Wyoming News & Current Events | Public News Service

Before being hunted to the brink of extinction, some 50,000 grizzlies roamed the lower 48 states. Today there are fewer than 2,000. (Adobe Stock)

Monday, June 5, 2023

Female Grizzly Bears Still at Risk Even After Court Ruling

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife and National Forest Services are headed back to the drawing board after a federal appeals court ruled that the …

More than 60% of rural counties lack a psychiatrist, and almost half do not have a psychologist, compared with 27% and 19% of urban counties, respectively. (Adobe Stock)

Addressing Challenges to Behavioral Health Care in Rural Wyoming

A new report spotlights some of the challenges to accessing behavioral health care for the one in seven Americans who live in rural areas. Kendall …

Scientists say to correct the problem of overgrazing and wildlife habitat degradation on public lands, the livestock stocking rate would need to be reduced by about two-thirds from present numbers. (Adobe Stock)

Report: U.S. Forest Service Serving Grizzly Habitat to Livestock Industry

Critical Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear habitat has been degraded by a 2019 U.S. Forest Service decision to allow more than 17,000 …

The EPA admits its new standards for air pollution at power plants could bring small increases in utility bills, but projects the plan would bring a total of $85 billion in climate and health savings. (Adobe Stock)

New EPA Standards Seen as Attack on Coal-Fired Power Plants

The Environmental Protection Agency's proposal to cut pollution from power plants not already set to retire by 90% by 2030 is the most ambitious in ov…

A new Annie E. Casey Foundation report found a 35% increase in the number of kids in Wyoming entering foster care due to abuse. (Adobe Stock)

Helping Wyoming Foster Youths Succeed as Adults

The number of Wyoming children in foster care between the ages of 14 and 21 has dropped by 54% over the past two decades, according to a new Annie E…

Since the early 90s, the state has lost about 250,000 mule deer. (Adobe Stock)

Elk Linked to Declining Mule Deer Populations

Thriving elk herds are adding to the challenges facing mule deer populations, which have been on the decline for decades in Wyoming and across the …

Tours of the mid-century modern M Building, renovated by Diane McGinley and her husband in downtown Casper, is just one of this year's many sites to be celebrated during Preservation Month, which was started by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1973. (Diane McGinley)

M Building Kicks Off WY Historic Preservation Month

The Alliance for Historic Wyoming is putting a spotlight on the people responsible for preserving places during Preservation Month, which kicks off …

A federal grant will help Western Wyoming Community College meet the demand for a projected 1,500 local health-care workers in the region over the next ten years. (Adobe Stock)

College in WY Wins $3 Million Grant to Expand Health-Care Worker Pipeline

Western Wyoming Community College has won a competitive $3 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration's task force charged with …

Wyoming lawmakers are being asked to guarantee remote testimony during the winter session in part due to frequently dangerous travel conditions. (Adobe Stock)

Groups Push for Virtual Testimony in Main Legislative Session

After the Wyoming Legislature's Management Council guaranteed the right to remote public testimony during the interim legislative session, good …

An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people are expected to be dropped from Medicaid rolls in Wyoming. (Adobe Stock)

Keeping Older Wyoming Residents from Losing Nursing Home Coverage

Congress has put an end to a pandemic-era policy prohibiting states from dropping Medicaid recipients from their rolls, and 15 million people in …

More than 90% of public lands managed by the BLM are currently available to be leased to oil and gas developers. (Adobe Stock)

BLM Proposal Would Allow Conservation Leases on Public Lands

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comments on a new management proposal which includes leasing parcels of public lands for …

In 2011, coal produced 44% of all electricity in the United States. In 2022, it produced just 20% and is projected to drop to 10% or less by 2030. (Creativenature.nl/Adobe Stock)

Report: Half of Nation’s Coal Power Units to Retire by 2026

The U.S. is projected to retire half of its coal-fired power units by 2026, just 15 years after coal use for electricity reached its peak in 2011…

The current rate of species going extinct is estimated to be 100 to 1,000 times higher than natural background extinction rates, and is accelerating because of human activity including unsustainable use of land, water and energy use, and climate change. (Lucaar/Adobe Stock)

Congress Could Sidestep Endangered Species Act to Delist Grizzlies, Wolves

Congress is considering three bills that would sidestep the Endangered Species Act to de-list the Northern Continental Divide and Yellowstone grizzly …

Just 18% of premature deaths from air pollution from coal-fired power plants occur in the states where facilities are located. (Tomas/Adobe Stock)

Report Counts Deadly Impacts of Coal-Fired Power Plants

Thousands of lives are cut short every year because of air pollution from coal-fired power plants in Wyoming and across the United States, according …

GoWest Credit Union Association represents about 16.5 million members across six states. (Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Adobe Stock)

Uncertain Banking Market Puts Local Institutions in Spotlight

The collapse of two banks has put the U.S. financial sector into focus this week. Some are considering the alternative structures of institutions …

Grace Raymond Hebard's second home, known as the Doctor's Inn at 318 S. 10th St. in Laramie, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the University Neighborhood Historic District. (Andrea Graham/Alliance for Historic Wyoming)

Project Highlights Women Who Forged, Documented Wyoming's History

Wyoming became the first U.S. territory to give women the right to vote in 1869, half a century before the nation finally followed the Cowboy State's …

Over the past 50 years, the population of pygmy rabbits in Wyoming has declined by 69% (Serikbaib AdobeStock)

Groups Call on U.S. Fish and Wildlife to Prevent Pigmy Rabbit Extinction

On Monday, conservation groups submitted a petition calling on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the pygmy rabbit under the Endangered …

Just 47% of Wyoming residents prefer leaders place more emphasis on protecting water, air, wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities over maximizing the amount of land available for drilling and mining. (Adobe Stock)

Poll: Conservation Efforts, Environmental Priorities Remain High in Wyoming

Voters in Wyoming and across the West strongly support protecting water supplies, public lands and migration corridors for wildlife, according to the …

Historians have traced the origins of Cheyenne Frontier Days back to 1870s riding exhibitions by a Black cowboy named Sam Stewart. Also known as

Project Uncovers Hidden Gems of Black History in Wyoming

African Americans have played a foundational role in Wyoming since the 1860s, when they served as soldiers at Fort Laramie, and owned and operated …

The 163 billion cubic feet of lost methane on public lands represents enough wasted natural gas to meet the needs of 2.2 million households; nearly as many households as New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah and Wyoming combined, studies show. (Adobe Stock)

Report: $500 Million Gas Lost at Oil and Gas Fields on Public Lands

Oil and gas operators waste a half billion dollars worth of natural gas on public lands every year, according to a new report. Chad Franke, …

Residents in Torrington will soon be able to access high-speed internet video conferencing for telehealth appointments. (Adobe Stock)

Small Internet Provider to Open Digital ‘Empowerment Center’ in Torrington

By Kristi Eaton for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Wyoming News Service for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collaboration…

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is expected to release new rules this summer for dealing with continued Colorado River water shortages. (Adobe Stock)

Wall Street Sees Profits in Dropping Colorado River Levels

As Wyoming and other Colorado River Basin states grapple with ways to keep a river more than 40 million people, agriculture and industry depend on …

Grizzly bears are considered to be an umbrella species, and conservationists argue protecting them allows for the protection of hundreds of other species by maintaining large tracts of wild spaces. (Adobe Stock)

Conservationists Warn of Downsides to Delisting Grizzly

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering removing Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide ecosystem grizzly bears from the …

The Glen Canyon Dam currently generates energy for nearly six million households in Wyoming, Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. (Adobe Stock)

Falling Lake Powell Water Levels Put Wyoming Hydro Power at Risk

Part of the deal Wyoming struck for sending its water down the Colorado River was that state residents would be able to tap electricity generated at G…

Since 2017, AARP has awarded more than $12.7 million to more than 1,060 projects, including 10 in Wyoming, through the Community Challenge to nonprofit organizations and government entities. (Adobe Stock)

AARP Wyoming Seeking Projects to Help Improve Communities

AARP Wyoming is putting out the call for creative projects to help improve communities, whether by creating new public transportation and housing …

Rural hospitals in Medicaid expansion states are 62% less likely to close, in large part because expansion reduces the burden of uncompensated care, when patients without insurance can't pay for services. (Adobe Stock)

Lawmakers Consider Expanding Health Coverage for 19,000 Workers

A bill that would expand Medicaid coverage for some 19,000 Wyoming workers who earn too much to qualify for standard Medicaid, but can't afford …

Senate File 40 aims to hold federal and state political action committees to the same standards. (Adobe Stock)

Wyoming Legislature Tackles Election Integrity

Election integrity has emerged as a top concern for Wyoming lawmakers gathered in Cheyenne, but it remains unclear what priorities will emerge from …

Nearly one in five new mothers participating in Wyoming's Medicaid Pregnant Women Program lose their health insurance 60 days after giving birth. (Adobe Stock)

WY Lawmakers Consider Extended Health Coverage for New Moms

New mothers in Wyoming enrolled in the Medicaid Pregnant Women Program lose their health insurance 60 days after giving birth, but a new bill making …

Billionaire wealth has increased by $2.7 billion per day, while more than 1.7 billion people live in countries where their wages, adjusted for inflation, have declined. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Rich Got Richer, Workers Left Behind During Pandemic

The world's richest 1% took home almost twice as much wealth as the bottom 99% combined during the pandemic, according to a new Oxfam International …

In the fall of 2020, among four-year universities and community colleges nationwide, male freshmen enrollment declined 1.3%, while female freshmen enrollment fell 3.2%. (Adobe Stock)

Wyoming Bucks National Trend of Women Stopping Out of Higher Education

Wyoming has managed to buck a national trend which has seen female students opting out of college at more than twice the rate of males since 2020…

Evanston�s Historic Roundhouse and Railyards, constructed by Union Pacific Railroad in 1912-1914, was refurbished by the city in 2009 as a public facility. (Mary Humstone)

Historic Restoration Called More Sustainable Than New Construction

A changing climate is prompting many developers to consider how their work can be more sustainable, and how they can produce housing, retail and …

Researchers followed all 26 elk herds that call the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem home, tapping data from 1,088 GPS-collared elk. (Adobe Stock)

Third of Yellowstone Elk Habitat Not Protected from Development

More than a third of all known elk habitat in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem remains wide-open for human development, according to new analysis …

Last March, Wyoming lawmakers passed a law that would ban abortions in most cases if the U.S. Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe v. Wade, which the high court did in June. (Adobe Stock)

Wyoming Supreme Court Sends Suit Over Abortion Ban Back to District

The Wyoming Supreme Court has decided it will not weigh in on a lawsuit that has temporarily halted a ban on abortions in the state. Citing a state …

In the first three quarters of 2022, 24 oil and gas companies made more than $343 billion, a 126% increase from the same time period in 2021. (Adobe Stock)

Big Oil Kept Gas Prices High as Crude Oil Prices Dropped

After the price of crude oil plummeted to $75 a barrel, which marked the lowest price since December of last year, big oil companies kept consumer …

The AARP Fraud Watch Network is a free resource that equips consumers with up-to-date knowledge to spot and avoid scams, and connects those targeted by scams with fraud helpline specialists who provide support and guidance on what to do next. (Adobe Stock)

Ways to Avoid Scammers During Holiday Shopping Season

A new AARP Fraud Watch Network report is putting a spotlight on how criminals are targeting holiday shoppers this year in hopes of separating them fr…

Industry groups are betting that limiting methane waste at oil and gas operations will help keep natural gas competitive as consumers demand cleaner sources of energy. (Adobe Stock)

Methane Air-Pollution Proposal Taps Wyoming Technologies

A new federal plan to reduce harmful air pollution by limiting methane waste at oil and gas facilities taps proven strategies already at work in opera…

Biologists say there is ample natural winter range for Wyoming's elk populations without continued use of controversial winter feedgrounds. (Adobe Stock)

Getting Priorities on Track to Foster Healthy Elk Populations

After receiving input from stakeholders earlier this year, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has released a list of priorities guiding its initial …

One in eight individuals in Wyoming, and one in six children, do not know where their next meal will come from. (Adobe Stock)

Food Bank Ramps Up Thanksgiving Food Assistance

Turkeys and other holiday standards are still available for struggling families through food pantries, senior centers, school districts and other …

Lander-based Chelsea's Fund provides funding for Wyoming women who cannot afford to pay the full cost of an abortion, and help accessing care in neighboring states. (Adobe Stock)

WY Abortion-Rights Advocates Set Sights on Next Session

Last week's midterm elections saw conservative Republicans shore up their majorities in Wyoming's legislature, and Janna Farley - communications …

As buffalo herds graze, they inspire new vegetative growth across vast tracts of lands in a natural process that mimics the onset of spring. (Adobe Stock)

Buffalo Restoration Key to Wildlife Economy, Tribal Health

By Jake Bullinger for Bitterroot Magazine.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Wyoming News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Pu…

In 2021, volunteers drove or flew 42 injured raptors 9,583 miles and donated more than 165 hours of their personal time to help wild birds rehabilitate. (Adobe Stock)

Teton Raptor Center Nears Historic Restoration Goal

The Teton Raptor Center was recently awarded a $10,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to help the site become a year-round de…

One million acres of grasslands, considered to be some of the most threatened ecosystems on Earth, are lost each year to agricultural and residential development in the United States. (Adobe Stock)

Wyoming, USDA Agree on Partnership to Conserve Wildlife Habitat

Gov. Mark Gordon has signed onto law a new pilot program in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which aims to support Wyoming …

Leading scientists warn the next decade is critical to averting the worst impacts of the climate crisis by transforming economies to run entirely on clean energy. (Adobe Stock)

Utilities' Plans Called Out of Sync with Clean-Energy Transition Demands

Pacificorp delivers energy to 140,000 Wyoming households, but it received a "D" grade in a new report sounding the alarm over utility companies' …

Climate change is altering the growth patterns and abundance of forage at key locations along wildlife migration corridors and times of year. (Jessi Johnson)

Report: Open Migration Routes Critical for Big Game Health

A new Pew Charitable Trusts report tapping mountains of GPS collar tracking data and other science offers a roadmap for protecting big game in Wyoming…

Bear Wise Wyoming offers a one-stop shop for everything a person can do in bear country to reduce conflict potential and also what to do in different types of bear encounters. (Adobe Stock)

Tips for Staying Safe in Wyoming Bear Country

Whether you are hunting, fishing, hiking or enjoying Wyoming's open spaces this fall, game officials have tips for staying safe while visiting the …

Food insecurity among adults ages 65 and older living alone reached the highest rates in 20 years between 2020 and 2021. (Adobe Stock)

Millions of Older Adults Experience Food Insecurity

Some 35 million people in Wyoming and across the U.S. struggle to put food on the table, and older adults experiencing food insecurity face numerous …

Researchers warn that as climate change increases wildfire areas in snow zones throughout the West, the wildfire influence on the snowpack also will grow. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Wildfires Expanding Into Snow Zones Will Impact Water Supplies

Wildfires in Wyoming and across the West are creating bigger impacts on snowpack supplying farms, energy production and drinking water for millions …

Wyoming to Receive $25 Million for Orphan Wells Under Infrastructure Bill

President Joe Biden's bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is expected to bring more than 300 jobs to Wyoming to clean up and plug so-cal…

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