THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019
109TH YEAR/ISSUE 83
School district amends tobacco policy to prohibit all vaping devices BY TESSA BAKER Tribune Features Editor
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aping is not allowed in Powell schools, and an amended policy makes that even clearer. For years, Park County School District No. 1 has banned electronic cigarettes, tobacco and smokeless tobacco on school grounds and vehicles as part of its TobaccoFree Schools policy. The school board voted ‘So, this unanimously last week to whole “safe amend the policy and add alternative vape pens to the list of proto smoking” hibited tobacco products. The amended policy also is lunacy. It’s includes “other electronic cigarettes.” dangerous.’ As the district considJay Curtis ered revisions to its tobacSchool co policy in recent weeks, superintendent two employees were concerned that the term “electronic cigarettes” didn’t fully address vape pens, since the devices can be used for substances that don’t contain tobacco, Superintendent Jay Curtis told the school board. “Vaping, as you all well know, has become quite the epidemic among youth,” Curtis said.
LEADING THE PACK
Desarae Starck poses with the head and antlers of her six-point trophy elk Tuesday morning alongside one of her family’s goats. Starck is the treasurer for the North American Packgoat Association. She and her husband, Justin, have been training their goats for three years.
Justin Starck leads a small herd of pack goats on a 5-mile hike in the Bighorn National Forest on Monday. Justin, his wife Desarae and the goats set out on an elk hunt Monday. The goats carried most of the equipment and food necessary for a week in the mountains, helping Desarae bag a trophy bull elk on Tuesday. Pack goats are becoming more popular for hunters, hikers and outdoor enthusiasts wanting to save money and to hike where horses can’t go. For the full story, see Pages 10 and 11.
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n the wake of declining enrollment, Northwest College leaders had to make a number of budget cuts in June. No academic programs were cut, but 29 positions were cut — including eight layoffs— and student health services were eliminated. Abigaile Grubb, a political science major at NWC, utilized the public forum comment period of the Oct. 7 Board of Trustees meeting to voice her concerns about how the change has impacted students’ health. Grubb said cutting the service left
students without convenient and free health care options, such as testing for strep throat and sexually transmitted diseases. The college has been referring students to low-cost local options for their healthcare needs, but Grubb said those options are not always within walking distance — which creates a problem for some students. “They require travel, and many of us don’t have reliable transportation,” she told the board. Grubb also said that, while the alternatives are low cost, they are not free. “Our cost as students continue to rise, but our services continue to di-
minish,” she said. As a result of the program’s termination, Grubb said students are not keeping up with preventative care, which could raise healthcare costs down the line. And without dedicated health professionals available at the college, she said students aren’t always seeing the same providers, which is necessary in establishing trust. The board didn’t respond to Grubb’s comments at the meeting, but NWC President Stefani Hicswa said later that cutting student health services was one of many difficult budget decisions the board had to make.
BY CJ BAKER Tribune Editor
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It was “a decision not made lightly and not without rigorous scrutiny of what health services our community could offer in its place,” Hicswa said. Hicswa said there are local healthcare options that charge on sliding scales to accommodate students’ budgets — and she noted that the college continues to offer mental health services. “Counseling services have always been available through our Student Success Center, as well as disability support, and that has not changed,” Hicswa explained. Other services, such as flu shot See Concerns, Page 3
See Knife, Page 3
NWC student raises concerns about cuts to health services BY KEVIN KILLOUGH Tribune News Editor
Powell man re-arrested after alleged knife chase Powell man facing allegations that he strangled his girlfriend in June was rearrested Monday after he allegedly chased a man with a knife. At a Tuesday morning appearance in Park AARON ILG County’s Circuit Court, Aaron B. Ilg, 41, was ordered to remain in jail indefinitely, as he awaits future court hearings. Ilg is facing charges from three separate incidents: a June 1 crash in the Crandall area that he allegedly failed to report, a June 5 incident in Crandall in which he allegedly punched and choked his girlfriend and Monday’s incident, in which he reportedly fought with an unknown man outside the Best Choice Motel. Ilg has pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges, while he has yet to enter a plea to the allegations from Monday. Following the alleged altercation with his girlfriend in June, Ilg entered and completed an eight-week treatment and mental health rehabilitation program at the Sheridan VA Medical Center. The Powell veteran finished those programs last month and was released
Photo courtesy Justin Starck
Tribune photo by Mark Davis
See Vape, Page 2
‘Nothing short of amazing’ Broncs, Panthers unite to support Ethan Asher other and have had some magical moments over the years. None compare to the #EthanStrong movement this season.” Panther head football coach he Powell-Cody rivalry runs deep, but support Aaron Papich agreed. “It’s amazing, because most of for Panther quarterback the time, football is Ethan Asher runs the most important deeper. thing in a rivalry Cody Broncs ‘To see that like this,” he said. joined Powell Pansupport, that “But not this game. thers in supporting Asher during the love, you just I think it was comit was Ethan, cross-county football kind of take a munity, it was the Asher game Friday night, step back.’ family — that’s what raising $2,700 for was important. To Asher and his famAaron Papich see that support, that ily. Forgoing their Panther head love, you just kind of blue and gold, many football coach take a step back. It’s Bronc fans wore pretty awesome to Team Ethan shirts. “I haven’t been a part of a see that, especially from Cody. Cody/Powell rivalry of this mag- It’s something I’ll always renitude in my 30 years,” said Scott member, and I know our team McKenzie, PHS athletic director. and the community will as well.” “Cody and Powell have always See Asher, Page 2 had great respect for one an-
GRIZZLY BEAR SPOTTED WEST OF RALSTON BY MARK DAVIS Tribune Staff Writer
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BY TESSA BAKER AND DON COGGER Tribune Staff
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Throughout the Panthers’ football season, quarterback Ethan Asher has been on their minds and in their hearts, as shown by the No. 3 decal on the team’s helmets. The Panthers will host their final home game of the season Friday night. Tribune photo by Don Cogger
INSIDE ♦ PLAYOFFS ON THE LINE FOR PANTHERS: PAGE 9 ♦ HARVEST FESTIVAL: PAGE 16
dult grizzly tracks were spotted near the Eaglenest Trail neighborhood and the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center on Tuesday. The subdivision is less than 10 miles west of Powell. “The area isn’t great habitat for bears and is a bit of a concern for us,” said Wyoming Game and Fish Department Bear Wise Coordinator Dusty Lasseter. “It’s a lose-lose situation: It’s not good for people and it’s not good for grizzly bears.” Game and Fish biologists have set a trap for the bear, but had yet to capture it by press deadline Wednesday. Lasseter said 2019 has been a relatively quiet year for grizzly conflicts, partly due to the weather. “This year’s moisture has helped,” he said, “providing plenty of natural food sources for bears.” Lasseter said the Cody-based bear response team has been forced to trap bears in the area before — “It’s a symptom of a growing and expanding bear population,” he See Grizzly, Page 3