Wyoming

Wyoming governor pledges to appeal after judge blocks pro-life laws

Published

2 years ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Wyoming governor pledges to appeal after judge blocks pro-life laws

By Kate Quiñones

CNA Staff, Nov 21, 2024 / 06:00 am

Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.

Wyoming judge blocks state pro-life laws

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon plans to appeal to the state Supreme Court after a county judge blocked two pro-life laws in Wyoming. The judge blocked the Life Is a Human Right Act, which protected unborn children except in cases when the mother’s life was at risk or in cases of rape or incest, as well as a law prohibiting chemical abortions via abortion pills, a law signed by Gordon in March 2023.

Gordon said on Tuesday that the ruling was “frustrating” and that he instructed his attorney general to prepare to appeal the decision to the Wyoming Supreme Court.

Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens ruled on Monday that the two laws violated the state constitution by restricting medical decisions. Owen has blocked Wyoming abortion laws three times since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Now that the ruling has been struck down, abortion is legal up until fetal viability in Wyoming.

The plaintiffs included Wyoming abortion clinic Wellspring Health Access, two obstetricians, two other women, and the Wyoming abortion advocacy group Chelsea’s Fund. Following the ruling, Chelsea’s Fund stated on Tuesday that it “will do everything in our power to uphold this ruling in the Wyoming Supreme Court.”

Montana judge blocks licensing law for abortion clinic

A Montana District Court temporarily paused the state’s recent health department licensing regulations for abortion clinics amid pending litigation. House Bill 937 required licensure and regulation of abortion clinics and included rules for sanitation standards, emergency equipment, and hotlines for women who are coerced into an abortion or are victims of sex trafficking.

Two abortion providers, All Families Healthcare in Kalispell and Blue Mountain Clinic in Missoula, and an abortionist sued over the regulations, saying they would have to close if they were implemented. Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Chris Abbot ruled in their favor, saying that H.B. 937 was a shift in “the status quo” that abortion providers “are not generally considered health care facilities subject to a licensure requirement.” Montana voters approved Initiative 128 on Election Day, enshrining a right to abortion in the constitution and allowing abortion after fetal viability.

Virginia bishops condemn fast-tracked right to abortion proposal

Two Virginia bishops recently opposed a proposed amendment granting a right to abortion, which was fast-tracked by the state House Privileges and Elections Committee. Bishops Michael Burbidge of Arlington and Barry Knestout of Richmond in a Nov. 13 statement called the proposed right to abortion “a fundamental tragedy.” Virginia law currently allows abortion up to 26 weeks and six days and allows abortion after that in certain cases. Burbidge and Knestout encouraged Virginia to “work instead for policies that affirm the life and dignity of every mother and every child.”

The bishops also opposed a fast-tracked proposal to remove the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman from the state constitution. The bishops noted that they “affirm the dignity of every person” and “affirm too that marriage is exclusively the union of one man and one woman.” Following the election, the bishops encouraged “deep engagement in decisions” that are at “the heart of who we are.”

Kate Quiñones

Kate Quiñones is a staff writer for Catholic News Agency and a fellow of the College Fix. She has been published by the Wall Street Journal, the Denver Catholic Register, and CatholicVote, and she graduated from Hillsdale College. She lives in Colorado with her husband.

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Wyoming

Wyoming man imprisoned for sexually assaulting girl at Colorado water park

Published

7 hours ago

June 1, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming man imprisoned for sexually assaulting girl at Colorado water park

A 19-year-old Cheyenne man was sentenced Thursday to 22 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections for sexually assaulting a young girl at a metro Denver water park last summer.

Trenton Moskovita was also ordered to undergo Sex Offender Intensive Supervised Probation for at least 10 years after his release. It could last the rest of his life. The duration of such a probation typically depends on whether a defendant is determined to be successfully rehabilitated.

Trenton Moskovita following his arrest in June 2025.

Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office

Moskovita was arrested June 7, 2025, after Englewood Police Department officers were called to Pirates Cove Water Park in Littleton by employees. The girl, whose age was not provided, ran from a bathroom and told her mother about the assault. The girl later told investigators that Moskovita grabbed her, pulled into a family restroom, and pulled down his pants.

Moskovita immediately denied the child’s allegations. He told investigators the girl wanted help finding her parents, which he agreed to do but only after he went to the bathroom first, according to his arrest affidavit.

Officers were able to observe surveillance camera recordings which showed Moskovita motioning the girl toward him, then grabbing her hand and taking her into the restroom. They were inside nine minutes before the girl ran out of it, per the affidavit.

Moskovita eventually pleaded guilty to felony kidnapping and sexual assault on a child charges.

“This defendant brazenly preyed upon a vulnerable child in a community space where families expect to be safe,” said 23rd Judicial Deputy District Attorney Tory Reavis in a press release. “The substantial sentence handed down this week reflects our absolute commitment to holding predators accountable and removing them from our streets.”

The judge ordered Moskovita to pay almost $7,000 to the girl and her family for costs of the girl’s mental health treatment, with additional money possible for future treatment.

The DA’s office stated the Sex Offender Intensive Supervised Probation is a program with significantly stricter requirements than standard probation.

The DA’s office referred to Moskovita as a Wyoming resident. A search of online public records indicated Cheyenne was his place of residence.

Incidentally, the water park has a Littleton address but is technically within Englewood PD’s jurisdiction.

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Wyoming

Severe thunderstorms, tornado risk threaten southeast Wyoming today, Tuesday

Published

18 hours ago

June 1, 2026

Press Room

Severe thunderstorms, tornado risk threaten southeast Wyoming today, Tuesday

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Severe thunderstorms capable of producing large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes could hit southeast Wyoming this afternoon and Tuesday.

The National Weather Service issued a level two out of five slight risk for the eastern high plains on Monday.

There is a Slight Risk (Level 2 of 5) for severe weather on Monday. The strongest storms are expected between 3 and 9 p.m. (National Weather Service graphic)

All modes of severe weather are possible: hail, damaging wind gusts, and an isolated tornado or two. (National Weather Service graphic)

Cheyenne has a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3 p.m. today, with a forecast high near 73 degrees. Winds will shift from the northwest to the southeast at 10–15 mph during the morning hours. Storm chances drop to 20% before 9 p.m., and areas of fog will develop after midnight as temperatures fall to a low around 52.

Tuesday brings a repeat of storm threats after noon. Morning fog will give way to mostly cloudy skies, which will gradually clear later in the day with a high near 75. Low-level moisture and atmospheric spin along and east of the Interstate 25 corridor could trigger severe conditions, with large hail listed as the main threat.

Showers remain possible mid-week, with a 50% chance of rain on Wednesday afternoon and a high near 77 degrees^.

A drying and warming trend will settle over Laramie County starting Thursday. High temperatures will climb to 79 on Thursday, 82 on Friday, and peak at 85 under sunny skies on Saturday.

Any remaining storms later in the week will likely produce high winds rather than rain due to dry air near the surface.

Detailed Forecast

Today: A 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3 p.m. Sunny, with a high near 73. North northwest wind 5–10 mph becoming south southeast 10–15 mph in the morning.
Tonight: A 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9 p.m. Areas of fog after midnight. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 52. South southeast wind 5–10 mph.
Tuesday: A 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 75. South southeast wind 5–15 mph.
Tuesday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9 p.m., then a slight chance of showers between 9 p.m. and midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 49. South southeast wind 5–10 mph becoming west southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Wednesday: A 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. West wind around 5 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9 p.m., then a chance of showers between 9 p.m. and midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 48. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Thursday: A 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 51.
Friday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Sunny, with a high near 82.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 51.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 85.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 52.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 84.