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My dad started teaching me hunter safety at our ranch outside of Douglas when I was 8 years old. One of the most important lessons was this: “Never pull the trigger unless you’re ready to accept the consequences.” Of course, this means you must understand what the consequences will be. If there is the slightest doubt, you never shoot. I’ve been thinking about that lesson as I have listened to testimony on two life-related bills at the Wyoming Legislature, HB145 Death Penalty Repeal and HB140 Abortion- 48 Hour Waiting Period. The debates...
David Mitchell is a man with a mission. He is determined to stitch together a movement that will finally smash the power of the pharmaceutical industry and bring pocketbook relief to millions of Americans who need expensive drugs. Mitchell, a 68-year-old former Washington, D.C., communications executive, was diagnosed eight years ago with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. Until recently, the disease has been held in check by drugs costing $325,000 a year. Medicare and a good Medigap policy have covered most of the expense. In 2016 Mitchell...
For gamers in their late 30s and early 40s, one of the most memorable aspects of the games released on the Nintendo Entertainment System is their brutal difficulty. The concept of “Nintendo hard” didn’t come about until years after the game system’s original run, when players wanting to play the games their older siblings and parents played sat down and discovered the games were unforgiving. Part of this is due to how games are developed and released now as opposed to 30 years ago. Games on thos...
We are proud of Sweetwater County’s high school students. During the annual friendly blood drive between Green River and Rock Springs high schools, students raised a total of 713 pints of blood. The schools almost raised exactly the same amounts, with Green River raising 360 pints of blood and Rock Springs raising 353 pints. The human body, depending on size, can contain between 9 and 12 pints of blood, meaning the two schools raised enough blood for between 59 and 79 people. More realistically speaking, that’s enough blood for hundreds of blo...
The Carnegie Library building in Green River is the focus of a $12,000 grant to pay for a structural study on the building and we’re hoping it reveals a way to save the building. We agree with Brie Blasi, director of the Sweetwater County Historical Museum, when she calls the building one of the most historically important structures in Green River. The building is important to Green River as it’s one of two structures that established Green River as a viable, permanent town. It, along with the U.P. Depot gave people a reason to invest in the...
To be honest, I’ve never cared about winning awards for my work. I won’t argue that it doesn’t feel good to have our work recognized by our peers. It does. I also won’t argue against how good it feels to walk to a podium and accept those awards. However, I’ve always been of the opinion that while the awards and kudos that comes with them is nice to have, it does not and should not be the main reason for me to get out of bed and come to work. Ensuring people are accurately informed, working t...
HB140 (48-hour waiting period for abortion) is an unnecessary, discriminatory bill, and an example of government overreach. This bill requires that a woman wait at least 48 hours after receiving information about ultrasound before she is allowed to have an abortion, except when necessary to preserve the woman from an imminent peril that substantially endangers her life or health, according to appropriate medical judgment. HB140 is unnecessary. By the time a woman finds out she is pregnant; evaluates her options; talks to her doctor, family, fri...
Supporters, doubtlessly, you’re bringing your own personal religious bottom lines to bear on this intensely private matter, HB140, that, truthfully, is none of your beeswax! Why should we tolerate your push to inflict your positions on us? The ONLY legitimate reason to include any outsider in our deliberations might be if they commit to taking and raising the unborn as their own. You presume to better know or, more accurately, to simply ignore our physical, psychological, financial and social circumstances in pursuit of your own desired o...
In any democratic government, transparency is key to good governance and enhances trust between the people government serves and the elected officials sworn to represent their constants. When Gov. Mark Gordon announced his intent to form a financial transparency group, we were happy to see the governor and State Auditor Kristi Racines taking the issue of transparency seriously. We were also excited to see the group include Kristen Czaben, editor of the Sheridan Press, included on the committee as it telegraphs an intent to include journalists...
Southwest Wyoming anchors the longest known mule deer migration in the world. This region is also central in the nation’s energy development, and current federal “energy dominance” policy has sped up the leasing process. Despite the Interior Department’s recent order to protect these migrations, the Bureau of Land Management has nothing enforceable in place to ensure this happens. My husband and I live, work and recreate in this area. One of the things we appreciate the most is the opportunity to enjoy free roaming wildlife. We are also aw...
Like anything, a 40-year-old building shows signs of wear. Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County is no exception. Sweetwater Memorial has a list of projects on its maintenance list. One of those at the top of that list is a project to upgrade the hospital’s heating and cooling system at a cost of approximately $3.25 million. Cooling towers, chillers, pumps and the steam system all must be upgraded. To help resolve those issues, the Sweetwater County Commission recently set aside $1 million to help cover the costs. Commissioners Wally J...
Changes are coming to the Green River Star, and we’re definitely excited about what the future holds. The change readers will likely notice this week is new titles given to Stephanie Thompson and myself. Starting this week, I will now serve as the Green River Star’s publisher, while Stephanie will be the newspaper’s chief editor. It brings me great joy to announce Thompson as the Star’s new editor and to see her climb as my own career progresses. She has always been a wealth of informa...
It’s that time of the year where a lot of Green River’s residents think about warmer climates and avoid any mention of the four-letter word referring to cold, fluffy white stuff. While it goes without saying that the county’s motorists should exercise caution while driving on the ice and snow covered roads, we think it’s equally important for everyone to spare a thought for the people responsible for maintaining clear roads when the snow starts to fall. Plow drivers can have it rough. The Wyoming Department of Transportation maintains Interst...
A lot of blood, sweat and years went into the fight to remove state sales taxes from groceries in Wyoming. It finally happened in 2006. Former State Rep. Ann Robinson (D-Casper) spent eight years bringing bill after bill to the Wyoming House before finally seeing the food tax exemption pass as a state budget amendment. This session, though, the exemption faces its first serious threat in 13 years, and she’s not happy about it. “It’s a bad idea,” she said, correctly in my view. “It doesn’t speak well of the Legislature that they would even...
As the 2019 legislative session approaches, a major discussion topic in state government from 2018 moves to action. That topic is “government efficiency.” You’ve likely heard it mentioned on the campaign trail from candidates, in news coverage, and throughout your communities when discussing our state’s affairs. As a statewide elected official, this topic has been a top priority for me for the past four years. I thought I would take an opportunity to provide some insight into government efficiency as it relates to education. “Govern...
If you are like me, you worry a little about stretching the dollar during the holidays. Of course, as has always been the case no matter where I have worked in education, my December paycheck has arrived the last day before vacation in December. This is great, for Christmas shopping of course, but then the extra week on the other end seems like a small eternity until payday at the end of January. It is what is it though and over the years I am becoming much better at planning ahead for this. So let’s talk about the concept of pay for a bit i...
The sixth penny improvement tax is almost certain be on the 2020 ballot. Both cities, as well as the county’s outlying towns, will need infrastructure improvements beyond what they can provide from their budgets. For Green River specifically, the city will need to start securing funding for its wastewater treatment plant and the improvement projects tax would make for an excellent source to receive some of that money. Beyond improvements, one idea that has come to our attention is the p...
Editor’s note: What follows is a email conversation between Spencer Riggs, on-site general manager at the Little America west of Green River and the Star’s editor, David Martin. In order to provide Riggs’ comments the best context, we decided to publish the conversation in full regarding Riggs’ concerns on the reporting of the zoning change in Jamestown and what it could mean for the area if a truck stop is built in the area. Some portions of the exchange have been edited to enhance clarity. Spencer Riggs: I don’t like how your news is portra...
One day without the internet doesn’t seem like that big of a deal until it happens to you. Last Thursday, as my coworkers and I tried to go about getting our work done, we quickly realized just how much we rely on the internet to do our jobs. Just simple things such as typing up the community calendar, getting a graphic for an ad or obtaining information via email, all require the use of a working internet connection. Even while typing up this column, I realized I need the internet to look up m...
I had the chance to visit Japan last month. The only thought I’ve had on my mind since returning is how much I’d like to venture away and see world. I’ve always been fascinated with Japan. Its culture, its history, its myths and traditions. I can’t even remember when this fascination first took hold of me. Maybe it was watching old Godzilla movies late at night with my mother. Perhaps it was having played video games for so long, that the more Japanese-influenced titles took hold on me. All I kn...
Overall, we think 2018 was a good year for Green River and Sweetwater County. Green River celebrated its 150th birthday to a celebration worthy of something that occurs once every 150 years. The city has made strides in work on the UP Depot building, accomplishing enough to fulfill the conditions of the city’s original five-year lease, opening up a 99-year lease for the building. Work continues on the Tomahawk building and its owners hope to bring businesses into the historic structure when the elevator and other essentials are in place. B...
I live many miles from Green River, but I remember visiting you town back in 2013. I enjoyed the motel and the food up near the interstate. The HR299 bill, which Senator Enzi objected to, was not a new expenditure. It was simply a return of benefits that were taken from the Blue Water Navy back in 2002. For 16 years, we have been exiled from the thousands of Vietnam veterans whose claims come on the VA acknowledging that the veteran has illnesses that may have come from Agent Orange. These veterans who served what is referred to as in-country...
With the attorney general’s decision that skill games terminals are illegal and playing those machines is considered gambling under state law, residents who enjoyed playing those machines are likely out of a means to enjoy those games. Of course, a person could travel to Riverton or Lander and enjoy a traditional slot machine at a reservation casino. Residents could also decide to play one of the historic horse racing terminals, which look a lot like slot machines, available nearby as the attorney general’s opinion does not impact historic hor...
We owe our veterans, who have sacrificed for their country, our careful consideration of legislation that would affect them so much. The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act is no exception. Yet the Veterans Administration continues to have serious concerns. This could impact veterans across the board. We need to carefully increase benefits. As Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee tasked with oversight and enforcing rules on government spending, I have to be concerned that the bill would cost far more than originally estimated. More than...
The other day came a lengthy report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announcing worrisome findings for anyone with a Medicare Advantage plan and anyone thinking about buying one in the future. The findings are also relevant to anyone buying any kind of health insurance this year. The ominous takeaway? The information given to consumers in the provider directories is deeply flawed, often misleading, inaccurate, and says CMS, “can create a barrier to care.” Imagine choosing a plan based on the information that your doctor...
