Former U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis made a cameo in Wyoming Legislature to advocate for SF 49. (Andrew Graham/WyoFile)

Above: Former U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis made a cameo in the Wyoming Legislature to advocate for SF 49. (Andrew Graham/WyoFile)

Billionaire Jackson resident Foster Friess may have lost the governor’s race, but he is still enjoying influence in the Legislature. Senate bill 49 advanced out of a House committee, 6-3, on Tuesday. It would strip counties of zoning authority over private schools giving the Friess family a green light to build a new Jackson Hole Classical Academy campus.

WyoFile reporter Angus Thuermer Jr. has been covering this legislative saga. His latest piece on the bill, co-reported by Andrew Graham, lays bare, among other things, power dynamics in the Legislature.

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Robyn was at the helm of KHOL's news department from 2019 to 2020. She worked as a reporter and editor in Wyoming for a decade and her work has aired on NPR stations throughout the West.