CASPER, Wyo. — On Saturday, protesters spoke out against President Donald Trump and the current administration while collecting nonperishable items to be donated to the Wyoming Food for Thought Project.
The protest comes roughly two weeks after the “Hands Off” protests swept the nation, including Casper. Both protests have been organized by the Casper Unity and Solidarity Project, or CUSP — a local group formed in February.
“We were looking around and didn’t see anyone responding to what’s going on,” CUSP member Jane Ifland said. “We wanted to take a two-pronged approach, and so CUSP will have both a political action side and a mutual aid side.”
Organizer Amber Bland said CUSP members knew they wanted to incorporate a donation drive or fundraiser in Saturday’s protest, and ultimately decided to support Wyoming Food for Thought because of the problem food insecurity poses.
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“Food insecurity was, by and large, the biggest issue that we agreed as a group to focus on, especially with the food banks taking such a big hit [through Department of Governmental Efficiency cuts].”
In March, the Food Bank of Wyoming lost roughly $535,000 of funding when DOGE cuts eliminated a USDA grant that allowed food banks to purchase fresh food directly from Wyoming suppliers.
In addition to the food drive for Food for Thought, Bland said CUSP established an online fundraiser raising money for the Wyoming Food Bank. People can donate here.
Bland said CUSP plans on hosting many more mutual aid events and projects in the future, from clothing drives to fundraisers and possibly creating or working on a community garden.
“There’s a lot we have in the works and are excited about, but at the moment we’re still getting started,” she said.
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At Saturday’s protest, attendees voiced anger and concern about a number of issues, including the deportation of Maryland man Kilmar Abrego-Garcia to CECOT, a detention center in El Salvador. The federal government initially referred to Abrego-Garcia being sent there as a mistake, but later walked back that stance. Despite a 9–0 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that he must be sent back, the Trump administration and the El Salvadorian government have stated that he will not be returned to the country.
“We’re seeing an outright attack against our Constitution,” Ifland said. “It flies in the face of everything that America stands for.”
Other topics on protesters’ minds included tariffs, DOGE cuts, reproductive rights and more.
CUSP’s next rally is scheduled for May 1 from 5 to 6 p.m. at Healing Park on Conwell. Ifland said the rally will be a show of support for the Wyoming Education Association and the Wyoming State AFL-CIO.
This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.
The former director of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) agency is joining Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department.
9-News reported that Jeff Davis was hired as the department’s deputy director in late December. That’s after Doug Brimeyer retired.
He starts the job in February.
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Davis resigned from CPW last year instead of being fired as part of a settlement agreement. The settlement agreement Davis signed did not directly cite a reason for his termination.
Davis joined CPW as the state reintroduced wolves. His resignation came shortly after Washington state said it would not provide wolves to Colorado’s reintroduction program.
Before joining CPW in 2023, Davis had a long career in the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. While there, he focused on coordinating conservation initiatives involving interdisciplinary teams and salmon recovery.
BILLINGS— Activists on both sides praised and criticized the Wyoming Supreme Court’s ruling of abortion bans as unconstitutional on Tuesday in a 4-1 majority.
The ruling marks the end of a four-year legal battle in Wyoming since the state’s 2022 abortion ban went in place with the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which overturned abortion rights on a federal level.
Watch for the report:
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Activists react after Wyoming high court rules abortion ban unconstitutional
The ban was put on hold after Wyoming’s only abortion clinic, Wellspring Health Access in Casper, led a suit against the state.
“I was holding my breath as I opened it and read it. But soon that turned to being rather elated. We couldn’t be more pleased with the opinion,” said Julie Burkhart, the clinic’s president.
Vanessa Willardson
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Julie Burkhart
The decision comes after a years-long fight and setbacks, including an arsonist who set the clinic on fire in May of 2022.
“We were set to open that next month, but unfortunately that arson set us back by 11 months. We weren’t able to open that until 2023. It was quite devastating,” said Burkhart.
“I don’t think it’s moral, ethical, appropriate for anyone to tell another person what they can or cannot do with their own body,” she added.
Wellspring Health Access
Wellspring Health Access after 2022 fire
For a Montana advocacy group, it was a different story.
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“I was very disappointed,” said Amy Seymour, president of Yellowstone Valley Christians for Life, an anti-abortion advocacy group.
“These pre-born children who are unique, complete, living, individual human beings from the moment of their conception, they can be protected if Wyoming decides to have a constitutional amendment to that degree,” she added.
Vanessa Willardson
Amy Seymour
Wyoming state Speaker of the House Chip Neiman, a Republican, echoed Seymour’s sentiments with a written statement.
“Today’s decision is an abomination. Four unelected justices thwarted the will of the people to establish a ‘right’ to kill an innocent baby. Thanks to these justices, Wyoming has some of the most radical abortion laws in America. I will not stand for that, and will continue fighting for innocent unborn babies,” said Neiman.
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Wyoming Supreme Court strikes down abortion bans, keeping procedure legal
GLENROCK, Wyo. — A 55-year-old Wyoming man died Monday night after his vehicle went over a bridge rail and caught fire on Interstate 25 near Glenrock.
Gavin Stanek was traveling north in a Cadillac Escalade around 9:13 p.m. when the vehicle drifted into the median near milepost 156, according to a Wyoming Highway Patrol report. The vehicle continued through the median until it struck a bridge retaining wall.
The driver’s side of the Escalade scraped along the rail before the vehicle went over the edge toward the river. The Cadillac rolled toward the passenger side and landed on its roof on the river embankment, where it was engulfed in flames, the report states.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol identified driver fatigue or the driver falling asleep as a possible contributing factor in the crash. Road conditions were dry and the weather was clear at the time of the incident.
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This story contains preliminary information as provided by the Wyoming Highway Patrol via the Wyoming Department of Transportation Fatal Crash Summary map. The agency advises that information may be subject to change.
