In less than two weeks, the voters of Johnson County will have the opportunity to demonstrate what our community truly values.

Earlier this month, the state Department of Education released parameters for reopening the state’s 347 schools. By early August, the state’s 48 school districts must submit their own plans in accordance with the guidelines. 

Really, we need you.

Walking down the canned goods aisle at the grocery store this week, one of the Bench Sitters overhead two young mothers visiting (at a social distance of course) and picked up on a few thoughts that would not occur to most of us who are well into our “Social Security years.”

Jim Smail’s Scottish grandfather came to America and homesteaded in Farson back in 1915.

The clock is ticking toward Aug. 24 – the first day of school in Johnson County. With less than seven weeks until students return to learning, many questions remain unanswered.

After Mom finished cleaning up the mess the kids made in the kitchen while they “fixed breakfast” for Dad last Sunday, she had to get busy cooking that special Father’s Day dinner. 

Well-intentioned bipartisan legislation supported by Wyoming Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso would allow state-inspected meat to be sold across state lines. Under normal conditions, this might create a boon for locally raised beef that could now be processed in Wyoming and sold under a pri…

On Monday evening, we witnessed that the great American experiment is still alive and well here in Johnson County. 

It is budget season, and both the city and county are grappling with projected revenue declines of 20 percent or more. On Monday, the state’s first cost-cutting measures will go into effect – 10 of the state’s rest areas will be shuttered to reduce the Wyoming Department of Transportation’s …

All these years we thought the bad weather over Memorial Day weekend was being caused by the annual Kiwanis Club Lake DeSmet Fishing Derby.

“All gave some, some gave all.” Howard William Osterkamp, Korean War 1951-1953

For nearly 15 years, we have heard about the United States Postal Service running in the red. Politicians have wrongly claimed that this is due solely to mismanagement, and that the USPS should be privatized. Certainly management could be improved. However, the real driver of these losses oc…

Like many of you, we have been getting a little stir crazy spending too much time in the house. I’ve noticed lots of things I could be working on, like patching that drywall in the upstairs guest bedroom or reorganizing my closets, but with the emerging warmer weather, the Wyoming wilderness…

As Wyoming and Johnson County take the first tentative steps to reopening businesses and public offices, it’s more true than ever that we are all in this together. Ensuring the communal success of efforts to reopen businesses will require each of us to bear a little personal responsibility. 

When a life-threatening spring flood is forecast for Johnson County, the Buffalo Bulletin breaks that news on our web page. We don’t do it for link clicks or to scare people, but rather so our community can take necessary precautions. As anyone who lives here knows, the weather can change ra…

The time has come for Congress to act if Wyoming and indeed America’s agriculture industry is to survive. Over the years there have been multiple bills sponsored by both Democrats and Republicans to address inequities in the national ag markets. Yet, none of these bills have ever made it to …

Last week the Bench Sitters were visiting about some of the interesting facts of “isolation,” and that stimulated a few people to make additional comments.

Most folks who enter public service do so because they feel they can bring certain expertise and knowledge to the position. Certainly, anyone running for public office in Wyoming in the last five years has been aware of the significant financial challenges the state faces. 

I sat staring at a blank document, cursor blinking, for a long time. I wanted to share something upbeat and positive, but everything I attempted to write felt trite or insincere. I typed a few words only to delete them. I left for lunch, hoping that the writer’s block would be gone by the ti…

Like many of you, we have been getting a little stir crazy spending too much time in the house. I’ve noticed lots of things I could be working on, like patching that drywall in the upstairs guest bedroom or reorganizing my closets, but with the emerging warmer weather, the Wyoming wilderness…