In Other News ...
A UW survey shows declines in sexual assault, the city paper finds itself in hard times, and exotic animals find a temporary home. The top news stories from Albany County as of May 24, 2023.
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.
The Laramie City Council is considering amendments to its budget for the next fiscal year. Last year, the council passed a biennium budget, detailing revenue and expenditures for fiscal years 2023-2024, but adjustments are needed as the city continues to invest in capital construction.
Reading status: Open access
Albany County is looking to establish a new diversion program that would connect individuals with the needed mental health or material resources they need while — crucially — keeping their record clean. Albany County’s specialty courts supervisor, Heather Carter, is applying for a $1.2 million grant from the Department of Justice. Last week, she secured letters of support from both the Laramie City Council and the Albany County Commission.
Reading status: Open access
Survey results from a University of Wyoming campus-wide study show a significant decline in sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking and sexual harassment. Wyoming Public Radio reports the rates of all categories of misconduct are lower than they were in 2018, when the last campus climate survey was conducted. The study credits UW’s Green Dot bystander intervention training with helping to change the culture around sexual violence and other misconduct.
Reading status: Open access
Albany County and the nonprofit organization Feeding Laramie Valley have resolved a dispute about the spending and reporting of the latter's American Rescue Plan Act funding. Feeding Laramie Valley came under fire in March when it appeared that receipts were missing for some $42,000 of its $102,000 in granted ARPA funding, and that a significant chunk of its funding was spent outside the allowable time frame. The receipts were located and the money spent outside the time frame was reallocated to reimburse appropriately timed expenses.
Reading status: Open access
The Albany County School Board voted to approve the demolition of Old Slade and the sale of the land it sits on. That demolition still needs to be approved by a state commission before it can commence. It will likely take a year or more for both demolition and sale to be complete.
Reading status: Open access
The Laramie Boomerang is basically down to a “one-man newsroom.” A recent feature by the Boomerang’s own intern chronicled the paper’s decline across the last decade and highlighted Managing Editor David Watson’s efforts to keep the paper alive.
Reading status: Laramie Boomerang paywall
The University of Wyoming will launch a beginner nuclear energy course this fall. The course is part of a larger push to enhance nuclear energy education at UW — not just for potential future nuclear engineers, but for any discipline in which practitioners would benefit from a greater understanding of nuclear energy production.
Reading status: Open access
The University of Wyoming is also considering its budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Proposed budgets for each university division show large revenue gains from state appropriations, modest gains from tuition and investments, and greater expenses in the form of debt payments. In a news release, UW announces all staff and faculty will see a pay bump. The vast majority of staff who make less than $150,000 a year will see a $1,900 increase, with slightly smaller increases for staff making more than that or members of faculty.
Reading status: Open access
UW also recently scored a $41 million grant to establish a carbon storage facility in southwest Wyoming. WyoFile reports the grant comes from the Department of Energy and will fund the construction of injection wells designed to store away carbon dioxide in the Earth’s surface. Once buried under the surface, that CO2 can no longer block the sun’s rays from escaping back into space — and therefore no longer contribute to the greenhouse effect that is driving climate change.
Reading status: Open access
The Boswell Springs Wind Project slated for northern Albany County is aiming for a 2024 completion. The project will put nearly 100 turbines across 21,000 acres northeast of Rock River and generate enough electricity to power about 113,000 average Wyoming households (although the actual energy produced could be used out of state).
Reading status: Open access
During the latest legislative session, state lawmakers voted to ban transgender women and girls from high school sports. As WyoFile reports, the passage of that bill marks the first time in decades that anti-LGBTQ legislation has passed in Wyoming. Traditionally, the state has passed neither restrictive nor protective legislation related to its queer population. But that has changed as the right-wing Freedom Caucus has gained power in Cheyenne.
Reading status: Open access
A rollover accident on Interstate 80 left more than 60 exotic animals — mostly reptiles — in need of shelter. The Laramie Boomerang reports Laramie Police Department’s Animal Control Division housed the animals while arrangements with the owners were made. The menagerie included everything from constrictor snakes to geckos to tortoises.
Reading status: Laramie Boomerang paywall