WTE offers thumbs up and down

Kudos to everyone who responded during and after record windstorm

UP to everyone who responded so quickly during the record-breaking windstorm on March 12 and as cleanup efforts continue in its wake.

We tip our hats to local law enforcement officers and firefighters, dispatchers at Laramie County’s 911 communication center, crews from Black Hills Energy, Cheyenne Urban Forestry employees and many others who braved the 92 mph wind gusts to ensure the safety of residents and visitors alike. At one point, Black Hills Energy reported 117 separate power outages in the area, and there were 50 Urban Forestry responses for downed trees, along with semis blown over on the interstates and a small grass fire.

We also want to say thank you to the folks at Laramie County Emergency Management, American Red Cross and Cheyenne’s Sanitation Division, as well as local tree removal service employees, contractors, roofers and everyone else who has been working diligently to help people recover from the damage left behind. While some of it was easily cleaned up, others will be recovering for weeks, if not months.

This storm was yet another example of how Wyoming residents pull together and help one another during challenging circumstances. Thanks to everyone who helped prove that once again!

Downtown Development Authority is proving its worth to local businesses

UP to the Cheyenne Downtown Development Authority for working diligently to change public perception of the organization’s effectiveness.

This isn’t just a public relations campaign. It’s based on getting things done that are in DDA’s Plan of Development, which was created in February 2025. Among those are sidewalk repairs; adding and improving bicyclist and pedestrian amenities; enhancing the streetscape/greenscape; creating a business toolkit to help aspiring business owners gain their footing, and continuing the DDA’s grant programs.

While it’s unfair to say DDA has never been effective, it’s true that the organization has long fought against the perception that it was doing less than it could be. We’re cautiously optimistic as a result of the report from current Executive Director Sophia Maes to the City Council, and as part of the DDA district, we wish her and those supporting her efforts much success going forward.

USAF Thunderbirds fail to adequately explain reasons for no-show at CFD

DOWN to the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds for failing to provide an adequate explanation for their decision not to come to Wyoming’s capital city for the 130th anniversary Cheyenne Frontier Days this summer.

All the aerial demonstration team’s spokesperson would say is they won’t be here this year due to “a variety of factors.” This came as a surprise to those of us who have been told for years that the Air Force’s elite squadron built its annual performance schedule around the “Daddy of ’em All.”

After all, the Thunderbirds’ very first civilian performance was here in 1953, and they have done a show during CFD almost every year since then.

Did it have to do with the move from the traditional Wednesday morning slot to the last Saturday in 2025? Was it a logistics issue? Was audience attendance not what they expected? We may never know.

And while the F-16s apparently will do a flyover on their way back from a July 18-19 show in Sioux Falls, it won’t be the same as the full demonstration. Disappointing, to say the least.

Legislature adds money to help protect kids from sexual exploitation

UP to the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and its Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force for their efforts to protect children from all forms of sexual exploitation online. And UP to the entire Wyoming Legislature for unanimously passing legislation that added $1.6 million to the ICAC budget for the next two years to help combat sextortion, targeting and trafficking across the state.

The Legislature’s universal support for this bill exemplified the “civil discourse and cooperation” metric we hoped to see from lawmakers working together across factional lines in the best interest of the people of Wyoming.

Since its formation around 20 years ago, Wyoming has successfully partnered in this task force with the U.S. Department of Justice. Still, child exploitation online has been increasing statewide at exponential rates. In 2024, the Wyoming ICAC investigated more than 1,100 cyber tips to determine which needed follow-up. That led to investigative action on 477 cases and resulted in 70 arrests.

Thanks to primary sponsor Sen. Tara Nethercott’s RAVEN Act (Resource Allocation for Victim and Enforcement Needs, Senate File 85), DCI can hire more agents to work in currently underserved areas of Wyoming. We wish this expenditure wasn’t necessary, but thank the Legislature for funding measures to keep our children safe from predators.

School facilities should be affordable to outside groups, Legislature says

UP to Wyoming lawmakers for passing Senate File 90, “School facilities-use fees,” which prevents K-12 public school districts from charging rental fees to non-school sports groups and other organizations that are higher than an hourly rate based on their own costs.

The bill allows youth organizations, including those not officially registered as nonprofits, to rent facilities like gyms and pools for only the hourly rate of personnel, equipment, utility and supply costs actually incurred by the district.

This is critically important here in Cheyenne, where several groups vie for time in a limited number of facilities, most of which are owned and operated by Laramie County School District 1. When the school district raised its rental fees in recent years, a local swim club challenged them in court — and won.

The passage of this legislation shows this isn’t just a Cheyenne issue. Other Wyoming communities rely solely on the local school district to provide time in gymnasiums, swimming pools and other facilities that simply don’t exist anywhere else. And there’s only so much the parents of the youth in these programs should be expected to pay to use public facilities already funded by taxpayer dollars.

On behalf of the kids, their parents, coaches and program leaders, we thank state lawmakers for passing SF 90 (which goes into effect July 1) and Gov. Mark Gordon for signing it into law.