fl -'if- ~
What's Inside ...
Health fair blood draw begins 2
Five teachers retire locally__ 3
Martins hike Appalachian
Trail 5
Health committee meets
in Love// 13
LOVELL, WYOMING • VOLUME 107, NUMBER 13 • THURSDAY, ;EPTEMBER 6, 2012 • 75¢
DAVID PECK
Sen. Charles Scott of Casper and Rep. Elaine Harvey of Lovell, pictured Wednesday
morning, are chairing the Joint Labor, Health and Social Serves Committee meeting at
the Lovell Community Center this week. See story on page 13.
Education Department releases ACT report
BY PATTI CARPENTER
The Wyoming Department of
Education released a report this
week that provides information
on the performance of graduating
seniors who took the ACT, includ-
ing 5,527 Wyoming students. The
report ranked Wyoming students
somewhere in the middle com-
pared to other schools in the na-
tion.
The ACT test is designed to
measure readiness for college by
testing skills needed to succeed in
college like English, mathemat-
ics, reading and science.
The WDE noted in their re-
port that "because not all states
test 100 percent of their juniors,
to compare Wyoming students
against the national score could
be misleading. The nation as a
whole tested 52 percent of stu-
dents with an average composite
score of 21.1. Wyoming, on the
other hand, tested 100 percent of
its juniors."
"Wyoming is one of the
few states that tests every stu-
dent," explained Big Horn Coun-
ty School District No. Two Supt.
Dan Coe. "In other states, it's vol-
untary. When we start comparing
Wyoming to other states we run
into the problem that not every
state requires all students to take
the test. You also run into the
problem than not all states give
the ACT test; some give the SAT
test instead. So you're comparing
apples to oranges really. It's not
statistically valid."
Coe noted that ACT test
scores for Wyoming students
have "huge" implications for stu-
dents. The test is used to deter-
mine the tier of funding students
receive in the Hathaway schol-
arships and in the future will be
the only testing at the high school
level in Wyoming.
"Students have to score high
on ACT to get the top tier fund-
ing on their Hathaway scholar-
ships," explained Coe. "Addition-
ally, starting in 2013, PAWS will
no longer be administered to high
school students in Wyoming and
the ACT test will count for AYP
and school accountability to the
state."
Coe said what administrators
are really interested in is how
students compare to other stu-
dents in the state. In the case of
District Two, students score as
well as, and in some case better,
See 'ACT REPORT,' page 7
Three candidates submitted to the county for clerk of court
BY KARLA POMEROY
The Big Horn County Repub-
lican Party selected three can-
didates among 11 candidates
Tuesday night for the Big Horn
County commissioners to consid-
er in appointing a replacement for
Big Horn County Clerk of District
Court Vickie Larchick.
The three names submitted
are Big Horn County Clerk Dori
Noyes, Circuit Court Clerk Diane
Nuttall and Deputy Clerk of Dis-
trict Court Randi Lynn Noble.
Larchick submitted her resig-
nation for retirement at the com-
mission's Aug. 21 meeting. She
will serve through Sept. 30.
Republican Party Chairman
Dave Mattis said, "It was a very
good process. We had good appli-
cants. The party accepted appli-
cations for the position through
3 p.m. Tuesday and then the
central committee met at the
Big Horn County Weed and Pest
building at 7 p.m. to interview the
candidates.
Mattis said 26 precinct com-
mittee members participated in
the process.
Mattis said he will provide
the names to the commissioners
on Wednesday. By state statute
the commissioners have five days
to make the appointment.
BY KARLA POMEROY
The Big Horn County Fair
Board voted 4-1 to suspend Fair
Manager Deb Schnitzmeier im-
mediately without pay at their
regular board meeting meeting
Monday night.
After preliminary business,
Chairman Felix Carrizales an-
nounced personnel was the next
item on the agenda and asked
Schnitzmeier if she had a letter
of resignation to present to the
board.
"No, I do not. I don't intend to
resign," Schnitzmeier said.
Carrizales, who said he had
come in to speak to Schnitzmei-
er last week about a personal
matter, did ask her if she would:':
resign. He said if she's not will- i
ing to do that he then asked the
board if they wanted to take ac-
tion regarding Schnitzmeier's
employment and board member
Andy Perkins moved to termi-
nate her employment with Carl
Nielsen seconding the motion.
Board member Tim Flitner
said, "If anyone has mixed emo-
tions let's do that in executive
session. If not, I call for the ques-
tion. Let's keep it simple." He
added in supporting the motion,
"I do know this, we cannot effec-
tively operate with the person
that we're discussing and obvi-
ously in conflict with."
Schnitzmeier's attorney, Jim
Hallman, quoted the open meet-
ing law to the board regarding
executive sessions, which allows
a board to convene into execu-
tive session "to consider the ap-
pointment, employment, right to
practice or dismissal of a public
officer, professional person or em-
ployee, or to hear complaints or
charges brought against an em-
ployee, professional person or of-
ricer, unless the employee, profes-
sional person or officer requests
a public hearing. The governing
body may exclude from any pub-
lic or private hearing during the
examination of a witness, any or
all other witnesses in the matter
being investigated. Following the
Deb Schnitzmeier
hearing or executive session, the
governing body may deliberate on
its decision in executive session."
He said his client, Schnitz-
meier, is asking for the public
hearing.
The board then sought the
advice of commissioners Jerry
Ewen and Scotty Hinman, both of
whom were in attendance. Ewen
said the commissioners discuss
any personnel decision in exec-
utive session but reminded the
board that no action can be taken
in executive session.
Ewen said, "I believe that
you can take whatever action you
choose. If there are any further
questions I recommend a consul-
tation with the county attorney
because it needs to be done cor-
rectly and legally. If she's entitled
by law for an opportunity to have
her say then she should receive
that."
Schnitzmeier made one com-
ment that when Carrizales came
to the office on Thursday he was
See 'SCHNITZMEIER
SUSPENDED,' page 7
Dean and Teddie Tippetts outside
the Republican Convention site in
Tampa.
BY DAVID PECK
"It was a blast!"
That's how Dean Tippetts
described his time in Tampa,
Florida, last week as a Wyo-
ming delegate to the 2012 Re-
publican National Convention.
Tippetts, who lives on
Road 7 near Cowley after
many years living in and then
west of Lovell, attended the
convention with his wife, Ted-
die, as the official voting del-
egate from Big Horn County
after being elected during the
GOP county convention in the
spring.
Attending the event was
inspiring to Tippetts, who vot-
ed enthusiastically as a firm
delegate for GOP Presidential
nominee Mitt Romney and en-
joyed every moment of the con-
vention.
"It was a great experience,"
he said. "It's hard to describe
the excitement."
Tippetts explained that
Wyoming had 29 delegates at
the convention, which is more
than usual.
'Tee were rewarded with
more delegates because Wyo-
ming is the most Republican
state in the country," he said,
noting that Wyoming's con-
gressional delegation is all Re-
publican, the top five elected
state officials are Republican
and both the Wyoming House
and Senate have strong GOP
majorities.
"Wyoming had as many
delegates as states like Michi-
gan or Arizona, which only had
30 because they moved their
primary up," he said. "It's pret-
ty cool that we had that much
representation at the conven-
tion."
Of Wyoming's 29 delegates,
13 were elected at county con-
ventions, like Tippetts. He said
Big Horn County rotates ev-
ery four years with Sheridan
County for electing official and
alternate delegates.
"It was our turn to send a
delegate," he said, noting that
Sheridan County had the al-
ternate.
Tippetts was elected at the
Big Horn County convention
in Basin in March, out-polling
Rob DiLorenzo. A third nomi-
nee did not accept the nomina-
tion.
"A lot of people don't un-
derstand the process," Tippetts
said, "which is why it is always
so poorly attended. Each coun-
ty has its own convention, and
you go to make sure you're be-
ing properly represented at the
state convention."
Precinct committeemen
and Committeewomen elect-
ed during each primary elec-
tion vote on the county plat-
form and on the delegates to
the state and national conven-
tions, but any registered Re-
publican can attend the county
convention and run to be a del-
egate.
"Anyone can discuss the
platform, give their input and
vote," he added. "We each had
to get up and speak, and part
of it is that you have to declare
the candidate for president you
support."
But although the elected
delegate gets to vote for the
presidential nominee, he or
she is elected by the precinct
representatives, '!so in a sense,
when precinct committee peo-
ple vote, they are casting a vote
for a presidential candidate, as
well."
Both Tippetts and DiLoren-
zo declared their support for
Romney, Tippetts said.
After 13 delegates were
elected at county conventions,
14 more were elected at the
state GOP convention in April.
The governor's office carries
an automatic delegate vote,
as does the national commit-
tee person. Gov. Matt Mead
led the Wyoming delegation in
Tampa.
Tippetts noted that dele-
gates must pay their own way
to the national convention, or
private individuals can help
with expenses, but the local
and state party cannot fit the
bill for delegates.
In Tampa, 28 of 29 dele-
gates were committed to Rom-
ney, one committed to Ron
Paul.
THE CONVENTION
EXPERIENCE
Dean and Teddie Tippetts
made their plans for Tampa
last spring after he was elect-
ed, and they traveled on Sun-
day, Aug. 26, though Dean said
they were certainly scanning
the airline flight status infor-
mation during the two days be-
fore their departure date due
to Hurricane Isaac. He said
they realized that they could
get to Tampa before the hur-
ricane hit, and in the end, it
tracked to the west, although
the fringe of the hurricane hit
Tampa with a lot of wind and
rain on Monday, Aug. 27.
The start of the convention
was delayed until Tuesday,
and that's when all of the of-
ficial convention business was
conducted such as voting on
the platform and taking nomi-
nations for president. Tippetts
said delegates are obligated to
See 'TIPPETTS IN TAMPA,'
page 7
