Afton completing a traffic study for use with WYDOT
• Consultant study focused on main street The Town of Afton is nearing completion of a traffic study designed to address safety concerns and open the door for highway improvements with the Wyoming Department of Transportation. Coordinated with WYDOT,…
Independent Notes: ‘The way it used to be.’
I was told this week that Spring Break is “the way the valley used to be. They were referencing the quiet roads that come with the traditional time when so many families pack up and leave the valley for warmer…
Lincoln County unemployment at 4.0 percent
Lincoln County’s unemployment rate climbed slightly in year-to-date comparisons just released by the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services. The county’s unemployment rate was 4.0 percent in January of 2025, compared to the 3.5 percent in January of 2024. A…
New Snake River Canyon rates start May 1
• Fees will help fund facilities and management Starting Thursday, May 1, 2025, the Bridger-Teton National Forest will start a large group reservation system and fee program within Snake River Canyon. The fees are specific to the Snake River…
LC transportation plan refined for towns/counties
• Plan details will be released in May Lincoln County’s elected leaders at both the municipal and county level were updated late in March on a list of transportation projects that are part of a master transportation plan. The plan…
Independent Notes: Continual improvement to health care in Star Valley
I looked around the new Star Valley Health Oncology and Infusion Center at the Ribbon Cutting ceremony last Thursday March 20 and thought, ‘just one more improvement to local health care that I would not have imagined when first covering…
Deer herds showing improvement
• Elk population remains strong Calling it a “bright spot,” Gary Fralick, Wyoming Game and Fish Biologist, said “The deer have come through two consecutive winters with very little mortality.” Fralick made the point in a conversation with SVI…
Star Valley Health opens expanded Oncology and Infusion Center
• Ribbon Cutting and Open House held on Thursday For Trevor Merritt, Star Valley Health Vice Pres. of Human Resources, an updated and expanded Oncology and Infusion Center has real meaning. As he spoke to the gathering at a…
Independent Notes: Remembering U.S. Senator Al Simpson.
As a young 20-something editor of the Star Valley Independent, I was impressed that a U.S. Senator would give me time for an interview. Al Simpson did. He came through town and stopped by the newspaper office, now the optometrist…
Employee reductions in Kemmerer
Kemmerer Operations, LLC (“KOL”) announced today, Friday, Mar. 21, 2025, a layoff of twenty-eight employees and a shift schedule change at its Kemmerer Coal Mine. The workforce reduction is part of its ongoing efforts to align operations with current coal…