Your source for news in Hot Springs County

Articles written by Daniel Powell


Sorted by date  Results 1 - 25 of 374

  • Candidate information meeting held

    Daniel Powell|Apr 9, 2026

    Last Saturday morning, an informational meeting was held for those who may be considering seeking either election or appointment to governmental offices in Hot Springs County and Wyoming. The 2026 candidate filing period will soon be open, running from May 14-29. Saturday’s event was open to all political persuasions and was well attended, with representations across the political spectrum. The event was sponsored by the Hot Springs County Democrats. This year, there will be elections in Wyoming for federal offices, such as United States Senato...

  • Hospital board receives surgical call coverage update

    Daniel Powell|Apr 9, 2026

    At their March meeting, Board of Directors of Hot Springs Health heard from CEO Scott Alwin regarding changes that have been necessitated to the surgical call coverage schedule. The changes have been made in response to notice being received that Banner Medical will no longer be allowing a surgeon from Worland to participate in the present surgical call coverage. That change leaves just Dr. Vernon Miller and Dr. Nicole Jamieson to serve as on-call surgeons in Thermopolis, meaning there will be between seven and ten days per month when an...

  • Bobcat invite kicks off spring season for 2A golf

    Daniel Powell|Apr 9, 2026

    The Hot Springs County High School Bobcats played host for their Spring Bobcat Invite last Thursday at the Thermopolis Golf Course. Teams from Ten Sleep and Rawlins joined the local team to make up a small, but talented field. The weather on Thursday took a slight turn from the early spring temps seen in recent days with an overcast sky, an increasing breeze and some chilly air, but that didn’t serve to dampen the excitement of hitting the links for the new spring season. In this first outing of the spring, Coach Ryan Shaffer said he was h...

  • Track team third at Worland

    Daniel Powell|Apr 9, 2026

    The Bobcats and Lady Cats track teams were in Worland last Thursday to compete in the 2026 D&D Invitational. With teams from twelve schools appearing, the number of competitors was vast and the competition was first rate. While the wind dropped the feels-like temps for the teams competing at the Bobcat Golf Invite in Thermopolis that day, in Worland, the weather held off, allowing the competition to go on at a fast pace and providing some perfect conditions for field and track events. Coach Boone Bowker has high expectations for his team this...

  • Hearing held in Tipi Retreat case

    Daniel Powell|Apr 2, 2026

    District Court Judge William L. Simpson held a Hearing in the long-standing Tipi Retreat case on March 24. The issue before the Court concerned Hot Springs County’s request to set aside a Satisfaction of Judgment, which had been filed in the case in June of 2025 - after actions taken by two county commissioners in February of 2025, which were later determined by the court to have been taken without legal authority. In part, the Satisfaction of Judgment purports to release the Tipi Retreat from having to pay fines to the county, which were i...

  • Travel and Tourism board

    Daniel Powell|Apr 2, 2026

    The Travel & Tourism Board held their monthly meeting at the State Park office on March 24. The board reviewed the status of their on-going projects and discussed other future projects. The board received a large deposit of lodging tax funds in the month of March - representing an increase over last year of nearly 126%. The deposit of $21,775.59 was for taxes collected in the month of February. At the time of the board’s meeting, the specific cause of the large increase was not known. Room rates appear to be up a bit locally, and the fine s...

  • Bobcat track team competes in Cody

    Daniel Powell|Apr 2, 2026

    Mother Nature continued to provide some fine spring-like weather for the Hot Springs County High School track team as they competed in Cody last week. The meet was smaller than the season opener in Wind River the week before, however, the competition continued to be top-notch. With seven schools sending teams to the event, the girls from Thermopolis finished in seventh place with 27 team points. The boys team finished in third place with 106 team points. The girls from Powell won the event while the host team from Cody took the boys team...

  • Springs golf season takes off

    Daniel Powell|Apr 2, 2026

    Following their superb fall season, the Hot Springs County High School golf team will kick off their spring season this week, hosting the Thermopolis Invite on Thursday, April 2 at the Thermopolis Golf Course. The Lady Cats team garnered state championships in 2023 and 2025, with all five of the Lady Cats finishing in the top ten in last fall’s state tournament. Add to that success, the Bobcats’ team state championship in 2024 and a second place finish in 2025, and that’s three consecutive years of state titles for the vaunted Therm...

  • Supporting one of our own

    Daniel Powell|Mar 26, 2026

    Last Friday night, community members filled the fair building to support and acknowledge one of our own. A man who has given much to our community and who has never sought any kind of recognition for his efforts. That man is John Gerrells. Those who are privileged to live in this community for any length of time quickly become aware of a thing called the Cookie Jar Auction. An event which is periodically held in Thermopolis, at which funds are raised to assist a community member in need. While i...

  • Council welcomes new police department hire

    Daniel Powell|Mar 26, 2026

    On March 17, the Thermopolis Town Council held a regular meeting taking up a number of routine matters, and welcoming the newest hire for the police department. Local resident Casey Fisher was sworn in by Mayor Adam Estenson and will be heading for training at the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy in Douglas in April. Her training is set to be completed by the end of July, when she will take up her duties with the department. Chief Pat Cornwell advised the council that another hire is in the...

  • Chamber to host Civics Bee event

    Daniel Powell|Mar 26, 2026

    The Thermopolis - Hot Springs County Chamber Board held their February meeting to discuss upcoming events and projects. The chamber will be sponsoring the Regional Civics Bee event in Thermopolis on April 14. The chamber is a sponsor for Trailblazer Days scheduled for June 12- 14, as part of this year’s 250th Anniversary Celebration of the United States. The Board accepted the resignation of Tia Gillespie at their January meeting. It was suggested that director Meri Ann Dorman reach out to anyone who has shown an interest in filling that v...

  • Boys track team takes first at Wind River

    Daniel Powell|Mar 26, 2026

    The Hot Springs County High School track and field team kicked off their spring season in Pavillion last Saturday. Unusually warm temps, azure skies and a slight breeze, combined to make the Wind River Ice Breaker a bit of a misnomer. While the venue was small, the event was anything but. Seventeen schools sent teams to match up at Wind River - making the meet feel both a bit crowded and more than a bit challenging for the competitors. While the thinclads lined up on the track, parents and other family members shed layers of clothing in the...

  • Commissioners move forward with airport hanger project

    Daniel Powell|Mar 19, 2026

    With their regular meeting canceled for Tuesday, March 17, the Hot Springs County Commissioners held a special meeting on Monday, March 16 to take up the issue of funding for the proposed airport hangar project. The project proposes to construct a new 9,000 square foot aircraft hangar at the Hot Springs County Airport in order to accommodate requests for overnight heated hanger space for aircraft utilizing the airport facilities. Currently, the county has no county owned hanger space at the new airport, so frequent requests to overnight aircraf...

  • Man sentenced on vehicle homicide charge

    Daniel Powell|Mar 19, 2026

    On February 11, 2026, former Cody resident, Harold Colten Chlarson, 32 years of age, was sentenced in the District Court of Hot Springs County. Chlarson had been charged with five alleged criminal offenses, arising out of a single-vehicle accident, which occurred on May 16, 2025, between Thermopolis and Meeteetse on Highway 120 West. Included in the charges were felony counts of aggravated motor vehicle homicide, and possession of a controlled substance. Killed in the accident was Avery Heston, a 23 year old man from Texas, who had recently...

  • Wrestlers continue to shine

    Daniel Powell|Mar 19, 2026

    Following up their success in the state championships in Casper last month, the Hot Springs County High School boys and girls wrestling teams have spent the past two weekends competing at the Junior State Tournament here in Wyoming, and then traveled to Des Moines, Iowa, for the USA Folkstyle Nationals. Two boys and three girls wrestled in both freestyle and greco at the Junior State Tournament two weekends ago. Lilly Quintanilla and Cannon Boren each captured Triple Crowns, by winning state...

  • Tracksters gear up for season

    Daniel Powell|Mar 19, 2026

    Once again, the calendar has rolled around to the season of high school spring sports in Wyoming. Practices kicked off last week for the Bobcat track team who look to capitalize on the highly successful season which the team had last year - culminating in a regional championship and a second place finish at state. With over forty students on the team roster this year, the team will hit the pitch joined by returning state triple-jump champion Logann Farrell and last year’s 800 meter champion, Cole Keller, both of whom will be looking to r...

  • Basketball honors keep coming

    Daniel Powell|Mar 19, 2026

    Another fantastic season has come to a close for the Bobcat and Lady Cat basketball teams. Both teams were crowned regional champions in Riverton last month, and then both teams ground their way into the championship games at state in Casper. The Bobcats finished their highly successful season with an overall record of 24-4, and went undefeated in the 2A Northwest quad. And, oh yeah, there was also that back-to-back state championship hardware the Cats brought home from Casper. To say it was a spectacular season hardly does the team justice....

  • Town approves request to park liquor license

    Daniel Powell|Mar 12, 2026

    On February 28, Thermopolis Town Council held a special meeting for a public hearing on a request to “park” a liquor license, which is held by Big Spring Spa. The license cannot be extended at this time because Big Spring Spa is not in possession of a full-year lease for their space in Hot Springs State Park. Rather than surrender the license, or transfer it at this time, Big Spring Spa requested that the town approve its request to “park” the license at the property located at 309 Arapahoe Street. With the town council’s approval of that requ...

  • Cats earn second state title

    Daniel Powell|Mar 12, 2026

    The Hot Springs County High School Bobcat basketball team earned their way into the state tournament with a regional championship in Riverton two weeks ago. They went into the final challenge in Casper last weekend as the number one seed from the west and the number one ranked team in 2A basketball. After going undefeated in the west conference in the regular season, the Cats now had to take on some of the top teams from the east to win a shot at another state championship. Up first were the...

  • Commissioners hear monthly reports

    Daniel Powell|Mar 12, 2026

    At their second regular monthly meeting in February, the Hot Springs County Commissioners heard reports from various departments, pertaining to on-going work of the county. FBO Airport Manager Nate Messenger reported that it had been a relatively slow month at the airport. There were 118 flight operations, with 574 gallons of aviation fuel, and 957 gallons of jet fuel sold. The necessary Class A Operation License has been renewed. Road & Bridge Director Shane Rankin, advised that the warm weather had allowed his department to continue with...

  • Thermopolis wins home tournament

    Daniel Powell|Mar 12, 2026

    Thermopolis opened its doors to wrestling enthusiasts last weekend, hosting the annual Wrestle-Opolis event at the high school. Teams came from all over the Big Horn Basin and some came from much farther away - Newcastle for example. Parking was at a premium and wait times were influenced at local restaurants - but that didn't seem to dappen anyone's good time. And why would it - what could be more Wyoming, than a family outing to a wrestling tournament on "307 Day"? With the influx of grapplers...

  • Lady Cats earn second at state

    Daniel Powell|Mar 12, 2026

    There is a tongue-in-cheek line in an old song from the seventies, which laments that "all good things must come to an end." And, it's the same for the remarkable 2025-26 Lady Cats basketball season. While the outcome at the Wyoming High School Basketball 2A Championships wasn't what the Lady Cats would have preferred, their season was a huge success for the team, their coaches and for the school. After qualifying as the number one seed from the West Regional Tournament, the Lady Cats went into...

  • Travel and Tourism board changes meeting date

    Daniel Powell|Mar 12, 2026

    At the February meeting of the Travel & Tourism Board, they reviewed the status of their on-going projects, and discussed other future projects. The organization received the sum of $12,433.30 from the lodging tax for the month of January, 2026. That sum represents a decrease of 14%, over the same time period in 2025. For the calendar year 2025, receipts of lodging tax funds were down about 2% over the previous year. In on-going projects, bids are being solicited for the cost to produce, and to install, the signs for the wayfinding project. Pro...

  • State champion wrestlers

    Daniel Powell|Mar 5, 2026

    Boren, Myers bring home state championships The Hot Springs County High School Bobcat wrestling team has battled their way through a long and grueling season. With each match, however, the team has made significant strides toward competing at last weekend's State Championship Tournament in Casper. In the team standings, the Bobcats completed their successful season with a seventh place finish, securing 121.5 team points. Cannon Boren and Dyllan Myers were each named All-State for their efforts...

  • School board holds meeting

    Daniel Powell|Mar 5, 2026

    The Hot Springs County School Board met for their regular monthly meeting on February 19. Thermopolis Middle School Principal Darren Luebbe kicked off the district share portion of the agenda reporting that the change to a four-day week has proven to be a boon for both students and staff at the middle school. He reported that both the girls and the boys teams were crowned conference champs in wrestling and the boys basketball team had won the conference championship this year. In another monthly share item, Hot Springs County High School...

Page Down