Wyoming is known for many "firsts" in women's history.

It was the first state to allow women the right to vote. Wyoming also boasts the nation's first female justice of the peace, jury member, bailiff and governor.

Mary Humstone, board member of the Alliance for Historic Wyoming, said while each is a noteworthy achievement, focusing only on them neglects other important women who contributed in large and small ways to the state's development.

"We don't talk about the other women who homesteaded," said Humstone, "who started hospitals, who started schools and libraries, who brought their families to Wyoming and created communities."

Humstone's group is working to put a spotlight on sites that stand as testaments to the contributions made by Wyoming women.

Currently, only one of the 28 state-owned historic sites in Wyoming celebrates a woman. And just 16 of Wyoming's more than 550 listings in the National Register of Historic Places mentions a woman as significant in their history.

Humstone pointed to the George Ferris Mansion in Rawlins, known for its historic Queen Anne style architecture, as one example.

George Ferris commissioned the construction - but when he died soon after, it was his wife Julia, that ensured its completion. Julia was a Rawlins National Bank board member, and was responsible for building the Ferris Hotel, which she ran for the rest of her life.

"It should be called the Julia Ferris Mansion," said Humstone. "But throughout the history of preservation, we have tended to name properties after men. You have to really dig for the story of the woman associated with them."

Other frequently overlooked women include Elinore Pruitt Stewart, a single woman homesteader in Sweetwater County; Elizabeth Dickson, a nurse who founded Douglas Hospital; and the women of the Lusk Reading Club who secured funds for the Niobrara County Library.

Humstone said women also played an oversized role in Wyoming's nominations for the National Register.

"I was amazed that almost all of them were written by women," said Humstone. "And a lot of these women were not professionals, they were just members of the community who cared enough about a place to do this research, and nominate the properties."

In 2019, Colorado lawmakers set goals for cutting climate pollution by at least half by the year 2030, and by 90% by 2050 - compared with 2005 levels.

Sen. Faith Winter, D-Broomfield, said Colorado is not making enough progress, so she's introduced a new bill that aims to cut fossil fuel emissions by giving Coloradans more transportation options. Winter said when people have safe and reliable alternatives, and leave their car at home, everyone benefits.

"And even if you are a person that never wants to get on a bus - or a train, or ride an e-bike - when others have that easy choice, and make that choice, it reduces congestion and traffic for you," she explained.

In addition to helping address the effects of a changing climate, Winter says SB25-030 would also benefit public health. The transportation sector and oil and gas production are the biggest contributors to dangerous and persistent ground-level ozone pollution across the Front Range.

Winter has also introduced SB25-004, a bill to help more Colorado families access child care by limiting application, waiting list, and other fees. She contends that good child care policies can help families, in part by ensuring that both parents have an opportunity to build careers.

"The children are more likely to be ready for kindergarten, and they are more likely to do well in school and make more money once they graduate as well," she continued.

For the first time in state history, the majority of Colorado lawmakers in the 2025 session are women. Winter, who has served in the legislature since 2015, believes democracy works best when it includes a rich assortment of legislators that bring their best problem-solving skills to the table.

"So being at 525 women means that more ideas are going to be at the table, more backgrounds, more experiences. And that leads to better solutions, versus governments that look more homogenous."


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A lack of reliable transportation for some women veterans in Maine is preventing them from getting the services they need.

The Sisters in Arms Center in Augusta provides these homeless veterans with counseling to heal from the sexual abuse some have suffered in the military.

It's the only center of its kind in the U.S. - but without a vehicle, medical or job interview appointments are often missed.

Executive Director Rebecca Cornell du Houx said one veteran was recently stranded at the hospital when no volunteer drivers were available.

"They're in the parking lot just crying," said Cornell du Houx, "because they can't go from point A to point B, and they had already walked there."

Cornell du Houx said public transportation is limited and can sometimes trigger a veteran's trauma.

She said the Sisters in Arms Center is seeking a donated vehicle, or funds to purchase one to help ensure these women veterans can get back on their feet.

While the number of homeless veterans is down slightly, the number of homeless veterans who are women grew by nearly 24% between 2020 and 2023.

Experts say the high rates of sexual abuse they suffer is one reason. One in three female servicemembers says they experienced sexual trauma while enlisted.

Cornell du Houx said this also puts the women the center serves at a heightened risk for suicide.

"They have tried so hard in order to be able to make a life for themselves through serving this country - and put their country first, put their community, their state first," said Cornell du Houx. "I mean, it doesn't seem like that's happening right now in reverse."

She said local volunteers showered a veteran and her children with gifts during the holiday, and she appreciated those who support the center's mission.

She said she'll soon deploy to the Middle East herself, and said hopes to hire some part-time staff to keep the center open while she's away.





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Voters in Arizona overwhelmingly supported and approved Proposition 139 last week, which enshrines abortion rights into the state's constitution.

The measure will allow abortions up to fetal viability, which is about 24 weeks.

But Fatima Goss Graves - president and CEO of the National Women's Law Center - said while ballot measures expanding access to abortion won in seven of the ten states this election, she contended there are still countless ways to restrict and upend abortion access even further, including nationwide.

"There is a long list of ways to target birth control, to target fertility treatments, to target our ability to control our own bodies, and to be fully equal in this society," said Graves. "We know that road will be long and hard."

Over the weekend Arizona was officially called for former President Donald Trump, awarding him the state's 11 electoral college votes.

Graves said Trump has promised to veto a national abortion ban, and to distance himself from the conservative playbook Project 2025.

She said reproductive rights advocates, like herself, expect the next administration to deliver on those campaign promises.

The state has a number of abortion restrictions and laws that directly conflict with Prop 139.

Until the election results are officially certified by Gov. Katie Hobbs later this month, pro-choice advocates say they'll likely file legal challenges to deem those current restrictions unconstitutional.

In a statement, the It Goes Too Far Campaign - a group opposing the measure - says "the fight against extreme abortion laws will continue."

Monica Simpson is the executive director of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective.

She said while all eyes need to stay on the Trump administration, advocates must also continue to lift up "powerful programs."

"I want us to be able to find a balance in doing that," said Simpson, "and work together as the organizations and entities that we are, to be able to make sure that we give ourselves the power and the fuel that we need over these next four years."

Simpson said while it is crucial to keep an eye out at the policy level, advocacy will also be a key part of the fight moving forward.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.