Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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Ah, snow. It can be so magical. It makes Christmas feel complete, gives a late night cup of coffee or hot cocoa a little extra something and creates some pretty magical designs in the branches and along the ground. But then there’s stuff like what dropped on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, instantly turning to slush once it hits, making driving a bit more challenging and giving those who venture out with their shovels some real heavy lifting. It seems like winter is taking an extended stay i...
The trouble with life-changing events is that the change usually comes about after a catastrophic event that is so frightening that one would suffer any difficulty involving change to avoid the reoccurrence of such an event. We would be enormously better off if we could change first and avoid the event altogether. What I mean is husbands and wives, you need to become more loving and lovable before the inevitable divorce. Employees, be more courteous and supportive of your employer before your employer’s business fails and you lose your p...
I got a text message from my daughter this morning, “Can you come sign me out of school? I don’t want to be here.” She’s the teacher. This time of year is really hard on our educators, between the spring fever the kids are suffering from the end of year testing and the million and one events going on, they’re tired. I have such respect for teachers. Sure, they are often teased about getting three months off in the summer, but those nine months they are in the classroom more than makes up for th...
When I turned on the news the other day and one of the top stories was the fire at Notre Dame cathedral, it hit me harder than I think it would’ve in my younger years. As time has gone on, I’ve found myself gaining more and more appreciation for the old styles of architecture. The spires, gargoyles, turrets and castles popular all over Europe are my favorite, so seeing those same structures in flames was devastating. But the cathedral means much more to me than just some fancy structure. Ten yea...
There is a man in Thermopolis who, during his decades of teaching, influenced probably thousands of students who passed through the doors of THS. Best known for his tremendous work with the Wildcat Band, Bill Malloy also had season after season of winning at the State Marching Band Competition, superior ratings for his concert bands year after year and started a Jazz Band and Dixieland Band at the high school. The Dixieland Band was unique to Wyoming and often had invitations to Mardi Gras. The...
It seems like every week or month has a theme to it these days, and next week is no different as it is National Volunteer Week April 7-13. Living in Thermopolis, or any small town, it’s easy to see volunteerism in action. Many events and organizations rely on volunteers to happen. Our cookie jar auctions, updating of our Christmas decorations, cleaning of our downtown area and meal service at the Hot Springs County Senior Center are just a few examples of volunteerism in action. And that’s not...
I don’t want to say it too loud, considering we still have plenty of weather on the horizon, but I think I might be able to claim a successful gardening adventure this year. Like many, I have high hopes of having a beautiful, blooming garden filled with all the colors of summer, butterflies flitting around and birds dropping by for a rest, but unfortunately I’m on my third try to get herbs to grow in my kitchen window. That hasn’t stopped me, however, from planting a ton of tulips last fall...
Though I’ve called Thermopolis and Wyoming home for the past three years, I am a native Nebraskan and so the reports I’ve seen from friends and family across social media this past week have been, to say the least, increasingly disturbing. I, like much of my immediate and extended family, grew up on the western end of the state so most of the accounts have been about having to dig out vehicles and clear heavy loads from sidewalks. But those on the east side have faced losses of homes and other p...
As I was growing up we ate a lot of traditional Irish dishes, I just had no idea they were Irish, I just knew they were really good. On St. Patrick’s Day, everyone becomes Irish and not only imbibes in green beer, but they eat corned beef and cabbage, something they probably wouldn’t touch the rest of the year. Granted, most Irish dishes are primarily potatoes, cabbage and lamb or goat (we skipped the goat at our house) and are generally pretty bland, but there were a few I loved as a kid and...
Last Thursday the 2019 general session of the Wyoming Legislature adjourned, giving our representatives a break from the bustle in Cheyenne though the interim will keep them plenty busy with committee meetings until the budget session in 2020. Though we’ve brought coverage of the general session and comments from our local reps over the past several weeks, chances are if you’re not keeping up with the session on your own these stories might leave you with more questions than answers. While the...
Fake news! This is a phrase we’re hearing all the time now and Thermopolis became the victim of some online fake news recently. A self-proclaimed history buff who is an employee of a country radio station in Cheyenne, recently posted on the station’s website that Thermopolis should cover up the “swastikas” on one of our downtown buildings. This is how things start. One person reports on something they know absolutely nothing about and people across the country suddenly think our little town is...
I think I’ve finally reached a turning point with my oldest. I don’t mean he seems to be listening more or fighting less with his brother. This is a bit more subtle — the taste buds. Like many kids I’m sure, Mike used to eat just about everything as long as it was coated in ketchup. It was getting to the point where I had considered starting a massive tomato plantation and manufacturing my own to save on costs and trips to the grocery store. But one day, out of the blue, he declares almost...
Its out there, I know it is. Elusive Spring. Understandably, its hard to believe we are just a few short weeks from what the calendar tells us is the first day of spring. After all, I still have ice in my driveway and snow in my backyard, but its coming. Eventually. Spring fever hit me a couple of weeks ago and I found myself on the Internet pouring over seed catalogs and bulb companies, looking for something bright, beautiful and easy to grow. OK, I may have over done it. Soon there will be...
“Ten years” were the two words I both fell asleep ad woke up thinking. It’s hard to believe this time 10 years ago I was standing in a church repeating wedding vows. But that’s the funny thing about time. It can go by in an instant yet leave you with memories that last forever. In that 10 year span I’ve seen plenty. Two kids born with issues that sent them to ICU just hours after I saw them, loss of family, friends and other loved ones, changes on the political scene I never imagined. And don’t...
The possibility of there being drugs in our school system should be a worry for everyone in Hot Springs County. If we think back, at the same age, we thought we were “ten foot tall and bulletproof” and no one could touch us because we were smarter than the adults. We know better now. But I also want to say how very fortunate I am to get to coach some of the best kids in the district. I don’t want everyone to think all the kids are smoking and drinking and partying every weekend. It is liter...
This past weekend was the 2019 Wyoming Press Association Winter Convention in Cheyenne. The annual event is something I look forward to every year, and not just for the opportunity to stay in a fancy hotel and eat catered meals for a couple days. Each year, I and the rest of the staff at The Independent Record go through the articles we’ve written and the photos we’ve taken, submitting them to various categories for a chance at the Pacemaker awards given out every year. Additionally, there are...
I’m proud to say, I’m not a quitter. That’s why you won’t hear me say anything about New Year’s resolutions. Why start something I know I’ll never finish? Let’s face it, I love my chips, sweet tea and chocolate way too much to give them up for a measly 10 pounds. There would have to be something really serious involved for me to pass on cheesecake, too. I suppose I could vow to do something simple that doesn’t include depriving myself, like reading a book a week for the year. Fifty-two books...
It’s strange to think that we’re nearly into 2019 already. When I was in school, it seemed like the 21st century was so far away and couldn’t get here soon enough, especially with Hollywood, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera promising all the wondrous things it would bring. Flying cars? Nope. Accurate weather forecasts? Sort of. Houses with treadmills on the outside? No way. Hoverboards? Well, we’re getting there. Artificially intelligent robots? We’re making big steps, but the excitemen...
In just a few days, Santa will be making his annual trek around the globe and boys and girls everywhere will be leaving milk and cookies beside the tree before drifting off, dreaming of what they will find in the morning. While we all remember at least one special Christmas as a child, as we grow older our lists become shorter and our understanding of the season becomes more clear. I remember being under foot helping my grandmother make fudge and divinity, little sugar candies with walnuts,...
It seems that Christmas and the holiday season gets here faster and faster each year. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, as it means more time with family, shared meals, gifts and cuddles under a warm blanket. But as everyone knows, it can also get pretty hectic with all the shopping going on. I’m still not done, and probably won’t be until the 23rd, but the other night I was able to take in one of the calmer aspects of the season — the lights. One thing about Thermopolis when Thanksg...
Granted, we’re still a few weeks away from Christmas, but so far I’ve been really lucky in regards to my Christmas tree and my...cats. You’ve probably seen videos of nefarious fur balls eating ornaments, gnawing their way through light strings and even knocking the entire holiday beauty to the ground. I’ve had cats through the years who have done just that. “Fish” (yes, the cat was named Fish) was notorious for climbing up the center of the tree and peeking out at me from between the branche...
Christmas is half way over for me. That deserves some explanation. For more than 10 years, holidays have been split between my family and that of my fiancée/wife Louise. Occasionally in those years, several members of her family have been able to make it home for Thanksgiving, but not for Christmas. This results in quite the heyday at my in-laws, with Thanksgiving celebrated on its regular fourth Thursday in November and Christmas the following Saturday. That still leaves time for that Black...
Yes, I am one of those weird people that already has all my Christmas shopping done. Well, with the exception of a few little ‘stocking stuffer’ kinds of things. Nothing is wrapped and my tree is definitely not up, but I buy things throughout the year when I see them, knowing someone on my list is going to love this little trinket or that. I’ve definitely come a long way from when I was married. It used to be we would put off Christmas shopping until the very last minute and then it was a flurr...
Tuesday night I took in the annual Fall Showcase put on by the Hot Springs County High School Drama Club, getting a look at what the students are taking to the State Drama Festival next month. To say I was in awe would be a drastic understatement. Watching the individual and duo drama pieces, as well as the musical performances was incredible, and the applause the students received was well-deserving, though I wish it could’ve been more — more seats full, more performance time, more of eve...
We awoke Wednesday morning after a long, hard battled election, some feeling wonderful about the choices made, others, not so much. There are changes coming in a number of positions in Thermopolis and Hot Springs County, but now that its all over, we need to embrace those changes and understand that even if our candidate didn’t get in, we voted and our voice mattered. It was exciting to see so many people step up for the primary, putting their name on the line to make our little slice of h...
