Sheridan County

Sheridan County Prevention is in the process or working towards applying for a grant next year from a national organization that would help with their suicide and substance abuse prevention efforts and that would also increase community involvement in them. The grant also requires that a more comprehensive effort be taken to focus on the general health and well being of the community, an initiative that's to be called "Healthy Sheridan County."

Ted Waddell is the featured guest of a reception on March 7. Works on display will include illustrations from his "Tucker the Bernese Mountain Dog" children's book series, which are written by his wife, Lynn Campion. It's free and open to the public. The event is part of the museum's 18th Illustrator Show, which includes other works from Waddell that are on display until April 23.

The visitor facility is owned by the U.S. Forest Service and was operated by them until closing in 2012. It was briefly reopened in 2019 and is now being leased to Sheridan County Travel & Tourism to operate this summer. It's one of two visitor centers in the Bighorn National Forest.

The Neltje Center, named after the renowned artist who died last year, will be located both at her former residence and property in Sheridan County. However, Neltje Center programming will be offered in Laramie as well as locations throughout the state and even virtually for a wider audience. Students and faculty from UW are participating this academic year in fellowships and other Neltje Center-sponsored programs.

Sheridan County officials will open warming shelters in Sheridan if need be to house those who need shelter through Dec. 23. The Wyoming Rescue Mission, the state's largest homeless shelter in Casper, is also offering shelter and warm meals to those who need them this season.

Tellabration!, an event offered by the National Storytelling Network, is being presented for the first time in Sheridan County on Nov. 19. Eight storytellers from the county and beyond will join those in 40 states and countries in the initiative that promotes and encourages local voices to share their stories through the art of storytelling.

The Sheridan County Water Supply Report is slated to be followed by a series of regular reports that analyze the hydrological conditions in Sheridan County and the surrounding area. A survey that SCLT conducted earlier this year indicated that there's a need for more publicly available information about water and drought and how this information can inform decisions made in the community.

Jeff Jones is the principal at Tongue River Middle School in Ranchester and is advocating for the removal of corporal punishment for Wyoming's 48 school districts and ending the legal protection of it by the state. Wyoming is currently one of 19 states that protect the practice in public schools.

The partnership between Campbell County Health (CCH) and Sheridan Memorial Hospital was agreed to this week. Emergency medical services will begin under the new agreement on Nov. 19, which forms Wyoming Regional EMS, an LLC that will be funded by both entities but managed by CCH. This comes as many rural EMS providers nationwide are struggling financially and often find themselves short-staffed to meet demand.

"Celebrate the Arts" was launched about 20 years ago as a sculpture-based event but has since branched out to include the literary, visual, and performing arts. They've attracted hundreds of people each year and are hosted at sites throughout the county. The festivities begin Thursday, Aug. 25 and run through Sunday, Aug. 28.