Wyoming

Bill Winney Has Lost Six Times For Wyoming… | Cowboy State Daily

Published

1 week ago

June 17, 2024

Bill Winney Has Lost Six Times For Wyoming… | Cowboy State Daily

Bondurant resident Bill Winney is one of the more recognizable faces at the Wyoming Legislature even though he’s never been part of the body as an elected official.

Winney is steadfast in his desire to be involved in Wyoming politics, so much so that he’s testified on almost every topic that’s come up at the Legislature over the last 15 years.

He’s now making his seventh attempt to win a seat in the Legislature over the last 14 years, running in the Republican primary for Senate District 14 against House Speaker Albert Sommers, R-Pinedale, and Kemmerer resident Laura Taliaferro Pearson. This is his first time running for the Senate.

Winney may have had an easier path to victory if he ran for the House in District 20, with two newcomer candidates looking to fill Sommers’ role, but he told Cowboy State Daily that he believes the Senate is a better place to try and enact property tax reform.

A 30-year Navy veteran, Winney was in charge of large-scale budgets while working as a program coordinator at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

Upon retirement, Winney could have easily devoted his time to more leisurely pursuits, but said “it wasn’t in my heart” to do that. Instead, he’s been closely observing and participating in the Legislature since 2005.

Winney has spent most of this time attempting to draw a bridge between his Navy and federal government experience and a multitude of Wyoming topics over the years at the Legislature. Simply put, if there’s a bill being considered by a committee, you’re likely to see Winney give his input on it.

Winney credits himself for helping convince legislators to pass multiple bills into law, such as rangeland studies and computer science programs since he testified for the first time in 2009.

“A private citizen in Wyoming, if you speak well and speak from the heart and speak from experience, you can affect what they do,” he said.

He was officially recognized by the Legislature for his participation in 2019.

Too Much Spending

Integral in Winney’s campaign is a belief that Wyoming state government is spending too much money. Winney said it’s not that any single department or program is wasteful as a whole, but more that the government could be spending its money more wisely.

“There’s a lot of places they could cut spending if they just took a good hard look at what they’re doing,” he said.

Winney was in charge of making many fiscal decisions during the six years he spent working at the Pentagon. He also wrote the equivalent of laws for the submarines he was a commander on.

He cited the example of a local school district in Sublette County his wife worked at spending $25,000 on a set of reading and literacy books it never used.

“That’s money that came out of taxes and it did nothing,” Winney said. “How do you get down into that level of detail? I’d like to try and do that.”

Winney still supports local control and wants school boards to be property trained so they know where to look to prevent future incidents like that.

“It’s the part and parcel of bureaucrats, superintendents, principals, vice presidents to know how to do things and get the school board to want them to do,” Winney said. “How do you get the school board to be able to recognize it?”

Property Taxes

Winney said most retired Wyoming residents don’t get cost-of-living pension increases like he does with the Navy that have doubled in 20 years. As a result, when their property taxes increase, they don’t have extra income to cover the bills. He’s already seen this happen to a few former Teton County residents who had to move to cheaper residences further south.

“We have to remember that if we push elders out of their homes, they’re going to end up in the elder care facilities, which is a lot more expensive in the long run,” Winney said.

If elected, Winney said he’d look at putting inflationary caps to help curb the rising property taxes the state has been dealing with the last few years. He also firmly supports a constitutional amendment going before the voters this fall that, if passed, would separate residential property as a separate form of taxation in Wyoming. This would allow for a reduction of the assessment rates in the state.

Although Winney didn’t have much to criticize about his two opponents, he was disappointed by the lack of interest from a slim majority of legislators this spring in calling a special session to override Gov. Mark Gordon’s vetoes. One of the most upsetting vetoes for Winney was on Senate File 54, a bill that would have provided 25% property tax relief on home values worth up to $2 million in Wyoming.

Sommers had been one of the most vocal in opposing the special session effort at the time, arguing that it wouldn’t be worth the time and effort spent convening when the bills could be brought back again next year.

“I thought the response particularly of the House leadership was underwhelming,” Winney said. “I thought the House and Senate should have come back into session and they kind of faded out on that.”

During his time as speaker, Sommers has had a relatively cold relationship with the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, a group of farther right House Republicans. Winney said the Freedom Caucus gets a “bum rap” and their members are actually much more dynamic than other groups of the Legislature. He supports their fiscal approaches, but said the group’s members also have a tendency to get “a little doctrinaire.”

“Spending — that’s a big deal for those Freedom Caucus guys, but I think it should be a big deal across the broader part of the Legislature,” Winney said.

Other Issues

Winney also wants to look at cost-of-living pension increases for retired state employees and to make emergency medical services classified as essential in Wyoming.

“Our EMS out here, people can be an hour or more away from some kind of trauma care,” Winney said. “That’s going to be a tall order but I got it.”

Certain Republicans have opposed pension increases, saying the state can’t afford it. Sommers said this could be easily remedied by pulling money from savings.

“We can’t afford to not do that,” he said.

Pearson is a sheep rancher and school bus driver who has often testified before the Legislature over the last few years on a variety of issues, consistently expressing farther right views.

Pearson said the people of Wyoming are “fed up” with the way the state is being run.

SD 14 also encompasses the new TerraPower small nuclear plant that will be built in Kemmerer. Winney said he wants to pass legislation to help better support the facility. Because of his past experience working with submarines, Winney has strong knowledge on the topic of nuclear energy.

“There are folks that are anti-nuclear out there and I’ve found that they typically tell only one side of the story,” he said.

On education, he believes there hasn’t been enough focus on providing scholarships for students to attend community colleges or receive vocational training.

Winney’s Chances

Winney has run in every election cycle in Wyoming since 2010, six times for the Legislature and one time for Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2014, only winning one contested primary and no general elections.

His closest race came in 2020 when he lost to former Independent state legislator Jim Roscoe by 366 votes.

Winney said he plans to engage in more door-knocking, mailers and text messaging to make his seventh bid for the Legislature the charm.

Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.

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Wyoming

Arrest made nearly 10 years after 2 murdered during Cheyenne Frontier Days at The Coin Shop

Published

3 hours ago

June 26, 2024

Press Room

Arrest made nearly 10 years after 2 murdered during Cheyenne Frontier Days at The Coin Shop

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (KKTV) – Nearly a decade after two people were killed in Cheyenne, an arrest has been made.

The Cheyenne Police Department shared details on the arrest with the public on Tuesday in a news release posted to social media. Police are reporting 68-year-old Douglas Smith was arrested in California, suspected of first-degree murder.

Investigators believe Smith killed 76-year-old George Manley and 67-year-old Dwight Brockman at The Coin Shop in Cheyenne while Cheyenne Frontier Days was in full swing. The violent crime was carried out on July 20, 2015.

“Three years ago, when I was hired as Chief of Police, I became aware of the homicide at The Coin Shop and decided to make this a priority,” said Cheyenne Police Chief Mark Francisco. “Cases like this can be very challenging with many layers of evidence. Our detectives have been diligently working for almost a decade, and, through detailed analysis, have been able to thoughtfully re-examine the evidence in ways that bring those responsible to justice.”

Police are reporting that since 2023, more than 1,500 hours were spent working on the case.

“As a result of their investigation, detectives believe that Douglas Smith, the initial 9-1-1 caller, killed Manley and Brockman on July 20,” police added in the news release. “The case has now been turned over to the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.”

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Wyoming

Don Day Wyoming Weather Forecast: Wednesday,… | Cowboy State Daily

Published

10 hours ago

June 26, 2024

Press Room

Don Day Wyoming Weather Forecast: Wednesday,… | Cowboy State Daily

Chance of rain in much of Wyoming on Wednesday, otherwise mostly sunny. Severe storms possible in the eastern plains and southeast. Highs generally in the 80s and lows in the 50s or low 60s.

Central:

Casper: Chance of rain mainly after 4 p.m. today and a slight chance tonight before 9 p.m. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 87 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 65.

Riverton: Mostly sunny today with a high near 87 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 59.

Glenrock: Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m. today and a slight chance before 9 p.m. tonight. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 87 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 60.

Southwest:

Evanston: Chance of rain today and a slight chance overnight. Otherwise, partly sunny today with a high near 84 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 54.

Green River: Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m. today and a slight chance overnight. Otherwise, partly sunny today with a high near 83 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 59 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

Lyman: Sunny today with a high near 85 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 54.

Western Wyoming:

Pinedale: Chance of rain today and a slight chance overnight. Otherwise, partly sunny today with a high near 84 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 57.

Alpine: Chance of rain mainly after 5 p.m. today and tonight mainly before 9 p.m. Otherwise, partly sunny today with a high near 83 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 54.

Big Piney: Slight chance of rain today and overnight. Otherwise, partly sunny today with a high near 80 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 50 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

Northwest:

Dubois: Chance of rain mainly after 1 p.m. today and tonight mainly before midnight. Otherwise, partly sunny today with a high near 77 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 54 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

Jackson: Slight chance of rain today and overnight. Otherwise, partly sunny today with a high near 82 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 50.

Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park: Chance of rain today and tonight mainly before 9 p.m. Otherwise, partly sunny today with a high near 73 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 46.

Bighorn Basin:

Thermopolis: Mostly sunny today with a high near 87 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 61.

Cody: Slight chance of rain after 1 p.m. today and before midnight tonight. Otherwise, partly sunny today with a high near 85 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 61.

Powell: Slight chance of rain after 3 p.m. today and before 9 p.m. tonight. Otherwise, increasing clouds today with a high near 88 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 61.

North Central:

Buffalo: Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 84 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before midnight and a low near 63.

Sheridan: Increasing clouds and hot today with a high near 90 and partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before midnight and a low near 59.

Dayton: Becoming sunny in the afternoon today with a high near 85 and partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before midnight and a low near 60.

Northeast:

Gillette: Slight chance of rain after 3 p.m. today and before midnight tonight. Otherwise, increasing clouds today with a high near 86 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 60 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph.Sundance: Chance of rain after noon today and overnight. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 80 and wind gusts as high as 16 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 60 and wind gusts as high as 18 mph.

Upton: Chance of rain after 3 p.m. today and mainly before midnight tonight. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 85 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 61 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph.

Eastern Plains:

Torrington: Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m. today and before midnight tonight. Some storms could be severe. Otherwise, mostly sunny and hot today with a high near 90 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 61.

Douglas: Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m. today and before 9 p.m. tonight. Some storms could be severe. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 86 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 59.

Midwest: Slight chance of rain after 4 p.m. today and before 9 p.m. tonight. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 86 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 62.

Southeast:

Cheyenne: Chance of rain after noon today and overnight. Some of the storms could be severe. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 87 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 60.

Laramie: Chance of rain after noon today and a slight chance overnight. Some of the storms could be severe. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 83 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 57.

Medicine Bow: Chance of rain after noon today and tonight before 9 p.m. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 87 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 56.

South Central:

Rawlins: Chance of rain after noon today and a slight chance tonight before 9 p.m. Otherwise, increasing clouds today with a high near 87 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 59.

Encampment: Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m. today and tonight mainly before midnight. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 84 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 56.

Baggs: Slight chance of rain after noon today and a chance of rain tonight mainly before midnight. Otherwise, increasing clouds and hot today with a high near 90 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 54.

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Wyoming

New mobile app for pest identification available for Wyoming pests – Platte County Record-Times

Published

18 hours ago

June 25, 2024

Press Room

New mobile app for pest identification available for Wyoming pests – Platte County Record-Times

Laramie – The University of Wyoming Extension recently released a new software application that can be used to identify Wyoming plant diseases and pests.
The mobile app, called Wyoming Crop Pests, is available for both Android and Apple devices and can be found in app stores by searching “Wyoming Crop Pests”. Scott Schell, UW Extension entomologist, developed the tool to help amateur home gardeners and producers identify plant diseases and pests.
The Wyoming Crop Pests app contains information about common pests of vegetables grown in Wyoming. Users select a crop and types of damage based on both pictures and short descriptions. Once users have used the interactive key to narrow down the kinds of pests that may be causing the damage they’re seeing, they can explore links explaining the best ways to manage those pests.

To develop the app, Schell tapped into resources from other land-grant universities to share links to current, well-researched information about each pest. The app also contains links to the “Wyoming Vegetable and Fruit Growing Guide,” a free publication from UW Extension that provides comprehensive information about how to garden successfully in Wyoming conditions. While the app currently focuses on vegetable pests, Schell may eventually add information about fruit pests as well.

Schell emphasizes that if a user isn’t sure whether what they’re seeing on their plants matches what they’re seeing in the app, they should contact their local extension office.

“This is a tool that give people some independence, but I also want them to know where they can reach out for more info and help on pest issues,” says Schell. “I’m always happy to look at pictures of bugs!”

He sees the new tool as an opportunity to reach younger audiences who may not know about extension services.

Schell also aimed to make the app accessible to users who may be less comfortable with technology. “I find it kind of ironic that a guy like me was involved in making an app,” says Schell. “There’s probably a lot more verbiage explaining how to use it than most apps. For a lot of people my age, these apps aren’t intuitive.”

For more information about the app or Wyoming crop pests, contact Schell at sschell@uwyo.edu or (307) 766-2508.

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