Week of April 16, 2026
Week of April 16, 2026
by John Bernhisel May 10, 1921 may be one of the most important dates in Wyoming history. On that day, voters approved a statewide road bond that would bring tens of millions of dollars to build a modern highway system. Every county in the state passed the measure by a margin of more than three to one. It was a bold decision, and not just by politicians or business leaders. It was farmers, ranchers, factory workers, and schoolteachers who showed up at the polls. They voted to improve daily...
by Katie Klingsporn, WyoFile.com Though it’s been closed for more than a year, the Star Plunge aquatic facility in Wyoming’s most popular state park appeared ready for swimmers on a windy morning in late March. Classic rock blasted from outdoor speakers, white lounge chairs ringed the outdoor pool and sun glinted off the sulfur-rich water. The person responsible for its condition was inside. Owner Roland Luehne said there’s a reason that he keeps the Star Plunge primed for swimmers. “I am hoping that we’re going to get it open ...
The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) held a meeting in Worland on Monday, April 13 to provide stakeholders with information pertaining to the current and projected water flow rates downstream from the Boysen Dam. The meeting, held at the Community Center, was well attended by individuals working in agriculture and business, representing irrigation and conservation districts, and also municipal officials. Liz Cresto, a water scheduler working out of the Cody Field Office of the Bureau of Reclamation, advised that Boysen Reservoir currently stands...
Thermopolis gardeners - Your help is needed. The sixth year of the Grow A Little Extra program is kicking off across Wyoming, including here in Hot Springs County. They would like to have more Thermopolis gardeners “grow a little extra” in their home gardens and donate it so that we can distribute it to different community organizations. With increasing food prices, many families and seniors can’t afford to buy produce. It’s extremely helpful to be able to provide fresh locally grown produce. They have free seeds available at the Seed...
On Tuesday, April 7, the Hot Springs County Commissioners agreed to seek interim financing for the new airport hangar project from a selected local bank. Long-term funding is expected from the USDA, however, that process can still take some time so the interim funding will allow the project to get underway in a timely fashion. In a run-up to the board’s regular meeting, commissioner Tom Ryan had communicated with all four banking institutions which do business in Hot Springs County. Only three of those entities submitted proposed terms for...
At their April 7, 2026 meeting, the Thermopolis Town Council reviewed two large grant funding requests, which have recently been approved. Two million dollars will go toward completion of the transfer station project, and six million dollars will be allocated toward the estimated cost of the lead service lines remediation project. Both grants will be awarded by the State of Wyoming SLIB Board. The total estimated cost of the transfer station project is $3.6 million, however, the Town of Thermopolis has budgeted funds for the remainder after...
Gun club clean up Volunteers interested in helping clean up the Bob Milek Memorial Gun Range should meet at the range on Saturday, April 18 at 9 a.m. For more information, call Ted at (307) 277-0541. Trout Unlimited banquet Thermopolis Trout Unlimited is hosting their 2026 banquet on Saturday, April 18 beginning at 5 p.m. at the Hot Springs County Fair Building. Keynote speaker will be Trout Unlimited CEO Chris Wood. For more information, visit https://www.thermopolis-tu.org/banquet. Spaghetti dinner fundraiser Risen Son Christian School is...
In February of this year, a few fly fishing enthusiasts got together in Casper and organized a statewide fly fishing tournament for high school age participants. The Wyoming High School Fly Fishing Championship event was held last Saturday on the gold medal waters of the Grey Reefs section of the North Platte River. Hot Springs County High School joined in the fun with three members of their newly organized fly fishing club team. Locals Steth and Elisa Daniels dove into the project, getting the...
The Hot Springs County High School Bobcat golf teams traveled to Sheridan last week to play in the Kendrick Spring Invite Tournament, which was hosted by Big Horn High School and Tongue River High School. With several of the Lady Cats away at the State FFA Convention there were only two players, and thus the girls team did not factor in the team standings. The Bobcats finished fifth among the eight teams competing in the event. Sophomore Ruth Needham took the girls championship, carding a very...
Thermopolis Wrestling Club wrapped up the season at the culminating WAWA Kids/16U/Jr State tournament last weekend in Casper. TWC brought home 17 individual state titles across all three styles of wrestling. Aksel Polson, Trenton Enis and Fischer Lewis all earned the Triple Crown honors with a first place finish in all three wrestling styles. As a team, TWC finished in second place with 1076.5 points behind first place Green River Grapplers who ended the weekend with 1255.5 points. Five...
The Hot Springs County High School Track Team continued their season in Glenrock last week. With the FFA State Convention going on in Cheyenne, the team continued to see some shortages in numbers of competitors. With just three girls competing, the Lady Cats finished 10th out of twelve teams, while the Bobcats claimed a first place finish in the team standings with a team point total of 168. The thinclads continue to excel in track events. Ammon Gevas earned first place finishes in both the 400 meter dash (53.19), and the 3200 meter run...
Thermopolis Middle School track competed in Riverton last Friday along with 20 other Wyoming schools at the 2026 Spartan Invite, giving the team from Thermopolis a chance to see competition from schools outside the Big Horn Basin. Over 900 participants gathered with multiple events seeing entries of well over 100 kids. The Thermopolis teams did not place in the top six, but had some great individual performances. Next week the team will be in Shoshoni on Saturday, April 18 with action starting at 10 a.m. Results from Riverton are: 6th/7th...
Elementary students perform at the North Big Horn Basin Elementary Music Festival held at the William Malloy Auditorium last Saturday, featuring approximately 120 students from across the Big Horn...
Holt Ready dips Callie Miller on the dance floor during the Cabin Fever Chili Cook-Off and Family Dance held at the VFW last...
Cabin Fever Chili Cook-Off contests winners include, l to r, second Mike Kelly, third Ro Dominguez, people’s choice Shurie Scheel and first Eric Lauer. The well-attended fundraiser was hosted by Wyoming Discovery...
A bumblebee gathers nectar from pink blossoms on a sunny spring...
by John Bernhisel This is the third set of clues in the search for two silver bars hidden somewhere in the Big Horn Basin. Look for new clues each week in April. For more information, visit Big Horn Basin Treasure Hunt on Facebook. Questions: Name all the last names that appear twice in a list of U.S. Presidents. As the bird flies, how many miles is it from the Montana state line near Frannie to the Thermopolis airport? The number 19 written in binary is 10011. What is the base ten value for 100000? Grover Cleveland was the first U.S....
by Victoria O’Brien, Cody Enterprise There was a story I heard a few years ago, about a man in the city, who went on daily walks around his neighborhood and felt sad at how much garbage he saw, and how little was done by waste management to fix it. Eventually, he grew so tired of seeing trash on a particular strip of grass near a highway’s on-and-off ramp that he decided he would go and collect waste from the patch once a week on Thursday. It took about six months of persistent, thankless work on this man’s part to see obvious results,...
by Terri Lynn Geissinger Part two When we think of a Trailblazer, we often picture a lean-muscled man with a scraggly beard, standing courageously in the sunset gazing over the mountains he just traversed. He is dressed in furs and leather with a rifle slung over the shoulder and a sharp blade tucked in his knee-high boot, chewing on a piece of jerky from his last kill. Rarely do we imagine a 25-year-old petite woman, 5’2 weighing 90lbs, wearing a calico dress with a baby girl on her hip. Her sharp blue eyes, constantly looking out for...
Cynthia Kay Grieve, 67, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Hettinger N.D. She moved to ND to be close to her son, Samuel, and his family in order to help care for her through her illness. Cindy was born on October 25,1959, in Roundup, Mont., to Melvin D Collins and Kay C Collins (Maiden name Manor). After moving to Thermopolis, Wyo., she married Arthur Wade Grieve where they raised their boys together. Cindy truly loved the simple pleasures in life, visiting with friends,...
Mary Esther Frix (Bell) has left her earthly body on March 15, 2026, due to long term complications of scleroderma, a disease she had battled for over 20 years. Mary was born June 5, 1954, in the tiny hospital on the hill in Thermopolis, Wyo., to Arthur Henley Frix and Gloria Dewey Frix. Mary has requested that there be no service or celebration of life to ease the burden on her family. Instead, she requests that people gather where they are, with the people they love and raise a glass or two, or ten, in honor of a life...
Edward K. Esquibel, 86, passed away peacefully on April 6, 2026, in Broomfield, Colo., with family by his side. Edward was born in Pueblo, Colo., to Theresa Vigil (Klement) and Gene Esquibel in October of 1939. Edward had a loving step-father, the late George Klement, who he admired tremendously. He had one older brother, Eugene, and two younger sisters, Phyllis Esquibel Reeves and Susan Esquibel Alarid. Edward had five children, Catherine, Edward John, Gregory, Melissa and George Nathan. He...
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 Monday, April 6 3:45 p.m. Investigation into the report of abuse. No further information available. Tuesday, April 7 1:46 p.m. A deputy investigated a complaint made by a...
