Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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Though it always feels a bit redundant when I say it — especially considering the season we’re in — I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to be thankful. Like I said, redundant, with the great “turkey day” less then 48 hours away. I, like many of you, am grateful for my family and friends, who are just a drive across town, a phone call or an email away. I’m especially looking forward to spending a few days with my in-laws, enjoying the ham, turkey, potatoes, and everything...
Well, it’s come and gone. The election run of 2016 has officially come to an end. Like I‘m sure many of you were, I was glued to various television news stations for the national results and to my social media feed for the local results. Allow me to first extend my congratulations to those who won the offices for which they were running. To those who didn’t, I encourage you to look ahead and prep for the next election. Don’t let this election discourage you from that. In the meantime, I’m sur...
Our pets become a huge part of our lives, whether it’s a fluffy kitten, playful puppy or a little gerbil running on its wheel, they are like family. Which makes me wonder exactly what my “family” is thinking. Punkin and Cupcake, my little fur-ball family members, are a delight. Most of the time. I’ve heard it said that animals will bring you “presents” when they love you. I’ve also heard those presents can be because they think you’re a lousy hunter. I’m going with the latter rather than the f...
It’s almost here. The day when everyone hits the polls — unless they chose to fill out an absentee or early ballot. It’s almost time for the big top to come down on the political circus for a couple more years. I make this reference only in regard to the presidential election, much like I have since front-runners Clinton and Trump were announced. It almost seemed like a bad joke just a few months ago, and now in a couple weeks one or the other will be leading our country for the next four years....
by Cindy Glasson I’m pretty comfortable in the evening, sitting in my chair at my computer with my big monitor and a glass of tea. I love opening my fridge and seeing everything from eggs and cheese to a bottle of wine and sliced pepperoni. I stay warm at night under my electric blanket with my two kitties snuggling around my feet. I can walk out to my car, turn the key and go just about anywhere I want to. I have beautiful children and a simply adorable grandson. And yet, I’ve had some of the d...
Ah, October is here at last. I think the fall months are my favorite, as they bring with them the beautiful changes in the leaves’ colors — along with the unfortunate business of raking them up as they drop from the trees — and let us know the holiday season is coming up. Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a column about Christmas, which for some unfortunate reason seems to get closer year after year; I’m actually expecting to be able to purchase fireworks and Christmas decorations from the sa...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Society has taught me not to dress provocatively, not to go out drinking, not to walk in dark alleyways, not to put myself in “bad situations,” to limit sexual experiences. All of these precautions, society warns, may warrant some sort of sexual assault if I do not adhere and act appropriately. If I walk in an alleyway and am assaulted by a man, it is my fault because I shouldn’t have been walking there. I go on a date with a boy and he decides he wants to have sex with me and I tell him “No,...
It being my first year living in Thermopolis, I’ve been greeted with plenty of firsts, and this past weekend I saw my first Gift of the Waters pageant and Big Horn Basin Folk Festival. Beginning in the early hours of Saturday morning, it was interesting to watch a unique community spring up among the grass, one that harkened back to the old bazaar days, with booths selling crafts, food and other merchandise — the cinnamon rolls were particularly tasty — while still others gave live demon...
A poem I once read and taught from spoke to the heart about a trip by the poet to the home of his youth. In it, he spoke of how much smaller than his memories were the realities of the mountains, now barely hills, the river, now barely a creek, and the schools which seemed so large as he started his education, and now seemed so small as he returned from the city in which his life now unfolded. In celebration of last Memorial Day, my spouse and I drove to Torrington to visit Mom and Dad’s grave. I think of my parents often, and their r...
As a journalist, I sometimes get the chance to interview iconic individuals — even celebrities. From Newt Gingrich to indie film actors, professional dancers, PGA golfers and reality television stars, I’ve interviewed a smorgasbord of interesting individuals. I think my favorite though, was Ronny Cox from the classic film Deliverance. Below is the unpublished story that came out of that incredible interview sometime back in 2015 … Most famously known for his role as Drew Ballinger in the 1972 fi...
I know it’s a bit cliché to say I’m thankful for the kindness of strangers, but over the past couple days, I really can’t find the words to describe some awesome events. I guess it’s pretty fitting that my wife and I took the kids to see “Finding Dory” Monday evening, a movie about relying on strangers’ kindness to find what was once lost. Following the show, my oldest was obsessed with playing the claw machine, and was a bit impatient. However, a sweet girl gave up two of her turns so he co...
Pokémon Go has allowed me to revisit my childhood this week, and probably for many weeks, maybe months, to come. It was released as an app this month for iOS and Android devices, allowing players to capture virtual Pokémon that appear to show up in the real world using GPS and camera capabilities. So, it appears as if the Pokémon are in the real world — in your apartment, your yard, downtown. Childhood dreams literally come to life. Players are also able to train and battle Pokémon. To my disma...
I’m one of those people who, when pulled over by an officer of the law, my mind scrambles. Sometimes I’m wondering what I did wrong; others, I’m thinking about what sympathies I might play on. Regardless, the end result is usually a bit of grumbling on my part about why we need to have these uniformed officers keeping an eye on everything. Of course I know they are there to protect and serve, but it’s always good to have a reminder of what those words mean. Last Thursday saw the Thermop...
Oh, climate change. The thing that everyone knows about, but either doesn’t talk about or refuses to believe is happening despite scientific evidence. Some individuals refute the existence of climate change the way they refute the existence of wizards, dragons or fairies. I once worked at a broadcast news station with a meteorologist who not only said climate change did not exist despite her extensive knowledge of changing weather patterns which included colder winters and hotter summers but s...
Once, long ago, when managing a Junior Babe Ruth team (13-15 years old), I drafted a young man of limited talent and one arm. There were a couple of competing managers who gave me that “you’re a good, brave man, but boy are you stupid!” look. For the next two years, I struggled to get him the playing time the league demanded, and yes there were times that he was unable to make plays because of his handicap, but only twice in two years (32 games) was his handicap instrumental in losses. Before the season after his fifteenth birthday, he conta...
Tuesday night, the Thermopolis Town Council approved a request to have a specially designated area for setting off fireworks on Independence Day. Though it happens every year, I’m always surprised at how quickly the holiday gets here. Of course in my Nebraska hometown this is typically the time of year when one of two things is happening — I’m being driven nuts by the amount of bangs, pops and whizzes going off long into the night, or — more likely — I’m getting together with some friends to...
I could have been one of the 49 people killed or one of the 53 wounded in the early Sunday morning attack in the crowded gay bar Pulse in Orlando, Fla. This is the thought that repeats over and over again in my brain as more and more news rolls in about the attack, about the gunman and about the numerous victims. I may not have ever been to Pulse, but I have been to several gay bars throughout my life. And hate knows no specific city or specific place. Not only are a large portion of my friends...
It’s amazing what you can see and feel just by looking up. Given my religious upbringing, I can’t help but think of heaven when I look to the sky, but last weekend reminded me that we can all catch a glimpse into the amazing and ethereal. My mom was visiting from Alliance, Neb. — my hometown — helping to watch the boys while Louise and I worked, and Friday night I spied her stargazing out the window with her grandbabies, pointing out particularly bright ones and even Mars and Jupiter, which c...
The death of Harambe, a western lowland gorilla living at the Cincinnati Zoo, has sparked many discussions and debates regarding both parental responsibility and animal captivity. Harambe was fatally shot on Saturday after a four-year-old boy climbed through several barriers and fell into the moat of the "Gorilla World" exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo. According to the World Wildlife Fund, Harambe was part of a critically endangered species. Being critically endangered is one of the most dire scen...
