Sanidson resigns county post

Jim Sandison, a Natrona County coroner investigator, has left the coroner's office, he confirmed Wednesday.

Sandison said that after 20 years with the office, he decided to retire.

"I'm 72, and I decided I was tired," he said. "I just haven't done much of anything for them for the last year and a half, and I thought it was time to go."

He said the retirement had nothing to do with Deputy Coroner Gary Hazen, who is being investigated for taking drugs and other belongings from the homes of recently deceased people.

Windy City Striders do the Turkey Trot

On Saturday, the Windy City Striders will host the 2008 Turkey Trot.

The annual 5K race will begin at 9 a.m. at Edness Kimball Wilkins State Park.

Registration begins at 8 a.m., and the cost is either two cans of food or $5. Prizes are given for top male and female participants. There will also be a drawing for Thanksgiving-related food prizes.

Following the Turkey Trot, the Striders will hold their annual general meeting at Godfather�s Pizza. Anyone interested in serving on the Striders Board of Directors, or just wanting to find out more about how the club operates, is welcome.

NCHS student council receives honors

The Natrona County High School Student Council was honored last week with several awards at a state convention, according to a release.

NCHS students attended the Wyoming Association of Student Councils' annual state convention in Cody on Nov. 9 to 11. At the convention, NCHS was recognized for its recent National Council of Excellence Award. It was the third time NCHS has received the award, and the school is the only one in Wyoming to be so honored. NCHS also received its sixth consecutive recognition as an Honor Council with Meritorious Distinction, the state association's highest award.

Mock trial competition set for Casper

On Saturday, students will participate in the Wyoming High School Mock Trial competition in Casper.

Students will compete in two courtrooms in the U.S. District Court building and one courtroom in the Natrona County building. The first round starts at 8 a.m., the second at noon and the championship round at about 2:30 p.m. Awards are expected to take place at about 4:30 p.m.

The winner will go to the National High School Mock Trial competition in Atlanta.

NCHS Speech & Debate Team wins first place

Natrona County High School's Speech & Debate Team recently received first place at the Speech Meet in Evanston, according to a release.

Mary Hoard, NCHS teacher and team leader, coached the team.

Individual award winners include:

*Novice PF

Roy Uptain and Hunter Uptain, first place

Jennifer Barella and Shalom Marcelli, second place

Alex Lutz and Abbey Engen, third place

*Varsity PF

Clayton Dexter and Sunny Pedadda, third place

Jim Meyer and Brian Jackson, third place

*Novice LD

Jim Meyer, first place

Maddie Orcutt, second place

*Varsity LD

Kaitlynn Glover and Maddie Orcutt, tied for third place

*Novice CX

Micah Scaling and Seth Marshall, first place

*Varsity Extemp

Kaitlynn Glover, first place

Sarah Saulsbury, third place

Maddie Orcutt, fourth place

*Novice Extemp

Micah Scaling, second place

Dylan McCurdy, fourth place

Seth Marshall, fifth place

*Varsity Poetry

Caroline Johnson, second place

*Novice Oratory

Gabby Grosso, third place

Joannie Ouellet, fourth place