It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Friday, June 27th. I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom - Brought to you by Cheyenne Frontier Days. Ten days of rodeo thrills, Xtreme Bulls, live concerts, carnival rides, western heritage, and unforgettable cowboy spirit in Cheyenne, Wyoming! Don’t miss the 129th Daddy of ‘Em all July 18-27th.
–
A proposal to sell millions of acres of federal lands in 11 Western states might have been doomed from the start because it was slipped “unvetted” into a budget bill.
That’s what Wyoming resident and former Assistant Interior Secretary Rob Wallace told Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz. He said that U.S. Senator Mike Lee essentially cut the public out of the discussion on their public lands.
“He's a former Assistant Secretary of the Interior, so he understands Land Policy and the congressional wrangling that goes on all around that quite well, and his analysis of the situation with what we've been writing about, this public land sales bill… they should have just put it before the committee as a committee bill and open it up to debate in public hearings. He said that is a necessary and messy and complicated process. But really that's way to get things done, because the way they did it, just trying to write it in and slip it in as part of a measure within this greater budget bill, without really opening it up for debate. That just that sent the wrong picture, gave the wrong impression, open them up to criticism.”
Lee is calling for the sale of between 0.5% and 0.75% of Bureau of Land Management and National Forest System parcels, but opponents of the plan say it opens the door to sell much more. And hunters say there’s no amount of federal public land they’d be OK with selling.
–
At least 400 people converged on Wyoming’s Capitol Thursday evening to oppose the proposal to sell federal land in Wyoming and 11 other Western states.
Cowboy State Daily’s Matthew Christian attended the event, which was organized by Karlee Provenza, a state representative from Laramie. He reports that outdoor enthusiasts from both sides of the political spectrum showed up to vocally oppose the sale of federal land.
“One lady was holding up a sign that said, Don't pave paradise and put up a parking lot. Another guy held up had what he called an Anti Fascist flag. In general, most of the signs that were there really were hands off our public lands. Public Lands should stay in public hands. A lot of them referenced senators Barrasso and Lummis saying, Please don't sell our public lands. There were a few addressed to Representative Hageman as well, with a similar message.”
Other demonstrations are planned around the state, including Friday at 10:30 a.m. at Senator John Barrasso’s regional office in Sheridan, and on Saturday in Pinedale on the courthouse lawn.
Read the full story HERE.
–
Republican Party leaders at the national level are asking a federal judge to let them help defend Wyoming’s new election proof-of-citizenship law, saying the trust of Republican voters in Wyoming election systems is at risk.
Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that the Republican National Committee filed a motion Thursday to intervene in the lawsuit that the Equality State Policy Center is waging against Secretary of State Chuck Gray, and Wyoming’s new law requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.
“The RNC has to show, okay, we have a protectable interest here that's at risk, and Chuck Gray isn't going to represent our interests adequately… Unless the judge just says, Yeah, I want to let you in permissive entrance, then the RNC has to prove it has like, a protectable interest in this case. And you know, its ways of being are at stake or at risk.”
The new law would require people to provide proof of citizenship and 30 days’ Wyoming residency to register to vote in the state. It would disallow using any documentation showing the person is not U.S. citizen to register to vote.
Read the full story HERE.
–
It’s no secret President Donald Trump isn’t a fan of wind energy, describing turbines as “stupid” and “junk” while also advocating for no more wind towers in America.
A Wyoming-based company that’s developed innovative and much shorter turbine technology seems to be an exception, getting a big thumbs up from the Trump administration. Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that a senior Pentagon official has signed off on two Small Business Innovation Research applications submitted by the Laramie-based Airloom Energy, putting the company in the running for an award of $1.25 million for each application.
“The military for quite a while now, through many different administrations, from Reagan on down to Trump, has been looking to make its military bases a Little more resilient when you are dependent on a supply of fuel that has to be trucked… one way to do that is to set up some self sufficient energy sources, solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear, the military is interested in all of the above, and that's not political at all. It's all about resilience of the force… I thought it's pretty interesting that Trump, we've all heard him say, I don't want to see another wind tower go up in America. Well, these aren't really wind towers, but they are wind energy.”
Not only would the Airloom device do a better job than a traditional wind tower, it would also do so much more cheaply. And it would be one-third the size of a wind tower, meaning most people likely wouldn’t even be able to see it, even if was near a highway — unlike the giant windmills that now line some of Wyoming’s most scenic routes.
Read the full story HERE.
–
I’ll be back in just 15 seconds with more news.
–
Homeschool parents converged at the Thursday night meeting of the Carbon County School District Number 1 board of education in Rawlins, concerned that the district was considering passing a policy that would exclude Middle School-age home school children from sports and activities.
Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that since Wyoming’s legislature passed a school choice stipend account program, parents of homeschool children are standing up for what they say are their rights as taxpayers.
“I didn't get a lot out of the superintendent on this policy, or it's merits, but other people who were kind of understanding the shut the door policy said, Well, it just seems like these school choice programs are chipping away at the public school system, and maybe they don't want to encourage that. And so the homeschool parents converged at Thursday night’s school board meeting, and they were like, we pay taxes, we hire high schoolers, we sponsor sports teams, we contribute to this community, and our kids should get to participate.”
School board members appeared to be sympathetic to the homeschool parents’ pleas. McFarland reports that should the issue resurface for a vote, it's prospects of passage look bleak.
–
A long-serving Wyoming senator and former Senate President continues to criticize the state’s governing Freedom Caucus.
Sen. Ogden Driskill spoke about the Freedom Caucus Wednesday during an appearance on the Cowboy State Daily Show with Jake Nichols.
Cowboy State Daily’s Matthew Christian reports that Driskill pointed to Freedom Caucus-backed bills that are now facing judicial challenges, and said their governance has led to many lawsuits against the state.
“there have been several lawsuits filed by various groups over bills that the Wyoming Legislature, which is led by the Freedom Caucus, approved this year. There's one challenging a school choice voucher, there's one challenging abortion regulation, and there's another one challenging, some other educational aspect… what his argument is that is that the Freedom Caucus, the way they govern is so rigid and absolutist that they don't necessarily consider that sometimes it's better to get 80% of what you want and avoid a lawsuit, versus go get 100% of what you want and get sued… The Freedom Caucus is response to that is basically you voted for the bills that people are suing over.”
Driskill said he was taught that the Wyoming Legislature needs to be deliberate and that, when in doubt, Legislature should err on the side of first, do no harm.
Read the full story HERE.
–
After a contentious hearing full of objections, debates over court rules, and photographs of an injured woman, a judge in Kemmerer concluded Thursday that the state has enough evidence to keep prosecuting a man whose wife died under “concerning” circumstances last November.
Court documents allege that 52-year-old Jared Erickson drank and fought with his wife, 46-year-old Tennille Erickson, on Nov. 16, then found her dead in her bedroom amid blood and vomit the next evening. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Thursday’s hearing was to determine whether or not the case should be sent to a higher court for trial.
“The prosecutor is like, Look, she's got goose eggs on her head. She's texting someone like, my husband beat me, and then she's dead. And so that was the prosecutor's focus. The defense attorney's focus was like, hey, look, people are talking about a history of alcoholism, weakened ankles, feet, liver, falling sometimes. Is it really safe in our system of justice to speculate that the husband did it when there's this other idea?”
Thursday's ruling from Judge Gregory Corpening to bind the case over to the higher court means that Erickson will next have an opportunity to give his plea in Lincoln County District Court, and then he can either proceed to trial, or accept a plea agreement, as his circumstances dictate.
–
After 16 weeks of grueling recovery, Laramie firefighter Dylan Schilt walked out of a physical therapy center in Denver and returned home realizing that his most difficult steps might still lie ahead.
A massive stone fireplace chase collapsed on Schilt and another firefighter when they responded to a report of heavy smoke in a rural Albany County house Feb. 28. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that walking out of the physical therapy center was a huge milestone on his road to recovery.
“He was able to walk out of the facility a short distance, but he says, you know, I'm walking now, but not really. He's still having a lot of trouble with balance, those sorts of things… he'd like to go back to being a firefighter, but, you know, whether that's a realistic goal at this point, it's just unknown. He continues to improve a little bit at a time, but he's also having some serious challenges, you know, nerve damage, just structural damage that was done in that horrible accident that he suffered.”
Schilt will continue outpatient physical therapy indefinitely. For now, he’s focusing on the little victories. He’s always had a passion for the outdoors and recently got back outside. He and his brothers took their father fishing on Father’s Day.
Read the full story HERE.
–
And that’s today’s news! For a deeper dive into the people and issues that affect Wyoming, check out The Roundup, conversations with the most interesting people in the Cowboy State. This week, my guest is Zach Buchel, community gardener and self-described food peddler. You can find the link on our website, on our YouTube channel, and wherever you get your podcasts. And of course, you'll find it in our FREE daily email newsletter! Thanks for tuning in - I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.
