Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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To open the August 4 meeting of the Hot Springs County Commissioners, commissioner Paul Galovich read into the minutes a letter attempting to explain action taken by the board to cut county funding for the educator position in the local Extension Office. Galovich explained that talks with the University of Wyoming Extension Office had been productive in addressing concerns the county had with the position. Commissioner Tom Ryan proposed a motion to move funding that had been included in the county’s 2026-27 approved budget. The move would e...
The Thermopolis Town Council met on Tuesday, August 4 and held several discussions regarding issues facing the town. In recent meetings, the council had approved an ordinance pertaining to the use of fireworks in conjunction with Fourth of July celebrations and had approved the use of fireworks at home Hot Springs County High School football games at the request of the Gridiron Club. At the meeting, Thermopolis Fire Chief Dale Andreen addressed concerns to the council pertaining to the location the town had designated for originating the...
by Rebecca Huntington, WyoFile.com When meteorologist Adam Dziewaltowski drove to work around sunrise, he could see the telltale sign on the horizon. “I kind of describe it as a highlighter orange,” he said last Thursday of the vivid display. As smoke rolls into Wyoming, the ashy air puts on a show of burnt orange sunrises and salmon-colored sunsets. While pretty for a picture, dawn and dusk can be some of the worst times for air quality as the ashy air sinks with cooling temperatures. Cool temperatures are what caused smoky air to blanket Wyo...
Turbo Turtle Trek The Great American Turtle Trek is set for August 15 at 1 p.m. at the Big Spring Outlet Stream in Hot Springs State Park. Brats and chips, for a donation, will be available prior to the drop of the turtles. The event is sponsored by the Thermopolis Rotary Club. Kids outdoor day Hot Springs State Park will be hosting a kids outdoor day on Saturday, August 29. Families with kids ages 6 and up are invited. See the ad on this page for more information. Smoking Waters Derby The Smoking Waters Demolition Derby will be held at Hot...
The Early Childhood Fair (formerly the Pre-school activity fair and the Community Baby Shower) is scheduled for Friday, August 28 from 10 a.m.-noon at the Washakie Shelter (Kiwanis Shelter) at Hot Springs State Park. This year they are combining the Pre-school Activity Fair and the Community Baby Shower. The combination event will feature both resource information and interactive booths. They aim to provide low-cost, interactive activities for young children and their caretakers to enjoy and replicate at home. They also provide resource...
David Hansen and Frank Toth participated in unified golf during the Special Olympics Summer Games at the Casper Municipal Summer Games. The duo shot a score of 55 to place second (silver medal) in the Group 1 Division. The division consisted of the first place team from Sheridan, which shot a 49. There were two teams from Casper that tied with a score of 56....
by Katie Klingsporn, WyoFile.com A complex mix of challenges, including troubling enrollment trends, faltering public trust in higher education and a $15 million budget shortfall, is bringing brand new headwinds to Wyoming’s sole undergraduate and graduate university. Despite that, the University of Wyoming’s new president is bullish on its future. “I think it’s on the ascent,” Shane Reeves said. “I absolutely think it has a lot of momentum behind it, and accelerating what already exists is going to be part of my job. And I’m really honore...
by John Bernhisel While a new nation was being born in the East, another world existed in the Big Horn and Shoshone River valleys For people in Philadelphia, Boston and New York City, the summer of 1776 was dominated by the Revolutionary War. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams were in Philadelphia helping shape a new nation, George Washington commanded the Continental Army near New York City. Paul Revere and John Paul Jones were in Boston. City streets were lined with brick...
On Wednesday, July 29, Cody Stewart, 37, was granted an early release from a 24 to 30 month sentence to the Wyoming Department of Corrections. In October of 2024, Stewart was charged with twelve felony counts of theft, and fraud by check, arising out of moneys that had gone missing from the bank account of the FFA Alumni group in Thermopolis. At the time, Stewart was serving as the organization’s treasurer. On February 19, 2025, pursuant to a plea agreement reached with Special Prosecutor, Dan Itzel, Stewart entered pleas of guilty to six of t...
Under tentative agreement, state will reimburse longtime concessionaire Luehne for capital and business interests. by Katie Klingsporn, WyoFile.com, via Wyoming News Exchange Wyoming State Parks has reached an agreement with Star Plunge owner Roland Luehne that signals an end to two years of litigation and the long-term closure of the popular Thermopolis aquatic facility. The tentative settlement still needs final approval from the Wyoming attorney general’s office. If approved, it will conclude all litigation and stipulate that the state r...
The 2026 Junior Livestock Auction and Judges' Choice Bake Sale is a wrap. Once again, business owners and private citizens came out and showed their support for our Hot Springs County youth. This year's sale brought in $197,696. A total of 22 beef sold at $102,145.05 for an average of $3.92 per lb. The Grand Champion Beef, sold by Meadow Moline, weighing 1,316 lbs., sold for $5 per pound for a total of $6,580 paid by winning bidder McCumber Well Service. The Reserve Champion Beef did not sell....
The Hot Springs County Travel & Tourism board held their monthly meeting at the State Park office on July 29. It was announced that board member, Tabatha Vandegrift had recently advised that she would be resigning from the board, creating another opening for the county commissioners to fill. In her financial report, treasurer Audra Dominguez announced that the moneys received from the lodging tax for the month of July were down substantially from the amount received in July of last year, representing just $4,567.84 this year. Dominguez stated...
Pig wrestling The Bobcat class of 2027 is hosting a pig wrestling fundraiser on Saturday, August 8 at Hot Springs County Fairgrounds. Gates open at 5 p.m. with a calcutta at 5:30 p.m. and action beginning at 7 p.m. Entry forms are available at the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce office. Tickets are $20 with kids 2 and under getting in for free. Tickets are available at Storyteller, Carquest, A Cut Above and Double R Store. Proceeds benefit the class of 2027. Summer concert A free Sounds of Summer Concert featuring Roger Lee will be held at the...
The first phase of the Wind River Canyon Study is complete. Community feedback is helping the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) better understand how people experience one of Wyoming’s most important transportation corridors and is being used alongside technical analysis to develop potential recommendations. The project team is currently evaluating roadway operations, traffic safety, geology, rockfall hazards, and long-term corridor resilience, while incorporating valuable feedback from residents, Tribal Nations, businesses, c...
The Board of Directors of Hot Springs Health held their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, July 28. The board welcomed its newest member, Jennifer Cheney, who attended her first meeting. Cheney will serve the remainder of the term previously held by Melissa Johnson. The board also welcomed Dr. Stephen Asay as the hospital’s new chief of staff. Dr. Megan Winger will serve as the new Vice-Chair. The board was presented a video, which was a project completed by the high school summer interns to wrap up the inaugural session of the new program. O...
From Wyoming News Exchange newspapers Wildfires caused Devils Tower to close over the weekend GILLETTE (WNE) — The Devils Tower National Monument was closed last weekend due to a nearby wildfire. At 10:40 a.m. Saturday, the Left Creek Fire was reported about 1 mile from Devils Tower. Given the proximity of the fire and its path toward the monument, the park ordered an immediate evacuation for visitors’ and employees’ safety at approximately 11:30 a.m., according to a press release from Devils Tower. The fire grew to 225 acres by Saturday evenin...
The Hot Springs County Commissioners held a regular meeting Monday, July 20. The meeting followed a public meeting in which the commissioners considered and approved a budget for fiscal year 2026-27. County Planner Les Culliton provided the commissioners with a time line of steps taken by his office on the newest land use applications filed by Michael and Michele Stevens on behalf of the Tipi Retreat and other business entities. Culliton advised that the applications continue to have deficiencies, in that the proposals do not comply with the co...
The Thermopolis Town Council held a special meeting on July 15 and a regular meeting on July 21. At the special meeting, the council approved some language changes to the contract with the Thermopolis Golf Course, which had been requested by the state liquor licensing office. The added language makes clear that the golf course liquor permit allows for alcoholic beverage sales outside the confines of the club house - making sales on the course a part of the permitted activity at the location. The council then met in executive session. After...
Over the past year and a half, the Town of Thermopolis has undertaken an informal survey of the water delivery service lines which connect individual water users to the town’s water system. The purpose of the survey is to determine where, and to what extent, lead materials have been used to facilitate the water connections. In some areas of the United States, and at certain points in history, lead was a common element of water service lines - the pipes and connections. Over time, lead will leech from the service line into the water system a...
The sixth year of the Grow A Little Extra program is in full swing across Wyoming, including here in Hot Springs County. Thermopolis gardeners are asked to participate and donate fresh produce that will be distributed locally. With increasing food prices, many families and seniors can’t afford to buy produce. It’s extremely helpful to be able to provide fresh locally grown produce. Be a part of something meaningful that helps your neighbors and fights food insecurity and hunger in our community. The Red Dirt Master Gardeners will take care of...
Early this June, Intermountain West Joint Venture coordinated a workshop in Thermopolis, Wyoming, to explore post-wildfire rehabilitation, emergency response and coordination efforts between federal agencies, state partners, and private landowners. The workshop included a field tour of the 2025 Red Canyon Fire. Derek Trauntvein, USWFS Firefighter, and Alicia Hummel, BLM Range Specialist, represented the BLM Wyoming Worland Field Office. During the workshop, Hummel shared firsthand insight on the aftermath of the 2025 Red Canyon Fire. She spoke...
There is a commercial block in downtown Thermopolis, which has had a difficult past. Arapahoe Street, between 5th and 6th Streets, at one time served as a part of a thriving business district in town. After two fires, several business closures, and years of neglect, the block is finally on track to make a comeback. At the east end of the block once stood a local hardware business, but that structure was lost to fire some years ago. Toward the west end of the block, another structure was lost to...
The Hot Springs County Commissioners held a public meeting on Monday, July 20 to take comments and questions on the proposed fiscal year 2026-27 budget. The meeting was heavily attended, with standing room only in the room in the County Annex building. Of primary concern to those in attendance was the proposed reduction in funding to the 4-H program in the UW Extension office. For many years, Hot Springs County has provided funding to cover one-half of the expense of an on-site educator working out of the Extension Office in the old Carnage Lib...
The Hot Springs County School Board met on July 9 to consider the adoption of a budget for the upcoming school year. The trustees approved the proposed budget for fiscal year 2026-27 following an executive summary presentation by business manager Jessica Benefiel. The budget takes into account several factors, which will impact the upcoming school year. Included among those factors are an anticipated decrease in the Average Daily Membership (ADM) of students attending the school system; on-going adjustments to a four-day week; and planning for...
Last Wednesday night, a flood swept through East Thermopolis in the area of C Avenue resulting in significant damage. An estimated 4 inches of rain fell in roughly an hour, causing a surge of water that submerged the area and stranded at least one resident in their home. Once water levels began to decrease, Thermopolis Police Chief Pat Cornwell made his way to the woman's home to evacuate her, a dog and a pet rabbit. The water relocated the woman's vehicle that was found some distance from it's...
