In Other News ...
An elementary school on the chopping block, multiple fights regarding public records, and a test launch by the “Space Cowboys.” The top news stories from Albany County as of Sept. 23, 2023.
Welcome to the Laramie Reporter’s “In Other News” segment, a biweekly rundown of the top news stories from Albany County as reported by local, state and national media. Subscribe to our newsletter to get this rundown in your inbox every other week.
Beitel Elementary — a school with just more than 200 students — could find itself on the chopping block. Albany County School District No. 1 will have to cut more than $1 million from its budget next summer. Closing Beitel Elementary School would save about $261,000, according to Superintendent John Goldhardt, who presented the closure as one of several recommendations for cutting costs. No decision has been made yet, but Beitel parents and teachers turned out at a recent school board meeting to lodge their protest.
Reading status: Open access
The Albany County Sheriff’s Office settled a wrongful death lawsuit last year for an undisclosed amount — but one news outlet is hoping that amount will soon be disclosed. WyoFile requested the settlement agreement shortly after the lawsuit ended. That request was denied. The news agency requested the agreement again last month — after the Wyoming Supreme Court decided, in a separate lawsuit, that court settlements paid by government entities are part of the public record. A lawyer for Albany County said the county government will need more clarification from the court before it feels comfortable releasing the settlement. A lawyer for the mother of the man killed by law enforcement said the records should be released.
Reading status: Open access
The Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission cannot legally view the personnel records of an officer who misbehaves unless that officer gives permission. This has hindered investigations launched by POST Director Chris Walsh, who is tasked with decertifying bad cops and keeping them from getting new jobs in law enforcement. The Joint Judiciary Committee will consider a bill in November aimed at making personnel records more easily accessible by POST.
Reading status: Open access
Bond’s Brewing is on the hook for $15,000-worth of street damage, according to the city of Laramie. Bond’s recently hosted a fundraising event in the downtown area. In addition to live music and food trucks, the day included burnouts — videos of which circulated online before being deleted. The problem? According to a letter from the city, Bond’s was warned not to allow burnouts during the fundraiser. The same event, a year prior, had also caused damage to the road, so city officials granted this year’s special event permit on the explicit condition that no burnouts occur. Yet they did. City Manager Janine Jordan said repairs would probably have to wait for the return of warm weather after Laramie’s long winter.
Reading status: Open access
The Wyoming Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association hosted an annual walk this month in solidarity with hundreds of other walks nationwide. The Laramie Boomerang reports participants carried flowers, the color of those flowers signifying their relationship to Alzheimer’s. Yellow for the carers, blue for the diagnosed, purple for those who have lost a loved one. The organization hopes to add white flowers someday, for survivors. But as of yet, there is no cure.
Reading status: Laramie Boomerang paywall
A team of University of Wyoming students dubbed the “Space Cowboys” is preparing for a pair of upcoming solar eclipses. The Branding Iron reports the cowboys will launch balloons rigged with sensors to capture temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind speed and other measurements at around 115,000 feet. The group completed its last test launch this month.
Reading status: Open access