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May 12th, 2017

John Wilhelm

Listen to the full show here.

UW Braces For Layoffs

At the May meeting of the Board of Trustees, President Laurie Nichols announced that 37 University of Wyoming staff members would lose their jobs to meet budget cuts. Wyoming Public Radio’s education reporter Tennessee Watson, says folks are worried about how the state’s only public university is holding up.

How The Energy Industry Intersects With Free Speech

Is the energy industry stifling free speech in Wyoming? That’s the question University of Wyoming Professor Dr. Jeff Lockwood explores in a new book called Behind the Carbon Curtain. He says the industry suppresses critical artwork, research, and school curriculums. Wyoming Public Radio’s Cooper McKim reports on the line between censorship and business-as-usual.

Fatal Home Explosion In Colorado Reignites Setback Debate

A fatal home explosion in northern Colorado is prompting a lot of questions in the state about how oil and gas wells are regulated, and how close to old wells new homes should be built. The explosion was linked to a leaking gas line, running from a nearby well. The line was abandoned, but not properly sealed. A statewide review of oil and gas operations is now underway. Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce reports. 

Wyoming Arts Organizations Remain Concerned About Federal Funding

Earlier this month, those involved with arts organizations in the state were able to exhale after a proposal to zero out funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, Humanities, and similar organizations this year was averted. The proposal was part of President Trump’s budget. But as Wyoming Public Radio’s Bob Beck reports the organizations will remain worried as the issue may come up again as early as this fall. 

Wyoming's Senators Will Have Some Say When It Comes To Arts And Humanities Cuts

Not only would federal funding cuts hurt the arts…but President Trump's first budget proposal also called for totally zeroing out federal funding for the humanities, which could disproportionately hurt rural states like Wyoming. Correspondent Matt Laslo reports that such cuts could have a tough time getting support from Wyoming’s Senators. 

From High Society To The High Plains: Neltje's Life Outside The Lines

The celebrated Wyoming artist Neltje has led a storied life. Her new memoir, North of Crazy, chronicles her journey from high society to the high plains. As the daughter of famed publisher Nelson Doubleday, Neltje had a privileged upbringing, growing up in her family’s homes in New York, Long Island, and South Carolina. But as an adult, she left society life and moved to her adopted home near Sheridan, where she still lives. Neltje spoke with Wyoming Public Radio’s Micah Schweizer.

Philanthropist Awarded Honorary Doctorate At UW

This weekend the University of Wyoming awards degrees to thousands of undergraduate and graduate students.  Two degrees are special, though. They are honorary doctorates, and at this year’s commencement, one of the recipients of an honorary doctorate is philanthropist Paula Green Johnson. After growing up in Laramie and graduating from UW, Green Johnson made her mark by promoting women’s equality and by fundraising for charitable organizations. She told me that the honor was a complete surprise. 

Shed Antler Hunting Brings In Big Bucks (Both Kinds)

Wyoming may be in the middle of an energy bust, but there’s one industry that’s quietly booming…the shed antler business. More and more people are discovering how lucrative picking up deer and elk antlers can be. But that’s led to more out of season poaching of antlers and even accidents. Hundreds of people lined up for the season’s opening day May 1st and Wyoming Public Radio’s Melodie Edwards was there.

Bob Beck retired from Wyoming Public Media after serving as News Director of Wyoming Public Radio for 34 years. During his time as News Director WPR has won over 100 national, regional and state news awards.
Before Wyoming, Cooper McKim has reported for NPR stations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and South Carolina. He's reported breaking news segments and features for several national NPR news programs. Cooper is the host of the limited podcast series Carbon Valley. Cooper studied Environmental Policy and Music. He's an avid jazz piano player, backpacker, and podcast listener.
Dan Boyce moved to the Inside Energy team at Rocky Mountain PBS in 2014, after five years of television and radio reporting in his home state of Montana. In his most recent role as Montana Public Radio’s Capitol Bureau Chief, Dan produced daily stories on state politics and government.
Based on Capitol Hill, Matt Laslo is a reporter who has been covering campaigns and every aspect of federal policy since 2006. While he has filed stories for NPR and more than 40 of its affiliates, he has also written for Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Campaigns and Elections Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Chattanooga Times Free Press, The Guardian, The Omaha World-Herald, VICE News and Washingtonian Magazine.
Melodie Edwards is the host and producer of WPM's award-winning podcast The Modern West. Her Ghost Town(ing) series looks at rural despair and resilience through the lens of her hometown of Walden, Colorado. She has been a radio reporter at WPM since 2013, covering topics from wildlife to Native American issues to agriculture.
Tennessee -- despite what the name might make you think -- was born and raised in the Northeast. She most recently called Vermont home. For the last 15 years she's been making radio -- as a youth radio educator, documentary producer, and now reporter. Her work has aired on Reveal, The Heart, LatinoUSA, Across Women's Lives from PRI, and American RadioWorks. One of her ongoing creative projects is co-producing Wage/Working (a jukebox-based oral history project about workers and income inequality). When she's not reporting, Tennessee likes to go on exploratory running adventures with her mutt Murray.