UP to Laramie County government officials and local nonprofit organizations for working cooperatively in a tight timeframe to ensure more than $1.9 million was distributed to 37 groups through Gov. Mark Gordon’s Community Charitable Relief Program.
Thanks to the “Herculean effort” of county Grants Manager Sandra Newland and the efforts of county commissioners like Gunnar Malm and Troy Thompson, the word was spread quickly to those in need, and help was provided for those who chose to apply. That meant Ms. Newland was working nights and weekends from late last year though earlier this month to help groups complete the necessary paperwork in a timely manner.
In addition, rather than grabbing as much as they could for themselves, when contacted by Mr. Thompson or Mr. Malm, many nonprofit officials recommended others in need, or contacted leaders of those groups themselves to help spread the word – and the wealth. This is truly what being part of a community is all about, and it’s one more example of why Laramie County is a great place to live.
DOWN to motorists who fail to slow down and be cautious during treacherous winter weather conditions.
We see it all too often here in southeast Wyoming: Overconfident drivers speeding along slick roadways, passing at speeds often exceeding the speed limit for dry roads; failing to leave enough distance between their vehicle and the one ahead of them; and refusing to respect the efforts of snowplow operators, who are working to keep them safe.
Unfortunately, that last situation is apparently becoming all too common statewide, as the Wyoming Department of Transportation reported 10 snowplow strikes over a five-day period from Feb. 11-16. That brings the total to 17 for this winter season, which stretches from October through May.
One of these crashes involved a tractor-trailer hitting the rear of a plow, injuring the plow driver and totaling both vehicles. Thankfully, no one has died as a result of these crashes, but most of the public’s vehicles had to be towed away from the scene, because car or pickup vs. snowplow is often a lopsided battle.
And in case you’re thinking these things must be happening outside of our area, some of the recent collisions took place on Interstate 25 near Cheyenne, and on I-25 near Chugwater, Wheatland and Douglas.
This news should serve as a valuable reminder that we all need to slow down and give ourselves plenty of extra time to reach our destination. We also should check road conditions (on the 511 smartphone app or WYDOT’s website, wyoroad.info) before leaving home. As the highway reader board often says these days, “Arrive alive – then wear your mask.”
DOWN to those involved in the racist and pornographic “Zoom-bombing” of a virtual Black History Month event sponsored by the University of Wyoming.
It’s bad enough racism is still prevalent in 2021, but when people who hold those discriminatory beliefs choose to disrupt a public event in this way, it’s downright disgusting. We doubt these same people would walk into a public event carrying large placards bearing these same horrible words and images. Yet these cowards can hide behind their keyboards and inject themselves where they’re not welcome.
Earlier this week, the Casper Star-Tribune reported that the investigation into the situation linked one of the perpetrators to a Maryland internet service provider. And officials believe it might be linked to a series of such racist attacks against colleges across the country, many during events to mark Black History Month.
We hope this means authorities will be able to track down those involved and hold them accountable for their disgusting behavior. In the meantime, Wyomingites shouldn’t get too confident that Equality State residents couldn’t be responsible for such an attack. We encourage UW officials to do all they can to ensure this type of thing doesn’t happen again and to keep communicating strongly that such behavior isn’t acceptable at the state’s only four-year public university.
UP to state agency officials and lawmakers drawing up plans for distributing up to $200 million in federal funds to Wyoming renters and landlords who have been impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
If done right, this program could help those who are behind on rent and utility bills going back to March 13, and who continue to be affected to this day. Unfortunately, an earlier statewide effort to distribute rent assistance money wasn’t as successful as it could have been, largely due to the tight restrictions set up for the program.
We’ve heard plenty of stories from people who are in need of this help, so we hope the final requirements this time around are loose enough, and state employees will work hard to get the money to those who are struggling most.
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