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What did the dog say when he sat on a piece of sandpaper? Rough. As the father of five, I am no stranger to lame “dad jokes,” but a new study suggests laughter is a large component of maintaining positive mental well-being, brain health, and even decreased instances of dementia. According to data recently released by The Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH), an ability to maintain a positive sense of mental well-being is related to better brain health and even lower dementia rates in older adults. The GCBH defines mental well-being as a per...
Sometimes a politician is fortunate enough to hold the right office at the time when their service is needed the most. Such is the case with Rep. Steve Harshman, R-Casper, the outgoing and incoming House speaker. Traditionally, the leader of the House serves one two-year term and then retires from politics altogether or takes a break before running for Senate. But a majority of Harshman’s Republican colleagues were savvy enough to realize a week ago that it would be for the good of the chamber, and the state, for him to remain the speaker. H...
Government entities need to be more vigilant in ensuring their discussions occur in public. A recent example of how easy it can be to slip can be seen with Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County’s Board of Trustees. The board, with the exception of Richard Mathey, and the hospital’s CEO discussed pulling hospital funds from Bank of the West in emails sent amongst members of the board in late September. The board ultimately made a decision in October to withdraw those funds from the bank, with board chairman Mathey claiming the board broke the...
It is an interesting time of year. The mid-term elections are over, the days are shorter, and the holidays are picking up speed. Some businesses will have their peak of profits over the next week, while others are slowing down as their staff takes holidays and focuses on family, food, and snagging the best black Friday deals. Some businesses are preparing for year end. Reflecting on accomplishments, balance sheets and wrapping up projects. On a personal level many will take time this week in particular to practice gratitude. Gratitude makes...
I originally intended to run this in October, since Halloween factors perfectly into a game featuring Dracula and other well-known monsters. With the elections, I opted to hold off because allowing our readers to voice their opinions is much more important than me using this space to reminisce about a 31-year-old game I played on a Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Mini. Castlevania Dracula has become one of the most enduring icons of horror. Bram Stoker’s original character, based l...
Voters in three conservative Western states overruled their elected officials in the midterm elections and expanded Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of low-income people via ballot initiatives. “The GOP has been bashing the [Affordable Care Act] for nearly a decade, and voters in the reddest states in the country just rejected that message,” Jonathan Schleifer, executive director of The Fairness Project, told ABC News. “It’s a repudiation and a tectonic shift in health care in this country.” It’s a fair assessment of what happened, b...
We live in some troubling times. Last week, a reporter for CNN was banned from the White House after a dispute with President Donald Trump during a press conference. The exchange between the two was heated and the reporter, Jim Acosta, did refuse to return the microphone or sit down as he attempted to question President Trump’s characterization of a Central American migrant caravan as an invasion of the United States. CNN, along with Fox News and other cable news networks, can be criticized for making entertainment out of the news. It c...
On Saturday, Nov. 3, Sublette BOCES sponsored a presentation and book signing for “Wild Migrations, Atlas of Wyoming’s Ungulates.” This book is an impressive body of research that answers questions about the species that migrate from the Red Desert to Yellowstone. I find it very ironic that just as these scientists have documented the cultural habits of the Sublette mule deer herd and exact maps of the migration of mule deer, antelope, elk, and moose, the state of Wyoming and the federal government have opened 68 proposed oil and gas leases whi...
We wanted to say thank you to the sixth-grade teachers and students at Lincoln Middle School for making and displaying the veteran signs placed on Uinta Drive and Monroe Avenue. This is such a wonderful way to honor citizens of Green River for their service to our great country. The time and effort you put into this project is appreciated by both the veterans and the citizens of Green River. Don and Pat Cywinski Green River...
Representative Cheney recently introduced a bill that threatens our way of life in Wyoming. While the subtitle of Cheney’s bill would have us believe otherwise, “ H.R. 6939: Restoring Local Input and Access to Public Lands” actually guts local input by unilaterally releasing Wyoming’s wilderness study areas without a single public meeting or town hall discussion. If Representative Cheney wants to restore local input on public lands issues, she should spend some time in Wyoming listening to her constituents. The bill impacts wilderness study a...
In an interview she did for Parade Magazine (Oct. 14, 2018), Jamie Lee Curtis said, “Every good thing that ever happened to me was because I was in horror films.” My take from that is that good things happen to you, but sometimes only after you work hard for them and even do things that might frighten you or that you are afraid to do. Stepping out of our comfort zone can be scary and challenging but that’s how we grow. We shouldn’t be afraid to fail, rather we should be afraid not to try. (I don’t like scary movies at all by the way.) As...
In July 2017, Interior Secretary Zinke signed Order 3354, directing the BLM to streamline their oil and gas leasing process. Five months later, the BLM Washington Office issued Instruction Memo 2018-34 in partial fulfillment of that order. The BLM memo, among other things, instructs that “the BLM will not routinely defer leasing when waiting for an RMP amendment or revision to be signed.” That phrase of the Instruction Memo opened the floodgates which had been holding back numerous parcels in the BLM Rock Springs Field Office (who is sup...
Four percent - the unemployment rate in Sweetwater County. Ninety-six percent of us are working. Four percent - the percentage of public land in Sweetwater County being considered for wilderness. Ninety-six percent of our public lands are working and available for development. But ninety-six percent is not enough. Rep. Liz Cheney’s bill wants it all for development. With the stroke of a federal pen, Cheney’s bill, HR 6939, would release Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) in Sweetwater, Lincoln, and Bighorn Counties. The bill opens them up to min...
The Green River City Council needs to focus more on funding streets. Anyone driving down Flaming Gorge Way, especially near the Green River Police Department, can talk about how uneven the street has become. Other streets are in dire need of resurfacing too, some much more than Flaming Gorge Way. We hope newly-elected members of the council will remember what they’ve said about streets during their candidate forum last month. Many of the candidates agreed that streets need funding and said they support another sixth-penny improvements tax to h...
With the General Election officially over, Sweetwater County will have two new commissioners starting next year. A lot can be learned in the defeat suffered by John Kolb and Reid West. Before I explain further, it should be pointed out that both are good county commissioners. Neither man was lax in their duties and the commissioners as a group have done a lot to make Sweetwater County a better place. They saved Castle Rock Hospital District from failing, secured funding for the construction of...
Each year, I have the honor of putting together, designing and laying out our Salute to the troops Veterans Day special section. It’s a time-consuming and meticulous task because I don’t want to make any mistakes, which since I am human leaves me a little bit stressed out. I triple check that the names and photos are in the correct order and that everything looks good. I build other tabs throughout the year, but this one is different -- it’s for veterans -- for those who served or are conti...
Don’t look now, but Wyoming just dodged a fiscal bullet. The smart thing to do would be to count ourselves lucky, then get out of the line of fire before the next round comes flying down range. But if history is any guide, I expect our Legislature will keep the state right where it is. Wyoming state government has once again been delivered from a huge budget deficit, this time by a combination of unexpectedly higher oil prices and investment returns. That’s obviously good news, but in the long-term it will likely postpone (again) a serious rev...
More and more each day people fall victim to scammers, with new scams being thrown at us daily and each one seemingly more legitimate than the last. What are we to do? Never answer our phones? Be leary of every letter we receive in the mail? In a way yes, but being informed is the best way to defend against these scammers. With National Fraud Awareness week approaching us we should all take a moment to learn a few things about current scams and learn what to do about them. Three ways to protect yourself are; *Recognize *React *Report Recognize...
Green River’s future was a hot topic of discussion during the city council and mayoral forums last week. Along with the usual subjects of bringing new businesses to town and the need for economic development, one comment was made that caught our attention: that Green River will have to choose between being a bedroom community or being similar to Rock Springs. We believe Green River should position itself to become an economic power equal to Rock Springs. Yes, this does sound a bit farfetched, but hear us out. In the coming future, Rock S...
I confidently recommend John Grossnickle for the position of Sweetwater County Sheriff. John has served this community as a law enforcement officer for over 20 years. His rise in the ranks from deputy sheriff to the command staff has been solely based on merit testing. He has earned what he has received. John is known to those he works with as a thorough investigator, reasonable and fair administrator, an innovative thinker and a strong leader. I know him as a man of character and integrity, who deeply cares for his community. John has devoted...
Karen R., a 70-year-old Medicare beneficiary living in a mid-size town in Indiana, contacted me recently about her Part D drug coverage. She and her husband both have traditional Medicare, a Medigap policy, and what’s called a stand-alone plan for their drugs. For a long time, her stand-alone plan offered through Humana worked well for them. Her out-of-pocket costs for most drugs was only $8. This summer Karen, who takes 11 drugs for a variety of illnesses, including atrial fibrillation and kidney disease, was diagnosed with a new ailment – pso...
Of all the choices voters will make Nov. 6, we think one decision involving the future of the county’s lodging tax should be a no-brainer. The county’s lodging tax has been in place since 1991 and is only applied to people staying in the county’s hotels. This tax helps support many of the local events across Sweetwater County and is only applied to people staying at hotels. As such, it’s something Sweetwater County’s residents should support. The tax not only supports local events, it helps the area’s two chambers of commerce and market the...
I am writing this letter endorsing Senator Hastert for re-election. Two years ago, tragedy struck my family’s lives. My younger brother was murdered and dismembered. So many emotions dealing with the news of this all caused our lives to spin out of control. I felt upside down and couldn’t think of anything else except the punishments the offenders were likely to receive once convicted of this violent crime. The penalties of up to three years repeated in my mind. I had no idea where to begin but wanted to make a change. It was then that I kne...
It takes a lot to create a community. There are a lot of pieces that fit together and create the Green River we love. It’s more than the sum of its parts. We have excellent schools and library system. We have an extremely dedicated volunteer fire department and several active community organizations seeking to improve our community. There are a lot of moving parts making Green River the kind of place we’re proud to call home. One of the pieces we believe doesn’t get as much credit as it shoul...
Halloween is just around the corner. It’s a day filled with lots of activities here in Green River, school costume parades, costume contests, and of course trick or treating. This year school kids have an early dismissal at 1 p.m. The Green River Police Department, along with many businesses along Flaming Gorge Way, will be participating in the fun. We look forward to seeing children strolling along, collecting candy, and showing off their costumes. Make sure you stop in to the GRPD lobby for a treat. Halloween tradition includes kids out w...
