Wednesday, June 5, 2013

PHS Alumni contact list

The Powell High School All Class Reunion takes place June 28-29. Here's a list of contacts for the individual classes that will gather for special reunion events this year.

Class of 1943: 70-year reunion
Burchell Hopkin   754-3064

Class of 1953: 60-year reunion
Blanche (Coorough) Stebner   754-2887

Class of 1958: 55-year reunion
Dave Bonner   754-2221

Class of 1963: 50-year reunion
Karen (Milligan) Tilley    754-2530

Class of 1968: 45-year reunion
Denny Jones   970-778-5088

Class of 1973: 40-year reunion
Maggie (Rodriguez) Brandt   406-670-4531

Class of 1988: 25-year reunion
Toby Bonner   754-2221


Class of 1993: 20-year reunion
Robbi (Christensen) Welch    272-7441


Class of 2003: 10-year reunion
Alison (Bears) Jones    272-9817
      


Friday, March 1, 2013

International food adventures

Homesteader Museum will be featuring a monthly column celebrating the “year of food” and the Smithsonian exhibit “Key Ingredients: America by Food.” Events will be posted on Powell Tribune’s website throughout the year.  For more information, call Homesteader Museum at 754-9481. A film series exploring food and family begins this month at Northwest College. “Reel Food” is a film series beginning Friday, March 1, at 7 p.m. at NWC Fagerberg Room 70. 


By Harriet Bloom-Wilson
Guest columnist

“But it’s still wiggling!” I said, trying not to sound too hysterical. I was in Sapporo, Japan, on the northern island of Hokkaido, having dinner with one of our Japanese alums. She was very eager to take me to a sushi restaurant with the “freshest” fish. I am usually game to try anything when I travel, especially when my host is excited to introduce me to the local specialties, but this time I had met my match--squid so fresh it was struggling to stay alive!

More often than not, though, I have had many wonderful experiences related to food all over the world, thanks to my personal passion for travel and the experiences that came with my career of more than 30 years at Northwest College. By far the most vivid memories are of dishes shared with friends and acquaintances wanting to introduce this foreigner to the cuisines of their countries.

A typical market in Hoi An, Vietnam.
With your indulgence, I’d like to invite you to travel with me as I share some of my memorable dishes as a way of suggesting or reminding you of what to look for when you find yourself in some of these places.

Let’s begin in France, the country I know best. Comfort food for me whenever I return to Burgundy where I lived for a year consists of escargots ... yes, snails swimming in a sauce of butter, garlic, and parsley carefully replaced in their shells just waiting to be plucked out with the aid of specially designed tools. 

Of course, this has to be followed by wiping up all the remaining liquid with chunks of the ubiquitous crusty bread in baskets on the tables. In fact, dishes in Burgundy such as boeuf bourgignon (beef burgundy) and oeufs en meurette (eggs poached in a rich red wine with mushrooms and bacon) are usually meant to be sopped up at the end with every piece of bread remaining on the table so as not to waste a crumb or a drop of the wine for which the region is famous. My mouth waters just thinking about it!

If the weather is cold, it’s my excuse to order a steaming bowl of Soupe a l’oignon, French onion soup covered with a thick layer of cheese that I have to break through to get to the rich broth and saturated bread below.  And there’s no such thing as an ordinary salad in France. The greens are varied and the “key ingredients” can range from hot goat cheese to pieces of duck cooked in their own fat to tuna and sardines with hard-boiled eggs, potatoes and string beans. Always copious, always served beautifully. And don’t forget the square, savory, buckwheat crepes in Normandy and Brittany!

Harriet Bloom-Wilson
Fortunately, I’ve been in Eastern Europe ... Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, mostly in the winter season. I say “fortunately,” because the food I enjoy most there tends to be heavy and fortifying, dishes such as vareniki, delectable dumplings filled with cabbage or meat or fruit or potatoes topped with a generous spoonful of rich sour cream. In addition, I’m always drawn to sausage and kraut stands on the streets. Since this is the part of the world from which my grandparents emigrated, I tend to seek out the foods I remember when I was growing up in New York — dishes such as potato latkes or pancakes and borscht, the red beet soup. And the black bread with lots of butter!

I love the cuisine in Israel, Greece and Turkey — and who wouldn’t, if you like lamb, fish, olives, feta cheese, chickpeas, anything cooked in olive oil? The best salad dressing I ever had is simply freshly squeezed lemon with just the right amount of a good extra-virgin olive oil. Shish kabob, falafel, hummus, tajines, and pita are, or are becoming, familiar and safe choices thanks to the prevalence of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurants and cooking stores in most big cities.

My tour wouldn’t be complete without some more reflections on Asia. For many people, that simply means “Chinese” food, but we’ve all seen the growth of sushi bars and restaurants, even in our own small towns. I don’t want to dismiss the incredible cuisines of China, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, and Indonesia; I’ve eaten well in all these countries, but I’m going to focus on three of my favorites.
Becoming more and more popular throughout the world and in urban America is Korean barbecue, where each table is equipped with a grill in the middle for you to cook a variety of meats, galbi or bulgogi. The wait staff cover the table with a mind-boggling assortment of banchan, small plates of food, including kimchee, to be enjoyed with the meat as it’s rolled up in large lettuce leaves, so delicious and almost too easy to eat in large quantities.

Vietnam is a country I’ve been fortunate to visit several times, and when I’m there I try to shed my American notions of breakfast and opt for a bowl of pho, a wonderful, hot soup filled with beef or chicken, bean sprouts, greens, a squeeze of lime, and so many flavors unique to this country. The locals like to add chili peppers and spices, the hotter the better, even when the temperatures are, for me, almost unbearable. I think the theory is it helps you sweat off the discomfort of the heat.

A Thai woman prepares pancakes at floating market.
Courtesy photos/Harriet Bloom-Wilson
And Vietnamese spring rolls are not to be missed! I prefer the fresh ones, not fried, with shrimp and vegetables, mint, basil, cilantro, garlic chili and hoisin sauce rolled into translucent rice wrappers and eaten with your hands. Food and eating in Vietnam are truly public activities, from the outdoor markets to the stands on every street where people sit on small stools or squat and eat and visit from very early in the morning to very late at night. It’s a feast for the senses!
 Finally, I cannot think of food and the senses without talking about Indian food, something I try to experience in every city I visit, both in the U.S. and abroad. The colors and smells of the spices, the tastes of the curries and tandooris, garlic naan, meat and vegetable-filled samosas, basmati rice with dried fruits and nuts, yogurt sauces and lassi drinks. In spite of all the warnings, I never got sick in India, so I have no negative associations with this heavenly cuisine, although I do have to watch the heat level. I have actually burned my throat once or twice!

So, what do I look forward to when the plane touches down in the U.S.? Believe it or not, after all the fresh, homemade specialties I feasted on abroad, I find myself craving a McDonald’s burger and fries. Once I’ve devoured it, though, I remember why I don’t eat fast food more often. Then I return home to download photos of the wonderful dishes I ate throughout my trip.

Happy travels, everyone, and Bon Appetit!

(Harriet Bloom-Wilson is a retired director of International Programs and assistant professor of French at Northwest College. She has traveled extensively around the globe.)

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Manufacturer Magpul being wooed to Cody?

When a Colorado manufacturer of firearm accessories threatened to leave the state if legislators there pass a proposed 15-round cap on magazines, Wyoming lawmakers jumped at the chance to invite the company to move north.

Earlier this month, members of the Legislature signed an informal resolution encouraging Magpul Industries to relocate to Wyoming.

“We just wanted to draft a resolution to tell them we think they’re a great company and Wyoming is a great place to do business, and we would love to have them do business in Wyoming,” Rep. Kendell Kroeker, R-Evansville, told the Casper Star Tribune.

Lawmakers in Cheyenne apparently weren't the only ones who thought bringing a manufacturer into the state would be a good idea.

In Forward Cody's February newsletter, the head of the economic development group, James Klessens, said folks began encouraging him to recruit Magpul to Cody immediately after Colorado legislators passed the bill limiting magazines out of committee.

“Within minutes of that initial action, my phone started ringing and emails came in from Cody residents, some who I knew, others I didn't, alerting me to this opportunity. Over the last two weeks, I have received dozens of messages on this topic and on similar actions proposed in New York compelling Forward Cody to 'go get them!'” wrote Klessens. “Believe me, we are on the hunt.”

He went on to make the broader point that he's thankful for the way the Cody community is engaged in trying to make the city a great place to live and work.

Whether Cody, or any place in Wyoming, can land the roughly 200-employee manufacturer remains to be seen.

Rep. Bunky Loucks, R-Casper, told the Casper Star Tribune yesterday that he's had five or six conversations with a Magpul executive and “they seem to be interested in Wyoming because of the proximity.”

However, Loucks also acknowledged numerous states have reached out to the company.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

AUDIO: The Ronnie Bedford Trio

A Ronnie Bedford Trio made up of Jeff Troxel on guitar, Collin Ingram on bass and (of course) Ronnie Bedford on drums, performed at Powell Valley Healthcare's Long Term Center on Feb. 11. We have a photo in today's paper.

It was a great evening of jazz and, since photos and type don't typically do music justice, I also brought along my mic. Below you can hear three of the songs the trio played.

All The Things You Are (5:51 minutes)
Straight, No Chaser (6:42 minutes)
Oleo (5:25 minutes)

Friday, February 8, 2013

Wyoming Windfalll: Are you on the list?

Wyoming wants to give you your money back.

The Unclaimed Property Division of the Wyoming State Treasurer’s Office is advertising the “Wyoming Windfall” for 2013 — approximately $3.4 million in unclaimed property. This year’s list contains approximately 10,200 names of owners of unclaimed checking and savings accounts, insurance benefits, stock and other funds, wages, refunds, deposits and overpayments.

State Treasurer Mark Gordon says the average claim is less than $100, but some owners have claimed $100,000 or more, according to the Associated Press.

Funds that have been held by a company or by another state for a specified number of years and have not or cannot be paid to the owner are then placed in protective custody by the state treasurer. The
Unclaimed Property Division safeguards and makes an effort to return the funds to the rightful owner, at no cost to the owner.

The Wyoming Windfall has been successful in returning more than $27.7 million to approximately 43,300 owners since the Unclaimed Property Law passed in 1993.  Last fiscal year, over $2 million was claimed by owners or heirs.

Any person who finds his or her name on the list, or the name of a relative, should call the Unclaimed Property Division at 307-777-5590 or write to: Wyoming Unclaimed Property Division, 2515 Warren Ave., Suite 502, Cheyenne, WY 82002.

The Wyoming Windfall also can be accessed online at www.wywindfall.gov.

Below is a spreadsheet listing the folks and businesses with unclaimed property whose last known address is in Park County. If that doesn't work for you, you can download the list as a PDF file.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Fifty bald eagles in Basin? Nope.

A photograph of more than 50 bald eagles in a tree is making the rounds on Facebook this week. A Powell woman's post claimed the photo was taken in Basin, Wyo., but here at the Tribune, we had our doubts.

After a bit of research, it turns out the photograph was actually taken by Chuck Hilliard, a photographer in Seattle, Wash. He posted on his Facebook page Thursday morning to clarify the photo is his, and that it wasn't taken anywhere near Basin or Wyoming.

As of Thursday morning, the post saying the photograph was taken in Basin had been shared more than 1,000 times on Facebook, so we just wanted to clarify that the photo wasn't taken in the Big Horn Basin.

Our friends at the Basin Republican Rustler didn't believe it was a local photo.

Wrote Republican Rustler editor Karla Pomeroy on Hilliard's Facebook wall: "We live in Basin and knew right away was not taken here and we've been investigating. We'll try to spread the word of where the photo originally came from. It is an awesome photo."

Incidentally, the photograph is similar to one by Powell photographer Richard Brady that we published in the Powell Tribune earlier this week. He traveled more than a 1,000 miles from Wyoming to take the photograph. Brady’s photo of 50 bald eagles in a single tree was taken in Canada during the Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival, held in November in British Columbia, Canada.



Thursday, January 31, 2013

Fact check: A 3 percent conviction rate for sex crimes?

A Rock Springs lawmaker has backed off a statement he made earlier this month that only 3 percent of defendants charged with sexual crimes end up being convicted.

Rep. Mark Baker, R-Rock Springs
The House was debating a bill sponsored by Rep. Sam Krone, R-Cody, (and endorsed by the Tribune) that would have made the names of defendants charged with sex crimes public as soon as they are charged. That's how all other crimes in Wyoming are treated, but the Legislature has carved out a special exemption keeping the names of defendants in sex crime cases confidential until and unless a judge finds there's enough evidence for the case to be tried.

Rep. Mark Baker, R-Rock Springs, was one of the 34 legislators who opposed the measure and killed the bill after about a half-hour debate. They generally cited the stigma associated with being accused of a sex crime, despite not having been convicted of anything.

In listening to the Jan. 22 debate, one of Baker's statements really stood out to me:

"I heard a statistic that ... 3 percent of these cases actually lead to conviction, which is alarming to me. So if you're talking about 97 percent of these cases that don't end up in conviction, you're talking about 97 percent of people that have now been labeled and put a target on their back," he said.

Krone, a deputy Park County prosecutor, responded by asking for a source, "because I'm not familiar with that data."

A 3 percent conviction rate on sexual crimes seemed really far out of whack with what I've seen with Park County cases. (Though admittedly I don't know exactly how many cases have been thrown out at the Circuit Court level, since all those records are confidential under the law legislators voted to uphold...)

I asked Park County Attorney Bryan Skoric -- who, for the record, is Krone's boss -- for an estimate of the conviction rate for sexual crime charges in Park County.

Skoric responded: "That 3 percent number is not correct for Park County, period."

I asked Rep. Baker where he got the statistic and he responded:
"The statistic I quoted was a rough figure I had heard in passing and I was called on it by the sponsor of the bill. As a freshman, it is an important lesson for me to learn. To have quotable facts from sources or stick with generalities as some of the other speakers on the bill chose to do. There is a lot of research on the topic and estimates range widely. I apologize for any confusion that this may have caused."
He provided several links as examples of the varying estimates: a Fox News column, a site defending a Swami accused of sexual misconduct, a survey by Stop Abusive and Violent Environments, a summary of an Associated Press story posted on a blog about false accusations, and a fact sheet from a non-profit group called Child Abuse Solutions.

None of those sources appear to speak to what percentage of criminal cases result in a conviction.

A lot of the data refers to false accusations of sexual assault, which aren't the same thing as the cases that would have been affected by the bill.

A charge in a criminal case comes only after an accuser's allegations are investigated by police and a prosecutor like Krone or Skoric believes there's enough evidence to convict the person they're charging. That's not to say the system's foolproof: the AP story cited by Baker reported on a study in Virginia that found at least 8 to 15 percent of people convicted of sexual assault were wrongfully convicted; the Fox News column cites research finding 25 percent of convictions were wrong.

In addition to providing the links, Baker noted the conviction rate wasn't his only concern with the bill. He'd argued it was unnecessary (noting judges can detain any defendants they find dangerous and arguing most defendants don't randomly grab their victims off the streets), that defendants will be permanently damaged by being publicly identified (even if the case is thrown out later) and noting defendants will ultimately be identified if a judge finds there's enough evidence for the case to proceed.

Baker raised some eyebrows on Twitter with a different statistic on Wednesday when, as he spoke in opposition to a bill that give same-sex couples the same rights as married heterosexual couples, he said only 1 percent of gay people die of natural causes.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Services available during Legislature's 2013 General Session


CHEYENNE — The Wyoming Legislature offers a variety of services to help Wyoming residents actively participate in the legislative process during the upcoming 2013 General Session, which begins Tuesday, Jan. 8. Below is a list of those services:

General telephone messages and correspondence for legislators
If you would like to contact a legislator directly during the session, call the Senate receptionist at 307-777-7711 or the House receptionist at 307-777-7852 to leave a brief message for a member. Written mail may be directed to a designated legislator in care of the Wyoming House or Senate, State Capitol, Cheyenne, WY, 82002. Fax messages may be sent to a designated legislator at 307-777-5466.

Contacting legislators by email
You also may contact members of the Wyoming Legislature via e-mail. Many legislators use e-mail to correspond with their constituents and other members of the public. This is one of the most effective ways to communicate with legislators, especially if you would like to provide more detailed information than is available through the various telephone services. Legislators can be contacted by email using firstname.lastname@wyoleg.gov. Contact information is also listed on the Legislature’s website at www.wyoleg.gov

Online hotline and telephone hotline
During the legislative session, you can recommend support for or opposition to, a particular piece of legislation by using the online hotline. In addition to expressing support for, or opposition to, an identified bill, you also can leave a short comment regarding the bill. This service is available on the Legislature’s website at http://legisweb.state.wy.us/postcomments/onlinehotline.aspx. Comments will be available to all legislators, but keep in mind that legislators consider a variety of factors when making decisions on pending legislation. The telephone hotline is also available toll free for those without Internet access. Within Wyoming, the number is 866-996-8683. Callers will not be able to leave comments regarding a bill. Information you provide using these services is considered a public record.

Bill status hotline
You can call the Bill Status Information Service toll-free within Wyoming at 800-342-9570 to obtain the current status of any bill in the legislative process. This is a limited service that provides information about where the bill is in the process, but it does not provide information about the details of the legislation. In addition, callers cannot leave messages for legislators at this telephone number. This service is available on days the Legislature is in session from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Out-of-state callers should dial 307-777-6185 for this service.

Hearing impaired service
If you have a hearing impairment, call the toll-free Wyoming Relay Service for information on any bill. The number is 800-877-9965 for TDD or text telephones. Ask the Wyoming Relay Service operator to dial 307-777-6185 to obtain the status on bills. This service is available to all Wyoming residents with hearing impairments. 

Information on the Legislature’s website
A great deal of legislative information is available electronically through the Wyoming Legislature’s website, www.wyoleg.gov. This site also can be accessed through the state of Wyoming’s webpage. During legislative sessions, the website will be updated daily with important legislative information, including the text of all introduced, engrossed, and enrolled bills; information about amendments; a record of all roll call votes posted as soon as possible after each vote; record of actions taken on bills; bill status; Senate and House daily calendars; and standing committee meeting schedules.

Streaming audio of legislative proceedings
Live and archived audio proceedings of the Wyoming Senate and the Wyoming House of Representatives are available on the Wyoming Legislature’s website. A link will be prominently displayed on the website when the session begins that provides the option of listening to live proceedings, if the House and Senate are convened, and an archive of daily legislative proceedings. If you are having trouble hearing sound on your computer when the House or Senate are in session, please click on the Audio Troubleshooting Guide for assistance. The system will not stream live audio when the House and Senate are adjourned, at recess, or at ease for more than 15 minutes.

Roll call votes
Current technology allows the Wyoming Legislature to post roll call votes almost in real time for floor votes. You can find out how legislators vote on every roll-call vote taken both on the floor during this year’s session. This information is available within several minutes after each roll-call vote on the floor. Users should click on the “2013 Bill Tracking Information” link on the homepage and then on the “Roll Call Votes on Bills and Amendments” link. On the top of the page select Floor Votes or Committee Votes from the drop-down menu. Then, select whether you would like the votes on House Bills or Senate Files. A list of all bills will then display on the page. Once you have selected the bill you want to review, the actions that were taken, as well as the day the actions were taken will display in the main section of the page. Click on the “view” link to see how each individual legislator voted. This electronic voting system has been recognized by the National Conference of State Legislatures as one of the most robust systems in the country providing almost real-time public access to voting information for the residents of Wyoming.

Electronic and paper copies of legislation (House Bills and Senate Files)
The text of each bill will be posted on the Legislature’s website as soon as the legislation is assigned a bill number. Fiscal notes are also included on the website, which provide information about the fiscal impact of the bill. The text of each bill that passes one house (called “engrossed bills”) and bills that are passed by the Legislature (called “enrolled acts”) are posted on the site as they are approved. Bills can be viewed by subject or sponsor. If you do not have Internet access to obtain copies of bills, you can call the Legislative Service Office at 307-777-7881 to request paper copies of legislation for a minimal fee. The Office is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on days the Legislature is in session. If you need a paper copy of a bill when you are in the Capitol, you can purchase copies at the Legislative Service office in Room 213 of the Capitol for 10 cents per page. 

Amendments to legislation
You can obtain paper copies of House and Senate amendments under consideration each day at the Legislative Service Office in Room 213 free of charge. Amendments under consideration each day are also listed on the legislative website when they are released for distribution. Amendments that have been adopted are compiled daily and summaries are available in the Rotunda, the LSO main office, and the House and Senate lobbies. Adopted House amendments are printed on yellow paper and adopted Senate amendments are printed on green paper.  

Senate and House schedules
Calendars for floor proceedings in the Senate and House of Representatives will be available on the Legislature’s website in the late afternoon for the next day’s floor proceedings in each chamber. The calendars include legislation under consideration and the general order of business. Paper copies of the House and Senate calendars are available daily in the Rotunda, the LSO main office in Room 213, and the House and Senate lobbies. House information is printed on yellow paper and Senate information is printed on green paper.  

Standing committee meetings
During the session, when a bill is introduced in either the Senate or the House, it is sent to a standing committee for review and to receive public comment. You are welcome to attend standing committee meetings and to testify for or against legislation. If you would like to provide written information to the Committee, you will be requested to fill out a Committee Handout Form at the meeting (copies of the form are also available on the Legislature’s website). You are encouraged to e-mail an electronic copy of your handout in advance to the LSO at: legdocs@wyoleg.gov, so staff can maintain an electronic archive of committee handouts. A schedule of standing committee meetings and the bills that will be considered by each committee for the next legislative working day will be posted on the Legislature’s website each day in the late afternoon. Meeting notices are also posted outside the House and Senate lobbies and on committee doors. Paper copies of the House and Senate standing committee meeting schedules are available daily free of charge in the Rotunda, the LSO main office in Room 213, and the House and Senate lobbies. House committee schedules are printed on yellow paper and Senate committee schedules are printed on green paper.
 
Bill status information
In addition to the Bill Status Hotline telephone service described above, the Legislature’s website provides information regarding the current status of each bill under consideration, as well as previous actions on the bill (journal digest). The journal digest includes the dates actions were taken on the bill, all roll call votes related to the bill, and the text of all amendments offered regarding the bill. Paper copies of bill status information are available in the Rotunda, the LSO main office in Room 213, and the House and Senate lobbies. This information is printed on purple paper.