Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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by Dan Nordberg, SBA’s National Director for Rural Affairs and Region VIII Administrator Small Business Saturday is a relatively new American tradition. While Black Friday has been an informal holiday for more than 60 years, it wasn’t until 2010 that the Saturday after Thanksgiving earned its official title, designating it as a day to shop local and support hometown retailers. In a year where businesses have faced profound challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Small Business Saturday may be more critical than ever before. In fa...
Businesses and members of our community have always been known for their generosity. This year has been difficult for families and businesses and it is looking like the economic struggles will continue into 2021. This Christmas, more than ever, it is important to remember the less fortunate. Locally, there are several ways to help those who are struggling financially. Two Christmas gift tree programs are going on, one for senior citizens and one for children. The Elf Tree for children is set up at Thermopolis Hardware. Donors may selected an...
Thermopolis VFW Post 2281 marked Veteran’s Day last Wednesday at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month with words from the post Quartermaster, Tobi Johansen, as well as the raising of the American Flag with honor guard. “I want to begin by expressing my gratitude to everyone for joining us, and for giving me the opportunity to speak to you today. “For the world, for our country, and for our community, 2020 has been an unusually difficult year. From facing the stress and fears of the Coronavirus pandemic, to overcoming the isola...
The Thermopolis VFW Post, as well as others across the state and country, along with many other businesses and organizations, have a long standing tradition of honoring Veterans on November 11 for Veterans Day. This page features a look back at a ceremony at the VFW post from 1993. There is also a letter to the editor from a reader who shares her personal memories and feelings regarding Veterans. Although November 11 is officially designated as Veterans Day every year, most of us, the Independent Record staff included, are thankful for our...
I have always had great respect for our Veterans. I grew up with so many in our family just like so many other families across this great nation. To me, this is about honoring all our Veterans from all races, ages, and “Branches of the military.” My father was Navy, he was a Boiler Maker on the ship he sailed on for, “Operation Magic Carpet Fleet”, that few in the younger generations know about. It was an amazing accomplishment to bring our troops home before Christmas. My brother was A.F. during Vietnam engaged in P.O.W., M.I.A., mission...
Once the 2020 election has come and gone, please remember your neighbors are still your neighbors. People who live in a small community have the most to do with shaping it. None of the presidential candidates are going to be ringing up your groceries, helping you out with yard work or fixing your car but your neighbors will be. Everyone is entitled to vote for who they choose. No one is entitled to shame or ridicule someone for how they voted. Our community members will still be working together, learning together, shopping together,...
In an unprecedented year, it’s only natural that we have an unprecedented election. It’s the first in our lifetimes to occur during a global pandemic, and one in which an unprecedented number of absentee ballots in Wyoming will be cast early or by mail. While we’re used to watching the results roll in on live TV on election night, this time it may take days — possibly even weeks — for final results. And that’s OK. Accessibility and accuracy are far more important than immediate results. During the primary election in August, about 40 percent...
by Kelly Evans-Hullinger, M.D. As a primary care physician, I commonly encounter patients who smoke cigarettes. Most people, including those who smoke, are aware of the long-term health risks posed by smoking. Of course, as a physician who cares about their current and future health, I want these patients to embrace the goal of smoking cessation. As someone who has never been a smoker myself, I admit I cannot fully understand the struggle of this task. However, the data suggest that quitting smoking can be extremely difficult. I find it...
Wyoming legislators have been working this fall on further erosion of public notices in newspapers. This time the target is the publication of the salaries of local government employees. A bill changing state law so that those no longer have to be published is in the works. A committee passed it in September. As it stands now, our taxpayer-funded municipal governments, county governments and public school districts must, at the very least, publish a list of positions and how much the people who hold them are paid. In some cases the actual...
It’s a battle that’s been waged for a long time now and it doesn’t show any signs of letting up. There’s a movement amongst state legislators to have the legal notices published by municipal and county governments in their local newspapers instead published solely on their governmental websites. At a time when the state and its city and county governments have been hit hard by a sluggish minerals industry and the impacts of a pandemic, it makes sense to cut costs wherever they can be cut -- at least that’s the surface argument. There’s s...
The late Jack Johnson’s obituary in your Aug. 27 edition gave a fine summary of a life well lived. Jack would have liked that modest treatment. I’m not going to let that modest recollection happen. I hope Hot Springs County citizens don’t either. Jack’s dedication to the county in which he spent a lifetime should earn him a plaque in the courthouse Hot Springs County Hall of Fame. The biggest reason is the Grass Creek Road, the public’s only guaranteed access to national forest lands in the county and the H Diamond W 4-H Youth Camp area. In...
I was out of town the weekend of Oct. 3 and unable to attend the Chamber of Commerce banquet. It was such a surprise to see my name in the newspaper on Thursday. I understand that the Chamber and Pastor Sam were responsible for my selection for the President’s Award. I am both humbled and honored by the selection. There are so many great people who live in this area who could receive this honor and to be included among them is amazing. Years ago, Sharon and I chose Thermopolis in which to retire. We’ve heard it said that if you live in The...
A candidate forum was recently held in Hot Springs County. A letter to the editor printed on this page questions why the candidate forum was not live streamed. That is a good question. We went in search of an answer for the letter writer as well as the rest of the community. According to a representative of one of the forum sponsors, an attempt was made to have it live streamed as in the past and this year, due to circumstances beyond their control, it was not feasible. If you missed the candidate forum, there is still a way to get information...
I am writing to express my concern that the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and County Farm Bureau Federation did not live stream their sponsored Meet the Candidate Forum on September 28. As we all know, there is a very important election this November. While many people out there may only be concerned about the presidential elections, we do need to pay attention to our local political candidates here at home. The people of Hot Springs County are a hard-working group. Unfortunately, responsibilities to family, work, school and our beloved farms...
Well here we are in the midst of another Homecoming Week for the Thermopolis Bobcats, one that is a bit different than students and alumni have experienced before. Yes, some of it is due to the pandemic, fewer events going on to keep folks safe, but there is also something that hasn’t been talked about too much that deserves celebration this weekend – the 100th Anniversary of Bobcat Football. We’ve watched the ups and downs of the program, seen coaches come and go, but one thing has remained consistent, the heart of the Bobcat players. Just for...
by Kelly Evans-Hullinger, M.D. It is a classic presentation: The middle-aged man who develops a painful, swollen, great toe the morning after indulging in a steak dinner with a few beers. The savvy clinician will immediately identify this diagnosis, and I imagine much of the general public might recognize it as well. It’s “The Gout.” Gout is a unique type of inflammatory arthritis in which a substance called uric acid, accumulating in too-high amounts in the bloodstream, forms crystals within a joint. The presence of those microscopic cryst...
The 2020 Bobcat Homecoming week activities will be held throughout next week. In the three schools of Hot Springs County School District, various dress up days are being scheduled. Other activities include a movie that can be watched from the football field, a parade and the high school Mardi Gras Festival. This year there are fewer activities than usual because of COVID restrictions. Fans and businesses can still support the Bobcats by decorating, attending the parade downtown Friday, Oct. 2 at 11 a.m. and the home football game Friday night...
Why chickens? How can something that brought so much joy, delight, health and life to our property and neighborhood, be so easily done away with because of an archaic* code? As I explored the issue, I took it upon myself to study it out and present the chicken issue to the council. I was immediately met with resistance, though I had prepared for a yes, and had the information all available, they proceeded to make this simple issue extremely complicated and confusing. The current town council has already spent more time and resources on...
Looking out the window or walking outside you can’t help but see and smell the smoke coming from the wildfires in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado and other points west of us. We have been exceptionally lucky in Hot Springs County this fire season that we haven’t had anything nearly as devastating as what we’re seeing along the coast. Could you imagine what orange skies would look like over us like they have in San Francisco? As Wyomingites I think we can give ourselves a little pat on the back for understanding the extreme fire dange...
The editorial that appears to the right of this editorial ran in the September 13, 2001 Thermopolis Independent Record following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In reprinting this past editorial, we hope to remind readers of the feelings that spread throughout the nation, including Hot Springs County, after the attacks. Nearly 3,000 people were killed and injured during the attacks that created outrage nation wide. Phrases like “If there is one thing Americans have shown in the past when they are under attack, it has been a stubborn, almost h...
Scams have been circulating for many years but it seems there are always new ones popping up to try to scam people out of their money. The following is information from the Hackers Brief, put out by the CyberWyoming Alliance, on some scams circulating Wyoming. Solar Stimulus Scam Warning: Watch out for fraudsters with unfounded claims on how much solar panels will save you. If a high pressure sales person contacts you, this may be a clue that it is a scam. If you are interested in solar panels, the FTC provides guidance at h...
by Kenneth A. Bartholomew, M.D. Albert Einstein conducted thought experiments to figure out theoretical problems. Let’s do one of our own. Suppose that you fell and broke your left leg and had to be in a cast for eight weeks. Would you expect your left leg to be as strong as your right leg when the cast was removed? Of course not. You know that muscle that is not exercised gets smaller and softer. Secondly, would you expect that, by sitting in a recliner for the next two months, your left calf would magically grow back and strengthen to w...
As if things weren’t hard enough for Wyoming’s small businesses, news comes that there are plans to claw back a chunk of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds legitimate businesses have used as a lifeline to keep their employees on the payroll. When Congress passed PPP, the legislation made it clear that these loans would ultimately be forgiven if businesses used them for approved purposes, mostly payroll. And, the law ensured — in writing — that any forgiven amounts would not be taxable, meaning that businesses could use all those funds...
What makes a community? Downtown Thermopolis, as well as all over town, has a vibrant business community with much to offer visitors and locals. There is no more important link to the vitality of a town than its business proprietors. Many fall prey to the ease and effective delivery of products from behemoths like Amazon, despite the full realization that the end game for its founder, Jeff Bezos, is elimination of every other business on Earth. This begs the questions, “when all the businesses are gone, where will I work and how will I pay f...
We are entering the “dog days of summer”, when temperatures soar and parents are more than ready to send their progeny back to school. Of course, going back to school this year is going to be interesting to say the least. Everything is going to look different than before, with all of the sanitizing that’s going on, the social distancing in the classrooms and trying to get first graders to wear a mask without chewing on them or using them as sling shots. There will be all kinds of new guidelines for school as well as for sports and activities, b...
