Wyoming
Residents frustrated with Wyoming Area’s 6.5% tax hike
The Wyoming Area School Board during a lengthy meeting Tuesday approved a final budget for the upcoming school year that included a tax hike of 6.5% — an increase many frustrated residents in the audience said they simply could not afford.
The 6.5% tax increase is lower than the 7.2% that was initially proposed back in May.
Board President Michael Supey after the meeting declined to comment on why the board decided to vote on a lower increase, saying only that they tried to do what was best for taxpayers.
The district raised taxes 5.5% last year.
The 6.5% tax increase for the 2024-2025 school year reflects a millage rate of 21.0533 in Luzerne County and 105.4852 for Wyoming County. A mill is a $1 tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value.
For example, based on the budget presentation prepared by Business Consultant Tom Melone, a homeowner in Luzerne County with a property valued at $150,000 would pay about $193 dollars more in taxes.
By contrast, a homeowner in Wyoming County with a property valued at $35,000 would see an increase of about $318.
The difference in the millage rates for each county was concerning for residents and many questioned the accuracy of the assessed property values for Wyoming County.
District Superintendent Jon Pollard said that while Luzerne County recently underwent a re-assessment, he believed that Wyoming County had not had one in a while and was possibly operating on much older numbers.
“That might be part of the reason there is such a disparity,” Pollard said.
According to a 2022 report from the Pennsylvania Economy League, Wyoming County last underwent a property value reassessment in 1988 while Luzerne County conducted one in 2009.
The budget itself called for expenditures of $47,783,389 against of revenue of $46,537,231 resulting in a shortfall of about $1.2 million.
The budget did not take any additional state funding into account as it is unclear how much the district will be awarded because the final state budget has yet to be approved. The deadline for that approval is June 30.
Even if Wyoming Area received the $871,727 in funding Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed budget called for, there would still be a small deficit that would have to be made up by the fund balance.
Reasons for the Tax Increase
Melone during his presentation offered several reasons for the tax increase, including declining property values and cyber/charter school costs, both of which are issues that have plagued the district in recent years.
Cyber/charter school tuition for the 2023-2024 school year is projected to be $2,409,095, which was a substantial increase from the amount of $2,019,492 form the year before.
Wyoming Area has seen continued increases in Cyber/charter school expenditures since 2016-2017. In the school year following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount nearly doubled.
Many residents then wondered why the school district was not doing more to encourage children to come back to school in person or, at the very least, encourage them to use Wyoming Area’s cyber school program instead of a competitor.
Pollard did tell parents at the meeting that he was currently working on a plan to better market the school’s cyber program, which he hopes to bring to the board sometime in July.
As far as property values were concerned, Melone explained that they have been steadily declining in both Luzerne and Wyoming County since 2015-2016, with Luzerne County expected to see a small increase by the end of this year.
Additionally, Melone noted the cost of salaries and benefits have also increased.
Residents Speak Out
The seats were packed with concerned residents at Tuesday’s meeting and for nearly two hours, the board heard from homeowners who vehemently opposed the tax increase.
“I’m lucky; I have a good job and I can pay the tax increase,” Mike Brogan, of Falls, told the board. “But at what point does it stop?”
“I watched the presentation and I understand the expenses, but everyone in this room has expenses,” said Mary Portelli, of Pittston.
She urged the board to make furthers cuts to expenditures and questioned why the district was spending so much on healthcare for employees instead of looking for another carrier.
“This is an unmitigated disaster,” said David Chaump, a resident from Pittston. “The faces in front of you, we’re strapped. We can’t afford any more in tax.”
Wyoming
Measles confirmed in Teton County, Wyoming, as summer crowds flock to parks – East Idaho News
JACKSON, Wyo. (WyoFile) — After confirming a case of measles in an unvaccinated adult in Teton County, Wyoming, health officials are warning the public about possible exposure at locations in Grand Teton National Park and Jackson.
The news comes as summer crowds flood the region with tourists from around the world.
The public may have been exposed between June 17-25 at several locations in Teton County, according to the Wyoming Health Department. They include restaurants in Grand Teton National Park’s Colter Bay Village on June 17-18; a Colter Bay convenience store on June 20 and the Target in Jackson on June 25.
“We are asking people who may have been exposed to watch for measles symptoms for 21 days past the exposure date and consider avoiding crowded public places and high-risk settings such as daycare centers,” State Health Officer Alexia Harrist said in a press release.
Monitoring is especially critical for people who have not been vaccinated with the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, according to the health department.
It marks Wyoming’s second confirmed case of the highly contagious infection in 2026. Wyoming went 15 years without a confirmed case of measles until last year.
Resurgence
Health officials confirmed Wyoming’s first 2026 case in May. An adult patient in Fremont County who did not have a confirmed vaccination status caught the disease, according to the Wyoming Department of Health.
Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000 — indicating no endemic transmission for 12 months or more. But it re-emerged in recent years primarily due to declining vaccination rates and increased public health skepticism. Those trends spawned during the COVID-19 pandemic and have persisted during the second Trump administration.
The neighboring state of Utah is one of America’s 2026 measles hotspots, with 499 cases reported so far this year.
RELATED | Anguished parents. Doctors in tears. Utah’s long measles outbreak takes a toll
A vaccination rate of 95% is necessary for community immunity to prevent measles outbreaks, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
In 2025, Wyoming’s proportion of kindergarten students who had completed the MMR vaccine was 93.6%, the CDC reports. That rate is higher than Colorado, Utah and Montana for the same year.
However, it’s declined overall since 2012-13, when Wyoming’s kindergarten vaccination rate was above 97%. It fell to 90.2% in 2020-21 before inching back up to the current 93.6%.
A measles case had not been reported in the state since 2010 until July 2025, when the health department confirmed measles in an unvaccinated child from Natrona County. By year’s end, 13 more cases were confirmed. The majority involved unvaccinated children and adults.
Along with being extremely contagious, measles can cause severe complications like pneumonia and brain swelling and can leave lasting impacts on the immune system. One to three out of every 1,000 children who become infected with measles will die from complications, according to the CDC.
RELATED | The US is on the verge of losing its measles elimination status. Here’s why that matters
RELATED | Measles is not the only disease on the rise. Mumps also may be making a comeback
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GILLETTE, Wyo. — As the Aug. 18 primary election approaches, County 17 is introducing candidate questionnaires to help voters make informed decisions at the ballot box.
Every candidate in the primary field was sent the same three questions and given a limit of 500 words, which could be distributed among their answers as they saw fit. To ensure a fair and direct line to the community, all responses are published exactly as submitted, without edits or alterations.
Candidates were asked:
- What are the most crucial challenges your constituents are facing?
- If elected, how will you address these challenges?
- What qualities or qualifications do you possess that have prepared you to meet these challenges?
Questionnaires are being published on a rolling basis online through Aug. 11. They will be accessible via the County 17 Election Tracker.
Scott Smith (R), Wyoming state treasurer
What are the most crucial challenges your constituents are facing?
Everywhere I go many Wyoming citizens are concerned that our government is selling out our state lands to the highest bidder for crony capitalism. Some are concerned about Data Centers, Commercial Wind Generators, or nuclear waste storage. The biggest concern is the resources these outfits are taking, secondly, they are concerned about health issues related to living nearby, and lastly they are concerned with cost associated with these projects being passed onto the taxpayer.
If elected, how will you address these challenges?
One of the things that many people don’t know is that the State Treasurer sits on the State Land and Investment Board. (SLIB) The same issues that concern our citizens are the same reasons that I have decided to run for this office. The SLIB has voted to lease state lands to a hydrogen plant in Converse County that would take eight gallons of our valuable water to produce one gallon of hydrogen jet fuel using wind and solar generation to power the plant. These same elected officials have sold off $100 million of our state lands to the federal government. I believe that some things are not for sale. As Treasurer you can count on me to count the cost and listen to the people in the public testimony. If we are going to accept some of these projects the citizens need to have the benefit, like lower utility costs.
What qualities/qualifications do you possess that have prepared you to meet these challenges?
My bachelor’s degree is in Business Administration with an emphasis in management and marketing. I will be a leader in the state treasurer’s office that creates a positive work environment that will allow our investment team to create higher returns on the people’s money that the state invests. I would like to work with the legislature to use these interest earnings to buy down the people’s property taxes to alleviate part of the burden inflation has caused on the average citizen. My day job, I work as a bookkeeper and work with numbers day in and day out and have corrected some inefficiencies to help small businesses become more profitable. I plan to do that within the state office and make those profits available to the legislature to reduce the tax burden for the people. I have also served in the Wyoming House of Representatives for Goshen County and I have served on the Appropriations Committee and I am familiar with the massive state budget.
Related
Scroll down for a list of fireworks restrictions across Wyoming.
I usually don’t buy fireworks for the 4th of July. I go places to watch them. But since this year is the 250th anniversary of our nation, I was going to purchase a small arsenal and have a blast, pardon the pun.
But this has been a very dry year, as happens now and then in the cycles of weather. So I figured I’d wait until things were wet again and just hold my personal celebration a little late.
Many towns across Wyoming have canceled their July 4th fireworks due to the drought. They don’t want you firing off any either.
Based on 2026 reports, several Wyoming towns and counties have canceled or significantly restricted Fourth of July fireworks displays due to high wildfire risks, drought conditions, and Stage 1 fire restrictions.
Canceled/Restricted Public Displays (2026)
- Gillette/Campbell County: The CAM-PLEX fireworks show was postponed, and the county is maintaining a Stage 1 fire restriction due to extreme drought.
- Douglas: The Volunteer Fire Department canceled the 4th of July fireworks show due to fire concerns.
- Newcastle: Fireworks show canceled due to high fire danger, according to a June 27 report.
- Pine Haven: Canceled its Fourth of July fireworks display, according to a June 27 report.
- Riverton: Passed a resolution banning personal fireworks within city limits on July 4, with only a limited, designated area for public displays at the Honeycutt Softball and Saban Baseball Complex.
- Teton County: Fireworks have been historically canceled, and fire officials are urging residents to only attend official, professional displays due to extreme fire danger (confirmed for 2026).
City-Wide Personal Fireworks Bans (2026)
- Cheyenne: Consumer fireworks are prohibited within city limits, despite the county lifting restrictions, with only small novelties allowed.
- Casper: Fireworks are prohibited within city limits and in unincorporated Natrona County.
Key Locations Under Restrictions (2026)
- BLM Land: Fireworks are prohibited on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management in Wyoming.
- Weston County: A county-wide ban covers Newcastle and Upton due to high drought conditions.
Even little Chugwater, Wyoming, population 175, has banned fireworks inside its little town limits.
At the State Capital in Cheyenne, however, they will go right ahead with a fireworks display, right over the capital building itself. Dry weather be dammed.
Weird Fireworks Names You’ll Find In Wyoming
Just some of the odd names we found while shopping.
Gallery Credit: Glenn Woods
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