Sorted by date Results 1051 - 1075 of 1682
Over the past few months, these columns have raised plenty of questions about Medicare, present and future, and I’ve received many responses to those questions from readers. Today’s column addresses some of readers’ concerns about Medicare, a complicated program. Q: Why do you refer to Social Security as social insurance? This continues to baffle me just as those who continually refer to SS as a handout. It’s not a handout. That money has been taken out of every one of my paychecks since I was 16. This is my money. A: Social insurance is group...
When we send this newspaper off to the printers, the Wyoming Legislature will have seven days left to debate and resolve the state’s biggest issues. We find that unacceptable. According to local representatives Stan Blake and John Freeman, the leadership within the house and senate are engaged in political gamesmanship over the outcome of these important issues. This gamesmanship includes the times representatives and senators meet to discuss. Today, the house convened to discuss potential cuts in the state’s budget at 1:30 p.m., while the sen...
A conflict of interest as defined by the Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary is “a conflict between the private interests and the official or professional responsibilities of a person in a position of trust.” A response to the Rock Springs Daily Rocket-Miner’s questions regarding an article we published focused on the ethics of Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County’s public relations and marketing director having ownership in an online media company perfectly illustrates both the definitio...
Just when it seems like there is finally a calm in my house, another storm seems to hit. This time the storm hit in a different way. Unlike other storms, this one was caused by my two, sweet, innocent and beautiful children, Matthew, 7, and John, 4. It happened on a weekend. My husband had gone to the store to pick up a few groceries and I needed a short bathroom break. I was only in the bathroom for about two minutes, but when I reappeared, the living room was trashed. Magazines, books, toys, b...
What transpired last week between the Sweetwater County Commissioners and the members of Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County’s Board of Trustees is unprecedented, but we think few options were left on the table. What isn’t disputed is the fact the hospital’s cash reserves are nearing a dangerous level. If the reserves dip below 75 days of cash on hand, the hospital is in default on the revenue bonds sold to improve the hospital’s emergency room a decade ago. The board members’ responses to the commissioners’ questions regarding rumors of a...
Seeing the piles of snow slowly melt away is a nice reminder that construction season is just around the corner. Last year was an unusually busy year for construction within the city, mostly in part to the freak hail storm that we were dealt in June. As a result of the damage caused by this storm, the Green River Community Development Department issued 1,163 building permits in 2016, which is more than three times the average annual permits issued of 340 per year. Based on communication with local developers and contractors, the city is...
We now have a new administration. In January, I became chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. President Trump announced his nominee to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. The Senate also started the process of rolling back punishing regulations from the Obama administration. Supreme Court Nomination On Jan. 31, President Trump announced his nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to serve as associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Our next justice will make decisions that impact our country for generations. That’s why it’s im...
When you fill a prescription at your local pharmacy, you assume the medicine you receive is safe and won’t interact badly with other drugs you’re taking. That’s not an unreasonable assumption, considering that pharmacists enjoy a positive reputation among the public. A recent Gallup poll found that pharmacists are among the most trusted professionals ranking second only to nurses. But pharmacists’ reputations as patient guardians may be unwarranted. The results of an investigation published by the Chicago Tribune before Christmas showed...
Producing a newspaper week in and week out can be an intense process and sometimes items make it to print in a way that has some unintended consequences. This was the case last week with the unfortunate placement of a dodgeball photo over an article regarding an alleged sexual assault. The photo itself was one of my favorites from the Make-A-Wish dodgeball event. The look of “I’ll get you back” on Green River High School student Candon Croft’s face as he dropped his dodge balls was what sold it...
Dear Sen. Barrasso, I am disappointed that you did not include Teton County in your scheduled constituent visits this February. Many people whom you represent are quite concerned about your recent voting record on cabinet positions, executive orders, and rule changes. A less charitable person than myself might think you are trying to avoid constituents who don’t agree with you. I will simply say the optics look bad. You know as well as I that a “town hall” conference call is not the same thing as face-to-face interaction. I have many thing...
The Frostbite run is quickly approaching so we thought it would be a good idea to give everyone some winter training tips to get you ready. Keep yourself motivated this winter by registering for a couple of races. This way you are sure to keep working towards your goals of fitness whether it be running or walking a 5K, 10K or the 1 Mile Family Fun Run. You can register at the Green River Recreation Center or at www.runnercard.com. Snowmen are better than just one Snowman Find a running partner to help keep you motivated. It’s much harder to s...
If you’ve been having trouble talking freely with friends and neighbors since the last election, you’re not alone. And the media wouldn’t have it any other way. Whether we’re sounding the drums of the Left or the Right, there’s nothing that sells quite as well as conflict. Even your hometown newspaper is guilty of leading with the bleeding. That’s because conflict is what makes a story interesting. You’re a reader - think about the last book you read. Now take all of the conflict out of it. Reading can be a pretty boring exercise without the c...
As the city looks to increase the rates paid by residents for utility services, it might be time to seriously consider privatizing trash collection. According to proposed rates sent to residents in their water bills, the monthly solid waste charge is projected to increase from $25.50 during the current fiscal year to $47.50 by 2022. Utilizing one of the private solid waste companies within Sweetwater County may provide savings to residents and save the city from the costs associated with building a solid waste transfer station -- a win-win...
Booming times for Wyoming’s oil, gas, and coal industries might come again, but the next boom may be the last one, or, at any rate, the booms will become less and less significant. Perhaps something like open warfare breaking out between Saudi Arabia and Iran, or a Civil War within Russia, would reduce global energy output enough to create huge demands for our state’s fossil fuels, and prices will skyrocket, thus solving our state’s economic problems overnight. This, however, would only be putting off the inevitable; fossil fuels are being...
Have you been in to Rose Floral lately? If not, you might be surprised by some of the changes that have taken place. Stacy Bruder and Mike Reed purchased Rose Floral in November of 2016. Since then, they’ve made a number of great modifications to the interior of the building. The space is more open which has made room to showcase their products and show off new inventory. Stacy has been in Green River for over 20 years, while Mike as been here since 2000. They choose to stay in Green River because it is a family-friendly community and a great p...
February is typically known as a month of romance due in part to Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14. For this month’s Artifact of the Month, the Sweetwater County Museum is also getting into the romantic mood, but in a different sense. The featured artifact is a booklet titled, “The Romance of the Smithsonian Institution: Vividly Portrayed by Its Scholars in the Smithsonian Scientific Series.” It features the Smithsonian Institution Building, also known as the Castle, on the cover. The book was printed in 1942 as part of an intended series. While a...
Late last Friday afternoon, Jan. 27, Rep. Jerry Obermueller, R-Casper, submitted House Bill 267 to the legislature seeking to increase the minimum annual reporting fees for businesses by 200 percent - from $50 to $150 - effectively tripling fees for most businesses. While we all recognize the budget difficulties our state is currently facing, I believe HB 267 will be detrimental to small business owners registered in Wyoming and will damage our “business friendly” reputation and likely end up hurting our State budget much more than it helps. As...
It was a typical work-day morning. I had just made my children breakfast and was busy getting ready for work, when my oldest son, Matthew, came into my room. I had called him into the room to make sure he had put his boots, coat and hat on before I sent him down to the bus. I noticed he didn’t have any of them on yet; and before I could even tell him to put them on he said “John sprayed my hair with hairspray.” I looked at his head, which was shining in the light and said “That’s not hairspray...
Dear Editor, Wyoming entered the United States as The Equality State just over a hundred years ago, becoming the first state to recognize women’s right to vote. That, however, was the last fight we dared for equality. A few years ago we found ourselves in the world spotlight when a young gay man was beaten and left to die on a fence. We were mortified and began a slow change in acceptance of sexual identity outside of the cultural norm. We chose not to fight the district court ruling that gays could marry and accepted their equal right to m...
What’s going to happen to Medicare? That’s not an insignificant question given the political shift in Washington. Now, with Republicans controlling the presidency and both houses of Congress, some ideas they’ve been pushing for years have a chance of passing. Those ideas would drastically change the way Medicare works for those already on it and those joining in the next few years. Medicare is wildly popular, but that popularity doesn’t necessarily translate into understanding of a very complex program, what’s happened to it, and what may...
Last week, we wrote about the importance of taxing online purchases in order to shore up waning sales tax revenue in Sweetwater County. Unknown to us at the time, the state was in discussions with Amazon.com and announced a deal to collect sales tax from the online commerce giant the day after we printed our last “Our View” editorial. Amazon plans to start charging Wyoming residents a sales tax March 1. We were happy to seal the deal solidify between the state and Amazon.com, but we also noticed a lot of people weren’t particularly happy with...
Dear Editor, I had high hopes that the City of Green River would take notice of the improper blading techniques that blade you into your driveways, causing you to be unable to enter the street and results in your vehicle becoming high centered on the frozen ice. The city blade supervisor should review the street that require more difficult blading and instruct the blader with proper blading when the ice is an obstacle. Two of my neighbors, as well as a city employee working after hours took the initiative to try to dig me out. One neighbor, a...
Dear Editor, The Wyoming Legislature will be considering HJ0001 and HJ0002 which address Wyoming submitting an application to Congress, along with other states, to call for a Convention of States. A convention is necessary because Washington, D.C. is out-of-control and the federal government will never rein in its own power. Therefore, it is up to the state legislatures to assert control over Washington. This is not a Constitutional Convention, which is entirely different from a Convention of States; which are the state legislatures sending del...
During the summer, the parks staff has a very visible presence throughout our city. I am certain you have seen brightly colored T-shirts busily scurrying throughout the city, cutting the grass, trimming weeds, and getting sports fields ready for play; those are the seasonal staff we have to assist with the miles and acreage of turf, parkways, trees, weeds, shrubbery, etc. Yet it is our full time staff that is left to continue once summer has gone. One would think the workload would lessen, and oftentimes I am asked if things do slow down for...
It’s another year and another financial crisis looms overhead for municipal governments in Sweetwater County. Sales taxes, the lifeblood of any incorporated town or city, continues to be in decline and another round of budgetary shortfalls are expected if the trend isn’t reversed. With sales tax currently down 15 percent from last year, elected officials in Green River and Rock Springs will likely be forced to make additional spending cuts to balance their budgets. While it’s easy to blame the problem on a sluggish economy and declines in th...
