An first-hand alternative to the common view that "nothing's working in Iraq."
An AP Member Exchange
By BRANDON QUESTER
Wyoming Tribune Eagle
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The cost of change is great.
Trevor Harris knows that first hand.
The sacrifices he saw in Iraq as part of last year’s “surge” — which continues — are not something that he or anyone in his unit took lightly.
The Cheyenne native recently returned from his second tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was one of the thousands of service members called back to be part of the effort launched in February of 2007.
Harris was a U.S. Army sergeant serving with the 3rd Infantry Division, 3rd Brigade, 115th Infantry Battalion. As such, he was sent to one of the worst areas in the country to squelch violence from insurgents and other desperate individuals willing to do anything to keep the country unstable.
During his time in Iraq, Harris said he lost at least a dozen friends.
“It’s expected when you go over there,” he said. “You know that the guys you’re going over there with, some of them ain’t coming back.”
But knowing that something eventually will happen, or even expecting it to happen, does not make losing a friend any easier, he said.
“It’s not like your friend passed away from an illness or something,” he said. “When your friends get shot in the head or are blown to pieces by an IED, it’s a lot different.”
At the same time, Harris said he witnessed the progress that the hike in U.S. troop presence was designed to accomplish. “When we got there, this was one of the worst areas of southeast Baghdad,” Harris said. “It was horrible. Al Qaeda had strongholds there; other insurgents had strongholds there.
“I probably couldn’t even give you an accurate number of how many terrorists we killed in that area, but it was a lot.”
Harris said the area was filled with rubble and trash and was riddled with bullet holes. Their job was to “hunt down bad guys” and dispose of munitions caches.
In the end, he says, the effort turned the southeastern part of Baghdad into one of the safest and most prosperous areas.
Harris said that the last time he “rolled through” on his way out of the country, the area had erupted with life and commerce.
He said there were so many people out and about, selling things and mingling, that one vehicle barely could pass through at a time.
Harris said he did not even know the area had that many people. He said buildings had been rebuilt and repainted and there were even picnic tables and benches.
This turnaround, he said, was one of the most rewarding aspects of his tour. He said it made the sacrifices they had made worth it. He added that the surge is working.
Harris said Gen. David Petraeus, the commanding officer managing the additional 30,000 U.S. forces, wanted the military living in the towns and cities with the people, “where the action was.”
But living in a region ravaged by corruption and insurgency was no easy task.
“A lot of the town’s people might have liked us,” Harris said. “But say if somebody from Al Qaeda comes along and offers them $1,000 to plant an IED (improvised explosive device), they don’t have any money, they (are) living in poverty. They’re gonna do it because of the money.”
Harris recalled how his unit arrested two children, 15 and 16 years old, who had planted an IED that exploded near one of their Humvees.
“It didn’t do much damage, but it’s still an intent to kill a soldier,” Harris said. “So we had to arrest them. They’re just kids trying to make some money, but they don’t have any other way to do it.”
Harris said it also was common to learn during interrogations that people were forced to kill as many Americans as they could. He said the people were warned that if they did not comply, their family members would be kidnapped and killed.
“It was hard to tell who your friends were because there are no uniforms; there’s no obvious bad guys,” Harris said. “They could be just walking through the crowd, and you wouldn’t even know it.
“It definitely makes it harder to do your job when you don’t know who the bad guys are.”
Still, Harris said, they were able to gain friendships with those just trying to get by.
He said there was a family whose home bordered their combat outpost, and they became friends.
Harris said the unit helped to fix the father’s tractor and even ran a line of electricity to the home. He said the man’s wife would bring the soldiers tea and flatbread.
Harris said they could not understand each other because of language barriers, but he knew that the man and his family appreciated the small favors that he and his fellow soldiers provided.
And it is situations such as this, Harris said, that happen all across the country. He said not everyone is trying to kill Americans, and it was nice to help out families that got caught in the middle.
Such relationships helped Harris and his fellow soldiers to turn the town around. And that, he said, is why it is important to continue the missions — to keep fighting for the same things their fellow fallen soldiers were fighting for.
“So his death didn’t mean nothing,” he said. “It means something.”
Harris said it is important that people in America understand that there are good things happening in Iraq. He added that what you see on the television or read in a newspaper are not always the total truth.
He himself hasn’t watched television once since his return in May.
His focus is now on his family. He is trying to make up for lost time and the two wedding anniversaries he missed while deployed.
Still, Harris said he is proud of what he accomplished while serving his country. He added that it was an experience that made him appreciate his life in the United States.
But he also has left the military now and does not plan on serving again. He said he has done his part — and a little more.
“I don’t want to go back,” he said. “I just want to go on and be a normal guy and get back to a normal life.”
———
Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle, http://www.wyomingnews.com
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Hidden horrors of the West
Not mine, but interesting nonetheless...
18 suicides reported in national parks this year
Eds: Note Yellowstone mention and Wyoming interest throughout.
AP Photos SLC101-103
By MIKE STARK
Associated Press Writer
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Having mailed a farewell letter to his family back in Minnesota, Jerry O. Wolff stepped off a shuttle bus on a sunny Sunday morning and disappeared into Utah’s rugged Canyonlands National Park.
“I am gone in a remote wilderness where I can return my body and soul to nature. There is no reason for anyone to look for me, just leave me where I am,” he wrote.
No trace of Wolff has been found since he was last seen May 11. Park officials assume the 65-year-old biology professor committed suicide.
Millions of people come to national parks each year to enjoy the splendors of wildlife and natural beauty, but a tiny fraction arrive with a grim agenda.
So far this year, at least 18 people have committed suicide in America’s national parks, from the swamplands of the Everglades and the beaches of Cape Cod to the rain-soaked forests of Olympic National Park and the bleak expanse of the Mojave Desert.
For some, the parks are apparently just a convenient place to end it all. Others, though, seem to seek out the beauty and solace of these spots.
“Parks hold a special place in people’s hearts,” said Al Nash, a spokesman at Yellowstone, where five suicides have been recorded since 1997. “There are some individuals who feel it’s important to have that kind of connection in those final moments.”
As for Wolff, Jim Hughes, the police chief in his hometown of Sartell, Minn., said the St. Cloud State University professor had been to Canyonlands before for research. As for why he apparently took his life, Wolff had “some personal issues,” the chief said. But he said he had no details.
The day after Wolff disappeared, searchers found the body of a 27-year-old man who drove into Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction, Colo., parked on the side of a road, walked about 200 yards away and shot himself.
At the same park last October, a 57-year-old woman drove her station wagon off a 250-foot cliff. A few weeks later, a 63-year-old man drove to an overlook at the park called Cold Shivers Point, sat on a rock outcropping overlooking a valley and shot himself.
“It’s become known in this area as a place that suicides are happening, but you can be sure the staff here are doing everything we can to prevent them,” said Joan Anzelmo, superintendent of the Colorado National Monument.
Rangers are trained in suicide prevention, and park officials are contemplating closing certain areas at night and adding more guardrails. Employees in places like Grand Canyon are taught to keep an eye out for notes taped to steering wheels.
Ten people have killed themselves at the Grand Canyon since 2004, the most of any park in recent years, according to the Park Service. The 1991 movie “Thelma & Louise” — which ends with the pair driving off a cliff in a classic Thunderbird convertible — has been blamed by some for a string of copycat suicides at the Grand Canyon, even though the scene was actually filmed at a state park in Utah.
“Maybe it’s the romanticization of a suicide attempt in a spectacular place,” said Michael Ghiglieri, who has co-written books about deaths at the Grand Canyon and Yosemite.
Among the stories he has recounted: A young man once asked a couple to take his picture at Grand Canyon, then jumped to his death in front of them. Another man, who had squandered an inheritance, climbed to the top of Yosemite Falls, wrote his will — leaving money to have a redwood planted on his grave — and then leaped off the falls, the highest in North America.
Lanny Berman, executive director of the American Association of Suicidology, said that when it comes to suicides in national parks, in general, “the driving force for most is availability and accessibility and, secondarily, whether that site offers something that other sites don’t.”
At Colorado National Monument, Anzelmo said, suicides there are, in part, a reflection of nearby Mesa County, where the suicide rate is roughly twice the national average.
One of the first recorded suicides in national park history was that of a 27-year-old woman in Yellowstone who apparently killed herself with an overdose of morphine in 1884, just 12 years after the national park was created, according to Yellowstone historian Lee Whittlesey. Most suicides in that park’s history were by park employees, he said.
“Perhaps these persons wanted their last moments to be spent in a beautiful or famous place, or perhaps they wanted their deaths somehow inextricably linked to nature,” Whittlesey wrote in his book “Death in Yellowstone.”
Last year, there were at least 26 suicides or probable suicides in the national park system’s 391 units, according to Bill Halainen, who compiles ranger reports daily for the Park Service. The Park Service does not have complete figures for earlier years.
Halainen said he believes the numbers fluctuate from one year to the next, and there is “no clear indication of any sustained upward trend.”
This year began with a search for a 46-year-old carpenter with cancer who drove his truck to Everglades National Park, climbed into his canoe and vanished. The most recent case involved a 47-year-old man at Timpanogos Cave National Monument in Utah who called the sheriff’s department from the visitors center June 10 and told dispatchers he was going to shoot himself and where his body could be found. The body was discovered 15 minutes later.
When people vanish, Park Service employees and sometimes volunteers typically mount a search. Recovering bodies and vehicles, particularly when they go over a cliff, can require helicopters, rappelling and other dangerous exploits.
“Our expectation is that people are coming to the national parks to have a good time,” said Maureen Oltrogge, a spokeswoman at Grand Canyon. “When something tragic happens, it’s really difficult on the staff.”
18 suicides reported in national parks this year
Eds: Note Yellowstone mention and Wyoming interest throughout.
AP Photos SLC101-103
By MIKE STARK
Associated Press Writer
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Having mailed a farewell letter to his family back in Minnesota, Jerry O. Wolff stepped off a shuttle bus on a sunny Sunday morning and disappeared into Utah’s rugged Canyonlands National Park.
“I am gone in a remote wilderness where I can return my body and soul to nature. There is no reason for anyone to look for me, just leave me where I am,” he wrote.
No trace of Wolff has been found since he was last seen May 11. Park officials assume the 65-year-old biology professor committed suicide.
Millions of people come to national parks each year to enjoy the splendors of wildlife and natural beauty, but a tiny fraction arrive with a grim agenda.
So far this year, at least 18 people have committed suicide in America’s national parks, from the swamplands of the Everglades and the beaches of Cape Cod to the rain-soaked forests of Olympic National Park and the bleak expanse of the Mojave Desert.
For some, the parks are apparently just a convenient place to end it all. Others, though, seem to seek out the beauty and solace of these spots.
“Parks hold a special place in people’s hearts,” said Al Nash, a spokesman at Yellowstone, where five suicides have been recorded since 1997. “There are some individuals who feel it’s important to have that kind of connection in those final moments.”
As for Wolff, Jim Hughes, the police chief in his hometown of Sartell, Minn., said the St. Cloud State University professor had been to Canyonlands before for research. As for why he apparently took his life, Wolff had “some personal issues,” the chief said. But he said he had no details.
The day after Wolff disappeared, searchers found the body of a 27-year-old man who drove into Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction, Colo., parked on the side of a road, walked about 200 yards away and shot himself.
At the same park last October, a 57-year-old woman drove her station wagon off a 250-foot cliff. A few weeks later, a 63-year-old man drove to an overlook at the park called Cold Shivers Point, sat on a rock outcropping overlooking a valley and shot himself.
“It’s become known in this area as a place that suicides are happening, but you can be sure the staff here are doing everything we can to prevent them,” said Joan Anzelmo, superintendent of the Colorado National Monument.
Rangers are trained in suicide prevention, and park officials are contemplating closing certain areas at night and adding more guardrails. Employees in places like Grand Canyon are taught to keep an eye out for notes taped to steering wheels.
Ten people have killed themselves at the Grand Canyon since 2004, the most of any park in recent years, according to the Park Service. The 1991 movie “Thelma & Louise” — which ends with the pair driving off a cliff in a classic Thunderbird convertible — has been blamed by some for a string of copycat suicides at the Grand Canyon, even though the scene was actually filmed at a state park in Utah.
“Maybe it’s the romanticization of a suicide attempt in a spectacular place,” said Michael Ghiglieri, who has co-written books about deaths at the Grand Canyon and Yosemite.
Among the stories he has recounted: A young man once asked a couple to take his picture at Grand Canyon, then jumped to his death in front of them. Another man, who had squandered an inheritance, climbed to the top of Yosemite Falls, wrote his will — leaving money to have a redwood planted on his grave — and then leaped off the falls, the highest in North America.
Lanny Berman, executive director of the American Association of Suicidology, said that when it comes to suicides in national parks, in general, “the driving force for most is availability and accessibility and, secondarily, whether that site offers something that other sites don’t.”
At Colorado National Monument, Anzelmo said, suicides there are, in part, a reflection of nearby Mesa County, where the suicide rate is roughly twice the national average.
One of the first recorded suicides in national park history was that of a 27-year-old woman in Yellowstone who apparently killed herself with an overdose of morphine in 1884, just 12 years after the national park was created, according to Yellowstone historian Lee Whittlesey. Most suicides in that park’s history were by park employees, he said.
“Perhaps these persons wanted their last moments to be spent in a beautiful or famous place, or perhaps they wanted their deaths somehow inextricably linked to nature,” Whittlesey wrote in his book “Death in Yellowstone.”
Last year, there were at least 26 suicides or probable suicides in the national park system’s 391 units, according to Bill Halainen, who compiles ranger reports daily for the Park Service. The Park Service does not have complete figures for earlier years.
Halainen said he believes the numbers fluctuate from one year to the next, and there is “no clear indication of any sustained upward trend.”
This year began with a search for a 46-year-old carpenter with cancer who drove his truck to Everglades National Park, climbed into his canoe and vanished. The most recent case involved a 47-year-old man at Timpanogos Cave National Monument in Utah who called the sheriff’s department from the visitors center June 10 and told dispatchers he was going to shoot himself and where his body could be found. The body was discovered 15 minutes later.
When people vanish, Park Service employees and sometimes volunteers typically mount a search. Recovering bodies and vehicles, particularly when they go over a cliff, can require helicopters, rappelling and other dangerous exploits.
“Our expectation is that people are coming to the national parks to have a good time,” said Maureen Oltrogge, a spokeswoman at Grand Canyon. “When something tragic happens, it’s really difficult on the staff.”
Friday, May 2, 2008
LSRV switches to four-day schedule
Front page!
• Final approval still pending from state.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Last week, the Carbon County District 1 School Board unanimously approved the four-day school week for Little Snake River Valley School.
The schedule was endorsed for the next three years. But before it can be adopted, it must go before the Wyoming Department of Education for approval. Principal Rick Newton estimates a decision could be made by July.
The three-year stint is to allow the schedule to iron itself out, Newton said. In their research and promotion of the calendar, the school’s staff developed goals to meet. Among them is preserving class time.
Newton acknowledged that next year’s schedule would have trouble meeting that goal. LSRV Activities Director Ann Wille was unable to work several athletic events around the proposed schedule because it was not yet approved.
“Our staff is really excited about the possibilities and, for the most part, our community is too,” said Dale Wille, LSRV vocational agriculture teacher. “It’s not going to happen in one year and it’s going to take tweaking.”
One of the community concerns about the change was eased by the knowledge that a day-care center exists in Baggs. Many slots are vacant, and the center has a capacity of 36 children. However, parents still question being able to pay for the care.
School board members voiced concern about academic performance being compromised with the new schedule. LSRV staff found that schools operating in a four-day week neither improved nor reduced their PAWS scores. However, school board members thought the new schedule might open a door for improvement.
“District-wide, we’re not stellar performers,” Board Chairman Jim Espy said. “We want to give you guys the chance to do something different.”
If the schedule is approved, LSRV administrators have much more work to do, particularly in planning Friday tutoring, activities and teacher in-service days.
• Final approval still pending from state.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Last week, the Carbon County District 1 School Board unanimously approved the four-day school week for Little Snake River Valley School.
The schedule was endorsed for the next three years. But before it can be adopted, it must go before the Wyoming Department of Education for approval. Principal Rick Newton estimates a decision could be made by July.
The three-year stint is to allow the schedule to iron itself out, Newton said. In their research and promotion of the calendar, the school’s staff developed goals to meet. Among them is preserving class time.
Newton acknowledged that next year’s schedule would have trouble meeting that goal. LSRV Activities Director Ann Wille was unable to work several athletic events around the proposed schedule because it was not yet approved.
“Our staff is really excited about the possibilities and, for the most part, our community is too,” said Dale Wille, LSRV vocational agriculture teacher. “It’s not going to happen in one year and it’s going to take tweaking.”
One of the community concerns about the change was eased by the knowledge that a day-care center exists in Baggs. Many slots are vacant, and the center has a capacity of 36 children. However, parents still question being able to pay for the care.
School board members voiced concern about academic performance being compromised with the new schedule. LSRV staff found that schools operating in a four-day week neither improved nor reduced their PAWS scores. However, school board members thought the new schedule might open a door for improvement.
“District-wide, we’re not stellar performers,” Board Chairman Jim Espy said. “We want to give you guys the chance to do something different.”
If the schedule is approved, LSRV administrators have much more work to do, particularly in planning Friday tutoring, activities and teacher in-service days.
Guitarist plans Saratoga shows
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Finishing his widespread tour in Saratoga, singer-songwriter Noel Rosa has a special reason for next week’s visit.
The musician, who has made his mark primarily in Christian contemporary rock, is stopping by a homespun guitar shop to check on the progress of three new, custom-designed instruments — the Noel Rosa Signature line of thin-bodied acoustic guitars.
“As far as we know, there’s nothing like it on the market,” said Scott Platts, owner of Stone Tree Custom Guitars.
Rosa has a prototype that he’s been playing while on tour. The instrument has an electric-guitar style but was matched with an acoustic sound and light weight, which is a plus in light of his recent, crippling back trouble. It also eliminates the sound feedback that is characteristic of acoustic guitars on stage.
Concerts are scheduled on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday, all for different crowds. His current tour is to promote the new album, “The Noel Rosa Acoustic Sessions.”
On Sunday, he’ll speak to the congregation at the Platte Valley Christian Center at 11 a.m. and plans a concert for the public at 6 p.m. The worship team from Aliens and Strangers Youth Center should open that show.
Rosa’s time on Monday is set aside for area students, who will be privy to a motivational talk during school hours. A concert at 7 p.m. at the Platte Valley Community Center is open to students and their parents.
Wednesday’s performance is for the Aliens and Strangers Youth Center, to be held at 7 p.m.
Rosa last visited Saratoga in 2006, according to Gene Smith, pastor at the Platte Valley Christian Center.
“He’s one of the most amazing guitarists I’ve ever heard,” Smith said. “The youth really love him. And the whole community can enjoy and benefit from his visit.”
The musician may soon sign onto the national market, and he hopes to take Platts’ guitars with him. He has already partnered with the guitar builder to serve as the guitars’ marketing representative.
When he arrives in town, he’ll be introduced to the new Signature designs, all with different wood combinations and different sounds.
Rosa is also excited to see the Saratoga audience once again.
“It’s amazing,” Rosa said. “The people in Wyoming really, really like my music and like me.” He has received several phone calls from friends and fans who want to meet with him during his visit.
Times staff writer
Finishing his widespread tour in Saratoga, singer-songwriter Noel Rosa has a special reason for next week’s visit.
The musician, who has made his mark primarily in Christian contemporary rock, is stopping by a homespun guitar shop to check on the progress of three new, custom-designed instruments — the Noel Rosa Signature line of thin-bodied acoustic guitars.
“As far as we know, there’s nothing like it on the market,” said Scott Platts, owner of Stone Tree Custom Guitars.
Rosa has a prototype that he’s been playing while on tour. The instrument has an electric-guitar style but was matched with an acoustic sound and light weight, which is a plus in light of his recent, crippling back trouble. It also eliminates the sound feedback that is characteristic of acoustic guitars on stage.
Concerts are scheduled on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday, all for different crowds. His current tour is to promote the new album, “The Noel Rosa Acoustic Sessions.”
On Sunday, he’ll speak to the congregation at the Platte Valley Christian Center at 11 a.m. and plans a concert for the public at 6 p.m. The worship team from Aliens and Strangers Youth Center should open that show.
Rosa’s time on Monday is set aside for area students, who will be privy to a motivational talk during school hours. A concert at 7 p.m. at the Platte Valley Community Center is open to students and their parents.
Wednesday’s performance is for the Aliens and Strangers Youth Center, to be held at 7 p.m.
Rosa last visited Saratoga in 2006, according to Gene Smith, pastor at the Platte Valley Christian Center.
“He’s one of the most amazing guitarists I’ve ever heard,” Smith said. “The youth really love him. And the whole community can enjoy and benefit from his visit.”
The musician may soon sign onto the national market, and he hopes to take Platts’ guitars with him. He has already partnered with the guitar builder to serve as the guitars’ marketing representative.
When he arrives in town, he’ll be introduced to the new Signature designs, all with different wood combinations and different sounds.
Rosa is also excited to see the Saratoga audience once again.
“It’s amazing,” Rosa said. “The people in Wyoming really, really like my music and like me.” He has received several phone calls from friends and fans who want to meet with him during his visit.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
School projects halted
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Earlier this week, two Carbon County School District 2 elementary school projects were halted by the School Facilities Commission.
The projects, Medicine Bow and Elk Mountain elementary schools, were well on their way and had a construction start date of early June.
But on Monday, District 2 Superintendent Bob Gates received word that both projects were over budget and would need significant changes, including the demolition of the Elk Mountain gym.
“Everything is on hold right now,” Gates said of the two projects. After community, staff and board meetings, the superintendent should be able to present a course of action to the school board next Friday.
The Elk Mountain gym was supposed to be saved. Now, a month before construction was to begin and in the midst of teachers packing up their classrooms, the bad news came.
A community meeting where residents can voice their concerns as well as vote on the next step is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at the school.
“To say it will be a hot meeting is an understatement,” Gates said.
The school board ultimately decides between two options, either going forward with the adjusted project or holding off until fall to re-apply for funding.
Gates said the cost to renovate the gym to bring it up to code is nearly $1 million. Re-applying in the fall has a slim chance of success, Gates said, because the commission’s funding is not expected to grow soon.
Because the cost of construction is always increasing, he said, waiting likely won’t help the gym’s chances of survival. Ken Daraie, director of the School Facilities Commission, was not available for comment.
The announcement has fewer ramifications for Medicine Bow.
“Medicine Bow isn’t losing as much because they didn’t have as much to lose,” Gates said. The biggest change is that the new school will now be built on the open football field in town instead of on the demolished remains of the vacant building in the center of town.
The demolition savings amounts to $500,000 and will be put back into construction of the new building, according to Gates.
Troy Maddox, Medicine Bow Town Council president, was disappointed by the news. Plans have often been snuffed in the council’s quest to find a use for the building. However, the wait should be two years before the old facility can be removed, because funds for demolition should appear in the School Facility Commission’s next biennial budget.
“One of the reasons the trade was going to work so well was because the building was going to come down,” Maddox said. “But we can wait for two years. We understand the budget.”
Times staff writer
Earlier this week, two Carbon County School District 2 elementary school projects were halted by the School Facilities Commission.
The projects, Medicine Bow and Elk Mountain elementary schools, were well on their way and had a construction start date of early June.
But on Monday, District 2 Superintendent Bob Gates received word that both projects were over budget and would need significant changes, including the demolition of the Elk Mountain gym.
“Everything is on hold right now,” Gates said of the two projects. After community, staff and board meetings, the superintendent should be able to present a course of action to the school board next Friday.
The Elk Mountain gym was supposed to be saved. Now, a month before construction was to begin and in the midst of teachers packing up their classrooms, the bad news came.
A community meeting where residents can voice their concerns as well as vote on the next step is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at the school.
“To say it will be a hot meeting is an understatement,” Gates said.
The school board ultimately decides between two options, either going forward with the adjusted project or holding off until fall to re-apply for funding.
Gates said the cost to renovate the gym to bring it up to code is nearly $1 million. Re-applying in the fall has a slim chance of success, Gates said, because the commission’s funding is not expected to grow soon.
Because the cost of construction is always increasing, he said, waiting likely won’t help the gym’s chances of survival. Ken Daraie, director of the School Facilities Commission, was not available for comment.
The announcement has fewer ramifications for Medicine Bow.
“Medicine Bow isn’t losing as much because they didn’t have as much to lose,” Gates said. The biggest change is that the new school will now be built on the open football field in town instead of on the demolished remains of the vacant building in the center of town.
The demolition savings amounts to $500,000 and will be put back into construction of the new building, according to Gates.
Troy Maddox, Medicine Bow Town Council president, was disappointed by the news. Plans have often been snuffed in the council’s quest to find a use for the building. However, the wait should be two years before the old facility can be removed, because funds for demolition should appear in the School Facility Commission’s next biennial budget.
“One of the reasons the trade was going to work so well was because the building was going to come down,” Maddox said. “But we can wait for two years. We understand the budget.”
Medicine Bow to turn 100
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Medicine Bow turns 100 next year, prompting resident Kenda Colman to organize a celebration.
The event comes at an opportune time, converging with a proposed influx of energy workers and an effort to revamp the town’s rodeo grounds.
The Centennial Committee met for the first time last week and emerged with grand ideas for a two-day birthday party in June 2009.
According to Colman, the prized idea is to ask all the town’s organizations to host an activity. For instance, the Fire Department might hold a dinner. Or, the rodeo arena committee might have a rodeo.
“It may not be a full-swing rodeo like the old days, but maybe something reminiscent,” Colman said.
In the preliminary concept, each organization would absorb event costs as well as proceeds. However, Colman said her committee members suggested setting some of the funds aside to continue the celebration in coming years. It could be a revival of Bow Days.
“If (the 2009 event) is successful,” she said, “we’ll see Bow Days return.” If nothing else, Colman has ideas to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Virginian hotel two years later.
Because the town has history in air, train and car traffic, Colman has contacted Union Pacific Railroad, an antique model car group and a collector of old airplanes to participate. She also hopes to recruit an American Indian group because of the town’s name and history. The event should also involve a parade, a dinner and games for children.
The Centennial Committee hopes to provide overarching support for the town’s organizations by helping to write grants and plan events.
“We’ll see how much of a celebration we can do with the money we get and the people who contribute,” Colman said.
Times staff writer
Medicine Bow turns 100 next year, prompting resident Kenda Colman to organize a celebration.
The event comes at an opportune time, converging with a proposed influx of energy workers and an effort to revamp the town’s rodeo grounds.
The Centennial Committee met for the first time last week and emerged with grand ideas for a two-day birthday party in June 2009.
According to Colman, the prized idea is to ask all the town’s organizations to host an activity. For instance, the Fire Department might hold a dinner. Or, the rodeo arena committee might have a rodeo.
“It may not be a full-swing rodeo like the old days, but maybe something reminiscent,” Colman said.
In the preliminary concept, each organization would absorb event costs as well as proceeds. However, Colman said her committee members suggested setting some of the funds aside to continue the celebration in coming years. It could be a revival of Bow Days.
“If (the 2009 event) is successful,” she said, “we’ll see Bow Days return.” If nothing else, Colman has ideas to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Virginian hotel two years later.
Because the town has history in air, train and car traffic, Colman has contacted Union Pacific Railroad, an antique model car group and a collector of old airplanes to participate. She also hopes to recruit an American Indian group because of the town’s name and history. The event should also involve a parade, a dinner and games for children.
The Centennial Committee hopes to provide overarching support for the town’s organizations by helping to write grants and plan events.
“We’ll see how much of a celebration we can do with the money we get and the people who contribute,” Colman said.
Award-winning bears on display
Times staff report
“Bear Rock,” the award-winning sculpture created by Encampment High School art students, is on display at the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne through June 14.
The display includes the eight winning designs out of the 35 submitted. Titled “Wild About Bears,” the exhibit celebrates the 20th anniversary of the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson. The museum may be named the official wildlife art museum of the United States, pending President Bush’s signature on the bill.
The goal of the museum’s bear competition was to encourage students to pursue wildlife art. By displaying them professionally, students can envision their success as artists. The cash prizes awarded to the schools that created the winning bears help boost art programs.
“Bear Rock,” the award-winning sculpture created by Encampment High School art students, is on display at the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne through June 14.
The display includes the eight winning designs out of the 35 submitted. Titled “Wild About Bears,” the exhibit celebrates the 20th anniversary of the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson. The museum may be named the official wildlife art museum of the United States, pending President Bush’s signature on the bill.
The goal of the museum’s bear competition was to encourage students to pursue wildlife art. By displaying them professionally, students can envision their success as artists. The cash prizes awarded to the schools that created the winning bears help boost art programs.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Embroidery business is far-reaching
Rawlins Daily Times, Janice KurbjunBy Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
In the shadow of Elk Mountain, behind the bikes strewn across the gravel, the Volkswagen parked by the street and the well-used basketball net, a small embroidery shop sits adjacent to Jennifer Bowen’s home.
Serving companies from Elk Mountain to Washington state, Custom Creations is run at Bowen’s leisure.
“I hardly pound the pavement,” she said about finding customers. “It’s all word of mouth.”
She and her husband decided to buy the business almost two decades ago while still living in Rawlins. It and her two commercial embroidery machines moved with the family to Elk Mountain in 1996 and has continued to flourish.
“‘Tis the season for hats,” Bowen said, pointing toward stacks of hats of various colors sitting amongst odds and ends on the worktable. She’s currently doing projects for the Carbon County Road and Bridge Department, weed and pest and the Old Baldy Club.
Among Bowen’s more unusual projects was a wedding dress embroidered with green and brown elk tracks, designed for a Rawlins woman.
“It sounds wacky, but it looked really cool,” she said.
Bowen said she has never turned a customer away. With thousands of designs to choose from, including the copyrighted University of Wyoming cowboy, she can create a satisfying design for almost anyone.
The business is Bowen’s way to pay her share of the bills. It allows her the flexibility to go to her children’s’ events, which are many. She is also involved in the parent-teacher association and town council.
“My kids are number one,” she said. “And the business is fun and never the same. It’s never boring.”
Successful valley readers celebrate
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
The party stretched into the night for elementary school students in Saratoga who were celebrating their third quarter reading success.
Out of 140 kids, 107 first- through sixth-grade students were eligible to partake in the festivities, which turned the elementary school into fairgrounds two weeks ago.
Giant, inflatable slides brushed the ceiling of the gym, according to Saratoga Elementary School Librarian Ceile Fisher. A life-sized table soccer game stretched across a third of the gym floor, allowing kids to strap in and compete.
They bounced on an inflatable trampoline and tried to dunk a basketball against the pull of an elastic harness. They played table tennis in classrooms, danced in the cafeteria and challenged each other to shuffleboard and bowling. Two groups visited the town’s hot pool.
All this happened after a hearty sloppy Joe dinner.
That night, the kids settled in to watch “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” but Fisher said it ended at about 11 p.m., an hour short of closing time.
“It was like six in the evening again,” she said of the kids who got their second wind.
The school uses a reading program known as Accelerated Reader, which asks students to set and meet reading goals throughout the year. Each book in the program — about 100,000 total — has an assigned point value based on length and reading difficulty. Each also has a test that assesses the students’ reading comprehension. The test scores determine how many points a student earns toward their goal.
An average picture book for first- through third-grade students is worth about a half of a point. A chapter book like those in the “Harry Potter” series are worth about 25 points, Fisher said.
Goals are set based on the child’s grade level, reading ability and allotted time for reading at school and at home.
“It’s really fun. The kids love it,” Fisher said.
The reading program has been used for about 10 years, but only recently have the celebrations become so elaborate, Fisher said. Previous events have included a sleep over, a beach day with beach games and stories, and outings such as bowling, sledding and cross-country skiing.
If students meet half of their fourth-quarter goal by mid-May, they have the chance to throw a whipped cream pie in Principal Dave Rangitsch’s face. They get more pies — up to five — for every five points above the halfway mark.
For students who fully meet their year-end goal, they should be rewarded in late May with a lunch at Saratoga’s Hotel Wolf and a root beer float party with dancing.
Times staff writer
The party stretched into the night for elementary school students in Saratoga who were celebrating their third quarter reading success.
Out of 140 kids, 107 first- through sixth-grade students were eligible to partake in the festivities, which turned the elementary school into fairgrounds two weeks ago.
Giant, inflatable slides brushed the ceiling of the gym, according to Saratoga Elementary School Librarian Ceile Fisher. A life-sized table soccer game stretched across a third of the gym floor, allowing kids to strap in and compete.
They bounced on an inflatable trampoline and tried to dunk a basketball against the pull of an elastic harness. They played table tennis in classrooms, danced in the cafeteria and challenged each other to shuffleboard and bowling. Two groups visited the town’s hot pool.
All this happened after a hearty sloppy Joe dinner.
That night, the kids settled in to watch “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” but Fisher said it ended at about 11 p.m., an hour short of closing time.
“It was like six in the evening again,” she said of the kids who got their second wind.
The school uses a reading program known as Accelerated Reader, which asks students to set and meet reading goals throughout the year. Each book in the program — about 100,000 total — has an assigned point value based on length and reading difficulty. Each also has a test that assesses the students’ reading comprehension. The test scores determine how many points a student earns toward their goal.
An average picture book for first- through third-grade students is worth about a half of a point. A chapter book like those in the “Harry Potter” series are worth about 25 points, Fisher said.
Goals are set based on the child’s grade level, reading ability and allotted time for reading at school and at home.
“It’s really fun. The kids love it,” Fisher said.
The reading program has been used for about 10 years, but only recently have the celebrations become so elaborate, Fisher said. Previous events have included a sleep over, a beach day with beach games and stories, and outings such as bowling, sledding and cross-country skiing.
If students meet half of their fourth-quarter goal by mid-May, they have the chance to throw a whipped cream pie in Principal Dave Rangitsch’s face. They get more pies — up to five — for every five points above the halfway mark.
For students who fully meet their year-end goal, they should be rewarded in late May with a lunch at Saratoga’s Hotel Wolf and a root beer float party with dancing.
School board irked by RHS students
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
In last week’s meeting, Carbon County District 1 School Board members complained about the attitudes and behaviors of Rawlins High School students.
Dave Dingman mentioned qualms about post-lunch tardiness as well as cell phone distractions. Juli Miller questioned the level of respect students have for fellow community members.
“It’s a frustrating event for our staff,” Dingman said of the students’ fifth-period lateness.
Dingman and other board members questioned whether students should continue to be permitted to leave campus each day.
Addressing cell phones, Dingman noted that students sometimes threaten each other and use what he called “vile language” in text messages.
“If you look up the word ‘weapon’ in a dictionary,” he said, “you can almost bridge the gap there.”
Despite the school’s “out of sight, out of sound” policy on the phones, board members acknowledged that students are often so quick and quiet, it is hard to catch them in the act. Dingman said that, aside from the threats, text messaging is a general distraction. Board members again questioned the existing district policy.
According to Miller, last week some students came into McDonald’s not long before the school’s lunch period ended. They jumped ahead of the long line to place their order. After repeated requests from Miller, the students waited their turn.
“I’m just amazed at the sense of entitlement and absolute lack of respect of these kids,” Miller said. “They need to be representing themselves and the community well. And I don’t know what to say because it often starts at home and we can’t fix that in school.”
Also at the meeting, board members:
• Appointed a selection and interview committee for the proposed elementary school’s construction manager.
• Awarded the Little Snake River Valley gym resurfacing project to Wyoming Wood Floors for $12,950.
• Approved a $251,310 contract with Hutch’s Hi-Country Plumbing and Heating for the Rawlins High School small gym boiler.
• Heard a recommendation from board member Kristi to re-evaluate the school’s activity budget prior to the upcoming budget session. According to Groshart, there is a bigger budget but fewer participating kids. The evaluation may lead to a cut in funding for less popular activities.
Times staff writer
In last week’s meeting, Carbon County District 1 School Board members complained about the attitudes and behaviors of Rawlins High School students.
Dave Dingman mentioned qualms about post-lunch tardiness as well as cell phone distractions. Juli Miller questioned the level of respect students have for fellow community members.
“It’s a frustrating event for our staff,” Dingman said of the students’ fifth-period lateness.
Dingman and other board members questioned whether students should continue to be permitted to leave campus each day.
Addressing cell phones, Dingman noted that students sometimes threaten each other and use what he called “vile language” in text messages.
“If you look up the word ‘weapon’ in a dictionary,” he said, “you can almost bridge the gap there.”
Despite the school’s “out of sight, out of sound” policy on the phones, board members acknowledged that students are often so quick and quiet, it is hard to catch them in the act. Dingman said that, aside from the threats, text messaging is a general distraction. Board members again questioned the existing district policy.
According to Miller, last week some students came into McDonald’s not long before the school’s lunch period ended. They jumped ahead of the long line to place their order. After repeated requests from Miller, the students waited their turn.
“I’m just amazed at the sense of entitlement and absolute lack of respect of these kids,” Miller said. “They need to be representing themselves and the community well. And I don’t know what to say because it often starts at home and we can’t fix that in school.”
Also at the meeting, board members:
• Appointed a selection and interview committee for the proposed elementary school’s construction manager.
• Awarded the Little Snake River Valley gym resurfacing project to Wyoming Wood Floors for $12,950.
• Approved a $251,310 contract with Hutch’s Hi-Country Plumbing and Heating for the Rawlins High School small gym boiler.
• Heard a recommendation from board member Kristi to re-evaluate the school’s activity budget prior to the upcoming budget session. According to Groshart, there is a bigger budget but fewer participating kids. The evaluation may lead to a cut in funding for less popular activities.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Are PAWS tests too long?
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
With Wyoming’s PAWS testing finished, the consensus among Carbon County teachers is that the tests were too long.
The Wyoming Department of Education initially issued estimated times to guide teachers, which were supposed to be shorter this year. The test is supposed to gauge each school’s proficiency in reading, writing, math and science.
After one week of testing, though, the state department had to nearly double the time estimates. According to Linda Duncan, counselor at Little Snake River Valley School, the reissued time was 625 minutes.
“That amounts to 10 and a half hours,” Duncan said. “The length concerned staff and administration both.”
Compared to the ACT test’s four-hour time limit, the PAWS test time shocked many teachers.
In the math portion, Denise Ashline’s eighth-grade class at Rawlins Middle School took between 140 and 210 minutes to take tests that were estimated by the state to run a maximum of 80 minutes.
“That’s a long time when middle-schoolers should be doing things in 15-minute increments,” Ashline said.
Melissa Irvin at the department of education said that, based on continued negative feedback from across the state, the test times will be adjusted next year.
Other post-test complaints arose as well. Jim Catlin, counselor at Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow Junior Senior High School, said, “There are high stakes for the schools, but not the students. The problem is that schools are held accountable for tests that students don’t take as seriously.”
Teachers district-wide acknowledge this, and some have reacted. For instance, Ashline’s eighth-grade students will get awarded for their effort with a DVD, video game and snow cone party on Friday. Ashline measured effort by evaluating each student’s preparation work.
“They really tried hard, even though the tests were grueling,” she said.
Teachers did find some improvements this year. As the Wyoming Department of Education pushes toward computer testing, efforts to streamline the system seem to be working.
“Our kids seemed to function well with the online testing,” Duncan said of the 11th-grade students who took most of the test online this year.
“The software was easier to navigate this year,” said Shelley Cooper, a Medicine Bow Elementary School math teacher.
Saratoga, Rawlins and HEM also saw significant improvements in the computer portion of the test. Fewer students were booted off the system this year and the teachers could more easily monitor how quickly students were moving through the tests. Some tests had nearly immediate scores.
Times staff writer
With Wyoming’s PAWS testing finished, the consensus among Carbon County teachers is that the tests were too long.
The Wyoming Department of Education initially issued estimated times to guide teachers, which were supposed to be shorter this year. The test is supposed to gauge each school’s proficiency in reading, writing, math and science.
After one week of testing, though, the state department had to nearly double the time estimates. According to Linda Duncan, counselor at Little Snake River Valley School, the reissued time was 625 minutes.
“That amounts to 10 and a half hours,” Duncan said. “The length concerned staff and administration both.”
Compared to the ACT test’s four-hour time limit, the PAWS test time shocked many teachers.
In the math portion, Denise Ashline’s eighth-grade class at Rawlins Middle School took between 140 and 210 minutes to take tests that were estimated by the state to run a maximum of 80 minutes.
“That’s a long time when middle-schoolers should be doing things in 15-minute increments,” Ashline said.
Melissa Irvin at the department of education said that, based on continued negative feedback from across the state, the test times will be adjusted next year.
Other post-test complaints arose as well. Jim Catlin, counselor at Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow Junior Senior High School, said, “There are high stakes for the schools, but not the students. The problem is that schools are held accountable for tests that students don’t take as seriously.”
Teachers district-wide acknowledge this, and some have reacted. For instance, Ashline’s eighth-grade students will get awarded for their effort with a DVD, video game and snow cone party on Friday. Ashline measured effort by evaluating each student’s preparation work.
“They really tried hard, even though the tests were grueling,” she said.
Teachers did find some improvements this year. As the Wyoming Department of Education pushes toward computer testing, efforts to streamline the system seem to be working.
“Our kids seemed to function well with the online testing,” Duncan said of the 11th-grade students who took most of the test online this year.
“The software was easier to navigate this year,” said Shelley Cooper, a Medicine Bow Elementary School math teacher.
Saratoga, Rawlins and HEM also saw significant improvements in the computer portion of the test. Fewer students were booted off the system this year and the teachers could more easily monitor how quickly students were moving through the tests. Some tests had nearly immediate scores.
Music teacher gets her final hurrah
Rawlins Daily Times, Janice Kurbjun• One Medicine Bow student noted, ‘Mis Macan is the best teacher I have nown.’
By Janice Kurbjun Times staff writer
Facing her final concert at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in the Medicine Bow Elementary School gym, Jill McCann is starting to realize how meaningful her last four years have been as music teacher for the Carbon County District 2 elementary schools.
“They’re just like family,” McCann said of her students and their parents. “Plus, they’re talented, and everyone works together as a team.”
McCann is leaving at the end of the school year to head back to Idaho, where she grew up. But not without leaving a lasting impression on her students.
At the very bottom of his worksheet defining what music is, buried under sketches of treble clefs, scales and a bold outline of the word “music,” Timothy Heward wrote in tiny letters, “Mis Macan is the best teacher I have nown.”
Timothy’s sister Caroline agreed, writing that she likes McCann’s songs and the way she sings them. As part of the concert’s theme, she and her classmates will read their definitions of music. The rest of Caroline’s lists include things associated with the discipline: dancing, songs, melody and rhythm.
For the concert, which is free and open to the public, the girls will be dressed in 1950s poodle skirts and the boys will mimic John Travolta’s jeans and white T-shirt costume in “Grease.” The program includes upbeat songs from the musicals “Hairspray” and “Rigoletto” — along with sign language to fulfill state requirements — to a rendition of Barry Manilow’s “One Voice,” to be sung in a dark auditorium.
RHS kids place high
Times staff report
Eleven Rawlins High School students won 15 medals in Casper earlier this month in the Wyoming State Skills USA conference, second only to Douglas High School for the number of medals won by 3A schools.
It was the technology and pre-engineering students’ second appearance at the state event, which had about 335 participants this year.
“I’m very proud of my students,” Jon Larson said in a release. “This is a very challenging competition and they showcased the skills they have learned very well.” Larson is the technology and pre-engineering instructor at the Carbon County Higher Education Center.
Larson’s team included seniors Donald Lehmkuhl, Devon Schmidt and Timothy Tschacher; juniors Jake Frost, Matt Hettchen, Jason Koehler, Adam Penland and Chris Sheets; sophomore Alex Dahl and freshmen Tony DeMillard and Matt Welch.
A Hettchen-Dahl duo won first place in mechatronics, the combination of mechanical, electrical and software engineering to study how the disciplines can work together to control equipment and mechanical processes.
The students gleaned other recognition from the conference including Koehler being chosen as one of seven Skills USA state officers.
Three students go on to compete in the national Skills USA conference in June. Hettchen and Dahl should compete in the national mechatronics competition.
Eleven Rawlins High School students won 15 medals in Casper earlier this month in the Wyoming State Skills USA conference, second only to Douglas High School for the number of medals won by 3A schools.
It was the technology and pre-engineering students’ second appearance at the state event, which had about 335 participants this year.
“I’m very proud of my students,” Jon Larson said in a release. “This is a very challenging competition and they showcased the skills they have learned very well.” Larson is the technology and pre-engineering instructor at the Carbon County Higher Education Center.
Larson’s team included seniors Donald Lehmkuhl, Devon Schmidt and Timothy Tschacher; juniors Jake Frost, Matt Hettchen, Jason Koehler, Adam Penland and Chris Sheets; sophomore Alex Dahl and freshmen Tony DeMillard and Matt Welch.
A Hettchen-Dahl duo won first place in mechatronics, the combination of mechanical, electrical and software engineering to study how the disciplines can work together to control equipment and mechanical processes.
The students gleaned other recognition from the conference including Koehler being chosen as one of seven Skills USA state officers.
Three students go on to compete in the national Skills USA conference in June. Hettchen and Dahl should compete in the national mechatronics competition.
Community conference planned later this week
Times staff report
On Thursday and Friday, the Platte Valley Community Center in Saratoga hosts Project Prevention’s fourth annual community conference.
A highlight this year is a planned panel discussion involving area high school students.
Panelists will be selected from people who submitted an answer to a recent essay contest in Carbon County School District 1 for students hoping to go to the 2009 Anti-Drug Coalitions of America conference in Washington, D.C. Carbon County School District 2 should also have some representatives.
The event includes presentations from Shanda Wright of Big Brothers Big Sisters and Diane Hipp of Wyoming Community Norms. Ben Atherton-Zeman will have a talk called Voices of Men on Thursday while on Sunday, Capt. Richard Fowler of the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office plans to speak about gangs. For parents worried about Internet safety, Jim Anderson is set to address the issue Friday.
The event is from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday. It resumes at 8:30 a.m. on Friday and finishes at 3:30 p.m. Project Prevention has arranged specially-priced hotel accommodations in the area.
For more information, call Theresa Pacheco at 328-3969 or 321-0686.
On Thursday and Friday, the Platte Valley Community Center in Saratoga hosts Project Prevention’s fourth annual community conference.
A highlight this year is a planned panel discussion involving area high school students.
Panelists will be selected from people who submitted an answer to a recent essay contest in Carbon County School District 1 for students hoping to go to the 2009 Anti-Drug Coalitions of America conference in Washington, D.C. Carbon County School District 2 should also have some representatives.
The event includes presentations from Shanda Wright of Big Brothers Big Sisters and Diane Hipp of Wyoming Community Norms. Ben Atherton-Zeman will have a talk called Voices of Men on Thursday while on Sunday, Capt. Richard Fowler of the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office plans to speak about gangs. For parents worried about Internet safety, Jim Anderson is set to address the issue Friday.
The event is from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday. It resumes at 8:30 a.m. on Friday and finishes at 3:30 p.m. Project Prevention has arranged specially-priced hotel accommodations in the area.
For more information, call Theresa Pacheco at 328-3969 or 321-0686.
Friday, April 25, 2008
District 1 staff to get raises
Front page...
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Carbon County School District 1 employees should see their salaries increase by 6 percent next year.
That means more than $2,000 should find its way into the pockets of entry-level employees making the base salary, according to Denise Ashline of the District 1 teacher’s association. Employees saw an increase of $300 to their base salary last year, she said.
“I’m not going to say we’re ecstatic, but we feel we’ve done the best we can with the money that’s coming in,” Ashline said.
The raise applies to all district employees.
In addition to the percentage pay raises, employees get what’s called “step” raises each year. For each additional year of service, an employee can earn up to $650. Enhancing their education can also earn a pay increase.
The compensation plan’s other change is that employees now have to pay for most of their dental insurance, Ashline said. Last year, the district covered all of the expenses, but now they offer $24.75 each month toward payments for individuals and families.
Money that comes from the state gets budgeted by the district to cover all school expenses. Because the cost to run the schools has gone up, the state Legislature allocated funds differently.
The School District 1 Board allocated some of the new money to staff to help cover an increased cost of living, as well as to help maintain the step raises
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Carbon County School District 1 employees should see their salaries increase by 6 percent next year.
That means more than $2,000 should find its way into the pockets of entry-level employees making the base salary, according to Denise Ashline of the District 1 teacher’s association. Employees saw an increase of $300 to their base salary last year, she said.
“I’m not going to say we’re ecstatic, but we feel we’ve done the best we can with the money that’s coming in,” Ashline said.
The raise applies to all district employees.
In addition to the percentage pay raises, employees get what’s called “step” raises each year. For each additional year of service, an employee can earn up to $650. Enhancing their education can also earn a pay increase.
The compensation plan’s other change is that employees now have to pay for most of their dental insurance, Ashline said. Last year, the district covered all of the expenses, but now they offer $24.75 each month toward payments for individuals and families.
Money that comes from the state gets budgeted by the district to cover all school expenses. Because the cost to run the schools has gone up, the state Legislature allocated funds differently.
The School District 1 Board allocated some of the new money to staff to help cover an increased cost of living, as well as to help maintain the step raises
School to enhance programs
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Saratoga Elementary School is hoping to expand an educational enrichment program next year through grants.
Called “Lights On,” the Friday program takes advantage of the school’s four-day school week.
“We will continue (the program),” said Principal Dave Rangitsch, “the question is to what extent.”
Next week, he should hear whether the school received a requested $14,000 grant from the Wyoming Department of Education’s Student Enrichment Pilot Project.
“My pie in the sky vision is to take kids on what you might call cultural field trips,” Rangitsch said.
Because students are in class Monday through Thursday, field trips only take place on Fridays. If the money is granted, outings could include visiting the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins, the Nicolaysen Art Museum and Discovery Center, or the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center, both of which are in Casper.
The money would be paired with $1,500 already in the bank from the Wyoming Arts Council’s Open Door Art Enrichment Program and Carbon County School District 2. This money should continue to fund a seven-week art enrichment series with artists in the Platte Valley.
The grant might also open up the possibility of giving stipends to community aids, which could help win teachers some free time for staff development on Fridays.
Robotics, rocket making and wilderness science programs should continue or be enhanced with the potential grant. Each program is aimed at helping children succeed in meeting national education standards.
“I have to relate back to the state that each of these programs address requirements for the students,” Rangitsch said. “They’re not just fun.”
Times staff writer
Saratoga Elementary School is hoping to expand an educational enrichment program next year through grants.
Called “Lights On,” the Friday program takes advantage of the school’s four-day school week.
“We will continue (the program),” said Principal Dave Rangitsch, “the question is to what extent.”
Next week, he should hear whether the school received a requested $14,000 grant from the Wyoming Department of Education’s Student Enrichment Pilot Project.
“My pie in the sky vision is to take kids on what you might call cultural field trips,” Rangitsch said.
Because students are in class Monday through Thursday, field trips only take place on Fridays. If the money is granted, outings could include visiting the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins, the Nicolaysen Art Museum and Discovery Center, or the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center, both of which are in Casper.
The money would be paired with $1,500 already in the bank from the Wyoming Arts Council’s Open Door Art Enrichment Program and Carbon County School District 2. This money should continue to fund a seven-week art enrichment series with artists in the Platte Valley.
The grant might also open up the possibility of giving stipends to community aids, which could help win teachers some free time for staff development on Fridays.
Robotics, rocket making and wilderness science programs should continue or be enhanced with the potential grant. Each program is aimed at helping children succeed in meeting national education standards.
“I have to relate back to the state that each of these programs address requirements for the students,” Rangitsch said. “They’re not just fun.”
Job fair set for next week
Times staff report
The Platte Valley Community Center in Saratoga is hosting the Carbon County Job Fair on Wednesday from 3 to 7 p.m.
In its second year, the job fair is open to the public and free of charge. Employers looking for part-time, full-time and seasonal help should be present.
Some of the employers who are currently registered for the event include Hyland Enterprises, Century 21 Realty, Shively Hardware, South Central Wyoming Healthcare and Rehabilitation, the University of Wyoming, the Kathouse Bar and Grill, Travel Centers of America and the Wyoming State Penitentiary.
“We’re excited that such a wide range of employers have signed up to participate,” Tera Mueske, marketing communications manager for the Carbon County Higher Education Center, stated in a release. “Many of the employers are from right here in Carbon County, but there are people coming from all over the state.”
Job seekers can also practice their interviewing skills at the fair in mock interviews with CCHEC faculty.
For more information, call Mueske at 328-9274.
The Platte Valley Community Center in Saratoga is hosting the Carbon County Job Fair on Wednesday from 3 to 7 p.m.
In its second year, the job fair is open to the public and free of charge. Employers looking for part-time, full-time and seasonal help should be present.
Some of the employers who are currently registered for the event include Hyland Enterprises, Century 21 Realty, Shively Hardware, South Central Wyoming Healthcare and Rehabilitation, the University of Wyoming, the Kathouse Bar and Grill, Travel Centers of America and the Wyoming State Penitentiary.
“We’re excited that such a wide range of employers have signed up to participate,” Tera Mueske, marketing communications manager for the Carbon County Higher Education Center, stated in a release. “Many of the employers are from right here in Carbon County, but there are people coming from all over the state.”
Job seekers can also practice their interviewing skills at the fair in mock interviews with CCHEC faculty.
For more information, call Mueske at 328-9274.
Medicine Bow spring concert planned
Times staff report
Wednesday’s Medicine Bow Elementary School spring concert should include a bit of break dancing.
Kenny Wohl can do the worm, a dance move where the performer ripples across the stage floor.
Wohl’s work has been particularly impressive to Jill McCann, the school’s music teacher. He is in the special-needs program because the right side of his brain doesn’t communicate with the left side, which means his logic does not communicate well with arts and emotion.
On stage along with 20-or-so peers, Wohl will also be part of the band.
The concert will be held in the school’s gym at 7 p.m.
Wednesday’s Medicine Bow Elementary School spring concert should include a bit of break dancing.
Kenny Wohl can do the worm, a dance move where the performer ripples across the stage floor.
Wohl’s work has been particularly impressive to Jill McCann, the school’s music teacher. He is in the special-needs program because the right side of his brain doesn’t communicate with the left side, which means his logic does not communicate well with arts and emotion.
On stage along with 20-or-so peers, Wohl will also be part of the band.
The concert will be held in the school’s gym at 7 p.m.
Elk Mountain spring concert on tap
Times staff report
At Tuesday’s Elk Mountain Elementary School spring concert, visitors will have the chance to hear the accordion.
Garrett Irene has natural talent, coming from a musical family, but his work ethic surprises music teacher Jill McCann.
The youngster found his grandfather’s accordion when the family was cleaning house, and he decided he wanted to play. Making the transition from last year’s instrument of choice — the harmonica — to the air-controlled piano instrument, Irene had to work hard to learn from books and tapes purchased on the Internet.
The handful of Irene’s peers at the school will perform alongside Irene in their annual band and choir concert at 7 p.m. in the Elk Mountain Elementary gym. Students should also read their definitions of what music means to them.
At Tuesday’s Elk Mountain Elementary School spring concert, visitors will have the chance to hear the accordion.
Garrett Irene has natural talent, coming from a musical family, but his work ethic surprises music teacher Jill McCann.
The youngster found his grandfather’s accordion when the family was cleaning house, and he decided he wanted to play. Making the transition from last year’s instrument of choice — the harmonica — to the air-controlled piano instrument, Irene had to work hard to learn from books and tapes purchased on the Internet.
The handful of Irene’s peers at the school will perform alongside Irene in their annual band and choir concert at 7 p.m. in the Elk Mountain Elementary gym. Students should also read their definitions of what music means to them.
Scholarship for women offered
Times staff report
Scholarships are available for women pursuing degrees, licenses or certifications through higher education.
The Philanthropic Education Organization, based in Des Moines, Iowa, has funds available for women needing financial assistance to pursue a degree.
To qualify, applicants must be accepted to a school of higher education and be pursuing a degree on a part-time or full-time basis for the semester of application. She must also have and maintain a 2.5 grade point average.
Applications for the two $500 scholarships, to be awarded in $250 sums throughout two semesters, are due May 15.
Patty Pedersen, student services coordinator at the Carbon County Higher Education Center, estimated that the scholarships could fund a class or a few books.
Paperwork and information is available from Pedersen at CCHEC’s main campus or by calling 328-9204.
Scholarships are available for women pursuing degrees, licenses or certifications through higher education.
The Philanthropic Education Organization, based in Des Moines, Iowa, has funds available for women needing financial assistance to pursue a degree.
To qualify, applicants must be accepted to a school of higher education and be pursuing a degree on a part-time or full-time basis for the semester of application. She must also have and maintain a 2.5 grade point average.
Applications for the two $500 scholarships, to be awarded in $250 sums throughout two semesters, are due May 15.
Patty Pedersen, student services coordinator at the Carbon County Higher Education Center, estimated that the scholarships could fund a class or a few books.
Paperwork and information is available from Pedersen at CCHEC’s main campus or by calling 328-9204.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Artwork 'bear'ly misses first place
Photo courtesy of Pam KraftBy Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Bradley Russell was getting frustrated with his bear’s design, so as a joke, he just started to draw it into a pile of rocks.
The other advanced art students from Encampment High School quickly latched onto his design, enhanced it and turned it into the project that took third place out of 35 entries at last weekend’s state art competition.
The contest asked students across Wyoming to decorate a three-dimensional, Fiberglas bear with any design theme, much like the pronghorns scattered throughout Rawlins. The competition celebrated the 20th anniversary of the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson.
“We wanted to use a bear because it’s a Wyoming animal, it has a smooth figure and it’s a blank canvas,” said Jane Lavino, Sugden family curator of education at the museum.
The students in Encampment thought their rendering of Vedauwoo, the rock formation near Laramie, would take first place. Brandon Russell, Bradley’s older brother, formed and painted the rocks while his peers personalized the project with molded figures.
“It was like having a Play-Doh hour to build each figure,” Brandon Russell said. The bear was built from epoxy, a sticky substance that can be sculpted before it has a chance to harden.
Art teacher Pam Kraft said her favorite figures are the raccoons that are stealing chips and Pepsi from the landscape artist’s tent. The inhabitants of “Bear Rock,” are visible upon closer examination, she said. Rabbits peer from the rocks on which an eagle, ram, deer and mountain lion are perched.
Though the students won a $2,000 cash prize for the furtherance of the school’s art program, they are disappointed with not getting the blue ribbon. The $7,000 for first place would have bought them a trip to an art center in Sante Fe, N.M., or New York City, not to mention a lot of glory.
However, Kraft said people outside the program who have seen the statue are excited about it. She is unsure of what she’ll do with the bear when it returns from it’s tour of the state.
“There are a lot of creative ways to use these once they’re done,” said Lavino. According to her, some schools have talked about auctioning the piece, some plan to display it and some will donate theirs to the community.
Tree cities plan to celebrate Arbor Day
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Friday is Arbor Day, the day when America celebrates its trees.
To observe the day, the three Carbon County communities that are members of Tree City USA — a national program dedicated to enhancing community forestry programs — will hold celebrations in the coming weeks.
Rawlins has been a member for more than 12 years, Saratoga can claim about five years and Medicine Bow is stepping out of its infancy and into its third year.
To become a Tree City, communities must designate a tree board or a city department responsible for public trees and designate $2 per resident from the annual budget for tree maintenance and planting. They must also plan an Arbor Day celebration.
Rawlins City Planner Dan Mika estimates that the city spends about $6,000 each year on new trees. Sometimes, unexpected maintenance costs prevent planting new trees, such as the case of last fall’s snowstorm that toppled numerous branches and trees around Rawlins.
“A lot of money was spent toward safety instead of improvement,” Mika said.
Medicine Bow has a large budget — $10,000 this year — for the size of the town, which numbers 274.
“The town has been very supportive,” said Jim Colman, chairman of Medicine Bow’s tree board.
While Rawlins is scheduled to hold its planting festivities on Saturday, Medicine Bow and Saratoga plan to delay theirs until the weather is more suitable for the young trees.
Saratoga has not yet set a date, but the event should be an educational one where elementary students and staff learn about trees and planting, a town official said.
Medicine Bow has set its event for May 17, but plans have not been finalized. In its first two years, the community planted trees in the park and around its baseball diamond. The community also created plaques identifying the trees and three welcome signs for the town entrances.
Times staff writer
Friday is Arbor Day, the day when America celebrates its trees.
To observe the day, the three Carbon County communities that are members of Tree City USA — a national program dedicated to enhancing community forestry programs — will hold celebrations in the coming weeks.
Rawlins has been a member for more than 12 years, Saratoga can claim about five years and Medicine Bow is stepping out of its infancy and into its third year.
To become a Tree City, communities must designate a tree board or a city department responsible for public trees and designate $2 per resident from the annual budget for tree maintenance and planting. They must also plan an Arbor Day celebration.
Rawlins City Planner Dan Mika estimates that the city spends about $6,000 each year on new trees. Sometimes, unexpected maintenance costs prevent planting new trees, such as the case of last fall’s snowstorm that toppled numerous branches and trees around Rawlins.
“A lot of money was spent toward safety instead of improvement,” Mika said.
Medicine Bow has a large budget — $10,000 this year — for the size of the town, which numbers 274.
“The town has been very supportive,” said Jim Colman, chairman of Medicine Bow’s tree board.
While Rawlins is scheduled to hold its planting festivities on Saturday, Medicine Bow and Saratoga plan to delay theirs until the weather is more suitable for the young trees.
Saratoga has not yet set a date, but the event should be an educational one where elementary students and staff learn about trees and planting, a town official said.
Medicine Bow has set its event for May 17, but plans have not been finalized. In its first two years, the community planted trees in the park and around its baseball diamond. The community also created plaques identifying the trees and three welcome signs for the town entrances.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Local teen wins art contest
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Since the fifth grade, Brandon Russell has painted ducks and sent them to Jackson in April.
The nine-by-11 paintings are judged as part of the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-sponsored art competition for kindergartners to 12th-graders. Most years, Russell placed first in his age group, but never best overall. Until this year.
“It was my last chance to enter and I finally got what I was looking for,” the Encampment High School senior said.
His oil painting of a Cinnamon Teal, a reddish-colored bird local to the Platte Valley, earned the blue ribbon in Wyoming and will appear as one of about 50 paintings to travel through the country this summer. Each state and U.S. territory should be represented in the show.
The painting made its way to San Diego for the national competition on April 17, but did not win. Instead, a rendering of Hawaiian Geese by Seokkyun Hong, a student in Dallas, will appear on the stamp, which sells for $5 to support conservation education. Hong also receives a $5,000 prize along with a trip to Washington, D.C.
In the past, Russell has painted trumpeter swans, Canadian geese, a green-winged teal, a pintail and even a prior attempt at a cinnamon teal.
“I wish I’d had my own photos” to work from, he said. He used several reference photos to create his artwork. “(The birds) are real pretty,” he said.
When Russell first entered the contest at 11, he was already a duck hunter. Since it’s necessary to purchase a $5 duck stamp to hunt migratory water birds, the idea of his art appearing on the stamp was appealing.
Now, seven years later, he’s not sure if he’ll try his luck in the adult competition. “It’s real tough,” he said. “Some of those guys spend two years on their entries.” In comparison, Russell spent an hour a day for a month on this year’s entry.
Russell is going to the University of Wyoming next year to major in art. The $1,500 winnings can be used any way he wants, but is recommended for furthering his art education.
“I might buy a dirt bike,” he admitted after outlining plans to save the funds for college.
Times staff writer
Since the fifth grade, Brandon Russell has painted ducks and sent them to Jackson in April.
The nine-by-11 paintings are judged as part of the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-sponsored art competition for kindergartners to 12th-graders. Most years, Russell placed first in his age group, but never best overall. Until this year.
“It was my last chance to enter and I finally got what I was looking for,” the Encampment High School senior said.
His oil painting of a Cinnamon Teal, a reddish-colored bird local to the Platte Valley, earned the blue ribbon in Wyoming and will appear as one of about 50 paintings to travel through the country this summer. Each state and U.S. territory should be represented in the show.
The painting made its way to San Diego for the national competition on April 17, but did not win. Instead, a rendering of Hawaiian Geese by Seokkyun Hong, a student in Dallas, will appear on the stamp, which sells for $5 to support conservation education. Hong also receives a $5,000 prize along with a trip to Washington, D.C.
In the past, Russell has painted trumpeter swans, Canadian geese, a green-winged teal, a pintail and even a prior attempt at a cinnamon teal.
“I wish I’d had my own photos” to work from, he said. He used several reference photos to create his artwork. “(The birds) are real pretty,” he said.
When Russell first entered the contest at 11, he was already a duck hunter. Since it’s necessary to purchase a $5 duck stamp to hunt migratory water birds, the idea of his art appearing on the stamp was appealing.
Now, seven years later, he’s not sure if he’ll try his luck in the adult competition. “It’s real tough,” he said. “Some of those guys spend two years on their entries.” In comparison, Russell spent an hour a day for a month on this year’s entry.
Russell is going to the University of Wyoming next year to major in art. The $1,500 winnings can be used any way he wants, but is recommended for furthering his art education.
“I might buy a dirt bike,” he admitted after outlining plans to save the funds for college.
Clear the path!
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
When the big snowstorms hit Saratoga, the coaches head to the new track, shovels in hand, to clear a path for the kids to run.
It’s been a snowy winter, but that won’t stop Saratoga’s track team from holding the school’s first invitational on Saturday. Scott Stevens, who hatched the project too build an all-weather track a decade ago, should be at the track’s inauguration.
Five to seven junior varsity and varsity teams should show up at the track, which is located west of Saratoga High School, at 9 a.m. for the field events. Running events should begin around 11:45 a.m. and should last about three hours.
As far as the track’s condition, coach Rex Hohnholt said despite the weather, it’s ready to go.
There’s still a 100-yard long snowdrift at the south end that’ll force the team to delay installing the bleachers. Instead, teams and spectators can join each other on the already sodded, well-drained football field.
Likewise, snow and mud have prevented connecting the plumbing in the restrooms. Alternatives include the nearby locker rooms and several portable restrooms rented for the event.
“We won’t have any problems,” Hohnholt said, but “it’s impossible to fight Mother Nature. There is a lot of snow and a lot of mud still, but you’ve just got to roll with the punches.”
Having the track finished this season is important, since the old track is in poor shape, according to Hohnholt. “If we’d not gotten this facility this year, we’d have been in a world of hurt. The kids are tickled pink.”
Times staff writer
When the big snowstorms hit Saratoga, the coaches head to the new track, shovels in hand, to clear a path for the kids to run.
It’s been a snowy winter, but that won’t stop Saratoga’s track team from holding the school’s first invitational on Saturday. Scott Stevens, who hatched the project too build an all-weather track a decade ago, should be at the track’s inauguration.
Five to seven junior varsity and varsity teams should show up at the track, which is located west of Saratoga High School, at 9 a.m. for the field events. Running events should begin around 11:45 a.m. and should last about three hours.
As far as the track’s condition, coach Rex Hohnholt said despite the weather, it’s ready to go.
There’s still a 100-yard long snowdrift at the south end that’ll force the team to delay installing the bleachers. Instead, teams and spectators can join each other on the already sodded, well-drained football field.
Likewise, snow and mud have prevented connecting the plumbing in the restrooms. Alternatives include the nearby locker rooms and several portable restrooms rented for the event.
“We won’t have any problems,” Hohnholt said, but “it’s impossible to fight Mother Nature. There is a lot of snow and a lot of mud still, but you’ve just got to roll with the punches.”
Having the track finished this season is important, since the old track is in poor shape, according to Hohnholt. “If we’d not gotten this facility this year, we’d have been in a world of hurt. The kids are tickled pink.”
Social services to be featured on site
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
As part of an overarching effort to unify the community, a Web site featuring information on social help organizations is being developed.
Among other issues, community violence and the need to help parents care for children between 3 and 5 p.m. have led members of the Carbon County community to seek a centralized social help network.
The network could provide answers to seemingly increasing problems, said Stephanie Moles, director of The Woman’s Heart, an organization in Casper that provides physical and emotional aid to women and children struggling with abuse.
To address the need, Safe Homes, Safe Schools, Safe Communities, a committee formed to respond to bullying in schools, is working with The Woman’s Heart to create an online database of assistance organizations. Moles described it as a “home-grown Google with community flavor.”
According to Moles, the site is a tool to bring the community together.
“How do we get out of the problem and into the solution?” Moles asked. “It’s knowledge. And the Web site would provide that.”
Carbon County is among six counties to appear on the Web site, and it should be the first with its own home page. Moles made the decision because she saw a desire for community unity during her visits to the area.
Theresa Pacheco of Project Prevention provided the information for the site. Each year, she publishes contact information and lists of services for area organizations. Alcoholics Anonymous, Carbon County Public Health, the Rawlins Police Department, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Project Reach Early Intervention Center and Preschool, and Carbon County Child Development have appeared in the book’s pages.
Marilyn Vercimak, curriculum director for Carbon County School District 1, wants the information widely accessible.
“The site should have links on the county, city and school Web sites... any site where people go to get information,” she said.
Vercimak is overseeing the site’s progress, which is pegged for mid-May completion.
The Woman’s Heart plans to provide training on how to use the site and implement it, but funding should come from participating organizations.
“We want it to be viable, self-sustaining and hugely informative,” Moles said. Anyone who does not maintain their information will be removed from the database.
Times staff writer
As part of an overarching effort to unify the community, a Web site featuring information on social help organizations is being developed.
Among other issues, community violence and the need to help parents care for children between 3 and 5 p.m. have led members of the Carbon County community to seek a centralized social help network.
The network could provide answers to seemingly increasing problems, said Stephanie Moles, director of The Woman’s Heart, an organization in Casper that provides physical and emotional aid to women and children struggling with abuse.
To address the need, Safe Homes, Safe Schools, Safe Communities, a committee formed to respond to bullying in schools, is working with The Woman’s Heart to create an online database of assistance organizations. Moles described it as a “home-grown Google with community flavor.”
According to Moles, the site is a tool to bring the community together.
“How do we get out of the problem and into the solution?” Moles asked. “It’s knowledge. And the Web site would provide that.”
Carbon County is among six counties to appear on the Web site, and it should be the first with its own home page. Moles made the decision because she saw a desire for community unity during her visits to the area.
Theresa Pacheco of Project Prevention provided the information for the site. Each year, she publishes contact information and lists of services for area organizations. Alcoholics Anonymous, Carbon County Public Health, the Rawlins Police Department, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Project Reach Early Intervention Center and Preschool, and Carbon County Child Development have appeared in the book’s pages.
Marilyn Vercimak, curriculum director for Carbon County School District 1, wants the information widely accessible.
“The site should have links on the county, city and school Web sites... any site where people go to get information,” she said.
Vercimak is overseeing the site’s progress, which is pegged for mid-May completion.
The Woman’s Heart plans to provide training on how to use the site and implement it, but funding should come from participating organizations.
“We want it to be viable, self-sustaining and hugely informative,” Moles said. Anyone who does not maintain their information will be removed from the database.
Hospital wants to clean up butts
Times staff report
It wasn’t on the agenda, but on Tuesday, Memorial Hospital of Carbon County’s board members raised a concern: smoking around the hospital building.
“It’s nasty how many cigarette butts there are,” said Art Canaday, the board’s treasurer. “There are at least 100 on the ground by the main entrance.”
The hospital has three designated smoking areas, according to Chief Executive Officer Patsy Carter. But Canaday said the areas are not being used. If they are, no ashtrays are available.
The board members and hospital administrative staff were unsure whether it was employees or visitors contributing to the problem. However, Canaday said the area near the emergency room littered with cigarette butts was likely due to employees because it is largely inaccessible to visitors.
All agreed that action should be taken. Carter should address it with maintenance workers in their upcoming meeting.
“That’s a visitor’s first impression,” said Rex Baldwin, vice chairman of the board. “It’s not our ideal to see folks smoking outside the ER.”
Also at the meeting, board members:
• Were notified that research results for the Wyoming Healthcare Commission’s study on rural health policies will be delayed until December 2008. The hospital was originally supposed to see them in the summer.
• Agreed to increase the amount an employee pays for health insurance each month. To help cover a cost increase of more than $80,000, employees should see about 1 percent of their total pay period earnings allocated to cover the premium. Spouses and dependents should be unaffected.
• Heard the hospital staff is still working with the University of Wyoming to secure a summer externship to encourage new nurse recruits. Two soon-to-be nursing graduates from elsewhere in the state have shown interest in coming to the hospital.
• Were notified that the hospital is under new liability and malpractice insurance for the amount of $465,000. The cost is up from last year’s $338,000.
• Were told of a decrease in the amount of contracted labor. Chief Financial Officer Florence Kostic said it was due to the staff workers taking on extra shifts.
It wasn’t on the agenda, but on Tuesday, Memorial Hospital of Carbon County’s board members raised a concern: smoking around the hospital building.
“It’s nasty how many cigarette butts there are,” said Art Canaday, the board’s treasurer. “There are at least 100 on the ground by the main entrance.”
The hospital has three designated smoking areas, according to Chief Executive Officer Patsy Carter. But Canaday said the areas are not being used. If they are, no ashtrays are available.
The board members and hospital administrative staff were unsure whether it was employees or visitors contributing to the problem. However, Canaday said the area near the emergency room littered with cigarette butts was likely due to employees because it is largely inaccessible to visitors.
All agreed that action should be taken. Carter should address it with maintenance workers in their upcoming meeting.
“That’s a visitor’s first impression,” said Rex Baldwin, vice chairman of the board. “It’s not our ideal to see folks smoking outside the ER.”
Also at the meeting, board members:
• Were notified that research results for the Wyoming Healthcare Commission’s study on rural health policies will be delayed until December 2008. The hospital was originally supposed to see them in the summer.
• Agreed to increase the amount an employee pays for health insurance each month. To help cover a cost increase of more than $80,000, employees should see about 1 percent of their total pay period earnings allocated to cover the premium. Spouses and dependents should be unaffected.
• Heard the hospital staff is still working with the University of Wyoming to secure a summer externship to encourage new nurse recruits. Two soon-to-be nursing graduates from elsewhere in the state have shown interest in coming to the hospital.
• Were notified that the hospital is under new liability and malpractice insurance for the amount of $465,000. The cost is up from last year’s $338,000.
• Were told of a decrease in the amount of contracted labor. Chief Financial Officer Florence Kostic said it was due to the staff workers taking on extra shifts.
Valley health fair is Saturday
Times staff report
Saturday’s health fair in Saratoga is part of an ongoing effort to bring low-cost health screening exams to area residents.
With more than 20 agencies, organizations and health professionals scheduled to have booths at the event, the fair should cater to adults and children alike. Those who had their blood drawn earlier this year can pick up their results. To help individuals interpret their results, Dr. Diane Noton of the Platte Valley Medical Clinic plans to make a Power Point presentation.
The event will be from 9 a.m. to noon in the great hall of the Platte Valley Community Center and is open to the public.
Those who attend can pick up free, magnetic cards that contain a patient’s name, important medical information, insurance policy and Social Security Number. When a patient is unable to give necessary information, the cards can aid emergency medical staff in delivering quick, effective care .
At the event, children can have a bone density scan or have the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office take their fingerprints.
Attendees can also hear presentations on the nutritional benefits of the Mona Vie Health Vitamin Drink or find out how to create a healthy diet from the University of Wyoming’s Carbon County Cooperative Extension Nutrition Division.
There should also be a demonstration of Reiki, a Japanese practice of healing the spirit, which in turn heals the body.
The American Cancer Association, Carbon County Counseling Center, Ivinson Memorial Hospital, Platte Valley Helping Hands and the Saratoga—Encampment Ambulance Service are a sampling of other organizations that should be present.
Saturday’s health fair in Saratoga is part of an ongoing effort to bring low-cost health screening exams to area residents.
With more than 20 agencies, organizations and health professionals scheduled to have booths at the event, the fair should cater to adults and children alike. Those who had their blood drawn earlier this year can pick up their results. To help individuals interpret their results, Dr. Diane Noton of the Platte Valley Medical Clinic plans to make a Power Point presentation.
The event will be from 9 a.m. to noon in the great hall of the Platte Valley Community Center and is open to the public.
Those who attend can pick up free, magnetic cards that contain a patient’s name, important medical information, insurance policy and Social Security Number. When a patient is unable to give necessary information, the cards can aid emergency medical staff in delivering quick, effective care .
At the event, children can have a bone density scan or have the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office take their fingerprints.
Attendees can also hear presentations on the nutritional benefits of the Mona Vie Health Vitamin Drink or find out how to create a healthy diet from the University of Wyoming’s Carbon County Cooperative Extension Nutrition Division.
There should also be a demonstration of Reiki, a Japanese practice of healing the spirit, which in turn heals the body.
The American Cancer Association, Carbon County Counseling Center, Ivinson Memorial Hospital, Platte Valley Helping Hands and the Saratoga—Encampment Ambulance Service are a sampling of other organizations that should be present.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Tough Math
Front page
• School district’s recreation board sees funding requests soar.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Try getting this math problem to work: make more than $3 million equal to $1.3 million.
That is the task assigned to Carbon County School District 1 Recreation Board members.
Monday night saw the second half of 36 presentations by organizations requesting grants that originally totaled $3.1 million. According to board Chairman Jon Brown, that figure has been adjusted to about $2.8 million, but the requests still don’t fit into this year’s estimated budget of $1.3 million.
“We’ll be saying no’s or partial no’s to a lot of people,” Brown said. “(The requests) are taking us by storm.”
Many of the largest grant requests are for new or relatively new projects, such as $300,000 for a new beef barn at the Carbon County Fairgrounds in Rawlins. The Little Snake River Valley Community Center project originally hoped to get $750,000 from the board, but has since adjusted its request to $300,000. Rochelle Ranch Golf Course managers came before the board with a request for just above $500,000.
“If you take away these new projects,” Brown said, “then these requests would line up with previous years.” The 2007 budget was about the same as this year, but requests totaled just below $2 million.
Though there is no hard-and-fast criteria for selecting the board’s beneficiaries, Brown did outline some areas members look at closely.
“We look at their bang for the buck,” he said. “How many people do they affect?”
Also, projects that are consistently funded by the board are considered sooner.
An organization’s ability to do fundraising on it’s own is also important. The recreation board tries to encourage the understanding, particularly among kids that benefit, that nothing comes for free.
Groups doing bake sales or picking up trash for money are more favorably considered by the board. Likewise, adult organizations that can find companies to match grant money often have better chances.
Brown said grant applications need to be well defined. With so many cuts to be made, the board members want to know how the money will be spent. Successful grants often depend on whether board members get direct answers to their questions and clearly understand the organization’s intentions.
On May 12, the recreation board makes its final deliberations and announces its 2008-09 beneficiaries.
• School district’s recreation board sees funding requests soar.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Try getting this math problem to work: make more than $3 million equal to $1.3 million.
That is the task assigned to Carbon County School District 1 Recreation Board members.
Monday night saw the second half of 36 presentations by organizations requesting grants that originally totaled $3.1 million. According to board Chairman Jon Brown, that figure has been adjusted to about $2.8 million, but the requests still don’t fit into this year’s estimated budget of $1.3 million.
“We’ll be saying no’s or partial no’s to a lot of people,” Brown said. “(The requests) are taking us by storm.”
Many of the largest grant requests are for new or relatively new projects, such as $300,000 for a new beef barn at the Carbon County Fairgrounds in Rawlins. The Little Snake River Valley Community Center project originally hoped to get $750,000 from the board, but has since adjusted its request to $300,000. Rochelle Ranch Golf Course managers came before the board with a request for just above $500,000.
“If you take away these new projects,” Brown said, “then these requests would line up with previous years.” The 2007 budget was about the same as this year, but requests totaled just below $2 million.
Though there is no hard-and-fast criteria for selecting the board’s beneficiaries, Brown did outline some areas members look at closely.
“We look at their bang for the buck,” he said. “How many people do they affect?”
Also, projects that are consistently funded by the board are considered sooner.
An organization’s ability to do fundraising on it’s own is also important. The recreation board tries to encourage the understanding, particularly among kids that benefit, that nothing comes for free.
Groups doing bake sales or picking up trash for money are more favorably considered by the board. Likewise, adult organizations that can find companies to match grant money often have better chances.
Brown said grant applications need to be well defined. With so many cuts to be made, the board members want to know how the money will be spent. Successful grants often depend on whether board members get direct answers to their questions and clearly understand the organization’s intentions.
On May 12, the recreation board makes its final deliberations and announces its 2008-09 beneficiaries.
School lunch is all about balance
Rawlins Daily Times, Jerret RaffetyBy Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Making school lunches is a balance between what the kids want and what the kids need.
“I’d rather them eat something rather than eat nothing,” said Donna Taylor, Carbon County School District 1 lunch program director, who tries to incorporate decades-old U.S. Department of Agriculture food guidelines into a tight food budget.
In her 20th year of creating lunches for students, Taylor tries hard to make lunches that are suitable for them. In terms of keeping the kids healthy, she thinks she’s successful. Particularly when the kids would rather go to Taco John’s or McDonald’s than hit the cafeteria.
“The kids are fast-food prone around here,” she said.
Thus, the idea of serving Domino’s pizza three times a week was born, something that has received matching praise and criticism from students. Some think its the only edible thing on the menu, while others nearly gag when they think about their Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with the pies.
“I don’t think pizza falls under the healthy category,” said freshman Shannon Neal. If she and Justin Burgess could leave campus for lunch, they would. But unlike many of their peers, they would head home or to the grocery store.
With more than 1,000 kids to serve daily, Taylor faces a roadblock that her staff in Baggs can avoid. Taylor has to decide what will hold over several hours of lunches and in transit to the Sinclair Elementary School. On the other hand, LeAnn Adams at the Little Snake River Valley School can provide fresh, home-cooked meals to her crowd of around 100.
On pizza days, which are few and far between for the kids in Baggs, Adams admits she spoils the children.
“It’s homemade,” she said. “I avoid putting butter in the pans, I stay away from whole cheese and use real tomatoes.” To meet USDA guidelines for protein, she sometimes adds meats.
While Taylor often relies on state-subsidized products like chicken nuggets, patties and hamburger — all of which meet state health guidelines and are selected from taste tests — Adams tries her best to avoid simply popping frozen burritos into the oven for a quick serve.
Instead, she works throughout the morning to produce ham fried rice or chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles.
“It’s a lot of work for even just a small school,” she said.
Fitting it all into the budget is hard work as well. When the accounts payable for the district lists a payment of more than $5,000 to Domino’s, questions appear. Taylor says she counteracts the 50 cents per pizza slice with fruits and vegetables that cost two cents per serving.
Her goal is to keep the daily cost of food less than $2 per meal. But, she said, that’s getting difficult when, for instance, the cost of flour has nearly tripled since the beginning of the school year.
Taylor brings the students into the equation alongside the state guidelines. Last year, middle school students visited the kitchen with self-created menus. Taylor reviewed her budget and health restrictions before asking them to read their menus. She then helped them decide which of their menus was feasible.
“It’s usually part of the health program,” Taylor said. “(The visit) led to the salad bar and lowering the number of times we serve pizza at the middle school.”
Opinions vary
Of a sampling of Rawlins High School students, the majority can think of better foods to eat than what they get in the cafeteria.
“I wish we had more options,” said freshman Allen Jennings. “I eat it because I’m hungry.”
Most of the students who stick around for lunch at the high school agreed. Some freshmen, like Zack Nelson, wished for meals that better resembled home cooking.
While the reactions were mixed on whether pizza three times a week was acceptable, few reacted to the other options offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Except freshman Sabrina Homewood, who thinks School Lunch Program Director Donna Taylor’s hamburgers are “pretty good.”
Still, there is criticism. Freshman Justin Burgess thought the state guidelines should be updated. Upperclassman Sukhi Kaur wants there to be more variety and quantity. “The freshmen eat it all,” she said. “There’s nothing left by the time we get there.”
Taylor said her meals are healthy when students take advantage of all the options. “Some do and some don’t,” she said. “It’s their choice.” On Tuesday, one student illustrated her point when he wandered out of the cafeteria with a tray stocked with mashed potatoes drenched in hamburger gravy and two rolls.
Students and staff celebrate Earth Day
Rawlins Daily Times, Jerret Raffety• Middle-schoolers, teachers and CCHEC staff picked up trash in honor of Earth Day.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Through the light haze that spread its blanket across the city Tuesday morning, passersby could see the faint dots of people carrying large black sacks and moving through the empty acreage between Rawlins Middle School and U.S. Highway 287.
On Earth Day, the staff at the Carbon County Higher Education Center teamed with Rawlins Middle School sixth-graders to clean a stretch of Rawlins littered with, well, litter.
Divided into small platoons of a larger litter army, the kids scattered themselves throughout the trash-entwined, prickly bushes. Their project extended east from the school’s campus, stretched across the south end of the ball fields to Murray Street, and stopped just west of the highway.
“These gloves are going to be red by the time we’re done!” said sixth-grader Ashlee Hicks, who was enjoying the event with friend Tabitha Smith. They were wearing turquoise surgical gloves that kept getting snagged on the unforgiving branches.
Adorned in jeans and sweatshirts to celebrate the day, the higher education staff chatted amongst themselves and with the kids. Exclamations about the amount of McDonald’s paper goods and plastic grocery bags drifted through the air.
“It’s amazing how much people litter,” one student said to no one in particular.
CCHEC Director Dave Throgmorton answered him. “Sometimes they don’t mean to, you know. Sometimes the wind gets it and carries...” His voice drifted away with the breeze.
Simone Franklin and Amanda Meis, both students at Rawlins Middle School, were enjoying the time away from class. “We don’t have to do work,” they said. Soon, they would eat lunch and then go to a few afternoon classes, including choir, art, physical education and Spanish.
Nearer to the school was Stephanie Brandner’s first-hour language arts class. Each student carried a sack and looked like mini Santa Clauses from afar.
“They’re just like little recycling trolls,” Brandner said.
Design recommendations on tap
Times staff report
Construction should be at the forefront of discussions on Thursday at the Carbon County District 1 School Board meeting.
The meeting is open to the public and should be held at 6 p.m. in the board room of the District 1 central administration office on Rodeo Street.
Brad Oberg, planning consultant for the new Rawlins elementary school complex, should give a presentation outlining his design recommendations. Through a series of meetings with representatives from each department, Oberg has developed a list of prioritized needs for the school.
Tying into the school’s planning, the School Board should hear a presentation from Rick Vancleeve, a representative from Pine Cove Consulting, about the possible contract between the technology consulting firm and the district.
At the meeting, board members should also:
• Appoint a selection committee to choose the district’s construction manager for the elementary school project.
• Vote on awarding a contract to replace one of Rawlins High School’s gym boilers.
• Hear a presentation from the Little Snake River Valley School representatives about final concerns with the four-day school week possibility.
Construction should be at the forefront of discussions on Thursday at the Carbon County District 1 School Board meeting.
The meeting is open to the public and should be held at 6 p.m. in the board room of the District 1 central administration office on Rodeo Street.
Brad Oberg, planning consultant for the new Rawlins elementary school complex, should give a presentation outlining his design recommendations. Through a series of meetings with representatives from each department, Oberg has developed a list of prioritized needs for the school.
Tying into the school’s planning, the School Board should hear a presentation from Rick Vancleeve, a representative from Pine Cove Consulting, about the possible contract between the technology consulting firm and the district.
At the meeting, board members should also:
• Appoint a selection committee to choose the district’s construction manager for the elementary school project.
• Vote on awarding a contract to replace one of Rawlins High School’s gym boilers.
• Hear a presentation from the Little Snake River Valley School representatives about final concerns with the four-day school week possibility.
Monday, April 21, 2008
County has high potential
An front-page article that got picked up by the Laramie Boomerang. My first wire story!
• Study gives Carbon County high marks for renewable energy potential.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Carbon County’s renewable energy potential is among the best in the state, according to a report released by Colorado College.
The State of the Rockies Report Card, an annual student research project, publishes data from agencies like the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. The report card issues grades according to each county’s renewable energy potential.
Along with eight other Wyoming counties, Carbon County received an “A” for its wind potential. Not far behind was its solar potential with an “A-minus.” Fremont County was the only county in Wyoming to get an “A” for solar power. Receiving a grade of “B-plus” for geothermal potential, Carbon County and five others charted just behind Campbell and Fremont counties.
Most of the Western states have focused on developing wind power, according to the report. Often, it is to the neglect of other renewable resources, such as solar power, the potential for which is greater in the West than some of the leading areas in solar energy development. But wind is the most cost effective for large-scale energy production.
“The solar in Wyoming is good,” said Elizabeth Kolbe, a Colorado College researcher, “but as far as putting in utility-scale arrays, it may not be the best choice. Wind turbines create more energy per unit than solar panels and are cheaper to build.”
Jeff Hymas, spokesman for Rocky Mountain Power, said one way to take advantage of the solar potential in high-scoring counties is for homeowners to invest.
Rocky Mountain Power offers a meter that measures the energy generated by a home with solar panels. If the panels produce more energy than the home uses, it goes back into the grid and the homeowner gets an energy bill credit. Those who invest in such a system can generally expect a 10- to 15-year return on their investment. The program also works for wind turbines.
Geothermal power is another story altogether. According to Kolbe, geothermal development is difficult because much of the land with the most potential is in public or protected areas.
Currently, Rocky Mountain Power operates just one geothermal plant in Utah. Hymas said it is financially risky to invest in a drilling project because there is no guarantee of what is underground.
The report pinpointed Wyoming as the state with the highest dependence on coal energy: 97 percent. Rocky Mountain Power, the company that provides the majority of Wyoming’s power, showed a figure of 65 percent.
Rocky Mountain Power hopes to reduce the presence of coal in its energy mix by 20 percent throughout the next five years, Hymas said.
Five of the eight states Kolbe studied have state-mandated goals for increasing renewable energy usage over time, known as renewable portfolio standards. Wyoming is one of the three states without such standards.
Kolbe attributed Wyoming’s lag in renewable progress to its extensive coal fields. Because the coal resources are some of the largest in the world and still a profitable resource, the incentive to move toward renewable energy isn’t strong.
“But Wyoming also has some of the best wind in the world,” she said. “So it might take awhile (to bring down coal usage), but a lot of it starts with government mandates and with people doing what they think is right for the environment.”
• Study gives Carbon County high marks for renewable energy potential.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Carbon County’s renewable energy potential is among the best in the state, according to a report released by Colorado College.
The State of the Rockies Report Card, an annual student research project, publishes data from agencies like the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. The report card issues grades according to each county’s renewable energy potential.
Along with eight other Wyoming counties, Carbon County received an “A” for its wind potential. Not far behind was its solar potential with an “A-minus.” Fremont County was the only county in Wyoming to get an “A” for solar power. Receiving a grade of “B-plus” for geothermal potential, Carbon County and five others charted just behind Campbell and Fremont counties.
Most of the Western states have focused on developing wind power, according to the report. Often, it is to the neglect of other renewable resources, such as solar power, the potential for which is greater in the West than some of the leading areas in solar energy development. But wind is the most cost effective for large-scale energy production.
“The solar in Wyoming is good,” said Elizabeth Kolbe, a Colorado College researcher, “but as far as putting in utility-scale arrays, it may not be the best choice. Wind turbines create more energy per unit than solar panels and are cheaper to build.”
Jeff Hymas, spokesman for Rocky Mountain Power, said one way to take advantage of the solar potential in high-scoring counties is for homeowners to invest.
Rocky Mountain Power offers a meter that measures the energy generated by a home with solar panels. If the panels produce more energy than the home uses, it goes back into the grid and the homeowner gets an energy bill credit. Those who invest in such a system can generally expect a 10- to 15-year return on their investment. The program also works for wind turbines.
Geothermal power is another story altogether. According to Kolbe, geothermal development is difficult because much of the land with the most potential is in public or protected areas.
Currently, Rocky Mountain Power operates just one geothermal plant in Utah. Hymas said it is financially risky to invest in a drilling project because there is no guarantee of what is underground.
The report pinpointed Wyoming as the state with the highest dependence on coal energy: 97 percent. Rocky Mountain Power, the company that provides the majority of Wyoming’s power, showed a figure of 65 percent.
Rocky Mountain Power hopes to reduce the presence of coal in its energy mix by 20 percent throughout the next five years, Hymas said.
Five of the eight states Kolbe studied have state-mandated goals for increasing renewable energy usage over time, known as renewable portfolio standards. Wyoming is one of the three states without such standards.
Kolbe attributed Wyoming’s lag in renewable progress to its extensive coal fields. Because the coal resources are some of the largest in the world and still a profitable resource, the incentive to move toward renewable energy isn’t strong.
“But Wyoming also has some of the best wind in the world,” she said. “So it might take awhile (to bring down coal usage), but a lot of it starts with government mandates and with people doing what they think is right for the environment.”
Friday, April 18, 2008
Hospital board meets Tuesday
Times staff report
Memorial Hospital of Carbon County board members should meet with a physician recruiting agency on Tuesday in the hospital’s board room to discuss how to attract doctors to the area.
The meeting begins at 5:15 p.m. and is open to the public.
In the ongoing national shortage of both physicians and nurses, rural hospitals have a difficult time standing out. To bolster its hiring effort, hospital officials have decided to consult with a band of experts.
Merritt Hawkins & Associates should present options based on a review of the hospital’s programs and incentives.
Chairman of the Board Mike Reed said the company is versed in matching personalities with communities.
“If you can find someone who loves the small-community environment with fishing and snowmobiling, they’re a better match for this area than someone who grew up around skyscrapers and loves being around them,” he said.
Also at the meeting, board members should:
• Hear a report from Alysia Kampbell, coordinator of the health fair, on the results of this year’s event.
• Listen to an update on the energy-savings project from construction consultant Joe Jones.
• Evaluate the quarterly quality improvement report compiled from data reported to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
Memorial Hospital of Carbon County board members should meet with a physician recruiting agency on Tuesday in the hospital’s board room to discuss how to attract doctors to the area.
The meeting begins at 5:15 p.m. and is open to the public.
In the ongoing national shortage of both physicians and nurses, rural hospitals have a difficult time standing out. To bolster its hiring effort, hospital officials have decided to consult with a band of experts.
Merritt Hawkins & Associates should present options based on a review of the hospital’s programs and incentives.
Chairman of the Board Mike Reed said the company is versed in matching personalities with communities.
“If you can find someone who loves the small-community environment with fishing and snowmobiling, they’re a better match for this area than someone who grew up around skyscrapers and loves being around them,” he said.
Also at the meeting, board members should:
• Hear a report from Alysia Kampbell, coordinator of the health fair, on the results of this year’s event.
• Listen to an update on the energy-savings project from construction consultant Joe Jones.
• Evaluate the quarterly quality improvement report compiled from data reported to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Agriculture Expo Teaser
Rawlins Daily Times, Jerret RaffetyRoping's all about practice
Rawlins Daily Times, Jerret RaffetyBy Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
The whip, snap and subsequent swish of the rope pulling tight startled the rowdy kids nearby.
Yancey Weber quickly stepped back, instinctively bracing himself against the roping dummy as though it might tug against its restraint.
“You stud!” called Cindy Cobb, Weber’s teacher at Little Snake River Valley School.
Weber’s been roping since he turned 4, getting the initial know-how from his father and learning the rest from watching others. The 10-year-old travels across the state to compete. His friend, Zach Peed, learned from ranching friends in Craig, Colo. He’s good at roping, he said, but can’t do any of Weber’s tricks yet.
The two boys stood out amongst the hundreds of fourth-graders who passed through Kurt Olson’s cattle roping demonstration at the Agriculture Expo, an event held Thursday at the Carbon County Fairgrounds designed to teach fourth-graders about agriculture.
According to Weber and Peed, roping doesn’t always come naturally.
“You can only get so far with a teacher,” Peed said. “Then you just have to practice and practice.” Also a skateboarder, he said learning to do roping tricks like the butterfly or the wedding ring was like figuring out how to do a kickflip or ollie on the board.
Is it hard to compete? Peed nodded quickly, but Weber was skeptical. Rather than go for the feet, a harder target, he prefers to pull the steer down by the neck.
USDA works to protect our food
• Thursday’s Agriculture Expo featured a presentation explaining how the USDA wards off predators.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Somewhere in Carbon County, a child’s father was bit by the bogeyman.
“I asked the kids how big of a trap they needed for that,” said Dan Braig with a chuckle. Braig represented the U.S. Department of Agriculture at Thursday’s Agriculture Expo held at the Carbon County Fairgrounds for area school children.
Emphasizing non-lethal methods of handling predators, Braig had a captive audience for each of his 15-minute slide-show presentations.
“We’ll put a propane cannon around places where birds are a nuisance to raising fish or contaminating grain, and every half hour, BANG!” he exclaimed, making kids jump from their seats. He grinned. “Just like that,” he said. According to Braig, it generally takes awhile to train the birds that they should make a new home.
After the presentation, students were allowed to look at pelts adorning the front table.
His hand sliding down the mottled wolf fur, Slater Kaisler of Little Snake River Valley School listed the animals he’d seen in the wild. Among them were badgers, beavers, muskrats, bobcats, coyotes and raccoons.
“I’ve also seen a skunk,” he said. “I shot it with a .22.”
When asked if they stink when they’re shot, he nodded. “Yeah,” he answered.
According to Braig, the presentation was designed to get the kids to think about where their food comes from and that it often needs protection. When the USDA gets a call about someone losing money because of animal trouble, officials try their best to use one of many non-lethal control methods.
Food is a powerful thing, though, and can lead the animals back time and time again.
“They’re just like men,” Braid said. “They take the path of least resistance too.” He said the USDA’s goal is to simply make life uncomfortable enough for the animals that they’ll find food elsewhere. If the animal continues to make trouble, they kill it.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Somewhere in Carbon County, a child’s father was bit by the bogeyman.
“I asked the kids how big of a trap they needed for that,” said Dan Braig with a chuckle. Braig represented the U.S. Department of Agriculture at Thursday’s Agriculture Expo held at the Carbon County Fairgrounds for area school children.
Emphasizing non-lethal methods of handling predators, Braig had a captive audience for each of his 15-minute slide-show presentations.
“We’ll put a propane cannon around places where birds are a nuisance to raising fish or contaminating grain, and every half hour, BANG!” he exclaimed, making kids jump from their seats. He grinned. “Just like that,” he said. According to Braig, it generally takes awhile to train the birds that they should make a new home.
After the presentation, students were allowed to look at pelts adorning the front table.
His hand sliding down the mottled wolf fur, Slater Kaisler of Little Snake River Valley School listed the animals he’d seen in the wild. Among them were badgers, beavers, muskrats, bobcats, coyotes and raccoons.
“I’ve also seen a skunk,” he said. “I shot it with a .22.”
When asked if they stink when they’re shot, he nodded. “Yeah,” he answered.
According to Braig, the presentation was designed to get the kids to think about where their food comes from and that it often needs protection. When the USDA gets a call about someone losing money because of animal trouble, officials try their best to use one of many non-lethal control methods.
Food is a powerful thing, though, and can lead the animals back time and time again.
“They’re just like men,” Braid said. “They take the path of least resistance too.” He said the USDA’s goal is to simply make life uncomfortable enough for the animals that they’ll find food elsewhere. If the animal continues to make trouble, they kill it.
Post-surgery care eyed at hospital
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Memorial Hospital of Carbon County’s contract has been renewed for another three-year evaluation by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
Called the 9th Scope of Work, the period should focus on reducing complications after surgery. It is part of a two-decade-old effort to ensure taxpayers and beneficiaries receive quality care through Medicare and Medicaid.
The hospital was chosen because, statistically speaking, it shows room for improvement, according to Mike Sierberg, public information officer for the Denver office of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. Hospitals were selected based on the likelihood of antibiotics being started and discontinued within an allotted amount of time. Low scores on these often mean low scores on other measures, he said.
“This doesn’t mean that Memorial Hospital is doing poorly,” Sierberg said. “It’s possible that they scored low on these measures for Wyoming, but fit into a higher percentile nationwide. We still have to pick some from each state.”
The Rawlins hospital was selected along with Ivinson Memorial Hospital, Evanston Regional Hospital and Powell Valley Hospital.
Hospital Quality Director Tracy Peterson said she doesn’t know why the facility was chosen, since, according to her data, it measures up to other area hospitals. However, she said, the hospital is participating because the project can help it improve.
Based on feedback from care providers, including nurses, surgeons and a nurse anesthesiologist, the administration should be able to prioritize the 16 areas of improvement identified by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
Mountain Pacific Quality Health, a quality-improvement organization contracted with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, is assisting the project. With an office in Cheyenne, the consulting organization should be able to provide advice for improvement.
Since Mountain Pacific is responsible for hospitals throughout Wyoming as well as Hawaii, Alaska and Montana, Peterson sees it as a good source of information.
“We can share information,” she said. “They can make suggestions of what works. Another hospital may have come up with a really good idea and we can adopt it.”
Times staff writer
Memorial Hospital of Carbon County’s contract has been renewed for another three-year evaluation by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
Called the 9th Scope of Work, the period should focus on reducing complications after surgery. It is part of a two-decade-old effort to ensure taxpayers and beneficiaries receive quality care through Medicare and Medicaid.
The hospital was chosen because, statistically speaking, it shows room for improvement, according to Mike Sierberg, public information officer for the Denver office of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. Hospitals were selected based on the likelihood of antibiotics being started and discontinued within an allotted amount of time. Low scores on these often mean low scores on other measures, he said.
“This doesn’t mean that Memorial Hospital is doing poorly,” Sierberg said. “It’s possible that they scored low on these measures for Wyoming, but fit into a higher percentile nationwide. We still have to pick some from each state.”
The Rawlins hospital was selected along with Ivinson Memorial Hospital, Evanston Regional Hospital and Powell Valley Hospital.
Hospital Quality Director Tracy Peterson said she doesn’t know why the facility was chosen, since, according to her data, it measures up to other area hospitals. However, she said, the hospital is participating because the project can help it improve.
Based on feedback from care providers, including nurses, surgeons and a nurse anesthesiologist, the administration should be able to prioritize the 16 areas of improvement identified by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
Mountain Pacific Quality Health, a quality-improvement organization contracted with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, is assisting the project. With an office in Cheyenne, the consulting organization should be able to provide advice for improvement.
Since Mountain Pacific is responsible for hospitals throughout Wyoming as well as Hawaii, Alaska and Montana, Peterson sees it as a good source of information.
“We can share information,” she said. “They can make suggestions of what works. Another hospital may have come up with a really good idea and we can adopt it.”
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Concurrent enrollment encouraged by director
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Dave Throgmorton’s presentation about furthering concurrent and dual enrollment shook the Carbon County District 1 School Board room like an earthquake last week.
“The county is flush with money from the energy boom,” said Throgmorton, Carbon County Higher Education Center director. “We want to use the tax dollars to create vocational, community and K through 12 programs. I really want to blur the line between the reality we see and the reality we’d like to see, between the community and the school.”
At no cost to them, District 1 students could earn an associate’s degree before they graduate high school. To do so, they can enroll in courses that count for high school and college credits simultaneously.
“They save in tuition, fees and books,” said Patty Pedersen, CCHEC’s student services coordinator. “They also save in dorm rooms. And they become prepared for college level courses.”
To dually enroll, students must take a course during an elective period or outside of school hours. Taught by a college professor, the student earns the college credits, but is limited to one elective credit on their high school transcript. Students must pay tuition for this type of enrollment. If they maintain the right grade, the higher education board reimburses the course fees.
Concurrent enrollment, on the other hand, allows students to earn full credit in high school and college by taking a course under what Pedersen called a “high school professor.” The secondary education teacher is a qualified college professor for such classes.
In District 1, Little Snake River Valley School has two teachers who offer concurrent enrollment. Rawlins High School has none.
This semester, Carbon County schools had a total of 24 students concurrently enrolled. Six were enrolled in Baggs and the remainder were in Carbon County School District 2. To compare, Uinta County high schools have 108 concurrently enrolled students and Fremont County high schools have 550.
Throgmorton and Pedersen hope District 1 parents and the school board push to develop the concurrent enrollment in particular, since it has no price tag for anyone involved. It does, however, require teachers to put in the extra work to become college certified and challenge students at the next level.
Times staff writer
Dave Throgmorton’s presentation about furthering concurrent and dual enrollment shook the Carbon County District 1 School Board room like an earthquake last week.
“The county is flush with money from the energy boom,” said Throgmorton, Carbon County Higher Education Center director. “We want to use the tax dollars to create vocational, community and K through 12 programs. I really want to blur the line between the reality we see and the reality we’d like to see, between the community and the school.”
At no cost to them, District 1 students could earn an associate’s degree before they graduate high school. To do so, they can enroll in courses that count for high school and college credits simultaneously.
“They save in tuition, fees and books,” said Patty Pedersen, CCHEC’s student services coordinator. “They also save in dorm rooms. And they become prepared for college level courses.”
To dually enroll, students must take a course during an elective period or outside of school hours. Taught by a college professor, the student earns the college credits, but is limited to one elective credit on their high school transcript. Students must pay tuition for this type of enrollment. If they maintain the right grade, the higher education board reimburses the course fees.
Concurrent enrollment, on the other hand, allows students to earn full credit in high school and college by taking a course under what Pedersen called a “high school professor.” The secondary education teacher is a qualified college professor for such classes.
In District 1, Little Snake River Valley School has two teachers who offer concurrent enrollment. Rawlins High School has none.
This semester, Carbon County schools had a total of 24 students concurrently enrolled. Six were enrolled in Baggs and the remainder were in Carbon County School District 2. To compare, Uinta County high schools have 108 concurrently enrolled students and Fremont County high schools have 550.
Throgmorton and Pedersen hope District 1 parents and the school board push to develop the concurrent enrollment in particular, since it has no price tag for anyone involved. It does, however, require teachers to put in the extra work to become college certified and challenge students at the next level.
New teacher, new programs?
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
A new hire at Saratoga Middle High School could mean an overhaul of the industrial arts program by August.
The Carbon County District 2 School Board recently approved a contract for Scott Bokelman, who taught industrial technology for 24 years in Nebraska and Texas.
Currently, the program focuses on woodworking and drafting, but Saratoga Principal Larry Uhling hopes to expand into electronics, manufacturing and other technical areas. The new program would be called industrial technology.
Uhling, who has a technical background, has an idea of how he wants to see the program develop.
“I want to bring in a new perspective,” he said. “We should keep education exciting and deal with things that are happening now. Not that we don’t still have jobs that require pounding nails or turning spindles on a wood lathe, but jobs are changing in the 21st century, and we need a career program that is alive and viable.”
With the help of Bokelman and Dave Urasky, vocational educator at the Carbon County Higher Education Center, the program should take shape this summer. First, Uhling has to wait for the school year to finish and for Bokelman to finish his contract in Nebraska.
Uhling hopes the partnership with Urasky will help avoid pitfalls as the program unfolds. The two schools should also be able to work together to provide unique programs.
Uhling mentioned the possibility of introducing solid modeling at Saratoga, but executing the designs remotely, using CCHEC’s computerized lathe.
“There is a lot of work to be done,” Uhling said.
Times staff writer
A new hire at Saratoga Middle High School could mean an overhaul of the industrial arts program by August.
The Carbon County District 2 School Board recently approved a contract for Scott Bokelman, who taught industrial technology for 24 years in Nebraska and Texas.
Currently, the program focuses on woodworking and drafting, but Saratoga Principal Larry Uhling hopes to expand into electronics, manufacturing and other technical areas. The new program would be called industrial technology.
Uhling, who has a technical background, has an idea of how he wants to see the program develop.
“I want to bring in a new perspective,” he said. “We should keep education exciting and deal with things that are happening now. Not that we don’t still have jobs that require pounding nails or turning spindles on a wood lathe, but jobs are changing in the 21st century, and we need a career program that is alive and viable.”
With the help of Bokelman and Dave Urasky, vocational educator at the Carbon County Higher Education Center, the program should take shape this summer. First, Uhling has to wait for the school year to finish and for Bokelman to finish his contract in Nebraska.
Uhling hopes the partnership with Urasky will help avoid pitfalls as the program unfolds. The two schools should also be able to work together to provide unique programs.
Uhling mentioned the possibility of introducing solid modeling at Saratoga, but executing the designs remotely, using CCHEC’s computerized lathe.
“There is a lot of work to be done,” Uhling said.
New school project pushing forward
Times staff report
The Carbon County District 1 School Board approved a contract to help find a construction manager for the new Rawlins elementary school project during a meeting last week.
The partnership with Bill Brown of Preconstruction Services should ease administrative efforts in the selection process. Brown should work with a committee from the district administration office, the schools, the School Facilities Commission and the district’s architecture firm to choose the applicant.
“It’s a big chore and a big decision to choose someone to help with building $20 million of elementary schools,” said Garry Goergen, business manager for the district.
Also at the meeting, School Board members:
• Scheduled the annual meeting with the certified teaching staff to discuss benefits, salaries and other financial issues, which should be held at 5 p.m. Thursday in the Carbon County Library. It is open to the public. The board members should discuss and vote on the staff concerns at 6 p.m. in the board room of the central administration office on Rodeo Street.
• Postponed a presentation from planning architect Brad Oberg on the design recommendations for the elementary schools. The presentation was based on a set of individual meetings with representatives from each department of the school.
• Reviewed, but delayed the approval of a revised policy concerning support staff leaves and absences until the district’s attorney verifies its compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act.
• Discussed and voted to hold approval of the Pine Cove Consulting technology support contract until the contract reads that no work will be done unilaterally, in order to avoid additional costs.
• Transferred the chief operating officer role to Associate Superintendent Neil Terhune in the prolonged absence of Superintendent Peggy Sanders. In her stead, Terhune will have authority matching that of the superintendent.
• Approved the expulsion of a Rawlins High School student.
The Carbon County District 1 School Board approved a contract to help find a construction manager for the new Rawlins elementary school project during a meeting last week.
The partnership with Bill Brown of Preconstruction Services should ease administrative efforts in the selection process. Brown should work with a committee from the district administration office, the schools, the School Facilities Commission and the district’s architecture firm to choose the applicant.
“It’s a big chore and a big decision to choose someone to help with building $20 million of elementary schools,” said Garry Goergen, business manager for the district.
Also at the meeting, School Board members:
• Scheduled the annual meeting with the certified teaching staff to discuss benefits, salaries and other financial issues, which should be held at 5 p.m. Thursday in the Carbon County Library. It is open to the public. The board members should discuss and vote on the staff concerns at 6 p.m. in the board room of the central administration office on Rodeo Street.
• Postponed a presentation from planning architect Brad Oberg on the design recommendations for the elementary schools. The presentation was based on a set of individual meetings with representatives from each department of the school.
• Reviewed, but delayed the approval of a revised policy concerning support staff leaves and absences until the district’s attorney verifies its compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act.
• Discussed and voted to hold approval of the Pine Cove Consulting technology support contract until the contract reads that no work will be done unilaterally, in order to avoid additional costs.
• Transferred the chief operating officer role to Associate Superintendent Neil Terhune in the prolonged absence of Superintendent Peggy Sanders. In her stead, Terhune will have authority matching that of the superintendent.
• Approved the expulsion of a Rawlins High School student.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Teens can get college credits
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
The Carbon County Higher Education Center is the first Wyoming school to offer its pre-engineering high school students a chance to earn college credit through Project Lead the Way.
Project Lead the Way is a national organization that standardizes the program for participating schools. It is recognized by 35 universities across the country. Gail Parsons, the organization’s director of program quality, visited CCHEC on Monday to evaluate the school.
If the school fulfilled a set of guidelines, including proper curriculum, equipment and administration, it passed the test.
“You made it,” she said. Hearing this, John Larson, the program’s teacher, looked back at Parsons blankly, clearly exhausted from the rigorous in-class examination. “You made it,” she repeated.
Larson, vocational educator Dave Urasky and CCHEC Director Dave Throgmorton were all smiles when the news came out.
As a certified school, CCHEC’s students can opt to take an additional final examination upon completion of the course. If the student passes by at least 70 percent, they earn college credit. Any of the 35 affiliate schools will recognize the student’s work in Carbon County.
The program is different from the dual enrollment or concurrent enrollment currently offered by the higher education center. In these, students take a class understanding that their year-end mark will appear on their transcript.
Instead, Project Lead the Way’s program is akin to advanced placement courses because students can choose to take the exam at the end of their course. That score determines whether the student’s work is accepted at the college level.
“If they bomb the exam, it goes into the trash,” Larson said.
In order to teach Project Lead the Way curriculum, Larson must become certified in the course he wants to provide. That means his summer should be full of Project Lead the Way course work in order to add a third class — digital electronics — to his repertoire.
Parsons was impressed with CCHEC’s ability to become the first certified school in Wyoming, given the size of its community.
“It shows you don’t have to be urban to run the program,” Parsons said. She attributed much of the program’s success to the work and enthusiasm of Larson.
Becoming certified means Throgmorton and Urasky have room to let their ideas flourish. They plan to establish an advisory committee to guide the growth of the program. Middle and elementary school curriculum is available, and the CCHEC administrators hope to use it to jump start students’ interest in engineering and technology.
Parsons believed the program could attract women, too. “Draw them in by showing them they can make the world better,” she said. “The coolness of the design doesn’t always cut it for them.”
Throgmorton hopes it will open opportunities for the community to explore their interests in unusual ways. “If the students think it, they can do it,” he said. He referred to one student who is nearly finished with a full-sized electric guitar.
Times staff writer
The Carbon County Higher Education Center is the first Wyoming school to offer its pre-engineering high school students a chance to earn college credit through Project Lead the Way.
Project Lead the Way is a national organization that standardizes the program for participating schools. It is recognized by 35 universities across the country. Gail Parsons, the organization’s director of program quality, visited CCHEC on Monday to evaluate the school.
If the school fulfilled a set of guidelines, including proper curriculum, equipment and administration, it passed the test.
“You made it,” she said. Hearing this, John Larson, the program’s teacher, looked back at Parsons blankly, clearly exhausted from the rigorous in-class examination. “You made it,” she repeated.
Larson, vocational educator Dave Urasky and CCHEC Director Dave Throgmorton were all smiles when the news came out.
As a certified school, CCHEC’s students can opt to take an additional final examination upon completion of the course. If the student passes by at least 70 percent, they earn college credit. Any of the 35 affiliate schools will recognize the student’s work in Carbon County.
The program is different from the dual enrollment or concurrent enrollment currently offered by the higher education center. In these, students take a class understanding that their year-end mark will appear on their transcript.
Instead, Project Lead the Way’s program is akin to advanced placement courses because students can choose to take the exam at the end of their course. That score determines whether the student’s work is accepted at the college level.
“If they bomb the exam, it goes into the trash,” Larson said.
In order to teach Project Lead the Way curriculum, Larson must become certified in the course he wants to provide. That means his summer should be full of Project Lead the Way course work in order to add a third class — digital electronics — to his repertoire.
Parsons was impressed with CCHEC’s ability to become the first certified school in Wyoming, given the size of its community.
“It shows you don’t have to be urban to run the program,” Parsons said. She attributed much of the program’s success to the work and enthusiasm of Larson.
Becoming certified means Throgmorton and Urasky have room to let their ideas flourish. They plan to establish an advisory committee to guide the growth of the program. Middle and elementary school curriculum is available, and the CCHEC administrators hope to use it to jump start students’ interest in engineering and technology.
Parsons believed the program could attract women, too. “Draw them in by showing them they can make the world better,” she said. “The coolness of the design doesn’t always cut it for them.”
Throgmorton hopes it will open opportunities for the community to explore their interests in unusual ways. “If the students think it, they can do it,” he said. He referred to one student who is nearly finished with a full-sized electric guitar.
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