CHEYENNE—The Wyoming GOP Resolutions Committee voted Friday in support of censuring Gov. Mark Gordon “in the strongest possible terms for his lack of performance, his behavior and his treatment of Wyoming citizens.” The resolution sets the stage for a Saturday censure vote before the full body at the State Republican Convention.  The resolution to censure the governor takes aim in particular at Gordon’s veto of a property tax relief bill and a measure that would have repealed gun-free zones in Wyoming.  The governor’s office declined to comment on the resolution until the full bod ..read more

Wyoming’s state tourism agency has suspended social media posts and paid ads relating to wildlife amid the worldwide furor over the wolf abuse and killing in Daniel.  The Wyoming Office of Tourism, also known as Travel Wyoming, alerted unknown recipients to the social media suspension in a letter obtained by WyoFile.  “I know you are all well aware of the public criticism over the wolf abuse by a resident,” read the email, which came from the office’s Senior Communication Manager Piper Singer Cunningham. “Over the past week, Travel Wyoming and many other state agencies are at the ..read more

The much-maligned company exploring a potential gravel mining operation at the base of Casper Mountain is moving forward with its highly controversial plans that nearby residents and recreationalists say would spoil the area, while offering a long list of commitments in hopes to assuage public concerns. Prism Logistics LLC will consider drilling deep water wells should mining interrupt existing wells in the area, according to a two-page letter that Prism Manager Kyle True issued Thursday. The company also promises to limit the footprint of active mining operations and ask the state for perm ..read more

Each spring, cyclists watch Yellowstone weather closely hoping for clear skies that might allow a 46-mile ride through nature without worrying about noisy, charging motor vehicles. Park crews plow snow from the road between the West Yellowstone and Mammoth entrances, then before the route opens to vehicles, hundreds of cyclists swarm to pedal past Mount Haynes, Gibbon Falls, Roaring Mountain and dozens of lumbering bison. This year, cycling opened April 2 between Mammoth and West Yellowstone and along a short section of the East Entrance Road outside Cody. Vehicles begin entering the park t ..read more

I can’t help but wonder if Forrest Gump’s mother had the Freedom Caucus in mind when she said “stupid is as stupid does.”   Opinion I have to give the Freedom Caucus credit for its success in promoting the idea that Republicans are either true conservatives, as its members claim to be, or RINOs (Republicans In Name Only). But just because people are parroting Freedom Caucus messaging doesn’t mean they are good ideas. If I had to simplify Wyoming politics, I would suggest there are two types of conservatives: 1) thoughtful conservatives willing to change with the times and 2) rigid ..read more

RIVERTON—From her home in the South Carolina countryside town of Six Mile, Lorraine Finazzo typically spends her weekdays managing construction projects for a New York City real estate developer.  Because of an incident involving a Wyoming wolf over 1,500 miles away, her productivity has waned of late.  “I’m at the computer crying everyday,” Finazzo said from the lobby of the Holiday Inn in Riverton. “I’m supposed to be working remotely and instead I’m like, ‘Oh my God there’s another video.’”  “I don’t know why I feel this way,” she added. “Helpless animal. It’s just wrong ..read more

As people from Wyoming and beyond join in righteous indignation over an ugly incident in which a man tortured and killed an animal simply because it was a wolf, we would do well to examine the policy framework that set the stage for tragedy. As in all tragedies, the result is not just the downfall of the main character. The story has layers of irony — not situational irony, which would be a surprise, but tragic, dramatic irony with an air of inevitability, not fully recognized by the participants but strongly sensed by the audience. Opinion One man has become the public face of Wyoming by t ..read more

If you’re one of Rocky Mountain Power’s 144,511 customers in Wyoming, your monthly electricity bill may soon increase — again. For the second year in a row, the utility — a division of Warren Buffet’s PacifiCorp — says it underestimated costs for coal and natural gas to fuel power plants and to buy electricity on the open market, and it wants to tap Wyoming ratepayers to make up the difference. Rocky Mountain Power on Monday filed for a 12.3% rate increase that — if approved — would tap Wyoming customers for a one-time $86.4 million, mostly due to higher-than-expected fuel costs in 2023. If ..read more

With sulfur hot springs that feed mineral pools and bubble over travertine terraces near the banks of the Bighorn River, Hot Springs State Park in Thermopolis is by far Wyoming’s most-visited state park. There, patrons can brave water slides or splash around pools at two aquatic facilities, soak in a public bathhouse, amble along boardwalks or stay in one of two hotels.  The Wyoming State Parks Department believes that with some TLC, the park can become an even bigger draw and economic engine. Hoping to polish it into a more modern, shiny destination, the agency is considering proposal ..read more

The results from a recent study surprised even Matt Hahn, a biologist who has been monitoring fish in the North Platte River for nearly two decades.  Almost a quarter of the river’s trout are seriously injured from fishing hooks, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department found after years studying fish in popular sections of the river. Fish in some sections fared better than others, but Hahn fears catch-and-release fishing, a method generally considered a best practice for conservation, is taking a toll.  The issue is more complicated than simply changing regulations on a river that su ..read more