Episode Details

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Friday, October 31th. Bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily news center, I'm Mac Watson. "Brought to you by the Wyoming Business Council. Wyoming youth are our future, but they're leaving the state at ALMOST TWICE the national average. What would bring them back home? Share your bold ideas with the Wyoming Business Council at wbc dot P U B forward slash story."

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The state's revenues and forecasts report was given to legislators on Thursday. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland says the report shows that the state's investments not only outpaced, but dominated projections by hundreds of millions of dollars. Even beating the state's bread-and-butter money maker: energy.

"The 1.86 billion in investment earnings is an extraordinary watermark, the analyst told me on Thursday. And even though it's like all this unexpected, unforecast revenue from investments that Wyoming now has because of the way our laws dictate those streams. A lot of it is flowing into the secondary reserve accounts, at least one of which is supposed to grow to several times the size of the actual investment account, to be a cushion for leaner years. So just because we have this, this $1.86 billion flush, doesn't mean we get to spend $1.86 billion right now."

The Consensus Revenue Estimating Group or CREG Co-Chair, Don Richards told the committee, that this was the first year ever that investments earnings on the (Permanent Wyoming Mineral Trust Fund) exceeded sales and use taxes deposited into the general fund.

Read the full story HERE.

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Fireworks were blasted off after every touchdown the Hot Springs High School football team scored in last week's regular season finale. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that the problem with the touchdown celebrations was that no one told local military veterans who were at the game and for some, it triggered PTSD symptoms.

"Nobody's saying that the Bobcats can't celebrate their touchdown and their victories, especially when they're making a playoff run. The concerns that were raised from local veterans is the fact that one they weren't able to anticipate these mortar rounds and fireworks because they weren't informed, and usually, like during the fourth of July, when they know those things are going off, they can take measures to prepare, whether that's leaving town or anything else. So that's the first thing. But the second thing is that the mortar rounds and fireworks were being shot in city limits. Usually, fireworks are shot from a distance, and speaking to the commander of the VFW Post down Thermop, he said that when the mortar rounds went off, it wasn't just the noise, it was the fact that doors and windows were shaking, and it was not unlike being in a combat zone. And he's been deployed to Afghanistan and Syria, so he's had those experiences."

The celebratory fireworks were fired off after each touchdown the Bobcats scored. The Bobcats beat Pinedale 21-12 in the season-ending game. The plan is to do it again Friday night in the first round of the playoffs against Burns in Thermopolis.

Read the full story HERE.

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Sen. John Barrasso on Thursday said SNAP benefits cannot legally continue because of the government shutdown. Cowboy State Daily's Sean Barry in DC reports that New York Senator Chuck Schumer sternly disagreed, so is there an end in sight for the government shutdown?

"We're further away now because SNAP is on the table. I think that Republicans ambushed the Dem