As people from Wyoming and beyond join in righteous indignation over an ugly incident in which a man tortured and killed an animal simply because it was a wolf, we would do well to examine the policy framework that set the stage for tragedy. As in all tragedies, the result is not just the downfall of the main character. The story has layers of irony — not situational irony, which would be a surprise, but tragic, dramatic irony with an air of inevitability, not fully recognized by the participants but strongly sensed by the audience. Opinion One man has become the public face of Wyoming by t ..read more

If you’re one of Rocky Mountain Power’s 144,511 customers in Wyoming, your monthly electricity bill may soon increase — again. For the second year in a row, the utility — a division of Warren Buffet’s PacifiCorp — says it underestimated costs for coal and natural gas to fuel power plants and to buy electricity on the open market, and it wants to tap Wyoming ratepayers to make up the difference. Rocky Mountain Power on Monday filed for a 12.3% rate increase that — if approved — would tap Wyoming customers for a one-time $86.4 million, mostly due to higher-than-expected fuel costs in 2023. If ..read more

With sulfur hot springs that feed mineral pools and bubble over travertine terraces near the banks of the Bighorn River, Hot Springs State Park in Thermopolis is by far Wyoming’s most-visited state park. There, patrons can brave water slides or splash around pools at two aquatic facilities, soak in a public bathhouse, amble along boardwalks or stay in one of two hotels.  The Wyoming State Parks Department believes that with some TLC, the park can become an even bigger draw and economic engine. Hoping to polish it into a more modern, shiny destination, the agency is considering proposal ..read more

The results from a recent study surprised even Matt Hahn, a biologist who has been monitoring fish in the North Platte River for nearly two decades.  Almost a quarter of the river’s trout are seriously injured from fishing hooks, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department found after years studying fish in popular sections of the river. Fish in some sections fared better than others, but Hahn fears catch-and-release fishing, a method generally considered a best practice for conservation, is taking a toll.  The issue is more complicated than simply changing regulations on a river that su ..read more

It was the evening before the opener of the 2021 shed antler hunting season, and two U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officers could see the flames from a campfire flicker in a closed zone a quarter mile away.  At just after 9 p.m., they approached the illegal firestarter, who was setting up camp in the Bridger-Teton National Forest on the slopes above the National Elk Refuge.  “As the officers closed to approximately 40-50 feet, Officer [redacted] stood to the side of a tree and watched the headlamp wearing person take pieces of elk antler and place them into the crevice of a ..read more

To support affordable housing, lawmakers next week are scheduled to examine a suite of tools including leasing of state lands for development, focusing infrastructure investments and using innovative financing arrangements. The Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee will study various strategies to increase the state’s housing supply during the legislative off-season, also known as the interim session. Twenty-five people, from city administrators to county commissioners to statewide housing advocates wrote legislators asking for action that ..read more

The voluntary exodus from the Wyoming Legislature has begun, like it does every election year shortly before candidates start filing to run.  Opinion Several prominent lawmakers have announced they aren’t coming back to the Capitol. After one of the most bitter and divisive budget sessions in the state’s history, who can blame them? Several more will no doubt dash to the exits, anxious to put the stench of the past several years of Republican Party in-fighting behind them. Their reasons for leaving state politics are myriad, and we may never know their real motivation. Some were obviou ..read more

Kenneth Durrah spent the last 40 minutes of his life naked and strapped to a restraint chair in the Campbell County Detention Center.  Earlier that evening, EMTs cleared Durrah, who had reported chest pain and trouble breathing, to remain in the jail. Shortly after, detention deputies saw him swallow what appeared to be methamphetamine. Then they restrained Durrah and left him in a booking area cell where they checked on him periodically. Video from the jail captured Durrah yelling. “I can’t breathe,” he called out. “I’m dying. Help!” But it took six minutes for a deputy to check on hi ..read more

How and when Wyoming residents can vote will look different this year.  Two election laws related to political party affiliation and absentee voting were added to the books in 2023, making the August primaries the first major election affected by the new regulations.  Under the new rules, May 15 is the last day registered voters can change their political party affiliation. The affiliation associated with a voter’s registration determines which primaries — either Republican or Democratic — they are entitled to vote in. Previously voters could change their party affiliation at the ..read more

Federal legislation that would preserve the practice of installing permanent climbing anchors in the wilderness — an activity that has long divided recreation advocates and conservationists — passed the U.S House of Representatives last week.  The Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act, known as the EXPLORE Act, is a package of more than a dozen policy measures aimed at improving outdoor recreation on federal lands. It bundles together provisions that would create more long-distance bike trails, streamline permitting for outfitters and fund parks and green spaces.&nb ..read more