Lincoln County, WY

- Current Unemployment rate: 3.7% --- 1 month change: +0.8% --- 1 year change: -0.3% -Total Labor Force: 10,070 (374 unemployed)

- Population: 19,640 - Born in Wyoming: 8,075 (41.1% of population) - Born in a different state: 10,846 (55.2% of population) --- Midwest (7.4%), Northeast (3.8%), South (3.8%), West (40.2%) - Born in another country: 579 (2.95% of population) --- Africa (0.05%) , Asia (0.28%), Europe (0.43%), Latin America (1.99%), North America (0.15%), Oceania (0.06%)

Afton – Lincoln County 4-H exhibitors are gearing up for the Lincoln County Fair, Aug. 6-13. For Afton siblings Page and Seth Nield, fair is always an exciting time of the summer. Fair projects. Page is the 19-year-old daughter of Joe and Kay Lynn Nield. She became a 4-H...

See the Star Valley Independent Lincoln County Fair Special Edition here! Click in the boxes below and see what’s happening this year.

The Lincoln County Road & Bridge Department is asking drivers to avoid Grover Park on Wednesday, August 10. Road & Bridge Superintendent Matt McCloud said the county is stepping in to make the repairs for the Forest Service to benefit the public. Lincoln County plans to grate the road from Turnerville to Grover and also apply a dust shield.

SVI Media hosted a SVI Media candidate forum for the Lincoln County Commissioner primary candidates. Gregg Wilkes, Mel Shumway, Robert King, and Kent Connelly participated in the forum that can be seen below.

It was a busy weekend for Star Valley First responders as EMS from Star Valley Health and the Afton Fire Department joined with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Wyoming Highway Patrol as they responded to a fatality motorcycle accident Sunday afternoon near the base of the Salt River Summit.

◆ Project part of multi-county waste management plan. Construction has begun on a new transfer station at the Lincoln County Landfill located on Strawberry Road south of Thayne. The new station is part of an on- going multi-county collaboration for waste management, known as the IDAWY Solid Waste District. “The...

◆ Administrators are hosting a Q&A to openly discuss the role and responsibilities of school board members. Lincoln County School District No. 2 School Board has three seats opening in November with Area 2, Area 5 and the At Large Seat. Superintendent Matt Erickson spoke with Duke Dance on the...

- Average Commute Time: 24.3 minutes --- 6.4 minutes longer than state average - Workers with 60+ minute commute: 14.8% - Left for work from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. 20.6% - Worked outside county of residence: 15.0% - Means of transportation: drove alone (68.0%), carpooled (18.2%), walked to work (2.6%), public transportation (0.8%), worked from home (6.1%)

Lincoln County Clerk April Brunski joined SVI to remind the community of the new Voter ID Law and discussed election integrity. The Wyoming State Legislature passed the law, and it went into effect last year. She says she wants to make sure people are prepared with what they need. “All...

- Rural area: 100.0% (4,075 square miles) - Urban area: 0.0% (1 square miles) - Total land area: 4,076 square miles --- #11 largest county in state, #116 nationwide - Population density: 4.8 people / square mile (19,640 residents) --- #15 lowest density county in state, #360 nationwide

◆ Harmon acknowledges volunteer work for those serving on districts and boards in LC. As the Lincoln County Commission set the budget for the coming fiscal year, the governing body, for the first time, included money for the tax refund bill. This comes as the Wyoming Legislature prepares a series of property tax relief measures for the 2023 session.

More than 40 million Americans live below the poverty line, and of those facing such financial hardship, children are disproportionately affected. Nearly 12.6 million children under age 18 live in households with poverty level income. Not only are children at higher risk of poverty, they are also especially vulnerable to poverty's harmful effects, both in the immediate and long-term. Childhood poverty can negatively impact brain development and has been linked with a greater likelihood of chronic illness, shorter life expectancy, and poor emotional and behavioral...

- Population that is fully vaccinated: 44.6% (8,839 fully vaccinated) --- 13.4% lower vaccination rate than Wyoming - Cumulative deaths per 100k: 161 (32 total deaths) --- 49.5% less deaths per 100k residents than Wyoming - Cumulative cases per 100k: 22,239 (4,410 total cases) --- 23.1% less cases per 100k residents than Wyoming

◆ Applications for free and reduced cost meals available. Starting with the 2022-23 school year, breakfast and lunch will no longer be free for students. The program, which made meals free for regardless of income, expired June 30. The free school meals program began in March 2020 when Congress authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture to issue dozens of child nutrition waivers, including ones that expanded summer food programs.

Troop D (Uinta and Lincoln Counties) recently participated in the "Kids Safety Roundup" in Mountain View. Troopers spoke to approximately 500+ younger kids about the importance of wearing their seat belts, child safety seats, bicycle safety, and online computer safety. Troopers also conducted a child safety seat check station checking...

On May 24, 2022, an 18-year old gunman walked into Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas and murdered 19 children and two teachers in one of the latest and all-to-frequent mass shootings in the United States. It is human nature to ponder what might happen and what could happen locally as...