Wyoming's Future Uncertain As Mass Layoffs Begin In Coal Country
Last week, the country’s two biggest coal mines each laid off roughly 15 percent of their workers… about 500 people. The layoffs come on the heels of a number of major coal bankruptcies and are the latest sign the industry is in rough shape… But as Wyoming Public Radio’s Stephanie Joyce reports, things are likely going to get worse for coal before they get better.
Jim Rose Talks Changes At Wyoming's Community Colleges
There’s a lot going on at Wyoming’s 7 community colleges. Tuition hikes, a new funding formula, and a budget crunch. The colleges are also poised to play a big role in the state’s economic recovery. Wyoming lost more than 2 percent of its jobs last year. And just last week, nearly 500 coal workers were laid off in the Powder River Basin.
Jim Rose is the executive director of the Wyoming Community College Commission. Wyoming Public Radio’s Aaron Schrank sat down with Dr. Rose—and started by asking how community colleges will help retrain workers amid the downturn.
Wyoming Continues To Be A Favorite For Shell Companies
The Panama Papers data leak revealed that millionaires and others may be hiding assets in shell companies around the world. Wyoming’s secretary of state says 24 of the businesses mentioned in the Papers are registered here. Bob Beck reports on how that state’s tax laws make it a tax haven.
Wyoming Authors Look At Accuracy Of Classic Children's Book On Grizzlies
Last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced they were moving forward with de-listing Yellowstone area grizzly bears from the Endangered Species List. The news raised the hackles of many wildlife advocates.
It’s not the first time grizzlies have made headlines though, and not even the second time. Just read the classic children’s book Wahb: The Biography of a Grizzly, written way back in 1900 by Ernest Thompson Seton. President Roosevelt once called Seton a “nature faker” for attributing human feelings to wild animals.
Two Wyoming authors edited a new version of the book, Jeremy Johnston and Charles Preston, both curators at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody. Wyoming Public Radio's Melodie Edwards talked to Preston about how the novel got grizzlies right as well as how it sometimes missed its mark.
Award-Winning Author Comes To Wyoming
So-called Historical Mystery Writer Erik Larson is coming to the University of Wyoming this month. UW libraries will host Larson April 20th at 1:30 p.m. in the College of Education auditorium and that evening, UW libraries will host a dinner with Larson.
Larson’s current book is called Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. It’s a thrilling book about the sinking of a ship that many believe helped get the United States into World War 1. His style is to provide intimate details and facts that few have ever heard and weave them into a compelling story. Larson tells me that it requires a lot of research.
With Too Much Solar, California Looks To West For Markets
Solar energy is booming across the country – but renewables come with headaches. In California, there’s so much solar energy that, on some days, there’s TOO much. One solution is to join forces across state borders to share the renewable wealth. But in the west, that’s sparking some not-so-neighborly opposition. Lauren Sommer of NPR member station KQED starts us off with California’s side of things.
Riverton Police Department Tries New Approach To Fight Discrimination
Last year at a Riverton detox center, a white city parks worker shot two Northern Arapahoe men, killing one. Tribal leadership lobbied for the killer to be charged with a hate crime and pointed to a trend in widespread bigotry against Native Americans in the town. Riverton’s Police Department decided to take a new approach: hiring someone who could investigate discrimination. As Wyoming Public Radio’s Aaron Schrank reports.
Original Musical "Mulberry" To Premiere In Casper
A new musical premieres this month at Casper College. “Mulberry” is set in the late 90s, and focuses on the patriarch of a family in a small town in Wisconsin. James Olm is a voice and musical theatre instructor at Casper College, and is the writer and composer of the musical. He tells Wyoming Public Radio’s Caroline Ballard that the inspiration to write the show actually came from a difficult time in his own life.
