Barrasso believes coronavirus shutdowns are over
BUFFALO — Though Wyoming saw its third largest spike in positive coronavirus cases on Saturday, U.S. Sen. John Barrasso does not believe the nation or Wyoming will need to close down again.
Updated: 19 hours ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Wednesday, May 27, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 19 hours ago
Change in mineral tax payments faces early challenges
CASPER — Legislation signed into law this year requires energy firms in Wyoming to fork over mineral tax payments to county governments on a more frequent, monthly basis. But the road to implementing the new tax rules could be bumpy for public officials and industry alike.
Updated: 22 hours ago
Lawmakers unlikely to consider Medicaid expansion in any special session
CHEYENNE – As Wyoming lawmakers prepare for the likelihood of more special sessions in coming months, Medicaid expansion likely won’t be a topic up for immediate consideration in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated: 22 hours ago
Jackson airport told to create disaster fund for heli-tours
JACKSON — Town of Jackson officials are playing with Jackson Hole Airport purse strings to create a precautionary pot of money for potential wildfire and search-and-rescue costs in the event that a scenic helicopter flight crashes and burns.
Updated: 22 hours ago
GCSD planning for fall
TORRINGTON – An unsourced viral post on social media about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a minor panic online. But the real measures released by the CDC last week aren’t nearly as strict or cut and dry.
Updated: 1 day ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Wednesday, May 27, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 day ago
Supreme Court affirms Laramie County custody decision
CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled recently that the Laramie County District Court didn’t abuse its discretion when it said a mother wasn’t allowed to consume alcohol during visits with her child.
Updated: 1 day ago
Wyoming braces for $1.5 billion revenue hit
CASPER — Collapsing energy prices and the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to cost Wyoming up to $1.5 billion in revenues through June 2022, preliminary estimates released Tuesday show, setting the stage for steep budget cuts, new taxes or a mix of both.
Updated: 1 day ago
Jackson false imprisonment trial delayed
JACKSON — The civil rights lawsuit filed by a Jackson teen against a Colorado cop is delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated: 1 day ago
Riverton man charged with first-degree murder
RIVERTON — Authorities ruled Tuesday that the manner of Trevor Bartlett’s death was homicide.
Updated: 1 day ago
Warden credits ‘hard work’ as DOC continues to report no cases
Wyoming’s Department of Corrections has yet to report a confirmed COVID-19 case among its inmates, according to the department, even as state and federal prisons nationwide have proven hotbeds of infection.
Updated: 1 day ago
Pollution drops amid pandemic
CASPER — A University of Utah scientist has published preliminary research revealing a significant decline in air pollutants during the age of COVID-19.
Updated: 2 days ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Tuesday, May 26, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 2 days ago
Treasure hunter banned from Yellowstone
POWELL – An Indiana treasure seeker who had to be rescued by park rangers after illegally rappelling into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone last winter has received multiple penalties for his actions. David Christensen must serve a week in jail, reimburse the Park Service more than $4,000 for the expense of getting him out of the canyon and stay out of Yellowstone National Park for the next five years.
Updated: 2 days ago
NE Wyoming tourism season marked by uncertainty
GILLETTE — When the coronavirus pandemic began to impact the economy more than two months ago, there was a lot of uncertainty on how it would play out. Today, as states and communities start to reopen, it’s difficult to predict what the recovery will look like.
Updated: 2 days ago
Long-term future of skills games not a sure thing
GILLETTE — The city of Gillette’s decision to kill an ordinance to regulate “skills” games does not end a larger debate about whether businesses and organizations across Wyoming should be allowed the have the games.
Updated: 2 days ago
Gunwerks reaches settlement in Wells Fargo lawsuit
CODY — A settlement was agreed to in a $2.8 million lawsuit between Wells Fargo Bank and Cody-based firearm manufacturer Gunwerks, that was filed in Wyoming Federal District Court on Wednesday, according to Michael LaBazzo, a spokesman for Gunwerks.
Updated: 2 days ago
U.S. Attorney asked to watch out for government overreach
RIVERTON — The United States Attorney for the District of Wyoming has been asked by United States Attorney General William Barr to be vigilant against state or county public health orders that strain people’s rights “unduly.”
Updated: 2 days ago
NTEC furloughs 93 hourly workers, 8 salaried from Antelope mine
GILLETTE — More than 100 Antelope coal mine workers lost their jobs Thursday morning when Navajo Transitional Energy Co. furloughed 93 hourly employees and laid off eight salaried staff.
Updated: 6 days ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Friday, May 22, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 6 days ago
Judiciary Committee hears testimony on public records
SHERIDAN — Several witnesses asked the Wyoming Legislature Joint Judiciary Committee during its virtual meeting Wednesday to prepare better guidance regarding interpretation of public records exemptions going forward.
Updated: 6 days ago
COVID-19 found at Casper nursing home; 265 to be tested, quarantined
CASPER — Roughly 265 staff members and residents at a Casper long-term care facility will be tested and quarantined after a case of the coronavirus was confirmed there, health officials said Thursday.
Updated: 6 days ago
WYDOT director backs usage charge as solution to funding state roads
CHEYENNE – With the state facing more than $100 million in annual unmet road needs, the head of the Wyoming Department of Transportation offered his support Thursday for a funding option that’s gained momentum in other Western states.
Updated: 6 days ago
Staff handling locker clean-out process at Gillette high schools
GILLETTE — Cleaning out lockers is one of those things that signifies the end of the school year and the start of summer break. But instead of students doing that this year, teachers and custodians have been doing the chore.
Updated: 1 week ago
How COVID-19 expanded this yearbook's meaning
CHEYENNE — The award-winning yearbook staff at Cheyenne’s East High had a plan for documenting this school year – and a global pandemic wasn’t a part of it.
Updated: 1 week ago
Transients, others quarantine in Riverton COVID camp
RIVERTON — As of Friday afternoon, 16 people were quarantined in a man camp abutting Arapahoe School on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
Updated: 1 week ago
Governor urges residents to adhere to safeguards as cases climb by 13
In the wake of Wyoming’s 11th death related to the coronavirus, Gov. Mark Gordon on Wednesday urged Wyoming residents to abide by the safety guidelines that have been handed down by state health officials to stop the spread of the illness.
Updated: 1 week ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Thursday, May 21, 2020 From Wyoming News Exchange newspapers
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 week ago
32 tested for COVID-19 after case at Casper day care
CASPER — A child at a Casper day care center tested positive for the coronavirus, prompting the center’s closure and the testing of 32 staff members and children, the Casper-Natrona County Health Department said Wednesday.
Updated: 1 week ago
Paper, new or DIY: Bagging groceries in the COVID era
JACKSON — Grocery shoppers in Jackson can still use their own bags. They just have to bag their own groceries if they do.
Updated: 1 week ago
State announces targeted COVID-19 testing plan for nursing homes, assisted-living facilities
CHEYENNE – In an effort to monitor potential outbreaks of the coronavirus, Wyoming health officials have announced a plan to test a portion of staff members and residents in every nursing home and assisted-living facility across the state.
Updated: 1 week ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Tuesday, May 19, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 week ago
Cody merchants prepare for tourists
CODY — With Yellowstone National Park’s recent opening limited to its Wyoming entrances in Cody and Jackson, it could be an opportunity for local businesses to benefit from a monopoly of sorts when it comes to tourist traffic.
Updated: 1 week ago
Glimmer of hope for oil and gas industry
CASPER — The price for a barrel of oil inched just over $30 Monday morning, a welcomed reprieve for oil and gas operators stuck in the midst of an energy crisis fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated: 1 week ago
Cheyenne woman charged with first-degree murder in Saturday shooting death
CHEYENNE – A 33-year-old Cheyenne teacher has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of her fiancé early Saturday morning.
Updated: 1 week ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Monday, May 18, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 week ago
Guernsey braces for layoffs as coal’s decline quiets the rails
GUERNSEY — The railroad is this town’s backbone.
Updated: 1 week ago
Ultra files for bankruptcy: gas producer was state’s largest tax contributor last year
CASPER — One of Wyoming’s most prolific natural gas producers, Ultra Petroleum Corp., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Thursday evening in Texas following months of financial instability.
Updated: 1 week ago
Freedom rally: Citizens gather outside Smith Alley in Sheridan
SHERIDAN — A group of about 75 gathered outside Smith Alley Brewing Company Friday — some to show solidarity for the business itself, others to advocate for personal liberties.
Updated: 1 week ago
Tribes continue shelter order; aggressive approach continues as other places loosen rules
CASPER — As the state and Wyoming counties begin to loosen restrictions on business amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wind River Reservation tribes are continuing their aggressive approach to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Updated: 1 week ago
Renewed effort to protect businesses from COVID-19 lawsuits succeeds in special session
CHEYENNE – After a bill to grant immunity to business owners from COVID-19 lawsuits faltered during the first day of the Wyoming Legislature’s special session, a renewed effort to provide those protections was successful in the second and final day of the session Saturday.
Updated: 1 week ago
Historic special session opens as bars, restaurants open
Restaurants and bars across Wyoming that have been closed since mid-March opened their doors on Friday as Wyoming’s legislators met in an historic special session to deal with the impacts of the coronavirus.
Updated: 1 week ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Friday, May 15, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 week ago
Sheridan business owner speaks out on COVID-19 orders
SHERIDAN — Businesses reopening has caused some tension and confusion along Sheridan’s Main Street, especially regarding law enforcement’s role in enforcing public health mandates.
Updated: 1 week ago
Cheyenne Landlord Association questions details of eviction program in special session bill
CHEYENNE – The Cheyenne Landlord Association has been hesitant to support a program aiming to stave off evictions that will be considered during the Wyoming Legislature’s special session today and Saturday.
Updated: 1 week ago
UW seeks $46M for fall reopening
CASPER – The University of Wyoming is considering reopening closed buildings and testing all of its students and staff every two weeks as part of a preliminary plan to begin in-person education in the fall, a plan that will cost $46 million in that first semester alone.
Updated: 1 week ago
Groups aim to record pandemic for posterity
CASPER — Few firsthand stories remain of how Wyoming weathered the 1918 flu pandemic and how the virus impacted peoples’ lives in the state just over a century ago.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
An American Dream: Owner turns drive-in into an oasis for groups during pandemic
POWELL – On Friday — the weekend before the official opening of the American Dream Drive-in — business was hopping.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
Self-quarantine has spurred new hobbies, rekindled old passions
GILLETTE — Beckie Avery bought a circular saw for a small project.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
Academy closure could cause police shortage
JACKSON — With the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy shuttered because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some new police officers are ready, but not able, to take to the streets.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Thursday, May 14, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 2 weeks ago
Yellowstone to reopen access Monday in limited capacity
POWELL — Starting at noon on Monday, Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks will begin reopening through a gradual, three-phase plan.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
Gov. urges caution as businesses open more
CHEYENNE – With some statewide public health orders being eased at the end of the week, Gov. Mark Gordon asked the public Wednesday to be careful as the state’s economy begins to reopen.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
Natrona County dismantling coronavirus response operations
CASPER – Various structures put in place in Natrona County to respond to the novel coronavirus are being dismantled and put on standby as the disease appears to have slowed here and the state continues to loosen restrictions on everyday life.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
Wyoming receives promising medication
CASPER – The state of Wyoming has received a limited shipment of Remdesivir, the experimental drug that’s shown promise in fighting the novel coronavirus, according to a memo that’s been sent to health care providers across the state.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
FROM WYOFILE: Judges question Wyoming’s case for grizzly numbers
A federal appeals panel May 4 questioned Wyoming’s contention that Yellowstone area wildlife managers should keep the population goal for ecosystem grizzly bears unaltered if they change the method of counting them. Grizzly advocates say inflating the population estimate by swapping models but not adjusting the population goal could lead to the death of some 500 bears.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Wednesday, May 13, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 2 weeks ago
Wyoming coronavirus cases up by three
The daily increase in confirmed coronavirus cases in Wyoming on Tuesday was at the lowest level seen since mid-April, according to Department of Health figures.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
Jackson hoteliers worry about summer tourism
JACKSON — Three nights a week over the past 13 years Bob Brown has lived in various Jackson Hole hotels.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
Fremont County coronavirus numbers high due to testing, official says
The high number of coronavirus cases on Fremont County reflects the amount of testing done in the county, according to a health official.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
Fremont County Attorney says he won't enforce some public health orders
RIVERTON — The top prosecutor of Fremont County will not enforce certain elements of public health orders put in place by Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon to mitigate coronavirus spread.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Tuesday, May 12, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 2 weeks ago
Legislature to allow some media into Capitol for special session
The Wyoming Legislature will allow some media into the Capitol for this week’s two-day special session under special guidelines the Legislative Services Office issued on Monday.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
Prosecutor: Platte County officer justified in shooting
CASPER — A Platte County sheriff ’s captain was justified when he shot and killed a man carrying an ax last month near Wheatland, that county’s top prosecutor announced Monday.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
Committee advances bill establishing grant, loan programs ahead of special session
CHEYENNE – With the end of the financial turbulence caused by the COVID-19 pandemic nowhere in sight, Wyoming business owners and their employees could soon gain a boost.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
Gordon proclaims special session, public cannot attend
Gov. Mark Gordon Thursday signed a proclamation convening the Wyoming Legislature for a special session on May 15 to distribute federal stimulus money to Wyoming businesses, healthcare facilities and workers.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
BNSF lays off 130
CASPER — A national railroad freight company announced Thursday it will close two facilities in Wyoming and lay off 130 workers in response to tough market conditions for coal.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
Legislature's special session set for May 15 as lawmakers prepare bill to help businesses
CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Legislature will meet May 15 for its first special session since 2004 in an effort to address immediate needs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
Governor announces plans to further ease COVID-19 restrictions
CHEYENNE – Gov. Mark Gordon said Thursday he plans to allow many restrictions to ease when the current statewide public health orders expire May 15.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
Komatsu wants 'immediate' permission to take shovels at Eagle Butte, Belle Ayr mines
GILLETTE — Frustrated with a lack of legal action from Blackjewel LLC and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and the fact that Eagle Specialty Materials continues to operate a pair of its large coal shovels, Komatsu Mining Corp. wants to either be paid or take its equipment.
Updated: 2 weeks ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Thursday, May 7, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 2 weeks ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Thursday, May 7, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Arrest made in Sweetwater County ‘Bitter Creek Betty’ cold case
GREEN RIVER — On March 1, 1992, a truck driver who stopped off of Interstate-80 to change his fuel tanks discovered a woman’s body 40 miles east of Rock Springs. Decades after her discovery, an arrest was made in the cold case involving a woman only known as “Bitter Creek Betty.”
Updated: 3 weeks ago
New COVID-19 case pauses Campbell County's effort to reopen restaurants and bars
GILLETTE —Campbell County’s 16th confirmed COVID-19 case has put a hiccup in the county’s variance application to reopen area bars and restaurants.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Federal relief bill could provide funding to Wyoming health-care facilities
CHEYENNE – After lawmakers were unable to reach an agreement on funding more than $150 million worth of capital construction projects during this year’s budget session, they may get a chance to revive one of those defeated proposals during the Legislature’s upcoming special session.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Amid uncertainty, Grand Teton facility sets May 22 opening
Officials and business leaders are warily eyeing the anticipated Memorial Day weekend opening of a gas station in Grand Teton National Park as a harbinger of returning tourism activity — the first opening of an in-park facility since Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks closed in March.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Wednesday, May 6, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Attorneys argue disjointed grizzly case
JACKSON —A convoluted challenge of the legal status of Yellowstone-area grizzlies progressed Tuesday in a federal appeals court as five attempted to clarify their disparate arguments.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Virus disproportionately affecting people of color
CASPER — The pandemic is not treating everyone in Wyoming equally. People of color and Native Americans in the state are being disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus, data collected by the Wyoming Department of Health shows.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Gym owner cited for defying closure order says she faced eviction
A Pinedale gym owner who was cited in April for reopening her business in violation of a state health order says slow government aid and threat of eviction forced her hand.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Trial Lawyers College embroiled in legal battle
The trial lawyers’ summer school founded by celebrated Wyoming attorney Gerry Spence on his Thunderhead Ranch outside Dubois is the focus of a legal fight over its management, leaving its future in limbo, at least in its Wyoming home base.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
County variances allow restaurants, churches to open across state
Wyoming began taking steps toward normalcy this week as some counties won permission to reopen restaurants and churches.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Tuesday, May 5, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Regional beet growers receive federal support
POWELL — Local sugar beet farmers who were hit with losses in 2018 and 2019 due to poor weather are receiving some support from the federal government.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
218 tested at State Hospital — zero positive
EVANSTON — In some exciting news for Uinta County, the Wyoming Department of Health announced on Monday that a large special testing study conducted at the Wyoming State Hospital found no new cases of COVID-19.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Legislators send letter to governor
SHERIDAN — A group of six legislators signed onto a letter written by Rep. Scott Clem to the governor, questioning the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Program expansion may help oil, gas
CASPER – Changes made to a federal lending program last week could open up loans to Wyoming oil and gas firms left reeling from volatile oil prices and low fuel demand during the pandemic.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Monday, May 4, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Like ‘Dunkirk’: How COVID-19 clobbered National Outdoor Leadership School, a Lander keystone
Lindsay Priefert had her spring mapped out. The outdoor educator had contracted with Wyoming-based National Outdoor Leadership School to lead three of the five legs of a spring semester course. She had already taken the 11 students winter camping near Togwotee Pass and conducted a wilderness first responder session near Boulder. Her plan was to take a break while the students went rafting before meeting up with them to spend April backpacking in southern Utah.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
COVID-19 underscores Wyoming gender disparities as female unemployment surges
CHEYENNE – In the first weeks of the coronavirus closures, the share of women filing unemployment claims in Wyoming skyrocketed to levels far above historical norms, suggesting women face unique struggles in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Shed hunters pack Teton County Fairgrounds
JACKSON — Despite their pleas for antler hunters to stay home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jackson Police Department and the Teton County Sheriff’s Office escorted 186 cars full of shed seekers to the National Elk Refuge early Friday morning.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Lawmakers OK draft COVID response plan
CASPER — The Wyoming Legislature still doesn’t have a date for a special session planned for later this spring to respond to COVID-19 and its economic fallout.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Health care providers see financial impact from COVID-19
CHEYENNE – As the COVID-19 pandemic caused people to keep their health at the forefront of their minds, it’s also caused fewer people to go to doctor’s offices and hospitals to seek care for other ailments.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Human trafficking: Pandemic likely to worsen problem
SHERIDAN — Sex trafficking may not be the first danger that comes to mind when considering the impact of COVID-19 on individual communities, but the two are inextricably linked, according to Alexandra Stevenson, co-founder of the human trafficking prevention nonprofit Uprising.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
As coronavirus restrictions ease, contact tracing is key
CASPER — As loosened restrictions on businesses take effect across Wyoming, health officials say contact tracing will continue to be an important tool to keep infections from spreading, with one county saying it is ramping up efforts to track cases.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Overnight camping at state parks to resume May 15 with some precautions
CHEYENNE – Wyoming residents will be able to resume overnight camping at state parks starting May 15, more than six weeks after it was banned due to COVID-19.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Friday, May 1, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Teton County officials explore contact tracing app
JACKSON — Teton County officials are looking for innovative ways to help trace the contacts of people who test positive for COVID-19.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Wyoming's coronavirus count to 415; state preps for easing of restrictions
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Wyoming grew by 11 to total 415 on Thursday as state residents began preparing for the easing of restrictions imposed on some businesses in March to prevent the spread of the illness.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Public believes jobs will return
CASPER — A majority of Wyomingites who’ve lost jobs or have had family members laid off because of the coronavirus believe that employment and hours will return when the virus’ spread has deteriorated further, according to the latest University of Wyoming survey.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Sage grouse-raising effort takes flight; thermal imaging technology used to raise species in captivity
POWELL — With sunrise still 90 minutes away, Karl Bear was already stepping out his front door into Wednesday’s predawn darkness with a worried look on his face.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Where to find cloth face masks and how to make them
CHEYENNE – As Wyomingites prepare to slowly start venturing out more in public again, wearing protective masks will be a big part of ensuring that COVID-19 doesn’t spread any further.
Updated: 3 weeks ago
Long-distance couples struggle amid pandemic, but remain optimistic
CHEYENNE – Taylor Davis had a different last name six weeks ago – and a life that looked different.
Updated: 4 weeks ago
Plasma therapy for virus to begin in Natrona County
CASPER – The sickest COVID-19 patients in Natrona County will soon be treated with the plasma of recovered patients, Casper-Natrona County Health Department spokesperson Hailey Bloom said in a Wednesday press conference.
Updated: 4 weeks ago
Interpreters help deaf community get instant virus updates
CASPER — American Sign Language interpreter Gail Schenfisch stands behind officials in the live-streamed Natrona County news conferences about the COVID-19 pandemic and interprets for the local deaf community.
Updated: 4 weeks ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Thursday, April 30, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 4 weeks ago
Where to find cloth face masks and how to make them
CHEYENNE – As Wyomingites prepare to slowly start venturing out more in public again, wearing protective masks will be a big part of ensuring that COVID-19 doesn’t spread any further.
Updated: 4 weeks ago
Transients in Riverton quarantined; Fremont County virus tally up
RIVERTON — Part of Riverton's transient population has been quarantined on the Wind River Indian Reservation due to coronavirus concerns.
Updated: 4 weeks ago
State and local health officials warn against current antibody tests
SUNDANCE — The first antibody tests have begun to appear on the market, both to purchase online and through a few providers in this region. But are they worth taking, this early in the game?
Updated: 4 weeks ago
Rocky Mountain Power hiring 170+ additional workers for Gateway West project
RAWLINS - The company creating a massive transmission line project that will run through Carbon County has given notice that it needs more employees to finish one phase.
Updated: 4 weeks ago
Two prominent Wyoming gas drillers in financial peril
A top financial ratings service has listed western Wyoming gas drillers Ultra Resources and Jonah Energy among issuers of “top bonds of concern” whose securities could face “imminent” default.
Updated: 4 weeks ago
How to reduce your ‘message fatigue’ : Taking a step back from media is one answer
JACKSON — People are wearying of the deluge of COVID-19 information and finding some relief, experts say, could involve something as simple as taking a break.
Updated: 4 weeks ago
Governor issues modified public health orders extending to May 15
CHEYENNE – Gov. Mark Gordon issued new public health orders Tuesday afternoon that allow certain businesses to reopen under specific conditions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated: 4 weeks ago
Personal care business owners eager to get back to work
CASPER – Leah Juarez’s phone started buzzing almost as soon as the governor announced Tuesday that a handful of businesses, including hair salons, could reopen Friday.
Updated: 4 weeks ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Tuesday, April 28, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 month ago
Wyoming residents continue helping each other with food, fireworks
Free food, face masks and fireworks were among the things Wyoming residents gave one another in the past week as reports of people reaching out to help their neighbors continued to make headlines.
Updated: 1 month ago
School districts decide to close buildings for rest of year; Wyoming coronavirus case count to 389
School districts across Wyoming are making the decision to leave their buildings closed for the remainder of the school year.
Updated: 1 month ago
Fireworks Demonstration
The Gines family — including Landon and Sarah Gines and their children Carter and Hailey — watch a display during a demonstration of class-C fireworks available to the general public, sold by Powell’s Western Pyro Enterprises. The demonstration was followed by a professional show Friday night at the company’s warehouse. Photo by Mark Davis, Powell Tribune.
Updated: 1 month ago
Elk feedground litigation rolls on
JACKSON – Federal land managers keep getting sued for authorizing elk feedgrounds in the face of a deadly disease, with the most recent lawsuit targeting feeding operations near Bondurant and up the Gros Ventre and Greys Rivers.
Updated: 1 month ago
Wyoming schools receive $32.5M in aid
CASPER – Wyoming has received roughly $32.5 million in federal funding to help its 48 school districts offset costs incurred because of the novel coronavirus, the state announced last week.
Updated: 1 month ago
Babies deliver light in dark times
JACKSON — In the days leading up to March 19, as Kailey Gieck’s due date approached, coronavirus stormed the planet.
Updated: 1 month ago
Cheyenne COVID-19 survivor shares his story
CHEYENNE – When she got the call that her husband was being put on a ventilator, Melissa Hurt was surprised.
Updated: 1 month ago
Governor plans to modify, extend public health orders
CHEYENNE – Gov. Mark Gordon announced Thursday that he will be releasing modifications to the existing public health orders next week to allow more county-by-county flexibility when it comes to reopening certain businesses and public spaces.
Updated: 1 month ago
Schools might only see ‘limited’ opening
CASPER — Wyoming’s top educator suggested schools may only open to “special populations” for the duration of this school year and that any openings wouldn’t come until after May 15, just a few weeks before districts will wrap up their spring semesters.
Updated: 1 month ago
Election officials prep for increase in absentee voting in August primary
CHEYENNE – Wyoming will not be making a complete shift to mail-in voting for its August primary, but state election officials, anticipating a jump in absentee voting amid the COVID-19 pandemic, are preparing to ensure voters have a wide range of options to participate in the process.
Updated: 1 month ago
Coal producers lay off 300 PRB workers
GILLETTE — The Powder River Basin’s coal workforce shrunk by about 6% Thursday with the layoff of 300 workers from three mines.
Updated: 1 month ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Friday, April 24, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 month ago
Making math fun: Gillette teacher engaging his students in unique ways
GILLETTE — One thing that’s nearly impossible to replicate with remote learning is the personal interaction between students and teachers.
Updated: 1 month ago
UW institutes hiring freeze
LARAMIE – The University of Wyoming has instituted a hiring freeze, Acting President Neil Theobald announced in a Wednesday email to university employees.
Updated: 1 month ago
Problems with wolves and killing of wolves down in past two years, biologist says
JACKSON — Wyoming wolf numbers have settled in right around 300 animals, near population levels that wildlife managers sought before numbers climbed when hunting was prohibited between 2014 and 2017.
Updated: 1 month ago
Yellowstone Park officials still weighing options on start
CODY— Now fewer than two weeks away from the originally scheduled opening, there is still no estimate as to when officials would open Yellowstone National Park’s east gate, or any part of the park.
Updated: 1 month ago
Tribal leaders: Virus not contained
CASPER — Tribal leaders say the coronavirus, which led to the deaths of four Northern Arapaho citizens on Monday, is spreading on the reservation after initially being tied to two family clusters.
Updated: 1 month ago
FROM WYOFILE: Quarantines but no new positive tests at women’s prison
No new cases of COVID-19 have surfaced since a staff member at the Wyoming Women’s Center in Lusk, the state’s only women’s prison, tested positive, a prison spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Updated: 1 month ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Thursday, April 23, 2020 From Wyoming News Exchange newspapers
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 month ago
FROM WYOFILE: Utility rate hikes expected in face of pandemic, energy downturn
As COVID-19-related costs mount for utilities, regulators are considering just how ratepayers will ultimately settle the bill.
Updated: 1 month ago
FROM WYOFILE: EPA knocks Wyo plan to bar public’s water pollution data
Wyoming can’t ignore water pollution data submitted by the public or academic institutions when that’s the only information available to determine whether streams, lakes and rivers are polluted, the U.S. EPA has told state officials.
Updated: 1 month ago
Park staffing, services crippled by COVID
JACKSON — In an ordinary summer a destination park as famous as Yellowstone brings on some 500 seasonal employees, about tripling its staff, to help handle the crush of 4-million-plus tourists drawn from around the world.
Updated: 1 month ago
Fewer grizzlies killed, no people injured by species in Wyoming last year
POWELL — For the first time in more than a decade, no humans were injured or killed by a grizzly bear in Wyoming last year. And despite the population of grizzlies trending slightly upward, substantially fewer bears had to be relocated or killed by wildlife managers due to conflicts.
Updated: 1 month ago
Extension staffer offers tips to limit grocery trips
LARAMIE – With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to infect people every day, people are still being encouraged to stay at home as much as possible.
Updated: 1 month ago
UW survey says most believe worst is not over
SHERIDAN — A recent survey from the University of Wyoming indicates about one-quarter of state residents believe the worst of the pandemic crisis has passed in the U.S., while nearly half say the worst is yet to come.
Updated: 1 month ago
Gordon: ‘Everyone in Wyoming should be concerned’ by dip in oil prices
CASPER — Futures prices for oil fell into the negatives for the first time in recorded history Monday, further straining a Wyoming economy already reeling from months of price declines, continuing strife in the coal industry and the shutdown of numerous businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated: 1 month ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Monday, April 20, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 month ago
Stroke, heart attack patients not seeking timely care
CHEYENNE - Nationwide, there's been a decrease in the number of people seeking timely treatment for heart attacks and strokes, and the trend is being seen locally at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center.
Updated: 1 month ago
State eyes uncertain federal aid and cuts as revenues plunge
The Legislature and Gov. Mark Gordon began this week to square up to plummeting state revenues with plans for a special legislative session, calls for flexibility in the use of federal funds, indications of budget cuts and talk of new taxes.
Updated: 1 month ago
FROM WYOFILE: Reservation communities ahead of the curve with testing, response
The Wind River Family and Community Health Center in Arapaho no longer resembles the bustling family clinic it operated as once upon a time before COVID-19.
Updated: 1 month ago
Man shot by Riverton police Wednesday dies
RIVERTON — New developments in the standoff that occurred Wednesday afternoon in Riverton have emerged, revealing that James Hinman, 56, was shot during a rapid volley of gunfire earlier in the day – not while being extricated from his home by law enforcement at the end of the incident.
Updated: 1 month ago
DIY relief effort delivers for Wind River
MyKennah Lott — who goes by Littlewind — and her partner, Mesiah Sweetgrass, are caregivers on the Wind River Indian Reservation. The couple take care of Littlewind’s 97-year-old great grandmother, who Littlewind says is the eldest member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe, along with Littlewind’s 69-year-old grandmother, who is on dialysis.
Updated: 1 month ago
Health orders prompt enforcement questions
CASPER - State public health orders issued in response to the coronavirus pandemic can be prosecuted in court, but an exemption to the rules makes it unclear whether criminal prosecution would be possible if people gathered for a house party.
Updated: 1 month ago
Lawmakers establish telehealth task force, begin work on interim topics
CHEYENNE - Even before the coronavirus pandemic swept the planet, killing tens of thousands and causing a global economic shutdown, Wyoming lawmakers had plenty to do in the coming months.
Updated: 1 month ago
Survey: Support high for state, local government handling of coronavirus
Support for the way both Gov. Mark Gordon and local governments are handling the coronavirus is high, according to a survey by the University of Wyoming.
Updated: 1 month ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Friday, April 17, 2020
News in Brief from around the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 month ago
Past case evidence allowed in current parental right cases, Wyoming Supreme Court rules
CHEYENNE - Past evidence of parental misconduct is admissible in later parental rights cases, the Wyoming Supreme Court said in an opinion issued Wednesday in a Laramie County case.
Updated: 1 month ago
Riverton man shot by police in armed standoff
RIVERTON — An active shooter engaged for hours in a standoff with police Wednesday was taken into custody after being shot by a Riverton police officer.
Updated: 1 month ago
Lawmakers to prepare emergency legislation
CASPER — Legislative leaders voted unanimously on Thursday to pursue several pieces of emergency legislation, all but guaranteeing the Wyoming Legislature will meet in its first special session since 2004.
Updated: 1 month ago
A sense of normal: Sheridan ranch family embraces spring with family at home
SHERIDAN — The ground has begun to thaw and warm breezes dance through the air as the newly returned meadowlarks announce the return of spring to the Tongue River Valley as if it were any other year. But as the effects of COVID-19 continue to invade every nook and cranny of the Cowboy State, it’s hard to believe this is like any other year.
Updated: 1 month ago
With positivity and peace, Worland woman survives near-fatal coronavirus infection
CASPER — Sixteen days passed between the day Lory August was admitted to a Thermopolis hospital and the day she was wheeled out of it. During those 16 days, as her family prayed and was told to expect the worst, Lory worried about dying alone, cut off by the disease that threatened her life.
Updated: 1 month ago
Shooting the coronavirus life at home
DOUGLAS — In a movement expanding all across the nation, photographers are picking up their cameras and families are stepping outside to pose for photos to document this time in history during the novel coronavirus pandemic in an endeavor known as the #frontporchproject.
Updated: 1 month ago
Gordon says it’s time to contemplate life after coronavirus
Wyoming residents will have to prepare for a different reality in a post-coronavirus world, Gov. Mark Gordon said Wednesday.
Updated: 1 month ago
First-responders adapt to new landscape
LOVELL — As COVID-19 spreads throughout Wyoming, the role of first responders is both more important and more dangerous than it has ever been.
Updated: 1 month ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Thursday, April 16, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 month ago
Weston County still COVID free; officials credit pro-active residents
NEWCASTLE — Weston County is one of only two counties in the state not to have a confirmed case of COVID-19 but that is not due to a lack of testing, said Dr. Mike Jording, the county’s public health officer.
Updated: 1 month ago
Virus vacationers: land managers, county officials work to manage public safety on public lands
BUFFALO – Nestled at the base of the Bighorns, Johnson County draws tourists and their wallets from across Wyoming and out of state. Now, amid a global pandemic, that economic amenity looks more like a public health liability.
Updated: 1 month ago
Health official warns case data is ‘falsely low’; doctor says slower rise doesn’t mean disease is ebbing
CASPER — The number of confirmed Wyoming coronavirus cases announced daily has held steady in recent days after significant growth late last month, but Natrona County’s health officer said the data is “falsely low” and added he expects more deaths, hours after the state confirmed its second fatality from the virus.
Updated: 1 month ago
Pinedale business responds to COVID-19 crisis
PINEDALE – Having moved to Pinedale in 2017, Enviremedial Services, Inc., is shifting its business model to help with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated: 1 month ago
Wyoming Supreme Court rules on Cheyenne plea deal case
CHEYENNE – Prosecutors aren’t required to stand by a plea agreement if the alleged offender violates their bond conditions which are part of the plea agreement, according to a Wyoming Supreme Court opinion issued Monday.
Updated: 1 month ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Friday, April 10, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 month ago
CoreCivic pulls out of proposed ICE facility
EVANSTON — The three-year on-again, off-again saga of the proposal to construct an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention Center in Uinta County is once again off.
Updated: 1 month ago
Millions of coronavirus-related supplies yet to be delivered to Wyoming
CASPER — More than 2.4 million gloves, masks, gowns and other coronavirus-related supplies requested by Wyoming have yet to be delivered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, drawing the ire of Gov. Mark Gordon amid nationwide frustrations about shipments being diverted.
Updated: 1 month ago
Alone, but not lonely
JACKSON — It’s been over a month since Jim Janak was able to hold his granddaughter.
Updated: 1 month ago
105-year-old Recluse woman remains determined to live life on her terms
GILLETTE — Many of us travel rural roads in Campbell County wondering how wide open the countryside must have been before homesteaders began to arrive in large numbers from 1919-30.
Updated: 1 month ago
‘Victory gardens’ idea being planted
CASPER — Expert gardeners and other educational groups in Fremont County are encouraging residents to mimic the old wartime “victory garden” effort to reduce food shortages and plant gardens, or expand them, to reduce uncertainties around food availability during the coronavirus pandemic.
Updated: 1 month ago
Predicted coal production drop prompts staff cuts
GILLETTE — An expected significant drop in first-quarter thermal coal production has the Powder River Basin’s largest producer making more adjustments to its workforce.
Updated: 1 month ago
Powell residents fight boredom with treasure hunts
POWELL — Isolated in Powell, Corey Zeilmann wanted to get his family outdoors for some fun and exercise while practicing social distancing. When the family of four found a hidden treasure close to some ancient rock carvings outside of Cody, the hunt was on.
Updated: 1 month ago
Home-school mom: COVID interruption can be an opportunity
RIVERTON — Make life a learning opportunity. That’s the advice for public-school families from Riverton home-schooling veteran Brooke Lehto as a prolonged closure of public schools continues statewide due to coronavirus exposure concerns.
Updated: 1 month ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Thursday, April 9, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 month ago
Jackson residents petitioning Gordon to revisit stringent 'stay at home' request
JACKSON — Nearly 2,000 people have signed a petition asking Wyoming state government to approve Teton County’s request for a stronger community stay-at-home order.
Updated: 1 month ago
Governor requests disaster declaration, number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rises to 230
CHEYENNE - Gov. Mark Gordon signed a letter Wednesday requesting a disaster declaration from the federal government to help Wyoming as the state's total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases grew to 230, with 74 of those patients having recovered.
Updated: 1 month ago
Doctors in Fremont County urge people to remain at home
CASPER — Health care workers in Fremont County are seeing younger and sicker coronavirus patients as the disease continues its spread there, and officials urge residents to stay home as much as possible.
Updated: 1 month ago
Carbon County leaders question influx of contract workers amid coronavirus
RAWLINS — As scores of contract workers flock to Carbon County to help build several major energy projects, questions have emerged over whether the influx is a good idea amid the spread of COVID-19.
Updated: 1 month ago
'All clear, come here': Wyoming promotes post-pandemic tourism
GILLETTE — No one knows when the coronavirus pandemic will end and life gets back to normal, but when it happens Campbell County needs to be prepared.
Updated: 1 month ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Wednesday, April 8, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 month ago
Man faces three murder charges in Sheridan County
SHERIDAN — Dana Beartusk appeared in Sheridan County Circuit Court Monday via video for an initial appearance. Beartusk faces three counts of first-degree murder for allegedly killing three family members in Big Horn.
Updated: 1 month ago
Empty streets and full hearts: Videos document pandemic life
With so many people hunkered down, working from home, avoiding travel and abstaining from public places, it’s hard to gain a sense of what’s really going on in the suddenly distant world around us.
Updated: 1 month ago
Justices back murder case dismissal
CASPER — The Wyoming Supreme Court on Monday upheld the dismissal of a first-degree murder case against a Casper man on the basis of a new stand-your-ground law.
Updated: 1 month ago
Wyoming residents continue to help neighbors through outbreak
From free ice cream and sack lunches to parades and scavenger hunts, Wyoming residents made the best of their self-isolation in the last week by helping others.
Updated: 1 month ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Tuesday, April 7, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 month ago
Judge: Public has right to know details of McCormick investigation
CHEYENNE – The public may soon know exactly what Laramie County School District 1 found during its internal investigation into racist and homophobic flyers posted last year at Cheyenne’s McCormick Junior High School.
Updated: 1 month ago
Legislature weighs options for special session
SHERIDAN — Legislative leadership has indicated a special session of the Wyoming Legislature may take place in the “very near future” as industries across the state feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated: 1 month ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Monday, April 6, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 month ago
Surviving isolation: It’s OK to ask for help
RAWLINS — Not everyone is suited to rural life — or social distancing — but there are some lessons from rural life that might be applicable during the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Updated: 1 month ago
Downturn hits livestock markets
CASPER — Livestock markets were worrisome at the beginning of the week.
Updated: 1 month ago
Coal production falls again
CASPER — Coal production across Wyoming continued to tumble throughout the start of the new year, with output during the first quarter setting a new two-decade low, data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows.
Updated: 1 month ago
Land deal still on state’s radar amid COVID-19 outbreak
CHEYENNE – A lot has changed since Gov. Mark Gordon announced earlier this year that the state was exploring a deal to buy roughly a million acres of land in southern Wyoming from Occidental Petroleum Corporation.
Updated: 1 month ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Friday, April 3, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 month ago
CDC advises ‘face masks are for the sick’
PINEDALE – Many across the country are questioning local, state and federal health officials about wearing face masks – of any kind – while in public places or around people where COVID-19 might be carried or transmitted.
Updated: 1 month ago
Pandemic hurting ranchers in southwest Wyoming
EVANSTON — Sheep ranchers are the earliest agricultural victims in Uinta County to feel the economic implications of the coronavirus pandemic.
Updated: 1 month ago
COVID-19 comes to Centennial: (and goes … ?)
A cluster of bars, businesses and homes sits at the base of the Snowy Range mountains. More dwellings dot the wooded drainages and windswept prairie nearby. Welcome to Centennial, population 270.
Updated: 1 month ago
Casper doc innovates with new respiratory clinic
In March, as the COVID-19 outbreak began to ramp up in the United States, Dr. Andy Dunn found himself in conversation with his wife — also a physician — discussing how the disease could overwhelm the healthcare system in their home city of Casper.
Updated: 1 month ago
Restaurant curbside sale of alcohol popular with businesses
GILLETTE — For at least the next two weeks, Gillette restaurants can offer residents up to 48 ounces of beer or a bottle of wine with their next curbside food purchase, which is good news to some restaurant employees.
Updated: 1 month ago
State jobless claims surge
CASPER — Thousands of Wyoming workers filed for unemployment insurance benefits last week as the economic fallout fueled by the spread of the coronavirus worldwide continues to shut down businesses, according to new data released by the Department of Workforce Services.
Updated: 1 month ago
Wide and still open spaces: though campgrounds and facilities close, outdoors ‘a great place to be’ in pandemic
POWELL — Rock and Christine Hull and their five kids couldn’t take another day inside. Even during normal weekends, the best thing to wear off the boredom and anxiety for the Powell family is a long hike.
Updated: 1 month ago
Casper high schoolers take music festival online
CASPER — The song begins this way: “Days are good/And that’s the way it should be.”
Updated: 1 month ago
Mineral industries: Classify workers as essential
CASPER — Wyoming’s mineral industries have asked Gov. Mark Gordon to consider mining and drilling operations “essential” activities in anticipation of further potential business restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.
Updated: 1 month ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Thursday, April 2, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 month ago
Weapon missing in Big Horn triple homicide
Beartusk declined to speak to law enforcement that evening when he was taken into custody. The SCSO filed three counts of first degree murder against the suspect and a warrant was granted for his arrest March 30.
Updated: 1 month ago
During COVID-19 crisis, advocacy groups seek to insure public comment on environmental issues
BUFFALO — Advocacy groups are working to protect public input on critical environmental and land management decisions in a socially distanced world focused on slowing the spread of COVID-19.
Updated: 1 month ago
After going well over budget on Newcastle warden’s home, Game and Fish leaders put pause on new housing projects
POWELL — Still stinging over criticism of a construction project in the Newcastle area that ran well over budget, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission has tabled two proposed employee housing projects.
Updated: 1 month ago
Wyoming Supreme Court sides with public defender
CHEYENNE – Wyoming State Public Defender Diane Lozano's actions limiting which cases her office takes do not place her in contempt of court.
Updated: 1 month ago
Domestic violence resources still available amid pandemic
CHEYENNE – Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are being asked to social distance themselves and stay home. For domestic violence survivors, this advice can turn deadly.
Updated: 1 month ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Wednesday, April 1, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 1 month ago
Teton County COVID-19 patients speak out
JACKSON — Lorraine Adams didn’t suspect she had COVID-19 until she read that a symptom of the disease is losing your sense of taste and smell.
Updated: 1 month ago
New model predicts Wyo COVID-19 deaths, ICU shortages
Wyoming is 26 days away from a peak daily COVID-19 death rate of four people per day and could see a total of 143 deaths through Aug. 4, 2020, a statistical model used by a University of Washington researcher predicts.
Updated: 1 month ago
Wyo Democratic Party Chair: Candidates ready for challenge
SHERIDAN — Among the events requiring drastic adaptations since COVID-19 swept across the U.S., Wyoming’s Democratic presidential preference caucus switched to a 100% mail-in voting process. Senatorial candidates say the voting process will likely remain sound but not unchallenged in the coming months.
Updated: 1 month ago
Policing a pandemic: Wyo law enforcement amid COVID-19
Law enforcement agencies across the state report that calls and crime have slowed down, so far, as many businesses remain closed, jobs remain in jeopardy and citizens self-isolate to stem the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.
Updated: 1 month ago
Schools stay connected with students during COVID-19 closures
School closures prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic are putting teachers, administrators, parents and students to the test statewide.
Updated: 1 month ago
Managing mental health in isolation
CASPER — Local, state and national leaders have all urged residents to avoid public areas and avoid in-person interactions as the novel coronavirus continues to spread. Compound that social isolation with the uncertainty brought about by a pandemic, and it could have a severe impact on a person’s mental health.
Updated: 1 month ago
Coalition channels tech community to find creative solutions for COVID-19
CHEYENNE – Across the state of Wyoming, there are web developers who specialize in coding mobile applications, makers who use 3D printers to bring ideas to life and mapping professionals who use GIS to show data visually.
Updated: 1 month ago
ACLU: Stop immigration raids
CASPER — The ACLU last week asked Wyoming officials to call on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to temporarily cease raids used to deport undocumented immigrants. The request, made in an open letter addressed to Gov. Mark Gordon and prison officials, comes as part of what the Wyoming chapter of the civil liberties organization calls a necessary response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has spread rapidly in jails and prisons elsewhere but has not yet been linked to a jail or prison facility in Wyoming.
Updated: 1 month ago
Wyoming economists say social distancing is "worth it"
CHEYENNE – Shuttered schools, closed businesses and work-from-home mandates are the new normal in Cheyenne as people try to limit social interaction to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which has already killed more than 2,000 Americans.
Updated: 1 month ago
Wyoming Supreme Court to decide on birth certificate gender changes
CHEYENNE – A court case that would determine whether or not transgender people in Wyoming can change the their gender on their birth certificate is being decided by the Wyoming Supreme Court.
Updated: 1 month ago
Week two: The pandemic in Wyoming from March 20-27
By the end of the second full week since the Wyoming Department of Health announced the state’s first confirmed COVID-19 case, the virus was still tightening its grip on the Equality State. The DOH’s official number of confirmed positive cases went from 29 Monday to 70 by Friday morning.
Updated: 1 month ago
COVID-19 another hit on already-reeling coal industry
GILLETTE — Already trying to bail out a ship taking on water, Powder River Basin coal producers are now trying to keep that up during a torrential downpour.
Updated: 1 month ago
Wyoming doc works around COVID-19 testing bottleneck
A shortage of viral transport medium has slowed COVID-19 testing in Wyoming and nationwide. Now, at least one Wyoming doctor is working around the bottleneck by using a simpler, more common, CDC-backed, substitute: medical saline solution.
Updated: 1 month ago
Riverton couple charged with murder in Friday shooting
RIVERTON — A husband and wife were charged Friday morning in the death of 38-year-old Trevor Bartlett, who died of a gunshot wound early Thursday.
Updated: 1 month ago
Gordon OKs oil and gas tax break
CASPER — In the midst of unprecedented volatility in the global oil market, shale producers in Wyoming received a small boost Friday in the form of tax relief. Gov. Mark Gordon signed into law a bill providing reductions in state mineral taxes amidst certain price environments.
Updated: 1 month ago
FROM WYOFILE: ‘Go home:’
Amid the clamor, panic and ever-changing news of closures and COVID-19 cases, one message has emerged with increasing force: Social distancing is the key to slowing the pandemic.
Updated: 2 months ago
National data company gives Wyoming worst grade in social distancing
EVANSTON — Wyoming gets an F in social distancing practices.
Updated: 2 months ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Friday, Mar. 27, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 2 months ago
Coronavirus case count jumps to 56, no hospitalization for most
A large majority of Wyoming’s coronavirus cases have not resulted in hospitalization, according to Wyoming Health Department figures.
Updated: 2 months ago
It’s open season on teddy bears in Gillette
GILLETTE — With schools closed because of the coronavirus, parents are working overtime to keep their children from ransacking the house. Luckily, the outdoors aren’t off limits. Biking and walking through neighborhoods is safe and a nice way to change the scenery.
Updated: 2 months ago
The stimulus bill: Package includes one-time paycheck and jobless benefits
CASPER — On Wednesday, the United States Senate passed a massive $2.2 trillion stimulus package to save the U.S. economy from the worst impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, offering up tens of billions of dollars in new spending to help American workers and industry. But what does that mean for you?
Updated: 2 months ago
State unemployment spikes due to COVID-19
CHEYENNE - As unemployment claims across the U.S. have skyrocketed to unprecedented rates, the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services has seen a similar pattern in the Cowboy State.
Updated: 2 months ago
Governor signs bill mandating monthly production tax payments
GILLETTE — It’s official. In 2023, mineral producers must start paying their ad valorem production taxes monthly.
Updated: 2 months ago
COVID-19 task forces begin work to address immediate, long-term uncertainties
CHEYENNE - Two weeks removed from the confirmation of Wyoming's first coronavirus case, every sector of society has rapidly changed.
Updated: 2 months ago
Archaeologist: Snow King could lose its historical eligibility
JACKSON — For all of its history, Snow King Mountain has been a small and mostly sleepy ski area, with slow lifts, relatively few people and familiar ski runs cutting through the forest rising over town.
Updated: 2 months ago
Wyoming coronavirus case count jumps to 53; Gordon urges people to stay home
Wyoming’s coronavirus case count grew to 53 on Thursday, but reports from two county health agencies indicated some of those patients have already recovered.
Updated: 2 months ago
Wyoming could see $1.25B in aid
CASPER — Wyoming could receive $1.25 billion in federal aid under a massive, multi-trillion dollar stimulus package signed by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday to address the financial impacts incurred by state and local governments from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated: 2 months ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Thursday, Mar. 26, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 2 months ago
Businesses finding new ways to operate amid pandemic uncertainty
LARAMIE — On Monday afternoon, a handful of shoppers browsed through racks of clothing at NU2U, 320 S. Fifth St. In the large space, it was easy for them to keep their distance from each other, one of the new rules of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated: 2 months ago
As COVID-19 effects ripple, hourly wage-earners hang on
JACKSON — At High Country Linen, giant washing machines slosh, huge dryers tumble their contents and semi-automated ironing contraptions take in clean bedsheets, turning out immaculate linen.
Updated: 2 months ago
Wyoming working to produce coronavirus testing supplies
CASPER — As shortages of testing materials continue across the state and country, Wyoming’s health officials are working to make some of the supplies themselves.
Updated: 2 months ago
Truckers ‘proudly’ drive on amidst COVID-19 pandemic
INTERSTATE 80 — On his weekly runs across the country, commercial truck driver Medi Agha is doing his best to stay in social isolation, he said.
Updated: 2 months ago
In Sublette County, no COVID-19 yet — no hospital, either
As larger Wyoming communities marshal limited resources to confront COVID-19, sparsely populated rural counties are particularly reliant on a critical strategy to keep residents safe — slowing the spread.
Updated: 2 months ago
A new approach to campaigning: Cynthia Lummis stays in and reaches out
ROCK SPRINGS — Campaigns typically require mass gatherings and a great deal of close social interaction. Not anymore.
Updated: 2 months ago
Supreme Court reverses, remands decision on Laramie County Fair Board
CHEYENNE – The Laramie County Board of Commissioners didn’t have the authority to dissolve the Laramie County Fair Board, according to a Wyoming Supreme Court opinion issued Tuesday.
Updated: 2 months ago
Acts of kindness seen across state in face of coronavirus troubles
As Wyoming residents dealt with the problems created by the coronavirus epidemic, the state was replete with stories of people reaching out to help their neighbors cope.
Updated: 2 months ago
Wyoming’s coronavirus case count up to 29
Wyoming’s coronavirus case count climbed to 29 on Monday as Gov. Mark Gordon warned state residents that the impact of the disease may be felt in the state for some time.
Updated: 2 months ago
Gordon joins GOP governors in seeking more money for states in federal stimulus bill
CASPER — Gov. Mark Gordon joined in signing a letter to congressional leadership seeking additional funding for states in Congress’ nearly $2 trillion stimulus bill that’s intended to help address the economic fallout from the COVID-19 outbreak.
Updated: 2 months ago
Gordon: More COVID-19 cases likely in Wyoming
CHEYENNE – Gov. Mark Gordon said Monday the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wyoming is likely not reflective of the true number of virus cases in the community due to limited testing supplies.
Updated: 2 months ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Tuesday, Mar. 24, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 2 months ago
Outbreak affects mental health: COVID-19 leads to high stress for many
CODY — With the onslaught of media coverage the COVID-19 pandemic has been garnering the last few weeks, it’s easy to become mentally distraught if not at least fatigued. Mental health experts say finding an escape from the informational barrage is critical to maintaining a healthy state.
Updated: 2 months ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Monday, Mar. 23, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 2 months ago
The New Normal: One week into COVID-19
CHEYENNE – Uncharted. Unprecedented. Uncertain. These are the words people across Wyoming – and the country – have used to describe the feeling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated: 2 months ago
Official implores: Don’t flush ‘flushable’ wipes
JACKSON — As sanitizing wipes fly off the shelves during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jackson’s wastewater treatment director reminds people that they should not end up in the town’s sewage.
Updated: 2 months ago
As business halts, workers brace for unemployment
CASPER — The phones at the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services office have been ringing off the hook.
Updated: 2 months ago
Barrasso seeks prince’s help
CASPER — Sen. John Barrasso joined several U.S. officials in drafting a letter to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, urging him to stabilize increasingly volatile global oil markets.
Updated: 2 months ago
Health officer prohibits gatherings of 10 or more, 23rd case detected
Gatherings of 10 or more people have been prohibited in the state under an order issued by the state health officer.
Updated: 2 months ago
Coronavirus cases in Wyoming by county
As reported by the Wyoming Department of Health, 9:30 a.m. Thursday, March 19.
Updated: 2 months ago
Businesses large and small reel from virus’s ‘kick in the teeth’
Bitter Creek Brewing in Rock Springs laid off employees and switched to curbside delivery and pick-up orders only for the brewpub’s food this week. With a dining and bar area too small for social distancing, owner Jane Caller preferred to take precautions for her customers and employees, she said.
Updated: 2 months ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Friday, March 20, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 2 months ago
Dispatch from the hotspot — Lander in the days of COVID-19
LANDER — Nestled against the Wind River Mountain range in central Wyoming some 120 miles from the nearest interstate, Lander is not easy to get to.
Updated: 2 months ago
Two who couldn’t get COVID-19 test: a study in rationing
Two Wyoming residents who exhibited symptoms of COVID-19 infection said they fear their experiences of denied testing and delayed treatment demonstrate how scarce supplies and a slow response may have exacerbated the pandemic’s spread.
Updated: 2 months ago
Businesses worry after governor orders closures of bars, restaurants
CASPER — Crystal Borson and her employees unloaded a truckload of food on Monday, meant to stock the Philly’s Steak N’ Company restaurant located inside the Beacon Club in Mills.
Updated: 2 months ago
Riverton circuit court judge releases jail inmates over virus
RIVERTON — Roughly 30 non-violent inmates at the Fremont County Detention Center in Lander have been released to minimize health risks in the jail during the coronavirus pandemic.
Updated: 2 months ago
Health officer orders closure of Wyoming businesses
Latest updates on COVID-19 from across Wyoming
Updated: 2 months ago
#BrysonStrong:
EVANSTON — Thirteen-year-old Bryson Quinney is one tough young man with a remarkable story.
Updated: 2 months ago
#BrysonStrong:
EVANSTON — Thirteen-year-old Bryson Quinney is one tough young man with a remarkable story.
Updated: 2 months ago
Great axe-pectations: ax throwing hits Gillette
GILLETTE — Larry and Shawn Reznicek and John and Sage Bear walked into Axe House Wyoming already having spent some time earlier shooting pistols at the gun range on a recent Friday. The couples thought they’d get some practice throws in before competing against each other.
Updated: 2 months ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Thursday, Mar. 19, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 2 months ago
Interior pushes parks as COVID-19 getaway; park officials disagree
JACKSON — With a good many normal activities and tourist destinations derailed by the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Department of the Interior is telling Americans to go play in the outdoors on their federal lands.
Updated: 2 months ago
SBA provides loans for small businesses
SHERIDAN — Gov. Mark Gordon applied on behalf of the state of Wyoming for access to Small Business Administration federal disaster loans in response to COVID-19 on an economic front. While the state awaits approval, small businesses throughout Wyoming can prepare to apply for a loan by setting up accounts online.
Updated: 2 months ago
Wyoming delegation votes in favor of multibillion-dollar relief packages
CASPER — Wyoming’s congressional delegation voted in favor of billions of dollars in stimulus funding Wednesday afternoon, supporting a bipartisan effort to stabilize the U.S. economy as the coronavirus outbreak threatens to bring the U.S. into a recession.
Updated: 2 months ago
Coal corporate giving tumbles just as communities need it most
GILLETTE — When Cloud Peak Energy Inc. went public in 2009, the Powder River Basin coal producer gifted its first 500 shares to Youth Emergency Services in Gillette, an organization that provides an array of services for at-risk youth and their families.
Updated: 2 months ago
Coal, land, workers and education: 2020 budget session wrapped
The 65th Wyoming Legislature adjourned for the year late Thursday night following a 24-day frenzy of lawmaking that stands to have significant impact on energy production, workers protections, the utility system, education funding and the potential purchase of millions of acres of land and mineral rights.
Updated: 2 months ago
Oil price drop rocks industry
CASPER — Volatile markets roiled Wyoming’s energy sector again this week, with oil prices tumbling and investors shedding energy shares as the coronavirus, or COVID-19, continued to spread worldwide.
Updated: 2 months ago
Remembering Sissy Goodwin, skirts and all
Douglas native Larry “Sissy” Goodwin gained national renown for his stubborn individuality. The Vietnam veteran, former rodeo cowboy, former aircraft mechanic and Casper College professor liked to wear women’s clothing. His style tended toward pastel blouses, frilly petticoats and feminine purses.
Updated: 2 months ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 2 months ago
Coronavirus case count grows to 15
The number of coronavirus COVID-19 cases in Wyoming jumped by five Tuesday, with two cases surfacing in Laramie County, one diagnosed in Park County and two more turning up in Sheridan County.
Updated: 2 months ago
First two COVID-19 cases confirmed in Laramie County
CHEYENNE – Laramie County has its first two confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Updated: 2 months ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 2 months ago
Wyoming Food Freedom celebrated as national model
PINEDALE – Far from our state lines, people celebrate the fact that Wyoming was the first in the nation to pass its Food Freedom Act – five years ago this month.
Updated: 2 months ago
Current bad market makes for strategic money moves
SHERIDAN—The economic effects of national events are reverberating through Sheridan County. Falling financial benchmarks have left individuals to sort out what it will mean for their pocketbooks, and it turns out that those who have some extra cash to play with right now are in a good position.
Updated: 2 months ago
UW to conduct remainder of spring semester online
LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming announced Monday that all undergraduate and graduate courses will be delivered remotely when the semester resumes after spring break on March 30 amid concerns about the spreading novel coronavirus, commonly known as COVID-19.
Updated: 2 months ago
Energy companies in Wyoming intensify response to coronavirus outbreak
CASPER — Energy companies operating in Wyoming ramped up their response to the spread of the coronavirus, or COVID-19, on Monday, with some firms imposing self-quarantine protocols and travel restrictions.
Updated: 2 months ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Friday, March 13, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 2 months ago
Gordon using private-sector advisors to help evaluate Oxy land deal
Gov. Mark Gordon has a team of seven informal private-sector advisors — at least three of them high-level veterans of the oil and gas industries — helping him evaluate the possible purchase of 1 million surface and 4 million mineral acres from Occidental Petroleum, according to the governor’s office.
Updated: 2 months ago
Supreme Court upholds blood draw ruling, appeal considered
JACKSON — Wyoming Supreme Court justices say they agree with the lower Teton County courts about a 2018 interference conviction stemming from a man refusing a judge’s warrant for his blood after a suspected DUI traffic stop.
Updated: 2 months ago
First coronavirus patient doing well, health officials say
CASPER — The Sheridan woman who tested positive for the novel coronavirus is isolated at her home and is doing well, health officials said Thursday. Meanwhile two people in a nearby community college district are under quarantine for at least two weeks.
Updated: 2 months ago
Gordon lets UW abortion rule become law
LARAMIE -- Gov. Mark Gordon declined to veto a controversial part of this biennium’s budget that prevents the University of Wyoming’s student insurance from covering abortions.
Updated: 2 months ago
Ancient eagle rehabilitated in Jackson returns to the skies
JACKSON — Meghan Warren’s “once-in-a-lifetime bird” has gone home.
Updated: 2 months ago
Powell High School art class turns wildlife taxidermy into sculpture
POWELL — A grizzly bear, standing over a rib cage from a recent kill, looks out from his perch as students move in and out of Jim Gilman’s vocational art class at Powell High School. The students move fast, working with feathers and fur.
Updated: 2 months ago
Sheridan man begins new life after addiction
SHERIDAN — When Chase Gysel died, he didn’t care at the time. During surgery necessitated by neck edema caused by an untreated nasal infection, his lungs collapsed. Later, medical staff told him they revived him on the table. He gave into the feeling of dying and felt relief.
Updated: 2 months ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Thursday, March 12, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 2 months ago
Legislature approves bill for monthly mineral tax payment
GILLETTE — Mineral producers in Wyoming will have to pay their ad valorem taxes owed to counties on the same schedule as their state severance taxes if Gov. Mark Gordon signs a bill that cleared its final hurdle in the Legislature on Wednesday.
Updated: 2 months ago
Bill to care for aborted infants born alive approved
CHEYENNE — The Wyoming House of Representatives put its stamp on a piece of legislation imposing felony-level penalties for parents and doctors who decline to provide lifesaving care to aborted infants born alive, a win for anti-abortion advocates but a blow to critics who feel the legislation strips the rights of parents and their doctors to spare suffering for children born with profound birth defects.
Updated: 2 months ago
First case of COVID-19 confirmed in Wyoming
CHEYENNE — The first case of coronavirus, COVID-19, in Wyoming was confirmed Wednesday evening in a woman from Sheridan County.
Updated: 2 months ago
UW gets ‘standard budget’
LARAMIE — Barring any dramatic line-item vetoes from Gov. Mark Gordon, the University of Wyoming’s base support from the Legislature for the upcoming fiscal biennium will be essentially unchanged from its current status.
Updated: 2 months ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Tuesday, March 10, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 2 months ago
UW cancels trips to China, South Korea because of coronavirus
CASPER — The University of Wyoming has canceled summer study abroad trips to China and South Korea in light of coronavirus outbreaks in those two countries as part of a wave of preparations undertaken by the university.
Updated: 2 months ago
Wolf numbers increase in Yellowstone
POWELL — The number of wolves in Yellowstone National Park has risen in the past year, according to Doug Smith, the park’s senior wildlife biologist.
Updated: 2 months ago
BLM preferred plan would remove 1,500 horses from range
PINEDALE — The High Desert District’s wild horse draft environmental impact statement and proposed Bureau of Land Management revisions for its management are open for public comment through April 30.
Updated: 2 months ago
Oil price plunge raises questions about state economy
CHEYENNE — Oil prices worldwide suffered a major hit over the weekend, reaching a four-year low in the United States, and the rapid changes in the global economy could have major implications for Wyoming.
Updated: 2 months ago
House, Senate reach initial deal on biennial budget
CHEYENNE — After a few months of crafting the nearly $3 billion state budget for the 2021-22 biennium, lawmakers from the House and Senate reached an initial agreement Friday night.
Updated: 2 months ago
Jackson lab moves one step closer to ALS treatment
JACKSON — Medical research is a Sisyphean endeavor: Each study pushes the rock slightly farther uphill, until it finally reaches the top and a new discovery is made. Recently Brain Chemistry Labs, the nonprofit research lab in Jackson, moved the rock closer to the top of the hill.
Updated: 2 months ago
Prison contractor squares off with counseling lobby in Capitol
The Illinois-based company that runs Wyoming’s in-prison treatment programs is battling mental health and substance abuse treatment lobbyists in an effort to lower licensing standards for its counselors.
Updated: 2 months ago
Autistic 9-year-old student handcuffed
CASPER — A 9-year-old Casper student with high-functioning autism was restrained and handcuffed last year, resulting in an investigation by the federal Department of Education into how the student was treated in the months leading up to the incident.
Updated: 2 months ago
Blackjewel successor makes monthly tax payments
GILLETTE — While the state Legislature debates whether to require companies to pay mineral production taxes on a monthly basis, the monthly payment plan agreement between Campbell County and Eagle Specialty Materials has shown that it can work.
Updated: 2 months ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Monday, March 9, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 2 months ago
As session wanes, legislators negotiate in private
There are 90 members of the Legislature, but the fourth week of its 2020 session ended with fewer than 20 negotiating, often behind closed doors, the outcome of key budget session issues.
Updated: 2 months ago
Motorists at shelter describe massive March 1 wreck
RAWLINS — By the time Fernando and Carlos saw the livestock trailer, it was too late. The two non-English-speaking motorists from Mexico quickly became another pileup statistic.
Updated: 2 months ago
Gillette resident changes his life with ‘street project,’ hopes to change others as well
GILLETTE — Standing amid a green landscape on the Pine Ridge Reservation is a weary Ogallala Lakota Sioux coming to grips with her need to move away from her home, her life as she has always known it.
Updated: 2 months ago
Cheyenne students raise money for a new playground – in Mexico
CHEYENNE – The slide is Sienna Freeman’s favorite piece of equipment on the playground at Cole Elementary.
Updated: 2 months ago
School nurse, staff save life of 10-year-old Sheridan girl
SHERIDAN — On Monday, Shawn Kelley received the call parents dread. His 10-year-old daughter had collapsed walking into Woodland Park Elementary.
Updated: 2 months ago
NEWS BRIEFS for Thursday, March 5, 2020
News in Brief from across the Cowboy State
Updated: 2 months ago
Powell company to become state’s first hemp processor
POWELL — A Powell business is set to become the first hemp production and processing operation in the state of Wyoming, though the company’s plans were nearly blocked by the Powell City Council Monday night.
Updated: 2 months ago
Rocky Mountain Power seeks rate increase
CASPER — Wyoming’s leading utility filed an application with the state’s Public Service Commission on Monday to adjust its energy prices starting next year.
Updated: 2 months ago
Bill giving cities option for extra sales tax approved in Senate
CHEYENNE - A bill allowing cities to propose an additional 1% sales tax to local voters won final approval from the Wyoming Senate on Wednesday, marking a huge step in years worth of discussion to find revenue-generating options that cities, smaller towns and counties can all agree on.
Updated: 2 months ago
University of Illinois official named UW president
LARAMIE — Edward Seidel, vice president for economic development and innovation for the University of Illinois System, has been named as the University of Wyoming’s next president. He is set to begin the job in July.
Updated: 2 months ago
Carving his own funny path: After being laid off, Honaker pursues comedy career
DOUGLAS — The doors of Headstrong Brewery were still more than an hour from opening to the public, but he was there, fidgeting nervously.
Updated: 3 months ago
Volunteers on the ice: group trains for rescues in cold and wet conditions
POWELL — After eight hours in a classroom going over thick safety procedure manuals, members of the Park County Search and Rescue swift water rescue team were happy to get into the Buffalo Bill Reservoir on Sunday.
Updated: 3 months ago
Sheridan students repair school devices as part of class
SHERIDAN — Two computer science classes offer Sheridan High School students the chance to receive practical skills and aid the school district they attend.
Updated: 1 year ago