Featured Articles in Regional News

Governor’s Emergency Funds Approved to Aid ICE in Transporting Dangerous Illegal Aliens

Governor Brad Little and the Idaho Board of Examiners approved a request Tuesday to allocate up to $300,000 from the Governor’s emergency fund to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in transporting hundreds of dangerous illegal alien criminals from Idaho jails. This move follows the recent announcement that the Idaho State Police (ISP) entered Read More…

Wyoming DEQ Releases 2024 State of the Environment Report

The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has released its 2024 State of the Environment Report, outlining key accomplishments across the department’s four core focus areas: air, land, waste, and water. The annual report underscores Wyoming’s ongoing commitment to environmental protection while supporting the state’s economic vitality. “This report underscores the Wyoming DEQ’s leadership and Read More…

North Dakota Reports Slight Dip in Q1 2025 Taxable Sales

North Dakota Tax Commissioner Brian Kroshus announced today that the state’s taxable sales and purchases for the first quarter of 2025 totaled $5.65 billion, reflecting a 1.53% decrease compared to the same period last year. Despite the modest decline, Kroshus said the data show signs of underlying economic stability amid national economic uncertainty. “While we Read More…

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NORTH DAKOTA MOVES AWAY FROM DARK MONEY TO TRANSPARENT INVESTMENT

UNDATED (NewsDakota.com) – Although first established in 2018, it wasn’t until earlier this year that the North Dakota Ethics Commission welcomed its first executive director. The Commission is still working on finalizing procedures for dealing with complaints and penalizing guilty parties. However, under the guidance of its new director, it will be looking at ethical misconduct and Read More…

Pole dancing and hand sanitizer: Wyoming strip club reopens with ‘masks on, clothes off’ party

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Cleo counts out crumpled dollars, straightening the bills as she stacks them neatly on her bare leg. “Twenty-two dollars,” the 23-year-old exclaims. “Not too bad!” All around her, more than a dozen nearly naked women are dancing on the stage and swinging from a brass pole as music thumps and customers shower the Read More…

TWO PROMINENT WYOMING GAS DRILLERS IN FINANCIAL PERIL

A top financial ratings service has listed western Wyoming gas drillers Ultra Resources and Jonah Energy among issuers of “top bonds of concern” whose securities could face “imminent” default. Fitch Ratings named the two companies that operate in the Pinedale Anticline, Jonah Field and Normally Pressured Lance, or NPL Field in an April 13 report Read More…

Trial date set for Wyoming triple murder suspect

Appearing via video conference from the Sheridan County Detention Center, 55-year-old Dana Beartusk pleaded “not guility” to three counts of First Degree Murder. Beartusk was charged with the crimes for allegedly killing three family members in Big Horn during the evening hours of Sunday, March 29, reports Sheridan Media. District Court Judge John Fenn set the Read More…

Texas to pay Wyoming $1.85 million for 2023 game

LARAMIE — Wyoming will be handsomely compensated for its trip to Texas during the 2023 football season. UW announced the pending matchup with the Longhorns, scheduled for Sept. 16, 2023 at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, earlier this year. Texas, which won’t be making the return trip to War Memorial Stadium, will pay UW $1.85 million for Read More…

SOME WYOMING SCHOOLS DECIDE TO REMAIN CLOSED FOR YEAR

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Some Wyoming school districts are deciding to remain closed for the rest of the school year. The Casper Star-Tribune reports that Natrona County on Monday joined a handful of other districts in deciding against reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic. Others include Albany and Campbell counties, and the Green River-based Sweetwater County Read More…

Woman Arrested After Moms Stage ‘Playdate Protest’ Over Idaho Stay At Home Order

One of the advocates of a movement urging Idahoans to disobey the governor’s stay at home order has been arrested at a protest in Meridian. Forty-year-old Sara Brady, who’s affiliated with the anti-vaccine groups Idahoans for Vaccine Freedom Health Freedom Idaho, was arrested at Kleiner Park in Meridian Tuesday afternoon. As a video posted to Read More…

What does oil’s negative price mean for Wyoming?

Futures prices for oil fell into the negatives for the first time in recorded history Monday, further straining a Wyoming economy already reeling from months of price declines, continuing strife in the coal industry and the shutdown of numerous businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.   West Texas Intermediate oil contracts for the month of Read More…

Idaho Falls man admits to exchanging vape pen for sex with teenage girl, say detectives

AMMON — An Idaho Falls man was arrested Wednesday after investigators say he traded sex with a teenage girl for a vape pen. Investigators were alerted of the alleged sexual activity between the victim and Tyler M. Meng, 26, when Facebook sent sexually explicit messages to investigators, according to court documents obtained by EastIdahoNews.com. Meng Read More…

Governor Gordon: Wyoming Must Prepare for a New Normal

CHEYENNE– Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon held a COVID-19 Coronavirus press conference Wednesday afternoon, in which he said the state’s economy is a changed one and will continue to be different for a long time to come. To help combat the financial impacts of COVID-19, Governor Gordon has directed all state agencies to identify opportunities to immediately Read More…

AG: Wyoming state company lying about masks

**Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article implied the business is in Wyoming, Michigan. It’s actually in the state of Wyoming. LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) — The Michigan Attorney General’s Office has warned a business in Wyoming state to stop falsely marketing the types of face masks it sells, also sending it a cease-and-desist letter for Read More…

First coronavirus death confirmed in Wyoming

A Johnson County man who was infected with the novel coronavirus has died, the first such death in Wyoming, the Department of Health confirmed Monday. There has now been a death in every U.S. state.   “This is a sad development we hoped we wouldn’t see in Wyoming and we want this person’s family to Read More…

Wyoming Students May Finish The 2020 School Year at Home

CHEYENNE — In a video message to Wyoming students, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow told students they may finish the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year at home. The YouTube video was posted on the Wyoming Department of Education’s Facebook page on Monday, April 6. “With school closures in Wyoming extended, it’s possible that you Read More…

Just 3 customers in store at once: Boise-area businesses scramble to survive coronavirus

Note: The Idaho Statesman and McClatchy News Sites are offering most coverage of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic to all, with no payment required. We want to ensure our readers can make critical decisions for themselves and their families. To continue supporting vital reporting like this, please consider a digital subscription. For more coverage, subscribe to our daily coronavirus newsletter. Read More…

North Dakota governor hasn’t ruled out special session

FARGO — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has been in daily contact with lawmakers about the coronavirus and hasn’t ruled out the possibility of calling a special session, a spokesman said Wednesday. Mike Nowatzki, Burgum’s communications director, said that although “it’s too early to speculate” about whether to call in lawmakers, the governor’s office continues Read More…

Wyoming small businesses employ creative solutions to survive during COVID-19 outbreak

The businesses lining the main streets of Wyoming speak volumes about the communities they inhabit. Successful restaurants reflect the tastes of the local residents. Retailers, and the wares they carry, often resemble the demographics of a community. Art galleries, music shops and others can indicate the existence of tourist traffic and a creative class that Read More…

How Idaho counts confirmed COVID-19 cases

BOISE, Idaho — Editor’s note: In the above video, Idaho State Epidemiologist Dr. Christine Hahn answers viewer questions about the coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic.   We have received many questions from viewers regarding the accuracy of the confirmed coronavirus cases reported on the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare website. Local public health districts may be confirming cases of Read More…