Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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This is the time of year when many students are playing their last basketball games or putting their all into the wrestling mat for the final time or even making the last speech of their high school careers. Most will not go on to participate in sports on the college level so these last moments are often bittersweet. Friday night marks Senior Night for both boys and girls basketball teams, the last night they have to wear the purple and gold on their home court. Come out and support your Bobcats this weekend. The Lady Cats have their last home...
“Whoops, I made a mistake!” This is not something you want to hear from your doctor - or your attorney. “Do no harm” should be the motto for both professions. When a doctor nicks an artery, he is held accountable for making a serious error. Attorneys, though, keep on practicing without repercussions or sanctions. The Wyoming Supreme Court overthrew the case of the Casper businessman because of a mistake in the lower court. Someone did not double check the language of the law, and zealously went ahead and charged the man. We will never know wh...
The legislative attempt to study tolling along Interstate 80 failed its first test, as the state Senate rejected a bill that supports said would help the state meet its road maintenance and repair needs. Senate File 6 failed by and 18-11 vote, with one Senator absent. The bill would have needed 20 votes, or two-thirds of the body, to be introduced. The state is facing immediate infrastructure need. It would have taken nearly a decade to set up a tolling program. After the bill was passed out of committee, groups came out against the plan...
Over the next several weeks, the Thermopolis Independent Record will be highlighting what is happening during this session of the Wyoming State Legislature. Senator Wyatt Agar and Representative John Winter will be in contact with us to give their opinion on the various bills that will be coming up for consideration in the house and the senate. As this is a budget session there will be a number of bills regarding school funding, taxes and salaries along with some of the usual fare of wildlife, tourism and land issues. We are also going to be...
After an unseasonably warm weekend, with temperatures hitting the mid 50s, Mother Nature proved the old saying of “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes,” to be highly accurate. Although there may have been very few, if any, who didn’t like the beautiful weather over the weekend, it sure took a drastic change come Sunday evening. A strong winter storm settled in over Thermopolis and across much of Wyoming dumping nearly a foot of snow in many places and closing roads, schools and businesses. Locally, we were lucky all roads around...
Joe Moon was born and raised in Sterling, Colo., and became interested in art at an early age. In the 2nd grade he won first place in a city wide art show among elementary students. He considers himself a self taught artist because he has not received much formal training. He has became a better artist, by learning through other great artists and receiving critique from other people. Moon does not have a particular favorite medium because he likes to try a little bit of everything. Moon and his family, which includes his wife Rachel and six chi...
Where did January go? Oh wait, it’s buried under about a foot of snow. We really have been lucky this winter with just a couple of brief storms before Christmas and a virtually dry January. We should have seen this coming. This is the kind of snow I remember as a kid growing up here, though. It seemed like we had lots of the white stuff from Thanksgiving til sometime in March, leaving us kids with plenty of weekends to sled and lots of opportunities to toss on our skates and come home with bruis...
On January 27, 1920, Wyoming stepped into the spotlight as a progressive state when they ratified the 19th Amendment, allowing women the right to vote. One hundred years of women’s voices counting for something in the West. There are a few theories on why the men of the West allowed such a thing in a time when women were more seen than heard, including they didn’t see women as a threat to their way of life at the time since there were so few of them. Another theory suggests the men were all for it because allowing women to vote might actually d...
I was born and raised outside of Philadelphia, PA, growing up about 20 miles from a toll plaza of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Over the years, not only have I seen the changes the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission implemented, but also heard the stories of my father and grandfather as they witnessed the birth of America’s first highway specifically planned as a toll road. Over the years, since I’ve first started driving, I have driven on a variety of toll roads across our great country, thanks mostly to my years serving on active duty in the Arm...
Governor Mark Gordon has ordered both the U.S. and State of Wyoming flag be flown at half-staff statewide from sunrise until sunset on Friday, January 24 in honor of Wamsutter paramedic Michael Wilder, who died in the line of duty on January 11. The ambulance service member suffered a fatal heart attack while working at the scene of a fatal car crash. The American flag conjures a vast array of different thoughts, feelings, memories and connotations for Americans. Many people feel a fierce sense of loyalty and pride when they see the...
We commonly go through life meeting and becoming acquainted with people, sometimes getting to know them pretty well and considering them friends. We believe we know everything about them and they, us. You trust your friends. You know what they would do in just about any circumstance and are comfortable being around them. But every once in a while that trust will be broken. You suddenly realize you really didn’t know them at all. In some instances, it’s a simple thing that breaks that bond of...
When the legislature reconvenes on February 10, one of the bills being proposed by the senate will be SF0006, another attempt at making Interstate 80 through Wyoming a toll road. Started in 1956 and finally completed in 1986, the I80 corridor, otherwise known as the Lincoln Highway, stretches from downtown San Francisco across the country to Teaneck, New Jersey. The 400 mile portion through Wyoming has been an issue for some time, with massive semi-truck traffic degrading the road on a daily basis. In fact, Wyoming spends $60 million per year...
What do wolves, grizzlies, geothermal energy, oil wells, Hot Springs State Park, irrigation water, and sage grouse all have in common? That’s easy – all are topics that have been addressed by the Hot Springs County Natural Resources Planning Committee (or “NRPC”). This diverse group of local residents functions as a “think tank,” discussing topics affecting state and federal lands and advising the County Commissioners of needed actions. It meets monthly, on the second Wednesday of the month, at 5:30 p.m. The Committee has prepared a policy do...
I was thinking about what a gift it was to be loved and accepted in spite of my many faults (according to my nest friends) as I neared my eighth decade on this planet, and the many times I had been called on to listen and counsel with those who were having severe problems with those who should have been the closest and dearest. Then I chided myself on the nearly 20 years of no contact with my own brother. I can not really remember why there was such an estrangement, but I realize now how easy it was to blame him for whatever the cause was, and...
People differ greatly in their willingness to take risks and an individual may be more apt to take risks at certain times of their lives than others. Taking intelligent risks are sometimes necessary in the pursuit of life goals. When we take risks we open ourselves up to a number of possible outcomes, some of which may not be desirable. However, stretching your comfort zone and exposing yourself to uncertainty can also be one of the best things a person can do for their future. Both personal and professional risks can be hard but the rewards...
So far, the weather we’ve had this winter has been right in line with the Old Farmer’s Almanac – dry and cold. Apparently next week it’s going to get even colder, like below zero colder. I don’t know about the rest of you, but as I get older I get colder, faster. You would think with the extra insulation I carry with me I’d be fine, but even at the office I have a space heater running under my desk nearly all day. When I travel on the school bus with the speech and debate team I find myself...
We have a new month, a new year and a new decade happening all at the same time, which leaves plenty of room for pondering what the past 3,650 days have left us with. There have been two royal weddings, royal babies and the end of Harry Potter. We have seen countless hours of Game of Thrones and watched wildfires rage across California. For many, the laughter died the day we lost Robin Williams and Steve Jobs left behind an Apple legacy that has laid the groundwork for amazing advances in so many areas. We watched a football powerhouse brought...
The “Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is more often than not followed by the “I Can’t Stand Reality” post-holiday blues. Family has gone home along with all the excitement and anticipation of the holidays, the cheerful laughter and the plate after plate of yummy goodies. Many people suffer from post-holiday blues, that crash that can leave you feeling tired, under the weather and depressed. Psychologists say these blues are quite common, but they aren’t serious depression that could warrant medications. Instead, its irritability, difficulty...
Few things in life are as important to our overall happiness as gratitude. When you are thankful for what you have, you tend to be happier, healthier and you experience a deep sense of peace and well being. Many find it easy to be grateful when life is going good but struggle when facing challenging situations and disappointments. Our minds are inclined to focus on what's going wrong instead of what's going right. We often do not appreciate the value of what we have and take it for granted. That can cause a state of dissatisfaction even when...
When we think about the sights and smells of the holidays many think about lights or Christmas trees, maybe peppermint or the smell of the turkey roasting in the oven. For me, though, it will always be the sight of my grandmother making popcorn balls, filled cookies and a mass of different candies for weeks leading up to the big day. Popcorn balls these days don’t interest me because they’re so sweet. My grandmother’s recipe had vinegar in it. Yes, vinegar. For some reason it made them not s...
Are you prepared for winter driving? Some of the basic ways to be prepared include installing winter windshield wiper blades, and checking headlights and tire pressure. When driving on ice, accelerate slowly -- pretend that an egg is sitting under your gas pedal. To stop on the ice, remove your foot slowly from the gas pedal. If your vehicle is equipped with ABS brakes, step on your brakes when slowing. The braking system will help you stop on icy roads. Wyoming Department of Transportation maintenance professionals, who work on our roadways...
Here at the Independent Record we hear a lot of rumors. While some of those rumors are about people about town, the most frequent ones we hear are about our local businesses and what they are ‘supposedly’ up to. Without a doubt, we always check on the veracity of the rumors and more often than not we discover that the rumors we hear are just that – rumors, with no basis in reality. Rumors can, in fact, have a devastating effect on a business. Rumors about how a business is run, the business owner and even the employees can cost a busin...
One of the great mysteries of all time is the civility of people during the month of December. It almost seems that everyone really thinks Santa does keep a list, or that if not Santa, one titled the Prince of Peace surely does. Whatever the reason, there’s an obvious lessening of tensions amongst those with grudges to lay them aside if for only a bit. Hence, the question: Why for one month of the year do people of “good will” appear to urge their fellow humans to follow their best instincts and reach out to those they often ignore the rest...
Its just about that time of year when I drag the tree from the basement, attach the lights and the pretty decorations and then sit back and watch the kitties dismantle the entire thing. Don’t get me wrong, I love those little furballs. In fact, over the years I’ve shot some pretty adorable photos of them poking their heads out from between the branches, playing with the shiny balls or just staring intently at the bright lights. All of my decorations are, of course, shatterproof since they spe...
Our Bobcats are returning, but now hitting the hardwood, they have somewhat of a challenging schedule ahead. When questioned about my thoughts as to the Bobcats chances of a winning basketball season, I view the coach as playing it all close to the vest. A few of the first freshman games may be used as “scouting games.” We will definitely not know until the week’s end at TMS games and HS games. Bobcats must stay focused and do what they do BEST...condition, mindset and most importantly, be a TEAM! I feel the freshman and JV games have the p...
