Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 418
Props to the Hot Springs County community members who turned out in force last Friday to support one of their own. Once again, you proved just how wonderful, and unique, you are. For a community of this size to raise that much money in one evening is something to be proud of. Seeing people come together for a good cause is something we will never grow tired of witnessing. Just like many of you, a member of the IR staff has been at nearly every cookie jar auction for the last 30 plus years. And just like many of you, we are consistently...
by Lauren Harper, Daniel Ellsberg chair on government secrecy Excessive government secrecy takes many forms, including denying or ignoring FOIA requests and deleting data from websites. These tactics prevent the public from meaningfully participating in self-government in every area secrecy touches, from domestic policy discussions on climate change, to foreign policy debates around international aid. Sunshine Week, the annual celebration of the public’s right to know, reminds us that the federal Freedom of Information Act, which allows the p...
by Jonathan Gallardo, editor, Gillette News Record It’s hard to believe that another legislative session is behind us. It hasn’t even been a month. It feels like it was just yesterday that a nice rich lady from Jackson tried to give money to lawmakers and the media made a big deal about it. Despite this slight hiccup, legislators were still able to get some work done. They came to an agreement on a budget and school finance recalibration. If you’re old enough to vote, you’re old enough to get your concealed-carry license. The legisla...
Is it time to stop changing our clocks twice a year? This has been visited and revisited. Like most ideas, there are those who think we should stop and those that think we should continue. Wyoming passed legislation (HB0044) in March 2020 to adopt year-round Mountain Daylight Saving Time. However, this change is contingent on federal approval and at least four neighboring Western states enacting similar legislation. It is currently in a “wait-and-see” mode regarding federal action and regional coordination. The legislature introduced ano...
The Wyoming State Legislature began its budget session this week. While headlines have already appeared about various budget items debated prior to the session, the final budget bill was posted Feb. 6 — three days before the session convened — and introduced as mirror bills in both the House and the Senate. The Legislature now has approximately four weeks to complete several major tasks. In addition to passing the state’s biennial budget (a budget covering two years), lawmakers will consider 335 bills this session, including interim commi...
Trailblazing means introducing new ideas or methods, innovative or pioneering. We are happy to bring you a new guest column about Hot Springs County Trailblazers, the first of which appears to the right of this editorial. This year, Hot Springs County will be home to Trailblazing Days June 12-14. The event will celebrate the early trailblazers who traversed the difficult terrain to settle in the Big Horn Basin. The event will feature a chuckwagon dinner, concert, cowboy poetry, parade, area treks, BBQ and more. Some arrangements are still be...
The wildlife of Wyoming is a valuable resource that belongs to every resident of the Equality State. Many enjoy watching these wild denizens going about their lives — grazing, rutting, caring for young and just existing. Others harvest one or more animals per year for sustenance, celebrating and thanking the wild life that helps sustain human life. Ethical hunters practice fair chase. When bad actors break the state game laws, we all should be indignant. Public servants create systems to manage the health and numbers of animals the habitat can...
A tragic car crash took the lives of two young members of our community last week. Two other community members were also involved in the wreck. From those four people, the far reaching effect to our small community is large. Family members, friends and acquiescences feel the effects of a tragedy long after it happens. Our heartfelt thoughts go out to all involved. When tragedy strikes, we are reminded of how fragile and short life is. Hug your people, tell them you love them. Life can change in the blink of an eye....
We are constantly in the process of improving the Thermopolis Independent Record. A new weekly column appears on this page. It ran for the first time in last week’s edition. We find it fun and interesting but would like to know what our readers think. Please take the time to read the column and let us know your thoughts. The column will be ran on a space available basis. Letters to the editor and community chatter submissions will take precedence when we have them. We welcome our readers comments or suggestions on all topics. You can stop by t...
The Wyoming Press Association award plaques on the wall at the Independent Record office date back to 1988. Awards were won prior to that, but older plaques have been replaced by newer ones as the years went by. We enjoy winning awards. Who doesn’t? However, we determine our success through the eyes of our readers. If you are reading, we are succeeding. Our advertisers are a big part of our success, too. We are thankful for your faith in the IR to get the word out about your business, event, service, etc. A community paper is not possible witho...
We appreciate receiving letters to the editor and regard them as our readers’ opportunity to improve our community, express their beliefs and communicate through the Thermopolis Independent Record. We want to give the people of Hot Springs County the opportunity to read those views as well as voice them. The letters, columns, community chatters and editorials that appear on this page are the opinions of the individual writers. We do not accept anonymous submissions of columns, letters or chatters so names are always included. If an editorial d...
by Erik Bergquist, Publisher Gillette News Record As we begin 2026, I find myself thinking back to Dec. 31, 1999, when our country was bracing for Y2K and the calendar turning to the year 2000. There was never much real evidence that the new millennium would cause widespread technological failures, but most of us probably had at least a little “what if” in the back of our minds. I rang in the new year at the radio station, waiting to see if January 1 would bring chaos or calm. As it turned out, 2000 arrived without incident. Now here we are...
As we move on from 2025 and welcome 2026 we want to thank you, our loyal readers and advertisers, for keeping us in business. We appreciate your patronage in 2025 and look forward to serving you in 2026. Our community is a great little burg. We enjoy bringing you news and photos of our local happenings each week. 2025 was the year of the snake, it asked us to shed what no longer fit. To slow down and listen. 2026 is the year of the horse, bringing movement and momentum. Truth is revealed, and now we act. Move forward with courage. Happy New...
Merry Christmas to everyone who works so hard to make this such a special community in which to live. There is no way to mention all the many ways all the many people contribute to our success and the success of Thermopolis. Just know, all the efforts do not go unnoticed by your friends and neighbors in Hot Springs County. The warmth of friends, family and neighbors make the holiday season special, they also make every day special. Hot Springs County is blessed with many amazing people and we are blessed to be part of it. Thank you for your...
by Megan Barton, publisher Coby Enterprise There are few things that spark as much quiet holiday debate as Christmas lights. Not politics, not fruitcake, not even whether “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie – but the simple question: Do you turn your Christmas lights off during the day and when you go to bed, or do you leave them on nonstop until every last strand of Christmas comes down? Drive through town on a December afternoon and you’ll see it. One house glowing like Santa’s workshop at noon, right next door to a home that stays dark unti...
The Giving Tree and the Angel Tree still have name tags on them. If you are able, please consider participating in one of these local gift giving benefits. The Giving Tree has includes names of birth to age 18 and is on display at Storyteller. The Angel Tree is on display at Bank of Thermopolis and includes names of senior citizens. Deadline to drop of gifts for the Angel Tree is December 15 and for the Giving Tree it is December 19. For more information, please see the news briefs section on page 3 of this paper. Let’s show participants w...
Our little community packs December with fun events for everyone. This Friday, the Lighted Christmas Parade will be traveling through downtown Thermopolis starting at 6 p.m. Before and during the parade, you can warm up with soup and hot beverages at the Masonic Hall. We filled the community page of this paper with information on a variety of upcoming events. There are also several ads through this edition with more information about some of those events. If you are looking to help out your community members, there are two gift trees set up at...
Thanksgiving is much more than a big meal with family and friends. It’s a time to reflect on, and be thankful for, all of the good things you have. It’s important to be grateful, not just on Thanksgiving, but each and every day. Rather than lamenting what you feel is lacking in your life, begin each new day by developing an attitude of gratitude. Take inventory of your blessings and you will be surprised at just how much you have to be thankful for. If you have enough to eat, a place to live, a way to get around, people who care about you, or...
If you attended the Hot Springs State Park Swinging Bridge re-lighting demo last Tuesday night, you were treated to a spectacular sight. The photo on the front page is a beautiful capture of the once-in-a-lifetime display, but it was even better in person. When the re-lighting event was planned, no one knew it would be paired with a natural light display. The combination of the two was amazing. There are thousands of pictures floating around of the Northern Lights that night. Sightings of the lights were reported as far south as Florida,...
by Megan Barton, publisher Cody Enterprise Wyoming has always been a place defined by its vast horizons, rugged beauty, and deeply rooted sense of community. It’s a state where people still wave to their neighbors, where families gather under wide-open skies, and where safety and simplicity create the foundation for raising children. Yet, despite all that we cherish about living here, the Wyoming Business Council’s recent data paints a sobering picture – one that calls for urgent and united action. According to the WBC, Wyoming may be headi...
There will be no players, no fans, no fireworks and no loud celebration at the LeRoy Hayes Memorial football field this Friday night. The Bobcat football team will be playing in round two of the playoffs at Big Horn to hopefully punch their ticket to the state championships. Meanwhile, the Lady Cat volleyball players will be in Casper aiming to bring home some hardware at their state championships. For dedicated fans, including some parents, this could make for a tough choice - to head north or south. Either way, we can all be proud of our...
Last Friday evening, many residents were surprised by loud booms and fireworks. Fair warning, it will be happening again this Friday, Oct. 31. At the town council meeting last Tuesday night, approval was given for fireworks at varsity home football games. We have to send our finalized pages out to the printer by 5 p.m. on Tuesdays prior to the council meetings, so we were unable to include the information in last week’s IR. A social media post was made by town officials the night of the game. However, some residents were upset by the lack of p...
Believe it or not, the downtown Thermopolis Moonlight Madness (MM) event is just one short week away from the date of this issue of the IR. On page 11 of this paper, you will find a full page of advertisements and information regarding the evening of October 30. New events have been added this year to enhance MM. The annual costume contest, sponsored by the Wyoming Children’s Trust Fund and hosted by the chamber, is always well attended and will kick off at 6 p.m. Prior to that, a new event, the MM Trunk and Treat will begin at 5 p.m. on 5th S...
Who do you trust to tell you the truth? Who do you believe when it comes to finding out information? Something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately (ok, for the past several years, but even more lately) is that so many of the deep divides across our country right now come from the fact that we all trust different sources. Even worse, we tend to believe the sources that are telling us what we want to hear. I think a lot of debates over current issues end up going nowhere because one side implicitly distrusts anything they perceive as coming f...
More so than any other season in the Tetons, autumn comes and goes in the blink of an eye. Nothing gold can stay, as Robert Frost wrote. With school back in session and waning visitation, the valley quiets a bit as Mother Nature puts on a show. The only sensible thing to do is to spend as many hours as possible soaking it in. Slow down. Back away from the screens. Focus on what matters: people, place, passion. Pack a picnic and head for the parks, windows down on the drive for a chance to hear bugling elk. Don’t forget the binoculars. Go for a...
