It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming, for Thursday, September 5th. I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom - brought to you by ServeWyoming - Wyoming's center for volunteerism and AmeriCorps service for the last 30 years! For volunteer opportunities, visit ServeWyoming dot org"
--
An offshoot of a legislative subcommittee has been tasked with considering possible legislative reform to Wyoming’s predator policies in the wake of the reported torture and killing of a wolf in Daniel in February.
The Treatment of Predators Working Group voted to forward a draft bill to the Legislature’s Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee that - while not outlawing the practice of chasing down predators with snowmobiles - would make it a crime to keep the animal alive.
Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz was at the meeting.
“There were some people that testified, you know, and a lot of people said, hey, look, this doesn't go far enough. We need to just outright ban any pursuit of any wildlife with a snowmobile or any other type of vehicle with the intent of running it down and running it over. However, this bill doesn't address that. This bill would just say if you injure an animal in the process of doing that, you don't kill it right away, then you can be charged with animal cruelty.”
Right now, animal cruelty charges don’t apply to wildlife and can be filed only by law enforcement officers, such as sheriff’s deputies or municipal police officers.
Read the full story HERE.
--
People trying to sign up to comment on the latest U.S. Postal Service proposal that would impact rural delivery in much of Wyoming are finding themselves shut out after a barely publicized deadline to register for Thursday’s virtual meeting passed.
Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that the Postal Service had announced it won’t hold a second in-person forum for people to comment on its latest plan to cut $3 billion in costs, in part by sacrificing rural mail delivery.
“I just happened to find their press release online… and it doesn't say anything about being registration closing at noon on September 3. They didn't send out any notices, either…Representative Hagman has asked them to have another forum. So we'll see what happens with that Secretary of State Chuck Gray was really not happy about it, and he he basically said, this is just another example of bureaucrats making decisions without listening to the people that those decisions affect and that it was outrageously wrong.”
The proposal is part of an overall transformation of the postal service that USPS officials say is necessary to significantly reduce costs and enhance service.
Read the full story HERE.
--
A father and son facing felony charges on suspicion of stealing $70,000 from a Gillette coal mine insisted Wednesday that they did nothing wrong.
George Costello and his son Bo Costello, of Cypress, Texas, are accused of failing to pay for $70,000 worth of scrap metal in April, after striking a deal with the Belle Ayr Coal Mine in Gillette.
Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that although the Costellos are insistent that they have proof of a legal transaction, court documents filed Thursday in Campbell County District Court tell a different story.
“I called both Costello's, who are charged with four felony counts, and asked for comments, and they fiercely maintained their innocence. They say, Well, George Costello says he's going to sue the county. Bo Costello said he will file criminal charges against Cowboy State Daily for for posting the story. And he finished his interview by saying, Go screw yourself.”
Each Costello faces the same four charges: Felony theft, Conspiracy to commit felony theft, False representation of value, and Conspiracy to represent value falsely.
Read the full story HERE.
--
An anthrax outbreak has killed at least 50 cattle in the Elk Mountain area of Carbon County, Wyoming, the first confirmed case of the lethal bacterial infection in Wyoming cattle since the 1970s.
It’s also been found in a moose in the same area, which Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports is the first time anthrax has been detected in Wyoming wildlife since 1956.
“When you see an animal that's died or has been infected by anthrax, it should be pretty clear what's going on, because there are a number of symptoms, and sudden death is one of those symptoms. So it's not something to be underestimated. It should stay localized where it is. At the moment, there's not really much of a chance that it'll spread beyond the area. So we're not talking about a statewide anthrax infection, but anthrax does naturally occur in Wyoming soil. When conditions are right, the soil can be churned up, and these spores can spread. So it's a localized issue, but anthrax could infect animals anywhere, and it's unpredictable. You don't really know when or how it's going to happen. It's just the unfortunate luck of the draw.”
The full extent of the outbreak hasn’t been determined, but anthrax remains a potent threat to livestock, wildlife and people in the impacted area. Officials recommend that everyone in the Elk Mountain area take steps to protect themselves from potential exposure.
Read the full story HERE.
--
In Colorado, a loophole in that state’s constitution recently helped a state lawmaker there get out of a $40 speeding ticket because he was traveling to a committee meeting at the time he was pulled over.
A similar law exists in the Wyoming Constitution, allowing lawmakers to avoid arrest, except when committing treason, breach of peace, violation of oath of office or a felony.
Cowboy State Daily’s Leo Wolfson reports that the Wyoming version of the law is a little less expansive than the one in Colorado.
“One thing that's worth pointing out is that it only extends to an arrest, and that this wouldn't necessarily stop someone from getting a ticket… And what's also very interesting about this is that lawmakers are already given certain privileges, as far as traveling on closed roads, sometimes during the legislature, which only convenes during the winter months in Wyoming.”
But two of the legislators Wolfson spoke to pointed out that if any lawmakers were to get a ticket these days, it probably wouldn’t be politically wise for them to fight it in court, even if they can claim an executive privilege.
Read the full story HERE.
--
Drinking among acquaintances devolved into a teen allegedly pistol-whipping one man then shooting a car with three other people in it.
Cowboy State Daily’s Dale Killingbeck reports that the Aug. 31 incident is the latest example of violent crimes by teens in Casper and follows a 15-year-old allegedly saying “I hope I killed one” after shooting up a trailer home on Aug. 12, and two teen murders in the city earlier this year.
“I talked to the city manager, and he said that, you know, they are working with all the different law enforcement entities in the region to try and get a handle on this. I mean, this follows a shooting of a trailer on August 12 in Casper. And then, of course, the murders that took place earlier this year. So just some ongoing issues, big issues with guns, alcohol and youth in Casper.”
Casper City Manager Carter Napier said the hope is that bringing accountability and follow up through interagency partnerships will transmit the message that, quote, “Casper is not the kind of place to do those crimes.”
Read the full story HERE.
--
The Fish Creek Fire made a run at a crew of 85 firefighters, who worked overnight Tuesday to hold the line at Highway 26/287 on a nearly 18,000-acre fire that is continuing to grow in size.
Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that by Wednesday evening, the blaze was just 1-2 miles from the historic Brooks Lake Lodge.
“There were 50 hot spots overnight Tuesday, ranging in size from a dinner plate on up to a 10th of an acre. They're using helicopters and drop buckets that hold about 900 gallons of water to dump water on those and keep them from taking root north of the highway 26 there… They're going to be 24/7 for the foreseeable future.”
In the meantime, as of Wednesday evening, Highway 26/287 remained closed because of the close proximity of the fire and excessive smoke. Also, evacuation orders for the Brooks Lake Lodge and nearby subdivisions remain in effect.
Read the full story HERE.
--
The operator of the electrical grid in California, which operates one of the largest networks of high-voltage transmission power lines in the world, is reaching into the heartland of Wyoming for expansion.
The California Independent System Operator, which manages the flow of bulk electricity across 26,000 miles of high-voltage power lines to utilities across California and in a small part of Nevada, recently added Rapid City, South Dakota-based Black Hills Corp.’s business units in Wyoming to its system. That’s according to energy reporter Pat Maio.
“What that means is that they're going to be involved in the future, not yet, but in the future, involved in trading real time energy, and it's a way to kind of cut costs… There are others that are on the cusp of joining as well here and including PacificCorp, and also, you know, the tri state generation and transmission Association, which is based in Colorado, but there's eight of their members… distribution co ops, based up here in Wyoming.”
California’s push into Wyoming is designed to meet its appetite for bringing more clean energy produced by wind turbines and solar panels from Wyoming and elsewhere into the fifth largest economy in the world.
Read the full story HERE.
--
Former President Donald Trump has not been entirely consistent on the issue of abortion along the 2024 presidential campaign trail.
Trump’s position on the matter has varied widely, from pro-choice, to pro-life. But Cowboy State Daily’s Leo Wolfson reports that some of his Wyoming supporters are optimistic that Trump’s past actions on the controversial political issue speak louder than his most recent words.
“State representative Rachel Rodriguez Williams, Republican from Cody… was optimistic that people should look at Trump's record his actions on abortion rather than some of the words he's been making in recent months… Marcy Kindred, who is a spokesman for a pro choice group, Wyoming United for Freedom… She thinks flip flopping is kind of a normal thing for national politicians to be doing on both sides of the aisle, and she thinks that both parties have let down women's reproductive freedom rights.”
Trump is largely credited for making abortion a state’s rights issue. The conservative judges he added to the U.S. Supreme Court during his time as president paved the way for the court’s ruling that resulted in the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Read the full story HERE.
--
And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on Cowboy State Daily Dot Com - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our YouTube channel.
I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.
