News

Bonnie Blue closing doors permanently

Published by admin on Thu, 09/22/2022 - 10:17am

In a special meeting Wednesday Sept. 14, the Three Rivers Health Board of Trustees voted to close Bonnie Bluejacket Memorial Nursing Home after 48 years in operation. 

“I am glad to have a lot of public interest in this because it is a big decision,” said Board Chairperson Connie Werbelow, before the vote. “It is a tough decision for us as board members to face too because this whole facility is important to us. But we are at a point now where we are struggling and we cannot financially afford to stay in the same form we are now. We have to make some drastic changes.” 

With a room full of attendees and the noted absence of board member Ken Nelson, a motion was made by Jeff Petty and seconded by Paul Thur to close the doors to the nursing home permanently.  After continued discussion which included Werbelow, the quorum of three made the difficult decision with a unanimous vote.

No easy fix for dispersed camping issues

Published by admin on Thu, 09/15/2022 - 2:10pm

While everyone seemed to agree that increased demand has led to problems, no clear consensus on how best to manage dispersed camping in the Bighorn National Forest emerged from a public forum Tuesday, Sept. 5 at Greybull Town Hall. 

It was the sixth and final forum that forest supervisors conducted this fall to solicit input on the recommendations of a citizen-led Dispersed Camping Task Force.  Approximately 25 people attended the two-hour session.

The group’s recommendations are as follows:

1)     Update the special order, including changing to a year-round 14-day stay limit, changing the moving requirement, considering a one-half mile dispersed camping buffer on U.S. Highway 16 (similar to what already exists along U.S. Highways 14 and 14A) and a permit system to allow stays of more than 14 days in special circumstances.

2)     Implement a sticker program to authorize dispersed camping

Shell woman’s podcast teaches listeners about Wyoming

Published by admin on Thu, 09/08/2022 - 2:22pm

Podcast host Carla Mowell first got into podcasting when “This American Life” started posting show episodes online in the mid-2000s.

“I had an office job, so when I was doing things that were more tedious I would put on an episode of ‘This American Life,’” she recalled. “Ever since then, when I got really into podcasting, I realized I wanted more.” 

Mowell was disappointed early on by the lack of Wyoming podcast content. “When I searched, I didn’t find anything that scratched the itch I had.” 

Her podcast “Wyoming My 307” seeks to correct that absence, setting out to explore “the people, culture, wildlife, geology and history of the least populated, and most wonderful, state in the U.S.” She released her 10th episode at the end of August.

More openings than candidates in most special districts

Published by admin on Wed, 08/31/2022 - 2:43pm

By Nathan Oster

Monday, Aug. 29 was the final day for candidates to file for special district seats that will be on the ballot in the November general election.

Here’s the final list of filers that was provided by the Big Horn County Clerk’s office.

 

School Board

 Four seats on the Big Horn County School District No. 3 board of trustees will be up for grabs this year, including those now held by Michelle Brown, Ted Menke, Lynette Murray and Bill Robertson.

Robertson and Murray filed for new four-year terms, but Brown and Menke did not, meaning there will be more open seats than candidates on ballot.

The terms of Pam Flitner, Bette Rae Jones and Todd Dalin expire in 2024.

 

Hospital Board

For South Big Horn County Hospital District, three of the five seats are expiring this year. Two of them carry four-year terms, the third a two-year term.

Nursing home’s future in doubt

Published by admin on Thu, 08/25/2022 - 4:08pm

Citing hundreds of thousands in operational losses last year alone, Three Rivers Health says it is considering the closure of its 37-bed Bonnie Bluejacket Memorial Nursing Home as a step toward ensuring the viability of its hospital, clinic and emergency room services.

Officials from Three Rivers (formerly South Big Horn County Hospital) shared the news with family members of the 21 people currently living at the facility late last week and met with them personally in two separate gatherings Monday.  

A public meeting has been slated for Tuesday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. at the Greybull High School auditorium.  CEO Rick Schroeder is expected to lead the “open, informal” discussion on the facility’s future.  The school’s north and east doors will be open for members of the public wishing to attend.

Schroeder emphasized in an interview earlier this week that no decisions have been made.

Laursen tops Kost and Peterson in Senate District 19

Published by admin on Thu, 08/18/2022 - 1:31pm

For the second straight election, voters in Wyoming Senate District 19 have chosen a challenger over an incumbent senator.

Four years ago it was RJ Kost of Powell unseating incumbent Sen. Ray Peterson of Cowley, and on Tuesday, Rep. Dan Laursen of Powell defeated Kost and Peterson in a three-way race for the Republican nomination for SD19.

Laursen received 2,580 votes between Big Horn and Park counties to 1,866 for Kost and 1,557 for Peterson, according to unofficial totals announced Tuesday night.

Laursen, the self-described true conservative in the race who has served eight years in the Wyoming House of Representatives, was especially strong in his home county, Park, where he topped Kost 1,697-1,137.

Banks wins four-way race for House District 26

Published by admin on Thu, 08/18/2022 - 1:29pm

As expected, it was a competitive four-way race for the Republican nomination for the District 26 seat in the Wyoming House of Representatives, and in the end, Dalton Banks of Cowley carried the day, beating top challenger Tim Beck of Lovell by 296 votes in the race to succeed the retiring Jamie Flitner of Shell in the House.

Banks received 1,178 votes, unofficially, on Tuesday – 1,100 in Big Horn County and 78 in Park County, while Beck garnered 800 votes in Big Horn County and 82 in Park. Gary Welch of Lovell received 510 votes – 458 in Big Horn County and 52 in Park, while Tim Mills of Greybull finished the night with 308 votes – 268 in Big Horn County and 40 in Park.

Banks won five of the eight precincts making up District 26 in Big Horn County, beating Beck 42-16 in Frannie, 31-24 in Deaver, 79-52 in Byron, 239-77 in Cowley and 448-321 in Lovell. Beck topped Banks 232-196 in Greybull and 77-64 in Shell. 

Junior livestock sale tops $270,000

Published by admin on Wed, 08/10/2022 - 12:35pm

Averages were up and so was the total for this year’s Big Horn County junior livestock sale.

Not counting add-ons, bidders shelled out $270,773 for 129 animals, including 40 hogs, 40 lambs, 28 goats, 15 beef and five rabbits, according to Casey Sorenson, a member of the fair board and president of Bank of Greybull which clerked the sale.

Special district candidates can begin filing on Aug. 10

Published by admin on Thu, 08/04/2022 - 10:23am

Local residents who would like to run for a seat on a special district board can begin filing for expiring seats on Wednesday, Aug. 10.

The filing period closes Monday, Aug. 29.

The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 8.

 

School Board

Four seats on the Big Horn County School District No. 3 board of trustees will be up for grabs this year, including those now held by Ted Menke, Lynette Murray and Bill Robertson.

Menke and Murray are reaching the end of the four-year terms they were elected to serve in 2018.  Robertson is a recent board appointee, chosen to fill the unexpired term of Mike Wirtzberger.

The terms of Pam Flitner, Bette Rae Jones and Todd Dalin expire in 2024.

 

Hospital Board

For South Big Horn County Hospital District, three of the five seats are expiring this year.

Scam turned into blessing for O’Hara

Published by admin on Fri, 07/29/2022 - 12:08pm

About 18 months ago, Pat O’Hara, who lives north of Greybull on the Wyo-Ben road, needed new siding on her home. She contacted a siding company in Powell and gave them a down payment of $5,000. They came out, tore off the old siding, walked away and never went back. It is unknown who built the house, but there was no plywood under the siding – just insulation. No way could O‘Hara survive a winter in a home like that.