LUSK - During the June meeting of the Lusk Town Council, the council passed a balanced budget on third reading for the FY 2026-2027. The budget came in at $19,172,579.00 in Revenue and 19,172,579 in expenditures. It is available for public review upon request.

LUSK – Coffee has a long history of bringing friends and family together. Since Beangrinders sadly closed its windows, a group of friends decided they needed to pick up where that business left off by leasing a small coffee drive-thru and rebranding it as the Branded Brew.

Tiny Van Tassell once boasted a nightclub that some claimed was the best such entertainment site west of Omaha. The Buckaroo Bar, also known as the Buckaroo Club and the Buckaroo Nite Club, was established in 1947. It offered fine food in the café and alcohol at what some said was the longest bar in Wyoming. By the 1960s, it also featured exotic dancers with live bands on Friday and Saturday nights and occasional stag nights. One advertised dancer was Pixie Regan, “The Cutest Little Nudist in the Land.”

LUSK – Republican U.S. House of Representatives seat candidate Jillian Balow was making the rounds in Lusk. Balow is a fifth-generation Wyomingite who grew up in Gillette. Barlow decided to throw her hat in the congressional ring because she wants to place Wyoming’s interests first.

LUSK – Memorial Day began for some with BBQs and relaxation; for others, there was a morning of solemn remembrance of our fallen soldiers and those who had fought in various wars.

LUSK - Join Chuck and Fiona as they journey to the Emerald Isle for a week of adventure, bible verses, songs and more! The First Baptist Church of Lusk is once again hosting Vacation Bible School for kids ages preschool to fifth grade (the grade of completion for spring 2026). Every year FBC hosts a weeklong bible school using the Answers in Genesis curriculum. The last three years kids have been invited to come along and adventure with Chuck and Fiona to medieval times, along on jungle cruises and through the old west. This year, they will be exploring the Ireland in their journey to learn more about Psalm 23.

NIOBRARA COUNTY – The Niobrara County Commissioners held discussions concerning elected officials’ salaries during their meeting on May 19. Wyoming State Statutes require that all elected officials’ salaries be set prior to June 1. The salaries are set for a four-year period beginning January 1, 2027.

LUSK – Sixth-grade students at Lusk Elementary/Middle School have completed several community service projects this year, including helping hang decorations for Veterans Day and reading to kindergarteners at Christmas. 

LUSK – Memorial Day is right around the corner, and local VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars), VFW auxiliaries and the Lusk Elks Lodge BOP #1747 are planning ceremonies to honor veterans and those who have fallen.

LUSK - Over 2.9 million semi-trucks form the vertebral column of the United States’ supply chain, transporting more than 70-percent of the total domestic freight tonnage. Soon, Charlie Gaukel, Wyatt Straugh, Isaac Assman, and Clay Willey will be joining these big rigs on the American roads. Thanks to an inaugural commercial driver’s license (CDL) program at Niobrara County High School (NCHS), the aforementioned youths will be emerging from their classrooms with time behind the wheel and a marketable skill. The program owes its existence to a partnership between NCHS and Eastern Wyoming College (ECW) in Torrington. In fact, ECW even donated a big rig of their own for NCHS students to train with.  

LUSK – Niobrara County School District #1 (NCSD #1) will introduce a student cell phone policy to be enacted this upcoming school year, 2026-2027.

LUSK – Wyoming Virtual Academy (WYVA), hosted by Niobrara County School District #1, held its May 15 graduation ceremony with 70 members of the class of 2026, along with their families and friends, in attendance. Nearly every seat in the Niobrara County High School auditorium was filled, and extra chairs were brought in to accommodate the crowd.

LUSK – Niobrara County School District #1 school board met on May 11. During the school board meeting, SkillsUSA club members spoke about their time at the SkillsUSA state competition. Addie Lytle proudly showed off her T-shirt design, which they will all wear during their trip to Atlanta, Georgia, for Nationals.

LUSK – Karla VandeBossche was honored with District Teacher of the Year and during the Niobrara County School District #1 (NCSD #1) school board meeting, board members, faculty and students all celebrated VandeBossche’s award and her upcoming retirement.

LUSK – The Wyoming Arts Council Board will hold its quarterly meeting May 18-19 at the Wyoming Municipal Power Agency (WMPA), beginning at 1 p.m. on May 18. On May 19, the board will meet from 9-11:30 a.m., and there will be a meet-and-greet at the Niobrara County Library on May 18 from 4:30-5:30 p.m.

LUSK – Niobrara County High School celebrated its Career Technical and Club Showcase on May 6. There were tours led by club members, with students and the FFA coach giving presentations on what students have been doing throughout the school year in their respective clubs.

LUSK - The Annual Niobrara Homemakers Luncheon was held on May 7 at the fairgrounds. Scholarship and annual awards were given along with a tasty lunch and fun decorations.

TORRINGTON - April 29 Britainy Bruegger set up an opportunity for the first and second graders to go to the Torrington Livestock Market.  This was the third year that students were able to go again.  The trip has gotten bigger and better each year.  Justin Smith and Danny Matney are the tour guides.  This year, they experienced loading up into an empty cattle pot, touring the stockyards high above the pens on the catwalk, getting weighed in the sale ring, and filling out their bid cards as the cattle were being auctioned off.  They all walked away with a pen, a t-shirt, and a lot more knowledge about the cattle industry.    

LUSK - Dr. George Harty of Silver Cliff Veterinary Clinic and beef leader Matt Dockery hosted a workshop for beef project kids on vaccinations, how and why. Harty presented information and a brief biology lesson for those in attendance. He discussed the history of vaccinations and how live vaccines are manufactured. The 4-H members learned how different vaccinations work (prophylactic versus treatment) and the different ways to administer them (subcutaneous, intramuscular, etc.).

NIOBRARA COUNTY - An accident at 11:29 p.m. on Friday, May 1, resulted in the loss of three lives. The accident occurred approximately nine miles north of Lusk on US Highway 85. The highway was closed for several hours.