Week of June 4, 2026
Week of June 4, 2026
A number candidates attended the Take Back Wyoming: Non-Freedom Caucus Republican Candidates Shop Party at Ryan Brothers Trucking last Friday. The event was hosted by and was a fundraiser for a House District 28 candidate. The group was comprised of Wyoming Republican voters, who have become disenchanted with the Freedom Caucus, which currently controls the Wyoming State Legislature, and with actions taken in recent months by the State of Wyoming Republican Party to change the party's By-Laws...
Last week, the Thermopolis Police Department and Hot Springs County Sheriff's Office conducted a joint investigation into the disappearance of a 33-year-old woman reported experiencing a mental health crisis. She was safely located shortly after Hot Springs County Search and Rescue personnel launched from the boat ramp in Hot Springs State...
The 2026 filing period has closed for political candidates to be included on this year’s primary election ballots and some interesting and highly contested races are in the mix, both on the local, state and federal level. A six person race has shaped up for two Hot Springs County Commissioner seats. Incumbent Tom Ryan has selected to not run for another term. Incumbent Paul Galovich is seeking reelection. He will be challenged by Phillip Scheel, Mike Mortimore, Merrill J. Ready, Chip Axtell and Dusty Lewis (who is a current Thermopolis Town...
Gabe Saint, President of TPUSA at UW, welcomes attendees at the official Hot Springs County Republican Party Charlie Kirk Memorial Fundraiser at the VFW last Saturday. Several candidates spoke at the...
The Travel & Tourism Board held their monthly meeting at the Hot Springs State Park office on May 26. Joining the board for her first meeting was newly appointed board member Ashley Evans. Evans was appointed by the county commissioners to fill a vacancy on the board. Her term of office will expire on May 31, 2027. Belle Belden appeared for the Hot Springs County Fair Board to advise that the fair board desires to undertake organizing a demolition derby in Thermopolis. The event had been organized in past years by the chamber board. That...
On Friday, May 29, District Judge James Kaste, issued an Order granting Summary Judgment in favor of the Plaintiffs in a case filed in Laramie County District Court in 2025. The court also denied the Motion for Summary Judgment, which had been filed in the case by the Defendants. In early 2025, the Hot Springs County Republican Party elected new officers for their organization. Joe Martinez was elected to serve as Chairman; Clay Van Antwerp was elected to serve as Vice-Chairman; Jean Skelton was elected to serve as Treasurer; Meri Ann Dorman...
Paving on each end of the Broadway Street bridge between Thermopolis and East Thermopolis originally scheduled for May has now been scheduled June 3-5. Traffic control devices will be placed on each end of the bridge on Wednesday, June 3 and flaggers will control bridge access. “Motorists should expect delays for about three days,” said Andy Freeman, a Wyoming Department of Transportation project engineer in Thermopolis. S&S Builders, LLC, of Gillette is the prime contractor on the $2.19 million project in Thermopolis. The Wyoming...
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 Library at 864-3104. Bobcat Booster Club memberships The Bobcat Booster Club supports, encourages and advances the athletic programs of Hot Springs County School District #1. Meetings are the second Monday of...
Ahh, June - that most hospitable of seasons. When rays of sunshine, and azure skies, provide a welcoming warmth, after the dreary days of winter - and the uncertain times of spring. When the cottonwood trees have fully leaved out - and the Kentucky blue grass has assumed the enticing hue of British racing green. These are times when a young man’s fancy turns to baseball. His thoughts morph from algebra and trigonometry, to a more applied form of mathematics - baseball statistics. Gone are the dreary lessons of government, social studies and...
Russ Dowdy and John Webber share a laugh during Webber's retirement party held at Thermopolis Town Hall last Friday. Webber is retiring after working for the Town of Thermopolis for 34...
Construction crews work to replace the boardwalk above the mineral terraces in Hot Springs State Park, improving visitor access while aiming to protect the fragile hot spring formations below. Visitors continue to enjoy the area as work...
Several baby bison have joined the Hot Springs State Park herd this...
by Bryan Golden, author of “Dare to Live Without Limits.” Acting without first thinking is too common. It is called reacting. It leads to unintended negative consequences. Problems are needlessly created or exacerbated. In this state, you are driven by emotion rather than logic. Anger, jealousy, bitterness, hurt, fear, and distrust are some of the feelings which bypass rational thought. Thinking after acting makes as much sense as a carpenter who cuts first and then measures. Once cut, a board cannot be made longer. Actions, once taken,...
In 1,350 words, the Declaration of Independence succinctly captured the full essence of the American ideal by unpacking the source of civil and religious liberty as well as natural rights and human conscience. In fact, as noted by a host of Constitutional experts, the Declaration is the first political document to found a nation in the name of “the laws of nature and of nature’s God.”. This is what sets it apart from every other political document in history. Thomas Jefferson, though a confirmed deist himself, spoke volumes on this...
Bravo to Sarah Castillo for her brilliant Thermop IR May 28, 2026, letter to the editor. Letters to the Editor in a local newspaper are vital to a community. Sarah’s eloquent points about community involvement are necessary and timely as we enter this season of national patriotic events. Sarah writes: “This conversation [local community involvement] is bigger than any one person, business, or denied opportunity.” Let me add, “and, this conversation belongs on the Opinion page of the Thermopolis IR”. Sarah’s letter is a victory for...
John B. Roden Jr., "JB," 90, passed away peacefully on May 10, 2026 in Thermopolis, Wyo., surrounded by his loving family, leaving behind a remarkable legacy built on hard work, determination, leadership, and devotion to the people he loved. JB was a respected oilfield icon, businessman, rancher, mentor, and friend whose life reflected the grit, resilience, and spirit of the American West. Born on August 9, 1935 in Craig, Colo., to John B Sr. and Brownie Belle (French) Roden, JB was raised in...
Our wonderful mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, and friend Nita Ramsey died on May 23, 2026, at Thermopolis Rehab and Wellness. She lived a long life of 94 years. Nita was born in Thermopolis on June 9, 1931, at the hospital on the hill to Charles Morgan Dockery and Lillie Egglentine (Hensen) Dockery. She and her 11 siblings grew up on Owl Creek, where she met her lifetime husband, Bryan (Punk) Ramsey. They were married October 12, 1946, until his death in 2012. Out of this marriage were 4...
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. Information included on this page is provided to the IR by HSCSO, TPD or obtained through other agencies. Sheriff’s office Monday, May 25 7:30 p.m. Agency assist for search and rescue and...
