State Briefs

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 friend and fellow Park Service retiree Phil Francis.

“They both had COVID, and it was contracted through an assisted care facility,” Francis told the Jackson Hole Daily on Monday. “She died Wednesday night, and Gary died last night.”

Francis and Everhardt both had stints presiding over the Park Service’s Blue Ridge Parkway, the last stop for each before retirement. They came to be close and were exercise buddies.

“Gary was a good friend,” Francis said. “And he was a good friend of the Blue Ridge Parkway and great friend and lover of the National Park Service.”

Everhardt’s time atop the Park Service was probably most marked by his role leading the agency through the United States’ bicentennial celebration.

“He wasn’t director for a long time,” Francis said, “but I think that was his great contribution.”

When Everhardt was tapped to lead the federal agency, he was 40 years old and had just spent a decent chunk of his career in Northwest Wyoming. Prior to the Teton Park superintendency, he spent two years as the assistant superintendent at Yellowstone.

Cody long-term care center to open hugging booth

CODY (WNE) — Cody Regional Health’s long-term care center is getting a new addition. 

Annalea Avery, CRH Foundation director, is constructing the interior of the first prototype of a “hugging booth” for the center due to be completed this week. 

Although it is a project that had been talked about for months, Brian Huso, who heads the center, said things finally came together to make it happen, but it would be at least a week before visitors could use it. 

“We have to go another week with no positives [COVID tests] before we can have visitors,” he said. 

A hugging booth is a clear divider with armholes that allows families of long-term care residents to have a semblance of physical contact with their loved ones. Avery’s prototype was made with clear shower curtains as a proof-of-concept, and the hospital foundation will be ordering some vinyl sheeting that is clearer for the final version. Bromley Construction built the frame for the booth. 

“This is really exciting,” Avery said in a video on the project released by the hospital. “It’s near and dear to my heart, personally, and I hope that this is a really awesome gift that we can give to our patients and families.”

Blue Cross providing COVID-19 vaccines with no ‘cost-share’

DOUGLAS (WNE) — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming welcomes the arrival of safe, effective and affordable vaccines as a key component in the national and local COVID-19 response, and confirms that vaccines will be offered free of charge, including waiving all co-pays, deductibles or coinsurance. 

The vaccines are provided free of charge under the federal CARES Act, and BCBSWY will waive all cost-sharing for any fees charged to administer the vaccines. 

BCBSWY is also extending the cost-share waiver for the medical treatment related to the diagnosis of COVID-19 to all fully insured groups and individuals until March 31, including inpatient hospital care. 

Testing to diagnose COVID-19 for treatment purposes is already provided without member cost-share under federal provisions. 

“COVID-19 has affected all of our lives in some manner at this point, and the sooner Wyoming residents can access a safe and effective vaccine, the sooner we can begin to recover,” BCBSWY president and CEO Diane Gore said.

Former Green River fire chief sentenced for embezzling from fire department fund

ROCK SPRINGS (WNE) — Former Fire Chief Michael Nomis was sentenced to prison Thursday afternoon for embezzling funds from the Green River Fire Department Foundation between Feb. 4 and Dec. 23, 2019.

Sweetwater County District Court Judge Suzannah Robinson sentenced Nomis to three to seven years in the Wyoming State Penitentiary or other correctional facility for felony theft. He also received a one year sentence in the Sweetwater County Detention Center for wrongful appropriation of public property to be served concurrently with his sentence for felony theft.

Nomis was also ordered to pay restitution of the more than $59,000 he took from the fund in addition to court costs. He pleaded guilty to both charges at a change of plea hearing in September.  

Stephanie Nomis, his wife, pleaded guilty in October for felony theft from the same fund. Her sentencing is pending.

Robinson said she decided that probation would not be appropriate.

It is significant that the money was stolen from a donated account, the judge said. Community members and fellow firefighters provided the funds. It is disturbing that part of that money would have been used for people who had a fire in their home, she said.

Although the felony charges Nomis pleaded guilty to cover a period of time in 2019, Robinson said Nomis admitted that the crime stemmed back from 2017-2018, and there is a large amount of money that is not included in the charging information. It was an ongoing pattern that reflected many lies and deceptions, Robinson said.

“Instead of helping other people, you helped yourself for a long period of time,” Robinson said. “The public needs to know that when community leaders violate that type of trust, that there will be repercussions.”