Sorted by date Results 6301 - 6325 of 6343
The Local Emergency Planning Committee met April 23 to discuss potential emergencies facing Hot Springs County. One of the more immediate concerns is the potential for large-scale fires in the coming spring and summer months. Coming off relatively dry March and April months, the spread of forest fires could be rapid. “We’re looking at quite the wildfire season,” chairman James Coates said. Part of the unraveling concern this year comes from the fact that the number of fire spotters has decreased significantly. “Between the Rocky Mountai...
There was a Wyoming Business Alliance workshop in Thermopolis last week to help local business owners and public representatives identify and address economic needs in Hot Springs County. During the April 23 meeting, more than 20 people discussed the past, present and possible future of Hot Springs County. This included discussion of economic staples like energy, businesses that have had success in the county, and where economic growth can come from in the future. When asked a simple prompt of how people thought Hot Springs County is doing...

Bruce and Sabrina Thoren of Shoshoni, Wyo., and Pat and Shelley O'Connor of Torrington, Wyo. are pleased to announce the engagement of their children. Cortney Thoren is a graduate from the University of Wyoming with her master's degree in counseling. She is employed with Hot Springs County School District as a high school counselor. Ryan O'Connor is also a graduate from the University of Wyoming with his master's degree in Speech Language Pathology. He is employed with Hot Springs County School...
Thermopolis FFA Alumni Association president Phillip Scheel was recognized with an honorary degree during the State FFA Convention on April 10, in Cheyenne. The Honorary FFA Degree is the highest award the Wyoming FFA can bestow upon non-members. “The Honorary State FFA Degree is a very special recognition for individuals who have rendered outstanding service to the FFA and agriculture education,” explained Jess Oldham, FFA State Parliamentarian. Scheel, of Tumbleweed Propane, Inc., has been involved in FFA since he attended high school in Pin...

As part of the ever-evolving effort to keep medical staff up to date at Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital, radiology technician Sabrina Bullard Stucky has been certified as a national registered vascular technologist. "The vascular board is very difficult, and it's one of the most important ones because I'm like one out of 15 in the state of Wyoming that have passed this board," Stucky said. If the standards insurance companies, including Medicare and Medicaid, start using it to grade...
During the Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital board meeting Tuesday members approved changing the daily rate for a interim business office manager. The previous rate was set at $585 per day and the board increased the rate to $650 per day after discussion. While the cost is high, that rate includes the moving and living expenses of the interim employee as well as uncovered benefits. The hospital has been working without a business office manager for about 30 days, and board members asked if the hospital could continue without hiring an interi...

When students return to Thermopolis Middle School next fall they'll have some new things to keep them moving on the playground. Great Western Park and Playground worked with the administration over the last few months to come up with several playground configurations that every grade level at the middle school would enjoy. After whittling down the choices to just a few, the students themselves were allowed to give their input, coming up with the final design. Maintenance supervisor Jere Apland...
Every story and photo from the print version of the Thermopolis Independent Record is now available online. That means that friends, family, and people who have moved away from town can still get all their news on the fly once the newspaper is off the presses. Our online website is updated every week, with everything online by the end of the day Thursday. The Independent Record aims to provide the best possible local news coverage that residents can’t get anywhere else. We pride ourselves on covering the news from a local angle, and leaving t... Full story
Hot Spring County’s unemployment rate slightly increased between February and March 2015, based on information from the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services. From February to March of this year, unemployment in the county has increased from 4.6 percent to 4.9 percent. Comparatively, from March 2014 to March of this year, unemployment in the county has increased from 4.7 percent to 4.9 percent. The percent change is the result of an increased labor force size, but not all of the people found employment. From March last year to March this y...

If you've walked by and tried to sneak a peek over the brown paper on the windows of the old Storyteller building downtown, just to see what's going on, your wait is over. One Eyed Buffalo will be opening its doors on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. and are inviting the community to come down and see what they've been up to. Damien and Tanya Oliver said they've been working on this micro-brewery idea for more than a year, pouring everything they have into this dream for Thermopolis. "We had to work...
This year’s Oktoberfest was a focus of discussion during the Main Street Thermopolis board meeting April 23. The discussion centered on renaming the event Oktobrewfest, as the board is wanting to move towards being a brew fest along with being an Oktoberfest. Changing the name took time for the group to agree on because of the fear of confusing people by changing the brand. “Whatever we pick we definitely have to stick with going forward,” Main Street Thermopolis chairman Stefanie Gilbert said. But in the end the group agreed to rename the even...
The Thermopolis Post Office is asking postal customers “to help the hungry” and donate to the National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive across America on Saturday, May 9. All food collected will go to local food bank charities, which will make distributions to area families in need. Leave bags filled with food items by your mailbox on May 9 – before mail delivery time – for collection. Customers may also bring in food to the post office on Arapahoe Street. Food items should be nonperishable items, such as canned me...
Current projections have snowmelt runoff in the Bighorn River Basin significantly lower than their 30-year average. In particular, Boysen Reservoir is projected to have significantly less runoff during the upcoming Spring and Summer months. This year Boysen is expected to get an inflow of 300,000 acre-feet of snowmelt runoff from April through July. An acre-foot is approximately 325,851 gallons of water. This amount of runoff is down 44 percent from previous years. The runoff average over the past 30 years has been 533,800 acre-feet. So the...

The Hot Springs County Museum is one step closer to having a new roof over their heads. The Hot Springs County Commissioners accepted a bid from Red Roofing, Co. of Powell to fix the museum roof, which has been leaking periodically over the past year or so. Masonry work will have to be completed before the work on the actual roof can begin, but the company feels it can get the job finished late this summer or early fall. The commissioners also approved seeking an estimate through High Plains...
The Thermopolis Town Council approved the purchase of a new garbage truck at the cost of $145,075 during their meeting Tuesday. The new truck is a made to order 2016 Freightliner with a reinforced frame and Wayne Fury rear loader. The vehicle will be purchased from Jack’s Truck and Equipment out of Casper. According to Joe Mounts, who works in the town shop, this new truck will replace a mid 1980’s truck that is currently in use, but in ill repair. Additionally, buying replacement parts for that vehicle has come at a premium, as the parts are...

A former Hot Springs County resident is facing 21 years in prison following the alleged shooting of his stepfather-in-law. The Washakie County Sheriff's department arrested Anthony Haire, 31, after a shooting that left Jamye SoRelle, 58, dead. SoRelle was also a former HSC resident. According to an affidavit of probable cause from the Washakie County Sheriff's department, the dispute started with an argument over parking on a shared driveway. SoRelle had maneuvered his vehicle and trailer to... Full story

Carmalen Clare Chimenti and Bryan Matthew Grutsch would like to announce their marriage on June 28, 2015, in Billings, Mont. The bride is the daughter of Mike and Janet Chimenti of Thermopolis, Wyo. and the groom is the son of George and Dianne Grustch of Missoula, Mont. The bride is a 2000 graduate of Thermopolis High School and currently works as an Occupational Therapist at Billings Clinic. The groom is a 1997 graduate from Loyola Sacred Heart School in Missoula and currently works as a...
The Travel and Tourism Board has seen a significant increase in tax dollars during the past two months, with a $13,555.62 increase in tax money received. However, board consultant Amanda Moeller said the numbers come from an obvious source. According to Moeller, hotel booking websites have been withholding payment of tax money to the state of Wyoming for some time, but it was not explained during the April meeting exactly how long the practice was going on. This money is now being distributed to the state. “The whole state of Wyoming is g...

Hot Springs County’s Land Use Planning Commission considered a proposal from Cody and Lindsay Hensley to add light auto maintenance and tire sales and servicing to their property west of town on Highway 120. The Hensley’s had received a land use change on their property in 2012, which changed a two-acre portion of their property to commercial/industrial to allow retail feed sales, vehicle dismantling and metal recycling. The occasional sale of salvaged and repaired vehicles was also allowed at...

Our teachers spend time in collaboration with each other, but the question is often, “what is collaboration and what does it do for my child?” The second grade teachers from Ralph Witters Elementary (RWE) made a presentation to the Hot Springs County School District #1 Board of Trustees last Thursday, which answers that question. Dawn Peterson, Emmie Coxbill and Kim Carswell explained the first thing they do as a collaborative team is determine what they expect the students to learn and then rev...
The Town of Thermopolis is looking for people who are interested in serving as a member of the Travel and Tourism Board. The town is currently accepting letters of interest from community members who wish to apply. It is known that whomever is selected would serve a term that starts on June 1, 2015 and ends on May 31, 2018. This opening is for an at-large position, however, applicants from the travel and tourism industry may also apply. Anyone interested should submit a letter of intent on, or before 5 p.m., May 18th, 2015 to the Mayor’s O...
TOUR 23—an ambitious Wyoming Business Alliance effort to discuss and document business conditions and economic development strengths and needs throughout the state—will hold its Hot Springs County session Thursday, April 23 at 7:30 a.m. at the Hot Springs County Museum. The program is a comprehensive effort involving the Wyoming Business Council, state agencies, and business and government associations. It consists of four-hour meetings in every Wyoming county between April 13 and June 25. Each session will be moderated by Wyoming Business All... Full story

The Hot Springs County Commissioners heard their first report from newly appointed Youth Alternatives Director, Barb Rice, during their meeting last Friday. Rice said things are going well with the program and while she's setting certain times to actually be in her office, she's also working with the courts, being there for the kids going through the system and learning all the ins and outs of the job. She's currently working with the Wyoming Highway Patrol to bring in their "25 Alive" program...

The Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce held their annual meeting last Thursday, touching on a number of items of interest. Chamber director Meri Ann Rush talked about where the chamber has come over the last couple of years, including a 28-percent increase in membership over the last two years. They have recently made the redemption of chamber bucks easier for businesses who may now process them like checks creating an increase in the amount of chamber bucks being purchased and used in...

Several teachers were honored Monday night at Hot Springs County School District #1's Retiree and Teacher of the Year Banquet at the middle school. The district will be losing six long-time educators at the end of the year, all of which will be difficult to replace considering their longevity with the district and years of educational experience. Those retiring this year include Janet Philp, Kent Hessenthaler, Madonna McIntosh, Jim Cramer, Deb Law and Ron Philips, who has already taken his...