This graph by consultant Jonathan Schechter shows a steep drop in help wanted classified ads in the Jackson Hole News&Guide at a time when the summer tourism business worker search is usually in full swing. (Jonathan Schechter/Charture Institute)

As of 10 a.m., April 15, 2020 

  1. Wyoming: Confirmed cases of COVID-19: 288. Deaths: 2 — Recovered: 176. Probable, untested cases: 105.
  2. By county: Laramie County leads the state with 64 confirmed cases, followed by Teton with 59, Fremont with 42, Natrona with 34 and Campbell with 13. Two counties, Platte and Weston, have reported no cases. 
  3. Testing: 6,103 tests had been administered and processed, according to the Wyoming Department of Health. Experts and officials agree testing numbers fall well short of the reality of the disease’s spread.
  4. United States: 639,733 confirmed cases, according to the Johns Hopkins Institute. Total deaths: 30,990 — Total recoveries: 52,738.
  5. The latest: Wyoming suffered its second death on Wednesday, when an older man in Laramie County succumbed to the disease after several weeks in the hospital. In a press conference that afternoon, Gov. Mark Gordon said the first person in Wyoming to die of COVID-19, a Johnson County man, was a friend of his. Gordon did not extend his existing orders, which are set to run until April, but said the state was “transitioning to a stabilization mode.” The state has yet to reach its predicted peak in hospital demand, he said.
  6. More news: The roommate of a health worker attended multiple house parties in Casper last weekend and later tested positive for COVID-19. People at the parties were “thumbing their noses” at health orders, Casper’s mayor told the Casper Star-Tribune. Emails document the state’s hesitation and pushback on Teton County’s desired health orders. The Game & Fish Department halted the sale of nonresidential fishing licenses. Gordon told state agencies to freeze hiring and prepare for budget reductions.

Support independent reporting during trying times — donate to WyoFile today.

Leave a comment

WyoFile's goal is to provide readers with information and ideas that foster constructive conversations about the issues and opportunities our communities face. One small piece of how we do that is by offering a space below each story for readers to share perspectives, experiences and insights. For this to work, we need your help.

What we're looking for: 

  • Your real name — first and last. 
  • Direct responses to the article. Tell us how your experience relates to the story.
  • The truth. Share factual information that adds context to the reporting.
  • Thoughtful answers to questions raised by the reporting or other commenters.
  • Tips that could advance our reporting on the topic.
  • No more than three comments per story, including replies. 

What we block from our comments section, when we see it:

  • Pseudonyms. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish, and we expect commenters to do the same by using their real name.
  • Comments that are not directly relevant to the article. 
  • Demonstrably false claims, what-about-isms, references to debunked lines of rhetoric, professional political talking points or links to sites trafficking in misinformation.
  • Personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats.
  • Arguments with other commenters.

Other important things to know: 

  • Appearing in WyoFile’s comments section is a privilege, not a right or entitlement. 
  • We’re a small team and our first priority is reporting. Depending on what’s going on, comments may be moderated 24 to 48 hours from when they’re submitted — or even later. If you comment in the evening or on the weekend, please be patient. We’ll get to it when we’re back in the office.
  • We’re not interested in managing squeaky wheels, and even if we wanted to, we don't have time to address every single commenter’s grievance. 
  • Try as we might, we will make mistakes. We’ll fail to catch aliases, mistakenly allow folks to exceed the comment limit and occasionally miss false statements. If that’s going to upset you, it’s probably best to just stick with our journalism and avoid the comments section.
  • We don’t mediate disputes between commenters. If you have concerns about another commenter, please don’t bring them to us.

The bottom line:

If you repeatedly push the boundaries, make unreasonable demands, get caught lying or generally cause trouble, we will stop approving your comments — maybe forever. Such moderation decisions are not negotiable or subject to explanation. If civil and constructive conversation is not your goal, then our comments section is not for you. 

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *