The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
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Crook County Weed & Pest invites the public to find out more about an invasive grass that has been found growing within county borders and is known to be capable of negatively impacting pasture and rangelands. A ventenata field tour will take place on July 18 near Rozet and the district is hoping to attract as many participants as possible to learn more about the grass and how to combat its spread. “This would be a great time to ask specialist questions,” says Alycia Conroy-Davis, District Supervisor. Ventenata is not native to North Ame...
The comment period for the process to update Wyoming's sage-grouse map has been extended through most of July in response to significant interest from the public. The current proposed revisions to the Sage-grouse Core Area Map would introduce a small new management area for sage-grouse on the southern border of Crook County, abutting and linked to an already-established large management area that stretches down into Weston County. Crook County also hosts a connectivity area to the northwest. The revisions are taking place because the Bureau of...
Increased vigilance for invasive mussels has already resulted in five thwarted attempts to cross the Wyoming border this summer. Two of the five infested watercraft traveled through the check station in Beulah. Wyoming Game & Fish stepped up its efforts to stop zebra and quagga mussels from reaching waters in this state after an infestation of the invasive creatures was reported at Pactola Reservoir around this time last year, just 30 miles from the Wyoming border. This was the closest location...
A man currently serving up to ten years in the Wyoming State Penitentiary after pleading guilty to burglary and theft in Weston County is now facing similar charges in Crook County. According to court documents, Donald Jenerou stole items in both Hulett and Moorcroft in October, 2021. On October 14, 2021, an officer of Moorcroft Police Department took a report of a burglary at the Converse Carwash and Laundromat in which $4500 in cash, computer hard drives (including from a security system), keys and cameras were taken. The officer contacted...
Five kids are representing Crook County in rodeo this summer, with three of them set to compete during the seven days of the 75th National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) in Gillette. Two meanwhile headed for the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, GA this weekend for the week-long National Junior High Finals Rodeo (NJHFR). High School Standings for the NHSFR are calculated using the points accumulated during each competitor’s top 12 rodeos throughout the season. In individual events, the top four qualify for the national finals. This y...
A theft case involving a man who allegedly admitting to driving a vehicle that he knew had been stolen and leaving it parked outside a grocery store has been remanded to Circuit Court. Jose Alejandro Riquelme Castaneda has entered into an agreement in which he has agreed to plead guilty to an amended misdemeanor charge. On February 27, a Crook County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle parked at Paradise Foods in Pine Haven. The deputy reports running the VIN and was advised that the vehicle had been stolen f...
Julie Cox of Pine Haven has been sentenced in District Court on two sets of charges: possession of marijuana following her arrest in September, 2022; and violating the terms of her probation associated with possession charges in 2018, for which she was given a suspended sentence. In the 2018 case, Cox was pulled over for failure to observe a stop sign with marijuana present in her vehicle. She was found guilty on one count of possession, third or subsequent offense, and sentenced to between two years and 60 months in jail. The sentence was...
Black Thunder Oil, the new owners of assets that once belonged to BW Oil, approached the Crook County Commissioners last week to request assistance with penalties on tax payments that the company didn’t know were owed. Jeff Waliezer of Black Thunder explained that the company had not received any notice of these taxes until a bill arrived with a ‘past due’ penalty. Black Thunder acquired the assets after BW Oil defaulted on three years of tax payments totaling over $300,000 in 2016, leading the Crook County Treasurer’s Office to launch the pro...
As boating enthusiasts gear up for the summer, so too do the Wyoming Game & Fish Department’s ongoing efforts to make sure that zebra mussels do not find their way into Wyoming waters. Game & Fish is now offering training for the public on how to perform inspections for these and other aquatic invasive species (AIS), offering the necessary skills to inspect your own and other watercraft. “Aquatic invasive species can have far-reaching impacts on Wyoming water resources for agriculture, municipalities and wildlife. Many of these invasive spe...
A Moorcroft man has been given a split sentence after pleading guilty to child abuse. Dustin Regan allegedly used his hand and a fly swatter to hit two children during a domestic incident. On July 2, 2022, at around 12:36 a.m., a Crook County Sheriff’s Office deputy was dispatched to a Pine Haven residence for a reported domestic. The reporting party stated that Regan had entered their residence and attacked the children. When the deputy arrived on scene, the reporting party and children had relocated to a neighbor’s house. He was told tha...
How many eggs can you fit in a basket? It's time to find out again as Easter draws near and the towns of Moorcroft and Pine Haven make plans for their annual hunts. Pine Haven will be hosting its annual hunt on April 1 at 11 a.m. at the community center. Hunters will be split into four age groups and will be seeking out a grand total of 1500 eggs. In Moorcroft, the hunt begins at 10 a.m. on April 8 at the baseball field. This hunt is split into two age groups: zero to four years old and five to...
This year’s supplemental budget places more than $1 billion into savings – a move that Governor Mark Gordon said would allow the state to keep taxes low and generate higher investment returns. For every dollar of state revenue spent in the bill, he said, $3.50 is saved. The budget also makes “strategic investments” in Wyoming, Gordon said, including more funding for the Property Tax Refund Program, support for the state’s energy industries and a market adjustment for state employees and teachers to offset the impacts of inflation. “I congra...
Spring may seem a long way away from underneath February's snowdrifts, but the Wyoming Game & Fish Department will be prepared when it arrives to protect Keyhole Reservoir from an infestation of zebra mussels. Game & Fish has been concerned about this possibility since an infestation of the invasive creatures was reported at Pactola Reservoir, just 30 miles from the Wyoming border. This was the closest location where the species has yet been found, which the department concluded was a...
Keeping someone safe if they are prone to wandering can be a challenge, but the Crook County Sheriff's Office can help. The office sponsors Project Lifesaver, a nationwide program designed to help you protect someone who is cognitively impaired. Project Lifesaver is supported by donations and grants and completely free to its participants. Members of the community are invited to reach out to the office for more information if a loved one has been diagnosed with a condition such as dementia or autism that makes them likely to wander. A person...
Karey Hedlund of Moorcroft has been jailed for up to ten years on charges of child abuse. Hedlund accepted a plea deal related to the 16 separate counts of child abuse and one of aggravated assault and battery with which she was originally charged. Hedlund’s alleged victims accuse her of years of mental and physical abuse. According to reports from a Crook County Sheriff’s Office deputy, an investigation was launched at the beginning of June, 2021 in response to a report of “abusive and neglectful behavior”. The victims reported numerous incide...
Crook County Sheriff's Office hosted an active shooter training at Sundance High School on January 20, focusing on a scenario in which one or two officers must respond to an active shooter situation. "The reality is that, if an active shooter incident occurs, it will likely be one or two officers that are able to respond in the critical first few minutes and it is their responsibility to stop the threat," says Sheriff Jeff Hodge. "There is not time to wait for backup or a SWAT team to arrive in...
January Life had almost returned to normal by the beginning of 2022 after almost two full years of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the danger was not over, as a new and more infectious strain that came to be known as Omicron began to dominate new infections. Mayor Dick Claar stepped down due to health reasons, prompting his fellow council members to praise his long dedication to the Town of Moorcroft. Ben Glenn was appointed to replace him. Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD)...
On Friday, Governor Mark Gordon ordered that U.S. and State of Wyoming flags across the state be flown at half-staff to honor the memory of Bruce Lang, who lost his life attempting to assist with an ice rescue at Keyhole Reservoir last week. Lang was a volunteer firefighter and training officer with the Pine Haven Volunteer Fire Department. He died when his UTV plunged into open water as he was heading to assist an individual who had fallen through the ice. "Jennie and I send our deepest...
Hot on the heels of a nation-spanning storm that closed down the region for several days came a “polar plunge” last week, just in time for Christmas. Travel once again became difficult as temperatures began to plunge and the new snow joined what was already on the ground to blow whiteouts across the roads. The strong, gusty winds continued until the end of the week, with the combination of fresh snow and wind resulting in blizzard-like conditions in some parts of the region. The bigger problem for human fingers and toes, though, was the dan...
A Gillette man whose altercation with a police officer in Crook County led to a high speed chase back across the county border has successfully appealed one of his two convictions of aggravated assault on the basis that the jury was given improper instructions. The Wyoming Supreme Court released its opinion on the case last week, reversing and vacating one count of aggravated assault for Nathan Jess Michael Schuerman and also finding that the record is unclear as to the state of his second aggravated assault conviction and it should be...
Two local men perished during a search and rescue effort at Keyhole State Park that began on Thursday and continued until dusk on Sunday. Bruce Lang, 68, and Jason Otto, 48, both tragically lost their lives while attempting to rescue a stranded recreationist who had fallen through the ice. The Crook County Sheriff's Office received a call on December 15 at around 9:10 p.m. that a male subject had gone through the ice while driving his UTV on the reservoir. Dispatch spoke to the subject on the...
As Santa’s big day approaches, medical experts are recommending caution – especially around members of your family and social circle who are more vulnerable to serious illness, such as infants and the elderly. An increase in contagious diseases has been reported all around the nation, with an earlier flu season than usual. “We have been seeing some RSV, especially in the pediatric population,” says Micki Lyons, CEO for Crook County Medical Services District. “There has been an uptick of Influenza A in the county along with Strep. There are...
The board of trustees for Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) has officially moved to replace its electronic medical records system (EMR), which has been causing serious issues with cash flow and is deeply unpopular with staff. The board met in special session on Friday to discuss the potential contract. The majority of the meeting was spent in executive session to allow board attorney Kara Ellsbury to provide legal advice on the terms of the contract and any other legal issues associated with it. Following the executive session,...
Search and rescue crews from the Crook County Sheriff's Office continue to search for two men who were reported missing last night at Keyhole State Park. The Sheriff's Office received a call on December 15 at around 9:10 p.m. that a male subject had fallen through the ice while driving his UTV on the reservoir. Dispatch spoke to the subject on the phone, who said he had made it out of the water and was lying on the ice. Pine Haven Fire and EMS were paged and arrived at approximately the same time as three local citizens, who drove a UTV onto...
Wyoming Game & Fish (WGF) has announced that the watercraft check station at Coulter Bay has been closed for the season to allow recreationists to enjoy Keyhole Reservoir for its more winter-based activity: ice fishing. Regulations came into effect a couple of months ago to protect Keyhole Reservoir from the growing threat of invasive zebra mussels, which had been documented at Pactola Reservoir in South Dakota in July. This was considered concerning as it was the first time zebra mussels had be...