Documents Show Artwork Removed Early Due to Pressure
A sculpture, called Carbon Sink, installed on the University of Wyoming campus, has generated a lot of controversy in the past couple of years. It was a pin wheel of charred logs that sought to draw a connection between coal, global warming, and increased beetle kill. Wyoming Public Radio’s Irina Zhorov reports that this supposedly anti-carbon message certainly got the attention of law makers, donors, and those in industry.
Federal official discusses bark beetles and forest fires
Bark Beetles and forest fires continue to grab the attention of Wyomingites. In fact many believe that climate change is behind both problems. Butch Blazer is the Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment for the US Department of Agriculture. We sat down with him as he visited with regional foresters in Cheyenne last week. Blazer says Beetle kill remains a serious problem in the Rocky Mountain West.
Global warming impacts the elderly
When you think of climate change, you might think of forest fires and heat waves, you might not think of respiratory disease, cardiac arrest, or viruses. As former Open Spaces Co-Host and the current health reporter for Rhode Island Public Radio Kristin Espeland Gourlay discovers, doctors and scientists are beginning to focus attention on the most vulnerable to these ailments: the elderly.
A new teacher assessment could help UW Education students improve
University of Wyoming College of Education students will now be part of a Comprehensive Teacher Performance Assessment that will determine the student teachers performance in a variety of skills. UW was among the institutions that helped develop the assessment that is called edTPA. Some states already require teachers to pass an assessment like this to get licensed, that is not the case in Wyoming. But the College of Education will require the Assessment to help develop better teachers. Wyoming Public Radio’s Bob Beck reports.
Sinclair fire the result of failure to train workers and other workplace violations, OSHA finds
The Sinclair Refinery near Rawlins has had four fires or explosions since May, and Wyoming’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, has been investigating what went wrong. OSHA has completed its investigation into one of the incidents. It was a fire on May 25, which injured two workers. Wyoming OSHA Administrator John Ysebaert joins us to talk about what they found. He says one of the main problems is that Sinclair wasn’t properly training its workers.
A glimpse into the Cheyenne Concert Association’s upcoming season
The Cheyenne Concert Association started in 1935 as a way to bring a variety of music to community. Funding for the association comes from the Wyoming Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts and other organizations. Mary Cox with the Concert Association tells us that their new season begins October 16th at the Cheyenne School Administration building with the group New Odyssey.
Former Rep. Jorgensen pushes for Medicaid expansion
As you may have heard, Governor Matt Mead is struggling with whether to recommend that the state expand Medicaid offerings. It would provide federal insurance to more people in the state and supporters say it would save the state health care dollars in the long run. But the Governor says it could cost the state millions of dollars in up-front costs. Former State Representative Pete Jorgensen, a Democrat from Jackson, says the long term benefits of an expansion make it worth it. Jorgensen was a long time member of the legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee and is pushing state health officials to go ahead with the Medicaid expansion. He joins us to discuss it.
After slow start, ‘green’ building begins to take root in Wyoming
Over the past few years, a growing number of people in Wyoming have been constructing buildings with an eye to making them more energy efficient. But Wyoming still lags behind the rest of the country when it comes to “green” building. Wyoming Public Radio’s Willow Belden reports.
