The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
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CASPER – Katrina Ferrell helps people in crisis. As program coordinator for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, she assists callers who may be feeling desperate or despondent. The lifeline provides free emotional support and resources day and night. “I think we make a really big difference in a lot of lives,” she said. For years, Wyoming has struggled with one of the nation’s worst suicide rates. And for years, it did so without a lifeline staffed by local folks. That’s no longer the case. Wyoming is now home to a pair of call centers t...
Women in stable condition following severe crash JACKSON (WNE) — Three women are rebounding after their SUV was hit Sunday afternoon by a tanker truck hauling milk near Munger Mountain Elementary School on Highway 89. State trooper Andy Jackson said the driver of the Suburban, 63-year-old Big Piney resident Patricia Berndt, was life-flighted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center after the 4:17 p.m. crash. The hospital told him that Berndt sustained serious injuries but was in stable condition Monday morning. The two other women in the c...
LARAMIE — Stephanie Fortman had a gut feeling about a sale of some land near Laramie. Something wasn’t right. The seller told her he was building a house and wanted to sell the property quickly, below market value, to finance his new home. “Quickly,” Fortman, an associate broker at Mountain Valley Properties said. “That’s a word I learned — quickly.” The reason for the speed, she eventually discovered, is that the seller was trying to profit from selling a piece of property he didn’t own. In the absence of concrete evidence, Fortman moved ahe...
Solar eclipse will be visible in Western U.S. Saturday morning GILLETTE (WNE) — When Wyomingites look up at the sky Saturday morning, they should be able to see a partial eclipse. During an annular solar eclipse, the apparent size of the Moon’s disk is slightly smaller than the apparent size of the Sun’s disk, so that only the outer edge of the Sun remains visible. For those who are inside the path of the eclipse, this will give the appearance of a bright ring of light, hence the name, ring of fire. The path of annularity, in which 91% of the s...
Ft. Washakie man charged with embezzling funds for guns, furniture LANDER (WNE) — A federal grand jury has charged Logan James Savage, Fort Washakie, with five counts of wire fraud and one count of embezzlement, alleging he used a company credit card to make personal purchases for more than $25,000. Savage worked as the finance director for Wind River Family and Community Health Care Between July 2022 and May 2023. He was one of several employees who had been granted company credit cards to cover business-related purchases, according to the f...
CHEYENNE — Members of the Joint Revenue Committee moved to draft legislation during their Monday meeting that would amend the state constitution and implement an acquisition value property tax system in Wyoming. An acquisition value property tax system assesses a property at its market value from the time the property was purchased, with limited annual tax increases until the property is resold, according to the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Acquisition value is defined under HB 100 as “the purchase price paid for the acquisition of pro...
CHEYENNE — Over the past few years, the labor market has undergone major changes and has ultimately led to a labor shortage across the country. Even if every unemployed person in the country found a job, there would still be around 3.5 million open jobs. But in April of this year, the national unemployment rate was 3.4%. It hasn’t been below that since 1953. Americans are working, but it’s more a surplus of jobs than a lack of people willing to work. Recent data released from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce revealed Wyoming is one of the state...
Couple pleads not guilty to attempted murder, child abuse CHEYENNE (WNE) — At separate hearings with separate judges Monday, both of the defendants charged with attempted first-degree murder in connection with the alleged abuse of a two-year-old boy pleaded not guilty. Hannah Wingert, the 20-year-old mother of the child, and Joshua Moody, her 21-year-old boyfriend, were arrested for attempted first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse on Aug. 25. Law enforcement contacted them after Wingert’s stepmother called police to perform a wel...
As part of its commitment to help reduce suicide deaths across the state, the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) is sharing key information about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and its operations in Wyoming. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free, confidential and always available. The system involves a national network of local crisis centers that provide free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Two call centers within Wyoming are part of the lifeline network. “We believe it’s a benefi...
Wyoming senators join effort to ban federal mask mandates CHEYENNE (WNE) — U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, both R-Wyo., joined U.S. Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, in introducing legislation to prevent the government from imposing new federal mask mandates for domestic air travel, public transit systems and in schools. The Freedom to Breathe Act would also prevent air carriers, public transit authorities and all educational institutions from refusing service to those who choose not to wear face masks. On Thursday, Senate Democrats b...
Wyoming is aging and aging quickly. That fact is not new. In 2014, experts urged state action to prepare for an impending “gray wave” in Wyoming. The state’s rapidly aging population is raising similar concerns almost a decade later. But there is a silver lining. The majority of Wyoming’s 65 and over residents are “young-old,” giving the state valuable time to reinforce its elderly and health care systems, according to a new report and data compiled by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Boston in partnership with the Wyoming Hea...
Baby stroller allegedly used to steal drone CODY (WNE) — The Cody man charged in July with endangering his daughter by allowing her to be in the presence of meth was recently charged with burglary, theft and conspiracy to commit burglary after he and another Cody man allegedly used a baby stroller to steal a drone from Walmart on Aug. 2. Jeremy Johnstone, 25, is accused of partnering with Brad L. Corbin to steal the drone. They face the same charges. Cody Police Officer Steven Bassett was dispatched to Walmart at around 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 18 t...
CASPER — Drive through downtown Casper on a typical summer afternoon, and more likely than not, you will see nothing remarkable. You may notice that the traffic is mild and the sidewalks are tidy and mostly empty — save for maybe a few shoppers and businesspeople wandering about. Visit during the evening, and you may have some angst finding street parking, especially if there’s a concert going on. Life downtown is pretty ordinary, in other words. Which might surprise you if you’ve Googled Casper lately. A rash of recent attention from nationa...
Wyoming decides to leave National School Board Association POWELL (WNE) — The Wyoming School Board Association, which includes Park County School District 1, is no longer a member of the National School Board Association (NSBA). Kim Dillivan, PCSD1 board chairman, said he does not anticipate a change to the school board’s professional development as a result of Wyoming’s exit. Individual school boards can still be a member of the NSBA, but Dillivan does not see a difference between membership to the NSBA or the Consortium of State School Board...
Driver booked for assault after hitting pedestrian with car CHEYENNE (WNE) — A male pedestrian was transported to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center Thursday evening after a driver struck him with his vehicle. The victim is in custody, and the driver has been booked into the Laramie County jail on an assault charge. Koby Rodriguez, 25, was arrested on the charge of aggravated assault with injury after an altercation at 5:40 p.m. Thursday. Rodriguez told police that, after exiting Interstate 80, waiting at a light to turn onto North Greeley H...
11-acre fire south of Wright sparked by mine blast GILLETTE (WNE) — The Campbell County Fire Department fought its biggest fire of the season Sunday caused by a blast at Black Thunder Mine. At 2:15 p.m., firefighters responded to the Hilight Road area, south of Highway 450, for a reported grass fire. The fire was contained at 1370 acres and was caused by a blast from Black Thunder mine, said Battalion Chief Bryan Borgialli. The fire department had 17 firefighters and two chiefs working the fire, which was contained by 6 p.m. Sunday. The U...
Streaming service airs episode on missing Gillette woman GILLETTE (WNE) — The story of missing Gillette woman Irene Gakwa recently aired on a nationwide streaming service. The 25-minute episode titled “American Dream, American Nightmare” follows Gakwa’s journey from Nairobi, Kenya, to Gillette where she disappeared in early 2022. The episode is part of Paramount Plus’ “Never Seen Again” series, which documents families sharing the stories of lost loved ones. Featured on the show are Gakwa’s brothers, Kennedy Wainaina and Chris Gakwa and Chris...
Driver kills mountain lion on Moose-Wilson Road JACKSON (WNE) — A vehicle hit and killed a mountain lion Thursday evening on the Moose-Wilson Road, a fatal strike that follows a series of other deadly encounters between cars and animals in Jackson Hole. A motorist struck the roughly two-year-old female cat at about 6:30 p.m., said Mark Gocke, a spokesman with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Mountain lions are intelligent, social carnivores that occasionally make public appearances in Jackson Hole. This spring, for example, a young cat w...
Minnesota man placed on probation for high-speed chase outside Cody POWELL (WNE) – A Minnesota man who recently led police on a high-speed chase on the North Fork Highway has been released on probation after spending two-and-a-half weeks in jail. On July 24 in Park County District Court, Kirk D. Raymond, 53, pleaded guilty to a felony count of interference with a peace officer; it relates to Raymond trying to injure a pursuing Park County Sheriff’s deputy. Raymond’s guilty plea came as part of a deal with prosecutors that involved three other...
Nine school districts to participate in RIDE pilot CASPER (WNE) — Some Wyoming school districts will soon see the first fruits of a statewide effort to rethink the public K-12 education system. Gov. Mark Gordon’s office announced Wednesday that nine Wyoming school districts will participate in a pilot program beginning later this summer that aims to focus on more competency-based and student-centered learning. This initial pilot emerged from recommendations that came out of Gordon’s Reimagining and Innovating the Delivery of Education (RIDE) Ad...
Tiny the cat chomps down on Park County 4-H Educator Mary Louise Wood's thumb during the Park County Fair cat show on Wednesday of last week....
GILLETTE — Inflation and staffing shortages have hit the Wyoming Department of Transportation hard, and nowhere else is feeling the crunch harder than in northeast Wyoming. WYDOT has 1,734 employees around the state, and there are 313 vacancies. In District 4, which is northeast Wyoming, WYDOT employs 170 people, and it has about 40 vacancies, the highest of any district, said WYDOT District 4 Engineer Scott Taylor during a presentation to Campbell County Commissioners last week. It’s down mechanics, resident engineers, maintainers and str...
LARAMIE — Four years ago, Manufacturing Works, Wyoming’s extension of a national manufacturing partnership network, was one of the poorest performing centers in the country, according to Center Director Rocky Case. Today, a recent national achievement distinguished the center as one of the roughly top 20% of performing manufacturing centers in the United States. Manufacturing Works is a collaborative program with the University of Wyoming that provides a variety of services to manufacturing programs across the state. According to Steve Far...
The Wyoming WIC Program, operated by the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH), helps many Wyoming families with free nutritious foods and education, breastfeeding support and healthcare referrals. The Wyoming WIC Program serves women who are pregnant or new moms, infants and children up to age five. WIC features free, easy-to-use benefit cards participants can take to local stores to get nutritious foods at no cost. Some WIC families also are eligible for infant formula benefits. “Our income guidelines are newly and significantly updated, w...
Colorado man dies, bus driver airlifted in Sunday morning crash GILLETTE (WNE) — A 25-year-old Colorado man died and a bus driver was airlifted for treatment after a head-on crash Sunday morning south of Wright. Campbell County Coroner Paul Wallem said Nicholas Finnian Mahoney, of Littleton, Colorado, died instantly at the scene. Sheriff Scott Matheny said the Sheriff’s Office began receiving “numerous” 911 calls at about 7:30 a.m. for a pickup versus passenger bus accident on Highway 59 south of Cosner Road. He said Mahoney was driving...
