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Wyoming and Massachusetts Join Growing List of States Considering Bitcoin Reserves – Decrypt

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Wyoming and Massachusetts Join Growing List of States Considering Bitcoin Reserves – Decrypt


Wyoming and Massachusetts have joined the expanding number of U.S. states that may soon vote on establishing Bitcoin reserves, with representatives from both states submitting draft legislation supporting the initiative on Friday. 

In Wyoming, a group of five Republican legislators submitted a bill that would permit the state treasurer to invest public funds in Bitcoin, but no other digital assets.

In recent weeks, other states have put forth slightly more permissive bills, which would in some cases allow states to invest in stablecoins and other cryptocurrencies that surpassed $500 billion in market capitalization—though as of this writing, Bitcoin is the only asset that meets that requirement.

Wyoming’s bill is also more restrictive in another regard: It would only permit its treasurer to invest 3% of a given state fund in Bitcoin. Proposed legislation in other states, such as Pennsylvania and Oklahoma, would allow for investments in digital assets to make up 10% of similar public funds. 

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Meanwhile, in deep blue Massachusetts, a lone Republican state senator proposed a bill on Friday proposing the establishment of a Bitcoin strategic reserve. That act, submitted by Peter Durant, is more permissive than Wyoming’s, and would allow for up to 10% of Massachusetts’ rainy day fund to be comprised of Bitcoin or any manner of digital asset.  

At this point, nearly one-fifth of all U.S. state legislatures are poised to soon formally weigh whether to invest public funds in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Every such proposal has been submitted in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s re-election in November, by Republicans.

Trump, long a crypto skeptic, abruptly changed tack on the campaign trail this year after being a noted Bitcoin critic in the past. In July, onstage at a Bitcoin conference in Nashville, he called for the federal government to establish its own Bitcoin stockpile

The chorus for such initiatives is rapidly gaining momentum. On Friday afternoon, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong publicly called for the creation of a U.S. Bitcoin strategic reserve for the first time. 

The next global arms race will be in the digital economy, not space,” Armstrong said in a company blog post. “Bitcoin could be as foundational to the global economy as gold and will become central to national security in a world where holdings of Bitcoin can shift the balance of power among nation states.”

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Edited by Andrew Hayward

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Wyoming

Casper approves Wyoming Boulevard property rezoning

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Casper approves Wyoming Boulevard property rezoning


CASPER, Wyo. — The Casper City Council voted Tuesday to approve on first reading a zoning change for a vacant 2.4-acre parcel located at 1530 SE Wyoming Boulevard, transitioning the property from residential to commercial use.

The ordinance reclassifies Lot 4 of the Methodist Church Addition from Residential Estate to General Business. Located between East 15th and East 18th streets, the irregular-shaped property has remained undeveloped since it was first platted in 1984.

While original plans for the subdivision envisioned a church and an associated preschool, Community Development Director Liz Becher reported those projects never materialized.

According to Becher, the applicant sought the rezoning to facilitate the potential installation of a cell tower or an off-premises sign. Under the new C-2 designation, a cell tower up to 130 feet in height is considered a permitted use by right, though any off-premises sign would still require a conditional use permit from the Planning and Zoning Commission. The applicant also owns the adjacent lot to the north, which the city rezoned to general business in 2021.

Becher said the change aligns with the “Employment Mixed Use” classification in the Generation Casper comprehensive land use plan. This designation typically supports civic, institutional and employment spaces.

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Despite the new zoning, the property remains subject to a subdivision agreement that limits traffic access. Entry and exit are restricted to right turns onto or from East 15th Street, and no access is permitted from East 18th Street.

The council will vote on two more readings of the ordinance before it is officially ratified.

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Two men detained in Wyoming in connection with deadly shooting at downtown Salt Lake hotel

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Two men detained in Wyoming in connection with deadly shooting at downtown Salt Lake hotel


Two men were detained in Wyoming in connection with a fatal shooting at a downtown Salt Lake hotel that killed one man.

Carlos Chee, 23, and Chino Aguilar, 21, were both wanted for first-degree felony murder after the victim, identified as Christian Lee, 32, was found dead in a room at the Springhill Suites near 600 South and 300 West.

According to warrants issued for their arrest, Chee and Aguilar met with Lee and another woman at the hotel to sell marijuana. During the alleged drug deal, Aguilar allegedly shot and killed Lee after he tried to grab at his gun.

MORE | Shootings

Investigators said they found Lee dead in the room upon arrival, as well as a single shell casing on the floor and a small amount of marijuana on the television stand.

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The woman told investigators she had met Chee on a dating app and that he agreed to come to the hotel to sell her marijuana. She had been hanging out with him in the room, which Lee rented for her to use, when Lee asked them to leave. Lee was then shot and killed following a brief confrontation.

Chee and Aguilar allegedly fled the scene in a 2013 Toyota Camry with a Texas license plate that was later found outside of Rock Springs, Wyoming just a few hours later.

The two men were taken into custody and detained at the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office.

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Man shot, critically injured by deputy during ‘disturbance’ in Rock Springs, Wyoming

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Man shot, critically injured by deputy during ‘disturbance’ in Rock Springs, Wyoming


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.

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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.

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