Sorted by date Results 351 - 375 of 1688
We’re not going to criticize the decision to postpone Flaming Gorge Days. While other organizations are busy planning for summer events, we understand the idea of not wanting to host Flaming Gorge Days because of the pandemic. We told our readers months ago about the possibility of events getting cancelled for a second year. This wasn’t unexpected. Yet, we think there should be something for Sweetwater County’s residents in Green River this coming June. With Zac Page’s visit to the Green River City Council Tuesday night, we think a cornhol...
Dear Editor, It’s election season in the Wyoming Republican Party and all across the state liberals, who for many years successfully exploited the Republican brand in order to get their left-wing cronies elected to public office, are in a collective temper tantrum over the successful grassroots effort which has made great strides in returning the Party of Reagan to its conservative moorings. Uinta County is not immune. A small group of people whom I will charitably call moderates under the leadership of Jon Conrad, Scott Dickerson and Jay A...
One of the most perplexing mysteries about Wyoming’s 2021 legislative session is how the House could kill a suicide prevention bill. Then, when lawmakers got a chance to reconsider the matter, they rejected a second measure, too. Trying to keep people from killing themselves shouldn’t be a controversial issue in Wyoming, which has the highest suicide rate in the country. But apparently it is, at least for lawmakers who decided against mandating school programs that train students how to recognize suicide warning signs from their peers and obt...
No one will argue that an ambulance service isn’t a needed and integral part of any community. These are the first responders who take our neighbors to the hospital under the most dire situations, sometimes staving off life-threatening conditions until better medical attention can be provided. Yet, how do we fund this necessary service continues to be a question local government grapples with. There is only one solution to the issue and it might be one a lot of people disagree with: the creation of a special tax district within the county. W...
Monday morning, I had my first COVID-19 vaccination shot. I scheduled an appointment at Castle Rock Medical Center last week after the announcement of vaccinations being open to anyone and was quickly slotted for an appointment. The vaccination push is truly a major concern for CRMC because between the time I scheduled my appointment and the actual appointment time, I had half a dozen reminders called, texted and emailed to me. Considering what’s at stake, it isn’t hard to understand why. Walkin...
In the last four years the federal government has both cut government revenue and dramatically increased spending. It’s an unsettling combination, the precise long-term results of which will be debated by economists like myself until the cows come home. But at least one thing is already certain: The fiscal impact of all the federal COVID-19 spending over the last year warrants much more public attention than it has thus far received. When the pandemic arrived 12 months ago the uncertainty surrounding its economic impacts prompted an u...
As you can see, we’ve made a lot of changes in the past week. The biggest change being the format of the newspaper itself. Starting this week, the Star will be printed in Jackson at the same press which prints the Jackson Hole News & Guide. The News & Guide is not only one of the best newspapers in Wyoming, but in the nation and part of that comes from the high-quality press work involved in printing the newspaper. We’re excited to be able to work with the crew at Teton Media Works. The page size has gotten shorter as a result, but tha...
The $1.9 trillion stimulus plan’s full implications for Wyoming are too numerous and nuanced to know yet, but the import of one facet is already clear: The roughly $1.3 billion it provides Wyoming’s state, county and local governments will go a long way toward alleviating their current fiscal crises. President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law last week and the details of this latest federal stimulus are finally emerging. Observers are already making comparisons to the CARES Act passed just under a year ago. Many que...
Wyoming is the most beautiful, wonderful place in the country. I’m honored to be from here, and even more honored to be a voice for the greatest state in the United States Senate. I’m also humbled to be the first woman to serve as U.S. Senator for the Equality State. However, this position isn’t about me. It’s about you. I tell my staff that I want us to be “All Wyoming, all the time.” While I have the privilege of serving as your Senator I am committed to making sure that we do everything we can to make your voices heard in Washington....
Not all tax bills are created equal. Some increase the amount of money flowing into the state’s coffers with new taxes, higher rates or repealed exemptions. Others, however, reduce the state’s income with new exemptions and credits or lower rates. Few will be surprised to learn that the latter far outnumber the former in a typical Wyoming legislative session. But this year is far from typical. Wyoming is wrestling with a historic revenue crisis and many of the state’s cornerstone industries remain on the ropes. How has that affected lawma...
By Jill Kruse, D.O. The Prairie Doc Whenever someone is admitted to the hospital, they are asked to stipulate their “code status.” Levels of code status include full code, meaning resuscitate and intubate if required; as well as various combinations of do not resuscitate (DNR) and do not intubate (DNI). In simple terms, a code status clarifies what you want the medical team to do in the event your heart stops or if your heart goes into a rhythm that is not compatible with life. This question is often interpreted as follows: if you are abo...
Do you know anyone who had influenza this past year? Chances are you do not. Sure, plenty of people had the “stomach flu” with vomiting and diarrhea, otherwise known as gastroenteritis. Some people had colds and others had COVID-19. But cases of influenza this season have been exceptionally low. Starting a year ago, when someone came to my clinic with symptoms of influenza, including fevers, chills, muscle aches, or respiratory symptoms, we tested for both COVID-19 and for influenza. At first, every COVID-19 test was negative while many influen...
As a longtime resident of Rock Springs, I was disturbed to find out that a coyote killing contest is being organized in my town. So along with a few friends I decided to protest it. We held signs outside Buddha Bob’s Bar at the Sands on third, fourth, fifth and sixth of February. A group called Wyoming Best of the Best has organized this contest. In this contest participants completed for cash and prizes to see who can kill the most coyotes in one day. There are 2 main reasons why we want these events to be banned. The first one is these c...
Some hefty matters await Wyoming lawmakers when they reconvene March 1 for the final stage of this most unconventional 2021 legislative session. The supplemental budget bill looms large, and with good reason: The state is in the midst of a historic revenue crisis and a number of difficult cuts will have to be made. But for pure law-making nuance, political complexity and long-lasting impact, perhaps no forthcoming sausage will be meatier than House Bill 61- School finance recalibration. Recalibration happens every five years — at the end and t...
“Tis funny about th’ constitution,” said Mr. Dooley, the legendary, philosophical Irish bartender created by Finley Peter Dunne. “It reads plain, but no wan can undherstant it without an interpreter.” The Supreme Court is the final interpreter of the Constitution, but since the dawn of the republic, Americans have engaged in spirited, often heated, debates – constitutional conversations – about how it should interpret the Constitution. This is not surprising for a nation whose revolutionary origins lay in fundamental disputes with England...
Do you want to know what your city, county and school districts are up to? As a responsible taxpayer and citizen of your community, of course you want to keep an eye on what these governments are undertaking. Where do you go for that information? Do you spend your day logging into the county’s website to find what your county commissioners did about county roads at their last meeting, but can’t find anything about it in their meeting minutes? Next you switch over to the town’s website so you can read about changes in garbage pick-up days and r...
State should not follow Utah’s education example Dear Editor, This is an open letter to the Wyoming Legislature. My name is Drew Roska. I am originally from Salt Lake City and attended elementary, junior high and high school in the Salt Lake valley. All of my alma maters, including my high school, have closed since I was there due to cuts in funding. I grew up waiting for public transit with my teachers so they could go to their second jobs. I watched them trade in their chalk and erasers for backpack vacuums so they could clean the school f...
It’s hard to find good news whenever the COVID-19 pandemic is concerned. It’s an event that has completely changed our lives and what we consider “normal,” at least for the time being. During a regular update to local leaders by Sweetwater County Health Officer Dr. Jean Stachon Monday, a lot of good news was shared. Infection rates continue to trend downward and, thankfully, the COVID-19 variants haven’t been found within the county. More people have received vaccines than have been infected with COVID-19 and vaccination opportuni...
Many people are familiar with the classic Abbott and Costello comedy skit “Who’s on First?” For those who are not familiar, the routine is a hilarious interaction between the two comedians as they discuss players on a baseball team while using confusing references such as “who’s on first” and “what’s on second.” The audience can see that Abbott believes he is clearly communicating the player names to Costello, but it digresses into a laughable experience of misunderstanding and frustration for both parties. The men become increasingly angr...
(Publisher's note: the following column was written for our annual 'Things We Love' section.) It's hard to believe one of the best art collections in the Western United States actually exists in our backyard. Yet, it's true and is easily viewable at its home in Rock Springs. The Community Fine Arts Center in Rock Springs displays hundreds of pieces owned by Sweetwater County School District No. 1. Both the collection and the CFAC itself owe their existence to a man and his desire to share his...
(Publisher's note: the following column was written for our annual 'Things We Love' section.) The Green River Fire Department is a service that has done a lot in the community. While the same can be said of any fire department anywhere, the firefighters in Green River have shown they're committed to the community and Green River is better from it. More importantly, they're deserving of our trust. The last year hasn't been kind to the department. It's unfortunate the department was rocked by an...
This is perhaps an interesting thing I find myself doing in a time that seems to be marked with never ending problems and few answers in sight. My name is Ryan Desmond for those who have been in the community for quite some time, My grandparents owned the Desmond Motel In Green River. I grew up in Green River and after my enlistment with the Marines ended, I came back home. I enrolled at Western Wyoming Community College in 2018, setting out to start my education on the right foot. The truth is I struggled in school as a kid (I graduated in 200...
Some favorite places around Laramie to access public lands have become, for a few, places of trauma and danger. Since mid-November six dogs became entangled in neck snares or held in terror by foot-hold traps. That is, six cases in an eight-week period. If we broaden the time frame to include February of 2020, less than 12 months ago, we can add another. Except for one, all were on public land and at least half set illegally. The one case on private land occurred early December 2020 and involved a foot-hold trap that lacked an identification...
Dear Editor, It must be difficult to call a press conference and suggest that President Biden’s ban on gas and oil permits is a “crushing blow” to Wyoming, when not so long ago, Mark Gordon was aligned with some of the most radical environmental groups in the country whose mission was to destroy fossil fuels. Now that he is largely responsible for balancing Wyoming’s budget, I wonder if he has started to realize how important fossil fuels are to Wyoming and its people. It is hard for me to discern if he is regretful of his past allianc...
Dear Editor, I am writing this letter in response to the article headlined, “WWCC leaders to select 15 to layoff” published in the January 27, 2021 edition of the Green River Star. I was misrepresented regarding my concerns about the upcoming layoffs at Western and would like to clarify what I brought up at the board meeting. I am a former employee of more than 12 years at Western Wyoming Community College. I resigned from my position in December 2020. I had a wonderful career and loved the work we did. However, after assessing some things I re...
