Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
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Off-duty firefighter gets teen out of burning house GILLETTE (WNE) – A local teen boy has a lot to be thankful for, especially an off-duty Campbell County firefighter who alerted him and got the teen out of a burning house Wednesday. No one was hurt in the afternoon fire at 1803 Plumcreek Ave., according to the Campbell County Fire Department. The teen and three other members of his family were displaced by the fire. The firefighter, who wasn’t identified in a Fire Department press release about the incident, responded and found the teen was...
LARAMIE — The permitting process for the proposed Rock Creek Wind Project is set to begin this summer, and if all goes according to plan, construction on the 590-megawatt project could start as soon as 2023. The project, a proposal of Chicago-based company Invenergy, would be located on mostly private land about 25 miles north of Laramie between Interstate 80 and Rock River. Most of the project, about 37,000 acres, would be located in Albany County, with about 6,000 acres in Carbon County. Invenergy also built the Ekola Flats and TB Flats p...
GILLETTE — Campbell County’s assessed valuation has dropped to a level not seen since the mid-2000s. The county’s assessed valuation — or its taxable value — for 2021 is about $3.4 billion. That is a decrease of about $850 million, or 20%, from 2020, when it was $4.24 billion. It is the first time since 2005 that Campbell County’s assessed valuation has dropped below $4 billion, and it’s the lowest level seen since 2004, when it was at $3.2 billion. It’s the largest year-to-year decrease since 2017, when it dropped to $4.18 billion from 20...
Grand Teton scales back search for missing man JACKSON (WNE) — After six days of intense aerial and ground searching for missing hiker Cian McLaughlin, Grand Teton National Park officials said late Friday they will scale back their efforts. “The search for McLaughlin will shift tactics to a continuous, but limited mode,” a press release from the park said on Friday evening, the tenth day the 27-year-old had been missing. “New clues will be investigated as they come forward. Park staff will continue to patrol the backcountry and search for sig...
CHEYENNE — A number of cannabis advocates and members of the Libertarian Party made history Friday as they submitted two marijuana-related ballot initiatives, kicking off a campaign that will last until next November. A number of organizations joined forces outside of the Wyoming State Capitol in a news conference where they discussed the importance of legalizing medical marijuana and decriminalizing marijuana for personal usage in the state. About two dozen people were in attendance to support the ballot initiatives. “People should be abl...
Cheyenne City Council green lights liquor delivery permanently CHEYENNE (WNE) – Residents will be able to continue enjoying liquor delivery to their front doors, thanks to an ordinance passed by the Cheyenne City Council Monday night. The council originally allowed for alcoholic deliveries in April 2020 because the “COVID-19 virus (was) causing significant economic harm to alcoholic liquor and malt beverage licensees,” the ordinance stated. Now those rules will permanently go into effect. During the committee hearings, Susie Dudenkaus of the L...
By Victoria Eavis and Morgan Hughes Casper Star-Tribune Via Wyoming News Exchange CASPER — In an unexpected turn, there will not be a special legislative session in mid-July, Gov. Mark Gordon and statehouse leaders announced in a joint statement Friday. Since the end of Wyoming’s formal legislative session in April, it was widely understood that there would be a special session this July, in large part to decide on how to distribute the latest round of federal relief money. “I would’ve told you a week ago that we had to have it, and it was happ...
Final health order expires CASPER (WNE) — As expected, the state of Wyoming entered June without any remaining health orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state health department announced late last month that it was immediately eliminating one of the two health orders that were then in place: a requirement that indoor events of more than 500 people be held at a maximum of 50% of a venue’s capacity and that face masks and social distancing be required at such events. The state said May 21 that it planned to allow the other cor...
A procession of official vehicles on 17th Street in Cody escorts a hearse carrying Tim Hart, a U.S. Forest Services smokejumper who was killed in the line of duty. Hundreds of first responders, forest personnel and citizens paid their respects to Hart on Sunday....
The Joint Agriculture Committee Tuesday revived a controversial gun rights bill on a split-second, unannounced vote moments before the committee adjourned in a move lambasted by critics for its lack of transparency. The bill, last session’s Senate File 81 – Second Amendment Preservation Act, would prevent agents of the state from enforcing any federal law or regulation that restricts a citizen’s right to carry firearms. A heavily amended version of the legislation passed the Senate by an overwhelming margin in March, but died without a heari...
Gillette man charged with stalking in addition to kidnapping, battery GILLETTE (WNE) – A man who used different aliases on social media and asked people to contact his ex-girlfriend on his behalf has pleaded not guilty to felony stalking charges. Jonathan R. Fishbeck, 29, remains in Campbell County jail. The two had a falling out March 20, and when his former girlfriend tried to leave through the garage, Fishbeck allegedly forcibly restrained her and prevented her from leaving the house by grabbing her hair and pulling her back inside before t...
CASPER – Wyoming Sen. Anthony Bouchard says he is staying in the U.S. House race following the disclosure that he impregnated a 14-year-old when he was 18, striking a defiant tone at the possibility that he could face repercussions in the Wyoming Legislature. “They’re gonna censure me for [what I did] 37 years ago? That’d be great,” he said. “Do it. Bring it on.” Bouchard has faced a wave of criticism after he acknowledged late Thursday that he had impregnated the girl, whom he married a year later. But speaking to the Star-Tribune...
One killed, three injured in wreck near Shoshoni RIVERTON (WNE) — A Casper man died and three people – including two children – were injured in a two-vehicle crash reported Thursday afternoon near Shoshoni. Stephen James Stewart, 75, of Casper, died at the scene of the collision, which occurred at about 1:30 p.m. Thursday near milepost 69 on U.S. Highway 20-26 east of Shoshoni. Officials said he was driving east in a 2000 Ford F250 when he entered into the westbound lane and collided head-on with a 2002 Dodge Ram driven by Michael Andrew Marr,...
Woman pleads guilty to charges in kidnap case CASPER (WNE) — A woman involved in an August kidnapping that left one dead and one injured pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting robbery in Natrona County District Court on Friday. Kayla Wollitz was initially charged with aggravated kidnapping and robbery, but those counts were dropped with her guilty plea to the amended charge Friday. She pleaded not guilty to the original charges in February. If the court accepts the plea agreement, she’ll be sentenced to two to four years at the Wyoming Wom...
Man who threatened trailer park manager with a gun pleads no contest CHEYENNE (WNE) – A man accused of threatening a trailer park manager with a gun was arraigned Thursday in Laramie County District Court. Rudy Michael Delarosa pleaded no contest to felony aggravated assault and battery, threatening with a weapon, as part of a plea agreement. A misdemeanor count of criminal trespassing would be dismissed at sentencing, if a judge follows the agreement. The state and the defendant agreed to a sentence of three years of supervised probation, w...
GILLETTE – Less than two weeks removed from announcing the winners of the NRG COSIA Carbon XPrize, the Integrated Test Center is at the center of another large, high-profile carbon capture project. Gov. Mark Gordon announced Friday afternoon that the ITC, attached to the Dry Fork Station coal-fired power plant about 10 miles north of Gillette, will host one of two large U.S. Department of Energy CO2 capture research projects. The DOE has awarded $99 million to a pair of projects to continue their research into Phase III of the federal D...
Wyoming gas prices tick up again CHEYENNE (WNE) — Wyoming gas prices have risen 0.4 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.90 per gallon as of Monday, according to GasBuddy.com’s daily survey of 494 stations in Wyoming. Gas prices in Wyoming are 0.4 cents per gallon higher than a month ago, and stand $1.10 per gallon higher than a year ago. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest gas in Wyoming was priced at $2.55 per gallon Monday, while the most expensive was $3.49 per gallon, a difference of 94 cents per gallon. The nat...
CASPER — A bill that allows applications to create charter schools in Wyoming to circumvent school districts has passed into law without Gov. Mark Gordon’s signature. The legislation allows the State Loan and Investment Board to approve a charter school. Typically, local school districts have approved charter schools in the state. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, sailed through both chambers of the Legislature with just a handful of amendments. But Gordon left his signature off the legislation — not vetoing it but n...
CASPER — Leave it to a former children’s TV producer, a rodeo clown and a former vice president of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming to come up with a solution to reduce carbon dioxide in the air, improve soil health and increase climate awareness. And Jeff Holder, Marvin Nash and John Robitaille have been doing that by getting folks in the energy and agriculture sectors together with environmentalists. The trio aims to improve soil health, increase photosynthesis and put carbon back into the earth by connecting ranchers, farmers and private...
Officials believe spark from maintenance caused rail car explosion RIVERTON (WNE) — Officials believe they know what caused the spark that led to a fatal explosion Wednesday in a railcar in Shoshoni, but they still are investigating how the combustible fuel in the tanker reached such a high level. The blast killed two men: Dallas Mitchell, 28, of Riverton, and Daniel Conway, 18, of Shoshoni. The Wasatch Rail Repair employees were inside the tanker conducting routine maintenance when the explosion occurred at about 3:25 p.m. Wednesday. Citing i...
JACKSON — Federal and state agencies have sorted out discombobulation that led to an awfully confusing 2020 onset to the popular antler gathering season in western Wyoming. When May 1 strikes in 2021, there’s one time to keep in mind: 6 a.m. That’s the day and time when the Bridger-Teton National Forest will lift its winter closures and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department will allow people to pick up shed antlers off public land in the region. National Elk Refuge staff will lead a motorcade down Refuge Road at 6 a.m. to forest lands, and g...
Cheyenne man sent to prison for threatening woman with crossbow CHEYENNE (WNE) – A man was sentenced Thursday in Laramie County District Court to three to five years in prison for threatening a woman with a crossbow and injuring a police officer. Before his sentencing by Laramie County District Judge Catherine Rogers, Jason A. Martinez pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault and battery (threatening with a weapon) and no contest to felony interference with a peace officer (injury) as part of a plea agreement. Additional charges of felony ag...
CASPER — President Joe Biden responded to a wave of gun violence throughout the country by announcing executive actions Thursday to curb the growth of homemade “ghost guns” and 3D-printed firearms without serial numbers, and require stabilizing braces to be subject to the requirements of the National Firearms Act. In response, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis and Gov. Mark Gordon made statements strongly supporting the Second Amendment. “The Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to keep and bear arms...
JACKSON — Federal scientists who track grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are revising a key criterion that underlies how they count bears, with the effect being a 34% to 43% jump in the population estimate. The change brings the estimated population from 727 grizzlies up to more than 1000 animals. The protocol used to count grizzlies — called the Chao 2 method — is staying the same, continuing a method that’s been used since 2007. What’s changing is a filter that determines how many female grizzlies with cubs get plugged i...
UW football recruit shot, killed CASPER (WNE) — A member of Wyoming’s 2021 football recruiting class was shot and killed at a Dallas-area hotel over the weekend. Police responded to a shooting call at approximately 1:35 a.m. Central Time on Sunday at the Hawthorn Suites near the Dallas Love Field Airport, where they learned Tony Evans Jr. had been shot inside room 221. Evans was transported to a hospital and later pronounced dead, according to the Dallas Police Department. Evans was 17 years old. The Dallas Morning News, which first rep...
