Rebecca Martinez

May 17th, 2013

Bob Beck, Irina Zhorov and Rebecca Martinez — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:40:00 +0000

Efforts to grant tribes more authority are met with resistance from non-tribal lawmakers

New peer mentoring program aims to keep kids away from substance abuse and in touch with tribal heri

Rebecca Martinez — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:13:23 +0000

Substance abuse is a concern for most school districts across the country, but on the Wind River Indian Reservation, it’s a red flag for especially high crime and suicide rates. Tribes have been trying – with mixed success – to keep kids from abusing alcohol and tobacco… But a new program from the Eastern Shoshone Department of Juvenile Services is working to train a league of student mentors to help their peers avoid risky behaviors. Wyoming Public Radio’s Rebecca Martinez filed this report.

UW Nursing School is working to meet needs of changing medical industry

Rebecca Martinez — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:25:55 +0000

New programs at the University of Wyoming’s Fay W. Whitney School of nursing are gathering momentum as the school works to better prepare students to meet the changing needs of the healthcare industry.

Many organizations are demanding that nursing job candidates have a Bachelor of Science degree, which was only available at the University in Laramie, until recently.

Laramie named one of America’s “playful cities,” plans more “pocket parks”

Rebecca Martinez — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:47:17 +0000

Laramie has been included on a national list of “playful cities” with policies that promote play among children.

Children today play less than any previous generation, according to a statement from KaBOOM!, a non-profit that helps communities build playgrounds. The Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics says play is necessary for social, emotional and physical well-being of children.

Laramie has a housing development ordinance that requires new developments to donate to a local parks fund, or set aside space for parks.

May 10th, 2013

Fri, 10 May 2013 23:22:02 +0000

Pollutants detected in water wells in Sublette County’s gas fields
Sublette County has been in the news a lot because of its air quality problems, which largely stem from natural gas production. But there’s another issue too: Pollutants have been showing up in water wells. Wyoming Public Radio’s Willow Belden reports.

Wyoming Judicial Branch says there’s nothing left to cut.

Rebecca Martinez — Fri, 10 May 2013 23:01:18 +0000

State agencies worked hard to trim the fat in order to meet an average of 6-percent budget cuts the Wyoming Legislature put into effect this year. The Judicial Branch took a hit of 4-percent budget cut. Because the state revenue forecast is still cloudy, further cuts may be considered. As the state population grows, so does the need for the court system, which makes it next-to-impossible to cut back. Wyoming Public Radio’s Rebecca Martinez reports.

Elk Antler Auction benefits habitat at National Elk Refuge

Rebecca Martinez — Fri, 10 May 2013 22:42:21 +0000

If you’re looking for big, stately elk antlers to hang on your wall, the National Elk Refuge in Jackson would be a great place to find them… except the public isn’t allowed onto the elk habitat. Instead, the Refuge and the Jackson Boy Scouts are gathering and bundling antlers to sell at the annual Elk Antler Auction in Jackson next weekend to benefit elk habitat projects. Wyoming Public Radio’s Rebecca Martinez spoke with the Refuge’s Lori Iverson about it.

Annie’s Project classes support women in ag management roles

Rebecca Martinez — Wed, 08 May 2013 19:10:26 +0000

As the average male farmer or rancher gets older and retires, many women are taking over.

To support women who are taking on the new management roles, the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension is offering a series of classes under the Annie’s Project program.

Organizer Cole Ehmke says the class is meant to answer participants’ questions, and to help them establish connections with presenters and their peers, other women in agriculture.

Health department advises caution to prevent hantavirus during spring cleaning

Rebecca Martinez — Fri, 03 May 2013 22:47:17 +0000

When you set out to tackle spring cleaning in your home or barn, the Wyoming Department of Health wants you to pay special attention to where mice might hide.

April 26th, 2013

Bob Beck, Irina Zhorov, Rebecca Martinez, Sara Hossaini and Willow Belden — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:06:02 +0000

Cost of substance abuse in Wyoming is higher than expected
As it addressed issues concerning substance abuse, one thing the state never had were Wyoming specific numbers on the financial impact of substance abuse. Wyoming Public Radio’s Bob Beck reports that a recent study has found that the cost of alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse is staggering.

Small movie theaters struggle to switch from film to digital

Rebecca Martinez — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 22:21:17 +0000

Going to the movies has been a favorite pastime since the dawn of film… but Hollywood studios expect to stop printing movies on actual film before the end of this year. They’re switching over to a digital format, which requires all-new equipment… and the cost of the transition is proving prohibitive for some small Wyoming theaters. Wyoming Public Radio’s Rebecca Martinez filed this report.

(struggling to open reel box)

UW student targeted with violent, sexual language on anonymous web page; police investigate

Rebecca Martinez — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 23:03:54 +0000

University of Wyoming police are investigating an anonymous message posted to a public Facebook page.

Demand drives up Jackson Hole housing market; supply becomes scarce

Rebecca Martinez — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:16:15 +0000

The housing market in Jackson Hole is booming, and it’s getting even more expensive to live there.

Last week, the Jackson Town Council decided to buy an apartment building to house town employees, so they could afford to live in the area. That makes it 15 housing properties the town will own.

Lawmakers agree to put off budget cut discussions

Rebecca Martinez — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:46:05 +0000

Top Wyoming lawmakers have agreed to put off talks of budget cuts.

This year, state agencies cut an average of 6.5 percent from their budgets to meet a shortfall. Then lawmakers announced plans to require agencies to propose another round of 6-percent cuts during summer committee hearings.

But Governor Matt Mead said he would not encourage agencies to cooperate. He says with almost $800 million coming in from capital gains and interest on investments, cuts should be unnecessary.

April 19th, 2013

Bob Beck, Irina Zhorov, Rebecca Martinez and Willow Belden — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:12:49 +0000

Wyoming's Senators Help Defeat Gun Control
After weeks of intense lobbying on Capitol Hill gun control advocates suffered a stinging defeat this week…in part because of opposition from Wyoming’s two Republican senators. Matt Laslo reports from Washington.

WyoFile investigator tells WPR about “accounting irregularities” related to Two Elk project

Rebecca Martinez — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:13:10 +0000

Wyoming Public Radio News reported earlier this month that the Two Elk Energy Park received its seventh permit-extension. The billion-dollar project was approved 16 years ago – intended to generate power from low-grade coal in the Powder River Basin – but it has never been built. The Two Elk project is a subsidiary of the Colorado-based North American Power Group, which cited the recession and legal challenges for the delays.

Montana allows motorists to salvage road kill, but in Wyoming, it’s a poaching offense

Rebecca Martinez — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:26:03 +0000

Animal-vehicle collisions have long been a problem in western states, leaving big game carcasses discarded along – or in the middle of – roadways. This week, it became legal in Montana to salvage and eat deer, elk, antelope and moose that have been hit and killed by cars.

Similar legislation died in the Wyoming Legislature this year. Currently, anyone who picks up road-killed game without a game warden permit runs the risk of being charged with poaching.

Bill co-sponsor Representative Dan Zwonitzer says this means more work for state agencies, which manage the road kill.

March 29th, 2013

Bob Beck, Irina Zhorov, Rebecca Huntington, Rebecca Martinez and Willow Belden — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 22:24:32 +0000

Flared natural gas is a loss to the state in taxes and royalties

Laramie educators want to foster support for LGBT students in the classroom

Rebecca Martinez — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 21:59:40 +0000

North American tribal leaders to gather at UW for “Building Tribal Nations Symposium”

Rebecca Martinez — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:31:51 +0000

Activists, educators and politicians from a number of North American Indian tribes will speak at the University of Wyoming in April.

UW’s American Indian Studies Program is hosting the Building Tribal Nations Symposium, where speakers will present about energy, the environment, legal and social issues.

Program Director Judith Antell says presenters come from different backgrounds, but many tribes have common needs and goals.

Conservation group retires forest land from energy development

Rebecca Martinez — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 23:27:14 +0000

Tens of thousands of acres of land in the Bridger-Teton National Forest have been retired, protecting the land from energy development. But the conservation group leading the effort, Trust for Public Lands, still has some work to do to protect a tract of land in the Upper Hoback Basin.

The group raised $8.75 dollars last year to buy oil and gas leases on 58,000 acres of land from Plains Exploration and Production Company.

Teton County is healthiest in Wyoming

Rebecca Martinez — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:58:07 +0000

Teton county residents are the healthiest in Wyoming. That’s according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute’s County Health Rankings. The least-healthy county was Fremont.

UW Extension teaches farmers to expand operations with CSAs

Rebecca Martinez — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:37:54 +0000

University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension is working to educate ag producers about how to set up their own Community Supported Agriculture operations, or CSAs.

March 15th, 2013

Bob Beck, Irina Zhorov, Rebecca Martinez and Willow Belden — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:54:43 +0000

DEQ releases ozone strategy for Sublette County
The Department of Environmental Quality has released a plan for tackling the ozone problem in Sublette County. Emissions from the energy industry there have combined to form a type of pollution called ozone, which can be a health hazard. Ozone levels have been so high that they violate federal standards, and the Environmental Protection Agency has given Wyoming three years to fix the problem.

Federal sequester threatens school programs on Wind River Indian Reservation

Rebecca Martinez — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:48:42 +0000

Federal budget cuts are causing schools on the Wind River Indian Reservation to tighten their belts.

Wyoming provides funding to all public schools in the state, but 10 districts – including several on the reservation – also receive money from the federal Impact Aid program. That supplements funding to school districts that include federal land that is not subject to property taxes.

March 8th, 2013

Bob Beck, Irina Zhorov, Willow Belden, Rebecca Martinez and Luke Hammons — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 00:08:33 +0000

UW Economist Anne Alexander discusses the potential effects of the federal sequester on Wyoming
One thing everyone is trying to get a grip on is how the federal sequester will impact Wyoming. Anne Alexander is an economist at the University of Wyoming. She joined Bob Beck in the studio to discuss this.

UW Trustees are winding down search for University President

Rebecca Martinez — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 01:41:12 +0000

This weekend, the University of Wyoming’s Board of Trustees interviewed four candidates to replace President Tom Buchanan, who will retire this summer.

The search for a new UW president was originally confidential, to allow candidates to maintain security in their current jobs, but a judge in Laramie ruled that the University must release the names of its candidates to the public. In order to stay on schedule, the Board of Trustees obliged, but not before telling candidates the search would no longer be confidential.

Fewer Wyoming teens are drinking, smoking

Rebecca Martinez — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:58:02 +0000

The 2012 Prevention Needs Assessment shows that fewer Wyoming junior high and high school students are smoking and drinking.

February 22nd, 2013

Bob Beck, Irina Zhorov, Rebecca Martinez, Willow Belden and Sara Hossaini — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 00:05:34 +0000

February 15th, 2013

Bob Beck, Irina Zhorov, Rebecca Martinez and Willow Belden — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 00:45:06 +0000

Increased coal exports overseas bring up questions of royalty payments
Coal producers in the U.S. are looking to markets abroad to make up for decreasing demand at home. But a recent investigation by Thomson Reuters news service suggests there might be royalty underpayments on those shipments. Wyoming Public Radio’s Irina Zhorov reports that royalty question is still unresolved.