After hours of sometimes-heated debate, the Wyoming House finished voting on amendments to its version of the state budget bill. Lawmakers restored some previously cut funding for state employee pay increases, the University of Wyoming and the Wyoming Business Council.

Lawmakers are racing to mark up the spending bill that funds state operations for the next two years. Once the House finishes its work, the two marked-up bills will go to a Joint Conference Committee that will try to arrive at a unified bill.

Open Spaces show rundown for February 20, 2026

Week two of the budget session is when all lawmakers get their first chance to weigh in on how much, and on what, the state will spend over the next two years. Until this point, only a small group has shaped the budget. WyoFile's Maggie Mullen and Wyoming Public Radio's Chris Clements break down the process, from the Senate's Big Beautiful Amendment to the House's late nights and tense debates. They've got the latest on Checkgate, too.

When the American men's hockey team retreated to their locker room to celebrate their Winter Olympics gold medal win, they were joined by a special guest from the United States: FBI Director Kash Patel.

France's top diplomat has requested that U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner no longer be allowed direct access to members of the French government. Kushner skipped a meeting Monday to discuss comments by the Trump administration over the beating death of a far-right activist.

The Texas Republican is facing calls from fellow House Republicans to resign, following allegations of an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.

Photos of cities in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts as they cope with a powerful winter storm.