By Dan Dockstader on Apr 24, 2013 in Education, News | 0 Comments The Mother, Daughter and Friend Luncheon and Fashion Show will be 12 noon Saturday, May 18, in the Star Valley Medical Center Greys River Room. Sponsored by the Star Valley Rotary Club, the luncheon and show is designed to raise awareness of the need for women to schedule routine mammograms. Dr. Martha Hageman will be [...] By Dan Dockstader on Apr 23, 2013 in Featured, News | 0 Comments Heather Babbitt has rejoined the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) as the Aging Divisions new senior administrator. Babbitt has worked in the human services field since 1992. She began as a Department of Family Services (DFS) caseworker in Laramie. She has held various positions in DFS, most recently as the Economic Assistance Division administrator. [...] By Dan Dockstader on Apr 3, 2013 in News, Obituaries | 3 Comments Memorial services for Douglas (Doug) McCaskill will be held Friday, April 12, at 12 noon in the Afton Tabernacle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Family will greet friends on Friday, April 12, from 11 to 11:55 a.m. prior to the service at the Tabernacle. The family … Continue reading →

The Star Valley Independent is the only newspaper that delivers news to the varied communities of the area and has been doing so for over 110 years. Take a look back in time at what made the pages of the Independent 25, 50, 75 and 100 years ago during this calendar week of the year. Do you remember any of it? Are you amazed at how quickly time has passed? Or are you still reading about the same issues today? This weeks walk down memory lane includes a tragic death, a stolen pickup truck and bottled water. This weeks inset picture is from the first week of April 2008 and a look at the snotel sites used to measure water content. The main picture below is of middle school students delivering food to the Afton food bank. Photos taken by Independent Staff 25-years ago: Bottled water proposed to town councilBottled intermittent spring water may be a reality this summer if the necessary local funding can be raised. A traffic signal will not be installed at the intersection of Washington and Fourth Ave. That was the message given to the Afton Town Council Monday night in a letter form the Wyoming … Continue reading →

By Dahl Erickson on Apr 10, 2013 in Sports Despite a spring break week where nearly all the track & field athletes were out of the competition loop, a pair of Star Valley tracksters stood out anyway. Hailey Ricks, running in Arcadia, Calif., obliterated her own 3200 meter time running with David Livingston and Sam Gertsch broke his newly minted shot put record at the Roy Peck Invite in Riverton. Head coach Ty Draney praised their efforts during what he described as the most frustrating time of the year. This time of year is not for the faint of heart,he said. There are distractions like the weather and vacations and other obstacles. Dave and Hailey went to the biggest most competitive track meet in the nation. Hailey has been a little dinged up and her goal was to break 11 minutes so shes not happy about that. Thats whats fun about coaching her. Dave had a decent race but it wasnt quite what he wanted. Ricks, who edged out the old school record in the 3200 last year with a time of 11:43, beat her own mark by an astonishing 42 seconds with a blistering 11:01.20. Ricks won the Wyoming … Continue reading →

By Sarah Hale on Apr 12, 2013 in News Lower Valley Energy is seeking nominations of individuals to serve on the Lower Valley Energy Board of Directors. Directors are needed to represent Districts 2 and District 5. The deadline to submit nomination forms is Friday, April 26 at 5 p.m. Nomination forms are available at the Lower Valley Energy offices in Afton and Jackson. Any member interested in running for a board position should contact Lower Valley Energy to verify the district in which he/she resides, said Brian Tanabe, communications and marketing manager at Lower Valley Energy. According to information provided by Lower Valley Energy, District 2 comprises all areas north of Strawberry Creek Road to County Road 119 then west of Highway 89 to the Teton County boundary, including Wayan, Freedom areas and north Alpine. District 5 comprises the town of Jackson, east of Cache Street and all areas north of Zenith Drive, excluding Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis Club. Any 10 or more members of any district may make a nomination by petition, said Tanabe. The names nominated will be placed on the printed ballot and voted on by proxy or at the annual meeting of the members … Continue reading →

By Sarah Hale on Apr 8, 2013 in Featured, Lincoln County, News The Lincoln County Commissioners have drafted a letter to Wyomings Congressional Delegation in opposition to federal initiatives that might eliminate or limit the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds. The action took place during the March 19 meeting of the Lincoln County Commissioners. Municipal bonds are the countys most important source of financing for vital infrastructure, the letter states. In fact, 75 percent of all national infrastructure projects are completed using bond financing. Every state, [and] by virtue nearly every county, benefits from low cost borrowing to fund critical infrastructure. That funding invests in schools, roads, water and sewer systems, airports and hospitals among many others. The Lincoln County Commissioners listen to Governor Matt Mead in a meeting last month. (Independent Photo) According to information provided by Lincoln County, eliminating the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds was first entertained by The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. The proposal continues to see life in other forms in deficit reduction talks, the letter states. Deficit reduction efforts have already resulted in cuts in aid to local governments from the states and reduced funding in federal programs that benefit counties. … Continue reading →

By Sarah Hale on Apr 8, 2013 in News, Outdoors, Wyoming The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is requesting public review and input on proposed revisions to the demographic recovery criteria for the Grizzly Bear population in the Greater Yellowstone region. We are proposing to update portions of Demographic Recovery Criteria One and Three for the Yellowstone grizzly bear population based on new scientific analyses and information, said Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator Christopher Servheen, Ph.D. Since these criteria were last updated, new approaches and scientific protocols have been developed. According to Servheen, the proposed changes are regarding how grizzly bears in the Yellowstone Ecosystem are counted. They are not changes in the criteria for delisting, he continued. After receiving and considering public comments and peer review, the final criteria would replace the current demographic criteria and would be appended to the Yellowstone chapter of the Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan and the Final Conservation Strategy for the Grizzly Bear in the Greater Yellowstone Area, said Servheen. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the specific changes being proposed include the following. Update Criterion One to reflect the demographic goal of maintaining a minimum population size of 500 animals and at … Continue reading →

By Sarah Hale on Apr 9, 2013 in Education, News When it comes to geography, Eli Saberon really knows his stuff. The seventh grade student from Star Valley Middle School recently placed second in the state geography bee. Eli is the son of Shain and Tara Saberon of Smoot. First, Eli had to win the Star Valley Middle School Geography Bee for both seventh and eighth grade students, said Tara. Next, he had to take and pass a 70 question written exam from the state. Passing that test qualified him to participate in the State Geography Bee in Casper on April 5. A total of 39 students from across the state competed at the state level. [The] students were divided into groups of 12 and competed in a preliminary round of questioning, said Tara. Those with the top 10 scores competed in the finals. Eli and Garrett Means, an eighth grader from The Snowy Range Academy in Laramie, advanced to the championship round at the end of which Eli and Garrett were tied. They then proceeded to a sudden-death tie-breaker where Eli missed a question that Garrett correctly answered. Garrett will represent Wyoming at the national championship to be held … Continue reading →