Cowboy State Daily Video News: Friday, June 28 …

It’s time to see what’s happening around Wyoming on Friday, June 28. I’m Wendy Corr bringing you the headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom – presented by Cheyenne Frontier Days – starting July 19, sunrise to sunset – there’s something for everyone! Check it out on CFD RODEO DOT COM!

To comply with state law, Wyoming’s largest school district has adopted a policy requiring teachers to notify parents of changes in a student’s character or well-being.

The Cheyenne-based school district went a step further than state law with its policy, specifying that it also includes students’ requests to change their names, Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reported.

“The biggest part of the change they had to make is because the Wyoming Legislature passed the Parental Rights In Education Act last winter… For example, we’re going to let parents know that when we teach about sexual orientation, we’re going to let parents know of serious changes in a child’s character or well-being. The law did not go so far as to specify that we will tell the parents if the child changes his or her name, or asks us to give him a different name. But Laramie County school district policy did, it added that criterion.”

The new wording could come into effect as a permanent policy around the start of the new school year.

Read the whole story HERE.

The state of Wyoming finances rare earth mining projects. These projects could ultimately become the largest in the United States. The aim is to weaken China’s grip on the market.

Cowboy State Daily’s Pat Maio reports that one of Wyoming’s top rare earth mining projects received $7.1 million in funding from two state energy agencies on Thursday. This makes further exploration of strategic minerals possible.

“This would go to American Rare Earths. It’s a big deal because it’s the second rare earth company that the state has awarded money to. Two years ago, the state awarded money — a little over $4 million to a company in Upton that’s building a new demonstration plant. That plant should be opening here soon or so. And so this will be the second second plant.”

The grant will support further exploration, drilling and sampling at state mines, construction of a pilot processing plant and study of the local economic impacts of the operation when it is scaled up in a few years.

Read the whole story HERE.

A famous photo by legendary photographer Ansel Adams that is already an iconic image — the Tetons and the American West — has found a new public gallery to hang in: in the upper right corner of envelopes as the latest in the series of “Forever Postage Stamps” issued by the U.S. Postal Service.

On Wednesday morning, a small group of people stood at the spot where Adams set up his tripod 82 years ago to take that famous photo. Jake Nichols of Cowboy State Daily was there.

“The idea of ​​the United States Postal Service is to honor the legacy of Ansel Adams with this stamp series, 16 stamps. You know, the stamp that we’re interested in in Wyoming is the photo that he took that’s included in this series in Grand Teton National Park overlooking the Snake River, with the Tetons in the background. It’s beautiful.”

Customers can purchase the stamps through the Postal Store or at their local post office. Be quick, though, because Forever Stamps will become more expensive on July 17 from 68 cents to 73 cents.

Read the whole story HERE.

Close encounters with mule deer at Greenhill Cemetery in Laramie are not uncommon. What is new are red-lettered signs at the cemetery entrances warning dog owners to think twice before letting their pups out. Outdoor reporter Mark Heinz says there is a protective mother deer who isn’t afraid to chase down dogs that might threaten her baby.

“I walk as often as I can, usually in the evenings. And my walk almost always takes me past Green Hill Cemetery here in Laramie and I turned around and looked at the sign on the fence that says, dog owners beware… So I went to the cemetery today and talked to some of the staff and yes, there is a mother deer with a fawn there in the cemetery. That she’s okay with people. But she just doesn’t like having dogs around her, apparently dogs around her baby or too many. And she went for someone.”

Although no human or dog was injured by the protective mother deer, cemetery officials say they have posted signs as a precaution.

Read the whole story HERE.

Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, has long lobbied against the sport of rodeo, arguing that it is cruel to animals. The group claims that Wyoming’s logo is a “rodeo-glorifying design” and therefore promotes animal abuse.

Cowboy State Daily’s Leo Wolfson reports that a request from PETA to replace the iconic prancing horse and rider logo on Wyoming license plates is not going well with Wyoming residents.

“I’ve spoken to several people – Tom Herzig, CEO of Cheyenne Frontier Days, said that Steamboat, the horse featured on the logo, is a legendary horse in its own right, he believes is the embodiment of Wyoming’s heritage. And that is no more coveted symbol of Wyoming than Steamboat.”

Instead of the bucking bronc with its rider, PETA proposes that the license plates depict the skull of a triceratops (the state’s dinosaur) or a wild mustang without a rider.

Read the whole story HERE.

Jurassic Fireworks and Artillery World, fireworks companies on the Wyoming-Colorado border, are tentatively back in business for the Fourth of July fireworks season.

The sister stores were temporarily closed by the Laramie County Board of Commissioners after complaints were received from neighboring businesses who found the company’s sales tactics, quote, offensive.

Renee Jean of Cowboy State Daily says an order from Laramie County District Court Judge Robin Cooley forced the Laramie County Board of Commissioners to grant both stores temporary conditional permits for the July 4, 2024 season.

“Usually when we hear about temporary injunctions, it is to stop an action that is about to take place. But in this case it forces the county to issue a permit… But the end result is the same. It’s all about maintaining the status quo. So the status quo could not be maintained while the case was pending. If the company cannot operate, the company needs the permit to operate.”

Owner Breana Elliott said the two businesses would lose more than $2 million in revenue if they were unable to operate through 2024.

Read the whole story HERE.

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down a sweeping ban on government censorship of social media companies, Wyoming’s lone House representative says Congress should enact its own speech protections.

Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Rep. Harriet Hageman’s statement was in response to the Supreme Court ruling that overturned an injunction that had prevented the federal government from forcing social media companies to censor protected speech.

“Justice Alito called this one of the most important free speech cases of our time, and he said the majority of the Supreme Court would regret not taking up this issue. But the majority, led by Justice Amy Barrett, said it doesn’t matter. We can’t take it up. Because the plaintiffs don’t have standing. They haven’t shown that the government is likely to do this again.”

Hageman said the Judiciary Committee and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government will continue to investigate what it calls the, quote, “unconstitutional proxy use of social media companies to censor the speech of Americans.”

Read the whole story HERE.

The mood in southwestern Wyoming will look familiar for the Republican primary for House District 18.

Cowboy State Daily’s Leo Wolfson reports that current and former lawmakers Scott Heiner and Tom Crank are facing off for the fourth time in eight years.

“Crank served in the legislature from 2016 to 2020. But then Heiner defeated him in the 2020 election by 10 votes. So now they’re back in an old-fashioned rematch. The two are both Republicans, but… Heiner is a proud member of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, a group of far-right Republicans in the Wyoming House of Representatives… Crank opposes the Freedom Caucus and believes they bring a kind of nationalist ideology to Wyoming issues.”

The last time they faced each other in 2020, Heiner defeated Crank, then the incumbent president, by just 10 votes.

Read the full story HERE.

Like clockwork, a nova from the star T Coronea Borealis has been observed every 80 years for centuries. Astronomers expect the explosion to appear in the sky a few years earlier this time — meaning it should be visible over Wyoming before the end of summer, according to Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi.

“A nova is when a dying star sends out a pulse of energy that is essentially absorbed and sent out into the Milky Way by a dead star. This star in particular, which is in the constellation of the Northern Crown, regularly emits Nova energy or Nova waves, or whatever you want to call it, every 80 years. So it’s returning to that point in the cycle. And astronomers are seeing the signs that a nova emission is imminent, meaning that this will appear as the eighth star in a constellation of seven stars.”

When it becomes visible, the light from the nova will be similar in brightness to Polaris, the North Star. One astronomer said the nova will look like a very bright new star in a constellation where it shouldn’t be.

Read the whole story HERE.

And that’s today’s news! For a deeper dive into the people and issues impacting Wyoming, check out The Roundup, video calls with the most interesting people in the Cowboy State. There’s a new episode tomorrow when I chat with Wyoming historian Clay Gibbons. You can find the link on our website, on our YouTube channel, and wherever you get your podcasts. And of course you’ll find it in our FREE daily newsletter!

Thanks for watching – I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.