The available housing inventory in Jackson Hole is the lowest it has been in more than three decades, according to a recent report. The Jackson Hole Report's year-end review, which compiles and analyzes data from every free-market real estate transaction in Jackson Hole each year, says there were 31 percent fewer sales in Jackson Hole than in the years before the Great Recession, and the median sale price was $1.3 million, tied for the highest ever. The median list price for single-family homes was $2... continue reading

Wyoming oil is saving the day, something that hasn’t been said for more than two years. State revenue forecasts are improving. The oilfield service industry is climbing. And the general mood has gone from “cautiously optimistic” to just plain “optimistic.” Proponents point to high producing wells in the Powder River Basin, a flush of new applications to drill and most of all the rising price of crude as evidence of a turnaround. continue reading

Wyoming oil firms are floating on the rising tide of crude prices, where despite expected volatility from day to day, the U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate is now double a low point hit two years ago this month. The price of oil has eclipsed the $60 barrel mark and stayed above that threshold since December, compared to a mid-$40s low hit in June. More recently crude shot to its highest point since 2014 on news that the national stockpile of oil had fallen for the 10th week in a row. The national be... continue reading

Firearms manufacturer Weatherby Inc. is relocating its manufacturing operations and corporate headquarters from California to Wyoming, marking another catch by Wyoming of a company abandoning a state that isn’t as gun friendly. Weatherby’s move to Sheridan is expected to create 70 to 90 jobs and more than $5 million in annual payroll over the next five years. Company and state officials, including Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead, announced the move Tuesday at a gun industry trade show in Las Vegas. continue reading

Graduation rates in Natrona County School District jumped to 79.3 percent, a nearly 3 percentage point increase compared to 2015-16 figures and the highest rate here in at least seven years, according to the state Department of Education. Statewide, grad rates for 2016-17 nudged upward slightly compared to last year, from 80 percent to 80.2 percent. It represented the fourth straight year of growth for Wyoming students and was the highest rate since the 2009-10 school year, when it reached 80.4 percent. ... continue reading

Doug Cubbison held an original rifle just like the ones used by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Members of their gang used 1894 model Winchester rifles to kill a sheriff while on the run near present-day Midwest after the 1899 Wilcox Train Robbery, he told the group gathered to learn about old west guns. “That’s actually the only Wild West gun fight, if you will, that actually takes place in Natrona County,” Cubbison said. continue reading

Many in Casper’s business community have embraced an LBGT advocacy group’s recent proposal for an anti-discrimination resolution. About 120 businesses signed a letter to the Casper City Council expressing support for the proposal, said Rob Johnston, the president of Casper’s chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. “We were surprised by how overwhelmingly people were interested in supporting this,” he said. “I think it was very affirming.” continue reading

Sen. John Barrasso has followed in the footsteps of another member of Wyoming’s delegation, sponsoring a bill to allow states greater regulatory authority of oil and gas development on federal lands. The ONSHORE Act, introduced to the U.S. Senate on Thursday, would set up a mechanism for states like Wyoming to prove they have a state program that can effectively develop and produce oil and gas on federal land. Upon approval, states could take over some responsibilities currently covered by agencies lik... continue reading

Grand Teton National Park announced a record number of visitations in 2017 for the fourth consecutive year. The park received more than 4.9 million visits, according to a news release, a increase of 3 percent more than the prior record set in 2016. The high volume included August, when tens of thousands of people descended on the park to view the total solar eclipse. Park officials noted 65,000 more visitors compared to the prior August. continue reading

Wyoming’s oil and gas firms, recently strapped by the sudden downturn in the price of crude, are operating in a better price environment this year. For some, that means selling Cowboy State assets and focusing elsewhere. For others, it means buying local and expanding at home. SM Energy Company, a Denver-based oil and gas firm, announced recently that it was selling about 80 percent of its Powder River Basin acreage to focus on opportunities in Texas. The sale of 112,000 net acres in Converse, Johns... continue reading