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The Campbell County Observer
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JanuaryJune 18 17 - 25, - 24,2013 2011
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CAM-PLEX Heritage Center to present the Adventures of Huckleberry Fin Please join the CAM-PLEX Heritage Center staff for the presentation of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. Set against the racially charged backdrop of a pre-Civil War American South, America’s most beloved coming-of-age tale examines the nature of friendship and freedom in the face of shocking prejudice. Dare to escape with this brilliant cast from The Classical Theatre Project of Toronto down the Mississippi River, and learn that thinking for yourself is the bravest act of all. Featuring gospel music and imaginative stagecraft, this new adaptation of Mark Twain’s novel brings a fresh perspective to a timeless story. For more on the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn go to www.thectptour.com. Due to generous grant funding and local sponsorships, tickets are only $6 for Adults, $4 for Youth/Senior/ Military. For more information, contact the CAM-PLEX Ticket Office at 307-682-8802 or visit our website at www.cam-plex.com.
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Community
January 18 - 25, 2013
Uranium research projects receive funding
Campbell County Observer
Diamond seeks loving home
Submitted by the University of Wyoming Research projects aimed at helping Wyoming’s reinvigorated uranium industry have received funding from the University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources (SER) through its InSitu Recovery of Uranium (ISRU) research program. SER awarded research funding to three projects -- two to UW faculty members and one to a Colorado State University faculty member -- for a total of $578,614. The ISRU research program was created to stimulate research and development of technologies for economic recovery of uranium, groundwater restoration and wastewater management. The program, created by the Wyoming State Legislature in 2009, is part of a broader legislative initiative for development of in-situ recovery of uranium in the state. SER has used the legislatively appropriated $1.6 million to fund both research proposals and outreach efforts. In addition to funding research,
SER held a uranium extraction workshop in 2009 and hosted a conference on the technological, scientific and regulatory issues surrounding uranium production in Wyoming in 2011. SER previously released a similar request for proposals in March 2011, soliciting research on exploration and ore body delineation; ore body characterization and uranium recovery; water management, treatment and disposal; aquifer restoration; and regulation. In 2011, SER awarded $826,829 to four proposals, three of which are led by UW faculty. “The research supported by SER is helping the uranium industry in Wyoming with economic recovery of uranium, groundwater management and treatment, and aquifer restoration. This research helps to ensure safe and efficient uranium recovery that is beneficial to Wyoming,” SER Deputy Director of Research Diana Hulme says. Uranium extraction is
expected to increase in Wyoming in response to increased value of yellow cake -- the product of uranium solution mining that is used for nuclear energy production. Surface mining of uranium grew steadily in Wyoming from the 1950s to the 1980s, when it dropped precipitously. In the early 1990s in-situ mining of uranium replaced conventional mining, and it has increased in recent years. The 2012 funded research projects will investigate issues related to water management, treatment and disposal; uranium recovery and ore body characterization; and aquifer restoration. Projects from both the 2011 and 2012 RFP will be completed by 2015. For additional information about the ISRU research program, or research supported by the School of Energy Resources, contact Hulme at (307) 766-6811 or dhulme@uwyo.edu.
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Walk-in Clinic opens for business in new location on Jan. 14 Campbell County Clinics, Walk-in Clinic and Occupational Health, moves into the main hospital building, adjacent to the Emergency Care Department, this weekend. The clinic will close in its current location at Medical Arts Court on Sunday, January 13, and will see patients on the
third floor south of the hospital for one day only. The Walk-in Clinic opens in its new location on Monday, January 14 at 8 am. Curious when you should visit the Emergency Room or one of the CCMH Walk-In Clinics? When in doubt, call Ask-A-Nurse at 307.688.1111.
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Community
Campbell County Observer
January 18 - 25, 2013
CCMH Physician receives board certification in Neurology Romer Mosquera, M.D., Neurologist at Campbell County Clinics, Neurology and Pain Management, recently earned board certification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) after fulfilling the educational, professional and examination standards set by the American Board of Medical Specialties. Board certification is a voluntary program in which specialists seek to improve their performance and demonstrate a commitment to their profession.
The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) is one of 24 medical specialty certification boards recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. ABEM certifies emergency physicians who meet its educational, professional standing, and examination standards. Physicians who are Board Certified by the ABPN have successfully completed an approved training program and an evaluation process assisting their ability to provide quality patient care in a specialty and/or subspecial-
ty. Patients can be assured that an ABPN board certified neurologist has specialized skills and knowledge to diagnose and treat specific problems and to provide medical management for a range of disorders of the nervous system and muscles. Dr. Mosquera sees patients at Campbell County Clinics, Neurology and Pain Management, located on the third floor north at Campbell County Memorial Hospital. Call 688.3500 to make an appointment with Dr. Mosquera.
Campbell County school district kindergarten registration Feb. 4-8 Students who will be five years of age on or before Sept. 15, 2013 are eligible to attend kindergarten in the 2013-2014 school year. District-wide registration will be held Feb. 4-8, 2013. Parents/guardians will need to register their son or daughter at their neighborhood attendance area school. Questions regarding attendance area boundaries can be answered by calling the Campbell County School District Educational Services Center at 682-5171 or the Trans-
portation Department at 682-4179. An elementary attendance area map is available at http://www. campbellcountyschools. net. Parents will need to bring their child’s immunization record and copy of the child’s birth certificate or other acceptable proof of age for initial enrollment. Forms may be completed by parents/guardians during registration, or they can be downloaded from the website listed above or obtained from local schools
to be completed in advance and returned at registration. Completed registration forms will not be accepted prior to Feb. 4. At some schools, the number of kindergarten registrations may exceed class capacity. Therefore, the order in which parents register their children will be noted, according to date and time, to determine students’ final enrollment and placement. Schools will also require additional paperwork at registration which is spe-
cific to their building, and they may request proof of residency in that school’s attendance area. During registration, parents will make an appointment to bring their son or daughter to school for kindergarten screening, which will be held between Feb. 25 and March 22, 2013. Children will be assessed for readiness skills, vision, hearing, speech, and language.
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Wyoming National Guard promotes non-commissioned officer During a promotion ceremony held at the Gillette Armory on January 6th, Alpha Battery 2nd Battalion, 300th Field Artillery based out of Gillette, WY was able to promote one of their Noncommissioned Officers. Douglas Cochrane of Casper, WY, was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant in the Wyoming Army National Guard, the second step in the Noncommissioned Officer Corp... Cochrane is Section Chief for a HIMARS Rocket Launcher with Alpha Battery and has been a member of the Guard for 8 years and is employed with Trinidad Drilling in Casper, WY.
.The Noncommissioned Officers Corps is the “Backbone of the Army”. The ranks of the NCO are Corporal, Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, Sergeant First Class, Master Sergeant, First Sergeant, Sergeant Major, Command Sergeant Major and Sergeant Major of the Army. “Advancement in the NCO Corp in an important step in the career of a Soldier. SSG Cochrane is a highly motivated Soldier who will do this unit and the National Guard proud.” said First Sergeant John Gutierrez the units senior NCO for Alpha Battery.
Douglas Cochrane was recently promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant in the Wyoming Army National Guard
Maternal Child Unit increases security measures
Campbell County Memorial Hospital’s (CCMH) Maternal Child Department will increase their security by controlling access to the units via doorbell and a Maternal Child employee will then “buzz” the visitor(s) into the respective area. Access for employees will also be restricted. Appropriate employees will have badge access and the remainder of the employee population will access the unit with the doorbell system. The Maternal Child Department includes Labor and Delivery, the Nursery, and the postpartum or inpatient OB/gynecological areas. The current visiting policies are: Labor and Delivery limits visitors to three which includes the mother’s spouse or significant other Nursery limits access to mother and spouse or significant other Postpartum area doesn’t restrict the quantity of visitors (unless a restriction is in place for flu or other ill-
ness) it does request visitors adhere to their daily quiet time from 2-4 p.m. This time is designated for mom/baby education and rest. At any time in the Maternal Child Department employees and physicians have the responsibility to request limited or no visitors for the safety of the mother and infant. Visiting restrictions are in still place on the Maternal Child and Labor & Delivery units due to an increase in influenza cases in the community. No visiting by children under the age of 12. Each patient may have two visitors at one time (excluding mother’s spouse or significant other). Labor & Delivery – two visitors at one time (excluding mother’s spouse or significant other). Every visitor must wash their hands and wear a mask while visiting. Kath Belding, Interim Maternal Child manager has vast experience with
Westover Rd. at HWY 50 now open Westover Road at Highway 50 - which has been closed due to a water main break - has been reopened to through-traffic at 3 p.m. on Monday, January 14th. Westover Road between Burma Avenue and Metz Drive is still closed for work on the Madison Pipeline Project, and the earliest that section of road will reopen is Monday, January 21st. The City of Gillette apologizes for any inconvenience these closures may have caused.
newborn safety and security systems in a variety of hospital settings, and has encouraged the implementation of elevated security at CCMH since joining the team. Kath understands the frustration this change may cause but “encourages well wishers and the baby’s families to consider this a minor inconvenience for the safety and security of the baby”. The security system becomes effective Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 6:30 a.m.
Campbell County Observer
CampbellCountyObserver.net 5105 Tarry St. Gillette, WY 82718 (PP-1) Volume 3 Issue 3 The Campbell County Observer is published by Patriot Publishing L.L.C. in Gillette, WY every Friday. 5105 Tarry St. Gillette, WY 82718 Postmaster: Send address changes to 5105 Tarry St. Gillette, WY 82718 Candice De Laat - Owner/Publisher CandiceDeLaat@CampbellCountyObserver.com
Writers
Nicholas De Laat - Owner/Editor NicholasDeLaat@CampbellCountyObserver.com
Sandra Boehler (Charities/Fundraisers/Veterans Events) SandraBoehler@CampbellCountyObserver.com
Keary Speer - Editor KearySpeer@CampbellCountyObserver.com
Glenn Woods (Political Column) GlennWoods@CampbellCountyObserver.com
Anne Peterson - Advertising Sales Manager AnnePeterson@CampbellCountyObserver.com
Mike Borda (American History) MichaelBorda@CampbellCountyObserver.com
Bill Stone - Advertising Sales/Marketing BillStone@CampbellCountyObserver.com Dale Russell - Sales/Marketing DaleRussell@CampbellCountyObserver.com Owen Clarke - Ad Design OwenClarke@CampbellCountyObserver.com Clint Burton - Photographer ClintBurton@CampbellCountyObserver.com
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Jeff Morrison (Local History Contributor) JeffMorrison@CampbellCountyObserver.com Amanda Wright (Government/Politics Reporter) AmandaWright@CampbellCountyObserver.com James Grabrick (Where is This?) JamesGrabrick@CampbellCountyObserver.com
Gillette-Campbell County Airport reports December and Year-End Passenger Traffic Gillette-Campbell County Airport served nearly 61,000 travelers in 2012, a slight (2 percent) drop from 2011, which was a record year for the airport. Compared with 2010, however, GCC’s 2012 year-end total represents a 7.6 percent increase. Looking back at 2012, GCC’s busiest month came in March with 6,020 passengers, followed by August with 5,502. In the month of December 2012, the airport welcomed 4,577
passengers, marking an 11.7 percent decrease versus December of 2011. 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 56,000 passengers come through yearly and is currently served by Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Great Lakes Aviation to Denver, Salt Lake City, and Rock Springs, Wyoming. The Gillette-Campbell County Airport and tenants currently employ approximately 260 people in the surrounding area.
December and Year End 2012 Passenger Totals
December 2012 December 2011 4,577 5,186
% Change -11.7%
2012 Y-T-D 60,762
2011 Y-T-D 61,998
% Change -2.0%
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Twenty-five states have statutes that require carbon monoxide (CO) detectors in certain residential buildings - Wyoming is not one of them Carbon monoxide is a gas produced when fuels burn incompletely. It has no color, taste or smell. The major causes of carbon monoxide poisoning include: • Using heating equipment that is in poor repair • Lack of ventilation in a car • Using a charcoal grill indoors • Using unvented space heaters Each year, carbon monoxide poisoning kills nearly 500 people nationwide and sends over 15,000 to the emergency room. The carbon monoxide death rate is highest among people greater than 65 years of age. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning resemble those associated with other health conditions that are common among
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January 18 - 25, 2013
the elderly, especially in the winter. The Centers for Disease Control ranked Wyoming as one of the states with a higher reliable mortality rate from carbon monoxide. In 2011, the Poison Center received 57 calls concerning carbon monoxide. But this figure is misleading because carbon monoxide poisoning is under-reported. It is imperative that the citizens of Wyoming understand the dangers, the symptoms and how to prevent poisoning from carbon monoxide. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include sleepiness, headache, dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, shortness of breath and convulsions. The first step in treating carbon monoxide poisoning is getting the victim to
fresh air. Then seek medical attention immediately. The Poison Center offers the following suggestions to help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning: • Inspect all fuel-burning equipment yearly. • Vent fuel-burning heaters to the outside. • Do not use a gas range or an oven for heating a room. • Never use a charcoal grill or hibachi inside. • Install carbon monoxide alarms on every level of your home. • Never leave a car running in an attached garage, even with the garage door open. • Have vehicle muffler and tailpipes checked regularly. Wyoming’s Poison Center offers tips on carbon monoxide poisoning pre-
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CAM-PLEX Heritage Center to present The Velveteen Rabbit Please join the CAM-PLEX Heritage Center staff for the presentation of The Velveteen Rabbit on Friday, February 15, 2013 at 6:30 p.m.
more information, contact the CAM-PLEX Ticket Office at 307-682-8802 or visit our website at www.cam-plex.com.
“When a child loves you for a long, long time...then you become Real.” So says the Horse to the Velveteen Rabbit in Margery Williams’ famous and muchloved literary classic. A plush rabbit, given as a gift to a young boy, yearns for the day the boy will choose him as his special playmate, so that he can become real. This innovative production combines the theatrical magic and signature style of Enchantment Theatre with the musical magic of Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award-Winning Composer/Arranger Don Sebesky. With an original musical score, lifesized puppets, masks and magic, Enchantment Theatre Company brings to life this charming tale of love and devotion, creating an unforgettable theatrical experience for the whole family.
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National Guard Soldiers receive Wyoming Service Ribbon Three Soldiers from the Wyoming Army National Guard received the Wyoming State Service Ribbon for their continued service in the National Guard. Staff Sergeant Timothy Rychecky received the 15 year service device. Specialist Brent Peterson received the 10 year device and Sergeant Taylor Carl-
son received the 5 year service Ribbon. Rychecky is an HIMARS Rocket Launcher Section Chief for Alpha Battery and has been a member of the Guard for 15 years. He is employed full time with the Wyoming Army National Guard located in Gillette. Peterson is a Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic for Alpha
Jan 11 - 12 Hexachoard Jan 18 - 19 Parmalee w/ Glass Onion Jan 25 - 26 Jakes Pool Tournament Feb 1 - 2 Montage
Battery and has been a member of the Guard for 11 years and is employed with Professional Directional in Casper, WY. Carlson is a HIMARS Rocket Launcher Gunner for Alpha Battery and has been a member of the Guard for 5 years and is attending school at the University of Wyoming.
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5201 S. Douglas Hwy. Gillette, WY 82718 (307) 686-3781
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Community
Campbell County Observer
Sportsman Corner
Rocky Mountain
DISCOUNT SPORTS
By Karl Milner - Wyoming Mountaineers What a year we are having, first Wyoming Game and Fish released the news that the price of hunting license fees are going up and then there have been several tragedies involving guns and that opened the flood gates of gun control. Let’s look at both of these issues. Is Wyoming Game and Fish just a bunch of crabby game wardens acting as hunter and fisherman Nazi police? NO! That is not the case at all. Here is what Game and fish really is, it is a group of Wyoming residents protecting the Wyoming Wildlife resources so all the residents of Wyoming and non-resident visitors to Wyoming can enjoy wildlife viewing, hunting, and fishing. Plain and simple they are the protectors of OUR resources, they are game wardens, wildlife biologists, specialist in different areas such as herpetologist, they are administrators, and even commissioners making sure the laws are fair and correct. Some of that money is even used to pay for the materials used in your hunter education classes. I have spent a lot of time with the people from Game and Fish and truth be known, they are really great people who are very passionate about their profession, none of them want to arrest you or torment you in any way. If you are doing something wrong that warrants your arrest or ticketing then you deserve what you get, this is my wildlife as well and it is my opportunities you are destroying. They are all paid to do this and they are all very dedicated and very good at protecting our recourses. They represent all of us, whether or not we are hunters and fishers, in our state and federal legislators. All of the work they do is for the residents of Wyoming and visitors to Wyoming. So, why the price hike and is it fair? In a nut shell Wyoming’s wildlife employees and projects cost money and this money comes from two basic sources. The sales of hunting and fishing license and taxes, so who does and should pay more is now the question. In order to receive funding from taxes that money needs to come from somewhere, the typical place is tax hikes, both federal and state taxes. In the case of Wyoming that could mean the implementation of a state income tax. And what about those people that don’t use the wildlife in any way? The people that think hunting is a game you buy at Cabalas, or the people that think beyond city limits are huge bands of wild Indians that scalp you. Is it fair for them to pay additional taxes? Not really so that leaves
the sportsman flipping the bill, and this comes in the form of price increases. Inflation has been increasing all around us and Wyoming Game and Fish has done a really great job keeping our prices low, the time has come though that if we want our wildlife we need to pay a little more to keep it. Believe me when I say this, the increase on these fee’s is really pretty small compared to what the states around us are planning to do or have already done. Gun control, according to our current leaders it is defined as take all guns away from the people. According to the United States Constitution it is as follows: The Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights. The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess and carry firearms. As the amendment is written it states: A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Due to the recent tragedies the house, the senate, and the president are forced into making a decision regarding the second amendment and its wording. They do this in a measure called gun control. The Constitution of the United States (the document that governs the Bill of Rights) starts out “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” This being the case, is gun control aimed at “We the People” or rather at “Those the Government”? The original intention of the second amendment was to prevent the government from becoming out of control and saying who could say what, you could go to jail without a trial be held there indefinably or held until you paid an unreasonable bail, the governments army can force their way into your home and stay there, they can at any time search your home and take your property, or institute un-fair taxation. You can read the bill of rights at http://www.archives.gov/ exhibits/charters/bill_of_ rights_transcript.html and the constitution at http://
guys committed a crime that ignorant people selling guns and lazy people failed to protect a group of innocent people. Going back to “We the people of the United States” you can do something about this. Contact you representatives in the white house and tell them how to vote on gun control. Be kind, polite, and forceful. Stand your ground on gun control but don’t be rude or threatening (I suppose reminding them that they are elected won’t hurt). They can be reached at the following: http://lummis.house.gov/ contact/ http://barrasso.senate.gov/public/index. cfm?FuseAction= ContactUs.ContactForm h t t p : / / w w w. e n z i . s e n ate.gov/public/index.cfm/ contact?p=e-mail-senator-enzi . Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease; in this case it has been the anti-gun lobby getting the attention so email these people several times a day, every day and your voice will be heard.
www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_ transcript.html. Currently it seems like the government is going to ban guns, limit what guns you can purchase or poses, limit how much ammunition you can have, and determine how much ammunition your gun can hold. Is this against the second amendment? What would happen if the government said you can’t own a gun that you as a “well-regulated militia” can’t defend yourself or your property against the out of control government. The answer is simple; the government would take over your life and every aspect of your life. If history repeats itself then we better study the history of the united states before the revolutionary war and see what led up to the inclusion of the second amendment. We better look at what started the revolutionary war, wasn’t it when the government tried to take guns away from the people? With the current gun control to legally purchase a firearm from a dealer you fill out paperwork and are administered to a background check to make sure the guns aren’t sold to felons or crazies like those that have committed these horrific crimes like the recent shootings. In all these shootings however the guns were not purchased legally by the suspect and to top it off the people that should have been held accountable have not been. At columbine the parents knew of the kids activities with guns and explosives prior to the crime being committed, at the theater shooting who let the guy in and didn’t they see or suspect he was carrying guns? And look at the range manager in Colorado who wouldn’t let the theater shooter practice there because something was “wrong” with him. In the Sandy Hooks shooting, who released the locks letting the criminal in the door, to top that off the guy was mentally unstable and there were firearms in the same house he lived in? In all these cases and many more cases that aren’t as popular guns were placed into the hands of people that didn’t belong having guns and a string of events happened that could have prevented the crimes. Gun control isn’t the answer, education is. Teach gun safety in our schools, in our communities, and moreover place well trained and armed officials into the places we need them the most, our schools and daycares. It strikes me as odd that they are going to tell me I can’t defend myself, my family, or my property from criminals and the tyranny of the government because bad
January 18 - 25, 2013
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Fishing opportunities are rather limited in Campbell County, but there are two bodies of water that should be worth ice fishing. The Gillette Fishing Lake at Dalby Memorial Park and Panther Pond at the rest area in Wright can offer great fishing almost any time of the year, including ice fishing. The special winter ice fishing provisions do not apply to these lakes, but you should still have good luck bringing trout through the ice should you give it a try. Keep in mind you can only use two lines in these lakes and each angler needs to check his own lines. All daily creel limits apply to the ice covered period and can be found in the 2012-2013 fishing regulations. Remember that live bait is not allowed at the fishing lake or Panther pond so make sure you use dead or artificial bait when fishing these two lakes.
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January 18 - 25, 2013
Comics
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Campbell County Observer
Campbell County Observer
Comics
January 18 - 25, 2013
To submit a quote of the week go to www.CampbellCountyObserver.net
Solutions from last week
We want to get it Write. Oops we mean Right. The Observer strives to make news reports fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, Contact us at nicholasdelaat@campbellcountyobserver.com
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Community
January 18 - 25, 2013
Campbell County Observer
Drilling simulator will allow UW to expand courses, provide industry with experience
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Submitted by the University of Wyoming A Drilling Simulator Teaching Lab is expected to expand course offerings in engineering at the University of Wyoming, provide students and industry personnel drilling experience, and will eventually offer professional well control certifications for drillers. The 1,296-square-foot lab, expected to open this fall on the second floor of the new Energy Innovation Center, will provide UW students with the full simulated experience of drilling oil reservoirs. “A number of oil companies do the same thing,” says David Bagley, head of the UW Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. “It’s really a good way to train people. Drilling now has become so much more advanced.” The lab, which includes a raised rig floor, can be separated with a partition to include a classroom and a laboratory, says Merl Haworth, UW’s associate director of facilities planning. In addition to the $1 million drilling simulator (WPX Energy has provided the funding) with a classic console station, Bagley says the department is purchasing 20 software licenses for drilling simulation software to run on computer stations. “You can have one student sit at the full simulator with all of the bells and whistles, and you can have the other students sitting at the computers,” Bagley says. “A simulator provides the opportunity to experience and appreciate what ‘could go wrong’ in a drilling operation and well design,” says Joe Leimkuhler, vice president of drilling for LLOG Exploration in Covington, La., and a 1987 UW graduate with a master’s degree in petroleum engineering. “A simulator is an excellent tool to develop the skills to ‘expect the unexpected.’” Other laboratory equipment will include a series of panels and screens, drilling controls, drilling gauges, a remote choke, a BOP console, a surface diverter, and choke and standpipe manifolds, Bagley says. “Although other U.S. universities are using full-size rig floor simulators with the 3-D graphics, your university will be the first in the U.S. to have a brand new DrillSIM-5000,” says Ed Ramsay, sales and marketing director for Drilling Systems (UK) Limited. According to its client list, the company has provided drilling simulator systems to a few American educational institutions, including Texas A&M University, University of Texas at Austin, Louisiana State University and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Expanding the curriculum
While the Drilling Simula-
tor Lab will provide training opportunities UW students have not had previously, it also provides the potential for those same students to receive more knowledge in the classroom that they can apply hands-on. “This is not just buying a piece of equipment. It’s how we implement this into the curriculum,” says Bagley, who formed a departmental committee to explore such options. The laboratory will be used for the Basic Drilling course, which is currently the only class UW offers on the subject. The new laboratory also will be utilized as part of the Drilling Fluids Laboratory course. The simulator will include a package that allows students to design the drilling fluid properties (density, viscosity and components) to remove rock chips during drilling. The drilling fluids cool the drill bit and transport the drill cuttings out of the well, Bagley says. “The reason you have a separate course for this is that the design, preparation and maintenance of the drilling fluids needed to drill successfully is pretty special,” Bagley says. “In the lab, the students actually prepare the drilling fluids, measure properties of fluids and conduct computer simulations.” The engineering program has a course called Advanced Drilling Engineering on the books, but currently there are no faculty members to teach it. In addition, Bagley says the department wants to develop an elective “well control” course that also would utilize the Drilling Simulator Lab. “We have two courses now where we would use the new lab and we hope to get two more courses started,” says Bagley. “We have two faculty searches under way now. The plan is, with these hires, that one of them will become the person in the department and the university who manages the drilling simulator.” Bagley hopes the Drilling Simulator Teaching Lab will raise the profile of UW’s engineering program and put it in the ranks of Colorado School of Mines and Texas A&M University, which both have similar laboratories. Offering professional certifications In addition to expanding course opportunities for students, the new laboratory will eventually offer professional well control certification for industry onshore drillers and rig crews.` “This will be very helpful for the state,” Bagley says. While the driller who actually runs the rig does not require a certification, the drilling supervisor and the drilling contractor’s supervisor do require a well control certification, according to Leimkuhler, who has 31 years’ experience in the oil
exploration industry. While state level requirements vary, the majority of companies that drill onshore have requirements for critical staff to hold a valid well control certification that includes a 30-percent simulator training time requirement, he says. “Well control is always a must,” Leimkuhler says. “If the driller inadvertently drills into an area of high pressure, he needs to know how the well will react; what the early warning signs are; and what actions need to be taken to ensure control of the well is quickly established.” “A simulator is an excellent way to test the skills of the driller and, even more important, verify the integrity of the engineers’ well design,” he adds. “Simulator training is a way to safely throw ‘curve balls’ at the drill crew and the engineer to see how well they can quickly identify problems, properly respond to shut the well and ensure the incident does not elevate to a total loss of well control and a blow-out.” Controlling a well and drilling properly are key, as well costs range from $10 million to $30 million onshore and up to $150 million to $200 million for an offshore deep-water well, according to Leimkuhler. A well can be unsuccessful if the well is drilled into a “dry hole,” meaning an area where there is no oil or gas, he says. A well also can be unsuccessful if a well control event leads to a loss of stability and the well collapses. This results in “trouble cost” to re-drill, which can range from a few million dollars to the total well cost, depending on at which point in the drilling process the incident occurred, Leimkuhler says.
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Leimkuhler pointed to the failure of BP’s Macondo Well in the Gulf that led to the Transocean oil rig explosion in April 2010 as possibly the worst-case scenario. “The big issue is not money, but safety. At Macondo, 11 lives were lost and there is no cost that can replace those lives,” Leimkuhler says. “One of the mitigating factors in the Macondo event has been identified, in the subsequent investigations, as insufficient well control practices -- an area where improved simulator training may have helped.” He says the total cost of that oil spill has not been tallied, but expects it to exceed $20 billion, plus the fines and penalties. “A simulator is an excellent tool to develop the skills to ‘expect the unexpected’, and help ensure blowouts remain a wellmanaged risk and not a reality,” Leimkuhler says.
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Community
Campbell County Observer
January 18 - 25, 2013
Campbell Co. Fire Dept.
January 9, 2013
- At 8:28 AM to the 900 block of W Warlow for a medical assist. - At 11:04 AM to the area of Shoshone Ave & S Hwy 59 for a natural gas line that had been cut accidentally by a contractor. CCFD crews secured the area and clamped off the line. - At 2:37 PM to 415 Range Circle (Wright) for a gas smell in the residence. A small gas leak was found at a gas piping union near the hot water heater. The gas company fixed the leak. There was no fire. - At 2:40 PM to the area of 600 block of Running W Drive for a fire alarm activation. This was a false alarm and all units were cancelled.
January 10, 2013
- At 12:05 a.m. to East Warlow Drive for an EMS assist. - At 3:09 a.m. to Country Club Road for an EMS assist. - At 7:31 a.m. to North Gurley Avenue for and EMS assist. - At 5:31 p.m. to Fir Avenue for an EMS assist.
January 11, 2013
- At 12:05 AM to 501 South Burma Avenue for an automatic fire alarm (AFA) activation. CCFD cancelled en route to the call when it was determined the alarm was caused by a power outage. - At 11:15 AM to the address of 2105 Rodgers Drive for an automatic fire alarm activation. This was a false alarm due to a malfunction in the system and technicians were on scene working on the system. There was no fire and all fire units cleared without incident. - At 8:24 PM to the 1200 block of Green Avenue for a medical assist. - At 9:23 PM to the 700 block of Express Drive to assist the Gillette Police Department look for a juvenile who had ran away from home. The person was found okay at approximately 10:50
PM. - At 10:44 PM to the 1900 block of Utah Street for a medical assist.
January 12, 2013
- At 12:02 PM to 215 Primrose to assist the Gillette Police Department with a smoke detector activation, the residence was vacated by renters. There was no obvious signs of fire or smoke. All units cleared. - At 12:46 PM to El Camino and 6th St. for a two vehicle accident with no injuries. - At 3:22 PM to 2675 Ledoux Ave. for a fire alarm activation, upon arrival it was determined that a fire sprinkler had frozen and burst in the entryway to the apartment. Crews isolate the water supply to the sprinkler system and drained it. A company was contacted to fix the broken line. - At 8:59 PM to Prairie Wind School for a report of sparks coming from the smoke stack. School officials and maintenance staff were consulted and it was determined that this was normal for this type of boiler system. - At 10:59 PM to 2nd and Brooks for a vehicle vs. tree with injuries.
January 13, 2013
- At 6:12 AM to S. Carey Ave. for a medical assist. - At 10:54 AM to the 200 block of East Flying Circle Drive for a medical assist. - At 11:16 AM to 2590 Wolff Road for a fire alarm caused by a hallway smoke detector activation. Responding fire units were cancelled when it was learned to be a false alarm. - At 6:59 PM to 605 South Garner Lake Road (Weatherford) for a fire alarm. A tamper switch activation on the fire sprinkler system activated causing the fire alarm. Employees had shut the fire sprinkler system off due to a dripping fire sprinkler head.
January 14, 2013
- At 1:19 AM to 7129 Rob-
in Drive (Village of Gillette Apartments) for a fire alarm. A fire sprinkler pipe froze and broke causing the alarm. The fire sprinkler system was shut off. - At 8:44 PM to Coal Train Rd. for an EMS assist.
January 15, 2013
- At 12:49 a.m. to South HWY 59 for an EMS assist. - At 8:43 a.m. to Brooks Avenue for an EMS assist. - At 12:15 p.m. to 4310 Heart X Avenue for a smoke detector activation. CCFD responded to the scene and upon arrival determine 1 or more of the detectors had malfunctioned triggering the alarm. The detectors were reset and the homeowner was notified of the situation. - At 12:35 p.m. to the intersection of Lakeway Road and Butler Spaeth Road for a 2 vehicle broadside collision. CCFD assisted with care of the injured and disconnected the involved vehicles’ electrical systems. - At 3:05 p.m. to the parking lot of 402 East 2nd Street for a single vehicle crash. Upon arrival to the scene a passenger sedan was found crashed into a bollard in the parking lot and the occupant was injured. CCFD assisted with caring for the patient and disconnected the vehicle’s electrical system. - At 4:27 p.m. to mile marker 129 on eastbound I-90 for a single vehicle crash. Upon arrival to the scene no injuries were found but the involved vehicle was blocking a lane of travel. CCFD assisted with traffic control and disabled the vehicle’s electrical system. - At 6:58 p.m. to the intersection of Gallery View Drive and HWY 59 for a 2 vehicle crash. Upon arrival to the scene all involved persons denied injury; CCFD disconnected the electrical system of one of the vehicles and assisted with traffic control. - At 11:52 p.m. to South Emerson Avenue for an EMS assist.
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Community
January 18 - 25, 2013
Orthopaedic Specialists welcome new Physician Assistant Vanessa Gunn
Vanessa Gunn, new Physician Assistant at Orthopaedic Specialists, never imagined that she would be living in Gillette, Wyoming. “I saw myself living near the beach,” said Vanessa. “My sister wanted to live somewhere snowy and cold, but not me.” It turns out they both ended up living in Gillette. Vanessa’s sister, Meredith, is a pharmacist at Walgreens. Meredith’s neighbor is CCMH Physician Recruiter Karissa Viergets, who found out that Vanessa received special training in a surgical PA program at the University of Alabama, Birmingham and urged her to come out and interview. “Everyone has been super nice,” said Vanessa. “I have patients that already recognize me when I see them at Walmart. I like the small-town feel.” Right now Vanessa is assisting in the OR and shadowing Dr. Morman with her clinic patients, but will eventually have her own caseload. This should help with access and enable her to care for nonsurgical orthopedics patients as well as assisting in surgery. Her philosophy is to help patients get
back as much function as possible, including returning to work. “That’s what I really like about Dr. Morman,” said Vanessa. “She takes the extra time with patients to show them their MRIs and x-rays and uses diagrams to really explain what’s going on with their injury. She’s also learning about the other specialties available in Gillette, and the services at CCMH and in the community. “Erin and the rest of the staff have been wonderful,” said Vanessa. “They know who to call when you need something.” Vanessa’s family consists of husband Robert and two dogs, who she admits consume a lot of her time. She and Robert love to watch any and all kinds of sporting events. Vanessa grew up in Texas, but lived most recently in Alabama. She’s prepared to learn about and watch hockey instead of SEC football. “Gillette has a lot to offer,” she says. “It’s kind of a secret, special place. They say that people from the South are known to be friendly and nice, but I’ve felt very welcome here.”
Short Film contest seeks entries
For the sixth year running, the Wyoming Film Office is seeking submissions for the Wyoming Short Film Contest. Film makers can submit their videos online at www.wyomingshortfilmcontest.com by April 5, 2013. A $25,000 first prize will be awarded to the winning entry with a storyline that takes place in Wyoming, features Wyoming, or presents the state as a major character. Colin Stricklin, Film Office Specialist explains the
process, “We want to make sure that there’s a social aspect to the contest, but it needs to be more than an online popularity contest too. That’s why this year we’re bringing in a juror. Public voting will determine five of our ten finalists, and our juror will pick the other five. From there, our judges’ panel will review these finalists and select the ultimate winner.” The judging panel is made up of film production, visual arts and industry
representatives and they will judge the entries based on certain criteria including cinematography, screenplay, acting, sound design, editing and overall production value. The Grand Prize Winner will be announced May 10, 2013. For more information visit www.filmwyoming.com
Featured Crime
Destruction of Property
Crime Stoppers needs your help in solving several destruction of property crimes that occurred during the evening hours of December 31 2012 to the morning hours of January 1 2013. Unknown suspect(s) entered the front yards of at 15 residences and damaged numerous lighted Christmas yard decorations. Property damage is estimated at $2,000.00 If you have information that can solve this or any other crime please call Crime Stoppers at 686-0400. You can remain anonymous and may earn up to $1,000 in reward.
City offices closed Monday, Jan. 21 in observance of Wyoming Equality Day No solid waste or recycling pick up on Monday, Jan. 21
City of Gillette offices will be closed on Monday, January 21st in observance of Wyoming Equality Day. There will be no trash or recycing pick up on Monday, January 21st, and citizens should not put out their trash and recycling that day. The Solid Waste Division will run a double route on Tuesday, January 22nd and pick up Monday and Tuesday’s trash and recycling that day. Please have your roll-outs and recycling at the curb by 7 a.m. on Tuesday, January 22nd. City offices will reopen on Tuesday, January 22nd. For more information contact Public Information Officer Joe Lunne at (307) 686-5393.
Sen. Enzi tours hospital U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and his wife, Diana stopped by the hospital to visit with administration and board members, as well as tour the new facility since its expansion. Here Sen. Mike Enzi and his wife Diana speak with Andy Fitzgerald, CCMH Interim CEO, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, about updates in the surgery department. View more photos of Sen. Enzi’s visit on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/ CCMHWy.
10
Campbell County Observer
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Public Pulse
Campbell County Observer
January 18 - 25, 2013
Natural Gas Vehicle Industry surviving without government subsidies An Investigative Report by Keith Phucas - Wyoming Liberty Group The country’s plentiful supply of natural gas at prices far below gasoline appear to be the perfect free market incentive for the fledgling natural gaspowered vehicle industry to expand. So why is it necessary for the Wyoming government to loan money to this industry to build fueling stations? During the upcoming Wyoming Legislative session, lawmakers will consider bills calling on state departments and school districts to eventually replace half of their fleets with compressed natural gas (CNG) or “bi-fuel” vehicles. At the same time, however, it is considering lending any single company up to $1 million to build a CNG fueling station. The legislation authorizes a maximum of five such loans. The loans, which would be interest free for the first two years, would offer terms below the prime rate. Gov. Matt Mead’s office has identified 283 vehicles that could eventually be replaced by CNG or bi-fuel models. Incidentally, the cost of buying new CNG cars or trucks is higher than gasoline- or dieselpowered vehicles. According to a March 2012 Consumer Reports, the suggested retail price for the Honda Civic Natural Gas is $26,155 plus $770 for destination charges. A comparably equipped, gasoline-powered Civic LX lists for $18,242. Currently, the state government’s fleet has six factory-equipped CNGpowered vehicles; 12 other vehicles were converted to run on CNG. As part of a pilot program, Sublette County School District #1 purchased two CNG-powered school buses. According to a 2012 report, “A Feasibility Study of Natural Gas Vehicle Conversion in Wyoming Public School Districts,” a CNGpowered school bus costs about $30,000 more than a diesel-powered bus. With the current $2-plus price differential between diesel fuel and CNG, it would take five to eight years for the buses to pay for themselves. The idea of converting gas-burning cars, trucks and buses to run on natural gas sounds seductive, but the effort could backfire if natural gas prices rise to the level of gasoline or diesel fuel. If there were little or no price difference between liquid fuel and natural gas, any cost saving from fleet conversions would vanish. Time will tell if purchasing CNG vehicles for the government’s fleet was the best use of tax dollars. Fueling vehicles with nat-
ural gas has been subsidized before, with the usual results. Wyoming could learn a valuable lesson from Canada’s experience with natural gas-powered vehicles (NGV). That nation’s NGV industry, which government spent millions to prop up for about a decade, has been in decline since the mid-1990s. Growth of NGVs in Canada was made possible by financial assistance from federal and provincial research programs during the 1980s and 1990s, according to Wikipedia. By the early ‘90s, the number of light-duty NGVs grew to about 35,000. Government subsidies also funded purchases of natural gas-powered transit buses. However, the market began declining after 1995, eventually reducing the number of CNG vehicles to just 12,000. The total includes 150 transit buses, 45 school buses, 9,450 light-duty cars and trucks and small industrial vehicles. Public CNG refueling stations in Canada fell from 134 in 1997 to 72 currently - 22 in British Columbia, 12 in Alberta, 10 in Saskatchewan, 27 in Ontario and one in Québec. But Wyoming can look to its own history for a cautionary tale about subsidizing another alternative fuel - ethanol - that appears to have fallen out of fashion. In 1995, just about the time Canada’s NGV craze peaked, Wyoming lawmakers established an ethanol tax credit to encourage ethanol production in the state. That year, Renova Energy, an Idaho company, transferred an unused ethanol plant from Louisiana, rebuilt the facility in Torrington, Wyoming, and christened it Wyoming Ethanol, according to “The Symptom is Lobbying; the Disease is Corporate Welfare” by Wyoming Liberty Group’s Maureen Bader. The state’s only ethanol producer, with the promise of creating “green jobs,” qualified for the tax credit, and during the next 17 years, Wyoming Ethanol received $33.7 million in credits. Renova Energy has been in Chapter 11 bankruptcy since 2008, however, and construction on the company’s ethanol plant in Heyburn, Idaho was suspended in 2007, Bader wrote. The firm filed for Chapter 11 in 2009. The following year, Renova auctioned off parts of its plant after failing to get financing. During the state’s last budget session, the legislature tried to derail the ethanol tax credit, eventually agreeing to end the subsidy in 2015. But with lobbyists hard at work trying to save
the $4 million-a-year taxpayer giveaway, there’s no guarantee of its demise. As for natural gas as a vehicle fuel, there is no guarantee the retail price will always be lower than gasoline or diesel. Currently, there is an oversupply of natural gas in the U.S., and the price of a gasoline gallon equivalent of CNG on Jan. 7, 2012, was $1.35 at Cheyenne’s sole CNG station, located at Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power, 1301 W. 24th St. That same day, the average price of diesel fuel in Wyoming’s capitol city was $3.49 per gallon. Besides Cheyenne’s public station, which was built in 1993, there are four other CNG stations in the state: Two in Rock Springs; one in Riverton; and one in Evanston. Nationally, 545 CNG stations are open to the public. Despite the current natural gas production bounty in Wyoming and other states, with the inherent volatility in energy markets, future spikes in natural gas prices could leave the state government with CNG vehicles that end up costing as much or more to operate as the fleet’s gasolinepowered models. As for maintenance cost comparisons of diesel-powered school buses versus their CNG equivalent, “A Feasibility Study of Natural Gas Vehicle Conversion in Wyoming Public School Districts” provided no information to indicate CNG buses would be cheaper to maintain. For now, long-haul trucking companies, which are purchasing natural gaspowered vehicles, are demonstrating a free market approach that isn’t waiting for corporate welfare from the federal government to move ahead. UPS, Ryder Systems and other trucking companies are buying vehicles that run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to Bloomberg. Many of those new trucks are filling up at Clean Energy Fuels Corp. LNG stations recently built along the nation’s highways, including Pilot Travel Center’s Flying J station just off I-25 in Cheyenne. At the end of 2012, there were 70 Clean Energy Fuels stations, many at PilotFlying J truck stops across the country. This year, the company plans to build 70 to 80 additional LNG stations. Currently, there are no federal incentives being offered to trucking companies for natural-gas vehicles. Energy mogul T. Boone Pickens, whose company owns a 23-percent share in Clean Energy Fuels Corp., had hoped government subsidies would flow freely
for the industry with passage of the NAT GAS Act, however, the bill was defeated in the U.S. Senate in March 2012. In a recent Bankrate.com article, “The pros and cons of natural-gas vehicles,” David Friedman, deputy director of the Clean Vehicles Program of the Union of Concerned Scientists, cautioned that building a robust nationwide infrastructure for natural gas vehicles in the U.S. would be enormously expense and could get displaced by other alternative vehicles. “This (refueling) infrastructure could become obsolete as soon as cleaner technologies emerge,” Friedman told Bankrate. com. He pointed out that in foreign countries where natural-gas vehicles are prevalent, fueling infrastructure was built using “huge government subsidies.” And owning a personal CNG car is currently an expensive proposition. “You’d be better off with a hybrid,” Friedman said.
Joke of the week Submitted by Frank Slesslinger One morning, a mama cow and her three baby cows were out grazing in the field. The first baby cow comes up to the mama cow and says, “Mama, why is my name Daisy?” And the mama cow said, “Well sweetie, when you were born, a daisy fell on your head.” And the first baby cow trotted off, satisfied. The next day, they were all out in the field again. The second baby cow came up to the mama cow and said, “Mama, why is my name Tulip?” “Well, honey, when you were born a tulip fell on your head.” And the baby cow was happy with that answer and continued grazing. The next day, they all went out into the field again to graze. The third baby cow came up to the mama cow and said, “GLUPHABABABLUGHARDTHYPOGHHH!!!” And the mama cow said, “SHUT UP BRICK!!!”
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January 19 & 20, 2013
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Monday - Friday 9 am - 6 pm • Saturday 9 am - 5 pm 11
Public Pulse
January 18 - 25, 2013
Letters to the Editor
Bold Republic Weekly
Government spends too much money
Fixing Wyoming Education By Glenn Woods
You can bet I’ve been getting a lot of calls, e-mail’s, and a lot of people stopping me in the hallways at work and on the sidewalks in town, asking me about what is going on with our state legislators and their spat with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Cindy Hill? Were the “good ol’ boys” in Cheyenne trying to run off the woman that we the people had elected to the job? Was the state legislator actually thinking of changing an elected position into a position appointed by the Governor? Isn’t that unconstitutional? Despite the fact that I work in the media and have access to elected officials in a way that most people do not, I had no answer. So with a little help I dug into the issue to get you some answers. PART ONE: Why is Cindy Hill in trouble? The short answer on this is that Mrs. Hill came to office (after we the people had elected her) with a few ideas of how to better train teachers to teach Wyoming students. But in order to do this she needed money to fund the program. Money comes from the legislators. If Mrs. Hill wanted to start a new program she needed to submit a request, ask for help writing a bill, and the legislators will vote on if they will appropriate the money or not. But Mrs. Hill did not ask. Rather, she closed a department which she felt was not producing and was wasting money then moved that money into her new “Teacher to Teacher” program. The Legislature called Mrs. Hill out on this, and rightfully so. Checks and balances are set up in government for a reason. It is not a matter of whether or not her Teacher to Teacher program was a good it is a matter of how she went around the legislator to get her funding. Mrs. Hill was asked to come to the legislature with proper requests for funding. They were willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and were willing to work with her on funding her program. Later, the legislators found that Mrs. Hill’s Teacher to Teacher program was still up and running, and funded, but simply under a new name with new reasoning as to where she was getting the money.
Again, I am over simplifying this because of the amount of space I have in this column. There are other problems, such as reports that are to be given on the progress of education in Wyoming which have not been given and offices and responsibilities that were moved around which should have had legislative approval, by law, but did not. I voted for Cindy Hill. I like her. I support her. But as to the above offenses... CINDY - YOU BLEW IT! I can understand why the Governor and State Legislators are shocked by your behavior and why they want to make some changes to your office. PART TWO: So now we move on to --- what sort of changes is the legislature offering? Are they suggesting that we remove an elected position and replace it with an appointed position? At this point I find the solution that has been offered to be typical for government. It seems that their plan is to solve the problem by making it bigger. The idea is to keep the elected office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, but to add an appointed office that splits the responsibilities. Reading the bill (SF104) it seems to me that the appointed position will hold most of the power. During the debate one senator made this comment that this would, in effect, create a “two headed dragon,” in the Wyoming Department of Education. I agree that there is a problem. I agree that the problem goes far beyond those that are created by Cindy Hill. I agree that some changes need to be made. But from where I sit it seems that growing the office doubles the problems in the long run. If our Wyoming legislators and our governor would like to fix this problem might I humbly suggest that they find a way to discipline Mrs., Hill, hold a recall election, or impeach her, and replace here with someone who will strive to work with her elected counterparts across the street? Opening a new office with a new head and a new staff is not the solution that will solve the problems that our state education system now faces.
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
Dear Editor, The essence of our country’s fiscal problem is that the government spends too much. This problem is only poised to get worse, given that of all the new jobs in America last year 70% were government jobs. Our government now lays claim to 40% of the entire economy and they are demanding more. How ironic is it that Communist China’s government consumes less of their economy than our own government. Let’s make this mess easier to understand; to do that we need to drop eight zeros from the Federal Budget to make it resemble an annual family budget. The income is $21,700. The spending is $38,200 so we have to borrow $16,500 from the credit card company and the current outstanding balance on the credit card is $142,710. And the elected officials on both sides had a conniption fit over the possibility of cutting $385 from the budget. It would be gross negligence to increase the credit card limit in the scenario laid out above, yet that is exactly what President Obama will ask the congress to do in a few short weeks. To allow this fiscally reckless administration another penny of debt would be beyond negligent; it would be an affront to our children and grandchildren and a yoke on their futures. Contrary to the deceitful mistruths of the President current revenues are sufficient to meet our obligations and fund the necessary and legitimate functions of government. We don’t need to raise the debt ceiling to send out Social Security Checks, fund Medicare, pay and supply our troops. If the EPA’s and other government agencies’ budgets as well as Obama’s travel budget get cut I think we will survive. The American people didn’t need bloated government to build the greatest nation to grace God’s earth. Free people unimpeded by government pursuing their own individual hopes and dreams built our nation. The choice is either ever growing wasteful government spending and economic stagnation or liberty and opportunity for our children and grandchildren. We can’t have both. Let us not be counted as selfish fools who senselessly darkened our descendant’s futures. By Otto Schlosser – Former Candidate for Wyoming Senator From Editor Keary Speer: I am on the same page as you! When put in singlefamily terms of a budget, everyone should understand the ridiculousness of America’s spending situation. When my family was hard up, however, we were constantly being hassled by whomever it is that we owed. They need more of that. We took responsibility, cut things back where we needed to, got extra jobs and worked longer hours until we got our heads above water. How on earth is the solution to keep spending frivolously and borrowing from other people? It might take time, but we should all be willing to allow the government to cut out the fat and live on hamburger helper until they get the entire population’s head above water!
Are we ugly Americans?
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Dear Editor, Unfortunately this is a common vision about us overseas. My ex-girlfriend’s father served in Hitler’s army during the 2nd world war. He told me that he was hoping to get captured by Americans rather than Russians. Those days even our enemy respected us for be-
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ing good people. Today this vision has been reversed. New Year’s Day a group of American soldiers entered a mosque that is located in Incirlik US airbase in Turkey. They broke the mosque’s windows, ripped apart Quran and tipped over the Altaf. Mosque has been decommissioned some time for repair. The Turkish government and Turkish military hid the incidents until they became news. Now they are dancing around the issue. They were worried about the incident might spark an anti-US way of thinking. This is an insult to the Turkish nation more than to Islam. Punishing the people who did it won’t solve the problem. The root of the cause is mentality. The US government is wholly responsible for their training therefore; US government is accountable for this incident. Military personnel are ambassadors for the United States. They have no right to act or react irresponsibly and destroy US (my) image. The burden is on the US government, which should give proper training to these kids while they are in their hands. I am Turkish citizen as well as a proud US citizen. I have been all around the world. When I came to the States, I found out that American people are a most loving nation. Unfortunately the US government is failing to represent us properly around the world. We need to act swiftly and keep our government responsible, otherwise we have to deal with consequences. I would like to end this with Albert Einstein quote. The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything? Karahan Mete – New York City, NY From Editor Keary Speer: I feel that me being an Armenian is a conflict of interest for this letter.
Be responsible and accountable for your actions
Dear Editor, I don’t like having to stop my daily routine which cost me time and money to speak out and be in the public eye. At times we all have to do things out of our comfort zone. I am disturbed the publisher- Editor of the News Record would be calling on passing a Fuel Tax. She does not reflect my views or opinions at all. It seems that is the first thing that comes to mind when in need of money: Tax and Regulate. Just like our Politicians in Washington DC. In January the majority of small Businesses got hit with Tax increase. In a few years we will all be hit again by health care. I hate to think that you’re favor of crippling small business. You also need to know all coal oil and gas and RR will be affected as well. They alone use hundreds of million gallons of fuel, not to mention gas. Is this the way we want to reward them with higher taxes along with those citizens that’s already on fixed incomes? I would think not. It seems to me Gillette is first to raise its fuel prices and last to drop them, we would be impacted worse in Campbell County than the
rest of the state. If we need to restructure our spending then let’s get it done. I think we need to keep in check the DOT’s spending and accountability. DOT should not be doing work in city limits of towns and taking on responsibility of the County surrounding towns. DOT job is to fix Highways and Bridges. If they need more revenue the state should review the spending of the counties and Cities. Gillette and Campbell County has spent money like Drunken Sailor’s for years. Take about half of their money away and the same as any others that’s on the money train. I see a lot of money going in to our education system millions to UW and Studebaker. They are supposing too be the elite of education in Wyoming and if we have to bail them out with State aid on a regular basis they need to be restructured too. As long as UW and others have been around they should be self-sustainable Creating revenue with in. I fear in the long term Wyoming is going to mirror California and others with tax and spend politic YS if they can’t learn wants verses needs that should be the main driver of every legislator in Cheyenne. In short if a fuel tax is passed at 10 cents a gallon we will all pay that plus ten times at the pump. In services freight living expenses on and on forever. Hold your Legislators accountable. Along with your City and County leaders after all they get their money from the state. State money is what is keeping our Airport open and has for years casting millions. That too could be going to DOT one of many projects for special Interest. Instead of inform structure I am a small Business man been here all my life and can’t imagine running any business like Gillette of Campbell County. I am truly sorry if I hurt any ones feelings out there. I am 53 years old and missing out on being politically correct most of my life. Instead we were tough if the shoe fits the year. Be responsible and accountable for your actions and decisions. That is what being a leader is all about. Not popularity contest we left that behind when we get out of school. (I believe in smaller government and less taxes). Sincerely, Bill Fortner – Gillette, WY From Editor Keary Speer: I am the worst at politics. That’s Nick’s area! However, it is I who has the responsibility of responding to the letters of the editor this week. First of all, I can jump on anybody’s bandwagon who disagrees with the Gillette News Record! Petty, I know, but I not-so-secretly smile when I hear people stand against them. Second of all, my husband is a conductor/engineer on the railroad and I am against anything that would affect us negatively in that light. I am sure many of the people who live here realize that and would agree since it is the majority’s livelihood and if that majority left than it would affect the rest of them too! It is a scary reality for our residents that our future could be bleak so it takes outspoken people, like yourself, to help others realize that.
Letters to the Editor You may submit your letters to the editor the following ways: Mail your letter to 707 W. Third Street, Gillette, WY 82716 or Email your letter to: CampbellCountyObserver@gmail.com All letters must be under 250 words and must be signed with a valid name and telephone number. We reserve the right to not publish any letter for any reason. We will call you before printing your letter for verification that you wrote it for two reasons. The first is that we do not want to print a letter that has the wrong name on it, and the other is that it is the position of this newspaper that any public opinions or writings where the source is hidden is not worth being printed.
Public Pulse
Campbell County Observer
January 18 - 25, 2013
On the Contrary...
On the Contrary is a column in debate format originated by the Campbell County Observer. The opinions expressed in this debate do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the writers of this column, the Observer staff, or of the Observer itself. To show two sides of a debate, many times one of the guest columnists or regular writers may be playing devil’s advocate. This article is not to push political agenda’s or opinions, but to show both sides of the debate. To become a guest for “On the Contrary” email us a request at CampbellCountyObserver@gmail.com
The Issue: Should the State Legislature allow for much of the powers of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to be stripped and given to an appointee?
Nicholas DeLaat
Glenn Woods
The sides: Nicholas De Laat (Newspaper Publisher) is for the appointee, and Glenn Woods (Newspaper columnist and Radio Talk Show Host) is against the appointee Nicholas: The Wyoming Senate last Monday gave preliminary approval to a sweeping education reform bill that would drastically reduce the administrative role of state’s top public schools official. Senate File 104 passed by a vote of 19-to-10 after a two-hour hearing on Monday afternoon. The bill, which is sponsored by legislative leaders of both houses and both parties, would remove the Wyoming superintendent of public instruction as head of the state Department of Education and transfer nearly all the superintendent’s duties to a new agency director to be appointed by the governor. You have spoken outwardly in this (the best) publication and on your radio show against this bill. Why? Glenn: Understand I am not just picking on our legislators in Cheyenne when I say, ‘typical government.’ Why is it that every time government sees an agency in trouble, not preforming their duties, or operating outside their stated guidelines, the answer is to double the size of the agency. Double the size, double the problems, at twice the price. Nicholas: Part of the current debate is that by appointing a new position and stripping the responsibilities of the elected position you are removing the politics behind the decisions being made at the top. As you know elected officials will make decisions in their department based more on their political career and support than what is best for the system that they are running. The position would still be elected, but a non-elected official holding the weight of the bulk of responsibilities would be more prudent when discussing accountability. Glenn: Did Cindy Hill break the rules? I’ve looked into it. Yes she did. The state legislature has over site for a reason. Should she be disciplined? I have no problem with that. The legislator has every right to impeach her if they wish. After, it would be wise for the legislator the rewrite the parameters of the office for the next elected official that we the people select for the office. But one should never double down on a bad idea. If they can’t control one elected office doubling down would mean two people that they would have to oversee and control rather than just one. Never double down on a bad thing. Nicholas: Maybe, but you are now admitting that she has broken the rules. As we both are followers of Constitutions, I would like to input part of the Wyoming Constitution. Article 04, Section 11. State officers; election; qualifications; terms. There shall be chosen by the qualified electors of the state at the times and places of choosing members of the legislature, a secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, and superintendent of public instruction, who shall have attained the age of twenty-five (25) years respectively, shall be citizens of the United States, and shall have the qualifications of state electors. They shall severally hold their offices at the seat of government, for the term of four (4) years and until their successors are elected and duly qualified. The legislature may provide for such other state officers as are deemed necessary. Now look at that last sentence, which states “The legislature may provide for such other state officers as are deemed necessary.” Now you have admitted that she has broken the rules, and our elected legislature is constitutionally answering to that. Glenn: I have never had a problem admitting that Cindy Hill has broken the rules. I would be disappointed in our legislators if they did nothing about it. In fact, I expect them to take action. But it is the way that they are going about it that I have a problem with. One Superintendent was hard enough for them to control. How are they going to manage two? Double the trouble at twice the price, and I have not yet even begun to imagine the undented consequences of a second office. Nicholas: One of the most valuable systems of government that Americans have learned and adopted is a check and balance within all levels of Government. By creating a second position we would also be creating another check and balance on policy that currently is virtually held with almost limitless power by one elected position. You may argue that the voters would know best, but look at the past election for president. A few years ago I was telling everyone to vote, that it is a right that should be cherished. I have changed my mind after talking with many people who vote. Even here in Wyoming people showed up at the booths voting for or against President Obama, but had no idea who or what they were voting for as they penned their way down the list. Some voted for party line only, and others on what name seemed to sound the best. Can you really put the State of Wyoming and the United States future in the hands of the voters? Would you really want our education system being in the hands of the people
who are more concerned about Lindsey Lohan getting a drunk driving than reading actual bills and workings of government themselves? Are you ok with letting the mob decide education practices, the same mob that has traded reading (good) newspapers for Pawnstars, American Idol, and the Bachelorette? Glenn: We have checks and balances, right now, you are seeing it in action by watching out legislators take action. But, again, what sort of action? Typical government lets hire another person, who must come with a staff, and more boards and more oversight. More people more bureaucracy, more money, means more of a mess. Nick, both you and I have run businesses. We both know that streamlining is the way to go. The office of school superintendent needs to be less complicated in order to better manage it, not more. As for your slam on the voters, politicians pick bureaucrat for political reason, so there is a problem there too. Bad enough you pick on Lindsey Lohan. If you had picked on Honey Boo Boo, well, ‘them’s fighting words bucko.’ Nicholas: Well, going to have to concede in this debate. I too agree that the State Legislature is going way too far. During a time of spending cuts they want to hire more people. During the last election most of our State Legislators were in favor of reducing the size of government, but here are showing by action that they really believe that expansion is needed. There is a part of the State Constitution that I did not state above which is Article 7 Section 14 which states that ‘The general supervision of the public schools shall be entrusted to the state superintendent of public instruction, whose powers and duties shall be prescribed by law. If she has violated the law than an impeachment process should be started as defined by our State Constitution. We also have a judicial system that can be used. If guilt and removal of office is found, than a special election for the position should then take place. As far as if Mrs. Hill is guilty of breaking the law or not, this I am not sure as I do not have all the information available to me for proper judgment. I can say that personally this sounds like a power struggle between the ‘good ol boys’ and someone who refuses to play along. But Glenn, your right, a new position would be the exact opposite of solving the problem. This sounds like a Milton Friedman quote, which states “The government solution to a problem is usually as bad as the problem.” Glenn: Good, help us all when Honey Boo Boo is old enough to vote.
What Our Readers Thought? Should the State Legislature allow for much of the powers of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to be stripped and given to an appointee?
Yes - 28.2% No - 71.8% Results are from 1,251 votes counted. To vote on the next “On the Contrary” subject, go to our website at www. CampbellCountyObserver.net and click on the “polls” page.
Where is this picture taken? Answer from last week Gourd Buttes
Where Is This Picture sponsored by:
Weekly Trivia Answer from Last Week Which State was supposed to be the 14th State of the United States of America?
The State of Franklin
The State of Franklin (also the Free Republic of Franklin or the State of Frankland) was an unrecognized, autonomous “territory” located in what is today eastern Tennessee. Franklin was created in 1784 from part of the territory west of the Appalachian Mountains that had been offered by North Carolina as a cession to Congress to help pay off debts related to the American War for Independence. It was founded with the intent of becoming the fourteenth state of the new United States. Franklin’s first capital was Jonesborough. After the summer of 1785, the government of Franklin (which was by then based in Greeneville), ruled as a “parallel government” running alongside (but not harmoniously with) a re-established North Carolina bureaucracy. Franklin was never admitted into the union. The extra-legal state existed for only about four and a half years, ostensibly as a republic, after which North Carolina re-assumed full control of the area. The creation of Franklin is novel, in that it resulted from both a cession (an offering from North Carolina to Congress) and a secession(seceding from North Carolina, when its offer to Congress was not acted upon, and the original cession was rescinded).
Enzi to Congress: Follow the law and pass a budget U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., joined his Republican colleagues on the Senate Budget Committee in sending a letter to new Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray asking for a vigorous hearing and markup schedule that would result in the passage of a budget. It has been almost four years since the Senate last passed a budget. The letter sent to Chairman Murray proposed regular meetings and a timeline for drafting the nation’s fiscal blueprint. The Budget Act of 1974 requires the formal mark-up and passage of a budget every year. Excerpts from the letter are included below. “We believe the Budget Committee cannot be a bystander at this historic time when the nation will be confronting the most seri-
ous debt issues. We must take the steps necessary to avoid what Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles have told our committee will be the “the most predictable economic crisis in history.” The work of our committee, and the process of marking up a budget, will play an important role in helping the Congress and the nation find our way through this dangerous period. “We believe that an open, fact-driven analysis of our situation as part of the lawfully required budget process will be good for America. Our requests and suggestions are not for an easy schedule but for a challenging one. The people deserve no less. Substance must override politics. “We pledge to be active and positive contributors
to this work. There will be clear policy differences, but what better place (or more important time) can there be to deal with them than
in the committee that is charged with setting out a fiscal plan annually for the United States?”
Lummis joins representatives offering amendment to the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013
On Tuesday, U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) joined U.S. Representatives Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), Tom McClintock (R-CA), and Jeff Duncan (R-SC) in offering an amendment to the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013. The amendment would have offset the $17 billion cost of immediate Hurricane Sandy-related disaster assistance by trimming the 2013 budgets of federal agencies by 1.63%. Congressman Lummis issued the following statement: “Without question the victims of Sandy deserve relief. They deserve it. And we should give it to them in a way that we can afford. If we can’t do a 1.6% reduction in spending, how are we going to deal with a $16 trillion debt? “My own State of Wyoming is cut-
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ting spending 6.5% across the board right now to balance the budget because revenues didn’t materialize that have materialized in the past. And it’s very doable. “We in this House cut our own budgets 11.4% in the period of two years. This House has not missed a beat. Not a single member was hurt by that. “A 1.6% reduction in federal spending to pay for these victims’ benefits, who deserve this money, is the right thing to do.” Rep. Lummis’ amendment failed to pass the House by a vote of 162 to 258. Because the funds were not responsibly offset as Rep. Lummis sought to do through amendment, Rep. Lummis voted against the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, which passed the House by a vote of 241 to 180.
U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis
January 18 - 25, 2013
Sports PublicReport Pulse
Campbell County Observer
Boys Basketball standings The season is about half-way complete, as teams continue to progress through their schedule. Here are the latest standings as of January 13th. 4A East: Gillette 10-2 Laramie 10-2 South 7-6 Central 5-5 Sheridan 5-7 East 3-9
2A Northeast: Conference record listed first, then overall record Moorcroft 2-1, 11-3 Big Horn 2-1, 9-4 Tongue River 1-1, 6-6 Wright 1-1, 5-8 Sundance 0-2, 1-10
Girls Basketball standings
Pronhorn women topple Tetons
On paper, it looked to be a great contest. Two, 15-win teams going against each other on a Monday night. That was the case for the Tetons of Williston State and the Pronghorn women. The Tetons had a 10-game winning streak coming into the game as well. The game lived up to expectations, as (#13) Gillette College (16-3) took down the Tetons (15-3), 78-63 at the South Campus. The Tetons started out the game with a 5-2 run, but Keke Wright helped right the ship for the Pronghorns as Gillette College tied it up a seven points apiece. The first half turned into a shooting duel for the two teams. There were eight lead changes and seven ties in the first stanza. Six Tetons scored five points or more in the first half, but Chelsie Pitt was on fire from beyond the arc for the Pronghorns. Pitt went five for six for three-pointers in the first half with Wright pulling down 10 points. Five others also put points on the board for the Pronghorns to give Gillette
College a 45-36 lead at halftime. In the second half, the Tetons came out with a small 4-0 run, but it quickly diminished as Gillette College went right back into scoring mode. The Pronghorns led by as much as twenty points in the game. Head Coach Will Rider for the Pronghorns said the key to the game would be playing well against the Tetons bigs and crashing the boards. The Pronghorns lost in the rebound battle, 52 to 42, but with the way Freya Newton seemed to be flying around the ball Monday night, you would not have thought that. Newton hit her streak in the second half, too. She sank 19 of her 24 points in the second stanza, that mark was the game-high for all players on both teams. Despite not winning the rebound battle, the Pronghorns’ fast tempo game that wore down the bigs for the Tetons and the 13 steals Gillette College took from Williston State made up for the difference. Gillette College also improved on its free throw per-
centage- it went 17 for 21 from the charity stripe. Maggie Lorenz had the Tetons high of 14 points in the game. Both the Pronghorn men and women host Central Wyoming College on Wednesday. Fans will want to make it out to the games. A lucky spectator will have a chance to make a halfcourt shot at halftime of the men’s game to win a car from White’s Frontier Motors or White’s Energy Motors. If you can’t make the games on Wednesday, you can hear both contests on 93.3 The Legend and online athttps://www.network1sports. com/station/kled. The women tip off at 5:30pm, the men at 7:30pm. Pronghorn Scoring Summary Freya Newton- 24 Chelsie Pitt- 18 Keke Wright- 14 Alicia Carline- 7 Christina Davis- 4 Kiela Garner- 4 Chelsea Ullery- 3 Halli Stocklin- 2 Breanna Thomas- 2
Wright wrestlers place fifth at Don Runner Memorial tournament; Gillette wrestlers compete in 55th Cowboy tournament The Wright High School wrestling team placed fifth overall with a score of 134.50 at the Don Runner Memorial. Kodi French was the champion of the 138 lb. weight class, while teammate Bradley Hess finished in second place at 182 lbs.Trenton Smith (106 lbs.) and Nathan Martinez (113 lbs.) placed third. Michael Yeradi (170 lbs.) took fourth place. Keenen Phisterer (106 lbs.) and Daniel
Magana (152 lbs.) placed fifth. Orion Smith (113 lbs.), Kris Justice (145 lbs.) and Charles Oldman (285 lbs.) finished in sixth place. Gillette Trent Olson won the 105 lb. weight class and Evan Smith was the champion at 119 lbs. Lukas Poloncic placed first at 160 lbs. Dani Fischer (145 lbs.) and Jordan Fischer (152 lbs.) placed second in their respec-
tive weight classes. Taylor Jeffries (112 lbs.), Austin Zigray (125 lbs.), and Alex Lacasse (140 lbs.) took fourth place. Deavon Mauch (112 lbs.), Haydn Rawlings (171 lbs.), and Taylor Barbour (285 lbs.) placed fifth, while Taylor Bigelow (171 lbs.) placed sixth overall.
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Boys Basketball schedules and results 4A teams are now getting started with conference play, as the season reaches the halfway mark. Here are the schedule and scores for the week of middle-January.
Mother Nature ran some interference on a few games this past week. Here are the latest girls basketball standings, as of January 13th. 4A East: East 12-1 Sheridan 11-1 Laramie 10-2 Gillette 9-2 Central 8-4 South 4-9
2A Northeast: Conference record listed first, then overall record Sundance 3-0, 6-6 Tongue River 2-0, 12-0 Big Horn 2-1, 6-7 Wright 0-2, 5-9 Moorcroft 0-4, 2-11
Camels victorious in South Dakota
The #1 Gillette Camels (10-2) closed out their non-conference schedule on Saturday night by taking down Rapid City Stevens (2-7) 81-71 on the road. Cody Kelley led all scorers with a career high 30 points, including 19 in the 2nd half and 10 in the 3rd quarter as the Camels now get set to open up Eastern Conference play next weekend on the road. 8 different Camels scored on the night as Logan Wasson and Dylan Haddix each finished with 13 points. Thomas Bush had 9 points, Michael Cook 7, Tanner Sandvick 4, Jade Kampfe 3 and Bryce Lyman had 2. The Raiders also had 3 players in double figures as Steven Schaeffer led his team with 25 points, Brett Bennett had 21 and Kevin Blackett came off the bench to score 14, all in the 2nd half. Matt Minnick, Matt Wilson and Sam McCloud each had 3 while Jacob Vifquain had 2. The Camels didn’t lead until early in the 2nd quarter and they relinquished that lead 4 times in the 3rd quarter as the Raiders erased a 6 point halftime lead to go back and forth with the Camels in the 3rd quarter. However, the Camels and Cody Kelly answered the call and responded by opening up their largest lead of the game at 15 points late in the 3rd quarter.
Weekly Sports Trivia Question How many teams currently in the NBA are original teams from the beginning 1949 inaugural season? Look in next week’s paper for the answer ** Sponsor our Sports Quiz for $40 per week. That’s 2 ads per week! **
Weekly Sports Trivia Answer from Last Week When was the first WNBA Championship played?
Thursday, January 17th: Class 3A: Buffalo at Newcastle Class 2A: Moorcroft at Wright Friday, January 18th: Class 4A: Gillette at Laramie Class 2A: Big Horn at Wright Saturday, January 19th: Class 4A: Gillette at South
Girls Basketball schedules and results
A few teams are getting in some makeup games this week. Here are the schedules and scores for the week of middle-January.
1997
The WNBA Finals is the championship series of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the sport’s post season each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002. The series is played between the winners of the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference. At the conclusion of the championship round, the winner of the WNBA Finals is presented the championship trophy. The WNBA Finals has been played at the conclusion of every WNBA season in history, the first being held in 1997. Since 2005, the winner of the WNBA Finals has been determined through a 2–2–1 format. The first, second, and fifth games of the series are played at the arena of the team who earned home court advantage by having the better record during the regular season. The WNBA Finals were originally a single championship game to decide the WNBA champion. However, in 1998, after the addition of two teams, the WNBA Finals were turned into a best-of-three games series. In 2005, the WNBA Finals adopted a best-of-five format. This finale series was known as the WNBA Championship from 1997 to 2001, before changing to reflect its NBA counterpart.
Thursday, January 17th: Class 2A: Moorcroft at Wright Friday, January 18th: Class 4A: Laramie at Gillette Class 2A: Big Horn at Wright Saturday, January 19th: Class 4A: South at Gillette
“A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” - Wayne Gretzky
Year 1997
Sponsor the Quotes and get 4 small ads/week for only $50/week!
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WNBA Championship Series Champions Result Opponent Houston Comets 65–51 New York Liberty
Finals MVP Cynthia Cooper
Classifieds
Campbell County Observer
Help Wanted Cook needed at Lu La Bells. Motivated and Energetic. Days Only. Apply at Lu La bells. Looking for CDL to work in North Dakota full time. Call 307-670-3629. PERSONAL ASSISTANCE NEEDED: We are looking for an Office Assistant. Duties include greeting clients, answering phones, and routing mail, data entry and retrieve,scheduling and calender maintenance,Ideal candidates will have proven customer service skills in an administrative setting and experience with Microsoft Office applications email resumes to akeelahanderson001@gmail.com IF INTERESTED Powder River Roofing, a growing company in N.E. Wyoming, is hiring full time roofers. Call 307-696-7465 for an interview. Personal Assistant needed to organize and help. Basic computer skills needed, must be good with organization. I am ready to pay $600.00 per week. Interested person should contact: deans995@ gmail.com Bl-32-2V Full Time Flooring Installers wanted. Must have experience. Bring resumes in to Carpet Express Direct on Hwy. 59 next to the Prime Rib Restaurant. Exciting new career. Unlimited income potential. Think you can sell? Call 307-2994662. We offer commission, fuel allowance, and much more. Sell in the Bighorn, Casper, Powder River, and Black Hills Area. Are you a friendly outgoing individual? Do you connect with people casually? Are you looking for supplemental income? Do you need to be in charge of your own hours? We are looking for an independent contractor for commissioned based ad sales. For more information call Sandra at 307-689-0028 or email at campbellcountytidbits@yahoo.com State Wide Sales people. Print Advertising Sales for new State-wide newspaper. Call 307-299-4662
Child Care Child Care in Sleepy Hollow. Room for 2 children. $20 per day per child. Call 307-257-2306.
Toys (ATV’s Boats, Etc.) BOAT FOR SALE. 18ft 120 port jet outboard bass tracker for sale. Call 307-680-5947 International Tractor 300 Utility For Sale. $2000 Artic Cat 4X4 2001For Sale. $2000 Call Bill 307 - 660 – 8563 94 Mazda MX3 for sale. $1500 obo. 307-670-2037 1988 Honda Gl1500 for free if interested contact me at ( james.bernard10@live.com ) 2010 Polaris 550 eps with less than 100 miles, books for $8,000. make and offer. Call Steve Terry at 307-2992992 Chopper - Custom built frame, s&s engine, carb, etc. 80ci. Evolution engine. Wide glide front end. Low. Torn apart down to frame. Have all parts, could be built in two days with under $200.00. Asking $5,500 or best offer. Price:$5,500obo. Contact: 307-670-2037 1981 Harley Davidson FXBSturgis, 1st dual-belt drive to commemorate Hill-Climb @ Sturgis, Jack-Pine Gypsies rally started in ‘41, 50th anniversary model. 12K on straight-up original paint, new Moetzler’s driven-by beefed Shovel, 102hp at wheel. Perfect in every aspect, serious inquiries only, loan is $15K and value of over 25K. Ben 680.7464, 3-other older bikes and this has to go to the right person! Custom Harley Soft tail. Being built, need to sell now. Almost finished. Chopper, built in Sturgis, SD. Asking $5,500 and will help you build it. HAVE ALL PARTS! Call 257-2306 Boat for Sale with trailer. Needs work. Call 670-8980 for info.
Toy Parts & Accessories Stock pipes for Sportster. 500mi. Stock pices for Dyna Wide Glide. 1500mi. Email baxtersmom62@gmail.com for info. Rare find. 1969 Pontiac Motor. 390 HP and 470 ft. torque stock from factory. Aluminum edelbrock intake goes with motor. Best offer takes it home. 307-6220825 (a1-39-tfnh) 1999 Vortec 350 Intake and heads. Make offer. 307-6220825 (a1-39-tfnh) Four 16 inch rims, five hole, with caps.$90 307 - 670 1887 Harley Accessories for sale. Call 307-670-8980. Ask for Tammy.
Campers & Motor Homes 1997 32ft. Class A Motor Home. Sleeps 6, Only 31,000 Miles. Asking $17,000. Call (307) 660-7520. Large Private RV/Camper Lot for rent. Big yard, trees. All utilities available. $400 per month, $400 deposit. 1 year lease. Call (307) 6601007. 5th wheel camper for sale. Call Skip (307) 680-0073
Camping/Fishing Minnows, crawlers, leeches, fishing tackle, boating and camping supplies. Fully furnished cabin rentals, 50 Amp Full Hookup RV sites 5 minutes from Keyhole Reservoir in Pine Haven. Empire Guesthouse & RV Park 307756-3454. www.empireguesthouse.com
Business Opportunities Looking for investor in local business. Call for Details. 307-257-2306. Exciting career available Now! No weekends, holidays, or nights. Unlimited income potential. 20% commission plus gas allowance selling print advertising. Call Anne Peterson (advertising manager) at (307) 299-4662 or email AnnePeterson@ CampbellCountyObserver. com Health problems? Try doTERRA certified pure essential oils. 307-680-0363. www. myvoffice.com/healingisbelieving
Apartments for Rent 1-5 bedroom units available for rent. Please contact Real Estate Systems of Gillette Inc at 307-682-0964 for all the updated details. Apartment for Rent in WindRidge Appts. Water/Trash/ Washer/Dryer. Air and Heat. 3bs/2bth. Must qualify for low income housing. $740.00/ mo. Call 307-685-8066 Foothills View Apartments Hot Move In Special! Cool, Clean, Quiet Apartments. A/C, 2 Bdrm. $695 1Bdrm. $595. Showing anytime Call 307-686-6488 C3-28-2v Apartments for rent. Foothills View Apartments. Clean and Quiet. One and Two bedroom units starting at $595.00. Call for showing andmove in special 307-6866488 (c3-42-3v) Spacious & new, 1, 2, &3 bdrm affordable apartments available now! Call 6858066. Washer and dryer in every unit. Private sunny patio or balcony. Special move-in rate, 1 bdrm: $694, 2 bdrm: $777, 3 bdrm: $888. Move in now and deduct $ 200 off first month while special lasts. Call Konnie or Celeste at Highland Properties 685-8066.
Produce for Sale Fresh local “Free Range” eggs. All natural, no animal by-products. No antibiotics. $3/Doz. 257-9049
For Rent 2 Bedroom Duplex, with one car garage, washer/dryer, no pets. $700rent/$700deposit. 307-689-0202 Room for Rent. Nice Room for Rent for one responsible person. $480.00 per month. 689-9358.
Services Homeowners and renters insurance for house, trailer, or apartments. Call Elizabeth Jones Agency 307-682-6520 RV Winterization starting at $99.95 at YOUR house. Call Randy at 307-660-3091 (b340-tfnh) Powder River Roofing is N.E. Wyoming’s top quality roofing, with the highest safety standards in the area. Call for your FREE estimate today for metal/wood/shingle removal, install, and repair. (307)-696-7465. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Want To Get in Shape?Like to have Fun? Learn The Graceful moves of American Oriental Belly Dancing! The 3rd Sunday of every month. Call Leanna Tabatt 307-6808457 Looking to buy a new computer? Why waste the money? “Your Computer Store” has refurbished towers and laptops rebuilt right here in our store. Plenty of memory, disc space, and advice. Come by and see our inventory at “Your Computer Store,” where YOU come first! 802 E. Third St next to Ice Cream Land Powder River Mechanics. We have the cheapest labor rates, but the best quality repairs in town. We offer full services on Foreign and domestic vehicles, ATV’s, Snowmobiles, motorcycles, jet ski’s, boats, and more. Let us put you on a Preventative maintenance schedule so your vehicles run miles past your warranty. Call for an appointment. 307-6967713. Avenue Mall - Over 30 vendors, come check us out! 217 Gillette Ave. Mon-Fri. 9AM to 7 PM, Sat. 9AM- 5 PM, Sun. 10 AM - 4 PM Computers have become like cars, and they need repaired. Want the best quality repair work in N.E. Wyoming? Bring your computer to “Your Computer Store.” Quality work at a quality price. “Your Computer Store,” where YOU COME FIRST 802 E. Third street next to Ice Cream Land. Auto insurance preferred and SR-22’s. Call Elizabeth Jones Agency 307-682-6520 Motorcycle and ATV insurance. Call Elizabeth Jones Agency 307-682-6520
Merchandise 1939 HA Selmer Trumpet $750 OBO. 687-1087 18v Dewalt tools - sawzall, hammer drill, one battery and one charger. $150 obo. call (307)299-1382 Exterior door with window, interior light fixtures, and computer supplies. E-mail Corsair115@yahoo.com Refrigerator (white) Great condition $100 307-2995918 Blue Dual Reclining Sofa. Good shape $100 Call 6802982. Can text photo if you like. Spyder Semi-auto paint ball gun. cal..68 Special Edition. Only used twice! New $300 For you $175 plus two canisters. Call 680-1302 If you are interested in purchasing Nutrient Rich Ranch Raised Beef grown locally, call 307-340-1108. Great Jerky http://www.rberlinger.jerkydirect.com/ Five roasts and twelve pounds of hamburger for a flat rate. $150.00. All ranch raised beef. This is an approximate savings of 10% on the total. Contact Jason Walker at 307-686-0577 For sale: whirlpool refrigerator, brand new patio propane heater, still in box Cabela’s shower tent, large dining room dark blue/red rooster rug, 10” wet tile saw, treadmill. Call 682-6353. Kojac series One, two and three dvd $65.00 $98 value 307 - 670 - 1887 Two place aluminum snowmobile trailer. $1,600. 307689-0202
Wanted to Buy I Buy Militaria. Swords, uniforms, bayonets, medals, guns/parts, field gear. 6827864
Autos, Trucks and Vans ‘76 Electra-Glide would consider trade on Pan or Knuck if ya know of anyone, ‘81 sent it to LA-S&S, 11.5to1 and dual-plugged to run regular-gas, had burn-out time at Hog-Jam! Ben 680.7464. 1993 Chrysler LHS for sale or trade. Needs tie-rod and alignment. Runs good. $1,500.00 OBO. Email KevlarGrease@gmail.com 1994 Plymouth Voyager for sale or trade. Runs/ looks great. 188,000 miles. $2,000.00 OBO. Email KevlarGrease@gmail.com 1996 Nissan Pathfinder 4x4. New BF Goodrich Tires, Runs good. $1,200.00. 307299-4662. (a141-tfnh) 2004 Yukon Denali XL,6.0 Motor, Loaded $14,000 OBO 660-9351 2008 Hyundai Sonata LMTD, 40,000 mi. $13,500, Call 307-660-2532. 2000 Chevy Silverado 4x4 1/2 Ton Pickup. New tires, ext. cab, long bed. 148,000 mi. One owner. 307-6700858 or 303-250-4096 97’ Chevy Long Box Extended Cab. ¾ Ton, selling for Parts. $1,000 OBO. 307680-7431 1982 Chevy Ventura Van. 350 Engine, 400 Turbo newly rebuilt transmission. Interior in GREAT shape, has a working electric wet bar and built in cooler in back. Carb. needs re-jetted, other than that there are no problems. Must see. Asking $3,500 or best offer. Price:$3,500obo. Contact: 307-670-8980 1952 Chevy Dumptruck, hauls 5 tons of coal $1500 307-682-1172 1986 Toyota Tercel 4x4. $1050.00. Call 307-2995918
Miscellaneous Licensed daycare now open. Spots available full-time and before and after school. Close to Rozet school and the post office. Monday through Friday 6:30am to 6pm. Ages 3 and up. Call 307-299-1915 Bring your catch by the Empire Guesthouse for photographs which may be published in this newspaper with our fishing reports. Along with that, the Guesthouse staff will be awarding monthly prizes for those that let us photograph them and their catch. It doesn’t have to be a trophy to enter and there will be special prizes for those 12 and under. Carp shooters are also welcome to enter. Check with the Guesthouse for more details. ACE will reduce your appetite and give you energy. The natural way to lose weight. www.facebook.com/AcePill 660-2974
Homes for Sale Home for sale by owner in Western Way. Asking $239,000 for the 1,800 sq. ft. 3 bedroom 2 bath home with an unfinished basement and a two car garage. Fully fenced, large landscaped yard with a sprinkler system. Home is within walking distance to the new recreation center and the new elementary school that is being built. Please contact me at 307-670-1209 if you are interested. For Sale. 3br Townhouse. 1.5 bath. 307-680-1449 (c139-tfnh) Tri-level house for sale 4 bed 2 bath $209,000 (307) 6701925. 40+ Acres 2 miles south of Wright 1999 Atlantic Oak Modular. $250,000 OBO Call 307 - 680 – 2374 Great House - 4 bedroom, 2 bath, computer room, huge island kitchen, fireplace. Must see! call 307-687-0333 C1-23-tfn 3 bedroom 11/2 bath C1-39-tfnh
Townhouse 680-1449
FSBO 2,688 SF home on corner lot with fenced back yard. 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, upgraded kitchen, finished walkout basement, oversized garage. $259,000. 307-680-9180.
Wanted: Old Batteries. Call 307-670-1675. D4-30-8P
Personals
WILL PAY CASH FOR CAMPERS. Call Scott (307) 680-0854.
Interested in founding a Sherlock Holmes Society in Gillette? Contact gillettesherlockians@gmail. com for info.
15
January 18 - 25, 2013
Guns for Sale
Guns for Sale
Get a piece of history. Mosin Nagant Russian M91/30 Surplus Rifle. Very good to Excellent condition 7.62X54 Caliber. These are a very accurate rifle shooting 4” groups at 1000 yards. Open sights are adjustable to yardage with a push of a button. Great gun for hunting deer or elk very cheap ammo available for target practice ($85 per 440 rnds) Comes with military issue sling, sling pouches, bayonet, and cleaning tools. Retailing as high as $175.00 on sale with this ad $145.00. Call Wyoming Mountaineers 2992084 and mention this ad.
Wyoming Mountaineers now offers easy payment plans on any in stock firearm. Your debit card is your line of credit. Purchase any firearm that is in stock making 4 payments weekly, biweekly, or monthly. Processing fee and payment plan fee apply. Call Wyoming Mountaineers for more details. Call Wyoming Mountaineers 299-2084 and mention this ad.
Chinese Type 53 Carbines 7.62X54R. These guns have been fully restored and are excellent shooters. They are a shorter model of the Mossin Naugant making them easy to carry through the brush and trees. Large caliber with plenty of take down power for the largest and most dangerous game. Ammo is still available and still very reasonably priced. This gun comes with a fold down bayonet permanently attached. Adjustable sights on an elevation ramp rear sight makes this package very versatile. permanently attached floor plate magazine holds 5 rounds with one additional one in the chamber. These guns are selling fast at the remarkable price of $175.00 with mention of this ad. Call Wyoming Mountaineers (307)299-2084 to get yours today. With the current controversy of gun control you can expect changes. One of these changes will be permanently attached low capacity magazines. Make your current guns compliant to this regulation. Call for quotes on all your gunsmithing needs. Call Wyoming Mountaineers (307)299-2084 to get yours today. A friend of mine called the other day and tells me he has 2 friends that are looking for some AR-15’s do I have any? I told him yes I do, They are M4 style scope ready models and priced at $695.00. Great, he says, They will be right over. They never showed up so a few days later I asked him if his friends were still interested. He told me nope, they bought them online for $1500.00. So, here they come with UPS, I still made my $15.00 for the transfer but while they were there they looked at the rifles I had in stock and discovered they were the same models they ordered with the same features and they could have bought 2 from me for the same price they paid for one they ordered. Don’t let this happen to you, Any gun, Any models, Any features can be ordered or built for a lower cost. Call for a free quote. Call Wyoming Mountaineers (307)299-2084 to get yours today.
Tonneau Cover for sale! Cover will fit any pickup with an 8' bed, long wheel base - $125.00
Call 307-689-4189
Gunsmithing Special of the week. Electrolysis Barrel Cleaning. Increase the accuracy of your firearm, get ready for hunting season or a summer of shooting fun. Most cleanings complete overnight and your gun is ready the next day. This week only $25.00. Call Wyoming Mountaineers 2992084 and mention this ad. Before you buy, make a call to get a quote. We can order any gun you are looking at and just may be able to save you a ton of money. Call for a free quote. $15.00 FFL Transfer Fee on all internet purchases. If you find that smoking great deal on the internet we transfer guns for only $15.00 per gun. Call Wyoming Mountaineers 2992084 and mention this ad. Colt AR-15, Sporty Target. Pre-ban, INCREDIBLY LOW SALE NUMBER. Great condition $1,500. (307) 6894339. D1-32-2V 1903 Springfield. 30o6 Cal. U.S. Military. $700 obo. Call (307) 682-7864
Home Appliances/ Furnshings Booth Table. L-shaped. With Chairs. Seats 6. $500.00 Call 299-4967 Three antique pressedbacked oak chairs. Excellent condition. $85 each. 6820042
Pets Basset Hound pups for sale; 9 weeks old; need shots. Rust and White and Tricolor $250.00; One Lemon and White female $300.00. Transportation cost additional if I deliver @ 25 cents per mile. Serious Inquiries Only! Please call 307-382-9282. 2 AKC Registered Tea Cup Yorkies Puppies for free. They are male and female. If interested contact james.bernard10@live.com D7-45-3H
Heavy Equipment/ Trailers 6x10 trailer. Great shape, fits your biggest Harley. $1,400 obo. 299-4967. 1981 Circle J 4-horse Horse Trailer. New floor, paint and wiring. $2500 OBO Call 307 - 680 – 2374 1981 Circle J 4-horse Horse Trailer. New floor, paint and wiring done in shop class 2 years ago. No rust only used once since redone. $2500 or OBO Call 307 - 680 – 2374
2002 Jaguar x type 3.0 v6 22mpg cty 34 hwy 135000 hwy miles all maintenance current. New coils, plugs wires. Call Chris at Carpet Express Direct.
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Our Roots
January 18 - 25, 2013
Campbell County Observer
The Louisiana Purchase By Mike Borda While there have been many eventful days in the history of America, few have yielded as much in the form of raw benefits as April 30, 1803. On this day, James Monroe, Robert Livingston, and Barbé Marbois signed what is today known as the Louisiana Purchase. This one document nearly doubled the area of the United States, and gave us a strategic dominance in the Western hemisphere for the first time. After a series of costly wars in both manpower and dollars, France was looking to regain some of its power in the world’s eyes. One way Napoleon decided he could accomplish this task, was to get rid of land France was not currently using to its full benefit. Fortunately for President Thomas Jefferson, the Louisiana territory was one such piece of land. Although it had originally belonged to Spain, Napoleon acquired it in 1800 after he had gained a military dominance in Europe. Oddly enough, many Americans were not in support of the Louisiana Purchase at the time. However, given the enormity of the consequences, this is understandable. This acquisition meant that as a country, we were finally realizing our power on the continent. We finally accepted the fact that we needed to expand westward, and that it was achievable. It is easy to describe the events of the
Louisiana Purchase, but its impact is far more impressive. Here are a few of the ways this event has influenced our country today: • The total area of the Purchase amounted to 828,000 square miles. • The cost was around $15,000,000 – which would amount to $220,000,000 today. • The $15,000,000 equals around $0.42 per acre obtained. • Today, 15 states and 2 Canadian provinces include land that was acquired. • Land purchased comprises 23% of the United States today. • This was one of the few times Jefferson strayed from his strict interpretation of the Constitution. In the Constitution, the President is not specifically given the power to buy land. • One of the reasons Lewis and Clark set out was to map the land, because Spain had called the borders into question. The Louisiana Purchase was one of the most influential signings in American history. It is difficult to imagine the United States today if we had not expanded westward, and it is impossible to predict what would have happened had we not given ourselves more land. Surely, however, America is better off today for having signed the Louisiana Purchase.
Submitted by James Phillip Grabrick
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The Other Livestock Boom By Jeff Morrison In the 1850s, mountain man, guide and entrepreneur, Jim Bridger, put together a small herd of sheep that he pastured near his trading post in southwestern Wyoming. At the time, he probably didn’t know that it would be the first herd among thousands that eventually permeated what would become the Cowboy State from border to border. Nor could he have foreseen how controversial those docile creatures would be when they arrived, or the violence and bloodshed their very presence would cause. Emigrants moving to the west coast in the 1840s and 50s established the first flocks in California and Oregon. It was from these herds along the west coast that the migration of sheep spread eastward, back along the trail that was used to herd their ancestors west. Unlike the veritable flood of Texas longhorn cattle that announced the great cattle boom of the 1880s, the sheep boom in Wyoming was a slow moving wave that expanded and contracted with the changes in range conditions and market prices from year to year. In northeast Wyoming, sheep were particularly late in arriving. The first large flock was brought into the Powder River Basin by D. A. Kingsbury in 1883, and another shortly thereafter by George Beck. By this time, herds had already been established in the Salt Creek area and later to the Douglas area with the arrival of the railroad. As was the case of their cattle ranching colleagues, these early flockmasters suffered a severe set-back during the winter of 1886-87. Called the “Great Die Up”, thousands upon thousands of herd animals, unable to forage in the deep, frozen snow, died of starvation and thirst, or else drifted before the wind until they came up short at a fenceline or other obstacle and were trampled down and suffocated by the press of animals behind them. But while the worst winter known to Wyoming crippled the cattle industry and effectively put an end to the cattle boom, the sheep boom was just getting warmed up. More and more sheepherders arrived to the area, trailing flocks of up to 3,000 or more woolies to take advantage of the open range that was now missing several thousand head of cattle. Buffalo quickly became a hub for the sheep industry in the Powder River region. Kingsbury, Beck, and the several flock masters who followed them into the western Powder River country in the
1890s and early 1900s used a style of range management introduced to the West by the Basque sheepherders of northern Spain and southwestern France, called transhumance – the practice of wintering flocks in the low country and trailing them into the mountains during the summer months. A sheepherder lived with the flock and moved them to fresh grass as the range conditions required. A lone herder, assisted by a trained sheep dog, could manage flocks of 3,000 or more, requiring additional assistance only during lambing, docking of shearing. The herder might be the sole owner of the flock or else be employed by a flock master, who might employ several herders and own several flocks of sheep, scattered all over the open range. Thus it was not unheard of for a large sheep outfit to have flocks scattered from Texas to the Canadian border. Just as the sheep industry followed the arrival of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad into the North Platte Valley, a similar influx of new herds cropped up along the Burlington route through Weston, Crook, Sheridan and what would later become Campbell Counties. One of the first structures built in the new community of Gillette in 1891 was a large wool warehouse set on pilings north of the railroad tracks just west of Brooks Avenue, which stood for 90 years before it was torn down. Other communities that served as supply depots and shipping points for the newest livestock boom were: Moorcroft, Newcastle, Thornton (now a ghost town) and Marino – better known today as Upton. As wool and lamb prices increased in the dawn of the 20th century, the sheep population in northeast Wyoming exploded, and with it the demand grew for more sheepherders. French and Spanish Basque immigrants had been heavily involved in the evolution of the sheep industry of the American West. Economic conditions in Europe drove the migration of younger sons, who did not stand to inherit the family flocks, to seek their fortunes overseas. Many found their way to America where their particular flair for tending sheep made them a highly sought-after commodity by flock masters. Most Basque sheepherders preferred to take their pay in sheep, which they mixed with their employer’s flock until they had enough animals to break out on their own. They in turn would send to the old-country for a replacement herder and the cycle would repeat itself. By the early 1900s
Basque sheepherders were arriving in the Powder River Basin. Several factors contributed to the inevitable conflict between cattlemen and sheepmen. A common misconception among cattle raisers was that sheep ruined the range for cattle. Although not true, it did not help the sheepmen’s cause that sheep could (and did) overgraze and trample grass when a large herd was concentrated into a small area, such as when being trailed from winter grounds to the mountains. Competition for water was another major bone of contention that led to another erroneous claim that cattle would not drink from a pond or stream that sheep had drunk from. Still fresh in the memories of the cattlemen was the overstocking and overgrazing that occurred in the years leading up to the vicious winter of 1886 and greatly contributed to the horrendous stock-loss that resulted. From their perspective it seemed likely that the booming sheep business was bent on following the path of the foolish Cattle Barons twenty years earlier. Warnings to the sheep companies were issued. Then the cattlemen established arbitrary “deadlines” that sheepherders and their flocks were not to cross. Finally, when the herders either ignored the deadlines or found it impossible to avoid, full blown violence resulted. These encounters were mainly a one-sided affair. There was little a lone sheepherder could do tostop a raid by five or six gun-wielding cowboys. If they were kind, the cowboys would tie the herder up, shoot his dog, burn the sheep wagon, and club
the flock to death or run them off a convenient cliff. If they weren’t kind, they shot the herder and set fire to the dog as well as the wagon. At least one flock owner refused to take the losses without a fight. The Empire Sheep Company, established near Moorcroft in 1899, by Silas Guthrie and partners, was one of the largest sheep operations in northeast Wyoming. Empire flocks ranged from Broadus Montana down to the Douglas area. Like many sheepmen before him, Guthrie received a written warning not to put herds into the open range between Moorcroft and Sundance. Guthrie, and his partner, Rodney King, refused to be bullied. After one of his herders was shot, sheep killed, several wagons and one house burned, Guthrie and King put out a reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible. They also enlisted the aid of a range detective who eventually came up the names of the culprits. Guthrie, who was also a lawyer, sued them, and won a substantial settlement after a lengthy court battle. Violence and vandalism against the Empire Sheep Company ended. The range war came to a violent end in Wyoming after the conviction of five cattlemen for their participation in the Spring Creek Raid near Ten Sleep Wyoming. During the night of April 2, 1909, seven men attacked the sheep camp of Joe Allemand, killing him and two others. Even the most hardened cattleman was appalled by the murders. By this time, it was becoming hard to tell the sheepherders from the cattlemen. More and
more cattlemen were seeing the wisdom of owning sheep as well as cattle to take full advantage of fluctuating livestock markets. This required fencing to better manage both cattle and sheep, which minimized the need for close supervision of both cattle and sheep. By 1910 the numbers of sheep in Wyoming had reached a zenith of nearly 7 million animals. Although open range herding continued well into the mid 20th century, and still continues in a limited fashion in the summer pastures of the Big Horns, the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 spelled a drastic change in the industry. Land ownership and grazing permits were prerequisites for grazing animals on public lands. This meant that the flock owner had to actually own land, and could not subsist on free grazing alone. Even with this change Wyoming remained a leader in sheep industry of the United States for many years. The sheep boom faded as slowly as it climbed, but eventually it did fade. The scales that balance market prices against production costs have tipped in the wrong direction, leaving a shell of the once vibrant industry. The three-story shearing barns have dry-rotted and collapsed. The stone cairns known as “sheepherder monuments” have mostly fallen down. Sheep wagons have become museum pieces. But every July, in Buffalo Wyoming, the North American Basque Organization pays tribute to the bygone hey-day of the sheep industry and the culture of the people who so greatly contributed to its success in northeast Wyoming.
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· Auto · Preferred · SR22’s · Home · Renters · Life · Health 16
Elizabeth Jones Agency 1001 S. Douglas Hwy., Suite 184 Gillette, WY 82716 Office (307) 682-6520 Fax (307) 682-3536
Elizabeth (Betsy) Jones, Agent CPIW, DAE, LUTCF
www.farmersunioninsurance.com/ejones ejones@vcn.com