Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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The local Community Survey results are in and a public meeting was held on Tuesday evening to discuss the results, form committees and plan for next steps. We had the survey in our Oct. 3 edition as an insert, it was circulated to area business and on social media. Shurie Scheel is leading the way for the planning committee who put out the survey. If you did not get a chance to fill out the survey or attend Tuesday’s meeting, we are sure you can still participate in some way. The group has announced they will need several volunteers to serve o...
At the IR, we are gearing up for the holiday season and so are our area businesses and organizations. We are running an ad special in November and December so check out the ad on page 2 for details on how you can save big with multiple ads. If you have an event coming up, please let us know. We will be happy to work up an advertising package, write an article and take photos at the event. In this week’s edition, you will find information on several upcoming events happing around our community. This weekend, a local favorite, the annual B...
The unofficial local results from the 2024 General Election appear on the front page of this paper. Unfortunately, due to printing deadlines, we are unable to include complete state or federal results. Our readers may not know it, but our paper is currently printed in Cody. Typically, our finished pages are requested to be uploaded by 5 p.m. on Tuesday evening so our paper can be processed and ready for printing beginning around 6 a.m. Wednesday mornings. To get our local results on our front page we held it to send later on Tuesday night, by...
The 2024 General Election section is included in this paper and contains useful candidate information on those running for local, state and federal offices. Locally, we have some important races that will be decided when voting ends at 7 p.m., Tuesday, November 5. We have two qualified candidates running for a single seat on the Hot Springs County Commissioners Board. In a highly contested race, eight candidates are looking to fill four available seats on the Hot Springs County School District Board of Trustees. Three candidates are on the...
Visitors often say one of the best things about our community is the welcoming, friendly people they find here around town and at our local businesses. One person recently said about Thermopolis, “The townspeople (Thermopolites?) are nice, helpful, friendly and simply great people.” That is a wonderful compliment for the residents of our little town. Recently though, our community members have been struggling to be civil and decent to one another. They may still be being nice and friendly to visitors, but to their own neighbors there has bee...
Residents of Hot Springs County have a chance to fill out a community survey to help guide officials in prioritizing things important to citizens of HSC and Thermopolis as a community-wide strategic plan is created. The results will be shared with the public in a future edition of the Independent Record and online. The surveys were included in the October 3 issue of the IR. You can also pick up a copy at our office 431 Broadway, during normal business hours. Additionally, you can get a copy of the survey at the Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber...
October 6-12 is National Fire Prevention Week and is also recognized by the Governor of the State of Wyoming. One of the most important things you can have in your home is properly working smoke alarms. Smoke alarms serve as the first line of defense in the event of a house fire, giving families the crucial time to escape safely. Smoke alarms should be installed in every bedroom and outside each sleeping area, as well as on each floor of your home, including the attic. It is a good idea to test your smoke alarms regularly by pressing the test...
If you missed the Monday school board candidate forum, there were several interesting questions asked and answered. We will be running the information from that event in next week’s issue. On Thursday, Oct. 3, the Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce is hosting a meet the candidates forum starting at 6 p.m. at the Thermopolis Middle School. All candidates registered to run in the general election have been invited. This is another opportunity for voters to hear from the candidates and visit with them following the question/answer p...
This week’s story “Talking trash with Mayor Estenson” begins on the front page and jumps to page 7. It is long, but it is informative. The recent decision by the Town of Thermopolis to purchase land for an alternative location for the garbage transfer station has sparked a community debate. We hope all those interested in the subject will read the article this week and share it with a friend. Many of the questions being passed around the community are addressed in the article. The Town of Thermopolis will also hold a meeting on Tuesday, Octob...
by Megan Barton, Cody Enterprise It seems all too often that we become caught up in the mundane tasks of daily life and find ourselves in a rut. Sure, we’re busy with work, school, chores, kids, etc., but forgetting about ourselves can prove to be the easiest form of self sabotage. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about a routine during the week to keep myself from piling all the “boring” tasks onto the weekend. But, I do find it to be important to take time for myself and activities I enjoy. According to mhanational.org, forms of self-care...
Hot Springs County residents experienced a trifecta of events on Monday that have left many stunned and in shock. A severe thunderstorm brought strong winds blasting through town that caused a major amount of damage to various vehicle and buildings. As the wind was subsiding, a lightning strike heard around the community started a wildfire southeast of Thermopolis called the West Warm Springs Fire. By far the most tragic of the events was an officer/deputy involved shooting that resulted on the death of a local man. Officials are releasing...
Many parts of Wyoming are on fire, but, so far, Hot Springs County is not. We hope to keep it that way and ask for your help in doing so. We can all do our part to avoid being responsible for starting a wildfire. However, lightning can still be an unexpected culprit. Wildfire season is nearly over, and officials are gradually getting a handle on some of the fires around the state while others continue to rage. As numbers begin rolling in, the damages caused are astronomical. In HSC, we are still under a stage 1 county fire ban. An explanation...
The classified ads have ran on the inside back page of the Thermopolis Independent Record for several decades. In a world where it seems like everything changes, this, too, has changed. The classifieds and the business directory will now be bumped up two pages into the body of the IR. This week they appear on pages 10 and 11. This change is due in part to our loyal advertisers. Thank you! This week, we are thrilled to have several color ads. The press we print on has limited color pages available. We decided to utilize the inside back page for...
The first day of school for students enrolled in Hot Springs County School District No. 1 was Wednesday, August 21. Other area schools may have different start dates but will also be beginning soon. Although the first day of fall is not until September 22, once school starts many feel summer is over. Well, summer break is over. Time for students, teachers and other staff to fill the schools again. It is also time for the rest of us to be aware of children traveling too and from schools. Although they may be reminded to always look both ways...
by Megan Barton, publisher, Cody Enterprise Everywhere we look it seems we’re at the mercy of AI. It is present in everyday life, and some might argue that it’s changed our daily routines for the better. Sure, there are certain circumstances in which AI can benefit you. It can create a new company logo or advertisements, we could dive into the robotics that help individuals regain mobility and gain newfound independence (we won’t), but there seems to be this ever hovering “cloud of doom” when discussing AI. Recently, the Cody Enterpris...
by Lara Love I believe the column to the right about mistakes is worthy reading. Mistakes come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are simple oopsy doopsy moments, while others have tragic results, and there are hundreds of varying levels in between. Some mistakes are made in private, some are public and others are made public because of the circumstances. Many times there are consequences for our mistakes, as there should be. I was coming into town the other morning, distracted, looked down and realized I was going 42 in a 30. Could I have...
Hot Springs County Fair wraps up Friday evening with the Junior Livestock Auction and Judges’ Choice Bake Sale in the multi-purpose building at the fairgrounds. The bake sale will be a silent auction starting at 5 p.m. A pre-sale buyers dinner will be served at 6 p.m. followed by the auction beginning at 7 p.m. Market beef, swine, sheep and goats will be available to help you fill your freezer. In return, you will be supporting a 4-H or FFA member who has worked hard to raise and show their animal. Last year was a record breaking year for t...
Hot Springs County Fair begins this week and is packed full of a variety of events. Youths and adults will be kept busy competing, hosting events, judging and more during the fair, which kicks off on Thursday, July 25 and ends on Friday, August 2. We have several ads and a story in this edition informing you about all the events taking place. There are a few new events this year and some long time favorites, including the Ranch Rodeo and Family Fun Nite. Lets fill the bleachers and pack the fairgrounds to show our support of the competitors,...
The Thermopolis/Hot Springs County High School Reunion will be held this weekend. The reunion committee was restructured a few years ago and new members stepped in to try to keep the reunion going. Information we received from a committee member indicates four classes have signed up through the committee. Other classes may still be meeting and holding events on their own. The committee is hosting a dance at the VFW Saturday night and a lunch picnic on Sunday in Hot Springs State Park. We do not know the plan regarding the taking of class...
Sometimes in life, unforeseen circumstances arise. Although these circumstances may be inconvenient, the true test of character is how we deal with them. This week’s Thermopolis Independent Record is two sections. We typically do not divide our paper into two sections unless there is a true need. The choice to do so this week was beyond our control. We don’t feel the need to go into all details, but we had to use a fill in printer this week and the limitations on their press are different than our regular printer. So if you are looking for the...
Independence Day is the true fundamental American holiday. On the Fourth of July, lets celebrate our extraordinary country and the freedoms we have as Americans. Many people around the world wish they had the freedoms we have. Our country’s founders recognized the importance of these freedoms in the formation of our country. American service men and women have fought, and died, to preserved that right for you and I. Our country is not without its issues. Americans are free to disagree, p...
by Chris Bacon, Editor, Cody Enterprise It’s gonna be a big show. Thursday night’s presidential debate will likely be a pivotal moment for our nation. CNN will host the event between two men who have both been president. To understand how unusual this is in U.S. history, remember that only one president, Grover Cleveland, ever served non-consecutive terms. He was first elected 10 years before the famous flight of the Wright brothers. The last president to even try to be reelected after losing an election was Theodore Roosevelt in 1912. Rec...
Some of us in the community as children growing up in Thermopolis dreamed of having a McDonald’s restaurant in town. Years later, we got one – and a Pizza Hut restaurant as well. Some grew up hoping for even more, a shopping mall, a cold water swimming pool, a stoplight at Amoretti and Sixth Streets. We never got those. According to the US Census, In 1983, Thermopolis and East Thermopolis’ population was about 4,410 people and we had the infrastructure to handle that amount at the time. Today Thermopolis population is 2,702. Hard numbers to sw...
This Thermopolis Independent Record contains two and a half pages of public notices. We suggest you read them. Included on those pages are notices about another request from Rocky Mountain Power for a rate increase, an invitation to bid, board vacancies, notices of Sheriff sales, commissioner and council minutes and more. These are required to run by state statute and there is a good reason for that. The information included in these notices must be accessible to the public for a variety of reasons. One of the most important is that our city...
by Rhett Breedlove, Torrington Telegram This perhaps is something everyone can relate to, and it falls under all sorts of categories. It’s in our nature to continue to try over, and over again until we finally succeed. Or at least until we get something right. This is the absolute truth if we ever plan to get anywhere in life, and as we all know very well by now nothing worth having is going to come easy. When we were young we were rightfully taught if at first you don’t succeed, you must try, try again. Absolutely. None of us ever became good...
