News Letter Journal

Religion in the statehouse

CASPER — There’s a dartboard on the wall and it has all the bills debated this legislative session on it. Take a dart, close your eyes and throw it on the board. Almost any bill the dart lands on, if you dig enough, will have some sort of religious reasoning or connection to it. Sometimes, you...

‘We are more like mentors to one another’

LANDER — They become more confident in everything from their school work to relationships. They’re less likely to skip school. They get along better with their families. Studies show that kids who find a mentor they can lean on have an edge as they grow through an impressionable time toward...

Family of woman missing from Gillette visits state capitol, still seeks answers

GILLETTE — To mark the full year since Kennedy Wainaina's sister was last heard from, he took a long trip from Boise, Idaho, to Cheyenne. The destination was the Wyoming State Capitol, but more specifically, the Governor’s Office. On Friday, Feb. 24, Wainaina and his cousin Tarisai Githu...

Wyoming’s soon-to-drop shed hunting rules set new precedent

CHEYENNE—A major shift lies ahead in how the state of Wyoming regulates shed-antler hunting, until now a free outdoor pursuit available to anyone on public land. Fourteen years ago, Wyoming was ahead of the curve when legislators made a big change to state law, banning shed-antler hunting on...

Marijuana ballot initiatives fail

CASPER — Two marijuana ballot initiatives have failed after falling short of Wyoming’s county requirements, a marijuana advocacy group announced Thursday. Wyoming NORML and the Libertarian Party have been collecting signatures for the Wyoming Patient Cannabis Act of 2022 and the Wyoming Cannabis...

Complainants confident in Senate leadership’s letter of reprimand

CHEYENNE — Two members of the public who filed ethics complaints against a Laramie County lawmaker said Thursday they are confident in the response by Senate leadership. Sen. Anthony Bouchard, R-Cheyenne, received a letter of reprimand Wednesday that outlined two separate complaints against him...

Bill halting eminent domain right for wind energy vetoed

SUNDANCE —Of the bills presented to Governor Mark Gordon last week, he exercised his veto authority on just one. HB 106 would have reimposed a moratorium on the exercise of power of condemnation for wind energy collector systems. However, Gordon said that a nine-year moratorium on the use of...

Winter storms take heavy toll on cattle, sheep producers

BUFFALO — Bitterly cold temperatures, heavy snowfall and strong winds are exacting a heavy price from Wyoming's agricultural producers this winter. Days before the latest snowstorm pummeled the state, Gov. Mark Gordon announced that his office was preparing to request a disaster designation from...

Grand Teton superintendent: Pandemic visitation was 'a glimpse of the future'

JACKSON — As far as national park visits are concerned, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem saw a significant decrease in visitation in 2022. But park managers aren’t expecting that drop to last. Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins said the National Park Service is planning for...

Avalanche on south 89 closes road, jams traffic

JACKSON (WNE) — Traffic was snarled for a few hours Thursday afternoon when an avalanche came down 2 miles south of High School Road on South Highway 89. That area hasn’t experienced a roadway-obstructing slide in over 50 years. The slide just past milepost 151 blocked four out of five lanes of...