Back in the saddle again! And big news while I was gone: Chris Rothfuss, who has a doctorate in chemical engineering, announced his intention to run for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Mike Enzi:

 

UW instructor launches Senate campaign against Enzi

 

NOTE: Chris is an “instructor,” but not a “professor,” at UW. This distinction probably doesn’t mean much to most of us, but it’s important to those in the academic world. This will all be moot in eight months, when the appropriate term will become “Senator-elect.”

 

America's chief health educator will make his first appearance in Wyoming this week, in Riverton, said first lady Nancy Freudenthal:

 

Acting Surgeon General Steven Galson plans Wyoming visit

 

Wyoming's justice system is gradually becoming more accessible online. In February, the Wyoming Supreme Court began offering its case schedule to the public on its Web site, said Judy Pacheco, clerk of the court:

 

Courts become more accessible online

 

The Gillette News-Record reports that Gillette and the surrounding region has the ability to be one of the country’s foremost areas for energy-related research and development, technical training — and much more, according to Gillette College Dean Paul Young:

 

An energy triangle?

 

Also from the Gillette paper, state regulators have approved the final permit for construction to begin on the 100-megawatt, $225 million coal-fired WyGen III plant, but not until after two-plus days of cross-examination of plant owner Black Hills Corp.:

 

WyGen III gets final permit

 

On a wind-swept air base in Montana near the Missouri River, the Air Force has launched an ambitious plan to wean itself from foreign oil by turning to a new and unlikely source: coal:

 

Looking for oil alternatives

 

The abundance of jobs in Wyoming is driving up the state population, including some rural areas not normally associated with growth. Weston, Crook and Niobrara counties in eastern Wyoming all added residents between 2006 and 2007, reversing periods of flat growth or population declines, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released Thursday:

 

Energy jobs fuel Wyoming’s population growth

 

Wyoming Public Radio reports that new Census numbers show that Wyoming is seeing its largest population gains in years, especially when it comes to young families:

 

Young families move into Wyoming

 

Public Radio also has this bit of news on the meth front:

 

Testing firm: Meth use among workers dropping

 

The capture and slaughter of Yellowstone National Park's wild bison pressed forward Friday, with 14 more bulls shipped to processing facilities and 120 animals herded into park holding pens for disease testing:

 

Park bison deaths hit 1,192

 

The Gillette News-Record has this Associated Press piece on the climate. Scientists say seasonal timing changes are evident in nearly every state as flowers bloom and wildlife emerge earlier than in decades past. In Wyoming, melting snowpack is an indicator of the relatively early onset of spring:

 

Is it spring yet?

 

Wyoming Public Radio also tells us that an economic survey says some farmers are hurting in Wyoming. One local expert says that's largely due to the prolonged drought:

 

Survey says ag industry suffering

 

Also from the Gillette paper, more evidence that Razor City is just booming away:

 

New 96-unit extended stay hotel coming to Gillette

 

The Census Bureau has even stronger evidence:

 

They just keep coming

Spring calls, and I listen. As such, I’m taking a road trip over the next five days with my lovely wife to see where the birds go for the winter and to see where the defending National League champion Colorado Rockies go for spring training. Sadly, this means that there will be no more news roundups until next Monday. In the meantime, here’s what’s cookin’ for today.   Starting with John “100 years war” McCain, whose um, “interesting” election strategy is to continue down the Bush Administration’s path of one of this nation’s worst foreign policy debacles (justified by 935 false statements ). Lame-duck Rep. Barbara Cubin hits the campaign trail, begging Republicans to support the GOP nominee-apparent, according to this Associated Press piece:   Cubin urges Republicans to support McCain   I can’t remember if I had this one in yesterday’s news roundup or not. As Gov. Freudenthal puts it, “Be it my old libertarian or populist bones, I ...continue reading

The Gillette News-Record leads off the news roundup today with this excellent piece on a wounded Marine’s struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder as he tries to return to a “normal” life in Gillette:   Slipping through the cracks   The Casper Star-Tribune is examining our state’s workers’ compensation system in a series of stories this week. Here are a few:   Do injured workers get enough? What’s a leg worth?   ‘They turn their backs on us’ (a worker’s story)   Nowhere to turn A smack in the head with a pair of tongs compressed rig worker Richard Johnson's spine.   ‘I’m blackballed’ (a worker’s story)   ‘They starve you out’ (a worker’s story)   Workers’ comp fraud difficult to measure   Evolution of workers’ compensation in Wyoming (timeline)   In other news, Wyoming Conservation Voters Director Jason Marsden writes on ...continue reading

Not too terribly much in the news today. Maybe all the papers are saving their really good stuff for the weekend. Or maybe it’s been a slow news week, after all the excitement of LAST week.   The U.S. Senate has passed an amendment that would encourage – but NOT require – Congress to preserve states' share of oil and gas royalties:   Senate passes amendment to ENCOURAGE preserving Wyo’s share of royalties   Gov. Dave Freudenthal said construction could start as soon as this summer on a coal research plant the University of Wyoming is developing with General Electric:   Gov: Coal plant work could begin in 2008   Declaring that Wyoming residents have a right to defend their homes, Gov. Dave Freudenthal signed a bill Thursday that spells out in statute that citizens may use deadly force on intruders:   Governor signs ‘castle doctrine’ bill   The state of Wyoming took another step Thursday in ...continue reading

After his first tour of duty in Iraq in 2003, local soldier David Julian joined other veterans and servicemen in dedicating a new Fallen Comrade monument in downtown Evanston. Sadly, now his name will be added to the memorial statue:   Evanston soldier dies in Iraq   The Jackson hole News & Guide has this piece on Republican U.S. House hopeful Mark Gordon’s first campaign stop in Jackson Hole on Sunday and Monday:   Gordon stops in valley to campaign for House   The Laramie Boomerang reports that three of Laramie’s state lawmakers attended a luncheon Wednesday to discuss the progress that was made during the biennium budget session that ended last week:   Legislative session less contentious   Gov. Dave Freudenthal signed into law Wednesday a measure that will allow counties to regulate large-acre land developments -- but he said the law may not do enough to protect land buyers:   ...continue reading

As exciting as our county caucuses were last Saturday, unfortunately some people did not get to participate because they were either not registered as Democrats by the Feb. 22 deadline or they arrived at their caucus sites late. We did our best to inform people of these rules, and our friends in the media did an honorable job of helping spread the word. The Casper Star-Tribune chimes in:   Voters have a duty to understand rules   The state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in nearly three decades at 2.7 percent, according to figures released Tuesday by the Wyoming Department of Employment, Research and Planning Section. It was the second lowest rate in the nation, trailing only South Dakota at 2.6 percent, and at its lowest point since June 1979 when Wyoming's unemployment rate stood at 2.6 percent:   Wyo jobless rate hits lowest point since ‘79   Wyoming's water is not currently tested for the ...continue reading

Frankly, it takes a great state like Wyoming to command the attention of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The Comedy Central news parody program offers this report on our caucuses and an accompanying analysis piece by Samantha Bee, complete with cute Cowboy State graphics and other jokes. Warning: Enjoying these videos will require a healthy sense of self-depreciating humor at times, but it’s still a lot of fun:   Wyoming 2008   Wyoming analysis   Now on to the real news, like this Casper Star-Tribune wrap-up of the “stunning turnout” at our presidential preference caucuses. “This was the biggest thing Wyoming has seen for years,” said Natrona County Clerk Renea Vitto, a Republican. “That’s all people are talking about.”:   Dems bask in caucus glow   The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle reports that our state shouldn’t feel bad that the presidential campaigns have left us in their rearview mirrors while they move on to ...continue reading

The moment we’ve all been waiting for! And Wyoming Democrats turned out IN FORCE. We had more than 8,700 people participate in our county caucuses on Saturday, for a record 15 percent turnout of registered Democrats. By comparison, in the last presidential race four years ago, 675 people voted across the state for a turnout of just over 1 percent. Oh, and Sen. Obama won the day. Here’s the Associated Press story that appeared in most of the nation’s papers:   Obama defeats Clinton in Wyoming caucuses   Here are some on-site caucus reports from:   Cheyenne: Barack on (Wyoming Tribune-Eagle)   Laramie (two stories): Albany knows who it likes (Laramie Boomerang); Sweet dreams (Casper Star-Tribune)   Jackson: Obama wins Wyoming behind avalanche from Teton County (JH Underground)   Green River: Clinton wins big in Sweetwater County (Casper Star-Tribune)   Sheridan: Local Dems turn out ...continue reading

Too much fantastic news today not to spread the word. Hope you don’t mind if I stick only to the campaign trail, but really, that’s the theme of the day. First off, of course, is that our party’s two magnificent candidates for president spent Friday traveling across the state, talking to Wyoming Democrats and asking for their support in today’s votes:   Obama, Clinton rustle up support in Wyoming (CNN)   Clinton seeks Equality State backing for first woman president (Casper Star-Tribune)   Obama defends his readiness to lead (Casper Star-Tribune)   Clinton: Wyoming has place in ‘clean’ energy future (Casper Star-Tribune)   Obama endorses clean coal (Casper Star-Tribune)   Big crowd greets Obama in Laramie (Casper Star-Tribune)   Hillary cheers Casper crowd (Casper Star-Tribune)   Clinton stops in Cheyenne (Wyoming Tribune-Eagle)   Obama: ‘We’ll ...continue reading

Yes, folks, the whole world really is watching. I know this, because today, I fielded calls from Japan’s largest daily newspaper, a French national news service, and a gentleman who identifies himself as a “Spanish correspondent,” whose native language was certainly not English. Every 24-hour news channel, all major television and radio networks, and several of the nation’s most respected newspapers have all been in touch in the past couple of days, along with, of course, the wonderful Wyoming media. This level of activity on the Communications Desk has had the effect of delaying your daily news roundup to this ridiculous hour, so with apologies in tow and with no further adieu, here you go …   ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL   Guess who’s coming to town!   Clinton, Obama to visit   Clintons, Obama to visit Wyoming   The Equality State is suddenly ground zero in the hottest race for the Democratic Party presidential ...continue reading

Seriously, I never imagined when I took this job that we would see the day when the two front-runners for the Democratic presidential nomination would hold events in Wyoming on the eve of our county caucuses. Not to mention the fact that one of them will almost certainly be president a year from now. And as an added bonus, the greatest president of the 21 st Century (so far) would be touring the state to join in the fun. Breaking today from the Casper Star-Tribune:   Hillary Clinton to visit Casper   Barack Obama sets Casper, Laramie visits   Campaign sets Wyo schedule for Bill Clinton   This is what it’s all about! Although I’ve got to admit, it’s been all I can do to keep up with the volume of phone calls today from nearly every national media outlet you can think of, and of course our brave reporters in this state and region. For the most part, they’re all interested in covering our county caucuses/conventions this ...continue reading

Clearly, today is an important day in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, with primaries in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont. CNN.com has this piece:   Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont hold contests Tuesday   Casper Star-Tribune State Editor Chad Baldwin reports that what happens today in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont could determine how much national attention our county caucuses/conventions on Saturday will command, according to observers:   Wyo Dems watch votes today   The Jackson paper reports that Democrat Jim Roscoe, a Teton and Sublette county contractor, plans to run for the House District 22 seat now held by Republican Monte Olsen:   Roscoe eyes state House bid     FROM THE LEGISLATURE   Carbon sequestration bill heads to governor (Gillette News-Record)   Gov. Freudenthal signs dogfighting bill (Wyoming ...continue reading

Let me be the first to tell you – since none of Wyoming’s print media seemed too keen on reporting – that Saturday night’s Nellie Tayloe Ross banquet will go down as one of the most successful Wyoming Democratic Party functions in recent history, if not longer, by several measures. Attendance at the dinner topped 200 people. My good friend Jason Marsden (director of Wyoming Conservation Voters) told me he has been going to the state party’s dinners since he was a teenager, and Saturday’s NTR banquet marked the most people he has ever seen at such an event.   Our magnificent lineup of speakers included the youngest woman in Congress, the first female lieutenant governor in New Mexico history, the governors of Iowa and Wyoming, our state’s brilliant first lady (Remember: “Jobs, health care, education and Wyoming’s unique quality of life!”), and hopeful future Democratic members of Congress.   We honored former Wyoming Department of Employment ...continue reading

Happy Leap Day! Since this is, after all, a bonus day (there’s only supposed to be 365 days in a year, right?), I’ll start off with a fairly important story I missed yesterday, because the Casper Star-Tribune placed it on its “city” page.     ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL   Democrat Keith Goodenough, a Casper City Council member and former state legislator, is seeking his party's nomination to run against Republican U.S. Sen. John Barrasso in the November general election:   Goodenough bids for U.S. Senate   Meanwhile, the race for the presidential nomination continues to make headlines in Wyoming (while Gov. Freudenthal expresses fondness for his friends but not for any specific presidential candidate over another):   Dem hopefuls step up efforts   The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle reports that “It's been many years since we've seen a Wyoming Democratic caucus that was this exciting:”   ...continue reading

First up today: Another WyoFile.com article on voter registration shows that we’re up more than 2,000 voters since Jan. 10. Viva Wyoming’s Democratic county caucuses and conventions!   Dems, Libs gain voters; GOP drops     FROM THE LEGISLATURE …   Subdivisions bill survives first House vote (Casper Star-Tribune)   Panel backs gun confiscation bill (Casper Star-Tribune)   Slimmed-down library endowment bill advances (Casper Star-Tribune)   Panel backs stiffer DUI penalties (Casper Star-Tribune)   Parties debate need for bill that cuts services to illegal immigrants (Casper Star-Tribune)   ‘Castle doctrine’ bill heads to Senate (Wyoming Public Radio)   Senate works on campaign finance bill (Wyoming Public Radio)   Carbon storage bill stays afloat (Wyoming Public Radio)     IN OTHER NEWS …   ...continue reading

FROM THE LEGISLATURE …   State senators working on CO2 storage bill (Wyoming Public Radio)   Supporters expect heavier opposition to business fraud bill (Casper Star-Tribune) The bill comes up Thursday before the House Corporations Committee.   Bill targets gang activity (Casper Star-Tribune)   Juvenile justice bill heads to Wyoming House (Wyoming Public Radio)   Dogfighting bill clears Senate panel (Casper Star-Tribune)   Legislative briefs (Casper Star-Tribune) Issues include driver’s license fee increases and veteran tax exemptions   Bill to recruit doctors passes House (Torrington Telegram)   Lawmakers scrutinize Douglas school expansion (Douglas Budget)   IN OTHER NEWS …   Wyoming Public Radio reports that the coal industry is doing some public relations work in reaction to the industry’s coming under fire because of climate ...continue reading

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL …   WyoFile.com has this look at the Clinton campaign’s announcement earlier today that it will have grand openings Wednesday at campaign offices in Wyoming’s two largest cities:   Clinton to open Cheyenne, Casper campaign offices     FROM THE LEGISLATURE …   Just the mention of new regulations on private property can cause a stir in the Wyoming Legislature:   Land reg bill advances   A health care reform bill moving through the Legislature was created without the help of a state board charged with addressing the cost, quality and accessibility of health care for Wyoming citizens:   Group questions health care bill   The House passed a bill Monday that would prohibit illegal immigrants in Wyoming from receiving state services such as welfare, public housing and organ-transplant assistance:   House OKs limits on services for ...continue reading

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL   Leading off today is this Associated Press report on the Clinton campaign’s arrival in Wyoming:   Clinton to open two campaign offices in Wyoming   (Corrected link!)   Wyoming Public Radio, meanwhile, reports on Obama staffers’ caucus training in Laramie:   Obama campaign explains caucus process to young Dems   Beyond that, and because I just can’t tear myself away from my journalistic roots, I am pleased to offer my own report on some encouraging voter registration figures. I got this information from the Secretary of State’s Office on Jan. 10, and I collected updated figures Friday afternoon, Feb. 22, about an hour before the official deadline to register to participate in our March 8 county caucuses/conventions. In that Jan. 10 to Feb. 22 time span:   Democratic registrations are up 1,711 voters. Republican registrations are up 12 voters. Libertarian ...continue reading

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL   What a wild, wild, wild, wild week! This morning, I strolled down to the Laramie County Clerk’s Office with Brodie Farquhar, managing editor of WyoFile.com , who is researching a story on new voter registrations. Just because (*wink*). Laramie County Clerk Debbye Lathrop counted all of the new Democratic Party registrations FROM THIS MORNING ALONE, and we were approaching 80, and that’s just in under three hours. The numbers are astonishing really. About 400 in Albany County this week. Another 368 in Natrona County. Between 250 and 300 in Teton County. When you consider that these are all the NEW people, to say nothing of those who were already registered as Democrats from the last election, you can begin to get a picture of what kind of turnout we could see at our March 8 county caucuses/conventions. For more, here’s Brodie’s story:   County clerks report new registration activity     FROM THE ...continue reading

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL:   The Casper Star-Tribune has this front-page story package on our county caucuses/conventions:   ‘Once in a lifetime:’ Wyo Dems could make a difference   Some superdelegates wait to commit   The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle also has a piece on our March 8 statewide spectacular:   Hordes of Democrats expected at caucus   The Buffalo Bulletin – yes folks, the Buffalo Bulletin is online now! – has a piece on an upcoming event for a presidential campaign and some details on our March 8 caucuses/conventions:   Obama rep coming to Buffalo today   And the Jackson Hole News & Guide has this preview of a campaign event in that area:   Obama supports to rally in Teton village     FROM THE LEGISLATURE:   Self-defense bill stripped of amendments (Wyoming Public Radio)   Lawmakers debate ...continue reading

I’m terribly sorry about getting this out so late today, but every day keeps getting busier than the last as we approach our county caucuses. And really, it’s another feather in my hat every time some random guy calls me up and asks me what he needs to do to change his registration from Republican to Democrat, because he registered as a Republican last year to vote against Barbara Cubin in the primary, but now he wants to vote in the March 8 caucus (true story). If someone had told me when I took this job that my biggest problem would be that TOO MANY people would be eager to get involved with Democratic Party politics in Wyoming, I would have jumped for joy. In fact, I’d do that right now if I didn’t have to get you all a news summary, so let’s get to it.   (By the way, don’t miss the total lunar eclipse tonight . I heard kick-off time is 6:43 p.m. … so hurry!)   ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL:   The Gillette News-Record has this report on an Obama ...continue reading

FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL:   This piece reminds everyone that “robocalls” are prohibited in Wyoming, and it looks at their recent history while mentioning that the Obama campaign also announced some legislative endorsements yesterday:   State gets Obama calls complaint   This Jackson Hole News & Guide reports on a local phenomenon that is actually taking place in many counties across Wyoming – Democratic county parties are securing larger sites for the March 8 county caucuses/conventions, in light of the record turnout Democratic caucuses and primaries have seen all over the country in this wild campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination:   Teton County Democrats choose bigger convention site   Shifting gears a bit, the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle has this piece on a former state legislators looking to return to the State Capitol Building:   Pederson announces state House bid   ...continue reading

The Los Angeles Times leads us off today with a story on superdelegates that features, among others, the Wyoming Democratic Party chairman. The item sent in by alert reader John from Cheyenne:   Who are these Democratic superdelegates?   The state party has been able to piggy-back on some of the coverage of the presidential race to broadcast our very important Feb. 22 deadline for people to register as Democrats to participate in the March 8 county caucuses. Here is a piece from the Laramie Boomerang:   Democrats open local Obama office   From what I understand, the Clinton campaign will be bringing some people to Wyoming as well. I’ll send you anything I find on that.   And one more purely political story, from the Cody Enterprise, which reports that Mike Enzi still isn’t ready to tell us if he’s running for re-election:   Enzi mum about third term     FROM THE LEGISLATURE: ...continue reading

FIRST UP, PRESIDENTIAL SELECTION:   The Jackson Hole News & Guide examines the role of the Wyoming Democratic Party’s national committeeman, who will be a superdelegate to our national convention and thus could single-handedly determine the fate of the free world (and I’m only mostly kidding about that):   Rep. Jorgensen part of super group   And tip-of-the-hat to Park County Chair Margaret Whited, who forwarded me this recent story from the Powell Tribune on our March 8 caucuses:   County Democratic caucus coming up     FROM THE LEGISLATURE:   Big news breaking this morning from the Cheyenne paper:   Committee kills governor’s property tax relief proposal for seniors   Wyoming Public Radio has a piece on the complicated world of natural gas taxation:   Natural gas tax structure considered   Some Wyoming legislators want to ...continue reading

I’d like to kick off today’s news roundup with a look at a couple new online media offerings. The first one is called WyoFile, which can be found at www.wyofile.com . A self-described “non-profit, public service journalism enterprise, focused on politics and public policy issues in Wyoming, for Wyoming citizens and news media,” WyoFile employs a handful of insightful columnists and offers some different viewpoints than we usually find in the traditional media. For today, I’ll just refer you to the WyoFile main page , and starting tomorrow I’ll add WyoFile to the list of sources I scan to compile the news roundup.   The other one is a Casper Star-Tribune legislative blog written by Jared Miller , the fine reporter who now has my former job covering politics and state government for the Casper daily. If you, like me, appreciate stories that are sometimes a little off the beaten path and written in a more conversational tone than what you will find in the ...continue reading

Two Wyoming newspapers fully cover the Legislature: the Casper Star-Tribune and the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. Unfortunately, the Tribune-Eagle posts three stories  a day on its Website, and they’re not always fit for this politics-and-policy news roundup. And worse, today the Casper Star-Tribune’s legislative Website has only one new story posted this morning, and the defeat of the proposed community college tax:   House rejects tax increases   I talked to the Star-Tribune’s editor this morning about this, and he said he will try to get it fixed. So if you’re really hungry for legislative news, and you don’t have a hard copy of the Casper or Cheyenne papers, it might be worth checking back with the Star-Tribune’s legislative Website later today.   So what do we do? Wyoming Public Radio to the rescue! Here are the legislative stories posted by News Director Bob Beck’s crew:   Property tax relief bills killed, then ...continue reading

Good luck finding the Casper Star-Tribune’s legislative Website . I had to use the link I sent you yesterday (also highlighted in the previous sentence), because the legislative page is not otherwise displayed or advertised on the paper’s main news pages. Still, the news roundup today will begin with a healthy dose of legislative coverage from the Casper paper and elsewhere; other politics and policy news will follow.   First up, a story on bill introductions (the main item of business conducted on Day One). The two highest-profile bills are strongly supported by the governor. One would give the state Department of Environmental Quality authority over carbon injection and sequestration, and the other would give surface owners rights to any subsurface space that could be used for carbon injection:   Carbon bills win introduction   This Wyoming Public Radio piece mentions a few bills that failed introductory votes:   ...continue reading

Welcome to Day One of the 2008 Wyoming Legislature! Either late today or early tomorrow, I hope to post a blog entry on the state party Website with a more in-depth look at the Legislature. I’ll let you know when that’s up. For now, first up is this Associated Press article on Gov. Freudenthal’s State of the State Address to legislators this morning:   Freudenthal emphasizes strength of state’s position   The Casper Star-Tribune has created a Web page devoted to legislative coverage. For time’s sake, I won’t list all of the stories on it today, but they have several articles from their Sunday legislative preview on that site for your perusal. Here’s the link to their legislative news page:   Wyoming State Legislature 2008   The paper also offers this editorial advice for state lawmakers:   Some helpful dos and don’ts for our legislature   In addition, here is a story on health care bills ...continue reading

First up, for those of you who haven’t seen it, here is a press release I sent out this morning on our county caucuses:   Democrats release info on March 8 county caucuses   Here’s a look at the usefulness Wyoming’s Republicans got out of their caucus, in which no one voted for McCain, their apparent eventual nominee, and the people they did vote for – Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter – are all now out of the race:   Wyo GOP’s favorite, Romney, bows out   By the way, the Casper Star-Tribune today also ran a short piece called “Wyo Dems expect attention” on page A5, in which a reporter interviewed yours truly, but for some reason they didn’t bother to make that story available online (just as they did with their Jan. 4 story on our organizing efforts). Check it out if you come across a copy of today’s Casper Star.   Not to be confused with the presidential preference caucus, our Democratic ...continue reading

Props to Democrats in Sheridan, Albany, Laramie and Teton counties for holding public events on Super Tuesday, and to anyone else who watched the returns that night with fellow Democrats. The Sheridan Press did a nice front-page write-up of the event in my hometown, sent in by alert county party Secretary Liz Howell, which I will use to lead off the news roundup:   Sheridan County Dems hold Super Tuesday event   These kinds of events help us stay energized. Front-page write-ups in the local paper send the message to everyone in the area that local Democrats are active and excited, and they help us to recruit activists – both Democrats who see that the party is vibrant and independents who are finding out where the real action is.   Now on to other news. The Gillette News-Record examines fuel tax proposals state lawmakers will address in the upcoming budget session, which begins next week:   Gillette legislators differ on fuel ...continue reading

How about those elections yesterday! Most observers believe that neither Clinton nor Obama gained an upper hand. If this race stays close, or gets even closer over the rest of the month as one analyst says it will , the Wyoming Democratic caucuses on March 8 could attract more national attention than we could have realistically imagined just a couple months ago. Stay tuned.   Now on to other news. A federal plan to keep a bigger share of federal mineral royalties is designed to recoup costs for paperwork and manpower required for collection and distribution of the money, a federal Minerals Management Service spokesman says. Gov. Dave Freudenthal, meanwhile, says the change is “an absolute crime”:   Governor again slams royalty cut   Another story on the FMR split:   Bush plan cuts split for states   The Gillette News-Record has this follow-up piece on a recent visit to California by several state leaders, ...continue reading

Honestly, I’m giddy today to see what happens with all the primaries nationwide. I’ll start today with the following excellent analysis piece for those of you who (like me) really enjoy tracking the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. I can justify this by noting that there is a reference to our state, which, while technically “tiny,” more importantly, may “actually matter” in this exciting election year:   Is Obama’s mo’ enough?   Wouldn’t it be ironic if Wyoming Democrats were to attract more national attention by playing by the rules and holding our convention in March than our GOP counterparts received by breaking their national party rules and sacrificing half their delegates just to get attention?   Speaking of our friends across the proverbial aisle, Wyoming Public Radio reports on the GOP delegates who backed Fred Thompson or Duncan Hunter, both of whom have dropped out of the race:   Wyoming Republican ...continue reading

Campbell County Democratic State Committeeman Nick Carter, a Gillette attorney, talks to the Casper Star-Tribune about his exploration of running a U.S. Senate campaign for the seat now held by John Barrasso. Meanwhile, former Wyoming House Speaker Randall Luthi ducks out of the U.S. House race:   Democrat ponders Senate race   Gary Trauner has more than $350,000 on hand to run for Wyoming’s open U.S. House seat, while most of the Republicans in the race have just begun to ramp up their fundraising. Most of his donations came from individuals. This news, along with the recent poll showing him ahead of the Republican front-runner, demonstrates that his message is connecting with people, who just might be ready to elect someone who will think for himself and represent all of us instead of always doing the bidding of special interests:   Trauner gets head start   Here’s the Jackson paper’s story on Trauner:   ...continue reading

We’re leading off with a national political story today, but only because it mentions Wyoming in the very best sentence of the article, which I’ll repeat here in case you’re too busy to read the whole thing: “As if it could get any worse (for the Republican Party), a recent poll showed Democrat Gary Trauner, a second-time candidate, leading a Republican who had been elected to statewide office by one point in normally ruby-red Wyoming .” More here:   House Republicans face late exodus   U.S. Senators moved forward Thursday with two bills promoting the capture and storage of carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired plants, but sharply questioned the administration's commitment to developing such technologies:   Senators press carbon projects   Some legislators want to make sure authorities won’t try to confiscate our weaponry in the event of a disaster:   Bill targets seizure of guns   Two ...continue reading

The Hill newspaper in Washington, D.C., reports that Sen. Mike Enzi’s low fundraising numbers and the Senate GOP leadership’s repeated snubs of his bid for a coveted seat on the powerful Finance Committee have fueled speculation that the senator may leave Congress, although some Republicans say he is raising just enough money to run a race:   Enzi keeps GOP guessing about November   Another day, another Republican running for U.S. House. This one’s name is Mark Gordon:   Buffalo rancher bids for house   The Laramie Boomerang makes a foray into covering presidential politics by sending a reporter to Denver to cover Barack Obama’s rally there:   Obama: Hope, unity and change   Gov. Freudenthal opposes a plan sponsored by the Joint Education Committee to impose a statewide property tax to fund community colleges, saying rising home values are already making property taxes quite difficult for ...continue reading

Our “ representative ” in the U.S. House made a rare appearance at work yesterday to cast a vote, this one against the bipartisan plan to rescue the nation’s economy. Why? Because it helps poor people too much . Gosh, we’re lucky to have her for the whole rest of the year. (It’s the third story in this string of briefs):   Cubin votes against stimulus package   Here’s a look at the legislative proposal to make it a felony to harbor or transport illegal immigrants, with reports from a couple other states, including Oklahoma, where critics say a similar law has terrorized Hispanics there and driven thousands of people -- documented and undocumented workers alike -- from the state:   Bill backers say Wyoming could become haven   The Casper Star-Tribune’s poll du jour shows that 76 percent of Wyomingites think severe cases of animal cruelty, including dogfighting, should be classified as felonies:   Poll: ...continue reading

Gov. Freudenthal leads us off today with his op/ed piece on property tax relief for seniors. He takes issue with the Joint Revenue Committee’s refusal to consider helping out elderly people whose property taxes have in some cases doubled this decade, while the panel also refused to subject helium to the same taxes as other minerals.   “The net effect of those two decisions: Exxon avoids an estimated $3 million a year in taxes, and folks over 65 receive no meaningful property tax relief as a result of the committee's decision to punt on both of the bills,” the governor writes. “I am taken aback by the irony inherent in the committee's decision. … A break for Exxon and no real break for Wyoming's seniors leaves me wondering whether the members of the Revenue Committee shouldn't take another look at their action - or inaction.”   Here is the full piece:   $3 million for Exxon, but what relief for Grandma?   The Casper paper ...continue reading

The weekend's big news, of course, was a new Casper Star-Tribune poll which says that, in a head-to-head matchup, Gary Trauner would get 41 percent of the vote, while GOP front-runner Cynthia Lummis gets 40 percent. This is big news, because there has been a false perception out there that a generic Republican would fare better against Trauner than the unpopular Barbara Cubin did. Now we know that Trauner does better against the current Republican front-runner! Or at least statistically tied. Either way, this is surprising news to some, and it should dispel the outlandish fantasy some partisan Republicans had about winning this race solely due to party affiliation. Here is the link:   Trauner leads Lummis 41 to 40 percent in latest poll   Really though, the Casper Star confuses me. First of all, I understand that they polled Trauner against at least a couple other candidates – and he polled better against them than against Lummis – but that part was ...continue reading

Don’t miss Sunday’s Casper Star-Tribune. That’s all I’ll say. As for today’s news …   Our senior U.S. senator gets passed over for a coveted finance committee seat by a guy who has NO CHANCE of winning reelection . As his spokesman put it, “Sen. Enzi is angry”:   Enzi doesn’t get finance seat   More on the new proposed federal wolf management rule:   Feds loosen wolf rules   Groups object to wolf rule   Who says they never get anything done in Washington? After 136 years, it looks like they’re on the verge of amending the 1872 hardrock mining law:   Too much?   Ranchers operating around the Bighorn National Forest say ongoing drought, tougher environmental oversight, disputed monitoring techniques and growing legal challenges are making it increasingly difficult to effectively use their federal grazing allotments:   Ranchers say they’re being ...continue reading

Breaking this morning from the Associated Press, details about the new proposed federal wolf management rule:   States offered more latitude to kill wolves   The Green River Star tells us how Rock Springs and Green River work to cope with massive growth:   Cities deal with growing pains   The Jackson paper reports that the real estate business is thriving in Teton County:   Real estate tops $1.5 billion   Converse County is moving from a three-member county commission to a five-member board:   ’08 election to increase number on county commission   The Gillette News-Record tells us that, while coalbed methane production is still rising, indicators are that it may level off or decline soon:   Methane production up   Two Casper Star-Tribune pieces on the impacts – or lack of – of the national economic situation on us here in Wyoming: ...continue reading

Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day (or “Equality Day” in Wyoming), and here’s an AP piece on the annual march in Cheyenne:   ‘A dream deferred’   Gov. Dave Freudenthal has recommended to the JAC that Wyoming spend the first round of money it stands to receive from the federal Abandoned Mine Lands program on research into clean coal technology and to build a road to a planned coal plant in Carbon County:   Gov presents AML proposal   In case there was still anyone out there who thought this administration gave the slightest hoot about the environment, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reports otherwise:   Opposition reacts to losing forest planners   The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle reports that a state economist says that new employment figures suggest that a major downturn in Wyoming's economy remains unlikely even as investors nationwide remain nervous about the possibility of a recession: ...continue reading

Just a heads up – I will be on vacation tomorrow through Monday, so I don’t anticipate writing any news reports during that time. I put in a requisition for an assistant about two-and-a-half years ago (the day I started this job), so I’m hopeful that any minute now, we can ramp this up to a full-time, round-the-clock service. Meanwhile …   Unexpected news from the Associated Press: Rep. Barbara Cubin has returned to work after just about only four months off. In that time, she has taken in over $50,000 in salary, and Wyoming has had no voice in the people’s house:   Cubin casts first vote since October   However, the Washington Post’s “congressional votes” database keeps records for the two-year term of each congress, rather than the calendar year, securing Cubin’s notoriety as the living member of the 110 th Congress with the worst voting record for some time to come:   Congress votes database – vote missers   ...continue reading

Wyoming's average daily spot price of $7.13 per thousand cubic feet at the Cheyenne Hub on Monday was just $1 behind the Henry Hub in Louisiana, which the industry uses as a market barometer. A dramatic comparison could be made by listing low points of the daily spot price of below $1 per thousand cubic feet for Wyoming gas -- even as low as 10 cents -- recorded on some days in 2007, which represented a deficit of $5 and more behind the national average at the time:   Natural gas prices recover   Rockies Express Pipeline represents a lifeline for Wyoming's natural gas industry, which provides about one-third of state government revenue:   Big pipeline gives Wyo a boost   In federal and state courtrooms across the country, environmental groups are putting coal-fueled power plants on trial in a bid to slow the industry's biggest construction boom in decades. At least four dozen coal plants, including two in Wyoming, are being ...continue reading

Twenty stories from today and the weekend! Although at least half are from the Casper paper. Beginning with …   Gov. Freudenthal hosted the "Building the Wyoming We Want conference, but he wants the participants to take the lead in planning for the state's future:   Governor seeks bottom-up growth debate   Wyoming Public radio has these two reports on the conference:   Zoning gets attention at governor’s conference on growth   State geologist warns of greater energy demand   And these two come from the Gillette News-Record:   Think regionally of strategies on impacts   Gillette used as an example of how to do things right   Barbara Cubin apparently doesn’t see any reason to let five hundred thousand people know whether they get representation in Congress this year:   Cubin stays mum on her status   The Casper ...continue reading

Nearly 500 decision-makers, stakeholders and other interested people gathered in Casper yesterday for Gov. Freudenthal’s “Building the Wyoming We Want” conference, intended to examine the challenges and opportunities Wyoming faces in this current era of relatively fast growth. The conference concluded this morning at Casper College. The Casper Star-Tribune offered these reports:   Wyoming charts growth   Development conference addresses resource issues   The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle has this take:   Governor to create structure for furthering conversation about growth   I did not see this coming: Mike Enzi is claiming credit for part of Hillary Clinton’s health care plan :   Enzi likes health care focus   Yet he is not yet ready to outright endorse her for president:   Senators wait on presidential picks   The Tribune-Eagle tells us some senators are ...continue reading

Lotsa news today! To begin, Gov. Freudenthal wants to generate ideas to answer this question: “ How do we continue to enjoy a thriving economy and still keep in mind the kind of Wyoming we want our children and grandchildren to enjoy?” To suggest some answers, the governor’s office is sponsoring the “Building the Wyoming We Want” conference today and Friday at Casper College's Gertrude Krampert Theatre. Topics will include roads, subdivisions, development patterns, open spaces and wildlife, water, sewers and septic systems, and the increasing costs for local governments:   Conference charts growth   ‘Building the Wyoming We Want’ agenda   Meanwhile, the governor is among three undecideds in this Associated Press story on where your five Wyoming Democratic Party superdelegates stand on the 2008 presidential race (the other two back Obama):   ‘It’s too early’   The Jackson Hole paper reports that action is ...continue reading

First up is this exciting news from Rep. George Bagby, D-Rawlins, who reports that James Elliott Jr., a Democrat from Saratoga, has been selected as the newest Carbon County commissioner . Congratulations to Commissioner Elliott, and thanks to Rep. Bagby!   Next, we have this piece from the Jackson Hole News & Guide, which demonstrated to all the people of Teton County just how out of touch their local Republican leaders are (I’ve included the entire piece below, because it’s just two sentences):   GOP goals   Abolish the federal income and estate taxes, deport illegal immigrants who are stopped by police, dissolve the Teton County Housing Authority, and begin planning for another bridge over the Snake River to the west bank. Teton County Republicans voted for these and other positions Saturday as they set their platform for the upcoming election cycle.   The Casper Star-Tribune reports that, by generally finding the ...continue reading

Honestly, I don’t know all the ins and outs of the GOP caucuses, but some people are clearly displeased with the way it went down:   Some question Romney ‘victory’   Power to the people – that is, only in situations that can be described as “ The people vs. {defendant’s name here} ”:   Bill: Give prosecutors more power   The Wyoming Water Development Commission plans to take public comments Wednesday in Casper on possible sites for a dam on the Upper Green River:   Upper Green Dam gets another look   National Public Radio reports that the governor is pleased with the changes the BLM has made to its development plans for the Pinedale Anticline:   Freudenthal happy with BLM’s Pinedale plan   Public Radio also has a look at the federal law that allows Wyoming residents to deduct the money they spend on sales tax:   Wyoming worries about sales tax break ...continue reading

The state GOP’s presidential caucuses took place on Saturday, and the main issue seems to be whether the Republicans’ controversial decision to break their own national party’s rules and sacrifice half their delegates to their national convention was worth it. By and large, most media outlets answered that question with a resounding “no.” The Casper Star-Tribune notes that our state got virtually no national attention for its early caucus, and no candidates bothered to come here and woo the Wyoming delegates (well, not at least since superstar Duncan Hunter stopped by the first week of December):   Is anyone watching?   The Gillette News-Record, however, apparently got this headline straight from Republican Party headquarters (which I find odd, because as a former journalist, I’ve long considered the News-Record to be among the top-quality papers in the state):   Candidates’ visits a clear sign it worked   I’ve got to tell you, ...continue reading

Something is wrong with the Casper Star-Tribune’s Website today, and I can’t link to the THREE stories they have on Wyoming politics, INCLUDING a nice story on the impressive Wyoming Democratic Party organization and our upcoming house parties. So I scanned the story on the Democrats. Check it out:   Democrats plan house parties, organize brilliantly   The Laramie Daily Boomerang reports that state-shared revenue, loss of revenue from the food tax exemption and a potential seventh-cent tax were at the forefront of Laramie’s lawmakers’ minds Thursday.   Lawmakers plan ahead for 2008   Here is the Gillette News-Record’s look at Saturday’s GOP caucus. Apparently, there will be 14 Wyoming Republicans who would have been able to attend the national convention if their state party played by the rules. I wonder if any of our esteemed media outlets want to interview one of those people? Maybe we can find someone to write that ...continue reading

Sorry so late today! It’s been nuts. Phone ringin’ off the hook, and a surprising amount of good news today. A presidential candidate here (OK, it was his ballot access person), a newspaper reporter there, a new inspiring candidate from way up there, etc. Anyway, let’s start off the news roundup with the newest declared U.S. House candidate, the lady famous for telling other Republican Party insiders that Gov. Freudenthal is no gentleman:   Lummis makes it official   The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, meanwhile, takes a look at who’s running for what in Laramie County:   Who’s thrown their hat in the ring?   Wyoming Public Radio has this analysis of the Wyoming GOP’s master plan (that guy from Law & Order has virtually nothing on his schedule, but even he can’t make it out here):   Wyo gets little attention despite early caucus   The Gillette News-Record reports that Pine Haven’s embattled mayor ...continue reading

Happy New Year! This year, the Casper Star-Tribune greeted us with a couple stories on the upcoming U.S. Senate elections. This story notes that no one from either party has yet thrown a hat into the ring to challenge John Barrasso or Mike Enzi:   Where are the races?   This companion piece examines the history of Wyomingites who have been appointed to the U.S. Senate, as Barrasso was last June:   Only one Senate appointee won election   The Laramie Boomerang reports on an upcoming meeting of local officials and legislators to talk about the year ahead:   Council, legislators to discuss 2008   Here are the Casper Star’s endorsements in the presidential primaries. Notice how this right-wing newspaper devotes about three times as much space to its favorites in the Republican Party:   Romney, Obama should get party nominations   Wyoming Public Radio has some ...continue reading

First up is this important story from the Casper Star-Tribune, which reports that the new Democratic Congress has been quite productive . The Democratic-controlled 110 th Congress was more active than its predecessor looking at the amount of time in session, committee meetings, oversight of the executive branch, votes and measures passed. "In terms of new laws enacted, it compares favorably with the 104 th Republican Congress which took office following the 1994 elections," said congressional expert Thomas Mann of the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. "The latter failed to enact all but one provision of the 'Contract With America' during its first year. By contrast, most of the items on the Democratic new direction agenda found their way into law ." (Emphasis added):   ‘It looked worse than it was’   It’s that time of year: The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle announces its top 10 stories of the year:   10 biggest newsmakers of ...continue reading

Top story today (or tonight, as the case may be) comes from the Riverton Ranger, whose interview with Fremont County Chair Linda Barton provided the meat for this story (and might I add that Linda did a wonderful job with the interview!):   State Democrats prepare for 2008 presidential caucuses   The Casper Star-Tribune has a follow-up story on Wyoming’s 2007 population boom (we grew by 2 percent, or about 10,000 people):   Will Wyo keep growing?   Meanwhile, CNN.com looks at the state’s population issue this way:   Why the West is booming   The Casper paper also has a story on the Dec. 31 deadline for changing Medicare plan options. Apparently, most people enrolled in Wyoming can save money by making changes:   Medicare enrollment deadline nears   The Laramie Boomerang reminds us of a new law that will take effect Jan. 1. Fun Bill Luckett trivia fact: When I was ...continue reading

Let’s hear it for the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, for Cheyenne’s daily paper is featuring an Associated Press story on the presidential race today. The Iowa caucuses take place Jan. 3, and less than five weeks after that is Super Duper Tuesday, Feb. 5, when more than half the delegates will be selected:   It’s getting confusing   The ninth-largest state in the country (in area) was the ninth-fastest-growing state in the country in 2007 (this info came from my hardcopy of the Casper paper, which for some reason included a sentence that I don’t see in this online version):   Wyoming population climbs   Wyoming Public Radio has this related story that says the number of jobs in the minerals industry decreased last month for the first time in four and a half years, but unemployment remains below 3 percent and the number of jobs overall is up:   Mining-related jobs decline   The Jackson Hole News & ...continue reading

Today we’ll begin with Gary Trauner’s campaign for U.S. House, and two notable blog entries on the topic. I want to call your attention to this first one, because the blog, hummingbirdminds , is written by Wyoming’s own Michael Shay, an activist from Laramie County. Here’s his take on the latest Trauner news:   Act blue! Contribute to Trauner!   I told you a few days back that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee recently named Wyoming’s U.S. House race as one of the most competitive in the country. Here is an article posted Sunday on Daily Kos – the world’s most widely read politics blog – about that development:   DCCC goes on offensive, embraces netroots candidates   After that, the news is running a little thin, which is par for the course for this time of year. However, there are some fireworks in far northeast Wyoming. The Gillette News-Record tells us that many residents of one of Wyoming’s fastest growing ...continue reading

Not much at all today. To start, the Sierra Club and the Powder River Basin Resource Council want a court review of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality's handling of an air quality permit for the proposed Two Elk coal-fired power plant in southern Campbell County. The groups have asked a district court judge to review of an administrative decision by the Environmental Quality Council, which governs the DEQ. They claim the agency reversed its own determination that the air quality permit was invalidated for lack of meeting construction requirements and other actions required to maintain the permit:   Groups challenge plant permit   Wyoming Public Radio reports that the BLM in proposing allocating 2 million acres of public land in Wyoming, Colorado and Utah for potential commercial oil shale development:   BLM moves forward with oil shale plan   Public Radio also has this story on the Pew Charitable Trusts’ ...continue reading

Some good stuff today! Roll Call, the newspaper that covers Congress, reports that Gary Trauner’s race for Wyoming’s U.S. House seat is on the short list for those across the country that Democrats plan to win in November:   DCCC targets 40 GOP seats   Gov. Freudenthal just released this opinion piece on the upcoming “Building the Wyoming We Want” conference, scheduled for Jan. 10 and 11 at Casper College:   Building the Wyoming we want   The Cody Enterprise has more evidence that the Wyoming Republican Party did the right thing in sacrificing some of its delegates to its national convention by breaking its own party’s rules and holding its presidential caucuses early. Hugh Cort – yes, THE Hugh Cort, of Mountain Brook, Alabama – will be in Greybull for the Big Horn County Republican caucus tonight:   He’s no Rudy or Mitt (or Obama or Clinton or Edwards or Richardson, for that matter)   The ...continue reading

Not too much today. First up is a new story today in the Casper Star-Tribune on Chairman Millin’s recent letter to the Denver Post:   Dem leader ruffles feathers   Sens. Enzi and Barrasso sound off on the energy bill:   Senators don’t like energy bill   Mattoon, Ill., has been picked as the location for the FutureGen power plant that will burn coal without emitting greenhouse gases. This is the site Wyoming favored after a site in our own state was knocked off the list:   Wyo’s favorite site wins plant   The Gillette News-Record has this story about Wyoming being among a handful of states that have “critical gaps” in its influenza pandemic preparedness:   Some states not stocking up on pandemic medicines   The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports that 17 well pads proposed for the Hoback Rim would put miles of new roads in one of the Bridger-Teton’s largest ...continue reading

Casper-area lawmakers sound off on the possibility of a statewide smoking ban:   Split opinion on statewide move   As the Casper Star-Tribune points out, if state spending has increased too sharply for some people’s tastes, they have only the Republican Party – which has controlled the Legislature for decades – to thank:   Hey big spenders, stay away from Legislature   Wyoming Public Radio reports that Rep. Colin Simpson, R-Cody, wants the state to have a database of everyone’s prescriptions:   Simpson wants new database   WYDOT has determined that the only way Wyoming could get intrastate air service is if the government were to step in, according to the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle:   Wyoming air travel explored   Meanwhile, passenger boardings are slightly down at Yellowstone Regional Airport, as reported by the Powell Tribune:   Airport numbers ...continue reading

Here you can see that the Wyoming Republican Party’s strategy to break its national party’s rules and hold an early primary has reaped rewards – stacks of glossy messages from Ron Paul:   GOP activists get more attention   The Gillette News-Record has this report on Campbell County Republican caucuses, held Saturday:   County GOP readies ideas for change   Has anyone else noticed that the Casper Star-Tribune waited until Barbara Cubin announced her retirement before the paper dared to complain that Cubin has completely refused to answer to the people of Wyoming in any way, all year, while she continues to take a salary that pays five times as much as the average Wyomingite and pretends to be functioning as our representative in Congress?   How can we cover silence?   Here’s a news story on that very issue that the paper published on Saturday:   Cubin misses more votes   ...continue reading

A letter from Chairman Millin has generated a story in today’s Denver Post which will hit the Wyoming media today. The story can be found here (please give it a look):   Wyo Dem chief: Clinton would hurt party   And a slightly different version, with excerpts of an interview with John, can be found here:   Wyoming Democratic Party chairman says Clinton effect in the West “a dirty little secret”     Please note that the opinions expressed by Chairman Millin in the Denver Post article are his personal opinions only, and they do not reflect any official position of the Wyoming Democratic Party. The party remains neutral in all Democratic primary elections, and the party will enthusiastically support our presidential nominee. Every one of our party’s major candidates for president would make a better president for this country than any one running on the Republican side. As a state party chairman and ...continue reading

Here is a look at some of the major Wyoming politics and government news from the state’s media and other sources today:   First up, Gov. Freudenthal announces that he will be joining us for the Democratic National Convention in Denver next August, according to the Associated Press. We at the state party remain very excited that the convention will be in Denver, and we’re delighted that the governor will be there:   Gov relents on Dem convention   This next one is a delight: apparently, some people in Kaycee, Wright and Midwest want to form a new county! Let’s hope this doesn’t lead to another Johnson County War . The Casper Star-Tribune has the details:   Seeking secession   In Congress, John Barrasso didn’t get getting anywhere with a driver’s license bill aimed at illegal immigrants:   Barrasso floats driver’s license bill, without success   Meanwhile, Mike ...continue reading

As promised, I have several links at the bottom of this post to different stories on Gary Trauner's entry into the 2008 U.S. House race. Suffice it to say people are excited. But first, here's an encouraging story on Gary's fundraising report for third quarter 2007, which gives him a nearly 20-to-1 cash-on-hand advantage over the incumbent ($165,411 for Gary, compared to Cubin's $8,651, according to the FEC). Here are some links to stories across Wyoming and the nation on Gary's announcement that he is running for U.S. House: Casper Star-Tribune: Trauner tries again for House Wyoming Tribune-Eagle: Trauner retries Congress run Jackson Hole News and Guide: Trauner to seek House New West: Trauner announces bid for Wyoming's at-large House seat Congressional Quarterly: Deja vu contest for Wyoming House seat The news is also splashed throughout the blogosphere. Let's make sure Gary wins this time ! ...continue reading

It's official: Gary Trauner is the first Democrat to announce his candidacy for U.S. House. Here's a same-day story on his announcement - an announcement, by the way, which has attracted nationwide attention. Among the national media that have contacted state party headquarters today are Congressional Quarterly ( here's the story ) and Roll Call. Meanwhile, at Gary and Sue Berchenbriter's house in Casper today, all the major Casper-area news outlets were on hand, and several others from across the state joined us by teleconference. There's no doubt about it: Gary's candidacy for next year's race is already drumming up a lot of excitement. I'll post some more links tomorrow when more of the media across Wyoming and the nation have their reports available onine. Meanwhile, it's never too early to help get Gary's campaign started off on the right foot by contributing to his campaign . Or, you can visit his Website at www.traunerforcongress.com . Let's make sure that this ...continue reading

Today, Gary Trauner plans to make an exciting announcement about the 2008 elections. Stay tuned for an update this afternoon after Gary tells us his plans for the coming year. I have a feeling that this time, things are going to work out like we hope.

Two must-read pieces this week in the Casper Star-Tribune almost perfectly capture the essence of why we need to get rid of Barbara Cubin. The first piece, an editorial called "Cubin should help override Bush veto," reveals a picture of a representative who votes with the extremist fringe of her party, while the good people of Wyoming suffer. The SCHIP program would provide health insurance for more low-income children across the state. When faced with a choice of what is best for Wyoming, and what the far right wing leadership of the Republican Party tells her to do, Cubin ALWAYS caters to the far right. Never mind that she didn't vote on the bill; the editorial explains that she has expressed support for Bush's veto. About that missed vote, the paper also ran a news article, "Cubin misses nearly half of votes," which tells us that Cubin now had the poorest attendance record of every living member of Congress. She is our state's only representative in the ...continue reading

For pretty much this entire decade, state leaders have enjoyed revenues that significantly surpassed expectations. But Gov. Freudenthal says that won't be the case this year . Quoth the governor: "I don't believe that anyone should be expecting the kind of revenue in excess of projections, or what people call a surplus, this year," he said. "It's going to be a good, solid budget. But the kind of revenues over projections that we've become accustomed to, it's not going to be there." The story points out that the state had roughly a $1.13 billion surplus heading into the 2006 budget session, a $1.5 billion surplus in 2004 and a $727 million surplus in 2002, according to Steve Sommers, budget and fiscal manager for the state Legislative Service Office. There are at least a couple reasons why this is important to people who follow state government. First, obviously, is that if the governor's prediction is right, we won't be spoiled like we have in recent years. There might not be ...continue reading

I traveled up to Sheridan last weekend to join area Democrats to celebrate the 150th of former Wyoming Gov. and U.S. Sen. John Kendrick. Despite the rain and wind, about 50 Democrats from Sheridan County and neighboring counties made it to the event, which is no small feat for a mid-August event during a non-election year. The dynamic duo of state party Chairman John Millin and freshman Rep. Lori Millin made the trip up from Cheyenne and inspired the crowd with their insights into legislative elections. Rep. Lori shared the tale of how she went from citizen activist to legislative candidate running against an incumbent to newly elected state representative in the span of less than a year. We only need to win four seats in the state House for the Democrats to be able to sustain any veto by Gov. Freudenthal, she said, and we can achieve that goal in 2008 if we find enough good people to run. Chairman John struck a similar chord in his speech. He noted that our party ...continue reading

I just got the word that Laramie County Democratic Party Chairman Mike Bell and his wife Amy are the proud parents of a newborn baby boy! Details forthcoming, but meanwhile, congratulations to Mike and Amy on the birth of their son. *UPDATE* Wyoming welcomes Jonathan Thayer Bell, who entered the world on Aug. 1 weighing in at 8-plus pounds and measuring 21 inches. Quipped the new father: "We're building the Democratic Party one baby at a time!"

I'm a bit late with this post, but in case you missed it, I put together this op/ed column for the Casper Star-Tribune on Saturday, July 21, in response to the paper's disturbingly misinformed editorial that had run Wednesday, July 18. The column I wrote represents the valuable input of a few party officials and staffers, and considering that it was half written by committee, I think it provides an excellent counter-point to the fish-wrap journalism from earlier in the week. It is a snapshot of some of our party's most high-profile leaders, some (but not all) of our most important issues, and other reasons why Western voters have increasingly supported our party in recent years. Your thoughts?

Our chairman's and executive director's efforts to reach into every corner of the state have garnered notice in the state's largest newspaper. Click here for the Casper Star-Tribune's profile on the Wyoming Democratic Party , where we're at and where we're headed. The story by Jared Miller takes a look at Chairman John Millin's 23-county plan, describes some of the party's fund-raising successes, and explores the possibility of a Democratic majority in Wyoming down the road. That story, which ran on page A1 of the Sunday paper, was accompanied by this sidebar by Noelle Straub examining the rejuvenation of Democrats in the West through groups such as Democrats for the West, Project New West, Western Majority Project and WesternDemocrat.com. These groups are indicative of the momentum swing Western voters have given our party, evidenced by Democratic gains in recent elections and the DNC holding its 2008 National Convention in Denver. It is an exciting time to be a Democrat in ...continue reading

Congratulations to Mary Hales, Wyoming's newest state representative! The Natrona County Commission has appointed Mary to fill the vacancy in state House District 36 left by the resignation last month of Liz Gentile of Evansville. Mary has served the Wyoming Democratic Party as state party secretary for a number of years, and she is a long-time local real estate agent. Now, the people of Evansville and parts of east Casper will be able to enjoy the benefits of Mary's service as we in the state party have for some time. I also want to congratulate the other two finalists for the position - Gretchen Wheeler and Penney Miller, who both showed over the course of the selection process that they, too, would make fine legislators. Let's hope the two of them will stay involved in politics and public affairs, as it is clear that they both have a lot to offer. Now, Mary can look forward to half-year's worth of committee meetings and becoming acquainted with the ...continue reading

The Natrona County commissioners plan to meet today at 1 p.m. to interview the three finalists to fill the House District 36 vacancy left by the recent resignation of Liz Gentile of Evansville. The meeting, which will be in room 115 in the Natrona County Courthouse, will be open to the public. By the end of the day, we should know who are new representative is going to be (or, at the very least, we should know WHEN we will know). We'll keep you up-to-date as information becomes available.

Monday night, the Democratic precinct committee men and women selected Gretchen Wheeler, Penny Miller and Mary Hales as our three finalists to fill the state House District 36 vacancy left by the recent resignation of Rep. Liz Gentile of Evansville. Now, those three names have been submitted to the Natrona County Commission, and the commissioners have five days to appoint one of them to fill the legislative seat. Apparently, they're planning to meet at 1 p.m. Monday, July 9, for the purpose of interviewing the candidates and making their appointment. Meanwhile, congratulations to our three excellent finalists, and let's hope that all three will remain active in the party (Mary, our state party secretary, has a great track record at that, as you well know) and consider running for office in the future.

We are pleased to announce that our party has seven quality candidates who have applied to fill the House District 36 vacancy left by the resignation of Rep. Liz Gentile of Evansville. Thursday night, the candidates introduced themselves at the Natrona County Democrats' meeting and answered a few questions, and all seven pledged to seek election in 2008 if appointed. Our candidates are: Bill Sisco, a Casper businessman Dan Coey, a bricklayer and conservation activist Gretchen Wheeler, a Casper College communications instructor Mary Hales, state party secretary and real estate broker Mel Hamilton, an education administrator Penny Miller, a union office manager Zach Gentile, the Evansville police chief Natrona County Democrats spent nearly two hours last night getting to know the candidates, and to a person, each came across as strong legislative material. While we don't know yet who our new House member is going to be, it's safe to say at this ...continue reading

The Wyoming Democratic Party is seeking applicants to replace state Rep. Liz Gentile of Eva