State Briefs

Gates no longer connected to Irma Lake Lodge

CODY (WNE) — Billionaire Bill Gates is no longer connected to the Irma Lake Lodge, a South Fork ranch Buffalo Bill named after his oldest daughter back when he developed the property in 1895.

The 752 acres feature one 9,598-square-foot ranch house, two guest houses and five outbuildings. It sits directly below the eastern portion of Carter Mountain and looks over Irma Lake and toward the Buffalo Bill Reservoir in the distance.

The main lodge has 24 rooms, eight bedrooms – each with their own bathroom — and 11 fireplaces.  

Park County Assessor’s Office documents reveal J Over 3 Lazy B’s LLC is the new owner of the property, with Josh Allison listed as the contact for that entity and taxes. 

Allison, a Cody businessman, did not respond by time of publication to multiple requests for comment.

Allison has been associated with several downtown development projects in recent years and was a spokesperson advocating for the legalization of pari-mutuel gambling in Park County in 2020, an effort that was rejected by voters.

A new deed for the property was filed on June 30, facilitating the transfer from Mt. Baker to Lazy’s B’s. 

The prior owner of the property is Mt. Baker Holdings, LLC, a business with an associated address in Kirkland, Wash. 

In 2009, Business Insider reported Gates had purchased the property that had been listed at $9 million. 

According to the Assessor’s Office, the property has a $3.7 million market value. 

Grand Teton moves to online campsite reservations

JACKSON (WNE) — Reservations for all Grand Teton National Park and John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway campsites will be made via the Recreation.gov booking platform starting with the 2022 summer season.

Teton park campgrounds will no longer be reservable through local campground call centers or websites.

“Visitors are strongly encouraged to plan ahead and reserve early,” a park press release said.

Some campgrounds moved to the online platform for the 2021 summer season. Now, the Colter Bay RV Park and Tent Village and the Headwaters Campground and RV Park, previously reservable through Grand Teton Lodge Company, are migrating to Recreation.gov.

Those locations — along with Colter Bay, Gros Ventre, Jenny Lake, Lizard Creek and Signal Mountain campgrounds — will be available for booking on a six-month rolling basis.

A limited number of sites will be held back at the Colter Bay and Gros Ventre campgrounds for reservations on a 14-day rolling basis, but “reservations are expected to fill quickly,” the park press release said.

Fremont County commissioners, fire district, sheriff pledge to solve differences over dispatch service

RIVERTON (WNE) —The Fremont County Fire Protection District hasn’t paid fees it owes for emergency dispatch service in more than a year. 

Fremont County Commission Chairman Travis Becker questioned Fremont County Fire Protection District Chief Craig Haslam about the default –– which apparently is intentional –– during the commission meeting Tuesday. 

By the end of the discussion, Fremont County Sheriff Ryan Lee had offered to Haslam and the commission to work through Haslam’s concerns with dispatch by re-forming a steering committee of stakeholders. 

Haslam said his department had been promised a portion of dispatch designated specifically for fire and emergency medical services.

“This has never happened,” said Haslam, save for “one short period in there.” 

The fire chief noted that the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office has had almost continual trouble keeping its dispatch department staffed. Fremont County dispatch always has announced county fire calls. However, in 2012 the county commission opted to move the entire dispatch operation into an enterprise fund, which FSO was to facilitate, with funding from all users.

In a later interview with The Ranger, Lee also acknowledged a difficulty in staffing the communications department. He said the bargain “was made many years ago at the inception” of the county-run system. 

Since then, he said, the staffing situation has been a huge impediment. 

Haslam noted further at the meeting that dispatch services to responders in Hudson do not function smoothly.

Man considered habitual criminal receives another sentence

GILLETTE (WNE) — A man already sentenced to 30 to 45 years in prison for aggravated assault and battery has gotten another prison sentence for identity theft.

Brennan Thomas Baker, 30, was sentenced Nov. 12 to 2.5 to three years in prison for using another man’s driver’s license and returning merchandise to Menards for store credit.

But the sentence will be served concurrently to the aggravated assault sentence and two other earlier felonies for burglary.

Baker pleaded no contest Nov. 12 to the accusations that he used another man’s driver’s license and returned merchandise that Menards officials believe was stolen originally.

Baker was flagged by Menards management after he returned $69.98 worth of steel Aug. 2 that the store doesn’t actually sell. Because he didn’t have a receipt, his driver’s license was scanned in. A few hours later, he returned to the store and tried to use the store credit, according to an affidavit.

Further investigation shows that Baker had returned merchandise on at least three occasions using the same identification. The real person hadn’t given him permission to do so, according to the affidavit.

District Judge John R. Perry ordered Baker to pay $1198 to Menards, $2179 to one Gillette man and $2014 to another as restitution.

Typically, an aggravated assault charge carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison, but prosecutors added a habitual criminal status to the charge because Baker was considered a habitual criminal because he had two other felony convictions for burglary in Campbell County from 2019 cases.

The sentencing enhancement increased the possible prison time to up to 50 years. Baker was convicted by a jury in July of beating another man over the head with a crowbar.

Gas prices down slightly from last week

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Wyoming gasoline prices have declined by 0.3 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.41 per gallon Monday, according to GasBuddy.com’s daily survey of 494 stations in Wyoming.

Gas prices in Wyoming are 0.5 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, and stand $1.27 per gallon higher than a year ago.

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Wyoming was priced at $2.87 per gallon Monday, while the most expensive was $3.89, a difference of $1.02.

The national average price of gasoline has fallen 3.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.37 per gallon Monday. The national average is down 1.4 cents per gallon from a month ago, and stands $1.26 per gallon higher than a year ago.

Teton park moves all campsites to web booking

JACKSON (WNE) — Reservations for all Grand Teton National Park and John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway campsites will be made via the Recreation.gov booking platform starting with the 2022 summer season.

Teton park campgrounds will no longer be reservable through local campground call centers or websites.

“Visitors are strongly encouraged to plan ahead and reserve early,” a park press release said.

Some campgrounds moved to the online platform for the 2021 summer season. Now, the Colter Bay RV Park and Tent Village and the Headwaters Campground and RV Park, previously reservable through Grand Teton Lodge Company, are migrating to Recreation.gov.

Those locations — along with Colter Bay, Gros Ventre, Jenny Lake, Lizard Creek and Signal Mountain campgrounds — will be available for booking on a six-month rolling basis.

A limited number of sites will be held back at the Colter Bay and Gros Ventre campgrounds for reservations on a 14-day rolling basis, but “reservations are expected to fill quickly,” the park press release said.