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March 3, 1924 – February 6, 2012
Graveside services for longtime Greybull resident Shirley Oliver will be held this summer at Donald J. Ruhl Memorial Cemetery, where she will be laid to rest next to her husband Leland. Shirley, 87, died Feb. 6 in Sheridan.
Shirley, born Myrtle Don Brown, was born March 3, 1924, in Holland, Texas, the daughter of Leonard and Josephine Brown. She received her training as a nurse’s aide in Houston during World War II.
She married Joe Harris in 1944. The couple later divorced. Shirley moved to Greybull in 1960. She married Leland Oliver in 1961.
Shirley worked as a cook at the Greybull-Basin Head Start for over 20 years and found the children and cooking very rewarding. The kids called her “Cook Shirley,” which she loved. “Cook Shirley” finally retired in 1997 at the age of 73. She remained in Greybull until 2005 when she moved to Casper to be close to her family.
In 2009, Shirley moved to Sheridan where she tried to help others and touched the hearts of all she came in contact with.
Her parents Leonard and Josephine, her husband Leland in 1996, a daughter, Linda, son Ronald, four sisters, Minnie, Martha, Isabelle and Rosie, two brothers, Wesley and Leonard, two grandsons, Josh and Bryant, and granddaughter, Toni, preceded her in death.
She is survived by five daughters and their spouses, Brenda and Dan, Judy and Doug, Rita and Steven, Carol and Shirley Jo; two sons, Mike and Jeff; 25 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Donations in Shirley’s memory can be sent to the Greybull-Basin Head Start.
By Nathan Oster
Greybull Standard
Greybull-Riverside won its final tune-up before regionals, topping 3A Cody 37-21 — although that final was somewhat skewed by the fact that the Broncs were open at four weights, which accounted for 24 of G-R’s 37 points.
“We won, but they didn’t have a very full lineup,” said Coach Mark Sanford, whose team finished 11-3 in duals, with losses to Worland, Powell and Moorcroft. “In weights where there was wresting, they actually beat us.”
G-R went in with its usual lineup, missing, as always, a 106-pounder. But Cody was also open at that weight so neither team picked up a point there.
Each team won four matches on the night, although one of Greybull’s — a pin by Levi Kelly — came in an exhibition.
The three Buffs who won matches on the night for G-R were Matt Grovenstein, who dominated Johnny Schlappi en route to a first-period pin at 120; Chris Ogg, who defeated Corbin Adams 10-3 at 126; and Luke Zeller, who notched a 16-8 win over Russ Wilde at 152.
Sanford said the trio of victors wrestled well. Ogg had beaten Adams at the Ron Thon, and Adams wanted desperately to even the score, said Sanford. Adams started out well, scoring the first takedown of the match, but it was all Ogg after that.
“I think giving up that first takedown was about the only thing Chris did wrong,” said Sanford. “It was a good win for him.”
Sanford said Wilde was “a solid kid” for Zeller at 152 and that the Greybull junior needed the win for regional seeding purposes, noting that Zeller is in a weight class with both Nathan Grant of Lovell and Jake Jones of Rocky Mountain, who had also faced Wilde.
As for the G-R wrestlers who came up short, Sanford said he was hoping Zane Edeler “would have wrestled a little better and longer” before getting pinned by Drew McMillan at 195 pounds.
At 112, Kyle Strasheim “showed some good signs” in a 6-4 loss to Max Dickerman. “He shot some good takedowns … he just didn’t finish,” said Sanford. “He hasn’t been shooting takedowns, so I think he was surprised how deep he got. But when he gets on top, he has to control better. He gave up two reversals.”
Stephen Kerr lost his matchup with Gabe Whisonant by fall at 138, and Bobby West, the second-ranked 138-pounder in Class 3A, eventually wore down Jesus Burgos at 145 and won by fall in 3:08.
“Bobby’s a tough wrestler, a returning state champion,” Sanford said. “I was proud of the way Jesus went after him.”
On to regionals
The Buffs will head to the Class 2A West Regional this weekend in Shoshoni. The tournament will begin on Friday and wrap up on Saturday.
The make-or-break time for wrestlers is and forever will be the state tournament, but Sanford said that even though most of the Buffs are likely to qualify, the regional tournament is a critical step on the road to Casper.
“You can help yourself a ton by having a good regional tournament,” he said. “It doesn’t mean it’s going to make your state tournament, but putting ourselves in the best possible position we can be in is crucial for us, especially with this team.
“We don’t have the dominant team we have had in the past. In fact, some weight classes in our region have the top five or six ranked guys in the state.”
Sanford cited the 160-pound class as an example, noting that G-R’s Nathan Hetzel is currently ranked second behind Chris Ryan of Thermopolis. Jacob Beck of Lovell is ranked third, Justin Rickert of Kemmerer fourth, Bronson Teichert of Cokeville fifth and John Bartlett of Dubois seventh. The only wrestler from the East who is ranked is Dakota Ray of Dubois, who is sixth.
“There are going to be some huge, huge set-ups to make a path at State,” Sanford said. “For some of our younger guys, those who have been beaten by a few kids, they are going to have to step up. Are they going to be a guy who accepts his fate, who has to draw into state? Or are they going to beat someone, pull an upset? Having that mindset (of wanting to do better) is absolutely critical.”
Sanford said Lovell set itself up as the No. 1 team from the West, but that Cokeville has yet to hit its stride. “We saw them at Wind River and at Ron Thon, but they didn’t have their lineup,” he said. “When they put all their guys on the mat, they’re going to be tough too.”
Sanford said it should be a treat for wrestling fans to watch some of the weight classes in Shoshoni. The 152-pound class is another example, with Grant, Jones and Zeller battling it out for supremacy. In the latest poll, Grant was ranked No. 1, Jones No. 2 and Zeller No. 3.
Other ranked Buffs on wyowrestling.com’s Week 8 report included Strasheim, seventh at 113; Grovenstein, second at 120; Kerr, seventh at 138; Rob Nuttall and Spencer Redland, third and sixth, respectively, at 170; Dylan Brenner, seventh at 182; Gabriel Villegas, fourth at 195; and Edeler, fourth at 220.
By KARLA POMEROY
Editor
The Burlington Huskies improved to 7-0 in the 1A Northwest Conference defeating St. Stephens at home Friday and beating the Rams at Dubois on Saturday.
Coach Matt Davidson said he hopes his team will make it a perfect 8-0 this Friday when they travel to Ten Sleep. The Huskies have already sown up the conference championship, with the Pioneers in second place with two conference losses.
Against the Eagles Friday night, Coach Davidson wanted the team to open the game much better than they had at St. Stephens a few weeks ago. And they did, opening with an 8-0 run on the way to a 23-9 first-quarter advantage.
The Huskies put together four strong quarters as they continued to pull ahead leading 44-16 at halftime, 60-27 after three and then winning going away 71-39.
“In fairness to St. Stephens they were in a bit of turmoil with their coach getting fired. This was the first week with the new coach,” he said.
Davidson said he was pleased with the team as a whole. “The team moved the ball well and found the open guy. We rebounded really well and defensively we contained their scorers.”
He said his favorite statistic this game was the 20 assists, a season high. Nicholas Carrizales led the team with five assists. Daniel Davidson led all scorers with 17 points, and he grabbed 10 rebounds. Also scoring in double figures were Anson George with 12 points and Preston Wardell with 11 points.
Jess McNiven returned to action and grabbed nine boards. Davidson praised his bench play with McNiven, James Davidson, Trevor Wardell and Ben Mancuso. Wardell and Davidson both shot 100 percent from the field.
Friday night was also senior night for the Huskies with the team acknowledging Anson George, Rian McIntosh, Daniel Call, Jacob Bullinger and Lance Schatz. “All of them are great young men and work hard every day in practice making the team better as a result,” Davidson said.
Saturday, after a five-hour bus ride (that normally takes about four), the team came out flat, the coach said.
“We shot way below what we’ve been shooting,” he said. Overall field goal percentage was 34 percent, compared to 55 percent the night before. The Huskies are averaging 46 percent shooting from the field.
“This was a very physical game, but we only got to the free-throw line six times, which is way below our season average. We didn’t handle the roughness of the game real well and never got into a good offensive rhythm,” Davidson said. “Our defense was what carried us in this one.”
He said the defense kept Dubois three players who each average in double figures, below their averages, allowing just one player in double figures.
The Rams shot just 20 percent from the field.
Davidson said, McIntosh had a strong game with eight points and nine rebounds. “He has become very consistent for us,” he said.
Daniel Davidson led the team with 10 points. James Davidson added eight points and seven rebounds off of the bench.
“We met our turnover goal (19) and rebounded well (42). Our shooting percentage was way down. It was a good reminder that defense and rebounding can make the difference when the shots aren’t falling,” Davidson said.
This weekend, Burlington travels to Ten Sleep with varsity games only. The girls start things off at 4 p.m., followed by the boys at 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, they travel to Basin to take on the Rebels. The boys JV will be at noon, followed by JV girls at 1:30 (two quarters), varsity boys at 3 p.m. and varsity girls at 4:30 p.m.
Davidson said he expects both games to be physical. “Ten Sleep is playing well right now. And Riverside, that’s always a good game. They are playing pretty consistent.”
ST. STEPHENS 39, BURLINGTON 71
St. Stephens 9 7 11 12 — 39
Burlington 23 21 16 11 — 71
Jacob Bullinger 0-0 0-0 0, Ben Mancuso 1-3 0-0 2, Rian McIntosh 2-6 1-2 5, Daniel Davidson 7-8 2-5 17, Jess McNiven 2-8 0-0 4, Anson George 6-11 0-0 12, Trevor Wardell 3-3 0-0 8, Nicholas Carrizales 3-4 0-0 7, James Davidson 2-2 1-1 5, Lance Schatz 0-0 0-0 0, Daniel Call 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS — 30-55 7-11 71.
3-POINTERS — 4-6, T. Wardell 2, Carrizales, D. Davidson. REBOUNDS — 40, D. Davidson 10, McNiven 9, McIntosh 8, P. Wardell 6. ASSISTS — 20, Carrizales 5, P. Wardell 3, D. Davidson 3. STEALS — 9, George 3. BLOCKS — 4. TURNOVERS — 24. FOULS — 16. FOULED OUT — None.
BURLINGTON 48, DUBOIS 31
Burlington 10 15 12 11 — 48
Dubois 6 9 7 9 — 31
Rian McIntosh 4-12 0- 8, Daniel Davidson 5-14 0-0 10, Jess McNiven 3-7 0-1 6, Anson George 2-11 0-2 5, Trevor Wardell 0-2 0-0 0, Nicholas Carrizales 3-7 0-0 6, James Davidson 3-5 1-1 8, Preston Wardell 2-7 1-2 5. TOTALS — 22-65 2-6 48.
3-POINTERS — 2-10, J. Davidson, George. REBOUNDS — 42, McIntosh 9, J. Davidson 7, George 7, D. Davidson 6. ASSISTS — 6, STEALS — 19, George 5, McIntosh 4, D. Davidson 3, P. Wardell 3. BLOCKS — 5. TURNOVERS — 19. FOULS — 15. FOULED OUT — None.
By Marlys Good
Staff reporter
The Burlington Lady Huskies shot 40 percent from the field, a season high, and Janet Davidson had a monster game in a conference win over St. Stephens Friday.
The senior scored 18 points, had seven rebounds, five assists and eight steals. Coach Jerry Patrick said Davidson “played maybe her best, or one of her best, games of the season. She played well in all parts of the game. We moved her around a bit and gave her some different roles to play.”
The Lady Huskies took a 14-5 lead at the end of the quarter and were up 34-16 at halftime. “We set the tone early,” Patrick said. Burlington pressured St. Stephens, but Patrick said the press was not as effective as it was down at St. Stephens.
“St. Stephens is a team to reckon with,” he said. “They have a point guard who can shoot the eyes off the basket and a big girl inside who stays in the game, gets up and down the court. They have both an inside and outside presence. They just don’t play very good defense,” he explained of the 27-point win.
Of Davidson’s outstanding performance, Patrick laughed. “It was senior night; now the cat’s out of the bag” and he’s going to expect it the rest of the way.
Davidson was joined in double-digits by Shelby Nicholson with 14 points and Jessica Stanworth who had 11.
Dubois has just five players this year, and Patrick used the opportunity to give all 10 of his varsity equal playing time in a game won easily by Burlington 52-15 on the road Saturday.
Patrick played his top seven players for most of the first quarter, “then pretty much everyone played equal after that. We tried new offenses, players in different position, then got back and just protected the basket on defense.”
Burlington closes out the conference schedule at Ten Sleep Friday in a varsity only game at 4 p.m.
“It is an important game; we want to be playing well at the end of the season. We want to hold our turnovers down, put some points on the board, play great defense and make it difficult for Ten Sleep to score. It is just important that we are on top of our game going into regionals.”
The Lady Huskies will play in Riverside Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Burlington beat the Lady Rebels 45-14 earlier in the season, but “things change. Hopefully we won’t be over-confident. They are much better now. They always do some things that bother us. We have to play tough defense and we need to be on top of our game.”
Burlington 64, St. Stephens 37
Burlington: 14 20 16 14 — 64
S. Stephens: 5 11 8 13 — 37
Burlington: Janet Davidson 18, Shelby Nicholson 14, Jessica Stanworth 11, Sadie Neves, 8, Camilla Jensen 4, Ashlee Wardell 4, Taylor Wiles 2, Julie Davidson 3. FG: 26/ 65. FT: 12/22. Rebounds: 28 (Nicholson 7, Neves 6). ASSISTS: 19 (Janet Davidson 5, Stanworth 4). STEALS: 22 (Janet Davidson 8, Nicholson 7). TURNOVERS: 18.
Burlington 52, Dubois 15
Burlington: 22 15 9 6 — 52
Dubois: 3 0 7 5 — 15
BURLINGTON: Neves 14, Nicholson 11, Janet Davidson 11, Stanworth 10, Wiles 2, Wardell 2, Julie Davidson 2. FG: 24/67. FT: 2/6. 3-POINTERS: Stanworth, Janet Davidson. REBOUNDS: 33 (Nicholson 6, Stanworth 6). ASSISTS: 14 (Stanworth 4). STEALS: 21 (Stanworth 5). TURNOVERS: 9.
By Marlys Good
Staff reporter
The Riverside Lady Rebels dug themselves a 23-4 hole at Lovell Friday night, and it was too big to crawl out of as they fell to the Lady Bulldogs 62-30.
Things turned around a little bit Saturday in the home game with Rocky Mountain, a game the Grizz won 45-30. Turnovers were down, steals were up, and Coach Sam Buck said, “The offensive boards we allowed were down, but Rocky definitely did a good job converting those they got into points.”
The Lady Bulldogs scored 23 points in the first quarter Friday and that spelled doom for Riverside. “We were disappointed; we wanted to come out and be more competitive. Our whole goal was to take it a quarter at a time … but that first quarter …” said Buck.
Riverside’s 30 points came from their big three, Sasha Rollins with 11, Cydnie Clark, 10 and Brittany Vigil, nine. Rollins was four of seven from the field, including a 3-pointer and was two of three from the line in a good effort.
But the bottom line is “we need more scorers,” Buck said.
They got more scorers against the Lady Grizz Saturday but it still wasn’t enough.
Riverside turned up the heat defensively, forced Rocky into some turnovers, “but then we would turn the ball back over; we couldn’t convert,” Buck explained. “That was the biggest difference. We have to be more efficient. I saw a lot of positives as far as our defensive pressure went. We let them out a couple of times, but that is going to happen.”
Buck praised sophomore Staci Dellos and freshman Jessa Clark for their play off the bench. “They are starting to be more consistent contributors off the bench and that is what we are looking for. We can rely on them pretty consistently.”
Cydnie Clark was the only Lady Rebel in double digits with 13 points.
Riverside closes out the conference schedule in Thermopolis Friday night, and ends the regular season Saturday hosting Burlington at 1:30 and 4:30. Seniors Sasha Rollins and Kendra Bettencourt and manager Andy Williamson will be honored.
Riverside and Greybull are the conference cellar-dwellers, both sport just one conference win, and are locked into Monday night’s pigtail game. However, Riverside could nail down home court advantage if they can beat either the Bobcats or the Huskies.
Ultimately, Buck said, “I told the kids, regardless of the outcome this weekend, it’s a one-game (pigtail) season. That’s the bottom line. Our goal is always to win, but we’ll use the two games (Thermopolis, Burlington) to improve; we will play it one game at a time.”
The pigtail game Monday night, whether in Greybull or Basin, is considered part of the West Regional Tournament and there will be an admission charge.
Lovell 62, Riverside 30
Lovell: 23 10 11 17 — 62
Riverside: 4 7 4 15 — 30
Riverside: Brittany Vigil 9, Cydnie Clark 10, Sasha Rollins 11. FG: 12/36. FT: 4/7. 3-POINTERS: Vigil, Rollins. REBOUNDS: 26 (Vigil 7, Clark 6). ASSISTS: 8 (Vigil 5). STEALS: 3. TURNOVERS: 23.
Rocky Mountain 45, Riverside 30
Rocky Mountain: 13 14 11 7 — 45
Riverside: 6 8 7 9 — 30
Riverside: Clark 13, Staci Dellos 5, B. Vigil 4, Kinli Vigil 4, Jessa Clark 3, Gabiela Alcaraz 1. FG: 11/38. FT: 6/11. 3-POINTERS: Dellos, Jessa Clark. REBOUNDS: 24 (B. Vigil 7, Clark 7, Rollins 5). ASSISTS: 8 (Rollins 3). STEALS: 10, K. Vigil 3). TURNOVERS: 17.
By KARLA POMEROY
Editor
The Riverside Rebels will be facing Thermopolis twice in four days this week, but the second one will matter the most as the winner advances to the 2A West Regional Tournament in Riverton Feb. 23-25.
On Friday, the Rebels travel to take on the Bobcats, winless in the conference. The Rebels are a solid fourth place in the conference after splitting conference games against Lovell and Rocky Mountain last weekend. As the fourth seed they will host the Cats Monday in the pigtail/regional play-in game at 7 p.m. in the RHS Gym. (The Lady Rebels will also be playing in the pigtail game but time and location will be determined following this weekend’s games).
The game Friday “is not gimme,” Coach Kermit Sweeny said. “It’s on their floor.”
He said two wins this weekend would put the Rebels’ record at .500 at 10-10. “We’ve done a good job winning most of the ones we hoped to. We let a few get away from us. We’re getting closer to where we want to be. This is the time you want to be playing your best and we are playing good ball right now.”
The pigtail game Monday is considered part of the regional tournament and a entrance fee will be charged by the Wyoming High School Activities Association.
The Rebels play at 7 p.m. Friday night in Thermopolis and then end the regular season Saturday, hosting Burlington at 3 p.m. Saturday, and seniors — James Anderson, Jordan Herman, Mike Miller, Tyler Williamson, Brynnt Wood and Ricardo DeNiz will be recognized.
Lovell and Rocky
The Riverside Rebels went to Lovell Friday night and played well on the Bulldogs home court, Sweeny said. The Rebels fell 68-50, but the 18-point margin was an improvement from the 28-point loss in Basin last month.
“I was pleased with the way we played. The kids stepped up and did a really nice job,” Sweeny said.
Lovell took a 16-7 lead after the first quarter. “We missed some shots early and they converted their shots,” Sweeny said.
The teams played evenly in the second, both scoring 13 points. Lovell outscored Riverside 20-12 in the third quarter to extend the lead, and edged the Rebels 19-18 in the final period.
“They outscored us nine in the first half and nine in the second half. Other than that we played nice and steady against them. To play to 18 on their floor is a good accomplishment for us,” Sweeny said.
He said he played man defense against Lovell and Rocky over the weekend, instead of zone as they had in the first games. “As we get closer to tournament we’re trying to shake things up and give ourselves a chance to be more successful. We’re trying to be more creative and give teams different looks. It was effective against Lovell.”
Brynnt Wood had a strong game against Lovell with a double-double, 17 points and 17 rebounds. Clint Getzfreid led the team with 18 points.
The team shot 50 percent from the field and 56 percent from the free-throw line.
At home against Rocky on Saturday, Riverside wanted to come out strong, compared to the game in Cowley earlier in the season. And, they did, outscoring the Grizzlies 16-9 in the first quarter. They opened up an 11-point lead at halftime, 32-21.
In the first game, the Rebels worked to come back from a double-digit deficit and this time it was the Grizzlies trying to come back.
Both teams struggled against each other’s defense with just 10 points scored in third quarter as Riverside led 36-27.
Three straight turnovers to open the fourth quarter gave Rocky an opportunity to cut the lead to three, 36-33. The Rebels went nearly four minutes in the quarter before scoring in the final period.
The Rebels were just 5-13 from the line in the final four and a half minutes but it was enough to hold off the Grizzlies, 41-35.
Sweeny said the fourth quarter strategy was mainly to get rebounds and keep the ball away from Rocky. He said with Wood in foul trouble and fouling out in the final three minutes, Jordan Herman stepped up to get some key rebounds.
Wood led the team with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Getzfreid added nine points. Herman had nine boards and four points.
RIVERSIDE 50, LOVELL 68
Riverside 7 13 12 18 — 50
Lovell 16 13 20 19 — 68
Clint Getzfreid 7-12 4-5 18, Jordan Herman 1-6 0-3 2, Mike Miller 2-3 0-0 4, Bryce Johnson 2-4 3-5 7, Tyler Williamson 0-2 2-2 2, Brynnt Wood 8-10 1-2 17, Alex Schwede 0-1 0-0 0, Ricardo DeNiz 0-2 0-4 0. TOTALS — 20-40 10-18 50.
3-POINTERS — 0-4. REBOUNDS — 31, Wood 17, Johnson 7. ASSISTS — 12, Johnson 6, Miller 3. STEALS — 4, Johnson 3. TURNOVERS — 31. BLOCKS — 4. FOULS — 18. FOULED OUT — Herman.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN 35, RIVERSIDE 41
Rocky Mtn. 9 12 6 8 — 35
Riverside 16 16 4 5 — 41
Clint Getzfreid 4-6 1-2 9, James Anderson 0-1 0-0 0, Jordan Herman 1-3 2-4 4, Mike Miller 1-2 2-3 4, Bryce Johnson 3-6 1-4 7, Tyler Williamson 0-1 0-0 0, Brynnt Wood 7-15 1-4 15, Ricardo DeNiz 1-2 0-3 2. TOTALS — 17-36 7-20 41.
3-POINTERS — 0-1. REBOUNDS — 37, Wood 13, Herman 8, Miller 5, Johnson 3. ASSISTS — 10, Miller 4. STEALS — 7, Herman 3. TURNOVERS — 26. BLOCKS — 3. FOULS — 10. FOULED OUT — Wood.
By KARLA POMEROY
Editor
Nearly 200 bills and a few joint resolutions have been filed as the 2012 Wyoming Legislative Session got under way Monday.
The session opened with a joint meeting of both houses to listen to the State of the State Address by Governor Matt Mead and then the State of the Judiciary by Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justice Marilyn Kite.
Sen. Gerald Geis reported that 55 bills had received introduction on the Senate side Monday and Tuesday morning, with an additional 17 to be voted on Tuesday afternoon. Among those introduced were the public meetings and public records bills (see related story). He said all of his bills also received introduction — SF 18 — Reimbursement for livestock; SF 19 predator management districts; SF20 which imposes liability on livestock owners for failure to give notice of diseased livestock; and SF45 which provides for dispensing of samples of manufactured distilled spirits.
Geis said Tuesday that only one bill had failed introduction so far — SF44, Parental responsibilities. The act would have increased the penalty to not less than $100 and not more than $1,000, for parents and/or guardians who don’t abide by the state statute requiring any child 16 or under to attend public school.
Friday is the last day for bills to be introduced.
Geis said work on the budget hasn’t begun but the Legislature received word that natural gas prices continue to fall. “We’re going to have to look close at the budget. We’re still in pretty good shape. We’re in the black. We just need to stay that way.”
Geis said the Ag Committee’s first meeting was with U.S. Forest Service officials and county commissioners to receive a report on the health of the forests. “There was a lot of a good information. We may look at an ad hoc committee to look at the state’s natural resources and the forests.
“We need to look at ways to head off the pine beetle problem; but we’re about 20 years too late,” Geis said.
Among other bills that have been filed is one the town of Basin will be watching — House Bill 41, the Planning Omnibus Water Bill. The feasibility study on the Big Horn Canal through Basin is included in the bill, with the project funding of $150,000 included. Mayor Amy Kania said the feasibility study includes an overall master plan of the town’s purified water system, as well as updating the 1990 feasibility study on what options are available to prevent groundwater seepage from the Big Horn Canal.
Other Big Horn County projects in the planning bill are Shell Valley Storage, $350,000; Nowood River Storage project in Big Horn and Washakie counties, $350,000; Greybull Valley Hydropower, $85,000 and Lovell Master Plan, $110,000.
Other bills that have been filed that may be of interest to area residents include:
•HB21 – Exceeding speed limit while passing. The bill has been introduced in previous sessions. This year’s bill would allow drivers of vehicles not towing any other vehicle to exceed the speed limit by up to 10 miles an hour while passing another vehicle that is traveling at less than the legal maximum speed, in order to safely pass the vehicle. The new law, if approved, would apply only on roadways divided into two lanes for two-way movement of traffic and only where the posted speed limit is 50 mph or greater. It does not apply in constructions zones. The bill was introduced and referred to committee No. 8
•SF56 – Primary elections. The bill provides for primary elections that would allow any voter to vote for any candidate running regardless of party affiliation. The bill has been received for introduction.
Look at other bills that have been pre-filed or follow Legislative action at http://legisweb.state.wy.us
By JENNIFER BUTLER
Staff Reporter
With three new members on the Big Horn County Fair Board, there appears to be confusion and disagreement about whether or not the plans for the indoor arena should progress.
At the regular meeting Monday, Feb. 13 previous board members, Alfred Anderson, Mitch Shelhamer and William Bridges were in the audience to discuss the arena. While on the board Anderson, Shelhamer, Bridges and current board members Matty Moody and Karen Sylvester moved to apply for a Daniels Fund grant that would fund the beginning stages of the indoor arena for the Big Horn County Fairgrounds. This past month current and previous board members met with Big Horn County Grants Writer Maria Eastman to discuss the process and what needs to be done to complete this project.
After the meeting with Eastman, board chairman Felix Carrizales said he was concerned about whether the project could be completed and completed successfully. He said he had talked to members of the community who had also voiced their concerns about the project.
Carrizales said he was told this project was “stupid” and expensive. He added he felt rushed and did not want to get caught in something that he was not prepared for.
Board member Tim Flitner said, “It is in full motion. I am for it. It was decided by the previous board, and there is no reason why we should slow it down.”
The previous board members explained to the new board about the grant process. Anderson said the board did not need to worry about money because the funds would come.
Carrizales made a motion to put the arena on hold until further information could be gathered. The motion died for lack of a second. Carrizales, contacted later, said he “stands firm” in his decision. He added he would like to see the funds go into repairs instead of purchasing new.
Other business
In other business Monday:
•Flitner moved to eliminate the bareback class and the ranch horse versatility contest during fair. Flitner said “we are holding kids hostage” because of how many classes the fair has. Flitner said all the classes should be finished by 5 or 6 p.m.
•County Operations Manager Fred Werner said he has filled the position for fair maintenance. He said the position will work under Werner’s supervision.
•The board is planning a volunteer day in March that will help beautify the fairgrounds.
•The fair theme was selected during Monday night’s meeting. Last month the board decided to hold a contest for members of the community to enter what they think the fair theme should be. The board had several entries including “There is country in the air at the BHC Fair” and “a country fair with a Wyoming flair”. They agreed to “Barn in the U.S.A.,” a play off the Bruce Springsteen song, “Born in the U.S.A.”
•Carrizales said he wants the community to voice their positive suggestions to the fair board through letter, email or meeting attendance. He added if sending a letter please include name and address.
Carrizales said the community can send letters to his personal mailing address, P.O. Box 204, Burlington, WY 82411 or to the fair office P.O. Box 709, Basin, WY 82410.
By KARLA POMEROY
Editor
The 2012 Wyoming Legislative Budget Session opened at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 13, with more than 150 bills filed, including two that will improve the state’s open meetings and public records laws.
Wyoming Press Association Executive Director Jim Angell said both bills help to define public records and a public meeting better.
For public records, Senate File 25, he said, “It’s very inclusive and will make sure all electronic records are being covered. There are very good changes in both bills.”
Along with making sure electronic records of all forms are included in the definition of a public record, Angell said another important change is a timeline for agencies to answer requests for records. He said under the current statute, a person or media agency must wait for an answer to a records request before filing an appeal. But, there is no timeline on when an answer must be given. Under the proposed bill, a records request must be answered within seven business days.
The bill also adds an exception for public records regarding private ag operations.
The changes, Angell said, received broad support from all the groups that “usually butt heads” including the Wyoming County Commissioners Association and the Wyoming Association of Municipalities.
“I hope the Legislature will see the work that has been put into these bills and just put them through,” Angell said.
Under the open meetings bill, SF27, Angell said the new definition sends a message to boards and councils that they “can’t get around the definition of a public meeting by texting or emailing.”
The bill states, ‘“An assembly” includes communicating in person, by means of telephone or electronic communication, or in any other manner such that all participating members are able to communicate with each other contemporaneously. No meeting shall be conducted by electronic means or any other form of communication that does not permit the public to hear, read or otherwise discern meeting discussion contemporaneously.
“Communications outside a meeting, including, but not limited to, sequential communications among members of an agency, shall not be used to circumvent the purpose of this act.”
Angell said the “meat of the bill” is a change in requirements for calling special meetings. The bill proposes that notice of a special meeting shall be issued at least eight hours prior to the beginning of the meeting. The current bill does not give a timeline for notice of calling a special meeting.
The law does allow for an emergency meeting without notice and that will not change but the law requires that an emergency meeting is for “matters of serious immediate concern.” Action is only temporary for an emergency meeting and must be reconsidered and acted upon at an open public meeting within 48 hours of the emergency meeting.
The other major change, Angell said, is regarding executive sessions. The bill would require any motion by a council or board member to go into executive session to specify the reason per statute.
“It spells it out for the public and makes the elected bodies think twice before going into executive session if their reason makes sense,” Angell said.
“I’m happy we got all these change worked out. It took most of the summer but we were able to reach a consensus on what would be best for the state,” Angell said. “The result is a compromise, and it’s a good one. Members of the coalition are committed to presenting the compromise and supporting the compromise.”
Sen. Gerald Geis reported Tuesday that both bills received enough votes for introduction.
The public records file was introduced on a 26-3 vote with Geis in favor. The public meetings bill was introduced on a 24-6 vote with Geis again in favor.
By KARLA POMEROY
Editor
The Big Horn County Republican Party will conduct its straw poll to start the annual precinct caucuses Tuesday.
County Republican Party Chairman Dave Mattis of Greybull said there will be a north and south precinct caucus held simultaneously at 7 p.m., Tuesday. The south caucus will be at Basin Area Chamber building, 407 West C Street. The north end caucus will be at the Lovell Fire Hall.
The straw poll, with the four top candidates on the ballot — Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul — will be conducted first. There will also be a spot on the ballot for for Republicans to write-in candidates that may have already dropped out of the race.
The Wyoming Republican Party will wait until the final caucus, Feb. 29 in Sweetwater County before releasing any results. Then statewide and per county results will be released.
To participate in the Wyoming Republican Party Straw Poll, the individual must be a registered Republican and may only vote in the county precinct caucus of their voter registration. Mattis said people can still register as a Republican through Friday. On Monday, he will ask the Big Horn County Clerk’s Office for a list of the registered Republicans and that list will be the official list used during the caucus.
According to the state Republican Party rules, the County Party Secretary and two additional designees will serve as the credentials committee and will use the current roster of Registered Republicans to allow entrance to the Precinct Caucuses. Children under the age of 18 will be admitted to the event for educational purposes, but they will not be allowed to participate in the straw poll.
Mattis said the state party officials are leaving it up to the county chairman to determine if media will be allowed at the county caucuses. He said he is leaving the caucus open for media.
Before the straw poll begins, each participant will be assigned to their regular voting precinct to cast their vote, Mattis said.
Following the completion of the straw poll, the county Republican Party will introduce the platforms, platform planks and resolutions that have been prepared by the Platforms and Resolutions Committee, Mattis said. He said the Republican Party made a change in platforms and resolutions. Platforms now are long-term issues and resolutions are more short-term ideas and goals regarding the platforms.
The party will then elect delegates and alternates to the Big Horn County Convention, which will be March 6 at the Basin City Arts Center. He said the county elects two delegates per voting precinct with the exception of Lovell, who elects six, and Basin and Greybull, who each elect four, for a total of 34 delegates.
Delegates will be the voting members at the county convention to vote on the platforms and resolutions to submit to the state convention for consideration and vote on delegates to the state convention. The county will elect 12 delegates to the state convention and one delegate to the national convention.
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