Episode Details

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming, for Wednesday, August 7. I'm Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom - brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair! Beginning August 13th in Douglas, the Wyoming State Fair has something for everyone. For more info visit WY-STATE-FAIR dot com"

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The newest conspiracy in Wyoming politics involves House Speaker Albert Sommers of Pinedale, and an alleged connection with the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP.

Rumors have been building, mostly over social media, about Sommers' role as board member for the State Legislative Leaders Foundation, a nonpartisan public policy group that had past relations with a Chinese group connected to the CCP.

But politics reporter Leo Wolfson said Sommers called the idea that he has any connection with Chinese communists, perhaps the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard.

"He thinks it's a total joke and laughable that they would accuse him of being involved with the Chinese Communist Party. Sommers himself is a third generation rancher. He's lived in Pinedale his entire life, and he's never even been to China on top of all that. But I talked to his opponent, Laura Taliaferro Pearson, who believes that there is some concern to be had there, and that there is a legitimate connection between the organization and the CCP."

Stephen Lakis, president of SLLF, told Cowboy State Daily on Monday that his organization has no ongoing relationship of any kind with the Chinese People's Association or ever has with the Chinese Communist Party.

Read the full story HERE.

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Kentucky-based Ramaco Resources Inc. took an important step Tuesday to start mining rare earths in Wyoming with the announcement that it has retained global engineering firm Fluor Corp. to help build a processing plant outside of Sheridan.

Cowboy State Daily's Pat Maio reports that Fluor has deep global experience in helping to build infrastructure for rare earths projects.

"Which is like about a $16 billion company. It's huge… I spoke to the CEO earlier today, Randall Atkins. He was telling me, this is real stuff. You know, that this is happening now. With the hiring of Fluor, that sends a really big message to the marketplace, so I guess they're going to start seeing some work out there in Ranchester."

Early technical estimates have placed Ramaco's rare earths find at $37 billion, but no one knows for sure what is in the ground until after Ramaco completes an assessment later this year.

Read the full story HERE.

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The leader of one of Wyoming's most powerful lawmaking committees is livid about three attack campaign mailers his Republican primary election challenger sent to several Cheyenne residents.

Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Kathy Russell, challenger for Cheyenne's state House District 7, distributed three mailers recently about her opponent, longtime Cheyenne Republican incumbent Rep. Bob Nicholas, who co-chairs the Wyoming Legislature's Appropriations Committee.

"Her committee dispatched mailers saying things like, Bob Nicholas wants obscene books in schools. I'm paraphrasing, but on one of these mailers, she cited a Texas bill, not a Wyoming bill. And Bob Nicholas rebutted in a statement, saying, you know, that's obviously a lie, because I don't serve Texas. And he also said