Lander, WY – A retired military weapons engineer from Lander will seek the Democratic nomination for U-S Senate. 61-year-old Dale Groutage is scheduled to formally announce his plans on Wednesday in Casper. Groutage is the first person to challenge for the seat now held by Republican Craig Thomas. Groutage is a Rock Springs native who holds three degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Wyoming. He spent 34 years designing missile systems and submarines for the U-S Navy.

Rock Springs, WY – Oil and Gas Development in the Rock Spring Area.

Laramie, Wy – Wyoming's failure to come up with comprehensive regulations for coal-bed methane development may be partly to blame for bitter disagreements between landowners and energy companies. That's the finding of a new study by University of Wyoming researchers.
The study, by the Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources, says Wyoming's failure to develop coal-bed methane regulation is a factor in litigation between landowners and companies.

Laramie, Wy – Local officials in Gillette say
construction of a new 30-million-dollar technical center is essential to training the local work force and keeping students in Wyoming.
The Campbell County Commission, Gillette City Council and Wright Town Council all have passed resolutions supporting the center, which would be funded by a combination of state and local funds.
But Gillette Campus dean Paul Young says he's concerned the Legislature might not back the state appropriation.

Laramie, Wy – Wyoming hasn't increased the amount it pays counties to cover the cost of criminal prosecutions in 25 years. Now, the head of the Wyoming County and Prosecuting Attorneys Association wants the Legislature to approve more spending.
Mike Greer is Uinta County Attorney and president of the association president. He told members of the Joint Appropriations Committee in Cheyenne this week that the 21 Wyoming counties that rely on county attorneys to serve as prosecutors haven't seen an increase in the state's funding formula since 1981.

Riverton, Wy – The family of a nurse who was murdered at
the Wyoming Honor Farm is suing the state.
Relatives of Tammy Sue Watts are seeking three-point-eight (M)
million dollars.
They claim that the state prematurely moved Floyd DeWayne Grady
to the Honor Farm from the Wyoming State Penitentiary, where he had
been imprisoned on a 1995 rape conviction in Laramie County. The
lawsuit also claims that Honor Farm corrections officers were
improperly trained and supervised.

Cheyenne, Wy –
Among them will be the state Game and Fish agency. Director Terry Cleveland says that his agency used to be able to rely on hunters' license fees for the majority of its income. But Cleveland says that income stream is relatively flat. And now the agency must focus more attention on wildlife conservation projects.
For example .Cleveland says the agency will need to ramp up its funding not only to manage grizzly bears if they come off the endangered species list .but also to study nearly 300 species Cleveland says could be at risk.

Laramie, Wy – The courts will likely have to decide if the Bridger Teton National Forest was allowed to increase helicopter skiing in a wilderness study area. The forest started allowing more use this winter. But, a coalition of conservation groups filed suit this week. The coalition wants heli skiing reduced to where it was. Attorney Tim Preso says the helicopters are disturbing animals like big horn sheep and wolverines.
The Bridger Teton National Forest is not commenting on the lawsuit. A spokesperson says they have not seen the official suit yet.

Laramie, Wy – The board of the Wyoming Business Council recommended funding five projects to preserve old school or government buildings in Wyoming. Eight communities applied for loans and grants to create community centers out of the buildings.
The Community Facilities Program Manager for the Business Council, Shannon Stanfill, says the towns and cities that applied did it partly to preserve buildings and also because they have a need.

Cheyenne, Wy – More than half of Wyoming employers who
responded to a recent survey say they're seeing fewer qualified job
applicants for non-management positions now than they did five
years ago.
That's according to a new survey released today (Wednesday) by
the A-A-R-P.
The A-A-R-P says one of the main reasons for the workers
shortage is the aging of the baby boomer generation. The oldest of
the boomers, meaning those born between 1946 and 1964, turned 60
this month.