As soon as Donald Trump was elected President for a second time, our newsroom knew changes under his administration would define our coverage, even in a community far from Washington, D.C.
We reported on the experiences of Jackson Hole’s immigrants, federal workers, healthcare providers, public land caretakers, presidential supporters and critics.
But Washington’s agenda is not the only force shaping Teton County. While KHOL has spent 2025 tracking the trickle-down of federal policy, I’m also proud of stories unique to the rugged, passionate people of Jackson Hole.
Here are some of those stories that defined our year.
– Sophia Boyd-Fliegel, Managing Editor
Federal layoffs spook employees
Bridger-Teton National Forest employee and trail-builder Sophia Draznin Nagy. (Courtesy)
The first month of Trump’s second administration brought a chaotic deluge of executive actions, including mass firings of federal workers, which were never publicly announced. Those mass firings included some in Teton County, where around 500 federal workers are employed in busy summer months, according to Wyoming officials.
Layoffs began hitting Jackson Hole and other parts of the state in mid-February in what would come to be known as a “Valentine’s Day massacre.” That included staff with the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Since airing this story, many full-time seasonal workers told KHOL they had been hired back per court orders while other seasonal positions were left vacant. Workers and local officials expressed worry that long-term planning and maintenance went undone this summer and during the prolonged government shutdown.
Preventative care workers speak out
As a county program ended in June, employee Reed Carlman worried about the more than 80 people he had helped people navigate the healthcare system. (Jenna McMurtry / KHOL)
The Trump administration announced in March sweeping cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services. The impact at the state level came soon after, with an approximate $40 million loss to the Cowboy State’s COVID-era federal health grants.
Two programs in Teton County ended prematurely. Both addressed disparities in health outcomes and vaccinations. KHOL’s Jenna McMurtry spoke with health workers in both programs to get a better idea of what services were prematurely lost.
In July, Congress passed the Trump administration’s Big Beautiful Bill, which last minute snuck in a provision opening $50 billion of federal funds for rural healthcare. Of that, Wyoming is slated to receive between $500 million and $800 million over the next five years. The state health department has been surveying the public to shape its spending priorities.
A family saves for homeownership
Nanci Turner Steveson shows off a tattoo she has since made permanent that reminds her of strength through a troubled childhood. (Sophia Boyd-Fliegel / KHOL)
Even as median single-family home prices in Jackson Hole hit a new high this spring – $5.25 million – some working-class families are still able to achieve homeownership.
That’s thanks to local government-subsidized housing and nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity. Nanci and Parker Steveson are a mother and son duo who are among those on the path to a more stable future — taking a hard look at their debt and putting in hours working and saving to qualify for Habitat’s development in Jackson.
As of December, Nanci and Parker have made progress and plan to move into their new home in the summer of 2026. They have three financial classes left in Habitat’s program, have rallied enough volunteers to complete required community build hours and have saved over half the cost to cover closing.
The “newcomer” club in Teton County schools looks different each year
Arnoldo is from El Salvador. He skateboards, skis and encourages others to climb in the Rec Center gym. (Sophia Boyd-Fliegel / KHOL)
In spring 2025, just 43 Teton County high school students were new to the country, about half that of the previous school year. Piper Worthington works with this population as the district’s family engagement coordinator. She works with families of all backgrounds, connecting teachers to families and even organizing outside-of-school time for students learning a new language and culture. Worthington brought KHOL’s Sophia Boyd-Fliegel along for one field trip to see how newcomers find community through sport.
This school year the newcomer club is smaller, but still takes trips to the Rec Center on some flex Fridays. The 2025-2026 school year brought even lower newcomer numbers than last year, with only about 15 as of mid-December. Of the two students highlighted in this story, one moved to Texas and another did not complete the grade, opting instead to work. Worthington is waiting to see if her job will look the same following the state’s recalibration process to determine school district funding.
Federal public land threatened by proposed sale
The Teton range as seen from Bridger-Teton National Forest land. (Sophia Boyd-Fliegel / KHOL)
In late June, outlets across the country raced to cover a proposed sale of public lands in 11 states, including Wyoming, that would purportedly be used for housing, among other things. About 48% of the Cowboy State is owned and managed by the federal government. And Wyomingites came out in droves protesting the potential sale. The proposal got pushback in the Senate, as well.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) ultimately withdrew his proposal to sell federal public lands due to concerns he heard from stakeholders and constituents. Today, the Trump Administration aims to remove protections on public lands — including BLM land in Wyoming — for extractive industry use like oil, gas and logging, according to some reports.
Losers pop champagne at Wyoming’s only regatta
Winds on Fremont Lake were slow to pick up this year. (Emily Cohen / KHOL)
The nearest ocean to Wyoming may be 800 miles away, but seafaring vessels can still be found on white cap waves at the state’s biggest — and only —sailboat race. KHOL’s Emily Cohen was surprised she couldn’t find any stories about Jackson Hole racers and took to the waters herself in August.
The 57th annual Fremont Lake Regatta is slated for next year, the second weekend in August. The winning racers – Mark Kempfer and Emily Coleman – plan to return to hold on to their title.
A look behind the scenes at a quinceañera
Madeline Sanchez and her parents, Diego and Berta, prepare a toast for everyone who helped put the party together. From the music, to the decorations, to the cake. (Dante Filpula Ankney / KHOL)
In the Tetons, people will tell you there’s a quinceañera every week of the summer. It’s the coming-of-age celebration for Latinas some say is waning in popularity in this generation. But not in Jackson. In a three-part series, KHOL followed one Jackson family’s big birthday blowout – from the nerves of dance practice to the tears of the moment.
Since the August quinceñara, the Sanchez family has moved into a new home. They continue to throw parties to celebrate holidays and occasions such as Dia De los Muertos.
Healthcare premiums rock the nation
Longtime healthcare provider Dr. Bruce Hayse says the Affordable Care Act has been a “huge boon” for his patients, 25% of whom he estimates have relied on subsidized insurance. (Jenna McMurtry / KHOL)
Marketplace health insurance has been a lifeline for those who can’t find insurance through work. That’s about to change as Congress shoots down alternatives to subsidies set to expire at the end of the year.
About 15% of Teton County residents rely on the Affordable Care Act to access healthcare insurance through the marketplace, according to the Jackson Hole News&Guide. That includes many working seasonal jobs or for small businesses. Through the fall, KHOL covered reactions to – and plans for – rising premium costs from providers and patients.
As of December, Wyomingites will face the highest price hikes in the country unless lawmakers can squeeze through a solution with bipartisan support by Jan. 1, according to KFF. The Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce held an end-of-year insurance info session with Heather Huhn, a local insurance broker, highlighting options for employers, such as offering stipends.
Nonprofits pay and feed federal workers during longest-ever shutdown
Jackson Hole Food Rescue staff members Iván Jiménez and Shell Taylor-Hills load a box of juice into one of two passenger vans at their facility south of town. Later, volunteers handed out most of the food in Grand Teton National Park to over 50 participants. (Dante Filpula Ankney / KHOL)
When an estimated 200 local government workers went without paychecks for over a month, nonprofits like One22 and Hole Food Rescue stepped in to help. The shutdown was an added stressor for federal workers who had held on through the chaos of a year filled with mass firings and offers of payment in exchange for resignations.
The shutdown lasted 43 days, beating a record set in the winter of 2018-2019, also under Trump. National parks remained open, though relatively quiet, through the off-season. After the government reopened, federal workers received back pay. Many workers and close partners again shared worries that, though federal lands appear unchanged, maintenance and long-term planning on public lands is going undone.
Immigration enforcement means family separation
The source for this story agreed to be recorded so long as her identity was withheld from publication to protect her safety. Listen to her story online. (Zoe Curran / KHOL)
Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained one Jackson resident, a homebuilder, earlier this summer. He had legal work authorization, a clean record and is working on a pathway to citizenship.
He’s been here for three decades with his wife, who agreed to speak with KHOL on the condition of anonymity. We shared her story, starting from the moment she learned her husband wasn’t coming home.
Though the family is together now, they are still waiting for a hearing, and the threat of separation looms. Since March, about 100 people have been transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement from Teton County’s jail. That’s a pace Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr described in November as “steady.”
