Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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The undersigned members of Wyoming’s business community ask the 66th Wyoming Legislature to pass a bill to expand the state’s Medicaid program during the 2022 budget session for the following reasons: Lower Healthcare Costs: The Wyoming Hospital Association reports that its members lose at least $100 million annually in uncompensated care costs. These costs result when uninsured people receive medical treatment for which they cannot pay. Hospitals pass these costs to consumers. The impact ripples through Wyoming’s economy, driving up the price...
by Ann Turner Here’s the $3.5 million question: What does Wyoming need to do to develop an economy that isn’t so dependent on the minerals industry? The state’s economic development agencies (of which there are many), the Wyoming Business Council along with every governor’s office and legislator over the past 40 years have been trying to answer that question, particularly during energy bust times. But now there’s a new suggestion on the table to try to reverse Wyoming’s winds of fortune: Let’s hire Harvard! For $3.5 million, the minds at the...
by CJ Baker The COVID-19 pandemic couldn’t have come at a much worse time for the U.S. Census Bureau. Once a decade, the bureau takes a tally of all the people living in the United States at a certain point in time: in the most recent case, on April 1, 2020. Under normal conditions, counting heads in April is representative of the population, but 2020 was, of course, anything but normal. The Census date came as federal, state and local governments were shutting down businesses and other aspects of daily life in an effort to slow the spread o...
Medicaid is a state-administered program that currently supports the medical needs of Wyoming citizens who are both low income AND blind, disabled, pregnant, or elderly. Low income is defined as under 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL) which is currently $12,880 for an individual and $21,960 for a family of three. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides subsidies for private health insurance to anyone who earns 138% or more of the federal poverty level which in 2021 was $17,774 for an individual or $30,305 for a family of 3 etc. Anyone who...
by Bill Sniffin, Cowboy State Daily In my opinion, there is no better way to appreciate this land we call Wyoming than seeing it from the air. And looking down right now is just about as good as it can possibly get. The valleys are glistening with bright snow while our purple mountains bask in the sunshine with still enough pearly white snow to sparkle in the distance. Ah, what a sight. Just love seeing Wyoming from the air. Nothing like it in the world. I write these words as a person who piloted his own airplane for 30 years. The l...
While most years, friends and family share well-wishes and hopes for the new year filled with resolutions to become healthier or achieve a longtime goal, this year’s well-wishes often included a tinge of dark humor. Memes of dumpster fires and others that include a reference to 2022 being, “2020, too,” have circulated as a way to collectively bemoan the country’s current circumstances. While acknowledging a shared experience offers a beginning, rebuilding trust in each other and institutions must start for any hope in a brighter future to surv...
Fake News might seem like a new concept, but it has actually been around for a long time. The internet and cable news networks have probably made it a little more apparent, but it has always been a part of our media consumption. And Fake News isn’t always produced by news outlets. It is just as likely to come from elected officials themselves, who don’t necessarily have to lie to mislead you. Sometimes all it takes is distracting you with a non-story in the hopes that you will fail to notice the real story because they fear negative public rea...
This year has seen its fair share of crazy incidents locally as well as across the state and country. It’s fitting the end of what is commonly referred to as the “holiday season” is the New Year; one last “hurrah” for 2021, as we venture forward — some with trepidation, others with composure — into 2022. Henry Ward Beecher wrote once, “Every man should be born again on the first of January,” and while it’s nice to have the sense of an empty calendar year there’s no denying that, before long, each of us will have more than his or her share of co...
Remembering what we have to be grateful for is a good idea anytime of the year, but is especially so at Christmas time. Be grateful for: • Clothes that are too snug, because it means we have enough to eat. • The shadow that follows us, because it means we have sunshine. • The snow to shovel off steps and sidewalks, because it means we have homes. • Being able to complain about our government, because it means we have freedom of speech. • The lady who sings Christmas hymns and carols a little off key, because it means our hearing is good. • T...
by CJ Baker You don’t have to like the taste of road-killed meat to appreciate some new state regulations that will allow citizens to collect carcasses along Wyoming’s roads and highways. While the new rules aren’t exactly revolutionary, they will prevent some meat, antlers and other materials from dead animals going to waste — and that’s a good thing. Of course, the change in the law won’t change the fact that crashing into a deer or other animal is a lose-lose situation: You get a damaged vehicle — and maybe even some bumps, bruises or wo...
“December 7th, a day which will live in infamy,” said President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was 7:55 a.m. when the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service launched a surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, they changed the course of WWII. The entire attack took only around an hour and fifteen minutes. The unprovoked strike was met with outrage and disbelief, prompting the United States to declare war on Japan the very next day, thus entering the Second World War. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the at...
Mutt Mulligan, a rescue dog and the spokesdog of the TurfMutt Foundation, says a key to health and well-being is getting outside this winter Alexandria, Va. – Winter can be tough on people in the best of times, but it is particularly challenging during a global pandemic. Throughout the spring, summer and fall, the outdoors – including our yards, parks, and sports fields – were critical for buoying our mental well-being, physical health and enabling us to safely connect with others. For a decade the TurfMutt environmental education and stewa...
by CJ Baker As a general rule, if you run across a website promising an easy cash reward, you should click away and maybe scan your device for viruses. But here’s a safe one that’s worth checking out if you’re a current or former Wyoming resident: www.mycash.wyo.gov. Run by the State Treasurer’s Office, the site is a clearinghouse for various property that, for all kinds of reasons, hasn’t made it into the hands of its rightful owner. The items can include payments from insurance companies, refunds of phone bills, utility deposits or other sub...
I thought this might be of a slight interest. I see in a recent issue Bob James passed away. August of 1950 the Wyo. National Guard 300th Armored Artillery Bn. Was federalized and sent to Korea. The Bn. consisted of headquarters, Sheridan Firing Batteries: A-Thermopolis, B-Cody, C-Worland, Service Batt. Lovell. Batter A-Thermopolis consisted of 70 volunteers local A Battery. After 2 years on the line, 70 came home, with numerous medals, Purple Hearts and citations. There were 2 members alive at Bob James death. Bob James and myself, John...
by Bryan Golden, author Thanksgiving is much more than a big meal with family and friends. It’s a time to reflect on, and be thankful for, all of the good things you have. It’s important to be grateful, not just on Thanksgiving, but each and every day. Rather than lamenting what you feel is lacking in your life, begin each new day by developing an attitude of gratitude. Take inventory of your blessings and you will be surprised at just how much you have to be thankful for. If you have enough to eat, a place to live, a way to get around, people...
by Bob Bonnar It doesn’t seem like anybody is very happy with the result of the Wyoming State Legislature’s Special Session…but it ended up being the ultimate victory for small government. When the dust settled, the legislature had drafted and passed a really big bill that actually did very little, and we should probably be grateful. I’ve always thought Wyoming was committed to limiting the role any government (local, state or federal) should play in our lives, and I think the legislature honored that commitment. Legislated opposition to fede...
The People for People program and other local volunteers will be preparing a Thanksgiving meal this year. We will not have eat-in meals at the church. We will be preparing the food, packaging and delivering the meals to our People for People family and anyone that needs a meal. We will have sign-up sheets at the Help Center and Thermopolis Chamber of Commerce. Could we please have volunteers to help? You may prepare dishes at home. We will not have enough room in the kitchen to be able to cook everything there. Please call me or email me, if...
Veterans Day is a time for us to pay our respects to those who have served. For one day, we stand united in respect for you, our veterans. Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on November 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and November 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime. We thank America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of co...
by Kevin Killough On Oct. 4, Facebook had a global outage. For several hours, users around the world were unable to argue politics with complete strangers, let friends know their relationship status had changed or show pictures of their dinner. Many people, understandably, rejoiced in this moment of social media downtime. Yet, for the better part of the past year, many of those same people, even conservatives who claim to champion small government, were arguing that Facebook had become a prolific and indispensable monopoly that needed to be...
As the crew of the Independent Record was looking through our old newspapers for this week’s Blast from the past, memory after memory from previous Moonlight Madness celebrations jumped off the pages. Several of the little children dressed as princesses, pumpkins and ninjas that were in the photos over the years, have now graduated high school. A big part of Moonlight Madness for many years was the Pinata Bash, hosted by Las Fuentes Restaurant. Photos showed some of the first pinata bashes held at the restaurant that featured homemade paper m...
by CJ Baker Over the past several weeks, Congress battled over whether and how to raise the national debt ceiling. Failing to do so would risk defaulting on some of the more than $28.4 trillion the federal government has already been allowed to borrow — plus the billions of dollars that Congress has already committed to spending. Given the damaging repercussions that would come from a default, Congress has little choice but to formally raise the debt ceiling. As a result, Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate frequently try to u...
Suicide is Wyoming’s most persistent public health issue. And if anything, it’s getting worse. In 2004, the state possessed the nation’s fifth highest suicide rate, with about 17 deaths for every 100,000 residents. In 2019, Wyoming had the country’s highest rate, with 29.3 deaths per 100,000 people. Intuitively, we understand this. It’s an unfortunate reality in Wyoming that most people have been touched somehow by suicide. We’ve lost friends and co-workers, family and neighbors. Parents and children. Husbands and wives. To the people left...
A woman comes to the newspaper office and asks about an online story the paper published about another woman accused of killing her husband. She’s clearly agitated and almost in tears, hands shaking as they take a tissue out of her purse. Explaining she’d been the couple’s landlord for nearly a decade, the woman seemed desperate for details about what happened. “I can’t believe it,” she says. “I’m really in shock here.” Then she drops the other shoe. “We always thought he’d be the one to kill her,” the woman said, shaking her head. Thank...
by U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis Democrats in Washington are planning a far-reaching Big Brother initiative to squeeze every last penny out of everyday Americans. They need more money to pay for their reckless spending programs. Their target is middle-class families in Wyoming and across the country. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen wants Democrats to force banks to tell the IRS every time you write or deposit a check above a certain amount. The number they are talking about is $600. This dangerous provision brings the IRS...
by Tessa Baker Over the years, the State of Wyoming has spent a lot of time and resources helping the grizzly population recover and fighting for the ability to manage the bears. The fight is continuing as Gov. Mark Gordon announced Thursday that Wyoming is once again seeking state management of the species. “The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear has met and exceeded all scientific benchmarks for recovery,” Gordon said Thursday. Multiple presidential administrations have attempted to delist grizzlies over the years. Delisting was pro...
