Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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I found out Tuesday morning I was an orphan. The last of my four parents had passed away quietly at 5:45 a.m. Although I had been warned by a nurse the day before my stepfather’s end was possibly approaching, I was positive he would rally as he has done before. I was reinforced in my belief all would be fine when my sister, Michelle, saw him on Monday and talked to him for about an hour. My stepfather, Stuart, has been in my life since I was little over 5 years old when both m...
SUPER BOWL HALFTIME “SHOW” Did you happen to see that halftime “Show”? At least they called it that. It did not make much sense to me. I thought it just fell flat. I did not understand it - that football halftime show. Those folks were hip-hoppin’ all around as if they had to go. Is that “rappin” now called singing? If it is, then I’m behind. It just didn’t make a bit of sense at least in my old mind. That poor gal’s dress was skimpy. Glad the weather there was warm ‘cause she surely would have perished in just a mild Wyomin...
Did you know that when Interstate 80 is closed for weather, that US 30 next door is automatically closed, too? This is to prevent the 8,000 semi-trailer trucks a day from storming that more narrow, more local highway as an alternate route. The resulting crush of giant rigs would be a disaster. Those frequent closures create a national financial disaster when goods are no longer moving to their destinations. Del McOmie Jr. pointed out this fact out when he was asked about the creation of an alternate Interstate 80 highway...
One of the hardest things for me to do right now is read the news coming out of China. I cannot believe a country that was turning into a world partner has taken the opposite road. About a decade ago, I lived in China. Suzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzen were all my residences at one time and it afforded me the opportunity to see the Chinese people turn these cities into world class destinations. It was 2009 and my first time living in China was in Suzhou. It has a...
This year 2022 was, once upon a time, shaping up to be one of the most interesting political years in memory. The last big election year like this, back in 2018, was a doozy, with three governor candidates spending over $2 million each, plus we saw over 10,000 Democrat and Independent voters cross over on election day. Wow, what a series of events. It is beginning to look like the performance this year may fail to live up to the potential for drama we had earlier anticipated. For example, here are three races I was...
Where has the time gone? In many ways, it feels like just yesterday my son, Jareth, was born. Tomorrow (Thursday) he’ll be 8 years old and I find myself both amazed at what a wonderful young person he is and afraid of how quickly the years will continue to slip by. What’ll be even harder, this year, is that I won’t be around for his actual birthday. Instead, I’ll be in Casper at the Wyoming Press Association Winter Convention. Living in Wyoming, I’ve often joked with peop...
“How’s the most beautiful woman in all the Valley?” That was how I would greet Elva Evans whenever I saw her around town. Whenever I’d say that, she’d get a big grin on her face and laugh which, in turn, would bring a smile to my face. I wasn’t always that way. When I first met Elva, I was in high school. I was at the grocery store with my mom and we were behind Elva at the cash register. Mom, even then already knowing so many people, introduced us. When I spoke, I thought E...
In another life, much younger, I was a kindergarten English teacher in Taichung, Taiwan. It was an early job when I first arrived fresh from Hawaii. It laid the ground for me teaching English at hospitals and becoming a private teacher. It was an amazingly fun era for me; as I look back. Especially teaching kids. After living in Hawaii for two years, I came to island with only an English degree from the University of Maryland. Good luck was with me and within three months I...
I find it funny how I have to go to kids’ concerts to remind myself how important the arts are to school programs, and to me. I was a lucky kid growing up around Washington D.C. because both sets of my folks liked to take me to plays and concerts even though, sometimes, I wasn’t really into going. Still, I saw Broadway shows which came to town and I even went to New York a few times. Culture was being ingrained into me whether I wanted it or not. My mother was always pla...
What does the next year look like for you? Are you hoping to do the same old same thing or to walk into 2022 with a breath of fresh air? No matter what your goals are for the new year I hope you enjoy the little things in life as well as the big. One way to spark joy for some could be to focus on the really important stuff. Or perhaps to stop engaging in bad habits or negative situations. For some even stopping to smell the flowers or eat lunch can spark joy in their day....
It started out as a bona fide stupid and crazy idea. We drove from Lander to Cheyenne on Christmas Day. It is a 348-mile trip. But the young man working the Christmas Day shift at the Fast Lane at the corner in Shoshoni made my day by saying “God Bless You and Merry Christmas,” as we bought some coffees. Then there was the young gal named Marissa who helped me air up my tires at a convenience store in Wheatland. I could not think of a worse thing to happen on this day than to have a flat tire along that vast empty str...
Growing, growing, gone? That seems to be the direction for House District 47 as the Wyoming Legislature, particularly the Joint Corporations Committee, continues their most recent redistricting efforts. What is currently the largest district in the state of Wyoming—12,188 square miles—appears to be on the chopping block as legislators attempt to go through their once-in-a-decade process of redistricting. We would like to first preface our concerns by stating we can appreciate the difficult task the legislators of the Joi...
I was told the other day Christmas seems to get more commercial every year. Maybe it is true, but I am not sure I am the guy to hear that. Christmas means something in America in a way not all places embrace other than the gift giving. I come from a background where my father was really strong in making me understand it is the celebration of the birth of Christ, thus Christianity. It is probably one of the reasons I love having Nativity scenes set up throughout my home. My...