by Angus M. Thuermer Jr., WyoFile The U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver has backed four hunters sued by a wealthy ranch owner for corner crossing on Carbon County’s Elk Mountain, preserving public access to millions of acres of federal property. A three-judge panel ruled Tuesday that a Wyoming federal judge concluded correctly when […]
Wyofile
Posted inStatewide
DOGE is the talk of Wyoming. What are state leaders saying and doing about the Elon Musk-led cuts?
by Mike Koshmrl, WyoFile AFTON—U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman’s remark about the U.S. Agency for International Development triggered one of the most raucous rounds of applause of the evening. Even before the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency — aka DOGE — started gutting the federal government’s foreign aid branch, known by its acronym, USAID, the sophomore congresswoman […]
Posted inHealth
Has Banner lived up to the quality it promised with Casper hospital? Third-party monitor will decide.
by Katie Klingsporn, WyoFile In Casper, critics and defenders of the state’s largest hospital have been pushing contrasting narratives about its owner for more than a year. One story goes that since Banner Health purchased Wyoming Medical Center in 2020, management has allowed unacceptable slips in the quality of care for patients. The other contends that […]
Posted inGovernment
Wyoming’s elected officials disclose potential conflicts of interest
by Tennessee Watson, WyoFile The Wyoming Ethics and Disclosure Act requires elected officials in Wyoming’s executive branch — the governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, state auditor and superintendent of public instruction — and all members of the Wyoming Legislature to file financial disclosure forms with the secretary of state. These forms, due each year by […]
Posted inOutdoors
Proposed reservoir above Seminoe could threaten world-class fishery, state and anglers say
By Christine Peterson A Utah-based hydroelectric company wants to build another reservoir above Seminoe Reservoir to produce bursts of energy when demand is high, promising to bring tax revenue and jobs to a rural part of central Wyoming. Fish and wildlife groups and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, however, worry the project threatens the healthiest […]
Posted inWyoming
(PHOTOS) Alan K. Simpson: A life in photos
By Katie Klingsporn From Cody boy scout to trouble-making UW college student and prominent U.S. Senator who met with world leaders, Alan Simpson led a storied life. The lawyer, Republican politician and army veteran spent 18 years working for Wyoming in Washington, D.C., during an era when the state enjoyed unprecedented political power. Often joined by his lifelong […]
Posted inGovernment
Trump administration delays deadline for feedback on federal protection for grizzlies
By Mike Koshmrl More than 47,000 people, organizations and agencies have taken the time to send in their thoughts on federal wildlife managers’ Biden-era proposal to continue classifying grizzly bears as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. It’s a decision that attracts so much interest because it closes, or opens, the door for grizzly bear hunting. The scores of […]
Posted inOpinion
With Al Simpson’s passing, another tall tree gone
By Rod Miller It’s mid-March up in Al Simpson’s country around Cody. If you look closely, you can see the first green shoots of grass in the creek bottoms and hillsides. Aspen are budding at the tips, and the countryside is shaking off its cold blanket of snow. Spring is in the air. Simpson likely saw […]
Posted inOutdoors
Devils Tower National Monument slashes hours without explanation
by Katie Klingsporn, WyoFile Devils Tower National Monument will slash hours of operation from 24/7 to daytime only, the park announced Tuesday. Starting Thursday, the popular destination in northeast Wyoming will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., instead of around-the-clock. The park did not cite explanations behind the change, but social media users were […]
Posted inCourt
Lawsuit accuses Casper doctor, hospital of dismissing arrestee before his overdose death
by Andrew Graham, WyoFile As Casper police officers brought Wayne Sanchez into the Natrona County jail for booking on a methamphetamine charge in March 2023, Sanchez began to shake violently. He told officers he’d eaten a significant amount of drugs. With Sanchez rapidly deteriorating, the jail nurse told officers she would not accept him and they […]
Posted inEducation
Cheyenne parents: Education ruling strengthens case against school closures
by Katie Klingsporn, WyoFile The Cheyenne parents who sued the state in December over a controversial plan to close eight Laramie County elementary schools are buoyed by the recent district court ruling that the Wyoming Legislature has been unconstitutionally underfunding the state’s public schools and has to fix it. In his 186-page ruling, Judge Peter Froelicher concluded that […]
Posted inLegislature
Six takeaways from the just finished Wyoming legislative session
by Katie Klingsporn, Maggie Mullen, Andrew Graham, Angus M. Thuermer Jr., Mike Koshmrl and Dustin Bleizeffer, WyoFile By any measure, the Wyoming Legislature just completed a transformative session. In the House, the hard-line Freedom Caucus took control of a statehouse chamber for the first time in the U.S. In the Senate, leadership stunned observers when they decided the upper chamber would not […]
Posted inEnergy
Wyoming slashes taxes for coal, sets up a CO2 fund to boost oil and gas
by Dustin Bleizeffer, WyoFile It was a good legislative session for fossil fuel producers in Wyoming, as well as those who want to produce carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery. Lawmakers passed House Bill 75, “Coal severance tax rate,” which reduces the severance tax rate for surface-mined coal from 6.5% to 6% — an effort that proponents […]
Posted inGovernment
The Wyoming Legislature’s 2025 general session has ended
By Maggie Mullen CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Both the Wyoming House and Senate adjourned Thursday “sine die” — Latin for recessing “without date” for resumption — nixing uncertainty about when exactly the 2025 general session would conclude. There had been chatter that lawmakers would stick it out for two more days to have the opportunity to override […]
Posted inGovernment
Musk’s DOGE to eliminate Fish and Wildlife’s tribal Lander office, USGS’ Cheyenne water science station
By Mike Koshmrl Working out of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Lander office back in the 1970s, biologist Richard Baldes helped engineer a remarkable turnaround for species nearly or completely gone from the Wind River Indian Reservation, like pronghorn and bighorn sheep. Learning this week that the Trump administration’s Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency is planning […]
Posted inGovernment
DOGE cuts will hobble outdoor recreation in Wyoming, advocates say
By Katie Klingsporn Trail projects around the state have kept Wyoming Pathways busy in recent years. Fueled both by the growing popularity of outdoor recreation and by statewide interest in nurturing the industry, the nonprofit group has worked with local and federal partners to develop trails from Togwotee Pass near Dubois to Pole Mountain near Laramie and Commissary Ridge near […]
Posted inAnimals
Casper’s turkeys trapped and turned loose in new rural habitat
By Katie Klingsporn Wild turkeys can be unruly neighbors. They poop all over the place, damage trees with their sharp claws, hold up traffic and are known to bully dogs, children and the occasional mail carrier. That was part of the motivation behind a recent Wyoming Game and Fish Department project that trapped 137 birds around […]
Posted inLegislature
Here’s what Wyoming lawmakers did with all those election bills
by Maggie Mullen, WyoFile CHEYENNE—Only a fraction of the wide-ranging, election-related bills filed in Wyoming’s 2025 legislative session have made it to the governor’s desk, effectively lowering the possibility that the state’s elections will look dramatically different for voters casting ballots in 2026. Altogether, lawmakers filed 45 election bills this year — accounting for about 8% of all […]
Posted inLegislature
Senate overrides Gordon’s veto of abortion bill requiring transvaginal ultrasounds in Wyoming
by Maggie Mullen, WyoFile CHEYENNE—Following the House’s lead, the Wyoming Senate voted Wednesday to override Gov. Mark Gordon’s veto of a bill that requires patients seeking abortion medications to first undergo a transvaginal ultrasound and a 48-hour waiting period. The bill will go into effect immediately. Gordon vetoed House Bill 64, “Chemical abortions-ultrasound requirement,” Monday night, citing concerns […]
Posted inEducation
Governor signs universal school voucher bill, calling it ‘remarkable achievement for Wyoming’
by Katie Klingsporn, WyoFile Gov. Mark Gordon lauded a controversial universal school voucher bill Tuesday morning before signing it into law hours later. House Bill 199, “Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act,” will represent a significant expansion of school choice in the state, offering families $7,000 per child annually for K-12 non-public-school costs like tuition or tutoring. The scholarship […]
Posted inState Government
House votes to override Gordon’s abortion bill veto
by Maggie Mullen, WyoFile CHEYENNE—The Wyoming House of Representatives voted Tuesday to override Gov. Mark Gordon’s veto of a bill to require patients to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound and a 48-hour waiting period before taking abortion medication. Gordon vetoed House Bill 64, “Chemical abortions-ultrasound requirement“, Monday night, citing concerns over the bill’s invasive nature and its lack of exceptions […]
Posted inEducation
‘Wyoming’s future depends on it.’ Educators hope court ruling helps improve schools
by Katie Klingsporn, WyoFile During his 24 years on the Sweetwater County District 2 school board, Steve Core witnessed damaging impacts pile up as a result of the state’s funding model, he said. Some years, the board could only offer staff raises of $100, which was not well received. District salaries didn’t match the cost of […]
Posted inState Government
Gordon vetoes abortion bill requiring transvaginal ultrasounds
by Maggie Mullen, WyoFile CHEYENNE—Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed a bill late Monday that would have required patients seeking abortion medications to first undergo a transvaginal ultrasound and a 48-hour waiting period. While maintaining his “pro-life stance,” Gordon said he objected to the bill’s invasive nature and its lack of exceptions for victims of rape or incest. […]
