Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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We’re officially within two weeks before graduation — 10 days to be exact — and there’s a flurry of activity at the schools, not just in these last few days but the entire month of May as spring sports wrap up their seasons, school programs take to the stage and students go on field trips near and far. Though the last few days feel like a time to be a bit more lax in the classroom, with summer vacation within sight, I’d encourage students to keep their academic, athletic and extracurr...
by Mark Dykes April precipitation totals across Wyoming were 150 to 160 percent of average. Precipitation numbers varied between near 250 percent of normal over the Tongue River Drainage in north central Wyoming to near 110 percent of normal over the Lower Green Basin in southwestern Wyoming. The current water year, October 2016 to April 2017, precipitation across Wyoming is averaging 140 to 150 percent of average. Mountain snowpack across Wyoming was 125 to 135 percent of median by early May....
The 2017 Prom and Grand March certainly had its share of moments....
There were a few more personal records than usual set by the high school track team at the Bobcat Invite on Friday, according to Coach Ernie Mecca. The Bobcats saw another 12 for the girls and seven for the boys. Mecca noted the records are due to having such a young, inexperienced team. Makayla George had her best meet of the season, Mecca said. She came away the high scorer with 15 points, and personal records in the triple jump with a fourth place finish of 32'0.25", and in the 200 meters...
Several Thermopolis Middle School students competed at the Best of the Best meet in Lander on Tuesday. Among them were seventh grade students Wyatt McDermott, Caydence Becher, Julie Johnson, Hallie Martinez, Mariah Brooks, Bronwyn Dobbins, Adley Coyne, Ayden Cox, Noah Hill and Hazen Thurgood. Eighth grade students competing were: Logan Cole, Jaxson Jensen, Jocelyn White, Brianna DeVries, Dayna Sandberg and Jazmen Jensen. The middle school tracksters had a strong showing on Saturday, during the...
by Mark Dykes Following a ruling Monday afternoon, there will be no new trial in a case against Matthew Schwan. After a three-day trial, on March 15 Schwan was found guilty of aggravated homicide by vehicle. The charge is from a May 14, 2016 incident during which Reilly Schwan was struck by a vehicle driven by Matthew following a night of drinking with others and an extensive argument between the couple. A motion for a new trial and evidentiary hearing was filed in the case. In that motion,...
Releases from Boysen Dam to the Wind River are currently at 5,500 cubic feet per second (cfs). Based on current operating projections and the expectation of near record runoff, Boysen Reservoir will be lowered approximately another ten feet to near elevation 4,700 feet in May. Once the snowmelt runoff begins, Boysen Reservoir will be managed to fill the reservoir to an elevation of 4724.5 feet in July. As the reservoir experiences peak run-off, releases from Boysen Dam to the Wind River are...
by Mark Dykes Following a three-day trial, and about three hours of deliberation, a jury returned a verdict of guilty to the charge of incest in a case against Justin Spence. The charge states he molested a juvenile on July 4 or 5, 2014. In a trial that had already seen plenty of emotional testimony, when the verdict was read tears were shed by Spence himself, as well as by both those supporting him and those on the opposing end. It was a long road to the verdict, as the trial had seen a couple...
by Mark Dykes May 1 was the first day for Lisa Pierce as the new director at the Hot Springs County Senior Services Center. Outgoing director Chanda Waddell, who will still be at the facility through the month, explained her husband Lance got a job in Fort Wayne, Ind., so they are moving there. Waddell, who has been director of the facility for the past 2.5 years, feels like she learned a lot while in the position, and she is leaving a cohesive, driven and skilled team. She added she has no...
by Mark Dykes The costs paid by East Thermopolis, for the Thermopolis Police Department to provide services, could see an increase in the near future. During Tuesday night’s meeting, Thermopolis Police Chief Steve Shay noted the contract with East Thermopolis will expire at the end of next month. The total budget, including police, dispatch, corrections and animal control, is $1,145,990. Of that, the East Thermopolis contract makes up $22,680. Shay said a contract would need to be in place f...
by Mark Dykes Recently Dean Runyan Associates released a report to the Wyoming Office of Tourism regarding Wyoming travel impacts from 2000 to 2016. The study is designed to look at and document the economic significance of the travel industry in Wyoming. Included are detailed estimates of travel spending, the employment and earnings generated by this spending, and travel-generated tax receipts for each of Wyoming’s 23 counties from 2000 to 2016 are shown in this report. Spending by domestic a...
After about three hours of deliberation Wednesday afternoon, a jury returned a verdict of guilty on charges of strangulation of a household member and domestic battery, in a case against Darren Dumas. The charges state he beat Christy Dumas from Sept. 23-26, and impeded her breathing on Sept. 26. According to court documents, the couple had been arguing beginning Sept. 23, and Darren smashed Christy’s cell phone against the wall and her tablet against her head. Among the injuries Christy r...
Saturday was a big day, for human and dinosaur alike, at the Red Rock Business Park south of town for the official groundbreaking at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center's new planned location. Following the ceremony, Thermopolis Middle School was the site for a casual luncheon followed by a workshop led by project architects to seek community input. Center Executive Director Angie Guyon said the project is still six months out from developing a plan and determining what kind of contractors,...
Monday afternoon, trial again got underway in a case against Justin Spence. The trial has already seen a few delays, the most recent of which happened in December due to a procedural issue. Spence is on trial for incest, a felony which alleges on July 4 or 5, 2014, he molested a juvenile female. During opening arguments, prosecuting attorney Marcia Bean said the case began with the alleged victim’s birth and her growing up. At that time, Spence came to live with her family, and she came to d...
Senate District 20 representative Wyatt Agar will be keeping busy with committee meetings during the interim. A member of two joint committees — Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions, and Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs — Agar stated both will meet three different times to discuss topics outlined by management council. Agar’s first Corporations meeting is May 18 and 19, and they will be discussing utilities, including electricity generation and ratemaking. “We are in...
Risen Son Christian School Principal Cameron Simeral visits with students donating at the school's spaghetti dinner fundraiser. Among other activities at the event, donations could be made to extend the time Simeral must spend on the roof of a building this Friday, and what equipment he gets to take. Overall, the fundraiser generated an estimated $21,600....
This weekend, I had the fortunate chance to be part of history in Thermopolis as I attended the groundbreaking for the Wyoming Dinosaur Center’s new location on Saturday. Having a love of dinosaurs that goes back as far as I can remember, and having two boys, I find just about any reason to make a trip over to the center. Every time I’m there I think about the center’s future, and I can’t wait to see the actual construction start south of town and, of course, to walk through those new doors f...
Last week, members of the Wyoming Joint Judiciary Committee travelled to Thermopolis for a meeting during the interim. House District 28 Representative Nathan Winters explained this first meeting is where the committee begins to lay out its scope for the upcoming interim meetings. The Legislature, he noted, has worked diligently during this past session, and last week's meeting brought in several people who were beneficial to the committee's discussion. Among those attending were Michael Blonige...
by Mark Dykes The Hot Springs County High School track teams continued to show improvement last week during the triangular at Worland, where Ten Sleep was also a competitor, as members of the girls team saw 13 personal records, and the boys team saw another 10. Coach Ernie Mecca said it's atypical to see so many personal records at this point in the season. He credited the performance to Thermopolis having a fairly inexperienced team with students who take great pride in their accomplishments,...
Coming off multiple personal records at the Worland triangular, the Bobcats kept up the momentum into the weekend, at the Roy Peck Invite at Riverton and set another 20. Coach Ernie Mecca said it was another decent day, weather-wise, and he’s excited about the improvement of this young team. He noted the girls nearly swept the 800 meters, taking the top four places and sixth. Jules Ward placed first with a time of 2:30.74, followed by Chandra Maddock at 2:32.18, Haley McDermott at 2:32.35 and M...
The Thermopolis Middle school track team saw two meets this past week, at the triangular in Worland on April 20, and a meet in Cody April 22. Coach Stephanie Czarobski reported at the triangular Wyatt McDermott broke the seventh grade boys mile record by four tenths of a second, coming in at 5:32.4 compared to the previous record of 5:32.8. McDermott also placed first in the triple jump, with a distance of 30’4”. Additional highlights from the triangular are: Sixth Grade Girls Shot put —Azurdey...
Tuesday evening, the Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees approved an amendment to the capital budget.Chief Financial Officer Shelly Larson said budget amendments typically happen this time of year. Larson explained there was a surgeon’s headlight budgeted at $25,000, and was reduced to $3,000, reflecting a doctor’s preference for a light which comes in at a much lower cost. Also, a neoprobe was removed from the current year budget; the device, used in breast biopsies, com...
Monday saw the start of the trial in a case against Darren Dumas, who is charged with strangulation of a household member and domestic battery. The strangulation charge stems from Sept. 26, while the battery charge is from Sept. 23-26, and it is alleged he beat and strangled Christy Dumas. Court documents indicate the couple had been arguing Sept. 23, and he smashed her cell phone against the wall and a tablet against her head. Also, it’s alleged he hit, slapped and punched her between Sept. 2...
Tuesday evening, Thermopolis Town Council, with Mayor Mike Mortimore absent, approved providing support for Thermopolis to become a Certified Local Government (CLG). Mari Ann Rush, who was present at the meeting, said among the benefits of being a CLG is additional federal and state funding options. She noted they are not going out and getting the money, but being certified allows them to pursue those options as needed. She was not asking for a resolution or ordinance to be a CLG, simply for...
On Friday, April 7, Jayson Zimmerman opened the American Red Cross office serving Hot Springs and Washakie counties. Zimmerman, a Red Cross volunteer and member of the disaster action team, said the office will operate on an “as needed” basis with no set hours. The office is located south of the main offices in Central Bank and Trust, and Zimmerman pointed out there is handicap accessibility during the bank’s normal hours. Kent Cordingly, branch president of the bank, said Zimmerman appro...
