By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Getting a head start on the evaluation of a building that has an estimated third of its life left, an advisory board at the Little Snake River Valley School has teamed with the district’s planning architect Brad Oberg to create a list of facility recommendations.
“Every square inch is well used,” Oberg said of the building in his presentation to the Carbon County District 1 School Board. In fact, the space is so well used, the appeal for adequate storage popped up more than once throughout the evaluation.
“The art room definitely needs to be addressed.” Our art teacher “is constantly struggling with where she can store supplies,” advisory board Chairwoman Janet Herold said.
The recommendations include space for teachers when they’re not in the classroom. Advisory board members consider the existing lounges to be less than ideal.
Since the gyms are used by the community members as well as sports teams, a second gym is also in order.
Technology updates were high on the priority list. Audio enhancement is becoming a staple for educational environments nationwide, and the advisory board wants to adopt it soon.
As the school’s programs excel, teachers need more space and better facilities. Herold outlined a need for an expanded vocational agriculture department as well as updated athletic facilities.
“The locker rooms are antiquated, horrendous,” she said.
Other suggestions involved sprucing the school up so that the students, staff and community would be proud to call it a community center.
Herold pointed out that the elementary, junior high and high school students should have boundaries between them to foster grade-level pride. Currently, elementary students walk past high school classrooms to get to gym class, and Herold said that middle school students sometimes get lost in the shuffle.
Upgrades to electrical, lighting, fire safety, security, plumbing, flooring and heating and ventilation work are all on the agenda.
Since the community takes pride in the school, it is well maintained. “A lot of schools are not half this old and are not in half as good of shape,” LSRV Principal Rick Newton said. Still, the roofs, the parking lot and general accessibility need to be addressed, he said.
Partnership should help
Ken Daraie, director of the Wyoming School Facilities Commission, has agreed to help with the design of the Little Snake River Valley community center as a precursor to future school construction.
According to Jim Espy, a Carbon County District 1 School Board member, the school usually comes before the center.
In Baggs’ case, Daraie acknowledged the community’s predicament and suggested that the commission become part of the community center’s joint powers board. As part of the design process, the board would decide together where to put the school and center complex.
“The design process is always expensive,” Espy said. “If the SFC helps out, it will save a lot.”
The partnership could help secure a grant from the Wyoming Business Council. The grant requires that the funds go toward expanding, renovating or enhancing existing structures or schools.
The town of Baggs planned to purchase a building to which the new center could be attached. However, the expense may be circumvented if the business council takes into consideration plans for a new school at the same location.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Summer film series planned
Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Carbon County Higher Education Center officials would like to extend community education efforts and address economic development from a new angle this summer.
Planning is under way for the western pine beetle film festival, to be co-hosted by the CCHEC and the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation.
Films should portray the “myth of the West,” CCHEC Director Dave Throgmorton said. Ideas range from the 1914 silent film, “The Virginian,” to a John Wayne film, “The Searchers,” to the popular “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and the short classic on Western justice, “Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.”
“We want it to be more than just showing movies,” Throgmorton said. “We want people to have a chance to talk to some film critics and film professors so they can become more sophisticated in the way they look at films overall.”
EDC Director Mark Ducker said the series “should be internal and external. Internally, we hope it will create a lot of discussion. There is a lot to the concept of the myth of the West because films often don’t reflect reality. In studying them, we should learn a lot about the history of the American West.” Ducker is also hopeful festival attendees will learn more about Wyoming and Carbon County.
Lectures and workshops would be interspersed with the screenings.
Times staff writer
Carbon County Higher Education Center officials would like to extend community education efforts and address economic development from a new angle this summer.
Planning is under way for the western pine beetle film festival, to be co-hosted by the CCHEC and the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation.
Films should portray the “myth of the West,” CCHEC Director Dave Throgmorton said. Ideas range from the 1914 silent film, “The Virginian,” to a John Wayne film, “The Searchers,” to the popular “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and the short classic on Western justice, “Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.”
“We want it to be more than just showing movies,” Throgmorton said. “We want people to have a chance to talk to some film critics and film professors so they can become more sophisticated in the way they look at films overall.”
EDC Director Mark Ducker said the series “should be internal and external. Internally, we hope it will create a lot of discussion. There is a lot to the concept of the myth of the West because films often don’t reflect reality. In studying them, we should learn a lot about the history of the American West.” Ducker is also hopeful festival attendees will learn more about Wyoming and Carbon County.
Lectures and workshops would be interspersed with the screenings.
Grant falls short of floor repair cost
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
A miscalculation in a recreation board grant application cost Carbon County School District 1 nearly $25,000.
The recreation board gave the school district $105,000 to replace the gym floor at Rawlins High School. Last week School Board members awarded a $102,100 contract to Ponder Construction to replace the floor. However, the school district has already spent money on design plans and bid packets and the money to pay those costs will now come from the district’s general maintenance fund, according to District 1 Business Manager Garry Goergen.
“They can’t return to the rec board and ask for money already spent,” said Pat Sheehan, board member and recreation board representative. “It’s against the rules.”
The floor design includes a contingency clause that allows for additional repairs if the construction firm discovers damage that would require the installation of a moisture-wicking mat. If the work needs to be done, RHS Activities Director Darlene O’Melia can apply for more grant money to cover the costs, estimated at $8,990.
Also at the meeting, School Board members:
• Approved a land exchange with the Carbon County Fair Board to make property lines congruent with a fence.
• Approved a new policy capping expenditures for student participation in competitive events that reinforce academic goals at $10,000 for students in grades six to 12.
• Awarded a $251,310 contract to Hutch’s Hi-Country Plumbing and Heating to replace the boiler in the small gym at RHS. The contract is significantly above the anticipated $80,000 cost of the project.
Times staff writer
A miscalculation in a recreation board grant application cost Carbon County School District 1 nearly $25,000.
The recreation board gave the school district $105,000 to replace the gym floor at Rawlins High School. Last week School Board members awarded a $102,100 contract to Ponder Construction to replace the floor. However, the school district has already spent money on design plans and bid packets and the money to pay those costs will now come from the district’s general maintenance fund, according to District 1 Business Manager Garry Goergen.
“They can’t return to the rec board and ask for money already spent,” said Pat Sheehan, board member and recreation board representative. “It’s against the rules.”
The floor design includes a contingency clause that allows for additional repairs if the construction firm discovers damage that would require the installation of a moisture-wicking mat. If the work needs to be done, RHS Activities Director Darlene O’Melia can apply for more grant money to cover the costs, estimated at $8,990.
Also at the meeting, School Board members:
• Approved a land exchange with the Carbon County Fair Board to make property lines congruent with a fence.
• Approved a new policy capping expenditures for student participation in competitive events that reinforce academic goals at $10,000 for students in grades six to 12.
• Awarded a $251,310 contract to Hutch’s Hi-Country Plumbing and Heating to replace the boiler in the small gym at RHS. The contract is significantly above the anticipated $80,000 cost of the project.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
A metropolitan traffic jam in the windy west
Never got published, but was quite the experience...
Rawlins Daily Times, Janice Kurbjun
A mile from Walcott Junction on Interstate 80, traffic just about stopped due to road damage caused by Monday’s truck fire. When the road reopened for westbound travel at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, the highway’s truck and car volume resembled Colorado’s Interstate 70 on a wintery Saturday morning.
Rawlins Daily Times, Janice Kurbjun
The skeletal remains of a semi-truck were parked in the median of Interstate 80 near Walcott Junction on Tuesday. The truck caught fire on Monday, forcing westbound traffic to halt so firefighters could arrive on scene. Heat from the flames melted the frame to the asphalt, causing road damage that slowed traffic Tuesday afternoon when the highway reopened.
Rawlins Daily Times, Janice Kurbjun
Rawlins Daily Times, Janice KurbjunTechnology big part of new school
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Technology is at the forefront of the planning discussions for the new Highland Hills Elementary School complex.
“Technology is the future for kids,” said Debbie Wright, a computer technician for the Rawlins elementary schools. “They’re never too young to learn.” Wright, also a school planning committee member, is an advocate for the integration of technology into the classroom. That position is supported by Carbon County School District 1 Associate Superintendent Neil Terhune.
Touting a concept of “flexible thinking,” Terhune sees the new schools less as buildings built around a certain type of technology and more of an effort to build the infrastructure to accommodate any new technology that might be installed.
He wants the new school to fit into the district’s goal of providing “authentic learning via a project-based, technology enhanced, multidisciplinary approach. For the lay person this means using technology in real world settings to accomplish real world results,” Terhune said.
Wright is also pushing for a building that can accommodate new technologies. However, she hopes to develop a program that first gets teachers and students proficient in the current technologies.
“There is exciting technology out there, but we haven’t incorporated it in the past because the teachers often don’t know how,” Wright said. According to her concept, the district should save money by only buying new technology when it’s necessary for continued learning.
Terhune acknowledged the difficulty of fitting the plan into the School Facilities Commission’s budget. However, with the help of consultant Brad Oberg, he believes it can happen. “Ken Daraie (of the commission) has given us a square-footage footprint (for our school), but we have the flexibility to operate within that footprint,” Terhune said.
Both Terhune and Wright believe that technology is a way of teaching. In particular, it is a way of reinforcing the curriculum already in place “without having to expend a lot of extra time,” Wright said. “It is not just another subject to teach, but it is a way to teach better and with more excitement.”
While much of the school’s specific technology is still up in the air, Terhune and Wright both expect audio enhancement, the digital amplification of a teacher’s voice, to be a staple in each classroom. The SMART boards and voting devices, handheld electronics that allow students to answer questions simultaneously, should continue. Wright plans to push for Web cast video technology in the gymnasium in a distance-education style for teachers. “The cost is considerable to send several teachers to a meeting, but if we connect with video, we can learn (on-site) the same,” she said.
Times staff writer
Technology is at the forefront of the planning discussions for the new Highland Hills Elementary School complex.
“Technology is the future for kids,” said Debbie Wright, a computer technician for the Rawlins elementary schools. “They’re never too young to learn.” Wright, also a school planning committee member, is an advocate for the integration of technology into the classroom. That position is supported by Carbon County School District 1 Associate Superintendent Neil Terhune.
Touting a concept of “flexible thinking,” Terhune sees the new schools less as buildings built around a certain type of technology and more of an effort to build the infrastructure to accommodate any new technology that might be installed.
He wants the new school to fit into the district’s goal of providing “authentic learning via a project-based, technology enhanced, multidisciplinary approach. For the lay person this means using technology in real world settings to accomplish real world results,” Terhune said.
Wright is also pushing for a building that can accommodate new technologies. However, she hopes to develop a program that first gets teachers and students proficient in the current technologies.
“There is exciting technology out there, but we haven’t incorporated it in the past because the teachers often don’t know how,” Wright said. According to her concept, the district should save money by only buying new technology when it’s necessary for continued learning.
Terhune acknowledged the difficulty of fitting the plan into the School Facilities Commission’s budget. However, with the help of consultant Brad Oberg, he believes it can happen. “Ken Daraie (of the commission) has given us a square-footage footprint (for our school), but we have the flexibility to operate within that footprint,” Terhune said.
Both Terhune and Wright believe that technology is a way of teaching. In particular, it is a way of reinforcing the curriculum already in place “without having to expend a lot of extra time,” Wright said. “It is not just another subject to teach, but it is a way to teach better and with more excitement.”
While much of the school’s specific technology is still up in the air, Terhune and Wright both expect audio enhancement, the digital amplification of a teacher’s voice, to be a staple in each classroom. The SMART boards and voting devices, handheld electronics that allow students to answer questions simultaneously, should continue. Wright plans to push for Web cast video technology in the gymnasium in a distance-education style for teachers. “The cost is considerable to send several teachers to a meeting, but if we connect with video, we can learn (on-site) the same,” she said.
Monday, March 31, 2008
The blue sky through the blizzard
The reason I can't get home tonight: "I-80 is closed due to multiple crashes in both directions, road surface damage due to a truck fire and severe weather conditions." How ridiculous??
I made to Fort Collins through the blizzard, safe and sound. I used my chains for about 40 miles to get over one of the more treacherous all-season passes in the state of Colorado. The rest of the valley was virtually blocked either by massive amounts of snowfall or adverse conditions in areas with a lack of civilization.
Ah, the west.
Now, I'm safely at my brother's house in Fort Collins, awaiting the road opening in Wyoming... silly trucks.
The bright side of it all: I got in two hours of fantastic skiing this afternoon. Powder splashing into my face, new snowflakes crawling down my neck, and smiles from everyone I came across. It was all worth it to get out the frustration of not being able to be a good employee and be back at work. Hah! I'd never make a good ski bum!!!
In Kirk Hanna's rating system, that two hours was 5 billion stars out of 10. :-D
I made to Fort Collins through the blizzard, safe and sound. I used my chains for about 40 miles to get over one of the more treacherous all-season passes in the state of Colorado. The rest of the valley was virtually blocked either by massive amounts of snowfall or adverse conditions in areas with a lack of civilization.
Ah, the west.
Now, I'm safely at my brother's house in Fort Collins, awaiting the road opening in Wyoming... silly trucks.
The bright side of it all: I got in two hours of fantastic skiing this afternoon. Powder splashing into my face, new snowflakes crawling down my neck, and smiles from everyone I came across. It was all worth it to get out the frustration of not being able to be a good employee and be back at work. Hah! I'd never make a good ski bum!!!
In Kirk Hanna's rating system, that two hours was 5 billion stars out of 10. :-D
Trio prepping for state history event
Rawlins Daily Times, Janice KurbjunBy Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
They shouted, they screamed, they moaned — all in an effort to illustrate the conflict and compromise of the Salem Witch Trials.
Dressed all in black with minimal stage props, the Little Snake River Valley middle school students moved deliberately around the stage. They sometimes faced the audience of School Board members, while other times their backs were turned.
Eighth-graders Lauren Kudera and Natalie Duncan teamed with seventh-grader Morgan Jensen to write a script, based on historical documents, which dramatized the 1692 conflict as their entry in the history fair. Their performance, “Salem Witch Trials: Compromising by Confessing,” placed in the top two for its category in the district competition. They travel to the state competition in Laramie on April 21.
Duncan donned a bowler hat to indicate she had just taken a man’s role. In a false deep voice, she rumbled a death warrant to Dorothy Good, 4 years old at the time she was accused of being a witch.
Switching scenes, Kudera became Ann Putnam, a woman who was one of the main accusers in the late 17th century. Kudera delivered Putnam’s apology, issued 13 years after the trials.
Again, the scene changed. Now, Jensen was in the spotlight as Rebecca Nurse, a pious woman accused of being a witch after she lectured neighbor Benjamin Houlton about letting his pig root around her garden. When Houlton died soon after, Nurse was accused.
Duncan took the stage again, reciting the end of a poem. “‘More weight,’ now said this wretched man. ‘More weight!’ again he cried; And he did no confession make, but wickedly he died,” she cried. The scene illustrated what happened to people who did not confess. Giles Corey, accused of being a sorcerer, was sentenced to death by pressing.
The girls’ presentation fits into the overall theme of conflict and compromise, for Wyoming History Day. While LSRVS usually tries to keep the projects local, the girls had all taken a keen interest in the Salem Witch Trials after reading a book on the subject. With guidance from the school’s drama teacher, they were able to compile and fine-tune a winning performance.
“We are excited,” the three said in unison about their trip to Laramie. “Well, we are a little nervous too,” Kudera admitted.
Second project bound for state
Little Snake River Valley School’s Morgan Wille and Caelee Criswell also travel to the state history day competition in Laramie later this month.
Their documentary, “No More Room for the Wild Horses and Burros,” focuses on the problems wild horses and burros faced in the past and how their situation is being remedied by the Bureau of Land Management.
Weaving stories of various horses with facts about land use and efforts to protect the animals, the girls illustrated their research on conflict and compromise through a silent slide presentation.
The BLM responded to the illegal sale of wild horses by rounding them up for adoption. According to the presentation, this is still a way the horse-to-land ratio is managed, since there are currently 29,000 horses in 10 western states that have enough space for 27,500.
Digital TV means changes
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
The old adage, out with the old, in with the new often doesn’t work in rural communities, particularly when referring to technology.
On Feb. 18, analog cell phone frequencies officially died, forcing some Carbon County residents to convert to digital cell phones. In February of 2009, the Federal Communications Commission plans to phase out analog television broadcasts, affecting two towers operated by Saratoga’s Elk Mountain TV.
Currently, the towers operate as analog-only, picking up free, over-the-air local television through channel 2 in Casper and channel 5 in Cheyenne. The two channels still send their analog signal even though both have been broadcasting digitally for four years.
“There are a number of people in town here, many who are elderly, whose sole source of connecting with the outside world (is through the local channels),” Dan Gorton of Saratoga said. “It would be a real shame for it to go away.”
Before the channels drop analog service in 2009, Elk Mountain TV hopes to install a digital-to-analog converter. The device would pick up the digital signal and convert it back to analog, making the transition seamless for old-fashioned viewers of the local stations. However, one obstacle stands in the way — the signal strength.
When the snow melts on the mountains where the towers stand, channel 5 Chief Engineer Keith Yosten plans to test whether Cheyenne’s digital signal is strong enough to warrant the $1,600 converters. If the signal is not strong enough, local television viewers who use antennas to pick up the analog channels will be left with no service.
“There will probably be people that will be calling us (on the day of the phase out) wondering what is going on,” Yosten said.
Subscribers of Bresnan Communications and Communicom Services should see no effect in local television.
“If nothing happens,” Gorton said, “our access to any kind of news, the weather or anything that’s going on in Wyoming, for the residents of Saratoga, Riverside, Encampment or Baggs that don’t have Bresnan cable, will disappear.”
Even satellite TV subscribers in much of southeastern Wyoming who opt for local channels do not get the two in Wyoming. Officials at Dish Network and Direct TV confirmed that all or most of Carbon County is in the Denver marketing area and gets Denver channels, not Wyoming stations.
Times staff writer
The old adage, out with the old, in with the new often doesn’t work in rural communities, particularly when referring to technology.
On Feb. 18, analog cell phone frequencies officially died, forcing some Carbon County residents to convert to digital cell phones. In February of 2009, the Federal Communications Commission plans to phase out analog television broadcasts, affecting two towers operated by Saratoga’s Elk Mountain TV.
Currently, the towers operate as analog-only, picking up free, over-the-air local television through channel 2 in Casper and channel 5 in Cheyenne. The two channels still send their analog signal even though both have been broadcasting digitally for four years.
“There are a number of people in town here, many who are elderly, whose sole source of connecting with the outside world (is through the local channels),” Dan Gorton of Saratoga said. “It would be a real shame for it to go away.”
Before the channels drop analog service in 2009, Elk Mountain TV hopes to install a digital-to-analog converter. The device would pick up the digital signal and convert it back to analog, making the transition seamless for old-fashioned viewers of the local stations. However, one obstacle stands in the way — the signal strength.
When the snow melts on the mountains where the towers stand, channel 5 Chief Engineer Keith Yosten plans to test whether Cheyenne’s digital signal is strong enough to warrant the $1,600 converters. If the signal is not strong enough, local television viewers who use antennas to pick up the analog channels will be left with no service.
“There will probably be people that will be calling us (on the day of the phase out) wondering what is going on,” Yosten said.
Subscribers of Bresnan Communications and Communicom Services should see no effect in local television.
“If nothing happens,” Gorton said, “our access to any kind of news, the weather or anything that’s going on in Wyoming, for the residents of Saratoga, Riverside, Encampment or Baggs that don’t have Bresnan cable, will disappear.”
Even satellite TV subscribers in much of southeastern Wyoming who opt for local channels do not get the two in Wyoming. Officials at Dish Network and Direct TV confirmed that all or most of Carbon County is in the Denver marketing area and gets Denver channels, not Wyoming stations.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Hospital's contract labor stays high
• Continued staffing shortages mean the hospital spends more money to hire contract employees to cover all shifts.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Board members again raised their eyebrows Tuesday at the amount of money spent to pay contracted employees, hired to fill staffing gaps at Memorial Hospital of Carbon County.
So far this year, contracted labor expenses at the hospital are in the millions of dollars. Whatever the expenses each year, they are not in the budget because hospital Chief Financial Officer Florence Kostic wants the costs to be in the open.
“We are working diligently to hire people,” she said. “Until then, the staff is working overtime. We have the contract staff to ensure patient care.”
An non-itemized, high-dollar expense raises a red flag that is hard to miss. Kostic said she could hide the contracted labor expense, but it would then be too easy to brush it aside without attempting to fix the situation that causes the hospital to hire contract employees. The remedy is in finding more nurses and physicians who agree to stay at the hospital for the long term, she said.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, hospital board members:
• Heard a report that the hospital’s effort to recover unpaid health coverage by patients has turned up about $643,000 of more than $6.9 million of bad debt. The amounts include debts incurred in multiple years.
• Saw a draft of a presentation planned for April 4 before the Carbon County Commission. The presentation outlines financial and equipment requests from hospital department heads.
• Noted that two physicians are in the final stages of paperwork to begin work at the hospital. Two more are in beginning or intermediate stages of evaluation.
• Made no decision on the employee health insurance plan. The board members plan to continue to evaluate staff comments and options of how best to cover the $80,000 increase. One idea is to charge 1 percent or less of each employee’s salary, across the board.
• Evaluated the progress of the Southeastern Wyoming Ambulance Service and the formation of its joint powers board. The ambulance has made 41 runs since December. The hospital stands to break even with expenses amounting to about $50,000.
• Accepted an adult home care policy that does not limit the number of hours hospital staff can provide care unless the hospital is short of employees. The policy arose out of the need to avoid patient claims of care discrimination.
• Agreed to pay $267,250 to URS Construction for stored material and subcontractor work for the energy savings project. Hospital officials are still waiting for design approval from the state in order to create a schedule for the installation of heating and ventilation equipment.
Consultant Joe Jones reported that positive asbestos samples on the third floor of the hospital would require a special type of removal.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Board members again raised their eyebrows Tuesday at the amount of money spent to pay contracted employees, hired to fill staffing gaps at Memorial Hospital of Carbon County.
So far this year, contracted labor expenses at the hospital are in the millions of dollars. Whatever the expenses each year, they are not in the budget because hospital Chief Financial Officer Florence Kostic wants the costs to be in the open.
“We are working diligently to hire people,” she said. “Until then, the staff is working overtime. We have the contract staff to ensure patient care.”
An non-itemized, high-dollar expense raises a red flag that is hard to miss. Kostic said she could hide the contracted labor expense, but it would then be too easy to brush it aside without attempting to fix the situation that causes the hospital to hire contract employees. The remedy is in finding more nurses and physicians who agree to stay at the hospital for the long term, she said.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, hospital board members:
• Heard a report that the hospital’s effort to recover unpaid health coverage by patients has turned up about $643,000 of more than $6.9 million of bad debt. The amounts include debts incurred in multiple years.
• Saw a draft of a presentation planned for April 4 before the Carbon County Commission. The presentation outlines financial and equipment requests from hospital department heads.
• Noted that two physicians are in the final stages of paperwork to begin work at the hospital. Two more are in beginning or intermediate stages of evaluation.
• Made no decision on the employee health insurance plan. The board members plan to continue to evaluate staff comments and options of how best to cover the $80,000 increase. One idea is to charge 1 percent or less of each employee’s salary, across the board.
• Evaluated the progress of the Southeastern Wyoming Ambulance Service and the formation of its joint powers board. The ambulance has made 41 runs since December. The hospital stands to break even with expenses amounting to about $50,000.
• Accepted an adult home care policy that does not limit the number of hours hospital staff can provide care unless the hospital is short of employees. The policy arose out of the need to avoid patient claims of care discrimination.
• Agreed to pay $267,250 to URS Construction for stored material and subcontractor work for the energy savings project. Hospital officials are still waiting for design approval from the state in order to create a schedule for the installation of heating and ventilation equipment.
Consultant Joe Jones reported that positive asbestos samples on the third floor of the hospital would require a special type of removal.
Health fair is Saturday
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Saturday’s Health Fair at the Jeffrey Center in Rawlins should prove informative and amusing for adults and children alike.
The fair is an ongoing effort to bring low-cost health screening exams to area residents. Representatives from more than 30 area organizations are to provide information between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. People who had their blood drawn earlier this month can pick up their results and talk to nurses who can explain the information.
The Carbon County Sheriff’s Office plans to fingerprint children, making it into a fun activity while providing parents the security of having information about their child on file in case the child goes missing. Carbon County Child Development plans to hand out toothbrushes for adults and children to promote oral hygiene.
Event participants can get their height, weight and blood pressure checked at the Wagon Circle Family Practice booth. If back problems are an issue, Davidson Chiropractic will be at the fair offering pamphlets on various conditions and handing out samples of the topical cream the office uses.
April is sexual assault awareness month, so Carbon County COVE plans to hand out brochures and information on the subject. Meanwhile, Project Prevention hopes to talk with visitors about healthy behavior as well as pointing folks in the right direction to get help with tobacco or alcohol use.
South Central Rehabilitation will have giveaway items to promote the center. A staff member should be on site to demonstrate various therapeutic techniques and answer any questions. To prepare Rawlins residents for fires, the fire department plans to hand out information on smoke detectors and home escape plans.
Weight Watchers, the Rawlins Family Recreation Center, Wyoming Independent Living and Rawlins Eye Care are a sampling of other organizations who are expected to have booths at the health fair.
Times staff writer
Saturday’s Health Fair at the Jeffrey Center in Rawlins should prove informative and amusing for adults and children alike.
The fair is an ongoing effort to bring low-cost health screening exams to area residents. Representatives from more than 30 area organizations are to provide information between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. People who had their blood drawn earlier this month can pick up their results and talk to nurses who can explain the information.
The Carbon County Sheriff’s Office plans to fingerprint children, making it into a fun activity while providing parents the security of having information about their child on file in case the child goes missing. Carbon County Child Development plans to hand out toothbrushes for adults and children to promote oral hygiene.
Event participants can get their height, weight and blood pressure checked at the Wagon Circle Family Practice booth. If back problems are an issue, Davidson Chiropractic will be at the fair offering pamphlets on various conditions and handing out samples of the topical cream the office uses.
April is sexual assault awareness month, so Carbon County COVE plans to hand out brochures and information on the subject. Meanwhile, Project Prevention hopes to talk with visitors about healthy behavior as well as pointing folks in the right direction to get help with tobacco or alcohol use.
South Central Rehabilitation will have giveaway items to promote the center. A staff member should be on site to demonstrate various therapeutic techniques and answer any questions. To prepare Rawlins residents for fires, the fire department plans to hand out information on smoke detectors and home escape plans.
Weight Watchers, the Rawlins Family Recreation Center, Wyoming Independent Living and Rawlins Eye Care are a sampling of other organizations who are expected to have booths at the health fair.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Goals matter, senator says
Rawlins Daily Times, Jerrett RaffetyBy Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
When U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., asked Rawlins high school students to vote for their preferred presidential candidate, about a third of the teens raised their hands, and it appeared the votes were split equally three ways.
At the senator’s Tuesday afternoon visit to Rawlins High School, students found energy at the end of the day to engage in political discussion.
The cliché, “follow your heart, follow your dreams and never give up, no matter what,” summarizes the senator’s brief motivational speech that kicked off the half-hour question-and-answer session. Barrasso told the students they can achieve their goals if they think about them, practice them and make movements toward their achievement.
“We have so many opportunities in this world, but years go by and we don’t think about it,” Barrasso said. “Right now, we have many who will be experts in TV re-runs and video games. We should be dreaming really big dreams.”
Barrasso outlined two goal-setting techniques. He challenged students to make a list of 100 goals and check them off each year upon completion. The other is to make a goals collage, illustrating aspirations using magazine or newspaper clippings. “The idea is to keep our goals in our thoughts and to make steps each day toward them,” he said.
The discussion turned political when the senator asked who was following the presidential race.
Student Kyle Poplin asked if Barrasso supports Sen. John McCain’s health care policy. Since McCain is from Arizona, a state that has its share of rural health issues, “he gets it,” Barrasso said.
Barrasso refocused the conversation by asking about the Democratic candidates. Comments throughout the student audience echoed media statements of Barack Obama’s “fresh face and fresh view,” one student said.
On the other hand, Hillary Clinton “can bring a lot to the presidency. She ran Bill’s presidency,” Poplin said.
English teacher Travis Moore asked the senator about preparing young voters to wade through the media spin and make informed decisions. “You have to find out what you’re looking for, and often that’s (a candidate with) beliefs similar to your own,” Barrasso responded.
“The interesting thing about this election is that it will be the first time two senators have run against each other,” Barrasso said. Regardless of the debates or the media framework, both candidates will have a political history. However, he said, often senators’ votes are swayed by a portion of a bill, not its entirety. Additionally, a senator’s responsibility is to his or her state’s interests, as opposed to the president’s responsibility to the nation, he said.
The visit was prompted by Barrasso’s intrigue with two of his aides, Ryan Taylor and Kelsey Campbell, who are Rawlins High School graduates. “Rawlins High School is very instrumental in our staff,” Barrasso said.
District 1 board meets in Baggs
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Members of the Carbon County District 1 School Board travel to Baggs on Thursday for their final March meeting.
At 6 p.m. in the Little Snake River Valley School’s music room, middle school students present their state History Fair projects. One of the presentations is a dramatization of the wild horse herds in the Red Desert.
The meeting is open to the public.
Architect Brad Oberg is scheduled to present his evaluation of the Little Snake River Valley School, in conjunction with the representatives from the community. The presentation should outline the community assessment of the school’s needs. According to LSRV Principal Rick Newton, the parameters of the review are based on a general report from the School Facilities Commission.
Also at the meeting, the School Board is to:
• Hear a presentation from the Valley Community Center committee as members press forward with design plans. According to Superintendent Peggy Sanders, the committee wants to negotiate with the district to build on land near the LSRV track.
• Evaluate the terms of a contract with L.M. Olson Inc. for maintenance projects throughout the school district.
• Discuss an exchange of land and a fence relocation between the district’s administrative office and the Carbon County Fairgrounds.
• Consider awarding a contract to replace the boiler in the small gym at Rawlins High School and to replace the RHS gym floor.
• Discuss the terms of a contract with Pine Cove Consulting for technological support for the design and construction of the Highland Hills Elementary School complex. The board should also evaluate the prospect of hiring a project representative to oversee that construction project.
Times staff writer
Members of the Carbon County District 1 School Board travel to Baggs on Thursday for their final March meeting.
At 6 p.m. in the Little Snake River Valley School’s music room, middle school students present their state History Fair projects. One of the presentations is a dramatization of the wild horse herds in the Red Desert.
The meeting is open to the public.
Architect Brad Oberg is scheduled to present his evaluation of the Little Snake River Valley School, in conjunction with the representatives from the community. The presentation should outline the community assessment of the school’s needs. According to LSRV Principal Rick Newton, the parameters of the review are based on a general report from the School Facilities Commission.
Also at the meeting, the School Board is to:
• Hear a presentation from the Valley Community Center committee as members press forward with design plans. According to Superintendent Peggy Sanders, the committee wants to negotiate with the district to build on land near the LSRV track.
• Evaluate the terms of a contract with L.M. Olson Inc. for maintenance projects throughout the school district.
• Discuss an exchange of land and a fence relocation between the district’s administrative office and the Carbon County Fairgrounds.
• Consider awarding a contract to replace the boiler in the small gym at Rawlins High School and to replace the RHS gym floor.
• Discuss the terms of a contract with Pine Cove Consulting for technological support for the design and construction of the Highland Hills Elementary School complex. The board should also evaluate the prospect of hiring a project representative to oversee that construction project.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Strength training pays off
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Strength training for adults 65 and older, done more than twice a week and combined with physical exercise, can prolong independent living and promote general well-being.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, strength training, generally in the form of lifting weights or doing various other static exercises, can do more than build strength and endurance. Those factors are important for minimizing falls by maintaining the muscles necessary for proper balance.
Working out regularly also increases bone density, making it less likely to break bones or develop osteoporosis. Additionally, it reduces the risk of diabetes by improving the body’s ability to metabolize glucose.
“Lifting weights regularly can help keep a person out of the nursing home or assisted living for up to three years,” Judy Justesen said.
Justesen, a former Rawlins Recreation Center Recreation programmer for senior citizens, lifts weights three times a week, devotes another three days to other strength training and rests on the seventh day. She combines her activities with daily stretching and aerobic exercise.
Strength training “does a lot to enhance the whole person by releasing endorphins,” Justesen said. Endorphins are chemicals released by the body through exercise and other activities that produce a general sense of happiness or well-being. “I recommend doing it in the morning,” she said. “It’s a great way to start the day with energy.”
According to a CDC, 11 percent of adults 65 and older engaged in strength training, with women less likely to do so than men. Justesen said that women should consider exercise and strength training because “it prevents skin from sagging as much as you get older,” she said. “You look better and definitely feel better. The two go hand in hand.”
When done correctly, strength training helps older folks better enjoy life. Justesen, now a grandmother, still plays volleyball. She says her exercise program helps her agility.
But she says the time lifting weights inside is boring. “It’s my least liked activity, and that says a lot,” she said. “If it didn’t do so much good, I wouldn’t be there three times a week.”
Denise Davis, who has Justesen’s old job, plans to establish a physical training program, provided the community shows interest. To get a class started, check in at the front desk of the Rawlins Recreation Center or call Davis at 324-7529.
Times staff writer
Strength training for adults 65 and older, done more than twice a week and combined with physical exercise, can prolong independent living and promote general well-being.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, strength training, generally in the form of lifting weights or doing various other static exercises, can do more than build strength and endurance. Those factors are important for minimizing falls by maintaining the muscles necessary for proper balance.
Working out regularly also increases bone density, making it less likely to break bones or develop osteoporosis. Additionally, it reduces the risk of diabetes by improving the body’s ability to metabolize glucose.
“Lifting weights regularly can help keep a person out of the nursing home or assisted living for up to three years,” Judy Justesen said.
Justesen, a former Rawlins Recreation Center Recreation programmer for senior citizens, lifts weights three times a week, devotes another three days to other strength training and rests on the seventh day. She combines her activities with daily stretching and aerobic exercise.
Strength training “does a lot to enhance the whole person by releasing endorphins,” Justesen said. Endorphins are chemicals released by the body through exercise and other activities that produce a general sense of happiness or well-being. “I recommend doing it in the morning,” she said. “It’s a great way to start the day with energy.”
According to a CDC, 11 percent of adults 65 and older engaged in strength training, with women less likely to do so than men. Justesen said that women should consider exercise and strength training because “it prevents skin from sagging as much as you get older,” she said. “You look better and definitely feel better. The two go hand in hand.”
When done correctly, strength training helps older folks better enjoy life. Justesen, now a grandmother, still plays volleyball. She says her exercise program helps her agility.
But she says the time lifting weights inside is boring. “It’s my least liked activity, and that says a lot,” she said. “If it didn’t do so much good, I wouldn’t be there three times a week.”
Denise Davis, who has Justesen’s old job, plans to establish a physical training program, provided the community shows interest. To get a class started, check in at the front desk of the Rawlins Recreation Center or call Davis at 324-7529.
Water exercise has many benefits
For the Health Fair section
• Exercising in water reduces impacts to bones and joints and the water provides natural resistance.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Jogging that is relocated to the water, called aqua jogging, has been proven to save joints as well as create resistance training that can have more powerful effects than land-based activities.
“If you exert the same energy jogging on land when jogging in the water, you will burn more calories in the water,” water jogging instructor Gail Dahl said. The water resistance is more than that of air, making the running motion more difficult. And jogging in the water eliminates the damaging joint impact of land jogging.
Dahl has men and women, young and old, attend her classes, which begin at 6 p.m. and run for an hour every weeknight at the Rawlins High School pool. The class is particularly popular with individuals with injuries or joint pain, as well as with pregnant women.
Half of the class is devoted purely to jogging laps at a pace specific to each participant. In the second half hour, Dahl leads the joggers in toning exercises including leg work with buoyant “weights” as well as crunches and thigh and arm exercises using an inflated ball.
“As a new person, it’s easy to get involved,” Dahl said. She gives the new jogger a run-down on correct posture, exercise options and recommendations based on a person’s ability and current health. “All you need is a swimsuit,” Dahl said.
She recommends the activity to anyone looking to revamp their exercise program or start a new one. “I always leave (the pool) feeling energized, not exhausted,” she said.
• Exercising in water reduces impacts to bones and joints and the water provides natural resistance.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Jogging that is relocated to the water, called aqua jogging, has been proven to save joints as well as create resistance training that can have more powerful effects than land-based activities.
“If you exert the same energy jogging on land when jogging in the water, you will burn more calories in the water,” water jogging instructor Gail Dahl said. The water resistance is more than that of air, making the running motion more difficult. And jogging in the water eliminates the damaging joint impact of land jogging.
Dahl has men and women, young and old, attend her classes, which begin at 6 p.m. and run for an hour every weeknight at the Rawlins High School pool. The class is particularly popular with individuals with injuries or joint pain, as well as with pregnant women.
Half of the class is devoted purely to jogging laps at a pace specific to each participant. In the second half hour, Dahl leads the joggers in toning exercises including leg work with buoyant “weights” as well as crunches and thigh and arm exercises using an inflated ball.
“As a new person, it’s easy to get involved,” Dahl said. She gives the new jogger a run-down on correct posture, exercise options and recommendations based on a person’s ability and current health. “All you need is a swimsuit,” Dahl said.
She recommends the activity to anyone looking to revamp their exercise program or start a new one. “I always leave (the pool) feeling energized, not exhausted,” she said.
Snowshoeing adventures abundant in county
Rawlins Daily Times, Janice Kurbjun***************
Looking at the trailhead, nothing was familiar.In summer, there was lush, green foliage scattered with wildflower shades of purple, blue, pink and orange. Now, in late winter, the trail into the Sierra Madres is white, broken by sharp shadows of lodgepole pines reaching into the blue sky.
The well-cleared trail marked with blue diamond signs is off limits to snowmobilers, though the machines can still be heard. The snow is nearly waist deep at the edge of the pavement; the only way to get through is to strap on snowshoes.
Snowshoes create a duck-like effect when the wide, aluminum frames with inside rubber are strapped over boots. Climbing over the snow bank, the only sound is the crunch of crusty snow underfoot.
The Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest is a perfect place to hit the snow for a few hours. With snowshoe and cross-country trails in Brush Creek, across the highway from the Medicine Bow Lodge in Ryan Park, and Bottle Creek west of Encampment in the Sierra Madres, there is plenty of terrain to explore.
Mark Rauterkus at the Trading Post at the Encampment-Riverside junction provides the only place to rent snowshoes in Carbon County. For $10 a day, Rauterkus can equip the outdoorsman with shoes, and he provides poles and Forest Service trail maps. “It’s easy to learn,” he said. Just strap them on and go, just like walking.
On the trail, the pristine snow is untouched except for rabbit tracks zigzagging through the forest. Veering from the trail and softly wading through untouched powder, a view of the Sierra Madres comes into focus as the trees open into a clearing. Beyond, the craggy summits of Colorado’s Never Summer mountain range are barely visible.
“It’s the most fun to go off the trail, especially if you see moose tracks or want to go over the ridge,” said Sue Cary, of the Brush Creek-Hayden ranger office in Saratoga. “Often, people just go. You can snowshoe anywhere in the forest if you’re careful.”
The trails Rauterkus points out to visitors start off as an easy hike with a gradual incline, ideal for beginners.
“The trails are very scenic,” he said. “They wind in and out of the trees and as you get higher, they have great views.” Snowshoeing difficulty increases with the trail’s grade, but varies slightly from traditional hiking since it involves snow, deeper means harder going.
— Janice Kurbjun
******************
Tips Offered
For people who plan to strap on a pair snowshoes and take off into the great unknown, officials at Saratoga’s Brush Creek-Hayden ranger station recommend some safety tips:
• Explorers should carry water, a snack, a compass and a whistle.
• Do not go into the forest alone. Leave a note in your vehicle saying where you’ve gone. A vehicle will often be investigated by law enforcement before Forest Service officials recognize that someone has not returned from the trail, especially in winter.
• Remember the acronym WOW: Where am I? Is everything OK in terms of gear and myself? What is the weather like? Forest Service personnel recommend being consistently aware of your surroundings, especially when off a marked trail.
• The weather changes quickly in the mountains; explorers should pay attention to the clouds.
Emergency service undergoing review
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Emergency medical services have long been heralded as the first line of defense in emergencies, with their role growing increasingly important in rural communities.
As such, the Wyoming Healthcare Commission, in its search for rural health care solutions with Carbon County as the guinea pig, has contracted with New Jersey-based SafeTech Solutions to evaluate the county’s EMS system.
Gary Wingrove and John Becknell of SafeTech recently visited Carbon County. They talked with a medical professionals and city and county officials about the system and the community’s perceptions.
“We’re not the fixers,” Wingrove said. “Our role here is to assess and then to prescribe the best practices from other communities according to what might fit into this one.”
They defined EMS as all services provided in an emergency prior to arrival at the hospital. That includes anything from answering a 911 call to giving telephone instructions for patient care to taking patients to a care facility.
The SafeTech representatives said they often make recommendations to communities that require the involvement of more than one entity. To them, the responsibility for emergency medicine rests on the shoulders of the community as a whole.
According to the consultants, hospital officials should think about shortages in ambulance workers while organizations and individuals should be aware of how an the emergency service’s functionality affects them. City officials should think about the importance of a fully-funded service and public education can be accomplished through newspapers.
Becknell said they discovered that Carbon County is served by a hodgepodge of volunteer workers and full-time, paid staff, mostly in Rawlins, who also serve at the hospital.
“This is the two-headed monster of EMS,” Becknell said. “It is difficult to recruit and retain volunteers anywhere, across the country. It goes hand in hand with the issue of how to fund EMS if staff must be hired.”
Times staff writer
Emergency medical services have long been heralded as the first line of defense in emergencies, with their role growing increasingly important in rural communities.
As such, the Wyoming Healthcare Commission, in its search for rural health care solutions with Carbon County as the guinea pig, has contracted with New Jersey-based SafeTech Solutions to evaluate the county’s EMS system.
Gary Wingrove and John Becknell of SafeTech recently visited Carbon County. They talked with a medical professionals and city and county officials about the system and the community’s perceptions.
“We’re not the fixers,” Wingrove said. “Our role here is to assess and then to prescribe the best practices from other communities according to what might fit into this one.”
They defined EMS as all services provided in an emergency prior to arrival at the hospital. That includes anything from answering a 911 call to giving telephone instructions for patient care to taking patients to a care facility.
The SafeTech representatives said they often make recommendations to communities that require the involvement of more than one entity. To them, the responsibility for emergency medicine rests on the shoulders of the community as a whole.
According to the consultants, hospital officials should think about shortages in ambulance workers while organizations and individuals should be aware of how an the emergency service’s functionality affects them. City officials should think about the importance of a fully-funded service and public education can be accomplished through newspapers.
Becknell said they discovered that Carbon County is served by a hodgepodge of volunteer workers and full-time, paid staff, mostly in Rawlins, who also serve at the hospital.
“This is the two-headed monster of EMS,” Becknell said. “It is difficult to recruit and retain volunteers anywhere, across the country. It goes hand in hand with the issue of how to fund EMS if staff must be hired.”
Schools need modular units
Times staff report
Carbon County School District 1 plans to lease two modular buildings for next school year.
Pershing and Highland Hills elementary schools each need a two-room modular unit. District 1 already leases some modular buildings.
The additional space should meet anticipated enrollment growth for the next two years, district officials say. The growth is based on patterns in monthly enrollment reports. The district’s initial enrollment has been increasing since 2004. Last August saw the smallest increase — 47 students — as compared to the year before with 52. In August 2005, enrollment increased by 89 students.
In two years, the new Highland Hills school complex should be nearly complete. However, the lease of modular buildings may trickle into the 2010-11 school year.
“We may need to make unusual arrangements in the third year to accommodate (the anticipated number of students),” District 1 Superintendent Peggy Sanders said. “But we do not want to bring in more modulars.”
Carbon County School District 1 plans to lease two modular buildings for next school year.
Pershing and Highland Hills elementary schools each need a two-room modular unit. District 1 already leases some modular buildings.
The additional space should meet anticipated enrollment growth for the next two years, district officials say. The growth is based on patterns in monthly enrollment reports. The district’s initial enrollment has been increasing since 2004. Last August saw the smallest increase — 47 students — as compared to the year before with 52. In August 2005, enrollment increased by 89 students.
In two years, the new Highland Hills school complex should be nearly complete. However, the lease of modular buildings may trickle into the 2010-11 school year.
“We may need to make unusual arrangements in the third year to accommodate (the anticipated number of students),” District 1 Superintendent Peggy Sanders said. “But we do not want to bring in more modulars.”
Friday, March 21, 2008
Arapaho language alive and well
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
Through the story of the fox and the wood tick, children of the Arapaho tribe learn how to be clever.
“I can beat you!” said Merle Haas, a Northern Arapaho from the Wind River Reservation. Her exclamation imitated a voice characteristic of a tiny insect, the wood tick, which challenged the fox to a race. Haas’ laugh then mimicked the fox, which claimed the wood tick would have no chance.
Cleverly giving the vain, furry beast a head start, the wood tick jumped onto the fox’s tail just as he took off. At the end of the race, the bewildered fox found that the wood tick crawled from tail to nose, hopping off as they arrived at the finish line. “I beat you!” Haas chirped in the wood tick’s taunting voice.
Haas wears many hats, the most prominent of which is that of a storyteller. She is also a co-founder of the Wind River Tribal College and an educator. Her brother-in-law, Alonso Moss, is also a Northern Arapaho and native of the Wind River Indian Reservation. His mission is to keep the language of his people alive. The two spoke as part of the “Power of Place: Legacies of Carbon County” lecture series earlier this week.
“Stories are considered sacred because they contain the old way of life, passed from generation to generation,” Haas said.
There are parable-like stories that have a moral lesson as well as what Haas called “how it came to be” stories that illustrate such questions as “why does the raccoon have black eyes?” The Arapahos also have ceremonial stories, often based around religion. “We also have trickster stories,” Haas said.
Haas plans to lead an effort to create a map of Wyoming which lists the Arapaho names for places.
Haas told her stories in English, but Moss insisted that the stories are only pure if told in Arapaho.
Moss is notorious on the reservation for speaking only his native language when only about 8 percent of the tribal members speak the native tongue. His Arapaho name is “Ridge Walker.” “They told me I’m going to walk right along the ridge. No one is going to pull me this way or that. I’m going to be myself, they said. It’s true. I’m doing what I want.” By speaking the native tongue to everyone he encounters, he hopes to educate them through immersion and set the example for parents and grandparents to do the same.
Moss delivered a crash course in the Arapaho language at the lecture, teaching the audience how to pronounce the letters and how to translate a few words. Often, non-natives who visit the reservation can speak the language better than the natives. “If they can learn it, then why not the Arapahos?” Moss asked.
“People today like to blame the missionaries or the teachers,” he said. “But that didn’t stop the old people like me. I got beat up, but I kept talking, because I was crazy. I told people not to excuse themselves. Right now, the opportunity is there to learn it. We’re through with excuses.”
Times staff writer
Through the story of the fox and the wood tick, children of the Arapaho tribe learn how to be clever.
“I can beat you!” said Merle Haas, a Northern Arapaho from the Wind River Reservation. Her exclamation imitated a voice characteristic of a tiny insect, the wood tick, which challenged the fox to a race. Haas’ laugh then mimicked the fox, which claimed the wood tick would have no chance.
Cleverly giving the vain, furry beast a head start, the wood tick jumped onto the fox’s tail just as he took off. At the end of the race, the bewildered fox found that the wood tick crawled from tail to nose, hopping off as they arrived at the finish line. “I beat you!” Haas chirped in the wood tick’s taunting voice.
Haas wears many hats, the most prominent of which is that of a storyteller. She is also a co-founder of the Wind River Tribal College and an educator. Her brother-in-law, Alonso Moss, is also a Northern Arapaho and native of the Wind River Indian Reservation. His mission is to keep the language of his people alive. The two spoke as part of the “Power of Place: Legacies of Carbon County” lecture series earlier this week.
“Stories are considered sacred because they contain the old way of life, passed from generation to generation,” Haas said.
There are parable-like stories that have a moral lesson as well as what Haas called “how it came to be” stories that illustrate such questions as “why does the raccoon have black eyes?” The Arapahos also have ceremonial stories, often based around religion. “We also have trickster stories,” Haas said.
Haas plans to lead an effort to create a map of Wyoming which lists the Arapaho names for places.
Haas told her stories in English, but Moss insisted that the stories are only pure if told in Arapaho.
Moss is notorious on the reservation for speaking only his native language when only about 8 percent of the tribal members speak the native tongue. His Arapaho name is “Ridge Walker.” “They told me I’m going to walk right along the ridge. No one is going to pull me this way or that. I’m going to be myself, they said. It’s true. I’m doing what I want.” By speaking the native tongue to everyone he encounters, he hopes to educate them through immersion and set the example for parents and grandparents to do the same.
Moss delivered a crash course in the Arapaho language at the lecture, teaching the audience how to pronounce the letters and how to translate a few words. Often, non-natives who visit the reservation can speak the language better than the natives. “If they can learn it, then why not the Arapahos?” Moss asked.
“People today like to blame the missionaries or the teachers,” he said. “But that didn’t stop the old people like me. I got beat up, but I kept talking, because I was crazy. I told people not to excuse themselves. Right now, the opportunity is there to learn it. We’re through with excuses.”
County may benefit from bill
• Physician recruiting bill could help local hospital, doctors’ offices.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
With $400,000 set aside for the next two years, Wyoming health care officials are better equipped to attempt to reel in much-needed physicians.
Legislation passed earlier this year by the Wyoming Legislature, and signed by the governor, distributes money to high-need hospitals and physician practices around Wyoming. The bill allows for a hefty incentive package to attract new physicians to the state.
Dan Perdue of the American Hospital Association predicted Carbon County would be in a good position to secure some of the state funds. Perdue said Wyoming Department of Health officials are expected to establish the process for distributing the funds.
“We’ll have to wait until the rules and regulations get issued before we’ll know if it affects us,” said Patsy Carter, Memorial Hospital of Carbon County’s chief executive officer.
Originally introduced with an allowance of $800,000 per year, the bill was passed by the House of Representatives but killed in the Senate. As a compromise, it was revised with half as much funding.
“It doesn’t go a long way, but if we can show that there’s a demonstrated need for this type of legislation, we may be able to go back into the next session and ask for more money,” Perdue said. “The legislature is under the gun to make sure they’re funding all the programs that are worthwhile. We’ll have to see what our track record is.”
The bill incorporates the two elements of recruiting physicians — initial effort and incentives. Up to 10 percent of the funds are allotted for grant advertisement. Hospitals or doctor’s offices can be reimbursed up to $10,000 for successful recruitment efforts.
Another $90,000 from the state’s general fund has been allocated to pay for a grant administrator for the program.
Physicians recruited under the bill must agree to work in the respective community for at least two years, or repay the state and pay interest. The incentive package offers up to $20,000 for relocation, up to $10,000 a year in malpractice insurance and a maximum signing bonus of $30,000. Additionally, recruited physicians can be fully reimbursed for outstanding educational loans up to $30,000 per year.
By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer
With $400,000 set aside for the next two years, Wyoming health care officials are better equipped to attempt to reel in much-needed physicians.
Legislation passed earlier this year by the Wyoming Legislature, and signed by the governor, distributes money to high-need hospitals and physician practices around Wyoming. The bill allows for a hefty incentive package to attract new physicians to the state.
Dan Perdue of the American Hospital Association predicted Carbon County would be in a good position to secure some of the state funds. Perdue said Wyoming Department of Health officials are expected to establish the process for distributing the funds.
“We’ll have to wait until the rules and regulations get issued before we’ll know if it affects us,” said Patsy Carter, Memorial Hospital of Carbon County’s chief executive officer.
Originally introduced with an allowance of $800,000 per year, the bill was passed by the House of Representatives but killed in the Senate. As a compromise, it was revised with half as much funding.
“It doesn’t go a long way, but if we can show that there’s a demonstrated need for this type of legislation, we may be able to go back into the next session and ask for more money,” Perdue said. “The legislature is under the gun to make sure they’re funding all the programs that are worthwhile. We’ll have to see what our track record is.”
The bill incorporates the two elements of recruiting physicians — initial effort and incentives. Up to 10 percent of the funds are allotted for grant advertisement. Hospitals or doctor’s offices can be reimbursed up to $10,000 for successful recruitment efforts.
Another $90,000 from the state’s general fund has been allocated to pay for a grant administrator for the program.
Physicians recruited under the bill must agree to work in the respective community for at least two years, or repay the state and pay interest. The incentive package offers up to $20,000 for relocation, up to $10,000 a year in malpractice insurance and a maximum signing bonus of $30,000. Additionally, recruited physicians can be fully reimbursed for outstanding educational loans up to $30,000 per year.
Hospital budget work continues
Times staff report
Work continues on the proposed budget for Memorial Hospital of Carbon County.
Earlier this month, members of the hospital’s finance committee met to coordinate requests from the hospital department managers. The committee plans to present its budget recommendations to the hospital board at its 5:15 p.m. meeting Tuesday, March 25 in the hospital board room.
The meeting is open to the public.
The committee has also prepared a presentation for the Carbon County commissioners, designed to draw attention to its budget needs and request funding from the county.
The budget should be approved by late May.
Also at the meeting, hospital board members are expected to:
• Hear an update from the Carbon County Council of Governments concerning the proposed specific purpose tax.
• Discuss progress on the rural health care improvements pilot project. Last week, officials met with representatives from SafeTech Solutions, a company contracted to evaluate emergency medical services in the county.
• Make a decision on the employee health insurance plan, after considering the possibilities and hospital staff feedback.
• Hear an update on the southeastern Wyoming ambulance service.
• Form a committee to address surgical care in the hospital according to a nine-part evaluation system instituted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
Work continues on the proposed budget for Memorial Hospital of Carbon County.
Earlier this month, members of the hospital’s finance committee met to coordinate requests from the hospital department managers. The committee plans to present its budget recommendations to the hospital board at its 5:15 p.m. meeting Tuesday, March 25 in the hospital board room.
The meeting is open to the public.
The committee has also prepared a presentation for the Carbon County commissioners, designed to draw attention to its budget needs and request funding from the county.
The budget should be approved by late May.
Also at the meeting, hospital board members are expected to:
• Hear an update from the Carbon County Council of Governments concerning the proposed specific purpose tax.
• Discuss progress on the rural health care improvements pilot project. Last week, officials met with representatives from SafeTech Solutions, a company contracted to evaluate emergency medical services in the county.
• Make a decision on the employee health insurance plan, after considering the possibilities and hospital staff feedback.
• Hear an update on the southeastern Wyoming ambulance service.
• Form a committee to address surgical care in the hospital according to a nine-part evaluation system instituted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
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