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Have you been up to Garden Creek Falls this winter? It's definitely all frozen, but it is still beautiful!

#snapped #oilcitywyo #OilCityProud #waterfallwednesday

Photo credit: Tayler Stephenson

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A sheet metal barn destroyed by high winds at the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds Sunday, 12/12/21 (Oil City Staff)

The Natrona County Commission has given the thumbs-up to replace a steel horse barn that was lifted up from its foundation and blown into a dirt berm by high winds last December.

The barn was insured through the Wyoming Association of Risk Management, but the commission agreed with Fair Board Director Tom Jones at a work session Tuesday that that the replacement should be an upgrade. Jones said space for horses was already limited, especially during events like the College National Finals Rodeo.

The cost to replace the 26-stall barn would be $152,750, Jones said. The pre-engineered structure Jones was eyeing as a replacement has 40 stalls and would cost about $235,000.

#winddamage #wyolife #oilcitywyo #snapped #rebuild

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A push to get a new indoor skate park in Casper is being resurrected under new leadership, and stakeholders are invited to a public forum February 6 to help generate the vision.

The forum will be Sunday, February 6 from 1:00-2:30 p.m. in the Crawford Room at the Natrona County Public Library.

Since arriving in Casper in 2009, Copper Mack, a mother of four, said skating amenities in Casper have only dwindled. The facility on K Street in North Casper is “full of holes” and is barely skate-able, she told Oil City. The outdoor park by Casper College was in no better shape before it was razed in 2015 ahead of the YMCA’s expansion.

Read the full story on our website @oilcity.news

#casperwyoming #skating #skatepark

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Despite a pandemic, brushes with selling the business, and even a listing on a website called “Dead Rinks,” the Wagon Wheel roller rink in Mills is still going strong under the third generation of Van Horn ownership.

“We keep trying to retire,” Beverley Van Horn-Lunt told Oil City News. “But the more we try to get out, the better we do.”

While malls appear to have faded as a social destination for adolescents, Lunt said Friday and Saturday nights at the rink are still packed with middle schoolers.

Photo credit: Gregory Hirst

#skate #wagonwheel #oilcityproud #oilcitywyo #wyolife

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Oil City sunrise 1/18/22! It's another beautiful day in January!

#snapped #oilcityproud #oilcitywyo #casperwyoming #sunrise #wyolife

Photo credit: Tayler Stephenson

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The nonprofit Casper Housing Authority CARES announced Tuesday it is seeking volunteers and items to be given away during its annual event connecting homeless citizens to needed services.

The 6th Annual Project Homeless Connect Natrona County (PHCNC) event will be held Friday, January 28 from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at The Good Food Hub, located at 420 W. 1st St.

Those that are homeless or close to homeless are invited to come receive services from multiple community agencies and businesses at the free event, PHCNC said. Services will include hot meals, healthcare, legal advice, haircuts, employment services, coats, hats, housing assistance, veteran aid, and more.

The nonprofit is looking to collect needed items ahead of the event, which can be dropped off at the Casper Housing Authority (located at 140 East K St. until 4 p.m. on Thursday, January 27. Needed items include the following:

Adult-size warm socks

Deodorant (sticks)

Bars of soap (regular size)

Washcloths

Small flashlights

Sanitary pads (7-10)

Disposable razors

Combs

Brushes

Toothbrushes

Toothpaste

Sleeping bag

#helppeople #oilcityproud #casperhousingauthority #casperwyoming

@dancepeda

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Did you know that you can submit letters to the editor? We publish this in our Wyo Opinions section.
Are you interested in getting your opinion publish? You are encouraged to send it to this link - https://oilcity.news/oil-city-opinions-submit-your-letters-to-our-editors/

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David Street Station is offering “Glow Skate” at its outdoor ice rink in downtown Casper before closing for the season next week.

“As the final days of ice skating this season are upon us, we are excited to ‘glow’ out in style this Friday, January 14, during our Glow Skate,” David Street Station said on Tuesday.

“Glow Skate” will feature colorful lighting and a live DJ from Rocky Mountain Sound & Light. Glow sticks will also be handed out to attendees.

#davidstreetstation #downtowncasper #casperwyoming #oilcityproud #oilcitywyo
@davidstreetstation

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Howdy partner,

Time to boot up and start dancing, partner. It is easy to forget that we live in the West, when everything is modern and not all of us ride horses or are cowboys everyday. But it doesn’t mean we aren’t still proud of being in the Cowboy State! it's time to get to get to the boot-scootin’-boogie!

Casper is expecting a high of 39°F today with a windy mix of clouds. That Breeze is coming from the SW at 20 mph to 30 mph and occasional gusts gust up to 40 mph.

Looking for a light and local news letter? Sign up for the Breeze! See the link in our Bio !

#oilcityproud #dogs #snapped #oilcitywyo #puppy #caspermountain #casperwyoming

Photo credit @dancepeda

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The Natrona County Library is full of events, books, programs, and other opportunities to learn.

According to Megan Bratton, the marketing director at the Natrona County Library, one of the main objectives is to promote literacy in the community. However, that does not just mean literacy in reading. She says that it also includes literacy in “technology, creations, programs, textiles, creativity, and more.”

In order to help cultivate this literacy, the library has set up programs that help get the community involved. Bratton says, “Sometimes it’s just about getting people in the door” so that they can learn about all the other things that they offer.

All of the events and programs that they offer are free to the public, being paid for by other associations like the county, library foundations, and Friends of the Library.

Many of these programs use the Creation Station, which is used to foster creation and allow individuals to use their creativity to gain or practice their hobbies. According to Bratton, it was created in 2017 with a grant from the University of Wyoming. It was the first of its kind in Natrona County as well as the state. To this day it remains the most used.

#natronacountylibrary #serving #books #sewing #creationstation #learning #oilcityproud #oilcitywyo #library

Photo credit: Tayler Stephenson

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Around the middle of September last year, Brandon Craddock noticed his back and shoulders felt unusually sore after work.

His job spraying foam insulation into small spaces is physically taxing, so perhaps he thought it was a pulled muscle. After a nap, he woke up feeling far worse and had developed a fever.

It was the start of what would soon evolve into life-changing health complications for Brandon and his wife, Dawn Feraud. Problems they’re still struggling to overcome.

The symptoms resembled COVID complications, so he went for a rapid test that came back inconclusive. The second test came back negative.

“So I go back to work and he goes back to work,” said Dawn, who worked as education support personnel at the Natrona County School District at the time.

Days later, one of Dawn’s sons came home from school after feeling sick and soon tested positive for COVID.

#oilcitywyo #covid #gofundme

Photo credit @dancepeda

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Kelly Walsh's Cydney Eskew (left) looks to pass while Douglas' Chloe Collins defends during the Trojans' 67-57 win over the Bearcats on Saturday in the Taco John's Invite at East High School in Cheyenne. The loss snapped Douglas' state girls record 48-game winning streak. (Briar Napier/Oil City News)
It’s been 736 days.

Over two full years have passed since Douglas girls basketball last lost a game, posting the longest winning streak from a girls basketball program in Wyoming high school history — 48 games — in the process. Approaching the all-time boys and girls record (set by Pine Bluffs’ boys team from 2015-17), the Bearcats could be forgiven for quite literally forgetting how to lose, as it’s been that long.

Until this weekend.

Kelly Walsh stunned the three-time defending Class 3A state champions with a 67–57 win Saturday afternoon in the Taco John’s Invite at Cheyenne East High School, leaving the Bearcats with a L on their résumé for the first time since Jan. 3, 2020.

The Trojans (6–3) led almost the entire game and seemed rather subdued in their celebrations at the final buzzer despite upending one of the state’s prep powerhouses in the sport. It turned out that Douglas’ (8–1) record wasn’t something on the minds of many Kelly Walsh players Saturday, which — judging by the result — turned out to be a pretty good thing.

#basketball #kellywalshhighschool
#sports

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Sunshine and light breezes Saturday made for fair skating weather at David Street Station for the Princess and Superhero Skate.

Captain America, Superwoman, Belle, Mulan, and Elsa (courtesy of Dream Upon A Princess) lent helping hands as children ventured out onto the ice, some without the help of sliding walkers for the first time.

Captain America (alter ego of local celebrated vocalist Matt Stairs) said even the superheroes are prone to the occasional fall; a fair lesson for the aspiring youngsters. He was also asked several times about the whereabouts of Spider-Man: “He’s off in New York, fighting crime.”

#davidstreetstation #casperwyoming #casper #oilcityproud #oilcitywyo #wyolife #skating #superhero #princess #fun #family #dreamuponaprincess

@davidstreetstation @dream_upon_a_princess

Photo credit: Gregory Hirst

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The flag-draped casket carrying LCpl Jerrod Warden is taken into the chapel at the Oregon Trail Veterans Cemetery on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. (Dan Cepeda, Oil City)

LCpl Jerrod Warden was given military funeral honors on Thursday at the Oregon Trail Veterans Cemetery after a memorial service at Highland Park Community Church.

Warden, age 20, died on December 14 at Camp Pendleton in California. According to his parents, it was a non-combat death and remains under investigation.

Warden joined the Marines after graduating from Kelly Walsh High School in 2020. He and his battalion were deployed for six months last year in the Middle East before returning to Camp Pendleton.

“He was a good kid,” his father Kyle Warden told Oil City News. “He was always loving, caring … he would do anything for anybody. We’ve heard from a lot of people that he was the nicest person around.”

“He told me the hardest part of being a Marine was not the mental or the physical part, it was being away from your family,” said his mother, Kelly.

During the ceremony at Oregon Trail Cemetery, Kelly was presented with the U.S. Flag that draped Jerrod’s coffin. Many in attendance cried openly during the 21-gun salute and the playing of “Taps.”

#thefallen #military #marines #marinecorps #casperwyoming

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The Wyoming Game and Fish Department said in a press release on Tuesday that people should not feed wildlife.

“As many Wyoming residents are finding out, private feeding of wildlife can cause serious problems,” the department said. “Each year there are many examples of how a well-meaning gesture to ‘help’ wildlife can actually lead to their demise.”

One problem with feeding wildlife is that the food animals get from humans may not be part of their natural diet.

Read more on Oil City News. Photo credit: Wyoming Game and Fish Department

#wyolife #casperwyoming #wyoming #wildlife #protect #gameandfish

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By Oil City Staff|December 13, 2021

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By Dan Cepeda|December 10, 2021

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By Oil City Staff|December 10, 2021

‘No unnecessary travel’ on Casper Mountain Road, Outer Drive, I-25 from Midwest to Chugwater

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By Brendan LaChance|December 10, 2021

Recent Births (11/29/21 – 12/06/21)

Congratulations to all of the families! Information is published as received from the Wyoming Medical Center. Recent Births: Nov. 29,

By Oil City Staff|December 9, 2021

Casper Area Transit requiring riders, drivers to wear masks into March 2022 to help combat COVID-19 Omicron variant

CASPER, Wyo. — The City of Casper said in a press release Wednesday that Casper Area Transit riders and staff

By Brendan LaChance|December 9, 2021

Several inches of snow possible in Casper as storm moves in Thursday afternoon

CASPER, Wyo. — A winter storm could bring several inches of snow by Friday, according to the National Weather Service

By Oil City Staff|December 9, 2021

Metro Coffee Co. expanding to third location with roastery, drive-thru spot

CASPER, Wyo. — Metro Coffee Co. Co-Owner Sean Peverley didn’t originally have expansion of his business in mind when he took

By Briar Napier|December 8, 2021

Light and high-profile vehicles prohibited on many Wyo highways as high winds pummel state on Wednesday

CASPER, Wyo. — All of Interstate 25 is closed from Cheyenne to Buffalo for light and high profile vehicles as

By Oil City Staff|December 8, 2021

Obituaries: Davidson, Unterseher, Patterson, Innes

Shirley Amelia Davidson: 1945 – 2021 Shirley Amelia Davidson passed away peacefully at the Central Wyoming Hospice and Transitions Center

By Oil City Staff|December 8, 2021

Casper looking at one-ways off of CY as possible solution to St. Anthony’s School parents’ concerns about Backdoor Lounge

CASPER, Wyo. — Some parents of students attending St. Anthony Tri-Parish Catholic School and Preschool expressed concerns to the city