Wyoming News Briefs

Devils Tower on pace to have busiest year ever

GILLETTE (WNE) — Devils Tower has been on a record-setting pace so far in 2024.

Through June, 192,682 people visited the national monument in Crook County. That’s up more than 5000 visitors from 2021, which is the busiest year on record for Devils Tower.

In 2021, 550,712 people visited Devils Tower. It was the first time the national monument broke the 500,000-visitor mark, and it happened as the country started to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic and people began flocking to the outdoors.

But if the first half of 2024 is any indication, that record is in danger of falling.

According to monthly data from the National Parks Service, this year Devils Tower has had the busiest April, May and June ever. In all three months, the previous record had been set in 2021.

April had 17,353 visitors, up nearly 6000 from 2023 and about 200 more than 2021. In May, Devils Tower saw 48,935 visitors — a 4000-person increase from 2021’s record — and 108,892 people visited in June.

Through the first half of the year, visitation at Devils Tower is up 14% from 2023 and about 2.6% more than 2021.

Devils Tower should remain busy for the rest of the summer. Historically, July and August have been its two busiest months. And with the International Pathfinder Camporee and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally converging in the region in early to mid-August, it figures to be pretty packed.

July 2023 was the busiest month in recent memory, with its 129,704 visitors being the highest monthly total Devils Tower had seen since 1994.

So what is Devils Tower’s busiest month ever? That was in July 1992, with 135,107 visitors.

Court says emissions rule stands for now

CASPER (WNE) — A federal appeals court has ruled that a contested Environmental Protection Agency regulation aimed at limiting pollution from coal-fired power plants can remain in effect as legal challenges move forward.

Republican-led states, including Wyoming, had asked the court to block the EPA’s rule on an emergency basis, arguing it threatened the reliability of the nation’s power grid and exceeded the agency's authority.

The rule, announced in April, requires coal-fired power plants to capture 90% of their carbon emissions or shut down by 2032.

The rules are a key part of the Biden Administration’s president’s pledge to get the country to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously rejected the request Friday for an emergency stay, reasoning the state’s lacked the standing of “immediate harm” since the rules are years from enforcement, and that the case did not meet the threshold of legal merits otherwise. State’s say they plan to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Summer wildfire burns on North Fork

CODY (WNE) — Lightning ignited the first significant wildfire of the summer on the North Fork, which was spotted last Friday afternoon.

The Clearwater Fire was reported around 4:30 p.m. on the Wapiti Ranger District of the Shoshone National Forest and is estimated at five acres.

While there have been other smaller fires this summer, “this is the first with some complexity,” Evan Guzik, SNF public information officer, said Monday.

It’s located high on a ridge with limited places to land a helicopter and difficult to reach by hiking, so “it would take a Herculean effort to rescue a person,” he said. “We’re not willing to put firefighters at risk.”

A type-3 team has been ordered to develop a plan and provide overhead and support as well as additional firefighting resources.

The cause of the fire has been determined to be lightning from storm cells that came through the area Thursday afternoon.

The fire is located on a ridge line between the Elk Fork and June Creek drainages, about one mile south of the Clearwater Creek Campground. Due to the location, steep terrain and expected weather, it is not safe to directly engage the fire at its edge.

Forest officials are asking the public to be on the lookout for increased responder traffic in the Wapiti area and along the North Fork Highway.

The fire danger on the Shoshone is currently rated “Very High.” It is important for everyone to remain vigilant with any possible ignition sources to include vehicle mufflers on tall grass, dragging tow chains and campfires.

For other updates on the forest, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/shoshone.

Wyoming commits more than a million in coal litigation

CASPER (WNE) — Wyoming has now committed more than $1 million to fight the feds over coal.

Gov. Mark Gordon on Wednesday allocated $300,000 to the Wyoming Energy Authority to support coal-related legal challenges against the federal government, which comes on the heels of an $800,000 commitment to the Attorney General’s office to support similar efforts on a different front.

The money comes from the state’s Coal Litigation Fund created by the legislature in 2021 as a resource to litigiously combat federal emissions clampdowns that put coal, the most emissions-heavy form of fossil energy, against the ropes.

The Energy Authority has selected a powerhouse in Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, a firm with over 300 attorneys, including former U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, as well as legislative consultants in 12 offices across the western U.S. and Washington, D.C.

“Wyoming is marshaling all available resources to fight the Biden Administration’s ongoing attack on our coal industry, our workers, and ultimately our communities,” Gordon said.

Brownstein now rolls up its sleeves for battles that could determine the retirement timelines of coal-fired electric generation facilities in Wyoming, as well as the longevity of the export market for Cowboy State coal.

On a different front, the AG’s office will deploy its $800,000 in coal litigation funds in a contract with Consovoy McCarthy, a boutique law firm with expertise in federal administrative law.

That effort will focus on blocking the Bureau of Land Management’s Buffalo Field Office Resource Management Plan, whose preferred alternative would officially end all new coal leases on federal land in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, the most prolific coal region in the nation.

Sign up for updates on Wyoming Education Savings Account program

CHEYENNE (WNE) — The Wyoming Department of Education has launched a sign-up form to receive the latest information on the development of the Education Savings Account program.

The Wyoming Education Savings Act was signed into law on March 21 and is governed by W.S. statutes 21-2-901 through 21-2-909. Applications for the 2025-26 school year will be accepted beginning Jan. 1.

Visit the ESA information hub online at edu.wyoming.gov/for-parents-students/education- savings-account for more details to assist families in determining eligibility.

Feds: Crowheart man repeatedly raped runaway teen

RIVERTON (WNE) — He’s more than six feet tall and 350 pounds, and federal prosecutors allege he repeatedly raped a teenage runaway in his Crowheart home earlier this year.

Now, Quinlin James Hernandez, 32, faces life in prison.

Quinlin faces nine counts of sexual abuse and aggravated sexual abuse, according to court documents.

The 14-year-old victim snuck from her home on April 10 to visit with a juvenile friend, then Hernandez picked the two up in his vehicle and brought them to his home, the charges allege. He gave the children whiskey that night, then tried to kiss the victim the following day, according to the charges. She rebuffed the kiss and Hernandez allegedly put her in a chokehold until she nearly lost consciousness, then raped her while she was intoxicated, prosecutors allege.

The victim told investigators he overpowered her when she tried to resist, and that he raped her again the next day.

According to the charging documents, the victim texted a family member and provided the location of the home, and the Wind River Police responded to the Crowheart address on April 14.

When investigators interviewed Hernandez, he initially denied the allegations, then later admitted to choking her, “accidentally” touching her private parts and molesting her, according to the criminal complaint.

Hernandez pleaded not guilty to the charges and is expected to face trial in August.

14-year-old accused of Denver murder arrested in Casper

CASPER (WNE) — Police on Monday arrested a 14-year-old in Casper suspected of a murder in Denver. The arrest was made by the Denver Police Department with help from the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and Casper Police Department, according to a press release.

Steven Marquez was wanted for the homicide of Todd Kidd that occurred on the evening of July 10, in front of Federales — a bar and taco restaurant north of downtown Denver, according to media reports.

A police investigation revealed that Kidd intervened in a disturbance and was shot by Marquez.

Kidd died two days later in the hospital, according to a press release.

Marquez was identified through witnesses and surveillance video and he was found in Casper.

Marquez is being held for investigation of first-degree murder, but the Denver District Attorney’s office will make the final decision on charges.

A gofundme set up for Kidd’s funeral expenses has raised more than $32,000.

“Our beloved friend Todd was shot while defending his coworkers and workplace. In light of Todd’s passing, we have elected to raise our goal to aid with the funeral expenses, and any additional expenses the family encounters,” the page states.

Yellowstone National Park sees rise in attendance

CODY (WNE) — Overall visitation to Yellowstone National Park through June rose over tallies from 2023 and 2021.

The park has seen a total of 1,633,739 recreation visits through June, up 9% from 1,492,843 recreation visits in 2023 and up 3% from 1,587,998 recreation visits in 2021.

In 2022, historic floods in Yellowstone caused a weeklong closure of the park in mid-June, followed by the opening of three entrances on June 22.

In June of this year, the park hosted 914,612 recreation visits, up 8% from 847,864 recreation visits in June 2023 and down 3% from June 2021, when there were 938,845 recreation visits.

The list below shows the year-to-date trend for recreation visits over the last several years through June:

2024 – 1,633,739

2023 – 1,492,843

2022 – 1,258,834 (The park was closed June 13 through June 21 due to the historic flood event. Three entrances opened on June 22.)

2021 – 1,587,998

2020 – 719,054 (The park was closed March 24 through May 17 due to Covid. Two entrances opened on May 18 and the remaining three opened on June 1.)

2019 – 1,358,629

Summer is Yellowstone’s busiest season, with millions of visitors in June, July and August. The park advises those traveling to the park this summer to plan ahead by visiting http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/index.htm.

Wyoming among best for addiction resources

CASPER (WNE) — A new study has found that Wyoming has the third-best access to addiction treatment in the United States.

Latana Recovery analyzed various surveys to determine the accessibility of addiction centers in each state. In March 2022, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that more than 4000 people in Wyoming were receiving treatment for alcohol or drug addiction.

Latana Recovery looked at average cost of residential care, percentage of rehab facilities that accept insurance, percentage of individuals struggling with illicit drug dependance or abuse, efficiency of service delivery, overdose death rate and number of rehab facilities.

Each of these indicators were used in evaluating each state.

The state was given a score out of 100 for each indicator. The individual indicator scores were then used to create an overall state score.

Wyoming, which scored a 66.7 overall, was beat out by Maine and Alaska.

Wyoming scored highly in number of facilities accepting insurance, count of rehab facilities and efficiency of service.

Efficiency of service is based on the percentage of individuals who need treatment but are not receiving it. According to the Latana analysis, almost 70% of individuals who need service do not receive it.

While this may seem high, it is actually lower than the percentages in Maine and Alaska.

West Virginia has the lowest percentage of unserved individuals at 66.89%.

Although Wyoming scored well in many categories, its score was dragged down by the sheer cost of rehab care.

According to Latana, the average cost for residential care in Wyoming is almost $66,000. This is the highest average for the cost of residential care out of all of the states.

However, most of the other states’ averages are within $10,000 of Wyoming.