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  • The occasional phone call

    Oct 2, 2025

    by Jill Pertler I’m an observer of life. I think a lot of us are. Often, relationships are part of those observations. Life is filled with relationships. People come in and out of our personal world. Relationships soar and they fade. It all seems rather random, as does the way this process often begins: Your science teacher implements an alphabetical seating order and your future spouse ends up sitting next to you. A neighbor moves in next door, and you find you have similar interests and hobbies. You get a new job with a cubby next to a f...

  • United we stand

    Sep 25, 2025

    The Learning Center of Hot Springs County is hosting a United We Stand buffalo burger fundraiser on Thursday, Sept. 25 from 5-8 p.m. at the center located at 124 N. 5th St. It is a great time to unite and support a worthy local cause. There will be music and fun for all ages. Door prizes will be given away and raffle tickets will be available to purchase for some other great prizes. Because this is a fundraiser for the center, dinner will cost $10 a plate - a fair price for a delicious buffalo burger. The Learning Center helps learners at all...

  • Two commissioners offer up explanation

    Sep 25, 2025

    To all whom may be concerned; In January of this year Michael and Michele Stevens representing Tipi Retreat asked for the opportunity to be reheard in regards to their former application for a land use change. They believed that they had evidence that satisfied the original concerns over their application and that they were never given the opportunity to be reheard and provide a avenue of remedy. Considering all that had taken place and the fact that this issue was still under litigation to continue to the Wyoming Supreme Court, we resolved...

  • Exercise and arthritis: what really works

    Sep 25, 2025

    by Becca Jordre, Ph.D., DPT If your joints ache after sitting too long or make crackling sounds when you get up, you’re not alone. More than half of older adults in the U.S. report having at least one arthritic joint, and while our understanding has improved over the past two decades, old myths still create confusion about how best to manage it. Is Exercise Safe? Many people fear that too much movement or vigorous exercise will wear out their joints and make arthritis worse. The surprising truth is that exercise is one of the most powerful w...

  • Navigating today's world

    Sep 18, 2025

    by Lara Love Growing up in the 70s and 80s, I learned how to navigate the world without cable TV, internet or smartphones. I was also raised to respect my elders, to never put food on my plate unless I planned to eat it, to not take what was not mine and to treat others the way I wished to be treated. We had more freedom and less fear than children growing up in today’s world. We accepted that there would be minor risk to riding our bike, motorcycle or horse without a helmet, but we fearlessly did it anyway. I was taught to treat people with d...

  • Walking for David and all who carry invisible weight

    Sep 18, 2025

    by Tia Gillespie September is Suicide Prevention Month - a time to raise awareness, share resources, and show support for mental health. But for many of us, it’s more than a campaign or a hashtag. It’s personal. Some of us have known what it feels like to not want to keep going. Others have stood by someone they love who was silently fighting battles we couldn’t see. And some of us, like me, have lost someone we never imagined would be gone so soon. I lost my brother, David, to suicide on January 28, 2014. He was my best friend. We were insep...

  • How do you treat waiters?

    Sep 18, 2025

    by Bryan Golden The way you treat others offers a window into the type of person you are. Your interaction with people, whose job it is to serve you, reflects on your character and offers a glimpse into the way they will react to you. When you behave in a condescending manner, you are sure to elicit a negative reaction. Immediately, the person you are talking down to will be put off, even if they don’t show it. You will squelch any inclination for the other person to go out of their way to help you. At most, they will do no more than the b...

  • On the spectrum

    Sep 18, 2025

    by Debra Johnston, MD I had a friend in high school who was generally considered a bit odd. He didn’t dress quite right, never knew how to “read the room,” and often talked far too long and in far to much detail about computers— at a time when very few households even had one. The movie Rain Man, in which an autistic character is abducted from an institution by his greedy younger brother, had yet to be released, and certainly no one in my circle was familiar with autism. Once we were, it was Dustin Hoffman’s portrayal of Raymond Babbitt t...

  • This is the opinion page

    Sep 11, 2025

    What is an opinion? By definition it is a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. The opinion page in a newspaper is a dedicated space for staff and readers to present subjective viewpoints, including editorials, op-eds, and columns, which are clearly separated from objective news reporting. Editorials express the newspaper’s own position on a topic, while op-eds are opinion pieces written by outside columnists. Columns are regular features offering commentary. Letters to the editor are the opinion o...

  • Pour me a cupful

    Sep 11, 2025

    by Jill Pertler Is your glass half full, or half empty? This is the question I’ve pondered during much of my life. I knew the correct answer that would lead to a happier existence. Or so I thought. Turns out, I’m not done learning. Or thinking about old things in new ways. The whole glass full or empty example illustrates our ability to choose positivity or negativity in life. It’s a great analogy. But there’s so much more to be gained from the glass. And the liquid within said glass. Not wine, although there is that. I’m talking something...

  • One year in prison for burning the US Flag

    Sep 11, 2025

    Our President recently signed an executive order mandating 1 year in Prison for burning the American Flag. At first I had mixed feelings. I love our flag, but I thought, what about free speech? I have now decided to fully support the President as I believe He is right, and here is why; The US Flag is actually “property” that belongs to the American people. Thus it is really a crime to burn it. Flag Burning is intended to incite violence and is therefore illegal. So I thought, what if they make it illegal to burn the Book of Mormon, or the Kor...

  • Cracker Barrel controversy is just a misdirect

    Sep 4, 2025

    by Jonathan Gallardo, Gillette News Record What a world we live in, where a logo change can cause a company’s stock to drop as people claim that it’s the latest battle in the ongoing culture war. Cracker Barrel announced it was changing its logo to a soulless blob of color, and a whole bunch of people went into a frenzy because apparently this change was a slap in the face to American values. Even our president weighed in on the fake controversy. You’d think he has better things to do. After all, he’s got a country to run. I studied Cracker Bar...

  • Nurturing active childhoods in a high-tech world

    Sep 4, 2025

    by Dr. Patti Berg-Poppe and Dr. Hsin-yi “Tanya” Liu Long before children say their first words or pick up a pencil, they’re learning through their bodies. They kick, reach, roll, crawl and explore - hardwired to interact with the world through movement. From the very beginning, motor and sensory experiences are how babies discover their environment and how their brains begin to grow and organize. Simply put, our bodies in motion are the vehicles through which we learn. When children move, their brains light up. Their senses, muscles, emoti...

  • Fire fighting efforts appreciated

    Aug 28, 2025

    Hot Springs County landowners and ranchers will be in the recovery phase for several years following the devastation caused by the Red Canyon Fire. We will forever be grateful to all the firefighters that came from near and far to fight the fire and keep us safe. Members of our local fire department, local businesses and community members all deserve a big thank you, too. Crews were supported with donations of meals, water, snacks and more. They also received a flood of thank you cards. Total acreage of Wyoming comes in at approximately 1.3...

  • Changes coming to Wyoming health coverage

    Aug 28, 2025

    Wyoming residents who get health coverage through the health insurance marketplace should expect differences when enrolling, including cost increases and a smaller staff at a nonprofit that provides free assistance with health coverage challenges. More than 46,000 people in Wyoming enrolled in 2025 health plans through the marketplace, which exists to make coverage more affordable and accessible. Since 2013, the nonprofit Enroll Wyoming has offered free help to those looking to find, understand, and sign up for health coverage. However, at the...

  • Red Canyon Fire unites our county

    Aug 21, 2025

    Hot Springs County is experiencing what is remembered to be the largest wildfire since the Kate’s Basin Fire 25 years ago. The Red Canyon Fire has claimed over 113,000 acres in the eastern part of our county. Members of our Thermopolis Volunteer Fire Department, along with 100s of other personnel, have been batting the blaze for a week. Friends and family members have shown up in force to help ranchers and landowners save their homes, outbuildings and livestock. Area businesses and community members have donated food and much needed items to t...

  • We possess genuine diamonds

    Aug 21, 2025

    To the leaders and residents of Hot Springs County: Like many rural communities across America, we often look outward for economic salvation. We send our young people to Denver or Casper, believing the opportunities they seek don’t exist here. But what if the future we’re chasing has been right under our noses all along? There’s a parable called Acres of Diamonds about a farmer who sold his land to search the world for precious gems—only to learn that the new owner discovered diamonds in the very creek that ran through his former propert...

  • Saving community newspapers

    Aug 14, 2025

    Tragic news spread across Wyoming last week when several Wyoming newspapers were forced to close their doors and dozens of people lost their jobs. Just six days later, on Tuesday, three Wyoming newspaper executives announced their purchase of the eight papers to put newsroom staff back to work and ensure that the communities were not left without a local source of journalism. Thankfully the IR was not one of the papers owned by News Media Corporation (NMC) that shut down about two dozen newspapers across five states last Wednesday. The...

  • It's all a game

    Aug 14, 2025

    by Daniel Powell (totteringtimes@gmail.com) “The challenge of statesmanship is to have the vision to dream of a better, safer world and the courage, persistence, and patience to turn that dream into reality.” Ronald Reagan. Today, the United States finds itself in the throes of a cultural upheaval. An upheaval which is not unlike that of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Some would argue that the current social battle is just a swing of that proverbial pendulum - in the opposite direction. In times of such turmoil, our country requires, for its very survi...

  • School starts soon

    Aug 7, 2025

    Hot Springs County Fair has wrapped up for the year. Watch for our special fair section in an upcoming edition of the IR. We will run complete results along with several photos. We appreciate your patience while we process the large quantity of both. And just like that, the first day of school is right around the corner on August 18. See pages 6 and 7 for a wealth of information about Hot Springs County School District and its schools. Parents and guardians of students in the districts be sure to check bus times, school start times and school...

  • What do you say when you talk to yourself?

    Aug 7, 2025

    by Bryan Golden You have just completed a major work project before the deadline. Having worked diligently and spending your own time, you’re proud of the results and can’t wait to impress your boss. You show him the project and he immediately begins to criticize it and you. The criticism is completely unwarranted. What do you say to yourself? “I’ve failed again” or “He must be having a bad day, I know I did an excellent job”? You’ve thought of an innovative idea for a business that you really believe in. Excitedly, you tell your spouse who...

  • County fair time

    Jul 24, 2025

    Hot Springs County Fair is kicking off this week with shooting sports competitions on Thursday and Friday evening at the Bob Milek Range. The horse show and ranch rodeo will be on Saturday at the fairgrounds, followed by the dog show on Sunday. From July 28-August 1 a full schedule of events will be featured. There will be a variety of animal shows, building exhibits, a tug of war, cornhole games, family fun nite, an ice cream social, a chili cook off and more. The final event will be the Junior Livestock Auction and Judges’ Choice Silent A...

  • County museum needs your help

    Jul 24, 2025

    To all concerned residents of Hot Springs County: Did you know that on July 7, 1960, a lack of funding threatened the museum’s existence? The Pioneer Association asked the Hot Springs County Commissioners to take over the museum’s operation. The Pioneer Association Museum became known as the Hot Springs County Museum, I guess the saying ‘what goes around, comes around,’ holds true. My grand nephew, Reuben, and I recently had the opportunity to view the museum and all the great history that it houses. We learned many interesting facts about t...

  • Meeting set to help understand budget cuts

    Jul 24, 2025

    Everyone in Hot Springs County needs to be aware of an educational event at the Learning Center, Fifth and Arapahoe, on Tuesday, August 5 at 6 p.m. This event will help everyone better understand the results of the property tax cuts and the decline of income from oil and gas. Local governments have experienced a twenty percent cut of income. This results in cutting budgets of many of our programs. Be an informed citizen by attending. Chuck Cooper...

  • Welcome alumni!

    Jul 17, 2025

    This weekend, many former graduates of Thermopolis/Hot Springs County High School will return to town to share memories, laughs and stories with graduates who live in our community. Group events will be offered by the alumni association and individual classes also plan additional activities for their group. The reunion is a yearly event held the third weekend in July. See the story on page 1 for more details on reunion. We plan to run photos from the reunion in next week’s edition. The dance at the VFW on Saturday evening is open to the p...

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