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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Cheyenne man pleads guilty to strangulation, property destruction CHEYENNE (WNE) – Eric Earl Carter pleaded guilty to felony strangulation of a household member and felony property destruction in two separate cases as part of a plea agreement. In the agreement, the state and defendant jointly recommended sentences of three years of probation, with a suspended sentence of three to five years of incarceration, for each count. The sentences would run concurrently. Additional charges in both cases – two counts of misdemeanor domestic battery (first...
Man charged in Riverton stabbing faces enhanced sentence RIVERTON (WNE) — Accused of stabbing a 55-year-old man in a van near North Federal Blvd last week, Jody VanFleet was sent to a higher court on Wednesday. The 37-year-old VanFleet has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault, one for the stabbing, and one for threatening the alleged victim with a drawn deadly weapon. One of the assaults is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. But because VanFleet has been convicted of two felonies prior and now faces an allegation of f...
Wyoming to receive $1B from latest relief package CASPER (WNE) — Wyoming will receive over $1 billion in state aid soon, thanks to the latest stimulus package signed into law Thursday by President Joe Biden. The federal government passed a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package along party lines this week, the third economic recovery act to pass Congress since the pandemic began last year. Wyoming will soon see hefty returns under the sweeping act. In addition to the approximately $1 billion in state aid, the federal government will funnel an ad...
DOUGLAS — The City of Douglas last week charged the Douglas Budget $37.60 for a copy of City Administrator Jonathan Teichert’s contract, a public document. Later, the newspaper was ironically charged $27.10 for a copy of the 2015 resolution that sets the fee structure for public documents and research cost. Budget News Editor Cinthia Stimson formally requested the contract via email from City Clerk Chaz Schumacher March 5. Stimson then received a city “Public Records Request Form,” in which she had to state her company affiliation, contact...
Wyoming unemployment rate falls slightly CHEYENNE (WNE) — The Research & Planning section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services reported Monday that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 5.2% in December to 5.1% in January. Wyoming has recently completed a comprehensive annual revision of its unemployment data. The revised data show that the state’s unemployment rate peaked at 8.5% in May 2020 and has steadily decreased since then. Wyoming’s January unemployment rate of 5.1% was much lower than the U.S. rate of...
Three UW students killed in accident LARAMIE (WNE) — Three University of Wyoming students were killed in a two-car collision that took place on Saturday, Feb. 27, on the Colorado side of Highway 287. According to Colorado Trooper Josh Lewis, the collision occurred at about 4:38 p.m., at mile marker 377, in Colorado. A total of five people were involved; four are believed to be UW students. According to Lewis, the driver of a 2005 Subaru Forester, a male, age 21, who was the only occupant, appeared to have lost control of his vehicle and the F...
CASPER — A new piece of legislation could give coal-fired power plants a lifeline. Filed on Friday in Wyoming’s Legislature, House Bill 155 would require state regulators to consider how a coal or natural gas power plant closure could affect the reliability of the power grid before approving its retirement. Prior to giving a utility a green light to retire an aging power plant unit, the Wyoming Public Service Commission — the state agency regulating certain utilities in Wyoming — would have to consider if the closure would increase the risk of...
Man killed Monday in Grand Teton National Park avalanche JACKSON (WNE) – A man was killed in an avalanche in Grand Teton National Park on Monday, authorities said. Matthew Brien, 33, of Jackson and originally from Pennsylvania, was buried in the avalanche, according to the Teton County Coroner. The slide was reported around 12:30 p.m. Park rangers and Teton County Search and Rescue were called to the slide in the Broken Thumb Couloir, off the north side of 25 Short in the park. Avalanche danger in the area has hovered between high and c...
Snowboarder dies at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort JACKSON (WNE) — A snowboarder was found dead in a tree well Monday morning at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The Virginia man, Daniel Tatum, 27, was visiting the Tetons with friends, resort spokeswoman Anna Cole said. Tatum became separated from his friends around 10:45 a.m. Sunday. When he didn’t show up at the end of the day at their agreed-upon meeting time, the friends notified ski patrol around 5 p.m. Ski patrollers led a search that included other resort employees Sunday night, sea...
Cody resident detains burglary suspect CODY (WNE) — Jumping over neighborhood fences as he chased the auto burglary suspect, Cody resident Colton Johannsen, 20, was not willing to let the man go despite the late-night hour and winter’s chill. Despite not being armed, Johannsen still took the law into his own hands in order to stop an attempted auto burglar from getting away on Feb. 1, and was successful, tackling and apprehending suspect Bryan Nihei, 31, of Powell. “I felt like I had to catch him no matter what, even if he was armed,” Johanns...
JACKSON — The daily morning feeding of 7,000 or so wapiti on the National Elk Refuge began for the winter on Wednesday, after animals started to get antsy as the grasses they graze on waned. Biologists use a criteria of 300 pounds of grass and forbs per acre to determine when to begin the supplemental feeding season, a 109-year-old tradition on the federal refuge north of Jackson “I was starting to see anecdotal signs that elk were starting to leave the refuge,” said biologist Eric Cole. Elk were starting to move into the Twin Creek subdi...
Yellowstone visitation down 5% in 2020 CODY (WNE) — Yellowstone National Park reported its final 2020 numbers on Thursday, down 5% compared to 2019. A total of 3,806,305 recreation visits took place to Yellowstone during the year. It was the fewest people who attended Yellowstone since 2014 and the first time since that year in which fewer than 4 million people entered the Park. But it was also the year of the comeback, as the Park recorded its busiest September and October on record and second busiest August. The Park was closed due to h...
CHEYENNE — A legislative committee advanced a bill Thursday that would make not wearing a seat belt a primary offense in Wyoming, meaning law enforcement officers could pull a driver over solely for not being buckled up. The proposal, which will now head to the full Legislature for consideration, was promoted by state highway officials as a way to reduce the number of crash-related deaths in Wyoming, which had 147 deaths from car crashes in 2019. Of those deaths, 39% were not wearing their seat belts, Wyoming Department of Transportation D...
Florida congressman to protest Cheney in Cheyenne CHEYENNE (WNE) — A couple weeks after Congresswoman Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, voted to impeach former President Donald Trump, one of Trump’s strongest supporters in Congress is set to visit the Wyoming State Capitol later this week in reaction to Cheney’s vote, which has drawn some GOP pushback at home and in Washington, D.C. U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, who has repeatedly criticized Cheney since her impeachment vote, plans to visit Cheyenne on Thursday for a rally at the Capitol. Tentatively s...
No charges will be filed in Riverton shooting death RIVERTON (WNE) — No charges will be filed in the November homicide that resulted in the death of Lisa Pitt, 39, of Riverton, Fremont County Attorney Patrick LeBrun said Friday. Pitt died of a “single perforating gunshot wound” to the trunk, according to the Fremont County Coroner’s Office. The incident was reported at about 8:20 p.m. Nov. 23 near Tundra Drive in Riverton. “This was an accidental shooting,” LeBrun wrote in a Friday statement, noting that Pitt’s husband was involved. “Th...
Snow evades area, state classified as in ‘extreme drought’ SHERIDAN (WNE) — Much of Wyoming is still classified as being in an “extreme drought,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, but it’s the late winter and spring months that will either prolong or break dry conditions this summer. Parts of Sheridan, Johnson and Natrona counties are also reporting snowpack levels hovering at 75-85% of normal for January, according to a Wyoming SNOTEL report issued Monday. The U.S. seasonal drought outlook is expected to persist through 2021 and possibl...
Legislature to convene for one-day virtual session CHEYENNE (WNE) – The 66th Wyoming Legislature will convene at noon Jan. 12 for a one-day virtual session to fulfill the requirements of the Wyoming Constitution. Gov. Mark Gordon’s message will take place at 2 p.m., according to a news release from the Wyoming Legislative Service Office. During the convening of the 2021 general session, the Legislature will address all necessary business in accordance with the Wyoming Constitution, including, but not limited to: • Election of legislative leade...
The 66th Wyoming Legislature will convene at noon on Jan. 12 for a one-day virtual session to fulfill the requirements of the Wyoming Constitution. Gov. Mark Gordon’s message will take place at 2 p.m. During the convening of the 2021 General Session, the Legislature will address all necessary business in accordance with the Wyoming Constitution, including but not limited to: • Election of Legislative Leadership; • Adopt rules for the 66th Legislature; • Receive a message from Gov. Gordon. A video livestream of the House and Senate proceed...
SHERIDAN — Change is in the air. Or the airport, as it were. A draft bill the Wyoming Legislature will consider in early 2021 would authorize counties to create airport districts, which could provide an additional source of funding for local airports, allowing them to levy up to three mills of local property tax dollars each year. Devon Brubaker, airport director of the Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport in Rock Springs, has been an advocate of the legislation for years. On Dec. 1, he told members of the Legislature’s transportation com...
Former Grand Teton Park superintendent dies from COVID JACKSON (WNE) — A onetime Grand Teton National Park superintendent who rose to the top of the National Park Service has died after contracting COVID-19. Gary Everhardt, 86, led Teton Park from 1972 to 1975, departing to become the ninth director of the National Park Service under presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Both Gary and his wife, Nancy, succumbed to complications from the novel coronavirus during the past week in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area, according to longtime f...
GILLETTE — In a move that could potentially stave off a second Chapter 11 bankruptcy in five years for Peabody Energy Corp., the company has announced an agreement with its creditors to refinance $459 million of debt. The agreement, made in a Christmas Day a press release, includes all of its revolving lenders and about 65% of its 6% senior secured notes due in 2022. In the release, the company calls the deal a “comprehensive financing solution” to help give it some financial breathing room as it continues to drown in red ink. “Toda...
Initial shooting review expected to be complete in 30 days GILLETTE (WNE) — Crook County Attorney Joseph Baron said his office’s initial review of a Gillette officer-involved shooting is expected to be completed in the next 30 days. Baron was named this week as special deputy county attorney in charge of reviewing the Nov. 13 shooting that involved an officer of the Gillette Police Department and Cody William Amman, 31, who was shot and killed in the incident. Following the shooting, the unnamed officer was placed on paid administrative lea...
CASPER – Leaders of Wyoming’s largest trona mines have banded together to launch a public health campaign for Sweetwater County to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and keep businesses open. Wyoming’s trona patch in the southwest part of the state employs upward of 2,300 workers across four mines. But the rapid spread of the virus throughout the county has complicated some operations. Back in early April, several mineral operators took steps to prevent the virus from entering the plants and mines. They required strict social dista...
UW proposes spring semester schedule LARAMIE (WNE) — The University of Wyoming’s proposed spring 2021 semester would include ten weeks of in-person instruction, a three-day spring break and five weeks of fully online classes to conclude the term, under a draft plan being presented Wednesday to UW’s Board of Trustees. The semester would begin with two days of online-only instruction Thursday and Friday, Jan. 21-22, and face-to-face classes would begin Monday, Jan. 25. Following the abbreviated March 31-April 4 spring break, all classes would...
COVID forces Riverton hospital to move services to Lander RIVERTON (WNE) — In-patient hospital services by SageWest Health Care in Riverton have been moved to the Lander hospital due to high COVID-19 infection rates among staff. “As you may have heard,” wrote SageWest spokeswoman Lindsey Anderson in a Tuesday statement, “members of our team have tested positive for COVID-19. To that end, we made the decision to temporarily transition all inpatient care to our Lander campus.” Imaging, emergency care, outpatient services, lab, surgical and infus...
