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Lovell, Wyoming 82431
Price 75¢
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Volume 105, Number 24
It was cold and snowy and "beginning to look a lot like Christmas" during the Holiday Mingle in downtown
Lovell Saturday evening. Here, Santa Claus and several children throw magic dust on the downtown
Christmas tree to light it.
Little Jett Rees,
3, at the left, was
very excited to tell
Santa Claus what he
wants for Christmas
during the "photos
with Santa" party at
the Lovell Fire Hall
Saturday afternoon,
part of the Lovell
Holiday Mingle.
Options proposed for GM beets in 2011
BY BRAD DEVEREAUX
A document released by
the USDA in early Novem-
ber could mean changes for
beet farmers who are plan-
ning to plant their 2011
crop this spring. But until a
proposed action is selected
from the plan, farmers are
waiting to hear what type
of seed they will be permit-
ted to plant in the spring.
The U.S. Department
a prepared draft environ-
mental assessment (EA) to
address a request from the
Monsanto Company (Mon-
santo) and KWS SAAT
AG (KWS) for partial
deregulation or similar ac-
tion to allow the contin-
ued cultivation of Roundup
Ready sugar beets.
The EA considers three
options, including the agen-
cy's preferrel alternative,
of Agriculture's Animal • which would authorize pro-
and Plant Health Inspec- duction of Roundup Ready
tion Service (APHIS) an- sugar beets under strict
nounced in early November APHIS permit conditions.
"APHIS takes its role in
protecting plant health very
seriously and is well aware
of the importance of this de-
cision for sugar beet grow-
ers and processors," said
Michael Gregoire, deputy
administrator for APHIS'
biotechnology regulatory
services. "We are issuing
this environmental assess-
ment to share our decision-
making process as trans-
parently as possible and
allow for public comment."
The EA includes three
alternatives:
1. Deny the request for
partial deregulation or any
similar administrative ac-
tion. This alternative would
halt any authorization of
production until APHIS
completes the EIS.
2. Authorize the pro-
duction of RR sugar beets
under APHIS permit sub-
ject to mandatory condi-
tions to prevent any poten-
tial plant pest risks. This is
the APHIS preferred alter-
native.
See qBEETS,' pap 7
Lovell sugar campaign going well, records broken
Things are looking great for the
2010 sugar campaign at the Lovell
Western Sugar factory as workers
recently passed the halfway point of
processing beets this campaign.
So far, about 230,000 tons of beets
have been processed at the Lovell fac-
tory, according to plant manager Ray
Bode. The quality of beets remains ex-
cellent and the factory has been run-
ning smoothly with virtually no inter-
ruptions since the start of campaign,
Bode said. The factory has produced
more than 67 million pounds of sugar
so far this campaign.
Final harvest estimates state an
average 17.34 percent sugar content
for beets grown in the Lovell factory
district.
Beets are holding up well in sto-
rage piles outside of the factory, Bode
said. Barring any unforeseen weather
between now and February, Bode said
he anticipates that the campaign will
finish with beets in excellent quality.
Bode said the Lovell factory staff
has been working great this year with
everyone thinking ahead to keep the
factory running smoothly. He said
there have been no major injuries or
accidents.
Their hard work paid off when
the Lovell factory set a production re-
cord by beating historical daily pro-
duction in October of 2010, Bode said.
The team beat their own record later
in October, putting the factory high
at 1.034 million pounds of sugar pro-
cessed in one day.
School holiday concert season begins next week
BY DAVID PECK
Local school choirs and bands
have been working hard this fall in
preparation for winter concerts that
will be presented over the next four
weeks.
The concert season begins with a
Lovell High School Choir and Swing
Choir concert next Thursday, Dec.
2, and concludes with a Lovell band
concert, tentatively scheduled for
Monday, Dec. 20. The concert was
moved from its original date of Tues-
day, Nov. 30, due to a conflict with
other activities.
Here's the concert schedule for
the month of December:
Thursday, Dec. 2 - LHS choirs, 7
p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 7 - RMMS band
and choir and LMS choirs, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 9 - LMS musical,
7 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 13 - RMHS band
and choir, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 14 - RMES music,
6:30 p.m. and Lovell K-3 concert at
the Hyart Theatre, 7 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 20 - LMS/LHS
bands, 7 p.m., LMS Commons.
Board considers
ACO hospital choice
BY BRAD DEVEREAUX
With a new law passed by congress this year, rural
healthcare facilities such as North Big Horn Hospital will
have to make a few adjustments to comply with the new
law. CEO Rick Schrooder. came to the board with some
early information about a change that will be coming in
the near future during the regular weekly board meeting
Tuesday, Nov. 16.
Schroeder reported he recently attended a meeting in
Riverton about Accountable Care Organizations, or ACOS,
the details of which are spelled out in the Patient Protec-
tion and Affordable Care Act passed this year by Congress.
ACOs are encouraged under new law and would work with
a network of smaller rural hospitals to provide specialist
care to patients. Goals of the ACO program are to improve
patient care while reducing unnecessary costs for Medi-
care recipients.
Schroeder said hospitals in Cheyenne and Casper are
taking steps to become ACO facilities, which would allow
for easier patient transfers for other hospitals in the ACO
network. Schroeder said small rural hospitals like NBHH
See 'RURAL HOSPITALS,' page 7
Medicine Wheel/Paintrock
Hogen brings western
experience to district
ranger position
BY DAVID PECK
A man with plenty
of experience in western
forests is the new district
ranger for the Medicine
Wheel/Paintrock Ranger
District of the Bighorn Na-
tional Forest.
Dave Hogen started
work on the district on
Oct. 12, replacing Dave
Sisk, who retired earlier
this year. Hogen
Wyoming from
tral Oregon, where he was
a forest fisheries biologist
for the Fremont-Winema
National Forest out of
Lakeview, Ore.
Hogen has roots in the
Midwest and West. Born in
Vermillion, S.D., his fami-
ly lived in Idaho and Iowa,
and he graduated from
high school in St. Anthony,
Idaho, in 1991.
Hogen attended the
University of Idaho in
Moscow, Idaho, graduat-
ing with a Bachelor of Sci-
ence Degree in fishery re-
sources in 1995. During
school he started working
seasonally in west central
Idaho as a fisheries tech-
nician in the Payette Na-
tional Forest, then was
hired full time upon his
graduation.
He later started a
master's program at the
U of Idaho, researching
the life history of the Bull
Trout, earning his mas-
ter's degree in 2002. He
worked from 2000 to 2005
as a district fisheries biol-
ogist for the Council and
Weiser Ranger District of
the Payette National For-
est in Idaho, then became
the lead fisheries biologist
for the Fremont-Winema
National Forest from 2005
until this year in Oregon.
During his five years in
Oregon, Hagen had stints
with two different For-
est Service details, work-
ing as the acting district
ranger back at the Council
and Weiser District in the
Payette National Forest
and as the assistant na-
tional fish program leader
in Washington, D.C.
"I was able to get some
exposure in different lead-
ership roles," he said, "as
a district ranger and in
Washington."
PERSONAL
Hogen and his wife,
Vickie, have a 9-year-old
son, Bryce, and are rent-
ing a place just north of
Dave Hogen
Deaver where they have
room for their dogs, cats
and five horses.
Hagen said his priori-
ties are family, a large-
scale garden (he owns a
1970s Massey Ferguson
tractor), downhill skiing
and hunting and fishing.
Vickie is an experienced
ski patrol member and has
held a number of office po-
sitions.
He said they are happy
to be living in small-town
Wyoming.
"After doing some de-
tails, we wanted a con-
nection in a small town,"
he said. "We want to par-
ticipate in the community
and help out in the com-
munity and hope the com-
munity can help us raise
our son. We've upgraded.
We moved to a community
with a stoplight."
PHILOSOPHY
Hogen said he main-
tains an open-door poli-
cy for co-workers and the
public.
"I try to be very avail-
able," he said. "I strive for
consensus but there are
decisions that have to be
made that don't allow for it
due to timeliness.
"I'm interested in be-
ing active in the commu-
nity. I definitely want us
to make the best tie to the
mountain we can - a part-
nership with Lovell, Grey-
bull, Basin and the moun-
tain."
Hogen said he's try-
ing to "reach out and meet
some folks" and welcomes
people to call him or swing
by his office for a chat. He
said if he's busy he'll make
a point to get back to peo-
ple.
. IIIUl[l!OIJIil[l!!!Pllli,
The Lovell Chronicle, 234 E. Main, Lovell, WY 82431. Contact us at: 548.22!7. www.lovellchronicle.com
