Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
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On Saturday, June 1 from 4 to 8 p.m., Main Street Thermopolis will host the 10th annual Thermopolis Brewfest. The family-friendly event can be found in downtown Thermopolis between Fourth and Fifth streets. According to Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce CEO Meri Ann Dorman, the participating breweries will be – One Eyed Buffalo Brewing Company, Snowy Mountain Brewing, Cody Draft Brewing and Teton Distributors, with more to come. Several food vendors will be there too, including Cajan Rendezvous, Wing It, Big Horn Kettle Korn and o...
This Monday, May 27, Worland’s American Legion Floyd Minch Post 44 will be hosting its annual Memorial Day celebrations and services. The ceremony will begin at Riverview Memorial Gardens Cemetery at 11 a.m. According to Legionnaire Don Hall, Washakie County Commissioner Terry Wolf will be giving welcoming remarks, and an invitational speech will be delivered by Post 44 Chaplin Frank Ley. The poem, “In Flanders Field” written by John McCrae will be read aloud by Joley Reid, and the reply will be read by her sibling Grady Reid. The main keyno...
During the Washakie County commissioner meeting on Tuesday, May 21, public health nursing manager Amanda Heinemeyer told the commissioners about a grant that the Department of Health received, which will allow for doses of naloxone to be requested by members of the public. Naloxone is an opioid-overdose antidote often carried by first responders and caregivers for people with heroin addiction. It is often called Narcan, which is the brand name device that delivers naloxone. “Anybody can come in and request [naloxone], and we can give it to them...
With Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and ambulance programs not being required to operate and be funded within the State of Wyoming, programs around the state are finding various ways to maintain operation and serve their communities. The issue ultimately stems from EMS not being considered an essential service by the state, unlike police and fire departments. On Jan. 22 during an AARP Wyoming webinar regarding EMS, the governor’s senior health and human services advisor, Jennifer Davis, said, “I think we’ve all just come to expect that somew...
For federal, state, county and city positions, filing for the Aug. 20 primary election will be open from May 16 to May 31. FEDERAL Incumbent U.S. Senator John Barrasso, who is finishing his third six-year term, has announced that he will be running for re-election and is seeking the Republican nomination In his campaign announcement video released on April 16, Barrasso said he would continue to focus on border control, energy policies and cost of living. Reid Rasner, a wealth manager from Casper, announced early that he will be running against...
In a community-wide effort to prepare Worland Middle School eighth grade students for entering high school, the school hosted the annual, Choices That Matter, on May 1. In a previous interview with the Northern Wyoming News, Worland Middle School counselor and Choices That Matter organizer Danielle Warren said the event is an opportunity for students to learn about how their behaviors and actions can have significant impacts on their future. "The point is that students would understand that the...
At the Washakie County Commissioner meeting on Tuesday, May 7, ambulance building project manager Tom Schmeltzer gave the commissioners an update on the building’s progress. Schmeltzer said that he and building maintenance manager Breck Buer met with the state fire marshal and following the meeting, they now have a certificate of occupancy on the way. The commissioners approved the installation of fencing around the ambulance building and window blinds. The commission and Buer will meet in the future to discuss furnishing and potentially carpet...
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has submitted an application to extend the withdrawal of the Castle Gardens Recreation Area, protecting the natural features there. Being withdrawn, the following actions are prohibited within the 110-acre area – “settlement, sale, location or entry under the general land laws, including the United States mining laws,” according to a notice released from by BLM. According to BLM Wind River and Bighorn Basin District Public Affairs representative Sarah Beckwith, “The Castle Gardens Recreation Area preserv...
Wyoming State Park and Cultural Resources' Medicine Lodge Archaeological Site, located northeast of Hyattville, hosted a grand opening for their new Cultural Center on Saturday, April 27. According to Wyoming State Parks Bighorn District Manager Brooks Jordan, who had the original idea for the Cultural Center, he felt as though the park was lacking indigenous interpretation, resulting in his idea that was brought to life. "So the initial concept for this project came about when we knew we...
As part of the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) Delivering for America plan, the USPS announced that it will be moving a portion of mail processing operations from Casper to Billings, Montana. According to a USPS press release from April 16, 2024, the changes to operations were made following an extensive review of operations and facilities, and public feedback. The press release states that, “Currently, a majority of mail is destined outside the Casper area to the rest of the world.” The current facility in Casper is a Processing and Dist...
Put on by Worland Middle School and organizations across the community, Choices That Matter on Wednesday, May 1 will provide Worland eighth graders with a chance to learn about the significance of their actions and potential impacts they can face. Worland Middle School counselor Danielle Warren, who has helped organize Choices That Matter for the past 10 years, explained how students will learn about a variety of topics that will impact their future, as the students are just months before their first year in high school. According to Warren,...
Public meeting next week As Greater Sage-Grouse (GRSG) habitats become threatened across the Western United States, the Bureau of Land Management, along with partnering agencies, are working toward the conservation of the species and sagebrush habitat. As the BLM goes through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, which requires public participation, a public meeting will be from 5 to 7 p.m. next Tuesday, April 23 at the Washakie County Library in Worland. “The BLM encourages residents to attend the meeting, gather i...
Following a seven-month vacancy in the absence of former University of Wyoming Extension Educator Caitlin Youngquist, the position is now filled by Basin native Dan VanderPloeg. VanderPloeg, who is now the UW Agricultural and Natural Resource Extension Educator for Washakie County, "comes to us with a wealth of experience, having worked in the ag industry for several years," said associate director of UW extension, Bridge Fuez, in a press release. While growing up in the Basin and Greybull area,...
Following Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon’s vetoes of several widely supported bills that passed out of the House and Senate, a special session to override the governor’s vetoes was considered and ultimately voted down by legislators. Among the governor’s vetoed bills were House Bill 125, which would have repealed gun-free zones; HB 148, which provided regulations on chemical and surgical abortions and Senate File 54. The latter was an effort to combat increasing property taxes. The Homeowner Tax Exemption bill would have provided a 25% exemp...
As Wyoming homeowners face rising property taxes, the Wyoming Legislature recognized the pressing issue during the 2024 Budget Session and worked hard to pass a suite of bills aiming to provide residents with relief. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon in a letter released on March 21 said, “Nearly every Wyoming citizen has experienced the pinch of inflation and rising market values of our homes. Because Wyoming is seen to be a desirable place to live, people from around the county are buying property here. Appreciation of our homes has brought with i...
With origins dating back to 1981, Women's History Month is a chance to celebrate and recognize the achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields, according to the Women's History Month website. Throughout the month of March, the Northern Wyoming News will be featuring a different woman each week who makes history within our communities with their positive impacts and achievements. KAREN FUNK While growing up on the shores of the Mississippi River in...
U.S. Forest Service Powder River District Ranger Thad Berrett attended the Washakie County Commissioners meeting on March 19 to give the county an update on the district’s policies, ongoing projects and activities. According to Berrett, the Bighorn National Forest will be continuing regulations that were set in place last year, which require food storage for wildlife attractants and enforcing a 14-day stay limit. According to the Bighorn National Forest website, the initial regulations were signed into order in May 2023 due to issues and c...
During the 2024 Wyoming Budget Session in Cheyenne Feb. 12 to March 8, the House and Senate worked on a number of bills related to public education in Wyoming, with legislation ranging from solidifying parental rights to supporting school choice. PARENTAL RIGHTS Senate File 09, Parental rights in education, passed into law without Governor Mark Gordon’s signature on March 5, 2024. SF 09, a Joint Education Committee bill, will, “open the door to better communication between schools and parents,” said Representative Martha Lawley (R-HD27, Worla...
Public Health Nursing Manager Amanda Heinemeyer attended the Washakie County Commissioner meeting on Tuesday, March 19 to discuss the opportunity to offer basic first aid and CPR courses to all Washakie County employees. Heinemeyer said she received a grant to conduct the courses that would be available to all county employees, and the courses would be offered through Cody Regional Health. Heinemeyer said she will plan on offering four courses at various times to ensure that employees will be able to attend one of the courses during their...
This Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Worland Community Center, the community is invited to a free event focusing on mental and physical wellness and forming healthy habits and relationships. By hosting these awareness events, Big Horn Basin communities are aiming to destigmatize talking about mental health-related topics. According to a previous Northern Wyoming News article, Shell was the first community in the Basin to host a similar event in 2023, and organizers have been spreading the message of their event’s success. At the W...
The 2024 Wyoming legislative budget session ended late in the evening on Friday, March 8, according to Representative Martha Lawley (R-HD27, Worland). “It was an action-packed session and I appreciate the hard work of my colleagues as we navigated our differences and made significant progress on so many issues that matter to the people of Wyoming. After much negotiation and compromise, your Wyoming Legislature passed a balanced budget,” said Lawley. During the 20-day session, “Some of the other important issues we addressed include provi...
Started by Nicole Underwood, along with Amber Madison and Basin resident Mindy Shaw, Hashtag Success Over Suicide (#SOS) is a recently founded nonprofit supplying resources to community members in need of help. According to Shaw, #SOS creates wooden boxes filled with coping and distraction items, such as essential oil diffusers, breathing straws for mindful breathing, hygiene packs and more. The company creates six different boxes for various situations – suicide awareness, substance abuse, a...
Ten Sleep developer Cole Smith and his attorney David Clark attended the Washakie County Commissioner meeting on Tuesday, with the intention of attaining final plat approval for Red Vista Village II. However, according to Interim Washakie County Planner and head of the Planning Commission Mike Robinson, the county planning commission declined approval of Smith’s development agreement at a commission meeting on Monday, March 4. The planning commission’s approval of the development agreement was a necessary step for the county commissioners to...
On Monday, March 4, the Wyoming House and Senate worked against the clock as they were met with crucial deadlines that would impact numerous bills and the 2025-26 biennium budget. BILLS According to Rep. Martha Lawley (R-Worland), Monday, March 4 was the final day for bills to be reported out of House and Senate committees. Thursday (today) is the final day for third reading on bills in the second house. After that deadline, Lawley said Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon will have until the following Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to either sign or...
With origins dating back to 1981, Women’s History Month is a chance to celebrate and recognize the achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields, according to the Women’s History Month website. Throughout the month of March, the Northern Wyoming News will be featuring a different woman each week who makes history within our communities with their positive impacts and achievements. ANNIE GRIFFIN From her earliest memories of playing ‘school’ with her neighbor, to babysitting and spending time with ki...