Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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As predicted, COVID has spiked again both here in Hot Springs County and in the rest of the country. Those falling ill, being hospitalized, and dying are mostly those who are not vaccinated. Those who are vaccinated may still get COVID again, but the course is generally milder. Masking, social distancing, and other measures were all we had until vaccines were available. We now have three effective COVID vaccines in this country. No vaccine of any sort is 100% safe and effective, but these COVID vaccines are remarkably safe and effective. The...
Greetings HSCSD #1 Patrons, On August 4, I participated in a ZOOM meeting with all superintendents in the state of Wyoming, the Wyoming Department of Education, and State Epidemiologist Dr. Alexia Harrist. Communities throughout Wyoming have been anxiously awaiting information regarding which precautionary measures will be in place for the 2021-2022 school year in regards to COVID- 19. Masks: Masks will not be required as a public health order for the start of the school year. The Centers for Disease Control has again recommended masks indoors...
A fire ban was put in place in Hot Springs County as of June 30. Please read the order for your protection. If you have any questions please contact the Sheriff’s Office at (307)864-2622. Rules and Regulations Board of Land Commissioners Chapter 9 Governing Fire Danger Closures Section 1. Authority. This chapter is promulgated under the authority of W.S. 35-9-303. Section 2. Definitions. As used in this chapter: (a) “Closure” means the imposition of restrictions on, or prohibition of, designated activities within a defined area under the autho...
After multiple years of consideration, the Hot Springs County Board of Trustees approved going out for bid on a new bus drop off that will serve Hot Springs County High School and Ralph Witters Elementary students next fall. The new bus drop off lane would encompass the school district property on the south end of the track that is currently the wooden play park and would increase student safety, reduce traffic congestion in the current bus drop off, and improve bus traffic flow to main streets. Other benefits would include reduced maintenance...
by Suzanne Samelson Spring and being outside continues to be on our minds. Think Wyo Wednesday on June 2. Think Thermopolis Brewfest on Saturday, June 5. The June Wyo Wednesday theme from the Wyoming Business Council is “Outside Opportunities” and the month of June is shaping up with many outside opportunities and events locally. June 2 is a perfect day to stroll and shop in downtown and all around the town and Hot Springs County. Enjoy the results from the town-wide clean-up efforts this past week, which included Main Street Thermopolis vol...
by Meri Ann Rush Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce Foundation On August 13, 2020 the Board of Directors for the Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce voted to create a foundation. The work began to establish a board of directors, bylaw, articles of incorporation and on October 8, 2020 the paperwork was submitted to the IRS to create a non-profit. On April 12, 2021 the foundation received a letter confirming the creation of the 501(c)3, which allows the foundation to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers and gifts....
by Suzanne Samelson Spring is on our minds and in the air. Think Wyo Wednesday on May 5. Think Downtown Cleanup on Wednesday, May 19. Wyo Wednesday is part of the Wyoming Business Council’s state-wide campaign to promote shopping local. The first Wednesday of this month is a perfect day to visit our shops and restaurants and be on the lookout for ideal gifts for Mother’s Day. Whether it is a gift certificate or Chamber Bucks, a unique locally crafted item, special food and drink offerings, or gardening supplies, explore and find something spe...
by Suzanne Samelson Main Street Thermopolis has plans for the spring season, starting with Wyo Wednesday on April 7. The first Wednesday of the month is a perfect day to take a look at the shopping here in Thermopolis. As we move into the spring season, there are many reasons to celebrate this time of year. Among some of the special items available at our local businesses, I have seen the new quilting and related supplies along with a sweet line-up of Easter chocolates and cards at some of the wonderful downtown businesses. Gardening supplies...
CyberWyoming releases information on recent scam activity. Residents and businesses are reminded to never give out information over the phone regarding identity, bank account into, social security numbers, etc. Unusual Sign On Activity Business Alert: A Sheridan company reported an email spoofed as their own mail administrator claiming that ‘unusual sign-in activity’ was occurring for an employee. However, the link did not lead them to their Microsoft account but instead to https://main.d2ifct1tuplnsi.amplifyapp.com/index.ht...
The Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce has been working on our strategic plan. We have identified three areas to focus on; Member Relations-Retention and Expansion of our membership, Organization-Our staff, board and volunteers to serve our mission, and Operations-Practice good stewardship. Each focus area meets once a month and each board member serves on one of the focus areas. Focus Area #1 - Member Relations have worked on a list of some of the chamber benefits. This list has been sent out in one of our newsletters last fall and ca...
by Bill Sniffin, Cowboy State Daily Using both tight budgets and a Covid pandemic as excuses, the dumb idea of limiting printed public notices in Wyoming newspapers has reared its ugly head again in the Legislature in Cheyenne. Wyoming citizens should be both outraged at this proposal plus the fact that their taxes are paying for the lobbyists who are pushing for it. Crazy. Here is a fact: There are some people in government who like working out of the public’s eye. They do not like reporters or, worse yet, pesky citizens poking their noses i...
by Catelyn Deromedi RWE Principal Ralph Witters Elementary school would like to expound on last week’s article written in the Independent Record titled “RWE students struggling”. First and foremost it’s important to recognize that it’s not just our youngest students that COVID closures have impacted. Students across the country have been affected. The important piece to highlight though is, what are schools doing to close the learning gaps that have been created? This fall CNBC wrote an article titled “Half of U.S. elementary and high school...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
The Hot Springs County Fair kicks off on Saturday, July 25 with the Horse Show beginning at 8 a.m. All events will be held at the HSC Fairgrounds. Starting on Monday, a variety of other animal shows and fun events will be held throughout the week. See the fair schedule ads on page 6 and B2 for a complete list of fair events. Although social distancing regulations have caused a few changes, there is still something for everyone at the fair. This year in place of the pig wrestling there will be an Ag Olympics where teams of six test their skills...
Greetings HSCSD #1 Patrons, I am writing with an update to our SMART Start Back to School plans for school this fall. HSCSD #1 is planning on as normal a start to the school year as possible, but will follow direction from local and state officials as the year progresses. There are many questions about what school will look like in the fall in regard to the current pandemic. The information that I share I want to stress is preliminary, and based on current recommendations. District Smart Start Plans are due to the Wyoming Department of...
by Sam Shumway State Director, AARP Wyoming In the year 2019, AARP’s FraudWatch Network reported 24 percent of all scam calls reported in Wyoming fell under the “Imposter scams,” category. That is, one which a caller pretends to be from the IRS, the Social Security Administration, or some other governmental agency demanding, and often times receiving, immediate payment. The results were $2.3 million in losses to Wyoming citizens. We know scammers look to capitalize on the news of the moment, especially if the headlines can instill fear and m...
I’m in a rather philosophical mood today. I think it started when I stepped out my back door and my feet flew out from under me and my head cracked on the bottom step. Maybe it jarred something loose. Anyway, I’ve been thinking a lot about the choices we make in life, both the good ones and the bad ones. Of course, at the time, all of our choices seem like good ones. It’s not until later that we realize we could have done something completely different and the outcome may have been amazi...
For those of you who haven't heard yet, this will be my last official personal column at the Thermopolis Independent Record. My wife and I made the decision earlier this month to return to our home state of Nebraska. It’s something we’ve been discussing for some time now, and things started falling into place in such a way that we knew we had to decide. In case you’re wondering, the choice was made based on being closer to family. Being four to six hours away makes it difficult for visits with g...
