Wyoming

Natrona County Library director: DOGE cuts will directly impact local library

Published

2 months ago

April 5, 2025

Natrona County Library director: DOGE cuts will directly impact local library

CASPER, Wyo. — The Trump administration’s efforts to slash federal government spending will be felt here at home in Natrona County, particularly at the library.

That’s according to the executive director of the Natrona County Library, Lisa Scroggins, who referenced the recent news that the National Endowment for the Humanities has cut or canceled most of its grant programs.

As part of the Trump Administration’s spending cuts identified as necessary by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, many humanities programs across the country are seeing their grant funding slashed.

This has a direct impact on the Wyoming Humanities Council which, in turn, has a direct impact on the Natrona County Public Library.

The Wyoming Humanities Council funds countless programs across Wyoming, including programs and services offered by the library. Those services, Scroggins said, are in jeopardy.

“The Wyoming Humanities Council does great work in supporting things like library initiatives,” Scroggins said. ” And libraries are part of the humanities. We have directly received grants from the WHC.”

Scroggins referenced a number of different programs that the library offers Casper residents, including book clubs, talk groups, and even the Story Walk, which took place along the North Platte River.

“Currently, we have a book club about women’s mental health,” Scroggins shared. “We’ve partnered with Amy Adwalpalker, a Licensed Professional Counselor from Deep Waters Counseling, and we’re hosting a series of book club discussions, where participants are reading books about women’s mental health. In Wyoming, we know that mental health for everybody is tremendously important, but women face different issues than others; their mental health needs are different. So the book club is one of the programs that we offer, that is funded through the Humanities Council.”

As that program and others show, the library is more than just a place to check out books. It actively impacts the lives and well-being of Natrona County residents.

“We also offer these living room-type conversations where we discuss some tough subjects with community members, and teach them, through modeling, how to express your opinions without negating somebody else’s,” Scroggins said. “We give them a chance to learn to listen and look for ways to create solutions, rather than just creating programs. That’s another program funded through the Wyoming Humanities Council.”

Additionally, the Story Walk has been a major fixture of the community since its inception. Each of these services, and more, are made possible through the Wyoming Humanities Council.

The New York Times reported that the National Endowment for the Humanities has canceled most of its grant programs. It has also put its staff on administrative leave “as its resources are set to be redirected toward supporting President Trump’s priorities.”

Now, Wyoming Humanities is urgently seeking the support of the public at large in order to continue its programs.

That’s according to a release from the organization, which states that “Wyoming Humanities is urgently calling on Wyoming residents to support essential cultural and educational initiatives in the face of devastating federal funding cuts.”

The release states that on the evening of April 2, all state humanities councils were notified that their National Endowment for the Humanities grants, including their general operating funds for the current year, have been fully canceled, effective immediately.

The email, which The New York Times reviewed, was sent out late Wednesday night.

“Your grant’s immediate termination is necessary to safeguard the interests of the federal government, including its fiscal priorities,” the letters said. “The termination of your grant represents an urgent priority for the administration, and due to exceptional circumstances, adherence to the traditional notification process is not possible.”

For Shawn Reese, executive director of Wyoming Humanities, the news wasn’t surprising. However, how the news came definitely was.

“We had gotten notice that DOGE was at the National Endowment for the Humanities at the beginning of the week,” Reese said. “But on Wednesday night, around 10 o’clock, my counterparts in other state councils started emailing, in alphabetical order, that they had received a notice from a suspicious email account, and that these notices were going into their junk mail files. Just one state after the other. Mine ended up getting flagged by our antivirus software and I was only able to extract it from the quarantine today. It was marked as a phishing attempt.”

Reese said he finally was able to read the notice, and the content wasn’t surprising, either.

“We knew DOGE was going to be making cuts to grants and to the staff, because Congress had designated 40% of the NEH’s budget to go directly to states. We weren’t quite sure, until the termination letters, if our state funding would be treated differently than the other grants that NEH makes directly to cultural organizations. But it turns out, we’ve all been treated the same.”

Reese said he knew, for instance, that the Meeteetse Museum District received funding directly from NEH for improvements to the museum, but those funds have been cut as well.

Once Reese gathered and processed the information, he sent out a press release, “urgently” seeking the public’s assistance in support current and future programs.

“This decision threatens Wyoming Humanities’ ability to continue providing invaluable educational and cultural programming,” the release said.

The release notes that, for decades, NEH funding was the cornerstone of Wyoming Humanities’ success. The funding supported programs ranging from community lectures and cultural discussions, to the promotion of literature, history and the arts.

“The federal funding cuts will signiﬁcantly impact Wyoming Humanities’ ability to sustain popular programs such as Native Narratives, the Center for the Book, Smithsonian exhibits, and more,” the release stated. “These programs oﬀer opportunities for meaningful cultural exchange, exploration of history, and celebration of the arts, and have become a vital part of Wyoming’s educational landscape.”

The programs, Reese said, are a vital part of the arts and culture scene in Wyoming and these funding cuts won’t just cost them at some unknown point in the future; they’re costing the council right now.

“We operate on kind of a reimbursement basis,” he said. “We don’t get all of the federal funding at once; we submit monthly drawdowns. So, we submitted our drawdown quickly the next morning, on the third. And it has not been approved. I’m not sure that there’s anyone who can make those approvals, or if they’re even allowed to make the approvals. So the cut, although effective April 2, actually affects us going back to the beginning of March.”

The library, too, is bracing for even more cuts to its programming, after the entire staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services was put on immediate leave.

Oil City News reported Wednesday that grant funding from the IMLS is sent to the Wyoming State Library, in Cheyenne, which is then dispersed to public and academic libraries across the state, including the Natrona County Public Library.

“According to the IMLS website, Wyoming received around $1.23 million in the 2024 fiscal year, which Wyoming State Library’s State Librarian Abby Beaver says was roughly what it was expecting for the 2025 fiscal year,” Oil City News reported. “Applications for the 2025 fiscal year have been sent in, but the Trump administration’s actions this week mean that no staff are available for the processing work.”

Between that and the cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities, Scroggins said that it’s no longer a matter of if programs will be affected; it’s a matter of when.

“The cuts will impact the Natrona County Library,” she asserted. “There’s no could. If [the Wyoming Humanities Council] doesn’t have the funding, they won’t have the grant opportunities. And we have leaned into their grant opportunities, to the benefit of our community. We’ve received them. So could it affect us? Yeah. Not that it could, but that it will.”

The future is unknown, both for the Natrona County Library and for the Wyoming Humanities Council itself. Both Reese and Scroggins are imploring the community to speak to their elected representatives, to donate to the humanities, and to spread the message of the arts wherever, and to whomever, they can.

“We need our community’s voice now more than ever,” Reese said. “Whether you’ve beneﬁted from our programs directly or simply believe in the power of the humanities to unite and inspire, your support is crucial. We are urging citizens to reach out to their elected representatives to restore funding for the NEH and ensure the continued success of these programs.”

Scroggins agrees, and is asking people to spread the word about the different services that the library offers, as well as all of the different programs that the Humanities encompass.

“I think it’s really important to raise awareness that we are here for people,” she said. “Like I said, we have the women’s mental health book club, and we have book clubs on death and dying; those are issues that people face. We have resources here for businesses to grow and thrive; they’re incredibly important. We teach people how to use technology and, of course, we support literacy and doing everything we can to help our community be strong and thrive in an ever-changing world. If you benefit from the library, if you use the library, share your own story about what that looks like.”

For the Humanities Council, this move came as a major blow; one that will impact all aspects of its services.

“It’s really making us rethink all aspects of the organization,” Reese said. “We will need to rely on our reserves and the generosity of our donors. We have ongoing responsibilities. We received funding from the state of Wyoming that we grant out to museums and libraries and historical societies and that funding will continue until the summer of 2026. So we’ll continue to be able to support communities in that way. But other things that we’ve done…we just really need to reevaluate our resources and the programs that we’ve been able to offer in the past.”

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Wyoming

Obituaries: Cheney; Kenny; Lott; Snell

Published

3 hours ago

May 28, 2025

Press Room

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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Wyoming

Natrona County's average gas price rises slightly, remains Wyoming's cheapest

Published

21 hours ago

May 27, 2025

Press Room

Natrona County's average gas price rises slightly, remains Wyoming's cheapest

CASPER, Wyo. — A month-long slide in Natrona County’s average gas price ended in the past week as the average ticked upward a penny as the national average dropped by the same amount.

The nation’s average price of gasoline rose, then fell, and remains just below its week-ago level at $3.13 per gallon, according to GasBuddy data. The national average is up 3.1 cents from a month ago and down 43 cents from a year ago.

The national average price of diesel fell 3.2 cents in the last week to stand at $3.476 per gallon.

“While the national average didn’t fall quite as far as anticipated for Memorial Day, it was still one of the most affordable since 2021 — and, when adjusted for inflation, among the cheapest in nearly a decade,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “As we move into the heart of summer, I believe we’re likely to see a relatively stable stretch for gas prices as refinery maintenance wraps up. Don’t expect the national average to rise above $3.30 per gallon, nor drop much below $3 for now.

“While refining issues on the West Coast are beginning to ease, several factors could still influence prices in the weeks ahead — including growing uncertainty around the upcoming hurricane season. We’ll also be watching OPEC+’s meeting this week to see if they boost oil production again for July as well.”

On Monday, AAA reported that the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.17, up 4 cents from last week. In Wyoming, the average is $3.14, down 1 cent. Natrona County’s average rose 1 cent to $2.84, giving the county the cheapest gasoline in the state for eight weeks in a row.

Laramie and Goshen counties continue to leapfrog each other week to week, jockeying to offer the second and third cheapest averages. Laramie County’s 9-cent drop last week brought its average to $2.94, now the state’s second cheapest average, while Goshen County’s price dropped 1 cent to $2.99, ranking it as the third cheapest, according to AAA.

(AAA graphic)

The cheapest fuel in Natrona County on Tuesday was $2.69 at Exxon, 1968 E. Yellowstone Highway, followed by $2.75 at multiple gas stations in Casper, according to GasBuddy reports.

Also included in GasBuddy’s report:

OIL PRICES
Ahead of a key OPEC+ meeting where the organization will be weighing another potential production increase, oil prices remained in the low $60 per barrel range as of Tuesday morning. WTI crude was off 62 cents to $60.95 per barrel, down from $62.08 last week, while Brent crude oil was down 54 cents to $64.20 per barrel, down slightly from last Monday’s $64.91 per barrel fetch. While OPEC+ may resort to raising production again, oil markets were also digesting the possibility of President Trump sanctioning Russia for escalating its attacks on Ukraine in recent days, which could impact oil markets, depending on the degree of any potential move. However, with OPEC+ potentially raising oil production, oil markets may see little overall impact.
OIL AND REFINED PRODUCT SUPPLIES
The EIA’s Weekly Petroleum Status Report for the week ending May 16, 2025, showed U.S. oil inventories rose by 1.3 million barrels, about 6% below the seasonal average for this time of year, while the SPR rose 800,000 barrels to 400.5 million. Gasoline inventories rose by 0.8 million barrels and stand 2% below the five-year seasonal average, while distillate inventories rose 0.6 million barrels and are about 16% below the five-year seasonal average. Refinery utilization rose 0.5 percentage points to 90.7%, while implied gasoline demand, EIA’s proxy for retail demand, fell 150,000 bpd to 8.644 million barrels per day.
GAS PRICE TRENDS
The most common U.S. gas price encountered by motorists stood at $2.99 per gallon, unchanged from last week, followed by $2.89, $3.09, $2.79, and $3.19, rounding out the top five most common prices.
The median U.S. gas price is $2.99 per gallon, unchanged from last week and about 14 cents lower than the national average.
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The top 10% of stations in the country average $4.60 per gallon, while the bottom 10% average $2.54 per gallon.
The states with the lowest average prices: Mississippi ($2.62), Louisiana ($2.67), and Alabama ($2.71).
The states with the highest average prices: California ($4.77), Hawaii ($4.46), and Washington ($4.35).
Biggest weekly changes: New Mexico (-11.6¢), Nevada (-9.8¢), California (-8.5¢), Texas (-8.1¢), Utah (-7.8¢)
DIESEL PRICE TRENDS
The most common U.S. diesel price stood at $3.49 per gallon, up 10 cents from last week, followed by $3.39, $3.29, $3.19, and $3.59, rounding out the top five most common prices.
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The median U.S. diesel price is $3.39 per gallon, unchanged from last week and about 8 cents lower than the national average.
Diesel prices at the top 10% of stations in the country average $4.75 per gallon, while the bottom 10% average $2.87 per gallon.
The states with the lowest average diesel prices: Texas ($3.01), Louisiana ($3.07), and Oklahoma ($3.08).
The states with the highest average diesel prices: Hawaii ($5.27), California ($5.04), and Washington ($4.60).
Biggest weekly changes: Florida (+9.7¢), Oregon (+8.9¢), Washington (+7.5¢), Texas (-7.4¢), New Mexico (-7.2¢)
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