A listing of today's stories
The State of Manufacturing in Wyoming
Whenever Wyoming Economic Development officials talk about diversifying the economy, the topic of developing manufacturing jobs always comes up. Though the state is famous for exporting things such as coal and gas, Wyoming has virtually no reputation for making things. Bob Beck reports.
Brucellosis Impacts on Livestock and Game
This month, four cows in a Park County herd were confirmed to have brucellosis. That's a bacterial disease that can cause cattle, elk and bison to abort. The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is making changes in its brucellosis program. Frank Galey is the dean of the University of Wyoming College of Agriculture, and he chairs the State Brucellosis Task Force. Molly Messick talked to him about the program changes, and about why brucellosis is such a concern.
A Poor Grade for Wyoming's Women's Prison?
The Wyoming Women's Prison was recently given a failing grade for its handling of pregnant women and mothers. The grade came from a report authored by the National Women's Law Center and the Rebecca Project for Human Rights in Washington D.C. Wyoming Public Radio's Tristan Ahtone spent a day at the Wyoming Women's Center in Lusk, the only women's prison in the state.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Wyoming continues to do battle with sexually transmitted diseases or STD's. Recently the state has seen an uptick in its STD numbers. Canyon Hardesty of the Wyoming department of health oversees the STD and communicable disease program. She joins us to explain that the most recent numbers show that Wyoming is following some national trends.
Interview with Governor Dave Freudenthal
Governor Dave Freudenthal is wrapping up his final month in office. The governor joins us to talk about some events of the week, among other issues.
An Interview with Rebecca Nelson
One of the women prisoners in Lusk tells Wyoming Public Radio her story.
Interview with Senator John Barrasso
He's only been in the US Senate since 2007, but Republican John Barrasso is quickly rising in visibility and within party ranks. As Manuel Quinones reports from Capitol Hill, experts say his rising political tide could lift Wyoming's boat as well.
Brian Leung's New Book "Take Me Home"
In the 1800's Chinese were in Wyoming to build railroads and coal mines, but a race war broke out which led to what is known in Wyoming as the Chinese Massacre. That is the backdrop of a book written by award winning author Brian Leung who wrote Take Me Home. It's a story about an improbable relationship between a woman named Addie who came to Wyoming to be with her brother but ended in a love affair with a Chinese Immigrant named Wing Lee. Brian Leung says he was looking at writing a different book, when he came across the story of the Chinese Massacre that he researched at UW's American Heritage center.
An Inside Look at Falconry
This week, UNESCO, an arm of the United Nations, added falconry to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Falconry is a traditional way of hunting that dates back more than four thousand years, to the ancient Middle East. It's a sport that's completely informed by landscape, and available prey. Many Wyoming falconers practice the sport with the largest falcon of all: the Gyr Falcon, a long-winged agile bird native to the Arctic. Wyoming Public Radio's Molly Messick has this story.
