Wyoming News Briefs

Wyoming launches app for coronavirus exposure

SHERIDAN (WNE) — Gov. Mark Gordon recently announced that Wyoming has launched Care19 Alert, an exposure notification app that will alert users if they have been in close contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Wyoming is one of the first states in the country to launch a COVID-19 app using Bluetooth Low Energy technology developed by Apple and Google, which does not rely on personal information or location data. Users opt-in to download and utilize the free app.

“The Care19 Alert notification app provides Wyoming with another tool to fight COVID-19 while protecting your personal privacy,” Gordon said. “The more Wyomingites who choose to download and use this app, the more successful we can be in protecting lives and slowing the spread of the virus.”

The free app is available to download through the App Store and the Google Play Store. 

Care19 Alert works by using random Bluetooth keys that change every 10 to 20 minutes. iOS and Android devices that have the app installed will anonymously share these random keys if they are within close proximity for at least 15 minutes. Each day, the device downloads a list of all random keys associated with positive COVID-19 results submitted by other app users and checks them against the list of random keys it has encountered in the last 14 days. If there is a match, Care19 Alert may notify the individual, taking into account the date and duration of exposure, and the Bluetooth signal strength which is used to estimate proximity.

Yellowstone fire risk ‘very high’

JACKSON (WNE) — The risk of a wildfire keeps going up in northwest Wyoming, and on Monday the danger was elevated to “very high” in Yellowstone National Park.

On the Bridger-Teton National Forest and elsewhere in Jackson Hole, the fire danger remains at “high” — one notch below “very high” on a five-level scale.

Campfire restrictions are in effect on the national forest, with a ban on open flames outside of established fire rings at campgrounds, picnic sites, and in the Gros Ventre and Teton wilderness areas.

In Yellowstone, there are no special campfire restrictions in place, although the fire danger is deemed greater.

High fire danger means a fire could start easily from most causes and that grasses and forest duff will ignite readily. Very high fire danger means fires can start easily and spread rapidly right after ignition, increasing quickly in intensity from small fires to large ones.

Gillette considers wastewater testing for COVID

GILLETTE (WNE) — The city of Gillette is considering whether to test its wastewater for COVID-19.

The Wyoming Department of Health has reached out to the city about it, but there are several factors city officials are examining before pitching the idea for the Gillette City Council to consider, said Utilities Director Michael Cole.

The city would like more clarification on how much it would be reimbursed for collecting the samples as well as when and how the results would be released and used, Cole said.

If the City Council gives the go-ahead to test for the novel coronavirus, the wastewater treatment facility would collect samples, bottle them up and send them to the Wyoming Public Health Laboratory in Cheyenne, which would analyze the samples.

“We’re just looking at, staffing wise, if reimbursement is reasonable,” Cole said about the extra cost the city would incur for regular testing. “We [also] don’t know how long it will take to test. That is something we can ask and try and pinpoint before we reach an agreement.

“I appreciate that they’re asking our licensed operators to perform that work. We’re just curious what the next step is.”

Officials hope to pitch the idea to the council either as a topic of discussion during a work session, premeeting dinner or at a regular meeting in the near future.

Cheyenne air service to resume Nov. 11

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Commercial air service is set to resume Nov. 11 in the capital city, with SkyWest Airlines offering United Express connecting flights to and from Denver International Airport.

The daily flights onboard a 50-seat CRJ200 regional jet will leave Cheyenne in the morning bound for Denver and return to Cheyenne in the evening, according to Wendy Volk, president of the Cheyenne Regional Air Focus Team.

“This is a wonderful restoration of our freedom to enjoy the convenience of flying from home. And it’s just in time for the holidays,” Volk said in a news release. “It’s also a validation of the fact that, for 18 months after opening the new terminal, Cheyenne had the fastest-growing small airport in the country. The people supported and showed they truly want air service here.”

There has been no commercial service at Cheyenne Regional Airport since April 6, when daily American Airlines flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Volk said Sunday she isn’t sure when – or if – the flights to Dallas, which had been offered since November 2018, will return.

In April, Volk noted that the demand for that flight had exceeded everyone’s expectations, with load factors well above the airline’s projections and more than 40,000 total passengers since it was launched. The Cheyenne airport was named the fastest-growing small airport for 2019 in last year’s Airport Leaders report, published by the Official Airline Guide.

Green River woman found guilty of abusing father

ROCK SPRINGS (WNE) — Thera Leanne Siler, 41, of Green River has been convicted of a felony charge of abuse of a vulnerable adult for an incident involving her father.

A jury returned with a guilty verdict during a trial in Sweetwater County District Court on Monday and Tuesday. Siler was not convicted on a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery. She remains in custody at the Sweetwater Detention Center awaiting sentencing.

The Green River Police Department responded to a report of domestic violence on Sept. 14, 2019, at the home where Clyde Siler lived with his daughter Thera Siler.

Marlene Siler reported that her sister Thera Siler had choked Clyde Siler during a physical altercation. Clyde Siler told police that Thera Siler restrained him in his chair by holding the sleeve of his shirt and also placed her forearm against his throat, causing him to black out. He said that although he wasn’t exactly sure what Thera Siler was angry about, she had been upset that he had not purchased a rifle for her for completing a hunter safety course.

Court documents state that Clyde Siler, who would turn 79 on his next birthday, has physical difficulties including not being able to navigate the stairs in his home without assistance.

Responding GRPD officer Brad Halter reported that there was a history between Clyde and Thera Siler including several calls involving disturbances and domestic violence. Prior to the incident on Sept. 14, however, Clyde Siler had not been willing to discuss events or file a complaint. That incident was the first time Halter recalled that Clyde Siler was willing to make a statement regarding his fear of Thera Siler, according to court documents.

Body of missing Casper boy found in Wind River Canyon

RIVERTON (WNE) — The body of a missing 14-year-old boy from Casper was found Friday in the Wind River Canyon. 

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the area Friday morning, having heard the boy went missing from a campground in the canyon. 

He was later found deceased from what appears to have been accidental drowning. 

The body was recovered on the west side of the canyon. “No evidence was located to suggest any foul play,” Fremont County undersheriff Mike Hutchison stated Friday afternoon. 

The Wyoming State Parks Service rangers and the Fremont County Coroner’s Office are investigating the incident. 

Fremont County Search and Rescue helped to recover the body.

“The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office would like to express our most sincere condolences to the family of the young man lost in this tragedy,” Hutchison wrote.