Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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The Joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee met on Monday at Thermopolis Middle School. One of the topics of discussion was the fate of the various vendors in Hot Springs State Park, specifically the Days Inn and the Star Plunge, both of which are running on a month to month contract rather than an extended contract like the other park vendors. The afternoon session began with an overview of the park itself, its size, the number of visitors each year and a listing of... Full story
Zane Hubele and Lights On Coordinator Julia Scott keep the rope going for Savanna and Celeste Nelson, during the Thermopolis Middle School Lights On Aftershool program last week. Students also designed obstacle courses and relays, then built and tested them at the state park. This week the program is wrapping up with a camping trip....
Monday in Hot Springs District Court, more than a year after he was initially arrested, Judge Bobbi Overfield sentenced Hugo A. Luna to 20-30 years with the Wyoming Department of Corrections on a felony charge of second-degree attempted murder. The charge was lessened from first-degree, and a second felony county of kidnapping was dismissed when Luna entered into the agreement on May 13. The charges are from an April 13, 2018 incident; it was a Friday the 13th, and it certainly was an unlucky...
The Thermopolis Police Department responded Monday, July 22 to a report of a phony $100 bill used at a business. Chief Julie Mathews noted the bill certainly appeared to be legitimate, even to where the hologram was fairly close in accuracy. However, there were some telltale signs the bill was a fake. The edges of the bill, Mathews said, were uneven, and the paper used didn’t feel right, as she couldn’t feel the fibers common in paper money. Further, there was no security code visible on the...
If you were travelling in northern Hot Springs County and Washakie County Monday, you might have seen something straight out of a history book, as mountain men on horseback continued on their long journey of Ashley's Return. The trip began in Lonetree, Wyo. on July 6, and the riders will dismount when they reach Fort Smith, Mont. For three of the riders, that will be the end of the journey. For the rest, they'll utilize handmade boats - including bull boats, canoes and keel boats - to travel by...
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. Drug Bust On Monday, July 22, the Thermopolis Police Department and Hot Springs County Sheriff’s Office collaborated in a major drug bust. Officer Scott Gardner was first to respond to the scene and Deputy Jake Miller was second, in a bust that resulted in the seizure of 100.71 grams of me...
One of the community’s favorite events during Pageant Days is the open house at the Thermopolis Volunteer Fire Department after the parade. This year will be extra special with the department celebrating its 100th birthday on Saturday, Aug. 3. There will be visiting fire departments from Cody, Meeteetse, Worland, Shoshoni, the BLM, Forest Service, life flight and Highway Patrol along with our own Search and Rescue, sheriff’s office, police department, EMS and even a special guest, Smokey the...
If you have children in the Hot Springs County School District, the following dates need marked on your calendars for registration. At Ralph Witters Elementary, principal Catelyn Deromedi said online registration is already open at hotsprings1.org. Simply go to the bottom of the page under “Parent Quicklinks” and select either New Student Registration or Returning Student Registration. The office at the elementary school will be opening on August 1, so any parents who need help with registering their child may come in to get assistance. At The... Full story
Wrapping up the annual excitement of Fair Week is the Junior Livestock Auction on Friday, Aug. 2 at 7 p.m. Joe Martinez explained there will be a Buy Back program for those buyers who don’t necessarily want to keep the animals. For instance, someone might not like lamb but still wants to participate in the auction and support the youth. In a partnership with Wyoming Legacy Meats, the company as agreed to buy back the animals from successful bidders, at market price. Those who choose not to u...
Tony Deromedi welcomes customers to his new business, the Healing Waters Tavern, at their opening last week....
Change is inevitable. Changing weather, changing seasons, even changes in our surroundings, our beliefs and tastes. Change is also difficult. Sometimes it takes a lot of courage to step outside of your comfort zone to take on a new project or even a new haircut. Imagine what kind of courage it took for Easterners, so many decades ago, to decide to pack everything they could into a wooden wagon and head West. They were leaving behind everything they knew for a chance at something different. When you think about it, it’s a good thing our a...
This next week will be busy with the county fair. Vehicles will be going in and out of the fairgrounds, youth and adults will go before the judges with their exhibits, and be sure to hearing plenty of noise and some very distinct aromas at the grounds as the animals start pouring in. Having lived my life in rural communities, the fair was always something I looked forward to. In my younger days, of course, it was all about the rides and strolling through the animal exhibits. Though never an...
It took a persistent persuasion to convince my dad that he needed a break from caring for my mother in the nursing home, and that the semi-annual family reunion in Kansas (his born home) would be just the break he needed. Dad was never a talker, but he was unusually tight lipped on the journey to his childhood home, and I knew he was thinking about leaving Mom “unattended” even though it was doubtful that she knew who he was anymore. The family homestead was about ten miles outside what had become in the intervening years a ghost town with an...
Rubie Cassie Koskyn, 85, passed away Thursday, July 18, 2019, at the Thermopolis Rehabilitation and Wellness Center where she had been a resident since May. Born June 1, 1934 in Madill, Okla., she was one of ten children of Hardy and Mary (Burns) McWilliams. Raised in Texas, most of her life was spent in California and Washington before moving to Thermopolis in 2013 to live with her son's family. For many years Rubie was a caregiver for those in need. Her interests included embroidery, reading a... Full story
Among the activities happening during Fair Week, July 28-Aug 3, is Farm Bureau Day. The day will feature a 6 a.m. breakfast for all exhibitors, a tractor driving contest for those 18 and older, an open entry pie baking contest, watermelon eating contest and weight guessing contest. Cash prizes are available. There will also be information and interactive booths, vendors, dealers and exhibitors. Cap off the night with a family fun night including inflatables, food, contests and music from Tris Munsick and the Innocents. For more information,...
For the past 15 years, a single day has been set aside to honor those hard working men and women of the West – the National Day of the Cowboy, being celebrated this year on July 27. The image of the cowboy on his horse, Stetson on his head and the mountain range behind him is one of the more iconic images of Wyoming and the Wild West. It brings to mind a return to the land and the untamed wilderness, something that lured Easterners to our great state. That lure of the West helped establish Wyoming as a tourist destination with many wanting t...
An occurrence this time of year at Boysen Reservoir has been blooms due to elevated density of cyanobacteria. Lindsay Patterson with Surface Water Quality Standards for the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality noted there have been no reports of the blooms, nor anything spotted on he weekly composite satellite images they receive. Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, can form harmful cyanobacterial blooms (HCBs; also referred to as harmful algal blooms or HABs) that produce toxins and other irritants that pose a risk to human,...
The Thermopolis Golf Course is hosting a fundraiser this Saturday, July 27 at the course. The Wing It food truck will be providing food for the event from 2-8 p.m., and live music will be provided by Eric Kay and Keith Obrien from 6-8 p.m....
Children at the Risen Son Southern Baptist Church Vacation Bible School practice their songs for their concert last Thursday. The theme of the bible school was "In the Wild."...
The Fifth Annual Big Horn Basin Folk Festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 3 and 4, in Hot Springs State Park. The festival includes music, storytelling and recollections, art activities and demonstrations for all ages, a craft fair and trading post, and food vendors. There are lots of activities for kids of all ages at the festival on both Saturday and Sunday, starting with local favorite John Herrin teaching how to rope a steer head. Look for John near the Art Activity Tent to learn how to rope like a cowboy on Saturday from 11...
Several Hot Springs County alumni were inducted into the Bobcat Hall of Fame last Friday, including: Colte Russell, Curt Wyss, Leroy Hayes and 1979 boys golf team members Tom Sullivan, Mike Conner and Paul Phillabaum. Hayes was honored posthumously by family members Ron Hayes, Rhiannon Goffena, Heather Hayes, Lily Hayes, and Leroy's first state champion wrestler, Jon McDonald.... Full story
There’s a new activity in town that’s perfect for the entire family – Disc Golf. A coordinated effort between the State Park, Hot City Outdoor Alliance and the school district has made the nine-hole course possible. Played like traditional golf, except instead of balls, flying discs are used to putt, drive and make that elusive hole-in-one. Baskets are used in place of holes, so the trick is to get your disc in the basket. The State Park crews are working to get tee boxes put in along with permanent signage and a port-a-potty. They will also...
The Hot Springs County School District’s Board of Trustees approved the annual budget at their meeting on July 16. Fortunately, the budget hasn’t changed much overall other than wage increases, travel expenses and SPED (special education) spending for the coming year. There is a $57,000 reduction in SPED spending this year, mostly due to a drop in the number of students being placed in SPED. Compare that to the 2017-18 budget when just over $311,000 was poured into the program and you can see how the legislature has changed the funding of the...
Its not really summer until you’ve been bitten by a mosquito, those nasty little pests that love hanging out in the mornings and the evening hours, just waiting to make you itch for hours. Along with that itch, though, is the possibility of contracting West Nile Virus, a commonly transmitted disease carried by mosquitoes. While West Nile Virus has been detected in every county in Wyoming, the Wyoming office of Epidemiology has only confirmed one case of infection this year. That case is in Campbell County. There are no avian or equine cases r...
CASPER — Wind River Reservation tribes are restarting a program meant to address participants’ substance abuse issues while keeping them out of jail. Wind River had a wellness court system for juveniles and adults at one point, but the disbanding of the reservation’s tribal court forced the program to end. Many clamored for the two Wind River tribes to reestablish the program and tackle a substance abuse problem that clogs the court system and tribal jail. And with the establishment of a new tribal court last year, it will start up again...
