Sorted by date Results 326 - 350 of 1682
With the excommunication of Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney from the Republican Party leadership, what was intended to be a sleepy mid-term political season is shaping up to be a bellwether for what Wyoming looks for in a congressperson. Most of Cheney’s primary challengers seem to be running on a platform of partisan purity, which is exactly what the political parties want. Don’t fall for it. While 70% of the state was disappointed with the results of the 2020 election, we have more important issues facing our state than preserving for...
Much has changed in the past year and a half with COVID-19 and our abilities to be out and about as much. However, one thing that has NOT changed is the love shown to us by our pets. In fact, if you are like me, even though you have still been just as busy, you may have been at home a bit more and MY pets have enjoyed this immensely. The great thing about pets (or as I refer to them – furry people) is that they love you no matter what. They are there for you when you’ve had a hard day, they don’t care if you made some mistakes and they are p...
Dear Editor, King Kong is coming to Green River, Wyoming. Union Wireless would like to erect an eighty-foot 5G tower in a lot immediately east of Ace Hardware. At a Planning and Zoning meeting June 9, this was discussed and somebody made the statement that, “It will be there, but nobody will see it.” According to images provided, it will be totally conspicuous for a good quarter mile around, and it will seem like a giant ape menacing everybody who lives, works, shops, or visits the area. For perspective, ask yourself, what is eighty feet tal...
In keeping with the slogan ‘Wyoming powers the nation,’ the state will be the site of a new nuclear power plant -- with the Jim Bridger Power Plant near Rock Springs being one of the four proposed locations. As county and city leaders are preparing to make their pitch to decision makers, one thing that is abundantly clear to us is the fact that Sweetwater County is the best location for this kind of energy project. The Jim Bridger Power Plant is located close enough to Rock Springs for workers to easily travel to, while far enough away to not...
Dear Editor, This letter is being written in response to the resignation of Carla Hester-Croff from the Board of Trustees at Western Wyoming Community College. It was with great sadness that I read Ms. Hester-Croff was stepping down. Ms. Hester-Croff asked the hard questions at the discomfort of the administration at Western. She also stood to be the lone dissenting voice when the layoffs were confirmed on January 28. Layoffs that included nine instructors, three of which were math instructors. Layoffs that included seven WEA members to include...
Dear Editor, For several years, the Bureau of Land Management has been working towards publishing its Draft Resource Management Plan for its Rock Springs Field Office, which covers over 3 million acres of public lands within Sweetwater County and southwest Wyoming. Even though it may be months before this draft plan is published, it is important for everyone who uses and enjoys BLM land to watch for public notices of its publication and be prepared to comment on a wide array of multiple use resource issues covered by the draft plan. Commenting...
I’m not going to invest in Bill Gates’ and Warren Buffett’s plan to bring a nuclear power plant to Wyoming. I’d also prefer to not see taxpayers like myself forced to shell out hard-earned money on such an environmentally risky venture. No, I plan to spend any surplus cash I can muster on cornering the red flag market. Demand is about to skyrocket. As residents consider what it means to have an experimental nuclear reactor in their backyards, they’ll be waving them in droves. In fact, I’m raising a half-dozen red flags in this column alon...
Last week, we reported on Western Wyoming Community College trustee Carla Hester-Croff’s resignation following her claims of the college administration not being transparent and her concerns about a proposed board policy expanding on how a trustee could be removed from the board. While our interactions with the college have shown its board of trustees and administration to work towards maintain a transparent relationship, we believe the proposed policy should have some changes made before it is adopted by the board of trustees. We applaud t...
The time between now and the 2022 election will be never ending when it comes to the race for Rep. Liz Cheney’s seat in the U.S. House. Nearly six months into her second term, she’s already facing a cadre of Republican challengers after voting to impeach former President Donald Trump for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 riot in Washington D.C. That vote and her increasing criticism of Trump ultimately cost her the House GOP leadership position as Trump’s followers have gain increasing control of the GOP. As discussion about Cheney conti...
One of the appeals YouTube has is the fact it can offer almost anything to anyone. Of course, much of that is nothing more than entertainment, often aimed to cultivate a persona that can be built into a marketable brand. Yet, there are a few that blend education into an entertaining video – creating something more familiar to PBS viewers. One of the newer YouTube channels to gain recognition amongst the near limitless mass of videos published daily mixes food and history into an enjoyable w...
By Kerry Drake Wyofile.com Wyoming officials knew something was seriously wrong with the state’s juvenile justice system in 1970, when a governor’s committee examined the issue and came to the startling conclusion that no system actually existed. “It is clear that there is no uniformity in the disposition of matters involving juveniles at the local level,” the panel’s report concluded. “Change has been slow to come.” The ink from that document could be fresh today. The Legislature has undertaken piecemeal attempts at juvenile justice refor...
A while ago, my seven-year-old and I were watching ‘Elmo in Grouchland’. In the Elmo movie, Huxley, the villain, steals Elmo’s blanket. When Elmo asks for his blanket back, Huxley says, “If I touch it, I own it” then he touches a variety of objects he has taken from people and as he touches each item he says “BING, I own it.” I told Gracie that Mr. Patinkin, who plays the villain, is one of my favorite actors. ‘Well, he might be nice other times, but he’s not my favorite right now,” she said. She and I both had our own perspectives and at...
An alternate route between Green River and Rock Springs isn’t a new idea. During the mid 2000s, when money was a lot more free flowing into and out of government coffers, the idea was floated that an alternate route between the two cities would create a safer stretch of road for locals wanting to avoid Interstate 80’s heavy semi traffic, while giving Castle Rock Ambulance Service a secondary route to Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County. This sounds good in theory, but a number of questions were raised then which still need to be ans...
Take a brief look at data released from the 2020 census and one thing becomes very clear -- the West is booming. The population growth in many of Wyoming’s neighbors over the last decade is staggering. Utah saw an 18.4% increase in its population. Idaho saw a 17.3% increase, while Colorado had 14.8% growth in its population. Even South Dakota and Nebraska had notable gains in their populations, recording growth of 8.9% and 7.4% respectively. Wyoming’s population grew too -- by 2.3%. According to a Wyoming Tribune-Eagle article, that amo...
Dear Editor, Well, Wyoming, we almost did it. The House passed the Medical Treatment Opportunity Act, HB162, but the Senate failed us on SF154, Medicaid Expansion with Federal Match Requirements. Representative John Romero-Martinez, how can we ever thank you and your six co-sponsors* for your exceptional leadership in taking HB162 to and through the House? (Clifford, Connolly, Harshman, Henderson, Provenza and Zwonitzer) We appreciate you so very much, Senator Rothfuss, and your twelve co-sponsors as well, for your courageous at- tempt to...
There are a lot of thirsty eyes looking at the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Some of them are our neighbors in Wyoming. Nearly 14 years have passed since the idea of a trans basin water diversion was first presented to the residents of Sweetwater County and thankfully the project proposals tossed around by people like Aaron Million never took flight. We are as opposed to the idea as we have ever been, as there is not situation involving trans basin diversion we could conceive that would benefit the residents of Sweetwater County. We’re also happy t...
When House-Senate negotiations on a school finance bill - one of the most crucial issues facing Wyoming - collapsed on the final day of the session, it became clear any long-term funding solution must be brokered by the governor. In his comments the following day, Gov. Mark Gordon announced he will take up the issue. But his response was so lukewarm, it inspired no confidence that what he does will be either timely or impactful. "I have to say I was disappointed that we were not able to come to...
Night after night, Wyoming citizens are turning on the news to see a national security and humanitarian crisis unfolding at our southern border. This influx in illegal immigration, which is the largest surge we’ve seen in two decades, is a threat to the safety of American families, border patrol agents and law enforcement as well as immigrants pursuing a lawful path to citizenship. Here in Wyoming, we know good fences make good neighbors. On a national level, a secure border keeps us safe. In San Diego for example, a short 12-mile section of b...
Every Wyoming legislative session contains fireworks, and this year was no exception. Lawmakers added to the drama this go around by saving the pyrotechnics for the very last day, grand finale style, when House and Senate negotiators let the gavel fall without reaching a compromise on the education finance legislation, House Bill 173 – School finance funding-2. House Bill 173, in its original version, was the legislative product of the education recalibration process that normally occurs every five years. That process, in turn, is the p...
We’re not going to criticize the decision to postpone Flaming Gorge Days. While other organizations are busy planning for summer events, we understand the idea of not wanting to host Flaming Gorge Days because of the pandemic. We told our readers months ago about the possibility of events getting cancelled for a second year. This wasn’t unexpected. Yet, we think there should be something for Sweetwater County’s residents in Green River this coming June. With Zac Page’s visit to the Green River City Council Tuesday night, we think a cornhol...
Dear Editor, It’s election season in the Wyoming Republican Party and all across the state liberals, who for many years successfully exploited the Republican brand in order to get their left-wing cronies elected to public office, are in a collective temper tantrum over the successful grassroots effort which has made great strides in returning the Party of Reagan to its conservative moorings. Uinta County is not immune. A small group of people whom I will charitably call moderates under the leadership of Jon Conrad, Scott Dickerson and Jay A...
One of the most perplexing mysteries about Wyoming’s 2021 legislative session is how the House could kill a suicide prevention bill. Then, when lawmakers got a chance to reconsider the matter, they rejected a second measure, too. Trying to keep people from killing themselves shouldn’t be a controversial issue in Wyoming, which has the highest suicide rate in the country. But apparently it is, at least for lawmakers who decided against mandating school programs that train students how to recognize suicide warning signs from their peers and obt...
No one will argue that an ambulance service isn’t a needed and integral part of any community. These are the first responders who take our neighbors to the hospital under the most dire situations, sometimes staving off life-threatening conditions until better medical attention can be provided. Yet, how do we fund this necessary service continues to be a question local government grapples with. There is only one solution to the issue and it might be one a lot of people disagree with: the creation of a special tax district within the county. W...
Monday morning, I had my first COVID-19 vaccination shot. I scheduled an appointment at Castle Rock Medical Center last week after the announcement of vaccinations being open to anyone and was quickly slotted for an appointment. The vaccination push is truly a major concern for CRMC because between the time I scheduled my appointment and the actual appointment time, I had half a dozen reminders called, texted and emailed to me. Considering what’s at stake, it isn’t hard to understand why. Walkin...
In the last four years the federal government has both cut government revenue and dramatically increased spending. It’s an unsettling combination, the precise long-term results of which will be debated by economists like myself until the cows come home. But at least one thing is already certain: The fiscal impact of all the federal COVID-19 spending over the last year warrants much more public attention than it has thus far received. When the pandemic arrived 12 months ago the uncertainty surrounding its economic impacts prompted an u...
