Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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When our society finds a better way to archive public records for the people, it will have the full support of this newspaper. Public notices (legals) are the surest way to let the citizens know how their tax dollars are being spent. They also create a permanent and secure record of the business of your government and they have run in these pages since this newspaper began. That won’t always be the case. Publishing on-line has been a boon to getting news into the hands of more people, and in getting government information to its citizens. B...
by Jurri Schenck We have been here before and we are going to better places. It’s easy to take the black pill and only see the negative in our circumstances. Why not? We have inflation, a possible world war, a toxic political environment, etc, etc. What will you choose? To give you some hope and vision, it is important to remember that there have been situations like this in the past. There have always been turning points where the context looked extremely dire. A beautiful picture to illustrate this is watching a large flock of birds flying i...
As we welcome in 2023, residents of Thermopolis and Hot Springs County have much to be thankful for and some interesting changes in local government to look forward to. The first week of January, judges will be swearing in our local county and town government officials to serve their future terms. We have a new county commissioner who will be joining two on the commission who have served for several years. Other reelected county officials will also be swore in next week. For the Town of Thermopolis, we will have a new Mayor and a new Town...
Our community has a lot to be thankful for this Christmas. We may have more than some and less than others, but ultimately we all make a choice to continue to live in, or care about, our little one stoplight town. Merry Christmas to each and every one of you, near and far, who are reading this. Thanks to those of you who are serving in the military and giving up your holidays, your years of living in Hot Springs County and Wyoming, to try to make the world a safer, better place. Thanks to the many volunteers who put in countless hours to put on...
Thermopolis and residents from surrounding areas have been working their way into the Christmas spirit. Lights and decorations are going up at houses and businesses, school Christmas concerts and programs are scheduled, special sales are going on at local businesses and craft fairs and more are being held. This Saturday, the annual Lighted Christmas Parade. Bundle up and line the streets to see some fabulous entries make their way through downtown beginning at 6 p.m. Following the parade, Santa Claus will be at Hazel-n-Pearls so be sure to...
However you spend your Thanksgiving, take a moment to give thanks for someone or something. Be thankful for friends, family, fur babies, a roof over your head, food on your table, your job, etc. Even if all these do not apply, be thankful for the ones that do. As Friday rolls around, we enter the Christmas shopping season, full steam ahead. Locally we have our own Merry Christmas Market giveaway going on. Black Friday is Nov. 25 followed by Small Business Saturday on Nov. 26, a relatively new American tradition. While Black Friday has been an...
Thermopolis has a full schedule of events coming up starting this Saturday with the Backpack Program Fundraiser and Holiday Affair Craft Show at the Thermopolis Middle School. Saturday night, 4-H Achievement night will be held at the fair building to celebrate the accomplishments of youths in the county. The Annual Christmas Bazzar will be Nov. 26 at the fair building. Nov. 25 is Black Friday and kicks off the Merry Christmas Market shopping. Shop Small Town Saturday is Nov. 26. Watch for ads from businesses in next week’s edition. The Ducks Un...
The 2022 General Election is over other than canvasing write-ins, dealing with any requests for recounts and making voting numbers official. Let’s now look forward to welcoming new faces in our places of local, state and federal government as they prepare to take their seats in a few months. Some have said this is one of the most important midterm elections our nation has faced. Local politics have a national impact and every vote counts. Locally, citizens have campaigned and supported their candidates with passion and vigor, debating the i...
Tuesday, November 8 is 2022 General Election voting day. Some will vote absentee prior to Tuesday, but many will be voting that day. Locally, we have a few very important races that will be decided. We have two candidates running for Town of Thermopolis Mayor, three candidates running for two seats on the Thermopolis Town Council, two candidates running for the single House District 28 seat and eight candidates seeking three seats on the Hot Springs County Board of Trustees. Kirby and East Thermopolis also have a few important races going on...
One of the most highly contested races in the general election for Hot Springs County voters is the eight person fight for three positions on the Hot Springs County School District #1 Board of Trustees. Two incumbents and six challengers all want to have a seat on the board for the next four years. The school board district positions are nonpartisan offices. Candidates do not run under the merits of any political party affiliation. Awhile back, a committee made up of HSC Republican party members sent out questionnaires to the eight school...
This week is National Fire Prevention Week. On pages 8 and 9 of this paper you will find a salute to our local Thermopolis Volunteer Fire Department members, including their names and photos. These individuals put in hundreds of hours each year serving our community. They respond to calls 24/7, while they are sleeping, celebrating with their families and working their jobs. They sacrifice their own time and risk their lives to protect and serve their fellow community members. They attend trainings and host community events such as their recent...
On Monday, the Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Farm Bureau Federation held their second Meet the Candidate forum at the Thermopolis Middle School. The event was less attended than their first event, held prior to the primary election, but there was still a solid turnout. Also, the event was live streamed and the replay video can be found on the Chamber’s social media page. A full recap of the information from the event will be included in the Oct. 27 General Election section of the Independent Record. In that section we w...
The Independent Record staff has been contacted by several individuals wanting to do research on a variety of topics. No problem, we’ve got you covered. There are a few ways to access the IR archives. The easiest way to research through the last seven years of papers is using our website at thermopir.com. Subscribers have access to review full pdf versions of our paper dating back to April 2015. For stories printed in the IR from the beginning of 2016 until present, the key word search feature is available. If you are interested in r...
Everyone loves a great deal from your fellow community members. What better place to find one than at your local Farmers Market? Every Saturday morning from 8 a.m. until noon in downtown Thermopolis on 5th Street between Broadway and Pinnacle Bank, local vendors sell their wares. The options are varied and of high quality. Customers can find freshly grown local vegetables, baked goods, flavored peanut butter, custom handmade jewelry, smoked cheese, freeze-dried fruit, locally harvest meats, jellies and jams and many, many more items. Don’t forg...
We have come to the “Dog Days” of summer when the mornings are cool and the afternoons so hot you just want to sit on the porch with the pups and enjoy something cool to drink. It also marks the start of school and before long it will be crisp leaves, flannel shirts and football. These are some of the days we can cherish the most as we kiss the summer good-bye to welcome the beauty of fall. We really have been lucky in Hot Springs County this summer. We have had a number of grass/range fires, but they have been contained fairly quickly. We are...
Do you think your voice is not powerful? Think again. There is a concept called “The Power of One”. One person can make all the difference in life and in situations. One person can move mountains and that same single person’s power is expressed in voting. Famous leaders of our nation’s past provide us with their sage wisdom. Thomas Jefferson, Former President and one of our Founding Fathers said, “We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” It’s election season and many candidates fr...
The Hot Springs County Fair is finishing up but you still have the chance to enjoy some of the final events. The Chili Cook Off is tonight (Thursday) at 5 p.m. at the MP Building. Come hungry to sample all the different chili creations and then vote for your favorite. The beef show begins at 6 p.m., also in the MP Building. On Friday the Judges’ Choice Silent Auction Bake Sale starts at 5 p.m. followed by the Junior Livestock Auction beginning at 7 p.m. in the MP Building. Youths of our community work hard on their projects and you can s...
We are heading into a few weeks packed with a busy schedule of events in Hot Springs County. The Wagonhound Off-road event will be held July 29-31. See the article on page 5 of this paper for more information. Saturday morning from 8 a.m.-noon a variety of goods will be available at the Farmers Market downtown next to Bicentennial Park. The County Fair kicks off Saturday with the Youth Horse Show. Next week is filled with other animal shows, building exhibits, shooting events, a ranch rodeo, family fun nite, a chili cook off, the livestock...
Hot Springs County and its residents are at a crossroads. What is our vision for our community’s future? If someone moves to our area and tries to get plugged into our community, they quickly find out one of our greatest cultural difficulties: division. Over the years and generations, factions have formed over offenses, misunderstandings and miscommunications. And at the same time, it is safe to say all of us have had the best of intentions. What is the solution? We must remember that a house divided against itself will surely fall. Right n...
by Kevin Killough If you traveled over the Fourth of July weekend, you felt the sting of filling up before your trip. Gas prices were down slightly from what they were earlier in June, but they remain painfully high. While most people feel the impact of high energy prices most directly when they pay at the pump, the greater pain of this problem will be gradually increased in the coming year. Energy is the industry that powers all other industries. If energy costs go up, the cost of all business goes up. Adding to inflationary pressures that...
Visitors to Thermopolis and Hot Springs County can select between a large variety of attractions. Our crown jewel is Hot Springs State Park with its large green grass lawns and trees for shade, along with many places to relax and play. There are two swimming pools that contain the hot spring mineral waters, the Star Plunge and Hellie’s Teepee Pools. Don’t miss the good eats at the new Tipi Concessions located nearby. The State Bath House features free short soaks in the healing waters. Visit the Big Spring to see where the water comes from deep...
This summer is packed with many activities here in Thermopolis and we should be thankful. With the post-pandemic COVID circumstance, we must never take our freedoms for granted. They can be lost if we are passive. President Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is a fragile thing, and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people.” Just last week Thermopolis enjoyed the PRCA Parade and Rodeo, which...
by Lara Love Plans are underway to put up the Memorial Avenue of Flags at Monument Hill Cemetery on Monday for Memorial Day. If there is significant chance of rain, the flags will not be put up as many of the flags are original coffin flags and have to be protected since they cannot be replaced. Please be understanding if the flags cannot be placed due to weather concerns. If they are put up, be sure to visit the cemetery and view the awesome display of the Avenue of Flags. Memorial Day is a federal American holiday observed on the last Monday...
The 2022 Thermopolis/Hot Springs Wyoming Visitor Guides have arrived. We will be doing our best to begin getting them delivered to area businesses and attractions. You are welcome to stop by during regular business hours and pick up some guides so you can begin distributing them now. May is a busy month for us. As your community newspaper, our staff members will be attending several events this month including school award ceremonies, graduations and other year end school events, along with a number of community events and fundraisers, then...
Mother Nature offered up some much needed moisture last week on Friday and Saturday. The Owl Creek area received a full inch of measurable moisture, with 5 inches coming from wet snow and the rest from rain. On Saturday evening, a section of loose rocks fell in Wind River Canyon, closing the roadway to travelers. The rocks were cleaned up in fairly short order and the road was fully reopened later that night. It was an inconvenience for those who had to wait to continue on their way, but a bus load of Powell High School soccer players didn’t w...
