High mountain snowpack this year means potentially dangerous conditions for rafters, boaters, and kayakers on Wyoming’s lakes and rivers.

The accounts that fund education saw an unexpected revenue boost, which brought the predicted education shortfall from $400 million down to $250 million, according to Governor Matt Mead.

Mead said coal is coming back — along with oil and gas — but he cautioned the state is still running short on funds. He added that means the legislature will have some hard work to do during the 2018 Budget Session, as they consider further budget reductions or alternate revenue through new taxes.

Samantha Rise recorded live on 7/20/17 during Wyoming Sounds.

School board members and district superintendents gathered recently to discuss the changes underfoot in Wyoming’s education system with an eye toward reforms they would like to see during the 2018 legislative session.

Brian Farmer, Executive Director for the Wyoming School Boards Association, said his organization held a joint meeting with the Wyoming Association of School Administrators, and the topic of teacher accountability was high on everyone’s list.

A manhunt is currently underway in the Bridger Teton National Forest for a man suspected of committing a triple homicide in Caldwell, ID.

A car registered to one of the suspected victims was recently found parked at the Pacific Creek Campground in the forest. Multiple agencies are participating in the search, including the National Park Service, the Teton County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Forest Service, and the FBI among others.

As a part of the state’s efforts to confront a funding deficit brought on by the downturn in the energy industry, the 2017 Legislature established the Wyoming Government Spending and Efficiency Commission.

One of its first actions was to request that all major agency heads report on their work to reduce spending and improve efficiency.

A new study shows tourism dollars generated by a single bobcat are greater than if the same animal is killed for its fur pelt.

Because of tighter international laws banning trapping of other spotted cats, the number of bobcats hunted or trapped for their pelts has quadrupled in recent years.