Along Wyoming’s highways, motorists will occasionally see a sign that features a broken heart and a dove.
These signs on a tall, white background over an outline that resembles a memorial marker are symbols of grief and sorrow, and healing and hope. They have been requested by families in honor of their loved ones who lost their lives in traffic crashes on state and federal highways and interstates.
Beginning in 2003, the Wyoming Department of Transportation has offered these specially designed and free memorial signs to families. It’s not uncommon to see memorials to those lost on state roadways, most maintained by friends and families featuring a cross and/or a cache of flowers and other personal items.
It’s not widely known that families also can request an official marker from WYDOT, even though the program has been around for more than 20 years.
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“The Roadside Memorial Program was created because we are sympathetic to the families who want to remember their loved ones this way,” WYDOT spokesperson Cody Beers said. “We work with them so that they can place these memorials.”
The goal of the signage program is to remember the victims of traffic crashes and recognize the needs of grieving families, while still maintaining a safe clear zone along the highways.
Highway Safety
Even though people put them up, those independent memorials are discouraged.
“We don’t allow private memorials alongside of our roads,” Beers said. “One of the reasons is for safety. We try to try to keep people from stopping along the roadway and then walking across the highway.
“When we go through this memorial program with applicants, we ask them not to decorate the memorial and let the sign speak for itself.”
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The sign program was created as a compromise so families could still have their memorials at the area where their loved one died, but without the danger to themselves or breaking the law.
Wyoming law prohibits any encroachment, such as advertising signs or private memorials, on highway rights of way. These private installations, according to WYDOT, can pose a danger to motorists and those who put the memorials up or stop to add to it.
By having WYDOT personnel install and maintain the breakaway signs, they meet federal safety standards. It also eliminates the dangers of family members erecting memorials beside a highway, and of having unregulated obstructions in the clear zone along the road.
Any private memorials placed in highway rights of way will be removed and held at the nearest WYDOT shop for two weeks to give family members an opportunity to retrieve them.
The Roadside Memorial Program was created as a compromise, Beers said.
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The Wyoming Department of Transporation will place memorial signs for families of loved ones who died in crashes on state highways. They’re a compromise to discourage illegal and potentially dangerous private memorials. (Courtesy WYDOT)
Requesting A Sign
“If families want us to place a sign by where their loved one died in a car crash, we have an application process on the WYDOT website,” Beers said. “We need a copy of the application, the crash report, and then we can look into it. If it has merit, we put up a sign form at the crash site, or as close to the crash site as we can.”
After receiving the application, WYDOT will install the memorial sign as soon as it is practical, and it will remain in place for ten years. At that time, the family will have the option of having the sign removed so they can claim it, leaving the sign up without maintenance until deterioration requires it be removed or having a new sign installed for a $50 fee to cover the costs of fabrication and installation.
WYDOT makes every effort to locate memorial signs as close as possible to the site of the fatalities, but maintenance personnel have the flexibility to consider safety concerns.
“Families are thankful this program exists,” Cody said. “We only get a few applications each year in my district. I can’t speak for the other districts, but we don’t get an application for everybody who dies in a car crash. But some people are very adamant that this is the way they want to remember their family member who is important to them. The crash occurred, and we respect that.”
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
When a clinic closes in Wyoming, it doesn’t just close a door; it can cut off access to care for entire communities.
For many residents, getting to a health care provider already means traveling long distances across multiple counties, and local clinics are often the only nearby option for basic health care. With one Title X Family Planning clinic in western Wyoming now closed, the challenge is becoming even more real for many people.
Reproductive and sexual health care is a key part of overall health, but it’s often one of the first services people lose access to when clinics close. Title X Family Planning is a federal program that helps people get essential preventive care, no matter their income. These clinics offer services like birth control, cancer screenings, STI and HIV testing, and care before pregnancy. They help people stay healthy, catch problems early, and plan for their futures.
The need is real. Wyoming’s Title X Family Planning network remains a critical part of the state’s health care system, helping bridge gaps in both access and affordability. With 9 clinics currently serving communities across the state, these providers cared for nearly 12,000 patients through more than 28,000 visits between 2022 and 2025. For many, these clinics are their only source of care: 49% of patients were uninsured, and nearly half were living at or below the federal poverty level.
In a state where distance and cost can both be barriers, affordable care is essential. About 14.6% of Wyoming women ages 19–44 are uninsured, higher than the national average. Title X clinics help meet this need by offering low- or no-cost care, while also connecting patients to referrals and additional health services when needed, ensuring more individuals can get the care they deserve.
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These clinics are also on the front lines of prevention. In recent years, they delivered more than 3,100 cervical cancer screenings and about 20,000 STI and HIV tests. Services like these support early detection and treatment, helping reduce the need for more serious and costly care down the line.
In rural states like Wyoming, once a clinic closes, it is very hard to bring it back. These clinics are more than buildings; they are part of the local health care system that keeps communities healthy.
The good news is that Title X Family Planning clinics are still open, working every day to serve their communities. The Wyoming Health Council supports this network of clinics and works to ensure that people across the state can access the care they need. Through partnerships, education, and community-based programs, the organization helps connect Wyoming residents to reproductive and sexual health services, no matter where they live.
In a state where distance, cost, and provider shortages all play a role, these clinics, and the work supporting them, are more than just a convenience. They are a lifeline.
To help sustain this work and protect access to care across Wyoming, consider making a donation to the Wyoming Health Council.
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Donation Link: givebutter.com/WYTitleX
Required Federal Funding statement: This project is supported by the Office of Populations Affairs (OPA) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award 1 FPHPA 006541-0-00 totaling $978,380 with 100 percent funded by OPA/OASH/HHS. The contents are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by OPA/OASH/HHS or the U.S. Government.
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CASPER, Wyo. — The Casper City Council voted Tuesday to approve on first reading a zoning change for a vacant 2.4-acre parcel located at 1530 SE Wyoming Boulevard, transitioning the property from residential to commercial use.
The ordinance reclassifies Lot 4 of the Methodist Church Addition from Residential Estate to General Business. Located between East 15th and East 18th streets, the irregular-shaped property has remained undeveloped since it was first platted in 1984.
While original plans for the subdivision envisioned a church and an associated preschool, Community Development Director Liz Becher reported those projects never materialized.
According to Becher, the applicant sought the rezoning to facilitate the potential installation of a cell tower or an off-premises sign. Under the new C-2 designation, a cell tower up to 130 feet in height is considered a permitted use by right, though any off-premises sign would still require a conditional use permit from the Planning and Zoning Commission. The applicant also owns the adjacent lot to the north, which the city rezoned to general business in 2021.
Becher said the change aligns with the “Employment Mixed Use” classification in the Generation Casper comprehensive land use plan. This designation typically supports civic, institutional and employment spaces.
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Despite the new zoning, the property remains subject to a subdivision agreement that limits traffic access. Entry and exit are restricted to right turns onto or from East 15th Street, and no access is permitted from East 18th Street.
The council will vote on two more readings of the ordinance before it is officially ratified.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Two men were detained in Wyoming in connection with a fatal shooting at a downtown Salt Lake hotel that killed one man.
Carlos Chee, 23, and Chino Aguilar, 21, were both wanted for first-degree felony murder after the victim, identified as Christian Lee, 32, was found dead in a room at the Springhill Suites near 600 South and 300 West.
According to warrants issued for their arrest, Chee and Aguilar met with Lee and another woman at the hotel to sell marijuana. During the alleged drug deal, Aguilar allegedly shot and killed Lee after he tried to grab at his gun.
MORE | Shootings
Investigators said they found Lee dead in the room upon arrival, as well as a single shell casing on the floor and a small amount of marijuana on the television stand.
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The woman told investigators she had met Chee on a dating app and that he agreed to come to the hotel to sell her marijuana. She had been hanging out with him in the room, which Lee rented for her to use, when Lee asked them to leave. Lee was then shot and killed following a brief confrontation.
Chee and Aguilar allegedly fled the scene in a 2013 Toyota Camry with a Texas license plate that was later found outside of Rock Springs, Wyoming just a few hours later.
The two men were taken into custody and detained at the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office.
