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Articles written by Mark Dykes


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  • County museum poker room on display

    Mark Dykes, Editor|Nov 14, 2019

    Watch any old Western movie, and it’s a pretty safe bet there’s going to be a saloon scene with outlaws bellying up to the bar or playing a few hands of stud at a nearby table. Hot Springs County Museum now has that same atmosphere along its northern display walls. Home to the Hole in the Wall Bar for several decades, heading to the downstairs area now provides one a bit of history about the bar and a glimpse into the poker rooms of the past. Museum Director Racine Morgan said the area adj...

  • Pounds of meth kept out of community

    Mark Dykes|Nov 7, 2019

    Through the assistance of several law enforcement agencies, three pounds of methamphetamine were kept out of Thermopolis and surrounding communities on Sunday, Oct. 27. Hot Springs County Sheriff Jerimie Kraushaar said the sheriff’s office received information from a confidential informant, that 2.5 pounds of meth was coming through Thermopolis, at which point a half pound was supposed to be dropped here. “Of course, we didn’t want that to happen.” Though one of the subjects was known, a secon...

  • Fun-filled night

    Mark Dykes|Nov 7, 2019

    Among the stops for Halloween trick-or-treating was Risen Son Southern Baptist Church. In addition to candy, the church also provided hot dogs and popcorn....

  • Striplin speaks on move to Thermopolis

    Mark Dykes|Nov 7, 2019

    Varnie Striplin moved to Thermopolis in 2000, though he was originally born and raised in Albany, Ga. He graduated in 1956 from Moultrie High School. As to what brought him here, Striplin said it was "to find a nursing home that would take my mom and dad, and put them in the same room," that home being Canyon Hills Manor. His brother-in law, who was born and Lusk and lived in Casper, and his dad worked at the old Sideboard. They encouraged Striplin to come up and see the facility, and on that...

  • Bobcats head to semifinals

    Mark Dykes|Nov 7, 2019

    With a big 49-14 win, the Bobcats busted through the Wyoming High School State Quarterfinals by defeating the Lyman Eagles last Friday. Coach Matt McPhie said, “The team played good aggressive, physical football. We took care of the ball, we limited the big play from our opponent, and in the end that was enough to secure the victory. “Offensively the Bobcat team was led by junior Logan Cole and senior Blake Williams. Cole had 160 yards and two touchdowns. Williams added 122 yards to go alo... Full story

  • Planning committee discusses power outage concerns

    Mark Dykes|Nov 7, 2019

    During an informal meeting of the Hot Springs County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) on Monday, members discussed the issues that can arise as the result of a power outage. Emergency Management Coordinator Bill Gordon spoke with other emergency managers about the topic as well as others in the community. He noted what people need to remember with this particular topic is conversation needs to be kept under control. To that end, the committee began with a small outage scenario, one that...

  • A wonderful cast

    Mark Dykes|Nov 7, 2019

    Among the Halloween sights every year is the staff at Red Rock Family Practice, who have dressed up as superheroes, rock bands, and this year's Wizard of Oz cast....

  • Hospital board approves policy changes

    Mark Dykes, Editor|Oct 31, 2019

    During the Tuesday evening meeting of the Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees, changes to two policies were approved. The first was the CPR policy, to change ownership to education rather than human resources. It’s also changed to reflect that only employees that work on the premises of the hospital or clinics have to take CPR training. The second change came with the removal of policy for maintenance and retention of personnel files. The hospital is required to keep personnel...

  • Candy smash

    Mark Dykes, Editor|Oct 31, 2019

    Mya Anderson takes a swing at one of several piñatas available during the downtown Moonlight Madness event last week. There was no shortage of candy, as it came pouring out of the destroyed party decorations and was handed out by several businesses. For more scenes from the night, check out Page 9....

  • Unraveling the mystery of the 'Outlaw Groupie'

    Mark Dykes, Editor|Oct 31, 2019

    Halloween always has associated with it an air of mystery and of spirits roaming the earth, at least for a night. There's no denying the West has its fair share of ghost town, and perhaps a ghost or two still walking among them. It's no secret that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid have history in Thermopolis. The Hole in the Wall Bar at the Hot Springs County Museum has plenty of items and pictures for anybody who cares to view them. But now a new picture is on display, and museum staff is... Full story

  • Lady Cats cross country team runners up at state

    Mark Dykes, Editor|Oct 31, 2019

    The high school girls returned from the 2A State Championships in Afton with a second place win - Wyoming Indian placed first - and individual runners taking high spots in the top 10. Tahja Hunt finished fifth with 22:06.47; Hallie Martinez seventh with 22:14.22; and McKenna Bomengen eighth with 22:24.96. Hunt, Martinez and Bomengen were also recognized by the Wyoming Coaches' Association as 2019 WCA All-State athletes. Coach Steph Metz said the teams knew the course, having run it at the...

  • Some final words

    Mark Dykes, Editor|Oct 31, 2019

    For those of you who haven't heard yet, this will be my last official personal column at the Thermopolis Independent Record. My wife and I made the decision earlier this month to return to our home state of Nebraska. It’s something we’ve been discussing for some time now, and things started falling into place in such a way that we knew we had to decide. In case you’re wondering, the choice was made based on being closer to family. Being four to six hours away makes it difficult for visits with g...

  • Fish numbers show increase

    Mark Dykes, Editor|Oct 31, 2019

    October 14-16 saw members of Wyoming Game and Fish on a four-mile stretch of the Big Horn River, from Wedding of the Waters to the island near the WYDOT building, doing some “electrofishing.” In this process, a mild electric current is passed in the river to make the fish easier to net. Fish fins are also clipped to ensure the same fish are not caught multiple times and to provide more accurate counts. Wyoming Game and Fish Regional Fisheries Biologist Joe Skorupski said the numbers are def...

  • Bobcats have close finish

    Mark Dykes, Editor|Oct 31, 2019

    Team Bobcat was defeated by Burns Friday night by a score of 29-28, Coach Matt McPhie stated. “The team battled tough in the second half overcoming a 21-14 halftime deficit, taking the lead 28-21 with 30 seconds left in the game. Burns however, had plans of their own, and scored on a Hail Mary pass play with seven seconds left in the game, and converted on the 2 point conversion to give Burns the 29-28 victory. “Dustin Harvey accounted for three of the four touchdowns. Harvey hooked up with Jar...

  • Middle school wrestling opens

    Mark Dykes, Editor|Oct 31, 2019

    Last Saturday, the Thermopolis Middle School wrestling team opened its season at the Powell Invitational. Coach Toby Emery stated, “I was very pleased with our wrestlers at Powell, considering it was the first tournament of the year. Twenty out of the 25 wrestlers who competed placed in the top four in their weight class. Nine Bobcat wrestler placed first, four took second, three grapplers earned a third place and four ended in the day in fourth place. “Many of our new wrestlers tasted victory f... Full story

  • Holiday food drive beings

    Mark Dykes|Oct 31, 2019

    The Christmas Baskets Program started in about 1982 at NOWCAP, moved to the Elks, then to the Episcopal Church. Business status, auditing, and oversite are now provided by the Episcopal Church. “Christmas Baskets” is a non-denominational program that serves anyone in need of the food & has people from the whole community who volunteer to help with the set-up & distribution. This year, because of the decreasing number of Scout Troops and Boy Scouts available, the High School and some Middle Sch...

  • Kelly speaks about life experiences

    Mark Dykes, Editor|Oct 31, 2019

    Born in Great Falls, Mont., in 1958, George Kelly graduated from Charles M. Russell high school - whose teams were known as the Rustlers - in 1977. In the same year, he came to Thermopolis and has been here ever since. But about age 12, Kelly started doing drugs and alcohol. As to why he started, Kelly said it wasn't peer pressure but more he "just wanted to see what's happening . . . I did pretty much every drug there was." Since March 22 of 1999, he noted, he's been clean and sober. "I gave...

  • Early treats

    Mark Dykes, Editor|Oct 31, 2019

    Sheriff Jerimie Kraushaar, as well as Deputy Casey Freund, stopped by Ralph Witters Elementary last week to pass out treat bags to students. In addition to some candy, students were given glow sticks and necklaces, and some Halloween safety tips....

  • Spirits of the season

    Mark Dykes, Editor|Oct 31, 2019

    John and Terry Kimes have quite the display set up for Halloween at their home on East Broadway. In addition to the various inflatable figures in the yard, there is also a haunted house to walk through....

  • New chamber board members, officers elected

    Mark Dykes, Editor|Oct 24, 2019

    During their Oct. 10 meeting, the Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce welcomed new members Jennifer Fisher, Howie Samelson, Beth Lewis and Jana Oliver. The four will fill the spots vacated by Phil Scheel, Deb Tudor, Greg Willson and Barb Heinze, who have officially “termed out” This means they’ve served two consecutive three-year terms. Following the election of the new board members, the executive board was also elected and consists of President Sam Needham, Vice President Robin Griffin...

  • Tuffner reflects on move here

    Mark Dykes, Editor|Oct 24, 2019

    Waiting to get some lunch at the Hot Springs County Senior Center, Betty Tuffner visited for a few minutes about her move to Thermopolis. "I moved here this time in 2004," Tuffner said, "but I lived here before in 1988 and '89." Her most recent move was from Sheridan. Raised in southern Utah, Tuffner said what brought her to Thermopolis in the 1980's was her husband Ken's work. "My husband is an electrician and we were following the oil patch." This last move was after he decided to retire. "He...

  • The chase

    Mark Dykes, Editor|Oct 24, 2019

    Though blasters are the typical weapon of choice at the monthly Nerf Wars, there are plenty who choose to use foam swords to make their attack. Scott Coale chases after Wyatt Buck, who unfortunately had run out of ammunition....

  • Cats get monumental win

    Mark Dykes, Editor|Oct 24, 2019

    With a final score of 56-12 last Friday, Thermopolis got its first win over a Glenrock team in five seasons and improved their conference record to 4-1. Coach Matt McPhie said, “It was a physical battle on the field all night. Give a lot of credit to the off-season work put in by many of our players. We were more physical up front, and in the end, we wore them down and had a bunch of success on both sides of the ball. “Offensively, the team had a balanced attack. Duder Harvey completed eig...

  • High placers at cross county regionals

    Mark Dykes, Editor|Oct 24, 2019

    Thermopolis was home to the Five Rivers Conference Meet last Friday, and the runners really showed they knew their home course. Three of our girls placed in the top 10, and all placed in the top 25. All-Conference honors were awarded to top 10 placers Tahja Hunt, McKenna Bomengen and Hallie Martinez, and the girls team placed second behind Wyoming Indian. The runners will travel to Afton this Friday, for the state competition on Saturday. Boys will run at 12:30 p.m., with girls at 2 p.m. Runner...

  • Fall finale

    Mark Dykes, Editor|Oct 24, 2019

    Visitors to Thermopolis took advantage of the warm weather last Saturday to squeeze in a game of football....

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