WyoTech Weekly Clip Report

WyoTech Weekly Clip
Report
Date
Headline
Outlet
4/18/2013
Local sons among those deployed with 133rd
Republican-Rustler
4/18/2013
The Spirit to Speak Out: Documentary Features
Oglala Sioux Woman's Heartbreak and
Redemption Through Custody Battles, Abuse
Indian Country Today Online
4/18/2013
Soldiers from Guernsey included in deployment
Guernsey Gazette
4/17/2013
BLAIRSVILLE BOROUGH: Council approves
BCDA requests
Indiana Gazette - Online,
The
4/16/2013
Lightning Lube welcomes drive-up customers
Redwood Times - Online
4/15/2013
Jessi Combs, Co-Host of Overhaulin'
Discovery Channel Online
4/12/2013
Laramie Wishes its Troops Well
KGAB-AM - Online
Headline:
Local sons among those deployed with 133rd
Date:
4/18/2013 1:27:38 PM
Media Contact:
Media Outlet:
Republican-Rustler
Attachment Link:
http://www.basinrepublican-rustler.com/2013/04/18/local-sons-among-thosedeployed-with-133rd/
The Wyoming Army National Guard will deploy 162 Soldiers from the 133rd Engineer Company, based in
Laramie, Wyo., to Operation Enduring Freedom April 12.
The unit's deployment ceremony was at the University of Wyoming's Arena-Auditorium April 11.
The unit received federal mobilization orders for 400 days to conduct base security operations in support
of OEF. The orders consist of more than a month of pre-deployment training at Camp Shelby, Miss.;
followed by nine months in Bahrain. The period of active duty can change, based on the U.S. Army's
requirements.
Lt. Col. Joseph Huss, Wyoming Army National Guard mobilization officer, said, “This is the first nonengineering deployment in the unit's history. They have been training extensively for more than a year in
preparation for the mission and I know they will do an outstanding job on behalf of the Wyoming Army
National Guard.”
The 133rd's last deployment was in November 2004 to Iraq, to perform engineer missions.
The soldiers are from the Wyoming communities of Afton, Auburn, Basin, Burns, Casper, Cheyenne,
Cody, Douglas, Evanston, Evansville, Fort Washakie, Gillette, Glenrock, Green River, Guernsey, Keeline,
Lander, Laramie, Lusk, Lyman, Mountain View, Pinedale, Powell, Ralston, Rawlins, Riverton, Rock
Springs, Saratoga, Sheridan, Sinclair, Sundance, Ten Sleep, Torrington, Veteran, Wheatland, Worland,
Wright and Yoder, and the states of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska and Utah. Of the Soldiers
deploying, 14 attend the University of Wyoming and 10 others attend WyoTech and the state's
community colleges.
Among the soldiers are Matt Vanderpool, son of Ron and Brenda Vanderpool of Basin and Toby Thon of
Ken and Lori Thon, also of Basin. Both leave behind their spouses during the deployment, Vallie
Vanderpool and Heather Thon.
Headline:
The Spirit to Speak Out: Documentary Features Oglala Sioux Woman's
Heartbreak and Redemption Through Custody Battles, Abuse
Date:
4/18/2013 7:31:48 AM
Media Contact:
Media Outlet:
Indian Country Today - Online
Attachment Link:
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/04/18/spirit-speak-outdocumentary-features-oglala-sioux-womans-heartbreak-and-redemption
To say that Robin Poor Bear, Oglala Sioux, struggled with the decision to allow a documentary film crew
to make a movie about her life is an understatement. It's no accident, for instance, that she got sober at
the same time that filming began in 2007.
“I went downhill making that decision,” she said. “I went through about three or four months of just
drinking, and anger and negative feelings. Finally one night I prayed. I ended up having a dream that
someone in the house had died and everyone knew how this person had died, but no one was saying
anything. Right before the police left I opened my mouth and I said, ‘I know what happened.' ”
Poor Bear knew then that she was angry with everyone in her life who hadn't spoken out about the abuse
she had suffered.
“I knew then that I was mad at everybody for not protecting me as a kid,” she said. “And I knew that I had
to do this film and speak out.”
Filmmaker David Sutherland and his crew followed Poor Bear, who was then known by her married name
Robin Charboneau, through three years of her life. The result, a nearly five-hour documentary, KindHearted Woman, was shown on PBS April 1 and 2 as a joint production of Frontline and Independent
Lens.
The film spans her early 30s, a time when Poor Bear was struggling to overcome the early loss of her
alcoholic mother and an abusive first marriage while raising her two children—Anthony, now 14, and
Darian, 17. Poor Bear was also still haunted by the abuse that she suffered starting at the age of 3 at the
hands of her foster family.
“I was abused by a man I called grandpa, his son (I called dad), the brothers of the man I called dad
(which would be uncles) and others,” she told ICTMN.
The small family somehow got used to the presence of the camera; the tape kept rolling through many
tearful talks and family arguments. Darian even revealed to her mother, on camera, that she had been
abused by her own father—Poor Bear's first husband—which led to a federal investigation, indictment
and imprisonment that unfolds over the course of the documentary. A custody battle in tribal court on the
Spirit Lake Reservation is also featured, including a six-month period when Poor Bear's children ended
up in foster care.
And Kind-Hearted Woman traces Poor Bear's ill-fated second marriage from beginning almost to its end.
The small family picked up and moved many times—from the reservation to Fargo, North Dakota, to
International Falls, Minnesota, to Canada and back again, in response to each curveball.
“I had no idea what was to come during the filming process,” Poor Bear reflected. “I had no idea that my
daughter was going to come out about the abuse, and I had no idea that Spirit Lake Social Services was
going to take my kids away for the film. My adoptive family hasn't spoken with me for years. That's fine,
because they carry that shame. I don't carry it any more.”
It was Poor Bear's local victim service program director, Linda Thompson, who introduced her to
Sutherland, who was looking for a good documentary subject. Poor Bear made herself available, with
reservations.
“I was terrified that entire week before he came to the Spirit Lake Reservation,” she said, “because there
were only two other people who knew parts of my story at the time. One was my therapist and the other
was a person who called me ‘sister.' David was the third.”
Despite her reservations, Poor Bear came to realize she was doing the film to give other abuse victims a
glimmer of connection and hope.
“If there was one woman out there, I had to do it,” she said. “When you're in that situation, you feel so
alone.”
Not that her road back has been easy. Poor Bear had hoped to return to school for psychology and social
work so she could learn how to help abuse victims, especially on the reservation. However, her exhusband's sexual molestation trial and the custody battle interfered. She started classes but abandoned
them when she felt her children needed her.
Though Poor Bear's academic plans got tabled, she found her way. The film shows her working as a
hotel maid for a time, then landing the first of several social services jobs—monitoring supervised visits
for dysfunctional families at a victims' advocacy organization in International Falls.
Her responsibilities grew until she had a nervous breakdown, related to her personal struggles, after
which her social services supervisor lost confidence in her and let her go. But she quickly found work with
a similar organization. And within days of the brief psychiatric hospital stay, she was exposing her past in
a new way: as a speaker in front of victims, victims' advocates, and whoever else would listen.
“I was torn and ripped to pieces by people I called dad, uncles,” she told that first rapt audience, as
captured in the film.
By now, speaking out about abuse has become Poor Bear's primary occupation. And even as KindHearted Woman chronicles her path in its early stages, it continues to push her along her way. Since its
release, Poor Bear's has calendar filled with speaking engagements for several months.
“Some people are booking into next year,” she said. “It can't get any better.”
Personally, she said, the film “helped me grow. It helped me listen to my spirit. My spirit came alive. It
made me a better mom. Women and children have been reaching out from all over, talking about their
issues, some for the first time. Not just women and children but men also. I'm just so blessed in so many
ways that I can't even count.”
Poor Bear says she has received responses from abuse victims all over the world. But perhaps the most
meaningful support has come when she has visited her own reservation.
“I walk around on the reservation. The elders will say, ‘I need to give you a hug.' And they'll say, ‘That's a
good thing you did. I'm proud of you.' ”
Poor Bear says she recognizes that abuse happens all over, not just on her own reservation. But
reservations often add another layer of obstacles to healing, she says.
“We just don't have the amount of resources,” she explained. “We're low on housing. We're low on law
enforcement. Some of our judicial systems need to be revamped. The sexual abuse and domestic
violence that happens on a reservation are bad, but it's even worse when the systems that are sworn to
protect families and children don't do that.”
Happily, Poor Bear's own children are doing just fine, in part because of the documentary itself. “It was
healing in so many ways,” she said. “After my kids watched the film.… I never dreamed that my kids
could become closer than they already were. [Sutherland] gave them each other's perspective.… You
talk about a blessing. I'm so grateful.”
Soon the children will join their mother on a trip to Laramie, Wyoming, where they both hope to attend
college. Anthony is interested in an automotive program at WyoTech, and Darian wants to go to the
University of Wyoming.
“She wants to do everything,” her mother says proudly, “modeling, singing. She wants to be a vet. She
wants to be an advocate.”
Both kids have even developed public presentations of their own. Darian's focuses on the signs of
childhood abuse; Anthony's details his own struggle with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. “It's really
great,” Poor Bear said. “He ends it with, ‘Thank you for paying attention.' ”
And Poor Bear is now spreading her message in new ways. On Mother's Day she will break ground on a
long-term, nonprofit treatment center for women and children who suffer from abuse and/or chemical
dependency. Her wish for the center's clients is the same one she has for the audiences at her talks: a
sense of hope.
“Keep going forward,” she urges victims of abuse. “Don't ever let whatever happened to you in your past
stop you from building a better life for yourself.”
Headline:
Soldiers from Guernsey included in deployment
Date:
4/18/2013 6:09:14 AM
Media Contact:
Media Outlet:
Guernsey Gazette
Attachment Link:
http://www.guernseygazette.com/v2_news_articles.php?
heading=0&page=72&story_id=1408
CHEYENNE--The Wyoming Army National Guard will deploy 162 Soldiers from the 133rd Engineer
Company, based in Laramie, Wyo., to Operation Enduring Freedom April 12. The deployment includes
several soldiers from Guernsey.
The Soldiers are from the Wyoming communities of Afton, Auburn, Basin, Burns, Casper, Cheyenne,
Cody, Douglas, Evanston, Evansville, Fort Washakie, Gillette, Glenrock, Green River, Guernsey, Keeline,
Lander, Laramie, Lusk, Lyman, Mountain View, Pinedale, Powell, Ralston, Rawlins, Riverton, Rock
Springs, Saratoga, Sheridan, Sinclair, Sundance, Ten Sleep, Torrington, Veteran, Wheatland, Worland,
Wright and Yoder, and the states of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska and Utah. Of the Soldiers
deploying, 14 attend the University of Wyoming and 10 others attend WyoTech and the state’s
community colleges.
Headline:
BLAIRSVILLE BOROUGH: Council approves BCDA requests
Date:
4/17/2013 9:02:24 AM
Media Contact:
Media Outlet:
Indiana Gazette - Online, The
Attachment Link:
http://www.indianagazette.com/news/indiana-news/blairsville-borough-councilapproves-bcda-requests,17045183/
BLAIRSVILLE - Borough council approved two requests Tuesday from the Blairsville Community
Development Authority on projects designed to enhance commerce.
Council approved a request from BCDA Executive Director Leann Chaney to pursue funding through the
state Department of Community & Economic Development that would help local developers in attracting
a grocery store in the community. The request was approved 5-0, with council member Mary Ugoletti not
present for the vote.
Chaney asked council to consider having the borough apply for the funding for the grant, which is through
the Keystone Communities Development Grant program.
If the DCED approves the funding, the grant would come to the borough and be loaned to a private
developer, who would have to repay it to a revolving loan fund that the borough would manage, Chaney
said. That funding would then be available to loan for future projects, with council approval. The revolving
loan fund currently has $23,000 from a past grant-to-loan project.
"It generates some funding that we can keep loaning out and getting paid back, but we make a little on
the interest," Chaney said.
She said if council was interested, the BCDA would be able to begin efforts by holding a public meeting
to give residents a chance to discuss the project and its impact and to prepare a resolution for adoption
at a later meeting.
The borough can apply for up to $500,000 or 30 percent of the project's cost, whichever is less, Chaney
said. She said the BCDA would look into what amount it would need for the borough to apply for.
Council President Pro-tem Carolyn Smith voiced caution with potential borrowers who may pose a risk.
"I think we should watch who we give it to because if they go defunct, we're out," she said.
Chaney said the DCED has guidelines and requirements such as documentation on business history, site
specifics and benefit to the community, as well as documentation from the borough evidencing the
developer's ability to pay back the loan.
The DCED accepts applications on a rolling basis, she said, and "there's really no targeted
announcement date" on when she'll receive word on whether or not the application was approved.
Chaney said she thinks it would be "a good opportunity" for the borough.
"We would love to have a grocery store," she said, adding that if that didn't work out, "we could always go
back for something else."
Council also voted 5-1 on Chaney's request for council to pledge $5,000 in matching funds from its 2014
budget to DCED and the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for engineering and
design of a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over Route 22. Smith voted against the motion.
The estimate for the engineering and design is $360,000, Chaney said. She said the BCDA is looking to
help Indiana County with raising the matching funds. The county has applied for up to $180,000 through
the DCED and $180,000 through the DCNR, "but they are going to be looking for a local match" from
various entities interested in the bridge project.
Indiana County Parks and Trails has contributed $10,000 out of its annual budget and $5,000 has been
matched by Residents Advocating Good Environment, Chaney said. Indiana County Parks and Trails
was able to contribute the funds through Act 13 Marcellus Shale money, to be used toward equipment
but not salaries, so it's going toward engineering for the trail.
The BCDA has approached Burrell Township and is working with them, as the project is located in that
municipality, she said.
The applications have been submitted already, she said, but the BCDA is "continuing this effort to raise
money."
"The more that can be contributed, the more competitive those two applications will be," she said.
A commitment letter from the borough would go to the state, but the funding from the borough wouldn't
be needed until 2014, she said.
Chaney said some of the benefits of the bridge to Blairsville Borough include economic development
through increased access to downtown businesses, more attractive residential sighting and more interest
in living in the borough. It would also extend the Hoodlebug and Ghost Town trails into the borough, and
would address safety observations that were identified in a previous study on Route 22.
In other matters, council approved a proposal from police Chief Michael Allman to purchase a new police
vehicle for $24,950 through a state bid through Tri-Star Motors.
The Ford Expedition would be purchased after three years of leasing for $1.
Allman submitted the proposal because two of the borough's three cruisers are in bad shape. He said he
wants to get into a rotation where the same car isn't being used every day and building up mileage.
Council hired Ligonier Construction for $33,155 for road paving projects for several streets. The bid was
one out of six submitted to council.
Council also approved a motion for $975 plus UPS shipping to purchase a new tic-tac-toe board for the
playground after it was discovered damaged recently.
The mayor proclaimed April 26 as Arbor Day in Blairsville.
The annual community cleanup day will be held Saturday, April 27. Registration is at 8:30 a.m. and
cleanup starts at 9. Volunteers will meet in front of the BCDA office.
Sheetz will provide lunch. The first 100 participants will get a free T-shirt, and minimum contributions of
$25 will be accepted to have names printed on the back. Quite a few people are already committed, with
WyoTech sending roughly 50 students to help out.
Anyone interested in volunteering or providing supplies can contact the BCDA office at (724) 459-8588.
Headline:
Lightning Lube welcomes drive-up customers
Date:
4/16/2013 11:41:19 PM
Media Contact:
Virginia Graziani
Media Outlet:
Redwood Times - Online
Attachment Link:
http://www.redwoodtimes.com/garbervillenews/ci_23037330/lightning-lubewelcomes-drive-up-customers
Busy people can now make good use of that unexpected spare hour in town by driving up to Lightning
Lube in Redway for the oil change they've been putting off because life is just too frantic to make
appointments.
When Tony Boyd and Nina Chadwick bought the shop from Ryan Rotbergs last December, their goal
was to be able to offer drive-up service and increase their volume of business.
Rotbergs' detail shop next door to Lightning Lube was sold separately to different owners, allowing the
Boyds to focus on mechanical services.
Tony Boyd and his brother Jon, both graduates of Wyotech, a technical school that provides a
comprehensive automotive technology program, offer a variety of services including oil changes, full car
lubrication, tune-ups, brake work, radiator flushes, and tire rotations. The Boyds can do the full synthetic
oil changes required for many foreign cars, as well as oil changes on diesel vehicles.
They will work on a complete range of vehicles from passenger cars to heavy-duty trucks.
Lightning Lube is a family business. The Boyd brothers were born and raised in Humboldt County, and
Chadwick came to Southern Humboldt when she was 6 years old. They all graduated from South Fork
High School in the early 2000s.
Chadwick manages the shop office and handles business matters. Her interest in art is reflected in her
design for Lightning Lube's new sign and business cards.
In addition to Lightning Lube, for the past four years Tony Boyd has owned Boyd's Auto Repair in the
Evergreen business park, while Chadwick also works for Li'l Sproutz children's store in Garberville.
Chadwick and Tony Boyd's 4-year-old son Otto, currently attending Stepping Stones pre-school, is
already fascinated by cars and is good with a computer, too. He took some time off last Wednesday to
join his mom and dad for the Redwood Times interview.
Lightning Lube is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. If enough customers respond, they may
also open on Saturdays by appointment only.
The shop phone number is 923-4370, but customers are welcome to drop by 3551 Redwood Drive, just
slightly north of the turn onto Briceland Road.
Headline:
Jessi Combs, Co-Host of Overhaulin'
Date:
4/15/2013 4:59:36 AM
Media Contact:
Media Outlet:
Discovery Channel - Online
Attachment Link:
http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/overhaulin/bios/jessi-combs.htm
Jessi Combs
Co-Host
In 2004, Jessi graduated from WyoTech in the Collision & Refinishing Core Program at the top of her
class. Combs then added the Street Rod Fabrication and Custom Fabrication and High Performance
Powertrain programs to her realm of expertise. From 2005 to 2008, Jessi appeared on the Spike show
“Xtreme 4x4 ” before being cast as a co-host of the show. Prior to appearing on “Xtreme 4x4” Combs
appeared on the TLC version of OVERHAULIN' as a guest fabricator. In July of 2009, Discovery Channel
added Jessi to the cast of MythBusters while co-host Kari Byron left on maternity leave. Combs can also
be seen as one of the hosts on Velocity's ALL GIRLS GARAGE.
Headline:
Laramie Wishes its Troops Well
Date:
4/12/2013 1:20:09 AM
Media Contact:
Media Outlet:
KGAB-AM - Online
Attachment Link:
http://kgab.com/laramie-wishes-its-troops-well-photos/
162 members of the Wyoming Army National Guard's 133rd Engineer Company took to the floor in
formation at UW's Arena Auditorium Thursday, as a crowd of well-wishers in the stands cheered them on.
The company, based in Laramie, will be deployed for Operation Enduring Freedom. Army National
Guard soldiers who represent several Wyoming communities and five other states were be honored at
the ceremony. Including 14 UW students and 10 others who are either WyoTech or Wyoming community
college students.
The Wyoming Army National Guard unit received federal mobilization orders for 400 days to conduct
base security operations to support Operation Enduring Freedom. The unit will receive more than one
month of pre-deployment training at Camp Shelby, Miss., followed by nine months in Bahrain, a small
island country situated near the western shores of the Persian Gulf.
Wyoming Governor Matt Mead addressed the troops by way of a prerecorded video message, saying
that he regrettably could not attend the ceremony, as he is, himself, currently returning from the Bahrain
region. Mead went on to say that he plans to meet the 133rd in Mississippi to see them off personally.
Secretary of State Max Maxfield was on hand during the ceremony. He presented the company with a
"Welcome to Wyoming" sign. A tradition dating back to the Korean War.