Wyoming
Wyoming Mixed On Boy Scouts Changing Name After 114 Years
Wyomingites involved in scouting have mixed opinions on the 114-year-old youth organization Boy Scouts of America changing its name to Scouting America early next year.
Boy Scouts of America President Roger Krone told the media Tuesday that the name change is about inclusivity.
“We are an organization for all. It’s time our name reflects that,” Krone said.
Former Boy Scouts, a troop leader and others Cowboy State Daily interviewed Wednesday reacted differently, with some calling the rebrand a smart move to divert recent negative legal actions and media attention, and others calling it unnecessary.
“That’s good news,” said Jay Conley, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) commander in Star Valley, Wyoming.
Conley said he’s been working to start up a Scouting program in his area for months, and that he benefitted from the program in his own days as a Boy Scout.
Though the national group touted the name change as an inclusive move, Conley speculated that the rebrand could help set a new course after reports of the unsavory way the group “used to run.”
He did not go into detail.
And yet, some programs have flourished and taught kids useful skills, camaraderie and “how to be a patriot,” he said. “I think we need more of that in the country.”
Actually, Expense
Dennis Freeman, who served for decades as a scout master in Green River and an upper-level administrator in Cheyenne, said he supports the name change, but parted ways with the organization in 2021 because of hiking membership costs for members.
That was when the group was facing millions of dollars in judgments over lawsuits stemming from sexual abuse revelations, he said.
In 2019, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also parted ways with the Boy Scouts, diminishing the organization’s numbers.
Freeman said the membership costs and program fees came to about $100 a year per enrollee by the time he left, tripling in about three years. That adds up for lower-income families with multiple kids in the program, he said.
“I’ve promoted kids to Eagle (Scout rank) who might have gotten there without help even at $24 a year,” he said.
Look Around The World
But Freeman said he supports the name change and considers it a natural move when other scouting groups around the world are knocking down gender exclusion barriers.
Scouts Canada officially went co-educational in 1998.
The United Kingdom’s Scouting Association started accepting girls in 1976.
Boy Scouts of America, or BSA, is not co-ed, but offers different troops for boys and girls and different leaders for each, Freeman noted and the group’s 2018 guidance for inducting girls confirms.
Still, the group has combined-sex “packs,” which are larger clubs that don’t meet as often as the smaller “dens.”
“I’m not sure rebranding solves all their problems, but I think it’s a good idea,” said Freeman, pointing to female troops in his area.
“I wish the Scouts well,” he said. “Scouting meant a lot to me and still does.”
Eagle Scout
Wyoming legislative Rep. JT Larson, R-Rock Springs, is an Eagle Scout, the organization’s highest rank of accomplishment, a title shared by the late U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi and former President Gerald Ford, among other notable people.
Larson said he didn’t have much of an opinion on the name change, but wasn’t sure why it was necessary.
Larson said he didn’t know much about the group’s national scandals; rather, he credited the Rock Springs group with helping to grow his leadership and people skills.
“And I attribute a lot of my success today to the lessons I learned through the Boy Scout program,” he said.
Mama Says No
Janean Retz, a Gillette-area mom with a 7-year-old son, said she considered having her son join the Scouts, but has decided against it with all the group’s changes.
“It is good for boys to have what the Boy Scouts used to provide in an atmosphere of bonding with each other while achieving life skills without the distraction of girls,” Retz told Cowboy State Daily in a Wednesday message. “While the younger boys may not be as distracted by the girls as the older boys likely are, it’s still a distraction.”
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
ROCK SPRINGS, Wyoming (KUTV) — A man was hospitalized with critical injuries after he was reportedly shot by a deputy responding to reports of a disturbance.
Deputies with the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Rock Springs Police Department responded to the Sweetwater Heights apartment complex in the 2100 block of Century Boulevard just after 4 a.m. on Monday to investigate reports of a disturbance involving an armed individual.
Information that dispatch received indicated that the individual had shot himself. When officials arrived, they found the individual on the balcony of an upstairs apartment “who appeared to have a gunshot wound consistent with the initial report,” a press release states.
MORE | Officer-Involved Shooting
During the encounter, a deputy discharged their weapon and struck the individual.
Emergency medical personnel rendered aid, and the individual was transported to an area hospital in critical condition.
No law enforcement officers or members of the public were injured during the incident.
The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation will conduct an independent investigation.
The deputy who fired their weapon was placed on administrative leave per standard protocol.
_____
by Maggie Mullen, WyoFile
Albert Sommers, former Wyoming Speaker of the House, announced Thursday he will attempt to reclaim a seat he formerly held for more than a decade in the statehouse.
“Leadership matters,” Sommers, a lifelong cattle rancher, wrote in a press release. “Right now, the Wyoming House is too often focused on division instead of solutions. We need steady, effective leadership that solves problems—not rhetoric and political theater.”
Voters in 2013 first elected Sommers to House District 20, which encompasses Sublette County and an eastern section of Lincoln County. As a lawmaker, Sommers largely focused on health care, education and water issues. Over six terms, he rose through the ranks, serving in leadership positions and chairing committees focused on education funding and broadband.
In his announcement, Sommers highlighted his legislative work to establish funding for rural hospitals, prioritize “responsible property tax relief,” as well as the creation of the Wyoming Colorado River Advisory Committee within the State Engineer’s Office, “to ensure our water users have a voice in critical decisions affecting the Green River Valley,” he wrote.
As speaker, Sommers was a frequent target of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus as well as the DC-based State Freedom Caucus Network, even getting the attention of Fox News and other national, conservative news outlets. They often accused Sommers of not being conservative enough, and criticized him for keeping bills in “the drawer,” which has long been code for the unilateral power a speaker has to kill legislation by holding it back. (The practice of holding bills has been used to a much higher degree under Freedom Caucus leadership.)
In 2023, Sommers used the speaker’s powers to kill bills related to a school voucher program, banning instruction on gender and sexual orientation from some classrooms and criminalizing gender-affirming care for minors. At the time, Sommers defended his decision to hold back “bills that are unconstitutional, not well vetted, duplicate bills or debates, and bills that negate local control, restrict the rights of people or risk costly litigation financed by the people of Wyoming.”
He reiterated that philosophy and defended his record in his Thursday campaign announcement.
“I am a common-sense conservative who believes in getting things done. I support our core industries—oil and gas, ranching, and tourism—and I will continue to fight for the people and natural resources of Sublette County and LaBarge. I am pro-gun, pro-life, pro-family, and pro-education,” Sommers wrote. “I also take seriously my oath to uphold the U.S. and Wyoming Constitutions, which means I didn’t support bills that violated those constitutions. I read bills carefully and I voted accordingly.”
Following his term as speaker, Sommers stepped away from the House to run for Senate District 14 in 2024. He lost in the primary election to political newcomer Laura Pearson, a Freedom Caucus-endorsed Republican from Kemmerer, who also won in the general election. Her Senate win coincided with the Freedom Caucus winning control of the House.
“That race didn’t go my way, and I respected the outcome,” Sommers said in a Thursday press release. But “the direction of the Wyoming House,” since then, he said, has “raised serious concerns.”
Sommers pointed to the Freedom Caucus and its budget proposal, which, despite a funding surplus, included major cuts and funding denials. Ahead of the session, the caucus said its sights were set on shrinking spending and limiting the growth of government.
In his Thursday press release, Sommers criticized “decisions that cut food assistance for vulnerable children, reduced business opportunities, slashed funding to the University of Wyoming, eliminated resources for cheatgrass control, denied raises for state employees, and removed positions critical to protecting Wyoming’s water rights.”
Most of those proposals did not make it into the final budget bill.
Sommers also pointed to a controversy that dominated the 2026 session after a Teton County conservative activist handed out campaign checks to lawmakers on the House floor. Lawmakers in both chambers unanimously voted to ban such behavior before a House Special Investigative Committee found that the exchange did not violate the Wyoming Constitution nor did it amount to legislative misconduct. A Laramie County Sheriff’s Office criminal investigation is still underway.
But “controversies like ‘Checkgate’ undermined public trust, and decorum in the House deteriorated,” Sommers said.
“Transparency and accessibility will remain central to how I serve,” Sommers said. “As I’ve done before, I will provide regular updates on legislation, seek your input, and clearly explain my votes.”
Incumbent bows out
Rep. Mike Schmid, R-La Barge, currently represents House District 20, but announced Thursday morning that he would not seek reelection.
“It has truly been an honor to serve as your State Representative for House District 20. When I first ran, I had hoped to serve up to three terms and continue building on what I learned during my first term,” Schmid wrote in a Facebook post. “But life can change your priorities. Over the past year, my family has gone through some difficult times. My wife is dealing with serious health issues, and the death of my brother, Jim, just a few short weeks ago have made it clear to me where I need to spend my time.”
In March, Bill Winney, a perennial candidate and former nuclear submarine commander, announced he would run for House District 20.
The official candidate filing period opens May 14.
This article was originally published by WyoFile and is republished here with permission. WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.
Related
The following is a news release from the Wyoming’s Rock Springs Police Department:
ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. — The Rock Springs Police Department is investigating a fatal incident that occurred early this morning in the parking lot of the Flying J Travel Center.
At approximately 5:00 a.m., a Flying J employee was working to direct commercial vehicle traffic within the lot. Initial findings suggest that as one semitruck began to move, the employee was positioned between that vehicle and a second stationary vehicle. The employee was subsequently pinned between the two units.
Rock Springs Fire Department and Castle Rock Ambulance arrived on the scene and coordinated life-saving measures. Despite the rapid response and medical intervention, the employee was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The identity of the deceased is being withheld at this time pending the notification of family members.
The driver involved in the incident, a resident of Idaho, remained on-site and has been fully cooperative with investigators. Following an initial statement and questioning, the driver was released. While the investigation remains open, the incident currently appears to be a tragic accident.
We extend our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased and the staff at Flying J. We also want to commend the rapid response and professional life-saving efforts coordinated by Rock Springs Fire and Castle Rock Ambulance during this difficult call.
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