The pursuit of beaver fur brought trappers West to Wyoming in the early days of European settlement. Those trappers adapted when the fur trade went south.

What Wyoming can learn about coal from the collapse of the fur trade

When the world switched from beaver-skin hats to silk hats in the 1800s, the fur trade plummeted. Instead of doubling down on pelts, smart fur-bearing states developed new industries.
Lawmakers struggle to understand that zero new revenues is the wrong answer.

Lawmakers fail to figure out new revenues for Wyoming public school funding, but avoid further cuts—2019 Legislative recap

After three consecutive years of deep cuts to the Wyoming public education budget, the Legislature relented this session. But without stable sources of revenue, more school cuts are likely on the way.
Recipients would receive refunds between $200 - 900.

Wyoming Legislature moves to reinstate tax rebate program for elderly and disabled poor folks

The rebate program had been in effect for 41 years before lawmakers canned it in 2016 in the midst of a mineral bust.
When talented, young faculty members leave Wyoming, they take their talented, young families with them.

Exit Interview: Rattawut Lapcharoensap and June Glasson — The (hidden) costs of the UW budget cuts (VIDEO)

EXIT INTERVIEWS is a new series profiling talented people who are leaving Wyoming as a result of boneheaded policy decisions. This episode features a (former) UW professor and his wife, a (former) pillar of the Laramie arts community.
Mining provides the lion's share of Wyoming's tax revenue. But even the deepest budget cuts in more than a decade aren't enough to keep up with the busts.

Wyoming’s budget is the smallest it has been in 15 years. We still need new revenues.

The deepest cuts in more than a decade couldn't fix Wyoming's "structural deficit." When will lawmakers realize more cuts aren't the answer?
The UW Good Ol' Board of Trustees is taking over.

UW Board moves to grant itself unchecked power over reshaping the university during financial crisis

The board will vote next week to give itself the ability to single-handedly fire tenured faculty, cancel courses, and eliminate academic departments—big responsibilities for a group that's proven itself incompetent.
Wyoming's suicide rate is one of the highest in the nation.

Session Recap: Funding restored, Wyoming must now work to rebuild its suicide prevention program from scratch

After completely defunding Wyoming's statewide program in 2017, the Legislature allocated $2 million this year for suicide prevention. The scope of damage—and what a new program will look like—is unclear.

The Cuts So Far (Part 6): Game and Fish - Hunting for funding

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Over the past two years, the Wyoming State Legislature has…

The Cuts So Far (Part 5): Corrections – The high cost of quitting prison drug rehab ‘cold turkey’

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Wyoming legislators cut the state's prison-based substance abuse programs to save money. But more and more addicts are landing back in prison, continuing the cycle of incarceration and costing the state double what it "saved."

The Cuts So Far (Part 4): WyDOT - It's going to be a bumpy ride

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Over the past two years, the Wyoming State Legislature has…

The Cuts So Far [Part 3]: University of Wyoming – College dazed

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Over the past two years, the Wyoming State Legislature has…