Wyoming Public Media

Things kicked off at the state Capitol in Cheyenne on Tuesday, Jan. 14 and already state lawmakers’ priorities are starting to take shape. But lawmakers aren’t the only ones with ideas about how they want Wyoming to run — officials in the executive and judicial branches have priorities, too. This week, we’ll hear what the governor, secretary of state, state superintendent and the head of the judicial branch want for Wyoming, and how their priorities align — and don’t — with lawmakers’.

The 68th Wyoming Legislature begins its general session on Jan. 14. The next two months are Wyoming lawmakers' one chance this year to set the policies that govern how our state operates — and the Wyoming Freedom Caucus has ambitious plans. WyoFile's Maggie Mullen and Wyoming Public Radio's Jordan Uplinger review how this fast-paced lawmaking process works.Editor's note: This audio has been updated to correct a misstatement.

Today on the show, a little lake north of Pinedale has long been treasured by locals for fishing. But this fall, something happened... it turned red. There’s going to be an influx of new faces at the Wyoming Capitol this month after a slate of newcomers beat out incumbents in recent elections. And we have the story of how a group of Green River High School students wrote a proclamation to make January 5th Nellie Tayloe Ross Day. Those stories and more.Editor's note: This audio has been updated to correct a misstatement.

Welcome to our year-in-review of Open Spaces. Today we have a batch of stories our reporters picked as their top news items of last year. We’ll hear how wildfire managers anticipated a busy summer after a flurry of spring burns got the season started early. We’ll revisit the early days of a program that aims to work with Native families to address grief and intergenerational trauma. And we’ll dive back into the mysterious illness that left dozens of cows nearly unrecognizable. Those stories and more.

Today on the show, we’ll hear from county firefighters reflecting this past year’s massive wildfires, and about some food sovereignty projects on the Wind River Reservation. We’ll tag along with a long time Sublette county local for a very unique kind of Christmas tree hunt…Those stories and more on Open Spaces.

Today on the show, tourism in the Cody area hasn’t kept up with other Yellowstone gateway towns. We’ll hear how the town is changing up its marketing strategy to reflect that. Employers in the Cowboy State are getting creative with how they house workers. And for some, that means trucking in homes from factories. And, Miss Wyoming talks about the importance of sports and more open conversations about mental health. Those stories and more.

Today on the show, more than a decade ago, Wyoming Republicans backed a change to the state constitution, which gave people the right to make their own healthcare decisions. It was meant to signal disapproval of the Affordable Care Act. That amendment was just used to strike down two near-total abortion bans in the state. Climate change, the energy transition, and affording everyday life are all big topics on our minds. How that all might be affected in Wyoming with Donald Trump as our next president. And we hear about bringing the more-than-a-hundred-year-old remains of an Eastern Shoshone boy back to the Wind River Reservation from an East Coast boarding school. Those stories and more.

With the election behind us, we’re taking a moment to go over how election day went, what the results mean for the next state Legislature and what the next steps the Legislature will take before the session starts in January.

Today on the show, the results of the election are in and The Wyoming Freedom Caucus now has a majority of seats in the House. One legislator says it’s going to be interesting. A Lakota historian reflects on how the railroad impacted bison habitat. In football, the Cowboys' running back, Sam Scott, flipped to the other side of the ball and is contributing in big ways this season. Plus, a rare disease popped up in Carbon County - how the handling of it has upset locals. Those stories and more.

This week we’re talking about what to expect once the polls close at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 and election officials begin to tally the vote. Wyoming Public Radios’s statehouse reporter, Chris Clements, and managing editor, Nicky Ouellet, joined news director, Kamila Kudelska, on this episode of Road to Cheyenne.