When singer-songwriter Alysia Kraft began playing music while attending the University of Wyoming, live music wasn’t something she had a lot of prior experience with. “I grew up in this small-ass town in Wyoming, so I never really got to see people play live music. There was like one cover band that played around there, and I thought they were fucking awesome,” recalls Kraft. “But in college, I started writing music because I basically wanted to hang out with the people who played at this open-mic night.”The desire to fit...

[Editor's note: This story originally was published by The Daily Signal.] Wisconsin is one of the most fiercely contested battleground states in this election cycle, but it lacks federal transparency requirements for voter registration imposed on most states, according to a lawsuit by an election watchdog. Minnesota, generally a solidly blue state although it saw a razor-thin margin in the results of the 2016 presidential race, also doesn’t make its voter rolls available to the public, the lawsuit contends.

"I saw they had a good future," Alvarado remembers. "It was very lucrative, because the salary of an official was three times the salary of a normal person." He became a police officer in 2003, when he was twenty years old. At the time, Venezuela was ruled by Huge Chavez; Alvarado remembers that Chavez's socialist policies kept individuals from owning two cars but welcomed large American oil and aeronautic companies. In 2013, Chavez died and was replaced by Nicolas Maduro. Alvarado says that right away, the change in leadership began...

A 29-year-old man died Friday in a one-vehicle rollover crash near the Wyoming border in western Nebraska. Jaimin Mesa of Scottsbluff was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Banner County Sheriff K. Zane Hopkins. The crash occurred on Nebraska 88 about 4 miles east of the Wyoming border between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m., he said. Investigators determined Mesa lost control of a Ford sedan and it left the roadway before rolling over several times. Mesa, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle. Hopkins...

The State Department is failing to recruit a Foreign Service that fully represents the American people, as required by the Foreign Service Act of 1980. One of State’s most glaring recruitment shortcomings is its inability to hire new Foreign Service officers (FSOs) who come from all geographic regions of America. This ongoing failure helps to perpetuate the mindset of the current Foreign Service and shape its policy attitudes. Fielding a U.S. diplomatic and consular corps that truly reflects the geographic diversity and values of the American people, and not just...

The attendees from my company were the president, the executive director, a co-worker, and myself. The president and executive director invited my co-worker and myself out for dinner. During these large conventions, it is rare to be able to sit down for more than 20 minutes and have a balanced meal. This made the dinner event really nice for us, and I appreciated it. Prior to ordering, the conversation turned to, “What will you have?” When I stated that I wanted the chicken soup, I was scolded by my coworker,...

Apr. 12—CHEYENNE — Gov. Mark Gordon has decided the new voter registration rules proposed by Secretary of State Chuck Gray exceed his statutory authority. Gordon sided with the Wyoming Legislature's Management Council — made up of legislative leadership from both chambers — in its disapproval of the new rules, which would have required people to provide proof of residency, not just identity, when registering to vote. Gray has said on multiple occasions, including an op-ed submitted to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle this week that Wyoming elections needed to be protected...

For the second time in two months, Gov. Mark Gordon rejected rules proposed by Secretary of State Chuck Gray on the basis that the regulations exceed the scope of the secretary’s legal authority. Wyoming residents are currently required to provide proof of identity when registering to vote. Gray’s rules proposed adding proof of residency to the process. “Unless and until the Legislature grants the Secretary of State more explicit authority allowing for rulemaking to add to those statutory requirements at the time of registration, I believe these rules are a...

The devastated girlfriend of the Wyoming teenager who was stabbed to death while protecting her from bloodthirsty attackers broke down in tears at a memorial service. Bobby Maher, 14, was fatally knifed after he confronted the two masked 15-year-old boys for allegedly harassing his middle school sweetheart at the Eastridge Mall in Casper on Sunday. At a vigil on Friday, the grieving girlfriend described Maher through sobs as “the bravest boy” and the “best boyfriend.” “Me and Bobby, we had so many plans for the future,” she said, according to...