Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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Two weeks ago, the state of Wyoming filed a lawsuit challenging the moratorium on oil and gas leasing on federal lands issued by President Joe Biden and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. We applaud the decision to file suit. Basically, the suit claims the executive order by the president violates several federal acts including those dealing with environmental issues, administrative procedures and land policy management. While it is not specifically stated in the lawsuit, the basic premise for the suit is the moratorium on oil and gas...
The first bear was spotted out of hibernation in Yellowstone National Park about two weeks ago. That means the bear season has begun and residents need to shake off their own sleepiness about living in the same region as these bruins — both grizzly and black bears. There are the usual warnings to heed, such as being noisy when going into bear habitat. Wear a bell on a saddle girth, or on a belt loop. Stop and call out “Hey bear” frequently. Carry bear spray and know how to use it effectively. Travel in groups rather than alone. Pay atten...
Although we doubt there is little chance for success because of the current political makeup in Washington, we applaud Wyoming’s congressional delegation in their continuing efforts to delist the grizzly bear. Both Sen. Cynthia Lummis and U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney last month introduced bills in their respective chambers to delist the grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem from the Endangered Species act. Cheney’s bill goes even further with the additional language of prohibiting any judicial review on the decision. If that bill passes, it wo...
by Bryan Golden Fear has an evolutionary foundation. The emotion of fear was intended to keep you safe. Fear triggered the fight or flight reflex. When you felt threatened, you would either run from the danger, or fight it head on. Fear remains as powerful an emotion today as it was eons ago. Fear is helpful when it prevents you from taking needless risks. However, fear can lead to acting contrary to your self-interests. Fear often leads to procrastination, or following the wrong path. Debilitating fears include fear of failure, fear of...
When the 4-H and FFA programs started in 1902 and 1928, respectively, they were intended to help rural youngsters learn production and record keeping best practices. In those early days it was predominantly hands-on work and production agriculture, although 4-H had many so-called girls’ programs, like sewing, cooking and baking. As the years passed and there were fewer and fewer people on farms and ranches, and more emphasis was placed on young people getting a college education, the clubs faded in popularity in many areas. However, there w...
It has long been the mantra of parenting gurus for adults to monitor social media posts for the children in their lives and have access to their phones. It was for their own protection, to keep them safe from child predators and the like. As the student got older and developed perception, the basic advice was the oversight could be gradually decreased as the child approached adulthood. But recent events have opened that advice to re-examination. One event was the overdose death of the 16-year-old son of a prominent California doctor who gives...
by Steven R. Peck, Publisher Riverton Ranger, Feb. 18 The cold-weather emergency in Texas is more than a typical case of warm-weather residents shivering when the temperature drops into the 40s. What’s happening there would be cold for Wyoming, too. But it would be pretty ordinary weather, and it sure wouldn’t paralyze us. If there’s one moral to the story from the bursting pipes, frozen infrastructure and widespread power and water outages that are now stretching into their fifth day in that huge state, it’s this: Hope for the best, but pre...
by Brian Nesvik, director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department For decades, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has stood out for our ability to successfully manage wildlife on the same shared landscape that mineral development occurs. We’ve done this on Wyoming’s terms, working collaboratively with industry to understand specific development impacts to wildlife. Our approach ensures critical wildlife habitats are protected simultaneous to mineral production. However, the new Presidential Executive Order restricting mineral development doe...
For decades, Wyoming workers and the rest of our country enjoyed a mutually beneficial arrangement. Oil workers and coal miners provided the nation with a steady supply of energy. In return, those workers could count on well-paying, blue-collar jobs that offered an opportunity to buy a home, support a family and send kids to college. That arrangement started to fray over the past decade, thanks in part to structural changes in how the U.S. powers itself. Demand for fossil fuels has been tempered by climate change, new technology and competition...
Most parents recall this prototypical Christmas morning scene, when the youngest offspring clumsily ripped open a large gift box, that was carefully selected and tediously wrapped with care. Staring at the contents, momentarily, but quickly casting the gift aside, now content to play with the cardboard box for hours. It seems to be a long standing tradition with the under four crowd-content with cardboard. Try that on a eight year old. Fast forward to 2021, our nation has, as far-fetched as it sounds, been snookered into being content, once...
WE THE PEOPLE have been abandoned by our elected representatives. It matters not which side of the political aisle your ideals fall; we can all agree that our elected public servants should represent the views of their constituents. A public servant is just that, a servant. They are employed by us. Change in the political sphere can only be obtained by starting at the local level. Its high time our representatives are held accountable by us. When we try to contact our public servants they are obligated, by job description, to respond. They...
This editorial ran in the Jan. 17 edition of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, If anyone ever gets bored enough to write a history of the 65th Wyoming Legislature, one word that would never appear in it is “bold.” In fact, you probably have to go back more than 50 years to find an action taken by state lawmakers that anyone would consider bold. And even then, it was a proposal from the executive branch, led by Republican Gov. Stan Hathaway, who, in 1968, proposed a bill to institute a severance tax on mineral extraction in the state. That bill passed...
by Ryan McConnaughey Petroleum Association of Wyoming A ban on oil and natural gas development on public lands by the U.S. President-elect would severely harm the economies of eight western states, according to a Wyoming Energy Authority study conducted by University of Wyoming Professor Tim Considine. Over the next four years, the human cost of fulfilling the campaign pledge would be an average of 72,818 fewer jobs annually. Lost wages would total $19.6 billion, economic activity would decline $43.8 billion, and tax revenues would drop $10.8...
by Dan Nordberg, SBA’s National Director for Rural Affairs and Region VIII Administrator Small Business Saturday is a relatively new American tradition. While Black Friday has been an informal holiday for more than 60 years, it wasn’t until 2010 that the Saturday after Thanksgiving earned its official title, designating it as a day to shop local and support hometown retailers. In a year where businesses have faced profound challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Small Business Saturday may be more critical than ever before. In fa...
In an unprecedented year, it’s only natural that we have an unprecedented election. It’s the first in our lifetimes to occur during a global pandemic, and one in which an unprecedented number of absentee ballots in Wyoming will be cast early or by mail. While we’re used to watching the results roll in on live TV on election night, this time it may take days — possibly even weeks — for final results. And that’s OK. Accessibility and accuracy are far more important than immediate results. During the primary election in August, about 40 percent...
Wyoming legislators have been working this fall on further erosion of public notices in newspapers. This time the target is the publication of the salaries of local government employees. A bill changing state law so that those no longer have to be published is in the works. A committee passed it in September. As it stands now, our taxpayer-funded municipal governments, county governments and public school districts must, at the very least, publish a list of positions and how much the people who hold them are paid. In some cases the actual...
The late Jack Johnson’s obituary in your Aug. 27 edition gave a fine summary of a life well lived. Jack would have liked that modest treatment. I’m not going to let that modest recollection happen. I hope Hot Springs County citizens don’t either. Jack’s dedication to the county in which he spent a lifetime should earn him a plaque in the courthouse Hot Springs County Hall of Fame. The biggest reason is the Grass Creek Road, the public’s only guaranteed access to national forest lands in the county and the H Diamond W 4-H Youth Camp area. In...
by Kenneth A. Bartholomew, M.D. Albert Einstein conducted thought experiments to figure out theoretical problems. Let’s do one of our own. Suppose that you fell and broke your left leg and had to be in a cast for eight weeks. Would you expect your left leg to be as strong as your right leg when the cast was removed? Of course not. You know that muscle that is not exercised gets smaller and softer. Secondly, would you expect that, by sitting in a recliner for the next two months, your left calf would magically grow back and strengthen to w...
by Sam Shumway AARP Wyoming State Director Scammers are on the prowl with Americans’ increased anxiety over the coronavirus pandemic. This is of particular concern as we commemorate May’s Military Appreciation Month given veterans and military families are twice as likely as civilians to be targeted by con artists. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), there have been over 20,300 COVID-19 complaints carrying an estimated $15.6 million in losses since the start of 2020 – and that’s just the ones reported. U.S. service members and vet...
by Jill Kruse, DO When my mom called me and said that my dad found four N95 masks in the garage and she wanted to send them all to me since I’m a doctor – That’s love. When I reassured her that we had enough in clinic for now and that she should keep them, or at least keep two for her and dad – That’s love. When I received the box in the mail, all four masks were there, lovingly wrapped in tissue paper with a note of encouragement – That’s love. When I come home from work my children run to the top of the stairs yelling out, “Mommy’s home...
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...
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...
By definition “grant” means to agree to give or allow. It can also be defined as a sum of money given by a government or other organization for a particular purpose. It is important to consider the meaning of the word grant when thinking about our Lights On Afterschool funding stream for HSCSD #1. Grants are one of the many ways that our federal government funds projects that provide benefits to the public service sector within local communities. Hot Springs County Lights On Afterschool Program is primarily funded through a competitive fed...
Having had several severe thunderstorms this summer has taught us a lot. Some are good things like the fact that storms seem to miss us more than they hit us. Some are bad, like hail dents cars and destroys windows and roofs and siding and chops up crops in the fields. But one thing I learned was that people need to remember the basics. Phone apps and CodeRED messages and Sirens are great tools but they will never replace being aware of your surroundings and alert for signs of danger. Thunder is often the first clue we get. You are in the...
How do you experience your world? Is the glass half full or half empty? Do you observe the worst in a situation or the best? Do you justify identifying only negatives by claiming you are being realistic? Two people can experience the exact same event and yet have radically different perceptions. Why do some people always escape unscathed regardless of what befalls them while others seem to be problem magnets? Perception defines reality. Perception is controlled by attitude. You control your attitude. Therefore, you control your reality. Since...
