Chris Clements
Wyoming State Government Collaboration JournalistLeave a tip: cclemen7@uwyo.edu
Chris Clements is a state government reporter for Wyoming Public Media based in Laramie. He came to WPM from KSJD Radio in Cortez, Colorado, where he reported on Indigenous affairs, drought, and local politics in the Four Corners region. Before that, he graduated with a degree in English (Creative Writing) from Arizona State University. Chris's news stories have been featured on NPR's Weekend Edition and hourly newscasts, as well as on WBUR's Here & Now and National Native News.
This position is partially funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting through the Wyoming State Government Collaboration.
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Open Spaces show rundown for February 27, 2026 -
Wyoming lawmakers are working to agree on the state's budget for the next two years. And they’re still plowing through a lot of other bills – and the continuing reverberations of “Checkgate.” WyoFile's Maggie Mullen and Wyoming Public Radio's Chris Clements break down week three of the budget session. -
Committee members heard hours of tense testimony from lawmakers alleged to have received or witnessed a Teton County conservative activist hand-deliver campaign checks on the lower chamber floor. -
Legislation that would alter different elements of the state’s property tax system is progressing through the Capitol building in Cheyenne. -
The governor said the complaint “did not include claims that warranted further investigation.” He added that it appeared to have been created using artificial intelligence. -
A series of election-related bills are moving along in the legislative process this week. One bill that would make hand recounts of elections more frequent moved from the House to the Senate. -
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.
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A special committee will continue its investigation of checks distributed on the lower chamber floor. The speaker of the House told the body that he, too, received a check in the Capitol from a Teton County conservative fundraiser. -
Wyoming Business Council funding. Pay raises for correctional officers. The opportunity for more suicide prevention education in schools. All were budget bill amendments that members of the Wyoming House killed this week.
