Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
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GILLETTE — For the last five years, Bill Fortner and Frank Latta have tried to convince Wyoming that “hemp” isn’t a bad four-letter word. Latta, the director of the Wyoming chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), said hemp “is the best possibility for diversity” for the state. “We were trying to get the powers that be interested, to have a little vision that there might be something different to look at other than energy,” he said. “That’s been a very hard sell.” But recent legislation at the fe...
Neighbors object to re-opening of pig farm WHEATLAND (WNE) — The pig farms east of Wheatland are causing controversy again. A new company wishes to use an old, closed down property belonging to Wyoming Premium Farms to open up a new farrowing facility where there once was a feeding facility. The Special Use Permit was submitted to the Platte County Zoning and Planning Board and was discussed at last week’s public meeting. The permit pertains to turning a feeding facility into a farrowing facility. Tearing down some buildings and adding new one...
CASPER — Employees in Wyoming’s public sector have experienced the largest rate of wage and benefits growth over the private sector in the entire nation, according to a new paper from a Washington D.C. think tank. Federal wage data compiled in an analysis released this week by the conservative American Enterprise Institute shows that Wyoming’s public sector workers earned roughly $39,000 more in combined wages and benefits than they did two decades ago, while those in the private sector experienced gains of less than $9000 during that same...
Man pleads not guilty to drug charge from 90-pound pot bust RAWLINS (WNE) — Michael Andrew Young has pleaded not guilty to a mixture of felony and misdemeanor charges resulting from a Feb. 2 bust which discovered more than 90 pounds of marijuana in his car. According to court records, the bust occurred after Wyoming Highway Patrol officer Andy Martinez watched Young’s red SUV blow by at 90 miles an hour. Despite Young’s speedy cross-country travel, suspended license and drugs in tow, he immediately pulled over. During this initial excha...
Gillette to host curling championships GILLETTE (WNE) — Gillette will host the 2020 USA Curling Arena National Championships next spring at Cam-plex’s Spirit Hall, and the historic piles of rocks on West Second Street has something to do with it. The championships will be staged April 26-May 2, 2020. It will be the first time a major curling championship will be held in Wyoming, according to a press release. Rick Mansur, director of Campbell County Parks and Recreation, said it was a joint effort between his department, Cam-plex staff and the...
GILLETTE — The second round of public comments about the Campbell County School District considering arming educators for safety drew 30 people and 11 speakers Thursday evening. The district is using three armed educator listening sessions to gauge public sentiment in favor or opposing such a policy. One public session remains, and although there were more comments in favor of the measure Thursday, the number of those opposed also grew. The school district’s Safety Committee — trustee Toni Bell, Superintendent Alex Ayers and state Sen. Micha...
EVANSTON — On March 6, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon signed legislation making hemp possession and production legal within the state, which was welcome news to those who view hemp as an agricultural commodity and a possible economic benefit to Wyoming. However, that enthusiasm may be blunted by the potentially long and twisted road ahead for Wyoming hemp producers and transporters. The Wyoming Legislature took action to legalize and regulate hemp following federal passage of the Farm Bill of 2018, which was signed into law by President Trump in D...
Wyoming economy still “modestly” improving CHEYENNE (WNE) – Wyoming’s economy continues to improve following an energy bust years ago, but the state has only recovered about a third of the jobs lost during that time. An economic analysis released by the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information this week shows growth across multiple sectors in the fourth quarter of 2018. This includes employment, personal income, housing prices and state revenue. The state’s total employment grew by 1 percent, or 2800 jobs, in the last quarter c...
City recognizes Cheyenne man for life-saving efforts during blizzard CHEYENNE (WNE) – Cheyenne city officials on Monday recognized a man for saving the life of another man who could have frozen to death during the city’s recent blizzard. During a short ceremony and with his family looking on, Miles Quisenberry received a certificate for his March 14 actions from Mayor Marian Orr and Police Chief Brian Kozak. Quisenberry had gotten up early that day. The wind howling, and it was very cold. According to city officials, Quisenberry left his hou...
CHEYENNE – Gov. Mark Gordon on Friday used his veto pen on two bills, one of which would have authorized the Legislature to sue to allow Wyoming’s coal to be exported through Washington State. Gordon also declined to sign several more bills he saw as problematic, including a bill to prevent county commissioners from creating special zoning regulations for private schools. While Gordon agreed Wyoming should sue Washington over the refusal to allow Wyoming coal to be shipped overseas out of the state’s ports, he vetoed House Bill 251 to preve...
‘Wyoming Promise’ continues drive despite death of bill SHERIDAN (WNE) — Despite the Free and Fair Elections Resolution failing in the Senate Corporations Committee on a 3-2 vote, Wyoming Promise volunteers are encouraged by their success so far. “The successful effort to date is due to over 300 volunteers who donated time and money, collected voter signatures, contacted legislators, attended and testified at the legislature, distributed educational materials, hosted informative presentations, and networked with counties across the state,” Sher...
CHEYENNE – Counties seeking delinquent ad valorem taxes from bankrupt energy companies will automatically move to the front of the line of creditors seeking payment starting in 2021. This general session, the Wyoming Legislature passed Senate File 118, which gives primacy to counties seeking delinquent tax payments from bankrupt energy companies. The new system starts in 2021. Currently, counties can file a claim for first payment but must compete against banks and other lenders for a chance to recapture some of the money owed. The bill’s spons...
Game and Fish investigates poaching of bull elk SHERIDAN (WNE) - The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is seeking the public's assistance in the case of a bull elk poached in northern Sheridan County the evening of March 6. The bull elk was shot on private property along Pass Creek Road. The head of the elk was removed along with the back straps and both hindquarters. The front shoulders and tenderloins were left on the carcass to waste. A flatbed pickup truck with a grill guard was observed in...
CHEYENNE — Wyoming’s efforts to expand broadband internet access across the state go beyond making sure people can binge their favorite TV show no matter their ZIP code. Connectivity is just as vital for small communities as it is for large population centers. Being able to access the internet provides a multitude of economic opportunities for members of rural communities, and allows them not only to sustain their population but grow it, as well. Access can provide medical care to patients with mobility issues and allow elderly residents to...
GILLETTE — Giving the Wyoming Legislature’s Management Council authority to take independent legal action over Washington State’s efforts to kill a coal export terminal project sends a message more than it threatens a lawsuit. That’s what state Sen. Jeff Wasserburger, R-Campbell/Converse, takes away from House Bill 251, which passed the Senate on the Legislature’s final day Wednesday and is awaiting Gov. Mark Gordon’s signature. Wyoming already is involved in litigation over the proposed $680 million Millennium coal export terminal in Longview...
Student pleads not guilty to attempted murder charges GILLETTE (WNE) — Dale Warner’s voice grew fainter Friday afternoon as the eighth-grader pleaded not guilty to nine counts of attempted first-degree murder in Gillette. The 14-year-old boy is accused of bringing two guns and 36 bullets to Sage Valley Junior High School with a plan to shoot nine teachers and students identified as people he wanted to target or who were in the classroom where he intended to shoot them Nov. 13. He was later disarmed by the school principal and arrested by the...
CHEYENNE – The Senate killed a bill to implement a statewide lodging tax on a final vote Monday after it was pulled from the consent list. It was just one of several bills aimed at broadening and diversifying the state’s revenue stream that failed to make it through the Legislature after a lot of talk to start the session about this being the year for change. House Bill 66 died 19-7 in the Senate after it had passed out of the House earlier this session on a 44-16 vote. The bill would have put a 5 percent statewide tax on lodging sales, wit...
Man sentenced to five years in apartment fire GILLETTE (WNE) — A 37-year-old man who set fire to a Gillette apartment building in December 2017 will serve five years in federal prison. Chief Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl sentenced Shaun Michael Sprague on Feb. 5 to 60 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release for arson of a facility engaged in interstate commerce. No one was hurt in the East 12th Street apartment fire, but several residents were displaced. The fire destroyed the apartment, which was r...
As the 2019 Legislative Session draws to a close, Governor Mark Gordon held three formal signing ceremonies on Tuesday to sign a long list of bills into law that will impact life across Wyoming. These bills include new felony offenses, funding for a local water project and the Medal of Honor highway. The Omnibus Water Bill (HEA-38) includes $370,000 for the Crook County Rural Water Supply Plan, the study that will inform the county commissioners as to how to proceed with water issues in the Carlile area and the possibility of creating a water...
Gillette man sentenced to prison in string of attacks GILLETTE (WNE) — A Gillette man was sentenced Thursday to more than 10 years in prison for assaults on a puppy, his girlfriend and a fellow jail inmate. “This is a horrific series of events,” said District Judge Thomas Rumpke. “It’s bad enough that you tortured the animal…Then on probation you beat up a household member, and if that’s not enough, while in jail, you decided to – pardon the language, but there’s no other way to say it – beat the crap out of somebody.” In 2016, Santos pleaded...
Although fatalities were down last year due to drivers being more cautious, more work is needed. Statistics from the Wyoming Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety program indicated Wyoming had 108 fatalities in 2018, which was one of the lowest in six years. However, since the beginning of the year, there have been 16 fatalities, which is a relatively high number that month. “Over time the public has done an incredible job helping us reduce fatalities and ensure they stay safe when driving on Wyoming’s roads,” WYDOT Director Bill Pa...
Scout leader arrested on suspicion of stealing from troops GILLETTE (WNE) — A local Boy Scout leader is accused of stealing $31,000 from Gillette Scout troops between April and November, skimming money from popcorn fundraisers and troop accounts, said Gillette Police Detective Julianne Witham. After a two-month police investigation, Jason Barnum, 41, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of three counts of theft greater than $1000 and obtaining goods by false pretenses, all felonies. The Greater Wyoming Council, which oversees dozens of Boy S...
CASPER — In the first judicial test of Wyoming’s new “stand your ground” law, a Natrona County judge on Friday dismissed a first-degree murder case, but implored prosecutors to appeal to the state’s highest court. Judge Catherine Wilking handed down the ruling following a two-and-a-half-hour hearing, the bulk of which she ruled was required by the new law. Under the law, a person who is attacked at a place where he is legally allowed to be has no obligation to retreat, so long as he is not the initial aggressor or breaking any laws. A person...
Man charged in assault that left woman with brain injury POWELL (WNE) — Authorities allege a Cody man repeatedly hit his girlfriend’s head against a vehicle console and the floor, drug her around and strangled her in an assault that left her with a traumatic brain injury. Brian A. Foss, 42, is facing three charges in connection with the New Year’s Eve incident: felony counts of aggravated assault and strangulation of a household member, plus a misdemeanor count of domestic battery. In a separate case, he also faces a misdemeanor count of prope...
The Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame (WCHF) has honored five classes to date, and the next will be inducted in September, 2019. Nominations for that class are now open, but will close February 28, 2019. Our “Cowboy State” is proud of that designation, and WCHF is excited and eager to honor and preserve the history of each worthy man and woman. Both living and deceased cowboys and cowgirls may be nominated. A frequently asked question is, “Why hasn’t this person been inducted into WCHF?” The most likely answer is, “They’ve never been nominated.” T...
