Increase in coal exports on the horizon
There are more new ports designed for coal export being proposed in the U.S. and Wyoming’s Powder River Basin coal producers are training their eye on the developments. With some of the most efficient economies of scale in the world, a larger percentage of PRB coal could be making its way across the ocean soon. What would that mean for Wyoming and the global community? Irina Zhorov reports.
Game and Fish closes sage grouse hunting in northeast Wyoming
The Game and Fish Department plans to ban sage grouse hunting in most of northeast Wyoming. Parts of eastern Wyoming are already off limits, and now, sage grouse hunting will be prohibited in Sheridan, Johnson, Campbell and Weston counties as well. I spoke with Tom Christiansen, the sage grouse coordinator for Game and Fish. He says the agency is making the change in large part because of public concern over dwindling sage grouse populations. But he also says stopping hunting won’t solve the problem, because hunting doesn’t actually affect sage grouse populations that much.
Natrona County plans to revolutionize education system
As most know, school reform is far from novel. It has been a catch word for many years. But at a time when Casper was looking a building a new high school, school officials thought that a new approach in education should be part of new construction. Wyoming Public Radio’s Bob Beck reports…
A look at sexual assault in Wyoming
April is sexual assault awareness month, and Becca Fisher from SAFE Project, a group that provides services to victims, joins us to talk about the problem. She says nearly half of Wyoming women are sexually assaulted at some point in their lives. The incidents can range from unwanted touching to all-out rape, and Fisher says common scenarios are a little different than you might expect.
STDs on the rise in Wyoming
It’s Sexually Transmitted Disease awareness month and in Wyoming this is a serious issue. Statistics show that STDs in the state are on the rise. A number of health care organizations are trying to get sexually active people tested for STDs and to check their HIV status. Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains is engaged in a campaign called GYT – get yourself tested. Melody Meanor is the Manager of Planned Parenthood’s Casper Health Center. She says the sharp increase in STD’s in Wyoming is alarming.
New push underway to get free diapers to poor families
For those living below or anywhere near the poverty line, the list of daily struggles is long – and mostly familiar: food, housing, medical care... Over the last decade, diaper banks have emerged in some 40 spots throughout the country; Wyoming is not yet one of them. In the meantime, a new nationwide effort is underway to bring awareness and unprecedented resources to the problem of “diaper need.” From Washington, Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports.
Laramie program offers theater experience for those with disabilities
For the last several years ARK regional services in Laramie has run a program called the Cooper Center for Creative Arts. It offers a multitude of experiences for those with disabilities. Next month those in the program will be putting on a performance where students will be involved in all aspects from performing to set design. Cheyenne Christian is the Creative Arts Coordinator for the Center and she explains the program…
Wyoming experiences jackalope shortage
Wyoming has been home to the jackalope since it was “accidently” invented by a taxidermist in Douglas. But over the last two years, jackalopes have been on the decline… at least according to some taxidermists around the state. Wyoming Public Radio’s Tristan Ahtone volunteered to investigate.
UW students design and build mock lunar rovers
A team of UW engineering students recently traveled to Alabama to compete in NASA’s annual moon buggy race. The race is for high school and college students who have designed and built non-motorized vehicles that resemble lunar rovers. Teams from all over the world participated, on a race course meant to resemble the surface of the moon. The winning moon buggies aren’t actually going to space, but as Wyoming Public Radio’s Willow Belden reports, the project is a major learning experience for the students.
