Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
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LARAMIE — Dozens of American and Blue Lives Matter flags flew at the corner of Third Street and Grand Avenue Saturday as pro-police demonstrators filled the intersections’ four corners. The demonstration was loosely organized by local citizen groups looking to show support for law enforcement amid protests against police brutality and racism that have seen supporters calling for reforms or even defunding police agencies. Brandon Homan, who led marchers from the American Legion Post 14 to the...
Cheyenne woman sentenced for throwing two-month-old daughter CHEYENNE (WNE) — A woman who pleaded guilty to throwing her two-month-old daughter in a ditch was sentenced Monday to seven to ten years in prison, suspended for five years probation, by Laramie County District Judge Steven Sharpe. Lillian Jeffrey was charged with one count of aggravated child abuse in connection with the incident in December 2017. She was also ordered to pay $17,260 and given credit for 538 days of jail time. On Dec. 9, 2017, Jeffery is accused of throwing her b...
CASPER — Citing challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, the state Department of Health has withdrawn a proposal to add a new vaccine to the required list for school children. The Health Department announced the change Thursday. The proposed changes would’ve made the meningococcal vaccine — which protects against what an expert called a “devastating” and life-threatening disease — a requirement for attendance in public schools. The proposal would’ve also clarified other school requirements and provider agreements. The department sa...
GILLETTE — If Gillette is going to have its own community college district, it will ultimately be the voters who have the final say. But before it reaches the ballot, it must cross two hurdles. The first is getting approval from the Wyoming Community College Commission. The second is getting approval from the state legislature. State Rep. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, met with Campbell County Commissioners last week to go over the process of forming a new community college district in light of the recent loss of athletics at Gillette College. On Jun...
LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming has the power to regulate and prohibit firearms on its campus, and its gun policy does not violate the Second Amendment, Tori Kricken, the district court judge in Albany County, ruled Thursday. This is Kricken’s second ruling in the years-long case of Lyle Williams, of Uinta County, who has sought to overturn the university’s gun policy through the courts. Her previous ruling was overturned by the Wyoming Supreme Court on procedural grounds. Kricken ruled upon a number of separate points related to the univer...
Wyoming gas prices increase slightly GILLETTE (WNE) — Gasoline prices could stall during the second half of summer after nine straight weeks of increases, according to a surveying company. But in the short term, Wyoming customers are paying more at the pump. Prices have risen 1.5 cents a gallon in the past week, averaging $2.09 a gallon Monday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 494 stations. Gas prices in Wyoming are 10.9 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 62.1 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. Prices in Campbell Cou...
CASPER — Gillette police have cited Michael Pearce with assault and battery after the Albany County Republican Party chair allegedly instigated a fight with Carbon County Republican Party Chairman Joey Correnti that resulted in Pearce being hospitalized. Pearce told the Star-Tribune this weekend that he and Correnti had been involved in a fight during the Wyoming Republican Convention in Gillette that left Pearce with a broken ankle, dislocated shoulder and injured neck. Correnti has not responded to requests for comment. A Gillette Police Depa...
SHERIDAN — Legislators recently discussed issues of transparency and fidelity within school funding models around the state, with testimony from a county superintendent setting the stage for how legislative decisions impact individual school districts. During the 2020 budget session, the Wyoming Legislature passed House Bill 40, “School finance-model recalibration,” which created a select committee on school finance to study and reevaluate the education resource block grant model. According to the Wyoming Department of Education, guaranteed fun...
Armed man arrested after crashing into sheriff’s vehicle EVANSTON (WNE) — A tense and dangerous situation was resolved by Uinta County law enforcement without serious injury on Sunday, June 28, when an alleged intoxicated driver ran head-on into the vehicle of a Uinta County Sheriff’s Office deputy. According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, at about 10:30 p.m. on Sunday night, dispatch received a report of a wrong-way driver on I-80 at about milepost 35, traveling west in the eastbound lane. The press release states that a deput...
GILLETTE — Former Gillette City Councilman Shay Lundvall isn’t the only elected official to express support for a group of social media posts that prompted Mayor Louise Carter-King and the rest of the council to ask for his resignation last week. Lundvall resigned at the urging of the mayor and council after the city received a pair of complaints that he had “liked” several social media posts that support potentially sexist, violent and racist views. State Rep. Scott Clem, R-Gillette, said in a 20-minute Facebook video Wednesday that he also...
CASPER — Since peaking in 2008, coal production nationwide has been on a precipitous decline. Last year, U.S. production volumes reached their lowest since 1975, according to an analysis released Thursday by the Energy Information Administration. A decade ago, in the heydays of the Powder River Basin, Wyoming’s coal epicenter produced over 400 million tons of the commodity. Last year, the basin’s mines pumped out much less, just 267 million tons. Most Wyoming lawmakers and industry leaders have come around to admitting there’s a problem...
POWELL — A father and son team from Cody claim they solved the clues left by Sante Fe art dealer Forrest Fenn and are now waiting for their payoff of gold and jewels. Chris and Christopher Hurst say that after presenting their evidence to Fenn, he announced later that same day that the hunt was over and the riddle solved. It was on the evening of June 6 that Fenn announced that the treasure — a cache of gold and jewels reportedly worth somewhere between $1 million and $5 million — had been discovered. “It was under a canopy of stars in the lush...
JACKSON — Food, garbage and vomit were scattered around a dispersed Darby Canyon campsite early June 14 when state wildlife officials arrived to respond to a report of a pre-dawn mountain lion attack. The supposed cat struck through a tent, raking a sleeping man in the back. But at the scene, Wyoming Game and Fish Department staffers Mike Boyce and Becca Lyon saw no sign of a cat. They did see ursine spoor, and 50 yards off the campsite found a decomposed deer carcass that had been fed on by a black bear just the night before. “Clearly a bea...
Former Gillette man sentenced on game violations dating to 2003 GILLETTE (WNE) — A former Gillette resident must serve two months in jail and pay more than $50,000 in fines and restitution for big game violations dating back to 2003. Robert Underwood, 76, pleaded no contest to seven gaming violations in Circuit Court on Friday morning. He had been charged with 35. Underwood, who now lives in Jones, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 60 days in jail and had his hunting and fishing privileges suspended for life. He also must pay $52,540 in fines and r...
Gillette vehicular homicide case sent to district court GILLETTE (WNE) — Circuit Court Judge Paul S. Phillips found probable cause Monday morning to bind over Matthew Coleman, 37, to District Court on a charge of aggravated vehicular homicide either by driving under the influence or recklessly. While on a “joy ride” with five minors in his truck June 6, Coleman was “corner-hopping” when his pickup flipped over near the corner of Burma Avenue and Metz Drive, killing one of the passengers, a 14-year-old boy, according to court documents...
POWELL — The Cody Stampede Rodeo is officially a go. Leaders of the annual event say they’re moving forward with four full rodeos, which will be held July 1-4. “As always, our goal is to showcase the best rodeo possible over our Independence Day celebration,” Cody Stampede Board leaders announced Friday, promising that each performance “will feature some of the very best in the business” and a new women’s breakaway roping event. Exactly how many people will be allowed into the arena is subject to change, but under the current rules, up to...
Yellowstone staff test negative for coronavirus JACKSON (WNE) — Yellowstone National Park staff are reportedly clear of COVID-19. The park had 43 employees who regularly interact with visitors tested for the virus on May 28 and 29. Every employee’s test result was returned negative, according to a park press release on Thursday. It was the first round in a series of “surveillance” testing that will carry on through the summer, as per the reopening plan implemented by the park. The testing is aimed at slowing the spread of the virus through...
RIVERTON — State Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, lambasted his colleagues on the Joint Revenue Committee this week after the majority opposed drafting a bill to raise property taxes by 2%. It was the first major revenue-generating proposal the committee voted on during its two-day session last week in Lander, and it failed 8-6. “Is this a trend that everybody’s going to have on every revenue bill?” Case asked after the votes were tallied. “If so, how responsible are we being here? … Are we just all going to say no? This could be your most import...
CHEYENNE— HollyFrontier Corporation announced Monday that it will be laying off about 200 employees at its Cheyenne refinery over the next 18 months. The layoffs will come as part of the company’s plan to convert its Cheyenne oil refinery into one that processes diesel fuel from renewable materials. HollyFrontier CEO Mike Jennings said in a statement Monday that the challenges of high operating and capital costs, compounded by the effects of COVID-19, forced the shift in operations at the refinery. “We realize that this decision affects many...
Casper College implements buyout plan for longtime employees CASPER (WNE) – Casper College is offering thousands of dollars to entice its longtime staff members to retire as part of an effort to brace for looming budget cuts brought on by the state’s plummeting economic outlook. “As you already know, the fiscal picture for Wyoming has been altered dramatically over the past several months due to various pressures on the energy industry,” college president Darren Divine wrote to faculty in a letter obtained by the Star-Tribune. “These changes a...
Yellowstone officials say park is pretty quiet JACKSON (WNE) — Famous grizzly bears and geysers are certainly concentrating crowds, but entrance gate data indicates relatively open roads and a dearth of people in the first few opening days for northwest Wyoming’s national parks. In Yellowstone National Park, only two of five gates were open during the first three days the public was admitted to the park. “It is estimated over the past three days, there is less than 20% of the normal traffic volume in the park compared to when all five entra...
Two-year probe leads to felony drug charges in Fremont County RIVERTON (WNE) — After two years of data-gathering, law enforcement agents are airing the conversations of a presumed local drug network in court. The conversations of Marshall Osterkorn, Marcella Knowles, and “another known distributor of prescription medication,” Shyanne Cross-Dailey are written in court documents that accuse 24-year-old Samuel J. Plush of selling oxycodone. Plush has been transferred to the felony-level Fremont County District Court, due to the audio recor...
Gillette teen sentenced to three years of probation for 2019 bathroom fire GILLETTE (WNE) – The teenager who pleaded guilty to starting a fire in a high school bathroom in September has been given a deferred sentence, meaning if he completes three years of supervised probation, the charge will be removed from his record. At Derek Paul’s sentencing hearing in District Court on Thursday morning, District Judge Michael N. “Nick” Deegan said he believes the 17-year-old can “put this together and succeed.” Paul will have to complete 80 hours of co...
Even as the state slowly begins to return to normal conditions, Wyoming residents continue to reach out to their neighbors to provide support and encouragement. The state’s newspapers are filled with stories about people’s efforts to cheer one another up, from the creation of a drive-in theater in Newcastle to parades for people who have been in isolation for one and one-half months and the creation of a “COVID mural.” Here are a few examples: Weston County Fairgrounds transformed into drive-i...
Former Laramie dealership, Nissan settle lawsuit LARAMIE (WNE) – A former car dealership in Laramie, Snowy Range Dodge, has settled a lawsuit with Nissan, which went to federal court last year in an attempt to seek upwards of $6.8 million owed by the local dealership. In October 2019, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the local dealership’s owner, Josh Griffin, barring him from moving certain account funds that Nissan had a claim to. Since then, those account funds have been transferred to Nissan, according to cou...
