Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 215
There were a few mornings this week when we all awoke to temperatures in the 50-degree range. Some of our days were only in the 70’s, too, but have you noticed how much different 70 degrees is as we ease our way into September than it was going into May? In May, we couldn’t wait to get the shorts out when it hit 70, but this week I’ve been tempted to toss on a sweater here and there. I’ll admit my grasp of science isn’t always the greatest, so I’ve come to the conclusion that temperature...
The recent hailstorm and the damage it brought with it brought to mind similar storms I grew up with in the Nebraska Panhandle as a boy. They were a common occurrence, and farmers typically were happy to only lose one out of three crops to hail. But it had been years since I had been in a genuine “window buster.” So as I stood in our home and watched the roof of our garage take a beating, years slipped away and once more I watched baseball size ice balls fall to ground. I visualized the wheat fields with barely the occasional stems still standi...
Well, summer vacation has officially come to its close, though there’s still a few weeks left in the season itself, and Wednesday was certainly a rush at the schools with parent drop offs, kids finding classrooms and teachers working to get everything situated. I’ve heard some parenting advice two different ways. One is that it gets easier watching each successive child head to their classroom for the first official day. I’ve also been told that seeing the youngest head off on that new adven...
Well, the summer swimsuit body didn’t magically appear this year either, but I’m ready for flannel and sweatshirts with no problem. I sometimes wonder why we do this to ourselves, obsess over getting bikini ready. Sure, we can blame it on the media and all the super skinny models they have strolling the runway, on every page of the magazines we read and filling our screens with every commercial, but it really boils down to our self esteem. On the outside, most people see me as being confident an...
Fair week is always a busy one for us here at the newspaper. We’re out shooting every event that goes on all the way through the Pageant Days parade, fire department open house, Folk Festival and everything in between. If you were at the pig wrestling the other night you may have seen me covered in slick, wet Bentonite as I shot all the teams from outside the fence. I thoroughly enjoy shooting the pig wrestling because it really shows how people of all ages can have a terrific time with a pit o...
This next week will be busy with the county fair. Vehicles will be going in and out of the fairgrounds, youth and adults will go before the judges with their exhibits, and be sure to hearing plenty of noise and some very distinct aromas at the grounds as the animals start pouring in. Having lived my life in rural communities, the fair was always something I looked forward to. In my younger days, of course, it was all about the rides and strolling through the animal exhibits. Though never an...
It took a persistent persuasion to convince my dad that he needed a break from caring for my mother in the nursing home, and that the semi-annual family reunion in Kansas (his born home) would be just the break he needed. Dad was never a talker, but he was unusually tight lipped on the journey to his childhood home, and I knew he was thinking about leaving Mom “unattended” even though it was doubtful that she knew who he was anymore. The family homestead was about ten miles outside what had become in the intervening years a ghost town with an...
They say there’s no feeling like coming home again and for the Alumni of Hot Springs County High School, this weekend is their opportunity to wave the Bobcat banner once again. Sure, people root for college teams and professional teams, everything from football and basketball to cricket and polo, but nothing says pride like cheering for your home team. I guess that’s why I always look forward to this weekend and all the memories it brings with it. Of course, sometimes you have to introduce you...
What a crazy couple weeks it’s been. Golf ball and pea size hail, fireworks, changes on the horizon for Hot Springs State Park, and losing phone and internet services. It’s enough to make you want to pull your hair out and second guess where you decided to live. But, in the chaos — the good and the bad — it’s good to see the response Thermopolis gives. There’s been plenty of praise for our fire department, not only for the show they put on but for their continued efforts to promote fire safety...
Without a doubt, the political climate in our nation has been rocky at best over the past 10 years. Left, right, Republican, Democrat, it matters not which side of the aisle you’re on there is unrest in our country over which side is right. I have seen burning effigies of presidents. I have seen giant balloons depicting a presidential baby. Rumors and innuendo about both parties have run rampant during this last decade. In polite society we were taught not to discuss two things: religion and p...
If you were anywhere around town this past weekend, you knew where all the action was, as the Hot Springs County Fairgrounds was again home to the Thermopolis Cowboy Rendezvous PRCA Rodeo. As much fun as the rodeo is each year — it always has a way of taking me back to rodeos with my folks when I was a kid — the true spectacle is watching how our local fairgrounds transforms into a spectacle of people from all over North America, and the parking lot takes on the look of a bazaar with all of the...
This Sunday marks one of two days throughout the year recognizing our parents, with Father’s Day. It’s the seventh one for me, and I look forward to seeing what my wife and boys have up their sleeves this year. But, special as these days are, both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are only a small recognition of the time, dedication and effort that goes into being a parent. The sacrifices men and women give to raising children the best that they can, whether those children are theirs, fostere...
This week marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the one that allows women the right to vote. Numbers like this always fascinate me. It’s hard for me to grasp that women were given a voice just 44 years before I was born. I grew up knowing I could vote, that my voice would be heard once I reached that magic age of 18. Women stood up, walked out and said “no more” until they were given the rights they deserved. Segregation in our schools ended just nine years...
I was lying on the couch the other night and looked down at my feet. I swear my feet are becoming webbed between my toes. Don’t get me wrong, I love the rain, but it does raise concerns for me when it comes to driving through Wind River Canyon. It hasn’t been that many years ago when we had the enormous slide that covered the road and kept the canyon closed for a few days while they cleaned it up. I know there have been slides in the canyon since the road was chiseled out, but I pay closer att...
This Sunday marks the graduation for the Hot Springs County High School Class of 2019. It’s been quite a year in the district with accomplishments both academic and extracurricular, and we should all be proud of our Bobcats. It never fails that whenever graduation nears I’m taken back to those final days I spent as an Alliance, Neb. Bulldog, ready to take on the next steps of life whatever they bring. I could spend time writing advice about what the graduates should consider as they walk thr...
During a conversation with a friend a few days ago, we agreed that there were times that it was difficult to tell the truth without hurting the feelings of one you might not want to hurt. The inevitable question, “Honey, does this dress make me look fat?’ for example. There’s really no way to escape from the consequences of whatever your answer might be. As I thought about the difficulty of being truthful in all situations, about how diplomatic one can be and still convey the truth to someone who matters, it occurred to me that the hardest thin...
I know we’re all getting a little tired of the rain, but you cannot beat this time of year when all those showers not only bring flowers, but all of the green that rambles over our red hills. The lawns in Hot Springs State Park are already looking spectacular and a drive through the buffalo pasture shows the green grasses filling in nicely. Of course, that also means we have to find time to mow our own lawns as the rain is definitely making them grow at a ridiculous pace. Finding just the r...
Ah, snow. It can be so magical. It makes Christmas feel complete, gives a late night cup of coffee or hot cocoa a little extra something and creates some pretty magical designs in the branches and along the ground. But then there’s stuff like what dropped on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, instantly turning to slush once it hits, making driving a bit more challenging and giving those who venture out with their shovels some real heavy lifting. It seems like winter is taking an extended stay i...
The trouble with life-changing events is that the change usually comes about after a catastrophic event that is so frightening that one would suffer any difficulty involving change to avoid the reoccurrence of such an event. We would be enormously better off if we could change first and avoid the event altogether. What I mean is husbands and wives, you need to become more loving and lovable before the inevitable divorce. Employees, be more courteous and supportive of your employer before your employer’s business fails and you lose your p...
I got a text message from my daughter this morning, “Can you come sign me out of school? I don’t want to be here.” She’s the teacher. This time of year is really hard on our educators, between the spring fever the kids are suffering from the end of year testing and the million and one events going on, they’re tired. I have such respect for teachers. Sure, they are often teased about getting three months off in the summer, but those nine months they are in the classroom more than makes up for th...
When I turned on the news the other day and one of the top stories was the fire at Notre Dame cathedral, it hit me harder than I think it would’ve in my younger years. As time has gone on, I’ve found myself gaining more and more appreciation for the old styles of architecture. The spires, gargoyles, turrets and castles popular all over Europe are my favorite, so seeing those same structures in flames was devastating. But the cathedral means much more to me than just some fancy structure. Ten yea...
There is a man in Thermopolis who, during his decades of teaching, influenced probably thousands of students who passed through the doors of THS. Best known for his tremendous work with the Wildcat Band, Bill Malloy also had season after season of winning at the State Marching Band Competition, superior ratings for his concert bands year after year and started a Jazz Band and Dixieland Band at the high school. The Dixieland Band was unique to Wyoming and often had invitations to Mardi Gras. The...
It seems like every week or month has a theme to it these days, and next week is no different as it is National Volunteer Week April 7-13. Living in Thermopolis, or any small town, it’s easy to see volunteerism in action. Many events and organizations rely on volunteers to happen. Our cookie jar auctions, updating of our Christmas decorations, cleaning of our downtown area and meal service at the Hot Springs County Senior Center are just a few examples of volunteerism in action. And that’s not...
I don’t want to say it too loud, considering we still have plenty of weather on the horizon, but I think I might be able to claim a successful gardening adventure this year. Like many, I have high hopes of having a beautiful, blooming garden filled with all the colors of summer, butterflies flitting around and birds dropping by for a rest, but unfortunately I’m on my third try to get herbs to grow in my kitchen window. That hasn’t stopped me, however, from planting a ton of tulips last fall...
Though I’ve called Thermopolis and Wyoming home for the past three years, I am a native Nebraskan and so the reports I’ve seen from friends and family across social media this past week have been, to say the least, increasingly disturbing. I, like much of my immediate and extended family, grew up on the western end of the state so most of the accounts have been about having to dig out vehicles and clear heavy loads from sidewalks. But those on the east side have faced losses of homes and other p...
