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  • Growing crystals

    Mar 16, 2023

    by Jill Pertler Don’t ask me why I do what I do, but lately I’ve been growing crystals. Not the meth kind. I know, that’s a terribly bad joke. My crystals are purely legal and grown in a heat-safe glass jar in my kitchen. I feel like a kid in 8th grade science class. It’s all part of a larger, geode-making project that I’m involved in. The fake crystals will be part of the fake geodes. It sounds much less attractive than it is in real/fake life. Sort of like the housewives of wherever but without the drama, false eyelashes and botox. If you ar...

  • Parents are fighting and winning against critical race theory

    Mar 16, 2023

    by Lance Izumi and Wenyuan Wu Submitted to Wyoming Press Assoc. Because critical race theory is the most divisive doctrine ever to threaten America’s schools, it has spawned a great parent revolt, which has turned ordinary moms and dads into extraordinary heroes. As opposed to classical Marxism, which divided people into oppressor and oppressed classes based on economic status, critical race theory uses race to separate people, with Whites being viewed as oppressors and non-Whites viewed as the oppressed. All across the country there are e...

  • Is all high blood pressure hypertension?

    Feb 23, 2023

    by Kelly Evans-Hullinger, MD Many people find themselves being told, “your blood pressure is pretty high today!” You might be at the dentist’s office for a filling, in the emergency room getting stitches after an avocado mishap, or maybe you’re at your annual physical appointment. If you’ve never had high blood pressure you might be surprised at this news! Sometimes my own patients will call my office after such an event, “Doc, should I be on blood pressure medication?” When we get these calls our typical answer is: maybe, but maybe not. Bl...

  • Wishing won't make it so

    Feb 16, 2023

    by Bryan Golden Everyone wishes for good fortune and a problem free life. Yet many people are disappointed with their situations. Is wishing effective or is it overrated? The answer is yes to both. So what’s the catch? Wishing alone is unproductive. If you want results, wishing must be followed by action. Wishing without action is as ineffective as leaving your car in neutral. Without being in gear, revving the engine at full throttle will make a lot of noise but won’t move you an inch. Whenever you were told to wish for what you wanted, you...

  • Not all the forgets is dementia

    Jan 26, 2023

    by Kelly Evans-Hullinger, MD Frequently, my patients will come to a visit and bring up a major concern: “Doc, I think I might have dementia; my memory seems to be slipping.” They might give examples of having difficulty finding words, forgetting people’s names, or just feeling like their thinking is slower. Many of them know a family member who had dementia, and they are worried. My first response is to hear their concerns; of course, if a patient is showing early signs of dementia, we want to assess that and do our best to get to a diagnosis f...

  • You do make a difference

    Jan 19, 2023

    by Bryan Golden It’s so easy to get into a rut yet difficult to get out. A rut is a regular habit, pattern, or expectation. There is a certain degree of comfort associated with being in a rut. It is consistent, familiar, and safe. We can fall into a rut unintentionally without realizing it. Although dwelling in a rut can induce feelings of frustration and dissatisfaction, not all people are unhappy being in one. There are those who are happy and satisfied with a regular, dependable pattern. If you are happy with your circumstances -- great. B...

  • The birthday party without an invite

    Jan 12, 2023

    by Jill Pertler I went to many birthday parties when I was a kid. I don’t remember most of them. One I do remember, vividly, however, is the party to which I didn’t receive an invitation. It was in celebration of one of my good friend’s tenth birthdays. I was unaware of the occurrence of such a mega event, which happened on a Sunday afternoon, until Monday morning, when it was the talk of the entire fifth grade. My friend Elizabeth had been to my house many times, and I to hers. I thought we were very close. Turns out there were at least a doz...

  • Grief and Love

    Dec 29, 2022

    by Joanie Holm, CNP Writing about grief is like writing about life—huge! Where does one start? It is like describing love: basically impossible. The comedian and late-night host Stephen Colbert lost his father and two older brothers in a tragic accident when he was young, and said, about grief, “It is a gift to exist, and with that gift comes suffering. If I am grateful for life, I must be grateful for all of it. I hope that grief stays with me because it is all the unexpressed love I didn’t get to tell you.” So even though grief may be difficu...

  • Time for action on property tax issue

    Dec 15, 2022

    by Stephen Dow Talk is cheap, as the saying goes. But when talk is not followed up by actions, it becomes quite costly. Such is the case of Wyoming’s property tax system. The good news is Wyoming’s state legislators have known for years that the current system is broken. The bad news is their efforts to fix the system haven’t gotten very far. Just this past session, legislators considered a bill that would have studied how the state could switch from the current market-value-system of determining property taxes to an acquisition-based syste...

  • Amendment A is about flexibility in investment options

    Dec 1, 2022

    by Dave Bonner, Powell Tribune Passage of Constitutional Amendment A by Wyoming voters in the Nov. 8 general election doesn’t put cities, towns and counties — and other political subdivisions of the state — on an overnight route to money in the bank. It does provide investment possibilities to local governments that haven’t existed before. That, in itself, is a big step forward. In fact, the heretofore limited earnings opportunities have been a vexing problem to local governments. The City of Powell’s experience with an endowment to provide f...

  • The science of happiness

    Dec 1, 2022

    by Jill Pertler Lately I’ve been interested in happiness - scientifically speaking, of course. That sounds counterintuitive, oxymoronic even. How can the cut and dried factual-based world of science have anything to do with something as instinctive and emotional as happiness? Turns out they have more in common than I originally thought. Happiness causes physiological changes within us that science is able to use to identify, quantify and even predict happy. I’ve always thought of happiness as external – something that happens to me. Happi...

  • Range of emotions

    Nov 24, 2022

    by Tom Emery Americans have endured some tough years of late, which is nothing new in our history. One example is 1918, when people found plenty of reason to celebrate Thanksgiving. Seventeen days before the holiday, the Armistice had been signed, ending World War I. But the nation was still in the throes of the influenza epidemic, which still lingered as Americans sat down to give thanks. The flu epidemic had shut down many American cities throughout the fall, with death tolls in alarming numbers. An estimated 195,000 fatalities from the...

  • Electricity needs are more important

    Oct 27, 2022

    by John Malmberg The old adage “Don’t put the cart before the horse” may certainly be applied to the push to get electric vehicles on our nation’s roads. Don’t get us wrong. We are not against electric vehicles. We just hope Wyoming keeps ahead of the curve so that electrical generation and distribution infrastructure can keep pace with the increased demand for electricity. Wyoming could take a lesson from California on how not to handle this situation. Just weeks ago, the California Air Resources Board set a policy requiring all new cars sold...

  • Excused or unexcused... that is the question

    Oct 27, 2022

    by Barbara Anne Greene A few weeks ago, Cynthia Johnson called to “plant a seed” in my thoughts. Her granddaughter was making plans for the upcoming livestock judging and livestock showing season and if she misses more than 12 days of school she will be in violation of the school policy. Chloie doesn’t play sports. Instead, she shows livestock and competes in livestock and meats judging in Wyoming and surrounding states. In the eyes of that school district, these are unexcused absences. Chloie’s mom, Emily, pointed out that students that pl...

  • White cane safety

    Oct 20, 2022

    by Tom Lealos, Vice President Wyoming Council of the Blind The use of long sticks and staffs by blind and visually impaired pedestrians has evolved over the years. They are simply an extension of the arm and allow the user to identify upcoming hazards by utilizing their senses of touch and sound. These sticks, referred to as white canes in modern times, are used both as tools and symbols in the blindness community. White canes allow blind and visually impaired individuals to travel safely over all types of terrain and around unseen obstacles....

  • Important and irreplaceable - grocery cart etiquette

    Oct 13, 2022

    by Jill Pertler, part 2 of 2 Last week, I touched on the importance of choosing the best and most functional grocery cart. I attempted to use wise words to not only define refined grocery cart features, but to outline their importance as well. Now we address part two of this worthwhile and much needed endeavor. (As judged from some of my fellow shoppers who seem to be completely oblivious to the basics of cart civility and decorum.) Let’s say you’ve chosen the perfect cart. No rust, no squeaks, no dents or abnormalities. You might think you...

  • Yawn: Tiresome newspaper arguments

    Oct 6, 2022

    by Tom Silvestri, The Relevance Project It’s been more than two years since I received my last paycheck from a newspaper company. In that time, I’ve had the opportunity to advocate for local newspapers that remain relevant to their communities. That advocacy keeps running into tiresome arguments that are as yellow as old faded newsprint. No matter what facts you use to extinguish them, they find a way to flare up later. During National Newspaper Week, consider the following collection of statements that numb the mind, along with a sug...

  • Putting the cart before the horse

    Oct 6, 2022

    by Jill Pertler I’ve addressed grocery store conduct in the past, but today I address a topic so immense and life-changing that it spans two weeks worth of columns. It’s a specific facet of grocery store protocol which is (or should be) of paramount importance to us all. Shopping carts. Shopping carts are a necessity because toilet paper, bread, milk and bananas take up real space and it’s paramount for the user to choose the very best one. (Yes, that’s actually a thing.) When arriving at the super store (or any store with aisles, check o...

  • The will of the people

    Sep 22, 2022

    Secure elections are the cornerstone of a thriving republic. The right to vote in a free and fair election is the most basic civil right, one on which many of the other rights of the American people depend. Election integrity means the will of the voters prevails. Unfortunately, some in the Wyoming State Legislature are again questioning the wisdom of Wyoming voters. In the August Republican primary, voters chose Rep. Chuck Gray as their nominee for secretary of state. Gray beat Sen. Tara Nethercott by 8 points in the primary. He does not have...

  • What are Wyoming's seven greatest man-made wonders?

    Sep 22, 2022

    by Bill Sniffin, Cowboy State Daily Wyoming has an almost over-abundance of “natural” wonders ranging from Yellowstone National Park to the vast Red Desert. Plus, the towering Devils Tower and the even more towering Teton and Wind River Mountain Ranges. My first coffee table book, published in 2012, was an attempt to document these 7 Greatest Natural Wonders + 33 Other Fascinating Places. But soon after it was published folks would come up to me and me: What about Wyoming’s Seven Greatest Man-Made Wonders? That got me thinking about doing...

  • Listen to your gut

    Sep 15, 2022

    by Jill Kruse, D.O. People often talk about having a “gut feeling” when they know something is wrong. What feelings come when there is something wrong with the digestive system itself and how do you differentiate between “butterflies” acting up and a serious gastrointestinal problem? There are many different organs that can cause GI problems and may include the esophagus, stomach, the small intestine, and the large intestine. The esophagus is the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. The most common issue people have with the esophagus i...

  • Angell fought for gov't transparency

    Sep 1, 2022

    by John Malmberg With the death of Jim Angell a few weeks ago, a powerful voice for openness and transparency in government fell silent. Angell, who served for many years as the executive director of the Wyoming Press Association, kept a vigilant eye on any bills to come before the Wyoming Legislature that might have restricted the public’s access to information. He made trips across the state for years conducting many workshops educating elected officials at all levels of government, reporters and anyone who would listen about Wyoming’s ope...

  • We can learn from ball player

    Aug 25, 2022

    by Amber Steinmetz Did you see the video earlier this month of the Little League batter consoling the opposing team’s pitcher? During the Little League Southwest Regional final Aug. 9 in Waco, Texas, right-hander Kaiden Shelton of Pearland, Texas, was facing batter Isaiah Jarvis of Tulsa, Okla., when an 0-2 pitch got away from him and slammed into Jarvis’ helmet. Jarvis fell to the ground and was surrounded by concerned coaches and other staff, but was able to walk unaided to first base a short time later. He noticed Shelton on the mound sta...

  • You don't make me cry

    Aug 25, 2022

    by Jill Pertler This weekend I spent time at a class reunion with friends I don’t see every day (but wish I still did.) They were the friends who knew me when. And I knew them in the same way. We were innocent and young. Not yet adults, but on the budding cusp. Growing up together creates an enduring bond that can only come from experiencing pivotal years together. This bond we created has only grown stronger through the years, and I think it is now like a snowball rolling downhill: only getting bigger and stronger. It’s pretty amazing whe...

  • Anxiety

    Aug 11, 2022

    by Tracy Renee Lee Most people do not expect anxiety to be a consequence of loss. After 20 years in the funeral profession, I have come to realize that anxiety is a natural response to loss. Whenever a person undergoes change, anxiety rears itself. A few examples of experiences that cause anxiety would be moving, changing jobs, starting school, taking tests, divorce, loss, and other things that cause a change in your life. Loss is the ultimate life changer and therefore, naturally causes anxiety. I have a dear friend who lost her husband a few...

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