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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With the peak of the pandemic expected to arrive in early May, Governor Mark Gordon has reminded the public that it’s vital to stay the course. Wyoming is lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of its COVID-19 timeline, he said last week. “I want to remind everyone that Wyoming saw COVID-19 arrive late,” said the governor, explaining that Wyoming is not in sync with its surrounding states regarding the expected peak of infection numbers. “Ours comes in a couple of weeks and South Dakota’s comes in June.” This means that Wyoming’s r... Full story
The Board of Trustees have been concerned about cashflow within Crook County Medical Services District; with many patient visits postponed, the hospital and clinic has seen much reduced traffic over the last few weeks. But though the board did decide to take protective measures regarding its finances last week, Karl Rude of management company Health Management Services assured trustees that things are not as bad as they might seem. “You stated there would be an impending financial crisis; however, we currently sit at cash position of $... Full story
State officials will begin moving next week to ease the restrictions on businesses and gatherings that were put into place in March, Gov. Mark Gordon has announced. Gordon, in a news release and during a news conference Thursday, said the state will take a phased approach to removing the state public health orders that were put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus. “This will be a balanced approach that will be driven by two guiding principles: public safety and helping more people get back to work,” he said. “We are going to relax... Full story
School districts across Wyoming are making the decision to leave their buildings closed for the remainder of the school year. The decisions by school officials in communities including Pine Bluffs, Casper and Powell come as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Wyoming increased by 19 on Monday, led by the growth of 15 cases in Fremont County. Although some districts have not yet decided whether classes will resume before the summer break, others are citing continued requirements for social distancing as making regular education... Full story
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon has announced that new public health orders effective May 1 will allow gyms, barber shops, hair salons and other personal care services to reopen under specific operating conditions designed to minimize public health risk from COVID-19. Other parts of the phased approach involve easing restrictions on day cares and issuing guidance to hospitals allowing them to resume elective surgeries. “These new orders start our process of getting this part of Wyoming’s economy up and running again,” Governor Gordon... Full story
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – As Wyoming continues to experience the direct and indirect fiscal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Mark Gordon has instructed all state agency directors to identify opportunities to immediately reduce spending. This is through the end of the current budget year, which ends June 30, and into the next two-year budget. Specifically, the Governor has immediately directed agencies to institute position freezes, halt general fund contracts greater than $100,000, and implement a rigorous review of major maintenance s... Full story
On Monday morning, Wyoming became the last state in the nation to report its first death associated with the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19. The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) announced that a patient in Johnson County who had health conditions that put him at higher risk of severe illness and complications had passed away. “This is a sad development we hoped we wouldn’t see in Wyoming and we want this person’s family to know they have our sympathy,” said Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer. “The advice we’ve been offering and act... Full story
Light shows in support of seniors, unusual Easter egg hunts, parades for those who can’t get out and programs to feed the warriors at the front lines of the coronavirus battle were all in the news in the past week as Wyoming residents continued to extend a helping hand to their neighbors. Here are a few examples: Schools light up scoreboards for seniors CASPER — First came the howls, cries into the moonless sky made in solidarity across Casper’s twilight. On Friday night there were also fireworks — a progression of unconventional behavio... Full story
Wyoming residents will have to prepare for a different reality in a post-coronavirus world, Gov. Mark Gordon said Wednesday. Gordon, speaking during a news conference just hours after the state confirmed its second death attributed to COVID-19, said state officials have already started discussing how the state will emerge from the restrictions that have forced the closures of schools and some businesses. “We are going to emerge into a new reality, a new economy,” he said. “Social distancing is not going to go away. We need to start think... Full story
Support for the way both Gov. Mark Gordon and local governments are handling the coronavirus is high, according to a survey by the University of Wyoming. The results of the survey by the university’s Survey and Analysis Center were released Thursday as the number of coronavirus cases in the state grew by eight to total 296, with a recovery rate of more than 65%. The survey of 494 Wyoming residents, conducted Monday, is the second on coronavirus-related issues to be conducted by the Survey and Analysis Center. Of those polled, 76.1% approved of... Full story
CASPER — Legislative leaders voted unanimously on Thursday to pursue several pieces of emergency legislation, all but guaranteeing the Wyoming Legislature will meet in its first special session since 2004. In a conference call with Management Council on Thursday morning, Gov. Mark Gordon outlined a tentative agenda for state lawmakers in the coming months to begin to immediately stabilize the state’s economy – which is projected to experience revenue declines anywhere between $555 million and $2.8 billion due to COVID-19 and an overseas price w... Full story
The public health orders issued in March to slow the spread of coronavirus in the state will remain in place until at least April 30, Gov. Mark Gordon announced. Gordon’s announcement came as the number of coronavirus cases in the state continued to climb, but at a much slower rate than what was seen several weeks ago, increasing by eight over the weekend to total 313. Gordon, in a statement Friday, said because Wyoming residents have adhered to the public health orders and followed recommendations to stay at home as much as possible, the numbe... Full story
The state will lift its restrictions on businesses and gatherings when it appears prudent to do so, Gov. Mark Gordon told a group of protesters at the state Capitol on Monday. Gordon’s talk with the “Rally for the Choice to Work” protesters came as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Wyoming grew to 317 with the discovery of four new cases in two counties. The protesters had gathered for a rally to encourage the state to lift the restrictions put into place in March to slow the spread of coronavirus. Rally participants, who came to Che... Full story
Four members of the Northern Arapaho Indian Tribe died this week as a result of the coronavirus, a tribal official announced Tuesday. Lee Spoonhunter, co-chair of the Northern Arapaho Business Council, confirmed the deaths, which occurred Monday. “It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that the Northern Arapaho Tribe confirms the deaths of four of our own who tested positive for the coronavirus COVID-19,” he said. “The Northern Arapaho Business Council offers a heartfelt condolences to the families of the loved ones.” Spoohunter added that... Full story
Into the second month of restrictions both locally and nationwide in the effort to mitigate the harm from the COVID-19 virus, Moorcroft businesses that have remained open to the public are enacting their own more diligent efforts. Coffee Cup Fuel Stop is following the advice from Crook County Health, having restricted time allotted for customers to be in the store to ten minutes and installing sneeze guards to add to their previous adjustments. Moorcroft’s Post Office was ordered to institute a... Full story
At a special meeting on Thursday, the county’s elected officials gathered to consider new actions related to the COVID-19 outbreak in Wyoming and across the world. With the courthouse already locked down except by appointment and employees maintaining separation through telework, attention turned to financial needs both personal and county-related. The first item of business was to propose a budget amendment to transfer $100,000 from unanticipated revenues to the federal grant budget to fund expenses related to the outbreak. The money is f... Full story
Easter is hopping into view and, at Crook County Senior Services (CCSS), the staff believe the hunt must go on. This weekend, the organization will be presenting an outbreak-safe way to enjoy an Easter adventure. The Easter Driving Scavenger Hunt will be taking place all round the county as a way to help the littler members of the community enjoy the holiday. “I think it’ll keep the big ones entertained too,” laughs Mary Joslyn, senior services representative from Moorcroft. The hunt will be taking place from April 10 to 13 in Sundance, Hulet... Full story
From free ice cream and sack lunches to parades and scavenger hunts, Wyoming residents made the best of their self-isolation in the last week by helping others. Here are just a few stories from around the state: Cheyenne realtor spreads smiles with free ice cream CHEYENNE – With the circumstances surrounding coronavirus in Wyoming, local Realtor Asha Bean wanted to do something to help spark joy in the community. Even in the midst of everything that’s going on, “Everybody loves ice cream,” Bean said. With the help of her employer, Century... Full story
Gov. Mark Gordon is asking the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission to suspend the sale of short-term fishing licenses to out-of-state residents as a way to discourage travel to the state. Gordon’s comments came during a news conference Wednesday as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state grew to 230. When viewed in light of the state’s requirement for visitors from outside the state to self-quarantine for 14 days after their arrival, the issuing of short-term hunting licenses makes little sense, Gordon said. “If you’re going t... Full story
The number of Wyoming patients to recover from confirmed cases of coronavirus was almost half of the state’s total number of confirmed cases on Friday, according to Wyoming Department of Health figures. The department reported that 105 patients had recovered from the virus — meaning they showed no symptoms of the illness for three days — while the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases stood at 239. The statewide case count increased by nine on Thursday, with new cases found in five counties, including the first case detected in Niobrara Cou... Full story
Wyoming should see a surge in coronavirus cases in the last week of April and peak in mid-May, according to several health officials in the state. The projection came as Wyoming’s total coronavirus case count increased to 270 as of Monday morning, an increase of 17 over the weekend. Dr. Nick Stamato, chief of medical staff for Campbell County Health in Gillette, said most of the computer models for the spread of COVID-19 show a surge in cases in the last week of April, with the number cases in the state peaking in the first or second week of Ma... Full story
A hospitalized Johnson County man previously identified as being infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has died, according to the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH). The older man had health conditions that put him at higher risk of severe illness and complications related to COVID-19. There have been 275 confirmed and 98 probable cases reported so far from across Wyoming. This is the first reported death associated with the pandemic in the state. “This is a sad development we hoped we wouldn’t see in Wyoming and we want this per... Full story
A one-stop shop for resources to help the public during COVID-19 has been created by the University of Wyoming Extension, said David Keto, UW Extension manager for communications and technology. The website is at bit.ly/uwyo-extension-covid. The page is linked from UW Extension’s homepage and offers a variety of resources particularly relevant during the current crisis, he said. The page offers general resources such as news updates, national and state resources and information regarding sanitation and cleaning, Keto said. It also provides r... Full story
An older Johnson County man is the first state resident to die as a result of the coronavirus, according to officials. State officials and officials with the Johnson County Healthcare Center confirmed Monday that the man died late last week after being hospitalized for one day. Sean McCallister, chief executive officer for the Johnson County Healthcare Center, announced in a news release Monday the death of the man, who McCallister said had serious underlying medical conditions. State health officials have said since the virus reached Wyoming... Full story
Life continues to be far from normal this week with restrictions related to the COVID-19 outbreak expected to continue until at least April 17. As COVID-19 continues to spread across the world and the United States takes the baton to become the country with the most official cases, Wyoming scrambled to protect its citizens both from the virus and its effects on workers and businesses. On Friday, Governor Mark Gordon and State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist announced the extension of three statewide orders that are designed to slow community... Full story
