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Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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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 a f...
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. Thi...
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 note. I’m n...
by David Peck, Lovell Chronicle There is a popular and strongly held belief running through American society these days that we are a nation divided, a people torn asunder. To a certain degree it’s certainly true. I have lamented that condition in this very space numerous times that we are a nation of grievance and retaliation. And when you look at national politics, that notion certainly rings true, especially during a presidential election year. I have entered into plenty of wailing and gnashing of teeth regarding our nation’s internal con...
Last Tuesday night, the Thermopolis Town Council passed an ordinance on its third reading to remove fluoride from our municipal drinking water. Beginning December 12th, fluoride will no longer be added to our water supply. As your mayor, I want to provide clarity about this decision, its implications, and how we can ensure continued dental health for our community. The debate over water fluoridation centers on balancing risk and reward. Fluoride has undeniably played a significant role in reducing tooth decay, especially in children. However,...
by Jeff Alan If you really love rice like I do, your theme song could be “Rice Is Nice” from the 60s band The Lemon Pipers. When it comes to eating white or brown rice, just having it plain can be boring. There are many things that you can put on it or have with it. I have autism and love to eat rice. In fact, I have a routine where I eat rice for both lunch and dinner. I have tried many things on it and with it. Some of the things I have tried may seem strange. My two favorite beef dishes to have with rice are meatballs and gravy and meatloaf,...
The guest column on this page explains the many reasons to support our local small businesses. The column states “Small businesses are the backbone of our democracy, and the solution to our most challenging economic problems.” We suggest you support our local businesses this holiday season, as well as year around. The Merry Christmas Market gives you another reason to shop local - $500 in Chamber Bucks can be won over the next two weeks. It is really easy. All you have to do is shop local at a participating business and turn in your rec...
by SBA Regional Administrator Aikta Marcoulier, SBA Regional Administrator and Wyoming District Director Amy Lea The Season of Small Business is an annual U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) led campaign designed to drive Americans to shop at small businesses throughout the entire holiday season. The pandemic confirmed the essential role that small businesses play in our daily lives. The holiday shopping season is a crucial time for small firms that depend upon the boost in sales earned between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. It sounds cl...
We want to take the opportunity to say how thankful we are for our loyal advertisers and readers. Many of you have supported us for several decades and continue to do so. To our loyal readers, thank you for your unwavering support. We truly appreciate you taking the time to engage with our content, and your continued presence is what drives us to keep putting out a newspaper each week. To our dedicated advertisers, we couldn’t do it without you! Thank you for partnering with us to keep this small town newspaper alive. Your continued trust in u...
by Joanie Holm, CNP Would you like to sleep better, have a healthier heart and less aches and pains? How about a lower blood pressure, a higher self -esteem and enhanced relationships? Would you believe that the Mayo Clinic and Harvard University, as well as other scientist all say these benefits can be yours with very little effort. And it doesn’t require a change in your diet or excessive exercise! So, what is this magical therapy? GRATITUDE!! Gratitude comes from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness or gratefulness. P...
by Trenda Moore, HSC Senior Citizens Center Director Being informed and involved is so important in our community. I’m going to touch on things you may not have heard about recently or at all. We are constantly reminded – until someone has a need or comes through the door, they don’t know what we do or all the services we offer daily. It takes every entity and partnership we have to make things all work. Following our recent Veteran’s Day lunch, we need your help to spread the word to veterans and their families. Please bring your militar...
The local Community Survey results are in and a public meeting was held on Tuesday evening to discuss the results, form committees and plan for next steps. We had the survey in our Oct. 3 edition as an insert, it was circulated to area business and on social media. Shurie Scheel is leading the way for the planning committee who put out the survey. If you did not get a chance to fill out the survey or attend Tuesday’s meeting, we are sure you can still participate in some way. The group has announced they will need several volunteers to serve o...
by Bryan Golden We all grow up being indoctrinated with rules that limit us. The purveyors of this information are not malicious. They are simply passing along what they themselves have been taught. You are probably aware of one or more of the following rules. Decide for yourself if you have been limited by any of them. Don’t rock the boat -- This rule encourages conformity. Conformity offers a protection from criticism. But those who succeed don’t care about criticism. They become adept at new or better ways of doing things in spite of opi...
by Debra Johnston, M.D. Lately my teenager has been fascinated by medical dramas. Although my “doctor self” is usually rolling my eyes throughout the program, it’s often a good conversation starter. One recent show featured a pregnant woman who experienced one medical crisis after another. Her kidneys, liver, and lungs failed in succession as the team raced to identify the underlying obstetrical problem and find a treatment. At the climax of the episode, her heart stopped. Of course, being television, the correct diagnosis was made, the exper...
If you would like to know where the officer involved shooting of a man with mental illness stands, as I do, you should contact the attorney at the Fremont County Attorney’s Office. I understand they’re going to review the DCI case. I personally would like to know why the officers involved didn’t take more time and get more backup? Why so many shots were fired and where they all hit? What was done to de-escalate the situation? Will there be a public hearing of any kind held? If you have questions you would like answered, please contact the F...
At the IR, we are gearing up for the holiday season and so are our area businesses and organizations. We are running an ad special in November and December so check out the ad on page 2 for details on how you can save big with multiple ads. If you have an event coming up, please let us know. We will be happy to work up an advertising package, write an article and take photos at the event. In this week’s edition, you will find information on several upcoming events happing around our community. This weekend, a local favorite, the annual B...
by Christina Young, Director for the Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment With the rapid rise in internet use among children, the dangers of online exploitation have grown alarmingly. Children’s access to the internet has become nearly ubiquitous, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote learning, online gaming, and social media are now integral to daily life, meaning more children, even preschool-age children, are regularly online, often unsupervised and unprotected. This new reality demands that we consider not only p...
The unofficial local results from the 2024 General Election appear on the front page of this paper. Unfortunately, due to printing deadlines, we are unable to include complete state or federal results. Our readers may not know it, but our paper is currently printed in Cody. Typically, our finished pages are requested to be uploaded by 5 p.m. on Tuesday evening so our paper can be processed and ready for printing beginning around 6 a.m. Wednesday mornings. To get our local results on our front page we held it to send later on Tuesday night, by...
by Andrew Ellsworth, MD Hearing loss affects millions of Americans. In fact, by age 75 over half of adults will have some form of hearing loss. Signs of hearing loss include having trouble hearing speech in noisy places, finding it hard to follow speech in groups, trouble hearing on the phone, listening makes you tired, or if you need to turn the volume up on the TV or radio while others complain it is too loud. To some, hearing loss may just be a minor inconvenience. If it is more severe, however, it can have a big impact on day to day...
The 2024 General Election section is included in this paper and contains useful candidate information on those running for local, state and federal offices. Locally, we have some important races that will be decided when voting ends at 7 p.m., Tuesday, November 5. We have two qualified candidates running for a single seat on the Hot Springs County Commissioners Board. In a highly contested race, eight candidates are looking to fill four available seats on the Hot Springs County School District Board of Trustees. Three candidates are on the...
I am a native Wyomingite who grew up in Lusk, attending grade school and acquiring my family values in the 1960s. Like many (if not most) Wyoming children of my generation, my family took me on family trips to Thermopolis where I was deeply impacted by the hot springs, the buffalo herd, the Swinging Bridge, Roundtop, and the utterly unique landscape of this particular place (not to mention the journey here through the Wind River Canyon or over the Bighorns from Buffalo). I went out into the World, again, like many Wyominites of my generation....
The Spectral Parade Noon, October 26, the Saturday before Halloween… ~ Eight there were in staggered line. The view unfettered by brush or by pine. With laughter and song wither they go. Their final destination, nobody knows. ~ Great bags they all carried. Parcels for travel. The mysteries therein none could unravel. A grandparent, there was. And Father and Mother. with children all ages right down to a toddler. ~ They frolicked and waved. Children gamboled about. As they marched down the road they filled me with doubt. Where did they come f...
Visitors often say one of the best things about our community is the welcoming, friendly people they find here around town and at our local businesses. One person recently said about Thermopolis, “The townspeople (Thermopolites?) are nice, helpful, friendly and simply great people.” That is a wonderful compliment for the residents of our little town. Recently though, our community members have been struggling to be civil and decent to one another. They may still be being nice and friendly to visitors, but to their own neighbors there has bee...
by Bryan Golden Do you know anyone who always seems to have bad luck? Nothing ever goes right for them. Conversely, have you observed people who always wind up OK despite what befalls them? What differentiates these two types of people? Their attitude, thoughts and actions are as different as day and night. You are a magnet. Your attitude, thoughts and actions determine what you attract. Like attracts like. If you are negative, rude and inconsiderate, this is what you will attract. If you are positive, upbeat, courteous, caring and considerate,...
In August, I, as Chair of the Hot Springs County chapter of Moms for Liberty, approached the Hot Springs County School District with an offer to provide copies of the U.S. Constitution for distribution to our eighth graders on Constitution Day, September 17th. The pocket Constitutions are provided gratis by the 917 Society, a non-profit educational organization. The offer was turned down, for reasons that varied over time, such as: The booklets contain a QR code. It does. And the problem is? The booklets contain an oath. Guilty as charged....
