News

CODY — “It’s the new public enemy number one.”
That describes the latest noxious weed to arrive in the Big Horn Basin — Palmer amaranth — in the words of Josh Shorb, supervisor of the Park County Weed and Pest Control District.
“It affects all core sectors of the ag industry, so it has us really worried,” he said. “It’s going to really impact Park County and the Big Horn Basin.”
The weed is hard to control, resists many herbicides, has a tremendous root system, can grow up to 10 feet tall, shades out crops, and can impede harvesting equipment, Shorb said.
One plant can produce 250,000 tiny seeds.
He cited a report from a sugar company saying the weed wreaked such havoc in Colorado last year that 1,000 acres of sugar beets were abandoned.
“Yield losses have been reported up to 91 percent in corn and 75 percent in sugar beets,” according to the Wyoming Weed and Pest Council.

The Greybull Town Council and a group of seven landowners have yet to find common ground in a dispute over what should be permitted on properties and whether de-annexation or a change in zoning regulations is the best way to resolve their differences.
Darrell and Linda Cooper, Shawn Emmett, Charlie and Rosalia Thomas, Paxton Pina, Thomas Templin, Johnny Brown and Robert Hendrix signed and filed a petition for de-annexation with the Big Horn County Land Planning Department on Feb 14, 2024.
Their properties, which are located west of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railyard and between the cemetery and the business park, total 274.31 acres. The largest, which is owned by the Coopers and consists of 206 acres, is zoned for agriculture.  The others, however, have no zoning designations.

While its March numbers fell short of February’s, Three Rivers Health reports positive trends in several indicators that are key to its future success, including patient visits, staff morale and turnover.
That was the theme that emerged from Wednesday night’s meeting of the board of directors, which began as they typically do, with a report from finance department manager Michael Garza.
Garza said an allowance adjustment of $498,000 for its Legacy system (Medworxw) cleanup contributed to a net operating loss of $349,000 in March.  TRH also saw declines in patient encounters, from 1,488 in February to 1,257 in March, and net patient revenue, from $740,000 in February to $624,000 in March.  Clinic visits fell from 656 in March to 537 in February.   On the plus side, inpatient and swing bed days rose from 19 to 37 and ER visits from 118 to 123.