Around the 307
News, commentary, and other items of interest from the greater Wyoming landscape.
[Want to modify the number of weekly emails you receive? Find out how at the end of this post.]
From the week of January 14th, 2024, here are a handful of Cowboy State news items for your perusal:
There is no denying the early part of this past week was all kinds of cold! On Wednesday, January 17th, Cowboy State Daily published an article featuring a winter weather phenomenon known unofficially as frost flowers; the latter illustrating just how cold it was! Read all about the amazing hoarfrost that occured at Boysen Reservoir here.
Hoarfrost formations on Boysen Reservoir look like a field of white sagebrush. [Photo courtesy of Deanna Reish.] Also on Wednesday, January 17th, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in the case of Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. What does this case have to do with Wyoming you may ask? Well, this case may very well decide if the long-standing “Chevron Doctrine” (from the 1984 case Chevron v. Natural Resource Defense Council) is overturned. The 40-year old Chevron Doctrine gives federal agencies the power to interpret uncertainties in existing statutes effectively giving these agencies extraordinary control over ordinary citizens. The State of Wyoming along with 26 other states filed an amicus curiae brief in this case advocating support for overturning Chevron. This is an important decision for Wyoming when considering the vast amounts of federally-owned surface lands and mineral rights in our state that are currently subject to federal agency regulation and rule-making. Read this SCOTUSblog news article on the Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo case and its potential outcome.
On Thursday, January 18th, the Star Valley Independent (SVI) reported that one of the top local dog mushers in the upcoming Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race, Alix Crittenden from Bondurant, is undergoing tests for a brain tumor at the University of Utah medical center. Alix took second-place at last year’s Pedigree Stage Stop and is well-known and admired by many mushers in the sled dog racing community. For now, it appears teammate Jess Moore may be running Alix’s sled dogs during the 2024 Pedigree race. Read the SVI story here and we’ll keep you posted as we learn more about how Alix is doing.
The 2024 Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race begins on January 26th in Jackson with a stop in Alpine on February 2nd. We’ll be sure and cover the race as it progresses.
Alix and her sled dogs. [Photo Credit: Pedigree Stage Stop Race by Sebastian Schnuelle.]
Also it was announced earlier this past week that Wyoming’s U.S. Senator John Barrasso is recovering at his home in Casper after unexpected surgery and hospitalization over the weekend. The Senator is said to be doing well and is expected to return to his Congressional duties in Washington D.C. next week. You can read the Senator’s news release here.
That’s all for today. Thanks for reading and have a great week!
Want to customize your Close to Home 307 subscription and the number of emails you receive each week? Please click this About page link and scroll to the latter half of the page to learn how to update your settings.