Daniel Powell

The Hot Springs County School Board met for their last meeting of the year on December 18. For their first order of business, the board held elections of officers for the calendar year 2026. With one exception, the same officers for 2025 were elected to serve for 2026. Jennifer Axtell will serve as chair, Marshall Keller will serve as vice-chair and Nichole Weyer will serve as clerk. Chauncy Johnson will take over for Jean Skelton as treasurer. The board will continue to hold their regular monthly meetings on the third Thursday of each month,...

January January 2 At the December 19 Hot Springs County School District board of trustees meeting, an election of officers was held. Newly elected trustees were present, including Marshall Keller, Justin Budd, Jean Skelton and Nichole Weyer (who was reelected). They were joined by Sherman Skelton, Jennifer Axtell and Bethany Webber. January 9 The Star Plunge aquatic facility at Hot Springs State Park remains open to the public due to the Wyoming State Parks granting an extension of the expiration of its current management agreement. The...

The Town of Thermopolis has been awarded $165,000 for a planning and demonstration grant from the U.S. DOT’s Safe Streets for All program. The grant money will be used by the Town of Thermopolis to develop a town-wide comprehensive safety action plan that provides data-driven crash analysis, prioritized evidence-based projects, cost-benefit analysis, community engagement and implementation timelines for our surface streets and sidewalks. The study will assist in project prioritization, strengthen the town’s position in seeking funding for...

From Wyoming News Exchange newspapers Train derailed by wind gusts north of Cheyenne CHEYENNE (WNE) — After wildfires south of Cheyenne were fueled by 70 to 80 mph winds last Wednesday, a large Burlington Northern Santa Fe train was blown off the tracks the next night. Around 17 miles northwest of town, some locals reported being woken up by the sound of the train derailing around 4 a.m. Friday. While the cause was originally uncertain, though most assumed it was the wind, the Federal Railroad Administration confirmed Tuesday there will be...

by Maggie Mullen, WyoFile.com via WNE It may not have been an election year in Wyoming, but 2025 still had plenty of standout political moments and events. From rowdy town halls to a new group of Republicans rising to power in the statehouse to legal battles over election laws and abortion restrictions, here’s a look back at some of those stories. Wyoming Freedom Caucus takes the wheel In January, the Wyoming Freedom Caucus pitched a new legislative era of “bold policies” guided by “godly principles.” The group of hard-line...

The Wyoming Department of Transportation has launched an online, self-guided public meeting for the Statewide Rail Plan update. The meeting will be open for the public to learn more and provide feedback anytime between now and Jan. 31, 2026, at https://wyomingstatewiderailplan.com/onlinemeeting/. The online meeting will discuss: · SRP process, goals, and objectives, including applicable Federal Railroad Administration guidance for SRP development. · The existing Wyoming rail system and current rail operations. · Current and future needs...

Community blood drive The next Thermopolis Community Blood Drive will be Monday, Jan. 5 from 2-6 p.m. and Tuesday, Jan. 6 from 9 a.m.-noon at the Hot Springs County Senior Citizens Center. Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are encouraged. To make an appointment, to vitalant.org or contact Melene Mierzejewski at (307) 240-1414. Gun Show The Stars and Pipes Gun Show is set for Jan. 16 and 17 at the Hot Springs County Fair Building, 627 Springview. Hours are 3-7 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday. For more information or to reserve...

Daniel Powell

In the last week before the holiday break, the Thermopolis Bobcats had a dual in Greybull and then traveled to Worland to participate at the Battle in the Big Horns Tournament. This year, the Cats team is somewhat understaffed, leaving a lot of open weight classes and making it difficult to secure a win in a dual. Nevertheless, the Cats gritted out the week and found a great deal of success. On Thursday, December 18, the Bobcats came away with a win by criteria over Greybull/Riverside, with a team score of 37-36. Dyllan Myers, Cannon Boren,...

Daniel Powell

The Hot Springs County High School Lady Cat wrestling team had a loaded schedule in the week before their holiday break. On Thursday, December 11, the Lady Cats had a dual with Greybull/Riverside. There, the Lady cats won 2 of their 3 matches. Izzy Hetzel got things rolling with a pin, and two-time returning state champion, Lilly Quintanilla, followed up with another pin. Freshman Jesalyn Blair, lost her match to a state placer from last year. Junior Ava Dafoe received a forfeit at her weight class. On Friday and Saturday of that week, the...

by Kory Zimney, PT, DPT, PhD As the holiday season winds down and the New Year approaches, many of us begin reflecting on the past year and thinking ahead. It’s a natural time to set resolutions—those hopeful promises to ourselves to eat better, move more, stress less or simply live healthier. Yet, despite our best intentions, many resolutions fade by February. Why is lasting change so hard? As a physical therapist helping patients make healthy changes for over 30 years, I have found the answer may lie in how we approach change, by using...

As we move on from 2025 and welcome 2026 we want to thank you, our loyal readers and advertisers, for keeping us in business. We appreciate your patronage in 2025 and look forward to serving you in 2026. Our community is a great little burg. We enjoy bringing you news and photos of our local happenings each week. 2025 was the year of the snake, it asked us to shed what no longer fit. To slow down and listen. 2026 is the year of the horse, bringing movement and momentum. Truth is revealed, and now we act. Move forward with courage. Happy New...

Go to any education conference, teacher-training clinic or school convention, and what you will typically hear is some version or variation of an emphasis on the dynamics of teaching and learning. On the surface, this would appear to make sense and provide a healthy pedagogical formula. Beneath the surface, however, the most important element in the whole process is often missing: thinking. As an equation, in theory it looks like this: teaching = learning. But anyone who has ever been a teacher (or student) knows, in practice, that is not...

On the Record policy It is the Thermopolis Independent Record’s policy that all people arrested or cited under the “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. Names of minors are not printed. Sheriff’s office Tuesday, Dec. 23 2:27 p.m. Deputies performed a traffic stop on Highway 120 for speeding. The traffic stop resulted in citations for speeding, littering, open container of...