Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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Tuesday, November 8 is 2022 General Election voting day. Some will vote absentee prior to Tuesday, but many will be voting that day. Locally, we have a few very important races that will be decided. We have two candidates running for Town of Thermopolis Mayor, three candidates running for two seats on the Thermopolis Town Council, two candidates running for the single House District 28 seat and eight candidates seeking three seats on the Hot Springs County Board of Trustees. Kirby and East Thermopolis also have a few important races going on...
One of the most highly contested races in the general election for Hot Springs County voters is the eight person fight for three positions on the Hot Springs County School District #1 Board of Trustees. Two incumbents and six challengers all want to have a seat on the board for the next four years. The school board district positions are nonpartisan offices. Candidates do not run under the merits of any political party affiliation. Awhile back, a committee made up of HSC Republican party members sent out questionnaires to the eight school...
This week is National Fire Prevention Week. On pages 8 and 9 of this paper you will find a salute to our local Thermopolis Volunteer Fire Department members, including their names and photos. These individuals put in hundreds of hours each year serving our community. They respond to calls 24/7, while they are sleeping, celebrating with their families and working their jobs. They sacrifice their own time and risk their lives to protect and serve their fellow community members. They attend trainings and host community events such as their recent...
On Monday, the Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Farm Bureau Federation held their second Meet the Candidate forum at the Thermopolis Middle School. The event was less attended than their first event, held prior to the primary election, but there was still a solid turnout. Also, the event was live streamed and the replay video can be found on the Chamber’s social media page. A full recap of the information from the event will be included in the Oct. 27 General Election section of the Independent Record. In that section we w...
The Independent Record staff has been contacted by several individuals wanting to do research on a variety of topics. No problem, we’ve got you covered. There are a few ways to access the IR archives. The easiest way to research through the last seven years of papers is using our website at thermopir.com. Subscribers have access to review full pdf versions of our paper dating back to April 2015. For stories printed in the IR from the beginning of 2016 until present, the key word search feature is available. If you are interested in r...
Everyone loves a great deal from your fellow community members. What better place to find one than at your local Farmers Market? Every Saturday morning from 8 a.m. until noon in downtown Thermopolis on 5th Street between Broadway and Pinnacle Bank, local vendors sell their wares. The options are varied and of high quality. Customers can find freshly grown local vegetables, baked goods, flavored peanut butter, custom handmade jewelry, smoked cheese, freeze-dried fruit, locally harvest meats, jellies and jams and many, many more items. Don’t forg...
We have come to the “Dog Days” of summer when the mornings are cool and the afternoons so hot you just want to sit on the porch with the pups and enjoy something cool to drink. It also marks the start of school and before long it will be crisp leaves, flannel shirts and football. These are some of the days we can cherish the most as we kiss the summer good-bye to welcome the beauty of fall. We really have been lucky in Hot Springs County this summer. We have had a number of grass/range fires, but they have been contained fairly quickly. We are...
Do you think your voice is not powerful? Think again. There is a concept called “The Power of One”. One person can make all the difference in life and in situations. One person can move mountains and that same single person’s power is expressed in voting. Famous leaders of our nation’s past provide us with their sage wisdom. Thomas Jefferson, Former President and one of our Founding Fathers said, “We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” It’s election season and many candidates fr...
The Hot Springs County Fair is finishing up but you still have the chance to enjoy some of the final events. The Chili Cook Off is tonight (Thursday) at 5 p.m. at the MP Building. Come hungry to sample all the different chili creations and then vote for your favorite. The beef show begins at 6 p.m., also in the MP Building. On Friday the Judges’ Choice Silent Auction Bake Sale starts at 5 p.m. followed by the Junior Livestock Auction beginning at 7 p.m. in the MP Building. Youths of our community work hard on their projects and you can s...
We are heading into a few weeks packed with a busy schedule of events in Hot Springs County. The Wagonhound Off-road event will be held July 29-31. See the article on page 5 of this paper for more information. Saturday morning from 8 a.m.-noon a variety of goods will be available at the Farmers Market downtown next to Bicentennial Park. The County Fair kicks off Saturday with the Youth Horse Show. Next week is filled with other animal shows, building exhibits, shooting events, a ranch rodeo, family fun nite, a chili cook off, the livestock...
Hot Springs County and its residents are at a crossroads. What is our vision for our community’s future? If someone moves to our area and tries to get plugged into our community, they quickly find out one of our greatest cultural difficulties: division. Over the years and generations, factions have formed over offenses, misunderstandings and miscommunications. And at the same time, it is safe to say all of us have had the best of intentions. What is the solution? We must remember that a house divided against itself will surely fall. Right n...
by Kevin Killough If you traveled over the Fourth of July weekend, you felt the sting of filling up before your trip. Gas prices were down slightly from what they were earlier in June, but they remain painfully high. While most people feel the impact of high energy prices most directly when they pay at the pump, the greater pain of this problem will be gradually increased in the coming year. Energy is the industry that powers all other industries. If energy costs go up, the cost of all business goes up. Adding to inflationary pressures that...
Visitors to Thermopolis and Hot Springs County can select between a large variety of attractions. Our crown jewel is Hot Springs State Park with its large green grass lawns and trees for shade, along with many places to relax and play. There are two swimming pools that contain the hot spring mineral waters, the Star Plunge and Hellie’s Teepee Pools. Don’t miss the good eats at the new Tipi Concessions located nearby. The State Bath House features free short soaks in the healing waters. Visit the Big Spring to see where the water comes from deep...
This summer is packed with many activities here in Thermopolis and we should be thankful. With the post-pandemic COVID circumstance, we must never take our freedoms for granted. They can be lost if we are passive. President Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is a fragile thing, and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people.” Just last week Thermopolis enjoyed the PRCA Parade and Rodeo, which...
by Lara Love Plans are underway to put up the Memorial Avenue of Flags at Monument Hill Cemetery on Monday for Memorial Day. If there is significant chance of rain, the flags will not be put up as many of the flags are original coffin flags and have to be protected since they cannot be replaced. Please be understanding if the flags cannot be placed due to weather concerns. If they are put up, be sure to visit the cemetery and view the awesome display of the Avenue of Flags. Memorial Day is a federal American holiday observed on the last Monday...
The 2022 Thermopolis/Hot Springs Wyoming Visitor Guides have arrived. We will be doing our best to begin getting them delivered to area businesses and attractions. You are welcome to stop by during regular business hours and pick up some guides so you can begin distributing them now. May is a busy month for us. As your community newspaper, our staff members will be attending several events this month including school award ceremonies, graduations and other year end school events, along with a number of community events and fundraisers, then...
Mother Nature offered up some much needed moisture last week on Friday and Saturday. The Owl Creek area received a full inch of measurable moisture, with 5 inches coming from wet snow and the rest from rain. On Saturday evening, a section of loose rocks fell in Wind River Canyon, closing the roadway to travelers. The rocks were cleaned up in fairly short order and the road was fully reopened later that night. It was an inconvenience for those who had to wait to continue on their way, but a bus load of Powell High School soccer players didn’t w...
The Bighorn River runs 95 miles from the Wedding of the Waters south of Thermopolis to the North Kane Boat Ramp on the south end of the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation area. There are currently 16 access points. Four public meetings at towns along the river were held, with the final meeting in Thermopolis last Thursday, to discuss the Bighorn River Blueway Trail. The attraction of the Bighorn River is growing. The portion of the river in Hot Springs County has long been known for its blue ribbon fishing, with other rereationists including...
Sunshine Week was launched in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors — now News Leaders Association — and has grown into an enduring initiative to promote open government. This year Sunshine weeks is March 13-19. Join News Leaders Association in the annual nationwide celebration of access to public information and what it means for you and your community. It’s your right to know. There are ways for community members to get involved and show your support for open government. If you are part of a civic group, you can organize local forum...
With a few top state offices in Wyoming up for election in 2022, the state’s political season is already in full swing. This week’s IR features our second initial candidate story of this season. State and local candidates are reminded the IR is pleased to print initial candidacy announcements as news. All candidates are eligible for one article, per political season, free of charge. We also do election sections ahead of the primary and general elections where we will feature information on all candidates. These are the sections that inc...
We do things a little differently in Wyoming than in other states across the country. In Hot Springs County, we do things a little differently than other counties across the state. Within the county, each of us does things a little different than our neighbors. And that’s just fine. Whatever it is you enjoy, enjoy it. When you see your neighbor doing what he enjoys, let him enjoy it. No need to be tending to his backyard, tend to your own. If he’s mowing his yard differently than you mow yours, who cares? Why should you care? Do you need to car...
American past times such as going to movie theaters have evolved since the introduction of streaming services, the effects of the entertainment economy, and the threats of Covid illnesses. Here in Thermopolis, our movie theater has been shut down for almost two long years. There is a buzz and excitement that has returned to the people of our community because the movie theater is back! What was once known as The Ritz, the newly renamed Micky’s Theater has opened. Now locals can enjoy that b...
This year has seen its fair share of crazy incidents locally as well as across the state and country. It’s fitting the end of what is commonly referred to as the “holiday season” is the New Year; one last “hurrah” for 2021, as we venture forward — some with trepidation, others with composure — into 2022. 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 co...
Remembering what we have to be grateful for is a good idea anytime of the year, but is especially so at Christmas time. Be grateful for: • Clothes that are too snug, because it means we have enough to eat. • The shadow that follows us, because it means we have sunshine. • The snow to shovel off steps and sidewalks, because it means we have homes. • Being able to complain about our government, because it means we have freedom of speech. • The lady who sings Christmas hymns and carols a little off key, because it means our hearing is good. • T...
by CJ Baker You don’t have to like the taste of road-killed meat to appreciate some new state regulations that will allow citizens to collect carcasses along Wyoming’s roads and highways. While the new rules aren’t exactly revolutionary, they will prevent some meat, antlers and other materials from dead animals going to waste — and that’s a good thing. Of course, the change in the law won’t change the fact that crashing into a deer or other animal is a lose-lose situation: You get a damaged vehicle — and maybe even some bumps, bruises or wo...
