Your account does not include highlighter on images.
Searches Highlighted on Image
National Sponsors
| March 12, 2015 News Letter Journal |  |
|
©
News Letter Journal. All rights reserved. Upgrade to access Premium Tools
PAGE 1 (1 of 16 available) PREVIOUS NEXT Jumbo Image Save To Scrapbook Set Notifiers PDF JPG
March 12, 2015 |
|
|
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader 
|
March 12,2015
$1.00
FOR A C
ImPliCit
II : ........ SMALL TOWN PAPERS, INC \\; A
217 W C0TA ST \\; \\;/ \\;
SHELTON WA 98584-2263 \\; ,,.)
Newcastle, Wyoming Year 129 Week 11
Ertman: Leave the cities out
Alexis Shultz
NLJ Reporter
"It's a 'we' problem," the Weston County
Commissioners determined while discussing the
many opinions and issues facing the establish-
ment of a county-wide landfill.
That said, two sides have been distinctly
formed, with the majority expressing favor for
the establishment of a district that includes
all of Weston County, and the other, led by
Commissioner Marty Ertman, wishing to leave
out the already existing entities of Newcastle,
Upton and Osage (Central Weston County Solid
Waste District) and have the remainder of the
county form its own district.
At their March 3 meeting, the Commissioners
continued to discuss questions and concerns
about the establishment of a county-wide landfill
district, including what was discussed by these
various entities at a landfill meeting the previous
week. Tension was high at times during these
discussions, with talk of money and grudges
often taking center stage.
"Therefore, it is my belief that we should
go ahead with the district, but leave out the
two municipalities and the current solid waste
district," professed Ertman as she read from a
statement she prepared in regard to the topic.
Prior to making this statement, Ertman
reported that the financially wise decision would
be to leave the Central Weston County Solid
Waste District out of the equation due to the costs
and liabilities associated with the closing of that
landfill. It became clear over the course of the
discussion, however, that she was particularly
vexed at the prospect of working with the City
of Newcastle.
"While I have heard the statement at least four
times, the mayor of Newcastle made it quite clear
that when the county-wide district is formed, the
City of Newcastle will no longer b e in the 'dump!
business. They mayor also stated that Newcastle
would not contribute 'one dime' to the district to
help tun it," continued Ertman, adding that th
mayor and Councilwoman Linda Hunt did state
that they would turn over all equipment to run
the landfill.
Ertman proclaimed that this also compels
her to believe that the best decision is to leave
-- See Landfill, Page 3
-ii iTiiii!i!iiii!iiTiil)iiiiiiiiiliiiil)i)i!iii)iiiiiiTiii)i!iii%i)i)iTi!>
, i!!L!iiii!i!i!i(7iii)iiiiiiiiiii!i!i!iii]iiiiiii]ii!i!7iiiii!!i!ii]i!i III ....
• Celebrating
20 years
Session comes,
to a close
Alexis Shultz "We didn't have any earth
NLJ Reporter shattering issues," Hunt rea-
soned, noting that the session
The eighth and final week wasn't disappointing, but for
of the Wyoming Legislature's the most part the issues were not
2015 General Session has controversial. House Speaker
finally come to an end after Pro Tempore Tim Stubson
legislators met for a total of 37 professed the success of the
days. The men and women of session in an op/ed released on
Wyoming's Legislature heard a the final day of the session, but
total of 410 bills, and sent over his counterpart suggested the
150 of them to the Governor legislature's accomplishments
for his signature, are a matter of perspective.
Legislative leadership "Things of great accom-
boasted at the conclusion of plishment are tangible to
the session that the body had the people on the street,"
delivered on its goals for the announced Hunt. He continued
session, but House Majority that lawmakers may have
Whip Hans Hunt indicated that gotten a lot of business accom-
he believed the session was
relatively uneventful. -- See Legislature, Page 9
WCHS keeps
L m
...... : :its .... contractor
Liz Townsend visits with Barb Crow during Advanced Communications Chamber Coffee and Open House on March 6, cel-
ebrating 20 years in the cellular phone business in Weston County. (Photo by Bob Bonnar/NLJ)
Deer herds are making a real comeback
of Agriculture building at 7 p.m. to discuss
the deer population and hunting regulation
changes.
Populations of antelope, mule deer and
white tail deer-- both north and south of
Newcastle-- grew from 2001 until 2007,
but from there they started to decrease
before bottoming out in 2011 and 2012.
Population numbers slowly began to grow
after that.
"Pretty much all of our game popula-
tions peaked somewhere around 2007, plus
or minus a year depending on species, and
they declined since," explained Sandrini.
In 2008 and 2009, Weston County and
the Black Hills received severe' spring
weather with late snow storms that created
cold and wet conditions. It was followed
by one of the five most serious winters
on record in 2010-2011, which resulted
in wildlife dying in significant numbers,
according to the biologist. To make matters
worse, the driest summer on record for
most areas of the Black Hills occurred the
Denice Pisciotti
NLJ Reporter
On the heels of being awarded a State Land and Investment
Board grant of $1,506,250 in January, the Weston County
Health Services Board of Directors approved the hiring of
Scull, a general contractor from Rapid City, S.D., to begin the
pre-construction phase of the proposed renovation of the facility.
However, a lengthy discussion had to be held at the Thursday,
Feb. 19 board meeting considering requirements by SLIB to hire
an in state construction manager.
Because of SLIB grant money being used to fund the first
phase of the project, WCHS attorney Jim Peck stated he felt
those rules should be followed throughout the project. He
explained to the board the Wyoming statutes concerning hiring
for state funded projects in the state of Wyoming had just taken
effect last summer, so the problem was rooted in the fact that no
-- See WCHS Contractor, Page 8'
-- See Deer, Page 7
Denice Pisciotti
NLJ Reporter
The Wyoming Game and Fish
Department's annual surveys of pronghorn
antelope and mule deer herds this fall and
winter show higher than average numbers
of fawns, and the agency attributes some of
the increase to improved moisture condi-
tions. With this information in hand, Joe
Sandrini, biologist with the WGFD, has
scheduled a public hearing on Tuesday,
March 24 at the United States Department
Safety and
Accountability
Big brother is watching
Denice Pisciotti
NLJ Reporter
After a mandate from the Wyoming Legislature to install cameras on the
outside of school buses, Weston County School District #1 was able to get
funding for additional cameras for its fleet to ensure safety and account-
ability to both the drivers and students riding the buses.
A law was passed in Wyoming requiring all school buses by July of this
year to be equipped with cameras located by the stop arm mounted outside
the bus alongside the driver. Funding was provided in the legislation to each
school district to purchase the equipment. There are also cameras inside the
buses to monitor activity.
"It is just adding a layer of safety for the kids, and if you have a driver
that is doing something that is not right or a kid bullying or whatever
we can pinpoint it. It holds the drivers accountable, and it holds the kids
accountable. To me, it is just a win-win, and it protects the school district
too," WCSD #1 Transportation Director Mark Peterson told the News Letter
Journal.
He explained the money given to the district was enough to cover the
cost of most of the cameras on the buses. Two of the cameras show the close
view, but the district also wanted one high on the back of the bus to show
the whole picture of the oncoming vehicle.
-- See Cameras, Page 9
Denice Pisciotti/NLd
Weston County School District #1 buses are all equipped with cameras both inside and out, after the legislature man-
dated the equipment during the 2014 session.
Saturday
Sunny
Hi 64 Lo 40
Sunday
Partly Cloudy
Hi 72, Lo 39
Monday
Mostly Cloudy
Hi 55 Lo 27
Tuesday
Partly Cloudy
Hi 53, Lo 32
Wednesday
Partly Cloudy
Hi 59 Lo 31
INSIDE
• Easy Dozer, Page 6
• Snow gone, Page 7
• Test time, Page 10
• Bobcats, Page t6
,4
m
m
/
m
m
i: