Free Republic

The operation was years in the making. The Florida-based company announced plans for its KelTec West factory in Rock Springs in 2022. Wyoming’s Second Amendment-friendly culture and politics played a big part in choosing Rock Springs when the company decided to expand its operating capacity, KelTec West plant operations manager Chris Williams told Cowboy State Daily. “At the time (2022), Florida was teetering purple,” he said about the political climate there. “Wyoming is a solid red state, and it looks like it’s going to stay solid for decades to come.” Other firearms companies that recently set up shop in Wyoming,...

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) on Sunday said he has confidence in Attorney General Pam Bondi despite reports that she is feuding with FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino over her handling of the case related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. “I do,” Barrasso said, when asked in an interview on NBC News’s “Meet the Press” about whether he has confidence in Bondi. “We ran to make this country safer and more prosperous. Pam Bondi and her team are getting hardened criminals off the streets,” he continued. “America is safer with Pam Bondi as attorney general.”...

In a groundbreaking moment for the American mining industry, the Fluor Corporation has confirmed the feasibility of large rare earth element deposits at Ramaco Resources’ Brook Mine in Wyoming. This announcement marks a significant step towards redefining the United States’ position in the critical minerals market. The confirmation by Fluor not only solidifies the economic potential of the Brook Mine but also positions Ramaco Resources as a key player in reducing the country’s dependency on foreign sources of rare earth elements. Ramaco Resources, initially known for its operations as a metallurgical coal miner, was thrust into the spotlight with this...

On May 15, the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees voted to cancel five degree tracks, including a Ph.D. in Botany, an M.A. in Molecular Biology, and a B.A. in Art History. Most notably, they also cut the bachelor’s degrees in African American and Diaspora Studies and in Gender and Women’s Studies. According to the university’s Standard Administrative Policy and Procedure, a program is considered low-producing if it averages fewer than five graduates per year at the undergraduate level or fewer than three per year at the master’s level over a five-year period. That was the case for the Gender...

The U.S. Secretary of Energy and other elected officials are preparing to travel to Wyoming for the opening of the first new coal mine in the state in more than five decades. The ribbon cutting for the Brook Mine Carbon Ore Rare Earth project will be on July 11. National and state leaders are expected to speak at the event in Ranchester. "It will be the first new rare earth mine in the United States in more than 70 years and the first new coal mine in Wyoming in over 50 years," Ramaco Resources, Inc. said in a press release....

Saying the trust of Republican voters in Wyoming election systems hinge on the outcome of the case, Republican Party leaders at the national level are asking a federal judge to let them help defend the state’s new election proof-of-citizenship law. The Republican National Committee (RNC) filed a motion Thursday to intervene in the ongoing lawsuit the Equality State Policy Center is waging against Secretary of State Chuck Gray and Wyoming’s new law requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. The nonprofit group sued May 9 on claims that the new law makes voting cumbersome, is unconstitutional and disadvantages minorities,...

Investigations are reportedly underway as 60,000 pounds of toxic ammonium nitrate have been reported missing while being transported from Wyoming to California.An empty railcar was found at a rail stop in the California Mojave Desert, two weeks after it had departed its initial location.Multiple entities have announced through their representatives that The Federal Railroad Administration, the California Public Utilities Commission, Union Pacific, and Dyno Nobel (the company responsible for the transport) are looking into the incident.On May 10th, the report was sent by Dyno Nobel to the government National Response Center, or NRC. Last Wednesday, the report was published in...

The Wyoming Democratic Party’s State Central Committee is operating at a loss and could be left with about two weeks worth of funding by the end of the year, its treasurer said during a Sunday meeting in Rock Springs. In its federal and non-federal accounts, the state party had $36,580.20 as of May 1, Party Treasurer Dudley Case said at the meeting. But the party has been spending more money than it has been raising each month, which has led to a $21,795.32 loss this year. That's about a $5,000 loss per month, in the first four months of the...

According to an email sent May 13, 2025, by Department of Natural Resources Director Dan Gibbs, Nicole Rosmarino is the sole finalist for the director of the State Land Board, which is the state’s second largest landowner with 2.8 million surface acres and 4 million mineral estate acres. Gibbs said, per statute, the board provides public notice for 14 days prior to a formal appointment which will occur at the next regularly scheduled public board meeting, which is June 11 and 12 in Denver. An email sent to DNR confirmed the hire Friday. The mission of the State Land Board...

BOZEMAN, Montana — Nine felony cases connected to a game of “Crime Bingo” played by Bozeman Police Department officers will not be prosecuted, said Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell. “It’s a tough call, but dismissal of the cases is the best way to protect the defendant’s constitutional due process rights and to ensure procedural fairness in those cases,” said Cromwell in a statement. Bozeman Police Chief Jim Veltkamp revealed the “Crime Bingo” during an April 18 press conference, saying an independent review concluded “that zero of the cases had been affected by the game.” Cromwell announced last week that four...

Russia collusion hoaxer Marc Elias filed a lawsuit Friday challenging a new Wyoming law that makes it harder for noncitizens to register to vote. Gov. Mark Gordon, R-Wyo., allowed House Bill 156 to become law on March 21 without his signature. The legislation requires prospective registrants to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote. Proof includes a U.S. passport, birth certificate, or naturalization papers, among other options. The legislation, which passed the state House 51 to eight and the state Senate by 26 to four, is slated to go into effect on July 1, 2025....

On July 7, 1846, a contingent of Marines raised the American flag over Monterey, California, to mark a proclamation by U.S. consul Thomas Larkin that the territory was being annexed as a consequence of the war with Mexico. Much of the future state had already been taken from Mexico's nominal control by an uprising of American settlers under the Bear Flag. Victory in the Mexican War meant that the country gained Texas, California, and everything in between, comprising most of what is now New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. Next to the War of Independence and the Civil...

Bob the barrel has made landfall after finally breaking through the ice of Fremont Lake. This year’s Fremont Lake Ice Off Guess, a long-running fundraiser for the Pinedale Lions Club, ended at 6:25 a.m. Sunday when the bright yellow barrel that had been sitting out on the frozen lake since March was found 200 yards away from the Upper Fremont Lake boat ramp. The winner of the contest, Mike Nystrom, guessed that Bob would reach the shore at 6:35 p.m. May 3. He was about 12 hours off, but still won the $500 prize. “Your guess is active until the...

Time magazine has released its annual list of the selected “100 Most Influential People,” and on the list is Julie Burkhart, an owner of multiple abortion facilities who was mentored by late-term abortionist George Tiller. In the article, Time presents Burkhart as a brave warrior fighting on behalf of women. “Julie Burkhart has been fighting for decades to provide abortions in some of the most rural and conservative areas of the U.S.,” the write-up by Time correspondent Charlotte Alter began, before noting that one of her facilities is located in Illinois — one of the most pro-abortion states in the...

CHEYENNE — Already facing serious federal charges for allegedly carrying 18,000 rounds of ammunition through Wyoming, Ricardo Paez-Quinones, 35, dug himself into an even deeper hole on Friday. Paez-Quinones was a no-show for his bond hearing on Friday morning in U.S. District Court, leading Judge Alan Johnson to put out a bench warrant for his arrest. Johnson suspected that the topic of his bond was what led Paez-Quinones to avoid coming to court, leading him to engage “in some form of self-help.” “We can receive an explanation for that at a later time,” Johnson remarked. Paez-Quinones is an illegal immigrant...

According to a CBC report, an extensive new project has highlighted just how vast the trade network in obsidian was for Indigenous communities living during the precontact period in current-day Alberta. Obsidian, a type of volcanic glass, was indispensable for many ancient cultures around the world because it can be easily shaped into arrowheads and cutting tools. No volcanoes have ever erupted in Alberta, however, so every sherd of obsidian was transported there from elsewhere. Researchers from the Alberta Obsidian Project analyzed 383 obsidian fragments from 96 sites across the area dating to between 13,000 and 300 years ago. They...

A fox with rare black fur made a brief roadside appearance in Yellowstone National Park last week. The fox’s coloring is probably the result of a condition called melanism. Stacy O’Nell caught photos of this extremely rare black fox in Yellowstone National Park, when it made a brief appearance along the roadside last week. The fox’s unusual coloring is probably the result of a condition called melanism, which can cause black skin, fur or feathers in numerous species. (Courtesy Stacy O'Nell, SO Photograpy) Now in her third season of working at the Yellowstone National Park’s Old Faithful Inn, Stacy O’Nell...

IDAHO FALLS — Stakeholders with the Grand Teton Council and other local community leaders gathered Wednesday to discuss ways of increasing membership for the Scouting program after a massive drop in numbers five years ago. The Grand Teton Council is part of Scouting America, formerly the Boy Scouts of America, and covers eastern Idaho and parts of western Wyoming. Since 2019, the Grand Teton Council and Scouting America have struggled to maintain and grow their membership after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stopped using the organization in lieu of starting its own youth program. “We lost 95%...

The cut and baled land and the untouched land in this photo represent where survey markers indicate property boundaries exist between Maude private property and USFS property. Charles Maude and Heather Maude were indicted separately for theft of federal property, and each must retain their own attorney — doubling their legal costs. Courtesy photo Screen Shot 2025-04-10 at 10.57.18 AM The Western South Dakota couple indicted for theft of federal property will not go to trial in April. A new court date of July 22, 2025, has been established for Charles and Heather Maude of Caputa, in federal district court...

Today, Congressman Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., and Congresswoman Lauren Boebert’s, R-Colo., legislation to delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species List and ensure that action is not subject to judicial review passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee. The Pet and Livestock Protection Act will restore authority back to state lawmakers and state wildlife officials to control the gray wolf population. H.R. 845 will now head to the full House of Representatives for a vote. “The damage to pets, livestock and wildlife from an unmanaged wolf population can no longer be ignored. The gray wolf has exceeded federal and...