a commercial vehicle, motorcycle, multipurpose vehicle, bus or motor home. (Veteran may either choose the DV License plate as their free plate; or veteran may choose any other military related plate for which they qualify as their free plate.) Pearl Harbor Survivor (PHS) License Plate W.S. 31-2-217 (No plate fee, must pay vehicle registration fees) Must have been a member of the United States Armed Forces on December 7, 1941, and on station during the hours of 7:55 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., Hawaii time, and at Pearl Harbor, the island of Oahu, or offshore at a distance not to exceed 3 miles and

received an honorable discharge. National Guard (NG) License Plate W.S. 31-2-217 (No plate fee, must pay vehicle registration fees) Any person who presents documentation that he/she is currently serving in an active or retired status of the Wyoming Army or Air National Guard may apply for a National Guard plate. Veteran License Plate W.S. 31-2-217 ($50 plate fee, must also pay vehicle registration fees) To qualify, you must have served at least one period of honorable service which resulted in the issuing of a DD 214. If approved, your license plates will be forwarded to the county treasurer’s office you indicate on your application. Send your payment of $50 made out to WYDOT in the form of a check or money order along with your application to: Wyoming Veterans Commission, 5500 Bishop Blvd., Cheyenne, WY 82009 Applications available at http://www.dot.state.wy.us

said, “he had never seen anything like it before.” Scheel told him the background of the medal and its journey up until now. “You would not believe how my brother can find people,” said Dykes to Mr. Scheel. “Why don’t you give me the information that you have and we’ll see what he can find.” So, Mr. Scheel gave him what he had, appreciative of the help. In the middle of September, Scheel received an email from a man named Lee Wood who said his dad was William L. Wood and that he was born six months after his dad disappeared. “The email gave me chills,” said Mr. Scheel. “It said the last time Lee Wood saw his dad’s medal was when he was around eight or nine years old, which would have been around 53 years ago.” “Wood told me his only guess would be his mother put the medal in the wall to protect it to make sure it wouldn’t get lost and either died without telling anybody where it was or forgot about where it was,” said Mr. Scheel. Scheel and Wood were much closer than Scheel could have imagined, he discovered that Lee Wood now lived in Chicago, Ill., which was only a few hundred miles from the Scheel’s new home. Scheel and his wife traveled to Chicago, Ill., Oct. 22, 2011, to return the medal to Wood’s only living family member. “It is part of his heritage getting returned to him,” said Mr. Scheel. “It was exciting to give it back and a relief to have found Lee,” Mr. Bruce Scheel. “It’s back to a family that deserves to have it.” “It was an emotional day to see Mr. Wood recover something he hadn’t seen for over 50 years,” said Mr. Scheel, “but, also a bittersweet day for us because, we had started to feel we would never find the rightful owner.” Even though the journey is over and the medal is back to its rightful owners, Mr. Scheel said he will continue to use this experience as inspiration for instilling values in his students. “I want these kids to grow up being respectful and taking care of this country so my grandkids and great grandkids have a great society to live in.”

Who’s Brand is this in Campbell County? Answer from last week Virginia Nannemann

“Thanksgiving is a great holiday. You give thanks to family, you give thanks to friends, and you remember the starving times. We had to climb out of those times to become great, to have a revolution, and to fight for freedom. We also give thanks to Lions Football, for no matter what your favorite team is, everyone roots for the Lions on Thanksgiving.” - Nicholas De Laat

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Wyoming Veteran License Stickers W.S. 31-2-204 Available for purchase from the Wyoming Veterans Commission. Costs are $11.50 for auto and trucks and $11.00 for motorcycles. No stickers for trailers. Only one set of license plate stickers may be displayed on any one vehicle or motorcycle. Surviving spouses may continue to purchase stickers if they were previously purchased by the Veteran. Proceeds go to the Wyoming Veterans Commission Trust Fund.

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Community Warden’s Corner

Letters to Santa

Many hunters have become confused about which licenses and stamps are required to hunt ducks and geese. Hunters 14 years old and older must obtain a game bird license, a conservation stamp and a HIP permit. Hunters 16 years of age and older also must purchase the federal migratory bird stamp. Regardless of their age all hunters must use nontoxic shot to hunt waterfowl. Remember to consult the late migratory bird regulations to review opening and closing dates for duck and goose hunting before you head to your blind. Happy hunting!

By Keary Speer

If I were to be “good” at anything, it would be the Holidays. I love to cook and can seriously rock an apple pie which bodes well for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I decorate like a maniac, watch all the classic movies, start listening to Christmas music the day after Halloween and bake to my heart’s content. I am certain that my love for the Holidays was passed down to me by my mother and I am equally as determined to pass on the love to my children to keep the cycle going for generations. Everything about this time of year was made magical and, to me, still is and there is nothing more magical than Santa Claus. I, and the Campbell

County Observer, want to continue to share this magic with children all over the area for no other reason than to spread the Holiday spirit and make memories for these children to always cherish. That is why we are going to do “Letters to Santa.” If you have, or know of, any children you can have them write a letter to Santa. Send the letter to our ofﬁce and they will get a response from one of Santa’s little helpers! The funniest, cutest, most inspirational letters will get published in the newspaper in the month of December, as well. I, and anyone who wants to help, can personally guarantee that each child receives a heartfelt re-

sponse so that they know they are being thought of this holiday season and keep the magical feeling alive for at least one more year. Be sure they ask questions and get creative with their letters! Sent the Letters to: Santa Claus, c/o Campbell County Observer, 707 W. 3rd Street, Gillette, WY 82716 If you would like to include a self-address and stamped envelope it would be greatly appreciated but not required. Otherwise, if necessary, the letters can be e-mailed to kearyspeer@campbellcountyobserver.com but be sure to include a return mailing address!

To submit a quote of the week go to www. campbellcounty observer.net

Business Council Board to meet in Cheyenne Dec. 1

The Wyoming Business Council Board of Directors will hear updates from three of its operational divisions as well as review community applications for Business Ready Community (BRC) and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds at its December meeting. The Business Council’s Agribusiness, Business and Industry, and regional ofﬁce divisions will report on their recent work. The board will also evaluate eight Business Ready Community grant applications totaling $6,233,392 and 13 CDBG applications totaling $2,653,393. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. at The Plains Hotel. The meeting agenda follows the press release. If unable to make the meeting in person, the public may listen to the meeting via telephone by calling tollfree 1-866-931-7845 and using the Conference Code #589138. If interested in commenting via telephone during the meeting, please register to speak by calling 307.777.2803. Those commenting by phone will be un-muted at the proper time so they may speak. Board meeting materials are available for review at http://www.wyomingbusiness.org/about/board. aspx.

BUSINESS READY COMMUNITY GRANT APPLICATIONS

The board will review eight applications, totaling $6,233,392 million, leaving $37,664,490 available for this biennium if the recom-

mendations are awarded. Staff recommends approval of all eight applications. Before making the final recommendation to the board staff reviews each application, conducts a site visit, and presents to a board subcommittee. All recommendations for Business Ready Community projects will be forwarded to the State Loan and Investment Board (SLIB) for a final decision on Jan. 19. ABOUT THE PROGRAM: The Business Council administers the Business Ready Community Grant and Loan Program (BRC), which provides financing for publicly owned infrastructure that serves the needs of businesses and promotes economic development within Wyoming communities. The Business Council board is required by statute to forward BRC grant recommendations to the SLIB for final approval. The SLIB is made up of the five statewide elected officials: Gov. Matt Mead, Secretary of State Max Maxfield, State Treasurer Joe Meyer, State Auditor, Cynthia Cloud, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Cindy Hill.

BRC BUSINESS COMMITTED APPLICATIONS

GILLETTE – The city of Gillette requests a $920,885 Business Committed grant to install approximately 5,360 linear feet of water main to assist with the expansion of Liebherr. The proposed infrastructure will provide water service and ﬁre protection

for Liebherr Mining Equipment Newport News Company (Liebherr), as well as up to 19 other commercial and industrial businesses. (Recommended for approval)

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COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM

The board will review 13 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program applications totaling $2,653,393. The Business Council staff recommends approval of 10 of the requests. Before making the ﬁnal recommendation to the board, staff reviews each application, conducts a site visit (except CDBG planning grants) and presents to a board subcommittee. ABOUT THE PROGRAM: The Business Council administers the Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG), which is a federally funded pass through grant program from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The full staff recommendations including project overviews are available atwww.wyomingbusiness. org. Requests include:

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GILLETTE - The city of Gillette requests a $40,000 planning grant to develop a neighborhood plan for a predominately senior/medical neighborhood in the city that will also become part of its comprehensive plan. (Recommended in full)

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Public Pulse Governor and Attorney General appoint new head of Victims’ Services

Submitted by Staff Sargent William Baker via e-mail

on their contract matters. Additionally, Ms. Chambers served as prosecuting attorney for ﬁve professional licensing boards, handling application and disciplinary matters for the boards. “Victim Services does a lot to protect the rights of those harmed by crime in Wyoming. I am pleased with the selection of General Phillips and look forward to working with Ms. Chambers,” Governor Mead said. “I am very honored to join the wonderfully dedicated staff of the Division of Victim Services and look forward to working alongside them while fulﬁlling the mission of improving the status of victims of crime in Wyoming,” Chambers said.’ Chambers is a graduate of the University Of Wyoming College Of Law. She replaces Julie TennantCaine as head of Victim Services.

Wyoming non-proﬁts receive grants from Daniels Fund

Bold Republic Weekly

Submitted by Peter Droege

OH CYNTHIA How could you?

Wyoming nonprofits received $51,200 in grants announced this week by the Daniels Fund. The Jackson Christian Association received a $24,500 grant to support its mission of our mission is to provide an environment conducive to the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of families and individuals in need, and, by working together with other Jackson Hole nonprofits assisting individuals and families in need with a hand up through emergency and supportive transitional programs that assists and encourages them to achieve and maintain selfsufficiency. The Wyoming Lodging and Restaurant Association Education Foundation received a $26,700 grant in support of the Wyoming Hospitality Ethics Initiative. The one-year initiative is targeted to introduce and integrate the Code of the West “Ten Principles to

By Glenn Woods “Why would she do it?” the caller asked. I let out a long sigh, right there on the air, and then I reminded myself of the old radio rule of not breathing directly into the microphone. It sounds real bad in my headphones. I’m sure it must sound worse on the listeners end. “I’m not sure why Cynthia Lummis would endorse Mitt Romney for president,” I said. “I thought for sure she would endorse the conservative.” “Perhaps there are political pressures that we don’t know about,” said the caller.” “Perhaps, I can’t be sure.” I did not spend any time that morning trying to defend Representative Lummis. I was as confused as my callers, who, one after the other asked the same question… WHY? Let’s start with Romneycare, which was the blue print for Obamacare. While Mitt says that he thinks that such healthcare “reform” is a state by state issue, and not something to be implemented at the federal level, the fact that he favors a government run healthcare system at all raises massive and numerous red ﬂags. I lived in Massachusetts back when Romneycare was implemented, and it was a disaster from the word go. Within six months, the state was declaring that they had underestimated the cost of the system by half, and they would need to raise taxes. Romneycare, itself, like all government run health care, was, and is now, a bureaucratic nightmare. You should also know that Romney care has the “individual mandate.” Such a mandate is wrong, if you are someone who believes in individual freedom and liberty that is protected by the government. “Isn’t he a believer in Global Warming?” a caller asked? Well, as recently as his 2010 book, No Apology, Romney wrote, “I believe that climate change is occurring.… I also believe that human activity is a contributing factor. I am uncertain how much of the warming, however, is attributable to man and how much is attributable to factors out of our control.” Back in August Romney appeared to dial down his own certainty of the science, saying, “I think the earth is getting warmer.… I think humans contribute to that. I don’t know by how much. It could be a little. It could be a lot.” Romney spokesman Ryan Williams said, recently, “Governor Romney has been consistent in his statements on global warming.” We do not want someone who will continue to let the EPA run out of control in the name of “saving the planet,” based on junk science. We need someone who wants to reign in the EPA and will have the guts to do it. For those conservative who see samesex marriage as an issue you should know: Ever since Mitt Romney ﬁrst tossed

Governor and Attorney Cara Boyle Chambers will take over as Director of Victim Services for the Office of the Attorney General. Governor Matt Mead and Attorney General Greg Phillips selected Chambers to lead Victim Services. “Cara has demonstrated strong leadership abilities and is a proven attorney. I believe she will do so much to support victims of crime as they navigate the criminal justice system,” Attorney General Phillips said. Chambers was previously a Senior Assistant Attorney General for the Tort Litigation Division of the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office. She represented the Wyoming Department of Health, Department of Family Services, the Attorney General’s Office-Division of Victim Services, as well as numerous other state agencies

his hat into the presidential sweepstakes in 2007, he has repeatedly maintained that he opposes same-sex marriages and has always portrayed himself as a champion of traditional marriage. What goes unreported is that Romney, as Governor of Massachusetts, personally issued at least 189 one-day special same sex marriage licenses. “As for me,” I told my audience, “John McCain was the last liberal that I voted for. I will never make that mistake again. I did it because I was afraid of Obama. Looking back I realize that McCain would have done almost everything that Obama has done, only at a slower pace. The Republican Party needs to understand that the American people are looking for a strong conservative. Not a moderate liberal. Not an establishment business as usual politician. We are looking for a strong leader who will take charge and do what needs to be done. By that I mean, reduce the size of government, get the bearcats under control, and send most of them home. Balance the budget. We are not interested in playing politics and making deals with those who have cause the mess that we are now buried under. Mitt Romney is NOT a conservative. I don’t care if there is a letter “R” by his name. I lived in Massachusetts when he was governor and I know who and what he is. I have a vote in my hand. It is for president of the United States of America. I will be casting that vote in 2012. ---- I WILL BE VOTING FOR THE CONSERVATIVE. If the Republican Party puts Mitt Romney up as their presidential nominee then I will have to look elsewhere. Perhaps I will vote Libertarian. When I say something like that I get the usual response -- “But, what if by casting your vote for another party you end up splitting the conservative vote and sending Obama back into the presidency?” “So be it,” is my answer. “The Republican party needs to understand that I am looking for a political party of Conservatives to align myself with. Right now, that is NOT the Republican Party. If they want my vote they are going to have to offer me something better than socialism in slow motion. Either way we end up with Socialism. Obama gets us there quickly. Romney gets us there in slow motion. I like Cynthia Lummis. I do not agree with ever decision she has made but over all she has been good for us. But on this one she and I part company. I’m not sure why she has endorsed the Liberal Republican for President, but then again, I never paid attention to reviews, polls or endorsements when it came to making my decisions. I prefer to make up my own mind.

Live By” into their schoolto-career programs and establish a state-wide principled ethics model program. “These organizations set a high standard for excellence in serving the people of Wyoming,” explained Linda Childears, president and CEO of the Daniels Fund. “We are honored to support their efforts to make life better in communities across the state,” she added. The Daniels Fund will award a projected $3.6 million in grants to Wyoming nonproﬁts in 2011. Funding

areas include: Aging, Alcoholism & Substance Abuse, Amateur Sports, Disabilities, Education, Homeless & Disadvantaged and Youth Development. Bill Daniels, a pioneer in cable television who launched his ﬁrst system in Casper, established the Daniels Fund to operate the Daniels Fund Scholarship Program and the Daniels Fund Grants Program in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Visit www.danielsfund.org for more information.

We want to get it Write. Oops we mean Right. The Observer strives to make news reports fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, Contact us at nicholasdelaat@campbellcountyobserver.com

Weekly Trivia Answer from Last Week Name 3 Presidents to die on the Fourth of July John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe

Both Adams and Jefferson died on July 4, 1826 the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As we all know, Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration in committee with John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. After George Washington retired from the Presidency, John Adams became President and Thomas Jefferson became Vice-President. The two men had disagreed politically throughout the Washington Administration, and were only both elected because in those days, whoever came in second in the Presidential vote became Vice-President. During the Adams Administration, the two differed on almost every issue, and Jefferson defeated Adams and took the Presidency in 1800. To make a long story short, although they had worked together in the cause for independence, Adams and Jefferson became truly bitter enemies when political parties began to form around each of them. Luckily, Adams and Jefferson reconciled in their retirement and they became the absolute best of friends as they lived out their final years. Both men were conscious of living to see the fiftieth Fourth of July, and both, despite knowing they were on their death beds, made genuine efforts to hang on to dear life until the day had come. John Adams’s final words were (supposedly), “Thomas Jefferson survives.” But he was wrong. Jefferson had died just hours earlier at Monticello. Five years to the day after Adams and Jefferson died -- on July 4, 1831 -- the fifth President, James Monroe, passed away. So, three presidents have died on the same date: July 4th.

To listen to Glenn Woods morning radio show tune in to 1270am KIML Gillette Monday through Friday from 6 - 10 a.m. www.boldrepublic.com