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President-Elect Joe Biden said throughout his campaign: “I’m running as a proud Democrat, but I’ll govern as an American.” As one of those Americans who care more about the country than any political party, I wish him success, and suggest we give him a way to demonstrate he’s serious about that claim. Wyoming voted for Donald Trump by the largest margin of any state — with 70% of votes cast for the president, as opposed to 26.6% for Biden. Furthermore, there is almost nothing more contrary to the Democratic Party’s policies than helping coal ...
Dear Editor, I do not care how mystified or angry Kerry Drake is. Give me Liberty or Give me Death. P.S. Hey Kerry, It is not up to you. Hundreds of thousands die each year across the country with things like cancer, for example. Take cigarettes. Half a million people die. Cigarettes are still sold everyday. No lock downs or masks. You drank the Kool-Aid and you have no say over my life. Get on with yours. The message I sent to Green River Star was not meant to be a letter to editor. It was just to say take a breath you have no right to make...
Chronic, kush, ganja, cannabis, the devil’s lettuce or pot. Regardless of what you know it as, marijuana and the legalization of its use was a big winner during last week’s General Election. This push for legalization event took place for two of Wyoming’s conservative neighbors. South Dakota voters approved initiatives legalizing medicinal and recreational use of marijuana while Montana voters approved an initiative to establish 21 as a legal age to purchase, use and consume cannabis. A second question in Montana regarding the legal...
Dear Editor, I think the CEO of (Castle Rock Medical Center) has no business trying to dictate whether or not the public should or should not wear masks. Who elected her to represent the town? She is not our babysitter and I don’t appreciate her trying to be. No, I do not want to wear a mask. The city council should not try to push this on the GR citizens. If anything, the Star could do a poll around town and come up with the numbers. From going to the Dollar Store, I would say one out of 10 customers might be wearing masks. Let the citizens d...
By KERRY DRAKE Wyofile.com I don’t know what mystifies me more: Wyomingites who don’t care enough about their neighbors to wear a mask during a surging pandemic, or Gov. Mark Gordon not requiring people to cover their faces in public. Both, however, anger me. Enough with the endless hand-wringing and excuse-making, all in the name of pandering to those who think they have constitutional rights to selfishness and stupidity. Is that too blunt? Sorry, tell it to the daughter whose parent is dying alone on a ventilator because someone decided not...
When I met her, she was younger than I am now. I was responsible for admissions to our hospital that day, and the ER doctor called me about a woman with intractable bleeding. It had been going on for several months, but she was embarrassed and unsure. She hid the severity of her bleeding from her husband, until the day she passed out in the kitchen. Ultimately, we diagnosed her with cancer, and she started down a difficult road of surgery, chemo, radiation, and more surgery. But they faced many hurdles beyond her disease. She and her husband...
The coronavirus pandemic, at times, feels like a topic that has long-since been beaten to death. Everywhere a person turns, there’s a reminder of the pandemic -- from masks being worn in public to the idea of “contactless delivery” when ordering a meal to the home. Even the big, black letters making up this piece’s headline are a reminder of what we’re all going through. Sweetwater County is in a precarious situation when it comes to the pandemic. Yes, the positive infection numbers aren’t nearly as high as places like Natrona County or A...
By Mark Jenkins Resident Scholar Wyoming Humanities I have friends in Wyoming who will not vote for a president this November. They know their vote will not count toward the election, so, as an act of protest, they’re not voting at all. I utterly disagree with this repudiation of the most basic American right---in my opinion, it is the duty and privilege of every eligible American citizen to vote---but I understand the sentiment. The president and vice president of the United States are not elected by a plurality of the popular vote: they a...
As much as any of us hate to admit it, winter weather has arrived. Along with having to worry about shoveling driveways and sidewalks, many of Green River’s residents will also contend with slick roads and the possibility of driving during a nasty blizzard at some point during the next several months. We’ll keep our request short this week: Please drive carefully. The first storms of the year tend to result in a lot of vehicle collisions as people are not used to driving on snow and ice. While much of the weekend storm has melted off by the...
I don’t think I’m alone when I say this: I can’t wait for this election season to end. My reasons probably differ from most people -- through I can’t remember a previous presidential election being such a slog to experience. I blame social media for that feeling. But, the thing that I’m looking forward to most is this: President Donald Trump’s campaign team will stop blowing up my personal email’s inbox. The volume of email I’ve received from the Trump campaign has been absolutely jaw dropping to say the least. I’d say the word aggressive i...
Dear Editor Under a bill that went before the State Senate in February, an additional 3,000+ Wyoming resident hunters would have drawn an antelope tag this year. But, the bill, Senate File 94, failed on introduction. In fact, just one state senator, Larry Hicks of Carbon County, voted to introduce it. Sweetwater County (District 12) Senator, Liisa Anselmi-Dalton co-sponsored the bill, but then at vote time, she switched sides and voted against introduction! When it counted, Sen. Anselmi-Dalton sided with the greedy outfitters and entitled nonre...
We’re heading into the final days of the 2020 General Election. For many, the biggest question they want a voice in is if Joe Biden or Donald Trump will be the United States’ President in 2021. While that question will have some weight as to what our lives will be like in the next four years, the more important aspects of any ballot are the local elections. An oft-repeated quote about local government is that it’s “where the rubber meets the road.” The local city council, school board, county commissioners and state legislators are where the...
I am that person that always manages to “find” the shopping cart with the wonky wheel. I used to trade it out because it irritated me. The cart wobbled and sometimes made noise and it usually drove a little slower and pushed a little harder. However, in the last bit, I have stayed with whatever cart I get first. My reasoning is simple. Having this kind of cart is/has been teaching me a very important lesson: Just because SOMEONE is a little slower, or makes a little “noise” or is harder to deal with, doesn’t mean they don’t have value. We a...
The call is getting more common as I enter my mid-40s. It generally comes from a friend, about my age, who knows I work for AARP, and hopes I can help them navigate the services available in Wyoming to help a loved one stay at home as they age. Their question is simply, “how do I keep mom/dad out of a nursing home for as long as I can?” The best advice is to ask for help sooner than later. Develop a plan, figure out what supports are in your community. Emily Loos of LIV Health, a home services provider in southeast Wyoming, suggests a vis...
It’s a battle that’s been waged for a long time now and it doesn’t show any signs of letting up. There’s a movement amongst state legislators to have the legal notices published by municipal and county governments in their local newspapers instead published solely on their governmental websites. At a time when the state and its city and county governments have been hit hard by a sluggish minerals industry and the impacts of a pandemic, it makes sense to cut costs wherever they can be cut -- at least that’s the surface argument. There’s s...
Women often put the needs of their loved ones before their own. That may be truer than ever this year, as mothers juggle working from home, virtual learning and childcare along with the usual everyday responsibilities. As members of the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s Congressional Families Cancer Prevention Program®, we encourage women to take this month to prioritize their health as we observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and second-most common cause of cancer deaths among American wo...
Lumpy, a walking, talking lump of coal wearing a miner’s hat and gloves, serves as the Energy Policy Network’s mascot. “Affordable and plentiful, I keep America’s lights on and economy moving,” Lumpy says in a speech bubble on EPN’s website. To be charitable, I won’t offer what else Lumpy resembles. I will offer a rewrite of his speech, though. He should be saying, “Thanks for the handouts, Wyoming taxpayers!” Because while coal is still plentiful, it’s no longer affordable, either in economic or environmental terms. But that hasn’t stopped...
The coronavirus has made quite a surge in Wyoming over the past week and a half. Much of the infections have been in Albany County, home to the University of Wyoming, and have included 11 freshmen football players according to UW’s public relations office. Sweetwater County, while not experiencing the same large increase other counties have seen, hasn’t been spared either. As of Monday evening, the Wyoming Department of Health reported Sweetwater County had 31 active cases of COVID-19, up from 10 active cases reported Sept. 28. We’re seein...
When you ask a physician why they became a doctor there is often a pattern that emerges. It is usually one of three things: they have family members who were doctors, they went through a significant health issue of their own, or they had a family member or close friend who went through a serious health issue. In my case, it was the latter. Sadly, there have been many such experiences with people I love but let me share with you the first I can remember. I was five years old. She was my neighbor, the only person who could over-rule my mother on...
Conservative groups throughout Wyoming have been pushing resolutions to county commissioners which would push back on the state’s health orders and cite a person’s ability to make their own decisions regarding their health and precautions to adhere to. Most recently, such a resolution was passed by the Uinta County commissioners. A similar resolution, which also would have been nonbinding, was presented to the Sweetwater County commissioners weeks ago and died for a lack of a second -- meaning a second commissioner did not support the ini...
Being alone isn’t nearly as bad as having someone else follow you through the darkened corridors. You know there are impostors amongst your group, but you’re never exactly sure of who they are. Is the person standing with you as you fix wiring near the administration room really just looking out for you as you work? Or, are they waiting for the opportunity to eliminate a fellow crew member during the few seconds your eyes are focused on your job? Worse yet, are they waiting for the opp...
Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to show mayors, county commissioners, Governor (Mark) Gordon and other elected leaders and stakeholders around one of my favorite places in the world -- the Greater Little Mountain Area (GLMA). This special place is renowned for its breathtaking landscapes, cherished for its sought-after hunting and fishing, and deeply valued for its significant economic and cultural significance to Wyomingites. Newcomers are always stunned by the beauty of the wide-open spaces and wildlif...
If you build it, they will come. That statement, an often misquoted line from the film “Field of Dreams,” has been applied to economic development meaning once something is built, support will follow. This has been true for the Jamestown area. After a new water system was built in the Jamestown-Rio Vista Water and Sewer District, interest in developing land which previously had no access to water suddenly took off. The Love’s Travel Stop under construction is likely only the beginning of commercial investment in the area. Proof of this can b...
America’s economy has been hamstrung by COVID-19 and revitalizing it must be the essential mission of the next administration. Key to that recovery is the need to explore and responsibly develop America’s energy and minerals. This President recognizes that a healthy country must be free. That a free people are a healthy people anxious to build a vibrant economy, a strong health care system and a country able to stand on her own two feet as the envy of our globe. Such a country, a people, an economy can lead the way to solving the most urg...
My name is Dr. Vishwanath Pattan and I am the Medical Director of Endocrinology at Wyoming Medical Center in Casper. Endocrinology is the study of hormones, and as an endocrinologist I treat patients for a wide variety of diseases related to hormonal deficiencies and imbalances. That includes many patients with diabetes. At my clinic, Wyoming Endocrine and Diabetes, I treat patients from across Wyoming, and I have noticed an alarming trend for my diabetic patients in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic: an inability to monitor and control...
