Wyoming
DOGE is the talk of Wyoming. What are state leaders saying and doing about the Elon Musk-led cuts? – WyoFile
AFTON—U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman’s remark about the U.S. Agency for International Development triggered one of the most raucous rounds of applause of the evening.
Even before the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency — aka DOGE — started gutting the federal government’s foreign aid branch, known by its acronym, USAID, the sophomore congresswoman for Wyoming had it in her sights, she said.
“In the interest of full disclosure, a year ago I voted to disband and abolish USAID,” Hageman told a conference room full of Star Valley residents, who cheered and even whooped in approval.
During Thursday’s town hall, Hageman told the rapt audience she doesn’t take issue with USAID’s mission. But then she proceeded to list off programs, echoing President Donald Trump, that she disagrees with, like the $520 million Prosper Africa initiative, which includes an educational curriculum about climate change.
The list ran long.
“I disagree with $20,000 to help LGBT people vote in Honduran elections,” Hageman said. “I disagree with $425,000 towards training Indonesian coffee companies on being gender friendly, and on and on and on.”
More applause erupted.
Ten minutes later, however, Susan Danford pushed back.
“I agree that all those things you read off sound ludicrous,” Danford told Hageman, “but surely they do some good things.”
The octogenarian, who’d traveled 140 miles round-trip from her home in Jackson, didn’t get the chance to complete her thought. A round of applause — every bit as loud as earlier — interrupted.
Hageman conceded that “about 17%” of the aid was “good.” Those things, she said, were moved into the The U.S. Department of State, which is where USAID’s defunct website now lives.
Danford ended the exchange.
“I just think we need to take a deep breath,” Danford said, “and try to start making sense.”
Hageman’s hour-long town hall — part of a southern and western Wyoming circuit the congresswoman is partway through — covered a lot of ground. The Equality State’s lone U.S. House representative touched on her efforts to legislate issues like grizzly bears and Bureau of Land Management resource management plans for its Rock Springs and Buffalo field offices. She also fielded questions about a lack of funding for preventative wildfire-related projects and Afton’s VA clinic, which a veteran who was wounded in combat in Iraq described as a “horrible mess.”
DOGE impacts
A good deal of the discussion, however, circled around what’s perhaps the highest-profile initiative of the second Trump administration: DOGE. The effort to downsize the U.S. government, named after an internet meme, has had impacts on the residents of Wyoming where the federal government owns nearly half of the land and manages it on behalf of all Americans.
Under the Trump administration, official federal job loss figures in Wyoming have not been provided despite numerous requests. But departed and current staff at agency after agency — from the U.S. Forest Service to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the Bureau of Land Management — have reported involuntary workforce terminations, albeit to varying degrees. Federal offices are being eliminated and funding pools are being frozen for everything from flea fogging to save endangered black-footed ferrets from plague to trail-building on Wyoming’s national forests.
The face of the cuts is Elon Musk, the wealthiest man in the world who was appointed as a special government employee by Trump, the president he often appears alongside.
As Hageman wrapped up in Afton, a man began to bemoan the influence of the “unelected billionaire” before the audience’s applause for the congresswoman cut him off.
In her remarks, Hageman discounted the South Africa-born entrepreneur, a polarizing figure. It’s not Musk who heads DOGE, she said. “A woman by the name of Amy Gleason is the acting director,” Hageman said.
Musk, she added later, isn’t calling the shots. “Congress will ultimately be the ones making the decisions about these various programs,” Hageman said.
Hageman spoke proudly of the $105 billion in federal government spending that DOGE has claimed to have cut as of last Thursday. But she also spoke in support of Wyoming’s federal workers. On site last fall while the historic Elk Fire burned, the congresswoman was “in awe” of Bighorn National Forest Supervisor Andrew Johnson’s “knowledge” and “expertise,” and she extended the praise beyond one person.
“We’ve got some excellent people, some excellent federal employees right here in Wyoming,” Hageman said. “I’ve had a great time visiting with our BLM folks, our Forest Service people who live and work here, and I know that they have the best interest of Wyoming at heart. They have the best interest of these resources at heart. They always have.”
The challenge, she added, was shifting the decision making from Washington, D.C., to the local level.
‘Lot of rumors’
Publicly, Hageman did not address untold numbers of federal workers who’ve been fired or incentivized to leave their Wyoming-based jobs. Asked by WyoFile after the town hall adjourned, she didn’t necessarily agree with the basic premise of a question that concerned how DOGE downsizing was affecting Wyoming’s federal land managers and their staff — her constituents.
“There’s a lot of rumors,” Hageman told WyoFile. “[That] is why I’m going to push back a little bit.”
Like the general public, Hageman has been kept in the dark about Wyoming job loss figures stemming from DOGE.
“I don’t know the answer to that, either,” she said about job cuts in Wyoming.
But the suggestion that cuts were “deep” in places gave Hageman pause.
“Where?” she asked. “When?”
WyoFile cited the Bridger-Teton National Forest’s Pinedale Ranger District, where a combined 12 permanent-seasonal and year-round full-time employees either left their jobs or were fired in the Trump administration’s first two months, according to a federal worker familiar with the numbers. Most of those dozen workers were told to leave in a single day, Feb. 14, which came to be called the Valentine’s Day massacre.
Asked if she was advocating on behalf of any federal land managers behind the scenes, Hageman said she’s been in talks with agencies making sure they can “properly and effectively” manage their resources. Her office has been in touch with both the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Trump administration on the matter, she said.
“We need to have the folks available to do the managing of the resources,” Hageman said. “We’ve also been working with the [congressional] committees to make sure that what is going to happen with bills is going to be effective on the ground.”
Other Wyo. leader takes
Sen. John Barrasso, whose office didn’t respond to an interview request for this story, has publicly praised Musk’s downsizing. The day the Trump administration’s initiative claimed the jobs of an untold number of Wyoming residents, he told Cowboy State Daily that DOGE was “draining the swamp.”
“Congress will work with DOGE to keep key programs operational,” Barrasso said, “while addressing reckless and wasteful Washington spending.”
The remaining member of Wyoming’s congressional delegation, Sen. Cynthia Lummis, has hinted at having a nuanced reception to DOGE and its still-murky impacts. The senator was in the Wyoming Capitol on Feb. 14 and spoke glowingly about the change of administration, which was ushering in a “new golden age,” she said.
“If you’re watching network television, you’re not seeing and hearing what Elon Musk is actually doing to ferret out waste, fraud and abuse,” Lummis told state lawmakers.
But Lummis also has worked to ease the impacts of DOGE cuts on Wyoming, according to a statement from her office. The senator “has made sure the administration understands how important it is [that] our national parks and federal lands are properly staffed.”
Lummis is “sympathetic,” the statement said, to “Wyoming communities affected by proposed cuts.”
During a Wednesday press conference, Gov. Mark Gordon spoke broadly in support of the Trump administration’s slashing of the federal government.
“I do think this administration really does want to get back to letting the states lead,” Gordon told reporters. “That’s a very positive piece of this.”
But the governor also said he recognizes that DOGE cuts are going to be “traumatic” and “a hardship” for some individuals and that “there’s some disturbance that will happen” in some communities. He worried specifically about impacts on the federal firefighting corps, saying he was “very concerned.”
Wyoming’s congressional delegation, the governor said, has done reasonably well in “blunting” losses to some federal agencies, like the National Park Service. The impacts on others, like the Bureau of Land Management, are less clear.
“The point I’ve made to the [Trump] administration is the Biden administration wouldn’t give us any permits to drill oil and gas,” Gordon said. “Now we’re worried if we’ll have people to be able to fill those permits out. The net result, we hope, isn’t zero. We hope that that result is more positive: Permits to drill in Wyoming.”
The 2026 Wyoming prep girls’ basketball season is nearly done. Two state champions were crowned in Classes 1A and 2A last Saturday. Southeast won the 1A title for the third consecutive season, and Sundance won the 2A title for the first time in eight years. Class 3A and 4A held their regional tournaments, which qualified teams for the state tournament later this week in Casper.
WYOPREPS WEEK 12 GIRLS BASKETBALL STANDINGS 2026
These are the girls’ basketball team records for all games played through March 7, 2026. For all but 16 teams, this is the final record of the season. Those squads will play in the 3A-4A state tournament starting on Thursday in Casper.
1A Northwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Burlington 24-5, 8-0
Riverside 14-10, 6-2
Dubois 11-10, 4-4
St. Stephens 3-16, 1-7
Meeteetse 1-20, 1-7
1A Southwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Cokeville 23-4, 10-0
Little Snake River 23-4, 8-2
Farson-Eden 16-12, 5-5
Saratoga 13-11, 5-5
Ft. Washakie 8-13, 2-8
Encampment 3-19, 0-10
1A Northeast: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Upton 16-7, 10-0
Kaycee 13-12, 7-3
Hulett 12-13, 7-3
Arvada-Clearmont 9-12, 4-6
Casper Christian 4-13, 2-8
Midwest 1-16, 0-10
1A Southeast: (Overall Record, followed by Reg. Season Points)
Southeast 24-5, 40 points
Lingle-Ft. Laramie 17-11, 31 points
Lusk 15-13, 26 points
H.E.M. 13-11, 24 points
Rock River 6-14, 12 points
Guernsey-Sunrise 2-18, 4 points
2A Northwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Thermopolis 16-13, 5-1
Greybull 16-15, 4-2
Rocky Mountain 9-17, 2-4
Shoshoni 11-18, 1-5
2A Southwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Wyoming Indian 23-7, 6-0
Big Piney 8-16, 4-2
Kemmerer 2-21, 1-5
Wind River 2-23, 1-5
2A East: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Sundance 23-4, 5-0
Big Horn 21-6, 4-1
Tongue River 18-11, 3-2
Pine Bluffs 17-12, 2-3
Moorcroft 7-18, 1-4
Wright 3-23, 0-5
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3A West: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Cody 24-0, 10-0
Lander 21-4, 9-1
Pinedale 20-5, 7-3
Powell 16-9, 6-4
Lovell 16-10, 4-6
Worland 9-16, 2-8
Lyman 10-11, 2-8
Mountain View 4-19, 0-10
3A East: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Wheatland 22-4, 10-0
Buffalo 13-11, 8-2
Douglas 14-11, 6-4
Burns 16-13, 5-5
Torrington 10-11, 5-5
Glenrock 12-13, 3-7
Newcastle 1-22, 1-9
Rawlins 2-21, 0-10
4A Northwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Green River 23-2, 6-0
Natrona County 9-16, 4-2
Kelly Walsh 8-15, 2-4
Rock Springs 5-20, 0-6
4A Southwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Star Valley 16-7, 5-1
Evanston 16-10, 5-1
Riverton 7-19, 1-5
Jackson 3-19, 1-5
4A East: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Cheyenne East 21-3, 11-1
Cheyenne Central 16-9, 10-2
Sheridan 14-10, 7-5
Thunder Basin 14-10, 6-6
Laramie 12-11, 6-6
Campbell County 1-19, 1-10
Cheyenne South 1-21, 0-11
*The second Campbell County-Cheyenne South girls’ game was canceled.
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Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Marcello Monterastelli Photography & Jared Newland, WHSAA
A pristine trail town tucked into the breathtaking beauty of western Wyoming, Dubois puts the ‘wild’ in the Wild West. Just 55 miles from Yellowstone National Park and located in the Wind River, Owl Creek, and Absaroka mountain ranges, the town is a welcoming alpine community with stunning views from every street. From enjoying the fresh powder on the winter slopes to hiking, biking, or riding through the wildflower-covered peaks in the summer, Dubois is a year-round destination that offers adventure in every season. In addition to its serene location, Dubois is a vibrant town with lots on the menu from fine dining to lively western-style saloons.
The History of Dubois
The Wind River Valley remained sparsely populated until the late 1800s, when pioneering homesteaders established the first settlements, initiating a small yet lively community. While fur traders, explorers, and some Native American tribes were familiar with the area, it was the arrival of homesteaders that helped shape its identity. This led to the emergence of a town, supported by the expansion of cattle and sheep ranching.
Dubois was officially incorporated in 1914 and grew over the years, benefiting from its logging, farming, and tourism sectors. Today, with a population of 778 as of the 2022 census, Dubois remains true to its Western heritage, offering visitors an authentic cowboy experience.
Things to Do in Dubois
Get that cowboy experience at one of the oldest guest ranches in the country, the CM Ranch which opened in 1927. It doesn’t matter whether you are an experienced rider, or never been on a horse, the experienced staff at this busy dude ranch will show you the ropes. Guests can choose their own adventure, from riding trails through desert badlands and mountain highlands to fly fishing in the backcountry.
Dubois is located in mountain country, possibly the only place where you can observe three distinct types of mountains: those formed by glaciers, volcano-created peaks, and ranges caused by shifting underground plates. It is a haven and playground for nature lovers. If you prefer walking over riding, numerous local guides are available to help you explore the trails and enjoy the best vistas. For those who prefer to go alone, the Bonneville Pass Trail offers a scenic climb through valley meadows, while the Five Pockets Trail provides spectacular views of Horse Creek with the Absaroka Mountains as a backdrop.
Look out for ancient carvings while you are exploring; Wyoming is home to stunning examples of rock art. In the Wind River Range, you will find the Torrey Lake Petroglyph District, which includes around 175 well-preserved petroglyphs. For more information on where to see the best pictograms or find accessible trails, speak to the staff at the Dubois Museum. This specialty museum traces the geology of the area, its early inhabitants, and its history of homesteading. They also offer custom guided tours of petroglyphs, native sheep trap and buffalo drive sites, and more.
Dubois is a favorite spot for anglers, featuring pristine lakes, streams, and rivers teeming with fish like rainbow trout, brook trout, and cutthroat trout. Try casting your line at Torrey Creek. The waters aren’t just for fishing; you can also enjoy kayaking or canoeing, or relax with a float trip guided by Wind River Float Trips.
In winter, the country is even more beautiful, and there are still lots of ways to enjoy it. Go ice-fishing, take a dog-sled ride through the snowy wonderland, or try cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
Downtown Dubois
Many Wild West legends have strolled through Dubois, including the infamous outlaw Butch Cassidy. While things may have changed over time, the town still radiates quirky character and Western charm. After a day outdoors, grab a bite at the Rustic Pine Tavern, open since 1919, or visit the Outlaw Bar and Saloon. Once called the Branding Iron Inn, the Outlaw Bar has remained a beloved Dubois gathering spot for generations.
In the summer months, the town hosts the Dubois Friday Night Rodeo, which runs through June, July, and August. The family-friendly event features Mutton Bustin, Calf Riding, Mini Bull Riding, Pee Wee Barrel Racing, and more.
What Makes Dubois Different
Dubois remains a timeless town nestled amid Wyoming’s towering mountain ranges. This cowboy haven has preserved its natural beauty and charm for centuries, attracting explorers, pioneers, hunters, and adventurers. Visitors can saddle up at a dude ranch, scale mountain peaks, fish or float on glacial rivers, and unwind at the local rodeo—offering an ideal setting for unforgettable experiences and a break from everyday life.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — Western Wyoming Community College placed second at the NJCAA Wrestling Championships on Saturday, finishing with 188 team points and producing nine All-Americans, including four national runners-up. Their 188 points are the second-most all-time.
Indian Hills repeated as national champion with 201.5 points, the most points of all time, while Iowa Central finished third with 145.5. Western improved on last year’s third-place finish while sending four wrestlers to the championship round, the most runner-up finishes at the tournament, though the Mustangs were unable to secure an individual national title.
Zach Marrero reached the championship match at 133 pounds after earning a 4-2 decision in the semifinals. In the final, Marrero faced Indian Hills’ Olli Webb. The two were tied 1-1 after three periods before Webb secured a sudden-victory takedown to win 4-1.
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At 165 pounds, Banks Norby advanced to the finals with an 8-7 semifinal decision over Tom Stoll of Northeastern Junior College. Norby then faced Henry Dillingham of Clackamas in the championship match. Dillingham scored seven points in the third period to pull away, and Norby was unable to record a takedown as he finished second.
Banks Love also reached the championship bout at 184 pounds. Love snuck past Asadbek Fayzullaev of Northwest 10-9 in the semifinals. In the final, he fell to Jarrel Miller of Iowa Central 16-9. Love scored seven points in the final period, but Miller also scored nine in the period to secure the win.
At 197 pounds, Trevyn Gates reached the finals after pinning Samuel Montoya of Southeast Nebraska in the semifinals. Gates’ run ended in the championship match when he was pinned in 2:03, giving him a runner-up finish.
Western also had two wrestlers earn third-place finishes.
At 125 pounds, Stockton Allen dropped his semifinal match by technical fall but responded in the consolation bracket. Allen secured third place with a fall in 1:27 over Truth Vesey of Harper.
Green River’s Tommy Dalton also placed third at 149 pounds. Dalton lost in the semifinals by fall in 4:22 but rebounded with a 17-6 major decision to reach the third-place match. He then defeated Ayson Rice of Southeast Nebraska 9-3 to earn the bronze.
Francisco Ayala finished fifth at 174 pounds. After dropping into the consolation bracket, Ayala won two of his three matches to reach the fifth-place bout, where he defeated Iowa Western’s Matteo Nikolov 4-2. Trailing 1-0 entering the final period, Ayala secured a takedown with 12 seconds remaining to claim the win.
Dmitri Alarcon placed sixth at 141 pounds. Alarcon lost in the semifinals by fall before dropping a 20-9 decision in the consolation bracket. In the fifth-place match, he led 5-2 after the opening period but gave up a four-point nearfall in the second and fell 6-5.
At 157 pounds, Hixon Canto finished seventh. After advancing through the consolation bracket Friday, Canto lost a 6-4 decision Saturday before taking seventh place by medical forfeit.
Heavyweight Kort Wilkinson saw his tournament end a day earlier. Wilkinson was one point away from the quarterfinals before falling to Cito Tuttle of Rochester 3-2 in double overtime. He won two matches in the consolation bracket before losing a 5-0 decision to Naasir Edmonds, ending his season on the opening day of the tournament.
Western Wyoming’s second-place finish marks an improvement from its third-place result at the 2025 NJCAA Wrestling Championships and caps a season that also included the program’s ninth straight Region 9/Plains District title.
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