WPR NewsRoom

A look at Wyoming's health insurance marketplace

Wyoming (2009-11-16) In the debate over how to improve the nation's health care system, one idea that comes up frequently is increasing competition among health insurance companies. Wyoming Public Radio's Renny MacKay reports on the level of competition in this state and whether more options for consumers would really improve health care.

Integration struggle for Native Americans

Wyoming (2009-11-16) One issue that is interesting in Native American culture is how Native Americans judge those with mixed blood. Karleen Wolfe is half white and half Native American. Her daughter Sydney is only a quarter Sioux and Chippewa. Both struggle to fit in with their Native American friends and family in different ways. In this report on how Native Americans judge the mixed blood among them, Jesse Jacobson explores how a mother and daughter have learned to overcome prejudice and embrace their heritage.

Artists during a recession

Wyoming (2009-11-16) Most local arts organizations face funding challenges no matter the economic environment. And in a downturn - affordable space becomes more important than ever. KUNC's Grace Hood reports on one effort, in Northern Colorado, to give performance arts groups a place to call home.

A tight job market in Casper

Wyoming (2009-11-16) Wyoming's unemployment rate has more than doubled in the past year and the number of people losing jobs in the state is growing by the day. Although the downturn in the economy has impacted a number of businesses, those hardest hit worked in the energy industry, construction and service industry. Over 20 years ago the city Casper saw massive layoffs following the downturn of the oil industry.Wyoming Public Radio's Bob Beck reports .

Unemployment in Sweetwater County

Wyoming (2009-11-09) Local officials say hiring is starting to come back, little by little. In the meantime there may be some positive aspects to the economic slowdown. On a recent visit Wyoming Public Radio's Renny MacKay found former roughnecks using the downturn as a time to get new skills, and an economic development office that's pushing for improvements ahead of the next boom.

One transmission line's ups and downs

Wyoming (2009-11-09) The Obama Administration says it wants to see 25 percent of the country's electricity coming from renewable sources by 2025. But to boost renewable energy's share of total energy consumption we have to figure out how to move it from here to there. For the most part, the places in the country that are the best sources of wind and solar energy aren't close to the places that use the most electricity. Wyoming Public Radio's Molly Messick reports

Wyoming considers reducing funding for education

Wyoming (2009-11-09) Last year, as they saw state revenues began to decline, a small group of legislators started discussing the possibility of reducing funding for education. Now as state revenue forecasters confirm that Wyoming could be in for tighter financial times, there is speculation that the reduction push will pick up. Wyoming Public Radio's Bob Beck reports.

One Laramie resident commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down

Wyoming (2009-11-09) The world this month commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down... and with it, the end of the Cold War. One Laramie resident has pieces of the wall to help him remember that day. Addie Goss reports.

Graduates of the therapeutic community program in Casper talk to WPR's Addie Goss

Wyoming (2009-11-09) Last week Addie Goss reported on a program in Casper for drug addicts in prison. The therapeutic community program, or TC, is designed for men nearing the end of their sentences. They live together for a year, meet in small groups, and try to address the underlying reasons they use drugs. This week we hear from three graduates of the program.

H1N1 Update

Wyoming (2009-11-02) This week Wyoming health officials said that a large amount of H1N1 or swine flu vaccine will soon arrive in the state. It should be enough to let everyone in Wyoming get a flu shot. But only half of parents nationwide say they plan to get their kids vaccinated. Many say they're worried about vaccine side-effects. Julie Grant reports that some government policies may have inadvertently made people concerned about vaccine safety.

Casper Drug Treatment for Inmates

Wyoming (2009-11-02) Each year, about a hundred male drug addicts in Wyoming are moved from prison to a locked facility west of Casper. They spend about 12 months there toward the end of their prison sentence, living alongside other addicts, and looking hard at why they used drugs.This model is called a therapeutic community, or T-C. Wyoming Public Radio's Addie Goss reports on life inside T-C's walls, and life once these men get out.

The Big Drop

Wyoming (2009-11-02) It has been over two years since huge weights pounded the earth in Rock Springs. The so-called "Big Drop" was a state run project designed to collapse old mine shafts in the city. Several families in the area said that the weights started the ground moving and it hasn't stopped. They also say that the project has damaged or destroyed their homes. Now a study is out showing the ground is still moving in this area but Wyoming Public Radio's Renny MacKay reports there's no proof as to why.

Energy Companies Block Climate Change with Big Money

Wyoming (2009-11-02) Senators, including Wyoming's John Barrasso, started working on climate change legislation this week. And the lobbyists are out in force. Manuel Quinones reports from Capitol Hill that energy companies with strong Wyoming ties are spending big bucks in Washington.

Carbon: A ghost of a ghost town

Wyoming (2009-11-02) The town of Carbon existed for a little over 30 years - from 1868 until just after the turn of the century. It was in southeast Wyoming, between Medicine Bow and Hanna. It was a vital place, with coalmines, trains moving through, and more than a thousand people living along the tracks. Now, it's a ghost of a ghost town - a remote and vacant spot, overgrown with sagebrush. Wyoming Public Radio's Molly Messick has this story.

Cliff Hansen is remembered

Laramie, Wy (2009-10-21) He was a Senator, a Governor and at the end of the day...a rancher. Jackson Hole's favorite son Cliff Hansen has died at the age of 97. Wyoming Public Radio's Bob Beck has more...

The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later

Laramie, Wyo. (2009-10-12) This evening, Laramie will be one of more than 150 locations in all 50 states and around the world to debut "The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later."

Wyoming Congressional Delegation Argues for Oil and Gas

Wyoming (2009-10-05) Big changes could be coming to Wyoming's oil and gas producers. But Wyoming lawmakers and the industry say proposed reforms at the Interior Department go too far. Matt Laslo reports from Washington.

Wamsutter Tries to Survive Booms and Busts

Wyoming (2009-10-05) The town of Wamsutter has been many things. It got its start in the 1860s as a roundhouse, where railroad engines could turn around and head back east. It's been a sheep shearing town and an oil town. Through all of that, it's been a humble, hardscrabble place. Now, the business is natural gas. Wyoming Public Radio's Molly Messick has this story.

Wyoming Tourism Does Surprising Well this Summer

Wyoming (2009-10-05) The end of September is the unofficial close to the summer tourism season in Wyoming. And despite the nation being mired in the worst economic downturn in decades it seems the state's tourism industry did a lot better than expected. Wyoming Public Radio's Renny MacKay reports

UW Football Team Relies on Youth

Wyoming (2009-10-05) During practice this spring, first year Wyoming football Coach Dave Christensen realized that he was going to have to do something that coaches don't like to do. He was going to have to play what are termed true freshmen. Wyoming Public Radio's Bob Beck reports the freshmen are having an impact