Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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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...
Hot Springs County has a population that comes in under 4,700 people, but we are sure fortunate to have a summer packed with events. We’ve been treated to a rodeo and parade, brewfest, beer and brats, outlaw days, pride celebration, car show, ice cream social, freedom fest, fireworks and more! The upcoming weekend keeps the offerings coming. Discovery Days will be in Hot Springs State Park Saturday and Sunday, with an added bonus of a concert at the Thermopolis Golf Course Saturday evening. Paddle in the Park will also be available in the s...
As the people of the United States pause in their busy schedules to celebrate the Fourth of July and the freedoms we enjoy in this country, it’s an ideal time to reflect on the foundations of those freedoms. Those courageous individuals who put their lives at extreme risk by signing the Declaration of Independence stated explicitly in the document who is responsible for granting the rights of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their C...
by Martha Diaz Aszkenazy, Chair, National Newspaper Association and Publisher, The San Fernando Valley (California) Sun/El Sol Newspapers The United States Postal Service is on the brink of a self-induced collapse. The failed policies of the Delivering for America Plan have driven away customers through a combination of sky-high rate increases and degraded service. David Steiner, who will take over as Postmaster General on July 14, 2025, has a tough job to do and little time to do it with some estimates indicating the USPS could be insolvent...
In observance of the Juneteenth holiday, United States Postal Service facilities will be closed for retail services, and there will be no regular mail deliveries (except for holiday premium Priority Mail Express) on Thursday, June 19. Normal retail, delivery, and collection schedules will resume Friday, June 20. If you are a mail delivery subscriber, this means your paper is going to arrive a day late. We are publishing on our regular schedule, but no mail delivery means no Independent Record in your mailbox on Thursday. We apologize for any...
Summer does not technically start until June 20, but the weekends in Thermopolis are starting to be packed with events that show we are in full swing! This weekend, the 1890’s Riders are hosting a Bingo Run on Saturday. Also on Saturday is the ever popular Hot Spot Car Rally in Hot Springs State Park. Along with the show in park, the Rusty Old Truck Market will be set up featuring a variety of vendors. Hot Springs State Park will also be home to a tent revival featuring Levi Shetler. If you get the chance to make a trip to Kirby, Wyoming W...
This summer, we are facing some real challenges for our community. Two of our front page stories are about a few of those challenges. The prediction of an overall drop in tourism travel to the U.S. is bound to be felt in our county and around the state of Wyoming. This adds to the concerns we are already facing regarding other things that may result in a drop in visitors this summer. Another story outlines the timeline and detour route for the WYDOT Broadway Bridge project. Beginning this week, Broadway Bridge will be closed for construction...
In 2019, when I returned to my hometown of Thermopolis here in the wilderness of Wyoming, I was fortunate to become a reporter at the Independent Record. For the past many years, working here has been quite a journey and a learning experience. I have discovered so much about myself and the people of Hot Springs County. From reporting on the Town Council, the County Commissioners, the Chamber of Commerce and many other beats, I have had the pleasure of interacting with all sorts of people....
John Malmberg, Publisher emeritus Cody Enterprise Monday, May 26, is Memorial Day, a day to honor those veterans who served through customs such as marking their graves with American flags. Memorial Day should mean more to us than a three-day weekend ushering in the beginning of summer. Originally called Decoration Day, the observance was established to honor Civil War soldiers from both the North and the South who paid the ultimate price in battle. The first Decoration Day was by a proclamation made on May 5, 1868, by Gen. John Logan, head of...
Howdy, partner! All our hopes were high with the past few weeks of increasingly pleasant weather. It reached highs in the 70s and most of us were looking forward to wearing our summer clothes. Even the sunlight lasted longer and school is wrapping up. Track, golf and lots of outdoor fun was in play. But, heck, it’s Wyoming! You know the old saying, “How’s the weather? Just wait five minutes, it’ll change.” Well, that’s exactly what happened this week. The weather plummeted to cold temperatures and wet, sloppy snow and wind hit. Yuck! Where...
A social media post recently was circulated regarding the sale of the Star Plunge to the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Nations. To set the record straight, the Shoshone Business Council went on record saying this is not true. The post was made by an individual living in Pampa, Texas, according to their page. Some reports indicate they may be an ex employee of the Star. Members of the family that own the Star were tagged on the post and asked if there was any truth to it. Despite any confirmation from the family or any official source,...
Can there be anything as entertaining and fun as Donkey Basketball? Imaging multiple players attempting to move down the court with a stubborn, difficult donkey who won’t take directions? Who can truly tame a donkey? Not only that, all while trying to pass and control a basketball. Which team will win and who will actually be able to make a basket? Let’s just say the experience can be hilarious. So, come join the event put on by the Hot Springs County High School Student Council as a fundraiser on Saturday, April 26 at 7 p.m. in the high sch...
We hope our readers will take the time to read the letter on page A8 of this paper from Mark Begich regarding Hellie’s Tepee Pools in Hot Springs State Park. Even if you are a Star Plunge fan, please read the letter with an open mind. You don’t have to be happy about it, you don’t have to agree with it, you don’t have to support Begich. What we hope you will do, is support the direction our beautiful Hot Springs State Park may be taken by the State Parks Department. We all depend on it! The litigation regarding the Star Plunge is ongoing...
Can we as a community do ourselves a favor? Let’s remind everyone we know that Thermopolis and Hot Springs County are open for business and of all the many great things we have to offer. What is at stake here? What could be lost? Our economy here depends on energy, ranching, and tourism. Recently, there have been naysayers about our tourism industry. If those naysayers continue to badmouth our own community, they essentially dig our graves. The survival of our economy depends upon our vision and taking action. Let us remember what we have in o...
Monday evening the Worland community got the news we had been waiting to hear for nearly two years. Breanna Mitchell had been found, although the outcome was not what everyone was hoping. On Sunday, remains were found in the Nowater Trail area. The Washakie County Sheriff’s Office did not disclose the exact location of the discovery but in reading comments on the post, everyone was expecting it to be Breanna. It was the topic of conversation in the community as we waited for confirmation of what we all feared. It came about 7 p.m. Monday. B...
We out and about on a regular basis gathering news, taking photos and helping businesses with effective campaigns. We see a lot happening in the community daily and one thing we’ve noticed is the alarming number of drivers who do not stop for emergency vehicles or school buses. The “Move Over” law across all 50 states requires vehicles to yield the right of way and pull over to the right when approaching or passing emergency vehicles, highway maintenance vehicles,or other vehicles with flashing lights that are in route, stopped or moving slowl...
The first day of spring is today, Thursday, March 20. As we were preparing this paper to be sent to press on Tuesday, a storm including wind and snow was raging outside the IR office door. It was a doozy, a last, blast winter storm before the calendar says it is officially spring. That in no may means it is our last storm before summer, just our last official winter storm. The scanner traffic included information about vehicle slide offs and news that Highway 20 South was closed through Wind River Canyon due to road conditions and for a semi...
Media derives from the Latin, “medium,” which is neither rare nor well done. What better time to drag out this old joke than Sunshine Week, when newspapers across America remind their readers of the First Amendment? Sunshine Week is celebrated yearly in March. This year the 16-22 is set aside to shine a light on the importance of public records and open government. Like a religious text, the Constitution of the United States, and its amendments, are forever subject to interpretation. But the press, in particular, has sustained singular ins...
Wyoming’s 67th Legislative Session began on Jan. 14 and is set to adjourn on Thursday, March 6. The Wyoming Legislature alternates between a 40-day General Session in odd-numbered years and a 20-day Budget Session in even-numbered years. The Senate includes 31 members and the House of Representatives has 62 members. A number of bills have been passed and have made it to Governor Mark Gordon’s desk. To see the status of this year’s bills, visit wyoleg.gov. If you want to reach out our local Senator for District 20, Ed Cooper, his email is Ed.Co...
With the extended sunlight during our days, we can look to nature with hope and improvement. Spring is on its way and soon the trees will show their green leaves. There are indeed brighter days again and to see them takes a little adjustment in our perspective. This doesn’t mean it is all Pollyannaish, but using our true Wyoming grit for good, we all will persevere into the next months. Residents of Hot Springs County can be a bit stubborn. Let’s use that powerful opportunity to see the future in a positive way and be determined to see the goo...
The IR Community Chatter columns that appear on this page are submitted to us by a variety of local community members. Recently, we were asked if our Community Chatter is affiliated with one that has been started by a local resident and appears online. The short answer is no. For several years we have been using the Community Chatter heading for community generated guest submissions. They come from a variety of sources and involve many different topics. We don’t own rights to the name Community Chatter. We just want to clear up any confusion s...
We are happy to see this page full of local community chatter. The purpose of the page is to allow people to express their opinions, without being offensive or attacking someone’s personality. Both of these pieces follow those guidelines. Typically, we do not allow submissions of the length of the two featured on this page. However, given the importance of these issues, an exception was made. To be clear though, we will also allow the same amount of space for well written rebuttals to either or both of these Community Chatter pieces. If you h...
This week, House Bill 298 did not get considered for introduction, therefore it is dead for this session. As it should be. House Bill 298 would have created a centralized electronic public notice system for Wyoming which would have ensured the watchmen would be in charge of watching themselves. The bill was intended to create a centralized electronic notice system maintained by the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office. In short, the government would then be in charge of keeping an eye on the government. Yes, you read that correctly. Under H...
The power of unity is a rare prize and can be costly. This unity has various assailants that can thwart its existence. The greatest foe of unity is offense. For the past few years, residents of Thermopolis and Hot Springs County have found themselves divided bitterly over a variety of contested subjects. There have been deaths, lawsuits, and social media has been a vehicle for quite a few beatings on different matters. Can Thermopolis survive these and enter into prosperity? The old adage, “A house divided will surely fall” is shouting quite lo...
Wyoming’s 67th Legislative Session began on Jan. 14. The Wyoming Legislature alternates between a 40-day General Session in odd-numbered years and a 20-day Budget Session in even-numbered years. Gov. Mark Gordon delivered his State of the State message last Wednesday. There are hundreds of Bills listed on the Wyoming Legislature website for the 2025 year. Not every Bill will or deserves to hit the Governors desk. The Senate includes 31 members and the House of Representatives has 62 members. Our Legislatures will be very busy over the next f...
