Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 581
We like to have fun in our newsroom and last Tuesday as we were beginning to digest election results and add up numbers from various precincts one of our reporters asked jokingly, “Are we using COVID math or regular math?” I emphatically said no, there would be no COVID math involved in election vote tallies. The reason? No one understands COVID math because COVID math is hard and confusing. Why you ask? The biggest reason is that every county, every state and every country seems to count differently. First there are the deaths. I don’t belie... Full story
Worland, Ten Sleep and several area schools began in-school classes this week. Washakie County School District No. 1 postponed the start of East Side Elementary until today (Thursday) due to two staff members testing positive for COVID-19 at the start of the month. Across the state and across the country school districts have had to make tough decisions on whether to have classes online or in person or provide a hybrid. We congratulate our local schools for the choices that they made. They were not easy choices. In a time where things can... Full story
Tuesday voters head to the polls to decide party nominations for several important races locally and statewide. Perhaps the most interesting and most important races locally in this primary are the Republican bid for U.S. Senate and State Senate District 20. Cynthia Lummis, who has served Wyoming in a multitude of positions is seeking to head back to Washington, D.C., after retiring in 2016 from the U.S. House. Probably her top challenger is Converse County Commissioner Robert Short but Deborah Rice has been a familiar face in the Big Horn... Full story
Judging is hard, but at times tasty Since moving to Worland in 2015 I have covered the Rhubarb Rhevival all but one year, and I do not know what I was thinking that one year when I assigned it to someone else because I love rhubarb. This year I was asked to be a judge and I thought it would be fun and then I forgot I hate judging. In talking to my fellow judge, Jay Richard, I figured out my issue with judging – being decisive. There are many things in my life in which I can make firm d...
Two weeks ago I said goodbye to an old friend, Peggy Sue. That's what I named my red Toyota Corolla that my husband Alan and I purchased on a Memorial Day weekend in 2004. She was brand new when we bought her but she didn't have the bells and whistles - no power windows or door locks, no cruise control (yes that proved to be an issue over the years) but she took me down a lot of fun roads. On July 17 I sold her to a son of a friend and while I was sad to say goodbye to my old friend, I couldn't...
The Washakie County Fair kicks off this Saturday with the youth horse show and a full slate of shows and entertainment starting next Monday. This year’s fair will look slightly different due to COVID-19 but unlike some county fairs that have canceled most entertainment, the area county fairs, Washakie, Hot Springs and Big Horn County are moving forward with mostly typical lineups. The fair board and county maintenance have been working hard to prepare to offer a safe but fun experience at this year’s fair. At this writing, the fair board and... Full story
I have steered away from COVID-19 thoughts in this space for a while to give everyone a break but a lot has been happening so I’m going to over a few facts and provide a few thoughts. Fact 1: Novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is not a hoax. It is a real disease, real people have gotten sick, real people have died and real people have recovered. We have reported on all of these specific to local residents here in Worland. According to the World Health Organization (more on them in a minute), under their Mythbusters Tab on their website, they l... Full story
Wyoming National Guard Captain Eli Varney and his unit were deployed to Kosovo last year to patrol an administrative boundary but the unit wanted to do more. They found ways to engage with the people so that the Kosovo residents did not just see them as soldiers but instead they saw them as individuals, as people. I heard him tell this story last winter when schools were collecting supplies for Kosovo students. I heard it again on Monday when he was presenting thank-you plaques to our local... Full story
Our country is in turmoil. In some cities, citizens have taken over police buildings and whole city blocks. Groups are calling for police departments to be defunded. In Wyoming, we had protests against police brutality and for racial justice and equality but we have not, thankfully, seen the destructive rioting. All of these things have been sparked by recent deaths of citizens at the hands of law enforcement. In Wyoming we are not immune to police shootings or police misconduct. There was a... Full story
A few years ago we set up a bird feeder at the back of our house, which made the birds and our cats very happy. At first my husband was frustrated that the cats would stalk their prey, sometimes being successful and other times not. I told him not to get mad at the cats for being cats. I think the biggest issue is the one cat, Buddy, would bring his feast to the front porch, and that's just something you don't want to see walking out of the house in the morning. I do feel sorry for the birds... Full story
People are scared. People are tired. People are frustrated and angry. All of those emotions are spilling into the streets across the country, under the guise of demonstrating and protesting the death of George Floyd According to the Associated Press, George Floyd, 46, died last Monday, May 25, after he was arrested in Minneapolis, accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill at a grocery store. A white officer, Derek Chauvin, and three other officers were fired from the Minneapolis Police Department... Full story
This is not the time for the blame game or for COVID-19 shaming, and from what we are hearing around the community, both are happening. Nearly two weeks ago a COVID-19 outbreak at the Worland Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center occurred and is still occurring with more cases reported this weekend. There have also been two deaths reported. I can guarantee that no one at the facility wanted this outcome and trying to place blame or looking down on staff members who work there is not what this community is about, or at least it should not be. We...
When things began to shut down and as businesses struggled and we heard reports of people scared, stressed and lonely we began to wonder if there was any end in sight to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. Wyoming and other states are starting to open things up, not fast enough for some and too fast for others. Churches are scheduling services, restaurants have been allowed indoor dining with guidelines in place. Salons and gyms opened up and those of in need of a haircut were appreciative for that. But opening up businesses and allowing some... Full story
Sunday is Mother's Day and this week is National Teacher Appreciation Week so needless to say I've been thinking a lot about both and thinking how many mothers (and yes, fathers) have become teachers with schools closed due to COVID-19. My mother was my teacher before I started kindergarten. Back in the day in Hamilton Dome we did not have daycares and preschools. I got to watch my older brother and sister start school and wait my turn as my mother started teaching me to read. I remember not... Full story
It’s been a busy week since last Tuesday both in the state and in Worland and Washakie County. Here are some highlights: •On Tuesday, April 28, Washakie County had zero active COVID-19 cases. That’s right. According to the Wyoming Department of Health, all five lab-confirmed cases have recovered and all three probable cases are listed as recovered. However, also on April 28, Washakie County Public Health announced that there was more tests available and County Health Officer Dr. Ed Zimmerman was asking residents if they are COVID-19 sympt... Full story
It’s been a busy week since last Tuesday both in the state and in Worland and Washakie County. Here are some highlights: •On Tuesday, April 28, Washakie County had zero active COVID-19 cases. That’s right. According to the Wyoming Department of Health, all five lab-confirmed cases have recovered and all three probable cases are listed as recovered. However, also on April 28, Washakie County Public Health announced that there was more tests available and County Health Officer Dr. Ed Zimmerman was asking residents if they are COVID-19 sympt... Full story
In contemplating what to write in this space this week, my thoughts were similar to John Davis’ in that perhaps it was time for something besides COVID-19. We all need a break from the pandemic news. I myself take a break in the evenings and the weekends. When I get home, after changing clothes (if I have been anywhere in the public) and washing my hands, I pet my dogs and I visit with my husband. I tell him about the local COVID-19 news of the day and he tells me about the national COVID-19 news of the day and then we move from COVID-19. T... Full story
This Sunday is Easter, it is a different kind of Easter than any of us could have imagined just a few short months ago. Even here at the Northern Wyoming News we had plans for our regular Easter services page and we had weekend photographers scheduled for many traditional community Easter egg hunts. Those Easter egg hunts have been canceled along with regular church services with a state order from the governor prohibiting gatherings of 10 or more people; and rightly so as we work to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). But what... Full story
Two weeks ago life changed for many people and many business in Wyoming when Governor Mark Gordon and the state’s health officer issued orders closing schools (except distance learning options) businesses including museums, theaters, pools, bowling alleys, convention centers, personal services such as nail and hair salons and restaurants unless they could provide a plan on serving less than 10 people and providing social distancing or providing drive-thru, curbside delivery or home delivery. Worland has seen some businesses close while the o... Full story
Our state, country and world are working to get through the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the best way to do that is with facts, not fiction, not rumors and not conspiracy theories. It is important to get your facts from reliable sources. If we post something on our website, publish it in our paper or post to one of our social media accounts, we have received it from an official, legitimate source. For our local information we are going to the Washakie County website and the Washakie County COVID-19 Facebook page. For statewide... Full story
Many of you might have seen videos circulating on social media of Italians singing together from the balconies of their homes in the midst of COVID19 crisis. Italy is in a nation-wide lockdown and people are shut in their homes in an effort to contain the spread of the virus. The videos showed people singing together to lift up their spirits during this depressing time. Songs are bringing people together to lift up one another and keep up the community spirit of solidarity, compassion, and hope. Along with songs, I would like to offer prayer... Full story
For 15 years, News Leaders Association and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has sponsored Sunshine Week, an annual nationwide celebration of access to public information and government transparency. There was a desire to discuss in this space what ways the state and federal government are not as transparent as they should be. But then the coronavirus hit Wyoming and things were changing fast from the end of last week through the weekend. Our focus in this issue has been trying to provide complete coverage on COVID-19 and its... Full story
OK can someone please explain why people are hoarding toilet paper? It is understandable if you have to be quarantined because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). You might need some extra as you likely will not be leaving your home to be going out to buy some. But how much do you need. Remember COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, not stomach. You’re not going to be running to the restroom. Also, if you run low, don’t you have friends that can run to the store for it? And exactly how long do you think you’ll be quarantined that you need... Full story
This Saturday night before going to bed we’ll be springing our clocks forward as Daylight Saving Time begins for the next eight months. OK in reality we’ll all just wait for our cell phones to change automatically in the middle of the night, but we will have to change watches and wall clocks. It might be a good idea to change the clocks in the office before leaving Friday night otherwise it is confusing when you arrive at work Monday at 7 a.m. The clocks say 6 a.m. and you think you could have gotten an extra hour of sleep. As we get set to... Full story
One recent event and one recent statement got me thinking about the animal kingdom and the myths we are told in childhood and what is the reality. First, was last month the town of Greybull tried to pass a breed specific ban, specifically wanting to ban pitbulls in the community. Proponents and animal lovers came out in opposition to the ban, citing it's not the animal it's the owners who make the animals vicious. The statement I read was on this week's devotional (found on page A8). "Who says... Full story