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Challenger Tom Schmeltzer of Worland defeated incumbent Aaron Anderson of Ten Sleep by 561 votes in the race for the four-year Washakie County Commissioner position during Tuesday's primary election. Schmeltzer won the county commissioner election with 1,309 votes. "Thank everyone for their vote," Schmeltzer said. "I look forward to serving them." Sixteen-year County Commissioner, Anderson received 748 votes. "Congratulations to Tom," Anderson said. "I appreciate all the support over the years...
Worland City Council member Rebecca George topped the ticket for the mayor's race in Tuesday's primary election. George received 534 votes. George said, "I would like to say thank you to the supporters during this election. I really appreciate it. We will continue and do this in the November election." Mayor Jim Gill received 402 votes to also advance to the Nov. 5 general election. "I feel honored the citizens of Worland hung with me to get me into the general election," he said. Bruce Nolting...
With Big Horn County results rolling in at 10:25 p.m., the preliminary results for the Senate District 20 could be tallied. Incumbent Senator Ed Cooper (R-Ten Sleep) won Republican primary election by a margin of 222 votes, pushed by a 686 vote-victory in his home of Washakie County. Cooper had 2,650 votes, winning in Washakie and Fremont counties, and his opponent Tom Olmstead of Basin had 2,428 votes, winning in Park, Hot Springs and Big Horn counties. Cooper will go on to appear in the...
A retest of Washakie County's DS200 tabulating machines last Friday, Aug. 16, was completed with results meeting all Wyoming state statutes. On Aug. 12, Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray called for a re-test of the DS200 election testing machines in counties that had errors in not meeting specific state statute. The test is called the Public Logic and Accuracy Test. According to a press release from Gray W.S. 22-11-104(b)(iii) states, '[d]uring the test a different number of valid votes...
William Hayward Batts, age 68, passed away at his home in Hyattville, Wyoming, on August 12, 2024. He was born January 12, 1956, to Leathy and Raymond Batts in Fort Myers, Florida. Growing up he was always outside shooting his BB gun or fishing. Hayward met his wife, Joann when he was 19 and she was 15. Hayward and Joann wed November 4, 1977, and had been together ever since. Hayward, Joann and their daughter Diana lived in Florida until 2000. He had worked for Sprint Telephone since it he was... Full story
Donald R. Amend, Jr. died at home in Powell, Wyoming, Aug. 16, 2024. Don was born April 24, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois to Donald R. Amend, Sr. and Mary Louise Dyson Amend, the first of six siblings. The family lived in New Orleans, Louisiana where Don, Sr. was stationed with the Navy until after World War II, then briefly in Ogden, Utah before moving to Laramie, Wyoming, where Don. Jr. developed his earliest memories. Following his father's graduation from the University of Wyoming the family... Full story
David Carl Melin, born on Sept. 5, 1939, in Livingston, Montana, peacefully passed away on July 23, 2024, at the Worland Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, at the United Methodist Church.... Full story
It’s been a little sad at our household lately. A little over a week ago Mom took Ivy to the doctor. She had not been feeling well, was not eating and was losing a lot of weight. Mom came back sad and said something about cancer and that they were going to do an ultrasound on Ivy. It sounded scary. Then Mom took Ivy to the doctor the next day when she went to work but when Mom came home Ivy was not with her. I heard something about the Rainbow Bridge and that Ivy was playing with Luke, Sarah and Jake. I never met them before but Mom and Dad t...
As the school year begins anew there are many new teachers and staff greeting students. One of these new faces is Worland Middle School special education teacher Toni Orr. Orr has been teaching for many years. She started off as a substitute while she was still in college before becoming a paraeducator not long after. She went on to become an educator full time and has been one for 20 years. Originally, she wanted to go into athletic training, as she had been one during her high school years,...
After growing up in Worland and staying in Thermopolis for 20 years, Bethany Webber is excited to continue her teaching career as an intervention teacher at East Side Elementary this school year. Webber said, "I love teaching, I have been instructing students of all ages for close to 18 years." She has worked in Washakie County School District No. 1 for three years as a substitute teacher leading up to this year. She added, "Prior to that I worked in Hot Springs County as an elementary teacher...
U.S. Senator John Barrasso and U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman were declared winners in their respective party nomination races Tuesday night, about an hour after polls closed. Unofficially, according to the Wyoming Secretary of State’s website, with all 23 counties reporting Barrasso won the Republican nomination with 70473 votes, Reid Rasner with 25,424 votes and John Holtz with 7,867 votes. Washakie County followed this trend, with 1,171 votes cast for Barrasso, 510 for Rasner and 109 for Holtz. The Democratic Senate nominee Scott Morrow has 1...
Several special district offices – elected positions that have a local impact – are set to appear on ballots for Washakie County’s General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Terms are up for elected officials in eight of Washakie County’s Special Districts, and 20 offices will appear on the ballot. The filing period for these offices is currently underway, having begun on Aug. 7 and continuing until Monday, Aug. 26. The offices up for election, the incumbents whose terms are ending, and the status of individuals that have filed with the Washaki...
The longtime operator of Star Plunge aquatic center in Hot Springs State Park has sued the state after Wyoming State Parks selected a new concessionaire to run the hot-spring facility. The complaint, filed Aug. 5 in Laramie County District Court, accuses the Wyoming Department of State Parks of exceeding its authority and violating regulations when it selected the new operator this spring. That selection essentially evicts the Luehne family from Star Plunge, a popular Wyoming tourist attraction... Full story
WORLAND, Wyo. - The Bureau of Land Management Worland Field Office will partner with the community on August 24 for an early celebration of National Public Lands Day at the Duck Swamp Environmental Education Area north of Worland. From 9 a.m.-1 p.m., volunteers will complete light repairs of fenced areas, benches and interpretive signs, and clear vegetation along a portion of the trail. "I'm looking forward to hosting this year's event at Duck Swamp, a close-to-town location that is enjoyed by... Full story
Starting their season in Powell on Aug. 14, the Worland High School golf team put up their first scores as they got the 2024 campaign underway. "I thought our kids played really well," said WHS golf coach Ben Hofmann. "Powell can be a tough course, especially on that back nine. If you're not on the fairway, it's really narrow with a lot of trees. Our kids got off the tee box well. We struggled with chipping and putting, and that will be an area of improvement for us. Overall, I'm very pleased...
Jackson, Wyo., August 22, 2024 — The Fish Creek Fire was discovered on Friday, August 16, in a remote area of the North Fork Fish Creek drainage, approximately 7 miles southwest of Togwotee Pass. The lightning-caused fire is currently 7,798-acres in size burning in heavy timber, litter, understory and standing dead trees. On August 21, 2024, a Complex Incident Management Team (CIMT) was ordered for the Fish Creek Fire. A CIMT is mobilized during complex emergency incidents to provide a command-and-control infrastructure in order to manage t... Full story