Wyoming News Briefs

Wyoming National Guard activates C-130s to fight LA wildfires

GILLETTE (WNE) — Three Wyoming Air National Guard C-130s equipped with the U.S. Forest Service’s Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems, or MAFFS, and associated personnel were ac-tivated by U.S. Northern Command to support firefighting efforts in the Los Angeles area.

Three C-130 aircraft from the 153rd Airlift Wing will travel to Channel Islands Air National Guard Base in California, where they will provide critical assistance to the state’s firefighting appa-ratus, according to a press release from the Wyoming National Guard.

About 40 aircrew members and maintenance personnel will deploy.

“It has been difficult to watch the absolute devastation of the wildfires in California,” said Col. Brian Diehl, the Wyoming Air National Guard’s 153rd Airlift Wing commander, in the press re-lease. “We’re honored to be able to participate in our nation’s efforts to combat these fires and return normalcy to the people and communities of Southern California, and as soon as possi-ble.”

MAFFS are the U.S. Forest Service’s portable fire-retardant delivery systems. They can be in-serted into military C-130 aircraft without major structural modifications to convert them into air tankers when needed.

They can discharge their entire load of up to 3000 gallons of retardant in less than five seconds, covering an area one-quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide, or they can make variable drops. Once a load is discharged from a MAFFS-equipped aircraft, and the aircraft lands at a tanker base, it can be refilled in less than 12 minutes.

Three wildland firefighter trucks lost in Laramie County station fire

CHEYENNE (WNE) — A fire severely damaged Laramie County Fire Authority Station 74 on Sat-urday, destroying three wildland firefighting apparatus that were to be deployed to assist in fighting fires in California.

LCFA responded to a structure fire at the non-operational fire station, located in the 8800 block of Yellowstone Road, around 7:45 p.m. Saturday.

Built in 1974, the station houses the fire mechanic and wildland firefighting program but does not participate in local response, meaning that the fire did not disrupt emergency responses in the area, according to an LCFA news release.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Laramie County Sheriff ’s Office are ac-tively investigating the cause of the fire.

No one was injured, since the building isn’t typically staffed, according to LCFA Chief Jason Caughey. The fire did, however, cause extensive damage and appeared to burn internally for a while before external signs triggered the initial 911 call.

Three of the vehicles lost in the fire were scheduled to take a team of Wyoming firefighters to California, where they will join in efforts to combat the historic wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

Despite its own losses this weekend, the team will head for California Tuesday morning without the additional vehicles. It will assist the California Fire Service, along with other Laramie County agencies and teams from Wyoming, including the Wyoming Air National Guard, which deployed three C-130s on Friday.

Wyoming legislative website provides info on session

POWELL (WNE) — Wyoming residents are encouraged to use the Wyoming Legislature’s website to track legislation and participate in policy making during the general session.

The web address is wyoleg.gov and is continually updated as each bill moves through the legis-lative process.

A variety of resources are available on the site, including legislation and amendments sponsored by legislative committees and individual members.

The text of each bill is posted on the Legislature’s website as soon as the legislation is assigned a bill number. The status for bills in the House and Senate can be tracked via the legislative website by clicking on the “2025 Legislation” link on the homepage, or the “Legislation” link in the lower portion of the website.

Additionally, residents can find information about how their legislators voted by clicking on the “Votes” tab on each individual bill page. The results are posted after each roll call vote is taken.

Information regarding the dates and times of standing committee meetings and House and Sen-ate daily floor schedules are also available.

Calendars of floor proceedings in the Senate and House are posted to the website in the late afternoon for the next day’s activities, which includes the bills under consideration and the gen-eral order of business for the following day.

The public can watch live and archived video of House and Senate floor proceedings and com-mittee meetings on the Legislature’s YouTube channel. Users can access videos by clicking the YouTube icon on the Legislature’s website, or by searching “Wyoming Legislature” on YouTube.

The website also provides a variety of ways for residents to contact their elected officials, in-cluding contact information for legislators and the “Online Hotline” which allows the public to recommend support or opposition to a piece of legislation or leave a comment regarding a bill. For more information on the legislative website or to report technical problems, contact the Legislative Service Office at 307-777-7881.

Gordon joins Republican governors for meeting with Trump

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Gov. Mark Gordon joined 21 Republican governors for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump in Florida on Thursday.

Gordon and the other governors expressed concern about federal overreach under President Joe Biden and a desire to cooperate with the incoming Trump administration on natural resource issues and ener-gy policy.

Gordon also shared with the president-elect that Wyoming — like other states — has seen drone incur-sions over critical infrastructure, which governors recognize as a national security concern.

“What a refreshing change. Instead of being told what D.C. was planning to do to us, President Trump asked us for help and promised his support. It was a thorough conversation and a call to action,” Gordon said in a statement. “The president-elect has once again demonstrated he recognizes states’ rights and understands many of the issues facing Western states. This leadership shift will bring positive benefits to our energy, mining, agriculture, tourism and business sectors.

“It was so good to be with my Republican colleagues. I am eager to partner with the Trump administra-tion to ensure Wyoming’s perspective is considered when developing policies that impact how our lands and resources are developed.”

Postal carrier arrested after investigation into stolen mail

CHEYENNE (WNE) — On Nov. 11, 2024, at about 12:08 p.m., the Laramie County Sheriff’s office re-sponded to a report of mail fraud.

The investigation led Cpl. Larry Moniz to the Menards store in Cheyenne. Menards provided photos and video of a suspect using stolen rebate checks. In the surveillance footage, Moniz observed the suspect returning to a white rural mail carrier van.

Moniz took the images to a local United States Postal Service facility to identify the suspect, where postal personnel identified the individual as mail carrier Louis Hall, according to a news release from the sher-iff’s office.

Hall was arrested on Nov. 30. During the search of his residence, officers discovered boxes of mail that had been post dated several years ago, along with items illegally purchased, the release said.

Deputies are continuing to collaborate with postal inspectors from the Denver Field Office in an ongoing joint investigation.

Five kids removed from home temporarily due to living conditions

GILLETTE (WNE) — Five children were temporarily removed from a home in the 1100 block of Church Avenue Wednesday after police found the living conditions were unsafe.

A 40-year-old man called police Wednesday evening and said a nine-year-old boy and four-year-old girl were at his home. He claimed the children told him they were kicked out of their home by their 30-year-old mother.

When officers arrived, the mother was yelling at the man to give back her kids. She told police she was at work while her mom watched her kids. She said the children asked to play in the snow, and their grand-mother allowed them to do this, said Police Capt. Kelly Alger.

When she got back home from work, the children weren’t there. She found out from her boyfriend that the kids were at the man’s home. He refused to return them.

Officers took the children back to the mother’s home, where there were three other children — a ten-year-old boy, two-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl. Police saw overflowing trash in the kitchen and food scattered on the floor of the home. There were used children’s diapers, food and clutter in the living room and kids’ bedroom, Alger said.

Due to the living conditions, the Department of Family Services responded and came up with a safety plan for the children to be removed from the home in order for it to be cleaned. The kids were not placed into protective custody.

DFS will follow up with an inspection of the home after it’s been cleaned.

Barrasso bill would finish border wall with COVID funds

CHEYENNE (WNE) — U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., on Thursday introduced legislation requiring un-obligated COVID-19 funds to be used to finish building the wall along the U.S. southern border with Mexico.

“Before the Biden administration’s disastrous border policies, we were well on our way to a secure and safe southern border. Now, every state is a border state, and dangerous criminals and cartels are enter-ing our communities,” Barrasso said.

“This bill will allow us to use money we already have to finish the wall and protect our national security. Border walls work. Securing the border is a top priority for Senate Republicans and President Trump.”

If passed, the Build the Wall Act would establish the “Southern Border Wall Construction Fund” and re-quire the Department of Homeland Security to use any unobligated Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to construct and maintain physical barriers along the southern border of the United States.

Co-sponsors of this legislation include U.S. Sens. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.; Jim Risch, R-Idaho; James Lankford, R-Okla.; and Roger Marshall, R-Kan.