February 10-17, 2012 by C.C. Observer

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Volume 2 • Issue 6

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Campbell County Senior Nick Bazemore (left) gets ready to sign his national letter of intent to play college football and track and ﬁeld for the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. CCHS students (left to right) Kade Wasson, Cody Okray and Burke Burgess also signed national letters of intent to play college football.

4 Camels sign national letters of intent

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It was a dream come true for four CCHS studentathletes Tuesday night at the North Campus as Nick Bazemore, Kade Wasson, Cody Okray and Burke Burgess all signed their national letters of intent to play college football at the next level. Bazemore will be taking his talents Bismarck, ND playing for the University of Mary, Wasson will be playing at Black Hills State, Burgess will be down at Chadron State College and Okray will be in Dickinson State University. “They’re great kids that worked hard and had great careers for us and we’re excited to see them get the opportunity to go on to the next level and continue their careers,” explains Camels football head coach Vic Wilkerson. “All four of them will represent themselves and their families and the Gillette football program well.” Wilkerson says all four players wanted to move on to the next level when they entered the football program at Campbell County High School. “They put in the work in the offseason and had great seasons on the field to do that,” says Wilkerson. Nick Bazemore wrapped his high school career as the feature running back for the Camels as he finished with the fourth most rushing yards in 4A this season with 1,339 and averaged 7.5 yards per carry, which was third best in 4A. According to Coach Wilkerson, Bazemore is has a natural athletic ability. “Ever since I was little, your biggest dream is going to play college football and go to the NFL,” Bazemore describes. “So this is just the next step and hopefully everything works out.” Bazemore says in addition to playing cornerback for the University of Mary, he will in track and field as

well. “One of my coaches, Brock Ballweber, came from there and I just love their program of athletic training, and nothing can beat that right now.” Bazemore also caught 12 balls for 201 yards and a TD in 2011. He was eighth in 4A in all-purpose yards, racking up 1,617 yards and 20 total TDs. He led Gillette in scoring with an average of 10.9 points scored per game. Defensively for the Camels, Bazemore accounted for 33 defensive points with 2 interceptions, 2 tackles for loss and 1 pass break up. Kade Wasson really came on as the 2011 season progressed for Gillette, finishing as the top passer in 4A with 1,836 yards as he completed 48 percent of his passes while tossing 11 TDs to just 7 interceptions. Wasson is also an incredible leader, according to Coach Wilkerson. Tuesday evening, Wasson says playing college football has always been a dream of his and he’s really excited to by playing at Black Hills State. “I really like the coaches,” Wasson says. “We took a visit there and I just kind of got a good vibe. It seemed right. I liked it.” Wasson says Black Hills State will try him out on offense and see how things fit with him at quarterback. He says their style of offense is something he’s excited about. “They do a whole mix of things so it will be a whole new learning experience but I’m ready for it,” Wasson says. During the 2011 season, it wasn’t just Wasson’s arm that helped the Camels to another trip to the 4A State Semifinals; he was also a very mobile QB. He was the eighth leading rusher in 4A with 714 yards and 10 TDs. He was the second leading rushing QB in

4A behind Natrona’s Cody Vollmar, who finished the season with 798 yards. Wasson also saw some time on defense for Gillette this past season as he scored 15 points while recording 3 pass break ups and 7 total tackles in limited duty. Burke Burgess was a role player for the Camels in all facets of the game in 2011. He was fifth on the team in defensive points scored with 103 as he finished with 62 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 2 pass break ups. Offensively for the Camels, Burgess led the team in receptions with 22 for 361 yards and a TD. According to Coach Wilkerson, Burgess is a great, hard worker. Burgess says he feels at home in Chadron. “I’ve been there for camp and I know the coaches really well.” Burgess continues, “I grew up in a town about the same population so it’s kind of like home. I like the people a lot and they’re really friendly” Burgess says signing on to play college football is a dream come true for him. “The coach said I could probably go for either receiver or safety, but more than likely I’ll play safety,” he says.

Cody Okray was a stalwart on defense for the Camels all season long as he was second on the team with 177.5 team points with 102 total tackles, a team leading 9.5 tackles for loss, 1 pass break up, 1 fumble recovery and 2 interceptions. Overall in 4A, Okray racked up the fifth most points. He was one of just five defenders in 4A this season to score more than 138 defensive points. Coach Wilkerson describes Okray as a hard-working kid that never gives up on things “It’s really cool,” explains Okray. “It’s just really exciting knowing I’m going to be playing college football next year.” He says he will be playing defense at Dickinson State University. “I just love the atmosphere and the coaches are just really cool and it just felt like home,” he says. As each player began plotting their next move, Coach Wilkerson says he just told them to enjoy the process. “Each college has their own pros and cons and you got to find the right fit for you, and each one of these four gentlemen did that,” Wilkerson says.

Treasurer: Wyoming holding $42M in unclaimed funds The Wyoming state treasurer’s ofﬁce is trying to ﬁnd the rightful owners of over $42 million in unclaimed funds. There are over 8,000 names of people and businesses with accounts larger than $50. Unclaimed funds being held by the state can include cash, stock, insurance claims, money orders and travelers’ checks. The website address to search for unclaimed property is: http://www.wywindfall.gov.

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Community City Administrator Carter Napier says the three applicants for retail liquor licenses are permitted to move forward with the formal application process. Monday’s vote, he says, does not guarantee they will receive one of the three remaining retail liquor licenses from the City of Gillette.

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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

By Paul Wallem - Basin Radio News Jordan’s Fine Western Dining, Old Chicago, and Pokey’s BBQ and Smokehouse earned approval from the Gillette City Council Monday night to move forward in the formal application process for a retail liquor license. The final three were picked from eleven applicants each vying for one of three available retail liquor licenses from the city. Each of the eleven applicants gave a presentation before the city council on January 30. “The way that was arrived at was with respect to the priority that the council identified on an individual basis,” City of Gillette administrator Carter Napier explains to the public regarding the process that took place following their last meeting. “For example, any first place votes got four points if you will, any second place votes got three points, and so on.” Following the January 30 meeting, the mayor and each council member each picked four candidates from the list of applicants in order to narrow the field. City Council President Kevin McGrath voted in

favor of the motion to move the three applicants through to the next stage of the application process. However, he said he does not agree with the decision to move one of the finalists along. “I agree with two of them and not one, and if I vote no for that motion that would be saying I don’t agree with all three,” McGrath says. “So I’m going to vote yes; however, I don’t agree with all three.” Specifically, McGrath said he picked The Chophouse over Old Chicago. After the meeting, Napier said The Chophouse came in fourth in the voting. Councilmen Ted Jarred and John Opseth expressed similar thoughts, saying they too didn’t agree completely with the final list of three. According to Opseth, however, that is the way the process went. Even still, with the exception of Councilman Everett Boss who abstained from voting, the city council voted unanimously to move the three applicants forward. Napier says Monday’s decision does not mean the top three candidates

are guaranteed to receive a retail liquor license, however. Rather, he says the formal meeting to determine whether or not these businesses will receive the license will be conducted on March 19. As for the applicant who came in a close fourth place, Councilman Robin Kuntz said during the meeting that if the city receives another retail liquor license in the future, rather than going through the lengthy application process anew they should instead consider the fourth place business for the license. The State of Wyoming gave Gillette two additional retail liquor licenses after the 2010 Census because of the city’s population growth. The third retail liquor license was given back to the city by a previous business owner. A retail liquor licenses permits the license holder to sell alcoholic liquor or malt beverages for use or consumption, according to Wyoming State Statute 124-201. This includes the sale of packaged alcoholic beverages.

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fect their lives. The program is funded by Campbell County Memorial Hospital, Campbell County School District—Healthy Schools Initiative, City of Gillette, Cloud Peak Energy, Inc., United Way of Campbell County and Health Services of Campbell County. The National Health Promotion Summit is sponsored by the Health and Human Services’ Ofﬁce of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research.

Attendees include professionals from all aspects of healthcare from across the United States. “I’m very proud to be chosen to present about this program,” said Nancy. “It is a very personal recognition for me, for my 18 years of effort to achieve the quality program we have today. We feel that Life RU Ready has made a positive impact on the lives of both parents and young people in Campbell County, and we want to share that success with others.”

City board will be disbanded By Paul Wallem - Basin Radio News The last meeting for the Gillette Public Access Television Board will take place Thursday following a decision to disband the corporation. “Initially the GPA Board was set up as a nonprofit to oversee Gillette Public Access Television which served as a nonprofit entity,” explains public information officer Joe Lunne. “GPA was brought into the city in 2001, and since that time, all of the oversight, the budgeting, paying the bills, management decisions have been overseen by the city. And so we really felt like they weren’t necessarily acting in the advisory capacity that they were when the nonprofit actually began.” Lunne says the City of Gillette is thankful for all the members who served on the GPA Board from the

present all the way back to its inception in 1993. Although Gillette Public Access Commission, Inc. will be dissolved, Lunne says GPA’s coverage of local events will remain the same. “Nothing is going to change,” he says. “GPA will still be covering public meetings and ﬁlming different activities throughout the city.”

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CCMH employee to present at national conference

Nancy Bozic, BSN, Education Coordinator at Campbell County Memorial Hospital, is one of three local presenters at the 2012 National Health Promotion Summit, scheduled for April 10-11 in Washington, D.C. Ms. Bozic, along with Joli Carr, Campbell County Public Health; and Carol Yonkee, Health Services of Campbell County; will present on the Life RU Ready Program. Life RU Ready is in its ﬁfth year, and is a program to educate young people on how choices af-

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In the meantime, Lunne reminds the public that GPA Television is always looking for volunteers. “If you’re interested in having your own television show, come on down and they’ll set you up,” Lunne says. “A lot of people don’t understand the kind of work that goes into that, but that’s what public access is for.”

$1M goes to GATE

The Gifted and Talented program throughout Campbell County Schools offers services to those students, of all ages, who require extra attention when it comes to their areas of acceleration. There are currently 260 students who partake in GATE as well as 13 teachers who work with the students. There are also 3 times as many that participate in some sort of enrichment project. The district spends about $1M on these programs but it is considered “worth it” to give these students their best foot forward.

Community Agency funding resolution passes

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City Councilman Robin Kuntz was the only councilmember to vote against the resolution Monday night. He says it doesn’t make sense to pass the resolution when the agencies disqualiﬁed under the criteria can still request funding from the city.

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likely get them on a plane. • Of respondents who travel to alternate airports, 67 percent stated they do so based on price. • Las Vegas topped the list of preferred new destinations, with Minneapolis, Phoenix, Billings and Chicago rounding out the top ﬁve. About Gillette-Campbell County Airport: The Gillette-Campbell County Airport is located in Northeastern Wyoming in a major energy producing part of the country known as the Powder River Basin. Gillette is at the hub of this basin, and the Airport serves the commercial service and general aviation needs for a large portion of this corner of the state. The Airport sees approximately 62,000 passengers come through yearly and is currently served by Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Great Lakes Aviation to Denver, Salt Lake City, Rock Springs, Wyoming and Williston, North Dakota. The Gillette-Campbell County Airport and tenants currently employ approximately 260 people in the surrounding area.

Crime Stoppers needs your help in solving several storage unit burglaries. Some of the items taken are: 15 handmade “Callaway” golf clubs; a tsunami golf driver, a unique white golf bag with a green stitched cartoon character swinging a golf club; a silver fox fur throw and approximately 700 silver coins from 1800’s; a set of Continental truck tires; red Colman 1750 watt generator; a Yamaha and JVC home stereo systems; several boxes of baseball cards. 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.

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The Campbell County Observer Staff CampbellCountyObserver.net (PP-1) Volume 2 Issue 6 The Campbell County Observer is published by Patriot Publishing L.L.C. in Gillette, WY every Friday. Postmaster: Send address changes to 5105 Tarry St. Gillette, WY 82718 Writers Candice De Laat - Owner/Publisher CandiceDeLaat@CampbellCountyObserver.com

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Travelers praise convenience but want more choices and lower fares

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Gillette-Campbell County reports Customer Survey results Gillette-Campbell County Airport ranked high in convenience according to a recent traveler survey, which was aimed at getting to know customers and their needs, particularly why and how often travelers opt for airports besides Gillette. “One of our survey goals was to learn why Gillette residents sometimes choose alternate airports for their air travel,” said Airport Director Jay Lundell. “As we suspected, travelers do so based on a perceived cost savings. But, unlike some competing regional airports, Gillette is seeing lower fares versus last year, by an average of 20 percent.” Nearly 600 travelers, most Gillette-area residents, completed the brief survey, answering questions about their travel frequency, destinations, likes and dislikes of traveling to and from GCC. The survey’s complete results are posted on GilletteCampbell County Airport’s webiste, http:// www.iﬂygillette.com/documents/GCCSurvey.pdf, and following are highlights: • Seventy-four percent of respondents listed convenience as their reason for ﬂying from Gillette. • More than two-thirds of respondents were traveling for pleasure. • Lower fares, according to 44 percent of respondents, would encourage them to travel from Gillette more frequently. Nineteen percent said a new destination would

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• doing so is a wise business decision that will provide economic stimulus • the city council has placed an emphasis on the cultural amenities that will benefit from the funding • it will go towards fighting substance abuse Likewise, the resolution identifies several disqualifying criteria. The new resolution suggests city funding should be denied when the requesting entity: • is a government agency • has a user fee system in place • is a for-profit enterprise • primarily serves nonresidents • provides services also available elsewhere • is noncompliant under accountability guidelines • would double dip the taxpayers • is requesting money for project outside the scope of the city The six local agencies identified by the new resolution as noncompliant, and the amount of funding they currently receive from the City of Gillette, include: • Bell Nob Golf Course, $25,000 • Lasting Legacy Park, $15,000 • Fourth of July parade, $4,000 • Gillette Thunder Speedway, $25,000 • RENEW, $60,000 • Campbell County Drug Court, $15,000 Nevertheless, each of the entities will still be permitted to make their case before the city council, and the council will then make a decision whether or not to fund each entity on a case-by-case basis. “Particularly those that are being proposed for noncompliance with the criteria that may be currently receiving funding, the council will have the opportunity yet to still evaluate those proposals and determine whether or not they’re going to seize funding,” Napier says.

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The Gillette City Council passed a resolution Monday night by a vote of 6-1 that establishes objective criteria for which social service and outside agencies receive funding from the city. Under the guidelines of the new resolution, the City of Gillette would cut off $144,000 worth of funding to six local agencies. The resolution, however, is merely a set of basic guidelines from which city council members can evaluate applications for funding against. In that respect, officials say that no agency has been denied any funding from the city just because the resolution passed on Monday. “It does not definitely eliminate them,” cautions City of Gillette administrator Carter Napier. “I would prefer to have the direction of the council to eliminate them even if they don’t comply with the criteria as staff sees it. Those agencies will in fact still have the opportunity to make their case in front of the council.” Robin Kuntz was the only councilmember to vote against the resolution. “It doesn’t make sense to me to pass all these different resolutions that are only going to affect four to six people,” Kuntz says. “It just doesn’t make sense to me.” Kuntz continued by saying he doesn’t understand the logic behind establishing criteria that disqualifies funding to local agencies but also permits those same agencies to come before the city council to request funds. “It seems to me what we’ve been doing—yes it’s a lot of work but it works,” says Kuntz. “Do we need to tighten up how we look at things? Yes I think we all realize that.” According to the criteria in the new resolution, city funds should only be granted to outside agencies when: • the agency places an emphasis on services towards the community’s youth or elderly population

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

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Sage Valley Junior High students are Wyoming recycling champions

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Sage Valley Jr. High wins $1000 prize Keep America Beautiful, Inc., the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization, today announced the Wyoming winner of “Recycle-Bowl,” the ﬁrst comprehensive nationwide recycling competition for elementary-, middle- and high-school students. First place in the Wyoming school versus school division went to Sage Valley Jr. High in Gillette, WY where students recycled 15 pounds of waste per capita, earning $1000 in prize money for the school. Students were recognized at a special awards ceremony at the school this morning. “Keep America Beautiful is thrilled with the success of Recycle-Bowl’s inaugural year and our congratulations go out not just to Sage Valley Jr. High but to all participating schools for their work in showing how small changes can make a huge impact,” said Matt McKenna, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “Teachers and recycling coordinators report that the competi-

tion provided them with a mechanism to start or improve their school’s recycling operations. Importantly, they tell us it also provided them with invaluable teaching moments about sustainability, math, science and social studies.” From Oct. 17 through Nov. 12, 2011, participating schools recycled as much as possible. The total amount of school only recyclables recovered during the 2011 competition added up to 2,088,000 pounds Of the six schools participating in Wyoming, Gillette schools ﬁnished in the top three: Sage Valley Jr. High, Twin Spruce Jr. High and Meadowlark Elementary. Nestlé Waters North America sponsored this year’s Recycle-Bowl competition. “We’re eager to see more recycling in our schools and to help students learn how important recycling is,” said Christine Korduba, Communications for Nestle Waters North America. “We’re excited to partner with Keep America Beautiful

and every participating school on this important recycling initiative”. Recycle-Bowl By The Numbers: • 1,223 schools registered - 1% of all U.S. public and private schools. • More than 500,000 students participated in the competition. • On average, 5.32 pounds of material was collected per person in the school versus school division during the four weeks of the competition. • 67% of schools saw “signiﬁcant” or “some” increase in the amount of material recycled. • 2% of schools started a recycling program because of Recycle-Bowl. • If all students in America recycled at the rate of this year’s RecycleBowl competitors, approximately 1.8 million tons of material would be diverted annually from landﬁlls. That would be the weight of 156,000 school buses!

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Leroy Keller, a former snow plow worker for the City of Gillette claims he was terminated after publicly opposing a resolution requiring snow plows to clear residential roads after every snowstorm.

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right-or-way mowing, and it was because things weren’t getting done in a timely manner,” he admits. Still, his termination papers never referenced any prior disciplinary action Keller says. “In the verbiage from the termination papers there was no reference made to anything during my previous employment,” Keller says. “It was speciﬁc to this one incident.” In the end, Keller asserts he is not a bitter, disgruntled employee. Instead, he simply wants the public to know the truth. After all, Keller says he has since found fulltime employment with a local company. Despite everything, Keller says he wouldn’t take anything back. “My parents always taught me to stand up for what you believe in,” Keller concludes. “As an employee I regret what may have happened, but as a citizen and in my heart I know I did the right thing.” The City of Gillette would not comment on Keller’s termination. “The City of Gillette does not comment on personnel matters,” wrote Joe Lunne, public information ofﬁcer for the City of Gillette, in an emailed response.

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Lakeview. Public hearings will be held as follows: February 16, 5:00 p.m. in the Conestoga Elementary School Library. February 16, 7:00 p.m. in the Campbell County High School South Campus Commons. February 21, 5:00 p.m. in the Hillcrest Elementary School Gym. February 21, 7:00 p.m. in the Sunﬂower Elementary School Library. On Tuesday, February 14, Dr. Boyd Brown will present a proposal to the Campbell County School

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Public Hearings scheduled on Elementary School Attendance Areas Campbell County School District has scheduled four public hearings to receive input from patrons at clusters of elementary schools affected by changing attendance area boundaries. Elementary schools that will be recommended for revised attendance areas include Pronghorn, Paintbrush, Sunﬂower, Meadowlark, Hillcrest, and, to a lesser degree, Conestoga and Rozet. Schools that are not involved in the planned boundary changes are 4-J, Cottonwood, Little Powder, Prairie Wind, Rawhide, Recluse, Wagonwheel, and

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Former snow plow worker says he was fired for speaking out LeRoy Keller claims he was unexpectedly terminated from the City of Gillette for following his heart and speaking out against a policy he disagreed with. Despite being released from his employer of just over four years, Keller says looking back he wouldn’t have done anything differently. Exactly one week before he was terminated, Keller attended a December 5 city council meeting to publicly express his opposition to a resolution that was before the Gillette City Council. Specifically, Keller attempted to persuade city council members that requiring the city’s snow plows to clear residential streets after every snowstorm was not the best use of taxpayer dollars. The council apparently disagreed; however, as they went on to unanimously approve a resolution requiring just that. In the past, snow plows only cleared residential streets after a single storm dropped four or more inches of snow. Keller maintains that he attended the meeting last December as a concerned citizen, even though at the time he was a Public Works Crew Supervisor in the Streets Division—a position which made his responsible for clearing the snow from Gillette’s roads. “Exactly a week to the day [of the December 5 council meeting] I was released from duty by the HR Director and the Public Works Director,” Keller explains. According to Keller, his termination notice stated that he had violated the employer’s policies and procedures. “The paperwork I have makes me sound like I was the worst employee the city ever had,” he says. This, Keller emphasizes, is in spite of the fact that every year he was employed by the city he received yearly performance reports recommending him for merit pay increases. “I’ve been in the supervisor’s position there for 3 ½ years prior to this, and every year we have annual performance reports, and based off those reports and the scores you make is to whether you’re eligible for merit pay increases and such,” Keller describes. Even still, Keller concedes he wasn’t a perfect employee. He says his personal file has one blemish from a year earlier. “I had a previous incident, or a writeup, the year before [in 2010] concerning

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District Board of Trustees on elementary attendance area boundary changes, to coincide with the opening of Buffalo Ridge Elementary School. Trustees will consider capacity information, student attendance, and other steps in preparing to welcome students to the new school this fall. A ﬁnal proposal will be taken to the School Board for their approval on February 28, 2012. Established boundaries will be publicized prior to Campbell County School District kindergarten registration in early March.

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Community Wyoming author’s historical novel pitted in the throes of war and racism The racism that fueled the Civil War is all too familiar in author Jim Hawley’s eyes

The recent Screen Actors Guild Awards honored the actors of 2011’s hit ﬁlm “The Help” with three awards. The ﬁlm captivated audiences, transporting them to Jackson, Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement. It confronted Americans with the racism that held a heavy hand in the shaping of the nation, showing them just how recently racism still permeated society. In a similar vein, Jim Hawley’s new historical novel, Rain upon the Blinding Dust, takes readers back to another turning point in the history of racial struggles in the U.S. in a Civil War story that touches on the complexity of race relations. On the surface, Rain upon the Blinding Dust is the story of an escaped slave who joins the 1st

Kansas Colored Volunteers, and a young man who is in the 33rd Iowa Infantry. The two soldiers meet at the failed Red River Campaign, and their stories of hardship and triumph collide for a dramatic climax that will tug at readers’ hearts. He peeped through the thorns and saw that the wagons had been moved. In fact they were moving across the ﬁeld. He jerked and had to bite his lip to keep from crying out as he saw what was happening. The wagons were racing across the ﬁeld running over the skulls of the dead blacks. He laid his head on his arm and cried softly. The tears rolled down his cheeks leaving trails of mud. The teardrops then rolled off his chin and, like large raindrops,

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plopped into the dust under the thorn bush. Hawley portrays the misery and futility of war, but also the senseless racism that, as evidenced by many social inequities, has survived in America for centuries. “Racial tension still exists,” says Hawley. “Looking deeply in the book one can see that race doesn’t really matter at the core.” About the Author: Emergency room doctor Jim Hawley lives in Wheatland, Wyoming, where he has a horse ranch and nine rescue dogs. He was raised at Fort Lookout, one of the forts surrounding Camden, Arkansas, and was told the story of the drummer boy by his father.

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Campbell Co. Fire Dept.

February 1, 2012

- At 5:38 PM to the 3200 block of Watsabaugh Drive for ﬁre alarm activation. CCFD was cancelled en route when it was determined to be a false alarm. - At 10:50 PM to Newton Road for a vehicle versus pedestrian. The pedestrian was transported to CCMH.

February 2, 2012

- At 2:23 AM to East Warlow Drive for a medical assist. - At 2:39 PM to the 600 block of South Douglas Highway for a medical assist. - At 6:10 PM to the 400 block of East Laramie Street for a medical assist

February 3, 2012

- At 12:40 p.m. to North HWY 59 for an EMS assist.

February 4, 2012

- At 2:07 AM to Vivian Street for a medical assist. - At 10:46 AM to 1607 Monte Vista Lane for a ﬁre alarm as a result of a smoke detector activation. Responding ﬁre units were cancelled when it was learned that it

was a false alarm (the homeowner was doing construction and dust set the detector into alarm mode). - At 4:37 PM to 403 South Warren to assist silencing a ﬁre alarm caused by cooking activating a smoke detector. - At 8:33 PM to the 1600 block of Reata Drive for a medical assist.

February 5, 2012

- At 12:18 AM to the 1000 block of East Highway 14-16 for a medical assist. - At 11:57 AM to W. 8th St. for an EMS assist. - At 12:22 PM to Warlow and Burma for a 2 vehicle accident. - At 7:05 PM to Dietrich Ct. for a report of a propane smell. Upon further investigation we found a valve open on a propane tank. - At 7:04 PM to W. 8th St. for an EMS assist.

February 6, 2012

- At 6:54 AM to the 1600 block of West Warlow Drive for a medical assist - At 5:35 PM to 111 Fox Lane for a gas odor inside

the residence. The odor had dissipated and could not be duplicated. The gas monitor did not register any flammable gas levels inside the residence. - At 6:40 PM to 2307 Wyoming Avenue (Travel Alliance) for a fire alarm. No fire, burnt food caused a smoke detector to activate. - At 7:15 PM to 156 Dubois Lane for a fire alarm. No fire, burnt food caused a smoke detector to activate.

February 7, 2012

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- At 8:41 AM to the 200 block of Laurel Street for an EMS assist. - At 2:38 PM to the 500 Block of Church Avenue for an EMS assist. - At 2:42 PM to Cascade Ct. for an EMS assist. - At 2:59 PM to Dry Fork Mine for a 3 acre grass fire, the cause of the fire was unknown. - At 7:06 PM to North Highway 59 for a reported grassfire, upon arrival it was determined to be a controlled burn.

When was Bacon’s Rebellion? 1676

One of the earliest large-scale insurrections was BACON’S REBELLION. In 1676, NATHANIEL BACON led a group of disgruntled citizens from the western part of Virginia eastward in search of justice. They felt their interests were not represented by Virginia’s colonial legislature. They felt GOVERNOR BERKELEY had done nothing to protect them from Indian raids. These frontier Virginians felt excluded from the riches of the eastern seaboard. Over a thousand of Bacon’s followers entered Jamestown and burned the capital city. Governor Berkeley ﬂed until reinforcements could organize. The rebels pillaged and plundered the countryside until Berkeley’s forces crushed them. Over twenty rebels were hanged, but fear of further rebellion was struck into the hearts of the members of the wealthy Virginia planting class.

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Community What’s Going On? Friday, February 10 -Senior Center- CLOSED -Jackdanny Band @ Jakes Tavern -Tickets for the Chocolate Basket Rafﬂe on Sale Now Jan. 9-Feb.10, 1 for $1 or 6 for $5, Drawing 4:30 p.m. Feb. 10, CCPL -Winter Western, Cam-plex -AVA: Little Tikes, 10 a.m. -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Ribbon Cutting: Oasis Tans, 12:15- 12:45 p.m., 1103 E. Boxelder Rd. Ste. G2, 682-3673 -Senior Center- Prime Rib Dinner, 5 p.m. -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AVA: Uncorked! & Sol Domus Artist Reception, 6-8 p.m. -Planetarium Public Show: Laser Mania! 7-8 & 8-9 p.m., 1000 Lakeway Rd. -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Last Call Group, 10 p.m., 2910 S Douglas Hwy. Saturday, February 11 -Jackdanny Band @ Jakes Tavern -Winter Western, Cam-plex -Wild West Championships, Rocky Mountain Nationals Wrestling, Cam-plex Wyoming Center -ACT Test, 8 a.m., CCHS South Campus -AA- Discussion, 8:30 a.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Rockpile Museum: Inventors & Inventions at the Rockpile Museum, 10 a.m.- 12 noon, 6825723 for ReservationsFREE -Teen Dungeons & Dragons, 10 a.m., CCPL -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Teen Open-Play Video Gaming, 1 p.m., CCPL -Planetarium Public Show: Laser Mania! 1-2, 7-8 & 8-9 p.m., 1000 Lakeway Rd. -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Last Call Group, 10 p.m., 2910 S Douglas Hwy. Sunday, February 12 -AA-Morning Spiritual, 10:15 a.m., 2910 S Douglas Hwy. -Senior Center: CLOSED -WBA Meeting @ Jakes Tavern -Winter Western, Cam-plex -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Planetarium Public Show: Laser Mania! 1-2, 7-8 & 8-9 p.m., 1000 Lakeway Rd. -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. Monday, February 13 -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy.

-Prairie Wind PTO Meeting, 12 p.m., Prairie Wind -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Sunﬂower 3rd Grade Music Program, 7 p.m., Sunﬂower -Twin Spruce Dance, 7 p.m., TSJH -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. Tuesday, February 14 HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! -HealthCHECK Testing, 7-11 a.m., CCMH Lab, 6881222 -Storytime, 3-5 yr. olds, 10:30 a.m., CCPL -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Senior Center- Cloud Peak Energy Sponsored Dinner, 12 p.m. -AVA- Preschool Art, 2 p.m. -AVA- Grade School Pottery, 4 p.m. -Teen Card Game Club, 4 p.m., CCPL -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Beginners, 6:45 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Sage Valley Choir Valentine’s Day Concert, 7 p.m., CCHS South Campus Commons Area -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. Wednesday, February 15 -Early Release- Professional Day, 1 p.m. Secondary, 1:30 p.m. Elementary -Children’s Immunization Clinic, 8-11:30 a.m., Public Health -Storytime, 3-5 yr. olds, 10:30 a.m., CCPL -Storytime, All Ages, 11 a.m., WBL -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Early Release Gaming, 1 p.m., CCPL -AVA- Early Release, 2-5 p.m. -Children’s Origami Party, 2:30 p.m., CCPL -Airport Board Meeting, 4 p.m. -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Planetarium Public Show: Astronaut, 7-7:45 p.m., 1000 Lakeway Rd. -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. Thursday, February 16 -HealthCHECK Testing, 7-11 a.m., CCMH Lab, 6881222 -Toddler Time, 18 months3 yr., 9:30 a.m., CCPL -Storytime, 3-5 yr. olds, 10:30 a.m., CCPL -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AVA- Homeschool Art, 2 p.m. -AVA- Grade School Kids Club, 4 p.m. -February Mixer: Lifestyle Homes Inc., 5-7 p.m., 1600 Sunridge

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-AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Families & Jammies, Birth- 6th Grade, 6:30 p.m., CCPL -Teen Anime Club, 7 p.m., CCPL -Prairie Wind ½ Grade Music Program, 7 p.m., CCHS Auditorium -Rozet Grades ¾ Music Program, 7 p.m., Cam-plex Heritage Center -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy.

Monday, February 20 -NO SCHOOL -School’s Out Public Skate, 10 a.m.- 1 p.m., Cam-plex Spirit Hall -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. Tuesday, February 21 -HealthCHECK Testing, 7-11 a.m., CCMH Lab, 6881222 -Storytime, 3-5 yr. olds, 10:30 a.m., CCPL -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Visually Imparted, 1 p.m., Senior Center, Pat Edwards 257-2949 -AVA- Preschool Art, 2 p.m. -AVA- Grade School Pottery, 4 p.m. -Teen Card Game Club, 4 p.m., CCPL -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AVA: Pottery with John Werbelow, 6:30-9 p.m. -AA-Beginners, 6:45 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -CCSD 6-12 Orchestra Gala, 7 p.m., Cam-plex Wyoming Center -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy.

Friday, February 17 -Stone Monkey Band @ Jakes Tavern -AVA: Little Tikes, 10 a.m. -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Kid’s Night Out, 6-9 p.m., Rec. Center -AVA: Uncorked! 7 p.m. -Open MIC Night, 7 p.m., Brothers Coffee -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Last Call Group, 10 p.m., 2910 S Douglas Hwy. Saturday, February 18 -UMF Auction with Stone Monkey Band @ Jakes Tavern -AA- Discussion, 8:30 a.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -2012 Indoor Team Marathon, 9 a.m., Rec. Center, 682-8527 -4H Horse Clinic, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., Cam-plex Barn 3 -Teen Dungeons & Dragons, 10 a.m., CCPL -RCM Barrel Race, 10a.m.8 p.m., Cam-plex East Pavilion -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Teen Open-Play Video Gaming, 1 p.m., CCPL -Ducks Unlimited Banquet, 4:30 p.m., Cam-plex Wyoming Center, Todd Heslep 689-0555 -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Last Call Group, 10 p.m., 2910 S Douglas Hwy.

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Sunday, February 19 -AA-Morning Spiritual, 10:15 a.m., 2910 S Douglas Hwy. -Senior Center- CLOSED -UMF Meeting @ Jakes Tavern -WRCHA Club Clinic, 9 a.m.- 6 p.m., Cam-plex Barn 3 -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AVA: Hat Felting, 1-5 p.m. -Powder River Symphony: Birds, Bears & Other Animals!, 3 p.m., Cam-plex Heritage Center -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy.

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The Wyoming Game and Fish Department, under the direction of the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, administers lands and public easement areas that are home to vast numbers of ﬁsh and wildlife. The department maintains approximately 413,000 acres of land under deed, lease or by agreement and continually strives to acquire new access areas. Much of this land is administered as wildlife habitat management areas and while we don’t have any of these areas in Campbell County, there are two in northern Sheridan County. Check out these and other areas on the Department’s website at http://gf.state.wy.us or in this month’s issue of Wyoming Wildlife News.

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Community Campbell County Senators and Representatives respond to 2012 State of Wyoming Bills The Campbell County Observer will print a couple bills every week with responses from our local Campbell County Senators and Representatives. Here are the two for this week.

Bill 1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. HJ0003

Resolution-parents’ rights. Sponsored by: Representative(s) Botten, Davison, Illoway, Kroeker, Lubnau, Semlek and Vranish and Senator(s) Dockstader and Landen A BILL for A JOINT RESOLUTION requesting Congress submit to the states a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution prohibiting the infringement of parents’ rights. WHEREAS, the right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right protected by the Constitution of the United States and the State of Wyoming; and WHEREAS, our nation has historically relied first and foremost on parents to meet the real and constant needs of children; and WHEREAS, the interests of children are best served when parents are free to make child rearing decisions about education, religion and other areas of a child’s life without government interference; and WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court in Wisconsin v.Yoder (1972), has held that “This primary role of the parents in the upbringing of their children is now established beyond debate as an enduring American tradition”; and WHEREAS, subsequently, the United States Supreme Court in Troxel v. Granville (2000), produced six (6) different opinions on the nature and enforceability of parental rights under the United States Constitution; and WHEREAS, this decision has created confusion and ambiguity about the fundamental nature of parental rights in the laws and society of the several states; and WHEREAS, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has been proposed and may soon be considered for ratification by the United States Senate, which would drastically alter this fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children; and WHEREAS, this convention has already been acceded to by one hundred ninety-four (194) nations worldwide; and WHEREAS, Senator James DeMint of the state of South Carolina and Representative Peter Hoekstra of the state of Michigan introduced in the first session of the 111th United States Congress, later reintroduced in the second session of the 111th United States Congress, an amendment to the United States Constitution to prevent erosion of the enduring American tradition of treating parental rights as fundamental rights: SECTION ONE. The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right. SECTION TWO. Neither the United States nor any state shall infringe upon this right without demonstrating that its governmental interest as applied to the person is of the highest order and not otherwise served. SECTION THREE. No treaty may be adopted nor shall any source of international law be employed to supersede, modify, interpret, or

apply to the rights guaranteed by this article. WHEREAS, this amendment will add explicit text to the Constitution of the United States to protect in perpetuity the rights of parents as they are now enjoyed, without substantive change to current state or federal laws respecting these rights; and WHEREAS, such enumeration of these rights in the text of the Constitution will preserve them from being infringed upon by the shifting ideologies and interpretations of the United States Supreme Court; and WHEREAS, such enumeration of these rights in the text of the Constitution will preserve them from being infringed upon by treaty or international law. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING: Section 1. That the Legislature of the State of Wyoming urges the members of the United States Congress to propose the Parental Rights Amendment to the states for ratiﬁcation. Section 2. That the Secretary of State of Wyoming transmit copies of this resolution to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Congress and members of the Wyoming Congressional Delegation. (END)

Bill 2 SENATE FILE NO. SF0044

Campbell County, House Joint Resoulution No. HJ0003 would request that Congress submit to the states a proposed amendment to the US Constitution prohibiting the infringement of parents’ rights. I support the rights of parents to to make decisions regarding their children. If it is introduced this session in its present form, I will vote yes. Thanks, Representative Norine Kasperik

Parental responsibilities. Sponsored by: Senator(s) Case and Representative(s) McOmie A BILL for AN ACT relating to parents, guardians and custodians; increasing penalties relating to school attendance; and providing for an effective date. Leave Your Mark on Be It Enacted by the Legislature of Campbell County... the State of Wyoming: Section 1. W.S. 21-4-105 is amended to read: 21-4-105. Penalty for failure of parent, guardian or custodian to comply with article. Unlimited LLC Any parent, guardian or custodian Your New Generation of Beautiful of any child to whom this article applies who willfully fails, neglects, or refuses to comply with the provisions of this article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not less than five •Hair Extentsions dollars ($5.00) one hundred dollars Ultratress II ($100.00) nor more than twenty-five •Xango Hair Products dollars ($25.00) or by one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), imprisonment in 307-682-7001 the county jail for not more than ten 306 W. Lakeway Rd. (10) days, or by both. such fine and imprisonment. Section 2. This act is effective July 1, 2012. (END)

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Hello Campbell County, House Joint Resolution 0003 requests Congress to submit a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution to the individual states for ratiﬁcation. This amendment would prohibit the infringement of the basic right of parents to oversee their own children’s education. At this point I intend to vote for this

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By Paul Wallem - Basin Radio News A presentation on public transportation in Campbell County was given during Tuesday’s lunch meeting between the Town of Wright, the City of Gillette and the Campbell County Commissioners. The Campbell County Transportation Coordination Team advocates for a coordinated plan that utilizes the transportation resources currently available in Campbell County. The group was made up of representatives from the Campbell County Senior Center, Wyoming Independent Living, Second Chance Ministries, Wright Community Assistance and City of Gillette senior planner Michael Surface. Together, they argue the county’s public transportation could function better by combining current resources. When prodded by City of Gillette Councilman John Opseth whether or not the group was seeking government funding, the group responded by saying they were only seeking an endorsement, not funding. “We put your weight behind us is what we do,” responds Surface. “That’s the whole purpose of the resolution.” Surface became involved with the organization after

resolution. The most basic level of American Democracy is the individual family and each family’s right to make its own choices under the law should be recognized and protected. Senate File 0004 is essentially a clean up bill presented by the Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Interim Committee to help the office of the Secretary of State with its efforts to provide a good business climate in Wyoming without allowing outside fraudulent or scam corporations to have a post office box presence within the state. What this law will do is require registered agents to renew on time or inform their clients that they do not wish to continue as a registered agent for that out of state entity. This bill will allow the office of the Secretary of State (Wyoming Taxpayers) to save a considerable amount of money. This bill was worked on over the interim by the Corporations Committee with hearings held for public input and as I recall there was support from all for the bill. Thank you, Representative Blikre

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this issue came up while he was talking with his supervisor, Dustin Hamilton, and City of Gillette administrator Carter Napier. “I volunteered my services, hence why I’m here today,” says Surface. Surface continues, “My role is just to provide assistance to this group.” Even still, the elected officials didn’t back any resolution of endorsement Tuesday. However, an endorsement will be prepared for later consideration by the three government entities. According to the Campbell County Transportation Coordination Team, their 90-day strategic plan includes formally organizing, educating public officials about the need to coordinate transportation resources, identifying all public and private transportation providers, updating transportation provider guide, and meeting with all transportation providers. Earlier this year, Gillette Express Transit System (GETS) made a presentation before the Gillette City Council regarding what they say is an identifiable need for a public transportation system in Gillette. The Campbell County Transportation Coordination Team says their group

differs from GETS because they are looking to coordinate efforts that are already underway, whereas GETS has a standalone plan for a ﬁxed route system in Gillette. Nevertheless, the Campbell County Transportation Coordination Team commends GETS on the study GETS conducted in June 2010. The Campbell County Transportation Coordination Team says that study provided good information about the need for public transportation in the county. GETS member Mary Kelley heard Tuesday’s presentation. Afterwards, Kelley says despite the differences between the two groups they are working towards a common goal. “We all want to increase public transportation here in Gillette and Campbell County,” Kelley says. At the same time, Kelley says if it were possible to coordinate all the buses in Campbell County that currently service speciﬁc groups, it would have been done already. “We need to look more strongly at a public transportation system that would have small buses that would serve everyone’s needs,” says Kelley.

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“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reﬂection that your vote is never lost.” - John Quincy Adams

Public Pulse Bold Republic Weekly The ﬁeld of Broke! By Glenn Woods

Wyoming Business Tips for Feb. 12 - 18

A weekly look at Wyoming business questions from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (WSBDC), part of WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming. Submitted by By Debbie Gorski, Wyoming Entrepreneur social media community manager “How can a smart phone make my life easier?” Jane, Laramie My best advice: Invest some time learning how to use your phone ﬁrst. This will save you time in the future. Once you understand how to operate the phone, you are ready for the wonderful world of apps. Recently, I bought a new smart phone and could not wait to try it because there are literally thousands of apps. Apple advertises “more than 500,000 apps” for their iPad/iPhone products and Android says “browse over 400,000 apps ...” for its phone. Clearly, you won’t use a fraction of them.

I am going to skip over the categories of games, music, entertainment and medical, and will get down to “business.” First, find the app store on your phone, locate the categories and then click on “business.” If I am looking for something specific and the app is rated three stars or more and is free, I will try it. But if the app comes highly recommended, then I am willing to pay a few dollars. I do not consider uploading anything that receives less than three stars (this is my own personal policy). If you don’t find something perusing the app store, ask yourself “what would help me with my busy life?” Make a list of the tasks you find cumbersome, dread to tackle or that take too much time. If I am looking for something specific, I Google the task and most of the time, I find resources or at least somebody’s “Top 10 Must Have Apps!” The newest smart phones have personal assistants. Android has Jeannie and iPhone has Siri. Using

voice commands, you can schedule an appointment, send an email, voice dial a contact, set an alarm or listen to music, to name a few. Ask any question and you will get a response of some kind. If you are not ready for a new phone, you can still download an app and have all the luxuries of a personal assistant. There are even apps to process credit card payments. I can see where this would be invaluable at craft fairs, tradeshows or anywhere you conduct business when you only have a phone to make a transaction. Using your phone’s camera feature, you can scan anything: receipts, documents, business cards and QR codes. Then save, email or, with the availability of wiﬁ, you can even print. Do you want the capability to access documents from your computer or do you need a logo? There are apps for that as well. Whatever your task, there is an app available.

We need a 1% sales tax we are told. The City of Gillette needs the money to pay for the water project. I was in favor of the tax. I supported it on my radio show. The city is growing. We need the water. Boy was I suckered, right along with the rest of you. Right after that tax is raised The City of Gillette somehow comes up with $2.534 million dollars to purchase 320 acres of land at the end of Country club Gulf Course near Garner Lake Road and Boxelder Road. In an on air conversation, on my radio show, with the city spokesman Joe Lunne - (thanks for the call Joe) he said that the city was planning ahead for the expected needs population growth in the coming years. What we disagreed on was how one might define the word “need.” In my humble opinion I do not see any of this as a need. First, for a project like this, a city needs to pick a name. It has to be inspirational and something that makes a person sound like a fool if they object to it. Let’s call it THE FIELD OF DREAMS! Ok, fine. Call it that if you like. I’m not buying it. I’m calling it THE FIELD OF BROKE! After interviewing several design firms the city then selected Bruce Dees & Associates from Tacoma, Washington to design the EVIL MASTER PLAN! The City of Gillette paid the firm $238,000 of your money to come up with a design for THE FIELD OF BROKE! On air, I said that the city could have saved that money and the entire plan could have been drawn up on a napkin. Joe Lunne disagreed. Here is what I mean by that: Some city officials could have sat down to kick around a few ideas over lunch. You might need a few napkins, especially if you are having BBQ. Once the ideas were agreed on, they could have taken the napkin to a local architect and offered him a few hundred bucks to draw up a rough sketch, to scale, to present to the public. Only when the final plan is approved should the city call a design company. This would need to be someone who actually knows how to build stuff like this, including public bathrooms, how much parking would be needed, traffic flow, and other such adjustments. At no time should any of this add to anywhere close to $238,000.

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

Governor Mead’s Op-Ed on Health Care

Letters to the Editor Dear Editor, Land Swapping to Replace the Land Grant University Mission! Recently an article in several Wyoming newspapers extolled the merits of swapping the 50,000 acre YCross Ranch for a comparatively small 11,000 acre parcel of poorly productive land east of Laramie Wyoming owned by Doug Samuleson. There are several facts left out of this article. First, the University of Wyoming is a Land Grant University formed under the Morrill Act. The Morrill Act of 1862 was also known as the Land Grant College Act. It was a major boost to higher education in America. The grant was originally set up to establish institutions in each state that would educate people in agriculture, home economics, mechanical arts, and other professions that were practical at the time. As new professions have emerged the Morrill Act has been amended to encompass these. Thus we have the University of Wyoming offering a wide ﬁeld of degrees. Many generous donors have given property, money and other valuables to the University to further its mission. They are all assured that their wishes for their gifts will be honored

in perpetuity. This is clearly not true. Ms. Amy Davis and the Courtney Davis Foundation donated the Y-Cross Ranch because the University of Wyoming did not have a resource to demonstrate large scale range management or large herd management. The average cow herd size in the United States is less than 50cows. The average age of a farmer rancher in the United States is 58 years. More than half of the enrollees in Agriculture come from urban backgrounds and have no “on-the-ground” experience in Agriculture. Ms. Davis has expressed regret over the University of Wyoming’s intent to dispose of the Y-Cross ranch. Further, if this Ranch is disposed of there is nothing on that scale to replace it. Given these facts, why would future donors choose the University of Wyoming to preserve and promote their education. Frank Eatorne-President of Directors of ICOW From Editor Nicholas De Laat: I don’t know. One thing I have always found is that most universities teach multiple brands of “deserve” and not “earned.” They think you should “expect” instead of “think.” These kind of policies have worked our way over the years through students,

who then become workers, who then become politicians. This is why the thought of our current government thinking of entitlement has come from. “Steal from the Rich to give to the poor” was a great story in Robin Hood, but in reality is the basis if all decline, but the problem is they justify these actions. Keep up the fight! Dear Editor, This Field of Dreams? WHAT A JOKE! Can you put the future articles about this project in your “jokes of the week” section? We need the Madison water project out of necessity, and we needed an extra tax for it. But hey, we have the money for this! I would like to state a new Gillette slogan. “Tax on necessities, and spend on luxuries” Rick Keller From Editor Keary Speer: It’s funny that this letter should find its way into our paper on this particular week! I don’t really think it was much of a coincidence. In response to your letter, I can only suggest that you flip over to our very own columnist’s column this week! I think you will find that you both have a lot in common when it comes to this issue! Thanks for writing in!

Did I mention that this is your hard earned tax dollars at work? Included in no the interested groups are the city dog park proponents. They were able to get a slice of land set aside in the park AH there are those dog park people again. See, I’ve spoken to a few of these people in person, and have had a few of them call in on my radio show. I think they misunderstand my objection. You want a dog park? Fine! Let’s take a chunk of park land. You can have it. Now, how much or your own time, money, and effort, are you going to put into that dog park for YOUR dog? I just want to see some effort on your part. I have little if any patience for people who want something for nothing. If the dog park people are out there raising money for their section of the park, then I have no problem with them. About that Skateboard section of this park ---- Imagine the important lessons we could teach our children by asking them to work for, earn, and build their own skateboard park. They don’t even have to raise all the money. Let’s just show them the value of working for and earning something that they can take pride in. This will also offset the cost for the taxpayers who don’t have skateboard. Also included in the list of wants for the Field of Broke are….. A covered stadium that seats 10,000 people, 25 ball fields, 12 full length soccer or multipurpose fields An outdoor practice facility, A Boy’s & Girls Club, Basketball courts, Pathways, And more. More what? Where are you going to put the “MORE?” How much “MORE” is the “MORE” going to cost us? We still have yet to answer the question as to where the money of all of this is coming from. I, for one, was livid over how much the city spent just purchasing the land. Don’t we have a water project to pay for? Water is a “need.” Nothing in this park is a need. Well, --- we have purchased the land already. Fine. Let’s use it. But for each and every group that wants a section to play in, please, find a way to pitch in and help build and pay. Let’s make this a true community project.

Submitted by Governor Mead Health care is an area that generates much discussion, thoughtful debate and increasing concern. This is one of the reasons I wanted to engage the people of Wyoming with a series of town hall meetings. These meetings give citizens across the state a chance to discuss problems they experience with health care in their communities and what can be done to improve health care delivery. I oppose the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. One of my first actions as Governor was to instruct the Wyoming Attorney General to join the lawsuit seeking to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The United States Supreme Court will hear arguments this spring and there may be a ruling as early as June 2012. I hope the Affordable Care Act will be declared unconstitutional. In the meantime, Wyoming cannot sit back and do nothing to tackle these issues. Wyoming people face real and significant problems ranging from the cost of care to limited services, from the inability to purchase insurance to difficulty in finding a doctor. These are not challenges

we can leave unaddressed. We need to focus on primary care and consider state-driven solutions such as medical homes, and we must push for the best use of technology in health care delivery. Technology can improve both the availability and quality of care across the state. In my proposed budget for the next two years I recommended $250,000 in matching funds for the Wyoming Integrated Care Network, $100,000 for Wyoming Health Matters and $100,000 for the 2-1-1 networks. While the Joint Appropriations Committee did not approve all of my recommendations I believe these initiatives show signs of success and could be part of a health care solution that fits Wyoming’s needs and culture. Another health care option currently being explored is the concept of health benefit exchanges. Heath benefit exchanges are mandated by the Affordable Care Act, which I oppose. However, if the Affordable Care Act is not overturned–and if Wyoming does not take preliminary, nonbinding steps to keep options open, then Wyoming could be limited

to a federally run health exchange. If an exchange is mandated I prefer to have a state-run exchange. I hope the public will provide feedback about this concept. As I noted, my staff is participating in town hall meetings across the state. These meetings (there will be seven in all) are designed to hear from Wyoming people about the hurdles they face in health care, their ideas on how to improve health care in Wyoming and finally their opinions on a health care exchange. Thank you to the people who have come out and participated and to the others who have taken time to write or call my office to offer input. I want to be crystal clear. I oppose the Affordable Care Act and have devoted both Wyoming’s talent and resources to fight the federal mandate. Wyoming will address health care on its own terms. If Wyoming is ever required by the federal government to enact an exchange, we will do so consistent with the views of Wyoming people. I am glad to hear from you and look forward to more discussion as together we tackle Wyoming health care issues with Wyoming ingenuity.

Sports Report Lady Camels remain undefeated in Conference

What’s Going On In Sports? Friday, February 10 -CCHS BSW Conference, Kelly Walsh -WJSH B/G BB vs. Sundance, Wright -WJSH WRE NE Conference Duals, 2 p.m., Moorcroft -CCHS BBB (SO/JV/V) @ Cheyenne South, 4 p.m. -CCHS GBB (SO/JV/V) vs. Cheyenne South, 4 p.m., CCHS North Campus

By Ted Ripko - Basin Radio When the Campbell County High School student section showed up at Sheridan High School wearing all black, you knew the Lady Camels (14-4, 5-0) meant business against their archrival nemesis the Lady Broncs (13-4, 3-2). Gillette fell behind early 9-2, and despite not recording their first points of the game until midway through the first quarter on a lay-up by Sierra Toms, the Lady Camels were able to prevail 55-51 to remain undefeated in Eastern Conference play. Gillette trailed for the majority of the game as they did not grab their first lead until there was just 31.4 seconds remaining in the third quarter when Shelby Johnson scored her first FG of the game and made it a three-point play by making the free throw. There were three more lead changes from that point on, but the Lady Camels grabbed the lead for good with just 59.4 seconds remaining with the score 52-51. Late baskets by Dacia Lyman, Julia Seamans, McCorra Ford and free throws by Toms and Steph Casteel really propelled the

Lady Camels to victory. Toms finished with a teamhigh 15 points and was the only Lady Camel of the 10 that scored to finish in double figures. Dacia Lyman and Dani Williams each finished with 6 points, Lexi Hill and Shelby Johnson each had 5, while Julia Seamans, Lexi Wilde, Casteel, and Ford each finished with 4 as Michaela Anderson scored an early basket to end with 2 points. Leading the way for the Lady Broncs and the game was Hailey Ligocki as she scored a game-high 20 points with Nicole Gollinvaux right behind her with 16. Next up for the Lady Camels is a home stand at the Castle of Chaos against Cheyenne South Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. against Laramie. You can hear both of these games on Fox Country 100.7 FM and online athttp://www. network1sports.com/station/ kaml#menus beginning at 7:15 p.m. with the Shell Food Mart pregame show.

Saturday, February 11 -WJSH B/G BB @ Tongue River -Gillette College Indoor Track Meet @ Black Hills State, Spearﬁsh, SD -CCHS BBB (SO/JV/V) @ Laramie, 10 a.m. -CCHS GBB (SO/JV/V) vs. Laramie, 10 a.m., CCHS North Campus -Gillette College WBB @ Western Wyoming Community College, 3 p.m. --Gillette College MBB @ Western Wyoming Community College, 5 p.m. -Gillette WILD vs. Helena, 8 p.m., Cam-plex Spirit Hall Sunday, February 12 -Gillette WILD vs. Helena, 1 p.m., Cam-plex Spirit Hall Photo by Nathan Kobielusz - Basin Radio

Sierra Toms helped propel the Lady Camels past archrival Sheridan Lady Broncs Friday night with a team-high 15 points.

Tuesday, February 14 -WJSH Drama Spring Play, 7 p.m., Town Hall Wednesday, Feb. 15 -Gillette College WBB vs. LBHC, 5:30 p.m., CCHS South Campus -Gillette College MBB vs. LBHC, 7:30 p.m., CCHS South Campus

Edwards has double-double as Pronghorns end losing skid

Thursday, February 16 -WJSH B/G BB @ Hulett

By Vic Wright - Basin Radio The Pronghorns (14-8, 5-4) were able to end their 4-game losing skid against the Dawson Community College Buccaneers (7-11, 2-8) Saturday night, as George Edwards scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the 81-71 victory. Four other Pronghorns finished the game with double digits, but Head Coach Shawn Neary wanted to see his Pronghorns improve on defense. He saw that for about the first three quarters of the contest. Gillette College had nine steals and forced 13 turnovers on Dawson CC in the first half and had a 4530 lead at halftime. The Pronghorns shot almost 10 percent better than the Bucs from the floor in the first half and made seven of eight free throws. With about six minutes in the game, the Pronghorns’ defense started to sputter. Although they never let the Bucs take a lead, the Pronghorns did allow Dawson CC to steal the ball a few times and make easy baskets in that period. Coach Neary was visibly frustrated with his players, as he was seen multiple times with his hands interlocked behind his head or on his hips in disgust. Gillette

Friday, February 17 -CCHS WRE (JV/V) Regionals, CCHS South Campus -WJSH B/G BB vs. Lusk, Wright -WJSH WRE Regionals, Saratoga -CCHS BBB (SO/JV/V) vs. Cheyenne Central, 4 p.m., CCHS North Campus -CCHS GBB (SO/JV/V) @ Cheyenne Central, 4 p.m.

College actually ﬁned the game with 20 turnovers, two more the Dawson CC. Thanks to Matt Strickland’s cool and calm prowess from the free throw line, he ﬁnished eight for eight from the charity stripe-the Bucs were not able to catch a break. With less than a minute to go and down by less than 10 points, the Bucs held off fouling the Pronghorns. Instead, Gillette had a couple defensive rebounds to keep Dawson CC at bay and come away with the victory. Troy Jones led the Buccaneers with 16 points. The Pronghorns go on the road Wednesday night to take on Miles Community College, a team that the Pronghorns defeated on Jan. 7, 94-90.

Saturday, February 18 -CCHS WRE (JV/V) Regionals, CCHS South Campus -WJSH WRE Regionals, Saratoga -CCHS BBB (SO/JV/V) vs. Cheyenne East, 10 a.m., CCHS North Campus -CCHS GBB (SO/JV/V) @ Cheyenne East, 10 a.m. -Gillette College WBB vs. CWC, 6 p.m., CCHS South Campus -Gillette College MBB vs. CWC, 8 p.m., CCHS South Campus

Pronghorns Scoring Summary

George Edwards-20 Matt Strickland-12 Kalen Foreman-12 Reece Maxwell-10 James Hunter-10 Tony Lowry Jr.-7 Kash McKinney-4 Asante Smiter-4 Lucas Reller-2

Monday, February 13 -WJSH Dev B/G BB vs. Sage Valley, Wright -WJSH Drama Spring Play, 7 p.m., Town Hall

Monday, February 20 -CCHS BBB (SO/JV) vs. Rapid City Stevens, 4 p.m., CCHS North Campus -CCHS GBB (SO/JV) @ Rapid City Stevens, 4 p.m. Photo by Nathan Kobielusz - Basin Radio

George Edwards’ game-high 20 points Saturday night helped the Pronghorns end their four-game losing streak.

Tuesday, February 21 -CCSD Strings Gala Concert, 7 p.m., Camplex Wyoming Center

Peak Wrestlers perform very well in Lead/Deadwood Submitted by Jannie Miller On February 4, Peak Wrestlers competed in the Lead/ Deadwood AAU tourney where there were a total of 522 wrestlers. Mason Miller in the 9/10 60 lb division and Warren Carr in the 9/10 division 80 lb division both placed ﬁrst. Rayce Mason in the 9/10 50 lb division, Cooper Cook in the 9/10 55 lb division, and Tanner Cook in the 11/12 60 lb division was 2nd. Brady Carlson in the 9/10 65 lb division placed 3rd. Nathan Delgrande in the 11/12 60 lb division and Cole Deimling in the 65 lb division both placed 5th. The Peak Wrestlers are preparing this week for the Rocky Mountain National Wild, Wild, West Tourney on Feb. 11, in Gillette at CAM-PLEX.

Photo submitted by Jannie Miller

Peak Wrestlers (left to right) in front, Cole Deimling, Mason Miller, Rayce Mason, and Tanner Cook; in back, Brady Carlson, Nate DelGrande, Warren Carr, and Cooper Cook.

“One day of practice is like one day of clean living. It doesn’t do you any good.” - Abe Lemmons

Sports Report Pronghorns best Lady Bucs off Wright’s 20 By Vic Wright - Basin Radio KeKe Wright had her best game of her junior college career, as she scored 20 points on the evening. She led the Pronghorns (14-9, 6-3) to a 56-31 win over Dawson Community College (314, 2-8) on Saturday night. Gillette College had a strong game defensively, causing Dawson CC to commit a couple shot clock violations on the evening. The Pronghorns played full court press most of the night, not giving the Lady Bucs many looks or time to set up their offense. Dawson CC was only 28.6 percent from the ﬂoor and 16.7 percent from the line. Gillette out-rebounded Dawson Community College 44 to 31. More importantly, the Pronghorns out rebounded the Lady Buccaneers on the defensive side, 28-17. Only one three-pointer was made in the game between the two teams, coming off the hands of Teja Mangum of the Lady Bucs. The Pronghorns were 44.6 percent from the ﬁeld and 54.5 percent from the free throw line. Gillette College stayed fresh throughout the game, as Coach Will Rider rotated out players often. Every Pronghorn got at least 15 minutes of action in the game. That helped out the Pronghorns as well. The Lady Bucs had two players play 31 minutes or more, with Hallie Westgard playing all but three minutes of the game. Gillette College travels to Miles City, MT on Wednesday to take on the Lady Pioneers of Miles Community College next. The Pronghorns defeated the Lady Pioneers at home, 58-55, on Jan. 7.

Where is this picture taken? Answer from last week Submitted by James Grabrick

Main Water Tower on Southern Drive.

Weekly Trivia Answer from Last Week What was the CWA? Civil Works Administration

The Civil Works Administration was created in 1933 to create jobs for the unemployed. Its focus on high paying jobs in the construction arena resulted in a much greater expense to the federal government than originally anticipated. The CWA ended in 1934 in large part due to opposition to its cost.

Pronghorns Scoring Summary KeKe Wright-20 Iesha Greer-9 Jordan Scott-Benson-6 Diarra Carrington-6 Kim Caywood-4 Christina Davis-4 Anastasia Champlin-4 Jordyn Croft-2 Jessica Davis-1

KeKe Wright had a career night Saturday when she scored a game-high 20 points.

Campbell County

University of Wyoming Fall Semester Provost’s Honor Roll The University of Wyoming lists 19 students from Campbell County on the 2011 fall semester Provost’s Honor Roll. The Provost’s Honor Roll consists of undergraduates who have completed at least six but fewer than 12 hours with a minimum 3.5 grade point average for the semester.

Who’s Brand is this in Campbell County? Answer from last week Randy or D.R. Hayden

Photo by Nathan Kobielusz - Basin Radiio

For more information about the University of Wyoming visit www.uwyo. edu. Students are: Gillette: Jennifer J. Brown, Kaitlin Erikson, Leslea Renae Hunt, Jordan Alise Johnson, Kimberlie R. Martinson, Irene Carmen McClain, Crystal Lee Nezworski, Angela Roesler, Re-

becca Samberg, Jillian J. Semingsen, Devin Rae Vance, Gregory Ryan Waetzig, Hayley R. Wasserburger, Andrew L. Wempen, and Vanessa Roseanna Williams Rozet: Carly Delsa Temple Weston: Sydnee Gleason Wright: Kylee J. Eddleman and Sean Reid

Patriot Publishing is a small publishing business starting up right here in Wyoming. We not only publish the Campbell County Observer and calendars, but anything in print. We will soon also have a monthly publication that we think you will enjoy. If you have a book and can’t get a major company to publish you, we are a new and American-owned publisher that may print your work. Please feel free to contact us at anytime with your idea.

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Joke of the week Submitted by Cindy Alverez As he lay on his deathbed, the man conﬁded to his wife, “I cannot die without telling you the truth. I cheated on you throughout our whole marriage. All those nights when I told you I was working late, I was with other women. And not just one woman either, but I’ve slept with dozens of them.” His wife looked at him calmly and said, “Why do you think I gave you the poison?”

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Sports Report Gillette Wild takes down the best By Red Ripko - Basin Radio Sports In what could be called their best weekend in the franchises young history, the Gillette Wild Junior Hockey Tier III team swept through their weekend road games as they opened up the trip with a very a stunning 4-3 win over Helena Friday night and then destroyed Great Falls Saturday night 11-3 to win their third straight game. “It’s always a challenge going into Helena’s arena, it’s tough place to play, [and it’s] definitely a rink that is catered to the home team,” Head Coach Tom Winkler said after the game. “In my opinion they are definitely the top team in the league… playing the way we did and coming out with the result we got was real exciting for us.” Friday night against the Bighorns the Wild fell behind early 1-0 after the first period on a goal by Damon Hanson. But then Gillette exploded with four unanswered goals in the second period and went on to hold off Helena for the victory. Stanislav Izvekov got the scoring started at 1:40 of the second period on an assist by Andrew Lillard. Then Matt Rose scored the go ahead goal on assists by Tyler Cavan and Taylor Motsinger. Izvekov added his second goal to put the Wild up 3-1, and Adam Pecht closed out the scoring for the Wild on a shorthanded goal just before the second intermission. Goalie Nick Vittori picked up the win while stopping 51 of the 54 shots he faced. Helena tallied two goals in the third period, but it was not enough to take down

the Wild, who are the ﬁrst team this season to defeat the Bighorns on their home ice in regulation. After the game Coach Winkler attributed the team’s success in part to how well they were prepared. “(The Wild) were prepared, they brought their work ethic and I think it kind of comes down to you know what we played this team a couple weeks ago and we played them tough, but we didn’t get the results we wanted,” Winkler says. “Quite frankly we were sick and tired of that.” Coming off the big win over Helena, Coach Winkler made sure his players knew that they couldn’t have an emotional letdown against the Americans. “So, our mindset went immediately to we can’t have that letdown, that emotional hangover, that if you disrespect this Great Falls team they will beat you,” he says. “Don’t rest on your laurels.” Against Great Falls the Wild made sure they avoided that emotional hangover as they jumped out to a 6-0 lead and never looked back. Pecht, Brandon Wilbert and Izvekov made it 3-0 after the ﬁrst period. Then Izvekov tallied his second goal for the second straight game to open the scoring in the second period. Andrew Lilliard and Casey Moneer found the back of the net before the Americans got on the board when Matthew Donley scored at 14:01 of the second period. Goals by Tyler Cavan and Taylor Motsinger closed out the second period

Photo by Campbell County Observer Photographer Clint Burton

and Gillette then got three goals in the third and ﬁnal period from Connor Hicks, Motsinger and Pecht. Grant Friesen earned the win in net as he made 36 saves. Next up for the Wild is a trip to Bozeman on Friday night and then they return home on Saturday and Sunday to take on Helena at Spirit Hall Ice Arena. Friday’s game begins at 7:30pm. Saturday the puck will drop at 8pm and then on Sunday at 1:30pm.

Right now Coach Winkler wants his team to take this weekend one game at a time. “The Bozeman game right now is the most important game of the year, because they are still in the playoff hunt and they are chasing us and it would be real nice to be seven games ahead of them in the win side, so that game is obviously hugely important.” Winkler added, “We got the mindset that we can beat this team.”

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

Work Wanted Skidsteer with Operator. For all your Snow Removal and Dirt needs. Call Ken at 307680-5947 Weekly house cleaning-$50.00 per week. Windows, ﬂoors, dusting, bathrooms, etc. Call 670-2037.

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

Toy Parts & Accessories Stock pipes for Sportster. 500mi. Stock pices for Dyna Wide Glide. 1500mi. Email baxtersmom62@gmail.com for info. Harley Accessories for sale. Call 307-670-8980. Ask for Tammy.

Merchandise 1939 HA Selmer Trumpet $750 OBO. 687-1087 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. Great Jerky http://www.rberlinger.jerkydirect.com/ My First Computer hardly used. Asking $15. Call 605 - 545 – 1188 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 Two place aluminum snowmobile trailer. $1,600. 307689-0202

Wanted to Buy I Buy Militaria. Swords, uniforms, bayonets, medals, guns/parts, ﬁeld gear. 6827864 Newspaper vending machines. Contact us at: CampbellCountyObserver@gmail. com WILL PAY CASH FOR CAMPERS. Call Scott (307) 680-0854. Manual Transmission for 93’ Chevy Pickup 4wd. Must be in good shape. Call 2572306.

Guns for Sale .38 Colt detective’s special. $525.00 obo Call (307) 6827864 .380 Smith and Weston Bodyguard. Built in laser site. $450.00 ﬁrm. Trades possible. Call (307) 6827864. 1903 Springﬁeld. 30o6 Cal. U.S. Military. $700 obo. Call (307) 682-7864

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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.

Homeowners and renters insurance for house, trailer, or apartments. Call Elizabeth Jones Agency 307-682-6520

Tri-level house for sale 4 bed 2 bath $209,000 (307) 6701925. Gorgeous land home package set up in Wright. 3 bedroom, 2 full baths, hickory cabinets throughout, front porch, central air, and much more. Financing available. For a personal showing call (307) 687-0333 40+ Acres 2 miles south of Wright 1999 Atlantic Oak Modular. $250,000 OBO Call 307 - 680 – 2374 Ranchett for rent. 20mi. south on Hwy 59. Three Bed, 2 bath. 2.5 car heated garage on 94 acres. $1,600.00 per month.689-2338 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.

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

Produce for Sale Fresh local “Free Range” eggs. All natural, no animal by-products. No antibiotics. $3/Doz. 257-9049

Home Appliances/ Furnshings Microﬁber couch with 2 recliners combined. Green. $100 Call 299-4967. Booth Table. L-shaped. With Chairs. Seats 6. $500.00 Call 299-4967 Three antique pressedbacked oak chairs. Excellent condition. $85 each. 6820042 Storage Unit Sale!!!!! Home stereo, car speakers, 2 dressers, mattress and box spring sets $20, chests, coffee table, chairs, end tables and much more. Call (307) 682-7864

Toys (ATV’s Boats, Etc.)

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.

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

Heavy Equipment/ Trailers

Camping/Fishing

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

Autos, Trucks and Vans

1986 Toyota Tercel 4x4. $1050.00. Call 307-2995918

1983 Ventura (Chevy) for sale. WORKING WET BAR. Closet, fold down rear seat bed, caption swivel chairs. Great shape. Needs carburetor adjustment. Newly rebuilt Transmission, 400 Turbo. $4,000.00. Call 307670-2037.

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 1993 Chevy 1500 4x4 350 Engine, runs great. 5 spd. manual, transmission needs rebuilt. Transfer case in great condition. No other problems other than transmission. Asking $2,000 or best offer. Price: $2,000obo. Contact: 307-670-2037 2004 Yukon Denali XL,6.0 Motor, Loaded $14,000 OBO 660-9351 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

For Rent 2 Bedroom Duplex, with one car garage, washer/dryer, no pets. $700rent/$700deposit. 307-689-0202

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

‘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. 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!

2003 Chevy Monte Carlo SS (White) with 137,000 mi; $6500. Call 307 - 689 – 0966 2008 Hyundai Sonata LMTD, 40,000 mi. $13,500, Call 307-660-2532.

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

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.

6x10 trailer. Great shape, ﬁts your biggest Harley. $1,400 obo. 299-4967.

Autos, Trucks and Vans

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Our Roots The Barbary Wars

William Bainbridge, an ofﬁcer who was sent to pay tribute to the dey of Algiers in 1800, was later captured during the war along with his ship, and went on to become a hero of the War of 1812. Last week, in an irony probably lost on the Somalis, it was a destroyer named after him that the United States Navy sent rushing to help the skipper in the lifeboat.

By Mike Borda The American Revolution, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War. These are the most commonly remembered wars in American history. However, our history is littered with other, smaller conflicts that have also contributed to our military past. One such conflict, although not known by many outsides the walls of history classrooms played a significant role in shaping our early armed forces. In 1801, the open seas were not a safe place. Pirates roamed free, and ships were constantly under threat of boarding. The United States, a nation only decades old, still had not established itself as a naval power, and pirates were quick to test our toughness. In the Mediterranean Sea, the pirates consisted mostly of North African breakaways from the Ottoman Empire. These men, mostly from the areas of present-day Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, were called Barbars. Since the end of the American Revolution, multiple United States ships had been captured and ransomed by the pirates. However, President Thomas Jefferson wanted this to stop. When in 1801 the leader of the Barbars demanded a tribute to keep American ships safe in the Mediterranean, Jefferson refused. Yusuf Karamanli, the pirate leader based in Tripoli, then declared war on America. However, Jefferson knew as the writer of the Constitution that he was not authorized to declare war by himself. Therefore, without the support of Congress, he instead only sent forces to the area to “defend” American citizens in the region. Several naval battles ensued in the following months, with U.S. forces defeating and blockading the forces of Tripoli. The war was not one-sided, though. In 1804, while guarding the

harbor, the USS Philadelphia ran aground and was captured by the Barbars. In an historic raid, American forces raided the ship and set it ablaze, making sure it would not be of use to the Barbars. The key battle in the war came the following year at the Battle of Derna. At Derna, a combined force of U.S. Marines, along with Greek and Arab mercenaries, traveled by land from Egypt and captured the enemy town of Derna. This proved too close for comfort for the Barbar leaders, and a peace treaty was signed on June 10, 1805. In a contentious action for Jefferson, the treaty included in it a provision that allowed America to pay a ransom for its captured sailors, who were released. This did not sit well with Jefferson’s political rivals, some of who believed we should have defeated the enemy fully instead of signing a treaty and paying a ransom. Although the United States was victorious in this, our first major war as a nation, history would unfortunately come to know this conflict as the First Barbary War. While we had defeated the enemy, the capture and imprisonment of American sailors continued in the following years, leading to the Second Barbary War in 1815. In the early nineteenth century, our country was still trying to find its identity, both at home and abroad. The First Barbary War served multiple purposes: It showed our care for military personnel and citizens alike, tested our new navy, and proved a test for the Jefferson administration. However, its most important purpose was to show the world that we would not be pushed around. Although we were young, we established our identity among the world’s powers and set the stage for many years of military expansion to come.

Burning of the USS Philadelphia

“One great object of the Constitution was to restrain majorities of any kind from oppressing minorities or encroaching upon their just rights.” - James K. Polk

A Community with “An Unusually Prosperous Future” By Jeff Morrison

In January of 1922, Paul W. Yeoman, publisher of the Inter Mountain Globe at Hulett Wyoming, picked up stakes and moved - lock, stock and printing press - to the up and coming town of Lightning Flat, having been offered “ample inducement to assist in the development of this territory.” Yeoman rechristened his newspaper the “Lightning Flat Flash”, and housed the publication in a two story building that doubled as a freight hauling office, post office and land commission office. Paul ran the newspaper, freight company and land office, while his wife, Ethel, served as the postmaster. The last of the great homesteading waves was sweeping what remained of the Old West. These newest settlers did not come with herds of cattle or flocks of sheep; they came to tease a living out of the shortgrass prairie by farming. Two recent revisions to the Homestead Act of 1864 had increased the acreage allotted for homesteading from 160 acres to 640 acres. Although averaging less than 14 inches of annual precipitation, it had already been demonstrated that the rangeland of northeast Wyoming could yield a variety of crops, provided a farmer understood the principles of dryland farming, was willing to do back-breaking work from dawn to dusk, and had enough guts to tough out a bad year and start over the next. Thanks to heavy promotion by the railroads and area newspapers, many a would-be sodbuster came west to give it a try. Towns sprang up overnight to provide essential services to the homesteaders, who would otherwise be forced to make a time-consuming journey the nearest post office, school, or grocery store. Lightning Flat and the nearby communities of Rockypoint and Ridge Montana were three such settlements. To Yeoman and his fellow town fa-

thers, the future held nothing but promise. “It is apparent that the Lightning Flat country has an unusually prosperous future,” Yeoman predicted in his ﬁrst publication of the Flash. “These miles and miles of fertile plains have proven their productiveness without a shadow of a doubt … In addition to the agricultural possibilities there are the mineral resources. Oil prospects are of the best and unlimited coal deposits can be found adjacent to this locality.” Other businesses were also starting up. A grocery store was built with a gasohol pump out front. A general store was opened. A stage service provided round trips twice a week to Rockypoint, eight miles to the southeast. Plans were made for a restaurant and a hotel. Later that month Yeoman reported that a ﬂour mill was planned to be built and “ready for operation in time so the ranchmen of this locality will not be compelled to their wheat out of the country next fall.” “We have started the ball rolling and many things are going to happen at Lightning Flat within the next few years,” the Flash announced. “Without a doubt Lightning Flat will become the business center of Crook County ... Watch Lightning Flat grow!” Yeoman was nothing if not a good promoter. He announced in an advertisement: “There’s an excellent opportunity for a Doctor, Bank, Drug Store, Blacksmith Shop, Lodging House, Garage, or Creamery at Lightning Flat – the coming metropolis of Crook County.” The Flash kept the farming community informed, not only of news and happenings in Lightning Flat, but of the surrounding area as well. Rockypoint, Ridge, Swartz Divide, Ellendale, Goldie, Stroner, Oshoto and New Haven all had sections devoted to reporting the news, such as it was, of their respective commu-

nities, on the ﬁrst and last pages of Yeoman’s weekly paper. The six inner pages were devoted to news from around the world and nation, as well as feature articles and short stories. Ever present on the front page was at least one advertisement to promote the community of Lightning Flat. Businesses continued to establish themselves, not only in Lightning Flat, but in Rockypoint and Ridge as well. To make the future look even brighter, the recent drought that began in 1918 looked to be over and higher than average rainfall in 1922 provided a bumper crop. The prediction of Lightning Flat becoming the “business center of Crook County” – or a stable farming community with good prospects at the very least – was assured. And yet … Just as the cattle boom of the 1880s, the sheep boom of the early 1900s, and the oil boom that began in the 1890s, the dry land farming craze attracted a sizable number of enthusiastic participants who, as it turned out, didn’t have the slightest idea what they were doing. And, unfortunately for them, dry land farming is a very unforgiving business. Periods of drought and crop failures due to natural disasters such as prairie ﬁres and

hail storms continued to plague western farmers throughout the 1920s. By 1922, when the communities of Lightning Flat, Rockypoint and Ridge were just getting started, hundreds of dry land farmers had already given up and moved on, with hundreds and hundreds more to follow. Although the principle of strip farming was known and utilized by knowledgeable farmers, it was not widely practiced in the 1920s. Incessant drought conditions kept the fallow ground from storing the much needed moisture and nutrients needed to grow adequate crops when planted. Poor yields and the resulting poor market prices, coupled with poor farming practices set the stage for one big disaster to wipe out all but the most resilient farmer. The dry landers got not one, but two such disasters. Beginning sometime in the mid to late 1920s and continuing for much of the 1930s most of the Midwestern United States were hit with a plague of grasshoppers and the catastrophic dust storms that became known as the Dust Bowl Era. Northeast Wyoming was not spared either of these two disasters, although the grasshoppers probably caused more damage to the region’s dry land farms. By 1927, Lightning Flat’s heyday had

come and gone. Although he continued to stay on in Lightning Flat in his capacity of a land commission agent, Paul Yeoman closed the doors on the Flash for good in 1927. In 1934, the Taylor Grazing Act put an end to homesteading, but most of the dry landers were already gone by then. Paul Yeoman had no more reason to stay in his adopted home town. In 1936, Ethel Yeoman resigned as postmaster of Lightning Flat and the couple moved away. The last remaining commercial enterprise in town also closed its doors. Grace Scott, the original resident of Lightning Flat, kept the post ofﬁce going for about a year but eventually closed it up as well. Although Yeoman had accurately assessed the vast natural resources of the area, Lightning Flat did not survive long enough to see his prediction about oil drilling come true in the 1960s. All that remains is Grace Scott’s abandoned house. Once an impressive two-story farm house, it is now a decaying ghost, sitting alone and desolate on the prairie. Not even a marker commemorates what Yeoman called the “coming metropolis of Crook County.”

The Local “Our Roots” Column is sponsored by

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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