The Open Range Record article archive — page 7
Complete archive of news articles, investigations and columns published by The Open Range Record, Wyoming's Independent News Source.
- The Fight Against HB 141
Most recently, Mr. Agopian made political donations to Senators Mike Gierau and Eric Barlow just a few months before the session began. Gierau has not formally announced he is running for re-election. - HB0017 Would Expand Power of Blockchain Committee
The bill would expand the committee's mission to include oversight of “emerging technologies,” a broad and undefined category - HB0027 - Changing Who Decides in Disputes and When
For communities facing growth pressure, infrastructure strain, or annexation disputes, the bill changes who decides—and when. Early filers gain an advantage, particularly developers anticipating annexation. - Special Report: Statutory “Gap” Prompts Legislative Push Over Public Funding of Private Associations
For officials such as the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police or the Wyoming County Clerks Association, no such independent statutory shield exists. - Adamo: Mark Gordon And The Never Ending "Higher Education" Scam
"Is there an actual need for ranchers to assure proper Angus representation among Charolais and Heifers? It is no wonder that students across America are increasingly substandard on real academics, the kind good schools used to teach." - WATCH: The Open Range Record Roundup Live at 7pm
Watch as David and Mark Jones discuss the gun legislation in this year's legislative session. - State-Funded Contractor Lobbies for Its Own Funding, Raising Ethical Questions
The central ethical question is whether it is appropriate for an organization to use its state-funded position, title, and resources, including contact lists built through its state-funded work, to lobby for the continuation of its own funding. - Barlow's Non-Profit Bought His Lamb with Your Money While a Senator and Board Member
EPP publicly listed Eric Barlow as a founding board member and Secretary until his resignation in December 2025. During that same period, EPP promoted Gourmet Lamb of Wyoming, operated by Eric and Kelly Barlow, as a local rancher supplier. - Recalibration, Responsibility, and the $88 Million Story
"Recalibration is politically painful. But ignoring it for fifteen years is what brought the courts into the room." - The SAVE Act and Election Integrity in Wyoming
"Election integrity remains one of the highest polling concerns across the United States. In Wyoming this is also true. Unfortunately in this year’s 2026 Budget Session, nearly all of the election integrity measures were killed in the legislature." - Senate Corporations Kills HB86: Chairman Case Questions “Animus” and Process in Weston County Fallout
"The most revealing exchange came when the conversation turned toward the strained relationship between the Secretary of State and the Governor. During testimony, the committee chairman speculated that the bill may stem from a lack of collaboration between the... - Marshall: They Say They're "Wyoming Conservatives." Here's What That Really Means
Since 2019, "Wyoming Conservatives" have given us lower GDP, higher inflation, lower take-home pay and an inferior economy by almost every measure than the national average. To top it all off, they have taken significantly more of your money than they actually... - Abortion Fight Continues: Two Bills Still Moving Through Legislature
Supporters framed the heartbeat as a clear biological marker deserving legal protection, while opponents raised concerns about restricting access to abortion due to how early in pregnancy a heartbeat can typically be identified. - Mossburg: Public sector workers’ rights would be strengthened under new Wyoming bill
"While workers in Wyoming have the ability to opt out of union membership, requiring them to proactively send dues instead of having them automatically deducted from paychecks ensures that they want to belong without doubt." - Letter: If the Free Market Is “Dead,” Why Are Taxpayers Funding the Replacement?
"When I opened my business, there were no guarantees. We invested our own money. I worked relentlessly. If I fail, the consequences are mine. That’s how markets create discipline. That’s how businesses stay lean. That’s how innovation survives." - Finally Consensus: An Amendment They Could Agree On
"In a session filled with contentious debates, members described amendment 88 as something most everyone could agree on." And it was about the Wyoming Business Council. - My Actions, my consequences. Their actions… my consequences? Taking the reins on Accountability.
"Accountability is not merely admitting fault. It is deeply understanding where things went wrong, feeling the emotional, spiritual, and professional weight of it." - Who Decides and When: Recreation Levies and the Lack of Taxpayer Choice
Should people be required to fund something indefinitely without ever being asked if they support it? HB0127 says they should at least be given that opportunity. - House Advances Multiple Firearm Bills
Perplexingly, there were five Republicans that voted against introduction of HB0130, Second Amendment Protection Act Amendments. - A Moment of Clarity in a Divided House: Leadership, Accountability, and a Line Crossed
"Speaker Neiman didn’t speak like a man delivering a prepared statement. He spoke like someone carrying the weight of it." - Affordable Housing Tax Fix, SF89, Fails to Gain 2/3 Introduction Vote
Senator Steinmetz’s bill attempted to recoup the lost revenue. Many of these housing developments pay no or very little property taxes. - Rights, Authority, and Accountability in Wyoming Education
"Supporters argue that the bill clarifies statutory guardrails to prevent viewpoint-based enforcement while maintaining order." - Profiles: Wyoming State Auditor Kristi Racines
“Everyone does better when it’s all out in the open, and for the most part, it’s all very boring. But the absence of information creates distrust." - Reflections on Adoption, Loss, and the Dignity of Human Life
"Every one of us began the same way as vulnerable, unseen, and dependent on someone else’s courage. Each of us was once given the chance to live." - HB10 Advances After Heated Debate; Rep. Williams Explains Vote
“I’m going to vote yes on this bill — not for the folks at home, because they don’t think there’s a need for it — but for all of you in the state where this is an issue. It’s not an issue in my neck of the woods.” - Is the Wyoming Legislature interested in passing more election laws this session?
Since 2020 there have been 7 election bills that passed the Wyoming Legislature. A good share being about the bond elections on ballots and special district elections. - Updated: Wharff to Ask the Wyoming House to 'Reconsider' the School Recalibration Bill
The motion to suspend the rules to reconsider HB110 failed by a vote of 38-22. - Legislative Watch: One Year After the School Finance Lawsuit, Recalibration Still Stalled
"On the House side, HB0110, the house recalibration measure, failed the 2/3 introduction threshold February 9, 2026 by a vote of 41-21" - Provenza, Yin with Help of Obrecht, Director of LSO, Violate Joint Rules in Check Incident
"It’s clear from the interview with Speaker Neiman that he had no knowledge of the motion that Rep Provenza would bring to the House floor." That's a clear violation of the Joint Rules - Mossburg: The Fast Track Permits Act could make housing more affordable and attainable in Wyoming
"Finding ways to increase the housing supply and make homes more attainable and affordable for all is a pressing problem in the Cowboy State and throughout the nation." - Marshall: Does Governor Gordon Think There is Fraud in Wyoming?
Audits scrutinize money that is spent. At Gordon's Department of Audit, 94 of the 101 employees are dedicated to monitoring money coming in and not what is being spent. If he cared about fraud, those numbers would be reversed. - Wyoming REALTORS: A Personal Story
These boards, commissions and trade associations can block your Constitutional rights, including the right to free speech and due process, and it can cost a lot of money to fight the very group that is supposedly “empowering” you. - Steinmetz: The Hidden Price of Tax Relief: What Every Wyoming Citizen Should Know
“Before tearing down a fence, we should first understand why it was built.” - Johnson County Judge Gives Allemand Normal Bail Conditions
Considering the Wyoming Freedom Caucus animus in Wyoming’s media establishment, had this fact been known, it would have already been reported. Now that Allemand’s testing requirement has been reduced, his bail obligations will be even less obtrusive. - Rep Kelly Announces Run for Superintendent of Public Instruction
This year the Superintendent’s seat is again on the ballot with no incumbent, as Degenfelder is running for governor. Tom was asked again to run and told that the consensus is he is the conservative to head education. - Sheridan Republican Mark Jennings Announces Run for House District 30
Throughout his time in the legislature, Jennings championed parental rights, pro-life and second amendment focused legislation. He is the author of what was at the time one of the nation’s first parental rights law, 2017’s HB153. The bill, was later signed int... - Guest Column: Wyoming education has come to a Y in the road
The Hathaway puts about $13 million into UW. The total budget for 2026 reported by UW is a staggering $533.7 million. Can you say more than half a billion? Surely UW could stand for a budget trim. - Letter: WE ARE SHOCKED, Prosecutors Against Holding Them Accountable In Self-Defense Acquittals
Mr. Worrell states that “If you were defending yourself...the reward is your freedom.” Apparently, he is unfamiliar with the refrain that “the process is the punishment.” You are hardly enjoying freedom after being jailed before trial, bankrupted by legal cost... - Pavey: History is Not a Slogan and It's Not a Protest Chant
"History is not a chant, and it is not a protest sign. And if we want citizens capable of reasoned debate rather than rehearsed outrage, we must start by teaching it that way." - Letter: Myth v. Fact — School Recalibration Without The Spin
"When asked, Representative Larsen will tell you, "It was just a bad bill," every time. How many bad bills will he not vote on? If they were so bad, why did he not amend them? These two play both sides of the aisle. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!" - Cole: Time for a Direct Factual Talk About Immigration
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." Notice, it didn’t say “bring me your poor so that we can give them welfare!” And that’s what the vast majority of immigrants to America primarily used to seek: liberty and opportuni... - Marshall: Wyoming is NOT Washington D.C. (Thank God!)
Either the governor has no clue what his budget really is or the people who write his articles on his behalf (his policy director, his deputy policy director, his communications director, his strategic communications director) have no clue what his budget real... - Ed Cooper and Wyoming Media "Truths" Versus Facts
It is important to know what the real truth is when it comes to politics. We are living in the digital age, where information is available to us at the touch of a finger. - Manipulating the Truth: How an Amateur Tried to Deceive Wyoming
In a shocking display of political opportunism, a manipulated video was circulated purporting to show Sheridan Representative Ken Pendergraft saying, “I don’t want a bunch of businesses coming to this state.” The truth is almost completely the opposite. - Oh, What a Difference 2 Years Makes: The WY Media's Treatment of Their Team
"The Headlines from February 9, 2026 were very different than in 2024. There was no discussion of how much money had been spent on those 21 bills." - No Fences, Only Open Range: iOS App is Available for Download
Today, The Open Range Record announces that our iOS App is available for download. This compliments the Android version we published a few weeks ago. - Gabe Saint: There's Still Something Wrong at UW
The environment that currently exists that is openly hostile towards conservatives, Christians, and white people shows that something is still wrong that the university must address. - Letter: Don't Let Soundbites Trump Truth
Let me repeat this: The average voting margin for Republicans on those 28 bills was 50 votes for and 4 votes against. It appears that I am voting with an overwhelming majority of Republicans on those 28 bills. - Letter: The Definition of Insanity, The Wyoming Business Council
We hear that the WBC is needed. The real question is: is it objectively successful? - Matt McGinnis: The Latest to Enter the WY House Race
McGinnis describes himself as a lifelong hunter and outdoorsman, and he makes strong support for the Second Amendment a core part of his campaign. He opposes federal gun restrictions and frames gun ownership as part of Wyoming’s heritage and a practical realit...