October 15th, 2021

On this episode, we'll hear about one Wyoming county with no hospital and low COVID vaccination rates...many of the residents say they're skeptical of the vaccine. We will bring you another episode of the Kids Ask WhY podcast where kids talk about COVID-19 with a Wyoming doctor. Plus a conversation with Wyoming's House Minority Leader Cathy Connolly on a wide range of subjects including Juvenile Justice. Those stories and more.

Over in the northwest part of the state is Sublette County. It's the only county in the state without a hospital and it's in the top five for lowest vaccination rates in the state. Wyoming Public Radio's Caitlin Tan brings us this story.

In what has been described as part of the nation's original sin, segregation laws also known as Jim Crow laws, have been a topic of debate for decades. In recent years, efforts have been made towards an honest accounting of history to bring about healing from past wounds, and the promotion of national unity. But there is growing evidence that more needs to be done.

It's that time of year when the legislature starts heading into the home stretch as it prepares for the upcoming budget session in February. In the meantime, a number of legislators and the governor are discussing a special legislative session to pass bills to protect Wyoming businesses and health care facilities from federal COVID-19 mandates. All Democrats are voting no on the proposal. House Minority Leader Cathy Connolly joined us to talk about that and issues from education to juvenile justice.

With their lives upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, naturally, kids have lots of questions about the virus. Maddilyn Smith and Hirsch Zickefoose air some of these questions with Natrona County Health Officer Dr. Mark Dowell, and historian Dr. Jeremy Johnston. Maddilyn is particularly interested in the COVID-19 vaccine and how it will affect kids. Hirsch would like to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic compares to other epidemics throughout history.