Week of December 19, 2024
Week of December 19, 2024
The members of the Wyoming Senate and House of Representatives selected their respective leadership and finalized committee assignments for the 68th Wyoming Legislature following party caucuses Nov. 23 and 24. Members of leadership will be formally confirmed, and newly elected legislators will be sworn-in Jan. 14 beginning at Noon, as provided by the Wyoming Constitution. In the Senate, Sen. Bo Biteman (Ranchester) was nominated for President of the Senate; Sen. Tara Nethercott (Cheyenne) was elected Majority Floor Leader; and Sen. Tim...
At the December 12 Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce board meeting, CEO Meri Ann Dorman and the board discussed the Demolition Derby and whether they would hold it next year or not. There were concerns about the lower attendance in 2024 and with fewer cars participating. Dorman said that they need to hit their budget number and there are worries about breaking even. The derby is a fundraiser for the Chamber. Board member Bradyn Harvey responded that “people will show up anyway...
Several area churches have scheduled dates and times for services near and on Christmas Day. They include: St. Francis Catholic Church – Tues., Dec 24, Christmas Eve Mass at 4 p.m.; Weds., Dec. 25 Christmas Day Mass at 11 a.m. Risen Son Baptist Church – Tues., Dec. 24, Christmas Eve Service at 6 p.m.; Weds., Christmas Day no service. Living Waters Assembly of God – Sunday Dec. 22 Service at 10:30 a.m., and Dec. 24, Christmas Eve candle light service at 6 p.m. Community Federated Church – Christmas Eve Services Tues., Dec. 24, 5 p.m.,...
You are invited to volunteer to help with or bring food for the Christmas dinner that will be served Wednesday, Dec. 25 beginning at 12:30 p.m. at the Episcopal Church, 642 Arapahoe St. Meals will be delivered to homes prior to noon. You can sign up for a delivered meal or to eat in at Public Health (864-3311), Chamber of Commerce (864-3192), The Philips Help Center (864-3322), Holy Trinity Episcopal Church (864-3629), Community Federated Church (864-2524) or the HSC Senior Center (864-2151). The dinner is brought to you by People for People...
Fly Tying Night Out Thermopolis Fly Shop is hosting a night of fly tying Thursday, Dec. 19 from 4-8 p.m. at their new location 540 Arapahoe St. There is no cost for the event and you can bring your own vice or use one of theirs. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, email thermopolisflyshop@gmail.com First Baptist Church events December 20-21, a youth trip fundraiser will be held from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Bring your gifts and they will wrap them for you on a donation basis. A Christmas choir program, “O Little Town of...
Big Springs FFA Members have been busy serving our community. Part of the FFA motto is “Living to Serve” and that’s exactly what members have been busy doing. FFA members pitched in to purchase a full thanksgiving dinner for a family in town. Each person signed up to bring a specific item and the full meal was delivered to the family just before Thanksgiving. FFA members set a goal to fill 20 boxes for Operation Christmas Child to send Christmas gifts to kids in Mexico. TMS students and staff all helped out and we filled 22 boxes to...
Porshia Birdsley recently placed 16th out of 23 in the world at the 2024 Official Strongman Games World Finals held in Madison, Wisconsin at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum on December 6-8. Birdsley's weight class is under 73kg or 160lbs. There were four events to compete over two days. First was the log and trump log. This is where one rep on the bigger log (190lbs) beats any amount on the little log (165 lbs). Second was the car yoke walk with 620 lbs. Third was the axle deadlift with 405 lbs...
The Hot Springs County High School Bobcat Wrestlers traveled to Powell last week-end to compete in the Powell Invite. Twenty-two teams from across the region were in town, to get a feel for the trajectory their respective seasons may follow. For the Bobcats, the season started with a bang! In a very large tournament, with experienced teams, representing some extremely tough competition, the Bobcats finished in third place – and were the top Wyoming school – just ½ point out of...
After finishing last season in fourth place – with just one win in their division – the Hot Springs County High School Bobcat basketball team drops down to Class 2A this season – and looks to fare far better this year and to make the play-offs. In early voting, the team is ranked number three among 2A teams. To kick off the season, the team traveled to Lander last Friday, to play their former Class 3A rival. Despite a 2A team playing a 3A team, the game went to the visiting Bobcats, who led the Lander Tigers from the tip-off. At...
Following on the heels of their outstanding performance at regionals in Thermopolis, nine members of the Thermopolis Middle School wrestling team were in Douglas on December 15 to compete in the Wyoming Amateur Wrestling Association (WAWA) Middle School Wrestling Championships. With thirty-nine teams in attendance, the competition was both stellar, and grueling. This tournament serves as the qualifier for athletes to represent the state of Wyoming at the upcoming Heartland National Duels, which will be held in Council Bluffs, Iowa in March of...
The Hot Springs County High School Lady Cats basketball team opened their new season against Class 3A Lander last Friday. In a game where neither team looked to be in regular season form, the Lady Cats were never in contention on the scoreboard and were defeated by a score of 54 to 27. The Lady Cats are a young team, with just two seniors, Hanna Hill and Austin Slagle. Three juniors, Jayssie Owsley, Kamryn Farrell and Charlee Slagle are joined by two sophomores, Chloee Owsley and Morgan Jones. Two freshman made the varsity team to start the...
The Hot Springs County High School Speech and Debate team earned the 1A/2A Team Sweepstakes Championship trophy at the Landins Outlaw Tiger Classic Speech and Debate Tournament held at Lander Valley High School on December 13-14. Coached by Lyle Wiley, Alyssa Brown, Riley Jeffs, and Markie Whitney, the Bobcats brought ten students to compete in the large tournament that hosted 17 schools and nearly 300 entries. Senior Kiesha Kraushaar set the pace with a second place finish in Dramatic Interpretation. She also broke into semifinals in...
The Lady Cats wrestlers kicked off their season in Cody last weekend. The Cody Girls Invite saw twenty-one teams come in, to begin the 2024-25 wrestling season. The Lady Cats are, once again, a young team, albeit a team which gained a wealth of experience last year. Returning junior, Alix Sorensen, will again join forces with returning sophomores Lilly Quintanilla, Summer Galovich and Ava Dafoe. Freshman Izzy Hetzel will join her upper-class teammates in this year’s quest for championships. The action in Cody on Friday saw the Lady Cats...
The school auditorium was packed for last Saturday's Hot Springs Dance "It's a Barbie World" Recital. Performers included, first photo, Auburn Galovich, Ivory Galovich, Sydney Martinez, Matea Vargas, Aliyah Deere, Dayton Basse and Kyle Egger; and second photo Ava Whitt, Hazel Delay, Stella Borgen, Lilly Sayler and Piper...
Melene Mierzejewski held her annual Christmas piano recital at the auditorium last Sunday. Her many students including, left, Scarlett Deromedi and, right, Aurora Gevas, played a variety of Christmas music...
Hadley Whitt, Savannah Paulk and Allie Carswell performed at last Saturday's Hot Springs Dance "It's a Barbie World" Recital at the school auditorium. The house was packed to watch several dancers of various ages perform. The dancers featured an array of different costumes that accented their...
The Grinch, an elf and Olaf from Frozen greeted students on Tuesday morning from atop the Ralph Witters Elementary School...
Last Saturday at Storyteller, Jessica Lippincott, left, held a signing for her new book "Lori Goes to Dance Class". Cousins Emma Hetzel and Noel Ryan with her mother Kristin Ryan take a look at the colorful illustrations that featured dinosaurs. This children's book was written after a real dinosaur that was discovered in 2001 near Douglas. Nicknamed "Lori", this dinosaur is a small troodontid, that was discovered in the same quarry as "Jimbo" the Supersaurus. Named and described in 2019, this...
The following letters to Santa are printed as submitted, without editing. Dear Santa, For christmas I would like a VR. Why I want a VR is because my sister has one and I want to play with her. My favorite part of christmas is decorating gingerbread houses, finding the elf, and decorating the house and tree. From, Scarlett Dear Santa, I am really looking forward to decarating cookies. There is also something i want for christmas is a cirkul water bottle because i am jealous of a classmate. And i...
As of the date of this edition, I have been working for the Independent Record for 26 years, 7 months and 26 days (yes, I counted). I have a lot of issues behind me, in more ways than one. This particular issue, the one that includes the Letters to Santa and the Christmas Greetings, is one of my favorites each year. You’ll find them in the B section. Both of my sons were raised in Thermopolis and attended RWE. I’ve looked through the back issues from their youth and read their letters. Its...
As another year comes to a close, we begin to focus on the events, and the atmosphere, of the holiday season. Certainly, the holidays can be hectic – stressful even. It is important, however, that we always try to overlook those aspects of the season, and focus instead, on the more joyful things – especially, how we look forward to time spent with friends and family, in celebration of the season. Understandably, our thoughts may turn to holiday seasons of the past, and to happy times spent with some loved ones, who are no longer with us....
by Jill Palmquist It’s the end of a long, stressful, contentious year for many of us. We’ve absorbed more than our share of anxiety over the election, over world events, and over the rising prices of…well, everything. And now, here come the holidays barreling toward us like a tinsel-decked locomotive. Ugh. How are we supposed to get in the holiday spirit when all we can muster right now is a half-hearted “bah humbug”? Actually, the stretch between now and New Year’s is a great time to get your sparkle back and end 2024 on a high...
On Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, at 4:05 a.m., Katherina Rose Wurtz Tanner passed away leaving this Earth. Katherina has three children: Sheridan, Shylow and Levi, who passed away of COVID in 2021. Katherina was a free spirit who loved the land and loved God. She converted to the Church of Mormon where she found peace and belonging. Kat has family all over the country and loved looking up information about the Wurtz family tree or anyone who wanted to know more about their family history. Kat had a...
Jeannette Irene Titmus passed away on December 10, 2024, at the age of 87. Jeannette was born on February 13, 1937, to Roy E. and Ethel I. Hunter in Glenrock, Wyo.. She married the love of her life, Glen R. Titmus, on July 15, 1957, in Casper, Wyo. Glen's job with Amoco Pipeline took them to several Wyoming Communities where Jeannette became actively involved in local organizations and her sons' activities. Thermopolis became their lifelong home and Jeannette retired from the HSCSD as the...
Virginia Deniese Pendergraft passed away at the age of 88 of natural causes at The Mission at Castlerock in Green River, Wyo., on December 11, 2024. Virginia's life was a rich tapestry woven with resilience, ambition, and deep ties to family. Born on October 29, 1936, in Helena, Mont., to Rosella Crotty Erickson, Virginia did not experience a traditional childhood. She and her mother moved with the fruit harvests, following the seasonal work from Montana to Oregon. Her early life was one marked...
Ronald Wertz Hancock, age 75, of Thermopolis, Wyo., passed away on December 5, 2024. He was born in Thermopolis on November 22, 1949, to Mae and Burdette Hancock. There will be no service. Instead, Ron wished for those interested to come and visit him up on the hill, buried with his...
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, Dec. 9 3:59 p.m. Deputies investigated a bond violation involving an 18-year-old male who was found presumptive positive after a urinalysis. 6:31 p.m. Deputies assisted Emergency...
