Wyoming Tribune Eagle

01/23/2025

Despite a majority of public testimony against doing so, a group of senators have backed a measure to put party affiliation on the ballot in school board races. Sen. Jared Olsen, R-Cheyenne, brought Senate File 98, “School board trustees-party affiliation,” to the Senate Education Committee, of which he is a member, on Wednesday. https://buff.ly/40OrPjt

01/23/2025

Wyoming experts previously testified that a bill called the “Homeschool freedom act” would hinder investigations of educational neglect. Rep. Julie Jarvis, R-Casper, attempted to bring an amendment to the bill Wednesday that would establish a process to notify school districts the child will be homeschooled. https://buff.ly/3PKPa0j

01/23/2025

A pending lawsuit against the state of Wyoming claims the state has unconstitutionally underfunded its K-12 public schools. A 2024 legislative memo recommended the state provide a $66.3 million cost adjustment to its K-12 education block grant in order to get back on track.

Members of the Legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee in the 67th Legislature adopted this recommendation, and so did Gov. Mark Gordon in his supplemental budget request.

01/23/2025

PODCAST: The Wyoming Legislature's general session has been going on for one week. WTE reporter Hannah Shields and freelance journalist Carrie Haderlie share what they've reported on over the past seven days including the progress the Wyoming Freedom Caucus has been making on their five-and-dime agenda.

Also, WTE Managing Editor Brian Martin and Wyoming News Now News Director Jeremy Downing talk about a new partnership between the media outlets and discuss Wyoming's media landscape.

LISTEN on Spotify, Apple Music, wyomingnews.com or here: https://buff.ly/3Cxn59v

01/23/2025

A bill requiring an ultrasound before women can receive an abortion pill passed easily through House committee Wednesday, despite testimony from health care workers arguing rural women will be put at risk. https://buff.ly/3PKU0dM

01/23/2025

The two large water tanks on the hill above Storey Boulevard won’t be blank for much longer. Once winter is over and Water Tank Mural Project Committee members raise the necessary funds, the mural painting process will begin. Come see the grand reveal this Saturday from 2-4 p.m. at the Cheyenne Creativity Center https://buff.ly/4gdTXC5

01/23/2025

In the early hours of Saturday morning, Cheyenne Police, conducting a traffic stop, were confronted by a man exiting a car yelling, “Help me, he has a gun!” Until that point, Zackery Hinsley had been driving the car at the direction of Kamrin C. Rivera, who was holding Hinsley and his girlfriend, Christina Liggett, at gunpoint, according to court documents. https://buff.ly/3Wq6kUn

01/23/2025

Nearly 70% of the supplemental request for Wyoming child development centers is to fund the new per-child amount that was passed by state legislators in the 2024 budget session.

Although the Legislature granted $12.2 million to fund child development centers last year — the largest appropriation from the state in over a decade — stakeholders said it’s still not enough. Some child development centers are at risk of closing due to inadequate funding, and critics argue this could mean potential lawsuits against the state. https://buff.ly/4h3Vz2r

01/22/2025

On a tract of public land near Dubois, an extrusion of very old rock — known as the lower Popo Agie Formation — peeks out of a hillside. To the unskilled eye, it just looks like a patch of pinkish-red rocks amid the grassy slopes. But in 2013, a team of scientists who specialize in ancient history visited the site and found much more.

On a tract of public land near Dubois, an extrusion of very old rock — known as the lower Popo Agie Formation — peeks out of a hillside. To the

01/22/2025

Wednesday morning, the Senate Committee of the Whole passed Senate File 36, “Music therapy-use of title,” on to its third reading. If passed, the bill, which is sponsored by the Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee, will authorize title protection for music therapists in the state of Wyoming. https://buff.ly/3WuoG6J

01/22/2025

A measure to separate mule deer hunting licenses from whitetail deer licenses made it past a panel of lawmakers Tuesday.

The Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee voted 4-1 to pass Senate File 3, “Mule and whitetail deer-separate hunting seasons.” The bill would allow the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to not only issue separate hunting licenses for mule and whitetail deer, but also to establish separate hunting seasons for each species. https://buff.ly/42on6Y7

01/22/2025

Gov. Mark Gordon’s $130 million request for wildfire funding was reduced to $100 million by Wyoming lawmakers Tuesday, and it was changed from a grant to a loan program with 2% interest. Sen. Dan Laursen, R-Powell, first offered the proposal during the Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee meeting, which included reducing the funding to $60 million and turning it into a loan program run through the Wyoming Business Council, instead of through the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust, with a 2% interest rate. https://buff.ly/3POBZvf

01/22/2025

Starting next month, the city of Cheyenne will no longer pick up trash on Fridays as sanitation workers shift to a new four-day schedule. The change is the result of a study conducted to optimize existing sanitation routes, which haven’t been updated much as the city continues to grow and annex new areas of land.

01/22/2025

Tuesday afternoon, the Wyoming Senate rejected a measure that would have required local school boards to craft a cellphone policy to restrict use during instructional time.

Senate File 21, “Ban on cell phone use in schools,” died in a 17-11 vote on the Senate floor. Bill co-sponsor Wendy Schuler, R-Evanston, said the bill would not have dictated to local districts what their policy would say, but only that the districts have one. https://buff.ly/40Glx6m

01/22/2025

EVENTS: Curious on what's happening in Cheyenne, Laramie and the Colorado Front Range? Well, look no further than our NEW and easily accessible event calendars on the front page of our website! You can go to https://buff.ly/31XMLXS or type in wyomingnews.com/calendar

To submit an item to the events calendar, email [email protected] or email WTE arts and entertainment/features writer Taylor Staples at [email protected]

01/22/2025

Rekindling a still-smoldering debate from last year’s legislative session, Laramie Republican Rep. Ocean Andrew on Thursday brought House Bill 199, “Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Act” — a measure that would bring universal school vouchers to Wyoming.

Lawmakers created a new program in 2024 to give income-qualified families up to $6,000 in state funds to offset private school fees, pre-K tuition or homeschool education costs.

Rekindling a still-smoldering debate from last year’s legislative session, Laramie Republican Rep. Ocean Andrew on Thursday brought House Bill 199, “Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Act” — a measure that would bring

01/21/2025

Citing President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as inspiration, Sen. Bob Ide, R-Casper, is advocating for lower property taxes without any state funding allocated for local governments. On Monday, the Senate Revenue Committee passed Senate File 69, “Homeowner property tax exemption,” with an amendment that removes any backfill, or allocation from state funds for making up lost revenue that may affect local cities, towns, counties and special districts. https://buff.ly/42jp245

01/21/2025

Thursday, at approximately 11:30 a.m., the 80-year-old driver of a Ford F-150 failed to stop at a stop sign, according to the Cheyenne Police Department. Officers said he proceeded through the intersection and was struck by an oncoming GMC Sierra. The impact caused the truck to rotate through the intersection and collide with a bronze statue in the front yard of Deselms' business, located at 303 E. 17th St.