It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Tuesday, September 9th. I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom… Brought to you by Wyoming Interventional and Vascular Associates. WIVA offers the best solution for treating tired, aching and swollen legs, at Wyoming's only IAC-accredited vein facility. With virtually no downtime and minimal risks, if you’re ready for relief, see what WIVA can do for you. Schedule a consultation at Casper Medical Imaging dot net, forward slash WIVA.
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Rural hospitals across America have been closing and scaling back,crushed by the current health care economics. But in Riverton, they’re fighting that trend in a big way with a new $66 million hospital project.
Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that the central Wyoming city is building a new 71,000-square-foot hospital that will offer state-of-the-art primary, acute, emergency and specialty care services, as well as 24/7 surgical and emergency capability, for a region serving about 22,000 people.
“To get to Lander from Thermopolis, it's quite a drive in the winter, and so imagine doing that in the winter. You're trying to have a baby. You got to go through this canyon, you gotta it's a snowstorm… the longer it takes to access those higher level of care that's lost brain tissue, it's lost heart tissue. It's worse health outcomes. It's part of the reason why people are dying more in rural areas than they are in metropolitan ones… And so the community just kind of banded together to build a $57 million hospital.”
The $57 million for construction is only part of the total $66 million dollars allocated for the project - the balance is for operating funds while the new nonprofit, independent hospital ramps up its services.
Read the full story HERE.
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Those in western Wyoming worried about the Dollar Lake Fire making a run at the state’s famous landmark Squaretop Mountain don’t have to worry any longer - because it has happened.
The fire, which has grown to more than 19,000 acres and is 39% contained, made an aggressive move along the Green River toward the foot of Squaretop over the weekend and nearly straight on at Porcupine Pass. Cowboy State Daily’s Greg Johnson reports that the flames also came within yards of the historic GP Bar Ranch and the stone house that still sits on the property.
“It was fueled by wind. It just made a big push over the weekend. But… now the firefighting team says that the fire is pretty well surrounded by natural barriers. They think it's in a good spot to kind of keep it a little bit contained or controlled… But it really ran down that West side of the river there right at Square top. If you look at the map of the fire, you can see, on Friday it was like, up here, and by Saturday, it's just like a finger or big arm is punching down.”
Most of the fire’s growth since Friday has been along the southeast path reaching toward Porcupine Falls in the Bridger Wilderness. Wildfire crews are focusing efforts on the southern end of the fire - but fire managers say the No. 1 priority remains keeping structures and people safe.
Read the full story HERE.
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The state of Wyoming rested its case Monday in the trial of a truck driver accused of recklessly driving into an ambulance on Interstate-80 near Rawlins three years ago, killing one EMT and seriously injuring another.
The question is not whether 46-year-old Saviol Saint Jean drove a commercial semitruck into a parked ambulance and two EMTs walking nearby on the morning of Dec. 21, 2022. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that the question for the jury is whether he behaved “recklessly” enough to commit aggravated vehicular homicide and aggravated assault.
“In Wyoming, criminal trials like this, once this state has gotten through all of its witnesses and evidence, then there's this kind of break point where the defense attorney gets a chance to say, Judge, I don't think this state has met its burden here. You should go ahead and order this man's acquittal right now… and so Joe Hampton did go ahead and make that motion Monday, after really rigorous questioning of to the state's expert witnesses, and judge Lavery denied, but first, there was Some fiery argument on both sides.”
Saint Jean could face up to 30 years in prison and fines if convicted on all three charges.
Read the full story HERE.
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A lasting memory for nearly 200 Wyoming college students, and what was expected to be an entertaining halftime show for thousands of NFL fans, was ruined Sunday afternoon when the threat of lightning canceled a special performance of the University of Wyoming Western Thunder Marching Band at the Denver Broncos home opener.
Cowboy State Daily’s Jackson Walker spoke to the director of the Western Thunder, who said the band was only allotted a 15-minute window to put on its show at Sunday’s game.
“They were prepared to take the field. They were ready for their show until lightning struck and the band was actually removed from the field as a safety precaution. Now, everybody present, the fans included, had to take shelter in the Concourse, and unfortunately, by the time the lightning passed, the show was over. There was no more halftime, and the game resumed, so the band was unable to take the field. I talked to the drum major and the director, who said they were a little disappointed by what happened, but they're hopeful that the Broncos will maybe invite them back for another game later this season.”
While the Broncos went on to a 20-12 victory, several UW fans shared their disappointment at not being able to take in a performance from Wyoming’s flagship marching band at the game.
Read the full story HERE.
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As the summer draws to a close, hot and arid conditions remain, while those keeping close tabs on the state's water supply - and the dams that help manage the resource - grapple with serious legal challenges, and a long maintenance backlog.
The bottom line is, a huge number of dams in the state are rated as being in “poor” condition. Cowboy State Daily’s David Madison reports that State officials are painting a troubling picture of aging infrastructure and mounting pressure from downstream states hungry for water that's becoming increasingly scarce.
“Our dams need attention. At the same time, we aren't sure or can't guarantee, exactly how much water is going to be flowing through our system, stored in reservoirs coming downstream. It all depends on a hodgepodge of of compacts between states regulating water… there's a deadline looming of November 11 for all of the states involved in the Colorado River Compact to come to an agreement. And things are getting contentious.”
The water crisis also has lawmakers questioning how the state can balance continued development with shrinking water supplies.
Read the full story HERE.
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There was a time when fish were caught mainly to eat, and plenty of anglers in Wyoming still do that. But there’s been a large shift toward fishing mostly for the experience or catch-and-release fishing.
Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that that’s raised some concerns over fish suffering injuries from repeated hooking, particularly in popular fisheries around the state.
“You know, the old school… we catch fish for food. It's gotten more toward we catch fish for the pleasure of fishing. So we catch and release... but a concern that grows out of catch and release is hook injuries, because when fish are repeatedly hooked, and maybe sometimes the hooks have to be ripped out of their mouth, they suffer those injuries, and they carry those injuries with them for life… the Game and Fish Commission this year moved to ban barbed fishing hooks on the stretch of the Miracle Mile on the North Platte River.”
Studies of fish populations in other popular Wyoming fisheries indicate that hook injuries from catch-and-release fishing are a widespread problem.
Read the full story HERE.
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An Evanston-based nuclear manufacturer says it's working with the U.S. military to produce shipping container-sized reactors.
Black Mesa predicts its reactors will replace the military’s current diesel power generators. CEO Joshua Payne told Cowboy State Daily’s Jackson Walker that his company was contracted in January to create “tactically mobile” reactors for the U.S. Army.
“This company received about $5 million in a contract from the army in order to produce these reactors. And I spoke to the CEO of the company who says business is booming. They're putting these reactors out. They're trying to put as many as 100 out per year, which he estimates would have about a $3 billion impact on the state of Wyoming.”
Black Mesa’s project is among a growing list of companies announcing plans to bring nuclear developments to Wyoming. Radiant Nuclear also plans to build a microreactor project near Bar Nunn, a project that has sparked fierce debate between local and state leaders over storing spent nuclear fuel.
Read the full story HERE.
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Thousands of people have been charmed by a video of a “performing bison” in Yellowstone National Park that appeared to be prancing around and hopping out of playfulness.
For bison biologists, the Friday video has less charm and more charge to it. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that for them, the sight signaled an animal building up for an attack, a turn that could have been tragic for the tourists leaning into the animal with their smartphones.
“It is admittedly kind of comical, because you have this 2000 pound animal literally hopping and running around, jumping, throwing its head around. So you could see why it could be amusing if you're not there watching it. But the thing is, all of the behaviors that that bison was demonstrating to those tourists on the boardwalk, were pretty aggressive… if a 2000 pound bison is angry enough, there's not really anything that's going to inhibit it from trying to exact whatever vengeance it feels is necessary on whoever's in the vicinity.”
Biologists say that if the bison had gotten a little more agitated, there could’ve been several serious injuries on the boardwalk.
Read the full story HERE.
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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, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for tuning in - I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.
