A judge is considering Wyoming abortion laws, including the first explicit US ban on abortion pills
Attorneys for both sides in a challenge to Wyoming abortion restrictions that include the nation’s first explicit ban on medication to end pregnancy have urged a judge to uphold or strike down the new laws without holding a trial.
A woman pleads guilty to fire that kept a Wyoming abortion clinic from opening for a year
An abortion opponent has pleaded guilty to a federal arson charge after telling investigators that anxiety and nightmares about Wyoming’s first full-service abortion clinic in years led her to break into and burn the planned facility.
Yellowstone flooding forces 10,000 to leave national park
Yellowstone National Park officials say more than 10,000 visitors have been ordered out of the nation’s oldest national park after unprecedented flooding tore through its northern half, washing out bridges and roads and sweeping an employee bunkhouse miles downstream.
Liz Cheney destituída por republicanos en el Congreso
Los republicanos en la Cámara de Representantes despojaron el miércoles a la representante Liz Cheney de su puesto en la conducción, destituyendo con ello a una detractora del expresidente Donald Trump que rechazó reiteradamente sus falsedades sobre la elección presidencial.
Líder republicano reclama destitución de Liz Cheney
El número dos del bloque republicano en la Cámara de Representantes de Estados Unidos reclamó el miércoles la destitución de Liz Cheney, la número tres, dándole impulso a la campaña para derribarla debido a sus reiterados enfrentamientos con el expresidente Donald Trump.
Scientists: Grizzlies expand turf but still need protection
Fish and Wildlife Service is a grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) in Grand Teton National Park, Wyo. Grizzly bears are slowly expanding in the northern Rocky Mountains but scientists say they need continued protections and have concluded no other areas of the country would be suitable for the fearsome animals. The Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday released its first assessment in almost a decade about the status of grizzly bears in the contiguous U.S. Conservationists and some university scientists have pushed to return bears to areas including Colorado’s San Juan Mountains and California’s Sierra Nevada. Grizzly bears have been protected as a threatened species in the contiguous U.S. since 1975, allowing a slow recovery in a handful of areas.
Wyoming election changes pushed by Donald Trump Jr. fail
FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2021, file photo, Donald Trump Jr. waits by Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. – Wyoming lawmakers rejected a measure that would have required candidates to win a majority of votes in primary elections to avoid runoffs — a change endorsed by Donald Trump Jr. in his campaign to undermine Republican U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney. Trump Jr. called for Cheney’s defeat after she voted to impeach President Donald Trump over the storming of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of his supporters. But for the most part, Wyoming’s Republican elected officials have continued to support her. AdTwo Republican state legislators —- Sen. Anthony Bouchard, of Cheyenne, and Rep. Chuck Gray, of Casper — already have announced they are running against Cheney, Wyoming’s lone congresswoman.
Denver's airport reopens after powerful winter storm
The storm system, fueled by moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, had moved out of the region and into northeastern Nebraska by Monday, said Evan Direnzo, a meteorologist for the weather service in Boulder. Denver's airport runways were closed just before noon on Sunday due to blowing snow and poor visibilities and some stranded passengers spent the night at the airport. AdIn Wyoming, the National Weather Service warned that driving would remain dangerous for the next several days there because of slick and snow covered roads. Classes were also called off at Colorado State University in Fort Collins and the University of Colorado’s main campus in Boulder. In the Denver metro area, all bus routes were suspended but limited train service was operating, including from downtown’s Union Station to the airport.
Winter storm closes roads in Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)A powerful late winter snowstorm intensified over the central Rocky Mountains on Sunday with heavy snow and wind leading to airport and road closures, power outages and avalanche warnings in parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska. The National Weather Service in Wyoming called it a “historic and crippling” winter storm that would cause extremely dangerous to impossible travel conditions through at least early Monday. Farther south, a record of over 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow had fallen just outside Cheyenne by noon Sunday, the weather service reported. More than 19 inches (48 centimeters) of snow had fallen at the airport by 11 a.m. Sunday, the weather service said. AdAn avalanche blocked Colorado Highway 14 in north-central Colorado on Sunday, the Department of Transportation said.
Investigation of Wyoming toddler found dead continues
Stuffed animals and notes of condolences are seen attached to a fence Monday, Feb. 22, 2021, around a dumpster at a Cheyenne, Wyo., apartment complex where a 2-year-old boy was found dead. – Police in Wyoming continued Monday to investigate the death of a 2-year-old boy whose body was found in a dumpster at an apartment complex. Orona didn't return a Facebook message seeking comment and didn't have a listed phone number. AdPolice and firefighters conducted an extensive search Friday after hearing of the missing toddler. They used a reverse 911 call to tell people within a half-mile (1 kilometer) of the Lexington Hills apartment complex to be on the lookout for him.
McCarthy meets with Rep. Greene; GOP faces Cheney decision
House Republicans are effectively deciding whether to prioritize the former president’s norm-shattering behavior and conspiracy theories and retain the loyalty of his voters over more establishment conservative values. AdThe House GOP Steering Committee, a leadership-dominated body that makes committee assignments for the party, also met late Tuesday but no decision was announced. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and others have boosted pressure this week on McCarthy and the House GOP to act. McConnell praised Cheney, R-Wyo., as “a leader with deep convictions and courage,” but House GOP lawmakers planned to meet privately Wednesday to decide her political fate. AdThe looming decisions over Cheney and Greene represent a moment of reckoning for a party struggling with its future.
Superhero Bridger Walker visits Miami for adventure in ‘big boat’
Ralph Navarro, of Florida Yachts International, heard about the brave Bridger Walker from his daughter. “At first, I didn’t know what a yacht was, but then my grandpa told me it was a big boat,” Bridger said. Bridger Walker stands with his sister Brielle after the attack on July 9 in Wisconsin. (Courtesy of the Walker family)“We could have easily lost both of our kids that day,” Walker said on Tuesday in Miami. The Walker family arrived on Monday and Navarro awarded Bridger with “a true FYI Yachts celebration” on a Sunseeker 80 Sport Yacht out of the Prime Marina Miami in Coconut Grove.
Grizzly, 34, confirmed as Yellowstone region's known oldest
This 2020 photo provided by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department shows the worn, mostly toothless jaw of Grizzly 168. – A 34-year-old grizzly bear captured in southwestern Wyoming has been confirmed as the oldest on record in the Yellowstone region, Wyoming wildlife officials said. Grizzly bear 168 was captured last summer after it preyed on calves in the Upper Green River Basin area. Biologists could tell grizzly 168 was responsible after examining the calves. Grizzly 168 has outlived all females documented within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem by four years, and female grizzly bears tend to live longer, officials said.
US government approves routes for Wyoming CO2 pipelines
The U.S. government has approved routes for a system of pipelines that would move carbon dioxide across Wyoming in what could be by far the largest such network in North America, if it is developed. – The U.S. government has approved routes for a system of pipelines that would move carbon dioxide across Wyoming in what could be by far the largest such network in North America, if it is developed. In all, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management designated 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometers) of federal land for pipeline development through the Wyoming Pipeline Corridor Initiative, the Casper Star-Tribune reported. Energy markets drive development of carbon capture projects for oil development, said Matt Fry, state of Wyoming project manager for the pipeline initiative. Sage grouse numbers have dwindled substantially over the past century and much of their habitat in Wyoming carries development restrictions.
Effort in Arkansas to enact hate crimes law in jeopardy
Hutchinson is advocating for a hate crimes bill in the upcoming legislative session, but the measure faces some obstacles. Georgia in June became the latest to enact a bill, leaving Arkansas, South Carolina and Wyoming as the remaining outliers. Asa Hutchinson, who as a U.S. attorney prosecuted racist militia members but without a hate crimes law's specific penalties. The potential for hate crimes laws getting approved is mixed in the other remaining states. Bentonville-based Walmart and Springdale-based Tyson Foods have also said they support enacting a hate crimes law.
Utah man pleads guilty in Yellowstone dig seeking treasure
This undated photo provided by the National Park Service shows Fort Yellowstone Cemetery, in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. A Utah man has pleaded guilty after authorities said he was caught digging in a Yellowstone National Park cemetery in search of hidden treasure. – A Utah man has pleaded guilty after authorities said he was caught digging in a Yellowstone National Park cemetery in search of hidden treasure. Craythorn caused more than $1,000 in damage by digging in the Fort Yellowstone Cemetery between Oct. 1, 2019, and May 24, 2020, prosecutors alleged. Several people seeking the treasure had to be rescued from precarious situations and as many as six died.
$2K reward offered in Wyoming grizzly bear killing case
FILE - In this July 6, 2011, file photo, a grizzly bear roams near Beaver Lake in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. Wildlife managers are offering an up to $2,000 reward for information about the illegal killing of a grizzly bear in central Wyoming. Grizzlies in the Yellowstone region are federally protected as a threatened species. – Wildlife managers in Wyoming are offering an up to $2,000 reward for information about the illegal killing of a grizzly bear. Grizzlies in the Yellowstone region are federally protected as a threatened species.
Wyoming health official: ‘so-called pandemic’ communist plot
– A Wyoming Department of Health official involved in the state's response to the coronavirus questioned the legitimacy of the pandemic and described a forthcoming vaccine as a biological weapon at a recent event. Shepherd was introduced as and talked about being a Wyoming Department of Health employee in the over hour-long presentation in Loveland, Colorado. Shepherd's baseless and unsubstantiated claims undermined Wyoming's public health measures — and public exhortations — to limit spread of the virus, as well as its plans to distribute COVID-19 vaccines in the months ahead. He has worked for the health department since 2013 and has been a part of the state’s team responding to COVID-19, though not in a leadership role, department spokeswoman Kim Deti said. Researchers have worried for months that politicized skepticism of COVID-19 vaccines could hurt their efficacy.
New migration maps serve as tools to help big game in West
They watch as big game animals in the West chase emerging spring greenery to ever-higher elevations, then return to lowlands to avoid the worst of winter's cold and snow. Roads, such as Interstate 80 from Wyoming to California, also hold up and kill migrating big game animals. Reintroduced populations of Western big game animals need decades to rediscover migration routes, research suggests. Mark Gordon in February designated three mule deer migration corridors with plans for others where state officials would encourage but not force help from landowners. And we now have a whole toolbox full of tools that we can use to maintain these migration corridors,” Kauffman said.
House moves to approve DC statehood; Senate GOP opposes
will hold a vote on D.C. statehood on July 26. Or Congress can live up to this nations promise and ideals, end taxation without representation and pass the statehood bill. The House vote would mark the first time a chamber of Congress has passed a D.C. statehood bill, but the legislation faces insurmountable opposition in the GOP-controlled Senate. In a Senate speech, he dismissed Washington, D.C., as a city with little more to offer than lobbyists and federal workers. In other words, Wyoming is a well-rounded working-class state.Cotton also criticized Democrats for prioritizing the D.C. statehood vote while there is mob violence in the streets.
Rescuers relieved after legendary $2M treasure found
Treasure hunters have run into trouble there a couple times every year, Johnson said. Not far away, two treasure hunters using snowmobiles needed rescue twice this past February and March. In January, treasure hunter David Christensen, of Winamac, Indiana, needed rescue after rappelling deep into Yellowstone National Parks Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. A photo not made public confirmed the chase was over, Fenn told the Santa Fe New Mexican. The statement especially the canopy of stars part has settled little for avid Fenn treasure hunters in online forums: They want to know the solution.
Cheyenne Frontier Days canceled for 1st time in 124 years
FILE - In this July, 1997 file photo, Dwayne Hargo, left, Rick Chatman, right, and Quail Dobbs, in the barrel, try to divert the bull's attention away from a fallen cowboy at the Frontier Days rodeo in Cheyenne, Wyo. Cheyenne Frontier Days has been canceled for the first time in its 124-year history due to the coronavirus. Cheyenne Mayor Marian Orr said Wednesday, May 27, 2020 that organizers decided the risk of spreading the virus was too great for the more than 140,000 people who visit Cheyenne for Frontier Days in late July. Cheyenne Frontier Days, billed as the world's largest outdoor rodeo, has been canceled for the first time in its 124-year history due to the coronavirus, the city's mayor told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Bars all over Cheyenne are typically standing-room-only during Frontier Days as people try line dancing and mechanical bull-riding.
National parks hope visitors comply with virus measures
Visitors to Yellowstone National Park often leave common sense and situational awareness at home, as those examples in the past year show. Were out there.Other national parks that have reopened include Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina, where park officials urge visitors to arrive early at popular spots. We're expecting there to be less people on the trails than being open all day, said Grand Canyon spokesperson Lily Daniels. A lot of it is self-governance.That's not a good idea, said former Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Rob Arnberger in an opinion piece Friday in The Arizona Republic. No ones an expert at reopening national parks in a pandemic, Sholly said.
Man severely burned after fall into thermal water at Old Faithful
Cade Edmond Siemers told Park Rangers that he took a walk off the boardwalk without a flashlight and tripped into the thermal water near the cone of Old Faithful Geyser, the NPS said in a statement. Siemers was able to walk back to Old Faithful Inn, where he was staying near the geyser, and call for help around midnight. Due to bad weather, the use of a life flight helicopter from Old Faithful was prohibited, the NPS said. The Old Faithful Geyser erupts every 51 to 120 minutes, according to the NPS. In June 2017, a North Carolina man suffered severe burns when he fell into a hot spring in the Lower Geyser Basin north of the Old Faithful area.
Yellowstone National Park has its first female chief ranger
Yellowstone National Park's Steamboat Geyser is on pace to hit a record number of eruptions. (CNN) - For 147 years, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming has been overseen by a parade of chief rangers, all of them men. Sarah Davis, a 20-year National Park Service veteran, will become the park's 18th chief ranger -- and the first female to officially hold the role. (Yellowstone has had interim or acting chief rangers who were female, said a park spokeswoman.) She has held other positions at Vicksburg and Guilford Courthouse National Military Parks, Harpers Ferry National Historic Park, Manassas National Battlefield Park, Independence National Historic Park, Assateague Island National Seashore, and Blue Ridge Parkways.
All-women's fire crew heads to fight fires in Alaska
There are currently more than 200 active fires in Alaska, so the Women's Fire Crew headed off to The Last Frontier. The crew will be in the Upper Yukon of the state for the next 14 days, helping to fight the Hadweenzic River Fire. "I was going into the season a little nervous but ended up tackling challenges and am excited to overcome the unknown in Alaska," Hardy said on Facebook. Right now the need is in Alaska, so the Women's Fire Crew and others have headed up there to help. Jarden, Formiller, Descamps and Hardy are joined by fellow crew members Alex Perez, Patty Derner, Leah Katz and Hannah Zamorski.
On this day: October 12
1998: Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, dies at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, five days after he was beaten, robbed and left tied to a wooden fence post outside of Laramie, Wyoming. Police arrested Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson shortly after the attack, finding a bloody gun and Shepard's shoes and wallet in their truck. The two would eventually each be sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Shepard's murder brought national and international attention to the contention of hate crime legislation at the state and federal levels. Pictured here is Shepard's mother, Judy Shepard, executive director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, standing next to a photograph of the fence where her son was murdered, during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on April 12, 2007, to announce the renaming of hate crime legislation in Matthew Shepard's honor.
On this day: October 7
1998: Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, is found tied to a fence near Laramie, Wyoming. He was in a coma after being robbed, pistol-whipped and tortured the night before and would die five days later at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. Police arrested Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson shortly after the attack, finding a bloody gun and Shepard's shoes and wallet in their truck. The two would eventually each be sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Shepard's murder brought national and international attention to the contention of hate crime legislation at the state and federal levels.
Celebrities turned real-life heroes
Rapper Layzie Bone of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony fame, whose real name is Steven Howse, was reportedly traveling through Wyoming in early May 2015 on his way to a concert when he and his crew noticed a car being driven erratically before spinning out. After the rapper stopped to check on the driver, he and others found his disoriented, apparently as a result of a diabetic incident. He and other passers-by helped the man and fed him some fruit to help stabilize his blood sugar until an EMS crew arrived at the scene. The rapper posted a picture on his Instagram account after the incident. Hide Caption