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Who killed criminal justice reform?
When the Wyoming Legislature is in session, and while renovations to the Capitol building continue, Gov. Matt Mead and some of his staff occupy a suite of rooms in the rented Jonah Building, a former...
View ArticleAnalysis | State v. federal wildlife authority #backinthenews
A year ago, WyoFile published a story examining the question “Who owns wildlife,” which sought to define conflicting views regarding federal and state authorities. The 12-page piece, which ran some...
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Who killed criminal justice reform? The final blows
In January of 1991, Wyoming was one year shy of carrying out its last execution to date. The state had sentenced Mark Hopkinson, a football player turned criminal mastermind, to death for orchestrating...
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Wyoming sets next steps for grizzly control
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department plans to propose its plans for grizzly bear management — including potential hunting seasons — by April, the state’s chief game warden said Tuesday. With newfound...
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Nepotism, conflicts and self-dealing: Trump’s tax plan
It is understandable that wealthy donors want Congress to support tax cuts, but it is disingenuous to suggest the motivation for such cuts is to create jobs or stimulate growth. What is the real...
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Lawmakers could shift revenue streams to get cash
Lawmakers could divert mineral revenue earmarked for deposit in the Permanent Mineral Trust Fund and instead use the money to fund state government during the current budget crunch. The Joint...
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Obscure law frees millions for education
As lawmakers continue to sort through solutions for Wyoming’s budget deficit, Friday’s Joint Appropriations Committee meeting revealed several alternatives to tax increases or budget cuts. For...
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Wyo expected to create Office of Outdoor Recreation
Wyoming is expected to announce the creation of an Office of Outdoor Recreation at a legislative committee meeting Monday, WyoFile has learned. Sources close to and familiar with the Governor’s Outdoor...
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Pot penalties could expand
The Joint Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider two bills that could close an edible marijuana “loophole,” clearing the way for more felony pot prosecutions. The committee is scheduled to meet...
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State GOP to Revenue Committee: Drop the tax talk
Wyoming Republican Party leaders delivered a resolution against new taxes and raising existing ones to the Legislature’s Joint Revenue Committee on Monday, telling lawmakers the party platform demanded...
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Committee advances criminal justice reform bill
The Joint Judiciary Committee advanced a bill to keep probationers and parolees out of prison for minor violations in an effort to stem the rising number of inmates in Wyoming. Following the death of a...
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Potential BLM chief vows to push local input, reduce monuments
Wyoming-based property rights attorney Karen Budd-Falen recently vowed that if she is confirmed to lead the Bureau of Land Management, she will “advocate for local government involvement,” criticizing...
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Just 2 percent of Barrasso’s 2017 fundraising is Wyoming-based
U.S. Sen. John Barrasso’s campaign committee has raised almost $3 million in 2017, according to the committee’s most recent filing with the Federal Election Commission. Of that money, only $66,225 —...
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Prominent lawmakers boost revenue committee before tax votes
Veteran lawmakers meeting in Casper offered moral support and some political cover to members of the Joint Revenue Committee before a vote scheduled Monday on a slew of tax-increase bills. Joint...
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Budd-Falen: Provocateur or protector?
The prospect of Karen Budd-Falen’s appointment to lead the Bureau of Land Management elicits strong reactions across the political spectrum. Conservationists and environmentalists fear that Budd-Falen...
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Feds re-open grizzly delisting question, seek more comments
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is soliciting further public comment on the removal of Endangered Species Act protections for Yellowstone-area grizzly bears following a court ruling. The federal...
View ArticleCuts to prison drug treatment come back to bite budget
Cutting substance abuse treatment programs for prisoners is costing the state $4.6 million a year by driving released inmates right back behind bars, Wyoming Department of Corrections Director Bob...
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Perspectives | The Sundance fallout from two sides
Public comment turned unexpectedly heated in November over a bill, proposed by Rep. Cathy Connolly, to change gender references in Wyoming’s statute. A WyoFile article published two weeks ago about the...
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$80M publicly funded dam would serve only 100
Wyoming water developers are pushing an $80-million dam in the Little Snake River drainage that a former legislator says is too expensive to serve only 100 irrigators. The proposed 280-foot-high dam on...
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Immigration jail isn’t a prison, Mead’s spokesperson says
Gov. Matt Mead’s spokesman said a federal immigration jail proposed for Uinta County does not count as a private prison under Wyoming statute and doesn’t require the Governor’s approval to be...
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