It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Thursday, July 16th. I’m Mac Watson
This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas!
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Wyoming state Rep. Bill Allemand pleaded guilty to DUI in court Wednesday and was given one year probation and fined $500. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that the lawmaker faces 88 days in jail if he fails probation.
“On Wednesday Allemand walked into court and pleaded guilty. That hearing had been set for his attorney to face a contempt charge, but it served a double purpose on Wednesday, in which Alamod also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation, 88 days in jail if he fails probation and a $500 fine. he's got to stay out of bars and liquor stores and not violate the law and has got some chemical testing and that's for a year.”
Rep. Allemand was arrested Dec. 28th in Buffalo.
Read the full story HERE.
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The Department of the Interior stopped short of delisting grizzly bears from Endangered Species Act protection Tuesday when it moved to hand management of the bears over to states. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that one Wyoming outdoorsman says, “That’s the way it should be.”
“It's the 4D rule that's within the Endangered Species Act. The Biden administration moved to strengthen that rule, and now the Trump administration has come through and they're kind of revise that rule to effectively what people are saying: hand management over to the states. It's a bit murky because this does not mean that they're not going to get delisted. It's just handing more of the direct control of the bears right over to the states.”
A full delisting of grizzlies was attempted in 2007, and again in 2017. The latter led to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department issuing hunting tags for a grizzly season. However, both the 2017 and 2007 delisting efforts were overturned in court.
Read the full story HERE.
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A blown tire on a semitrailer sent it into the opposite lane, sideswiping an SUV and closing U.S. 20/26 near Shoshoni for more than four hours Wednesday. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that motorists were stranded in near 100-degree heat.
“Wyoming Highway Patrol says an eastbound semi had a blown tire and it crossed into the westbound lane, striking a GMC Yukon. No fatalities were reported, and the extent of injuries at this time is unknown. Even though only two vehicles were involved in the crash, there was a heavy response from law enforcement with several police and fire vehicles, as well as two helicopters and three wreckers. One witness who was stuck at the scene for nearly four hours said it was about 100 degrees outside. He was mostly concerned about horses that were confined to a trailer that were also there.”
Wyoming Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Aaron Brown said an eastbound semi truck east of Shoshoni traveling toward Casper suffered a tire failure at about 10:30 a.m., causing it to drift into the westbound lane and sideswipe a GMC Yukon. Brown added there were no fatalities.
Read the full story HERE.
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Meta says it is appealing a violation notice issued by Cheyenne's Board of Public Utilities. Cowboy State Daily’s Kate Meadows reports that the company’s corporate entity, Goat Systems, LLC is arguing the city has not provided evidence that the company's construction project contaminated the city's sewer reuse system.
“Meta is claiming that they have not received any of the underlying testing or data from the contamination from the tests that the city did and that they sent to the state lab. They're kind of taking issue with the fact that we don't have any data. The permit is wrong. Meta is arguing that the city cannot prove that the contamination actually came from the Meta project. I talked to Dr. Mark Rinnie on the Cheyenne City Council. He represents the Board of Public Utilities on the council. He was not aware of this appeal until we reached out to him.”
Meta said it is seeking review “so the facts and cause can be fully and accurately evaluated through the appropriate process.” The appeal comes more than four months after the bacteria was first detected in Cheyenne's wastewater reuse system.
Read the full story HERE.
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I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.
Cowboy State Daily News continues now….
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As people across Wyoming raise concerns over license plate reader cameras, they're mapping cameras that might not actually be license plate readers. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that a new Deflock.org entry saying Lusk has them is right, but it’s wrong about Cody and Gillette.
“DeFlock.org is a mapping site where it's voluntary, right? And so the idea is the citizens that are concerned about these cameras are going to build us a map as they encounter them, but as the publicity around this has grown in Wyoming and across the nation, and also litigation and problems with that, we're seeing what look like false reports. So somebody reported a license plate reader in Cody. I called the business where it was mounted is a Quick Lube-style shop, and the guy said, ‘No, it's a vehicle counter because if I ever want to sell this place, I want to tell the buyer just how much traffic we have here.’ And then in Gillette, the PD and the sheriff's office were both emphatic, like, ‘No, we're not doing license plate readers.’”
Outspoken Green River residents earlier this month halted their police chief’s bid to install license plate readers at town entrances. Besides Lusk, the Wyoming communities of Cheyenne, Jackson, Glenrock, and the Wind River Indian Reservation all have license plate reader cameras in place.
Read the full story HERE.
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Yellowstone National Park will spare the life of the bison that seriously hurt a 65-year-old grandpa from Washington. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that park officials said “no management action” will be taken against the bison which means it won’t be relocated or euthanized.
“The park rarely takes any management action because identifying that specific animal is difficult, and it's usually the animals are just doing what they would naturally do, whether it's because bison are in the rut or bears are defending their cubs or a food source. I spoke to bison biologist George Werthner. He reviewed the footage of the incident at Bridge Bay Campground over the weekend, and he said there really wasn't anything that Carl McDaniel could have done differently to prevent that attack.”
Even grizzlies that attack and seriously injure park guests usually get off the hook, so long as the attack was determined to be a natural behavior, like defending cubs or a food source.
Read the full story HERE.
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A family hurt in a crash west of Casper that killed two people when a semitruck plowed into a construction zone is suing the trucking company and the as-yet unidentified truck driver. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that no criminal charges have yet been filed as an investigation continues.
“Nearly a month after a commercial tanker drove into six cars, killing two people and injuring eight, a family has filed a lawsuit. Representing the injured family is Casper attorney Dallas Laird. He said simply that they're hoping for a settlement. The exact number remains unknown, as the family is still receiving medical care for long-term injuries. This civil lawsuit stems from a June 26th crash that happened west of Casper, between Casper and Manita. The complaint alleges that the tanker failed to stop in a construction zone.”
The negligence lawsuit, filed Friday in Natrona County District Court, names Ryan Brothers Trucking Inc. and a John Doe defendant, identified as the tanker driver whose identity was not yet known to the plaintiffs when the complaint was filed.
Read the full story HERE.
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It was 47 years ago today that Cheyenne was hit by the most powerful tornado in Wyoming history. The powerful F3 tornado destroyed hundreds of homes, caused tens of millions of dollars in damages, and killed one. Cowboy State Daily’s Kerry Drake was a reporter for the Wyoming Tribune and covered the story.
“It was obviously a terrible time for Cheyenne; most destructive tornado in the history of Wyoming. I was a photographer for the Wyoming State Tribune at the time. I was out covering a meeting, and I found out after I looked and we saw the tornado that I didn't have my camera with me. And fortunately, a good friend of mine who was at the meeting with me did. So we first saw the tornado looked like a big fire, and then we saw it move and realized what it was, so I kept telling my friend Jerry Johnson to shoot, shoot, shoot, and he did. And we got some photos that eventually we brought them down to the AP and UPI, and they were the first things that they had on the tornado.”
After the dust settled, there were 400 buildings that were damaged, including about 140 that were just totaled, 25 million dollars worth of damage, after the tornado traveled about almost 9 miles. For more on the tornado, read Kerry Drake’s two stories that Cowboy State Daily published today. There is also an interview with the former mayor of Cheyenne who recounts his experiences.
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 watching - I’m Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.
