State Briefs

Wildfire in Teton Wilderness at 230 acres and growing

JACKSON (WNE) – After a calm morning, the largest wildfire of 2020 in Jackson Hole was just picking up steam Monday afternoon and starting to torch trees and grow along its perimeter.

Because of the time of year and its location well into the Teton Wilderness, the Bridger-Teton National Forest is giving the 230-acre Pilgrim Creek Fire some latitude to move around the landscape as it naturally would. That’s not to say the wildfire is being allowed to burn in the absence of any management, Bridger-Teton fire prevention specialist Lesley Williams Gomez said.

“They’re still working the fire edge and gathering information,” she said. “They’re just not using chainsaws yet.”

There are “management action points” that would trigger the use of chainsaws, helicopter bucket drops and heavier-handed techniques to suppress the wildfire. 

One of those action points is Pilgrim Creek itself. The eight wildland firefighters from the Caribou-Targhee National Forest and Grand Teton National Park assigned to the blaze are also trying to keep it from moving to the west.

For now, firefighters are using “minimal impact suppression tactics,” such as using natural barriers like ridgelines to help harness the fire, which was first spotted Sept. 30.

Although the Pilgrim Creek Fire grew into a modest wildfire in less than a week, fire managers have factors working in their favor, including colder weather on the horizon. 

After weeks of high pressure and relative warmth, a cold front is also forecasted to push through the valley starting Sunday and will create conditions less agreeable to growth.

The cause of the Pilgrim Creek Fire has not been determined.

Plea agreement reached in Rock Springs stabbing case

ROCK SPRINGS (WNE) — A Rock Springs man originally charged with attempted second-degree murder in a stabbing case pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of aggravated assault and battery as part of a plea agreement Monday morning.

Alexander Cave, 27, entered his no contest plea before Judge Suzannah Robinson during a change of plea video hearing in Sweetwater County District Court. 

He will be sentenced at a later date following a pre-sentence investigation. 

Cave was arrested Jan. 29, 2020 for the stabbing of Rafael Magana, 26, at the 900 block of Walnut Street in Rock Springs. The incident was reported to the Rock Springs Police Department when Magana sought medical attention at the Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County.

The maximum penalty for aggravated assault and battery is 10 years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both. 

Under the plea agreement, Cave is expected to receive a prison sentence of 6-10 years with all but the eight months he has already served in the Sweetwater County Detention Center suspended. He would be placed on five years of supervised probation that could be terminated after three years if there are no probation violations. Cave would also have to pay court costs and restitution in an amount to be determined at a later hearing. 

Cave’s bond was reduced from $250,000 to $10,000 cash or surety while he awaits sentencing.

SLIB approves $889,000 for Sublette County

PINEDALE (WNE) — Sublette County Commissioners submitted a grant requesting $1.6 million for COVID-19 expenditures, but the state approved only $889,022 as part of the Coronavirus Relief Grant Program. 

Among the items approved are two self-contained negative pressure containers that can be used to isolate patients from the general patients at each clinic. The units are manufactured by Enviremedial Services, Inc. 

The company’s manufacturing facility is not only located in Sublette County, but is also the benefactor of a low-interest Wyoming Business Council grant sponsored by Sublette County. 

From start to finish, the units can be ordered and completed in days; because they have a negative air pressure system, they are ideal for isolation. The rooms could also be separate from the clinic to protect other patients and health-care workers. 

While it has not been a priority in the past to add to the budget, ESI has the technology and the ability to get it done before Dec. 31, which was one of the requirements for the grant.

Another item that was approved by the State Land Investment Board, which is made up of the state’s top elected officials, was $19,720 in payroll related to overseeing the COVID-19 Response Team. 

The approved list also included ventilators, testing supplies and ultra violet equipment for sterilizing and the purchase of a truck to deliver senior meals.

Sublette County’s request was one of 37 submitted by counties, municipalities, hospitals and state agencies. Of the $11.2-million request, just over $5.1 million was denied.