Sorted by date Results 301 - 325 of 1667
Imagine having to hire someone for a job and there is a selection of people vying for the position. One would expect everyone seeking the job would be interested in actually having the job, right? This wasn’t the situation the Sweetwater County Commissioners faced in choosing a candidate for Sweetwater County Treasurer Tuesday. Mike Masterson, one of the three candidates chosen by members of the Sweetwater County Democratic Party, told the Commissioners he wouldn’t accept the role if they chose him. This effectively left the Commissioners wit...
Life is all about stories. From fairy tales at bedtime, to conversations around the dinner table, to movies in the theater, to articles in the newspaper, we are all surrounded and shaped by stories. I’ve always loved stories and wanted to tell them. During my time growing up in Rock Springs, I wrote stories, (part of) a novel, and fanfiction. I graduated from Western Wyoming Community College with an Associate of Arts degree in English and a creative writing certificate. Then I transferred to Bo...
We are well aware the idea of any tax isn’t popular and we understand why. Any sales tax represents a few more dollars out of our pockets that would otherwise go to groceries, gas or the monthly streaming bill. However, we don’t see any other way out of another 1% sales tax. It is either that or no ambulance service. Ambulance funding has long been an issue for the county, with the Sweetwater County Commissioners opting not to continue paying subsidies for the service. This comes from declining revenue that has forced budget cuts thr...
A “hit piece” is an article, documentary, etc. that deliberately tries to make somebody/something look bad by presenting information about them that appears to be true and accurate but actually is not. -- Oxford Learners Dictionary On June 25, 2021 The New York Times published a hit piece that tried to make my good name look bad. The content was unfamiliar to me. Wyoming’s press reported “stun and dismay” as they ran with it; fury in social media turned up the volume. This attempted character assassination targeted me and also affected...
“Have you ever heard of a wish sandwich? A wish sandwich is when you have two slices of bread and you wish you had some meat.” That is from a song titled “Rubber Biscuit.” I’m reminded of that line after reading Susan Gore’s response to recent articles about her involvement in a espionage operation aimed at Democrats and other organizations in three states, including Wyoming. She refers to articles published by the New York Times and Wyofile.com as a “nothingburger,” saying it is all a disinf...
The Green River City Council decision to draw out the Union Wireless cell tower request was drawn out Tuesday night when the Council opted to table the issue as opposed to voting on it. The issue at hand: the belief the public hadn’t been adequately informed of the proposal to build an 80-foot lattice cell tower near Ace Hardware. This is a ludicrous proposition as several council members said they had been contacted by their constituents during the meeting. Both Gary Killpack and Sherry Bushman stated at the meeting they had heard from c...
Spies in Wyoming -- it has to be the ludicrous plot of a poorly-written novel, right? No dear reader, it isn’t. Proving truth to be stranger than fiction, the New York Times broke news last week that a spy ring had operated in Wyoming and focused on gathering information about political operations in the state. These spies mostly focused on Wyoming Democrats, the Wyoming Investor Network and Better Wyoming, a left-leaning group seeking to change the conservative narrative in Wyoming’s politics, as well as moderate Republicans. The Times als...
A decision regarding if an 80-foot cell tower will be built near the Green River Post Office and Ace Hardware will be made during the July 6 Green River City Council meeting and we're hoping the Council doesn't approve it. This isn't about the supposed danger of potential 5G service and we're not against Union Wireless or the idea of cellular communication. The simple fact of the matter is its proposed lattice design and its height will create an eyesore for residents and visitors in Green...
With the excommunication of Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney from the Republican Party leadership, what was intended to be a sleepy mid-term political season is shaping up to be a bellwether for what Wyoming looks for in a congressperson. Most of Cheney’s primary challengers seem to be running on a platform of partisan purity, which is exactly what the political parties want. Don’t fall for it. While 70% of the state was disappointed with the results of the 2020 election, we have more important issues facing our state than preserving for...
Much has changed in the past year and a half with COVID-19 and our abilities to be out and about as much. However, one thing that has NOT changed is the love shown to us by our pets. In fact, if you are like me, even though you have still been just as busy, you may have been at home a bit more and MY pets have enjoyed this immensely. The great thing about pets (or as I refer to them – furry people) is that they love you no matter what. They are there for you when you’ve had a hard day, they don’t care if you made some mistakes and they are p...
Dear Editor, King Kong is coming to Green River, Wyoming. Union Wireless would like to erect an eighty-foot 5G tower in a lot immediately east of Ace Hardware. At a Planning and Zoning meeting June 9, this was discussed and somebody made the statement that, “It will be there, but nobody will see it.” According to images provided, it will be totally conspicuous for a good quarter mile around, and it will seem like a giant ape menacing everybody who lives, works, shops, or visits the area. For perspective, ask yourself, what is eighty feet tal...
In keeping with the slogan ‘Wyoming powers the nation,’ the state will be the site of a new nuclear power plant -- with the Jim Bridger Power Plant near Rock Springs being one of the four proposed locations. As county and city leaders are preparing to make their pitch to decision makers, one thing that is abundantly clear to us is the fact that Sweetwater County is the best location for this kind of energy project. The Jim Bridger Power Plant is located close enough to Rock Springs for workers to easily travel to, while far enough away to not...
Dear Editor, This letter is being written in response to the resignation of Carla Hester-Croff from the Board of Trustees at Western Wyoming Community College. It was with great sadness that I read Ms. Hester-Croff was stepping down. Ms. Hester-Croff asked the hard questions at the discomfort of the administration at Western. She also stood to be the lone dissenting voice when the layoffs were confirmed on January 28. Layoffs that included nine instructors, three of which were math instructors. Layoffs that included seven WEA members to include...
Dear Editor, For several years, the Bureau of Land Management has been working towards publishing its Draft Resource Management Plan for its Rock Springs Field Office, which covers over 3 million acres of public lands within Sweetwater County and southwest Wyoming. Even though it may be months before this draft plan is published, it is important for everyone who uses and enjoys BLM land to watch for public notices of its publication and be prepared to comment on a wide array of multiple use resource issues covered by the draft plan. Commenting...
I’m not going to invest in Bill Gates’ and Warren Buffett’s plan to bring a nuclear power plant to Wyoming. I’d also prefer to not see taxpayers like myself forced to shell out hard-earned money on such an environmentally risky venture. No, I plan to spend any surplus cash I can muster on cornering the red flag market. Demand is about to skyrocket. As residents consider what it means to have an experimental nuclear reactor in their backyards, they’ll be waving them in droves. In fact, I’m raising a half-dozen red flags in this column alon...
Last week, we reported on Western Wyoming Community College trustee Carla Hester-Croff’s resignation following her claims of the college administration not being transparent and her concerns about a proposed board policy expanding on how a trustee could be removed from the board. While our interactions with the college have shown its board of trustees and administration to work towards maintain a transparent relationship, we believe the proposed policy should have some changes made before it is adopted by the board of trustees. We applaud t...
The time between now and the 2022 election will be never ending when it comes to the race for Rep. Liz Cheney’s seat in the U.S. House. Nearly six months into her second term, she’s already facing a cadre of Republican challengers after voting to impeach former President Donald Trump for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 riot in Washington D.C. That vote and her increasing criticism of Trump ultimately cost her the House GOP leadership position as Trump’s followers have gain increasing control of the GOP. As discussion about Cheney conti...
One of the appeals YouTube has is the fact it can offer almost anything to anyone. Of course, much of that is nothing more than entertainment, often aimed to cultivate a persona that can be built into a marketable brand. Yet, there are a few that blend education into an entertaining video – creating something more familiar to PBS viewers. One of the newer YouTube channels to gain recognition amongst the near limitless mass of videos published daily mixes food and history into an enjoyable w...
By Kerry Drake Wyofile.com Wyoming officials knew something was seriously wrong with the state’s juvenile justice system in 1970, when a governor’s committee examined the issue and came to the startling conclusion that no system actually existed. “It is clear that there is no uniformity in the disposition of matters involving juveniles at the local level,” the panel’s report concluded. “Change has been slow to come.” The ink from that document could be fresh today. The Legislature has undertaken piecemeal attempts at juvenile justice refor...
A while ago, my seven-year-old and I were watching ‘Elmo in Grouchland’. In the Elmo movie, Huxley, the villain, steals Elmo’s blanket. When Elmo asks for his blanket back, Huxley says, “If I touch it, I own it” then he touches a variety of objects he has taken from people and as he touches each item he says “BING, I own it.” I told Gracie that Mr. Patinkin, who plays the villain, is one of my favorite actors. ‘Well, he might be nice other times, but he’s not my favorite right now,” she said. She and I both had our own perspectives and at...
An alternate route between Green River and Rock Springs isn’t a new idea. During the mid 2000s, when money was a lot more free flowing into and out of government coffers, the idea was floated that an alternate route between the two cities would create a safer stretch of road for locals wanting to avoid Interstate 80’s heavy semi traffic, while giving Castle Rock Ambulance Service a secondary route to Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County. This sounds good in theory, but a number of questions were raised then which still need to be ans...
Take a brief look at data released from the 2020 census and one thing becomes very clear -- the West is booming. The population growth in many of Wyoming’s neighbors over the last decade is staggering. Utah saw an 18.4% increase in its population. Idaho saw a 17.3% increase, while Colorado had 14.8% growth in its population. Even South Dakota and Nebraska had notable gains in their populations, recording growth of 8.9% and 7.4% respectively. Wyoming’s population grew too -- by 2.3%. According to a Wyoming Tribune-Eagle article, that amo...
Dear Editor, Well, Wyoming, we almost did it. The House passed the Medical Treatment Opportunity Act, HB162, but the Senate failed us on SF154, Medicaid Expansion with Federal Match Requirements. Representative John Romero-Martinez, how can we ever thank you and your six co-sponsors* for your exceptional leadership in taking HB162 to and through the House? (Clifford, Connolly, Harshman, Henderson, Provenza and Zwonitzer) We appreciate you so very much, Senator Rothfuss, and your twelve co-sponsors as well, for your courageous at- tempt to...
