Mia Johnson
Multimedia Journalist
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From Texas to Wyoming, Mia graduated from the University of Wyoming with a degree in Journalism. She joined Wyoming News Now as a Multimedia Journalist and weekend Anchor in January, 2021. She is always interested in learning about history, art and law.
Mia is a chatty personality and loves to meet new people; naturally, she loves working at a news station.
From graduating high-school in Wyoming, Mia enlisted in the Army National Guard and served six years.
Mia's favorite activities include reading, painting and drinking coffee.
To contact Mia, you can email her at mia.johnson@gray.tv
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“I think it is how you get started. I think it is how you lead on to your next steps in your life. I think that it is a good opportunity considering the professors here truly care about teaching you and showing you what your future can and will look like and I think that if you are confused, if you are not sure what you want to study, if you don’t know what you want to pursue in your future, the first step would be Pathways. That is how you find the community and comfort of asking those questions and getting the answers and not having them be sugarcoated,” said Gutierrez.
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Buddy may be eight-years-old, but he has the energy of a puppy. He loves to play, run and socialize. His lack of teeth does nothing to slow him down!
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“Downtown Cheyenne is the heart of Cheyenne. We have millions of tourists in a season in downtown, that that is their first impression of Cheyenne and the Capital City of Wyoming. To be able to do something with the space that is so visual and highly trafficked, I think it will really have a pay-off of people’s perceptions and first impressions.”
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”I thank the Legislature and the people of Wyoming for the trust they have put in me,” Governor Gordon said. “Wyoming is a conservative state with a constitution designed to constrain the actions of government, so special sessions are meant to be very rare. They cost taxpayer money, so they should never be frivolous. That is why legislative leadership and I will work together to ensure any potential special session held to respond to vaccine mandates will be focused, effective, and efficient.”
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“The One Shot Antelope Hunt has been a cherished Wyoming tradition for generations,” Governor Mark Gordon said. “It is a special year for the One Shot. I’m looking forward to spending time in the great outdoors with friends who appreciate our hunting legacy.”
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Located at 1600 W. Lincolnway in Cheyenne, Hitching Post Plaza is planned to contain retail, dining, residential and hotel. Demolition and environmental remediation is going on now, with the first bricks broken last week by the developer, the bank, and Mayor Patrick Collins swinging the first sledgehammer. The project was brought forward via the cooperative effort of Swagger Construction, Banner Capital Bank, and the City of Cheyenne.
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“It’s really the time and place where voters get the most input on what our community is going to look like in the next five to ten years, and I think there are a lot of projects that kind of look to the future,” said Laramie County Commissioners Chairman, Gunnar Malm.
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Driskill’s Civics Transparency Act is currently in draft form with the Legislative Service Office. Driskill said his bill gives “parents the tools to know what is being taught in their children’s classrooms and prevents the indoctrination found in the critical race theory curriculum that has been pushed by the far-left and has found its way into some classrooms.”
”His unwarranted shot places blame for that problem squarely on the shoulders of Wyoming and five other states,” Governor Gordon said. The Governor emphasizes that Wyoming has a strong rental assistance program and is meeting the needs of its people.
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The suspect appears to be a white female, in her mid to late 20′s with long brunette hair, and brown eyes. She was also seen wearing a neck brace during the transactions.
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One decision our City Council will have to make next year is how we will provide health insurance for our employees. We have been planning the transition to a self-insured model for a couple years now. I met with Neil Bertrand, CFO of Cheyenne Regional Medical Center (CRMC), to discuss how we could partner to deliver great coverage for our employees and save the city money. We are 10 months from having to make the decision but wanted to get the discussions rolling so we can make an informed decision when the time comes.
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The suspect, forty-year-old Justin Armando Marquez of Casper, was arrested on September 3, 2021, as part of the nearly two-month investigation into the whereabouts and death of Ryan Schroeder.
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From Friday, Aug. 27 through Thursday, Sept. 2, the district was notified 57 students and nine staff members reported a positive COVID-19 test result.
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"This is something that we as a community and we as a people should talk about everyday, 365 days a year. Because suicide is real, a lot of lives are being taken from suicide. Whether they are veterans or non-veterans, whether they are homeless or they're low income, whatever they may be -- there is a lot of people that are taking their life by suicide and we need to end it."
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“It is very explanatory as far as what is each ballot, where the money goes, and I think that is very important. We really wanted to be as transparent as possible, because we want the voters to know what they are voting for,” said Jeff White, City Councilman.
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“We have a goal to be in-person. When we started the school year, we made it; we are in-person. We also have a goal to maintain that. The good news is, we have done this before. We have mitigated those strategies that were presented to us last year and we were able to keep our doors open all year in that in-person learning,” said Fraley.
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On August 27 at approximately 4:30 p.m. Cheyenne Police Officers were dispatched to a report of shots fired near the intersection of Dell Range Boulevard and Ontario Avenue.
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“Although this issue was only recently brought to our attention, it appears we have an ongoing problem with members of the public releasing aquarium pets and pouring their aquarium water into local water bodies,” said Fisheries Biologist Jessica Dugan.
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“‘Find your path’ isn’t just about finding your academic pathway, but it’s really finding your path to success, to a career, to reaching your goals, whatever those might be,” said Lisa Trimble, Associate Vice President.
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“There are some people who don’t like to do it, some people who are happy to do it. Things are going well. Essentially, what we are hearing from a lot of students is if takes wearing a mask to be in person, that’s what they’ll do, so that is very encouraging,” said Baldwin.
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“As more and more folks get it, their neighbors get it, their family; that will help them decide ‘yeah, maybe it is time’. It’s time to help protect themselves, it’s time to help protect their family and the rest of the community, because we continue to see those folks who are hospitalized, who are very sick, the folks that are on the ventilators or the intensive care unit, the vast majority of those people are non-vaccinated. We know it works,” said Emmons.
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“We’ll probably save some of it for medical bills because we don’t know what’s going to happen. He has a vision bucket list - the doctors gave him a 50-50 chance of going blind by August. Here we are in August, so we have no idea. We have been trying to check items off of his vision bucket list; he’s got some pretty audacious plans, so some of the money will go to that as well,” said Joanne Watt, Kenny’s mom.
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Downtown business, Presidential Barbershop, is wanting to do more to support local youth, by hosting ‘We Got Your Back’, a community-wide incentive program to promote education through haircuts and backpacks.
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“We are fully open now with no restrictions; we are still not where we have been in the past. I keep on hoping and wishing it will get better, because I keep on ordering too much food and stuff; I keep thinking we are going to pick up but it is, and I know when school is back in play, it will get busier,” said Rebecca Stroh, owner of Roller City.
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“We have an overabundance of clothes that we got throughout the pandemic and throughout the year, so we are wanting to clean shop and give back to the community because the community is so generous to us, constantly donating to us, giving us what we need, but we have an overabundance of things so we are just giving back,” said Josh Arrospide, Comea Programs Coordinator.
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“Just yesterday, we were notified that we will be on concrete rationing so we will be able to do about 500 to 1,000 yards a night. Our project will be delayed until probably the end of September; we know it hurts the community from an economic standpoint, but coming out of Covid, this is probably the best that we are going to get. If the nation goes into lockdown again with the up-tick of Covid numbers, we can probably expect some more delays,” said Barth.
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The male suspect, 37, a transient was found at MLK park holding a knife. Officers attempted to communicate with the suspect, ordering him to drop the knife several times. He refused to comply, but eventually officers were able to safety de-escalate the situation.
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“When the City Council is presented with an opportunity, we can look to the people in our community who really have the knowledge and technology and get their opinions and ideas and we can also be looking at our city ordinances and see if there is anything that is prohibiting people from being able to pursue innovation and entrepreneurship,” said City Council Member and Advocate for the task force, Dr. Michelle Aldrich.
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“Individuals have to feel safe in their environment to express whether they agree or do not agree with a statement, no matter what their position is, they need to feel like it is safe for them to express their opinions. When we have order and rules and parliamentary procedures, that is why those are there,” said Rinne.
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Big Boy was built in the 1940s as a way to transport supplies over the Wasatch Mountain Range. Out of the 25 locomotives built, Big Boy is the only operational one left. In 2019, Union Pacific rode Big Boy as a monumental tribute to the Transcontinental Railroad.
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“If somebody is dumping illegally, then you’re paying for it. The rate payers are paying for it. That’s just the way it is. If somebody brings their waste in from the county, and they dump it in a container inside the city, that’s illegal and they have a responsibility. They can bring it into the city, but they need to take it to the Transfer Station or the Landfill out on Happy Jack Road but it is their responsibility to pay for what it cost to dispose of their waste,” said Nemecek.
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“This particular retreat will focus on areas of the college’s new strategic plan, as well as, they will be taking action on a couple of new programs that we will bringing onto the college the Fall of 2022. We are approving them now so they can benefit students in the Fall of ‘22,” said Trimble.
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According to Cheyenne Police Department Public Information Officer, Alexandra Farkas, a red Ford was heading westbound on Lincolnway, attempting to turn left, southbound on Platte Avenue and failed to yield to an eastbound motorcycle. The Ford collided with the motorcycle and the man was ejected from his motorcycle, sustaining critical injuries.
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Black Dog Animal Rescue is making strides by hosting their first-ever vaccine clinic; however, BDAR representatives said the clinic is designed to go above and beyond vaccine services.
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Horse shows, dog shows, pig wrestling and Hells on Wheels Rodeos and dinners are just some of the things being offered at the 2021 Laramie County Fair. Wyoming’s Oldest and Largest Fair boasts ten days of family-friendly events.
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“The camp cook would try to think of ways to be creative with very minimal supplies to try to keep the cowboys happy. If you didn’t have a good cook, you wouldn’t have good cowboys because the good cowboys would go wherever the outfits were that had a good cook,” said Mims.
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“Well, our parades are, to me, always wonderful. They are full of history and lots of character. Things that you don’t normally see in a typical parade but definitely western and definitely historic,” said Hubbard.
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“The Challenge Rodeo is one of the best events Cheyenne Frontier Days has to offer. We partner with Laramie County School District and we take students from our schools with special needs and put them in a real, live rodeo performance. We want to let them be part of the Daddy of ‘Em All as well,” said Will Luna, long-time volunteer and coordinator for Cheyenne Frontier Days.
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“It’s part of our being - it’s the fabric of this community and we are proud of that. It brings a lot of people to our community, shows it off. It also gives those of us that live here a chance to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. That kind of volunteer ethic; it permeates the whole community and makes us all better.”
On Saturday, July 24 at approximately 9:30 a.m. Cheyenne Police Officers responded to a report of a stabbing around the 1600 block of Snyder Avenue.
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As Wyoming faces with another year of drought, trout are grappling with reduced food and oxygen, and in many instances, their very survival. The conditions have fish managers with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department concerned about the impacts on fish in many of the local rivers and lakes.
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“Be prepared, do your homework ahead of time to go over all of those propositions and all the different projects,” said Teresa Moore, Director of Community Recreation and Events.
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Freedom’s Edge Manager, Muriah Kilmer, said they are happy to open early and work longer hours to accommodate incoming visitors.
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HIVIZ, LLC. received the “yes” that over 900 small businesses were hoping to hear after pitching at Walmart’s Open Call 2021. Walmart will be moving forward with stocking the shelves with HIVIZ’s Birdbuster sights.
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“Price value matters. How they are spending their hard-earned money and what they are getting for it matters. Being local to the community matters. So you know, it fits the right profile for what we are today and what we will be on a go-forward basis but, no question, the competitive piece is a big driver of it,” said Chief Technology Officer Cash Hagen.
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“There is a million and one things going on and that’s just our department, but there is also other community events going, obviously. It’s going to be a summer-filled with music so there is always something to enjoy.”
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Raut said the reasoning for the luncheon is to celebrate Durbar’s loyal customers, and to invite members of the community to try something new for themselves.
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“It’s definitely a huge partnership; our conversations actually began early in March. We have been working with agencies across the state in preparation. We have been in close contact with Cheyenne Fire and Rescue, AMR, the Emergency Management Agency; really, it is all hands on deck for Cheyenne Frontier Days,” said Alex Farkas, Cheyenne Police Department Public Information Officer.
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Laramie County Fire Districts #2 and #8 are holding an election for voters in areas served by the districts on Tues., Aug. 17, according to Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee. The election seeks voter approval for the consolidation or merger of the two fire districts into a single new district called Laramie County Fire Authority.
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“These grants can provide significant funding to both nonprofit humanities organizations and organizations that provide humanities programming,” said Chloe Flagg, the director of grants and programming with Wyoming Humanities.