Episode Details

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming, for Monday, September 2nd. I'm Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom - brought to you by ServeWyoming - Wyoming's center for volunteerism and AmeriCorps service for the last 30 years! For volunteer opportunities, visit ServeWyoming dot org"

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A woman died in a plane crash Sunday near Meeteetse in the vicinity of Phelps Mountain, which also sparked a fire.

Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland spoke with Park County Coroner Cody Gortmaker, who confirmed that the woman was a passenger in the plane, and that the male pilot had survived.

"Scanner traffic at the time was, you know, a frenzy of trying to organize because the crash sparked a fire. And so I was hearing a lot of, I believe, helicopters or other aerial units planning to land and seeing smoke. One agent said, I see the smoke. I don't yet see the wreckage. Gortmaker also confirmed that … Park County Search and Rescue was called to the scene."

Gortmaker said he will identify the deceased publicly after he has notified her family of the fatality.

Read the full story HERE.

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Residents in northern Campbell County near the Montana border are being ordered to evacuate as a newly sparked wildfire is spreading fast.

The Silver Spoon Fire was reported a little after 10 a.m. Sunday and is burning toward a rural subdivision, reports Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson.

"When we did our first report on it, about 1:30 was at 300 acres, and now it's at 1000 acres that the fire marshal there says that they are throwing everything that they can in it, dozens of crews. They've got a couple of helicopters… they've also ordered an evacuation for the Bitter Creek area around a place called Anderson draw, and they've done an evacuation within 10 miles of that area."

The Silver Spoon fire is just east of the Remington Fire, which started in northern Sheridan County on Aug. 22 and ran north into southern Montana, burning more than 196,000 acres.

Read the full story HERE.

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A bill to create a Wyoming Healthcare Commission was soundly rejected Friday by the Joint Health, Labor and Social Services Committee over concerns Gov. Mark Gordon could overstep his authority with it.

The commission would have served as an advisory group, monitor changes in the health care industry and offer policy recommendations to state legislators. Politics reporter Leo Wolfson says opponents of the bill on the committee expressed fears that creating the commission could lead to a violation of separation of powers by Gordon's office and an expansion of powers for his executive branch.

"This commission would have served under the authority of the legislature, but it would have been selected by Governor Mark Gordon, for a number of members of the committee, that connection was far too much, and they expressed concern that there would create a conflict of separation of powers if it was created…this connects to a larger sentiment among some conservatives of a distrust of healthcare leaders and professionals. Ever since the covid 19 pandemic. This certainly is a dynamic that's playing out."

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there's been a growing sentiment of expressed distrust among conservative circles for the advice of health care leaders.

Read the full story H