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(Publisher’s note: this was the winning essay in the seventh grade division of a contest hosted by the Sweetwater County Historical Museum.) Over 150 years ago on Dec. 10, 1869 arguably one of the most memorable moments in history was put into action. Leaders in Wyoming granted women to vote and hold power in law making and office. This simple action pioneered equality for women across the United States. One woman in woman’s rights history that I would like to focus on is Ester Hobart Morris. According to the U.S. National Park Service, Mor...
The upcoming fall sports season can go either one of two ways. We either see student athletes and fans enjoy a season of competition or we’ll see a premature end to the season and schools shutting down as a surge of COVID-19 cases develop from a sporting event. We can have a safe and enjoyable season, but it’s up to all of us to make sure that happens. If we’re not careful, the virus could quickly spread beyond an athlete or spectator. A series of infections from an event could interrupt or postpone a team’s season, like the Florida Marlins...
I am alarmed at the free college rhetoric that hit the Wyoming news cycle over the past week. I know our post-secondary institutions are concerned about enrollment being down this fall and the financial hardship that will cause. But dangling the offer of free college with federal CARES money is not the right message or strategy for that money or our state. It is all too easy in contemporary politics for politicians to offer free everything, we can do better than that in Wyoming. A draft bill, proposed by Speaker Harshman, and supported by minor...
During the warm weather of Saturday, my party of five and I decided there was no better time to go kayaking down the Green River. After deciding that a short, one-hour float from County Picnic Grounds to the Island Park would be best, we started our journey. The party I was traveling with consisted of my best friend JJ, my grandfather Jim, my 13-year-old sister Kylee, my family friend Tyndia and her 10-year-old daughter Destiny. During this float there are several small rapids and a couple white water rapids, but the real challenge is the...
We’re delving into uncomfortable territory this week, but we think it’s an important topic all the same. Last week, we reported on an investigation the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office is conducting into allegations of a man trespassing into privately-owned corrals to engage in sexual acts with horses north of Rock Springs. An interesting piece to the issue is the fact that Wyoming is one of four states where those sorts of acts are not illegal. The definitions to animal cruelty don’t apply either. This certainly should be remedied. We unde...
Sometimes, life has lessons for us that we don’t truly appreciate until much later. Many years ago, when I was a very wet behind the ears new doctor, I had the privilege of being part of the care team for an elderly Native American woman. She had been transferred from somewhere in rural South Dakota to our hospital in the city in hopes of identifying her disease and ascertaining how best to help her. Her daughter accompanied her. The medical team was convinced we knew “best,” while her daughter was determined that we were not going to take...
Dear Editor, This is truly it. Russia had its Bolshevik revolution in October 1917. China its October 1949 and August 1966. Now we face our own Red October 2020 in America. Will the outcome be enslavement, mind control and the death of millions as with these prior socialist “experiments?” Time, and the extent to which we stand up for ourselves and our kids, will tell. Some of us have long seen this coming. Most of you are just now starting to think “where did all this come from?” A couple of you still cling to “let’s just get along,” una...
Government budgets are going to be tight in the foreseeable future, as impacts from a struggling minerals industry and continued fallout from the global pandemic cause havoc for even the most conservative budgets. While it may be a few years before everything returns to normal, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be looking to the future. We should look ahead and plan for certain expansions that would pay dividends to Green River businesses for years to come. The most cost-effective project to do this is an expansion on the city’s splash park at Ev...
Dear Editor, Without risk, there are no rewards. On March 13, 2020, the President of the United States declared a national emergency. Governor Gordon declared a state emergency. I cried. For WY residents of nursing ones who were denied visits from family and friends. For family who were denied, not only visits, but goodbyes, to loved ones. At the end of April, the President of the United States delegated the powers to assess the needs for health orders, at the state level. By then, we had established that our hospitals were not overwhelmed. We...
(Editor's Note: This is the winning essay from a contest hosted by the Sweetwater County Historical Museum. The writing prompt was: A local historical event that inspires me. Part of the grand prize is having the essay republished in the Green River Star. Jessica will be a senior at Green River High School this year.) On Friday, Oct. 17, 1969, University of Wyoming star football players Jerome Berry, Tony Gibson, John Griffin, Lionel Grimes, Mel Hamilton, Ron Hill, Willie Hysaw, Jim Issac, Earl...
Sweetwater County commissioners missed an opportunity to take a lead on an issue tied to the coronavirus pandemic and should reverse course. Last week, the commissioners debated a resolution requiring residents to wear a mask when entering a county building and also making masks mandatory for county employees unless they’re in their private offices. Some of the concerns presented were legitimate, such as the enforceability of the resolution. However, other concerns weren’t as solid. “We’ve seen some incidents where face masks are required or ev...
America is starting to recover from its coronavirus-induced coma. The economy added nearly 5 million jobs in June – our largest-ever monthly jobs gain. Businesses small and large are waking up. Thousands of Americans who lost their jobs are being hired back. And yet with the recent spike in cases, the country needs a responsible plan to bring us back to the pre-pandemic economy: strong, healthy and growing. Some see the spike and immediately call for another shutdown. They want to abandon our economic recovery, which would give whiplash to hard...
By Kerry Drake Wyofile.com The Wyoming Republican Party’s recent convention in Gillette demonstrated that the radical right’s takeover of the GOP is now complete. It wasn’t just that officials ramrodded through wholesale bylaw changes that punish county organizations and candidates who don’t follow the orders of the party’s central committee. Or even that the party’s last-minute Senate-race straw poll — taken after many delegates walked out in disgust following the bylaws fiasco — selected a little-known, far-right candidate over a staunchl...
The Anderson County Review in Kansas became a viral sensation over the weekend, calling attention to itself well beyond its 2,900 circulation. The newspaper’s publisher posted political cartoon on its Facebook page critical of the state’s governor, Democrat Laura Kelly, and a recent mandate she signed requiring residents to wear masks in public areas and in places where social distancing can’t be accomplished. The cartoon features Kelly, wearing a mask with the Star of David printed on it, standing in front of people being loaded onto cattl...
At the height of the pandemic, many Americans are experiencing firsthand the flaws in the Affordable Care Act and the health insurance it guaranteed. They are also facing the possibility that even the protection it does afford may be stripped away. The fate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, is again uncertain. The 2010 law that began to whittle down the large number of uninsured Americans is back at the U.S. Supreme Court awaiting a decision most likely next year about whether it is constitutional. The court has uphe...
My friend broke my nose at an after-prom party in high school. It was nothing deliberate, such as fighting over a girl. Rather, we bumped heads while wearing those big round air-filled sumo wrestler suits. Besides hurting a lot, I remember thinking, “I’ve never been so aware of my nose before.” I was overly cautious of anything that could come close to my nose. I think we sometimes take our noses for granted. Despite being right between our eyes, it’s not our noses, but our heart, lungs, and other organs that get most of our interest. We brus...
Kanye West isn’t your typical musical genius/billionaire entrepreneur/fashion designer/Wyoming rancher/presidential candidate. There will never be anyone else like him. If West didn’t exist, someone would have to invent him, and the only person with enough talent, creativity and unparalleled self-promotional ability to pull that off is West himself. Trying to keep up with his exploits in just the past week has been dizzying. First, the rap artist announced a 10-year mega-partnership with The Gap to sell his Yeezy streetwear line. By the end...
Another Fourth of July holiday; another opportunity to see the hills catch fire. It’s almost a yearly tradition in itself. People playing with fireworks outside of Green River or Rock Springs ignite a brushfire resulting in fire crews from multiple agencies extinguishing the blaze. The specifics may differ, involving a Roman candle, bottle rocket or ground spinner, but when sparks and dry brush combine, the result is always the same. While we’ve had some precipitation in the last week, that rainfall shouldn’t lull anyone into a false sense of s...
As we poke our heads above ground to survey the damage visited on our shores by the coronavirus, it is imperative that we move forward with an intelligent, focused, and effective plan of action for rebuilding the economies and promise of our communities, our states, and our country. While the politicians and bureaucrats moved at lightning speed to shutter our small businesses and schools in order to “flatten the curve” (and then some), they also took a sledgehammer to the foundation of our prosperity, leaving personal devastation in their wak...
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...
