© 2024 Wyoming Public Media
800-729-5897 | 307-766-4240
Wyoming Public Media is a service of the University of Wyoming
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Transmission & Streaming Disruptions

July 10th, 2020

Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality

Listen to the full show here.

A Chapter Ends As Wyoming Grants Its First Coal Mine Permit In Decades

Wyoming has approved its first coal mine permit in decades. The Kentucky-based coal company Ramaco now has the go-ahead to start mining near Sheridan in northeastern Wyoming. The process to get to this point was anything but simple. Wyoming Public Radio's Cooper McKim reports.

"No Road Map, No Tour Guide" - The Path To Law Enforcement Accountability

Now, we turn to the issue of police reform. Thousands have taken to the streets across the country -- and right here in Wyoming -- calling for an end to unchecked police misconduct. An investigation by Wyoming Public Radio and the Casper Star-Tribune found that in Wyoming law enforcement accountability can be a long, uncharted and demanding process. Naina Rao spoke with reporters Tennessee Watson and Shane Sanderson about what they found.

Wyoming's Delegation Suspicious Of House Democrat's Infrastructure Bill

Congress is now in recess for two weeks, but before the House gaveled out Democrats passed a 1.5 trillion-dollar infrastructure bill. That bill is dead on arrival if Wyoming Republicans get their way, as correspondent Matt Laslo reports from Washington.

Millions Gained Access To Telehealth During The Pandemic, But Can They Keep It?

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the nation to figure out something it's tried to do for years: increase access to telehealth. But as emergency orders end, will that access remain? The Mountain West News Bureau's Madelyn Beck reports.

How Local Businesses Are Adapting To 'New Normal'

Anyway you look at it, bar and restaurant workers are on the front lines of the pandemic. Since Governor Mark Gordon eased restrictions these businesses can now offer indoor service as long as staff wearing face coverings. But some business owners aren't so sure they're comfortable with making decisions about how to keep the public safe. Wyoming Public Radio's Naina Rao reports.

Pilot Hill Project Is Nearly Ready To Open To The Public

The state's businesses are struggling right now. But in Laramie, there's one glimmer of hope. With its vast spaces and nearly 98,000 square miles of public land, outdoor recreation is a big deal in Wyoming. One group in Laramie plans to make that even larger and their efforts are starting to come to fruition. Wyoming Public Radio's Ivy Engel has more.

New Book Envisions Solutions For Rural Economies

Even before the pandemic struck, rural American communities were suffering… and the blow from this new downturn could hurt even more. But a new book is optimistic that small towns CAN thrive…if they learn to embrace the innovations of the future. I spoke with Don Albrecht, author of Building a Resilient Twenty First Century Economy for Rural America. Albrecht is the director of the Western Rural Development Center at Utah State University.

RV Business Booms As The 'Pandemic Demographic' Hits The Road

U.S. air travel is down, and hotel occupancy remains low. However, one part of the tourism economy is attracting new customers even amidst a pandemic. As Wyoming Public Radio's Maggie Mullen reports, more Americans are looking to RVs and trailers to get away from home.

Pandemic Hits Professional Cowboys Pocketbooks

As we just heard, the effects of the pandemic are so widespread and unpredictable. For instance, Fourth of July week is usually when professional cowboys make a lot of their income… also known as "cowboy christmas". But most major rodeos in Wyoming, except the Cody Stampede, were canceled thanks to the pandemic this year. Wyoming Public Radio's Kamila Kudelska explains what cowboys have been doing to make ends meet.

Before Wyoming, Cooper McKim has reported for NPR stations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and South Carolina. He's reported breaking news segments and features for several national NPR news programs. Cooper is the host of the limited podcast series Carbon Valley. Cooper studied Environmental Policy and Music. He's an avid jazz piano player, backpacker, and podcast listener.
Ivy started as a science news intern in the summer of 2019 and has been hooked on broadcast ever since. Her internship was supported by the Wyoming EPSCoR Summer Science Journalism Internship program. In the spring of 2020, she virtually graduated from the University of Wyoming with a B.S. in biology with minors in journalism and business. When she’s not writing for WPR, she enjoys baking, reading, playing with her dog, and caring for her many plants.
Kamila has worked for public radio stations in California, New York, France and Poland. Originally from New York City, she loves exploring new places. Kamila received her master in journalism from Columbia University. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring the surrounding areas with her two pups and husband.
Maggie Mullen is Wyoming Public Radio's regional reporter with the Mountain West News Bureau. Her work has aired on NPR, Marketplace, Science Friday, and Here and Now. She was awarded a 2019 regional Edward R. Murrow Award for her story on the Black 14.
Based on Capitol Hill, Matt Laslo is a reporter who has been covering campaigns and every aspect of federal policy since 2006. While he has filed stories for NPR and more than 40 of its affiliates, he has also written for Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Campaigns and Elections Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Chattanooga Times Free Press, The Guardian, The Omaha World-Herald, VICE News and Washingtonian Magazine.
Naina Rao comes to Wyoming Public Radio from Jakarta, Indonesia. She has worked at NPR for Story Lab and the nationally syndicated show, "1A". Naina graduated from Michigan State University in 2018 with a B.A. in Journalism. Naina enjoys swimming, listening to podcasts and watching Bollywood movies.
Tennessee -- despite what the name might make you think -- was born and raised in the Northeast. She most recently called Vermont home. For the last 15 years she's been making radio -- as a youth radio educator, documentary producer, and now reporter. Her work has aired on Reveal, The Heart, LatinoUSA, Across Women's Lives from PRI, and American RadioWorks. One of her ongoing creative projects is co-producing Wage/Working (a jukebox-based oral history project about workers and income inequality). When she's not reporting, Tennessee likes to go on exploratory running adventures with her mutt Murray.