Wyoming News Briefs

Gillette airport ends 2023 on strong note

GILLETTE (WNE) - The Northeast Wyoming Regional Airport ended 2023 on a high note with its busiest month in nearly a year and a half.

December had 5185 passengers, making it the strongest month the airport has had in terms of passenger traffic since July 2021. It also was the first time the airport crossed the 5000-passenger mark since August 2021.

November was the second strongest month of the year, with 4984 passengers. That month, the airport went back to having two daily roundtrip flights to Denver.

In total, 54,332 passengers flew into or out of the airport in 2023, a 16% increase from 2022. Each month in 2023 had more passengers than its 2022 counterpart.

Monthly traffic didn't dip below 4000 passengers once this year. In 2022, six months failed to bring in 4000 passengers.

The airport averaged 4528 passengers per month, more than 600 passengers more than the 2022 average.

Overall, 2023 was the busiest year for the airport since the COVID-19 pandemic, but numbers haven't yet reached pre-pandemic levels. It's about 5000 passengers behind 2019, when about 59,000 passengers came through the airport.

Sheridan police investigating possible homicide

SHERIDAN (WNE) - Sheridan Police Department officers are investigating a homicide of a woman found dead in her home on Gladstone Street Sunday. 

According to Sheridan Police Department records, officers were dispatched to a residence after a husband found his wife deceased at 7:07 p.m. Sunday evening on Gladstone Street. 

Upon initial investigation, it appeared that the cause of death was blunt force trauma.

A homicide investigation is currently being performed, and SPD officials said there is no danger to the community. A suspect, who is not at large, had been identified but not charged as of the afternoon of Jan. 8. 

The victim's name and more information will be released as information becomes available.

Gillette doctor first in region to successfully complete specific type of spinal cord implant

GILLETTE (WNE) - A local doctor made history by being the first in the region to successfully implant a closed-loop spinal cord stimulator system.

Dr. John Mansell of the Wyoming Pain Institute is the first doctor in Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota or South Dakota to complete the implant successfully, according to a news release.

The technology, developed by Saluda Medical, incorporates a feedback system that adjusts the stimulation based on the spinal cord's response, ensuring optimal pain relief and avoiding the risk of over- or under-stimulation.

Spinal cord stimulation has been used as an effective clinical tool for chronic neuropathic pain from previous spine surgery, chemotherapy-associated nerve damage or diabetic neuropathy.

Invented in 1967, this technology has continued to advance over the decades and become more dependable. Recognized by Medicare and other insurance companies as a safer alternative to many sedating medications, stimulation usually starts with a one-week trial to see if it works for the individual patient without side effects.

Mansell, with more than 32 years of experience in pain management, is board certified by both the American Board of Anesthesiology and the American Board of Pain Medicine. He is also actively involved in the medical community, serving as the President of the Wyoming Society of Anesthesiologists and as a board member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

His company, WyoBioTech, LLC, has also made significant strides in the field of medical technology this year, receiving international patents for its conductive carbon pacemaker and stimulator leads systems in the United States, Europe, and Australia. This innovative technology offers improved performance and reduced risk of complications.

20th Air Force welcomes its first female commander

CHEYENNE (WNE) - The 20th Air Force received its first female commander, the highest- ranking position overseeing the nation's ground-based nuclear missiles, weeks after Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., released his blockade on military promotions last month.

Maj. Gen. Stacy Jo Huser was officially initiated into the position during a symbolic change-of-command ceremony Friday at F.E. Warren Air Force Base. 

"It's not lost on me that I'm the first woman to lead the 20th Air Force," Huser said in her ceremonial speech. "I may be the first, but I'm the first of many, many awesome women who are going to come after me."

The change-of-command ceremony was also attended by Huser's husband and two children, one of whom was celebrating her 14th birthday.

"A lot of times, women who move into senior positions are single or they don't have kids," Huser told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle after the ceremony. "My kids probably hate it, but I parade them around, so that way people can see it. ...You can be a woman, you can have a family and you can do this awesome mission."

The position of 20th Air Force commander is responsible for the people who operate, maintain, secure and support the Air Force's intercontinental ballistic missile force. That includes personnel at F.E. Warren, as well as Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.

Huser served as special assistant to the previous commander, her predecessor, Maj. Gen. Michael Lutton. Lutton was promoted to 20th Air Force commander in July 2020 but did not receive a formal ceremony due to the pandemic.

Rawlins Police Department responds to shots fired call on New Year's Eve

RAWLINS (WNE) - Fireworks weren't the only things popping off on New Year's Eve in Rawlins.

On Sunday, Dec. 31, at around 10 p.m., the Rawlins Police Department, with the assistance from the Wyoming Highway Patrol and the Carbon County Sheriff 's Department, responded to a shots fired call in the area of the 100 Block of 12th Street in Rawlins.

"We are thankful to report that no injuries have been reported due to the incident, and no damage has been located to any nearby property," a press release from the city of Rawlins stated.

While investigating the source of the shots, additional shots were fired in close proximity to officers and a subject was observed firing from the rear of a residence. The home was identified and surrounded, while nearby houses were evacuated.

According to Rawlins Police Chief Michael Ward, a white, male subject in his mid 40s, eventually exited and was arrested. After investigation, the subject has been charged with reckless endangerment.

Ward said that several guns were recovered and are considered as evidence. He added that it is being handled by the Carbon County Attorney's Office.

Governor welcomes BLM decision on fighting cheatgrass

CHEYENNE (WNE) - Gov. Mark Gordon launched an initiative to fight terrestrial invasive species including cheatgrass in 2019. A key tool identified in that initiative is the herbicide Indaziflam. This is used in Wyoming's control of cheatgrass, which imperils wildlife, cripples migration corridors and increases the risk of forest and range fires.

The Bureau of Land Management has announced that it is adding ingredients registered by the Environmental Protection Agency, including Indaziflam, to its list of approved herbicide active ingredients.

Following a Notice of Availability, the BLM expects to publish a Record of Decision regarding this proposal early in 2024.

The governor applauded this decision in a news release: "This long-awaited announcement is welcome year-end news. Governor Polis and I have been vigorous in encouraging BLM to complete this review process for more than a year. Invasive grasses and weeds are a well-documented threat to the well being of native grasslands and animals like mule deer. Indaziflam is an herbicide that has been tested on private, state and US Forest Service lands and is a proven, necessary, and effective means of control for invasive species such as cheatgrass. I applaud the BLM for completing this process albeit somewhat ploddingly. Assuming the ROD goes as expected, BLM land managers will have an effective tool for 2024 as they work with state agencies to identify treatment areas. Wyoming's wildlife and range will benefit."

Gordon is proposing the Legislature set aside $20 million in the upcoming budget to fight the scourge of invasives like cheatgrass.

Duo linked to $20K theft from Gillette Ulta arrested in NYC

GILLETTE (WNE) - A man and woman linked to a two-day theft of more than $20,000 at the Gillette Ulta Beauty store in August were arrested in New York earlier this month while trying to board a flight to Colombia.

The two, Jhonathan Valencia Linares, 37, and Jennyfer Jasbleidy Guzman Morera, 28, both of Colombia, also were linked to Ulta Beauty thefts across the country totaling more than $400,000, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

On Aug. 30, police responded to a shoplifting call at Ulta Beauty on South Douglas Highway where the store manager reported several shelves of products missing, according to court documents.

Surveillance video showed three people - two women and one man - entered the store Aug. 24 and stole $16,442.50 worth of items in about 20 minutes, according to court documents.

A store employee remembered the three in the store but when she approached "they would hold their hands up and say 'no, no, no.'" The employee assumed the three didn't speak English and didn't need help, but video showed all three taking items off shelves and hiding them, according to court documents.

On Aug. 25, video showed the three stealing another $3612 in items, bringing the total from the two days to $20,054.50 in stolen goods.

At the end of October, Linares was charged with felony theft of more than $1000 in Campbell County. At the end of November, Guzman Morera was charged with two felony theft counts, according to court documents, and warrants were issued for their arrests.

On Dec. 11 in New York City, port authority agents arrested Linares and Guzman Morera as suspects in a Homeland Security Investigations case and on the Campbell County warrants, Police Deputy Chief Brent Wasson said.