The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
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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...
Governors Mark Gordon (WY) and Kristi Noem (SD) have penned a joint letter to Black Hills National Forest Supervisor Jeff Tomac requesting a rethink of the revision assessments being used to draft an updated version of the Black Hills National Forest (BHNF) Land Management Plan. The two governors also expressed concern over the potential impact of the plan on the timber industry within the Black Hills The plan has already caused concern at the county level, with Crook County penning a letter of comment that also expressed “significant c...
Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) is introducing a new program that it hopes will encourage staff members to progress their own careers – and simultaneously offer an opportunity to people who may be interested in the medical field but are either unable to afford the education required or cannot justify leaving a current job to go back to school. “It’s our belief that the best way to staff our facilities is from within,” said board chairman Mark Erickson at last week’s meeting, explaining the program to incoming board member Br...
Begin your Christmas season with numerous local opportunities for some festive fun over the next few weeks, starting with the Candy Cane Classic hosted by the Whitcomb FFA. The event will take place at 6 p.m. on December 3 at the Moorcroft Community Center and includes a chili dinner alongside two cook-off contests, one for chili and the other for caramel and cinnamon rolls. This will be followed by a dance. On December 15, head to Big Horn Avenue to watch the Parade of Lights, presented by the Moorcroft Area Chamber of Commerce. The parade...
Continuing the recent tradition of punching above its weight, the small county of Crook can once again boast that both of its legislators hold positions of leadership in the Wyoming State Legislature. During a vote held on Saturday, Senator Ogden Driskill was voted the new President of the Senate, while Representative Chip Neiman will start his second term in office as the House Majority Floor Leader. Senate President As Senate President, Driskill will select committee members, appoint...
Crook County's own Jennifer Purcell has been honored with the Public Safety Telecommunicator of the Year award from the Wyoming chapter of APCO International. Purcell has worked within the county's dispatch center for seven years, though her experience in the field spans two decades. She was nominated for her pleasant and professional manner with callers and colleagues at all times, no matter what kind of day she is having. In announcing Purcell's award, APCO also recognized her for being...
Karey Hedlund of Moorcroft has 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 incidents of cruel and physical abuse at Hedlund’s hands. At change of...
Numerous seats will be filled on the county’s various boards at November’s general election. While many seats are uncontested, two boards in particular will see high levels of competition. To assist voters in making their choice for these contested positions, we asked every candidate for Crook County School District and Crook County Medical Services District to provide a brief bio and answer the question: what was the driving force behind your decision to run for this seat? Hospital Board: At Large (2 seats) Brent Fowler My name is Brent Fow...
Julie Ann Cox of Pine Haven faces felony possession charges after THC was allegedly found in her residence when a Crook County Sheriff’s deputy made contact in reference to a warrant for her arrest. On September 28, the deputy was sent to a Pine Haven residence in reference to a wanted person. He reports being greeted at the door by Cox, who he knew from previous contact. The deputy advised Cox that there was a warrant for her arrest and entered the residence to assist with gathering the medications she needed. A purse was allegedly sitting o...
Crook County's two new game wardens introduced themselves to the county commissioners last week and provided information on the rights of citizens if they find themselves face to face with a dangerous predator. Nate Holst has joined the Wyoming Game & Fish department (WGF) as the Sundance Game Warden, while Mitchell Kern will be his counterpart in Moorcroft. The two men asked to be added to October's agenda after receiving a letter from the commission requesting a more proactive approach to...
Patrick LeFave of Moorcroft will spend up to three years behind bars after his probation was revoked for three separate alleged violations. LeFave was serving 36 months of supervised probation after pleading guilty to strangulation of a household member in 2019. According to the complaint, LeFave failed to meet the conditions of his probation in three ways, including that he failed to meet with his supervising probation agent twice in March this year. LeFave is also reported to have admitted to a Department of Family Services agent and his...
If you will need to travel this winter on roads that may be closed due to weather, the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) is inviting you to sign up for two programs that will allow you to do so. Collectively known as the Wyoming Travel Authorization Program (W-TAP), the Wyoming Authorized Travel and Rolling Closure Authorization programs allow drivers to apply for authorization to travel on sections of closed roadways when the department has deemed it is safe enough. The Wyoming Authorized Travel application is open to all drivers, b...
After a lull during the summer months, bird flu is back and members of the public are asked to report any suspicious avian deaths to the Wyoming Game & Fish Department. According to a statement from the department, positive results for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been confirmed in a blue-winged teal, a great horned owl and two turkey vultures. “With bird hunting seasons either ongoing or rapidly approaching, and as migrating birds start to head south, we are asking the public to keep an eye out for dead birds and be aware o...
The number of registered voters in Crook County took a significant leap upwards this year, according to the official tallies from August’s primary election. Crook County had 4103 registered voters in total at the 2018 primary, a number that grew only modestly to 4143 by the 2020 general election. This year, on the other hand, 4558 people were registered to vote in the county on election day – an increase of 415 people, or 10%. On election day itself, Crook County gained 205 new voters. Unsurprisingly, the number of ballots that were cast for...
A number of gaps on this year’s municipal ballots will be filled with write-in candidates at this year’s general election. Following the primary, any eligible person who received at least three write-in nominations was given the opportunity to place themselves in the running. In Sundance, a write-in spot was available for one of the two council seats that will be elected in November. However, says County Clerk Melissa Jones, no individual received three write-ins, so the ballot will not change. In Sundance, the candidates for the two seats wil...
Almost every district-level seat set to appear on the ballot at the upcoming general election will be contested. This November, voters will be asked to make their choices for the school, medical services, natural resource, museum and senior citizen service districts. All district seats are non-partisan. Candidate sign-up closed on Monday. For Crook County School District, four trustee seats will be elected at the general and almost three times that number of candidates have put their names forward. All trustees will serve four-year terms....
With invasive zebra mussels now known to be present nearby, the Wyoming Game & Fish Department (WGF) has developed a rapid response plan specific to Wyoming water bodies including Keyhole Reservoir. Meanwhile, watercraft owners have been reminded to clean, drain and dry their boats before moving between bodies of water and are asked to ensure they follow all the regulations for AIS inspections. According to Game & Fish, invasive zebra and quagga mussels have not yet been found in Wyoming. However, the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and...
Monkeypox has officially arrived in Wyoming, according to the Wyoming Department of Health. However, the virus is not considered to be a high risk for most people. “Because monkeypox spreads through close, intimate contact we do not believe the risk for the virus is now a higher concern for the local community or for most people in Wyoming,” said Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer. “Monkeypox does not spread easily like familiar viruses such as influenza or COVID-19.” The case was identified in an adult man who resides in Laramie County....
The results of last week’s primary election have been verified and confirmed by the county canvassing board, according to County Clerk Melissa Jones. No recounts were necessary and no issues emerged during the process. “We had no automatic recounts and we had no provisional ballots that we had to go through,” says Jones. “Everything went smoothly for us.” It wasn’t that the primary didn’t have some very close races – the two candidates for Pine Haven’s mayor, for example, received exactly the same number of votes at 113 each. However, for nonp...
The primary election saw several local races called for challengers, according to the unofficial results. In nonpartisan municipal races, two candidates will move forward to the general election for each seat, including any potential write-in candidates. For all other races, the winning candidate for each party moves ahead to the general. In one of the biggest upsets, Bob Latham beat incumbent Jeanne Whalen for the nomination to county commissioner. Incumbent Ogden Driskill, however, appears to...
Robert Myles of Moorcroft has been sentenced to up to four years in a state penal institution following an incident in which he was reported for attempting to steal a vehicle from a residence. On October 15, 2021, a Crook County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a residence in Moorcroft after a call was received that Myles was trying to take the homeowner’s vehicle. A warrant was confirmed for his arrest. The deputy reported contacting Myles’ probation officer and then responding to the residence, where the homeowner said Myles had left on f...
Crook County has joined the call for the U.S. Forest Service to rethink its draft assessments for the revised Black Hills National Forest Plan. A comment letter submitted by the county commissioners touts "significant concerns" with the science used to create the drafts, and with the level of public input solicited so far. "I think we probably have some of the most comprehensive comments that will be submitted," commented Dru Palmer of Dru Consulting, who prepared the 21-page letter on behalf of...
A fire burning in steep, rugged terrain on Iron Mountain, seven miles south of Sundance, had grown to 6500 acres by Tuesday afternoon after expanding overnight as high winds caused it to run past the control lines. At time of going to press, the fire was zero percent contained with no estimate as to when it would be brought under control. "Exact longevity is hard to tell at this point," said incident commander Timothy Sherwin on Tuesday morning. The cause of the Fish Wildfire is under...
A male subject with an active Wyoming warrant was shot and killed by law enforcement on Saturday morning after two shootouts took place on I-90 near Sundance. According to the Crook County Sheriff’s Office, the subject was contacted by a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper on Saturday night at around 10:10 p.m., as he was walking along I-90 near milepost 184. The trooper learned that there was an active warrant for the subject’s arrest. The trooper immediately called for backup from the Crook County Sheriff’s Office and the subject was advis...
