Wyoming News & Current Events | Public News Service

According to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, mule deer were uncommon in the early 1900s. Their populations surged in the 1950s and 1960s, peaked in 1991, but are now seeing historic lows. (M. Leonard Photo/Adobe Stock)

Friday, November 29, 2024

State agency hosts talks across Wyoming on declining mule deer

After a devastating recent winter, the already-struggling mule deer population in Wyoming took a big hit and the state's wildlife agency is …

Roughly 5% of adults in the U.S. experience Seasonal Affective Disorder, according to the American Psychiatric Association, and symptoms last about 40% of the year. (Adobe Stock)

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Psychiatrist: Don't ignore grief of loss during holidays

The holiday season often brings Wyoming families together in celebration and warmth but for some, the absence of a loved one -- whether through death…

Wyoming caregivers provide an estimated $910 million in economic value to the state, according to AARP Wyoming. (Adobe Stock)

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

AARP expands 'Care for Caregivers' course to more WY communities

November is National Family Caregivers Month and AARP Wyoming is working to meet rising demand for caregiver resources. About 58,000 Wyomingites …

The Wyoming Family Alliance Action's 2024 school board candidate questionnaire asked candidates how much they agree with this statement:

Some WY school board elections echoed national politics

School boards are nonpartisan, but a recent trend in Wyoming shows far-right candidates are bringing national politics to local elections. Public …

Immigrants made up 4.7% of Wyoming's workforce in 2022, according to the American Immigration Council, and paid $151 million in taxes. (Adobe Stock)

Immigrants’ rights training in Jackson this weekend

Immigrants and the agencies that help them are preparing for what could happen when President-elect Donald Trump returns to office. In Wyoming…

Some wins, but more needed for Native artists in WY

A great way to observe National Native American Heritage Month is to support Native artists but some in Wyoming said there are barriers to their expos…

The rise in food costs has slowed in the last year, but prices are still up about 20% from four years ago. (Adobe Stock)

Expert weighs in on holiday grocery budget

With Thanksgiving less than two weeks away, many Wyomingites are starting to budget for the holidays. When it comes to the cost of food, there's …

According to MSCI, 97% of nickel, 89% of copper, 79% of lithium and 68% of cobalt supplies in the U.S. are located within 35 miles of Native American reservations. (Adobe Stock)

Federal agendas aside, tribes have a lot to offer in 'energy evolution'

President-elect Donald Trump's agenda for "energy dominance" could majorly impact leaders in the sector, including the state of Wyoming and the …

In 2022, total arts and culture compensation in Wyoming topped $1.3 billion, just behind the health care and social assistance industry and the real estate and rental industry, according to a new report. (Carol Highsmith, Library of Congress Collection)

Report: Arts a significant contributor to WY economy

A new report quantifies the contribution of Wyoming's arts and culture sector to the state's economy and shows it is significant. Wyoming in 2022 …

Since 2002, there has been a single case of voter fraud in Wyoming, in which a convicted felon from Alaska managed to cast votes. He was sentenced to two to four years in prison. (Adobe Stock)

Lacking proof, WY official warns of noncitizens voting

Wyoming's secretary of state is asking county clerks to report non-citizens who try to vote, although cases of that - or any other - kind of election …

According to a new University of Wyoming study, nearly 38% of Wyomingites think anyone who wants to vote by mail should be allowed to do so. (Adobe Stock)

WY survey: Voters have more faith in county-level vote counting

Early voter turnout in Wyoming has been high leading up to Election Day, and a survey shows most think local vote counting will be reliable. …

PacifiCorp has committed to retiring just 27% of its coal use by 2030. (Adobe Stock)

PacifiCorp has 'room to improve' on clean energy commitments

A new report grades utilities based on their commitment to transitioning away from fossil fuels. The Sierra Club has graded utilities on their …

According to KFF, roughly 96% of Wyomingites who enrolled in health insurance through the marketplace received an advanced premium tax credit. (Nina Lawrenson/Adobe Stock)

Wyoming 211 connects callers with health insurance help and more

A Wyoming helpline connects callers to a variety of health and human services, including help with health insurance during open enrollment. Olivia …

This election, 16 Democrats are seeking statehouse seats in Wyoming, a drop from a running average since 1998 of 37, according to WyoFile. (Adobe Stock)

WY Democrats ask voters to 'come home'

The number of Wyoming voters registered as Democrats is at a low point and there are few candidates with the party on the ballot. As Election Day …

The ratio of early childhood educators in Wyoming to children ages 0-5 is nearly 12 to 1. (Adobe Stock)

WY child care programs lack support, close 'almost weekly'

Pandemic-era federal aid for early childhood educators expired last month and Wyoming lawmakers this year failed to pass a bill which could have helpe…

About 21% of Wyoming's population, or nearly 124,000 people, were enrolled in Medicare coverage in June 2023, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Adobe Stock)

WY health insurance experts: Everyone should check their plans

The enrollment period for Medicare is already underway and open enrollment on the Health Insurance Marketplace is about to begin. Experts in Wyoming …

According to 2022 data, there were roughly 2,800 wolves distributed across at least 286 packs in seven western states, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (Adobe Stock)

Conservationists reframe the 'big, bad wolf' narrative

From Little Red Riding Hood to the Halloween thriller "Wolf Man," stories often paint wolves as scary creatures but conservationists argued it is the …

Ambulances near Pinedale, Wyoming drove 94,000 miles last year to compensate for a lack of local medical services, according to the Sublette County Hospital District. (Wikimedia Commons)

Pinedale, WY bucks trend, builds new rural hospital

By Sarah Jane Tribble for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Kathleen Shannon for Wyoming News Service reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News…

Throughout the Wyoming Frontier Prison's 80 years serving as the state's penitentiary, it contained a factory producing, at different times, brooms, shirts, wool blankets and license plates. (Kit Leong/Adobe Stock)

WY historic sites capitalize on Halloween

Halloween is a busy time of year for some of Wyoming's historical sites, where staff throw thematic events to help fund programming for the rest of …

A recent report gave Wyoming low marks for its efforts to reduce exposure to lead in K-12 schools. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Feds set deadline to replace lead water pipes; schools excluded

Groups that advocate for clean water are applauding the Environmental Protection Agency's new rule on replacing lead pipes - but they warn that the dr…

According to a report for the state, wages for Wyoming teachers in May 2023 were about 81% of those in comparable occupations including management, health care, computers, legal professions and more. (Henryk Sadura/Adobe Stock)

WY lawmakers urge returning public school funding to constitutional minimum

A Wyoming committee has recommended a temporary bump in funding for public schools, while educators await a judge's decision on the state's broader …

To date, the Bureau of Land Management has permitted clean-energy projects on public lands adding 29 gigawatts of electricity, or enough to power more than 12 million homes, according to the agency. (Adobe Stock)

BLM’s proposed Western Solar Plan leaves room for wildlife

A new federal proposal details which public lands across the West would be open to solar development. Wildlife advocates are glad to see that some - …

The U.S. Postal Service's Delivering for America plan is not expected to cause layoffs, but Ricci Roberts, the branch president of mail handlers in Cheyenne, said keeping a job under the changes may require relocating. (Adobe Stock)

As WY mail to be routed out of state, many say concerns unheard

As the U.S. Postal Service continues to implement a long-term reform plan, rural customers in places such as Wyoming may pay the price. Following …

National parks in Wyoming supported about $479 million in labor income in 2023, according to a National Park Service report. (Adobe Stock)

Grand Teton National Park sees high visitor spending, seeks input

Visitor spending in and near national parks contributed to the U.S. economy at a record high level last year. Grand Teton is one park looking at how …

In the past two decades, suicide rates in rural states, including Wyoming, have been about double those in urban areas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Adobe Stock)

WY suicide rates high, despite federal prevention efforts

By Cheryl Platzman Weinstock for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Kathleen Shannon for Wyoming News Service reporting for the KFF Health News-Publ…

The odds of an active shooting are about three times higher where guns are allowed than in a gun-free zone, according to research published this month in The Lancet. (Adobe Stock)

WY lawmakers consider concealed weapons in public schools, state facilities

Wyoming lawmakers are discussing gun legislation, after Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed a bill which would have repealed "gun free zones" this spring…

Some 899 of 936 public comments on the plan for the proposed West Fork Dam, or 96%, opposed the West Fork Battle Creek Dam project, according to a tally by Wyofile. (Adobe Stock)

Feds ask WY to recalculate cost of proposed West Fork Dam

A federal agency is requiring Wyoming to update cost estimates for a large proposed dam in Carbon County, which has been under feasibility studies …

Including the $236 million in federal funding for wildland fire management recently announced for 2025, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has invested a total of $1 billion to the cause, according to the Department of the Interior. (Adobe Stock)

Experts: Wildfire management funding should include community response

This month, the federal government announced funding for next year's wildfire management, totaling $236 million and experts hope threatened …

Federal lawmakers respond to WY wolf abuse, state's response

Following the torture of a wolf by a Wyoming man, a state panel is seeking a bill to protect the killing of predators with vehicles, but Federal …

In response to the House Draw Fire, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department invited reports of injured wildlife to a hotline typically used to report poaching. (Adobe Stock)

WY communities pitch in on wildfire recovery efforts

Recent extreme wildfires in Wyoming burned nearly 500,000 acres and among those recovering are ranchers and their surviving livestock. Wildfires …

The last operational one-room schoolhouse in Sheridan County, Wyoming, the Slack School, was built in the 1880s, burned down in the 1920s and rebuilt in the 1930s. (Ashlee Gorham, Slack School)

School year begins in WY’s few remaining one-room schoolhouses

It is back-to-school season and for 11 students in Sheridan County, Wyoming, it means returning to a one-room schoolhouse. The Slack School was …

80% of Wyoming adults say that EMS should be considered an essential service, according to a 2024 AARP survey. (Kirill Gorlov/Adobe Stock)

Survey: Wyomingites support increased EMS funding

Some emergency medical services, or EMS, are consolidating or closing across Wyoming, while the need for services is increasing. In 2021, Wyoming EMS …

The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Chevron could affect how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages animals on the Endangered Species List, like the wolverine, which was added to the list in 2023. (Erik Mandre/Adobe Stock)

Supreme Court decision could impact wildlife and public lands

A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision could affect public lands and wildlife in places like Wyoming. In June, the nation's highest court overturned a …

The BLM's Rock Springs planning area in southwest Wyoming is one of the largest in the lower 48 states and is part of the world's longest recorded mule deer migration. (Adobe Stock)

BLM's Rock Springs management plan has some wins for conservation

The Bureau of Land Management proposed a new plan for public lands in southwest Wyoming, that makes some headway for conservation. The BLM's new …

The suicide rate among 15- to-19-year-olds in Wyoming was more than double the U.S. rate in 2019, according to data from the Wyoming Department of Health. (Adobe Stock)

Experts: Schools play important role in K-12 mental health

As the school year begins, experts are advising schools on how to preserve students' mental health but politics in states such as Wyoming limit …

The Sage Creek Community Club could soon be on the National Register of Historic Places. (Alliance for Historic Wyoming)

Bighorn Basin community halls tour to promote preservation efforts

The Sage Creek Community Club is 100 years old this year and is one stop on a tour this weekend of similar buildings in the region. The small…

TerraPower's Natrium plant, slated for construction in Kemmerer, will use liquid sodium to cool its reactor, instead of the industry standard of water, according to the company's website. (Adobe Stock)

Federal funds to help fuel ‘next-gen’ WY nuclear plant

Recent investments in clean energy from the Biden administration are hitting the ground in Wyoming. Engineering company TerraPower, founded by Bill …

Research about daily routines shows that each ritual�including family dinners and reading and storytelling�was linked to a 47% increase in children�s good social-emotional health, according to Reuters. (Adobe Stock)

Experts: Routines help kids settle into school year

It is time for families to prep kids for the school year and Wyoming experts said sleep and social media hygiene are key. Children's health experts …

According to the National Park Service, there were 136 grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in 1975 when the species was listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. In 2022, the estimated population was 965. (Adobe Stock)

Feds delay decision on ‘endangered’ status of Yellowstone grizzlies

A federal decision on the endangered status of grizzly bears has been delayed. Wildlife managers in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho have petitioned the U.…

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 …

Chronic Wasting Disease was detected in 30.3% of hunter-harvested adult, male white-tailed deer in 2023-up from 25.9% in 2022, according to a Wyoming Game and Fish Department report. (Jacob W. Frank/NPS)

Wyoming Game and Fish names new leader

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will soon have a new director, and she's taking stock of the challenges ahead. More than half of Wyoming's …

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 …

Wyoming ranks 47th in the nation for coverage, access and affordability of women's health and reproductive care, according to a new Commonwealth Fund scorecard. (Adobe Stock)

Report: WY ranks low on women’s access to health and reproductive care

Wyoming ranks 42nd in the U.S. for women's health and reproductive care, according to a new report - and some are urging lawmakers to make changes…

Tenth Circuit Court expected to decide on public lands access

A court is soon expected to decide a Wyoming case between hunters and landowners which could affect public land access. When a group from Missouri …

Wyoming's Bighorn Basin is located between mountain ranges that block the flow of moisture-laden air from both the east and west, making it one of the driest places in the state, according to the Water Resources Data System and State Climate Office. (BLM Wyoming)

Projected costs loom over benefits of proposed Bighorn Basin dam

Wyoming's irrigation infrastructure is aging and the state gets regular requests to update it but in some cases, project benefits may not outweigh …

The Wind River Canyon corridor is part of U.S. Route 20, the longest highway in the country, which spans 2,542 miles from Boston, Massachusetts to Newport, Oregon, according to the Federal Highway Administration. (Rita Robinson/Adobe Stock)

WYDOT gets grant for Wind River Canyon corridor study

Wyoming's Wind River Canyon corridor turns 100 years old this year, and federal grant money will soon support a study on potential improvements…

The Pilot Butte Wild Horse scenic loop runs between Rock Springs and Green River and through the White Mountain Herd Management Area, which encompasses over 390,000 acres. (Gates Frontiers Fund Wyoming Collection/Carol M. Highsmith Archive/Library of Congress)

BLM announces WY wild horse roundup to start in August

The Bureau of Land Management says it will start a wild horse roundup in Wyoming's White Mountain area, but wildlife advocates say the plan exceeds …

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PNS Daily Newscast: Afternoon Update - November 29, 2024

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