Tagged: wyoming

What’s Wyoming’s Best Kept Secret for an underrated summer vacation?

WPM/NPR Community Discussion Rules

       All state agencies have submitted their proposed budget cuts and now it’s up to Gov. Matt Mead and the Wyoming Legislature to develop a plan about how they would go about reducing state agency budgets if revenues fall below projections next year. 

    Wyoming Governor Matt Mead admits that interest in wind energy has cooled off for a bit,  but he hopes things will turn around soon. 

One issue is the failure of Congress to extend the wind energy tax credit, but the governor is also concerned about Wyoming’s wind tax policy.  He says he hoped the legislature would approve a tax on wind generation, but lawmakers cannot reach an agreement on that legislation.

 Governor Matt Mead says he is continuing to pursue legal action over the federal roadless rule as he tries to work out a compromise in Wyoming.  Mead says the lawsuit is trying to delay making hundreds of acres off limits to development, while state officials work with the forest service to determine what should actually be off limits.

For years, Eastern Wyoming has struggled with poverty and it appears things have not changed. 

 The Center for Rural Affairs says that 2010 census numbers confirm that poverty in Eastern Wyoming is at a rate that is actually higher than many urban areas, especially for children.  Report Author Jon Bailey says that part of the problem is that federal subsidies for large farms is harmful to rural development. 

Due to the price of natural gas dropping, the governor has requested 8% cuts. How should the state handle this?

WPM/NPR Community Discussion Rules 

Analysts are making conflicting predictions about where gas prices will go this summer. Some are forecasting record highs, while others say prices at the pump have already peaked. Businesses in Wyoming’s service industry hope for the latter, as they depend on an injection of tourism dollars each summer. Wyoming Public Radio’s Rebecca Martinez spoke with several businesses near Yellowstone about what might happen if gas prices climb with the temperature.

The historic Territorial Prison in Laramie is opening a new exhibit this weekend, which focuses on the era after the facility served as a prison – when the University of Wyoming used it for agriculture research. Willow Belden spoke with Deborah Amend, the superintendent of the prison, before the opening to hear about the history of the site, and the important studies that were done there while it was used for ag. She says the prison was built 140 years ago, as a federal territorial prison … but things changed in 1809, when Wyoming became a state.

The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services has been hosting a number of job fairs across the state presumably because there are jobs to be had.  Joan Evans is the Department Director, she tells Bob Beck there are jobs for just about every type of worker, but it might require job training or relocation.

Wyoming has long been thought of as a state that focuses on energy, tourism and in some circles ranching.  But the state has been trying to also make itself a player in technology.  It started in earnest a few years back that the National Center for Atmospheric Research or NCAR was coming to Wyoming.  The latest push has centered around Data Centers.  Wyoming is offering sales tax incentives and grant money to try and attract them to the state.  Wyoming Public Radio’s Bob Beck reports that many believe they could be an important piece in diversifying the economy.

There are more new ports designed for coal export being proposed in the U.S. and Wyoming’s Powder River Basin coal producers are training their eye on the developments. With some of the most efficient economies of scale in the world, a larger percentage of PRB coal could be making its way across the ocean soon. What would that mean for Wyoming and the global community? Irina Zhorov reports.  

April is sexual assault awareness month, and Becca Fisher from SAFE Project, a group that provides services to victims, joins us to talk about the problem. She says nearly half of Wyoming women are sexually assaulted at some point in their lives. The incidents can range from unwanted touching to all-out rape, and Fisher says common scenarios are a little different than you might expect.

It’s Sexually Transmitted Disease awareness month and in Wyoming this is a serious issue.  Statistics show that STDs in the state are on the rise.  A number of health care organizations are trying to get sexually active people tested for STDs and to check their HIV status.  Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains is engaged in a campaign called GYT – get yourself tested.   Melody Meanor is the Manager of Planned Parenthood’s Casper Health Center.  She says the sharp increase in STD’s in Wyoming is alarming.

Wyoming has been home to the jackalope since it was “accidently” invented by a taxidermist in Douglas. But over the last two years, jackalopes have been on the decline… at least according to some taxidermists around the state. Wyoming Public Radio’s Tristan Ahtone volunteered to investigate.

    Wyoming’s census numbers have leveled off.   After seeing a net annual migration that was near 10-thousand people a year from 2006 to 2009, Wyoming saw about 45-hundred new people move into the state last year. 

Economist Wenlin Liu  of the Wyoming Economic Analysis Division says economic improvement elsewhere has reduced the number of people coming to Wyoming looking for work.

“The main reason is that the rest of the nation had an economic recovery.  We had a lot less immigrants moving into the state from California and Michigan."

 The State of Wyoming has settled a federal
lawsuit filed by an anti-abortion group.
     Under the settlement, the state admitted that state officials
violated the constitutional rights of WyWatch Family Action by
removing a display of materials it posted in a tunnel leading to
the state Capitol last year.
     U.S. District Judge Nancy Freudenthal approved the settlement
and dismissed the lawsuit on Thursday.
     Under the settlement, the state admits that it
unconstitutionally prevented WyWatch from engaging in protected

The American sheep industry has exploded in recent years, causing many producers to expand their operations. But more sheep means more people are needed to shear them, and the number of professional shearers has declined over the decades. Wyoming Public Radio’s Rebecca Martinez tagged along with a Wyoming-based shearer during a gig in Douglas and filed this report.