Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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By now, most of us understand the dangers involved with exposure to Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun when it comes to our skin, but something we often forget about when it comes to sun exposure is our eyes. Prevent Blindness has declared July as Ultraviolet Awareness month in hopes of educating people about the dangers UV rays present to our eyes. Exposure to UV rays can be immediate. Symptoms like eye pain, tears, blurred vision, light sensitivity and seeing halos can last between six and 24 hours after exposure. This is known as...
Among the regular faces at the Hot Springs County Senior Center is Mike Kelley, who not only stops by for lunch or to visit, but has helped in various capacities. Kelley and his wife Joyce, who has passed away, moved to Thermopolis in 2001. Kelley has worked for several phone companies including Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph, U.S. West and Qwest, retiring from the work in 1990. It was that work that brought him to Thermopolis. As he explained, Kelley hired on in 1959 in Colorado, and...
Several University of Illinois students stopped overnight in Thermopolis on July 2 and 3, during a break in their coast-to-coast ride for the 2019 Illini 4000. Among the riders is Viraat Goel, who noted everyone is a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The group is in its 13th year, and they raise money for cancer research and patient services. Though a student organization, Goel pointed out they are federally incorporated as a 501c3 non-profit, meaning all donations are t...
DOUGLAS — Shopko closed its doors June 18, but local retailers say they’re already ahead of the game, expanding choices and inventory. Shopko announced in March the closing all of their stores nationwide, to which Douglas’ business owners responded: You don’t need to shop outside of town to get what you need – and, if they don’t have it, then they’ll order it for you. Enterprise Executive Director Cindy Porter said Douglas is full of great businesses filled with owners who work very hard to make people happy. She encourages local shopping. Por...
The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) is warning that potential fraud, unnecessary high fees and frustration can result if residents are not cautious of online providers promising extra speedy Wyoming birth, death and other certificate services. “We frequently receive complaints from customers who have used companies claiming they can quickly get official certificates even though our office is the only source of these documents,” said Guy Beaudoin, deputy state registrar with the WDH Vital Statistics Services Office. Beaudoin estimated online...
Maintenance and custodial staff at the Hot Springs County School District are keeping very busy this summer with various projects in preparation for the start of school. Maintenance supervisor, Jere Apland, said the largest project going on this summer is at the middle school where the roof is being replaced. Materials were unloaded on Monday and work began immediately. Weather delays put the roofing off for a bit, which considering the hail storm we had last week, it was a good thing. The...
The bright blue summer sky dimmed quickly, shortly after 1:30 p.m. Monday afternoon. As the town sirens sounded and a rapid series of alerts was issued across radio and cell networks, it was clear that this particular thunderstorm wasn't just going to skirt around the town and was gunning for Thermopolis. Winds estimated at 50-60 miles per hour and a severe temperature drop were the first signs of the storm's arrival. Warnings advised people to remain indoors, which of course sparked a natural... Full story
During some of the summer events in town, security will look a bit different with Thermopolis Police Officer Bobbi Byrd on horseback. Byrd explained when she lived in Tennessee, she had a close friend in law enforcement who did the mounted patrol. "It sort of perked my interest, watching him do that." She and Officer Ken Smith went to a class last year and got certified on their horses, then kept going. In June, Byrd finished her 2019 certification during a weeklong training in Riverton. The...
GILLETTE — After years in legislative limbo, Hot Springs State Park could be set for some changes. At last Thursday’s meeting of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation, Recreation and Cultural Resources, officials with the Department Of State Parks And Cultural Resources unveiled the next steps in a long-awaited plan to update one of the crown jewels of the state parks system. Though no immediate actions were announced, the agency updated committee members on a new law sponsored by the committee chair – Sen. Ogden Driskil...
Monday night the Thermopolis Town Council approved a bid from Dave Loden Construction, in the amount of $82,885, for a new roof on the old fire hall, with the condition that the completion date be extended from Oct. 30 to Nov. 30, though in a letter to the council Erick Loden stated he is 90 percent sure he can have it done before Oct. 30. Also during their meeting, council approved a bar and grill liquor license for the property at 942 Shoshoni Street, most recently known as the Raptors...
Following a two-day trial last week, Raymond W. DeVries Sr. was found guilty of five misdemeanor counts of theft and one misdemeanor count of criminal trespassing. The charges are from an Aug. 30, 2018 incident in which DeVries brought onto the property of Linsey Brooks a truck and forklift, marked to his company, with the purpose of taking five large landscaping rocks. During removal of the rocks, one of them cracked and a portion of it was left on Brooks’ property. Brooks’ pasture was als...
The Fourth of July is celebrated by friends and families nationwide. It’s a time for Americans to fire up the barbecue, hoist the flag and grab a seat for that spectacular fireworks display. But before you head out for the celebrations, make sure you plan a sober way home. Hot Springs County law enforcement is taking part in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign during the holiday to help put an end to drunk driving. In support of law enforcement’s dedication to protecting lives, you’ll see increased enforcement on the roads with zero...
Those who stop in at the Hot Springs County Senior Center on a Friday might spot Mary Jo Mason off of the main dining area, providing blood pressure readings. "I come every Friday," Mason said, "and I'm here from 10 until noon." She described the center as "the neatest place. The food is good and the people are wonderful. They have all kinds of events." Born in Arlington, Texas, Mason moved to Thermopolis in 1991. She had a portrait studio here - Picture This Photography - for seven years, and...
During the weekend of May 31- June 2, eight members of the Alpha Phi No. 1148 traveled to Wheatland for the State Epsilon Sigma Alpha Convention. Attending members were Brenda Barnes, Kim Enis, Ruth Galovich, Jenifer Grimm, Michelle Herring, Stefanie Ireland, Cindy Magelky and Linda Ziegler. They enjoyed a Friday night mixer where each attending chapter performed a comical skit. The following awards were received: First place: Outstanding Woman of the Year —Herring; Outstanding Chapter of the Year 6-15 Members; Cold Link Award for Excellence in...
The good news is Hot Springs County’s valuation has grown by 6.13% for 2019 over the valuation for 2018. In 2018, the county was valued at $143,770,630. In 2019 it rose to $152,593,199. These numbers are just an estimate and should become final by the end of the week according to County Assessor Daniel Webber. The locally assessed number came out to just a bit above $50.9 million for 2019. State Assessed Utilities show $7.166 million, railroads are $4.65 million and hard minerals topped in at $3.7 million. Oil production came in at $85.9 m...
CASPER — The first week of July is often a slow one in state government, shortened by a federal holiday and marked by a light legislative schedule. However, the first week of July also means something else in Wyoming – the time many of the laws passed by the Legislature this winter finally go into effect. As the clock hit midnight on Monday, more than 200 laws passed during the 2019 legislative session went into effect, impacting the lives of Wyoming residents in some ways major, some ways not. A common centerpiece in many homes around Wyo...
Hot Springs County’s unemployment rate rose by .2% from April to May according to numbers recently released from the Research and Planning section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services. The labor force, or number of people able to work, rose by 10 from April to May, however, only four of those people were employed, leaving six of them still looking for work in May. The labor force is down considerably from what it was this time last year, losing 37 workers over the year. There are also 29 fewer people employed from 2018. The c...
July 1 marked the official effective date for Senate File 57, establishing requirements for the release of public records, as well as designation of an ombudsman by the governor to receive complaints for violations of the public records act. Under the law, official public records include “all original vouchers, receipts and other documents necessary to isolate and prove the validity of every transaction relating to the receipt, use and disposition of all public property and public income from all sources whatsoever; all agreements and c...
June 23-28, Jeff Clark, Will Clark and Remington Ferree, along with Dillon Romero of Cody, took aim at the 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships in Grand Island, Neb. Participants can only compete once in their career in a particular discipline, Kari Ferree said, and the boys competed in shotgun, with her husband Charlie coaching. They were selected by the state 4-H, Ferree said, and they had to fill out applications including whether they shot at the state shoot and how they did, and essay... Full story
An estimated 10 percent (14,000 total) of Wyoming’s kids, double the national average, do not have health insurance according to the 2019 KIDS COUNT® Data Book released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Data Book assesses child wellbeing using 16 measures that represent the domains of health, education, economic well-being and family well-being and community. The 2019 Data Book report found that Wyoming’s child health system was weak when compared with the rest of the nation, ranking 49th out of 50 states. While these findings were disa...
Everyone could use a little help from time to time and the Thermopolis Church of Christ may have just what you’re looking for. The church will be hosting a youth group that is looking to help members of the community during their stay in Thermopolis, July 13-17. If you have a project, whether its yard work, clean up, small painting projects, general repair or something along those lines, the youth will come, at no charge to you, to get it done. All you have to do is supply the materials. If you need some help, please call Pete Coggi at 3...
During their June 25 meeting, the Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees reviewed and approved the 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment, presented by Miranda Nelson, a social worker with the hospital. Nelson noted the assessment involved a lot of collaboration with the community and the Hot Springs County Community Prevention Coalition. The assessment is required every three years, and the last was done in 2016. The full assessment will be available via the hospital’s website....
A line of cars sits west of town as drivers wait for the pilot car to lead them through the area being chip sealed on Highway 120. The stretch of road being sealed is 32 miles and the work is expected to be done by mid-July....
After a very wet spring, most of Wyoming was looking good as far as fire danger, a multitude of counties in the low range with just a couple sitting in the mid range. However, since the last several days of high temperatures and very low humidity along with fairly breezy conditions, we can’t say that anymore. Hot Springs County is currently in the mid range for fire danger according to the Wildland Fire Assessment System (WYFAS). We are looking at very little chance of any rain for at least several more days, which could raise our fire a...
by Mark Dykes Independence Day is one of several days throughout the year where we have the time to reflect on what it means to be an American, the freedom we enjoy and the soldiers who made that freedom possible. Jeff Strong enlisted in the United States Air Force in January of 1971. The first three quarters of the year, he said, were various kinds of training at locations including Sheppard Air Force Base, Brooks Airfield and Lackland Air Force, undergoing jet engine training and helicopter...
