Mead Gruver, Author at The Rapid City Post

As pro rodeo considers moving HQ to Wyoming, conservative lawmakers question incentives

January 29, 2026

The biggest organizing body in rodeo, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, has all but decided to move its headquarters from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Cheyenne, Wyoming. But some conservative lawmakers in Wyoming oppose a state incentive for the move. Last week, the PRCA board voted to “seriously consider” moving to Cheyenne. The deal is contingent on $15 million in state funding and matching local funds. Lawmakers including Republican state Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams say taxpayers shouldn’t be giving “handouts” to “multimillion-dollar corporations.” Williams is among members of the powerful Freedom Caucus who seek significant budget cuts when the Wyoming Legislature meets next month.

FILE - This April 24, 2023. photo, shows the Wellspring Health Access clinic in Casper, Wyo. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Abortion stays legal in Wyoming as its top court strikes down laws, including first US pill ban

January 6, 2026

Abortion will remain legal in Wyoming after the state Supreme Court struck down laws that include the nation’s first explicit ban on pill abortions. The justices sided with the state’s only abortion clinic and others Tuesday in ruling that the laws violate the Wyoming Constitution. A lower court judge struck down the laws in 2024, ruling they violate a constitutional amendment that says competent adults have the right to make their own health care decisions. Earlier, the same judge blocked the laws from taking effect. Wyoming sought to join 13 states that have banned abortion at all stages of pregnancy since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

FILE - Craig Station, a coal-fired power plant, operates Oct. 8, 2025, in Craig, Colo. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson, File)

Trump administration orders a Colorado coal-fired power generator to stay open

December 31, 2025

The Trump administration has ordered another coal-fired power facility to remain open. This time it’s telling the owners of the Craig Station in northwestern Colorado to keep running an electricity-generating unit that was slated for retirement Wednesday. The plant’s owners will need to fix a broken valve to keep the unit working. The 45-year-old generator is one of three at Craig Station. The Trump administration also has ordered coal-fired power plants in Indiana, Michigan and Washington state to remain operational against their owners’ wishes. It’s part of President Donald Trump’s push to revive the U.S. coal industry when many utilities are shifting to cheaper, less-polluting energy sources.

FILE - A dump truck hauls coal at the Eagle Butte Mine, now owned by Eagle Specialty Materials, LLC, near Gillette, Wyo., March 28, 2017. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver, File)

Senate reversal of Biden policy that blocked Wyoming coal mining heads to Trump

November 20, 2025

Mining industry access to federally owned coal in northeastern Wyoming will continue under a bill headed to President Donald Trump. The measure passed the Senate on a 51-43 vote Thursday. It reverses a policy under President Joe Biden that halted federal coal leasing in the Powder River Basin, source of about 40% of the nation’s coal. Trump often praises coal and is likely to sign the measure. The Biden policy would have eventually all but ended coal mining in the basin. Still, analysts say the measure is unlikely to save the coal industry. Utilities are using more renewables, and natural gas and mining in the basin is down by half from a decade ago.

The American flag is seen at half-staff, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Dick Cheney’s political legacy is mixed in home state of Wyoming

November 4, 2025

Dick Cheney leaves behind a mixed legacy in his home state of Wyoming. He died Tuesday at age 84. Some in Wyoming remember the former vice president for being at odds with President Donald Trump after he stood by his daughter, former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, who investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Some say the criticism of Trump came off in Wyoming as though people there were “stupid” for supporting him. Others including Republican state Sen. Tara Nethercott say Cheney deserves appreciation for standing by his daughter during difficult times.

The Great Seal of the State of Wyoming, where a homemade bomb was left on Tuesday that caused the Wyoming Capitol to be evacuated, is seen Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Cheyenne, Wyo. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver)

Wyoming Capitol bomb investigators focus on men seen in security video

October 22, 2025

Investigators in Wyoming are trying to identify two men they believe left a homemade bomb in front of the state Capitol. The device was brought inside by a passerby Tuesday morning and caused the building’s evacuation for the rest of the day while police searched the premises. Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Commander Ryan Cox says agents are looking closely at video security footage showing two men. Cox describes the device as “deconstructed live firework munition with a fuse” that would have had to be lit to explode. The device was taken away and rendered safe. The Capitol reopened with no visible security presence Wednesday.

FILE - A shirt makes a political statement in a storefront in Gillette, Wyo., Sept. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver, File)

Wyoming library director fired amid book dispute wins $700,000 settlement

October 8, 2025

A former Wyoming library director who was fired amid an uproar over books with sexual content and LGBTQ+ themes on youth shelves has reached a $700,000 settlement with her former employer. Terri Lesley was fired as library director in northeastern Wyoming’s Campbell County in 2023. She reached the settlement agreement with county officials Wednesday. Her lawsuit accused the library board and county commission of violating her First Amendment rights. County officials denied that in court documents. Lesley said Wednesday she feels vindicated by the settlement. Attorneys for Campbell County didn’t immediately return phone messages Wednesday seeking comment.

FILE - Former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos and her attorney Gerry Spence arrive at U.S. District Court in New York, March 22, 1990. (AP Photo/David Cantor, File)

Fringe-wearing Wyoming trial lawyer Gerry Spence dies at 96

August 14, 2025

Well-known Wyoming trial lawyer Gerry Spence has died at age 96. Spence’s 1979 court victory against an Oklahoma plutonium processor was turned into the 1983 movie “Silkwood” starring Meryl Streep. The fringe jacket-wearing Spence won numerous other high profile cases over the years. They included successfully defending former Philippines first lady Imelda Marcos against federal racketeering charges and Randy Weaver in connection with the 1992 Ruby Ridge shootout in Idaho. Spence died late Wednesday at his home in Montecito, California, surrounded by friends and family. He is survived by his wife, six children, 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

FILE - Energy Secretary Chris Wright listens during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Capitol Hill, June 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Wyoming’s first new coal mine in decades to extract rare earths

July 12, 2025

Wyoming’s first new coal mine in 50 years is said to be operating soon but it won’t rely on the fossil fuel to make money. Ramaco Resources plans to process the coal to extract rare earth elements it says are present in profitable quantities. Rare earths are a family of 17 metallic elements used in technologies like wind turbines, electric car batteries, and military targeting hardware. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and others attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday for the Brook Mine in northern Wyoming. China supplies almost 90% of the world’s rare earth elements, and the Trump administration is seeking to encourage more U.S. production.

Mead Gruver.