Episode Details

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Tuesday, March 3rd. I'm Mac Watson.

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Despite compromises from all sides, Gov. Gordon, Senate leaders, and House leaders all claimed victory on Monday as the Wyoming Legislature passed a $9.9 billion, two-year budget. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland the budget falls $143 million under the $10.13 billion draft Gov. Mark Gordon recommended.

"The governor called it a win for Wyoming. It's the $10 billion budget, 43 million shy of his recommendation. So it's a win for us too. Wyoming public media remains funded. Wyoming public television, and so yeah, he was casting as a win. So, too, was Ogden Driscoll. Senator Ogden Driscoll in the State Senate said, 'Yeah, good job holding the Senate's position,' whereas House Appropriations Chair John Bear was like, 'Yeah, but we still shaved 143 million from the governor's recommendation. So it's a win for us too.' University of Wyoming gets their $40 million block grant from the state with a twist. So, they have till December 1 to chart out a road map showing how they might save $5 million and the final 10 million of that 40 would be released to them after that point. So yeah, 30 million right out the gate, the last 10 million of that 40 you can have once you show us a road map to savings."

The state Senate voted 28-3 in favor of a compromise draft between its budget negotiators and those from the House of Representatives, while the House voted 59-1 in favor of that same compromise.

Read the full story HERE.

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The 70-year-old Fort Diablo in Glenrock was gutted by a fire on Sunday. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson spoke to the owner who says he's not sure if he can rebuild the historic restaurant.

"It's a total loss. The fire chief said, even though it didn't burn totally to the ground, everything has smoke damage, there's heat damage, and it's just, it's just gone. It happened during Sunday's breakfast service. They noticed then everybody got out. They don't know what caused it. They're still investigating it. The owner, he suspects it might be one of the old pieces of neon that may have sparked, sparked the fire, but he's not sure."

Owner Kevin Tate tells Cowboy State Daily that Fort Diablo, known to locals simply as "The Fort," has been the go-to place for date nights, family dinners, celebrations, and lunches featuring killer French dip and Reuben sandwiches since the 1950s.

Read the full story HERE.

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A vocal minority in the Wyoming Senate tried and failed Monday to resurrect a housing bill linked to the "CheckGate" scandal. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that Senate President Bo Biteman said the bill was "tainted."

"So, prodded by some senators who wanted to resurrect House Bill 141, Senate President Bo Biteman said, 'Sure, I will make a movement to suspend the rules, to resurrect this, but I'm not voting for that, because this bill is tainted.' Reason, he said that is because it's at the heart of now two bribery investigations, one by a House committee, one by Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak. Senate President Biteman was like, 'Look, I pushed for this policy in the past,' and he lamented that, because of the controversy, senators who favor that policy have to choose between voting against the bill because of the controversy or but, but betraying their, you know, their policy conscience in the meantime."

There was no rule against the act itself at the time, though the House, Senate, and governor have all responded by banning t