State of Jackson

Sometimes even those who help us feel better feel bad. Jackson’s mental and behavioral health providers say that there’s not enough of them to go around. They’re burning out. And a new batch of providers arriving since the pandemic means many don’t know all the resources are available to help their clients. Licensed clinical social workers Elizabeth Cheroutes and Deidre Ashley talk with co-host Pete Muldoon about the new efforts to change that. The inaugural Mental Health Spring Collaborative Conference runs April 30 to May 2. Providers can register and find more information at MentalWellnessJH.org/Spring-Conference. If you or someone you know is struggling, you can find help at the resources below:  988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: providers free, confidential support for people in distress and those supporting them. Call or text 988 for 24/7 support.  https://988lifeline.org/. For immediate emergencies, call 911.  Mental Health and Recovery Services of Jackson Hole provides compassionate, and affordable mental health and substance use services including a crisis line, walk-in services, schedule appointments. https://www.mentalhealthandrecoveryjh.org/  TIPS, Teton Interagency Peer Support, (for first responders and their families) provides education, confidential peer support and a direct link to mental health professionals for first responders and their families in the Teton County, Wyoming community. https://tetontips.org/

Frequent bus service to and from Teton Village has been what many see as a win-win. Employees get to work. Skiers don’t fight for parking. The moose migration hot spot of Highway 390 is still two lanes. That’s even as shopper, residential and skier trips to the region’s winter economic driver has grown over 30 years. But in times of tight budgets, who pays for this service has made headlines. The cost-sharing agreement between START and the Teton Village Association is up for negotiation. And former START Board Chair Jared Smith, a career transportation planner, thinks the transit department should fight for a better deal. He sits down with co-host Pete Muldoon to talk about why and where about $2 million should go instead. 

Reporting from the press corrals of northern Italy, Kyle Leverone went to the 2026 Olympics with high hopes for the three athletes Teton County claims as our own. What he experienced was historic: from Anna Gibson elbowing into the top tier of ski mountaineering to Jackson Hole’s first homegrown gold medalist, Breezy Johnson, and come-from-behind silvers for Jaelin Kauf. Co-host Frederick Reimers speaks with the Jackson Hole News&Guide journalist about the roller coaster to success and what’s next for these athletes. https://www.facebook.com/frederick.reimers.5https://www.instagram.com/writereimers/

With major layoffs at The Washington Post, federal funding cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and state-level threats to outlets like Wyoming Public Media, the pressures facing journalism are real.In this special broadcast, we air remarks from KHOL’s fifth annual Hot Off the Press event featuring longtime journalist Ruth Marcus. Marcus speaks about the forces shaping the fourth estate and the consequences for audiences. It’s a candid look behind the scenes at a pivotal moment for local and national news.

The state’s further right is pushing for deep spending cuts, book bans, abortion policy, election reform, property tax reductions and dramatic changes to funding public schools. Better Wyoming is organizing opposition. Executive Director Nate Martin joins co-host Pete Muldoon on KHOL's public affairs show to break down what’s ahead in Wyoming’s 2026 budget session and how broader political fights are taking shape.

A debut Olympian in a debut Olympic sport. A reigning world champ’s shot at athletic revenge. A third and fourth chance at an elusive gold. These are just some of the narratives that Jackson Hole News&Guide Sports Editor Kyle Leverone (and Wyoming and the United States) will watch starting on Feb. 6. Co-host Frederick Reimers sits down with Leverone to talk about what he’s looking for and how he’s scoping the region’s chances. https://www.facebook.com/frederick.reimers.5https://www.instagram.com/writereimers/

Christine Walker remembers Jackson Hole in the ‘90s. It was hard to find full-time, year-round work. Housing was a huge stretch. Especially for those earning their income locally. Today, Jackson Hole’s economy is more advanced. Year-round jobs are plentiful. But, Walker tells co-host Pete Muldoon, finding a free-market home for local earners has gone from hard to “downright impossible.” Having experience with affordable housing policy in towns from Aspen, Colorado, to Bozeman, Montana, the strategist thinks it's time Jackson Hole takes a holistic look at its housing goals for the decades to come. That means drilling down on housing demand from the source: commercial development.

It’s only 3.6 miles. But the chunk of pathway in the news right now is the most technically challenging and expensive stretch Teton County has planned to date. Brian Schilling is Teton County’s pathway coordinator. Dave Bergart is a former Victor, Idaho town councilor and a pathways enthusiast. The close friends are now part of an effort fundraising for a piece federal dollars aren’t covering. The aim is to extend the existing pathway from the Trail Creek campground to Coal Creek.Schilling and Bergart talk with co-host Frederick Reimers about why they say this stretch is the linchpin of a bigger vision: the nearly complete 180-mile Greater Yellowstone Trail. Our theme music is from Teton Music School student composer Jamison Aughenbaugh with guidance from instructor Joe Rudd.Find more from Frederick here and here. 

From a conversation in the belly of Pinky G’s Pizzeria to packed audiences across town, the Cabin Fever Story Slam has become a Jackson Hole institution. That’s thanks to the careful work of Leah Shlachter, the Teton County Library’s Adult Program Coordinator, and emcee Jeff Moran. Even approaching 70 events, it can still be nerve wracking to the hosts and regulars (that’s the excuse from co-host Frederick Reimers for his on-stage absenteeism). But regardless of experience, the pair encourages Jacksonites to find their voice and walk the tightrope. https://www.facebook.com/frederick.reimers.5https://www.instagram.com/writereimers/

From a simple Kickstarter to coverage in Vogue, Emily Byrne’s last three-ish years have been more of a sudden leap than a gentle rise. Byrne is the founder of Rise Centered, which makes boutique sunrise alarm clocks that brighten gradually for a better awakening Co-host Frederick Reimers talks with Byrne and Silicon Couloir Executive Director Rob Kellogg about the petri dish of ideas cultivated at the annual Pitch Day and about what it takes to run the day-to-day of a Jackson-based startup. https://www.facebook.com/frederick.reimers.5https://www.instagram.com/writereimers/

In 2009, Dr. Travis Riddell started practicing pediatrics in Jackson similarly to many of his peers: both in a private office and as a member of St. John’s Health. He closed the shop in 2025. The old-school model was no longer sustainable. It’s part of a trend he sees locally and nationally, where the share of physicians practicing independently has steadily declined over the past decade, according to the American Medical Association. With rising costs of insurance premiums on the horizon, Congress slashing Medicaid support and St. John’s Health looking to prevent acquisition, community health is facing more major challenges. That means it's time for a serious community conversation, said Riddell, now the leader of the county’s health department. He sits down with State of Jackson co-host Pete Muldoon to talk about health access: both the barriers and what services in Teton County are available to help. Referenced in this episode:Premium tax credit costs estimates memo, Congressional Budget Office, 2025. “Why VIP Services are Ethically Indispensable in Health Care," AMA Journal of Ethics, 2023.“Hospitals Cash In on a Private Equity-Backed Trend: Concierge Physician Care,” KFF Health News, 2024. 

Using AI to write a hard email to a boss. Watching television while clicking “share” on a social media post about shriveling attention spans. Downstairs, kids shovel in food after back-to-back sports practices and open a chatbot for essay help. What have we lost in this world? Is it our fault? How do we make sure our thoughts are our own? Téa Obreht and Matt Daly have front-row seats for the battle of writing in the age of autogeneration. The Jackson Hole-based writers sit down with co-host Frederick Reimers to talk fear and hope on reading, writing and vulnerability in a new era. 

Teton County’s Search and Rescue team is soon hosting the world’s best rescuers and the world’s best rescue technology. Tim Ciocarlan is a founding member of TCSAR. Cody Lockhart is the organization’s chief advisor. The pair talks with co-host Frederick Reimers about how the team has kept up with surging rescues in the Tetons while remaining volunteer-based. They discuss how technology has changed the rescue industry for the better and for the more complicated. 

There’s no official trail to Delta Lake in Grand Teton National Park. But on any summer day in the last five years, its 500-some daily visitors would signal otherwise. Many are what Christian Beckwith described as the “nontraditional” park visitor. “We're talking flip flops and bikinis and boom boxes,” he said. “In my mind, this is the most incredible opportunity the park has probably ever had.”He talks with co-host Frederick Reimers about the balance of wilderness and access in one of the world's most Instagrammable spots. 

For six years, Jackson Hole has been steering away from “heads in beds” and toward tourism “sustainability.”The goal is a healthier environment, happier residents and tourists and a more predictable economy. But how do we know when we’re there? Crista Valentino leads the Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board, which measures success, in part, with a resident sentiment survey. Over 600 people gave input this year.Dan McCoy led Teton County surveys as director of the Jay Kemmerer Wyoming Outdoor Recreation, Tourism, and Hospitality (WORTH) Institute. The tourism experts sat down with show co-host Frederick Reimers to delve into the 2025 results. 

Rolls of new red tape for Medicaid could hit Teton County’s residents and, ultimately, the financial viability of our independent hospital. St. John’s leader talks with co-host Pete Muldoon in the wake of Congress’ recent passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Among other things, the Act tightens work documentation for Medicaid with the intent of eliminating waste, fraud and abuse. But Sollis says unintended consequences could mean people unable to navigate the new requirements, for example agricultural workers, are less likely to be insured. In the last year, St. John’s saw an uptick of 27% in uncompensated care.Easily treatable infections will become emergencies, which, left unpaid for, will show up in the bills of everyone else. “Is healthcare a right or is it a privilege? Right now we're in contradiction with ourselves,” Sollis says. 

Without much in the way of new taxes in the last four decades, Jackson has pressed pause on some maintenance of roads and facilities. It’s said ‘no’ to adding bus routes, some affordable housing and requests from emergency responders. Those decisions have helped keep the town afloat. A boom in sales tax from increased tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic helped, too. But staring down the barrel of federal grant cuts, Mayor Arne Jorgensen is steering a conversation about how to raise revenue. He sits down with former Mayor Pete Muldoon for a talk about where that money could come from and where it might go. As for those who say Jackson first needs to feel the pain?“I'm not willing to accept that,” Jorgensen says. “I'm not willing to accept that we have to harm people, that we have to make decisions that are not in the best interest of maintaining our investments in streets or buildings, for example, in order to build credibility.”

Mike Geraci is a former member of the Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board and longtime marketer. He explains a pivotal shift in the region’s approach to tourism and why he believes promoting local values and culture will redefine the visitor experience and ensure Jackson Hole’s long-term vitality.After stepping away from the board, Geraci co-founded a nonprofit focused on “destination stewardship,” an approach he says was centered on community wellbeing, environmental resilience and sustainable economic growth.He says the board didn’t have the “appetite” for his vision, but a shift in managing the tourism board’s nearly $7 million budget is still urgent. 

In her new book, “The River’s Daughter,” rafting guide and author Bridget Crocker reveals how running some of the world’s most dangerous rivers prepared her for the deeper reckonings in her life. She says writing contributed to change in the outdoor industry that led to a more inclusive environment, mirroring the work she did within her own family to overcome a culture of abuse.Crocker sits down with former guiding colleague, Frederick Reimers, to share what still needs to be done and what gives her hope.

It’s not a cliff, says Jackson Town Manager Tyler Sinclair. But local government expenses are starting to outpace revenue, and that imbalance could deepen in the next few years. Sinclair breaks down why inflation, workforce retention, and pandemic-era spending patterns have pushed Jackson into a vulnerable financial moment. Co-host Pete Muldoon sits down with Jackson’s town manager to ask about the town’s plans to course-correct, including a philosophy to spend more on people and which parts of the town’s reserves are actually on the table for public input. 

Chris Colligan was driving north, headed home on Highway 89 out of Jackson, when he saw a cow moose in a frenzy. Her calf had been hit by the car. With broken legs, the calf had to be shot. It’s moments like this, and the high-profile death-by-drivers of Grizzly 399 and her cub, 1058, that have motivated the community to be better. Frederick Reimers sits down with Colligan, Teton County’s public works project manager, to learn why, penny for penny, wildlife crossings are one of the best conservation tools we have. 

Wade McKoy was a recent college grad from Mississippi when he first saw the Tetons in 1974. His trajectory from liftie to world-class ski photographer is, in many ways, the story of the ski industry itself and that of Jackson Hole.In advance of his first book documenting 45 years behind the lens, McKoy talks about the early days of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, what it was like to photograph legends like Pepi Stiegler and Doug Coombs and the impact of tourism and climate change on the region. McKoy’s book, “The Arc of Skiing Jackson Hole,” is available to order online at WadeMcKoy.com. 

Following the annual report card for the region’s housing supply, housing czar April Norton is back to delve into the good, bad and hopeful on Jackson Hole housing. The good: Last year almost 300 people got affordable homes and deed-restricted units made up 63% of the county’s new home construction. In the last 10 years, five homes have been built for every new person added to Teton County’s population. The not so good:  The value of a free market home has gone up 260% in the last decade. And with a steady job increase, less workers actually live in the county. Norton, director of the town and county’s housing department, is back to talk state of the county’s housing with Jackson’s former mayor, Pete Muldoon. Listen to Part I of housing trivia here. 

Before pretty much every kid had a smartphone, Sarah Cavallero saw upset teens yelling or throwing things across the room at Teton Youth and Family Services. Now instead of acting out, she sees kids turning their suffering inward: self-harming, and suicidal as young as 9 years old. Dr. Corso, a licensed clinical psychologist and board-certified behavior analyst, has been working with Cavallero on suicide prevention for four years. The founder of ProsperTogether.net, Corso says social media has fundamentally changed youth brain development, but we can’t treat technology as all bad. The more we talk directly about suicide, he says, the safer it is for people in crisis to speak up. “This is a safety issue,” he says, “just like we talk to our kids about fire safety or safe touches.” Cavallero and Corso have joined forces leading the 2025 Youth Mental Health Summit from May 14-16. The three-day event is free for kids under 18 and tickets for adults are available online.  KHOL is a sponsor of the summit. 

Does Teton County have more jobs or people? How many homes exist here? And how much has that number grown? Co-host Pete Muldoon tests his pulse on the stats of Jackson against figures from the town and county’s housing supply plan. There’s good news and there’s not so good news for the region’s housing affordability. If you’re a geek for housing data, the answers might still surprise you. 

In Byron’s district some homes in Wilson are worth $30 million while some lots in Alpine can still go for $50,000. That’s just one of the big divides he straddles while lawmaking in Cheyenne. As a Republican, he takes pride in working with the Freedom Caucus, a far-right bloc that has the majority in the Wyoming House. He’s also not afraid to say he thinks some of their member’s behavior is unfair to Wyoming. From championing conservation in an oil and gas state to contemplating social issues like trans rights, Bryon advertises himself as a political bridge in a time when divisions reign. If you pick up the phone instead of sending a mean email, he says, he’ll buy you coffee. 

Andy Schwartz is the legislative advisor for the town of Jackson, a blue speck in an increasingly bright red state. Jackson has become a political target, he said, leading the town to hire a lobbyist to monitor and respond to relevant bills. Having served eight years in the same statehouse, he’s seen the rise of national partisanship and the Freedom Caucus reducing bipartisan lawmaking. Still, he said, common ground and compromise are not just possible but necessary. “Once you find one point of agreement, you can then work through that,” Schwartz said. “And that's pretty much how I deal with the Freedom Caucus, because we disagree on a lot.”

Cindy Riegel and Luther Propst sit down with host Frederick Reimers to talk about how a significant expansion of Grand Targhee Resort will impact both Idaho and Wyoming resources.

Host Pete Muldoon talks to newly-elected Town Council member Devon Viehman about housing, family needs in Jackson and some off-the-wall ideas about how to bring revenue into the community.

Bruce Abel, Transit Operations Director for START Bus, talks with Frederick Reimers about the on-demand service, the airport shuttle and the prospect of HOV lanes.

Artist Ava Reynolds talks to host Frederick Reimers about her latest installation, titled, "New Normal." The pieces focus on four different effects of climate change on the greater Yellowstone region.

Jackson Hole News&Guide's environmental reporter Billy Arnold talks with host Frederick Reimers about the history of the National Elk Refuge and why feeing elk is so controversial.

Host Frederick talks with Rosie Read, the founder and legal director of Wyoming Immigrant Advocacy Project, about what a new administrations could mean for immigration communities in Jackson.

Seadar Davis sat down with host Pete Muldoon to talk about what One22 does and how it tries to fill the needs of the Jackson community.

Kevin Regan talks with host Pete Muldoon about how growing up in Florida helped inform his passions as a newly-elected Town Council member for Jackson.

Jackson Hole News&Guide's environmental reporter Billy Arnold talks with host Frederick Reimers about sewage and wildlife and what it's like to cover environmental issues in Jackson.

Guest host KHOL executive director Emily Cohen recaps local races with Maggie Hunt, chair of the Teton County Democratic Party and Tote Turner, past chair of the Teton County GOP and state committeeman.

Jeannette Boner, a News&Guide reporter, talks with your host Frederick Reimers about stories she's been covering about development in both Victor and Alpine. How do these neighboring communities manage growth? How do big developments happen in these places?

Former town planner and Jackson native, Alex Norton, talks about the two booms of Jackson, Wyoming and what we can expect for the growth of our community. Spoiler: The only constant of Jackson Hole Alex has seen here is change.

WYDOT's Bob Hammond talks to Frederick Reimers about Teton Pass rebuilding, traffic in October in Jackson, and what it takes to deal with the roadways of a rapidly growing community.

Frederick Reimers talks with Renee Seidler, Executive Director of JH Wildlife and a member of the Bearwise team to talk about bear conflicts in Teton County! So interesting. Check out www.jhbearwise.org for tips on how to keep yourself and bears safe!

State of Jackson host Pete Muldoon talks to Margie Lynch, chairperson of The Jackson Hole Climate Action Collective, about the environmental future of Jackson and what places like the airport are doing to combat climate change.

It's back-to-school season in Jackson, Wyoming, which means that during certain hours of the weekday, you'll see a steady stream of e-bikes on our pathways.State of Jackson host Pete Muldoon talks to executive director of Friends of Pathways, Katherine Dowson, and Pathways & Trails Coordinator for Teton County, Brian Schilling, about the pros and cons of e-bikes on Jackson pathways.

Teton County's Affordable Housing Director, April Norton, joins Pete Muldoon on this episode of the State of Jackson to talk about housing, running for office, e-bikes and some of her favorite tunes.

On this episode of the State of Jackson, host Frederick Reimers talks to Community Housing Trust's Anne Cresswell and Allison Lee about the new Hansen development and what affordable housing really means in Jackson.

On the second episode of KHOL's The State of Jackson, Frederick Reimers talks to Ryan Stolp about the power of illustration — for better or worse — in a small mountain town.

Representative Yin was elected in 2018. He represents most of the town of Jackson. This year he was just one of six Democrats in the State House. He serves on two committees - Labor, Health and Social Services as well as Corporations Elections and Political Subdivisions, where he is the lone Democrat on both. The legislative session wrapped on March 7. He speaks with Frederick Reimers about its rightward shift.“We've seen a growing group on the right say that working together is actually a bad thing, working with Democrats is a bad thing,” he said. “Politics becomes the overtaking concern rather than actually dealing and solving problems with the state.”