Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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Thermopolis Independent Record, July 13 Scammers are targeting us all and they seem to be coming at us from every which way. There are lottery scams, package delivery scams, open enrollment for benefits scams, utility delinquency scams, identity theft scams and the list goes on and on. Several years ago, scammers primarily targeted senior citizens who they believed were the most vulnerable. They have advanced their scams to a point where each and every one of us is vulnerable. Their tactics have improved to a point where...
For weeks muddy conditions on the Bighorn National Forest have been the norm. Some roads have become impassable, exacerbated by irresponsible motorists. It has become all-too-familiar to witness or hear about travelers and recreationists stuck on muddy mountain roads, despite the warnings from the U.S. Forest Service. Repairs necessitated by these incidents can strain limited resources, resulting in longer closures that impact everyone’s access to the forest. Moreover, travelers risk damaging their equipment and personal p...
Dear Editor, Saratoga Forest Management has been pleased to offer free firewood to residents of the Valley (mostly Saratoga and Encampment) since 2012. Most of the residents appreciated the opportunity to get free firewood. However, the past few months, some people have been disposing of their garbage at the free firewood loading area at Saratoga Forest Management. Consequently, the area is now closed to the public for gathering free firewood. In a few weeks, we will open the area for people to get free firewood and will...
The fourth annual WyoGives virtual event, hosted by the Wyoming Nonprofit Network, will commence at midnight on Wednesday, July 12th, and will unfold over an exhilarating 24-hour period. With over 300 nonprofits participating, some of them local, this year’s event promises to be the most impactful yet. Through the website platform at WyoGives.org, individuals can easily contribute to their favorite causes and organizations. The website allows donors to search for nonprofits based on cause, location, or name. Each p...
“You just can’t see him from the road”, a line from one of my favorite Chris LeDoux songs is true of so many that live and work in this area we call home. Cradled in the arms of the Medicine Bow Mountains and the Sierra Madres the history of the North Platte Valley is brought to life with a spotlight on those we can’t see from the road. Summer events include Woodchoppers Jamboree, Grand Encampment’s Cowboy Gathering, Living History Days at Grand Encampment Museum and the S...
In the past year, I’ve discovered my inner chef and it’s something I’ve come to really enjoy. Of course, it isn’t something that happened right away. In fact, I’ve made periodic voyages into the culinary world in the past and learned a number of lessons along the way. To be honest, I’ve always been a fan of food, though it may not have appeared as such when I was a child. While I inhaled childhood favorites such as pizza, hamburgers and hotdogs I would struggle with foods like...
In a recent poll by Wall Street Journal it was found that the percentage of Americans that say patriotism is an important part of their lives has dropped from 70 percent to 38 percent. Religion also took a nose dive from 62 percent to 39 percent. Community involvement plummeted as an important part of life, from 47 percent to 27 percent, and having children went from 59 percent to 30 percent in importance. Are these statistics surprising? Not really. I hear it all the time...
Hello to all the subscribers, readers and advertisers of the Saratoga Sun. My name is Gary Honodel and I was recently appointed to be the publisher of this great newspaper. It is quite an honor. Virginia Parker will be staying on at the Sun. I'll let her address this in her own words, but will say that while she did want to achieve a more flexible schedule, she is also dedicated to our local paper. I sort of think of her as the Air Boss, a Navy carrier position that might not...
I love learning new things and watching videos about life hacks. It’s fun to see something as simple as fillinga long neck glass bottle with water, turning it up side down and sticking it in your potted plant for a self-waterer, and wondering why you never thought about doing that? Getting older has its perks. You get good at using what you’ve learned, it’s called crystalized intelligence. Also, it turns out you might not be a grumpy old man or woman, after all. In your 60s y...
Dear Editor: Has Hobo Pool been sold? If the “Private Property, KEEP OUT” and “No Trespassing” signs posted on the four hog wire fence barricades blocking access to the free flowing mineral hot springs are official and accurate, the “publicly-owned, open and free forever”, Hobo Pool has either been sold, given away or somehow ended up in private hands. None of the signs indicate by whose authority the barriers were erected. (See photos). The barriers and signs have been up for a couple of weeks, with no effort by the town to...
One of the most interesting parts of college is getting to take classes you didn’t even know existed. Now I’m a computer science major, and one of the requirements for being a computer science major is taking actual science classes. This was devastating news to me as I did not like Chemistry, Biology, or Physics in high school and knew having to take those classes in college would be a struggle. Thankfully, if you don’t want to take actual Biology, Insect Biology works as a...
Life is full of changes, as I've mentioned in my columns of the past. Well...here comes another change in my life. I've decided to step back from editor/publisher and return to reporting, writing, photographing and spending time with friends and family. Josh has taught me so much about publishing a newspaper, and some of it has enhanced my life already. Learning is my favorite thing to do, so I happily latched on to all the new skills I could, but now, it's time to back off a...
Communities in Carbon County have had a dark cloud settle over what is typically a sunny summer with the loss of three lives to suicide. This overwhelming loss proves two things: it is difficult to know what battle someone is fighting internally and we need to talk about it more than we already do. I am no stranger to the tragedy of suicide and the struggles in Wyoming with mental health. Nearly four years ago, the Saratoga Sun lost its publisher to suicide. It was a shock...
College has been a great experience so far. Granted, it's not very exciting considering I spend most of my time outside of school work being on the debate team and playing video games. I also spend time with friends, with that time revolving around debate and video games. Usually that time is dedicated to both. A semi-tradition formed during the past school year where a group of friends on the debate team would go to Taco Bell after practice and then spend the rest of the nigh...
A tiny trail of smoke rises from the man's cupped hands as he gently blows a steady stream of air into the nest of frayed jute and char cloth he holds. Urging the little red spark in the black square of cloth to ignite, a flame soon flares up and the man gently places the bundle under a teepee of twigs waiting on the ground in front of him. The wows and quiet applause coupled with a few "I want to do that" remarks, murmur through the little group sitting in a circle around...
Editor’s note: Kaitlyn is returning for the summer to help us out here at the Saratoga Sun. We are looking forward to her insight into the community and it’s happenings I’ve learned a lot after my first two years of college. Of course there are the obvious ones - the importance of studying and work and going to others for help. However, I’ve also learned to place a strong emphasis on having a social life, and spending time with friends. Hanging out is easy in the summer, but l...
People are always curious what the rest of the world thinks of Americans and our way of life. Here are my wife’s thoughts on the subject. “Both places have their positives when it comes to the daily life experience.” Angelique Vallat is a French native who moved to the valley. She is married to Dallas Fields and they have one son who is in elementary school. They have lived together both in the U.S. and in France. One positive that stands out in living in Wyoming is how well m...