Public News Service

Research shows the neurodevelopmental capacities of people ages 18-21, or late adolescence, is more similar to juveniles ages 13-17 than adults, according to a 2022 paper in the Annual Review of Criminology. (Jan H. Andersen/Adobe Stock)

WY case questions life-without-parole sentencing for adolescents

A new case filed in a Wyoming district court argues that a man's sentence of life in prison without parole was unconstitutional because of his age…

Although abortion access is currently legal in Wyoming, there is only one clinic performing procedural abortions and one providing medication abortions. (Adobe Stock)

WY judge expected to make decision on abortion case

A Wyoming district judge is expected to decide a case over a state law which would ban abortions with few exceptions. The "Life is a Human Right …

More than half of single parents in Wyoming earn less than $17 per hour, according to an Oxfam America report. (Adobe Stock)

More than 1 in 4 WY workers would benefit from higher minimum wage

More than 80,000 Wyoming workers would benefit from an increased minimum wage, according to a new report. Wyoming is one of 16 states where …

Around 67% of LGBTQ+ people reported needing a mental health service over the past two years, compared with 39% of non-LGBTQ+ people, according to KFF. (Chris Allan/Adobe Stock)

WY theater company talks health care on stage

As Pride Month winds down, health advocates want members of the LGBTQ+ community to know about health care options, despite any challenges to …

About 1.3 million public school educators and 100,000 college and university professors have been affected by educational gag orders from 2021 through 2023, according to a new report from the American Association of University Professors. (Adobe Stock)

University of Wyoming dealing with state’s cuts to diversity office

The University of Wyoming is scrambling to address a major funding cut state legislators passed in a footnote to the state budget. During this …

The Food Bank of Wyoming operates 19 mobile food pantries and recently launched the Fresh Express Route, which distributes nutrient-rich produce to 50 hunger relief partners by semi-truck. (Adobe Stock)

WY Food Bank distributed 10.8 million pounds of food in 2023

Working with more than 150 hunger relief partners across the state, Food Bank of Wyoming was able to distribute nearly 11 million pounds of food in 20…

In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that durational residency requirements violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment in Dunn v. Blumstein. (Adobe Stock)

Bill for 30-day waiting period to trigger ballot access stalls

Voting is a fundamental right in American democracy, but some Wyoming lawmakers want to restrict that right to people who can prove they have been …

Many of the companies lobbying for tax breaks have paid very little in taxes. Netflix, for example, has paid federal corporate income taxes equal to less than 1% of its reported profits over four years. (Adobe Stock)

Congress urged to consider business tax cuts, child tax credit

Lawmakers in Congress are facing mounting pressure from corporate lobbyists to pass business tax breaks before the end of the year but new analysis su…

Business leaders have reported workers with disabilities bring a strong sense of positivity and ownership of their work. (Adobe Stock)

Diversifying the workforce can change companies for the better

By Ramona Schindelheim for WorkingNation.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Wyoming News Service reporting for the WorkingNation-Public News Servic…

Wyoming has gained some ground in food-insecurity rates over the past decade. In 2012, nearly 14% of families were food insecure, compared with 11.4% in 2022. (Adobe Stock)

One in three single-parent households experienced hunger last year

The number of families in Wyoming and across the nation struggling to put food on the table rose dramatically last year, according to a new report …

Military veterans report that the biggest barrier returning to college is feeling that they won't be welcomed. (Adobe Stock)

America’s culture wars advancing on college campuses

High school graduates are considering state and university positions on a number of hot-button issues - including abortion, gun, and anti-LGBTQ laws -…

A push from the community in South Cheyenne saw some success in this redistricting cycle, where more of the community was held together in fewer legislative districts instead of splitting the more predominantly Latino community among many districts. (Adobe Stock)

Wyoming gets C-minus grade on voter map redistricting

Wyoming got a C-minus grade in Common Cause's new report card on gerrymandering for voter district maps drawn after the 2020 Census. Jenn Lowe - …

Proponents of banning medical debt from credit reports makes the system more fair, since low-income people and people of color are disproportionately burdened by medical bills. (Adobe Stock)

Medical debt could be banned from credit reports

In response to a growing medical debt crisis in Wyoming and across the nation, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has proposed banning …

The world's leading scientists have warned that fossil fuel emissions must be cut by 45% by 2030, and phased out entirely by 2050, to avert catastrophic impacts of a changing climate. (Adobe Stock)

BLM Proposal Continues New Oil and Gas Leasing on Public Lands

July was the hottest month in recorded history, but critics of the Bureau of Land Management's new oil and gas rules warned the proposal ignores the …

Scholarship recipients are required to register with the Wyoming Department of Workforce, which will help connect students to job opportunities. (Adobe Stock)

College Scholarships Help Fill WY High-Demand Worker Pipeline

Fall semester is just weeks away, and many adults age 24 and older are tapping up to $72-hundred in scholarships to start or finish a college degree …

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 …

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…

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 …

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, …

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…

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…

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 …

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 …

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…

Six out of seven occupations identified by the Wyoming Department of Employment as the most in-demand require some form of post-secondary education. (Adobe Stock)

Cost Biggest Barrier for Native Americans to Complete Degrees

The biggest obstacle facing indigenous students completing college degrees is cost, according to a collaborative study by the National Native …

According to a 2021 study, 90% of coal must remain unextracted to keep global temperatures at levels considered safe by leading scientists. (Adobe Stock)

Court Ruling Adds to Challenges Facing Wyoming Coal Industry

A federal court's decision to require the Department of Interior to consider the potential health and climate impacts of coal mining on public lands c…

According to the Federal Trade Commission, financial fraud totaled $5.9 billion in 2021, although experts like Stokes believe the real cost is much higher because many victims are too ashamed to come forward. (Adobe Stock)

Study Calls for Ending Financial-Fraud Victim Blaming

A new report suggested changing how we talk about victims of financial fraud could lead to a shift in how Wyoming and the nation respond to this growi…

Wyoming has set a target to get 82% of Wyoming's working population ages 25-64 to complete a valuable postsecondary credential or degree by 2040. (Adobe Stock)

Wyoming Students Could Help with Unfilled Jobs

Nearly 95,000 Wyomingites have completed some college, but have not earned a degree or credential, according to new data from the National Student …

Wyoming-based Chelsea's Fund provides financial support for women seeking an abortion, and also is accepting donations. (Adobe Stock)

Post-Roe Resources Available for Wyoming Women

Abortion is on course to be illegal in Wyoming after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade Friday. Justices ruled the 50-year …

On April 22, AARP Wyoming will hold paper-shredding events in Sheridan, Rock Springs and Cheyenne, where folks can bring their personal documents to be safely discarded. (Adobe Stock)

Breaking the Silence on Elder Abuse

Elder abuse is experienced by at least one in 10 people aged 60 and older who live at home, and AARP Wyoming is working to ensure people have the …

Children who are incarcerated are less likely to graduate from high school and find employment later in life. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Incarcerated Children Severely Undercounted

Nearly a quarter-million children were incarcerated in the U.S. in 2019, about five times more than annual point-in-time counts, according to a new …

The Wyoming Hospital Association estimated expanding Medicaid would cut uncompensated-care costs by more than $100 million a year. (Adobe Stock)

Medicaid Expansion Proponents Not Backing Down

Supporters of expanding Medicaid in Wyoming said they will regroup after lawmakers once again blocked an expansion proposal late last week. Jeff …

New voter maps can impact how public schools operate through school board elections. (Adobe Stock)

WY Panel to Deliver New Voter District Maps to Legislature

Advocates for Wyoming's Latino communities welcomed the latest voter redistricting maps advanced last week. The 62-31 plan, which is expected to be …

Heart Mountain internment camp's 10,000 Japanese American residents were held in a one-square-mile area surrounded by nine towers staffed by armed military police. (Adobe Stock)

Remembering Japanese Americans' Internment at Heart Mountain

Heart Mountain was an internment camp in northwest Wyoming where Japanese Americans were relocated against their will during World War II. It was …

Since 2015, right-wing extremists have been involved in 267 plots or attacks, with 91 fatalities. (Adobe Stock)

ADL CEO: A Year Later, American Democracy Not Guaranteed

It has been a year since demonstrators stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to change the official outcome of the 2020 presidential election…

Hunting elk has spiritual and cultural significance for Crow Indians, yet for more than a century, the State of Wyoming refused to recognize Crow Tribe treaty hunting rights. (Adobe Stock)

Wyoming Defies U.S. Supreme Court Over Crow Tribal Hunting Rights

Wyoming will appeal a recent district court decision affirming Crow tribal hunting rights granted under treaties signed in the 19th century, rights …

Even though Wyoming officials have tried to prioritize mental-health care for youths, many facilities are having difficulties keeping their doors open due to budget cuts. (Adobe Stock)

Holiday Poses Challenges for Foster Youths Aging Out of System

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Young people in Wyoming who have not been adopted officially age out of the foster-care system when they turn 18, joining 24,000 …

Wyoming's new voter districts are expected to impact how the state addresses falling fossil-fuel revenues, Medicaid expansion, and how local school boards shape public education. (Adobe Stock)

Wyoming Voters Urged to Give Feedback on New Voter District Maps

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- As Wyoming lawmakers sort through new 2020 census numbers to update voting districts, watchdog groups are encouraging all residents …

Wyoming consistently has ranked among states with the highest youth confinement rates in the nation. (Adobe Stock)

Report: COVID Funds Could Help Close School-to-Prison Pipeline

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Federal school funding in response to the global pandemic, totaling nearly $190 billion, could help districts in Wyoming and across …

Social Security lifts more than one million U.S. children out of poverty, along with some 26,000 elderly residents in Wyoming. (Adobe Stock)

Economists Challenge Warnings of Social Security's Demise

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Social Security, the program credited with lifting 15 million older residents in Wyoming and across the U.S. out of poverty…

New state electoral district maps can impact how local public schools operate through school board elections. (Adobe Stock)

Watchdog Groups Work to Prevent Gerrymandered New Voting Districts

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Now that 2020 census numbers are in, groups in Wyoming are working to help voters keep an eye on lawmakers as they draw new voting-…

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WY: Social Justice