Jackson, Wy – The best way to live through an Avalanche is to avoid it altogether. The senior guide for Jackson Hole Mountain Guides is Lynn Wolfe. Wolfe says proper training will help everyone properly size up terrain and identify areas that could be at risk for an avalanche. She says checking with official sources before heading into the backcountry is also important. But things can still go wrong. Wolfe says an avalanche moves quickly, so try and get off to the side of it, but if you get caught, try and swim to the top.
Cheyenne, Wy – Governor Freudenthal is calling for the state to put up 20 (M) million dollars to help Wyoming residents get a handle on costly heating bills. Most of that money would go into the Low Income Energy Assistance Program, which will help an estimated 14-thousand families this winter. Another one-and-a-half (M) million would go into a program to help people who are renters or who live in mobile homes to better insulate their homes. Freudenthal also said today (Monday) that he's leaning toward a
Lander, Wy – Five days of emotional deliberations led up to a hung jury in the case of an inmate accused of killing a nurse at the Wyoming Honor Farm in Riverton. That's according to two jurors in the Floyd DeWayne Grady murder case. The two jurors said the jury was split ten-two in favor of conviction on Monday. Yet by Friday, after deliberations that included lots of yelling and insults, the ten-two split remained. District Judge Norman Young let the jurors go after 43 hours of deliberation.
Laramie, Wy – Budget cuts last week by the U-S House of Representatives will mean some budget problems for many states especially in Medicaid. But in Wyoming officials are keeping their fingers crossed. The Deputy Director of Administration for the Wyoming Department of Health is Leland Clabots. He says Wyoming's plan does not have a lot of the add-on programs that Congress targeted with cuts.
Laramie, Wy – Wyoming's mineral wealth is helping fuel the development of another key resource water. When the Wyoming Water Development Commission was created in the 70s, lawmakers made sure it would receive a portion of the state's taxes on the mineral industry. Former State Engineer Jeff Fassett, who now works in water consulting, says between 25 and 30 million dollars a year now go to water development. And Fassett says the drought is another catalyst for water development projects.
Laramie, Wy – A member of the Sheridan police commission has resigned after being accused of potential bias in a case involving potential discipline of several police officers who pulled over the city mayor. Dick Hammer has served on the police commission for about six years. He resigned Wednesday after attorney Harlan Rasmussen noted Hammer worked on Sheridan Mayor Dave Kinskey's 2004 election campaign. The police commission is a three-member board that will determine if three officers involved in Kinskey's July traffic stop should be disciplined.
Laramie, Wy – Wyoming U-S Representative Barbara Cubin sided with her party this week in voting for controversial budget-cutting bills. House Republicans pushed through legislation that would curb rapidly growing spending such as Medicaid, farm programs, food stamps and student loan subsidies. Republicans say reining in such programs is the first step to restoring fiscal discipline. Democrats and environmental groups criticized the bills, saying they would cut rural health care, and allow public lands to be sold off.
Laramie, Wy – Congress has approved an additional four million dollars for building walking and biking paths in Grand Teton National Park. U-S Senator Craig Thomas says Congress appropriated the same amount of money last year for the park's Pathways Project. Congress also approved a bill that includes seven million dollars for a new Wyoming Air National Guard building in Cheyenne.
