Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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Here at the Independent Record we hear a lot of rumors. While some of those rumors are about people about town, the most frequent ones we hear are about our local businesses and what they are ‘supposedly’ up to. Without a doubt, we always check on the veracity of the rumors and more often than not we discover that the rumors we hear are just that – rumors, with no basis in reality. Rumors can, in fact, have a devastating effect on a business. Rumors about how a business is run, the business owner and even the employees can cost a busin...
One of the great mysteries of all time is the civility of people during the month of December. It almost seems that everyone really thinks Santa does keep a list, or that if not Santa, one titled the Prince of Peace surely does. Whatever the reason, there’s an obvious lessening of tensions amongst those with grudges to lay them aside if for only a bit. Hence, the question: Why for one month of the year do people of “good will” appear to urge their fellow humans to follow their best instincts and reach out to those they often ignore the rest...
Its just about that time of year when I drag the tree from the basement, attach the lights and the pretty decorations and then sit back and watch the kitties dismantle the entire thing. Don’t get me wrong, I love those little furballs. In fact, over the years I’ve shot some pretty adorable photos of them poking their heads out from between the branches, playing with the shiny balls or just staring intently at the bright lights. All of my decorations are, of course, shatterproof since they spe...
Our Bobcats are returning, but now hitting the hardwood, they have somewhat of a challenging schedule ahead. When questioned about my thoughts as to the Bobcats chances of a winning basketball season, I view the coach as playing it all close to the vest. A few of the first freshman games may be used as “scouting games.” We will definitely not know until the week’s end at TMS games and HS games. Bobcats must stay focused and do what they do BEST...condition, mindset and most importantly, be a TEAM! I feel the freshman and JV games have the p...
Well, it’s been a year since the people of Hot Springs County elected me as a trustee to the school board. It has been an interesting learning experience. I have been forced to rethink much of the platform I ran on. I still feel like an outsider but things are getting better. I still would like to see exit interviews sent out to all staff regardless of previous position or how they left the District. I would also still like to see some kind of video recording of the board meetings. Nothing fancy though. I would also like to see each school w...
“A day which will live in infamy.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii, crippling or destroying nearly 20 American ships and 300 airplanes. The human affect was the loss of 2,403 sailors, soldiers and civilians along with 1,178 wounded. To this day, the USS Arizona and the USS Utah lie at the bottom of the narrow harbor, a reminder of the events that pulled the United States into WWII. Many have personal stories of relatives who served in WWII. Once such story involves the u...
Council didn’t let people decide The Thermopolis Town Council did not say “no to chickens,” they said no to letting the people decide. Two town councilmen chose not to second a motion made by a third town council member to bring it to a draft and first reading along with public meeting. In the recent town council meeting, 127 signatures were presented. Out of those 112 were deemed valid. The Mayor then read one letter from one individual that was adamant about no chickens. The councilman who made the motion asked how many signatures were on tha...
The recent visit by Senator Ogden Driskill made one thing perfectly clear. The Wyoming Legislature is now prepared to step in and make sure Hot Springs State Park thrives. Driskill’s main objective is to make Hot Springs State Park the best park in the state and he’s willing to work with the community in order to get the job done. While he said he wants us to ‘think big’, it doesn’t necessarily mean the loss of a hotel or a pool in the park. The pieces are now all in place for upgrades, whether it’s by the current owners or another entity that...
While not scientific by any means, the question was recently asked, “What would you like to see go into the former Shopko building?” There were some interesting answers like a roller rink, an outdoor retail outlet, a laser tag arena and even a lumber yard/agricultural combo with things like appliances or a paintball arena. Realistically though, most of the answers were for things like a store similar to Shopko with household items, clothing, shoes and whatnot. There were also suggestions of ano...
It used to be in my younger days (which were a long time ago) that November was primarily the month before December, which meant it wasn’t that much longer before Christmas. As time has passed though, and memories have been added of places and times and people which impacted my life in some way, positively or negatively, I have learned that Thanksgiving is more than the preamble to super shopping Friday or Christmas. It is truly a day when it is appropriate to spend time remembering those moments that have made such a difference in our l...
Still coming off the sugar high from the bags of candy passed out at Halloween — not to mention the discounted bags picked up at the stores starting Nov. 1 — advertisements online, over the radio waves and on television are already coming at us for the holiday season. It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of consumerism this time of year with all the advertising, but it’s important to keep in mind that the greatest gifts you can give don’t cost a thing. With Thanksgiving just a couple weeks away, thought turn to turkey dinner with all...
I’m in a rather philosophical mood today. I think it started when I stepped out my back door and my feet flew out from under me and my head cracked on the bottom step. Maybe it jarred something loose. Anyway, I’ve been thinking a lot about the choices we make in life, both the good ones and the bad ones. Of course, at the time, all of our choices seem like good ones. It’s not until later that we realize we could have done something completely different and the outcome may have been amazi...
It began as the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, with people dressing in costumes and lighting bonfires to ward off ghosts more than 2,000 years ago, but over time its developed into a night of fun for the young and young at heart, complete with tricks and treats. It is Halloween. Along with costumes for the kiddies, 20 percent of the population is now buying costumes for their pets, too. Its a lot of fun to see entire families dressed up together to take the young ones door-to-door looking for goodies. We don’t see much of the ...
I’ve been following the controversy over keeping chickens in town. I am not a Thermopolis resident, but I own property in Hot Springs County and live in the city of Cody. My husband and I have chickens. Cody never passed an ordinance outlawing livestock in City limits. Instead we have a nuisance ordinance that extends to animal complaints. Occasionally loose dogs attack someone’s chickens or other animals, and the police are involved. Otherwise Codyites coexist just fine with poultry, horses, sheep, goats, donkeys, cattle and potbellied pig...
For those of you who haven't heard yet, this will be my last official personal column at the Thermopolis Independent Record. My wife and I made the decision earlier this month to return to our home state of Nebraska. It’s something we’ve been discussing for some time now, and things started falling into place in such a way that we knew we had to decide. In case you’re wondering, the choice was made based on being closer to family. Being four to six hours away makes it difficult for visits with g...
It doesn’t seem like it should be nearly November already, but here we are. Nearly all the leaves have changed or fallen, sports seasons have or will be wrapping up soon and we’ve already had a touch of snow. Though times of change may seem like things are going too fast for us to handle, there’s always something positive to them. Though season closers mean nearly a year to wait for fall sports to start up again, the performance of our students has been amazing these past few months. Our volleyball and football teams have had some amazi...
I’ve been pretty lucky to be “tech savvy” up to this point. Sure, I’ve had to ask my kids initially how to use all the cool stuff on some of my phone apps, like Snapchat, but for the most part, a little common sense on how stuff works has done me well. Until now. If you’ve ever seen me at a public meeting, you’ve probably noticed I carry around a laptop to take notes on rather than doing it by hand. It’s so convenient for me and besides, I type a lot faster than I write and I can look at whome...
Freedom of the press, of speech, of religion, of assembly and to petition the government are woven, like stars in the flag, into the fabric of the First Amendment. The blood of patriots is the seed of the Republic. The founders and those who followed in their footsteps invested their lives in this country. They assured there would be freedom of religion, and from religion, so the government could neither bless nor ban what anyone believes, as occurs under radical theocracies and communist regimes. The founders secured freedom of speech, to...
“I ordered a chicken and an egg from Amazon. Now I’m just waiting to see which one comes first.” Whether or not the Town Council allows chickens within the city limits seems to be a recurring theme on our pages, so maybe its time to take a look at both the pros and the cons of having Chicken Little living next door. No one can deny one of the pros to having your own brood in your backyard is the ability to have fresh eggs just about any time you want them. A fresh egg definitely beats a mass-...
Questions that often come up from time to time when you work in the newspaper industry are “How do you remain objective in your writing?” or “How do you keep from putting your personal opinion in a story?” With there being so much emphasis on bias in the national media, it can be easy to want to go after local outlets as well and accuse them of leaving out facts to satisfy our own agendas, or keep out our names and those of family members. At the Independent Record, our main priority is bringing you the news happening here in the county...
I wish to express my condolences to the family of Ruth Clare Yonkee. For the 54 years we lived in Thermopolis, Ruth Clare was my dearest and best friend. I visited her many times in her home and later was a steady visitor to her at the rehabilitation center — until we moved to Laramie. We corresponded regularly and shared occasional phone calls. I admired Ruth Clare greatly, as did the community where she was always busy in outstanding and dedicated service. All who knew her and loved her will treasure the many wonderful memories. May she r...
I wanted to note a clarification regarding my Youth Alternatives monthly report to the Commissioners as reported in last week’s paper. There were not three TMS expulsions, but rather a single expulsion. Two additional program participants received suspensions but have returned to school. I would like to provide a brief overview of Hot Springs County Youth Alternatives. The Youth Alternatives Diversion Program is designed to provide a second chance for juveniles charged with misdemeanor criminal or status offenses. The program stresses a...
I have something of a love-hate relationship with snow. On one hand, I really don’t like driving in it, something that I’ve noticed has gotten worse as I’ve gotten older. In my younger days it was no problem to hop in the car and head back to college in the midst of a blizzard, following the truck in front of me, navigating the road by following his taillights. Now, though, I put off leaving for any winter road trip until I’ve checked the roads, the weather forecast and had at least three c...
