Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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JACKSON - Should partisan politics trickle all the way down to the local level, potentially impacting decisions about how to educate children as young as 5? That's a question on the minds of lawmakers from the opening day of the Wyoming Legislature on Tuesday, when Senate File 98 was already on the drawing board. The bill would require school trustee candidates to declare a party affiliation when running for a seat. It is sponsored by Sen. Jared Olsen, R-Cheyenne, who is vice...
CHEYENNE - Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon welcomed members of the 68th Wyoming Legislature on Wednesday and reminded them that their legislative decisions have consequences. "I congratulate you on your election and wish you Godspeed. We do have a lot to do, and I have no doubt that the people in this room can get it done," Gordon said. "We have serious responsibilities that require us to work together to serve those who have entrusted us with our positions, and we are all part of...
Editor’s Note: This the second in a 3 part series TRANQUILIZED On Jan. 10, 1995, a 20-person capture crew based out of Alberta’s Switzer Provincial Park started working to capture the first wolves bound for the states. Aerial crews darted 28 wolves from what they believed were 11 different packs during the operation, and Canadian trappers managed to nab more — many of which were collared and returned to the wild to monitor the donor wolf population. By month’s end, 14 wolves h...
SHERIDAN — Sheridan County sent an invoice to The Sheridan Press projecting the paper’s public records request regarding the former elections supervisor’s termination would cost $4,000. Former Sheridan County Elections Supervisor James Temple was fired Nov. 12, one week after Election Day. Temple told The Sheridan Press in December he had no disciplinary history as a county employee. The Sheridan Press submitted a public records request Dec. 3, shortly after learning Temple had been fired. The Press requested emails betwe...
CHEYENNE - The first day of the 68th Wyoming Legislature's general session got off to an emotional start Tuesday, punctuated by moments of religious declaration, as the Wyoming Freedom Caucus officially took control of the state's House of Representatives. During the legislative session, it's typical to see lawmakers begin with the Pledge of Allegiance and a formal prayer. But on Tuesday, several lawmakers made their own statements of faith, citing Bible verses and offering...
CHEYENNE - The 68th Wyoming Legislature will convene for a 40-day general session starting Tuesday, and more than 600 bills sponsored by committees and individual lawmakers are expected to be filed for consideration. The topics of greatest concern to Wyoming residents – and therefore most likely covered by the state's media - include education funding and school policy, property tax relief measures, affordable housing, election policies and gaming legislation and the s...
JACKSON — As valley leaders discussed priorities for the Wyoming Legislature’s general session that starts Tuesday, Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr warned the delegation about “a lot of really scary bills that are being proposed right now.” One bill that has been filed aims to punish towns and counties seen as giving sanctuary to undocumented immigrants. Freshman Rep. Joel Guggenmos, a Freedom Caucus member from Riverton who won 55% of the vote in his Republican primary...
POWELL - The American bald eagle needs no introduction. It first appeared on a coin in 1776 on a Massachusetts copper cent, and it was emblazoned on the coat of arms for the new country's Great Seal in 1782. But somehow it took 242 years as America's favorite emblem to finally get its due, and the majestic bird still faces serious environmental threats. In December, President Joe Biden signed a bill into law officially naming the bald eagle as the national bird. Meanwhile,...
CASPER - Matthew Thomas always had a desire to author a children's book, and while working in Jackson Hole, he came up with the idea of writing about the local wildlife. Two animals especially captured Thomas' attention: Hoback the Moose, a majestic bull moose also known as the King of the Tetons, and Grizzly 399, known as Queen of the Tetons. This week, Thomas told the Star-Tribune that he had already started his book, titled "Queen of the Tetons: The Legacy of 399," well...
CHEYENNE — More of Wyoming’s teenagers are joining the workforce, with health care and social assistance among their top employment choices, according to Wyoming Department of Workforce Services data. DWS Research and Planning Research Supervisor Michael Moore presented labor statistics for workers between 15 and 19 years old to the Wyoming Workforce Development Council on Thursday during its quarterly meeting. “We all know the number of youth working in the U.S. and Wyoming has declined over the last couple of decad...
POWELL — The Yellowstone area grizzly will not be delisted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Biden administration, as the service instead announced an alternate proposal Wednesday. Idaho had asked for an evaluation of the grizzly bear listing and Montana and Wyoming, which together represent the three states with Greater Yellowstone Area grizzlies, had also petitioned the service to delist the area grizzlies. The service found the petitions “not warranted.” Instead, the service proposed changes to how the grizz...
BUFFALO - Local leaders are hoping that an active uranium mine in southern Johnson County will yield much-needed mineral tax revenue in the coming year. Uranium Energy Corp. purchased Uranium One Americas and its Christensen Ranch and Irigaray Processing Plant in December 2021. For two years, the uranium production company monitored rising uranium prices and solidified plans to ramp up production once the process proved profitable. The company resumed production this August...
CHEYENNE - Members of the public may soon be allowed to concealed carry firearms within the Wyoming Capitol and its underground extension after the state's top five elected officials unanimously passed a set of rules governing a new policy Wednesday morning. Firearms are currently prohibited in the state Capitol, but Gov. Mark Gordon promised, after vetoing a 2024 bill that would have lifted all gun-free zones statewide, to consider lifting gun-free zones in state-owned...
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a 3 part series By the 1930s, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem’s wolves had been systematically hunted and trapped out of existence. In their absence, it didn’t take long for humankind to rethink the wisdom of eradicating the ecosystem’s apex canine predator. Aldo Leopold, a visionary conservationist, thought of reversing course as early as 1944. “Why, in the necessary process of extirpating wolves from livestock ranges of Wyoming a...
RIVERTON -- A little more than a year ago, the residents of Atlantic City invited their local legislators to a community meeting. Property taxes were getting out of control, they said – and it didn't seem fair that someone on a fixed income, who'd lived in the same house for decades, may have to pay more than they could afford because someone making California or New York wages had moved in next door. "This year, my property taxes are double" the amount they were assessed a...
JACKSON - The day after a gunman opened fire in Yellowstone National Park on the Fourth of July, Wyoming clergy sent a letter to the state's elected leaders, asking them to denounce a rising tide of political extremist rhetoric in the Equality State that they say could lead to violence. The Rev. Mary Erickson, associate rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Jackson, was among the first to sign onto the letter, "denouncing antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry" and "combating...
CODY - The chair of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus has prepared a handful of bills to sponsor in the upcoming legislative session, including one that clarifies the use of bathrooms in public schools. The wording of the proposal reflects a resolution passed by Park County School District No. 1 in Powell, which the community supported, said Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, HD-50, in a statement. It's among bills on multiple issues – UW board of trustees, discrimination, women's s...
JACKSON -- The gunman who opened fire in Yellowstone National Park on July 4 had plans for "Pro White Nationalist Violence" and "a history of expressing white supremacist and antisemitic views." That's according to court documents filed in federal court Friday by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Wyoming, which revealed new details about the incident and the shooter, Samson Lucas Bariah Fussner, a 28-year-old Floridian and employee of Xanterra Parks and Resorts....
CHEYENNE - A citizen-led initiative to slash property taxes for qualified Wyoming homeowners by 50% was certified Friday by Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray to appear on the 2026 general election ballot. The "People's Initiative to Limit Property Tax in Wyoming through a Homeowner's Property Exemption," spearheaded by former gubernatorial candidate Brent Bien, would exempt half of the assessed value of an owner's primary property from property taxation, as long as the...
BUFFALO - Alice Swett loves her job. "It's solving puzzles day after day, and I love solving puzzles," she said. She has been an accountant since 1986 and owns Swett Equity Accounting, where she employs two full-time and one part-time accountant, in addition to herself. But Swett said she's lucky to have the staff she does, as the number of people in the profession has dwindled over the years. Swett often has to turn people away because she can't take on more clients. "There...
JACKSON - Some lawmakers in Teton County voiced their doubts about the "Five and Dime Plan" promoted by the hard-right Wyoming Freedom Caucus at the end of last week. The Freedom Caucus established its majority power in the Wyoming House of Representatives in the Nov. 5 election and committed to passing five bills within the first 10 days of the upcoming legislative session. The proposed legislation includes invalidating driver's licenses issued to undocumented immigrants by...
POWELL - Traveling to Park County from the suburbs of Tokyo for a two-year stint at the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center, Haruka Takaku has a list of goals to accomplish. There are work goals and there are personal experiences she would like to take home with her in 2026. One of her first goals was to drive a "Wyoming" truck. Enter one Ford F-150 4x4 with the largest cab Ford makes and a 6.5-foot bed. Takaku doesn't drive in Japan. She takes trains and subways to work each...
SHERIDAN - Col. Ryan Laughton isn't guarding the galaxy with a talking raccoon or a walking tree, but his mission is no less cosmic. As a real-life guardian with the U.S. Space Forces Japan, he's bridging nations and protecting the skies - despite not battling any interstellar villains. Laughton, a proud representative and former resident of Sheridan, is leading the charge as Commander of U.S. Space Forces Japan. From his post across the Pacific, he's strengthening ties...
JACKSON - Beverly Boynton has lived in Kelly for decades but only been walking the Kelly parcel for two or so years, thinking about the pristine square mile of sagebrush and wildlife habitat as the National Park Service maneuvered to buy it from the State of Wyoming. The more she walked the parcel, the more she understood how valuable it is for wildlife. Last spring, Boynton wanted to hike the parcel but was stopped by a herd of 1,000 elk that she didn't want to stampede. She...
LARAMIE - There is a rugged beauty to southeast Wyoming. A new organization wants to help combat veterans experience that beauty in a positive way. Laramie Range Adventures for Veterans is a new program connecting combat veterans with hunting, fishing and wilderness experiences, as well as with fellow veterans. Daniel Haff, LRAV founder and president, said the concept of bringing veterans to the outdoors has its roots in the military experience. Haff, a U.S. Army veteran who w...
