Showing posts with label Wyoming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wyoming. Show all posts
16 April 2008
To Serve Wyoming
So, I asked one of my brothers to review one of my draft-posts and he had about a page and a half to say about it. I asked for free advice and he sent it. I decided there was lots of good advice in that page and a half of his, and lots of corrections I should/could make. So, for a day or two I'm going to think about blogging and why I am doing it. We'll see what happens. Maybe I'll blog, maybe I won't. But if I do, the purpose is to serve Wyoming. I'm just trying to get information out there.
15 April 2008
Training and Education for Elected Officials
I believe that training on how to perform the role, duties and responsibilities of an elected official and on-going education on laws, public relations, and so forth is vital to success in public office. I would like to define success in this case as open and mostly positive relations with the public, consensus building on councils and boards, vision, and progress.
To all of those who venture into the world of politics, I say thank you for your service. To those that are frustrated with "politicians" I encourage you to throw your hat in this time around. To those who control state funds, I encourage the allotment of funds to cities and towns earmarked for training and education for old and newly elected public servants. It is so important that these funds be available on a yearly basis and that the funds don't get used for other budget items, thus taking away access to that crucial element - education.
Thanks to WAM for offering at least twice yearly training opportunities for municipalities all across Wyoming.
To all of those who venture into the world of politics, I say thank you for your service. To those that are frustrated with "politicians" I encourage you to throw your hat in this time around. To those who control state funds, I encourage the allotment of funds to cities and towns earmarked for training and education for old and newly elected public servants. It is so important that these funds be available on a yearly basis and that the funds don't get used for other budget items, thus taking away access to that crucial element - education.
Thanks to WAM for offering at least twice yearly training opportunities for municipalities all across Wyoming.
What happened to Kadrich?
I took a class from Laurie Kadrich in Cody one year at a WAM convention. I loved the class and was very impressed with Kadrich and what I learned from her. She had some great ideas on how to make a more positive work environment for employers and employees.
When I later tried to contact Kadrich on behalf of my town's Chamber of Commerce, I found she was no longer working for the city of Cody. A 2006 article by Mark Heinz in the Cody Enterprise wasn't clear on what exactly had happened between Kadrich and the town of Cody although it mentioned proposed contract changes.
Recently I learned that she has taken a position with the city of Grand Junction, Colorado. I was impressed with their mission statement. "The Mission of the City of Grand Junction is to be the most liveable community west of the Rockies by 2025."
I feel like dang, look what Wyoming lost. Although I don't know her personally, she left a great impression on me and I wish her lots of success always.
When I later tried to contact Kadrich on behalf of my town's Chamber of Commerce, I found she was no longer working for the city of Cody. A 2006 article by Mark Heinz in the Cody Enterprise wasn't clear on what exactly had happened between Kadrich and the town of Cody although it mentioned proposed contract changes.
Recently I learned that she has taken a position with the city of Grand Junction, Colorado. I was impressed with their mission statement. "The Mission of the City of Grand Junction is to be the most liveable community west of the Rockies by 2025."
I feel like dang, look what Wyoming lost. Although I don't know her personally, she left a great impression on me and I wish her lots of success always.
12 April 2008
Quit Smoking
Here's some help for those in Wyoming that would like to quit the habit of smoking or chewing tobacco. Or, you can go to www.wy.quitnet.com. or you can call at 1-866-WYO-QUIT.
10 April 2008
Volunteer Firefighters take the heat for service and love
Volunteer firefighters have been at the heart of the heat since fire was discovered by man. Volunteering to be a firefighter isn't the norm in just Wyoming. Volunteering is the norm across the United States. If volunteering for fighting fires has been with us through history then why are we at a near-crisis in Wyoming when it comes to firefighters? The crisis is because of the lack of people volunteering. We just don't have enough numbers coming out to donate their time and energy.
Departments across the state are struggling to keep numbers at a level that can safely handle fire and rescue situations that occur. And the scary thing is that majority of residents across the great state of Wyoming, whether in the county or in a municipality, depend on those volunteers to turn out when there is a crisis involving fire in the home or in the fields or forests. And it's not just fires. Many, many areas of the state have non-fire emergencies covered in one way or another by volunteer firefighters. Rollovers, semi-wrecks, lost child, hay fires, hazardous spill, smoke in a school, burning-wire smell, traffic control and the list goes on and on. 9-1-1 is dialed and the fireman respond. After all, who else you gonna call?
What can we do to prevent a catastrophe from happening? Nothing. Catastrophes are going to happen regardless of the planning that may occur. We may avoid some and reduce others but regardless, we will always have catastrophes. What can we AS PEOPLE do to not add additional catastrophic elements? We can be prepared. That includes knowledge of potential catastrophic events (are you in an earthquake prone area?) and it includes self-sufficiency. It also includes training to be a volunteer emergency worker like CERT, BEC, EMT, or firefighter. Wyoming needs volunteers, but not just last-minute-it's-an-emergency-what-can-I-do? volunteer. Those kind are dangerous because they are not trained.
Wyoming needs people to find a time to donate back to their community that gives so much. Although wrecks may seem to be from crazy tourists who don't understand our weather or animal conditions, and that may well be the case, they still need to be attended to. It could be us in another area or state and we would certainly hope that trained help was nearby. Is it hard to find time? Yes it is, certainly it is. There are many, many demands on time. We need jobs. We must not neglect our families. Children need to be tucked in at night. Yes, yes. But, we must not forget how vital emergency services are and that volunteering to provide those services are how it gets done in Wyoming. As you tuck your child in and turn off the lights, think of what will happen if that cozy scene is surrounded by flames at 2am? Who is going to come to your home?
How can we get involved? Call your local fire department. Yes, at one time there was a waiting list to get on departments. Equipment is expensive and therefore limited. Waiting lists are very uncommon today although most departments have a limit on total members due to equipment. Yes, there were good-ol-boy clubs. Yes, there were bars in the fire halls and some were known, even in the not too distant past, for their fraternity atmospheres. If you have a department like that where you live, stand up and help change it into acting like the vital service it is. That alone may be the toughest challenge. Keep in mind that departments with these type of severe internal problems are the minority. Join with a buddy. Attend your meetings and trainings. Sometimes calls for service are months apart. Sometimes they are mere hours. You just never know in Wyoming. One thing, however, is known and that is that volunteers are needed and they are needed in a bad way.
Departments across the state are struggling to keep numbers at a level that can safely handle fire and rescue situations that occur. And the scary thing is that majority of residents across the great state of Wyoming, whether in the county or in a municipality, depend on those volunteers to turn out when there is a crisis involving fire in the home or in the fields or forests. And it's not just fires. Many, many areas of the state have non-fire emergencies covered in one way or another by volunteer firefighters. Rollovers, semi-wrecks, lost child, hay fires, hazardous spill, smoke in a school, burning-wire smell, traffic control and the list goes on and on. 9-1-1 is dialed and the fireman respond. After all, who else you gonna call?
What can we do to prevent a catastrophe from happening? Nothing. Catastrophes are going to happen regardless of the planning that may occur. We may avoid some and reduce others but regardless, we will always have catastrophes. What can we AS PEOPLE do to not add additional catastrophic elements? We can be prepared. That includes knowledge of potential catastrophic events (are you in an earthquake prone area?) and it includes self-sufficiency. It also includes training to be a volunteer emergency worker like CERT, BEC, EMT, or firefighter. Wyoming needs volunteers, but not just last-minute-it's-an-emergency-what-can-I-do? volunteer. Those kind are dangerous because they are not trained.
Wyoming needs people to find a time to donate back to their community that gives so much. Although wrecks may seem to be from crazy tourists who don't understand our weather or animal conditions, and that may well be the case, they still need to be attended to. It could be us in another area or state and we would certainly hope that trained help was nearby. Is it hard to find time? Yes it is, certainly it is. There are many, many demands on time. We need jobs. We must not neglect our families. Children need to be tucked in at night. Yes, yes. But, we must not forget how vital emergency services are and that volunteering to provide those services are how it gets done in Wyoming. As you tuck your child in and turn off the lights, think of what will happen if that cozy scene is surrounded by flames at 2am? Who is going to come to your home?
How can we get involved? Call your local fire department. Yes, at one time there was a waiting list to get on departments. Equipment is expensive and therefore limited. Waiting lists are very uncommon today although most departments have a limit on total members due to equipment. Yes, there were good-ol-boy clubs. Yes, there were bars in the fire halls and some were known, even in the not too distant past, for their fraternity atmospheres. If you have a department like that where you live, stand up and help change it into acting like the vital service it is. That alone may be the toughest challenge. Keep in mind that departments with these type of severe internal problems are the minority. Join with a buddy. Attend your meetings and trainings. Sometimes calls for service are months apart. Sometimes they are mere hours. You just never know in Wyoming. One thing, however, is known and that is that volunteers are needed and they are needed in a bad way.
09 April 2008
Know your Wyoming State Legislatures!
Last night at Cokeville's Council Meeting I got to see two of my good friends, Wyoming Senator Stan Cooper from Senate District #14 and Wyoming Representative Kathy Davison from House District #20. They came to give their yearly "Legislative Review" to our town and I thank them for their efforts this past budget session. Rep. Davison let Sen. Cooper do all the talking, she said he does it better and they would report the same. Sen. Cooper said that if town's complain about funding, he just tells them to look at history. Something like a 400X increase to towns, in direct distributions (cash to towns) and other areas. I will look for the exact figure on-line in a bit and try to update here.
Do all Wyomingites know how to contact by email their elected officials in the State Legislature? Do you know who the people are that are elected to represent your area on the State Level? Here is how you can find your Senator. Here is how you can find your representative. Do you know what these people do? Taken from the legiswebsite/ Citizen's Guide to the Legislature: A Citizen Legislature. Wyoming remains one of the few states having a true part-time citizen legislature. While this may keep Wyoming legislators in closer touch with their constituents, it also means that they do not enjoy the same accommodations provided to full-time legislators in larger states. For example, legislators in Wyoming do not have individual staff. As noted below, staff services for Wyoming legislators are provided by a small permanent central staff agency (the LSO) and by temporary session staff. Office accommodations are similarly austere. Except for a few officers of the House and Senate, members of the legislature are not provided offices in the Capitol nor do they maintain full-time offices in their districts. While in session, the "office" of a typical Wyoming legislator consists of the legislator's desk on the floor of the House or Senate and one or two file cabinet drawers in a committee meeting room. Except for the relatively short periods of time they meet each year in Cheyenne for the annual legislative session, Wyoming legislators can be contacted at home or at their places of business.
04 April 2008
Why PAWS
What are PAWS? Why does Wyoming have them? Who are they for?
Here is what my 4th grade, 10 year old son thinks. "I am going to miss PAWS because we had lots of snacks and extra recesses. I'm not going to miss it because we don't have to write and read and all that all day long. We've been doing it about two weeks and it's too long."
In our town all students are on a 4 day school schedule so the last day for the elementary school to have PAWS was yesterday. My two elementary school children came home rejoicing! Every night we would hear the reminder that "We need to get to bed early and eat a good breakfast so we can do good on PAWS." (Gee, don't parents try to do that all the time? I'm amazed at our school's educators that got our children wanting to do good!)
PAWS stands for "Proficiency Assessments for Wyoming Students". That explains Wyoming has PAWS. This testing is for all Wyoming students grades 3-8 and 11. The idea is for individual student's performance in the areas of reading, writing, math and science (varying by grade)are tested and results are available to teachers in about a month so teachers can alter what or how they teach if needed.
According to a PDF file called PAWS_Participation I pulled off the PAWS site, testing is mandatory for all students with makeup dates offered and school's penalized for students not taking the tests. The tests should be embedded in the classrooms as much as possible with multiple choice portions being taken on a computer. The pdf also states, "The PAWS assessment results will be used for school, district, and state accountability purposes. Students take the assessment in one of three ways: the PAWS without accommodations, the PAWS with accommodations, or the PAWS-ALT."
"The schools pause to take PAWS" is the mantra of our local schools.
Here is what my 4th grade, 10 year old son thinks. "I am going to miss PAWS because we had lots of snacks and extra recesses. I'm not going to miss it because we don't have to write and read and all that all day long. We've been doing it about two weeks and it's too long."
In our town all students are on a 4 day school schedule so the last day for the elementary school to have PAWS was yesterday. My two elementary school children came home rejoicing! Every night we would hear the reminder that "We need to get to bed early and eat a good breakfast so we can do good on PAWS." (Gee, don't parents try to do that all the time? I'm amazed at our school's educators that got our children wanting to do good!)
PAWS stands for "Proficiency Assessments for Wyoming Students". That explains Wyoming has PAWS. This testing is for all Wyoming students grades 3-8 and 11. The idea is for individual student's performance in the areas of reading, writing, math and science (varying by grade)are tested and results are available to teachers in about a month so teachers can alter what or how they teach if needed.
According to a PDF file called PAWS_Participation I pulled off the PAWS site, testing is mandatory for all students with makeup dates offered and school's penalized for students not taking the tests. The tests should be embedded in the classrooms as much as possible with multiple choice portions being taken on a computer. The pdf also states, "The PAWS assessment results will be used for school, district, and state accountability purposes. Students take the assessment in one of three ways: the PAWS without accommodations, the PAWS with accommodations, or the PAWS-ALT."
"The schools pause to take PAWS" is the mantra of our local schools.
03 April 2008
Phillip M. LeDonne
Phillip M. LeDonne (White House spelling) undoubtedly holds the title for creating the most famous White House Easter Egg in the history of the competition that began in 1994 and probably for the future of it as well when he entered his 2007 Wyoming egg. Although not from Wyoming, I have to assume that LeDonne was inspired by the beautiful Pine Creek Ski Resort in Cokeville, Wyoming and used it as a guide for his egg. The egg plainly depicts the great skiing and lack of crowds that makes Pine Creek Ski Resort such a wonderful treasure in Wyoming. To see a photograph of the 2007 egg, photographed by Lynden Steele, you can click here and then click on Wyoming. The egg will appear in a pop-up window. You can decide for yourself if Pine Creek Ski Resort is not obvious to the even unexperienced art eye.
The history of the 2007 Wyoming Egg entry, as I can pull together from various news reports including this one, is that an egg decorating event was hosted by our United States White House and each state was represented via a decorated egg. Not many, at least in Wyoming, had paid much attention to this event previously, it just sort of happened. I can justify in saying not many paid attention because until a perceived really bad egg appeared representing Wyoming, it just wasn't a big deal how artists were picked. If it was a really big deal, honor or credit, someone would have picked up on it and pursued it, listed it with yearly events on the WAC site or something. Like a lot of things, it wasn't important until someone thought it made Wyoming look bad and we felt neglected and wanted to say "Why weren't we asked?" Really, this had been going on since 1994. Apparently the American Egg Board couldn't find a Wyoming artist to do the egg. This might have been because the board uses egg promotion boards, and apparently Wyoming did not have one in 2007.
Widely criticized or praised, the 2007 egg is white with what appears to be a crayon drawing of an egg-person on skis, skiing between some pine-looking trees. I think the 2007 egg is great in its uniqueness. It's an egg and it's decorated and coming from an Illinois college student whose mother asked him to do it what more could you ask for? No white house egg will ever receive so many clicks at the 2007 White House State Easter Egg website. It probably was a last minute, "Hey son, I've got this one empty spot on the display where a Wyoming egg is supposed to go for the White House display that opens tomorrow. While you're in the fridge, grab an egg will you and decorate it for me?" Maybe it was a little more thought out than that but in either case, Wyoming had an egg on display and all was well. I don't want a 2007 egg again in 2009 or 2010 etc. but I hope it got us all looking into all things where Wyoming isn't paying that much attention.
It got Wyoming some news exposure, it certainly helped the White House Egg Display become more noticed than previously, and it probably helped the American Egg Board.
So in preparation for 2008, Wyoming was all over this, as far reaching to be reported in the Scottsbluff/Gering Nebraska Star-Herald article on 2/27/08 titled, Wyoming gathers egg artists for White House contest. We were not to be outdone, or at least end up with perceived egg on our face, again! To view the 2008 egg you can visit this White House link and click on Wyoming. The White House didn't list the 2008 artist, that I could find as of 4/08, but a quick google search came up with Jules Webb of Cheyenne was chosen from 33 artists by our first lady Nancy Freudenthal. Good job Jules and all previous egg artists, including LeDonne.
Philip M. LeDonne (common news spelling) I just want to send an invitation to you to come out and visit us in Wyoming. One free ski pass from Pine Creek Ski Resort from me to you is waiting!
The history of the 2007 Wyoming Egg entry, as I can pull together from various news reports including this one, is that an egg decorating event was hosted by our United States White House and each state was represented via a decorated egg. Not many, at least in Wyoming, had paid much attention to this event previously, it just sort of happened. I can justify in saying not many paid attention because until a perceived really bad egg appeared representing Wyoming, it just wasn't a big deal how artists were picked. If it was a really big deal, honor or credit, someone would have picked up on it and pursued it, listed it with yearly events on the WAC site or something. Like a lot of things, it wasn't important until someone thought it made Wyoming look bad and we felt neglected and wanted to say "Why weren't we asked?" Really, this had been going on since 1994. Apparently the American Egg Board couldn't find a Wyoming artist to do the egg. This might have been because the board uses egg promotion boards, and apparently Wyoming did not have one in 2007.
Widely criticized or praised, the 2007 egg is white with what appears to be a crayon drawing of an egg-person on skis, skiing between some pine-looking trees. I think the 2007 egg is great in its uniqueness. It's an egg and it's decorated and coming from an Illinois college student whose mother asked him to do it what more could you ask for? No white house egg will ever receive so many clicks at the 2007 White House State Easter Egg website. It probably was a last minute, "Hey son, I've got this one empty spot on the display where a Wyoming egg is supposed to go for the White House display that opens tomorrow. While you're in the fridge, grab an egg will you and decorate it for me?" Maybe it was a little more thought out than that but in either case, Wyoming had an egg on display and all was well. I don't want a 2007 egg again in 2009 or 2010 etc. but I hope it got us all looking into all things where Wyoming isn't paying that much attention.
It got Wyoming some news exposure, it certainly helped the White House Egg Display become more noticed than previously, and it probably helped the American Egg Board.
So in preparation for 2008, Wyoming was all over this, as far reaching to be reported in the Scottsbluff/Gering Nebraska Star-Herald article on 2/27/08 titled, Wyoming gathers egg artists for White House contest. We were not to be outdone, or at least end up with perceived egg on our face, again! To view the 2008 egg you can visit this White House link and click on Wyoming. The White House didn't list the 2008 artist, that I could find as of 4/08, but a quick google search came up with Jules Webb of Cheyenne was chosen from 33 artists by our first lady Nancy Freudenthal. Good job Jules and all previous egg artists, including LeDonne.
Philip M. LeDonne (common news spelling) I just want to send an invitation to you to come out and visit us in Wyoming. One free ski pass from Pine Creek Ski Resort from me to you is waiting!
02 April 2008
Wyoming Humanities Council "Between Fences"
The Wyoming Humanities Council sponsored a year long tour called, "Between Fences" and it included five planned stops in Wyoming during 2008. This is part of an existing national program called Smithsonian Museum on Main Street. It is described on the Museum on Main Street website as: Curated by Gregory K. Dreicer of Chicken and Egg Public Projects, Inc., Between Fences focuses on every region of the United States. Its subjects include the defining of home, farm, and factory; the settling of the United States; and the making of fences. It examines human relationships on an expanding scale: neighbor versus neighbor; gated communities; and the Mexican and Canadian borders of the U.S. The exhibition tells American stories through diverse fence types.
In addition to the traveling exhibit, the WHC offers other "fences-themed" programs including a book reading series (for those interested on reading about fence topics) which is listed on the website or by clicking here; a film discussion series, a list of the films I was not able to find; and speakers available to present and discuss various fences-related topics.
The WHC also had a "call for submissions" for original work related to "fences" to be considered for inclusion in an anthology. To quote the WHC's description of the entire "Between Fences" program: "How do fences both divide and unite us? What do we fence in, and fence out? These programs will consider fences both in their visible form on the landscape and as metaphors for the barriers that separate us along the lines of race, religion and economic status."
I submitted a short piece, which was not selected but that's o.k. It's actually not easy for people to hear about Wyoming Fence Lines or find out where to buy it if not on the WHC website.
So, I am providing here a direct link to Amazon to a purchase this anthology. (Amazon charges $11.66 for this paperback version).
I'll write a review after I receive my copy.
In addition to the traveling exhibit, the WHC offers other "fences-themed" programs including a book reading series (for those interested on reading about fence topics) which is listed on the website or by clicking here; a film discussion series, a list of the films I was not able to find; and speakers available to present and discuss various fences-related topics.
The WHC also had a "call for submissions" for original work related to "fences" to be considered for inclusion in an anthology. To quote the WHC's description of the entire "Between Fences" program: "How do fences both divide and unite us? What do we fence in, and fence out? These programs will consider fences both in their visible form on the landscape and as metaphors for the barriers that separate us along the lines of race, religion and economic status."
I submitted a short piece, which was not selected but that's o.k. It's actually not easy for people to hear about Wyoming Fence Lines or find out where to buy it if not on the WHC website.
So, I am providing here a direct link to Amazon to a purchase this anthology. (Amazon charges $11.66 for this paperback version).
I'll write a review after I receive my copy.
31 March 2008
Qualified to blog on Wyoming?
What makes me qualified to write/blog about Wyoming? Well, one of my sorority sisters at Utah State University (USU) was from Wyoming. We would tease her because she was from Jackson. Jackson was much different than most of Wyoming and we all knew it. We'd say, "Jackson Hole", big emphasis on the second word, and she would smile her beautiful smile and state the town was simply called "Jackson". She was always a good natured about it but I'm sure she tired of it. I'm sure we were just all wishing we could claim something like "Jackson" as our home. So there, I had a friend from Wyoming.
I also lived in Montana quite a bit growing up and we would travel through Wyoming to get to our grandparent's home in Utah. Once we even had the family car run out of gas at South Pass and a truck driver gave us all six of us a late-night ride to Farson where we spent the night at the Merc. One of my childhood re-occurring dreams was of walking up some small stairs with a funny window part way up and using a tiny bathroom. I never knew where that dream came from until years and years later we stopped in Farson to get ice cream and we went to use the bathroom, there was my dream! Next time I go, I'll snap a picture of the stairs and post it here.
There you have my qualifications: I knew someone once from Wyoming, we drove through it when I was a kid, and our family spent the night at the Farson Merc. You get what you pay for on this site! (And I live in Wyoming now, of course!)
I am by far not the best qualified, there are many Wyoming experts. But I like the State so I will write what I know. I've lived here a few years. I've tried to learn about our state's many resources and so I've had a little interaction with some of the departments/agencies. It has been fun, like an education! I try to see the different historic/scenic/cultural sites from Fossil Butte, to Martin's Cove. I belong to a couple of fun groups, although I'm not real active. (WyoPoets, WyoWriters, Wyo State Historical Society). We take the Wyoming Wildlife Magazine which my 10 year old loves to read. My husband is a member of the Wyoming Education Association so that newspaper floats around our home.
I also lived in Montana quite a bit growing up and we would travel through Wyoming to get to our grandparent's home in Utah. Once we even had the family car run out of gas at South Pass and a truck driver gave us all six of us a late-night ride to Farson where we spent the night at the Merc. One of my childhood re-occurring dreams was of walking up some small stairs with a funny window part way up and using a tiny bathroom. I never knew where that dream came from until years and years later we stopped in Farson to get ice cream and we went to use the bathroom, there was my dream! Next time I go, I'll snap a picture of the stairs and post it here.
There you have my qualifications: I knew someone once from Wyoming, we drove through it when I was a kid, and our family spent the night at the Farson Merc. You get what you pay for on this site! (And I live in Wyoming now, of course!)
I am by far not the best qualified, there are many Wyoming experts. But I like the State so I will write what I know. I've lived here a few years. I've tried to learn about our state's many resources and so I've had a little interaction with some of the departments/agencies. It has been fun, like an education! I try to see the different historic/scenic/cultural sites from Fossil Butte, to Martin's Cove. I belong to a couple of fun groups, although I'm not real active. (WyoPoets, WyoWriters, Wyo State Historical Society). We take the Wyoming Wildlife Magazine which my 10 year old loves to read. My husband is a member of the Wyoming Education Association so that newspaper floats around our home.
Best Wyoming Blog
Today I start on my newest adventure, "WyomingFlavor", a blog. I hope to get it to join the ranks of the best Wyoming Blogs! I've looked and haven't found a huge number of other Wyoming Blogs. Maybe I can add a little more information to what is out there.
I've been in Wyoming 13+ years, married to my Wyoming boy. One thing I have often thought is that it would be fun and informative to receive a state-wide magazine that highlights the all of Wyoming. It could include various awards won across the state, what grants were earned for interesting or different projects, books published, new appointees to councils, Wyoming people or events in the news.
Well, there isn't such a magazine and no, the Casper Star Tribune does not qualify. Wyoming is unique among states in that it is like one big spread out town with a bunch of different neighborhoods. Not all neighborhoods are equal and they don't all have the same resources. A state magazine would help Wyomingites feel connected. It would provide equal access to information about resources. This magazine could be distributed to every mail address in Wyoming, with the state agencies equally sharing in expenses. Advertisers are also an option. It will be a very long time before Wyoming changes enough that it doesn't feel like it could just be one big town.
Since we don't have a Wyoming Magazine, I'll try blogging some of the information as an experiment. Why not a Wyoming Blog? What will I cover? I will cover information beneficial to the residents of Wyoming or anyone interested in Wyoming. This is not a tourism blog, it is not an economic development blog. This is for the people who make Wyoming their home or are a "Wyoming Wannabe".
Like others, I have had quite the Wyoming experiences, some worth remembering, others worth learning from and not repeating. They cover everything from being a wife and mom,to two-term mayor, volunteer firefighter, community correspondent, free-lance writer, community volunteer, amateur photographer, self-taught historian, struggling gardener. Experiences are what makes life interesting. I'm 36 years old and have found that experiences I've made for myself or found myself in are really what gives spice to life.
I have no political affiliation yet, (I did register Republican once, my candidate lost, I unregistered), but I enjoy politics (and I am frustrated by them when rules are carelessly discarded and people are treated poorly) and many of my friends think I'm a "registered Democrat" and love to argue "stuff" with me. Whatever. It keeps conversations interesting.
Wyoming is easy to misunderstand. Wyoming can offend. Wyoming is hard to get to know. Yet Wyoming offers many opportunities, but you have to go looking for them. Really looking. Wyoming needs good people to look after her. Wyoming needs good people to get involved. I consider myself a good person and I'm passionate about Wyoming and I'm filled with a desire for Wyoming people to be involved, be educated, and have fun. I'll try to accomplish all of that with this Wyoming website, my wyomingflavor blog.
This blog is called "Wyoming Flavor" for absolutely no reason except the name was available. (I did call it Live Wyoming for a day but couldn't decide if I wanted it short or long "i" sound so...
I've been in Wyoming 13+ years, married to my Wyoming boy. One thing I have often thought is that it would be fun and informative to receive a state-wide magazine that highlights the all of Wyoming. It could include various awards won across the state, what grants were earned for interesting or different projects, books published, new appointees to councils, Wyoming people or events in the news.
Well, there isn't such a magazine and no, the Casper Star Tribune does not qualify. Wyoming is unique among states in that it is like one big spread out town with a bunch of different neighborhoods. Not all neighborhoods are equal and they don't all have the same resources. A state magazine would help Wyomingites feel connected. It would provide equal access to information about resources. This magazine could be distributed to every mail address in Wyoming, with the state agencies equally sharing in expenses. Advertisers are also an option. It will be a very long time before Wyoming changes enough that it doesn't feel like it could just be one big town.
Since we don't have a Wyoming Magazine, I'll try blogging some of the information as an experiment. Why not a Wyoming Blog? What will I cover? I will cover information beneficial to the residents of Wyoming or anyone interested in Wyoming. This is not a tourism blog, it is not an economic development blog. This is for the people who make Wyoming their home or are a "Wyoming Wannabe".
Like others, I have had quite the Wyoming experiences, some worth remembering, others worth learning from and not repeating. They cover everything from being a wife and mom,to two-term mayor, volunteer firefighter, community correspondent, free-lance writer, community volunteer, amateur photographer, self-taught historian, struggling gardener. Experiences are what makes life interesting. I'm 36 years old and have found that experiences I've made for myself or found myself in are really what gives spice to life.
I have no political affiliation yet, (I did register Republican once, my candidate lost, I unregistered), but I enjoy politics (and I am frustrated by them when rules are carelessly discarded and people are treated poorly) and many of my friends think I'm a "registered Democrat" and love to argue "stuff" with me. Whatever. It keeps conversations interesting.
Wyoming is easy to misunderstand. Wyoming can offend. Wyoming is hard to get to know. Yet Wyoming offers many opportunities, but you have to go looking for them. Really looking. Wyoming needs good people to look after her. Wyoming needs good people to get involved. I consider myself a good person and I'm passionate about Wyoming and I'm filled with a desire for Wyoming people to be involved, be educated, and have fun. I'll try to accomplish all of that with this Wyoming website, my wyomingflavor blog.
This blog is called "Wyoming Flavor" for absolutely no reason except the name was available. (I did call it Live Wyoming for a day but couldn't decide if I wanted it short or long "i" sound so...
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