Wyoming

Threatened federal funding for education, workforce programs spark concern among Wyoming tribes – WyoFile

Published

9 months ago

May 30, 2025

Threatened federal funding for education, workforce programs spark concern among Wyoming tribes – WyoFile

A national narrative that Job Corps isn’t working couldn’t be further from the truth in central Wyoming, according to Jared Baldes, a field director and former carpentry instructor at Wind River Job Corps in Riverton.

In a region of the state where high school dropout rates are high and traditional college paths aren’t the norm, Baldes said, Wind River Job Corps creates a viable pipeline for students to enter the workforce and earn high wages and good benefits. It helps keep youths out of the juvenile justice system, and is an important avenue for Wind River Indian Reservation youth.

“Just in my trade alone, I’ve placed 15 students this year into jobs, six of them Native American,” Baldes told members of the Legislature’s Select Committee on Tribal Affairs last week. “So the national narrative that Job Corps isn’t working is very wrong. Job Corps is working, and it’s very effective, and it’s changing lives.”

Now, however, the free career training program for low-income young adults is in danger. The Trump administration proposed a significant cut to the Job Corps program following an initial call to eliminate funding entirely. The U.S. Department of Labor announced Thursday it will pause operations at contractor-operated Job Corps centers nationwide.

“It would be very unfortunate not to be able to continue that pipeline to small businesses and businesses around the state for these young men and women being trained by very good instructors,” Baldes said.

Job Corps’ demise was among a chorus of warning bells rung during the meeting last week in Fort Washakie. Though the topic was not on the agenda, tribal representatives repeatedly raised worries that federal funding could end or decline for programs vital to Native communities.

Arapahoe Charter High School’s class of 2024 during graduation. Eight of the 14 graduates planned to attend college or Job Corps. (Kyle Duba/WyoFile)

The tenor underscored deep trepidation about impacts that could ripple from federal efforts to cut spending.

Wind River Job Corps has clearly been a positive force in the state, committee member Rep. Ivan Posey, D-Fort Washakie, said. He remembered cedaring the dorms with his brother when the facility opened.

“I hope that [Wyoming’s congressional] delegation realizes that it’s been a boon to our economy here, and that it’s been a good thing for us,” he said. “It changes people’s lives.”

Education

School leaders are keeping close watch on potential cuts that could impact tribal education, they told the committee.

Though the Trump administration has apparently backed away from a proposal to eliminate Head Start funding, the threat remains, Eastern Shoshone Business Council Wayland Large said.

“On this reservation, each district has a Head Start — one in Fort Washakie, Ethete and Arapahoe,” Large said. The program, which is under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides early childhood education, health, nutrition and parent services to low-income families with children from birth to age 5.

Fremont County School District 38 Superintendent Curt Mayer, meanwhile, said his district is concerned about Impact Aid funding. That federal program provides financial assistance to local school districts with concentrations of children living on tribal lands as well as military bases and other federal property.

District 38 officials travel to Washington, D.C. twice a year to secure the funding, Mayer said, which is used to fund counselors, nurses, school resource officers and cultural staff in the Arapahoe schools.

Teepees were set up on the lawn of Arapaho schools during Heritage Week in May 2024. (Katie Klingsporn/WyoFile)

Deb Smith, superintendent of the Fort Washakie Schools in Fremont County School District 21, echoed that concern.

“Impact Aid is huge for us,” Smith said. “So we’ve all been very worried about the funding, if it’s going to be there in the future.”

Committee chairman Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, asked about other implications.

“It seems that the situation is evolving with respect to our federal partners in education,” Case said, “and I’m wondering what kind of implications are there, for example, with the elimination of the Department of Education?”

If the DOE goes away, Smith said, the hope is that Impact Aid can survive in a different federal department. Other areas of concern include federal funding for free and reduced lunch programs, Title I funds that help schools with high percentages of low-income students and similar programs.

“We can’t provide some of the programming and resources without that funding,” she said. “And it’s scary. It’s very scary.”

Lawmakers listened sympathetically to Smith and others’ concerns but remained relatively mum.

Higher ed

Central Wyoming College in Riverton has the state’s largest Trio Program, CWC President Dr. Brad Tyndall told the committee. The federal program offers outreach and services designed to provide pre-college services for people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

There are roughly 650 eligible students in the CWC service area, Tyndall said, and the college works with them by going through the high schools to identify and help students.

“The recommendation from the White House budget is to cut all of that, and that would be devastating to our community, and especially our Native Americans, but it would be everybody,” he said. “The economic impact to the state is huge, and begs the question: ‘What do we do if that money goes away as a state?’”

College officials are also concerned about Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions Program, or NASNTI, grants, Tyndall said, which are on hold.

“But NASNTI is kind of dwarfed by Trio,” he said.

Arapaho Charter High School senior Ayden Spoonhunter took auto class at Central Wyoming College his final semester of high school in 2024. (Katie Klingsporn/WyoFile)

The college is also concerned about some changes to the Pell Grant availability in the federal budget bill, CWC Vice President of Student Affairs Coralina Daly said.

The changes would require students to take 15 credits per semester.

With many at-risk students, she said, taking 12 credits “is a significant load already. To ask them to take another class is really impeding their ability to be successful.”

There also is a proposal to cut Pell for part-time students, she added, “so all of these students that we know who are working and have these other obligations are going to have less access to aid.”

Federal work study is also slated to be canceled in the budget bill, she said. “So that is another opportunity that would go away.”

Of the funding coming to CWC’s self-identified tribal students, Daly said, “71% of those funds are coming from federal sources. That is disproportionately larger than our overall population.

“I think it’s important to note those federal funds are incredibly important for our tribal students,” she said.

The federal budget bill, officially called the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, passed the U.S. House last week. It must still clear the Senate.

Uncertainty

Other areas of concern included Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which are both targeted for cuts.

Conversations during the committee meeting also highlighted a high level of confusion related to when or how federal money will come through, the fact that some funds that were frozen have been released and if and how court intervention will impact programs.

A woman walks into the Wind River Family and Community Healthcare clinic in Arapahoe in August 2023. (Katie Klingsporn/WyoFile)

For example, staff in the federal department that oversees the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIEAP, were eliminated this spring, spurring worries that the program would end.

“It does help our elders and the community with the gas and the lights,” Eastern Shoshone Business Council member Latonna Snyder said. “So that’s a big issue.”

However, LIEAP in Wyoming has been funded through September, the Wyoming Department of Family Services announced this spring, adding that for the time being, no changes were anticipated.

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Wyoming

Meyer’s Late Score Lifts Wyoming past Air Force – SweetwaterNOW

Published

12 minutes ago

March 2, 2026

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Meyer’s Late Score Lifts Wyoming past Air Force – SweetwaterNOW

Naz Meyer. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-UW Media-Athletics

LARAMIE — Nasir Meyer converted a three-point play with 35 seconds remaining to give Wyoming Cowboys men’s basketball the lead for good, and Wyoming held Air Force Falcons men’s basketball scoreless over the final two minutes to secure a 66-62 victory Saturday night.

The win marked the 13th home victory of the season for Wyoming, which improved to 16-13 overall and 7-11 in conference play.

“Air Force deserves all the credit and let’s talk about a team that has every reason not to fight, but thats why they are Air Force and the cadets and I have a lot of respect for them,” Wyoming coach Sundance Wicks said. “They were not going to quit, and I didn’t drive that message home enough and hats off to Air Force because they deserved to win. We snuck away with a win. Adam Harakow showed when we need him and he was massive for us. Simm-Marten was made big plays and Naz was clutch for us late.”

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Wyoming shot 35% from the field and went 7 of 28 from 3-point range, making just two from beyond the arc in the second half. Air Force shot 49% overall and 44% from 3, hitting eight shots from long distance. The Cowboys made 13 of 16 free throws (81%) and scored 22 points off 15 Air Force turnovers while holding a 39-36 edge in rebounding.

Damarion Dennis led Wyoming with 16 points and three assists, going 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. Meyer finished with 14 points and tied a career best with eight rebounds. Adam Harakow added 14 points off the bench on 5-of-6 shooting, his first double-figure scoring game since the first meeting with Air Force. Simm-Marten Saadi had nine points in 13 minutes, and Kiani Saxon grabbed seven rebounds.

Air Force opened with back-to-back 3-pointers to take a 6-0 lead. Meyer scored Wyoming’s first basket, and Leland Walker added a 3-pointer to make it 8-5 with 16 minutes left in the first half.

Wyoming responded with a 9-0 run over nearly four minutes, with Saadi and Harakow each connecting from beyond the arc to give the Cowboys an 11-8 lead with under 14 minutes remaining. Air Force regained a 12-11 advantage as Wyoming went scoreless for more than two minutes.

Harakow’s second 3-pointer pushed the lead to 22-16 with nine minutes left in the half, and Wyoming used a 6-0 run while holding the Falcons without a field goal for more than four minutes to build a 28-18 lead with six minutes remaining. The Cowboys closed the half on a defensive stand, keeping Air Force scoreless for the final two minutes to take a 35-25 lead into the break. Wyoming scored 15 first-half points off turnovers.

The teams traded 3-pointers early in the second half, and Air Force cut the deficit to 40-31 with under 17 minutes left before trimming it to seven 90 seconds later. Walker answered with a 3-pointer to make it 43-33 with 15 minutes to go.

Air Force used a 9-0 run during a stretch in which Wyoming went more than 3 1/2 minutes without a point to pull within one with nine minutes left. The Falcons later tied the game at 51-51 with 5:30 remaining after forcing six straight missed shots.

A pair of free throws by Meyer and a basket from Saadi gave Wyoming a 57-53 lead with under four minutes to play. Air Force answered with three consecutive 3-pointers from Kam Sanders to take a 62-59 lead with two minutes left.

Meyer scored with 90 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to one. On the next trip, he converted an and-one to give Wyoming a 64-62 lead with 35 seconds left. The Cowboys added late free throws to close out the 66-62 win.

Sanders led Air Force with 16 points and nine rebounds, going 4 of 5 from 3-point range. Eli Robinson added 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

Wyoming closes its home schedule Tuesday against Nevada Wolf Pack men’s basketball at 8 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the Cowgirls.

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Wyoming

Wyoming High School Basketball 2A State Tournament 2026

Published

12 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming High School Basketball 2A State Tournament 2026

The 2-time defending champ Tongue River girls, along with both teams from Big Horn will represent Sheridan County in the small school version of March Madness.

Click here to see results from the regional tournaments.

2A Boys:

First Round:

Thursday, March 5th: (All games played at Casper College)

(#2E) Big Horn vs. (#3W) Shoshoni – Noon

(#1W) Thermopolis vs. (#4E) Sundance – 1:30pm

(#2W) Wyoming Indian vs. (#3E) Wright – 6:30pm

(#1E) Pine Bluffs vs. (#4W) Rocky Mountain – 8pm

Friday, March 6th: (All games played at Ford Wyoming Center)

Consolation Round:

Big Horn/Shoshoni loser vs. Thermopolis/Sundance loser – Noon LOSER OUT!

Wyoming Indian/Wright loser vs. Pine Bluffs/Rocky Mountain loser – 1:30pm LOSER OUT!

Semi-Finals:

Big Horn/Shoshoni winner vs. Thermopolis/Sundance winner – 6:30pm

Wyoming Indian/Wright winner vs. Pine Bluffs/Rocky Mountain winner – 8pm

Saturday, March 7th:

Friday Noon winner vs. Friday 1:30pm – Noon at Ford Wyoming Center Consolation Championship

Friday 6:30pm loser vs. Friday 8pm loser – 3pm at Natrona County High School 3rd Place

Friday 6:30pm winner vs. Friday 8pm winner – 7pm at Ford Wyoming Center Championship

2A Girls:

First Round:

Thursday, March 5th: (All games played at Casper College)

(#2W) Wyoming Indian vs. (#3E) Big Horn – 9am

(#1E) Sundance vs. (#4W) Shoshoni – 10:30am

(#2E) Tongue River vs. (#3W) Greybull – 3:30pm

(#1W) Thermopolis vs. (#4E) Pine Bluffs – 5pm

Friday, March 6th: (All games played at Ford Wyoming Center)

Consolation Round:

Wyoming Indian/Big Horn loser vs. Sundance/Shoshoni loser – 9am LOSER OUT!

Tongue River/Greybull loser vs. Thermopolis/Pine Bluffs loser – 10:30am LOSER OUT!

Semi-Finals:

Wyoming Indian/Big Horn winner vs. Sundance/Shoshoni winner – 3:30pm

Tongue River/Greybull loser vs. Thermopolis/Pine Bluffs loser – 5pm

Saturday, March 7th:

Friday 9am winner vs. Friday 10:30am winner – 9am at Ford Wyoming Center Consolation Championship

Friday 3:30pm loser vs. Friday 5pm loser – 10:30am at Ford Wyoming Center 3rd Place

Friday 3:30pm winner vs. Friday 5pm winner – 5:30pm at Ford Wyoming Center Championship

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Wyoming

Wyoming Crow Hunters Can Blast All They Want, But Nobody Eats The Birds

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming Crow Hunters Can Blast All They Want, But Nobody Eats The Birds

Mention of bird hunting might conjure up images of hunters and their dogs huddling in freezing duck blinds or pounding the brush in hopes of kicking up pheasants. But crow hunting is a thing in Wyoming too.

“It’s about the sport of it,” Dan Kinneman of Riverton told Cowboy State Daily.

He started crow hunting when he was 14 and is about to turn 85. He’s never tried cooking and eating crows or known anybody who has.

Instead, shooting crows is essentially nuisance bird control, as they’re known to wreak havoc on agricultural crops.

“All the ranchers will let you hunt crows. I’ve never been refused access to hunt crows. They all hate them,” he said.

In Wyoming, crow hunting season runs from Nov. 1 to Feb. 28. No license is required, and there’s no bag limit. Hunters can shoot all the crows they want to.

It’s a ball for hunting dogs too, Kinneman said.

“My yellow Labrador retriever, he doesn’t care whether it’s a crow or duck. In fact, he likes crow hunting more than duck hunting, because there’s more action,” he said.

Crow hunting requires skill, patience and a good set of decoys, an experienced Wyoming hunter said. The upside is, there’s no bag limit, hunters can blast all the crows they want. No one eats them, though.

Don’t Expect It To Be Easy

Kinneman said that in the days of his youth, crow hunting was as simple as driving around and “shooting them out of trees with rifles.”

However, as the number of people and buildings potentially in the paths of bullets grew, such practices fell out of favor. Crow hunting became more regulated.

And it evolved to resemble hunting other birds, such as waterfowl.

Meaning, hunters started setting out decoys, hiding in blinds and using calls to tempt crows to within shotgun range.

Kinneman is no stranger to hunting of all types. He’s taken numerous species of big game in Wyoming and elsewhere. And in July 2005, he shot a prairie dog near Rock Springs from well over a mile away.

He hit the prairie dog from 2,157 yards away. A mile is 1,760 yards.

But bird hunting has always been his favorite.

“It’s my life,” he said.

He has a huge collection of duck, goose and dove decoys. And two tubs full of crow decoys.

The uninitiated might think that going out and blasting crows would be a slam dunk.

That isn’t so, Kinneman said. He likes crow hunting for the challenge of it.

“Hunting crows is hard. They are a lot smarter than ducks and geese,” he said.

Pick Up After Yourself

Even though he doesn’t eat crows, Kinneman said he never just left them littering the ground where he shot them.

“I never let them lay out there. I always picked them up and disposed of the carcasses,” he said.

That’s good ethics and it shows respect for the ranchers, he said.

“Leaving them (dead crows) out there would be no different than just leaving all of your empty shotgun shells out there,” he said.

“You have to pick up after yourself, or the ranchers won’t let you back onto their land,” he added.

Slow Year

At his age, Kinneman isn’t sure how much longer he’ll be able to get out crow hunting. And this year has been a total bust.

“I love doing it. But this year there are no crows,” he said.

The Riverton area is along major crow migration routes.

Picking a good hunting spot is a matter of “finding a flyway” that the crows are on and then setting up a spread of decoys and a blind along the route.

But with an unusually warm winter, the crow flyways have been practically empty, he said.