A-nother state title

Any speculation about whether Laramie was classified as a Class AA or a Class A program at this year's state Legion baseball tournament was rendered moot as the Powell Pioneers led wire-to-wire to register an 11-5 victory on Friday night. With the victory, the Pioneers are your 2009 Class A state champions and remain one of three teams still alive in the quest for an overall state title in Rock Springs.

Colter Bostick, Andrew Young and Grant Geiser each connected for home runs in the contest, the latter two coming during a four-run eighth inning after Laramie had cut the margin back to 7-5. Scotty Jameson didn't allow a Laramie run for better than six innings, by which time the Pioneers had built a 5-0 lead. Jameson's run of 10-2/3 scoreless innings today -- he threw four innings in Powell's morning win over Cody -- came to an end in the seventh as Laramie plated a pair of runs with two outs. Powell immediately recovered the loss and turned the mound over to Geiser in the eighth before handing the reins back to Jameson in the ninth to close out the game.

The Pioneers will play the winner of tonight's Gillette-Cheyenne game at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Hey, let's play two!

The Powell Pioneers overcame a slow start to stay alive at the Wyoming state American Legion baseball tournament in Rock Springs. Trailing Cody 5-3 in the fifth inning, the Pioneers scored 12 unanswered runs and rode four scoreless innings of pitching from Scotty Jameson for a 15-5 win.

Jameson entered the game in relief of Colter Bostick, who made his third appearance in as many days on the hill. Jameson picked up the victory in relief. Andrew Young came in to blank Cody in the ninth inning to wrap up the win.

The Pioneers have roughly three hours to rest before trotting back onto the field to face the winner of the Wheatland-Laramie game, which is playing as I write this. I've received conflicting information on whether Laramie is considered Class AA or Class A this season, but it's safe to say that if Powell wins today's 4 p.m. match-up, they will be, at the worst, the Wyoming Class A champion, and the team will be one of just three still in the hunt for the overall state title as well. The loser of today's 4 p.m. contest finishes fourth at this year's state tournament.

Powell to meet Cody in must-win contest

The Powell Pioneers jumped to a 5-2 lead over Gillette after three innings before things turned ugly on Thursday. Really, really ugly.

The defending state champion Roughriders roughed up Pioneer pitching, scoring 26 of the game's next 27 runs to blow the contest wide open on the way to a 28-8 win at the Wyoming state Legion baseball tournament in Rock Springs. Included in that span was a disastrous 17-run inning that will likely haunt head coach Mike Jameson in his sleep tonight.

Powell now finds itself in a wholly unfamiliar position this season, needing to rebound from a lopsided defeat in order to keep its dream of a state title alive. The Pioneers won't have long to dwell on tonight's game, however. The team plays again at 9:30 a.m. against Park County rival Cody in a loser-out contest Friday morning.

Cody survived elimination by knocking out the Casper Oilers 15-13 on Thursday afternoon.

'Orange' photos and the next photo theme: 'Shiny'

Our orange photo theme inspired both photos and jokes around the Tribune over the past few weeks. The knock-knock punch line "Orange you glad I didn't say banana?" inspired numerous "Orange you ...?" jokes. So in the spirit of bad puns, "Orange you ready to see some photos?"

We invite photographers of any age and skill level to submit entries for our photo themes. Please send submissions to web@powelltribune.com. Photos may be submitted as jpegs, tiffs or PSDs. Please include the first and last name of the photographer with entries. For more information about our photo themes, see our blog entry. We'll publish one or two shots in the print edition and post the others on our blog.

Clyde, a six-week-old lab, chews on orange lilies. Even though he enjoyed biting the petals, he wasn't allowed to chew them, said Tribune photographer Carla Wensky, who took this photo.

A couple of orange echinaceas (cone flowers) from Rob Koelling's backyard inspired this shot. Not only are the flowers lovely, they're also tough. The orange pair "managed to survive Gus, the husky pup wrecking ball," Koelling said.

Suzanne Patterson sent this photo of her nieces, Cammi and Katelynn, with their "orange" hair. "I immediately think of them when I hear the word orange," she said.

Meghan LeCaptain of Virginia was visiting her grandparents, Joan and John Enger of Powell, when she noticed the orange hues of "Kid," a horse owned by Larry and Gloria Hedderman.

Willie Marcus took this photograph of upside down lilies that were blooming in Bruce Holmes' garden earlier this month.

Owl and his orange older "brother" Tigger don't exactly see eye to eye. Tigger live in Sheridan with Tribune photographer Kara Bacon's parents and Owl lives with her in Powell.

Orange flower petals inspired this shot, submitted by Dennis Hejduk and Jane Richardson of Powell.

These blooming orange flowers also were submitted by Dennis Hejduk and Jane Richardson.

Tribune reporter Gib Mathers took this photograph and wrote:
At first blush, the viewer might reckon they are traversing a mighty rugged ridge. Imagine finally seeing the skyline, then stopping, panting and gasping, “Phew, almost there. Thank goodness” OK, maybe the crafty cameraman is not so slick after all. Maybe, you, the keen beholder, saw right through my photographic subterfuge.

OK, I’ll fess-up: It is a boulder on Mountain View Street in Powell.

If my geology is correct it is a loose conglomerate of granite. The organic material is actually sagebrush growing in a crack. The photo assignment was “orange.” Looking far and wide, I finally and literally stumbled across the rock with moss the color of orange. The moss on this side is chiefly green, perfectly matching the sage, and the flint-like stones are redder than they are orange. On the other side is some moss that is indeed orange, but this side made for a cooler pic — I hope. Pick a side, any side. Look closely and the beauty of the stone is revealed. Kind of like stopping to smell the roses. Stop to savor the beauty that is often waiting right in your neighborhood or nearby.

Pioneers clear first hurdle

It wasn't easy, but the Powell Pioneers advanced into the championship half of the state Legion baseball tournament bracket on Wednesday with a 5-3 win over the Riverton Raiders. The Pioneers used a pair of unearned runs in the top of the ninth to break away from a 3-3 tie as the anticipated pitchers' duel between the Pioneers and Raiders materialized as expected. Tyler Dahlgren threw six solid innings for Powell before giving way to Colter Bostick, who picked up the win with three scoreless innings.

Powell's reward for winning? A Thursday rematch with defending state champion Gillette. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.. The Pioneers won their first meeting with the Roughriders 8-5 at last week's North district tournament in Casper. The Riders had their own nail biter in the opening round, rallying for a 9-8 victory over Wheatland in the day's first contest. Laramie blasted Casper by a 17-2 count in the day's other game. Cheyenne and Cody are getting set to take warm-ups before facing off in the final opening day game.

Keep watching the Tribune blog for the latest from the Legion state tournament, as well as Powell's upcoming appearance at the Babe Ruth Pacific Northwest regional tournament.

14-A southwest of Byron closes, reopens

UPDATED, 2:40 p.m. Overflow from the Sidon Canal southwest of Byron pushed a car and driver off the road early this morning (pictured at right), causing an eleven and a half hour closure of Highway 14-A. Fortunately, the driver was not injured, and the road has been re-opened.

We'll have details in Thursday's paper.

For now, here's some more info from the Wyoming Department of Transportation...

WyDOT maintenance foreman Jim Thomas of Lovell had received a call for help at 2 a.m. Tuesday, July 28, concerning a vehicle crash and water on the highway between milepost 35 and milepost 36 on U.S. 14-A.

Road closure gates were placed at the Town of Byron and at milepost 33. Thanks to emergency road work, the highway re-opened at 1:30 p.m. -- though more repairs will likely be needed.

“We have damage to the shoulder of the highway, and erosion undermined about a foot of the road for several hundred feet,” Thomas said. “There may be some surface damage to the highway, and last week’s freshly completed chip seal has been damaged. Also, the right-of-way fence on both sides of the highway must be replaced.”

Thomas said about 100 yards of the Sidon Canal was washed out early this morning, and Sidon Canal District officials are on the scene preparing to repair the canal bank. The Sidon Canal feeds about 13,000 acres of agricultural land with water diverted from the Shoshone River.

Tomorrow's Tribune: 7-28

A peek at tomorrow's paper, using quotes that didn't make the cut...

“Yet another new interim rule will be promulgated and litigated on the eve of the next winter season while tourists and businesses desperately try to comply with an ever-changing and uncertain set of rules,” the state of Wyoming, complaining in a court filing that the National Park Service's proposal to cap snowmobile usage at a 318-per-day limit will lead to more legal challenges. The state contends that the threshold should be left at 720 per day until a permanent rule is crafted. The winter use saga continues above the fold.

“That mars it for me,” Steve Scott, Park County Fair manager, expressing his disappointment about the apparent theft of two rabbits from the 4-H barns this weekend. Some details and descriptions of the missing bunnies on page one.

“She said that the victim had his foot on the bottom of the door opening and his hands on the top pushing outward to avoid being pushed in. She saw two of the men push at the victim's head until they got him in the car,” Sgt. Mike Chretien of the Powell Police Department, recounting eyewitness accounts of a reported abduction last week in an affidavit submitted in Circuit Court. Three men have been charged with robbery and kidnapping. Some details, below the page one fold.

Pioneers will play Saturday for title

The Powell Pioneers knocked off the defending AA state champion Gillette Roughriders on Friday afternoon in American Legion district tournament play at Casper. The final score of the contest was 8-5. First pitch in Saturday's championship game (against either Cody or the Casper Oilers) is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

By virtue of today's win, the Pioneers have assured themselves of a place in next week's state Legion tournament at Rock Springs. Complete district tournament details will appear in Tuesday's edition of the Powell Tribune.

Tomorrow's Tribune: 7-23

A peek at tomorrow's paper using quotes that didn't make the cut...

“We try to be very cautious and ask people to hand it out as much as possible,” Rinda Coons, commenting about the Park County Fair Parade's candy tactics. Coons, who works for the Powell Valley Chamber of Commerce, said the parade has not adopted a no candy-throwing policy like the Cody Stampede Parade's. Read more about Saturday's fair parade on Page 3.

“Go forth and subdivide,” Bill Brewer, Park County Commission Chairman, blessing a plan to split a county-owned lot in west Powell. The property currently houses the county's Powell search and rescue base and road and bridge shop. Commissioners voted to split the lot, and one day sell the road and bridge shop to Powell Valley Recycling. The story is on page one.

“The guy with a high blood alcohol content is the typical falling down drunk,” Powell Police Chief Tim Feathers, speaking as the president of the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police. The association recently released a study showing that criminals apparently drink more than their fair share of alcohol. Some eye-opening statistics below the fold.

Tomorrow's Tribune: 7-21

A peek at tomorrow's paper using quotes that didn't make the cut...

“I know this is a sore spot for a lot of our residents. They don’t like it when it occurs. We get a lot of calls,” Police Chief Tim Feathers, speaking about the tough decision to suspend Powell's ban on door-to-door salesman. Find out why on page 1.

“At this point Cody Police set up a perimeter to ensure the safety of nearby residents,” a press release from the Cody Police department, recapping a roughly 75-minute confrontation between police and an armed man, who allegedly fired a number of shots Friday evening in Cody. The incident led to no injuries, but did yield an arrest and a couple criminal charges. More on page 3.

“A bunch of kids just come for the rides, but I actually enter in the fair,” Cody teen Trevor Cook, on why he enjoys submitting artwork and cooking for adjudication in the Park County Fair. We've got a special insert loaded with fair above average previews of this year's shindig inside tomorrow's paper - even more reason to pick up a copy.

Where Park County is spending its $33.8 million

Commissioners are finalizing Park County's budget for the 2010 fiscal year (July '09 to June '10) on Tuesday. However, on Monday night at 6 p.m. in their meeting room, they're first holding the annual public budget hearing.

If you're planning to attend, and want to go raise a stink about how outrageous some aspect of the budget is, it might help to actually look at it first.

To help you, the Tribune has uploaded the preliminary (but almost final) budget to Google Docs, so you can read and flip through it online or download a PDF copy (it's about 14.4 megabytes large and 50 pages long). It also can be found in a little, hard-to-read box at the bottom of this post.

If all those options fail, you can also get an electronic copy by emailing County Clerk Kelly Jensen and asking nicely, or can check out a paper version by swinging by the clerk's office in Cody.

Now, you've got no excuses not to comb over every cell of the budget spreadsheet. Or something like that.

We'll try to wrap up the county budget in Thursday's paper.

Sheep in ... sheep's clothing

A person can see a lot of strange things at the Park County Fair -- weird people come out of the woodwork (and I'm not even talking about the carnies), people consume massive quantities of food (in public!), huge vegetables are on display and sheep wear clothing.

Yes, the neighborhood lamb is bathed, shorn and fluffed within an inch of its life, and then gets all dressed up in -- what else? -- sheep's clothing.

Here are a few photos from last year's fair...

'7-8-9' photos and next photo theme: 'Orange'

A rare line-up of consecutive numbers occurred in the date of Wednesday, July 2009 or 07-08-09. The Tribune marked the occasion with a day-in-the-life photo theme. The following photos were all captured on 7-8-9.

The next photo theme is: "Orange."

We invite photographers of any age and skill level to submit entries for our photo themes.Please send submissions to web@powelltribune.com. Photos may be submitted as jpegs, tiffs or PSDs. Please include the first and last name of the photographer with entries. For more information about our photo themes, see our blog entry. We'll publish one or two shots in the print edition and post the others on our blog.

Willie Marcus captured a variety of shots on 7-8-9, from morning until night. In the afternoon, "Checking out the garden, I found that the potato plants are flowering."

That night, Willie took this image of the moon.

Children from the Learning Garden have a spin at Washington Park merry-go-round during the afternoon. Tribune photo by Ashley Stratton-Lauritzen

Ashley also joined the Learning Garden kids on an afternoon tour of Homesteader Museum in Powell.

An afternoon dog-walker captured the eye of Tribune News Editor Ilene Olson.

Ilene also captured this shot of the clouds that day.

Fred Burris took the "night-in-the-life" approach with his photographs and took this photo on Bent Street.

Streetlights glowing on Bent Street also provided inspiration for this 7-8-9 night photo. Tribune photo by Tessa Schweigert

Cross-country blogger writes of Powell

When some people get laid off, they mope around, or switch to a job that just pays the bills. Not Sharon Altaras (feet pictured at right). In May, the Seattle-area journalist grabbed her dog Armani, fired up a blog (American Road), jumped in an RV, and headed out on a cross-country trip.

Her goal, roughly? To give the U.S. a closer inspection.

"Americans can't help but evolve our patriotism through good times and bad. What does our psyche look like today?" Altaras wrote in an introductory post. Put another way, the project is aimed at "documenting the state of patriotism around the U.S. and taking a snapshot look at certain subcultures: newspapers, churches and Indian reservations."

There have been challenges, both from her vehicle (a Serpentine belt snapped leaving Devil's Canyon overlook), and sometimes wary residents ("I'm having a hard time figuring out how to approach people the further from big cities I get," Altaras wrote on June 3. "The word 'blog' throws them off. The word 'reporter' makes them suspicious. And often they don't use the Internet.").

But despite the challenges, she's already compiled some fascinating material -- for example, a collection of colorful street art/graffiti in Rapid City and Depression-era recollections from a elderly resident in Spokane Valley, Wash.

Between picture-taking and writing, Altaras has made her way from the Pacific Northwest to Nebraska. She made some stops in Powell last month, chatting with Rowene Weems over at the Homesteader Museum, grabbing some photos of Powell's murals, and, since the Tribune fits in the newspaper category, talking with our news editor, Ilene.

Altaras was recently generous enough to answer a few questions about her project via email.

Q: Roughly, for how long are you planning to travel? Any specific destinations on the agenda?

Altaras: I'm going to keep going until I feel I've seen enough or my RV totally breaks down or I find a job in a community that I cannot bear to leave. I really don't have specific destinations, though there are several states I've always wanted to see (Wyoming was among them and I loved it there).

Q: Why the focus on wall murals/art?

Altaras: We actually don't have very many where I'm from in Seattle, so in the smaller communities they always strike me. In fact, by the time I'd made it to central Idaho, I realized I needed to create a category for walls and signs. They are ubiquitous, often allude to patriotism (my theme for this project) and speak of a community's values in a powerful, often-wordless way.

Q: Is the blog an end in itself, or do you have plans for broader use, like a book, essay, or lengthy limerick? Put another way, when/if you find America's current psyche, what will you do with that information?

Altaras: I would love to do a photo-heavy coffee table book or write about my journey, once I'm through and can process it all, mentally. But if no one wants to buy those ideas and the blog is all I have, I'll still be happy. It has allowed me to meet and interact with so many interesting people. It has turned what could have been just a long road trip into a true educational, life-altering journey.

For more, check out American Road.

(Altaras kindly let the Tribune use the two above self-portraits that she snapped in the ghost town of Kirkville, Mont., and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, respectively.)

Tomorrow's Tribune: 7-16

A peek at tomorrow's paper using quotes that didn't make the cut...

“When people are not responsible and have 14 (kittens) ... what do we do?” Elfriede Milburn of the City of Powell/Moyer Animal Shelter, talking about the influx of abandoned cats. Read about the cat-astrophic number of felines at the shelter on page 13.

“Alex made comments that he thought that he was dreaming and also asked if the emergency lights on the ambulance and patrol cars were real,” Powell Police Officer Matthew Danzer, writing in an affidavit submitted in Circuit Court about a Cody man who allegedly smashed into the Powell Valley Clinic while under the influence this weekend. The charges, below the fold.

“And then, as often happens in politics, they accused the other side of being the bad guys,” Jeannie Cook, a Cody historian, recapping the sneaky work of local legislators to split Park County from Big Horn. A century of county history on page 12.

Don't let the door hit you...

(Ed. note: This seemed a bit too frivolous to justify newsprint, but quirky enough to be published somewhere.)

A passing transient caused a bit of consternation in the Powell business community this past weekend.

The gentleman reportedly arrived at Pizza Hut on Sunday night and ordered up a pizza pie. But as his meal cooked, he suggested to staff that they give him the food for free, said Police Chief Tim Feathers.

"He wanted them to donate it to him because he's poor," Feathers said.

Police responded, and warned the man not to solicit in Powell. He left without a pizza, but he stayed in town a bit longer.

Monday morning, police were again called to chat with the guy, who was now arguing about his bill at the Super 8.

At some point in the conversation, the visitor said he'd like to head over to Cody, and an officer obliged him - dropping the fellow off in Ralston, five miles closer to his new destination.

Feathers said Powell Police do what they can to get transients moving along, whether that's through helping with a bus ticket, giving them a ride, or arresting and taking them to the county jail.

That way, "when they're released, they're in Cody, not Powell," noted Feathers with a chuckle.

Tomorrow's Tribune: 7-13

A peek at tomorrow's paper using quotes that didn't make the cut...

“We've gone 181-98 since I started coaching here. We've averaged about two kids per year going on to college to play the sport, and that doesn't mean a thing to some parents and relatives,” Jeff Young, former Pioneers coach, explaining his frustration with some of the criticism he's faced during almost five seasons on the job. Read about his resignation on the Sports (page 9).

“If we find a qualified auctioneer and they're from some place in Europe, I think we need to do what's best for the county,” Park County Commissioner Bucky Hall, expressing his preference that the county look everywhere for the best auctioneer. The county is putting the old Cody library up for bidding, and you can read some details on the County page (pg. 5).

“I would just ask people, particularly parents in the park, to be alert to that (vandalism). Report those things so that we can respond and protect those properties from damage,” Powell Police Chief Tim Feathers, asking folks to keep a heads up for trouble in city parks. Two restrooms were recently damaged. A run-down on Digest (page 6).

Tomorrow's Tribune: 7-9

A peek at tomorrow's Tribune using quotes that didn't make the cut...

“The (Park County Travel Council) is in the mode of being very cautious about funding events. They want to make sure the events result in heads in beds,” Travel Council Marketing Director Claudia Wade, talking about how the tight economic times have impacted promotional efforts. Read about Yellowstone's record visitation and summer tourism on page one.

“We have family in Turkey. This is just a hike,” Ray Fetzer, whose adoptive daughter, Dejah, recently reconnected with her birth mother, who lives in southern Illinois. Despite the 1,400 miles that separate the two families, they plan to remain close. Learn about the family's reunion on Page 13.

“Woo-hoo! Maybe one of you will change your mind,” Park County Commissioner Jill Shockley Siggins, upon learning that parliamentary procedure did allow the commission chairman (in this case, Bill Brewer) to second her motion. However, none of the other three commissioners were moved to change their vote, and Siggins' motion to pay for Enhanced 911 service out of the general county budget failed, 3-2. Some highlights from the discussion and some updates on the budget below the fold.

Cowboy up (and down and up again)

Bareback rider John Collins of Buffalo went above and beyond the call of duty at Saturday's Cody Stampede PRCA Rodeo. Collins' steed went over backwards, taking the rider down to the ground for a bit of a roll in the dust, but the cowboy hung tough.

Check out this photo series of the wild ride, snapped by Tribune photog Carla Wensky:











Collins was given a re-ride, scoring a 75.

'Big' photos and next photo theme: '07-08-09'

After a few weeks of capturing "small" pictures, photographers switched gears to find "big" photos. In the Thursday, July 2 paper, we published a shot of an incredibly large truck, with wheels that towered over a group of adults. Here are some of the other big shots we received.

Our next photo theme is: "07-08-09." We're asking photographers to take pictures on that day, Wednesday, July 8, 2009, so we will have a collection of day-in-the-life snapshots.

We invite photographers of any age and skill level to submit entries for our photo themes.Please send submissions to web@powelltribune.com. Photos may be submitted as jpegs, tiffs or PSDs. Please include the first and last name of the photographer with entries. For more information about our photo themes, see our blog entry. We'll publish one or two shots in the print edition and post the others on our blog.

Donna Wageman submitted this photograph of a large Brahma bull on the Wageman's ranch in Cody. He is Cody Nite Rodeo stock, owned by Maury and Nikki Tate.

This large Brahma bull, named Fudge, also was photographed by Donna Wageman at the Wageman ranch in Cody. He also is Cody Nite Rodeo stock, owned by Maury and Nikki Tate.

This photo of a big Ocotillo plant was taken last March in Arizona. The plant probably exceeds 15 feet in height and more than 20 feet in width. This photograph was submitted by Eldon L. Schmitt.

This 7-inch clematis bloom, encircled by dandelions, was taken by Willie Marcus.

"Wyoming is big and beautiful," said Fred Burris, who took this photo looking at the expanse up 17 Mile Creek in the McCullough Peaks.

A big rainbow inspired Tribune News Editor Ilene Olson to take this photograph.

Tribune staff writer Gib Mathers said this about his photograph: "The mighty irrigation water careening down the canal to the pipe worming over the hill like the wake of a mole in the distance that looks so little even though it is 9 feet in diameter. Then there are the mountains that are really big too. Big, big, big — even the cumulous clouds in the distance give the cumulative effect of bigness. Wyoming is so big with its infinite horizons and mountains that ring basins like stones surrounding a pit. Holy cow!"

An innovative biker avoids last Friday’s big puddles near City Hall and Powell Middle School by hopping atop his bike in this photo by staff writer CJ Baker.

Tomorrow's Tribune: 7-2

A peek at tomorrow's paper using quotes that didn't make the cut...

“There is a thrill for politicians to say, ‘I don’t speak for anybody but the taxpayer,’” former U.S. Senator Al Simpson, speaking to Park County commissioners on Tuesday. He was arguing that as elected officials, the commission needs to look beyond popular budget trimming and also craft a vision for the county's future. “They (voters) aren’t expecting, ‘When in doubt, vote no,’” Simpson added. Specifically, the ex-senator was lobbying the commission to help fund commercial flights to the Cody airport. How the commissioners were persuaded to give $28,000 is below the fold.

“When we get to election time, they’re going to ask what we did for additional economic development,” City Councilman John Wetzel, laying out his belief that voters expect the City of Powell to support local business. The council upped the amount of money given to the Powell Valley Chamber of Commerce this year, along with approving a number of special funding requests. A breakdown of it all on page one.

“You haven’t tried mine,” Sheriff Scott Steward, jokingly claiming that his home-cooked biscuits and gravy are better than those served at the Park County Detention Center. While the sheriff can try asserting superior tastiness, he likely can't beat the jail's price tag -- roughly $1.89 per meal. Read about how the detention center is tightening its fiscal belt on the county page.