Wyoming News Briefs

Cam-Plex wins $1.5 million grant for upgrades

GILLETTE (WNE) — After being turned down twice by the Wyoming Business Council board and staff, Cam-plex has secured a $1.5 million grant to help upgrade the Heritage Center and Energy Hall from the State Loan and Investment Board.

Cam-plex had requested $3 million to cover half of the expenses for a $6 million renovation of the two buildings.

After nearly an hour of discussion at the SLIB meeting Thursday morning, a compromise was made to OK half the request and for the Business Council to work with the city of Gillette, Campbell County and Cam-plex for a possible future loan for the remaining costs.

SLIB is made up of the top five elected officials in the state. After the election in November, there was some turnover from the last administration.

SLIB now includes Gov. Mark Gordon, Secretary of State Ed Buchanan, Auditor Kristi Racines, Treasurer Curt Meier and Superintendent of Public Instruction Julian Balow.

Commission Chairman Rusty Bell, who was one of many local representatives who spoke at the meeting, said that Balow, Racines and Gordon had great things to say about Cam-plex and all said they know the importance of the events facility to the economy in Campbell County.

Although Cam-plex didn’t get the full amount it asked for, Bell said the meeting was a success.

“When we started the meeting we had zero dollars,” he said. “We’re leaving here with the $1.5 million and feel really good about that.”

Highway Patrol sex discrimination trial to open in February

CASPER (WNE) — A federal trial in February will consist of an allegation of sex discrimination against the Wyoming Highway Patrol, after a judge last month pared down three types of complaints against the agency. 

The agency’s first female K-9 handler, Delsa B. Sanderson, brought the case early last year, alleging she was harassed by male troopers while stationed in Laramie. 

An internal rumor accused Sanderson of having a sexual relationship with a supervisor in exchange for a new car, and she was also the recipient of a sexually explicit nickname, according to the suit. 

Although Sanderson alleged she worked in a hostile environment and was retaliated against for complaining to her superiors, Judge Scott Skavdahl in December dismissed those allegations, ruling that she had not exhausted other remedies for the retaliation claim and could not show she was subject to the type of harassment that would constitute a hostile environment. 

In the same ruling, Skavdahl declined a highway patrol request to dismiss a sex discrimination claim against the agency. The judge wrote that the highway patrol’s explanations for demoting Sanderson were inconsistent. 

A highway patrol spokesman said Friday he could not comment for this story and referred comment to the attorney general’s office, which is handling the case. 

Attorney General Peter Michael did not immediately respond to a Friday afternoon request for comment. Sanderson’s attorney likewise could not be reached Friday for comment. 

The trial is set to be heard by a jury beginning Feb. 19 in Cheyenne.

Pound of meth retrieved from dishwasher

GILLETTE (WNE) — The Campbell County Sheriff’s Office found 1.05 pounds of meth in a dishwasher while searching a Gold Road home early Wednesday morning, according to court documents.

Jeffrey Powell, 56, has been charged with possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

Officers began investigating the Gold Road home about a week ago after seeing several vehicles coming and going from the area.

On Monday, they arrested a 28-year-old man for possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor, as he was leaving, according to court documents. The next day, they stopped a red Pontiac for having expired plates and, in a subsequent search, found suspected meth in a 28-year-old woman’s purse, Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds said. She was arrested on suspicion of possession of meth.

Based on the previous arrests near the home, deputies obtained a search warrant, which they served at about 5:45 a.m. Wednesday. They found a blue measuring cup containing meth and a bag with 29 grams of meth on the top shelf of Powell’s closet. In the kitchen, they found another blue measuring cup containing meth, two digital scales, three fake $100 bills, a vacuum sealer and the 1.05 pounds of meth in a vacuum-sealed bag.

The deputies also retrieved a “copious” number of syringes and unused glass pipes from the home, according to court documents.

In the garage, they found Powell’s backpack, which contained syringes and 200 small clear plastic bags.

The Sheriff’s Office is collaborating with the state Division of Criminal Investigation to conduct follow-up on Powell’s case, Reynolds said.

Tribe sends letter asking delegation to end shutdown

RIVERTON (WNE) — The Eastern Shoshone Tribe has sent a letter to Wyoming’s congressional delegation outlining the ways the federal government shutdown has negatively impacted tribal members.

“Although the shutdown is partial, the federal departments and agencies that remain effectively closed are those that are inextricably linked to the health, welfare, safety and economic security of the tribe,” the letter states. “[We] implore you to stop the shutdown of the federal government on behalf of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe.”

In the letter, delivered Tuesday, tribal leaders call the shutdown “unnecessary and costly.”

“But more to the point, it is a breach of the federal trust responsibility the United States owes towards all tribal nations in the United States,” the letter states. “The Eastern Shoshone Tribe relies on the Bureau of Indian Affairs to administer distributions of the tribe’s own wealth to its members. The wealth derives from the natural resources that the tribe owns and receives royalties from...But, without BIA support, we cannot process distributions that belong to our tribal members [who] depend on these distributions in their day-to-day lives to support the financial needs of their families.”

Local tribal members may not receive their February per capita payments next month as a result of the ongoing federal government shutdown.

The tribe also will be limiting approval of requests for assistance submitted by tribal members, according to a public notice Monday.

Tribal members request assistance from the SBC directly for anything from medical bills to grocery payments and travel for medical care.

The Arapaho Business Council is suspending all types of assistance, including medical, funeral, senior assistance, utilities and financial assistance, “in large part due to the government shutdown,” according to a notice from the Northern Arapaho Tribe.

Airbnb hosts in Wyoming earn $13.2 million in 2018

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Hospitality company Airbnb recently announced that its Wyoming host community earned a combined $13.2 million in income and welcomed 77,800 guests to the state in 2018.

This represents another year of growth for the company, even after record-breaking solar eclipse numbers in 2017.

Wyoming Airbnb hosts earned $8.9 million from 56,000 guests that year. 

Airbnb is an online hospitality service for travelers to lease or rent short-term lodging. 

There are now roughly 1600 Wyoming hosts who rent their homes through the company, each earning about $5,600 annually in extra income.

About 21 percent of Wyoming hosts are age 60 or older, and 68 percent are women.

Teton and Park County hosts earned the most money this year, with a combined $9.5 million. Laramie County residents raised the third-most at $785,200.

The site’s use also generated more than $1.1 million in tax revenue during the first year of its agreement with the State of Wyoming. The company started collecting and remitting taxes on behalf of hosts Aug. 1, 2017.

Guests are charged the tax on their bill, and Airbnb forwards eligible state sales tax, municipal sales tax and local lodging taxes to the state.

The funds raised go to state and city general funds, and the lodging and tourism boards where the properties are located.

Failing Teton County bridge to be replaced

JACKSON (WNE) — Teton County is partnering with the Wyoming Department of Transportation to replace a century-old failing bridge in Hoback.

Swinging Bridge provides a second access to Hog Island homes on the east side of the Snake River. Its replacement is scheduled for 2023. The bridge is expected to remain open until then, but planning and engineering is starting now.

The homes can also be accessed by Henry’s Road, but that can be inconvenient for town-bound drivers, who must drive a few miles south before turning around to travel north, Teton County Public Works Director Sean O’Malley said.

O’Malley said the Henry’s Road intersection with Highway 89 isn’t the safest, so Swinging Bridge is a good second option.

“It provides redundancy for emergency services,” he said.

According to the Jackson Hole Historical Society, Hog Island ranchers built the original Swinging Bridge — which did sway — for $1250 in the 1930s. The existing Swinging Bridge was built in 1915 to span the Snake River between Wilson and Jackson and was transferred south in 1960.

Despite several repairs throughout the years, a 2017 inspection indicated the bridge is “structurally deficient,” with a long list of problems like a worn timber deck and scoured piers.

O’Malley said drivers needn’t worry: That doesn’t mean that the bridge is unsafe but that it can handle vehicles only under a certain weight. The new bridge, he said, will be able to carry fully loaded trucks.

Statewide veterans art festival announced

SHERIDAN (WNE) — Veterans are a diverse population with a broad spectrum of talents — for many, that translates to a sense of creativity that comes in multiple forms. 

With that in mind, the recreation therapy team with the Sheridan Veterans Affairs Health Care System staff invites all veterans throughout Wyoming to take part in the annual Veterans Creative Arts Festival. 

The festival is sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary and includes a competition for veterans enrolled with the Sheridan VA Health Care System and an art show for all veterans who are interested in providing items.

Entries for the competition and art show are due March 1. This year, the competition features more than 100 categories in the following divisions: music, drama, creative writing, dance and art. 

Entries must be material created after April 1, 2018 (except for the military combat experience category). First-place entries in the competition will move on to the National Veterans Creative Arts Competition.