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Where some see a monster, others see a creature in need of compassion, but do they see a human being who deserves dignity? This is a question explored in "The Elephant Man," the latest play from Actors' Mission. The show tells the story of John Merrick, a man with extreme deformities, and his relationship with Frederick Treves, a doctor who seeks to help him. It is based on the true story of Joseph Merrick. "It is a beautifully-written story about a man with disabilities's fight for self...
Green River students are not only showcasing their skills, but also being recognized as some of the best in the state. Many Green River High School students participated in the annual SkillsUSA Wyoming Championships, which took place in Casper April 14 to 16, while other students from the GRHS Art Department competed in the State Art Symposium in Casper April 30 to May 2. Winning and learning at SkillsUSA Of the 20 students that competed in SkillsUSA, several came away with top-three finishes,...
Another Lady Wolf is ready to move from the high school to the college level, and she knows what it takes to make progress. Green River High School Senior Eva Murray recently committed to play volleyball at Northwest College in Powell. She celebrated this decision with a signing ceremony with her family and coach last week. Having played volleyball for the Lady Wolves at the Varsity level all four years of high school, Murray has seen a lot of changes and growth from when she began. "We...
While the Greenbelt winds along the river in the valley, many members of the Green River Greenbelt Task Force have dreamed for years of a "Bronze Belt," a system of trails on the hills above town. With work on the Skyline Trail making significant progress, this dream is starting to become a reality. The Greenbelt Task Force has been celebrating multiple achievements lately as they move forward with their goals for development and expansion. The progress on the Skyline Trail is one of the most...
The safety of Wyoming's miners could be facing setbacks due to federal funding cuts and the firing of federal employees. Miners at WE Soda, the trona mine outside Green River formerly owned by Genesis Alkali, are already seeing the effects of actions taken by the federal government, particularly through the canceling of a study meant to assess the impact of trona dust on the health of miners. "The lady who was going to do the study is fired," Marshal Cummings explained. "The industrial...
I heard the poem “The New Colossus” recited two different times recently. The first was a reading by Wyoming Poet Laureate and Sweetwater County Native Barbara Smith. She shared the poem during the protest that took place in Rock Springs on April 19. The second was a recitation by Green River Native Timothy Laboria, who enjoys sharing historic poems and speeches at Castle Rock Rehabilitation Center. He read the poem for me and gave me a copy of it. The poem was written in 1883 to help raise mon...
Lillian Allison is not throwing away her shot when she gets to college. The Green River High School senior recently committed to compete in Track and Field at the University of South Dakota, and shared her decision during a signing event with her parents and coach. Allison competes in Shot Put and Discus, and said she has "dabbled" in the Weight Throw as well during her time competing for Green River. "I started competing in track partly because my brother did, but also because I was a natural...
Several individuals and businesses that have consistently given back to the Green River community were honored at this year's Green River Chamber of Commerce Awards Luncheon. "Community isn't just somewhere we live, it's something that we can build together," Joe Olivas said during the event. The annual luncheon, hosted last Wednesday, brought together a crowd to celebrate the award recipients and recognize the work they've done to help build the community. Distinguished Citizen Arguably the...
The hospital is looking to make improvements to the obstetrics suite to help with an increased number of patients, and is hoping for the county's help with funding for the project. Representatives from Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County, including CEO Irene Richardson, first presented the idea for the capital project to the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners at their March 18 meeting. They discussed it in further detail again during the April 15 meeting, where the commissioners...
"I have never heard someone say so many wrong things one after the other consecutively in a row." This quote from the series "Schitt's Creek" may be redundant, but it gets the point across, and it pretty well sums up how I felt when I heard Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recent comments on autism. Not only were his comments wrong, they were dangerous. As someone who knows and loves many people with autism, and someone who has somewhat recently realized I'm neurodivergent myself, I was both angry and... Full story
Local protests regarding national issues continue to take place in Sweetwater County. Last Saturday, residents of both Green River and Rock Springs gathered along Dewar Drive in Rock Springs once again to protest actions by the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency. The protest followed on the heels of a similar demonstration on April 5, and was one of many that took place as part of ongoing national protest efforts led by groups like 50501, which stands for "50...
After a contentious year in the Wyoming Legislature, representatives from Sweetwater County continued some of the session's main debates back at home. Sweetwater County's legislators participated in a Legislative Recap Panel hosted by the Rock Springs Chamber of Commerce at Young at Heart Community Center last Thursday night. Legislators Laura Taliaferro Pearson, Bob Davis, Marlene Brady, John Kolb, Darin McCann, Scott Heiner, Cody Wylie, Stacy Jones and J.T. Larson all took part in the panel,...
Just as the sun was coming up Tuesday morning, School Bus 174 stopped on its way to Monroe Elementary School so students could wave to the Easter Bunny. The Easter Bunny, in this case, was 86-year-old Verna Trujillo, who has been waving to students nearly every day for the past six months. Miss Verna, as the students call her, loves to dress up in fun and festive costumes to stand out on her porch amidst her large inflatable decorations and wave to the school bus drivers and the students as... Full story
In the early 1990s, Ashton Jasperson would grab his bike, grab a shovel, and make himself a racetrack in the hills around Green River. Now, in Ashton's memory, kids throughout Sweetwater County will have a chance to race BMX. Ashton's family recently came together to donate multiple bikes to the Southwest Wyoming BMX Club to help start what will now be known as the Ashton Jasperson Bike Loaner Program. "That's going to allow us to not charge for bike rentals, so we'll be able to just loan a...
After their recent production of the well-known musical "Cabaret," the Western Wyoming Community College Theater program is back with another show connected to 1930s Berlin, but this time with music that may be a little less familiar. People might have heard some of the songs in "Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill: A Musical Voyage," such as "Mack the Knife," "Speak Low," and "The Threepenny Opera." However, they may not be as familiar with Kurt Weill himself, the man behind the music. "There's...
Sweetwater County residents will soon be receiving their 2025 Notice of Value on their properties, and have a number of options available to apply for property tax relief. Sweetwater County Assessor Dave Divis said that residents will be receiving their Notice of Value "within the next few days." The assessor asks residents to review the information. Anyone who disagrees with the value of their property has 30 days from the date mailed to discuss the value with the assessor and provide... Full story
The dream of turning the old Washington Elementary building into a transitional home for single mothers and their children is continuing to move forward. Debra Moerke, the founder of the McKenzie Home Project, spoke to both the Green River City Council and the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners this week to give an update on the project's latest developments. The project started three years ago, with Moerke's own life experiences and grief helping inspire the idea. From first...
William Duncan of Green River recently pleaded "not guilty" to six counts of alleged sexual exploitation of children, two counts of allegedly aiding a child's violation of the law, and one count of alleged rude/insolent/angry touches without injury. Duncan was arrested by the Green River Police Department on a warrant for these counts on March 10. Duncan entered a plea of "not guilty" during his arraignment on Monday, March 31 in the Third Judicial District Court of Judge Suzannah Robinson. His...
April is a month full of awareness for important causes, many of which were recognized by the city and county this week with special proclamations. National Library Week, National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month all take place in April. Proclamations recognizing these causes were read at the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners meeting and the Green River City Council meeting. National Library Week...
The school district will be transitioning to the leadership of the new superintendent, Dr. Scott Cooper, over the next few months. Sweetwater County School District No. 2 began the process of looking for a new superintendent after the current superintendent, Craig Barringer, announced his retirement in January. Barringer will remain with the district until his contract ends on June 30. In looking for the next Superintendent of Schools, the SCSD No. 2 Board of Trustees worked with the Wyoming...
Unrest connected to incidents happening at a national level continues to be felt throughout Wyoming and Sweetwater County, from concerns over local access to Social Security to Tesla-related vandalism to changes in town hall formats following protests. Social Security access Last week, Sweetwater County residents became concerned over whether or not the Rock Springs Social Security office would close, although it was later confirmed that the office will remain open. On Thursday, March 20, an...
The causes of the deadly Interstate 80 tunnel accident on February 14 are starting to be better understood, thanks to the official investigation being conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB released preliminary information from their investigation into the accident last week, explaining how the crash began and what vehicles were involved. The accident began around 11:33 a.m. on Friday, February 14, when a Toyota Tundra pickup truck spun to the left and struck a metal... Full story
A chorus of both cheers and boos echoed in the Small Hall at the Sweetwater Events Complex last Saturday afternoon when U.S. Representative Harriet Hageman stood up in front of the crowd. The mixed responses continued as she addressed the hundreds of people who gathered for her town hall event, with supporters praising her work and cheering her words while protestors raised signs and yelled out disagreement. "I'm perfectly happy to have all of you here, but you're not going to do heckler speech... Full story
The city of Green River has been making decisions in an effort to keep multiple things moving forward, from permits and grants to studies and events. During this week's City Council meeting, the council approved decisions and had discussions concerning the new Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Killdeer Wetland Project, a planned study looking for water leaks under city roads, and ongoing planning for the upcoming Flaming Gorge Days. As the new Wastewater Treatment Plant continues to be built,...
Last Saturday afternoon I sat in a room full of our own community members and listened to them yell at each other to shut up, call each other liars, tell each other they didn't know what they were talking about, and basically treat each other more like nameless strangers on the other side of a computer screen than like neighbors. The Town Hall event with Representative Harriet Hageman was interesting, to say the least. Personally, I had friends and family members on both "sides," both cheering... Full story
