Wyoming News Briefs

Posts threaten mass shooting; Natrona County school district, police say threat is not ‘substantiated’

CASPER (WNE) — The Natrona County School District announced in an email Friday that there is no “substantiated” threat to schools after concerns grew out of a social media post threatening mass shootings.

The post that began circulating Friday on Facebook alleged a student was threatening to attack multiple schools Monday.

School district officials said in a press release that they worked with the Casper Police Department to determine whether the threat had any merit.

According to the press release, a comprehensive threat assessment was done and law enforcement officials made contact with the individuals and their “parents/guardians.”

Officials “verified the information provided does not identify a substantiated or specific threat to the safety of schools,” according to the prepared statement released jointly by the police department and school district.

“We understand there are social media rumors related to the safety of our schools on Monday, September 30th,” said the press release. “The Casper Police Department and Natrona County School District are committed to the safety of our schools. Parents, staff, students and school families should not be concerned with the safety of our schools and should plan on normal operations and attendance on Monday.”

Police presence was stepped up at schools Monday.

LDS breaks ground for Cody temple

CODY (WNE) — LDS officials conducted a groundbreaking ceremony for the Cody temple at its controversial site off Skyline Drive during a small, private ceremony blocked from public view last Friday.

Elder Steven Bangerter of Salt Lake City asked a blessing on those who live near the location in his dedicatory prayer, according to an LDS news release.

“We ask that they may feel a spirit of peace wash over them, granting them comfort and assurance that the presence of this temple will bring added joy, prosperity, beauty and unity to their lives and their community,’” he said.

Plans call for a single-story structure of approximately 9950 square feet with a 101-foot tower.

The groundbreaking occurred almost a month after District Judge John Perry ruled in favor of LDS and about two weeks after the opponents appealed his decision to the Wyoming Supreme Court.

A group called Preserve Our Cody Neighborhoods, which objects to the temple’s location in an area zoned rural residential, had filed lawsuits last summer against the city of Cody and its Planning and Zoning Board about the process for handling the issue. The city issued a building permit for the temple in August 2023.

LDS also filed lawsuits and voluntarily delayed construction until the court acted.

This temple will join two others in Wyoming, one in Casper and the other in Star Valley.

One in every nine residents of Wyoming, or about 68,000 people, claim membership in the LDS church, according to the news release.

Requests for information about when construction will begin and end were submitted Saturday and not answered before press time.

Gas prices, on average, down another 3 cents a gallon in Wyoming

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Average gasoline prices in Wyoming have fallen 3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.22 per gallon Monday, according to GasBuddy.com’s survey of 494 stations in Wyoming.

Prices in Wyoming are 6.8 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, and stand 62.4 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

According to GasBuddy price reports, the lowest price in the state on Sunday was $2.69, while the highest was $4.29, a difference of $1.60 per gallon.

The national average price of gasoline has risen 1.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.17 per gallon Monday. The national average is down 15.4 cents per gallon from a month ago, and stands 63.8 cents per gallon lower than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.

Yellowstone hiker still missing

JACKSON (WNE) — Rangers and Search and Rescue crews still have not found Austin King, the hiker who last made contact with the outside world a week and a half ago on a remote peak in Yellowstone National Park.

As of Friday afternoon, efforts to locate the 22-year-old were continuing, seven days after they began.

Spokesperson Linda Veress didn’t indicate on Thursday when the search would stop.

On Thursday, the park used two helicopters — one belonging to Yellowstone, and the other belonging to Teton County Search and Rescue — to continue searching the Eagle Peak area. Officials said they will continue searching drainages and ridgetops near the 11,372-foot peak, the highest in the park.

Park rangers were also working with cellular forensics experts to learn from King’s cellular activity the evening of Sept. 17 on Eagle Peak. King called his friends and family from the peak the same day.

To date, 96 people have been involved in the search, Yellowstone officials said. They’ve used two helicopters, a search dog team, ground crews with spotting scopes and a drone to look for the hiker.

King is from Winona, Minnesota. This summer, he was employed by Xanterra Parks and Resorts, the private business that operates hotels and restaurants in Yellowstone.

Greg Jackson, a former National Park Service ranger who retired in 2013 as deputy chief of national law enforcement, said there are a number of unknowns regarding King’s disappearance.

For example, King’s camp was found southeast of the peak. Why he left it is unclear.

“Under what circumstances would you leave your camp?” Jackson said. “Most people wouldn’t leave their survival supplies on purpose.”

Economic Summary Report for second quarter of 2024 released

CHEYENNE (WNE) — The new edition of the Wyoming Economic Summary Report, which highlights the state’s economic indicators for the second quarter of 2024, shows an increase in jobs and, at the same time, an increase in the unemployment rate.

Overall, Wyoming recorded approximately 3400 or 1.1% more payroll jobs in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the prior year. Employment increased in most sectors, led by construction which grew 3.4% annually in the second quarter.

Jobs in government (including public education and public hospitals) and leisure and hospitality increased 1.7%, respectively.

The state’s unemployment rate also increased slightly to 2.9%, which was still among the lowest since the second quarter of 2008, and was much lower than the U.S. rate of 4.0 percent.

“Although there was a moderate contraction in oil and gas drilling in Wyoming, the state’s labor market and economy continued to progress in the second quarter of 2024, albeit at a slower rate compared to 2023,” said Wenlin Liu, chief economist with Wyoming Division of Economic Analysis.

Total taxable sales decreased 2.3 percent in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the prior year, and it was the first decline since the first quarter of 2021.

Mineral severance taxes generated in the second quarter was at a similar level to a year ago (1.6%). Benefited by a higher interest rate environment, the state’s investment income distributed to the state general fund in the second quarter was more than double the amount from a year earlier.

Wyoming’s single-family home prices continue to trend upward (5.5%) in the second quarter compared to a year ago, while the U.S.’s appreciation decelerated to 5.7%.

The economic summary report can be downloaded at eadiv.state.wy.us/wef/Economic_ Summary2Q24.pdf.

Elk Fire begins burning

SHERIDAN (WNE) — A new fire began burning in the Bighorn National Forest Friday.

The Elk Fire — by West Pass and north of Riley Point — was estimated at 27 acres at noon on Sept. 27, according to a Facebook post from the Tongue River Fire District.

Bighorn National Forest firefighters responded initially to a smoke report and found the fire to be burning on steep terrain in thick timber with a lot of dead and downed trees, according to the Bighorn National Forest’s Facebook page. Firefighters are considering safe and viable options for engagement.

The forest is responding with engines, a 20-person crew and a helitack crew and are initiating an “air attack” above the fire, according to the Tongue River Fire District. The forest has also ordered single engine air tankers and large air tankers to assist in the fire-fighting.

The fire is just the latest in an intense fire season for Sheridan County.

Camporee pays $125K deposit to return to Gillette in 2029 and will pay Cam-plex $90K for repairs

GILLETTE (WNE) — The International Pathfinder Camporee has paid a $125,000 deposit to return to Gillette in 2029, and repair work is being done at Cam-plex to fix damages to infrastructure that occurred during the 2024 event.

Camporee paid Cam-plex $250,000 to rent the entire facility for the 2024 event, and it will pay $250,000 again for the 2029 event.

In addition, Camporee will be billed for about $90,000 in repairs and expenses stemming from this year’s event.

Cam-plex Executive Director Aaron Lyles said repairs were expected after an event of Camporee’s size.

“Nobody wants to get a repair bill, but there wasn’t anything that was jumping off the page,” he said. “It was just voluminous because of the number of people on the grounds.”

Specifically, the event put a “real heavy strain on our plumbing system, with the vehicles driving over the top of RV campsite plumbing infrastructure,” Lyles said.

Camporee also will pay the City of Gillette for trash pickup, water and electricity. Camporee racked up a solid waste bill for $50,837 while it was here.

This includes the cost of labor and equipment, as well as the tipping fees at the county’s North Landfill, Lyles said. And the power and water bills come out to about $50,000, of which Camporee will pay $25,000, because that was the maximum amount agreed upon in the contract for this cost, Lyles said.

And roughly between 6,000 and 10,000 square feet of grass will need to be re-seeded at Cam-plex Park. Lyles said Camporee has an agreement with G&G Landscaping to restore the grass.

Combined, Camporee will pay Cam-plex and the city about $165,000 for repairs, expenses and utility bills.

Released convict arrested again on same day he’s let out of jail

JACKSON (WNE) — Just four hours after Peter Hawkinson was released from the Teton County Detention Center after being held for stealing a camper, he was arrested again and charged with felony auto burglary.

Hawkinson, 54, was taken into custody Tuesday evening by the Jackson Police Department after officers traced his footsteps using the tracker on a phone left in a vehicle stolen at Ace Hardware, according to an affidavit filed in Teton County Circuit Court.

Sgt. Jeremiah Peery responded to a report of a stolen vehicle at Ace Hardware at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. The victim told the officer he stopped to shop, and when he came out of the store someone was driving away in his work truck. His cellphone, keys and wallet were left in the white 2013 Chevrolet Silverado.

The truck was located in the Snow King Resort’s back parking lot, but the wallet, iPhone and truck keys were missing.

Law enforcement officers aired the details of the theft over the radio and were advised that the description of the suspect matched a prisoner released that day from the jail. Peery said in the affidavit that he watched the surveillance video of the theft and compared the footage with photos from the suspect’s booking photo.

Hawkinson was positively identified, and a search around Jackson began. He was arrested near the post office Tuesday afternoon. The victim’s possessions were found on him.

The first time Hawkinson was arrested in Teton County was Sept. 2 in connection with the theft of a pop-up camper trailer.

The affidavit stated that after that arrest, officers discovered his criminal history includes 30 arrests “with 22 charges of felony theft, six cases of felony fraud, five cases of burglary and 11 cases of vehicle theft.”

Domestic ferrets to help tell story of black-footed ferret conservation

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Wyoming State Parks announces the addition of two domestic ferrets to Sinks Canyon State Park.

The five-month-old ferrets come from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Black-Footed Ferret Breeding Facility in Carr, Colorado, where they were part of the breeding and cloning efforts to help save one of North America’s most endangered species.

Black-footed ferrets, once considered extinct, were rediscovered in Meeteetse, Wyoming, in 1981, sparking decades of intensive recovery efforts.

Wyoming State Parks will use the domestic ferrets to share the conservation story of their endangered cousins, providing visitors with a close-up experience and a unique educational opportunity.

According to Interpretive Ranger Angelina Stancampiano, “We have seen how live animals connect visitors to the stories of wildlife; observing the huge canines of ferrets and watching them slink around makes ‘endangered’ feel very real and close-to-home.”

The ferrets will be in residence at the Sinks Canyon State Park Visitor Center in the summers and will also make special public appearances during park programming.

This is a chance for park visitors to learn about the black-footed ferret’s journey from the brink of extinction and the ongoing efforts to preserve this iconic species.

For updates on ferret appearances and other programming events, follow Sinks Canyon State Park and the Shoshone District of Wyoming State Parks on Facebook and Instagram.