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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CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Updated public health orders that take effect June 15 will continue to ease restrictions on public gatherings in Wyoming, Governor Mark Gordon announced today. The updated orders allow indoor gatherings of up to 250 people with restrictions, permit parades to occur (with appropriate social distancing), and allow K-12 schools, community colleges, the University, and other educational institutions to reopen facilities and resume in-person instruction for all students. The new orders are in effect through June 30 and allow g...
No plans are yet in place to allow visitors back into the hospital and the long term care facility within its walls, said CEO of Crook County Medical Services District Micki Lyons on Friday. Decisions on how to go about this process have been left in the hands of the state, she said, and Wyoming does not yet have guidelines in place. “We still don’t really know when or how we’re going to open back up,” Lyons told the Board of Trustees. Lyons was speaking in response to a query from board chairman Mark Erickson, who expressed concern over re...
With a following wind and a lot of hard work, the financial aid programs authorized by the Wyoming State Legislature are set to go live on June 1. Businesses that have suffered financially through the COVID-19 crisis, as well as those whose housing situation has been impacted, are expected to be able to apply for assistance beginning on that date. Speaking last week, Josh Dorrell of the Wyoming Business Council commented that businesses across the state have been “dramatically impacted” by the pandemic. And by businesses, he said, what we reall...
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon and representatives from the state’s largest rodeos announced today that six of Wyoming’s large rodeos and events will not take place in 2020. This decision factored in economics, health concerns and logistics. The cancellation decision was made collectively and includes the Thermopolis Cowboy Rendezvous PRCA Rodeo in late June as well the Cody Stampede, Central Wyoming Fair & PRCA Rodeo in Casper, the Sheridan WYO Rodeo and Breakaway Roping, Laramie Jubilee Days, and Cheyenne Frontier Days, all s...
A Washakie County man is the 12th Wyoming resident to die from the coronavirus, the Wyoming Department of Health has reported. Meanwhile, Platte County saw its first confirmed laboratory case of coronavirus on Thursday as the total number of cases seen since the pandemic reached Wyoming in mid-March topped 600. The Department of Health said the older Washakie County man was living at a long-term care facility where an outbreak of the illness has been detected, with five staff members and six residents testing positive for the illness. With 16...
As Wyoming prepared for partial lifting of rules that closed some businesses in March to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the state Department of Health announced that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state grew by 10 on Wednesday. The department, in its daily coronavirus update, said the state’s confirmed coronavirus case count grew to 523, with new cases reported in Fremont, Laramie, Natrona and Teton counties. The updated total came as Gov. Mark Gordon formally announced the relaxation of state health orders issued in March...
Restaurants and bars across Wyoming that have been closed since mid-March opened their doors on Friday as Wyoming’s legislators met in an historic special session to deal with the impacts of the coronavirus. A handful of lawmakers took their seats in the Legislature on Friday morning to tackle legislation giving Gov. Mark Gordon authority to spend $1.25 billion in federal funds received through the coronavirus relief program and directing how some of that money should be spent. Most of the legislators attended via teleconference. One of the f...
Representative Tyler Lindholm and Senator Ogden Driskill were all geared up to fight the good fight on behalf of local restaurant owners on Monday, but soon discovered that the county’s emergency operations center has already set the ball rolling to secure a variance on the new state health orders for all county eateries. Lindholm began his request to the county commissioners by stating that the orders allow for variances and that he has spoken with some restaurant owners about what it would look like for them to put in for individual e...
An increase of 24 in the number of Fremont County coronavirus cases indicates that the illness is continuing to spread in the community, county officials said. The Wyoming Department of Health reported Wednesday that the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state grew by 27 to total 479, pushed almost entirely by the increase in Fremont County. Dr. Brian Gee, Fremont County’s health officer, said the increase in cases in the county was the result of “contact tracing,” tracking down people who have been in contact with peopl...
Restaurants and bars across Wyoming continued their gradual reopening on Thursday as Department of Health officials announced the state’s number of confirmed coronavirus cases grew by four. State officials by Thursday had approved requests from 13 counties for exemptions or “variances” to the statewide health orders issued in March that closed restaurants, bars, gyms and businesses that provide personal services to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The state allowed businesses that offer personal services to open May 1. Most of the varia...
The high number of coronavirus cases on Fremont County reflects the amount of testing done in the county, according to a health official. Dr. Paul Ebbert, chief medical officer for Wind River Family and Community Health Care, told the Riverton Ranger that more coronavirus testing has been conducted in Fremont County than in any other county in the state. “We’ve done about one-third of the testing in the state and we have about one-third of the (confirmed) cases in the state,” he said. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Fremont Count...
The daily increase in confirmed coronavirus cases in Wyoming on Tuesday was at the lowest level seen since mid-April, according to Department of Health figures. The department, in its daily coronavirus update, said three new cases were detected in two counties on Tuesday, the lowest daily number posted since April 22. As of Tuesday afternoon, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Wyoming stood at 513, with the highest number, 182, found in Fremont County. Laramie County had 111 cases; Teton County had 67 cases; Natrona County had 38;...
Wyoming recorded its eighth coronavirus-related death over the weekend as a COVID-19 outbreak at a nursing home added seven new confirmed cases to the state’s total. The Wyoming Department of Health reported Saturday an older Fremont County woman had died as a result of the illness. The woman had existing medical conditions that put her at higher risk of complications from the disease, the department said. Meanwhile, on Sunday, Wyoming’s confirmed number of coronavirus cases increased by seven, all from Washakie County, where an outbreak was...
Eleven new coronavirus cases in five counties brought the state’s total number of confirmed cases to 577 on Monday. Six of the cases were diagnosed in Natrona County, where officials said 11 new cases have been detected in the last week, including four cases among Wyoming Medical Center employees. Two of the Medical Center employees tested positive for coronavirus last week, prompting center officials to test all staff who had close contact with them. The result was two more diagnosed cases on Monday. “The initial investigation showed that two...
The number of coronavirus patients to recover from the illness since it was first detected in Wyoming in March grew by 24 on Tuesday. However, in Natrona County, where confirmed coronavirus cases have increased by 13 in the last week, the public health officer is urging residents to adhere to public health recommendations that are still in place. “You loosen the recommendations and the compliance with what we want you do and you see an increase in cases,” Dr. Mark Dowell said during a news conference Tuesday. “I’ve got to tell you, we can do...
In the wake of Wyoming’s 11th death related to the coronavirus, Gov. Mark Gordon on Wednesday urged Wyoming residents to abide by the safety guidelines that have been handed down by state health officials to stop the spread of the illness. Gordon, speaking during a news conference, noted that 13 new coronavirus cases were reported Wednesday and urged people to continue wearing face masks and social distancing as they return to work or begin visiting businesses that had been closed. “If we become complacent, we could see more people getting sick...
The first antibody tests have begun to appear on the market, both to purchase online and through a few providers in this region. But are they worth taking, this early in the game? The answer is no, according to both state health officer Dr. Alexia Harrist and Dr. Heith Waddell of Crook County Medical Services District. At this time, the FDA has not yet approved any antibody test for use. Some are better than others, says Waddell. Some, said Harrist at Governor Mark Gordon’s press conference last week, are “downright fraudulent”. None of those...
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Wyoming grew by seven on Tuesday to total 396. Meanwhile, Gov. Mark Gordon announced the state would let some businesses that provide personal services, such as hair salons and cosmetologists, open on Friday if they follow certain safety guidelines. The Wyoming Department of Health, in its daily coronavirus update, said new coronavirus cases were detected Tuesday in Fremont, Laramie and Teton counties. Fremont, the county hardest hit by the coronavirus, saw its confirmed case go up to 101. As of...
State residents will be allowed to camp at state parks beginning in mid-May as part of the gradual reopening of businesses and services closed in March to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Gov. Mark Gordon on Wednesday announced that state park campgrounds will open on May 15, but only for state residents. Gordon noted during his news conference Wednesday that many other states have not opened their state parks, so Wyoming needs to limit the use of its campgrounds to residents to prevent the spread of coronavirus. He noted that in February,...
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Wyoming grew by 11 to total 415 on Thursday as state residents began preparing for the easing of restrictions imposed on some businesses in March to prevent the spread of the illness. New statewide health orders took effect Friday allowing gyms and businesses providing personal services, such as hair salons, tattoo parlors and cosmetologists, to reopen. The state’s ban on gatherings of more than 10 people will remain in place until at least May 15, Gov. Mark Gordon said this week, and no date has b...
Wyoming’s confirmed coronavirus case count increased by 15 over the weekend to total 435 by Monday morning, largely due to increases in Fremont County’s case count. The Wyoming Health Department reported 10 new coronavirus cases in Fremont County on Saturday and Sunday, bringing the county’s total to 122. Fremont County health officials have said that increased testing and contact tracing would lead to a significant increase in the number of cases in the county. As of Monday morning, Fremont County had 122 cases; Laramie County had 101; Teton...
Wyoming began taking steps toward normalcy this week as some counties won permission to reopen restaurants and churches. State officials approved requests from seven counties for county-wide variances from the public health orders that were imposed in mid-March to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Most of the variances issued were for outdoor dining for restaurants and bars, as seen in Natrona, Park and Sheridan counties. However, indoor dining was allowed in Lincoln and Washakie counties. In all cases, the request for variances from county...
Wyoming’s coronavirus case count topped 500 over the weekend as the state Department of Health reported 14 new cases, most of them in Fremont County. At the same time, restaurants and bars in most of Wyoming’s counties were able to begin limited operations as the state approved exemptions from statewide health orders requested by county health officers. As of Monday morning, the state’s confirmed coronavirus case count stood at 504, compared to 490 on Friday. Most of the increase, 12, was seen in Fremont County. As of Sunday afternoon, Fremo...
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Wyoming increased by 21 over the weekend, with 17 of the new cases coming from Fremont County. The Wyoming Department of Health, in its daily coronavirus update, reported the state had 370 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Sunday. The count stood at 349 on Friday. Fremont County officials had announced last week that an increase in testing and “contact tracing,” a process by which health officials determine who may have come in contact with an infected individual, the county’s confirmed case...
An older Teton County man has died as a result of the coronavirus, bringing to seven the number of Wyoming residents whose deaths have been linked to the illness. The Wyoming Department of Health announced the death Wednesday night, a few hours after announcing the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state had grown to 326. The department said the Teton County man had been hospitalized in another state after being diagnosed with coronavirus. It added he suffered from existing health conditions that put him at a higher risk for...
