Episode Details

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Tuesday, May 19th. I'm Mac Watson.

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A snowstorm shut down more than 200 miles of I-80 on Monday leaving motorists stranded for hours — some overnight — while killing power in Rawlins. Cowboy State Daily's Andrew Rossi reports that in some places, residents are under 2 feet of snow.

"This storm seems to have caught everyone off guard. So everything that happened on I-80 on Monday. It started because there were power outages in Rawlins, and as a result, from what we're hearing, WYDOT wasn't able to fuel its plow truck, so they had to get their plow trucks to a spot where they could refuel, and then get them out. And these outages were occurring between 2 and 4am on Monday. We've heard reports of multiple accidents, including one where a snow plow was struck, possibly by a semi truck." More than 200 miles of Interstate 80 were closed for most of the day because of winter conditions. As much as 10 inches of snow was reported in some places along the highway, and the Wyoming Department of Transportation was clearing 4-foot drifts by noon.

Read the full story HERE.

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The U.S. Senate voted 46-43 Monday to confirm Darin Smith as U.S. Attorney for Wyoming. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports the confirmation comes four days after the state's three federal judges ruled he committed "flagrant" misconduct.

"There were like 49 Trump-backed nominees for various federal offices. They were voting one in a block, and the Senate voted 4643 to confirm all of them. Among them was Darin Smith, who, since confirmation, is now US attorney for Wyoming for at least four years, and so there was a big controversy Friday when the three sitting judges, you know, not senior level, not magistrate, but the three sitting judges, the main judges of the federal court signed an order together in numerous, well, nine cases saying that Smith had committed flagrant misconduct that prejudiced the defendants."

Smith said that he's deeply honored and grateful that the Senate has confirmed him and expressed gratitude to the President, and to Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, who both voted in his favor.

Read the full story HERE.

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Two more possible data center projects are on the horizon even as Laramie County planners have recommended approval of a massive 5,600-person man camp to house workers. Cowboy State Daily's Kate Meadows reports that one local resident says, "I did not feel like our voices were considered or heard."

"Multiple county residents spoke out at that meeting in opposition to this man camp. Either it butts up against their neighborhood, it's too close to the schools, it should be farther out of town if we have to have it at all, and despite all the public opposition, the county commission, the planners opted to recommend it to the county commissioners for approval, so these residents who are speaking out are feeling like the decision's already been made, nobody hears what we have to say, and if they do, it doesn't matter, because they're moving forward regardless."

The next public hearing about the proposed man camp will be on June 2nd at the historic courthouse in Cheyenne.

Read the full story HERE.

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Many Wyoming county clerks report a rush of last-minute crossover registrations to vote in