Opinion
Sally Ann Shurmur: Welcome To Laramie, It's Just Different
Columnist Sally Ann Shurmur writes, "I would not want to be the Idaho Vandals this week. I think the Pokes are ready to deliver a beatdown. And I think the defense will remember what the hell they are supposed to do."
Sally Ann ShurmurSeptember 05, 2024
Tom Lubnau: Give The Freedom Caucus The Benefit Of The Doubt
Columnist Tom Lubnau writes: "I have learned to trust the collective wisdom of the Wyoming voters. They are the carny operating the ride. I may not understand why the voters made their choices, but I have learned there is a level of wisdom behind the voter’s choice, and to search for what that wisdom is."
Tom LubnauSeptember 04, 2024
Candy Moulton: Thursday Is The Only Time We Can Tell The Postal Service What We Think
Columnist Candy Moulton writes, "“When your local postal manager tells you not to send a letter by certified mail because it will likely get lost in the system, you know the mail delivery in our area just plain stinks. Let’s pack a Zoom meeting this Thursday because the USPS needs to hear what the rural West thinks."
Candy MoultonSeptember 03, 2024
Dave Simpson: The Freedom Caucus Suits Him Fine
Columnist Dave Simpson writes, "'The old cigar club is closed.' So said my crustiest Republican friend from Casper this week, about the results of the Aug. 20th primary election in Wyoming."
Dave SimpsonSeptember 03, 2024
Clair McFarland: Sometimes My Mom Walks In And Sets Me Straight
Clair McFarland writes: "That was when my mom walked in wearing one of her fancy halter top things, carrying a box of black licorice (my favorite) and a sequined purse with a conceal-carry pocket for her pistol — and called out 'Yoo-hoooo! Grandma’s here!'"
Clair McFarlandSeptember 01, 2024
Rod Miller: New Faces Around The Ol’ Campfire
Columnist Rod Miller writes, "Straggling in to take their places around the campfire, our cowboy crew griped about the day they just had. Breaking in a new trailhand is never easy, but today was the first day riding herd for a dozen or so tenderfooted newbies."
Rod MillerSeptember 01, 2024
Joan Barron: Interim Committee Work Dampened By The Prospect Of New Legislative Leadership
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "The Freedom Caucus has openly stated its status as anti-government, anti-tax, anti-spending and other antis as well. All these antis can have a paralyzing influence on legislative business."
Joan BarronSeptember 01, 2024
Bill Sniffin: Does Each Wyoming Town Have Its ‘9 Old Men’ Who Think They Run It?
Bill Sniffin writes: “In my travels, I am always looking for these coffee groups. They can be a true fountain of information and misinformation. This is where all the good news stories bubble up from."
Bill SniffinAugust 31, 2024
Dennis Sun: Sheep Are In
Ag columnist Dennis Sun writes, "Sheep have always been a vital industry in the West, even though numbers have been dropping over the years. Despite all of the hurdles of raising sheep, there is still a strong interest in them."
Dennis SunAugust 30, 2024
Jonathan Lange: Reflections On A Half-Million Acres Of Fire
Jonathan Lange writes: "A spontaneous government arose across county and state lines because people had an urgent task to accomplish. Should anyone attempt to hijack its power for personal gain, he or she would find that it dissolves as quickly as it arose."
Jonathan LangeAugust 30, 2024
Sally Ann Shurmur: When It Comes To Moms, We Hit The Jackpot
Columnist Sally Ann Shurmur writes, "I’d love to introduce those who don’t already know her to my mom, who turns 93 on Saturday. In the NFL, she earned the reputation as the real one, still cleaning her own house, still cooking every night for her beloved Fritz."
Sally Ann ShurmurAugust 29, 2024
Tom Lubnau: How To Spot Artificial Intelligence Bots And Paid Political Operatives On Social Media
Columnist Tom Lubnau writes, "Social media is full of cowardly trolls who set up fake profiles and comment, seemingly anonymously, to say what they don’t have the courage to say in person."
Tom LubnauAugust 28, 2024
Rod Miller: Peevish Populace Poses Problem for Puzzled Politicians
Columnist Rod Miller writes, "As the dust settles over the shifted tectonics of Wyoming politics after the primary, one factor at play in the election stands out to me: voters in Wyoming are pissed."
Rod MillerAugust 28, 2024
Candy Moulton: Miriam Baggott -- An Englishwoman Paves The Way For Homesteaders
Columnist Candy Moulton writes: “Miriam Baggott and her young daughter often fled their home and hid in the willows when they had reports of Indians roaming in the area. Other times Miriam hung quilts over the cabin windows so their lantern light would not be seen from a distance.”
Candy MoultonAugust 27, 2024
Dave Simpson: Nobody Told Us We're Too Old
Columnist Dave Simpson writes, "Can two guys with a combined age of 146 years build a house high in the mountains of Wyoming? All by themselves? Without heavy equipment? Jury's still out on that."
Dave SimpsonAugust 26, 2024
Rod Miller: Sam Western’s “The Spirit of 1889” – Essential Reading in The Big Empty
Columnist Rod Miller writes, "Wyoming's constitution is so progressive that it collectivized resources like water and wildlife, and preserved them in public hands. Today’s Republicans would hoot and holler at 1889’s GOP and call them socialist at best and Chinese Communists at worst."
Rod MillerAugust 25, 2024
Aaron Turpen: Common Car Myths vs Reality
Aaron Turpen writes, "A while back, I wrote about gas saving tips, debunking some of the common misconceptions and validating a few others. Now let’s look at some other automotive myths and see if they have any footing in reality."
Aaron TurpenAugust 25, 2024
Joan Barron: The Two Party Solution
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "The Wyoming Republican Party’s party’s center — the moderates, the traditionalists — is in danger of becoming irrelevant. Their power is being siphoned away by the party’s hard right wing."
Joan BarronAugust 24, 2024
Bill Sniffin: So Many Big Little Stories Came Out Of 2024 Primary
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “Our 2024 Republican primary campaign was a barn-burner and full of meanness and hate. Yes, folks, politics in Wyoming, once again, is not political, it is personal.”
Bill SniffinAugust 24, 2024
Jonathan Lange: Thankfully, Two-Party Politics Has Returned To Wyoming
Columnist Jonathan Lange writes, "The increasingly lopsided ratio of Democrats to Republicans has effectively turned Wyoming into an unhealthy one-party state. The emergence of two clear caucuses within the dominant party helps the voter make an informed choice."
Jonathan LangeAugust 23, 2024
Dennis Sun: Slow And Even Slower
Columnist Dennis Sun writes, "Kamala Harris wants to have new price controls on food and is focusing on meat, especially beef. Her talk set off alarms in the cattle and beef business – futures dropped suddenly and live cattle prices dropped as well."
Dennis SunAugust 23, 2024
Sally Ann Shurmur: Fanning The Flames, And Not Just Fire
Columnist Sally Ann Shurmur writes, "Turns out, you can get redder than red. And the moderates look left, and the right looks middle. But guess what? It’s what the people who voted want, pundits and the media be damned."
Sally Ann ShurmurAugust 22, 2024
Tom Lubnau: Identifying The Techniques Politicians Use To Dodge Tough Questions
Columnist Tom Lubnau writes, "Since the primary election is over, we should evaluate the political deflection techniques used by candidates in the heat of the election. A deflection technique is a way to redirect attention away from the real topic."
Tom LubnauAugust 21, 2024
Rod Miller: The Wyoming Freedom Caucus Wins Some Big Pots
Columnist Rod Miller writes, "When the voters dealt the river card in Tuesday’s primary election, the Wyoming Freedom Caucus hit some inside straights and walked off with a lot of chips. All the bluffs and tells of the game were over."
Rod MillerAugust 21, 2024