The lakes in the alpine areas of the Wind River Range have historically been fishless – that is, until humans started stocking them for recreational use. The introduction of these fish changed the ecosystems of the lakes, and specifically, the microscopic animals that float through the water, known as zooplankton. Now, University of Wyoming researchers want to know if the change in zooplankton has influenced a change in the fish.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the Affordable Clean Energy Rule. A rule meant to reduce carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants. It’s widely seen as a replacement rule to the Obama-era Clean Power Plan.

Two of the largest coal producers are combining forces to better compete with natural gas and renewable energy. Peabody Energy and Arch Coal are consolidating seven of their mines: five in Wyoming and two in Colorado. Last year, coal from those mines made up over a quarter of total national production according to calculations from S&P Global Market Intelligence.

An air quality monitor in western Wyoming repeatedly found ozone levels were exceeding federal health standards from January through March of this year. Since then, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has confirmed the numbers. It performed a Quality Assurance Quality Control (QAQC)to ensure monitoring equipment wasn’t giving faulty reads.

Students at Riverton High School will soon be able to take courses in the Arapaho language.

Principal John Griffith said that students in Fremont County School District 25 have been requesting the option for years, but finding an instructor willing to teach the courses part-time was a challenge. Lorraine Goggles, a Riverton High School paraprofessional who is fluent in Arapaho, will take on the job starting this fall.

Health insurance coverage has increased for kids in 45 states since 2010, and 95 percent of kids in the United States are insured. But that's not the case in Wyoming.