2019 Year In Review
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ach year, as we prepare to end another year here in Weston County, we at the News Letter Journal present to you highlights of the closing year in our annual Year in Review. We bring to you snapshots of major events — some good, some bad — as well as peak moments from the year in sports (see page 13), all compiled by NLJ staff.
This year an event with a major impact around Weston County was the amount of moisture experienced in the area, which included more severe storm warning and tornado watches than the area has seen in many years, along with extraordinary amounts of precipitation. The influx of moisture led to various issues for city and county governments, including closed roads, washed out bridges, storm drain overflows and damage across the county.
Other major events included new business developments in the county, such as the closing of Shopko and the opening of Bomgaars in its place, the construction of a new building for Decker’s Market, the ongoing development of a travel center at the corner of Highways 16 and 85, and the re-opening of the Antlers by new owner Pam Gualtieri — just to name a few.
The year 2019 welcomed newcomers to the area, and celebrated milestone birthdays, such as Dorothy Walker-Brown who celebrated her 95th birthday on April 27, and Dr. Willis Franz, who celebrated his 99th birthday in August.
But the year also saw the loss of some of the community’s beloved members, such as the passing of community activities Kathleen Tavegie in July, longtime veterinarian Pete Vorpahl in August, and Weston County Clerk Gidget Macke in November. These folks and more beloved family and friends are recognized in the Passages pages of this week’s newspaper (see page 4).
As you sit down to reminisce on another year’s end, grab your last edition of the News Letter Journal for 2019 and take a glance at the last 12 months through the eyes of the community.
January
• Andy McKay, who has lived in Newcastle since 2016, was chosen Person of the Year. He quickly became involved in the community, and he has coached soccer, volunteered at his church with the youth group, helped out in the Weston County Republican Party as treasurer-secretary and started the successful farmers market.
• Weston County School District No. 1 received a generous donation to the Educational Endowment Foundation, which is a nonprofit foundation that offers scholarships, supplies such as computers and labs, special programs and more. Patrick and Barbara Crow invested $20,000 into the foundation, and they earmarked their donation specifically to go toward improvements to Crouch Auditorium. Superintendent Brad LaCroix said that many upgrades are needed at the auditorium, including LED lighting, a better sound system, better seating and more.
• Pro River Technology of Colorado conducted an IT audit of Weston County. The audit was performed in late 2018 at the request of the county commissioners, and the results were less than stellar. Out of a range of 1% to 100% – 1 being good and 100 being bad – the county scored 90% for the network. The security scored a 75%.
The commissioners held a meeting on Jan. 8 with Golden West Technologies and Internet Solutions, which provide the county’s tech support. Apparently, the audit claimed that 85% of network use consisted of Facebook, YouTube and Gmail. Golden West business technology specialist Mark Parette, however, said that some of that was speculation, and Pro River Technology could be biased. During a Jan. 15 regular meeting of the county board, the commissioners advised Brooke Weigel, administrative assistant, to prepare a request for a proposal from Pro River Technology and Golden West for IT support.
• Brandy Holmes, the principal of Newcastle Elementary School, informed the Weston County School District No. 1 board of trustees at a Jan. 9 meeting that the school was going to go homework free for one quarter. Letters were sent to parents informing them of the decision, but parents were still encouraged to read with their children at night.
Some work would possibly still be required at home for certain special projects that had been deemed beneficial in the past. The reason for the decision was to experiment with how much homework was beneficial to students and if there should be any. A goal was to find a balance that worked well for Newcastle’s kids.
• West End Water District failed to meet reporting requirements for the state and was to be dissolved. Salt Creek Water District barely scraped by but managed to meet the requirements, said Weston County Attorney Alex Berger. Each water district is required to provide an annual report of its activities to the Wyoming Department of Audits. If it fails to do that, county commissioners are required to give notice to the district that it has until the end of December to provide the report, or it would be dissolved.
At a Jan. 16 meeting, Berger advised the county commissioners to pass a resolution stating that the West End Water District did not comply and declare the board of directors vacant. Berger told the commissioners that they must appoint three people to the West End Water District board for the sole purpose of dissolving it. The commissioners passed the resolution, and Marty Ertman, Susie Overman and Saige Smith were chosen to dissolve the West End Water District board. Berger said that citizens of the district shouldn’t lose water. He also said that he would do whatever he could to get the water district back on track and undo the dissolution if possible.
• The sale of Frontier Home Ranch and Hardware was finalized in December 2018. The new owners, Thane and Keri Ashenhurst, of Wheatland, have been in the hardware store business since 2002. They hired Zach Pickle to be their managing partner for Frontier.
The Ashenhursts had met previous owner Sandy Dirkes through a Hardware Hanks buying market and found out that she wanted to sell. Expanding their own business was a good opportunity, they said. Over the course of a year, they got to know Dirkes and learned how she conducted business. Pickle and his wife moved to Newcastle in November 2018 and began managing the store on Dec. 1.
February
• According to Caroline Brewre, project geologist with Trihydro Corp., a well surrounding Newcastle and near landfill No. 1 had dangerous levels of methane in it. Brewer told the Newcastle City Council on Feb. 4 that the methane was discovered during monitoring of a perimeter well.
The affected well was MMW-3, and it had 100% LEL, which means a lower explosive limit. It also had 21% methane, or CH4. The well is near the Weston County Sportsman’s Club, and there was concern about how it could pose a health risk to the club. The methane levels were well above limits and could even be an explosive hazard.
• Shane and Brenna Crawford officially took over as owners of Modern Cleaners in January. They bought the business from Doran and Rosemary Hines, who owned it for 33 years.
The business originally came to Newcastle in 1945 and passed hands many times. The Hineses bought it from Charles R. Fowler and Vicki Fowler in 1986. The Crawfords have renamed the business Crawford’s Modern Cleaners. The Hineses operated an embroidery business out of the same building, and they moved that business to a different location on Main Street. Graphic Designs is managed by the Hineses’ daughter, Angie Gravos.
• According to a report from the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Research and Planning, employment and pay increased in Weston County.
The report focused on the changes in the number of jobs between the second quarter of 2017 and the second quarter of 2018. Employment increased in 15 counties, including Weston County. Jobs in the county grew by 2.7%, total wages grew by 7.5%, and average weekly wages grew by 4.6%.
• Caroline Scoutt, age 66, of Newcastle, died on Feb. 18 in Milan, Indiana. Mark Pinsky, a true-crime author who was writing a book about Scoutt’s life, wrote a Feb. 19 email to Weston County Coroner Cynthia Crabtree, reporter Alexis Barker and others concerning the validity of Scoutt’s death.
Pinsky was concerned that Scoutt could have faked her death because of her notoriety and involvement in numerous suspicious deaths, including the death of Richard Campbell on her property near Newcastle. The woman had used as many as seven different names and spellings throughout her life, gave numerous different birthdays, and she may even have used different Social Security numbers. However, after Crabtree spoke with the attending physician and coroner in Milan, suspicions were put to rest.
A death certificate confirmed that Scoutt died from natural causes on Feb. 18.
• Many student journalists who interned at the News Letter Journal have gone on to do well for themselves in the world of journalism.
Austin Harley owns a real estate photography business in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Nicole Lebsack is the assistant managing editor at the Wyoming Tribune Eagle and the editor of the Wyoming Business Reporter; Mark Keierleber is a reporter for The 74, an education website based in New York; Palak Patel is an editorial assistant for Wolters Kluwer, a publishing company out of the Netherlands; and Kyle Jorrey is the editor of the Thousand Oaks Acorn, which is a weekly newspaper in Thousand Oaks, California. Jorrey is also the head of social media for the Acorn Newspaper Group, which includes five weekly papers and one quarterly magazine.
March
• Markie Whitney, a junior at Newcastle High School, earned first place in her division at the local science fair, qualified for the state science fair and received the first Veteran’s Science Scholarship awarded by the American Legion on Jan. 30.
The $500 scholarship was awarded to a project deemed by the three judges as having the most potential to make a difference in the veteran community. Whitney’s project was to make solar panels more efficient, because they currently are very inefficient, according to Whitney.
Her theory consisted of putting the panels in water and attaching heat sinks to draw the heat from the panels. Whitney said that water can absorb a lot of energy. She also used a system of aluminum fins and Peltiers to make a current by the difference in temperature. The panel is hot, and the water is cold, so it creates more voltage.
• The Newcastle City Council and Weston County Commission ceased praying before meetings at the start of the year. Before then, every meeting was opened with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. The City Council and the commissioners had different reasons for the change.
Mayor Deb Piana said that the city chose to comply with separation of church and state, and Commission Chairman Tony Barton said that many commissioners were of the opinion that the practice of praying at meetings was outdated and should stop.
City Attorney Jim Peck said that lawsuits have been filed concerning the issue of separation of church and state, and the city did not want to take any chances. Piana said that a Wyoming Association of Municipalities meeting discussion determined that any prayer could not mention a specific deity. Rick Kaysen, WAM’s Executive Director, said that he is unaware of any instances of lawsuits over the issue.
• J.R. Graham, local cancer survivor and patient at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, went to Phoenix, Arizona, to watch the Colorado Rockies at the team’s training camp.
He went with the hospital’s oncology team of doctors and nurses, along with 23 other teen cancer patients. A highlight of the trip for Graham was when he and some of the others had a race in the airport and got in trouble because of it. He also enjoyed the warm weather of Arizona. Previously, Graham had met Rockies’ third baseman Nolan Arenado.
He had also met catcher Tony Wolters, with whom he exchanged phone numbers and kept in touch. He got to see both players at the training camp again. Graham and the other teens also got to play on the field. They also received Rockies suitcases, hats and jerseys, and Graham got to keep a baseball hit by Arenado.
• The News Letter Journal received an email on Mar. 18 from NSA Media, the marketing firm responsible for making and buying advertisements for Shopko in the NLJ, stating that Shopko was facing liquidation and would close all remaining stores by June.
The Newcastle store was set to close in mid-June. Local manager Marj Pederson confirmed the news. Shopko stores, based in Wisconsin, had filed bankruptcy on Jan. 16. It stated that the company’s assets were less than $1 billion, with liabilities between $1 billion and $10 billion.
• When Newcastle High School graduates Tracy Olson and Jennifer Smith found out that the All-School Reunion was in doubt, they stepped up to the plate and decided to take over the every-five-years event.
Olson said that she didn’t want to see the reunion end, and Smith wanted to help the tradition continue, so the reunion is on for 2020. The reunion was well attended in previous years under the committee headed by Ann McColley, and Smith hopes to keep bringing students and teachers back to Newcastle.
The reunion also stimulates the local economy when former students and their families come back to town. They are hoping to plan it for July 3-5, and the Flying V said it would be willing to host an event on July 3. There is also hope to partner with Pinnacle Bank on the 4th at the 4-Way event and include it as a reunion gathering place.
April
• On Friday, March 29, Weston County School District No. 1 learned of a threat by a student to harm other students and staff in one of the local schools.
It was reported to local law enforcement, and the Newcastle Police Department investigated the situation. Law enforcement and school officials averted the threat and ensured the safety of the students and staff at Newcastle High School.
A press release was issued on Saturday, March 30, informing the public of the threat.
• An email from the communications supervisor for ONEOK, Stephanie Higgins, announced that ONEOK Inc. will start construction of the Elk Creek pipeline in the Weston County area in April.
The pipeline will consist of 900 miles of a 20-inch diameter pipeline capable of transporting up to 240,000 barrels of unfractionated natural gas a day from eastern Montana to Bushton, Kansas.
The route parallels the 12-inch pipeline installed in 2012, and it runs through part of Weston County. Higgins said that ONEOK is trying to find a route that minimizes impact on the community and environment. The construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.
• Carl Cottrell, a former resident of Newcastle and ongoing optometrist at Newcastle Vision Clinic, received the Wyoming Optometric Association’s Optometrist of the Year award.
The award is announced at the association’s meeting in January, but Cottrell and his wife, Candace, couldn’t make it to the meeting. Cottrell found out about the award sometime later when he received a card of congratulations from a friend. Cottrell moved to Worland in 2010, but he stayed involved in Newcastle Vision Clinic. He also owns Worland Vision Clinic and works there three days a week and travels to Newcastle the other two days.
His interest in optometry began when he was in fifth grade and received his first pair of glasses. The result of finally being able to see, he said, launched him on his mission to help others see clearly.
• The Foundation of Caring, Understanding and Services partnered with Weston County law enforcement to stimulate faster advocate responses to victims of domestic violence. The proclamation, signed between FOCUS and the Upton Police Department, Newcastle Police Department and Weston County Sheriff’s Office, set the protocol for advocacy response for domestic violence victims.
Stacie Hoxie, FOCUS director, said that the agreement will enable the organization to provide advocacy faster when officers come across domestic violence scenarios. This agreement was the result of a year’s worth of work between local agencies and Praxis International.
The advocacy-initiated response went into effect the week of March 27. Law enforcement is supposed to contact FOCUS as quickly as possible after encountering a domestic violence incident.
• Justin Francis, a native of Newcastle and graduate of Newcastle High School, was deployed to the Middle East, according to Denice Pisciotti, his mother. Francis is a member of the Wyoming Army National Guard, 115 Field Artillery Brigade.
He signed up for delayed enlistment for a term of eight years when he was a senior in high school. After graduation from high school, he went to Missouri in July 2014 for basic training and advanced individual training. He stayed in the state until the March 2015. Recently, Francis reenlisted because his term was almost up. His deployment was to start in July, and he was to be out of the country for nine months and out of Wyoming for 10 months.
May
• Councilman Todd Quigley resigned from the Newcastle City Council after serving for 22 years. He was first elected in November 1996 and seated in January 1997.
He submitted his resignation letter, dated April 26, to the council. The resignation was accepted on May 6 and went into effect on May 31. Quigley said that although he would still work in Newcastle, he was moving to a different house that might end up being outside of city limits.
The council decided to advertise for qualified city residents to submit letters of interest as applications for the vacant seat.
• Dorothy Walker-Brown was born on April 22, 1924, in Harden, Montana, to James Lewis Miller and Mary Morse. She grew up on the Cheyenne River, and her grandpa homesteaded on the original Mule Creek. She graduated from high school in Lusk in 1942.
She eventually entered the military and parked airplanes while in the armed forces for three years during World War II. When she returned from war, she worked in hospitals as a nurse’s aide. She worked at the Lusk and Rock Springs hospitals before she got her license as a practicing nurse. She married Clarence Barker in 1959, and she has one son, a foster daughter, two grandsons and one granddaughter.
She celebrated her 95th birthday on April 27.
• At a Weston County School District No. 1 board of trustees meeting on May 8, trustees approved almost a half million dollars in increased spending for the next school year. A $750 raise in salaries was given to certified teachers, and a 35-cent-per-hour raise was given to bus drivers, secretaries and maintenance, custodial and other support staff.
Increases in student enrollment and the legislative approval of an external cost adjustment to the state’s school funding model allowed an anticipated increase of around $400,000 in school district revenue for the next school year.
The increase in salary and compensation is anticipated to cost slightly more than $140,000. Trustees also chose to pay increases in cost of insurance and retirement benefits, which is projected to total around $64,000.
• The Weston County commissioners asked to view cost estimates for solutions to the Black Thunder Bridge safety issues. On May 7, Road and Bridge Supervisor Rick Williams told the commissioners that the bridge was unusable for vehicles over a certain weight, and the Wyoming Department of Transportation inspected the bridge after its closure in April.
The bridge is located on the Cheyenne River Road, or Weston County Road No. 54, milepost 11.90. It is locked at both ends, and only landowners have keys so that they can cross, as long as their load doesn’t exceed 10,000 pounds, or 5 tons.
On April 17, the county asked that bridge replacement priority be switched from the bridge over the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad to the Black Thunder Bridge. Some possible solutions included a detour around the bridge, replacing the bridge with culverts, a low water crossing and a Big R Bridge installation. A single lane, 100-foot Big R bridge would cost roughly $150,000, and a 120-foot one would be about $211,000. Once installed, the price was projected at between $350,000 and $400,000.
• Janet Hutchinson, Newcastle Elementary School kindergarten teacher, set her retirement for June 4, after 32 years of teaching.
She grew up on a ranch in the Black Hills with her parents and four siblings, and she credits her parents for instilling a work ethic in her and teaching her the benefit of education. Throughout her school career, she had some bad experiences with teachers. She also had some amazing teachers who helped her understand what a joy learning could be. She wanted to be a teacher to provide a safe learning environment for kids to learn to love school and learning. Hutchinson received her associate of arts from Sheridan College in 1975, her Bachelor of Science in education from Black Hills State University two years later and her Master of Arts in education from the University of Wyoming in 2001.
June
• After the Weston County commissioners voted in May to approve rental agreements for office space, the county defender’s office and FOCUS will be relocating to the Weston County Annex office.
At a May 7 meeting, Deputy County Attorney Saige Smith asked the commission for its approval to enter into a lease agreement with FOCUS and the public defender’s office for $600 a month each to occupy empty offices in the annex building.
The commissioners approved the relocation, and lease agreements were approved on May 21.
• The Wyoming State Rodeo finals started on June 3 at the Gillette CAM-PLEX. Newcastle Rodeo Club adviser Stacey Jones said that Newcastle would be present at the finals.
Local rodeo club members Davin Tysdal, Kacy Jones and Rachel Sweet would be competing, along with Jake and Cooper Deveraux, who weren’t members. Tysdal would be competing in team roping and calf roping, Jones in bull riding and Sweet in pole bending and barrel racing.
• D A Peterson & Associates plans to bring a travel center to Newcastle at the intersection of U.S. highways 16 and 85, near the Fountain Inn on the east edge of town.
According to a June 10 press release, the plans include a 14-acre development with a 5,000-square-foot building. It would also include a fast-food drive-through, not named at this time. There would also be a gas service canopied island that could accommodate 10 vehicles at the same time, and a canopied fuel island that could accommodate four fuel trucks at once. There is also going to be room for entering, exiting and overnight parking.
The development is projected to be done by the spring of 2020.
• On Monday, June 24, James Michael Kennah, age 42, escaped from the Wyoming Honor Conservation Camp. He was sentenced out of Campbell County in March to three to six years for buying and receiving stolen property with a value of $500 or more.
He was transferred to the honor camp on April 11 to start his sentence. On June 24, he was put on escape status at about 2:53 p.m., and a lockdown was initiated. He was seen running down U.S. Highway 85 toward Newcastle. Law enforcement and local residents were notified when the escape was confirmed.
Not long after his escape, a gold 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix was reported stolen from the 4-Way Gas N Go. The escapee was captured a little after 4 p.m. near Wright, Wyoming.
• After hearing about Nebraska’s struggle with flooding, the local FFA chapter and some students in Taylor Rieniets’ high school agriculture class decided to offer help to the state.
Allie Auch, Peyton Crinklaw, Leo Orban, Kaden Curren, Chauncey Jenerou, Cody Qualheim, Garrett Emmons and Gabe Rose traveled to Nebraska to help local ranchers. The group left on Friday, May 24, and arrived in Springview, Nebraska.
They helped with fencing – tearing down damaged fences and putting in new ones – clearing debris and more. They worked Saturday and Sunday before they headed home on Monday, May 27.
Rieniets believed that the trip helped to broaden the students’ horizons, and she said they worked hard and had an important impact on the community. They also were able to develop relationships with those in the Springview community.
July
• Covering a span of eight years, a report from the Economic Analysis Division of the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information said the Weston County population experienced a decrease of 241 residents — Newcastle’s loss was 131 people.
The report also showed that the population had aged reflected in an increase in the number of people over the ages of 65 and 85. However, Weston County’s unemployment rate dropped 0.1% from April to May and 0.3% from 2018 to 2019, and the county had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state at 2.9%.
• Joe Wood Jr., Cindy Crabtree, Joseph Cummings, Bert Sutherland and Ed Quinones formally made up the Central Weston County Solid Waste District board until the board resigned on July 2.
Wood said their resignation was due to a lack of help from the county commissioners in maintaining the road going to the landfill. Both the landfills in Osage and Upton were scheduled for closure later in the year, but Newcastle’s was “permitted through 2022.”
The commissioners officially accepted the resignation, but the future of the board and landfill was still in question. However, it was voted unanimously to fill the vacancies with the seated commissioners.
• Bomgaars Supply Inc., a family-owned retail chain of farm and ranch supply stores, bought the former Shopko Hometown building and hopes to bring “a lot of different items and products to the area that people need and want, and are probably traveling to get now,” according to Torrey Wingert, vice president and chief financial adviser for Bomgaars.
Bringing a Bomgaars to Newcastle had been considered a possibility, but it would have been a huge financial undertaking to construct a new building, so when Shopko was for sale, it opened up opportunities. Wingert said Bomgaars looked forward to doing business with Newcastle.
• Pam Gualtieri, owner of Pizza Barn, bought the historic Antler’s Hotel on Main Street and opened several small shops in the building, including Ariana’s B&B, Hannah’s Heavenly Treats and Uncle Vito’s, which is an Italian Deli.
While it continues to be a work in the making, Gualtieri said, she plans to eventually open up a mini mall and Boopa’s, an old-style soda shop, as well as a Chicago vendor.
• Dan and Jeremiah Decker officially announced that work had begun on the construction of a “bigger and better” Decker’s Market in Newcastle on the east side of town, with the purpose of “energy efficiency” by improving the refrigeration units.
The plans are to not only include grocery services but also to have a pharmacy, liquor store and sit-down bakery/deli, along with “more variety, fresher product, wider assortment.” Jeremiah said that “it is going to be great for our customers.”
• Ashley Tupper, a registered nurse practitioner, left Regional Health Medical Clinic to start her own practice in Newcastle called Hometown Medical Clinic at 719 Washington Blvd., the former location of FOCUS.
Tupper said that becoming independent has offered her more freedom, and with Dr. Lanny Reimer and Dr. Mike Jording looking at retirement in the near future and the FOCUS building for rent, the pieces fit into place.
Her hours are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. Tupper’s practice offers well-child visits, laceration repairs, stitches, casting, burn care, eye care, skin lesions, nail care, and testing for rapid strep, blood glucose, drug screens and pregnancy urine analysis. Tupper said she just wants “to offer and meet some of the needs in this community that we know there are.”
August
• Both Weston County Homeland Security and the Weston County Manor received new directors. Gilbert Nelson became the full-time director at homeland security after serving as the assistant director for slightly over a year and as interim for four months, and Allison Farella took over as the long-term care director at the Manor.
Nelson said he’s looking forward to helping the community prepare for emergencies, and Farella said she enjoys caring for people.
• Newcastle experienced some record-breaking rains in August. In the first 12 days in August, the town received 5.49 inches of rain, which blew the previous record of 3.04 inches out of the water; however, the year-to-date record was still quite a ways off.
In addition to lots of rain, the Weston County area also experienced flash flood, tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings. Storms caused a retaining wall on Seneca Street to collapse and road closures on Morrisey Road. Gilbert Nelson of Weston County Homeland Security said the response to the emergencies was “fantastic” and “amazing.”
• Ernie Wood climbed the 19,341-foot Mt. Kilimanjaro, the world’s tallest free-standing mountain, at the beginning of summer. It was a four-day trek of 40 miles.
Wood said that when he finally reached the top after a “miserable” night climb, he was “ecstatic.” He trained for over six months, and the final result was a beautiful view and one more thing to cross off his bucket list.
• Weston County secured emergency grant monies totaling $880,000 from the State Loan and Investment Board on Aug. 8 for replacing a bridge, which had been damaged by March rains and floods.
So, “landowners on the Cheyenne River Road now have hope that bridge issues that have caused trouble since April will be resolved.” A temporary bypass for a two-lane Big R bridge was estimated to cost $1.1 million; $220,000 would come out of the county road fund based on the 80-20 match grant.
• Weston County Children’s Center celebrated its 50th year of child care service to the community. It was started in 1969, and since then it has occupied both the First Baptist and First United Methodist churches before relocating to its current home on Stampede Street.
Francie Gregory, finance director, and Kim Bock, special education director, have seen generations of families at the center, including their own kids and grandkids. Through the years, they’ve cared for the children of Weston County not only by giving them a home away from home but also by educating them in preparation for kindergarten, and they hope it continues long after they’re gone.
September
• First lady Jennie Gordon partnered with the Wyoming Education Association to address the issue of the 11.1% poverty rate in Wyoming. Weston County’s poverty rate sat at 14.4%, while Newcastle’s was 14.2%.
As a part of these efforts, meetings were held in Newcastle, Upton and Osage. The meeting consisted of a complementary meal, an hour program, a town hall meeting, a panelist discussion and a speech from Gordon emphasizing the elimination of child hunger.
The goal was to help those living in poverty plug into local resources and to educate people on how to help others in poverty. Weston County agency leaders were present during the panel discussion to answer questions.
• As a safety precaution, the Wyoming Refining Co./Wyoming Pipeline Co. conducts an annual emergency-spill response training to meet Environmental Protection Agency standards by planning and training for what’s called “a worst-case discharge scenario” to see how the different agencies respond and act.
This year on Sept. 16-19, Weston County School District No. 1 was involved with the drill because of its location near the refinery. Middle and high school students practiced “shelter in place” and evacuation procedures. Don Steveson, process safety manager for the refinery, said these real-life scenarios are important because they offer the best training opportunities.
• Michael and Janice Freeman of Weston County brought Louise Rietra into their home as a foreign exchange student from the Netherlands.
Rietra is 16 years old and speaks three languages fluently: Dutch, English and German. This year, she played volleyball with the Lady Dogies, making many new friends in Newcastle. Both Rietra and the Freemans look forward to the year ahead as they experience each other’s cultures.
• After maintaining Morrisey Road for years, the Newcastle City Council finally ended its involvement with the road when it declined ONEOK Inc.’s funds of $60,000 to repair the road.
The council reasoned that it shouldn’t “accept money on a road we don’t own.” Even though the city had been responsible for the road’s maintenance, there was no “written agreement” stating it was the city’s responsibility.
Weston County Attorney Alex Berger explained that public records show the road belonging to the county, but county minutes show that the road was granted to the city, so the city dismissed its maintenance of the road, and City Clerk-Treasurer Greg James said it was a county road “in its entirety.”
• Robert Simpson and Jason Green, two inmates at the Wyoming Honor Conservation Camp, escaped Sept. 22, at approximately 10 p.m. Green was sentenced in 2015 to three to eight years for larceny, and Simpson was serving a five-to-15-year sentence for aggravated burglary with a weapon. Before leaving town, the two stole a 2002 Ford F150 city truck.
October
• Robert Simpson and Jason Green, who escaped from Wyoming Honor Conservation Camp on Sept. 22, were apprehended. Green was caught first in Mesquite, Texas, while Simpson was captured a few days later in Dallas.
However, Shadow, the stolen black Lab-mix from the camp’s Project LOVED canine program, was still missing at the time of this writing.
This was the second escape of the year (the first being James Michael Kennah on June 24), but this one lasted longer. Some residents also felt that they were delayed in being notified when the pair escaped.
Newcastle Police Chief Jim Owens responded to their concerns and said they rewrote the notification process so that the public could be notified in 25 to 30 minutes.
Part of the new process includes the involvement of Gilbert Nelson, Weston County emergency management coordinator, who will use the CodeRED and IPAWS (integrated public alert and warning system) to notify the public.
• Out of the seven counties in Wyoming to receive a double-digit taxable sales increase, Weston County saw a 16.2% increase for the first quarter of the year and a 10.2% (or $124,769) increase for the second quarter, compared with the same period in 2018.
For the second quarter, the state experienced a 7.8% growth to $4.7 billion, according to a report from the Economic Analysis Division of the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information. Industries in the county experiencing an increase included utilities, retail trade, transportation and warehousing, information, professional and business services, education and health services, other services and public administration.
The transportation and warehousing industries had the highest percentage increase at 278%, but public administration experienced the largest dollar increase at $59,224.
• With the new vaping trend on the rise, local prevention group 21 Alliance decided to educate the public, starting with the youth, then parents and other adults, on the dangers of e-cigarettes, which come in many shapes and sizes. These tools heat a liquid into an aerosol for inhaling, and while some have been told it’s safer because it’s just “water vapor,” 21 Alliance coordinator Kristi Lipp said this was not the case. She explained that it’s an aerosol and can cause lung issues.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even reported 26 cases of death. People have also vaped tetrahydrocannabinol, a chemical contained in marijuana, and the CDC recommends avoiding any nicotine products, especially those with THC.
• Weston County Health Services CEO Maureen Cadwell said that WCHS was looking at ways to decrease spending because of the increase in operating expenses and the decline in cash flow so as to “cut money but not quality.”
Some of the factors leading to the belt-tightening were reduced Medicare rates and increases in self-pay patients. Over $2.4 million was owed by self-payers. To make up for the lack of funds, the facility was considering or already cutting overtime, travel, tuition, marketing and the newsletter and calendar produced by WCHS.
Plans also included reducing temporary staff and the use of legacy systems or old electronic record systems. Cadwell said that the unemployment rates and employability were also affecting the health care systems.
• The plans for Bridger Pipeline LLC contained an expansion for its crude oil pipelines running through North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming.
The Equity Pipeline in Wyoming will run 190 miles from Hulett south to Guernsey, including a portion through Weston County parallel “more or less” to the Butte Pipeline, according to Ken Dockweiler of Bridger Pipeline. He added that, including Wyoming’s approximate 190-mile portion, this project will add a total 330 miles of pipeline to the “existing operation.” Construction is expected to begin in late 2019 and be completed in the summer of 2020.
November
• Weston County Clerk of District Court Gidget Macke passed away on Oct. 29 from complications due to throat and neck cancer. She also served on the Weston County Children’s Center board, worked as a Newcastle Police Department dispatcher and legal secretary for Hansen and Peck law office and was “an active member of the Weston County Republican Party for years.”
Her family and friends expressed their affection for Macke and how much they would miss her. Deputy Clerk of Court Tina Cote was unanimously voted in by the county commissioners on Nov. 22 (and later sworn in on Nov. 25) to complete Macke’s term until 2023, unless reelected in 2020.
• Escaped Wyoming Honor Conservation Camp inmates Robert Simpson and Jason Green were returned to Weston County after being apprehended in Texas.
The men faced charges of escape, felony conviction, burglary and theft of $1,000 or more. They face up to 10 years in prison.
Most of the stolen items were returned, including the city pickup. Not recovered were the Project LOVED dog Shadow, some tools and a $4,000 computer. About $1,800 worth in tools was replaced.
• Ty Checketts voiced his concerns at the Nov. 13 Weston County School District No. 1 board of trustees meeting about a “serious physical threat” to his son at Newcastle Elementary School.
A Nov. 14 memo from the school district stated that parents whose children received a threat were notified and that the student responsible for making the threat was removed from the school.
Checketts said he was frustrated with the lack of information about the threat, due to state and federal laws regarding the confidentiality of student information. As a parent, he said, he had the right to know about the safety of his son and was worried his son couldn’t return to school safely. The school board assured Checketts that it was doing its best to keep children safe.
• Halfway into the school year, the cellphone ban at Newcastle Middle School proved to have a positive impact, according to middle school teachers and Principal Tyler Bartlett.
Without the distraction of phones, students were more focused and socially interactive with each other, as well as “happier and healthier.”
It also reduced conflicts because bullying behavior often occurred over social media, which couldn’t be monitored very easily.
While there were a few incidents, most students abided by the new policy and only 25 out of 182 students had their phones confiscated. The school also reported parental support for the policy.
• Newcastle High School advanced as one of the nation’s 300 state finalists in the 10th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest. This contest is “a program encouraging sixth through twelfth grade students to solve real-world issues in their community using classroom skills in science, technology, engineering and math.”
The group working on the project was composed of high school science teacher Jim Stith and students Markie Whitney, Shelby Davis and Owen Cox. Their proposed project was an intruder defense system. All 300 teachers of the finalist groups received a Samsung tablet and the chance for their teams to move on and compete for additional prizes.
• According to a report from the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Research and Planning, both employment and wages in Weston County increased between the first quarter of 2018 and the same period in 2019.
Employment increased by 3.1% or by 67 people, and total wages increased by 8.2%, or $1,758,297. The average weekly wage was increased by 5%, or $38. Most jobs were in the private sector, with the largest increases seen in mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction.
December
• Weston County held to low unemployment rates throughout the year, but according to a Nov. 19 report from the Research and Planning Section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, the county’s unemployment rate decreased even further, by 0.3%, from September to October to become the lowest in the state at 2.4%.
While that’s a good thing, it can make it hard for local business owners to find employees. However, Pennie Loebs, co-owner of Wayback Burgers, and Jeremiah Decker, owner of Decker’s Market, said they were currently doing OK, but they have their ups and downs. Decker said he sympathizes with the struggling businesses.
• According to a Nov. 19 report from the Economic Analysis Division of the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information, annual sales and use tax collections increased more than 25% in Weston County in fiscal year 2018.
Taxes totaling $8,400,812 were collected in the county for fiscal 2019. Weston County also had the second-highest increase in lodging tax at 30.4%.
Twenty other counties in Wyoming also experienced tax growth, and total statewide sales and use tax collection was up by 11.8%, with the largest increases being in financial activities, mining, transportation and warehousing. Decreases were seen in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, education and health services.
• After finding the deteriorated rebar beneath the concrete of the stairs and ramp at the Weston County Law Enforcement Center, Structural Dynamics said that the structure needed to be replaced before the 2019-20 winter season, according to a Feb. 22 letter from Structural Dynamics.
On Aug. 20, county commissioners Ed Wagoner, Tracy Hunt and Tony Barton voted to let bids for the project, but on Sept. 16, a second letter from Structural Dynamics stated that the “current schedule is not favorable” for completion in time and would add to risks, costs and delays.
The commissioners discussed several ideas for the project, but no decision was made, and discussion was to continue in the future. Because the project was past the January deadline, funding from the State Loan and Investment Board couldn’t be approved until June.
• In-Home Services and Newcastle Volunteer Fire Department received this year’s proceeds from Pinnacle Bank’s 17th annual Festival of Trees fundraiser, which raised a total of $34,909 at an auction and wine-tasting event held at the Weston County Senior Center.
The event included music from Al and Brenda Costello Co., varieties of wines (in addition to other drinks), a meal and, most importantly, an auction of nearly four dozen wreaths.
The fire department plans to use its share of the proceeds to upgrade its structure and purchase fire helmets and a new radio repeater. In-Home Services will use its portion of the funds for its in-home support services to local, at-risk elderly and disabled residents in Weston County. The service saves clients up to $7,000 in assisted living or nursing home fees.
• The community was invited to an open house on Dec. 6 at the Weston County Library to meet artist Del Iron Cloud who painted the mural on the library’s front wall.
Attendees were treated to cookies and coffee, as well as friendly conversation, as Iron Cloud signed autographs, engaged in a Q&A session and handed out bookmarks with a replica of his painting on them. This mural is the final outdoor mural painted by Iron Cloud, and in it, he captured what happens to a child’s imagination when it’s sparked by reading. Iron Cloud said he was grateful for the opportunity.