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Open Spaces: Podcast

Open Spaces: Podcast

A news and public affairs program about Wyoming and the West.

  • Today on the show, Wyoming Public Radio’s reporters share their favorite stories from 2025 and why.With each one, we’ll hear from the reporters themselves on what made them pick the stories they did.
  • Today on the show, Wyoming lawmakers heard from agency heads about their budget requests this month. There’s been a little friction. The top market for coal is burning it for electricity. But researchers are trying to find alternative uses, like farming. What does it take to rebrand a word like "coal"? And, in a time when the United States government is not celebrating diversity, one town in Wyoming is honoring its diverse roots. Those stories and more.
  • Today’s show is all about data centers. We’re airing a series of stories from our partners at the Mountain West News Bureau, focused on this topic. We’ll dive into concerns about future water supplies and why one company thinks a remote cattle ranch near Evanston is an ideal spot for a data center. Then we’ll zoom out and hear from our reporters. The Trump administration is looking to coal to meet the daunting power demand for AI, but there's concern about a bubble around the AI industry and what would happen if that bubble popped. Plus, we’ll hear from the vice president of a data center being built in Cheyenne. Those stories and more.
  • Today on the show, our state government reporter dove into election complaints to see voters’ concerns. We also hear from this year’s state park artists in residence. And we get a sneak peek at the new season of our podcast, The Modern West. It’s about the quirky and sometimes extreme workarounds Westerners are finding for affordable housing. Those stories and more.
  • Today on the show, the GOP spending bill that’s now law is throwing a curveball at state lawmakers. Kickbacks to Wyoming from the coal industry are a lot less now. Could you really defend yourself against a grizzly with bear spray? Some people found out when they practiced spraying a robo bear. And, F.E. Warren Base in Cheyenne will be the first to modernize its nuclear missiles under the Sentinel program. It means the Air Force will ask landowners for easements. Those stories and more.
  • Today on the show, Democratic lawmakers in Wyoming have been going on a tour to hear from voters outside their communities. NOLS turns 60 this month. The head of the Lander-based outdoor leadership school says his students' skillsets are needed now more than ever. And we’ll hear about the cowboy artist who won the nation's top folk and traditional arts award. Ernie Marsh makes bridle bits for horses. Those stories and more.
  • Today on the show, the man who allegedly ran down a wolf on a snowmobile last year has been indicted. We get updated on the case. The number of rural hospitals delivering babies is dwindling. So midwives are stepping up to help low-risk women. And, towns and cities in the state have made over 12 million dollars so far this year from historic horse racing machines. Those stories and more.
  • Today on the show, there have been a lot of questions about how journalism is doing in the past couple of weeks. We sit down for a roundtable about the state of journalism in Wyoming. Thanks to lawmakers, Wyomingites have seen their property taxes shrink. But it could cost some small towns their savings. And, Wyoming is THE fossil fuel state. But rooftop solar has managed to carve out a niche market. What will that look like now that Congress is rolling back federal incentives? Those stories and more.
  • Today on the show, first responders from across the state gathered recently for a mental health conference. Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, lab techs - almost all those professions get their first taste of science at college. A University of Wyoming professor speaks about what federal cuts could do to his program. And, we hear an artist translate a new mural at the Center of the West in Cody into sound. Those stories and more.
  • Today on the show, it’s been almost six months since thousands of federal workers were fired and others were ordered to return to office. We’ll hear from one VA employee in Cheyenne about that transition. A group of non-federal workers are helping fill in gaps on the Bridger-Teton National Forest after trail crews were cut earlier this year. And, a University of Wyoming graduate says she’s leaving Wyoming, citing a wave of new legislation targeting transgender people. Those stories and more.
  • Today on the show, we dive into how staff of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West prepare bison bones to display in their Draper museum. We also weigh in on how aggressively wildfires should be suppressed to keep fires at bay but also keep fuel loads at a reasonable level. Those stories and more.
  • Today on the show, most gun-free zones in Wyoming are null and void after a law went into effect this month. We check in with Wyoming’s Superintendent of Public Instruction on the recent lawsuit pausing school vouchers from getting distributed. Some people in our region are waiting for the day they can hunt grizzly bears. And others are happy hunting with a camera. Those stories and more.