Articles written by Maya Shimizu Harris


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  • How much is too much?

    Maya Shimizu Harris, Casper Star-Tribune Via Wyoming News Exchange|Aug 3, 2023

    CASPER — About a dozen people spoke at a Rock Springs meeting earlier this month about a historic rate hike proposal brought by Rocky Mountain Power — Wyoming’s largest electricity provider. Though more than 70% of Rocky Mountain Power’s customer base consists of industrial users, most of the people who spoke at the public hearing were typical residential customers and community members who fear the impact these cost increases could have on their lives. Rock Springs Mayor Max Nicholson said the rate increases could threaten lives; those w...

  • Crossover voting ban on its way to governor

    Maya Shimizu Harris, Casper Star-Tribune Via Wyoming News Exchange|Mar 2, 2023

    CASPER — Lawmakers have tried for years to push through legislation to restrict crossover voting. This session, they finally succeeded. House Bill 103, which significantly restricts when people can change their party affiliation, cleared its last vote in the Legislature on Friday in a 19-11 vote. Though the bill has made it through the Legislature, Gov. Mark Gordon must still decide on it. The bill, sponsored by Wheatland Republican Rep. Jeremy Haroldson, would bar voters from changing their party affiliation after the first day of the c...

  • Legislature session hits halfway point

    Maya Shimizu Harris, Casper Star-Tribune Via Wyoming News Exchange|Feb 9, 2023

    CASPER — The Legislature wrapped up its fourth week in session on Friday, finishing up final budget amendments despite a power outage at the Wyoming Capitol. The end of the week marked the halfway point of the session. Friday was also the last day for bills to make it out of committee, meaning that many bills died because there simply wasn’t enough time to get to them. Here are some highlights of where bills stand at the session’s halfway mark. Elections A bill to bring in ranked-choice voting options for nonpartisan municipal races died pretty...

  • Hageman visits Turning Point Action conference in Phoenix

    Maya Shimizu Harris, Casper Star-Tribune Via Wyoming News Exchange|Dec 29, 2022

    CASPER — Wyoming’s Rep.-elect Harriet Hageman celebrated her win against outgoing Rep. Liz Cheney in an appearance Tuesday at Turning Point Action’s AmericaFest conference in Phoenix. “Harriet, how does it feel to be the most popular congresswoman in America?” the host, Turning Point’s chief operating officer Tyler Bowyer, asked at the start of their interview. “Well, all I can say is we beat Liz Cheney,” Hageman responded with a grin, to cheers from the crowd. “Thank you to everybody in America who helped us to defeat her and to defeat the...

  • Traditional Republicans hold onto leadership

    Maya Shimizu Harris, Casper Star-Tribune Via Wyoming News Exchange|Nov 23, 2022

    CASPER – House Republicans chose Rep. Albert Sommers to be the next speaker of the House on Saturday, passing over his far-right colleague Sheridan Rep. Mark Jennings for the post, a lawmaker who attended the GOP caucus in Casper told the Star-Tribune. In the Senate, the Legislature’s current majority floor leader, Sen. Ogden Driskill, was voted president, a legislative source said. Saturday’s vote means that, despite the inroads made by hard-line conservatives in the recent elections, key positions holding power within state government will...

  • Loan plan reactions mixed; many students look forward to relief, but politicians are critical

    Maya Shimizu Harris, Casper Star-Tribune Via Wyoming News Exchange|Sep 1, 2022

    CASPER — President Joe Biden’s recently announced student loan forgiveness plan could bring welcome relief to some students in Wyoming. “It’s going to help a lot of our students,” Brandy Payne, Laramie County Community College financial aid director, said. “We needed relief in the wake of the pandemic.” But some are skeptical. Wyoming’s Sen. John Barrasso said in a statement Wednesday that the plan is “an insult to every American who played by the rules and worked hard to responsibly pay off their own debt.” “This decision is also a bo...

  • Plaintiffs file request for preliminary injunction

    Maya Shimizu Harris, Casper Star-Tribune Via Wyoming News Exchange|Aug 11, 2022

    CASPER — Plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging Wyoming’s abortion ban filed a motion for a preliminary injunction on Wednesday. If granted, the preliminary injunction would block the ban’s enforcement for the duration of the lawsuit. The plaintiffs — Wyoming providers and residents and a Wyoming abortion fund — filed the lawsuit on July 25 following Gov. Gordon’s certification of the state’s abortion ban. The defendants are the State of Wyoming, Gordon, Attorney General Bridget Hill, Teton County Sheriff Matthew Carr and Town of Jackson Chief of...