Involved in Murder, Local Gets Second Chance

On February 28, 2011, Honorable John R. Per-ry, District Court Judge, modifi ed the sentence of Michael Frank Seiser, suspending the balance of his term of incarcera-tion and releasing him to probation under the supervision of the De-partment of Correc-tions, Division of Field Services, for a period of twenty-fi ve (25) years.

After Michael completed a program at the Department of Corrections Wyoming Honor Conservation Camp and Boot Camp in Newcastle, Wyoming, he was to be placed at an Adult Community Correc-tion Center outside of Gillette, for a period of 24 months. An offi cial at the Boot Camp has confi rmed that Michael is no longer at the Boot Camp location. There is an ad-ditional list of requirements for Michael, in-cluding maintaining full-time employment and to not violate the terms of his proba-tion for the next 25 years.

Originally sentenced to not less than 20 years for his involvement in (or knowledge of) the murders of Jeremy Forquer and Bryce Chavers in 2005, one might wonder what precipitated such a sentence modi-fi cation.

Michael’s attorney, James N. Wolfe, had asked for juvenile treatment to be consid-ered at the original sentencing hearing in May of 2007. He also wrote to Judge Per-ry in July of 2010 asking him to consider it again. One of Mr. Wolfe’s compelling rea-sons was that Michael had been offered juvenile treatment if he would tell what he knew at the time of his arrest, and “had he had good representation at that time he would not be where he is now.”

In reviewing the records, it becomes clear that Michael was presented as a young, naïve, and terrifi ed participant, in-volved only because threats were made against his family. It had also been pre-sented that his IQ was 88 on at least one test (dull normal on the Wechsler Scale), however, an IQ test done after Michael was in custody reported a result of 136 (very superior on the Wechsler Scale).

At Michael’s sentencing hearing, sev-eral Gillette residents testifi ed on behalf of Michael, including employees of the Campbell County School District and the Campbell County Detention Center, as well as several friends and neighbors. It would appear that a great many citizens, besides his family, believed he was a vic-tim of circumstances. Smoking marijuana laced with opium which he admitted to do-ing occasionally with friends, may have had a negative impact on him as well.

From the time Michael arrived at the penitentiary he was kept in protective cus-tody. In 2010, when he was soon to be re-leased into the general population, Judge Perry modifi ed the sentence to send Mi-chael to Wyoming Boot Camp, and then to be re-evaluated after completion of the program.

Michael is now 6’1”, weighs 200 pounds, and will be 21 years old this October. He received his GED while at the Wyoming State Prison. His marks for performance level while at the Booth Camp were all good. He hopes to get a college education and possibly become an architect.

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“Health Buddies”Support for Medicaid Clients

Contact: Kim DetiPhone: 307-777-6420“Health Buddies” to Support Wyoming Medicaid ClientsCertain selected Wyoming EqualityCare (Medicaid) clients are beginning to use “Health Buddy” devices for a cost-effective connection to enhanced medical care as part of a new Wyoming Department of Health effort.The new Healthy Together Health Buddy Project, designed especially for the Wyoming EqualityCare (Medicaid) program, will connect certain clients to medical professionals who will directly monitor their health status using tele-health technology.The Health Buddy is a small, easy-to-use device that is placed in a client’s home and is attached to a phone line. The system asks patients a series of individualized and interactive questions. “For patients, it basically involves logging in to a computer over the phone line so that you can answer important questions every day about your health condition,” said Dr. James Bush, Medicaid medical director with the Wyoming Department of Health. “The system also allows for sharing important data such as blood pressure readings or sugar levels.”“For example, we know Medicaid clients who have experienced heart failure are frequently candidates for expensive hospital readmission. This is both costly

to endure so we want to help them avoid future hospital stays or complex procedures,” Bush said.“With this program, we can set up a Health Buddy device in a heart patient’s home,” Bush continued. “Using the Health Buddy, the patient can answer daily questions about medications and potential symptoms such as shortness of breath or weight gain.”

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Aging and Disabilities Conference Set for CheyenneWith a theme of “Powering toward the future,” the 2011 Wyoming United for Aging and Disabilities conference will be held May 3-5 in Cheyenne.The conference, hosted by the Wyoming Department of Health’s Aging Division, will be held at the Little America Hotel and Resort. Conference sessions will cover a variety of topics related to the human

and substance abuse, and disabilities, including developmental disabilities.The keynote/banquet speaker will be Dr. Walter Bortz. Bortz is one of America’s

aging and is a clinical associate professor of medicine at Stanford University.Additional session topics include the Wyoming Aging and Disabilities Resource Center, Green House Living, Accessing

Disabilities Panel: Shifting to Self-Direction Care Plans, Multicultural Aging, Medication Use and Abuse, Healthcare

Wyoming Department of Health, will staff the project. These nurses will monitor information submitted by patients and

detect potential problems or increased symptoms of concern. “Depending on the case and the patient’s needs, they may call that patient to discuss their condition or they may help ensure the patient visits a doctor,” Bush said.“The Health Buddy system has been used for a number of years in other programs such as the Department of Veterans

“It’s been proven to reduce the number of hospitalizations and costs associated with managing chronic illnesses.”Bush noted the initial project is limited to 100 patients. “Because we are interested in better patient care and cost avoidance through improved prevention, we are focusing on cases with the highest rate of expense and use,” he said. “We hope to expand the program should we see the good results we expect.”The Health Buddy effort is part of the Healthy Together program offered to all Wyoming EqualityCare clients at no cost. The program, which is operated by APS Healthcare, provides one-on-one support from a nurse, educational materials to encourage the self-management of health and help in coordinating care among multiple providers. Healthy Together also provides EqualityCare clients with information on weight loss, smoking cessation and how to adopt healthy lifestyles. For more information on Healthy Together please contact APS Healthcare at 1-888-545-1710 extension 7089 or visit www.WYHealthyTogether.com.The Health Buddy devices are provided by Robert Bosch Healthcare Inc., a leading provider of innovative tele-health systems. For more information, please contact Edie DeVine at 415-365-8543 or visit www.bosch-telehealth.com.

Reform, Reverse Mortgages, and theAging/Mental Health/DevelopmentDisabilities Panel.A pre-conference session the morningof May 3 from 9 to 11 a.m. will cover emergency preparedness. A post-conference session on May 5 from 12:30 to 5 p.m. will cover emergencypreparedness training in detail.The conference registration fee is $150 before April 24 and $175 after April 25. Online registration is available at http://guest.event.com/d/ldqb91/1Q. Formore information about attending theconference please call the Aging Division at 1-800-442-2766 or send an email to wyaging@health.wyo.gov.The conference is sponsored in part by theWyoming Department of Health’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Division, the Wyoming Departmentof Health’s Development Disabilities Division, and AARP.Contact: Kim DetiPhone: 307-777-6420

Aging and DisabilitiesConference for Cheyenne

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Campbell County Easter Egg Hunt

Children and parents raced to gather Easter Eggs at the Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Bicentennial Park. Prior to the Annual Eas-ter Egg Hunt a child indicates which egg he prefers to choose.

Photos by Clark Sanders

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K&R Auto & Truck RepairWillie Nelson

Concert Cancelled

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Willie Nel-son concert planned for 7:30 the following night had been cancelled. This was due to a seemingly severe illness of the country star and he is expected to cancel the en-tire Wyoming state portion of his tour. Re-funds will be offered to those who require them. However, there is currently a plan to reschedule these performances for a later date that has yet to be determined. Though the cancellation is very disap-pointing, we, at the Campbell County Ob-server, hope for a very speedy recovery for Mr. Nelson and hopefully we will see him soon in full health and happiness.

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Friday, April 22• Race for Dreams (Barrel Racing) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., East Pavilion, Camplex

Saturday April 23• Race for Dreams (Barrel Racing) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., East Pavilion, Camplex• Jehovah’s Witnesses Assembly from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Heritage Center, Camplex

Sunday April 24 • Easter Sunday• Campbell County Library Closed for Easter• Jahovah’s Witnesses Assembly from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Heritage Center, Camplex

Monday April 25• Campbell County Library Board Meeting at 4 p.m. at Campbell County Library• Auditions for Missoula Children’s The-ater at 4 p.m., Energy Hall, Camplex• “Yes, for Water PAC” informational meet-ing from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Clarian Hotel

Tuesday April 26 • H.S. Awards Night at 7 p.m. at the N. Auditorium• Teen YuGiOh card game club from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Campbell County Library• RCM Spring Barrel Race from 5 to 9 p.m., East Pavilion, Camplex

Wednesday April 27 • CCHS Juniors, 8 a.m., Camplex Energy hall• Storytime (all ages) at 11 a.m. at the Wright Branch CC. Library• WDE Statewide ACT Testing, Energy Hall, Camplex

Thursday April 28 • Classical Guitarist Peter Fletcher at 7 p.m. at the Campbell County Library

• Teen Anime Club from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Campbell County Library• Start Art contest begins at 12 a.m. Runs through Saturday

Friday April 29• Crawfi sh Boil, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4 p.m. until gone, $20, Wyoming Center, Camplex• World Class Deer Display and Gun Show from 4 to 7 p.m., Central Pavilion, Camplex

Saturday April 30• Prom at 8 p.m. South Campus• Prom at 8 p.m. Wright High School Gym• World Class Deer Display and Gun Show from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Central Pa-vilion, Camplex• Missoula Children’s Theater Perfor-mance “The Princess and the Pea” at 2 p.m., Heritage Center, Camplex• Friends of the NRA Banquet, Energy Hall, Camplex• National All Amateurs Team Roping from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., East Pavilion, Camplex• Shoe Shuffl e 5K walk/run, 8 a.m. regis-tration, C.C. Rec. Center

Community

With the audience waiting patiently, the kids lined up, and the little siblings in the crowd watching with anticipation, Marla Sproul took center stage. She started off the program put on by the Conestoga second and third grade children with good lines, a clear and carrying voice, and the confi dence that many adults could not muster in front of an attentive crowd.

The program that was held at the Cam-plex was a seven song search for music that was very well organized and written. All words and music were by John Jacob-son, Kirby Shaw, and Alan Billingsley. The music director, Paige Denny, did a won-derful job with the show and with the chil-dren. There was a great job of moving in unison and dancing, as well as an obvious amount of fun by the kids.

The show started with the kids taking turns talking about music, and the fact that they lost it. Through the course of fi nding it, they sang songs about melody, rhythm, harmony, tone, form and expression. Af-ter discovering the components of music with the individual songs, they ended the show with a song putting them all together. Second Graders Kellie Webb-Norton and Zak White, along with third grader Dana Blaszkowski were part of the act and said their lines between songs perfectly.

Afterwards the kids were exited and the parents proud. Mr. and Mrs. Tom and Carol Hanson, who came to watch their grand-daughter Megan, said that they loved the whole performance. Mrs. Han-

son went on to say that she likes what the music department has been doing and that the “music teacher is awesome” re-ferring to Paige Denny. The children have been practicing for a long time, and their hard work paid off. They did a wonderful job and had a lot of fun doing it. Congrat-ulations from us at the Campbell County Observer to all the Conestoga children grades two and three for a great perfor-mance.

One of a Kind MusicalBy Nicholas De Laat

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Campbell County Commissioners’ Planning Commission Meeting

April 21 at 7 p.m.

Agenda:Campbell County Planning CommissionApril 21, 20117 p.m. - Meeting Called to OrderApproval of Minutes:Approval of pre-meeting and regular meeting minutes from March 17, 2011.Communication:Public Hearings:• 11.05 COZ Ward Creek Zoning• 11.01 CRSD Kaplan Aliquot• 11.03 COSP Ward Creek SubdivisionOld Business:New Business:Adjournment:Last meeting’s minutes are still not avail-able.

City of GilletteCity Council Meeting

Agenda as of April 18, 2011A. Call to Order.B. Invocation. 1. Invocation Led by Pastor Marty Crump of Family Life Church. Staff Reference:C. Pledge of Allegiance.D. Approval of General Agenda.E. Consent Agenda. (All items listed will be enacted by one motion unless a request is made for discussion by any member of the Audience or Council, in which case, the item(s) will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered separately following this portion of the Agenda). 1. Approval of Minutes a. Special Meeting - March 28, 2011. Staff Reference: Karlene Abelseth, City Clerk b. Morning Meeting - March 30, 2011. Staff Reference: Karlene Abelseth, City Clerk c. Special Meeting - April 4, 2011. Staff Reference: Karlene Abelseth, City Clerk d. Pre-Meeting - April 4, 2011. Staff Reference: Karlene Abelseth, City Clerk e. Regular Meeting - April 4, 2011. Staff Reference: Karlene Abelseth, City Clerk f. Workshop - April 5, 2011. Staff Reference: Karlene Abelseth, City Clerk g. Workshop - April 6, 2011. Staff Reference: Karlene Abelseth, City Clerk 2. Unfi nished Business - Consent Agenda 3. Ordinance Third Reading - Consent Agenda 4. Ordinance Second Reading - Consent Agenda a. An Ordinance Approving and Authorizing the Final Plat for the Resubdivision of Lot 2B of the Davis Chevrolet Subdivision to the City of Gillette, Wyoming, Subject to all Planning Requirements. Staff Reference: Dustin Hamilton, P.E., Director of Engineering and Development Services b. An Ordinance Approving and Authorizing the Final Plat for Tract 3A and Parcel A-1, Gillette Golf Club Subdivision, Tract 5A, Moon Meadow Estates, and Tract N-A and M-1A Moon Meadow Estates, No. 3, to the City of Gillette, Wyoming, Subject to all Planning Requirements. Staff Reference: Dustin Hamilton, P.E., Director of Engineering and Development Services c. An Ordinance Providing for the Vacation of a Portion of the East Third Street Right-of-Way Contigu ous to Lots 1 Through 6, Block 2, Neiman Addition in the City of Gillette, Wyoming, Subject to all Planning Requirements. Staff Reference: Dustin Hamilton, P.E., Director of Engineering and Development Services 5. New Business - Consent Agenda a. Bills and Claims. Staff Reference: Tom Pitlick, Finance DirectorF. Approval of Confl ict Claims - General Agenda. 1. Council Member Boss - $2,189.08 Staff Reference: Tom Pitlick, Finance Director 2. Council Member Carter-King -

$4,609.58 Staff Reference: Tom Pitlick, Finance DirectorG. Oral Comments. 1. A Proclamation Designating the Month of April as Military Child Month and Proclaim Wyoming Children and Youth as Everyday Heroes in our Community. ~ Chantel Russell Staff Reference: 2. A Proclamation Designating April 29, 2011 as Arbor Day. - Janie Kuntz, City Arborist Staff Reference: Janie Kuntz, City Arborist Rick Staskiewicz, Director of Public Works 3. For the Good of the Community 1. Introduction of New City Administrator Carter Napier. Staff Reference: Mayor & City Council Bob Jean, Interim City Administrator 2. A Presentation on the Gillette Regional Water Supply Project. Staff Reference: VIDEOH. Written Comments.I. Unfi nished Business - General Agenda.J. Ordinance Third Reading - General Agenda.K. Ordinance Second Reading - General Agenda. 1. An Ordinance to Amend Section 5-IV-1(a) 2 of the Gillette City Code to Establish Fees for Additional Commercial Plan Reviews. Staff Reference: Ken Rogers, Chief Building Offi cial Charlie Anderson, City Attorney 2. An Ordinance to Amend Section 5-III-2(d) of the Gillette City Code Concerning Violations of Section 5-III-10(a)(1) by Applicants for New Contractor Licenses. Staff Reference: Ken Rogers, Chief Building Offi cial Charlie Anderson, City Attorney L. Ordinance First Reading - General Agenda. 1. An Ordinance Approving and Authorizing the Final Plat for the Resubdivision of Lots 17-22, Block 2, Pronghorn Ranch, Phase 1, to the City of Gillette, Wyoming, Subject to all Planning Requirements. Staff Reference: MAP Dustin Hamilton, P.E., Director of Engineering and Development Services 2. An Ordinance to Amend Section 11-49 of the Gillette City Code to Designate Warlow Drive as an Intracity Route and not a Bypass Route and Setting an Effective Date of June 1, 2014. Staff Reference: VIDEO Charlie Anderson, City AttorneyM. New Business - General Agenda. 1. Council Consideration of a Memorandum of Understanding with Campbell County with Respect to the Maintenance of Roads (“Shared Roads MOU”). Staff Reference: MAP/VIDEO Dustin Hamilton, P.E., Director of Engineering & Development Services Rick Staskiewicz, Director of Public Works 2. Council Consideration of a Street Closure Permit Request for the “Time of Remembrance” at the Children’s Memorial Walkway on May 7th from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. to be Held on Warlow Drive. Staff Reference: Karlene Abelseth, City ClerkN. Appointments.O. Administrator’s Report.P. Special Orders of the DayQ. Executive SessionR. AdjournmentNext meeting is May 2nd at the City HallLast meeting’s minuets are still not avail-able.

Town of WrightNext Wright Town Council Meeting -April 25 at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall

Meeting Minutes

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A champagne brunch was held on Sun-day, April 17, 2011 to help support the 2nd National Armed Forces Freedom Ride taking place on May 21, 2011. Brunch was catered by Pokeys BBQ & Smokehouse and participants enjoyed bacon, sau-sage, biscuits/gravy, scrambled eggs, coffee and mimosas while expressing the kind of support for our armed forces and veterans that the Campbell County area is known for.

Proceeds from the brunch went toward purchasing t-shirts and other items rep-resenting our na-tion’s veterans that will be sold as part of the upcoming event. Any remaining funds will go to support the Home Town Veterans Breakfast that will be held April 26, 2011 at the Senior Citizens Center.

Keep an eye on the Campbell County Observer upcoming events section for other events leading up to the 2nd Na-tional Armed Forces Freedom Ride on May 21, 2011. I will also be reporting on this event as it shows our nation standing together to show our support. Almost ev-ery State’s associated group is involved in this ride. For more information you can go

to the web page at: nationalarmedforces-freedomride.com. to see if your home State is participating that day.

Armed Forces Day is a day to honor every segment of the United States Mili-tary. The purpose of this ride is to Honor

Armed Forces Day and to salute all those in military of the past, and those that still stand serving today that have put their lives in danger for our Country. It is to salutewhat they do ev-ery day to protect the United States.

~Freedom Is Not Free~

Registration begins at 8am at the Gillette National Guard Armory, with breakfast being catered by Pokeys and kickstands up at 10am. The ride will go to the Buffalo Home for a visit with residents, then on to the Sheridan VA

Hospital and returning to Gillette to enjoy a fun filled venue of dinner, drawings and music at Jakes Tavern.

All proceeds above costs are going to HOMETOWN VETERANS and donations may be made at 1st National Bank of Gil-lette under Armed Forces FreedomRide. The Hometown Veterans is an organiza-tion that provides support to local service members and their families.

In support of VeteransBy Sandra Boehler

It was Gillette’s good fortune to be on Cindy Hill’s travel route on Tuesday, April 12. Appearing at Basin Radio Network, where she was welcomed for an im-promptu interview with News Commenta-tor Glenn Woods and Basin Radio News Director Paul Wallem, Cindy discussed her role as recently elected Supervisor of Public Instruction for Wyoming.

Glenn Woods reminded Cindy that dur-ing her election campaign she had said she was go-ing to go through the bud-get and see exactly what was and was not needed, and inquired on the status of this course of action.

“It’s been an ongo-ing process,” Hill said. “Some people were go-ing to take trips to Eu-rope and other places on accreditation visits, but those have been pulled back as there’s a lot of work that needs to be done here in our state.”

“On the 25th and 26th of this month we are going to review ev-ery dollar,” she added. “It’s a big effort, but we want to be sure the money is going towards the kids, and that the work is fo-cused on that which is closest to the chil-dren in the classroom.”

“It’s a new philosophy, not everyone is thrilled about it.” As of Friday, 17 staff members had resigned. All resignations were voluntary; Hill has asked no one to leave. Glenn asked whether all those positions would need to be filled, or just some of them, and Hill replied that it is not certain that it is needed (to fill all the posi-tions that have been vacated).

Hill also discussed the recent legislative session, and teacher tenure in Wyoming. She did not feel tenure was especially necessary, but that teachers and princi-pals need to stay focused on learning and leadership. She also felt that account-ability is important, and applies to every-one whether you are a parent, teacher, principal, superintendent, or community member.

Paul Wallem asked how she felt about some State Legislators feeling that Camp-

bell County does not always get their mon-ey back for what they give to the State, and that schools get built in other cities but not in Gillette. Hill acknowledged that she is aware of the balance and equity is-sues in matters such as this, but believes the Legislature is doing the very best they can right now. As a member of the Facili-ties Commission, she stated she would be an active voice for Gillette.

Mr. Wallem brought up the issue of whether Gil-lette should have an ad-ditional high school due to their high enrollment numbers, which has been an issue for some other areas of the state. Hill replied that this matter is a decision for the local school board and sug-gested it might be some-thing to be brought back to the table locally.

With regard to the State assessment, Hill reported there is an online sur-vey where residents can

share their thoughts and opinions, and encouraged people to go there and share ideas.

Wrapping up, Cindy reported that the PAWS (Proficiency Assessments for Wyo-ming Students) was a huge success this year.

“It was a combination of people work-ing really hard, and working together,” she stated.

When Cindy Hill left Sheridan, she was going to Casper, but due to a navigational error ended up heading towards Gillette. Upon realizing that, she then opted to continue to Gillette because “Gillette’s a great place,” and she had not been here for a while. She thanked the Basin Radio Staff for making her feel so welcome dur-ing her unexpected appearance at their radio station.

Editor’s Note: Campbell County Ob-server extends true appreciation to Paul Wallem and Glenn Woods of the Basin Radio Network for allowing us to write an article based on the interview they con-ducted with Cindy Hill on April 12.

Cindy Hill accidentally lands in Gillette

By Sara Painter

CINDY HILL Supervisor of

Public Instruction

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Wyoming has one of the broadest ener-gy sources, including coal, oil, gas, wind, solar, nuclear, and geothermal, than any other place in the world according to a recent survey done by the International Association of Energy Group. This poses problems to the current administrations zeal for cap and trade, and international emission standards. “We are coal coun-try. We produce oil. We produce gas. We produce, produce, and produce some more” said Mark Calbright, a local miner in Campbell County.

Environmentalists filed a law suit in this month against the coal leasing system. People from the eastern cities and the west coast think of coal and oil as only a source of pollution. Higher commod-ity prices. The Nuclear crisis in Japan. Power plants put on hold. People around the country see only the media and the smoke stacks. But what about: great pay-ing jobs, abundant energy source, hous-ing booms, workforce pride, community involvement, and the low cost energy that our county produces?

“Right now, we are the country’s en-ergy. If all these environmentalists don’t like it, we can just flip the switch. I don’t think they realize how much they get from here” said Jerry Norkenson. “Every ma-chine you run and every product you buy, including toilet paper, you need oil to pro-duce. To run the machines and turn on your light, you need coal. Simple as that.”

There have been many worries in Campbell County of how far the Presi-dent would seek to cut down our ability to produce with new regulations, but there have not been any major ones as of yet. “They bring MSHA down harder with big-ger fines, the EPA making up rules and bypassing the legislature as they go, but

no major policies have been adopted” said a coal mine leader who, because of fear of MSHA retribution, did not want to be named. “The agencies are coming down harder, but not the President. He has stayed away, and this approval of all the coal leases is a good thing he did.”

Another coal mine manager, who did not want to be named, said of MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Administration) “they do a lot of good. We need safe mines, and we preach it. But when it comes to safety, they react. They don’t prevent. They like to sit in the pits and give out fines.”

Wyoming and Alaska are the nation’s two largest energy producers. They are also the two States with much in common including no income taxes, no State debt, part time legislatures, greatest spend-ing per students, lowest corporate taxes, and etc. “These are the two States that are doing best in the country’s economy, and the two States with the least taxes, government, and regulations” stated Ron Malling of the Economic and Developing think tank in Baltimore.

What does this mean for Wyoming’s future? The administration seems to be helping, though there is always a fear of after re-election. The law suites are lately leaning toward the producers, and the local economy is still holding strong. We are about to start shipping coal from Washington to Asian countries, and we are bringing more old oil wells online ev-ery week. Only time will tell, but one thing is certain. While much of the country will have to “wake up and smell the coal,” we will be enjoying our hard work, our com-munities, and watching our children grow up in a debt free State as a result of en-ergy production.

Wyoming Energy Trouble for Administration

By Nicholas De Laat

Picture by Justin HilliusTHE WYODAK POWER PLANTS

Community

4

A massive line of eager circus goers waited outside of the Wyoming Center, in the rain, Tuesday, April 12th. Children and adults alike hoped for their chance to get through the doors to see the best known family-friendly performance in America. Every single seat was filled along with families standing at the rails in order to get a glimpse of all the wonders the Shrine Circus has to offer.

The Shrine Circus visits 120 cities annually for the last 105 years and every year it seems to be filled to the brim. It has become American tradition to take your children and is literally apart of everyone’s childhood memories no matter what age you are. Like clockwork they start their show in its original birthplace of Detroit Michigan and ends in late November in New Orleans Louisiana. The only time it has ever deterred was during the recent disaster of hurricane Katrina where they ended in Baton Rouge instead.

There were amazing feats of acrobat-ics and tight-rope walking that had the au-dience amazed. Shrieks resounded at the thought of these people possibly falling to the ground at every trick they performed. One couldn’t help but wonder if their blun-ders were intentional to get a reaction or real risk, which made it so much more ex-citing. The acrobats were not the only one taking risks for the delight of the crowd. The juggling acts provided their own unique feeling of risk when they tossed around fire, swords and knives.

The animals, however, were the real treat to all. Dancing horses and camels, leap-frogging and fire-jumping tigers, and large, imposing elephants brought smiles across everyone’s faces. Dreams be-came a reality when people were offered elephant rides during intermission. The proximity in which a person could get to these exotic animals roused curiosity of even the most unlikely people.

The night was fun-filled with face paint-ing, fake tattoos, animal rides, and inflat-able slides interjected between the talents of the circus staff. It contained the classic aura of the circus with its snow cones, cot-ton candy, popcorn, and souvenirs.

All the fun that was enjoyed is not actually entirely selfish act on the part of the patrons. The children partaking in all the activity are actually giving back to their own generation. The Shriners of the Shrine Circus are one in the same of the ever supported and appreciated Shri-ners Hospital for Children. This hospital has 22 locations in which children up to 18 are cared for according to their spe-cial medical needs. Referred to as the “world’s greatest philanthropy” there are absolutely no children turned away due to their inability to pay for care. Every single piece of funding is based on donation and fundraisers. Therefore, any sick child can obtain the care they need to lead a full and healthy lifestyle. This is all thanks to this organization of Shriners.

The men found spread around the event are more than just men in funny hats; they help support this hospital in many different ways. From visits to fun-draisers, personal favors to arranging things like transportation, the Shriners do it all for children in need. It is their “job” to organize and maintain this legacy. Part of this legacy is this traditional, annual family event in which helping heal the sick is the result of the amusement of people across the country and is something you can feel good about.

If you missed the event this year, get your tickets early, where they are sold, next year to avoid getting turned away like many did on Tuesday. Also, there is no need to wait until next year to contribute to the children either; donations can be made all year round at shrinershospital-forchildren.org.

Shrine Circus Comes to Town

By Keary Speer

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On June 16 through July 15, thirty youth and five chaperones will travel to Mongo-lia for a four week educational exchange. Eleven youth and two chaperones from Wyoming will be making the trip, includ-ing Campbell County 4-Her Kate Barlow and her mom, Kelly Barlow as a chap-erone. The Wyoming delegation also in-cludes; Jed Christensen, Alta; Melanie Whitmore, Bear River; Wyatt Slagowski, Farson; Rebel Rauterkus, Freedom; Jes-sica Grant, Glenrock; Alanna Elder, Re-becca Garner, Laramie; Kristy Armstrong, Lyman; Thomas Shaffer, Pinedale; Zachery Ander-son, Thermopolis; Erin Sinclair, adult chaperone, Chey-enne

The youth will be participating in a program called, Enhancing Global Perspectives in Youth, funded by a $267,434 grant from the United States Depart-ment of State Bureau of Edu-cational and Cul-tural Affairs and administered by the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service. Youth participating in the program were selected through an application and inter-view process from the 13-state western region. Finalists were also selected from Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.

The educational theme of the exchange will focus on environmental issues that are common to the western U.S. and Mongolia including; water quality, renew-able energy and land restoration. The weather, terrain, energy development and agricultural aspects of northeast Wyoming are very similar to those of Mongolia. Northeast Wyoming’s similarity to Mon-golia and Kate Barlow’s knowledge of the area’s environment and industrial issues were instrumental in earning her a place on the exchange trip.

UW professors traveling with the par-ticipants will guide discussions about the similarities and differences in our region compared to Mongolia’s at various cultur-al and educational sites. One of the sites they are scheduled to visit is a coal mine that is owned by Peabody Energy and has been reclaimed with their best reclama-tion practices. They will also visit copper and gold mines; do water quality testing at two of Mongolia’s rivers and view renew-able energy projects at the National Re-newable Energy Center of Mongolia.

Upon arrival in Mongolia the participants will spend the first few days inUlan Bator, the country’s capital, completing an in-tensive training for language, cultural dif-ferences and teambuilding. Kelly Barlow said that the training essentially, “helps the kids learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable” with regards to all of the cultural differences they will experience.

The next phase in the exchange is the one Kate Barlow says she is most look-ing forward to; a two week stay with a host family. During this time they will par-ticipate in environmental, and community service programs, and visit the aforemen-tioned cultural and educational sites. Kate says she’s excited about the “cultural im-mersion and getting to become a part of their families.”

The last week of the exchange will be spent in a Ger camp in the countryside. Participants will get to tour a 13th Cen-tury living history museum, Genghis Khan

Equestrian Statue and participate in Mon-golia’s national holiday. The national holi-day spectacles include the famous endur-ance horse race.

The participants will take with them books that will be donated to enhance the Mongolian 4-H library and allow youth to practice their English skills. They will also take riding helmets to promote safety, as horses are such a large part of Mongolian culture.

Mongolia has just recently established a 4-H program. The 4-H program in Mongo-

lia actually began at the Univer-sity of Wyoming with two Mongo-lian Professors whose children became involved in 4-H while liv-ing in Laramie. They loved the program so much that when the families returned to Mongolia they established a 4-H program in their home country. Last September, Wyoming 4-H youth develop-ment specialist, Warren Crawford,

and Kim Reaman, State 4-H volunteer management specialist, traveled to Mon-golia to provide training and technical assistance to the new Mongolia 4-H pro-gram. During this time they also were able to set up the groundwork for the exchange program to take place.

“The program will provide an opportunity for students to experience firsthand knowl-edge of foreign cultures and to collaborate on solving global natural resource and en-vironmental issues,” stated Crawford in a UW press release.

Reaman will be traveling with the group to Mongolia and stated in the UW press release that, “This type of experience can be life changing and start a young person down the path to being an involved, global citizen,” she said. “My first international experience was through the International 4-H Youth Exchange to Jamaica. I have had a heart for international programs and the effect they have on a young person’s life ever since.”

Kate and Kelly Barlow are honored to be representing northeast Wyoming on this exchange, but with that they also carry with them the responsibility of this privilege. Kelly said that an important in-terview question was, “How are you go-ing to bring this experience back to your community?” It is expected that the par-ticipants will return home with new skills, knowledge and ideas. For Kate and Kelly, this means bringing those newfound bits of wisdom back from Mongolia in order to create positive changes in our community.

Gillette Youth to Participate in Mongolia Exchange

By Lin Stephens

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Community

5

Talking with Estella Torres’s mom and sister, the three months of practice on the Oboe in between other activities such as honor classes and dance paid off. At the North Campus of Campbell County High School on Monday night, the Choir, or-chestra, and band put on a performance that anyone with a musical ear would want to attend. “The size of the audience shows the quality of music, and we didn’t leave a seat in the house” said one parent.

The Choir started off with some beautiful music, including their darker second song that was more of a meaningful story called “She’s like the Swallow.” They continued their performance later in the night, com-bining 3 choirs together while putting on an outstanding performance. The young adults, such as Kelsie Zentner who sings alto, looked like angels singing more of a sirens song than singing at a small con-cert. The practice Kelsie puts in takes up much time around her other activities, in-cluding working at the Rec. center as a life guard.

“Putting 3 choirs together takes a lot of work. Some are younger, they get over-zealous and full of adrenalin, but I am very proud of the kids tonight and the work that they have given. They did very well, and we look forward to Sheridan. Here, our kids will listen to other schools as well. They will be able to compare and contrast, learning while watching.”

The band director, Mr. Lubken, summed up the band’s performance with “the best we have done so far. We had a good performance this morning, but there is something about when they dress up that brings out the best in them.” The band played very well with songs like “Austra-lian up-country” and “Barnum and Bailey’s Favorite.”

“Trumpet is God’s Gift to Earth” said Lo-gan Resse Jr, a (you guessed it) trumpet player for the band. “I practice about 90 min. a day.”

The Orchestra put me in a special place with their selections of songs tonight. Se-lections from “Carmen” introduced the

beloved and romantic tango that the stu-dents performed with the deepest interest. On a personal level, it has been a long time since I have heard beautiful music such as this, and this night it was provid-ed. They ended with “Variations on a well-known Sea Chantey”, to which I found my-self singing along to “what do we do with a drunken sailor,” which brought back many memories from time in the Navy. The deep sounds of the Cello players like Julie Panner (who considered the last song her favorite also) made the “Old Navy Hymns” even that much more enticing.

Over all, a great performance based on hard work from all who were involved. Campbell County is lucky to have such a musical program to get us all out of the same radio music, and watch our local students take us to a level of serenity that only their brand of playing can offer.

Back to the ClassicsBy Nicholas De Laat

Cemetery District

starts new website

Darin Edmonds, Sexton of the Campbell County Cemetery District, is in charge of nine cemeteries. He took time out of his busy day to give us a brief history as well as to answer questions about what ex-actly the Cemetery District does. He also discussed the soon-to-be-unveiled web-site for the Campbell County Cemetery District.

Edmonds said they are hoping to launch the Cemetery District website before Me-morial Day. Testing for the site has begun and a presentation to the Board of Direc-tors is scheduled for April 27. All of the cemetery district’s nearly 1000 public doc-uments will be available online including the minutes and agendas from the board meetings, dating back to 1965.

This website will be an important benefit to members of the community particularly for genealogy purposes. In addition to be-ing able to search by name to find date of birth and date of death, visitors will be able to find the location of specific gravesites.

“It’s a pretty big cemetery,” said Ed-monds. “57 acres, 88 blocks, and all those letters and numbers can be intimidating to navigate.”

The new system will allow visitors to map out a direct route from their home computer, print it out, and bring it along to help in locating gravesites.

Edmonds has a strong interest in the historical aspect of Mt. Pisgah Cemetery. Gravesites date back to 1891, and include veterans from both armies of the Civil War. He explained how the death records give a more colorful look at what life was like in early Campbell County. Historically, the causes of death often paint a colorful picture of the event such as ‘due to being kicked in the head by mule’ or ’shot in bar fight, downtown Gillette’ or, ‘arsenic poi-soning, wife arrested.’

The website promises to be a useful tool whether the aim is to visit a loved one’s final resting place, trace a family tree, or research the history of the Cemetery Dis-trict itself.

“Energy is our business. We are not on TV but we have the dirtiest and toughest

jobs there is. We are the

nation’s energy. We just wish that the nation would give us some respect instead

of trying toshut us down.” – Dale Keaton

The City of Gillette’s Planning Division releases “Developing Gillette 2010”, its annual development summary.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Developing Gillette 2010 includes timely

and useful information on the following: population, annexations, employment, unemployment, housing data, commercial construction, public sector projects, pri-vate sector projects, and a list of contacts for development projects in the Gillette area. Development highlights for 2010 include:

• The official U.S. Census population in 2010 for Gillette is 29,087.

• The estimated population of Gillette is 30,000 on January 1, 2011. This is based on annexations and certificates of occu-pancy granted during 2010.

• The service population of Gillette is es-timated at 32,025 on January 1, 2011.

• 281 dwelling units were annexed into the City during 2010.

• 319 new housing units were permitted. • New residential permit valuation topped

$84 million for the year. • The average vacancy rate by quarter

for residential rental buildings was 6.13% for 2010.

• The average vacancy rate by quarter for manufactured home parks was 6.88% for 2010.

• New commercial projects permitted during 2010 valued at close to $19 million.

• Commercial additions and alterations

permitted in 2010 valued at almost $51 million.

• The new Gillette College Technical Ed-ucation Center opened.

• The new 180,000 plus square foot Campbell County Recreation Center opened.

• The $17 million plus new Burma Av-enue Extension was completed and opened during 2010.

• Prairie Wind Elementary School opened in September 2010.

• Construction started on the new Center of Hope at the YES House.

• Campbell County Memorial Hospital completed the new parking garage and started construction on the tower addition to the hospital. Total investment is more than $60 million.

• The Campbell County Economic De-velopment Corporation completed and is implementing a Five Year Strategic Plan.

• A One Cent Optional Sales Tax was approved by the voters in November. The one cent tax is voted upon every four years and has been in place for 32 years. It is used to improve community infra-structure in Campbell County, Wright, and the City of Gillette.

• Wyoming coal production increased 2.6% in 2010 over 2009 production fig-ures, according to WYO File, a Wyoming news service. This is a positive economic signal for the local economy.

• Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s

Dry Fork Station, a 385 megawatt electric generating plant, continued construction during 2010. It is to be operational in the summer of 2011. There will be 83 perma-nent employees. The estimated invest-ment by Basin Electric for Dry Fork Sta-tion is $1.3 billion.

• During 2010, two coal companies in Campbell County began the process to mine and ship coal to China.

• Over $300 million were committed in 2010 for public and private sector proj-ects in Gillette, Campbell County, and the Town of Wright. This is a significant in-vestment for the community’s future. The amount does not include coal mining, rail-road, or funds used for construction of the Dry Fork Station in 2010.

City of Gillette Planning Division releases the

Developing Gillette 2010 SummaryAnnual Report summarizes Gillette’s Growth and Development

Question of the Week

Do you believe that the TSA is going to far, or not far enough?

“It’s not how they screen or the in-depth screening, it’s who to screen and have the training to pick out people that need to be screened.”

- Stephen Feldmeier

“I do not agree with what they are doing with American children. 6yr old girl with a complete search? If it wasn’t a representative of the Federal

Government, that would be child molestation.” - Miles Shofer

“We need our safety. If that is what it takes, than so-be-it.” - Devan Smith

To submit ideas or article requests go to www.campbellcountyobserver.net

or email us at Newsandideas@CampbellCountyObserver.com

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6

When the weather starts to get nice, most people don’t want to be cooped up in their homes. Next time you’re looking for something to do and don’t want to drive anywhere, think of Dalbey Memorial Park. Dalbey Memorial Park is also called “The Fishing Lake” by many locals. It of-fers a little bit of something for everybody. It is a very great place to hang out with friends and family. It offers a full Frisbee golf course, basketball court, valley ball court, two horse shoe pits, many covered picnic areas equipped with charcoal bar-

beques, two complete playgrounds for the children, and if you’re feeling energetic there is a paved walk way around the lake that is 1.1 miles long. There are various water fountains and bathrooms. You can also fish in the lake, although you can’t have any motorized boats or rafts, it is still fun for the family. You can also rent a covered picnic area for a birthday party or other special occasion by contacting Gillette City Public Works department at 686-5275. The park hours are from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Dalbey Memorial ParkBy Sara Painter

Photo by Justin HilliusDALBEY MEMORIAL PARK

Community

While everyone agrees with the need for safe schools and healthy students, are Campbell County voters willing to back it financially as well?

Kip Farnum sincerely hopes so.Farnum is Director of Student Support

Services at Campbell County School District, supervising the school nurses and working with guidance counselors to create the best possible environment for Campbell County students. His du-ties include facilitating the $6 million Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) grant that affords the opportunity to provide programs for mental health services, sub-stance abuse services, the FAST (Fami-lies and Schools Together) program aimed at school readiness and family strength-ening, and other initiatives in place due to the grant.

“It has been very, very positive for our community and our school district,” said Farnum.

The Gillette City Council and the Camp-bell County Commissioners have been asked to partner with the School District to provide more funding for FAST. The School District is hoping to match funds with them, trying to ensure that the pro-gram can be sustained after the grant money is depleted. Farnum said the FAST program includes teaching families to play together; how to communicate effectively, and provides a support system for par-ents.

Other community partners already col-laborating to implement the SS/HS grant include the Sheriff’s Office, the Gillette Police Department, the Campbell County Attorney’s Office, Campbell County Me-morial Hospital, and the YES House. All of the programs are administered through local agencies.

According to Farnum, almost $1 million has been spent in the last two years to provide mental health services to chil-dren in our school district with over 600 referrals to the program in that two year time period illustrating the need for such services

“The unfortunate thing is that the Safe Schools Healthy Students grant is a 4-year grant, and we are just winding up

year 3, so we only have one more year with that grant” Farnum explained. “Now we are going to entities such as the City Council and the County Commissioners to see if they would be interested in partner-ing with us from here on out in order to try to sustain these much needed programs.”

The mental health program is for stu-dents K-12 referred by counselors, princi-pals, and other staff members as well as through other agencies that work with the school district such as the courts. Among the reasons for referrals are depression, suicidal ideation, overt behavior such as acting out, and severe emotional issues.

“We are seeing a lot of acting out be-haviors in kids as young as kindergarten, and they can be very difficult to control in class,” stated Farnum.

Participation following a referral is volun-tary for the student and parents. Accord-ing to Farnum the number of students re-ferred is much higher than had ever been anticipated when the program began.

“Just one more fully funded year, next year, and after that, we have to figure out how to run these programs without fund-ing,” he added.” That is the challenge at this point. This is a significant program that we really want to sustain if we can.”

SS/HS and FAST may be the offspring of the “It Takes a Village” school of thought. Kip Farnum is hoping Campbell County villagers will get involved in sustaining the programs which were implemented using the SS/HS grant, and persuade decision makers to help maintain what he feels is a really significant program for Campbell County kids, a program that is slated to run out of funding in one year. Some of the decision makers include Mayor Tom Murphy and Gillette City Council Mem-bers Louise Carter-King, Ted Jerred, John Opseth, Kevin McGrath, Robin Kuntz, and Everett Boss; and County Commis-sioners Stephen Hughes, Dan Coolidge, Christopher Knapp, Matt Avery, and Micky Shober. Contact them to express your views on whether or not you want your tax dollars prioritized to support FAST, one of the programs funded through the Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant.

Funding for FastBy Sara Painter

The City of Gillette Parks and Beauti-fication Board heard from Gillette Pub-lic Informational Officer Joe Lunne on a survey undertaken by the city regarding parks issues, including proposed usage for the 320 acres between Garner Lake Road and Lakeway Road purchased by the city. Approximately 1500 surveys will be mailed out to citizens selected at ran-dom rather than conducting the survey online in order to ensure participation of area residents only.

Kevin McGrath presented to the board requesting a grant for the United We Stand Sculpture. He was asking for a matching grant of $30,000, leaving local veterans to come up with the other $30,000. While supportive of the effort, the board felt they lacked the funds to provide financial as-sistance. A motion was passed to prepare

a letter of support for the endeavor. In other business, the board discussed

maintaining and upgrading beautification efforts on Southern Drive while recogniz-ing the area is zoned industrial and has no screening mechanism in place regard-ing new businesses. The board also dis-cussed how to best use grant money they have received to beautify Lakeway Road.

At a public meeting following the board meeting, Erik Heikes of FourFront De-sign in Rapid City presented three design choices for the new 2 ½-acre Providence Crossing Park located between the new Hillcrest School and the North Campus High School parking lot. His 7-year-old daughter, Katherine, who was the young-est audience member at the meeting, ac-companied him.

Parks and Beautification

By Sara Painter

Back in April of 1996 in a small three room shop in the Lakeway Professional Building, a career was born for Jerry and Sue Ristesund and their family. On Jerry’s 10th anniversary working for the Camp-bell County Sheriff’s Department he re-signed his position and started a used fur-niture and antiques business. Trends Consignment Mall emerged and pre-sented Gillette retail with an additional source for used fur-niture.

“People told us we were crazy.” Sue re-calls, upon starting the business. When the business first started Jerry would drive across South Dakota or down to Denver and bring back used furniture and antiques. He would do all the driv-ing to try to keep the cost down for their customers. “Jerry would go to auc-tions and bring back a carload. He would leave at 4 in the morning, drive to Denver, load a trailer and be back in Gillette at 6 PM ready for dinner.”

The business took root in Gillette and expanded. Two years later, in 1998, the Ristesunds were approached by a local building owner who thought they should move their business and create a partner-ship with an antiques dealer a collabora-tion that proved to be successful As their business grew they changed their name to Trends Furniture, Inc. and they started bringing in some new furniture.

In April of 2006, the antiques mall left the Trends location and expanded the space again. Trends Furniture, Inc. now in its current location on Hwy 59, supplies a fabulous showroom of Ashley, Home Elegance, and Sauder furniture among others, where you can buy furnishings right off the floor without waiting to have it shipped in.

In 2008 Jerry passed away; suddenly and the family was faced with a decision.

“Dad was the salesman. He could sell anything,” daughter Rebekah recalls warmly. “We needed to decide what we would do with the family business?”

Rebekah and her husband Dan Bane were living in Den-ver both working in retail with upper management posi-tions. They offered to come back to Gil-lette and help Sue run the business a move that has al-lowed the family business to contin-ue to thrive.

Dan is happy working the back-room while Re-bekah keeps the books and Sue runs the showroom floor. The family dynamic works well for them. They all enjoy what they do, along with the devoted staff who have worked

for the company for several years. Trends Furniture, Inc. is happy to carry

forward the tradition of family first and they prove it six business days a week. Trends is closed on Memorial Day and the day after Thanksgiving, two of the busiest shopping days of the year in the furniture business, so staff members can enjoy time off with their families.

“It has never hurt our business; our philosophy has always been ‘be a friend first,’” said Sue with a smile.

Trends FurnitureBy Tracy Mathews

Business

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Advertising@CampbellCounty

Observer.com

7

Want to know who owns that ranch over yonder? Can’t find a street? Need directions to a restaurant?

“If it’s there, we have a map for it,” beams Cathy Raney of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

While maps were in use even in pre-historic times, they are used for much more than just getting from here to there. This was evident in the work of John Snow in 1854. He was the first to map out individual cases during the cholera outbreak in London. This study led to the discovery of the source, a contaminated water pump. Only after Snow disconnected the Broad Street Pump’s handle was the disease brought under control.

Raney is rightfully proud of the map-ping database currently available to all.

“Before, the county had their infor-mation as did the state and city,” she stated.”Now, all that information is over-lapped onto each other with a simple push of a button. We all pool our re-sources.”

With GIS becoming more interactive citizens can also report important infor-mation.

“Crowd sourcing. Live feedback. On the ground reporting,” explained Raney.”Soon you will be able to tell if a serious fire is coming at you. That’s the future of GIS. It can benefit citizens and citizens can benefit each other.”

“While the average citizen benefits from GIS, the information provided can be vital to independent engineering firms, petroleum and coal companies and ‘land use guys’,” she added.” The information includes who owns a partic-ular parcel, for how long and its value.”

Not having internet access is no prob-lem, Raney explained. The Campbell County Library has a GIS kiosk avail-able during library hours. A library card is not required.

Proving the old adage that you can take the girl out of Texas but, you can’t take Texas out of the girl: there was lit-tle doubt this interview was in a Texan’s home. From the Lone Star mounted on the house facing the street, to the flags framed in several rooms,

“I have to have my little reminders of home,” she said with a grin.

Originally Raney wanted to get into Interior Design but, quickly discovered the fine line between that and Architec-ture. After researching the four schools available at the time for her Masters,

she opted for the only one in Texas, Texas A&M. In 1989, she tired of school and professors, and with the oil market bottoming out discovered architecture companies were not hiring. She then started working for College Stations public utilities department. “It was civil drafting instead of architecture. On the job training of water and sewer lines with a crash course in GIS.” She then moved to parcel mapping.

“I was looking for a change. We wanted to get out of Texas because of the job market. I couldn’t advance. If I wanted to advance, I had to leave.”

Why move to Gillette in 2003? “This part of the country has natural beauty, she replied. “It’s rich in history. It’s just a beautiful part of our country.” Then she adds shyly, “And I was tired of the heat in Texas.”

What does she see herself doing in the next five to ten years? “Doing GIS in some form for (Campbell) county or somewhere else. Until I retire, this is what I will do.”

Every second Saturday, Raney vol-unteers at the Soup Kitchen with her church, Holy Trinity Episcopal. The “gotta be hot” meals are typically a spa-ghetti or casserole, two vegetables, sal-ad, bread and dessert. “We’ve served 90 people but, average 65 to 70.”

At home she feeds three pound pup-pies, two children aged 11 and 13, and Jeff, who she married in 1991.

She gets her most enjoyment from her garden. “I like to get dirt under my fin-gernails. I love to see things grow and bloom. I tell everyone, ‘Dad grows stuff to feed your body. Mom grows stuff to feed your soul.’ I gotta have my flow-ers!”

Interview withCathy Raney

By Karen Waters

Our Public Servant

With Easter finally upon us and this French proverb as unfortunately accu-rate as proverbs often seem to be, I got to thinking about all those old sayings and their validity.

Do we only get to hear the ones that seem relevant at the time? For in-stance, had we begun to enjoy warm weather in mid-March and had been continually blessed with balmy breezes and glorious blue sky days with an oc-casional warm shower of needed pre-cipitation that failed to even come close to crystallization, this particular proverb would mean nothing. In fact if you read the proverb in question while sitting on the Lanai porch of your home on Kauai it would be downright confusing. Being its origin is French and thus a country accustomed to climatic shifts, it was probably a pretty good proverb every so often when the convergence of a late Easter and ongoing cold weather gave it credibility and thus was resurrected by the many among us who take refuge in omens.

It got me thinking (always dangerous waters) about other sayings.

When the heart is full, the tongue will speak. - Scottish

Alright, this seems simple enough. It speaks to how eloquence comes from being passionate about something or someone. Accurate? I knew a guy in college that claimed he was head over heels in love with a young woman in the Econ class we took together. He spoke incessantly of what he would say to her if given the chance, mostly involving clever repartee and poetic expressions of his high regard for her. One day as we were walking out she smiled at him and asked him a question. He froze. Then he babbled something idiotic, began to sweat profusely and excused himself just before dropping his books all over the hallway. Of course not be-ing Scottish may have been part of the problem but it took two weeks to get him to come back to class.

When fortune turns against you, even jelly breaks your teeth. - Iranian

Ok. I kind of get this I guess. It sounds a bit like a lyric to a bad blues song, but its point is well taken.

What you cannot avoid, welcome. - Chinese

This can be taken many ways. I like the acceptance of it with regard to cer-tain circumstances but I trust it gives plenty of leeway as to efforts to avoid potential un-pleasantries. Plus, I’d be a bit hard pressed to welcome car trou-ble, influenza, or snow in May.

What good is running when you’re on the wrong road. - German

Personally, I’ve never seen much of a benefit to any kind of running unless I’m being chased. When I’ve been in groups of men discussing long ago skirmishes in which they came out triumphant I ex-plain that I won the last fight I was in by a good 6 blocks.

Mediocrity is climbing molehills with-out sweating. - Icelandic

Harsh words for one like myself who has come to grips with the necessity of embracing personal mediocrity

Making money selling manure is better than losing money selling musk. - Egyp-tian

Yeah, I get it, but I see nothing dishon-orable about dung dealing in the first place.

Having two ears and one tongue, we should listen twice as much as we speak. - Turkish

I like this. Reminds me of when my Dad (with just a dollop or two of frus-tration) told me during an excessively talkative period of my life, “No one ever learns anything with his mouth open.”

Don’t call the alligator ‘Big Mouth’ until you have crossed the river. - Belizean

As I age (and one would hope evolve) I strive to be non-judgmental. While fail-ing rather miserably at this I’ve become much more skilled at not voicing these opinions and have never once regretted withholding the assessments.

The more you ask how much longer it will take, the longer the journey seems. - Maori

Ever been on a car trip with kids? Ever been a kid on a car trip? I don’t know how many Maoris take long car trips but they nailed this one.

The wolf and the dog agree, at the ex-pense of the goat which together they eat. – Basque

Think of Republican and Democrat-ic politicians as the wolf and dog and the rest of us (at least those of us who aren’t wealthy) as the goat.

Put off for one day and ten days will pass by. - Korean

The new self-help book I plan to au-thor will be “Creative Procrastination”- That is, if I get around to it.

Not everything you hear is good for talk. – Japanese

Try going a few days, like 4-5 with-out speaking about anyone not in your presence. Not just negative stuff but anything at all. Then try not listening to anything about anyone not present. Let me know how it goes.

Self-praise is no recommendation. – Romanian

While continually amazed by the num-ber of people out there who appear to be the president of their own fan club, I’m truly astounded by the high percent-age of those who don’t realize they are.

Silence is sometimes the answer. – Estonian

This one renders me speechless.And finally…Fools are like other folks as long as

they are silent. - DanishNuff said.Happy Easter to all.“The story of Easter is the story of

God’s wonderful window of divine surprise.” - Carl Knudsen

About NothingBy Ken DeLaat

A late Easter, a long cold spring. - French proverb

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Public Pulse

8

Koehler’s your home town butcher

Does giving “The Rich” a tax break in-crease the defi cit?

To hear the President and most every-one else to the left of the argument tell it, it does. But let’s have a closer look at defi cits, and how taxes are collected.

Recently I met a man who owns a midsized business here in Campbell County. Let’s call him William. Last year William’s company made millions. He had intended to use that money to expand his company, in order to make more money. This would be a classic example of “The Rich” getting richer.

But to expand his company William would have to hire planners, builders, plumbers, electricians, and so on. From there he would have to hire staff, man-agers, and administrators. This expan-sion would be done at great risk to Wil-liam’s personal income should sales not increase as he hopped.

Should his plans pan out and the ex-pansion of William’s company lead to more capital gain for himself he would then have to pay more in taxes on that extra income. Add to that, his new em-ployees would now paying taxes on the money that they make. This would mean that they would no longer col-lecting unemployment along with oth-er government benefi ts. Rather, they would now paying into the system that they once collected from.

But what if we were to tax William’s profi t away, before he had the chance to expand?

Not wanting to suffer a loss due to higher taxes William would fi nd ways to keep his money, legally we hope, from the IRS. There would be no capital in-vestment in his business. No designers and construction workers hired. No new employees hired. No new profi t and in-come to tax, and those would be new employees would continue collecting from the government dole, rather than becoming tax payers.

Now, what if William had never intend-ed to expand his company, but, instead, had simply decided to invest his mil-lions in the hopes that the stocks that he bought were a safe and profi table place to stash his cash?

Purchasing stock is, in effect, loaning money to a company. That company would use that loan for research, de-velopment, and expansion of their own companies, and pay interest on that loan to William. William would have to pay taxes on that interest. In order for research, development, and expansion to occur those companies will have to hire employees. That means more tax payers added for the IRS to collect from. If those companies see a profi t from their research, development, and

expansion they will owe more to the IRS in taxes.

But what if we were to tax William’s profi t away, before he had the chance to purchase that stock?

Since no money was loaned to these companies they have nothing with which to pay for research, develop-ment, and expansion. That means no new employees hired. No more tax pay-ers added for the IRS to collect from. Those potential tax payers continue collecting from the government dole rather than paying into it. Since those companies would not see an expanded profi t from their research, development, and expansion they will have nothing extra from which the IRS can tax.

Tax rates (to “The Rich”) were slashed dramatically during the 1920s, drop-ping from over 70 percent to less than 25 percent. What happened? Personal income tax revenues increased sub-stantially during the 1920s, despite the reduction in rates. Revenues rose from $719 million in 1921 to $1164 million in 1928, an increase of more than 61 per-cent. The Heritage Foundation

From The Heritage Foundation, in an article on this topic: “President Hoover dramatically increased tax rates in the 1930s and President Roosevelt com-pounded the damage by pushing mar-ginal tax rates to more than 90 percent. Recognizing that high tax rates were hindering the economy, President Ken-nedy proposed across-the-board tax rate reductions that reduced the top tax rate from more than 90 percent down to 70 percent. What happened? Tax rev-enues climbed from $94 billion in 1961 to $153 billion in 1968, an increase of 62 percent (33 percent after adjusting for infl ation).”

“Lower rates of taxation will stimulate economic activity and so raise the levels of personal and corporate income as to yield within a few years an increased – not a reduced – fl ow of revenues to the federal government.”– John F. Kenne-dy, Jan. 17, 1963, annual budget mes-sage to the Congress, fi scal year 1964

From The Heritage Foundation, in an article on this topic: “President Reagan proposed sweeping tax rate reductions during the 1980s. What happened? To-tal tax revenues climbed by 99.4 per-cent during the 1980s, and the results are even more impressive when looking at what happened to personal income tax revenues. Once the economy re-ceived an unambiguous tax cut in Janu-ary 1983, income tax revenues climbed dramatically, increasing by more than 54 percent by 1989 (28 percent after adjusting for infl ation).”

Does giving “The Rich” a tax break increase the defi cit?

By Glenn Woods

Bold Republic Weekly

To listen to Glenn Woods morning radio show tune in to 1270am KIML Gillette

Monday through Friday from 6 - 10 a.m.

Patriot Publishing is a small publish-ing business starting up right here in Wyoming. We not only publish the Campbell County Observer and cal-endars, but anything in print. We will soon also have a monthly publication that we think you will enjoy. If you have a book and can’t get a major compa-ny to publish you, we are a new and American-owned publisher that may print your work. Please feel free to contact us at anytime with your idea.

To answer the sports question of the week

go towww.campbell

countyobserver.net

Submit your answer and your name to

appear in the paper.

All opinions in the Public Pulse section are not necessarily the opinions of the

Campbell County Observer

9

Public Pulse

Should Wyoming re-institute its State Militia?

We have one. We have the basic laws governing it. But why is it not active? Here we will describe the advantages and dis-advantages if the Wyoming Governor de-cides to call up the Militia. But first, what does the U.S. and State Constitutions say?

U.S. Constitution: Amendment II - A well-regulated Militia,

being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Article II Section II Paragraph I - The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States;

Article I Section VIII Paragraph I- The Congress shall have power to lay and col-lect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the com-mon defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts, and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

Paragraph XV - To make Rules for the Government and regulation of the land and naval forces;

Paragraph XVI - To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

Paragraph XVII - To provide for organiz-ing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Offi-cers, and the authority of training the Mi-litia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

Wyoming State Constitution: Article XVII - State MilitiaSection I -Of whom militia constituted. The militia of the state shall consist of

all able-bodied qualified residents of the state, and those non-residents who are accepted into service, between the ages of seventeen (17) and seventy (70); ex-cept those exempted by the law of the United States or of the State. But all residents having scruples of conscience averse to bearing arms shall be excused therefrom upon conditions as shall be pre-scribed by law.

Section II - Legislature to provide for en-rollment, equipment, and discipline.

The legislature shall provide by law for the enrollment, equipment, and discipline of the militia to conform as nearly as prac-ticable to the regulations for the govern-ment of the armies of the United States.

Section III - How officers commissioned. All militia officers shall be commissioned

by the Governor, the manner of their se-lection to be provided by law, and may hold their commission for such period of time as the legislature may provide.

Section IV - Flags. No military organization under the laws

of the state shall carry any banner or flag

representing any sect or society or the flag of any nationality but that of the Unit-ed States.

Section V - Governor to be commander-in-chief; powers.

The Governor shall be commander-in-chief of all the military forces of the state, and shall have power to call out the militia to preserve the public peace, to execute the laws of the State, to suppress insur-rection or repel invasion.

Anybody who has been in the United States Armed Forces knows that without their training, rules, organization, and or-der they would not have been able to be an accomplished soldier or part of an ac-complished military. The rag tag armies of the third world countries prove how these four actions must be taken to succeed. With this in mind, let’s get out of the imagi-nary thinking that the militia would be a bunch of rednecks in flannel showing up with their shotguns and doing whatever they want. If this were true it would not succeed.

Training is the key. Another common illusion is that the militia is just for invad-ing forces. The militia is for protecting the lives, liberty, and property of the Citizens and of the State of Wyoming. There are many dangers that could threaten our lives and property that the militia needs to train for. A few years ago a nasty tornado went through the trailer park in Wright, WY. It did an extreme amount of property damage and threatened the lives of many of our fellow citizen. What if the Camp-bell County division of the State Militia and neighboring county’s Militia divisions had been previously trained to respond to tornado damaged. What if they had trained with the local EMS on emergency response so that upon arrival on scene they can assist in getting medical treat-ment to the injured faster to save more lives. It would have been nice if they were around to practice with the fire department to assist in fires, clearing debris, and mak-ing the area safe for the rest of the emer-gency services to operate. Or what if they knew what to do because of previous ex-ercises with the County Sherriff’s office to assist the Police in gaining and maintain-ing order so that the fire department and EMS can work faster and more efficiently.

You can put them through sand bag training so that when the flooding in cen-tral and western Wyoming that threaten the homes and property of our citizens there is an organized response. Instead of people just showing up out of the blue having little knowledge of the proper way to sand bag, you can train these State vol-unteer patriots that we call our Militia what position to be in to build it faster, how to build it to make it stronger, and best way to organize the process for efficiency.

There are some obstacles to think of. The National Guard is considered by many to be our militia. The Governor has powers to call them up, and they guard the State armories. But so does the U.S. Congress and the President. The State Constitution requires that the State leg-

islature provide rules and regulations for the militia, but so does the U.S. Consti-tution require Congress. If we created the State Militia, would the Constitution’s clash over control? Currently the National Guard is little run by the State. They fall under the UCMJ; they are trained by the U.S. Army, and called up to foreign wars by the U.S. President and Congress. This has made a clear Constitutional argument of since Federal government exercises all authority over the National Guard and deploys them overseas in offensive cam-paigns which are against the wording of the U.S. Constitution (Article I Section VIII Paragraph XVI)--”To provide for call-ing forth the militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections, and re-pel Invasions”. Offensive campaigns not even on our continent is unconstitutional. Therefore the National Guard is not a constitutional militia but a reserve unit of the U.S. official land forces. And how can our State’s citizens expect to protect their lives and properties if the trained so called “militia” is not here to help.

The National Guard is needed; we could not have accomplished as a Nation what we have since the dark days of September 2001 without them. They have done mul-tiple tours, endured the worse, and given us the best. The argument is though, that they are reserve regular Army, not militia.

The State Militia is not mercenaries, they are volunteers. They are not crimi-nals and felons, but decent people of Wy-oming. They are not an individual radical group but a State regulated volunteer or-

ganization. The State Militia is our heri-tage, and to deny our heritage is to deny the soul of our ancestors. The meaning of the term “militia” as gone from being recognized as heroes to being thought of as vigilantes and domestic terrorist. But how can a State government ran militia be anything but virtue and lawful?

Because the State Militia would be vol-untary, there would be no compensation for the services or equipment. The only cost would be in training and organization. In natural disaster response how much would we save with all the more num-bers of trained manpower to protect our properties? How many people will we be protecting with our basic principal of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” by having the extra voluntary emergency response helping to save lives? And the reason I say we, is that our militia would be ran by “our” government and manned by you and me. As a community, we are the best resource for protecting our land, our children, and eachother.

From the Editor: Usually, we will not submit this long of an open article. Also, we would like to refrain from any open article to be opinion based, that is what our letter to the editor section is for. We made a special circumstance here because we did not have anoth-er article submitted this week. Please submit your articles about hunting, fishing, news, travel, accomplish-ments, etc. to us to be printed.

Weekly Open ArticleBy David Hornsbey

Open ArticlesYou may submit your open articles the following ways:Mail your article to 5105 Tarry St., Gillette, WY 82718

or E-mail your article to: OpenArticles@CampbellCountyObserver.com

This is our open article section where the public may submit any article that they would like to see printed. This can be po-etry, cooking, vacations, recipes, hunting/fishing stories, poli-tics, philosophy, news, theory, or anything that you believe that the local news is missing and should be recognized. This article is subject to editing by our staff. This section is for fact, not opinions. We will not print submissions about politics (though policies are ok), religion, or self advertisement. This is your chance to be a local journalist, or to submit your ideas to your community. Limit of 1000 words.

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Dear Editor:Good article about the Kansas Protest-

ers. It is hard to believe in the Constitution and at the same time drive those soulless people back to a safe distance from the funeral, but our legislators did a great job with this bill.

Gregg Coneley

Editor: I agree. The bill still stays within the parameters of the Constitution (State and Federal) as the peaceful right to pro-test, but keeps them far enough away to not insult our greatest treasure, the sol-dier.

Dear Editor:Even if everyone in the County votes NO

on the Cap tax, we still can’t win because of the population difference of County and City. I know Gillette Residents do not want the higher water bills, but we don’t want to pay for your water. Asking us to do so is the basic socialist principals you speak against.

Editor: My advice would be to start at-tending the City Council and County Com-missioners meetings often so that you can get involved in these issues. Most of the local elected officials are very open and willing to answer any questions you may have. Attending the meetings and paying attention is the key.

Dear Editor:The NR should be ashamed of their

selves for running that rape article with-out permission. I am not sure if they would print this so I sent it to you. They are un-ethical, immoral, and have now become a stain on our community. What gives them the right to open up old wounds like this? Next you will see combat stories in detail without the soldier’s permission when they are struggling to forget. I realize that the NR is very liberal, but this is too much!

John Racksly, Campbell County

Editor: We have been getting many com-ments on the subject. There was a letter last week from a woman that had a stalk-ing case that praised the Newsrecord for bringing this out for all women. The opin-ions on the ethics (vs. the First Amend-ment) will vary, and the Campbell County Observer will leave our opinion out of the matter.

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the EditorYou may submit your letters to the editor the following ways:

Mail your letter to 5105 Tarry St., Gillette, WY 82718 or Email your letter to:

Letters@CampbellCountyObserver.comAll letters must be under 250 words and must be signed with a valid name and telephone number. We reserve the right to not publish any letter for any reason. We will call you before printing your letter for verification that you wrote it for two rea-sons. The first is that we do not want to print a letter that has the wrong name on it, and the other is that it is the position of this newspaper that any public opinions or writings where the source is hidden is not worth being printed.

To submit letters (less than 300 words)

go to www.campbell

countyobserver.net

10

Sports Report

Ring Wars had its sixtieth event. It was held in Spearfish South Dakota on Friday, April 15. It included fighters out of Spearfish, Rapid City and Gillette Wyoming. They had 12 fights on the card for that night. Two of which were title fights.

Bo Leonard was 5-1 going into Ring Wars sixty. His fight was supposed to be for top contender. Meaning who ever won the fight would get a title shot. Un-fortunately his opponent did not show up. But that did not stop any one from letting Bo fight. Bo fought Toby Davis. The fight went one round with Toby tap-ping out due to a guillotine choke hold. Bo is now 6-1, his only loss was a close decision. Bo instantly wanted a rematch but was turned down. Bo doesn’t like to lose and he showed that to his op-ponent that he fought after his lose, the fight only lasted a minute. His opponent submitted due to strikes. Two months after his loss Bo finally got his rematch. Bo won the fight in the second round by submitting the guy due to strikes. Bo Leonard is fighting out of Iron Wolf gym right here in Gillette, Wyoming. He has been working out at the gym for 5 months. Bo also works full time at Wyo-ming Machinery Company as a Diesel Mechanic.

Ring Wars Sixty was good for Gillette fighters as well as others. But I think that everyone who was there can agree that

the most energetic fight of the night was the debut women’s fight. It was Ryann Baustadt fighting out of Rapid City vs. Brittney Elkin fighting out of Gillette Wy-oming. This fight had the crowd stand-ing and yelling at the tops of their lungs, the announcer yelling at every one to sit down so the people in the back could see. Then a good hit one come and the ladies back on the ground fighting and every one was back to their feet. The fight went to decision and Brittney Elkin won.

Other matches from Ring Wars Sixty were:

Middleweight (185 lbs.) Edgar Sanches vs. Elijah Eckhardt. Eckhardt won by tko. Eckhardt fights out of Gil-lette Wyoming.

Bantamweight (135 lbs.) James Clark vs. Cody Schumacker. Schumacker won due to Doctor stoppage. Schumacker fights out of Gillette Wyoming.

Featherweight (145 lbs.) Corbin Nel-son vs. Ray Patton. Neson won the fight.

Featherweight (145 lbs.) Adam May vs. Josh Eckhardt. Eckhardt won due to kimora choke. Eckhardt fights out of Gil-lette Wyoming.

Bantamweight (135 lbs.) Dustin Stewart vs. Donnie Vitto. Vitto won due to TKO. Vitto fights out of Gillette Wyo-ming.

Middleweight (185l bs.) Jake Dschaak vs. Jake Adams. Dschaak won the fight.

Featherweight (145 lbs.) Ladies Ry-ann Baustadt vs. Brittney Elkin. Elkin won by TKO due to strikes. Elkin fights out of Gillette Wyoming.

Featherweight (145 lbs.) Toby Davis vs. Bo Leonard. Leonard won by guillo-tine choke. Leonard fights out of Gillette Wyoming.

Lightweight (155 lbs.) Mike Hill vs. Brandon Gay. Hill won the fight by deci-sion.

Featherweight (145 lbs.) - Champi-onship bout Stacey MacConnell vs. Elliott Keller(belt holder). Keller won the fight and kept his belt by TKO due to strikes.

Welterweight (170lbs.) - Champion-ship bout Justin Winkles vs. Richard Norten(belt holder). Winkles won in the second round due to a KO and took ownership of the Championship belt.

Ring Wars SixtyBy Hannah Hillius

Photo by Justin Hillius

Bo Leonard vs. Toby Davis at Ring Wars Sixty. Leonard won the match by a guillotine choke.

What’s going on in Sports?

Campbell County High School Camels

Tennis• Tuesday, April 26 - Varsity boys vs. Sturgis at home in Gillette at 4 p.m.• Thursday, April 28 - Jr. High boys vs. Miles City at home in Gillette at 10 a.m.• Thursday, April 28 - boys/girls vs. Miles City in Gillette at 10 a.m.• Friday, April 29 - Varsity boys vs. Rapid City Central at Parkview Courts in Rapid City at 1 p.m.• Friday/Saturday, April 29-30 - Varsity boys will compete in the Rapid City Invite in Rapid City. TBA.

Golf• Thursday, April 28 - Varsity will compete in the Laramie Invite in Laramie TBA.

Girls Soccer• Thursday, April 28 - JV/Varsity vs. Kelly Walsh at home in Gillette, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.• Friday, Apriil 29 - JV/Varsity vs. Laramie at Laramie, from 4 to 6 p.m.

Boys Soccer• Thursday, April 28 - JV/Varsity vs. Kelly Walsh at Casper, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.• Friday April 29 - JV/Varsity vs. Laramie at home in Gillette, from 4 to 6 p.m.

Track• Friday April 29 - Wyoming Track Classic at Casper at 5 p.m. • Saturday April 30 - Casper Invite at Casper at 9 a.m.

Wright High School PanthersTrack

• Friday, April 29 - High School at home in Wright at 1 p.m.• Saturday, April 30 - Junior High at home in Wright at 9 a.m.

Gillette College PronghornsRodeo

• Friday, April 29 - Tuesday, May 1: Pronghorns vs. University of Wyoming in Laramie. Times TBA.

Track• Thursday, April 28 - Tuesday, May 1: Pronghorns vs. Dickinson St. in Dickin-son, North Dakota

Gillette American Legion RoughRiders

• Wednesday, April 27 at Rapid City Cen-tral, 1-9 inning, at 5:30 p.m.• Saturday, April 30 - Tuesday, May 1: Wyoming Snowball Series at home in Gil-lette (Gillette/Casper/Cheyenne/Wheat-land). TBA.

Gillette Rustlers• Saturday, April 30 - Cheyenne Triangu-lar (Gillette/Casper/Cheyenne). TBA.

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Sports Question of the Week

Will there be a football season this year?“Yep...there will be a football season this year. Whether it will include

the overpaid professionals and their billionare owners remains an openquestion at this point. But, midget, Jr. High, High School and CollegeFootball will flourish and some of us may be able to show up for work

on Tuesday morning’s with a full night’s sleep instead of having stayed up too late watching a Monday night game!”

- David King

“I hope not. All those rich crybabies (on both sides) need to loose some money to wake them up. I can’t believe that the millionairs are on strike

during a recession.”- Tracy McHenery

“There is too much money involved. They will play.”- Devan Smith

To submit a quote of the week

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obersver.net

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or email us at Advertisement@CampbellCountyObserver.com

For Subscriptions visit our website at www.campbellcountyobserver.net/subscriptions

11

Sports ReportGillette RoughRiders All-Time Records

(Individual & Career)Team All-Time Records

Overall Wins - 53 (2007) Highest finish at state - 1st (2008) 2nd (2007, 2009, 2010)Conference Champs (2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010)Conference Wins 6/6 (2008)Team Winning Percentage .836 (2008)Consecutive Wins- 16 (2008)Batting Average .374 (2008)Plate Appearances 2736 (2007)Runs 734 (2010)Hits 793 (2007)RBI 610 (2010)Base on Balls 387 (2009)Hit by Pitch 133 (2010)Stolen Bases 225 (2010)On Base % .472 (2010)Slugging % .578 (2008)Sacrifices 88 (2007)Singles 554 (2007)Doubles 172 (2008)Triples 58 (2010)Home Runs 48 (2009)Earned Run Average 3.68 (2008)Pitching Win % .836 (2008)Pitching Staff Strike Outs 453 (2007)

Individual Single Season Records(Offense) Min 100 AB

Batting Average 1. Jared Wass .537 (2009) 2. Jared Wass .533 (2010) 3. Drake Kelley .473 (2010)Plate Apperances 1. Westin Hinkel 316 (2010) 2. Zach Hamilton 311 (2007) 3. Drake Kelley 306 (2009/2010)Hits Season 1. Zach Hamilton 113 (2007) 2. Jared Wass 110 (2009) 3. Drake Kelley 104 (2010)Runs 1. Drake Kelley 111 (2010) 2. Seth Means 108 (2008) 3. Westin Hinkel 100 (2010)Singles 1. Zach Hamilton 78 (2007) 2. Austin Cowen 76 (2007) 3. Drake Kelley 68 (2010)Doubles 1. Jared Wass 31 (2009) 2. Drake Kelley 28 (2010) 3. Ryan Hutchison 27 (2008)Triples 1. Seth Means 11 (2006) 2. Turner Lofing 10 (2010) 3. Jared Wass 9 (2009/2010) 3. Tucker Young 9 (2009/2010)Home Runs 1. Jared Wass 17 (2010) 2. Jared Wass 15 (2009) 2. Ryan Hutchison 15 (2008) 3. Mick Peters 14 (2008)RBI 1. Dalton Cowen 105 (2010) 2. Jared Wass 104 (2009) 3. Jared Wass 96 (2010)On Base % 1. Jared Wass .614 (2010) 2. Jared Wass .611 (2009) 3. Drake Kelley .605 (2010)Slugging % 1. Jared Wass 1.049 (2010) 2. Jared Wass .995 (2009) 3. Ryan Hutchison .902 (2008)Stolen Bases 1. Seth Means 59 (2008) 2. Bryan Kern 58 (2002) 3. Seth Means 41 (2007)Base on Balls 1. Drake Kelley 68 (2009/2010) 2. Adam Necklason 53 (2006) 3. Seth Means 46 (2008)Hit by Pitch 1. Bryan Kern 35 (2003) 2. Turner Lofing 25 (2010) 3. Westin Hinkel 20 (2010)Sacrifices 1. Nate Kolata 14 (2007) 2. Westin Hinkel 13 (2009) 3. Dalton Cowen 12 (2008/2010)Hitting Streak 1.Drake Kelley 27 (2010) 2. Jared Wass 25 (2009) 3. Seth Means 16 (2008)

Individual Single Season Records(Pitching) Min 45 IP

Pitching Wins 1. Ryan Iliff 12 (2007) 2. Evan Cunningham 10 (2009) 2. Ryan Iliff 10 (2006) 2. Ryan Hutchison 10 (2007) 3. Nate Kolata 9 (2007) 3. JT Zigray 9 (2010)Pitching Win % 1. Mick Peters 1.000 9-0 (2008) 2. Westin Hinkel .875 (2009) 3. Drew Adriaens .857 (2010)ERA 1. Ryan Iliff 2.56 (2008) 2. Mick Peters 2.97 (2008) 3. Nate Kolata 3.00 (2007)Saves 1. Drew Baier 9 (2007) 2. Austin Cowen 8 (2008) 3. Westin Hinkel 6 (2010)Strikeouts 1. Nate Kolata 103 (2007) 2. Ryan Hutchison 73 (2008) 3. Ryan Iliff 70 (2007)Complete Games 1. Ryan Illiff 6 (2007) 1. Zach Hamilton 6 (2007) 2. Ryan Iliff 5 (2008) 3. Nate Kolata 4 (2007)Innings Pitched 1. Ryan Iliff 95 2/3 (2006) 2. Ryan Iliff 93 2/3 (2007) 3. Nate Kolata 84 (2007)Game Pitched In 1. Westin Hinkel 27 (2010) 2. Drew Adriaens 26 (2010) 2. JT Zigray 26 (2009) 2. Travis Belt 26 (2006) 3. Dalton Cowen 23 (2009)Games Started 1. JT Zigray 15 (2010) 1. Ryan Iliff 15 (2006/2007) 2. Evan Cunningham 14 (2009) 2. Zach Hamilton 14 (2007) 3. Nate Kolata 13 (2007)

Individual Career Records (Offensive)Games Played 1. Jared Wass 242 (2006-2010) 2. Garrett Jackson 236 (2006-2009) 3. Austin Cowen 212 (2006-2008)Plate Appearances 1. Jared Wass 893 (2006-2010) 2. Austin Cowen 849 (2006-2008) 3. Seth Means 840 (2006-2008)Batting Average 1. Jared Wass .461 (2006-2010) 2. Ryan Hutchison .403 (2006-2008) 3. Ryan Iliff .384 (2006-2008)Hits 1. Jared Wass 329 (2006-2010) 2. Austin Cowen 259 (2006-2008) 3. Seth Means 245 (2006-2008)Homeruns 1. Jared Wass 35 (2006-2010) 2. Ryan Hutchison 33 (2006-2008) 3. Garrett Jackson 16 (2006-2009)RBI 1. Jared Wass 279 (2006-2010) 2. Ryan Hutchison 210 (2006-2008) 3. Austin Cowen 166 (2006-2008)Runs 1. Jared Wass 268 (2006-2010) 2. Seth Means 251 (2006-2008) 3. Austin Cowen 205 (2006-2008)Singles 1. Jared Wass 188 (2006-2010) 2. Austin Cowen 186 (2006-2008) 3. Seth Means 159 (2006-2008)Doubles 1. Jared Wass 83 (2006-2010) 2. Ryan Hutchison 69 (2006-2008) 3. Seth Means 55 (2006-2008)Triples 1. Jared Wass 23 (2006-2010) 2. Seth Means 22 (2006-2008) 3. Austin Cowen 16 (2006-2008)Sacrifices 1. Nate Kolata 29 (2006-2008) 2. Austin Cowen 28 (2006-2008) 3. Jared Wass 21 (2006-2010)Hit by Pitch 1. Seth Means 40 (2006-2008) 2. Austin Cowen 38 (2006-2008) 3. Jared Wass 36 (2006-2010)

Stolen Bases 1. Seth Means 134 (2006-2008) 2. Jared Wass 73 (2006-2010) 3. Zach Hamilton 57 (2006-2007)Slugging % 1. Jared Wass .765 (2006-2010) 2. Ryan Hutchison .734 (2006-2008) 3.Drew Baier .679 (2006-2007)On Base % 1. Jared Wass .540 (2006-2010) 2. Seth Means .488 (2006-2008) 3. Ryan Illiff .477 (2006-2008)

Individual Career Records (Pitching)Wins 1. Ryan Iliff 33 (2005-2008) 2. Nate Kolata 21 (2005-2008)ERA 1. Ryan Iliff 3.22 (2005-2008) 2. Nate Kolata 3.80 (2005-2008)Strikeouts 1. Nate Kolata 220 (2005-2008) 2. Ryan Iliff 209 (2005-2008)Saves 1. Austin Cowen 9 (2006-2008) 2. Drew Baier 9 (2006-2007)Innings Pitched 1. Ryan Iliff 296 2/3 (2005-2008) 2. Nate Kolata 204 1/3 (2005-2008)Games Pitched 1.Ryan Iliff 68 (2005-2008) 2. Nate Kolata 54 (2005-2008)Games Started 1. Ryan Iliff 43 (2005-2008) 2. Garrett Jackson 33 (2006-2009) 3. Nate Kolata 32 (2005-2008)Complete Games 1. Ryan Iliff 17 (2005-2008) 2. Zach Hamilton 10 (2005-2007)

All-State Selections2006 - Adam Necklason, Drew Baier, Ryan

Iliff, Zach Hamilton2007 - Drew Baier, Ryan Iliff, Ryan Hutchi-

son, Zach Hamilton2008 - Austin Cowen,, Mick Peters, Ryan

Hutchison, Seth Means, Drake Kelley “A” All State.

2009 - Evan Cunningham, Garrett Jackson, Jared Wass

2010 - First Team - Dalton Cowen, Drake Kelley, Jared Wass

2010 - Second Team - JT Zigray, Westing Hinkel

Season by Season Results2006

Riders (49-25) Most all-time wins, Confer-ence Champs, (4th State), State Sportsman-ship Award

Rustlers 33-182007

Riders (53-26) Most all-time wins, State Runner-Up, Conference Champs

Rustlers 30-32 (5th State)2008

Riders (51-11) State Champions, East Conference Champs

Rustlers 32-26 (5th State), State Sports-manship Award

2009 Riders (46-29) State Runner-UpRustlers (25-30)

2010Riders (48-26) State Runner-Up, Northeast

Conference Champions, North District Tour-nament Champions

Rustlers (36-28)

Patriot Publishing is a small publish-ing business starting up right here in Wyoming. We not only publish the Campbell County Observer and cal-endars, but anything in print. We will soon also have a monthly publication that we think you will enjoy. If you have a book and can’t get a major company to publish you, we are a new and Amer-ican-owned publisher that may print your work. Please feel free to contact us at anytime with your idea.

Campbell County Recreation Center InformationHours of Operation

Recreation CenterMonday - Thursday 5 a.m. - 10 p.m.Friday (beginning Sept. 6) 5 a.m. - 10 p.m.Saturday (beginning Sept. 11) 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.Sunday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.Pool Lap SwimMonday - Thursday 5 a.m. - 6 p.m.Friday 5 a.m. - 5 p.m.Saturday 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.Water Walking (Lazy River Only)Monday - Friday 5 a.m. - 2 p.m.Monday - Thursday 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.Saturday 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.Open SwimMonday - Thursday 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. (no slides) 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.Friday 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.Saturday & Sunday 1 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.Administrative OfficeMonday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Elementary Jr. High/ College Adult Couple Family Seniors & under Sr. High Student (19 & up) (62 & up)Daily $2.50 $3.00 $4.00 $4.00 N/A $10.25 FreeDrop-In

One $25.00 $33.00 $33.00 $46.00 $69.00 $92.00 FreeMonth

Three $69.00 $90.00 $90.00 $124.00 $186.00 $248.00 FreeMonth

Six $117.00 $153.00 $153.00 $212.00 $316.00 $422.00 FreeMonth

Twelve $187.00 $245.00 N/A $338.00 $506.00 $675.00 FreeMonth

Campbell County Parks and Recreation Facility Fees

Gillette College girls won their fourth straight rodeo this weekend in Casper and now take a commanding lead of 450 points over CWC Riverton. The girls had a clean sweep winning all the girls events. With one rodeo left the girls are in a great position to repeat as regional champions.

Jordan Thurston placed first in goat ty-ing, Chelsea Moore won breakaway rop-ing, Crystal Hershey was top in barrel rac-ing, and Chelsea Moore was named all

around cowgirl.On the men’s side our team finished

third. The Pronghorn men still lead the overall region but by only 40 points over Casper College. With only one rodeo left, it will be a showdown in Laramie.

Cole Elshere placed first in saddle bronc riding, while Rance Maddox took second place in bull riding, and Casey Bruer won long go bareback.

Gillette Pronghorns Rodeo

“It’s just a job. Grass grows,

birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.”– Muhammad Ali

12

Classifieds Our RootsAutos, Trucks and Vans

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Garage Sales/Announcements

1972 GMC for sale. Torn down to frame. Body good. All parts there. Great restora-tion project. $750. Email NCQDeLaat@gmail.com for information.

Gillette Gun Club Show. April 30-May 2 at Camplex. Tables $20, entry fee $2.

Boat for Sale with trailer. Needs work. Call 670-8980 for info.

350 Engine for sale. All new. No heads. Built for low torque. $500. Call 257-2306 for details.

Stock pipes for Sportster. 500mi. Stock pices for Dyna Wide Glide. 1500mi. Email baxtersmom62@gmail.com for info.

Small washer. Needs new belt, $25. Email USSailorPatriot@gmail.com

Like new Horizon Elliptical. $300 obo. Call 299-7058 for more info.

Wanted to BuyI Buy Militaria. Swords, uniforms, bayo-nets, medals, guns/parts, field gear. 682-7864

Newspaper vending machines. Contact us at: CampbellCountyObserver@gmail.com

Help WantedLocal journalists wanted. Always wanted to try? Must be 16 yrs of age. Contact us at CampbellCountyObserver@gmail.com

Advertising Sales for our weekly paper. Great commission rate, set your own hours. Contact us at CampbellCountyOb-server@gmail.com

Data input. Work one day a week from home. Contact us at CampbellCountyOb-server@gmail.com

Assistant Editor Wanted. Contact us at CampbellCountyObserver@gmail.com

Hiring a local political cartoonist. E-mail CampbellCountyObserver@gmail.com for more information.

Contributors wanted for weekly newspa-per. Need a doctor, a Politician, a lawyer, and more to contribute an article a month. E-mail CampbellCountyObserver@gmail.com for more information.

Interested in founding a Sherlock Holmes Society in Gillette? Contact bax-tersmom62@gmail.com for info.

Don’t forget about the neighborhood ga-rage sale during Sleepy Hollow Days on the first Saturday in June. Many Sales. We will have one at 5105 Tarry St. Lots of good stuff.

During the late 19th century, America was undergoing several distinct soci-etal changes. Technology was playing a greater role every day than the day before it. Ethnic groups were arriving at the shores in mass quantity, each deter-mined to make a life for themselves. Ad-ditionally, urban living became the new lifestyle for the average American. With all these factors, it comes as no surprise that a man of the people, a man of the city, and a man of immigrant background rose to the forefront of popular culture. This man was boxer John L. Sullivan. Because of changes in societal life such as massive Irish immigration, rapid ur-banization, and technological advance-ment, John L. Sullivan was able to cap-tivate the American public and embody the transformation of sports as a whole during the latter part of the 19th century.

During Sullivan’s most prolific fighting years, America was still learning how to cope with the massive amount if im-migrants flooding into the country. One group in particular became extremely important in the rise of sports during this time period. Irish immigrants swept into the east coast of the United States, bringing with them a rich culture and a proud history. Many Irish immigrants, such as Sullivan’s mother and father, moved quickly to Boston, a well-known Irish sector. The Irish, like other immi-grants, quickly adapted to American leisure and sports traditions. Baseball grew rapidly to become a popular sport of the time among the children of work-ing class families, such as Sullivan‘s. However, given Sullivan’s abnormal size and strength, prizefighting soon took over as the sport of choice. Simi-larly, given the size of the Irish popula-tion and the need for a cultural hero, the teamwork of baseball took a back seat to the individual heroism of prizefight-ing. Sullivan’s rise to fame among the Irish is no coincidence. The Irish, hav-ing been beaten down in the public eye by defamation and discrimination, saw in Sullivan the chance to have an icon of their own. They longed for someone

who could change the stereotype, and liberate them from the shackles of sec-ond-rate citizens. In this way, John L. transformed sport from a normal athletic event to a cultural and ethnic event. Sul-livan was a man of the people, and his most rabid fans were his fellow Irishmen.

Similarly, urbanization had gripped the Irish, and indeed most of America, in the previous years. With the advent of industrialization, cities became more and more crowded, forcing people to adjust to social life. And with this new social life came new sporting customs and the cult of masculinity. Young men frequently gathered in cities to discuss and participate in sporting events, often referred to as part of an underground subculture. These men became particu-larly fascinated with prizefighting during this time, possibly a semi-return to the popular blood sports of previous genera-tions. While the violence still entertained the crowd, the deadliness of the games kept law enforcement from interfering. John L. Sullivan gave them this enter-tainment in mass quantity. Brutalizing his opponents, Sullivan would punch his opponents into submission, often in a manner some felt were unfit for the pub-lic eye. Sullivan and his popularization of the sport gripped the male bachelor subculture in the cities, and urbanization only furthered his audience.

Media in the late 19th century also changed rapidly. Motion picture and still-action cameras although in their in-fancies, widely grew in popularity. This took a great toll on sports during the era. Mass media now vaulted local stars into nationally recognizable names and, for the first time, nationally recognizable faces, and took regional sports to the mainstream American culture. And so it was with John L. Sullivan.

Whether by immigration, urbanization, or modernization, Sullivan can be seen as the embodiment of American sport-ing culture. As John L. said in a letter to President Theodore Roosevelt, “I am your champion at all times.” Indeed, Sul-livan was America’s champion.

John L. SullivanBy Mike Borda

JOHN L. SULLIVAN

“As much as I converse with sages and heroes, they have very little of my love and admiration.

I long for rural and domestic scene, for the warbling of birds and the prattling of my children.”

– President John Adams

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