Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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In music, poetry, books and speeches we hear the phrase “Children are our future”, but a bill under consideration in the Wyoming State Legislature seems to imply otherwise. SJ9 takes our children off the front burner, relegating them to discretionary spending -- discretionary under the purview of the state legislature. Our state’s constitution placed educational spending as a priority to ensure every child in the State of Wyoming would receive an equitable education. If passed, SJ9 would remove educational spending as a priority and would allow...
Within a few weeks, the high school basketball seasons will come to a close. There have certainly been plenty of ups and downs the past few months — more of the latter, when it comes to end scores. But, as coaches have consistently pointed out this season, those final scores do not reflect the spirit shown by the Bobcats when they hit the court. While I wasn’t able to attend the first few games of the season, I have since seen what our boys and girls can do with the rock, and seeing them in act...
If you’ve been having trouble talking freely with friends and neighbors since the last election, you’re not alone. And the media wouldn’t have it any other way. Whether we’re sounding the drums of the Left or the Right, there’s nothing that sells quite as well as conflict. Even your hometown newspaper is guilty of leading with the bleeding. That’s because conflict is what makes a story interesting. You’re a reader - think about the last book you read. Now take all of the conflict out of it. Reading can be a pretty boring exercise without the c...
I’ve been going to all the solar eclipse meetings, you know, the one coming Aug. 21 that might very well double the number of people in Hot Springs County for several days. Some people might call me crazy, but I am really excited about the opportunity to not only see my community packed with happy people waiting for a celestial event, but the memories I’m sure to have during that week. When I was young, my grandfather made sure that I was witness to everything possible happening in the sky. Fro...
“People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” –Rogers Hornsby Like “The Rajah”, player, manager and coach of 23 seasons in major league baseball, we are at that time in Wyoming when we’re teased with a few nice days filled with sunshine then just as quickly plunged back into the gray doldrums of winter. “Icky Season,” dominated by slush, water, ice and mud, followed by spring’s renewal, green grass, bursting blossoms and yes, the occasional snow squal...
Last Thursday HB 135 “Government Non-Discrimination Act” was withdrawn from consideration at the legislature. This is truly sad. ACLU talking points claimed that HB 135 came from out-of-state interests. They are false. Interested Wyomingites, like me, have been working on this for months before the ACLU swooped in just in time for our legislative session. These talking points are dismissive of the myriads of Wyoming citizens who care about free speech. I appreciate those legislators who did not dismiss our concerns. Once, the First Ame...
I’ve been spending a lot of time on the river lately. I don’t mean I’ve taken up ice fishing or I’m making plans to take on the Polar Bear experience. It’s just I find myself, in my everyday routine, drawn more and more to the Big Horn and Wind River. I know, it’s kind of hard to avoid since it weaves through town, but even when I’m nowhere near the banks the river seems to find me. Case in point — Thermopolis Middle School has an incredible display in their hall regarding a artist-in-resid... Full story
For more than 100 years, the Wyoming Press Association has provided representation of Wyoming’s 45 newspapers, representing paper interests in lobbying, advertising and education. The association allows newspapers to speak with a unified voice on important matters. Every year, the Wyoming Press Association provides another function — awarding its member newspapers in areas such as photography, advertisement, editorial matter and overall excellence during the annual winter convention. Staff at the Independent Record attended the 2017 con...
Sometimes I sit at my desk here at the Independent Record and try to come up with something to put into this page. Some days ideas come to me very quickly – other days, not so much. With all the snow coming down Tuesday I sat at my desk and stared out the window, waiting once again for inspiration to strike, kind of like lightning, but a lot less painful. I finally gave up and hopped in my car to go take some winter wonderland photos and while driving around that inspiration came to me. I was p...
Tomorrow (Friday) people from around the world will be watching America as we inaugurate the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump. The inauguration has a long and varied history, of course dating back to our first President, George Washington. In the past, the inauguration has actually been held on various dates. For instance, Washington’s first inauguration was held in April of 1789. Between 1793 and 1933, it was traditionally held on March 4. It was not until Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s inauguration in 1937 that a set date was...
Thank you for the wonderful performance and unique cultural learning experience. Last Friday, the 13th of January, the Greater Learning Foundation brought dancers and musicians from Russia to perform for the high school students during the school day and later for the public that night. The performance was absolutely spectacular, and the students especially enjoyed the audience participation our visitors added in with their performance. They certainly kept the crowd awake and alert, making their culture come alive. It was hilarious, wonderful...
Last week was a milestone, both for my son as well as my wife and I. After days of wiggling, poking and prodding, Michael announced to us — and, judging by the volume of his voice, the neighbors — that he lost his first tooth. Naturally this came with some excitement for myself and Louise. Pictures were taken and posted, phone calls were made to grandparents and other family members. Even our two-year-old got into the act, though at first he wasn’t sure why we were celebrating. When we told...
This weekend, Thermopolis will host the Moscow Nights/Golden Gates dance troupe, featuring dancers from Russia and Georgia. It’s one of the many opportunities throughout the year when we can catch a brief glimpse into another culture, and we should take advantage of it. Around town, several have stepped up and opened their doors to these dancers and musicians during their brief stay. While these folks will certainly get more understanding of the Russian and Georgian culture, in a small town we can expect their experiences and stories of the v...
Some of you may have seen an article making its way across the Internet recently, listing the 50 least educated places in every state. Guess what? The “writer” of the piece has placed Hot Springs County, Wyoming at number 49, inferring there is only one place in the country dumber than us. I put the word writer in quotes, because this kind of journalism is nothing more than someone sitting behind their computer, gathering bits of information from around the web, tossing it all together in a sup...
The education of our young people is one of the most critical pieces we, as a society, are responsible for. Our educators mold the minds of future generations and each child, each teacher, each school district is different in regards to needs and resources. We all have similar goals in Wyoming, however, the needs of smaller school districts is vastly different from the needs of larger districts in the state. With the Wyoming State Legislature’s opening day right around the corner, one bill to keep an eye on is House Bill 0037 – Teacher accounta...
I have decided that my New Year’s resolution is to buy life insurance for only $30 a month. It will be enough for my loved one’s (the ones that I only see once or twice a year) to hopefully bury me. And for only $70 a month my loved one’s (the ones who will rush right over if they need anything) will get a nice chunk of change, my house, automobiles and everything else I worked by behind off for. Heck, they might not have to work again. Just thinking about their smiles makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside....
Well, the big ’17 is here. Try as I might to stay up and watch the ball drop, I only made it to 11:15 p.m. this year. I guess that’s still more than an hour beyond the official drop in New York. I’m not much for resolutions, as I either set unrealistic goals or, when it’s something a bit more grounded, I either give up too easily on it or forget about it entirely by March. But, since statistics show that less than 10 percent of people make or stick to their resolutions, I’m content knowing I...
It’s fitting the end of what is commonly referred to as the “holiday season” is the New Year; one last “hurrah” for 2016, as we venture forward — some with trepidation, others with composure — into 2017. Henry Ward Beecher wrote once, “Every man should be born again on the first of January,” and while it’s nice to have the sense of an empty calendar year there’s no denying that, before long, each of us will have more than his or her share of commitments and activities to fill those boxes and pages. And while that New Year is waiting for us jus...
January 1st. That magical day when everyone makes these amazing promises about the coming year. “I’m going to lose 20 pounds.” “I’m going to quit smoking.” “I’m going to the gym every day.” February 1st. That magical day when you’re sitting in your recliner watching Netflix, eating your way through a bag of Cheetos and rubbing your orange fingers on your sweatpants. Yep, that would be me. I gave up making New Year’s resolutions a long time ago. I don’t need the added guilt of telling everyo...
If you’ve been counting down the days until the Winter Solstice (the shortest day of the year) congratulations, we made it and now the days start getting longer. If it doesn’t seem that way perhaps it’s because, while the sun begins to set a little later from here until summer, it rises a little later in the day until January 3. So when Christmas rolls around this Sunday, even though you’ve told yourself, “the days are getting longer,” your eyes aren’t seeing the light of day any earlier. Some sleep scientists attribute this annual phenom...
It was wonderful to see the article on the People for People Program and its continued success. When it began so many years ago it would have been difficult to imagine its longevity and the commitment of so many people in the community. Hopefully this will be a never ending program....
Just wanted to thank the city for keeping main street looking as it has for many years. I came there (Thermopolis) at 14 from California in 1946. I fell in love with Wyoming and the town of Thermopolis, living there off and on for years. It has always been a pleasant memory, and to see main street looking as it did, the first time I ever saw it, is a happy memory. I’m glad the city has kept it just as it was. I remember how sad I was when the Emory Hotel was torn down, and the Carter over in the park. People came from all over and stayed in t...
About eight years ago, after our family witnessed our grand-nephews “opening” a humungous pile of Christmas gifts, quickly shoving them into a corner so they could quickly open the NEXT one, and then whining when they didn’t get “what they wanted”, our family made a huge change to our Christmas gifting and celebration. We reasoned that if the money we spent on unappreciated gifts had been donated to organizations that benefitted those who REALLY needed it, a huge difference could have been made for others! We decided then that we would NO...
For many folks, the Holiday Season isn’t filled with cheer, friends or family, but with depression or social isolation. While most of us are flitting from party to party or peacefully gathered around the Christmas tree, there are those who suffer more deeply during the holidays. You may have heard that suicide rates are higher this time of year, but in actuality, studies have shown that really isn’t the case. That doesn’t mean we stop being vigilant about the health and mental welfare of those around us. In fact, this is the time of year when...
by Mark Dykes It’s time to get out the lights, the tree and all those decorations we keep in storage 11 months out of the year, and get ready for those final celebrations of the calendar year. I’m not sure when it happened, but I think it was sometime in college that the gears switched in my brain and I started wanting more practical gifts — fewer video games and more books, clothes, restaurant gift cards and — my favorite — bundles of beef. With a two-year-old and four-year-old, along wit...
