Tomorrow's Tribune: 12-29

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

“I’m sitting right out there, so I’ll put my headphones on,” a Powell volunteer firefighter overheard on emergency radio channels Thursday, as he prepped his ears for a imminent test of the city's fire whistles. The siren on West Eighth Street had been acting up a few minutes earlier, and the firefighter was on scene waiting for a system test. A bit about the minor malfunction on page 1.

“They made an offer for me to play and to pay for my school. That sounded pretty good to me,” University of Wyoming junior golfer Gabe Maier on how he came to play for the Cowboys. Maier, who currently ranks fourth in the Mountain West Conference, and teammate Clinton Boutelle, both of Cody, talk about their season on page 9 of Tuesday's Tribune.

“Overall, recession slows peoples' moves across states. (But) despite (Wyoming's) economic recession, which was mainly caused by the downturn in energy exploration, in-migration was still quite strong,” state senior economist Wenlin Liu, highlighting Wyoming's population increase between 2008 and 2009. Read a little about the state's rapid growth on the front page.

Tomorrow's Tribune: 12-22

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

“I think it looks like a big ice cream cone,” Chuck Hewitt, city parks superintendent, commenting on the festively-decorated tree near the corner of Absaroka and Second Streets. In recognition of the centennial year, city crews gave Powell extra pizzazz for this year's holiday season. See page 8.

“I’m really excited about how much buzz it’s created here at the clinic,” Dr. Charlie Bennett, talking about Christmas donations he made to Big Brothers Big Sisters. Read about it on page 13 (Family).

“We find plenty of things to work on when we watch film,” Luke Danforth, head coach of the Powell High School girls basketball team, explaining that while the Lady Panthers are off to a stellar start, there's still room for improvement. Read about the PHS girls' latest victories on Sports (page 9).

Candidate eyes governor run... in four years

Kevin Seney is a Republican candidate for governor of Wyoming.

With elections still months away, it may seem a little early. But you don't know the half of it: Seney's not running for governor in 2010 -- he's running in 2014.

Seney, who has run ads on Facebook advertising his candidacy, concedes that it's “way early,” but he says it’s no gimmick.

“We’re serious about it,” said Seney in a Thursday telephone interview. “I’ll definitely run.”

He's already lined up a former co-worker as a campaign manager, and as of this writing, Seney's page on Facebook had 574 fans from across the U.S. For those keeping score at home, that's 246 more than the 328 supporters belonging to Matt Mead, a Republican candidate actually running in 2010.* And Seney has another four and a half years to build support for the 2014 election year.

Seney, who has a background in the real estate industry, said he's been thinking about running for some time.

“I’m 50 years old and I’m kind of at the part where I’ve been there, done that,” he said. “There’s got to be something else to do out there.”

Seney said he likes to aim high, for things that “literally seem unattainable.” Hence shooting for the state's top office without prior political experience.

“I'm not going to run for mayor, I'm not going to run for councilman, I'm going to run for governor,” Seney recalls telling himself.

Though born and raised in Buffalo, until this past summer, Seney had most recently been “out chasing careers and raising kids and doing all that” in California.

That's why running for governor next year was literally unattainable -- to qualify as gubernatorial material, the Wyoming Constitution says you must have lived in the state for the past five years.

“It’s a valid question that 2014 is a long ways away, but it’s the first election I can run in,” said Seney, who now lives in Jackson with time also spent in Buffalo. He's in the process of selling his San Francisco-based real estate business.

The biggest issue of his burgeoning campaign is promoting a business-friendly attitude in the state.

“My feeling is that small business is struggling right now in Wyoming,” he said.

With Wyoming's people and resources and the connectivity of the Internet, he said there are serious opportunities for the state to support long-distance businesses.

For three months in 1924 and 1925, Seney's great-grandfather, Frank E. Lucas, actually was Wyoming's governor, but Seney said he personally has no political connections in the state. Not being a "career politician," and not having a boatload of money to throw at a campaign, Seney said he wants to run a grassroots effort. He notes the success of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in using online social networking tools to gain and communicate with supporters.

Next spring, while he works on a book, Seney plans to hit the road in an RV and start visiting the sometimes-overlooked smaller towns and cities across Wyoming.

The goal is to “find out what people are really concerned with in this state,” though Seney admits the process “might just scare me right out of (running). Who knows.”

Fortunately, he'll have plenty of time to figure it out.

*Ron Micheli, another Republican candidate for governor in 2010 had 788 fans on his Facebook page (where, incidentally, Seney advertisements have occasionally popped up).

'Shorter days' photos and the next photo theme: 'Christmas'

With the winter solstice just days away (Dec. 21), the days are feeling shorter and shorter. Over the past month, Tribune staffers and readers have captured images illustrating the waning daylight hours.

Our next photo theme is "Christmas." If you capture photos of the holiday season, we'd love to see them. We invite photographers — of any age or skill level — to participate in our photo themes. Just e-mail high-resolution photographs to web@powelltribune.com in jpeg, png, tiff or PSD format. Please include the photographer's first and last name, and tell us a bit about your submission. For more information, see our blog entry.

Jefferson Street stays quiet during a rather long night in fall. Tribune photographer Kara Bacon took this photo while trying to see the meteor shower in mid-November.

A field near Ralston is set ablaze on a November evening. Tribune photo by CJ Baker

Crews pile sugar beets during an evening shift at a beet dump east of Powell. This year's beet harvest was plagued by an early October freeze, and farmers harvested under an allotment.
Tribune photo by Carla Wensky



The moon sinks over foothills east of Carter Mountain at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2. “The snow squeaked under my feet in the -9 degree temperature,” said Fred Burris, who took this photograph.

Sundown too soon: It gets dark too darned quick these days. While hiking in a remote area, yours truly truly faced the error of his ways when he was forced to withdraw with dusk closing like a heavy, chilling cloak in the forest with grizzly bear tracks abounding. My timing was way off. I reckoned I could hike in X number of miles and return before sundown, but my calculations were erroneous, especially after lingering too long by a snowy creek, absorbing the beauty and tranquility. It was right scary with no moon, but plenty of clouds to hamper progress and lend the air an eery aura. Still, I made it. A little wet and cold, but no worse for wear. I promised myself I would never make the same mistake, but I know sooner or later the wilderness — like a Greek siren — will seduce me once again. Tribune photo by Gib Mathers

Tomorrow's Tribune: 12-17

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

“You can't have a Christmas display without deer,” Myron Heny, commenting on his award-winning residential Christmas display, which features the obligatory deer. For a full list of homes and businesses that received awards in this year's city Christmas Decorating Contest, see page one.

“It’s in our best interests to serve as many people in northern Wyoming as possible. ... We certainly don’t want to leave anybody hanging,” KTVQ general manager Monty Wallis, talking about the TV station's future broadcasting plans in Park County. County commissioners voted on Tuesday to stop maintaining the area's translators, which provide over-the-air television channels. The TV stations the translators rebroadcast - like KTVQ - will now have to mull how or if they'll pick up the slack. Read about it on one.

“There's no whacko test around here,” Tim French, Park County commissioner, noting that there are no rules barring people with different ideas from moving to the area. Commissioners and residents were discussing a proposed zoning change in the Crandall area, and what a future property owner might be able to do if regulations were relaxed. What the commission did is recapped on Region (page 5).

Cody pet shelter seeking aid

Talk about cat burglars.

Last week, the Humane Society of Park County's animal shelter outside of Cody was broken into and cash stolen. The Tribune was unsuccessful in talking with anyone from the shelter before press time on Monday, but on Tuesday I caught up with Leigh Dvarshkis, the president of the humane society's board.

Citing an ongoing investigation, the Cody Police Department has declined to release details about how much money was stolen. Dvarishkis said it was under $2,000, and that the shelter did have insurance to cover the bulk of the losses.

Some of the pilfered funds had been raised by Cody gradeschoolers.

“The biggest part of (the theft) is, it was very discouraging,” Dvarishkis said.

In the burglary, the thief, or thieves, ransacked the place, strewing the shelter's pet files all over the facility, and tossing the computers on the floor; the cats were loosed from their cages, and apparently doused with glitter.

However, Dvarishkis said the animals were apparently unharmed, and that there was minimal damage to the shelter's equipment. She classified the vandalism as “a lot of just frustrating stuff.”

“It was mostly just a big mess,” she said. (Some vacuuming de-glitzed the felines.)

“It was almost like a prank,” Dvarishkis said of the break in. “I don’t know what to make of it.”

She said the Humane Society's security “wasn’t where it should have been, but that goes back to being non-profit.” The group is currently looking for some volunteers handy with tools - like those with carpentry skills - to help make some security upgrades.

As always, the organization is also more than happy to take donations - in cash or in-kind gifts like pet food or cleaning supplies, Dvarishkis said.

Already, she said support from local residents has been a silver lining.

“The good news is that the community has been fantastic,” Dvarishkis said.

For more information, call the Humane Society of Park County at 587-5110, or visit their Web site at www.codyshelter.org.

Audio: Christmas sounds

One of the nice things about trombones at Christmastime is that unlike sleigh bells, there's no need to strain your ears to hear them.

“We always know people that have been to trombone concerts before because the back seats are always full (first),” quipped Northwest College low brass instructor Rick Parmer last week. “It's kind of like going to church; the first one there gets to sit in the back row.”

Parmer was directing -- and frequently joining in with -- a regional trombone ensemble Thursday night at Plaza Diane, performing hardy, trombone-only renditions of classic and lesser-known holiday carols.

For those who weren't in attendance, here's a sampling of what you missed. And if it's too loud, you can control the volume with a few clicks of your mouse instead of switching seats.

I've cut together four songs the trombone choir played -- Jingle Bells, Joy to the World, Good King Wenceslas, and A Holly Jolly Christmas -- into one continuous music file that clocks in just over five minutes.

Trombone Christmas selections - time: 5:12
If the audio player doesn't work in the space above, you can download the recording here.

As a bonus, here's some more holiday audio that (Managing Editor) Tessa captured on Dec. 5. It's the song Silent Night, sung during a “Holiday Music from Around the World,” event, also at the Plaza. It featured NWC staff and students singing in over 10 different languages -- Italian, French, Spanish, English, Cantonese, Korean, Hindi, Filipino, Japanese, and German among them -- all at the same time.

As one attendee joked, “Tower of Babel.”

Silent Night - time: 52 seconds
If the audio player doesn't work in the space above, you can download the recording here.

Tomorrow's Tribune: 12-15

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

“This is the guts of the pool — my favorite part,” Nancy Ronto, project manager for Burbach Aquatics, commenting on the Powell Aquatic Center's mechanical room. Ronto answered questions from city, county and school leaders during a tour of the pool last week. An update on the project on page 1, below the fold.

“I hope there’s some snitch out there that needs some Christmas cash,” Powell Police Chief Tim Feathers, jokingly expressing a wish that a new $2,500 reward from a local business will draw out new information about Powell's rash of Halloween night vandalism. More about the serious reward on page six.

“There is an option that floats clear to the top,” Tod Stutzman, president of the North End Water Board, outlining what the board believes is the best option for providing potable water to its customers. Two of North End's three wells were found to contain high nitrate levels, creating a need for a new water source. That top option -- to merge with Northwest Rural Water District -- is explained on the front page.

Pointed encounter

While I was strolling along the Shoshone River last week, a porcupine availed himself for a picture.

Although Russian olives are designated weeds and water hogs, the quilled one seemed to fancy the tree’s leaves that were clinging to the limbs like tiny tattered pennants from last year’s Indy 500.

It was funny observing the little guy that looked like a beaver having a bad hair day, but after a minute or two Porky began shuffling about in the branches and making snuffling sounds as though dismayed by the goofy person’s presence.

So, being a good sport, I decamped Mr. Porcupine’s plantation and he returned to his crunchy salad.