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June 17 - 24, 2011

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

Volume 2 • Issue 3

January 20 - 27, 2012

Cat rescued from pipe

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Firefighters rescued a cat that was stuck at the bottom of an eight foot tall plastic pipe on Saturday. According to the Campbell County Fire Department, the partially buried pipe was eight inches in diameter. After cutting a hole in the pipe, responders were able to reach for the cat and pull it out. The cat appeared uninjured once it was freed from the pipe, the fire department said.

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

In Front: Tanner Macy, Mason Miller, Tanner Cook, Hunter Schultz, and Cooper Cook; In Back: Josh Macy, Dalton Macy, Zane Reed, and Hunter Rawlings.

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Peak wrestling recap from Newcastle, Rapid tournaments By Ted Ripko - Basin Radio Sports The Peak Wrestling Club traveled to Newcastle on Saturday for their Fall Guy Tournament with all 15 of their wrestlers placing. Out of their 15 placers, eight of them won individual championships as Tanner Macy, Mason Miller, Hunter Schultz, Tristan Wornkey, Warren Carr, Joshua Macy, Jacoby Garcia and Dalton Macy all finished on top of their respective divisions and weight classes. The eight first place finishers were: • Tanner Macy 7/8 age group- 55 lbs • Mason Miller 9/10 age group - 60 lbs • Hunter Schultz 9/10 age group 70 lbs • Tristan Wornkey 9/10 age group - 75 lbs • Warren Carr 9/10 age group - 80 lbs • Joshua Macy 11/12 age gro up - 75 lbs • Jacoby Garcia 11/12 age group - 110 lbs • Dalton Macy 13/14 age group 85 lbs Britt Dohse got second place in the 11/12 age group at 75 lbs while

Cooper Cook in the 9/10 age group - 60 lbs, Tanner Cook 11/12 age group - 55 lbs and Hunter Rawlings 13/14 age group - 95lbs earned 3rd place. Rayce Mason in the 9/10 age group -50 lbs and Zane Reed in the 9/10 age group - 75lbs both were 5th place while Brady Carlson in the 9/10 division - 60 lbs was 7th. Then on Sunday the Peak wrestlers competed in the Rapid City Raider tournament. Peak had five wrestlers place first: • Tanner Macy - 7/8 age group 55lbs • Mason Miller - 9/10 age group 60lbs • Josh Macy - 11/12 age group 75lbs • Dalton Macy - 13/14 age group - 85 lbs • Hunter Rawlings - 13/14 age group - 95 lbs Tanner Cook in the 11/12 age group - 55 lbs placed 2nd while Cooper Cook 9/10 age group - 60 lbs and Hunter Schultz 9/10 age group - 70 lbs placed 3rd. Zane Reed placecd 4th in the 9/10 age group - 75 lbs.

Campbell Co. Fire Department conducts live fire training

The Campbell County Fire Department conducted live fire training on Saturday, January 14th at 8 am. This training was conducted at a location on the west side of Gillette near I-90 and Hwy 14/16 on Newton Road. Residents nearby saw smoke and flames from the training burn but were assured the fire was under control and there is no threat to the public safety or surrounding

property. The owner of the property offered the building to the fire department for training purposes and to ultimately burn. The Campbell County Fire Department Training Division has utilized the building for several months to conduct a variety of training and wishes to express our appreciation for the donation of the building.

Southern Drive speed limit will change By Paul Wallem The Campbell County Commissioners voted to change the speed limit on Southern Drive to 50 mph, a move that will add uniformity to the route. Right now, drivers are limited to 45 mph along some portions of Southern Drive, while along other sections the speed limit is 55 mph. “It will be 50 mph as you approach the signal at Enzi and Southern, and over the entire length of Southern Drive,” explains Phillip Giffin with Campbell County Public Works. “The speed limit will be reduced just prior to the intersection of Southern Drive and Highway 59 and Highway 50.” According Giffin, several considerations prompted the county to adjust the speed limit along Southern Drive. “Driver’s expectancy is always very important when you consider posting a speed limit,” says Giffin. “The fact that the city is installing a signal is significant. There is also a vertical sag curve just east of Antelope Valley Street on Southern; it is designed for 50 mph, so that’s a reason also. It’s very important that you have a consistent posting of the speed limit if possible, so that’s the fourth reason. And all of these reasons are substantiated by WYDOT’s traffic studies manual.” The date when drivers along Southern Drive will see 50 mph speed limit signs is still up in the air, however, Giffin says. Key to the county’s decision is when the city completes installing a traffic signal at the intersection of Southern Drive and Enzi Drive. “The date hasn’t been determined exactly. It depends on the city finalizing their plans for the installation of the signal.” The county is planning on installing signs near Enzi and Southern Drive, though, warning drivers that they are approaching a traffic light. “These warning signs are needed in this case because this would be considered a high-speed signal,” Giffin says. “There are only two other high-speed signals in the State of Wyoming, so that’s why I think it’s very important.”

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Photo Submitted by Campbell County Political Cartoonist “Juice”

Why you lowered your flags on Jan. 17 Governor Matt Mead has ordered both the U.S. flag and State of Wyoming flag be flown at half-staff statewide from sunrise to sunset on January 17, 2012 in honor of Technical Sergeant Matthew Schwartz who was killed in action in Afghanistan on January 5, 2012. TSgt Schwartz was stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne.

Winner receives their mark in the Campbell County Observer and a free cut/color at Hickey Unlimited.

Improving Cervical Cancer Prevention in Wyoming

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January is Cervical Health Awareness Month

Brought to you by:

Submitted by Kim Deti - Wyoming Department of Health

The Wyoming Department of Health is reminding women to take steps to reduce their risk of cervical cancer. Carol Peterson, Wyoming Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program manager, said in recent years there has been significant progress in the fight against cervical cancer. “A more sensitive liquidbased Pap test is now widely used by healthcare providers and the addition of HPV testing for women over the age of 30 has allowed providers to determine which women with abnormal Pap tests are most at risk for developing cervical cancer,” Peterson said. “Also, HPV immunization is now widely available to protect young people against contracting the HPV virus types that cause most cervical cancers.” The Wyoming Department of Health has released a “Cervical Cancer

in Wyoming: Issue Brief” that reports on Pap test screening trends and cervical cancer rates. Facts listed in the report include: • Wyoming is ranked low at 45th in the nation for women reporting they had at least one Pap test in the past three years. • Wyoming currently has a 78.3 percent Pap test screening rate; the national median is 81.2 percent. • Wyoming’s current cervical cancer incidence rate of 8.62 is higher than the U.S. incidence rate of 7.88 (per 100,000 women) and our cervical cancer death rate of 2.99 is higher than the U.S. death rate of 2.17 (per 100,000 women). The Wyoming Comprehensive Cancer Consortium recommends women should begin Pap test screening at age 21 and continue screening every two to three years or as recommended by their healthcare provider. Peter-

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son said because cervical cancer has no symptoms in the early stages, it is very important for women ages 21-65 to have regular Pap tests. Other steps women can take to potentially reduce their cervical cancer risk include: • Reduce the number of sexual partners and use condoms to reduce exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, including HPV infection linked with cervical cancer. • Delay starting sexual activity until after adolescence. • Do not smoke and avoid exposure to secondhand smoke. • Consider a diet high in fruits and vegetables. An online cervical cancer resource tool kit and other informational materials are available from the Wyoming Department of Health atwww.health.wyo.gov/ phsd/bccedp.

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Bring entries to: Hickey Unlimited 106 W. Lakeway Rd. or mail to: Campbell County Observer 5105 Tarry St. Gillette, WY 82718

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Joke of the week Submitted by Ron Curtley

Am I voting Democrat or Republican?

I’m voting Democrat because English has no place being the official language in America. I’m voting Republican because I believe that the government should censor me. I’m voting Democrat because I’d rather pay $4 for a gallon of gas than allow drilling for oil off the coasts of America. I’m voting Republican because I like when my president kisses the (hand) of the Saudi Arabian king and gets nothing in return. I’m voting Democrat because I think the government will do a better job of spending my money than I could. I’m voting Republican because I’d rather build more prisons than more schools. I’m voting Democrat because when we pull out of Afghanistan and Iraq, I know the Islamic terrorists will stop trying to kill us because they’ll think we’re a good and decent country. I’m voting Republican because the twenty firearms I own don’t mean a thing if I can’t have an uzi. I’m voting Democrat because I believe people who can’t tell us if it will rain in two or three days, can now tell us the polar ice caps will disappear in ten years if I don’t start riding a bicycle, build a windmill or inflate my tires to proper levels. I’m voting Republican because when I don’t have anything good to run on I like trashing the democrats. I’m voting Democrat because it’s alright to kill millions of babies as long as we keep violent, convicted murderers on death row alive. I’m voting Republican because I believe that only a few people in the country have the right morals, and that should dictate how we all should live.

2


Community Business Council seeks public input to changes in outreach plan Submitted by Kim (Sears) Kittel, Marketing and Public Relations Wyoming Business Council The Wyoming Business Council is seeking input on ways to improve public involvement in planning and development for HUD funded programs in the state. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires states receiving certain HUD funds to prepare a Citizen Participation Plan that outlines how public involvement will take place in all aspects of planning and development of covered programs. They include the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) and Housing Opportunities for Per-

sons with Aids (HOPWA). The state reviewed Wyoming’s Citizen Participation Plan, which was adopted in 2010, and determined that changes may be necessary to help encourage public involvement. Every proposed change to the plan must allow for public comment. “The way we communicate program information and get public input is vital,” said Julie Kozlowski, CDBG planning and program development manager. “It is appropriate to take a look at what is working and what’s not and make adjustments. Good communication and public involvement means success for the programs and the people they serve.”

The Wyoming Business Council, which oversees the CDBG program in Wyoming, invites all citizens, public agencies and other interested parties to review the proposed changes and provide comments. Comments will be accepted Jan. 17 – Feb. 15. At the request of 20 or more individuals, a public hearing will be scheduled. The draft document is available on the Wyoming Business Council website www.wyomingbusiness.org. To submit comments or to request additional information, please contact Julie Kozlowski atjulie.kozlowski@wyo.gov or 307.777.2812.

Judge finds Gillette mining company discriminated against employee

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Submitted by David Koch A Gillette coal mine has been ordered to pay a $40,000 civil penalty and to reinstate an employee to her previous position, compensate her for her lost wages, and remove personnel files referencing her unlawful discharge after a judge says the company illegally terminated her employment. The $40,000 penalty is twice the amount originally sought by the Labor Department. An administrative law judge for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) concluded that Cordero Mining terminated Cindy Clapp in retaliation for Clapp’s repeated safety complaints, an activity protected under federal law. According to Section 105(c) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, miners, their representatives and applicants for employment are protected from retaliation for engag-

ing in safety and/or health-related activities, such as identifying hazards, asking for MSHA inspections or refusing to engage in an unsafe act. In a May 4, 2010 complaint filed by Clapp, a shovel operator with 28 years of experience as a miner, she claimed management at the mine lacked concern over safety complaints raised by mine workers and that her unlawful discharge had a chilling effect on the willingness of other miners to raise safety issues. Wednesday’s decision comes after an earlier decision on December 5 in which Administrative Law Judge Thomas McCarthy ordered Cordero to cease and desist from discharging or otherwise discriminating against Clapp or any other miner because she or he engage in protected activity, and from interfering with miners who exercise the rights guaranteed by the Mine Act. Additionally, he ordered the company to take “affirma-

tive action necessary to effectuate the policies of the Mine Act” within 14 days of the order and post a copy of the legal decision. “Every miner has the right to identify hazardous conditions and refuse unsafe work without fear of discrimination or retaliation,” said Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. “The Mine Act allows miners to exercise this right without fear of being fired, demoted, harassed, transferred, refused employment or suffering any loss of wages.” Cordero Mine, a subsidiary of Cloud Peak Energy, has appealed Wednesday’s decision to the review commission and requested that it stay the enforcement of the order during the appeal. A spokesperson from Cloud Peak Energy says the company does not comment on pending legal action.

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Improving Cervical Cancer Prevention in Wyoming

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Submitted by Kim Deti - Wyoming Department of Health

The Wyoming Department of Health is reminding women to take steps to reduce their risk of cervical cancer. Carol Peterson, Wyoming Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program manager, said in recent years there has been significant progress in the fight against cervical cancer. “A more sensitive liquidbased Pap test is now widely used by healthcare providers and the addition of HPV testing for women over the age of 30 has allowed providers to determine which women with abnormal Pap tests are most at risk for developing cervical cancer,” Peterson said. “Also, HPV immunization is now widely available to protect young people against contracting the HPV virus types that cause most cervical cancers.” The Wyoming Department of Health has released a “Cervical Cancer in Wyoming: Issue Brief” that reports on Pap test screening trends and cervical cancer rates. Facts listed in the report include: • Wyoming is ranked low at 45th in the nation for women reporting they had

at least one Pap test in the past three years. • Wyoming currently has a 78.3 percent Pap test screening rate; the national median is 81.2 percent. • Wyoming’s current cervical cancer incidence rate of 8.62 is higher than the U.S. incidence rate of 7.88 (per 100,000 women) and our cervical cancer death rate of 2.99 is higher than the U.S. death rate of 2.17 (per 100,000 women). The Wyoming Comprehensive Cancer Consortium recommends women should begin Pap test screening at age 21 and continue screening every two to three years or as recommended by their healthcare provider. Peterson said because cervical cancer has no symptoms in the early stages, it is very important for women ages 21-65 to have regular Pap tests. Other steps women can take to potentially reduce their cervical cancer risk include: • Reduce the number of sexual partners and use condoms to reduce exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, including HPV infection linked with cervical

Officials investigate Wal-Mart arson

The police department and Campbell County Fire Department are investigating after someone intentionally started a fire at WalMart Saturday afternoon. Shortly before 2:00 p.m., firefighters responded to a cardboard fire at Wal-Mart, where they found approximately 72 pallets of recy-

cled cardboard on fire. It took firefighters about one hour to get the fire under control. Officials say the fire was intentionally set by unknown individuals. Officials say the fire caused between $50,000 and $75,000 in damages.

Call for Information

Special New Year Discounts

cancer. • Delay starting sexual activity until after adolescence. • Do not smoke and avoid exposure to secondhand smoke. • Consider a diet high in fruits and vegetables. An online cervical cancer resource tool kit and other informational materials are available from the Wyoming Department of Health atwww.health.wyo.gov/ phsd/bccedp.

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The Campbell County Observer Staff CampbellCountyObserver.net (PP-1) Volume 2 Issue 3 The Campbell County Observer is published by Patriot Publishing L.L.C. in Gillette, WY every Friday. Postmaster: Send address changes to 5105 Tarry St. Gillette, WY 82718 Writers Candice De Laat - Owner/Publisher CandiceDeLaat@CampbellCountyObserver.com

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

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

Keary Speer - Editor KearySpeer@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Glenn Woods (Political Column) GlennWoods@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Anne Peterson - Advertising Sales Manager AnnePeterson@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Mike Borda (American History) MichaelBorda@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Brittany Miller - Sales/Marketing BrittanyMiller@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Elizabeth Albin (Wright) ElizabethAlbin@campbellcountyobserver.com

Traci Jefferson - Sales/Marketing TraciJefferson@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Lin Stephens LinStephens@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Cyndee Stoneking - Sales/Marketing CyndeeStoneking@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Josh Uzarski (Science) JoshuaUzarski@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Owen Clarke - Ad Design OwenClarke@CampbellCountyObserver.com

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

Ken McCoy - Distribution Manager

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

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

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


Community What’s Going On? Friday, January 20 -Teen New Volunteer Sign Up, CCPL -Tickets for the Chocolate Basket Raffle on Sale Now Jan. 9-Feb.10, 1 for $1 or 6 for $5, Drawing 4:30 p.m. Feb. 10, CCPL -Lazy L Band @ Jakes Tavern -Eastside RV’s Outdoor Fun Show, Cam-plex East Pavilion, 686-1435 -WRCHA Club Clinic, 8:30 a.m.- 7:30 p.m., Cam-plex East Pavilion, Kathleen Reynolds, 682-3646 -Management of Problem Grasses: Cheatgrass, Bulbous Bluegrass, & Foxtail Barley, 10 a.m.2:30 p.m., CCPL -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Grand Re-Opening/Ribbon Cutting: Liberty Tax Service, 12:45-1:15 p.m., 1001 S. Douglas Hwy., Suite 240 -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Open MIC Night, 7 p.m., Brothers Coffee -The Snow Queen, 7 p.m., Cam-plex Heritage Center, 689-4341 -AVA- Uncorked! 7-9 p.m., 682-9133 -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Last Call Group, 10 p.m., 2910 S Douglas Hwy. Saturday, January 21 -Lazy L Band @ Jakes Tavern -Teen New Volunteer Sign Up, CCPL -Tickets for the Chocolate Basket Raffle on Sale Now Jan. 9-Feb.10, 1 for $1 or 6 for $5, Drawing 4:30 p.m. Feb. 10, CCPL -Eastside RV’s Outdoor Fun Show, Cam-plex East Pavilion, 686-1435 -Master Classic 3D Archery Shoot, 8 a.m.- 6:30 p.m., Cam-plex Barn 3, Andy Turnquist, 257-7509 -WRCHA Club Clinic, 8:30 a.m.- 7:30 p.m., Cam-plex East Pavilion, Kathleen Reynolds, 682-3646 -AA- Discussion, 8:30 a.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Teen Dungeons & Dragons, 10 a.m., CCPL -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Teen Open-Play Video Gaming, 1 p.m., CCPL -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Relay for Life: Dart Tournaments, 6:30 p.m., Registration for Draw & Mixed Partner Doubles Opens @ 5 p.m., American Legion, 682-9857 for info. -Relay for Life: Bunko Fundraiser, 6:30 p.m. Sign- up, American Legion, 682-9857 for info. -The Snow Queen, 7 p.m., Cam-plex Heritage Center, 689-4341 -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Last Call Group, 10 p.m., 2910 S Douglas Hwy. Sunday, January 22 -Senior Center- CLOSED -UMF Meeting @ Jakes Tavern -Tickets for the Chocolate Basket Raffle on Sale Now Jan. 9-Feb.10, 1 for $1 or 6 for $5, Drawing 4:30 p.m. Feb. 10, CCPL -Eastside RV’s Outdoor Fun Show, Cam-plex East Pavilion, 686-1435 -Master Classic 3D Archery Shoot, 8 a.m.- 6 p.m., Camplex Barn 3, Andy Turnquist, 257-7509 -WRCHA Club Clinic, 8:30 a.m.- 7:30 p.m., Cam-plex East Pavilion, Kathleen Reynolds, 682-3646 -AA-Morning Spiritual, 10:15 a.m., 2910 S Douglas Hwy. -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. Monday, January 23 Tickets for the Chocolate Basket Raffle on Sale Now Jan. 9-Feb.10, 1 for $1 or 6 for $5, Drawing 4:30 p.m. Feb. 10, CCPL -Introduction to Personal Computers (New Class!), 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., K2 Technolo-

gies, 686-3025 -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -PAD Meeting, 4 p.m., CCHS South Music Room -Library Board Meeting, 4 p.m., CCPL -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Wagonwheel Kindergarten Music Program, 7 p.m., CCHS Auditorium -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. Tuesday, January 24 -Tickets for the Chocolate Basket Raffle on Sale Now Jan. 9-Feb.10, 1 for $1 or 6 for $5, Drawing 4:30 p.m. Feb. 10, CCPL -Brain Injury Group of Gillette, Carmen 680-5926 for time & location after 5 p.m. -HealthCHECK Testing, 7-11 a.m., CCMH Lab, 6881222 -NE Wyoming Furniture Restorers, 8 a.m.- 9 p.m., Cam-plex Central Pavilion, Jim Britt 682-8442 -K2 Focused Seminar: Excel Power Functions (New!), 8:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m., K2 Technologies, 686-3025 -AiE “On Ensemble” for 7th Grade, 9:45- 10:45 a.m., Cam-plex Heritage Center -Storytime, 3-5 yr. olds, 10:30 a.m., CCPL -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Finance Committee, 12 noon, BR, CCMH -Ribbon Cutting: ANB Bank- Gillette, 12-1 p.m., 800 E. 7th Street -AVA- Preschool Art, 2 p.m. -K2 Focused Seminar: Google Docs, 2-4:30 p.m., K2 Technologies, 686-3025 -AVA- Grade School Pottery, 4 p.m. -Teen Card Game Club, 4 p.m., CCPL -Green Drinks, 5:30-7 p.m., Uncle Freddie’s Junkyard Grille, 686-5228Gillette College -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Antelope Butte Foundation Gillette Public Meeting, 6 p.m., -AA-Beginners, 6:45 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Hillcrest 1/2nd Grade Music Program, 7 p.m., CCHS Auditorium -On Ensemble, 7-10 p.m., Cam-plex Heritage Center, 682-8802 for tickets -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. Wednesday, January 25 -Tickets for the Chocolate Basket Raffle on Sale Now Jan. 9-Feb.10, 1 for $1 or 6 for $5, Drawing 4:30 p.m. Feb. 10, CCPL -Children’s Immunization Clinic, 8-11:30 a.m., Public Health -NE Wyoming Furniture Restorers, 8 a.m.- 9 p.m., Cam-plex Central Pavilion, Jim Britt 682-8442 -Storytime, 3-5 yr. olds, 10:30 a.m., CCPL -Storytime, All Ages, 11 a.m., WBL -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Microsoft Project 2010 Level 1, 1-4 p.m., K2 Technologies, 686-3025 -Ribbon Cutting: Family Medical Care, 4:30-5:30 p.m., 709 W. 8th St., Ste. 4 -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. Thursday, January 26 -Teen Fun Days: Peanut Brittle Day, CCPL -Tickets for the Chocolate Basket Raffle on Sale Now Jan. 9-Feb.10, 1 for $1 or 6 for $5, Drawing 4:30 p.m. Feb. 10, CCPL -HealthCHECK Testing, 7-11 a.m., CCMH Lab, 6881222 -Toddler Time, 18 months3 yr., 9:30 a.m., CCPL -Storytime, 3-5 yr. olds, 10:30 a.m., CCPL -Senior Center- City of Gillette Sponsored Dinner, 12 p.m. -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Senior Center- Tin Lizzie Bus, 2 p.m. -AVA- Homeschool Art, 2 p.m. -AVA- Grade School Kids Club, 4 p.m. -Board of Trustees, 5 p.m.,

noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -K2 focused Seminar: Automating Tasks (Using Macros), 1-4 p.m., K2 Technologies, 686-3025 -AiE Advisory Board Meeting, 4 p.m., Cam-plex Heritage Center -Adult Reading Discussion, 5-7 p.m., WBL -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy.

CR, CCMH -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Families & Jammies, Birth- 6th Grade, 6:30 p.m., CCPL -Teen Anime Club, 7 p.m., CCPL -Lakeview/Sunflower 5/6th Grade Band Program, 7 p.m., Sunflower -Prairie Wind 3/4th Grade Music Program, 7 p.m., CCHS Auditorium -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy.

Tuesday, January 31 -Tickets for the Chocolate Basket Raffle on Sale Now Jan. 9-Feb.10, 1 for $1 or 6 for $5, Drawing 4:30 p.m. Feb. 10, CCPL -HealthCHECK Testing, 7-11 a.m., CCMH Lab, 6881222 -Senior CenterVet’s Breakfast, 8 a.m. -NE Wyoming Furniture Restorers, 8 a.m.- 9 p.m., Cam-plex Central Pavilion, Jim Britt 682-8442 -Storytime, 3-5 yr. olds, 10:30 a.m., CCPL

Friday, January 27 -Tickets for the Chocolate Basket Raffle on Sale Now Jan. 9-Feb.10, 1 for $1 or 6 for $5, Drawing 4:30 p.m. Feb. 10, CCPL -Jake’s Open Pool Tournament @ Jakes Tavern -NE Wyoming Furniture Restorers, 8 a.m.- 9 p.m., Cam-plex Central Pavilion, Jim Britt 682-8442 -Gillette Workforce Center: Wyoming Preference Act of 1971 Seminar, 9-10:30 a.m., Gillette College, 682-9313 -Microsoft Office Basics 2010: Outlook, Excel & Word, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., K2 Technologies, 686-3025 -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AVA Fundraiser Reception, 6-8 p.m., Cam-plex Heritage Center, Carol Treide, 682-9133 -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Last Call Group, 10 p.m., 2910 S Douglas Hwy.

-AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -K2 Focused Seminar: Dynamic Data-Presenting Pivot Tables, 1-4 p.m., K2 Technologies, 686-3025 -AVA- Preschool Art, 2 p.m. -AVA- Grade School Pottery, 4 p.m. -Teen Card Game Club, 4

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Saturday, January 28 -Jake’s Open Pool Tournament @ Jakes Tavern -Tickets for the Chocolate Basket Raffle on Sale Now Jan. 9-Feb.10, 1 for $1 or 6 for $5, Drawing 4:30 p.m. Feb. 10, CCPL -SAT Testing, 8 a.m., CCHS North Campus -NE Wyoming Furniture Restorers, 8 a.m.- 9 p.m., Cam-plex Central Pavilion, Jim Britt 682-8442 -AA- Discussion, 8:30 a.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -4-H Horse Clinic, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., Cam-plex Barn 3, Jessica Gladson, 682-7281 -RCM Barrel Racing, 10 a.m., Cam-plex East Pavilion, Carol Mackey, 680-4105 -Teen Dungeons & Dragons, 10 a.m., CCPL -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Teen Open-Play Video Gaming, 1 p.m., CCPL -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AVA- A Night at the Louvre, 6 p.m., Cam-plex Energy Hall, 682-9133 For Tickets -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Last Call Group, 10 p.m., 2910 S Douglas Hwy.

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p.m., CCPL -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Beginners, 6:45 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -CCSD Choir Gala Concert, 7 p.m., Cam-plex Heritage Center -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy.

January 28, 2012 Start at Jakes Tavern, Gillette at 10am Stop 2: Deere Haven, Moorcroft Stop 3: Ponderosa Bar, Hulette Stop 4: Rozet Bar, Rozet Stop 5: Lakeside Bar, Gillette $15.00 per hand or $20.00 per couple 25% to High hand, 25% to low hand and 50% to B.A.C.A. $1.00 per extra card, extra hands may be purchased for $5.00 per hand For more information call Tiburon at 307-3590683 PRIZE AWARDED FOR: Most Creative Trailer Trash!!

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Sunday, January 29 -Senior Center- CLOSED -Tickets for the Chocolate Basket Raffle on Sale Now Jan. 9-Feb.10, 1 for $1 or 6 for $5, Drawing 4:30 p.m. Feb. 10, CCPL -Jake’s Open Pool Tournament @ Jakes Tavern -ABATE Meeting @ Jakes Tavern -NE Wyoming Furniture Restorers, 8 a.m.- 9 p.m., Cam-plex Central Pavilion, Jim Britt 682-8442 -AA-Morning Spiritual, 10:15 a.m., 2910 S Douglas Hwy. -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12 noon, 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -AA-Happy Hour, 5:30 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy. -Pilobolus, 7-10 p.m., Cam-plex Heritage Center, 682-8802 For Tickets -AA-Hopefuls(BB), 8 p.m., 2910 S. Douglas Hwy.

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Monday, January 30 -Tickets for the Chocolate Basket Raffle on Sale Now Jan. 9-Feb.10, 1 for $1 or 6 for $5, Drawing 4:30 p.m. Feb. 10, CCPL -NE Wyoming Furniture Restorers, 8 a.m.- 9 p.m., Cam-plex Central Pavilion, Jim Britt 682-8442 -Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 Level 2, 9 a.m.- 12 noon, K2 Technologies, 6863025 -AA- Mid-day Serenity, 12

4


Community On Wednesday, a 40-year old Gillette man was convicted on three counts of sexual child abuse. Douglas Howard Craft was found guilty of two counts of sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree and one count of sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree after a jury of eight women and four men deliberated for approximately seven hours. Each count carries with it a maximum prison sentence of 50 years. Sentencing in this case will follow at a later date.

P

Previous convictions

Last September, Craft was convicted of felony exploitation of a child after he was found guilty of texting exposed pictures of himself to a juvenile female, and requesting and receiving sexually suggestive pictures of the juvenile in return. Court documents indicate he began talking to that victim on Facebook. That particular investigation began after the victim’s father informed law enforcement that he discovered Craft had been sending sexuallyrelated text messages to his daughter.

to offer our customers an overall better product, said Dan King, owner, K2Technologies. This merger is a great way to start the New Year.” The company can now offer its current cache of services to a larger area of the state, including IT support, training, SPLAT email protection, Microsoft Office 365 Hosting, and telephone services, among others. K2 is especially proud of their backup and disaster recovery service designed to protect client

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Douglas Howard Craft faces up to 50 years in prison for each of his three counts of sexual child abuse.

data. Customers should not see many changes in day to day operations and can still count on the personal service and attention which has been the foundation of both companies. “In Jackson, this merger will increase services while still offering the hometown feeling our clients are accustomed to,” said Rusty Brown, who will operate the Jackson office. “It’s essentially the same company, only better.” Both locations will be

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able to utilize a call in system for IT support through an improved ticketing system, providing quick resolution to computer support issues. K2 Technologies is a technology consulting and training firm composed of experienced IT professionals who are dedicated to bringing you the best in service and customer care. For additional information, visit www.k2technologies. net

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Police: Family assaulted over debt and his father were all attacked at a home on the 2600 block of Cheryl Avenue. The 18-year old suspect was charged with misdemeanor battery. A second suspect, a 47-year old male, has not yet been contacted by law enforcement.

Due to a federal law that caps compensation of damages for companies, Robert G. Bush’s disability award has been reduced. Formerly $1.2 million, he will now be receiving $330,000. The cap is $300,000 and the additional funds are due to backpay. Bush was fired after returning to work for Wyoming Machinery Company after having open heart surgery.

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that support these bills gave 7.2 times as much ($14,423,991) to members of the U.S. Senate as Internet interest groups that oppose these bills ($2,011,332). • Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has received 4.8 times as much from entertainment interest groups that support these bills ($571,500) as from Internet interest groups that oppose these bills ($118,050). Opponents of these two bills, such as Google, Yahoo, Facebook, eBay, and Twitter, fear the measures as currently drafted will grant the U.S. government power to curb free speech online and, with it, snare otherwise innocuous thirdparty sites. The bills’ supporters, such as Disney, Time Warner, Comcast, CBS, and the Recording Industry Association of America, hope to be able to use the expanded authority to shut down websites trafficking in pirated content. Drafting language that appeases both sides has been difficult and may result in Congress’s choosing one side over the other.

Gillette man’s disability award reduced

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Submitted by Pamela Heisey

An 18-year old male has been arrested after police say he assaulted a family in Fox Park over a $300 debt. According to Gillette Police Sergeant Eric Dearcorn, a 24-year old man called police Sunday around 6:40 p.m. to report that that he, his mother,

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Online Piracy legislation gets vote of confidence from Sen. Harry Reid On a recent episode of “Meet the Press,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid threw his support behind advancing legislation to curb online piracy. Both chambers of Congress have drafted legislation to address online piracy from foreign websites, but both bills have faced strong public outcry that has put their chances of passage in doubt without significant changes. The Senate is considering the Protect IP Act ( S 968), known as PIPA, while the House is considering the Stop Online Piracy Act ( HR 3261), known as SOPA. The Senate is expected to vote on PIPA on Jan. 24, and Reid has indicated there could be significant changes that would make the bill a “winner for everyone, not just for the content people.” MapLight has conducted an analysis of campaign contributions from key industry groups to members of the U.S. Senate (July 1, 2005 - June 30, 2011) and found that: • Entertainment interest groups

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Wyoming IT Companies merge

Increased coverage and improved technology are key benefits expected from a recent Wyoming business merger. Dan King and Russell “Rusty” Brown are pleased to announce a merging of their companies, K2 Technologies of Gillette, and Jackson Hole IT of Jackson Hole, effective January 1, 2012. The merged company will operate under the name K2 Technologies. “We are thrilled to have taken the best of both companies and combined them

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Northeastern Wyoming Furniture Restorers Invites you to their 2012 Workshop Where: Cam-Plex Central Pavilion When: January 24th thru February 5th Time 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM Daily

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Registration: Starting at 8:00 AM January 24, 2012 at Cam-Plex Central Pavilion

Bring Your Projects and Ideas 5


Community An In Depth Look at Wyoming’s CCW Law By Lin Stephens As per a request in last week’s letter to the editor section, we will print stage one of the Wyoming gun laws. This is an article that we printed in our 5th issue, just after the CCW law past, written by Campbell County citizen Lin Stephens. Here is the re-print. This series of articles will go on through the next few weeks. Effective July 1, 2011 Wyoming will become the fourth state to allow residents to carry concealed weapons (CCW) without obtaining a permit. Currently, three other states also allow unrestricted CCW; Vermont, Alaska and Arizona. Unrestricted CCW laws allow residents to carry a concealed firearm without getting a permit, without paying a fee, and without going through a waiting period. After July 1, 2011 any law abiding resident of Wyoming is allowed to concealed carry. By law, that means individuals who have been a resident of Wyoming for at least six months, are at least 21 years of age, are legally competent and are not ineligible to possess and carry a firearm. Examples of those ineligible to CCW would include; felons, misdemeanor substance abuse offenders within one year, anyone committed to a treatment facility for substance abuse for at least one year, chronic and habitual users of alcohol and anyone that has been committed to a mental institution. In addition, NonWyoming residents will still be required to obtain a concealed carry permit. The state of Wyoming will continue to issue concealed carry permits to residents for reciprocity reasons. Wyoming residents who obtain CCW permits would then be allowed to carry in the states that recognize Wyoming’s permit. Initially unrestricted CCW laws sound to be easily interpreted. However, such a law does not mean that an individual can CCW everywhere they choose. It is important for those planning on carrying to understand that this law does have clear boundaries. Residents may not CCW in certain locations and doing so will result in criminal charges. Individuals may not CCW in the following areas: • Federal buildings, this includes US Post Offices. • County Court Houses • Any location where government or elected officials hold meetings. Examples include; City Council Chambers and State Legislature. • School grounds. This includes all schools, from K-12 through college. • Any location in which a school sponsored event is taking place. • Any location operated by the Wyoming Department of Corrections including. • Any bar or area of a restaurant that dispenses alcohol or malt beverages. For example, if you are dining at a restaurant and bar establishment, you may CCW in the restaurant area, but not in the bar area where the alcohol is being dispensed. CCW is permitted in restaurants that serve alcohol, but do not have a public dispensing area or bar. CCW is also allowed in package liquor stores. This does not include package liquor stores.

In addition, there are locations in which an individual needs to get permission prior to CCW in order to be lawful. Private property owners and businesses both have the power to deny CCW on their property. Churches, the Police Department and Sheriff’s Department all require that an individual first obtain permission from the head of the agency prior to carrying on their premises. CCW law violations will result in a misdemeanor for first time offenders. A misdemeanor weapons offense is punishable by a fine of up to $750 and/or imprisonment in jail for not more than six day. A second or subsequent offense of CCW laws will result in a felony charge, with up to a $2000 fine and/or imprisonment of not more than two years. The Second Amendment guarantees that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” How the states interpret that right has been a hot button political issue for decades. Regulations relating to the issuance of CCW permits fall into four categories; Unrestricted, Shall Issue, May issue and No Issue. A Shall Issue state is one that allows their residents to CCW by permit if that resident meets the permitting criteria. May Issue states leave the issuance of CCW permits partially up to the discretion of local city or county authorities. In May Issue states this typically results in a wide variance in the actual issuance of CCW permits from No Issue to Shall Issue depending on the county or city a resident lives in. No Issue states do not allow residents to CCW and therefore do not have CCW permits. The history of modern concealed carry started in Georgia in 1976 with that state’s Governor, Zell Miller. Miller introduced what became the model for later concealed carry laws and as a result Georgia joined a handful of other states that allowed citizens to CCW with a permit at that time. In 1976 Vermont was the only state that allowed unrestricted CCW. Then in 1980 a trend started when Indiana passed a Shall Issue law, but in order to force conformity the Indiana Sportsmen’s Council, assisted by the NRA-ILA, sued the state police, other agencies and elected officials into compliance. With the trend quietly started, Maine and North Dakota passed Shall Issue laws in 1985 and South Dakota followed in 1986. However, it wasn’t until the of media storm in 1987 about Florida’s new CCW legislation that loosening of CCW laws was brought to a level of national attention. The media attention and dire predictions about lawlessness as a result of relaxing gun control brought CCW legislation to the forefront. The lawlessness in Florida never materialized and CCW bills began sweeping through the country as states began to ease gun control laws. Wyoming joined the movement when it became a Shall Issue state in 1994. As a result in most states the pendulum on right to carry laws has swung dramatically back in favor of individual freedoms in the last decade from the restrictive gun control laws of

the early 1980’s. In 1986 there were 15 states with No Issue laws. At that time, Wyoming was one of the 26 May Issue states. In 1986 Vermont remained as the lone state that allowed unrestricted CCW. In 2011, only Illinois and Wisconsin have retained their No Issue status. This is despite repeated attempts to pass bills aimed at allowing CCW. Shall Issue states are currently up from 8 states in 1986 to 36 now. Alaska made one of the most notable turnarounds in its gun control laws. In 1986 Alaska was a No Issue state and in 2003 it became the second unrestricted CCW state in the nation. Arizona became the third state to adopt an unrestricted CCW law in 2010. Today, Wyoming’s newly passed CCW law is part of a growing trend of unrestricted CCW laws. Currently Utah, South Carolina and New Hampshire are among states discussing bills with Vermont style CCW laws. However, just as in the 1980’s when the trend began to shift from May Issue status to the current Shall Issue status, the unrestricted CCW bills are facing an uphill battle. The argument against the current unrestricted CCW laws is rooted in the idea that an increase in guns coincides with an increase in crime and weapons assaults. Opponents of unrestricted CCW cite law enforcement groups’ strong opposition to such laws and state that passing unrestricted CCW is putting public safety at risk. The fear is that this bill will enable potentially dangerous and unstable people to CCW. During the debate on Wyoming’s CCW bill Mike Burnett of the Wyoming Fraternal Order of Police spoke in opposition to the bill and was quoted by the Casper Star Tribune on February 27 during a House Panel debate as stating, “It’s not an issue of gun control, it’s not a matter of infringing on constitutional rights; it’s a matter of public safety.” Burnett went on to say that passage of this bill would put a burden on law enforcement while in the field, as they have to make instant decisions about suspects and this law will force them to also try to determine whether a person should be carrying a gun at all. Gun rights advocates argue that the Second Amendment is a right and not a privilege and therefore, law abiding citizens should not have to obtain a permit from the government. To counter the public safety worries of the opposition advocates refer to statistics that appear to demonstrate that loosening gun control laws does not put the public at risk. One of the primary examples that advocates point to is Vermont. It has had an unrestricted CCW law for over forty years and yet consistently boasts one of the lowest, if not the lowest crime rates in the nation. El Paso, TX is the other prime example that advocates use to counter the public safety argument. As a pro-gun state, Texas has made it easy to CCW. Even so, El Paso was ranked by CQ Press as America’s safest city in 2010. More striking though is its neighboring city’s record. El Paso is

located directly across the border from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Ciudad Juarez has very stringent gun control laws and one of the highest murder rates in the world. CCW laws seem to be just the beginning in this revolution of gun control laws. Currently states are debating and passing, Stand Your Ground Laws, bills that allow firearms on college campuses, bills that allow judges to bear arms and bills that say an employer cannot keep a worker from bringing a firearm to work if he leaves it in a vehicle. As a result the landscape of gun control is dramatically changing as the push for a return to constitutional rights with minimal government interference spreads across the nation.

Featured Crime Narcotics

Crime Stoppers needs your help in solving narcotic crimes in Gillette. The Gillette Narcotics Investigation Team is requesting information relating to any drug related activity in Gillette. If you have information that can solve this or any other crime please call Crime Stoppers at 686-0400 or the High School Crime Stoppers at 682-4185. You can remain anonymous and may earn up to $1,000 in reward.

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The event this year is at:

Jake’s Tavern

“A public servant is just that, a servant of the public. Provided we have servants that understand this, our County, our State, and our Country will forever prosper. Once one replaces ‘servant’ with ‘career,’ than honest representation of that person is lost. When honest representation is lost, so is the prosperity of a free people.” - Nicholas De Laat

Saturday, June 16, 2012

6


Community Deer Baiting Bill

Warden’s Corner

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.

January 11, 2012

January 12, 2012

- At 6:16 a.m. to Hoy’s Trailer Court for an EMS assist. - At 11:04 a.m. to East 9th Street for an EMS assist. - At 11:07 a.m. to Cindy Drive for an EMS assist.

CCFD was cancelled en route when CCSO deputies determined the patient was not experiencing a medical emergency. - At 4:27 p.m. to Desert Hill Circle for an EMS assist. - At 5:10 p.m. to the area 2 miles east of Rozet for a single vehicle rollover. - At 5:53 p.m. to 2421 Lodahl Avenue for a residential fire alarm activation. CCFD cancelled en route when the alarm company advised it was a false alarm. - At 7:10 to East Timothy Street for an EMS assist. - At 8:06 p.m. to Streamside Drive for an EMS assist. - At 9:11 p.m. to the area of the intersection of Warlow Drive and Spruce Avenue for a single vehicle crash.

January 13, 2012

- At 11:19 AM to 7133 Robin Dr. for a fire alarm, the alarm was due to a sprinkler line that had frozen, thawed resulting in a break. - At 1:06 PM to E. Warlow Dr. near Spruce for a report that vehicle may have went through the ice, it was determined that the vehicle had made it off the ice. - At 5:01 PM to Dove Rd. for an EMS assist. - At 7:16 PM to Quarter Circle for an EMS Assist. - At 7:58 PM to 19 Melvin for a smoke smell, it was determined that the occupant had a fire in her water heater compartment. The electricity was isolated to that part of the house. At 8:56 PM to 7125 Robin Dr. for a CO check, nothing was found. - At 11:36 PM to Jakes Tavern for an EMS assist.

January 14, 2012

- At 1:50 a.m. to Sierra Circle for an EMS assist. - At 7:41 a.m. to Tepee Street for an EMS assist. - At 10:47 a.m. to 65 South Rangeland Lane for an animal rescue. CCFD responded to the scene and upon arrival found a cat stuck at the bottom of an 8 foot tall plastic pipe. The pipe was 8 inches in diameter and partially buried. CCFD cut a hole in the pipe and was able to reach the cat and pull it out. The cat appeared uninjured once it was freed from the pipe. - At 1:53 p.m. to 2300 South Douglas HWY, WalMart, for cardboard on fire. CCFD responded to the scene and upon arrival found approximately 72 pallets of recycled cardboard on fire. CCFD fought the fire and got it under control in approximately 1 hour. The fire was intentionally set by unknown individuals and caused between $50,000 and $75,000. GPD and CCFD are looking for information about the responsible persons. - At 4:47 p.m. to Kristan Avenue for an EMS assist. - At 5:50 p.m. to Desert Hill Circle for a 2 vehicle collision. CCFD responded to the scene and upon arrival assisted CCMH-EMS with car-

Submitted by Brian Swardson

A new bill is being introduced by Sen. Bruce Burns (R-Sheridan) and sponsored by the Legislature’s Joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee. This bill would allow big game animals to be baited by hunters to lure deer away from towns and into places more conducive to safe hunting of animals.

Little Fred collected lots of money from trickor-treating and he went to the candy store to buy some chocolate. “You should give that money to someone on welfare,” said the sales girl. Fred thought for a moment and said, “No, I’ll buy the chocolate. You give the money to them.”

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Campbell Co. Fire Dept. - At 4:01 AM to 52 Hayfield Place for smoke inside the residence. The chimney down drafted filling the home with smoke. - At 5:37 AM to 227 Bell Road for a fully involved barn fire. Mrs. Tonya Pillcher who lives on the ranch discovered the fire when an explosion woke her up and when she looked out her window. Flames were going through the roof of the barn. The barn measured 52 feet by 130 feet and had a second level to it. Two pickups and a car that were parked next to the barn were moved away, with the car receiving light heat damage. The barn contained four tractors, one welding truck, five motor cycles, two allterrain vehicles, a Malibu Car and 400 small bales of hay. The barn and its contents were a total loss. The ranch is owned by Gerald and Ralph Tripp. The fire is under investigation. Potential ignition sources are a downed power line and a coal stroker furnace. - At 10:02 AM to the 1100 block of Church Avenue for an EMS Assist. - At 1:24 PM to the address of 905 North Gurley Avenue for a fire alarm activation. This was a false alarm due to a malfunction in the system. There was no fire. - At 3:07 PM to the 4200 Block of Wigwam Boulevard for a fire alarm in a residence. This was a false alarm due to construction crews working on the residence. There was no fire. - At 3:54 PM to the Airport for assistance on a plane that was experiencing possible engine trouble. The plane landed safely and there were no reported injuries. - At 4:40 PM to Valu Villa for a reported structure fire, upon arrival 1st due companies reported a fire contained to the exterior sign, the fire was extinguished. The cause is believed to be an electrical malfunction. - At 6:39 PM to E. 2nd St. for an EMS assist. - At 8:08 PM to Skyline Dr. and Highway 14-16 for a two vehicle accident with injuries. - At 9:50 PM to N. Gurley for an EMS assist. - At 11:37 PM to 409 Industrial Park for a reported structure fire. Upon arrival crews founds a 6 bay shop, approximately 100’ x 30’ with heavy smoke and fire showing on the west end. Crews forced entry into the business and extinguished the fire, two of the six bays were heavily damaged by fire, the remaining bays had moderate to light smoke damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation but is not believed to be suspicious.

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ing for an injured occupant of an involved vehicle. - At 8:25 p.m. to Prairieview Drive for an EMS assist.

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January 15, 2012

- At 1:15 a.m. to East HWY 14-16 for a medical assist. - At 6:18 a.m. to 1000 Camel Drive, CCHS-North Campus, for a possible structure fire. CCFD responded to the scene and upon arrival determined that smoke from the coal fired boiler was mistaken for a fire in the building. - At 5:20 PM to twenty miles South of Gillette on Highway 50 for leaking battery acid as a result of a traffic accident. Firefighters applied sodium bicarbonate to neutralize the battery acid. - At 7:57 PM to 714 West 9th Street for a residential fire alarm. Smoke from cooking activated a smoke detector (no fire). - At 10:42 PM to the hills West of Weston (off of North Highway 59) for a timber/ grass fire. The area was checked but no fire was found.

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January 16, 2012

- At 10:06 a.m. to 5404 Van Ripper Street for a possible structure fire. CCFD responded to the scene and upon arrival found the residence with light smoke and a strong burnt smell inside. CCFD investigated the source and determined that a malfunction had occurred with the furnace. The power was disconnected to it and a company was called to come repair it.

January 17, 2012

- At 12:28 AM to Four J Road for a medical assist. - At 11:00 AM to the 2900 block of Harder Drive for a medical assist. - At 1:47 PM to the 2300 block of Mahogany Circle for a medical assist. - At 2:33 PM to the 400 block of Warren Avenue for a medical assist. - At 8:09 PM to 1502 Harvest Moon Drive for a residential fire alarm. Firefighters arrived to find steam from a shower had activated a smoke detector – no fire. - At 11:43 PM to 6505 Robin Drive for smoke detector activation. Dust in the smoke detector caused the detector to go into alarm mode.

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7


Public Pulse Bold Republic Weekly I’m sorry, you taxed WHAT?! By Glenn Woods

Well, what do you know? It seems raising taxes does not always bring in the money that the politicians and bureaucrats hoped it would. Now, before I get into this latest example I have to ask; how many times do we have to go through this before these people finally learn? I’ll ask that question again at the end of this article, because I believe I have the answer. To bring in additional tax revenue the state of New York raised its sales tax on cigarettes, an extra $1.60 a pack, in the hopes of bringing in an additional $130 million into the State coffers. But the money did not come in. Where was that extra tax money from all of those smokers? The New York Post reported: “The state’s tax collectors were recently calling around to conveniencestore owners, wondering what was up. The $130 million in extra tax that Albany was expecting from a change in the law about cigarette sales on Indian reservations wasn’t happening.” “A memo sent to members of the New York Association of Convenience Stores from the group’s president, Jim Calvin — a copy of which I have on my desk — said, “I got a call from Gov. Cuomo’s budget office yesterday. In examining cigarette tax receipts so far this fiscal year (April 1 to March 31) it looks like they will fall considerably short of their projection in new revenues. . . . “The state had hoped to get the extra dough by enforcing a new law that made it illegal for licensed cigarette wholesalers in the state to sell untaxed namebrand cigarettes like Newport and Marlboro to Indian reservations.” So where did all of those smokers go? Did they quit smoking? Some politicians would try to convince you that was the case and de-

Three more town hall meetings on health benefit exchange scheduled Governor Matt Mead’s Health Care Policy Advisor will be participating in town hall meetings in Gillette, Natrona County and Cheyenne next week. The focus of the meetings will be to solicit input from the public on solutions to health insurance challenges including the concept of Health Benefit Exchanges and to hear concerns about health care generally. The town hall meeting in Gillette is scheduled for Monday, January 23, 2012 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Gillette College in Presidential Hall. The meeting in Natrona County will take place on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Evansville Community Center. The meeting in Cheyenne is set for Wednesday, January 25, 2012 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Laramie County Community

College’s Centennial Room 130. “We want citizens to come out and give us their input about health care in Wyoming and any ideas, concerns or comments they have about possible solutions including concepts of a Health Benefit Exchange,” said Elizabeth Hoy, Health Care Policy Advisor to Governor Mead. There will be seven town hall meetings total. One has already taken place in Cody; another is being held tonight in Riverton at Central Wyoming College’s Wind River Room; and there will be town hall meetings in Rock Springs and Jackson later this winter. Also participating in the town hall meeting in Riverton tonight will be Representative Elaine Harvey (HD 26 Big Horn/Park), co-chair of the Wyoming Health Benefits Exchange Steering Committee.

Governor asks EPA to respond to Wyoming’s questions on Pavillion Test Wells Governor Matt Mead sent a letter to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency saying that the State of Wyoming still has not received a response to questions raised by scientists and engineers working for the State. Governor Mead said a response would provide clarifications to draft report findings from two test wells drilled near Pavillion, Wyoming. Governor Mead wrote that the majority of the State’s questions remain outstanding. “I ask you to work with me to ensure that the EPA responds to the remaining questions and requests for information as quickly as possible. The response is necessary to conduct a complete analysis and interpretation of the data and findings contained in the report. Those responses will clarify information for both the public and the peer panel as they review and comment on the report.” Governor Mead pointed out that the public comment period on the draft report ends

in less than two weeks and without a full response from the EPA and time to assimilate that response it will be difficult to comment. “Therefore, I request that EPA, in addition to posting its responses to the questions on its Pavillion webpage now, also extend the public comment period for an additional 30 days from the date requested information is publicly provided. This extension will provide the public and the peer panel opportunity to review additional information provided by EPA’s response and to consider it in their comments,” Governor Mead wrote. “Both Wyoming and the EPA should have a common goal of an unbiased, scientifically supportable finding open to the public. I believe providing answers and information, making these available to the public and the peer review panel, and extending the comment period accordingly are the best ways to accomplish this,” Governor Mead wrote to Administrator Jackson.

Quickly, let’s pop over to the other coast and see how California is doing! OOPS! Not so well. With a $21 Billion Dollar deficit, and more taxes and regulations coming down on business owners in 2012, the state has shut down its “Recover” website, as another 129 companies left the state of California last month. And what is the answer from the Governor of California, and the State House and Senate? Why, to ask the voters to allow them to raise taxes, AGAIN, due to the increasing budget short falls as more citizens and companies leave the state, taking much needed tax revenue with them. Are you politicians out there, who read my articles, (I know you do) paying attention to this? I’ve written articles in the past few weeks of how quickly a state like Wyoming can go from a budget surplus of over $1 Billion dollars to a massive debt in just a couple of years. I’ve lived it now, in two states. I do not care to live it again here in Wyoming. Yet, as we come up on this next station budget session I see each city and county as well as the State coming up with little pet projects that will surely nickel and dime use right out of our surplus. And raising taxes will not help. I promised to answer the question at the end of this article “How many times do we have to go through this before these people finally learn?” The answer is: it seems they never really do learn. Not until, or unless, the people get the attention of their elected officials and demand changes. Or, until the people vote out those who are currently in charge who seem to think that the job is to find new and creative ways to tax and spend.

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

What’s Going On In Government? Monday, January 23

-City Council Work Session, 6 p.m., 2nd Floor Community Room, City Hall -Wright Town Council Workshop, 7 p.m., Council Room, Town Hall -Wright Town Council Meeting, 7:30 p.m., Council Room, Town Hall

City drops lobbying service By Paul Wallem - Basin Radio News The Gillette City Council unanimously rejected a new twelve month contract with a Washington lobbyist firm during Tuesday’s city council meeting. The city’s existing agreement for public and government relations from Triple J Consulting expires at the end of January. Although the city council voted against renewing the $5,000 per month contract, Gillette City administrator Carter Napier says they inquired about paying for the firm’s services on a project-to-project or as-needed basis. “After consulting with Triple J, they indicated that they didn’t think they would be as effective in representing the city on a per project basis and perhaps would not serve the city as well,” explains Napier. “And so they recommended against that approach, so council didn’t want to entertain it any further given that response.” City Councilman Everett Boss says he voted against renewing Triple J Consulting’s contract because he has seen a drop in the amount of federal dollars Gillette receives since the election of Cynthia Lummis to the U.S. House of Representatives. Lummis campaigned against excessive federal spending and government waste.

clare victory. But it is not the case. As usual, the smokers simply found a way around the law. I came across one story of a lady in New York City who found a clever way of growing her own tobacco and rolling her own cigarettes. But she was just one woman with one good idea, what about the rest of the smokers in the state of New York? Well, first there is that little problem with in-state Indian reservations. Then there are those who live close enough to the state line so simply cross over and buy. The New York Post goes on to report: “The reservation store would sell the cigarettes to non-Indian customers who were trying to avoid the hefty taxes imposed by the state. The state and legitimate sellers of cigarettes were both hurt. “The sale of non-taxed smokes by stores on Indian reservations became an issue two years ago when the state cigarette tax was raised significantly and many smokers took more of their business to reservations — or to Internet sellers — whose packs aren’t taxed. Some folks even bought lower-taxed cigs smuggled in from out of state.” So, what can the state of Wyoming learn from this? What can our own Campbell County Commissioners and City Councils learn? The lessons are simple. Raising taxes does not always have the desired effect of increasing revenue to the government. That would be lesson one. Lesson two would be that one should never spend a dime until the money is actually in hand. Doing so leads to debt. I’m sure we can make a long list of lessons here but the most important one is that a government can only get so much tax money out of its people before raising those taxes begins to have a negative effect.

Thursday, January 26

-Parks & Beautification Board, 5:30 p.m., 2nd Floor Community Conference Room, City Hall -Town Meeting with U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis, 5:30 p.m., Council Chambers, City Hall

As a result, Boss does not see a reason to pay someone to lobby for federal funds that are no longer available. Nonetheless, Boss says he believes the city’s consultant, Jennifer Jarrell, did a good job representing the city’s interests in D.C.

Monday, January 30

-City Council Special Meeting, 6 p.m., 2nd Floor Community Conference Room, City Hall

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Gillette City Councilman Everett Boss says he voted against renewing the City’s contract with Triple J Consulting because fewer federal dollars are available for local projects.

Come one, come all, everyone welcome! Let’s cheer on our Pronghorns! (No alcohol on the bus.)

8


Public Pulse

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Governor says closer look at spending coming after lower revenue projections Governor Matt Mead said today that the revenue forecast by the State’s Consensus Revenue Estimating Group (CREG) is concerning. The forecast shows a drop in revenue to Wyoming from natural gas, resulting in less money available for the next two years. The previous report from CREG, in October, showed revenue slowing but that slowing was further into the future. “Because natural gas prices continue to fall, all of us are going to have to take a hard look at the budget,” Governor Mead said. “Our revenue is tied to mineral development and natural gas is a strong contributor.

New projected prices for natural gas could mean a decrease in over $100 million dollars in revenue over two years.” In December, Governor Mead proposed cutting ongoing spending from $2.76 billion to $2.74 billion. Based on current projections, Governor Mead said more cuts might be necessary and he will work the Legislature and the Joint Appropriations Committee on the matter. “If we have to make additional cuts, and we very well may, my request to the JAC is to give me the time to try and make those cuts with precision, understanding that we have already reduced

Wyoming joins states on board with natural gas vehicle push

Wyoming has joined seven states in an effort to encourage U.S. automakers to develop affordable vehicles that run on natural gas. Wyoming has joined Colorado, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Maine, Utah, New Mexico, and West Virginia in the effort to drive up demand for alternative fuel and the fueling stations.

the standard budget and it is not going to be easy business.” Governor Mead said across-the-board cuts can have unintended consequences and are not sustainable. Governor Mead did reinforce his support for funding highways and local governments. He said maintaining and building strong infrastructure is necessary for commerce and economic growth. “As we look at our state today and the money we have in the bank, the fact is Wyoming is in good condition and we want to remain there. That is why we want to respond to the latest revenue forecasts,” Governor Mead said.

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Public Pulse Letters to the Editor

How should we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s epic battle By Candice DeLaat As we pass Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I realized suddenly how many things have become wrong with the holiday itself. Let’s start with the schools. My 8 year old son had the day off, along with almost every other school in the country. Why, I can’t imagine. I would think that this day would mark a day where the schools could put aside the entire agenda of preparing for state and federal tests and concentrate on Martin Luther King Jr., the Civil Rights Movement, and what he and many more fought for. Could you ask for a better opportunity? So instead, my husband took my 8 year old to the Campbell County Observer office and had him watch the moving “I have a dream” speech and read about much of the civil rights. Nick taught him about the segregated drinking fountains, the lynching, the assassinations, and even about Loving vs. Virginia where Federal Judge Leon M. Basile ruled against an interracial marriage officially stating that “Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay, and red, and he placed them on separate continents…The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.” My son retained the facts that Nick and I would not have been able to get legally married if this case hadn’t come along. Quintan, our son, read about the fact that it wasn’t just black people in the cause, but many white Americans. He learned of the work that all of his grandparents and great grandparents did in the Chicago Riots, down south, with busing, and more. He learned how grateful he should be to live in a generation where he will never have to experience the evil and ignorance of before. The point is, he learned on that day. For Government and schools to take this day off and make it into a paid holiday is now insulting to the man which this day represents. He fought for equality along a grand scale which includes business. He did not fight for un-equal affirmative action (which government is the largest contributor) but for general equality. “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”MLKjr. I am proud of the product that we create, and the fact that because of MLKjr’s leadership, I can own a company and perform the duties of that company without discrimination. I ask for nothing more than the opportunity to work. I would like to take a moment and acknowledge good things that MLKjr. Day represents. First, in our fabulous community both my children and I have never had a problem with ignorance. Everyone I talk to believes the same as I do, that we are all Americans and in it all together.

This is thanks to my parent’s generation, who worked and fought so hard for this equality. Second, for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech, which can be heard, time and time again, to remind us that the soul is more important than the skin. Schools and Government should learn that a day off is not showing respect, but education and hard work is. They should learn that affirmative action does not create equality, but restricts the equality that Martin Luther King Jr. fought for. I believe that there should not also be days off on Columbus and Washington’s day. I want to end this in saying that I am not downsizing the day. It took a long time to even get the day recognized, and even longer to get everyone to celebrate it. It took 15 years to create the federal Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday. Congressman John Conyers, Democrat from Michigan, first introduced legislation for a commemorative holiday four days after King was assassinated in 1968. After the bill became stalled, petitions endorsing the holiday containing six million names were submitted to Congress. Conyers and Rep. Shirley Chisholm, Democrat of New York, resubmitted King holiday legislation each subsequent legislative session. Public pressure for the holiday mounted during the 1982 and 1983 civil rights marches in Washington. Congress passed the holiday legislation in 1983, which was then signed into law by President Ronald Reagan. A compromise moving the holiday from Jan. 15, King’s birthday, which was considered too close to Christmas and New Year’s, to the third Monday in January helped overcome opposition to the law. National Consensus on the Holiday A number of states resisted celebrating the holiday. Some opponents said King did not deserve his own holiday—contending that the entire civil rights movement rather than one individual, however instrumental, should be honored. Several southern states include celebrations for various Confederate generals on that day. Arizona voters approved the holiday in 1992 after a tourist boycott. In 1999, New Hampshire changed the name of Civil Rights Day to Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. In 2000, Utah became the last state to recognize MLK Day by name, renaming its Human Rights Day state holiday. South Carolina became the last state to make MLK Day a paid holiday for all state employees. Until now, employees could choose between celebrating it or one of three Confederate-related holidays. He was a great man and a great leader. The Civil Rights movement would not have done what it did without him. His soul will forever be in my prayers, and he should always be remembered, but he should not be used as an excuse.

Dear Editor, I would like to extend and congratulations to the City of Gillette for making the best decision since the last election. The City of Gillette was paying $60,000 to a lobbying group in Washington D.C. to lobby for money. They discussed with the company on paying on a per performance basis. The company said no, that they need that base salary. THANKYOU FOR DROPPING THEM. Since our Representative Cynthia Lumis has made it almost impossible for a city to get any kind of money, we were only paying for inefficacy. Great job Councilmen and Councilwoman! Carl Reeves From Editor Nicholas De Laat: I agree with you. Our Councilmembers made a good decision! If you are not earning what you are paid, then why pay that money? But pay as you earn…what is wrong with that? This company was simply ripping off the taxpayers of Gillette, and now we have $60,000 more per year in our pocket. Dear Editor, I disagree with the statements that Mitt Romney would just be “Another Obama.” He is a true conservative and the one we need in office. Our country is faced with a socialist regime that has no religious morals, and we need the kind of leadership he provides to carry us out of our turmoil. Thank you for printing my letter and I hope all the best. Lacy Woodlen From Editor Nicholas De Laat: Over the coming months, the slogans and ads will get much worse, I hope you’re prepared. Though I don’t believe in negative campaigning, it is part of the process as the status quo. I would love to see an election on the issues one day with only simple questions like “What’s your stance on gun rights,” “Are you for more government,” “What are your plans to solve …..” and much more. If they answer the questions the way I like, then they have my vote. If they don’t follow through, then they don’t on the second time around. We would be much better

off without the negativity. Remember, don’t pay attention to the negative that is getting jammed down your throat, but empower yourself through education.

Dear Editor, Many Americans were aghast that Mitt Romney said President Barack Obama was wrong to bail out the auto industry. He said the best way to re-establish stability would be to allow General Motors to go bankrupt, rid itself of “burdensome union contracts” and restructure on its own, without aid from the government. Romney’s former job was as the CEO of Bain Capital, a company whose specialty was “reorganizing” failing companies, selling them off in parts, firing employees, canceling their pension plans and reaping huge benefits for Bain. Romney was not just against corporate “bailouts.” He was upset that the government stepped in and did what his corporation would have done. He wanted Bain Capital to benefit from the GM bankruptcy rather than the American workers. Romney wasn’t merely being hard-hearted; he was showing his colors as a staunch anti-government capitalist who resented a missed business opportunity. Karen Wagner From Editor Nicholas De Laat: The government has no place in any bailouts. They should not have bailed out the auto industry, they should not have rescued the banks, and they should not have given tax money to the mortgage giants. Yes, if those big companies fell, there would be jobs lost. Some would file bankruptcy and restructure, and some would just go belly up. But here is what you don’t realize, is that all the operations (i.e. individual clients) they had would need to continue to do business. This would result in the growth of smaller companies and the hiring those employees to meet the needs and demands of their new business. If a restaurant serves terrible food that makes people sick, should we be required

to eat there? And when we choose not to, should we have to bail them out when they have no customers? Though I don’t agree with many upon many of Romney’s ideas or plans, being a capitalist and hard-hearted in business is a good thing. Dear Editor, There is a point that is well taken that the federal government is so polarized that liberal progress has recently made more advances going state by state. But states’ rights are not the solution. If it were, Arizona could regulate immigrants, and slaves would have to be returned to their owners in Mississippi. That’s the situation with gays and lesbians now. We are married in some states but not others. Our kids have legal parents in some states but are legal orphans in another. That’s no way to run a country. Bigotry has no place anywhere in “one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Though I don’t live in Campbell County, I live in Wyoming. I hope you print my letter. Janice Van Cleve From Editor Nicholas De Laat: I wouldn’t go as far as to compare slavery to gays ability to get married, as homosexual people have every right that every other American has. Throwing around words like slavery is insulting to a large amount of our fellow citizens. Same sex marriage is a hot button issue in almost every state in the union, and is no different here. I do believe in the Constitution, which clearly defines what shall be decided by a state, and what should be decided by the Federal Government with the 10th amendment. I have always been a fan of the quote “vote with your feet.” If Wyoming allows same-sex marriage, then let their voters decide that that is how their state should be ran. If California votes no, than that is how they decided. In my opinion, the issue is not same sex marriage, so much as it is a states rights issue, which is where all of the American citizens have lost many of their civil liberties.

Mayor Murphy appointed to NLC 2012 Transportation Infrastructure and Services steering Committee Submitted by the City of Gillette Tom Murphy, Mayor, has been appointed to the National League of Cities’ (NLC) 2012 Transportation Infrastructure and Services Steering Committee. The Transportation Infrastructure and Services committee is responsible for developing policy positions on issues involving transportation, including planning, funding, safety and security of public transit, streets and highways, aviation, railroads and ports. The appointment was announced by NLC President Ted Ellis,

Mayor, Bluffton, Ind. “Transportation infrastructure is vital to our nation’s economy, and I look forward to serving with the other members of this committee to continue to stress the importance of investing in infrastructure. Here in Campbell County, the Optional 1% Sales Tax does so much for us - other communities around the country are not as fortunate to have the public support for infrastructure that we have here,” said Mayor Murphy. As a member of the com-

mittee, Mayor Murphy will play a key role in shaping NLC’s policy positions, while advocating on behalf of America’s cities and towns on Capitol Hill, with the Administration, and at home. The chair of this year’s Transportation Infrastructure and Services Steering Committee is Lee Dunlap, Council Member, Plano, TX. Serving as this year’s vice chairs are Ron Roberts, Mayor, Temecula, CA, and Patsy Kinsey, Council Member, Charlotte, NC.

For more information on NLC’s other committees and councils, visit http:// www.nlc.org/influence-federal-policy/policy-committees The National League of Cities is the nation’s oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.

City Councilman Everett Boss appointed to National League of Cities’ Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Steering Committee Submitted by the City of Gillette City Councilman Everett Boss has been appointed to the National League of Cities’ (NLC) 2012 Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Steering Committee. This Committee has the lead responsibility for developing NLC federal policy positions on issues involving air quality, water quality, energy policy, national wetlands policy, noise control, and solid and hazardous waste management. The appointment was announced by NLC President Ted Ellis, Mayor, Bluffton, Ind.

As a member of the committee, Councilman Boss will play a key role in shaping NLC’s policy positions, while advocating on behalf of America’s cities and towns on Capitol Hill, with the Administration, and at home. The chair of this year’s Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee is Michael A. Sesma, Council Member, Gaithersburg, Md. Serving as this year’s vice chairs are Matt Applebaum, Mayor, Boulder, Colo., and Mary Hamann-Roland,

Mayor, Apple Valley, Minn. For more information on NLC’s other committees and councils, visit http://www.nlc.org/influence-federalpolicy/policy-committees The National League of Cities is the nation’s oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.

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Weekly Trivia Answer from Last Week Who was the only U.S. Congressman killed in the line of duty? Congressman Ryan

Due to the powerful images conjured up while recalling the horrific incident in Jonestown that saw 900+ men, women and children die through suicide or murder, the world often only remembers the victims that were actually in the compound itself and forgets the victims that tried to flee with Congressman Leo Ryan, who was there to determine whether or not U.S. citizens were being held against their will. The day before the mass suicide, Ryan and other U.S. government officials landed in Guyana. During their visit, many of the cult members asked to leave with Ryan’s delegations. Arriving at the airport, the delegation was ambushed by the cult, one of who had embedded himself into the group asking to leave. The embedded cult member drew a gun on the plane and summarily shot the passengers. Additionally, the cult disbanded a small force and attacked the delegation from a tractor with a trailer. Congressman Ryan was one of those murdered, becoming the first and only U.S. Congressman killed in the line of duty in the history of the U.S.


Sports Report GC Women comeback falls shorts By Ted Ripko - Basin Radio Sports

After jumping out to an early 7-2 lead over Western Wyoming Community College (WWCC) the Gillette College Pronghorn Women’s basketball team was unable to take down the Lady Mustangs (12-1) at the South Campus as they fell 7066. The Pronghorns (9-7) fell down by as many as 16 in the first half, but they were able to battle back in the second half and actually tied the game up at 62 with a big 3-pointer by Christina Davis. Then Gillette College was outscored 8-4 the rest of the way. Three Pronghorns finished in double figures as Elisha Hensey and Iesha Greer each scored 14 points and Kim Caywood came off the bench to score 13 points with 11 of those coming in the second half when the Pronghorns were making their run at the Lady Mustangs. Greer racked up a double-double as she finished with 10 boards and Hensey just missed out on a tripledouble with her 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Leading the way for the Lady Mustangs was Alissa Willard who scored a game-high 16 points. Three other Lady Mustangs also finished in double figures as Dani Hardy had 13 points, Shelby Rudd finished with 12 and Jordan Giles chipped in 11. Despite outrebounding the Lady Mustangs 59-42, Gillette Col-

lege just didn’t shoot the ball well enough when it mattered most as they made just 31% of their shots, including just 26.5% in the first half when they fell behind by double digits. The Pronghorns also shot a paltry 22% from behind the arc on 4-18 shooting. Next up for the Pronghorns will be their first road game of 2012 when they visit Crow Agency, MT to take on Little Big Horn College on Saturday, January 14, at 6:00 pm. Then on Wednesday, January 18, they’ll travel to Riverton, WY to do battle with Central Wyoming Community College at 5:30 pm.

Submitted by Ruth Benson - Gillette College The track team had one of their best ever season opener meets this past weekend at Black Hills State. Adrain Jackson led the team, and took home a 1st place finish in the 60m hurdles. His time of 8.6 beat all other competitors by .3 seconds- a huge margin in such a short event. Jackson also placed 2nd in the 200m with a time of 23.8 seconds. Devvin Hayden took 5th place in the 3000m with a fast time of 9:15. Jesse Shutts also ran the 3000 and placed 11th with a time of 9:43. Nikki Long placed 4th in the 200m with a time of 32 seconds. Jamie Thole (6:23), Felicia Boyd (6:52), and Nikki Long(7:36) all ran the mile and placed 11th, 13th, and 14th in that field. Up next for the Pronghorn runners is the lone college track meet in Gillette on Sunday Jan. 22. The running events will start at 10am, at the rec center.

Scoring Breakdown for Gillette College:

Iesha Greer – 14 points Jordan Scott-Benson – 2 points Alex Ward – 3 points Jordyn Croft – 2 points Elisha Hensey – 14 points Christina Davis – 3 points Jessica Davis – 6 points Kim Caywood – 13 points Kenosha Wright – 9 points

Scoring Breakdown for WWCC:

Shelby Rudd – 12 points Jordan Giles – 11 points Dani Hardy – 13 points Alissa Willard – 16 points Ashley Argyle – 8 points Shanna Halalilo – 2 points Shyanne Halalilo – 3 points Chelsea Sorenson – 5 points

Photo by Nathan Kobielusz - Basin Radio

Elisha Hensey tied Iesha Greer for a team-leading 14 points Wednesday as the Pronghorns women basketball team lost 70-66 to Western Wyoming Community College.

Cheyenne Swimming Invite results Men 200 Yard Medley Relay 1 Campbell County High School ‘A’ 1:38.59 1) Baldacci, Collin 17 2) Rappleyea, Geoff T 17 3) Dillinger, Nick L 18 4) Bowersox, David A 15 25.03 27.97 22.99 22.60 9 Campbell County High School ‘B’ x1:54.63 1) Ely, Brayden G 16 2) Theis, Wesley N 18 3) Apodaca, Andrew 16 4) Knottnerus, Kory G 17 24.66 31.52 26.68 31.77 27 Campbell County High School ‘C’ x2:20.22 1) Mitchell, Dakota 17 2) Zepeda, Diego 17 3) Fowlke, Koa 17 4) Antonovich, Jarod 16 38.61 37.52 32.18 31.91 Men 200 Yard Freestyle 2:04.00 4A Q 2:15.50 3A Q 1 Koehler, Garrett Central 24.05 26.27 27.53 26.88 2 Baldacci, Collin 17 CAM 24.65 25.99 28.29 30.83 17 Simmons, Harrison 15 CAM 28.20 31.73 32.89 32.64 26 Theis, Wesley N 18 CAM 28.69 32.55 33.96 33.70 43 McKeown, Ty 14 CAM 32.67 40.17 41.50 39.93 -- Knottnerus, Taylor 14 CAM 30.17 33.25 34.35 34.20 -- Baker, Chad Rock Springs 2:44.61 Men 200 Yard IM 2:21.00 4A Q 2:40.00 3A Q 1 Dillinger, Nick L 18 CAM 24.41 29.26 36.01 27.98 7 Rappleyea, Geoff T 17 CAM 29.16 37.91 35.81 31.61 12 Knottnerus, Kory G 17 CAM 31.31 37.38 40.29 32.69 Men 50 Yard Freestyle 24.80 4A Q 26.25 3A Q 1 Wiebe, Jon SBLF 3 Bowersox, David A 15 CAM 10 Apodaca, Andrew 16 CAM 21 Ely, Brayden G 16 CAM 26 Hamilton, Reece 17 CAM 62 Mitchell, Dakota 17 CAM 68 Fowlke, Koa 17 CAM 82 Antonovich, Jarod 16 CAM Men 1 mtr Diving 1 Rawson, Ty 15 Peper, Chamberlin 16 Kalkhoff, Brandon 24 Carson, Alex 26 Ludwar, Anthony 29 Vaughn, Chris 31 Kemerling, Ryun

Rock Springs 16 CAM 15 CAM 16 CAM 14 CAM 15 CAM 15 CAM

Men 100 Yard Butterfly 1:04.50 4A Q 1:15.00 3A Q 1 Dillinger, Nick L 18 CAM 24.62 27.90 9 Apodaca, Andrew 16 CAM 28.65 34.26 36 Fowlke, Koa 17 CAM 35.34 39.37 39 Knottnerus, Taylor 14 CAM 35.17 41.72 Men 100 Yard Freestyle 54.80 4A Q 1:00.00 3A Q 4 Bowersox, David A 15 CAM 24.52 26.97 49 McKeown, Ty 14 CAM 31.10 35.66 69 Antonovich, Jarod 16 CAM 36.14 40.18

1:44.73 4A Q 1:49.76 4A Q 2:05.46 3A Q 2:08.90 3A Q 2:34.27 DQ DQ

1:57.66 4A Q 2:14.49 4A Q 2:21.67 3A Q

23.12 4A Q 23.23 4A Q 24.50 4A Q 25.83 3A Q 25.96 3A Q x29.01 x29.39 x31.94 435.35 192.20 188.70 113.50 106.65 x99.90 x97.40

52.52 4A Q 1:02.91 4A Q 1:14.71 3A Q 1:16.89

51.49 4A Q 1:06.76 1:16.32

Pronghorn Track

Men 500 Yard Freestyle 5:40.00 4A Q 6:22.00 3A Q 1 Koehler, Garrett Central 25.47 28.74 29.72 29.60 29.63 30.32 29.50 2 Baldacci, Collin 17 CAM 26.98 30.06 30.13 30.21 30.61 31.93 31.29 13 Simmons, Harrison 15 CAM 30.20 33.62 34.53 34.27 34.47 35.92 33.26 29 Mitchell, Dakota 17 CAM 36.26 40.66 42.18 41.87 42.78 43.44 38.51

4:53.47 4A Q 30.12 30.16 30.21 5:05.67 4A Q 31.01 31.38 32.07 5:43.66 3A Q 35.58 35.76 36.05 6:52.99 42.15 42.81 42.33

Men 200 Yard Freestyle Relay 1 Cheyenne East High School ‘A’ 1:34.75 1) Johnson, Tyler D 16 2) Wisdorf, Taylor C 18 3) Devine, Daniel K 18 4) Downey, Tyler C 17 23.70 23.46 24.15 23.44 24 Newcastle Dogies-WY ‘A’ 13 Knottnerus, Kory G 17 CAM 1:12.73 3A Q 34.39 38.34 8 Campbell County High School ‘A’ 1:41.13 1) Apodaca, Andrew 16 2) Ely, Brayden G 16 3) Hamilton, Reece 17 4) Knottnerus, Kory G 17 24.57 25.59 25.84 25.13 25 Campbell County High School ‘B’ x1:56.25 1) Knottnerus, Taylor 14 2) McKeown, Ty 14 3) Mitchell, Dakota 17 4) Simmons, Harrison 15 28.48 30.94 29.85 26.98 -- Campbell County High School ‘C’ DQ 1) Vaughn, Chris 15 2) Carson, Alex 16 3) Kemerling, Ryun 15 4) Ludwar, Anthony 14 35.28 40.31 35.29 39.22 Men 100 Yard Backstroke 1:05.00 4A Q 1:13.00 3A Q 13 Hamilton, Reece 17 CAM 31.88 33.76 14 Ely, Brayden G 16 CAM 31.89 34.02 Men 100 Yard Breaststroke 1:11.50 4A Q 1:20.00 3A Q 3 Rappleyea, Geoff T 17 CAM 29.26 33.42 5 Theis, Wesley N 18 CAM 32.76 36.96 13 Knottnerus, Kory G 17 CAM 34.39 38.34 14 Segrave, James Central 33.76 39.21 46 Zepeda, Diego 17 CAM 40.71 47.88

Friday, January 20

-CCHS BSW Gillette Dual Meet Invitational, Aquatic Center -CCHS WRE (JV) Buffalo Duals -CCHS WRE (JV2) Lingle Invite -CCHS WRE (V) Chadron Invite -WJSH HS WRE @ Lingle, 11 a.m. -CCHS BBB (SO/JV/V) vs. Laramie, 4 p.m., CCHS North Campus -CCHS GBB (SO/JV/V) @ Laramie, 4 p.m. -WJSH HS B/G BB vs. Big Horn, 4 p.m.

Saturday, January 21

-CCHS BSW Gillette Dual Meet Invitational, Aquatic Center -CCHS WRE (JV) Buffalo Duals -CCHS WRE (JV2) Lingle Invite -CCHS WRE (V) Chadron Invite -WJSH HS WRE @ Lingle, 9 a.m. -WJSH HS B/G BB JV Invite, 9 a.m., Wright -CCHS BBB (SO/JV/V) vs. Cheyenne South, 10 a.m., CCHS North Campus -CCHS GBB (SO/JV/V) @ Cheyenne South, 10 a.m. -Gillette College WBB vs. Casper College, 5:30 p.m., CCHS South Campus -Gillette College MBB vs. Casper College, 7:30 p.m., CCHS South Campus

Sunday, January 22

-Gillette College Indoor Track Meet, 10 a.m., Rec. Center

Monday, January 23

-WJSH Dev B/G BB vs. Newcastle, Wright -WJSH Drama Auditions, 7:30-9 p.m., Town Hall

Tuesday, January 24

-CCHS WRE (JV/V) @ Rapid City Stevens, 6 p.m. -WJSH Drama Auditions, 7:30-9 p.m., Town Hall

Wednesday, January 25

-Gillette College WBB vs. NWC, 5:30 p.m., CCHS South Campus -Gillette College MBB vs. NWC, 7:30 p.m., CCHS South Campus

Thursday, January 26

1:05.64 3A Q 1:05.91 3A Q

1:02.68 4A Q 1:09.72 4A Q 1:12.73 3A Q 1:12.97 3A Q 1:28.59

Men 400 Yard Freestyle Relay 1 Campbell County High School ‘A’ 3:20.61 1) Baldacci, Collin 17 2) Bowersox, David A 15 3) Rappleyea, Geoff T 17 4) Dillinger, Nick L 18 23.49 49.30 23.79 51.27 25.44 54.15 21.56 45.89 13 Campbell County High School ‘B’ x4:02.20 1) Hamilton, Reece 17 2) Theis, Wesley N 18 3) Simmons, Harrison 15 4) Knottnerus, Taylor 14 28.82 59.82 27.77 58.27 29.29 1:01.36 29.72 1:02.75 23 Campbell County High School ‘C’ x4:41.71 1) Antonovich, Jarod 16 2) Zepeda, Diego 17 3) Fowlke, Koa 17 4) McKeown, Ty 14 33.94 1:15.23 1:07.85 1:40.98 36.54 1:07.70 37.80 Men - Team Rankings - Through Event 12 1. Cheyenne Central High School 242 2. Campbell County High School 192

“The critic is one who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. - Oscar Wilde

11

What’s Going On In Sports?

-CCHS BSW vs. Buffalo/Douglas/Newcastle, 4 p.m., Aquatic Center

Friday, January 27

-WJSH HS B/G BB vs. Tongue River, Wright -CCHS BBB (SO/JV/V) @ Cheyenne East, 4 p.m. -CCHS GBB (SO/JV/V) vs. Cheyenne East, 4 p.m., CCHS North Campus -CCHS WRE (JV/V) vs. Laramie/Cheyenne South, 5 p.m., Cheyenne South -WJSH HS WRE @ Greybull, 5 p.m. -Gillette WILD vs. Bozeman, 8 p.m., Camplex Spirit Hall

Saturday, January 28

-Gillette College Indoor Track Meet @ Black Hills State, Spearfish, SD -CCHS BBB (SO/JV/V) @ Cheyenne Central, 10 a.m. -CCHS BSW @ Kelly Walsh, 10 a.m. -CCHS GBB (SO/JV/V) vs. Cheyenne Central, 10 a.m. -CCHS WRE (JV/V) @ East/Central, 10 a.m. -WJSH HS WRE @ Greybull, 10 a.m. -Gillette College WBB @ Sheridan College, 5:30 p.m. -Gillette College MBB @ Sheridan College, 7:30 p.m. -Gillette WILD vs. Bozeman, 8 p.m., Camplex Spirit Hall

Monday, January 30

-WJSH Dev B/G BB @ Newcastle

Tuesday, January 31

-CCHS BBB (SO/JV) @ Rapid City Central, 4 p.m. -CCHS GBB (SO/JV) vs. Rapid City Central, 4 p.m., CCHS South Campus -CCHS WRE (JV/V) vs. Rapid City Central, 5 p.m., Rapid City Central -Gillette WILD: Ladies & Left Wings, 6:309 p.m., Shanks at Bell Nob Golf Course, (605)707-3750


Sports Report Pronghorns upset No. 9 Western Wyoming CC By Ted Ripko - Basin Radio Sports Gillette College Head Men’s Basketball Coach Shawn Neary knew that the Pronghorns match-up with No. 9 Western Wyoming Community College (WWCC) would be a great one and he was right. The Pronghorns (12-4) used stellar defense and second-chance opportunities to hand the Mustangs (16-2) just their second loss of the season 80-66. The Pronghorns led 35-29 at half. They were able to build an 11-point lead early in the second half only to see that lead vanish as the Mustangs tied the game up at 62 with 10 minutes remaining in the game. However, Gillette College then outscored WWCC 18-4 over the next ten minutes to come away with quite possibly their biggest win of the season so far. The Pronghorns had two players finish the night with double-doubles as George Edwards scored 17 points and grabbed 12 boards while James Hunter also finished with 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Hunter scored 14 of his total in then second half on multiple

put backs in the paint. Kashaune McKinney scored a game-high 19 points, scoring 13 of 19 points in the first half alone. Leading the way for the Mustangs was DJ Stennis as he battled through early foul trouble to finish with 15 points. Also in double figures for WWCC were Danilo Taskovich and BJ Kline who each chipped in 11. Next up for the Pronghorns will be their first road game of 2012 when they visit Crow Agency, MT to take on Little Big Horn College on Saturday, January 14, at 8:00 pm. Then on Wednesday, January 18, they’ll travel to Riverton, WY to do battle with Central Wyoming Community College at 7:30 pm.

Scoring Breakdown for Gillette College: Kashaune McKinney – 19 points George Edwards – 17 points Kalen Foreman – 4 points Matt Strickland – 2 points Reece Maxwell – 9 points Tony Lowry Jr. – 2 points

James Hunter – 17 points Lucas Reller – 6 points Asante Smiter – 4 points

Scoring Breakdown for WWCC:

DJ Stennis – 15 points BJ Kline – 11 points Sam Wunderli – 6 points Eric Rippetoe – 7 points Danilo Taskovich – 11 points Craig Tucker – 9 points Lindsey Johnson – 7 points Craig Hayter – 3 points Corrections & Amplifications The Men’s basketball team from Western Wyoming Community College is ranked No. 9. An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the Mustangs were ranked No. 11.

Corrections & Amplifications

Photo by Nathan Kobielusz - Basin Radio

Kash McKinney’s game-high 19 points helped the Pronghorns secure one of their biggest wins of the season as they defeated Western Wyoming Community College 80-66 Wednesday evening.

The Men’s basketball team from Western Wyoming Community College is ranked No. 9. An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the Mustangs were ranked No. 11.

Wyopreps.com Coach’s and Media Boys Basketball Poll 4A Boys Basketball

Gillette Evanston Sheridan Riverton East Laramie Natrona

Points 156” 141” 114” 102” 84” 27” 6”

1 7 2 2 2 1 0 0

2 3 7 0 3 1 0 0

3 0 2 7 2 3 0 0

Voting Breakdown

4 1 1 2 1 5 4 0

5 3 1 3 4 0 1 2

Rank 1 2 3 4 5

Last Wk 1 2 4 5 3

Basketball Results/Schedules Campbell County Boys

Date 12/3/2011 12/15/2011 12/16/2011 12/17/2011 12/28/2011 12/29/2011 12/30/2011 1/13/2012 1/14/2012 1/20/2012 1/21/2012 1/27/2012 1/28/2012 2/2/2012 2/10/2012 2/11/2012 2/17/2012 2/18/2012 2/24/2012

Away Team Green River Union, UT Evanston Campbell County Notre Dame, CAN Northridge, UT Brighton, UT Natrona Campbell County Laramie Cheyenne South Campbell County Campbell County Sheridan Campbell County Campbell County Cheyenne Central Cheyenne East Campbell County

Score 43 56 53 61 55 53 81 55 61

vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs

Home Team Score T Campbell County 66 N Campbell County 69 Y Campbell County 55 Y Star Valley 39 Y Campbell County 75 Y Campbell County 57 Y Campbell County 74 Y Campbell County 58 N Kelly Walsh 40 N Campbell County N Campbell County N Cheyenne East N Cheyenne Central N Campbell County N Cheyenne South N Laramie N Campbell County N Campbell County N Sheridan N

ID 154 718 722 736 786 787 788 320 212 249 112 321 96 322 115 253 100 323 324

Wright Boys Photo by Nathan Kobielusz - Basin Radio

Iesha Greer helped power the women Pronghorns past the lady Pioneers with a team-high 14 points.

Jacobson fills in for Rider as Pronghorn women get the win By Vic Wright - Basin Radio Assistant Coach Adam Jacobson, of the Gillette College Pronghorn Women’s team, came into the South Campus Saturday night knowing two things: He would be the acting head coach for the first time in his college coaching career in place of the suspended Will Rider and that it would be against a tough Miles Community College team with a record of 12-2. As Coach Jacobson said in the pre-game interview, “Coach [Rider] got us ready and all I have to do is relay the information.” With the help of Assistant Coach Joe Kittell of the Men’s team, Jacobson did just that, as the Pronghorns defeated the Lady Pioneers, 58-55. It wasn’t anywhere close to a pretty game. One may say it was sloppy play by both teams, Jacobson said the Pronghorns played “fighting” and with “heart”. In the first half, the Pioneers started off the game with a 5-0 run. They led most of the first half as well. However, strong play by Iesha Greer for the Pronghorns helped keep Gillette College in it. Greer would score all of her points in the first half from the charity stripe and lead the Pronghorns with six points in the first stanza. Jordan Scott-Benson also went one for two from the line, giving the Pronghorns an 87.5% for free throws in the half. Jordyn Croft would tie the game at 24 with two minutes left in the first. Elisha Hensey would then drive down the base-

line to make a bucket and give the Pronghorns a 26-24 lead. With seconds to go, Kim Caywood tipped the ball away from a Miles player and into the hands of Croft, who kissed it off the glass as time expired, giving Gillette a 28-24 lead at halftime. The first half of the second stanza for Gillette College was a rough one. With ten minutes to go in the game, the Pronghorns were outscored in the second half, 23-8 and down 47-36. The Pronghorns fought back to trail by one, 50-49 with 4:48 to go in the game. They would tie at 51, 53 and 55. With 36.7 seconds in the game, Greer drew a foul and made her ninth and tenth foul shots of the game, going perfect from the line and giving the Pronghorns a 57-55 lead. Hensey would be fouled as well and make one of two. With the Lady Pioneers down 58-55 and 2.6 seconds to go, Croft tipped an inbound pass that sealed the win for Gillette College. Greer led the Pronghorns with 14 points with Croft also scoring ten. Hensey put up nine points, as Keke Wright finished with eight. Jordan Scott-Benson scored seven, Alex Ward five, three from Jessica Davis and two by Christina Davis. Kassie Barta led the Lady Pioneers with 14 points. The 9-6 Pronghorns will take on Western Wyoming Community College next on Wednesday, January 11, at 5:30 pm at the South Campus.

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Date 12/2/2011 12/3/2011 12/3/2011 12/6/2011 12/9/2011 12/9/2011 12/10/2011 12/10/2011 12/16/2011 12/16/2011 12/17/2011 1/6/2012 1/7/2012 1/13/2012 1/14/2012 1/19/2012 1/20/2012 1/27/2012 2/2/2012 2/3/2012 2/10/2012 2/11/2012 2/16/2012 2/17/2012

Away Team Score Wright 47 vs Wright 58 vs Cokeville 50 vs Wright 45 vs Kaycee 57 vs Southeast 45 vs Thermopolis 61 vs Greybull 70 vs Wright 52 vs Wright 38 vs Wright 45 vs Wright 46 vs Wright 30 vs Wright 47 vs Wright 40 vs Wright vs Big Horn vs Tongue River vs Moorcroft vs Wright vs Sundance vs Wright vs Wright vs Niobrara Co. (Lusk) vs

Home Team Score T Encampment 55 Y H.E.M. 31 Y Wright 59 Y Glenrock 39 N Wright 60 Y Wright 55 Y Wright 72 Y Wright 44 Y Big Piney 33 Y Wind River 76 Y Wyoming Indian 86 Y Big Horn 61 N Lovell 58 N Sundance 61 N Burns 49 N Moorcroft N Wright N Wright N Wright N Upton N Wright N Tongue River N Hulett N Wright N

ID 608 675 676 329 666 674 683 684 726 753 742 63 517 546 378 6 66 566 11 567 551 568 205 485

Wright Girls Date 12/2/2011 12/3/2011 12/3/2011 12/6/2011 12/9/2011 12/10/2011 12/10/2011 12/17/2011 1/6/2012 1/7/2012 1/13/2012 1/14/2012 1/19/2012 1/20/2012 1/27/2012 2/2/2012 2/3/2012 2/10/2012 2/11/2012 2/16/2012 2/17/2012

Away Team Score Wright 41 vs Wright 53 vs Wright 32 vs Glenrock 45 vs Thermopolis 57 vs Wright 42 vs Wright 47 vs Wright 44 vs Wright 31 vs Lovell 59 vs Wright 33 vs Wright 61 vs Wright vs Big Horn vs Tongue River vs Moorcroft vs Wright vs Sundance vs Wright vs Wright vs Niobrara Co. (Lusk) vs

Home Team Score T Cokeville 45 Y H.E.M. 27 Y Little Snake River 68 Y Wright 36 N Wright 38 Y Southeast 45 Y Greybull 40 Y Wyoming Indian 58 Y Big Horn 57 N Wright 31 N Sundance 27 N Burns 35 N Moorcroft N Wright N Wright N Wright N Upton N Wright N Tongue River N Hulett N Wright N

ID 580 620 616 326 648 663 656 718 60 501 528 374 6 63 549 11 550 532 551 203 466


Our Roots Edgar Poe By Mike Borda

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. `’Tis some visitor,’ I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door Only this, and nothing more.’” (http://www.poemuseum.org/ works-raven.php) Those words begin the famous American short story, “The Raven”. This was one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous stories, and in the eyes of many, it truly represented who he had become. He was a complicated man who may never be understood by the scholars of today, but will undoubtedly be respected by the scholars of tomorrow. Edgar Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. The son of an actor and an actress, he was familiar with the dramatic from an extremely early age. His father, David Poe, Jr. left his family a year after Edgar was born, and died a year later. In 1811, his mother Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe died from tuberculosis. It was then that a young Edgar went to live with the Allan family, who gave him his signature middle name. Not a lot is known about Poe’s

maturing years, other than scarce family records reporting travels to Britain and acquired land ownership. However, we do know that while he was raised to pursue other trades, Edgar always strived to be a writer. He furthered this pursuit in 1826 while attending the University of Virginia. During his education, he became engaged to a woman from his hometown, Sarah Royster. However, Poe did not have the money to pay for college, and summarily accrued massive debt, which he attempted to pay off by gambling. This did not work as he had planned, and to add upon his misery, he returned home to find Royster had married another man in his absence. Not being able to find adequate work after dropping out of college, Poe enlisted in the United States Army in 1827. He served as a private at Fort Independence (in Boston), and while at that post published his first collection of poetry at the age of 18 (although he had claimed to the army that he was 22). While an utter failure in terms of popularity, he was undeterred. Discharged in 1829 from the Army, he was sent to West Point, where within a year he was expelled. In the next few years he began publishing more of his works, although he remained broke and in poor social standing. However, his fortunes would soon change. In 1835, after winning a writing contest,

Poe became the assistant editor of a respected Southern publication and soon after married again, this time to one of his cousins, 13 years old at the time. However, again this would end poorly. Poe was fired from that job for being caught drunk, and in 1842, his new bride caught tuberculosis. Nevertheless, there was also success during this span, as Poe published “The Raven” in 1845 with great success. When his wife died in 1847, it again sent Edgar into a stupor. Although he still wrote, Poe began drinking heavily and his behavior became increasingly erratic. Poe’s death was, in many ways, as intriguing as his life. On October 3, 1849, Baltimore residents discovered him stumbling in the streets after he had been missing for five days. At the age of forty, on October 7, 1849, Edgar Allan Poe died. Never having fully regained consciousness, to this day no one truly knows what happened to him in those missing days before his death. Edgar Allan Poe endured a very difficult life, but through it all produced some of the greatest literary works in American history. While a troubled soul, he laid the groundwork for many generations of successful writers to come, something we can all appreciate.

“I am neither bitter, nor cynical, but I do wish there was less immaturity in political thinking.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Weekly Trivia Question How many Union Generals were in the battle of Gettysburg?? Look in next week’s paper for the answer

Classifieds Help Wanted Cook needed at Lu La Bells. Motivated and Energetic. Days Only. Apply at Lu La bells. Are you a friendly outgoing individual? Do you connect with people casually? Are you looking for supplemental income? Do you need to be in charge of your own hours? We are looking for an independent contractor for commissioned based ad sales. For more information call Sandra at 307-689-0028 or email at campbellcountytidbits@yahoo.com Local journalists wanted. Always wanted to try? Must be 16 yrs of age. Contact us at CampbellCountyObserver@ gmail.com Advertising Sales for our weekly paper. Great commission rate, set your own hours. Contact us at CampbellCountyObserver@gmail. com Contributors wanted for weekly newspaper. Need a doctor, a Politician, a lawyer, and more to contribute an article a month. E-mail CampbellCountyObserver@gmail. com for more information. Sports writers, event writers wanted. Gillette, Write, Recluse, Rozet. Call 670-8980. State Wide Sales people. Print Advertising Sales for new State-wide newspaper. Call 307-299-4662 Delivery Driver wanted. Retired? Want a little walking around cash? Work one day per week delivering the Campbell County Observer to people’s homes. Contact the Campbell County Observer at (307) 670-8980. Website/ad designer wanted. Must be familiar with building/maintaining websites and website advertising design. Commission and base salary pay. Call the Cowboy State Free Press at 307-670-8980

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

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

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

Merchandise 1939 HA Selmer Trumpet $750 OBO. 687-1087 Spyder Semi-auto paint ball gun. cal..68 Special Edition. Only used twice! New $300 For you $175 plus two canisters. Call 680-1302 If you are interested in purchasing Nutrient Rich Ranch Raised Beef grown locally, call 307-340-1108. Great Jerky http://www.rberlinger.jerkydirect.com/ My First Computer hardly used. Asking $15. Call 605 - 545 – 1188 Five roasts and twelve pounds of hamburger for a flat rate. $150.00. All ranch raised beef. This is an approximate savings of 10% on the total. Contact Jason Walker at 307-686-0577

Two place aluminum snowmobile trailer. $1,600. 307-689-0202 King Coal Furnace Forced Air. $495.00 o.b.o. 307689-0202

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

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

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

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

Wanted to Buy I Buy Militaria. Swords, uniforms, bayonets, medals, guns/parts, field gear. 6827864 Newspaper vending machines. Contact us at: CampbellCountyObserver@gmail. com

Homes for Sale

Services

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

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

Tri-level house for sale 4 bed 2 bath $209,000 (307) 6701925. Gorgeous land home package set up in Wright. 3 bedroom, 2 full baths, hickory cabinets throughout, front porch, central air, and much more. Financing available. For a personal showing call (307) 687-0333 40+ Acres 2 miles south of Wright 1999 Atlantic Oak Modular. $250,000 OBO Call 307 - 680 – 2374 Ranchett for rent. 20mi. south on Hwy 59. Three Bed, 2 bath. 2.5 car heated garage on 94 acres. $1,600.00 per month.689-2338 FSBO 2,688 SF home on corner lot with fenced back yard. 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, upgraded kitchen, finished walkout basement, oversized garage. $259,000. 307-680-9180.

Toys (ATV’s Boats, Etc.)

WILL PAY CASH FOR CAMPERS. Call Scott (307) 680-0854. Manual Transmission for 93’ Chevy Pickup 4wd. Must be in good shape. Call 2572306.

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

Personals

Apartments for Rent

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

1-5 bedroom units available for rent. Please contact Real Estate Systems of Gillette Inc at 307-682-0964 for all the updated details.

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

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

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Our Roots The Spring Creek Raid By John W. Davis

Our local history writer Jeff Morrison was not able to submit an article this week, but he will be back next week. On April 2, 1909, seven cowmen attacked a sheep camp near Spring Creek, just south of Ten Sleep, Wyo., in the southern Big Horn Basin. The raiders killed three men—roasting two in their burning sheep wagon and shooting the third—kidnapped two others, killed sheep dogs and dozens of sheep and destroyed thousands of dollars of personal property. It was the deadliest sheep raid in Wyoming history. Sheep raids had plagued Wyoming since the late 1890s, by which time sheep outnumbered cattle on Wyoming ranges. By 1909, at least six men had been killed, thousands of sheep had been slaughtered and many thousands of dollars of property destroyed, and yet there had not been a single conviction for a crime committed during a sheep raid. Cattlemen were first to arrive in the Big Horn Basin, trailing in huge herds of cattle in 1879. They insisted their early arrival established a prior claim to the grass on the government land where their herds grazed. But the law said otherwise. Under federal land law in the early 1900s, bothsheepmen and cattlemen had equal rights to the resources of public land. It was first come, first served, and neither group could claim any right of continuing use. But it’s no surprise, given the rising numbers of sheep on the range in those years, that cattlemen were feeling pressure. Sheep already outnumbered cattle in Wyoming by the early 1890s; in 1894 there were 1.7 million sheep in Wyoming and 675,000 cattle. By 1909, the state’s peak year for sheep, there were more than six million sheep, and only 675,000 cattle. The response of the cattlemen was to use violence to enforce their claims of precedence, wreaking terrible damage upon sheepmen and their property in the process. As the violence worsened, sheepmen determined to put a stop to the cattlemen’s vigilante behavior. In 1905, Wyoming sheep raisers formed the Wyoming Wool Growers Association, which made crucial contributions to the 1909 prosecution of the men who carried out the Spring Creek Raid. Big Horn County, where Spring Creek was located, used money forwarded by the association to hire attorneys, cover the costs of trial and pay for essential actions such as concealing witnesses for their own protection and for the protection of the case. And the sheepmen contributed the services of their crack range detective, Joe LeFors, by then well known for his role in the conviction of Tom Horn, the notorious range detective executed for murder in 1903. Big Horn County officials began an aggressive investigation of the Spring Creek Raid and quickly developed a list of suspects. A grand jury followed, forcing 100 people to testify in Basin City, the county seat. The testimony established solid evidence showing the complicity of seven men, all of whom were charged with murder and arson. After the arrests and jailing of these defendants, two of them turned state’s evidence, opening the secrets of the raiders to the prosecutors. The prosecution, it seemed, had put together an almost invincible case. The two ranchers, two cowboys and a former cowboy waiting in the Big Horn County jail–George Saban, Milton Alexander, Tommy Dixon, Herb Brink and Ed Eaton–were confident that the cases against them would not even go to trial, and they would soon be released. All knew the dismal Wyoming history of the prosecution of sheep raiders. They also knew of other disastrous attempts to prosecute men engaged in extralegal activities. Those included the abortive attempt to bring to justice the invaders in the 1892 Johnson County War, wherein the governor of Wyoming was a secret supporter of big cattlemen.

That case never came to trial, as Johnson County prosecutors were unable to seat 12 acceptable jurors. The men jailed in Big Horn County were personally aware of the unsuccessful prosecution of the perpetrators of a July 1903 raid on the county jail in which two prisoners and a deputy sheriff were killed. That conflict was led by George Saban, the same man who was one of the leaders of the Spring Creek Raid. The 1903 case against him and his confederates had collapsed in an atmosphere of intimidation. After the Spring Creek Raid, a few Wyoming cattlemen collected a large pool of money to fund the legal expenses of the five defendants. Though there were not many private lawyers in the Big Horn Basin at the time, nearly all were retained by the raiders’ supporters. “Bear” George McClellan and other prominent politicians also supported the raiders, as did area newspapers including the Worland Grit and the Basin Republican. These newspapers harshly criticized virtually every aspect of the prosecution. But things had changed in the Big Horn Basin in just a few short years, and all the attempts to frighten witnesses, intimidate judicial authorities and frustrate the selection of a jury failed. Large, new irrigation projects around the Big Horn Basin towns of Worland, Powell, Cody and Lovell made farmers—many of them Mormons who had come to Wyoming from Utah and southeastern Idaho in the previous decade—the dominant group in the Big Horn Basin. As farmers, they had no particular sympathies for either cattlemen or sheepmen, and came from what was generally a more peaceable culture. Too, the governor of Wyoming in 1909 wasBryant B. Brooks, a prominent sheepman. His sheep-business sympathies probably added to his willingness to exercise state authority. Brooks was committed to stopping sheep raids; he would not be rendering clandestine assistance to those charged with crime. He ordered the Wyoming militia to guard the streets of Basin City and keep citizens safe. Contrary to the fervent hopes of the Spring Creek raiders, trials did proceed in November 1909. The first case was brought against Herb Brink. To the surprise of many, the Big Horn County prosecutors had little trouble seating a jury, filling it with farmers who had no stake in the sheep and cattle conflicts. The presence of the militia and numerous law enforcement officers kept Basin City the quiet and peaceable town it usually was. The case, therefore, was decided in the courtroom from evidence presented against Brink, and not in the court of public opinion as had often happened in the past. State’s evidence was well presented by the attorneys specially hired to assist the prosecution. Those lawyers included two from Sheridan, E. E. Enterline and Will Metz, father of elected Big Horn County Attorney Percy Metz. The prosecution also included W.L. “Billy” Simpson of Cody, Wyo., father of future Wyoming Governor Milward Simpsonand grandfather of future Wyoming Senator Al Simpson. Billy Simpson had represented sheep raisers in various cases in the Big Horn Basin before 1909 and thus would have been tainted in the minds of cattlemen, and this was probably the reason they did not hire him. The state presented photographs and surveyors’ maps to pinpoint the geography and events of April 2, 1909. Eyewitnesses, including sheepherder Bounce Helmer, who had been kidnapped and later released, and three men who watched the raid from an adjacent house all testified. The raiders had made the critical mistake of talking to their acquaintances. Billy Goodrich, whose testimony was secured by LeFors and who was the employer of two of the raiders, told the jury about a series

Washakie museum photo

Wyoming militia camped at the Big Horn County courthouse in Basin, November 1909. of admissions made by Brink. The most devastating testimony, however, came from Charlie Ferris and Bill Keyes, two of the original raiders who became state’s witnesses and revealed the inside story. They told how seven men planned a sheep raid, and then rode to Spring Creek from the south during the early evening of April 2, 1909. Saban and Brink went to a group of wagons, and laid siege to one sheep wagon that had three men inside. The two raiders started firing into the wagon, Brink with a .25-30 Winchester and Saban with a .35 automatic. There was silence from the sheep wagon. Brink then pulled some sagebrush, placed it under the wagon and lit it. The fire soon blazed up. Two of the sheepmen were either dead or disabled and did not come out of the wagon. Joe Allemand survived, although apparently wounded. Allemand staggered from the wagon and walked slowly away from it with his hands raised. Brink shot him dead, saying, “It’s a hell of a time of night to come out with your hands up.” The jury convicted Brink of firstdegree murder and sentenced him to hang. After this development, his fellow raiders stampeded to make separate deals with the prosecution. Brink’s death sentence was commuted, but five of the seven Spring Creek raiders were sentenced to serve prison terms. The two who testified for the prosecution were provided immunity.

Resources • Davis, John W., A Vast Amount of Trouble. Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 2005. The most comprehensive of the books about the Spring Creek Raid. Will Metz’s remark about the end of lawlessness, originally published Nov. 12, 1909 in the Cheyenne State Leader, is on p. 262. • Gage, Jack. Tensleep and No Rest. Casper, Wyo.: Prairie Publishing Company, 1958. A full treatment of the Spring Creek Raid by then Wyoming Secretary of State Jack Gage. It is beautifully written—but it mixes fact and fiction with no delineation between the two. Still, the book catches the spirit of the event and the complex feelings of many people who were part of it. • O’Neal, Bill. Cattlemen vs. Sheepherders. Austin, Texas: Eakins Press, 1989. An excellent overview of the sheep and cattle wars within the United States. • Trenholm, Virginia Cole, ed. Wyoming Blue Book. Vol. III. Department of Commerce, Wyoming State Archives and Historical Department, 1974. Cheyenne. “Cattle and Sheep,” pp. 266-267 Field Trips The site of the Spring Creek Raid lies about seven miles south of Tensleep, immediately east of State Highway 434, the

Upper Nowood Road. A state historical marker has been placed next to the site. Travel on U.S. 16, 65 miles west of Buffalo, Wyo. or 26 miles east of Worland to Tensleep, and then proceed south seven miles on State Highway 434 to Spring Creek. Monuments have been placed where wagons sat north and south of Spring Creek on April 2, 1909. To read the text of the state historical marker at the site, search for “Spring Creed Raid” here. Illustrations The photos of the militia in front of the Big Horn County courthouse and the five defendants in the Spring Creek Raid case are from the collections of the Washakie Museum and Cultural Center. The photo of the site of the Spring Creek Raid is by Celia A. Davis. All are used with thanks. Author John W. Davis has practiced law in Worland, Wyo., since 1973. In addition to his book about the Spring Creek Raid, A Vast Amount of Trouble, he has written Wyoming Range War, which chronicles the 1892 Johnson County War andGoodbye, Judge Lynch, which focuses on vigilantism in Wyoming in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Spring Creek Raid: The Last Murderous Sheep Raid in the Big Horn Basin By John W. Davis

The convictions from the Spring Creek Raid put a stop to the mayhem committed in Wyoming against sheepmen. After 1909, there were only two minor raids in the entire state, and no one was injured in either. One of the prosecutors, Will Metz, summarized the meaning of the verdicts by saying, “It is significant of the beginning of a new era, of a period where lawlessness in any form will be no more tolerated [in Wyoming] than in the more densely settled communities of the east.”

Washakie Museum photo

Defendants in the Spring Creek Raid case. Clockwise from top left: Herb Brink, Ed Eaton, George Saban, Tom Dixon, Milton Alexander.

Celia Davis photo

Site of the Spring Creek Raid today.

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