coronavirus

2020 was a hard year for tourism. Nationally, the industry contracted by 45 percent. While Wyoming fared much better and shrunk only by 25 percent, it was still a big impact.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) refunded $585,000 worth of licenses, permits, and stamps so far to residents and non-residents who were unable to hunt, fish, or boat in 2020. That's more than double its previous record year for refunds in 2019.

The Wyoming Legislature has approved a bill that changes how health orders are issued. It gives the governor and county commissioners power to approve extended health orders in a pandemic.

Native Americans serve in the military at five times the national average. On the Wind River Indian Reservation a new memorial will honor them and their non-Native neighbors that have also served in the armed forces.

A new report from the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information shows that Wyoming's economy is rebounding from the early months of the pandemic but several key metrics are far behind where they were a year ago.

All Wyoming residents ages 16 and older are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

There's no doubt that religious holidays and festivals have looked and felt different ever since the pandemic hit. As it continues into this year, the Jewish spring festival, Passover, will follow suit.

The Wyoming House of Representatives has killed a bill that would have set up a taskforce to study the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bill would have put together lawmakers, county and tribal representatives, alongside people from the education, business and health care sectors to study how the state handled challenges brought on by COVID-19.

A bill that gives more power to elected officials when it comes to public health orders has passed the House.

The measure requires county commissioners to sign off on the extension of a local order after ten days, while the governor would do the same regarding a statewide order.

Strengthening Our Generations is run by the Northern Arapaho Tribe and is part of Wind River Cares. Donna Trosper is supervisor for the group, which has been focusing on getting food, clothes, and other supplies to the transient community on the Wind River Indian Reservation, especially during the pandemic.

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The Wyoming House of Representatives is debating a bill that would limit public health orders to ten days and require elected officials to agree to extend the order.