Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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I recently read an interview conducted by a colleague, Kerry Drake, with Gerald Gay (R) who represents House District 36 (Natrona County) at the State Capitol regarding the wage disparity between men and women, an issue that affects not just Wyoming, but our country as a whole. On average, women earn just 69 cents of every dollar their male counterparts make. “Women are always going to take their full maternity leave and there’s the dependability issue about whether they’re going to show up for...
November 8 is just around the corner, a mere six weeks away, and I would venture to guess most people are looking forward to that day and the end of the political mayhem we’ve been living through for the past 18 months or so. From the local issues like the hospital district to the national stage we’ve grown pretty weary. At this point everyone knows who they’re going to vote for and what issues are most pressing for them. However, our job isn’t over yet. I am shocked at how many young people have a definite opinion about the presidential race a...
Last week the Bureau of Land Management put out a newspaper article explaining that they were taking comments to help them decide if they would allow a proposed bentonite pit mine to be started. I read through all the documents associated with the mine plan, but there was no map, no way to locate the proposal. I called them on it and they finally put out a map and I think I know why they left it out at first. I was amazed to see the mine was located right along State Highway 120 into Thermopolis. Who in their right mind would locate an...
Let me be Paul Revere and ride through town yelling, “THE UGLY IS COMING! THE UGLY IS COMING!” An ugly 375 acre gash on our local beauty called a pit mine is set to be located smack dab next to Highway 120 on the near-approach to town. This is wrong. Wyo-Ben Pit 108T will have absolutely no benefit to our pretty tourist town and will only hurt us. 1 - Goodbye “SCENIC ROUTE”! It won’t be tucked back from our tourist route unseen behind a mountain. The mine and all its hideous industrial mess will be right on our main road. For years motels, rest...
Wow. If I could use one word to sum up the energy with regard to the Hot Springs County School District this past week, I don’t think I could do it. I’d have to try to combine a few to try and come up with something like “excitatistical” or “senstanding.” Though Homecoming Week is reason enough to get the spirit pumping. These dress-up days are a hoot, and I applaud some of the outrageous outfits worn not only by the students, but staff as well — Punk Day was more like “Flashback Da...
Though enacted in August of 1956 by Dwight D. Eisenhower, via a congressional resolution petitioned by the Daughters of the American Revolution, Constitution Week was not officially declared until 2002, by George W. Bush. Though not a federal holiday, the purpose of the week is to promote study and education of the Constitution. It officially kicks off annually on Sept. 17, in commemoration of the original adoption of the Constitution in 1787. We encourage people who have never given the Constitution a read to do so, and even those who know...
This is my favorite time of the year. Autumn, with warm days, cool nights and the smell of leaves changing color in the air. It means football and bonfires, pumpkin spice everything, and Homecoming. Next week the Bobcats will celebrate another Homecoming with dress-up days, Powder Puff football, dodgeball and a parade. The band will take to the streets to learn how to march. Windows throughout downtown will be decorated in purple and gold, and spirits will be high. I remember the excitement of H...
A local church marque said: “Nothing ruins the truth more than stretching it.” Truth is like a rubber band. The stretch breaks and snaps back in the face of the person doing the stretching. A deceiver weaves tangled webs, a person who lacks integrity and morality. Ethics are the fine line between right and wrong, and governs what laws shouldn’t have to. Deception has no code of ethics. A lie by any other name is a lie. Call it whatever you want, but stretching the truth is a lie. Some things are black and white, and truth/lie is one of them....
Sports are embedded in American schools all across the county from the smallest towns to the largest cities. In Thermopolis, like so many other places, fans, parents and athletes take youth sports pretty seriously. Parents invest countless hours driving their children to and from practice, washing uniforms and going to games. Often this starts in grade school and usually continues through middle school, high school and possibly into college. These young athletes themselves invest countless hours practicing and playing, all while working to...
It seems that Ms. Kelley’s view of Judge Neely’s duty, as a public employee, has stirred up lots of hard feelings. There is no doubt that the recent Supreme Court ruling allowing homosexual marriage leaves a great many people uncomfortable. Those of us of a certain age and upbrining (me) may very well never get used to the idea. But our discomfort is not the point. My religious and social beliefs are not the point. Each citizen has the right to make lawful choices for himself, whether I approve those choices or not. If that were not true, the...
Another school year has started and as a crossing guard on the highway, I do appreciate all the help you give me in getting the children safely across that road. I find the afternoons are more challenging since I’m on the other side of the road and with so many vehicles parked on the highway, my visibility and those of the drivers of the cars coming onto the highway from RWE is very limited. We rely heavily on all of you. I might add that children who cross with me are asked to wait on the sidewalk until I am sure it is safe. For those of y...
Last week’s letter to the editor from Joseph Casciato - Bible story of Daniel in the lion’s den - is a fairy tale according to some. Millions of others, on the other hand, believe the story. But why? Could it be these millions, like me, have experienced their own lion’s den? Well, maybe not with lions but in life threatening situations only to be saved miraculously in the last moment? After 40 years of following God, not only have I experienced the “Lions Den” many times; so have many of my family. I know dozens of others whose lives were save...
Harvey Seidel has made the enforcement of laws through our legal system a First Amendment issue. His point is that the individuals moral sensibility should absolve him/her from the responsibility of carrying out the intent of the law, but what he really wants to say is that same-sex marriage is morally wrong and should not be allowed on that basis. What he wants to argue is the individual’s right to resist doing his/her duty on the basis ones personal belief of the law’s immorality, but such an argument is like trying to hit a baseball wit...
Despite the colder temperatures, we must not forget to stay active this fall. It is always easy to find an excuse not to be active, especially in colder weather. Running or walking or hiking outside during colder weather is not as desirable as it was in the spring and summer. There are very few who want to wear layers and get outdoors. Many options are available to keep active during these upcoming colder months. Joining a gym, not only shields you from the harsh environments created by the cold, but it gives you a chance to get out of your...
The Ask Around opinion article by April S. Kelley in the latest IR issue leaves no doubt as to which side of the fence she stands. But there are so many things in her column that are just so wrong, in my opinion. The phrase “separation of church and state” itself doesn’t appear in the United States Constitution. The First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Thomas Jefferson used the phrase in letters to others, but the phrase has no legality...
April you may be right, Judge Neely may not be exempt from the law. Nothing new under the sun. For centuries God’s people have faced terrible persecution for choosing to obey God not man. I admire Judge Neely, and pray she stands fast, because she is right in her conviction. I cannot help by mention the story of Daniel in God’s Word. You see Daniel found himself in exactly the same situation as Judge Neely. Daniel was the first of three presidents under King Darius, in Babylon. The other presidents hated Daniel and conspired to find fault wit...
In response to the opinion column by April Kelley I would offer the following comments: The U.S. Supreme court is NOT the Law of the Land. The Constitution is the law of the land. The U.S. Supreme Court is there to offer opinions and judgments, when required, to settle disputes that arise in the United States. Statements cannot be made and then base a whole argument when said statement is opinion. The premise of Ms. Kelley’s column is false. Supreme Court Justice Scalia said negatively in the 4 to 5 ruling of Obergefell v. Hodges, regarding t...
This Sunday marks the 15-year anniversary of what is still considered one of the most heinous attacks on American soil. On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airline Flight 175 crashed into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. Though both towers would collapse less than two hours later, the spirit of the American people didn’t go down with it. Sure, there was plenty of time to be afraid. I remember going to the cafeteria for b...
Labor Day finds its roots in the late 19th century. As trade unions and labor movements were expanding, different groups chose several different days to celebrate labor, but it wasn’t until 1882 that Matthew Maguire first proposed a definitive Labor Day holiday, though another five years would pass before it was adopted across the country, and another seven years before it was an official holiday. Celebrated the first Monday in September, the holiday is traditionally marked with a long weekend from work. To those taking in the extra day off, a...
The U. S. Supreme Court — the law of the land — ruled that same-sex couples nationwide can marry last June. The law states that state-level bans on same-sex marriages are unconstitutional. However, Pinedale municipal Judge Ruth Neely has been suspended from her position as a circuit court magistrate in Sublette County. In an interview, she stated that she could not marry same-sex couples because of her religious beliefs, meaning that she would be breaking a national law by not complying. The...
School is starting up again, and there is no better time to encourage your student to participate in extracurricular activities. The elementary school, middle school and high school all offer plenty of extracurricular activities to provide that little extra to enhance your student’s performance in all areas of life. Whether your student is interested in athletics, music, art or science, there is something for everyone. There are also many benefits when a student participates in extracurricular activities. Extracurricular activities raise s...
Hi. My name is Joan. I am an alcoholic. It has been with many relapses and struggles that I have finally found happiness and sobriety after persistent attempts. This is all due to my two concerned children and especially Frank and Karen Robbins. It was a long drawn-out process with multiple rejections from various agencies. Most recently a hospital refused to examine and/or admit me for my DTs. They stated they are not capable of helping people with alcoholism and/or addictions. Even more recently, a person with severe alcoholism and DTs was...
There is no better example of the differences in ideology between the “common folk,” and those elected or appointed to serve those common folk, than the recent dispute about use (abuse) of the town dump. I reference two front page articles in the IR concerning this issue, one on Aug. 4 and the other on Aug. 18. The Assistant to the Mayor detailed this abuse, as a home owner demolished a house and sent 14 loads of construction debris to the dump, free of charge as a resident and not as a business operation. The Mayor put an exclamation poi...
There was a time in my life when the three necessities were a roof over my head, food on the table and a beat-up, well-used baseball mitt on my hand . . . and I wasn’t sure about the roof. Summer was viewed by youngsters then pretty much as it is now — a time of “hanging out" with friends doing whatever the moment presented as long as it had something to do with a bat and ball. Dad was home from the war, we were in the first home that was ours and not somebody else’s, and “Ike” was President. The Russians were a million miles away, and our des...
I’ve never been one to play sports, at least for a school team. My athletic experience in my younger years consisted of playing soccer for the local YMCA, and a bit of roller hockey at the local rink and baseball games in the street with the neighborhood kids — we were fortunate to live on one of those streets that didn’t see much traffic, and the drivers who did were mostly courteous enough to wait for us to finish a play before getting too impatient. During middle school and high schoo...
