Today's Chronicle, Dec. 31, 2009

Top 10 stories of 2009

National Guard soldiers received packages from the Big Horn Basin

Local musicians selected for all state groups

Ups and downs in 2009

Today's Chronicle, Dec. 24, 2009

Fireman's Christmas basket program extended

Local churches celebrate Christ's birth

A thrilling win in Albuquerque

Lovell Swing Choir to perform on Billings TV Friday

Stray dogs and cats have heat again

Rocky Mountain and Lovell Boys basketball, RM wrestlers at Huntley Project tourney

In print:
Christmas lighting contest winners
Mayor Roland Simmons talks about big progress in the small town of Cowley
Lovell/RM speech team
New SO K9 Tank in training
Christmas concert photos
Longtime BHC treasurer George Hoffman remembered
Freshman and JV basketball
Lovell Town Council mulls water/sewer project planning
Plus more local news from north Big Horn County

Soldiers say hello from overseas

Soldiers of the Wyoming Army National Guard 115th Fires Brigade currently deployed in Kuwait and Iraq recently recorded video messages for dissemination to Wyoming supporters, including a couple soldiers from the Lovell area.

Additional messages from soldiers throughout Wyoming and the rest of the country can be downloaded at the Department of Defense imagery server.

Just chillin'

A group of birds eagles and other birds have been hanging out on the Shoshone River, visible on the north side of the river bridge on Hwy. 310 between Lovell and Cowley.

According to baldeagleinfo.com, an eagle's body is protected by down under their feathers and their feet are resistant to cold, and mostly made of tendons. The beak is mostly non-living material with little blood supply. It seems these birds were better prepared for last night's -20 weather than I was.

The eagles were eating something on the frozen river. According to the site, eagles generally eat fish, but they will also eat other small prey and whatever else is available, sometimes scavenging for unattended carcasses.

Today's Chronicle: Dec. 10, 2009

Frigid weather freezes beet harvest

-Prescription abuse fourm
-Bulldogs grapplers start season
-Firemen gathering food
-Reach out in tough times
-Lady Grizz open with wins



WS factory in Lovell, Wyoming. Photo by Brad Devereaux



In print:
County unemployment slightly down
Sub-zero temps hit Lovell
Allred selected as interim president of the WYSAR Association
Lovell facility designated as 2009 factory of the year
Speech season starts
LHS, RMHS basketball teams at season-opener
Big Horn Land plan public meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at Lovell Community Center info

Steaming beet piles

Piles of sugar beets sitting outside of the Western Sugar Factory in Lovell are being sent to the plant for processing because of storage issues. Read the full story.

Today's Chronicle: Dec. 3, 2009

Two cited after failed alcohol compliance checks

Western Sugar processing piled beets, growers on hold for now

Group plans prescription drug awareness forum

Lovell and Rocky Mountain High School basketball previews

Editorial on Obama:  A decision to surge ahead


In the paper:
Update on sexual assault investigation

Preschoolers tour their future middle/high school in Cowley

US Congressional Reps. spend Thanksgiving in Kuwait
Singer/songwriter Bret Marchant: A Rocky Mountain Offspring
Constitution party works for ballot position in Wyoming
Past Lovell Chronicle owner Pat Schmidt retiring
LPD investigates possible house arson

4H awards

Cowley Turkey Trot

Wrestling season previews

Updates on Stonehenge

Don't call it trivia

Brrr …

It's cold and windy in Lovell today. It feels like winter is here on the first day of December! We don't have any accumulation of snow yet, maybe because it was blowing away too fast.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at
The Lovell Chronicle!
David and Susan Peck, Brad Devereaux, Gladys McNeil, Pat Parmer,
Erin Henson, Jason Zeller, Kymbre Moorehead,
Dorothy Nelson, Teressa Ennis,
Mike Kitchen and Don Dover.
The Chronicle office will be closed Thursday and Friday, November 26 & 27.

Early Deadline

Early copy will be needed next week at the Lovell Chronicle due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Because of the holiday on Thursday, the Chronicle will publish one day earlier than normal. Deadlines for ads, letters to the editor, press releases or other copy will be Monday at noon.

The Chronicle will go to press on Tuesday and be available at some newsstands Tuesday evening. The paper will be mailed to subscribers on Wednesday.

The Lovell Chronicle office will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 26-27, and will reopen for normal business hours on Monday, Nov. 30. Office hours are 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Holiday Mingle or Holiday Mix-up?

Holiday Mingle Saturday

Christmas in north Big Horn County kicks off this Saturday as Lovell merchants host the annual Holiday Mingle in downtown Lovell. The former Main Street Mingle, traditionally held on the Saturday of the Thanksgiving Holidy weekend in Lovell, has been moved up a week and has a new name.

The idea is, “Let’s try it and see what happens,” Lovell Area Chamber of Commerce Director Suzanne Winterholler said when the change was announced a few weeks ago.

“They (merchants) felt they wanted to give people the opportunity to see what’s available in Lovell before the big shopping weekend on Thanksgiving,” Winterholler said.

The Mingle Committee has planned an afternoon of fun activities for the whole family including a visit from Santa Claus, who will pose with children for photos.

Hundreds of dollars in Chamber Bucks will be offered in a drawing.

People may register for Chamber Bucks at the matinee or during the Santa event at the fire hall.

Participating Lovell merchants will offer pre-Christmas specials during the day, and a Lovell coupon booklet will be distributed at the fire hall and during the tree-lighting ceremony

The Cowley Boys will provide music at Minchow’s Food Court from 8 to 10 p.m. on Saturday.

Wyoming senators weigh in on Reid’s $2.5 trillion health care bill

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) released his version of a health care bill yesterday, the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” which spans more than 2,000 pages and costs $2.5 trillion, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. Read the bill and see the cost at the links below.

U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) believes every piece of legislation in the Senate should be available to the public with a full cost analysis by the CBO three days before consideration by any subcommittee or committee of the Senate or on the floor of the Senate, according to a press release issued Thursday. While he continues to analyze the bill he made the following comments about what he has discovered so far.

“The Reid bill would drive up health care costs for most families, increase taxes on workers and small businesses, and cut Medicare benefits for seniors.  This bill would leave 24 million people without insurance coverage and force millions more to lose the insurance they already have.  Want more taxes?  How about Medicare cuts?  This has them, to the tune of about a half trillion dollars each.  The total price tag - $2.5 trillion.  We need to do better than this and I believe we can.

“Like the Pelosi bill, the Reid bill is government-centered, not patient-centered. It’s chock-full of new taxes and higher health care costs that would threaten jobs, weaken our economy, punish families and small businesses trying to make ends meet, and stick our children and grandchildren with the bill.

“We need health care reform, but it has to be done the right way.  We have to bring down costs so that everyone can have access to the quality, affordable care they need.  I’m focused on an alternative, step-by-step approach to reduce health care costs, preserve the rights of patients to see the doctors of their choice, protect Medicare coverage for seniors, eliminate discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, and ensure that people can take their insurance with them from job-to-job.”

To read the CBO’s letter to Reid, click here (pdf link).

In response to the bill, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said this, “Senator Reid’s 2,074-page health care bill still means higher premiums, it still means higher taxes, and it still cuts Medicare.

“This bill is financed with billions of dollars in Medicare cuts. Taking away health care from seniors is not the answer. Our seniors have relied on Medicare, they have been promised Medicare. Instead this bill cuts Medicare to fund a brand new untested program.

“This bill raises taxes on Americans. Higher payroll taxes and fees will not persuade businesses to hire new employees. This is not the right prescription for our country when one in ten Americans can’t find work.

“The people of Wyoming want practical, common-sense health care reforms. They want the kind of reform that will drive down the cost of medical care. The people of Wyoming want reform that will improve access to providers and create more choices. This bill does not do that. This bill is not reform.”

Click here to read the bill.

Click here to watch Senator Barrasso’s speech from the Senate Floor.

Watch video on Sen. Reed's Website.

Tomorrow's Chronicle: Nov. 19, 2009

Kane Cemetery vandalism

Open burning passed in Lovell     Discuss

New LHS basketball coach Brian May

Local man being tried for sex crime

Next year's football schedules

A still-evolving plan to remodel Lovell High School

Beet farmers plugging away with another quota

The weekend Holiday Mingle

Unknown driver in accident near Cowley

Toys for Tots 2009, Lovell Woman's Club news, NWC music clinic, Lovell Town Council, Congressional reps visiting area, Commodities distribution, Burlington blue ribbon ceremony.

In the shade

A buck sits in the shade of a tree on the Pryor Mountains this fall. 

Today's Chronicle: Nov. 12, 2009

Updated details of a lawsuit filed against the Town of Lovell. 

Citizens' efforts to restore burning in Lovell.

Truck nearly goes over the edge on 14A.

Next week's Holiday Mingle.

Observations: The joy of uniting East and West 20 years later.

Rocky Mountain and Lovell volleyball post-season honors.

In the paper:

•Western Sugar only accepting healthiest beets

•H1N1 vaccinations in Big Horn County

•Dry pack Canning: a plan for the future

•Five years of the re-opened Hyart

•BHCSD2 update about LHS remodel

•Blue ribbon celebration in burlington

•LMS swimming begins

•LMS basketball

•New girl scout program

•FCCLA supports troops with care packages

•Car burns while on test drive in Byron

•Talkin' Cars, Just Sharon some thoughts, Police beat

•Letters to the editor, obituaries, plus more local news and photos.

Yellowstone in Fall

By Brad Devereaux, Yellowstone National Park, October 2009

BLM Waives Recreation Fees for Veterans on Veterans Day

The Bureau of Land Management will waive recreation-related fees for veterans and military personnel, along with their families, on Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11.

BLM Director Bob Abbey encouraged veterans and members of the U.S. Armed Forces to recreate on BLM-managed or other Federal lands on November 11, saying, “We want to thank the men and women who have served or are serving our country through military service. This is a small, but special way in which we can express our gratitude and our appreciation to them.”

The waiver of entrance and/or standard amenity fees on Veterans Day applies annually, starting in 2006, to public recreation lands under the management of the BLM, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Reclamation (all agencies of the Department of the Interior), along with the U.S. Forest Service (part of the Department of Agriculture).

The Veterans Day fee waiver takes place on Nov. 11, even if the Federal observance of the holiday should occur on a different day. This year, the Federal observance of Veterans Day falls on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

November 5 - Record high temperatures

Several locations across central and western Wyoming either tied or broke record high temperatures on Thursday, Nov. 5, when an unseasonably mild southwest flow, snow-free basins and enough wind to mix out the the valleys and basins pushed temperatures into the 60s to lower 70s.


No records were broken in Big Horn County, though temperature sensors at the Greybull Airport recorded a balmy 64 degrees on Nov. 5, then heated to 70 degrees on Nov. 6.

The following table, provided by the National Weather Service, shows locations that reached or exceeded record highs (orange), and also some locations that came close to record highs today (yellow):

Location	New Record High Nov 5		Old Record High	Year
Casper	71		70	1999, 2001
Jackson	63 (tie)		63	1999
Rock Springs	66		64	1980
Worland	73(tie)		73	2001
Location	High Nov 5		Record High	Year
Cody	72		73	1954
Lander	65		68	1921, 1891

Article and graph from the NWS.

The warm weather follows a brutally cold October in Wyoming. Most notably, Casper experienced the coldest October on record (since 1939) with a month average temperature of 37 degrees, which is 8.7 degrees below normal. Several other cities including Riverton and Lander had near record-cold Octobers as well.  


What is the cause of this abnormal weather?  Could it be global warming or is it just a few days of fluke temperatures? What do you think?

It's windy in Lovell

It's windy today. Taken by Erin Henson north of Lovell around 3 p.m.

Town of Lovell sued over 2007 murder/suicide

A complaint has been filed in the 5th Judicial District Court of Big Horn County against the Town of Lovell and a Lovell police officer that alleges the officer’s negligence led to a murder/suicide involving two Lovell residents in November of 2007.

Read the online story here

Today’s Chronicle: Nov. 5, 2009

An update on the sugar beet harvest, as farmers wait for another quota to deliver their crop to the factory.

FOBHL’s response to Sen. Max Baucus’ request for a federal investigation of Big Horn Lake.

Construction of the Lovell Library addition.

Steve Coleman, the new student resource officer at Big Horn County School District No. 1.

A dispute about receiving donations between the Big Horn County Sheriff and Search and Rescue.

The Town of Lovell’s plans to buy a new pickup.

Plans for the Veterans Day program.

The Lovell Lady Bulldogs and Rocky Mountain Lady Grizz competing at State Volleyball.

Daylight Savings Time

It’s time to set your clocks back … or “fall back in the fall”… and get back to Mountain Standard Time.

In the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Congress changed the time frame for Daylight Savings Time, which, since 2007, now runs from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday of November.

So by 2 a.m. this Sunday, Nov. 1, people are encouraged to set their clocks, watches and all other time pieces back one hour.

Grizzly observed on Shohsone River near Ralston

Hunters asked to use caution

On Monday Oct. 26, officials from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department responded to a report of bear tracks observed on a private residence near Ralston, Wyo., close to the Shoshone River.

Department personnel responded and determined the tracks to be that of a grizzly bear. “We investigated and confirmed that a grizzly had been in the area; we also determined that the bear was a radio-collared female,” said information specialist Dennie Hammer.

Signals from her radio collar indicated that she was day-bedded in the heavy brush along the Shoshone River near Willwood Dam until dark on Tuesday evening October 27. However, the following morning personnel were unable to locate the bear. The department enlisted the help of an airplane equipped with radio-tracking devices in an attempt to locate the bear to no avail.

According to Hammer, the bear may have moved completely out of the area. “We have seen bears move considerable distances this time of the year and she may have headed back to the mountain,” Hammer said.

Deer season opens on Nov. 1 in many of the hunt areas in and around Cody, Ralston and Powell and the Department is urging hunters to be bear aware.

“We want everyone to be cautious and understand that this is unusual bear activity. If the bear is located outside of known grizzly bear habitat we will attempt to capture or remove her,” said Gary Brown, Cody region wildlife supervisor. “We do not want to alarm people but we do want them to be bear aware for safety’s sake and report to the Cody office, or local game wardens, any grizzly bear observed in the Ralston area.”

Report observations by calling the Stop Poaching Hotline at 1-877-WGFD-TIP.

Tomorrow's Chronicle: Oct. 29, 2009

Tomorrow’s Chronicle will contain:

•A story about outbreak of the flu (H1N1 / swine flu and Influenza A) in northern Big Horn County, with information about the flu vaccine, treatment and the difference between the common cold and flu.

•An update on sugar beet farmers as they hurry to get beets harvested and processed at factories after a great growing season that is being threatened by cold weather.

•Free dump days for the disposal of yard waste at the Big Horn County Landfill.

•Unemployment: updated numbers of people unemployed in Big Horn County.

Also, information about: the 4H turkey shoot, a proposed ban on airport residences, National Guard town meeting, active shooter law enforcement training, Lovell Town Council and Your Town Community Meeting update with details about the signage project and film festival.

REMINDER:
Saving sunlight: Daylight savings time is Sunday at 2 a.m.
Cuckoo clocks will be going crazy this Sunday when they will have to be wound back to allow the sunlight to hit the fields earlier and allow farmers to stay asleep for another hour for daylight savings time.

Sand Hills Cranes flying near the Big Horn Mountains - photo by Brad Devereaux
Contact the Lovell Chronicle to order reprints

Cloud 3 airs Sunday on PBS

Join filmmaker Ginger Kathrens after the show Sunday for a live Q&A at PBS.org. 

Cloud: Challenge of the Stallions premieres Sunday evening, Oct. 25, on PBS stations nationwide. This program is the third chapter in the exciting life of the charismatic stallion, Cloud, and the wild horses of the spectacular Pryor Mountains of Montana.

The third installment of the Cloud series continues with all the twists, turns and excitement of a charismatic wild horse herd, focusing on the white palomino Cloud as he continues to grow into a mature horse.

The first two two shows “Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies” (2001) and “Cloud’s Legacy: The Wild Stallion Returns” (2003) chronicle the first 8 years of Cloud’s life, a story that began when a newborn wild horse foal tottered out of the forest right in front of Kathrens' camera. She named the pale colt Cloud and has followed through him through the seasons.

Check local listings for specific broadcast times. 




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Preview of Cloud: Challenge of the Stallions

More about the horses:


Mustang Center blog
The Cloud Foundation blog


Controversy erupts over BLM's planned horse gather - Sept. 3, 2009
Pryor Mountain horse gather proceeds - Sept. 10, 2009
After the roundup: horses processed at Britton Springs - Sept. 17, 2009
Pryor horses pack up and head out - Oct. 1, 2009


Watch the first two Cloud programs online now

Cloud photo by Ginger Kathrens           

Tomorrow's Chronicle: Oct. 22, 2009

In this week's edition of the Lovell Chronicle, readers will read about:

• The growing concerns and uncertainties for the unknown outcome of the sugar beet harvest
  
  
• The Byron Town Complex dedication
  
  
• Sports updates: volleyball, football and cross country teams hit post-season play
  
  
• Eleutian technologies finding new and innovative ways to reach students across the globe
  
  
• Planning a film festival in Lovell

• Recycling at LHS, the sports booster page, a pumpkin carving contest...and more

The monthly Big Horn Lake water supply outlook and projected reservoir and river operating plans prepared in October were released this week by the Bureau of Reclamation.

Storage in Big Horn Lake as of Oct. 1 was 104 percent of average and 0.74
feet below the top of the joint-use pool. It was also 3.23 feet lower than on Sept. 1.

Based on stream flow accretions accompanied by the planned releases out of Boysen and Buffalo Bill Reservoirs, the water supply forecast prepared in October indicates the October inflow to Big Horn Lake to be about 88 percent of average, according to Reservoir and River Operations Manager Tim H. Felchle.

Click here to read the full October report.

Lovell should throw a ___. (fill in the blank)

Scottish Highland Festival? Mountain biking challenge? Oktoberfest? Barbeque cookoff? Battle of the bands? Snow sculpture contest? Film festival? Frog race party? Harvest celebration? Music festival? Bonfire? Community drum circle? Massive art show? Rollerblade challenge? Shakespeare in the Park? Winter games? Wine tasting? Food fight?

Fill in the blank. What type of event would you and your family and friends enjoy attending? It could be an original idea or something you saw on TV or in another town.

After thinking for a while, take your idea(s) to the Lovell Community Center tonight (Thursday) at 7 p.m. for the third installment of the Your Town Community meetings.

At tonight’s meeting, Lovell residents are being asked to speak up about what type of an event could be held in the next six months to a year in Lovell. The sky (and a limited budget) is the limit, but almost any type of event could be held on a small scale in Lovell.

I can’t say what the rest of the town would like to see, but I think a chili cook-off or a high-stakes marathon dominoes tournament would be fun. Or maybe everyone could get together to try to break a Guinness World Record.

We could have a Luau at Horseshoe Bend or a “taste of the Big Horn Basin” food event. We could celebrate sugar with a beet bonanza or commemorate Henry Clay Lovell’s birthday. We could raise money for a charitable cause or raffle proceeds from the event to the people in attendance.

Readers may like some of my ideas and despise others. The point is, this meeting could go in any direction, and it will be the most successful if a bunch of people show up tonight and share their ideas.

If only a few voices are heard, they could designate any type of event they wanted without your input. You wouldn’t allow that, would you?

The Your Town Meetings have been going well so far, with an introduction session and a second session that designated a signage project for the town. Sue Taylor of Lovell Inc. helps facilitate discussions along with committee chair Tracy Beal and the rest of the committee. There has been limited attendance at the two previous meetings, but residents are encouraged to come to tonight’s meeting and help to decide the all-important event. A final session will be held next Thursday to iron out details about the yet-to-be-determined event and the signage project.

If only a few people show up to tonight’s meeting, the group will still, no doubt, be able to come up with a great idea. But the fewer people there are at the meeting could mean we’re holding a balloon-animal festival in a town that’s afraid of clowns.

What type of event do you think would go over well in Lovell? Leave any ideas in the comments section, and be sure to bring them to tonight's meeting.

Tomorrow's Chronicle: Oct. 15, 2009

In this week's edition of the Lovell Chronicle, readers will see:

• The happenings during the Rocky Mountain and Lovell homecoming celebrations held last week.

• An update about open burning in Lovell, which is currently banned in town because of complaints received by the Department of Environmental Quality.
  
  
• A story about the H1N1 vaccine, which is now available in Big Horn County.
  
  
• Thoughts from farmers about the effect the recent cold snap has had on the beet harvest.
  
  
• School news from the District One and District Two regular monthly board meetings.
  
  
• A preview of the Byron Town Complex dedication scheduled for Saturday.
  
  
• Sports including volleyball, football and cross country.
  
  
• Much more, including articles about domestic violence, the Main Street Mingle, the acquisition of First National Bank and Trust and Geology Day at Big Horn Canyon.
  

Presenting the LC Blog

The Lovell Chronicle blog: a place for updates, observations and comments from readers. The blog will contain photos, some breaking news information and other tidbits that never made their way into the newspaper, but still would like to be heard.

But wait, doesn’t the Chronicle already have a Website? Yes we do, but the blog is a different beast. It’s our attempt to add more web content without taking away from our print product and sharing thoughts and information that is either on a different schedule than our weekly Thursday publication or maybe just too light-hearted or too slim to warrant a story of its own. Think of it as a bonus with some colorful attitude on the side.

We are encouraging readers to visit often and to make themselves heard by leaving comments on the blog. With participation from the community, we hope the blog will become a vibrant exchange of information with thoughts and comments about issues from every viewpoint. We ask that readers keep their comments away from personal attacks and adhere to the guidelines of libel law.

That should about do it for an introduction. Welcome to the Chronicle blog, and let us know what you think.

Typos

Chances are that this isn't a real typo, but that someone removed the 'L.'
Take a look at Ed Heninger's blog entry on 'How We Read'
http://edhenninger.wordpress.com
It's easy to misspell a word … or two, and still understand the story.