Powell Tribune

Wear a mask and keep your distance, Panther fans

It was encouraging to see Powell students return to school last week, and it’s been almost as uplifting to see prep athletes take to the courts, pools, fields and courses in recent weeks. In … more

By CJ Baker | 9/1/20

Women gaining ground in leadership positions, but more can be done

More than 150 years after Wyoming became the first place to give women the right to vote, the state is still seeing “firsts” for females. To our knowledge, last week’s election … more

By Tessa Baker | 8/25/20

National news outlets did not serve us well during pandemic

Among the strangest stories in a year full of strange stories was the toilet paper hoarding. It will stand out as an unprecedented oddity of the COVID-19 crisis. In those early days, we knew so very … more

By Kevin Killough | 8/20/20

Park County’s livestream is great, but recordings are needed

Earlier this year, Park County commissioners took a terrific step toward making their meetings more accessible to the public, beginning to offer a live video feed of their proceedings … more

By CJ Baker | 8/18/20

It takes a village to keep children healthy and schools open

The first-day-of-school butterflies will likely arrive with a new flutter of anxiousness in 2020 as students, parents and staff wonder what this school year will hold amid the ongoing COVID-19 … more

By Tessa Baker | 8/13/20

Companies need to stop spreading fear of agriculture

Burger King recently got itself into hot water with farmers and ranchers. Trying to appeal to its customers’ concerns about the environment, the fast food giant produced a commercial about its … more

By Kevin Killough | 8/6/20

Take the time to know your candidates

For all but the most hard-core political junkies, combing over a ballot can be a daunting task. In next month’s primary election, for instance, Republican voters will need to choose between … more

By CJ Baker | 7/30/20

Agricultural heritage remains at the heart of our county fair

Like most parts of life in 2020, this week’s Park County Fair looks quite different. Gone are the spinning carnival rides, smashing derby cars and crowds milling about on the midway. But … more

By Tessa Baker | 7/23/20

The divisiveness of cancel culture helps no one

Ever since George Floyd died in May when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, the Black Lives Matter movement and the injustices it seeks to rectify have been … more

By Kevin Killough | 7/16/20

Our community colleges can’t be an afterthought

As Wyoming finds itself hit with both an economy-disrupting pandemic and a plummeting market for minerals, there’s no avoiding the fact that we’re all in for a rough ride. The … more

By CJ Baker | 7/14/20

As businesses adapt, maintain local support

When local businesses shut down this spring, many of us hoped life would get back to normal by summertime. Yet the Fourth of July weekend saw 53 active cases of COVID-19 in Park County, the highest … more

By Tessa Baker | 7/9/20

Let states have more power to regulate meat processing

What is it they say about roads paved with good intentions? For about 50 years now, most of the meat we buy and sell in America is regulated by the federal government. You can slaughter any … more

By Kevin Killough | 7/2/20

In the uncertainty of 2020, make sure your vote counts

While you could use many words to describe 2020, uncertainty is a one of the prevailing themes. With the primary election less than two months away, uncertainty looms. Will Park County’s … more

By Tessa Baker | 6/30/20

Now not the time to boost school pay

If a pandemic wasn’t enough to deal with, the State of Wyoming is now facing a full-blown budget crisis. The state government remains largely reliant on the energy industry for revenue … more

By CJ Baker | 6/23/20

In defense of masks

In the past week, the number of lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Park County jumped from two to seven, which represents a 250% increase. Seven is still a low number, and hopefully we continue to … more

By Kevin Killough | 6/18/20

Be quick to listen and slow to speak

The past two weeks changed America. But we have yet to see if our nation will emerge better or worse going forward. This is a crossroads moment for our country, one that history will certainly … more

By Tessa Baker | 6/9/20

People really can act in their own self interest

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided an update on its “best estimate” for Americans’ fatality rate of 0.4% for those showing COVID-19 symptoms. … more

By Kevin Killough | 6/4/20

In a sparse field of candidates, there are opportunities to serve

Unless more candidates step up, local voters will have few choices when choosing city and county leaders in 2020. As of presstime Wednesday, only the mayor and one candidate had filed to seek … more

By Tessa Baker | 5/28/20

When pandemic ends, remote access to meetings should continue

Many parts of life just haven’t been as good as usual in recent weeks. We have all made due and adapted, often in wonderful and unexpected ways, but virtual birthday parties and drive-by … more

By CJ Baker | 5/26/20

Telework may offer a silver lining in the pandemic

In an effort to maintain distances between people and stem the spread of the coronavirus, a big chunk of America’s workforce began working at home. Here in Powell, public meetings were held on … more

By Kevin Killough | 5/14/20