The Open Range Record article archive
Complete archive of news articles, investigations and columns published by The Open Range Record, Independent Wyoming News.
- Bextel Broke 1894 Record in Gubernatorial Run
By securing nearly 17 percent of the vote, Bextel’s total stands as the highest vote share for any third-party gubernatorial candidate in Wyoming history, as well as the highest percentage ever recorded by a female third-party candidate in state history. - Editorial: Barron Owes Taxpayers an Accounting
It was Jeff Barron who put his fire district in the public eye. It was Barron who wrote numerous op-eds and did interviews with the media. It was Jeff Barron who used his volunteer fire department for politics. And it was Jeff Barron who loudly claimed his dep... - Barlow and Sommers: Two Old Speakers Ride Back to Cheyenne
Nothing says change like sending the old trail bosses back up the same trail. - More Than a Song: Cora Pederson's Faith, Hope, and Love for the Western Way of Life
From growing up on a Wyoming ranch to sharing songs inspired by her Christian faith, Cora Pederson is using music to tell stories, encourage others, and preserve the traditions that helped shape her life. - WE Soda Job Cuts Announced Day After Election; Questions Remain
Governor Mark Gordon said November 4 that he had learned of the decision “a day or so ago.” Clearly, Governor Gordon knew about the planned job cuts prior to the 2026 General Election held Tuesday Nov 3. - Harrison: A Legal Trap, The Game is Rigged Before it Starts
Hiding the evidence that would prove whether elections are honest is a betrayal of that oath — regardless of whether the elections were honest or not. If the count was right, show us the records. If the machines passed their tests, post the proof. Transparency... - The 2026 Election Message is Clear. Ignore Voters and Pay the Price
National Republicans seemed to forget why some states are called battlegrounds. Their voters still have to be persuaded. When a party concentrates on its perceived base, even a superficial willingness by the opposition to reach across the aisle can become an a... - The Results: Governor-Elect Barlow and the Defeat of Prop 1
Meanwhile, voters rejected Proposition 1, the proposed 50% exemption on qualifying primary residences. Its defeat followed a well-funded opposition campaign involving education organizations, business and professional associations, and prominent Republicans. - Goldwater Demands Wyoming Officials Stop Taxpayer Funded Electioneering
Local government entities must follow state law and stop using public resources to campaign for higher taxes. Any information about these elections provided by the government must be neutral and specifically authorized by law. - Letter: City, County Governments Have Huge Reserves
When considering how Prop 1 will help our neighbors not be taxed out of their homes, and how rich the city, county, and state really are, versus the tax recipients’ having to find efficiencies to run their departments, or the governing bodies moving money from... - Tone Deaf $41 Filet Mignon For Sheridan's Assessor's Office
Before lecturing homeowners about carrying their share, Sheridan County officials should show how carefully they carry the public’s money. If local service cuts in Sheridan are the most important concern of commissioners, they should first look at what their e... - Barlow's Campaign and the Community College Trustees Association
Taylor is executive director of the Wyoming Association of Community College Trustees, or WACCT. She is also named on Barlow’s statewide campaign leadership team. Joining her on that campaign list are Brad Cundy, a WACCT board member representing Casper Colleg... - Wyoming Finds Millions That Far Exceed the Impact of Prop 1
Before officials put firefighters and ambulances at the front of the warning campaign, they should explain what spending they would cut first—and how much of the newly identified money could protect essential services. They should also explain why that wouldn’... - Letter: A Rare Wyoming Opportunity This Election
The alternative, this go-round, is to take a long-shot chance on a political neophyte who undoubtedly has the will and the courage to shake things up, to disrupt, to break the chain of corporate strangulation. Make no mistake, her task will be beyond difficult... - Wyoming Election Review Flags Gaps in Security and Ballot Testing
His 2026 review covers January 1 through September 23. He marks the listed entries as containing neither Windows nor antivirus updates, although the table records other changes, including replacement computers, memory components, equipment repairs, and an elec... - Ide: You Don't Own Your Home If the Government Can Take It
Property taxes function like perpetual rent paid to government for the privilege of “owning” what you already bought and paid for. You are being taxed on unrealized gains, money you never made. This isn’t income. This isn’t cash. This is a computer-generated f... - Proposition 1 and Sheridan County’s Uncounted Cost of Fighting Montana Fires
Across these incidents, and except for the Davis Coulee fire, public records show virtually no detailed accounting of the Sheridan County resources committed or the taxpayer dollars expended in any fire fought under the informal, and later formalized, mutual a... - Politics or Procedure? Teton Sheriff Carr’s Record Under Scrutiny
Deputy Snow says the department has used its authority to damage his candidacy. Carr denies weaponizing the office and says he did not decide to place Snow on leave. Their competing accounts leave voters with questions. - Governor Candidate Eric Barlow Co-Sponsored and Voted For Wyoming Income Tax
Barlow joined a group of legislative leaders sponsoring the corporate income tax, including House Speaker Steve Harshman, Senate President Drew Perkins, and Senate Revenue Committee Chairman Cale Case. - Letter: Using Tax-Dollars to Support a Tax is Wrong
Public education to inform citizens of an upcoming ballot question is appropriate. However, the wording of these promotions is far from unbiased. - Historic Win Against Federal Gun Control: More Work to be Done
Americans can now obtain, possess, and transfer these protected NFA items just like regular firearms without special federal oversight, paperwork, or costs. However, the battle rages on to repeal the entire unconstitutional NFA Legislatively, and GOA remains c... - Halverson and Martin Debate Proposition 1: Facts vs. Fear
Martin made people fear this exemption without demonstrating the catastrophe he described. Halverson’s challenge remains: Show the revenue, explain the reserves and justify the priorities before telling homeowners there is nothing left to give. - Letter: Washington and Jefferson Understood Control
We need to beware of what lies behind seemingly innocuous calls for “Local Control,” and question who really benefits given the power realities of Wyoming politics. As George Washington is attributed as saying; “Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. I... - No Kings, Fewer Subjects: Sheridan Democrats' Anemic Protest
That message was familiar: Trump is a Nazi, MAGA is a cult, and the people carrying the signs occupy the moral high ground. Apparently, delivering it again required a much smaller audience. - Wyoming Elections Part II:
When the Certification Does Not Match the Record
Wyoming voting systems have purportedly not received antivirus or security updates since 2022. AI tools now exploit unpatched systems in seconds — altering code and vote counts while erasing tracks. AI leaves no fingerprints. Clerks are set up to fail inside a... - Letter: LWV Deceptively Changed Audience Question
When they read my question, which was the only audience question submitted, I was shocked to hear that Michelle Escudero had rewritten it. - Wyoming Rodeo Could Teach the WNBA a Few Things with Colter Ellis
“As a cowboy, having that strong tie to family, to community, having a strong tie to God and country just comes second nature. Working all day on the land and with livestock grounds you. Without our freedoms, we couldn't do any of this. We couldn't have the li... - Cole: Being "Offended" is Becoming Offensive
"Apparently this was too much for one poster who then apparently contacted a Wyoming governmental agency to report my post as a “potential threat.” An official from this agency called me just the other day about the matter." - Wyoming AI Power Boom: Google's $5.8 Billion Deals and Who Pays the Bill
The facility will operate through Cheyenne Fuel Cell LLC. AEP reports that it owns and controls approximately 92%, while funds advised by Basalt Infrastructure Partners hold nearly 8%. Bloom Energy supplies the technology, and Google purchases the power. - Hornok: Who Wants a Raise?
If Proposition 1 passes, you and I will get to keep more of our money in our wallets where we put it when we earn it. Everyone who gets up and goes to work to put a roof over their family’s heads gets a raise by being able to keep more money and use it for nec... - The Real Dark Money Network: Who Bankrolled the Wyoming Primary Election
Western Futures Fund’s reach extends beyond the Way Back PAC. Its 2024 return also lists Wyoming Way PAC, Wyoming Donor Alliance, and Better Wyoming Action and Research among its recipients. Money leaving the organization supported several groups working in Wy... - Lange: Speak, Vote And Pray As God Teaches You
Your power to speak and to vote is not a man-made right to clamor for self interest. It is a sacred duty to speak with the voice of God for the interests of the city, state, and nation. Lazy indifference is not a Christian option—any more than faithful parents... - Budgets or Politics? LCFD Cancels Halloween Event Citing Property Tax Cuts
This is not the first time Laramie County emergency response personnel have mobilized surrounding property tax legislation. During state legislative debates over Senate File 69, local fire departments encircled the Wyoming State Capitol building with firetruck... - The Sovereign Ballot: Why Wyoming's Elections Expose a National Security Crisis
In Campbell County's 2026 primary, official logs noted only one ballot style tested, yet the clerk certified readiness. In Fremont County's 2026 primary, test tables revealed thirty-two unexplained undervotes in a single party race, yet readiness was certified... - The New Boom and Bust: Wall Street’s AI Gamble May Leave a $1B Empty Barn in Wyoming
Wall Street is warning that a massive artificial intelligence bubble is about to burst, and the poster child for the crash is CoreWeave, the exact company anchoring a new $1.2 billion data center right here in Cheyenne. - Kelly Walsh Swim Team Reprimanded for Exposing Possible Violation of Title IX
By the state meet, other teams will have more time competing in their home pools, which puts the Lady Trojans at a disadvantage. Beyond the apparent Title IX violation, the administration called the entire swim team into the office and scolded the athletes for... - The Open Range Record Surpasses 1.5 Million Views
Behind the number are the people who make the publication possible: a dedicated staff, contributing writers and readers who care about Wyoming’s future--Wyoming people writing stories that are important to Wyoming - Pollak: Sheridan Deserves Facts, Not a Coordinated Political Smear
Harry Pollak responds: - Fmr WYGOP Chair Frank Eathorne Endorses Bextel for Governor
Eathorne says in the video, as Bextel joins him on camera. "She is a Constitution Party gubernatorial candidate. I'm voting for her because I am a principled Republican, and I know you want to save Wyoming". - Wyoming Business Council Strikes Out Again: ~$3M Building Sold for $75K
The city sought the Wyoming Business Council grant in 2019 to preserve the 1917 building at 502 South Main Street and return it to productive use. Its application described a downtown anchor that could house a restaurant, offices, or small businesses. The $2,9... - "Washington Monument Syndrome" Wyoming Style with Prop 1
By parading volunteer firefighters and sheriff deputies in front of local media cameras while leaving administrative line items untouched, county machines are executing a textbook case of malicious compliance: give us every dollar we demand, or the fire statio... - Better Deception: Better Wyoming's Misleading Politics
The Cheyenne screening, particularly with its post-film “action steps,” was therefore more than a presentation of a documentary. It also served as an opportunity for political education and organizing around a contested understanding of library policy. - Letter: Profit Sharing Could Work for Proposition 1
It's a strategy. Smart folks can work the details to provide the elegance needed in the Legislature and LSO. Either way, we can work this out so everyone wins. - The Wyoming Power and Data Center Tipping Point?
The Corporations Committee meets in Casper next week on election integrity, business-formation fraud, and a proposed $10 million to $14 million upgrade for the Secretary of State’s office. Half of the committee's legislators that were most inclined to scrutini... - Sweetwater Co Tourism Claims Wyoming Residents Don't Pay Lodging Tax
There is a factual reason to oppose this tax: it adds to the cost of taxable lodging for Wyoming families and workers. Whether a ballot measure creates a tax or renews an existing one, residents deserve to know the expense they would be approving. Calling it a... - Pacific Typhoon to a Snow Drift: How the Tropics Could Deliver Wyoming’s First Snow
A decaying Western Pacific typhoon recurving into the polar jet stream is initiating a massive atmospheric wave, threatening to pull Arctic air through Canada and combine with a Pacific low to deliver Wyoming's first measurable winter weather next week. - Eric Barlow’s Wyoming Marijuana Record: What He Supported and What He Denies
Residents could legally cultivate as many as 12 mature flowering marijuana plants at their residences. It also authorized marijuana edibles, concentrates, and other cannabis products, along with licensed retail establishments selling marijuana directly to cons... - *Updated* Trump Offers Diesel Relief. Wyoming Drivers and Retailers Lack Answers.
The order contains no explicit retailer reimbursement provision for that inventory. A broader tax suspension paired with inventory credits, or customer refunds for documented clear-diesel purchases, deserves consideration. Nebraska's state agricultural refunds... - Wyoming Property Taxes: The 50% Reduction Vote They Hope You’ll Forget
Establishment lawmakers who recorded "Aye" votes for the 50 percent no-backfill bill on February 4 now argue that the exact same 50 percent relief structure in Proposition 1 is an unworkable threat to public safety, county roads, and municipal budgets. - Policy is a "damn gong show:" Barlow on Pot, Taxes and Public Lands
People think about public policy as a pendulum swinging, like politics. Well, we've turned it into a damn gong show. Everybody's making a lot of noise. What we're doing is not durable. [With] the next lawsuit or the next administration, then you're going the o...