By Mike Koshmrl Every year, thousands of wapiti wait out winter on the National Elk Refuge, a nearly 40-square-mile federal wildlife refuge that was formed 112 years ago in the heart of Jackson Hole. Spring is typically a time of migration, when herds shoot out in every direction: toward subdivisions along the Snake River, into Grand Teton National […]
Wyofile
Posted inWyoming
Rocky Mountain Power wants to charge more for electricity. Ask why at upcoming workshops
By Dustin Bleizeffer The ever-increasing cost of electricity can squeeze Wyomingites’ monthly budgets, but Rocky Mountain Power says ongoing rate hikes are necessary. The company, which serves about 144,000 customers in Wyoming, will host a series of workshops to explain its newest proposed electric rate hikes in the state and take questions from customers. The company […]
Posted inWyoming
Wyomingites may be skeptical of Obamacare, but many use it for health insurance
By Madelyn Beck Wyoming leaders have repeatedly rejected Medicaid expansion, but a new study shows many residents here rely on another component of the Affordable Care Act: the health insurance marketplace. Among 10 states with the highest share of farmers, Wyoming uses the federal health insurance marketplace the most, according to a new analysis by the Robert Wood […]
Posted inWyoming
Wyoming sues to stop new Biden administration coal pollution rules
By Dustin Bleizeffer Wyoming joined more than 20 states this week in filing two lawsuits in federal court to stop the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new rules to reduce greenhouse gas and other harmful pollutants emitted from coal- and natural gas-fired power plants. The lawsuits allege the EPA has overstepped its authority to regulate greenhouse gas […]
Posted inAnimals
A calf is born: Hot Springs park welcomes first baby bison of the year
By Katie Klingsporn The small herd of bison that roams the sage hills of Hot Springs State Park near Thermopolis may not garner the same attention as its brethren near Jackson, but it has a solid contingent of local fans. Each spring, park employees and Thermopolis locals keep a close eye on the herd’s cows in […]
Posted inSchools
UW makes millions from ancestral tribal lands. What does it owe Native American students?
by Gabe Allen, WyoFile Just outside the tiny Carbon County town of Mcfadden, a dirt road winds its way to an uneven grassy pasture. The herd from Sim’s Cattle Company stops here to graze for a week or two each year. In the north end of the pasture, a pumpjack drums up a steady flow of […]
Posted inStatewide
Black 14 stands against legislative cuts amid setbacks for University of Wyoming diversity programs
by Madelyn Beck, WyoFile Nearly 55 years after a University of Wyoming football coach’s notorious decision to remove 14 young Black men from the team for asking to protest racial injustice, three of them are taking another stand. “In 1969, [t]he Black 14 risked their football careers and educational opportunities to champion social justice, civil rights, […]
Posted inEnergy
Wyoming coal production nosedives, with more trouble ahead
by Dustin Bleizeffer, WyoFile Some Wyoming coal mines are likely facing extinction-level headwinds — even before the prospect of new federal coal pollution reduction rules taking effect in 2032, some market analysts say. Wyoming’s two largest coal producers, Arch Resources and Peabody Energy — which, combined, operate five mines in the state — both reported lower-than-expected sales volumes […]
Posted inEducation
Internships, taxes, coding: Pilot education program aims to bring back life skills
by Katie Klingsporn, WyoFile RIVERTON—At Cheyenne Central High School, one of the schools participating in a pilot initiative aimed at rethinking education in Wyoming, Liz Edington taught her psychology students about mental illness by having them study speculated diagnoses of great American leaders. When it was time to test her students, Edington asked students to produce […]
Posted inState Government
Property taxes skyrocketing? Thousands more now qualify for refunds in Wyoming.
by Maggie Mullen, WyoFile After Wyoming’s property tax refund program helped a record number of Wyoming homeowners last year, lawmakers boosted the program with an additional $20 million and expanded eligibility during the 2024 budget session. Two-thousand more households are now expected to qualify for relief. “I want to thank the Legislature for endorsing the importance […]
Posted inAnimals
Wild horses, burros get adopted, not dragged away
by Angus M. Thuermer Jr., WyoFile ROCK SPRINGS — They came from Nevada and were a bit smaller and thinner-boned than their Wyoming cousins. They might not have been perfect for a mountain elk hunt or a week’s pack trip into the Thorofare, but for a teenage barrel racer — just right. The U.S. Bureau of […]
Posted inWyoming
University of Wyoming students hold peaceful vigil for Palestinian, Israeli dead amid international turmoil
By Madelyn Beck Amid thousands of student arrests and harrowing protests on U.S. and international college campuses, the Friday afternoon vigil at the University of Wyoming honoring those killed during the Israel-Palestine conflict seemed particularly peaceful. At the vigil’s peak, more than 40 people stood in the cold and wind at a plaza near the Wyoming Union to pay silent […]
Posted inWyoming
Lawsuit alleging Wyoming unconstitutionally underfunds schools heading for trial
by Katie Klingsporn Litigation over how Wyoming funds public education is on track for a full trial after a Laramie County district court judge on Wednesday dismissed the state’s request to decide part of the case now. The lawsuit, brought by the Wyoming Education Association in 2022, claims Wyoming has violated its constitution by failing to […]
Posted inEnergy
Coal lawyer: Quick court action essential to keeping EPA rules from killing industry
By Dustin Bleizeffer One of the state’s top hired lawyers predicts Wyoming and other coal proponents will prevail in federal court to stop the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new coal pollution rules that most observers agree would effectively end the state’s coal industry. “I’m going to tell you right now: EPA is not going to win […]
Posted inWyoming
17,500 Wyoming enrollees lost Medicaid or Kid Care CHIP coverage over last year
By Madelyn Beck More than 17,500 Wyoming enrollees lost Medicaid or Kids Care CHIP coverage over the previous 12 months ending March. That’s because the Wyoming Department of Health is performing its federally mandated eligibility review for the services. The state paused that annual effort during the pandemic while the feds temporarily bolstered Medicaid funds to […]
Posted inElections
Wyoming voids 28% of its voter registrations in mandatory purge
by Maggie Mullen, WyoFile Thousands of Wyoming residents could be surprised on Election Day when they show up to cast a ballot only to discover they’re no longer registered to vote. There are currently about 83,500 fewer registered voters in the state than at the end of 2022, a roughly 28% drop, according to data released Wednesday by […]
Posted inWyoming
Wyoming Boys’ School denies allegations of abuse and neglect
by Madelyn Beck, WyoFile The Wyoming Boys’ School, Wyoming Department of Family Services and several current and former Boys’ School staff members responded Monday to allegations of abuse with a court filing of their own — roughly 60 pages of denials. Three former Wyoming Boys’ School residents sued the defendants in February, claiming they were subjected to several […]
Posted inHealth
Health care is unaffordable for many in Wyoming. A new group would look for solutions.
by Madelyn Beck, WyoFile In 1993, Wyoming leaders created a commission to make recommendations for reforming the state’s health care system. One out of every four Wyomingites at the time spent more than 20% of their income on medical expenses. “Wyoming’s greatest natural resource is our people,” Thomas Stroock, a U.S. ambassador and Republican state politician […]
Posted inAnimals
Tribal bison hunt expands on National Elk Refuge to include Eastern Shoshone
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story contains a graphic image. Reader discretion is advised. by Mike Koshmrl, WyoFile JACKSON HOLE—National Elk Refuge staffer Frank Durbian spent Thursday morning watching members of Idaho’s Shoshone-Bannock Tribes hold a ceremony, then take down three bull bison on ancestral northwest Wyoming lands their forebears once occupied. “I think it’s wonderful that they […]
Posted inState Politics
Wyoming GOP enables ouster of elected party officials — illegally some say
by Maggie Mullen, WyoFile Three strikes and you’re out. That’s the new policy of the Wyoming Republican Party regarding meeting attendance for its elected precinct committeemen and women — the people who help craft the party’s policy vision. Any precinct committee person who misses three meetings in a year will be removed. Supporters say the bylaw […]
Posted inGovernment
Book challenges, content controversies roil Fremont County libraries
by Katie Klingsporn, WyoFile LANDER—Inside Fremont County’s library, patrons can peruse magazines and DVDs, work jigsaw puzzles, take children to storytime or select from a large collection of books. Young readers can also access at least two controversial titles and log onto the unfettered world of the internet. Those realities helped touch off what has become […]
Posted inWyoming
The giant mental-health loophole in Wyoming’s gun regulations
by Madelyn Beck, WyoFile In Wyoming, someone can be deemed a danger to themselves or others, be committed to the state hospital for severe mental illness, be released, go directly to a store and buy a firearm. Such gun purchases violate federal law, and potentially state law. But because Wyoming is one of only three states that don’t […]
Posted inWyoming
Wyoming stakeholders nudge feds in opposing directions on sage grouse conservation plan
By Dustin Bleizeffer As home to about 38% of the planet’s remaining greater sage grouse — far more than any other state or province — and the architect of key conservation measures, Wyoming has a lot to gain or lose from upcoming changes to the complex, multi-agency matrix of rules and regulations governing management of the […]
