Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
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CASPER — Gov. Mark Gordon’s office says it could submit its first formal bid for 5 million acres of Occidental Petroleum-owned land in southern Wyoming next week in what would be the first official step in closing one of the largest public land purchases in American history. Wednesday was the initial deadline for the state to bid on the property — which includes one million acres of “checkerboard” surface lands as well as 4 million acres of mineral rights. The State Loan and Investment Board would have needed to convene publicly to approve a...
CHEYENNE — Lunch in classrooms, widespread hand sanitizer stations and face coverings are just a few of the features Wyoming students can expect to see if the state’s schools return to in-person instruction this fall. The Wyoming Department of Education’s initial framework to reopen K-12 schools, which was released Wednesday afternoon, requires districts to prepare for three possibilities: fully open facilities, fully closed facilities and a hybrid model somewhere in between. If buildings are open to students, procedures for social distancing a...
The state of Wyoming signed a contract in late April with banking giant Barclays to pay it $2.5 million to evaluate the purchase of 1 million surface acres and 4 million mineral acres from Occidental Petroleum. The state has already paid Barclays $1 million of that sum. An initial $500,000 payment in May was debited from an account for state construction project overruns, and another $500,000 was paid last week out of the governor’s budget, according to the governor’s spokesperson and data provided by the state auditor’s office. The fact that...
Herbicide runoff blamed for fish deaths LARAMIE (WNE) — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has determined that an herbicide, probably washed into Spring Creek through a storm drain, was the likely culprit in the deaths of several dozen fish in late May. The department received a report on May 26 from a local resident regarding dead brown trout in the creek near 15th Street, said spokesperson Robin Kepple. Fisheries biologist Steve Gale observed numerous dead trout of multiple size classes in the stretch of creek between 15th and Eighth s...
JACKSON — The hordes flowing through Yellowstone National Park will be required to wear masks in dozens of areas, indoors and out, this summer. The National Park Service itself has not mandated masks to blunt the spread of COVID-19, but Xanterra, the park’s largest concessionaire, has decided face coverings are a must. The Colorado-based business, which manages lodging, restaurants, gift shops and more in the park, made the announcement Wednesday. “We believe it’s the responsible thing to do, given the current climate with the health situati...
WHEATLAND (WNE) — You will no longer be able to have it your way in Platte County as Burger King, the 30-year iconic Wheatland franchise has closed its doors. According to Burger King vice president Shelly Ritucci, who oversees 20 Western stores, the company knew that the lease was coming to its 10-year point of renewing or refusing. The employees were not informed until June 28, and the store was shut down as of June 29. “We knew that our franchise agreement was coming to an end, but we didn’t share it with the store because we wanted to ha...
RIVERTON (WNE) — A rare sighting of three western toads near South Pass on June 25 has biologists and game wardens encouraged by the persistence of the species. Classified officially as a “Species of Greatest Conservation Need,” the western toad is extremely rare in Wyoming. The recent sighting was the first since 2007 and only the second since 1978. The rare amphibians were observed in the upper Sweetwater River drainage. After an incidental observation by Wyoming Game and Fish personnel in 2019, surveys were planned and implemented to inves...
A Laramie County man identified previously as a laboratory-confirmed case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has died, according to the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH). The newly announced death involves an adult man with no apparent health conditions known to put patients at higher risk of serious illness related to COVID-19. Among Wyoming residents, there have now been 21 coronavirus-related deaths, 1378 lab-confirmed cases and 333 probable cases reported. WDH recommendations meant to slow and limit transmission of the virus include:...
GILLETTE - Gillette Municipal Court Judge Doug Dumbrill abruptly resigned during Tuesday's Gillette City Council meeting, then got into a shouting match with the audience, most of whom were there to protest Mayor Louise Carter-King and the rest of the council. The arguments between Dumbrill and the crowd escalated, prompting the mayor to adjourn the council and Gillette Police officers to eventually clear the room before the council returned to finish the meeting. Dumbrill stood up to the podium...
JACKSON — When Kevin Hernandez denigrated the president in the direction of a man wearing a pro-Trump hat, he was met with a fist to his face and a criminal citation for picking a fight. The scuffle happened June 14 near Town Square on the sidelines of a peaceful racial justice protest. The incident brings up questions about the applicability of criminal provocation, a rarely used town ordinance. And the fallout of the fight ranges from regret over a missed opportunity for civil dialogue to First Amendment questions about what constitutes polit...
JACKSON - Eighty-eight days. That's how long Anthony Parker spent in the hospital. He first felt sick with symptoms that didn't mirror a typical cold or flu on March 30. "The last thing I remember, I drove myself to this hospital," the 61-year-old Jackson man said, sitting in the shade outside St. John's Health. "I couldn't sleep. And I said, 'Well, I gotta go see what's wrong.'" Parker finally left the hospital on June 25, ending a three-month saga with coronavirus in which he was transferred...
Not guilty plea entered in double murder case CHEYENNE (WNE) — The man accused of fatally shooting two adults and shooting two children pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges Monday afternoon in Laramie County District Court. Andrew Weaver is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault and battery with bodily injury with a weapon and felon in possession of a firearm. Weaver is back in district court after being charged, convicted a...
POWELL, Wyo. ─ After receiving approval July 6 by the Board of Trustees, Northwest College has released a reopening plan for fall 2020, which includes precautions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and a mixture of flexible in-person and online course options for students. The approach aims to be as disruption-resistant to student learning as possible. “While our goal is for students to have a normal, uninterrupted semester, we also want to keep them safe,” NWC President Stefani Hicswa said. “This plan puts us on the right path toward reducin...