Wyoming
Twins exchange command at Wyoming National Guard
Lt. Col. Paul Leoni, commander of the Recruiting and Retention Battalion, speaks to the accomplishments of Command Sgt. Maj. Edmundo Herrera, the outgoing command sergeant major of the unit, and gives a gift at the unit’s change of responsibility ceremony at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne, Wyo., on June 27, 2024. The ceremony marked the transition of responsibility from Command Sgt. Maj. Edmundo Herrera (left) to Command Sgt. Maj. Edwardo Herrera (right).
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(Left to right) Lt. Col. Paul Leoni, Command Sgt. Maj. Edwardo Herrera, Command Sgt. Maj. Edmundo Herrera, an 1st Sgt. Aaron Feagler complete the symbolic passing of the guidon ceremony for the Recruiting and Retention Battalion’s change of responsibility ceremony at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne, Wyo., on June 27, 2024. The ceremony marked the transition of responsibility from Command Sgt. Maj. Edmundo Herrera to Command Sgt. Maj. Edwardo Herrera.
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Friends, family, and fellow service members attend a historic change of responsibility ceremony for twin brothers Edmundo and Edwardo Herrera at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne, Wyo., on June 27, 2024. Edwardo Herrera takes on the role of Command Sgt. Maj. of the Recruiting and Retention Battalion as Sgt. Maj. Edmundo Herrera prepares for deployment.
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Lt. Col. Paul Leoni speaks to the incoming Command Sgt. Maj. Edwardo Herrera (left) and outgoing Command Sgt. Maj. Edmundo Herrera (right) during a ceremony for the Recruiting and Retention Battalion’s change of responsibility ceremony at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne, Wyo., on June 27, 2024. The ceremony marked the transition of responsibility from Command Sgt. Maj. Edmundo Herrera to Command Sgt. Maj. Edwardo Herrera.
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CHEYENNE, Wyo. — After 35 months in the position, Command Sgt. Maj. Edmundo Herrera passed the guidon to his twin brother, Edwardo Herrera, who will now serve as the new command sergeant major of the Wyoming National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion. Edmundo is preparing for deployment to the Middle East.
The event at the Wyoming State Capitol June 27 marked the first time twin brothers in the Wyoming Army National Guard held the same high-ranking position consecutively.
“Edwardo is prepared to recruit and retain future talent, and I have confidence in my brother’s abilities to lead the battalion,” Edmundo said.
The Herrera brothers’ journey began in Cheyenne, where they grew up as first-generation Americans. Edwardo said Edmundo inspired him to join the Army National Guard.
“Edmundo enlisted a couple of years before I did, and I saw how the Wyoming Army National Guard positively impacted his life,” Edwardo said. “It made him a better brother, friend and man. I also witnessed his relationships with leaders in the organization and how they were dedicated to developing him. This motivated me and made me want to be a part of something bigger than myself.”
(Left to right) Lt. Col. Paul Leoni, Command Sgt. Maj. Edwardo Herrera, Command Sgt. Maj. Edmundo Herrera, an 1st Sgt. Aaron Feagler begin the symbolic passing of the guidon ceremony for the Recruiting and Retention Battalion’s change of responsibility ceremony at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne, Wyo., on June 27, 2024. The ceremony marked the transition of responsibility from Command Sgt. Maj. Edmundo Herrera to Command Sgt. Maj. Edwardo Herrera.
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Friends, family, and fellow service members attend a historic change of responsibility ceremony for twin brothers Edmundo and Edwardo Herrera at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne, Wyo., on June 27, 2024. Edwardo Herrera takes on the role of Command Sgt. Maj. of the Recruiting and Retention Battalion as Sgt. Maj. Edmundo Herrera prepares for deployment.
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The Herrera brothers share a few laughs during the ceremony at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne, Wyo., on June 27, 2024. Command Sgt. Maj. Edwardo Herrera (left) succeeds outgoing Command Sgt. Maj. Edmundo Herrera (right) in a transition of responsibility.
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Command Sgt. Maj. Edmundo Herrera addresses friends, family and the Recruiting and Retention Battalion at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne, Wyo., on June 27, 2024. The event was part of a change of responsibility ceremony with Herrera relinquishing his responsibility. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Jacqueline Alderman)
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The brothers have served together in the 115th Field Artillery Brigade and the Recruiting and Retention Battalion. Their shared experiences have strengthened their bond and their commitment to the Soldiers they lead.
“Serving together has motivated us to be better servant leaders for our Soldiers,” Edwardo said. “It has also created opportunities to collaborate and work on solutions for Soldier and organizational issues.”
Throughout their careers, Edmundo and Edwardo have been almost neck and neck in rank, fostering a healthy competition that pushed both to excel.
“Soldiers thrive in competition, so we have always pushed each other to do our best,” Edwardo said.
Despite their competitive nature, their support for each other has been steady.
Both brothers have achieved notable milestones, including earning the Director’s 54 Badge in Recruiting and Retention and participating in the State Partnership Program with Tunisia. These experiences have defined their careers and demonstrated their dedication to the National Guard’s mission.
1st Sgt. Aaron Feagler stands at the head of the formation in the Recruiting and Retention Battalion’s change of responsibility ceremony at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne, Wyo., on June 27, 2024. The ceremony marked the transition of responsibility from Command Sgt. Maj. Edmundo Herrera to Command Sgt. Maj. Edwardo Herrera.
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Friends, family, and fellow service members attend a historic change of responsibility ceremony for twin brothers Edmundo and Edwardo Herrera at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne, Wyo., on June 27, 2024. Edwardo Herrera takes on the role of Command Sgt. Maj. of the Recruiting and Retention Battalion as Sgt. Maj. Edmundo Herrera prepares for deployment. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Jacqueline Alderman)
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Command Sgt. Maj. Edwardo Herrera addresses friends, family and the Recruiting and Retention Battalion at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne, Wyo., on June 27, 2024. The ceremony marked the transition of responsibility from Command Sgt. Maj. Edmundo Herrera to Command Sgt. Maj. Edwardo Herrera.
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The Wyoming Army National Guard marked a historic event for twin brothers Edmundo and Edwardo Herrera during a change of responsibility ceremony at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne, Wyo., June 27, 2024. Edwardo Herrera takes on the role of Command Sgt. Maj. of the Recruiting and Retention Battalion as Sgt. Maj. Edmundo Herrera prepares for deployment.
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As Edwardo steps into his new role, both brothers are focused on their current responsibilities. Edwardo is prepared to lead the Recruiting and Retention Battalion, while Edmundo is gearing up for a deployment to the Middle East. They both aspire to serve in higher levels of responsibility, potentially competing for positions such as brigade command sergeant major, state command sergeant major, or command senior enlisted leader.
In reflecting on their journey, the brothers emphasized balancing military duties with personal lives.
“We both love cooking, traveling and spending time with our friends and families,” Edwardo said. “Having a personal and professional relationship allows us to spend additional time together and lean on each other through challenges.”
Their story is a testament to the power of family, dedication and service. Edmundo hopes their journey will inspire others in the military and those considering service.
“I hope our story persuades those interested in serving to take the next step of enlisting,” Edmundo said.” For current military members, I hope this inspires them to reflect on just how important their service is and the positive impact they can have on those around them.”
CASPER, Wyo. — High school athletics in Wyoming could see some drastic changes in the coming years following legislative changes to the state’s education budget, the Wyoming High School Activities Association recently announced in a statement.
According to the WHSAA, Wyoming school districts are facing a projected $3.9 million shortfall in activities funding, forcing officials to consider significant cuts to high school sports and extracurricular programs.
The WHSAA shared details regarding a new “silo” funding model implemented by the Legislature, stating that the recalibrated block grant model reduced funding for student activities and extra-duty responsibilities from $46.3 million to $42.4 million, an approximately 8.4% decrease statewide.
WHSAA Commissioner Trevor Wilson said the restructuring also restricts district access to an additional $76.2 million in previously flexible funding.
“A significant portion of the [April 28 WHSAA Board of Directors] meeting was dedicated to discussing the projected funding shortfall,” Wilson wrote.
The WHSAA is weighing several strategies to address rising costs with fewer resources. Proposed changes include eliminating regional tournaments and reducing the number of teams qualifying for state events from eight to four; limiting wrestling to two classes and restricting track and field state participants to the top 16 marks; making cuts to soccer, indoor track and field, Nordic and Alpine skiing, swimming and diving, spring golf and tennis; and reducing in-person speech and debate events by half and centrally locating All-State Music events to minimize travel. The board also recommended increasing gate admission or implementing student participation fees to offset costs.
While the WHSAA release states that no plans have been finalized and the various changes are currently just possibilities, Natrona County School District 1 Board of Trustees member Mary Schmidt criticized the WHSAA’s handling of the news at Monday’s board meeting.
“I take some issues with this, [including] the sheer fact that we as Board of Trustees members have not talked about that at all,” Schmidt said. “It is not our intent and it has not been brought to us to cut our athletics or activities budget for the upcoming school year. … I take issue with them picking sports and getting the community upset and ginning them up to be upset that this is all going to be cut when that hasn’t been discussed.”
Later in the meeting, Superintendent Angela Hensley clarified that Natrona County School District 1’s athletics and activities budget saw a reduction of roughly $550,000 in the coming year’s budget, but said the local school district does not plan to cut any sports.
“Thank you, Trustee Schmidt, for saying this, because I think people are wondering — we are not planning to cut athletics and activities for next year,” Hensley said. “We do have to take a look at our entire budget as we have talked about, as we learn more about these new rules that come in.”
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Republished with permission from Wyoming News Now, a TV news outlet covering the Cheyenne and Casper areas.
Cheyenne City Council has introduced a temporary moratorium, or pause, on new data center construction.
“The end goal is to actually have regulations in place, to have really heavy public involvement with this with data centers,” said Councilman Mark Moody.
The proposed ordinance is not a permanent ban on data centers and would not affect data centers currently under construction.
Councilman Moody says this is a bipartisan issue.
“I just want to make this clear, I’m not against data centers. We do need them from a national security perspective,” he said.
He said there needs to be more public input and regulations regarding data centers in Cheyenne.
The ordinance would require city staff to study data center impacts such as electricity usage, electricity tariffs, closed-loop cooling systems, groundwater impacts, agricultural impacts, and land value.
Cheyenne LEADS, the economic development corporation for Cheyenne and Laramie County, reported in November 2025 that there are 12 operational data centers in Wyoming, five under construction and plans for 43 data centers announced across the state.
“There needs to be more public input with this, and also to see how many we can sustain here in this community, cause there are talks of 43, and then another day 70. How many can we sustain here?” said Councilman Moody.
The proposed moratorium will now go to the Public Services Committee on Monday, May 18 at noon in the Municipal Building.
Sheridan will play in the North Regional Tournament at Gillette, while the South Regional Tournament will be played at Rock Springs.
North Regional Tournament at Gillette:
Checking record vs. highest team in the quadrant not involved in the tie, Thunder Basin gets the #1 Northeast seed over Campbell County, because the Lady Bolts went 3-1 vs. Sheridan, whereas the Lady Camels went 2-2.
Friday, May 15th:
(#1 NE) Thunder Basin vs. (#4 NW) Jackson – 11am
(#2 NW) Natrona County vs. (#3 NE) Sheridan – 11am
(#2 NE) Campbell County vs. (#3 NW) Kelly Walsh – 1pm
(#1 NW) Cody vs. (#4 NE) Worland – 1pm
Semi-Finals:
Thunder Basin/Jackson winner vs. Natrona County/Sheridan winner – 3pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Campbell County/Kelly Walsh winner vs. Cody/Worland winner – 5pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Consolation Round:
Thunder Basin/Jackson loser vs. Natrona County/Sheridan loser – 3pm LOSER OUT!
Campbell County/Kelly Walsh loser vs. Cody/Worland loser – 5pm LOSER OUT!
Saturday, May 16th:
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
2 10am winners vs. each other – 1pm 3rd Place
TBA vs. TBA – 1pm 1st Place
South Regional Tournament at Rock Springs:
Friday, May 15th:
(#1 SW) Laramie vs. (#4 SE) Torrington – 11am
(#2 SE) Cheyenne East vs. (#3 SW) Green River – 11am
(#2 SW) Rock Springs vs. (#3 SE) Wheatland – 1pm
(#1 SE) Cheyenne Central vs. (#4 SW) Cheyenne South – 1pm
Semi-Finals:
Laramie/Torrington winner vs. Cheyenne East/Green River winner – 3pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Rock Springs/Wheatland winner vs. Cheyenne Central/Cheyenne South winner – 5pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Consolation Round:
Laramie/Torrington loser vs. Cheyenne East/Green River loser – 3pm LOSER OUT!
Rock Springs/Wheatland loser vs. Cheyenne Central/Cheyenne South loser – 5pm LOSER OUT!
Saturday, May 16th:
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
2 10am winners vs. each other – 1pm 3rd Place
TBA vs. TBA – 1pm 1st Place
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