Serving all of Eastern Laramie County since 1908
Serving all of Eastern Laramie County since 1908
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One of the most conservative members of the Wyoming State Senate is Cale Case (R-Lander). He favors approval of a medical marijuana bill and says there is a surprising amount of support for such an effort among older, conservative Wyomingites. I happened to be with Case during his recent talk to the Lander Rotary Club. He asked the crowd of 50, how many would favor such a measure? Some 35 hands were raised – 70 percent! Earlier, Cale had joined our Fox News All-Stars coffee group (average age 69...
U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., nominated 20 Wyoming students for the United States service academies for 2017. Today, he announced his choices for the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Merchant Marine Academy, the Military Academy and the Naval Academy. “Every year, Wyoming students demonstrate their patriotism and willingness to serve their country by applying to our service academies,” said Enzi. “Apart from a quality education, the service academies open doors and provide a unique set of experiences that graduates will carry with them throu...
My immediate thoughts about predicting the first part of Wyoming’s upcoming year 2017 include some not so joyous conclusions. This is because the year starts with the Legislative session. Due to retirements of some experienced players and the unfortunate defeat of folks like Rosie Berger and Mary Throne, we find ourselves with a representative bunch that will have a difficult time. While many of the legislators are pretty green, other folks active in our legislative process are super e...
When I look back on 2016, it seems to me that Wyoming people need to face a true reality check. It is time for people to realize that the current “bust” might be what we should be considering the “new normal” here in the Cowboy State. Instead of considering our economic conditions booms or busts, we need to identify these kinds of times, which are predictable, and consider them the norm. This is what 2016 was like and how 2017 will continue to be. To business owners and managers, 2017 will be a...
Recently, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) praised final passage of the bipartisan Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act by a vote of 78 to 21. The bill already passed the House of Representatives and now heads to the president’s desk to be signed into law. The bill authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to improve and maintain dams, inland waterways, ports and projects to prevent flooding and ensure that communities have adequate water supplies. “Today, Congress came together to overwhelmingly pass a bip...
Ken Smith of Laramie has a great idea for an ideal Christmas gift – he thought someone should go around the state and “bundle up” all the different craft beers and market them as a package. Not sure how that could be done, but sounded good to me. Ken is a University of Wyoming professor and has shared a cold one with me now and then. Actually I was the guy who recruited him to Wyoming back in the 1980s to be publisher of the Green River Star. Today, he heads the journalism department at UW. I wa...
Pine Bluffs Elementary Schools' performance of “The Christmas Carol” was delightful. Congratulations to all K-6 performers and those behind the scenes who put in many hours of memorization and rehearsals to make this production a success. Cast included Gavin Oakes, Kutter Fornstrom, Merina Theobald, Jason Mickelson, Ethan Morrison, Caitlyn Eggli, Madelyn Brown and scores of soloists and narrators and Abby Gray as assistant director. Musical productions provide opportunities for students to explore, develop, and experiment with their music and...
It has come to my attention that certain groups or entities have been using my name to try and get donations from seniors. Some of these solicitations imply that folks won’t get their Social Security benefits unless they pay $10 and sign a petition addressed to me. These letters are misleading and aim to prey on those who are vulnerable and worried. No one has to pay anyone in order to share their views with me and these professional petition organizers are not as effective as they may claim. I am working to make sure Social Security b...
It has come to my attention that certain groups or entities have been using my name to try and get donations from seniors. Some of these solicitations imply that folks won’t get their Social Security benefits unless they pay $10 and sign a petition addressed to me. These letters are misleading and aim to prey on those who are vulnerable and worried. No one has to pay anyone in order to share their views with me and these professional petition organizers are not as effective as they may claim. I am working to make sure Social Security b...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) recently announced updated regulations to protect the rights of farmers. The Farmer Fair Practices Rules target the most harmful practices hurting farmers and clearly outlines common sense protections to restore fairness and reduce the burden for farmers seeking justice under the Packers and Stockyards Act. This is the most recent action in the Obama's Administration's efforts to level the playing field for all Americans. "For years, American fa...
My new favorite baseball cap says “Wyoming versus BYU,” except that this cap is 20 years old from the 1996 WAC football championship held in Las Vegas. We were at that game and now it is Déjà Vu all over again. Wyoming is again playing BYU, this time in a bowl game on Dec. 21 in San Diego. Not sure we can make that one, but as I write this in a Laramie motel room (where the temperature is -20 on Dec. 8), the thought of sunny San Diego sure sounds good. Legend has it that cities that host bowl...
U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., voted to advance a bill Dec. 7 that would authorize $611 billion in funding for our national defense including a 2.1 percent pay raise for active-duty military service members. The bill would also authorize funding for construction projects in Laramie, Guernsey and Cheyenne. The bill omits language that was in an earlier version that would have required women to begin registering for Selective Service. The Senate voted 92-7 to move forward with consideration of a final version of the National Defense...
Congress recently passed the 21st Century Cures Act, which includes important new protections for genetic privacy, which were top priorities of U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo. The bill strengthens privacy protections around the collection of genetic information for medical research participants. As federal agencies and other groups continue advancements in scientific health research, their collection of individual’s personal genetic information continues to grow larger and larger. “There have been amazing advancements in genetic research – p...
Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, both R-Wyo., joined Senate colleagues in sending a letter to President Obama requesting his Administration stop issuing non-emergency rules and regulations in the final weeks of his term. Led by Senator Cory Gardner, R-Colo., the letter stressed that the American people made it clear on November 8th that they expect regulatory relief. “Today, we have the opportunity to return to commonsense principles of regulation and curb unnecessary government interference in the private sector,” the senators wrote. “In...
Welcome to the Cowboy State – home of the most powerful voters in America. And these voters care a lot about voting too, as record numbers turned out on Nov. 8. Some counties like Laramie, Fremont and Johnson recorded 100 percent turnouts of registered voters. This is amazing in a country where barely half of the eligible voters turned out. Because we have the smallest population of any state in America, it takes just 187,923 voters in Wyoming to cast a single electoral vote. In California it ta...
U.S. Senator John Barrasso recently delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding the future of Obamacare. Barrasso outlines how Republicans plan to dismantle Obamacare and replace it with patient-centered care. Excerpts of Senator Barrasso’s remarks: “The health care law began collapsing a long time ago – and Republicans are now ready to clear away the rubble. Then we’ll write a new law that reforms America’s broken health insurance system. One that puts American families in control of their health care.” “The American peop...
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released the results of an extensive investigation requested by Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, on the cost projections of the Income Driven Repayment (IDR) plans administered by the Department of Education. GAO’s report shows that the current cost projections for IDR plans are tens of billions higher than original estimates. GAO also found that the Department of Education used flawed data to estimate program costs, which is expected to result in massive l...
With our nights getting longer and colder, this gives me an excuse to watch my favorite movies that take place in our state, feature our state or include themes about Wyoming. Here is my list of favorites: Most recently, the best movie of the year according to the Academy Awards was The Revenant, which has over-riding Wyoming themes with much of it filmed as if it were here. A very cold, wintry Wyoming was depicted. Other western movies dominate these selections. In Hollywood jargon, cowboy movi...
U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, says you can lie about the numbers, but the numbers tell their own tale and they are saying that federal spending on advertising and public relations is a black hole. “No one really knows how much these agencies spend on trying to influence the American public about what a great job government is doing,” Enzi said on the Senate floor today. “As Lewis Carroll famously wrote in Alice and Wonderland – ‘How far down does the rabbit hole go?’ The reason this is so important i...
Most Americans are in that mode after this rancorous election season. Those who’ve been around for more than one voting cycle recall the disparity between what candidates say on the stump, and how they behave, or govern once in office. Many have elevated expectations believing President-elect Trump’s not a run-of-the-mill politician. Will he govern to serve us, upholding our constitutional rights and liberty? Or is he just building a constituency. Is it possible to do both? It’s unlikely President Trump will be accused of fawning for the media...
During University of Wyoming home football games, War Memorial Stadium in Laramie becomes the fifth largest city in the state. And just about every one of those fans on Saturday, Nov. 19, was jumping for joy after a big cliffhanger victory. It has been a long, long time since Wyoming sports fans could enjoy their UW Cowboys sporting an 8-3 record. I am writing this on Nov. 19. We have a lot to cheer about. The Cowboys are pretty much guaranteed to play in a bowl game, and as of this moment,...
National Rural Health Day brings attention to the unique challenges and opportunities for health and well-being in rural communities. As we recognize these challenges and celebrate the gains we have made in improving health in rural America, I want to remind individuals and families in rural areas that the healthcare Health Insurance Marketplace open enrollment period is happening now, and affordable healthcare coverage is available on HealthCare.gov. When it comes to healthcare, rural Americans have historically faced fewer options and more...
During my time in Congress, I have seen in this Administration’s policies what I consider obvious executive overreach and a blatant lack of transparency. Regardless of an administration’s party or platform, Congress is constitutionally obligated to investigate and scrutinize the executive branch. I have worked to do just that as a member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. In this committee we have investigated a slew of national security failures. After the attack on the consulate in Benghazi and the deaths of four Americans the...
Congress sent a bill this week to President Obama that would improve access to America’s National Forests through better trail maintenance and preservation. The National Forest System Trails Stewardship Act would make better use of existing resources within the Forest Service to significantly increase the role of volunteers and partners in maintaining the usability and sustainability of the National Forest’s trail system. Senators Mike Enzi, R-Wyo. and Michael Bennet, D-Colo. were the prime sponsors in the Senate and Representatives Cynthia Lum...
Wyoming got good economic news early Wednesday morning with the national election of Donald Trump as president and Liz Cheney as our new U. S. Representative. Sometimes when you live out here on the frontier, you could assume that what happens in a presidential election probably would not have much impact on your small-populated rural state. Not so. For example, the two candidates for President in the Nov. 8 election had strikingly different plans concerning some big ideas for a state like...
