Sorted by date Results 401 - 425 of 1340
by Doug Miyamoto, Director, Wyoming Department of Agriculture There is no need to sugar coat this news because everyone already knows… The last few years have been difficult for everyone. From a global pandemic with the accompanying illnesses and disruptions in supply chains, to increased strife and conflicts throughout the world, to severe drought conditions and weather, it’s safe to say that the last few years have presented some challenges. While these years have been difficult, one important takeaway has been that more people now und...
In one of the most decisive steps yet taken in the international effort to convince Vladimir Putin to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States is leading the way on banning Russian oil imports. While it seems this particular sanction could have the greatest impact on the Russian economy — and be most effective at ultimately convincing Putin to withdraw forces from Ukraine and seek peace — it is even more certain that Americans will be confronted by even higher gasoline prices as Russian oil is taken off the market. Perhaps more...
Sunshine Week was launched in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors — now News Leaders Association — and has grown into an enduring initiative to promote open government. This year Sunshine weeks is March 13-19. Join News Leaders Association in the annual nationwide celebration of access to public information and what it means for you and your community. It’s your right to know. There are ways for community members to get involved and show your support for open government. If you are part of a civic group, you can organize local forum...
Everyone wants to win the game! When we don’t , the officials usually get the blame. If you think officiating is easy, grab a whistle sometime and try working a game, at any level. Fans have the best view from the stands, whereas the officials are on eye-level with the players. We know there will be contact in basketball. In less than two seconds, the official must determine who initiated the contact, was it advantageous, do I act on it with a foul, or do we play on? All this depends on the angle the official sees the contact. How often have yo...
Higher state salaries mean more effective services One of the top priorities mapped out in Gov. Mark Gordon’s budget and State of the State address centered around increasing pay for state government employees. Gordon included $53 million in his budget for the cause and has repeatedly stressed how important this funding is for the continuity of service within the state of Wyoming. The funding is part of Gordon’s $2.3 billion total general fund budget currently under consideration by the Wyoming Legislature. Too often the mantra of gov...
With a few top state offices in Wyoming up for election in 2022, the state’s political season is already in full swing. This week’s IR features our second initial candidate story of this season. State and local candidates are reminded the IR is pleased to print initial candidacy announcements as news. All candidates are eligible for one article, per political season, free of charge. We also do election sections ahead of the primary and general elections where we will feature information on all candidates. These are the sections that inc...
In June of 1956 a joint session of the United States Congress passed a bill changing our national motto from E Pluribus Unum (Out of Many ONe) to In God We Trust. The bill was soon signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The motto now appears on all of our money. Fast forward to today’s world. In Finland a member of the parliament and a clergy person are going to trial for quoting scripture and speaking publicly about their faith. In China Muslims have been put on concentration camps and their women sterilized. Christians are being martyred t...
We do things a little differently in Wyoming than in other states across the country. In Hot Springs County, we do things a little differently than other counties across the state. Within the county, each of us does things a little different than our neighbors. And that’s just fine. Whatever it is you enjoy, enjoy it. When you see your neighbor doing what he enjoys, let him enjoy it. No need to be tending to his backyard, tend to your own. If he’s mowing his yard differently than you mow yours, who cares? Why should you care? Do you need to car...
My first memory of Hot Springs State Park is about 75 years ago when our parents brought us up from Cheyenne to play in the water and ride the wooden sleds into the pool. I loved it then and have loved it for all the ensuing years. Even during all the years I lived in Colorado, I brought my husband, my sons and my grandsons to our Hot Springs State Park and when I retired in 2000, I came home to stay in our wonderful Thermopolis. I live three blocks from the park and spend part of everyday enjoying its beauty and taking advantage of the...
American past times such as going to movie theaters have evolved since the introduction of streaming services, the effects of the entertainment economy, and the threats of Covid illnesses. Here in Thermopolis, our movie theater has been shut down for almost two long years. There is a buzz and excitement that has returned to the people of our community because the movie theater is back! What was once known as The Ritz, the newly renamed Micky’s Theater has opened. Now locals can enjoy that b...
by Tyler Martineau Do you ever wonder why shows such as “Joe Pickett” or “Longmire” are based in Wyoming but are filmed elsewhere? Just like most things, it all comes down to money. Wyoming is one of about 15 states without a filming incentives program which gives tax incentives to film and TV productions. Wyoming’s previous incentive program expired in 2018, making places like Texas, Utah and even Calgary better places to film scenes to look like the Equality State. However, the Joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources...
The undersigned members of Wyoming’s business community ask the 66th Wyoming Legislature to pass a bill to expand the state’s Medicaid program during the 2022 budget session for the following reasons: Lower Healthcare Costs: The Wyoming Hospital Association reports that its members lose at least $100 million annually in uncompensated care costs. These costs result when uninsured people receive medical treatment for which they cannot pay. Hospitals pass these costs to consumers. The impact ripples through Wyoming’s economy, driving up the price...
by Ann Turner Here’s the $3.5 million question: What does Wyoming need to do to develop an economy that isn’t so dependent on the minerals industry? The state’s economic development agencies (of which there are many), the Wyoming Business Council along with every governor’s office and legislator over the past 40 years have been trying to answer that question, particularly during energy bust times. But now there’s a new suggestion on the table to try to reverse Wyoming’s winds of fortune: Let’s hire Harvard! For $3.5 million, the minds at the...
by CJ Baker The COVID-19 pandemic couldn’t have come at a much worse time for the U.S. Census Bureau. Once a decade, the bureau takes a tally of all the people living in the United States at a certain point in time: in the most recent case, on April 1, 2020. Under normal conditions, counting heads in April is representative of the population, but 2020 was, of course, anything but normal. The Census date came as federal, state and local governments were shutting down businesses and other aspects of daily life in an effort to slow the spread o...
Medicaid is a state-administered program that currently supports the medical needs of Wyoming citizens who are both low income AND blind, disabled, pregnant, or elderly. Low income is defined as under 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL) which is currently $12,880 for an individual and $21,960 for a family of three. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides subsidies for private health insurance to anyone who earns 138% or more of the federal poverty level which in 2021 was $17,774 for an individual or $30,305 for a family of 3 etc. Anyone who...
by Bill Sniffin, Cowboy State Daily In my opinion, there is no better way to appreciate this land we call Wyoming than seeing it from the air. And looking down right now is just about as good as it can possibly get. The valleys are glistening with bright snow while our purple mountains bask in the sunshine with still enough pearly white snow to sparkle in the distance. Ah, what a sight. Just love seeing Wyoming from the air. Nothing like it in the world. I write these words as a person who piloted his own airplane for 30 years. The l...
While most years, friends and family share well-wishes and hopes for the new year filled with resolutions to become healthier or achieve a longtime goal, this year’s well-wishes often included a tinge of dark humor. Memes of dumpster fires and others that include a reference to 2022 being, “2020, too,” have circulated as a way to collectively bemoan the country’s current circumstances. While acknowledging a shared experience offers a beginning, rebuilding trust in each other and institutions must start for any hope in a brighter future to surv...
Fake News might seem like a new concept, but it has actually been around for a long time. The internet and cable news networks have probably made it a little more apparent, but it has always been a part of our media consumption. And Fake News isn’t always produced by news outlets. It is just as likely to come from elected officials themselves, who don’t necessarily have to lie to mislead you. Sometimes all it takes is distracting you with a non-story in the hopes that you will fail to notice the real story because they fear negative public rea...
This year has seen its fair share of crazy incidents locally as well as across the state and country. It’s fitting the end of what is commonly referred to as the “holiday season” is the New Year; one last “hurrah” for 2021, as we venture forward — some with trepidation, others with composure — into 2022. Henry Ward Beecher wrote once, “Every man should be born again on the first of January,” and while it’s nice to have the sense of an empty calendar year there’s no denying that, before long, each of us will have more than his or her share of co...
Remembering what we have to be grateful for is a good idea anytime of the year, but is especially so at Christmas time. Be grateful for: • Clothes that are too snug, because it means we have enough to eat. • The shadow that follows us, because it means we have sunshine. • The snow to shovel off steps and sidewalks, because it means we have homes. • Being able to complain about our government, because it means we have freedom of speech. • The lady who sings Christmas hymns and carols a little off key, because it means our hearing is good. • T...
by CJ Baker You don’t have to like the taste of road-killed meat to appreciate some new state regulations that will allow citizens to collect carcasses along Wyoming’s roads and highways. While the new rules aren’t exactly revolutionary, they will prevent some meat, antlers and other materials from dead animals going to waste — and that’s a good thing. Of course, the change in the law won’t change the fact that crashing into a deer or other animal is a lose-lose situation: You get a damaged vehicle — and maybe even some bumps, bruises or wo...
“December 7th, a day which will live in infamy,” said President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was 7:55 a.m. when the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service launched a surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, they changed the course of WWII. The entire attack took only around an hour and fifteen minutes. The unprovoked strike was met with outrage and disbelief, prompting the United States to declare war on Japan the very next day, thus entering the Second World War. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the at...
Mutt Mulligan, a rescue dog and the spokesdog of the TurfMutt Foundation, says a key to health and well-being is getting outside this winter Alexandria, Va. – Winter can be tough on people in the best of times, but it is particularly challenging during a global pandemic. Throughout the spring, summer and fall, the outdoors – including our yards, parks, and sports fields – were critical for buoying our mental well-being, physical health and enabling us to safely connect with others. For a decade the TurfMutt environmental education and stewa...
by CJ Baker As a general rule, if you run across a website promising an easy cash reward, you should click away and maybe scan your device for viruses. But here’s a safe one that’s worth checking out if you’re a current or former Wyoming resident: www.mycash.wyo.gov. Run by the State Treasurer’s Office, the site is a clearinghouse for various property that, for all kinds of reasons, hasn’t made it into the hands of its rightful owner. The items can include payments from insurance companies, refunds of phone bills, utility deposits or other sub...
I thought this might be of a slight interest. I see in a recent issue Bob James passed away. August of 1950 the Wyo. National Guard 300th Armored Artillery Bn. Was federalized and sent to Korea. The Bn. consisted of headquarters, Sheridan Firing Batteries: A-Thermopolis, B-Cody, C-Worland, Service Batt. Lovell. Batter A-Thermopolis consisted of 70 volunteers local A Battery. After 2 years on the line, 70 came home, with numerous medals, Purple Hearts and citations. There were 2 members alive at Bob James death. Bob James and myself, John...