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  • Even in darkness you can be found

    Jan 25, 2024

    by Nicola Park LAC, LPC-MH “I’ve lost everything…but I just can’t stop”. “Once I take that first drink that is all I think about”. “I use it to take the pain away”. These are some of the many things you might hear someone who struggles on a daily basis with an addiction say. Addiction is a chronic disease that can physically and mentally change a person from who they once were. When we hear the word addiction, we might automatically go to ‘the person on the street looking to score their next fix’, but these are people who struggle every minute...

  • Group criticizes HSCSD#1 Board of Trustees

    Jan 18, 2024

    by Lara Love A controversial cartoon that takes a jab at the Hot Springs County School District Board of Trustees is making the rounds on social media. The cartoon criticizes the board for “squashing public comment” and accuses that “some parent groups may be banned from having a voice.” There are numerous comments on the original post that also calls some of the board members out by name. A current school board member even chimes with several comments. While we don’t typically point out controversies running around on social medial, we found...

  • The threat in your bedroom

    Jan 18, 2024

    by Debra Johnson, M.D. My family has a fondness for crime dramas and thrillers. It isn’t uncommon to watch a scene in which a peacefully sleeping individual wakes when a shadowy figure approaches their bedside with a pillow. Predictably, the assailant calmly presses that pillow over the face of their victim and waits until the struggling stops. For millions of us, the threat in our bedrooms isn’t some malevolent other, but rather our own bodies and brains. We may get our next breath, but for those with sleep apnea, it can be a struggle. Sle...

  • Shop local all year long to see our community survive

    Jan 11, 2024

    Shop local is common phrase used in the month of December, but we want to remind you it is an admirable thing to do year around. Our community was able to welcome some new businesses to Thermopolis in 2023 and we hope the same will be true in 2024. We also have some established businesses add new goods, services and attractions. Some businesses were relocated to new, better locations and some saw name or ownership changes. The current population of Thermopolis is just over 2,700 people and our county population comes in at just under 5,000. We...

  • HSCSD#1 issues for public knowledge

    Jan 11, 2024

    At the December School Board meeting I had requested to speak on a few Academic issues but was told that I could only speak on ‘agenda items’. I was told that although the Board Meeting was open to the public it was “Not a Public Meeting” whereas State Statute 16-4-403 states that all meetings are public meetings. Surprising that after being on the board for so many years they did not know that. OK, then public media will have to be our means of informing the public on issues. First of all, let me say that anyone with moderate internet researc...

  • Benefits of pasteurization

    Jan 11, 2024

    by Andrew Ellsworth, MD My father-in-law is a farmer. He grew up on the family farm in southwest Minnesota, where his dad grew up, too. Blessed by fertile soil, the farm has provided for the family for several generations. It is invaluable for my children to experience the farm, see the crops grow, help with animals, and learn about the cycles of life on the farm. The farm no longer has cows, but it did at one time. My father-in-law used to milk cows. He remembers they had a pasteurizer. His mother would pour in raw milk. The cream rose to the...

  • What path should you take?

    Jan 11, 2024

    by Bryan Golden We all face decisions throughout life when circumstances change. Deciding what path to take can pose a dilemma. Each of the various options has positives and negatives. How do you determine the best course of action? There are a number of factors to consider. Your personality traits play a significant role. What do you like and dislike? What’s your affinity for risk? How much challenge are you happy with? The answers to these questions affect what path you will be comfortable taking. For example, someone who is uncomfortable w...

  • Making resolutions beyond ourselves

    Jan 4, 2024

    We all know the deal with New Year’s resolutions. They’re often made and seldom kept. At minimum, they’re optimistic. At maximum, they’re impossible. The best kept ones are internalized while the least successful are too often spoken out of existence. For many, they’re long shots. Yet for some reason, when the winter days draw short and the nights turn cold, we reflect back and project forward. The resolutions we make show characteristics of the versions of ourselves we most want to be. If they help you inch even a smidge closer to becoming...

  • Information about seizures

    Jan 4, 2024

    by Andrew Ellsworth, MD A seizure can be one of the most frightening things for a family member, friend, or anyone to witness. However, for some people with epilepsy, seizures may be fairly common and not unexpected. Roughly 1 in 10 people may have a seizure at some point in their lifetime. A seizure occurs when there is a burst of uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain. This may cause a sudden change in awareness or full loss of consciousness, unusual sensations or thoughts, or temporary problems in muscle tone or movements, such as...

  • 100 years ago: Historical events from January

    Dec 28, 2023

    The month of January has been home to many historical events over the years. Here’s a look at some that helped to shape the world in January 1924. · Millionaire oil broker Courtland S. Dines is shot in the abdomen at his home on January 1. When police arrived on the scene, they found alcohol on the premises, causing a scandal during the Prohibition era. · Flooding causes the water level of the Seine to rise in Paris, forcing the closure of railway stations on January 2. · The exiled King Ferdinand is granted permission to return to Sofia by t...

  • Hot Springs Health warns community to beware of scam phone calls

    Dec 28, 2023

    Hot Springs Health has recently been made aware of our main hospital number (307) 864-3121 being used in an attempt to scam members of the community. The caller ID shows the call coming from the hospital. During the call, the person on the phone misrepresents themselves as an employee or representative of the hospital, and asks for personal information including Social Security Numbers, Medicare ID numbers, and other personal information. The caller may attempt to use an unpaid hospital bill as an excuse to gain this information. While the...

  • Make better brain health your top New Year's resolution

    Dec 28, 2023

    Alzheimer’s disease is expected to impact nearly 13 million Americans by 2050, including 10,000 Wyomingites today, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. So, as you contemplate your New Year’s resolutions for 2024, consider there are steps you can take yourself to maintain and improve your cognitive function. Research has shown lifestyle changes like improving diet and exercising regularly have helped drive down death rates from cancer, heart disease and other major diseases. These same lifestyle changes may also reduce or slow your risk...

  • Waiting until the last minute

    Dec 21, 2023

    It’s unlikely that anyone hopes to be a last-minute Christmas shopper. Putting off shopping until the last minute can make for a stressful home stretch to the season, and there’s no guarantee store shelves won’t already be picked clean. As for ordering something that you cannot find locally, good luck getting it delivered on time. Despite how unappealing last-minute shopping can be, it’s still a fact of life for many of us. Don’t let the stress of finding that perfect last minute gift take over the enjoyment of the Christmas season. Remember...

  • Santa is a cowboy

    Dec 21, 2023

    by Slim Randles The subject came up spontaneously at a recent meeting of the New Mexico Cowboy Curmudgeon Coalition, where our motto is: “If we actually existed, would anyone really care?” It came about because of the time of year and the spirit of Christmas, and was encouraged by other spirits, of a more … well … bottled variety. “I think it’s time,” said one member, “we gave credit where credit is due. Santa Claus … hear me out now … is a cowboy.” This met with derisive outbursts in the House of Commons, which is more the Bunkhouse of Comm...

  • Unraveling medical myths

    Dec 21, 2023

    by Jill Kruse, DO Myths are just stories we tell ourselves and others to make sense of the world around us. Myths convey beliefs or values and attempt to tell truths. In their effort to tell the truth, myths may exaggerate or misrepresent things. Sometimes this misrepresentation is innocent, while other times it is used as a tool to regulate or manipulate people. Myths can be used to give a sense of power and control over an overwhelming situation. Of the many types of myths, ones that deal with medicine are particularly common. A person’s l...

  • China would benefit from proposed IP giveaway

    Dec 21, 2023

    by Walter G. Copan China steals up to $600 billion of American intellectual property every year -- more than the entire GDP of most countries. Considering the sheer scale of this theft, Americans should be shocked to learn that the White House is considering a plan that would voluntarily give the fruits of American innovation to China and other economic and geopolitical rivals. But that is precisely what's happening. In the spring of 2022, the World Trade Organization, with the United States' consent, voted to waive patent protections on...

  • Let us know

    Dec 14, 2023

    Community events abound during the month of December as explained on page 3 of this paper. Winter sports for high school athletes have kicked off and the speech and debate season is in full swing. Between the Chamber of Commerce event calendar and the school district calendar, we are able to keep up on most of the scheduled events in our community. However, things do fall through the cracks. This time of year, and all year long, we ask organizers to let us know about their events so we can let the public know and put it on our schedule for...

  • The gift of peace

    Dec 14, 2023

    by Jill Pertler It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Or is it? People enjoy decorating for the holidays, cooking, baking, writing those non-brag family letters and finding the ideal gift for everyone on their list. Or do they? For some, many even, this is the most wonderful time of the year. People truly enjoy rearranging the living room to make room for a seven-foot evergreen. They look forward to lugging plastic tote bins from the garage or basement to sort through ornaments. Untangling masses of stringed lights rates as one of their t...

  • A sign of the times for journalism and AI

    Dec 7, 2023

    by Jake Goodrick, Gillette News Record What does a media brouhaha involving Sports Illustrated have to do with the future of the industry at large? Hopefully not much. Unfortunately, it just may foreshadow the future ways, and flaws, of a media landscape shifting away from traditional values of trust, transparency and even truth, in the age of artificial intelligence. There’s a persuasive body of evidence to suggest that under the banner of Sports Illustrated — the once vaunted national outlet — a number of online product-review pieces were pub...

  • Escaping the black hole of worry

    Dec 7, 2023

    by Bryan Golden Worry is an all-consuming black hole which drains your time, emotions, and physical wellbeing. Worry is insidious because you are so used to it that you aren’t aware how often, or how readily, you worry. For some people, worry is a way of life. We grow up being taught, by example, to make worry a regular activity. We worry about what happened. We worry about what is happening now. We worry about what might happen. We worry about what others will do. We worry about what other people won’t do. We worry about just about eve...

  • A date that will live in infamy

    Dec 7, 2023

    by Major Anderson, RN December 7, 1941 is a “date that will live in infamy” as stated by President Theodore Roosevelt in his famous speech after the events of the Pearl Harbor bombing. That event let to the United States involvement in World War II. President’s Roosevelt’s speech was a call to arms and a declaration of war against this act of aggression by a foreign nation. He never wanted us to forget what happened. President Roosevelt concluded his speech by saying “With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determina...

  • Shop local

    Nov 30, 2023

    Last weekend kicked off the Christmas season with Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. We want to remind you of the importance of shopping local throughout the entire shopping season. Local businesses have invested in our community. They support our youth, our organizations and our fundraisers. Without your support of them, that cannot continue. Our local businesses pay local employees so when you buy local you are keeping jobs for you and your community members. You may have to shop out of town for a few items on your list, but we...

  • Medicare Advantage

    Nov 30, 2023

    by Tom Dean, MD TV is flooded these days with commercials encouraging everyone to sign up for Medicare Advantage(MA). What is MA and why are they doing this? First of all, a bit of history. For more than 30 years Congress has debated whether the private insurance industry could deliver Medicare benefits more efficiently than the federal government. In 2003 these efforts evolved into what is now known as Medicare Part C or, more commonly, Medicare Advantage (MA). MA plans, operated by private insurance companies, cover services provided by Parts...

  • Giving thanks

    Nov 23, 2023

    Thanksgiving day is about more than getting together to eat too much and watch parades, movies and football all day. As you gather together with friends and family, what are you giving thanks for? What you give thanks for is not as important as is the basic concept of being thankful. The history of Thanksgiving is not without controversy, but it is indeed a national holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. As the cartoon to the right reminds us, there is always plenty to not be thankful for. This year,...

  • Practicing gratitude

    Nov 23, 2023

    by Kelly Evans-Hullinger, M.D. I love Thanksgiving. I love preparing the food all day and enjoying it while sitting around a table with some of the people I love most. And there is one holiday tradition that I have grown to adore. As we sit down to eat, we share one thing we feel grateful for this year. Practicing gratitude has been shown to improve aspects of mental health and our sense of well-being, and it isn’t hard to understand why. Saying or thinking “I am grateful for…” feels really good and doing so regularly can help shape our out...

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