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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....
With the coronavirus outbreak, we have all had to adapt to new ways of doing things. The majority of you are adjusting to online or remote learning from your homes, faculty are transitioning to virtual classrooms from their homes, and staff are supporting you through the use of technology from their homes. Even though our physical campuses may be closed, we are open for business and focused on helping you finish this semester. The uncertainties and challenges related to COVID-19 may have us feeling anxious and isolated. We understand the tempta...
Observers have long dreaded the arrival of an economic perfect storm in Wyoming, but not even the most pessimistic of the bunch imagined the epic collapse that a recent Legislative Service Office memo says is in store for the state. Its “optimistic” scenario shows a loss of $556 million through the 2021-22 biennium. On the other end of the scale, where no one in state government wants to stare, the “pessimistic” forecast is a $2.8 billion deficit. House Revenue Committee Chairman Dan Zwonitzer (R-Cheyenne) told WyoFile reporter Andrew Graham, w...
The Flaming Gorge Days Committee has a difficult decision to make. Having to cancel an event that would have taken place in its 64th consecutive year is something we’re sure no one involved wanted to do. They made that tough decision and while there are some unintended consequences associated with that choice, the group should be commended for pulling the trigger on a difficult call. While the decision ultimately came down to a business dilemma, specifically what to do if contracts were signed and FGD would have to be canceled due to state h...
Dear Editor, One of the many things I love about living in Western Wyoming is the abundant amount of public land that is available for recreation. As an avid sportsman who relies on access to public lands, I was relieved to see that the Sweetwater County Board of Commissioners sent a letter to the Bureau of Land Management requesting that they delay their Draft Resource Management Plan for Rock Springs until the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted and the public can safely engage in this important process. The Rock Springs plan will determine how...
Observers have long dreaded the arrival of an economic perfect storm in Wyoming, but not even the most pessimistic of the bunch imagined the epic collapse that a recent Legislative Service Office memo says is in store for the state. Its “optimistic” scenario shows a loss of $556 million through the 2021-22 biennium. On the other end of the scale, where no one in state government wants to stare, the “pessimistic” forecast is a $2.8 billion deficit. House Revenue Committee Chairman Dan Zwonitzer (R-Cheyenne) told WyoFile reporter Andrew Graham, w...
The English language can be tricky. This is a language that offers different spellings for the same-sounding words. To, two and too, for example. Or there, they’re and their. Add in the fact that each of those six words have their own usage rules and definitions and you can see why English can be so difficult to learn for both native and nonnative speakers. Then there’s the regional variants for spelling. Think the difference between the British (and Canadian) “flavour” and the American “flavor...
It’s a photo we’re definitely happy to publish. The main image on the cover of this newspaper depicts two teens playing basketball at Edgewater Park last week. From the action in the image to what they’re wearing, it’s a photo announcing the arrival of spring in Sweetwater County. Yet, there’s a problem with the image. It was taken during a time when people have been asked to maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from one another during a worldwide pandemic. We’re not criticizing the teens in the photos here. While they’re not following str...
Dear Editor, As the President of the Wyoming Nurses Association (WNA), I’d like to recognize and give thanks to all involved in the fight of COVID 19 in Wyoming. The Wyoming Nurses Association is the professional organization for registered nurses in Wyoming. Our mission is to promote the profession of nursing, provide a unified voice for nurses, and advocate for a healthier Wyoming Incident Command centers in every community, public health officials, first responders, primary care providers, nurses, respiratory therapists, and all who s...
(Note: This is the first article in a series looking into strange phenomena that has reportedly occurred in Wyoming) Over the years, I’ve heard some strange tales of things happening in Sweetwater County. A coworker at a former job told me about seeing a gathering of ghostly pioneers late at night on a desolate stretch of highway miles away from any town. My father, while working at the old Stansbury mine when it was owned by Arch Minerals, used to mention how he’d occasionally see metallic obj...
If the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that normal life can be changed in an instant. Three months ago, who would have thought we would have seen schools closed, business hours reduced and alerts telling people to wear masks while in public and to shelter at home? One of the most vulnerable groups in Green River are children and teens. With the closure of schools, many face food shortage on top of situations where parents may find themselves out of work because of the pandemic. However, with Sweetwater County School District N...
During my lifelong practice of geriatrics, I observed many people reaching the end of their lives. Truth is, what I’ve seen is a mixed picture. The two patient stories I describe here are really a blend of hundreds of experiences. Ms. A is in her late 80s, walks two miles every day, mostly outside but inside a wellness center when sidewalks are icy. She eats a balanced light diet and is connected to many friends. Ms. A is spiritually connected, and life has been and continues to be meaningful to her. Ms. B is also in her late 80s, has never b...