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Skijoring brings cowboys and skiers to Western towns, but warm weather leaves the sport in flux

Mar 7, 2024
Many small towns across the Rocky Mountain West depend on the sport for an economic boost during an otherwise slow winter, but this year it's been tricky with unseasonably warm temperatures.
A cowboy and his horse pull a skier off a jump on the Pinedale skijoring course. The fastest time wins.
Caitlin Tan/Wyoming Public Radio

For a Wyoming family, opening a distillery was about facing "uncertain financial times" head on

Dec 26, 2023
"There was a romantic ideal about being in control of your own destiny," says Backwards Distilling co-founder Amber Pollock.
Amber Pollock behind the bar at the distillery's tasting room in Casper, Wyoming.
Courtesy Pollock

Cyclists and hikers bring life back to an old gold mining town in Wyoming

Sep 18, 2023
A growing number of adventurers are traveling the Continental Divide each summer, bringing a much-needed boost to one community.
Cyclists sit at the wooden bar in the Atlantic City Mercantile. It is an old saloon that was originally built for gold miners, but now sees mostly hikers and cyclists.
Caitlin Tan/Wyoming Public Media

Wyoming, long known as a top coal producing state, makes a big move into wind energy

Jul 31, 2023
A new power line project will transfer Wyoming wind to supply parts of the Southwest with electricity. Wyoming’s focus on renewable energy is a shift from its history with fossil fuels.
Wyoming’s Republican Governor Mark Gordon attended the ground breaking ceremony. Despite the state’s fossil fuel history, he said this project is needed to address climate change.
Caitlin Tan/Wyoming Public Media

Despite a recent rough stretch for crypto, Wyoming still wants its business

Apr 7, 2023
Wyoming is continuing its efforts to bring cryptocurrency into the mainstream, but some are questioning whether that’s a good idea.
Caitlin Long, CEO of Custodia Bank, said that crypto has helped Wyoming diversify its economy.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Wyoming school is training students for a new energy future

Apr 4, 2023
A power plant in the offing will need trained workers to build and operate it. A local college has the first power-line program in the state.
A student practices using his harness and spiked shoes to climb a power pole. The Western Wyoming Community College program sets up graduates to get apprenticeships to eventually become journeyman electricians.
Caitlin Tan/Wyoming Public Media

Wyoming hopes recreational trail improvements will spur tourism

Sep 20, 2022
Updating old cattle trails, logging roads and wildlife migration trails could provide a crucial boost to local economies, some say.
Ryan Grove of Sublette Trails Association fixes an old trail in the Wind River Range in northwest Wyoming.
Caitlin Tan/Wyoming Public Media

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Nation's fourth- and sixth-largest mines shut down

Jul 2, 2019
Two of the largest coal-producing mines in the United States were closed down without warning.
Coal falls from a conveyor belt in 2016 in Price, Utah.
George Frey/Getty Images

Wyoming coal community imagines a new future

Jun 3, 2019
The threat of coal plant closures is making Kemmerer, Wyoming, think closely about diversification.
Mayor Tony Tomassi standing on the edge of a small residential community in Kemmerer.
Cooper McKim/Wyoming Public Radio

Undocumented workers in Wyoming struggle to get workers' comp

Apr 8, 2019
Wyoming is the state with the most dangerous workplaces.
Attorney Steven Dwyer said more undocumented workers are seeking his help with cases related to workers' compensation for on-the-job injuries, including one worker who is $17,000 in debt from medical bills incurred after he fell off a roof.
Scott Olson/Getty Images