CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Secretary of State office announced the official start to the 2024 election cycle today with the opening of the Wyoming candidate filing period. A press release sent out Thursday outlines the requirements for those seeking election at several state and federal levels. Those running for U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Wyoming State Representative and Wyoming State Senator in even-numbered districts with a major party affiliation are required to file with the Secretary of State in order to be on the ballot for the Aug. 20 primary. Primary candidates have from May 16 unti ..read more

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The State of Wyoming, alongside a coalition of states and private parties, has taken legal action by filing a lawsuit opposing President Biden’s new rules interpreting Title IX. Title IX is a law designed to create educational and athletic opportunities, particularly for female students. The lawsuit argues that the new rules are contrary to the core principles of Title IX, compromising safety and privacy and ultimately depriving female athletes of opportunities. Gov. Gordon expressed Wyoming’s firm stance in a Tuesday news release. “Wyoming will fight the Biden Administration ..read more

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The University of Wyoming announced Friday that it is closing its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office. The announcement of the office closure came via a university news release. The decision was supported by the institution’s board of trustees, as well as UW President Ed Seidel. Seidel and the trustees reviewed comments from the campus community. Pressure from state legislators influenced the institution’s decision to ax its diversity efforts as well. “We received a strong message from the state’s elected officials to change our approach to DEI issues,” Seidel said in the ..read more

CASPER, Wyo. — Kyle True, CEO of Prism Logistics LLC, stood before a crowded room Thursday evening to explain his company’s plans for a gravel pit west of Casper and allay area homeowners’ fears. “We are trying to listen, and I believe there are substantial, reasonable, applicable fears and there are inapplicable fears, and we are trying to divide between the two,” True told about 150 people — mostly opponents and some just curious — at the Ramkota Hotel, 800 N. Poplar St., at a town hall sponsored by Liberty’s Place 4 U. “At this point, we believe virtually all the fears are inapplicable to ..read more

By Dustin Bleizeffer One of the state’s top hired lawyers predicts Wyoming and other coal proponents will prevail in federal court to stop the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new coal pollution rules that most observers agree would effectively end the state’s coal industry. “I’m going to tell you right now: EPA is not going to win these lawsuits,” Jackson Walker LLP attorney Mike Nasi said.  The bigger question, according to Nasi, is whether the plaintiffs’ victories will come in time to save coal-fired power plants and thermo-electric coal mining. Unless a federal court gran ..read more

By Madelyn Beck More than 17,500 Wyoming enrollees lost Medicaid or Kids Care CHIP coverage over the previous 12 months ending March. That’s because the Wyoming Department of Health is performing its federally mandated eligibility review for the services. The state paused that annual effort during the pandemic while the feds temporarily bolstered Medicaid funds to help cover extra enrollees.  Of those removed from the rolls, 12,380 — nearly 70% — lost access due to “procedural reasons,” like failing to return renewal paperwork. About three quarters of those procedural removals were ..read more

by Maggie Mullen, WyoFile Three strikes and you’re out.  That’s the new policy of the Wyoming Republican Party regarding meeting attendance for its elected precinct committeemen and women — the people who help craft the party’s policy vision. Any precinct committee person who misses three meetings in a year will be removed.  Supporters say the bylaw change is needed to address an epidemic of no shows across the state.  “This is not booting or kicking out people from the party,” Park County GOP State Committeeman Vince Vanata told WyoFile, adding that he’s seen members get ..read more

CASPER, Wyo. — The candidate filing period for the 2024 City of Casper City Council nomination by primary begins on May 16. Five Casper City Council seats will be filled in the November 2024 election; two seats each in Wards I and II and one seat in Ward III must be filled. The filing period for the primary election is May 16 through May 31. Prospective candidates can determine their ward from the Council Ward map available at www.casperwy.gov. All municipal offices are nonpartisan. The city clerk is the municipal elections officer and assists municipal candidates with the filing of ..read more

By Dustin Bleizeffer Gov. Mark Gordon has promised to sue over a new suite of federal rules that most observers agree will hasten the U.S. thermal coal industry’s trajectory toward extinction — an existential threat to many Wyoming communities and one of the state’s main economic drivers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday issued four “final” rules aimed at drastically cutting coal pollution, including a mandate that existing coal-fired power plants cut or capture 90% of their planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions by 2032 or convert to natural gas or close a ..read more

By Mike Koshmrl Until a few weeks ago, Wayne Pacelle was undecided whether he’d join the fray of lawsuits challenging the federal government’s decision to allow western states to continue managing gray wolves.  Then the news cycle spun toward Sublette County, where local resident Cody Roberts is accused of running down a wolf with a snowmobile on Feb. 29, capturing the critically wounded animal, taping its mouth shut, and showing it off in a bar for hours before finally killing it — actions that have thus far only earned Roberts a $250 fine. Pacelle, a forme ..read more