Wyoming – It is shaping up to be a bad year for wildfires and Wyoming Public Radio's Renny Mackay reports that the season is far from over.

Jackson, Wy – An audit released by a state agency says
the St. John's Living Center nursing home in Jackson broke the law
by NOT immediately reporting alleged sexual assaults.
A male aide allegedly kissed and fondled the breasts of an
elderly woman with dementia in 2004 and 2005. Recently the man was
charged with six counts of felony sexual assault.
The allegations were reported in an annual evaluation of the
nursing home that was completed in April. But Jean McLean, director

Jackson, Wy – An audit released by a state agency says
the St. John's Living Center nursing home in Jackson broke the law
by NOT immediately reporting alleged sexual assaults.
A male aide allegedly kissed and fondled the breasts of an
elderly woman with dementia in 2004 and 2005. Recently the man was
charged with six counts of felony sexual assault.
The allegations were reported in an annual evaluation of the
nursing home that was completed in April. But Jean McLean, director

Laramie, Wy – Wyoming Athletics Director Gary Barta is
leaving to become the athletics director at Iowa.
Barta will begin his new job August first with an annual base
salary of 295-thousand dollars.
Barta has been Wyoming's A-D since September 2003. He previously
was an associate A-D at the University of Washington for seven
years.
Barta has strong Iowa ties. From 1990-96, he was the director of
athletics development and external relations at the University of
Northern Iowa.

Laramie, WY – Campbell County Circuit Courts are having
a harder time getting prospective jurors to show up at a time when the number of trials are increasing.
The Circuit Court Clerk says she's become accustomed to scrambling for jurors ten minutes before a trial is scheduled to start.
One drunken driving trial in Campbell County Circuit Court was delayed this week because of a lack of jurors.
Judges say they may consider penalizing absent jurors more harshly if the situation doesn't improve.

Laramie, WY – The State Loan and Investment Board on
Thursday approved emergency grants totaling more than 25 million dollars to counties and local governments.
Most of the money will address impacts of increased oil and gas
development.
The board is made up of the state's top five elected officials.

Laramie, Wy – Word came this week that the Interior Department was changing its plans for how National Parks will be used and the Nation's conservation community is praising the decision. But some in the business community specifically those who cater to snowmobilers are disappointed. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne specifically noted that snowmobiling in national parks will not be the priority that some had been pushing for. Kempthorne wants more of a conservation emphasis in National Parks.

Laramie, Wy – The fire burning west of Laramie is still growing. So far 11 hundred acres have burned or are burning. The good news is crews did make headway containing more of the fire, now about a quarter of it is surrounded and contained. Clint Kyle with the National Forest says more personnel arrived today and that helped, so did cooler temperatures, but the forecast is for warmer weather and so they're fighting the fire aggressively.
Kyle says the chances of this fire getting more serious depend on the weather. As of now though he says homes in the area are still safe.

Laramie, Wy – Effective July first, a new state law provides in-car screening devices that prevents a drunk person from starting the vehicle. It will go to people with multiple convictions for drinking and driving.
The device detects alcohol on the driver's breath.
Its makers say the device has a proven track record of making a city's streets safer.
The device cost 70 dollars month -- which is paid by offenders.

Laramie, Wy – The first fire restrictions in state parks are in place.
The Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources says restrictions went into effect today (Thursday) at Glendo State Park. In addition, restrictions will take effect Monday at Guernsey State Park.
Both parks are in southeast Wyoming.
Open fires are restricted at Glendo and Guernsey, but propane
cooking stoves and grills, propane fireplaces, and charcoal grills
with a lid are still allowed.