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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...

This week we take you off the page to tell you the stories behind the story on the city's utility rate hike, and give you the information you need to decide who should — and shouldn't — get a bad rap for the size of the lump of coal in your Christmas stockings this year. We also take a look at what Chip Neiman's ascension to House Speaker means for the Wyoming State Legislature&apos...

The newspaper made the news again this week - and for all of the right reasons from our perspective. Find out the story behind the story on the thousand votes that were unaccounted for on election night in Weston County — and learn what lengths the News Letter Journal, the Secretary of the State and the Weston County Republican Party Chair had to go to in order to ensure that everybody's vote...

Alexis returns to the show to help Bob take you off the page and into a really deep dive into the controversy surrounding the legislative vacancies that were declared — and then filled — in a bold move by a group of concerned citizens and a trio of Weston County Commissioners. We take you back to the origins of the decades-long redistricting debate, and explain how Weston County lost its represent...

You win some and you lose some, and in the aftermath of most elections voters are generally forced to accept that reality — and so are newspapers. But that doesn't necessarily mean it is a grim reality, and there may be reason to accept the reality of this election with guarded optimism. Bob is joined this week by NLJ Managing Editor Kim Dean and back-to-back-to-back Wyoming Photojournalist o...

NLJ Publisher Bob Bonnar welcomes guest host Sonja Karp to the podcast, and the longtime Dogie coaches and announcers take a deep dive into the state of Dogie athletics and the prospects for the fall sports programs in 2024. They took a look at all aspects of Newcastle High School athletics - from new programs and facilities to coaches and athletes, and get you ready to paint your face orange and...

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 s...

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 h...

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...

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,...

In the wake of a series of high profile staffing changes, Bob and Alexis lay out the bloody trail the Weston County Health Services board has taken over the course of the past year — and how that trail has created a culture of fear at the local hospital. We share our own history of conflict with the current board's leadership, and give you a look at the antics of a CEO who has been aggressive...

The Weston County Commissioners fired the opening shot in a battle that has been brewing for over ten years, and Bob and Alexis go off the page to discuss the possible reactions from Cheyenne — and the potential (and potentially unlikely) ramifications on this year's election. We also review the legislature's tumultuous budget session, the governor's use of his veto power and the la...

The News Letter Journal makes the news again when a fresh round of "newspaper wars" get sparked over an advertising campaign for problem gambling awareness that is awarded to the NLJ - to the chagrin of our competitor. We celebrate Sunshine Week by demanding more sunshine from hospital leadership...and it doesn't sound like they appreciated it. Bob and Alexis wrap up their little go...

The biennial rapid fire budget session of the Wyoming State Legislature is in full swing — and will be over before you know it! So Bob and Alexis devote the entire episode to sharing their perspective on a fiery first week in Cheyenne, and take you off the page to help you understand what it might all mean for you. From removal repeals and denier debates to our pipe dream for a Freedom Caucus - Fr...

It has been a wild start to 2024 for some local boards, and Bob and Alexis go Off the Page to take you deeper into the changes at the Weston County Commission, a strange and confusing beginning for the hospital's new CEO, a new guard taking charge of the Newcastle School Board, and a city police department that has made the newspaper for all of the RIGHT reasons the past couple of months. If...

Local officials like to make a big deal about protecting the confidentiality of citizens of our community, especially juveniles, and they use it as an excuse to withhold a whole lot of information from the newspaper — and from you! This week, Bob and Alexis go off the page to explain the News Letter Journal's policies and processes for covering court cases and other stories where accusations...

Bob and Alexis welcome News Letter Journal Sports Editor Sonja Karp back to the podcast to catch up on the fall sports season and take a first look at the upcoming winter season. Find out how some of the Dogie programs progressed through a rebuilding year, and get an early line on some teams that are poised to take the next step. The temperatures are dropping quickly as 2023 draws to a close, but...

Bob and Alexis welcome NLJ videographer — and two-time Wyoming Press Association Photojournalist of the Year — Walter Sprague back to the show to talk about the news we choose...and the news that chooses us. Go off the page to hear how community journalists approach the good, bad and ugly aspects of the stories we have to tell in small towns like Newcastle and Upton - and why we feel like we have...

Bob and Alexis roll without a guest in this episode so they can venture Off the Page on a series of issues being confronted by various local governments in Weston County. The News Letter Journal invites you to take a deeper look at everything from the city council's ongoing debates over the city's police force to the school board's desire to implement a "parent policy" aft...

Bob and Alexis welcome Weston County Commissioner Don Taylor to the program to discuss the often daunting challenges they've faced in bringing transparency and accountability to the county commission, and acknowledge that there are still plenty of battles to be fought in the quest to make local government more responsive to its citizens. No punches are pulled in this episode, and the case is...

News Letter Journal Photographer/Videographer Walter Sprague returns as our first two-time guest to discuss this month's marathon city council meeting and what it may mean for the relationship between residents and the council moving forward. Bob and Alexis weigh in on the newspapers role in getting information out to the public, and the NLJ trio explains why they believe citizens in a democr...

Bob and Alexis welcome Wyoming Press Association Executive Director Darcie Hoffland for a special one-hour long discussion about Wyoming newspapers and the important role they play in the battle for government transparency. We invite you to go off the page for this in-depth bonus length episode where we discuss the First Amendment of the US Constitution and what it means to newspapers from Newcast...

Managing Editor Kim Dean joins Bob and Alexis and three of Wyoming’s longest serving journalists take you WAY off the page to talk about the changes they’ve seen in their industry and in their small community over the course of their careers at one of the nation's top newspapers. They touch on how busy life has become in the little towns in rural America - and how it is impacting our schools...

Newcastle's veteran sports reporter Sonja Karp (we call her the "Ruler of the Sports Galaxy") goes off the page with Bob and Alexis to bring Dogie nation up to speed on the state of Newcastle High School athletics. The award-winning Karpe Dogie columnist talks about the year that was and the year to come at NHS, including some memorable campaigns for some Lady Dogie athletes last ye...

Bob and Alexis go off the page - er, the camera - with News Letter Journal photographer/videographer Walter Sprague. The NLJ News Team takes you behind the scenes of Weston County's newest news scene - our rapidly expanding YouTube Channel. Walter and Alexis talk about the personalities behind the local news, and the way they've reacted to having themselves on camera every month. Check u...