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GOP to meet on county attorney vacancy (posted 7/4/08)
Letters of interest are encouraged
Sublette County Republican Party
Sublette County Republican Party Chair Cat Urbigkit has received official notification July 4, 2008 that a vacancy exists in the position of Sublette County Attorney. Although state statute provides for a meeting of the county GOP central committee to be called within 15 days of this notification, Sublette County GOP bylaws call for the meeting to be held within 10 days to select the names of three persons qualified to fill the vacancy. Those three names will then be forwarded to the Sublette County Commission. According to state law, within five days of receiving the three names, the board of county commissioners shall fill the vacancy by appointing one of the three persons chosen by the central committee.
The Sublette County Republican Party Central Committee will meet in the commission meeting room of the Sublette County Courthouse in Pinedale at 5:30 p.m., July 14, 2008 for the purpose of selecting three names to submit to the Sublette County Commission to fill the vacancy in the office of the Sublette County Attorney. The term of the appointment is 30 months (until a successor is elected in the 2010 General Election). To qualify for consideration, the candidate must be a member of the Wyoming Bar Association. This position is full-time with a current annual salary of $85,000.
Anyone interested in being considered for the county attorney’s position is encouraged to submit a letter of interest to Sublette County Republican Party Chair Cat Urbigkit at catu2@mac.com by noon, July 14, 2008. Candidates are encouraged to attend the central committee meeting to present a three-minute address to the voting delegates. For further information, contact Cat Urbigkit at 307-276-5393.
Sheriff’s Office says victim still unidentified (posted 7/4/08)
Man found near Big Sandy River on July 3
Friday, July 4, 2008, 12:49 PM, Media Release from the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office:
________________________________________________
MEDIA RELEASE
July 4, 2008
SUBLETTE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
PO BOX 701
PINEDALE, WY 82941
Point of Contact: Detective Dick Blust, Jr. - Public Information Officer
(307) 367-4378 / (307) 350-4016, rcblust@yahoo.com
The Sublette County Sheriff’s Office in Pinedale today released additional information regarding the body of the man found in the Wind River Mountains near the Big Sandy River yesterday [July 3, 2008].
Sheriff’s Office spokesman Detective Dick Blust said county investigators who recovered the body and processed the scene believe the cause of death to have been a single self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Officials said that an official identification has not yet been made, but the process of making a forensics-based identification is underway. An autopsy is planned but has not yet been definitively scheduled.
Garrett Bardin’s father, Sublette County Sheriff Wayne "Bardy" Bardin, and Garrett’s mother, Carole Richie, have asked the media to help express their thanks to everyone involved in the investigation and the search for Garrett, and to the people of Sublette County, who have been so caring and supportive in what has been a very trying time for the family.
Rainbow Gathering: Forest Service Incident Management Team Encounters Interference During Investigation (posted 7/4/08)
Incident on July 3rd at Rainbow Camp
Forest Service media release
Friday, July 4, 10:51 AM, Media Release from the Rita Vollmer, Intermountain Region Regional Office Public Affairs Specialist for the Forest Service, Office: (801) 625-5153, Cell: (801) 791-2390. Forest Service media release of July 3, 2008 incident at Rainbow Gathering at Dutch Joe/Big Sandy in Wyoming.
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Rock Springs, Wyoming (July 4, 2008) — Forest Service officers were patrolling the main meadow area of the National Rainbow Family Gathering yesterday evening. The officers made contact with a subject that would not cooperate and fled. The subject was apprehended; once detained other Rainbow participants began to interfere with the situation.
Officers began to leave the Gathering site with the subject and were circled by more Rainbow participants that began to physically interfere. Another participant was detained for physical interference.
Ten officers were escorting the detained subjects when about 400 Rainbows surrounded the squad trying to leave. More officers were requested to assist in the main meadow area. The mob began to advance, throwing sticks and rocks at the officers. Crowd control tactics were used to keep moving through the group of Rainbows.
"This lawless behavior is unacceptable and we will not tolerate it," Forest Service Director of Law Enforcement, John Twiss, said. "The safety of our employees, public and Rainbow participants is our number one priority and we will continue to protect everyone on the National Forest."
A total of five arrests were made in relation to this incident. One officer suffered minor injuries and was cleared by the local hospital. A government vehicle also incurred damage during the incident.
Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming Highway Patrol and Sublette County, Fremont County, and Sweetwater County Sheriff Offices all responded to the Forest Service officers during the incident.
"The Forest Service Incident Management Team appreciates all of the help and assistance from the agencies coordinating with us during this incident," Incident Commander, Gene Smithson said. "It is important that we continue to work together."
Approximately 7,000 Rainbow participants have congregated in the Big Sandy area.
Related Links:
"We The People Radio Network" – radio program audio broadcast file 1 (One hour audio file with first-hand interviews with Rainbows at the scene at the time of the July 3, 2008 incident) mp3 audio file
"We The People Radio Network" – radio program audio broadcast file 2 (Second one hour audio file with first-hand interviews with Rainbows at the scene at the time of the July 3, 2008 incident) mp3 audio file
Rainbow Gathering updates Pinedale Online!
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Mary Collier - Tour Divide Mountain Bike Race (posted 7/3/08)
Mary Collier is riding in the Tour Divide Mountain Bike Race this year, a 2711-mile trek from Banff, Canada, to the New Mexico at the Mexican border. She stopped in at Rock Rabbit in Pinedale on Wednesday to get some ice cream with $10 that her friend, Mike Dion, left there for her. Dion is filming a documentary of the race and the Continental Divide Mountain Bike Trail route that it follows.
Seventeen racers started the trek on June 13th. The racers have dealt with mud, snow, bears, tunnel cave-ins, constant mechanical issues and more. There is no entry fee or prizes in the race. Racers who volunteer to carry a SPOT Messenger are tracked real-time on a Google Maps leaderboard.
For more info on the race, see www.tourdivide.org.
Body found near Big Sandy River (posted 7/3/08)
As-of-yet unidentified man
Thursday, July 3, 2008, 4:40 PM Media Release from the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office
_____________________________________________________
MEDIA RELEASE
July 3, 2008
SUBLETTE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
PO BOX 701
PINEDALE, WY 82941
Point of Contact: Detective Dick Blust, Jr. - Public Information Officer
(307) 367-4378 / (307) 350-4016, rcblust@yahoo.com
The body of an as-of-yet unidentified man was found this morning [July 3, 2008] in the Wind River Mountains near the Big Sandy River.
According to Detective Dick Blust, spokesman for the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office in Pinedale, the body was found by Tip Top Search & Rescue volunteers around 10:00 AM.
Sheriff’s Office detectives are on the scene, but as of about 4:30 PM, an official identification has not been made.
Blust said he hoped to have an update and more details available soon, but declined further comment until he had the opportunity to consult with on-scene investigators.
Ralph Boynton resigns as Sublette County Attorney (posted 7/3/08)
Effective July 3, 2008
Media release from the Sublette County Board of Commissioners:
________________________________________________
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Sublette County, Wyoming
P.O. Box 250
PINEDALE, WY 82941
July 3, 2008
PRESS RELEASE
Please be advised, Sublette County Attorney Ralph Boynton tendered his resignation to the Board of County Commissioners effective July 3, 2008.
The Board has accepted his resignation and declared a vacancy. Meredith Peterson has been appointed to act as Interim Head of the County Attorney’s Office, and this appointment is effective immediately.
Cat Urbigkit, Chairman of the Sublette County Republican Party will be notified to begin the process of filling the vacancy created by the resignation.
________________________________________________
Story update July 3, 2008, 7:30 PM:
Under an agreement signed by Boynton and all three Sublette County Commissioners on July 1st, Boynton tendered his resignation "for personal and professional reasons."
The document stated that his resignation was in the best interest of the County Attorney to resign and for the Sublette County Commissioners to effectuate the resignation.
The document states, "The Commissioners agree to pay the County Attorney the balance of his wages due through the end of 2008, as wages, plus the full retirement contribution normally paid by Sublette County on his behalf, immediately and in a lump sum. The amount of wages is $42,500.00 in salary, plus $4,781.25 in recognition of said retirement contribution. The wages will be reduced by $2,931.44 Social Security, $685.58 Medicare, and $8,064.17 Federal withholding tax. The balance equals $35,600.06."
"The parties hereto will cooperate in both assisting the County Attorney in moving out of the Sublette County Attorney’s Office, and in transitioning active cases to existing office personnel."
In addition, the Agreement states, "The Commissioners and the County Attorney hereby release each other from any causes of actions or claims they may presently have against each other."
Pinedale Online contacted Bill Cramer, Chairman of the Board of Sublette County Commissioners, regarding the abrupt resignation and whether or not the action would impact any of the legal work Boynton has done on cases on behalf of Sublette County. Cramer’s response was "No comment."
See the links below for PDF copies of the media release from the Sublette County Commissioners and the Agreement.
Related Links:
Boynten Resignation Media Release from the Sublette County Commissioners (1 page, 13K PDF) July 3, 2008
Resignation Agreement between Ralph Boynton and the Sublette County Commissioners (1 page, 310K PDF) July 1, 2008
Boating safety urged for 4th of July holiday (posted 7/1/08)
Wyoming Game & Fish
The Fourth of July holiday is typically the busiest weekend of the year for Wyoming boaters and is also the busiest weekend of the year for Game and Fish officers charged with enforcing boating regulations.
The Game and Fish advises boaters to become familiar with the regulations involving operation of watercraft and the safety equipment required for different classes of watercraft. A new regulation this year requires all youth 12 years and under to wear an approved life jacket while boating. Wyoming law also requires the wearing of a U.S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation device (PFD) of suitable size for anyone being towed or operating personal watercraft such as jet skis, wave runners etc. In addition, persons operating motorboats or personal watercraft must be at least 16 years old or accompanied by an adult.
Boating under the influence (BUI), the boating counterpart to DUI, is also common over the 4th of July holiday. Wyoming judges are taking the BUI violation very seriously and boaters found in violation could be subject to heavy fines and loss of boating privileges.
Boaters are also reminded to make sure the proper boating safety equipment is on board and in working order. Watercraft over 16 feet are required to have an approved Coast Guard throwable device on board and an approved PFD of suitable size is required for each person on board of all watercraft regardless of size of the craft.
Having boats that are not registered is another common violation. The law requires registering of all boats powered by propulsion machinery of any type, including electric trolling motors.
A complete listing of Wyoming boating laws can be obtained from any Game and Fish office or the Game and Fish Web site http://gf.state.wy.us.
Idaho investigates wolf death (posted 7/1/08)
Idaho Fish and Game Department
Idaho Fish and Game is investigating the death of a wolf shot northeast of Stanley.
Fish and Game biologist Jason Husseman retrieved the carcass of the wolf on June 16. As in all wolf shootings under state law, this incident is being investigated.
An ongoing collaborative effort to reduce conflicts between wolves and sheep in the Ketchum area relies on nonlethal methods including the use of fladry, penning at night and hazing with hired trained technicians. The efforts include the cooperation among several livestock producers, Fish and Game, U.S.D.A. Wildlife Services, U.S. Forest Service, Blaine County Commissioners, and Defenders of Wildlife.
Among other incidents, officials on June 24, found a 25-pound male and a 23-pound female wolf pup dead along Highway 21 near Lowman, apparently hit by a vehicle.
On June 24, Wildlife Services investigated a report that wolves attacked and injured some sheep on private land west of McCall. Wildlife Service determined one lamb was probably attacked by a wolf, but it appeared likely it should survive. This band of sheep has seven guard dogs, which may explain the few injuries.
Related Links:
Wolf Watch - By Cat Urbigkit
A fire burned Rocky Mountain Home Center to the ground on Saturday morning. The owners are already finding creative ways to get back in business. They thank the community for all their support!
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We’re OPEN! Rocky Mountain Home Center (posted 7/1/08)
They will have to be creative, but they are open for business!
Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online!
“We’re OPEN!” said Rocky Mountain Home Center owner Scott Grove. “There have been a lot of rumors that we’re shut down, but we are open and in business!”
Grove said they are in the process of figuring out how to move forward after the devastating fire Saturday morning (June 28) that burned their furniture store to the ground. They will need to find creative ways to continue. “I lost everything,” he said. They are still taking orders and having merchandise come in. “In a couple of days we will have a total flooring center set up.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. No one was hurt in the fire or fighting the fire, however the building and contents were completely destroyed.
All of their catalogs were burned up in the fire, so they are having their sales reps send them new ones. It will take a couple of days to get those in. They are asking customers to please bear with them as they get things figured out and going again. They plan to bring a trailer in and set it up near the store site.
Anyone wanting anything can call the regular business line, 307-367-6711. It is being forwarded to Scott’s cell phone. They also plan to have people down near the store site starting this afternoon to meet customers and do business. They won’t have regular business hours for now. Customers can stop by and try to catch someone down at the site or call and arrange to meet them there. “We’re only minutes away,” he said.
“BBQ grills are a very popular item for us, and it’s the 4th of July. People will need grills and pellets. We’ll be all set up by this afternoon.”
Grove wanted to express his thanks to the community for their support. “Thank you to everyone for their thoughts, prayers, kind words and offers to help.”
“Sometimes you question living in a small town and then something like this happens and you really appreciate it,” he said.
“I want to give a huge thanks to all the emergency people, the fire department. I heard they had nearly every fire truck in the county there. They did a hell of a job. No one got hurt. That could have gotten super ugly. All the other stuff can be replaced.”
We asked if they needed anything else and he said no. The most important thing was to let people know they are open and still in business. If anyone wants or needs anything, please stop by or call them. “That’s how we’ll get through it,” he said, “by continuing to do business.”
Grove said they have insurance for the business. “We’ll find out today how good our insurance really is,” he said.
Related Links:
Fire destroys Rocky Mountain Home Center . (Pinedale Online, 37 photos)
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