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  • Tales of Sweetwater County

    Dick Blust, Sweetwater County Museum|Sep 19, 2019

    For four years, from 1938 to 1942, Green River was home to Camp Green River, a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp, one of thousands like it throughout the United States, the Sweetwater County Historical Museum said in a special release on Saturday. By 1933, the Great Depression was responsible for a 25 percent unemployment rate nationwide; some 15 million Americans were out of work. Just days after being sworn in as President in March, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt called the 73rd Congress into emergency session and proposed what came to be...

  • Our View: No vaping allowed

    Sep 12, 2019

    We’re happy to see the Green River City Council take an interest in prohibiting public vaping. We understand vaping, like smoking, is a personal choice and don’t hold it against residents who chose to do so. However, when it comes to public areas like parks or restaurants, we think vapers should follow the same guidelines smokers have to follow. Regardless of if vaping poses fewer secondhand risks to others than smoking does, we think it’s a courtesy for people who vape not to do so in a public setting. While most vape cartridges attempt to pr...

  • Online school misconceptions put to rest

    Sep 12, 2019

    Dear Editor, There are so many misconceptions about online public schools. As a teacher at Wyoming Virtual Academy, I’ve seen the confusion some people have firsthand. As a new school year begins, I want to help explain the important roles these schools play and why school choice must be protected. One of the main purposes of online schools is to provide an academic option for students in search of an alternative learning environment or instructional approach that they haven’t found elsewhere. While online school isn’t for every student, it do...

  • Lifelong Learning: Stay in the Game

    Lu Sweet, Western Wyoming Community College|Sep 12, 2019

    I was reading an editorial by Tom Salvino in the Subaru Drive magazine of all places. (Yes, we have a Subaru as our home.) His article is titled, “The Best Kind of Teacher.” In it, Salvino talks about how growing up, his grandfather seemed to know everything from how to skip rocks to playing chess. His grandfather was his idol and he was always teaching. Salvano reminds us that we can always learn something new, even when we think we are already pretty good at something. Such is the case with what I call “gimmies” in basketball and of course,...

  • Our View: Be responsible pet owners

    Sep 5, 2019

    Being a responsible pet owner in more than just loving an animal. It’s making sure all of their needs are met and sometimes this may mean making the tough decision to have your pet spayed or neutered. Most of the problems happening in communities overrun with feral cats or unwanted kittens stem from people not having their pets spayed or neutered. This is a problem not only Green River is facing, but Sweetwater County. Green River Animal Control officer Tracy Wyant said they have seen the shelter filled with kittens and unwanted cats before, b...

  • A day at the horse races

    David Martin, Publisher|Sep 5, 2019

    Horse racing is something I’m not inherently accustomed to. I’ve heard stories about how great my grandfather was at picking a winning horse, though I’ve come to the realization that most of the luck existing within my family was used up by my grandparents. They’ve always had stories about winning thousands in Wendover, Nev., a lucky night at bingo or a great day at off-track betting. On the other hand, I became so disgusted losing $80 during my last trip to Las Vegas that I stopped gambling and...

  • Our View: The 6th-penny push

    Aug 29, 2019

    While our readers might be getting tired of reading about a push for a new sixth-penny tax initiative in 2020, one important question we should all ask ourselves is this: how much is too much? During a special meeting at the Sweetwater County Events Complex Tuesday evening, a total of $230 million in projects was presented and discussed by members of local governments and groups. In 2012, voters approved approximately $81 million in sixth-penny projects. Those projects were funded through special tax bonds, which the tax itself paid off over a...

  • Back to school morning frenzy has started already

    Stephanie Thompson, Editor|Aug 29, 2019

    It’s like a scene out of a movie depicting the perfect morning. A mother making breakfast, politely waking her kids up with the smell of bacon, pancakes and eggs she’s made them for breakfast, which they will eat with smiles on their faces before school. That’s how I picture my school mornings going, yet, it never turns out that way at all. Oh, I have the best intentions of making the house like a Disney movie, but let’s face it, that’s not reality. I do, however, always try to greet my youngest...

  • The value in having a loving family is great

    Richard P. Holm, The Prairie Doc|Aug 22, 2019

    I appreciate how the old prayer goes, “Bless the food before us, the family beside us, and the love between us...” A few years back, our youngest son, had a break-in at his home and they took his computer with all his pictures as well as his original created songs. They also got away with my old film-dependent camera with a bunch of undeveloped pictures my son had taken. He decried that it wasn’t the loss of the computer or the camera, it was the loss of memories and ideas contained within. He was dismayed that he dreamt he caught the thiev...

  • A unique Hollywood story told

    David Martin, Publisher|Aug 22, 2019

    “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is the tale of two Hollywoods: one that’s fading into irrelevance and one of a fresher version blossoming in its place. The film mostly follows actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stuntman and friend Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) as they struggle to make ends meet in 1969. The pair’s careers peaked with the TV western “Bounty Law” and in the years following the series’ end, find Dalton’s star fading. Dalton continues acting in various bad guy of the w...

  • Our View: Best 6th-penny uses

    Aug 22, 2019

    We can say with certainty that there will be a large push to put a special-purpose tax initiative on the 2020 ballot. Meetings and discussions have already taken place and some municipal officials have been talking about potential uses since the last tax, passed in 2012, ended. The tax, commonly referred to as the sixth-penny tax, has been an important tool in renovating East 2nd South Street, completing improvements at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County and expanding the Rock Springs Recreation Center, among others. A small increase in sal...

  • Our View: Ambulances needed

    Aug 15, 2019

    The thought of not having an ambulance service in Sweetwater County is something we cannot even fathom. We believe if it’s a situation requiring emergency assistance, an ambulance had better be there. At a recent Sweetwater County commissioner’s meeting, Commissioner Jeffery Smith said he wanted the press to help him inform the public about the financial problems both Castle Rock Ambulance Service and Sweetwater Medics are having. According to Smith, Castle Rock is losing about $35,000 per month, while Sweetwater Medics has received about $1....

  • Convenience may actually hurt us

    David Martin, Publisher|Aug 15, 2019

    We live in an age of unparalleled convenience. With a tap on a cell phone screen, we can summon a driver, order carryout delivery or have our groceries shipped right to our front doors. Don’t want to go through Amazon? Grocery stores allow people to shop on your phone, with the items bagged and ready for pickup within a few hours. We’re living in an age “The Jetsons” couldn’t imagine -- though I still want the flying cars. However, what does this convenience cost us? I started asking myself th...

  • Heart can make a popping-corn rhythm

    Richard P. Holm MD, The Prairie Doc|Aug 15, 2019

    “Every once in a while, my heart seems to be jumping out of my chest, I get a weak feeling and short of breath,” the patient explained. When I listened with my stethoscope, his rhythm was different than the usual lub-dub, foot-tapping, sounds, which are regular as a band marching through town on a summertime parade. Instead his heart had the irregular rhythm of popping corn, chaotic and unpredictable, and I couldn’t tap my foot to it. As predicted, the EKG showed the rhythm of atrial fibrillation, with the atrial rate running at three to 400 b...

  • Our View: URA is overstepping

    Aug 8, 2019

    Recent comments by the Green River Urban Renewal/Main Street Agency regarding the Love’s Travel Stop proposal have us confused as to how the agency thinks the commissioners can implement its requests. According to the comments, the agency wants Love’s to partner with it and promote Green River businesses. It’s also asking the company to sponsor Main Street events. These requests aren’t out of the question, but we’re not sure why the county needs to be involved in communicating these requests. The people the agency should send these requests to...

  • Letter: Greenbelt cleanup efforts don't go unnoticed

    Aug 8, 2019

    To the Editor, Green River citizens and visitors using the Greenbelt from FMC Bridge along the river, behind the ball fields all the way to the horse corrals deserve a big thank you. As one of the people who pick up dog doo and trash left by others, I have noticed a huge change. One year ago, I removed 7-10 bags per month from those areas. This year, there is a noticeable difference, a half a bag here, perhaps 3/4 there. I’m sure everyone enjoys seeing a cleaner Greenbelt as we walk, bike and fish. Dawn Coyote Green River...

  • Zen and the art of tough love

    Aug 8, 2019

    I got pulled over for speeding Saturday. I was in Rock Springs and driving near Veterans Park when it happened. The Rock Springs Police Department officer told me I was driving 40 mph in a 30 mph zone, which I can confirm because the knee-jerk reaction to seeing any sort of patrol vehicle is to quickly glance at my speedometer. The officer gave me a warning about the speeding and was genuinely pleasant during the stop. A mental error involving a dead cell phone and not printing my insurance cards resulted in a citation for not having that...

  • Our View:Ready for fair fun

    Aug 1, 2019

    It’s that time of the year again. Fair time. It’s something we not only enjoy going to with our families and friends, but covering it for the newspaper. What’s not to like? From the special entertainment, concerts and carnival rides to 4-H shows and exhibits of all kinds. There’s so much to do and not enough time to do or cover it all, but we sure try. Over the years, the fair has had numerous special entertainers. One special event we’re looking forward to seeing this year are the duck races. This event was at the fair a few years ago and i...

  • Thinking about health: Caregiving costs are not just for the elderly

    Trudy Lieberman, Rural Health News Service|Aug 1, 2019

    Is the U.S. ready for a discussion about paying for caregiving, an increasingly vexing and costly problem for a growing number of Americans? The answer may be “yes.” It has become obvious that long-term care insurance is not the answer to paying for nursing home and other kinds of care for the elderly. Sales for this product have been declining, the result of sky-high premiums, rate increases, and the difficulty of qualifying for a policy if you’re sick. But the elderly are not the only Americans needing care. At the other end of the age spect...

  • Our View: Accessible information

    Jul 25, 2019

    Want to find out how much your local government is spending, where it’s spent or which government positions earn the most; there are a variety of publicly available documents to satisfy that curiosity. Want to know how a public official responded in an email conversation with other officials or are curious about what the Green River City Council approved in May 2017. There are documents that can answer those questions too. Government documents and reports are the best window into how your governments operate. They show what is being spent a...

  • 'Lion King' offers spectacle

    David Martin, Publisher|Jul 25, 2019

    In 1994, Disney released “The Lion King,” an animated film widely considered to be one of the crown jewels of the so-called Disney Renaissance period from the late 1980s to late 1990s. Exactly 25 years later, Disney releases “The Lion King,” a remake of its landmark film, featuring draw-dropping computer animation and a new cast in retelling the tale of a young lion rediscovering his role in the Circle of Life. The 1994 is superior to the soulless remake that will likely earn Disney even mo...

  • It's time to stand up against bullies

    Richard P. Holm MD, The Prairie Doc|Jul 25, 2019

    We have all had to deal with bullies throughout our lives, and I have had my share. One fall day, coming home from school, I saw two guys from my third-grade class beating up on a smaller kid and was moved to step in to help. I was chagrined, but not surprised when the victim ran home, and I became the new target. The beating I took that day was minimal, however, the sense that I did the right thing by standing up against bullies has propped up my self-worth my whole lifetime. Bullies and abuse are everywhere. While in medical school, I was in...

  • Our View: Rodeo impacts county

    Jul 18, 2019

    There’s a lot to check out at the National High School Finals Rodeo. Of course there are the rodeo performances, which take place twice daily, at 9 a.m., and 7 p.m. The last performances take place Saturday, which culminates in the rodeo’s championship round at 7 p.m., that night. For rodeo fans and those who like a good show, the competitors are top notch. Some of them will be future stars of the sport and this rodeo is an opportunity to see them in action. There is the trade show as well. The annual trade show, which follows the rodeo, gives...

  • Lifelong Learning: Balancing acts

    Lu Sweet, Western Wyoming Community College|Jul 18, 2019

    I recently read an article written by Emily Tipping, editorial director for the magazine Recreation Management, May 2019, about trying to keep work life and home life in balance on a consistent basis. Tipping said that we all have an idea of where we want to operate: when we are doing everything we need to do and as a result our mind, body and soul are good. Tipping said that even when we think we have it all figured out there will be days when nothings seems to go right. However, she said we just need to be mindful of this and stay positive...

  • Is the information one reads fake news?

    Richard P. Holm MD, The Prairie Doc|Jul 18, 2019

    It is miraculous to consider how much access and exposure we have to information through our computers, televisions, radios and newspapers. Unfortunately, we need to be on guard because too much of this buzz can be false information. In an October 2017 article, the Pew Research Center found 43 percent of people in 2016 received their news from Facebook listening for information that aligned with their world view (not necessarily with facts). Pew also found 23 percent had shared, by intention or accident, untrue political messages on social...

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