Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

WyoFile

@wyofile.com

15K followers 900 following 1.2K posts

An independent, reader-funded, non-profit news organization focused on the people, places, and policy of Wyoming. Send tips to [email protected]. ✉️ Newsletters: https://wyofile.com/newsletter-signup 📱 Mobile App: https://onelink.to/sadwq2

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 8d

The most persistent threat to a robust, independent free press is economic, and has been for years.

As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on reader donations to stay independent. We avoid ads and clickbait, focusing on stories that matter to Wyoming.

Support the free press ➡️ WyoFile.com/donate

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 26m

One by one, the kids knelt on the ground, smudged themselves with smoke and walked to the fallen buffalo to rest a hand on its coffee-colored hide.

Buffalo meat from this week's harvests will be placed in 660 boxes that a food bank will distribute to Wind River Reservation residents.

On Wind River Reservation, a buffalo harvest for young and old - WyoFile

Joint effort brings students out to experience harvest of an animal that will be shared with elders and families. “This is your relative,” herd manager tells them.

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 18h

The FBI analyzed phone records of several Republican lawmakers, including Wyoming U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, as part of an investigation into the efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, according to information released Monday by GOP senators.

The FBI and Lummis’ phone records — what we know so far - WyoFile

The bureau reviewed the Wyoming senator's phone records as part of an investigation into attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 19h

Laramie's city manager is moving to Casper. A survey shows Oil City residents want more robust offerings for younger folks.

In Cheyenne, the city council is preparing to fill a vacant seat after the death of a long-serving councilor.

Local Lookout: Casper wants more recreation | Cheyenne fills vacant seat | Data center demands less water - WyoFile

Laramie’s city manager is moving to Casper. A survey shows Oil City residents want more robust offerings for younger folks. In Cheyenne, the city council is preparing to fill a vacant seat after the d...

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 1d

OPINION: Wyoming's U.S. Sen. John Barrasso wants the public to blame Democrats for the federal government shutdown, but Republicans are responsible, columnist Kerry Drake opines.

Wyomingites, when ACA health insurance premiums double, should recognize that Barrasso is one of the culprits.

Opinion | Barrasso wrongfully pins blame for government shutdown on Dems

Republicans own this closure and all health care harm caused by allowing enhanced tax credits to expire, columnist Kerry Drake opines.

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 1d

Fred Eshelman's trespass lawsuit to block people from corner crossing to reach public property is finally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, where a recent law school graduate — not one of the nine justices — will recommend whether the high court should take the case.

Early career clerks, not Supreme Court justices, will first review Wyoming corner-crossing case - WyoFile

After years of legal wrangling in public, the case pitting access to public lands against trespass laws enters a sometimes-veiled arena.

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 1d

New owners want to quintuple the size of a guest ranch, but its remote location is raising concerns in Teton County. Cheyenne Fire Rescue is eyeing $30M in sales tax to sustain its operations.

Some Sheridan area homeowners will keep hauling drinking water as they’ve done for decades.

Local Lookout: Guest ranch in griz country questioned | Water fix delayed | Cody judge’s decision reviewed - WyoFile

New owners want to quintuple the size of a guest ranch, but its remote location is raising concerns in Teton County. Cheyenne Fire Rescue is eyeing $30M in sales tax to sustain its operations. Some Sh...

Reposted by WyoFile

Aaron Mendelson @amendelson.bsky.social · 2d

Powerful story from @wyofile.com on gun suicides in the 70+ population in Wyoming, the state with the highest rate in the entire country.

@andrewgraham88.bsky.social got responses from Gov. Mark Gordon and legislative leaders
wyofile.com/older-wyomin...

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 2d

Gravel operator Prism Logistics still holds out hope that courts will reinstate its leases, while opponents explore options for recreational and educational designations that might generate revenue for the state.

County zoning sways state board to deny lease extension for controversial Casper Mountain gravel pit - WyoFile

Opponents cheered the move, while lawsuits are still pending over whether county regulations can trump state-sanctioned activities on state-managed lands.

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 2d

Wyoming's high court is taking a business-as-usual approach as the justices weigh high-profile cases on abortion and school financing.

"We just take them as they come," Chief Justice Lynne Boomgaarden told WyoFile in a rare interview.

Two Wyoming Supreme Court justices discuss role amid growing legislative, public scrutiny - WyoFile

High court maintains business-as-usual approach as justices weigh high-profile cases on abortion, school financing, justices say.

Reposted by WyoFile

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 2d

Wyoming has waited months to learn whether abortion will remain legal here. But a state high court ruling isn't expected soon.

"I can't tell you when the opinion will be out," said Chief Justice Lynne Boomgaarden. "But it is my best guess that probably by the end of the year, in that timeframe."

Abortion ruling not expected until year’s end, Wyoming chief justice says - WyoFile

“I can't tell you when the opinion will be out,” Lynne Boomgaarden told WyoFile, “but it is my best guess that probably by the end of the year, in that timeframe.”

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 2d

Wyoming has waited months to learn whether abortion will remain legal here. But a state high court ruling isn't expected soon.

"I can't tell you when the opinion will be out," said Chief Justice Lynne Boomgaarden. "But it is my best guess that probably by the end of the year, in that timeframe."

Abortion ruling not expected until year’s end, Wyoming chief justice says - WyoFile

“I can't tell you when the opinion will be out,” Lynne Boomgaarden told WyoFile, “but it is my best guess that probably by the end of the year, in that timeframe.”

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 4d

A small herd of pronghorn that lives in the 'Golden Triangle' — migrants that winter near Interstate 80 — pause for a moment in the morning light.

Home on the range ‘east of Farson’ - WyoFile

A small herd of pronghorn that live in the ‘Golden Triangle’ pause for a moment in the morning light.

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 4d

With parks ordered open, the federal government shutdown is hard to perceive for the thousands of visitors flowing through the gates of Yellowstone and Grand Teton.

It's the people who run the place who are feeling the pain.

Tourist life in the Tetons goes on, but shutdown hits short-staffed Park Service workers - WyoFile

With parks ordered open, the federal government shutdown is hard to perceive for the thousands of visitors flowing through the gates of Yellowstone and Grand Teton. It’s the people who run the place w...

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 4d

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to confer Oct. 17 on whether to take up Wyoming's corner-crossing case, a dispute over public access to public lands. Meanwhile, Yellowstone and Grand Teton will remain partly open after the government shutdown.

Read the stories at ➡️ WyoFile.com

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 4d

OPINION: Public lands' cumulative value far exceeds any price that others might try to place on them, write three Lander business owners.

Opinion | Wyoming stands strong for public lands

Public lands' cumulative value far exceeds any price that others might try to place on them, write three Lander business owners.

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 5d

People who maintained the nation's land-based nuclear missile arsenal are coming down with similar cancers. The Air Force is wrapping up a large study of the health risks they may have faced on bases across the U.S., including F.E. Warren in Wyoming.

Reporting by @kffhealthnews.org

Nuclear missile workers are contracting cancer. They blame the bases. - WyoFile

The Air Force is wrapping up a large study of the cancer risks people who maintained the nation’s land-based nuclear missile arsenal across the Northern Rockies may have faced.

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 5d

All told, more men over the age of 70 in both Wyoming and nationally die from gun suicides than they do from car crashes.

Within Wyoming, Carbon, Park, Fremont and Sweetwater counties carried the highest rates of suicide among elderly people.

Older Wyomingites die by gun suicide at rates higher than the rest of the nation - WyoFile

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, you can call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. This

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 5d

The Laramie County Sheriff's Office taps its deputies and jail to assist ICE. Johnson County commissioners weigh in on the roadless rule, which could affect more than half the Bighorn National Forest.

It didn't take long for Grand Teton National Park tourists to notice the federal shutdown.

Local Lookout: ICE inducts 25 deputies | Shutdown shorts tourists on TP | Park County banks on outdoor rec - WyoFile

The Laramie County Sheriff’s Office taps its deputies and jail to assist ICE. Johnson County commissioners weigh in on the roadless rule, which could affect more than half the Bighorn National Forest....

Reposted by WyoFile

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 6d

The U.S. Supreme Court justices are scheduled to confer behind closed doors on Oct. 17 about whether to take up a Carbon County landowner's lawsuit that challenges public access to public land at checkerboard corners in Wyoming.

Supreme Court to confer on whether to hear Wyoming corner-crossing appeal - WyoFile

Court sets Oct. 17 date for conference as Elk Mountain Ranch owner urges justices to take on “a 150-year conflict touching on the core of property law.”

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 5d

OPINION: Wyoming is down to one marketplace individual health insurance provider. With less competition and limited government intervention, health care costs will continue to climb, writes Alexander Muromcew.

Opinion | Without affordable health insurance, all Wyomingites suffer

Wyoming is down to one marketplace individual health insurance provider. With less competition and limited government intervention, health care costs will continue to climb, writes Alexander Muromcew.

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 6d

A miscount in Weston County's 2024 general election and the continuing fallout have refueled calls for banning electronic election equipment in Wyoming in favor of a hand-count system.

Weston County election snafu renews calls for hand counting Wyoming election results - WyoFile

The state currently relies on electronic election equipment to tabulate votes. Some lawmakers want to outlaw that.

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 6d

The Bureau of Land Management will "review and revise" the Rock Springs management plan to implement Trump energy directives, the agency said.

The 2024 plan, under Biden, represented a widely supported conservation and development compromise, advocacy groups say.

Feds to redo management plan for 3.6M acres in southwest Wyoming - WyoFile

The BLM's Rock Springs plan, under Biden, represented a widely supported conservation and development compromise, advocacy groups say.

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 6d

The U.S. Supreme Court justices are scheduled to confer behind closed doors on Oct. 17 about whether to take up a Carbon County landowner's lawsuit that challenges public access to public land at checkerboard corners in Wyoming.

Supreme Court to confer on whether to hear Wyoming corner-crossing appeal - WyoFile

Court sets Oct. 17 date for conference as Elk Mountain Ranch owner urges justices to take on “a 150-year conflict touching on the core of property law.”

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 6d

A judge has sentenced the shooter's mother for her role in providing the firearm used to kill a Sheridan officer. Tensions are flaring over a new affordable housing project in Jackson.

The governor has issued protocols for how Wyoming will handle the federal government shutdown.

Local Lookout: Mother sentenced in officer killing | Affordable housing feud escalates | Wyoming responds to shutdown - WyoFile

A judge has sentenced the shooter’s mother for her role in providing the firearm used to kill a Sheridan officer. Tensions are flaring over a new affordable housing project in Jackson. The governor ha...

WyoFile @wyofile.com · 7d

Much of the federal government shut down as of Oct. 1 after the U.S. Senate failed to reach a budget agreement. How is the shutdown impacting your work, life and access to resources?

WyoFile wants to hear from Wyomingites about the real-world implications of this shutdown. Get in touch with us! 👇

Are you a federal worker in Wyoming? WyoFile wants to hear from you - WyoFile

A U.S. Forest Service employee speaks at an interagency wildfire briefing in May 2024. (Madelyn Beck/WyoFile) About 8,100 Wyomingites work for federal