Week of January 30, 2025
Legislative updates and reactions from local educators on A1. Check out the Health and Wellness section at the...
State Rep. Martha Lawley (R-Worland) is navigating a whirlwind of legislative activity as several of her sponsored bills have advanced to the Senate, garnering both praise and concern from her constituents. House Bill 41, concerning environmental quality and irrevocable letters of credit, was received by the Senate for introduction on Tuesday, Jan. 28. The bill clarifies the financial institutions from which operators may obtain irrevocable letters of credit to deposit with the department of environmental quality in lieu of a bond. HBs 42...
District 20 Senator Ed Cooper (R-Ten Sleep) was interviewed on Jan. 24, at the end of the second week of the Wyoming Legislature’s 2025 General Session for an update on his work. With the House falling far behind the Senate in bills passed out of their respective branches early on, Cooper isn’t optimistic that all House Bills will have time to be considered. He said, “The week was good on our [Senate] side. We got a total of 34 bills passed out of the Senate over to the other side, and I think the House got 18 that they’ve passed back...
The Chief Washakie FFA Wool judging teams found improved success at the National Western Stock Schow earlier this month after participating in the Wyoming state FFA Wool judging contest with the 7220 Wool Judging Invitational in Laramie. This year, the chapter had two teams of rookie judges, as last year's teams were all seniors. The first team consisted of Kyston Rollema, Zane Lentsch, Beckett Tharp and Asael Vega, and the second team was Breanna Draper, Tylee Clark and Bella Beamer. The teams...
The Internal Revenue Service opened the 2025 tax filing season Monday and is accepting and processing federal individual tax year 2024 returns. During Monday’s early morning opening, IRS systems have already received millions of tax returns from across the nation for processing. The IRS expects more than 140 million individual tax returns for tax year 2024 to be filed ahead of the Tuesday, April 15 federal deadline. More than half of all tax returns are expected to be filed this year with the help of a tax professional, and the IRS urges...
Engaging in senior-friendly exercises is a great way to build strength, improve balance, and reduce the risk of falls and injuries. Staff from the Worland Senior Center and Worland Healthcare and Rehabilitation provided tips for seniors on staying healthy and injury-free during the cold winter months. In an effort to enhance the well-being of its senior community, the Worland Senior Center has a range of gentle, low-impact exercise programs tailored specifically for seniors. These initiatives,...
The COVID-19 Pandemic is history now, but the attention it drew toward mental well-being is something that has persisted. As awareness of the issue grew, so did the services around it. When people had to stay home, mental health services met them there; and for those getting help from Oxbow Center, the opportunity to connect to a counselor remotely over telehealth continues. Oxbow Center CEO Mary Johnson in Worland (in person) and Chief Program Officer Day Lynn Stebner and Human Resources...
When the call comes, you must answer it, and that's exactly what Worland's Danielle Warren did when starting the Warren's Wyoming Safe Haven counseling services. With suicide impacting the Worland community in recent years, Warren, a licensed professional counselor, had been wanting to do something to help prevent future suicides. She had also been talking with Oxbow Center Chief Executive Officer Mary Johnson about having a place where youth could go when things were at the bottom. Then, the...
Ryan Newton serves as the full-time public health response coordinator (PHRC) for Washakie County, playing a crucial role in preparing for and responding to public health emergencies. This position involves collaborating with community partners to plan for potential disasters that could affect public health. Since November 2024, Newton said she has engaged with local, regional and state partners to improve education, planning, and response efforts within the community. She receives ongoing...
Chronicling the stories of Washakie County and...
Via Wyoming News Exchange SHERIDAN — The Wyoming Legislature is looking to help the state learn and recover from a historic 2024 wildfire season. According to the Wyoming State Forestry Division, 2,167 fires burned more than 850,000 acres in 2024. State costs to suppress those fires have totaled more than $56 million, depleting all funds from the state’s Emergency Fire Suppression Account, Wyoming Office of Homeland Security and the governor’s office’s contingency accounts. The Remington Fire and Elk Fire both began in Sheridan County...
Via Wyoming News Exchange CHEYENNE — Three proposed bills in the current Wyoming legislative session could gut funding for K-12 public schools by more than $80 million per fiscal year — and that’s not including any additional property tax relief that may be approved. Wyoming Freedom Caucus member and House Appropriations Chair Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette is the sponsor of two bills that would stash more money away into state savings, resulting in a decrease in funds being added to the School Foundation Program (SFP). The SFP funds the...
Via Wyoming News Exchange DOUGLAS — With no fewer than 23 bills in the Wyoming Legislature that address property tax reform for homeowners, local government leaders are asking lawmakers not to cut their legs out from underneath them in terms of their budgets in the process of seeking tax cuts. Converse County commissioners, Douglas City Council and Douglas School Board members are keeping a wary eye on the slew of bills before the legislature for that very reason. That isn’t to say they oppose property tax relief for residents — quite...
Three abortion bills are back in the House so far, with hours spent on public testimony. Via Wyoming News Exchange JACKSON — A Jackson lawmaker scoffed at the final abortion bill he heard in the House Labor, Health and Social Services Committee on Friday. Minority Floor Leader Mike Yin, D-Jackson, spent close to four hours last week listening to testimony on three bills sponsored by Wyoming Freedom Caucus lawmakers. Two were back after being vetoed by the governor last year: One would make it more difficult for the sole abortion clinic in...
From Wyoming News Exchange newspapers Wyoming’s average gasoline prices unchanged from a week earlier CHEYENNE (WNE) — Average gasoline prices in Wyoming are unchanged in the last week, averaging $2.89 per gallon Monday, according to GasBuddy. com’s survey of 494 stations in Wyoming. Prices in Wyoming are 7.3 cents per gallon higher than a month ago, and stand 27.4 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. According to GasBuddy price reports, the lowest price in the state Sunday was $2.47, while the highest was $3.69, a difference of...
After cutting $70 million from the original bill, senators failed to pass the measure to give lawmakers an independent account to sue the government over environmental regulations. The Wyoming Senate on Tuesday balked at giving lawmakers a $5 million fund to sue the federal government — separately from the executive branch — over environmental policies and regulations. Senate File 41, “Federal acts-legal actions authorized,” failed on third reading on a 14-14 vote with two excused absences and one declared conflict of interest....
The fiscal plan now goes to the House and the Senate for separate deliberations. CHEYENNE—A legislative panel on Tuesday advanced the state’s supplemental budget, but not before slashing roughly $235 million from Gov. Mark Gordon’s recommendations via cuts to wildfire recovery, energy projects, emergency funds for local governments and reimbursement rates for maternity and mental health care. The cuts were mostly unsurprising. Wyoming Freedom Caucus members and their allies now comprise the majority of the Wyoming Legislature’s Joint...
Wyoming sheriffs said performing ICE functions would have stretched local resources, eroded control. Via Wyoming News Exchange JACKSON — A leader in the hard-line Wyoming Freedom Caucus broke a tie vote Friday, killing a bill that would have required sheriffs to enforce federal immigration laws. Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee and formerly served as the head of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, cast the deciding vote, leading the committee to split 4-3 against the bill. He paused before voting no, giving...
With two games against ranked teams and a 2A Northwest game sandwiched in between, the Hot Springs County Bobcats are ready for a big weekend. Coming off two wins last week, the 'Cats (10-3) started 2A Northwest play 2-0 with a 56-41 win over Shoshoni on Jan. 24 in Shoshoni. "Against Shoshoni we played fairly well," said HSCHS Shane Corpening. "We didn't have a great first quarter and didn't end the game well but quarters two and three we were pretty dominant. They zoned us and we weren't...
What are the challenges of a chaplain for God’s people? Well, for the military, though specific denominations are recognized, the services performed cross denominational lines and is remembered in the legacy started before our nation was founded. Gen. George Washington requested chaplains be added to the Continental Army to meet the soldiers’ religious and spiritual needs, which continues today. According to the American Legion magazine and the history books, Feb. 3, 1943, is a day in which we remember the story of the “4 Chaplains...
Monday morning I received an email from Washakie County Emergency Management/Homeland Security Director Kami Neighbors that the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security is asking the community to report suspicious drone activity (drones flying in a sensitive location, at unusual hours, doing unusual things, or near important locations such as pipelines, power plants, water treatment facilities, etc). The state OHS office has set up a website, drone.wyo.gov, for a “resource hub as well as a date collection hub. “The website includes resources...
Last week, we reported that local school board trustees and administrators had concerns about HB 172 the “Wyoming Repeal Gun Free Zones Act.” As written, HB 172 would allow concealed carry permit holders to bring firearms into any public school, including elementary and secondary school facilities, as well as public colleges and university athletic events that do not sell alcoholic beverages. In a special meeting on Jan. 8, those school trustees and administrators expressed that they would like to see local school districts retain control...
