In Other News ...
The top news stories from Laramie and Albany County as of September 21, 2021.
Welcome to the Laramie Reporter’s “In Other News” segment, a biweekly rundown of the top news stories from Laramie and Albany County as reported by local, state and national media. Subscribe to our newsletter to get this rundown in your inbox every other week.
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Albany County started considering necessary changes to its political map as the state dives into the redistricting process. Wyoming Public Radio reports county staff and legislators hosted a forum last week, sharing their thoughts on redistricting and fielding questions from members of the public. The county has two senators and four house districts “nested” within those two senate districts. Many in Albany County would like to take back Rock River, which currently shares a senator with rural communities as far away as Rock Springs. Several doubted the accuracy of the 2020 Census as it might have undercounted those living in House District 13, given the high student population typically found in that neighborhoods.
Reading status: Open access
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The University of Wyoming extended its mask mandate, with trustees agreeing to revisit the issue monthly. The university’s COVID advisory committee had recommended passing a mask mandate for the entire remainder of the fall semester to offer students and employees “consistency.” But the trustees declined, opting instead to keep the issue “in front of them” at each meeting. Meanwhile, WyoFile reports UW is preparing to comply with a federal mandate the state of Wyoming seeks to fight. The Biden Administration is requiring large employers to vaccinate or repeatedly test all employees. While vaccines are free to everyone and widely available, UW approved the purchase of testing supplies, which will be necessary for employees who refuse to be, or cannot be, vaccinated. Gov. Mark Gordon and members of the State Legislature are plotting a legal challenge to the federal mandate, but UW trustees are doubtful that such a challenge would impact the university.
Reading status: Open access
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The State Legislature’s Judiciary Committee killed a pair of bias crime bills, one year after the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights urged Wyoming to pass statewide bias crime legislation along the lines of Laramie’s non-discrimination ordinance. WyoFile reports one of the proposed bills would have required law enforcement agencies to report bias crimes — something that is currently up to the discretion of individual agencies. This has led to underreporting and a subsequent lack of data on bias crimes in the Equality State, Rep. Cathy Connolly (HD-13) said. The other bill would have added “religion” to the state’s existing anti-discrimination laws. Rep. Karlee Provenza (HD-45) voted against that bill. “We’re asking a structure that has the same biases that we want to protect people from to solve our hate problem when it can’t even solve its own,” she said.
Reading status: Open access
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It’s been 20 years since eight UW cross country runners were killed by a drunk driver as they were returning to Laramie. The Casper Star-Tribune reports the current team, and the entire athletics department, tries to keep the memory of those athletes alive. “We try to make sure everyone knows that life is precious, and running is an awesome corner of our life, but there are a lot of other things that accompany it,” UW head coach Scott Dahlberg said.
Reading status:Casper Star-Tribune paywall
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A team of UW researchers are looking for better and cheaper ways to purify water, and a National Science Foundation grant will hopefully help them do that. Wyoming Public Radio reports the researchers are investigating materials to form membranes that will filter out contaminants as water is pushed through them. Part of the challenge is developing a membrane that will push out the salt, but be “robust” enough to withstand the chlorine that is often added in the process of purification.
Reading/Listening status: Open access
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A video of UW students and fans chanting “Fuck Joe Biden” went viral on Twitter, having garnered 181,000 views as of press time. The phone video was shot during the UW Cowboys game Saturday against Ball State. The Cowboys defeated Ball State, 45-12, and remain undefeated this season.
Viewing status: Open access
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