6 I The Lovell Chronicle I March 11, 2010
www. LovellChronicle.corn
DAVID PECK
Participating in the MATHCOUNTS competition in Powell in February were (l-r) coach Annette Ellis,
Kimberly Shumway, Justin Mickelson, Kassi Renner, Brandon Wolvington, Brianna Harvey, Alex Sawaya
and Mariah Harford.
LMS students-show
off math skills
What is the mean of all the positive three-digit multi-
ples of three that are less than 100? This is an example of a
question asked at the recent MATHCOUNTS competition
in Powell on Feb. 24.
Seven Lovell Middle School students competed in Po-
well against five other schools, according to coach Annette
Ellis.
In individual scoring, Brandon Wolvington placed
first.
In team competition, Wolvington, Mariah Harford,
Justin Mickelson and Alex Sawaya placed second behind
Cody. Also competing in team competition were Kassi Ren-
ner, Mariah Harford and Brianna Harvey.
Students practiced once a week at lunch time to prepa-
re for the competition.
The students planned to head to State on Saturday,
March 6, in Laramie, but didn't make the drive Friday due
to weather conditions, Ellis said.
By the way, the answer to the math question is 150.
Brandon
Wolvington
took first
place overall
at the recent
MATHCOUNTS
competition in
Powell.
COURTESY PHOTO
Lawmakers give crisis money to Worland hospital;
mental holds process continues to improve
BY BRENDA TENBOER
Governor Dave Freu-
denthal rejected a request
to fund a crisis stabilization
center in the Big Horn Basin
because it would have been
an inappropriate use of the
Wyoming Retirement Cen-
ter facility.
Darwin Irvine, Big Horn
Basin Counseling Center di-
rector, is disappointed after
putting in a lot of legwork to
make the project work.
"We did a lot of prelim-
inary work to try to get it
here if it came out on a Re-
quest for Proposal (RFP),"
he said. "Three years ago we
made a regional plan and
did some footwork to buy the
building formerly occupied
by the Seventh Day Adven-
tist Church."
The project would have
allowed patients in a men-
tal health crisis to be housed
in a safe, supervised envi-
ronment while evaluations
and plans for future servic-
es were made. And it would
have meant jobs and income
in this county.
On a positive note, Ir-
vine said he is pleased to
have additional crisis beds
in the area.
The Joint Appropria-
tions Committee of the
60th Legislature approved
$850,000 in funding for cri-
sis beds at the Washakie
Medical Center for the fiscal
year beginning July 1, 2010.
The funds will be adminis-
tered by Cloud Peak Coun-
seling Center of Worland.
An additional $500,000
was appropriated to fund
crisis beds at the Cheyenne
Regional Medical Center if
the hospital meets Wyoming
Department of Health re-
porting requirements.
The Big Horn County
commissioners signed off on
a letter of support for more
crisis services for the area
during a February meeting.
"It's good to have it in
the region, it was put on the
bill to go to Washakie Medi-
cal Center and that's good
that its at a medical facil-
ity," Irvine said.
The need is definitely
there with three emergency
detentions, also known as
Title 25 holds, just last week
in Big Horn County, accord-
ing to Irvine.
It is not clear yet how
many county residents will
get services in neighboring
Washakie County using the
newly approved funds.
TITLE 25
Locally, a grass roots
task force headed by Big
Horn County Sheriff Ken
Blackburn is making prog-
ress on smoothing out the
mental health holds pro-
cess.
The issue has long been
a topic of discussion with ad-
vocates speaking out against
mental patients being held
1
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in jail.
Most folks agree that
jail is no place for someone
in crisis, but sometimes pro-
viders are left with few op-
tions.
Now, thanks primarily
to efforts by Lovell Chief of
Police Nick Lewis, an agree-
ment is in place at the North
Big Horn Hospital that al-
lows patient room rates to
be waived and specially
trained volunteers to stay
with the patients while they
await a move to a state facil-
ity or are awaiting the out-
come of an evaluation.
The task force has met
three times with a focus on
improving communication
between the courts, county
attorney, law enforcement,
medical providers and men-
tal health professionals with
the best interest of the pa-
tient in mind, according to
Blackburn.
The sheriff pointed out
areas he feels need to be fol-
lowed in the case of invol-
untary detention with law
enforcement being the first
notified.
Big Horn County and
Prosecuting Attorney Geor-
gia Antley Hunt or a dep-
uty county attorney who is
on call will be called next,
which was a missing step in
earlier processes.
Next, Hunt and a health
care professional will de-
cide who will do the evalu-
ation within 24 hours. From
there, the patient is moved
"to the best place to hold
the individual," according to
Blackburn.
Another point of confu-
sion that Blackburn said he
has cleared up is that previ-
ously providers were reluc-
tant to forward a patient's
medical file because of pos-
sible HIPPA violations. He
said, "The paperwork can
follow the individual, even if
they are sent to the jail."
Medical costs for each
patient will first be billed to
private insurance, according
to Blackburn, but the coun-
ty is responsible for the per-
son's care costs when on a
Title 25 hold.
Blackburn said another
task force meeting will not
be scheduled at this time
and he would like all in-
volved to use the draft poli-
cy and see how it will work,
according to minutes kept of
the Feb. 9 meeting.
vinyl
Starting at 85¢
Fair board moves
parade back to
Saturday morning
BY BRENDA TENBOER
The Big Horn County
Fair board of trustees met
Monday evening in Basin
and worked out a few re-
maining scheduling issues
for the 2010 county fair.
Last month members
decided to make some major
schedule changes including
moving the Jr. Livestock
Sale to the new time slot of
6:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 6.
The 2010 Big Horn
County Fair Parade, which
begins at the Basin Library,
was moved to Friday after-
noon at last month's board
meeting, but after further
consideration it was moved
to 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Fairgrounds manager
Howard Gernant said a few
details still needed to be
firmed up but that a com-
plete list of events will be
available soon.
Administrative assis-
tant Vangi Hackney of Cow-
ley produced a draft of the
2010 fair book, which she
said will cost roughly $6 per
book to print. That cost is
up slightly from $5.50 last
year, even though Hack-
ney worked to condense the
book.
Hackney and Gernant
are now working to sell
advertising countywide to
help cover costs to produce
the 600 fair books.
Mitch Shelhamer said
the rodeo should be bigger
and better than last year.
"If things go according
to plans, I'm hoping to have
a lot more contestants and
more events than team rop-
ing and barrel racing in the
slack," he said.
Mutton busting will
likely be added to the list of
events and take place im-
mediately prior to the ju-
nior rodeo.
Shelhamer said a group
of young sheep riders could
be released from the chutes
at one time.
Willie Bridges, vice-
L
chairman, said mutton
busting is a crowd favorite-
and a big spectator draw.,:
The event is not timed and,
helmets are required.
Gernant reported th
average fees charged for,
concessionaires such as
electric bull operators aver-:,
age between $100 and $250
depending on whether elec-
tricity is required.
The board will make
a decision on those fees ate:
the next monthly meeting,
which is 8 p.m. April 12, in
Lovell.
Shelhamer said he is
working to put together a
business plan to be used for
grant applications and fund-.
ing requests, but because
the fair is "a different sort
of animal" than most busi-
nesses, he will rely on his-:
torical information and fig-
ures from the Hot Springs
County Fair and others.
The beginning cash
balance in the county fair
checking account was
-$2,652.12 but accounts re-
ceivable totaled $15,285.
After the February bills
were paid in the amount
of $7,545.97 the remaining
balance was $5,086.91.
Events scheduled in the
main hall in March include
an American Legion dinner
March 13, Ag Expo March
19, 4-H carnival March
20, Farm Bureau banquet
March 23, State Business.
Council March 24, Ba-
sin Chamber of Commerce
swap meet March 27 and a
wedding show on April 3.
The board also voted to
allow Kelly Mercer to orga-
nize a prospect show and
clinic for youth showing
steers with the date to be
announced at a later time.
The board members vot-
ed to end the regular session
and convene into an execu-
tive sesSioia: to discuss per-.
sonnel Ratters and invited
county Cdmmissioner Jerry.
Ewen to join the meeting.
Town
Lunch Buffet $6 50
Tues. - Fri. 11 am - 2:30 pm
Sat. & Sun. 11 am - 4 pm
Dinner Buffet $8 99
Tues. - Fri. 4:30 - 9 pm
Sat & Sun. 4- 9 pm
151 E. Coulter, Powell, 754-7924
Open Tues. - Sun.
11 am - 9 pm
Carry-Out Available i::i::!::i::i::ii!
