Laramie, WY – The Wyoming Stock Growers Association says the federal government's latest wolf proposal is unacceptable. The plan would designate a permanent area in northwestern Wyoming where the state could manage wolves as trophy game animals. Jim Magagna is executive vice president of the Stock Growers Association. He says that designating the wolves as protected game animals in the area, as opposed to predators that could be shot on sight, is quote "a deal breaker." The area would stretch from Cody to Meeteetse.

Laramie, WY – Friends and family are calling a Casper teenager's second liver transplant a Christmas miracle. Melissa Berg is a 15-year-old Casper girl. She underwent her second liver transplant earlier this month. Berg was talking with her parents, sending text messages, making phone calls and asking for food the day after her surgery. Berg had been diagnosed in July with autoimmune hepatitis, a disease in which the immune system attacks liver cells. She received her first liver transplant in September but her body rejected it.

Laramie, WY – A Kansas woman died Saturday when her truck rolled on Interstate 80 near Elk Mountain. Her body was thrown into the windshield of an oncoming state snowplow truck. Thirty-seven year-old Tonice S. Joseph of Overland Park, Kansas, was driving westbound on the interstate just before 1 PM Saturday when her 2002 Ford Explorer rolled over in the median. The Wyoming Highway Patrol says that road conditions were icy and that a light snow was falling. During the rollover, both Tonice Joseph and 7 year-old Nadia Joseph were ejected.

Laramie, WY – About 1,500 mail carriers fanned out across Wyoming and Colorado yesterday making rare Sunday deliveries. Today, about 500 carriers made even rarer Christmas-day deliveries. Postal Service spokesman Al DeSarro calls it an unprecedented effort to get thousands of packages to customers in time for Christmas. The packages were delayed by the blizzard last week that dropped three-and-a-half feet of snow on parts of Wyoming and Colorado. It disrupted mail service at the height of the Christmas delivery crunch.

By Bob Beck

Laramie, WY – Rock Springs officials say that efforts to attract a workforce are yielding better results, but housing is still a concern. Sweetwater County Economic Development Director Pat Robbins says in the past year the county has created a number of new jobs outside of the energy industry. Robbins says they held off on recruiting new workers, until they could start making more homes available for future employees. But she says they are making progress in that area and they hope to start attracting more workers early next year.

Laramie, WY – Wyoming is still the nation's least

By Elsa Heidorn and Kristin Espeland

By Elsa Heidorn

By Bob Beck

Laramie, WY – The holidays are an energy drain, literally. People tend to use more electricity during the Christmas season. But some modifications are both good for the environment and the pocketbook. Sierra Magazine Lifestyles Editor Jennifer Hattam says it goes beyond cold weather. Christmas lights use a lot of the energy. Hattam says using energy efficient lights can save up to 50 dollars a day on electricity bills. She also says timers can help.

Cheyenne, Wy – Denver International Airport will be facing a backlog of two and a half days-worth of flights by the time it reopens. Officials plan to reopen the airport at noon on Friday. That will likely create problems for Denver flights through the weekend.