Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
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CASPER — Another iconic Yellowstone species is being considered again for Endangered Species Act protections. Threats to the park’s plains bison — including loss of habitat and migration routes as well as the spread of disease — are concerning enough that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will conduct a year-long review of the subpopulation’s conservation status, the agency announced Friday. The decision, which was be published in the Federal Register on Monday, comes after a federal judge ruled in January that Fish and Wildlife Service f...
POWELL - Native fish populations in Yellowstone Lake have been jeopardized since fisheries biologists found lake trout illegally introduced in 1994. The process of removing the invasive species has cost tens of millions, while labor-intensive methods have evolved. As the park makes headway mitigating the effects of lake trout, two more species have recently caused concern in the fight to protect Yellowstone Cutthroat trout. Tuesday evening, the East Yellowstone chapter of Trout Unlimited...
SHERIDAN — During its first substantive meeting of the legislative interim Monday, the Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Judiciary Committee examined current state trespass law as well as possible additions or changes to statute to reflect technological advancements and stakeholders’ needs. Committee members asked Legislative Service Office staff to begin drafting bills related to trespassing on private property while hunting and detailing how drone trespassing and surveillance might be expressly prohibited. The final forms of these bill draft...
Monsters take over downtown Rock Springs ROCK SPRINGS (WNE) — RAAAAAAAWWWWRRRRRR!!!! Monsters are taking over downtown Rock Springs this summer. Eight whimsical monsters, created by local artist Kaye Tyler, will take up residency at various locations around downtown throughout the summer. The Broadway Theater will be showing Pixar Animation Studios/ Walt Disney Pictures movie Monsters, Inc. at 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 2. Following the movie, everyone is invited to go on a scavenger hunt to find each downtown monster. Upon finishing the s...
Gillette woman, former CCH consultant, ordered to prison and $172K restitution GILLETTE (WNE) — A Gillette woman and former Campbell County Health public relations consultant, Alexa Kinney, was sentenced to nearly three years in prison and ordered to pay restitution for federal charges related to defrauding multiple victims and making false claims to the Internal Revenue Service. She was sentenced Thursday in Casper before U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson. Kinney was arrested in October on charges related to fraudulent investment o...
Deputies rescue drunk party goers CODY (WNE) — An evening gathering in Badger Basin resulted in a possible life-saving rescue by Park County deputies who’d spent almost five hours on the scene to ensure the many partygoers were OK. According to a sheriff’s office release, on the night of May 7, deputies became suspicious that a party involving alcohol was being held in the hills of Badger Basin off of WYO 294. When the deputies arrived, they noticed a large bonfire with numerous people standing around it. When everyone saw the patrol vehicles,...
SHERIDAN — Laramie County lost the bulk of its representation at the Wyoming Republican Party state convention Saturday morning. After nearly two hours of procedural maneuvering and debate, the body voted not to seat all 37 delegates from the state’s most populous county. The lack of delegates from the county meant Republicans from that area had a diminished voice in the remaining business of the convention, including consideration of state bylaws, resolutions and platforms. Following the vote, the Laramie County delegation filed out of the...
California man arrested with 31 pounds of pot GILLETTE (WNE) — A 24-year-old California man was arrested after he was caught with 31 pounds of marijuana in his car while passing through Gillette. A Sheriff’s Office deputy clocked Caleb White driving 60 mph in a 55 mph zone Sunday morning on Highway 50 near Washington Street and pulled him over, said Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds. A drug dog indicated on the maroon 2020 Hyundai with Washington state license plates. The resulting search of it revealed 31 pounds of marijuana, 2 grams of THC liq...
CASPER — A complaint filed Friday with the Wyoming GOP claims four county-level Republican parties violated bylaws, raising further questions about whether state party leaders have been selectively enforcing rules at the expense of traditional conservatives. Gail Symons, a Sheridan Republican and the woman behind the nonpartisan blog Civics307, claimed GOP organizations in Sheridan, Sublette, Albany and Crook counties committed minor violations of party rules. Her complaint comes as Laramie County Republicans face the prospect of losing most o...
GILLETTE (WNE) — The coal production from Peabody Energy Corp. and Arch Resources Inc. through the first three months of 2022 aligned with the strong projections each company had for their Powder River Basin mines headed into the year, despite rail issues and other logistical challenges. Their steady coal production comes amid an increased demand for thermal coal sold at higher prices that has carried over from last year. But both companies have kept an eye on the short-term gains with the other fixed on the looming long-term downfall of the c...
SHERIDAN — The Bighorn National Forest will soon act on dispersed camping solutions brought forward two years ago by the Big Horn Mountain Coalition Dispersed Camping Task Force. The suggestions — which range from requiring a dispersed camping sticker for campers to implementing a year-round 14-day stay limit — are all intended to address some common issues with dispersed camping, or camping outside of a designated campground, said Bighorn National Forest recreation staff officer Andrea Maichak. These issues include overcrowding and lack of av...
Man sentenced to 70 days in vehicular homicide SHERIDAN (WNE) — Sheridan County Circuit Court Judge Shelley Cundiff sentenced Todd A. Kohler to 70 days in jail, one year of supervised probation and 230 hours of community service education on distracted driving in relation to the 2020 homicide by vehicle of Shariah Harper. “[This] is the absolute toughest thing I’ve ever done as a circuit court judge,” Cundiff said to the circuit courtroom, nearly filled with supporters of the victim’s family and defendant alike. According to court documents...
CHEYENNE — Parents who say their daughters were victims in a blackmail case involving a Burns High School student say the school district has been slow to respond to the incident, keeping the student in classes and in extracurricular activities with some of the alleged victims for months. Two parents of two underage students spoke to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle and asked that their names not be used. These parents and an attorney connected to the case said an investigation by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation revealed the student h...
GILLETTE — Just about every day at about 5 p.m., Kennedy Wainaina waits on a phone call. Ever since his sister, Irene Wairimu Gakwa, went missing from Gillette in February or March, he has stayed in close contact with the Gillette police detectives working to solve his sister’s disappearance. After Wainaina talks with detectives each night, he calls his mother and father in Kenya, who also have grown accustomed to waiting by the phone. “They’re in rough shape, especially my mom,” he said. “My dad maybe hides it well but my mom, I can tell sh...
Cody to host large Harley rally CODY (WNE) – A motorcycle rally coming to Cody this summer is expected to bring more than 900 motorcycles for a three-day event in late June. The Harley Owners Group chose Cody this year for the June 23-25 event over Jackson, Sheridan and Park City, Utah. The last event was held in Durango, Colo. “It will bring in more than $2 million immediate impact,” Park County Travel Council Executive Director Ryan Hauck said Tuesday night at the city council meeting. “We were pretty excited when we got this bid.” The trave...
Family members sentenced for theft from contractor CHEYENNE (WNE) — Four members of a family were sentenced Wednesday afternoon in Laramie County District Court after they were accused of working together to steal from a local contractor. David Dean Brown, David Kyle Brown and Joni Gayle Brown each pleaded guilty in January to one felony count of conspiracy to commit theft. Rhena Brown pleaded no contest in February to the same charge. Joni and David Dean Brown admitted to helping their son, David Kyle Brown, receive paychecks from Reiman C...
Man pleads not guilty to exposure allegations GILLETTE (WNE) — A 40-year-old Gillette man has pleaded not guilty to five criminal counts against him alleging that he exposed himself to several people in Walmart and performed a sex act near a 5-year-old boy. Chad M. Hoskey faces a felony charge of third-degree sexual abuse of a minor and four misdemeanor counts of public indecency. His next court appearance is scheduled in June. The investigation began Feb. 27 when police were called to Walmart around 7 p.m. about a man exposing and touching h...
JACKSON — Hilary Cooley is worried about the season ahead for Grizzly 399 and her cubs, who have yet to emerge from hibernation. “The future’s not so bright for these guys,” she said during a meeting of state and federal wildlife and land managers Wednesday in Jackson. “They’ve been in a lot of trouble.” Cooley is the grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who was called into Jackson Hole last fall to manage 399’s foray into the southern reaches of the valley. In a separate Wednesday evening press conferenc...
CODY — Black bears have been a source of passion for Joe Kondelis Jr. ever since he started hunting the species. “The species drove me to want to know more,” he said. “I didn’t know a lot about it and I found it really interesting; no one taught a lot about bear hunting and biology.” Kondelis is president and one of the founders of the Western Bear Foundation, an all-volunteer nonprofit officially started in 2010, dedicated to the protection and development of bears, bear habitat and bear hunting in the United States. He said their goal is to...
It has been more than 12 years since women were authorized to serve aboard submarines. While women comprise nearly one-fourth of the Department of Defense's total force, only a small fraction of women serve on submarines. The 15 enlisted women serving aboard the ballistic-missile submarine USS Wyoming's (SSBN 742) Blue Crew, homeported at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, recently reached a milestone accomplishment for all women who serve. These submariners made history when they became t...
CASPER - Gov. Mark Gordon announced his reelection bid Monday, offering an upbeat message after a first term dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic challenges. "I do believe that Wyoming is the best place on the Earth bar none, and I believe Wyoming's best days are ahead of it," said Gordon, a moderate Republican. "And that's because of you: the people of Wyoming." Gordon's time in office has been challenging, and he's faced criticism from his party's right wing. He angered many...
CASPER — Rep. Landon Brown had two press releases on his computer: one that announced he was bowing out of the Wyoming Legislature and one that said he was running for reelection. He sent the latter one Friday, but only after weeks of mulling over the pros and cons of what being a state lawmaker in Wyoming entails these days. Increasing incivility in the statehouse gave Brown second thoughts about running again. In Brown’s view, that incivility steadily increased after former President Donald Trump took office, but really accelerated with the o...
Average Wyoming gasoline prices down half a penny in past wee CHEYENNE (WNE) — Average gasoline prices in Wyoming have fallen 0.5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.06 per gallon Monday, according to GasBuddy.com’s survey of 494 stations in Wyoming. Prices in Wyoming are 40.8 cents per gallon higher than a month ago, and stand $1.19 per gallon higher than a year ago. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Wyoming was priced at $3.69 per gallon Sunday, while the most expensive was $4.59, a difference of 90 cen...
WYDOT announces strategy for National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure funding LYMAN (WNE) — Wyoming will soon receive National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula funds to use to facilitate electric vehicle infrastructure development, especially charging stations, around the state. The funding is part of the Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), signed by President Biden in November 2021. The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) is allocated $3.9 m...
Snowpack measured 79% of the state’s average median at the beginning of March, while much of the state recorded warmer-than-usual winter temperatures despite a few record one-day lows. Forecasts for continued warmer temps point toward a possible early runoff season, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data and local meteorologists. “It’s been a winter of extremes,” Riverton National Weather Service meteorologist Brett McDonald said. “It seems like we get the cold air in and we set some cold temperature records. But then...
