CHEYENNE, Wyo. (KIFI) – Governor Gordon and the Wyoming Veterans Commission have announced three celebrations around the state for “Wyoming Veterans Welcome Home Day” on Saturday, March 26.
During the 61st Legislative Session in 2011, the day of welcoming was codified in state law for March 30 of each year.
This coincides with the date U.S. combat troops would have set foot on Wyoming soil after returning home from the Vietnam War in 1973.
All Wyoming Veterans, especially those from the Korean War, Vietnam War, and other Veterans who were not properly thanked upon their return home, are invited to attend and receive the welcome and thanks of a grateful state. Military, surviving spouses of Veterans, and family members are also welcome to attend.
The first ceremony begins at 8:30 a.m. in Green River at American Legion Post 28, 38 North Center St.
A ceremony takes place at 11:30 a.m. in Worland at American Legion Post 44, 129 S. 7th St.
The final ceremony of the day will commence at 3 pm in Gillette at the Campbell County Senior Center located at 701 Stocktrail Ave.
The ceremonies will include remarks by Governor Mark Gordon, Maj. Gen. Greg Porter, the Adjutant General of Wyoming and Veterans Commission Chairman Jake Jacobs, local officials and Veterans. Receiving lines will be formed so Wyoming residents can join the effort to thank our Veterans.
Wyoming communities are also encouraged to host their own celebrations to honor Wyoming Veterans who may not have been thanked for their service or welcomed home.
For additional information, contact the Wyoming Veterans Commission at (307) 777-8151.
CENTRELEA, N.S. — Thinking about all those people fleeing from war and seeing prices going up here at home has given me pause to remember how lucky I am.
I live in a warm house on a hill with a beautiful view.
I have food in the fridge and in the freezer in the basement.
There is enough wood in the basement to see us through the winter to help with the power costs.
Read more
I have warm winter clothing and warm footgear.
I have a warm, soft bed with a nice pillow for my head.
I have a bathroom with a flushing toilet, a sink that has water, and a bathtub and shower with hot running water whenever I want it.
I have a well that has never gone dry.
I have my husband here.
I have reliable internet and reliable telephone service. My power stays on most of the time.
I have enough money to pay for the gas for our vehicle to go to the grocery store and the pharmacy.
I have a very reliable snowplow guy who cleans out the long driveway right after it snows.
The only noises I hear outside come from the occasional big truck on the highway or the neighbour’s tractor or the other neighbour’s horses or the coyotes at night or the various little birds that come to the feeders.
My nights are dark with stars and moon shining when it isn’t cloudy.
I live in Annapolis County in the province of Nova Scotia in the country of Canada.
I don’t live in a war zone brought about by a man who wants to turn back time. I don’t have to get my precious stuff together and get to a bus station or a train station to go to another country. My husband doesn’t have to stay behind to fight for our piece of territory.
My children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren are safe. My dear friends are safe.
I am so very grateful.
Anne Crossman is a former journalist and media manager. She now does volunteer work in her community of Centrelea, Annapolis County.
Op-ed Disclaimer
SaltWire Network welcomes letters on matters of public interest for publication. All letters must be accompanied by the author’s name, address and telephone number so that they can be verified. Letters may be subject to editing. The views expressed in letters to the editor in this publication and on SaltWire.com are those of the authors, and do not reflect the opinions or views of SaltWire Network or its Publisher. SaltWire Network will not publish letters that are defamatory, or that denigrate individuals or groups based on race, creed, colour or sexual orientation. Anonymous, pen-named, third-party or open letters will not be published.
Talented Waratahs playmaker Ben Donaldson believes the lure of a British & Irish Lions series and a home Rugby World Cup is a motivating factor that will help keep young players in the country, as news of further overseas departures hit Australian rugby on Wednesday morning.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Wallabies forward Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Brumbies youngster Nick Frost will head to Japan at the end of the year, while any hope Rugby Australia had of bringing world-class Rory Arnold back home has been scuppered by a Japanese deal that will make him the highest paid Australian player in the game.
All three are perfect examples of the money that exists offshore, but it’s also a reminder that while big offers from overseas were once largely the domain of players coming towards the end of their careers, these days players of all ages can take advantage of such an opportunity.
But speaking to media ahead of his side’s showdown with arch rivals the Reds in Sydney on Friday, Donaldson said he was focused on what he could achieve on home soil, rather than any big-money offer that might be available overseas.
“Yes and no, I’ve thought about it a little bit,” he said of his longer-term future. “But I’m more short-term kind of guy, I basically just look at the year that it is now. So I’ve got some goals for this year obviously and I’m really process driven, so week by week, I just worry about the game that’s coming this week, and then next week we’ll worry about that when it comes.
“I guess overseas, it’s definitely in my plans down the track, but my main goal is obviously to stay in Australia for as long as I can and play for the Wallabies – that’s the No. 1 goal before anything else.”
Australian rugby is on the cusp of another golden run of local events, with World Rugby set to ratify the nation as 2027 World Cup hosts later this year.
With the Lions set to head Down Under in 2025, hosting the World Cup two years later means Australia will have the same stellar calendar it did just after the turn of the millennium, giving players the opportunity to contest the game’s two flagship international events on home soil within three years of each other.
And Donaldson says he, and many young other players too, have the events circled on their calendar.
“It’s very exciting for Australian rugby with all these big events happening in the next four to eight years,” he said. “A lot of us young boys coming through, it’s not just me, but a lot of boys are really striving to be here, to be around for those big events.
“And me personally, they’re a few goals of mine for the long term. But like it is with the 10s, I feel like there’s a good opportunity at the moment and in the next few years to really push my case and keep improving so that I can be around for those big occasions.”
While he acknowledges the money may be hard to resist for some, Donaldson says it does not outweigh his desire to play well for club and country.
“I really hope [people hang around], because there is a good crop of players in Australia at the moment coming through the ranks, a lot of boys really pushing their case for the Wallabies,” he said.
“But yeah it’s hard to say, the money overseas attracts a fair few players. But I know for myself and a lot of boys who I’m mates with, we’re not too worried about money at this stage, we just want to play well for our state and country.”
Donaldson is one of a number of talented young Australian playmakers in Super Rugby Pacific this year, and this week has the chance to test himself against Wallabies veteran James O’Connor.
With the Reds star among the favourites to wear the No. 10 jersey against England later this year, Donaldson is keen to put his name on the radar of Wallabies selectors with a good performance in the always feisty local derby.
“It’s exciting, I obviously love testing myself against these guys who have been in the Wallabies setup for a while now,” he said. “And like you said, play a few good games and you never know what might happen.
“The goal is to make the Wallabies squad, and especially coming up against James this weekend, he’s a class player, so it’s a bit more for me to try and earn his respect. If I can play a good game, I can earn his respect and then the [Wallabies] coaches as well. But it’s more exciting than anything, try to have a good game, prepare well, nothing really changes and then hopefully I play some good footy.”
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John’s track and field won 15 of the 18 events at its home invitational on Saturday, Feb. 12, in the Donald McNeely Spectrum.
The Johnnies recorded 33 top-three marks/times in a field that included participants from Concordia-Moorhead, Minnesota-Morris, the Minnesota Running Club, Division II MSU-Moorhead and the St. Cloud State Run Club.
SJU, led by junior Kevin Arthur’s (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park) 6.94 seconds, claimed the three fastest times in the 60-meter dash. Seniors Ryan Miller (Maple Grove, Minn./Totino-Grace) and Jack Young (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) followed in second (6.98) and third (7.16), respectively. Arthur also won the 200-meter sprint in 22.97 and Young was second (23.11).
The home squad also recorded the top three times in the 1,000 meters, led by sophomore Tommy Allen (Woodbury, Minn./St. Paul Academy) in 2:32.35. Juniors Alexei Hensel (Buffalo, Minn.) and Will Mattock (Maryville, Mo.) followed in second (2:33.92) and third (2:40.59). The times for Allen and Hensel are the MIAC’s top two in the event so far this season.
SJU swept the top three marks in the high jump, led by freshman Alec Ungar (Eden Prairie, Minn./Chanhassen) at 1.90 meters. Senior Sam Rademacher (Marshall, Minn.) and freshman Anthony Thurk (St. Bonifacius, Minn./Waconia) tied for second after both cleared 1.80 meters on their second attempt. Ungar also placed second in the long jump with a season-best mark of 6.44 meters.
Senior Shawn Schindler (Maple Grove, Minn.) led the SJU trio atop the pole-vault leaderboard with a height of 4.57 meters, and sophomore Joe Charbonneau (New Richmond, Wis.) and junior Joe Stauffer (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) tied for second (4.27 meters).
Junior Jared Stanke (Anoka, Minn./Elk River) and junior Maguire Petersen (Hutchinson, Minn.) went 1 (8.72)-2 (8.75) with season-best times in the 60-meter hurdles. Senior Michael Wallace (Nassau, Bahamas/St. Anne’s) and junior Elijah Wade (Waco, Texas/Vanguard College Prep) finished first (13.75 meters) and second (12.84 meters) in the triple jump. Wallace’s mark was his best this season and is first in the MIAC.
Junior Eli Mollet (Jefferson, S.D./Bishop Heelan Catholic, Iowa) won the weight throw with a toss of 16.97 meters and classmate Gavin Rupp (Villard, Minn./Minnewaska Area) was close behind in third (16.79 meters). The duo also finished in the shot put’s top three thanks to season-best marks, with Mollet second (14.38 meters) and Rupp third (13.95 meters).
SJU’s other individual event wins:
-Senior Omavi Collison (Nassau, Bahamas/St. Anne’s) in the 400 meters (51.99);
-Senior Dillon Diekmann (Lake Elmo, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) in the 3,000 meters (8:59.59);
-Senior Andy Goldsmith (Tulsa, Okla./Cascia Hall) in the 5,000 meters (15:34.45);
-Senior Brady Labine (Detroit Lakes, Minn.) in the 600 meters (1:26.12);
-Junior Tom Nemanich (Red Wing, Minn.) in the mile run (4:35.79);
The Johnnies’ 4×200-meter (1:32.82; Arthur, Miller, Young, Collison) and 4×400-meter (3:32.56; Hernandez, Allen, Hensel, Labine) relays both took first place.
Senior Nathan Meyer (Iowa City, Iowa/Regina) claimed second in the 3,000 meters (9:00.95), while juniors Nathan Clausing (Big Lake, Minn.) and Jorge Hernandez (Le Sueur, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson) took second in the 800 (2:04.73) 600 meters (1:28.81), respectively.
The Johnnies travel south to compete at Division II MSU-Mankato’s Maverick Invitational on Friday, Feb. 18.
The Olympic Games are on late tonight on KPRC 2. We’ll join you on TV at 11:30 p.m, but you can catch the top headlines and weather earlier by tuning in at 10 p.m. on Click2Houston.com and on KPRC 2+.
KPRC 2+ is an app you can download on your television by searching KPRC on your ROKU, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, or Google TV. Get KPRC 2+ for free to gain access to local news, weather, live events, and more on your TV whenever you want.
