By Bob Beck

Laramie, WYo. – The Wyoming Army National Guard will send its largest number of soldiers ever to the Middle East.

Colonel Richard Knowlton says 941 Wyoming soldiers -- or roughly half of the Wyoming Guard -- will be deployed to Kuwait this spring to perform a number of tasks, including the protection of U-S troops.

The troops will stay for about a year. Colonel Knowlton says he is excited about the mission since their main task is keeping troops safe and comfortable.

By Elsa Partan

Laramie, Wyo. – With consumers cutting back on spending across the country, Jackson businesses expected some kind of drop, and now they have confirmation that the slowdown has arrived.

Tim O'Donoghue of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce says retailers have suffered the most.

"People are still coming here in droves, as they always have, but their discretionary spending patterns are changing, where they still need lodging, they still eat, but their spending on retail items has dropped down," he says.

By AP

Cheyenne, WYo. – A state livestock official says no brucellosis infections have been found in the latest testing of western Wyoming cattle herds.

State and federal officials are testing herds that could have had contact with a Daniel-area herd that tested positive for the livestock disease in June.

They're also testing herds that could have had contact with a Bondurant-area herd that was possibly linked to an infected cow at a Nebraska slaughterhouse in September.

By Bob Beck

Laramie, Wy –
University of Wyoming trustees will be asked to approve the next step in major upgrades to War Memorial Stadium. University Vice President Rick Miller says this latest effort includes a variety of upgrades including suites and prestige seating. Miller says this is a way to make the Athletics Department more money in the long run. Miller adds that paving the parking area and a new tennis facility will also be part of this plan. Trustees will discuss the proposal Thursday afternoon.

By Peter O'Dowd

Laramie, Wyo. – Don't mention a recession around this crowd. Ski resorts in the Jackson area say they are confident skiers will flock to the mountain despite a lagging economy.

By AP

Cheyenne, Wyo. – Wyoming had one of the nation's lowest home foreclosure rates for the third quarter of 2008, but the number of foreclosures has increased since the same period last
year.

The numbers are included in a recent report by RealtyTrac Inc., which tracks foreclosures nationwide. Wyoming had the nation's 44th lowest foreclosure rate for July through September, with 255 homes at varying stages of foreclosure. That's up 141 percent from third quarter 2007.

By AP

Rock Springs, Wyo. – Sweetwater County Democrats are seeking volunteers to replace state Sen. Rae Lynn Job, who has resigned because she's moving out of her district.

Job announced her resignation Thursday, after nearly 12 years in the state Senate.

Joyce Jansa Corcoran is chairwoman of the Sweetwater County Democratic Party. She says Job is moving from Rock Springs to Cheyenne so she can care for her mother.

By Bob Beck

Laramie, Wyo. – University of Wyoming Athletic department officials are moving forward with their next step in renovations and upgrades to War Memorial Stadium.

University Vice President Rick Miller says the U.W. trustees will be asked to approve long-awaited press box upgrades, that include luxury seating and suites.

Miller says this will be part of a much larger effort, that includes paving the stadium parking lot and building a new tennis facility.

By Elsa Partan

Laramie, Wyo. – A report by the federal government says wild horses may have to be killed to deal with massive overpopulation.

The Government Accountability Office reaffirmed today what the Bureau of Land Management reported earlier: they will have to euthanize horses or send them to slaughter houses if their budget is not increased dramatically. BLM spokesman Tom Gorey says the Bureau doesn't like either of the options.

By Peter O'Dowd

Laramie, Wyo. – More than one big-game animal a day is killed on an 18-mile stretch of Highway 20 north of the Wind River Canyon.

A game official says the number is more than twice the death-rate the department recorded in 2005. In a one-year period, the state's Department of Transportation has picked up 342 mule-deer carcasses, 29 white-tail deer, and four pronghorn between the north end of the Wind River Canyon and Kirby.