Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
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If you have ever seen retired Washakie County Sheriff Steve Rakness walking around Worland with a heavy rucksack on his back, know that he's not crazy; he's getting ready for something important to him; honoring and helping veterans who have since hung their rucksacks up. He said, "Veterans are serving all over the world as we speak, and have served. So it's a way to honor them and say that you're not forgotten. We're still supporting you and we support what jobs you do. So, think of us because...
The volunteers behind the Worland FurBall fundraising event are trying out a fun new fundraising event this Saturday that dog lovers won't want to miss. All proceeds from the event go toward New Hope Humane Society in Worland. Deb Coronado said, "My partner in planning, Suzie Shelhammer, was the originator of the FurBall, and for the last 10 or so years she has always wanted to do small dog races. We haven't had the chance to put things all together until this year, so we are giving it a try. It is not an easy task to add something new, but we...
Washakie County results for federal offices in the Nov. 5 General Election were strongly in favor of Republican officials. The smallest margin of victory was for the presidential candidate, where Donald Trump won 79% of votes in the county, but did win the presidency. The Republican Presidential ticket of Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance received 3,125 votes, while the Democratic ticket of current Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz received 656 votes. The Libertarian ticket of Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat received 60 votes, and 3...
During the Oct. 22 meeting of the Washakie Medical Center Board of Directors, Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Brandy Kottman spoke about the impact that Hurricane Helene — a particularly intense tropical storm that devastated the United States’ southeast coastal region — had on the medical industry across the country, including Worland’s hospital. North Carolina was one of six states most affected by the hurricane, and the state’s Department of Health and Human Services reports 98 storm-related deaths resulting from Helene and the extreme f...
At the Washakie County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees meeting on Oct. 28, Superintendent Tawn Argeris used his time during his report to celebrate high school Cross Country Coach Tanya Kienlen and her boys team. Worland High School’s boys cross-country team won the 3A State Championship in Cheyenne on Oct. 26, propelled to victory by one point over Buffalo with a first-place finish by senior Trajn Swalstad. This is the first cross-country state title in the history of Worland High School. Kienlen added that her girls team placed f...
Worland's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) instructor Justin Jacobs began his class in mid-June of this year, and thanks to his journey in the sport, he's able to call for help from some of the greatest BJJ martial artists in the country. On Oct. 1, Jacobs offered a class taught by his instructor, Rafael Lovato Sr., who made the drive from his home in Oklahoma City to Worland to help his student in training the next generation of martial artists. Jacobs said, "It was quite the honor to have him come...
Hot Spring County High School Principal Catelyn Deromedi announced during the Oct. 17 meeting of the Hot Springs County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees that juniors at HSCHS had the highest performance of all districts in Wyoming on the ACT in spring of this year, with an average composite score of 21.8. Deromedi expressed thanks to her students and staff at the high school for their continued efforts to take their standards of education to new heights. According to the results posted by the Wyoming Department of Education, this is an...
Worland LDS Church's addiction recovery program I attended a meeting on Oct. 8 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Worland. A member had reached out to me after reading the column I wrote about my recovery from addiction, and I became interested in writing about the recovery group at the LDS Church. Given that October is Substance Abuse Prevention Month, it’s a great time to shine a light on those who are working toward recovery and are willing to speak on it. The meeting follows a recovery program created by the LDS C...
In the upcoming general election, Nov. 5, Erin Blutt, Shana Harstad and Jared Lyman are running unopposed for their respective four-year terms on the Washakie County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees. The incumbent candidates each spoke with Northern Wyoming News to discuss their reasons why they are running for reelection. ERIN BLUTT, BOARD CHAIRMAN Why are you running for reelection? “I’m seeking reelection to continue the work that we’ve been doing that has led to Ten Sleep Schools having the highest WYTOPP testing scores among small s...
Results are in for the spring 2024 WY-TOPP (Wyoming Test of Proficiency and Progress) standardized test, and Ten Sleep School has a lot to celebrate. WY-TOPP is an annual standardized test taken by students in every school district in Wyoming, used to gauge students’ growth and proficiency in the areas of math, English language arts (ELA) and science. Grades 3 through 10 are tested in math and ELA, and grades 4, 8 and 10 are additionally tested in science. Based on performance, scores are categorized either below proficient, proficient or a...
Results are in for the spring 2024 WY-TOPP (Wyoming Test of Proficiency and Progress) standardized test, and Ten Sleep School has a lot to celebrate. WY-TOPP is an annual standardized test taken by students in every school district in Wyoming, used to gauge students' growth and proficiency in the areas of math, English language arts (ELA) and science. Grades 3 through 10 are tested in math and ELA, and grades 4, 8 and 10 are additionally tested in science. Based on performance, scores are...
In April of last year, the independent living coordinator at the Wyoming Boys' School Robin McIntosh took it upon himself to start cleaning out the facility's greenhouse, which through discontinued use had become more of a storage shed; after a year and a half, and through his efforts and those of science teacher Rebecca George it has become the center of a thriving garden program supported by all the schools' students and staff. McIntosh said that some teachers at the Boys' School had approache...
According to Washakie County Sheriff Austin Brookwell and Search and Rescue Captain David Michel, this time of year is a time of heightened activity for Washakie County Search and Rescue. Michel said, "It's hunting season, and soon there will be winter recreation; more people out combined with the changing of the weather means that this time of year is more busy for us than any other throughout the year." He continued, "Especially now, we can have really nice weather, and then by the end of the...
Sarah Anderson of Ten Sleep started work as a special education case manager at the Educational Resource Center in Worland in 2009, and her vision to solve the problems she encountered in her work has become a vital tool not only in her workplace, but for 150 special education departments and organizations in Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana and Colorado. As a case manager, Anderson was tasked with preparing Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for students in her district, ensuring that they receive all the services and support they need,...
Located at Newell Sargent Park in Worland, the Worland Community Garden continues its expansion project this fall. Garden Manager Ivy Asay is a Thermopolis native who graduated from high school in 2014. She attended college in Provo, Utah, where she obtained a degree in landscape management and met her husband, Dr. Stephen Asay. She later returned to the area she grew up in, settling in Worland where her husband works as a general practitioner for Hot Springs Health and as the Washakie County...
Opening in the summer of 2023, the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Worland Air Base located at the Worland Municipal Airport had a relatively quiet fire season last year, but it has undergone some changes since transforming from an office building and it's geared up and able to handle the busy fire season this year. Firefighters at the Worland Air Base have been to 24 fires so far this season, and the base just reached the milestone of pumping 100,000 gallons of fire retardant solution on...
In an ever-evolving society marked by a changing job market and increased costs of living, it's more important than ever that graduating high schoolers are prepared for the road ahead. For that reason, the offering of career and technical education (CTE) courses at Worland High School has substantially grown this school year. Historically, when one thinks of CTE courses offered at the high school they might think about welding or automobile mechanics. While those programs are still around and...
Staff leave policies were a prominent topic once again at the Sept. 9 meeting of the Washakie County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees meeting. This time, the district’s three staff personal leave policies — one each for certified staff, classified staff and the principal — were discussed with the goal of aligning their language. A major discrepancy discussed was in the principal’s policy, which does not include reimbursement for personal days that are not used while the other two do. Board member Jared Lyman also noted that the policie...
An educator for 30 years now, teacher Carrie Ryan is returning to West Side Elementary School in the role of a special educator. Ryan began her teaching career in 1994 in Worland before getting an opportunity to work as an adaptive physical education teacher at West Side. She said, "I finished school, got married, began work, had kids, did that whole thing, and there was an opening here, it was just going to be one year only." She ended up staying until 2000, when the time came where she had...
Filling in for CEO Lisa Van Brunt during the Aug. 27 meeting of the Washakie Medical Center Board of Directors, Chief Nursing Officer Brandy Kottmann was happy to share some exciting news with board members. Kottmann announced that Washakie Medical Center had been declared the top health system employer in the State of Wyoming. These results come from a poll conducted by Forbes, according to Kottmann. Building report Plant Operations Manager Steve Wiecki began his report by sharing estimates for the project to replace flooring in the walk-in...
Having served as the director of the Washakie County Youth Alternative program in Worland for the past two years, Katie Kirby is excited to come back to school as a counselor who will split her time between Worland High School and the new alternative high school Whitehawk Academy. Kirby was born, raised and lived most of her life in the Midwest. She lived in Illinois until she went to college in Ohio, where she earned a bachelor's degree in social work, and master's degrees in counseling and...
Five years ago, Ethan Asher was a senior at Powell High School who got into a car accident on his way to school. As a result he sustained countless injuries, the most devastating being a severed spine and a severe brain injury; his doctors gave him a slim chance of survival, and an even slimmer chance of returning to himself if he were to live. Something Asher's doctors never could have predicted is that five years later he would be on a stage telling the story of his recovery. Now an...
During the Aug. 26 meeting of the Washakie County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees, staff and students representing Whitehawk Academy, the district’s new alternative high school, voiced excitement about the new school. Superintendent Tawn Argeris reported that the school opened its doors this fall to 16 students of junior and senior standing. It employs one full-time teacher, one part-time teacher, a full-time paraeducator and two counselors that alternate between the alternative school and Worland High School. The school is in the b...
Motorcyclists start their engines outside the Worland Elks Lodge and depart on the 12th Annual Badlands Poker Run on the morning of Saturday, August 24. The poker run is a fundraiser that supports the Washakie Hospital Foundation Cancer Fund....
Veterinarian Steve Tharp, D.V.M, owner of Tharp Veterinary Clinc, discussed the pros and cons of vaccinations after vaccinations came under scrutiny recently from a pet owner. In a previous edition of Northern Wyoming News, an article was published providing an update on the condition of Haley, a 2.5-year-old female dog who passed away at the beginning of August after a harrowing battle with a severe autoimmune disorder. Haley’s owners Judy and Jim Blackburn traced the onset of Haley’s decline in health to a vaccine she received from Tharp Vet...