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More than a century ago, Wyoming residents lived through a flu pandemic much the same way people deal with the coronavirus today: restricting business activity and keeping their distance from others. However, there is one notable difference: Wyomingites in 1918 reportedly didn’t protest the state or county’s efforts to keep them alive or grouse about their constitutional rights being violated. Survival mode had kicked in. I wish the Equality State had more of that spirit in 2020 and fewer amateur legal experts refusing to wear masks. It’s a sim...
A great stride was made in the efforts of workplace equality June 15. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Gerald Bostock, Donald Zarda and Aimee Stephens, all victims of discrimination and unjust firing. Bostock worked as a child advocate for Clayton County, Georgia. Bostock loved his job and had no problems in the workplace, until he was fired shortly after joining a gay recreational softball team. He sued his former employer in 2016, but it took years for the suit to travel through the court system. While waiting for his case to reach a...
It’s taken 36 years, but I’ve finally visited Yellowstone. I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to visit, especially being a Wyoming native. I would assume it’s almost mandatory for anyone who consider themselves a true resident of the Cowboy State. In fact, people have been genuinely surprised when I’ve casually mentioned I hadn’t visited the park. “But, you live in Wyoming,” was the common response, almost as if I shouldn’t call myself a Wyoming native because I hadn’t seen the park’s natura...
Dear Editor, We all know someone who might have trouble providing food for their family. With the coronavirus pandemic causing layoffs throughout Sweetwater County, the demands on the Sweetwater County Food Bank are only increasing. Donating to the food bank doesn’t mean cleaning out the pantry or buying cans of food to donate for a food drive. In fact, donating money to the food bank is the most effective way to donate. Through the Food Bank of the Rockies, the bank can purchase food at prices much lower than what we pay at the grocery store,...
Republicans used to vastly outnumber Democrats in the Wyoming Legislature. Their 77-12 super-majority seemed destined to last forever. But if you ask a shadowy political group organized last year, the margin has suddenly narrowed to 21-12 — without the Democrats picking up a single seat. “WyoRINO” has proclaimed that only 14 House members and seven state senators actually have real Republican values. The group has branded all the others “Republicans in Name Only,” claiming they’re just fakes. Sound crazy? That’s because it is. Scary, too, i...
Looking around Sweetwater County, with businesses reopening and people enjoying the warm June weather, one could be mistaken for thinking the pandemic is over and we’re in the clear. Yes, restaurant servers are wearing masks and many of the annual summer events have been postponed for the year, but people are starting to behave like COVID-19 is in the past. It isn’t. States that have reopened are seeing a resurgence in coronavirus infections. While a vaccine in the works appears promising, estimates suggest the United States could have mor...
Our national parks are an important source of pride for our country. But they are in the midst of a rising crisis that has been building over many years. Simply put, they are falling apart. They are in desperate need of repair and maintenance. Fixing them will require billions of dollars. While Congress is preparing to act soon on legislation, it is vital that it include dedicated funding in perpetuity. This will help the next generation to fix future problems without having to put the cost on the nation’s credit card. To address the current m...
Despite a few days of cold, spring-like weather in the last few days, summer is quickly approaching in Green River. With that, summer activities on the river itself are becoming an attractive past time as well. While we’re in favor of a fun afternoon in the river, it’s also the time of year everyone should be careful around it. June typically means more spring runoff flowing unto the Fontenelle Reservoir, which also means releases from the dam will increase. In fact, increased releases started Monday, with the dam increasing its release fro...
Dear Editor, Millions of Americans are concerned about the continued impact the coronavirus pandemic will have on our economy. As a result of the pandemic, hospitals and frontline workers nationwide are at the forefront of this fight both from a healthcare perspective and from an economic perspective. Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County is no exception. Congress approved $175 billion in emergency provider grants, but not enough to prevent a deepening crisis. Hospitals alone will lose more than $200 billion through June, according to the...
Dear Editor, Have you ever been afraid because of the color of your skin? Have you ever been afraid based on ethnicity and even religious beliefs? I spent all morning visiting with a young man with an ethnic descent and we discussed an environment that I was aloof to. This young man has experienced difficulties due to his ethnical descent and shared experiences that caused me discomfort and awe. This even in our own county. This is a prerequisite to what I have to offer. I received a phone call from San Antonio, Texas. I do not know anyone...
While driving along the Wild Horse Loop Tour recently, I saw something that instantly made my blood boil. A car was left abandoned at the side of the road, near 14-Mile Hill. It’s windows were shattered by the stones I found inside the vehicle. It’s tires were flattened and oddly enough, a county 19 license plate was still attached. An impound sticker was on a portion of the back window, but was so weathered and faded it was impossible to read -- whatever was written on it had long since van...
Here at the offices of your hometown newspaper, we consider ourselves among the fortunate ones. The press, like it or not, are deemed essential in times of crisis, so we get to work through this global pandemic. So most of our work these days centers around this crisis, and the pain that it is causing. All of us have seen friends and loved ones lose jobs over the past two months. One in four Americans have been forced out of their jobs. That’s pretty depressing for the out-of-work, who may struggle to find value in their lives and to pay t...
I need to pay more attention to the messages in children’s books. I have read them to my kids for 23 plus years now, or they have then read them to me once they began reading on their own. We read a variety of stuff-chapter books, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, self-help, how to, inspirational-the list goes on. But as I said, I need to pay more attention to the MESSAGES in children’s books. Madi is 7 and she loves “Pete the Cat” books by Eric Litwin. If you haven’t read “Pete the Cat,” let me share Madi’s favorite. It is called, “Pete the Cat:...
Last week, graduates from Green River High School and Expedition Academy paraded through town, waving at residents and celebrating their accomplishment through one of the best ways afforded to them. Social distancing recommendations and cancelled ceremonies made for an unusual way to celebrate this coming of age, but of everything that’s happened to give those kids a proper sendoff, the parade is something we would like to see continue. First, it’s a great way of including every student. The graduation ceremonies by design focus on the respecti...
In March, the terror of what could physically happen to my children if they contracted COVID-19 paralyzed me into blind submission. I was behind the idea of online learning, as well as socially distancing my children from their friends. Our school district, Sweetwater County School District No. 1, did a tremendous job of figuring out how best to provide a productive learning environment for every child within the district. Internet was provided for those who did not have access to it, laptops and iPads were given to each and every student and f...
I didn’t expect to see Spiderman at the Wyoming Senate, but I’m sure glad he showed up. He helped save the day. He didn’t look the same as he does in his superhero costume. In fact, in civilian clothes, the fellow on my computer monitor looked a lot like Senate President Drew Perkins (R-Casper). “There’s not many times that something screams at me to be careful, careful, careful on these things,” he said. “And this — my Spidey-senses are tingling dramatically on this one.” The issue was an amendment to a bill during the May 15-16 virtual spe...
Wyoming is at a point where it needs more investment into its ageing infrastructure and the pandemic is the perfect excuse to do so, as long as the state’s legislature finally decides to open up spending some of its reserves. The pandemic has resulted a large number of people being laid off from their jobs. The oil and gas industry has been particularly impacted, though travel and tourism efforts across the state will likely see diminished returns as well. Less revenue means less work. However, if the state poured heavy investments into its h...
When people look back at the COVID-19 pandemic in the future, one of the takeaways will likely be that the incident resulted in people using the time at home to brush up on their cooking skills. The fact that a lot of people started experimenting with recipes and techniques they were interested in, yet didn’t think they had the time for, is undisputed at this point. People sharing the sourdough starters they concocted over social media has become almost a joke in itself because of how common t...
The headlines have been grim. Seventeen bodies piled up in the morgue at a New Jersey nursing home. Fifty-five residents dead in Brooklyn, N.Y. In one week, 104 residents dead in a facility in western Pennsylvania and 102 dead at a home in San Antonio. In Detroit 26 percent of nursing home residents and staff test positive for the coronavirus. Residents in nursing homes had been at risk long before I began reporting on them in the 1990s, and care facilities have continued to be the subject of press inquiry all across the country. Staffing...
We’ve had some beautiful weather in southwestern Wyoming over the past week. The blue skies, warm temperatures and the greenery sprouting everywhere is enough to make someone forget about work and the ever-present COVID-19 pandemic to enjoy a day surrounded by nature. Sweetwater County has a lot of beautiful vistas and outdoor adventures waiting for residents just outside of town. Enjoying the outdoor opportunities afforded to us is the perfect way to relax after a very odd two-month period of social distancing. A short weekend camping trip at...
The area’s first responders typically excel when working under conditions most people would find trying. Firefighters, ambulance workers and police officers are often the people tasked with responding to emergencies large and small. They’re the people seeing us through some of the most difficult moments of our lives, fighting the house fire, assisting the injured and cleanup after a vehicle crash or even making sure our city’s residents are safe from criminals seeking to gain from someone else. Their jobs are difficult. There’s no other w...
Mrs. R was a character. Her natural red hair had changed to gray years earlier, but thanks to the magic of her hairdresser, her hair was again flashy red, and she had a personality to match. She was a feisty, fun and full-blooded woman full of zest and pizzazz. She made me smile whenever I made rounds at the nursing home. Through the years, Alzheimer’s disease took its toll on her memory, but her spirit, brightness and spark didn’t seem to fade much. Even near the end, as the family stopped the hair coloring, she gave me a charge of energy and...
(Editor’s note: The following letter was sent to the Bureau of Land Management. Sweetwater County Commissioner Wally Johnson requested its publication in The Green River Star as well.) Sweetwater County strongly recommends that the Bureau of Land Management postpones publishing its Draft Rock Springs Resource Management Plan until the COVID-19 public health restrictions are lifted and in-person cooperator and public workshops and meetings can once again be held. The county believes that it is only through this type of open dialog that the coope...
There is a lot to unpack this week. Who would have thought the President of the United States of America, a person in a position that arguably demands a high degree of intelligence regardless of who is in office, would casually talk about injecting disinfectants as a possible means of treating and curing COVID-19. First and foremost, DO NOT inject or consume disinfectant as a possible means of curing COVID-19. Never thought I’d have to write that sentence. I could go on and on about how i...
During this time where I am working from home, I am trying to focus on a growth mindset for me personally. In addition to working from home, I am homeschooling my three littles and enjoying my three older children being at home, even though I wish it was under different circumstances. While everything we are ALL going through is absolutely not ideal, I refuse to let the situations at hand define me. I am still working out, working on professional development goals and trying to be a positive light for those I am around and have contact with....
