As a regional trauma and referral center, Banner Wyoming Medical Center is the largest hospital in Wyoming and provides comprehensive heart, stroke and trauma care and more to the people of Wyoming. The hospital’s team is made up of people with a genuine desire to take care of their friends, family and neighbors and to keep that care in the state.
These are just some of the faces behind Banner Wyoming Medical Center.
Meet Tom,
Tom Sherwin was a pipe welder for more than 15 years before deciding he needed a career change. After more than a dozen knee surgeries and a lot of time spent in hospitals over the years, his wife encouraged him to think about a career in health care.
At first, he thought he might be a paramedic but ultimately decided to pursue a respiratory therapy degree at Casper College. He’s now been a respiratory therapist for more than 11 years and began managing Banner Health’s Sleep Lab in Casper in 2019.
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“It’s important to me to give every patient the best care,” he said. “I’ve been on the other side, and I know how much a kind word means.”
Tom grew up on a 30,000-acre ranch west of Casper and enjoys everything outdoors, including bow hunting, fishing, hiking, rock hounding, and prospecting. If he’s not outside, he enjoys spending time with his wife, four daughters and grandson.
Meet Sam,
All of the males in Sam Liday’s family are firefighters, so it seemed clear that might be his career path as well. His mother is a pharmacist and he thought about following in her footsteps, but she talked him out of it. Firefighting didn’t feel like his life calling, so he decided to pursue nursing school.
“I knew I wanted to do something that would have an impact,” said Sam.
Originally from Idaho and educated in Montana, Sam is accustomed to life in the West and moved to Casper almost two years ago with his girlfriend who is from here. She is a firefighter. Sam is a nurse on Banner’s Wyoming Medical Center’s Neuro Unit.
When Sam isn’t at work, he enjoys everything outdoors, including hunting, skiing and especially fly fishing along the North Platte River.
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Meet Kindal,
A dog-adoring, sun-worshipping, golf-loving LPN.
Kindal Kott moved to Wyoming from a small town in Texas when she was 13. After high school, she wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to do for a career, but knew she wanted to stay in Casper.
“I really like Wyoming,” she said.
Kindal decided to get her CNA license and has worked on Banner Wyoming Medical Center’s Medical Unit for about three years. She was inspired by her co-workers and one of her cousins who is a NICU nurse to pursue nursing school and has been holding down her job as an LPN while attending nursing school at Casper College.
“I just felt like it was the right thing to do,” she said.
In Kindal’s limited free time, she enjoys walking her two blue heelers and playing golf.
Meet Jonica,
A dog-loving, walleye-fishing, amateur-bowling paramedic.
A scary experience as a teenager is what led Jonica Fields to health care. A tumor was discovered in her sinus cavity when she was just 14, which forced the Worland-native to spend a lot of time at Children’s Hospital in Denver. Fortunately, the tumor was benign and able to be removed, and she’s been able to lead a normal life.
Jonica decided to pursue her paramedic degree but after graduating about 10 years ago, there were no job openings in the ambulance department. She pivoted and decided to take a job in Banner Wyoming Medical Center’s lab as a phlebotomist and waited about 6 months for a paramedic job to open. Today, she’s in nursing school.
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“I really love the ambulance, but I don’t feel like this is the kind of job I can do until I’m 65,” she said.
In her free time, Jonica loves just about anything outside, especially if there is no cell service.
Meet Hong,
A humidity-loving, family-adoring, joyful-cooking laundry aide.
Hong Hatterman moved to Wyoming from Vietnam after she met and married her Wyoming-born husband. His mother, Hong’s mother-in-law, is also Vietnamese, which helped ease the big transition.
“The hardest thing was the weather,” she said. Even after 26 years, she says she still misses the humidity in Vietnam.
She doesn’t have the opportunity to return to Vietnam very often, but the family gets together to cook traditional food that feels like home, and she’s able to instill some of her cultural traditions in her two children.
Hong came to work at the hospital and worked in housekeeping for two years before transitioning to laundry, where she has spent more than 17 years. She said she has thought about going back to school to become a nurse, but she loves people and the teamwork in the laundry department.
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“When you’re happy with what you’re doing, time flies,” she said.
For more information on the faces behind Banner Wyoming Medical Center, and all of the services they provide, visit the Banner Wyoming Medical Center website or follow them on Facebook.
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With a population under 600, Byron, Wyo., is generally a quiet town. In recent weeks, streets have been even quieter as both local and federal law enforcement search for 39-year-old fugitive Anthony Pease, who is wanted for six counts of sexual assault involving a minor.
Authorities have been searching the area for weeks, and a reward for information leading to an arrest now sits at $2,000.
See how the search impacts the town:
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Search for fugitive wanted for child sex crimes leaves Wyoming town on alert
Saturday morning, law enforcement shared there was a confirmed sighting of Pease near town and reminded residents to remain vigilant by locking their doors and reporting suspicious activity. According to Wyoming’s Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office, before the weekend sighting, Pease hasn’t been seen since Nov. 1.
The Big Horn County Schools Superintendent, Matt Davidson, told MTN News a school resource officer on staff stays up to date with the latest on search efforts, and some parents say they’ve been keeping their kids indoors when they’re not at school.
As the search continues, the mayor as well as some residents, say they are taking law enforcement’s advice while keeping a watchful eye.
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“I never used to lock my house during the day. I didn’t even lock my vehicles at night. In fact, a lot of the time I’d leave the keys in them. I’ve talked to other people and there is quite a few people that are nervous. I would hope that a lot of us are nervous because this is a bad thing,” said Byron Mayor Allan Clark.
In fact, investigators could be seen around Byron knocking on doors and scanning land outside of town.
“There’s just so much area and a low population, so much area for him to hide and seek shelter,” Clark said.
With so many wide-open spaces and abandoned buildings in the area, Clark understands why the search has gone on so long.
According to the US Marshals Service, Pease is 5 feet 11 inches tall and may also be going by the name Abraham. They also ask that anyone nearby who has a collection of silver dollars to ensure they are still there, and if not, to report to authorities.
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Marshals say Pease is considered dangerous, and the public is told to not approach him and instead call 9-1-1. As the search has stretched over six weeks, many residents hope a capture will bring life back to normal.
“I hope that they capture him soon, and I hope that us as community members and around the area keep our eyes open and report anything suspicious,” said Clark.
SHOSHONI, Wyo. — A 12-year-old boy from Shoshoni is now the proud holder of the Junior 4-pound Line Class world record for bass after netting a 2-pound, 4-ounce largemouth in August. The boy, coincidentally with the last name Bass, caught the fish at Lake Cameahwait.
According to a release from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Tucker Bass and his father were fishing over the lake on a two-person kayak when the young angler reeled in the record fish. He did so on a rod and reel given to him by his grandfather.
Bass is the first Wyoming resident to hold a world record in any category for largemouth. The International Game and Fish Association oversees all world records for fishing and officially approved Bass’s catch in November.
Wyoming’s state record largemouth was caught in 2018 near Sheridan. A comprehensive list of all Wyoming record fish can be found here.
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“This is an exceptional accomplishment for a young angler,” WGF Lander Region fisheries supervisor Joe Deromedi said in the release. “Tucker’s record highlights not only his skill and dedication, but also the quality fishing opportunities we have in central Wyoming. It’s always exciting to see youth developing a lifelong passion for fishing.”
Bass, an avid fisherman, also earned Trophy Angler status in the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Master Angler program in August.
For more information on Tucker Bass’s record catch, see the Wyoming Game and Fish website.
Junior Line class 4-pound world record-holder Tucker Bass (WGF Department)
