Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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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...
I spent my weekend dropping off Thermopolis Hot Springs Visitors' Guides in Riverton, Dubois and Jackson as well as crossing another state off of my bucket list: Idaho. Prior to moving to Thermopolis, Idaho was not really a state I was excited to visit. To my surprise, I had fun in Idaho and on the trip getting there. I was able to see many things I had never seen before. I was able to drive through Grand Teton National Park, which was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I...
With Mother's Day on May 8, I thought I'd share a rather humorous and very true anecdote that exemplifies the amount of love a mother has for her children. I spoke with my mother via text message on Saturday around 10 a.m. On Sundays, my mother usually calls around 1 p.m. or so to catch up. On this Sunday, however, I decided to go to Riverton to go shopping for a few household items that I needed. Plus, I always enjoy driving through Wind River Canyon, and this was the first time I got to do so...
On our way out of town last weekend, my wife and I had one of those "deep" discussions. It started as we were headed through the canyon and I told my son how many of the rocks were around when dinosaurs were. This led to the question, from my wife Louise, of what I thought of dinosaurs' origins. Now, I was born and raised Catholic, and continue a strong belief in the traditions of that faith. At the same time, I know there's plenty of evidence to show dinosaurs and other species evolved over...
Coming from Louisiana, over 1,400 miles southeast of Thermopolis, I had no idea what to expect when I accepted the reporter position at the Independent Record. Prior to moving here, the furthest north I had been was Denver, Colo. I had never been to Wyoming. The only knowledge I had of Wyoming or Thermopolis was what I found via Google. The images alone made me yearn to live here. I must admit, the small population of Thermopolis worried me a bit. I had never lived in a town so small. I worried...
You might have seen me in town already. I’m not hard to miss with my Nebraska license plates, and my red, white and black jacket that betrays my love for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. For the past couple weekends, myself, along with my wife Louise and two boys Michael and Mason, visited Thermopolis as we prepared to join the community. We immediately fell in love with the small-town atmosphere and beautiful scenery, as well as the hospitality shown to us. My hometown of Alliance, Nebraska has j...
