Episode Details

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming, for Friday, January 17th. I'm Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom - brought to you by Visit Casper. Visit Casper invites you to come enjoy the Casper International Film Festival, January 31 through February 2. A broad range of films from local and international filmmakers will be shown. Learn more and get your tickets at visitcasper.com.

A Wyoming legislative bill called the "What Is A Woman Act" survived a rigorous debate in the House of Representatives on Thursday.

The act, House Bill 32, cleared its first vote in the Wyoming House of Representatives on Thursday. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that the debate brought questions of whether it violates the separation of powers principle.

"This bill, okay, so it wants to define any term referencing males or females, whether it's boy, girl, man, woman, mother, father, according to biological sex. That's a, b. It wants to tell the courts to give a friendlier interpretation of sex separation laws, or some would say anti transgender laws then. So it wants the courts to just back off a little and not hold those those sex separation laws, to such a high standard… Representative Ken Chestek… recently retired law professor… was saying courts don't like it when you tell them which constitutional standard to use those things are either set in the language of the Constitution or courts kind of ascertain them themselves. "

If it became law, the bill would define male and female according to biological sex across Wyoming's law books. It would also defend sex-based separations of government-run facilities like prisons and bathrooms in public buildings.

Read the full story HERE.

Randy Kane was sound asleep in the wee hours Nov. 23, 2023, when, without warning, a team of federal agents, armed and in full gear, showed up at the door of his home in Big Horn, a small community in Sheridan County.

The search was based upon accusations that, as a convicted felon, he was in illegal possession of numerous firearms. But Kane told Cowboy State Daily's Mark Heinz that he and his girlfriend were baffled because, as they understood it, Kane's firearms rights had been restored by the state of Wyoming.

"Wyoming has this in statutes where, if you are a non violent felon, and you fulfilled your obligation to the state… the state will restore your rights, including your firearms rights. And this gentleman had to his understanding, including a letter from the governor's office, had his firearms rights restored. But apparently there's a gap between that and the Federal understanding. The feds still think that, okay, you're felon, you can't possess firearms."

Kane said he was never arrested or served with any charges. His lawyer recently told him that he's out of any legal peril. But the couple said that they still haven't gotten any of their seized guns back.

Read the full story HERE.

An investigation at a Gillette assisted living center is underway after an 88-year-old female patient from the memory care wing was found dead in an outside courtyard at the facility.

Three employees at the Legacy Living and Rehabilitation Center connected to the incident re