South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has teamed up with 11 other state Attorneys General to urge Congress to pass the AM Radio For Every Vehicle Act of 2024, emphasizing the critical role of AM radios in emergency communication. “Hurricane Helene, much like the severe weather we experience in South Dakota, has highlighted the importance Read More…
(The Center Square) – Former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has withdrawn his name from the Wyoming general election ballot. The son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and nephew to President John F. Kennedy petitioned the state to appear as an independent candidate for president on Aug. 26. “Following his notice of Read More…
(The Center Square) – For Patrick Bell, the race to represent northeast Washington in Olympia won’t be over until the last ballot is cured and counted. “I’m suspending the campaign until certification on August 20th, to focus on curing eligible ballots of voters who cast Republican votes,” he told The Center Square. Bell is a Read More…
(The Center Square) – Voters in Wyoming have a new way to find out where to vote. Secretary of State Chuck Gray said voters can go to his “Wyoming Votes” webpage and provide information about their residence to locate their polling place this year. “The enhancements made to our polling place locator provide a great Read More…
GILLETTE — The son of a Wyoming state representative who opposed COVID-19 public restrictions said his father was positive for the coronavirus when he died. Roy Edwards, 66, died Nov. 2 at Wyoming Medical Center in Casper after being hospitalized for more than a week with illness that was not immediately disclosed, The Gillette Read More…
South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg was “distracted” before he drove onto a highway shoulder where he struck and killed a pedestrian in September, state Secretary of Safety Craig Price said Monday. Price said 55-year-old Joseph Boever was walking on the side of the road and displaying some type of light on the night of Sept. Read More…
Gov. Doug Burgum is seeking legal representation for a likely lawsuit over a Bismarck-area state legislative seat won by a deceased candidate. The governor on Friday asked Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem to appoint three attorneys with Vogel Law Firm in Bismarck to represent him “on legal matters related to Legislative District 8’s membership in the North Read More…
Micron Technology is one of Idaho’s largest employers, but it only pays property taxes on a fraction of its taxable value. The reason? An unsuccessful attempt to lure a nuclear company to East Idaho during the Great Recession. The company paid $4.75 million in property taxes in 2019, only 23% of what it would owe Read More…
The Libertarian Party earned a historic victory Tuesday, clinching a statehouse seat for the first time in nearly two decades. Marshall Burt was elected to the Wyoming House of Representatives in its 39th district, defeating Democrat incumbent Stan Blake, said Bob Johnston on the Libertarian National Committee. “This is only the fifth time in Libertarian Party history a candidate running only on Read More…
Whether dark money is a problem in North Dakota depends on who you ask. “Absolutely there’s problems with transparency in elections here,” Ellen Chaffee, a proponent of the Ethics Commission, said. “I don’t think dark money is a real problem in North Dakota,” Bismarck Republican Sen. Dick Dever said. Dark money refers to political spending Read More…
North Dakota voters are deciding whether to reelect their only congressman, a freshman incumbent, or pick someone new for the next two years. U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., is seeking a second term. He’s challenged by Democratic-NPL nominee Zach Raknerud, a retail manager in Minot, and Libertarian Steven Peterson, a Fargo business owner. In Read More…
A state financial report released Monday showed a General Fund shortfall of $451.1 million and a school funding shortfall of $300 million, according to a news release from Gov. Mark Gordon. The Consensus Estimating Revenue Group’s forecast is slightly better than projected in May, but the state’s revenue collections have experienced a significant decline. “I Read More…
Some things are easy to predict in Wyoming politics. The liberal enclaves of Jackson and Laramie will continue to favor Democrats, despite Wyoming’s deep red reputation. Natrona County, home to a robust and influential conservative establishment, will continue to elect Republicans under the local, “big tent” tradition. And towns such as Gillette, as conservative Read More…
CHEYENNE — With Wyoming approaching one of the most crucial legislative sessions in its history, state lawmakers held initial discussions Wednesday afternoon on what COVID-19 precautions will need to be taken to kick off the session in January. While members of the Legislature’s Management Council didn’t finalize a format during their meeting Wednesday, one thing Read More…
(AP) – The Supreme Court refused on Monday to take up an appeal from South Dakota’s only death row inmate, who was sentenced to death after he pleaded guilty to taking part in a torture killing 20 years ago. The court did not comment in leaving in place the death sentence for Briley Piper, an Read More…
BISMARCK — A Republican candidate for the North Dakota House of Representatives died Monday, Oct. 5, a month out from Election Day and with no way to replace his name on the November ballot. Multiple representatives from the North Dakota Republican Party confirmed the death of David Andahl, a candidate in the high-profile District 8 Read More…
A committee of South Dakota lawmakers this week is expected to send recommendations to the governor’s office and the Legislature about how $1.3 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds should be used. But a meeting Wednesday to finalize formal suggestions could be a preview of what’s to come at next week’s special session. Legislators have been meeting for weeks with various Read More…
CASPER, Wyo. — Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon’s office said on Thursday, Oct. 1 that Gordon supports President Donald Trump’s decision to issue an executive order which aims to protect domestic mining in the United States. “Yesterday, September 30, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order and declared a National Emergency to expand the domestic mining Read More…
CASPER, Wyo. — Casper attorney and former Chief Justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court Michael Golden was presented with the Wyoming State Bar’s Gerald R. Mason Professionalism Award on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Golden’s award was presented Tuesday “during a small awards luncheon held in conjunction with the Bar’s Virtual Annual Meeting.” Wyoming State Bar President Read More…
One man died Saturday night in a pedestrian-vehicle crash west of Highmore. A 2011 Ford Taurus was westbound on U.S. Highway 14. The driver, 44-year-old Jason Ravnsborg of Pierre, told the Hyde County Sheriff’s Office that he had been involved in a car-deer crash. The driver was not injured. The pedestrian’s body was discovered Sunday Read More…
The Wyoming Public Service Commission moved to delay finalizing its investigation into the state’s largest utility on Tuesday, after an energy company made an eleventh-hour request to include additional evidence in the case. Commissioners had initially scheduled public deliberations on its investigation into PacifiCorp for Tuesday afternoon but ultimately delayed the proceeding. The commission determined it Read More…
North Dakota’s Democratic-NPL Party on Friday endorsed a new candidate for state insurance commissioner, days after the state Supreme Court ordered the party’s nominee removed from the ballot. The party’s Executive Committee endorsed Mutual of Omaha insurance agent Jason Anderson, of Fargo, to replace Bismarck critical care respiratory specialist Travisia Martin, whom the court Read More…
On Tuesday, Republican primary voters will effectively choose their state’s next US senator. Sen. Mike Enzi, the four-term Republican incumbent who’s served as chair of the Senate Budget Committee since 2015, is retiring. He and the state’s junior senator, John Barrasso, have both endorsed former Rep. Cynthia Lummis for the seat. Lummis held Wyoming’s one and only House Read More…
The following is a joint release from the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative and the office of Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon. The State of Wyoming supplies 40 percent of the country’s coal used to power electric grids. The production of coal and other energy resources contributes over half of the state’s revenue, funding the government and Read More…
CASPER, Wyo — While out on his tractor baling hay, Wyoming House 38 Representative Tom Walters was happy to talk to Oil City News about room for growth in Wyoming’s agricultural industry, but wouldn’t say how many head of cattle he had. “That’s kind of an old Western tradition,” he said. “It’s like asking how Read More…
CHEYENNE – Leading up to this year’s Aug. 18 primary election, the candidates for the Cheyenne City Council have shared their platforms, solutions and concerns during forums hosted by the League of Women Voters. We’ve compiled some additional Q&As from last week’s debates so you can get to know the candidates more in-depth. You can Read More…
NAMPA, Idaho — Just last week, St. Luke’s confirmed the death of Samatha Hickey. Hickey was a nurse practitioner with St. Luke’s Children’s team in Nampa. She spent 13 years providing care to children in the Canyon County area and five years with the hospital. The 45-year-old died from complications from COVID-19, according to St. Read More…
SIOUX FALLS | South Dakota lawmakers on Tuesday called for formal consultation processes between tribal and state governments following Gov. Kristi Noem’s handling of a conflict over coronavirus checkpoints set up by tribes. Legislators on a committee tasked with navigating the relationship between tribes and the state criticized the governor for escalating the conflict Read More…
North Dakota’s Republican Party is supporting the reelection bid of State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler, who pleaded guilty to drunken driving in March but still dominated the June primary. More than two-thirds of the party’s 58-member State Committee voted in a secret ballot on Saturday at its meeting in Medora to award Baesler its letter of Read More…
A candidate for the Wyoming House of Representatives recently penned an open letter to the Laramie City Council, telling its members their proposed mask resolution was unconstitutional. Ocean Andrew, who is running to represent House District 46, posted the letter to Facebook on Tuesday, the same day the council was set to discuss a potential Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota is urging a federal appeals court to block a judge’s order to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline. North Dakota Solicitor General Matt Sagsveen filed a document Monday supporting operator Energy Transfer’s efforts to keep the oil line open while the Texas-based company appeals. READ FULL STORY
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Newly released data shows North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum’s company received federal loans in April. The Kilbourne Group was awarded between $350,000 to $1 million from the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP. The Small Business Administration has distributed more than half a trillion dollars in forgivable loans. The loans were Read More…
some members of the Wyoming Republican Party expect to file a lawsuit against the state central committee after the party adopted a number of bylaw changes at its convention that critics argue are designed to consolidate power at the state level. The changes, which were approved at the weekend gathering without debate, include a Read More…
BOISE — Idaho Gov. Brad Little and Secretary of State Lawerence Denney say they plan to appeal Tuesday’s U.S. District Court decision granting Reclaim Idaho’s request for a second chance to qualify its school-funding initiative for the November ballot, after the statewide stay-home order cut off signature gathering prior to the state’s deadline. “This decision is Read More…
Two legal challenges are brewing in the wake of North Dakota’s June election. North Dakota’s Republican Party is researching a potential lawsuit against Democratic-NPL insurance commissioner nominee Travisia Martin, who the GOP claims doesn’t meet the five-year residency requirement to be a candidate. But it’s unclear when or if the party will sue. Two unsuccessful Read More…
The Wyoming Republican Party is doing what most organizations can’t right now. Not only are they getting a high-profile figure to keynote their convention but that figure is actually appearing in-person. Well-known conservative activist Charlie Kirk is heading to Gillette for the Wyoming Republican Convention this weekend and for conservatives, there couldn’t be a better Read More…
Executive and legislative relationships could be set back as a result of Gov. Doug Burgum’s hefty donations to a political group that successfully targeted a powerful fellow Republican in the June election, according to a top House lawmaker. Burgum disputes that he’s done anything out of the ordinary and denies having a rocky relationship Read More…
CHEYENNE — Governor Mark Gordon announced Thursday that Wyoming should expect a decline in economic activity this coming fiscal year and the years to follow. In a press release earlier Thursday, he said some businesses and mines may have to do layoffs, furloughs, salary reductions, benefit reductions, and consider other options as Wyoming could see revenue Read More…
Collapsing energy prices and the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to cost Wyoming up to $1.5 billion in revenues through June 2022, preliminary estimates released Tuesday show, setting the stage for steep budget cuts, new taxes, or a mix of both. In a preliminary report delivered Tuesday to members of the Legislature’s Joint Revenue Committee, Read More…
A New Jersey-based company that sells caller ID spoofing services and the state of North Dakota are asking a federal judge to decide the fate of North Dakota’s new anti-spoofing law. Attorneys for both sides have filed motions in U.S. District Court asking the judge to decide the case based on their arguments, rather than Read More…
Three pieces of legislation providing relief from coronavirus impacts for businesses and renters in Wyoming were approved by the Legislature during its two-day special session. During the session, which ended Saturday, legislators approved bills authorizing Gov. Mark Gordon to spend $1.25 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds and specifying how some of the money will Read More…
Idaho’s May 19 primary election will be the state’s first all-absentee-ballot election, a move to curb the spread of COVID-19. The Idaho Press partnered with the League of Women Voters to conduct candidate surveys for local races. Find their answers in the links below or do a ballot search using your home address at vote411.org. Tuesday, Read More…
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Before the coronavirus pandemic the state of South Dakota appeared to be able to afford to pay for historic new unemployment claims caused by an economic downturn, according to reports from the Federal Reserve in Minneapolis and the U.S. Department of Labor. But the state has reached historic new unemployment Read More…
WYOMING — The Wyoming State Legislature will convene for a special session on May 15 and May 16 to consider four bills aimed at providing critical relief and support to Wyoming communities, hospitals, workers, and businesses impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. They will appropriate some of the funds from the $1.25 billion in emergency funding Read More…