Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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With travelers and tourists making their presence known in Hot Springs County, many RV parks and local motels have positive things to report. Business is booming at the moment. Eagle RV’s Dennis Jaussaud said, “We’ve been absolutely just crazy busy. Which is good. We started out the year, usually, we start getting reservations in December, even the year before. But most of them start coming December, January and when they announced the virus we got tons of cancelations. Usually, Memorial Day sta...
During the July 21 Thermopolois Town Council meeting, Danielle Yarrington of Elle’s Restaurant & Bar requested permission to have tables on the sidewalk on 6th Street in the shade of the awning. There was some confusion at first of whose jurisdiction the request came under. Yarrington said she had already spoke to WYDOT, but they recommended that she speak with Town Council. After some discussion, the council voted to approve Yarrington’s request to have tables outside as long as they meet the...
When the Chamber of Commerce decided to not host their annual Demolition Derby, Bradyn Harvey called up his brother Bryce and they decided they could put on the derby themselves. “We decided to give it a try,” said Bradyn. Bradyn and Bryce brainstormed on how the derby was done in the past as they had helped in previous years. They told the drivers to keep building their cars. “We decided we’re not in it to make any money. We will probably lose money. We need something in the community that wi...
Danielle Yarrington recently opened her new restaurant Elle’s Restaurant and Bar in the former location of Thermopolis Cafe. Her journey to get to this place has been full of hard work and perseverance. When Yarrington graduated high school in 2015, she left Thermopolis and went to school in Casper for three years and graduated with two associate degrees. Yarrington has been working in restaurants since her sophomore year of high school. She came back to Thermopolis and began the process to b...
The Farmers Market is starting soon and is now managed by Douglas Nelson. Nelson said that he is looking for more vendor participants to add their wares to the market. He added that he thinks with the more global shortages of food that people would be more interested in shopping locally. Currently, there are five vendors signed up, however, Nelson is optimistic that more will show up closer to the opening time. He said eight to ten vendors are typical for the season. Vendors must provide their...
In the Travel and Tourism Board’s financial report of the Annual Lodging Tax Revenue Comparison, the data showed some positive information. The total revenue for the 2019-2020 year was $181,497.51, higher than the previous year. The total revenue for the 2018-2019 year was $172,170.04. Even though the revenue for the final three months of the fiscal year, April, May and June were significantly lower than the previous year due to the COVID-19 situation, they showed an overall increase. The L...
Town Engineer Anthony Barnett brought up a pressing budgeting issue in regard to chip sealing Thermopolis streets at the recent Town Council meeting. Town Clerk-Treasurer Tracy Van Heule had budgeted $515,000 for one-cent sales tax revenue, which is approximately $43,000 per month. May’s distribution was $49,000. Van Heule wondered out loud if this is an expense that can be put off until next spring and was not sure if this is feasible weather-wise. She said, “It’s one-eighth of our total of the...
Chamber Executive Director Meri Ann Rush gave a report for their fireworks stand at the latest Chamber of Commerce Zoom meeting. Rush had just finished their final inventory and said that the goal was to sell a gross of a quarter-million dollars. Rush said, “We bypassed that.” Even after selling fireworks with huge discounts, sometimes up to 80% off, they made a lot of gross revenue. Rush said that leftover fireworks will be taken to other stores that are open. For the next year, there will be...
Margie Molitor Hospital CEO reported on their efforts to acquire a COVID-19 rapid testing machine and other activities to advance their progress during the June Hospital Board Meeting. They are trying to decide between two different kinds or brands of rapid testing systems. There would be a three-month delay in acquiring one because they are back-ordered due to the high demand. She said that they have a rapid testing machine from the state but it is not as reliable as they would like. Anyone the...
Audrey Axtell was recently appointed as Wyoming FFA State Treasurer. Due to the COVID-19 situation, the application process was different this year. The application for state officers is usually due at the end of March and then in-person interviews are in April at the state convention. However, because of the COVID-19 situation, the deadline was pushed back to later. Axtell mailed her application two weeks later than the set deadline because it was pushed back. There wasn't a set date for in-per...
On Saturday, June 27 at approximately 5:30 p.m., Amanda Hicks, of Worland, lost control of her vehicle at milepost 145 on US 20 (two miles north of Kirby). The vehicle Hicks was driving rolled over at least two times and came to rest on its passenger's side blocking both lanes of travel. Hicks had left Thermopolis earlier with her two dogs. She had came to get ice cream and was headed back home to Worland. She had her seat belt on and was going about 70 mph which was the legal speed limit....
On the night of Tuesday, June 24, some juveniles allegedly entered the Hot Springs County Recreation District Garage and caused damage. They also painted graffiti at the skate park. Inside the garage, the subjects spray painted a John Deere Gator side by side with an obscene image. A five-gallon bucket of paint was dumped all over the floor. The investigating officer could tell the Gator was driven because there were tire tracks through the paint. Signs hanging on fences were spray painted, the...
Wyoming Hot Springs State Park (HSSP) has volunteers from all over the country who come with their RVs and help with the maintenance of the park. All of them feel extremely fortunate to spend their retirement years collaborating in gardening and upkeep. The relationships of the volunteers have become quite close and collegial. For the volunteers that come to HSSP, their work is done out of the goodness of their hearts and for an RV spot. They agree to spend 20 hours per week helping out. The...
Austin Barral has been nominated for Junior Ham Operator of the Year for the state of Wyoming. The award is for ham operators 18 years or younger. Zieb Stetler nominated Barral and said he is “One in a Million.” Barral, 16, has a General License. He originally joined the Boy Scouts and got his radio merit badge under Stetler’s counsel and guidance. Barral took two tests for an operator’s license, both at the technician level and the general level, on the same day and passed both tests. Stetler...
The Thermopolis Volunteer Fire Department will be doing their annual fireworks show for the July 4th Independence Day celebration, according to Fire Chief Mark Collins. He said that they are about $5,000 short on funds for the show compared to what they normally collect in previous years. They usually budget between $12,000 to $14,000 for a typical show. However, even though the funds raised this year are lower, John Fish, head of the fireworks committee, reports a pyrotechnician will come in...
The Thermopolis Volunteer Fire Department will be doing their annual fireworks show for the July 4th Independence Day celebration, according to Fire Chief Mark Collins. He said that they are about $5,000 short on funds for the show compared to what they normally collect in previous years. They usually budget between $12,000 to $14,000 for a typical show. However, even though the funds raised this year is lower, John Fish, head of the fireworks committee, reports a pyrotechnician will come in to... Full story
The Thermopolis Town Council passed their 2021 budget on the third reading, however, assistant to the Mayor Fred Crosby did say that they may have to act fast on their feet later in the year. At the June 16 council meeting, Crosby said he has heard from the State that things may not go as well this year as they thought. If things look bad in three or four months they may have to revisit the budget and make some changes. This was due to the lower revenues caused by the COVID-19 situation. In...
Jacque and Bobbie Reed recently celebrated their 70th Wedding Anniversary. Also known as the diamond or platinum anniversary, it symbolizes a relationship that is truly once in a lifetime. When they met each other Jacque was working for Mountain Bell Telephone Company. He was a lineman stationed in Wheatland. Bobbie was working at the hospital in Wheatland. They met through mutual friends. When asked how did you know you were meant to marry, Bobbie laughed and said, "Well, I don't really know....
In preparation for the coming election and the vote on the new lodging tax, a new political action committee was formed to assist the Travel and Tourism Board in fundraising efforts. This tax will not be money taken from the local residents, but instead, it will be collected by motels from tourists who stay at their venues. The reason the PAC was created is that the Tourism Board cannot lobby for itself. Greg Willson will be the PAC’s chair and Meri Ann Rush will be the Treasurer. Willson explai...
The Thermopolis Chamber of Commerce has made the difficult decision to cancel their annual Demolition Derby held annually in August. In their press release, they said their Board of Directors “have made the difficult decision to cancel the Annual Thermopolis Demolition Derby scheduled for August 8, 2020. We are very disappointed that we are unable to hold this event for our drivers and spectators. But we know it is the right decision based on the information we have today. We look forward to m...
Jennifer Fisher and Forrest Coleman-Weisz approached the Town Council asking if they could have a street dance featuring well-known music artist Chancey Williams. Fisher proposed two dates, July 1 and 2. They want to close the street and have an open container policy while maintaining the regulations of social distancing. Fisher said this could be an opportunity to raise spirits and celebrate in light of the economic situation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the current...
The Chamber of Commerce is looking for high school students and adults to operate their fireworks store in preparation for the Independence Day holiday. Fireworks SuperMarket purchased the store last year and contacted the Chamber in February. They wanted to find an organization to run it. Chamber director Meri Ann Rush contacted a few different organizations to manage the store and couldn't find anybody to do it. Then the COVID-19 situation occurred and Rush wondered if any events were going...
Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital has moved into their newly constructed wing and is making the transition to be known as Hot Springs Health. Jake Schrickling, project manager of Sletten Construction, reported on the effort that is still going on at the hospital. They have been preparing for the demolition of the old building and full tear down. It should take three weeks to get to the ground level, according to Schrickling. By the next hospital board meeting, the old patient wing will be...
The Police Department recently upgraded and renovated its 911 communications center. The old console was installed in 2004 and recently ceased to work properly. The Town of Thermopolis approved the new console from Xybix. Xybix installed the new console and took them a day and a half to complete the install. The new center gives an updated look and professional atmosphere. Police Chief Julie Mathews made the improvements with funds from the town. There was new paint donated and applied by...
Several financial issues were discussed, including the next year’s budget amongst others, during the May 19 Thermopolis Town Council meeting. Town Attorney Mike Messenger gave the first reading of a price increase for the legislature and the courts increase in cost for operation and maintenance of the computer software system and operation for the municipal court and for all courts as well. This is amending Ordinance #848 increasing the court automation fee from $25 to $40 pursuant to Wyoming s...
