Week of June 11, 2026
Week of June 11, 2026
Trailblazer Days – Opening the Last Frontier is an America 250 celebration honoring our place in history of this great nation. June 12-14 we will twist back in time to when accessing the Big Horn Basin was incredibly difficult due to the rough terrain of high mountains and deep canyons. Supplying freight and supplies to the new settlement of Thermopolis was slow and dangerous. The teamsters had to be as tough as the landscape which honed their tenacity, courage and skill. Our local legacy...
At their June 2 meeting, the Thermopolis Town Council took up the second reading of a draft budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2026-27. The draft budget includes raises for town employees, which were approved earlier in the year by the council. Also included in the budget are increased costs for employer provided medical insurance for town employees. As she had at the time of the first reading of the proposed budget, council member Rachel Hughes took issue with the proposed bonus provision for the Thermopolis Police Department. Hughes stated...
The Board of Directors of Hot Springs Health held their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 26. Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Scott Alwin, reviewed with the board the decision reached by the board to sell the vacant Basin property. The property has been vacant for more than two years, and has been on the market that entire time, with only minimal interest being generated. The Children’s Resource Center in Cody has offered to purchase the property for $400,000. Alwin reported that Hot Springs Health will be ending its agreement with...
The Hot Springs County School Board met for their regular monthly meeting on May 21. The board took time to celebrate achievements by students at Ralph Winters Elementary School who received training through the American Heart Association in hands-only CPR, and in recognizing early warning signs of stroke. Through a student fundraiser at the school, over ten thousand dollars were raised to support research, education and training programs through the American Heart Association. From Hot Springs County High School, the board lauded the...
The Wyoming Arts Council and Wyoming State Parks invite the public to attend a series of Artist in Residence programs taking place throughout June at Wyoming State Parks. The Wyoming Artist in Residence Program places artists in state parks across the state, offering visitors an opportunity to engage with artists, observe the creative process, and participate in public programs inspired by Wyoming's landscapes, history, and communities. During each residency, artists spend three days immersed in their surroundings before presenting a public...
On Tuesday, June 2, the Hot Springs County Commissioners held their first regular meeting for the month. Sheriff Jerimie Kraushaar provided the Commissioners with a report of the recently completed security evaluation for the county courthouse. The review is done every two years, and the results are sent to the Wyoming Supreme Court. Upgrades to security in the building are proposed to separate the judge’s chambers area from areas accessible by the general public. Details for the work are due for filing by August 31, 2026, and the required...
by Noah Zahn Wyoming Tribune Eagle Via Wyoming News Exchange Lawmakers are once again considering a proposal to ditch property taxes for an increase in sales taxes for Wyomingites. On Monday, the Joint Revenue Committee discussed the proposal along with some others to clear the air on confusion regarding recent and further tax cut proposals. During the meeting, lawmakers grappled with a slew of further property tax proposals, attempting to balance the public demand for homeowner relief against the increasingly dire warnings from local...
Submit requests for funds The Hot Springs County Education Endowment Foundation is accepting applications for funds from organizations through June 30. For more information, visit www.hotspringsendowment.org Summer reading program Hot Springs County Library is hosting a summer reading program for children in grades 1st-5th Fridays from 10:30 a.m.-noon beginning on June 12 and lasting through July 24. There will be no program on July 3. The theme is Unearth a Story and there will be fun, games and prizes. For more information, contact HSC...
The 53rd Annual Wyoming Shrine Bowl game will be played this Saturday, June 13 at Cheney Alumni Field, at Natrona County High School in Casper. Graduating seniors were selected to play in the game earlier this year, by nominating coaches from high school programs around the State of Wyoming. Hot Springs County High School Bobcat seniors Zak Hastie and Cruz Mascorro were each selected to play for the North team and left on Monday to kick off practice sessions in Casper. The North team came out...
The Hot Springs High School track teams put in a fantastic effort this past season - sweeping the Regionals Championships in both the boys, and in the girls divisions. Thermopolis qualified 29 thinclads to compete in the State Championships in Casper this year. Last week, the Wyoming High School Athletic Association (WYHSAA) announced the names of the state championship competitors who had earned this year’s All-State designations. Six Bobcats and two Lady Cats made the list. Earning her second consecutive award, Logann Farrell, had a...
The Thermopolis Legion Baseball team hosted a double-header last Saturday afternoon. The Evanston Outlaws came into town sporting a 15-6 record in the early going and were on a 7-game winning streak. This year’s team is comprised of Tanner Delay, Braxton Delay, Kacey Mackay, Tate Roberts, Tim Lippincott, Cason Johnson, Trenton Enis, Kade Enis, Bobby Crow, Sabrie Whiting and Archer Price. After spending a good deal of the early going playing on the road, the Cats have had an up and down season so far, coming into the weekend with a 5-4-1...
Last Thursday, members of Cody Regional Ambulance, Hot Springs County Sheriff's Department and Wyoming Highway Patrol lead an escort through town for the National EMS Memorial Service group. They travel around the country honoring emergency medical services personnel who have died in the...
Wyoming U.S. House candidate Chuck Gray talks during a meet and greet at the Big Horn Federal meeting room last...
Lucas Jones gently touches a Hog-nosed snake held by Ranger Katie Singleton during a Hot Springs State Park Snake Program at the Smoking Waters Shelter last...
Lillyana Reed participates in the beef show during the Hot Springs Jr. Livestock Jackpot Show held at the Hot Springs County Fairgrounds last week. Results were not available at press...
A Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly drinks the nectar from a flower creating a beautiful shot captured by the...
Two wild turkeys take a leisurely walk across the lawn in Hot Springs State Park last...
Robert Dafoe hangs on during the steer riding competition at the WJRA Rodeo held at the Hot Springs County Fairgrounds last weekend. Full results were not available at press...
As we approach the 250th birthday of the Declaration of Independence, we find our country teetering on an identity struggle of mammoth proportions and severity, not only about who we think we are but who we want to continue to be. Jefferson called the Declaration “an expression of the American mind,” and it is this American mind that is being challenged today at every turn. We recently watched an avowed socialist become mayor of our greatest city, unthinkable even a decade or two ago. Acts of political violence have increased...
by Elvis Tippets, son Experience from the Don H and Glenna Tippets Family Prior to moving to Thermopolis, we lived on a ranch in Crook County, and for one school year we live in Moorcroft, Wyoming (1946-47) My mother (Glenna) taught school there and my dad (Don) was working in Sheridan, Wyoming for the Soil Conservation Service. He had applied for a position with the University of Wyoming to be a part of the County Extension Service. In the Spring of 1947, dad received a position as the Extension Agent for Hot Spring County in Thermopolis. We...
We are planning a special historical section to run in the July 2 edition of the Thermopolis Independent Record. We will be celebrating the United States Semiquincentennial. Even more so, we will be celebrating our Hot Springs County roots. Every Hot Springs County business has an opportunity to participate in this special edition. The editorial body of the special section will include historical photos and stories about Hot Springs County history. Individual business ads are available to brag about the success of your business. This special...
Questions: What are the host countries of this year’s World Cup Soccer Tournament? Where is the General Sherman tree? What year was the last official French execution by guillotine? What percent of all the artwork owned by the Louvre is on display? What are the three largest metropolitan areas in Brazil? Fun Facts: A sunflower typically follows the Sun for several weeks during its growth phase, then settles facing east for the rest of its life. Elvis Presley has been dead for seven years longer than he was alive. Eighty percent of Soviet...
Edwin (Bud) Drayton Sanderlin, 84, of Kalamazoo, Mich., passed away Friday, May 29, 2026, at his home. He was born August 22, 1941, in Thermopolis, Wyo., the son of Edd Drayton and Rose Ellen (Sanford) Sanderlin, and graduated from Hot Springs High School with the Class of 1959. Bud spent a year at Casper College in general studies and worked odd jobs before enlisting in the U.S. Army for three years until his honorable discharge. After returning to Thermopolis, he met his first wife Kathy, and...
Delora Lee Charland went to be with the Lord on June 1, 2026. She took her last breath while listening to "Take my hand, Precious Lord" Her daughter, Michelle, was with her. She had a deep faith in Jesus Christ in which she raised her children. She was loved and will be missed!! She was preceded in death by her dad, Virgil Hughson; mom, Geneview Morgan; sister, Beulah Kerr; brother, Philip Hughson; first husband, Darrell Nichols; and husband Richard Charland. Delora (Grandma Dee) left behind...
On the Record policy It is the Thermopolis Independent Record’s policy that all people arrested or cited under the “Sheriff’s office” or “Police department” in the On the Record section are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. We print the names of all people upon their initial arrest. Names of minors are not printed. Sheriff’s office Tuesday, June 2 Unknown time: Colton Robertson was arrested for an alleged warrant. 3:28 p.m. Agency assist for the police department. Wednesday, June 3 1:44 p.m. Citizen assist...
