Featured Articles in Regional News

Gordon Praises Peabody’s Wyoming Coal Export to Vietnam

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon is praising Peabody Energy’s successful pilot shipment of Powder River Basin coal to Vietnam, calling the export an important step toward expanding international markets for the state’s coal industry. The shipment moved coal from Wyoming through the United States and Mexico using Union Pacific and Ferromex rail networks Read More…

Applications Open for Wyoming Main Street Advisory Board

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Applications are open for Wyoming residents seeking a seat on the Wyoming Main Street Advisory Board, a volunteer panel that helps guide efforts to strengthen downtowns and support local businesses across the state. The seven-member board works alongside Wyoming Business Council staff on the services and priorities of the Wyoming Main Street Read More…

Gordon Says Wyoming Supreme Court Ruling Clarifies School Funding Duties

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said a new state Supreme Court ruling provides clearer direction on the Legislature’s constitutional obligations for public-school funding while preserving lawmakers’ authority over how the state meets those requirements. The Wyoming Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part a lower-court ruling in a long-running dispute over education funding. The Read More…

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Initiative links business with Wyoming public education

The Wyoming Business Alliance and Wyoming Heritage Foundation have created a new initiative where business people across the state will be able to help improve public education.   Wyoming Excels was officially launched during Gov. Matt Mead’s Business Forum at Cheyenne.   “Wyoming Excels is about business engaging with educators,” said Fred von Ahrens, the Read More…

WyoLotto makes third revenue transfer to Wyoming

As a part of the Wyoming Lottery’s goal to give back to Wyoming, WyoLotto made a third transfer of revenue to the state on Oct. 7. This revenue transfer, totaling $797,638, brings the lottery’s total revenue transfer amount to $2,832,638 since April of this year. WyoLotto looks forward to building on the success that has Read More…

Wyoming Department of Education releases Digital Learning Plan

State education officials are a step closer to revamping the delivery of education statewide. The Wyoming Department of Education recently released the 2017-2021 Digital Learning Plan. “This comprehensive five-year strategic plan was written around the importance of incorporating digital learning and education technology into the classroom and addresses the need for equitable access to educational Read More…

Economist: ‘Worst may be over’ for Wyo.

The State of Wyoming recently released its annual MACRO report detailing the state’s economy, and while the report paints a gloomy picture, there are signs of hope on the horizon. “I think there’s a couple of causes for optimism, the worst may be over for the state,” Jim Robinson, principal economist for the economic analysis Read More…

Vail Resorts CEO donates $75K to Jackson non-profit

Vail Resorts, Inc. has announced that the company’s CEO Rob Katz and his wife, Elana Amsterdam, founder of Elana’s Pantry, made personal contributions totaling $2 million to 12 local non-profit organizations in the communities where the company operates. Each of the contributions will be directed toward programs that support the welfare and education of children Read More…

Wyo. Real Estate – is there a bubble?

When Landis Benson, president of the Wyoming Association of Realtors was asked if he thought there a Wyoming real estate bubble — when market prices rise rapidly due to high demand (as they did in the state during the energy boom in the early part of the decade) until they reach unsustainable levels, prompting a Read More…

Fargo among fastest-growing cities in U.S.

A report released earlier this week by finance website WalletHub said Fargo is the ninth fastest-growing midsize city based on a study that compared 515 cities on 14 different factors, including population growth rate, college-educated population growth and unemployment rate decreases. Fargo ranked 13th overall in the study, which looked at growth between 2009 and Read More…

State board approves seven projects at quarterly meeting

The State Loan and Investment Board (SLIB) approved funding for seven projects at its quarterly board meeting Thursday in Cheyenne. SLIB awarded three companies a total of $41 million in Economic Development Large Project loan requests – none of the three approved large project loans were the full amounts requested. Standard Alcohol, Atlas Carbon and Cody Read More…

Wyoming tax code is most competitive in U.S.

Wyoming has the most competitive tax code in the nation according to the 13th annual State Business Tax Climate Index, released today by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation. The report measures how well-structured each state’s tax code is by analyzing over 100 tax variables in five different tax categories: corporate, individual income, sales, property, and unemployment Read More…

In a hopeful sign, Wyoming unemployment rate falls for first time in 18 months

Wyoming’s unemployment rate fell in August for the first time in 18 months, the Department of Workforce Services reported Tuesday. The shift from 5.7 percent unemployment in July to 5.5 percent last month is not a statistically significant drop, but it offers hope that the state economy is stabilizing. Natrona County had the fourth-largest decrease Read More…

Wyoming reconsiders investment strategies

When you don’t have much new income, it’s great if you can pay your monthly bills using money coming in from smart investment of your savings. Not a lot of people have that. But public budgets in Wyoming have enjoyed some of that kind of security. Now the state is looking for the best strategy Read More…

Tourism cuts mean less advertising for Wyoming

CHEYENNE – Budget cuts will mean less marketing and advertising to attract visitors to Wyoming. The Wyoming Office of Tourism cut about $2 million from its 2017-18 budget as a result of massive cuts across state agencies. The bulk of that money, almost $1.4 million, was designated for advertising. That cut will mean a smaller Read More…

One of ND’s largest oil producers posts wider loss on oil price slump

HOUSTON—Continental Resources Inc., North Dakota’s second-largest oil producer, posted a quarterly loss on Wednesday that missed Wall Street’s expectations because of the slump in crude prices. The loss is an example of the difficulty facing the oil industry as it seeks to offset the period of low prices. Many companies have slashed costs to survive. Read More…