Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Sorted by date Results 26 - 45 of 45
CASPER — Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin and the public face of the national opioid epidemic that has contributed to tens of thousands of deaths, has reached a $3 billion settlement agreement with thousands of cities, counties, tribes and other entities across the country, including several in Wyoming. The agreement was reached Wednesday morning between attorneys and the company, said Jason Ochs, a Jackson-based attorney who represents several Wyoming cities and counties suing Purdue and other companies tied to opioid production and d... Full story
A week ago on Wednesday, Sept. 4, my husband, Alan and I, celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. Last week we had a story of a couple married 70 years and this week we have one with a couple married 50 years. What's the secret to a long marriage? Is 20 years today considered a long marriage? To these questions I have no answer. I can only say that before getting married I got some advice from my sister and a dear elderly woman in our church. My sister said to make sure that we were on the... Full story
It seems that every time you read the news, via newspaper or internet, or listen to the news, another law enforcement officer has been attacked, shot or killed. I don't understand why law enforcement has become the enemy. Last I knew the police are here to protect us and should be given the utmost respect because not only do they put their lives on the line every day for us, but they also take the chance of having their family's lives thrown into disarray if something were to happen to them.... Full story
Man killed in crash with bus RIVERTON (WNE) — An Arapahoe man died Tuesday night after driving his vehicle into the back of a school bus south of Riverton, officials said Wednesday. No one else was seriously injured in the crash, but there were students on the bus, eight of whom suffered minor injuries, as did their driver, according to reports. All were treated and released from local hospitals Tuesday evening. The man who rear-ended the bus, Merlin George Black, 44, of Arapahoe, was pronounced dead at about 9:15 p.m. Tuesday after being t... Full story
LARAMIE - On a fateful Friday morning in October 50 years ago, 14 members of the University of Wyoming football team were suddenly dismissed from the team. The series of events not only impacted campus but the entire state of Wyoming forever. Eight of the 14 members dismissed from the team, commonly referred to as the Black 14, visited campus again Thursday to discuss in their own words what happened that fateful day and how it's affected their lives into adulthood. "I came here by myself, and... Full story
GILLETTE — Local school trustees reached a consensus this week to go ahead with an armed educator policy, but the direction is anything but clear. Trustees on Tuesday were split on whether to allow armed staff in all schools with about half of them agreeing with the idea and half favoring other options. “I think the beauty of an elected board is that we all come together with our different backgrounds, which will occasionally bring a difference of opinion,” Campbell County School District trustee Lisa Durgin said Wednesday. “I don’t feel our... Full story
By KARLA POMEROY Editor WORLAND — Reese & Ray’s IGA in Worland will not be re-opening, according to officials from new owners, Eaglecav LLC out of South Dakota. Rodney Messmer of Eaglecav said the grocery store, which officially closed Saturday night, will not be re-opening but the liquor store remains open at this time. Eaglecav has or is in the process of purchasing four Reese & Ray’s IGA stores in Worland, Thermopolis, Buffalo and Hardin, Montana. He said the Worland store is the only one of the newly purchased stores that they are closi... Full story
LARAMIE — Tom Burman, athletic director for the University of Wyoming, delivered history’s first apology from the university to the Black 14 on Friday evening. Those 14 black football players, many of whom were on campus this week, were kicked off UW’s football team 50 years ago for asking their head coach for permission to protest the Mormon church’s policy barring black priests. “Please accept this sincere apology from the University of Wyoming for the unfair way you were treated and the unfair hardships that created for you,” Burman said... Full story
LARAMIE — The state’s Blockchain Task Force will meet in Laramie on Thursday and Friday to discuss potential legislation that could further shape Wyoming’s landmark blockchain laws. If enacted, the laws under consideration could change the landscape for real estate, banking and energy, among other industries. The premier legislation stemming from the task force passed in the 2019 legislative session, allowing the establishment of banks that could take custody of cryptocurrency assets much like a digital safety deposit box. This year, the task... Full story
CASPER — Lawyers for a Casper man whom a local judge found immune from a murder prosecution on the basis of a new law filed arguments last week with the state’s highest court, largely outlining the issues to be decided following oral arguments this fall. The filings stem from the first judicial test of a new Wyoming law that institutes “stand your ground” and “castle doctrine” provisions. Earlier this year, a Natrona County judge dismissed a first-degree murder case and the defendant went free, despite his lawyer’s acknowledgement that he shot... Full story
CASPER — The country’s energy data center tempered forecasts for Western coal production as demand for the mineral declines nationwide and market uncertainty persists, according to a new report released last week by the Energy Information Administration. Just one month ago, the agency expected the Western coal supply to total 369 million tons this year and drop to 356 million in tons in 2020. But the most recent report cut supplies projections for next year by 5 percent, or nearly 18 million tons, a sign that coal market instability could be... Full story
SHERIDAN — About halfway through suicide prevention month, the Violence Policy Center released the results of a study Wednesday that shows Wyoming has the second highest rate of suicides and gun suicides in the nation. Montana had the highest rates and Alaska ranked third. Guns were involved in 68% of suicides in Montana, 63% of suicides in Wyoming and 60% of suicides in Alaska. The analysis used the most recent available data — from 2017 — from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control... Full story
Firefighter wins $280K in damages from Laramie LARAMIE — A firefighter for the city of Laramie was awarded $280,357 in damages this week after he sued the city for firing him almost seven years ago. A jury awarded Bret Vance the sum after a trial this week in the Albany County Courthouse. The verdict was the culmination of years of litigation between Vance and the city after the firefighter was fired in December 2012. Years of court battles, appeals and overturned decisions led the city to reinstate Vance and fire him again. Ultimately, the c... Full story
CASPER — Lawmakers on Monday defeated two controversial bills that would have had significant implications on Wyoming’s elections. The bills — one to eliminate the practice of crossover voting in primary elections, another to combat voter fraud by requiring photo identification at the polls — have received considerable attention since first appearing last fall, inspired by national concerns over voter fraud and the revelation that thousands of voters purposefully switched their party affiliations to participate in the 2018 Republican primari... Full story
CHEYENNE – A statewide school performance report released Monday revealed notable improvements among Wyoming schools, although little has changed in Laramie County. The Wyoming Department of Education’s 2018-19 school accountability report found a reduction in traditional Wyoming schools not meeting expectations and an increase in those exceeding expectations. The report shows 56.1% of traditional Wyoming schools are meeting or exceeding expectations, up from last year’s 55.2%. Roughly 31% of traditional schools moved up in ratings this year,... Full story
LARAMIE — About five new “blockchain banks” could bring as much as $20 billion in assets into Wyoming by summer 2020 as applications open for the new type of bank charter Oct. 1. Lawmakers are currently working to refine the law passed in 2019 that allows for “Special Purpose Depository Institutions” in Wyoming, a national first that has put Wyoming on the map for “underserved” financial markets like cryptocurrency, blockchain, coal, paycheck lending and firearms. “I heard a fun phrase this week that an East Coast state is aspiring to cop... Full story
CODY - Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer has named the country's newest expeditionary fast transport ship the USNS Cody. Mayor Matt Hall announced the honor during a recent city council meeting. "The secretary of the Navy got a hold of me ... to inform me he had commissioned and is building the USNS Cody, named after the town of Cody," Hall said. Cody joins Casper, Cheyenne, Laramie and a few other communities as Wyoming cities chosen as U.S. Navy ship namesakes. The Cody, with... Full story
Two killed, two wounded in Cheyenne shooting CHEYENNE – Two adults were killed and two juveniles were seriously injured in a shooting late Monday afternoon in east Cheyenne. The sole suspect, Andrew Weaver, 25, of Cheyenne, was taken into custody after a nearly two-hour search of the area. He was taken to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center for treatment, but the nature of his injuries was not released. Cheyenne Police Department spokesman Officer Kevin Malatesta said a call of shots fired came in around 4:30 p.m. Officers responded to the home a... Full story
Elk are plentiful in Wyoming as the state’s famed elk hunting season gets underway, according to Game and Fish Department estimates. The agency early this year estimated populations to be 29 percent above objective for those herds it counts, according to WyoFile calculations from agency data. The agency expects hunters will kill 25,955 wapiti this season. Officials anticipate 62,155 hunters will have a 41.8 percent chance of bagging an animal, according to a population summary presented to the Wyoming Game and Fish commission earlier this year.... Full story
Wyoming top state for child fatalities in wrecks TORRINGTON (WNE) — Wyoming is in the top five states for child fatality rates in car crashes, according to an analysis from the safety research company Safewise. At 6.44 deaths per 100,000 children, Wyoming was ahead of New Mexico, the next most-dangerous state at 5.69. The District of Columbia and New Hampshire ranked lowest, with fewer than 0.15 deaths per 100,000 children. The report, based on crash dat a from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, advocated for proper c... Full story