Public News Service

Despite a looming 2030 deadline to dramatically reduce fossil fuel emissions in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, PacifiCorp has ditched plans to invest big in wind and solar. (Adobe Stock)

Monday, April 15, 2024

Pacificorp throws a lifeline to Wyoming coal and natural gas industry

PacifiCorp's updated energy roadmap throws a lifeline to Wyoming's coal industry but critics said the new Integrated Resource Plan is a major setback …

Most of the USDA produce samples tested in this year's Dirty Dozen list from the Environmental Working Group were within the legal allowance for chemical pesticide residue. (Adobe Stock)

2024 Dirty Dozen lists produce packed with chemical pesticides

Nonorganic fruits and vegetables are loaded with chemical pesticides, including fungicides which can harm male reproductive systems, according to the …

Initial cost estimates for adding controversial carbon capture technology to existing power plants range from $500 million to $1 billion per single coal-burning unit. (Adobe Stock)

Wyoming’s coal use mandate raising ratepayer utility bills

Starting this month, 145,000 Wyoming ratepayers will make a down payment on what's projected to add up to billions of dollars in additional costs…

Nearly half of older adults surveyed said they prefer to vote at their polling place, in-person.<br />(Adobe Stock)

Older Wyomingites could decide 2024 elections

People in Wyoming aged 50 and over had the highest voter turnout in the 2022 midterm elections compared with other age demographics, according to new …

The town of Rock Springs is offering free carriage rides as part of its annual winter holiday festivities. (Rocket Miner)

Finding old-time holiday cheer in Wyoming’s historic downtowns

With the annual winter shopping season now in full swing, Wyoming's old town centers are seeing an uptick in visitors drawn to colorful light …

The Food Bank of Wyoming is asking for help from the public to meet rising food needs during the holiday season. (Food Bank of Wyoming)

Food banks, pantries address rising food insecurity during winter holidays

The number of people in Wyoming who don't know where their next meal will come from is on the rise, according to new U.S. Department of Agriculture …

Wyoming has gained some ground in food-insecurity rates over the past decade. In 2012, nearly 14% of families were food insecure, compared with 11.4% in 2022. (Adobe Stock)

One in three single-parent households experienced hunger last year

The number of families in Wyoming and across the nation struggling to put food on the table rose dramatically last year, according to a new report …

Scams via telephone produced the largest median per-person loss, at $1,400. Bank transfers accounted for $901 million dollars lost in the first half of 2023. (Adobe Stock)

How to spot a scam this holiday season

With the holiday shopping season on the horizon, consumer advocates and federal agencies are warning the public to be on the lookout for tell-tale …

Rocky Mountain Power has asked the Public Service Commission to increase its maximum profit to 10.3%, and make customers responsible for 100% of fuel cost overruns, instead of the current 80%. (Adobe Stock)

Rocky Mountain Power 30% rate hike hearing in Casper Thursday

The Wyoming Public Service Commission, the agency that regulates utility companies, is holding a public hearing this Thursday in Casper seeking …

Proponents of banning medical debt from credit reports makes the system more fair, since low-income people and people of color are disproportionately burdened by medical bills. (Adobe Stock)

Medical debt could be banned from credit reports

In response to a growing medical debt crisis in Wyoming and across the nation, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has proposed banning …

In 2020, almost half of Wyoming students owed an average of $23,510 in student loan debt. (Adobe Stock)

Over 5,000 Wyoming Residents in New Student Loan Repayment Plan

More than 4 million student loan borrowers, including 5,100 in Wyoming, are now enrolled in the Biden-Harris Administration's new Saving on A …

If commissioners approve Rocky Mountain Power's request, the utility is expected to bring in an<br />additional $140 million per year from ratepayers. (Adobe Stock)

Wyoming Ratepayers Could Be on Hook for Volatile Natural Gas Prices

The Wyoming Public Service Commission is holding its first public comment hearing today in Rock Springs on Rocky Mountain Power's proposal to increase…

Wyoming is one of 31 States where utilities can shut off electricity for nonpayment amid heat waves. (Adobe Stock)

Older Wyomingites Mobilize Over Utility Rate Increase

Wyoming's largest advocacy group for people age 50 and older is mobilizing its 80,000 members to let the state's Public Service Commission know what t…

The Alliance for Historic Wyoming has a list of some 40 historic hotels and motels scattered throughout Wyoming online at historicwyoming.org. (Chambers House Bed and Breakfast)

Historic Lodging Offers Unique WY Vacation Option

As families in Wyoming head out for a summer holiday, historians are encouraging people to explore a range of historic lodging options, such as the …

In 2011, coal produced 44% of all electricity in the United States. In 2022, it produced just 20% and is projected to drop to 10% or less by 2030. (Creativenature.nl/Adobe Stock)

Report: Half of Nation’s Coal Power Units to Retire by 2026

The U.S. is projected to retire half of its coal-fired power units by 2026, just 15 years after coal use for electricity reached its peak in 2011…

GoWest Credit Union Association represents about 16.5 million members across six states. (Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Adobe Stock)

Uncertain Banking Market Puts Local Institutions in Spotlight

The collapse of two banks has put the U.S. financial sector into focus this week. Some are considering the alternative structures of institutions …

Residents in Torrington will soon be able to access high-speed internet video conferencing for telehealth appointments. (Adobe Stock)

Small Internet Provider to Open Digital ‘Empowerment Center’ in Torrington

By Kristi Eaton for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Wyoming News Service for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collaboration…

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is expected to release new rules this summer for dealing with continued Colorado River water shortages. (Adobe Stock)

Wall Street Sees Profits in Dropping Colorado River Levels

As Wyoming and other Colorado River Basin states grapple with ways to keep a river more than 40 million people, agriculture and industry depend on …

Rural hospitals in Medicaid expansion states are 62% less likely to close, in large part because expansion reduces the burden of uncompensated care, when patients without insurance can't pay for services. (Adobe Stock)

Lawmakers Consider Expanding Health Coverage for 19,000 Workers

A bill that would expand Medicaid coverage for some 19,000 Wyoming workers who earn too much to qualify for standard Medicaid, but can't afford …

Nearly one in five new mothers participating in Wyoming's Medicaid Pregnant Women Program lose their health insurance 60 days after giving birth. (Adobe Stock)

WY Lawmakers Consider Extended Health Coverage for New Moms

New mothers in Wyoming enrolled in the Medicaid Pregnant Women Program lose their health insurance 60 days after giving birth, but a new bill making …

Billionaire wealth has increased by $2.7 billion per day, while more than 1.7 billion people live in countries where their wages, adjusted for inflation, have declined. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Rich Got Richer, Workers Left Behind During Pandemic

The world's richest 1% took home almost twice as much wealth as the bottom 99% combined during the pandemic, according to a new Oxfam International …

In the fall of 2020, among four-year universities and community colleges nationwide, male freshmen enrollment declined 1.3%, while female freshmen enrollment fell 3.2%. (Adobe Stock)

Wyoming Bucks National Trend of Women Stopping Out of Higher Education

Wyoming has managed to buck a national trend which has seen female students opting out of college at more than twice the rate of males since 2020…

Last March, Wyoming lawmakers passed a law that would ban abortions in most cases if the U.S. Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe v. Wade, which the high court did in June. (Adobe Stock)

Wyoming Supreme Court Sends Suit Over Abortion Ban Back to District

The Wyoming Supreme Court has decided it will not weigh in on a lawsuit that has temporarily halted a ban on abortions in the state. Citing a state …

In the first three quarters of 2022, 24 oil and gas companies made more than $343 billion, a 126% increase from the same time period in 2021. (Adobe Stock)

Big Oil Kept Gas Prices High as Crude Oil Prices Dropped

After the price of crude oil plummeted to $75 a barrel, which marked the lowest price since December of last year, big oil companies kept consumer …

The AARP Fraud Watch Network is a free resource that equips consumers with up-to-date knowledge to spot and avoid scams, and connects those targeted by scams with fraud helpline specialists who provide support and guidance on what to do next. (Adobe Stock)

Ways to Avoid Scammers During Holiday Shopping Season

A new AARP Fraud Watch Network report is putting a spotlight on how criminals are targeting holiday shoppers this year in hopes of separating them fr…

One in eight individuals in Wyoming, and one in six children, do not know where their next meal will come from. (Adobe Stock)

Food Bank Ramps Up Thanksgiving Food Assistance

Turkeys and other holiday standards are still available for struggling families through food pantries, senior centers, school districts and other …

Leading scientists warn the next decade is critical to averting the worst impacts of the climate crisis by transforming economies to run entirely on clean energy. (Adobe Stock)

Utilities' Plans Called Out of Sync with Clean-Energy Transition Demands

Pacificorp delivers energy to 140,000 Wyoming households, but it received a "D" grade in a new report sounding the alarm over utility companies' …

Food insecurity among adults ages 65 and older living alone reached the highest rates in 20 years between 2020 and 2021. (Adobe Stock)

Millions of Older Adults Experience Food Insecurity

Some 35 million people in Wyoming and across the U.S. struggle to put food on the table, and older adults experiencing food insecurity face numerous …

According to the Federal Trade Commission, financial fraud totaled $5.9 billion in 2021, although experts like Stokes believe the real cost is much higher because many victims are too ashamed to come forward. (Adobe Stock)

Study Calls for Ending Financial-Fraud Victim Blaming

A new report suggested changing how we talk about victims of financial fraud could lead to a shift in how Wyoming and the nation respond to this growi…

On July 8, the spot price for crude oil dropped by 6.89%, but the retail gas price only fell 2.56% days later. (Adobe Stock)

Big Oil Keeping Prices High as Crude Prices Drop

A new analysis shows big oil companies are much more reluctant to lower gasoline prices when crude prices drop than they are to raise prices when crud…

Wyoming's eight community health centers serve some 50,000 patients each year, and contribute $71 billion to the state's economy. (Adobe Stock)

Safety-Net Health Centers Eye ARPA to Expand Care

Wyoming lawmakers are set to distribute $85 million in federal pandemic relief for capital-improvement projects, and Tracy Brosius - the CEO of …

In fiscal year 2021, the Wyoming Food Bank distributed more than 13 million pounds of food, a 12% increase over 2020. (Adobe Stock)

Wyoming Food Bank to Distribute Water to Rawlins Residents

Water is a precious commodity in Wyoming and across the Mountain West, and the Wyoming Food Bank is headed to replenish supplies for Rawlins …

Jackson Hole Bear Solutions is developing a plan alongside the three waste-hauling businesses in Teton County to make bear-resistant trash cans accessible to as many residents as possible. (Adobe Stock)

Price No Obstacle for New Bear-Resistant Trash Cans

Bears have a hard time resisting the temptation of food available in human trash, and a new program aims to reduce a leading cause of human/bear …

Legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would tax oil and gas company profits and redistribute funds to Americans who earn less than $75,000 per year. (Adobe Stock)

Big Oil's Claims on Gas Prices Under Scrutiny

A new Accountable.US report suggests the fossil-fuel industry is misleading the American public on the cause of rising gas prices. Kyle Herrig…

The Wyoming Hospital Association estimated expanding Medicaid would cut uncompensated-care costs by more than $100 million a year. (Adobe Stock)

Medicaid Expansion Proponents Not Backing Down

Supporters of expanding Medicaid in Wyoming said they will regroup after lawmakers once again blocked an expansion proposal late last week. Jeff …

As shoppers head online to shop, scammers are targeting consumers with fake online ads and customer-service schemes. (Adobe Stock)

How to Protect Your Wallet from Holiday Scammers

As Wyomingites rush to complete their holiday shopping lists, criminals are seizing upon new online opportunities to separate consumers from their …

Shoppers in Wyoming's historic downtowns can have cookies at Santa's Saloon and kids can deliver letters to Santa via Pony Express. (Visit Cheyenne)

Historic Downtowns Offer Gifts Immune to COVID Supply Chain

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Wyoming shoppers choosing to buy gifts at local mom-and-pop stores this holiday season can sample cookies with Mrs. Claus and refuel …

Americans pay at least three times more than residents of other developed nations for the exact same prescription drugs. (Adobe Stock)

AARP Members Call on Congress to Rein In Big Pharma

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - After the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan infrastructure bill late Friday, AARP is calling on lawmakers to pass …

According to a recent poll, 65% of Wyoming voters say they want their state legislator to support Medicaid expansion. (Adobe Stock)

Poll: WY Lawmakers Out of Sync with Majority of Voters on Medicaid

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Advocates for expanding Medicaid are regrouping after Wyoming lawmakers voted against an expansion bill during last week's special …

Social Security lifts more than one million U.S. children out of poverty, along with some 26,000 elderly residents in Wyoming. (Adobe Stock)

Economists Challenge Warnings of Social Security's Demise

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Social Security, the program credited with lifting 15 million older residents in Wyoming and across the U.S. out of poverty…

Most Wyoming residents who would gain health coverage under Medicaid expansion are employed, and all earn below 138% of the federal poverty level - about $1,500 a month for an individual or $3,000 a month for a family of four. (Adobe Stock)

Health Professionals Urge Lawmakers to Expand Medicaid

RIVERTON, Wyo. -- Wyoming medical professionals are urging state lawmakers to act before it's too late to take advantage of a pandemic-related …

Social Security reduces your payment if you start collecting benefits before your full retirement age, currently 66 and 2 months, and is gradually rising to 67 for people born in 1960 or later. (Adobe Stock)

Money Milestones Series Aims to Beef Up Wyomingites’ Financial Skills

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- AARP Wyoming is gearing up for a series of Webinars and Telephone Town Halls to help residents of all ages get their financial …

Accessing health insurance has been a major barrier for small businesses during COVID-19. (Adobe Stock)

Consumers, Employers and Small Businesses Say Health Reform Needed

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Consumers, employers, and small business owners in Wyoming and across the U.S. agree that it's time to go big on health care reform…

Wyoming has the second lowest-tax rates for a family of four in the nation. (Ken Lund/Flickr)

Study: Wyoming Has Capacity to Raise Taxes

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- As Wyoming lawmakers grapple with mounting budget deficits due to lost oil, gas and coal revenues, a new report by the Wyoming …

Children in states that expanded their Medicaid programs are almost twice as likely to have health coverage than children in the 12 non-expansion states, including Wyoming. (Depositphotos)

WY Medicaid Expansion Could Advance in Joint Revenue Committee

RIVERTON, Wyo. -- Wyoming lawmakers are giving Medicaid expansion a second look at today's Joint Revenue Committee meeting in Riverton, after …

A majority of women are breadwinners in their families. (Pixabay)

Survey: Moms Want More Than Breakfast in Bed This Mother’s Day

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- As Mother's Day draws near, a new survey conducted by the Institute for Women's Policy Research offers a clearer picture of what …

Nearly one in three adults say they or someone they know has been asked to purchase a gift card as payment in scams, a common method employed by criminals to steal money. (BFIShadow/Flickr)

Scammers Target Seniors by Posing as Clergy

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- AARP's Fraud Watch Network is warning Wyoming residents about a new take on an age-old scam targeting older Americans across the …

States that expanded Medicaid coverage have seen improved rates for colorectal, prostate and cervical cancer screenings compared with non-expansion states. (Pixabay)

Advocates: Medicaid Expansion Would Benefit Cancer Patients

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- The Wyoming Senate has until Wednesday to advance the Medical Treatment Opportunity Act, which cleared the House last week…

Audio Activation
	"Siri, play the Public News Service (podcast)"
	"Hey Google, play the Public News Service podcast"
	"Alexa, play Public News Service podcast" or "Alexa, what's my news flash?" once you set it up in the Alexa app
	Embed this Newscast

Audio Activation
	"Siri, play the 2024 Talks podcast"
	"Hey Google, play the 2024 Talks podcast"
	"Alexa, play 2000 24 Talks podcast" or "Alexa, what's my news flash?" once you set it up in the Alexa app
	Embed this Newscast

Audio Activation
	"Siri, play the Yonder Report podcast"
	"Hey Google, play the Yonder Report podcast"
	"Alexa, play the Yonder Report podcast" or "Alexa, what's my news flash?" once you set it up in the Alexa app
	Embed this Newscast

PNS Daily Newscast - April 16, 2024

2024Talks - April 16, 2024

The Yonder Report - April 11, 2024

WY: Consumer