Week of July 11, 2024
Week of July 11, 2024
The Hot Springs County Republican Party hosted a candidate forum on June 25 at the Annex building. The room was packed with standing room only. Jean Skelton moderated the questions and answers section for the invited Legislative candidates and Hot Springs County Commissioner candidates. Last week, we featured part one of the four county commissioner candidate questions, answers and discussion. This article features part two of the county commissioner candidate portion of the forum. Next week, we will feature the Legislative candidates...
At the July 2 Hot Springs County Commissioners board meeting, Brian Clarkson and Maddie Ross of Ardurra gave the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) report and said they have fixed email notification for the Road & Bridge Road Maintenance application and updated the Road Maintenance survey in Survey123. They received additional land use change documents from the Planner and processed and uploaded PDF files to the AWS cloud storage. Ross said they also drew and attributed land use change tracts...
The Wyoming Department of Transportation was recently awarded a $1.62 million federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant for the Wind River Canyon Corridor Resilience and Feasibility Study. The RAISE grant will fund a study to guide resilience planning efforts for the Wind River Canyon Corridor along US Highway 20/Wyoming Highway 789. Various risks affecting travel along this vital link between communities will be addressed in the study, including rock falls, landslides, inclement weather and crashes. The...
Hot Springs State Park (HSSP) is looking for volunteers to help out in their landscaping and gardening. Red Dirt Master Gardener Kelly Strampe described their situation and said, "We just have beautiful flowers and it's wonderful because both the locals and the tourists can enjoy the park. People come back every year and they're looking to see what's been done. And, certainly in the last few years, volunteers have just been really crucial because they just do not have the number of the staff...
The second annual Wyoming Sheep and Wool Festival will take place Friday, July 12, through July 14 at the Hot Springs County Fairgrounds in Thermopolis. The annual event, organized by the Wyoming Wool Growers Association, celebrates all aspects of the Wyoming sheep industry and includes programming by the University of Wyoming Extension and Wyoming Wool Initiative. “What I love about the Wyoming Sheep and Wool Festival is how it brings together the ranchers who produce Wyoming’s lamb and wool clip, the fiber artists and hobbyists who...
At the June Hot Springs County School Board Trustees meeting, Matt Johnson, director of the high school dual credit program for Central Wyoming College (CWC) presented the Board of Cooperative Higher Education Services (CWC-BOCHES) budget and items for discussion. BOCHES is a partnership with CWC and Hot Springs County School District #1 to offer dual and concurrent enrollment in the high school. It is based on the Wyoming constitution that states they have to provide the opportunity for high school students to earn at least 12 college...
The Red Dirt Master Gardeners (RDMG) are excited to announce the receipt of a mini-grant from Rooted in Wyoming. This grant will support the construction of garden beds within the geodesic dome at the RDMG Community Garden, a project that promises to extend the growing season and enhance community outreach. Kim Bartlett, RDMG Secretary, explained the scope and impact of the project: “We built a geodesic dome in our Community Garden at the end of 2023. Now, we need to build beds within the space to make it usable. The funds will be used for...
Ethnobotany class The Red Dirt Master Gardeners and the University of Wyoming Extension are hosting a class open to the public by Danita Sayers on Ethnobotany. This is an introduction to Wyoming Edible and Medicinal Plants. The event will be on Monday, July 15, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Hot Springs County Library. The topics include ethics of wild foraging, safety concerns, and basic plant identification and uses. Also, as part of the Hot Springs County Fair, the Red Dirt Master Gardeners are hosting their Fashion Show on Wednesday July 31 at 3...
On June 29 in Murray, Utah there were 50 kids in the Utah's Strongest Kid competition, making it the largest kids strongman competition in the history of the world. Thermopolis local Taylin Birdsley, 12, took 1st place with 44 out 45 points, second and third place girls tied with 37.5 points. This win was her first strongman competition and there were nine girls in her class. One of the competition staff said "She has a bright future in this...
SonRise Ranch and Supper Club sponsored a free concert in Hot Springs State Park featuring Kimmi Bitter and the Westside Twang, above, Eric Kay and Jillian Nordberg. The concert was a fundraiser for Carbon Vault, Inc., a nonprofit organization that helps disabled veterans begin meaningful careers as ranchers and...
Hot Springs County High School class of 2024 graduate Porter McCumber qualified to compete at the National High School Finals Rodeo held in Rock Springs July 14-20. McCumber qualified in two events, cutting and saddle bronc. At state, he placed second in cutting after winning the second go around. He placed third in saddle bronc. The top four in each event qualified for nationals. McCumber is up Monday and Friday in saddle bronc and Tuesday and Thursday in boys...
Several attendees enjoyed using the photo booth at the Independence Day Freedom Fest '24 hosted by Wyoming Discovery Days. The event, held in downtown Thermopolis near the flagpole, featured live music, a sloppy joe dinner, dancing and family...
Kai Landon volunteers to help Leo the circus clown during the Culpepper and Merriweather Circus last Sunday afternoon. The family-friendly event was sponsored by the Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of...
Sometimes in life, unforeseen circumstances arise. Although these circumstances may be inconvenient, the true test of character is how we deal with them. This week’s Thermopolis Independent Record is two sections. We typically do not divide our paper into two sections unless there is a true need. The choice to do so this week was beyond our control. We don’t feel the need to go into all details, but we had to use a fill in printer this week and the limitations on their press are different than our regular printer. So if you are looking...
by Jill Kruse, DO Doctors are taught medical terms and jargon in medical school like a secret code. Many medical terms are rooted in Greek and Latin. Over the course of our training, these words become second nature and we become fluent in this medical “language”, although we are also expected to talk to our patients using simple terminology. However, most specialties in medicine still use the original Greek and Latin roots for their names. Once you know where these names come from, everything makes sense. Most names start with a Greek or...
The Preparedness Fair at the fair grounds on Saturday, June 29 was outstanding. The organizer did an amazing job! The speakers, classes and exhibits were very informative. Thank you for an excellent job to help us be more prepared for present or future problems or emergencies. Kathryn...
William Matthew "Matt" Whitt, 70, of Thermopolis, passed away on June, 28, 2024, in Thermopolis, Wyo. Matt was born on September 1, 1953, in Thermopolis, the first of 5 children of Bill and Jean (Irvine) Whitt. In 1973 he enlisted in the US Navy. He attended the anti-submarine warfare school in Memphis, Tenn., and was then stationed at the Adak Alaska Naval Base. He attended nursing school in the 1980's and was well loved by his patients and those he worked with. He was a skilled carpenter and...
Kenneth "Bud" Paul Weaver, beloved husband, father, and grandfather passed away peacefully on July 1, 2024, in Thermopolis, Wyo., surrounded by his family. He was born on June 20, 1949, in Traverse City, Mich., to Emma Lorraine (Griffor) and Clarence Willard Weaver. Bud's family moved to Thermopolis when he was 11 years old after his parents purchased the Boysen Marina. He attended school in Shoshoni and later pursued mechanical studies in Laramie before proudly serving in the Air Force. Bud's...
On the Record policy It is the Thermopolis Independent Record’s policy that all people arrested or cited under the “Accidents,” “Sheriff’s office” or “Police department” in the On the Record section are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. We print the names of all people upon their initial arrest. Sheriff’s office Monday, July 1 2:35 p.m. Report of hit-and-run property damage to a mailbox along Lane 14. 8:28 p.m. Deputy and a police officer responded to a report of a disturbance in the area of mile...
