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Time to hookah up for a good time
When Daniel Osborne quit smoking cigarettes, he felt healthy and more alive. But there was a problem, he still liked to smoke. So he started smoking shisha, which is a nontobacco smoking product that you smoke out of a hookah. He did not replace cigarettes because shisha does not contain nicotine and other harsh chemicals. The Stoplight Hookah Lounge more closely mimics the concept of an oxygen bar than any other sort of comparison. The local coal industry and the process they use to produce cleaner energy for the Nation, uses, in essence, a giant hooka. The burnt coal travels through a water filtration system releasing only water vapor and trace amount of smoke, exactly the same way a hookah cleans and filters the already cleaner shisha-tobacco smoke and flavored vapor but with a bonus: mouth-watering flavors like blue raspberry, chocolate covered strawberries, sex on the beach, tropical fruit punch, and orange creamsicle. So then Daniel and his wife, Trisha, decided to open another business, the Hookah Lounge located on Hwy. 59 in Gillette next to Alien Inc. When you walk inside, you will find the displays of the different hookah’s ranging with great variance of size and price. You will also find your display cases of the shisha itself. There are two restaurant style lounge rooms to listen to the radio, chat with friends, and just hang out while smoking on a rented hookah, which are sterilized after every use. There is also a T.V./ Movie/game room with a couch you may not be able to get up from (yea, that comfortable) that you can rent out while smoking from the shisha. There has been some concern in the Campbell County community as to whether the new Hookah Lounge is a “head shop.” “It is not,” said Daniel. “We do not sell a single product that can be used for illegal substances. Smokable illegal substances would ruin the hookahs, which are the only product besides the shisha you smoke we sell.” Mr. Osborne has been working closely with local law enforcement making sure he is within the rules and regulations of the State and local ordinances. Next to his door you will find the rules with a big “WE ID” sign. This writer personally watched him ID
3 different customers. “This is a place where kids (18 and over) can come and enjoy themselves. There is not too much to do for young adults of that age group. We provide a fun, safe, and friendly environment for this group especially, but all are welcome.
What is a Hookah?
A hookah (hukkā or huqqah) also known as a waterpipe, arghile, or qalyān is a single or multi-stemmed instrument forsmoking flavored tobacco called Mu‘assel in which the smoke is passed through a water basin (often glass based) before inhalation. The origin of the hookah is in India and Persia, or at a transition point between the two. The word hookah is a derivative of “huqqa”, which is what the Indians used to call it. According to author Cyril Elgood who does not mention his source, it was Abul-Fath Gilani (d. 1588), a Persian physician at the Indian court of the Mughal emperor Akbar, who “first passed the smoke of tobacco through a small bowl of water to purify and cool the smoke and thus invented the hubble-bubble or hookah.” Nevertheless, a quatrain of Ahli Shirazi (d. 1535) refers to the use of the ḡalyān in Safavid Iran. Smoking the hookah has gained popularity outside of its native region, in India, Iran, Pakistan and the Middle East, and is gaining popularity in North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, Tanzania and South Africa.
History of Shisha Smoking through a Hookah
Initial traces of hookah smoking have been found in the North Western provinces of India in the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. In North India, it is a great tradition followed by Gurjars, Jats, Bishnois, Rajputs, etc. According to Cyril Elgood (PP.41, 110) it was in India where the physician Hakim Abu’l-Fath Gilani (d. 1588), at the court of the Mughal emperor AkbarI (1542 - 1605 AD) invented the idea. Following the European introduction of tobacco to Persia and India, Hakim Abu’l-Fath Gilani, who came from Gilan, a province in the north of Iran, migrated to India. He later became a physician in the Mughal court and raised health concerns after smoking tobacco became popular among Indian noblemen. He subsequently envisaged a system which allowed smoke to be passed through water in order to be ‘purified’. Gilani introduced the ḡalyān after Asad Beg, the ambassador ofBijapur, encouraged Akbar I to take up smoking. Following popularity among noblemen, this new device for smoking soon became a status symbol for the Indian aristocracy and gentry. However, a quatrain of Ahlī Shirazi (d. 1535), a Persian poet, refers to the use of the ḡalyān (Falsafī, II, p. 277; Semsār, 1963, p. 15), thus dating its use at least as early as the time of the Shah Ṭahmāsp I. It seems, therefore, that Abu’l-Fath Gilani should be credited with the introduction of the ḡalyān, already in use in Persia, into India.
Owners Daniel and Trisha, with their daughter Madison Grace
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December 21 - 28, 2012
Campbell County Observer
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Council approves infrastructure at Field of Dreams property At the December 17th Gillette City Council Meeting, the council had consideration of a bid award for the Gillette Softball/Baseball Complex. The project bid came from Van Ewing Construction, Inc. in the amount of $9,413,727.31 and was contingent upon the approval of the fiscal year 20122013 budget amendment. The costs being considered included the building of four fields and the supporting infrastructure for the Field of Dreams property. With some council members being in favor of spending that entire amount and other councilmen not wanting to support any funding for the project, Councilman John Opseth proposed what City Administrator Carter Napier deemed a compromise. Opseth proposed an amendment to the bid award, allowing for the
infrastructure only to be approved. The council voted 4-3 in favor of that amendment and the new bid award was also approved by a 4-3 vote. Napier said the new dollar amount without the four fields is 4.3 million dollars. “At this point in time the direction we have been given is to construct all of the utilities for the property and the grading that would accommodate these fields, as well as a tree line to be planted on the west side which could include upwards of a hundred some trees. It also includes the pathway construction which is about two and a half miles.”---Napier Napier said that no direction was given as to when actual fields will be built on the property. “At this point I don’t have any direction to do anything beyond the 4.3 (million dol-
lars) so the fields would have to come up in the budget discussions, if at all.”--Napier The public was given about sixty minutes last night to address the council members with either their support or disagreements with the plans. About 12
individuals took that opportunity with about two-third of those individuals speaking in favor of moving the project forward. City Council members Kevin McGrath, Everett Boss and Robyn Kuntz voted no for both the amendment and bid award.
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Campbell County Observer
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2012 Gillette Main Street Art Walk series
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Information submitted by Rachel Pherson The Downtown Gillette Art Walks were held on Oct 10, Nov 8, and Dec 13. This was the first of what was hoped would become an annual event for Gillette Main Street and the Downtown Gillette Area. Each walk was held from 4pm to 7pm. There were 24 participating business’ in the Downtown Gillette Area. They had about 40 different local artists participate. All artists were recruited through the store owner, social networking, personal contacts, or word of mouth. And artists of all types were welcome. This included but was not limited to: oil, acrylic, and watercolor artists; sculptors, musicians, pottery artists, authors, tattoo artists, per-
forming artists/actors, and photographers. Business participants hosted the artist/s each month. Refreshments and hors d’oeuvres were offered at select locations. Artists were allowed to sell their products and some presented live demonstrations. Several businesses ran Art Walk specific sales promotions. The purpose of the event was to bring together the community to celebrate local talent and to promote business in the Downtown Gillette Area. The GMS is a volunteer organization that has a primary focus on the Downtown Area. Their mission statement is as follows: Gillette Main Street provides economic and social opportunities
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by promoting and strengthening the viability and historic preservation of downtown Gillette. GMS is in the early stages of becoming a Wyoming Main Street member. Each GMS team player has a special interest and passion for the success of this program. “We look forward to bringing more events similar to the Art Walk to Downtown Gillette. We are continuously seeking volunteers for the program that may also share a similar passion.” Said Rachel PhersonVolunteer information is available on Facebook at Facebook/gillettemainstreet; through email atgillettemainstreet@gmail. com; and also by contacting John Cosner at 307 686-3307.
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Local residents perform a live “Ad Lib” show (left) during the Downtown Gillette Artwalk on Dec 13.
Campbell County Safe Routes to Schools Project
The City of Gillette, Campbell County School District and KLJ will host a public open house on Thursday, January 10th from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Twin Spruce Junior High School (100 East 7th Street) A short presentation will be given at 6:15 p.m., followed by time for public comment. The purpose of this open house is to hear from the community about your vision for walking and biking to school. The City of Gillette, Town of Wright, Campbell County School District and Campbell County are developing a Safe Routes to Schools Travel Plan. Obstacles and solutions need to be identified to complete the plan.
Weekly Constitution Study
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CampbellCountyObserver.net 5105 Tarry St. Gillette, WY 82718 (PP-1) Volume 2 Issue 51 The Campbell County Observer is published by Patriot Publishing L.L.C. in Gillette, WY every Friday. 5105 Tarry St. Gillette, WY 82718 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
Bill Stone - Advertising Sales/Marketing BillStone@CampbellCountyObserver.com Dale Russell - Sales/Marketing DaleRussell@CampbellCountyObserver.com Owen Clarke - Ad Design OwenClarke@CampbellCountyObserver.com Clint Burton - Photographer ClintBurton@CampbellCountyObserver.com
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Jeff Morrison (Local History Contributor) JeffMorrison@CampbellCountyObserver.com Amanda Wright (Government/Politics Reporter) AmandaWright@CampbellCountyObserver.com James Grabrick (Where is This?) JamesGrabrick@CampbellCountyObserver.com
December 21 - 28, 2012
Campbell County Observer
The Campbell County Observer and our sponsors wish you a
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Community
Campbell County Observer
December 21 - 28, 2012
Travel scholarships available for downtown revitalization conference Submitted by Matt Cox The Wyoming Main Street Program is offering travel scholarships to a conference that will help participants revitalize and build vibrant commercial districts in Wyoming’s downtowns. Several scholarships are available for the National Main Streets Conference in New Orleans, La., April 14-16, 2013. The trip includes a Wyoming Main Street sponsored pre-trip to tour Main Street communities in Mississippi and Louisiana, April 12-13, to learn how Main Street principles are being applied in other communities. The conference brings together people from communities of all sizes to network, discuss issues, and learn new ideas and solutions for growing and developing downtown revitalization programs. This year’s conference will focus on cultural economy. “The pre-trip is a great opportunity for not only our state’s designated Main Street programs to see what their counterparts in other states are doing, but for those interested in downtown revitalization to see what can be accomplished through this program” said Britta Fuller, Wyoming Main Street Program Senior Main
Street Specialist. “With this year’s pre-trip focus being on Main Street’s Four Points, I believe our participants will be able to take a lot of knowledge home with them to implement in their own communities.” The scholarships cover airfare to and from an applicant’s nearest airport and New Orleans, conference registration fees, and lodging during the pre-trip and conference. Scholarship applications are due to Wyoming Main Street no later than Feb. 1, 2013. Application packets must include a completed application form. The application can be found online at: http://www.wyomingbusiness. org/program/main-street-news-andevents/4740. Scholarships will only be offered to individuals who are residents of a Wyoming municipality and associated with, or supported by, one of the following organizations: local government, downtown association or its equivalent, downtown merchants association, urban renewal authority, downtown development authority, chamber of commerce, historic preservation organization, or other community organizations intended to
revitalize a historic downtown. Notification of scholarship awards will be made from the Wyoming Main Street staff on or around Feb. 6, 2013. Recipients are asked to give a report to their local city/town council as well as the Wyoming Main Street Advisory Board about the information learned on the trip and how it will help their community. For more information, contact Wyoming Main Street Senior Specialist Britta Fuller at 307.777.2934 orBritta. fuller@wyo.gov. The Wyoming Main Street Program is dedicated to providing Wyoming communities with opportunities to strengthen local pride and revitalize historic downtown districts by utilizing the Main Street Four Point Approach. This approach means Wyoming Main Street strives to help downtown business owners improve the appearance of downtowns, build cooperation between downtown groups, help downtowns market their unique qualities and strengthen the economic base of downtown. For more information on Wyoming Main Street, please visit: www.wyomingmainstreet.org.
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Mercury-related guidelines updated for eating fish
The Wyoming Department of Health and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department are advising residents to consider mercury levels in the fish they eat, including those caught in state waters, for health reasons. “Fish is low in fat, high in protein and is good for your heart and brain,” said Dr. Wendy Braund, state health officer and Public Health Division senior administrator with the Wyoming Department of Health. “However, some fish contain high levels of mercury and that can pose a genuine health risk.” A general mercury advisory was issued in Wyoming a few years ago. Mark Fowden, fisheries chief for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, said, “We are offering specific mercury-related advice and information for our state now because we have more data.” Braund said, “We do not want folks to avoid fishing in Wyoming. This advisory can let people know about the potential health risks and allow them to make informed decisions for themselves about eating fish.” The updated advisory is included in the newest fishing regulations booklet. More details, including information about fish from specific Wyoming bodies of water, is also available online. “Women who are pregnant, who might become pregnant, nursing mothers and children under 15 should pay special attention to the guidelines and avoid eating
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fish found to be high in mercury,” Braund said. “At high levels, mercury can affect developing fetuses and the growing brains of children.” The advisory notes women and young children should eat up to two meals per week (8 ounces per meal before cooking) of fish and shellfish low in mercury. The two meals per week include fish from all sources. Fowden said mercury contamination increases as fish get larger and older. “As a general rule, it is better to keep smaller fish for eating,” he explained. “Rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and kokanee salmon contain less mercury than species that prey primarily on other fish, such as walleye, brown trout, lake trout, catfish and burbot.” Fowden noted mercury advisories are nothing new. “Federal agencies have issued them for many years, as well as all other states.” Mercury can be naturally occurring and some soil and geologic formations have higher levels of mercury. Other sources include atmospheric mercury from industrial processes and energy production. Specific recommendations about Wyoming-caught fish and mercury can be found online at http://wgfd.wyo.gov/ web2011/fishing-1001093.aspx. As more data becomes available, including for bodies of water that have not yet been sampled, information will be added.
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Why Your Flag was at Half-Staff By The President of the United States of America A Proclamation
As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, December 18, 2012. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh. - BARACK OBAMA
Warden’s Corner
With the weather turning colder bobcat and other furbearing animal’s pelts should be prime soon. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission has enacted many regulations that trappers need to keep in mind such as marking and checking traps. Commission Regulations also state that no trap or snare may be set within 30 feet of any exposed bait or carcass over 5 pounds in weight. Also keep in mind that no part of any game animal can be used as bait for trapping. Regulations also state that if a trapper is using a snare it must have a breakaway device that releases the snare at 295 pounds of pressure or less and that the loop size shall not exceed 12 inches in diameter measured from side to side. These regulations were developed so that the snare will kill the target animal (coyote or bobcat) quickly while releasing other wildlife such as deer and antelope.
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December 21 - 28, 2012
Comics
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Campbell County Observer
Campbell County Observer
Comics
December 21 - 28, 2012
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Solutions from last week
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
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Community
December 21 - 28, 2012
Campbell County Observer
Reid Drilling, Inc. • Mineral Exploration Drilling • Coring • Monitor Wells
Evil flourishes when good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke PO Box 236 • Wright Wy • 307-464-0035
Arbuckle Lodge Gillette has free room for hospital visitors
Arbuckle Lodge Gillette has announced it will offer a free room to anyone from out of town visiting a family member admitted to any area hospital, nursing home or treatment center during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The program, called “Arbuckle: Home for Christmas,” is designed to
help families be together during the holidays while easing the stress and expense of visiting loved ones who are not able to be at home. “The holidays are a time for families to be together,” said Ray Lewis, Arbuckle Lodge Director of Operations. “We don’t want people with a sick family member have to worry about
Joke of the week Submitted by John Reesburge
the added expense of a hotel room. It makes us feel good to know we’ll be bringing people together at a time when it’s needed most.” To book a room, people are encouraged to call the hotel directly at 307685-6363 and ask to receive the “Arbuckle: Home for Christmas” special.
“People are stupid”
George W. Bush and his veep running mate, Dick Cheney were talking, when George W. said, “I hate all the dumb George W. jokes people tell about me.” Wise Old Cheney, feeling sorry for his old boss kid, said sage-like, “Oh, they are only jokes. There are a lot of stupid people out there. Here, I’ll prove it to you.” Now Cheney, to patronize George W, took him outside and hailed a taxi driver. “Please take me to 29 Nickel Street to see if I’m home,” said Cheney. The cab driver without saying a word drove them to Nickel Street, and when they finally got out, Cheney looked at George W. and said, “See! That guy was really stupid.” “No kidding,” replied George W. “There was a pay phone just around the corner. You could have called instead.”
Photo submitted by Tonya Stroup
Shop with a Cop
Our primary goal is to give needy children in the community a chance to see the “softer side” of Law Enforcment Officers. A positive experience now could make a big difference later! Submitted by Tonya Stroup Shop with a Cop is an annual event that takes place in December every year. We raise money mainly through a letter writing campaign to take children that are chosen through an application process from D.F.S., Y.E.S. House, Boys and Girls Club of Campbell County and Headstart. We take an average of 50 children that are in financial need of assistance that have also had negative contact with Law Enforcement. We provide these children a hot break-
fast; they get to ride with members of the Campbell County Fire Dept., Gillette Police Dept. and Campbell County Sheriff’s Department to Kmart where they get to spend an average of $100 on gifts for their families and themselves. If you are interested in contributing to this wonderful program, please contact me via emailtonyastroup@ bresnan.net You will have the option to make a onetime contribution or annually. Contributors for 2012 in-
clude Northern Production, Eagles Lodge, Kiwanis Club, P and H Mine Pro Services, Powder River Dental Associates, Moose Lodge, S and S Builders, Ida Snead, L and H Industrial, Noland Peacock, Carol Geis, and Joanne Tweedy.
Special thanks to Campbell County Fire Dept., Gillette Police Dept., Campbell County Sheriffs Dept., Headstart, D.F.S., Y.E.S. House, Boys and Girls Club of Campbell County, Starbucks, C.C.S.D. Nutrition Dept., and Kmart.
Westover Road Closure (Dec. 17-22)
Access to local businesses will be maintained, but Westover Road will be closed to through traffic from Burma Avenue to Westside Drive The City of Gillette’s Utilities Department announced the closure of Westover Road beginning tomorrow, Monday, December 17th until Saturday, December 22nd. Access to local businesses on Westover Road will be maintained. This closure is for work related to the Madison Pipeline project. (Please note: initially the closure was to begin Monday, De-
cember 10th.) Westover Road closed to through traffic. Westover Road from Burma Avenue west to Westside Drive (Big Horn Tire) will be closed to through traffic from Monday, December 17th until Saturday December 22nd. Access to Big Horn Tire will be maintained. Metz Drive will not be accessible from Westover Road; however, drivers wanting to access Metz Drive will be able to use Burma Avenue and access Metz Drive from the south see photo of traffic control.
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Campbell County Observer
December 21 - 28, 2012
“The dismantling of Freedom comes from not one giant blow, but generations of small, sniper-like movements.” - Nicholas De Laat
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Northern Rockies Skies for January Submitted by the University of Wyoming A monthly look at the night skies of the northern Rocky Mountains, written by astronomers Ron Canterna, University of Wyoming; Jay Norris, Challis, Idaho Observatory; and Daryl Macomb, Boise State University. (Editor’s note: Starting this year, the authors present a map of the night skies for 10 p.m., accompanied by an in-depth article covering a celestial feature for each month, followed by a general scientific interest article). The Orion constellation -its general orientation: One of the more prominent winter constellations is Orion the Hunter, usually seen at this time of the year over the southern horizon around 10 p.m. Its unique shape is outlined by the four bright stars Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, Rigel and Saiph, with a prominent three-star belt in the center and an imaginary sword pointing southward that features a grand nebular birthplace of stars, Messier 42. Orion is truly a masterpiece in the sky. The mythical “hunter” is accompanied by his two dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor, to the east. Two of the 10 brightest stars in the skies are located in Orion, Rigel (sixth brightest) and Betelgeuse (eighth). Nearby, to the southeast in Canis Major, is the “dog star,” Sirius, the brightest star in the sky after the sun. To the east is Procyon (seventh brightest) in Canis Minor. Finally, to the west, is Aldebaran (13th) in Taurus and, to the north, Capella (11th) in Auriga. Read more about Orion at http://www.constellationguide.com/constellation-list/ orion-constellation/. Planet alert: Jupiter can be seen during most of the early evening in Taurus near Aldebaran. Saturn rises in the east around 3 a.m. and Venus rises right before the sun as the morning star. Shortly after sunset, Mars
fades fast into the western horizon. Astronomical instruments: Antikythera Mechanism– Elucidation (Best URL: www. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism) Last month, we discussed the 1900-1901 discovery and dating of the Antikythera Mechanism, found in an ancient shipwreck (circa 85 B.C.), in 82 fragments reconstructed as 30 gears. The mechanism is regarded as the first analog computer, possibly built by Archimedes, according to the lunar theory of Hipparchus. It was, at least, a solar-lunar clock, constructed to calculate the positions of the sun and moon, as well as times of eclipses. The gearing and operation demonstrate detailed Greek knowledge of celestial motions from the 300-100 B.C. era. Based on a geocentric model of solar system, some of the required gearing reflected the intricate theory of epicycles, required to make accurate predictions. The main, largest gear was about 55 inches in diameter, and was operated by crank to set the date and to control the rest of the gear train. The front face of the mechanism had two confirmed pointers. Given the available real estate, possibly up to eight pointers could have been accommodated: one for day of the year, and seven for “planetary” positions -- the sun and moon, and the five known planets of the time. The latest developments from the Antikythera Mechanism Research Project and affiliated scientists propose a total of 37 or more gears in the complete design, sufficient to calculate at least crude positions for the planets. Various proposals for arrangement of missing planetary gears have been put forward. The year was demarcated into 365 days
with compensation for an extra day every four years. Inscriptions indicated 13 Egyptian months, 12 zodiacal constellations, significant star clusters. including the Hyades and Pleiades; and the very brightest stars. The rear face contained additional inscriptions for months used in other Greek regions, and dials associated with eclipse calculations within the Saros, Metonic, Callippic and Exeligmos calendric systems. The well-known 18-year Saros eclipse cycle is improved upon by the other systems which are longer, the longest being the 76year Callippic cycle. Thus, to achieve good design accuracy, data from several Callippic cycles must have required astronomical observations from several prior centuries. Further inscriptions on the device include a compact “instruction manual,” suggesting that its use was intended by non-experts.
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Tuesday,
Wednesday,
Thursday,
Friday,
Dec. 22
Dec. 23
Dec. 24
Dec. 25
Dec. 26
Dec. 27
Dec. 28
45/26
42/16
25/9
23/9
32/15
34/19
34/18
Rain: 0% Wind: SSW at 9 Sunrise: 7:35 Solar noon: 12:01 Sunset: 16:26 Moonrise: 12:52 Moonset: 2:17 Day length: 8h 51m
Rain: 0% Wind: SSW at 12
Sunrise: 7:36 Solar noon: 12:01 Sunset: 16:27 Moonrise: 13:24 Moonset: 3:17 Day length: 8h 51m
Snow: 30% Wind: W at 14 Sunrise: 7:36 Solar noon: 12:02 Sunset: 16:27 Moonrise: 14:00 Moonset: 4:15 Day length: 8h 51m
Snow: 10% Wind: WNW at 10 Sunrise: 7:36 Solar noon: 12:02 Sunset: 16:28 Moonrise: 14:41 Moonset: 5:10 Day length: 8h 52m
Rain: 0% Wind: SW at 10 Sunrise: 7:37 Solar noon: 12:03 Sunset: 16:29 Moonrise: 15:26 Moonset: 6:02 Day length: 8h 52m
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Rain: 0% Wind: SSW at 12 Sunrise: 7:37 Solar noon: 12:03 Sunset: 16:29 Moonrise: 16:17 Moonset: 6:49 Day length: 8h 52m
Rain: 0% Wind: SW at 13 Sunrise: 7:37 Solar noon: 12:04 Sunset: 16:30 Moonrise: 17:13 Moonset: 7:32 Full Moon: 3:22 Day length: 8h 53m
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Community
December 21 - 28, 2012
Campbell County Observer
Campbell Co. Fire Dept.
December 12, 2012
- At 4:14 a.m. to Mountain Meadow Lane. for an EMS assist. - At 6:25 a.m. to 1913 S. Douglas Highway (Wendy’s) for a reported structure fire. Upon arrival light smoke was showing from the rear of the building. The smoke was coming from a fire in an oven inside the kitchen which employees had put out with an extinguisher. The building was ventilated by CCFD and it was determined the oven was completely destroyed by the fire. - At 5:44 p.m. to 904 East 7th Street for smoke inside a garage. CCFD investigated the source and determined it was from a ballast in a fluorescent light that had overheated. No damage was caused to the building.
December 13, 2012
- At 9:35 PM to Aleute Lane for battery acid in the roadway from the result of a traffic accident. - At 10:02 AM to Landers Road for a medical assist. - At 4:22 PM to South Highway 59 (5 miles North of Wright) for a vehicle fire.
December 14, 2012
- At 1:17 a.m. to 2416 Lodahl Avenue for a fire alarm caused by a smoke detector activation. Reponding fire units cancelled when it was learned to be a false alarm. - At 1:44 a.m. to 117 Cotton Avenue for a fire in a mobile home fire. Fire damage was contained to the kitchen. A positive pressure fan was used clear the smoke out of the home. A cardboard box placed on the cook stove started on fire. The fire melted and blackened an exhaust fan over the cook stove, kitchen cabinets, a wall and ceiling. Preliminary fire damage is $3,000. The home is insured. Firefighters placed a battery in the smoke detector - At 5:29 a.m. to the Campbell County Airport for a medical assist. - At 7:36 a.m. to Running W Drive for an EMS assist. - At 8:38 a.m. to the area of Warlow Drive and Garner Lake Road for a smoke report. CCFD checked out the area and was unable to locate a fire. - At 9:01a.m. to Beaver Drive for an EMS assist. - At 10:33 a.m. to North HWY 14-16 for an EMS assist. - At 11:32 a.m. to Ron Don Road for an EMS assist. - At 11:33 a.m. to 1575 E 2nd Street, lot 5A, for a structure fire. CCFD responded to the scene and found two single-wide mobile homes on fire along with a pick-up truck and flat-bed trailer. All occupants of the involved structures escaped but one was severely burned and taken to CCMH-ER. The fire was brought under control in approximately
45 minutes. Total damage was estimated at $50,000 and the fire was determined to be caused from smoking. - At 2:07 p.m. to the area of the Bishop Road for a grass fire. CCFD found a 1 acre fire on arrival that was caused by an electrical arc from powerlines. - At 3:30 p.m. to the intersection of 7th Street and HWY 59 for a 2 vehicle collision. CCFD contained fluid leakage from the involved vehicles and disabled both electrical systems in them. - At 5:33 p.m. to Country Club Road for an EMS assist.
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December 15, 2012
- At 3:14 AM to Sunset Drive for a medical assist. - At 5:10 AM to mile marker 139 eastbound I-90 for a single vehicle rollover. An occupant of the vehicle was ejected during the crash and was transported with injuries to CCMHER. CCFD assisted with treatment of the injured and disabled the involved vehicle’s electrical system. - At 5:39 AM to Circle Drive for a medical assist. - At 10:07 AM to Landers Road for a medical assist. - At 11:32 AM to the 200 block of Flying Circle Drive for a medical assist. - At 1:04 PM to the 100 block of Sierra Circle for a medical assist. - At 3:12 PM to 103 East Walnut Street (Parkside Apartments) for a fire alarm. Responding fire units were cancelled when it was learned to be a false alarm. - At 4:06 PM to 3200 block of Echeta Road for a medical assist.
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December 16th, 2012
- At 11:32 am to Mountain Meadow Lane for an EMS assist. - At 3:20 pm to Newton Rd. for an EMS assist. - At 5:53 pm to Boxelder Rd. for an EMS assist. - At 8:45 pm to Robin Dr. for a vehicle fire. The fire was put out by bystanders and deputies, the cause is suspicious and under investigation. - At 9:44 pm to 105 West Hills Loop for a 3 vehicle accident, no injuries. Crews contained leaking hazardous materials. - At 10:32 pm 1299 Raymond (VOA) for an automatic fire alarm. The cause of the alarm was burnt food. Fire crews assisted with resetting the alarm.
December 17th, 2012
- At 12:11 AM to Country Club Rd. for a medical assist. - At 10:02 AM to Daisy Street for a medical assist. - At 10:52 AM to the 600 block of East Laramie Street for a medical assist.
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Community
Campbell County Observer
Do You Know What is Naughty or Nice? Submitted by Wyoming’s Poison Center The holiday season is a time for celebration and happiness. Research shows that the number of poisoning incidents involving children rises during the holiday season. Common calls to the poison center during this time include cigarettes, batteries, food poisoning, holiday plants, bubble lights, angel hair, snow sprays, fireplace color crystals and ingestion of guests’ medications by young children. Wyoming’s Poison Center would like to offer a few tips on how to make this “the most wonderful time of the year.” • Keep small children and animals away from seasonal plants such as mistletoe and holly berries, yew plants and poinsettias. Poinsettias are not the fatal poison that they were once believed to be, but in large amounts can cause upset stomachs.
• Alcohol is found in holiday drinks and in gifts such as perfume and cologne. It is important to clean up immediately following all holiday parties. Remove all items that may contain alcohol and keep out of reach of small children. Remember to empty all ashtrays – it only takes a few cigarette butts to send a child to the hospital. • Be mindful of icicles or tinsel. Both can be a choking hazard if swallowed. Angel hair is finely spun glass which can cause cuts or irritation when handled or swallowed. • Visiting relatives may bring their medications. Over 50% of the calls to the Poison Center involve medications. NEVER leave medications on a nightstand – make sure to store these up and out of reach.
• Toys may contain button or disc batteries. If swallowed they can become lodged and cause serious injury or death if not removed. They may be found in games, watches, remotes and musical greeting cards. • Post the telephone number of the Wyoming Poison Center and your family physician near the phone. If you suspect a poisoning has occurred, call the Poison Center or your physician before attempting any emergency treatment. Remember, prevention is the best treatment for poisonings. Wyoming’s Poison Center offers tips on holiday safety and poison prevention as a free community service to the public. If you have questions or would like to set up an interview, contact the Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222.
December 21 - 28, 2012
BIG
Task Force presents recommendations for Tier 1 Engineering School
The Governor’s Energy, Engineering, STEM Integration Task Force released its strategy for creating a Tier 1 Engineering program at the University of Wyoming today. Governor Matt Mead created the Task Force and charged its members to develop an approach for the University to establish an academic and research institution of excellence appropriate for Wyoming. Governor Mead specifically wanted ideas focused on the engineering program, rather than the building, for which the state is already preparing to spend over $100 million to construct. “The members of the Task Force care deeply about Wyoming and we share a desire to have UW be a national leader in engineering. I thank the members of the Task Force for their expertise and their
personal investment in this effort,” Governor Mead said. “These recommendations lay out a course towards excellence that will benefit the entire state.” The Task Force is chaired by Governor Dave Freudenthal and Chad Deaton, the Executive Chairman of Baker Hughes. Both are University of Wyoming alumni. The Task Force report states, “We strongly believe that while we don’t have the same resource base as many well-known engineering schools this should not stop us from pursuing Tier 1 status. It does mean, however, that prioritization of our resources is absolutely critical… Determined leadership from all sectors is key.” Governor Mead pledged his commitment to the Task Force’s recommendations. “Now is a time to move Wyoming forward in
the research and instruction done at UW. One of the most powerful research supercomputers in the world is now operating in Wyoming. With our diverse and abundant energy reserves, our state also presents an opportunity for real-world problem solving for students and faculty alike. Cutting-edge work is already being done at UW and we want to build on it.” “The University appreciates the efforts of the Task Force, the Governor and the Legislature to help our College of Engineering and Applied Science reach greater heights,” UW President Tom Buchanan said. “These recommendations for programmatic improvements, combined with existing and proposed legislative appropriations for facilities, represent a remarkable opportunity for the University to become
an even more significant intellectual and economic catalyst for Wyoming. We look forward to the challenge of developing a multifaceted effort which will meet the directive of the Legislature, and the expectations of those who recognize how important it is for us to succeed.”
Meet Your New Hospital Board Members The CCMH held a small event allowing the public to meet its two new County Hospital Board Members. The members were taking questions and spend the evening talking individually with residents with the hospital providing for refreshments.
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Kim Johnson meets Mike Dugan-New Hospital Board Member. “It was an interesting election process and I met a lot of great people. I look forward for the opportunity to serving with this great group of existing board members.
Jerry Lane meets Randy Hite-New Hospital Board Member. “I am very excited about serving Campbell County. I look forward to learning the process, and I just can’t wait to get things rolling.”
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rocks 307-686-6666
1103 E. Boxelder, Suite C Gillette, WY USA 82718
December 21 - 28, 2012
Community
Campbell County Observer
Local National Guard Promotions
Daniel Coursen promoted to Specialist
Daniel Coursen, of Evansville, was promoted to the rank of Specialist in the Wyoming Army National Guard, recently. He is assigned to A Battery, 2nd Battalion, 300th Field Artillery, based in Gillette. Coursen is a fire direction specialist, meaning he processes requests for artillery on the battlefield. He has been a member of the Wyoming Army National Guard for two years and is employed with the Evansville Fire Department, in Evansville.
Timothy Jurkowski promoted to Specialist
Timothy Jurkowski, of Cheyenne, was promoted to the rank of Specialist in the Wyoming Army National Guard, recently. He is assigned to A Battery, 2nd Battalion, 300th Field Artillery, based in Gillette. Jurkowski is an ammunition specialist. He has been a member of the Wyoming Army National Guard for more than one year and is employed with the University of Wyoming Police Department, in Laramie, while attending the University of Wyoming.
Joseph Jeppesen promoted to Sergeant First Class
Joseph Jeppesen, of Newcastle, was promoted to the rank of Sergeant First Class in the Wyoming Army National Guard, recently. He is assigned to A Battery, 2nd Battalion, 300th Field Artillery, based in Gillette. Jeppesen is a platoon sergeant for the battery. “Sgt. 1st Class Jeppesen is a (non-commissioned officer) with a lot of knowledge,” said 1st Sgt. John Gutierrez, A Battery’s
most senior non-commissioned officer. “His experience in the field artillery will help our young Soldiers become better trained and ready for whatever mission they are called upon.” Jeppesen has been a member of the Wyoming Army National Guard for more than 19 years and is employed with the Black Thunder Coal Mine, in Gillette.
James Russell promoted to Sergeant
James Russell, of Torrington, was promoted to Sergeant in the Wyoming Army National Guard, recently. Russell is an assistant ammunition section chief assigned to A Battery, 2nd Battalion, 300th Field Artillery, based in Gillette. He has been a member of the Wyoming Army National Guard for 3 years. Russell is also employed by the Goshen County Sheriff’s Department, in Torrington.
Colten Simcheck promoted to Sergeant
Colten Simcheck, of Gillette, was promoted to Sergeant in the Wyoming Army National Guard, recently. Simcheck operates the firing systems for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, one of the Army’s rocket and missile launchers. He is assigned to A Battery, 2nd Battalion, 300th Field Artillery, based in Gillette. Simcheck has been a member of the Wyoming Army National Guard for more than 3 years. He is also employed by Western States Reclamation Inc., in Gillette.
Albin and Bunker promoted to Specialist
Thomas Albin and Thomas Bunker, both of Gillette, were promoted to the rank of Specialist in the Wyoming Army National Guard, recently. Both Soldiers are assigned to A Battery, 2nd Battalion, 300th Field Artillery, based in Gillette. Both are M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System drivers, which is the U.S. Army’s latest field artillery rocket and missile launcher. Albin has been a member of the Wyoming Army National Guard for three years and is employed with Buckskin Coal Mine, in Gillette. Bunker has been a member of the Wyoming Army National Guard for two years and is employed by Gillette United Rentals, of Gillette.
Justin Jackson promoted to Sergeant
Wyo. - Justin Jackson, of Laramie, was promoted to Sergeant in the Wyoming Army National Guard, recently. Jackson is a reconnaissance sergeant assigned to A Battery, 2nd Battalion, 300th Field Artillery, based in Gillette. He has been a member of the Wyoming Army National Guard for 5 years. Jackson is also employed by the U.S. Postal Service, in Laramie.
Adam Himrich receives Army Achievement Medal
Wyoming Army National Guard Pvt. Adam Himrich, of Casper, was recently awarded the Army Achievement Medal for being the honor graduate from the
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U.S. Army Field Artillery School’s Multiple Launch Rocket System course. The course taught Soldiers the fundamentals of operations and maintenance of the Army’s field artillery rocket and missile launchers. The course also included the Army’s basic training program. Himrich is an ammunition specialist for A Battery, 2nd Battalion, 300th Field Artillery, based in Gillette. He has been a member of the Wyoming Army National Guard for one year. Himrich is also employed with Oak Express, of Casper.
Christmas Tree Disposal
The City of Gillette, along with the Master Gardeners, encourages everyone to dispose of Christmas Trees by dropping them off free of charge at the Gillette College Technical Education Center from Wednesday, December 26th through Friday, January 11th. Please remove all decorations, tinsel and ornaments before dropping off your tree. Drop off hours are 10 a.m to 6 p.m., and the drop-off site will be open every day between 12/26/12 and 1/11/13. The Technical Education Center is located at the corner of Enzi Drive and West 4J Road - once you are at the Tech Center, follow the signs to the drop-off area. The City of Gillette’s Solid Waste division will not be picking up Christmas Trees as part of their normal runs and asks the public to avoid placing trees in their roll-out containers. Special thanks to Gillette College and the Master Gardeners for putting on this program.
Public Pulse
Campbell County Observer
December 21 - 28, 2012
On the Contrary... “On the Contrary” is a new weekly column that involves a debate in article format. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily the opinions of the columnists. This week, Mr. Laatsch is playing the devil’s advocate. To be a guest columnist for “On the Contrary,” e-mail us at: CampbellCountyObserver@gmail.com
The Issue: Wyoming Fuel Tax Raise
The Sides: Nick is debating against the tax, and Levon is debating for the tax.
(Tracy Reid, Fuel Cell Energy Photo)
A Wyoming contingent recently toured the Fuel Cell Energy Inc. plant in San Jose. Pictured (from left) are Anja Bendel, director of business development, Cheyenne LEADS; Molly Spangler, Investment Ready Communities director, Wyoming Business Council; Sean James, a senior research program manager for Microsoft’s Data Center Advanced Development; Western Research Institute CEO Don Collins; Cheyenne LEADS CEO Randy Bruns; Wyoming Business Council CEO Bob Jensen; and Tony Leo, vice president for application engineering and new technology development, Fuel Cell Energy Inc. Nicholas DeLaat (Publisher)
Levon Laatsch (Administrator at Free Men Forum)
Nick: Why do you think we need a fuel tax? Levon: As it currently stands, we are almost the lowest taxed state with respect to state fuel taxes at $0.324 per gallon, with only Alaska underneath us at $0.264 per gallon. A $0.10 per gallon increase would put our gasoline tax rate, with the federal fuel tax of $0.184 per gallon, at 60.8 cents per gallon. Source: (http://www.pothole.info/2010/05/seven-things-youshould-know-about-gas-taxes-in-2010/) Nick: We have been maintaining our roads up to this point without that extra tax. Granted, there is inflation involved, but not justifying ten cents or more per gallon. And I am very proud that we have the second lowest fuel tax in the country. Levon: The Florida state website was the only site that I could find for generic highway construction costs. According to it, to mill and resurface a 4 lane, divided interstate highway costs $1,180,187.96. To mill and resurface Highway 50 would cost us $432,346.91 per mile. (ftp://ftp.dot.state.fl.us/LTS/CO/ Estimates/CPM/summary.pdf) To put this in perspective, from quarter 4 of 2010 to quarter 3 of 2011 (the only available 1 year data), the state of Wyoming received $67,529,000 in fuel tax revenues. That just happens to be enough to mill and resurface 57.22 miles per year. (http://www.indexmundi.com/facts/united-states/state-taxes/ wyoming/motor-fuel-sales-taxes/tax-revenue/2011/q3#table). We happen to have 33,000 miles of roadway with 914 miles considered interstate highway, so who should pay for that? Nick: I understand that it is expensive, and after my own research, your figures are correct. But instead of raising taxes, can’t we allocate the money better? Currently, much of the fuel tax goes to recreational trails, University technology transfer program, ethanol tax credits, and leaky underground fuel tanks. So the increase in tax does not mean an increase in spending on roads. There is also a lot of money allocated elsewhere that we could use. More than eleven million dollars for cloud seeding is a prime example. What is our state government even doing spending tax payer dollars on a project like that? I am sure that if our legislators dug deep enough, we could find the money to reallocate. The biggest problem with “big” government is that it turns into a machine that wants to keep growing. Much of the time that growth enlarges past the “necessity” stage and into the “luxury” stage. What happens next is that they need to keep funding their “luxuries” they have built for the people they represent (usually the luxuries are for a very small percentage of the tax payers who use them) but when the necessities come along or go up in price they are out of money and need to raise taxes (a government’s only source of income). This is the constant trend of the growth of spending and taxation that has led our Federal Government to the horrible position it is today. Levon: When it comes to allocating money, we have to put the budget into perspective. http://ai.state.wy.us/budget/pdf/2011/B1ESSSRPT.pdf That is the website for the Wyoming biennium appropriations. When we are spending $296,113,155 on the board of corrections, for a state of 500,000 people, I have to ask myself if they really want to cut spending. Out of that ~$300,000,000, how much of that goes towards incarcerating violent offenders? We have a spending problem, but to fix that we need to break free from such a do-gooder archetype and focus on those things that government should be involved with. That won’t happen in my lifetime. Nick: Well don’t say that it won’t happen in our lifetime, as more and more people are getting interested in the fiasco around them, and more and more people are starting to stand up and do something about it. I believe…no, I hope that people will one day open their eyes to the cost of our future. But back to the fuel tax. The question also must exist of when are we taxed enough, or even over taxed? As you know, this tax will not nearly hurt the “out of state” drivers that rarely if ever fill up at our pumps. It is going to hurt Wyoming citizens and Wyoming businesses. Ten cents may not sound like a lot, but you can compare it to this: If I go through 50 gallons per week on average as a citizen it will cost an average of $260.00 extra per year. That is a car payment or an insurance payment. Now, one of my businesses averages about $200 gallons per week of fuel. This will add up to $1,040.00, which is equivalent to 11 months of internet/phone payments. Businesses have costs, and of the three businesses I own we will not even compare to what this will do to some companies. I recently chatted with the owner of a local trucking company, who said it is going to cost him over $50,000.00 into his pockets. If he tries to put these costs onto the consumer during a recession, he loses clients. $50,000? That is a JOB that he has to lay off, or not hire. Levon: I agree that the money would be better used in the free market. We just need the political will to pay our bills before anything else. The field of dreams is the perfect example.
Public Poll On The Issue For 10 cent Fuel Tax – 6.8% Against 10 cent Fuel Tax – 85.9% For Smaller Fuel Tax Raise – 7.3% To vote on next week’s “On The Contrary” Article Poll, go to www.CampbellCountyObserver.net and click on the ‘poll’ page.
Next week’s issue: Assault Rifle Ban
UW to gain Engineering Research Benefit from Zero-Carbon Data Plant Submitted by the University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming and the City of Cheyenne will eventually be the beneficiaries of an innovative fuel-cell demonstration pilot project -- one that will create science from sewage -- conducted by Microsoft in Cheyenne. Valued at more than $7.5 million and dubbed the Data Plant, the mini data center will be built by Microsoft to replicate a data center environment. The Data Plant’s 300-kilowatt fuel cell will be powered by methane biogas produced from wastewater at the Dry Creek Water Reclamation Facility in Cheyenne. The fuel cell, provided by Fuel Cell Energy Inc., will, in turn, provide about 200 kilowatts of energy to power the Data Plant’s 200 computer servers. Excess electricity from the fuel cell will be delivered back to the wastewater treatment plant to reduce its electrical bills. To produce the methane, the water reclamation facility’s anaerobic digester, where no oxygen is allowed, processes the solid waste. As microorganisms decompose the waste, they create methane, the primary component of natural gas. When UW officials talked to Microsoft, the company stated it wanted to be as environmentally sound as possible, says David Bagley, professor and head of the UW Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. “They need very high reliability of electricity for their data centers. They want greater than 99 percent,” Bagley says. “If you have a highly reliable level of natural gas or biogas -- and it runs right into the fuel cell -- that’s generating the data facility electricity, the reliability is not the grid. It’s the fuel source.” Microsoft will begin testing the concept in spring 2013, with the project expected to last 18 months. The fuel cell will provide energy that will allow UW to run high-performance computing and modeling applications from the Laramie campus. In an effort to increase efficiency, cut company costs and reduce CO2 emissions by using renewable energy, Microsoft hopes the smallscale energy project can eventually be used at the company’s larger data cloud computing centers. UW to benefit The bonus for UW and the City of Cheyenne: After 18 months, Microsoft has offered to turn over the Data Plant to the city and university to be used for continued evaluation and demonstration of mature technologies. As a condition of receiving grant money from the state for the Data Plant’s infrastructure, Microsoft had to provide a public benefit, Bagley says. “It could be a great lab facility for UW,” says Bagley, who mentioned UW students already take field trips to the water reclamation plant to observe how it operates. But Bagley envisions a whole lot more, during and after the pilot project. He thinks students in the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources would be drawn to discuss public policy on the subject relative to the environment and society. And the data center would offer opportunities for a variety of engineering students. These include: -- Electrical engineering students could tie the Data Plant into their senior design projects. For example, students could design an ultra-capacitor to smooth the output of the power supply in the fuel cell to simultaneously match the power surge in the use of the Data Plant.
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Using the example of Twitter exploding in use when a celebrity gets a divorce, Bagley wonders how the data center will respond to a significant increase in load -- especially a load that is not connected to the electrical grid. “Workload can jump up quicker than the fuel cell can ramp up. What is the lag time?” he says. “Can you design software to delay the demand on the capacitors long enough to ramp up the electrical load? Microsoft is very interested in that. Our hope is that we will begin to work on that while the pilot project is occurring.” -- Chemical engineering students could study how to improve fuel cell operations and what the cost is to replace fuel cell components over time. -- Materials engineering students could examine what kinds of materials could be used to ensure fuel cells last longer. -- Architectural engineering students could develop blueprints to best design a community where a data center exists. “If the data center produces excess heat, can that energy be used to help heat homes?” Bagley says. “These are things architects love to think about.” -- In addition, proposed new facilities for the College of Engineering and Applied Science are expected to include space to house the university’s wind tunnel. To power that wind tunnel, about a megawatt of power will be needed, Bagley says. “You can’t plug a wind tunnel into the grid. But you could use a fuel cell to power the wind tunnel,” Bagley surmises. Bagley mentioned data centers that eventually set up shop in Laramie’s Cirrus Sky Technology Park may explore using fuel cells to power their sites. The city of Laramie is currently pursuing a $5.4 million grant to pay for the land (149 acres) and park infrastructure. WRI plays key role Western Research Institute (WRI), housed in the Bureau of Mines Building on the UW campus, also expects to derive some research benefit from the Data Plant. WRI is a nonprofit research organization that works in advanced energy systems, environmental technologies and highway materials research. Because of his previous experience managing fuel cell research and development while at the U.S. Department of Energy and his relationship with Fuel Cell Energy, WRI CEO Don Collins was tapped to help lead Wyoming’s effort to bring the pilot project to the state. Cheyenne was in competition with many other locations to land the Data Plant demonstration project, Collins says. “Microsoft is developing it as the first zero-carbon Data Plant in the world, and it will be in Cheyenne, Wyoming,” Collins says. “Even Bill Gates had a tweet about how excited he was about this project.” Collins is excited, too. He says that CO2 that comes out of the fuel cell can be captured and used for enhanced oil recovery in the state. Wyoming currently does not have enough CO2 for such operations, he says. A company using a fuel cell in this manner could sell its CO2 at $25-$30 per ton to oil companies and make approximately $2.25 million, Collins says. That business scenario could make it more attractive for more fuel cell use in Wyoming. “There might really be a strate-
gic advantage for Wyoming for all energy-intensive companies that sell CO2 to cut costs,” Collins says. “Our goal is to turn CO2 into a valuable asset rather than something that must be disposed of at a high expense.” At a recent meeting Collins attended in San Jose, Calif., Microsoft indicated its desire to keep the Data Plant in Cheyenne “as a long-term demonstration facility,” Collins says. Use of a demonstration facility enhances opportunities for UW and WRI to secure competitive funding from the federal government and the Wyoming Energy Conversion Technology Fund, Collins adds. Wyoming supports innovation Support for the innovative project has been widespread. In addition to UW and WRI, groups that have pledged support include: Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities; Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power; the Wyoming Business Council; and Cheyenne LEADS. “This will be the first direct integration of a data center and biogas source lessening the need for highquality biogas filtration and taking the demand off the natural gas pipeline,” Sean James, a senior research program manager for Microsoft’s Data Center Advanced Development, wrote in a recent company blog. “Combined with a modular generation technology like a fuel cell, the Data Plant project will demonstrate the ability to capture a previously uneconomic source through this modular approach,” James says in the blog. “Also, due to our ability to size data centers appropriately for the supply, we can make sure almost any volume of gas can be utilized productively.” To fund the infrastructure needed to support the Data Plant, the City of Cheyenne applied for a $1.5 million Community Readiness grant through the Wyoming Business Council’s Business Ready Communities program. The Wyoming State Loan and Investment Board approved the grant application Dec. 6. The grant will be used to pay for permanent enhancements to the Dry Creek Reclamation Facility. “It’s been really refreshing, here in Wyoming, to find a group of people who are enthusiastic about these issues and are willing to develop a project that finds that particular alignment of interests to make something like this work,” Brian Janous, data center utility architect for Microsoft’s Data Center Advancement Development, says in a recent Wyoming Business Council release. “We’re excited about this project because it’s another way that Wyoming can show it’s on the cutting edge of technology,” Wyoming Business Council CEO Bob Jensen said in the same release after the grant application approval. “The integration of advanced energy technologies with advanced cloud technologies is something Wyoming is uniquely suited to help develop.” “I think it’s a great project for the state,” Bagley says. “It benefits a lot of constituents. What we want to do is build off the top of a neat energy base and provide value-added services.” The Data Plant experiment heightens Microsoft’s presence even more in southeastern Wyoming. In April, the company announced plans to build a $120 million production data center at the North Range Business Park in Cheyenne.
Public Pulse
Campbell County Observer
December 21 - 28, 2012
Katie Gifford named CCMH Employee of the Year
Bold Republic Weekly
On December 8, CCMH held its Employee Awards Banquet where the 2012 Employee of the Year was announced. This year’s Employee of the Year is a compassionate, dedicated employee who has worked at CCMH for more than five years. She is known for her attitude toward not just patients, but toward staff as well. She has a genuine “sweetness” about her, which shows in each patient encounter. Nominated in March 2012, this employee’s PRIDE card said: “While performing a routine screening mammogram, on her own initiative, Katie performed special views allowing detection of breast cancer not seen on routine views. I believe by going beyond the usual expectations, Katie saved this woman’s life.” This employee focuses on the whole patient, and not just the service she is providing at the time. There is no doubt that her early years of growing up on a dairy farm in North Dakota helped shape her into the well rounded, compassionate and hard working person she is today. Her co-workers like to call her “Sweet KT” because of
her generous, sweet heart for her work in radiology. She is certified in General Radiology and in Mammography. CCMH staff clearly recognizes this employee’s value to the organization.
CCMH Maternal Child Unit increases security measures
Gun Free Zones are UNSAFE! for KIDS! By Glenn Woods
Though I use words for a living, there are no words that can truly express the horror and sadness over the events of the school shooting in Connecticut. Sure enough, no sooner had it happened the calls for gun control were heard from the liberals across the land. The liberals ask, “Isn’t it about time we finally got rid of these guns?” To the liberals I ask, “When are you finally going to wake up and take a good look at the way the world really works? 1). Crazy people exist. No you cannot reason with them. They are, you see, CRAZY! Serial killers, rapist, murders, mass murdering dictators, they have been with us since the beginning of the human race. 2). Passing anti-gun laws does not stop them from getting guns. How many times do we need to go through this until you liberals finally learn this lesson? Bad people do not care what the LAW says. In fact, many bad people own guns just because the law says that they cannot. They like breaking laws. It makes them feel alive. 3). Putting a sign on a school that reads “GUN FREE ZONE” does not stop crazy people from entering the school with a gun. If anything such a sign is an invitation, letting the crazies know that they will not face any resistance when they enter the school with their guns. 4). If you want to make our schools safer, have at least a few members of the staff trained, and caring guns in school. Then, take that dangerous “GUN FREE ZONE” sign down and put up a sign saying “GUN ZONE - We protect out children with FORCE.” - Such a sign will not stop everyone. But it will stop a few. Every little bit helps. So at this point the liberals look at me and ask me if I’m serious. I am very serious. How many times do we need to show you folks the numbers? Towns and cities that have tight gun control laws have more gun crime. Towns that allow the honest citizens to arm themselves have less gun crime. On Monday I interviewed Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction, (I’ve renamed her WYOMING SCHOOLMARM), on my radio show here in Campbell County, and I asked her about this tragic event. Are Wyoming Schools “GUN FREE ZONES?” I asked her? She said yes. But she went on to explain that she too would like to see a few well trained staff members, armed, in every school. That would give the people inside a fighting chance should, God forbid,
anything like this happen in our school. But this is not Mrs. Hill’s decision. It’s up to the legislators in our fine state to make that call. Now, let’s be honest; if we had guns in our school would that put a stop to any and all such tragic events? --- If you think so then you need to go back up and read the first part of this article again. There is no such thing as UTOPIA! No such place or time in world history has ever existed. Nor will it ever. Even if we train and arm school employees, tragic events like this will happen from time to time. Sorry. Welcome to the human race. But if we do bring trained, armed employees to our schools it will lesson how often it happens, and when it does happen it will give those in the school a fighting chance. Over the weekend President Obama went and spoke to the families in Connecticut. During his address he said what almost every politician says at a time like this: “We must make sure that this never happens again.” Mr. President, with all due respect, once again you are showing that you have no concept of reality. Since the first humans walked the earth there has been murder, mayhem, and war. There has never been a time of peace on Earth. I wish for peace just like everyone else. But while I wish I acknowledge the realty that there will never be peace. I’m sorry. I wish what the world were not this way. I wish that the human race where not so violent. Most of us are not. Most people on this planet actually do live in peace. But there are always those few out there that, for whatever reason, have developed a mental disorder of one sort of another that leads to violence. The question is, should, God forbid, violence come your way, are you prepared? Do you know how to fight? I mean have you ever taken a course in self-defense of any sort? Do you carry pepper spray? Do you own a gun? If so, have you taken a course in how to handle a gun safely and how to defend yourself with a gun? If you answer is NO to all of the above, then God forbid you should meet a bad person at any time in your life who is intent on doing you harm. You will be completely helpless. The question is not “How do we prevent this from ever happening again?” The question is, are we prepared for when it does.
Campbell County Memorial Hospital’s (CCMH) Maternal Child Department will increase their security by controlling access to the units via doorbell and a Maternal Child employee will then “buzz” the visitor(s) into the respective area. Access for employees will also be restricted. Appropriate employees will have badge access and the remainder of the employee population will access the unit with the doorbell system. The Maternal Child Department includes Labor & Delivery, the Nursery, and the postpartum or inpatient OB/gynecological areas. The current visiting policies are: • Labor and Delivery limits visitors to three which includes the mother’s spouse or significant, • Nursery limits access to mother and spouse or significant other • Postpartum area doesn’t restrict the quantity of visitors (unless a restriction is in place for flu or other illness) it does request visitors adhere to their daily quiet time from 2-4 p.m. This time is des-
ignated for mom/baby education and rest. At any time in the Maternal Child Department employees and physicians have the responsibility to request limited or no visitors for the safety of the mother and infant. Visiting restrictions are in still place on the Maternal Child and Labor & Delivery units due to an increase in influenza cases in the community. • No visiting by children under the age of 12. • Each patient may have two visitors at one time (excluding mother’s spouse or significant other). • Labor & Delivery – two visitors at one time (excluding mother’s spouse or sig-
nificant other). • Every visitor must wash their hands and wear a mask while visiting. Kath Belding, Interim Maternal Child manager has vast experience with newborn safety and security systems in a variety of hospital settings, and has encouraged the implementation of elevated security at CCMH since joining the team. Kath understands the frustration this change may cause but “encourages well-wishers and the baby’s families to consider this a minor inconvenience for the safety and security of the baby”. The security system becomes effective Wednesday, December 18, 2012 at 6:30 a.m.
Weekly Trivia Question How many ships were called the “Mayflower” when the pilgrim voyage of 1620 took place? Look in next week’s paper for the answer ** Sponsor the American History Quiz. Get your ad/name here for only $50 per week **
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Public Pulse
Campbell County Observer
December 21 - 28, 2012
It’s Donating Time Again
More money for pensions means less money for roads The Wyoming Taxpayer is Tapped Out A Commentary by Maureen Bader - Wyoming Liberty Group Wyoming’s state pension plan does not have enough money in it to pay state employees their promised pensions. To fix that, legislators may increase contributions to the plan. The question is where will the money come from? State employees, taxpayers or both? Government is looking for ways to strengthen the plan but like so much of government policy these days, it is avoiding a long-term solution, leaving both taxpayers and pensioners at risk. Pension plans come in two basic types: defined benefit and defined contribution. Defined benefit plans promise a defined payment when a person retires. This type of plan was developed at a time when relatively few retirees took money out of and many workers paid in to the plan. Wyoming state employees have defined benefit pension plans. Defined contribution plans, on the other hand, make a payment to retirees that depends on how much is contributed into the plan and how well the money is invested. Today, most of the private sector has switched
over to defined contribution plans to ensure they are able meet their pension obligation to retirees. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the Mountain geographical area to which Wyoming belongs, about 84 per cent of government workers have access to defined benefit plans, while only about 20 per cent of private sector workers do. In fact, only 48 per cent of private sector employees have a company pension plan at all. If a company in the private sector has a plan, it is most likely a defined contribution plan. Pensioners who still have defined benefit pension plans face huge financial risks. For example, one day the City of Central Falls in Rhode Island simply stopped sending pension checks to pensioners because its pension fund ran out of money. In fact, Wyoming’s state employee pension plan is only about 82 percent funded. That means, should the plan close down today, the government would only have enough money to pay 82 percent of what it promised retirees.
Wyoming’s legislature made a few pension reforms in 2012 that will save Wyoming taxpayers $1.2 billion over 30 years and reduce the anticipated unfunded liability by $2.9 billion. Now, still with an unfunded liability of $1.275 billion, it is looking to increase the amount contributed to the plan each year. Currently, the taxpayer contributes 7.12 percent, or $128.5 million per year to the employee plan, while employees contribute 7 percent, or about $126 million. If contributions increase beyond this by between 2 percent and 4 percent, the plan could be fully funded in 30 years. This means, however, that the taxpayer could be on the hook for an additional $74 million per year to fund the pensions of government employees -- employees whose compensation packages are already more generous than many in the private sector. Wyoming legislators are developing a bill to increase contributions. At the moment, the plan is for state employees to pick up the tab for the increase. However, government work-
ers are a savvy group with easy access to legislators, so expect amendments to any bills presented to the legislature in January that have employees picking up the tab. If the government forces taxpayers to put at additional $74 million per year into state employees’ pension accounts, that means it has $74 million less for priorities such as road maintenance -- or to leave in the pockets of taxpayers to fund their own pension plans. Everyone must save for his or her retirement, but the government’s solution is based on a bygone reality. To provide security to current and future government retirees, and to ensure that taxpayers are also able to save for their retirements, the state must move to a defined contribution plan in parity with private sector pension benefits.
City of Gillette Holiday Schedule Information
Monday, December 24th
City offices will be open until noon and will then close for the day. The Solid Waste division will pick up the scheduled Monday trash and recycling routes.
Tuesday, December 25th
City offices will be closed. The Solid Waste division will not pick up trash, but will run a double route on Wednesday, December 26th and pick up Tuesday and Wednesday’s trash and recycling that day. Tuesday’s trash will be
picked up first, followed by the pick up of Wednesday’s trash. Please have your roll-outs at the curb by 7 a.m.
Monday, December 31st
City offices will hold regular hours. The Solid Waste division will pick up the scheduled Monday trash and recycling routes.
and pick up Tuesday and Wednesday’s trash and recycling that day. Tuesday’s trash will be picked up first, followed by the pick up of Wednesday’s trash. Please have your roll-outs at the curb by 7 a.m.
Tuesday, January 1st
City offices will be closed. The Solid Waste division will not pick up trash, but will run a double route on Wednesday, January 2nd
Information from the Wastewater Division The City of Gillette’s Wastewater Division asks that citizens properly dispose of cooking fats, oils and greases generated by holiday meals, as well as other meals throughout the year. Fats, oils and greases can block the sanitary sewer system and cause back-ups - 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.
Weekly Trivia Question What was George Washington’s Title as President? Look in next week’s paper for the answer ** Sponsor the American History Quiz. Get your ad/name here for only $50 per week **
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The Campbell County Observer is now taking donations for our Readers Choice Scholarship. The Observer is hoping to raise $1,000.00 this year for a scholarship that will be given to a student from Wright (Panthers) or Gillette (Camels). Students will be presenting the Observer with an essay, which the readers will vote on their favorite and the most deserving. The only conditions are that the student must graduate from either Wright High School or Gillette High School and will be attending Gillette College in the fall. The scholarship will be put in their account at Gillette College by the Campbell County Observer. “We are the local newspaper, we take our community that we live and work in very personal. So we decided to do everything we can to keep the money local,” said Observer owner Nicholas De Laat. “And, community college attendees do not get the financial help from scholarships at the same level as the kids going to Universities.” Observer owner Candice De Laat stated that “The money is donated by community, given to a young adult from our community, and spent on further education in our community… for our community. This is what we are all about, from the owners to the workers of our company.” The Campbell County Observer has donated over $68,000.00 in money, ad-
vertising, and product to help local charities so far in 2012. “And this in only our second year in business!” said Mrs. De Laat. “The more we grow, the more we give.” She does not, however, want to discount the most important part of giving to these local charities. “Our customers and subscribers are the glue that holds everything together. If you want to thank someone for all the giving, thank them. They deserve it most!” To donate to the Campbell County Observer’s Readers Choice Scholarship go to their website at www.CampbellCountyObserver.net or call (307) 6708980.
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Campbell County Observer
Public Pulse
December 21 - 28, 2012
Letters to the Editor Enact New Gun Control
Dear Editor, Congress should enact a yet-to-be-proposed Newtown children’s gun control act. This legislation should address the Second Amendment rights and the consequent responsibilities of U.S. citizens. As well as requiring background checks, limiting the size of ammunition magazines and the other usual issues addressed by gun-control legislation, this act would specify that the registered owner of any firearm (and it would be required that all firearms have registered owners) is responsible for any injuries, deaths or harm to property caused by this firearm, regardless of who may be in temporary possession and control of it. The owner of a firearm used to commit a murder would be an accessory to that crime, regardless of how the murderer got possession of that firearm. By Wayne Ryan From Publisher Nicholas De Laat: How can the owner of a stolen firearm be accountable? If I steal a wrench from your house, go to the other side of town and beat somebody to death with it, is it your fault? This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. And look, I am not going to dive into this now because we will be tackling much of it in the next couple “on the contrary” articles, but more gun legislation is not the answer. Much of the money cut (see letter below) from the nations mental programs is a problem. Parents who do not treat their firearms and children correctly is a problem (I am beginning to think that people should need licenses to breed), the non-teaching of basic morals and ethics is a problem, and untrained teachers to deal with the situation is a problem. I will even go as far as to say that I should be able to carry concealed in my children’s school as then I would have the ability to protect them. Yes, I know I am going out on a limb with that statement, and the tragedy in Connecticut was horrific. But let’s work on solving the problem instead of creating a larger one. A firearm is a tool used by a person. I blame parents, peers, government, education, and more, but to blame a tool for a problem is ignorant thinking. Let’s talk about the issue and find a solution, not create more problems and remove freedoms. Without your ability to defend yourself, your family, your property, and other people you have no freedom, and that is something that I will not let the actions of mentally unstable children take from me.
No Gun Control, We Need Lunatic Control
Dear Editor, In the wake of the dreadful shooting in Newtown, I think some strong, strong steps need to be taken. I’m not talking about gun control — I’m thinking of lunatic control. This is what I think might help. A panel of the best psychiatrists would be gathered together. They would gather every bit of information on every mass shooter from Virginia Tech to Newtown and look deeply into the minds and psychoses of these people. They would create a profile of their commonalities and distribute these to schools, workplaces, military bases — everywhere. Ronald Reagan made one serious mistake during his presidency. He closed mental institutions. Obviously there are mentally ill people walking among us who should be institutionalized. Maybe it should be up to the states to create psychiatric boards to study people identified as potential killers. As is said so often, it’s not the guns, it’s the shooters. I’m really believing this now. By Pattie Lauralson From Publisher Nicholas De Laat: I agree with you for the most part, thanks for bring to light the cutting of funding by government for the mental programs, which started with Ronald Reagan, and has continued on reaching its peak so far with President Bush and President Obama. Your suggestion is a good start! Keep writing in!
How Long Will We Sleep?
Dear Editor, How long will it be before this nation of ours wakes up? Murder, suicide, drug and alcohol addiction, abortion, and in general the acceptance of all things evil are at epidemic levels in our society. What is the answer?? If you ask our legislators it is more rules and regulations. Ask the medical community and they might tell you it is more psychological monitoring and screening. Many on the left will say that there is a greater need for tolerance, acceptance, and self-affirmation. But all of these ideas are misguided and only address the symptoms. In the case of the Connecticut murders we now have people yelling for more gun control. Even if we were to throw out the 2nd amendment (which I will never agree to) and were to get rid of all guns what would this accomplish? The people bent on harming others will still find ways to harm other people. Not to be insensitive but there are many ways to cause far more damage with everyday items than what we have seen to date.
When did the problems of this country really start occurring? If you go back into our history just a short distance you will find a nation that was healthy, prosperous, civil, and safe. The year is 1960 violent crimes were holding steady at approximately 200,000 incidents, there was less than 5 cases of child abuse per every 100,000 people, illegal drug use by youth was at less than 10%, and student test scores were at record high levels. By 1970 violent crimes had risen to nearly 800,000 incidents and now are over 1.6 million. From 1970 to 1990 child abuse SKYROCKETS. It went from less than 5 cases of abuse per 100,000 people to over 45 cases. Youth illegal drug use also went through the roof reaching levels of over 70%, and college entrance exam scores plummeted. So what 1960’s event was so cataclysmic that it reduced our nation to what it is today? The courts removed prayer from schools, inserted evolution, and have been systematically removing all vestiges of the Christian faith from the public square. Children have been taught that they are nothing more than animals, only the strong survive, and there is no higher purpose to which we are called. This has left half a century of people with little hope, no accountability, and ill-equipped to deal with this world in which we live. There is only one cure for this country. We must repent and seek the one and only creator of heaven and earth, and his only son Jesus Christ. It is only through our country returning to the Christian heritage that it once held so dear that we will ever see our nation recover. If we do not turn from our evil ways the USA will continue deteriorate until such time that we completely implode. Pastor Tony Johnson – Rozet From Publisher Candice De Laat: You are wrong on many points, and right on one. Yes, there were not as many reported cases of violent crime per capita in the 60’s, but not because the crimes were not being committed. In the sixties, there were not that many drug laws on the books. The more laws that came, the more people got arrested. According to the Bureau of Justice and Crime Statistics, a less percentage of our population of people are doing drugs now than in the sixties, but because of the laws that have been produced it currently amounts to about 25% of our incarcerated citizens. Violent crime has remained the same (in percentages based on population) but more are being responded to and revealed due to better training of our police officers, better technology for forensics, and better overall law enforcement awareness, including the handling of victims by the courts. Some of the technology that allows our law enforcement and forensics to catch criminals today where even twenty years ago was impossible is because of science and technology. No, we did not come straight from monkeys, but evolution is something we have seen even in the last one hundred years with various animals including humans and still remains a fact. This is the same as you said about child molestation. There is actually less per capita happening now than was in the 60’s, or any time before that. Now, these horrific crimes get reported (even if the punishment for the pedophiles are way to light). One thing Sir is I don’t see people swinging from trees at the end of a rope because they are black, Catholic, Jewish, (etc.) anymore in our new millennium, speaking of violent crimes. I do agree with you about Christian moral principles. I am a devout Christian and teach my children to be also. And as long as we do not force our religion on our government or other citizens, I believe that our faith-based morals are becoming lost in our society, but the best way to restore it is individually and with the raising of our children. I also agree that crime is still out of control, I just don’t think it has turned better or worse…Even after all the new laws. Thanks for writing in!
stop some mentally deranged person from publicly committing random murders to gain attention. Such deranged people have always existed and always will. The present laws that effectively disarm the public serve only to maximize the damage such people can do. By Lester Via From Publisher Nicholas De Laat: I believe you are right, and you are also wrong. My father is liberal leaning, though like me hates the thought of being labeled a liberal or a conservative. I have my opinions based on the facts that I know and from the experience I have received through life. Not all liberals will listen, but some will. These are the more thoughtful ones (who are not in office, college, or out of a job). These are more of the swing voters; I have conversations with them all the time. This can also be said about conservatives. Some will listen, and these are again the more thoughtful ones (who are not in office, members of Ivy League Schools, or religious fanatics. Again, these are more of the swing voters, which actually amounts to only 6% of the voting age population. So I have some advice whether you’re liberal or conservative: 1: Debate, don’t argue. A debate is for finding and presenting all the information on both sides of an issue. An argument is for attacking only and finishing superior over your opponent. Once a debate turns into an argument, stop. Nothing will get done. 2: Find Facts, not Truth. Facts win debates. You can find them from multiple sources, provided you don’t go to conspiracy.com or other such places. Truth is unconfirmed, and is a part of idealism. Realism is what we have to live with, idealism is what we dream about. 3: Don’t lose a friend or family member over a debate or an argument, it is not worth it. 4: Be respectable at all times and make sure you listen and comprehend as much as you speak. 5: Further educate yourself at all times. If something or someone changes your opinion based on facts and realism, than be proud as you are now much better of a person than before.
RNC Probes GOP? Look No Further.
Dear Editor, The Republican National Committee plans to probe GOP failures in the 2012 election. Look no further. Here is what went wrong: Left-wing activist judges took God out of the classroom and public squares, and educators started teaching revisionist history and social issues. Instead of teaching their students to think critically for themselves, educators now tell youngsters what to think. It’s no secret that the left owns the public school and collegiate educational systems. The unions own the teachers and professors and therefore, many teach leftist philosophy in order to keep their wages and benefits above those of the average private-
sector employees. Unions have become huge bullies with tremendous voting blocs. We have abandoned our God-fearing heritage and principles, our Constitution and the Founding Fathers — all for political correctness. Our country has lost its soul. The government is employing more than 100 new employees every month. With this sort of bloated government, most civil servants vote Democratic to keep the gravy train going. They fear not doing so could cost them their livelihoods. The average government employee makes $84,000 per year, far more than their counterparts in the private sector. With more and more Americans on disability, unemployment, food stamps and Medicaid, more than half of our nation has become dependent on government. This is a real threat to our freedom. When people on welfare get to decide that entrepreneurs and job creators must spend more and more of their hard-earned money to support others, we are in a heap of trouble. Those with their hand in the government till will continue to vote Democratic to expand their benefits with even more government handouts. This will insure Democratic control of our country until we go broke. That is what “went wrong.” Lorraine Muller From Publisher Nicholas De Laat: Halleluiah! You are right on the money! You missed a couple things however that I would like to add. First, what went wrong in this election is that there was not a single candidate that would actually do well for our country. When you vote the lesser than two evils, you are still voting for evil. I voted third party (not wasting my vote) for the presidential elections because I am sick of only two really bad options. Name the last election where you had a candidate that people could really stand behind? I can…the 2008 election. People stood behind President Obama, and after the many terrible policies of Bush I don’t blame them. But this time they were ready to switch. President Obama did not follow through with what they were hoping, and has actually managed to make us worse off than Bush did. The problem was that the Republicans didn’t put anyone up to vote for also. People did not vote for Romney, but against President Obama. You can’t win an election that way. The RNC looking into the GOP is like the Fed looking into the IRS. Good luck with that one…
Who’s Brand is this in Campbell County? Answer from last week S. Paulette Parks Revoc. Trust
Letters to the Editor You may submit your letters to the editor the following ways: Mail your letter to 707 W. Third Street, Gillette, WY 82716 or Email your letter to: CampbellCountyObserve@gmail.com All letters must be under 250 words and must be signed with a valid name and telephone number. We reserve the right to not publish any letter for any reason. We will call you before printing your letter for verification that you wrote it for two reasons. The first is that we do not want to print a letter that has the wrong name on it, and the other is that it is the position of this newspaper that any public opinions or writings where the source is hidden is not worth being printed.
Campbell County
Can’t Argue With Liberals!
Dear Editor, Many years ago in his regular column in the National Review, William F. Buckley Jr. mentioned the futility of using logic when debating a liberal. Since reading that piece, I have noticed many examples that illustrate how correct his observation is. Many liberals fail to understand why their policies worsen the very problems they expect to cure. They conclude, wrongly, that the reason for this is that their actions didn’t go far enough. When even stronger actions don’t have the desired effect, they predictably conclude nothing can be done to correct the problem because the world has somehow changed. Their minds seem to be incapable of realizing that the outcomes they witnessed are the logical result of their own failed policies. Although liberal economic policies fit this scenario almost perfectly, there is no better example than gun-control laws. The liberal left seems to think a law prevents people from committing some undesirable act when, in fact, all a law does is authorize the government to investigate and punish lawbreakers. It is the fear of being caught and punished that is the actual deterrent. Consequently, no gun-control law will ever
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Right to Life Wishes you a Happy and Holy Christmas!!! Meeting the first Tuesday of the month September through May at Noon. Coffee Friends!!!
Everyone Welcome
See you January 8th, 2013 Campbell County Right to Life. P.O. Box 1684 Gillette, WY 82717
Sports Report
December 21 - 28, 2012
Campbell County Observer
2012 Boys Swimming Invite Event 1 Boys 200 Yard Medley Relay
1 Campbell County High School ‘A’ 23.84 52.67 1:19.69 1:42.12 8 Campbell County High School ‘B’ 30.11 1:02.32 1:31.98 1:57.81 22 Campbell County High School ‘C’ 43.18 1:28.62 2:07.81 2:42.09
1:39.87
1:42.12
2:04.56
x1:57.81
NT
x2:42.09
Event 2 Boys 200 Yard Freestyle
1 Sheaffer, Slade 16 LAR 26.85 56.18 1:25.83 1:56.14 7 Baldacci, Conner D 15 Camels 26.76 57.47 1:29.74 2:01.43 24 McKeown, Ty D 16 Camels 29.60 1:04.74 1:43.16 2:20.23 26 Mitchell, Dakota 17 Camels 30.83 1:06.43 1:44.40 2:22.15 43 Schillinger, Kade 15 Camels 1:32.44 3:17.67
2:00.83
1:56.14 4A
16
2:02.45
2:01.43 4A
7
2:23.69
2:20.23
2:26.11
2:22.15
NT
3:17.67
2:07.48
2:07.34 4A
16
2:11.86
2:08.01 4A
13
2:23.46
2:20.50 4A
4
2:35.65
2:43.95
Event 4 Boys 50 Yard Freestyle
1 Bowersox, David A 16 Camels 21 Fuller, Ethan D 14 Camels 40 Mager, Kendal 16 Camels 49 Nemec, Trey V 14 Camels 54 Antonovich, Jarod 16 Camels 71 Brumley, Brett 14 Camels
23.69 26.42 29.84 NT 32.17 36.67
22.73 4A 26.06 3A 28.69 29.76 x30.14 x34.26
16
239.15 180.30 166.55 161.00 130.20 x76.45
16 10 5 4
51.34
51.13 4A
16
1:11.38
1:09.07 3A
NT
1:49.19
Event 5 Boys 1 mtr Diving
1 Rehmeier, Jake LAR 5 Allen, Jaden 14 Camels 8 Klamm, Tyler D 15 Camels 9 Carson, Alex 16 Camels 16 Ludwar, Anthony 14 Camels 24 Owens, Joshua 16 Camels
273.45 160.35 142.05 152.65 145.40 NT
Event 6 Boys 100 Yard Butterfly
1 Baldacci, Collin 17 Camels 23.19 51.13 19 Fowlke, Koa 17 Camels 31.52 1:09.07 26 Mager, Kendal 16 Camels 42.48 1:49.19
Event 7 Boys 100 Yard Freestyle
1 White, Kyle Central 23.22 49.10 2 Beaver, Noah M 15 Camels 24.21 51.81 11 Ely, Brayden G 17 Camels 26.14 55.82 58 Brumley, Brett 14 Camels 36.68 1:15.96 61 Antonovich, Jarod 16 Camels 37.46 1:16.51 66 Tolman, Daniel 16 Camels 35.54 1:18.83
2007 S Douglas Highway Suite E (Next to Aaron’s)
Event 3 Boys 200 Yard IM
1 Cain, Zach C 16 Rhs-WY 27.05 59.84 1:36.95 2:07.34 2 Beaver, Noah M 15 Camels 27.64 1:00.52 1:37.72 2:08.01 9 Knottnerus, Kory G 18 Camels 30.09 1:06.78 1:47.18 2:20.50 23 Fowlke, Koa 17 Camels 31.95 1:14.33 2:03.43 2:43.95
32
47.00
49.10 4A
16
52.02
51.81 4A
13
56.00
55.82 3A
2
1:24.26
1:15.96
1:13.14
1:16.51
1:19.50
x1:18.83
307-359-5184
Event 8 Boys 500 Yard Freestyle
1 Harbison, Kayden Rshs-WY 5:00.00 4:59.81 4A 16 27.14 57.13 1:27.41 1:58.30 2:28.94 2:59.45 3:30.12 4:00.27 4:30.34 4:59.81 8 Baldacci, Conner D 15 Camels 5:29.17 5:42.01 3A 5 28.87 1:01.31 1:35.64 2:11.17 2:46.50 3:22.43 3:58.05 4:32.97 5:07.83 5:42.01 23 Mitchell, Dakota 17 Camels 6:08.12 6:35.73 34.35 1:12.70 1:52.29 2:32.64 3:13.28 3:55.00 4:36.65 5:18.23 5:58.77 6:35.73
Event 9 Boys 200 Yard Freestyle Relay
1 Campbell County High School ‘A’ 22.03 45.04 1:09.16 1:31.33 22 Campbell County High School ‘B’ 27.78 57.76 1:24.99 1:59.67 26 Campbell County High School ‘C’ 33.39 1:04.61 1:36.08 2:15.43 29 Campbell County High School ‘D’ 35.23 1:14.69 1:50.85 2:18.48
1:36.75
1:31.33
1:45.89
x1:59.67
NT
x2:15.43
NT
x2:18.48
Event 10 Boys 100 Yard Backstroke
1 Baldacci, Collin 17 Camels 25.08 51.51 6 Ely, Brayden G 17 Camels 31.12 1:04.26 8 Fuller, Ethan D 14 Camels 31.72 1:05.08 41 Schillinger, Kade 15 Camels 53.50 1:52.70
32
51.51 4A
16
1:04.58
1:04.26 4A
9
1:06.41
1:05.08 3A
5
NT
1:52.70
1:04.56
1:04.25 4A
1:13.67
1:12.25 3A
NT
DQ
NT
DQ
Event 12 Boys 400 Yard Freestyle Relay
1 Cheyenne Central High School ‘A’ 3:20.00 3:29.23 22.93 48.31 1:04.91 1:42.43 2:08.18 2:36.11 3:01.37 3:29.23
8:00 PM
Coming up at Jake’s:
51.82
Event 11 Boys 100 Yard Breaststroke
1 Bowersox, David A 16 Camels 30.41 1:04.25 13 Knottnerus, Kory G 18 Camels 34.53 1:12.25 DQ -- Nemec, Trey V 14 Camels 39.94 DQ -- Tolman, Daniel 16 Camels 47.34 DQ
www.jakestavern.com LIVE Music FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHT
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December 21-22 Lazy L Band 28-29, 31 Judd Hoos 32
January 4 - 5 Walker Williams Band
17 Campbell County High School ‘B’ 4:04.02 x4:18.14 29.94 1:05.19 1:35.00 2:08.40 2:40.33 3:15.98 3:44.91 4:18.14
Men - Team Rankings - Through Event 12 1. Cheyenne Central High School 275 2. Campbell County High School 227 3. Rock Springs High School 174 4. Kelly Walsh HS 159 5. Laramie High School Swim/Dive 154 6. Rawlins Outlaws 84 7. Riverton High School 75 8. Cheyenne East High School 64 9. Evanston Red Devils 61 10. Kemmerer HS Boys 49 11. Green River High School 27 12. Sublette County Swimming & Div 19 13. Sheridan High School 17 14. Cody High School Broncs 10
Daily 4:00 - 7:00 PM
Every Sunday & Monday
5201 S. Douglas Hwy. Gillette, WY 82718 (307) 686-3781
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Sports Report
December 21 - 28, 2012
Campbell County Observer
Girls Basketball Standings (Dec. 16) Many teams are off until 2013, but there will be a few games here and there, between now and the New Year. Here are the latest girls basketball standings, as of December 16th. A few scores from last week are still missing. Standings will be updated as the missing scores are reported in.
4A East:
Sheridan 6-0 Gillette 4-0 East 8-1 Central 6-3 Laramie 5-2 South 1-3 Jackson 0-2, 0-8
Twin Spruce Warrior’s 8th Grade Girls Basketball B Team celebrated their finished season at Godfathers Pizza last Tuesday night with Coach Comi Blakely. They placed third in the District Tournament. Congratulations Lady Warriors for the great season from the Campbell County Observer!
Camels win the Flaming Gorge again For the 8th straight year and 11th time overall, the Gillette Camels (6-1) came away champions of the Flaming Gorge Classic. Gillette swept through their 3 games and they closed out the tournament with a 59-39 win over Evanston (4-2) on Saturday at Green River High School. The Camels exacted a bit of revenge on the Red Devils who defeated Gillette in the 2012 4A State Title
game back on March 10 at the Casper Events Center 52-51 in double OT. The game was very tight in the 1st quarter with 5 ties and 4 lead changes and for the first time this season the Camels trailed at the end of the 1st quarter, with Evanston leading 1412. However, that’s when the Camels offense and defense really stepped up as they outscored Evanston 21-8 in the 2nd quarter
Tyler Cox honored by WWC
Former Campbell County High standout and current University of Wyoming Cowboy wrestler Tyler Cox was honored on Tuesday, December 18th by the Western Wrestling Conference wrestler of the week after his effort at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Cox, who wrestles at 125 lbs for the Cowboys went undefeated (5-0) in Reno as he earned his 1st tournament win of the season and he earned his 19th win on the season overall.
and then held them to just 6 points in the 3rd quarter as the Camels led 45-28 going into the final quarter. For the 5th straight game, Gillette’s defense smothered their opponents with the pressure defense, which once again forced multiple turnover, which were then turned into easy baskets at the other end of the floor. Offensively the Camels found a good balance of scorers with 7 players scoring, including 4 scoring at least 8 points in their lowest scoring game of the year. Dylan Haddix had a great game in the paint as he hauled in countless rebounds and scored a career high 16 points, including 12 in the 2nd half. Cody Kelley ended up double figures for the 6th straight game with 11 points, which was a season low for the high powered point guard. Logan Wasson scored 9, Michael Cook scored 8 of his points in the first half as he really kept Gillette in it offensively through the first two quarters. After not scoring the day before against Riverton, Thomas Bush was able to
break out of his mini scoring slump with 7 points. Bryce Lyman chipped in 5 points off the bench and Tanner Sandvick finished with 2 as he is now 8-8 from the free throw line this season. Evanston’s starters accounted for 37 of their points as Brady Purcell scored 2 points off the bench. Kade Lyman scored a team high 11 points, Matt Johnson started off by scoring 8 1st quarter points, but then thanks to foul trouble and stout defense, Johnson was unable to continue his hot start as he finished with 10 points. Jemini Leckie, the Red Devils leading scorer, ended up with 9 points after averaging 14 points per game. Alek Johnson scored 4 points and Taylor Siemers 3.
2A Northeast:
Tongue River 8-0 Wright 5-6 Big Horn 3-6 Moorcroft 2-5 Sundance 1-5 (no score reported from 12/14 vs. Belle Fourche)
The last Boys Basketball rankings of 2012
As the calendar is ready to turn over to 2013, boys basketball teams see how the Coaches and Media stack them up. This week the #1′s stay the same and only two new teams make the polls this week. In 4A, Gillette is a unanimous #1 after dispatching previous #2 Riverton on a neutral court in Green River 83 to 54. The Wolverines drop to third this week as Laramie fills their spot. Evanston moves up a notch to fourth with Natrona falling a spot to #5. Kelly Walsh, Sheridan and East also got votes this week. #5 Natrona takes their shot at #1 Gillette in the Orange Dungeon in Casper tomorrow. 1 Gillette (17) 2 Laramie 3 Riverton 4 Evanston 5 Natrona 3A is a topsy-turvy one. Teams continue to beat up on each other. Star Valley continues at #1 with 15 of the 19 #1 votes. Buffalo got the other four top votes and rank 2nd. Lyman stays in third while Wheatland, who beat Lyman in overtime in Lander on Saturday, is back in the top five ranked fourth. Rawlins is moved to #5. Torrington is no longer in the top five. Interclass play has #2 Buffalo hosting 4A Sheridan tomorrow.
Weekly Sports Trivia Question When was the first “wild card” NFL playoff football game?? Look in next week’s paper for the answer ** Sponsor the Sports Quiz. Get your ad/name here for only $50 per week **
“Thus so wretched is man that he would weary even without any cause for weariness... and so frivolous is he that, though full of a thousand reasons for weariness, the least thing, such as playing billiards or hitting a ball, is sufficient enough to amuse him.” - Blaise Pascal
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PAT WEEDE TOURNAMENT WINNERS December 14 & 15, 2012
Weekly Sports Trivia Answer from Last Week How many world records does Michael Phelps hold in swimming? 39
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No. Distance 1 200 m 2 200 m 3 400 m 4 4×100 m 5 400 m 6 200 m 7 200 m 8 200 m 9 100 m 10 200 m 11 400 m 12 200 m 13 400 m 14 400 m 15 200 m
Event Butterfly Butterfly (2) Individual medley Medley relay[a] Individual medley (2) Individual medley Butterfly (3) Individual medley (2) Butterfly Individual medley (3) Individual medley (3) Individual medley (4) Individual medley (4) Individual medley (5) Butterfly (4)
Time 1:54.92 1:54.58 4:11.09 3:33.48 4:10.73 1:57.94 1:53.93 1:57.52 0:51.47 1:56.04 4:09.09 1:55.94 4:08.41 4:08.26 1:53.80
16 4×100 m
Freestyle relay[b]
3:12.46
17
200 m
Individual medley (5)
1:55.84
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39
200 m 200 m 200 m 200 m 4×200 m 400 m 400 m 200 m 400 m 4×100 m 200 m 200 m 4×200 m 200 m 4×100 m 100 m 200 m 4×200 m 100 m 4×100 m 4×100 m 4×100 m
Butterfly (5) Freestyle Butterfly (6) Individual medley (6) Freestyle relay[c] Individual medley (6) Individual medley (7) Individual medley (7) Individual medley (8) Freestyle relay (2)[d] Freestyle (2) Butterfly (7) Freestyle relay (2)[e] Individual medley (8) Medley relay (2)[a] Butterfly (2) Butterfly (8) Freestyle relay (3)[f] Butterfly (3) Medley relay (3)[g] Medley relay (sc)[h] Freestyle relay (sc)[i]
1:53.71 1:43.86 1:52.09 1:54.98 7:03.24 4:06.22 4:05.25 1:54.80 4:03.84 3:08.24 1:42.96 1:52.03 6:58.56 1:54.23 3:29.34 0:50.22 1:51.51 6:58.55 0:49.82 3:27.28 3:20.71 3:03.30
Location Austin, Texas, US Fukuoka, Japan Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, US Yokohama, Japan Indianapolis, Indiana, US Santa Clara, California, US Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain College Park, Maryland, US Long Beach, California, US Athens, Greece Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Columbia, Missouri, US Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Omaha, Nebraska, US Omaha, Nebraska, US Beijing, China Beijing, China Beijing, China Beijing, China Beijing, China Beijing, China Beijing, China Indianapolis, Indiana, US Rome, Italy Rome, Italy Rome, Italy Rome, Italy Manchester, United Kingdom Manchester, United Kingdom
Date March 30, 2001 July 24, 2001 Aug. 15, 2002 Aug. 29, 2002 April 6, 2003 June 29, 2003 July 22, 2003 July 24, 2003 July 25, 2003 July 25, 2003 July 27, 2003 Aug. 9, 2003 July 7, 2004 Aug. 14, 2004 Aug. 17, 2006 Aug. 19, 2006 Aug. 20, 2006 Feb. 17, 2007 March 27, 2007 March 28, 2007 March 29, 2007 March 30, 2007 April 1, 2007 June 29, 2008 July 4, 2008 Aug. 10, 2008 Aug. 11, 2008 Aug. 12, 2008 Aug. 13, 2008 Aug. 13, 2008 Aug. 15, 2008 Aug. 17, 2008 July 9, 2009 July 29, 2009 July 31, 2009 Aug. 1, 2009 Aug. 2, 2009 Dec. 18, 2009 Dec. 19, 2009
Classifieds
Campbell County Observer
Help Wanted Cook needed at Lu La Bells. Motivated and Energetic. Days Only. Apply at Lu La bells. Looking for CDL to work in North Dakota full time. Call 307-670-3629. PERSONAL ASSISTANCE NEEDED: We are looking for an Office Assistant. Duties include greeting clients, answering phones, and routing mail, data entry and retrieve,scheduling and calender maintenance,Ideal candidates will have proven customer service skills in an administrative setting and experience with Microsoft Office applications email resumes to akeelahanderson001@gmail.com IF INTERESTED Powder River Roofing, a growing company in N.E. Wyoming, is hiring full time roofers. Call 307-696-7465 for an interview. Personal Assistant needed to organize and help. Basic computer skills needed, must be good with organization. I am ready to pay $600.00 per week. Interested person should contact: deans995@ gmail.com Bl-32-2V Full Time Flooring Installers wanted. Must have experience. Bring resumes in to Carpet Express Direct on Hwy. 59 next to the Prime Rib Restaurant. Exciting new career. Unlimited income potential. Think you can sell? Call 307-2994662. We offer commission, fuel allowance, and much more. Sell in the Bighorn, Casper, Powder River, and Black Hills Area. Are you a friendly outgoing individual? Do you connect with people casually? Are you looking for supplemental income? Do you need to be in charge of your own hours? We are looking for an independent contractor for commissioned based ad sales. For more information call Sandra at 307-689-0028 or email at campbellcountytidbits@yahoo.com State Wide Sales people. Print Advertising Sales for new State-wide newspaper. Call 307-299-4662
Child Care Child Care in Sleepy Hollow. Room for 2 children. $20 per day per child. Call 307-257-2306.
Toys (ATV’s Boats, Etc.) BOAT FOR SALE. 18ft 120 port jet outboard bass tracker for sale. Call 307-680-5947 International Tractor 300 Utility For Sale. $2000 Artic Cat 4X4 2001For Sale. $2000 Call Bill 307 - 660 – 8563 94 Mazda MX3 for sale. $1500 obo. 307-670-2037 1988 Honda Gl1500 for free if interested contact me at ( james.bernard10@live.com ) 2010 Polaris 550 eps with less than 100 miles, books for $8,000. make and offer. Call Steve Terry at 307-2992992 Chopper - Custom built frame, s&s engine, carb, etc. 80ci. Evolution engine. Wide glide front end. Low. Torn apart down to frame. Have all parts, could be built in two days with under $200.00. Asking $5,500 or best offer. Price:$5,500obo. Contact: 307-670-2037 1981 Harley Davidson FXBSturgis, 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! Custom Harley Soft tail. Being built, need to sell now. Almost finished. Chopper, built in Sturgis, SD. Asking $5,500 and will help you build it. HAVE ALL PARTS! Call 257-2306 Boat for Sale with trailer. Needs work. Call 670-8980 for info.
Toy Parts & Accessories Stock pipes for Sportster. 500mi. Stock pices for Dyna Wide Glide. 1500mi. Email baxtersmom62@gmail.com for info. Rare find. 1969 Pontiac Motor. 390 HP and 470 ft. torque stock from factory. Aluminum edelbrock intake goes with motor. Best offer takes it home. 307-6220825 (a1-39-tfnh) 1999 Vortec 350 Intake and heads. Make offer. 307-6220825 (a1-39-tfnh) Four 16 inch rims, five hole, with caps.$90 307 - 670 1887 Harley Accessories for sale. Call 307-670-8980. 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. Large Private RV/Camper Lot for rent. Big yard, trees. All utilities available. $400 per month, $400 deposit. 1 year lease. Call (307) 6601007. 5th wheel camper for sale. Call Skip (307) 680-0073
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 307756-3454. www.empireguesthouse.com
Business Opportunities Looking for investor in local business. Call for Details. 307-257-2306. Exciting career available Now! No weekends, holidays, or nights. Unlimited income potential. 20% commission plus gas allowance selling print advertising. Call Anne Peterson (advertising manager) at (307) 299-4662 or email AnnePeterson@ CampbellCountyObserver. com Health problems? Try doTERRA certified pure essential oils. 307-680-0363. www. myvoffice.com/healingisbelieving
Apartments for Rent 1-5 bedroom units available for rent. Please contact Real Estate Systems of Gillette Inc at 307-682-0964 for all the updated details. Apartment for Rent in WindRidge Appts. Water/Trash/ Washer/Dryer. Air and Heat. 3bs/2bth. Must qualify for low income housing. $740.00/ mo. Call 307-685-8066 Foothills View Apartments Hot Move In Special! Cool, Clean, Quiet Apartments. A/C, 2 Bdrm. $695 1Bdrm. $595. Showing anytime Call 307-686-6488 C3-28-2v Apartments for rent. Foothills View Apartments. Clean and Quiet. One and Two bedroom units starting at $595.00. Call for showing andmove in special 307-6866488 (c3-42-3v) Spacious & new, 1, 2, &3 bdrm affordable apartments available now! Call 6858066. 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 685-8066.
Produce for Sale Fresh local “Free Range” eggs. All natural, no animal by-products. No antibiotics. $3/Doz. 257-9049
For Rent 2 Bedroom Duplex, with one car garage, washer/dryer, no pets. $700rent/$700deposit. 307-689-0202 Room for Rent. Nice Room for Rent for one responsible person. $480.00 per month. 689-9358.
December 21 - 28, 2012
Guns for Sale
Services
Miscellaneous
Czech CZ-82 Pistol. 9X18 Caliber, semi auto. High quality steel construction made for field use. 12 round capacity magazine, cock and lock style safety, super accurate polygonal rifled barrel. Comes with extra magazine, cleaning tools, and original issue military holster. Regular price $387.93, On sale with this ad for only $315.00. Call Wyoming Mountaineers 299-2084 and mention this ad.
Homeowners and renters insurance for house, trailer, or apartments. Call Elizabeth Jones Agency 307-682-6520
Licensed daycare now open. Spots available full-time and before and after school. Close to Rozet school and the post office. Monday through Friday 6:30am to 6pm. Ages 3 and up. Call 307-299-1915
Taurus Model 827, 38SPL Revolver. 7rnd, 4” Barrel, Stainless Steel. MSRP: $664.00 on sale with this add $575.00. or make 4 payments of $163.20 each. Call Wyoming Mountaineers 2992084 and mention this ad. Remington model 770 Sportsman with 3x9 scope. 270 win. 22” barrel, black syn. Stock. MSRP $375.00. Mention this ad and buy same MSRP for $325.00 (or 4 payments of $95.40). Wyoming Mountaineers, call or text 307-299-2084 D132-TFN Savage Arms/Stevens Model 350 12 Ga. pump shotgun. 3” chamber, 28” barrel, 4+1 Capacity, Black soft touch synthetic stock. Screw in chokes comes with modified choke. Bottom eject makes this an excellent waterfowl and upland bird hunting gun. Regular price $294.95. On sale with this ad for only $250.00. Call Wyoming Mountaineers 299-2084 and mention this ad. Get a piece of history. Mosin Nagant Russian M91/30 Surplus Rifle. Very good to Excellent condition 7.62X54 Caliber. These are a very accurate rifle shooting 4” groups at 1000 yards. Open sights are adjustable to yardage with a push of a button. Great gun for hunting deer or elk very cheap ammo available for target practice ($85 per 440 rnds) Comes with military issue sling, sling pouches, bayonet, and cleaning tools. Retailing as high as $175.00 on sale with this ad $145.00. Call Wyoming Mountaineers 2992084 and mention this ad. Wyoming Mountaineers now offers easy payment plans on any in stock firearm. Your debit card is your line of credit. Purchase any firearm that is in stock making 4 payments weekly, biweekly, or monthly. Processing fee and payment plan fee apply. Call Wyoming Mountaineers for more details. Call Wyoming Mountaineers 299-2084 and mention this ad. Taurus Model 827, 38 SPL revolver. 7RND, 4” barrel, Stainless Steel. MSRP $664.00. Mention this ad and get MSRP for $350.00 (4 easy payments of $102.03) Wyoming Mountaineers, call or text 307-299-2084 D132-TFN Gunsmithing Special of the week. Electrolysis Barrel Cleaning. Increase the accuracy of your firearm, get ready for hunting season or a summer of shooting fun. Most cleanings complete overnight and your gun is ready the next day. This week only $25.00. Call Wyoming Mountaineers 2992084 and mention this ad. Before you buy, make a call to get a quote. We can order any gun you are looking at and just may be able to save you a ton of money. Call for a free quote. $15.00 FFL Transfer Fee on all internet purchases. If you find that smoking great deal on the internet we transfer guns for only $15.00 per gun. Call Wyoming Mountaineers 2992084 and mention this ad. Colt AR-15, Sporty Target. Pre-ban, INCREDIBLY LOW SALE NUMBER. Great condition $1,500. (307) 6894339. D1-32-2V 1903 Springfield. 30o6 Cal. U.S. Military. $700 obo. Call (307) 682-7864
Heavy Equipment/ Trailers
RV Winterization starting at $99.95 at YOUR house. Call Randy at 307-660-3091 (b340-tfnh) Powder River Roofing is N.E. Wyoming’s top quality roofing, with the highest safety standards in the area. Call for your FREE estimate today for metal/wood/shingle removal, install, and repair. (307)-696-7465. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Want To Get in Shape?Like to have Fun? Learn The Graceful moves of American Oriental Belly Dancing! The 3rd Sunday of every month. Call Leanna Tabatt 307-6808457 Looking to buy a new computer? Why waste the money? “Your Computer Store” has refurbished towers and laptops rebuilt right here in our store. Plenty of memory, disc space, and advice. Come by and see our inventory at “Your Computer Store,” where YOU come first! 802 E. Third St next to Ice Cream Land Powder River Mechanics. We have the cheapest labor rates, but the best quality repairs in town. We offer full services on Foreign and domestic vehicles, ATV’s, Snowmobiles, motorcycles, jet ski’s, boats, and more. Let us put you on a Preventative maintenance schedule so your vehicles run miles past your warranty. Call for an appointment. 307-6967713. Avenue Mall - Over 30 vendors, come check us out! 217 Gillette Ave. Mon-Fri. 9AM to 7 PM, Sat. 9AM- 5 PM, Sun. 10 AM - 4 PM Computers have become like cars, and they need repaired. Want the best quality repair work in N.E. Wyoming? Bring your computer to “Your Computer Store.” Quality work at a quality price. “Your Computer Store,” where YOU COME FIRST 802 E. Third street next to Ice Cream Land. Auto insurance preferred and SR-22’s. Call Elizabeth Jones Agency 307-682-6520 Motorcycle and ATV insurance. Call Elizabeth Jones Agency 307-682-6520
Merchandise 1939 HA Selmer Trumpet $750 OBO. 687-1087 Exterior door with window, interior light fixtures, and computer supplies. E-mail Corsair115@yahoo.com Refrigerator (white) Great condition $100 307-2995918 Blue Dual Reclining Sofa. Good shape $100 Call 6802982. Can text photo if you like. 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.
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
ACE will reduce your appetite and give you energy. The natural way to lose weight. www.facebook.com/AcePill 660-2974
Homes for Sale 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. For Sale. 3br Townhouse. 1.5 bath. 307-680-1449 (c139-tfnh) Tri-level house for sale 4 bed 2 bath $209,000 (307) 6701925. 40+ Acres 2 miles south of Wright 1999 Atlantic Oak Modular. $250,000 OBO Call 307 - 680 – 2374 Great House - 4 bedroom, 2 bath, computer room, huge island kitchen, fireplace. Must see! call 307-687-0333 C1-23-tfn 3 bedroom 11/2 bath C1-39-tfnh
Townhouse 680-1449
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.
Wanted to Buy
Booth Table. L-shaped. With Chairs. Seats 6. $500.00 Call 299-4967 Three antique pressedbacked oak chairs. Excellent condition. $85 each. 6820042
Autos, Trucks and Vans ‘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 dual-plugged to run regular-gas, had burn-out time at Hog-Jam! Ben 680.7464. 1993 Chrysler LHS for sale or trade. Needs tie-rod and alignment. Runs good. $1,500.00 OBO. Email KevlarGrease@gmail.com 1994 Plymouth Voyager for sale or trade. Runs/ looks great. 188,000 miles. $2,000.00 OBO. Email KevlarGrease@gmail.com 1996 Nissan Pathfinder 4x4. New BF Goodrich Tires, Runs good. $1,200.00. 307299-4662. (a141-tfnh) 2004 Yukon Denali XL,6.0 Motor, Loaded $14,000 OBO 660-9351 2008 Hyundai Sonata LMTD, 40,000 mi. $13,500, Call 307-660-2532. 2000 Chevy Silverado 4x4 1/2 Ton Pickup. New tires, ext. cab, long bed. 148,000 mi. One owner. 307-6700858 or 303-250-4096 97’ Chevy Long Box Extended Cab. ¾ Ton, selling for Parts. $1,000 OBO. 307680-7431 1982 Chevy Ventura Van. 350 Engine, 400 Turbo newly rebuilt transmission. Interior in GREAT shape, has a working electric wet bar and built in cooler in back. Carb. needs re-jetted, other than that there are no problems. Must see. Asking $3,500 or best offer. Price:$3,500obo. Contact: 307-670-8980 1952 Chevy Dumptruck, hauls 5 tons of coal $1500 307-682-1172 1986 Toyota Tercel 4x4. $1050.00. Call 307-2995918
Tonneau Cover for sale! Cover will fit any pickup with an 8' bed, long wheel base - $125.00
Call 307-689-4189
I Buy Militaria. Swords, uniforms, bayonets, medals, guns/parts, field gear. 6827864 Wanted: Old Batteries. Call 307-670-1675. D4-30-8P WILL PAY CASH FOR CAMPERS. Call Scott (307) 680-0854.
Personals Interested in founding a Sherlock Holmes Society in Gillette? Contact gillettesherlockians@gmail. com for info.
Great Jerky http://www.rberlinger.jerkydirect.com/ 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 For sale: whirlpool refrigerator, brand new patio propane heater, still in box Cabela’s shower tent, large dining room dark blue/red rooster rug, 10” wet tile saw, treadmill. Call 682-6353. Kojac series One, two and three dvd $65.00 $98 value 307 - 670 - 1887 Two place aluminum snowmobile trailer. $1,600. 307689-0202
Pets
6x10 trailer. Great shape, fits your biggest Harley. $1,400 obo. 299-4967.
Bring your catch by the Empire Guesthouse for photographs which may be published in this newspaper with our fishing reports. Along with that, the Guesthouse staff will be awarding monthly prizes for those that let us photograph them and their catch. It doesn’t have to be a trophy to enter and there will be special prizes for those 12 and under. Carp shooters are also welcome to enter. Check with the Guesthouse for more details.
Home Appliances/ Furnshings
Basset Hound pups for sale; 9 weeks old; need shots. Rust and White and Tricolor $250.00; One Lemon and White female $300.00. Transportation cost additional if I deliver @ 25 cents per mile. Serious Inquiries Only! Please call 307-382-9282. 2 AKC Registered Tea Cup Yorkies Puppies for free. They are male and female. If interested contact james.bernard10@live.com D7-45-3H
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2002 Jaguar x type 3.0 v6 22mpg cty 34 hwy 135000 hwy miles all maintenance current. New coils, plugs wires. Call Chris at Carpet Express Direct.
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Our Roots
December 21 - 28, 2012
Campbell County Observer
Featured Crime Theft from Auto
Crime Stoppers needs your help in solving thefts from autos involving Ford and Chevrolet trucks. Unknown suspect(s) have removed the side view mirrors from three Ford pickups and one Chevrolet pickup. No other personal items or parts were taken during the thefts. If you have information that can solve this or any other crime please call Crime Stoppers at 686-0400 or the High School Crime Stoppers at 682-4185. You can remain anonymous and may earn up to $1,000 in reward.
Fort Sumter By Mike Borda
The Civil War is an event that every American knows. We know about the North and the South, Lincoln, Gettysburg, and all the other major events. However, ironically it seems one of the events in the war that has been forgotten is the starting point. The Battle of Fort Sumter, which kicked off four years of death and destruction, had a tremendous impact on both sides and would serve as an introduction to both sides on what was to come. By 1860 the sides of the war were fairly established. The southern states had begun forming the Confederate States of America, and negotiations were already underway trying to save the Union. Tensions were high, but no one was sure where exactly the fighting would start. Union forces still occupied forts in the South, one such fort being Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. When Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated, he was welcomed with the information that Fort Sumter was on the verge of running out of supplies and was being threatened by Confederate forces. The problem, however, was that neither side wanted to be seen as starting the war. Even though the
newly formed Confederate government believed they owned Fort Sumter (as it was in a Confederate state), they believed that firing first would mean a lesser reputation among the international community. Eventually, Lincoln made the decision that reinforcements and supplies were needed. He ordered a mission to help out the fort, which was soon discovered by the Confederacy. Confederate President Jefferson Davis decided that he would try to stop the mission, but if he could not diplomatically that they must take the fort preemptively. On April 12, 1861, when the commanding officer at Fort Sumter, Major Robert Anderson, refused to surrender, Confederate forces opened fire. They fired from multiple positions around the fort in the early hours of the morning. After he gathered his forces together at 7am, Anderson ordered that they fire in defense. Union reinforcements arrived by sea that night, but were not able to land due to the shelling. Instead Fort Sumter endured the assault with minimal damage to the fort itself (although the outer buildings were mostly de-
Fine Dining of Yesteryear By Jeff Morrison When we think about the “Old Days,” as opposed to “Modern Days,” a list of technological breakthrough are what we use to determine the dividing line between the two eras. The automobile, indoor plumbing, the telephone, and electric light bulbs are the most commonly cited achievements that define the dawn of the modern era. Yet, there are dozens more technologies and inventions we utilize and take for granted on a daily basis that either didn’t exist or weren’t widely used 100 years ago. Take food for instance. In today’s world of refrigeration, microwaves, fast food restaurants and pizza for delivery it’s easy to forget how very different acquiring, storing, preparing, and eating food was before those modern conveniences hit the scene. The year 1912 may have been a decade into the 20th Century, but someone forgot to inform the residents of Powder River Country. Although the automobile had become a familiar sight on the High Plains, the horse was still the most common mode of transportation. Electric street-lights had been installed in Cheyenne three decades earlier and one by one the other communities of the West were acquiring them as well. And yet, most homes still relied on kerosene lamps or gaslight fixtures for everyday illumination. The tiny community of Gillette wouldn’t get a city-wide electric utility service for another three years. Telephone service – still something of a work in progress – coexisted with the telegraph. Visiting Easterners, thinking the wild days of the Western Frontier were a thing of the past, were shocked to see quite a few of the local residents still openly wearing sidearms. But East and West were on equal terms when it came to
food. Although regional differences in available produce and meat sources often dictated the menu, the challenges of shopping for food, long-term storage, and food preparation were mostly identical throughout America. Refrigeration as we know it didn’t actually become a common household feature until after World War II. Prior to that, food was kept cool by utilizing an ice-box, an ice or spring house, or a root cellar. Thanks to Wyoming winters, most pioneers of Powder River Country built ice-houses that kept their food cold for most of the year. Those fortunate enough to live near a mountain-fed stream or artesian spring could also submerge food items in the cold water during the months when the ice-house thawed. Most town homes had an ice-box, which was either a free-standing manufactured unit or custom built as part of the kitchen. The ice used to cool these appliances came in large squares and were home delivered from the ice plant that typically manufactured the ice in a commercial freezing unit. Ice boxes were typically small and could only hold a small quantity of food. This necessitated frequent shopping at the local butcher and grocery. Ranches were remote and travelling to town for groceries was done monthly, or even semiannually. Fresh food was hard to come by. Most rural family households had at least one milk cow, chickens, pigs, and a vegetable garden. But for town folk and a lot of the bachelor cowboy outfits, tending a large garden and caring for a menagerie of farm animals was out of the question. Fortunately there were several other methods of preserving food, such as salt and brine packing, dehydration, smoking,
stroyed). Amazingly, the Union forces were able to survive with no casualties. The next day, April 13, was the deciding day of the battle. At some point, the flagpole of the fort was struck by a shell, bringing it down. The Confederates were unsure if this was a hit, or if Anderson had decided to surrender. They sent an envoy to the fort to negotiate and try to end the fighting. Anderson agreed to surrender the Fort Sumter as they were almost out of supplies and would not have lasted much longer. The official surrender of Fort Sumter was on April 14, 1861. Anderson’s only requirement was that they leave after a 100-gun salute to the flag. However, during this salute a pile of ammunition was accidentally ignited, killing two men and making them the first official casualties of the Civil War. The Battle of Fort Sumter did not simply start a conflict. It marked a turning point in the history of our country. Those 3 days showed both sides that this was not going to be a war fought in the courtrooms and negotiating tables, but on the battlefield.
canning, and pickling. Many foods we still use today were derivatives of these processes, such as: beef jerky, deviled ham, pickles, jam, condensed milk, and mincemeat, just to name a few. Thanks to the invention of the Mason jar, even fresh foods could be canned at home and used many months later. In 1912, shopping for food wasn’t much different than it is in 2012. Commercial refrigeration had been around for some time and fresh foods could be shipped long distances via refrigerated railroad cars. For those people who couldn’t get to town, a few enterprising grocers brought the store to them via a specially designed wagon, not unlike the Schwan’s trucks of today. The Daly Brothers, early Gillette grocers, operated one of these travelling stores in the 1890s for crews building the Burlington, Chicago and Quincy railroad through northeast Wyoming. Cooking meals one hundred years ago was a time consuming process. Fuel oil stoves were replacing wood burning stoves all across America; however the heating and cooking fuel of choice in Powder River Country was, naturally, coal. All most every dwelling, both rural and urban, had a coal bunker and most of the early coal mines in the area sold their coal primarily for domestic usage. Coal had many advantages over wood and fuel-oil. It provided a consistent, even heat source that was more abundant than wood, and much safer
“The right of self defense never ceases. It is among the most sacred, and alike necessary to nations and to individuals, and whether the attack be made by those who abuse her power, its obligation is not the less strong.” - President James Monroe
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Joke of the week Submitted by Candice Berley
“How To Ask A Man To Do Something”
Always remember these six important rules when asking a man to do something: 1. Make sure the man is conscious. 2. Crash the hard drive on his computer and line the bird cage with the sports section. 3. Be brief! Limit your nagging speech to two, three hours, max. 4. Reward him for cooperative behavior. Offer to cook him something that doesn’t have a peel-back cover. 5. Punish him when he refuses to cooperate. Microwave his remote on high power for 55 minutes. Rotate 1/4 turn, and microwave again for another 35 minutes.
than liquid fuel. Regardless of the fuel, cooking on a cast iron stove was more labor intensive than their modern counterparts. Because the firebox was located in the front, the front burners were always hotter than the back burners. Cooks learned to rotate the food to the various parts of the stove top as a means to control the heat. When baking in the oven it was always necessary to turn the pan occasionally so that the food was heated evenly. The cast iron stove also provided much of the primary heat to the rest of the home, and as result the kitchen became the hub of activity in rural America. Even today, it is customary to enter a ranch or farm house through the kitchen door – not the front door. For those Townies who wanted a break from home cooked meals there was usually a café or sandwich counter in most communities large enough to possess both a school and a post office. Sheridan, in addition to its famous Sheridan Inn, had a number of restaurants and cafés to choose from. Gillette in 1912 was a much smaller community and had fewer establishments dedicated to eating. There were many, many saloons and bars however. Wyoming law at the time stated that all businesses were to be closed on Sunday with no exceptions other than restaurants and hotels. As a result, virtually every saloon added beds and some form of kitchen. Some, like the Montgomery House and the Goings, were fancy enough
to be considered almost respectable. Surprisingly, Gillette also had a Japanese restaurant in 1912. If storing and cooking food for the average household was difficult a century ago, it could be an utter nightmare for a café or restaurant at the time. People who stopped in for lunch were usually served cold sandwiches or some form of stew. At dinner time patrons could sometimes choose from a small selection of entrées, but had to wait for the food to be cooked fresh. Although it would be several decades before the advent of fast-food, there was a form of take-out. In towns where there was a large number of single men working long hours at the railroad, mines or other industry, bakeries and butcher shops often sold ready-to-cook pot pies. A laborer could cook one of these pies in less than an hour and save all the preparation time involved. The “pot” was returned to the baker the next morning on his way back to work. Despite all of the logistical challenges, a restaurant of the early 20th century could turn out an elaborate feast for the Holidays. One of Sheridan’s many cafés advertised their Christmas Day special of 1910, which included turkey, dressing, candied yams, and vegetables, followed by a choice of desert pies. If this doesn’t sound all that special, consider how long it takes to cook a turkey in a modern oven.
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Elizabeth Jones Agency 1001 S. Douglas Hwy., Suite 184 Gillette, WY 82716 Office (307) 682-6520 Fax (307) 682-3536
Elizabeth (Betsy) Jones, Agent CPIW, DAE, LUTCF
www.farmersunioninsurance.com/ejones ejones@vcn.com