Green River Star

01/04/2026

An individual passed away in a structure fire this morning.

01/02/2026

FROM WYOFILE:

$205M federal health grant kicks off flurry of policy work for Wyoming

Monday’s announcement that Wyoming will receive a large tranche of federal funds to implement rural health transformation initiatives is only the beginning.

By Katie Klingsporn, WyoFile.com

Health care advocates are celebrating Monday’s announcement that Wyoming will be awarded $205 million in federal Rural Health Transformation Project funds in 2026.
But the announcement is only step one in a process that will require drafting contracts, hiring staff, crafting bills and gaining legislative approval. State workers, contractors and healthcare providers will have to hustle to lay the groundwork for programs they hope will shore up health care for the long term.
“There’s real potential for this money to meaningfully improve health care in Wyoming, I think, as long as the other pieces come together and our state works as a team to implement the varying aspects,” Wyoming Medical Society Executive Director Sheila Bush said. “We have a lot of work in front of us, but it’s exciting work.”
The state’s highly rural nature and large land area create steep challenges: Ambulance response times can be long, clinics struggle to hire and retain medical professionals and hospitals fighting to stay viable have shed services like labor and delivery.
Even if the federal award doesn’t live up to its promise of “transforming” Wyoming’s health care system, it presents a huge opportunity for improvements, advocates say.
Wyoming’s application sketches out what those improvements might look like. They include incentives for small rural hospitals to provide basic services and cut extraneous ones that can be performed at regional facilities; grants for clinical workforce training programs and five-year commitments from grads; a state-run insurance plan for catastrophic events; and permanent, investment-generated revenue to prop up the industry.

The opportunity

The Rural Health Transformation Program is a new federal initiative created by President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The program will funnel $50 billion to states over five years to stabilize and strengthen rural hospitals and providers. It aims to offset a portion of the federal funds for health care that were cut by the same legislation.
The application process for states unfolded rapidly. In Wyoming, Department of Health staff held stakeholder conferences and 11 public meetings starting in September to gather input. The state received 1,300 responses to an online survey it circulated. The application was then drawn up and submitted by the Nov. 5 deadline.
“Our biggest challenge lies in access to basic medical care,” Wyoming’s 84-page application stated.
It went on to identify the state’s priorities of building the state’s health care workforce, improving residents’ metabolic, cardiovascular and behavioral health and using technology to improve chronic disease management and bring care closer to home. Some of the initiatives proposed to address those priorities include:
Build cooperative agreements for EMS agencies to work together on a regional basis, using regional dispatch to coordinate things like interfacility transfers.
Establish a state-operated public insurance plan, dubbed “BearCare,” that would cover health care emergencies, such as car crashes or bear attacks, for dues-paying members.
Fund, in perpetuity, annual awards to cover educational costs for individuals interested in joining one of four clinical pipelines: nursing, EMS, behavioral health and physician.
Implement the Presidential Fitness Test in Wyoming’s primary and secondary schools.
Limit the state’s SNAP benefits to healthy food purchases by excluding things like sodas and candy.
Stand up a grant process for technology to improve care delivery closer to home or build systems that can work across providers.
Establish a system of investments that can generate revenue for health care programs in perpetuity.
Wyoming applied for an initial budget of $200 million. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Monday that all 50 states will receive awards in 2026 under the program. Texas claimed the biggest prize, $281 million, while New Jersey received the smallest at $147 million. Wyoming got $5 million more than it asked for.
“The State of Wyoming has a smart and targeted plan to address our unique healthcare challenges,” said U.S. Sen. John Barrasso. The Wyoming doctor and Republican Majority Whip has championed the Rural Transformation Fund as a sensible solution while railing against expansion of the Affordable Care Act subsidies that expired Wednesday, leaving thousands of Wyoming residents facing significant spikes in insurance premiums.

Work ahead

Implementing the application’s ambitious vision will require more staff, organization, many hours of work and the collaboration of several parties. With almost 1,400 employees in four divisions, the Wyoming health department is a “superagency” that’s well-equipped to helm the challenge, the application states. Still, it anticipates hiring around 13 contractors to address the additional load.
The agency’s first task is to revise its budget to incorporate the award amount, said Wyoming Department of Health Deputy Director Franz Fuchs.
Then, next week, the Joint Appropriations Committee, which holds the state’s purse strings, will consider draft legislation related to the Rural Health Transformation Program proposals. Based on the committee’s initial reaction to some of the application’s components, that could present challenges.
When the committee discussed the application during a December meeting, several lawmakers frowned on the state-run catastrophic health insurance plan.
“I’m not inclined to want to compete in the private sector. I don’t think it’s the proper role of government to do so,” said Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette. Bear was also skeptical of the proposed investment fund’s ability to keep pace with ever-rising health costs and to remain effective.
Along with hiring staff and getting related bills passed by skeptical lawmakers, health department staff also need to issue requests for proposals for various initiatives and draw up the attending contracts.
For providers interested in applying for the program initiatives, Fuchs said, those opportunities will likely come later in the spring.
If states do not spend the initial tranche of money within a certain time frame, Fuchs said, the feds will claw it back and redistribute it. Since the program is designed to divvy out $50 billion over five years, Wyoming could receive close to $1 billion when it’s all said and done.

‘A heavy lift’

Wyoming Hospital Association President Eric Boley’s organization has been involved and closely following the process.
“The workforce part of it holds a lot of promise for us as we look at the shortages we’re already facing and the projected shortages in our country coming up in the next decade,” Boley said. He is also encouraged by the technological improvements that could be realized, hopes emergency services can be stabilized and said struggling hospitals will jump at opportunities to help realize financial viability.
“It’s gonna be a heavy lift, but I think our folks are ready to sit down at the table and see how we can make it work,” he said. “The devil’s in the details now.”
Wyoming Primary Care Association Executive Director Jen Davis is “cautiously optimistic” about the massive grant. “The reason I say that is because it’s a great opportunity to really do some amazing things in Wyoming, but I think we need to be really intentional, and I think we really need to focus on infrastructure for long-term sustainability and not just put out money to put out money.”
That will likely involve some hard conversations, she said. “I hope that now that it’s been awarded, there’ll be opportunities for a lot more participation as we go forward and figuring out how that looks.”
The award opens doors to opportunities Wyoming has never been able to fully consider before, said Bush of the Wyoming Medical Association. “However, these opportunities will only become a reality if the state comes together to pursue a unified vision.”

WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.

PHOTO CUTLINES:
Large swaths of Wyoming have 911 response times that exceed 30 minutes. (Wyoming Department of Health)

01/02/2026

Today in Wyoming history:

In 1949, this day marked the beginning of a storm that lasted until February 20. Snowfall in some areas measured up to 30 inches. The storm halted intertown transport of all kinds within the state within 24 hours. Seventeen people died as a result of the storm, and 55,000 head of cattle and 105,000 head of sheep were lost.

Tomorrow in Wyoming history:

In 1926, a Piggly Wiggly store opened in Lander.

(Thanks Wyoming Historical Society.)

01/02/2026

FROM WYOFILE:

Wyoming smashes December heat records. Seasonal snow reports mixed.

In a state where abnormal weather is the norm, even Wyomingites marveled at a wild month that broke more than just temperature records.

By Dustin Bleizeffer, WyoFile.com

It was a balmy, gusty Christmas for much of Wyoming, where only high elevations in the western portion of the state saw fresh snow. It rained in Jackson Hole while lower elevations in central Wyoming saw temperatures in the 60s with 60-plus mile-per-hour winds, according to reports.
The holiday was a continuation of a theme in which weird and wild weather defined much of December as high-pressure systems lingered over the region for the better part of three weeks, the National Weather Service in Riverton said. Residents and travelers alike battled sustained high winds from border to border, and a Dec. 19 blast measured 144 miles per hour — Category 4 hurricane speed — at Mount Smoot in western Wyoming. Another wind blast the same day tossed a train off the tracks near Cheyenne, BNSF Railway confirmed.
Wyoming High Patrol responded to 39 blow-over accidents in just three days in December, according to state officials.
As the wind wreaked havoc, nine Wyoming locations saw unseasonably high temperatures averaging 13 to 22 degrees Fahrenheit above normal from Dec. 13 through Dec. 27, according to the National Weather Service. Both Lander and Casper are on track to notch their warmest Decembers since 1892 and 1948, respectively, NWS Riverton meteorologist Adam Dziewaltowski said. Casper, as of Monday, had marked 10 record-breaking daily highs, while Lander saw a record high of 65 degrees on Christmas Eve.
Yet for all the bluster and heat, meteorologists caution against reading too much into what it might portend for the remainder of winter. Cold and snow returned over the weekend, and the state frequently receives most of its snow in early spring, sources say.
Currently, Wyoming’s “snow-water equivalent” is above average for most of western Wyoming, while areas on the east side of the state lag behind late December norms. Central-east and southeast Wyoming are the driest, with the southeast measuring just 5% of its typical snow-water equivalent, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report on Monday.
But even in some areas of the state, like Jackson, where precipitation is above average, a portion of the wet stuff has come in the form of rain instead of snow.
“Right now, [Jackson is] almost two inches above normal for precipitation — liquid-wise,” Dziewaltowski said. “They’ve definitely gotten precipitation, but it’s been so warm that it hasn’t fallen as snow.”
Some high elevations have seen rain-on-snow events, which can create adverse conditions for slides, Dziewaltowski added.
Though the weather took a turn after Christmas, swinging from the balmy 60s to below zero in just 48 hours in some areas, the forecast calls for more unseasonably warm temperatures later this week, according to the Weather Service.
December’s wild and warm conditions made for odd outdoor experiences.
Laramie angler Eric Wiltse posted his December fishing outings to Facebook and confirmed with WyoFile several “alarming” seasonal observations. Early this month, he waded into Twin Buttes Lake, which had been frozen just days before. He saw rain at 7,200 feet of elevation, and while fishing in Curt Gowdy State Park on Christmas Eve, he shared the open water with other outdoor enthusiasts who typically don’t appear in the winter.
“Crazy to be fly fishing on Christmas Eve at 7,500 feet in Wyoming,” Wiltse posted. “Even crazier to see a paddleboard on the lake.”

WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.

PHOTO CUTLINES:
High winds toppled a train in December 2025 near Cheyenne. (Lacey Beck)

At least nine Wyoming locations broke average temperature highs for a portion of December 2025. (National Weather Service, Riverton office)

01/01/2026

Editor Hannah Romero reflects on the past year and encourages all of us to slow down and go into the new year with gentleness and grace.

Let's be real – it's been a tough year. Last week I saw a video of a polar bear on its belly just slowly sliding face-first down a long hill of snow, and I thought "yeah, that's the vibe." That's how it feels like we're leaving 2025 and going into 2026 – a slow slide downhill as we lay there and...

12/31/2025

This week is our Year in Review paper! Be sure to get your copy for a look back at what 2025 was like for our community through the ups and downs. While it was a difficult year, there were significant victories in how our community pulled together. We're so thankful for the chance to document all the tragedies and triumphs. Thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout this year!

12/30/2025

NEWS BRIEFS for Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025
From Wyoming News Exchange newspapers

Wyoming’s average gas prices rise by nearly a cent per gallon

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Average gasoline prices in Wyoming have risen 0.9 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.46 per gallon Monday, according to GasBuddy.com’s survey of 494 stations in Wyoming.
Prices in Wyoming are 23.2 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, and stand 38.7 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.
According to GasBuddy price reports, the lowest price in the state Sunday was $1.95, while the highest was $3.39, a difference of $1.44 per gallon.
The national average price of gasoline has fallen 4.0 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.75 per gallon Monday. The national average is down 22.6 cents per gallon from a month ago, and stands 22.4 cents per gallon lower than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data.

This story was published on Dec. 30, 2025.

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Citation issued for pedestrian death, official report released

SHERIDAN (WNE) — The Sheridan Police Department released the report for a vehicle-pedestrian incident Aug. 14 that led to the death of a 93-year-old Sheridan man.
According to the report, Edward Hammett, 93, was struck by a semi-truck while crossing the intersection of Brooks and Loucks streets in his motorized wheelchair. Hammett was taken to Sheridan Memorial Hospital.
According to the report, the driver of the Wyo Trucking semi-truck, Scott Schroeder, told law enforcement he was on his way to dump his trailer at its final destination when the incident occurred.
Schroeder recalled seeing “a flash” to the right of his truck while making the right hand turn prior to colliding with the wheelchair. He was issued a citation for failure to yield to a pedestrian and will be required to pay the fine.
According to the report, from the resting place of the semi and wheelchair, it appeared that Hammett had likely entered the roadway slightly prior to Schroeder initiating his turn after Schroeder believed (Hammett) had cleared the intersection.
Hammett died Aug. 17 at SMH. Preliminary findings indicated Hammett’s death was due to multiple broken bones he suffered due to the crash from which he was unable to recover.
According to an autopsy report, Hammett’s cause of death was confirmed as complications of blunt impact injuries to the torso and extremities.
Hammett was the second pedestrian death in Sheridan in 2025.
A separate vehicle-pedestrian incident that led to the death of 65-year-old Julie Fitzsimons occurred May 28 at the intersection of North Main and West Fifth streets. Fitzsimons was crossing the street when she was struck and killed.
David Johnson, 33, was charged with homicide by vehicle and violating traffic control signals — both misdemeanor charges.

This story was published on Dec. 30, 2025.

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Skier survives Sunday avalanche

JACKSON (WNE) — An avalanche south of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort caught and carried — but did not fully bury — a skier on Sunday. The skier survived.
A picture posted to the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center’s observation page showed a person standing in the middle of avalanche debris with a deployed avalanche airbag. Ski tracks are visible a few hundred feet above in the middle of the slide path where the avalanche broke.
The avalanche was a reminder that bluebird days after a storm are risky for human-triggered avalanches, said Avalanche Center Executive Director Frank Carus. The avalanche danger had also just dropped from “considerable” to “moderate.”
“This was a classic setup — the first clear day after a storm,” Carus said.
On those days, skiing near cliff bands that face the sun can cause trouble, Carus said. The snowpack is generally shallower around cliffs, making it easier for skiers to trigger weak layers. The warmth of sunlight can melt snow, putting additional weight on those layers. Adding the weight of a skier can tip the instability scale and cause an avalanche, particularly when the snowpack is adjusting to new weight after a storm.
The avalanche was one of many triggered by skiers over the weekend, according to the Avalanche Center.

This story was published on Dec. 30, 2025.

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City of Cody phasing out the penny

POWELL (WNE) — As the federal government phases out the penny, the City of Cody is beginning to do the same.
Although the city will continue to accept pennies, as of Dec. 22, it is no longer handing them out as change and is rounding cash transactions down to the nearest 5 cents. A $1.04 purchase, for example, will become just $1 if paid in cash.
However, nothing will change for those paying for city services by credit or debit cards, checks or via online payments: Those transactions will continue to be charged down to the nearest cent.
The U.S. Mint formally ended production of the penny last month at the direction of President Donald Trump. The Mint says it spent about 3.69 cents to produce each 1 cent coin and expects to save about $56 million each year by no longer making them.
However, retailers and others who deal in cash now have to figure out how to manage a penniless future — especially as the amount of 1 cent coins in circulation begins to dwindle.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond warned in a July economic brief that the penny’s elimination could result in a “rounding tax,” as a disproportionate share of prices end in 3, 4, 8 or 9 cents and would typically be rounded up. The Fed branch estimated that cash customers across the country could collectively end up paying an additional $6 million every year.
But there will be no such increase for City of Cody customers, since the city has decided to round all prices down.
City Finance Officer Leslie Brumage said she made that recommendation “based on the concern that customers would feel they were being charged more than what is due on their bills” if totals were rounded up. Each department will track the cents lost to the new rounding system, but the city expects to only miss out on about $100 per year.

This story was published on Dec. 30, 2025.

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12/30/2025

An update on the pedestrian-versus-motor-vehicle crash that occurred in October has been shared by the Green River Police Department. Police Chief Shaun Sturlaugson has shared that investigation revealed no drug or alcohol impairment and no violations of city ordinance or state statute so no charges will be filed.

Here is Chief Sturlaugson's full statement:

"On October 8, 2025, at approximately 7:18 p.m., a pedestrian versus motor vehicle crash occurred in the 300 block of Monroe Avenue in Green River, Wyoming. The crash resulted in the unfortunate death of Kim Stratton and caused significant injuries to another pedestrian that was involved.
A thorough investigation by the Green River Police Department, which included toxicology testing on the driver involved in the incident, showed no drug or alcohol impairment and no violations of city ordinance or state statute. Both the City Prosecutor’s Office and the County Attorney’s Office conducted thorough evaluations of all evidence collected from the incident. After those evaluations, both offices declined to file charges on any of the parties involved."

12/30/2025

FROM WYOFILE:

Trump’s sweeping energy policies dominated Wyoming energy headlines in 2025

Conservationists decried Trump’s policies, while Wyomingites clashed on nuclear manufacturing proposals.

By Dustin Bleizeffer, WyoFile.com

Wind turbines continued to sprout across Wyoming this year as legacy oil and natural gas industries weathered bumps in the market, uranium mines resumed operations and coal companies held out hope for brighter days.
It was also the year that a vast majority of Wyomingites woke up to climate change, according to a University of Wyoming survey that showed 86% believe it is happening and they are alarmed at what it portends for the state’s scant water resources.
But Wyoming’s most significant energy headlines of 2025 — even beyond the proliferation of data center plans that would double the state’s electrical demand and intense debate over nuclear energy projects — were President Donald Trump’s sweeping, incessant slashing of federal regulations to boost fossil fuels and orders to rebuff renewable energy.

Sweeping federal policy

On his first day back in the White House, Trump signed the “Unleashing American Energy” executive order, which, among other things, directed federal agencies to repeal “all ‘greenhouse gas’ emissions standards for the power sector,” as well as Biden-era Mercury and Air Toxics Standards. The order also directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to “reconsider” the landmark 2009 endangerment finding that determined greenhouse gases cause harm and compelled past administrations to curb their emissions.
The president tapped Wyoming’s own Cyrus Western, a former Wyoming lawmaker, to lead the EPA’s Region 8 office overseeing much of the Rockies Region, including Wyoming.
“I think President Trump has been really clear that he wants to take a very different direction and work with the states, help encourage industry, but also simultaneously ensuring that the communities do have access to clean water, that their air is clean, that kind of stuff,” Western told WyoFile in March.
The GOP-led Congress followed Trump’s lead in prioritizing fossil fuels in July with provisions in the Big Beautiful Bill that slashed royalty rates for coal, oil and natural gas. While cheered by Wyoming’s extractive industries, WyoFile reported the cuts will choke the flow of federal dollars — a $50 million annual loss for the state on coal royalties alone.
Still, Trump’s efforts won praise from Wyoming’s congressional delegation and Gov. Mark Gordon, who celebrated the “immediate change in approach” to federal energy policies and described the new direction as “a win for U.S. energy and Wyoming.”
Wyoming conservation groups decried the moves, which included an overhaul of the planning processes for public lands. The sweeping changes, they said, are a threat to the state’s wildlife and an outdoor recreation economy that heavily relies on federal public lands, including the already climate-stressed Red Desert.
“The Trump administration has obviously led with prioritizing extractive industries over all other uses on public lands,” Wyoming Outdoor Council Conservation Director Alec Underwood told WyoFile in September.

Coal lease flop

Trump’s effort to “unlock” federal coal reserves in Wyoming and Montana failed spectacularly, at the hands of a coal mining company with operations in the Powder River Basin.
Based on the premise that a Biden-era ban on future coal leasing in the region hamstrings a soon-to-be resurrected industry, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management scoured the books for federal coal leases that had gone dormant and could be put up for sale. The agency cleared the decks for a 167 million-ton coal lease auction in Montana for a single, apparent bidder, Navajo Transitional Energy Company. Before that auction took place, the administration announced it would also revive a years-long lingering 441 million-ton federal coal tract in Wyoming for auction — again, enticing the single, apparent bidder NTEC, which had not asked for the opportunity, a company official told WyoFile.
When the Montana federal coal auction came on Oct. 6, NTEC — the lone bidder — offered just $186,000. In 2012, the last time the industry demanded a major federal lease sale in the region, the bid was $1.10 per ton. This time around, NTEC’s fraction-of-a-penny per ton bid spurred the administration to indefinitely postpone the 441-million-ton auction scheduled for days later in Wyoming.
“It tells you that there’s no competition for that coal in the ground, and it’s not worth very much money,” Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis Energy Data Analyst Seth Feaster told WyoFile.
Despite those results, Wyoming’s congressional delegation in November led an effort to bypass the enshrined public-input process for crafting BLM land management plans by invoking the rarely used Congressional Review Act. The move invalidated the agency’s Wyoming and Montana resource management plans for the sole purpose — according to the delegation — of overturning the ban on future leasing. Trump signed the law in December.

Nuclear contention

Growing interest in nuclear energy proved particularly divisive in Wyoming.
While the $4 billion Natrium “advanced” nuclear power plant continued construction near Kemmerer and notched permitting milestones — thanks in part to Trump executive orders to fast-track such endeavors — the towns of Bar Nunn and Gillette weighed other high-dollar nuclear proposals.
California-based Radiant Industries both enthralled and alarmed Bar Nunn and Natrona County residents with its proposal to manufacture nuclear microreactors for global deployment. The plan, however, would have required an exception to Wyoming’s partial ban on spent nuclear fuel waste storage. The issue ignited tensions that drew political divisions and, ultimately, led to Radiant scrapping its Wyoming plans in October.
Longtime U.S. Navy contractor BWXT, meantime, introduced its own plans in Gillette: a nuclear fuel manufacturing plant that does not involve spent nuclear fuel storage. In December, Gordon awarded BWXT a $100 million grant to support the project.
Both proposals came amid intense legislative debate and a Gordon-backed Wyoming-Idaho-Utah alliance to center America’s nuclear energy resurgence in the region.

Climate contention

A whopping 86% of residents (compared to 55% in 2014) believe climate change is happening, University of Wyoming researchers reported. And, researchers said, most respondents didn’t know their neighbors felt the same.
There was evidence, though, when a crowd of voters in Pinedale booed Rep. Harriet Hageman when she used the phrase “absolutely based on false science” to describe the 2009 endangerment finding — the federal doctrine to combat air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. And when Freedom Caucus members sought to make carbon dioxide great again with a bill to outlaw greenhouse gas reduction efforts, their legislative colleagues shot it down.
In September, Gordon joined top Trump administration officials in Washington, D.C. to celebrate a package of coal industry revival initiatives, including a $625 million spending package to “retrofit” old coal plants. Upon return, WyoFile asked him about the carbon-emission implications of extending the use of coal-burning power plants.
He asserted that deploying coal carbon capture technologies is key to addressing greenhouse gas emissions without inflicting too much economic pain, and added, “I think, probably, the answer is fairly clear: There’ll be more CO2 production.”

WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.

PHOTO CUTLINE: A shovel loads dirt into a haul truck to help uncover coal at the Belle Ayr coal mine in Campbell County. (Dustin Bleizeffer/WyoFile)

12/30/2025

Today in Wyoming history:

In 1921, Prohibition agents conducted a raid in Rock Springs.

Tomorrow in Wyoming history:

In 1950, Frank Barrett resigned from his position as Wyoming's congressman to take office as governor.

(Thanks Wyoming Historical Society.)

12/29/2025

Good job, Smith's and Albertsons!