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If things continue as they’re going, we’re likely to see more solar development in Sweetwater County in the coming years. Along with the current Sweetwater Solar facility west of Green River, a second facility is being proposed in the same area. As most residents are aware now, Rocky Mountain Power’s Integrated Resource Plan calls for the early retirement of two units at the Jim Bridger Power Plant. It also lists potential solar projects that would replace energy lost from the plant’s retirement. It isn’t a stretch of the imagination to think...
Years ago, a family brought a 25-year-old farmer into the emergency room with a gunshot hole over his heart and with no pulse or breathing for more than ten minutes. It was a self-inflicted wound and this young farmer would farm no more. The family was besides themselves with loud and sorrowful wailing that wrenched my soul. They told me that the impending harvest looked poor, the loan was coming due, and he had been isolating himself, drinking more and getting angry at every little thing. They had no clue he was at risk of suicide. Sure, he...
Make no mistake, the state of Wyoming is experiencing an epic crisis of magnificent proportion that must end. We hear it time and time again that our young people are leaving Wyoming in search of better jobs and careers. Certainly, this is true, but there is more to it than just economic prosperity. I refuse to believe that our young buckaroos that were raised in Wyoming, see the dollar as their primary basis in life. Young people today want to live, thrive, and foster their families in communities that support their values, hopes, and dreams....
No one would argue the fact that coal has been the lifeblood of Sweetwater County and Wyoming for much of the state’s history. Without coal, Rock Springs wouldn’t exist. The state as a whole would be much different without the economic benefits coal has provided us. That’s why it isn’t surprising to see how people are reacting to Rocky Mountain Power’s plan to retire portions of the Jim Bridger Power Plant. Sweetwater County Commissioner Wally Johnson isn’t out of line in fearing the retirement of the two units would lead to them being disma...
If you’re buying health insurance on your own this year, the marketplace is more complicated – and dangerous – than ever. Dangerous? How can that be? This is health insurance we’re talking about, not some sketchy Internet site. But the reality is that the scam artists are out in full force, and anyone buying a policy by shopping online had better watch out. There’s a high likelihood you could buy something that won’t provide much coverage but will shortchange you mightily when you get sick. Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey, a Democrat, w...
With Thanksgiving coming up tomorrow, the Christmas season is set to rear its head with the annual Black Friday shopping circus. While Black Friday itself is a name more than anything else, as many big box stores have pushed their sales into Thanksgiving to get that all-important competitive edge, we would like to remind our readers to remember Green River’s local businesses. The city’s small businesses have a lot to offer. Mike Frink at Sweetwater Trophies has a number of interesting things available at his shop, including framed artwork and...
We’ve all heard the expression, “you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.” It’s so true, and kids are super impressionable. We need to be mindful every time we open ours mouths TO and AROUND our children. I know with my own children, they were/are always trying to copy the big people in their lives. My little ones are constantly saying things like, “I am wearing my hair just like Sister,” or “Mom, my shoes are just like yours.” We never know what they are going to remember and copy. My parents and grandparents woul...
Of the 40 million people with hearing loss in the U.S., 25 percent of those, or 10 million, have lost their hearing as a result of exposure to excessive noise. But how much noise is too much? Measured as decibels (dB), the acceptable manufacturing noise standard is to allow a daily exposure up to but not over 85 dB in an eight-hour period. More than that can cause permanent injury to our hearing. This is likely due to wear and tear on the tiny hairs that vibrate when sound is introduced. It’s like a line of kids walking across one path on the g...
Ambulance service once again was a major topic of discussion this week with the Sweetwater County Commissioners. This time, the discussion focused on a rate increase Sweetwater Medics of Rock Springs plans to initiate. Providing a cost-effective ambulance service in Sweetwater County is a conundrum for everyone involved. When Sweetwater Medics was first established, the company’s representatives proudly boasted they would not need government subsidizing to support their business. In the years that followed, the company would be forced to take b...
It’s been said that a person needs to know 2,000 words to be fluent in a language. This is deceptive because I’ve also read a person needs about 4,000 works to have some freedom of expression in a language. Between 2,000 and 4,000 or even more, that’s a daunting number to know and memorize. But, there are quite a few words that are simply fun to know. Sure they’ll never come up in casual conversation and if you can use one -- bonus points for you. Some sound absolutely silly, like the term “h...
A muddle and mixture of family and friends surrounded the dying elderly woman like she was a campfire. They came to honor and pay their respects; many generations, from all over the country. This group seemed well educated, well-read, and the intellectual discussions were tossed around in that room like a basketball. She had said, to all, that it was time. “Please stop the dialysis,” she insisted, and, it was stopped. At first, she was almost holding court, but over the days, as she was slipping across to the other side, the hymns started fil...
Once again, the kids at Lincoln Middle School did a bang-up job on their annual Veterans Day Program. Along with the school’s band performing the “Star Spangled Banner” and the “Armed Forces Medley” and the sixth graders’ presentation of the POW-MIA Table, students and vets had the opportunity to listen to Warren Taylor, a retired Navy veteran, talk about his experiences fighting in the Vietnam War. The school’s yearly event honoring area veterans is one of the highlights of what is often a somber holiday for many families. While we’re all than...
On the afternoon of September 13, 2019 I called 911 to report a criminal animal cruelty happening in the middle of the city of Rock Springs. I approached a transport truck due to the strong foul smell from half block away. I heard animal noises as I got closer. When I peeked inside, I saw dozens of pigs cramped up together, standing shoulder to shoulder in their own feces and some standing on the top of others since there was barely any space to turn around. I noticed their bodies were covered...
If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. I bet I’ve heard and repeated this age-old aphorism a million times. But can it be over-used? The adage about using it certainly fits when trying to enhance wellness for all sorts of medical systems: working the brain with puzzles and conversation helps ward off memory loss; walking fast enough to cause one to huff and puff, keeps the heart and lungs strong; regular sexual activity helps prevent impotence; filling the gut with a high fiber diet keeps the bowels in shape and makes you a regular sort-...
We are proud to live in a community where residents take care of each other. From fundraisers to help residents in need pay medical bills, to donations to pay for the Golden Hour Senior Center’s new technology center. This community often steps up fill the need. We recently received a message from the American Legion Tom Whitmore Post No. 28. This message was just a flyer letting us know about an upcoming coat drive the American Legion and Hilltop Baptist Church are hosting. Upon reading the flyer, we knew this was something we needed to s...
The elderly patient came back to our rural hospital from a hospital in a nearby larger city after having had major surgery and feeding-tube placement. The care from the bigger hospital was superb except that the patient was getting too much nutrient and fluids and was a bit “overloaded.” Also, the family was concerned that perhaps they had been too aggressive in getting stressful surgery for their elderly mom, whose memory had begun to slip. As her physician, I cut back on the feeding-tube supplements, stopped the intravenous fluids, provided a...
A navy warship named the USS Green River was built and saw service during World War II, the Sweetwater County Historical Museum stated in an article. The Green River (LSM(R)-506) was classified as a "Landing Ship Medium (Rocket)," an amphibious assault ship designed to support troops during landing operations. Commissioned in May of 1945, she was 203-feet long and displaced about 1,200 tons. LSM(R)s of her class were crewed by six officers and 137 enlisted men, and armed with a 5"/38-caliber...
We are excited to hear about the Newmar Kountry Klub International Rally, which will take place in August 2020. We believe all of the hard work employees at the Sweetwater Events Complex have been doing is paying off. We also agree we can’t advertise tourism in Sweetwater County enough because it can become an economic engine for the entire county. According to a press release from the complex, the Newmar Kountry Klub International Rally will bring more than 1,000 visitors to the area and about $818,000 in economic impact. This is something w...
Dear Editor: I am writing in opposition to the proposed legislation the minerals committee is considering regarding temporary spent nuclear fuel rod storage. This a bad idea on so many levels. Wyomingites have consistently opposed such ideas because while there might be as much as a billion dollars or more to be made, we have much more to lose. We should consider the fact that Wyoming is not at the table in these discussions as a plus. Wyoming ought to be banking on the assets it has, like wide open spaces and free roaming wildlife. We could...
Here in the Cowboy State, hunting isn’t just a pastime, it’s a way of life. And for generations the dirt under our fingernails and the game in our freezers has come from our world class public lands. So, when there are plans to drill in our most significant big game migration corridor, sportsmen are right to have concerns. Current plans to lease public lands that are in the middle of a critical mule deer migration route could harm Wyoming’s wildlife and hunting legacy. Wyoming is renowned for offering some of the nation’s most incredi...
I’m not the kind of person to get attached to my things. I think this has something to do with having been through a house fire as a teenager and losing everything I owned. If I need to throw something out, that’s that. Into the trash it goes and I move on with my life. However, I found it hard to toss a pair of shoes I’ve had for the past several years. I can’t even remember when I originally bought them. They’re a pair of tennis shoes, colored two shades of gray and they’ve had to go for a whi...
The economic-panel discussion on Boom and Bust Cycles came to Rock Springs on Oct. 9. It was held at Western Wyoming Community College, and generously funded by the American Heritage Center. In attendance were about 75 people from the area. On the panel, acting as moderator was former Wyoming governor, later ambassador to Ireland, Mike Sullivan. The panelists were former Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal, who led the state in its most prosperous years; State Sen. Dan Dockstader of Star Valley; State Sen. Tara Nethercott of Cheyenne, the leader in...
As we watch the sixth-penny special purpose tax requests make their way in front of the Sweetwater County commissioners, we’ve come to realize just how much our cities and towns have come to rely on the tax. Without this tax, the cities and towns’ water, sewer, and road paving projects would start to dwindle and maybe even come to a halt as the state isn’t seeing as much funding as is has in the past. While the state continues to cut funding to cities and towns across the state, this tax has been a way for counties to come up with money to pa...
Green River Animal Control has seen an influx of cats and kittens this year, and the cat room has been overflowing. Animal control would like to encourage everyone to be a responsible pet owner. Keep track of where your cats are and if you have not seen them in a day or two please check with the animal shelter. Very few felines brought in have been reclaimed by their owners. Out of 155 cats and kittens incoming since January, 45 were adopted, 34 transferred, and only 24 reclaimed by their...
Now is not the time to be fretting about the eventual closure of the Jim Bridger Power Plant. Yes, the first unit closure is scheduled to take place in 2023, a little more than four years away. However, what we should be doing is plotting a future for Sweetwater County that doesn’t focus on minerals. There are those who believe the possibility exists the closures won’t happen; plans will change and Rocky Mountain Power will see value in its coal power plants and keep them open. While we admit that is a possibility, we also think it’s an unlik...
