Wyoming

More than $100 million at stake for Wyoming in Trump's fed grants freeze – WyoFile

Published

12 months ago

March 25, 2025

More than 0 million at stake for Wyoming in Trump's fed grants freeze – WyoFile

Food Bank of Wyoming recently learned it will not receive $535,000 that was promised in a 2023 grant — one of the many casualties of President Donald Trump’s elimination and freeze of congressionally approved, Biden-era federal programs.

The elimination of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement — a grant aimed at feeding the most vulnerable while connecting Wyoming ag producers with local eaters — comes at a time when “the food insecurity need in Wyoming is at its highest level in 10 years,” Food Bank of Wyoming Executive Director Jill Stillwagon told Oil City News.

Funding for Wyoming’s Home Energy Savings program, which the Wyoming Energy Authority recently established after navigating months of red tape and collecting input from Wyoming residents, is considered “frozen.” Administrators have received no indication of whether it will ultimately be axed or allowed to continue, according to state officials. That puts $69 million in hard-fought-for federal funds in limbo when skyrocketing electric bills are an increasing threat to low-income households.

The administration’s on-again, off-again whiplash of threats and exceptions to federal programs — further complicated by ongoing court battles and the Elon Musk-led purge of federal employees — throws into question perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars that could go to Wyoming communities and households.

“Our office is getting information program by program, if we receive any updates at all.”
Michael Pearlman, Communications Director for Gov. Mark Gordon

Federal officials have mostly declined to answer questions or provide even basic information, making it hard, if not impossible to know how much money is at stake.

State officials say it’s extremely difficult to account for the status of hundreds of grant applications and awards because they are being managed by various state agencies, individual communities and other groups. When WyoFile asked Dru Palmer — manager of Wyoming’s State Grants Integration office, which was created to help reel in Biden-era federal dollars — for an accounting or estimate, the inquiry was forwarded to Gov. Mark Gordon’s office.

“Right now, a lot is still up in the air in this space,” Gordon’s Communications Director Michael Pearlman told WyoFile via email. “Our office is getting information program by program, if we receive any updates at all. Each federal agency is issuing its own guidance in terms of what programs can move forward, and which ones are still paused.”

‘Tip of the iceberg’

The Lander-based Wyoming Outdoor Council has identified more than $100 million that the state, Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes and other entities have applied for under the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that is now either terminated or “frozen,” according to the council’s Energy and Climate Associate Jonathan Williams. In addition to the Home Energy Savings program, there’s a freeze on Solar for All grant money totaling some $30 million, which includes a potential $8 million dedicated to the Wind River Indian Reservation.

A rooftop solar installation. (Western Area Power/Flickr)

Wyoming’s Solar for All grant award also dedicated money for workforce training to install solar infrastructure, specifically in low-income and tribal communities.

Some Wyoming ag producers — who are desperate to survive rising electric costs — have invested tens of thousands of dollars in solar installations, Williams added, with expectations to receive rebates via the long-standing Rural Energy for America Program. But those rebates also appear to be in question.

“We think this is the tip of the iceberg,” Williams said.

There could be as much as $2 billion at stake in Wyoming, according to a Grist report. But Williams says it’s nearly impossible to know for certain.

The council recently hosted a public webinar highlighting its concerns regarding programs “gone dark” as well as the potential benefits if the flow of federal grant dollars is allowed to move forward.

“A lot of these programs would just help residents save money — help communities save money,” Williams told dozens of webinar attendees on Thursday, adding that the vast majority of grants are one-time investments. “There’s certainly some other co-benefits, as well, worth acknowledging. I’m thinking specifically of human health impacts, the ability of communities and tribes to respond to natural emergencies like wildfire and drought and, certainly, just quality of life.”

Looking north from downtown Shoshoni in 2018. (Andrew Graham/WyoFile)

Though Wyoming’s congressional delegation opposed the Biden-era initiatives, they eventually joined state leaders in efforts to train local municipalities and others in grant writing seminars and provided other resources to help Wyoming communities take advantage of the opportunities.

“These aren’t abstract government initiatives,” the outdoor council’s Tribal Engagement Coordinator Big Wind Carpenter said. “They really are helping benefit our communities here on the ground in Wyoming … We’re talking about weatherization, energy efficiency upgrades — these are fundamental building blocks to allow residents to access services that they otherwise couldn’t afford.”

What municipalities are saying

City officials in Cheyenne — where technology and manufacturing have been booming for years, and where city staff is deft at pulling in grant dollars — say there’s unanswered questions regarding supposedly settled federal grants as well as those in the pipeline.

Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming) give virtual remarks at the state’s first annual federal funding summit in Sheridan on June 14, 2023. (Maggie Mullen/WyoFile)

“What I’m hearing from our federal partners is, ‘Just proceed as you have been until you hear otherwise’ and ‘Don’t do anything that could be used as a reason or an excuse to cancel your grant,’” Cheyenne’s Economic Resource Administrator Renee Smith told WyoFile.

In some cases, she said, particularly with grants administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, city and state officials sometimes hear of grant status updates before the regional office is informed. Staff at the U.S. Forest Service, according to Smith, have said they’re worried about the ability to process grants due to personnel cuts made by the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.

“We were going to go after a couple of Forest Service grants and, basically, everything just got shut down,” Smith said. One of the city’s in-the-pipe grants via the U.S. Department of Agriculture Urban and Community Forestry program was paused for a few weeks before federal officials resumed processing it, she said.

The city is still pinning hopes on an EPA grant to conduct a greenhouse-gas inventory which, if one is completed, qualifies Cheyenne and Laramie County to “unlock” many more potential grants for community solar and other renewable energy projects, Smith said. But the Trump administration has indicated a massive budget cut for the agency.

“That’s going to have massive, massive repercussions in our state,” Smith said, adding that EPA-administered grants help fill a major funding need in Wyoming for municipal water infrastructure.

What worries Smith the most, however, is that federal agencies are not accepting new applications for grant programs.

“I honestly think that we will see the impacts, not this year, but next year,” Smith said. “There are no grants for me to apply for right now. There’s nothing. So if I’m not writing grants, we’re not getting grants next year to do infrastructure projects next year.

“I’m less worried about our existing programs because we have contracts in place,” she added.

A contingent of Wyoming community advocates and town officials will sojourn to Washington D.C. this week, according to multiple sources who spoke to WyoFile, to plead for support of federal dollars already promised to Wyoming. Meantime, Gordon and Wyoming’s congressional delegation, they say, have been making the case for exceptions under the sweeping cuts.

“They are listening,” Smith said.

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Wyoming

Wyoming Coaches Pick the Best of 1A & 2A Boys Basketball in 2026

Published

8 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming Coaches Pick the Best of 1A & 2A Boys Basketball in 2026

The top boys’ basketball players in Wyoming for Classes 1A and 2A were chosen for the 2026 high school season. The Wyoming Coaches Association has unveiled the all-state awards for this year, as voted on by the head coaches in the two classifications, respectively. The Wyoming Coaches Association only recognizes one team for all-state, and only these players receive an award certificate from the WCA. WyoPreps only lists all-state players as defined by the WCA.

WCA 1A-2A BOYS BASKETBALL ALL-STATE SELECTIONS IN 2026

Each class selected 14 players for all-state, reflecting a broad recognition of talent across Wyoming. Notably, congratulations go to Hulett’s Kyle Smith, Brady Cook from Lingle-Fort Laramie, and Carsten Freeburg from Pine Bluffs, who earned all-state honors for the third straight year. In addition, eight more players achieved all-state status for the second time in their prep careers.

Class 1A

Paul McNiven – Burlington

Bitner Philpott – Burlington

Ammon Hatch – Cokeville (All-State in 2025)

Hudson Himmerich – Cokeville

Kyle Smith – Hulett (All-State 2024 & 2025)

Anthony Arnusch – Lingle-Ft. Laramie

Brady Cook – Lingle-Ft. Laramie (All-State 2024 & 2025)

Tymber Cozzens – Little Snake River (All-State in 2025)

Corbin Matthews – Lusk

Max Potas – Meeteetse (All-State in 2024)

Jace Westring – Saratoga

Hazen Williams – Saratoga

TJ Moats – Southeast (All-State in 2024)

Nic Schiller – Upton

Read More Boys Basketball News from WyoPreps

WyoPreps 1A-2A State Basketball Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps 3A-4A Regional Basketball Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Final Basketball Poll 2026

1A-2A Boys Basketball Regional Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 11 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-25-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 10 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-18-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 9 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-11-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 8 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-4-26

Class 2A

Caleb Adsit – Big Horn

Chase Garber – Big Horn

Carsten Freeburg – Pine Bluffs (All-State 2024 & 2025)

Mason Moss – Rocky Mountain

Oakley Hicks – Shoshoni

Kade Mills – Sundance

Cody Bomengen – Thermopolis (All-State in 2025)

Zak Hastie – Thermopolis

Ellis Webber – Thermopolis (All-State in 2025)

Joseph Kimbrell – Wright

Mitchell Strohschein – Wright (All-State in 2025)

Adriano Brown – Wyoming Indian

Heeyei’Niitou Monroe-Black – Wyoming Indian (All-State in 2025)

Cordell Spoonhunter – Wyoming Indian

The 2026 state champions were the Saratoga Panthers in Class 1A. They beat Lingle-Fort Laramie, 50-45, in the championship game. The 2A winners were the Thermopolis Bobcats, who repeated as champions, after a 45-38 victory over Wyoming Indian in the title game.

Lusk versus Rock River high school basketball 2026

Game action between the Tigers and Longhorns

Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Lisa Shaw

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Wyoming

New laws establish a statewide literacy program

Published

20 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

New laws establish a statewide literacy program

A pair of bills signed into law last week aim to build out a more comprehensive system of literacy education across Wyoming’s public schools.

One mandates evidence-based practices and requires regular screenings for dyslexia, while the other enables the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) to hire a dedicated literacy professional to oversee statewide compliance.

Gov. Mark Gordon’s signing of both bills on Friday was the latest accomplishment of an ongoing push for improved literacy standards. That push has been spearheaded by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder.

“Wyoming is not going to let a single child fall through the cracks,” Degenfelder said during a public bill signing last week. “We are not going to fall behind when it comes to ensuring that our children can read at grade level.”

The primary bill, Senate File 59, establishes a statewide K-12 program for teaching students to read that is built on “evidence based language and literacy instruction, assessment, intervention and professional development that supports educators, engages families and promotes literacy proficiency for all Wyoming students.”

The bill defines evidence-based strategies as those that conform to the science of reading, a term that will be defined and updated by Degenfelder’s office. Nationwide, it generally means putting academic research into practice in classrooms. SF 59 specifically prohibits the exclusive use of “three-cueing” — a strategy once widely employed to teach reading but which education experts now say is outdated and less effective than other strategies.

It also requires annual dyslexia screeners for students below the third grade, and testing for reading difficulties for all students.

The screeners are used to identify the severity of reading difficulties in order to direct “tiered” support that offers the most intensive interventions to the students most in need, while still providing “evidence based” language instruction to all students.

Each school district must formulate an individualized reading plan “for each student identified as having reading difficulties or at risk for poor reading outcomes.”

Districts must now report to the state annually regarding their literacy-related work. Any district where 60% or more of the students are struggling will be required to implement “summer literacy camps or extended supports, including after school support and tutoring.”

The bill also requires literacy related professional development for teachers and specialists “appropriate to their role and level of responsibility” related to literacy education.

SF 59 was backed by dyslexia advocates and literacy specialists.

Senate File 14, the other literacy bill signed into law Friday, appropriates $120,000 annually for the next two years for a full-time position at WDE “to assist school districts in implementing a reading assessment and intervention program and language and literacy programs.”

Both bills go into effect July 1.

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Wyoming

Wyoming Announces 2026 Football Schedule – SweetwaterNOW

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming Announces 2026 Football Schedule

Samuel “Tote” Harris. Photo from gowyo.com

LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming and the Mountain West Conference announced the Cowboys’ 2026 football schedule Monday, a slate that opens with the Border War and concludes with back-to-back home games in Laramie.

Wyoming opens the season Sept. 5 on the road against Colorado State in the 118th edition of the Border War. The Cowboys then host Northern Colorado on Sept. 12 in the home opener before traveling to Central Michigan on Sept. 19.

The Cowboys begin Mountain West play Sept. 26 at home against Hawaii in a matchup for the Paniolo Trophy. Wyoming then faces back-to-back road games at North Dakota State on Oct. 3 and San Jose State on Oct. 10.

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Wyoming returns to War Memorial Stadium on Oct. 17 to host conference newcomer Northern Illinois before facing Air Force at home on Oct. 24. The Cowboys will have an open week on Oct. 31.

The Cowboys open November with road games at UNLV on Nov. 7 and at UTEP on Nov. 14, marking Wyoming’s first meeting with the Miners as members of the Mountain West. Wyoming closes conference play by hosting New Mexico on Nov. 21 and wraps up the regular season with a nonconference game against UConn on Nov. 28 in Laramie.

Each Mountain West team will play four home and four road conference games during the 13-week season, which will conclude with the Mountain West Football Championship Game featuring the two teams with the highest conference winning percentages. The championship game date will be announced later.

With the conference schedule set, Mountain West television partners CBS Sports, FOX Sports, and The CW will begin selecting broadcast games, which could include moving some contests to non-Saturday dates. Network assignments and kickoff times will be announced at a later date.

Season ticket renewals for the 2026 Wyoming football season are now available. Fans can renew their tickets online by visiting gowyo.com/tickets and logging into their account.

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