State and Local News for Wyoming
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| 7/23/2008 Job growth continues in Wyoming Eds: APNewsNow. CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - Wyoming continued to log the fastest rate of job growth in the nation last month. David Bullard is senior economist with the Wyoming Department of Employment. In addition to job growth, he says the latest data for home prices and population growth here also look good. Wyoming added 7,700 jobs this June compared to the same month a year ago, amounting to an increase of 2.6 percent. The national employment rate fell by one-tenth of 1 percent over the same period. Wyoming's unemployment rate stood at 3.2 percent last month, compared to the U.S. unemployment rate of 5.5 percent. --- Information from: Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/23/2008 Wyoming will continue to pay for wolf damage Eds: APNewsNow. Will be led. LANDER, Wyo. (AP) - The state of Wyoming will continue to compensate ranchers for livestock losses to wolves even though a federal judge has stripped the state of control over the predators. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in Missoula last Friday entered an injunction blocking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from removing federal Endangered Species Act protections from wolves in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Eric Keszler is spokesman for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. He says that state law calls for spending $540,000 over the next two years to compensate ranchers in the northwestern area of the state for livestock lost to wolves. He says the state will continue with the compensation program unless the law is changed. --- Information from: Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/23/2008 Panel wants recognition for community colleges Eds: APNewsNow. CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - A government commission says Wyoming should change its constitution to recognize the state's community colleges and set standards for investing in them. The Wyoming Community College Commission on Tuesday approved nine recommendations for changing the state's community college system. The commission says the constitution's current failure to mention community colleges means that there's uncertainty about how the state should invest in them. The commission's recommendations will go to a state task force studying the community college system. --- Information from: Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, http://www.wyomingnews.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/23/2008 COMMUNITY COLLEGES Panel wants recognition for community colleges CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - A government commission says Wyoming should change its constitution to recognize the state's community colleges and set standards for investing in them. The Wyoming Community College Commission on Tuesday approved nine recommendations for changing the state's community college system. The commission says the constitution's current failure to mention community colleges means that there's uncertainty about how the state should invest in them. The commission's recommendations will go to a state task force studying the community college system. 7/23/2008 Off-road group says Smokey Bear is unfair WASHINGTON (AP) - An off-road vehicle group is asking the Forest Service to withdraw a public service ad featuring Smokey Bear. The BlueRibbon Coalition says the ad is misleading and unfair, and sends the message that off-road vehicles are to blame for starting forest fires even when operated properly. In the ad, Smokey Bear tells two all-terrain vehicle riders not to start their vehicles in a national forest because the ATVs give off sparks that could start a wildfire. The Idaho-based coalition has written letters urging the Forest Service and the Ad Council, which produced the 30-second spot, to withdraw the ad. The Forest Service says the ad is under review. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/14/2008 Wyo Rural Development Council offers training for rural communities CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Rural Development Council will hold a team member training workshop on August 14 for individuals interested in helping shape the future of rural Wyoming. Interested persons will be trained to become active participants in the Community Assessment Program, which assists communities in developing locally-conceived and driven development strategies, and helps provide a long-term support system for communities to achieve their development goals. The workshop will take place on Thursday, August 14, from 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Little America in Cheyenne, 2800 West Lincolnway. The training is free and includes lunch, breaks, and all training materials. The deadline for registering is July 31, 2008. NEWS FROM AROUND THE REGION: 7/23/2008 URANIUM HEARING Nuke panel takes input on uranium expansion PINE RIDGE, S.D. (AP) - Opponents of a request to expand uranium mining near the South Dakota-Nebraska border have prompted a hearing Wednesday before an arm of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Canadian-owned Crow Butte Resources mine near Crawford, Neb., wants to raise its annual production from around 800,000 pounds of uranium oxide to about 1.2 million pounds because of rising uranium prices. Several individuals and groups have been allowed to intervene in the process. One of their arguments is that the mine is contaminating groundwater on the nearby Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The NRC has already accepted three points of contention. Wednesday's hearing in Chadron, Neb., will help determine whether a fourth contention will be added. BACHMANN ENERGY Minnesota congresswoman calls for more U.S. oil drilling MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minnesota congresswoman says Congress should open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, and allow for expanded drilling in other areas -- including Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and off the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts. Republican Michele Bachmann says if the U.S. more thoroughly taps its own energy sources, gas prices could be cut in half. Many experts say more domestic drilling would not have much impact on global oil prices in the near future. 7/23/2008 Layoffs from Swedish company may hit Utah Eds: APNewsNow. OGDEN, Utah (AP) - Layoffs by a Swedish company that makes auto-safety systems could hit Utah. Autoliv Inc. says it plans to trim 3,000 jobs from its international workforce of 43,000. Spokesman Henrik Kaar says the company's largest facilities will likely be affected by the cuts. One of its biggest plants is in Ogden. The company, though, hasn't made any announcements yet about where the layoffs will take place. Company officials say the cuts are part of a restructuring intended to mitigate the effects of production cuts by their customers and the rising costs of raw materials. Autoliv makes air bags and seat belts. The company employs about 3,500 people in Utah at facilities in Ogden, Brigham City, Promontory and Tremonton. --- Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/23/2008 7/22/2008 Park rangers: Winds may have contributed to fall (Stations: UPDATES with additional detail.) GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) - Park rangers say winds of up to 60 miles-per-hour could've contributed to the fall of a Colorado climbing guide who died in Wyoming over the weekend. Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott says 58-year-old George Gardner of Ridgway (Colorado) died Saturday evening. A park news release said Gardner set off on a free solo climb at about 5 p.m. Saturday after the group he was guiding settled into camp for the evening. Fellow guides contacted authorities and initiated a search when they noticed Gardner still hadn't returned at 3 a.m. when they woke up to begin preparing for the day's excursion. A searcher spotted Gardner's body about three hours later. Park rangers and other guides say Gardner was climbing within the realm of his capabilities. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/22/2008 Wind River Job Corps center funding included in Senate bill (RIVERTON) – Language funding Wyoming’s first Job Corps Center has been included in the latest appropriations bill under development by the U.S. Senate’s Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, according to Senator Mike Enzi. The committee is working up the 2009 appropriations bill for the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services. The Wind River Job Corps Center in Riverton is planned to serve 300 economically disadvantaged 16-24 year olds when it opens in 2011. The Senate Subcommittee is recommending approximately $114 million to continue the development of three new Job Corps sites, in New Hampshire, Iowa and Wyoming. 7/22/2008 Man dies on float trip in Laramie LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - A man died Saturday on a float trip down the Laramie River. Fifty-three-year-old Ronald Benabese died while floating the river on inner-tubes with four or five friends on Saturday afternoon. The friends later told police that Benabese went under water about a mile north of the Optimist Park Greenbelt trailhead. Although they performed CPR on him, he was later pronounced dead at Ivinson Memorial Hospital. Interim Laramie Police Chief Dale Stalder says Benabese's death is being classified as an accidental drowning. Benabese was originally from Arizona and was a student at WyoTech. --- Information from: Laramie Boomerang, http://www.laramieboomerang.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/22/2008 Jackson police look for nanny's assailant Eds: APNewsNow. JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - Jackson police are looking for a man who attacked a 17-year-old girl who was pushing a baby stroller in a city park on Monday. Police say the girl was working as a nanny and was pushing an infant in a stroller in Miller Park when the man took her wallet and pushed her to the ground violently. Police say she hit her head and may have lost consciousness. Sgt. Scott Terry of the Jackson police department says police are actively searching for the man. He's described as a Caucasian between 30-50 years old. He's said to be about 6-foot-3, and weighing between 250 and 280 pounds. --- Information from: Jackson Hole News And Guide, http://www.jhnewsandguide.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/22/2008 Survey: Wyoming teens misinformed about meth Eds: APNewsNow. CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - A new statewide survey shows some Wyoming teenagers and young adults are misinformed about the dangers of methamphetamine. The Wyoming Meth Project performed the survey. It found that nearly one-quarter of Wyoming residents between the ages of 12 and 24 surveyed see little or no risk in trying meth. More than half of teenagers surveyed say it's easy to obtain the drug. The survey also found that 30 percent of teens and nearly half of young adults indicated that there are benefits to meth use, including weight loss and increased happiness. Project officials say the results indicate that parents need to warn their children about the dangers of the drug. --- Information from: Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/22/2008 Crew members of USS Wyoming visit state Eds: APNewsNow. CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - Crew members of the USS Wyoming, a ballistic missile submarine, are touring the state. A delegation of 26 officers, wives and crew flew into Cheyenne last Thursday. Eleven of those traveled to Casper on Sunday for the boat crew's annual visit to the central Wyoming area. They crew members plan to visit the Wyoming Veterans' home in Buffalo on Wednesday and make several other stops around the area this week. --- Information from: Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/22/2008 United to cut Denver-London flight amid reductions (Stations: NOTE Colorado interest. UPDATES with Denver-London flight being cut, systemwide job cuts. Moving on general news and financial services.) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A United Airlines flight between Denver and London will be among the casualties as the carrier trims overseas routes by 7 percent in the fourth quarter. The news comes on the same day United parent UAL Corporation reveals a loss of 2.73 billion dollars during its second quarter on a combination of accounting charges and high fuel prices. The loss compares with a quarterly profit of 274 million dollars during the same period last year. United is the dominant carrier at Denver International Airport. United also said today it would reduce its work force by 7,000 people systemwide by the end of 2009 as it permanently reduces the amount of flying it does. Other overseas routes being cut are Los Angeles-Frankfurt and San Francisco-Nagoya, Japan. --- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Glenn Tilton told workers on a hot line message today that fourth-quarter mainline domestic capacity would shrink 16 percent versus the previous year. Tilton says United dropped about 50 routes from its domestic schedule on Thursday alone as it takes 100 aircraft out of its fleet, including all of its 737s. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/22/2008 Colorado State starting School for Environment Eds: APNewsNow. Will be led. FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) - Colorado State University is creating a School for the Environment to prepare students for the emerging green economy. The school will include professors and researchers from many university departments. CSU will spend $350,000 to launch the school but hopes to raise $100 million for an endowment over the next 10 years. CSU has already been promoting itself as the "Green University" through billboards and advertisements. CSU president Larry Penley planned to announce details of the new school at a press conference in Denver Tuesday morning. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/22/2008 Suspected bomb turns out to be string cheese Eds: APNewsNow. CENTERVILLE, Utah (AP) - A piece of string cheese made to look like a bomb forced the temporary closure of a Utah grocery store. Police were called to Dick's Market over the weekend for a report that a someone had left a device covered in duct tape near a dry ice cooler. The store remained closed for two hours while bomb-sniffing dogs and a bomb technician investigated. They eventually found the device was a piece of cheese. Centerville Utah police Lt. Paul Child says juveniles are suspected of planting the item in the store. He says the closure caused thousands of dollars in losses to the store, including from milk, ice cream and other items that spoiled during the closure and had to be thrown out. --- Information from: Standard-Examiner, http://www.standard.net (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/22/2008 Bed bugs found in Boulder housing project BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Bed bugs have infested a public housing project in Boulder Colorado, forcing at least four residents in the past two weeks to pack their belongings, wash all their clothing and evacuate as pest-control workers fumigate their homes. But Boulder County Public Health consumer protection coordinator Joe Malinowski says residents of Walnut Place Apartments are not in any immediate physical danger from the insects. Many residents of the building's 95 federally subsidized units live on Social Security benefits. Bed bugs feast on the blood of warm-blooded animals. Housing officials said they don't know where the bugs came from, but transients have been known to sleep in the building and could have carried the insects. Officials are still considering how to deal with the problem and who will pay for it. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/22/2008 Most state employees favor four-day work week Eds: APNewsNow. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A new survey indicates most Utah state employees like the idea of switching to a four-day work week. The survey conducted by the state's Department of Human Resources Management says 60 percent thought the switch wouldn't create any problems they couldn't overcome. Most of the 8,600 people surveyed say they don't expect the new schedule will negatively affect childcare, public transportation or their ability to attend school or work a second job. Gov. Jon Huntsman proposed the compressed work week in the hopes of saving about $3 million in energy costs. The switch is scheduled to be implemented next month. --- Information from: Deseret News, http://www.deseretnews.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/22/2008 7/18/2008 Motor home crashes into Buffalo store, man killed Eds: APNewsNow. BUFFALO, Wyo. (AP) - A man was killed when a motor home lost its brakes and crashed into a storefront in downtown Buffalo. The crash happened late Thursday afternoon. The Wyoming Highway Patrol says 73-year-old James D. Stark, of Hot Springs, Ark., died at the scene. His wife, 68-year-old Saralee Stark, has been hospitalized in Casper. According to the patrol, the Starks were headed downhill from Powder River Pass on U.S. Highway 16 when their brakes began to overheat. James Stark pulled over to give the brakes time to cool off, but the brakes went out after the couple got back on the road. Troopers estimate the motor home was going 50 mph when it came to a T-shaped intersection in downtown Buffalo and crashed into a storefront. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/18/2008 (LANDER) – Construction activity on the Loop Road south of Lander in the Shoshone National Forest is progressing on schedule this summer, according to Federal Highway Administration project Engineer Nate Thompson. A Lander firm, High Country Construction Company, is the general contractor on the project, now entering its third summer. Thompson said the 7.1-mile long construction zone from Bruce’s Bridge in Sinks Canyon to the Worthen Meadows Road is closed weekdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. for construction activities, which consist primarily of surface grading and culvert installation. Thompson said the last retaining wall along the route, above the Bruce’s Bridge parking area, was completed in June. The route will be paved later this summer. For this coming weekend, July 19 and 20, the road will be open with no construction delays. Otherwise, the road is open through the construction zone with traffic controls from 7 to 10 a.m. and from 4 to 5:30 p.m. each weekday. Flaggers will direct traffic through construction work during these hours. The road is open without delays overnight. 7/18/2008 Yellowstone: Construction slowdown helps projects Eds: APNewsNow. YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) - The nationwide construction slowdown has given a boost to construction projects in Yellowstone National Park. Steve Iobst is the chief maintenance officer for Yellowstone. He says the slowdown has resulted in more bidders for park construction projects - and in some cases, lower costs. The price of a visitor center at Old Faithful has come down now that a proposal from 2006 has been scaled back in size. The new bid is about $17 million, down from more than $26 million. Plans for a justice center also have been scaled back. Construction of the Old Faithful visitor center is under way and work on the justice center is wrapping up. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/18/2008 WWCC commissions life-size mustang sculpture Eds: APNewsNow. ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. (AP) - A life-size bronze sculpture of a mustang will greet students at Western Wyoming Community College next year. Trustees at the college in Rock Springs signed off on the proposed sculpture this week. Western Wyoming Community College has a mustang for its mascot. The trustees deliberated between two mustang designs submitted by artists Rudy Gunter of Green River and Dave Clark of Lander. The trustees decided to go with Gunter's design. Installation of the sculpture will be one of the school's 50th anniversary events in 2009. --- Information from: Rock Springs Rocket-Miner, http://www.rocketminer.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/18/2008 UW trustees seek $58M in supplemental funding Eds: APNewsNow. LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - University of Wyoming trustees have approved a nearly $58 million supplemental budget request for Gov. Dave Freudenthal to consider. The largest portion of that request is more than $27 million for endowment matching funds. Such funds are used to match gifts to university endowments. UW trustees also are seeking money to expand and renovate the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory in Laramie, as well as to design a new art building. The governor will release a proposed supplemental budget this fall in preparation for next year's legislative session. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/18/2008 Greeley man sentenced for tampering with gas wells Eds: APNewsNow. GREELEY, Colo. (AP) - A Greeley man is being ordered to pay $1.3 million in restitution for tampering with natural gas wells to inflate his profits. Weld County District Judge Marcelo Kopcow also sentenced 53-year-old Rex William Monahan on Thursday to three years of supervised probation and 180 days of work release. The restitution will be paid to DCP Midstream, formerly known as Duke Energy. Monahan previously pleaded guilty to theft. He was accused of tampering with production meters on gas wells so they would show higher gas production than actually occurred, resulting in increased payments from DCP. The tampering occurred between July 2004 and May 2006. Monahan told the court there was "no justifying, rationalizing or minimizing" what he had done. --- Information from: Greeley Daily Tribune, http://www.greeleytrib.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/18/2008 Salt Lake City considers shorter work week Eds: APNewsNow. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Salt Lake City is considering following Gov. Jon Huntsman's lead in switching to a four-day workweek. Mayor Ralph Becker says his administration is studying the idea and will make a decision in two to three months. In August, many state workers will begin working four days a week, 10 hours a day. The new schedule is intended to cut energy costs. Becker says he wants input from city employees before making a decision. Provo and West Valley City have already switched to a four-day workweek. --- Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/18/2008 UW BUDGET UW trustees seek $58M in supplemental funding LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - University of Wyoming trustees have approved a nearly $58 million supplemental budget request for Gov. Dave Freudenthal to consider. The largest portion of that request is more than $27 million for endowment matching funds. Such funds are used to match gifts to university endowments. UW trustees also are seeking money to expand and renovate the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory in Laramie, as well as to design a new art building. The governor will release a proposed supplemental budget this fall in preparation for next year's legislative session. LIVESTOCK DISEASE-INVESTIGATION No more diseased cattle found in Montana BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - State officials in Montana say they have found no more livestock with the disease brucellosis as they near completion of their investigation into a single infected cow in the Paradise Valley. Since the infection was announced in June, 1,061 cattle from adjacent and related herds have tested negative for the disease. State Veterinarian Marty Zaluski says those results point to an infected elk as the likely source of the transmission. Brucellosis causes pregnant cows to abort their calves. The Paradise Valley case, the second in Montana in less than two years, will cause the state to lose its federal disease-free status. That means cattle producers statewide face mandatory brucellosis testing for animals being shipped out of Montana. WESTERN WYOMING-SCULPTURE WWCC commissions life-size mustang sculpture ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. (AP) - A life-size bronze sculpture of a mustang will greet students at Western Wyoming Community College next year. Trustees at the college in Rock Springs signed off on the proposed sculpture this week. Western Wyoming Community College has a mustang for its mascot. The trustees deliberated between two mustang designs submitted by artists Rudy Gunter of Green River and Dave Clark of Lander. The trustees decided to go with Gunter's design. Installation of the sculpture will be one of the school's 50th anniversary events in 2009. OLYMPICS-GARDNER Gardner to be NBC Olympics wrestling commentator NEW YORK (AP) - Rulon Gardner will be among NBC's commentators during the Olympics. The Wyoming native and Olympics gold medalist will be a commentator for the wrestling events. He will team up with play-by-play announcer Matt Devlin. Gardner is famous for upsetting Russian wrestler Alexander Karelin to win gold at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Gardner won bronze at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. NBC announced its roster of Olympics announcers and commentators on Wednesday. The 106 on-air announcers have won 42 Olympic medals between them, including 25 gold medals. The Beijing Olympics begin on Aug. 6. BIG SKY STATE GAMES Big Sky State Games this weekend in Billings BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - The 23rd annual Big Sky State Games take place this weekend in Billings. Executive Director Karen Sanford Gall says the 2008 games likely will be at least as big as last year's, when more than 10,000 people took part. Wyoming competitors have been invited to join the games this year. Sanford Gall says Wyoming has held its own winter and occasional spring games, but hasn't held a summer competition for a number of years. Opening ceremonies for the Big Sky State Games are set for Friday night at Daylis Stadium. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., with the parade of athletes starting at 7:30 p.m. Briana Scurry will light the cauldron to officially start the games. Scurry is a USA Women's Soccer goalie and alternative player for the USA national team at the Olympics in Beijing. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) AP-NY-07-18-08 1117EDT 7/16/2008 Patrol finds explosive device made from sparklers Eds: APNewsNow. BOULDER, Wyo. (AP) - The Wyoming Highway Patrol says troopers found a homemade explosive device during a traffic stop in Sublette County. The patrol says a Lander man had a device that was made of numerous fireworks sparklers packaged together. The discovery late Tuesday afternoon caused a section of U.S. Highway 191 in the Boulder area to be closed for about four hours while authorities removed the device from a pickup truck. The incident began when the patrol got a report of a possible drunken driver in a pickup. Troopers arrested 21-year-old Michael C. Crain, of Lander, for alleged driving under the influence and misdemeanor possession of methamphetamine. Patrol spokesman Sgt. Stephen Townsend says Crain also had an expired registration and wasn't wearing a seat belt. Townsend says the case is still being investigated. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/16/2008 GRANT MONEY (LANDER) Six area county organizations have been awarded $50,000 in grant funding from Wyoming's cultural trust fund. Trust fund administrator Renee Bovee says that in the third round of grant funding, the scope of the projects and activities proposed were remarkable. Organizations receiving funding include the promoting arts in Lander school, the city of Lander, the Lander area Chamber of Commerce, Wyoming PBS, the Fremont County Library and the Lander Art Center. In total, the cultural trust fund awarded over $400,000 to projects around the state. 7/16/2008 PAVILLION RESIDENTS WORRIED ABOUT DRILLING EFFECTS (PAVILLION) Residents of the Pavillion area are asking developers, the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality to conduct Human Health Impact Assessments to gauge the effects of what current and proposed oil and gas drilling will have on air and water quality. Pavillion Area residents have already reported health impacts in the wake of oil and gas development nearby, according to Pavillion Mayor Gary Hamlin, who joined local health professionals in asking federal officials and executives from two oil and gas companies to conduct the assessments. The request follows an earlier statement signed by nearly 100 area residents outlining serious concerns about oil and gas development’s impacts on water supplies and public health. 7/16/2008 UW scientist urges precautions against Rocky Mountain spotted fever (LARAMIE) A University of Wyoming College of Agriculture professor is encouraging people in tick habitat to take precautions that could prevent Rocky Mountain spotted fever, There were 11 cases in Wyoming last year according to information from the Wyoming Department of Health, said Jack Lloyd, a professor in the Department of Renewable Resources at UW. The total was up from seven reported in all of 2006. There have been four cases so far in 2008. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initial signs and symptoms of the disease include sudden onset of fever, headache, and muscle pain, followed by development of a rash. The disease can be difficult to diagnose in the early stages, and without prompt and appropriate treatment it can be fatal. A physician should be consulted if the symptoms are present. The disease is caused by a bacterium spread through ticks. The most common vector is the Rocky Mountain wood tick in the west, including Wyoming. Loyd recommends the use of the repellent DEET and to wear protective clothing. Individuals should check themselves, their children and pets if in tick-invested areas, said Lloyd. A tick should be removed by grasping with tweezers or fine-tipped forceps close to the skin and gently pulling with constant pressure. Folk remedies such as using gasoline, kerosene, petroleum jelly or fingernail polish prove ineffective and should not be used, he said. Lloyd also advised not contacting a tick with bare hands because fluids containing the infectious organisms might be present in the tick’s body and at the wound site. Removed ticks should not be handled by hand, and hands should be washed and the bite wound disinfected. 7/16/2008 Cheyenne Boys and Girls Club looks to new facility Eds: APNewsNow. CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - The Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne is planning to build a new facility with sports fields on donated land. The existing Boys and Girls Club in Cheyenne doesn't have any sports fields. The new club will have softball and soccer fields - playing surfaces that could be ready as soon as next summer. A development company, Gateway South, has donated six acres for the project. The club also plans to buy six acres next to the donated land. The long-term goal is for a new Boys and Girls Club building with space for at least 350 kids. The Boys and Girls Club hopes to raise $2 million to get the sports fields built before starting work on that facility. --- Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle, http://www.wyomingnews.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/16/2008 Ranchers ask Supreme Court to review CBM case Eds: APNewsNow; Will be led. CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - Two ranching families have asked the Wyoming Supreme Court to review their claim that the state should do more to regulate water produced by coal-bed methane wells. Groundwater is a byproduct of drilling for coal-bed methane. The water is discharged on the surface and flows into nearby streams. The plaintiffs in the case are Powder River Basin ranchers Bill and Marge West and L.J. and Karen Turner. They say the state engineer and Wyoming Board of Control haven't lived up to their obligations to manage coal-bed methane water in the public's interest. District Judge Peter Arnold dismissed the lawsuit in June. Arnold said that state regulation of coal-bed methane water has been done according to the Wyoming constitution. State Engineer Patrick Tyrrell says that was the correct decision. He says he's looking forward to making a strong case before the Supreme Court. --- Information from: Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/16/2008 Plans in works for microbrewery in tiny Clark Eds: APNewsNow. CODY, Wyo. (AP) - Beer drinkers in and around the tiny town of Clark can rejoice: Plans are being made for a microbrewery. The microbrewery will be part of a project to renovate the Edelweiss bar and store and to expand a water bottling operation. The Edelweiss is the only business in Clark, a tiny community a few miles south of the Montana line. One of the new owners of the Edelweiss, Peg Potter, says she's fixed up the bar's restrooms and has added showers for campers and fishermen. Potter says long-term plan is to use water from the nearby Clark's Fork River to make the "some of the best beer in the world." (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/16/2008 Federal board suspends oil, gas leases on black-footed ferret habitat DENVER (AP) - Gas drilling is on hold for now in a part of northwest Colorado that's home to black-footed ferrets. An internal review board of the Bureau of Land Management has overturned the 2006 sale of oil and gas leases on about 63,000 acres of ferret habitat. Environmentalists and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had raised concerns before the auction about the potential impacts on the ferrets. Environmental groups protested the sales. Black-footed ferrets were thought to be extinct until a small colony was found in Wyoming in the 1980s. The weasel-like animals have been bred in captivity and released in the wild, including in Colorado, to rebuild their populations. BLM spokesman Steven Hall says the agency is reviewing the decision to suspend the leases to determine what the problem was. He says further analysis and consultation with other federal agencies might be needed. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/16/2008 Senator: Global AIDS bill to include $2B for tribes WASHINGTON (AP) - A bill designed to combat AIDS globally is expected to include $2 billion for American Indians. That's according to Senator John Thune, a South Dakota Republican. Thune and other senators pushing for the Indian money as part of the $50 billion AIDS bill made a deal with Democratic leaders. The agreement will include $1 billion for water projects on Indian reservations, $750 million for tribal law enforcement and $250 million for Indian health care services. It's similar to an amendment Thune planned to offer to the legislation. But under the new agreement, the money would be added to the bill with no objections and no roll call vote. Thune says it's a big commitment to improve the quality of life on reservations. He says he even recruited New York Senator Hillary Clinton to support the amendment. Clinton visited South Dakota reservations during her failed Democratic presidential bid. --- By AP Writer Mary Clare Jalonick (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/16/2008 Park commission denies $5K for events center study Eds: APNewsNow. CODY, Wyo. (AP) - The Park County Commission has turned down a request by the city of Cody seeking $5,000 for a study evaluating possible sites for an events center. County Commissioner Marie Fontaine was among those voting against the request. Fontaine says Park County residents feel like they've already got enough facilities and don't need an events center on the scale of the one planned. Cody City Councilman Sam Krone says the site study will evaluate three possible locations for the events center. The study will cost about $15,000. Krone says a feasibility study estimated that the events center would bring in between $11 million and $15 million to the local economy every year. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Righ 7/15/2008 One-hour road closure scheduled Friday near St. Stephen's A one-hour closure is scheduled for 3 p.m., Friday, July 18, as part of highway improvements on 7.95 miles of Wyoming 138 between St. Stephen's and Hudson, according to Lyle Lamb, Wyoming Department of Transportation resident engineer in Lander. Weather permitting, blasting will occur about one mile south of the Little Wind River bridge in sandstone rock. High Country Construction, Inc., of Lander is the prime contractor on the $9.5 million project to rebuild Wyoming 138 between Hudson at the junction with Wyoming 789 to the junction near St. Stephen's. The scope of improvements includes grading, draining, placing crushed gravel base and asphalt pavement surfacing, fencing, and other work. Project completion date for the project is a year from today, July 15, 2009. Once again the one hour road closure will occur this Friday at 3pm. 7/15/2008 Man gets 4-5 years for Taco John's embezzlement CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - A Colorado Springs (Colorado) man is being ordered to spend four to five years in prison and repay more than $220,000 he embezzled from Taco John's International. District Judge Peter Arnold also sentenced Eric Haviland to 10 years of probation on Monday. Haviland took the money from the Cheyenne-based fast-food chain between 2003 and 2006 using a scheme that involved gift checks. He pleaded guilty last year. Haviland told Arnold that he was unemployed and had racked up $80,000 in credit card debt before taking the job at Taco John's. He said his wife at the time refused to live in Wyoming, so the family bought a home in Colorado. Haviland said he began to catch up on his credit card payments but fell behind on his home loan and began to receive foreclosure notices. --- Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle, http://www.wyomingnews.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/15/2008 Game and Fish proposes sage grouse farming rules Eds: APNewsNow. GREEN RIVER, Wyo. (AP) - The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has scheduled a series of meetings around the state to discuss proposed rules for breeding sage grouse for hunting on commercial bird farms. The rules wouldn't affect anyone for the time being. No one is breeding sage grouse for hunting because the birds are very difficult to raise in captivity. But legislators earlier this year told the Game and Fish Department to establish specific regulations for private bird farms that raise sage grouse. Tom Christiansen is the sage grouse program coordinator of the Game and Fish Department. He says the new rules would allow bird farm operators to collect sage grouse eggs. --- Information from: Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/15/2008 Error causes higher reading scores on PAWS test Eds: APNewsNow; Will be led. CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - The Wyoming Department of Education says students did better in reading on the state's standardized test than was originally reported in 2006 and 2007. Department officials say they didn't properly account for a change to the scoring rubric for the test, called the Proficiency Assessment of Wyoming Students. At issue were questions that could have been scored on a one-through-four scale. Lesley Wangberg is with the Department's standards, assessment and accountability unit. She says the department had decided that students could get a zero on those questions. But that change wasn't accounted for. As a result, Wangberg says the lowest score possible should have been a one and the results were changed to reflect the one-through-four scale. Because of the error, three schools that had been reported as not making adequate yearly progress were reclassified as making adequate progress. Those schools were Midwest School in Natrona County, East Junior High School in Rock Springs and Encampment Elementary in Encampment. --- Information from: Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/15/2008 WYOMING OPEN Williams rallies to win Wyoming Open, $7,000 CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Travis Williams, of Erie, Colo., sank a putt for a birdie and won his third Wyoming Open title at the Airport Golf Club in Cheyenne. Williams was three shots back on the 16th hole on Sunday. But leader Shawn Wills, of Broomfield, Colo., double bogeyed on the 17th hole after his tee shot got stuck in a tree. Wills then bogeyed on the 18th and dropped from 10-under par to 5 under for the day. Williams, meanwhile, pared on the 17th hole. He then got within four feet of the pin on his second shot on the 18th hole. He made the shot and finished a stroke ahead of Wills. Williams collected $7,000 for the win. He also won the Wyoming Open in 2000 and 2001. 7/15/2008 Audit cites spending, accounting trouble in parks Eds: APNewsNow. Will be led. DENVER (AP) - An audit says the Colorado Division of Parks failed to properly account for millions of dollars and misspent tens of thousands more, including hiring an $800-an-hour comedian and overpaying for food. The audit, released Monday, said $9.4 million hadn't been properly accounted for. Officials found that most was spent on land purchases but $600,000 remains unaccounted for. Auditors questioned more than $2 million in payments. They singled out a training session where the division paid $43,000 for food and $6,100 for entertainment, including the comedian. Auditors say the food cost about double the state's standard allowance. Mike King, deputy director of the Department of Natural Resources, which oversees the parks division, says the department takes the findings "extremely seriously." (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/15/2008 Utah's job growth less than 1 percent Eds: APNewsNow. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah's job growth continues to slow down as the construction industry struggles amid a nationwide housing crisis. Employment grew .9 percent in June over the same period last year. In May, job growth was estimated at 1.3 percent. Mark Knold, chief economist at the Utah Department of Workforce Services, says the housing industry is shedding jobs and that's having a ripple effect through the rest of the work force. The state has added about 11,500 jobs in the past year. Utah's unemployment rate is 3.2 percent, up from 2.7 percent a year ago. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 5.5 percent. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/15/2008 Asphalt shortage to delay Colo. road projects Eds: APNewsNow. DENVER (AP) - Colorado transportation officials say an asphalt shortage will delay 34 road projects this year. Department of Transportation spokeswoman Stacey Stegman says officials will give priority to projects on heavily used roads, while other projects will be left incomplete until more asphalt is purchased. Transportation officials said Monday the shortage is due in part to refineries focusing on more profitable products such as diesel fuel instead of the liquid used for asphalt mix. Adding to the problem is a shortage of polymer, which is added to asphalt to reduce cracking and rutting on roads. Stegman says the implications of the shortage could be huge. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/15/2008 Native American magazine coming RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - A publication that will focus on American Indian arts and lifestyles will be launched today in Rapid City, South Dakota. Native Legacy magazine will be a quarterly publication that will feature the arts and culture of Indians on the Great Plains. Publisher Lila Mehlhaff says she wants to create a magazine that will give people a better understanding of Native America culture. Mehlhaff says Native Legacy magazine will be a free publication and will be distributed in the Black Hills and eventually in a six-state region. Native American actor Moses Brings Plenty, who was born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, will be featured on the cover of the first issue. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/14/2008 TOGWOTEE PASS Delays expected as Togwotee Pass project ramps up JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - Plan on delays if you'll be driving over Togwotee (TOE'-guh-tee) Pass at night this week. Crews have been rebuilding the highway over the pass. Through Friday, the highway will be closed from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. and from 2:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. Also, blasting is scheduled for 7 p.m. each day during the week. The blasting could cause delays of up to an hour. This latest phase of the project involves stabilizing three landslide zones and adding a box culvert and a bridge to help wildlife cross the highway. Culverts also are being built for snowmobilers and trees are being removed to improve visibility for drivers. --- Information from: Jackson Hole News & Guide, http://www.jhnewsandguide.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/14/2008 Pipeline capacity still limits Wyo. gas prices Eds: APNewsNow; Will be led. CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - Natural gas prices are on the rise, yet Wyoming producers continue to get a much lower price for their product compared to gas produced elsewhere in the nation. Wholesale natural gas from Wyoming is trading at over $9 per thousand cubic feet. But gas elsewhere is selling for $3 to $4 more than that. The reason for the difference is Wyoming still doesn't have enough pipeline capacity to export gas produced in the state. Some small pipeline projects are expected to come online shortly. But the next major new pipeline isn't expected to open until 2011 at the soonest. --- Information from: Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/14/2008 Idaho dairyman may reopen Thayne cheese factory Eds: APNewsNow. GREEN RIVER, Wyo. (AP) - The famous Star Valley Cheese factory in Thayne might reopen later this year after being closed since 2005. Idaho dairyman Gaylan Clayson is in the process of buying the factory. He says his goal right now is to get the plant going again and make mozzarella cheese. Clayson owns Cedar Arch Dairies. He plans to use milk from those dairies until he can line up local milk from dairies in Star Valley. He says the factory will employ 30 to 40 people. --- Information from: Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/14/2008 League seeks more voter registration opportunities Eds: APNewsNow; Will be led. CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - The Wyoming League of Women Voters wants the secretary of state's office to encourage county clerks to increase opportunities for voter registration. The group wants the state's 23 county clerks to offer more voter registration opportunities outside of the clerks' offices. Amy Williamson is state president of the League of Women Voters. She says people who live in managed care residences such as assisted living facilities often have difficulty getting out to register to vote. Wyoming allows voters to register at the polls. But Williamson says her group is thinking about people who vote absentee because they have difficulty getting to the polls. Deputy Secretary of State Pat Arp says Wyoming law allows people to both register and to vote by mail. --- Information from: Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/14/2008 Indian vote cited in Obama's Montana primary win RENO, Nev. (AP) - About 1,000 young American Indians from across the nation are gathering in Reno, Nevada, and are being urged to become more politically active. They also heard messages from Barack Obama and John McCain at the annual United National Indian Tribal Youth Conference. In a speech, a representative of the National Congress of American Indians said the Native American vote could make a difference in this year's presidential election. The conference has drawn Indians between the ages of 15 and 23 from about 24 states. The five-day gathering on Indian youth issues ends Tuesday. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/14/2008 Comment period extended for park gun plan Eds: APNewsNow. KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) - A plan to allow tourists to carry loaded guns in national parks is on hold, with the public comment period extended through Aug. 8. The plan would remove the current rule, which says guns are allowed, but must be properly stowed. In its place would be a wide range of rules, with each national park abiding by the gun regulations of its local jurisdiction. The National Rifle Association helped write the new plan. The NRA and other proponents say citizens must be allowed to carry guns for their own safety and because they have a constitutional right. Critics include the Association of National Park Rangers and the U.S. Park Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police. They argue that allowing guns in parks will increase violent encounters between visitors, and lead to additional wildlife poaching. --- Information from: Missoulian, http://www.missoulian.com (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/14/2008 African lion reported roaming in E. El Paso County (Stations: UPDATES with search focused on field; helicopter ordered.) COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) – Colorado Sheriff's deputies and wildlife officers are looking for an African lion after a resident reported it loose in a rural part of El Paso County. Sheriff's Lieutenant Lari Sevene says the lion was reported at about 8:00 this morning in the eastern part of the county. The resident told deputies the cat had a red mane and a big tail. Authorities have not seen the animal themselves. The search is focusing on a field about 1 1/2 miles square, and officials are waiting for a police helicopter to search from the air. Sevene said lions are nocturnal and the animal may be napping in the field. Big Cats of Serenity Springs is an area sanctuary that houses lions, tigers, leopards and other animals, but says no cats are missing. Sevene says deputies have asked the sanctuary to double-check. The sanctuary is 30 miles east of Colorado Springs and 60 miles south of Denver. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) 7/14/2008 PARK TO PARK CYCLING Cycling trip from Glacier to Yellowstone nears BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Organizers of a bicycle trip from Glacier National Park to Yellowstone National Park say they expect upward of 40 participants. Registration for the event billed as the Park-2-Park ride remains open. Cyclists will travel 400 miles. Each participant is expected to obtain pledges of money for the Court Appointed Special Advocates program, which uses volunteers as advocates for abused or neglected children. The Park-2-Park trip is scheduled for the first five days in September and will begin at St. Mary, on the east side of Glacier park. Registration fees are $450 or $500, depending on the time of registration. |