Episode Details

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Monday, February 23rd. I'm Mac Watson.

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The 2026 Budget Session has been interesting, to say the least. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports on what has happened and what can be expected from lawmakers this week in Cheyenne.

"We are coming up on Tuesday, crossover day, the day when bills that started in, let's say the House or the Senate should be crossing over. Should have crossed over into the other Chamber. For the other Chamber to that change, approve, reject them, and the budget negotiations are to start next week. Now recall last week the Senate decided we want the governor's recommendation for a starting point, so we're going to just wholesale revert back to the governor's recommendation and work our tweaks in from there. The House said, we do not want the governor's recommendation for the starting point. We want the much slimmer, much altered package out of the joint appropriations committee to be the starting point. And so all eyes are now on House Speaker Chip Neiman and Senate president Bo Biteman to see who they will appoint, what force of negotiator or ideologue, or statesman are they going to send into this fray to have so much power over Wyoming spending policy for the next two years."

The 2026 Wyoming Budget Session is scheduled to wrap up and adjourn on Wednesday, March 11th.

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Cloud 9 was Cheyenne's off-duty political clubhouse where former Gov. Ed Herschler, the only Wyoming governor to serve three terms, drank, smoked and mingled with everyone from hunters to Supreme Court justices. Cowboy State Daily's Zak Sonntag reports that its boozy camaraderie and unbuttoned attitude evoke a looser golden age of Wyoming politics.

"What politicians love the most about this place is it was the place where they didn't have to be politicians. They could undo their top buttons, they could be themselves, tell stories cut loose a little bit, and sometimes they cut a little bit too loose. And an infamous story is when Gov Ed had so much he passed out right on the table. Capitol Police had to come and escort him out."

The Cloud 9 bar was in the old Cheyenne Regional airport, which was close to the capital. This bar was just perched right over the tarmac, known locally as the 'Jetsons Memorial Airport' because of its unique parabolic architecture.

Read the full story HERE.

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As 41 states open their doors to NIL deals for high school athletes, Wyoming lawmakers backed by Sen. Gary Crum, a former UW lineman, are moving against it. But Cowboy State Daily's David Madison reports that money is already available for teen sports stars — right next door in Colorado.

"Gary Crum, a former University of Wyoming football star. he doesn't want that in high school sports. There's one pointed question I put to Gary Crum, and I said, 'Well, it could this set up a situation where a star athlete living in Cheyenne or Laramie suddenly moves across the border to Colorado, because they're able to cash in,' and he basically said, 'so be it. You know that I'm not saying you can't go pro as a high schooler, I'm just saying Wyoming should protect its amateurism at the high school level.'"

Senator Crum introduced Senate File 53, titled "Keeping Amateurism in High School Athletics." The bill would write amateurism requirements into state statute for any student competing in a sport or activity sanctioned by the WHSAA.

Read the full story HERE.

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