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Wyoming veteran finds healing through honor flight
Pinedale Roundup
Hank Ruland was 22 years old when he was drafted amid the 1969 Tet Offensive. Because of his colorblindness, he couldn’t become a helicopter pilot, so he served in the U.S. Army. He was stationed in Korea during the Vietnam War. When he returned home, he landed at the Seattle airport wearing his military uniform despite warnings to change into civilian clothes. It’s a decision he’d regret. Flash forward several decades, and Ruland signed up for a Rocky Mountain Honor Flight and received a different kind of welcome home, the Pinedale Roundup reports. Read the full story.
Wyoming lawyer found not liable in UW sorority countersuit
Wyoming Public Radio
A jury has found Wyoming attorney John Knepper not liable for abuse of process or inflicting emotional distress. A lawsuit had alleged Knepper and fellow attorney Cassie Craven had done both while representing University of Wyoming sorority members trying to boot a transgender sister from their chapter. The trans sorority member, Artemis Langford, sued the attorneys after the national publicity of the case resulted in death threats. Langford settled with Craven last month for an undisclosed amount, Wyoming Public Radio reports. Read the full story.
‘Path of the Pronghorn’ advisers poised to seek long-sought migration corridor protections
Jackson Hole News&Guide
Despite disagreements, a group of government officials, industry executives and conservationists appears poised to advise Gov. Mark Gordon to protect an iconic pronghorn migration in western Wyoming. Members of the Sublette Antelope Migration Corridor Working Group discussed protections at their fourth meeting in Pinedale. While some opposed protections, the group can still move forward with recommending them under the working group’s framework of consensus. The Sublette Pronghorn Herd’s migration corridor includes parts of Teton, Sublette, Lincoln and Sweetwater counties, the Jackson Hole News&Guide reports. Read the full story.
Youth-organized event attracts political candidates, voters from across northern Big Horn Basin
Cody Enterprise
More than 30 political candidates descended upon Cody to meet voters at “Politics in the Park.” Cody High School’s Youth For Justice club organized the inaugural event. Voters from Park, Washakie and Big Horn counties mingled with candidates from across the political spectrum who are running for offices ranging from clerkships and district attorney to governor to U.S. Senate, the Cody Enterprise reports. Read the full story.
Wyoming’s lone Democrat for Senate doesn’t expect help in liberal Jackson Hole
KHOL 89.1 FM
James Byrd, the lone Democrat running for Wyoming’s open Senate seat, isn’t banking on support from liberal Jackson Hole. “Teton County has really not shown a lot of interest in my campaign. I’ve got other places that are just breaking their necks to have me come,” he said on a recent visit. Byrd is driving an average of a thousand miles per week, canvassing the state and its sparse population. Wyoming Republicans outnumber Democrats seven to one. In Teton County, it’s closer to an even split, Jackson Hole Community Radio reports. Read the full story.
Natrona County commissioners freeze own pay, approve 3% raise for other elected officials
Oil City News
Natrona County commissioners froze their own salaries but approved a scaled-back, one-time 3% raise for other elected officials, citing public opposition and murky budget forecasts. Earlier this month, County Clerk Tracy Good presented a joint request for a 12% salary bump for elected officials in the first year, followed by 2% annual increases, arguing that statutory duties and operational demands have grown. At the time, commissioners balked at the proposal, pointing to a 14% year-over-year drop in property tax revenues and the need to prioritize raises for regular county employees pending an ongoing wage study, Oil City News reports. Read the full story.