Bigfoot99 News - Bigfoot 99 Radio

Tuesday, OCTOBER 28, 2025 |

Photo – Hanna Town Hall – Bigfoot99 file photo 

An ordinance allowing residents to kill yard pests continues to make its way through the Hanna Town Council.

The prairie dog population in the Town of Hanna has recently surged, especially at the town cemetery, where the burrowing rodents have dug into coffins and disturbed human remains.

In April, the Hanna Town Council discussed having the Wyoming Game and Fish Department reintroduce foxes to help control the prairie dogs. The predators were reportedly removed years earlier after reports of attacks on neighborhood pets.

Because the animals had been intentionally removed from town, officials quickly determined that reintroducing foxes wasn’t the right solution. Instead, the governing body authorized specially trained town employees, including deputies from the Marshal’s Department, to use air rifles to kill prairie dogs and other pests. The measure strictly prohibited residents from participating. However, despite the town’s efforts, prairie dogs continued to thrive.

In response to the lack of progress, Mayor Charlie George introduced Ordinance 413 during the September 9th Hanna Town Council meeting. The regulation will allow residents to dispatch rodents on their properties using air or spring-powered rifles.

The measure passed on first reading. As with all ordinance amendments, Ordinance 413 must be read and approved at three separate public hearings before becoming part of the town code.

Ordinance 413 was read for a second time during the October 14th Hanna Town Council meeting. Town Clerk Vivian Gonzales clarified that residents may only kill designated pests on their own property. Councilman David Felix added that town property is also off limits.

A meeting attendee asked if the ordinance also applies to badgers. Councilman Felix explained that residents are only permitted to shoot prairie dogs, mice, rats, rabbits, hares, and reptiles, including rattlesnakes.

Despite being regulated furbearing animals by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, state statute 23-3-115 permits property owners to kill badgers without a license if the animals are damaging private property. Unlike trophy game species such as mountain lions or black bears, badger kills do not need to be reported to Game and Fish. However, due to the species’ notoriously fierce temperament, the Hanna Town Council advised against using air rifles to shoot badgers.

Ordinance 413 passed its second reading. A final public hearing is required before it becomes town law.

The post Hanna’s Prairie Dog Ordinance Passes Second Reading first appeared on Bigfoot 99 Radio.

Tuesday, OCTOBER 28, 2025 |

Photo – Rawlins City Hall – Bigfoot99 file photo

Rawlins officials are considering eliminating the public hearing requirement for catering permits.

During the October 21st Rawlins City Council meeting, Councilman Steve Sanger introduced a plan to change the way the city handles 24-hour alcohol catering permits. When a liquor license holder wants to serve alcoholic beverages at a special event held off-site, the business owner must apply for a 24-hour catering permit from the city.

Councilman Sanger explained that under the current system, the governing body must approve all catering permit requests during a public meeting. As a result, when an application is submitted between regularly scheduled meetings, a special session is required to review the permit.

Councilman Sanger said it’s unreasonable to expect the governing body to hold multiple meetings just to review catering permit applications. After researching online, Councilman Sanger said he found a 2010 resolution from the Board of Carbon County Commissioners that appears to authorize the County Clerk’s office to approve or deny catering permits without intervention from the Board.

Among other provisions, Resolution 2010-08 states that the County Clerk is authorized to issue 24-hour malt beverage and catering permits.

At the October 21st meeting, Councilman Sanger said the county follows the same state statutes governing the licensing of liquor and malt beverage sales as the City of Rawlins. The Councilman asked why the city couldn’t adopt a similar resolution.

Rawlins City Attorney Pinita Maberry-Nave was not present at the meeting to answer Councilman Sanger’s questions.

The Councilman continued, saying the state statute doesn’t clearly specify if a county or municipality can delegate liquor license duties to the clerk’s office. Given that Carbon County has followed the practice for 15 years without repercussions from the state, he said the City of Rawlins may be able to do the same. Councilman Sanger added that authorizing City Clerk Lynn Shearer to approve or deny 24-hour catering permits would ease the burden on the governing body.

Councilman Sanger clarified that Clerk Shearer would only handle 24-hour catering permits. Annual liquor license renewals would still require authorization by the City Council. The Councilman said the resolution would enable the Clerk’s Office to issue catering permits without requiring the governing body to convene a special meeting.

Vice Mayor Darril Garner expressed support for the idea, saying it would save time for both the governing body and city staff, who are responsible for organizing and advertising the special meetings. However, to avoid the appearance of impropriety, Vice Mayor Garner said the resolution should clearly define the standards the clerk must apply when issuing the 24-hour catering permits.

Interim City Manager Matt Hall recommended drafting a resolution with a clearly defined checklist that applicants must complete to avoid having their permit denied, ensuring all submissions are treated fairly. Councilman Bruce Seilaff suggested having the Chief of the Rawlins Police Department involved in the application review process as well.

After additional discussion, Mayor Jacquelin Wells recommended having City Attorney Pinita Maberry-Nave review the resolution to ensure it complies with state law. Once that is complete, the governing body can revisit the matter.

The post Filing for Catering Permit May Change in Rawlins first appeared on Bigfoot 99 Radio.

Tuesday, OCTOBER 28, 2025 |

Photo – CC Emergency Management webpage – Courtesy Carbon County Emergency Management

The county’s Emergency Manager said Wyoming PBS’s branded alert system could lead to confusion.

During the October 7th meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners, Vice Chairwoman Gwynn Bartlett announced that Wyoming PBS has developed its own automated emergency notification system, simply called Wyoming PBS Alerts. Vice Chair Bartlett explained to Emergency Manager Lenny Layman that the state’s public television network is offering the free service as an alternative to AlertSense, the county’s existing emergency notification system. The Board directed Layman to investigate the new service and report back with his findings.

At the October 21st County Commissioner meeting, Emergency Manager Layman updated the Board on the Wyoming PBS Alert system. Layman said he spoke with Wyoming PBS Chief Technology Officer Josh Williams, who asked him to submit a letter outlining his concerns about the new service. The emergency manager read his letter into the record, hoping it would help address questions about the notification platform.

Layman began by outlining the reasons why Wyoming PBS should not attempt to send its own alert messages to residents, saying that doing so could cause confusion during an emergency.

Layman said all emergencies begin and end on the local level. When the state’s public television network sends emergency alerts, it encroaches on local authority and interferes with the county’s ability to coordinate notification efforts.

Additionally, Layman said that by maintaining its own subscriber list, Wyoming PBS would make it more difficult for first responders to coordinate response efforts during an emergency. The emergency manager used the August power outage as an example of how residents, who have signed up for multiple notification systems, instead of just AlertSense, can be wasteful and dangerous.

Instead of hosting its own emergency notification system, Layman recommended that Wyoming PBS collaborate with the state’s 23 emergency managers to tailor its platform to each county’s specific needs.

Layman ended his letter by acknowledging that Wyoming PBS is attempting to do something beneficial for the state. However, its approach could unintentionally create confusion and operational risk during real-world emergencies. Instead, Layman urged the public television network to work closely with local authorities to develop a unified alert system that works in conjunction with AlertSense. In the meantime, the emergency manager encouraged Carbon County residents to subscribe to AlertSense and disregard Wyoming PBS Alerts.

Commissioner John Johnson noted the wide-spread reach of Wyoming PBS, which is available on every television and radio, while residents must actively enroll in AlertSense to receive notifications. Commissioner Johnson recommended partnering with the broadcasting station to improve how residents are notified during emergency situations.

Emergency Manager Lenny Layman explained that AlertSense already enables him to send notifications through multiple channels, including Wyoming PBS.

Emergency Manager Layman pointed out the lack of communication between Wyoming PBS Alerts and AlertSense. Because he has no way of knowing who receives messages from Wyoming PBS, Layman said first responders may waste time responding to residents who have already been notified about an emergency.

Layman said he asked Wyoming PBS Chief Technology Officer Josh Williams why the public broadcasting network was attempting to create its own subscriber list but did not receive a clear explanation. The emergency manager added that Wyoming PBS cannot issue independent alerts and merely rebroadcast county messaging, making a separate subscriber list effectively useless.

Commission Vice Chairwoman Gwynn Bartlett said that during its Wyoming PBS Alerts launch, the public broadcasting system announced plans to seek federal funding from the Department of Homeland Security. Vice Chair Bartlett asked if that could put Carbon County’s AlertSense funding at risk.

Emergency Manager Layman said that all 23 Wyoming counties are legally required to maintain their own individual mass notification systems, a mandate that he fully supports. Layman said relinquishing control to the state would make it nearly impossible to effectively coordinate local emergency alerts.

Layman said the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security and the Wyoming All Hazards Association, an organization representing the state’s emergency coordinators, both support his assessment of Wyoming PBS Alerts. The emergency manager said he plans to invite Wyoming PBS representatives to future emergency coordination meetings to encourage stronger collaboration with local agencies.

The post Emergency Manager Leary of PBS Alert System first appeared on Bigfoot 99 Radio.

Friday, OCTOBER 24, 2025 |

Photo – Dispatch center – Bigfoot99 file photo

The Town of Saratoga has agreed to get rid of unused 911 response equipment, saving the town tens of thousands of dollars each year.

In November of 2023, a staffing shortage led the Saratoga Police Department to supplement its workforce with sheriff’s office personnel. Around that time, Sheriff Alex Bakken and then–Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris began exploring the possibility of permanently moving all dispatching services to the county.

Still short-staffed and facing $700,000 in communication equipment upgrades, the Saratoga Town Council voted last May to transfer all dispatching services to the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office. As of July 1st, the county law enforcement agency has been handling all emergency calls for the Platte River Valley.

During the October 15th town council meeting, Police Chief John Moore reported that his department still maintains the 911 emergency response equipment, but it is not in use. Chief Moore asked for permission to dispose of the surplus gear.

The Intrado VIPER 911 system allows law enforcement agencies to track caller locations, receive text-to-911 messages, and maintain dispatch operations during outages. Chief Moore said that maintaining the emergency call system costs the town around $19,500 a year.

If the Saratoga Police Department resumes emergency dispatching in the future, Chief Moore said he would prefer that all calls continue to route through the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office. Under the previous system, 911 calls were transferred between departments, often forcing callers to repeat critical information multiple times to different operators.

Mayor Chuck Davis asked if the police department could resume 911 dispatching in-town if needed. Chief Moore said it was possible but noted that the department’s existing equipment is nearly obsolete. Modernizing the Saratoga Police Department’s 911 response system would cost approximately $300,000.

Chief Moore said the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office is already equipped with the Next Generation 911 infrastructure.

The governing body unanimously voted to dispose of the Saratoga Police Department’s 911 VIPER system, saving the town nearly $20,000 a year.

The post Town of Saratoga to Remove Unused 911 Equipment first appeared on Bigfoot 99 Radio.

Friday, OCTOBER 24, 2025 |

Photo – Senator John Barrasso – Bigfoot99 file photo

Speaking on the floor of the U.S. Senate on Thursday, Wyoming Senator John Barrraso talked about the “coal renaissance” happening across the nation. Like the original renaissance, which marked the transition to modernity in the 15th and 16th centuries, today’s age of enlightenment follows the dark ages of the Obama and Biden Administrations, both of whom stood opposed to the use of carbon resources to power homes and businesses.

If you’re not using gasoline to drive to Laramie for the game on Saturday, you’ll need electricity powered by coal, to turn on your television or radio to enjoy the game at home or at a bar.

The post Coal Renaissance Topic of Speech by Wyoming Senator first appeared on Bigfoot 99 Radio.

Thursday, OCTOBER 23, 2025 |

Photo – CCHEC building on Harshman Street – Bigfoot99 file photo

Carbon County officials are holding a public meeting tonight to discuss how property tax relief programs have impacted local revenues and services.

At Tuesday’s Carbon County Commissioner meeting in Elk Mountain, County Clerk Lisa Smith announced that she and Treasurer Lindsey West will hold a town hall meeting tonight in the Carbon County Higher Education Center. Clerk Smith said the meeting will focus on how recent property tax cuts have affected county finances.

Carbon County received $947,773.50 less in property tax revenue than the previous fiscal year, largely due to tax relief measures enacted by the state legislature. The bills were designed to help residents offset their rising property taxes, which were driven by population growth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, every Wyoming homeowner has seen a 25% reduction on their property tax bills for the first $1 million of assessed value on their residential properties.

Seniors aged 65 and older who have lived in their homes for the past 25 years are eligible for an additional 50% reduction in assessed property value.

The reduced property tax revenue has resulted in less spending for outside agencies, such as museums, senior centers, and libraries. The Carbon County Library Board, for instance, is facing a 53% budget cut. The library board is asking municipalities to either take over or contribute more funding to their local branches. Library branches have reduced their operating hours countywide. Branches in smaller communities could close because of the cuts.

Towns around the county are being asked to do the same for their senior centers.

Even the county’s central museum is facing budget cuts. Earlier this year, the Board of County Commissioners instructed Carbon County Museum Director Tom Mensik to explore relocating the museum to the Wyoming Frontier Prison. The move is intended to reduce building maintenance costs.

At the commissioners’ meeting earlier this week, Clerk Smith said she and Treasurer West will discuss how reduced property tax revenues could affect county services, such as road maintenance. The County Clerk said additional tax cuts scheduled for next year will make the situation worse.

The property tax revenue meeting is tonight, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at 1650 Harshman Street in Rawlins. For more information, call the Carbon County Higher Education Center at 328-9274.

The post Meeting Tonight to Discuss Property Tax Cuts first appeared on Bigfoot 99 Radio.

Thursday, OCTOBER 23, 2025 |

Photo – Snowplow with new light beacon – Courtesy WYDOT

The Wyoming Department of Transportation has equipped its snowplows with a new lighting system to help drivers see them more easily during winter conditions.

Earlier this week, WYDOT Region Five, which covers the northeastern portion of the state, unveiled a new lighting system for its plow trucks. Public Affairs Specialist Jordan Young explained that drivers were having trouble spotting the existing flashing blue lights in the blowing snow. To prevent plow collisions, WYDOT has replaced the blue lights with easier to see green beacons.

WYDOT Public Affairs Specialist Young said last winter, WYDOT installed flashing green and amber beacon lights on a handful of snowplows around the state. After seeing a drop in traffic collisions, Young said the agency plans to deploy the lighting system fleet-wide this year.

Last winter, seven WYDOT snowplows in our region were struck while clearing roads, including two incidents in Carbon County.

The latest Region One collision occurred on April 1st, when a passenger vehicle rear-ended a WYDOT plow on eastbound Interstate 80, outside Laramie. The plow operator was closing the gate at mile marker 317 when the driver of the passenger vehicle, who is reported to have been traveling at a high rate of speed at the time, crashed into the back of the plow truck.

The plow operator was uninjured in the crash. However, an unknown number of occupants in the passenger car were reported to have sustained undisclosed injuries. The plow truck was heavily damaged.

During the 2023 through 2024 winter, eight WYDOT snowplows were hit in District One, out of 13 statewide. Two of those incidents occurred in Carbon County.

Speaking to Bigfoot99, WYDOT Public Affairs Specialist Young said the state agency will also be installing green and amber lights on the side-mounted blades of its snowplow trucks. Known as wing plows, the secondary blades help clear shoulders and widen the plow path.

While the new lighting system will make the blades easier to see, Young still advised drivers not to pass plows on the shoulder.

With the new green and amber beacon systems in place, Young said snowplows will be easier to see during snowy conditions. Still, the WYDOT Public Affairs Specialist urged motorists to use caution when passing, adding that the safest place to drive is behind a snowplow.

Wyoming Statute 31-5-224 requires operators of motor vehicles to yield the right-of-way to emergency vehicles, including snowplows, and move over to allow them to pass.

The post State Snowplows to Get New Light Beacons first appeared on Bigfoot 99 Radio.

Wednesday, OCTOBER 22, 2025 |

Photo – An election booth – Bigfoot99 file photo

Wyoming Secretary of State, Chuck Gray, on Monday submitted a comment in support of America First Legal Foundation’s petition requesting that the Election Assistance Commission amend federal regulations to require documentary proof of United States citizenship for voter registration.

The Wyoming Secretary of State’s remarks come one day after Texas reportedly found thousands of illegal immigrants registered to vote on the state’s voter rolls, with Secretary of State Jane Nelson saying 2,724 possible noncitizens have been flagged through a federal database cross-check. In the last four years, Texas has removed more than 1 million ineligible or outdated registrations from its voter rolls.

During the 2025 Legislative Session in Wyoming, Secretary Gray worked with the Wyoming lawmakers to pass House Enrolled Act 57, which requires proof of citizenship and proof of Wyoming residency to register to vote in all elections in Wyoming.

The post Wyoming Secretary of State in Favor of National Proof of Citizenship first appeared on Bigfoot 99 Radio.

Wednesday, OCTOBER 22, 2025 |

Photo – Stevie Osborn shows the new SCADA system – Courtesy City of Rawlins

The City of Rawlins unveiled its new computer-controlled water management system.

On Friday, October 17th, the City of Rawlins announced the replacement of the antiquated SCADA, or Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, system at the municipal water treatment plant.

Water Treatment Plant Operator Stevie Osborn described the SCADA system as the facility’s central control hub. Osborn said the new system allows plant workers to monitor and manage every aspect of the treatment process from a single control room.

Osborn said the previous system was installed 40 years ago and that newly trained SCADA technicians were unfamiliar with its operation, making repairs difficult. Rawlins Public Information Officer Mira Miller added that the system was so outdated, water treatment plant staff were often forced to find replacement parts through online auctions.

Water Treatment Plant Operator Osborn said the previous SCADA system operated on Windows 7, which has been obsolete for more than five years.

In addition to running modern hardware and software, Osborn said the new SCADA system will let plant crews monitor more aspects of the water supply. Osborn said the upgraded system now supports turbidity meters at the springs and wells, technology that couldn’t be integrated into the city’s old platform. These meters will help reduce flow disruptions when crews work on the water transmission lines.

Planning for the SCADA system replacement began in January, with the physical work starting in April. Public Information Officer Miller said the entire project was funded through a Wyoming Community Development Authority grant.

The majority of the SCADA replacement project was completed by mid-summer.

Once the work was done, Water Treatment Plant Operator Osborn said her team immediately began working to bring the water pretreatment plant, which draws water directly from the North Platte River to supplement the city’s other sources, back online. Osborn said the new SCADA system helped the pretreatment plant operate more efficiently than ever before.

Thanks to the increased capabilities of the new SCADA system, Osborn said she was able to operate the pretreatment plant for 68 hours without cleaning the filters, which is more than four times longer than the previous system’s 15-hour limit. Osborn said the new computer-controlled water management system will help the city address future water challenges.

Public Information Officer Mira Miller said a fully functional pretreatment plant will allow the city to move forward with other water supply projects. For instance, Miller said the new SCADA is necessary for completing repairs to the water transmission line from Sage Creek Springs.

Both Osborn and Miller said the new SCADA system is critical to ensuring Rawlins has dependable access to clean water well into the future.

The post Rawlins Computerized Water Management System Now Online first appeared on Bigfoot 99 Radio.

Wednesday, OCTOBER 22, 2025 |

Photo – No Kings protesters in Rawlins – Courtesy Sheriff Alex Bakken

Sheriff Bakken reported that the “No Kings” anti-Trump rallies this past weekend in Carbon County were peaceful and sparsely attended.

On October 18th, groups of self-described bipartisan demonstrators gathered across the nation, including in Rawlins, to protest alleged federal overreach by the Trump Administration.

During yesterday’s Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting in Elk Mountain, Sheriff Alex Bakken announced that last Saturday’s No Kings protest in the county occurred without incident. Sheriff Bakken expressed gratitude to both the protest and counter-protest organizers for maintaining a calm and respectful atmosphere.

Sheriff Bakken said the Rawlins No Kings protest was the largest, drawing approximately 30 participants.

The post No Kings Protest Peaceful and Sparsely Attended first appeared on Bigfoot 99 Radio.