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News

About Face: Driskill, Sommers Now May Call Special Session For Property Tax Bill
After saying Monday morning they wouldn't call for the Wyoming Legislature to reconvene for a special session, Senate President Ogden Driskill and House Speaker Albert Sommers say they're now considering it.
Leo WolfsonMarch 26, 2024

Legislator Calls Gordon Veto Of Wheatland Water Tower ‘Vindictive,’ ‘Reckless’
State Rep. Jeremy Haroldson says Gov. Mark Gordon was “vindictive” and “reckless” in vetoing $2 million to help replace a failing water tower in Wheatland.
Leo WolfsonMarch 26, 2024

Driskill, Sommers Won’t Call For Special Session To Overturn Governor’s Vetoes
Senate President Ogden Driskill and House Speaker Albert Sommers said Monday they won’t comply with requests from some Wyoming legislators to call for a special session to overturn Governor Gordon’s vetoes.
Leo WolfsonMarch 25, 2024

Clear-Cutting Cheyenne's Parks: 160+ Cottonwoods Chopped Down & More To Come
There aren’t many trees in Cheyenne. It’s hard to grow them. That’s what makes longtime Cheyenne resident Buck McVeigh so angry at the city for cutting down more than 160 cottonwoods and there’s more to come.
Renée JeanMarch 24, 2024

Wyoming Legislators Call For Special Session After Latest Round Of Gordon Vetoes
Sen. Cheri Steinmetz and Rep. John Bear on Saturday both called for a special session of the Wyoming Legislature citing Gov. Gordon's vetoes of bills which were overwhelmingly passed by legislators.
Jimmy OrrMarch 23, 2024

Gordon Vetoes Legislature's Defunding Of DEI Programming At University Of Wyoming
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon on Saturday vetoed the legislature's defunding of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at the University of Wyoming — but he still let the budget defund the DEI office. The latest veto prompted legislators to call for a special session.
Clair McFarlandMarch 23, 2024

Gordon Vetoes Bill To Repeal Gun-Free Zones In Wyoming
Gun rights advocates were furious after hearing that Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed a bill late Friday that would have repealed Wyoming’s gun-free zones. “Gordon broke a written campaign promise that he made to gun owners. Gordon is a liar,” a Wyoming Gun Owners spokesman said.
Mark HeinzMarch 23, 2024

Gordon Allows "Frivolous" And "Superfluous" Parental Rights Bills To Go Into Law Without Signature
Saying the bills undermine local control and don't add much to parental rights already enshrined in law, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon allowed two parental rights bills regarding education to go into law without his signature.
Clair McFarlandMarch 23, 2024

This Week's Election & Re-election Announcements in Wyoming
A number of current state legislators have confirmed to Cowboy State Daily this past week that they’re running for reelection. Some have dropped out. Many already have challengers. Here's a quick look.
Leo WolfsonMarch 23, 2024

Legislators Say University Of Wyoming 'Flipping The Bird' At People Of Wyoming
Rep. Jeanette Ward said the University of Wyoming is "flipping the bird" at the people of Wyoming by deciding to keep some diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at the school despite the legislature pulling funding for them.
Clair McFarlandMarch 22, 2024

Wyoming Joins Supreme Court Lawsuit On Trump Immunity
Wyoming Attorney General Bridget Hill has joined an amicus brief with two other state attorneys general asking the U.S. Supreme Court to establish a legal test for the limits of presidential immunity.
Leo WolfsonMarch 22, 2024

Gordon Signs Wyoming Ban On Gender Changes For Kids, But Calls It Intrusive
Although he feels it’s intrusive into the “personal affairs of families,” Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon on Friday signed a bill that bans gender-change treatments for children.
Clair McFarlandMarch 22, 2024

Hageman's Bill To Ban Trans Women In Olympics Clears Committee
Despite emotional attacks from detractors, a bill carried by Harriet Hageman to ban transgender women from competing in Olympics and other amateur spots cleared the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
Clair McFarlandMarch 22, 2024

Gordon Signs Bill To Give Money For Private Schools, But Cuts Income Threshold
Gov. Mark Gordon made a significant cut to a bill giving state money to parents who want to send their kids to private schools or to homeschool in Wyoming, but still signed it Thursday.
Leo WolfsonMarch 22, 2024

Gordon Vetoes Property Tax Relief Bill, Calls It ‘Socialistic’ and ‘Bidenomic’
Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed a property tax relief bill Thursday that would have exempted 25% of assessed home value off Wyoming homes worth $2 million or less, calling it “a socialistic type of wealth transfer.” He signed three other property tax bills.
Leo WolfsonMarch 22, 2024

Chuck Gray OK’d Casper Gravel Pit Last Year, But Now Tells Locals He Opposes It
Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray told a crowd of Casper Mountain area residents Thursday he stands with them in their opposition to a gravel pit plan, but wouldn’t answer questions about why he voted to approve it last year.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 22, 2024
University of Wyoming Won’t Cut Diversity Program Despite Legislature Defunding It
Despite the Wyoming Legislature stripping funding for the University of Wyoming’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) program, the university won’t cut it, President Ed Seidel told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday. He said the university could use its own money or private money to keep it going.
Leo WolfsonMarch 22, 2024

Riverton Cuts Ties With Chamber Of Commerce Over Bungled Money
The Riverton City Council voted Tuesday to strip the Riverton Chamber of Commerce of its duty to distribute lodging tax money after the chamber reportedly overdrew its bank account by thousands of dollars.
Clair McFarlandMarch 21, 2024

Barrasso And Lummis Slam New Biden Administration EV Mandate
Sens. Barrasso and Lummis blasted a new Biden EV rule announced Wednesday that says gas-powered cars can make up no more than 30% of U.S. auto sales by 2032. They both vowed to overturn the mandate to protect consumer choice.
Leo WolfsonMarch 21, 2024

Affie Ellis, Wyoming's First Native Woman Legislator, Won't Run For Reelection
Affie Ellis, a Cheyenne Republican and first Native American woman elected to the Wyoming Legislature, has announced she won't run for reelection in the fall.
Leo WolfsonMarch 21, 2024

It’s Not A Conspiracy to Hide Wrecks, Those WYDOT Webcams Really Are Broken
Conspiracy theorists will be disappointed to learn that the Wyoming Department of Transportation doesn’t routinely shut off highway webcams when there’s a wreck. Dozens of them really are broken.
Leo WolfsonMarch 20, 2024

Natrona County Sympathetic With Locals Opposed To Casper Mountain Gravel Pit
Locals opposed to a proposed gravel pit at the base of Casper Mountain again packed the Natrona County Commission’s meeting room Tuesday as officials said they’re sympathetic to their concerns.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 20, 2024

Natrona County OKs Funds To Bury Years Of Unclaimed Cremated Remains
The Natrona County Coroner’s office on Tuesday okayed $15,000 to bury the cremated remains of 22 unclaimed people. The remains had been sitting on a shelf in the coroner's office for years.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 20, 2024

Wyoming House Majority Whip Cyrus Western Won’t Run For Reelection
House Majority Whip state Rep. Cyrus Western, a Republican from Big Horn, confirmed to Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday that he won’t be running for reelection this fall.
Leo WolfsonMarch 20, 2024
