Open Spaces

This week, we asked our reporters to look back on the year so far and submit their favorite stories. We learn about cowboys in Italy that have a unique connection to American cowboys. We make a stop at one of the hardest endurance adventure races in the Lower 48. And, we hear from a UW professor on how ChatGPT may affect the college experience. Those stories and more.

This week, we reach beyond our studios and bring you interviews from Wyoming PBS’ "Wyoming Chronicle." On this week’s show, we meet a Wyoming native who helped build the James Webb Space Telescope. He says his uncle intrigued him at a young age. And we hear the historical portrayal of a largely forgotten outlaw, Tom O’Day, through the voice of Ray Maple.

June is Alzheimer's Awareness Month so we speak to one organization on how they work with the community. We observe a mass shooting training in Powell to better prepare separate departments to communicate and work with each other. It’s been one year since Yellowstone flooded. Researchers tell us about what we can learn for our flood safety in our own communities. And pickleball is booming in the Mountain West. How communities are responding to the sport’s rapid growth. Those stories and more.

Today on the show, uranium mining may be ramping up across the West as the U.S. looks to transition more of its energy production away from fossil fuels. A look at how more mining could impact our region including how the nuclear plant announced in Kemmerer is affecting the town. And you may have been seeing more land acknowledgments at public events. That’s when someone recites a list of the Indigenous people of the area. But what do Native leaders and historians really think of these? And we join runners in Casper for the 20th anniversary of its marathon. Those stories and more.

Today on the show, we reach beyond our studios and bring you interviews from Wyoming PBS’ "Wyoming Chronicle." On this week’s show, we go behind the scenes of the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra with music director Christopher Dragon.And back in 2019, Wyoming doctors were trying to get telehealth integrated in the state.

Today on the show, a grizzly bear was mistakenly killed near Cody earlier this month. Are black bear hunters educated well enough? As the Colorado River shrinks, one of its largest reservoirs is at a record low. Before Lake Powell gets a big springtime boost, dropping water has revealed an otherworldly landscape. And, a mining company may have found the largest known deposit of rare earth minerals in North America in Southeast Wyoming. Those stories and more.

Today on the show, it's the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, a landmark and sometimes controversial law in the world of wildlife conservation. Extreme weather events are affecting birds’ migration patterns, so University of Wyoming researchers recently began using a tracking device that is light enough to attach to small songbirds. And we learn about cowboys in Italy that have a unique connection to American cowboys. And Jackson Hole now has a local TV station devoted to the Spanish-speaking community. Those stories and more.

Today on the show, we reach beyond our studios and bring you interviews from Wyoming PBS’ Wyoming Chronicle. On this week’s show, we meet a photo outfitter who goes out to the backcountry with photographers looking for wildlife. And we hear a conversation with the current State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Today on the show, Yellowstone’s east entrance is now open and the superintendent is hoping for a normal year. Teton County continues to grapple with funding new housing efforts – and local advocates are working to help people with disabilities. A University of Wyoming researcher is using his knowledge of tardigrades to make vaccines more resilient to temperature. And we chat with our general manager on how Wyoming Public Media is funded. Those stories and more.

Today on the show, one of the main utilities in Wyoming is proposing an increase in rates because of unforeseen costs largely due to extreme weather. Plans to track spending for visitors and participants at this year’s National High School Finals Rodeo have caused some concern. But officials say people shouldn’t be worried. And ground breaking research from the University of Wyoming has found that Indigenous people were using horses earlier than previously thought. Those stories and more.