Wyoming

Letter: Organizer Explains Issues Behind Saturday Protest – SweetwaterNOW

Published

12 months ago

April 5, 2025

Letter: Organizer Explains Issues Behind Saturday Protest – SweetwaterNOW

A protester’s sign at the April 5, 2025 Hands Off protest in Rock Springs.

When you watch the news tonight, you will see that there were hundreds of demonstrations across the country, and they were put on by a coalition of many different groups. The groups involved in putting on these demonstrations across the country are the 50501 Movement, MoveON, Indivisable, Women’s March, Black Lives Matter, The Sierra Club, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and The Purpose.

Today’s demonstration in Rock Springs, and most of the other nine demonstrations that took place across the state of Wyoming today, was put on by the 50501 Wyoming group. The 50501 Wyoming group is a bipartisan group made up of both Republicans and Democrats, and it is the Wyoming faction of the national 50501 Movement. 50501 stands for 50 States 50 Protests 1 Movement. I know that there are a lot of people out there saying that this is the Democrats that are holding these demonstrations, but in fact, the person who started the 50501 Wyoming group is a registered Republican. There are a lot of things that have been happening in the state of Wyoming that have many Republicans worried, as well as Democrats, and Independents.

One of the issues that was being discussed during today’s demonstration was the closure of the Green River Wyoming’s MSHA office, by DOGE, and how that will affect the mining community in this area. The main issues that the members of the 50501 Wyoming group are concerned about are the DOGE cuts to, or elimination of:

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The Wyoming U.S. Geological Survey Office in Cheyenne, WY
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department in Lander, WY
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in Cheyenne, WY
The closure of the Social Security Administration office in Cody, WY
The Closure of the Mine Safety Health Administration (MSHA) office in Green River, WY
The Office of U.S. Attorneys in Lander, WY
The funding freeze of Wyoming’s Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program, and the Local Food for Schools program, as well as the $535,000 in DOGE cuts to the Food Bank of Wyoming, which is particularly concerning because food insecurity need in Wyoming is at its highest level in 10 years.
DOGE firings of Wyoming State Parks employees
DOGE firings of National Park Service employees
DOGE elimination of 60,000 to 80,000 jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
The DOGE firings of so many Wyoming U.S. Forest Service employees, on Feb.14, 2025, that they referred to it as “the Valentine’s Day Massacre”
DOGE firings of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees, and the elimination of the Fish and Wildlife’s tribal Lander, WY office
DOGE cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which affects Wyoming farmers
DOGE firings of 30 or more full-time staff at the Bridger-Teton National Forest
DOGE firings of 20% of permanent workers at the Shoshone National Forest

This is not a complete list of all the cuts or office closures that Elon Musk and his DOGE team have made in Wyoming, and it’s not a complete list of all the cuts and closures that happened across the country. These are just some of the many issues that the people in the 50501 Wyoming group are the most concerned with when it comes to the illegal cuts that DOGE has been making. The 50501 Wyoming group is very concerned that the goal of Elon Musk, and DOGE does not seem to be the elimination of wasteful spending, like they claim, but instead its goal seems to be to eliminate federal employees, federal offices, federal aid for those in need, and eventually the entire federal government.

There is also a long list of other issues, not related to DOGE, that our members, the citizens of Wyoming, and people all across the country are worried about. Things like our lack of national security, the war against education, the lack of funding for special education, people who immigrated to the United States LEGALLY being treated like criminals, LGBTQ+ rights, Women’s rights, Civil Rights, the protection of Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare, the war in Isreal and the Gaza Strip, the war in Russia and Ukraine, Trump’s threats to take over the Panama Canal, Canada & Greenland (which could get us into a war), Trump’s trade war with every single country on the planet, the stock market tanking along with our 401Ks, how Trump’s tariffs are going to make the cost of everything go up for years to come, and much, much more!

Overall today’s protest was very peaceful, there were very few problems, and we received a lot of supportive honks and waves as people drove by, cheering us on. We are so proud to live in a country where we have a first amendment that gives us freedom of religion, freedom of the press, free speech, the right to petition our government, and last but not least, the freedom to assemble peacefully. It warmed my heart today to see so many Rock Springs residents, about 100 or so, exercising their first amendment rights.

For those of you who like to spread the false rumors that we are all paid by some imaginary billionaire, and that we are being bused in from out of state, you should know that I was born right here, in Rock Springs, in the old hospital at the top of C Street. I was raised in Rock Springs, and I have lived here my entire life. And most of the faces that I saw out there today, at the demonstration, were people I have known my whole life. There were both Republicans and Democrats there, and I’m sure a few Independents sprinkled in as well. They senior citizens, young Gen Z’s, and Gen Xers like me! They were all people who love and care deeply about the state of Wyoming, and Sweetwater County. I would like to think that, whether we agree or disagree, we can all respect each other’s first amendment rights to peacefully assemble when there are things happening in this country that we do not agree with. Peace!

Sincerely,
50501 Wyoming – Rock Springs Volunteer Representative
Julie Smith

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Wyoming

BLM and Wyoming Honor Farm to Offer Trained Wild Horses and Burros in May

Published

7 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

BLM and Wyoming Honor Farm to Offer Trained Wild Horses and Burros in May

The Wyoming Department of Corrections Wyoming Honor Farm and the Bureau of Land Management have announced they will host an adoption on May 9 in Riverton.

According to a release, for more than 35 years, the Honor Farm has shared the BLM’s commitment to place animals removed from overpopulated herds into good, private homes.

The event will offer saddle-started horses, halter-started yearlings and gentled burros for adoption. Photos of many of the available animals can be seen by following BLM Wyoming on Facebook or X. The organizations are currently developing a Flickr album that will premier in the near future. The horses to be offered all originate from Wyoming public lands.

The Wyoming Honor Farm is located one mile north of Riverton. Take U.S. Highway 26 to Honor Farm Road.

On May 8, gates open at 12:30 p.m. Preview available horses and burros in-person starting at 1:30 p.m. All visitors must be offsite by 3:30 p.m.

On May 9, gates open at 8 a.m. and the competitive-bid adoption begins at 10 a.m.

Both days’ events are free and open to anyone interested in wild horses, the Honor Farm gentling process and the BLM wild horse and burro adoption program.

According to the BLM, it will provide applications and information about how to adopt on both days. The BLM reports the horses and burros are current on their vaccinations, de-worming and Coggins testing. Only covered straight deck or stock type trailers with swing gate and sturdy walls and floors are authorized for loading.

The Wyoming Department of Corrections reports that since 1988, the Honor Farm has helped the BLM place thousands of horses and burros. The WDC has a low recidivism rate, and leadership feels this is largely due to the meaningful work accomplished by the Honor Farm inmates, including the gentling of wild horses. Inmates who are released after working in this program have a greater chance of succeeding in the outside world, according to the WDC.

Refreshments will be available during the event. Ice cream sandwiches will be provided on Friday, May 8. On Saturday, May 9, breakfast and lunch will be available free of charge for attendees.

All members of the public entering the facility will be subject to security checks conducted by GSecurity, including vehicle inspections. For the safety of visitors, staff, and animals – pets, firearms, and alcohol are not allowed on site.

The BLM wishes the public to be aware that cell phones, smart watches, cameras, video equipment and tobacco products must be kept locked in your vehicle while onsite. To maintain a positive environment for visitors, a reasonable clothing standard must be adhered to. Shorts and form-fitting clothing are prohibited.

To learn more about the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program, including adoption requirements, visit blm.gov/whb or contact the national information center at 866-468-7826 or wildhorse@blm.gov.

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Wyoming

Momentum builds to reform Wyoming Public Records Act

Published

19 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Momentum builds to reform Wyoming Public Records Act

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Wyoming

Wyoming Wrestling Finishes 12th at NCAA Championships with Three All-Americans – SweetwaterNOW

Published

1 day ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming Wrestling Finishes 12th at NCAA Championships with Three All-Americans – SweetwaterNOW

CLEVELAND — The University of Wyoming wrestling team capped its 2025-26 season with a 12th-place finish and 38 points at the NCAA Championships inside Rocket Arena, marking the highest NCAA finish in head coach Mark Branch’s 18-year tenure. The Cowboys had three wrestlers earn All-American honors.

“It was a great weekend for the Cowboys,” Branch said. “I couldn’t be more proud of these guys for the way they fought through this incredibly difficult tournament. They handled themselves like champions. It was awesome to be around this, and it was awesome to celebrate this with them. Being an All-American is something they’ll have the rest of their lives, and I know how important that is, how big it is and how hard it is at this level.”

At 197 pounds, No. 5 Joey Novak earned his second consecutive All-American honor with a fourth-place finish. He defeated No. 11 Camden McDanel of Nebraska, 7-3, in the consolation semifinals before falling to No. 3 Stephen Little of Little Rock, 7-4, in the third-place match.

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“He embodies the Cowboy tough mentality,” Branch said. “He loves this program. It’s what you need in this day in age. You need guys like Joey. The leadership that Joey has shown is what we’ve been trying to build.”

At 184 pounds, No. 6 Eddie Neitenbach secured his first All-American recognition with a seventh-place finish. He won his final match via medical forfeit over No. 22 Zack Ryder of Oklahoma State.

“Eddie is awesome,” Branch said. “He came in with the most favorable seeding, meaning I was surprised how high a seed he was. Don’t let that fool you. He’d been hanging around 8/9/10 in all the polls. It wasn’t a given he was going to come in and place. He definitely had to show up, and he put together a heck of a tournament.”

Heavyweight No. 18 Christian Carroll also earned his first All-American honor, finishing eighth. Carroll dropped his final match to No. 10 David Szuba of Arizona State by disqualification.

“Christian was gutsy, and he’s learning a lot about himself,” Branch said. “He certainly was feeling the weight of this tournament on him. After losing that first match, his confidence was shaken a little bit. But he picked it up and battled back and showed a lot of grit there. He showed what he’s about and what he’s capable of. He’s been an awesome addition to our team.”

Elsewhere, Gabe Willochell went 3-2 at 149 pounds, advancing to the blood round, while Luke Willochell (133) and Riley Davis (174) each recorded one win in the tournament.

Penn State won the team title with 181.5 points, followed by Oklahoma State with 131 and Nebraska with 100.5.

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