Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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by Greg Johnson As somber, respectful and emotional commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks occurred on Saturday, we wondered why we go to such lengths to remember something so horrible. It’s certainly easier to bury and ignore the unpleasant than to go out of our way to relive it again. It’s simple. We remember days like the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the space shuttle Challenger exploding and 9/11 so they may never be repeated. It’s why these events, as Pr...
Americans typically consider questions about the meaning of the Constitution through the prism of their political views and values. As a consequence, they tend to defend as constitutional the acts of officials whom they support, and criticize as unconstitutional the acts of those representatives whom they oppose. This approach implies that the meaning of the Constitution turns on whose ox is being gored. Politics, partisanship and party affiliation are the controlling levers of constitutional understandings. This method of constitutional...
by Harriet Hageman One thing that can be safely said about the Biden Administration is that when you think they could not become even more extreme, they make clear that you underestimate them at your peril. Take President Biden’s Executive Order 14008, entitled “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.” Buried on page 9, is Section 216, with the heading, “Conserving Our Nation’s Lands and Waters,” the goal of which is to develop a plan to “conserve at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.” Known as the “30x30” program...
It wasn’t supposed to end this way. After 42 years in elected office, the last 24 in Congress, Mike Enzi said farewell to the U.S. Senate earlier this year. At 77 years of age, retirement was overdue, and in addition to a little hunting and fishing, he most looked forward to time with his family. “I was able to see my kids grow up before I went in the Senate,” he told the Gillette News Record when he announced in May 2019 that he planned to retire. “Now I want some grandkid time.” Unfortunately, life is uncertain, and what Mr. Enzi no doubt...
A straw poll conducted informally over an evening refreshment among friends (you know the kind) recently revealed that many people have grown sick of politics. The bickering, the divisiveness and the fluid status of facts have created a weariness with all things elections and politics. It’s time to snap out of it. While the next round of elections won’t take place until 2022, filing begins in just 305 days. That’s right, beginning May 12, 2022, candidates will begin officially declaring their intent to seek public office. Perhaps you will...
Days after taking office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order pausing new oil and gas leases on federal lands. The decision produced immediate concern across Wyoming. The state is heavily reliant on the energy sector — particularly fossil fuels — to fund government services. The industry is also a key source of jobs, both directly and through the myriad welding, machining and transportation companies that serve the industry. While Biden’s order was directed at all states where drilling occurs on federal lands, Wyoming felt its impac...
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” For many of us, the Pledge of Allegiance is the first meaningful thing we ever memorized, and the words are imprinted in our memory through repetition — at school, sporting events, meetings, parades and anywhere else Americans gather in the presence of Old Glory. Because of that repetition, however, the true meaning behind the pledge we make to our flag and the count...
For more than a year, we were stuck inside, away from our friends and families. There was the pandemic to deal with, to protect ourselves from. Then along came winter, and we were further isolated and kept indoors. Spring crept in at its own pace, then suddenly in the last week, summer opened the door on its blast furnace. We love it, missed it and couldn’t wait to get out in it. But the combination of a long layoff without being active outside and the sudden spike in temperatures can create its own problems. Data from the National Oceanic a...
Earlier this month, hackers collected $4.4 million in ransom after pulling off a cyber-attack that forced the temporary shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline. The shutdown was no small matter. The pipeline delivers about 45% of the gasoline consumed on the East Coast, according to The Associated Press. Not surprisingly, we witnessed panic-buying and shortages. While the halt in supply lasted only a matter of days, the fact that the cyber attackers received a ransom suggests that others with nefarious purposes will make similar attempts to extort...
by Greg Johnson, Gillette News Record What began as a critical benefit for people directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic has evolved to become an obstacle in our social and economic recovery. The CARES Act of 2020 was an unprecedented move to bolster economies at the national, state and local levels, and a critical part of that was a weekly $600 supplemental unemployment benefit. For many who suddenly lost their jobs because of the pandemic, the money was the difference between keeping their families treading water or drowning during a frig...
Two weeks ago, the state of Wyoming filed a lawsuit challenging the moratorium on oil and gas leasing on federal lands issued by President Joe Biden and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. We applaud the decision to file suit. Basically, the suit claims the executive order by the president violates several federal acts including those dealing with environmental issues, administrative procedures and land policy management. While it is not specifically stated in the lawsuit, the basic premise for the suit is the moratorium on oil and gas...
The first bear was spotted out of hibernation in Yellowstone National Park about two weeks ago. That means the bear season has begun and residents need to shake off their own sleepiness about living in the same region as these bruins — both grizzly and black bears. There are the usual warnings to heed, such as being noisy when going into bear habitat. Wear a bell on a saddle girth, or on a belt loop. Stop and call out “Hey bear” frequently. Carry bear spray and know how to use it effectively. Travel in groups rather than alone. Pay atten...
Although we doubt there is little chance for success because of the current political makeup in Washington, we applaud Wyoming’s congressional delegation in their continuing efforts to delist the grizzly bear. Both Sen. Cynthia Lummis and U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney last month introduced bills in their respective chambers to delist the grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem from the Endangered Species act. Cheney’s bill goes even further with the additional language of prohibiting any judicial review on the decision. If that bill passes, it wo...
by Bryan Golden Fear has an evolutionary foundation. The emotion of fear was intended to keep you safe. Fear triggered the fight or flight reflex. When you felt threatened, you would either run from the danger, or fight it head on. Fear remains as powerful an emotion today as it was eons ago. Fear is helpful when it prevents you from taking needless risks. However, fear can lead to acting contrary to your self-interests. Fear often leads to procrastination, or following the wrong path. Debilitating fears include fear of failure, fear of...
When the 4-H and FFA programs started in 1902 and 1928, respectively, they were intended to help rural youngsters learn production and record keeping best practices. In those early days it was predominantly hands-on work and production agriculture, although 4-H had many so-called girls’ programs, like sewing, cooking and baking. As the years passed and there were fewer and fewer people on farms and ranches, and more emphasis was placed on young people getting a college education, the clubs faded in popularity in many areas. However, there w...
It has long been the mantra of parenting gurus for adults to monitor social media posts for the children in their lives and have access to their phones. It was for their own protection, to keep them safe from child predators and the like. As the student got older and developed perception, the basic advice was the oversight could be gradually decreased as the child approached adulthood. But recent events have opened that advice to re-examination. One event was the overdose death of the 16-year-old son of a prominent California doctor who gives...
by Steven R. Peck, Publisher Riverton Ranger, Feb. 18 The cold-weather emergency in Texas is more than a typical case of warm-weather residents shivering when the temperature drops into the 40s. What’s happening there would be cold for Wyoming, too. But it would be pretty ordinary weather, and it sure wouldn’t paralyze us. If there’s one moral to the story from the bursting pipes, frozen infrastructure and widespread power and water outages that are now stretching into their fifth day in that huge state, it’s this: Hope for the best, but pre...
by Brian Nesvik, director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department For decades, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has stood out for our ability to successfully manage wildlife on the same shared landscape that mineral development occurs. We’ve done this on Wyoming’s terms, working collaboratively with industry to understand specific development impacts to wildlife. Our approach ensures critical wildlife habitats are protected simultaneous to mineral production. However, the new Presidential Executive Order restricting mineral development doe...
For decades, Wyoming workers and the rest of our country enjoyed a mutually beneficial arrangement. Oil workers and coal miners provided the nation with a steady supply of energy. In return, those workers could count on well-paying, blue-collar jobs that offered an opportunity to buy a home, support a family and send kids to college. That arrangement started to fray over the past decade, thanks in part to structural changes in how the U.S. powers itself. Demand for fossil fuels has been tempered by climate change, new technology and competition...
Most parents recall this prototypical Christmas morning scene, when the youngest offspring clumsily ripped open a large gift box, that was carefully selected and tediously wrapped with care. Staring at the contents, momentarily, but quickly casting the gift aside, now content to play with the cardboard box for hours. It seems to be a long standing tradition with the under four crowd-content with cardboard. Try that on a eight year old. Fast forward to 2021, our nation has, as far-fetched as it sounds, been snookered into being content, once...
WE THE PEOPLE have been abandoned by our elected representatives. It matters not which side of the political aisle your ideals fall; we can all agree that our elected public servants should represent the views of their constituents. A public servant is just that, a servant. They are employed by us. Change in the political sphere can only be obtained by starting at the local level. Its high time our representatives are held accountable by us. When we try to contact our public servants they are obligated, by job description, to respond. They...
This editorial ran in the Jan. 17 edition of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, If anyone ever gets bored enough to write a history of the 65th Wyoming Legislature, one word that would never appear in it is “bold.” In fact, you probably have to go back more than 50 years to find an action taken by state lawmakers that anyone would consider bold. And even then, it was a proposal from the executive branch, led by Republican Gov. Stan Hathaway, who, in 1968, proposed a bill to institute a severance tax on mineral extraction in the state. That bill passed...
by Ryan McConnaughey Petroleum Association of Wyoming A ban on oil and natural gas development on public lands by the U.S. President-elect would severely harm the economies of eight western states, according to a Wyoming Energy Authority study conducted by University of Wyoming Professor Tim Considine. Over the next four years, the human cost of fulfilling the campaign pledge would be an average of 72,818 fewer jobs annually. Lost wages would total $19.6 billion, economic activity would decline $43.8 billion, and tax revenues would drop $10.8...
by Dan Nordberg, SBA’s National Director for Rural Affairs and Region VIII Administrator Small Business Saturday is a relatively new American tradition. While Black Friday has been an informal holiday for more than 60 years, it wasn’t until 2010 that the Saturday after Thanksgiving earned its official title, designating it as a day to shop local and support hometown retailers. In a year where businesses have faced profound challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Small Business Saturday may be more critical than ever before. In fa...
In an unprecedented year, it’s only natural that we have an unprecedented election. It’s the first in our lifetimes to occur during a global pandemic, and one in which an unprecedented number of absentee ballots in Wyoming will be cast early or by mail. While we’re used to watching the results roll in on live TV on election night, this time it may take days — possibly even weeks — for final results. And that’s OK. Accessibility and accuracy are far more important than immediate results. During the primary election in August, about 40 percent...
