Wyoming
Kemmerer balks at immigration jail as private prisons eye southwest Wyoming, again – WyoFile
The private prison industry has again come knocking in southwestern Wyoming, pitching the for-profit detention of immigrants as a potential boon for the region’s transitioning economy.
But unlike during President Donald Trump’s first term, this time the corporations don’t seem to be finding a foothold.
Last week, a company called Sabot Consulting pitched the Kemmerer City Council, and a packed room of townspeople, on the construction of a 900-bed jail to hold immigrants detained by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
Construction of the facility would have been paid for by the city through a bond issuance, two council members told WyoFile. Kemmerer would have owned the jail, and a third entity — an Alaskan Native corporation that is heavily invested in the private immigration detention business, including a controversial encampment in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — would have staffed it through a contract with the federal government.
Sabot’s role was to work with the city, ICE and the Alaskan corporation, Akima, to bring the project to fruition. The jail would have brought both high-paying jobs and revenues to Kemmerer, Sabot cofounder Darren Chiappinelli told the city council.
But the proposal got a poor reception from the public, and the council has no plans to pursue it, the two council members told WyoFile.
“There’s no interest among council members or even the majority of our constituents to keep it on our plate,” Kemmerer Mayor Robert Bowen said, describing the community reaction as “overwhelmingly ‘no.’” Council member Bill Ellis also told WyoFile the city wasn’t interested.
“We said ‘We can’t do it, and we don’t want it,’” he said.
ICE has put out notice to private prison companies that it is seeking an 850-950 bed facility within a two-hour drive of the Salt Lake City airport, according to a Facebook stream of the presentation that a Sabot Consulting official made to the Kemmerer council.
Though the proposal came as President Trump does everything in his power to deport immigrants — both those here without documentation and increasingly those with it — the latest quest for large numbers of holding cells near Salt Lake City stretches back to former President Joe Biden’s administration.
Promoters of the project first contacted the city last May, well before November’s election swept Trump back into office, Kemmerer City Administrator Brian Muir told WyoFile.
Representatives for Sabot Consulting did not respond to messages from WyoFile seeking comment. It’s unclear if the company is pitching other Wyoming communities on the immigration jail idea. An elected official in nearby Uinta County, where Evanston saw years of divisive debate over for-profit prison companies’ proposals from 2017 into 2020, told WyoFile the county commission had recently received outreach from a company he believed was also Sabot.
But Uinta County Commissioner Mark Anderson said this time around, his board is also choosing not to pursue the idea.
The reluctance to engage with the private prison company comes even as Wyoming’s elected officials, including legislators and many county sheriffs, are moving the state in line with Trump’s deportation agenda.
Kemmerer is the county seat of Lincoln County, where voters, as they did statewide, backed Trump by a large margin. Nearly 83% of the 10,580 Lincoln County residents who cast a vote for president in November chose to send Trump, with his campaign promises of mass deportation, back to the White House. But ideological support for more detainments and deportations doesn’t make a large immigration jail an automatic fit for the coal town, which is in the midst of an ongoing economic transition, the council members said.
Trona mine expansions, carbon dioxide storage projects and a $4 billion innovative nuclear power project have been driving a construction boom in southwestern Wyoming. Kemmerer in particular is benefitting from the nuclear plant, a project of Microsoft-founding billionaire Bill Gates, as its coal industry continues to contract.
Gates visited Kemmerer in June for a groundbreaking ceremony on the project, which received its construction permit in January and is slated to be generating electricity in 2030.
Amid those developments, getting into the private prison industry isn’t needed in Kemmerer and could even be counterproductive, Bowen said.
“It’s not a bad thing,” Bowen said of Trump’s immigration initiatives, but the jail “is not the right fit for our community.”
He wondered if Gates would have pursued his energy project in Kemmerer if it was known as the host of a large immigration jail. Though the Trump administration is determined to deport growing numbers of people, Bowen also noted that tech billionaire Elon Musk and the DOGE initiative are gutting government contracts, raising questions about the federal government’s reliability as a business partner.
Since Kemmerer would have owned the facility, the city would have been responsible for making it pay for itself were a contract with ICE to change or dry up. He and Ellis both said they feared a day where the city was hunting for inmates of any kind to fill its big jail.
“The risk versus reward wasn’t really there for us,” Bowen said, “not in a community of our size.”
Evanston saw turmoil, then abandonment
During the first Trump administration, first one and then another large corporation pushed for an immigration jail in Evanston, a community of about 12,000 people about 50 minutes southwest of Kemmerer. Over three years, the idea drove local controversy, before the companies ultimately walked away from the idea. Management Training Corporation, a private prison company, first brought the idea to Evanston in summer 2017, proposing Uinta County use a county-owned property near Bear River State Park to build the jail.
At the time, ICE was seeking 500 beds in the area. In 2019, however, the agency doubled the size of its request, to 1,000 beds.
The proposal spurred contentious public hearings and drove a bitter divide in Evanston. Opponents accused Uinta County public officials of steamrolling them and operating in the shadows. Though the decision remained local, both the Wyoming Legislature and candidates during the bitter 2018 gubernatorial primary campaign debated the idea.
Local proponents of the private prison meanwhile suggested outside influences were keeping a possible boon from the economically struggling town. The American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming threatened litigation to force state-level elected officials to weigh in, while local and statewide activists coalesced into a group called WyoSayNo to oppose the project.
In summer 2019, Management Training Corporation abruptly, and quietly, walked away from the idea it had pushed for two years. CoreCivic, another large and controversial, private prison corporation, stepped into the void, and pushed the project further, to the point of submitting environmental review documents to the federal government. The Uinta County Commission in January 2020 passed a resolution to sell CoreCivic the land it needed once the company had secured an ICE contract. But in April of that year, CoreCivic too walked away, without offering any detailed reason why.
Akima, the company Sabot’s representative cited as its partner on the proposal for Kemmerer, is another major player in the lucrative private prison industry. Akima is a subsidiary of the Nana Regional Corporation, one of 13 regional Alaskan Native corporations. Such companies pay dividends to indigenous Alaskans but are not staffed solely by Native Americans. Subsidiaries of the corporations like Akima are effective at securing government contracts as minority-owned businesses, according to a report in The Guardian.
Akima’s detention centers have been faulted by federal auditors and advocates for poor conditions and civil rights violations, The Guardian reported.
It was Uinta County and Evanston officials who first directed the latest bid for a southwestern Wyoming immigration jail to Kemmerer, city manager Muir told WyoFile.
During the previous effort in Evanston, the Uinta County Commission was staunchly supportive of the project, despite hard lessons from other communities that bet on private prisons and the often rancorous local opposition.
But the ultimate abandonment of the idea by two consecutive companies left a bad taste behind, commissioner Anderson told WyoFile. “All the public hearings, all of these promises of jobs and then these companies pulling out,” he said, “it’s just been so inconsistent that the appetite for it is just not there right now.”
Anderson had received a voicemail in recent months from one of the private prison companies, and though he did not have the message at hand when he spoke with WyoFile by phone Wednesday, he said he believed it to have been Sabot. But it didn’t really matter which company had reached out.
“I haven’t even returned the phone call,” he said.
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CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Supreme Court has stayed the suspension of Laramie attorney Vaughn H. Neubauer from the practice of law.
That’s according to a release from the Wyoming State Bar, which states the suspension was to last 30 days.
The court ordered the stay so long as Neubauer complies with probationary terms for a period of six months — intended to assure the efficient operation of his office — as well as court rules and deadlines.
The release notes the order of suspension came from Neubauer’s lack of diligence in representing two clients.
“Neubauer failed to timely file a brief with the Wyoming Supreme Court appealing a decision of the District Court, resulting in dismissal of the appeal,” the release states. “Upon learning of the looming deadline, Neubauer requested an extension of time and reinstatement of the appeal in which Neubauer took responsibility for the failure to timely file the brief. Both requests were denied.”
Further, in a separate matter, Neubauer failed to file a petition for Post-Conviction Relief.
“Following commencement of disciplinary investigations by the Office of Bar Counsel, Neubauer admitted that the failure to file the documents violated Rule 1.3 (diligence) and caused injury to his clients,” the release states. “Neubauer agreed to reimburse the fees paid and out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the clients. Neubauer agreed to the suspension and probationary terms which included the implementation of formal office policies and procedures and monthly reports to the Office of Bar Counsel regarding Neubauer’s compliance with probationary terms.”
Correction, May 29, 2025: A previous version of the story did not include the stay of suspension in the lead paragraph and headline. The story has been corrected.
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It is Week 9 for American Legion Baseball teams in Wyoming. This week marks the halfway point of the 2025 season. The slate features the most conference games. Only one tournament is on the docket, which will be in Riverton with their Roy Peck Wood Bat on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Outside of league games, some will take on regional foes, and a few teams will be off this weekend.
WYOPREPS AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL SCHEDULE WEEK 9 2025
Game schedules are subject to change. If you have an update or see a game missing, please let WyoPreps know. You can email david@wyopreps.com.
Final Score: Riverton Raiders 17 Green River Knights 4 (conference game) – the Raiders broke it open with 6 runs in the 3rd inning. Trujillo had a 2-run HR, and Baker hit a grand slam. Spradlin added 4 hits.
Final Score: Riverton Raiders 13 Green River Knights 3 (conference game) – 7 runs in the 7th put the cap on Riverton’s road league sweep. Spradlin, Anderson, and Heikkila drove in 2 runs each.
Final Score: Gillette Rustlers 8 Buffalo Bulls 2 (conference game) – the Rustlers jumped out to a 5-0 lead and earned the league win. Smith had 1 hit & 2 RBIs.
Final Score: Gillette Rustlers 8 Buffalo Bulls 3 (conference game) – 3 runs in the 4th and 3 more in the 5th provided the separation for the Rustlers. Reed & Poole had 1 hit & 2 RBIs apiece.
Final Score: Westco Zephyrs (Scottsbluff, NE) 5 Gillette Riders 2 – the Zephyrs scored 3 runs in the 6th to break a 2-2 tie.
Final Score: Wheatland Lobos 16 Cheyenne Eagles 11 (conference game) – after trailing 9-8, the Lobos scored the next 8 runs over 3 innings to get the league road win. Meyer had 2 hits & 4 RBIs, and Raser added 2 hits & 3 RBIs. Gamo had 1 hit & drove in 4 runs for Cheyenne.
Wheatland Lobos at Cheyenne Eagles, 7:30 p.m. (conference game)
Gillette Riders vs. USA Prime Miller 17U (Littleton, CO) – canceled
Torrington Tigers at Laramie Rangers A (conference games) – rained out; the make-up date is TBD
Gillette Riders at Cheyenne Hawks, 4 & 6 p.m. (conference games)
Utah Yaks at Evanston Outlaws, 4 & 6 p.m.
Spearfish (SD) Spartans at Gillette Rustlers, 5:30 p.m. (9-inning game)
Riverton Raiders at Lander Legends, 6 p.m. (9-inning game)
Read More Legion Baseball News from WyoPreps
WYOPREPS LEGION BASEBALL STANDINGS ON 5-27-25
WYOPREPS LEGION BASEBALL WEEK 8 SCORES
WYOPREPS LEGION BASEBALL WEEK 7 SCORES
WYOPREPS LEGION BASEBALL WEEK 6 SCORES
WYOPREPS LEGION BASEBALL SCORES WEEK 5
WYOPREPS LEGION BASEBALL SCORES WEEK 4
Douglas Cats at Casper Drillers, 4 & 6 p.m. (conference games)
Idaho Falls (ID) Knights at Jackson Giants, 5 & 7:30 p.m.
Lovell Mustangs at Powell Pioneers, 5 & 7 p.m. (conference games)
Tournaments
Roy Peck Wood Bat Tournament in Riverton
Lander Legends vs. Lockwood (MT) Razorbacks, 4 p.m.
Laramie Rangers A at Riverton Raiders, 7 p.m.
Wheatland Lobos at Cheyenne Hawks, 10 a.m.
Sheridan Troopers at Billings (MT) Royals, noon
Wheatland Lobos vs. Torrington Tigers, noon (in Cheyenne)
Powell Pioneers at Billings (MT) Expos, 1 & 3 p.m.
Torrington Tigers at Cheyenne Hawks, 2 p.m.
Sheridan Troopers at Billings (MT) Scarlets, 2:30 p.m.
Lovell Mustangs at Buffalo Bulls, 3 & 7 p.m.
Cheyenne Sixers at Jackson Giants, 5 & 7 p.m. (conference games)
Tournaments
Roy Peck Wood Bat Tournament in Riverton
Lockwood (MT) Razorbacks at Riverton Raiders, 9 a.m.
Lockwood Razorbacks vs. Laramie Rangers A, noon
Laramie Rangers A vs. Lander Legends, 3 p.m.
Lander Legends at Riverton Raiders, 6 p.m.
Casper Oilers at Mountain View Mountain Lions (Loveland, CO), 1 & 3:30 p.m.
Sheridan Troopers vs. Idaho Falls (ID) Bandits, 12:30 p.m.
Sheridan Jets at Gillette Rustlers, 1 & 3:30 p.m. (conference games)
Cheyenne Eagles at Douglas Cats, 3 & 5:30 p.m. (conference games)
Sheridan Troopers at Billings Royals, 3 p.m.
Tournaments
Roy Peck Wood Bat Tournament in Riverton
3rd place game, 10 a.m.
Championship game, 1 p.m.
Laramie Rangers Baseball 2025
Laramie Rangers, American Legion Baseball, Baseball, Wyoming Legion Baseball
Gallery Credit: Courtesy: MaryRose Aragon
Patricia Ann “Pat” Cheney: 1939 – 2025
Patricia Ann “Pat” Cheney, 86, of Casper, Wyoming, passed away peacefully at Banner Medical Center Friday May 23, 2025. Viewing and visitation will be held Bustard & Jacoby, 600 CY Avenue, Casper, Wyoming 82601, on May 28, 2025, from 5 to 7 p.m. On May 29, 2025, a rosary service will be held at 11:30 a.,m. and followed by funeral services at 12 p.m. with Father Clark of Our Lady of Fatima officiating at Bustard & Jacoby. Interment will follow at Freeland Cemetery. After interment a celebration of life will be held at the Cheney Ranch.
Pat was born on April 5, 1939, to Joseph Kasper and Martha Lucinda (Congelton) Kasper in Casper, Wyoming. She grew up in Casper, attending St. Anthony’s Tri-Parish Catholic School and graduating from Natrona County High School. Baptized into the Catholic faith, she was a devoted member of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church and Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church. She was a member of the Natrona County Cow-Bellesand a volunteer at the Casper Elks Lodge and other Casper area Christian faith-based organizations. On January 25, 1958, Pat married William (Bill) Cheney, in Casper, Wyoming. Together, they shared an agrarian and aviation-focused lifestyle. Pat served as a mother and was a diligent ranch wife until selling the ranch to son Bob in 1987. Her and Bill moved to Paradise Valley in 1998 and continued to operate Cheney Flying Service for over 30 years until retiring. Pat was a dedicated walker and put in at least two miles a day enjoying her walks by the Platte River. Later in life Pat learned to play guitar and enjoyed jam sessions playing and singing with close family friends Erle and Charlee Barto.
She is survived by brother, John F. Kasper; son, Daniel Albert (Dan) Cheney; and granddaughter, Peggy Jean Cheney. Pat was preceded in death by her husband, William (Bill) Cheney; son, Robert Gene (Bob) Cheney; parents, Joseph and Martha Kasper; five sisters and six brothers.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Natrona County Cow-Belles. Pat’s life was a testament to faith, family, and hard work, and she will be deeply missed. Online condolences for Pat’s family may be made at www.bustardcares.com.
Mary Verdonna Kenny: 1932 – 2025
Mary “Donna” Verdonna Kenny, age 92, of Casper, Wyoming passed away November 2, 2024. She was born August 12, 1932, in Toledo, Ohio to Rollin and Mary (McGinley) Brunner.
She moved her family to Casper in the early 1960s. She worked at Wyoming Stationery and Wyoming Medical Center. She retired from the hospital in 1992.
She loved cooking for her grandson, Paul and his wife, Amber.
For the past several years she wintered in Lake Havasu City, Arizona with her daughter and son-in-law. She loved sitting on the porch watching the neighbors come and go. She enjoyed playing Bingo but loved gambling in Laughlin and going to the swap meet on Sundays. She would get up early to accompany her daughter to the pickle ball courts. She made lots of friends in the neighborhood that truly treated her like their second mom.
She is survived by her daughter, Carol Smith (Fred); daughter-in-law, Karen Didion (Jerry); as well as her grandchildren: Paul Smith (Amber), Andrew Didion, Adam Didion; great-grandchildren: Brittany Smith, Kade Henry, Shyla Hoffman, Orion Smith, and Preslee Cagle; as well as her great-great grandchildren: Damien Houser, Ariyan Agena, and Koen Cagle; sister, Judith Glass; brother, Carl Brunner; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was also preceded in death by her husband, Bob Kenny; son, Jerry C. Didion; grandson, Kris M. Smith; her parents; and eight siblings.
A celebration of life will be held at her daughter’s home on June 16, 2025 from 3 to 6. For location contact Carol 307-277-2277.
Janice Rae Lott: 1941 – 2025
Janice Rae Lott, born in Riverton, Wyoming, passed away on May 26, 2025, at the age of 83. Known for her resilience, sharp wit, and quiet strength, Janice built a life rooted in simple joys—gardening, bowling, camping, square dancing, playing cards, and spending time with her beloved dog, Jack.
She raised four children in Washington before moving to Casper, Wyoming in the late 1990s, where she lived alongside her son, Robert. She was a proud mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who found comfort in the everyday and joy in her family.
Janice is survived by her sister, Judy Johnson; her children: Robert Lott, Jo Peavler, James Lott, and Tami McKnight (Troy Marker); eight grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Jean Ewing; and her sister, Roberta Harrington.
Please make donations to Casper Humane Society or Central Wyoming Hospice.
Roger (Rog) Lee Snell: 1944 – 2025
Roger (Rog) Lee Snell, 81, of Casper, Wyoming, passed away peacefully at his home on May 22, 2025, surrounded by family.
Born on March 2, 1944, in Hanna, Wyoming, Roger was the son of Bernard (Barney) and Violet Snell. He grew up alongside his brothers and sister and graduated from Natrona County High School in 1963. Shortly after, he enlisted in the United States Navy, proudly serving from 1963 to 1967 during the Vietnam era aboard the USS Alamo LSD-33. During his service, he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.
In 1968, Roger married Sandra Ames, and together they raised two children, William and Dianna. A skilled electrician, Roger earned his Master Electrician License and went on to establish First Light Electric in 1975.
Roger had a deep love for the outdoors and spent many joyful days fishing, archery, hunting, golfing, and exploring on motorcycles and four-wheelers. He especially cherished time with friends and family at the Cream Can Feeds and in the Shirley Mountains. He was also a proud and active member of the VFW, American Legion, Elks Lodge, and the IBEW.
Roger is survived by his former wife, Sandra Trantham; his brother, Charles Snell; his children, William (Kari) and Dianna; his grandchildren: Justin, Taylor (Sierra), Gabrielle, Karissa, Zachary, Falon, Makayla, and Faith; and great-grandchildren: Atikus, Fenix, and Scarlett.
A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, May 28, at 2:30 p.m. at Oregon Trail Veterans Cemetery, with burial to follow. Bustards Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
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