Sorted by date Results 1001 - 1025 of 1692
I read an article in the Athletic Business magazine, from April 2017, entitled, “Commonsense tips for Successful Leadership” by Don Schumacher. Schumacher is the recently retired Executive Director of the National Association of Sports Commissions. He feels that one of the reasons he was successful in his last position and in other leadership positions he held was due in large to the use of common sense. In fact, he says that one of the most useful books he read, that helped him with a common sense approach, was the book, “All I Really Neede...
Dear Editor, The main highway 30 ran straight through town. There were no tunnels by passing town. There was a great high school, Lincoln High, gymnasium and track and football field now demolished. The main street was lined with trees, green lawns, gas stations, cafes, bars, barber shop, the courthouse, post office and homes. The Union Pacific Depot is now a shell of it former self. At one time there was a ticket window, benches, a lunch counter called The Beanery, freight office, offices, and the freight office yardmaster’s tower. There w...
Many readers have no doubt heard about newly-elected Montana governor Greg Gianfonte “body slamming” a reporter from UK-based news organization The Guardian. Regardless of where individual opinions lie with what happened, one thing we can all agree on is we’re living in a very peculiar moment in American history where the people tasked with reporting on events are eyed with an incredible amount of suspicion. We do think Gianfonte is in the wrong for using physical violence on the reporter as there isn’t a situation that would call for that ki...
Spring has sprung, and with the change of weather comes a new slate of construction projects throughout the City of Green River. Several Sixth Penny projects are currently active in the city. This includes the completion of Second South Street, the start of Hitching Post Drive, and the Rock Springs Water Line Project. Last year’s Sixth Penny Project, Second South Street, is nearing completion as we finish up the wiring to the new lights and other various odds and ends. We expect the final items to be completed in the next few weeks. This y...
Older Americans may be in for a rough ride if the changes Washington politicians are considering come to pass. Because good, explanatory journalism is in short supply and TV shouting matches don’t tell you much, I decided to use this space to discuss some of the possible changes that could soon affect millions of people in their 60s and older. First, let’s consider Medicaid, the federal-state program that finances healthcare for the poor and long-term care for the middle class. Virtually all the talk about cutting Medicaid by more than $800 bil...
Graduation week is in full swing in Sweetwater County. Ceremonies at Western Wyoming Community College, Green River High School and Expedition Academy have already concluded while students at Rock Springs High School will receive their diplomas Saturday. For all graduates, not just those receiving their high school diplomas, we have a word of advice: Don’t be afraid. It’s easy to fear the unknown. After all, ambiguous nature of the future is a major reason why people get nervous about what lies ahead during the course of several months or sever...
With great fishing, hunting and recreation opportunities, Sweetwater County in southwestern Wyoming is a paradise for Americans seeking to enjoy the outdoors and the wide open spaces of our federal public lands. The Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge contain world class fishing opportunities and our federal lands provide outstanding hunting opportunities - especially within the vicinity of the Pine and Little Mountain areas south of Rock Springs. Additionally, these open spaces provide unlimited...
The Rock Springs Rocket-Miner May 18 story, “Budget reductions could end juvenile detention program,” while factual, does not tell the whole story. The story reports that I told the Sweetwater County Commissioners May 16 that “steep budget cuts could mean the end of the juvenile detention program.” And while that is true, the real story - the whole story - is why the proposed cuts could eliminate the program and the sheer scale of what the Sheriff’s Office is, and will be, responsible for. The new Sweetwater County Justice Complex, under con...
When people talk about the price of progress, they are often referring to replacement of older buildings with “modern” buildings or public amenities. In the case of Green River’s Centennial Park, some century-old houses as well as an old church were razed to make way for green space in downtown Green River. Carl Morck remembers the houses in that neighborhood as mostly being small buildings with deep lots, probably originally Union Pacific Railroad housing. The lots were handy for storing non-running cars, or for growing tumbleweeds, or as repo...
As I watched my five-year-old son John walk down the isle with a smirk on his face, my heart fluttered. Yes. There he was in his red graduation cap and gown enjoying all the attention he was receiving from the audience. I quickly learned my son, likes and knows how to captivate and audience, yet I couldn’t help but wonder how did we get to this point in our lives so quickly. What happened to time? How can this be happening already? Is he really my youngest? I haven’t even gotten rid of the baby...
In the previous columns I’ve written about Youtube, I’ve focused on some of the more strange and unique video channels available. Want to watch a guy build a mud hut with a heated floor or watch someone open up a 50-year-old military ration and, maybe, eat some really old crackers? I’ve had you covered. Those channels are maintained by people not interested in Youtube stardom, but want to share their particular hobbies with others. However, Youtube has become more than a simple video servi...
Public lands provide high-paying quality jobs and significant tax revenues from mineral resources that drive the economy in Sweetwater County. As a four-term county commissioner, I have witnessed the benefits federal public lands provide residents and non-residents alike. As a native of Sweetwater County, I also know that public lands provide enjoyment, adventure and opportunities to strengthen family bonds and friendships through hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation in the natural beauty and vast wide open spaces in Wyoming. Sweetwater...
Arbor Day – a day dedicated to public tree planting was first observed in the 19th century over 145 years ago. The Arbor Day Foundation was founded in 1972 with a mission to “inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.” This year will mark the 34th annual celebration for Green River, which also will mark the 34th year as a designated Tree City USA community. Green River holds the second longest continuous streak for being named as a Tree City USA community in our great state of Wyoming, second only to our capital city of Cheye...
Discussion Tuesday night amongst the Green River City Council caused us to realize the future of affordable garbage service in Green River is in privatizing it. This isn’t a knee-jerk reaction to a slick sales pitch, but a realization after looking at a comparison presented during the Tuesday night discussion. In short, the city stands to save money, up to approximately $1 million a year after five years while receiving more than $100,000 in franchise fees each year. Residents would be projected to save as well, saving $10 from the projected c...
You may be aware that the trees near the Depot are being removed. Here is some information on how and why this decision was made. In late 2013, the city of Rock Springs approached the city of Green River about the alignment of one of their proposed sixth-penny projects, a second water main from the Joint Powers Water Board plant in Green River to Rock Springs. Both cities buy water from the same treatment plant, located in Green River, but Rock Springs has to pump their water a lot further. Because the water treatment plant is physically locate...
Federal funding for meals on wheels is on the chopping block. The Trump administration budget blueprint released in March calls for the elimination of two federal block grants: That’s money the federal government gives the states for social welfare programs, and those programs include home-delivered meals and meals served in senior centers. Most of the nation’s 5,000 meal programs also rely on money from the Older Americans Act passed in 1965 to fund about 35 percent of the cost of the meals they serve. Those funds are also in jeopardy. The...
Money is tight in Sweetwater County. Budget requests to the county commissioners are encouraged to cut 10 percent from the previous year’s request. Both cities, continuing to feel the sting of declining sales-tax revenues, are looking at more cuts to their 2017-2018 budgets while protecting the employees working for them. Beyond that, there’s the problem of continued maintenance on county and municipal roads throughout Sweetwater County and Green River’s need to build a new sewer treatment facility. Yes, grants are available for some of the p...
I don’t watch a great deal of TV and I don’t really have a favorite show when I do watch. However, this past year a dear friend of mine, and my daughter both asked me to start watching “Grey’s Anatomy.” I didn’t watch like most people might and start with Season One. I just jumped right in and started watching current episodes. While I still don’t know everything that happened throughout the entire duration of the show, I do enjoy the show, when I catch it. In particular, I enjoyed last season’s finale, but probably not for the reasons everyone...
Back by popular demand, the Sweetwater County Historical Museum is featuring the ventriloquist dummy used by Thomas C. Smith for May’s Artifact of the Month. This dummy wears a cowboy outfit, which is fitting for Wyoming. The dummy was made in London and the head and upper part of the body are constructed out of papier-mâché. Thomas C. Smith was an amateur ventriloquist in Rock Springs who took up ventriloquism after his cousin, Port Jackson Ward. Ward was a popular ventriloquist in England and performed for the royal family in 1909. Smith and...
Dear Editor, I grew up in a small town in Nebraska and now live in Laramie. After working summers in Grand Teton National Park, the wildness in Wyoming greatly influenced me to stay in this wonderful state. I have travelled extensively throughout the country as a tour guide and as a national park employee at three parks. There is something extremely special about the West, and especially Wyoming. The ability to escape to the backcountry and connect with the natural beauty of this state is something that I truly treasure. I have become particula...
Dear Editor, The most recent election cycle brought to the attention of many Wyoming voters a situation of which they were previously not acutely aware. This came about because they wanted to participate in the presidential primary. Wyoming is not a state that has such a primary, but rather is a caucus state. Voters would need to know that, if they wish to have a voice, they must attend their precinct caucuses. Well, at least if they are registered Democrats, they could have a voice. Unfortunately, if they are registered Republicans, they...
As many people saw (or heard), the Union Pacific’s “Living Legend” 844 steam engine barreled into downtown Green River town once again last Wednesday. Although the 844 has made many appearances in Green River over the years, it always draws a crowd. If you didn’t get a good look at it while it overnighted in Rock Springs or stopped in Green River, you’ll have a chance to see it on its return trip Thursday at approximately 1:30 p.m. Even if you missed seeing it, chances are you heard its famously resounding horn as it announced its arrival....
Great ideas tend to come out of nowhere. They’re the sort of inspirations that strike like lightening and linger on afterward. Recently, an idea came to our attention that could be something the local chambers of commerce, Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism and maybe both cities should look into. Certain regions of the U.S. are known for large gatherings where people cook a local specialty. New England is known for its clam bake and some locations in Alaska host a salmon bake. Green River even hosts is own cajun shrimp boil during the a...
Jabez Stone was a New Hampshire farmer. The time was before the Civil War. Things weren’t going well for him. Boulders emerged in his fields, his potatoes got the blight, his corn went to the borers, his horse got spavins, his wife and children were sick, and he couldn’t afford to feed them. Working hard in his field he broke his expensive and new plowshare. Emotionally struck, he swooned down to the earth on his hands and knees and cried, “I vow it’s enough to make a man want to sell his soul to the devil!” Soon a tall, thin man alighted...
Dear Editor, Are you aware that the proposed federal budget calls for the elimination of the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP)? This is the program that keeps many Wyoming residents warm in the winter. Earlier this year, the State of Wyoming legislature eliminated its usual additional funding for this program. Between the federal and state budget cuts, this translates to zero help for people in need of winter home heating assistance. I recently spoke with Brenda Ilg about this issue. Ms. Ilg is the LIEAP program manager for the...
