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…
JACKSON —PAWS of Jackson Hole Executive Director Amy Moore’s four-person staff gathered in an office around the holidays to open a certified letter inbound from the Lynn and Foster Friess Family Foundation. Only one person present, PAWS Development Director David Watson, knew what was concealed within. “As we opened up the envelope, we had no Read More…
The Wyoming Highway Patrol says it’s prepared should any violence erupt at the Wyoming State Capitol next week. The FBI has warned of possible armed protests across the U.S. in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, but WHP spokesman Sgt. Jeremy Beck says they’re “not anticipating” things to “go south.” READ FULL STORY
PIERRE, S.D. — An annual report documenting alleged violations of free speech on public university campuses across South Dakota turned up only a single complaint, a grievance over “Hobo Days” as the name of South Dakota State University’s homecoming celebration, according to the state’s Board of Regents. Nathan Lukkes, the Board of Regents’ counsel, presented Read More…
RIVERTON, Wyo. — Have you ever wanted to start your own business? If so, then you’re in luck! Central Wyoming College is teaming up with the University of Wyoming to offer a six-week Entrepreneurial Essentials Course starting on January 29 that will provide Wyoming residents with the knowledge and tools to become successful entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurial Essentials Read More…
BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) — A man from Boise, Idaho who was photographed dropping down into the U.S. Senate chamber from the gallery during Wednesday’s riot at the Capitol has apologized for his actions. Photos from Wednesday’s siege of the U.S. Capitol building showed Josiah Colt climbing down the balcony onto the Senate floor. KBOI-TV News has Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – January is Human Trafficking awareness month. Since 2016, 31:8 Project has worked with the North Dakota Human Trafficking Task Force to help 514 people connect with resources. One survivor shared her story publicly for the first time. Human trafficking can happen to anyone. Nikki Blowers walked these very streets hoping to Read More…
It’s wolf harvest time in South Dakota. As of Jan. 4, federal protections have been lifted from gray wolves, putting management back into state hands. As a result, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (SDGFP) will allow sportsmen and women, trappers, landowners and livestock producers the “ability to harvest gray wolves across the state” as long as Read More…
A landmark decision delivered by the Trump administration late last month gives five oil and gas companies the green light to forge ahead in drilling 5,000 wells over the next decade in northeastern Wyoming. Though cheered by state officials and industry groups, leaders of several tribal nations with enduring ties to the land remain Read More…
WILLISTON, N.D. — A Williston, N.D., man is accused of kicking in the front door of a house after his ex-coworker did not reply to his Facebook friend request. Caleb Burczyk, 29, pleaded not guilty to felony charges of burglary and terrorizing filed in Williams County District Court Tuesday, Dec. 29. Burczyk’s attorney Jeff Nehring Read More…
PIERRE, S.D. KELO) – During the week of Dec. 13-19, a total of 696 initial weekly claims for state unemployment benefits were processed by the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation. This is a decrease of 230 claims from the prior week’s total of 926. It is a decrease of more than 20%. The Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon announced Saturday that Wyoming will soon resume normal operating hours for bars and restaurants in the state. Gordon praised the people of Wyoming in a news release, crediting their actions for a statewide decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations. READ FULL STORY
CASPER, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) – Carbon Power & Light, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and the Wyoming Rural Electric Association donated $30,000 to six fire departments that helped fight the Mullen fire. Each fire department will receive $5,000. READ FULL STORY
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) – Governor Mark Gordon has unveiled the Community Charitable Relief Program, which provides grant funding to nonprofit organizations that have provided public assistance or seen a decline in donations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Governor has allocated more than $12.1 million in CARES Act funding to Wyoming counties and tribal Read More…
IDAHO FALLS — The city of Idaho Falls and others sued by Christopher Tapp are asking for a lawsuit against them to be thrown out. In a motion to dismiss or strike filed last week in federal court, the city and other defendants claim Tapp’s allegations of “coerced” confessions can’t be litigated because of previous Read More…
South Dakota FFA’s annual state leadership development events continued this year in a new format, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. South Dakota FFA members from across the state traded an in-person state leadership development event, in Pierre, for virtual events throughout December and January. Members qualified through district competitions, advancing the top two teams and top Read More…
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – The North Dakota Medical Expense Assistance Program (MEAP) is now closed. The application window was supposed to end on Sunday, but it closed on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. because of the overwhelming response. This program provides assistance with medical expenses to support first responders and healthcare workers during the Read More…
The $37.5 million Pierre drinking water treatment plant — the biggest project in the city’s modern history — is $100,000 closer to reality, thanks to the Central Plains Water Development District. “To the best of my knowledge, the drinking water treatment project is the biggest local public investment in Pierre’s history,” Pierre Mayor Steve Read More…
ROCK SPRINGS, Wyoming — Wyoming state troopers found a child at the center of an Idaho Falls Amber alert in a broken down car in rural Wyoming. On Friday, the Idaho Falls Police Department said that 10-yer-old Derek Jesus Abitia Rodriguez was missing and possibly abducted. Later that night, an Amber alert was issued and Read More…
Public health departments in Casper and Cheyenne each received shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Monday. Three additional shipments of the same number of doses are expected to arrive Tuesday at hospitals in Cody, Jackson and Gillette. Spokesperson for the Wyoming Department of Health Kim Deti said initial vaccine doses could soon be Read More…
The South Dakota Board of Regents approved the naming of a new program unit at Dakota State University’s campus on Thursday. The Paulson Cyber Incubator and Entrepreneurial Center is named after Matt Paulson, a former DSU alumnus, entrepreneur, private equity, investor and author. READ FULL STORY
PORTLAND, Ore. — With a Democratic supermajority in the Oregon legislature and increasingly left-leaning urban areas, conservative rural Oregonians have long felt left out of state politics. Some of these conservative Oregonians are trying to leave the state all together to preserve their values. But they don’t plan to physically move anywhere — it’s Read More…
MEDICINE BOW — Only one multi-story building exists in this tiny town of under 300. The Virginian Hotel rises up 3 1/2 stories and sits in the heart of the town. On a late October day, an American flag in front of the hotel fought the ferocious northeast winds, as they cut through a Read More…
Casper, Wyo. • The owner of a Montana coal mine filed for bankruptcy and laid off nearly half of its workforce at the facility near the Wyoming border. Lighthouse Resources Inc. filed a petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Wednesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, The Casper Star-Tribune reports. The company based in South Read More…
WARSAW — The $156.6 million Wyoming County budget was approved Tuesday in a special meeting. The county’s Board of Supervisors approved the budget nearly unanimously after a public hearing. Supervisor Daniel Leuer of Middlebury abstained from the budget vote, along with a separate vote to breach the state’s tax levy. No members of Read More…
In recent years, Wyoming created some of the most attractive laws in the country for establishing blockchain and cryptocurrency companies in our state. But by allowing the laws to be shaped and written by those who benefit from them, our legislative hard work accomplished everything the blockchain industry wanted but nothing the state needs. Namely, Read More…
A couple weeks ago, the City of Jackson, Wyoming’s START bus system got something new: an electric bus from Proterra. The system plans on getting at least 7 more of the vehicles. START hosted Proterra representatives for a small ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 12, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they were unable to Read More…
BOISE, Idaho — The U.S. Air Force is appealing a federal court ruling preventing exercises that had military jets coordinating with plain-clothed soldiers on the ground in cities in Idaho as part of an urban warfare training program. The Air Force filed the appeal with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday. The Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) – On Thanksgiving day, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) shared dinner with Wyoming National Guard troops serving in Qatar. Senator Barrasso sat down with members of the 153rd Airlift Wing and 187th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, who are supporting airlift operations and medical evacuations in the Middle East. “Spending Thanksgiving with Read More…
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) -The Idaho Transportation Department is looking at the possibility of building a third bridge to cross the Snake River canyon in Twin Falls and Jerome counties. ITD is exploring five potential areas in the Twin Falls and Jerome areas for a possible future bridge, but they stress that this is so Read More…
CASPER, Wyo. — The National Museum of Military Vehicles opened near Dubois this summer. The museum is among nominees to become USA Today’s “Best New Attraction 2020.” People are able to vote for the museum on the “USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice” website. As of noon Tuesday, the National Museum of Military Vehicles is in third place in Read More…
BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — You’ve waited years (decades for some) for this news, Treasure Valley. But, yes, In-N-Out says it’s officially coming to Boise. It’s fair to say that In-N-Out has a cult-like following — did you see the local, national or international news about 12-hour waits for some customers in Colorado after the burger joint opened a location in Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Teachers, staff and school administrators in Fargo and West Fargo school districts will be the first to get rapid testing for COVID-19 this week. The districts are part of a pilot program with the North Dakota Department of Health to identify asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. READ FULL STORY
The impacts of Wyoming’s COVID-19 surge are being exacerbated by spikes in neighboring states and the concurrent strain on the region’s healthcare resources. Demand for Wyoming’s scarce hospital capacity is expected to build, at least in the short term: County health officers have counseled that the state could soon see 3,000 new cases a day Read More…
The highest legal needs in Wyoming are family law, medical debt and housing issues – and the coronavirus pandemic has the potential to create an even greater need in each area for Wyoming’s low-income population. Equal Justice Wyoming, the Equal Justice Wyoming Foundation and Legal Aid of Wyoming recently partnered to conduct and fund a Read More…
BOISE, Idaho — Gov. Brad Little is mobilizing 100 members of the Idaho National Guard to help out hospitals and long-term care facilities across the state in response to the influx of COVID-19 cases. Little signed an executive order on Friday to help with Idaho’s response to the pandemic. The National Guard will help when Read More…
As the coronavirus surges in the U.S., now topping eleven million cases overall with new cases averaging 150,000 a day in the past week, university revenues are being pounded, leading to a new round of budget cuts and personnel terminations. Within the last few days or weeks, several major institutions announced new cost-cutting measures. University of Read More…
Camping World Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CWH) (“Camping World”), the nation’s largest network of RV and outdoor lifestyle – centric retail locations, today announced an agreement to acquire the Outlet Recreation dealership based in the Fargo market. This acquisition marks the Company’s first location in North Dakota, with plans for the deal to close in December Read More…
That’s when Kraken Financial became the first entity to receive a special purpose depository institution (SPDI) charter in the Cowboy State, giving the cryptocurrency industry insight into roughly how long it takes to become a bank. It’s also the first newly chartered (de novo) bank the state has approved since 2006. While Kraken Financial still has some hoops Read More…
BOISE, Idaho — Due to the continued rise in COVID-19 cases across the state, jury trials in Idaho have been put on hold until Jan. 4, 2021. The Idaho Supreme Court issued this latest order on Monday. It applies to both criminal and civil cases. On Sept. 10, the state high court issued an order Read More…
About 60% of South Dakota prisoners have contracted COVID-19 since March while active cases at the Rapid City prison increased from 45 on Monday to 183 on Tuesday. There have been 2,009 coronavirus cases among DOC inmates since the pandemic began and 241 are active, according to Tuesday data from the Department of Corrections. Read More…