The Sheridan Press names the community hall as Moats

SHERIDAN (WNE) — The Sheridan News Bureau dedicated its new community room honoring its namesake on June 26.

The Moats Community Room is a conference room available for rent in the Sheridan Press building. The room itself served as the publisher’s office for decades before being converted into a conference room available for rent by anyone in the community for a variety of uses.

The room is named for retired journalist and attorney Bruce Moats, who led The Sheridan Press to a Deming Cup — which recognizes the best daily newspaper in the state of Wyoming — before becoming a lawyer and serving the Wyoming Press Association.

Moats has represented several state newspapers in lawsuits aimed at fighting transparency in public agencies.

Before the hall’s dedication, Moats and his wife, Cec — also a former newspaper photographer and employee of the Wyoming Press Association — trained current press staff on public records and open meetings laws.

This story was published on July 1, 2024.