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On this episode, a move by the Biden administration to mandate vaccinations for long-term care staff has worried officials in the state that it could increase an already existing staff shortage. We will also chat with the Natrona County Health Officer Mark Dowell about the reluctance to get vaccinations. Wyoming is welcoming legalized sports betting this month. Those stories and more.
Segments
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Wyoming has entered the world of sports betting. Earlier this month the Wyoming Gaming Commission kicked off online betting in the state, while the Wind River Casino in Riverton became the state's only facility where people can bet in person due to its tribal affiliation. -
Wyoming's Emergency Rental Assistance Program has awarded $4.7 million to more than 1,400 households. That money comes from a large pool of funding from the federal government. Recently, Wyoming and other small states were criticized for spending only a fraction of their funding so far. But Wyoming Public Radio's Jeff Victor spoke with Department of Family Services Director Korin Schmidt who said the program is accelerating after a rocky start. But that rocky start, Schmidt said, was necessary to get out as much assistance as possible to all the people who needed it. -
When you think of Chihuahua, Mexico, it's probably a dry desert with little plant life. But it hasn't always been so arid. Now, ranchers there are trying to bring back the tall grasses, wildlife and rain using a holistic approach to land management, a method that could be used in the American West in the face of droughts and climate change. Wyoming Public Radio's Melodie Edwards spoke with Alejandro Carrillo who runs the family's Las Damas Ranch and started the advocacy group Pasticultores del Desierto. -
The Colorado River through the Grand Canyon National Park holds lessons for managing an essential and diminishing resource in a rapidly warming climate. -
The Biden administration announced last month that it will require nursing home staff to get vaccinated, or facilities could face losing federal funding. Wyoming Public Radio's Kamila Kudelska reports state facilities are concerned this will increase the existing staff shortage. -
Natrona County has had a tough time with COVID-19 with high numbers of people hospitalized. Meanwhile, only 35 percent of the county has been fully vaccinated. County Health Officer Dr. Mark Dowell joins Bob Beck to discuss the vaccine and what it might take to turn things around. -
The Ucross Foundation is developing a cookbook that will give people a taste of what it's like to be a resident artist in the program. Wyoming Public Radio's Ivy Engel sat down with Ucross Chef Cindy Brooks to talk about what went into the book and her start in cooking.
