South Central Judicial District Presiding Judge Bruce Romanick has announced he will retire on December 31, 2024, after serving 24 years on the bench. First elected as a District Court Judge in 2000, Judge Romanick held the SCJD Judgeship #3 seat for four consecutive terms, overseeing numerous cases and making a lasting impact on the Read More…
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced that Renee Strong, 55, of Springfield, has been indicted on 26 forgery-related charges stemming from alleged crimes committed while she was an employee of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety and performing contract work for the Department of Health. “Crimes of this nature violate the public’s trust Read More…
Idaho Governor Brad Little announced today a significant reduction in the state’s unemployment insurance tax rate for 2025, marking a 20% decrease from the previous year. The move is expected to save Idaho employers approximately $22 million. The base unemployment insurance tax rate will drop to 0.788%, the second-lowest rate recorded since 1980. This reduction Read More…
The Whitney Western Art Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West proudly announces the acquisition of Portal, a monumental bronze sculpture by internationally acclaimed artist Deborah Butterfield. Created in 2023, the piece represents a significant addition to the museum’s collection and underscores its dedication to contemporary Western art. Butterfield, celebrated for her evocative Read More…
Southwest Airlines announced on April 30 that it will add several new nonstop flights flying out of Boise Airport this summer. Included among the mix of new routes is nonstop service to Orange County and Dallas Love Field. The airline will also bring back daily service to Chicago-Midway, San Diego and San Jose, along with Read More…
CASPER, Wyo. –The State of Wyoming filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in its lawsuit against the Biden Administration’s Executive Order “pausing” oil and gas leasing on Federal lands, Governor Mark Gordon’s office announced Tuesday. “The current de facto leasing moratorium is bad policy for Wyoming and contrary to law,” Governor Gordon said. “This Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – The Dickinson Public School District is now offering a permanent kindergarten through 12th-grade online academy option for students. Administrators say the decision comes after students expressed interest for the program. More than 280 students are enrolled in distance learning, and some of them are to looking to continue in that mode Read More…
GILLETTE, Wyo. — Yesterday, Governor Mark Gordon announced that Wyoming’s Integrated Test Center will host one of two projects selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for Phase III funding of a large-scale pilot carbon capture project. DOE announced yesterday that it has awarded $99 million to two projects for Phase III of their Demonstration Read More…
Recognition in the annual IBM Watson Health top hospital and health system ranking is the Pulitzer Prize of health care. Once again, Idaho has two health systems serving Idahoans on its lists for 2021 as well as three hospitals. Just like last year, both the St. Luke’s and Saint Alphonsus health systems were among the Read More…
Elk herds are thriving in Wyoming, which means more opportunity for more hunters. Last week, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) announced that the state wildlife commission approved the addition of 2,000 more licenses for the upcoming elk season. According to the Jackson Hole News & Guide, the “major herds are nearly 30% over objective” and there’s Read More…
A press release put out by the Wyoming Department of Health announced the mistaken exposure of lab test result data with the health information of over 160,000 Wyoming residents. The department said they became aware of the exposure of approximately 164,021 Wyoming residents on March 10, 2021, with a workforce member mishandling health information as early as November 5, 2020. READ FULL Read More…
Passenger numbers at North Dakota’s eight commercial service airports in March increased from the previous month and year but remained well below pre-coronavirus pandemic levels. The airports in Bismarck, Minot, Williston, Dickinson, Grand Forks, Fargo, Devils Lake and Jamestown collectively had 72,504 passenger boardings last month, up from 51,240 in February and from 60,821 in March Read More…
LARAMIE, Wyo. – University of Wyoming football recruit Tony Evans Jr. was shot and killed early Sunday morning at a hotel in Dallas, Texas, according to police in the Dallas area. The 17-year-old senior was a 2021 recruit from Lancaster, Texas. The fatal shooting around 1:30 a.m., which wounded another person at the Hawthorn Suites Read More…
Wyoming’s economy is powered by some of the oldest industries in human history, including mining, agriculture and tourism. But in recent years the state has emerged as an unlikely champion of far newer inventions: cryptocurrencies and the blockchain technology that powers them. Now, the Cowboy State is arguably the most crypto-friendly jurisdiction in the United Read More…
The Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health appointed Elva (Cookie) Allan, Marybeth Flachbart and Jenny Robertson to its board of directors. Allan has worked for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe since 1999 and is the director of strategic initiatives and development office. She has been an advocate for Latino and Native American issues dating back Read More…
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) – Help wanted has now turned into help needed for many places like Piesano’s Pacchia. “It’s just hard to get help,” says owner Stacey Livermont. Secretary Marcia Hultman from the Department of Labor and Regulation says initial claims for unemployment are going back to normal rates, but continued claim numbers still Read More…
PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota’s attorney general who is awaiting his next court hearing involving a fatal crash has announced his promotion in the Army Reserve. Jason Ravnsborg posted on Facebook that he is now a full colonel in the Army Reserve. He’s been in the military for 24 years and through three deployments, his Read More…
Documents filed this week in Natrona County District Court allege that a Casper man gave a 13-year-old girl methamphetamine and then produced child pornography with her. Salvador Salas is charged with the following in district court: Two counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor Two counts of sexual exploitation of children Distribution of a Read More…
If you hit it, you can eat it. A new Wyoming law allows drivers to take home wildlife that was accidentally killed by a car, and prepare it for dinner. Salvaging roadkill had been illegal in the state for generations before Monday’s bill singing. Now, Wyoming joins 30 other states where drivers can cook a Read More…
Idaho Potato Commission President and CEO Frank Muir plans to retire in mid-September. He prioritized national branding and marketing since leaving a well-established corporate career in those disciplines in 2003 to join IPC. “I was hired as an outside hired gun to do real marketing, and that’s what we’ve tried to do the Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Dead sea scrolls have been in the news recently because previously undiscovered fragments of them were found in a newly excavated cave in the Judean Desert by archeologists working for the Israel Antiquity Authority. The find is the first in 60 years and has created a lot of excitement among both Read More…
A bipartisan group in Congress is urging the federal government not to remove 144 cities from being designated as metropolitan areas. They say reclassifying them as “micropolitan” could put key federal funding at risk. The request comes after The Associated Press reported this month that the federal government wants to raise the population criteria for core cities Read More…
Lawmakers this year passed the biggest budget in state history and carved out funding for long-term, transformational projects like broadband and rail line expansion, all amid a once-in-a-century pandemic. But it’s what didn’t happen that the 2021 Legislative Session might be most remembered for. For 128 days, dozens if not hundreds of legal and political Read More…
The city of Sioux Falls in South Dakota will allow its mask mandate to expire after a 9-year-old girl read a letter before the city council saying she was “bullied” in school and called “stupid” for not wearing a face covering. Mayor Paul TenHaken broke the four to four tie vote on the city council and Read More…
OLIVER COUNTY, N.D. (KFYR) – The Oliver County Sheriff says approximately 25 head of cattle are dead in the Missouri River after they fell through the ice on March 3. Oliver County Sheriff David Hillard says it is believed the cattle walked on to and fell through the ice. The Department of Environmental Quality is Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – North Dakota has another new State Health Officer. Gov. Doug Burgum, R-N.D., named Dr. Nizar Wehbi to the post and is expected to take responsibilities on May 1. Wehbi will be the fifth person to hold the office in either a permanent or interim basis in the past year. “Dr. Wehbi Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Press Release) – Governor Mark Gordon announced Wyoming will remove its statewide mask requirement and allow bars, restaurants, theaters and gyms to resume normal operations on March 16. The decision reflects the state’s continually improving health metrics and is consistent with the Governor’s approach of balancing public health with protecting livelihoods. Wyoming has Read More…
More North Dakotans are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines as at least one district health unit moves into a broader vaccination category. Right now, most of the state is in the Phase 1B category, which means, among other things, anyone 16 years of age and older with two underlying health risk conditions can get vaccinated. Phase 1C includes Read More…
Whole Foods Market this week entered Wyoming, its 43rd state, with the completion of its acquisition of independent supermarket Jackson Whole Grocer. The Austin, Texas-based specialty grocery chain said the store, located at 1155 S. Highway 89 in Jackson, Wyo., will remain open during its conversion to the Whole Foods banner. The acquisition was announced Read More…
Wyoming winds gusting more than 70 mph almost pushed an Amazon semi-trailer off of a bridge on Interstate 25 south of Chugwater on Monday. The driver’s status was unknown as of Monday morning, as the Wyoming Department of Transportation noted on its social media that the Wyoming Highway Patrol was still investigating the incident. The Read More…
WYOMING — Despite Wyoming only having one four-year university in the entire state, the Cowboy State has been ranked as the tenth best in the nation to be a student in 2021 according to recent data from the student resource website, Studee. “To help students find the best place to study, we’ve compared the cost of Read More…
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg has been charged with three misdemeanors in connection with a deadly crash in September 2020. Hyde County Deputy State’s Attorney Emily Sovell announced Ravnsborg will be charged with operating a vehicle while using a mobile electronic device, illegal lane change and careless driving. READ FULL Read More…
Gov. Mark Gordon sent a letter to the Biden administration on Wednesday criticizing a recent order that he says severely hampers oil and gas development and threatens Wyoming’s economic well-being. In a letter sent Wednesday to the Interior Department’s acting secretary, Gordon said Wyoming’s oil and gas operators faced long delays in obtaining permits and other approvals Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Twelve North Dakota communities will be receiving upgrades, thanks to the Main Street Initiative Vibrancy Grant. Grant funding goes to nonprofit organizations and local governments to work on projects that will make the city more vibrant. The North Dakota Department of Commerce selected Bismarck as a recipient of the funding to Read More…
A U.S. federal judge has ruled that Indian Health Service must make a report public, which details how the agency failed to stop pediatrician Stanley Patrick Weber from sexually abusing Native American children for decades, on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times sued the federal government in April Read More…
Bryan Moss could be the luckiest man in Idaho. The dad from Meridian just won the lottery – for the sixth time. Moss won the Idaho Lottery Scratch Game $250,000 Crossword on Thursday, the lottery said in a press release. Moss plays the lottery regularly because it benefits Idaho schools. Since 1989, the Idaho Lottery has Read More…
CHEYENNE – In homes with children, fighting over who gets to use the internet or who needs to stop their streams has become a common American experience over the last couple decades. It’s an argument that Laramie County resident Jackie Fornstrom knows well, living with her husband and four teenage boys on their family farm Read More…
BOISE, Idaho — Dr. Ryan Cole, a pathologist and owner of Cole Diagnostics, a testing lab in Garden City, last spoke to KTVB in mid-December about rarely leaving the lab with so many COVID-19 samples waiting to be tested. Just over a month later, the pandemic in Idaho is starting to slow, much as he Read More…
About 13 percent of North Dakotans have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began. But a study by Columbia University suggests a much higher percentage of the state may have already had the virus. So how close is North Dakota to herd immunity? Researchers at Columbia University say a computer model estimates 105 million Read More…
PIERRE – South Dakota voters created an unconstitutional super agency that would be a fourth branch of government when they voted to legalize small amounts of recreational marijuana, a lawyer challenging the vote argued Wednesday. Amendment A conveyed broad powers to the South Dakota Department of Revenue to regulate and tax marijuana, lawyer Lisa Prostrollo told Circuit Read More…
After 15 years working in western oil patches, Antonio Magana finally struck out on his own, starting a small oil and gas well servicing company. Then the pandemic hit. Demand tanked and production ground nearly to a halt here in Wyoming’s Jonah Field. Magana and his skeleton staff are down to working just three days Read More…
BISMARCK — North Dakota’s statewide mask mandate will expire at 8 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 18, as COVID-19 cases continue to drop in the state. Medical professionals have widely credited North Dakota’s mask mandate with reducing the spread of COVID-19 in the state, but Gov. Doug Burgum said on Friday, Jan. 15, he believes Read More…
South Dakota, a state that weathered months of criticism from the media and Democrats for how it handled the COVID-19 epidemic, has become a model for vaccine distribution while other states struggle. According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, South Dakota is the third-most successful state in administering its provided coronavirus vaccines, following West Read More…
Smoke could be smelled for miles and the sky blazed red through the night in northwest South Dakota on Thursday, January 14. A grass fire broke out just after 4:30 p.m. in Adams County, North Dakota, just across the border from Lemmon, South Dakota. Wind speeds in Lemmon at the time were 30 to 40 Read More…