Sorted by date Results 701 - 725 of 1669
The Green River City Council needs to focus more on funding streets. Anyone driving down Flaming Gorge Way, especially near the Green River Police Department, can talk about how uneven the street has become. Other streets are in dire need of resurfacing too, some much more than Flaming Gorge Way. We hope newly-elected members of the council will remember what they’ve said about streets during their candidate forum last month. Many of the candidates agreed that streets need funding and said they support another sixth-penny improvements tax to h...
With the General Election officially over, Sweetwater County will have two new commissioners starting next year. A lot can be learned in the defeat suffered by John Kolb and Reid West. Before I explain further, it should be pointed out that both are good county commissioners. Neither man was lax in their duties and the commissioners as a group have done a lot to make Sweetwater County a better place. They saved Castle Rock Hospital District from failing, secured funding for the construction of...
Each year, I have the honor of putting together, designing and laying out our Salute to the troops Veterans Day special section. It’s a time-consuming and meticulous task because I don’t want to make any mistakes, which since I am human leaves me a little bit stressed out. I triple check that the names and photos are in the correct order and that everything looks good. I build other tabs throughout the year, but this one is different -- it’s for veterans -- for those who served or are conti...
Don’t look now, but Wyoming just dodged a fiscal bullet. The smart thing to do would be to count ourselves lucky, then get out of the line of fire before the next round comes flying down range. But if history is any guide, I expect our Legislature will keep the state right where it is. Wyoming state government has once again been delivered from a huge budget deficit, this time by a combination of unexpectedly higher oil prices and investment returns. That’s obviously good news, but in the long-term it will likely postpone (again) a serious rev...
More and more each day people fall victim to scammers, with new scams being thrown at us daily and each one seemingly more legitimate than the last. What are we to do? Never answer our phones? Be leary of every letter we receive in the mail? In a way yes, but being informed is the best way to defend against these scammers. With National Fraud Awareness week approaching us we should all take a moment to learn a few things about current scams and learn what to do about them. Three ways to protect yourself are; *Recognize *React *Report Recognize...
Green River’s future was a hot topic of discussion during the city council and mayoral forums last week. Along with the usual subjects of bringing new businesses to town and the need for economic development, one comment was made that caught our attention: that Green River will have to choose between being a bedroom community or being similar to Rock Springs. We believe Green River should position itself to become an economic power equal to Rock Springs. Yes, this does sound a bit farfetched, but hear us out. In the coming future, Rock S...
I confidently recommend John Grossnickle for the position of Sweetwater County Sheriff. John has served this community as a law enforcement officer for over 20 years. His rise in the ranks from deputy sheriff to the command staff has been solely based on merit testing. He has earned what he has received. John is known to those he works with as a thorough investigator, reasonable and fair administrator, an innovative thinker and a strong leader. I know him as a man of character and integrity, who deeply cares for his community. John has devoted...
Karen R., a 70-year-old Medicare beneficiary living in a mid-size town in Indiana, contacted me recently about her Part D drug coverage. She and her husband both have traditional Medicare, a Medigap policy, and what’s called a stand-alone plan for their drugs. For a long time, her stand-alone plan offered through Humana worked well for them. Her out-of-pocket costs for most drugs was only $8. This summer Karen, who takes 11 drugs for a variety of illnesses, including atrial fibrillation and kidney disease, was diagnosed with a new ailment – pso...
Of all the choices voters will make Nov. 6, we think one decision involving the future of the county’s lodging tax should be a no-brainer. The county’s lodging tax has been in place since 1991 and is only applied to people staying in the county’s hotels. This tax helps support many of the local events across Sweetwater County and is only applied to people staying at hotels. As such, it’s something Sweetwater County’s residents should support. The tax not only supports local events, it helps the area’s two chambers of commerce and market the...
I am writing this letter endorsing Senator Hastert for re-election. Two years ago, tragedy struck my family’s lives. My younger brother was murdered and dismembered. So many emotions dealing with the news of this all caused our lives to spin out of control. I felt upside down and couldn’t think of anything else except the punishments the offenders were likely to receive once convicted of this violent crime. The penalties of up to three years repeated in my mind. I had no idea where to begin but wanted to make a change. It was then that I kne...
It takes a lot to create a community. There are a lot of pieces that fit together and create the Green River we love. It’s more than the sum of its parts. We have excellent schools and library system. We have an extremely dedicated volunteer fire department and several active community organizations seeking to improve our community. There are a lot of moving parts making Green River the kind of place we’re proud to call home. One of the pieces we believe doesn’t get as much credit as it shoul...
Halloween is just around the corner. It’s a day filled with lots of activities here in Green River, school costume parades, costume contests, and of course trick or treating. This year school kids have an early dismissal at 1 p.m. The Green River Police Department, along with many businesses along Flaming Gorge Way, will be participating in the fun. We look forward to seeing children strolling along, collecting candy, and showing off their costumes. Make sure you stop in to the GRPD lobby for a treat. Halloween tradition includes kids out w...
By Shannon Smith Executive Director of the Wyoming Humanities Council Michael Lange Executive Director of the Wyoming Arts Council Like all parents, we want our kids and grandkids to thrive at whatever they desire to do in life. As Wyomingites we believe their lives would be even better if their success can take shape right here in the Cowboy State. The hard truth is, of the jobs that will be available to them in about twenty years, one in every three do not exist yet and it’s expected they’ll have more than seven different careers by the tim...
A little over two weeks ago we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of Green River with the arrival of the transcontinental railroad. The event was well attended and full of old-fashioned fun. We are grateful for the support of the residents that celebrated with us and helping to foster a deeper sense of our community roots. From behind the scenes, I’d like to shed some light on the partnership and collaboration it takes to plan and put on an event of this scale. Partnership is the key word. Lots of it. And for this event in p...
Is the Hathaway Scholarship a poor investment by the State of Wyoming? That’s an idea briefly mentioned during a political debate at Western Wyoming Community College last week. The argument goes like this: the Hathaway Scholarship was meant to be a means of providing an incentive for students to both work hard and stay in Wyoming to earn their college degree and hopefully stay and apply their education in the state. However, Wyoming continues to lose its educated youth, who have taken to using the scholarship as a way of getting a low-cost deg...
Dear Editor, My name is Pat Drinkle and I am the former Sweetwater County Assessor. I worked in the Assessor’s Office for 27 years, the last six as your assessor. I am writing this letter to ask the voters of Sweetwater County to keep Dave Divis as your Assessor. Mr. Divis came to work with me in 2012 from the Sweetwater County Treasurer’s Office where he had worked for 21 years. Dave’s experience in the treasurer’s office has been extremely valuable in his work now as your county assessor. Dave has seen the billing, collection and distribution...
Dear Editor, The voters of Sweetwater County are facing several critical election races this November. In my opinion, one of the most critical is the race for county assessor. The election of a new assessor will have an impact on everyone that lives in Sweetwater County. I make this statement as an elected official with 30 years experience and as someone who works with the assessor’s office on a daily basis. The county’s taxation process starts with certified values that are set by the county assessor. These values are certified by the Wyo...
With the General Election approaching, more and more signs seem to be popping up. The signs are all over the place, but I’m not going to complain about the amount of signs there are or the fact that a lot of them are sitting in questionable places. Nope. I’d like to explore what happens to all of those corrugated plastic signs and what one can do with them after the election is over. Now, for some politicians, they keep the signs knowing they may seek re-election in two or four years bec...
Like everything else in Washington, D.C., the selection and eventual confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court has been a partisan debacle in which the worst parts of American politics reared their ugly heads from the Congressional swamp. We don’t think Kavanaugh is fit to serve on the court, and we’re not referring to the allegations Dr. Christine Blasely Ford made against him. Even without those allegations, we think Kavanaugh has said enough to prove he should not be a Supreme Court justice. We’re disappointed in both Senat...
Dear Editor, This letter is in reference to last week’s letter to the editor “deer issues need to be addressed now.” I feel the need to respond to the phrasing, opinion and misinformation in that letter. Any quotation marks I use will be referring to statements in that letter. “On any given day, small groups of deer jaunt around our town. These hoofed invaders have always seemed abundant, but over the past decade they have reached extremely high counts.” First of all, it’s not just our town. We build a town in their habitat. They are not invade...
(Editor’s note: We’ve received a few letters from Green River High School students who have recently read “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The students have compared current events to themes found in the book.) Dear Editor, My name is Espen and I would like to take some of your time to explain a problem I have with our society. I thought about the theme of crime and punishment when I was reading through “The Scarlet Letter” and how unfair it can be. Especially in our society, today people get off almost scot-free from horrible cr...
(Editor’s note: We’ve received a few letters from Green River High School students who have recently read “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The students have compared current events to themes found in the book.) Dear Editor, Suicide rates of all ages have continued to increase and show no signs of slowing down in this time. Even in the beginning of our nation, people suffering from guilt or shame from something they have done has affected them to harm themselves in hopes of relieving this feeling. Although suicide rates of all age...
By KERRY DRAKE Wyofile.com When people recall their first encounters with Dick Cheney, what they remember probably depends at what time in his life it occurred: whether he was a high school student in Casper, flunking out of Yale, serving as Wyoming’s congressman, running the Pentagon, making millions as an energy baron or reigning as the most powerful vice president in U.S. history. Me, I’m probably the only American who thinks of candy bars. I know that association requires some explanation. Here it is: As a young reporter at the Wyoming Sta...
By John Privette Wyoming Small Business Development Center Network International trade involves a lot of rules, regulations and terms that can be confusing to a small business owner, but that shouldn’t stop you from expanding your market outside of the United States. Free on Board (FOB) is one of the oldest shipment-delivery terms in the books and sets the conditions for when the seller is free of all risks in regard to the exporting process. Here’s what you need to know about FOB if your business is currently exporting outside of the U.S. or...
Dear Editor, The population of deer in Southwest Wyoming has exploded. On any given day, small groups of deer jaunt around our town. These hoofed invaders have always seemed abundant, but over the past decade they have reached extremely high counts. Adorable Bambi-like creatures cause destruction everywhere. Hazards associated with high deer populations include increased car accidents, destroyed landscaping, broken fences, unsightly poop decorating lawns and, not least of all, Lyme Disease. I have seen many deer carcasses rotting on the shoulde...
