Governor Mead Reflects On The Last Eight Years
Wyoming Governor Matt Mead is wrapping up his time in office. Bob Beck caught up with him at an event in Cheyenne this week. They discuss the difficulties Mead had in cutting the budget and why Wyoming's economic future looks so positive. Mead also talks about his biggest disappointment, which is not making a difference when it comes to providing affordable and accessible health care.
Legislators Cycle Through Same Solutions For Ad Valorem Tax Delinquency
Wyoming’s Joint Revenue Committee will not change how ad valorem taxes are collected just yet. The one-time mineral property tax has left counties over $50 million in the hole, as of July, due to systematic issues… like an 18 month wait for tax collection and prioritizing banks. An agreeable solution is still out of reach, with legislature cycling through the same options year after year. Wyoming Public Radio’s Cooper McKim reports that cycle continues into 2019.
Corrections Officials Hope Legislation Will Address Wyoming’s Prison Overcrowding Problem
Wyoming's prisons are overcrowded and the problem is predicted to get much worse. The Wyoming Department of Corrections was forced to place 88 prisoners out of state this year and so the state brought in the Council of State Government's Justice Reinvestment program to try and find some solutions. The reason for the growth is that too many people are being returned to prison for probation and parole violations.
3.05 Million Acres Of Public Land Is Landlocked In Wyoming: So What?
Sportsmen and women have to be really careful to make sure they are not trespassing on public land. A new report finds that Wyoming has the most landlocked public land in the West at 3.05 million acres. A recent decision by Park County Commissioners could have added another 160.
New Book Fills Need To Map Big Game Migrations In Wyoming
The last few years have brought revelation after revelation about just how long and complex the migration routes are for Wyoming's elk, pronghorn and mule deer. Everyone involved in wildlife agrees these routes need special protections. But there hasn't been a comprehensive set of maps showing this maze of routes zigzagging all over the state. Until now.
Wyoming Public Radio's Melodie Edwards sat down with Matt Kauffman and Emilene Ostlind, two of the editors of Wild Migrations: Atlas Of Wyoming's Ungulates.
Depression Can Be Hard To Talk About, So Farmers Turn To Twitter For Support
Ranchers and farmers living in the Mountain West are vulnerable to all kinds of things—drought, fluctuating crop prices, trade wars—and in part because of those things - depression and suicide. But there's some help out there, from an unlikely source.
Hope For Wyoming's Prison Crisis In North Dakota
As we mentioned earlier in the program Wyoming’s prison overcrowding issue has been the focus of a study that aims to keep those who are probation and parole from returning to prison. North Dakota has faced a similar problem and WyoFile reporter Andrew Graham reported on what they did. He speaks with Wyoming Public Radio’s Tennessee Watson.
Traditional Values Of Hoop Dancing Help Heal Wounds
Hoop Dancer Jasmine Bell of the Crow Creek Dakota Sioux tribe in South Dakota has danced for Mohamad Ali and for all the presidential first ladies. Even the actor Kevin Costner. Bell tells a story to her 14-year-old daughter, "I tell her, when you were first born, Kevin Costner kind of babysat you. Because he said, I'll hold her while you dance."
Bell is a two-time world champion hoop dancer, but even for her, life hasn't been easy. Wyoming Public Radio's Melodie Edwards spoke to Bell when she performed at the 3rd Annual Conference on Violence Prevention and Response in Riverton. In the coming months, South Dakota Public Broadcasting will begin filming a documentary about Bell's life.
