Top of Main Podcast

Former Weston County Commissioner Marty Ertman and current commissioner Ed Wagoner both continue to deny that the secret ballot the commissioners used to select a Wyoming House District 2 Representative for the people of Weston County was illegal - even after agreeing to a stipulated court order that it was a violation of Wyoming State Statute. As both run for new terms on the commission, Ertman said she wants to take the issue all the way to the Supreme Court and Wagoner claims there was no secret ballot and that he and his fellow commissioners were targeted in some kind of conspiracy. Bob and Alexis go off the page to give you a blow-by-blow account of the claims that were made at a campaign appearance, and try to make sense of a piece of political tap-dancing that would make most of Washington D.C. blush.
Stipulated Order
Commissioner's Statement and Votes
Marty Ertman Deposition
Ed Wagoner Deposition

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Bob and Alexis take you off the page to describe life as Weston County's non-Mainstream Media and tell you how government bureaucrats and some elected officials circle the wagons to protect and serve the government they work for instead of the people they are supposed to be serving. Uniparty animals are desperate to preserve their government strongholds and oftentimes the media is more than happy to help them do it — especially when there is a payday on the line — and they are dancing to the same tune in Weston County and Wyoming as the one they listen to in Washington D.C. We tell you who they are and what they are up, and hand out an Orange Afro Award to our newest Karine Jean-Pierre wannabe in Cheyenne.

Check us out at newslj.com to keep tabs on this story, or for more news from Newcastle, Weston County and the Black Hills of northeast Wyoming!

Bob and Alexis take you off the page this week to talk about personnel — and how local officials could talk a lot more about it in open meetings if they can be professional and avoid being personal. They focus in on the ongoing transition at the hospital in the wake of the CEO's departure, and they answer your questions about the potential future role of the controversial consultants he hired. They take a little extra time and have a little fun talking about some of the newspapers' photo follies — and how you might be able to help — in an extended episode of the Top of Main Podcast!

Check us out at newslj.com to keep tabs on this story, or for more news from Newcastle, Weston County and the Black Hills of northeast Wyoming!

Bob and Alexis go off the page to autopsy the community's showdown with hospital leadership and the role the newspaper played in the events that unfolded. Find out why the News Letter Journal took up the fight, and why the newspaper's publisher, Bob, made a personal appearance in the fray. We take a look at the aftermath of the showdown — including the departure of several board members, the CEO and the consultants who were at the center of the controversy. We conclude by challenging other government entities to raise their own transparency game in the wake of the hospital's communications disaster.

Check us out at newslj.com to keep tabs on this story, or for more news from Newcastle, Weston County and the Black Hills of northeast Wyoming!

We go off the sports pages this week with Karpe Dogie herself, NLJ Sports Editor Sonja Karp, to get you primed and ready for a winter sports season that is set to really take off in 2025. Get a feel for the prospects of the Dogies' winter sports teams from the person who knows them best, and then join us as we take a deeper look at high school sports in general. We talk about the rise of new sports — like women's wrestling — as participation in traditional programs declines, and what that means for the future of high school sports in rural communities. We even explore the emergence of eSports and the opportunities that might exist in that realm for a new type of "athlete."

Check us out at newslj.com to keep tabs on this story, or for more news from Newcastle, Weston County and the Black Hills of northeast Wyoming!