CASPER, Wyo. — Hundreds of local residents took to the streets of Casper on Saturday afternoon to protest the Trump administration.
The activists joined protesters across Wyoming and beyond in standing against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk as part of the “Hands Off” movement that saw similar rallies in communities across all 50 states.
In Wyoming, protests were also scheduled in Cheyenne, Rock Springs, Cody, Jackson, Lander, Laramie, Pinedale, Sheridan and Gillette.
In Casper alone, organizers said roughly 500 people took part.
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“I’m overwhelmed by this turnout,” said Sandy Bouchier, one of the local protest organizers. “I’m about in tears.”
Organizer Patricia Robinson said many hours were spent behind the scenes to make the protest a reality, making the strong turnout all the more welcome.
“We really just want people to know they’re not alone,” she said. “I never would’ve expected to find so much community and people coming together in a red state like Wyoming.”
Protesters in attendance voiced anger at the federal government for a plethora of reasons, from issues of civil liberties to economic stability.
“I’m here because I have a granddaughter,” Bouchier said. “My granddaughter is 11, and now doesn’t have the same rights I had 50 years ago.”
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Organizer Sunny Phifer also spoke in support of women’s rights and marginalized communities.
“I have always stood for equal rights and the LGBT [community],” Phifer said. “That’s very near and dear to me.”
Throughout the protest that spanned roughly a block of 2nd Street, several chants and signs decried the tariffs imposed on imported goods from several countries.
“I hate the tariffs and think they’re terrible. They’re something that seems good until you actually think about it,” protester Brian Nolte said.
Ire was also directed at world’s richest man Elon Musk and the Department of Governmental Efficiency, which have been making slashes to the national budget with wide-reaching effects.
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Musk has been heavily involved in the cuts made by DOGE, which he says are reducing waste and fraud in the federal government.
“He wasn’t elected,” Nolte said. “We’re trillions of dollars in debt, but these cuts of $1 million here and $2 million there is just nickel-and-diming. All it’s doing is making people’s lives worse.”
“There are so many problems, and they’re all important,” attendee Beth Moxley said. “Education, immigration, the economy. This is about as bad as it can get.”
Bouchier and attendee Joey Patterson both said they felt overwhelmed by the sum total of the current administration’s policies.
“It feels like 1930s Germany. It’s ridiculous,” Patterson said.
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Robinson said she believes the root problem is one of class.
“I just think our government is being led by the 1% right now and I don’t stand for that,” she said. “It’s not left vs. right or us vs. them; it’s rich vs. poor.”
Organizers agreed that more protests and events will likely be coming in the near future, though nothing is officially planned yet.
“This will continue, to be sure,” organizer Jane Ifland said, “because I don’t see that any change is coming from the Republican administration currently in control of the country and responsible for every negative thing that happens as a result of their policies.”
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.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — 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.
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.
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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.
