Open Spaces

December 4th 2009 Listen to the whole show   The Roadless Rule signed by President Clinton in 2001 prohibited road-building and logging on 58 million acres of national forest The Roadless Rule signed by President Clinton in 2001 prohibited road-building and logging on 58 million acres of national forest, including about 1-point-4 million in the Bridger-Teton in western Wyoming. The rule has been mired in legal battles ever since. Federal judges have ruled both for and against it. In May, the Obama Administration gave the Agriculture Department temporary power over road-building and logging on those millions of acres. It's unclear what will happen next. This makes for a lot of confusion - and even fear - for people living on the edge of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Addie Goss reports.

A listing of today's stories

The effect of this year's usually cold fall on local farmers This fall, a cold snap in the northern Big Horn Basin severely damaged crops. This is costing farmers in the area millions of dollars, and the impact may spread to the wider community. Wyoming Public Radio's Renny MacKay reports. The story of one ranch family working to make ends meet Sugar beet farmers aren't the only ones struggling. Some small, family-run ranch operations are also having a tough time, because of the economy. The cost of insurance, equipment, and energy are rising, and some ranch families are being forced to supplement their income from livestock. Reporter Emilie Ritter has the story of one ranch family working to make ends meet. Concern is growing about a rise of gang violence and drug trafficking on the Wind River Reservation The Chairman of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe is concerned about a rise of gang violence and drug trafficking on the Wind River Reservation. Ivan Posey tells Addie Goss that he worries the Reservation's small police force is inadequate to stop the problem. A University of Wyoming Clinical Social Worker will be hosting a Holiday Bereavement Support group A University of Wyoming Clinical Social Worker will be hosting a Holiday Bereavement Support group and a memory wreath making project this month. The goal is to help those who recently experienced the death of a loved one to get through the holidays. Benson joins Bob Beck to discuss ways to deal with grief during the holidays and explain how the rest of us can be supportive. This week the Governor lowered the boom on local governments This week the Governor lowered the boom on local governments. In recent years, cities, towns and counties have received more money than at any time in state history. The most significant revenue came in the form of over 200 million dollars that was given to local governments to spend as they saw fit. The state has seen record revenues and the legislature agreed to share that surplus with cities and counties. But that 200 million has now been trimmed to 50 million dollars. Some other funds available to local governments have also been reduced by the Governor. What's tricky is that this comes at a time when money from sales taxes has taken a bigger than expected nose dive. Bob Beck reports. The Roadless Rule signed by President Clinton in 2001 prohibited road-building and logging on 58 million acres of national forest The Roadless Rule signed by President Clinton in 2001 prohibited road-building and logging on 58 million acres of national forest, including about 1-point-4 million in the Bridger-Teton in western Wyoming. The rule has been mired in legal battles ever since. Federal judges have ruled both for and against it. In May, the Obama Administration gave the Agriculture Department temporary power over road-building and logging on those millions of acres. It's unclear what will happen next. This makes for a lot of confusion - and even fear - for people living on the edge of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Addie Goss reports. The annual University of Wyoming Gala holiday celebration is Sunday afternoon and evening at the U-W Fine Arts Center. The annual University of Wyoming Gala holiday celebration is Sunday afternoon and evening at the U-W Fine Arts Center. It features UW's symphony, the wind ensemble, various choirs and more. Michael Griffith is UW's Music Director. He speaks with Bob Beck. Davey Jackson Elementary tries new program to help children to become bilingual A couple of years ago at Davey Jackson Elementary, in Teton County, the number of kids speaking Spanish at home became about even with the number of kids speaking English. Administrators, teachers and parents started to create a new program for the school. It started this fall. The goal was to take advantage of the school's diversity and help kids of both backgrounds become bilingual. As Wyoming Public Radio's Molly Messick reports, that effort might have effects for the broader community. A senior in political science at the University of Wyoming has won the extremely competitive Marshall Scholarship A senior in political science at the University of Wyoming has won the extremely competitive Marshall Scholarship, which funds study in the United Kingdom. Rey Fuentes of Evanston was one of 35 students across the U.S. who received the scholarship. Last year, he received another highly competitive award - the Truman scholarship - which funds graduate study. Fuentes says what motivates him is a commitment to public service.