Features

In 1978, one of Wyoming's most infamous killings took place in Rock Springs. Rock Springs Director of Safety Ed Cantrell shot his deputy Michael Rosa, who was in the backseat of a car. Cantrell said he shot Rosa in self-defense, while others suggested that Cantrell was trying to keep Rosa from testifying about local corruption he had witnessed.

Cantrell hired Wyoming Attorney Gerry Spence and was acquitted of first-degree murder in Pinedale. Award-winning investigative journalist Rone Tempest has written about the incident in his new book, The Last Western. He sets the stage by describing Rock Springs at the time.

In 2018, a Wyoming research scientist ran 92 miles in just three days. His goal? Highlight the challenges of the seasonal migration for mule deer; a well-known species in Wyoming, but also one that's been in decline. A movie called 92 Miles is set to come out in the next few months about his journey. Wyoming Public Radio's Cooper McKim spoke with Wyoming Migration Initiative research scientist and runner Pat Rodgers on the importance of his trek.

In 2016, the national park system celebrated its hundredth birthday. When poet karla k. morton learned that there had never been a complete book of poetry written to celebrate all 62 national parks, she decided to do just that, along with her friend and fellow Texas poet laureate Alan Birkelbach.

Wyoming Public Radio's Micah Schweizer spoke to the two poets about how their new book, The National Parks: A Century of Grace, came to be.

It's safe to say that 2020 has been a very difficult, trying year for a lot of people across the world. Wyoming's Poet Laureate, Eugene Gagliano, agrees. But the pandemic also made him realize a different perspective—how grateful he was to be living in the state of Wyoming.

He shared his perspective by writing a poem, called The Blessing of Wyoming. And it got published in the New York Times. He recited the poem during his conversation with Wyoming Public Radio's Naina Rao.

Early one morning, eight volunteers surrounded a table with a 400 pound grizzly bear carcass in its center. Draper Natural History Museum Assistant curator Corey Anco said they are defleshing the animal.

"They are removing all of the meat around the bones, all the meat around the ribs, all the meat around the vertebrae," said Anco. "And they're trying to get this as clean as we can reasonably so."

The holiday season is upon us and with it comes the Festival of Lights, better known as Hanukkah. Folks around the country are lighting their menorahs, including here in Wyoming. Cooper McKim spoke with Seth Ward, University of Wyoming professor of religious studies, about the holiday's special meaning this year.

In some Native communities getting to a grocery store can take up to an hour and requires access to a vehicle. And there is no guarantee that the food there is fresh, often being trucked in from days away. Tsanavi Spoonhunter is the director of Crow Country: Our Right to Food Sovereignty.

The documentary explores food insecurity on the Crow Reservation in Montana. Wyoming Public Radio's Taylar Stagner spoke with her about the award-winning film and the inspiration that brought her to Montana.

A new military vehicle museum in Dubois opened to the public in August. Wyoming Public Radio's Kamila Kudelska spoke to owner and founder of the National Museum of Military Vehicles Dan Starks on how he started his private collection with a tank that needed to be restored.

Riverton Library is quiet today. And sure, libraries are supposed to be quiet places but right now it's extra quiet. Before COVID-19 heath restrictions the Riverton Library was seeing 450 people on average per day with a staff of ten assistant librarians.

You've probably read poems like sonnets or haiku. This year, a new form of poetry was invented. In a matter of months, poets adopted the new form, and a new journal has been created to showcase it. We're joined now by one of its inventors, poet Lori Howe.

She teaches at the University of Wyoming and is editor in chief of GLEAM: The Journal of the Cadralor. Howe explained to Wyoming Public Radio's Micah Schweizer how this type of poem came about and why it's called a cadralor.

Grady Kirkpatrick talks with Wyoming musician Bob LeFevre about the release of the new album Bob LeFevre and the Already Gone.

The University of Wyoming Libraries hosted award-winning poet and writer, Camille T. Dungy, for a virtual reading of her work on October 24, 2020. Dungy was born in Denver and has written and edited publications that often explore the ties between race and the environment.

Wyoming Public Radio's Naina Rao spoke with her about how she got started with poetry, her reflections on her journey, and what she thinks about the state of society today.

Grady Kirkpatrick recently spoke with Jackson, Wyoming based indie folk rock band Inland Isle about their new song "Celestine" from their forthcoming album, Time Has Changed Us.

The award-winning Wyoming Public Media podcast HumaNature enters its sixth season this coming week. The podcast host and senior producer Erin Jones joined Bob Beck to discuss the podcast, the upcoming season and how HumaNature came about.

Mountain lions are one of the great conservation success stories. Hunting once whittled their numbers down to a few thousand. But when they were re-classified as a game instead of vermin, they made a big comeback. But it's also led to more conflicts with humans.

A new book called the Cougar Conundrum: Sharing the World with a Successful Predator offers ideas for how to live with these big predators and how to better manage them. Wyoming Public Radio's Melodie Edwards chatted with author Mark Elbroch, the Director of Panthera's Puma project.

The Defender Aid Clinic at the University of Wyoming's College of Law is behind a new podcast that dives into the racial disparities in the United States criminal justice system.

Wyoming Public Radio's Maggie Mullen spoke with Law professor Lauren McLane and student Nathan Yanchek who says the podcast grew out of the outrage he and students in the clinic felt over police killings of African American men.

A brand new podcast, Kids Ask WhY, will be available showcasing issues Wyoming kids are interested in. The podcast, which debuts on Tuesday, October 6, was developed by the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and Wyoming Public Media. Bob Beck sat down with the producer Kamila Kudelska.

As statewide public health orders aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus are being lifted over time, more public events are resuming. Many film festivals around the world have had to cancel or change their formats to limit risks. But for the WYO Film Festival in Sheridan, the shows will go on in-person, with some modifications. Wyoming Public Radio's Catherine Wheeler spoke with the festival's director Justin Stroup.

Nestled in between Cody and Powell in northwest Wyoming, the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center tells the story of over 10,000 Japanese-Americans who were held in the internment camp against their will during World War II. It turns out, the museum wouldn't exist if it weren't for the formerly incarcerated and their children's' dedication.

Chair of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation Shirley Ann Higuchi just released her new book Setsuko's Secret, which tells these stories. To start, Wyoming Public Radio's Kamila Kudelska asked Higuchi how she learned about her parents' time at Heart Mountain.

The coronavirus pandemic has been particularly disruptive for musicians. Some solo performers and small ensembles have figured out creative ways to keep performing, but for symphony orchestras, which can have upwards of 80 players on stage, the problem of safe performances is especially complex. As he explained to Wyoming Public Radio's Micah Schweizer, figuring out a way forward has been occupying University of Wyoming Symphony Orchestra conductor Michael Griffith's time. The Symphony has its first fall concert scheduled for October 1.